#((This’ll be a small side thing alongside asks

[the1975attheirverybest]

COUNTDOWN TO SATVB

Rockstar Dad

A/N: Based on this request.

Warnings: none. But maybe typos.

————

Matty licked his lips, his chest rising and falling rapidly. The nerves. Excitement. The acting. The dancing around, screaming some of the lyrics out, enunciating some slowly for dramatic effect, almost tearing up as he looked out at crowd. It was all almost over. Just two more songs.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he spoke into the microphone while his hand rotated the pegs on his guitar. His tech guy, backstage, watching in agony and scampering to find the peg tuner, before Matty completely ruins his hard work.

“We’ve had a long year-“ he paused “who here has seen us before? On our last tour…" the crowd cheered energetically, drawing a smile from him. “Alright! So, we’ve had a long year since our 5th album came out — our 5th album, Being Funny In a Foreign Language, came out in….October of last year, it’s now the end of September; so almost a year— it’s been quite a year, but you know what? We are….STILL at our very best, I’ll tell you that.” He paused, breathing in deeply. “And, we would like to thank a few people who have helped keep us that way. So…” Matty’s eyes wandered over to his two favorite people in the world, momentarily distracting him. As he thought about how his baby girl’s face lit up, earlier in the night, when she watched him walk onto the stage alongside the guys, how her uncoordinated hands had tried to mirror her mother’s clapping along to the rhythm of “Its Not Living,” her waving at him and mouthing “hello!” At the opening lines of “Paris,” as soon as he’d crooned the line “she said hello,” matty was overcome with emotion. He gave his family a small nod. “Give it up for you guys!” He laughed “thank you for coming to our show. We wouldn’t be here without you….” He refocused his eyes, looking at the crowd, taking in the sight. “ Mr. Brad Troemel, without whom, this psychedelic drama wouldn’t exist….”

As he made his way through the list of people that he owed gratitude, Matty watched his wife beam with proud, nodding along, applauding, and even though her claps disappeared into a sea of indistinguishable, identical sounds from the crowd, Matty felt hers differently. He could see that she was telling him to take the moment in. To be present. To be proud of himself.

“Most importantly, though…” He set down his guitar, his stealthy guitar tech ceasing the opportunity to swoop in and replace it with another instrument, and walked over to the side of the stage. “Give it up for my two favorite ladies.”

Matty jumped offstage, the crowd cheering and whistling loudly, his security staff rushing to keep up with him. He took his daughter into his arms. She was ecstatic to finally be in her daddy’s arms after calling out to him and sticking her arms out, gesturing for him to come to her all night.

Matty paused in front of the stage, considering his dilemma. How was he going to climb back on with his precious baby in his arms? Luckily for him, Mark understood what was going on, and so did Ross. While Mark lifted Matty back up, Ross held the baby in his arms, greeting her gently and cooing to her as she impatiently wiggled around, desperate to be reunited with her dad.

“A long time ago; in a whole other life, I used to do this thing…” Matty reminisced in front of the microphone, ‘An Encounter’ playing in the background. “Where I would kiss fans. I mean- fans who’s asked for it. I wasn’t, like, walking going up to random women and just kissing their lips for no reason, just to clarify.” He wandered over to Ross, taking his daughter back into his arms. “Cuz the internet does love a ‘Matty Healy is a creep’ story. This’ll

Probably be viral by the end of the night. Headlines like ‘Matty Healy confesses to getting off with several fans onstage.’ Anyway, what was I saying? Right! It was a thing. During robbers. You know? The Robbers Kiss.” Crowds cheering loudly promoted Adam to walk up behind Matty and fix the baby girl’s noise canceling headphones, making sure they lined up perfectly and provided maximum protection.

“Nowadays though?” Matty grinned widely, turning to look into his daughters eyes. “This is the only kiss that I care about.” He placed the gentles, softest kiss to his baby’s cheek.

When the crowd swooned, reacting the only way that one could possibly react to the infamous reformed dirtbag melting, rather publicly, at the mere sight of his baby girl, Matty’s daughter seemed to realize, for the first time, that she was looking at an endless sea of human beings, as far out as her eyes could see. Her moth fell open, hypnotized, she stared at the twinkling lights. In his ear piece, Matty heard George say something about this being the moment that his child discovers what Matty does for a living. Watching his daughter’s face, Matty’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“You see that, baby? Daddy’s a rockstar. All these people….” His voice getting caught in his throat, he chuckled, kissing the very top of her head and walking over to where the security guys were anxiously waiting.

Reluctantly, he handed the love of his life back to them, standing there, with a watchful eye, and waiting to resume his post until he’d made sure that she was back in the safety of her mothers arms.

He wiped the tears out of his eyes with the back of his arm. “That’s was a…” he rushed over to the microphone. “Anyway, if you were on tumblr in 2013, this one’s for you.”

George’s cue to play ‘Robbers.’

#matty healy writing #matty healy fanfiction #matty healy fic #matty healy fluff #matty healy oneshot #matty healy x you #matty healy x reader

[axelphillipsblueberry]

Axel’s Thoughts - Post 1

“Honestly, what would it be like to actually meet Zora Salazar? Like she works for Bliss Ocean, sure... But it’d be interesting to get a peek into her mind. Nah, that’d be a death sentence and you it. At least it’d make dying more creative?”

#zora salazar #epithet erased #epithet oc #axel’s dumb thoughts #he might be a detective but that doesn’t mean he has to be constantly smart #boy askin’ for chaos hoo boy #((​Both dumb and serious thoughts will flood this thing enjoy #((This’ll be a small side thing alongside asks

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LUNATIC PARADE ;; Subaru Route ー Chapter 3

ー The scene starts on Glimmer Main Street

Subaru: Haah...What will that old geezer make us do next?

Yui: Based on what we had to do yesterday...I’m fairly sure today’s task will be a challenge as well.

ー An old lady walks past them

Yui: ( Hm...? )

Female Vampire E: Haah...This is bad...

Yui: ( That old lady looks troubled by something...? I wonder what happened? )

Selection

→ Reach out (☾)

Yui: Um, excuーー 

Subaru: Oi.

Yui: Subaru-kun...

Subaru: You’re not gonna talk to her, are you?

Yui: Eh? ...That was the plan though...

Subaru: You know the situation we’re in, right? We have somewhere to go, remember.

Yui: That’s true, but...I can’t just ignore it when there’s someone in need right before me...

Subaru: A person in need, you say...?

...

...Haah, fine. Be my guest.

...Seems like you’re still the literal definition of a kind soul.

→ Walk past her

Yui: ( I’d love to help but...We don’t really have the time for that right now... )

Subaru: Hm? Oi, what’s wrong? Let’s get going already.

Yui: Y-Yeah...

Female Vampire E: Haah...What am I going to do?

Yui: ( ...Uu... )

( I can’t just turn a blind eye to someone in need after all...! ) 

ー Yui runs over to the lady

Yui: Um...Is something the matter, Ma’am?

Female Vampire E: Aah...Miss. Well, I seem to have dropped my dear handkerchief...

Yui: I see. I’ll help you look for it!

Subaru: Geez...Guess I have no other choice...

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: ( Looking for a handkerchief might be more tricky than I thought... )

Subaru: Oi, it’s not over here.

Yui: Yeah...I haven’t found it yet either.

( I wonder if it got blown away by the wind...? ーー Ah! )

Couldn’t it be the thing stuck on that bench over there!?

Female Vampire E: Oh dear! It is!

Subaru: Haah...You finally found it? Then hurry up and graーー 

*Flap flap flap*

Yui: Ah...!

( A bird...! )

Subaru: Hey! Wait!

*Flap flap flap*

Yui: ( It flew away with the handkerchief in its beak... )

Subaru: Che...It’s sittin’ on a rooftop... 

Yui: ...I’ll go look for a ladder...!

Subaru: Aah, wait. The idea of you using a ladder is way too risky, I don’t think I could handle it.

...Haah. I’ll go grab it, so just stay put here, ‘kay?

I don’t need a ladder to reach that high...It literally takes one second if I fly.

...There...

ー Subaru leaps up into the air

Yui: ...Ah, Subaru-kun...

*TIMESKIP*

*Thud*

Subaru: ...Here you go. This’ll do, right?

Yui: ( Ah, in Subaru-kun’s hand is...! )

Female Vampire E: Yes, this is it! Thank you so much, you two. 

This handkerchief truly means a lot to me...So you helped me out immensely. Thank you so much. 

Yui: ( She seems very happy. I’m glad I reached out for her! )

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: Ah...Sorry we got a bit sidetracked, Subaru-kun...But still, thanks.

Subaru: ...Haah. You baffle me every time with how much of a goodie-two-shoes you are...

...But well...If you don’t mind that, I won’t stop you either.

Yui: Sure...?

( Usually he’d call me out on that kind of behavior...I wonder what has gotten into him today? )

Subaru: Anyway, we’re done now, right? Let’s go.

ー The scene shifts to Rubien canal

Gondolier A: ーー Off we go!

Yui: ( ...Today’s task involves retrieving a certain crystal from an abandoned mine inside a volcano. )

( ...Sounds like quite the struggle... )

Subaru: Oi, what was your problem earlier?

Yui: Eh? What do you mean?

Subaru: You seemed surprised after I said ‘let’s go’, remember? I’m referrin’ to that.

Yui: Ah...

( When we were told we have to head to a volcano today... )

( I was sure Subaru-kun would protest, but he just immediately responded with ‘let’s go’... )

Ah...Right. Please don’t get mad when I say this but...

I figured you wouldn’t like the idea of having to go all the way to a volcano.

However, you immediately rolled with it, hence why I was a little surprised...

Subaru: ...Hmph.

...Everyone has different things they consider valuable, regardless of whether others feel the same way, right? 

I finally understood that.

Yui: ...?

Subaru: Take that clown mask the old geezer wanted, for example. 

Or the handkerchief that old lady was lookin’ for.

Yui: Subaru-kun...

Subaru: Also...I’m sure that from an outsider’s perspective...What you mean to me...

Would fall under that same category as well, right?

Yui: ...

( How sneaky of him to suddenly say such things... )

( It’s embarrassing but...I feel as if my love for him has only grown. )

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the lake

Gondolier A: We’ve arrived at Tilkeys lake!

Yui: ( Phew...Seems like we’ve reached our destination. )

( Now we just have to head towards the volcano up ahead. )

Subaru: Haah...We’re finally here, huh...?

Yui: I thought you’d suggest we’d fly here instead of taking the gondola.

Subaru: Yeah...That thought crossed my mind as well, but I might need to save my energy for later, no?

Yui: ( Fufu...Seems like Subaru-kun is taking these tasks much more serious now. )

ー The two of them start walking

Yui: If I recall correctly, there should be a volcano on the other side of the water, right?

Subaru: That’s what the old geezer told us.

Yui: In that case, let’s just keep on walking straight aheaーー

ー The people around them grow restless

Yui: ...

Subaru: ...

Yui: ( It caught my attention earlier but there sure are a lot of couples around this lake... )

( I guess it can’t be helped since it seems to be a tourist attraction... )

T-There’s quite a few couples, huh...?

Subaru: Che...They’re annoyin’...

Yui: ( However, we can’t get to the volcano if we don’t go past them... )

Subaru: Oi, Yui.

ー Subaru suddenly pulls her close

*Rustle*

Yui: Wah...!

( He pulled me close...!? )

Subaru: We won’t stand out if we walk like this, right?

Yui: P-Probably not but...It’s embarrassing...!

Subaru: From their point of view, we’re...no different from them, you know.

Don’t let it bother you. Let’s go.

Yui: Y-Yeah...

ー The scene shifts to the entrance of the mine

Yui: Ah, seems like we can get inside through there.

Street vendor: ーー One second, you two.

Subaru: Ah?

Street vendor: You’re going inside?

Subaru: What if we are?

Street vendor: Oh no...But if you do, you better take one of these with you.

Yui: Are those...marshmallows...?

Um...Why do we need marshmallows to enter the volcano?

Street vendor: ...You see, there’s a certain tale being told around these parts...

Yui: A tale...

Monologue

ーー What we were told afterwards,

was the sad tale,

regarding this Smaragd volcano.

In the past...Due to the many mining resources,

available in this area,

mining for minerals flourished. 

On a fateful day, one of the miners,

fell in love with a Wraith (2),

who lived in the underground lake.

A Wraith and a Vampire,

made somewhat of an odd duo,

but to be able to live alongside her,

the man tricked a female Vampire,

and offered her body to the Wraith.

Why, you might ask? ...Per tradition,

Wraiths are not allowed to leave the place they were born,

unless they take control of the body of another being.

If they try and leave,

they will simply fade away.

Despite the many unfamiliarities which came with it,

 the two of them lived happily.

While living amongst Vampires,

the only thing the Wraith grew fond of...

were marshmallows. 

...However, 

their happiness was short-lived.

One day,

the original owner of the body she had possessed,

regained her consciousnessーー 

And killed the man.

Shaking with anger,

the Wraith killed the woman, who had been her vessel,

before vanishing herself.

To this day, the man’s spirit,

continues to look for the Wraith they once loved,

wandering around inside this volcano...

The fellow Wraiths,

as if they chose to carry on their lost comrade’s legacy,

have also taken a liking to marshmallows...

Yui: ...

( I had no idea this volcano is linked to such a sad story... )

Subaru: Hmph. In other words, if we run into one of those Wraiths, we just have to give them these as a snack?

I bet it’s just some urban legend, right? Ridiculous...

ー Subaru walks away

Yui: Ah, Subaru-kun, wait...!

( It might just be a made-up story but... )

Um...Excuse me? Could I get some marshmallows while I’m here, please?

Street vendor: Of course. I’ll pray you don’t run into any Wraiths. 

Yui: Thank you very much.

( Okay. I have to go after Subaru-kun...! )

ー The scene shifts to the inside of the mine

Yui: ( Where did he run off to...? )

( I don’t think he could be that far ahead... )

Subaru: ーー I knew it.

Yui: Wah! Subaru-kun!?

Geez...It gives me a heart attack when you appear out of nowhere like that...

Subaru: Knowing you, I bet you bought some marshmallows first before coming inside of here?

I figured that might be the case, so I waited for you here.

Yui: I-I see...

Subaru: You actually believe that story from earlier?

It’s just some obvious sales trick (3) to try and get us to buy his marshmallows, no?

Yui: It might be but...You know, better be safe than sorry...Right?

Subaru: ...Haah.

Whatever. Let’s just look for that crystal now.

Yui: He told us it glimmers and lights up, right?

Subaru: Yeah...According to the old geezer, we might find it by searching this rock surface.

Seems like they’ve conveniently got the mining tools all laid out for us.

*Rustle*

*Cling*

Subaru: I’ll use this to chip away at the wall so you look for the crystal.

Yui: Yeah, I’ll try my best!

*TIMESKIP*

*CLING*

Subaru: Haah...haah...

Yui: ( Hm...We’ve been searching for quite some time now... )

( But it doesn’t seem like we’ll find it any time soon... )

( On top of that... )

...Uu...

( Perhaps I’m paranoid after listening to that story from earlier but...For some reason, this place really gives me the creeps. )

*Rustle*

???: Fufu...Ufufufu...

Yui: ...Who’s there...?

*Rustle*

ー A strong gust of wind blows

Yui: ( There’s nobody... )

( Am I just hearing things...? But I could have sworn someone was there... )

Subaru: Oi, what’s wrong?

Ah...Subaru-kun...For some reason, this place has been creeping me out...

Subaru: ...Well, this isn’t the most fun place to be at.

Yui: Yeah...

Subaru: ...Let’s take a small break. You brought some food with you, right?

Yui: Ah...Yes! I got us some sandwiches on the way.

*Rustle rustle*

Yui: ...Here, this one’s yours!

Subaru: Yeah...Thanks.

*TIMESKIP*

Yui: Phew...That hit the spot.

( While the location is somewhat unsettling, this feels like we’re having a picnic together, it’s honestly kind of fun...! )

...I should have brought dessert with me as well.

Subaru: Ah? But we do, don’t we?

Yui: Eh?

Subaru: You got them at the entrance earlier, didn’t you? ...Those marshmallows.

Yui: You’re going to eat those!? I think it’d be better if we have those on hand just in case a Wraith shows up...

Subaru: Oh come on, I’ve been tellin’ you that crap is just some urban legend, haven’t I?

Yui: You think so...?

( But well...I guess it’s better to eat them than to have to end up throwing them away... )

Hold on...

*Rustle rustle*

Huh...?

Subaru: Oi, what’s wrong?

Yui: I can’t seem to find them...

Subaru: Hm...Didn’t you drop them somewhere?

Yui: ...

( Don’t tell me...Did a Wraith actually take them...? )

( In that case, I’m glad I bought some just like that person advised us to... )

Subaru: ...What’s wrong? Did you want to eat marshmallows that badly?

Yui: Ah...No. That’s not it, but...

( I’ll just keep this to myself... )

( It’s not like I have concrete proof that they were taken by a Wraith... )

( If the story we were told is true, it might be best to just quietly let it pass. )

Subaru: ...? You weirdo. Whatever. We should get back to work soon.

*TIMESKIP*

*Cling*

Subaru: ...Haah...!

Yui: Subaru-kun, how are things looking on your end...?

Subaru: No luck...I did find this rare-looking gem instead though.

But it’s not the one that old geezer wants...

Here, it’s this one.

Yui: Waah, it’s so pretty.

( It changes color depending on the angle! Wow...! )

( But this isn’t what we’re looking for... )

Subaru: ...

Yui: ( Subaru-kun has been staring at the gem in his hand this whole time, it seems. )

...Fufu, I see no harm in taking it home with us to remember this day?

It doesn’t look like the type of gemstone you’d find every day!

Subaru: Y-Yeah...Good point.

*Rustle*

Yui: So...What are we going to do now...?

( We can’t just keep on aimlessly searching around forever... )

???: Fufu...Ufufufu...

Yui: ...!

( That voice just now...It’s the same one I heard earlier...! )

( Are there really Wraiths living here...? Oh no, we’re all out of marshmallows too... )

Subaru: ...What was that voice just now?

Yui: You noticed as well...?

Subaru: Yeah. I could hear it from behind us.

Yui: Yeah...Let’s try heading into that direction.

ー They follow the voice

Subaru: ...Around here, maybe...?

Now that you mention it, I did read this one fairytale from the Demon World when I was a kid...

In one of those stories, their dog barked to mark a location and they found a treasure buried underneath.

Does that ring a bell?

Yui: Eh? Y-Yeah...It’s a famous story after all... (4)

Subaru: This might just be...a similar case...!

...Let’s try diggin’ here.

*Cling*

Subaru: ...Ugh...!

*Cling*

*Crumble*

*THUD*

Yui: Ah! Subaru-kun, look!! Couldn’t it be that one over there...!?

Subaru: You’re right..It’s blue in color just like that old geezer said...

Yui: Waah! Thank god we were able to find it!

Subaru: Haah...Geez, finally...

But...Well, I guess it was worth goin’ through all the trouble...

Yui: Yes.

( Hm...? Then the Wraith’s voice from earlier...? Could she have been trying to thank us for the marshmallows...? )

Subaru: We were able to find the crystal, so I guess we should leave now.

Yui: Good idーー

*Flap flap*

Subaru: Aah...?

Yui: What was...that sound...?

*CAW*

*Flap flap*

Yui: Eh...An eagle...!?

Subaru: Haah!? Where did it come from!? ...Wait, fuck...It’s comin’ our way...!

*CAW*

Subaru: ...! Watch out...!!

*Thud*

Yui: Are you okay!?

( ...Did it target the gem in Subaru-kun’s hand just now...? )

Subaru: Oi oi...Are you after this gemstone perhaps...?

We went through hell and back to find it, so no way I’m handin’ it over!

Let’s make a run for it!

ー The two of them start running

*Flap flap*

*CAW*

Subaru: Che...It’s comin’ after us again!

Yui: Ah, Subaru-kun! There’s a rail cart over there...!

Subaru: Guess we have to use that to get out of here...!

ー They head towards the rail cart.

Subaru: Oi, hold onto this crystal.

*Thud*

Yui: Yeah...!

( I’ll put it in my pocket so I don’t drop it... )

Subaru: Kuh...

Get...movin’...!

*Rattle rattle*

*Thud*

Subaru: Awesome, it’s runnin’!

Is that eagle still comin’ after us?

*Flap flap*

*CAW*

Yui: Yeah...Seems like it set its sights on this gem after all...

*Flap flap*

Subaru: Che...That fuckin’ geezer! He didn’t mention this...!

*Flap flap*

Yui: Ah...! Subaru-kun, watch out...!

Subaru: Fuck...! Oi, you stay down. Don’t you dare raise your head!

*Rustle*

Yui: Y-Yeah...

*Flap flap*

*CAW*

Subaru: Che...You persistent pest! Buzz off!

*Cling*

Yui: Subaru-kun! Don’t push yourself too much...!

Subaru: Yeah, I know...! ...Uwoh...!? 

*Thud*

Yui: Eh...!?

( The eagle...Grabbed hold of him...!? )

Subaru: ...Kuh...Oi...Let go of me...!!

*CAW*

Subaru: ...Ugh!!

Yui: Ah...!!

Subaru: Yui...!!

Yui: No way...Subaru-kun!?

( Subaru-kun fell inside the ravine...!! I have to go save him...But what can I...? )

*Rumble rumble*

Yui: W-What now...!? The ground’s rumbling...?

*Creaaak*

Yui: Eh...!?

( The wagon’s tilted to the side...At this rate it’ll fall...!? )

...Kyaah...!?

ー She falls down

Yui: ( Oh no...At this rate, I won’t even live to get my heart back... )

( ... )

Subaru: ーー Yui!

Yui: ( Eh...? )

*Rustle*

Yui: ( My body is...floating...? )

Subaru...kun...?

Subaru: You’re fine now! Hang on tight!

Yui: Yeah...!

*Thud*

ー The scene shifts to a cave

Yui: Haah, haah...

We made it out...unharmed somehow...?

Subaru: Yeah...Seems like it.

Yui: ( But...Where are we? It looks like a cave of some sorts... )

...

( What’s happening...!? I can barely...breathe...!? ) 

Subaru: Che...Seems like we fell pretty far down...

We have to get out of here before you suffocate to death...!

ー The scene shifts to the underground lake

Subaru: Haah...Oi, are you okay...?

Yui: Just barely...!

( So there’s a lake underground... )

Subaru: Oi, you still have the gem on you, right?

*Rustle*

Yui: Yeah, don’t worry. I’ve got it.

Subaru: Perfect...Let’s get out of here at once then.

I don’t want to stay here any longer and run into trouble again.

Then afterwards...

...Don’t ever leave my side again, ‘kay? Who knows what waits ahead of us.

Yui: Yeah...!

*Rumble rumble*

Subaru: ...Hold up. Something’s...comin’...

Yui: ( This sound...Could it be the rumbling of the ground again...!? )

*SPLASH*

Subaru: ...Water...!?

Yui: Ah...The quakes from earlier might be what is causing the lake to flood...

Subaru: Che...It’s just one problem after the other...!

ー The water flows their way

Yui: Kyaah!?

( We’re being swept away..!? )

Subaru: Oi, hold onto me!!

*Rustle*

Subaru: Don’t you dare let go of my hand!

*Splash*

Yui: ( We...made it out alive...? )

Yui: Cough...cough...

Subaru: Oi...Are you alright?

Yui: Ah...Yes. I swallowed a little water, but I don’t seem to have any injuries.

I’m sure it’s because you protected me.

Subaru: H-Haah!? The fuck are you sayin’...!?

Yui: Eh? ...What do you mean? You proteーー

Subaru: Aah, shut up! Not another word!

Fuck...

Yui: ( Ah...Subaru-kun looked away... )

But it’s really all thanks to you that I was able to safely make it back out.

Thank you for saving me.

Subaru: ...

...Hmph.

Yui: ...We ran into several problems but...

It’s good we got out safe and sound, right?

Subaru: There’s nothin’ good ‘bout this shit. Honestly...We went through hell and back.

I don’t wanna go through that ever again.

Yui: Fufu...I agree.

*Thud*

Subaru: Anyway...Let’s go to the old geezer’s place already.

I’m gonna snap if he calls us out on takin’ too long again.

ー Subaru nearly trips

Subaru: ...

Yui: Ah, Subaru-kun, are you okay...!?

Subaru: I just felt a little shaky in my step. Don’t worry ‘bout it.

Don’t be worryin’ ‘bout someone else when you’re totally worn out yourself.

Yui: Y-Yeah...

( Even if he says that, I can’t help but be concerned... )

*TIMESKIP*

*Rustle*

Yui: ( Nn... )

ー Yui wakes up in the hotel room

Yui: ( Huh...? Where am I...? This isn’t...the anitque shop, right...? The hotel room...? )

( I remember heading from the lake towards the antique shop together with Subaru-kun... )

*Rustle*

Subaru: Nn...Ahー Fuck...My muscles sore...

Wait...Hah? Why are we at the hotel...!?

Yui: ( Thank god...Seems like Subaru-kun has woken up as well. )

Say, I wonder how we made it back here?

Subaru: Who knows...I can only remember up until the point we left for the old geezer’s place.

Yui: ( I guess Subaru-kun’s in the same boat, huh...? ...Hm? )

*Flip*

Yui: ( Oh? There’s a note on the bedside table... )

Subaru: What’s that? A note? Give me that for a sec.

ーー The requested gemstone has been successfully retrieved. 

Make sure to get plenty of rest today so you’re ready for the final task tomorrow.

...Furthermore, next time I find you two passed out in front of my store, I’m throwing you out on the sidewalk like that so you have been warned. 

...That’s what it says.

Yui: Ah...I see...We must have collapsed in front of the store.

Subaru: Geez...Who’s fault does he think that is!?

Fuck...! That older geezer needs to watch his words...!

Haah...I’m gonna sleep. You should rest up soon as well. Tomorrow’s the last day after all.

*Creaak*

Yui: Yeah, I will.

( Today sure was something else but...I had fun. )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) 話 or ‘hanashi’ is more of a general term which simply means ‘talk’ or ‘story’. However, given the contents of the story, I thought ‘tale’ was a fitting term in English. 

(2) A Wraith is a type of ghost or spirit, originally from Scottish Folklore. They are said to be the embodiment of souls who are either on the verge of death, or who have recently passed on.

(3) 子供騙し or ‘kodomo-damashi’ literally means a trick/trap only children would fall for.

(4) I did a quick google search and Subaru is mostly referring to the Japanese folklore tale: Hanasaka Jiji. 

← RETURN TO CHAPTER 2

→ PROCEED WITH MAIN STORY [CHAPTER 4]

→ SUB-SCENARIO #1 [W/ KANATO]

→ SUB-SCENARIO #2 [W/ RUKI]

→ SUB-SCENARIO #3 [W/SHIN]

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #subaru sakamaki #diabolik lovers translation #lunatic parade #lpsubaruchapter3

[tallstars-rewrite]

Chapter 36

chapter list / previous / next

“So what is it you call them again?” Talltail’s eyes narrowed skeptically.

“They’re called cars, so I’ve been told.” Jake replied. 

They were crouched a fox-length away from a bright red shiny monster sitting quietly in front of a twoleg den.

“Is it dead?” Talltail asked, instinctively keeping his voice quiet as if he half expected the thing to roar to life any moment.

“I don’t even think they’re alive. At least, it certainly doesn’t smell alive. All I know is when housefolk gets inside one, they start moving”

“Hm.” Talltail kicked a small pebble at it. Nothing. Jake was right about that, they certainly didn’t smell like any living thing. “And what about the lights in their eyes? It’s not fire, but there are lights like that all over the twoleg places.”

“I dunno, housefolk are just good at making light that isn’t hot I guess. Between us, I think their eyesight in the dark is awful.”

“So you don’t even know how twolegs make the things they do?”

“Not really,” Jake shrugged. “But do you understand exactly how plants grow or how birds can fly?”

“Well...no, they just do. I suppose...you sort of have a point.” Talltail admitted. “But I still don’t trust these things. They sound like monsters to me. Let’s keep going, I don’t like looking at it’s eyes, even if they aren’t alive.”

They walked through gardens, keeping to the grass and sparse trees alongside the hard stone Thunderpaths and trails. As the dusky sky turned to a pale gray dawn, they saw twolegs every so often, and many of them paused to look at the two cats walking side by side. Talltail didn’t like going past them, but after narrowly escaping another aggressive group of strays, and a lost dog, Jake eventually convinced Talltail that twolegs were the lesser of the two evils. So, daylight travel it was.

“Just don’t make eye contact,” Jake said. “They’re slow, so even if they want to pet us, we can just run and they’ll give up.”

“They just try petting every animal that walks by!?” Talltail hissed.

“Well some of them, if they can.”

Talltail snorted. The absolute arrogance of assuming that because a couple cats liked them, that meant every cat wanted to be their friend. I don’t try to groom every cat I walk by because that would be weird, Talltail thought with an irritated twitch of his tail. But he was quickly finding most twolegs weren’t necessarily the ruthless predators he’d imagined them to be in his youth. They were, however, incredibly annoying.

But on the brighter side, he’d found that he really had started to get used to the sounds of the town, even though it was still overwhelming. They had to duck behind a house every now and again when a particularly loud string of monsters passed.

“We’re almost there,” Jake assured him. “I’m...mostly sure of it. When we were on the roof, I got a better idea of where we were. The alley cats chased us in the wrong direction, but we should be able to get there without crossing anyone's territory.”

After only a couple more turns down the stone path, Jake raised his tail. “Ah! There it is!” he exclaimed. “See those tall trees up ahead? I’m sure that’s where the park is.”

“Is this ‘park’ actually...safe?” Talltail asked as they grew closer. In the distance, he knew the pines that bordered ShadowClan’s territory were close. There was a ring of twoleg dens blocking it, but such a forested area would surely house prey to some cat.

“Well, twolegs walk through it with their dogs, but they have them on leashes. Don’t worry, I know not all dogs are like Dusty. I won’t make you get slobbered by any more of them,” Jake added quickly when he saw Talltail’s alarm.

“I appreciate that,” Talltail said with a shudder.

The park was a large area with sparse patches of woods and bushes surrounded by large grassy fields. Not the fields Talltail was used to, but very short soft grass that would be impossible to hide in, and most of it stank of stale dog scent. Talltail thought he would be able to relax once they’d reached a more natural familiar area, but even this place felt very...off compared to the woodland and fields he knew. Like the plants and trees were all too...neat.

“Well, it’s still better than the town,” Talltail sighed. “But where to start looking…”

“What exactly are you planning on doing when you find them?” Jake asked with a sideways glance.

“Uh...” Talltail paused. He hadn’t been thinking of it in detail, he’d just been repeatedly telling himself that he’d figure it out when he got there. “I’ll... figure it out when I get there?” he said.

“You don’t want to fight all of them do you?” Jake’s eyes were round with concern.

“No, of course not.” Talltail for the first time felt a stab of guilt for the visitors when he thought of Mole, Reena, and her parents. They had been so kind. Reena had even been his friend for a while. They wouldn’t think so kindly of him after this, but their feelings couldn’t be at the front of his mind. They were protecting a bad cat. Sparrow didn’t even care about the others as much as Hen, he’d practically said so himself. If Talltail could just get Sparrow away from the others somehow, they wouldn’t have to get involved at all.

While he was thinking, Jake had gotten distracted and was looking up at a massive oak tree with long hanging branches splaying out. He had an eager light in his eyes, like a kit hunting a drifting feather.

“We could…get higher? Maybe if we got high up we could see if there are any cats around, or even the pond we’re looking for. I bet you could see the whole area from up there, and the branches are low enough to jump to.”

Talltail looked doubtfully up at the tree. WindClan had keener eyes than most cats, but his nose was still better for searching. Maybe Jake had other motives.

But It’s not as if we’re running out of time. If they’ve hung around for this long, they’ll hang around longer… Talltail thought. He shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

Jake looked back at him, “You don’t think it’s too dangerous?”

“Well...maybe it’s risky, but less dangerous than what we’ve already done. It’s not as if I’ll let you fall.”

Jake’s plumy red tail flicked high, his vibrant eyes glowing with a mischievous excitement. “Bet I can get up it faster."

With that, he crouched and leapt, hooking his claws into the lowest branch and hoisting himself all the way up with an agility Talltail hadn’t expected from such a stocky cat. Talltail bunched his muscles and jumped up after him, and his paws touched the branch without requiring him to scramble the rest of the way. Keeping his momentum, he jumped again to the next nearest branch up.

He got so caught up in the challenge, Talltail was almost on the fourth branch before he remembered he’d never actually climbed a tall tree in his entire life. He made the mistake of looking down, and the ground below felt dizzyingly far, even though it didn’t feel like he’d gone very high.

“What’s wrong? I’ll be napping at the top before you get there!” Jake called. Great StarClan, how had he gotten three branches above him? 

Talltail looked up. “You know uh...there’s not really many trees like this on the moor.”

“Then this’ll be good practice! Every cat should know how to climb trees!”

“What am I, ThunderClan?” Talltail grumbled. Staring up while newly aware of the drop below him, he felt significantly less confident with his leaps. “Er, Jake?”

“Yeah?”

“How did you get up there exactly?”

“Climbed.”

“Alright, yes, but be more specific.”

“You’re half way up! How did you get to where you are?” the ginger tom flashed him a cheeky grin.

“Dumb luck? I don’t trust my paws! Can’t you tell me where you put yours?”

“Well, I trust your paws, and you should too! Just keep your eyes on where you want to be.”

Swallowing his doubt, Talltail balanced himself with his tail and found it a reliable weight as ever as he leapt. Jake stopped past the halfway point up the massive tree. The branches were separated enough that they could see the whole area around them, but too thin to climb further. For a moment Talltail could almost pretend he wasn’t surrounded on all sides by twolegs with their bizarre dens and contraptions. The call of alarmed birds disturbed from their perching was a welcome sound blocking out the distant rumble of crossing Thunderpaths. He had learned his lesson about looking down and carefully lay himself on the branch to catch his breath. 

Jake lay across from him, and looked thoughtfully at Talltail’s paws. “Huh,” he said, “I didn’t expect you to have duller claws than me.” He flexed his small needle sharp claws and scraped them on the branch. 

“They’re not as sharp, but they're a lot sturdier.” Talltail flexed a paw. “And those wounds are harder to close,” he added with a wink.

But it was true his claws didn’t hook into the bark as deep as he would like. He usually only needed them to grip soft earth while running, or digging.

“How high up do you think a cat can jump from without getting hurt?” Jake asked abruptly, gazing below at the dizzying drop with an amused twitch of his whiskers. He looked like he was enjoying himself somehow.

Talltail glared at him. “Do not ask me that right now.”

Jake snorted with laughter which petered into a quiet purr of contentment as the sun dripped through the branches and danced over his fur. He really did have the brightest orange pelt Talltail had ever seen. The sun caught the ginger and it glowed like the warm fire Jake’s twoleg kept in their home, the vivid stripes swirling along his tufted flanks broken up where the fur was longest. Talltail had never spent so much time trying to memorize all the details of a cat's face. It was odd, the little leap of happiness he felt fluttering around in his heart. Sometimes he caught his breath and it skipped in a way he couldn’t recall ever feeling before when looking at a cat. That’s...weird. Am I getting sick?

He scarcely realized he was staring when he noticed Jake was also looking intently at his face as well. 

Talltail blinked at him. “What is it?”

Jake stretched out and touched his nose to Talltail’s cheek. “Thanks for humoring me. I’m glad you’ve let me come with you this long,” he purred.

“I wouldn’t say I’m humoring you, I wouldn’t even have gotten here without you,” Talltail replied. His ears twitched as he tried to hide the fur prickling on the nape of his neck and the warm blush rushing under his pelt from the unexpected touch. What in StarClan is wrong with me? I think the height is making me light headed.

“I mean with this climb,” Jake laughed. “My friends would have said it was fluff-brained or dangerous and told me to stop messing around. Not that I blame them, we are really high up.”

“Don’t remind me,” Talltail gulped. “I just want to enjoy the view and pretend the ground is nearby. Don’t you have friends who do this with you?”

“They’ll come on long walks with me. I like Quince and Nutmeg, but they don’t always understand me. Sometimes I just feel...this pull to do something different, like in my gut, and I have to do it. Like I see a faraway place from my roof and I think ‘what does everything look like from there?’ And I so desperately want to go there and see.”

Talltail nodded, his whiskers twitching in amusement. It was similar to that excitable longing to dash to the horizon he felt when he was young. It had been a long time since he’d dwelled on it.

Jake continued, “I can’t live my whole life every day eating, sleeping, grooming, even though I like it. I feel like...there’s something else out there, and I’ll be restless until I find out what it is. That’s why I was so glad to meet you again... I love my friends and neighbors, well-- most of them, Tyr can get stuffed. But sometimes I worry I’m annoying them with my fancies.”

Talltail blinked at Jake in surprise. “I can’t imagine any cat finding you annoying.”

Jake snorted. “Oh Talltail, you haven’t been around me long enough! Driving cats up the walls is a talent of mine.”

“Well you’ve certainly driven me up a tree, so there’s that. No other cat would be able to do that.” Talltail rested his chin on his paws. The sun felt so nice warming the dark fur on his back, he’d forgotten all about scanning the area for other cats. 

Jake stretched and inched his forepaws on either side of Talltail. “I’m glad I know you,” he purred.

Talltail was a little caught off guard. “Thanks.” 

“You’re welcome.”

“Well…. I’m...glad I know you too?” 

They sat there in the branches passively grooming each other's ears, and Talltail listened to the breeze whisk through his fur. It wasn’t the familiar winds he grew up with, but he swore he could almost smell the moor carried on them from far away. Before the homesickness could creep up on him again, Jake yawned and stretched.

“Ok, we’ve stalled long enough, we should probably get down now.”

“Right, erm, down.” Talltail still wasn’t brave enough to look.

“Don’t worry, it’s not as if I’ll let you fall. Promise.” Jake winked.

“Are you going to catch me?” Talltail snorted. “I probably weigh as much as you do.”

“I could carry you if I had to! It’s not all fluff under here.”

 Talltail was still doubtful of that, but Jake’s confidence in the whole situation was at least easing his nerves a little.

“I climb trees like this all the time, it’s much easier than it looks. Surely you won’t have too much trouble balancing with that tail of yours.”

Talltail swayed on his paws as he, unfortunately, finally glanced down at the dizzying drop through the branches. Oh stars… He kept his eyes firmly on Jake’s tail and paws, one branch at a time, flinching with each tentative jump, but after some coaxing and at least one instance of Jake grabbing his scruff to steady them, Talltail at last landed down onto safe grass again. He still trembled a bit even as he flexed his claws into the soft earth 

“See, that wasn’t so bad!” Jake chirped.

“Says you, I can't believe you put yourself through that all the time.”

“The height is kind of a rush though, isn’t it?”

“If by rush, you mean vividly imagining the air rushing by me as I plummet to my death? Then yes, absolutely.”

“Aw I bet you could climb all sorts of things if you set your mind to it!” Jake grinned at him.

“I prefer to use my tail for steering my turns,” Talltail retorted. “WindClan are not the climbers of the forest. An old clanmate of mine, Aspenfall, took to climbing better than the rest of us, but he was still pretty bad at it.”

“You really do all have such funny names don’t you?” Jake replied. “Who else is there?”

“What, in my whole clan? well...my mentor was called Dawnstripe. I’m sure I’ve told you about Briarpaw, he’s the one training to be a medicine cat. I had a friend called Ryewhisker as well, and Fawnleap and Lilywhisker...” He listed off several more names as Jake stared. Talltail of course still knew everyone by heart.

“That’s so many cats, how do you keep track of them all?”

“That’s not even half of them! They’re your family, of course you come to know them over time.” He remembered how overwhelmed he had been as a kit, trying to learn the names of all his clanmates. They had been so patient with him.

“So how do you get your names anyhow?” Jake asked. “I heard a rumor your get a cool name when you killed your first enemy”

Talltail purred in laughter. “No, not quite. Our names are much more than that. They’re special to us, you get it when you’ve completed your training and officially become a warrior. No murder required. The first name given to you by your parents represents your roots. Your parents give you your colors and physical traits, so them choosing your first name is to honor them and the life you’ve been given. It’s usually a name referencing something from the world around us, to represent our connection to the area we are born in. Our territory is part of us after all, as important as our clanmates. It’s where you’ll spend your whole life.” Well...it’s where you’re supposed to spend your whole life, he thought with a twinge of guilt.

Jake nodded, “That's simple enough. What about the last part?”

“That’s the important part. It represents a small part of the warrior you become, what you're best known for. Some are more abstract than others. Your mentor, the leader, and the medicine cat discuss with each other about your progress over the course of your training to decide what name you're called to have.”

“That’s so cool! My name doesn’t mean anything, I wish I could earn a cool badge like that. But...What about you? Your first name is Tall, that’s not really a thing like the other names you told me.”

Talltail nodded. “My name is old. In the early times of the clans, you had no name at all until you proved you could survive to adulthood. Back then, if you got a name, it always referenced the most noticeable physical trait about you rather than anything else, so cats could tell you apart on sight. Except for the legendary warriors of course, who were named for their renowned feats, but most cats couldn’t hope to be that special. There was only one meaning to their names, rather than two separate meanings. So my name was planned ahead, a traditional one to honor the cats that survived in those hard times. That’s why my father chose it for me. I guess my tail was freakishly long back then too.” 

“You didn’t get to earn a last name yourself? That doesn’t seem as fun.” Jake said.

“It’s not all about fun! Besides, no name can perfectly represent everything about you. Getting a warrior name is always an honor regardless of what it is. Besides, it is pretty notable isn’t it?” he purred, wapping Jake with his tail for good measure.

Jake sneezed as the fur tickled his nose. “Yeah, I could see you from a mile away with that thing.”

After a bit more aimless wandering, they finally paused for a moment to rest. Jake rolled in the grass, getting burs and twigs and grass shreds stuck in his tufty orange pelt. He looked a bit like a hedgehog.

“You're going to end up dragging the whole park along with you if you keep that up,” Talltail chuckled. 

“Maybe I want to take some back with me. Also I like smelling like grass! It’s nice. You always smell like moor grass.”

Talltail didn’t know how that could be. It had been so long since he’d been home, the moor couldn’t possibly still be sticking to him. But maybe it was harder to get rid of than he thought. 

Jake interrupted his thoughts again. “What would my name be if I was in a clan?”

Talltail snorted. “Your name? I have no idea, it’s not something you can just slap on a cat!”

“Well how do cats who join the clan get named? Does that ever happen?”

“We’ve never had an outsider join in my time but...I think the leader chooses? Even then, I can’t possibly imagine what skills you would prove over the course of training.”

“Well let’s say you’re leader, what would you call me? Just if you had to guess?”

Talltail hummed in thought, looking Jake over as he beamed back at him patiently. He had the goofiest gleeful look on his face, Talltail stifled a purr “Oh I don’t know...Perhaps Flameface.”

Jake laughed at that. “Flameface? That’s a name? That sounds so silly!”

“It’s not silly at all! It’s a perfectly fine name. No sillier than Jake, your name is nonsense! It sounds like the noise you make when you hack up a furball. It only sounds silly to you because you don’t know what it means.”

“Ok, ok that’s fair. What’s it mean?”

“Flame is pretty self explanatory. You are the brightest orange cat I’ve ever seen. And I guess I associate it with you now because your twoleg’s den was the first place I ever saw real fire.”

“I like ‘Flame.’ That part’s cool. But...what, does my face look like it’s on fire?”

“No, no it’s not always that literal. Well, maybe it is a little. Some names are for cats who are good at many different things, but master of nothing in particular.”

“What? I could be a master at something!”

“It’s not a bad thing at all!” Talltail purred. “In fact, those are some of the most reliable cats. ‘Face’ is just a variation on referencing your appearance. I think it’s often given to cats who are thought to be particularly attractive in some way or another. I can’t remember what the idea was exactly. Like their face draws attention or...lights up the area? Metaphorically of course. It’s a little sappy.”

“Ohhh...” Jake was silent for a moment in thought. “You think I’m attractive?”

“What?”

“Wow, no cats ever called me that before!”

Talltail’s pelt felt hot as he sat up. “Y-you’re thinking too hard about it, I’m trying to be objective. I only thought of it because--I just mean you’re distracting. But...In a good way.”

“I’m distracting?”

“Well, I don’t mean--I meant like, eye-catching, because of--have you looked at yourself when the sunlight hits your fur? It--No, oh for StarClan’s sake, hold on, I’m explaining this poorly. Stop looking at me like that, the point is that’s the closest guess I can manage. It might not be accurate.”

Jake grinned up at him, “I like that name.”

“...Good. It’s past sunhigh now, so we should start looking,” Talltail mewed quickly, already to his feet, hoping his fur wasn’t noticeably bristling in embarrassment. 

Jake trotted after him, his tail held up high. “So, what would your name be if you earned a normal one, do you think?” he asked, a new note of amusement in his voice that Talltail was trying very hard to ignore.

“I don’t know, Jake.”

“‘Cause I think you could be a ‘face’ cat too, you’re the most distracting thing I've ever seen in my life”

“We are burning daylight here, Jake.”

“Ok, but think about it.”

Talltail would probably think about it for the rest of the day, thanks.

chapter list / previous / next

#FRU36 #chapter 36 #asdfghds this last scene was one of the first ones i wrote back in like 2018 #it still makes me giggle lmao #but also enjoy the light chapters while you can #because i will be pulling out the angst stick again soon

[winterscaptain]

joint chiefs.

Aaron Hotchner x Gender Neutral Reader

a/n: aunt tali is back for the third night in a row (whoops). this can be a stand-alone, but the original intention was to follow up in the dark, a few years later. it’s totally not necessary to read that one beforehand, but it might be fun! as always, tell me if i’ve screwed up somewhere and i’ll fix it right away :) words: 3853 warnings: swearing, some good kissing, snark, a couple of references that you get bonus points for recognizing some vocab, just in case: CARD: child abduction rapid deployment team, SAIC: special agent in charge, taking six/on your six: covering your partner’s back

ao3 | masterlist | requests closed

+++

You rolled over when your phone rang, answering it right away. “Hotchner.” You checked your watch on its charger. Just after 6am.

Can’t kidnappers wait until the sun’s up?

“We need you in the field today. CARD presence has been requested in Chicago for an all-hands, time-sensitive joint case. Details are incoming, but may be slow to reach you - I have very few myself. When can you be in the office?” The voice of your section chief came at you rapid-fire, and you sat up, rubbing your eyes.

“Yes ma’am. I can be there as soon as my sister-in-law gets here for Jack. I’ll call her now and give you an ETA when I have one. I can’t imagine it will be more than an hour.”

“Thank you. I know it’s a lot to ask with Aaron out on a case as well.”

“It’s alright, ma’am. I’ll be in touch.” You hung up and dressed quickly, calling Jess.

“Got a case?” She sounded terribly chipper for this hour.

“Yeah, I do. I’m so sorry to wake you,” you added lamely.

She chuckled. “You didn’t, and I should thank you. You just saved me from my 7am yoga class.”

“Well, put it on my tab. How quick can you get here?”

“I’ll be there in 20.”

You thanked her again and padded down the hallway to Jack’s room. Kneeling beside him, you brushed some hair off his forehead. It was enough to wake him. He blinked sleepily up at you and reached for you. You wrapped him in your arms, stroking the back of his head. 

“Hey bud. I’ve got a case I gotta go on, but Aunt Jess will be with you until Dad or I get home, okay?”

He nodded, closing his eyes again.

You kissed his forehead. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” he mumbled.

You shot a text to your section chief. Be there in 35 mins.

You made yourself a quick breakfast and a pot of coffee. You pulled a travel mug for yourself and a mug from the cabinet for Jess (It said Someone from San Antonio Loves Me!, but that was neither here nor there). 

Your go bag was already in the car – BAU habits die hard.

Jess arrived in record time, giving you a quick kiss on the cheek and taking her cup of coffee out of your hand. You’d grown close in the last few years, and considered her as much of a sister as Aaron did at this point. 

You slipped out the door as quietly as possible, jumping into the car and driving straight to the Quantico airstrip.

The plane was waiting for you, and you greeted the CARD B-Team as you sat down.

+++

The flight to Chicago wasn’t too long, but you managed to get some sleep on the way.

When you were on your final descent, you checked your email, finding no further information from your section chief, other than a case file for a series of missing children and address for the precinct. You didn’t have any information about the other factions of the joint case. Hopefully it wasn’t those jokers at the State Department. They meant well, but they never played nicely with the bureau.

You almost laughed out loud when you arrived at the local precinct, finding the backsides of both Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan in front of an evidence board.

“Hey, Chief?” One of your SSA’s – Agent Esme Salinger, stepped up beside you. “Aren’t those guys from your old unit?”

“They sure are.”

She snorted. “This’ll be fun.”

The back door opened, and Aaron, Emily, and Dave barreled in, heading straight for the conference room.

“You may be right about that,” you said distractedly. 

Aaron was barking about something in his Unit Chief Voice™, but you couldn’t make out the details as he kept moving. They pinned new evidence on the board right away, not taking any time to clock your presence.

That didn’t last long. Your newest agent, Knowles, jogged up to you with his go bag slung over his shoulder. “Hey, Hotch,” he said, way too loudly, “where should we park the cars?”

You whirled to face him, directing him to park by the other federal vehicles around the side of the building. You stifled your smile as you felt eyes turn to your back.

When you turned, you found the entire BAU grinning at you. You crossed to the conference room, wordlessly asking your team to hold where they were as you left them behind.

“SSA Hotchner. Good to see you again.” you said, approaching Aaron, your hand extended and tone extremely formal. 

He bit back a smile and he shook your hand with an unreasonable firmness. He matched you note for note. “SSA Hotchner. Glad to have you with us.”

You winked at him.

With a wave of your hand, your team trailed across the room and fell into a line at your back like a pack of well-trained ducklings. With a certain degree of pride, you introduced them to the BAU one by one.

“...And this is SSA Aaron Hotchner, BAU Unit Chief.” You looked at your husband with a small, fond smile before sobering and redirecting your attention to your team. “For the sake of clarity, we’ll switch back to my SAIC callsign – Ace – while we’re working with the BAU. Understood?”

They nodded, and got to work, pairing off with your former teammates to determine their plan of action.

Aaron stood beside you at the board. Staring straight ahead, his arms crossed, he asked, “Ace?”

“Yeah – I used all your poker tricks and cleaned them out my first week back at CARD as SAIC.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “Excellent.”

+++

Aaron let himself into your hotel room just as you finished hanging the rest of your clothes in the minuscule closet. He came up behind you, dropping his hands to the waistband of your pajama pants and kissing your neck with a kind of desperate gentleness.

You smiled and tilted your head, bringing a hand up and carding your fingers through the hair at his temples. “Miss me?”

“You have no idea,” he said against your skin.

You turned in his arms and kissed him, pouring all your love and pride into it. He opened his mouth to you, and the way his tongue ran against yours stole your breath. He emitted a low groan when you scraped your teeth along his lower lip and he backed you up toward the bed.

“Planning on gettin’ some tonight, Agent Hotchner?”

He huffed a laugh, his mouth falling to the underside of your jaw and around to the sensitive skin over your carotid artery. You fell back on the bed, and he followed. 

There was a knock at the door. You both froze, his body hovering over yours. 

“Fuck,” you whispered, nearly throwing him off you.

He pressed his back to the wall by the bed, out of sight from the door. There was a shit-eating grin on his face. You rolled your eyes and straightened your shirt, hoping things weren’t too out of place.

Agent Salinger was on the other side of the door. “Hey, Ace. Do you have a minute?”

You leaned against the doorframe, trying to imitate something that looked casual. “Sure. What’s up?”

“Did you happen to bring any Advil with you? I’ve got a splitting headache and I’m out.”

“Sure, give me just a second.”

You left the door cracked and dug your med kit out of your go bag. Aaron tugged on the back of your shirt as you passed, and you swatted at him out of habit. Retrieving a small handful of tablets, you poured them into a little ziploc, sealed it, and returned to the door.

“Here, Salinger. This should hold you over if it continues through the end of the case. If you’re still hurting after we land back at Quantico, go ahead and visit the infirmary to see if they can do anything for you. That concussion’s still healing.” You smiled at her. “We need you sharp, alright?”

She took them gratefully, and gave you a mock salute. “Thanks. You’re the best.”

“That’s why they pay me the big bucks,” you joked. “Anything else you needed?”

She shook her head. “Have a good night, Ace.” She paused, hiding a smile and raising her voice a little, rising up on her toes. “You too, Hotch!”

You huffed and rolled your eyes. “Goodnight, Salinger. Sleep well.”

“Feel better!” Aaron’s voice came from around the corner, and you rolled your eyes. 

“Sleep well, you two.” Then, with a suggestive, curling smile, “Need a wake-up call in the morning?”

You shut the door in her face with a laugh and another farewell. As it closed, you leaned against it heavily. “Oh, I am never going to hear the end of that.”

Aaron turned the corner, loosening his tie. “Now, we’re even.”

You looped your arms around his neck as you remembered that day, years ago.

“You know, for a pair of profilers you guys really suck at sneaking around.” JJ’s voice echoed in your head. 

“I guess so,” you laughed. “This marriage is about give and take, after all.”

He kissed you languidly and you could feel the tension as he did his best to hide his smile. 

+++

“Hey, Hotch, how come you don’t have a cool nickname?” Derek said, grinning behind his sunglasses as they all piled into the car.

“I’d have one if you gave me one,” he quipped. You drove the car in front of him, the window rolled down and your elbow visible where it rested in the frail Chicago sunshine. 

He was excited to see you back in action. With your position as deputy unit chief, your role in the field was limited to emergency situations only. And with the CARD A-Team up in Pennsylvania for the week, you were stuck wrangling the younger agents on your own. 

That said, it was exciting for you to take point, and even more so to work alongside Aaron again.

The difference this time? You were peers. You had the same title, the same posture, the same authority. 

And perhaps most importantly, very little scrutiny regarding possibly-shared hotel rooms.

+++

He knocked on your door in the little pattern he picked up from you, and you opened it with a faux-serious expression. 

“Agent Hotchner, we can't keep meeting like this.”

He raised an eyebrow at you. 

He has a motive. 

You opened the door further and draped yourself against him where he stood in the hallway, continuing dramatically, “What will the people think?”

With surprising, but still gentle, force, he pushed you back into the room and pressed you against the wall. There was a click behind him as the door swung shut. 

You gasped, and your hands were suddenly over your head, locked between his fingers. 

“I think,” he said, wet, breathy kisses trailing down your neck and behind your ear, “the people will be appalled,” his lips closed around your skin as he painted marks over your collarbones, “by the unprofessional,” he released your hands, dropped to his knees and raised your shirt, “shocking,” he laved kisses across your stomach, “and unbecoming conduct of two senior agents.” His final words were delivered against your left hip.

You wound your hands in his hair and inhaled shakily. He pressed kisses and swept sweet bruises into your skin until you couldn’t feel anything but him.

When his mouth ghosted over you through your pajama pants, you knew exactly where the night was going. 

Your knees gave out, and you dropped into his lap, straddling him. You traced a hand down the side of his face, over his jaw. He leaned into it, and you roughened, taking his chin between your fingers With a firm, controlled jerk, you brought his lips to yours. His hips twitched, and you bit his lower lip in retaliation. 

He let out a low moan in his chest and his hands rucked up your shirt. They splayed across your back and shoulders, calloused and familiar. 

Allegedly, you made it to the bed at some point. If your exhaustion the next morning wasn’t enough evidence, the duvet on the floor and the pillows on the wrong side of the bed would happily testify to the lack of sleeping you did once you got there. 

+++

The next day at the evidence board found you and Aaron with identical, massive cups of coffee. 

Agents Salinger and Knowles sat at the table the next room over, reviewing interviews with JJ. 

“Do you think they ever, you know,” Knowles made a vaguely obscene gesture with his hand, and Salinger covered her mouth to hide her laugh. 

JJ didn’t look up from her notes, but replied, deadpan, “You have no idea.”

The younger agents snickered and watched you two work. 

It was easy. Even considering the stressful, time-sensitive nature of the unsub’s escalation over the previous four hours, you both moved around each other with a grace that only came with time. 

+++

A critical error. 

That’s the only thing you thought when you busted into the unsub’s house, minutes after your agents. The unsub was nowhere in sight, and Salinger was on the floor with her partner, putting pressure on a mild wound on his forehead and temple. 

Your jaw tightened and you shot them a look. 

I’ll deal with you later. 

Later came faster than even you could have imagined. You rounded the corner of the precinct to find Aaron laying into your agents for their screw-up back at the house. 

You stepped up to them with purpose and put a firm hand on Aaron’s arm. 

“Hotch, can I speak with you for a moment?” you looked at your agents and then back at him. “Privately.” 

It took everything in you to resist slamming the interrogation room door behind you. 

“What on this God-given green Earth made you think it was appropriate to discipline my agents?” 

He took a deep breath before replying and dropped into what you, usually fondly, referred to as Lawyer Mode. It was far less endearing in that moment, and only served to further piss you off. “Their mistakes cost us an arrest today. With this level of escalation, we could have two more missing kids by sundown. They needed to be made aware of their critical failure.”

You pressed your hands to the cool table, realizing you two were facing off over the surface like two cowboys in an old Western.

This town ain’t big enough for the both of us…

“Do you think I don’t know that?”

“No, I think it’s time sensitive and needed to be addressed immediately.” He crossed his arms. 

Damn it. 

You changed tactics, opening your shoulders as you braced yourself on the table. “I’m acutely aware of the time-sensitive nature of this case, which is why I was waiting to reprimand them until they had the time to actually process it. They’re young. They get caught up in it, and Salinger is particularly prone to amplifying rejection, so she’ll be unwilling to take risks until we fly home for fear of inspiring your ire and my disappointment. They fucked up, I know. But I know my team, I know how they need to be handled so we can continue working on this case. You don’t.”

The frustration had drained out of him during your tirade and was replaced with contrition. You were right, and he knew it. You softened your tone, but only a little.

“Aaron, I need you to trust me to handle my team effectively. I don’t need you to step in on my behalf.” Your frustration crawled up into your throat, and you begged your tears not to betray you. Swallowing, you collected yourself and stared him right in the eye. “You undermined my authority today. Please don’t do it again.”

His mouth pressed into a thin, remorseful line. He looked down at the table and took a deep breath. Meeting your eyes again, he said, “I respect and value your leadership and your position. You are, and always will be, the best person to lead your team. I got caught up in my frustration and failed to consider the optics and the specific needs of your agents. I’m sorry.” He rounded the table, crossing to you. “It won’t happen again.” 

There was silence for a moment. Then, Aaron crossed the chasm between colleagues and spouses and reached for your hands, running his thumb over your wedding ring. It was a silent reminder, for both of you. 

Fight nice.

“Thank you.” Sighing, you brought one of your hands to the lapel of his suit jacket, fiddling with it just for something to do as you spoke. “You need to apologize to my agents for overstepping and emphasize that you defer to me on all aspects regarding CARD involvement in the case.” 

“I can do that.” His lips quirked up into the smile you loved, the smile that only you saw. “Forgive me?” 

You heaved a sigh. “I guess so.” He met your eyes and you broke, a little smile threatening at the corners of your mouth. “Let’s get out there and save some kids today, yeah?”

He released your hand and crossed the room, opening the door for you - a wordless agreement, as well as a reiteration of support you so deeply cherished. 

+++

It only took you another hour to locate the unsub - even though he used forensic countermeasures, he wasn’t all that bright. One swipe of his credit card, and Garcia had him in her clutches. 

You raced to his location. Aaron drove the lead car with Derek behind him, and you brought up the rear with the rest of the team. It was more than a little thrilling to drive impossibly fast, sirens wailing, headed to end this man’s reign of terror on Chicago families. 

Throwing the car into park strategically perpendicular to Derek’s SUV, you jumped out of the car and drew your weapon. You took Aaron’s six through the front of the house, a calm settling over you as the pair of you fell right into line. 

Aaron found the unsub in the back bedroom, with a knife held to the most recently kidnapped child. You squared up just off Aaron’s left shoulder for a clear line of sight, avoiding his right side. If you had to fire a shot, the last thing you wanted to do was aggravate his bad ear. 

Out of the corner of your eye, Derek lined up a clean shot through the window. He knew to wait for Hotch, who had started to talk the unsub down, before taking any action. 

Your heart swelled with both pride and affection as Aaron successfully and handily de-escalated the situation and made the arrest himself. He passed the unsub off to the local officers, and you both continued searching the house for the missing children. 

JJ found them first, unharmed and terrified, in a hidden shed out back. She deferred to you, and you called your team over to perform a quick trauma eval on each of the children. 

Knowles and Salinger, still twitchy from their earlier run-in with Aaron, settled down once they were able to perform their designated duties with their colleagues. 

When they were finished, Aaron pulled them aside and spoke quietly with them for a moment. Salinger’s mouth twisted into a little smile, and Knowles took a deep breath. Every once in a while, one of them looked over at you as Aaron spoke. 

After a final set of smiles and nods, they exchanged handshakes. Aaron looked significantly lighter as he approached you as you leaned on the SUV. With your sunglasses on, you looked decidedly and federally important. 

Aaron settled in beside you, slipping his sunglasses over his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. You bumped his shoulder, and kept your voice low. “It was nice to work together, again.”

A ghost of a smile crossed his face, but it was one only you (and maybe Dave) would notice. You could carry on entire conversations without physically acknowledging each other just as well as you could communicate without words at all. Aaron stayed focused on something in the middle distance as he replied. “It was.”

“It’s nice to know you’re still good at your job without me.” You bit back a smile as your eyes tracked your team, wrapping everything up. 

You could almost hear his eye roll. “Glad to hear my performance is consistent and up to your standards.” 

“Your performance is always consistent and up to my standards.” 

The double meaning was not lost on him, according to the dimple that pressed into his left cheek. 

After a moment of silence, the humor dropped from your tone. “Sorry I got mad at you.” 

He huffed a laugh through his nose, his face unchanged. “I deserved it.” 

“You did,” you agreed, “but I forgot how much I dislike getting upset with you in the field.” 

“As opposed to getting upset with me at home?” 

“Exactly.” 

+++

Knowles and Salinger placed a bet on something while you were all in the car, but you weren’t sure what it was. You shook your head at their antics, feeling very much like a parent all of a sudden. 

When you all landed in the hotel lobby, BAU and CARD combined, Hotch checked his watch and said, “We’re all taking the jet back together. Adjust accordingly. Wheels up in thirty.” 

With a smug grin, Salinger collected her cash from Knowles. 

You exchanged a glance with Hotch, one full of long-suffering understanding, and shook your head. 

+++

To save on space, it only seemed reasonable to cozy up to Hotch on the flight home. The three extra bodies meant that almost every seat was full, and sleeping in a ball was the only option. 

Your head rested in Hotch’s lap, pillowed on his suit jacket, while the rest of you curled up on the seat beside him. A case file rested lightly on the side of your head as Aaron reviewed it, flipping pages every once and awhile.

Your phone rang, and Hotch pulled it out of your pocket before you could reach around for it. 

“Hotchner….Hey buddy...Yeah we’ll be home really soon. We’re on the plane right now…” He checked his watch. “It’ll be past your bedtime when we get home, so we’ll come in and say goodnight to you really quick, okay?...Alright. See you soon. I love you.” 

He hung up and tossed the phone on the seat, reclining and stretching his long legs out in front of him. You tapped his knee. “How’s the kid?”

He chuckled. “Good. Apparently there’s mac ‘n cheese for dinner. It’s very exciting.” 

You hummed contentedly, bringing your arm up to rest on his knee as you endeavored to get a little more comfortable. 

Aaron’s hand landed on your shoulder, and he squeezed once. “Missed you.”

You covered his hand with yours. “Missed you, too.”

+++

tagging: @arganfics @quillvine @stxrryspencer @agenthotchner @wandaswitxh @hurricanejjareau @fics-ilike @ange-must-die @ughitsbaby @rousethemouse @criminalsmarts @dr-reid-ismyspiritanimal @shrimpyblog @genevievedarcygranger @ssaic-jareau @saintd0lce @good-heavens-chris-evans @davidrossi-ismydad @angelsbabey @gublergirls @writefasttalkevenfaster @venusbarnes @vintagecaptainspidey @micaiahmoonheart @thatreallyis-americas-ass @marvels-agents100 @newtslatte @risenfox @mrs-dr-reid @captain-christopher-pike @joemazzello-imagines @pinkdiamond1016 @sebbybaby0 @wannabewinchester67 @pan-pride-12 @hotchlinebling @lee-rin-ah @sunshine-em @jdougl-love @sageellsworth05 @nohalohoseok @giveusbackourbucky @mrshotchnerrossimulder20 @darkeclipsebatlight @honeyshores @laneygthememequeen @emmice9 @word-scribbless @abschaffer2

(if y’all have been up in my masterlist recently, i added you to the tags. i also love you. pls let me know if you want to hop off the tag list anytime - i promise you wont hurt my feelings!) also some tags aren’t working - make sure you’re able to be tagged in posts in your settings!

#aaron hotchner x reader #hotch x reader #aaron hotchner imagine #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds fanfiction #aaron hotchner #criminal minds #hotch #tali writes fanficiton

[pangtasias-atelier]

Irreplaceable

A commission for the great @kanonffa

It’s always fun writing for Takumi cause I love him a lot lol. Also, writing this made me sad about the powercreep in FEH but I still use the hell out of him... 

Thanks again for the commission!

______________

A half battered training dummy staring back at him, Takumi clenches his teeth. Shoulders hunched, his bangs cling to his forehead as he catches his breath. Fujin Yumi in hand, the bow is undrawn as he surveys the training ground. The arena is littered with a multitude of arrows: targets destroyed cleanly in two, a training dummy more reminiscent of a pin cushion, and even the bench is nicked with a few stray arrows.

“It’s still no use,” Standing up, Takumi’s grip on Fujin Yumi tightens. “No matter what I do, I’ll always be inferior,” A few tears threaten to pour from Takumi’s eyes, the salty liquid prickling his eyes. Violently shaking his head, as if his thoughts will stop, Takumi sniffles.

Having been summoned to Askr early on, Takumi’s aid had been invaluable to the Order of Heroes. His relationship to Kiran strained at first, Takumi immediately distrustful of anyone, Kiran’s caring nature warmed him up eventually. Repelling Veronica’s initial assault on Askr, Takumi had been the main cause for the turning point. However, soon enough, his strength was beginning to lack. Foes and heroes grew stronger alike, and he was left to catch up. At first, it simply meant sharing the limelight, something that Takumi was rather fine with. As long as he felt he was doing his fair equal share, working in a team of four was inconsequential. But soon enough, playing catch up was no longer possible. Even with all of Kiran’s favoritism, Kiran offering refines and seals to Takumi first. Eventually, Takumi’s share was no longer equal, Takumi always contributing the least to his team. As Kiran shifted members around, the newer heroes always contributed more despite their increasing recency in being summoned. Once the star of any team, Takumi had been relegated to support, a role that others fared much better in as well, even as Kiran continued her attempts to help Takumi out.

“She’ll give up on me eventually,” Takumi glumly reminds himself. Scoffing, he heads back to his room. He merely offers a curt ‘hello’ to the few heroes that do greet him. He slams the door behind him as he enters his room, placing Fujin Yumi on its stand.

Takumi lets himself fall into his chair. Slouched, the tiny little addition of pudge on his stomach, his beginner abs now washed away by flab, presses against his shirt. “Ugghh,’ Takumi leans his neck back, staring at the ceiling. “If only Ryoma were here,” Takumi shakes his head, imagining Kiran falling for Ryoma if he were here as well. “Well, Hinoka would be nice to talk to,” Realizing Hinoka would most likely tell Takumi to take charge and confess, he rescinds that comment as well. “Sakura…” Takumi trails off, trying to find some fault in his expectation of a conversation with Sakura. But he finds none, Sakura’s reasoning so perfect that he can’t even imagine what she’d tell him.

“Any of them would be nice to talk to,” Slumping, Takumi crosses his arms over his chest with a pout. The only of his siblings summoned, any sort of talking was done with Kiran, but with his issue involving Kiran herself,  the lack of his siblings was starting to become increasingly obvious. “I should clear my mind,” Unwilling to dwell on the issue further, Takumi stands up. He heads over to the mess hall, eating his idea of clearing his mind.

Upon arriving at the currently near empty mess hall, Takumi immediately focuses on the two rowdy heroes eating together. The two of them newer additions to the Order, Gatrie and Osian both have hearty helpings of food. A couple of plates for each, the two talk about their training regimens in between bites, talk of women equally as involved as their talks of their regimens.

Takumi continues to listen in as he grabs something to eat. The idea of more food, Askr’s delicious myriad of dishes a soothing comfort, at the cost of some extra training sounds revolutionary to the desperate Takumi. Grabbing an extra serving of spaghetti, Takumi greedily rubs his hands as he sits down. He imagines his dream body, a defined chest with strong biceps, glistening abs and powerful legs to finish it off, Kiran surely falling for him if he puts on some muscle. Stronger with the added muscle, he’d be able to better pull his weight. His vision in mind, Takumi greedily devours his spaghetti.

Unwilling to spot any other fault with his mind too busy being preoccupied over his lack of strength, his indulgence of food for comfort escapes Takumi’s notice. Training so hard, a bit of extra snacks, or even meals, is a necessity. Or needing the extra food to aid his bulking process to impress Kiran. Takumi is far too willing to rationalize his indulgent behavior as anything but an issue. Even as the bit of pudge on his torso grows some more before that too becomes a noticeable sliver of lard. The extra girth to his body is simply his body being in the middle of his metamorphosis onto bigger and buffer things. At least, Takumi consoles himself as the days pass by. His training sessions grow frequently shorter and as his meals grow comparatively larger. Already deep into his training, a few more days will show some actual growth. And yet, the days turn into weeks, Takumi finding zero progress as the month passes by.

Well, not his intended progress.

Having just woken up, yesterday’s extra helping of cake sits in Takumi’s stomach. It heavily sits in his stomach, Takumi as stuffed as he is groggy. He rests a pudgy hand on his budding gut, his thick fingers curving alongside his stomach. “I…” Looking down, Takumi grits his teeth. His extra girth notable to everyone with eyes, tears threaten to prickle his eyes once again. His stance a tad wider than before his training regimine, his thighs curve a bit inward from the extra flab, the bundle of fat slightly squishing up against each other. The budding layer of fat marking the onset of his double chin presses against his chest. His love handles, both the size of dinner rolls and perfect for a grab, jut out on his sides. “...I just need to train more,” Takumi’s eyes shift, as if anyone else is in his room. Reaching for the nearest shirt, his clothes uncomfortable to sleep in with a clear lack of breathing room, Takumi grunts as he lifts the shirt over his head.

The fabric is already taut as Takumi stretches his shirt to cover his doughy back. Yanking the material down, he lets out angry puffs as he struggles. Fabric catching on fat, the material wrinkling, he yanks his shirt down each time. The hem going past his chest, he grits his teeth as he pulls harder; his arms squish against his sides. Tugging down, the hem goes down as far as possible. The bottom bit of Takumi’s flab remains exposed, his shirt unable to go any lower. His torso is absolutely stuffed inside his shirt. His outward ovular  curve of his love handles press against the fabric, the material clinging to his rolls. His shirt is painted on, his soft chest bulging through the top; the outline of his moobs are visible.

Takumi stomps his foot, the pressure reverberating in his leg. “This is..” Takumi grabs his love handles. He shakes them, his gut jiggling alongside his love handles. “This is pointless!” Crashing back down on his bed, a strained sob escapes him as he rests his head in his hands. The tiny crack from his bed’s frame goes unregistered. “I can’t impress Kiran now,” Sighing, the prior vigor in his body dissipates. Takumi’s frame curls in on itself as he lies on his side. “Not when everyone outclasses me…”

Unwilling to go out, feeling absolutely ridiculous in his far too small shirt, Takumi remains on his bed, shifting every once in a while as he wallows in his self pity. The day going on without him, he dejectedly sighs, his eyes downcast. Unaware of the exact time, the only marcation is the sun’s descent. Takumi sits up as a knock sounds. Takumi scrambles to fix himself, his hands shooting towards his shirt to yank it down. His eyes nearly bulge as the door begins to open.

“H-hey, wait a minute!” Takumi freezes as Kiran walks in.

“Here you are!” Bustling in, Kiran’s ever jovial expression remains present on her face. “I couldn’t find you anywhere,” Kiran smiles at Takumi, her gaze focused on his face.

Takumi inwardly screams. Kiran right in front of him, he prepares himself for a snide comment on his weight, or laughter or just about any way this’ll go wrong.

Yet, none of his envisioned scenarios come to pass, Takumi eyeing Kiran. “Yeah…” Takumi rubs the back of his neck, his shirt rising up his belly. “I woke up late,” Takumi smiles, staring at the wall behind Kiran instead of her face,

“Are you okay?” Kiran steps forward. She places a hand on Takumi’s shoulder.

Takumi grits his teeth. “Of course I’m not!” Takumi shouts, pushing away Kiran’s hand. “Not when I look like this,” Takumi places both hands on his roll of a stomach, the lard slotting itself into his hands. “I’m fat and-” Takumi grunts, lifting his hands in exasperation.

“So, you haven’t been trying to gain weight?” Kiran innocuously asks, her head slightly cocked to the side.

“Huh?” Broken out of his anger, Takumi stares at Kiran. “You think I did this on purpose?” Takumi nearly jumps as Kiran places a warm hand on his stomach.

“I’ve seen you so often in the mess hall that I figured it was intentional,” Kiran pats Takumi’s stomach. She smiles up at him. “I think you look a lot cuter like this, but if you want to lose the weight, I could go over some training sessions with you tomorrow morning,”

Takumi’s face burns, his cheeks a vibrant hue of red that seems to want to melt his face off. His mind replays Kiran’s words, his entire being focusing on Kiran calling him cute. He glances down at Kiran’s expectant face. His mind pieces the rest of her words, Takumi clearing his throat. “Yeah! Tomorrow sounds great!” He winces from his palpable excitement.

“Great, I’ll see you then,” Kiran gives a small wave before rushing away, her face gleeful from the prospect of spending time with Takumi.

Takumi watches as Kiran walks off, her pace always in a hurry. He closes his door as she turns the last corner of the hallway. Alone again, he presses his back against the wall. Pressing a hand to his racing heart, he takes steady breaths. “Okay,” Mind replaying the prior scene, Takumi mulls over the interaction. “She said I looked cute…” Takumi begins to walk in circles. “She was probably just pitying me,” Takumi glances down at his tummy. He pokes his pale flab, his stomach jiggling in response. “But I still have a date with her tomorrow,” Takumi chokes on his saliva as he catches his mistake. “It’s not a date! Just a training session, but still, there has to be some way to get rid of this,” Takumi sighs as he realizes his answer. “It’s gonna be magic…” Inept in the art of magic, the tomes he could barely decipher are now his last resort. Mentally preparing himself, the already late hour is perfect for his little escapade.

Giving one last tug at his shirt, Takumi grumbles as his thighs rub against one another. Peeking his head out the door, Takumi checks for anyone around. The hallway is completely empty. Takumi picks up a decent pace. Fast enough to show he has somewhere to go, but not fast enough to look like a maniac. Or for his fat to be shaking everywhere. Though it still jiggles from his pace. Takumi hopes his face doesn’t get even redder.  He passes by a few other heroes, none of them thankfully from the World of Fates. Though, he still keeps his gaze averted from them, hoping for zero comments about his extra flab. Another few turns, the seemingly endless hallways are nothing to Takumi’s long time in Askr. The ornate brown doors marking the library’s entrance open easily as Takumi pushes them open. The library is void of any other individual, Takumi the only occupant. Deciding to get to work, he begins by the walls.

Takumi mentally thanks whoever organizes the library. Each shelf neatly organized by subject, Takumi quickly browses the shelves by subject alone. Passing by books on geography, painting, weapons, and many more, each subject divided further based upon the realm, Taumi walks along the shelves lining the wall. His attention shifts as he reaches the back left hand corner. A door remains inconspicuous in between two shelves.

Deciding to enter, he praises his luck as he finally finds a section on magic. The room is much smaller than the main section of the library. A few shelves are placed interspersedly; a small table for two sits perfectly in the middle. Takumi glances at each book's title. Spotting a possible contender, the book titled Limits of the Body, Takumi promptly places it back after reading a few paragraphs, the book on the use of magic for tortue.  Another book titled Free your Form details the use of light and dark magic and their usage in manifesting  incorporeal beings.

“Please let this be the one,” Takumi mutters to himself as he grabs another book, this one titled A Treatise on Molding. Takumi promptly opens the book to the table of contents before he flips over to the back of the book where the spells are listed.

Reading the spells under his breath, it takes Takumi a while to understand each spell. And even then, his lack of magic has him only understanding the mere basics of a spell’s purpose. Takumi taps his finger against the book as he finds the perfect spell. Clearing his throat, he takes a steady breath. Reciting the words as best as he can, Takumi looks down at himself with bated breath. His stomach bubbles for a second, the little mound of fat groaning before it begins to recede. Eyes wide, Takumi lifts up his arm. The flab hanging from his arms begins to recede as well, Takumi stares as the definition returns to his arms, his muscles no longer hidden under a layer of fat. Bringing a hand to his stomach, the onset of abs are back, the flat stomach under his lithe fingers. His hand shifts to his thighs, the wide legs now much trimmer. Takumi hugs the tome, the book pressing up against his slight chest.

However, a thought blossoms in Takumi’s mind. If a spell made him lose all the weight he gained, what’s to say he couldn’t use another spell to gain the muscle he desperately wanted to impress Kiran? With that thought in mind, Takumi opens the book, once more rifling through the pages. The spells somewhat hard to decipher, he struggles a bit before he finds what he needs. A spell to get bigger, Takumi recites the spell with certainty, closing the book with a flourish as he finishes. A warmth begins to bud in his stomach, Takumi looking on with glee.

He nearly falls over as his stomach lurches forward. A gut larger than the extra flab he had before, his shirt tears from the sudden growth. His ass does the same, his flat butt gaining shape as it bulges outward, his pants creaking from the fat. His chin soon grows a double chin. His thighs widen, the prior problem of chafing minor as his legs continue to grow and fatten, the two thighs squishing further against each other. His gut continues to expand; the mass of fat sags ever further to blanker his legs. Lethargic, Takumi uses a heavy arm to open the book. He holds back a choke as his arms grow wider than how his thighs were before all this mess. Takumi flips through the spells as fast as he can, his sausage fingers struggling to leaf through the pages. The sounds of his shredding clothing rings in his ears. A new rip or tear seems to sound out as he goes through every page, Takumi’s eyes scanning for the first spell. Feeling just so damn heavy, Takumi grunts as his legs begin to wobble. Huffing, the pile of lard for cheeks begin to encroach into his peripheral vision. His arms shake as he tries to keep the book lifted. And still he grows, Takumi panicking as he can simply feel the expanse of his body despite not touching it. The sheer weight and space he takes up immense as the last shreds of his clothes fall off, the stuffy air of the library against his skin. He feels how much his fat sags, his titanic gut reaching his knees. He struggles to shift, his thighs unbearably pressed up against each other. His chest sags down on his gut, the two breasts larger than even the numerous well endowed women in the Order.

Finally reaching the page, Takumi pants for air. Simply standing, he feels exhausted. He begins to read the first spell, his still fattening body urging him on. His knees buckling, Takumi falls back. Letting out a shout, the book falls from his grasp. His gigantic ass cushions the fall, the large hills for fat rivaling a two seater. Huffing, Takumi spots the book in front of him. Moreso his stomach than himself, Takumi’s bed for a stomach extending far out as it envelops more and more of the floor. Takumi grunts as he tries to lift up a door crushingly-wide thigh. His thighs alone are larger than his waistline back when he was pudgy. Pathetically moving his arms, even that ends up being a chore for Takumi, his massively fattened arms no longer good for anything. Completely immobile, Takumi whimpers as he feels himself grow even larger.

Unable to do anything, Takumi remains seated as he continues to fatten up. Growing unfathomably wide, he wonders about the sheer amount of fabric that would be necessary just to cover up his tank of a stomach. New rolls continue to form on Takumi’s body as older rolls grow even plumper. Takumi gasps as the sides of his stomach press against bookshelves. His tire for a neck prevents him from turning, Takumi only able to see his growing body overtakes the room. He winces as the bookshelves topple over, his fat simply flowing over the mess. Soon, his arms refuse to budge as well, Takumi only able to wiggle his massively engorged digits. His fat continues its growth, Takumi immobilized by an ocean of his own fat. He shuts his eyes as his fat reaches the edges of the room. Expecting the worst, he waits expectantly for the walls to groan as his fat builds up and presses against all four walls. Nothing happening, he opens his eyes.

The room filled with his own fat, Takumi’s body stops its growth. Panic leaving his body, Takumi lets out a sigh. One problem resolved, his other problem of losing all this weight begins to sink in.

Though the problem sounds nowhere near as bad. Takumi finds the soft, cushiony piles of lard warm. “No, this isn’t happening,” Takumi immediately quiets down, surprised to hear the newfound depth to his voice. Definitely never having a high pitched or squeaky voice, the extra hundreds of pounds of lard seem to make sure no one would ever think that. His voice a bit deeper, Takumi whines as he finds himself enjoying the extra richness to his voice, always a bit too self conscious about how he sounded. Shoving that thought away as well, his face is red as he tries to divert his mind onto something else. They shift onto Kiran, Kiran hugging Takumi’s fat while she- “AARGH!” Stewing in his own lard, Takumi’s thoughts continue to focus on Kiran.

Making her usual rounds patrolling the Order’s base, Kiran stops in her tracks as a thud sounds out. Keeping a brisk pace, she watches her footsteps. The noise sounding from the library, Kiran easily slams open the door despite her small frame. Briedablik raised to summon a hero, Kiran instead finds the library in perfect order. A door in the back of the library creaking, Kiran quickly opens it.

She steps back as some pale gelatinous thing seeps forward. The object squeezes through the doorway, the rest of it still contained inside the room. Kiran presses a finger against it. Her entire finger sinks into the mass. Removing her finger, she presses her whole fist against it, the substance absorbing her hand up to her wrist.

“H-hey! Who’s there?” The strange pale blob responds to her prodding.

The voice sounding familiar, Kiran squints in concentration. The name of the voice’s owner ready to jump out of her mouth, the slight deepness throws her off, the voice an octave or two lowers than-

“Takumi?” Concern replacing any remaining confusion, Kiran crawls on top of the mass of fat. Careful to not step too harshly, she fits under the remaining space between the top of the doorway and Takumi’s lard. Her hands and feet sink into the blob known as Takumi. Hurrying her pace, Kiran shifts all her attention in climbing up. The large plate sized nipples mark Takumi’s breasts, the crease of fat not aiding with a myriad of rolls lining the entirety of Takumi’s body. Takumi’s moobs alone are larger than Kiran’s entire head, the pumped full of lard breast sagging to the side as it curves down Takumi’s bed crushing gut. Two smaller mounds of fat placed a bit further back and above Takumi’s pillows for a chest, Kiran sighs as she makes out Takumi’s face. An exaggeratedly puffed out version of Takumi’s face, his jowls even slightly sag onto his tire for a neck, Takumi’s neck comprised up of rolls just like the rest of his body. His partially visible hair gives it away to Kiran, Kiran devoting to memory Takumi’s long soft locks of hair. “Takumi!” Reaching his face, Kiran grab’s Takumi’s cheeks. She stares at his face, checking for anything and everything. “Takumi, are you okay? Who did this? Why were y-”

“I’m fine,” Takumi grumbles, his cheeks jiggling as he speaks. He doesn’t elaborate, instead preferring to shift his gaze away from Kiran.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah!” Takumi snaps, his voice rising in intensity as he stares at Kiran. He quickly catches his mistake, sighing afterwards. “It’s just…” Takumi sighs a second time.

“It’s just what?” Kiran adjusts herself, shifting a bit back to give Takumi some space. When Takumi refuses to offer any more insight, Kiran speaks up. “Takumi, we’ve been through more stuff than we can remember together. If you ever have anything you want to tell me, I’m always here for you,” Leaning to the side, Kiran has to lie down on Takumi’s fat to reach his hand. Putting a pinky out, she wraps it around Takumi’s sausage of a pinky. “Pinky promise,” Sitting back up, she smiles at Takumi, finished with her piece.

Takumi continues his grumbling. He opens his mouth in random intervals before he clams up. A few minutes of silence passing by, Takumi lets out a short, exasperated groan. “It’s just, I know you were lying about saying I look cute when I was…” Takumi pauses. “When I was stocky, just to make me feel better,”

Kiran nods, allowing Takumi to keep speaking.

“So I decided to use some magic before our training session tomorrow. I managed to lose the weight, but when I tried to add a bit of muscle, this,” Takumi wobbles his arms in a poor imitation of gesturing to his corpulent body. His arms remain glued to his corpulent frame, Takumi unable to lift them.“Well, this happened,”

“Takumi,” Kiran pats the side of his cheek. Her hand is smaller than the surface area of Takumi;s cheek. “ I said what I meant back then. You look great regardless of your size,” Kiran grins, her face growing a flushed red, the same red as Takumi’s face whenever he stares at Kiran when he thinks she isn’t aware of his staring. “But,”

Takumi’s eyes widen, the shred of confidence gained deteriorating by the second. “But…”

“I honestly think you look much better with some weight on you,”

“Err, you already said that last time?” Takumi furrows his brows, his confused expression unfitting with his overly puffed out cherubic face.

“I mean you look great even now,”

“Oh.” Takumi’s face burns red, the cogs in his brain jamming as they register Kiran’s confession. “OH. I - um,” He winces at his sudden lack of speaking. “I don’t entirely think this is awful?” Takumi counter’s Kiran’s confession with his own before backpedaling. “But just for a while! Being this huge all the time is-”

A small chuckle bubbles in Kiran’s throat, her face grinning to stop the oncoming laughter before she lets loose, uproariously laughing to herself. She places a hand on her sides as her laughing fit continues, Kiran’s laughter devolving into a fit of coughs. “Sorry,” Kiran devolves into giggles for a few seconds. “Sorry,  I’m sorry. I just think you’re great and nothing can change that. So, remember to loosen up a bit once in a while. Cause, you’re special and irreplaceable to me,” Kiran smiles, her eyes crinkling as she stares at Takumi’s puffed out face. Bringing a gloved hand to his face, she pinches his cheeks, her smile as vibrant as ever.

Takumi whimpers at the praise, any sort of bold declarations rare in Hoshido’s culture. He retreats in his own fat, his bundles of necks squishing down as he tries to not turn as red as a fire tome. Flabbergasted, the wind knocked out of him and cognitive thinking destroyed, Takumi shyly looks back at Kiran, unable to do or say anything. Kiran is the first one to break the rather short silence, though Takumi finds the silence lasting longer than Corrin’s silence during her decision on which side to support back during the war.

“Well, you’ve probably been like this long enough, so I’ll go find someone to reverse this,” Kiran gives a second smile at Takumi, ruffling his hair in the process. She pushes herself off Takumi, sliding down his hill for a gut. She hurries off before Takumi can complain at her. Walking through the library, she heads over to the perfect person to ask. Going over to the nearest wing, the mages living closest to the library, Kiran knocks on a door.

“Give me a second,” The voice retorts back. Kiran grins up as Leo opens the door for her. Leo’s hair disheveled and his shirt on backwards, Kiran prefers to not mention his clear ready for bed state. “What is it now?” Leo rubs the bridge of his nose. He closes his door, stepping into the hallway.

“I need help reversing a spell,” Kiran leads the way, Leo walking beside her.

“That’s it?” Leo stifles a yawn with his hand. “It better not be far,”

“It’s in the library. Takumi messed up a spell,”

Leo’s eyes widen at Kiran’s confession. “I guess I’ll help him considering how woefully inept he is,” Any sort of dirt on Takumi the best kind of dirt, Leo savors the possibilities of being able to rub it in Takumi’s face about how he needed his help. “What kind of spell was it?”

“You’ll see,” Kiran remains silent for the rest of the short walk.

Entering the library, Leo squints his eyes as something seeps through one of the doors in the back. Stepping closer, he kicks the object, the object profusely shaking in response.

“Watch it!” The blob responds back.

“That’s Takumi; he messed up a growth spell,”

Leo stares at the mass upon hearing that it’s Takumi. “Maybe I’ll let this blunder aside,” He whispers under his breath. His face red, he clears his throat. “This will be easy,”

Before Leo can cast a spell to counter Takumi’s, Kiran grabs his arm. Pulling him down, she whispers into his ear. “You have to teach me the magic of whatever he did. And also make the fix last awhile,”

“Sure,” Leo responds without any hesitation. The more embarrassment for Takumi, the better. He stumbles back as Kiran hugs him. “Enough with the gratitude,” Ignoring the heat on his face, he begins reciting a spell as Kiran finally lets go. His spell a basic counter to the prior spell used on someone, a blue haze swirls around his fingers. The hue turns darker the further he recites the lines, Leo having memorized the spell. Finishing it, he presses his hand against the soft flesh of Takumi’s overflowing gut. The effects completely unnecessary, Leo grins as Kiran oohs and awes from his added little spectacle. “He should return to normal in a few hours,” Leo flushes as Kiran hugs him again.

“You’re the best, Leo!”

“Yeah, yeah. Now go do whatever it is you plan to do,” Escaping from Kiran’s vice-like grip, Leo heads back to his room.

Alone with Takumi once more, Kiran begins to climb Takumi’s immobile body. The soft warm pudge under her, and with the promise of learning the spell, the edges of Kiran’s eyes crinkle from her smile. No longer in a rush of concern, she savors the small climb. Checking around the room, she nearly loses her jaw upon realizing the sheer extent of  Takumi’s massive state. The room admittedly small, the fact does nothing to lessen the realization of the entire floor being covered by Takumi’s mammoth like body. So filled with his fat, the flab of Takumi’s ass begins to rise up along the wall, his lard propped up by even more lard in its desperation for room. His couch sized thighs do the same, the gargantuan appendages squeezed tight in between the wall and Takumi’s monstrous gut. Reaching Takumi’s face, she perches herself atop his breasts, the two massive jugs the most comfortable seat.

“I already feel the weight going away,” Takumi offers a slight smile, still embarrassed about the whole situation. The upper portion of his fat pressed up against the wall no longer feels as high. Neither does the lard escaping past the door.

“Good. They said that it’ll take a few hours to go away,”

“Oh,” Takumi glances down at himself. “You don’t have to stay just cause you feel bad for me,”

“I meant what I said earlier,” Kiran grabs Takumi’s cheeks. The two piles of fat sit heavily in her hands, her palms overflowing with Takumi’s cheeks.

“I just wanted to make sure,” Takumi continues to avert his gaze from Kiran’s. “At least this isn’t a terrible feeling,” Takumi clamps up at his further admission.

“See, I knew you’d realize how cute you look!” Kiran fusses with Takumi, squishing and pinching his cheeks as Takumi squirms under her touch. “But, first we have to wait out for the spell to be reversed,” Kiran holds on tight as Takumi’s body begins to shake, adeep guttural groan sounding from Takumi’s gut.

“I haven’t eaten all day,” Takumi whines, his face pained as his hunger begins to catch up to him.

“I’ll be right back, then. The mess hall should still be open” Inching herself closer, Kiran’s hands sink into Takumi’s expansive lard. The moment passing in an instant, Kiran presses her lips against Takumi’s. Pulling back as quickly as possible, a smile on her giddy face, she deftly climbs back down Takumi’s girth, heading off with an extra spring in her step.

His first ever kiss, Takumi’s mind races as it replays Kiran pecking him on the lips. His bright red face burns even brighter as his mind registers Kiran’s complete eagerness in his size. He fails to register his own extra eagerness as he smacks his lips, already hoping that maybe his size takes a bit longer to go away.

#my writing #fat!takumi #fat!heroes #ssbhm #maleweightgain #fatfiction #fat emblem #feeder emblem #fat!fates

[tobesensation-9]

In need for some Chani smut if possible! Maybe something about how the reader is doing a dance performance with another male idol and they get pretty close which makes Chani jealous which leads to a fluffy smut or intense one doesn't matter to me! I can't wait hehe 🤭

Ooooooo 😉. I really want to deliver for this one. I haven't written a Chani smut so this’ll be fun. For some reason Hyunjin from Stray Kids popped in my head the person you’ll dance with. It seems like he and Chani are friends, I thought it make it interesting. 

“The Way You Moved”  (Chani x Reader)

Genre: Smut, stemmed from jealousy with fluffy

Also I just realised that all the smut I had written didn't display any ways of safe sex. It wasn't specified that you guys aren't engaging in unsafe sex (sex without a form of contraceptive, condoms, birth control). Sorry guys (unless you’re into breeding. I’m so sorry.) Now you know, you guys are always having safe sex, in any of my smuts.

Synopsis: At one of the music shows while promoting some of your new music, you also perform a special stage dancing with Hyunjin to BAEKHYUN’s ‘Ghost’ (song I think is heavily slept on btw.) Chani wishes it was him instead of his friend. 

Chani knew he’d see you today, and he dreaded it. Amidst both of you prepping for your comebacks, you told that you’d performing a stage with Hyunjin. 

“So what are you guys doing for this stage?” 

“We’re going to perform a dance. A duet.”

He gripped his phone tighter while holding it up to his ear. He took a deep breath, he knew how good you were at dancing, this wasn't your first dance performance with someone. But it was Hyunjin, one of his friends, who he knew was really good dancing. But what worried him more was how good he looked while dancing. He had this intensity about him when performing, not being the cutie that he usually was off stage. This made him a feel a bit threatened, but of course, he wouldn't let you know that. He’d act as if it didn't bother him. 

“Ah..okay. I’m sure you’ll great. I’m looking forward to you nailing it.” 

He tried to add some excitement to his voice to you over the phone, but if only you saw his face. 

Now it was day he’d perform with the guys and you would perform your music, as well as do the duet. 

“Did you hear about y/n’s dance?” asks Youngkyun approaching Chani as he’s getting his hair styled. 

“Yeah, I want her to do great but..” 

“Yeah I know. Nothing’s going to happen, its just a dance.” 

That’s what he kept trying to tell himself, but it felt like something more. 

Chani and the guys joined the stage to perform all of them doing the things they did best. Once they exited the stage, Chani saw you dressed, makeup done, having a staff help you in getting your mic ready alongside Hyunjin. When he saw you catch his eye you waved and smiled. He tried his best to not show any signs of jealously and waved back forcing a smile. He was going to continue to walk to their waiting room when you hurried toward him. 

“Hey you guys did good, like always.” 

He looked at you with your makeup and hair styled and was yet again reminded of how pretty you were. He briefly took in your outfit a sparkly multi-colored sequin top a black blazer and his eyes lingered how short your shorts were. 

“Thanks,” he forced a smile, “You aren't cold?” You looked down and knew exactly what he was talking about. “A little, but the dance would over before we know it. That’s what Hyunjin-ssi and I have been saying.” The ‘we’ stung more than he thought it would.

“Hey Chani!” Hyunjin approaches with his famously cute smile. He approached him and made small talk before they had to go on stage, it was his friend after all. 

Soon a staff member would alert you and Hyunjin that you were up on stage very soon. “Okay I’ll se you later,” you turned to see if anyone was looking at the two of you and pecked his cheek before leaving with the staff member. Hyunjin then patted him on the shoulder and smiled, “I’ll take care of her. For you.” 

He pats Chani’s shoulder again before trailing after you to the stage. 

He was still succumbed in the peck you gave him earlier. Thinking about it he instinctively touches his cheek sitting in the chair looking at the backstage monitors. All the guys were ready to watch too, but mostly glanced over at Chani to gauge how he felt.

The stage was dark and immediately lit up when the music started. The two of you move from your starting pose, with you standing, weight on your right foot, with a hand on your hip. With Hyunjin standing with weight on his left gently holding your waist standing right behind you. 

The song doesn't really have any build up or intro so the two of you immediately start dancing. From the moment the two of you started, the moves evoked a bit of sensuousness, with the two of you giving a lot of eye-contact, a lot of touching and a lot of hip-movements. 

Although at the start Chani felt threatened, but now, he astounded by the way you moved your body on the stage. He knew you were good and loved to dance, having danced with you many times, even posting dance covers together. But you never danced like this with him, it made his face feel hot, with a tinge of the jealously still lingering. 

“Wow you guys did amazing!” Taeyang says to you. He also adored your style of dance and sophistication, you know due to his own love for dance. 

“Yeah you did great,” says Inseong patting you on the back. The rest of the members give you accolades on your performance as well. When you look at Chani standing next to you, he’s just staring. When you notice him looking at you he snaps out of it and hugs you. “You did so good”, he says in your ear as he kisses you on the cheek. 

Later that night the rest of you don’t have any schedules, so you have the night to yourselves. You figured you'd spend that time with Chani. Some of the guys go out and some stay behind to rest or do what they want. You and Chani are cuddling in his bed. 

“Something seemed off with you today,” you say as you play in his hair, massaging his scalp. “You think so? I-I was fine. Totally fine.” He fidgets in response to you, trying to keep his deep voice steady. 

“Well Hyunjin told he you seemed a bit on edge. I’m assuming it was because of the dance?” You lean in closer to him, looking at him expectedly. “Ahh. He told you that huh?” 

“I mean it didn't seem like he was wrong.” 

He looks over at you in defeat. “Okay yeah I was jealous. The way you were dressed, to how pretty you looked, to even how you danced. I just wished it was me you were dancing with and not...my friend of all people.” 

You moved to sit on his lap now. “You know, we dance together, literally all the time Chanhee.” 

“I know but, you looked so..sexy. I...didn’t want you to move like that unless you were with me.” 

“So you thought I was sexy? You know I give you lots of sexy all the time when we’re alone,” you start to caress his sides and smile. As you caressed his sides, your fingers would peep under the stitching at the end of his shirt to test the waters to see if he’d let you start undressing him. The heat your fingertips felt when you gently caressed a bit of his exposed abdomen was like no other. 

You can tell he noticed, because he was starting to get flushed and his length starting to feel more prominent under you in his sweatpants. 

“You want to have another moment? I was imagining doing lots of dirty things to you while you danced,” he then reaches up to place his hands on your waist. 

You then start to slowly and gently grind on him, when you do he starts to guide your movements. 

“You were? Show me.” 

At your words he starts to move your hips faster against him. You also feel him gently thrusting up against your heat. The longer the two of you went, the harder he became. The grinding and friction became less gentle and more rough, causing the both of you to moan in rhythm to your motion. 

“You feel so fucking good” he hisses as his hips jerk harder up into you, the firmness of his cock deliciously teasing your opening while simutaneously massaging your clit. 

“Not as good as how you feel.” 

Suddenly Chanhee turns the two of you over on the bed, you beneath him as he starts to pull is shirt off overhead. You start to undress below him, following suit. 

Once you’re completely bare, he dives right into your neck, kisses and nibbling. The sudden movement catches you by surprise, so you moan. 

“I want to hear more of that. Only sounds that I get to hear.” 

His words and deep voice were making you go crazy. “I want you Chani, all of you.” He doesn't make you wait any longer, skipping the rest of the foreplay. Both of you were eager, you wanted to feel nothing but him inside. 

He aligns himself with your heat, and delves in. The both of you moan and he doesn't start slow like he usually does. He salvages you, penetrating you deep and steady, finally able to give in to his pent up desire from the day. 

“Fuck, baby. You’re so deep.” 

“Mmmhmm. That feel good?” 

You can't answer him because of great he’s pleasuring you. Soon you start to feel yourself start to clench around him, singling your orgasm. 

“I-I’m gonna cum.” 

“Go on cum baby.” 

Your moans quickly escalate and the pleasure finally bursts within you, you calling out his name in the process. Soon he finishes after you.

Once he pulls out, the two fo you lay out of breath looking up a the ceiling.

“That.....was so fucking good. You need to jealous more often if this is how you’re gonna be.” 

He pulls your naked body close to him and chuckles. “I had to show you how its done, because I know Hyunjin can't make you feel that good even if he is my friend.” 

#sf9 #sf9 smut #Youngbin #Inseong #Jaeyoon #Dawon #Zuho #Rowoon #Taeyang #Hwiyoung #Chani #Chani smut #Chani fluff #Jealous Chani

[mythicamagic]

Sesskag week Day 4: Comedy

Summary: Kagome resolves to snap a photo of the infamous Killing Perfection, which proves more difficult than expected. Oneshot.

AN: For Sesskag Week Day 4 - Comedy.

Rated T 

2,900 words

(all prompts posted on Ao3, fanfic.net and Dokuga)

Camera Shy

To the surprise of pretty much all who knew her, Kagome pursued art and photography in those three years away from the feudal era. In fact, even after the well re-opened, she continued to take classes, often creating life-like drawings from whatever photos she'd taken.

After joining everyone on a warm spring day for a picnic, Shippo had innocently inquired;

"What's that, Kagome?" pointing at a square black box hanging around her neck.

Grinning, she tapped it with pride.

"This is my instant polaroid camera. Very vintage, very hipster- some might say," she giggled, noting everyone's puzzled looks. Raising it, she took a snap of the fox demon, who yelped and ducked behind Sango's leg.

Crouching down, Kagome held out the photo once it had slid from the camera, shaking it gently and showing him the blank space that slowly filled with his image.

"Fascinating," Miroku hummed, while Sango nodded in awe. Inuyasha merely snorted, unimpressed since he'd been exposed to so much future tech already.

Kaede gasped, staring at the picture with mild concern.

"You have imprisoned him."

"What? No-" Kagome smiled and shook her head. "It's just a photo. Kind of like a painting. I feel bad that I never took any before but I was always so busy with Naraku or studying for tests."

Taking the photo gingerly, Shippo grinned at himself. He then beamed brighter and tugged on Kagome's sleeve. "Let's go show Rin!"

---

After taking various photos that would make a historian lose their mind, Kagome sat back within Kaede's hut and sketched some snapshots. She quietly giggled at the candid pictures; Inuyasha caught mid-yawn, exposing his thick fangs. Miroku studying a scroll while holding his youngest son, who drooled all over his robes, Kirara playing with a ball of yarn, Sango teaching her daughter a style of kickboxing, or Shippo trying to cram an entire sandwich in his mouth at once.

While looking through them, however, one particular figure seemed to be missing among her collection.

Approaching the stoic demon lord with perhaps a little too much familiarity and enthusiasm, Kagome smiled at him as he peacefully reclined against a tree.

"Sesshoumaru," she raised her camera slightly from where it hung around her neck. "I don't know if you've noticed on your visits but lately I've been taking-"

"Photos. Rin showed me some."

Kagome stopped and hummed. He caught on fast. And judging by how warily he eyed her camera, the answer to her question simmering right on the edge of her tongue would be a big fat no.

"Right! Sooo I've taken photos of just about everyone now," dragging her sneaker back and forth over the dirt, a hopeful smile graced her mouth. "All except you."

"No."

Ah, no use in sugar-coating it, huh?

Kagome rose a brow and folded her arms. "May I ask why?"

Giving a sigh that bespoke of his annoyance with having to explain himself, Sesshoumaru idly studied sharp nails. "I do not believe you have earned it."

Out of all the things she'd expected him to say, that wasn't on the extensive list. "I haven't earned a picture of you?"

"Hn."

Smiling slightly, she sized him up. "And what do I need to do in order to get a snap of the illustrious Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Golden eyes slanted up at her and crinkled at the edges in slight amusement. Kagome's insides went all warm for some reason, cheeks reddening. "You needn't do anything grand. This one is merely discontent with letting you capture a picture of me so easily. I will not forbid you from trying, however."

Kagome tried to follow his line of logic, experimentally shifting- before grabbing her camera and rapidly pressing the button.

Sesshoumaru blurred away from his spot.

Jolting, the miko whipped her head around, grasping her photo and watching as it cleared to reveal a plain tree. No Daiyoukai in sight.

A piquant scent filled her next inhale. Kagome's skin pricked, hot breath dancing over the nape of her neck.

"Do you understand now, miko?" he rumbled.

"Y-yeah," glancing at him over her shoulder, she tried in vain to ignore the heat in her cheeks and pleasant twinge in her lower stomach. "Sure, I'll play your game- and win too."

Confidence clung to Sesshoumaru like a second skin as he tilted his chin up, the ghost of a smile curling his mouth. "Hn."

---

The next time Lord Sesshoumaru deigned to grace the village with his presence, Kagome was ready. Having memorised his visiting schedule with Rin long before, she lay in wait within the trees.

Grinning sharply, she let out an evil laugh reminiscent of Naraku's 'kukukuku.'

Straddling a tree branch and hearing Shippo's signal (a whistle from further away in the trees) Kagome tightened both legs around her perch and held the camera, holding still. It had only taken a few lollipops to persuade the kitsune to help.

Heart thundering and eagle-eyed, Kagome waited with bated breath for any sign of the Daiyoukai wandering below en-route to the village.

Upon glimpsing the tell-tale red and white silks and silver hair, Kagome swung herself down. Gripping the branch hard with her legs, dark hair flew up, leaves being knocked free and cascading around her as she appeared before him, hanging upside down.

With a smirk, she struck her finger onto the button- just as Sesshoumaru blurred through the air, palm closing over the lens.

Kagome squeaked, mouth falling open. Her gaze slid from camera to Daiyoukai, who gazed at her, face quite close to hers. Thin lips then curved down, but from her flipped perspective, she realised the jerk was smirking at her.

Kagome's legs then lost their grip. Yelping, the miko dropped like a sack of potatoes, landing hard at his feet in a sprawl of limbs. Letting out a long groan, Kagome patted around, hands empty. Something light was then placed onto the crown of her head. Reaching up, she felt the camera and frowned just as Sesshoumaru smoothly stepped over her body and sauntered away, continuing on without a care in the world.

Growling, Kagome sat up, rubbing her throbbing skull.

Shippo burst from the trees and landed beside her. "Ahh that was a colossal failure! You okay Kagom-"

A giggle slid out from the miko, shoulders shaking. Shippo's tail puffed up, observing her wide smile with slight unease.

"Heh, he's pretty good," she flashed a sharp grin, cheeks glowing. "This is fun. Who knew such a stuffy guy could be playful."

Shippo tilted his head to the side, not exactly understanding but smiling anyway. "Let's go with plan B!" he encouraged.

Kagome nodded with determination.

---

Typically during the afternoon portion of his visit, Sesshoumaru would leave Rin to her duties and go recline against a tree situated near a small lake, sometimes reading. Following this ritual, the Daiyoukai now sat at the base of a tree and drew up one knee. Drinking in the quiet serenity of the picturesque scenery, Sesshoumaru leaned his head back and looked out at the glittering water-

-only to notice a reed moving.

Raising a brow, he blinked. Relaxed muscles then stiffened, and he reacted seconds before Kagome lunged up from within the water, a waterproof camera in hand and reed clutched between her teeth as a breathing tube.

Yanking her camera up, Kagome's victorious expression changed the second she registered red youki cloaking his form, curling around it like a thick mist.

By the time his energy dissipated, a giant silver furred inuyoukai towered above her.

Blue eyes widened, which only caused the smirk to grow wider on his feral jaws. Sesshoumaru slammed a paw down into the water.

Yelping, Kagome was soon consumed in a mini tidal wave.

By the time she'd surfaced, coughing and minding slick hair away from her face, the dog demon had trotted away, tail swishing behind him with an arrogant flair. Kagome glared and trudged to shore, leaving soggy footsteps on the sand.

"Uh...Plan C?" Shippo chanced weakly, hopping out of some bushes.

Kagome nodded, sputtering some lake water from her mouth. "Plan C."

---

The way she figured, Sesshoumaru was one of the fastest beings alive. Yet with every attempt to take his photo, he'd not turned tail and ran once, instead meeting her head-on.

This led her to believe that if she could distract him with enough things, he'd stay rooted to the spot out of sheer bullheaded pride but be too overwhelmed to react as she took a photo.

With all this in mind, Kagome adjusted the bow and quiver of arrows over her shoulder before gripping a saddle and unsteadily climbing onto the back of a horse.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Shippo said, tail twitching worriedly as he gazed up at the tall steed.

"Kaede said she didn't mind me borrowing her horse, I don't see the problem," Kagome wobbled and clutched at the reins.

"But you don't even know how to ride a horse!"

"I know the basics," she huffed, clicking her tongue and urging the horse into a walk. "See? Easy. Now, let's just do this as we practised and it'll run smoothly," touching the camera hanging around her neck, she grinned.

The fox demon hurried alongside the horse to keep up with her. "When we practised you weren't on a horse," he mumbled worriedly. "Can we go through it again, just to check?"

"Oh alright, worry-wort," Kagome smiled. "Sesshoumaru is going to come from that direction," she pointed further along the dirt road. "You'll burst out of the forest and turn into a smoke bomb to disorientate him. I'm going to come galloping by and release one of these," Kagome touched the fletching of an arrow. "Which has been modified to be soft pointed and filled with a strong perfume that'll release on contact. This'll temporarily daze him further while the smoke clears- and when that happens, I'll loop around him and snap my picture."

Shippo continued on all-fours, frowning to himself. "I'm still not too confident in my smoke bomb illusion though."

"I know you can do it," she smiled. "Don't sell yourself short."

"But maybe something else would work better, like this-" he hopped up and burst into his floating pink ball form with a loud 'pop!'

The horse suddenly reared, making a whinny of distress, eyes wide with fright. Kagome gasped, clinging to it's back and yelping as it bolted.

Shippo gaped and popped back into his regular form, watching her image draw further away at a breakneck speed. "Kagome!"

Squeezing her eyes shut and feeling the horse gallop with powerful strides that threatened to knock her off, all she could do was cling to its neck. The reins flailed in the air- and if she could just grab them and pull the beast to halt, maybe he would stop. Kagome whimpered, body jolting from the movement. Cracking open fearful blue eyes and trying to reach for them- she felt her thigh slip slightly. Quickly abandoning that idea, she clung like a madwoman, tears stinging her lashes from the breeze racing by.

I screwed up! This was a terrible idea!

Looking ahead of them with mild disorientation caused her breath to hitch the second she caught sight of a pale figure. She stiffened.

Sesshoumaru stood on the road. They were headed right for him!

"Sesshoumaru!" she cried, trying to get across to move aside.

The Daiyoukai observed them with a frosty expression, slowly raising his claws.

Noticing the toxins colouring them green, her eyes widened. "Don't hurt him!" she burst. The fault lay with her, not the horse.

Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered with mild frustration. He then leapt up in the air to avoid a collision, floating above their heads. The sight of him became blurry because of tear-filled eyes, and Kagome ducked her head into the horse's mane.

Speeding before them again and landing, Sesshoumaru then drew his sword. Lifting it- he then slammed the blade into the earth. Bakusaiga emitted a large burst of green youki, skittering over the ground in a wide arch that flashed like minty lightning.

The horse skidded to a stop, kicking up dirt and neighing, rearing back on hind legs. Kagome gasped, unprepared for the movement- but clinging hard.

Slamming both hooves down and whickering, the horse panted wildly, finally still. Feeling hands slide under her numb thighs and wrap around her torso, Kagome stiffly unfolded from the saddle, placing her hands on broad shoulders as she was lifted down.

Kagome buried her face in the demon's neck, shuddering violently. She muffled sobs into his flesh, gripping his exquisite silks so tight her knuckles bled white.

Sesshoumaru held her without a word, nose dipping into windswept dark hair.

When Shippo finally caught up, having pursed on all fours, he jumped up into her arms and wailed louder than she, crying and nuzzling the frazzled miko.

Calming and smiling tiredly, she petted his soft red hair, looking up at Sesshoumaru. He gazed back, face closer than expected. He then shifted mokomoko beneath her legs to support her weight, picking up the reins of the horse and leaving the road.

"Are you angry with me?" she muttered, feeling the tension in his frame.

"Answer me this; can you ride horses?"

"N-no..."

"Then you were foolish," Sesshoumaru bit out. "But one cannot completely predict horses. I do not care for them," he threw a glare over his shoulder at the steed dutifully following them. He then released a hard exhale through his nose, levelling a frown at her. "Never do something so ridiculous again for a game, miko. My picture is not worth injury...or worse."

Kagome rested her cheek against his furs, looking up at him and feeling a twinge in her chest. His worry felt better than any blanket and hot cocoa could right then.

Noticing what direction he headed in, Kagome touched a striped cheek. "L-let's not head to the village just yet. I'd rather...calm down in the forest somewhere."

Sesshoumaru rose a brow but nodded, feet shifting and changing direction, walking beneath the shadows of the trees.

---

She felt glad of the quiet, the calm serenity surrounding their afternoon after all the chaos earlier. The horse grazed within a clearing near the lake, seeming to comfort eat. Shippo had fallen asleep, curled into a ball at her side. Kagome quietly sketched with a notebook and pencil in hand, sitting against a tree. Opposite her, Sesshoumaru reclined against his own, gazing at the scenery with a touch of daydream hazing his eyes. The light bathed his hair in a gentle glow, eyes the colour of milky honey instead of the usual burning embers.

So lost in thought was he that Kagome smiled. She then cleared her throat to gain his languid attention, turning the sketchbook around so that the page faced him.

"I win," she said softly.

Surprise slackened his expression, attention flitting over the paper where his likeness lay with impressive attention to detail. The pencil shading captured the soft shadows of his face, the richer, darker tones coloured his chest armour. Even the long silver hair looked sublime, life-like. Somehow the minute details and the idea of her watching- staring at him for so long made his ancient blood heat.

He realised, somewhat belatedly, that this was what he'd sought. Not a quick, cheap snap of a camera, but her willing and arrested attention upon his face.

Sesshoumaru dragged his gaze from the picture to dancing blue eyes.

"Indeed."

Kagome smiled, turning the picture back to gaze at it with affection.

"Why did you desire a picture of this one so badly?" he asked.

Not looking up, she brushed a thumb over the sketches pointed ear. "I like having pictures of my friends. Besides, this is yours now. A thank you gift for saving me."

Sesshoumaru observed her carefully, noticing the quiet fondness gentling her features as she looked at the picture instead of him. Because it was safer than gazing at him.

"Let me see it up close," Sesshoumaru uttered.

Kagome raised her head and blinked but nonetheless rose and walked over. The second she crouched before him- a clawed hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist and tugging.

This resulted in her body swaying forward, nose stopping inches from his as she squeaked.

"You seem to find satisfaction in looking at this one, miko," his voice curled into a teasing tone. "Perhaps this proximity is preferable."

Kagome's mouth turned dry, heart thundering. Setting the sketchbook down and shifting her knees beneath her, she nodded with a shy smile. "Y-yeah...it is. I'm glad you noticed," she murmured, placing her hands on the cool, steady metal of his chest plate. When she did not pull away in rejection, Sesshoumaru's clawed hand slid possessively to her waist. An aristocratic nose brushed hers, mouth hovering close.

"Do you do this with your friends too?"

She huffed, blushing. "No, only with crushes."

Thin lips tugged up at the edges before spreading wider with victory, flashing a fang. Kagome found it perfectly endearing. A rare, beautiful moment she wished she could capture forever. But, as the Daiyoukai guided her mouth to his wickedly grinning one, she figured they had plenty of opportunities to repeat such a soft moment, however many times they wished.

End

#sesskag #skw2020 #Sesshoumaru x Kagome #sesskagweek 2020 #Kagome Higurashi #Sesshoumaru #Inuyasha

[wordsablaze]

2~ i’ll make it okay

tell me your problems (i’ll chase them away) Internal scars can be difficult to deal with but Eskel vows to heal any that Jaskier is weighed down by if it’s the last thing he does…

A/N: did not expect people to be interested in my ramblings but i’m glad we love jaskel !! oh and @random-nerd-3 , @betaray-jones , you asked to be tagged <3

previous chapter

-

A knock on the door wakes them. 

Well, it's not actually a knock. It's just someone falling into their floor on their way to find breakfast. 

But both Eskel and Jaskier blink themselves awake at the noise, Eskel springing out of bed and grabbing one of his swords where Jaskier just sits up and glares daggers at the door. 

By the time they realise it isn't anyone trying to get or break in, it's far too late to pretend they're still sleepy. 

"You're still here?" Jaskier asks, tilting his head to one side. 

Eskel sheaths his sword before raising an eyebrow. "Was I meant to chase after them for being clumsy?" 

Jaskier frowns before shaking his head, somehow missing the fact that it was meant to be a joke. "No, no, of course not, that'd be ridiculous. I just meant, don't you witchers like to be moving before even the sun is awake?" 

Apparently Jaskier is as much of a mystery in the morning as he is in the evening. 

Eskel nods slowly. "Well yes, that's how we avoid trouble, but it'd be rude to have left without thanking you." 

Jaskier yawns widely before waving a hand dismissively. "You already thanked me yesterday, silly."

Before Eskel can explain that he'd only thanked Jaskier for the drink and bath rather than for letting him stay in his room, in his bed, Jaskier's eyes widen and he's scrambling to find his clothes. 

"Oh, for the love of Meletite, I was meant to perform this morning! How could I forget? Stupid, stupid- Where's my- Aha! Lute? Lute… ah, there you are! Oh, perfect, beautiful as always. Now where did I- of course, wonderful, bless that tailor and his skilled hands… Anyway, do I have time to-? No, probably not but… oh, wait, this'll do!"

Eskel simply stands to one side and watches as Jaskier assembles himself. It's more amusing than he'd like to admit and he's somehow smiling by the time Jaskier finally turns to him with a strange look. 

"Seriously, you're still here? Well, if you don't have anywhere to be, I can offer you another drink?" 

There's hope laced in Jaskier's words and the average person may have missed it but Eskel is used to looking for it so he offers Jaskier a small smile. "Sounds good."

Jaskier quite literally lights up at his words, grinning widely. "Great! I'll go and get started, you should find yesterday's spot still open for you so take your time!" 

And with that, he slips out of the door, taking his lute with him. 

He's seen a lot over the years but Eskel has never seen anyone switch between half-asleep and chaotic so quickly. He tells himself he's only going to stay because he owes it to Jaskier, not because he's curious or worried or anything like that. And it's absolutely not because he hasn't smiled so much in what feels like an eternity. 

Either way, once he's slipped his jacket on - taking a moment to mourn the loss of half his shoulder spikes, of course - he heads down to where he can hear Jaskier singing. 

"Your drink, from Jaskier," a girl says as soon as he's sat down, sliding a mug towards him and slipping away as fast as possible. 

Eskel wonders how Jaskier had managed to so quickly organise that, eat his breakfast, and already have the attention of most people in the room.

And rightly so, because he’s magnificent - nobody would be able to guess how frantic he’d been before. Well, nobody except Eskel, who can’t help but appreciate the way Jaskier makes himself seem so coordinated so quickly; he briefly wonders if it has anything to do with travelling alongside Geralt.

It's a much shorter performance than yesterday but the innkeeper seems satisfied regardless because he's all smiles when Jaskier walks over to him after finishing up and seems to strike up conversation. 

After a few minutes, Jaskier walks over to him with two plates of food and winks. "I really didn't expect you to stay until the end but obviously you needed me to order you food, huh?" 

"What?" 

He's not even sure if he's questioning why Jaskier hadn't expected him to stay or why there are two plates of food or why Jaskier even thought he wanted food. 

Jaskier just pushes one of the plates towards him and settles into the seat opposite, his lute next to him as if it were another person.

"You can't very well leave without a decent meal if you're in my company," Jaskier says, almost daring him to argue. 

He doesn't, only because the food smells fresh and denying Jaskier seems foolish. 

But… 

"You didn't eat before?" Eskel asks. 

Jaskier shakes his head, a puzzled look on his face. "I hadn't performed yet and this way, both of us can save some coin."

It sounds logical enough but what did the bard do when innkeepers didn't want to offer free meals in exchange for performances? Surely between them, Geralt and Jaskier would have had enough coin to eat meals without having to negotiate for them?

Jaskier kicks him under the table. 

Wincing, Eskel turns to him with a frown, surprised when he sees the bard simply eating, not even looking his way. 

"You were glaring at nothing, darling, it's bad for business," Jaskier explains eventually, and Eskel is almost embarrassed for not having noticed he was doing so. 

Not wanting to explain his thoughts, he lets them finish their rather average but still decent meal in silence. 

It doesn't take long and soon enough, they're heading back upstairs, Jaskier taking the lead. He stops to talk to the girl who'd given Eskel his drink earlier and laughs at whatever she says, whispering something to her before continuing. 

As Eskel passes her, she holds her hand out and offers him a coin, smiling hesitantly. 

Oh, the song. 

"Thanks," he says gently and she nods quickly, disappearing to serve someone else. 

"Did you ask her to do that?" he questions Jaskier once they're in his room again. 

Jaskier laughs again. "No, she just heard me play the song yesterday and wanted to convey her gratitude to witchers." 

The gratitude that didn't exist before he'd composed his song. 

"I'll have to thank Geralt for letting you accompany him in Posada, then," Eskel jokes. 

But it falls flat on Jaskier, who flinches.

He takes a deep breath and grins just as Eskel makes to question it, though. "No need, darling, it's not really like he let me, more that he didn't quite know how to get rid of me. I'm very stubborn, you know? Just ask, uh, anyone, really… Although there might be a few more popular choices depending on-" 

"Jaskier," Eskel interrupts, confused again. 

Despite having just called himself stubborn, Jaskier stops talking immediately, biting his lip as regret radiates from him.

"Why would he want to get rid of you?" Eskel asks softly. 

Jaskier only bites down harder on his lip, hard enough for Eskel to smell blood. But Eskel still waits, just in case Jaskier simply needed a moment to collect himself before answering.

Eventually, Jaskier shakes his head. "I can't- It's not… Hasn't he told you already? Or haven’t you guessed yet? Why do you need to make me say it?" 

To Eskel's shock, he sounds like he's on the verge of tears. Never has Eskel so quickly regretted asking something, something that transforms the laughter from five minutes ago into tears. 

"I just wanted to…"

But Jaskier isn't listening. 

"I'm sorry, I'll just- I'll just go. It really was very nice meeting you, Eskel. This room is still yours until lunch." 

He's picked up his lute and gone before Eskel can even process his words. 

And Eskel is left staring at a closed door as he tries to figure out what he'd said that had caused such a reaction. He knows he can sound much harsher than he means to, he is a witcher after all, but Jaskier hadn't been bothered by that right up until… 

Geralt. 

He and Geralt must have fought. And Eskel had unknowingly reminded him of it, repeatedly. 

Eskel curses.

But Jaskier is so much faster than he’d anticipated and he’s nowhere in sight by the time Eskel reaches the bottom of the stairs. 

He groans, heading back up and quickly gathering his things before making his way to the stables where Scorpion seems to share his urgency and makes no fuss as he gets her ready. 

“Good girl,” he murmurs as they set off.

He’s not even entirely sure where he’s going but he thinks he can still smell honey and lavender so he follows the scent, groaning every time he hits a dead end and has to turn back to try another route. 

It’s pointless, though, because he finds no physical trace of Jaskier at all; he seems to have disappeared just as quickly as he’d arrived and Eskel circles back to the inn with a heavy heart.

“He left,” someone says as he dismounts Scorpion.

“Who?” Eskel asks, turning to find the girl who’d given him a coin earlier, “Jaskier?”

She nods, something sad in her eyes. “He left town.”

“What?” Eskel frowns, wondering why Jaskier had assumed that, out of the two of them, he was the one who should leave, as if he didn’t deserve a roof over his head far more than Eskel. 

The girl shrugs. “He didn’t say why, but I thought you’d want to know.”

His expression softens as he looks at her again, offering her a smile. “I do, thank you.”

“Off we go, girl,” he whispers to Scorpion, the two of them heading off once more. 

He’s just glad he’d already finished his contract so he can go after Jaskier rather than having to delay it and risk not catching up with him because, who is he kidding, he definitely isn’t just drawn to the bard due to debt.

Thankfully, Jaskier isn’t running.

He seems to be reluctantly pulling himself along and it’s only when Eskel draws closer that he realises the bard is shaking. 

“Jaskier!”

Jaskier freezes. 

He adjusts the lute case on his shoulders and turns slowly, as if expecting the worst. 

“Jaskier, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“You’re sorry?” Jaskier echoes, his voice shaky and filled with wonder.

Eskel dismounts as quickly as possible before nodding. “Of course. I didn’t mean to cause you pain.”

Jaskier bites his lip again, only to promptly wince as he puts pressure on the small scab there. But instead of saying something, he just bites the other side of his lip and folds his arms. 

Eskel takes that as his cue to apologise again, pretending not to notice the way Jaskier’s eyes are red and watery. “I mean it, I just wanted to thank you for your, uh, kindness. And I really don’t know what happened between the two of you but I won’t ask again if it’s not my place.”

There’s a moment of silence before Jaskier’s face crumples and he stares at Eskel in nothing short of amazement, as if he’s never had anyone thank or apologise to him before - if Eskel finds out that Geralt had never done either of those, he’s going to punch him.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Jaskier offers him a soft smile. “Okay, okay. I believe you.”

“You do?” Eskel finds himself asking before he can think about it, think about how that might seem suspicious or-

“You came after me, didn’t you? That’s proof enough for me,” Jaskier declares, still sniffling a little. 

Eskel finds himself smiling. 

And with that smile comes a very strange but not so unexpected urge to try and avoid losing Jaskier at all costs. Even if Geralt had idiotically chosen not to embrace what a blessing Jaskier is, there’s nothing saying he needs to make the same mistake.

“Please tell me your horse has a worthy name,” Jaskier says, interrupting his thoughts.

Eskel chuckles. “Jaskier, meet Scorpion.” 

Jaskier gasps like a child, running a hand along her mane and practically giggling when Scorpion huffs at him, undeterred. He pulls an apple out of absolutely nowhere and offers it to her, grinning smugly when she bites into it. 

“She likes you,” Eskel notes, only somewhat shocked at how quickly she’d taken to him since he shares that sentiment with her. 

Jaskier steps back as if he’d been burned, dropping the apple. He curses, swiftly picking it up and holding it out to Eskel. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to- she’s just beautiful. I won’t… I won’t touch her again. I swear it.” 

Oh, he undoubtedly needs to punch Geralt when he sees him again.

But more importantly, he needs to clear Jaskier’s misconceptions about witchers and their horses. 

So he just shakes his head. “Who am I to say whether or not you can touch her? If she likes you, she likes you.” 

Jaskier frowns at him as if trying to find an alternate meaning to his words but settles on nodding slowly. “Thank you.”

Eskel lets him finish feeding her the apple and wishes Jaskier didn’t think he needed to thank him for it. In fact, Eskel should be thanking him because he’d forgotten to treat her before starting his search. 

It doesn’t take too long and Jaskier wipes his hands on his doublet before smiling at Eskel. “Well, I hope our paths cross again, darling.” 

“You what?” Eskel asks, raising his eyebrows. 

Jaskier looks alarmed. “You don’t like the name? Sorry, but why didn’t you tell me sooner? I wouldn’t have-”

“No, no, the name is… it’s fine. That’s not-” Eskel exhales audibly, frustrated. “Where are you going?”

Now Jaskier raises an eyebrow. “I don’t know. Whichever town appears next, probably. Did you need something from me?”

What a strange time to live in, where a witcher is being asked if he needs something from someone rather than being told someone needs something from him.

“I just mean, what if our paths stayed the same?”

He might as well have punched Jaskier for the way his jaw drops. To Jaskier's credit though, he regains composure relatively quickly, clearing his throat. “Just to clarify, darling… you want me to follow you?”

No, that doesn’t sit quite right with Eskel.

“I want you to travel with me,” Eskel corrects, “even if that means I end up following you.”

If Eskel thought Jaskier had lit up back at the inn, it was nothing compared to the way Jaskier’s whole face all but glows when he comprehends Eskel’s offer.

“Are you sure?” Jaskier asks breathlessly.

Eskel rolls his eyes. “Scorpion likes you and I’ve never been able to say no to her.” 

He’s not quite ready for Jaskier to throw himself at Eskel, his arms looped around his neck as he laughs brightly, but Eskel breathes a sigh of relief upon hearing it, glad that the first side of Jaskier he’d seen is back. 

He feels Jaskier freeze and easily anticipates him pulling back, stopping the movement by lifting his own arms and wrapping one around the bard, not forcefully enough to cage him in but firmly enough to silently reassure him that he hasn’t done anything wrong. 

When the tension melts from Jaskier once more, he loosens his grip, allowing yet another smile to bloom on his face as the warmth of the embrace surrounds them both. 

“Thank you,” Jaskier mumbles into his shoulder. 

Eskel resists the urge to shiver at the feeling and nods, patting Jaskier’s back. “It’s the least I can do.”

Jaskier hums in response and when he peels himself away, Eskel makes a note of every detail in his expression, from his soft but bright eyes to his messy but not unpleasantly so hair to the way his smile threatens to erase the very existence of sadness from the world. 

In the same way, Eskel promises himself he’s going to erase whatever keeps making Jaskier sad from existence, one step at a time.

-

sorry for being mean to jaskier but at least Eskel is now here, right? also lmk if he seems too ooc as idk very much about him !! 

-

thanks for reading! masterlist | witcher blog: @geraskifer | next chapter

#jaskel #jaskier #eskel #the witcher #jaskier x eskel #jaskier the bard #witcher eskel #netflix the witcher #jaskel fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #hurt comfort #angst #hurt jaskier #soft eskel #geralt of rivia #insecure jaskier #canon who? #my writing #tmypicta #post rare species

[tsarifr]

5,6 & 27 for the ask thing!

Ooh, thank you for the ask! Been a long time since I last paid any attention to my clan lore so this'll be fun!

I also have two clans, so I'll answer for both: FNS = Fukutsu no Seishin, Arcane TAE = The Ashfall Express, Fire

40 Flight Rising Worldbuilding Questions

5) How has history constructed & molded your lair’s culture, morals and ideals, if at all?

FNS: I wouldn't say history has had a direct influence on those. We're an old clan, that's true, but many of our ways have been in place since the founding. While some provisions have been made as the clan's grown in size, our core has always been the same idea of loyalty to each other and our allies.

It's true that we have been betrayed before, long ago, and maybe that's what cemented betrayal as the single guaranteed reason to get the wrath of the entire clan on the perpetrator, but our founders were both abandoned as young hatchlings, and also lost one of their first hatchlings to another clan (that is, she got lost when she wandered too far from the lair and was taken in by a well-meaning clan, only to decide she would rather live with them than return to her parents' clan). While there is no animosity between our clans - indeed, one of our head warriors is the daughter of their own patriarch, and they're our oldest ally - that loss left a scar on our own matriarch that has never fully healed.

Some individual members have their own stories and scars to go with them, but for the clan as a whole there are no historical events that have obviously impacted our beliefs or way of life.

TAE: We live in the present. There is little use for us in looking to the past, and if we were to react to everything that happened, we would lose our purpose. There's little use for a trade route that's too mired in the past to adapt to the present, after all. We remain neutral, and refuse to side with one clan over another - although clans have learned not to slight us, as while we are dependant on good reputation for our trades, many clans are dependant on us to send or receive goods, and being placed on our blacklist hurts them far more than us.

-----

6) What are some unspoken rules? What happens if they are broken? Why are they in place?

FNS: We have many rules - spoken and unspoken - and most of them are put in place for the safety of both the clan and our visitors. There are some dragons who should never be disturbed while they are busy, and others who should never be disturbed at all. Unwary dragons have disappeared.

Do not assume everyone who resides upon the Crystal Terrarium is part of the clan. We share the land with other dragons, who are clanless and choose to remain that way, although they are often found interacting with us as though they are one of us. Most of them take offence to being considered part of the clan, and many of those are dangerous if angered.

If someone lands on the island, they are to be treated as a friend. Our lair is protected by powerful wards, and only those who mean no harm may enter - however, there is no safeguard if they change their mind once inside the barrier, so take care not to provoke visitors. We can defend ourselves, of course, but fighting in one's own home should be avoided where possible.

TAE: Do not argue with Kohle. She is small, vicious, and always right. The only exceptions to this rule are Flamme, who seems to be able to survive annoying her, and Klinge, who's too laid back to care.

All the members of the clan have their own role, and all of them are masters of it. Do not question them on their areas - it will not end well for you.

No stowaways. We are a trade business, not a smuggling ring. Stowaways will be treated with no mercy, whatever the sob story, and are always found out.

There are no secrets. Do not expect to keep any. The train has eyes and ears with which to discover them, and a voice with which to share them.

Respect Aschefall, or you'll never ride again.

-----

27) Are there any standards for food, service or care? Who enforces this, if anyone?

FNS: If it's edible, it's fine. We have hunters and gatherers who make sure the clan has enough food to go around, not to mention the spoils brought back by our warriors from the coliseum, but beyond that it is up to each dragon how they would like their food. There is no designated cook, and we have so far never run out of food.

TAE: We have no specific cook, but we have a gardener who oversees the on-board garden and also doubles as the general overseer for all things food, alongside our medic, who makes sure we're eating enough. A crew is no good if we can't work, so we have to make sure we eat regularly and healthily to avoid illness. A lot of our diet is plant-based, because we can obtain that ourselves for no extra cost, but we do also have agreements in place with some clans about the supply of other types of food, as well as whatever we manage to obtain on our travels.

#fukutsu no seishin #the ashfall express #tsari's lore #flight rising #flight rising lore #wbw #mesaimouse

[acnh-x-reader]

Getting into a relationship with Eugene (Headcanons)

Hi again! Somebody requested Eugene, and he happens to be one of my absolute favorites so I just started pumping this out before I could stop myself. This'll probably be pretty mushy, but enjoy nonetheless! FYI, reader is female by request, but nothing in particular really alludes to that very heavily so feel free to engage regardless of gender! Requester didn't specify whether to do headcanons or a scenario, but I had a long day at the time of writing so I decided to bang out some headcanons. Enjoy! -Author Jam Eugene tends to be either terribly oblivious or hyper-aware; even paranoid when it comes to situations regarding romantic attraction. In your case, he was hyper-aware of his own attraction and completely oblivious to yours, assuming you were uninterested for the longest time.  He started shortening his signature "yeah buddy" to just "Buddy" - more of a nickname - around you, and it wasn't until either you or another villager pointed this out did he realize the habit.  Along with this, Eugene started a sort of mama-bear habit with you that, while sweet, didn't go unnoticed. It was small things, like asking if you'd eaten a meal or were staying hydrated - which conflicted with his usual "cool-guy" persona. Speaking of his relaxed mentality, he kept that up alongside these new habits, occasionally as means of impressing you; which he got promptly teased for in such instances by the other residents.  He was a lot more affectionate with you than usual, an arm slung around your shoulders or playfully ruffling your hair - he seemed a lot peppier, too, a sometimes almost goofy grin on his face whenever you'd stop him for a chat. When one of you finally mentioned your attraction to the other, it was well-received - but getting into a relationship was slow-going. Regardless, the koala was more forward, going as far as pressing a peck to your cheek every once in a while. Around a week in, the nicknames came out, and not a sentence went by where he didn't refer to you as Buddy, Babes, Bae, Doll - Senpai or Sweetie when he was trying to annoy you. Your name was more reserved for special moments or when he was trying to grab your attention. Eugene is honestly a bit of a dork once you guys get further in, either pulling you in to dance at random times or getting matching T-shirts. Speaking of clothing, pulling his jacket on from time to time is the number one way into his heart - he melts every time. He's surprisingly touch-starved, and will lean into you in a stupor if you so much as fuss or play with his hair. Side-hugs and playful smooches are guaranteed with this guy. Overall, Eugene is a playful boyfriend who just wants to make your day better any day of the week. And really, who could blame him?

#acnh x reader #acnh #acnl x reader #acnl #eugene #ac eugene #ac x reader #animal crossing new leaf #animal crossing x reader #animal crossing new horizons x reader #animal crossing new horizons #hope this is okay!

[kindkindling]

what i want is to be with you

fandom: the wayhaven chronicles

pairing: mason/nb detective (Billie Vale)

rating: E

warnings: explicit for M being M

word count: ~4.5k

summary: The detective and Mason dance, and they talk about stars.

ao3

This was unbearable.

Every step felt like a mistake, likely because it was; Mason was seriously regretting not paying more attention when Nat was trying to teach him the steps. He couldn't stop staring at his feet, which Nat had said was "improper" and "unacceptable", but how else was he supposed to keep from stepping on Billie's foot again? He grunted for what felt like the hundredth time as he abruptly shifted his foot at the last second to narrowly avoid yet another mishap, scowling all the while.

On top of that, the ballroom was too large for his liking, filled with too many people; the light was too bright, crystals dangling from the chandeliers, refracting to and from every angle and leaving no spot unlit; waiters kept walking by with trays of little finger foods that, despite their size, managed to assault his sense of smell with every pass; the suit the Agency had provided was scratching at his skin whenever he so much as thought about moving; and none of these assholes seemed to ever shut the hell up. He was learning way more about the business dealings and personal dramas of smarmy rich people than he ever wanted to know. And it was keeping him from focusing on these steps that he shouldn't be struggling with so much, goddammit — 

"You're doing pretty well, y'know."

Mason spared a moment to glance up at his partner. Billie was wearing an amused expression, and their eyes were lit up with a mirth that had only recently started showing up more often around Unit Bravo. It was far from unwelcome, but Mason forced himself to look back down and scoffed.

"I can do without the pity, thanks."

"No, I mean it," Billie insisted, gently running their thumb over his side where their hand rested. "You should've seen me the first few times I had to do this. I think Tina described it as 'somewhere between a toddler's first steps and a waddling duck.'"

That got a chuckle out of him, and he could see Billie grinning from the corner of his eye. "I can actually believe that." Billie was many things, but graceful wasn't one of them. Mason was actually a bit surprised they were pretty decent at this dancing thing; Billie didn't really seem like someone that would go for a ball. He meant to ask further, but as he made a step back, he felt his back collide with another dancer, and a frustrated growl came out instead. He quickly turned to snap at whoever made the stupid decision to stand right where Mason needed to be, but just as fast, Billie moved in front of him with a hand on his chest.

"Sorry about that," they blurted out before Mason would almost certainly say something they would all regret, their other hand raised in placation. (Well, Mason wouldn't regret it, but he imagined Ava and Nat would have some choice words for him, and that was usually worth avoiding.) The other dancer nodded, and Billie took a few moments to ask whether they were alright; uninterested, Mason spent the time noticing how Billie's hand was resting right over his heart. Their hand was warm, even through the irritatingly scratchy fabric of his suit, and he could feel their pulse tapping a faint beat through their fingertips. It was running a little faster than normal, but focusing on it helped bring his own frustration back down, until he was no longer in danger of jeopardizing the night over his two left feet.

Billie finally turned back to Mason, seemingly assured that the dancer wouldn't cause a scene, and they let their hand drag across his the sleeve of his suit as it slid down to grab his hand, threading their fingers through his own. "Come on, let's move a little farther away."

As he followed Billie's lead across the dance floor, he made a point to glare back at the dancer he had hit, smirking as they started a little. At least he could still tell someone to go fuck themselves with only a look, even if his dancing was shit.

Satisfied that they were far enough away from everyone to avoid another incident, Billie came to a stop. "This'll do," they said, looking up to meet Mason's eyes. The sheepish grin they had worn moments before turned back into a look that was becoming more and more familiar as of late. It was hard for Mason to describe; he wasn't entirely sure what Billie was trying to convey with it, only that it was... soft, and it made their blue eyes light up so brightly, and it made his chest tighten up in a way that wasn't wholly uncomfortable. He stared back, lost for a moment as Billie's hand, still holding his own, squeezed briefly before raising them back into position.

"You mind if I take the lead this time?" They asked, that baffling look still in place.

Mason blinked, setting his confusion aside for now. His eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a sharp smile, letting just a hint of fang come out. "You're always welcome to take the lead, sweetheart." He leaned in as he spoke, each word bringing him closer, until he was whispering beside their ear. "You could lead us somewhere we could try a few different moves, if you'd like." He revelled in the heat he could feel starting to radiate from them and chuckled lowly as they lost their response to a stutter. Satisfied for now, he let them off easy and just blew a soft breath over the shell of their ear before backing away.

It looked like Billie managed to get a hold over the blush before it spread across their face, which was a shame, but it wasn't like he wouldn't have more chances to see it later. Their expression had changed to one of flustered indignation, which was always one of his personal favorites, and if he felt a twinge of disappointment that the odd look from before was gone, well, so be it.

"Come on now, sweetheart," he teased, "show me how it's done." He readjusted his hands so they fit more comfortably against Billie's hand and side while they regained their composure and followed suit, clearing their throat a few times before speaking again.

"So, this is just going to be a simple box step," they started. "You can watch our feet to begin with, but you shouldn't need to after a bit. Whenever I take a step, just follow along with the matching foot."

Mason watched as Billie moved their right foot back, and followed it forward with his left. He couldn't help but feel that the beam Billie shot at him was completely unwarrented.

"Great! Now follow with the other foot, and we'll turn it into a kind of sidestep at the same time." They brought their other foot back, but moved it out to the side instead of resting with the other. Mason kept silent and watched intently as he did his best to mirror the movements. "Exactly, now we just bring the other foot back in..."

 

After a few minutes going through the motions, Mason found that he could perform the steps with only a cursory glance at his feet every so often, and he looked up to see Billie looking almost smug.

"You're looking pleased with yourself there," he said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Ha, well, I guess I am a little proud of myself," they chuckled. "It's not a particularly complicated step, but I still never thought I'd be able to teach it to someone else."

Ah, that's right, he had a question about that. "How did you learn this, anyway?" Mason asked. "Dancing doesn't really seem your style."

"I suppose that's true," Billie said, leading him through the steps in time with the music without thought. "Since this ball is an annual thing, and attendance is mandatory for those at the station, I've had to come for the past... oh, four or five years." Mason let his thumb run over Billie's hand as they moved, and gave a small grin at the way their eyes flashed to where their hands met before continuing. "That first year though, it didn't take long for Tina to realize I was spending more time hiding in a corner than on the dance floor, and she couldn't have that. So, she was the one who sort of forced me to learn, ha."

"The bobblehead does seem like she can be - ack!" Mason flinched as Billie pinched his side. The glare they gave him lacked any real substance, but he acquiesced all the same. "Alright, sorry."

"Mmhmm." Billie waited a moment, gaze narrowed, as if to see if he had a smart remark coming. When he didn't, they continued. "Anyway, so Tina was the one who taught me, but this is actually about all I know. I can't do any fancy steps or anything, but to be fair, this is the only time I actually use these moves, so I think it works out okay."

Mason nodded, curiosity sated, and took a moment to look around the room as they danced in their own corner. He could spot Felix almost immediately; he had been a pretty popular dance partner all night, even though he wasn't exactly sticking to the moves Nat had tried to teach him — or maybe because he didn't stick to them. He almost scoffed, holding it in at the last moment; Felix was almost as bad at this as Mason, but he still had people watching like they were jealous of his partners. Nat was on the floor as well, and Mason had to admit, she seemed to fit right in. She had a poise about her that the rest of the team lacked, and she moved gracefully along the floor with light steps alongside her partners, completely at home in the atmosphere.

He saw Ava off to one side, a glass of wine in hand, her own icy eyes searching through the crowd for any possible threats. Agent Vale had been clear that this was supposed to be a low-risk event, because "even Trappers aren't dull-witted enough to try to pull something in the middle of an event this large with so many witnesses," but that didn't mean they should throw caution to the wind entirely. He was relieved to see Ava felt the same way.

"Have you ever done anything like this?" Billie asked, drawing his focus back. "Uh, since being with Unit Bravo, I mean," they quickly amended as soon as his gaze met theirs again, "not, not... before, you know."

"Not really," Mason huffed. "Nat sometimes gets pulled to go to these sorts of things, since she's so good at smooth-talking and knows all the rules. Ava might go along if Nat needs back up, but no, this isn't really my area. Or Felix's, for that matter," he adds with a glance back at the young vampire. Felix was laughing loudly as he swung his partner around the floor, completely abandoning the slower tempo of the song. 

"Fair enough," Billie smiled as they watched Felix's partner try to regain their balance.

They continued to dance together, hand in hand, exchanging small touches and making comments on their teammates, until the song slowly drew to an end. As the band played the final notes, Billie came to a stop and took a step back. Mason noted they didn't take their hand out of his, but made no move to do so himself either.

"Do you..." He watched as they glanced away, took a breath, and looked back to him. "Do you want to head outside? It'll be quieter there."

Mason hadn't really been listening to anything other than Billie's voice and heartbeat for a while now, but he wasn't about to say no to both getting away from the crowd and having another chance to put one of those all-consuming blushes on their face. 

"Lead the way, sweetheart."

 

 

The night air was cooler than he would really like, but Mason wasn't going to complain when it came with the relief of being away from the ritzy hell inside. A speaker had taken the stage after the dancing had puttered out, and apparently she was interesting enough that nobody else had taken the chance to escape to the balcony with them. He'd made sure to catch Ava's eye to let her see them head out and had gotten a brisk nod in return. Well, and a stare that was definitely warning him not to put the detective into any... compromising situations. He grinned at the thought as he folded his arms and leaned against the railing of the balcony, looking at the mountains in the distance; Billie was next to him, staring up at the clear night sky. Billie seemed content for the moment to let the quiet settle around them, and Mason didn't feel the need to break the silence himself, so, for a time, they just existed in each other's presence.

Getting a reaction out of Billie - any kind, really; embarrassed, exasperated, excited - was definitely his favorite way to spend their time together, but truthfully, this right here was a close second. He could feel the rest of the world fade into the background in a way it never did at any other time, his senses only picking up on the feel of the heat from Billie's skin and the sound of their heart thumping its steady rhythm and the faintly sweet scent of their shampoo.

And while Mason didn't understand the how or why of it, he could damn sure appreciate it. 

A cool breeze had him watching as Billie pushed their short hair back out of their eyes, drawing their gaze away from the sky for a moment, and that must have been enough for them to break out of their thoughts, because they turned to him and asked, "Do you like stargazing?"

He thought for a second and shrugged. "Not particularly."

Billie just hummed in response and turned back, looking up at the sky again. 

"Do you?" He asked in return.

They laughed. "Not particularly."

He raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

"I don't feel especially strongly about the stars," Billie answered, somehow knowing he was asking without even looking. "I don't know them by name or anything, and I would struggle to point out any constellation if you asked, except maybe Orion's Belt. But... they are beautiful, you know?" They kept their eyes trained upward, as if searching for something as they spoke. "I've never been religious or spiritual, but there's a sort of kinship, knowing that you can look up and see the same stars people were seeing thousands of years ago."

They gave a heavy sigh before continuing. "We're too close to the city here to really get to see them, though. Light pollution, and all."

Mason huffed. "Damn shame."

Billie nodded firmly in agreement. "It is. I'd lived in the city for a few years after college before moving back here, and of course you can't see a thing there. It's not a bad life, living in the city, but I don't think I'd ever trade being able to see even just this." They looked at him from the corner of their eye and asked, "You guys said you'd been to Alaska, right? Were you able to see more than this?"

He leaned back from the railing as he thought. "I guess so. I didn't pay much attention at the time. It was so fucking cold, I was trying not to freeze to death."

Billie exhaled sharply in laughter and hummed quietly. "I wish I could see it. If you get far enough away from cities, you're supposed to be able to see all the stars, and the Milky Way, and some other planets, even. I bet it's gorgeous."

"Then why don't you?"

They started and turned to face him fully, their eyebrows furrowed. "Huh?"

"Why don't you go?" He repeated. "Make the trip, see the stars. They're not going anywhere."

They huffed quietly. "I can't exactly do something like that now."

"Why not?"

"Well," they started counting on their fingers, "I've got a bounty on my head for one; even if the supernaturals in the area I went to weren't aware of it, they'd be able to smell my battery-powering super blood, for two; and for three, I can't leave Wayhaven, knowing what... what Murphy's actions did." They had to stop and take a moment before they could say Murphy's name, and Mason felt his own eyes narrow at the mention of him. "Mom said that what he did would be attracting all sorts of supernaturals here, right? So how could I leave town for a vacation knowing —"

"And what makes you think you're alone in any part of this?"

Billie paused, three fingers still in mid-count. "I'm sorry?"

"The team is more than capable of handling whatever pops up here," he said, and then, without a second thought, he added, "and I'd go with you, dumbass."

Their mouth was gaping open now. "That's... you, I mean, you don't, you don't have to..."

Add 'eloquent' alongside 'graceful' on the list of Things Billie Isn't, Mason thought as he rolled his eyes. 

"We've been over this before, sweetheart."

He watched as Billie picked their jaw back up, and their expression slowly turned from shock to something like awe, though he wasn't quite sure why. Surely it wasn't that weird?

"You don't do things you don't want to do," they said, each word sounding somehow like it was a revelation to them, and suddenly it hit Mason, as well.

He had said those words to Billie before, that he didn't do things he didn't want to do, but he hadn't quite realized what they meant beyond the moment he said them. He didn't do things he doesn't want to do, so he only does things he wants to do. And what he wants to do...

Is be with Billie.

Huh.

He... wants to be around them. He wants to see their eyes light up when they see the stars they've never seen, like the way they've been lighting up recently when they look at him, and more than that, he wants them to see the stars just because they want to.

This was... something. Mason couldn't figure out what this was supposed to mean, if it meant anything at all beyond just wanting to see the stars in Billie's eyes.

Thankfully, Billie never left him lost for long. 

They took a step towards him and, taking his hand in theirs, softly asked, "Mason, will you come see the stars with me?"

Well, there was really only one way to answer that.

He entwined their fingers together, closed the gap between them, and after a brief moment to be sure they were okay with it, pressed his lips firmly over theirs. He wrapped his other arm around Billie's back as they eagerly responded, pulling them tightly against him so he could feel every inch of them as he desperately deepened the kiss. He felt their hand come up to bury itself in his hair and a groan escaped him as they gently grabbed hold.

He was so full of... something, it felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He wanted Billie, he wanted to be with them, around them, in them, he wanted to see their blush spread from their ears to their cheeks to their neck, he wanted to see them laughing, he wanted to see them crying out his name in pleasure, he wanted to see them happy; he wanted them, but he didn't know how to convey that. Not yet, anyway. So right now he would have to settle for what he did know, and what he knew was exactly how to push Billie's buttons until they were a sobbing mess.

He turned them around so his back was facing the entrance to the ballroom and Billie was against the railing, obscured from the view of any possible onlookers, as he slowly traced his hand along their suit from their back to their chest, dipping beneath the jacket to feel their nipple hardening through their shirt.

Billie had to break away from the kiss with a moan that was desperately trying not to become a whimper. "This is..."

"Do you want to stop?" Mason whispered. He watched as their eyes flickered behind him, and he extended his senses past just Billie. "That speaker is still going on, nobody's gonna come see. And there's no one below the balcony, either," he added. He spoke so closely to their lips that every word was nearly a kiss itself. "I'll stop before anyone would ever know. Trust me on that."

He watched their pupils dilate until there was only a sliver of blue left, and as soon as they nodded and he heard, "Go ahead," he crushed their lips together again and finally released Billie's other hand so he could use his to start unbuttoning their jacket and shirt. Both of Billie's hands were now finding purchase in his hair, and fuck, he had never had a thing for hair pulling before, but they were making a strong case for it at the moment.

With the jacket and shirt open, Mason let one hand come up to cup and knead a breast through their bra as his other traced the zipper on their pants. He did his best to swallow every moan Billie let out, and his best was damn good; he always wanted to hear the noises they made, but he wouldn't get to hear many more of them if he let someone overhear what they were doing out here, which was drastically more important.

He had planned to drag it out, let them feel every click of the zipper as it worked down the teeth as he worked over their mouth and breast, but Billie was as excited as he was. They brought one hand down from his head and grabbed the hand on their zipper, forcing it down all the way, and instead of returning that hand to its new home, they let it roam his chest, giving his nipple the same treatment. He tried to hold in a shiver and failed miserably, and the resulting grin he could feel breaking their kiss had him smirking in return.

"In a hurry, sweetheart? I thought you trusted me. I'm hurt," he teased, giving their breast a good squeeze before moving to the other.

"Oh, come off it." Their breathing was getting ragged, and they were having trouble focusing on his eyes, they were so worked up.

"That's the plan." Aha! There was that flush he liked so much, right at the ears. If he could keep it up, he would definitely be able to see it spread. "Do you want me to touch you, sweetheart?" He whispered, slipping his fingers under their underwear just enough to feel the soft curls there and running them along their sensitive skin. "Do you want to feel my fingers inside you?"

A whine escaped Billie as they tried their best to stay quiet without the aid of Mason's tongue, one hand still grasping his hair, the other clenched in his shirt.

Mason pulled their bra down so it sat under their breasts, pushing them up and letting the cool night air brush over both now-hard nipples before letting one hand return to cup them again and rolling a nub between thumb and forefinger. He let his breath ghost over their cheeks as he pushed just a little closer to where he knew they wanted him most right now. "I can smell it, you know. I can smell how wet you are, without even having actually touched you there. Do you know how good it is? How hard it gets me, to know how much you want it?"

"Mason, please, I - I need -"

"What is it? What do you need?" He traced the edge of their jaw with his tongue, delighting in the shiver they felt as the air cooled the line he left.

"I need you, please, Mason, just - mmph!"

He silenced their pleas with a kiss as he gave in. As much as he loved the teasing, they really didn't have a lot of time to play. He dipped his fingers between their folds, feeling how truly wet they were, slicking them up before slowly sliding one digit in. The sob of relief against his lips, the way their hips twitched forward with every circle of his thumb over their clit, the way he could feel every beat of their heart as if it were his own; fuck, he never got tired of this, could never get tired of this. Nothing else, no one else would ever compare.

He slid in another finger and curled them just so, committing the feel of every sound they made in his mouth to memory, squeezing their breast firmly and speeding up his hand. "Come on, sweetheart," He mumbled against their mouth, "Come on, Billie, come for me, right here." They cried into him again and he quickly ran his arm around their back to pull them closer as they came, clenching around his fingers and pulling his hair taut. He slowed his fingers, but never stopped their caress until he felt their hand thump gently against his chest; pulling his hand back out, he leaned back just far enough to see Billie's face, red and panting and eyes half closed with sudden exhaustion, but smiling wide all the same.

That same tightness in his chest hit him again at the sight, and rather than question it, he raised his hand to his mouth and started cleaning his fingers with his tongue, locking his grey eyes on blue. They shivered and let out a quiet curse as they watched, enraptured, their own tongue peeking out to lick their lips as he finished.

"What — " they had to clear their throat before trying again, and Mason couldn't help but be proud of the mess he'd made as they redid their clothing. "What about you?" 

He took another moment to listen out. People were starting to move around slowly, but he couldn't hear the speaker, so she must have just wrapped up. "Sounds like we don't have time for that now," he said. He smirked at the frown that appeared in response and stepped aside to lean against the railing again as he waited for his own arousal to fade. "Disappointed?" 

"Kinda," Billie admitted, turning their face out over the balcony, letting the night air cool the heat in their cheeks. 

Mason knocked his shoulder against theirs. "Don't worry about it. Let me come by after you head home, and you can show me all the stars you want."

He got a scoff and a shove for his trouble, but Billie also grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers before looking back up at the sky, so it was worth it.

#the wayhaven chronicles #twc #twc fic #sea's OCs #let's see if not adding the ao3 link will let it into the tag #IT FUCKEN WORKED WE DID IT LADS #don't mind me i'm dumb and only just now figured out how tumblr works #twc m

[kcrtia]

PARK MILES &&. PERSONAL LAPTOP

synopsis — he’s wallowing in his own self pity, unsure of how he feels for his long time childhood best friend. he opens up his laptop and watches the old videos they had filmed together, most of which were just kiha. he finds that it cheers him up a little, just enough to motivate him to get back on his feet and to choreography something meaningful. mentions — @bemyuse  word count — 1719 it has no business being this long tbh but my ramblings really out here

table of contents —          A. empty apartment          B. empty apartment and kiha          C. opening his laptop          D. butterflies          E. watching videos of kiha          F. choreographing a song he composed

A.     he lets the inexplicable feeling of drowning overwhelm him, but he doesn’t allow for the sudden flush that cascades over his features to take away from his unnerving persona. a facade he still manages to keep up even within the confines of his own home. his living space, a lot more empty than what he had anticipated. his mother calling every other week to remind him to buy a good set of chairs, a dining table and remember to invite kiha over regularly. a scheme she has been trying to partake in, ever since he had departed from the crescent dorms. there at least, his manager would decorate the dorms or with the help of the members, decorating their living quarters as they pleased and he was but the lucky freeloader that would assume the luxuries of an already decorated home.

    but here was different, he was on his own. the bleakness of the white walls and the lack of colour adorning his apartment, he stuck out like a sore thumb in his all black attire. the television sat on the floor with it’s wires trailing close to the wall, his gaming consoles stacked on top of the other, pushed to the side just far enough that he can view the full screen. a baby couch he had managed to swipe up not too long since moving out, one that his neighbours had thrown out into the hallway on one of his nightly strolls to find sanity.

    a finger gently pokes at the baby coach that laid sprawled in front of his neighbours door, it was still in good condition. and he thought to himself, what a waste. shaking his head disapprovingly as he dragged it back to his place, tossing it into his vast living room. a centre piece, beside the grand piano that once belonged to his deceased father, now shoved to the corner of the living room. and he’s much too big for the baby couch, though he had no other chairs, except for the stool in his bedroom that sat under the table, that, he too, had stolen from the old crescent dorm. the stool, that too, having been from one of his neighbours. the only true possession he owned was the priceless bed he had custom made for his tired soul. a soul so tired that even his physique began to feel the sudden famish of fatigue.

B.     the numerous rooms in his apartment, all empty. it was a wonder why he had even chosen to move into such a large space despite never utilising it all. maybe somewhere, etched in his mind was the idea of one day... maybe one day, just maybe, kiha would want to come in and share it with him. to share this safe space, albeit, bleak and empty, he was sure that kiha could brighten up anything. he has already done so with miles, surely his apartment would pose no such obstacles. but somewhere, wedged in the nooks and crannies of his soul was an insatiable fear of the impending rejection that he would go through. the uncertainty and the imposing nature of having been slapped with a hard no. miles couldn’t risk putting his pride on the line like that, not yet at least.

    and his mother knows her son’s tendencies, and so she calls upon kiha to check up on him. his own protests having shut down kiha’s attempts of questioning his apartment and his design choice. it was one of the main reasons why he had tried so hard to keep kiha away from his apartment for the longest time. excuse after excuse and now, he found himself wallowing in the same baby couch he had found in the very beginning of his move. his knees pulled up to his chest, and his back slouching against the small backing that barely supported him. arms wrapping around his knees, as his head rests against his forearm. his gaze falls to the tiled floor, the feeling of drowning returns.

    he wasn’t sure what had brought on this random sensation, he wanted to scream but he hadn’t the energy left, he wanted to cry but no tears would fall, he wanted to punch things, to curse, to bruise up his knuckles but he has fallen ill to the lethargic beckoning of his dying soul. the light inside of him, dimming, any more and he would have lost his resolve. he was confused more than anything, this feeling was so foreign, too foreign. and so, he closes his eyes for a moment, letting the stinging feeling against his dulled hues burn for a moment. he hasn’t let himself rest for days and this was the first signs of despondency that he had felt so overbearingly, in a few weeks — no months.

C.     his gaze falls to the laptop on the floor by his feet. he moves, albeit slowly, feeling the weight of the thing pulling onto his tired arms as he rests it atop his knees. he pulls back, his postured improving slightly, as he opens up the screen. immediately wincing at the sudden brightness that sends a pang to his weary hues. a finger is quick to lower the brightness, and he decides that maybe doing some online shopping could help ease the pressure on his reverie.

    he opens up the browser, and immediately is greeted by his own instagram page, one that had a recent photo of the two together. they had visited somewhere he had been wanting to go for a while now, only having waited for both their schedules to subside before asking kiha if he wanted to go on a spontaneous day trip. this elicits a gentle smile to spread across his features, absentmindedly he finds himself feeling at ease just by looking at kiha on his screen. kiha is special. he scrolls through his own posts, he couldn’t help the smile that continually grows on his features, a sudden flutter moves at his core and he shuts his laptop closed in one swift movement. no. you shouldn’t be allowed to feel this way. you’re not allowed to feel this happy looking at him.

D.     he’s confused and he doesn’t know what to do, he’s going against everything the industry had dictated to him was wrong, no... this is right. he lets the butterflies subside, the sudden elation in his chest receding alongside the sighs that leave him but the fluttering doesn’t stop. neither does the flitter in his chest and he attempts to hold his breath, maybe this’ll stop the feeling he feels for kiha. his breath draws short and an exhale leaves from his lips, a closed fist tenses as white knuckles peer through and before he could register the pitter patter of his cages again, he strikes himself in the stomach. masking the butterflies with a stunted punch to his own gut, he feels the discomfort from the impact for a bit before letting it settle and he feels the trickling of wings flickering against his insides and he strikes again. this time, harder than the last. perhaps he has gone insane. insane enough to punch away the butterflies he felt for kiha. but not insane enough to admit his own emotions. was this truly confusion or perhaps, just denial?

E.     he’s holding his head now, is this confusion or denial? two questions that weigh heavily on his shoulders, enough to break the bones on his back. he hunches over the laptop on his knees, takes a deep breath and surrenders to the feeling, opening it back up. he tries to fight the smile that instinctively graces at his corners whenever he lays eyes on kiha, even if it were just a picture of the other. the warm feeling he gets, flustering even the dullest of hues as they sparkle slightly against the moon’s rays that peek through the curtains of his living room.

    he continues to scroll through his pictures of kiha, icloud full, the notification that pops up receives a raised brow, his finger hovers over the trackpad clicking to clear the banner. instead, an entirely new window opens, and he finds himself faced with videos of kiha he had taken during their spontaneous day trip. the video starts to play, and the smile on his features only grows, crescents start to form as a huff of a chuckle leave from his lips. seeing kiha made him... happy, was this wrong to admit? he shuts the thoughts out, choosing to indulge in this moment, even if the bliss he felt was temporary at best.

F.     moments pass, and he closes his laptop again, this time placing all his anguish, all the flittering in his centre, all the confusion, all the denial, all the emotions... into something more worthwhile. he retrieves his phone from his jumper’s pocket, places the headphones by his consoles over his ears, and he turns the volume up, high enough that it begins to drown out his own thoughts. gravity, something he had been working on religiously throughout the past few weeks with only the thought of kiha echoing in his reverie. a project he had kept to himself, a way of working to distract himself, to be away from crescent, from kiha, from the confusion, the denial, the feeling of drowning.

    he pulls himself to his feet, gently kicking the baby couch to the side and he takes a deep breath, allowing himself to hyper focus on the now. on the current. in the current. and he’s dancing in the dark, letting the track dictate his movement, the backdrop falling to the foreground and the ambience sets in his cerulean veins. ardour lacing his form, and he finds that so much time had past. how long has it been? what time is it now? the concept still hazy to him as he lets the beads of sweat ball at his temples, the song on repeat and he stands unmoving. the tints of dawn weaving through the curtains, hitting the floor beneath, illuminating the dark room.

    yet, the one constant still pasted in his mind — kiha. at least now, he’ll have something to submit to yuseong’s choreographer and creative team if he ever felt the need to. and if he had the guts, to kiha.

#bemyuse #solo &&. park miles. #park miles. #park miles &&. ahn kiha.

[hellimagines]

Sunbird (Part Two) -- Jason Todd

*My masterlist link can be found in my blog description*

Summary: Y/N wakes up after the bomb, and after Jason’s return she has to deal with the retaliation.

Warnings: Emo Bruce Wayne, angst

Pairing: Jason Todd x fem!reader

Word Count: 2,500+

Part One

A/N: Me? Disappearing for three weeks after impulsively creating another series? Wild. The beginning is a little rocky, but still, let me know what you think!

~Two weeks following the bomb~

Her whole body felt like it was on fire, flames licking the inside of her veins with each breath she took. However, as Y/N pried her sleep-crusted eyes open, she realized that she wasn’t in pain because of it. It simply just didn’t feel right. She was laid flat on one of the nursing beds in the BatCave, with IV’s in both arms, a tube down her throat, and other medical equipment enclosing her. Unable to lift her arms to properly find the source of the fire or to yell out for anyone, Y/N groaned in pain in hopes of someone hearing her.

Someone did hear her, but it wasn’t someone she was expecting. “Fuck, she’s awake,” Dick cursed, startling out of his chair to press a button on the wall beside her bed. “Hey, don’t move, Alfie’ll be here in a sec’, okay?” Y/N weakly nodded, wincing at the pain that jostled in her throat. Dick hushed her, petting a hand down her face to move away some sweat-slicked strands of hair. She hadn’t seen Dick in nearly a year, which wasn’t uncommon for the detective of Bludhaven, but it felt weird to have him as the first person she saw.

A few moments passed with Dick simply murmuring soft words and trying to keep Y/N from shifting too much as the pain increased. But, soon enough, Alfred and Bruce were both rushing toward them, the former snapping latex gloves onto his hands. “Please keep her steady, Master Dick. This will hurt more if she jerks too much,” Alfred instructed, gently placing the palm of his hand against Y/N’s throat. 

Dick did as he was told, holding onto the younger girl’s shoulders to keep her down, while Bruce stood to the side with furrowed brows. “You’re gonna be just fine, Miss Y/N, this’ll be over in a moment,” Alfred hummed, before he was pulling the tube out without warning. Instinctively, Y/N jerked, wanting to fight against the pain in her throat as she yelled out, but Dick kept her from moving. And, as Alfred had said, the tube was gone in only a few seconds, leaving her able to gasp for air while choking and coughing on her own spit. Dick helped her into a sitting position as Alfred fluffed the pillows up, checking her vitals as her hacking calmed down.

Dick’s eyes caught Bruce’s across the bed, silently motioning him to come over, which Bruce began to do. But, he stopped short at the girl’s next words; “Where’s Jason?” she croaked while massaging her throat, before looking up at the older men. “Is he okay?”

Alfred turned his back, busying himself with putting away unneeded medical supplies with shaking hands. Dick looked up at Bruce, pleading for guidance before the older took a step back, shaking his head. “Bruce-” Dick tried, reaching out a hand for the other. Instead, Bruce shook his head and turned, walking away from the others.

“Dick, what happened?” Y/N whispered, dread filling her gut as she felt the tension cover the room like a cloud of smoke. “Please, where’s Jason?”

Dick took a deep breath, “Do you remember what happened?”

“Yeah,” she nodded with heavy breaths, “Joker used me to lure Robin and Batman, but Jason ran in without thinking, got trapped. Then we were tortured, well… Jason got the brunt of it, before… before the bomb went off.” 

“Do you know how you survived?” Y/N shook her head. “When you were a baby, Joker wanted to make you like him, as much as possible at least. But Harley drew the line at the chemical vats, electrocution, and all the other stuff they did to themselves. So, when there was that giant Arkham break ten years ago, Joker had grabbed a whole bunch of random shit from the experiment and confiscation rooms,” Dick explained, taking a seat beside her bed. 

“How do you know all of this?” Y/N questioned.

“Miss Quinzel stopped by when she heard what had happened. She’s still in hiding, but she thought you had died. I must admit, I feared for Master Bruce’s safety for a moment,” Alfred chuckled, despite the sorrowful look on his face. “She told us everything and explained why you hadn’t.”

“Jason’s dead. Isn’t he? You’re only talking about how or why I survived, not him.”

“Always did rival my detective skills,” Dick huffed, unable to look Y/N in the eyes anymore. “When Bruce got there, Jason… Jason was already dead. You were unconscious on top of him, with your fingers against his neck, checking for a pulse I think.” Memories began to filter into her head, ones her mind had blocked immediately after the bomb. Freeing herself from the charred zip ties, crawling over burning metal and wood, collapsing beside Jason, his lips trying to form her nickname one last time, before feeling his heart stop and his eyes go blank. Y/N’s heart ached at the memory, and she choked on a sob that she refused to let escape.

“And on fire,” Alfred added, grabbing ahold of Y/N’s hand as he watched the despair fall over her face. “Harley didn’t know what exactly Joker did to you when you were younger, he never told her the full extent. But whatever he did, insured your immunity against most things. You still bruise, bleed, and break, but those things are harder to kill you than most people. However, I don’t suppose he expected a bomb to fit into that category. So, while you were still burned and in a coma, you survived and healed within days.”

Y/N looked down at her arm, trying to block out the memories again, and noticed the subtle, red glow beneath her skin. The only scars on her arms were of old cuts, bullets, and other injuries. But not a single burn scar laced her skin. “Why didn’t it leave a scar?”

Dick chuckled at the question, having expected her to ask more about Jason, and closed his eyes briefly. “Fire seems to be your best friend. We had to keep a fire extinguisher and buckets of cold water on standby for the first week because whenever you got hot, your skin would spark and catch fire. That,” he pointed a finger to an abandoned charred bed near the corner of the room, “was your first bed.”

Y/N gave the bed a brief glance, before staring back down at her arm. The feeling in her stomach had yet to go away, now filled with grief she didn’t know how to handle. “Are you… are you sure he’s gone? I could’ve been wrong, maybe his heart only stopped for a second, maybe he’s still alive, I’m sure he’s fine-”

“Y/N,” Alfred whispered, the absence of the ‘Miss’ causing her to stop. “Jason’s dead. We haven’t had his funeral, wanting to wait for you to wake up, but he’s gone,” he said softly, rubbing a calloused thumb over the back of her hand.

“I’m so sorry, kid,” Dick choked, letting his forehead fall against her arm as he squeezed his eyes shut. “He didn’t deserve this.” 

She looked between the both of them, tears falling over despite her reluctance. “I-” she began, before pausing and shaking her head. “What if Joker comes looking for me again? What if he comes after all of you next? I can’t lose anyone else, I have to leave.”

Dick shook his head, “It’s already been taken care of. The world thinks Y/N Napier is dead, and that Robin survived. We won’t go public with Jason’s death for a few months to keep shit from hitting the fan. That’s why Harley was here, she thought you had died. Joker even… he even sent Batman a ‘Sorry for your loss’ card.” His voice was dejected, feeling sympathetic for the younger girl on the bed.

“The second I left, he stopped caring about me. I’m not surprised,” she grumbled, wiping her eyes roughly. “Now what? I was only the girl Robin protected, nothing else. With me supposedly dead, and Robin, what do I do?”

“Don’t worry about Robin, we’ll take care of it. But you’re more than just Robin’s ward. You’re smart and strong, there’s plenty for you to do. Whether it’s taking up a mantle, helping out around here, or making a new name for yourself, you’ll find something. We’re not throwing you away, Y/N. You’re family.” 

Y/N listened quietly as Dick talked, absentmindedly running her fingers over her arm as he did. Everything Dick and Alfred were telling her was soaking into her like a sponge; the information was there, but she wasn’t able to process much of it. She knew how cruel the world could be, she was the Joker’s daughter after all, but it still wasn’t fair that Jason was taken from her. That she had to live without him, knowing that it was her fault he was dead. Alfred continued checking her wounds and body temperature as Dick filled her in a few more things (such as Bruce’s refusal to take a break and Batman’s wavering moral code), but Y/N could only listen numbly. She had to figure out her next step, and for the first time in a while, she had to figure it out without Jason by her side.

-- 

It took nearly a year for Y/N to completely recover and get ahold of her powers. She no longer had to carry around a fire extinguisher, and spare ones no longer crowded random rooms in the mansion. The only time her powers would act out was when the temperature around her crept above 80°; needless to say, hot weather and heaters were her kryptonite (but she wasn’t allowed to say that around Clark). She also discovered a new power alongside her… combustion skills- she had the ability to make people feel as though they were burning inside. There were no physical effects, and it couldn’t kill anyone, but the pain was definitely there. Also during that year, a small funeral was held for Jason at Gotham Cemetery, consisting of Y/N, Dick, Alfred, and Bruce. Bruce hadn’t stayed for long, with Alfred following shortly after to keep an eye on him. Y/N and Dick remained until the sun began to set, sitting in comfortable silence and staring at the headstone.

It only took two more years after that for Y/N to grace the streets of Gotham as Nightwing’s sidekick, Sunbird. It was the nickname Jason had given her after she had admitted that being with him was the freest she ever felt while they were sitting on top of Wayne Enterprise, watching the sunset. At the time, Jason didn’t know that there was an actual bird called sunbird, he just liked the way the words went together when he thought of her. And now, with Jason gone and her newfound abilities, the alias stuck. She would have been Batman’s sidekick, but there was a new, scrawny genius taking over Robin and Bruce still couldn’t look her in the eye without seeing Jason’s body. So, Dick had taken on the job of training her while Alfred created her battle-ready, fireproof suit, with built in cooling technology to keep her from overheating. It was a grey bodysuit with red down the back of her arms and over her upper chest, creating an abstract wing design, paired with a red domino-mask. Being Sunbird and racing across rooftops with Nightwing or Robin, and the occasional Titan or other vigilante, gave Y/N the freedom she had been chasing her whole life. 

Now, six years after Jason’s death, that freedom was about to be torn away.

“You can’t keep me locked up, Bruce!” Y/N’s screech filled the Cave, causing Tim to wince from his spot on the nursing bed. They were all still in their suits, reeling and arguing with the fact that Jason was alive and what to do next. 

“You’re the reason he’s back, if you go out there who knows what he’ll do,” Bruce argued, his voice steady yet tinted with anger. “He could’ve let slip that you’re alive to anyone. It’s not safe.”

Y/N let out a yell of frustration, slapping the bag of ice she had been holding into Tim’s stomach as she stalked forward. “This is Jason we’re talking about, he won’t hurt me,” she snapped, pointing a finger at Bruce. “He knows what Joker did to me, he was there half the time, saving me. He’s not going to go blabbing off to everyone and their fucking mom, knowing that it could result in me actually dying. Just because he has a different alias and kills the occasional drug lord, doesn’t mean he isn’t one of us anymore.” 

“That’s exactly what it means-”

“Master Wayne, I suggest you take a break.” Alfred’s voice, the calmest in the room, caused the two bickering vigilantes to immediately silence. Bruce was still breathing heavily, looking down at the younger girl with conflicting emotions, while Y/N stared up at him with narrowed eyes, ready to keep fighting. “You’re both upset, as I assume we all are, but arguing over Master Jason’s role in our family will do us no good in figuring out our next step.”

“Alfie’s right,” Dick sighed, wedging himself between Y/N and Bruce. “B, let’s go let Gordon know about the takedown tonight.” Putting his hands on Bruce’s shoulders he turned the older man around, giving Y/N one last look before guiding Bruce out of the Cave. 

Once the door was shut Y/N collapsed onto the edge of Tim’s medical bed, holding her head in her hands. “Jason’s more part of this family than I am, Bruce can’t just say stuff like that.”

“You are a part of this family,” Tim said, allowing Alfred to poke at his ribs to find the broken ones, “he’s just upset, you know how he gets.”

She murmured, “that doesn’t make it okay,” before lifting her head. She looked over at Tim, watching how Alfred wrapped bandages around his torso and applied more ice to his side. 

It was quiet for a few moments, before Alfred spoke, “if you plan on going solo, at least make sure one of us knows what you’re doing.” Y/N chuckled, flashing him a cheeky smile. “Better yet, take Master Tim or Dick with you.”

At that, both birds scoffed out a laugh. “Yeah right, he’d kill me on sight, same with Dick. No offense, Y/N, but you’re own on your own,” Tim huffed, earning a slap on the shoulder from Alfred.

Y/N laughed loudly and shook her head. “You’re right, no offense taken, baby bird. I have to do this on my own, there’s something off about him right now. Throwing the original and the new Robin at him won’t end well. I can handle myself, he won’t hurt me; no matter what Bruce says, Jason Todd is still under that helmet.”

--

All Writing Taglist (OPEN): @teageowen​  @alex--awesome--22​ @hxdesworld​ @frozenhuntress67​ @samanthasmileys​ @simonsaysyasss​ @marvelismylifffe​ @bademliimagnum​ @wherewecangazeintothestars​ @loxbbg​

#jason todd #jason todd imagine #jason todd x reader #redhood #redhood x reader #redhood imagine #red hood imagine #red hood #red hood x reader #batfam

[sunnieskies02]

Corrupted Faith

OneShot; Demon Bakugou x F!Reader

Trigger Warnings: NSFW, Degradation, non(dub)con, teasing biting etc

Word Count :4.1k

______________________________________________________________________________

“ Sister (y/n)!” A small group of kids run towards you happily and wrap their arms around your legs. “ We missed you so much! Are you feeling any better?” You stop wiping the altar and place your hand on top of the little boy's head and squat. “Yes little Theodore. Im doing amazing!” He smiles back at you and in response you pinch his cheeks and pull them turning his face red.

He giggles and runs off with the other children. *What did I do to deserve such an angel like Theodore* Becoming a nun was one of the many things that made your previously glum life exciting. Taking care of the orphaned children, baking for them and giving them a loving environment where they can grow. It made your heart warm, especially since you did this work alongside your best friend Brother Eijirou. You and him have been friends ever since you met each other at the training, and you two have been known as an inseparable pair.

Apart from caring for the children, you have another job at the church. Exorcisms. For an unknown reason, since your birth you’ve been able to see spirits and demons. When you were younger, once these spirits caught on to the fact that you could see them they started to pester you. Making you trip and fall, lifting up your skirt, pulling your hair; it never ended. And because of these pestering spirts, you decided to become a nun, a person of the church who has the power to rid of these spirits.

So for 5 years of your life, you learned how to be a respectful nun, and an exorcist at the same time. The work was grueling, but you were happy with the outcome because it was worth it in the end, you wanted nothing more than to free people from these spirits that cause nothing but trouble. You were a powerful exorcist, a strong one who could do away with and spirits with one simple verse. And with this amount of power you possessed, it was sooner than later that Lucifer’s followers would start to surface.

But none had come. You were surprised, you thought yourself so much as a badass that not a single demon came. Weeks prior after days of exorcising spirits, you thought one of them would surface. You were tense and on guard the entire time just in case one of Morning Star’s followers came up but… they never came. So you were left with one or two things to consider, 1) being that, you aren’t so much of a threat that you thought you were or 2) that they were planning to send someone ridiculously strong. Either one of those thoughts made you lax, * Any spirit that they send my way. They’d be gone in a flash.*

You wake up early on a Sunday morning at 4:30am to get started on breakfast for the orphans. As you grab your caddie and walk down to the bathroom you hear a low creak down the hall. You know that the church is old and that it is still settling as the years go one so you continue inside. You twist the knob for the shower and let it heat up, and as you do so you start to strip down. While you are naked in the bathroom, you turn to make sure that the water is hot and you step inside. You sigh under the scalding heat, hit your back and run through your hair. You stay in the shower for a few minutes, lather up in lavender soap and rinse it off.

Moments later you step out of the shower and continue your morning routine. Now it was 6:00 and you were making your way to the orphanage when you saw him. A tall ash-blonde male with wings as dark as tar and eyes as red as blood covered in tattoos and scribes. You gasp and he darts you a look, without hesitation you relax and try not to make it noticeable that you can see him as bright as day. As you walk past him, you can feel his eyes burning into the back of your head, you take a deep breath in and a deep breath out and open the doors to wake the children.

You were shaken to your core and the image of the demon never left your head. You had not noticed Brother Eijirou walk to your side while you were washing the plates after breakfast , “Hey, y/n you there.” You jump back and look at him, to laugh and punch him in the shoulder and say “Don’t scare me like that Kirishima. You nearly knocked my socks off with that.”

“Well I had to, all the kids said that you’ve been acting strange and out of it. What happened.” You parted your lips to speak but closed them. You could tell that he was concerned because when you look back at him, he showed his puppy dog eyes. ‘Jesus, why does he have to be so cute.’ You roll your eyes and tell him “I-i saw a demon this morning Kiri. And he looked...strong. Really strong.” He rubbed your back and said “Well I’m pretty sure that he was scared by a hot mama like you! And you shouldn’t be scared of anything as long as you have me around right?” Look at him and blow some of the suds at him, “You’re right. As long as you're by my side there should be no--”

You sentence was interrupted by the children’s screams “ SISTER Y/N! BROTHER EIJIROU! Somethings wrong with Theo, he’s acting weird and Brother Midoriya has been trying to help him but its not looking good.” Then an eruption of tears and wails came from the children, you looked at Eijirou, nodded and he headed off. You had to stay behind and calm all of the children down, once you pushed them back into their rooms and told the eldest to keep them in check you ran back outside and froze.

You see Eijirou and Midoriya, covered in dried blood and burn scars. They were really trying to go against Theodore without truly hurting him and that wasn’t all. Your heart tore to pieces when you looked up at Theo floating high into the sky casting down spells and rites around him, he wasn’t the sweet doe-eyed theo from the day before. Theo was covered in caked blood that wasn’t his own and fixtures were swirling all around him. He was simply possessed, but by what? When you got a closer look at him you saw the same eyes again, “Well well well, it's the nun I've been looking for.” Theodore floated down to your eye level and grabbed at your throat, his grip was tight and felt your trachea start to close. With the strength that was left within your body you speak a rite but Theo’s grip got even tighter.

He pulled you to your knees and asked “You saw me this morning right?” You kept your lips shut and spat in his face, he snapped his face back after catching the spit on his cheek, you saw Theo’s body fall to the floor but you still made eye contact with the monster presented before you. He pulled you closer to his face, wiped the spit from his cheeks and licked it. He smirked and said “For a nun who looks so much like a slut under their robes. You taste pretty good.” You gag at his words and he lets you go, you fall to the floor and gasp for air. While you're on your hands and knees, your head is yanked up by your veils and he says “Remember this name, Bakugou Katsuki. This’ll be the name that you will become a slave too.” You smirk and say “You can go straight to hell, Bakugou Katsu--” Your words were cut short by the demon's lips crashing onto yours, his lips were hot and he forcefully pushed his tongue into your mouth exploring every inch of it.

You let out a small moan as his lips parted from yours and your eyes were welcomed to a part of lidded ones. With saliva still connecting your tongues he smiled at you and threw your head back into ground beneath you then vanished, you laid on the ground ashamed that you couldn’t take him down. Out of the blue you were scooped up by Kirishima and he smiled at you, ‘That smile made everything feel amazing.’ You looked at him and smiled, you always got a good kick out of him when he got flustered. Izuku, followed behind the two of you holding Theodore.

Theodore was conditioned with a high fever after the possession and you hated yourself for letting it get out of hand. ‘Why didn’t I handle him when I first saw him?’You rubbed your hands over your face as you sat next to his bedside, you grabbed his hand and rubbed it. You cursed at yourself and felt the hot tears roll down the side of your face, ‘You weren’t strong enough, idiot. You were scared and someone got hurt because you hesitated.’“Yea, shitty woman! That brat got hurt because you bitched out. »

Your head snapped furiously at the door frame and the same demon from earlier was at the door looking down at you. You huffed out a breath and asked “What do you want you heathen? Why go so far to hurt a child than to take me on.” He chuckled and flew close to your face and sneered “Just to make you shrink. You thought you were hot shit from hearing your thoughts, so I decided to take you down a few pegs.” He stopped hovering and placed his feet on the floor and got close to your ear and whispered “And make you work for me instead of this man you claim as your god.” You rolled your eyes, to try and make sure that Theodore was sound asleep to make sure you focused back on him. When you looked back in front of you, he smiled slyly, still looking at you. You emitted a low growl from your throat that then turned into a breathy gasp, you looked down and saw that his hand was under your robes.

You let go of Theodore’s hand to try to move Katsuki’s from your lady parts but when you tried to you felt his calloused finger rub against your clit. A shock ran through your body as he pressed against it, you started to take deep breaths to get focused on removing his hand but the more effort you put into removing his hand the more shapes he drew around your clit. “Your really sensitive you slut. You’re letting a demon assault you while you watch over a bed ridden child. How uncouth of you.” You winced as you felt his finger start to rub between your lower lips while still abusing your throbbing clit. Katsuki released a feral growl as he moved your panties to the side and rubbed his fingers along your lips covering his digits in your slick.

You breathed out hastily as he moved his fingers from under your robes and presented them to you.“Look at what your dripping cunt did to my fingers you whore. Open your mouth.” You clenched your jaw tightly, but to no avail, his hand went under your chin and forced your mouth open, as he shoved his digits in. Without thinking, your tongue rolled around his fingers and you bobbed your head back and forth, with lidded eyes you looked back at his vermillion ones. He moved his digits out of your mouth and pushed them into your pussy. Your head hit the wall as he pushed his fingers deeper into your wet folds. You had to move one of your hands away from his pistoning wrist to cover your mouth, you felt tears prickle at the corners of your eyes.

You looked over at Theodore who was sound asleep with a high fever and you cursed yourself “I’m so sorry, I’m so so sorry Theo.” “You are sorry. A sorry slut for allowing a demon to thrust into your clenching hole.” Your eyes snapped back to his and before you could return his harsh words you felt the coil in your stomach tighten up as he curled his fingers into your sponge spot. You let out a silent moan, and allowed your eyes roll into the back of your head in pleasure, you felt so awful about the situation. But it felt so good.

As a nun, you aren’t allowed to have sexuaal relations with anyone, so you are touch deprived ( sexually). That’s why you and Kirishima would try to keep your hands to yourselves because at a point in time you two were all over each other. Exchanging kisses, rubs,holding hands, anything that wouldn’t make you feel alone. But this was different.

The heat that surrounded your body was scorching. Your entire body felt as if it was set aflame by Katsuki’s unrelenting movements into your pussy. Then his smell made it even worse, he smelled like burnt caramel, and the spice it reminded you of your life at home. You wanted to give in, you wanted to give up all that you worked hard for to become a nun. But there were kids here, like Theodore, who needed your help and needed a motherly figure to guide their lives in the right direction.

“S-stop you spawn of satan. I-I’m not mmphf~” You came. The coil that grew hot in your stomach was released all onto his hand. You grabbed onto your robes, working to catch your breath and you looked up at him to see him sneering down at you. “Wow. Look at what you did to my fingers ‘nun’” He held his fingers to your face and spread his fingers out showing how you cum made his fingers sticky a mess. He moved his hand back towards his mouth and licked it, and once he finished licking it he stepped towards you. Your throat was grabbed, you were brought to your knees and you looked up. “I’ve never met anyone who tasted so delicious~” He nibbled at your cheek and licked from your jawline to your ear.

He put you down and said headed towards the window, “Breaking you and converting you will be fun, princess. But until next time.” Then he vanished, you looked to see that Theodore was still asleep, you kissed him on the forehead and prayed for him.

o0o

Sometime after Theodore's possession, you started to see more and more of Katsuki. And when you did or didn’t acknowledge his presence he would make sure to play with your slick folds. You hated yourself for the fact that you would already be dripping without him even being there. It made you upset that you aren’t strong enough to fight him off because when he would see you his hands would go straight to your lower lips.

If you were in the middle of a lesson, he’d be toying with your behind, giving it little smacks with his explosive power making you wince. If you were at the altar handing out or helping with communion, how would kneel down under your robe and eat you out furiously. You’d try to stay quiet or keep a straight face but that was no help whatsoever. The more you wanted to hide your moans and faces more the more he wished to bring it out.

You’ve had enough of his tricks and schemes. For months on end after you met him, he would invade your dreams, your work and your bathtimes. You couldn’t get a break, and you didn’t want to admit it to yourself but you were slowly wanting him to come. The more he came to you, the less you resented his advances, you felt your morals fall little by little the more he came to you. You started to realize the more time you spent with him, the more unholy you started to act, lying, cheating the whole nine-yards. So you decided to confess.

You know that your friend Midoriya would be up and normally does confessions at nine in the morning. So when you saw him walking into the booth you sat right in the opposing booth. You both sat in a lingering silence until he spoke, “Good morning Sister (y/n). I hope your morning does you well.”

“It does, Brother Izuku. I hope your morning has been swell as well,” you responded.

“What has you so troubled Sister (y/n)?” he asked. You play with your thumbs and bite your bottom lip. “Well, there is a demon that has been following me and--” Your words stop while you see Katsuki walk through the curtain of the confessional smirk and kneeling. You feel his warm hands slide under youryour robe and reach further up your thigh. You swatted his hand and continued to speak. « He has been making me perform out of character. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen communion or how my face would randomly become flushed.”

You look down at Katsuki and see him pulling you panties down and biting into your inner thighs. You bite down on your finger and whimper as you see his face get closer to your heat. In the moment you totally forgot what Midoriya was saying but snapped back into the confession when he called your name. “Y/n? Y/n?” “Yes Izuku. I-I’m here.”

“Well, why haven’t you got rid of his spirit then? Your very strong exorcist, what has been holding you back?” ‘Why haven’t you!’ It dawned on you that you haven’t tried to expel him. So as you started to open your mouth to speak the rite your lower lips were welcomed with a very thick and wet tongue.” You gasp and look to see Bakugou eating you furiously, his tongue would flick against your clit making you whine is pleasure. Catching your lewd noises, Bakugou stuck out his long, slick covered tongue and thrusted it inside of your folds. Your breath hitches as you felt your walls stretch to the size of his tongue.

Remember that you were confessing, you answer Izuku with a breathless response. “I-I don’t kn-now why? I guess it didn’t cross m-my minnnndd~” At the end of you staggered sentence, Bakugou continues to lift up your robes and reveal your throbbing, wet folds. He gets close to your ear and whispers “Make sure you answer him. Or I won’t let you cum.”

You looked at him and saw that he was hiking you leg up to the side of your face with your cunt dripping onto the floor of the booth. Bakugou shuffles behind you and relaxed his heated cock from his trousers. His cock was thick and tamed with the tip swollen red, pre-cum leaking at the tip. He slowly started to thrust his cock against your folds making you wince. As his cock rubbed against your pulsating clit, Izuku spoke and said “Well if you need help riding of him, I’ll always be here!” He sounded so cheerful, ‘He shouldn’t have to hear this.’ “Let him hear. He’s thought about fucking you. Getting between your thighs and making you moan his name.” You hissed at him trying to resist his thrust up against your

clit you mocked him by saying “Izuku would never be so foul. He’s one of thé purest people I know.”

You felt him smirk near your ear and he said “Well the people and god you believe in are liars behind closed doors. And I’m willing to open you eyes as long as you...submit to me.” You scoffed at his words but suddenly felt the tip of his pulsing cock enter you. You’ve never felt so full. A breathily moan escaped you lips but you hurried to cover your mouth. Izuku called out to you and said “You okay Y/n? Are you sick.” You lied through your teeth, “Ye-yes Izuku. I-I um, I’m fineEEE!” Bakugous thrust deepened into you to the hilt, you scratched his sweat covered chest as he made more thrust into your folds.

It was a feeling of euphoria, but so shame full. You were a Nun, a dignified woman of the church and you were sitting legs wide open with a demon's cock deep within you. “Your Pusey is so fitting for my cock.” A low groan came From Katsuki’s mouth as he moved his hand to the mounds that were trapped within a bra. He ripped it off of your chest and fondled them. You moan lowly as Izuku still was offering his aid in eradicating the demon. Bakugo's hands were warm, and the calloused tips of his fingers pinched your nipples till they became perky. This was so wrong.

His thrust were deep and fast. Every stroke of his cock allowed the vein under his shaft brush against your spongy spot. HE moaned in your ear the faster he got, you cried to him “ N-no, please stop (a/n: Imma virgin…. Aaaaah).” Bakugou licked your cheek and whispered in your ear “Your mouth isn’t honest at all, but your thoughts and your body are.” You whined aty how he was telling the truth. You liked this feeling, he was your first and he was stretching your pussy so gracefully.

“ IN addition to that Y/n, I think you should finally tell Kirishima how you felt about him. Because I know you’ve told me before that you’re into him, but feared rejection. Apart from the demon I could help you with that too. “ Midoriya’s words rang in your head, Eijirou’s name bounced through your brain as you suddenly remembered the fact that you loved Kirishima. His smile. His laugh. His smell, everything about Kirishima you adored and wanted to save yourself for him. Remembering your hidden love for Kirishima rose your spirits to try to get off of Bakugou was viciously shot down by him grabbing your hips and slamming you down onto his cock. You moaned and Izuku asked “ Are you sick y/n? Do you need me to help you back to your chamber?”

“If you don’t answer him princess, you won’t be coming at all.” “N-no! Im fine just a little h-hot under my robes is all.” Izuku sighed, “Well that's good. You and Kirishima would make a beautiful couple with the cutests of babies.” The thought of having children with Eijirou was a pipe dream that you wanted so badly. Going home to his smiling puppy face was what you wanted. Katsuki’s thrust became more harsh, the sound of wet skin slapping against each other was, and could only be heard by you and Katsuki. Because Izuku heard it, who knows what he would’ve done, but you slowly felt a heat pool in your stomach. It was on fire, hot and heavy, your head leaned into the crook of the neck and panted like a hungry, thirsty dog.

Katsuki continued his thrust and as he continued to abuse your pulsating clit what matches the pace of your heart beat. Bakugou bared his fangs and with one final, deep, shapr thrust his teeth sank into supple skin, with small beads of blood pricking the new wounds, a silence whimper escaped your lips and you still felt thick ropes of his cum spill into your womb. He unsheathed himself from your clenching pussy after being filled to the brim, and gave you a tender kis on the temple.

You were outr of breath, panting, quivering and ashamed. You, a powerful nun was lowered to the standards of a mere slut with a cock as fat as your forearm. You felt the hot tears slide down your face and Katsuki looked down at you and pointed to a marking on your right shoulder. It was a capital letter of a tattooed B.K and as he walked out of the booth he said “Sooner than later princess, you will submit to me and become my little slave. And you won’t even see it coming,” he walked back and cupped your face in his hands and continued. “With every thought of me, you sweet pussy will become slick and hot. And you'll need me to fix it for you.” He smirked and disappeared into thin air.

This was going to be one helluva job being a nun with a demon like that.

@lady-bakuhoe @monst @itsmangoose @denkithot @smittenkitten143

#bhna x reader #katsuki bakugou #midoriya izuku #kirishima eijirou #bhna smut #oneshot #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bakugou katsuki #bhna bakugou

[echoes-of-the-clockwork]

Book Three: Pestilence (Ignis x Reader) Chapter Twenty-Two

Famine and Pestilence stood beside one another as they admired the view from the overlook in Lestallum. Their hands were connected, fingers intwined together. The golden-haired girl looked toward her sister once feeling a familiar tug on her body. "Are you ready, Pestilence?"

(Y/n) nodded. "Yes, let's depart."

Famine gripped her hand tighter as she teleported to where the blonde was. While teleportation was usually a quick and easy thing to do for the Horsemen, this time it was slow and difficult. It took them about ten seconds to teleport and when they arrived in Cartanica, Famine was exhausted. She threw herself against the railing with a huff. "Okay, that's the only time I'm teleporting two people..."

"Our teleportation was only meant for one, not two," Pestilence chortled. "Though I do appreciate what you've done for me, Famine."

"Of course!" She giggled. "We're sister after all! I'd do anything for any of you."

"Hey!" A bubbly voice suddenly shouted.

The Horsemen turned around and saw Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis step off the train. The sharpshooter bounded over and stopped in front of the two girls. When seeing Pestilence, he examined her. "We were all worried about you, (Y/n)!"

Said girl hushed the boy, not wishing for Ignis to know she was here just yet. "I've missed you all, as well, but I beg of you: keep your voice down."

Prompto blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"You four will be descending into the quarry, correct? I would abhor distracting Ignis with my presence in his current state. I shall be here when you've finished tending to the royal tomb," she whispered.

"A-Are you sure?" He inquired. "Iggy's been really depressed lately and I think if he knows you're here, it would definitely brighten his mood."

(Y/n) looked toward the advisor as Gladio escorted him over to a bench and sat him down, leaning the cane against the railing. "Yes." She then looked toward her sister. "Could you accompany them, Famine?"

"You've read my mind, Sis," the emerald-eyed girl winked. "You don't mind, do you, Prompto?"

"N-Not at all!" Prompto cheerfully replied, his cheeks slightly red. "I'm gonna go tell Noct!"

Famine followed the blonde while (Y/n) remained where she stood. Her (e/c) eyes traveled over to Ignis and she gasped when she saw he pulled out her summoning orb. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she walked down the loading platform to get closer to him but was extra careful not to get too close in fear he would sense her presence.

A faint breeze blew across the land, whipping through the girl's ivory locks and carrying her scent. She combed a few stray strands behind her ear, looking away from Ignis and staring at the ground. When she looked back up after a few seconds, her eyes widened in bafflement when seeing he was looking directly at her. She knew his eyesight was gone, but she could tell he was looking straight at her.

"(Y/n)," Ignis called out as he stood up from the bench, leaving his cane behind as he slowly made his way over toward her.

Pestilence clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from calling out to him. She took a few steps back as he approached. Her footfalls were silent and she headed in a different direction, but what shocked her the most was how he was able to follow her even after changing her course.

Ignis suddenly stopped his approach when detecting her actions. "I know not of your retreat, but I pray it's not due to my appearance, darling."

(Y/n) was flattered and shocked by the term of endearment. She lowered her hand away from her mouth so she could speak. "Your appearance does not frighten me, Ignis. How... How did you know it was me?"

He smiled faintly at the question. "The scent of mock oranges-a fragrance I've come to relish in our time together."

"I see..." She murmured emotionlessly. She placed a hand over her chest, turning her back to him. "You will be accompanying the others down to the quarry shortly. I will not be joining you, but I shall wait here for your return. There's something I have for you."

Wordlessly, Ignis closed the distance between him and (Y/n). Because of her scent, he was able to walk straight toward her. When he felt her presence a few inches away, he outstretched his hand and managed to place it on her forearm. His gloved hand gravitated downward until he found her hand. He grabbed it and spun her around before wrapping both arms around her small frame, pulling her flush against his body. He cradled her head against his chest while his other arm remained secured around her waist. He nuzzled his cheek against her hair, inhaling her scent. "Truly an enticing scent."

The Horseman felt herself beginning to blush at his words. "I-Ignis..."

"I vow to do all in my power to prevent what happened at the altar to reoccur," he declared. "Your absence at my side was a tragedy I by no means desire to endure once more. I beg of you, remain at my side. Although a guilty request, I implore you to reflect on it."

(Y/n) giggled at his words. "There's nothing to think about. Did you forget of what I spoke of with Ardyn upon the altar?" She pressed her cheek against his chest, listening to his soothing heartbeat. "By no means shall I betray you. I plan to walk alongside you for as long as you'll allow me."

"I would have it no other way, (Y/n)," he replied, stroking her snowy locks.

Suddenly, the couple had to part ways when Prompto called Ignis over to the elevator. With help from the blonde, he grabbed his cane and followed Noctis, Gladio, and Famine to the elevator. She waved at the group, but Noctis and Gladio had yet to notice her presence. Famine and Prompto were the only ones to wave back. Of course, Ignis had no clue of her gesture and was unable to wave back as he stepped onto the lift. She watched the elevator descend into the quarry before deciding to sit on a nearby bench to rest. She closed her eyes after staring up at the sky for a few minutes, forcing herself to sleep for a while.

<----------<<<<<

"Hey, wake up," someone hissed.

Pestilence opened her eyes and saw War standing in front of her. "What a pleasant way to be awoken."

The redhead rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "I'm only here because King Aeshema told me to check in on you."

(Y/n) stared into her sister's azure eyes. A smile appeared on her face as she stood up. "You've never been a good liar."

War's eye twitched slightly as she gritted her teeth. "Fine! I was worried, all right?! Is it a crime to worry about my sister?"

"No," (Y/n) giggled. "Though you didn't have to lie. Thank you, War. His Majesty told me what all you, Death, and Famine did. I'm terribly sorry for causing such worry."

The other girl huffed out a sigh. "What happened in Altissia was horrible. When Death told me you were missing, I couldn't believe it. And that boy... I've never seen someone so devastated."

"Are you still against our relationship?" The snowy-haired Horseman asked.

War shrugged her shoulders. "I don't even care anymore. Even King Aeshema thinks this'll be good for you... How could I possibly argue with the daemon king himself? Besides, after seeing Ignis like that, I...am quite envious of you, Pestilence."

(Y/n)'s smile shattered. "War..."

"Don't say anything," the redhead snapped. "I already know what you want to say, but I'm not going to listen. I fell in love with a monster who I believed loved me back. He broke down my defenses and stabbed me in the back when he saw the perfect opportunity."

"I believe there's someone out there who can and will cherish you dearly," she replied. "Don't give up just yet."

War looked away, gazing toward the distance. "I hope you're right..."

The sound of the quarry's rickety, rusty elevator grabbed their attention. They saw Famine alongside Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis as they exited the elevator. The heavy atmosphere (Y/n) sensed from the group was gone and she wondered what happened to change it. As she walked over to the group, Prompto and Famine sauntered off to talk in private while the others remained where they were. Noctis and Gladio, after having failed to notice her presence earlier, stared wide-eyed at Pestilence.

"The hell you've been?" Gladio sneered.

"Gladio," Ignis hissed scoldingly, yanking his arm out of the brute's grip.

"Watch your tongue," War growled, glaring at the shield.

"It's fine, Ignis, War," (Y/n) replied before staring into Gladio's amber eyes. "Believe it as you may, but I was suspended in an endless cycle of life and death at the bottom of the ocean. It is thanks to King Aeshema I stand before you today."

"The daemon king?" Noctis muttered.

The snowy-haired girl turned her gaze to the ravenette. "Yes." She then revealed the vial in her grasp. "He also granted me access back to the Inner Sanctum to secure the herbs I needed to help Ignis. Famine and I had to venture to the Rock of Ravatogh for the final ingredient, but we completed the remedy in the end."

"What does it do?" The azure-eyed boy questioned as he stared at the pale blue paste inside the vial.

"Cures blindness."

All three boys were taken aback at her answer. A feeling of hope, which had been extinguished until now, reignited inside them. "This can't be real," Gladio commented, his temper from earlier gone.

"I assure you, Gladio, it is," (Y/n) said. "It will also heal the tissue around his eyes. It will take time to see results, but I promise it will work. You will regain your eyesight, Ignis. If I may, could we begin the treatment right away?"

Ignis used his cane to make his way over to her, using her scent as a guide. Seeing this, the Horseman took his gloved hand in hers when he was close enough and escorted him over to a nearby bench. He felt around for the bench before sitting down and placing his cane aside. Pestilence carefully took off his visor and winced when seeing the extent of the damage caused by the Ring of the Lucii. She placed the protective eyewear on the bench beside him before tracing the skin around the scars. A sorrowful sigh came from her as she analyzed the damaged skin. "I truly am useless for an immortal."

Ignis reaches up with both of his hands, grasping hers gently. "Perish the thought, (Y/n), for it is false. What transpired the day of the rite was none other than the fault of the empire. We were all powerless."

"Still, I feel as if I could have altered the events," she confessed.

"As do I," he admitted.

Desiring to change the subject, Pestilence removed her hands from Ignis' face once he released her. She took the top off the vial and poured a small amount of paste on her finger. "Now then, let's focus on your eyes." At her words, he opened his eyes slightly and she could see his once glistening emerald eyes were glassy and dull. She could tell it was painful for him and commanded him to shut his eyes. With a gentle touch, she began applying the paste. Every time he winced in pain, she apologized and he would reassure her.

Once (Y/n) finished applying the paste, she watched his skin absorb it. "All right. That'll do for today. I'll apply more in the morning. You should see some results around tomorrow afternoon."

"What is this remedy, (Y/n)?" Ignis inquired, his aching eyes feeling relief for the first time in a long while.

"It's one from time immemorial. A forgotten concoction meant to heal those suffering from blindness. This isn't the first time I've used it. We've a few monsters in the Inner Sanctum that posses powerful poisons that result in blindness. This remedy has served us well over the years." She put the cap back on the vial before it disappeared with a small puff of smoke.

The sound of the train whistle grabbed their attention. When they heard an announcement that the train would be leaving shortly, Ignis stood up and caused (Y/n) to back away slightly. She didn't make it far before he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her closer. She stared up at his sealed, scarred eyes as his hand slithered up her arm and toward her neck. His long, slender fingers trailed up the side of her neck until they stopped at her jawline. His index finger glided down her jawline until stopping at her chin. Gently, he took ahold of her chin and titled her head upward. He leaned down and placed his lips upon hers, kissing her tenderly.

Their kiss didn't last long because it was interrupted by a slightly annoyed Noctis. The raven-haired boy shouted for them to board the train before it departed without them. The couple begrudgingly unlatched their lips from one another.

(Y/n) grabbed Ignis' visor before looping her arm around his and escorting him back onto the train. As they boarded, she saw Famine place her lips on Prompto's cheeks. With a giggle, she vanished. The sharpshooter hopped onboard with a giddy grin and red cheeks, which made the Horseman smile.

Pestilence guided Ignis to the boys' cabin and opened the door for him. He stepped inside, the girl close on his heels. She closed the door behind her as the advisor placed his cane down before sitting on one of the bottom bunks. Once he was comfortable, (Y/n) walked over and gingerly placed the visor on his face.

"Thank you, darling," Ignis sighed in content.

She smiled at him. "You're quite welcome." She ran a hand through his slightly sticky locks. "I would suggest taking a shower. You smell miasmic."

"Our adversary in the quarry is to blame," he stated. "A malboro no less. A shower sounds quite lovely at the moment."

"Those monsters are rather rancid." She moves her hand from his hair to his face, caressing her fingers across his cheek. "Are you familiar with the bathroom's location? If not, I'll gladly assist you. Just ask and I'll do anything for you."

Ignis wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, resting his head on her chest. "You are a temptress no doubt, but I shall be fine."

(Y/n) wound her arms around his neck and leaned her head atop his. Even though he didn't smell like his usual cologne, she welcomed his warmth and touch. "All right. I'll wait for your return."

#ffxv x reader #ffxv #final fantasy xv x reader #final fantasy xv #ignis x reader #ignis scientia #prompto argentum #gladiolus amicitia #Noctis Lucis Caelum