#and if the heat wasn't enough what really kills you where I live is the dampness in the air. everything is so sticky

[altruisticalastor]

↳˗ˏˋAlastor x Readerˊˎ˗ ↴

☒ Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six

☒ Summary: "Alastor said we've met before. In the living world. But I seriously don't ever remember meeting him." Angel looked puzzled. "Soo... what do you remember from your life?" 

☒ Warnings: fem!reader she/her pronouns used, hurt with no comfort sorry, tons of confusion for alastor and the reader, one kiss, very suggestive language (its from angel- are we surprised?), slight self harming (alastor), blood, tears, arguing, desprate!alastor, toxic themes, split pov (second devider is when alastor's pov starts!)

☒ Word Count: 2,653

"You- WHAT?" 

Angel shot up from his spot on your bed. His eyes widened, eyebrows knitting in perplexity.

"I know- I know! It's bad... but I wasn't thinking clearly!" You slumped under Angel's judgemental gaze, pulling your knees up to your chest from where you sat on your bed. 

"Toots, there is no way his pussy eating skills are good enough to fuck you that dumb!" You averted your gaze. Heat rose to your cheeks from Angel's crass words.

"Oh, but they are..." You mumbled before you felt two of Angel's hands grip your shoulders, shaking you out of frustration.

"Did you really have to pick an absolute psychopath to be the one to pop your cherry? Toots, you're gorgeous. You could have anyone you want!" You were flustered beyond comprehension as Angel stopped shaking you. Opting to glare at your heated face instead. 

"We didn't go all the way! Plus he's the one who's been pursuing me all this time- I didn't get it at first, and I still don't. But-" Your expression morphed into one of contemplation. Angel's jaw went slack as he impatiently awaited your next words. "But what?! Spit it out!"

"He said we've met before. In the living world. But I seriously don't ever remember meeting him." Angel nudged you to the side before slotting himself atop your bed once more. "Soo... what do you remember from your life?" 

You froze. 

Angel's inquiry filled your mind with more questions than answers. 

"I... not much," You paused, turning to face Angel before you continued. "The earliest memory I have is waking up in a hospital bed after surviving a blow to the head from some hunting accident." 

You closed your eyes, wracking your brain for every last detail you could remember; no matter how small. "I ended up falling into a coma only days after that mishap. The next thing I know, I'm in fucking hell." You chucked bitterly. Angel let out a laugh of his own. 

"No offense, babe, but that has to be one of the saddest fuckin' things I've ever heard," Angel outstretched his legs, overlapping them atop yours. "That accident, what else can you remember about it? Maybe that's the ticket!" 

Your eyes shot open from Angel's question. "Wait... before I fell into a coma, there was this nurse- she told me that I was led into the woods by a dangerous fellow," You paused, eyes scanning Angel's wildly as he perched himself forward. Literally hanging on the edge of his seat from your musings. 

"She told me the gunshot wound saved my life, fucking ironic now because It ended up killing me anyway. She also said that... the man who took me into the woods was a serial killer who had been on the run for decades. He ended up getting shot in the head that night, also. Except he died instantly..."

Angel was hanging on to every word you uttered. He could see the pieces falling into place from your look of awe. "What was the man's name, toots? What was it?!" Angel shouted a little louder than he intended. You jolted back from his outburst, taking in a shaky breath. You replayed that memory with the nurse over and over again. 

She had to have said it at some point. 

Come on! Think, think- think!

“Turns out the man you were out in those woods with was a wanted serial killer. That 𝘈⃒̅𝘭⃒̅𝘢⃒̅𝘴⃒̅𝘵⃒̅𝘰⃒̅𝘳⃒̅ fellow was an active murderer for decades! The papers say he was good at steering clear of the cops for all these years. The hunter wasn’t even aiming for you both. His target was a nearby deer.”

"His target was a nearby deer."

A deer... 

Again. 

Retrace.

"That ɹ̸o̸ʇ̸s̸ɐ̸ʅ̸Ɐ̸ fellow was an active murderer for decades! The hunter wasn’t even aiming for you both. His target was a nearby deer."

Fuck- it was just out of reach. 

One more time, one more fucking time. 

Think carefully. 

"The hunter wasn’t even aiming for That A͊l͖a̪sto̶̸̅r̷̦͍ fellow. His target was a nearby deer."

You gasped sharply, startling Angel. You felt your heart sink into your stomach as the last piece of the puzzle fell into place.

"Alastor... his name was Alastor." 

Your voice was distant as you spaced out. Angel's face blurred out of focus through your line of sight. 

"You've got to be fuckin' kidding me. That freak was going to kill you when you were still alive-? And now... you belong to him? Shit- toots! This is rough... and not the good kind of rough." 

Alastor sat at the piano. Staring at the keys with that ever-present smile— but not daring to strike a tune. 

You’ve been avoiding him again.

What was it going to take for you to realize that he was your fiancé on earth? 

Sure, his features were more creature than man, but at the end of the day; Alastor was still the same man you fell in love with. 

Maybe he should have held off from his… desires. 

Could you blame him, though? He’s been waiting nearly a century to be reunited with his beloved. 

You’re the person he thought about for all these lonely years in hell. The only solace for Alastor was the notion that you survived, lived a long happy life, and inevitably made it to the pearly gates. 

So imagine his despair when you showed up at the Hazbin Hotel, looking to be redeemed. 

Alastor recognized you immediately. He could spot that grin of yours in a crowd of billions. 

Smile at the world, and she smiles back at you. 

But— you didn’t even spare him the time of day. Alastor gave you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you just needed some time to reignite your memory. 

And so, he gave you time. You’ll come around, Alastor thought. 

But he couldn’t have been more wrong, as much as he hated to admit it. 

He grew impatient— losing all of his resolve when you admitted to his voice reminding you of home. 

Alastor presumed maybe a passionate encounter would jumpstart your adoration for him. You had never breached that level of intimacy when you both were alive. You were adamant about waiting until marriage, but those dreams never came true. 

Yet even still, it was not enough. 

Was he really that forgettable to you? 

Suddenly, a knock on his door pulled him from his stupor. Alastor quickly cleared his throat, straightening his bowtie and taking steps toward his door. 

The second he swung the door open, he was met by the person who invaded his every thought; you. 

“What a pleasant surprise! Come in, my dearest.” Alastor piped up, stepping aside to let you into his safe haven. 

Your face was devoid of any vibrancy, and your eyes frantically avoided his. Alastor watched you closely as you hesitantly stepped past the threshold of his space. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Alastor hummed as he shut the door before turning on his heel to face you. 

You rubbed at the sleeve of your dress nervously. Alastor’s mind instantly flashed the memory of your first meeting. 

The sight of you soothing yourself with a gentle caress to your bicep. Clammy hands seeping perspiration through that gorgeous vermilion dress of yours.  

“I-I remember you…” Your voice was barely above a whisper. Legs trembling from where you stood before him.

Your words caused Alastor’s heart to race wildly. 

At long last— you remember him! 

“I knew you would, my smart girl! Ah- you have no clue how elated I am to finally hear those words leave your lips!” He invaded your personal space without missing a beat. 

Alastor’s eyebrows knitted in confusion as you dodged his hand— that had full intention of clasping around your cheek. 

“Don’t… don’t touch me.” Your voice was shrill as you took a step back from him. 

Alastor took one step forward. 

“My darling, why are you being so cold? You know how much I loathe teasing.” Alastor forced out a chuckle as you took two steps back. 

Alastor took three steps forward this time. 

“You’re sick! You’re the one who’s been teasing me all this time— how dare you?!” You spat, raising your hands to push him away, but to no avail. 

Alastor grasped your wrists with his large palms. He gazed down at you with a frenzied look, grip tightening scarcely around your wrists. “Darling… this isn’t funny anymore.” His voice was low, and the corners of his lips twitched in irritation. 

“It never was funny to begin with! I mean, how could you try to kill me on earth and then think it’s okay to fool around with me in hell?!” You glared up at him, tears of frustration now rolling down your cheeks. 

Alastor’s grip loosened from your words. He was utterly astonished. "You think I... tried to kill you?" His voice was quiet, crimson orbs frantically searching yours. 

You grimaced at him, rolling your eyes before you shouted, "You led me out into the woods, and the next thing I know, I'm in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head and no memories before waking up in a stiff hospital bed! Everything I know about you and the accident was spoon-fed to me by some crappy nurse!"

Alastor's smile dropped. He wasn't even aware of the frown that crossed his features. The only giveaway was the absence of that standard achy feeling in his cheeks from holding an everlasting grin. "Darling, I-I'm not following... you mean to tell me you... don't remember your life before that mishap?" 

You looked puzzled by Alastor's uncharacteristic display of distress. His hands slipped from your wrists as he wobbled backward. "Yeah, and It's your fault! If you didn't haul me out into those woods to kill me, I would still remember who I was! And my whole life before all this bullshit!" 

You took a step forward. 

"I would remember my family, my career, if I even fucking had one! I would remember my joyful memories, my painful ones, and— and- maybe I would remember somebody who actually loved me!" You furiously glared up at him. Pointing your index finger into his chest in an accusatory fashion. 

Alastor snapped at your last words. 

Somebody who actually loved you?

It was him.

It was always him. 

Was his love for you really that immemorable?

"You truly aren't joking... you... don't remember me." Alastor felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. You were the last thing keeping it intact. All that he felt in his chest now was your blunt fingernail piercing his skin from where you jabbed him. 

"I just told you I do! What the fuck are you talking about?!" Alastor could tell your patience was wearing thin. You were probably just as confused as he was but for all the wrong reasons. 

Alastor's arms fell limp against his sides. Yet his fists were balled up so tightly that he could hear the pitter-patter of his blood spilling onto the carpet from how deeply his nails sunk into the flesh of his palm. 

You weren't ever going to believe the truth, but Alastor still needed to try.

"My dearest... that is not how we met. And my intentions were not and never will be to end your life." Alastor paused, taking in a shaky breath before continuing. 

"You're frustrated about not remembering somebody that loved you, yes? As am I..." You tilted your head in confusion. Finally pulling your finger away from his wounded chest. "What the fuck are you trying to say, Alastor?" Your voice was laced with annoyance, and your scowl was unwavering. 

"Darling, that somebody that loved you was me-and still is. It will always be me," Alastor paused, hands now finding purchase on your shoulders. "That accident should have never happened! We were scheduled to be wed at the courthouse later that evening... but... we never... made it..."

Why were his cheeks burning unbearably so? 

And why was your countenance blurring before his very eyes? 

Alastor's grip on your shoulders was unwavering, but his hands now trembled. Your expression was one of perplexity as you shook your head incredulously. "I loved you in life and now in death. I've loved you all this time, my sweet girl. Nothing will ever change that! Please, I beg of you- you must believe me!"

The definitive radio static crackle to his voice was nowhere to be found. Instead, his voice was laced with desperation. You looked disoriented through his blurry gaze as you took a weary step back. 

Alastor felt wetness trickle down his burning cheeks. 

Oh, he was... crying?

The last time he wept was when he first arrived in this grim place otherwise known as Hell. The realization that he left you on earth all alone tore him up. Alastor was inconsolable for years.

You truly knew how to put him together just to rip him apart all over again, huh? 

There is no undoing grander than love itself. 

"I-I don't believe you..." Your voice was just above a whisper as you slipped out of his grasp and approached the doorway. You turned your back on him, literally and metaphorically. 

Alastor didn't miss a beat. He rushed to you, large palm slamming flat against the wooden door. "We worked at the same radio station! Your bitch of a friend Elaine and her parents took you in after your pill-addict parents abandoned you on your eleventh birthday!"

You let out a sharp gasp as he hovered over you. Alastor couldn't read your expression, with your face practically pressing into the wooden door. All he could see was the top of your head as he pushed his chest into your rigid back. His arm was outstretched, keeping the door shut and caging you in entirely. 

"It was love at first sight for me! We went dancing for our first date. Did you truly fail to notice how effortlessly we moved along the dancefloor at Charlie's last gathering? It's because deep down, your body remembers every dance we ever shared,"

Alastor flipped you over faster than you could process. Your back was now flush against the sturdy door, his arm still caging you in. He peered down at you as his thumb and index finger from his non-dominant hand grasped your chin, forcing you to meet his gaze.

"Every lingering touch..." 

He felt you tremble beneath his intense stare from how his chest now squashed against yours. Alastor's face dipped lower, invading your personal space. He brushed the tip of his nose against yours, breath fanning over your tear-stained cheeks. 

"And every kiss..."

Alastor observed you desperately as he pressed his lips against yours. He poured all his love into the shared embrace, hoping it would jumpstart your memory. But instead, you just shoved him away harshly, breaking away from his embrace. Alastor felt his world crumble around him as you wiped his kiss away with the back of your hand.

"You're fucking crazier than I thought!" With Alastor still reeling from the rejection, you took your leave. The sound of the door slamming thundered through his head. 

Alastor sunk to his knees. His hands came up to tug at his messy tufts of hair. Allowing the tears to flow freely now that he was completely alone.

Alastor did not think you were capable of hurting him until now. 

Alastor yanked at his locks furiously as his cheeks burned brightly in frustration. His knees quivered as his forehead kissed the carpet that was stained with his blood from earlier—when he unintentionally ripped up his palms. Alastor curled in on himself as he wept. 

This pain was worse than any other.

But more than anything, his love for you only burned brighter.

As did his determination to have you remember him and the pleasant life you both shared before all was lost. 

tags; @danveration @celestial-vomit @jyoongim @stygianoir @polytheatrix @mmik3yy @littlebullofblythe @cxrsedwxrlds @lillithhearts @nogiggleonlybitter @minniemumbles @chewbrry @lbcreations-blog @nonetheartist @call-me-nyxx @zombiesnips-blog @stawberrypimpsimp @wonderlandangelsposts @villxinmiixx @persephoneblck @maxlynn17 @littledolly2345 @karolinda007-blog @falling-endlessly @greekyoghurtwithberries @bladeismine @aloraaaxcrystalzx @doctorswife221b @scaramoochiie @fairyv-ice @chirikoheina @veroneverleft @tired-of-life-86 @saccharine-nectarine @c-thegingergirl @tsunaki @geminixbunny @softangxlicss @alleystore @sirens-and-moonflowers @fairyv-ice @honey132 @alastorsaries @zenix108 @michi-keinz @fokrilove @yourdoorisunlocked @willowshadenox @izakyun @fangirlbitch02 @kyana-chan @aquariaries @sincerely-lorely @maxlynn17 @ivebeenthearchersstuff

#hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel #alastor #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin hotel smut #alastor smut #alastor x you #alastor x reader #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel x y/n #hazbin hotel imagine #alastor imagine #alastor hazbin hotel #alastor x y/n #alastor angst #alastor fluff #hazbin hotel angst #hazbin hotel fluff

[chamomiletealeaf]

Sweet as Pie

Chapter 1

When Simon retires from the military, he buys a little cabin in Georgia to live the quiet life he's always wanted. It's rural, hidden, and exactly what he was looking for. However, it's not as rural as he thought it to be, when one day he finds out he has a cute lil next door neighbor who is sweet as pie.

pairing: fem!afab!southern! reader x mommykink! simon riley

a/n: Thank you to @thatonepupkai for inspiring me with this because I am now obsessed with mommy kink Simon and Southern reader.

warnings: mentions of trauma

Simon placed the last box of his belongings (which there weren't very many of) down in his new home.

He had just retired from the military, deciding to maybe try and experience some joy in his life.

Simon had never really experienced true joy. Not since his family. When he joined the Task Force he thought he could help save lives so that no one would have to live the way he did. He had nothing to live for, so why not try to save the lives of those who did have something?

But killing was hard. Something he didn't want to do. Was it really worth the risk? After Johnny nearly died by a shot to the head by Makarov, Simon felt an emotion that he hasn't felt since his family was alive.

For the first time in years, Simon Riley realized he had something to live for.

But he wasn't living, only surviving, which is why he decided to start a new chapter in his life and try and bring out that feeling he had gone so long without that he only got a taste of after Johnny was shot.

Which is where his rural cabin in Georgia comes in.

It was a beautiful wooden cabin; surrounded by nature and hidden by trees. It was alone, just the way he was. It was only one story and on a beautiful black lake that sparkled with the reflections of the sunny sky and warped images of the branches of the trees lingering over it. Maybe he would buy himself a kayak one day and go out on the lake. He was still learning how to take care of himself.

He didn't see any houses for a while. The closest house he saw being quite far down the lake, but close enough that he wasn't too secluded.

Simon wanted to start slow, inch his way back into civilization, and this cabin was the perfect start.

He placed the last box of his belongings down on the wooden floor in the living room. He sighed and placed his hands on his hips, then looked around as if he was trying to find something to do.

It felt awkward not having to watch his back 24/7.

He sat down on the little couch that came with the house, and opened up the box, deciding to occupy himself with putting away his things.

The first thing he took out the box was his only coffee mug that had the Task Force logo on it that Price had given to him so he wouldn't have to steal his mug to make his tea.

Tea, that sounded good.

Simon took the mug into the kitchen and put a kettle onto the stove.

As he waited for the water to heat up, he leaned back against the counter, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked outside his window in the kitchen, admiring the view of the lake.

Then something caught his eye.

From the window in the kitchen, Simon could see to the right of the cabin, which was most of the lake, and a lot of the wooded area beside it. He could see more from that window than the window in the living room, which showed the left part of his house, and that distant house that looked to be his only neighbor.

But in the distance, to the right, not too far from his cabin and definitely much closer than the other house, he saw a cute little pastel yellow house, also wooden, with a big white door.

"What the f-" Simon whispered under his breath, squinting his eyes to see if that was really another house he was seeing or maybe just a storage shed.

That's when he saw you.

Simon could see the door of your house that appeared to be the kitchen door. It was a single door with a little stoop to allow people to walk up and down it.

He watched as you opened the door, bringing a basket along with you, and walked over to the peach trees you had in your backyard.

You were beautiful. So much so that Simon unsquinted his eyes and his anger towards the realtor who sold him the house who failed to inform him of a closer-by neighbor faded.

He watched as you picked the peaches off the trees and pulled a white cardigan around your figure that slipped open every time you reached up to the branches of the tree.

Then, when the basket was full, he watched you disappear back into the coziness of your little yellow house, that was almost as cute as you were.

Simon stared at your kitchen door for a bit, awestruck by the woman he just saw.

Then the screeching whistle of the kettle is what snapped him out of his trance.

He rushed to turn the stove off and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. Then with a sigh, he leaned against the counter on his palms, repressing a small grin creeping onto his face and thought:

Maybe having a neighbor wouldn't be so bad.

#call of duty #cod #cod mw #cod mw2 #cod mw3 #simon ghost riley #simon riley #ghost #ghost cod #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley x reader #ghost cod x reader #ghost x reader #mommy kink simon riley #mommy kink simon #mommy kink simon riley x reader #mommy kink simon x reader

[targaryenrealnessdarling]

Please write me a Billy W story - no particular premise, but I would like heart wrenching angst and disgusting smut. Something that will make me feel like I want to bite through my own forearm like I know only you can.

@ewanmitchellcrumbs <3 xoxo

You got it, baby~ Tried the heart-wrenching angst but didn't want to kill my precious boy, hope you like!

Lost Without You

Warnings: past trauma, swearing, angst, mentions of breakup, smut (p in v, oral m receiving, tiddy succin) | Word Count: 6k~

Links to my Taglists: General Taglist | Billy W Taglist

Billy hadn’t been in a car since Cranstead Fields.

Couldn’t and wouldn’t.

In the summer, with the incessant heat and dry air, it was totally fine. He would walk for hours and hours, mostly people watching and mulling over the events of that hot July where he had nearly fallen victim to his own overly trusting nature. Or perhaps he was naïve. It was difficult to tell the difference these days.

London flocked with tourists in the Summer, with the school holidays in full swing not long after. He'd happily disappear into the crowds, not wanting to be seen, and only observe. He'd watch families enjoy their time off in the blazing sun, even at Cranstead Fields, sometimes he'd walk past and see young lads playing footie right where his car had been. The grass now free of the tinged black tips from the fire, had turned a pale yellowish green with the harsh heat.

He thought it was wrong that he kept coming back. And he didn't know why he did.

People had fucking picnics there, absentmindedly sucking on ice lollies to keep cool, laughing and enjoying life.

Right where his had nearly ended.

He felt helpless. But he hated that he even felt that.

He remembered panicking so much in that driver's seat, so much so he'd nearly made himself sick. Shouting desperately for his sister to help him. Remembered her face through the window as she'd winced at what she'd seen inside the glovebox.

He barely remembered the extraction.

The in-between was blurry and he'd been sobbing so hard that only one thing could've brought him to his feet now that he was kneeling on the grass behind his car.

He'd nearly laughed as she pushed a policeman out the way, ignoring the orders for her to stay away. After all, there was still a live bomb inside the car. But she'd paid it no mind and had been kept away long enough. She ran across the cordon, her skin beneath the sundress she was wearing flushed with heat, exhaustion and outright terror. Her bare knees hit the grass with a thud, they'd be stained later, as she threw her arms around him, pulling him into a helpless hug.

If he wasn't so upset, he'd have worried about how covered in nervous sweat he was, how unbearably terrible he must have looked with his tear-streaked face. He'd never cried so much in front of her before. Even now as he snakes his arms around her waist, pulling her close, he'd buried his face in her neck so she wouldn't see. He could feel her breathing heavily, her heart beating fast, and how much she was trying not to cry at finally feeling him in her arms.

She settled for running her hands through his hair, damp from the heat and sweat, whispering his name as if to bring him crashing back into the reality where they were both here. He was safe.

She always made him feel safe. Wanted. It was a feeling Billy didn't know he needed before she came along.

But as usual.

He'd fucked it up.

After Cranstead, she did everything. All the cooking, cleaning, making sure he was taken to the police station to submit his statement. Sometimes it felt like she was more his secretary than a girlfriend.

At first, he appreciated her company, her willingness to commit herself to his wellbeing. And it wasn't like she wasn't selfless before, she'd always been good to him, but she'd really turned to the dial up to 10.

Some weeks in, it began to have the opposite effect. He felt like shit.

It felt like he was a kid again. And while, deep down, he wanted her help, he couldn't help but feel like she was pitying him. And he didn't need any more fucking pity. That's all anyone does. The further away the Cranstead Fields incident got, the more his parents returned to their previous conversations. Jobs. Commitments. When he and she would move in together. What he was going to do with his life.

As if it was just as simple as just forgetting it. As if the experience hadn't torn him apart.

She began to notice something was off a few weeks after the incident. He was recluse, giving one-word answers annoyed, spending most of his time smoking out the balcony doors of his flat instead of eating.

He couldn't bear to look at her. Didn't want to see that sinking look on her face. To come to the realisation that their relationship was failing and entering that murky, horrid form, where you know you should end it, but neither party wants to say it.

He thought, she had realised sooner than she wanted to admit. She loved him and wanted to be there for him, like any good girlfriend would be. She stood, watching him have his cigarette with his back to her, her overnight bag strung over her shoulder, wondering what she should say in response to what he'd just said.

"I don't need your help and I don't need you"

She opened her mouth a few times, willing something to come out. But she was too hurt to reply. She knew what that really meant.

She thought about writing a note. But instead, holding the hot tears back, she threw her bag in her car and sat in the driver's seat for a moment before gathering the strength to leave. Billy watched her car, a tiny little Volkswagen, pull away. And never come back.

With her, the families and tourists also left London, making way for the dull, wet humidity that Autumn came with. Even though they never moved in together, he felt the loss of her presence in his flat. Every time he came home, it slapped him in the face and if he felt shit before, when she was here, he felt even worse now for having broken up with her the way he did.

He hadn't even had the courage to really say it out loud. Nor to face her.

Billy did what he usually did, and accepted the feeling with open arms, dragging himself further down into a spiralling era of depression. Therapy did fuck all these days, he thought. Just paying someone else to take pity on you, which is the last thing he needed.

The flat slowly became a tip without him really even realising, packets of empty cigarettes piled up and all he did was go out every now and then for food and pop by the jobcentre. Not like there was much out there at the moment. Job seekers allowance would have to do for now.

Today was no different. With Autumn came shorter days and he'd barely realised, stuck in the jobcentre that it had become dark and mercilessly rainy. He pulled his hoodie over his head, stuck his hands in his pockets and went out into the pelting showers. It soaked through his clothes immediately, not dressed for such weather. Hair damp and sticking to his head and his jeans clinging uncomfortably to his legs with every step.

Pulling out his vibrating phone, he declined the call from Lana and shoved it back in his pocket. She'd been on his case like no other. Asking where his girlfriend was and how he'd let himself get like this. She was always the one to call him out, he hated it on one hand, but on the other it was nice to have it handed to him plainly sometimes.

Not today though, he thought.

The weather was unrelenting, rain pelted down so quick he could scarcely raise his head without it getting in his eyes.

He stepped off the curb to cross the road, without looking. A pair of headlights screeched to a halt.

"Jesus!" He pulled back onto the pavement again, face illuminated by the bright lights as he squinted.

He'd only realised what was going on when the driver's side opened. Her Volkswagen still had the lights on and the windscreen wipers were still quickly whirring.

She stood out the car slightly, her otherwise dry hair now gathering drops of rain, her jeans now a darkened blue the longer she stood there.

He felt his neck get hot, seeing her now after so long.

"Billy" were the only words that came from her lips,

"Fucks sake…" he turned a bit to walk away, not looking back even when he heard the car door slam shut.

"Billy!" She called after him, rain slapping on the concrete as she jogged up to him and pulled on his arm, "Billy, stop"

He pulled his arm away, looking down at her, "what!"

"I'm not letting you walk home in this. Get in" she said, voice elevated over the sound of the rain, which was running all over her face, down her neck, soaking her clothes right through.

"I didn't ask for your help"

"Would you stop being so fucking stubborn for one second?" She countered, clearly annoyed. They stared one another down for a moment, ignoring the ways their stomachs fluttered to see each other again.

"Come on, get in" she said, softer this time. Both of them now completely sodden.

He watched her get back in the car, torn at whether he should or not. He was still a good fifteen minute walk from his flat and already wet through, his shoes as well.

A short five minute drive in the car with his ex was a tough choice.

He opened the passenger door, eyeing the seat for a moment. He leaned forward, and opened the glovebox to find it empty (apart from her logbook and various other scraps), his heart going a million miles an hour. Eyes darted about the footwell, desperate to see if it was safe or not.

"It's alright, Billy…" she said softly from the driver's seat. In the low light of the car, he'd almost forgotten how pretty she was.

To both of them, it was clear that there was still love there. But neither wanted to be the first to say it. Or even acknowledge its existence.

He swallowed nervously and slumped into the passenger seat, suddenly feeling bad at how wet the seats must be. But it didn't seem like she minded. She just put the car in gear and drove the familiar five minutes to his flat in relative silence, apart from the quiet hum of the radio.

Of course the first time he's in a car in months, it's with her.

She pulled up to the curb, keeping the car running, as if she'd expected him to open the door and just run out, without saying anything. But Billy surprised himself, sat firmly in the passenger seat, he didn't move.

He didn't know what was happening to him. But for some reason, now that he had her back within reach, he didn't want to let her go.

He felt like a dick. For treating her as he did back then, and even tonight, when she'd offered him a lift, not expecting to even come in for a cuppa, he'd been cold and reclusive.

She turned off the ignition, looking over at him as he stared distantly into his lap, "You alright?" She asked carefully.

He wished he hadn't caved and looked at her, but he did. And his mouth went completely dry when he met her gaze. She made him feel so safe. So safe. Even now, when there was no real danger or chance of it, her mere presence seemed to calm that quick pounding of his heart.

"Do uh…you wanna come in?"

It came out more desperate than he'd intended. But he didn't regret saying it.

One of her hands noticeably gripped the steering wheel tighter, and he could see the internal battle she was fighting. Deciding whether or not it was a good idea.

She cleared her throat, unbuckling her seatbelt, "Sure, yeah…"

Billy winced remembering how messy the flat was when he'd left, and wondered what she'd think. He knew she was never the type to judge, but it embarrassed him all the same.

He felt his heart pitter patter in his chest at seeing her in his flat again, where she used to spend so much of her time. Where they'd nuzzle close on his tiny sofa, watching old 90s movies. Where she'd make him breakfast every Sunday morning, without fail. Where she'd come home after a bad day, seeking nothing but the comfort of being wrapped up in bed with him, stroking her hair.

"Tea? Coffee?" He asked, slipping into the kitchen. She followed, her hands wrapped around herself from the chill of being damp.

"Tea…thanks"

The loud, unrelenting hiss of the kettle filled the silence for a bit. Billy was trying to figure out what to say, keeping his hands busy fiddling with the teaspoon. He hated this. Hated that now they had to pretend to be strangers. As if they hadn’t spent the last few years devoted to each other. Spent night after night in his bedroom, basking in the fucked-out glow of the evening watching whatever was on late night telly ‘til either of them fell asleep.

Milk. No Sugar.

She suppressed the smile that he remembered how she liked it.

She nods her head whispering a thanks as he hands it to her, palm over the top of the steaming mug. It must hurt, she thinks. But he gives it to her this way so that she can put her fingers through the handle and not scald herself. At this small, tiny act of kindness on Billy’s part, she can’t help it, she does smile. A sad one. But a smile nonetheless.

His hallway that leads to the living room and bedroom is a bit cluttered, with his several pairs of Adidas shoes piled near the entrance, where he’d toed them off and never bothered to put them away. Billy brushes behind her to carry his own cuppa to the living room, the warmth in her tummy doesn’t go amiss either. He’s a lot taller than she is, one of the things she always shamelessly loved about him.

On the corkboard are several receipts, important looking bills as well as some letters from the NHS, easily spotted with the blue header.

“Still going to therapy then?” she asked, voice half-raised to reach him in the living room.

The therapy I organised, she thinks.

“Sometimes, yeah” he answers quietly.

The living room is a reflection of Billy. Messy, not put-together, various items strewn about the room like empty cans of beer and old letters he’d not bothered to throw away. It’s not necessarily a disgusting mess like old plates of food, more just items, but worry still gnaws inside her at how he is currently living.

She looks out the balcony doors, mostly to avoid looking right at him sat on the sofa, bouncing his leg anxiously and at the obvious way he is also trying not to be caught looking at her.

"How's your parents"

She looked at him only briefly, "Alright. Dad's retired now. Moved to Australia last month. I'm paying them rent til the mortgage runs out"

Billy's eyebrows raised in surprise. The thought of her in that house by herself was a sobering one and he thought she must be lonely there all alone.

She'd always come to his flat, for a sense of privacy and independence, but also to do the things they couldn't when she was in their house.

Those lazy weekend mornings, warm beneath the sheets with their bodies pressed together. Sleepily brushing the sheets from her bare skin to touch it, tracing all her feminine lines and curves. Her breath against his neck, hurried and needy. Fucking her into the mattress until the early afternoo-

"You're being quiet" she said, almost so quiet he didn't hear. Billy steeled his expression, to try and make it obvious he wasn't thinking about all the times he'd had her in that very bed. Like he didn't know all her sweet spots, the ones that made her breathe his name in a way that couldn't possibly be replicated. In a way that made his stomach lurch into his chest in flutters.

"I don't know what you want me to say" she was holding the mug in both hands, staring out the balcony windows, looking at her car outside, being hammered with rain.

Billy poked his cheek with his tongue, hands still clasped on his lap, thinking.

"Think it's me who owes you an explanation" he replied, voice low. Like he was a child in trouble. What he'd said made her look over at him, her face and hair still damp.

"I don't know" she put the mug down, turning to him, as if she didn't trust herself to hold it, "is it?"

He forced himself to look at her, hating the way she was trying to mask how troubled she was.

“Look, I know you’re upset-”

She scoffs, pulling her tears back, crossing her arms, “Understatement of the year”

“I don’t want a fucking fight right now”

“Neither do I. But I have a feeling your explanation will make one” she kept shifting her weight from foot to foot, nervous.

Billy sighed, “I just-I didn’t feel like myself. Realised you were too good for me, and that someday you’d realise it too” he explains quietly, hands clasped together, “Thought why not speed up the process”

“And you think you know what I want, do you?” she counters, her fingers digging slightly into her palm, trying to ignore the way her chest is getting tight.

“I just want you to be happy. Sometimes you can’t get that with someone dragging you down like I was doing”

She laughs, a short puff of air off her chest, hardly able to believe what’s coming out his mouth.

“I didn’t do all that I did for my fucking health, Billy. I did it because I loved you. And not once did I ever make you feel bad for it, for giving you space” she argues, catching her breath a moment, “I just-”

“It’s not about that” Billy says sharply,

“Isn’t it? You said you didn’t need my help, remember? Or is that just a Billy way of saying you don’t love me anymore?”

“I do love you” his expression could have fooled her. He looks exasperated and angry, frustrated.

“You have a funny way of showing it” she snaps, “I was just trying to help you”

She steps back a little when Billy stands up, his height shocking her for a moment as she has to crane her neck to see his face. His fists are clenched hard beside him, body quite literally shaking with the anger he’s trying so desperately to keep in.

"You were suffocating me!”

She scoffs, “Oh I’m sorry, I’ll refer to the handbook next time my boyfriend is trapped in a car with a bomb in the glovebox, shall I?”

If he hadn't been so upset, he'd have laughed. She was always funny. Unintentionally as well. Yet another thing he loved about her.

He must have shown a little bit of it on his face, because she shook her head, “Oh I’m funny now, am I?”

It didn’t shake the small smile from his face. Billy only swallowed over the lump in his throat, feeling uncomfortably hot against the still damp hoodie that was sticking to his chest. His eyes softened instantly and he couldn’t bear to look at her as he thought about what he might say.

“It just made me realise…I mean come on-I haven’t got a job, a future, my brain’s fucked…” he confessed quietly, “...I didn’t have anything but you and I can’t help but feel I drag you down-”

“Billy…”

“No-look at you, you’ve…got your life sorted out, a home…you deserve someone on your level, someone…that might not be me”

His heart lurches right into his throat, blue eyes brimmed with tears, when she steps forward to take his hands, almost outright sobbing at the feeling of her skin against his again. Her thumbs drawing soft and gentle circles on them.

“Don’t think like that, please..” she practically begged in such a soft, desperate tone, “I could never ever imagine my life without you and when I had to-I just couldn’t…love you too much to do that”

Billy feels his heart hurting. For months it had been so rarely used. And now to feel it so full of love just in the last hour he’d seen her, the stretch to accommodate it was painful. But the nice kind.

“I nearly lost you” she chokes out, “And I hated that I couldn’t do a single thing about it…”

He feels his mouth go dry. Thinking back, after the incident, she never did cry about anything. Rather, she pretended to be the rock, emotional walls built high, so that Billy could allow himself to let go.

He was so absorbed, perhaps rightly so, in his own situation. How he'd felt. That he hadn't stopped to think how broken she'd been by what happened, and all he could think about was that desperate hug she'd given him that day. How tightly she held him, her hands touching every piece of him she could to check it wasn’t some cruel dream.

She was hurting just as much as he was.

"I'm so fucking sorry, I-" he paused halfway, choking up and unable to form the rest of it once he saw her teary eyes.

He could've sobbed when she put her hand so gently to his face, her small thumbs wiping away the wetness on his cheeks. She gave a small watery laugh, her smile breaking through the sheer exhaustion of her heartbreak in her eyes.

"You're really fucking thick sometimes, you know that" she laughed softly.

And he couldn't help it, he let out somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Finally allowing himself to run his fingers through her hair, some strands drying and some still stuck together, forming waves in their wake. Another thing he loved about her.

"It's a Washington trait" he replied, his voice quiet and desperate. Both of them trying hard not to lose it again and cry.

"I know, '' she said with a genuine smile, her eyes lighting up in front of him again from the glow of a street lamp outside.

It wasn’t clear who moved first, but neither of them cared enough to think. If her hands on his face was a small slice of heaven, having her lips against him again was paradise. She just fit against him so perfectly as he wrapped his arms around her waist, desperate for the contact he had been denied in her absence. His hand dipping slightly beneath the hem of her shirt, feeling her tacky rain-soaked skin, almost groaning right against her mouth as he broke to take a breath. The hand that was at his face tugged him closer, deepening an ever-desperate kiss, like they had both been freed to desire each other.

His lips trailed from hers to her jaw, to her neck, inhaling her familiar scent, sighing at the perfume she would always wear. That hadn’t changed either. He left open-mouthed kisses against the tender skin there, trailing down the slope of her neck to her collarbones, hot and quick pants of his breath coming in huffs against it.

Her hand tightened on his shirt, “Billy…”

She’d hate it if she could see the boyish smirk on his face. At him knowing how much she wanted him, needed him. How hot her body got when they were near each other and how that familiar pool of arousal settled between her legs at the idea of this intimacy.

He pulls her to him by her waist, tugging her to straddle his lap as he lands on his sofa, resisting the urge to rut against her as he feels her clothed core rub against him. She can feel how hard he is, how hard he has been since the second they'd touched lips. Their kisses are having less effect, only delaying the inevitable wanton need they have for each other. And yet he chases her warm, soft lips and goes back for more which each break of breath.

The second she goes to pull off her top, throwing it somewhere across the room, his hands are on her, unclasping her bra to join it and his lips and tongue running over the newly exposed flesh. It smells like a mix of her perfume, her natural scent and the earthy smell that the rain leaves behind.

He savours every breath, every soft moan that tumbles out her mouth when he mouths one of her perk, rosy nipples, taking one and running his tongue all over it. His hand joining the other to give it attention. He could die a happy man buried between her tits like this, feeling the pleasant thrum of her heart beneath her ribs.

When her hand slips beneath the waistband of his jeans, wrapping around his cock, he groans against her chest, sending vibrations through her torso. She smiles a bit, with flushed cheeks, that he's already hard.

"Miss me?"

He'd missed her playfulness. But the way she's tugging at his length, squeezing ever so slightly harder when she gets to the tip, smearing precum over the head of it as it weeps with arousal. It gives her attitude a run for its money.

His half lidded gaze looks up at her, her hair framing her face no nicely in the dim light of the room. Rosy lips parted in anticipation of his reaction to her touch, glazed and kiss-bruised from before.

"Fuck…" he breathes, tipping his head back slightly.

With his eyes shut she dips her head to his neck, sucking and biting softly on his pulse point, speeding up the motions of her hand only slightly. But not enough. She skims over his clothed chest, letting her legs fall between his to the floor, her lips kissing just below his navel over the smattering of sandy blonde hair.

Billy looks down with a sort of admiration, watching the way she tugs his jeans over his hips, taking his boxers with it. Her mouth covers every bit of skin that's shown, taking his hot and aching length in one hand to give him some languid pumps before she dips her tongue against the base.

It's the teasing that makes Billy breathe faster. But nothing prepares him for the way her mouth sinks over his cock in one smoothe warm motion. After having been together for so long, she knew how to take him well and so she takes as much as she is able into her mouth, relaxing her jaw and using the other hand to pump whatever else she can't fit.

He pulls his hoodie over his head and she can see the way his muscles on his stomach flex, trying to hold back as much as he can. His fingers thread through her hair at the side of her face to the back, not pulling her on him, just holding her as she bobs her head against him, her tongue running against the vein on the underside, a motion that makes his fists tighten against her scalp. Every now and then when her eyes look up at him, his breath is stolen from his lungs and feels as if he might cum right there and then.

She hums around him appreciatively, enjoying the heady, intoxicating taste of him after so long. Not wanting to cum too soon, Billy gently pulls her off him, his cock shining with her spit and still standing hard against his stomach.

"You're so fucking good…" he whispers as his thumb drags over her bottom lip, tugging her to his own in a deep and wanton kiss. She pulls her jeans down with her underwear before sitting astride his narrow waist again, dragging her wetness over his cock as she sways her hips over him. Being naked in front of each other like this again is just so right, so basic and human, it's like nothing ever happened.

He smirks in the kiss at how ready she already is.

"Miss me?..."

Her face blushes with embarrassment and she playfully swats his shoulder, "shut up"

He reaches between them, running the head of his cock through her slick folds. It'd be so easy to just slide inside, to be enveloped by her warmth and feel the familiar ridges of her core, squeeze him just as tightly as they always had.

"Billy please…" she sobs as he teases her, moving away when she tries to sink down on him, "please just fuck me..."

He didn't need to be told twice.

He squeezed the flesh of her ass hard when he sank inside, leaving red marks against her skin as she stretched to accommodate his size. Her lips parted, eyes softly shut as a gasp escaped her mouth, matching his.

Their breaths mingled with each other as she took him fully, the head of his cock kissing that rough spot inside, easier in this position.

"You were fucking made for me…" he breathed against her lips, using her hips to move her on hip. She mewled out in pleasure, tears pricking the corners of her eyes at feeling him so deep inside her.

He moved her on top of him, back and forth, over and over again, fucking her using his own hold on her waist, meeting her halfway with his own pressing of his hips, watching the way her tits bounced with ever harsh thrust. Her sounds, every soft moan of his name, were music, only urging him on.

“God…Billy…” running her fingers through his hair, she held him close, lifting her hips to aid their chaotic fucking. Trying and failing to hold back the intensity of her moans as her first climax fills her limbs with warmth, thighs trembling around him and a series of expletives as he shoves himself harder into her through it. It takes the wind out of her for a moment while she gathers her breath, the lewd sound of her slick against the base of his cock the only sound in the room.

Only he could make her feel like this. Lose control like this. It didn't happen overnight either. At first he'd been apprehensive to show how much he wanted sex. But when she teased it out of him, it couldn't be contained any longer.

"Taking me so well-shit" he moaned out, her breasts against his face.

He could feel himself getting close.

She squeaked in surprise when her back met the sofa, looking up at Billy over her as his large palm pulled her legs apart again. He looked so good. Naked, his cock hard and covered in her arousal, lithe form and his face, rivalling that of a statue carved out of stone. Sharp jaw and nose, his soft blue eyes, sandy blonde hair now tousled from their intense lovemaking.

How could she not love him.

He was perfect.

He unapologetically gave that boyish Billy smile as he looked down at her, her chest speckled with heat from the passion of it all. Her tits moving with her breathing and her cheeks as she smiled lazily up at him, tinged with the prettiest pink he'd ever seen.

Billy remembered the last holiday they went on together, in the late spring. They'd driven to Cornwall with a hired minivan. And before arriving into Port Isaac, they'd stopped on a country road in the late afternoon when the sun touched the sea. He'd made love to her in the driver's seat and admired the way the orange sunset kissed the colour of her hair. She looked gorgeous then, face flushed and legs astride him.

How she looks at him now reminds him of that afternoon.

"What?" She asked, when he just sat and admired her.

He just shook his head, "You're just beautiful…"

He captured her lips with his own, leaning over and slowly teasing himself back inside her, sliding through with the aid of her new rush of arousal from her orgasm. Slowly like this, she feels every ridge, every vein and it does nothing to stem the desire to have him do whatever he wants. As long as it's with her.

With the soft thrust of his hips against her, pulling her legs around his waist, his hand runs up her front, between her breasts to her neck, gently holding her while he looks down to see how his cock just effortlessly disappears inside her over and over. His hips meetings hers slower than before but with just as much power, as if trying to imprint the shape of him inside her so they’d never forget how each other felt.

Billy bites at the skin between her neck and shoulder, hoping the marks take there, before pulling her leg up in his palm and pushing it higher so that he can raise himself and fuck down into her.

"Billy…don't stop…" she breathes as her eyes meet his. He can tell the new position reaches somewhere so incredibly deep that she clutches his shoulders for purchase, nails leaving half moon shaped indents in his skin.

"Fuck, you're so-" he chokes out, the veins in his neck pulsing with desire the more he feels himself losing control. Her mewls and moans fill the otherwise quiet room, whispering his name like a chant, "I'm gonna-"

"Yes…Billy…need you" she whispers, her hands gripping his shoulders again when the pressure inside her lets loose once again, making her tighten around him.

He cums with a shattered moan against her neck, rocking himself against her a few more times for friction before stilling inside her warm heat as it convulses around him, the aftershocks of he orgasm only serving to prolong the pleasure of his. He can feel his blood humming with hunger and a sense of completion, like he's found the other half he'd been after, and doesn't want to let it go now.

He can feel their heartbeats against each other, her chest meeting his with every sharp inhale. Her skin is so warm and soft against him, he never wants to know what it's like to not have her again.

When he looks down at her, her eyes find his quickly and for a moment they admire the fucked-out expressions on their faces, the large dilation of their pupils and how their touch goes form harsh and needy to tender and loving.

She smiles tiredly and he can still feel her heartbeat inside her, even as he begins to soften.

"Tea's gone cold…" he breathes out between pants.

Her laugh fills his heart with warmth, a genuine laugh with teeth and those little lines around her eyes. And he can't help but feel a bolt of pleasure up his spine at how the laugh reverberates through her body to his cock.

He falls to his side against the sofa, lazily pulling a blanket over them and pulling her to his chest, running his fingers through her wavy, slightly tangled hair. He kisses the crown of her head, inhaling her scent, musky from the rain with a whisper of her shampoo.

"Stay here…please…" he begs, his voice thick, as if he couldn't bear the rejection of her saying no. Not after everything. He even feels his chest tighten at the thought.

Her head moves to look up at him, reaching out to bring his face to hers, kissing his lips so tenderly it made him want to weep.

"I could never leave you…ever" she whispers against his lips, slotting hers against his once more, her hand ghosting over his heart. To feel how alive he is.

Those three words don't even need to be said. They both knew it. Knew it had never left even in their absence. When their hearts had been divided.

But for old time's sake, they said it anyway.

Dividers by @saradika

General Taglist: @risefallrise @valeskafics

Billy W Taglist: @fan-goddess & for my Billy simps @assortedseaglass

*Bold means I couldn’t tag, if I can't tag you you can always turn on notifications for when I post. DM me if you wanna be removed besties

#billy washington smut #billy washington fanfiction #billy washington x oc #billy washington x reader #billy washington #billy washington angst #ewan mitchell characters #ewan mitchell x reader #ewan mitchell #trigger point #billy washington trigger point #trigger point series #trigger point bbc

[beansmack2021]

The Point of No Return (Pt. 2)

TW: Technically captivity?, yandere tendencies from Alastor, murder on a technicality, very brief mention of bullets and getting shot

She blinked once. Twice. The sky was red. That didn't seem very right. Wasn't it usually blue?

Y/N sat up, her mind foggy. What happened? She heard someone clear their throat beside her. Oh, right. Him.

Alastor, who, during his life, killed a handful of people and got away with it for years. Alastor, who rose from the depths of Hell to separate her and the man who was quickly becoming more and more aggressive with her. Alastor, who was quite the gentleman, for a demon.

She stared at him, waiting for him to explain to her where they were.

"Welcome to Hell, dearest."

Oh.

OH.

What the fuck?

"Hell? As in, Hell from the Bible?" She sputtered.

"The very same. So sorry to drag you away from the world of the living, but you seemed awfully distressed. That oafish man had zero respect for the daintier members of his species. Not to worry, though. I taught him some manners."

She knew what he'd done. He hadn't taught Henry anything. He'd killed him, and without even laying a finger on him. Without... The pieces fit together in her mind like a puzzle.

"You killed Dave, too, didn't you?" Her mother had taught her not to mumble when asking a question, but she was afraid of the answer.

"Indeed I did! Wow, you're quite the smart cookie."

"Why?"

Alastor's unwavering smile widened.

"To help you, my dear. You seemed so bored. You have an enchanting voice and a wonderful presence, and it was going to waste on the pigs you worked for."

She was going to be sick. This man, this demon who'd returned from the dead, killed because of her. He killed Dave and Henry because he thought she bored, and because he thought she was upset.

Alastor held out an arm for her to hold onto as she stood.

"Listen, Alastor. I... appreciate that you tried to help me, but I need to get back home."

Alastor chuckled. It was a resonant sound, loaded with radio static.

"Dear, you can't go home. You've died."

It felt as though a bullet pierced through Y/N's spinal chord and sent her into shock.

"I what?"

"You're dead. This is your home, now. In order to bring you here with me, your soul had to be bonded to mine. Unfortunately, the trip killed you. Worry not, though. You still look as radiant as you did during your life."

Y/N wanted to scream. She was dead. She was in Hell. Apparently, she and Alastor were tied together by their souls. She reached up to scratch her head, trying to figure out what to do and determine whether or not this was all real or some super fucked up dream. Then, she felt the ears. She really did scream.

"What the fuck is on my head?"

Alastor perked up. "Ah, you mean your ears. Yes. It appears you've developed similar traits to my own. You still look the same as you did on Earth, but now you have the ears and nose of a deer. It's quite endearing."

"Fuck."

"Such a pretty little potty mouth. That's alright, I can learn to live with a few curse words every now and then."

She saw red. How could he not understand that she didn't want to learn to live with him? She wanted to go home. But then, if he was telling the truth and she really was dead, then there was no going home. She plopped down on the ground, put her head in her hands and felt her face heat up as she started to cry.

"Oh, I wasn't really prepared for this strong of a response. Do you need anything from me?"

"I need you to leave me the fuck alone."

Alastor wanted to tell her that it was impossible, now that they were bonded, but he had enough common sense to know to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he just sat down beside on the ground and quietly waited for her to stop crying.

She sniffled and looked up at him, wiping her nose.

"Come now, dear. I think I know a place that might cheer you up."

~

It's short but I really wanted to crank it out. There will be a part three soon.

#hazbin husk #alastor #hazbin x reader #hazbin fanfic #hazbin hotel #x reader #alastor x reader #hazbin alastor

[pandorasfavorite]

I live for your writing literally supporting my delusions ❤️❤️❤️ But anyways I think you’ve already written with this idea before but hopefully this request is a little different. So a fem reader and Dominik have been dating for a couple months but the reader beings to get annoyed by Dom’s close relationship with Rhea. The reader kind of starts giving him attitude about about this and Dom takes matters into his own hands with him showing the reader that he only wants the her and saying some stuff like “Do I kiss/touch Rhea like this?” and then proceeds to show her😝😝

Pick a Side

AN: Requests are coming as fast as I can write (don't give up on me). And keep a look out for your request mixed in with other posts.

It's not in Dominik's hands how he is supposed to do things. I mean he did choose to join the Judgement Day but the close relationship with Rhea was essentially pushed on him for more attention and heat. You were not a part of the Judgement, instead you stayed solo and stayed away from factions. You weren't with Dominik until 3 months after he joined The Judgement Day. But he grew on you slowly but surely; the way he was constantly in your life and that adorable smile and crazy hair; he was irresistible. You knew who all was in The Judgement Day too; you knew he liked Rhea as a friend, so he said, though lately the jealousy has gotten worse.

When you liked Dominik it didn't hurt as bad to see them paired together in the center of the ring acting like a couple. Yet the longer your relationship carries on, the more you love him, seeing him hug her and hang off her shoulder was slowly killing your nerves. So yeah you've been moody towards him lately, he should know by now anyway. On the other hand, Dominik was getting a little frustrated with your little mood. But he wasn't dense; it was clear as water that you were being pissy about Rhea. What could he do other than show you how he only wants you? Just finding the right time was the tricky part.

Well, the tricky part was over because you were blowing up on Dominik for touching Rhea's hair. In his defense, it really was an accident, but anything that had to do with them being in contact was ticking you off effortlessly. So now you were pacing in front of the king-sized bed (where Dominik was leaning against the headboard with his arms crossed), and you were going on a rant about the ridiculous events that have happened recently.

"You know it wouldn't matter if you at least acted like you didn't mean to do it. And then you want to throw your arm around her shoulder- or wait NO MY ARM, what's yours is mine, and your mine. So what I guess I'm really asking is why are you throwing my arm around another woman?" you spewed with your hands flying around to emphasize your point. Dominik was so fucking flabbergasted; somehow you managed to not only call him out for an accident but also claim his arm as yours. But he listened anyway and tried to act normal because if he smiled at your insanity; you would say he was making fun of the problem. So with a straight face (one that was about to break), Dominik patted the bed beside him.

You furrowed your eyebrows and looked at him with apprehension, yet your body still went and sat beside him. Dominik turned to look at you with soft loving eyes while you turned to look at him with fire burning behind yours. He did the first thing that came to mind, kiss you until gasped out his name. His lips slipped against yours in a wet kiss and his whole body moved with the kiss. Every smack of your lips against his was followed by Dominik moving on top of you with ease. One of his legs was slotted between both of yours and your mind felt a bit foggy at the unexpected sensation. But the fog wasn't thick enough to distract you, that much Dominik already knew, his thigh pressed against your clothed cunt and he began pulling your clothes off one by one.

First start with your shirt and then your bra right after. The moment it slipped off, not even on the floor yet Dominik's hands were playing with your tits and his lips were sucking dark marks onto your sensitive skin. Each movement of his hands was directly followed by his thigh just barely pressing against you. He pulled back to taunt you, "Do I touch Rhea like this? Kiss her like this?", he rasps but you grit your teeth at the name alone.

"Don't say her name right now", you huff and grab the back of his head like you are about to push him back down onto you. He grins and pushes his hair out of his face, "Yea, I rather hear you say my name instead". You held back your surprise when Dominik ripped your pants completely off your body and slid your panties off. He looked at them with the same cocky smirk and showed you the prominent wet mark right in the middle. He smacked your pussy lightly; you felt yourself jolt and moan at the same time. "No surprise there", he commented and threw them off the bed all the same.

His hand splayed down your body; only for his tongue to follow the same trail, just barely dipping down to lick the inside of your thighs teasingly. You wither from above and try to wrap your legs around his head like you always do. Dominik never went a day without tasting your cunt. It was his favorite way to relieve stress; it was almost like a routine for him to come home with you and get on his knees to slide his tongue into your wet pussy. Though tonight he only glided his tongue against your clit for a split second before just barely letting his teeth graze over it. Your body reacted before your mind processed the new action. You gasped and raised up off of the bed to see what the fuck he just did and why the hell did it feel so good. "Like that mami? I thought you would, I know this pussy in and out", he sticks his tongue out playfully but he was still so low the tip of his tongue hit your pussy all the same.

You moaned his name and glared with impatience. You had never claimed to be the patient one in this relationship. Dominik took that as a sign to hurry up and pull his cock out to slip inside of you. After all this time you thought you'd be used to the stretch of his cock, but each inch sent you reeling and gripping the sheets for support. The way his cock filled you up, made you feel full it was unexplainable; really only your intangible moans could begin to explain it. "Fuck you feel so good", you whined and convulsed around his cock.

Dominik let you scratch down his cock and throw your arms over his shoulders while he just barely rocked into you. But he couldn't help but reply, "Oh yeah?" he asked but knew the answer based on how much you were pulsing around him already. "Fuck you", you grit out without meaning, though in reality, you wanted to pull his face down to slip your tongue into his smart mouth. He looks at you from the curtain of his long hair, "I can't wait" he said back. And he meant it with his entire being. Dominik loved you on top, roughing him around, and shoving your panties into his mouth.

Now Dominik was practically abusing your cunt with each harsh thrust that hit your g-spot with no effort. Each thrust made a smacking sound of his hips against your ass and then the squelch of him pulling in and out of your pussy. Dominik was now holding the headboard to better fuck you and the sight you got to see was better than any other. He was panting and licking his lips while watching you moan and work through the up-and-coming orgasm. His muscles were convulsing and his hips were ramming his cock inside of you. The quirks of Dominik being so athletic really paid off in bed.

Dominik pulled out and barely gave any time for you to whine out complaints. He grabbed you by the hips and flipped you over, he pushed your knees up and pushed your back down so you were arched in front of him; ass up and ready. Dominik slipped inside of you effortlessly this time and groaned at the sight in front of him. He grabs your hips again tightly this time and slams you back on his cock while he thrusts into you all the same. "Why would I want her when I have you taking my cock like a whore? God, I could fuck you forever Mami", his words are sloppy and dirty. You pulse around him and moan into the sheets he pushed you into over and over again.

"Dom please", you mumble from the sheets; that was the best way to tell him you were about to cum. And in this case, it was going to be the best one you've had in weeks. Dominik groaned as your pussy got tighter with each pulse and now one of his hands moved to the arch of your back to keep you in the right position. "Just a little longer princess, my good girl can do that right?", you only nodded into the sheet and Dominik felt his body constricting with each long pull. But you not speaking wasn't nearly enough for him. "My little cock slut can handle it hm?", he moved his hands down to grasp and pull at the plush of your ass. Smacking and pulling to make his cock drive even further into you. The degradation and praise mixed together always had you gushing around his cock and stilling while you cum. Already knowing Dominik would have no problems with fucking you through it.

Your ass pressed against him and his cock was as deep as it could go when you squeezed around his cock tightly. So tight he could barely pull out or stutter his cuss of praise. But of course, he managed, "That's my girl"

#dominik mysterio x reader smut #dominik mysterio smut #dominik mysterio fluff #dom dom #dominik mysterio fanfiction #dominik mysterio x you #wwe #dominik mysterio x reader #dominik mysterio #dominik my bbg

[blood-grove]

ruffled feathers

avian/harpy! ghost & soap + child! naga reader

tws; broken bones, near death experience, angst, kidnapping?, idk if this would count as DDD :( its jut overall a dark au take on avian and the world they live in, .

a/n; yeah this one is really heavy compared to my other ones stay safe, also my interpitation of harpies are the ones that have normal human arms and a set of wings but everything else about them is cryptid like

I really hate how stupid I was sometimes, I thought if I could just reach the nest get the eggs I'd be done head back down and enjoy the small feast along with all the other things you've foraged today.

The further I went the more painfully exposed I felt glancing around anxiously before reaching the nest digging threw it snatching up the eggs I could grab stuffing a few in my mouth already before starting down the tree a bit unevenly trying not to drop the eggs or fall.

My tail subconsciously wrapping around a branch as I almost had reached the bottom—

Only to have some huge slam into me the bark of the tree digging into my tail as it attempt to try and hold on my brain registering what the hell was going on till there was loud snap and crunch and my own scream of agony till my tail went limp and I was snagged away from the tree a few branches snapping and creak in the process.

Pain radiating threw my body like I had been crushed like a tin can, I was in the air.

I was in the air?

Did I die that quick is this heaven?

"Hope your still alive down there."

That gravely voice was clear indication I wasn't in heaven and possibly in hell.

Simon honestly did not know why he had picked up the small thing he could barely tell if it was still in his talons grip the ragged breaths and tired sobs it started to let out were a great reminder to him.

The thing would barely even be a snack honestly but better than nothing Soap needed that food badly ever since the loveable idiot broke his wing its been critical to nurse him back to health of course Price and Gaz also helped but they also had there own lives own territories so it was usually down to him to help.

Whatever the Owl Harpy could grab he'd bring back ranging from larger to smaller prey.

Small centaurs, hybrids, humans.

You name he's probably killed it.

But right the task at hand feeding Johnny.

Another few eerily quiet wing beats and he was back on track.

Landing on the ground couldn't have been fun from the little snake he hoped it broke or passed on already lifting his talon to examine the snake making sure it didn't look like it was infected the last he needed was to give Johnny food poisoning.

When he saw the little thing stirring out of its unconscious state he sighed rolling his eyes as his talons popped unlocking from around the little snake that started to sob again as I picked it up it weighed decently he hoped it wouldn't put up much of a fight for Soap.

Not his fault the thing decided to keep living usually he aims for the head or body the force of him pouncing and the whiplash of being torn away from where ever they wear would stun them long enough or kill them.

"P-please let me go-"

"What?"

God it was a mess its left arm clearly limp and useless as of now bruises blooming on there body and the few smaller cuts on there tail no doubt either from the tree he yanked it out of.

"Please it hurts—"

Simon just ignored it as he went into the interior of there little nest outpost enough room for wing spans but small enough to conserve heat as he tuned out the Naga's begs and sobs looking to see if Soap was awake finding the man stretching out his uninjured wing perking up at the sight of Simon with a smile.

"Ghost! Ah thought ye'd be gone for a few more days?

"Wasn't findin' much food out South brought ya' a snack though-"

Simon slightly waved the weakly squirming naga Soap grimacing a bit.

"Why is it still alive?"

"Thought it died on the way here guess not, What? Need your food chewed up like a fledgling?"

"Shuddup! Whatever give it-"

Simon grinned as he pulled the snake away out of reach chuckling as at Soap's huff.

"Please d-don't eat me.."

"It can still talk?"

"Yeah?"

"God's Si ye' sick bastard just crush it already you know how I feel about you toying with food- Espcially young ones-"

"Alright alright-"

"Please don't kill me I-I'm sorry!-"

Soap just huffed making a grabbing motion towards Simon as he begrudgingly handed the sobbing thing over.

"God it's barely got any meat on it."

"Best thing I could find when winters coming around the corner soon enough.."

"Can't we just..let it go?"

"And let it just freeze to death up here in the mountains sure-" Simon grinned as he looked down at Soap who just glared back up at him from the nest of pelts loose feathers fallen feathers along with whatever other makeshift bedding they've collected.

"Not what I mean but I guess you make a decent point.."

Soap sighed as he looked a down at the small naga who sobbed and whimpered.

"I- Well I can't kill them Si-"

"Alright I will then-"

"No!- I.."

"Soap..You need food you haven't even in a couple of days and neither have I.."

"Well..can't you get..something else?.."

"..Fine but I'm going to eat them then-"

Soap flinched at this subconsciously tugging the naga closer much to the pain and bewilderment of the child and there broken arm.

"For the gods sake Soap!- Do not make me take that thing away it's a waste of heat and air were already struggling to eat anyways and you haven't been healing well-"

Simon grumbled rubbing his temple as he sighed heavily.

"Please Johnny."

Soap shifted as he looked down at the writhing form in his arms there snake half had constricted barely around his leg in a attempt to force him to let go which did not work as he basically ignored them as he frowned.

"I-..Can't we keep em' Si?"

"No"

"But just look at the poor thing- Look I- Please-"

Simon just just sighed as he turned his feathers ruffling as he picked up a satchel.

"I'm going to go find some more food and some berries or whatever if I can..If you haven't eaten it by then, Then fine you can keep it or whatever but it's not eating our food."

Soap frowned slightly but he took it as a fair enough deal grinning slightly as he looked over to the little naga that had passed out either from pain or shock.

When he looked up Ghost was gone leaving him alone again.

Well not completely.

I could barely register anything that was going on the next time I woke the pain in my arm had gone down surprising a sour tart taste in my mouth either from the lack of water so far or blood.

I was warm,

Like unnaturally warm.

It kept me still the pervious cold that had been biting at my body was gone it made me lethargic looking around I noticed my arm was a in a makeshift sling.

It felt nice..It would feel nice if I didn't feel eyes on me.

"..Ye alive little snake?"

I shifted away slightly letting a raspy hiss.

"Thought so, Y'know ye know A dinnae want tae eat ye honestly yer very small skin an bones"

"I wanna leave"

"You can't really not with that broken arm..You sound parched as hell let me get some water.."

Soap smiled softly shifting a bit as he got up heading over to a part of of the cave coming back with a small bowl full cool clear water.

"Theres a spring that leaks into her..should be cool enough."

Soap sat infront of me as I glared trying to slither back as he pushed the bowl towards me.

"C'mon.."

I just hissed again as I coiled up grumbled ignoring his offer He sighed mumbled before shuffling back to his spot.

This was gonna be a long night.

a/n: WHY DID I MAKE THIS ONE SO LONG ITS SUPPOSED OT BE SHORTER THAN THIS...idk if i wanan make a pt 2 tried keeping it 1st person for reader i default to 'You' a lot bad habit.

#soapghost #john soap mactavish #soap cod #cod #reader #simon ghost riley #ghost cod #child reader #soap x ghost #? i guess #supposed to be a oneshot #call of duty

[pauking5]

Addicting Taste Chapter 8

Synopsis: Enishi Yukishiro was on a mission to execute his piece de la resistance. A plan to avenge his beloved sister. Until you showed up. Will you be a part of his downfall or will you try to save him?

Pairing: Enishi Yukishiro x reader

Genre: strangers to lovers, sunshine and sunshine protector, comedic relief, angst, slow burn, some fluff

Word count: 14k+

A/N: Welp, she's a long one but she's a good one. It could be taken as a filler but she's important to the story so I hope it's not too much of a nuisance read. Also, give a big welcome to none other than Sword Hunter, Cho Sawagejo. He was so bleak in the story it took me this long just to rewrite his character. He's important to the story so take this as his introduction! Chapter 9 is coming too and she's wild. Enjoy lovelies, Paula.

Now Playing: beating heart - ellie goulding.

Previous

"Miyu?"

No fucking way.

Is this some sick joke?

Of all people, he wasn't supposed to be here.

"Cho?"

Cho Sawagejo. Known as the Sword Hunter and one of the former Ten Swords, used to fight against the Meiji government. Additionally, he was an old friend of yours... sort of. The fact that history ran deep between you two was the understatement of the century.

Your hand froze on the golden doorknob, mouth hung open in shock to see him after all these years. Memories of him fired one after another in your head the more you looked at him, including those you tried really hard to forget. Your mouth moved on its own trying to make some sense of what you were seeing, but all that came out was whispers of his name. A name you wanted to forget for as long as you lived.

Snapping out of it you noticed he seemed to be in a bit of a situation, which was something normal for him, considering how you met each other.

4 years ago

Life was a constant fight for survival. You escaped the fighting rings in Edo but you did so at the cost of having to fend for yourself in the only way you knew: killing.

A rookie assassin, with barely enough training, murdering to stay alive. You barely got hired because your face said you didn't have experience like others did. But once they saw what you could do with two pistols and a heart that was hungry for mayhem they instantly hired you.

As much as you wanted to do something else with your life, you couldn't. You lived with the sole goal of finding your parents, even if it meant destroying your soul in the process.

There were times where your appetite got insatiable and you killed more than you needed to. It was where Barairo got her reputation from, Yokohama's crimson rose turning into a twisted bloodthirsty demon.

The only advantage of letting her out was that it made getting some of the jobs done easier. Though the stench of her blood soaked claws haunted you every night together with your usual nightmares.

You worked on yourself trying to limit her vengeful spirit so you could focus properly on missions. Little by little, she retracted back in her cage and all that was left was you. A woman so sure of herself that nothing could stop her.

Until you met him and all of that went to shit.

You got the job to kill a really well-known conman who got on the nerves of the wider business community in Osaka. He stole a lot of money from them and it was to no surprise most of them wanted his head on a pike. Multiple people got hired starting a hunt for him but there was a catch. Whoever got the job done first was rewarded with half of the stolen money. You had to move fast if you wanted to be first. Because you wanted it badly.

The plan was simple: get in his highly secured villa, put a bullet through his skull and be on your way. But things didn't work exactly like you wanted them to.

Come on now, did they ever? It's a Miyu Hikari tradition at this point.

You staked out the man's mansion for a full 24 hours under the scorching heat of the summer sun. Every time you wanted to go in and get the job done, a flurry of guards would round the grounds and you had to move spots constantly. Sweat trickled down your back in waves, clothes drenched to the brim from just sitting in the bushes. Summer was definitely not your favorite season, especially when you had jobs like this to do.

Finally, when the night let out you managed to advance. Infiltrating inside was a fluke, easily taking out the small number of guards on night duty. Checking for any more of them in all rooms at the bottom floor, you made your way to the top floor where his master bedroom was located. Getting a little distracted by completing the mission, bags of steaming dumplings occupying your mind more than the mission at hand, you failed to see the incoming competition.

You just rounded the top of the stairs when something clanged against the window behind you. You turned around in a heartbeat, guns held out ready to pull the triggers. Intuition told you to put multiple holes through whoever it was until you got a better look at him.

There he was, one leg in and two sharp katanas held between his teeth, trying to balance his way inside the mansion. You lowered your weapons as your curiosity piqued by the man before you. You retracted to a dark corner away from his line of sight, silently snickering at his struggle. The moment he finally got himself through the threshold and thudded to the floor making the loudest noise possible triggered a fit of giggles from you you couldn't keep inside anymore. If the guards were still alive and breathing they would have had his ass so fast.

Once he heard you, he got back to his feet and made quick movement to hold one of his katanas to your throat. You stopped laughing and put your hands up in fake surrender deciding to mock him a little.

"Who are you?"

"Someone on the same mission as you. You're kinda late to the party though."

Seeing as you weren't too much of a threat, he put down his sword. He cleared his throat to sound more sure of himself than he appeared to be and smoothed a hand over his hair that was sat in all directions, including his mouth. He looked harmless without his katana unsheathed. If this was your competition you surely held yourself a lot better in the short time you've been working the field.

"Thank you for the clean up, but I'll take it from here."

I just gave you the benefit of the doubt dude. Turns out I was wrong.

"I think the fuck not."

Pointing your pistols his way, you got ready to defend your territory. There was no way you would let this rando of all people steal your moment after you did most of the work.

He flashed you a smirk and in the blink of an eye vanished. Confused, you spun around to see the door to the master bedroom opened. It was way too dark but once your eyes focused on the shadow lurking above the man tucked in bed with his katanas ready to slice him open, you panicked. Thinking fast you aimed at the man the best you could in the pitch black, using the glimmer of light reflecting off the blade as guidance and took the shot. One of the blades intercepted your bullet just before it could hit the man, cutting it in half, leftover pieces of the bullet flying into the bed frame. You gasped in shock as he chuckled darkly.

"Nice try."

Beyond annoyed at him and determined to see this mission through, you put the guns back in their hold and got into a fighting stance.

"I was here first. I am not moving an inch before I kill him," you rasped.

He smirked and sheathed his sword, walking closer to you and mirroring your position.

"Fair enough. Let's see if you've got any real fight in you."

He went easy on you, thinking you couldn't fight him.

Terrible mistake.

The minute he came at you, you sent him flying to the other corner of the room, watching as his back hit a dresser tumbling down to the floor with him. He got up and lunged at you and you dodged all of his moves. When his punches got sloppy, it was your turn to swing at him, decorating his face with your fists. At one point your hits turned slower and he managed to lay down a few punches of his own. He caught you off guard and pushed you into the wall, hands digging hard into your arm as he pinned you to it. Amused at your struggle to break free, his head dipped down to your ear.

"Is that all you've got, princess?"

"Don't call me that ever again."

He pissed you off beyond coming back now. You growled and threw your head into his with all the force you had, throwing him off balance enough for him to release you and to drop down and swipe his legs from under him. As soon as he was flat on the ground you straddled him, pining his hands beside his head.

Trying to will some breath back into your lungs you looked at him and he looked at you for a while, taking in the damage you've both done to each other. One looked worse than the other, a broken nose gracing his face as payback for the cut lip he gave you.

His dark eyes had you in a trance. There was something about him that screamed danger but familiarity the more you looked at him. A weird feeling crawled up your spine and you couldn't help the sensation that something was really wrong. Snapping out of it, you straightened and got up from the floor, looking around at the mess you've caused. You wondered why the man wasn't awake and screaming for mercy or applauding the free fight show in his bedroom. You moved to the king sized bed in spite of the protests to continue the fight and examined the man tucked into bed. You pulled the duvet down from his face and the marks around his neck told you all you needed to know.

"Someone got the job done before us."

"What?"

He ran next to you following your pointed finger to the neck of the man who appeared to have been dead for a while. How did none of you notice this before?

"The guards were pretty much alive when I arrived. Whoever killed him must have been waiting for him here."

You pulled the curtains near the window so the light could filter in a little more. Truthful to your suspicion, there were no signs of forced entrance on the window sill or the door, so it had to be a job from the inside. Main conclusion was that you were left with a busted ego and you could kiss your precious dumplings goodbye for a while.

"Well, that's a bummer," he said, slumping against the wall. At least you weren't the only one disappointed.

"We should leave before more potential suitors want to decorate him and us as collateral damage."

You made a move for the door only to hear shouts and multiple pairs of boots rushing up the stairs.

We're in deep shit.

Closing the door, you tried to pull the wardrobe in front of it to block the men from entering. It was too heavy to push by yourself so he moved to help you. You successfully barricaded yourselves inside just as angry fists started banging on the door. You moved away from it and scanned the room for a way out. The big double window looked like the only viable option. You hesitated in even suggesting it as an escape route but he seemed to have other plans as you watched him run over to it and bust it open with a chair. Shards of glass flew everywhere on the floor and the banging on the door intensified. You rushed to the window where you were met with a five meter drop to a patch of grass smaller than your hopes and dreams at the moment.

Hell no, nuh-uh. I'm not playing the flying bird game.

He was out of his fucking mind if he thought that was a safe plan, but before you could say anything he just jumped out first with his katanas strapped to his back, swiftly landing on his feet. Your jaw dropped open.

Okay, so he is indeed out of his fucking mind.

He looked back at you, waiting for you to follow, but the way you gripped the curtains told him you weren't keen on jumping too. He couldn't leave you there when there was no telling how many men were behind that door that was now close to being torn open.

"Look, I know you don't know me, but I need you to trust me and jump the fuck out," he yelled at you, trying to get your attention away.

"You want me to trust you in willingly pivoting down to my death?"

"It sounds horrendous when you put it that way. I promise I will try to catch you."

Putting my life in the hands of a stranger who tried to kill me just a few moments ago? Not a chance. But I want to taste my favorite buns again, alive and breathing on this earth.

Getting on top of the windowsill, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath, jumping out. Truthful to his promise, he caught you, falling down on the grass with you in his arms. He cushioned your fall and your head landed in the crook of his neck, his scent closing around you. He smelled like vanilla and lavender. The way he cushioned your fall made you think you were laying in a field of flowers but that might have just been the euphoria from the fall, pumping adrenaline through you.

You opened your eyes to be nose to nose with him, breaths meeting halfway. Through the messy blonde hair falling over his bandana, you noticed his eyes were actually a deep shade of brown as they bore into yours. You lifted your hand to brush his locks away halting when you heard more shouts and commotion behind you. Quickly, you got up and pulled him up too, bolting towards the gates. His hand intertwined with yours as you both ran until you reached town.

Finally stopping at the back of a shop you checked around for any sight of the men following, relieved to see none. You closed your eyes willing in a breath when you felt something weighing down your hand. You looked down and he followed your gaze to your hands that were still tightly locked together. He let go first, rubbing his neck nervously.

That's cute.

His touch ghosted on your finger tips and you cradled your hand close. You've never been this close to anyone before.

"That was eventful," he exhaled.

"Yeah. Thanks for catching me back there, uh..."

"It's Cho. And of course! Anytime, uh..."

"Miyu."

"Miyu," he said your name softly. "Well, Miyu, if you ever find yourself in a pickle or something like that again feel free to call on me."

He smiled genuinely at you this time, previous cocky smirk gone. It made you feel warm inside for some reason but you quickly shook that thought away.

"I'll make sure to call on you then."

A lot of time passed after your encounter. Summer turned to fall and winter. There were times where you laid awake at night and your mind drifted to him, contemplating his offer. He shouldn't be that hard to find if need be to have him help on a mission and it felt tempting to team up with someone else, especially since your fighting styles were so similar.

You finally met again a few times after you were both hired on other missions. You fought your way out of them together, often splitting the earnings. It turned out you made a really good team, your logical skills complementing his sword skills just right.

You started hanging out more and paired most of your missions together, getting to know more about each other. Soon enough, he turned into a part of your routine and you were inseparable, both on and off the field. You ate together, fought together and trained together.

He opened up about himself too. He told you why the Ten Swords fell to their demise with the new government and how he was left wandering for a while until he took up sketchy jobs like you. You told him a little about yourself and your mission to find your parents. He thought it was admirable to have a goal like that and eished he himself had one that righteous.

Over time, one thing led to another and you found yourself catching feelings for him. It was stupid really. He did the smallest things, like throwing you one of his crooked smiles full of mischief whilst stabbing someone who tried to attack you or getting you dumplings because he knew how much you liked them. You even started liking the annoying way in which he called you princess instead of your name, reatliating with a nickname of your own for him, blondie.

All these gestures were small, but you couldn't deny that they made you swoon. Your feelings only grew stronger the more you spent time with him and it took everything in you to work out the courage to confess to him.

But you never got to tell him how you felt.

And it was all his fault.

You spent years thinking of what you would say if you ever saw him again, only for all those words to erase themselves from your mind the minute you laid your eyes on him tonight.

He was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. A man sat in front of him most likely torturing him up to the moment you and Enishi entered. He was now turning around to you with a big knife in his hand, blood dripping from the blade onto the white carpet. You interrupted him and he didn't seem too happy about it because he quickly lunged at you. You wasted no time in kicking away the knife from his hand and knocking him out with a roundhouse kick.

"Fancy seeing you here, princess."

You sure didn't miss that nickname. As much as it grew on you back then, it made you beyond disgusted to hear it now.

"I wish I could say the same. Who did you piss off this time?"

"A lot of people as you can see," he spoke motioning to his body littered in cuts and bruises.

His white shirt, now a mix of dried blood and dirt, was torn in most places, just like his skin. Your eyes lingered over the cuts on his arms that appeared to be made with small knives. Your gaze stopped on the gash on his leg which was definitely the product of the knife you kicked away from the man's hand. It looked deep enough to drain a normal person.

But he wasn't a normal person.

"I hate to break up this reunion but we have more guests incoming," said Enishi rather alarmed. And he had every reason to be because you heard the rapid footsteps in the hallway most likely rushing to the room you were in. His hand latched on your arm in urgency to pull you towards the door but you froze.

"This feels oddly familiar," said Cho with a chuckle.

His face was so pale and devoid of colour that it scared you. He looked barely alive but he still carried that shit-eating grin on his face and it annoyed you to the world's end for some reason.

"Miyu, we have to go," pressed Enishi.

You looked at him then back to Cho. It wasn't in your nature to leave people behind, especially wounded people. Both of the men looked at you expectantly, one more desperate to get out of there than the other.

I can't leave him here. But I can't stay here either.

Your brain was already working at an inhumane speed trying to process everything. Once you made your mind up and opened your mouth to say something you got interrupted by the men pooling inside the room.

About ten of them circled you, lining up around the walls to push you towards the center of the room. You surrounded Cho defensively. He was tied to a chair and in no way fit to fight even a fucking fly. As much as you hated his guts you needed to protect him.

You pulled out your guns and scanned the men to see only half of them were armed. You looked at Enishi and he nodded at you telling you to open fire.

You shot at the armed men while Enishi launched at the others. You threw a table down and took cover behind it, shooting at them. You took out most of them before you ran out of bullets.

Oh, for fucks sake, I really need to carry refills with me.

You got out from behind your hiding spot and stretched your arms, preparing your fists.

Your first opponent was a fairly big guy that cornered you at a wall. He came at you with the intention to put you through the wall, but you were quicker and grabbed his hands, sliding between his legs to drag him after you. You kicked the back of his head and he fell forward, his own head going through the wall instead.

Another one spotted you and you broke into a sprint, using the wall to push yourself up and swing your leg in his face. He fell on his back getting the air kicked out of his lungs. It was one fo the aerial tricks Enishi taught you recently and it came in handy.

Enishi left a trail behind him. Most of the men on the floor were just slightly knocked out. He finished knocking the last two head to head and let them fall to the floor with a thud.

Seeing that he was safe, you turned and ran to Cho, untying him as fast as you could. The rope around his wrists was tied so tight it made them bleed. You stopped in your tracks slowly tracing your fingers over them. What the hell did they do to you? You bit your lip trying to keep yourself together. This was not the time to be soft.

"You don't have to take me with you," he grunted as you got his hands free. "I'll only slow you down."

You went and crouched in front of him looking him straight in the eye. The you back then told you to leave him here to suffer like he did to you. To let him get out of his own mess by his own two feet if he still held himself so prideful. But present you was not the like her.

He didn't deserve your help at all. But you knew the guilt coming with leaving him here would eat you up later. And you didn't need that right now.

Without saying a word, you got one of his arms and draped it around your shoulders to get him up. He groaned in pain when he put weight on his injured leg and you wrapped your arm around his waist to balance him better.

Did he get ripped or something? I swear he wasn't this heavy before.

Enishi looked at you nothing short of confused. His face told you he had a lot of questions. But yours looked conflicted to the point he was sure a hurricane was already brewing in your mind. He knew now was not the time for asking questions, considering there were five mafias willing to shish kebab the three of you without as much of a reason besides the fact that you breathed inside their territory. Getting out of this place as soon as possible was the priority.

He rushed to the other side of Cho and lifted his arm, helping you carry him. You looked at him and he locked eyes with you, reassuring you he had your back. Even if he had no idea what the fuck was going on. You sent him a grateful look and he nodded, a small smile of acknowledgment on his lips.

The three of you managed to slip out the back of the villa and you quickly got into the carriage, avoiding being seen by anyone. The ride back to the mansion turned from relief to utterly painful. For both you and the blonde bleeding out next to you. You kept patting his cheeks to keep him awake every time his head fell on your shoulder. Once you were sure he was conscious enough, you turned your head to the window getting lost in thought.

Cho being back resurfaced so many feelings and memories you tried so hard to drown out over the years and you could do nothing to stop the flood.

Screw me for wanting to help all the time. It only comes back to bite me in the ass anyways.

Another thing weighing hard on your heart was that you didn't find your mother tonight. Or any leads on where your parents could be. Oh, and apparently the man you interrogated, the one who was the only one who knew something about the whereabouts of your parents escaped, since most of the men on duty were mobilised for the ball in case shit went sideways. Conclusion, it was by far the shittiest you've ever felt.

The carriage stopped in front of the mansion and Enishi got down first holding his hand to you to help you down. But you were too worried about the other man bleeding on the beige carriage seats and got down by yourself, dragging him down after you.

Enishi was left behind as you hastily went inside. A weird combo of regret and sadness were spinning around his heart at everything that happened tonight. He knew you probably felt defeated about what went down and blamed yourself for the outcome. He needed to talk to you asap about everything. For now, he was going to give you the space you needed for a while to tend to your guest.

With a storm raging in your mind and a bleeding man supported solely by your shoulders, you trudged the hallways to an empty guest room. You found one two doors down from your room, in case he needed further assistance.

You pushed the doors open with a huff and helped him sit downon the bed, rushing to look for medical supplies. You scoured every drawer both in the room and the bathroom throwing everything on the floor in the process. You were growing anxious and angry at the fact that you didn't find anything you needed. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself you tried looking again through the mess on the floor and found what you needed. Chucking everything back to its place with shaky hands, you went back to him to start taking care of his wounds. You felt his stare at you as you started working on the cut on his cheek.

"It's good seeing you after all these years."

You say that as if we're the best of friends who went our own ways and just met up to talk over tea and biscuits.

You ignored his attempt at making conversation and helped him shimmy his way out of his shredded shirt as he grunted at the movement. He was held captive for a while, judging by the darkened bruises around his ribs.

"You look different," he continued, trying to get you to talk to him.

You tensed as you moved to patch up the bigger cuts on his arm.

What does different even mean in his vocabulary?

You didn't change that much. If anything you got better at detecting bullshit when you saw it. Looks wise you just looked better in the mirror and didn't have a bird's nest on your head anymore.

On the other hand, he looked absolutely the same as the last time you saw him, with a slight upgrade to his wardrobe choices, plus a few muscles here and there. His hair was a darker shade of blonde now, unfitting for the nickname you used to call him by.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" you asked absentmindedly, trying to humour him for the sake of conversation and to take the edge of a little.

He dipped his head down to the side you were patching his arm and took a proper look at you.

You were different since the last time he saw you.

Your hair was longer, curling around your shoulders ever so slightly. You held yourself a lot more confidently than he knew you to be. But the thing that changed the most about you was your eyes. He used to be able to tell what was going through your head by just one look. Now, they were rougher and didn't let him in like they used to. It wasn't that you were hiding. You just closed yourself off entirely, at least to him.

"That wild spark in your eyes is gone. That's what I liked the most about you."

You narrowed your eyes at him and it took everything in your power not to snap at him. Tell him everything that's been weighing on your heart. Shoot words at him hoping he would understand the pain he put you through. But you had to keep it together so you settled for some sarcasm as you tied one of the bandages a bit tight on his arm.

"So what? I'm not to your standards now?"

The big gash on his leg was the last thing left unbandaged and you moved to it to get it done and be out of the door. But god forbid something could go the way you wanted today because he leaned forward to catch your hand.

The sharp inhale of air you took was to ground you from exploding. You noticed his touch was still the same one that used to make you shiver with butterflies.

Cho was a touchy person and it only added to your feelings back then. It made your insides twist remembering the effect it had on you.

"That's not what I meant."

You tried to avoid his eyes but you couldn't do it, letting them find his. You were surprised to see them filled with nothing but sincerity.

"Look, I'm sorry."

Oh, hell no. I am not doing this right now.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," you yanked your hand away from his grip. He wanted to say something else but you didn't give him the chance as you packed the medical supplies and put them away. You put some clothes borrowed from Enishi on the bed and bid your goodbye.

"Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

You made your way out of the room hoping to get to yours faster. The dress suddenly felt too tight on you and you needed to get out of it before it constricted your air flow. You had a hunger for chaos boiling inside of you and you didn't know how much longer you could keep it inside.

Before you made it to your room you bumped into Enishi. He seemed to be looking for you since you just left him hanging outside. You didn't want to worry him and thought of something to say to cut the incoming interrogation short.

"Can we talk-"

"Look, Enishi. I need to get out of this dress and get some sleep, but I will tell you everything you need to know in the morning. Deal?"

You let the words out in a rush and he looked dazed for a moment as he processed them. He tilted his head and let his eyes linger on your face. You looked way more exhausted than you were when you left for the ball. He could also tell something was eating at you by the way you were frowning. He decided he could wait until tomorrow.

"Okay."

He put a hand on your shoulder rubbing it in comfort and you couldn't help but lean into his touch. It felt so soothing that it made the burning fire in your heart dim a little.

"But we're gonna talk tomorrow," he added. You nodded and placed your hand on his squeezing it in reassurance, before walking off to your room.

You felt bad leaving him like that againbut you weren't in the right mindset to sit and talk about your past right now. Maybe after some sleep and thinking you would be.

Sleeping was a torture. You couldn't fall asleep at all, tossing and turning until the sheets bunched up under you. Your pillows got warm fast the more you switched sides and it pissed you off. The universe was against you catching one wink of sleep.

Getting annoyed, you sat up and threw the duvet away letting it fall on the floor. You laced your fingers through your scalp trying to massage the storm of thoughts away, but it only got more unbearable.

Your head was getting so loud swirling with countless questions. You drowned yourself in regrets and what ifs.

The regrets revolved around the reasons why you saved Cho. You hoped it would leave your conscience clean but it only made it worse. He was two doors away from you and you weren't sure if it was a case of being that close to him that had you on edge of your feelings coming back. You also regretted the mission a lot and well, pushing Enishi away like that when he clearly wanted to help you.

The what ifs surrounded the feelings you had for Cho that were definitely awakening in your heart again. It felt like they never left, as if they just laid dormant until they felt him near to wake up. It was like a grenade was placed in your hand without a safety pin. And you couldn't do anything to stop it from blowing up the more you thought about him and that night that changed everything.

3 years ago

One of your clients sent you on a hunt for a powerful businessman. He was in possession of a samurai tachi sword belonging to the great Fukushima Masanori, who fought in the Battle of Shizugatake almost 300 years ago. Legend says it was the sword that drew the first blood in the battle. It was worth millions on the arms trade market. To have it hung up somewhere and just admire it whenever you wanted was truly a rich person activity.

Your client wanted you and Cho to work together and steal it. Most people who hired you knew you worked better together and often came as a package deal, but none of them asked you to do so until now. Frankly, he was a client of Cho's and he reassured you that he worked with him before and that there was nothing to be worried about.

You've been staking out the businessman's building for a while now, watching out for any sign of movement. A bonus clause of the deal was to take him out too, since your client had some hatchet to bury with him he wouldn't tell you about. You were getting hungry and tired while Cho stepped out. You didn't expect him to come back with dumplings.

"I got you these. It was the only thing I could find around here."

"You didn't have to."

You munched away on your buns, peering at his back from time to time. He leaned over the railing busy scanning the streets.

It's been a year since you've met on that mission. You loved spending time with him and he seemed to enjoy your company just as much.

You've been paying more attention to his actions and words towards you and you could tell that he had feelings for you too. From the way you caught him looking at you when he thought you wouldn't notice. Or the fact that he would spend money on dumplings for you every time you sighed when you saw them, knowing you were saving yours up for other things. Those things were expensive as hell nowadays, but he still chose to treat you to them on occasion.

Your feelings for him grew stronger day by day and you had to tell him how you felt before you combusted spontaneously.

"Cho?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to tell you something."

He hummed as a sign for you to continue, busy scanning the area. Your heartbeat quickened, drowning out the rest of the world around you, the only thing on your mind being those five words. You thought of many different ways to tell him and all kinds of words passed through your mind, some cringier than others. The normal "I like you" should be enough considering none of you were big on declaring things. You did try to confess a fee times before but it always got blocked by something.

Deciding against beating around the bush while you still had time on your hands, you took a deep breath and just went for it.

"I think I like-"

"They're on the move," Cho cut you off.

You sighed in defeat. There went my chance.

Cho got up and you followed, throwing away the empty bag of dumplings with your almost confession in it. Turns out it had to wait until you were done with the mission.

The man you were after arrived in front of the building with a few of his men and went inside. You looked for a way in and noticed a window on the side of the first floor but it was too high. Cho put his hands together motioning you over. He used them to propel you upwards and after a few failed tries you successfully reached it. You found it slightly creaked open and climbed in through it, with him following suit.

You helped him in and landed down inside, taking a look around. The place was full of crates stacked on each other nearly reaching the roof. One of them was opened near you and you cautiously walked over to take a look. It was filled with guns. But not just any guns. They weren't branded and most of them looked like imports from abroad, which meant that they came off the black market. Only one group had access to this much ammunition: the mafia.

This wasn't your first rodeo with a mafia but you knew you had to be extra careful. Snooping around some more you found a big crate made from dark wood. It looked out of place compared to the others. You motioned Cho to it and you tried prying it open as silently as you could, to not attract any unwanted attention. Digging inside among strips of paper your hand landed on what felt like the handle of a briefcase. You pulled it out and looked at Cho. Opening it you found jsut the katana you were looking for, dark sheath decorated in golden chrysanthemums, a symbol of royal value bestowed upon the most trusted samurai. Unsheathing it, you ran your hand along the worn out hilt in awe at the fact that you were holding a relic of ancient Japanese history. Illegally but then again what you were doing wasn't legal either.

One of the guards walked in and spotted you, not thinking twice before opening fire on you. You took cover behind the crate and threw the briefcase over to Cho, getting your guns out to fire back. More men came to see what caused the ruckus and started shooting as well once they saw you taking some of them down.

You shot your pistols until the trigger clicked empty. Slumping back against the crates you needed to think of a way out that didn't involve getting bullet holes punched through you and you had to do it quickly.

You turned to your right and noticed Cho was no longer next to you. You looked around and saw him by the window you came in through, one leg away from freedom with the briefcase in his hand. The window was hidden from sight which made it the perfect escape.

He waved his hand and you thought he was waving you over. You waved your hand at him too telling him there was no way you could reach him while they were still firing at you. He smirked down at you and you tilted your head at him in confusion.

What the hell was he doing?

That's when it clicked. The way he was holding the briefcase. The shushed talks with the client behind your back. That stupid smirk.

You've got to be shitting me.

He used you. While you shot away at the men he used that as cover to get away. He used you to get this far because you knew how to plan things so the game would play out in your favour. There was no telling if he didn't use your feelings as leverage as well. And all this time you hoped he felt the same.

He trained you. He ate with you. He slept next to you. You worked together for almost a year. He pretended to care about you only to toss you to the side. It was all a fucking lie.

Son of a bitch.

With one last look at you he jumped out, leaving you at the mercy of fate. There was not a single glint of regret in those eyes you learned to love so dearly as they disappeared behind the wall. He took you for a fool and you were so blind to see it.

Every mission you did together flashed in front of your eyes. Every moment you spent together. Everything you told each other. Only for him to throw it all away for a chunk of money.

You didn't know what hurt more. Your heart for being stupid enough to try to love. Or your soul, for believing in the good in people.

One thing was certain. You let Barairo out that night, after years of struggling to keep her away, leaving the building covered in blood and with a broken heart. All because you loved him.

Only god knows how you made it out of there. But you completed the bonus gruesome part of the mission, killing the businessman and all his guards with your bare hands. Using her.

It took you years to get her back in, away from people. You fought her to the bone, until you managed to lock her away for good. But the damage was already done. You swore not to let yourself get played like that ever again.

He abandoned you there. You told him how much it hurt when your parents disappeared and he knew how much it scarred you. And he still did it in the most fucked up way he could think of.

Your memories were of a person that sold his soul to whoever paid more for his interests and you wanted nothing to do with him. You swore to put a bullet through his head the next time you met.

But you couldn't help the hurt that came with your reunion tonight. Seeing him again only reignited that pain in you. The same smirk he parted away from you with plastered on his lips in the exact same way tonight.

Why can't I just forget he exists? Why is he still in my head like he never left?

It hurt like hell and no matter how much you tried to erase him your heart wouldn't let you. She would keep reminding you of him everywhere you went.

It was also why you were afraid of what you felt for Enishi. He was different than Cho. Gentler, kinder and understanding. But it scared you that your feelings were in so deep now to be able to get back from it. And you had no security that history wouldn't repeat itself once you let yourself fall for him.

It was times like these you wished your mom was here, able to give you some advice. To guide you towards what was right and kill some of the pain away. You hoped desperately to find her at the ball tonight. Either the man gave you a false lead or they were alerted you were coming and she was moved elsewhere. You didn't know. And that only made everything else worse.

How much longer do I need to search to find her? To find dad? Are any of them even alive anymore? Is there even a point to keep looking for them?

Your thoughts were eating you up again and you needed a distraction before it got too much. Grabbing your pistols from the nightstand and a few cartridges you walked the hallways in a haste to reach the outside garden. The cold stung on your exposed arms but you paid it no mind as you strung up a few targets and started shooting at them.

Normally, shooting for practice relaxed you and gave you the clarity you needed to think things through. But shooting to relax turned into shooting your anger and hurt away pretty quickly. At one point you stopped shooting at the targets and just shot through the blur of your tears, aim faltering away from the targets. You aimed at the trees, the ground, the air. Anything just to feel your pistols empty hoping that your feelings were etched into every bullet so you could stop feeling them.

Enishi was in his office when he heard the shots. He tensed at first ready to get into butchering mode until he recognised the familiar click of your pistols. He rushed to your room thinking something happened only to find you gone, sheets on a disarray on the floor. He followed the sound only to find you in the garden, angrily shooting at something in the dark. He walked closer and sighed when he saw the tears streaming down your face. You seemed devoid of the world around you as you shot away and that scared him a little.

One of your pistols was left without bullets and you angrily threw it away, pulling the other one out from its hold. He had to stop you before you hurt yourself or someone else. Getting a little closer he called your name multiple times. But all you could focus on was the click of your gun and the sound of the bullets ricocheting off the trees.

“Miyu, you need to stop," he said, cautiously taking another step towards you.

“No," you shook your head.

He couldn't take this from you. It was the last thing you had that you knew how to do. The last thing keeping you sane right now. If he took it away you would lose the last glimmer of self control you had.

“Give me the gun," he tried again, voice a little softer this time.

“Leave. me. alone," you growled.

You wanted him to leave you be. To just go back inside and forget he ever saw you like this. Because you knew if he pressed on you would let go of all rational thought and say something you didn't mean. Something that you would regret. But he stood his ground, taking a few more cautious steps towards you.

“I’m not leaving you.”

That was enough to trigger your pent up anger. Everyone in your life left. Your parents, the people you loved, even Cho. What if Enishi would wake up one day and choose to leave too? You convinced yourself he didn't mean it. That he was just saying it now without any security that he would feel the same tomorrow.

“Enishi, please just go!" you yelled as you turned around to him, the last of your munition emptying away in the murky ground. You took a shaky breath as you kept pressing the trigger, turning the gun around and hitting it with your palm trying to make it work, but the empty click of the gun was still the only sound that greeted you.

“Fuck."

You didn’t realize you were sobbing until your sight got too blurry with tears and you started wiping furiously at your face. Enishi went forward and closed the distance to you, warily wrapping his hand around yours that was holding the gun. Loosening the grip of your fingers, he gently took the gun out of your hands and dropped it next to the other one on the ground.

Your eyes met his and you couldn’t hold the pain in anymore. A wail of a sob crawled its way out of your throat, letting out the last fractures of your anger. You crumpled down on the ground, nails digging into the grass around you to hold yourself together a little more. Enishi knelt down to you and wrapped his arms around you. You tried fighting him off, pushing him away as much as you could but his hold was too strong. You punched his chest, desperately trying to get away from him, but he just wouldn't budge. You didn't want to hurt him too, because if you did, you would never forgive yourself.

Your punches got slower the more you sobbed until you settled for gripping his shirt tightly in your hand. He only tightened his arms even more around you, pressing you against his chest.

He hated seeing you like this. It was breaking him inside to know the pain you were feeling all too well because it was the same kind of pain he dealt with alone for years. But none of you were alone anymore. You had each other now and he needed you to know that.

“It’s okay," he whispered.

“Enishi,” you sobbed his name. That was the only thing that kept you from spiralling down in that corner of your mind. The one where she waited with her teeth bared for you to let the door wide open. He was your anchor right now and the only one standing between the two of you becoming one again. The minute he let go of you, you would land the key in the lock of her cell and let her out, letting her consume you. You knew if that happened right now there would be no way back from it this time.

“Please don’t leave me."

“I’m not leaving you.” He grabbed the sides of your face and made you look at him. “I am not leaving you, Miyu.”

He would say it as many times as it took for you to understand that he wasn't going to move an inch away from you unless you told him to. He wasn't going to let you lose yourself, not when he could help it.

You just sobbed harder upon hearing his words and he scooped you up from the cold ground, taking you back inside to the warmth of your room. He helped you get in bed before he himself got in next to you. You moved back into his arms and he cradled you close.

You sat like that for a while, letting it all out while he held you to him, whispering an occasional 'I'm here' or 'You're okay' to let you know he wasn't going anywhere.

"Miyu, I know now's not the time, but you need to talk to me. I want to help you but I don't know how until you tell me what's wrong."

He knew you weren't okay and suspected that it would come to this sooner or later. The sooner you told him what was wrong the closer he would get to knowing how to help you. He would wait for you as long as you needed but it had to be soon. Before you would slip away in the one place he didn't wish upon anyone.

His hands moved to rub your back and you took in a shaky breath preparing for the unavoidable. You lifted your head up from his chest and wiped some of your tears away. You kept him in the dark enough.

You told him everything. From what happened to your parents, detail by detail, to how you dreamt of it almost every night in vivid pictures as if it was happening again. From your life before you met Cho and your life after he left you, leaving out a few things that could ultimately get him kicked out of the guest room in his sleep, including the whole thing about the feelings involved.

You finally laid all the pieces of your broken soul on the table and watched nervously as he looked at each one with a mix of emotions you knew all too well. His jaw twitched with anger learning about the things you had to go through. His eyes reflected the same sadness you felt for years on end. His hands held yours the whole time and he felt the hurt washing over you like it was his own. But not once did his eyes show pity and that told you that you laid your heart out in good hands.

He seemed deep in thought after everything you told him and well, who wouldn't be. You expected him to be appalled at most of the things you told him and push you away. But he didn't. He welcomed the entirety of your past with open arms and it made the walls you've built up so high quiver.

There was still one thing you needed reassurance about and you gathered up all your courage to ask it.

"Can you promise me something?"

"Of course." He brushed a few stray hairs from your face to get a better look at you, frowning at your red and puffy eyes. "What is it?"

You swapped the hold of his hands so your smaller ones covered his, holding them tightly in your lap. They weren't as cold as they used to be when you met him, a whole lot warmer now than yours were. You looked down at them with an unfamiliar yearning. It felt like you held the whole world in your hands and it terrified you. You found solace in this world and you wanted to protect it like it protected you. No matter what it would take to keep it safe. To keep him safe.

"Whatever happens, be it in a mission or whatever situation, promise me we will stay together. We go in together and we get out of it together."

"I promise," he said without hesitating. He lifted a hand to your cheek cupping it softly. "I told you I would keep you safe as long as you're with me. I tend to keep my word, you know."

You leaned into his touch, closing your eyes as you felt another wave of tears coming. But this time, they weren't tears of pain or sorrow. They were tears of appreciation. He was so attentive and understanding while listening to everything you had to say that it overwhelmed you, in a good way.

"I know," you said sniffling away another sob. You played with his fingers counting the calluses on them to distract yourself. The fear that he would turn against you some day was still there and there was nothing you could do to quiet it down. But his words lowered it a bit.

"I really need to stop being a crybaby. You're probably tired of it."

"I could never get tired of you. Come here," he said opening his arms for you with the most genuine smile on his face.

You fell into them and pressed your head to his chest while he carded a hand through your hair to calm you down. His other hand rested on your back, lightly drawing patterns on it. He rocked you back and forth for a little while, until he felt you relax against him. Peeking an eye down at you, he saw you fast asleep. Your hand was fisting his shirt so tight as if the world will fall to pieces if you let go. It reminded him of that night after he took you to watch the sunset on the hill overlooking the village. He found you plopped on your bed, so tired that you didn't even change out of your clothes. You had the same adorable pout on your face now and it made him melt.

He held you for a while to make sure you were deep in sleep before deciding to let you rest. You looked like you really needed it after the day you had. Getting up as quiet as he could, he laid you down in bed, placing your head on your pillow gently. He covered you with the duvet and tried to move away, but your hand kept him in place, fist tightening around the fabric of his shirt to pull him closer. He placed his hand on your fist, untangling it from his shirt to lace his fingers with yours instead. You turned to his side and cuddled around his hand pulling it closer to you. He knelt down beside your bed and just looked at you as he brushed your hair away from your face.

I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're not alone anymore, my light.

It must have been the early hours of the morning when Enishi left. You've been sound asleep for a few hours and he decided to go work on some things since he wasn't going to catch any sleep for himself.

Reaching his office he was met with the door creaked open. He narrowed his eyes on it thinking back to when he left for your room. He definitely shut it closed.

Someone who wasn't supposed to be inside was messing around judging by the clutter of swords to the ground. He pushed the door open only to see his unwanted guest playing around at the sword wall. His presence went unknown to the man who had his back at him as he just stood there watching him for a while until he got annoyed.

"I would appreciate it if you stopped snooping around."

The blonde man turned around surprised that he had company, dropping the sword he was holding on the ground. It clanged loudly on the floor and Enishi moved to the door to close it, releasing an exasperated sigh.

If he wakes her up I am turning him into paper tinsel.

"So the master of the house does speak."

"What are you doing here, Sword Hunter?"

"You know who I am?"

I just said your nickname, dumbass. He really does lack intelligence doesn't he?

You didn't tell him too much about Cho. But the more he looked at him he started remembering who he was. He's heard about him before but never got a chance to see him until now. Once you told him more he pieced the puzzle together rather quickly.

Cho ignored him and continued messing around until he picked up a sword he seemed rsther interested in. He unsheathed it, testing its balance in his hand.

"A wo-dao Chinese sword. I've never seen one before."

He swung it around and held it closer to his line of sight tracing his eyes along the silver blade.

"This is a great sword."

"It could hurt you. The balance is different than Japanese swords."

Enishi's patience was running thin. The last thing he wanted to confront at the ass crack of dawn was a sword freak. He debated knocking him out and dragging him back to bed but you probably wouldn't be too happy if you knew that happened.

"You seem sure of yourself."

And you're acting like a fucking idiot.

Cho racked through the stash and threw a different sword at Enishi, suggesting testing the blades in a duel. Enishi just stared him down taking in all the bandages that littered his body. He wouldn't mind adding some more on there. But you worked too hard patching him up to do that.

"I'm not gonna fight you," he retaliated, placing the sword on his desk.

I don't want her to wake up to that. She has enough on her plate already.

"Are you you scared you'll lose?" huffed Cho.

"I could kill you right now if I wanted to." He unsheathed the sword and chuckled darkly. The look in his eyes turned murderous and it was enough to make Cho's jaw tick. He was looking for a fight and Enishi struggled keeping himself away from giving him one. With a deep sigh he put it back in its hold and went to place it back to its place neatly.

"I'm only letting you stay because she wants you here for some fucked up reason. One wrong move and you're out of here in seconds."

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong."

He put the sword he was holding on the table and looked Enishi dead in the eye.

"I'll stay as long as she wants me here," he said placing a hand on Enishi's shoulder tauntingly. "Not even you can convince her to let me go."

Morning couldn't come fast enough. You heard Enishi leave sometime in the early hours of the morning but you were too tired to register it and quickly fell back asleep. Before he left, you felt a feather like touch of what could only be his lips connecting to your temple and smiled in your sleep, hoping he noticed it.

Trudging to the bathroom you looked in the mirror and nearly screeched. Your eyes were the size of rice balls, the ginormous kind that Wu would stuff in his mouth for dinner, but with a slight touch of pink and bloodshot.

You didn't want to deal with the aftermath of yesterday at all. But you promised Enishi you would talk more things out, especially about the blondie residing in his guest room without a good explanation on why he was here other than the fact that he was hurt.

You hung your head low in shame gripping the edges of the sink. You brought a total stranger in the house that wasn't yours, got him comfortable and did not even have the courtesy of telling Enishi who the fuck he was or why he should even stay after everything.

I might be going off the rails sooner than I predicted.

Enishi had every right to be mad at you for every shitty choice you made in the last 24 hours. From going over his word multiple times and not staying in the house like he told you. For talking rudely to him at the ball for no particular reason other than what was probably jealousy. For bringing a total stranger into his house. To keeping him awake for most of the night with your own problems.

But he wasn't. On the contrary, he comforted you even after you put him through all of that. He took care of you again even after all you did was push him away. And fuck if you knew why he still did it.

I'm surprised he hasn't kicked me out yet.

But one thing did bug you. He did all that and you still weren't clear of what his intentions were or whether he felt the same for you because he hasn't said anything to seal the deal yet.

Did he even want to seal the deal? Or was it all a play again?

You did not want a rerun of what happened with Cho. You weren't sure of what exactly you felt for the blonde man but you knew it wasn't anything good. Besides, if you went through that again, especially with Enishi, it would crush you for good. You wondered when he would come clean and open up to you, hoping it would be sooner than later.

Until then, you had a breakfast to attend that had the potential to turn really messy. Both males were highly unpredictable and liked to act on impulse. If you managed to get through it without anyone getting their head ripped off their body it would be a miracle.

Lord give me strength to face the males you put on this earth.

Breakfast was going well so far, you would say. All three of you ate quietly, sparring looks at each other sheepishly. You all waited for someone to speak first and cut the tension wafting in the air.

You surely didn't want to be first as you didn't even know where to start. Start explaining some more things to Enishi and apologize for everything? Put a plate in Cho's hand and kick him out yourself? Complimenting the chef on the food? Wait this is leftovers I prepared yesterday.

You looked at Cho who was picking at the food in his plate like an ungrateful child. What could he even say? Introduce himself in a really Cho manner, jazz fingers and all, spew some lies about who he actually is and making himself more unwanted than he was at the moment? Highly likely. He didn't owe Enishi anything other than to return the clothes he borrowed.

Looking to Enishi, you didn't know what to expect. He would most likely start awkward conversation with "So what do you do?" and then expect you to elaborate whilst trying to keep Cho's mouth shut in case he decided to talk about things Enishi was better off not knowing. Or unsheathe one of his swords and turn this into a fight, considering the daggers he was throwing at him.

The possibilities were endless.

To your disappointment, Enishi did speak first and you braced for the joy that was about to become the breakfast table.

“So, how do you two know each other?”

Okay, an easy question that didn't need a complicated answer.

“We used to work together,” you said peeling a boiled egg for yourself trying to keep your composure.

Cho tapped your leg under the table asking you to peel one for him using the injured person card. He was holding the fork just fine so you just threw an eggshell at him.

“We did more than work,” said Cho, earning himself a kick under the table from you.

You narrowed your eyes at him silently telling him to watch it. He only smirked in return, enjoying that he could annoy you this much.

“It was just work,” you gritted, turning to look at Enishi. “We took out a few people in uh... team missions.”

“Oh, and how much fun we had doing it together,” chirped Cho, leaning his head on his palm.

And I thought I was off the rails. I forgot that he literally exists.

“You should’ve seen her back then. She was so ruthless and unforgiving."

Why was he suddenly acting like the president of the Miyu Hikari fanclub?

If the you from back then was sitting here now she would probably blush and feel giddy at the remark.

But your face fell at the mention of the person you used to be back then. She haunts you at night and you wished you could just forget everything about her.

Enishi saw the way you uncomfortably shifted in your seat and picked at the shell of your egg with a frown. Squinting dangerously at the blonde who seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much, he interfered.

“Actually, she appears to be doing pretty well now, I would say.” Your eyes snapped up to him, a small smile of acknowledgment on his lips directed at you. “She’s so much stronger now.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his words. Now that he knew about your past and how much it took to get to where you are now, he seemed to have a different level of admiration for you. He was still so trusting in your abilities and it was beyond your understanding how he could just sit there believing you could lift planet Earth if you wanted to. And he would totally support you.

But of course, Cho had to ruin the moment.

“If that’s true, then she should be able to actually take me down in a fight now without using tricks,” he cocked an eyebrow at you.

It was a little bet you always had going when you trained with him. Whoever pinned the other to the ground first would get bragging benefits for the day. Loser would also have to chip in with whatever the winner wanted. You smiled a little remembering all the times you won over him and he had to buy you a ginormous amount of sweets. You did use a few tricks to get him off guard like winking at him or blowing him a kiss and he fell for it every single time. He liked the attention and that was one of his biggest weaknesses.

The good times blurred the bad ones for a little moment of bittersweet melancholy. Maybe it wasn't all that bad that he was back.

“I’m not fighting you when you’re wrapped in bandages like a mummy,” you said, munching on a piece of bread.

“Then when I’m better!”

“You’re not staying here,” cut in Enishi.

Did he mean here as in the mansion or here as in near you? From the way he gripped his mug it could be both.

“But he’s injured,” you turned to him as did Cho, with a more dramatic expression akin to distorted puppy eyes. "Stop making that face. It's creeping me out."

Enishi got up and took your wrist pulling you to the side to discuss privately about your guest. He had a bad feeling about him ever since he caught him snooping around his office last night. His mere existence pissed him off and it was slowly becoming a problem.

“I don’t want him here more than he should be staying here.”

“And he won’t be here longer than it takes to heal his wounds,” you prodded. “Let him stay for at least a week.”

A week would give you time to sort some stuff out with both of them and send Cho away with a clean conscience that he was healed and hopefully in one piece.

“A week?! Two days max."

“Five days!”

“Three days.”

“Four,” you begged, hands held together in a prayer. “You won’t even know he’s here.”

His tongue poked his cheek as he thought your proposal over. He didn't have anything to lose but the guy made him really suspicious. The way he looked and talked to you infuriated him beyond normal. He didn't understand why you were so keen on him staying here. But he would yield in, for now.

“Okay,” he sighed defeatedly. "But one wrong move or word and he's gone."

“Thank you, Enishi!"

You got a bit too excited and without a second thought you leaned up and kissed his cheek. Your brain short-circuited when you processed your lips touching his soft cheek. Both of you got surprised by your gesture, eyes widened in shock as you pulled away. The slightest tint of a blush was painted on your cheeks.

“I’ll uh… go do the dishes.”

What the hell was I thinking?!

You started backing away shyly before your heart could implode. Rushing your steps you nearly knocked down a chair as you hastily ran inside.

“Do you need help-“

“IM GOOD!”

He touched his cheek feeling the spot where your lips were pressed in a peck just a few moments ago and shook his head at you with a smile. You were truly something else. But the minute his eyes laid on the unwanted guest munching away at the food on the table like a gorilla, his smile fell.

I’m doing this for her. I need to show her that I can interact with other people without wanting to skewer them alive.

He went to sit back down at the table. He wanted to at least finish his tea before looking for excuses to leave.

“It’s so nice to have company after being solo for so long.”

“Mhm. I bet.”

“You’re not much of talker are you?”

“Nope.” I am but not with people like you.

“I’m sure you’ll warm up to me soon.”

“Surely," he smiled. I’d rather go sit with Wu for a week than spend one more minute with you.

“Enishi!” You called out to him from the kitchen. Ah, thank god.

“Coming!” he sat up from the table quick as lightning and dashed inside to you. “What do you need?”

“Can you fold my sleeves so I won’t get them wet?” You didn’t even finish and he was already doing your sleeves all the way up above your elbows. “Thank you!”

“No problem."

He looked at the pile of dishes you started washing, hoping you would ask him to help. Anything to stay in here with you than go outside to that creature.

"Is there anything else I can help with?”

“You could ask Cho if he wants anything else.”

His hopes were shattered the second his name cane oit of your mouth. He looked at you as if you asked him to bring you a bear or something. His eyes were pleading to stay with you in the kitchen but all you saw was a look that was weirding you out.

“Or you could wipe these dry," you suggested pointing to the dishes that needed to be taken off the drying rack so you could put the others instead.

Okay, that I can do.

“Gladly," he smiled.

You shook your head, giggling at his antics. You could tell he wasn't that fond of blondie. Cho's presence bugged you at first too but he grew on you over time. He was still the same idiot putting himself in danger recklessly but most times you were there to get him out of it.

Whatever you saw in him back then was pure and underneath all that mischief there was a boy who just didn't know what to do with his life. You understood him more than he understood you and you couldn't help but empathise with him.

"He's not that bad, you know," you said washing one of the bigger plates. You handed it to Enishi and watched him wipe it dry on all corners. Clean freak, you thought smiling.

"I'll believe it when I see it. All he's done so far is eat and sleep for free," he picked up another dish, "and make you uncomfortable after you literally saved and took care of him."

He had a point. But then again that was what you were doing too. Enishi took you in and cared for you like you were one of his own and all you did lately was abuse that. And it made you feel bad no matter how much he told you everything was okay and that he wasn't mad about it in the slightest.

"He's the only person I had for a while. As much as we didn't part on good terms I owe him a little."

Enishi wasn't stupid. He could tell there was something more between the two of you, besides slaying people for money together. He just wasn't sure if that something died three years ago, but he knew that feelings don't go away so easily. No matter how hard you try to make them disappear.

Living with not one but two copies of the male species was interesting to say the least. It's been only one day of cohabitating together and there was already a growing tension between the two.

Enishi didn't really acknowledge Cho's existence unless you mentioned him in conversation. Cho tried to annoy him on occasions where he let his guard down around you but most of the times it didn't work in his favour and he ended up being ignored.

However, the macho vibes were very strong as you were training today. Cho looked up to joining in with you and you let him despite Enishi's silent protests. You wished you listened to them.

Stretching your bodies before practice turned into a muscle flexing competition. Cho rolled his sleeves above his elbows and unbuttoned his shirt down to his navel, while Enishi took off his kimono to be left only in his tank top.

You gulped at the sight, eyes darting from one man to the other. Cho's veiny hands caught your attention first. Then your eyes moved from his collar bone all the way down to the outline of his abs that were peeking from under his shirt. You've seen them in passing when you patched him up. But seeing them in broad daylight was a totally different story. They looked so defined and sculpted. You unconsciously licked your lips at the sight, wondering how it would feel to take your time counting the squares one by one.

Your eyes then settled on Enishi and your breath hitched. His muscly biceps were already glistening with sweat from just stretching, but it was enough to make you want to chomp down on them. You've seen them so many times before but they made your mouth water every time. One flex of it and you would be on the floor seeking medical assistance.

You didn't even realise they were looking at you until you heard Cho's high pitched laughing. Enishi seemed quite amused by your reaction too, chuckling to himself. They caught you full on staring at their goodies with no shame. You wanted the ground to swallow you whole from the embarrassment.

Cho walked to you and you planted your feet to the floor trying to get back to your serious face. He stopped just a patch of grass away from you but it was enough to make you breathless. His abs were right in front of you, an elbow away.

"Better wipe the drool on your lips, princess," he said as he wiped it from your lips with his thumb.

This fucker. Wait until I wipe my fist on your lips.

"Fuck off," you pushed him away and got back to stretching with your back to them.

All was well until sword practice turned into a contest of the fittest. You were getting back to grips with your jian sword trying to remember the basic moves Enishi taught you. But the two men in front of you were deep in focus with their own longer katanas, practicing deep slashes coupled with some aerial moves. Looking at them sitting side by side, you noticed their styles were awfully similar, the only difference being that Enishi was faster and made use of his surroundings, while Cho was slower and used more tricks to slow down his opponent. Both of them appeared to be in their own element and it was a sight to behold.

Sparring wise you were kind of tossed to the side. They were too busy staring daggers at one another to notice you were there to learn stuff too. One rude insult from Cho and a twitch of Enishi's jaw later they took it upon themselves to duel.

Stepping backwards to give them more space you watched as they lunged at each other. Their eyes turned dark as their blades clashed, all semblance of humanity gone from both of them. Enishi was back in his unyielding form, forcing his attacks like a wild beast pouncing on his prey. Cho was actively trying to piss him off with tricks, sneering viciously the more he dodged Enishi's blade and pushed his buttons.

After some push and pull, combined with some cussing, the two broke apart with heaving breaths. They swirled their swords around to stretch their wrists as they continued circling each other.

"Quit playing around and fight for real," gritted Enishi.

"I am fighting for real," grunted Cho. "I think it's you who's holding back."

"I'm only holding back so I don't accidentally kill you."

"Why don't you do it then?"

He chuckled. For a brief moment his eyes locked with yours and he got some of his rationale back. He wasn't a fool. He could see right through his intentions.

"You want me to lose it and make myself look bad in front of her, don't you?"

Cho stopped moving around and played around with his blade. He got caught in the act and the look on his face gave it away too easily.

Enishi swung at him and he jumped over the slash that could've cut him in half. He spun trying to get Enishi off balance and tried cutting him back but Enishi was too fast and he could only dodge left and right.

Cho started getting sloppy. He swayed on his feet due to the gash in his leg that didn't heal properly yet. He knew he wasn't supposed to be out here but his pride got the best of him. He wanted to see what Enishi was made of and it was quite clear that he was a strong opponent.

Enishi noticed he was getting slower and used that to his advantage, combining moves that only pushed him to the edge. He wanted him to give it up and accept defeat.

Cho was forced to defend himself when Enishi's sword came down from above, blades meeting again with much more force than before. Both of them pushed with as much strength as they could to throw the other one off.

"If you're that sure of yourself, why don't we take a bet?" proposed Cho in a ploy to get Enishi to retreat.

"Oh yeah? What's in it for me?"

Cho turned his head to you and Enishi followed his gaze as they both lowered their blades. You were sitting on the ground staring up at the sky. You looked so at peace for once in a while that it calmed him down too, adrenaline from the moment drawing back into him. Cho was just as entranced by you.

"Let's see which one of us she actually wants. We both have a week to figure her out. If it's you she wants I'll be out of both of your lives in a heartbeat."

The offer was tempting. Enishi believed he had the upper hand here. He saw the way you looked at him and he wasn't entirely blind to your feelings, even if he himself was confused with his. You also had a connection between you that was hard to tear down, as much as blondie tried to interfere. If all these things played out in his favour, he could fly out the door sooner than the agreed timeline. It was a win-win situation.

But there was the possibility of him being wrong. There was a chance you still felt something for Cho and those feelings could just be waiting for him to do something to try and get you back. What if they would grow back stronger the more time you spent around him?

As much as he wanted to believe things could play out in his favour, the situation said otherwise.

Although, he was sure of one thing. That he was willing to bet everything to keep you with him. No matter what.

"But if she wants me-," Cho continued only to get cut off harshly.

"I won't let that happen," thundered Enishi.

He was more sure of himself than he's ever been before, especially because this involved you. He would stop at nothing to win you over.

"Bring it on."

Thank you for reading! As always, comments, likes and reblogs are welcome :)

#Addicting Taste #enishi yukishiro #enishi yukishiro fanfiction #rurouni kenshin #enishi yukishiro x reader #enishi yukishiro x you #i truly hope you don't hate me after reading it

[lilyevanstan1325]

❤️ Built For This World ❤️

Chapter 1

I drag myself with difficulty to the edge of the long road that stands in front of me.

My senses are on alert as I move slowly but decisively towards the trees on my right.

I feel too exposed here, the trees will give me a little more shelter from prying eyes and teeth ready to bite me.

I blink violently as the sunlight blinds me, burning my clear eyes.

Mum always told me "Clear eyes are delicate, always protect them"

And I, who was only five years old, snorted impatiently while, with a very sweet smile, she placed a pair of sunglasses on my nose and then kissed the tip making me giggle.

I have always loved my green eyes just because they are the same as my mother's, they are the only thing that reminds me that she existed.

I have nothing left of her except an old photo, creased and worn by the tears I shed over it.

Every time I see my reflection, if I concentrate hard enough, I can see her in my features, I can pretend for a few moments that she is there in front of me.

Our resemblance is the only thing that constantly reminds me that she was a real part of a life that today no longer belongs to me.

Emerald eyes.

That's how dad called her.

I can still hear his voice as he whispers those sweet words to my mother.

I sigh thinking about how much they loved each other.

They have always been my example of true, pure and strong love.

They are what I aspire to or rather what I dreamed for myself before.

Now there is nothing left, only death and despair.

I look around looking for a slightly shadier spot but without great results.

The heat is increasingly unbearable, especially at this time of the afternoon.

Not that I have a watch with me but from the position of the sun in the sky I'm pretty sure it was a few hours after noon.

I breathe deeply and the hot air burns my nose, my lungs.

The heat burns my throat, corroding every clear thought.

Damn…

I didn't know Georgia was so damn hot.

I mean, even though I am walking in the depths of the forest, the sun gives me no respite, it infiltrates the branches and leaves with unprecedented violence.

It's like it wants to constantly remind me “Hey bitch I'm here, I know where you are.You can't escape me"

The jeans I'm wearing fit like a second skin, making me sweat even more profusely while the white t-shirt I'm wearing has noticeable, and if I had been in the company of other human beings, embarrassing patches of sweat near the armpits and along the entire back.

Let's say the smell I give off isn't the best.

For a fraction of a second my vision blurs, slowing down my already limping and clumsy pace.

The sounds around me become muffled.

I no longer hear the cicadas singing in the heat of this desolate and cursed land.

Without realizing it, I stop and rest my hand against the rough trunk of a tree, the bark scratches my palm but I barely feel the pain.

Nowadays I feel numb to everything.

I no longer feel anything except the inexorable passage of time.

Forty-two days, I think as my vision comes and goes, repeatedly showing me white points of light on my black boots.

That's how long I've been wandering.

Forty-two damn days.

On my long journey to Atlanta I encountered few living people but many, too many, dead.

Fucking biters.

I tried to keep a low profile, only killing them when I really couldn't help myself.

My only weapons are my trusty knife and a machete found in an old abandoned car near Charlotte.

As for the living, well...in that case I avoided them as anyone would avoid STI.

Or the biters.

It depends on your point of view.

But the thing that amazes me is that I have never met his men.

Or him.

Maybe they didn't think I would run away south.

Or maybe they never looked for me.

Why should he commit his men, in his opinion his most precious resources, to look for me?

Maybe there was a time when he would have turned the world upside down to find me but in the last few weeks he had grown colder.

It wasn't him anymore.

Without feelings.

No hugs, no sweet words.

Only barked orders, half-hearted phrases.

As if I were another one of his stupid men and not the most important woman in his life, as he used to call me.

It is as if he had convinced himself that his love for me made him weak in the eyes of others, as if love me made him vulnerable and therefore less credible or reliable as a leader.

I feel my legs give out, my knees tremble, forcing me to kneel on the hard ground.

I bring the hand that isn't busy gripping the tree to my head, as if this gesture could ease my pain.

The same excruciating pain in my head that hasn't left me for days now seems to explode with ferocity, as if I suddenly found myself hanging upside down and all the blood was draining towards my brain, giving me the not so pleasant sensation of my eyes being forced out of my eye sockets.

In the midst of this ocean of pain I can hear the cawing of a crow that echoes throughout the forest, making me jump violently, making my heartbeat skyrocket.

I feel it beating so hard that I have the almost mathematical certainty that at any moment it could break through my ribs and come out of my chest.

The crow flies away with a rustle of wings, continuing on its way unaware of having almost caused me a cardiac arrest.

Another dizziness takes me by surprise, making me lose my grip on the tree and finding myself on all fours, my stomach shaking with violent spasms while empty retching fills my dry and sore throat.

I know what's happening.

I'm aware of it.

The problem is that I'm fucking scared of it.

I can't accept it.

After all, who could do it?

Who would be able to accept their death as if nothing had happened?

I feel my eyes burning but no tears appear.

My crooked mouth in a grip of perpetual pain burns, the dozens of small wounds that cover it bleed with every small movement.

I've learned to live with hunger, it's not as difficult as it seems.

The last time I think I ate was about two or three days ago.

I had found a small cabin in the woods, I think it was an old hunter's lodge.

With only a few hours of light ahead of me, I had decided to stop and set a small trap near my refuge for that night.

Maybe I would catch a disgusting possum or if I was really lucky a rabbit.

But instead, the next morning, the only thing I found was a little mouse.

Small, defenseless, gasping desperately with his little paw stuck in the trap.

He squealed forcefully, fighting for his life.

I still remember the tears of disgust at what I was about to do but it was for my own life.

For my survival.

I felt pathetic feeling sorry for a small and insignificant ball of fur but I think I saw myself in him.

Too small and defenseless for this world that is now too cruel and cowardly, destined to succumb but not therefore willing to give up.

I believe my sleep deprivation played a major role in my little mental breakdown.

An hour later I was sitting in front of a small fire, my hair glued to my neck from sweat and the remains of that little warrior on the ground in front of me.

“Mors tua vita mea” I found myself whispering while looking at those little bones.

Both of us, the little mouse and I, had only one mission, survive and there would be only one winner.

The failure of the little rodent guaranteed the achievement of my goal...surviving a few more days.

A rustle in the distance brings me back to the present.

I try to use every ounce of strength to concentrate all my energy on lifting my head, to at least try to understand where the noise is coming from, but by now dehydration is taking over, making me weak and exposed.

Vulnerable.

And in this world if you are vulnerable you are dead.

I lower my head in defeat, my forehead almost touching the dry leaves on the ground.

The smell of mold and musk tickling my nostrils.

My fingers dig into the ground with anger and frustration.

The sun continues to burn the back of my neck undisturbed, dulling my pale skin.

Some dirty strands escape from my bun and stick to my sweat-beaded forehead.

I am thirsty.

I'm literally dying of thirst.

And honestly it's a horrible death.

I finished my last water about five days ago.

For the next two days, after the end of that precious liquid, I drank my own urine twice.

I still remember the feeling of disgust, the tears rolling down my cheeks.

My head screaming at me not to do it while my body begged me otherwise.

I had to do it, I had no choice...

But then between the sweat and the lack of any other liquid even the urine disappeared and now I haven't drunk for almost 48 hours and my body can't take it anymore.

It's shutting down.

I am slowly and surely losing all functions.

Like I'm falling but I'm doing it in slow motion, I know I'll crash eventually and it'll be horrible but I can't do anything to help it.

I'm there, sitting in the front row watching my end.

Cool.

That rustling again.

I would like to get up, my instinct tells me to check what it is, to fight, but my body no longer responds to me.

It's like my brain has dissociated itself from everything else and told me “Hell no baby, I don't give a fuck, I'm done.Now it's your business"

Another round of retching knocks me out, forcing me to lie down on the ground, melting against it, with the dry leaves as a pillow.

I hear footsteps and I can't understand if they belong to a human being or to a biter.

The sounds are confusing, like everything else after all.

Thoughts become incoherent, and reality mixes with memories of the past.

“Come on my little girl, don't give up”

Is my daddy's voice?

The almost musical cadence of his voice makes my heart skip a beat.

Or is it just the palpitations due to dehydration?

Then another voice…

“Summer?Where are you my dear?"

Mom?

It's you?

Where are you?

Rolling onto my side and using the last of my strength I lie down onto my back.

Behind my closed eyelids I can perceive the intensity of the sun.

The sounds in my ears don't make sense, they come and go garbled and distorted.

Words, angry growls, whispers.

I believe my time has finally come.

The only regret?

Knowing that I came close, so close.

Atalanta is only a few tens of miles away and dying like this, devoured by some horde or simply devoured by my own thirst, sucks.

Dying sucks.

It's not how I imagined it.

It's certainly not like in the movies, that's for sure.

There is no last soft sigh, nothing romantic.

No cathartic moments.

No understanding of the meaning of life.

There is no flashback, no images of your life flashing before you.

Indeed...every breath is a stab, a slow torture that consumes your soul.

First, it fucks your brain and then he takes everything else.

An agony without grace.

Dying is not easy.

But despite everything I will die happy knowing that I tried in every way.

I tried to survive tooth and nail but in the end this world got the better of me.

A lone tear drips from my left eye.

Then the darkness.

Here, today, my journey towards a better life ends.

My run towards the freedom ends.

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@deansapplepie

#fanfiction #twd daryl #the walking dead daryl #daryl x reader #daryl dixon #daryl fanfiction #daryl x oc #fanfiction recommendation #fanfic #norman reedus #builtforthisworld #daryl smut #daryl dixon smut #norman reedus smut #twd fanfiction #twd family #twd fandom #twd fic

[littlelesbinonny]

The Devil's Den

Chapter 33: In Which A Silent Harbinger Approaches

You can read this also on Ao3 at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46831621/chapters/117962293

Alcina all but barreled through the double doors to Karl's shop, damn near knocking them down as she slammed them shut behind her with a loud bang.

"HEISENBEEERRRG!"

Karl was nestled way at the back when the roar came echoing through, "ah fuck." He blurted.

He'd been nose deep in desperation trying to not only work on furthering their advance in this mutant malarky with any equipment or weapons he had, but to also distract himself from his guilt of spilling the beans about that fucking cave to his nieces. There was no doubt in his mind Alcina would be paying him a taxing visit when she got back, but he wasn't really prepared for this, he didn't want to be. And as her hasty stride full of purpose stomped closer he considered hiding, although uncouth and completely cowardly.

When she burst through the entryway to his area, nostrils flared, lips pursed, and a scowl that would put Medusa to shame, he backed away from his work bench with his hands raised in retreat.

"Now look -" was as far as he got before she slammed her palm on the edge of the counter, rattling everything in proximity.

"What were you thinking!?" she scolded, "you of all people know how headstrong my daughters are - "

"Well yeah, I mean, look at their mother -"

"DON'T INTERUPT ME!"

Karl shrunk into his shoulders, holding his hands a little higher, "I'm sorry!"

"You're so infuriating!"

He could tell she was doing everything in her power to control her rage and not haul off and very likely break something, possibly his face, so he had to think fast.

"Just gimme a sec to explain, don't snap and combust, ok?" he rattled off, "I know you're upset -"

"I am FURIOUS!"

"Yes, yes, I can tell and you have every right to have a super-sized bitch fit about it and want to break my neck and kill me, you do, I am not denying any of that, but you really gotta understand that my intention was never to get those girls into trouble or put them in harms way; they had questions and I just answered them without thinking, it's a weakness of mine" he huffed, watching the fire in her eyes swirl and threaten to blow, "I promise you on everything that I am, I love those girls, I love them like they are my own, and if I had any idea they were thinking of executing this idiotic fucking idea I would have squashed it faster than you would Salvatore's ugly ass head if you had the chance... ok? So don't kill me."

Alcina's jaw was clenched so tightly she thought she might shatter her teeth, her fists were balled hard enough she wondered if the heat she was feeling was the utter strength of her muscles burning or she'd drawn blood on herself. Either way, Karl's deflection of her wrath had annoyingly kept her from exploding which is exactly what he had intended. And, as much as she hated to admit, she did know how much he cared for her daughters.

Shoving her held breath through her nose like an aggravated bull, Alcina swallowed and softened her shoulders for relief of her own sake.

"In truth I didn't actually come here to kill you, although the thought has crossed my mind several times today... I would fully love to rip you to shreds, but it is, of course, unseemly and I will let you live another day," she acquiesced, "but for fuck sake Heisenberg," Alcina grumbled, "use the brain inside your fucking skull for more than bullheaded nonsense!"

Karl, surprisingly, accepted her insult without retort and slowly lowered his arms, "got it. Got it. Use the grey matter inside my skull."

With another exasperated huff, she leaned her hip on the countertop and folded her arms, "we have a more pressing matter unfortunately, and that's damage control for this whole situation... can I rely on your efforts?"

He kept his smug grin tamed, "absolutely. You say who, what, when, and where and I won't even ask the why boss lady."

Alcina rolled her eyes.

~

The girls had been shut up in their home for a full 24 hours by the time Alcina returned. 

Many hours had been spent glowering down at the courtyard full of Mateo's men. At least by Daniela.

Whether or not any of them were truly sorry about their actions, not a one of them could decide. They, along with Angie, had discovered the nook that lead them into the undiscovered tunnels. The brigades had no issue believing their lie that their mother had sent them to aid in the endeavor, and had it not been for them they would likely still be at square one. No where. Still, the outcome was unfavorable.

Bela and Cassandra were in the library guzzling blood-wine when Daniella decided to join them with a glass of her own.

Cassandra was staring blankly into space, nursing the chip on her shoulder with a scowl settled deeply in her visage.

Bela was unable to concentrate on her book and had finally given up.

Daniella was chewing on her bottom lip between sips and sat down in a huff on the plush cream colored chez lounge aside Bela.

"Think Angie's in trouble too?" she asked mildly.

"When Aunt Donna finds out, which she will, absolutely," Cassandra stated sharply, "I'm sure mother has already made that phone call."

Bela shot her sister a look at the bitterness in her tone, "every single one of us knew this was a bad idea and we still did it. We got caught. Quit being a bitch about mothers reaction."

Cassandra returned the icy biting gaze and tongued her teeth.

"Oh my god, now I remember why I've been avoiding the both of you," Daniella said getting ready to rise and leave.

"Sit."

Came a voice that shot ice cycles through their veins.

"M-mom," Bela stuttered, shifting to watch her as she entered.

Alcina looked strikingly ominous in the low light, her new pitch-black suit, and the sharpness of her features. It was clear she hadn't had any sustenance since she'd been gone.

She peered at her daughters with a facade similar to before but not as rough around the edges.

"I need you to be silent and let me speak," she began softly but sternly, standing tall and unmoved before them, "I also need the three of you to comprehend what I'm about to say..." the slate hue of her eyes showed the slightest hint of the hurt she felt, "when we are outside of our home, I am first and foremost your Matriarch, secondly your mother. Do I make myself clear?"

The question captured their full attention and left them on edge.

"My position as the leader of this underworld does not wane because you are my daughters. If anything my position becomes harsher and more complicated because of that fact alone. The three of you have put me in a situation I don't ever want to be in again. I now have to convince myself and others of your lie. I have to mend the cracks in your lie to now be the truth. You could have severely undermined and put my power in jeopardy with this, do you understand? When you go behind my back, it shows weakness. In me. In my reign. Do you have any idea what that opens me, and us, up to?" she asked sharply.

"Do you?" she asked again, even sharper, "Mutiny. Uprising. Death. If those who wish to see me overthrown find any kind of weakness in the chain that is our family, it gives them leverage to break us. If you're as smart and observant as you claim to be, then you are well aware of the mass of those who wish to harm us. You compromise not only me but yourselves, and Donna, Angie, Karl, Dmitri - any who are loyal to us. We have more foe than friends, that is the truth of it."

Alcina took a deep, heavy breath and stared each of her daughters in the eye.

"I keep things from you not with the intent of malice. I keep things from you to keep you safe. I keep things from you because juggling the Matriarchy and being a mother to my daughters can sometimes be too much, for even me - because at the end of the day I want you, my daughters, my girls, to be free of the cares and worries I must bare because it is my duty - because I want you to have a life that is freer than mine - I want you to bare as little worry and stress as you need because I want nothing more than to protect you!"

Vampires cry very little, if ever at all. In fact only once in a great while can a vampire shed a tear, and Alcina, in this moment, with the weight of facing the fact her girls could have been killed and she could not have been there to save or protect them, crashed down upon her harder than the boulders a day ago, and tears of her regret and sorrow began to pool in the bottom of her eyelids.

"I -" her voice quivered, "want only to protect you from the terrors of this world, from the very monsters you live amongst and whatever the fuck happens to be out there now. If that is selfish, the love I hold for you, then I will happily own it."

After the silence became too much, having no response or reaction, Alcina lifted her chin, straightened her spine and turned to leave.

A body collided with hers and halted her movement, holding her captive from behind.

"Believe it or not, no one should have to suffer alone," came the voice she was least expecting, "we just want to help you, mother, we want to help you and protect you as much as you do us. Being a family means love and support in all things. You have that in us. We just wished you would trust us."

Alcina placed her arm over the ones around her torso and sighed, "Cass, it has nothing to do with trust... I love and trust you. My burdens should not be your burdens."

Cassandra untangled herself from behind her mother and came to face her, "no. That's just it. Your burdens are our burdens," she stated firmly, grasping Alcina's slender hands in her own, "you raised us to be hellions in a fight. You raised us to be feral warriors. To be smart and cunning and to live with our eyes open. Why have your most powerful weapons sitting on a shelf gathering dust?"

The glitter in Cassandra's smirking face and eyes made Alcina laugh, "I don't think I raised you to be this cocky."

"Oh, oh you definitely did; stubborn and cocky as you."

The tension had broken with Alcina's brilliant smile and Cassandra pulled her in for a strong embrace, the other two joined not moments later and everything almost felt right in the word again.

"Dani's still fired though, it was her idea," Cassandra whispered, winking at her sister.

"Are you fucking shitting me?!" Daniella screeched.

Before Alcina had any grasp on what was happening, those two became an entangled mess of shrieks and punches and kicks on the floor. Bela stood off to the side with her mother looking disgusted.

"It was Cassandra's idea." she relayed unamused.

"I know," Alcina responded smoothly, folding her arms as the madness ensued.

When the sisters realized no one was actually stopping the fight, they halted mid punch and pull of hair to look at Alcina and Bela.

Their mother tilted her head, "when you're quite finished I have questions for the three of you about Angie."

The girls stilled even harder.

"Uhm..."

~

The tension in house Beneviento was palpable, all of it radiating from Donna. 

"Did you know Angie was part of this?"

Donna vigorously re-pinned the bun of her long brown hair upon her head, "I've only just been made violently aware."

Alcina watched her friend in amusement as she was clearly beside herself at the new knowledge.

She finally plopped down across the table from Alcina and placed her head in her palms, "If I would have had any clue, Alcina, I swear - "

"You don't need to apologize or back-pedal for her, I'm well aware you never would have kept this from me."

"Angie is the literal likeness of keeping track of a rabid raccoon - I am not in control, I can't even pretend to be in control."

"And you've not seen her yet?" Alcina asked taking a sip of her wine.

Donna dropped her arms and looked up, "briefly; before you returned she came tearing through the house, grabbed some things, said she'd be back, and that was it. Poof. Gone."

"Perhaps a leash?" Alcina teased.

"She'll just chew through it."

They sat by the candlelight for several hours musing over the situation at hand and making sure their stories added up with one another when it came to her daughters being sent on this faux mission. Alcina was still displeased beyond belief but she had to work with what she had.

With another sigh, Alcina lit a cigarette and took a very, very long drag. 

"I can't be certain," Donna broke the silence, "but Angie's onto something."

"How do you mean?"

"A hunch, and her actions. I did send her on a mission after all, and she dislikes coming up empty handed more than I do. There must be something she's onto."

Alcina's eyes narrowed as she took another puff, "let's hope she finds it soon. I would like to put many things to bed."

"As would I."

~

After his lovely visit with Alcina earlier today, Karl went back to busying himself with anything that involved explosives. Somehow it gave him pending satisfaction. He did his best work when he was left alone to his own devices and had been spurred on by some form of outside pressure, whatever it may be. Now, usually pleased and content to be left the fuck out of anything that didn't directly involve him had always been Karl's M.O. for as long as he could remember. But when he became involved with the vampires, suddenly things became more interesting and he preferred being part of whatever was going on. It rarely involved him or his men directly so it was more of an amusement factor, though he would never admit it out loud. But as of late, the continual tension and overwhelming feeling of something being 'off' was starting to eat at him worse than before, especially since his nieces had gotten into trouble. His team was currently not helping the matter.

"The rumbling is getting less and less, but they've isolated some of the hot spots."

Mitch was hunkered down on the map board with Karl, Diego, Bernadine and Lars.

"This here, this structure lead Blake and Serena's team on for two nights and the sounds stop here," he pointed, "but it's gone cold now for over the last 6 hours."

Karl grumbled uneasily, "that's cunt faces' stronghold."

"Cunt faces'?"

"MoThEr mIrAnDA."

"Oh," Mitch replied shortly, "THAT cunt face. If you could be a little more specific from time to time - "

"Fuck off. Keep going."

He cleared his throat with a snicker, "ok so, sounds stop at cunt faces lair and do not branch off like the other locations... But here's the really shitty part," he continued and pulled out another map, laying it flat, "this... this is where Dmitri sent some men. They have access to vampire strongholds with more underground access on this side of the Connecticut border. The tremoring has gotten strong here, but we lose the trail over here - at about this area - and it all goes completely silent, or too deep for us to track. The biggest problem with that is - "

Karl's blood ran cold as he stared at the map, "that is the direct line of access into the underground city."

-

Two days later and you were still tripping over the very audible and unexplainable "yes" you'd heard when you named the crows.

They'd been completely silent since the interaction and nothing else seemed to change. Although you could almost swear you all had an understanding of each other now. What that meant still wasn't entirely clear. They were all much more keen to get closer to you now; their distance was becoming less and less and you half expected one of them to jump in your lap one of these days.

It was now Wednesday night and it was cooking time with Malka. You'd agreed after all and actually you were kind of excited. 

Malka's little abode was cozy and neat. You'd visited a couple times over the years but not too often. It was right above her corner store and it had so much personality it made you quite jealous. Granted, she did live in one of the much older buildings in Manhattan, which was a large part of its charm.

It hadn't started to snow yet but damn it was getting colder. The winters here sucked when that humidity seeped its way in. You rushed your way down the blocks, your scarf bundled around your neck, coat wrapped tightly and soon you found yourself, freezing face and all, in front of the stairway up to Malka's place.

You pressed your gloved finger to the buzzer and it sounded high above, not a second after the click of the door sounded and you forced your way in.

Malka greeting you with open arms, "ahhh shayna punim!" she grinned, pinching your cold cheeks softy, "look at that red nose, blistering cold out there - come, come - let me have your coat."

The spacious living room was already flooded with the most divine smells; she'd already been at it it seemed.

The crown molding on the windows and ceiling were stained from all the years of living, but still, the cream color of the long lost artwork had lost none of its beauty. 

Malka's tastes were simple yet lovely. The throw rugs on the worn out wood floors were deep green, chestnut brown, and ocean blue. Handspun from Turkey, delivered by her older brother who had long since passed away. The furniture was as one might suspect; antique wood chairs that were hand carved that had hand sewn pillows. The couches were younger but well worn, comfortable, and forest green to match the rug. An old and very unused piano sat in the far corner with stacks upon stacks of piano books. Plants, crystals, mementos, and knickknacks were on any free flat surface that could be seen, and her walls housed family portraits and photographs, and a few antique opera posters from way back in the day.

Malka loved music, played the piano beautifully, and was an avid opera connoisseur. She'd threatened to drag you to one several times but you never actually went. Though, it was something you did want to do at one point in your life. One day you'd make the old woman happy and go.

As she shoved you towards the kitchen, you sighed happily and shrugged off the cold.

"So happy you came, ketzeleh," she said as she patted your back, "I've just put some tea on. Honey in yours?"

You hummed happily, "yes please!"

"Sit sit. We'll warm you up first, zen we cook."

Taking a seat at one of the old rickety kitchen chairs, you nestled into the warmth of her home and admired the old plates, tea cups, and vases that lined the kitchen walls. The kitchen was a pale light blue but everything else was a completely different color. Unlike the living room, the kitchen was splashed with every color under the sun. No two plates, cups, mugs, or towels matched and it was perfect in your opinion. If you didn't know any better you'd think the woman was a witch by her eclectic taste and mere look of her home. So many odds and ends acquired throughout her long life just made you love this little darling even more. Something about being here always made you feel more at home than your own apartment. 

Leo, a very large and bushy tabby cat came sauntering into the kitchen from the hallway and made his way to your lap, hopping up with sheer grace for his size. He settled down and began to purr, you smiled and immediately started weaving your fingers through his silky soft fur.

"Oh, Leo, you big oaf," Malka teased, "not a moment for her to get settled before your butt of fluff demands attention, tsk!"

When the kettle began to hiss and sing, Malka pulled it off the old but well kept stove and poured it into your favorite, hand sculpted mug she'd gotten in Ireland on one of her many trips around the world.

You took a sip and held the warmth in your cold hands, humming with pure satisfaction, "this hits the spot, thank you."

Her little wink and smirk met you over her own cup.

Malka had two dishes to teach you tonight: Shakshuka and Challah. The two of you started with the Challah bread, and though you didn't mind most of it, the braiding of the dough tested all of your patience since perfection plagued your very existence. But, after some mindful coaching and reassurance from Malka, you were finally able to get it to your liking. She grinned the whole time as she slipped both breads into the oven.

"Now!" she clapped her hands gleefully, "shakshuka is so easy only a mashugana can mess it up..." she winked, "grab that cast iron skillet on the wall, will you? Then come to the stove."

You did as instructed and joined her at the stove as she pulled out a carton of eggs, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and flung open her cupboard of spices, plucking several and bringing them over.

"It's healthy, filling, and scrumptious. My grandmother made this every weekend when we visited. Call it a comfort food from my heart. Now, hand me the oil, eh?"

Watching her bustle about and drop the oil in the pan, Malka then guided you through the sauce and how to flavor it. The smell settled in your nose and lungs and before long your mouth was watering. Once the sauce had been set to simmer, you were instructed to poach 4 eggs and drop them into the sauce one by one, garnishing them with some salt, pepper, and chives.

"Eyy, look at that!" Malka beamed, "you can be taught! Grab two plates, let's eat."

This was easily now one of your favorite dishes. Granted, Alcina's pasta still held the gem of your heart, but this was second in line. Oh, how you wished you could cook this for her to enjoy.

Without saying a word, Malka could see you were very clearly reminiscent of something as you sat quietly eating, a knowing glint in her eye watching you unknowingly.

"How are things in your life, dear?" she asked softly, "you have seemed to be very happy lately, it warms me to see it."

Your brows raised and you looked at her mid-bite, caught off guard by her question of course. She was never one to pry and you knew you could trust her with anything, why you knew that you weren't sure, but this; Alcina; your vampire lover? You wouldn't even know how to say it without sounding like a total lunatic.

"Oh," you smiled gently, "nothing really, just feeling good I guess? Life's been good."

Malka hrmphed with a chuckle, "fine then," she giggled, "but you introduce them to me at least someday, mm?"

Oh for hell sake. Was the woman a mind-reader? 

Unable to hide your blush, you simply nodded your guilt away with silent agreement as you took another big bite in hopes she wouldn't ask anything ese.

The two of you bantered for a while after dinner; she always had the best stories and wisdom that she inadvertently spread at every moment. But soon you were bundled up and ready to face the frigid night air to get back home.

You said your goodbye to the aloof and stretched out Leo on the couch, scratching his chin lovingly before heading to the foyer.

Malka helped tighten your scarf around your neck and she eyed you fondly.

"You are special my girl. You know this, hmm?"

Shrugging gently, you smiled, "I suppose."

"No, no, ketzeleh, you are," she said with a knowing smile, her finger poking you softly in the chest, "a good heart, a wise old soul. You have many gifts waiting for you... You, my dear, have so much to master."

Her words made you stop and ponder but not for very long as she was pushing you now out the door, hurrying you to not be in the dark cold night for too long. With a chaste kiss to each cheek she sent you on your way after a warm embrace and you were off.

Cryptic, precious, odd old woman, you thought with a smile as you went on your way.

Malka had donned a large fluffy coat and stepped out into the balcony off the living room to watch you leave and make sure you were safe. To her left on the balcony ledge sat a crow which she regarded with a humble nod.

"Keep your eyes on her, Ebony. She will come into her own by force. It is already beginning and she'll need our guidance."

With that, the crow took flight, following your path from high above.

#alcina dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu/female reader #alcina dimitrescu/original female character #alcina dimitrescu/reader #lesbian #f/f #fanfic #wlw #donna beneviento #karl heisenberg #daniela dimitrescu #cassandra dimitrescu #bela dimitrescu

[brostateexam]

"I'm definitely not thinking about death any more!"

I.

I was heading in to BART when I noticed that there was a moth in our car. For reasons I can't quite explain, I was consumed with the feeling that I had to get it out of the car to somewhere safe. My stop was going to put me (and maybe the moth, if I managed it) just three stories underground, though, which is not markedly better than being on a subway car. At least on the subway, there was a shot that it could get out in one of the open air stations and get to like some trees or something. I did nothing. I feel guilty about it.

II.

When I was making plum butter, I noticed there was a parakeet outside on my back steps. He was little and green, and he did not look thrilled to be out and about. I didn't have anything I could use to catch him, and even if I had, bringing a bird into a house with my cat who thinks killing birds ins her life's purpose (note: she has never actually done it, she just obviously really wants to) did not seem like a good option. I was trying to get him some bird seed and water when a loud noise caused him to fly off.

III.

I got a failed delivery notification for a package when I wasn't expecting anything to arrive and the pickup spot wasn't that far from my house, so I thought I'd just walk. It was in Eastmont, only 1.5 miles away. It was not, shall we say, the most pleasant walk, but it made me think about what it means when people say they hope neighborhoods "improve," because I found myself thinking that at times. What would it look like if the neighborhood improved for the people who live there now, instead of the neighborhood itself "improving" by accruing in value? I didn't have an answer for that, and I still don't, other than to say that I think sometimes people focus on neighborhood beautification projects because it's a lot easier to plant flowers in the medians than it is to solve systemic poverty.

IV.

I keep thinking about how my grandmother could have died of dehydration if the parking lot outside of her condo complex hadn't been due for repaving. I keep thinking about how if it won't be that, it will be something else, and it will be soon.

V.

Every time I see my mom these days, I am starting to see how she has aged. She is in her seventies, and it's not like she is experiencing severe cognitive decline or anything. She's just not quite as energetic or as strong or as sharp as she was ten years ago. This is scary to me. I'm not really ready for a world where I take care of my mom, but I know it's coming. My sister has two kids and she and her husband are like inches away from divorcing (have been for the last 3-4 years), so she's kind of got enough going on. I just have to convert my garage into a place my mom could live if she needed a little help, and be ready.

VI.

That stupid quiz said that what I needed was to break a leg, and I completely understood it. What I need, it says, is to lose control and find out that things will be okay if I don't have it. That isn't how this is going to work, though. No one else is going to do all the shit for me that I have to do just to tread water. I can feel bad about that, I guess, but I don't see how that helps anything, and the thing about treading water is if you stop, you drown.

VII.

When I'm doing innocuous, banal stuff, I can't stop thinking about how everything is going to end. Age, decay, entropy, heat and smoke are consuming my thoughts.

#i don't know how to tag this but if you're worried about reading it: don't

[practically-an-x-man]

Shadows and Fallen Stars (Nikoletta x Abner)

Summary: Nikoletta and Abner share their experiences in STAR Labs

Tags: post-TSS, established relationship, angst, hurt/comfort, mentions of abusive families, needles, experimentation, happy ending

Word Count: 3k ____

She was cold again.

It happened a lot. Really, she was cold all the time, but sometimes it shifted from the usual disregarded half-chill into something deeper, impossible to ignore. Back in Belle Reve, that had meant nothing at all. She could find herself a cup of coffee if she was lucky, but usually there was nothing to do but wait it out.

The worst of that was that it hurt. Being so cold, for so long, knowing it couldn't kill you but also could never be cured... it wasn't just the cold itself that hurt, but how constant it was.

Here, there was more she could do. Here she could make a cup of tea, a pot of soup, wrap herself up with blankets and a heating pad to try and imbue herself with a little more life. She had a few more options. Finding genuine warmth was still effectively a pipe dream, but at least she didn't have to sit and wallow in the chill like she used to.

Nikoletta picked herself up from the bed, throwing one of the blankets around her shoulders as she stood up.

The apartment was a shoebox. It was hardly bigger than her old cell back in Belle Reve. But at least it was hers, genuinely hers, under her name and paid for in an entirely legal manner. That was new for her. She wasn't quite sure she was fond of it yet. Her life in Belle Reve, even her life on the streets before, were both so much simpler than everything she had to balance in this so-called "real world". More painful, yes, but... simpler.

Still shivering, she ducked through the doorway and squinted at the sunlight that pooled in the living room beyond. It had been darker in the bedroom than she realized. Maybe that had contributed to the chill. The shadows usually did.

Abner was stretched out sideways on the couch, propped up only enough to look at the old TV across the room. The picture was fuzzy and the screen was small, but... it was a TV. Still more than she'd had in either of her prior lives.

"Hey," he mumbled, turning his body to look at her with gentle eyes. Nikoletta offered him about as much of a smile as she could muster, which wasn't much.

If there was anything that coaxed a little more of a smile from her, it was the sight of him sprawled out on the couch like he was. When they'd first arrived here, months ago, he'd taken to perching on the very end of it, knees tucked up tight to his chest like he was afraid to take up space. He'd opened up slowly, little by little, but this was the first she'd seen where he completely, unabashedly let himself be comfortable here. Or... anywhere, really.

He looked healthier, too. The exhausted bags under his eyes had lessened, though not entirely disappeared, and his frame had filled out from malnutrition-gaunt to merely slender. A bit of dark stubble clung to his jaw, drawing attention to his impressive bone structure. And he was smiling. That expression alone contributed to a lot.

"Hey," Nikoletta responded, trying to match his gentle tone. She slid into the armchair at her right and drew her legs up, trying to pull in a little more warmth. "What're you watching?"

"I dunno. Reruns." Abner replied, almost sighing the words. The shift in topic had him looking a little lost in thought, and Nikoletta frowned.

"You okay?"

The Queen of Belle Reve would never have asked a question like that. The Queen of Belle Reve would never have spoken so softly. The Queen of Belle Reve would have told herself she didn't care about the crease that had appeared between Abner's dark brows.

She knew that expression. That was the face he wore when he was walking back through memories - and not all of them pleasant. Nikoletta pressed her lips together. She wondered how many placidities she'd have to stumble through before she could get to what was really on his mind.

"The lab?" she asked, unable to help herself. The crease between his eyebrows deepened for a moment, but Abner nodded.

"My mom used to like this show," he said, his eyes flashing back to the TV for a moment, "We'd watch it all together on the weekends. Me and my brothers and sisters, all piled in on the couch. Mom got her own chair, of course."

"You weren't... locked up?"

"No. Not usually." he answered, seemingly oblivious to how bluntly the question had left her lips, "Only when she took us down to treatment. Otherwise we just stayed in her floor of the building. It was like an apartment. There wasn't a lot to do, so we made up games."

Abner paused, dropping his eyes to the floor. The expression on his face... Nikoletta wanted to reach for him. But she twisted her fingers into the folds of the blanket, unable to move.

"And then they started getting sick." he finally continued. His voice was heavy with emotion. His dark eyes darted around the room wildly before settling on the TV. "And we couldn't play games like we used to. Everyone was so tired all the time... we could barely remember what the rules were. Some of them got really mean, too. We'd have arguments over everything. So eventually we just... gave up and watched TV instead. All crowded in on the couch."

That explained why he'd been so contained when they first arrived. He wouldn't let himself claim space now because he'd never been allowed to before. He got one tiny corner of the sofa, squished in with the rest of his family, and he thought that was what he deserved.

"Sometimes that was all we could do." Abner said, eyes still fixed on the TV like he'd entered some sort of trance, "We were just so... so tired. I still get tired now, but it was worse back then. I don't even know how long we were there, it's just... blurry. I just remember being crammed in with everyone else, watching old reruns of this show none of us really cared about."

It seemed wrong to feel jealous. He'd been through something terrible. So terrible that he still saw echoes of his mother almost everywhere he went.

But at least he hadn't gone through it alone. At least he had something like a normal life while he went through it. A couch, a TV, a family. Dysfunctional or not, it was more than Nikoletta had ever been given.

"And then Sven died. There was a little more room on the couch after that. But nobody moved," Abner continued, still lost in his thoughts. His eyes were distant, staring years into the past. "Then Deanna. And Maggie escaped. Mom was angry for a long time when that happened. I just remember wondering why she hadn't gotten the rest of us out with her. Maybe she thought Mom would come after us if we all went together. But she just left us."

He let out a deep sigh, his breath trembling faintly as if he were holding back a flood of emotion.

"The couch felt so empty with them gone. And my mom just... didn't care. She said the others were weak, and we were better because we were stronger than them. We were better because we stayed. But I... I didn't feel strong. And I didn't want to stay." he admitted, "And I... I burned it down. With the dots. I just wanted to make a distraction, but they- they hit one of the power generators and the whole building went up. They locked me up before I could figure out if any of my siblings made it out of there. I still don't know."

"I'm sorry," Nikoletta finally found her voice, but winced at how pitifully inept the words sounded, "I'm... I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. I'll find out someday," Abner decided, the haunted look gradually fading from his eyes, "How- how was it for you? The lab?"

Nikoletta shook her head with a grimace. Her own set of memories burned behind her eyes, demons awoken and dancing like something out of Fantasia. She wished they'd go back to bed. She still couldn't stop the shivering.

"Not like that." she forced herself to answer. He'd shared his story, after all. It was only fair she shared hers. She took a deep breath, forcing steel into her tone. It was the only way she'd make it through this. "They had me in a cell. Alone. I had a cot, and a toilet, but that was about it. No TV. No siblings. Nothing to pass the time. It was almost like the cells in Belle Reve."

As she spoke, she found herself tucking her limbs more tightly in. It felt as if even speaking the words made her colder - like her memories were even more soaked in shadow than the present.

"They'd take me down to one of the labs for their experiments. I still don't know what all they injected me with. I blocked most of it out. I just know that it... it hurt. And after the first few rounds... I learned to fight back." she continued. The words were stilted, like reading from a teleprompter, but that was the only way she could make herself continue. If she slowed down, even for a moment, the story would never leave her lips again.

"The first time I fought, I landed half the guards in the hospital. Broken arms, scratched corneas. I even bit a guy. From what I heard, he had to get a tetanus shot, just to be safe. That one felt good. I grew up on the streets, I wasn't above fighting dirty," she said, a rare flicker of pride entering her voice before dying out again, "So they started pumping gas into the chamber before they came to get me. So I couldn't fight back."

She still remembered the feeling - just conscious enough to feel afraid, but too dazed to fight back. Just tethered enough to her own body to feel the bruising grip of the guards as they dragged her out of her cell, but hardly able to move her limbs for all the drugs they made her inhale.

"They waited for it to wear off before they started the tests. Said they didn't want to skew the data." she sighed, rubbing at the silvery track marks that ran down her arms like waterfalls against her dark skin. So many needles. She couldn't count all the tests they'd done on her before the shadows finally stuck.

"It was like one big, endless paradox." Nikoletta continued after another moment, "They had a whole team of scientists, used these machines that had to cost millions, but they said they didn't have the funding to feed me every day. They ran tests wondering why my body temperature had dropped almost into hypothermia, but they kept my cell too cold and kept pumping those shadows into me. They complained that I hardly talked, that they couldn't fix my problems if I didn't tell them what they were, but they wouldn't even speak to me by my name. They just called me by this serial number."

She remembered the number, of course, but she couldn't bring herself to repeat it. That would have been too much. She wasn't their little project anymore. She never would be again. That number belonged to a broken girl in a cage, and she was not that girl.

"I was there for... a month, I think?" Nikoletta concluded, "They did tests every few days. Finally the shadows just... stuck, and I learned how to use them, and I got out of there. Never went back."

Her shivers had turned to shudders, racking her body in ripples of chill and pained memories. The room was silent for far too long, save only for the low, tinny crackle of the TV in the background. Nikoletta looked up just long enough to notice Abner's eyes on her, dark and flooded with something like pity.

For the briefest instant, she was hit with a well of hot red anger. She didn't want to be pitied. She'd had enough of that when she first left the lab. There was a reason she'd built up such a reputation for herself. Power was better than pity.

But Nikoletta caught herself bristling and paused. This wasn't pity. She knew this wasn't pity. Abner had never pitied her like the others did. This was... something gentler. Empathy. Concern.

"Are you still cold?" his voice, quiet and hesitant like it used to be, pushed through that silence like a searchlight through a pea-soup fog. His dark eyes danced over her figure, taking in her cramped and trembling frame.

"Always."

"Want to... um, want to come lay down? Here?" Abner offered, shifting on the couch to make room.

"No, it's okay, I was just-"

She stopped mid-sentence. Why was she refusing?

Was it because she thought it wouldn't help? No. Organic warmth was about the only thing that chased off the shadows, she'd learned. It had plagued her for years. It was only recently, very recently, that she could allow herself that luxury.

Was it because she didn't want to be close to him? Of course not. Physical touch scared her as much as it did warm her, but she liked being near him. And he didn't seem to care that her skin was always a little too cold to be pleasant.

She knew it would help, much more than other fixes like a cup of tea or an extra blanket. And she knew she wanted to be close to him, frightening as that thought was. Maybe... maybe that was why she refused. Not because she knew it wouldn't help, but that she was scared of how well it would. She didn't want to rely on anyone else.

Besides, she could see what he was really asking. Behind the initial offer was something else. Something for him. He said "let me warm you" at the same time he said "crowd this empty space for me". He needed it too.

"Nik?"

"Okay," she surrendered, shaking off the last of her thoughts and sliding onto the sofa with the blanket still wrapped around her. Abner shifted a little, sorting out the tangle of limbs when she first laid down beside him, then wrapped her in his arms.

And Nikoletta burst into tears.

It was almost a reflex at this point. She'd been so deprived of touch for so long, years on end, that she didn't seem to know what to do with it when it came. Emotions flooded her with something as simple as a brush of the hand.

And the influx of memories certainly couldn't have helped.

To his credit, Abner didn't so much as flinch when the crying started. Now three months in, he was more than used to this odd little reflex of hers, and didn't let it faze him. He just tightened his grip and ducked his head, surrounding her with his touch.

Nikoletta twisted around and pressed her face into his chest, waiting for her tears to subside. It was more of a nuisance than anything else, by now. Abner ran his hand in smooth circles over her back, all too patient with her.

Moments like this made her feel small. She was still warming up to the concept. There was a part of her that felt scrutinized, like an animal in a glass enclosure, powerless in a way that she never wanted to feel again. There was a reason she made herself so untouchable back in Belle Reve. It was impossible to feel small when she was at the top of the food chain.

But here was something new. She felt small, but she felt safe. Protected. That was... strange. Very strange. Yet she couldn't get enough of it.

"Warming up?" Abner murmured. His voice was quiet, though missing the hesitance she'd begun to grow familiar with. Nikoletta nodded against his chest. She'd been so lost in thought that she'd almost forgotten the cold. And now, finally warm in a way that had seemed impossible for years, she found herself growing faintly drowsy. She wondered how long it had been since she'd last slept peacefully. Far too long, to say the least.

"Maybe we should get a cat," he added after a few more minutes. Nikoletta lifted her head enough to shoot him a confused look. Abner lifted his eyebrows - the impression of a shrug without jostling her. She wondered where he'd picked that up.

"You said organic warmth helps, right? Living things. So I mean... we could get a cat. And it could curl up on your lap when you're chilly. Keep you warm," he explained, then tilted his head, "Or a dog. But I'm more of a cat person."

"We can't afford a cat." Nikoletta mumbled.

"We could find the money. I'm sure we could." Abner insisted, though a note of that familiar hesitance had crept back into his voice. It was better than shutting down entirely. When they'd first begun living together, even something as simple as a discussion over dinner plans or TV channels would send him into a painful silence, and he'd fold in on himself. There was no separation between mild disagreement and total shutdown. He wasn't used to his voice being heard at all. But he'd gotten better.

"And it... it would help. I really think it would," he concluded, nearly whispering.

"A stray for a couple of strays?" Nikoletta replied. A faint smile crept onto her face at the thought. This little... not-quite-family was continuing to grow. She didn't mind it.

"Heh. Yeah," Abner agreed, ducking his head to kiss her temple, "A stray for a couple of strays."

#my writing #my ocs #nikoletta bordeaux #oneshot #angst #hurt/comfort #the suicide squad #abner krill #polka dot man #oc x canon

[wuxianxkexing]

So I have a theory about sex pollen. There's all of these fan fictions about sex pollen and I never thought much of it until I became a fan of Mu Qing. When it comes to fucking or dying I'm pretty sure Mu Qing would rather die than break his cultivation path, just because he's a stubborn brat like that. Plus while I love him I respect his decision to keep his virginity because he really hates to lose. So how could Mu Qing be saved from deadly sex pollen?

Well we know in the real world that any time our bodies are infected with viruses or bacteria that our immune system tries to kill it or get rid of it. Fever, throwing up, feeling dizzy, etc... are all signs of our immune system fighting it. Sex pollen makes you feverish and gives you the almost unresistable urge to mate. Now why would a pollen have this effect on our body? And why is the only known cure to have sex?

Now we could look to the animal kingdom. There are in fact certain species that will go into heat and die if they don't mate. Perhaps the sex pollen reactivates long dormant genes in the human genome, but I do not believe this to be the case because as far as I'm aware only females can die from going into heat without mating. The fact that both males and females can be killed by sex pollen rules this theory out.

Another theory could be that the sperm/vaginal discharge is a cure but I don't think this is the answer. It doesn't seem to matter who you have sex with, you don't have to have sex with the opposite gender and you possess at least one of the two naturally in your own body. It's not like you have to seek out a certain type of person either. Literally anyone will do, unlike with blood donations or fecal transplants were someone has to be specifically selected for the donation based off of criteria.

It also probably isn't the mix of chemicals your brain releases when you have sex either, or else you could masturbate it away but you can't.

However everything in nature/the Supernatural exists for a reason. What is the purpose of a sex pollen ever coming into creation in the first place? Why is it not sexually transmissible? This question is what lead me to my theory. It was created to throw your spiritual energy out of balance and make the host weaker to drain their spiritual power more easily. The pollen itself is very aggressive and fast acting, it will weaken your spiritual power and demons can take your spiritual power like stealing candy from a baby. We don't really know where or how these sex pollen creatures come from so what if after absorbing all of the spiritual power from their victim they just grow from their corpse? That would make sense from a natural perspective since some fungi do the same thing to ants. They'll sprout from the body of their victim and release spores that the wind will carry away so the babies can grow and carry out the rest of their life cycle elsewhere. This would explain the motivation behind attacking humans in the first place. Humans probably have the most spiritual power out of any living creature and they need that spiritual power to procreate.

The cure for it is sex but only because sex is the fastest way to transmit spiritual power. Your body will naturally do whatever it takes to try to fight off invaders, and in this case your body knows that it is in so much trouble that it needs more spiritual power or else it's game over. There are two possibilities here. Either the other person's spiritual power keeps you alive long enough for your own spiritual power to recover after being so badly depleted so you don't die or the other person's spiritual power will help your own spiritual power fight off the sex pollen that it wasn't strong enough to handle on its own or maybe both?

So how could Mu Qing beat this without having sex? Well in the modern world I think a blood transfusion would work (though the amount of blood needed would have to be found out). You are literally putting someone else's spiritual power inside the effected body so it can use the spiritual power immediately. But Mu Qing isn't in the modern world. However a strong and skilled cultivator might be able to do this. Cut a deep wound on their hand and the hand of the effected. While holding hands the cultivator could send every bit of spiritual power they have to spare into the other person. This should in theory give the victim the boost that they need in order to fight off the sex pollen because the skin barrier has been removed and similar to sex the spiritual power is able to immediately go to work since it's inside the body. We have skin to keep things out of our body that aren't supposed to be there so I do not believe that basic touch alone would be enough, especially not for the average person. The spiritual power would decrease too much trying to fight its way inside to help. I do think that you could probably kiss your way out of it too, but because sex pollen causes the body to crave sex because it wants to get rid of the sex pollen ASAP it would be a risky move for Mu Qing because he might end up accidentally having sex and ruining his cultivation. So for Mu Qing the blood route is pretty much the only way to go.

#yes this is my castiel and the pizza man moment #thinking way too long and hard about cliche sex plots #land of the tenders #sex pollen #mu qing #tgcf #heaven officials blessing

[warp--space]

Vows

“Hey papa, did you and dad ever renew your vows?”

Toshinori nearly dropped the plate he was holding and his eyes flew to Hinata, his twelve year old daughter, who perched suspiciously daintily on the kitchen table.

“...Little shit, didn’t even hear you come in. Should you really be using your powers to sneak up on your parents like that?”

She rolled her eyes. “Didn’t answer my question.”

The villain sighed, going back to doing the leftover dishes. “Technically, every time we get married in a new timeline it’s a renewal of our vows.”

“Okay, but what were your FIRST vows?”

Toshinori thought about it, speaking softly. “... I suppose the first vow I ever made to Rian was that I promised to protect his sister. That was a lifetime before we got married…”

He sighed. “When we first got married… it was as villains, in the bar. I don’t think we ever managed it as heroes… we vowed to support each other in all our endeavors. To never give up on one another, and to never lose the faith we’d built up. To protect each other, and those that followed us, with everything we had. We vowed to remain devoted until the day we were both in the dirt.”

The young girl looked at her feet as they swung back and forth, obviously considering something deeply involved. Toshinori simply shrugged, finishing his chore.

After a moment, Hinata boosted herself onto the counter next to him. “And… you’ll promise the same stuff when you get married again, right?”

“Naturally.”

“That’s good.”

The older blonde quirked an eyebrow. “Why are you bringing this up tonight? I get that it’s Valentine's day, but you aren't usually this… sentimental about things you haven’t seen.”

She quirked her eyebrow as well, like a mirror image. “Because… I’ve never gotten to be old enough to love someone like you and Dad love each other. There were times where I MIGHT have felt something like that, sure, but… not strongly enough to kill for.”

Toshinori thought, for a second, about pointing out the way she trailed after Midoriya and the miniature Todoroki… but instantly decided he wasn’t ready for that conversation and pivoted. “That’s probably for the best, little flower. Devotion can easily turn into obsession, and I don’t doubt that I'd sound a lot more like a lunatic if it wasn't for my memories.”

She giggled. “Dad’s already suspicious… but I think that he thinks that YOU just really like sunflowers too, and that’s why you always get some.”

“He should honestly be more suspicious about—”

“How you sleep together? How you sit with him in your lap? How you give him googly eyes? How you always make sure our bases have soundproofed Master bedrooms? How you have a budget specifically for—”

The older man grumbled, ruffling the girls hair as she giggled. “Mouthy little shit… Twelve year olds aren't supposed to comment on their parents’ sex lives, Hinata.”

The young girl just laughed, wiggling away. Then, she stopped, looking up at him. “...You know… we should tell Dad more about me.”

“... I agree. But we have to do it carefully. Not just all at once.”

“Aren't you going to ask him to marry you?”

Toshinori blushed. “It’s… not the right time yet. I have a date in mind for a wedding, and if I ask now it’ll be too fast.”

“I mean… that depends on the day, I think.”

The older man froze, heat rising up behind his eyes as he slowly glanced back at the sound of footsteps. There, walking slowly from the kitchen doorway, was Rian. He had obviously just ended his shift at the bar downstairs.

And his face looked as red as the blonde’s felt.

The girl’s eyes darted back and forth quickly, before she slinked down from the counter. “Oh boy! I better go watch TV!” She announced loudly, darting out of the room.

Silence.

Silence.

An awkward cough.

Rian fidgeted, looking frantically around the room. “S-so… what day were you thinking of…?”

Toshinori leaned back against the counter, his voice more gruff than he would have liked. “April First.”

The brunette blinked lamely, then looked up. “Why April first? I mean... be a use it's the day you saved me?”

“... Because if enough of our lackeys think it’s a joke, we might be able to keep the party small.”

One beat.

Then two.

Then the younger man burst out laughing, soon joined by his taller counterpart.

“Do you at least have a ring…?” Rian asked shyly, wiping his eyes.

The blonde smiled fondly. “Yes, but since I've had it for three years, we might need to get it fitted.”

The smaller man blanched. “THREE…?”

“The timing never felt right, Kitten!”

“W-well does it feel right NOW?!”

“... If you’ll say yes.”

Rian slowly looked up, his hazel eyes crinkling as he smiled. “...Always. Toshinori... I already vowed to dedicate my life to you years ago... And I don't plan to break that promise.”

#rian posting #antis dni #smitespace #toshinori's divine commentary #oldspace #yagi family story

[xjulixred45x]

I'm not sure if this is a good idea but can I please ask for a platonic yandere giyuu

With a kianna komori reader

Where he visits the butterfly mansion to talk to shinobu about an upcoming mission but before he can do that he notices a little girl being rushed to shinobu covered in Blood and injuries and he doesn't think much of her at first but over time when he starts to visit her the little girl and she starts opening up to him about her past he grows attached to her and decides to adopt her as his daughter

She is an OC of mine you can find more information about her on my page here on Tumblr and sorry if this is too detailed and you don't have to take this request if you don't want to

Hello! Is not really a problem, but i'm not used to work with ocs, but i can make a Reader with tour oc Information(if thats ok!).

Plus, My first yandere Request! So, sorry if is a little OOC

PLATONIC!YANDERE!GIYUU TOMIOKA X KOMORI READER

This is also kind of based on this fic from the Oc https://www.tumblr.com/chri-chris-chan/722751219324551168/blades-of-pain-yandere-platonic-uzui-tengen?source=share

Genre: Headcanons

Reader: Female(oc from @nunezs-stuff )

Warnings: YANDERE THEMES, Murder, the church sucks, trauma, Tomioka Backstory, unhealty mindset, i think is all.

(as you say), at first Giyuu didn't think much about you, it was more like a mental note to ask Shinobu what happen to You when he saw her AFTER doing the mission.

However, when Shinobu told him how they found you, bloodied, with several low-ranking demons dead,no lie, he was intrigued.

So, when they come back, he ask Shinobu yo see You.

Shinobu scoffed (as expected) but when she saw that he was serious, she told him that he didn't think it was a good idea, since you seemed very distrustful (and traumatized).

although it seems that it only encourages Tomioka more to try to talk to you(yo Shinobu surpise).

So, when he came to visit you and you already welcomed him like a wildcat, he wasn't very surprised. I mean, yeah, he knew it would be hard, but he didn't think it was that hard. Even so, he did not let himself be daunted.

He introduced himself as a workmate of Shinobu, who wanted to know what happened and how it happened "to report it" when actually he want to make You fell Better with him.

Still somewhat discreet, you told him how some demons got into the church where you lived, how they attacked the Catholics and you had no other option but to defend yourself when the low-ranking hunters who arrived couldn't handle them.

This (lowkey) left him quite impressed, but he didn't say much about it, in fact he didn't speak almost anything while you were talking, he just looked and from time to time nodded, he was giving you a bad feeling, Like, VERY BAD.

or that was until you inadvertently blurted out something related to your sister, you didn't even realize it, it was just something in the heat of the moment, but it was enough to get his attention and he asked you about it. Now, you weren't one to open up to strangers, but, hell, it's been so long and it's already been a traumatic week, and you might never see this man again in your life, so fuck it, You NEED to trow up.

So you told him, you used to HAD a sister, she was a sweet, gentle girl, but very gullible, and the Catholics obviously took advantage of her. That was why the demons were there in the first place, every once in a while they cried out for a sacrifice, young girls, and your sister was the "lucky one" to die like cattle to appease them.

The same people to whom she dedicated her life were the same to whom she was ordered to kill. leaving you alone.

At this point you are crying with rage while Giyuu reflects, they have a lot in common, more than you probably think. he puts an awkward hand on your shoulder to comfort you, you think about smacking him, but…you're so tired now, and it feels genuine in a way, real.

After that, Giyuu visited you almost every time he could until you got back to health. when he "couldn't" in reality it was that he simply visited you at night after a very long mission or something like that, normally you were asleep so he just looked at you for a while, seeing how peaceful you werepretty creepy

Also with the visits he began to open up a little more each time, sometimes talking about his training with Urokodaki, other times about the other Hashiras, and he even got to talk about his sister. Needless to say, you empathized a lot.

Since you really had nowhere to go once you recovered, you thought about asking Shinobu to stay in the Butterfly State as a nurse (since you obviously didn't want to go back to the people of the church), which while it didn't show, it annoyed Giyuu. He didn't know exactly why, it just didn't seem right that you were surrounded by guys from the organization.

then an idea occurred to him, he went directly to Shinobu to ask her if you could stay with him for "an indefinite time" until you decided what to do.

Shinobu scoffed a bit (obviously) but actually thought he might get a good idea, seeing as they both seemed so close and that Tomioka maybe even could became more sociable(big mistake).

Imagine your surprise when Giyuu came the day before you were discharged and told you that you were going to live with him, it was quite a surprise and, why lie, at first it could be confused a little with pity.

pity? because? Well, because when you wanted more information about what happened in your village, you discovered that apparently all the members of the church where you lived had been killed, apparently by demons.

""apparently"" my ass, he did it.

You know, even if you weren't going to go with them in the first place, you didn't want to leave the 'unfortunate soul' image for Giyuu, for anyone in general.

but he assured you that the reason he wanted you to go live with him was because for the first time in a long time he felt a connection with someone (platonically), who wanted you to give him the opportunity to give you the home you deserved and that I would have liked to have at the time, that he wanted to love You the way you deserve, even if he don't feel worthy, he wants to try.

That Even more than all the people i'm your life has done.

You were so shocked that you accept the offer with virtually no hesitation.

and you definitely didn't notice the red flags from there. It's just in Giyuu's nature, it's almost imperceptible.

things like his clinginess are justified by all the trauma he's been through and experienced throughout his life, you're not going to be ungrateful for everything he's done for you and turn down a few hugs(aside note: You DONT HAVE to give hugs to NO ONE if YOU DON'T WANT TO, this is just fiction).

He's not the most controlling, but he's definitely one for the stalker. If you are out with a friend or acquaintance, they are hanging around or in the crowd. I think that in the same way I would not accept any suitor unless it is Tanjiro or even one of the Hashiras like Rengoku, but apart from that I see your possibilities for love quite null, he will scare them.

He has definitely killed more people than the church, anyone who could be considered a possible threat to your relationship with him (some distant relative who wants to take care of you, some ""problematic"" friend, etc). even if they were important people to you, they would just stay by your side comforting you, secretly happy about this new level of closeness.

But if you somehow found out-oh god. he is panicking. He doesn't want to have to keep you with him by force, but if you don't leave him a choice, I'm sorry honey, you won't leave the house.

It's still a weird scenario, Giyuu covers his tracks well, and honestly, after all you've been through, to the people you've lost (even if some of those people were lost because of HIM) would you really care if he did? would you find out? You are already here, you are at peace, you have a good life, what else?

Whatever scenario you choose, Tomioka will not disappear from your life in the short term, it only remains to see what time prepares for You two....

#headcanons #fem reader #demon slayer #kny #kny x reader #kny x you #platonic #tw yandere #yandere #platonic yandere #yandere platonic #giyuu tomioka #giyuu x reader #kny giyuu #yandere giyuu #yandere Tomioka

[luminous-letters]

Can I request head canons for sebek deuce and Jack where the reader accidentally misunderstood a situation like they walked in a room and sees said boy on top of another and they're like it's not what you think

anon this turned out to be so chaotic 💀

⚠️ warning: sexual innuendos ⚠️

He denies it, for real this time.

He swears he wasn't 'getting it on' with Sebek.

Will apologize until he feels that it doesn't bug you anymore.

Which resulted in a lot of apologies.

He made you promise not to talk about it again.

"Sebek, out of the way, I can't watch."

"Not now! I'm trying to kill that wretched mosquito."

"We have bug spray."

"I'm confident in my skills, thank you very much."

"You're straddling me, get off."

"I'M NOT STRADDLING, NOW SHUT UP."

The shoving looked...obscene to someone who knows nothing about the context of the situation. And in this case, it was you, unfortunately.

"Holy shit, that's hot."

Or maybe fortunately.

"MC? WAIT NO, THIS ISN'T— WE WEREN'T....I SWEAR. GET OFF ME SEBEK."

"What's hot?" Sebek asked, now on the floor.

"Whatever you two were doing earlier...I want in."

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, not liking where this conversation's headed.

"They say the more the merrier, right?" you chuckled, slowly walking towards the stunned duo.

"Sebek was just killing a bug— and, and uh... it's...." Jack stammered. "We weren't doing anything, I can assure you."

"What if we did something? Up for that? Jackie-boy?" you licked your lips, instantly making the wolf fixated on you.

"Y-yeah..."

"Great! The headmaster asked me to weed the field! Oh and Sebek, you can join in too! The more the merrier, am I right?" you laughed.

He prays that it'll never happen again.

He genuinely didn't think bad about it until you pointed it out.

No amount of broken eggs or collard could amount to the embarrassment he felt that day.

He begged you to keep it a secret.

Ace won't let him live this down if he knew.

"Let's test to see who's stronger, Jack!" Deuce was energetic from their early running warm-up.

"Me, obviously," Jack sat down to catch his breath.

"Hey, c'mon. We'll never know until we try."

"I beat your ass in Beans Day, that should be enough proof."

"Not enough."

"Fine, how do you want to do it?"

"Wrestling!"

"Fine by me."

Jack won the first round, knocking Deuce to the floor with his hands behind his back.

"Round two?"

"Sure," Jack laughed, helping his fellow freshman get up.

Deuce managed to beat him on the second round, ending up with him having Jack in a headlock.

"See, looks like I'm stronger."

"Oh, really now?"

Deuce wasn't prepared for Jack's quick flip. It was as if Deuce didn't weigh anything with how quickly Jack had him pinned to the ground, again.

"See? I'm stronger."

Damn, this man's a whopping dynamo of power.

"Damn it, I left my camera back home." you appeared from the bushes, reminding them of a certain stalker. "Marvelous! What a heart-stopping performance, monsieurs! Such unadulterated and animalistic passion!"

"What?"

"He means you two look sexy in that position."

"WHAT? NO, NO. WE WERE JUST WRESTLING AND—"

"Non, monsieur, there is no need for words. For we have felt the blistering heat of your passion! Such intimate beauty..." Rook shed a tear.

"We weren't doing anything."

"The words of your bodies say otherwise," Rook gasped, donning an ecstatic expression.

"I SAID WE WEREN'T DOING ANYTHING! FOR FUCK'S SAKE—" Deuce ran after you two.

"So the plan is to surprise MC?" Deuce asked.

"Yes, that is correct! I've already sought out Octavinelle's help so I know we'll be in good hands," Sebek proudly declared.

"A pleasure having me here, Sebek," Jade Leech greeted with a smile.

He should've known the moment Jade offered them that weird mushroom-topped pasta.

To be fair, it did taste good, he liked the taste.

But he didn't like the paralysis that followed.

"Now then, I'll be leaving. I have my duties back at Mostro Lounge, I hope you two enjoy the meal," Jade chuckled, his eyes narrowing.

It sent shivers down his spine.

"We should taste it first, knowing Jade, he might've put something weird in it," Deuce suggested.

That was the stupidest suggestion Deuce ever made. DID HE NOT SEE THE WEIRD MUSHROOMS?

"You're right!" Sebek said.

And Sebek admitted that he was an even bigger fool for following him.

It was the worst decision of his life.

Falling on top of Deuce because of the paralysis was even worse.

Deuce should lay off the eggs, Sebek thought.

"I would've brought some fun stuff if this was the surprise you had in mind," you said with an audible 'tsk'.

NO NOT THAT WAY. CAN'T YOU NOTICE HE CAN'T MOVE.

OH MY GOD DEUCE STOP MOVING, YOU'RE MAKING IT LOOK LIKE YOU'RE GRINDING.

"Let me have a bit of that fun~"

"Oh wait this pasta smells nice."

WAIT, MC NO.

"HOE (NO) HOE (NO)"

"Kinky. I like it."

"I know you two are grinding and all, but really? In front of my mushroom pasta?" you said while you took a bite.

"Wait...mushroo—"

And with that, you too were unable to move, dropping to the floor.

He tried to warn you.

Deuce stop grinding.

"I...geh ih nao (I get it now)"

"Hade? (Jade?)"

"Hade (Jade)."

"Huck."

#twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #jack howl #gn!mc #deuce spade #sebek zigvolt #twst x reader #rook hunt #jade leech #twst headcnaons #twst imagines #answered ask #gender neutral reader #jack howl x reader #deuce spade x reader #sebek zigvolt x reader

[tenderyellowbluefics]

hi there! fellow eddie munson lover here :) i’m in the middle of an absolute downpour where i live and it’s storming quite hard. i was wondering if you might be able to write something where eddie and the reader are close friends hiding their feelings from eachother. perhaps they’re just sitting together listening to the rain and the thunder and eventually they end up confessing their feelings? i’d be happy to see what you come up with!! much love <3

God Bless The Rain // E.M

So sorry this took so long!! I absolutely loved this idea and wanted to get it perfect haha! Thank you so much for the request! Hope you like it.

Summary: When sudden rain ruins plans, Eddie and you have no other choice but to share your thoughts.

Warnings: None really. Mainly fluff. Light angst if you squint.

It hinted that the reader is female, not specified though I believe.

Requests are open!

"Follow me! I know where to go!" Eddie shouted, grabbing your hand to pull you along behind him.

You and eddies favorite place to go to hang out was the woods. No one to be bothered by, just you, him, and nature. Plus, he loved finding weird bugs to freak you out with.

This time while doing that, it started to pour. You were too far into the woods to run back to eddies van, so instead, he led you to a clearing in the trees that revealed, skull rock. A rock structure that could provide you two some shelter from the rain.

"This really is our luck." You laughed, finally getting a chance to breathe now that you were out of the downpour.

"Truly," He agreed, chuckling. "How long do you think this will last?"

"No clue," You answered truthfully. "It's not so bad though, kind of peaceful."

"Yeah, it is."

You leaned your head back onto the rock structure behind you, taking in the sights.

"You come here a lot?" You inquired.

"Huh?" Eddie questioned.

"Like, skull rock; You knew exactly where to go."

"Oh, yeah." He sighed. "It's a nice place to just come and think; I'd love to say it's because this is the most popular makeout place in all of Hawkins, but I think we both know that isn't true." He chuckled, smiling at you.

"You know, you could get women if you just put yourself out there." You mumbled, looking away from him.

"What?" He slightly raised his voice. "I put myself out there!" He protested.

"Offering girls twenty percent discounts on weed isn't exactly putting yourself out there." You chuckled.

"It's an attempt at least." He mumbled. "What about you though?! There's plenty of dudes at school that'd kill to be with you but you never even look at them!"

You felt a small amount of heat flush to your cheeks at his remarks. "I just don't have feelings like that for any of 'em." you mumbled, trying to conceal your grin.

He chuckled at your words, biting his bottom lip, but stayed silent. He looked as if he was fighting off a thought.

You and Eddie had been friends for a couple years now. He was the first person to talk to you when you first transferred to Hawkins high. It was freshman year, and as if that wasn't already scary enough, you knew absolutely no-one. He walked up to your empty table and slammed a flyer down in front of you. Across it read the words, Hellfire club. "Wanna join?" He'd asked with a sly grin. You had no clue what Dungeons & Dragons were, so that was a no-go, but you found other common interests in things like music, and art.

Recently though, your feelings had started to change. You couldn't quite understand them, but it all clicked when you felt a burning rage seeing him with Chrissy Cunningham. You had nothing against Chrissy, how could you? She was the queen of Hawkins high, an absolute sweetheart. It was the fact that Eddie was giving another girl his attention, making another girl laugh, and flashing his beautiful smile at her. After that you realized why you felt such a burning pain at that sight, you liked him, or even loved him. You couldn't be sure, all you knew was that you wanted him.

"You cold?" Eddie's voice broke you from your thoughts.

"What? Oh, no." You stuttered, feeling awkward about the thoughts you were having about the man sitting right next to you.

"You sure? You're shivering."

Shit, you were shivering. The one time you didn't bring a coat.

"Here," He sat up and slipped his arms out of his black leather jacket. "Put this on."

"Eddie no."

"Just take it; You don't need to catch a cold." He insisted.

You slipped the large jacket on your arms, crossing the sides over one another for maximum warmth. You loved the smell, Eddie's smell. Cheap cologne mixed with, weed, cigarettes, and the tiniest bit of strawberries from his shampoo.

"Why don't you like any one at school?" He questioned, tilting his head to look at you.

"Oh, I don't know." You looked down, feeling another slight flush of warmth creeping onto your cheeks.

"There's gotta be someone you like." He teased, gently poking your side with his elbow.

"I guess there is one guy." Your heart stopped realizing what you said, having no idea how or why you let those words leave your mouth.

His eyes widened a little, staring at you for a moment with a small frown, before clearing his throat. "Who is this lucky fellow." He dryly laughed, unconvincingly.

"No one, it's stupid." You grumbled, looking away from him.

"C'mon, tell me; Its just me."

"No." You said sternly, turning to look at him.

"Fine," He puffed, tilting his head away from you. "I guess I wont tell you what girl I like."

You felt a twang of pain in yor chest at those words. Your eyes widened, as you snapped your head over to examine his expression. Was he joking? He had to be, right?

"You, you like someone." You slightly choked on the words as they came out, trying your hardest not to seem normal.

"Yep! She's real hot too!" He laughed looking back at you.

There it was again, that burning anger. You felt your face heat up and your heartbeat quicken, as you folded your arms across your chest.

"I bet it's Chrissy right?" You scoffed, again trying so hard not to let your emotions be apparent in your voice.

"What?" He seemed almost offended, at your words.

"Chrissy Cunningham, I saw you two talking the other day and giggling, you like her right?"

"I was dealing to her, of course I have to be friendly, it'd be bad for business if I didn't."

"Yeah right, dealing drugs to Chrissy Cunningham, that angel, no way!" You slightly raised your voice, more than you intend to as more anger built up in your chest.

"I swear!" He put his hands up. "She was acting really weird, maybe that douche Jason broke up with her."

Chrissy was acting strange when you passed her in the hall. His story seemed believable, but if not her, who else could it be.

"Who is it then?"

He frowned, looking down at his hands, fiddling with the metal rings.

"What is it ed?" You reached a hand to place it on his shoulder.

"It's, It's you." He exhaled loudly, turning his head to where he was completely looking away from you.

"What?" Your voice was small, not fully processing his words.

"I like you," He almost whispered, turning to face you. His brown, fear-filled eyes meeting yours. "It doesn't matter though, you like someone already." He grumbled, breaking eye contact.

"Eddie," You began, "The guy I like is you."

It felt like a two-ton weight had just been lifted from your chest. Finally free of this little secret you've kept for so long.

"Really?" he asked quietly, his eyes meeting yours once again.

"Uh huh." You nodded.

"Oh," His voice was filled with a mixture of shock and relief as his once frowning face had a childish grin plastered across it.

You scooted even closer to him than you already were, placing a hand on his.

He looked at your hands holding one another, than back to your face.

"Uh, so, could I uh, maybe, uh kis-" You cut off his rambling by placing a gentle kiss on his soft lips. His hand made its way to your hip, deepening the kiss.

"Does that answer your question?" You teased, pulling away.

He laughed before grabbing your face and peppering you with kisses. All the way from your forehead, to your nose, your lips, cheeks, down to your neck.

"I've waited like, years to do this." He laughed, childishly grinning.

"God bless the rain." You giggled leaning your head onto his shoulder as you both sat against the rock once more.

"I can't wait to tell everyone in hellfire about this."

"Oh god," you face palmed, already feeling the embarrassment this would bring.

#eddie munson #eddie munson fic #eddie munson headcanons #eddie munson imagine #eddie stranger things #eddie x reader #joseph quinn #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things eddie #eddie munson x reader #x reader #eddiemunson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson edit #eddie munson oneshot #stranger things season four #eddie munson fluff