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#also I know the book says butler is embarrassed by the whole thing
dlysthings · 21 days
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Little crush pt.4
pt.1 , pt.2 , pt.3
AN:So here is a part 4, I raelly hope you guys like it. If someone wants to be added to the taglist, please comment so. And let me know how you want this to continue.
PLEASELEVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISM!!
One hour after coming home from school, you heard the doorbell ring. Going in the hallway of your house, you made your way to the front door. In the kitchen, your mother looked at you with a little knowing smile. She saw your confused look and just smile even wider. Deciding to ignore it you just went on your way.
Next to the door your cat, Monti, stopped and rubbed herself at your calf muscles. She was a big cat, black covering her from head to toe. Only one spot was white just under her nose, making her look undeniably cute. Her piercing blue eyes reminded you of the boy in front of your house.
Outside of your house Daryl was standing in front of the front door, anxiously biting his lip. He rang the doorbell, but you weren’t coming. Maybe she forgot about ya? Yea, she was just messing with ya yesterday and you just fell for it like the dumbass ya are.
Just as he was thinking that and ready to turn around and go back, the front door opened. You stood there, with a warm smile adoring your beautiful face. Moving aside from the entrance of your house you made a mock butler stance, inviting him in.
“Hi Daryl! Please, come inside. I was waiting for you.”
 Little surprised at your words, Daryl moved inside, only mumbling something resembling a “thank you”. The inside the house was just how he imagined it. A big living room with a couch and a coffee table in the middle of the room. On top of it were scattered magazines and books. He could see another door, assuming it was the kitchen. Everything here reminded him how different your life was from his. Going into your house made him feel like he was entering another dimension.
From the door, he assumed was the kitchen, came out a woman. Probably ya mom, he thought. The woman smiled brightly at him and then he saw the resemblance. The smile that he loved about you was the same one as your mothers. And the shape of your lips he found himself staring at on more than one occasion was also the same. You turned to your mom and introduced him. “Mom, this is Daryl. We are going upstairs to study.”
She just looked him up and down and continued smiling, but with something different behind her smile this time. “So this is the boy you talk about, huh?” She asked with a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. At her words your cheeks started to feel like someone lit them on fire. And it seemed like Daryl had the same reaction. Looking at you, with wide eyes and pink cheeks he looked like a deer in headlights. His whole body rigid at the thought of you talking to your mother about him.
And you weren’t doing any better. You have never said anything about him to your mother. Just asking her if a boy can come over to study with you. But maybe she picked up on the look in your eyes when you spoke about him. Or the way your face seemed to brighten just a little bit when you were thinking of him. Either way she wasn’t helping you, but apparently she didn’t seem to notice and continued with embarrassing you.
“Well now I see why you like him.” She said with a wink and continued in a pretend stern voice. “But I still want that door to be open, no funny business going around.”
At that you just groaned (maybe not the most ladylike thing to do, but you couldn’t help it). “Please stop with that.” You said, face now bright red as a tomato. Your mother just looked at you offended and spoke again. “I’m just saying, honey. It’s important. I think Daryl here can agree, right” She looked at him expectantly. “Yes Ma’am, of course” That was the only thing he could muster with how flustered he was. But it seems was enough for your mom.
“Good then. I will bring you guys some snacks in a minute. Daryl, what would you want to drink? We have Cola, Sprite and water.” She asked. “Water is fine.” He answered and looked at you. You gave him a smile and moved towards a set of stairs. “Okay then. I will bring it up in a minute.” Your mother quipped and disappeared in the kitchen again. He turned towards you and followed you up the staircase, probably leading to your room.
At the second floor you lead the way to your bedroom. Daryl noticed, while following you, that the walls were full of photos in frames. Looking a little bit more closely, he saw most of them were family ones. Stoping to look at one, he saw you, your mom and another girl, maybe a bit younger than you. Behind all of you was standing a man, probably your dad.
In the photo You looked more like a little girl, than the lady you were now. Wearing a cute Mini Maus dress without sleeves and holding a cone of ice cream in one hand. The other hand was holding onto the man’s pinkie. The man, probably your dad, Had the exact same hair color and eyes as you. For sure your dad.
The girl next to you, probably your sister, looked like a miniature version of you. She was even wearing the same outfit. He has never seen you with a girl like that around you, so she probably was your little sister.
The only way Daryl could describe the people in this photo was one happy family. The bright smiles on your faces were looking honest, not forced. That reminded him of the only family picture he has ever taken. He was maybe 6 or 7 when his mom, who was alive at the time, had gotten the idea to gather him, his older brother, wo just got out of juvie and was sporting a black eye from a beating their father gave him, his mom (visibly drunk) and lastly him.
 He had a big bruise on his cheekbone and eye from the same beating Merle had one. When their dad got bored with assaulting just his older brother, he turned to Daryl for some new fun. With the whole “family” gathered in front of the fireplace in the house they were renting at the time, they took the first and last family picture the Dixons.
“That was 7 years ago. We went on a holiday at my grandparents’ house for the whole summer. It’s probably the best time I’ve had with them.” Your voice brought him back in reality. He realized he has been staring at this photo for a couple of minutes. “Ya look real happy with yur family.” He managed to say, barely able to hide the note of jealousy in his tone. He wished he could say the same for himself.
“Yeah, I love them to death. What about your family? You had a brother, right? Merle?” you said. He glanced at you, not expecting you to know about his brother. But then he remembered how much problems he has caused. Yeah, that’s why you knew about him. And then he felt like all the air from his lungs was punched out and he wished the ground could open and swallow him whole. You asked about his family. There was no way to answer that honestly so he just opted to stare at his shoes. The embarrassment he felt about his life being so miserable was so much, he felt a lump form in his throat.
Noticing his change of mood, you quickly changed the subject. “Uh, so here is my room.” You motioned to the only open door in the corridor. “Make yourself comfortable.” You said while going inside. Following you, Daryl observed you room. There was a big bed next to one of the walls. On top of it were laying at least a dozen decorative pillows, each colorful, contrasting with the otherwise all white bed. On the opposite end of the room was a desk cluttered with things, he wasn’t able to see in detail.
In his mind you room, for sure, was gonna be all cleaned up and perfect. But in reality it turned out you were actually more of a messy person. For some reason that made him smile. It was nice to see you weren’t some kind of perfect robot. Your walls were full of posters of bands and TV shows. It made your room look cozy. He sat on the bed and looked around for you.
You were with your back to him going to fetch your notes to use to study. Finally finding them, you sat next to him. Maybe a bit more closely than with another guy, but he didn’t seem to mind. “I have some notes here we can use. Do you have anything?” You asked. He only nodded and reached into the bag he came with. Maybe you imagined it, but there was a slight tint of pink on his cheeks.
One thing you concluded about him was that he was extremely shy. Almost never looking you straight in the eye and always blushing. Rarely speaking and almost always nodding. Actually you found it cute. The way his cheeks seemed to color a slight pink and it would spread to his ears.
In reality he was like that only with you. He could be very loud if he wanted to, but your company always made him nervous, not wanting to embarrass himself and say something wrong. Right when you were going thru his notes and he was thru yours, your mom came into the room.
“Here is your water Daryl and I will leave these here.” Your mother said as she put down a tray with a glass of water and a plate of cookies. “If you guys need anything just holler, I will be down.” Your mother said while going back down. “Sure mom!” You managed to shout just as you heard her go down the stairs.
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The next couple of hours came and went, almost unnoticed. You were quizzing Daryl on his notes and found out he was pretty good ab this. He seemed to remember information pretty fast. And it turned out he just needed some time in order to loosen up around you. He was still shy and blushing every time you said something about how good he was doing or how smart he was.
In reality Daryl couldn’t believe he wasn’t dreaming. Every time he did something good or answered your questions correctly, you praised him. For him that was unusual. He didn’t really see why you were doing it. It wasn’t like he was doing something impressive, but you made sure to tell him how smart he was.
He never knew he craved you praises as much as he did. But the moment you said for the first time how good he was doing, he was like a puppy, being given a treat and became a blushing mess. By the time you were ready with everything for the test the sun had gone down and Daryl needed to get going. He didn’t want to bother you anymore with his barely string-together sentences.
Actually you quite enjoyed his company. When you were sending him out the door and saying goodbye he turned around and scratched his neck. “I really liked that, ya know. Ya really helped me.” He said a bit bashfully. “Maybe, um, maybe we could, ya know, do this again, sometimes.” He said with a small smile. In response you smiled back and kissed his cheek. When you pulled away and saw his face he was red as a tomato. “I would love to.” You said and with that he turned around and you shut the door.
Taglist:@marvelcasey05
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senseless-writing · 2 years
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A Life Through Few Words
Pairing: Austin Butler x reader
Summary: Austin doesn’t enjoy talking about his girlfriend with the media. And if he does, it’s through very little words. Only he gets to truly know those moments that he cherishes so much. 
Warnings: Elvis 2022 spoliers?? 
A/N: I really enjoyed writing this one, so let me know what you guys think! Also, grammarly was being a real bitch today, so I’m sorry if there’s some errors
If you would like to be added to any of my taglists (I’ve got a general tag list, along with specific ones for each fandom I’ve written for thus far), plz leave a comment or ask and let me know which one! 
Masterlist
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Austin couldn’t remember who it was that told him to always keep his personal life separate from his media persona.
He felt horrible for forgetting their name. But it was so long ago, and he’d been so star struck that a lead of the show they were filming was actually talking to him. The moment itself sort of blurred together. In fact, it wasn’t until years later that the words they exchanged held any meaning for him. At the time, he just didn’t understand why the public would ever care so much about the personal life of an extra. 
It hadn’t occurred to him that this person was predicting Austin’s inevitable climb to stardom. Sometimes, that idea still kept him awake at night. With pride in himself, with gratitude in everyone who helped him get there, and with slight embarrassment at not being able to remember that poor guy’s name.
But now he was in a better position to appreciate the advice. It was finally time to promote the movie he’d poured his soul into for the past two years. Elvis was a dream come true, not only because it gave him the chance to express himself in ways he never could before, but because embodying such an icon was a blessing in itself. 
It was thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. Nerve-racking, yet rewarding. Euphoric, while haunting. 
It was a paradox of feelings. 
And he’d expected that. He’s expected the feelings and questions and an overwhelming amount of scrutiny from the world around him. If anything, he was ready for it. Excited, even. 
But what he hadn’t expected was the sudden obsession with his love life. 
“A little birdie tells me, Austin, that you have a certain special someone in your life.”
“A birdie told you,” he laughed, though his cheeks flushed red. “Is that so?” 
Austin looked away for a moment to properly ground himself. He hadn’t prepared for this, hadn’t even discussed it with his girlfriend. They met a few months before Covid lock down, right around the time he booked Elvis. It was exciting and new, but then the world shut down, and things got serious real fast. 
Despite it all, it was a blessing for them. With the whole world confined to their lonely corners, there were no paparazzi pushing themselves between the couple. They were completely alone; well, as alone as they could be, with Austin practically surrendering himself to the world of Elvis Presely. But Y/n took that in stride, and the two were given the privacy they needed to learn how to love each other. 
It was perfect, and Austin knew perfect things don’t last forever. Still, he’d hoped it would for a little while longer. 
“Yes,” his interviewer drawled, the desperation for a juicy confession practically oozing from her expression. “A very reliable birdie, in fact. They say you and this mystery woman have fallen quite hard for one another. Is there anything you want to share about her? How does she feel about all of the chaos that’s come with this new film of yours?” 
Austin felt the flush begin to crawl itself up his neck, and he reached his arm back to rub at it with discomfort. He was sure to keep a bashful smile on his face when he responded. “No, I, uh, I don’t think there’s anything I want to share about that,” he said. His words were light, his eyes looking at the camera with a sort of Elvis charm that he’d nearly perfected. But his voice was firm enough to prevent any follow up questions. “But thank you for providing the space.” 
----------
Y/n whirled around to look him in the eye. “You actually said that?” she exclaimed. 
Austin threw his head back against his pillow and groaned in embarrassment. “Yes! But what was I supposed to say! Why would they even ask me that!” 
Y/n, from her place in front of the bathroom mirror, laughed at his mortified expression. “Because your fans wanna know, baby. You know how people get about celebrities.” 
“Celebrity,” he marveled at the word. “I’m an actor.” 
“Same thing,” Y/n shrugged, sauntering over to her boyfriend in bed. 
He laid there like a god, sprawled out on his back with hands interlocked beneath his head. Wearing only a pair of plaid sweatpants that were certainly worse for wear, Y/n wanted nothing more than to curl up next to him, run her hands up and down his torso and marvel at the warmth he radiated. 
So that’s exactly what she did. Because he loved her and she loved him, and such an agreement permitted her to express her infatuation with him whenever she wished to do so. Sometimes, she still pinched herself when the thought became too surreal. 
She laid herself completely on top of him, until they were chest to chest and nose to nose. And she was right; he was warm. So warm, in fact, that when he wrapped her up in a bear hug with chuckles rumbling deep within his chest, Y/n resisted the urge to tuck her face against his neck and submit to the blanket of comfort he provided. But she stood her ground, only because she preferred the view of this position better. 
This way, she was the direct recipient of his beaming smile. 
“Hi,” he whispered to her. 
She laughed, and Austin moved one hand from her waist to cup the back of her head, scratching softly in a motion that could only be described as tender. With gentle pressure, he urged her head forward until she was just within reach, before leaning up the rest of the way to press a kiss to her smiling lips. 
Humming in satisfaction, he pulled away, and almost immediately regretted it. After a long day, full of questions he wasn’t prepared to answer, this was Austin’s most perfect reward. 
Between quiet kisses and broken smiles, Y/n whispered against his cheek where she'd pressed her lips a moment earlier. “You could have told them about me…if you wanted.” 
“Is that what you want?” he sighed when her lips traveled to the sweet spot on his neck, right under his jaw. 
She didn’t answer, opting to continue her assault on his neck and the front of his chest. Austin felt his whole body flush, but was much more welcoming to the feeling this time around. He was obsessed with the way Y/n made him feel, with the way loving her made him feel. His hands were needy against her skin, and his touch varied in degrees, from tenderly cupping her head to squeezing her ass with such a ferocity that it would’ve embarrassed him if he wasn’t enthralled in her wandering lips.
But he’d asked a question. And while nobody who knew Austin would say his stubbornness outweighed his passion, they would most definitely tell you that he always put the needs of those around him before his own wants. 
“Y/n,” he rasped as he tapped her back to grab her attention. 
“Hm?” she hummed, resting her chin against his chest to look up at him with a blooming smile and sparkling eyes. 
Austin almost forgot what he was going to say. 
“What do you want me to do, baby?” he asked her after a moment's pause. She gave him a cheeky smile, and he pinched her cheek and laughed. “About the questions, I mean!” 
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t want you to feel like you’re lying to anybody, and I don’t want to feel like I’m being…hidden away, I guess.” 
Austin ran his hand through her hair absentmindedly as he listened. He was always so good at valuing what she had to say. 
“But I also just want to stay in our bubble of privacy, you know? At least for a little while longer. I like pretending that I have you all to myself.” 
In a flash, Austin was grabbing her under the arms and dragging her up his chest. Y/n huffed as she slid up his body until they were face to face again. “You do have me all to yourself, silly girl.” 
She tsked at him with a teasing expression. “Nuh uh, you’ve got fans now. You know, the roaring crowd and screaming girls and what not. You’ve got to spread your time between us.” 
Y/n squealed as her world was suddenly flipped around. Now, Austin was on top in the same position they’d once been, except this time, her whole body felt the pressure of his weight pressed against her. She groaned, but wrapped her arms around him all the same. 
“They’ll all have to get in line behind you, Y/n,” he hushed. This time, he was the one pressing kisses to her neck. Y/n was suddenly appreciative of the reversed roles. “My best girl. My only girl.” 
“I know,” she reassured him. “I was just kidding.” 
“So what’s the plan, sweetheart?”
“Well,” she started, running her hands through his hair. “You can admit to having a girlfriend. There’s no point denying it, and if you did, I don’t think either of us would be happy.” 
He nodded to her with a soft look on her face. Y/n couldn't believe how lucky she was.
“But maybe just don’t give too much away, you know? Answer questions, but vaguely.” 
“Ah, I see,” he mused. “You want me to be sneaky about it.” 
“Exactly,” she affirmed. 
“I’ll have to become real creative in my question-dodging skills.” 
“You’re an actor, baby. You’ll figure it out.” 
----------
“Did you feel the pressure at any point? You know, with playing such an important icon to so many people?”
Sometimes, Austin felt like a puppet. Everyday, people dressed him up in whatever way they chose, and threw him out in front of a million different cameras. He then spent the next six hours listening to questions he’d already answered, and somebody behind the scenes pulled his strings in just the right way to make him answer them again. 
That’s not to say he wasn’t grateful for the opportunity to talk about the things which made his heart soar. It was insane to him that people out there cared at all about what he had to say. But he just wished certain questions were different. 
“Yeah,” he agreed for the hundredth time that day. “There’s definitely that feeling of not wanting to disappoint anyone, you know? Not just his fans, but also his friends and family who knew him better than anyone else. This project is just as much for them as it is for the public, maybe even more so. It really had me, uh, waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, you know, unable to sleep ‘cuz my heart was just pounding so much.” 
They both chuckled for half a second. “That sounds horrible,” the interviewer sympathized with him. 
Austin ran his finger across his lips in a soothing gesture. The shy kid in him always got bashful whenever he made someone laugh. “It was worth it for sure. But at the time, it really felt like I was being haunted.”
“Did your girlfriend help you through that at all?” 
Austin was proud of himself for not choking on his spit. How random was that question? 
“Sure,” he stuttered for half a second. “Yeah, I had a lot of support around me for moments like that. I wouldn’t have gotten through this film if I didn't have my friends and family.” 
----------
Y/n held her boyfriend close to her chest, tucking his head under her chin to press gentle kisses on his sweat-matted hair. She was also rubbing circles on his heaving chest to calm his raging heart. It felt like stamping bulls against her palm. 
“You have to relax,” she whispered against the shell of his ear. 
Austin shivered both from her touch and the nerves. “I just want this to be perfect. Too many people need this to be perfect.” 
“You can’t think about that, baby,” her nails dragging slowly up and down his arms. He shivered again, and let himself breathe deep and melt into her arms. “That expectation isn’t fair to you or anyone else on set.” 
He was laying between her legs, the sheets thrown from both their bodies as anxiety overtook his senses. Most nights weren’t this bad, but tonight was. So bad that sleep barely came, and when it did, ideas of booing crowds and disappointed loved ones filled Austin's brain and made his heart stop. 
“Alright,” Y/n suddenly sighed beneath him. Her breath was warm against his cheek as she did. “Listen to me. Are you listening, Aus?”
He squeezed her calf and nodded to let her know that yes, he was listening. He always had a hard time not listening whenever his girlfriend was concerned. 
“You can’t go into this wanting to become Elvis Presley, baby. It’s impossible, we both know that.”
The weight of that impossible feat was what pressed on Austin’s chest day in and day out. And despite the perfectly tailored costumes he wore, the suits and shoes were always a bit too big. Like he couldn’t fit the persona, and nothing he did would ever change that. 
“But your goal should be to understand him. The good, the bad, and everything in between. The parts people know, and the parts they don’t know they’re missing. It’s only then that you can portray the true Elvis to the rest of the world.” 
Austin’s eyes fluttered closed as he listened to her words. They were soft and airy and anchored him to reality in a way nothing else could. 
“And Austin,” she laughed in disbelief. “You’ve done that. You’ve done that, and then some. Have you seen our condo? It’s an Elvis memorial in here!” 
He huffed a laugh of his own at that. Neither of them had realized how much energy he would put into becoming this person until it was actually time for him to do it. For him, the realization of what he had to do was a relief. For her, his dedication was something to marvel at. 
“Tomorrow, you’re going to do your scenes and pour your soul into them, like you always do. And all the preparation you’ve done will take care of the rest.” 
Austin tilted his head back to look at her, albeit from an awkward angle. An overwhelming amount of gratitude came over him at that moment. 
“I love you,” he smiled up at her. 
Y/n met his confession with a willing kiss. 
----------
“And those looks, man. They must have just been insane to see yourself in!”
A genuine laugh slipped from Austin’s lips. “For sure, for sure. And they’re so beautifully made! It really helps with the whole process, though. You know, once I was in them, it stopped feeling so much like I was playing pretend and more like I really was this person.” 
“Did you ever just look in the mirror and think ‘Who the hell is that guy?’”
Now, Austin isn’t an impulsive man. He’s always held the impression that words are powerful things, and should be treated as such. So when the time came for him to answer this question, he really contemplated what to say. He picked something out, rolled it around in his head for a moment, and decided to peel back the curtains he’d pulled on his personal life thus far. 
Only because he wanted to, and for no reason other than that. 
“Sort of,” he nodded with a coy smile. “Though, to be honest, I loved getting to wear all the costumes. Especially the jumpsuits, you know, because those were just so incredibly detailed. It was a real pleasure. But my girlfriend definitely had a lot of opinions about it.” 
An echo of laughs filled the room, coming from even those behind the camera. 
“Oh?” the interviewer inquired. “She didn’t like Austin Butler Elvis?” 
Austin wouldn’t notice, but everyone who watched the interview could easily tell how bright his eyes shined when talking about Y/n. “You know what, I think she did. She loved the outfits and all the get-up, but she just didn’t like it on me too much.” 
“Well, I would say she’s the only girl in the world to hold that sentiment.” 
A boyish grin broke out on his face, and he tucked his chin to his chest to hide the blush. “Thanks man, I appreciate that. No, I don’t know, I think she just didn’t like how different I looked. I spent a lot of time in that chair, and by the end of it, Elvis was there. Austin was sort of just in the background.” 
----------
When Y/n heard the trailer door open, she was expecting to see her handsome boyfriend walk through it. 
Not…whoever the hell that was. 
Within seconds, she was laughing so hard that tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. She could barely look up at him, now, with her doubled-over position on their couch. 
“Is it really that bad?” Austin jested, adjusting his belt with feigned insecurity. 
His red satin shirt flared at the sleeves in true 70’s fashion and was unbuttoned half way down the chest. Though Y/n appreciated the view, it didn’t end there. Instead, the shirt tucked into the craziest striped pants she’d ever seen, held up by an iconic jewel-encrusted belt with chains hanging all around his waist. And to top it all off, square sunglasses that could only belong to the truest of stars were firmly poised on his smiling face. 
They were filming parts of the Vegas rehearsal today. Y/n knew that. She wasn’t quite sure what she expected him to be wearing, but it certainly wasn’t this. 
“It’s…” she struggled to get her laughing under control. “Definitely something.” 
“Hm,” he huffed, moving closer to stand directly in front of her. 
His steps caused the chains around him to jingle as he moved, which hit Y/n with another round of aggressive giggles. 
“I can’t-” she wheezed, and Austin immediately began shaking his hips to mimic that of an Elvis dance move, giving her a true and honest show. The only sound that filled his trailer for nearly a minute was his jingling belt and Y/n’s infectious laughter. He only stopped when her face bloomed red enough that he feared she would pass out from lack of oxygen. 
“Come ‘ere, lil mama,” he beckoned, leaning down to cup her flushed face and press a firm kiss on her lips. 
Y/n always marveled at how quick Austin was to slip back into the persona he knew so well. Sure, when they were at home, he often switched between his own voice and the Elvis accent, just to make sure it always felt authentic when he used it. But when he was there, on set, it was different. 
Austin didn’t exist anymore. Not really, at least. With the clothes and makeup and hair came the swagger. The confidence, the movement, the mannerisms. It was such a smooth transition for him to make, but for Y/n, it was sometimes hard to differentiate. 
“Okay,” she patted his bare chest. “Go be Elvis, ‘cuz I want Austin back by the end of the night.” 
“Not a fan of dating Elvis Presley, hm?”
She kissed both of his cheeks before urging him towards the door. “Don’t get me wrong, Elvis is hot. But I like my baby more.” 
When she pulled on one of his chains on the way out, the laugh that boomed from his chest was 100% Austin Butler. 
----------
“Was learning how to sing like Elvis more difficult than learning how to talk like him, or did all of that stem from learning the accent? ‘Cuz I have to say, you sound incredible in the film.” 
“Thank you,” he spoke genuinely. Any praise for his work in this movie was more appreciated than he could possibly convey. “That’s incredibly kind of you. The singing was something I had to focus a bit more energy on, because it was something I’d never done before. I don’t really sing in public, let alone with a voice like Elvis’s.” 
“It’s so insane to me that you’ve never sung for a crowd before,” she continued to applaud him. “I never would’ve guessed you weren’t a singer. Did you have a lot of help to get you ready for filming?” 
He was nodding before she even finished her question. “Most definitely. I had a base to start with, of course, and Baz heard that in the recordings I sent him. But then I had plenty of voice coaches, both for speaking and singing, who really helped me develop the sound in a much healthier manner. For my vocal chords, that is.” 
Austin paused and thought over his next words carefully before speaking them. 
“And then during covid,” he continued. “I couldn't really get in touch with any of those people. But it was so important to me that I didn’t lose the momentum I had going, you know? So in those six months…it was actually my girlfriend who sort of pulled through. The two of us would spend hours just listening to clips of him perform and finding the best ways for me to replicate that sound. It really boiled down to the intricate details, and I couldn’t have been so meticulous without her help.” 
“That sounds like some awesome teamwork.” 
“Yeah,” he sighed. He loved turning the light to Y/n, even if she wasn’t there to receive it. “She’s really amazing.” 
----------
Y/n would never admit it, but “Love Me Tender,” was one of her most favorite songs for Austin to sing. It meant so much to her, and memories of standing on her father’s toes and twirling around their kitchen always flooded her mind whenever she heard it. It reminded her of joy, of bliss, and of love. 
All things that Austin made her feel. 
So sitting on the couch, across from her beautiful boyfriend as he serenaded her for the hundredth time that night was just about a dream come true. It was sort of an added bonus that she got to help him in the process of perfecting it. 
She held her hand out, motioning for him to stop. Austin was mid-note, but stopped at once to hear what she had to say. Her focus was slightly askew, eyes diverted to better hear the sound of the King’s voice flowing through one ear bud. 
“Try that line again, baby, but with a little more vibrato on the last note.” 
He nodded, took a breath, and tried again. He could see it in her eyes as he sang, see how she measured his own voice against the one playing on her phone. When he was done, she tilted her head back and forth for a moment, almost as if weighing the two sounds on a scale. 
“So close, one more time. This time, let your voice drawl. It’s like a breathless sound, you know? Like he’s so blown away by love and what not.” 
Austin laughed at her then, but she waved away his distraction. “Go go go, do it or you’re gonna lose it!”
When he thought of a breathless love, he thought of her. It was easier to sing that way. At the end of the note, he was shocked when Y/n jumped from her criss-crossed position on the couch to dance around their living room floor. 
“Yes!” she jumped, sliding around in nothing but his over sized t-shirt and fuzzy socks. It was the most radiating sight he’d ever seen. “That’s it, that’s it! You gotta do it just like that every time, baby.” 
“I don’t even know if we’ll be singing this song yet,” he tried to explain to her over excited expression. 
“Doesn’t matter! It’s the style, not the song that matters. That sounded perfect!”
The look on Austin’s face suddenly shifted. His smile softened, his eyes glazed over. Y/n wasn’t sure what happened, but the air in the room turned static. Like a magnet placed between them, her heart was pulled to his. 
“What?” she asked breathlessly. 
“You’re just…” his words died on the tip of his tongue. 
“What?” she pushed again. 
“Cute.” 
A laugh bubbled from her lips before she could help it. “Cute? That’s what’s got you looking like that?” 
He reached out and made grabby hands towards her, like a child reaching for his favorite toy. She listened to both his gesture and her will. Within seconds, she settled herself on his lap, and the cool touch of his rings where he cupped her neck was enough to drive her wild.
“I mean, I could use other words,” he hummed. “Like beautiful. Or radiant. Heavenly in every way, from looks to ways to words.” 
The urge to press kisses anywhere his lips could reach was almost too much to ignore. But he preferred looking in her eyes when professing his love. 
“But,” he snaked his hands up her neck to her cheeks, where he squeezed until her lips were smushed together. “Cute is the best way to put it.” 
Y/n threw herself against his chest with arms firmly around his neck, if only to hide from his praising words. He laughed and rubbed his arms up and down her back. 
“Thank you for always being there to help me,” he mumbled against her head. 
As if she would do anything else. “I always will be.” 
----------
“Not to point out the elephant in the room, Austin, but it looks like you’ve brought a special someone with you tonight!”
Austin knew what he meant with that question. Of course he did. But he was too high on excitement to care. When in Cannes with the people he loves, ready to see the movie (and share the movie) that he was incredibly proud of, nothing would knock him down from cloud nine. 
“I’ve got a lot of special people with me tonight,” he agreed with a bit of mischief in his eyes. “My dads around here somewhere. First time out of the country for him, in fact, so that’s really exciting.” 
The interviewer didn’t bother asking the question again. They both knew what he wanted. 
Austin would budge. But only a little. “And of course, my beautiful girlfriend is here.” 
“A first time outing for the most secretive couple in Hollywood! At least now we understand why you’ve been keeping her all to yourself for so long! Isn’t she stunning, ladies and gentlemen?”
It was funny how quickly pride and jealousy could swarm in someone's chest. An extremely odd paradox, the feeling was. 
“You wanna help us put a name to the face, Mr. Presley?” the man joked, though Austin knew he was seriously asking. 
But luckily for him, he’d recently learned a thing or two about drawing a line when it was needed. 
“No, uh,” he shut the idea down with an easy going smile. “I think I want to keep her to myself for a little while longer.” 
The two men laughed, which allowed the conversation to move back towards what they were all really there for. 
Austin and Y/n had talked about this before the big event. Her being there didn’t change what they’d already agreed upon. She wasn’t in the limelight by nature of her job, and Austin would do anything to keep her that way for as long as possible. Despite this, the media wouldn’t stop her from being there for the person she loved. 
He still couldn’t believe that was him. 
Of course, they knew everyone would know her full name before the night was over whether he told them or not. But they couldn’t help that, and wouldn’t waste any time worrying about it. 
He flew through the interviews with a newfound ease. This was the moment he’d been waiting for his whole life. With the hard work done, and praise for the film from all the people who mattered, all he could feel was joy. Joy and gratitude for his love who was waiting just around the corner. 
Y/n was always behind him. Following him to every camera, every photo op. There was never anything but a smile on her face whenever he turned back to check on her. With thumbs up, encouraging him forward, he thought he’d never have the strength to do another press junction without her now that he knew what it was like to have her there. 
It was the final line of carpet before they walked inside that Austin finally got to invite her forward. He held his hand out, motioning for her to fill the empty space on his arm, and she gave him a look suddenly full of fear. His face immediately softened to an expression only she could read. It told her it’s okay, you don’t have to, and she knew he meant it. But after a moment's hesitation, she was hiking her dress up to skip forward and meet him halfway. 
“Hey pretty girl,” he cooed, pulling her close by the hip. Those watching screamed at the interaction, and Y/n turned her head to duck from the flashing cameras.
“I think I’m going blind,” she giggled when he bent down to hear her better. He placed a kiss on the shell of her ear.
“A few more minutes and we’ll be inside. Then, the real magic begins.” 
“I seriously can’t wait! It’s gonna be so good, I just know it.” 
So they stood there and let random strangers take their picture. It was peculiar to Y/n, and she felt the constant bubbling of laughter in her chest throughout the whole ordeal. She was also acutely aware of how stupid she must look standing next to this man. Here he was, smoldering the camera with the poise of an expert. Meanwhile, she was smiling so hard the whole time, teeth and all, with squinted eyes and rosy cheeks. 
When Austin turned to look at her, and noticed her unfiltered joy, he couldn’t help but lean forward and kiss those cheeks with admiration. 
God, she was beautiful.
And he didn’t mind sharing that beauty with the world. They could take her picture, wonder about her name, and pull at the threads of words he spoke about her on occasion. He’d let them do it. 
Because at the end of the day, nobody but him got to see the life they lived behind closed doors. That was the beauty of it, and he’d never been more appreciative of the advice someone gave him all those years ago.
General Tag List: @gluepoo 
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orangerosebush · 1 year
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I recently remembered the following scene in AF (book one) with Artemis, Butler, and Juliet:
“Well, the thing is, Artemis,” she said hesitantly, twisting a strand of blond hair in a way that several of the local louts considered extremely attractive. “The bit about leprechauns.”
Artemis frowned. It was a bad sign. “Your point, Juliet?”
“Well, leprechauns. You know they’re not real, don’t you?”
Butler winced. It was his fault really. He’d never got around to filling in his sister on the mission parameters.
Artemis scowled reprovingly at him.
“Butler hasn’t already talked to you about this?”
“No. Was he supposed to?”
“Yes, he certainly was. Perhaps he thought you’d laugh at him.”
Butler squirmed. That was exactly what he’d thought. Juliet was the only person alive who laughed at him with embarrassing regularity. Most other people did it once. Just once.
Artemis cleared his throat. “Let us proceed under the assumption that the fairy folk do exist, and that I am not a gibbering moron.”
Butler nodded weakly. Juliet was unconvinced."
Each time Juliet laughs at Butler in a way other people cannot, the teasing highlights that they have a relationship with one another that is different and closer than their relationship with other people in their lives, people whom the siblings would not allow that kind of liberty.
In contrast, look at how cautious Butler is with Artemis in that same scene from AF! Butler staying quiet and shifting his weight uncomfortably would neverrrr happen post-TEC, IMO.
Like, look at this scene from TLC:
“Butler glanced at a passing couple, who were bewitched by Spain and young love. The man had a camcorder slung round his neck. Butler fingered his third button guiltily.
‘We may have ruined a few honeymoon videos,’ he noted.
Artemis shrugged. ‘A small price to pay for my privacy.’
‘Was there a third point?’ asked Butler innocently.
‘Yes,’ said Artemis, a touch testily. Still no sign of the individual he was expecting. ‘I was about to say that if there is a gunman on one of these buildings, it’s that one directly to the rear. So you should stay behind me.’
Butler was the best bodyguard in the business, and even he couldn’t be a hundred per cent sure which rooftop a potential gunman would be on. ‘Go on. Tell me how you know. I know you’re dying to.’
‘Very well, since you ask. No sniper would position himself on the rooftop of Casa Milá, directly across the street, because it is open to the public and so his access and escape would probably be recorded.’
‘His or her,’ corrected Butler. ‘Most metal men are women these days.’
‘His or her,’ amended Artemis.
It's so fun to see how late- and post-series Artemis kind of occupies a similar(ish)** role as Juliet for Butler. Let me explain!
Butler is 18 years older than Juliet, and then 22/3 years older than Artemis. Not to mention, you have Artemis and Juliet having had either one or both of their respective parents absent for significant periods of time during their young lives. Although Butler was a guardian of Artemis at one point in time, there's a reason*** why the French translation of AF has Artemis use "vieux frère" for Butler. Artemis and Juliet exist for Butler in this nebulous category of younger sibling-slash-ward, and I think that complexity makes their importance to Butler all the more interesting.
** The whole "Artemis is technically Butler's boss and thus often is telling Butler what to do -- rather than the other way around" thing is a complicating factor when assessing exactly what is the character of familial dynamic they end up developing.
***Admittedly "ami" wouldn't have the same connotation as "old friend", but I do want to highlight the sense of brotherhood invoked in "vieux frère" -- even though I also recognize that "vieux frère" has kind of a continental, "old pal"-y feel to it, which is also why it's something Artemis would say, LOL!
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vatnalilja · 1 year
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Lamli x Reader
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Lamli surprises you by wearing pieces of an old outfit he thinks you might like.
1440 words, flirting and emotions (no actual smut)
Note: This uses Y/N prompts. Check out @interactivefics for browser plugins that let you replace Y/N (and any term you like) to improve your online story-reading experience. I wrote this with a feminine reader in mind, but it is gender-neutral.
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With a book in hand, you sit by the evening fire as the scent of your tea drifts from the cup on the small table beside you. Rather than spend the night at home, you've decided to stay overnight at the mansion. You stay more nights here in your elegant room than back at your modern accommodations, much to the delight of your doting companions. 
You lift your head when the old metal knob on your door wobbles, and your heavy door creaks open. Your brows raise when Lamli slips in, closes the door behind him, and rushes over. He slides to a halt in front of you and beams as he holds his arms out at both sides, then twirls on one foot. Fastened on his head are two black cat ears you recognize from your early Christmas celebration.
"Lord!" he says in excitement. "Do you remember these?"
"Of course. How could I forget?" 
You close your book and focus all of your attention on him.
He curls his fist in front of him and leans toward you. As he does so, his glossy black and pink hair frames his small, exuberant face. The light of the fire dances in his eyes and casts a golden hue on his cheeks.
"Nyaa!"
"Oh my god," you mutter, feeling your whole body flush.
"I thought my Lord would be surprised if I suddenly turned into a cat!" he says.
You gesture to the spot on the floor in front of the fire. "Then, would you like to sit with me, kitty-cat?"
"L-lord," he says and stands straight.
You slide from your chair and make yourself comfortable on the rug by the fire, then pat your lap. He shifts his weight from foot to foot in embarrassment for a brief moment, faced with the very situation you know he had hoped for. When you pat your lap again, he collapses in front of you with a laugh and rests his head in the recess made by your crossed legs.
With a hum, you stroke his hair as he gazes up at you with admiration. You cup his left ear; metal meets your skin where the row of teal piercings lines his ear. You trail your finger across them, and he closes his eyes as he pushes the side of his face into your hand. He then reaches up, places his hands on your cheeks, and pulls your face forward until you peer down at him.
"It's terrible of me to do this," he says.
"To do what?" you ask.
"To rest my head in your lap."
"But I asked you."
You split his bangs down the middle of his forehead with your finger. The look on his face tells you he doesn't feel terrible about it at all—it's the sort of thing he's been told not to do by all the other men who also fail terribly at their jobs as so-called butlers. In the beginning, they could have insisted on some semblance of boundaries, but you know them better now, and those days are long since over.
"I guess that's true," he says.
He averts his gaze and refuses to meet your eyes as he glances around the room.
"There's something on your mind. What is it?" you ask.
"Would my Lord kiss me?" he asks.
You lean over him further and press your lips to his, upside-down. You draw his bottom lip between yours, and he returns your kiss eagerly with a passion that overwhelms you. His hands move to the back of your head as he pulls you deeper into the kiss, his desire transparent as his fingers grasp your hair. You run your hands along the bottom of his jaw and caress his neck as his tongue slips into your mouth. His last cup of tea is on his breath, slightly sweet with floral notes.
The moments go by in a warm, hazy blur, and you eventually break the kiss to catch your breath. He peers up at you as you run your thumbs along his chin. It's too easy to be captivated by his large green eyes and delicate facial features—he's gorgeous, and you marvel at your fortune to have him at your side. If you could, you'd take a thousand photos of him and post them to SNS.
But as it stands, your only option is to enjoy him all on your own. Nobody back home will ever understand, but somehow, you think you'll find the strength to carry on. 
"I love you. I would do anything for you." He brushes his lips across yours, then drops his head into your lap.
"You can't say such things," you warn.
"Why?"
"You're adorable with those cat ears on. I might ask you to do something," you say.
"I'd do it! Anything! Do you want me to dance?" His face lights up.
You tug on the ends of the satin bow around his neck until it comes loose and roll the fabric in your hands. Far more untoward thoughts have already crossed your mind, but you're reluctant to simply say them out loud. He has spent hours entertaining you, so you can't hide anything from him, try as you might. He rolls out of your lap, sits on his knees in front of you, and grips the tops of your thighs.
"Should I use my hands on you again?" he whispers.
"Lamli," you say with a small smile as your cheeks grow warm.
He leans in further until he pushes his nose against yours. "My Lord hasn't said no."
"Your Lord also hasn't said yes."
He steals a quick kiss, then sits on his heels and moves his hands to your knees.
"You're lovely when you blush," he says.
"Oh?"
"You're lovely all the time!" he says. "But when you blush, it's as if we're sharing a secret."
"What sort of secret would you like to share?" you ask.
"Let me show you," he says.
He bounces to his feet and hurries to the door, which he locks. He then flattens his back against the solid piece of oak and flashes you his sharp grin with a quiet laugh. It'd be easy to dismiss him as jejune. Upon first meeting him, he comes off as naïve and a bit incompetent, but you know beneath that misleading façade is a young man who feels deeply. In your world, he'd struggle with society's expectations and be labeled with some sort of disorder, but here, he's found a purpose and a family. He dreams about joining you when you leave the mansion, but the wonderful memories you've made with him have only been possible because of this world. 
"Y/N?" he asks.
"Yes?" you reply.
"You're giving me a strange look," he says, his grin replaced with a far more flustered expression.
"Define 'strange,' " you say.
"It looks... a little dreamy," he says. 
"That's because I was thinking about how much I love you," you say.
He stammers your name before he rushes to you and flings his arms around your shoulders. You laugh as he knocks you back onto the ground, his body sprawls across yours, and you tug him into a tight hug at his waist. His hot tears stain your skin as he nuzzles your neck, and his raw flurry of emotions makes you prick with gooseflesh while your heart hammers in your chest.
"Why are you so kind?" he mumbles.
"Why wouldn't I be?" you ask.
"So many people in this world aren't," he sniffles.
He sits up and straddles you as he wipes his eyes on his long sleeves.
"Lucky for me, I met a whole mansion full of wonderful men as soon as I got here," you say.
"Some of us more wonderful than others," he says.
You chuckle as your fingers toy with the soft golden cords that fasten his tailcoat in the front. His hands graze yours as he slips each cord's loop over its turquoise button and lets his coat fall open. You slide your fingertip in the space between the buttons of his dress shirt, which is tucked into his trousers, and poke him in the navel.
As he tugs the hem of his shirt free and gives you a glimpse of his stomach, you hear a soft thud on your door. A quiet voice calls your name from the hallway. It's less of a knock and more of a persistent padding from a black cat's paw. Lamli swears under his breath as a flash of anger crosses his face, and you shake your head to let him know his behavior is inappropriate.
He masks his irritation with a cheerful laugh, but you're positive Mu's name is going in his book later tonight.
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obeymeluv · 3 years
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“I Got All A’s! Can I Have Some Dick?” (Bros + Undateables)
Just something stupid and funny I thought about. You had a very tough semester in the Devildom and you got good grades! You want to celebrate and go to your favorite demon to ask for a special reward.
Obvious NSFW warning. No minors allowed!
No Luke. Luke is baby.
I have a personal headcanon that Simeon likes to be totally cozy when he writes. We’re talking big fluffy sweaters or a blanket cozy. I like to think he wears glasses when he writes, too.
Lucifer
He’s part of a special committee who’s notified about your grades/progress so he actually knows before you do
Proud boyfriend is proud
Purrs when he opens up the wax-pressed envelope and reviews your marks
Secretly plans a cute, fancy dinner date at Ristorante Six
Is thinking of being suave and breaking the news to you when you bounce into his study (he may or may not have poured a couple of glasses of your favorite age-appropriate beverage)
He’s got something witty prepped and is ready to toast you and maybe steal a few kisses but you come out of left field like a bullet with a simple “I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”
Lucifer.exe is broken
That’s what you want as a reward? No dinner, no date?
Literally doesn’t know what to say for a few seconds. Totally freezes. Starts to stutter.
His brain kicks back in when you start playing with the folds of his collar and petting his chest and staring at him with those wanting eyes
Sets his glass down, fixes the cuff of his gloves, and hoists you up to plant you on the nearest surface. “I will make it worth every point, and you will say all the letters.” he purrs.
Mammon
He’s just happy he passed.
Mammon actually does pretty well, he’s just a very...chaotically successful type. A lot of last minute turn-ins and such. Not top marks, but no dunce either.
Now that the semester’s over he’s checking his schedule to see when the next shoot is or if he has time to squeeze in a party. Maybe a trip somewhere. Something fun!
He’s feeling lucky! Lucky enough to win some money and make Goldie happy!
If he’s going anywhere, he needs a good luck charm though! He goes to hunt you down and his stomach just warms because you’re smiling and clearly in a good mood
It makes him purr in that cute, curious little way. Basically using the demon’s language to ask you why you’re in such a good mood (but you don’t know that. It’s basically a cute chirp).
You both shout your good news at the same time.
His invite to go tear it up was a bit long so it takes a minute for his brain to process what you said. You want...his dick?
Boy wants to blush SO BAD. HE’S SO RED!
Well now his thing seems stupid, doesn’t it? He wants to do your thing! Your thing sounds GREAT!
“OF COURSE you want to be with the GREAT Mammon!” he’s got his hands on his hips and his chest is puffed out big in that happy, silly way he has about him.
No, really, you do your thing. It’s a great thing.
It’s a good way to unwind from exams, right? He likes it!
Levi
If Levi didn’t get good grades, Lucifer would kill him.
Probably force him to go to school physically ALL THE TIME!
HIS SUBSCRIPTIONS WOULD BE AT RISK,OKAY?
He’s a solid B student (at least). No desire to be all A’s. Too much time away from other passions.
Because he’s well-behaved and leas likely to get on Lucifer’s nerves, he gets a little bit of bonus money for good grades.
Levi’s neck-deep in his charts and comparisons and muttering to himself about where to invest that money when you pop into his room
“I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?!”
You get The Noise
How indecent! How naughty of you to ask! But yes, yes you can. Absolutely. 100%!
He’s really shy about it because it’s sudden and you asked him instead of him having a cool moment or anything, but it ends up being a giggle-filled romp that ends with a cuddle in his bathtub bed and you wrapped up in his tail
He totally suggests a round two with a sexy VR game or just making bets with ‘winner take all’
Satan
He’s a grade juggernaut with lots of self-discipline so Satan expects to get out what he gets in
The type to be smug because he knows he did well. He owes it to himself and he’s glad.
Likes to treat himself to an outing, be it a simple walk or a visit to a cafe or even a new book
Satan’s 100% ready to settle down with some books by the fireplace. At the end of the semester he typically makes a one or two-portion charcuterie board and picks at it while he reads
Thumb keeping his place, Satan’s in the middle of stacking a fancy little cracker with meat and cheese when you let yourself in
His eyes flick to you and he smiles, eating his little cracker
You pick at his tray with him (he’ll let you, of course). “I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”
Chokes on cracker. It’s not a good time
Almost drowns himself/further chokes trying to wash it down with drink
Can’t help but laugh at your...bold request
When he sees he’s kind of sputtered all over himself, he slips out of his clothes and makes a few witty jokes as your ‘naked butler’
Naked butler happily provides his services
Later he makes you picked crushed cracker off the floor with him
Asmo
The second Asmo knew he passed everything (like he always does. Just because he’s pretty doesn’t mean he’s stupid!), he booked himself a full day pampering experience
His inner circle of beauty specialist know his routine so they save his spots for him
Asmo sweet-talked them into including his favorite human and he’s DYING to tell you and DYING to make his brothers jealous
You skip into his room, so bright and lovely, and hold his hands in the cute excited way he likes. Makes his heart skip a beat every time like it’s young love.
“I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”
Doesn’t expect it and has probably never been asked ‘Can I have some dick?’ in the thousands of years he’s been alive
Boy gives an airy laugh because he’s surprised and flattered. Of COURSE you want him (because who wouldn’t?) but he always gets a bit shy when it’s YOU asking
“Sounds amazing,” he’s already peppering you with kisses, “and I’m happy to provide but can we do it after our special spa day?”
You guys have a sweet, lazy round the day of the booking to ‘loosen up’ and ‘fully appreciate the services’ and he DEFINITELY worships you when all is said and done because ‘the epitome of beauty deserve the epitome of devotion’
Beel
Boy works hard and celebrates even harder. Usually with food
Because he’s always hungry and looking forward to eating, Beel likes to do his work ahead of time. The sooner he does it, the more time he has to eat!
He has to keep up good grades to stay on the sports teams, anyways
Solid B student, sometimes A’s. C’s and below aren’t a thing. He refuses.
Because he is also best boy and generally acts as Lucifer’s pseudo-enforcer, he also gets some bonus money.
The coach of his local sports team also pitches in because Beel is best boy and a TANK. He could literally carry the whole team
Beel’s all set to hit the town with his food money when find him and wrap your arms around him
He’s all excited and ready to tell you about the food money when you make his face catch fire. “I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”
Brain also stops. BEEL IS SO EMBARRASSED!
You’d rather have him than food? That’s pretty impressive! He’s honored!
But...what if you could have both? He’s totally down for both!
You celebrate your success by staying in (bed) and spoiling yourselves with food in-between rounds
Belphie
Belphie is a ‘C’s get degrees’ kind of guy but C’s are his minimum. Tries for B’s and usually gets mid-to-low B’s.
With exams over he’s 100% down to sleep the day away and there’s NO REASON for ANYONE TO BUG HIM ABOUT IT!
Totally prepared to live in his finest pyjamas until school starts again. Might even treat himself to a new pillow or blanket!
If he hadn’t learned your scent by now, you wouldn’t have a face when you breach his blanket cocoon
Belphie just snorts and smiles at your little face and messy hair (the blankets give it static and mess it up)
You kiss his nose and wait to make sure he’s really awake before sharing the good news. “I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”
Laughs himself to the point of almost choking on one of his blankets
Throws himself out of the cocoon to breathe and wipe his tears away
But yes, yes you can. After he calms down, he pulls you onto his lap to straddle him. 
It’s fun and lazy but a genuine celebration of the end of the semester
Diavolo
He’s the other part of the committee that saw your grades, so he knows
It’s a bit off his plate so he won’t have as many duties to attend to
Diavolo wasn’t sure when you’d come over, but Barbatos assured him you’d be over that day. He did his best to speed through his meetings and arrange his schedule to have a rest period
He asked Barbatos to prepare a small, modest lunch of finger foods and some complimentary tea
You may have thought Diavolo was making himself a plate when you walked in, but it was actually a plate for you
The prince of the Devildom almost dropped that plate when you said, “I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”
Prince of Hell is super blushy and flustered and awkward and almost knocks his teacup off the table. Is suddenly scrambling to make sure he doesn’t know anything else off the table
Tries to compose himself but can’t help the boyish smile and laugh that escapes him
You’re just such a lovely, fascinating person! He’s so happy to have you. His life seems eternal but you make it so fresh and new! His heart just bursts with love and delight.
Is no longer worried about the food or pushing in your chair for you. Offers his lap instead. “I have an opening for that,” he assures, pulling you onto his lap.
Diavolo likes to think he’s thoughtful about taking you on the floor because Barbatos doesn’t have much to clean up.
If your stomach grumbles after you’re settled and sleepy, he pulls himself off your body long enough to grab a plate from the table and put it beside your head. 
Demons have more stamina and it would be un-princely of him not to spoil you, so he feeds you until you’re too sleepy to eat.
Barbatos
It’s exhausting to be able to see multiple timelines and see into the future.
He never knows how far into the future he’s seeing, or if it’s in the timeline he’s currently in
All he knows is he heard you ask him for dick and almost dumped the wrong thing in the soup, okay? 
Had to excuse himself and ask someone on the cooking team to take over for him while he “dealt with another matter” (laughed it out where no one could hear him)
I’m not sure if Barbatos is considered a student at RAD, but Diavolo must be too. We’ll say he is. Boy is a master of self-discipline and scheduling so he’s fine. Flawless, as a butler should be. It carries over into all things.
It’s a delicate balance sometimes, but he’s type A and used to being busy so it works itself out. He does well.
Barbatos simply looks forward to having less to do. Focusing on Diavolo can be a job all its own.
He was planning on making a few sweets for Luke and the others. Diavolo suggested a “pot luck” to celebrate. It’s something the humans came up with and he seems to like it. It turns into sweets for the pot luck
Probably makes you a special mini-dessert or a special portion of the dessert
If he’s in control of plate presentation, you might get a special sauce heart of chocolate heart
When Diavolo is generous enough to include him in the celebration (because he deserves it and you’re there, so it’d be cruel not to), Barbatos makes small talk and woos you subtly
You ask him to “show you where to take the dishes” to get him alone. He can feel it in his little demon bones. You’re about to do it.
You do it.
You’re basically vibrating with excitement because you probably planned this and think you’re very clever. Human enthusiasm is so darling and it makes his heart pitter-patter to think you were simply bursting to ask HIM this.
“But of course,” he helps you stack the plates and guides your hand to the silverware sorter because you’re looking at him instead of what you’re doing. You almost put a fork in the spoon section. “Covered in chocolate? Plain?”
He’s trying to one-up you. He loves seeing his human change colors and not know what to do.
You whisper “I prefer wet,” back in his ear and Barbatos wonders how he didn’t see THAT in any of his visions
You: 1, Barbatos: 0. Helpless. Defenseless. Horny.
“That will be ready shortly,” he’s already pulling you away, down the hall, to meet your request.
Solomon
It wouldn’t serve him to do poorly in the Devildom. Basically wasted opportunity
He’s not a straight A student but he does well. Really pulls out the stops on major projects and things that are worth more points than others
Isn’t perfect at everything but makes up for it. Solid B’s, always really close to A’s. At least a couple low A’s.
Solomon doesn’t quite know how he wants to celebrate. He knows Asmo’s already pestering him to go shopping or clubbing
He’s considering it. He’d like to drink, honestly
You show up, light of his life, his favorite person, and he feels himself warm with joy
He revels in being the only other human in the Devildom. It makes your relationship that much more special, he thinks. It’s kind of stupid, but it’s something to coyly hold over the others whenever he sees fit. All in play, of course (not).
“I got all A’s! Can I have some dick?”
Pretends to think and looks anywhere but your face. If he looks at your face he’ll blush himself stupid and won’t be able to say anything smart.
He can’t lie. He’s already hard. He appreciates humor and wit and you’re all of it.
Very bold of you to come onto him like that, and he’s 100% for it.
“Can you take it?” Solomon wishes he said something smoother, that he wasn’t already slipping between your legs and grinding against you like the weak man he was. He doesn’t regret it though because the friction is good. Something you both need.
He whispers against your skin and gives you light, sloppy kisses with a hint of teeth.
He gives, and he’s generous. He wants to reward your efforts.
Simeon
Simeon makes it a point of personal pride to do well in the Devildom
That’s the utmost symbol of peace and understanding, isn’t it? To embrace their culture and livelihood and do well? To do well means he’s understanding them and walking in their shoes. It’s only right
He works hard and does well. Doesn’t stress himself out with A’s since he’s keeping up his grades because it’s required. He’d rather reconnect with the brothers and try to help Luke enjoy the Devildom.
He’s happy to spend his free time taking Luke to places in the Devildom, trying to visit the House of Lamentation, and maybe working on some things for TSL since editors are clamoring for more
You stop by because he’s been fairly quiet, wrapped up in his favorite writing sweater with his little editing glasses on
Simeon smiles and greets you with his little ‘Hi, angel’ as he kisses your hand. 
Boy almost breaks his favorite pen when you ask him for...for dick?
He’s not absolutely clueless but this boy has been in ‘holy angel’ mode for centuries. He struggles with texting and stickers and you expect him to know slang?!
So confused he takes his glasses off. Boy can’t comprehend
“You’re asking me to procure one? Like...the ones humans use from those stores? You want mine? Well, I certainly hope so because we’re--oh...”
He could write books of poetry about you, and though he doesn’t like to admit it, he’s had those thoughts
“Well,” he’s standing up from his chair and guides you so gently to his bed it’s like you’re floating on a cloud. He lays you down just as gently, fabrics whispering as he slips out of his sweater and it pools at his feet. “I wouldn’t be a very good angel if I ignored the wishes of my dear human, would I?”
Doesn’t really see the point of sex as a reward, but will never turn down a moment to show how cherished you are. 
Hope you liked it :)
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shotofire · 3 years
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Butler
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Levi Ackerman x F!Reader
Overview: Levi is a butler for your family, and you can’t help but fancy him
Warnings: Cursing, pushy parents, angst, smut, fingering, oral (female receiving), unprotected sex, creampie, age gap (legal of course), that filthy talk (mild), hair pulling, slight choking
Requested by @heyyharuhi (thank you for this request, as soon as i read the idea i started on it)
Okay, i’m going to admit.... i’m too lazy to proof read this. Work is kicking my ass and i just want to sleep. hopefully i didn’t fuck up too bad. I tend to type faster than my mind is thinking... so i apologize in advance for the typos. enjoy :)
-
The room is hot, almost enough to make ones skin feel as if it’s on fire. Maybe that had to do with the anger everyone at the dinner table is feeling. The scrunching face of your father and mother as the look of disbelief is spread across their features. Not to mention how silent it is, so uncomfortably silent. The sound of your fork scraping across the table is all that can be heard.
Your father takes in a deep breath, eyes closing in utter frustration. “Tell me again why you don’t like this boy? He’s taken you out to dinner several times now, and has been very kind to our family,” you can only roll your eyes at your fathers words. All they care about is setting you up with a wealthy stuck up man, not someone who will bring happiness. “And every time he flirted with the waitress,” you snap, “also, he has horrible manners.”
It’s sad the situation you’re in, really. This has been going in the family for years, the children not getting to choose who they marry. Of course they could’ve rejected and rejected until their parents gave up, but no one has been able to push through. Your mother is a perfect example with having to marry your father. A stuck up man who you’ve never even seen smile at your mother, it’s saddening. “The man has money, lots of it, and you know how much we’re struggling right now,” your mother says with the same look of disbelief.
The double doors to the dining room swing open, making the conversation come to a pause. There he stood, your butler, with a tray of freshly poured drinks. He has the same expressionless look as always as he strides over to the table setting each cup down. As his body stands close to yours, you can’t help but take in how good he smells. Yes it may come off as creepy, but you’d never encountered a man who smelled so fresh. Like a flower garden.
“Thank you, Levi,” you say with a small smile. Your parents never thank him or even acknowledge him and it pisses you off. The man must be in a horrible situation financially if he’s willing to put up with your parents. They always complain about money yet have maids, chefs, and butlers. As if they can’t do anything for themselves. Levi nods at you with a small smirk in reply before exciting the room.
The rest of dinner goes in, filled with arguments and insults. Just a regular night in this family. It’s frustrating, really, how your parents only care about money. They don’t even care for you, or even themselves. All the two want is to appear rich to everyone else. It’s all about image, that’s it. Why care about those things when you can have love and happiness? That’s all you’ve ever wanted.
Since you were a teen, your parents have been shoving stuck up boy after stuck up boy in your direction. Each one has bragged about their live’s, and how women love them. None have even bothered to ask you a personal question. To get to know you in anyway. Each one saw women as a pretty thing to wear on their arms for public gatherings. And any other time you’d just be seen as another maid to them, it’s the sad truth.
Women are pushed around by men, especially in this life style. All that matters is money and looks. Love won’t get your name respected by others, that’s the power of money. The people you call your parents have never been affectionate towards one another, not that you’ve ever witnessed. It’s not wonder they only ended up having one child. Usually by this age, in your family at least, people are married. Some even have a kid of their own on the way. But you just keep rebelling until they give up, that’s what you’re hoping for.
It’s late now and the hallways are dimly lit, not a sound to be heard. At times like this your mind wanders. Thinking about Levi, which isn’t a good idea. Sure he’s really good looking, but there’s no way he could be interested. When he’d first started coming around, a few months ago, you immediately wanted to get closer to him. Then you learned of his age which was something you definitely weren’t expecting. The man looked around the same age as you.
The sound of a faint hum can be heard from down the hall. It sounds like it’s coming from the living area. As you round the corner you see him standing there. Levi sat on the couch with a book perched in his hands, the lamp lit up next to him. His eyes move to your frame and jumps at your presence. The maids and butlers have their own area of the home to stay in during the night, which is really shitty may you add. He shouldn’t be here during this time. If your parents were to see him there they’d throw a fit.
Before he could react you’re walking towards him, sitting next to him on the red sofa. “What are you reading?” Levi is at a loss for words, really, this has his heart racing. Yet he manages to choke out, “Just some cheap poetry book.” The two of you had only talked a handful of times, and it was never real conversation. The man has always found you beautiful and can’t believe you haven’t gotten married yet. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” You ask and he lets out a small laugh, “Couldn’t you ask yourself that?”
Levi feels his chest tighten as you move closer to him, looking at the pages of his book. This whole things was off to him. The man had never seen you in anything but a dress, yet here you were in nothing but a shirt and shorts. He always imagined you to sleep in some sort of fancy silk nightgown. And yes, he thinks about what you wear to bed. He has scolded himself for where his mind has gone to thinking about you, but he can’t help himself. You’ve always been so kind to him.
“You should let me borrow this book sometime,” you say with a small smile. You’re inches away from his face now, eyes peering into one another’s. “Of course,” he gulps. The room fell silent. He isn’t sure if he is reading this moment correctly. One thing he is sure of is he’s definitely not the type of man you need to get caught up with. As this thought crosses his mind he’s quick to stand up off the sofa. “It’s getting late, I should get to bed.” Before you can say a word, he’s walking out of the room.
Complete and utter failure. That was your chance to get closer to him and you ended up scaring him off. Did you come across too forward? Sure you’d gotten rather close to him but you didn’t that that was too far. Was it? You let out a loud huff before falling face first into a pillow, groaning into it.
You were just a young girl who couldn’t decide her future, what could you possibly offer him? He’s older and has his shit figured out, it seems like it at least. As you mentally scold yourself for embarrassing yourself, Levi is in his room doing the same exact thing. He has found you breathtaking from day one and constantly wanted to get to know you. Then the moment you two are alone he panicked.
The man is grown, almost forty, and has been with countless women. Not to brag, he’s just never been one for settling. Then here comes a girl, younger and less experienced than him yet he’s the one choking up. Maybe it was the thought of your parents finding out that got the best of him. They may actually die of shock if they knew you even talked to him in the way you did, in your sweet voice. Or worse, they’d kill Levi themselves.
-
The next day rolls around, then the next, and so on. It seems like Levi is avoiding you to the furthest extent that he can and it’s really pissing you off. You don’t think he’s required to like you, but you’re still kind to him. You still try and brighten his day with a smile or a simple, “how are you?” Yet he won’t even stick around long enough for you to ask. Did you make him that uncomfortable? You’d rather hear him reject you then have this awkwardness floating in the air.
Knowing that you could’ve possibly made him feel uncomfortable really started to eat at your conscious. For awhile you stopped wandering the halls at night searching for him. Most of the times, after the first encounter, he’d hurry off at the first sight of you. Even through all of this your desire for him only seems to grow more intense.
Why did he have to be so damn attractive?
You lay in your bed, looking up at the ceiling. Levi is the only thing on your mind. It’s hard to not wonder what he’s doing on late nights like this. On a Sunday, your parents off doing business in town. No one here to boss him or the other workers around.Maybe he got scared off thinking of your parents catching you two so close that night, of course that’s something you keep telling yourself.
Being stuck in your home not allowed anywhere always eats away at you. Being here wasn’t something you enjoyed any day, but actually being told you can’t leave makes you feel crazy. When your parents are away they think the maids and butlers are going to pocket the entire house and run off. But you know each staff member well enough to come to the conclusion that they’d never do such a thing. If only your parents would listen to you when saying this, maybe you wouldn’t be trapped in here.
When they’re off doing business or whatnot, the staff takes that as their full opportunity to get some good sleep. Just be able to relax. Your parents always have them on the go it seems, until the sun goes down. Sometimes, most of the time, even later than that. They’ll see a book out of place and call for a maid instead of doing it themselves.
The staff has always been fond of you from the beginning. Some of the older maids watched you as a little girl. You’d always beg them to help clean or just be around them. As you grew older, you stopped asking to help and went ahead and did it anyway. If you notice they happen to miss something, which is rare, you’ll grab a duster or a broom and finish the job. It breaks your heart when your parents treat them to harshly.
That’s one of the many reasons Levi is so fond of you. Even after being raised by such pigs you still managed to be your own person. To be kind. He’d worked for other wealthy families in the past and usually every member was horrid, and treated him like dirt. Then he came here and met you, a sweet girl who loves to help.
Levi remembers when he was first joined the staff at your home. It was very hectic. He didn’t expect your parents to need such assistance. Usually families would try and do some things for themselves, but no. It seems your parents need their hands held constantly like children. It was a lot to handle at once, but you made it easier for him.
You helped him set appointments, organize, or any other unpredictable needs. He didn’t talk much, but he still made it very apparent that he appreciated all of your help. Moments like those were when you would look at him and just be in awe of his beauty. To you he was like a prince. So charming and kind, his looks are just a bonus.
You find yourself rising to your feet and leaving your room. The sun has already set and the stars are lighting up the sky. Your home is quiet now, somewhat peaceful without your parents. Without thinking, you’re in the hall walking through the darkness. Your fingers trace along the wall as your toes gently push into the carpet. You’d hate to wake anyone up this late.
As if your body knows something before you do, your stomach begins to have slight butterflies before rounding the corner into the living area. Would Levi even be up this late? it’s much later than the times he’s usually out here reading. As you turn the corner your eyes land on him and you take a silent breath, that you can’t help but hold onto for a second longer.
On the sofa sits Levi. His hair is clutched between a few of his fingers as his eyes squint at the book he’s reading, almost frustrated it seems. Instead of saying anything and scaring him off you swiftly walk to him and sit yourself down. He lets out a small, ‘ah’ at your presence, not expecting you, and you can’t help but let out a small giggle at his reaction.
“What? Not happy to see me?” The sweet smile on your face makes a blush rise to his cheeks. Of course he’s happy to see you, even if he can be complicated sometimes. “Uh, no. Not that, just didn’t expect you up so late.” That’s truly what it is. He came out here with a full expectation that you, and everyone else, would be fast asleep. “I guess we’re both night people, huh?” You shove at him lightly with your arm and he smirks.
There’s a silence that falls over you two, but it’s not uncomfortable. You can’t help but move a bit closer to him, the situation feeling all too familiar. This time Levi isn’t tensing up, or moving away. If anything, you’re pretty sure he moves closer to you ass well. “What are you reading this time?” Your sweet voice makes him shiver.
His eyes scan over your features, sticking to your lips for a little too long. This doesn’t go unnoticed by you. “Just some romance novel I picked up, it’s sorta frustrating to read.” “How so?” Your eyes sparkle in interest. Your bodies are so close, just the side of your leg pressed up against his has his heart racing. That and the fact you look beautiful right now.
“They both like each other and won’t act upon it, and it just keeps getting drawn out. All it is is boring conversation and hearing their thoughts. They should just kiss already.” He watches as your face moves closer to his, lip sinking into your bottom lip. “I think they should just kiss already, too.”
That’s all it takes for Levi to close the gap in-between you two. Your arms come up to wrap around his neck, while his hands have already started grabbing at your waist. His touch sends electricity through you. You’d only been with a few men, and Levi was already making you feel a knot in your stomach that you’d never felt before. It was a good feeling.
A feeling of excitement.
One of his, rather big, hands trail up your spine causing you to shiver at his touch. The hand goes all the way up until it reaches the base of your neck, tangling in your hair. You can’t stop yourself from moaning into the bruising kiss as his fingers tug at your locks. He smirks, and you feel it. His other hand squeezes your thigh, sending a jolt right to your heat.
Levi pulls back to examine your face, rosy cheeks and eyes half open. “Fuck, you’re breathtaking,” he cursed before diving back in. This time his lips are attack your neck, nibbling and licking as you let out high pitched sighs.
This is all happening so fast, but you love it. There is so much built up tension between the two of you and it’s all coming out. You can’t stop yourself from tugging at his shirt, a whine falls from your lips. There’s no telling how many times you’ve dreamed of seeing this man without a shirt on. He follows your complies and pulls the shirt over his head, exposing the pure glory beneath. Yes, glory.
You stare for a good moment. He’s so fit, more than you imagined. “Like what you see?” He teases with a cocky smile. “More than like, I could look at you all day.” The blush that spreads across his face doesn’t go unnoticed by you. He looks into your eyes and his hands snake under your shirt, slightly pushing you backwards until your back meets the sofa. He’s above you now, with a shit-eating grin.
When his fingers make contact with your chest he can’t help but bite his lip. You don’t have a bra on. “Do you want me as much as I want you?” You’re about to answer his question, but his fingers brush against your nipples. The action makes you let out a soft gasp at the feeling. “What was that?” He asks with that same cocky smirk, “Use your words princess.”
The pet name just sends you for another loop. “Yes,” you manage to get out, “I want you.” He presses his lips to yours, then your neck again, before discarding of your shirt. His soft lips trace down you stomach with light feathery kisses, making your breathing become uneven. His fingers loop in the waist ban of your shorts before pulling them down your legs, tossing them in some random direction.
Everything happening has your head spinning. In the best way possible, of course. His mouth is hovering about your clothes core now, it’s enough to drive you mad. Your excitement is visible on your underwear. “So wet,” he coos, his breath fanning against you. He takes off the last item on your body, leaving you bare.
For a second you want to close your legs when the shyness kicks in, but Levi acts quick. His lips attack to your clit in an instant, and your fingers fly to his hair. Tangling and pushing him closer into you. His mouth is like magic. “Fuck-“ you cut yourself off with a moan. His tongue moves up and down your slit, circling your clit. Your eyes practically roll into the back of your head.
His finger comes up to circle your entrance before pushing its way in. The way he’s working with his mouth and fingers had you seeing stars. “I’m gonna-“ right before you finish he completed stops his actions. Of course he just had to be a little shit.
“You’re going to come on my cock,” he says with a smile. Just his words alone have your stomach turning. He lines himself up with you before pushing forward slowly. You hiss at the pain, never ever have you been with someone this big. He halts his actions at the sound you make, but you’re quick to beg for me. “No, keep going, please don’t stop!”
He slams into you and you hold back a scream. The pain quickly turns into pleasure as his hips start to slam into yours. “How does that feel princess?” Him and that damn pet name again. “So, So good,” you manage to get out. Unexpectedly, his hand comes up to wrap around your throat, pressing lightly. Your eyes just about light up when he brushes against that spot.
He must of saw the sparkle in your eyes, so he does the same movement. Over, over, and over again. It doesn’t take long before you’re coming undone around him, shaking and vision blurring. His movements continue until he’s coming inside of you, deep grunts escaping his mouth. The only sound is heavy breathing as Levi lays on top of your chest.
“Do you want to go to my room and cuddle?”
Levi looks at you with a childish grin. “of course.”
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karlswrites · 3 years
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Big Vs. Little Spoon
Demon Bois + Non-Dateables Edition
This game is my newest hyper-fixation, so please bear with me. I know there are a lot of head-canons about the boys cuddling, but here’s my rendition. Boy howdy, this one’s a little long...
Warnings: Pure Fluff 
❤️ Lucifer: Because he’s the Avatar of Pride, Lucifer loves feeling bigger than you.  His pride inhibits him from being the little spoon, so he often opts for being the big spoon. Luci can’t help but admire the way his arms completely envelop you when he’s the big spoon. However, if he decides that you’ve been “a good little Main Character,” then he might acquiesce to your request, allowing you to lounge over him. Additionally, Luci prefers that the two of you cuddle in his bed, as it is rather large and extremely comfortable. Seeing you sprawled out over or curled in his comforter fills him to the brim with pride. Being able to hold you close to his chest gives him more pride than literally anything else. Being the elegant fella that he is, he will always lower himself beside you gently, careful not to disturb you. He won’t jump on the bed like some people. 
(I’m so sorry you had to read that one line of dialogue, if you can even call it that.)
💛 Mammon: A true switch on top of and underneath the sheets, Mammon is more likely to be the little spoon than his elder brother. He will never admit to you how much he enjoys feeling your arms slumped over him, but he does love it. He’ll never object to being the big spoon, though, as having his arms and legs draped over you is a HUGE ego booster. Mammon often feels little in the company of his brothers, so knowing that you feel safe and comfortable in his hold makes the guy’s heart melt. I must warn you, though, that Mammon doesn’t hesitate to leap unto your bed, effectively smothering you with his love and adoration. In the private on your room or his, because he loves showing his stuff off, he’ll entangle himself in you. Honestly, it doesn’t matter to him how you’re lying, as long as he gets to stay with you. If you satisfy his greed, and you always do, he will never leave.
(My friend thought of an adorable Mammon x MC Piggy-back ride idea, but that’s for another day, hehe)
💙 Leviathan: This poor boy isn’t used to physical touch, much less having someone in his room almost every night. His only experience comes from a Ruri-chan body pillow, and that thing does not compare to your warmth. At first, you have to be the big spoon. Although he’s embarrassed, Levi adores the feeling of your arms and legs hooked around him. He always takes the opportunity to take his hands and intertwine them with yours over his chest and waist. Now, if Levi gets jealous, then that’s a whole other story. If he notices a few too many people crowded around you or hugging you throughout the day, he’ll find his confidence and trap you into him. He’ll pull you into the bathtub with him, lay you down on his pillows, and act clingy so that nobody mistakes you for theirs. Good luck leaving the tub, ya hooligan. 
💚 Satan: Out of the two options, Satan is probably the big spoon most of the time. He likes holding you close, being able to enjoy some peace and quiet with you. He’s not so much of a ‘little/big spoon’ as he is a ‘two forks lying snuggly together in a drawer’ kind of guy. You lie next to him, your arms looped around his neck or his chest. Satan holds a book over the two of you, reading aloud softly. His free hand is snaked under your waist, his thumb gently stroking up and down your spine with each sentence he reads. On the other hand, if it’s late at night or super early in the morning, he’ll indulge in that prime spooning opportunity. He’d probably place his chin in the crook of your shoulder. He’ll probably have his hands anchored in your waist. He’ll probably - most definitely- slowly turn you around in his arms, letting his hands wander back towards your spine. Satan loves having you pressed against his heartbeat and vice versa. Your heart is the perfect sound for him to fall asleep to. 
💗 Asmodeus: This guy is a little spoon. With how much he loves himself and you, of course, he will curl himself into you. Asmo doesn’t like as much for his back to face you, so he always ends up turning around in your arms. He wants you to have constant access to his face. Whether you’re looking at him or kissing him, it doesn’t matter; Asmo wants your attention on his beautiful face. Being constantly suggestive, especially when it comes to you, he slowly weaves his legs between yours. He doesn’t hesitate when playing footsies, too. In terms of his preferences, he loves hosting you in his room. If you ever want to cuddle in your room, though, then he’ll eagerly agree. Asmo looks forward to leaving the scent of whatever fragrance he’s wearing all over your bedsheets. He wants you thinking about him 24/7 after all. 
(If anyone disagrees with this one, in particular, square up in a Denny’s parking lot.)
🧡 Beelzebub: As long as you’re eating food during cuddling, Beel could care less how you’re placed over him. He’s a big boy, so he’s often the big spoon. One of his arms will snake its way underneath you, holding you tightly around the waist. His other hand is preoccupied with a bag of chips or another tasty snack. Unlike Asmo, Beel is not nearly as handsy. He keeps you in his strong hold the entire time. When he’s done eating, he moves his hand up to your head. His digits will stroke and play with your hair. It’s so soft, and Beel can’t get enough of how relaxed it makes the both of you feel. Another position he likes, which isn’t necessarily spooning, but him lying on his back with you on top. Beel loves, loves, loves your head on his chest. The way his chin rests upon your head is so nice to him. He drapes his arms down your back, hooking his legs over yours. He keeps you in place, and you feel so safe. He is a legitimate teddy bear. 
💜 Belphegor: The Avatar of Sloth is the best cuddler, hands down. He has so many pillows and, upon request, can provide pillow forts, beds, nooks , or whatever you need. You always fall asleep within minutes. Cuddling was a bit difficult at first, as you didn’t always trust him. Actually, it was Belphie’s attempt to gain your trust that led you to be cuddle-buddies (besides your mutual pining, of course). Like some of his brothers, he doesn’t prefer one position over the other. He can be a big or little spoon. You say the word, and he’ll fall into the position with ease. He covers you with blankets, making you appear as a burrito/cocoon. He is definitely warm each and every time you snuggle in close. Belphie clings to you as a sloth clings to its branch, never letting go, even when you wake up. 
❤️ Diavolo: Another big boy, Diavolo is the - drum roll, please- big spoon. He has the broadest shoulders, biggest hands, and widest chest that’s perfect to fall into. Whenever you cuddle, he silently hopes you choose his castle. He’s always so excited to bring you over, and this guy has a massive bed. It’s literally made for a king. Since he’s a ray of sunshine, Diavolo will playfully tug you onto the mattress with him. He holds your face, caressing your cheeks. He grabs your waist, pulling you in even closer. He doesn’t let go until he absolutely has to. Sometimes, Barbatos has to come in and drag him away from you. Diavolo is completely smitten by you, and his affection only grows every time he relaxes against your back. Furthermore, cuddling with you is the perfect way to end a stressful day of dealing with the crazy demon brothers. 
💚 Barbatos: Barbatos may be a butler, but something about him screams big spoon. He loves scooping you up in his arms. The feeling of his heartbeat against your back brings him the greatest sense of comfort. When keeping you tangled up in his arms, he asks now and again if he can move in anyway, get you anything, or do anything to make you feel even more comfortable. He likes his control, but he always aims to please. Barbatos and you never stay still for long. His fingers run along your arms, sides, and shoulders continuously. He, too, likes playing with your hair. If you fall asleep before him, he places kisses on the back of your scalp, neck, and shoulders. He never goes past that, but cuddling allows him ample time to indulge in some innocent physical attention. Expect to be carried out of bed bridal style when the two of you wake up. 
🖤 Solomon: As the Devildom’s official special snowflake, you might never know what you’ll get with him. Solomon prefers feeling your back against his chest, though he will, like Lucifer, reward you by being the little spoon. He’s very calm and cool, so being the little spoon doesn’t embarrass him. He only cares about encasing you with his arms, hands wrapped around you in a big hug. He’s not as outwardly affectionate with you as another guy might be, but Solomon delivers some high-quality snuggles. You feel small and safe against him, and that’s all he could ever want. In terms of location, the two of you typically end up in your room. However, on days when the demon boys are at it again, he will coyly invite you into his dorm. He loves when your scent seeps its way into his bedsheets, but he also loves it when his gets lost in yours. Solomon is always left floored by how such simple affection can make him feel so warm and fuzzy. He doesn’t need to worry about spells with you, and you don’t need to worry about anything with him. 
🤍 Simeon: Similar to Levi, Simeon isn’t used to physical touch, but he’s not as shy. Cuddling you sounds as good as heaven, and he relishes in the feeling of your soft skin against his. Another true switch, in my humble opinion, he is content with being a big or little spoon. He’s an angel, and his greatest concern is how comfortable you are at all times. He’s inexperienced, so he will more-than-happily follow your lead. He never moves without your consent. You might have to reassure him a few times that moving is totally fine. In fact, it’s welcomed. Once he gets that through his noggin, he finally relaxes into you. From behind, Simeon grazes his hands over your stomach, loving the warmth you emit. If you’re behind him, he’ll seize the opportunity to clutch his hands in yours, loving the feeling of your head on his shoulder. He sleeps so much better with you.
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elixirvitae · 2 years
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I wanna know, what are your personal thoughts on the Hellsing Org members? Who do you like and what do you think of the characters in general, I bet you have preferences 😀
I love all the Hellsing Org members! I'm gonna try to put this under a cut cause it got long.
INTEGRA was actually integral (fuck I'm funny) to my early years of anime. I grew up in the 90's, and like a lot of AFAB people, I very often had a grudge against main female characters in media because they were either love interests, or "worse": they were popularly shipped with a part of MY ship. But I saw Integra appear on screen in the 2001 anime, and I had stars in my eyes. She was calm, collected, confident, and she was wearing a power suit. And Yoshiko Sakakibara and Victoria Harwood could read a phone book to me and I would swoon. Also, I stan an ace icon Integra and you'll pry that out of my cold, dead, ace hands.
Now, SERAS...got on my nerves. When you're a 12 year old goth kid, the one bitching about being a fucking vampire might get on your nerves. And for me it did. I am sooooo grateful that I grew out of it in high school. She's easily the most relatable character in Hellsing when you're looking at a demographic of young adults who were already barely holding their lives together. She has the BEST character development in the series. Hands down. Also I just want to say that you can shit on Gonzo all you want but the solo Seras plot line was great. I love how she was good at being a cop. She's fucking smart. We dont see any of that in Ultimate.
Listen. I need you to listen. You know by now I'm old. I need to explain something. I started Gonzo and the Manga in 2001. The manga wasn't moving along quickly, which is why Gonzo's plotting took that weird turn after the Valentine Brothers (even though you can see the swastika on the vampire chip! Easter egg!). And back then we didn't get English scanlations the day after the chapter was released in Japan. We had to wait for the English version. So I watched Gonzo over and over. And I loved WALTER. I was (am) a Batman kid and he was like Dark Alfred. He was ride or die for the Hellsing family. Loyal, competent, reliable. I felt this way about Walter until the Japanese chapter of his betrayal was published in YKO in like 2007, 2008. And now I'm pissed at him. I'm pissed at Hirano. He was a fucking tool the whole time. :( He was a lying liar who told lies. But what the fuck is he so fine, for? I need a goth butler to light my cigars for me.
Also, can we all agree that CAPTAIN FERGUSON from Gonzo was a real one? Good old man. Walter could learn from him.
Now I get to embarrass myself.
"Gentlemen, I love ALUCARD." I love him. I loved his presence, his voices, his clothes, his 80’s goth hair, his guns, his personality. I was already obsessed with vampires and Dracula. He had the anagram name, but then in Gonzo he impaled Incognito and that strike of lightning lit up his face to show Vlad Tepes and I lost it. But then I got to keep up with the manga, and all of his different facets compiled together created such an interesting, complex, incorrigible, sympathetic creature. He’s written in a way that makes you genuinely understand and believe why this character, over hundreds of years of conflict and trauma and bad decisions and loss of faith and wisdom gained, is the way he is. He was a man who did and experienced very bad things, and he's still not really a good person. But both his early years of human adolescence and his last years as the most powerful creature known to Earth are spent as a prisoner in a gilded cage. The difference is he replaced the rage, ambition, and subservience to God with a sort of absurdist contentment while he revels in his own lack of autonomy in subservience to a woman he respects and cares deeply about.
I was already a baby bat with an obsession with vampires. Then Alucard came around and I started to learn everything I could about him as a character. I studied alchemy and the occult, vampire lore from across Europe, and eventually lore of all sorts. 20 years later, I’ve read every published work by Dracula expert Radu Florescu. I’m an awarded member of a medieval studies organization for teaching classes about alchemy and the occult in history, about Eastern Europe and its long war with the Turks, and about Wallachian clothing during the late 15th century and the style influences from neighboring cultures and occupying forces. I also re-enact from Ancient Rome up through Elizabethan Period England. I’m a practicing Luciferian. None of this is ACTUALLY important in the real world, my point is that I literally would not be the same person I am if it weren’t for Alucard. I’m not interested in all of these things strictly because of their connection to Alucard, but he was definitely the gateway to a lot of my passions in my adult life.
“Gentlemen, I LOVE Alucard.”
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fific7 · 3 years
Text
There May Be Trouble Ahead - Part 3
John Whittaker x Reader
A/N: This does not follow canon, it’s all lemon zest 🍋 because the world deserves more of the over-eager puppy that is the handsome Johnny Whittaker. And puppies need discipline.
The song excerpt is from ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’ which surely must be John’s life anthem? (It wasn’t released until 1936 but there’s that fiction writer’s licence again.)
Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content including oral between consenting adults*. Some drinking.
*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.
(Not my GIF, credit to owner)
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As John followed you out of his bedroom, you asked him if you might use the bathroom and he took your hand once more, guiding you along the corridor and pointing at a door. Once inside, you looked around at the huge roll-top bath and large porcelain sink. You smiled, once again it all seemed very Victorian to your (you liked to think) very modern eye.
Coming back downstairs a little later on, you heard a murmur of voices from below you and paused on the half-landing, tip-toeing to the edge and peeking cautiously over the banister rail.
John and Sarah were standing in the large lobby, and you noticed that John had his arms crossed over his chest in a very defensive stance.
You heard Sarah say in her quiet voice, “I just don’t want you to get hurt again, Johnny.” You grimaced as she said “Johnny” and the familiar way she used it. “I mean I hardly have to remind you what happened the last time you met someone and got carried away, do I? She ran off with your Father!” Your mouth rounded into an ‘O’ as you heard those explosive words. A scowl appeared on John’s face, and he snapped, “Well firstly, you did just remind me! And secondly, at least the old man’s not around this time to run off with my wife!”
“Wife!” exclaimed Sarah, “She’s an acquaintance at best! Hardly appropriate to speak of her as your wife. You met her, what - a week ago?” “Took me less time than that with Larita,” shot back John. Now it was Sarah’s turn to pull a face. “I’m just saying to take it more slowly this time, Johnny, that’s all!” John started striding away from her and you pulled back from the banister in case either of them looked up and spotted you. “Well, thank you for the advice, Sarah. You can rest assured that this time I shall be doing things with less haste and more consideration.”
Through the banister rails you watched Sarah remain standing there for a moment, crestfallen, before following after John.
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John stalked into the sitting room, heading for a cigarette box on one of the low tables and opening it. Thankfully it wasn’t empty, so he took one out, tapped it a couple of times and lit it with the ornate table lighter next to the box. He drew on it before blowing out a long plume of smoke into the air. He heard heels making their way across the large rug behind him and hoped it was his guest, turning with a smile on his face.
Seeing that it was Sarah, his smile faded and he knew she’d noticed that. But why then did she have to keep on at him like some kind of mother hen? He sighed, “What other pearls of wisdom are you here to cast before me, Sarah?”
She tried a tentative smile, “I don’t mean to nag, Johnny. You know I don’t. It’s as I said, I just don’t want you to get hurt again.” He moved over to the large windows, gazing out over the landscape, “I don’t intend to, believe me. And I don’t intend to hurt my new lady friend either,” he replied, still smoking his cigarette and speaking over his shoulder to her, “I’ve met someone I truly like and I’m not about to mess it up.”
He turned back to the window and therefore missed seeing Sarah’s lips tightening into an almost-snarl as she heard his words.
And unbeknownst to him, the ‘someone’ of whom he spoke was currently listening just outside the sitting room.
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A quiet voice behind you made you jump. “Are you lost, madam?” You swung round. Oh, it was the butler, Furber was it?
“Oh no, it’s fine thank you, Mr Furber. I’m just looking for John and I think I’ve found him now.” You pointed theatrically - and somewhat ridiculously - into the sitting room, before giving him an embarrassed smile and disappearing through the door.
You saw that Sarah was now the one adopting the defensive body language, and she and John were staring each other down in what looked like some kind of Mexican Standoff.
Okay, you thought, here I go with my ‘Absolutely Innocent of Eavesdropping’ act.
“Oh, John - there you are! I thought I’d lost you for a moment,” and you gave him a big smile. “Hello, Sarah!” you added, now looking at her and still smiling, but it was a very much smaller one than John had received from you.
John reacted as you’d hoped he would and came rushing over to you immediately, hand going to yours. “Do you want to go, darling? We can, you know.” “Perhaps we should,” you said, “we don’t want to take up the whole of everyone’s afternoon, do we?” He grinned at you, “No, we don’t, darling.”
You hid a smile, thinking that he was perhaps slightly overdoing it with the ‘darling’s’ but you’d take them all. Because you’d caught a look of absolute fury on Sarah’s face for a split-second when she’d heard the first ‘darling’ leave his lips.
That’s more like it, girl! you thought gleefully, let out all that broiling jealousy and sexual tension hiding inside that calm little head!
If she wasn’t going to be honest about her true feelings and instead mess around playing silly mind games, then that really wasn’t your problem. You’d just met John, you liked him (much to your amazement, you had to admit) and you wanted to see where things led.
It had annoyed you, quite frankly, when you’d heard her dripping words of doubt into John’s ear as if she was merely a concerned bystander, instead of being an interested party herself.
And if she was going to play dirty, then you just might have to as well.
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John was feeling immensely relieved as he drove the two of them away from Flintham Hall. His darling (which was how he found himself thinking of her now) didn’t seem to have overheard that silly squabble of his with Sarah and they’d managed to take their leave fairly easily without too many entreaties from his Mother to stay longer.
Although she did seem a little quiet on the drive back to town. He shook off the thought, she was probably just a bit overwhelmed after meeting all of them in one fell swoop. It was quite a task, he acknowledged. He knew his family could be intimidating.
Arriving back and parking outside her flat, he was overjoyed when she asked him if he’d like to come in for either more tea or a small aperitif.
It seemed that he was still in her ‘good books’.
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You poured a pale sherry for each of you and handed a glass to John. He was lounging - entirely at ease - on your large cherry-red sofa, and you sat opposite him on the matching armchair. He looked slightly disappointed at that but took a sip of his sherry, saying “Mmm, that’s a nice Fino.”
You’d spent the whole journey back pondering whether to confess that you’d eavesdropped. Firstly, you felt guilty for doing so. One of your mother’s favourite sayings was ‘eavesdroppers never hear good of themselves’ if she ever caught you and your little brother listening at doors. And secondly, you didn’t want there to be any lies or omissions between you and John.
“Yes, it’s not bad,” you agreed. “Look John, I need to tell you something.” He sat bolt upright, “Oh no - you’re dumping me! Already!” he wailed. You laughed, “No, I’m not! But I do need to discuss something with you.”
He sat back again, still looking anxious, “Tell me!” he demanded. You drew in a deep breath, “I overheard your conversation with Sarah. I’m sorry!” you said quickly, “I really didn’t mean to, I was just coming downstairs… and then you were in the sitting room.” You grinned, “Furber caught me standing outside!” He also grinned, “Yes, he’s got a habit of appearing without warning! I suppose it’s the whole butler thing.” His expression sobered, “So you did hear us squabbling! And also the final scandalous fact about my ill-fated marriage.” He took another sip of sherry. “Yes, the sad fact is, my Father ran off with her. They’re living in sin and penury down in the south of France.”
“I’m sorry, John,” you said sincerely, “that must’ve been hard to bear.” He smiled at you, “It wasn’t the best. And of course Mother went absolutely mad and said it was all my fault. Which it was, of course. By that time, I’d realised that I didn’t love her but yes, it still stung.” You leaned back and looked steadily at him, “I suppose it was for the best. In an awful way. But tell me, what’s with Sarah?” He gave you a puzzled look, “What do you mean, darling?”
“Your relationship with her. Tell me about it.” He sighed, “Mother always wanted me to marry her. She saw it as the joining of two dynasties, nothing romantic about it. I think I told you we had a brother-sister thing between us? We grew up together so that’s just how it was. Then mater started putting pressure on me to get engaged to her and her parents weren’t opposed to it, so it was kind of understood between the two families that that’s what would eventually happen. But then… Larita. As I said.” Another sip of sherry. “When she left, it was obvious that everyone expected me to just pick up with Sarah again from where we left off. But she didn’t seem all that keen - wounded pride, I suppose and I don’t blame her for that - and to be brutally honest, I really wasn’t keen either.”
His dark eyes gazed over at you, “I never felt that spark with her, you know? She’s just like another sister.” You almost felt sorry for Sarah. “So it was just kind of… left on the side and no-one’s mentioned it again.” You nodded, and decided to take the plunge, “You do realise that she’s in love with you? And probably always has been?”
His face was a picture. “Umm.. what?” You nodded again, “Yes, John, believe me. Her indifferent demeanour is all an act. She wants you for herself.” You met his eyes, watching him intensely, “Does that change anything? How you feel about her? Because if it does, then I’ll just take myself off somewhere else.” He shook his head vigorously, “No! It changes nothing. Absolutely nothing.” He put his sherry glass down on the small table next to the sofa and came over to crouch down beside your chair, grasping your arm, “I’m sorry about it if that’s the case, I truly am. But it’s you I want, not Sarah.” He leant in towards you and the two of you gazed into each other’s eyes, then John’s lips softly met yours and you shared a sedate kiss.
Breaking apart, he laughed nervously, “I hope you don’t mind that I kissed you?” Shaking your head and running a finger along his jaw, you were smiling as you replied, “I don’t mind in the slightest, John.”
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John was driving perhaps a little too fast along the country roads, on his way back home in the gathering dusk. He was a very happy man indeed, and he was singing at the top of his voice.
There may be trouble ahead
But while there's moonlight
And music and love and romance
Let's face the music and dance
Before the fiddlers have fled
Before they ask us to pay the bill
And while we still have the chance
Let's face the music and dance
He pulled the car to a grinding halt and leapt out of it, bounding up the steps and into the house. Furber, gliding along with a tray holding a decanter of sherry and four glasses, hid a smile and nodded at him, “Good evening, sir. Shall I bring an additional glass for you?” “Uh.. no, thanks Furber, I’m just going to my room. To.. uh.. lie down for a nap before dinner.”
Furber hid an even bigger smile. He knew the signs only too well. The Master was in love again.
John’s foot was on the first step of the staircase when Veronica’s voice cut through his pleasant thoughts. “John! Please join us!” His shoulders dropped… caught like a rat in a trap! Accepting defeat, he turned on his heel and trotted into the sitting room behind his Mother. The other three ladies were ranged around various sofas and armchairs and in the process of accepting glasses of sherry from Furber, who magically produced a fifth glass and now filled it for John. How does he do that? wondered John, does he keep supplies of spare glasses in his pockets? Hmm, maybe he does, I wouldn’t put it past him.
He took the glass and thanked Furber, settling into one of the squashy old armchairs and facing the four women who were all looking at him expectantly. He looked back at them, until eventually his Mother broke the stalemate, “Well, John? Where did you meet her? At the Art Gallery?” Marion sniggered bitchily, “As if! John’s never been inside an art gallery in his life, Mama!” Shooting her a poisonous look, John replied, “As it happens - no, Mother.” Marion snorted in triumph but John ignored her, continuing, “I nearly hit her in the head with a tennis ball.”
“Johhhhnnn!” wailed his mother, “That’s no way to impress a lady!” He sighed, “I do realise that, mater. I promise you I didn’t do it on purpose. But it was certainly very fortuitous.” He knew that he probably had a dreamy, faraway look in his eyes but he didn’t care. He noticed Sarah’s eyes on him, and he felt a sudden pang of guilt. But what can I do? he thought, the heart wants what the heart wants.
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Monday was dragging by and felt very tedious. You’d begun work on a small canvas by a fairly famous local artist and as you meticulously and gently rubbed at the grime which covered it, your mind drifted to last Saturday evening.
After that first innocent kiss, John had pulled you up off the armchair and slid his arms right around you, holding you close and kissing you in an increasingly passionate fashion. So much so that you eventually had to gently shove him away, smiling and catching your breath.
Most of the (admittedly few) men you had stepped out with had been appalling kissers, all wet lips and slobbering over you in indecent haste.
John might act like an overgrown schoolboy (or puppy, take your pick) but in the kissing stakes, he was well out in front of the rest of the field. His lips had hovered at your ear and you felt little huffs of his breath against it. “Your lips, your mouth, your eyes… you’re driving me insane,” he whispered, and you’d almost fainted at the sensuality of it.
You suddenly heard your supervisor’s sharp voice, and you looked up quickly at the older woman. She was in fact a very good mentor, her bark being worse than her bite as they say. She smirked, “You’re in a world of your own today, dear! I called your name at least twice before now.” Looking more closely at you, she gave a delighted laugh, “Oh my! There’s a man involved, isn’t there?” You blushed furiously and she crowed, “I was right! I knew it. Now, tell me all about him!”
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After spending ten minutes telling your mentor all about John, you were slightly disappointed when she had a bit of a mixed reaction to the details you shared.
“My dear, he does sound very dashing,” she intoned, and you knew there was a ‘but’ coming, “but he also sounds a little bit… risqué.” You opened your mouth to jump to his defence, but she held up a hand, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you do need to guard against making any impulsive decisions regarding him. He sounds as if he likes impulsive gestures, judging by the sound of the circumstances surrounding his marriage. And then his father running off with his wife! I mean, my dear, that is positively…” “Scandalous,” you supplied, “yes, I do realise that. But I truly believe he’s learned his lesson.”
She looked sceptical, “So you say, but please do bear in mind that he’s still probably inclined towards the impulsive, despite what he says. I’m sure your parents would never forgive me if I didn’t at least try and sound a warning shot across your bows!” You dipped your head and accepted her thoughts, “I am listening to you, honestly,” you assured her.
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John had taken to telephoning you every evening since the Saturday you’d spent together. “I just want to hear your voice,” he’d say say quietly into the phone. “It’s nice to hear yours, too,” you’d reply. When he phoned you on Tuesday evening, you could hear some excitement in his voice. “I’ve got us two stand tickets for the races on Saturday,” he said, his words tumbling over each other, “Oh say you’ll come! It’s not one of the big gold cup meetings but it’ll be so much fun!” You laughed, caught up in his excitement, “Yes, John, I’ll come.”
“Wonderful! Mater keeps telling me not to call you too much or pester you at work but I can’t help it!” “It’s fine, I don’t mind,” you said truthfully, thinking about how you now sat in your flat of an evening waiting for him to call. Not that you’d admit that to him, of course. Your feelings for John were definitely a bit like a runaway train at the moment, and you were trying to keep the brakes on but you were struggling to do so.
About half an hour after you’d hung up, your doorbell rang. Opening the door, you were less than charmed to see your neighbour Euphemia standing on your doorstep clutching a teacup. “Oh hullo,” she greeted you, “I wonder if I can borrow some sugar?” Mentally rolling your eyes, you said, “Of course, step in for a moment.” You took the cup from her and she trailed along your hall after you, following you to the kitchen. You knew exactly why she was here and as you poured out some sugar for her, she said, trying to sound casual, “So you have a new young man, then?”
Your back was to her so you smirked to yourself. “Yes, Euphemia, I do,” you said lightly. “Mmm,” she grunted, “What’s his name, then?” “John.” “John what?” Now she was beginning to annoy rather than amuse you, “John No-one-You’ll-Ever-Have-Heard-Of,” you said sarcastically, handing her the cup of sugar. “There you go, Euphemia! Now, so sorry, I’m right in the middle of something.” In other words, sling your hook. She had a very dissatisfied look on her face as she hadn’t been able to get all the information she wanted out of you. Just then, there was another knock at the door so you headed to it, Euphemia on your heels again. God, that woman!
Upon opening the door this time, you were delighted to see a much more welcome face. John was standing there, a very large bouquet of peonies in his hand. He gave you a big smile then immediately leaned in for a kiss, but pulled back suddenly mid-kiss when his eyes met Euphemia’s over your shoulder. “Oh!” he exclaimed, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realise you had company.” You looked over your shoulder, saying, “Euphemia was just leaving, weren’t you Euphemia?” you said with a hint of menace in your voice. “Um… yes,” she nodded, “nicer to meet you, Mr… ?” You grabbed John’s arm and squeezed hard, “Bye, Euphemia!” She sulkily brushed past you and John and made her way down your steps.
You dragged John inside and quickly closed the door. “That woman!” you hissed, “She’s just been in here to ‘borrow a cup of sugar’ …in other words, trying to sniff out information about you!” John laughed, “Ah, now I understand! Here, darling… these are for you.” He handed you the bouquet, you exclaiming how pretty they were and beginning to look for a vase. “I remembered you said that peonies were your favourites,” he announced proudly. You were impressed! You two had passed a florists on the evening of your first date and you’d remarked how much you loved the big blowsy pink flowers.
“Anyhow, she’s not very pleased,” you said conversationally as you busied yourself arranging the flowers, “she didn’t get any information out of me at all apart from your first name.” You looked up at him, holding one of the blooms in your hand, “And as much as I’m pleased to see you and these beautiful flowers… what on earth are you doing here, John?”
You saw his face pink up, “I hope you won’t be annoyed but I couldn’t wait until Saturday to see you.” Your stomach filled with butterflies and you put down the peony, going over to where he stood and hugging him, before kissing his cheek. “You’re such a sweet boy,” you smiled at him. You felt his his shoulders relax. “Marion told me you’d get really fed up with me.”
You ghosted a kiss over his lips, “Oh, poor Marion… she’s not a happy bunny, is she?” John smiled a little sadly, “Disappointed in love. Her intended had no intention of marrying her and took off travelling.” “Oh, what a shame,” you sympathised. “It’s given her a slightly skewed view of life,” John shrugged, “she unfortunately tends to revel in other people’s embarrassing situations.”
He leant back from you, your arms still round him, “You’re not fed up with me, are you?” You smiled, “Not yet.” He landed a small kiss on your lips, “I’m pleased to hear that.” “Have you eaten?” “No… I had the sudden impulse to come haring over here to see you.” You stroked his cheek, “Then have a seat,” you waved towards your kitchen table, “and I’ll make you something.”
Your mentor’s words echoed in your head as you went to the pantry and took out some food items for John. “…he’s still probably inclined towards the impulsive…”
You felt a little soupçon of worry. It seems like she had possibly hit the nail right on the head.
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@paracosmenthusiast
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fandomwriterstuff · 3 years
Text
Traumtänzer (Pt. 4)
Rated T
German Translation:
Liebling - Darling
Part 3
Part 5
You were shocked, to say the least, when you arrived at an airstrip to see a private jet. You shouldn’t have been all that surprised (he’s a Baron, after all), but you were.
“So all this time you’ve been rich?” Sam asked, bewildered, and you trailed behind the three of them, anxious about flying.
“I am a Baron, Sam. My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country,” Helmut chided him. Soon enough he’d greeted his old friend, possibly butler, Oeznik.
As you walked past him onto the jet you greeted him in Sokovian, to which he smiled brightly and offered you a bright ‘ Hello, Miss.’
When you were all seated, with champagne no less, your nerves started getting the better of you.
“Are you alright, Maus?” You couldn’t quite figure out why Helmut was speaking in English.
“The last time I was flying I wasn’t on a plane,” you mumbled and looked down, clenching your fists.
“What do you mean?” Sam asked you, leaning back in his seat.
“I mean the last time I was several thousand feet in the air I was in Novi Grad,” you shot him a glare, but you knew it wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t even there. Helmut’s gloved hand encased your own and he stroked his thumb over the back of it. Ah, he’d been speaking English to make the American’s feel guilty. This was all a chess game to him. You just weren’t sure if you were a pawn or not.
“Everything will be fine, we’re safe here,” Helmut reassured you. You nodded and went to walk down the aisle and explore a bit while still listening in.
“Now, why don’t you tell us where we’re going. I’ve never heard of Madripoor,” Sam tried to steer the conversation, but Helmut was looking at a notebook he’d tucked into his book.
“I’m sorry, I was just looking at this. I don’t know what to call it but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?”
You didn’t hear James’ thoughts, per se. You weren’t even looking at him. But you knew he would react, so as he jumped out of his seat you did the only thing you could think of.
Your stomach tightened and eyes closed shut as you dematerialized from one end of the jet and rematerialized right in front of Helmut. What you hadn’t anticipated was that James was going to try and choke Helmut out. What James hadn’t anticipated was you teleporting in front of his arm.
You felt as if you were watching from outside your body as your mind shut down with panic.
James’ gloved metal hand clenched around your throat for just a moment before he backed up with panic in his eyes. You couldn’t back up any further and nearly collapsed into Helmut’s lap. To save yourself the embarrassment, you panic-teleported back into your seat. It was never good to panic teleport, you could teleport into something or someone. You’d forgotten pieces of your body before. Nothing important, just the tip of a finger that would grow back or your hair. This time nothing bad happened, but your throat was screaming from the harsh metal grip meant for another. That would bruise.
You tuned out James’ angry response and Helmut’s curious gaze and curled into your seat, intent on sleeping the rest of the way to Madripoor. It was that or start crying.
Unfortunately, that meant you missed the rundown on Madripoor.
“ So, what is the plan? I missed the whole… thing,” you said, gesturing at the two men walking behind the two of you. You were headed to a luxurious hotel to get changed before the mission, but you didn’t even know what the mission was.
“ It’s going to be dangerous, but for you it will be very simple. Listen to me, alright?”
You nodded, watching his lips move as he talked. He was mesmerizing and beautiful to look at.
“ You’re going to stay by my side all night as my fiance. Your only job is to get us out of there if things go wrong. Just act the part and things will be fine,” he murmured as you entered the hotel, and you nodded. You could play pretend.
“ You should know I do have basic combat skills,” you looked up at him and shrugged. “ Also I’ve never teleported more than one person besides myself before.”
“I’m sure you can do it, liebling,” the nickname rolled so easily off of his tongue, you barely caught it. You did though, and fought the blush and rapidly beating heartbeat you suddenly were dealing with.
Sam and James went to change in different rooms, and Helmut brought you a black bag and some jewelry.
“ These are for you, I’ll wait out here and I can help you if you need anything,” you gulped but smiled tentatively as you took the items from him and changed into them in the next room.
“ Helmut?” you called, feeling foolish.
“ Yes, liebling?”
“ Can you please zip me up?” you bit your lip and glanced in the mirror to watch him walk up behind you and stand so near to you you were almost touching. You locked eyes in the mirror as one of his hands held onto the bottom of the zipper and the other gingerly drew the zipper up your back.
“ Beautiful,” he breathed the word into your ear.
“ Helmut, I…” you paused and turned, his hands falling free of your dress. You looked up into his deep brown eyes and unconsciously stuck your tongue out the tiniest bit to wet your lower lip.
“ You what, liebling?” He settled his hands on your hips, gently but firm enough that you felt grounded, secure.
“ I think I’d like for you to kiss me now,” you barely breathed the words, but he heard them and smirked.
He cupped your cheek with one hand, the other still on your hip, and pressed his lips to yours so very softly, like he was afraid you might break.
There was the sound of a distant door opening, and he leaned away from you.
“ I think you should wear this tonight, to really show that we’re engaged,” he pulled a bright engagement ring from his pocket and gently slid it onto your finger.
“ Ready to face them?” he asked you before opening the door. He waited until you nodded, and you went to meet Sam and James out in the living room.
Masterlist
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steve0discusses · 3 years
Text
S5 Ep10: Kaiba Embarrasses Himself on International Television Again
We start off this duel by teasing us into believing that this is a part of a theme park:
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The Kaiba theme park is a weird mix of actual horrorscapes and animal crossing cutesy stuff...you can really tell what parts were Mokuba and what parts were Seto in this park.
But Leon takes it well, just kinda standing there as he’s done this entire arc--being a general forgettable nice boy who just...doesn’t do anything. Like he gets up, he plays cards, he sits down. Having him on top of a rock with melodramatic Little Mermaid waves crashing at his feet is laughably the opposite of Leon’s whole vibe.
Leon just seems like the type that listens to coffee shop ambient Youtube videos when he wants to amp himself up. This kid appears to attend a private school...somewhere...I think, and just went to a dueling competition in his school outfit because he literally doesn’t have a style of his own hanging in his closet.
Like Yugi wears his school outfit, but he does that ironically, to off-set the amount of makeup and hair spray he has in his hair. Leon wears the school outfit maybe because he admires Yugi so much, but is like “time for my rogue bow I wear in my hair. That’ll scare my competition.” He completely missed the point of the 00′s alt school outfit scene.
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I do way too much art to not see the imagery. I feel like this is half my job, and playing “where’s the hidden Freudian meaning?” is half the fun of going to any art museum.
(read more under the cut)
Anyway, Seto got tired of no one paying any attention to him, so he stepped out of his 14-monitor mancave, he very quickly pulled his Dragon outfit out of the (dirty) laundry, flicked a couple sea crabs out of his pockets, spritzed it with Febreeze and called it “good enough.”
Like, is it just me, or has dragon jacket greyed out a tad from last season? Like it’s starting to get a little...worn? Like what funk is coming off of Seto Kaiba right now?
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Also notice that he brought his giant stash of cards to the duel. He’s going to put on this show as if he’s not going to pull out the giant stash of cards. But like...he’s going to pull out the giant stash of cards. Like Hell boring ass Leon is going to play his deck of Candyland characters again.
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Leon is declared a winner on Technicality and it’s like.
Damn Seto, for reals?
So congrats, Leon, you did literally nothing, again, and yet you mystifyingly  persist on this show. Clearly you aren‘t going to grow a second head out of that ponytail like professor Quirrel in the last act of this arc.
That’s when Yugi’s hazy memory recalls something from the Before Times of “that time period before I was possessed by a needy ghost that eats up 3/4 of my memories and time.”
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So Schroeder is Atari. Neat.
Also, this makes Zigfrieds outfits a hell ton more endearing when you realize he’s this Willy Wonka game company owner making toys for children. Kinda makes you wonder why Seto’s such a stick up the ass in comparison when it’s like--dude Kaiba, maybe you could learn a thing or two about whimsy. It could really help out your inconsistent park.
Anyway, Kaiba quickly realized who hacked the park and so, understandably, he asked Zigried to leave, which...backfired?
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Y’all card culture is a lot. Everyone in the audience covered their faces in shame because they were so embarrassed by Seto Kaiba and I’m like...not sure why? Because he didn’t do a duel? Against this guy who snuck into his tourney not unlike Rex and Weevil? This asshole?
Recall that the last time Seto played a guy who had a fake name it was Marik freakin Ishtar and he killed a LOT of people (actually, it was Alister, pretending to be Pegasus, but he also killed a lot of people so that still tracks). Card culture can’t seem to learn from their mistakes, although Seto clearly sees the problem with dueling a professional hacker in a digital card game on a hologram that may or may not be able to murder you. At least its not a magic.
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And so, tired of being humiliated on television, Seto decides to bust out the dueling gloves (well, not those gloves. You know what I meant) and use the equipment he BROUGHT WITH HIM and clearly never intended not to use in the first place.
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(I hope you enjoy this dutch angle that wasn’t quite dutch enough, so it just looks like they’re lounging)
Roland patiently walks over from...somewhere? I don’t know where Roland comes from whenever he pops up, but he waltzed over to hold onto this suitcase as if that’s a formal part of his job.
I say this so often but like...I don’t know what Roland’s job is. He’s like a valet/butler/duel referee/duel cheerleader/CEO/and I will spend the rest of this series trying to understand it. Part of me is like...could Roland be a temp worker at an agency who just gets rehired for a different Kaiba Corp job every couple of weeks?
That weird ass fourthKaiba, I will never understand Roland.
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Just one letter away from being a Zigfriend, Kaiba. Just one letter away. I know this because I misspell friend a LOT.
Zigfreind? Zigfriend? Damn it, both of them look the freakin same to me, this sucks! Why can’t I spell friend without autocorrect!?
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Just the amount these two fight when Seto clearly barely even remembers who this guy even is.
Leon shows up in the seats, pretending that he’s totally cool about winning on a technicality right after Zigfried went on a rant about how shameful, irredeemable, and mortally embarrassing winning on technicalities are.
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He seems to take it pretty well, smiling, sitting next to Rebecca, and then dissolving right into the background because this kid’s whole deal is being way too nice to exist on this show.
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Y’all we just had that art meme where people were redrawing that “How to draw manga face” and guys...that’s what our anime used to look like.
I mean look at that uncomfortable chin there, that tapers in for some reason. Those eyes melting off of her face. The lack of any 3d sense. This was an anime ideal for a very, very long time.
Anyway, the “how to draw manga face” is a perfect masterpiece and never needs to change. (But it is fun to make fun of it although I guess the person that drew it was actually a kid, which makes sense from a publishing perspective to have a kid make a book about how to draw stuff for kids.)
We see a little flashback of Schroeder and why he hates Seto Kaiba, and can I just say, I kind of love this little outfit. Kind of a shame that it’s stuffed into a flashback.
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Which is when we found out that Zigfried thinks Seto Kaiba did a plagiarism.
Which is hilarious because it was Gozaburo Kaiba who was plagiarizing Seto, so like...who did it first?
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OK guys. Lets talk about this.
APPARENTLY, there was some sort of contest to work with Pegasus...kind of like an architecture contest (which is a thing, when a city is doing a big project, they send out a call, and big firms will compete to see who builds it) and I GOTTA know what Pegasus’ theme was.
Like did he say to all the little rich kid geniuses “I would like something that makes my cards ALIVE, can you do that?” Then when Pegasus got a hell ton of holograms and was he like “But ALIVE--it makes it alive, right boy?” And when he was shaking the hands of each stupid kid was he like “So if I hypothetically put my dead wife on a card and slapped it into the machine--could she EXIST. Like...enough? I just need her to legally exist is all, and not like..literally of course...but enough literally to be a sin against God, can you do that?”
I just want to know if Willy Wonka Wonderkid Von Schroeder had any idea he was creating a resurrection chamber for a dark wizard. Like he has no idea that he dodged getting his business bought straight from under him and his soul shoved into a card. And it’s not like Schroeder was going to abduct Yugi’s Grandpa and ensure that Yugi would be there to save him down the road. Like I’m pretty sure Schroeder would have been sacrificed waaay before that whole island contest even went down.
Zigfried got so freakin lucky. I can’t believe he’s mad. But then again...
...the man swims in milk pools so like...maybe his logic center is busted? Maybe he wanted to die in a horrific murder island? I don't know what Zigfried is into, but I do know that because Zigfried doesn’t have millennium rod powers linking him to the millennium eye--so would it have mattered? There’s destiny reasons that Pegasus chose Kaiba.
Course...we never found out where the scales ended up, have we? We think it’s Shadi, but have we seen Shadi bust those out since Season Zero?
Man that would be a good plot twist that will absolutely not happen.
Yo, make horse guy into a dark wizard, show, I dare you!
Anyway, that’s all for now, but if you want to read from the beginning, here’s the link:
https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono
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charming-2d-boys · 3 years
Note
How do you think the adultrio would respond to being ROASTED by their crush? (Mutual feelings between the crush on the member of the trio, but neither of them know their feelings are returned) *waggles eyebrows*
Oho, this is gonna be fun 😈
Thank you and I hope you like it! 🙇💕
Also, I think those suck, so please, someone come and roast those guys for me or with me if I did this right 😂
Chrollo
Chrollo has been feeling some sort of way about you for a while and has been trying to show it to you
and you liked him too - it was a bit too hard not to like him
but he always seemed to be polite to everyone, speak in this calm manner and using such clever words
it just didn’t seem as if he was treating you any differently
so when Machi, knowing about your crushes on each other, asked what you didn’t like about Chrollo - he was curious if there was something and if he could change it to make you like him more
I’d love to run my fingers through his hair, but I’m scared they’d get stuck in all that hair gel of his and I wouldn’t be able to pull them out or I’d pull them and his hair off too
Machi’s lip barely twitched before she looked at Chrollo who looked shocked, with his eyes wide and staring from you to Machi as you continued talking about other things
well, he didn’t really expect that
but he did use a lot of hair gel, so he could understand
and when he thought of the image you managed to conjure in his mind, he actually scoffed in amusement
he’d lay off the hair gel, at least for a while, and especially when he was around you
you did notice how his hair was now let down more often
and honestly, the urge to run your fingers through his hair was really strong
it looked really soft and fluffy
and one day, while you were watching TV, Chrollo sat down next to you, with a book, of course
only that he asked if he could sit... with his head in your lap
all while staring at you with those big, captivating, grey eyes and those pouty lips set in a charming, warm smile
you just couldn’t say no
and so you got a comfy pillow and put it on your thighs
for some time, you both stayed silent and did your own thing
but your hands were twitching to just go through his hair and you just couldn’t help it when you asked him if he could do it
oh, what made you want to do something like this?
again, those grey eyes staring at you and that... playful smile
you just told him to shut it and enjoy it, which made him laugh
and his hair really was soft and fluffy now that it wasn't slicked back with tons of hair gel
Chrollo only hummed before slowly putting the open book on his chest and enjoying your fingers through his hair and your nails over his scalp
it was a quiet, peaceful moment
the Spiders were getting sick of your little dance around your feelings while you were glancing at one another when you thought the other wasn’t looking
hopefully, one of you would soon crack and expose their feelings for the other
Hisoka
this dummy...
he has an interest in you
he’s been around you for an awful lot of time and you probably won’t fight him
you even told him that and he still hung around
of course, with all the time he spent with you, you started taking a liking to him
none of you said anything to the other about your feelings
Hisoka wasn’t really sure that what he felt wasn’t just extreme lust or just him wanting to toy around with you
and you were pretty sure that Hisoka didn’t want anything serious like a relationship with you
as weird and extravagant as he was, Hisoka could be pretty funny when he wanted to be
and he almost always was around you, making you feel pretty safe
Hisoka could pester and tease you a lot though
and it got to the point where it actually started getting on your nerves one day
usually, you would just shake your head and let him be or retaliate
but today, you just wanted to shut him up
he just kept poking you when you wouldn’t say a thing and in the end, you snapped
Hisoka, I swear that I’ll take you back to the circus if you don’t stop acting like a clown!
he could only blink and stare with a frozen smile
that was mean, lovely~ ♠️
that damn, teasing smile came back full force and Hisoka actually put an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him
that smile stayed on his face the whole day
at least it shut him up
that little comeback of yours amused him greatly and he was glad you could keep up with him and actually make him be silent
if only because of the thoughts in his head telling him that while there was definitely lust, Hisoka could feel that there was something more than that
he only wondered if, with just a bit more time by your side, he could actually be able to pinpoint his exact feelings and act upon them
and soon
he didn’t want to give you to anyone else
Illumi
somehow, you’d made it
you had made THE Illumi Zoldyck get a crush on you
after befriending Gon and Killua during the Hunter Exam, you’d visited Killua quite often
the two boys loved you and so did Alluka and Kalluto when you managed to meet them through some of your many visits to the Zoldyck estate
even Milluki liked you, but he kept his distance
still, he was respectful to you since you were just as polite to everyone you had met there
the butlers liked you, Silva and Kikyo liked you, Zeno enjoyed talking to you a lot and you liked listening to his stories, and Maha?
even he liked you, though he was quieter
you’d managed to brighten the whole place up with your optimism, kindness and politeness
Illumi had seen you during the exam and had kept a close eye on you, even more so when he saw Killua accept you nearby and grew curious after he’d brought you over the first time
you’d formally met Illumi and he was left feeling conflicted
he didn’t really like you at first
you were the type that would prevent Killua from fulfilling his family-imposed destiny of being the next heir and assassin
but the more he watched your interactions with everyone, including the ones with him, the more he realised that his family had actually grown closer
Illumi would stare at you a lot of times, wondering why you’d attracted his attention so much
Hisoka was the one who noticed that there was something going on when he saw him zone out a lot more often
and when he teasingly asked him if he was in love
that’s when it clicked
and so, Illumi now tried spending time with you whenever you were at the estate and not with any of the others
you actually started liking him
he was pretty quiet, but cute, respectful and strong
right now, he was ready to tear you away from Killua and Alluka who you were animatedly talking to when he heard Killua’s words
(Y/N)-chan, what do you think about Illumi and his needles?
Illumi stopped as you hummed, curious about your answer
I always wonder if his senses are that good, you know? I mean, I know he’s an assassin and all, but did he ever forget one of his needles somewhere and stung himself in the butt or something? Or did he get his Rapunzel-like hair tangled up? I remember when Gon threw him over his shoulder and he seemed pretty clumsy
Illumi was, for once, embarrassed
unfortunately, things like those had happened before
the needle one? when he was a kid and he was still trying to get used to them
and the hair one... a few months before because he had a fitful sleep - a rare occurrence, but it did happen
and the thing with Gon... of course you were there and just had to see that
Killua and Alluka snickered and just at that moment, Killua looked back and smirked at Illumi
the little jerk knew he was there
and that he liked you
and he took full advantage of it
Illumi could only call out to you, stating that he needed your opinion on something
and as you left with him, Illumi could hear his younger siblings’ snickering
he hoped you liked him, despite the embarrassing moments, and that he’d be able to tell you he liked you too
maybe he could ask Hisoka for some advice?
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cummingforkylo · 3 years
Text
The Prince Of Alderaan Chapter II
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Chapter Summary: Lady Whistledown’s latest papers leaves you quite indignant and unsure of your next steps. Hyde Park is beautiful at this time of year but when you venture out with your Mama, you have anything but flowers in mind. 
Chapter One | Read On AO3 | Send me a Ko-fi
Rating: Explicit...eventually
Word Count: 5,309
Warning: None as of now
Pairing: Kylo Ren x reader
Notes: Okay, Okay, I KNOW if you’ve seen Bridgerton you know that I pretty much took this one key element from the storyline but I promise i’m going to do it differently.This story is inspired by the netflix show/book series Bridgerton. It’s kind of a crossover because I do use some themes and characters from the show but it is mostly a Kylo x Reader fic. Remember: historical accuracy is not the goal!<3 
Dearest Lords and Ladies of London,
After the first event of the season last night I’m sure we are all wondering what scandal or excitement awaits our hungry appetite! This writer has heard from her sources that while the ball seemed to be laden with the typical talk(Miss Philippa Featherington danced with no one, Lady Browning indulged far too much in champagne and had to be removed from the party by her son, Lord Linfield was rejected by countless ladies for a dance…despite his sizable fortune-perhaps it is the lingering oder of cabbages and onions that accompanies him wherever he goes) there was one bit of excitement that stood far above the other more typical anecdotes. The most scandalous young lady of this season so far, Miss Huntington, seems to have caught the eye of the most coveted (and reluctant) bachelor of the season, the Prince of Alderaan.
Prince Kylo Ren of Alderaan spent much of the evening avoiding the dance floor and was seen to scurry away from many very suitable young ladies including Miss Bridgerton-Queen Charlotte’s choice of the season. While he resisted strongly(and some might even have called his actions rude) most of the young ladies he encountered he seemed to be unable to keep himself away from Miss Huntington. Miss Huntington, still fresh off of her family’s embarrassing gambling scandal last year did not do herself any favors at the Danbury Ball. She danced with a number of men who would have been perfectly adequate for her, but she seemed to have had nothing but contempt for them. Showing no more interest in them then a horse shows a fly and this mare perhaps should not be brushing flies away too quickly, no matter how much their buzz annoys her.
But perhaps the Prince sees something in Miss Huntington that society as a whole does not, because after ignoring the Queen’s choice of the season all night, the Prince and Miss Huntington came together for, by all accounts, a most heated dance.  I will be interested to see if Miss Huntington has a royal caller today and what that could mean for her prospects later on. Perhaps the Queen has chosen the wrong girl for the diamond of the season this year, perhaps we have all put our eggs in the wrong basket. But—perhaps not. Only time(and this writer) will reveal.
Yours most sincerely,
Lady Whistledown
“Contempt?” You gasped as you paced back and forth in front of the piano in your sitting room. Mama was sitting in front of a table holding the latest Lady Whistledown, a quickly cooling cup of tea completely forgotten sat on the table in front of her. “I didn’t show any of those men contempt! I was perfectly polite, Mama!” You complained. You were affronted to hear what that wretched Whistledown had written of you, written of you and the Prince.
“I understand that, but the members of the ton might not now that they’ve read this.” Mama sighed. Nerves clenched at your stomach, how could your status seemed to have gotten lower since the Danbury Ball? “Not all of what she wrote of you was terrible, dearest.” Mama said, trying to perk up. She set the paper down next to her tea on the table. “Don’t you agree, Ella?” she continued, looking to your lady’s maid who stood nearby.
“Oh, yes, not all of it was-“
“She compared me to a horse.” You said, turning around to face the two of them, frustration and irritation plain on your face. Ella’s face dropped and she nodded, looking away. “Sorry, Ella. I do not mean to take my own frustrations out on you.” You said.
“She did mention the Prince being taken with you-“
“Yes, what was the word she used to describe our dance?” You asked, “Oh yes, heated. That’s a scandalous word if ever I’ve heard one.” You said. You strode over to the table and picked up the copy of Lady Whistledown Society Papers that now sat on the table beside your Mama. You found yourself wanting to rip it into a million pieces, that of course would not be a proper display, even just in front of your mother and lady’s maid.
Your Mama reached out and took your hand, running her thumb along the backside of  it in a comforting way that only a Mama knew how to do. You looked down at her and found yourself for what felt like the millionth time, wishing things were different. Wishing things had not exploded for your family last year. How much easier would life currently be if your father had not indebted himself to so many people, not made a mockery of your lives? You tried to brush away the thought but anger pulsed through you. A most unlady-like feeling, anger. It caused you to think of actions you wanted to take but never could, words you wanted to speak but never would allow yourself to. It made you long even more for a different world wherein you could do and say those things. And longing wasn’t ladylike either.
“Dearest, she also compared you to Daphne Bridgerton and said the Queen herself may have been wrong in her choice. That the whole ton might have been wrong in thinking the diamond of the season was Miss Bridgerton, and she means that it could be you.” As your Mama spoke a whole knew vista of opportunities, and chances seemed to open up before you. You could, no, you had to prove this true. That you were more eligible, more likable and just…more than anyone else. The Prince could call on you and he could court you, and ask for your hand and marry you. Then all this worry, all this anger and pain and scandal would be for naught. It would be forgotten about because you will have made the match of the season. Even if he was rude, cruel and you became irritated at the mere memory of his mocking voice, you would still become a Princess when you married him and that was exactly what your family needed. Yes, that was the goal and you were heartened by it.
“My guess is you will have quite a lot of callers today, suitors ready to vy for your hand.” Mama said and you smiled because you really did agree with her.
*
Your mood dissolved as the day went on, you spent the entire day in the sitting room awaiting on callers. You paced, and no one called. You sat on the sofa and tried to read, and no one called. You  played piano and no flowers or gifts arrived. You talked to Ella about other things to try and distract yourself and no one called. You picked out fabric for your next dress from the swatches the Modiste had sent and no one called. Not one suitor. You had been so  convinced that the Prince would call, or at least send flowers that in the afternoon when there was a knock at the sitting room door you were sure it was the Butler there to tell you that he was there but instead the door opened and your eldest brother walked in with his wife and your niece and nephew close behind. Matthew was jovial as he greeted you and your Mama,
“Did you read Lady Whistledown today? That woman has a knack for writing compelling stories does she not?” He asked as he grabbed a biscuit and sank down at the table. His wife, Rose sat down next to you at the piano as the children ran about already causing havoc. You rolled your eyes, had they not read the same thing this morning? Why would he think it compelling?
“She compared me to a horse, Matthew.” You found yourself saying once again, turning to look at your elder brother who attempted and failed to hide a smile.
“I told him not to bring up Lady Whistledown.” Rose sighed, reaching over to take your hand in the sweet and gentle way that she did.
“Ella, can you call down to the kitchens for more tea, please?” Mama said, looking to Ella who said,
“Of course, Ma’am.” She curtsied and left them. Matthew watched her go from the room, and leaned back against his chair.
“She may have made a few brash statements, my dear sister but she also reminded everyone that their choice of Daphne Bridgerton for the diamond of the season could be false and it could be you.” Matthew said, delicately selecting another biscuit from the tray in front of him.
“That is precisely what I pointed out out to your sister earlier.” Your mama said approvingly glancing from Matthew to you over her teacup.
“That was before absolutely no suitors came to call this morning,” You reminded your mother, irritation coloring your voice once again.
Your nephew sped past the table his father was at, grabbing a biscuit as he went.
“Simon, where on earth are your manners?” Rose asked. Simon stuck his tongue out at his mother and continued his game of chasing his sister around the couch with the biscuit in his mouth.
“You had no suitors this morning? None at all?” Matthew asked, and the shock in his voice made you want to shrivel up and die. It was unfair, unfair that Matthew was there to bare witness to  your suffering, unfair that he should be here with his happy wife and children watching you fail at your only duty in life. Your mama shook her head to answer for you because you were looking anywhere but at your elder brother. Rose squeezed your hand and your chest flooded with sudden emotion. The tiniest gesture made you feel as though you were not alone. Had she once felt like this? Had she too wondered if anyone would want her? Had she wondered if she would amount to anything more than the hated title of ‘spinster’? No, Matthew had been there from the start, he had been interested and active in seeking her out.
Matthew was  frowning as if in thought, “Does father know?” he asked, trying now to hide some of his shock by asking pointless questions. Of course Father didn’t know, Father wasn’t home, how would he know? Mama answered in a more polite fashion than you would have,
“Not yet,” She said.
“Hm. Well. There is still time.” He said shot you a quick smile, perhaps you weren’t entirely useless. Your mood did not improve, even when you retreated to your room to get dressed for walking in Hyde park. You knew you could not get discouraged. You knew you had to prove yourself as the best. Lady Whistledown might have helped along the No Suitors Situation but she herself had also said you could be the rightful Diamond of the Season and not Daphne Bridgerton. Everyone had already said this to you today and now you had to remind yourself. You had to convince yourself because it would take that confidence to pull it off. As Ella helped you dress you found your mind floating back to the night before, at the Danbury Ball and how flat every dance had felt, every look between you and a man had had no significance, every touch was dull and expected. It had all been nothing. All except one—the Prince. The rude, cruel, infuriating Prince Ren who had called you improper, even though he had been the one staring at you. Kylo Ren, who had…touched your skin. Your heart pounded at the mere memory of his fingers grazing against your back. It made you ashamed but not nearly as much as it should have, because it also was the only memory from the Danbury Ball that exhilarated you. He had sought you out, and you alone, it had to have meant something. And yet when he danced with you it seemed as though all he wanted from it was to humiliate you. You wished it wasn’t possible. You wished it hadn’t worked. And you very much wished you still weren’t thinking about it.
***
Your thoughts of Prince Kylo Ren didn’t abate when you left your house for the short carriage ride to Hyde Park. You were still thinking about him as you strolled along the walking paths with your Mama and your Lady’s maids. You were trying to work out what exactly he had meant by his behavior, why choose you to be the only young lady he danced with and then be nothing but rude to you? Perhaps he did not think himself rude? Perhaps he just spoke his mind very bluntly. You considered this as the best option for a while, barely noticing where your feet were carrying you as you walked alongside your Mama. But a memory resurfaced from that night, that made it very clear to you that this could not be the case. It was the memory of the smirk that seemed to hang even in his voice as he said, “You stared at me, my lady.” Your insides twisted at it. That and the way his eyes burned. He knew precisely what he was doing, he knew he was trying to humiliate you, trying to make you feel as if you had done something wrong. “How improper,” those words sent a spark through your body, something akin to anger and embarrassment. His voice had been dark and intense, your mind was absorbed in it…accompanied with the feeling of his gloved fingers against the bare skin of your back. It wasn’t the correct place for him to place his hand while leading a dance, it was slightly too high. Yet, he had done it. Accidentally? It must have been. He just had not been used to dancing with someone quite that much shorter than him, perhaps. Those fingers blazed through your memory, leaving little room for anything else in your brain. You could imagine his fingers there again as you looked out across the Serpentine River, which was little more than a shallow man-made pond that cut through this section of Hyde Park.
Your mind was so wrapped up in the feeling of those fingers, and the burn in his eyes that it took you far too long to notice you were staring directly at the real thing. It took your mother taking your arm and hissing in your ear,
“Staring at the Prince is not very lady-like.” She squeezed your arm and you blinked. She, of course, was right. Across the lake, the prince was standing arm in arm with the Queen Regent of Alderaan, his mother. Someone he had not been seen with years. As you took him in you realized he had not noticed you yet,  you should look away, being caught staring at him yet again would surely end in more humiliation. He paused in his walk with his mother, his expression was irritated, lips tight, body stiff and upright as she spoke to him. His eyes flicked up and you were very suddenly caught in his gaze. Caught wasn’t quite the right word to describe it, trapped was probably more accurate. A shiver ran up your spine, it was that same blazing glance, a whisper of the memory of a hand on your skin. You watched as humor suddenly joined the irritation on his face, recoloring it. He turned to look at his mother, spoke and then pulled his arm away from her. He began to walk to the foot bridge nearby. She called something after him but he ignored her, she turned to her Lady’s maid who was standing nearby but your eyes were following his Grace as he walked over the bridge.
“The Prince is headed in this direction,” Mama hissed to you quite unnecessarily. You were about to hiss back that you knew but you started to feel not only his eyes on you, but many eyes on you. Everyone who had gone for a late afternoon stroll through Hyde Park seemed to be looking at you.  All because Prince Kylo was stepping off the foot bridge and striding over towards you. You found yourself having the insane desire to run away. Perhaps it was because you couldn’t face him after he had caught you staring, or perhaps it was because of your disastrous dance at the Danbury Ball…or perhaps it was because of the persistent and scorching thoughts of his hand in yours, his fingers on your back. You wanted to hide from all of that and hide from his gaze but he walked up to you a moment later and inclined his head respectfully,
“Miss Huntington,” He said and then he turned slightly towards your Mama. “Lady Huntington,” He said.
“Your Grace,” Your Mama said, dropping to a curtsey. When you finally remembered how to move, and curtsied as well.
“Your Grace,” You mimicked your mother.
“What a pleasant thing, to meet you here.” Mama said, smiling almost adoringly up at Kylo. “Were you escorting your mother?” She asked. Something shifted slightly in his face, the subtle shift was enough to make his face go from mildly polite to the beginnings of irritation.
“Yes.” He said. “But I happened to see Miss Huntington across the Serpentine and thought she looked as though she could use a companion this afternoon.” He said. He offered his arm to you. You didn’t move. You were unsure if you should take it, unsure if you even wanted to take it. You knew you should and something inside of you did long for it, longed for his gloved hand in yours so that you could again revel in the memory of it against your bare back. Shock swept through you  at your own thoughts, and with that shock was the realization that the prince had his arm held out to you still, “Would you care to walk with me, Miss Huntington?” He asked. You took the proffered arm as gracefully as you could manage while you still recovered from your own thoughts and the longing that still drove you to consider his hand at such length.
“Yes, of course, Your Grace.” You said. You watched him give your mother a tight smile and nod, before he turned you away form her and began walking.
It was quiet except for the sound of your steps as you walked along the Serpentine, you listened to his heavy footfalls and your lighter ones keeping pace. Was he going to mention the rude things he had said when you had last spoke? Should you bring them up? You were about to ask him if he planned on insulting you again on your walk when he spoke,
“I thought you might have learned your lesson about staring the last time we met.” He spoke casually as though he wasn’t attempting to wound your pride. “That does not seem to be the case.” He said. You looked about, wondering if anyone was within earshot, but no, Mama and her Lady’s maid were the closest people to the both of you and she was at least twenty yards back.
“First of all, Your Grace, I did not realize I was looking at you this afternoon.” You said, turning to look up at him. He was so much bigger than you that it felt as though you had to lean back to see his face. “Secondly, I maintain that the last time we met, I was only looking at you because I had caught you looking at me.” You insisted, and again the memory of that evening filtered into your head. The way you had felt his eyes upon you and how you looked back with curiosity.
“Hm.” Was his answer, and for a long moment it seemed as though he was going to leave it at that, then he spoke with no humor in his voice, “You presume to know better than I?” He asked. Your body felt tight and if you had not been holding on to his arm, your hands would have been shaking. Was it just because he was a prince that he was this intimidating or was it more? No, it had to be more, there was something about him that screamed at you to be nervous, to be afraid. You had to take a deep breath before you spoke to him again,
“I presume to know when I am being looked at across a ballroom, Your Grace.” You said, turning your face away from him so you looked forward at the path in front of you instead.
“Do you know so acutely what that feels like?” He asked, you felt his eyes on you again, that intense gaze that had burned into your across the ballroom at the Danbury estate. He was mocking you again, because he knew you did not know what it felt like.  You swallowed and your eyes flicked up to him and then away again as you tried to recover.
“Perhaps not, but I knew I could sense your gaze.” You insisted.
“Perhaps I could sense yours.” He said.
“That’s impossible because I was not looking at you yet.” Your voice was colored with anger now and you wished you could take back the words, your frustration only seemed to spur him on.
“I think you might have been.”
“I was not.”
“Says who?”
“Me.” You almost ripped your arm away from him but you knew deep down that you could not. Not only was it impossible because you knew it would cause a scandalous scene but you could not because your body would not allow you to pull away from him. It felt like you were glued to his side.
“You seem unreliable to me,” His voice was humorless, irritated at your refusal to accept his version of events. You walked in silence next to him, not wanting to give him more fuel to flame his suspicions that you were an unreliable source, or a hot tempered girl. “Did you have many callers this morning?” You were so surprised by the question that you stopped walking, or you tried to because with your arm in his he simply towed you along with him.
“Excuse me?” You asked, breathless. It wasn’t an entirely unreasonable question for a friend to ask but you would not consider him a friend or even a potential suitor at this point. He had made it quite clear that he thought of you as nothing but an improper, unreliable, little girl.
“Lady Whistledown wrote that you might surprise everyone by making the match of the season,” He explained as he continued to tow you along with him. You turned your head to gaze up at him again, he was shocking in so many ways. Not only did he follow no real social protocols, but he spoke his mind and was too handsome to be reasonable. You wished you did not think it true, but as you looked at him you couldn’t help but notice again every pleasant thing about his face. Full lips, dark eyes with their fire-gaze, straight nose, and skin that was kissed with beauty spots in all sorts of delicate places. You blinked a few times, trying to beat back all the feelings that rose with appreciating his beauty,
“You read Lady Whistledown?” You asked, hating how stupid you sounded.
“Doesn’t everyone?” he asked. Your brow knit, you didn’t like being reminded of that fact. It must have shown on your face because he raised an eyebrow and his lip twitched towards a sardonic smirk, “I thought you would appreciate most of the things she wrote of you, Miss Huntington.” He observed. The idea that you would appreciate the things she wrote of you, of your family irritated you more than anything else he could have said. You let out a long, slow breath, trying to not let the anger towards Lady Whistledown effect the way you spoke to him. You were about to answer when he continued, cutting you off yet again, “You should appreciate that she’s willing to speak of you at all,” The frank way he put that boiled your blood and again you found yourself wanting to rip from his arm and march off but your body betrayed you once again and you remained stuck next to him.
“She…I can’t believe- that woman…she compared me to a HORSE!” You exclaimed, your voice dripping with contempt as you tried to not speak too loudly. Kylo frowned in thought a moment,
“I had not recalled that.” He said easily ignoring your fuming. “So, did you have callers this morning?” he asked again. You felt deflated, you had been so angry only seconds before and it was like it had been a soap bubble that he had burst. You swallowed and forced your eyes down, away from him. You felt your cheeks burn and you hoped your embarrassment didn’t show too much,
“No.” You said in the most dignified voice you could manage, lifting your chin. You weren’t sure why you were telling him the truth, but lying about it made it seem more shameful.
“No?” He confirmed, sounding surprised.
“No.” You said again, “No callers, no flowers, nothing.” He had walked you down the Serpentine to the next footbridge and now you were beginning to cross it. As you reached the middle of the bridge he stopped and looked down towards the water, you paused and stood on your tiptoes to look over the railing on the bridge as well, there was nothing but shallow dirty water below. Nothing of interest, but it was a good way to avoid his gaze.
“That surprises me. You danced with others at the Danbury ball I presume?” He asked.
“Yes,” You finally did look back towards him and again were struck by his handsome face. Your heart started to thrum faster in your chest. “I did think that perhaps you would call,” You admitted in a rush. The silence that fell seemed like the longest silence in your life. You wished you had not said anything. The words hung in the air and you wished they were physical so you could grab them and press them back inside of you, into your chest where he could no longer know them.
“Why would I call on you?” It was the emphasis on ‘you’ that hurt more than the sentiment itself. You let out the breath you had been holding and tried to replace the hurt with the frustration you had felt towards him earlier.
“I was the only young lady you danced with at the Ball,” You said, “And now you’re standing here, walking with me and asking if I had any callers. Forgive me, for thinking that might mean some form of interest, Your Grace.” You said.
“I am not interested, Miss Huntington.” He said so easily that you felt that same hurt as before. Why was he here then? Why was he walking with you now when you could have been walking with someone who was truly interested. Perhaps it was rude but at the moment you didn’t care,
“Why are you here then?” You demanded, you were finally able to pull your arm away from him now. “If you want so little to do with me, why walk with me?” You placed both hands on the railing of the bridge and turned fully towards the water once again. You tried to even your breathing, it was unbecoming to be gasping for breath even if it did feel like you had been kicked in the stomach.
“To irritate my mother,” He answered. Now it was easy to replace the hurt with anger, he was using you for his familial issues and it was at the expense of the rest of your life. How were you to have any suitors if he took up all your time with stupid walks that were only to his benefit.
You turned slowly towards him, feeling like anger was swelling up inside of you like the soap bubble from before, only you doubted it would be as easy to burst this time.
“To irritate your mother?” You asked, your voice dangerous and quiet. He was unapologetic. “How dare you? You think just because you’re some…some Prince that you can use me however you would like for your petty problems with your mother?” You gasped out, you were shaking now. Your whole body was responding to the indignity of what he was doing to you. His face darkened slightly and he stepped towards you, towering above you. Anyone watching might have mistaken this for something romantic if it hadn’t been for the loathing that was apparent on your face.
“You speak to a Prince like this?” he growled.
“When this Prince has acted anything but gentlemanly and has insulted me repeatedly-“
“Even when what I’m doing will help you in the long run as well?” He asked, his voice lowering even more.
“-by blatantly disrespecting me and my—what?” You pulled up short when he asked you that. “How on earth could this help me?” You paused, and then added with as much sarcasm as you could muster, “Your Grace.”
“Have you not noticed how many men have been watching you since I took your arm for this walk?” He hissed, leaning down closer to you. You could smell him now, and his scent with the overwhelming power of that dark gaze was enough to make you lose your breath for a moment.
“I-What?” You asked again, hurriedly looking around towards the other groups of people in the park.
“Don’t look now, stupid girl.” He growled. “Yes, my interest in you has piqued the interest of quite a few other men. You need suitors. I need my mother to stop pushing for me to marry…and I also need some peace from the idiotic Mama’s who push their daughters on me at every event I attend.” He said.
“I…I don’t understand.” You said softly, but you were beginning to, you remembered the way you had felt eyes on you when he had first come over to you. It hadn’t just been the eyes of gossiping old ladies, no, it had been the watchful daresay jealous eyes of men. He was proposing something to you, not something you would have thought of…but something almost as helpful.
“If you and I are seen together…seen as an item. Seen as if we were courting, you would become the most appealing girl in the ton. You would also become a challenge and men love nothing more than a challenge.” He said.
“And you…”
“Well, I would get exactly what I want as well-“ His eyes flicked to the other side of the river and down back where they had come where his mother was still walking with her Lady’s maid. You felt as though your heart would beat out of your chest, if he was right, if this worked it could very well get you a match by the end of the season.
“Do you think it would work?” You asked.
“If Lady Whistledown believes it. The whole ton will follow.” He said. “You just need to stop making scene of us in public.” He said. “Now take my arm again,” He instructed. “And walk back with me.”
You did as he said, hoping against hope he was right. He had to be right, your future was relying on it. You had to maintain that you were courting, you had to maintain it realistically and you had to do it while not thinking too much about his hand grazing your skin or the way his fire-gaze scorched your insides, burning excitement into your veins.
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The Idiot ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky
In which the reader is the last Russian princess from our contemporary times and Fyodor is there to watch, observe, analyse and write a novel while being the reader’s sort of guardian/mentor, all while reader finds herself in an impossible, almost-Anna Karenina-like situation that drives her to desperate decisions.
And yes, I’m very much basing this story Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot” novel, Tolstyi’s “Anna Karenina” and Katyusha, both the Russian song, and the “Resurrection” novel from Tolstoy that has Katyusha as an unfortunate, yet important character.
Also, a little nod to our dear Ana Lesko for her song “Anicyka Maya”, which will serve as a cute little nickname for our dear reader, although the song is Romanian, and it’s about a seductive woman. 
Other nicknames will include: Kiska ( kitten ), Zaika ( bunny ), Kroshka ( little one ), Krasotka ( gorgeous ).
I’m not Russian, I don’t know about Russia’s culture, history and language as much as I know about my own, obviously, but as ex-commie & ex-USSR, we still have a shit ton of similarities. Nevertheless, I will try not to get into too many details that will compromise authenticity.
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Luxury, glamour, wealth, gold, jewellery, diamonds, class, facades, masks, masquerades, social gatherings, lies, marriages, politics, horses, deals, gambling... These represent some of the few words people from everywhere around would describe the royal family.
Why do some still exist, anyway? Shouldn’t they have just completely disappeared at the same time with the Romanov family? ...Stupid cartoon movies and their resurrection of Anastasia...
Nobody truly cares about these rich rats who worked naught for their wealth, and would never understand the struggle and poverty of the normal citizens of Russia...They just live in their abnormally huge palace, having more servants than the population of Moscow and eat at one meal more than normal people do in one week altogether.
How utterly ridiculous.
Their lives are all perfect, they marry themselves to keep that ridiculous purity and their infinite wealth in the family...How atrocious!  What about charity? Kindness? Altruism? Helping out the common folk?
All these thoughts, and you’d think a very bitter and vindictive, very poor and malicious person came up with, and yet, the reality was rather distorted. 
From the top stair of the palace, in a dark room, sitting on the windowpane, a gorgeous young woman cast her dull eyes over the snowy city and the people hurrying down the roads, hoping to go home before it got too late and cold.
Maybe they were poor and hateful, and rightfully so, she’d say, but perhaps they can also be deemed happier, if they can take into account their freedom...As much as the government provides them, at least - Yet even so, even the poorest person held more freedom than this caged bird, forever trapped and shackled by fate from the second she was born...As if she had any choice, that is.
Perhaps she deserves this treatment, this hatred, this...Manipulation from her own family, who only see her as a political and financial pawn, planning her marriage from the second she first cried into this world... Like a martyr, she will accept all torture and live on, never knowing what ‘living’ truly means, only imagining it by reading all day and all night long, or when she plays the piano one of the many songs she learnt.
As the grandfather clock rang to 7 times to announce dinner time, Y/N dressed in a simple, yet elegant dress, put on a pair of classy black stiletto shoes, and went down to the luxurious dining room, sitting in her usual seat, only for a brunet stranger dressed in white to grace the sight with his unexpected presence.
She didn’t dare speak to him, yet her eyes couldn’t leave his form, no matter how her meek demeanour made her hung her head to avoid showing anything other than her demure expression.
Thankfully, her parents arrived, along with the waiters that served the food, so it saved some of the awkwardness of the unknown.
“Y/N, darling, this man here is Fyodor Dostoevsky. He is here as a writer, wanting to learn more about us and about people in general. As a compromise, he agreed to be your personal guard...Considering the other one was a sacrilege to our dear daughter...What a lecherous man, making advances on you...But, anyway, let us toast to the success of this young man’s writing career!” the mother raised her champagne, and the four of them clinked glasses. “I thank you for the unique opportunity to learn and understand society and people better. May you live a long and prosperous life.” this new stranger held a charming smile on his face, trying to impress and buy everyone’s trust. “Do you have yet any idea about the theme of your novel? Or, perhaps an idea for a title?” the father asked, making the brunet shake his head softly. “No, not yet, unfortunately. I prefer to study hard, and only then, when I am educated enough, to allow the flow of creation to take over me.” this Fyodor nodded in acknowledgement, while the girl kept completely silent for the duration of the dinner, waiting for everything to be over so she could escape back to the little faux haven she created and called ‘safe’. “Y/N, show Mr. Fyodor to your room, he will be sleeping there for now on. The butlers already brought a spare bed there, so it’s alright.” the mother waved her hand dismissively, and the girl could only bow quickly and go back to her room, making sure to point out what each of the rooms represent, before reluctantly inviting him to her bedroom. “Please, make yourself at home, Mr. Dostoevsky. I hope it will be comfortable and to your liking. Should you need anything, please do not hesitate to tell me so we can make your stay as great as possible.” she spoke to him in a soft, meek voice, not daring to make eye contact in any way. “Call me Fyodor, no need for formalities. We are going to room together, might as well become friendly. What don’t you tell me about yourself? Your hobbies, your interests, your dreams, your aspirations.” the brunet paced around the room, observing all of her personal objects, which, turned out, except for jewellery, books, a small, pink Gloxinia, and a pickup with 1920s British vinyls, there was nothing to represent her...Which was, in its own way, an intriguing peculiarity. “I...Like reading, flowers, music...And I wish I could get a dog and learn how to play the violin too. There aren’t many interesting things about me...I’m not special or anything out of the ordinary. I am not allowed to put myself out there in any way, so this is the little I could do to express who I am.” so tried to be as vague as possible, fidgeting on her feet uncomfortably, knowing that the punishment for embarrassing the family would be grave, should it be known. “Hmmm...I see, I see...Ah, you’re a Tolstoy reader, I see. Anna Karenina...Very interesting, yet tragic, wouldn’t you say?” he asked, picking up a book that was supposed to be hidden. “N-No! Don’t take that out of there...Nobody can know I have it. I was strictly forbidden from reading it...Please don’t tell anyone I have this book.” the princess snatched the book from his hands, hiding it further back in the bookshelf. “Ohh~? Why would you not be allowed to read a Russian book? You’d think the Russian princess would be urged to read Russian literature.” he stepped in front of her, picking her chin and raising her head slightly to allow him to look deep into her fawn-like eyes. “Because of the ending...And the controversial decisions Anna made, some of them even contradictory to her own beliefs, and yet, she made her own decisions, at some point in her life. When your fate is decided from before you are born, having opinions is the worst enemy of a puppeteer...Wouldn’t you agree?” she muttered, walking away from him, taking her nightgown and walking towards her bathroom.
This made the man think more about how dysfunctional this supposed perfect royal family actually was. The illusion of a flawless individual, living together, forming a flawless family, a flawless life, in a flawless palace. 
Perhaps facades aren’t as obvious to see through, or understand, for while the parents are completely bland...This girl...So much potential locked away in a timid chest of massive oak wood, embellished with overly expensive jewellery, clearly unwanted. She could be a genius, shining in her happiness, glowing like her dazzling smile, and yet, there she is, eclipsed by chaff, when she could be burning brighter than the morning Sun.
Those parents of hers think he wants to be here and get dazzled by the infinite stream of diamonds that keep flowing around the whole place - And yet, perhaps they are the ones living in mental poverty, considering they believe financial wealth and fame is the sole reason for being alive - To uphold a certain kind of status that they worked naught for, but received hereditary, from one lazy deadbeat to yet another generation of useless people for this society.
They truly are like the plague, incredibly rare nowadays, but completely fatal once you fall grasp to their dark claws that drag you to hell to succumb to their completely fictional utopian world that they create only amongst themselves, as if whatever lives beyond these golden walls is putrid and deserves to rot to pieces.
As his mind wandered farther and farther away down the country, snowy roads he created with his own imagination of thoughts, he heard the bathroom door softly open, and the angelic creature garbed in a thin - Possibly silk, snow white nightgown - Stepped back into their now shared room, and just as before, her demeanour resembled that of a small, frightened fawn, or a bunny.
When you have to deal with such a pure being that could completely shatter, it’s difficult not to impulsively break down all walls around and snatch her away - It’s close to impossible not to attempt to test all existing boundaries and see the limits where she would break...Or, almost, at least. 
However, abstinence makes for a great suspense and greed...You want more...And more...And the more you wait, the harder it is to resist, but the satisfaction you get when the frail creature trusts you enough to eat from your own palm, and you finally claim it as yours...
It’s Heavenly.
“Sweet Dreams, Fyodor.” she spoke softly, putting on a Tchaikovsky vinyl and picking up a book, getting in bed and reading it, the only light still open being a dim lantern on her nightstand. “How would you like to show me around the city tomorrow?” the brunet asked so casually that it shocked the girl enough to drop her book on her lap. “O-Oh...U-Uhmm...I’m not exactly to go out of this place unless it’s for Christmas shopping...I’m sorry I can’t properly do as you wish...” she quickly took her book back, hiding her face to hide her embarrassment and disappointment. “Well, then, what a gorgeous coincidence, isn’t it? In barely two months, Christmas shall come, and then, you can properly show me around, correct?” the man mused, the ghost of a smirk playing on his face. “..You’re right! My, you’ll get to see the beautiful fairy light and Christmas decorations all around the city! I can’t believe it, you truly chose the perfect time to come here. Oh, and, the ballet, the opera and the national orchestra are going to perform...I believe The Nutcracker is going to play this year...And Traviata. It should be beautiful, don’t you agree?” Y/N asked with a soft smile on her face, sparks gleaming in her eyes, and for the first time since he’s met her, it felt like she was finally alive. “Yes, yes, I would have to agree. And if you are there with me, the experience will be even better.” he hummed, teasing the poor girl who had no idea what else to say to such bold affirmations. “O-Oh...W-Well...Th-Thank you...I-I think...Your presence there will also make the going out more interesting...And nice.” she offered a comeback that pleased the man well enough. “Good night to you as well, Printsessa.”
What a lovely young woman, he thought, as he closed his eyes and let his mind fly at different aspects of life and of humanity, trying to decipher each and every person he met that day and wondering if his assumptions were correct, as they always are.
Morning came by faster than expected as a shy ray of of Sun creeped inside the room through the window, but Fyodor was already awake, writing at the desk rather rapidly - Most likely, he had some inspiration hitting him, so he proceeded to pour out his conflicting thoughts on the paper, all while stealing a peek from time to time at the girl sleeping peacefully, almost as if she was a Disney Princess.
The way the soft light caressed her face had him take the stray streak of h/c hair and pull it back so it won’t tickle her awake, while also being allowed to watch her peacefully inhale and exhale, a small smile on her face...Perhaps she was having a beautiful dream? Was that why she told him to have sweet dreams? Were her dreams her only lovely escape from this horrible reality she was forced to live in?
There were so many mysteries yet to be unveiled, but all in due time, as Fyodor noticed the gentle flutter of her lashes, and with a grace only reserved to a Swan Princess, she raised and stretched with a sweet hum, and the brunet man watched as his eyes felt absolutely blessed seeing such a beauty...
If people complained that Disney Princesses weren’t relatable, since they have messy hair when they wake up, just like Anna, they clearly haven’t seen how perfect Y/N looks, even as she blinks her sleepiness away.
“I see you slept well, Printsessa. Good morning.” she heard him speak, and she noticed it wasn’t as en garde and...It almost seemed...Pleased to see her. “Fyodor...You woke up before me. You should have woke me up. Please wake me up next time, I wouldn’t want you to feel lonely or upset. This place is like a piranha tank...Thread carefully, otherwise, you’re like a little animal who fell in.” she quickly got up, rushing through her daily routine so she could be by his side, not only because her parents assigned her to that, but also because this Dostoevsky man is the only little thing that could rip her out of her completely dull routine and show her a little bit of insight into what could be something out of her imagination entirely. “Aww, the little songbird wishes to spend time with me, how adorable. Very well, Printsessa, what is it that you want to do today? My job here is to observe and write, after all.” he asked, crossing one leg over the other, resting his chin on his fist, watching her with intense interest. “Oh, well, I have to practice the piano today, but other than that, I have nothing in my schedule.” she explained, guiding him to the music room that very much resembled a whole orchestra surrounding a place - Not too small, yet not too big either - Meant for ballroom dancing. “I bet the national orchestra isn’t as fancy as this place is.” he mused, walking up to the cello and tracing his fingertips across the chords. “...Do you know how to play it?” she asked, walking up to him, having the curiosity of a baby fawn exploring the world. “Would you like to hear?” he asked, sitting on the chair and expertly hugging the cello, he grabbed the bow and teased the girl with a mischievous look in his gleaming purple eyes. “Oh, yes, please, if it’s not too much to ask! It would be absolutely splendid.” Y/N clasped her hands together, grinning widely as she stepped a few feet away to give him enough space so he could start playing. “It would be my pleasure, Printsessa.” and with the nod of his head, he started playing the famous Sugar plum fairy song, making the girl gasp in surprise at how gorgeous it sounded.
She crouched to reach the perfect eye view of the bow gliding along the chords, her mouth slightly agape and she gazed with absolute wonder, not even realising when the song was over, for she was much too mesmerised.
“Well, Printsessa, how did you like it?” he rested his arms on the curves of the cello, leaning forwards for a better look at her. “That was better than even our national cello player! It was absolutely stunning, woaw...Just...You left me speechless! You’re...You’re...You are...Perfectly splendid!” she clapped for him rapidly and incredibly enthusiastic, making him chuckle in amusement at her cuteness. “Why, thank you, Printsessa. How about you entertain me now, little Anicyka Maya?” he carefully put the Cello in its place, stepping in front of her and caressing her porcelain skin, quenching his thirst for discovery by seeing her rosy cheeks. “Well...I can’t say I’m anywhere as great as you are...But, sure. I hope you will like it.” she looked down, fidgeting with her fingers as she hurried timidly to the piano, and taking a deep breath, cracking her fingers, she liter her fingers skillfully dance over the keys, as her voice followed every word of the song called “Katyusha”. However, she wasn’t expecting him to applaud and whistle to her, congratulating her for being such a beautiful nightingale. “You clearly underestimate your hard work and talent. Perhaps we should play together one day. I’m sure it would put a smile on your parents’ faces.” Fyodor bowed to kiss Y/N’s hand, only to hear the door opening. “Yes, Mr. Fyodor, we would quite like to hear the two of you dueting together. Since Y/N will have to perform both dance and a song at the piano, as a Christmas tradition, it will show how much she’s improved...If at all. I have to tell you the truth, Mr. Fyodor, over the past few years, she has been exceptionally disappointing...Well, perhaps you coming here will prove to give her a jolt in the right direction.” Y/N’s mother came out of nowhere in the music room, almost as if she was stalking the pair, and Fyodor could see how the Princess’ behaviour changed 180 degrees, and from the excitable and lively young girl, she went back to hide in her guarded shell, trying to protect herself from the numerous blows everyone throws her way.
And just as he expected, once they started playing, despite throwing in one or two intentional mistakes, while she had none of her own, the mother reprimanded her daughter, while praising him. He thought, at first, this was going to be some kind of tough love encouragement and determination she was trying to give the girl, but truly, it was nothing more than unrealistic dreams of an already flawless performance.
This family was nowhere close to being the perfect, or the most loving one, that was without a doubt. But being so horrible to your own daughter, humiliating her in front of a complete stranger, making her tremble softly while trying her best to keep herself from bursting into sobbing fits, was a whole different kind of cruel and unnecessary malice.
For some reason, Fyodor felt a certain kind of warmth in his chest...But not the same kind of warmth he feels when he is around Y/N, but something...Similar to fury. To rage. He was sure he never felt such a personal sort of offense, despite not being him that was belittled.
A terrifying sort of justice bubbled inside him, and he smirked, thinking about just one sole thing.
Crime and Punishment.
Fyodor hoped dearly that it would be only the maternal figure that was the problem, yet it seemed to be much worse, and the toxicity levels that kept vibing all over the place seemed to be equivalent to that of Chernobyl at the time of the explosion.
All throughout the week, he noticed the dirty looks all the staff was giving the Princess, possibly because she was being a shy and quiet pushover...But it went completely beyond his understanding how these servants would even dare be so rude to her, considering she is always so sweet to them, always forgives their mistakes and shares her whole allowance with them in equal parts...
But they complain it’s not enough. They complain others get more, or less, but clearly, they don’t care about that, they just want more and more money...They are greedy jackals who don’t care about the life or soul of a poor little lady who just wants to be happy...
But perhaps happiness isn’t meant for royalty.
A week until Christmas, and Fyodor was ready with the quick draft, and he left it on the desk for Y/N to read, and he couldn’t help but admire and drink in each and every emotion she would express on her lovely face with every word she read, every action, every chapter that stirred more and more conflicting feelings and thoughts battling together - Conflicts that she was trying so hard to hide, no doubt feeling his burning, hawk-like stare on her, analysing her as if she was a new specimen under a microscope.
She was great at hiding what she truly felt, yet her eyes betrayed her inner self, the sparkling of nostalgia and sadness crawling out, shrieking at the top of her lungs to be discovered and taken out of this well of darkness she was drowning in - She wanted to be saved, she was at her breaking point, and clearly, she was afraid. 
Afraid of life. Afraid of people. Afraid of her family. Afraid of this society. Afraid her own self. Afraid of her actions.
And most of all.
She was afraid of spiritual, mental and emotional imprisonment.
As Christmas approached with rapid footsteps, Fyodor could notice how Y/N stiffer, more silent, flinching more, keeping herself in check, alone, barely speaking to anyone...Clearly, she was being stressed out and afraid of the consequences of screwing up anything.
Perhaps, the problem here was the fatalist and completely out of her control destiny she was thrown in, and she knew from the very beginning that, no matter how flawless her performance was, she would still be reprimanded and punished, so she resigned herself to this kind of treatment...The same as every year.
“It’s so beautiful outside...And it’s snowing...! So soft and cold...It’s almost numbing you entirely, but the beauty of Christmas still melts down even the most frozen of hearts.” she spoke with such sadness dripping from her tongue, that Fyodor felt the need to take his fur hat and put it on her head before taking a hold of both of her hands, rubbing them together and kissing her knuckles. “It’s not the day or the decorations that are supposed to move a person, but the kindness and altruism of people. From what I’ve seen in the past weeks, the only consistency in this place is the beauty of your heart and the cruelty of everyone else that keep eclipsing you. You deserve better than this, kroshka.” the man spoke simply, waiting to see the way she’d react. “...I didn’t choose this life, nor did it choose me, yet here I am, trying to keep my head above the water in a whirlpool. I have all my life planned and written ahead of me, and there’s nothing I can do about it. From the very beginning, since before I was even born, they knew they will sell me out to some old, rich man, just so they could benefit, but they cared naught about my well-being, as long as I could keep him entertained in any way possible. The least I can do is try to enjoy the little things...Even if they are nothing more than just that...Little things.” she admits to him, taking away her hands and holding them to her chest, too afraid to trust her own heart. “You let the servants make a mockery out of your kindness. You let your family humiliate you in front of everyone. You let common folk bash you, even if you tip them greatly...Tell me, krasotka, have you read the draft to my book yet?” they continued to stroll down the cobbled streets, looking up at the snowflakes gently dancing in the light of the lamposts, as Fyodor carried most of her shopping bags that held Christmas gifts for everyone but herself. “Yes...I did...But I did not finish it. I was much too afraid to read the ending of it.” she nodded to him, biting her lip nervously. “Afraid? Why ever would you be afraid of reading some words made of ink on a piece of paper?” the man frowned in confusion and interest, hearing such a peculiarity of an answer. “Because...Because I know that Prince Myshkin actually represents me...And how life treats me...So I’m afraid the ending will hint to Anna Karenina’s ending...And I don’t want that. I don’t...That’s why I’m afraid...I’m scared that...I’m scared that I won’t be able to endure this madness anymore, and sooner, rather than later, I will shatter into an unrecognisable version of myself that not even I will decipher...And I will do scary things that I would otherwise be afraid of even thinking about. You know I read the book, I wouldn’t put it past you to tease me like that.” she smiled ironically, shaking her head to stop herself from shuddering at such a dreadful thought. “Congratulations, Printsessa, you are surely insightful. However, I must advise you to read it, and keep in mind that you are not entirely wrong in your thinking. While the ending isn’t identical to Tolstoy’s novel, it isn’t on the complete opposite spectrum either. What you read is one of the possible outcomes of your life, should you choose to remain a passive onlooker and let everyone control you, like a little, pretty doll. Should you, however, choose to take fate into your own hands and finally make your first choice of your life...I can promise you, you are going to be much happier.” Fyodor kissed her forehead before leading her back to the palace so she could take the day off...For tomorrow, she must perform.
But the author wasn’t lying, Y/N realised as she spent the last hours past curfew to finish the book, and she realised that while Myshkin didn’t kill himself, he was still dead inside, and just like the catatonic state he was stuck into, she has been living a life of complete comatose herself.  Fyodor was right all along - A life without choices is not a life, nor is it one without freedom and happiness - And maybe, for the first time in her life, she would make the most difficult decision the universe threw at her, and that was to choose between Duty and Happiness, something every royal member, especially women all over the world, who were seen as nothing more than political and decorative objects meant to create heirs and nothing more, had to pick, and dutifully chose to sacrifice themselves to keep the family and the nobility going.
But not anymore....
“You look beautiful today, my little zaika. This velvet colour of your dress, the way it highlights you stunning silhouette...And this jewellery...And your hair and make up...You are above and beyond the most beautiful person to ever grace this life. How are you going to enchant us today?” Fyodor pat down his white suit so he would look completely impeccable...Or, perfectly splendid, as Y/N would say. “Does it truly matter, in the end? Nobody but you will pay attention, and at the end of the day, I will only hear critiques. It’s the same every year, so there is no point in bothering to stand out, have any particularity or give a name. It just...Is. So...Let me get this over with so I can go to my room and pretend this day never happened...Again.” she muttered, hooking her arm to his, entering the big ballroom together.
A ton of people were there, not only family, but enough family ‘friends’, all of them incredibly rich, with a combined fortune great enough to buy the whole Russia somehow...And all eyes were on her. She didn’t mind. She was used to the nervousness and the either critical or lustful stares she received - But only during these kinds of events, and because she was a Princess, otherwise nobody would have cared about her existence or her feelings...
Nobody...Except for Fyodor.
Until the time of his arrival, nobody cared about her, nor did they bother trying to understand or talk to her, and yet, here he was, always by her side, and frankly, she fell in love with him. She, for the first time in her life, cared naught about everything surrounding her, and she thought solely about him and their time spent together. That is all that mattered to her.
So, with that in mind, and a warm heart, she performed the Waltz of Flowers flawlessly at the piano, along with a few other songs, adding some festive ones. Fyodor was absolutely captivated by the spells she put on people whenever she radiated with such pure gentleness, just like Christmas’ true angel.
Her fingers glided so gracefully over the keys, as she hummed along the music, not even bothering to look at the sheet, for she new everything by heart - But somehow, it all sounded even more magical than before, and nobody could tell why.
But Fyodor knew, and he smiled, figuring out her trick. And he was going to call her out for that when this whole charade was over.  But for now, he allowed himself to enjoy bathing in her radiating warmth, for she was shining brighter than the Sun itself.
By the time she finished her little repertoire, she did a pretty courtesy and walked to the man in the white suit, taking a glass of red wine and sipping from it, that gentle smile never leaving her face.
They exchanged no words, but there was no need for that, as the look in their eyes spoke more than anything else, and they danced the night away, together, in graceful and intimate waltzes, or swaying together, keeping their hearts glued together, beating in sync and feeling each other’s heat.
She might not have wanted to end up like Karenina, but she wasn’t too far away from her situation, and she knew very well, should she leave with this man, she was going to break down every rule, and find an identity for herself, after all these years.
But happiness is emphemeral in the life of a Princess, and just before the Christmas Ball ended, her parents dragged her to the table of this old man, so they would share gifts. This old man, who so happened to be the man chosen to be her future husband, and had fewer hairs on his head and teeth in his mouth than her age.
Most of the gifts were pretty basic - Jewellery for women, cigars, fedoras, watches for men...But for her...She received some of he oddest gifts so far - And yet, she thought life couldn’t surprise her anymore.
Several little outfits, fit for babies, were neatly folded in all boxes, sans one - The sole box being a small, velvet box, which revealed a sapphire ring that expressed the definite bond of marriage that must be officiated very soon, through papers and a church ceremony.
Frozen was the clock, frozen was the time, and frozen was life itself, for the shock was great - Being put on the spot is scarier than the anticipation and fear of venturing into the unknown - Yet here she was, with her supposed fossil of a husband, with several babies promised to be born, and a very angry author, watching the disgusting exchange of pleasantries between the elder people.
He noticed Y/N doing a little courtesy, excusing herself with a nervous smile, and rushing out of the ballroom, the clicks of her elegant heels giving away her location at all time. Following her, he saw her on the edge of the rood, barefoot, her back to the empty space, as she hummed, looking up at the clouds pouring snow, and swaying to her tippy toes occasionally.
“You sure like the feeling of being alive, don’t you? Otherwise you wouldn’t be staying there after being faced with such a disgusting situation.” he pointed out, clasping his hands behind his back and carefully stepped towards her. “Life is full of surprises. But it is not called life, unless you have a say in the paths that you go down by. Today, I realised what I have to do in order to achieve true bliss and happiness...Something ethereal, although utopian in its quintessence. I have to make a choice. And right now, I’m making it.” she smiled, extending her arms to the side, resembling a Goddess, as a few stray tears streamed down her face - But they were tears of relief, not of fear, anxiety of depression. She was happy. “You said you didn’t want to choose the path of Karenina, nor of Myshkin, and yet, there you are, on the brink of death, as the way to show that you are no longer a caged bird. Is it truly worth it, in the end?” Fyodor asked, frowning at the delusional words she was spewing. “Death is but the beginning of a new adventure, and with me falling, I will find out what freedom is, unlike all the other Princesses before me. It is not death I’m choosing, nor will I regret it as soon as I step into this free fall hazard, like Karenina, and, as you can see, I chose to wake up from my catatonic state, unlike Myshkin. I know what awaits me as soon as I reach the ground...But do you?” Y/N hummed in amusement, watching the conflict painted all over his face - And it was for the first time that Fyodor showed such confusion and inner turmoil, that much was obvious to her. “Stop this, Y/N, I don’t understand your reasoning, but don’t kill yourse- “ but he couldn’t finish his sentence, for the girl uttered just a few words - Words that changed even the rotation of the Earth around the Sun - And as she pushed herself on the tips of her toes, she embraced the cold wind of Winter being her guide down to the ground, as she watched the snowflakes following her down.
And she smiled.
Because love won, and life won, and she knew she chose correct - These weren’t the times to choose everyone else over herself anymore, and nor is she a saint, a martyr, an angel, or some perfect Christian role model.  She was just a woman thirsting for happiness and for the tangible sensation of life and of flying, and with this jump, she got completely wasted.
The secure embrace of a white angel made sure she lived for another day, but not quite, for her guardian angel jumped to save her, yet had no idea himself that he wasn’t the only special one, after all, and just as they were going to reach the ground, time seemed to stop, and they reached the ground gracefully and softly, like two linked feathers.
She lay down on the crystal blanket of snow, laughing mirthfully, almost with a childlike charm, as her long hair was sprawled all over her, and Fyodor’s arms were fiercely holding her, and he looked down at her, his eyes wide in understanding.
“I didn’t choose death. I chose life. I chose love...I chose you, and I chose me. I knew you had an ability too, and that you were confident in it, so I was sure that, should you choose to, you could jump from the roof of the palace to save me - Which you did. I never really have the opportunity to use my ability, but it’s rather useful in some situations, if I can say so myself. So, by the way you’d respond to my feelings and actions, I’d know whether I chose right or not...I think we both know the answer now, don’t we?” she grinned mischievously, extending a hand to his face to caress it gently. “That’s the most idiotic, most reckless thing anyone has ever one...And yet, you strategised everything, as if we were pieces in a game of chess. How did you get the courage to reach such a conclusion?” his voice was low, like a murmur, trying to understand her impossible, labyrinthine mind. “Life offered me a Christmas gift today, and that was serendipity, so, I used it. Everything else was a perfect strategy of a game of chess I played myself - The White King versus the Black King - And, was far as my luck and the universe brought about, I believe I won. But you must still answer back, otherwise, the magic will vanish.” Fyodor noticed a smirk growing on her face - One that somehow resembled his, and he almost felt conflicted seeing her mimicking him in his demeanour, in a way...But he also felt incredibly proud. “I cannot take you with me, Y/N. The part I walk is dangerous, it could even be fatal, and I would rather you not walk down a boulevard of broken dreams. You just now achieved happiness, don’t throw it out of the window. It a world full of crimes, I choose to be both the justiciar and the executioner of the unworthy. In a world of crime, I shall inflict punishment upon the evil-doers and paint this world red with the blood of the guilty.” he wanted her, he truly didn’t want to leave without her, nor did he want to leave her alone, here, with these hyenas, but could he really have it in his heart to endanger her so? “Fyodor, my darling, it matters naught for me whether I live or die, as long as the journey is by your side, and I’m not shackled anymore. I want to see, I want to hear, I want to touch, I want to taste, I want to smell, I want to learn. Everything. Without exception. There is a whole world out there, open, waiting to be explored and unveiled, and I shall be its explorer. As long as I have you by my side, I will surely be fearless. Being a hero, being a villain, or anything in between is of no concern for me...However, I cannot deny that I would be rather...Interested in seeing you deliver the sentence down to...Some specific people.” she giggled, winking at him, as she obviously hinted towards her kin and the unlimited amount of gossips she has heard about so many people, over the years.
With a wide smirk on his face, Fyodor Dostoevsky helped Princess Y/N on her feet and gave her a passionate, fire-like kiss, before picking her up bridal style and making their way to her room, so she would start packing and leave at the earliest convenience.
There may still be a bit of official work to do at the palace, and as his ability is called, there is no crime without punishment, he was going to make sure of that. Until then, there was one thing certain, and one alone, that was going to guide the both of them to a path of exciting uncertainty and thrill.
“I love you, my dear Y/N.”
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obeymeluv · 4 years
Text
Signs they Love You
Back for my 1 post a week to prove school hasn’t totally killed me! When I get a semester break, I’ll post more often. In the mean time, feel free to leave me chats or PMs for stuff you want to see! :) Something nice and sappy for an okay Saturday
These turned out really long so I only did Lucifer, Mammon, Levi, and Satan. I have to get back to studying :/. Maybe I’ll have part 2 next week?
Lucifer
You wouldn’t be able to notice it because his pride wouldn’t allow you to. One of the brothers (or, to Lucifer’s extreme mortification, Lord Diavolo) would have to tell you
He’s not sure if it’s just the appreciation of you not being as totally chaotic as his brothers or genuine human naivete that has somehow worn off on him, but he loves you
Will be outed by sappy, soft stares that last 2 seconds too long.
Asmo and Satan are the first to notice and he LOATHES that
If he’s tasked with waking you up that morning, his knock will be firm but his voice will be gentle. Almost persuasive or commiserating
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by school workload, he may have a private conference with the teacher and grant you a minor extension. Will you know it was him? No. Is he happy to see you brighten up and refill with hope just a bit? Definitely. Is it worth the teasing from Lord Diavolo? ...Sure.
If he responds to texts in the wee hours of the morning when he’s still pouring over paperwork, he likes you.
Anyone who knows him can see how his eyes soften when someone else talks about you. There’s a fond slowness to his actions, how he glides his hand imperceptibly over his chest as if to feel where that emotion is coming from. Boy is whipped.
Should Lord Diavolo invite him out for a meeting, he will bring you back something small. Something he thought you’d like. Beel is upset. Levi yells “SIMP!” from the second floor and prepares for Armageddon.
Actually reminds you about assignments if you’re not already up on it yourself. Your success is his joy.
Is very keen on if/when you burn the candle too long and has a sixth sense for bad sleeping habits. Will put you on a stricter schedule for your own health
It may take almost all of the brothers to do it (or just help from Diavolo) but if he gets drunk on Demonus you’re getting a whole BOOK about why he likes you. He almost charms your memory away but everyone practically dog-piles on him not to because he needs to deal with his feelings.
You’re the only one he won’t chase out of his study when he’s doing paperwork. He’ll even set up a little fire if you like the fireplace.
How he confesses: tries to take you on a fancy date to Ristorante Six. Does not know that Lord Diavolo and Barbatos know about this (damn time-travelling butler!) and basically crash the date just to encourage him. Just long enough to encourage him.
Kind of an, “So you chose this idea, Lucifer? Admirable! I’m sure your date will be amazing! Enjoy your evening!” as Diavolo walks back to his table.
Does Lucifer deny it? Look and see how red his face is. If you’re really not sure, ask Diavolo. He will gladly yell, “I cannot lie!” across the restaurant.
Mammon
For all his talk, when he really, really decides he likes you, he doesn’t know what to say.
He can console himself with how obvious it is and how you made the best choice, but he has to show it! What to do?
Mammon’s kind of confused about it because he doesn’t really change how he behaves. You didn’t catch on already?! C’mon, human!
What, does he have to spell it out for you? Do an interview with Majolish?
His first tactic is to just be around you. Be subtle, and maybe cuddle a bit more than usual. Things to show he’s kittenish and at your mercy. Comfortable with you.
You don’t seem to be getting the hint so he throws the net a little wider by trying to find things you like or that you’ve been talking about. They mysteriously show up at your door.
It sends the others on a gossip train about who your admire could be and when they list off everyone BUT him, he wants to slam his head on the table.
Feeling tired? Coffee! Backpack heavy? Silly human, the BEST man can help you with that, OBVIOUSLY! Mammon jumps at the chance to do any little thing for you because he cares. His actions always speak louder than words.
Feeling kind of defeated and embarrassed, Mammon will go talk to the flock of crows that meander around the House of Lamentation’s yard when he really needs them.
For the next few days you’re accosted in the nicest way, birds chirping at you and dropping off various shiny things
You collect them, finally showing them to Mammon and he’s embarrassed that his representative animal has taken to courting you on his behalf.
He calls them to him, embarrassed and ready to rant or fall into the ground never to be seen again, when they start talking. Repeating all the things he’s practiced saying.
“Hey baby,”, “Hey human,” “Love you!”, “Silly! Silly!”, “Dummy, no, dummy!”, “My human.”
It’s broken and confusing, six or seven bird children cawing in your face and bobbing, but you get it.  
Levi
Levi’s not the best at expressing himself but it counts, right? As much as he hates to admit he’s some kind of shy tsundere, you know what that is, right? He doesn’t have to say it?
Yes. Yes he does. His brothers are getting too chummy with you and you don’t understand his signals. Time for Plan B.
If you get invited to stand in line for a midnight release, he hopes you take it. Then it’s just you two hanging out in line? What’s this? He brought snacks? Totally not for the two of you BUT you an have some if you’re hungry. It’s whatever
When he’s not doing boss raids and playing with online friends, he’ll ask if you want to play something with him. A Player 1 needs a Player 2, you know?
I headcanon that Levi knows how to play some unusual instruments like the kalimba or a real ocarina. I could see him making you a song on one of those. Or just playing it because you inspire him. He’s very good with a harp and will play it when he’s in the mood.
Boy also likes to draw and paint. Especially loves watercolors. Would it be weird if he gave you a painting of you as a mermaid? Just you and the ocean. Beautiful.
Was there a really cute plush or knickknack you liked? Levi has his ways, regardless of how rare or limited edition it is. It will be yours. 
He has a hard time understanding a passing comment of interest versus a genuine want because he genuinely wants everything he’s interested in, so if you hear a whisper about him almost securing something, stop and look it up. Make sure it’s not super expensive!!
Probably outed by Belphegor, who feels like Levi’s broadcasting all of his stress, frustration, and hope through his dreams. (”His dreams are weird. Just different ways of asking them out, and if he messes up it restarts like a simulation. My brain hurts.” he says to Beel)
 You’re allowed to come into his super-restricted bedroom haven when everything’s too much. It’s very exclusive since the Mammon incident. Be happy.
Might go swimming in his big tank and pick a seashell or rock to make a necklace out of. He hopes you like it.
If he’s not outed by Belphie, some of his online friends made a game demo they wanted him to try. They specified it was two player so he asked you to join in. While he’s in the middle of bragging about how he knows people, knows developers, he totally misses the dating-sim like dialogue and the big reveal.
Doesn’t really kick in until he realize the characters look like you two. You’re busy saying ‘Yes’ to “Do you like me?” as Levi absolutely threatens to rip them apart six ways to Sunday. Almost in full demon mode, too.
Everything falls out of his brain and quiets in his throat when he realizes the characters are kissing and ‘THEY SAID YES!’ flashes on the screen.
“Y-You like me?”
“Yep.”
It was that easy all along. Levi thinks he’s going to faint.  
Satan
Becomes aware of it pretty quick but ignores it for a looong time
Is it rude or foolish of him to assume you would also like him back?
Run away into books. A solid plan. If you don’t think about it, it’s not an issue
Oh, but it is an issue when you fall asleep after a mutual day of reading, forced in by bad weather. He finds his heart fluttering in a painful squeeze as he quietly whispers all the things he dare not say when you’re awake
It’s nervous poetry, and it’s beautiful
Satan tries to get himself back on track, to focus on reading, and he gets frustrated when he’s stuck on the same page almost an hour later
When you’re on the brain he just can’t do anything else
How does one show their affection? He’s swimming in books for a new reason now, as voracious as ever
He brews you a pot of Melancholy Coffee and is a bit disappointed you don’t know the meaning behind the bitterness. Wants to break the pot when Lucifer jokes about how it tastes exceptionally bitter to him as well.
Okay, so coffee didn’t work. What else do people do when they show their affections?
Asmo suggests a ‘not a date’ date and Satan sighs inside. Sounds like a lot of work and effort. It’s not that you’re not worth it, but he has a feeling that everyone will know and look at him the whole time.
Tries anyways. You guys go to a beautiful nature conservatory and take a tour of the plants and some indigenous animals
You’re starting to realize it now, he can tell. Satan tries to answer your question without saying it while you’re at school. You walk together, he offers to carry some of your books, and always requests that he be your project partner
Nearly there. If there was a single defining moment for him, he’d want it to be classic. He shows up at your door with a rose and asks you to go on a moonlit walk.
Mammon’s poking fun about how cheesy and cliche it is, Asmo’s gearing up to shut Mammon’s stupid mouth, and Satan just whisks you out the door with an aggravated sigh.
No matter what side of the house you’re on, Asmo throws up the biggest, gaudiest handmade sign that’s like ‘CUTEST COUPLE! 10/10!’
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1morefairytale · 3 years
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Prompt 30: Abstracted
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((Hooboy. This one is not good. But it's done!))
“You know I wouldn’t normally ask this of you. I wouldn’t normally ask anything at all, really, because I know you’re busy with your own things and I don’t want to inconvenience or bother you because I know that irritates you, but I don’t think I can do this without you and it’s not the sort of thing that I can ask anyone else. I definitely can’t ask anyone official for this. Not that I’m saying that someone official would be better or anything. Because in this case? They wouldn’t! But I recently learned that I’m not especially good at climbing-- “
Malika had just walked in the door of the La Noscean daycare when she was accosted by… whatever this was. She’d only come here because it was the closest safe place where she could get some sleep in a bedroom that had been specifically set up for her. She didn’t have any interest in watching over children, or getting to know the members of this free company as dear friends, or, really, interacting with anyone here at all. She definitely hadn’t had any plans to have a conversation about… whatever this was… with the green-haired, goody-goody Raen who worked here.
“Uh.” Malika said blankly and then blinked as she tried to figure out what in the seven hells was even being asked of her. “Hi, Saachi.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Saachi grimaced. “I should have said hi first.”
“No problem,” Malika assured her. Then, pretending she had not heard any part of the rambling request at all, she began moving towards her room. “Goodnight.”
“Oh,” The Raen flushed slightly, embarrassed to be put in a situation where she had to make the request all over again. As far as Malika was concerned, she didn’t have to make the request again. She’d hoped that her walking away from it would make the polite Raen too uncomfortable to attempt again. Alas. “Oh. I was hoping I could ask you for a favor. Which I’m very sorry about because you look very tired. And I wouldn’t normally ask you but--”
Oh no. Not the whole thing all over again! Malika closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then smiled when she opened them again. “Right. Ok!” She put a hand up to stop the poor girl. “Tell me again what you’re wanting? But give me the short version. Like the very very very short version. Like the one sentence version.”
“Ah. Ah hah,” Saachi chuckled nervously, fully aware that she was very bad at giving ‘very very very short, one sentence version’ of anything. “Right. So. I need you to steal something.”
Malika’s eyebrows shot right up. Her ears did too. She was suddenly interested.
“Oh no.” Saachi lamented. “That was one sentence on its own. I’m really bad at--”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Malika assured her. “And being a ‘hero in training’ as you call yourself, you don’t steal things, huh”
“Not usually,” Saachi answered a bit awkwardly. “It’s less about trying to be a hero and more about--”
“Ok. So what am I stealing? Why?”
Saachi took a deep breath and exalted it slowly through her nose to calm her nerves. “It’s really really bad is why. Gods knows I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t really really bad...but it is. If I were better at climbing I’d do it myself. I wish I could do it myself. But I’m slow and noisy and this is really a matter of discretion because the person involved doesn’t have a great record of being trustworthy and--
“Saachi,” Malika said again patiently. “What am I stealing? Why?”
“On a job with the Adders my team uncovered a magical artifact. It’s a book. It has no title. It’s got a very simple binding and a very basic brown cover. It looks, honestly, just like a blank journal. It didn’t even look very ancient to me. Like you could just find this journal in any bookstore in Eorzea. And that’s exactly the problem. It’s not a blank journal at all. Well, I mean it kind of is? The thing is--- this is a book that hasn’t been written… yet. It writes itself as you read it. The way the scholars talked about it is that it is a book that is created somewhat out of time and can’t be written until it’s read. But for the person who does read it, it can lead them to-- well, the scholars said insanity is the best case scenario.”
“The best case scenario is going crazy?” Malika didn’t have the energy to ask how a book could possibly be “out of time” or not be written until it was read. She definitely didn’t have the energy to listen to the theoretical explanation of it at this moment either. She was certain it wouldn’t lead her to any greater understanding of how artifacts worked and that it would definitely just eat up more time. “What’s the worst case?”
“They think it could be like some kind of contagion. Interaction with the person who read the book could make the people around them crazy.”
“Ah,” Malika answered. “Ok. We’re on the same page then… Apologies for the pun… Anyroad, it sounds really really bad. It also sounds stupid, strange and unlikely. But,” she sighed, “No more so than any other artifact I’ve heard of, I guess.” It would be forever a mystery to Saachi and Malika both what could inspire people who made artifacts to create items like this.
Malika shook her head, “But if you found the book and gave it to the Adders, why am I stealing it?”
“Well, it looks like any other blank book, remember?”
“Uh huh.”
“So… one of the Adders on the job got it confused with another book. They took and vaulted an actual regular book and this led to that, I guess, and now an Ul’dahn noble has this book. We can’t just go asking for the book--”
“Why?” Malika asked, unconvinced. “My guess is that if you knock on someone’s door and ask to have a blank journal because, and I quote, ‘Best case scenario: If you open the pages and read it-- don’t ask me how you read a blank journal, you just do-- it will make you insane. Worst case: it makes everyone insane.’ that they will probably have a lot less interest in using it as a diary for all the things they get up to and people they push around day to day. Hard to get much out of being a wealthy asshole if you’re too crazy to enjoy it.”
Saachi frowned and then shrugged her shoulders, conceding the point that it would, certainly, be difficult to enjoy being a noble if narcissism was somehow replaced by full-blown madness.
“Well. It’s just as likely that hearing that they have a powerful artifact that could have such a devastating effect on people would make them want to -keep- the journal and use it as a weapon. As you pointed out, this is a very influential and wealthy person. This noble, in particular, enjoys collecting rare items. Getting this item, even just asking for it, would surely have political repercussions. So we’d really prefer they not even know about this.” Saachi wiped her hands, sweaty from nerves, on her apron and continued. “Which is why, ideally, we’d get in without anyone noticing and switch that book for an actual journal. Then they’d never even know what happened. But the house is staffed. There are maids, butlers, guards, dogs, the works. And we suspect the book will be on the third floor in the study, the library, or the bedroom. If you can get to the backyard of this place without being seen, you can get into the windows of each of those locations. But you have to be quiet.” Saachi wrung her hands nervously and sucked on the inside of her cheek. “And you can’t be caught.”
“Ok, boss. So you want me to sneak around this well-fortified mansion after climbing to the third floor, evading all possible people that could be up there--”
“--and any alarms,” Saachi dutifully pointed out.
“--And any alarms. Right. Try to find this specific non-descript book in possibly a study or a library that will be full of books and hope I get the right one without opening it to make sure and replace it with this decoy blank journal?
“...Yeah.”
“Great!” Malika laughed. “This sounds stupid, horrible, tedious, and impossible. I’m in.”
Saachi blinked and relief washed over her face. Her eyes widened and a giant, appreciative smile spread across her face. “Really? You will? I can’t thankk you enough! It’s a really good thing that you’re doing. Heroic even! It could potentially save so many lives.”
“You just have to give me your necklace.” Malika motioned with a nod of her head to the opal choker the Raen wore around her neck. Correction: that she always wore around her neck.
Saachi’s hand instinctively went to it and her relief completely vanished. “My necklace? I… I but… why?”
Malika shook her head. “Doesn’t matter why. Do we have a deal?”
The why, of course, was that it seemed to be an item that held extreme personal significance to Saachi. Items of significance were the only items Malika ever really cared about acquiring.
The Raen felt the opal in the center of the choker with her thumb, her expression far away as she momentarily went back in time to when she’d first acquired it. It was a look Malika knew well. It was the look people always had when they were about to give up something they loved. A shot of guilt crawled up through Malika’s stomach and then through her veins. She rotated her shoulders in an attempt to get it to slide off her. She could no more stop her compulsion to take people’s most treasured belongings than Saachi could stop her compulsion to be a big damn hero. But Malika wasn’t a big damn hero. She wasn’t a hero at all. And she wasn’t about to stand here and let Saachi confuse her for one either.
“Ok,” Saachi said, unfastening the necklace to hand over. “But I’m going to get it back.”
Malika’s eyes widened with surprise. She hadn’t expected that. “And how are you planning to do that?”
Saachi, face resolute and proud, and a stubbornness in her eyes that Malika was unaccustomed to but had heard about before, answered, “In a sentence: I will steal it back if I must.”
The Miqo’te grinned. Her tail swished. And, for one moment, she stopped thinking of Saachi as every other goody-goody she’d ever met. “Really? I thought you said you can’t do that.”
“I can’t climb to the third floor quietly to steal something. I never said I can’t steal at all.” She gestured to the choker with her head in the same manner Malika had moments previously. “So that is only yours until it’s not again. Please go get the artifact back.” And from her bag she withdrew the very simple, very plain decoy journal.
Malika chuckled and put both items in her bag and bit back the urge to make a crack about hiding the choker on the third floor of some building. Instead, she simply said, “You got it, boss.”
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