#he was ready to accept them back on his side in both of these instances you can't change my mind

[samijey]

Reason #583412 why Sami Zayn is the ultimate babyface: even after being verbally and physically attacked by Jimmy and Jey, he continues to appeal to them to join forces and do the right thing together.

#sami zayn #jey uso #jimmy uso #the usos #wwe #i spent years YEARS shouting at the skies about how Sami's real money as a character was in being a babyface #and this run has proven me right to fans who've never see him in nxt #listen i like badass babyfaces just fine #but extremely selfless and forgiving babyfaces who are trying to help heels realise their mistakes??? inject it into my veins #(i don't actually label jey as a heel but shhh that's a topic for another day) #he was ready to accept them back on his side in both of these instances you can't change my mind #no questions asked #he would've forgiven and forgotten in a second #anYWAYS #holds him gently in my hands like a warm potato #stuff i made

[semisolidmind]

In your survivor au, what do you think DogDay's reaction would be anytime he found y/n with CatNap? (That includes mostly when catnap snags y/n for cuddles)

just curious lol I wanna hear your thoughts

rage.

dogday has very little tolerance for catnap's tomfoolery, especially in the first few days of their attempt at coexistence. he keeps a close eye on both catnap and y/n, just to make sure the cat doesn't try anything.

of course, he can't be with y/n all the time. so perhaps there's an instance where he, poppy, and kissy are out on a walk while y/n is in town; he doesn't expect them back for a while.

however, y/n gets home a bit early. catnap, noticing the lack of opposition, sees an opportunity.

he watches. he waits for the right moment. then he pounces.

with a small dosage of red smoke (not enough to fully knock them out, but enough to make them slow and groggy), catnap steals y/n away to the barn, picking them up by the back of their coat. they struggle weakly as he saunters into the barn, heaving himself and his quarry up into the loft in one jump.

he gently deposits y/n into his nest before curling up around them. he settles, ignoring their slurred admonishing in favor of rubbing his face against their hair. he purrs. he's just taking the attention he believes he's owed, after all. they're so doting on the other toys...it's only fair he get some of his savior's attention, too.

as the effects of the red smoke slowly wear off, y/n sighs and seems to accept their fate of being cuddled. they can't exactly move the heavy, powerful limbs holding them close.

so, they talk to catnap. they try to convince him that kidnapping them isn't the way to go about getting attention, but the feline simply gazes at y/n through lazily lidded eyes. when their pleas for freedom go unheard, y/n resigns themself to their fate; instead, they tell him about whatever it is they got done that day. at least the occasional twitch of a large purple ear lets them know that he's listening.

meanwhile, dogday and the girls are returning from their walk, flowers and a few foraged mushrooms in hand. dogday sees y/n's vehicle in front of the garage, and assumes they're in the house. except, when he goes inside, calling for them, there's no answer. poppy yells for them too, checking the rooms upstairs.

"they're not here!" she calls back to dogday.

a chill goes down his spine and his hackles immediately raise.

catnap.

dogday is out the front door in a flash, snagging his axe (it's a normal size, but it looks smaller in his hands) from the side of the house on the way.

he runs towards the barn, knowing that's where that thing took his angel.

dogday kicks the weathered double doors in, head snapping in the direction of the loft. just as he suspected, catnap has y/n trapped between his deadly claws, prone and vulnerable.

"catnap!" he roars in outrage. "i swear if you've hurt them in any way, i'll—!"

y/n calls his name, and he stops. through his rage, he sees them. they're...they're not hurt. though he's glad to see them unharmed, he won't be happy until they're safely away from his enemy. he hears y/n sigh tiredly.

this isn't the first time this has happened, and it won't be the last.

they sluggishly pull themselves from between catnap's paws, and though the cat grumbles his discontent, he's obviously not looking to start a fight with the pissed off dog still brandishing an axe down below. the look y/n gives him cows him even more. he looks away, and allows y/n the space to stand. as much as he wishes he could keep them, their ever-so-loyal hound won't allow it.

he'll have to be sneakier next time.

y/n shakily stands up. they've built up some tolerance to the red smoke, but... it can still knock them off their feet if they're not expecting it. they make their way to the lofts' rickety ladder, only taking a few steps down before dogday is there, gathering them into one arm (the other still holding his axe, eyes never leaving catnap and ready to swing the moment the feline moves).

y/n sighs again. they rest their head on dogday's shoulder, slumping down as he quickly gets them out of the barn. they hear more than see dogday slam the barns' doors shut. they can feel how his breathing slows from its angry seethe, calmer now that they're with him.

y/n can feel how the large canine presses his head to theirs, giving an affectionate nuzzle that earns a little laugh from them. he huffs a bit, still upset that he wasn't able to stop them from being nabbed in the first place.

on their way back into the house, dogday leaves his axe on the porch, closing and locking the front door behind them.

poppy and kissy are in the living room, and they watch dogday carry y/n upstairs. poppy shakes her head and sighs. she's really not sure why y/n won't just let dogday kill catnap, especially since the feline keeps doing stuff like this. she puts that thought to the side as she and kissy decide on a movie.

dogday takes y/n into their shared room. he lays them gently on the bed, helping them remove their shoes and coat. y/n groans and pulls themself under the covers. the smokes' effects will fully wear off in a couple of hours, but for now it feels like serious jetlag. y/n closes their eyes.

as they settle in, they hear dogday sigh. as expected, he begins to settle himself next to them, curling up and holding them close. one large hand rests on their back, gently stroking their shoulder. y/n nuzzles into the soft fur of his chest.

as they fall asleep under the watchful eye of their guard dog, y/n hopes they can maintain some semblance of peace between their family and the stray in the barn.

#uughh ooorgh this feels rushed but i needed it written down and outta my head

[missciato]

“I’ve spent all these years training for a duel with a corpse.”

[CW: discussion of death and loss]

One thing I really like about Azure Moon and Azure Gleam was the exploration of grief and how a single individual’s death can have rippling effects on a family unit. Felix and Rodrigue’s significantly different responses to the event alters the way that they interact with each other in the present. It casts a pall over all of their interactions; it has tainted their relationship.

Often, in times of hardship, family disagreements can spiral out of control, causing minor rifts to become major ones. As someone who has dealt with a lot of death in the family recently, I have seen this time and time again. Especially as a young person, platitudes about the death of a loved one can feel hollow and ring as insincere and hurtful even if the deliverer was trying to say something that would help in the moment. The tragedy of the Rodrigue/Felix interaction is that both of them are grieving and could use each other’s company and love in hard times, and yet their fundamentally incompatible ways of grieving make it impossible for Felix to reconcile with Rodrigue. 

I looked at the coin that my aunt handed me, with a cross on the front and back. “Everything happens for a reason, dear. The Lord was just callin’ your brother home. Let this coin remind you of him.” She gave me a pat on the back, an affectionate gesture. I admit, I had trouble comprehending what ‘Lord’ would see it fit to take my brother from this Earth at his young age.

After my own brother passed away, I found myself understanding much more vividly why Felix was so upset and so ready to bury himself in his sword training rather than interacting with the people around him, who seemed to be grieving in this way that he found unconscionable. He felt that they were trying to try to justify Glenn’s death using the norms of their culture, which was to say “He died like a true knight.” or “He was the very picture of a perfect knight–noble and virtuous. In the end, he laid down his life–the ultimate sacrifice. I feel proud of him in ways that words can't quantify.”  

Much like in the example I gave above, an event that happened at my brother’s funeral in 2021, there are cultural explanations for death that can seem comforting to those who ‘buy’ it. Most of us can accept that our older loved ones will sooner or later die, and then when we become old we will die as well. But when it happens to people who are young and have a life ahead of them, the religion/pseudo-religious in the case of Faerghus justifications become more incomprehensible. And make you angry.

Rodrigue and Ingrid, in these instances, are simply trying to square how such a horrible event could have occurred. They aren’t trying to be hurtful or mean spirited, but they are a product of their cultural upbringing. I think trying to ascribe one side as being 100% wrong or 100% right misses the point; all of them are struggling with the same grief, but are finding different ways to cope with it.

And Felix is struggling to understand the way other people are grieving. He’s young and has trouble putting himself in other people’s shoes. He’s also 17 at the start of the game and trying to cope with the senselessness of his brother’s death. As he talks about in the Seteth support, he doesn’t want to be around people who remind him of the thing he hates, the thing his brother died for, the thing that his father uses to justify said death.

Felix: My brother was doing his job. My father is the real problem. When my brother's armor was brought back to the castle, do you know what he said? "He died like a true knight." Chivalry begets the worship and glorification of death. Am I alone in finding that grotesque?

Ironically, the Dimitri/Ingrid support chain sheds light on the fact that Dimitri himself is not fully on board with Ingrid and Rodrigue’s logic, and because of his mental illness he is also struggling to cope with this event. Felix and Dimitri would be natural allies in grieving, except that Dimitri is turning into the boar, which also triggers Felix! 

So Felix is left to stew in his own thoughts. Left to build a wall around himself to protect from the hurt that his friends and father have inflicted upon him with their careless words. And yet, he does try to mend fences with them, in his own way. 

Ingrid: Why are you taking over my cleaning responsibilities?

Felix: You're wounded, and you're going too slowly. I couldn't stand to watch.

He wants to rebuild the relationships!!! He just finds it difficult because he’s so angry!!

In Hopes, we get a support between Felix and Rodrigue where those differences are splayed for all to see. While I’m not a big fan of Azure Gleam, I like how there are two possibilities:

The path of reconciliation 

or

Words that go unspoken because of death

It really fits in with the themes of grief and loss; sometimes you are angry with your loved ones and when they pass from this Earth, there is no turning back the clock. I was angry with my brother when he died; he was a Trump-loving anti-vaxxer who fell into the maw of the cult. I was frustrated and sad at what he had become. Stopped contacting him much at all. And in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

One of the really important things about the whole situation, at least to me, is that no one in this situation is ‘wrong’ to grief in the way they do. It’s not as if Rodrigue’s coping mechanism – which is a logical one, given the culture he is part of – is horrible, it’s just the coping mechanism that Felix did not need. And Felix pushing his family and friends away is not good for his mental health or long term grieving, but it’s the thing he felt like he needed to do given the way he cannot cope with the way other people have processed this event that he finds so triggering.

And if Rodrigue ends up dying, it makes the whole situation even more tragic.

[reposted to add some stuff]

#felix hugo fraldarius #rodrigue achille fraldarius #ingrid brandl galatea #azure moon #azure gleam #fe3h #fire emblem three hopes

[phxntomsdusk]

idk if i should turn this into an entire thing or not, but take this. it takes every different turn but it’s 1 am and i am tired asf.

—

wilbur has always loved the idea of being able to enjoy his life with someone he holds close to his heart. but he’s never had very good luck with people, being bullied in high school for reasons he didn’t know or the girls not taking an interest in him.

he’s always had a strong passion for music, and has always kept the idea of music being his career in the front of his mind, jumping at any opportunity to kick start. but, the chances never came, and when they did, he missed them.

so when he found someone who had the same experiences in both instances, he knew they were the one.

and that person, was you

he couldn’t think of being with anyone except for you. you were accepting of him and his past, even if he made some shit choices. you congratulated him in every milestone and every new release of an album in his band or his solo music. you gladly joined him when he decided to go see his favourite band play live last minute.

even better, you had the same longing of spending your life with someone.

so, when two worlds clash, they create a scene so beautiful that it blinds someone.

when his fanbase saw you and him leaving a lovejoy gig, hands interlocked, and your head resting against him, you couldn’t have been more grateful for how understanding they were. even if they were all waiting to see wilbur, they still let him guide you to the tour bus to let you sleep.

—

however, his favourite parts spent with you are the domestic moments. the moments not being broadcasted to tens of thousands of people at 11 pm. the moments that aren’t witnessed by multiple eyes.

the moments spent indoors, on your own, together.

—

“hey wilbur!” you yelled from your shared bedroom. you were helping him clean up the room while he caught up on sleep from his band rehearsal late last night, but you’d accidentally knocked over his acoustic guitar, and you didn’t want to risk hurting it further.

“yes? what’s happened-“ his sentence was cut short when he peeked through the slightly ajar door, the acoustic resting on your thigh, ready to fall. yes, he panicked, but he kept calm and helped you fix it up.

“thanks lovely!” you press a sweet kiss to the underside of his eye before ushering him back to bed. his smile stayed present on his face even when you entered the guest room an hour later.

he was at peace, and will forever be as long as he’s with you. as long as you are both by each others sides.

—

as your relationship continued to blossom and grow, you both realised it would never drag along. it would continue to thrive. especially when each night spent with each other was consistently filled with a shitty 90’s movie, cold popcorn and his arms keeping you warm. his arms firmly wrapped around you, keeping your smaller body closer to him, ensuring you are constantly warm and safe. the movie is forgotten, the ongoing buzz of voices replaced by your soft and muffled snores.

or when the day is filled with you baking cookies, muffins or a pie, him at band rehearsal, recording and writing for lovejoy’s debut album. he’d come home to the smell of rising flour and the strong smell of a sandalwood candle. the lights would be dimmed, to crate a cosier environment for you. he was in awe. and then he’d spit you on the sofa, your phone upturned, your cold cup of tea dormant on the coffee table, and your face smushed into your favourite book.

or even when you’re waking up. opening your eyes, groaning at the sudden light of the afternoon, and your bones cracking painfully, your back twisting each way and your knees re-adjusting themselves. you’d finally get a good look at the weight holding you to the bed. wilbur’s soft brown eyes, adoring your face, admiring each freckle, blemish or mole. getting lost in each others eyes was the favourite past time, even better accompanied by an assortment of kisses pressed against both of your faces.

—

he was always happy to be woken up at ungodly hours of the morning if it meant you were safe or feeling alright.

—

you’d woken up, needing the toilet desperately, but the light switch was too far away. it was 2 am, and he had a show tonight, and you couldn’t bare to wake him up to turn on the light.

you roll over and try to distract your need to pee, but it wouldn’t go away. his warmth helped a little, but now you really needed to go. he’d turned around in his sleep, feeling your shift in the bed, and it would have been fine. if he didn’t press his hands into your midriff, putting accidental pressure on your abdomen

a tiny groan leaves you, and he stirs awake, worried that you’d been hurt.

“sweetheart? come back to bed, please.” the sleep evident in his voice as he tried to roll you back over.

“no, no. will, ow. i have to use the toilet,” you tried to get the message across to him but it fell on deaf ears. or maybe tired, incomprehensible ears.

“w- what?” what was he meant to do? you needed to pee. why didn’t you just go… oh. you were scared of the dark.

he jumped out of bed, falling over his clumsy feet before reaching the light switch and flicking it on.

“there you go, darling. i’ll be right here,” and he waited. and you came back out. and you both fell back asleep, safe and warm in each others holds

—

take this utter bullshit and do with it what you will (maybe post it??)

oh yeah, thought i’d remind/inform you that tumblr won’t let you save an inbox message thingy to drafts

I LOVE THIS SMMMMMM

he’s just so precious. he’s my favorite man ever. THE ONLY MAN EVER.

i want to be held by him, with a kiss atop my head, and have him say the cringiest most romantic shit to me. i want to make him smile and kiss his dimples, teach him how to PROPERLY shave, take care of him when he’s hurt or upset, and just. UGH.

also just look at him <3

#phxntom talks #phxntoms friends #ax !!

[pashalalee]

I have something else to talk about does anyone ever think about the time Ray got up to ask his LT a quick, painless question about JL and before he could even get it out, Nate interrupted him and turned to his whole team and used Ray as an example of how he doesn’t know a SINGLE THING, my guys, he knows what is passed down to him, which at the moment is literal jack and shit, unless you count the wearing of the beanies, but never fear team you ARE doing the R I G H T T H I N G and you should all be proud for what you’re doing and Nate was just on his little Moto Soapbox addressing his punks while Ray stood patiently to the side with some big ol’ bloodhound eyes ready to tell his proud lil LT that he was asking SPECIFICALLY about J LO, which Nate would have known if he hadn’t gone all middle school teacher on them, because the moment Nate cut him off Ray’s head reared back just a bit and you could see the ‘oh this bitch did NOT’ expression desperately trying to escape, and then Nate had to take a full seven seconds, A FULL SEVEN SECONDS, to reevaluate his choices up until then: for instance, why didn’t I let Ray finish, that would have been far less embarrassing, and also, IS J LO DEAD, would I know, how would I know, what should I do what if she IS dead and I just don’t know about it yet, and also, fuck you Ray you’re such a brat don’t you stand there looking all innocent when you have set me up for a tactical J Lo hazing I see what you’re doing you’re never this respectful are you mad I cut you off in my defense you never shut up and meanwhile Ray is just like okay but is J Lo dead Nate could you just tell me if J Lo is dead I need to know this because people come to me for this kind of information you know I am a fountain of knowledge in this platoon you can deliver your moto speech at a less critical moment this is REAL, sir, this is about JENNIFER LOPEZ, is Jenny from the block OKAY, NATE, and then Nate decides to respond in the most official way possible while maintaining eye contact to inform Ray that no, J Lo was not a part of his official sitrep, and then they both make the turtle face at each other before Nate goes on his way and this is a critical, critical moment because now I need both a gif set of Ray’s tiny little head nod back and also the accepted HC that now every time Ray sees Nate he asks for J Lo’s status and Nate has to come up increasingly weirder sitreps for J Lo to appease their best RTO and eventually just starts doing it to get a laugh from Ray and no this is not a NateRay origin story I don’t know what you’re talking about good bye enjoy some shitty screenshots I took from my phone that are GIANT and BAD because HBOMax blocked my screenshots.

#generation kill #this is so dumb sometimes I just shout my feelings into the void #but it is so funny to me that nate just full on CUT HIM OFF and ray was like my dude you are way off base I don't care about the war #i care about J L O

[notsolittleruby]

Miss you again...

Ruby sat at the edge of the bed, slowly rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Ambrose had been working the late shifts again. By the time he came home each night, Ruby had already fallen asleep. By the time Ruby awoke in the morning, Ambrose was too tired to even greet her. 

Their love had been tested over the years, they both knew that. The trials and tribulations of a siren and a werewolf. Tested over and over again by countless curses yet here they were, living a rather mundane life, working jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over their head. Not much had changed, it just seemed that in this land, nothing was trying to kill them. 

Yet now, as Ruby stretched, turning over to see her lover sound asleep on the bed next to her, she gave a soft smile. Her first instance had been to pick up the book by the side of the bed, gently turning the pages in the late morning light while she scanned across the words. 

After maybe an hour or two of reading, Ruby gave in, placing the book on the nightstand before sleepily stumbling towards the bathroom to start her day. She took care in how much noise she made, trying to brush her teeth and wash her face silently, cursing the pipes for banging as she turned on the taps. 

Returning back to their bed, she began brushing her hair, glancing down at her sleeping partner to ensure he was still breathing. The clock showed 13:00. She knew Ambrose had probably drifted off to sleep around 5am, so she took less care in how much noise she made this time round. Placing a wash on, turning the kettle on before returning back to bed beside him. Ambrose seemed to sleep through it all.

Ruby cursed herself for not waking him sooner, but as the day grew, and the time ticked away, she knew she would have less and less time to spend with him before he trotted back off to work again. Bringing the man a brew, she gently woke him with kisses, knowing it would be just over an hour until he had to leave for work again. 

Ambrose groggily woke, accepting the brew with a grin on his face while sitting himself up in their bed. Ruby snuggled closer to him as he turned the tv on, flicking through a few channels before settling on the news and weather forecast for the day. 

Ruby had been dressed for hours; hair brushed, makeup done, she had even made herself a little bit of breakfast. Although she felt well accomplished for a day off, completing the washing that needed doing and even taking a quick stroll down to the harbor and back, something in her mind felt empty. As if she was missing something majorly from her life.  

It was at this moment Ambrose had jumped up to begin getting ready for his next shift, pulling a towel from the linen closet before jumping in a quick shower. 

Ruby took this chance to change the bedding, trying to complete the task as quickly as possible to ensure Ambrose would have somewhere to get dressed once he had showered himself. Ruby had even got out his general hygiene products to ensure he could get ready with ease. 

Once the pipes had stopped banging, Ambrose stepped out of the bathroom, the steam surrounding him as his floppy wet locks stuck to the sides of his face. 

In passing, he had offered Ruby a forehead kiss, making her smile and blush slightly as he began to get ready. 

The sight of ice that had strewn itself across the fence outside had caused Ruby to pull her hair dryer out of the closet, patting the bed to have her other half sit in front of her while she attempted to remove some of the dampness before he had to leave for work. 

Ambrose had pulled his shoes and jacket on, kissing Ruby three times across her face and quickly ran out the door, keys in hand, to get to work on time. 

Once the door had shut, the silence filled their little apartment once more. Sitting cross legged on the bed, Ruby felt a tear drop down her face. 

It had been weeks since she had last properly seen her partner. Their shifts never quite aligned with each other well enough for them to spend any real time together. Yes, maybe Ruby would wake when Ambrose crept in the shallow hours of the morning, giving them an hour together before the tiredness overcomes Ruby once again, sending her back into a deep slumber, ready for her to wake the next morning for her shift. Or occasionally on their opposing days off, their paths would cross for a few more hours before one of them would fall sound asleep, separating them once more. 

Frustration began building up in Ruby. What could she do? Who could she talk to about this? How could she tell him that she was unhappy…

Ruby pushed the thought from her mind. In her absent minded moments, she had picked her nail beds raw, the smell of blood panging her senses as she walked to the bathroom to wash it away from her hands. 

Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, her puffy red eyes and tear soaked cheeks seemed to shine on her face. She wanted to scream and cry at herself, tell her she was stupid for feeling this way, neither of them had control over their shifts. Neither of them had been in any position to quit their jobs, or find something that suited the two of them best. Ambrose had been in so many jobs over the last few months, it made her heart happy when he came home smiling to tell her about his day. Yet, in the back of her mind, she had hated where he had gone. How it seemed to get in between them when she needed him more than ever. The stench of his jacket when he came home from work. 

Tears began again, this time she watched it as it rolled down her cheeks, reaching for her phone as she opened Ambrose’s name. “Gods..” she sighed, placing it back down on the side. What could she say? ‘I need you to quit your job because I am sad?’ ‘I need you to be here for me’ ‘I need you…’ 

What if… What if they could go back to how they were, when they were first together. Working together, always in the same place, always completing the same kind of work. Always within arms reach.

@itlurkswithin

#itlurkswithin #ambrose #ruby #i need you #short #miss you again

[goldieghoulie]

In Over His Head

Summary: When a beautiful black horse appears you try to ride it, no?

Or, one of the many reasons Terzo should never be left unsupervised in strange cities.

Rating: Teen, Word count: 2,453, Pairings: None

Read on A03

“Bah what do you know?” Terzo said and shoved himself away from Omega’s support. “The people of Scotland love me!” 

“Papa” Omega sighed with the familiar tiredness of trying to control Papa Emeritus the Third, Terzo, after a bottle of wine. He let go of the pope at his instance but kept his hands ready to catch him if the cobble stoned road became too much.  

“Perhaps we should just go back to the tour bus.” Omega offered with no real hope of Terzo accepting. 

“Nonsense! The night is young! Let us go and revel in all that Glasgow has to offer!” 

“Your holiness, perhaps we just swing by the bus for some water. Or a change of clothes?”  

“No!” Terzo half shouted and rounded on the ghoul. Encroaching on Omega’s space and forcing the ghoul to back against the wall Terzo continued “Why all this bus talk? And why the “holiness”? You never call me this. What are you planning?”  

“Nothing Terzo. I just think the people of Scotland might love you more after you’ve...had a glass of water.” Omega finished the sentence lamely, growing uncomfortable by both Terzo’s proximity and his narrowed gaze. The moment felt suspended in time. Omega couldn’t move, either to free himself or forcibly manhandle Terzo back to the bus. He waited with bated breath for him to do something, anything.  

“No.” Terzo hissed out. He then about faced and strode calmly but surprisingly quickly out of the alley. By the time Omega could draw a full breath again Terzo’s black jacket was disappearing into the crowed street.  

“Shit.” Omega said and scrubbed his hand over the metallic mask covering his face. “Alpha is never going to let me live this down”  

---

Glasglow was alive! Couldn’t Omega see it? All the sights to see, people to meet, things to do! To go back to the bus now would be a travesty. Terzo ducked through the crowd looking for something promising to do.  

The streets were swarming with people in good spirits. Terzo assumed a sports team had won given the matching jerseys and multiple painted faces. Although their good mood infested him, he’d learned to give sports fans a wide berth. Something about Terzo seemed to rub them the wrong way and there had been enough ghoul interventions needed over time for Terzo to learn his lesson.  

So, if this street of happy but potentially misunderstanding people was out, it was time for Terzo to move on. He gently backed behind a group of people – keeping his hands where all could see, another lesson he’d learned – and into the next alley.  

Free from the press of people, he strode quickly down the alley sticking his hands in his pocket and humming softly to himself. This alley let him out onto a quieter road running alongside the river. Seeing no immediate indication regarding which direction to head, he crossed the street to walk along the river and started heading to his left. It really was a lovely night, though thick clouds obscured the stars overhead, it wasn’t raining. It was even warm enough that Terzo wasn’t certain he needed his jacket.  Happy to wander and let his feet take him, Terzo broke into a soft rendition of Largo al factotum. 

 However, as he was winding down the song and no further pubs had appeared he began to think he had gone in the wrong direction. In fact, it seemed that he was now entering a park. He paused at the gate, debating. Either he had to turn around and try the other direction or he could cut through the park and see what was on the other side. His decision was made for him when he heard the whinny. 

A beautiful black horse now stood on the path in the park, its neck and back illuminated by a streetlight but shadows hiding its legs and hooves.  It whinnied again and took a step closer to Terzo as if unsure.  

“Che bel cavallo” Terzo crooned and approached, his hand outstretched to not frighten the nice horse. It really was lovely. Terzo wondered if it would let him ride it.  

Its breath was warm as Terzo reached it and stroked its muzzle. Its hair was soft, softer than any horse’s he’d pet before. And, though its breath was warm, its fur was slightly cool to the touch. Terzo began to brush his hands down its neck as he moved along its side.  

Reaching the side of the horse he grabbed a handful of hair from the base of the mane and then paused to gauge the horse's reaction. It seemed docile and didn’t appear to mind Terzo’s hand in its mane. Taking this as encouragement, Terzo placed his other hand on its back and began to try to hoist himself up. It was a less than elegant process, it having been years since Terzo had ridden a horse and even then, he’d had a saddle to help him. But, eventually, Terzo was able to gain his seat and he took in the view from horseback. The horse still seemed calm, its ears flicking about listening to the noises of the city and only occasionally shifting its weight or taking a small step. Just as Terzo wondered if he should try gently kicking his heels to cue the horse to start walking, it began to walk on its own.  

Terzo was happy to let the horse wander where it would, he certainly didn’t know either where he was or which direction he should head. Furthermore, it seemed a fun change of pace to be riding a horse bareback through a modern city. The times he had ridden horses before had been out in the countryside and, though he had never tried to take a horse into the city, he’d gotten the impression they wouldn’t be welcome.  

The gravel path that the horse was walking along was well lit with streetlamps so Terzo assumed that this must be a popular shortcut even at night. Regardless, he saw no one else. A pity he thought, where was the fun in doing something odd if no one was around to witness it?  

After several moments of solitude, with only the crunch of the gravel under the horses' hooves as a soundtrack, the path opened onto a beach for the river. The current flowed silently but distorted the surface enough that the streetlamps danced wildly on it. The beach itself was made of small pebbles and slopped gently down to the water. Terzo couldn’t imagine anyone swimming here but thought the view might be pretty in the daylight and supposed it could be a good fishing spot. He was therefore more than a little surprised when the horse turned and made a beeline for the water. Nevertheless, Terzo made no move to try to turn the horse or stop it. Perhaps it was thirsty, Terzo mused.  

With that in mind, Terzo wasn’t immediately concerned when the horse entered the water. The idea of walking a bit into the water so the horse wouldn’t have to put its head down so far to drink made perfect sense in Terzo’s still slightly wine-addled brain. Surely, he wouldn’t like it very much if he had to bend over to drink so why begrudge the horse this little luxury? Thus, he paid no attention as they walked deeper and deeper into the water. 

However, the fun and novelty of riding a horse in a modern city wore off as the cold water seeped through his shoes. Even though they had been recently resoled (holes from dancing being a real hazard in his work), the icy river water still found its way in as the horse headed for deeper water. For the first time since Terzo had climbed onto the horse's back he tried to exert some control over it.  

“No no! Why are you going this way? Let’s go back to land” Terzo said to the horse. Not trusting his words to do anything, he also grabbed fistfuls of the horse’s mane in both hands and tugged to his left, towards shore. The horse seemed to pay him no mind though and kept walking. Terzo’s tugging on the mane became less and less gentle as the water level rose up his legs.  

“Are you insane, eh? You like swimming?” He asked the horse. Once the water had reached his butt and the horse still gave no indication of turning around, he conceded that it was time to get off and swim back to shore. Releasing the mane, he placed his hands on the horse’s shoulders between his splayed legs and tried to lift off his right leg. Nothing happened. He tried again and still his leg didn’t budge. If felt like it was stuck to the horse. Plunging his hands into the water Terzo grabbed his right thigh with both of his hands and yanked again. Still nothing. 

“Cazzo! What are you?” Terzo growled at the horse. The horse finally seemed to respond to this. It turned its head to look back at Terzo and he could see that its eye glowed faintly red and it snorted loudly. But then it looked forward again and continued its methodical walk into the river.  

Giving one last tug on this leg, that once again did nothing, Terzo cast about for anything he could do to dislodge himself from this...creature. It obviously wasn’t just a horse. Being in the middle of a large, open river there was nothing for him to grab on to. Though Terzo wasn’t convinced that even if there was a tree branch for him to grab it would be enough for him to free himself. There was nothing to see except the water. Water! Of course! If Terzo wasn’t still addled by the wine, and currently being abducted by a horse creature, he would have been embarrassed by how long it took for him to think of it. 

“Rain!” he yelled at the top of his voice. “I, Papa Emeritus the Third, command your presence! By all spells and contracts that bind us I compel you to appear before me now!”  

The water was now up to his chest and the horse’s head had disappeared under the black river’s surface. Terzo twisted wildly about in the saddle looking for the familiar silver glint of a ghoul’s mask. Nothing appeared.  

“Rain! Get your ghouly butt over here now!” Terzo called again. 

Still no ghoul. Terzo was starting to become properly concerned. The happy buzz from the wine had thoroughly disappeared and the reality of the danger of being dragged into a river by a malicious horse was setting in. 

“Rain!” He yelled again, his voice cracking just a bit at the end. Terzo began to thrash about now as the water closed about his neck. His lower legs and hips were still fused to the beast, but his arms swung wildly seeking either something to grab or at least to keep his head above water for a bit longer. It was all for naught though as the water inched up his face.  

“Rain!” Terzo bellowed one last time. He still held out hope that the ghoul was on his way, just running late. But time was up for Terzo. Taking a deep breath, he held it as, with a final step from the creature, he was submerged fully into the waters of the Clyde. 

Terzo opened his eyes under the water and saw nothing. Either the light given off by the streetlamps was so weak that it didn’t reach a few inches below the surface, or, as Terzo thought more likely, the darkness had something to do with the creature that had pulled him here. In fact, as Terzo took account of his surroundings he noticed that the bracing cold of the water had lessened. While not pleasant, he didn’t feel the bite of cold anymore. He tried again to move, expecting resistance from his legs, but found that he seemed to be floating in the darkness. He spun himself around looking for any way out but only found more darkness. The more he floated in the not quite cold the less escaping seemed important. Maybe it would be alright to stay here just a bit longer, weightless in the dark. 

“Terzo?” A voice broke through the stillness. Terzo knew this voice, something about it had always reminded him of the babbling of a brook, though Terzo could never say why. It was a nice voice. And it was calling his name. He probably should reply. He would reply in a little bit.  

“Terzo?” The voice called again louder, more urgent. “Terzo just say something! Or move about. Anything to help me out.”  

“Rain?” Terzo asked into the darkness. He thought that was the name of the voice, but it seemed a silly thing to name a voice. 

“Ah ha! Gotcha!” Rain said and Terzo felt a hand wrap around his arm.  

He began to be pulled by whatever was gripping his arm. Or he thought he was being pulled; it was a bit hard to tell in the floating darkness. After a moment Terzo thought the darkness was less absolute and a moment after that he was certain that a glimmering light was coming from above. Unfortunately, with the return of the light the cold returned too. And the panic he had felt before his head went under water. He now had to fight the burning in his lungs and his mind screamed at him to take a breath. He began to kick his legs to help Rain propel them to the surface. Just when he thought he could last no longer his head broke the surface and he gasped in sweet air. Rain guided them towards the same pebbled beach and helped Terzo find his feet and move away from the water. 

“Terzo, what the fuck happened? Omega says he left you not fifteen minutes ago.” Rain asked. 

“Black horse” Terzo gasped; his voice rough. 

“A black horse?” Rain asked pausing for a moment then burst out into laughter. “We’re in Scotland for one day, you’re unsupervised for fifteen minutes, and you manage to find a kelpie.” 

“Kelpe? Why wasn’t that in the dossier?”  

“They are so rare that we thought they’d gone extinct. I guess you proved they’re still around. Wait, you actually read the city dossiers?” Rain asked. 

“Si! Of course I read them! You think it’s good for Papa to not know about the mystical dangers in each city?”  

“Is that because you slept with that banshee that one time?” 

“Eh, maybe. Now, which was to the nearest pub?” Terzo asked.  

#terzo #papa emeritus iii #the band ghost #goldiewrites #be kind its the first fanfic i've written in a decade

[noface-phantom7]

Bodyswap: It Only Feels Right

A Case of SCP-4127: Heads or Tails (non-neutralized instance)

29th, October - 11:58:44 Pm

“Whenever you’re ready.” Remy announces, feeling a thrum of excitement running through his veins as he holds out a hand, a small shining coin sitting in the middle while he stares at his friend, similarly holding his breath in front of him. He felt himself grinning, which his friend reciprocates. Remy raises an eyebrow knowingly, and nods at his friend.

“I already told you,” Luke, his friend, responds, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he does. “I’ve been ready for this the moment you found that.” he adds, running a hand through his brown hair before pocketing them. He was a mere inch shorter than Remy, though they were of the same age. And slightly bulkier than Luke too. He takes stock of Remy and his form, as well as his dirty blonde hair slicked back. He had always liked how his friend looked. Though it did not matter anymore, he’ll get that for himself soon, he thinks.

“Good,” Remy exclaims, moving backward one step to make space, already placing the coin between his index finger and thumb. He takes stock of his friend one more time, taking note of Luke’s brown curls and bright eyes. Remy smirks, he’d have it soon enough too. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

Luke only responds with an enthusiastic nod and steps backward as well. Remy takes in a deep inhale, and prepares to flip the coin.

“Heads, we switch bodies for the weekend.”

28th, October - 08:46:04 PM

Remy sank down on his couch, still in his scrubs, as he tossed his bag to the side. Today has been a stressful one, and also a very weird one. It would have been the usual Thursday shift back at the campus hospital, if it hadn’t been for the one weird patient that he had to tend to before he finished his shift. The old man had dementia, or so his reports said, including delusions but Remy found himself a little intrigued when the old man talked to him.

Remy runs a hand through his hair, and produces a coin from his pocket—it was a 1936 USA Buffalo quarter, from the patient himself that he ‘passed on’ to Remy. Not knowing what to do, he accepted it and must have forgotten to discard it.

The old man claimed it could only flip to heads, and would give him what he wanted. Remy could almost laugh, and he sets it down on the coffee table before checking his phone. There were no new messages, and the last he sent was an image of himself earlier to an online friend. He groans at this, before putting the phone down.

He turns to the coin, picking it up and examining both sides. Something about it felt…different, he thought. It wasn’t lighter, nor was it heavier than the usual quarter, but comparing it to a normal quarter from his bag further confirmed this. Remy checks his phone once more, noting that his friend Luke still hadn’t responded to him, before his eyes strayed back to the coin again.

An idea pops in his head, and he shrugs, nothing really to lose if he tried it. “Heads,” he mutters, thinking about the old man again. “Luke finally replies to me.” he adds half-jokingly as he tosses the coin into the air.

The coin lands on his palm, heads up. He was about to toss the coin aside, when his phone lights up and buzzes. Remy raises an eyebrow at this and momentarily forgets about the coin, grabbing his phone and checking the notification in an instant. He wanted to laugh in surprise, but instead the sound got caught in his throat.

“Looking good as always, Rem.” was the first message, and then followed up by an image of Luke himself. “Was outside today, had fun.” was captioned on the image, and Remy instantly felt both a pang of envy at Luke’s escapades, and both at how good his friend looked.

Meanwhile across the town, Luke had just finished his ‘business’ at Remy’s photo, just moments after he got home, and had the urge to respond to his friend with a selfie he took earlier that day. Luke knew that Remy disliked his job, though he also thinks his friend looked hot in scrubs. What he would give to become him for a day or two, he thinks.

Remy replies with a “Sounds great! Can’t wait for the week to be over.” and Luke chuckles on his bed, rolling out of it to clean up the mess on his torso.

Remy, on the other hand, was back to staring at his coin after replying, an eyebrow raised at it. He thinks it could have been a coincidence as he gulps down a glass of water. He plays with the quarter between his palms for a few moments, deciding on what to try it next with, before looking back at his messages.

He grins smugly, and holds the coin out while thinking of something very specific to confirm. “Heads,” he begins, a thought brewing inside his head. “Luke sends me a selfie with no shirt on.” he adds. Luke had only ever sent him one once, drunkenly, and if the coin had any ‘magic’ in it, this would confirm it, he thought.

Not even a full minute later, his phone dings and instantly opens Luke’s message. His mouth drops open, though a smirk was already curling its way on the corners of his mouth.

He finally laughs in disbelief this time and the image didn’t even have a message to follow up. Remy clutched the coin in his palm, already thinking of what he could do with it. He could essentially do anything, he thought, and quietly said his thanks to the old man who, for some reason he couldn’t think of, gave him it. Regardless of the reason, it was his now.

Remy starts typing out a reply to Luke’s image, before a thought occurs in his head. Him and Luke had discussed the idea before because it seemed impossible—though now that he had a means to make it come true, he couldn’t wait to tell Luke.

30th, October - 12:00:04 MN

Luke felt a jolt from inside him the moment the quarter landed on Remy’s palm, like his body short-circuiting and something within him getting ripped out before being reattached somewhere else. It wasn’t painful, nor was it unpleasant, just strange. He feels himself stumble back, something cool between his palms, and felt as if he became a little heavier than he remembers.

Remy felt the same, though didn’t feel the weight shift much as he was immediately steady on his feet. His vision was slightly blurry at first, before it came to focus and found himself staring at…himself. He was staring at him with the same expression of shock, disbelief, before both yelled triumphantly, their voices echoing in the alley they were in.

“I’m you!” Luke exclaims, feeling himself in Remy’s body, patting the biceps in his new body and touching his face. “The coin worked!” he adds, clearing his throat and speaking again.

“Yeah,” Remy replies, finding a glass window nearby and then marvelling at himself. He traced his jaw with his fingers, then his throat, and even pulled his shirt up to look at his new pack. “Damn…” he mutters to himself, smiling.

“Okay, so we do this just for the weekend?” Luke asks, though still in the middle of checking himself out as well. He was only half-listening despite asking the question, his other hand already slipping inside the sweatpants he was now wearing.

“Yeah, just the weekend.” Remy replies, before flicking Luke’s other arm. “Hey, we’re in public.”

“What?” Luke asks, a smirk forming on his face. “I own this for the weekend anyway. You could do it too, you know, I don’t mind.” he adds, wiggling his eyebrows. He was now taller than Remy, even a little, and he saw the appeal in it already.

“I know,” Remy replies, rolling his eyes and chuckling. “I meant not here, back in my apartment maybe.” He tells Luke, gesturing to the pocket of the hoodie in his old body that held his keys and his old phone.

“Oh, right.” Luke agrees, laughing sheepishly and scratching the back of his head in embarassment. “So you got my phone, my keys, and my wallet there too. You know how to drive right?”

Remy laughs at this, and takes out the wallet on the back pocket of the jeans he was now wearing. He checks through the contents, and finds Luke’s driver’s license. He didn’t have one of his own, but he did know how to drive. “A little?” He responds.

Luke rolls his eyes, then finds himself smiling before shrugging. “Just…don’t crash my car—or your car, okay?” He says, causing Remy to laugh and give him an enthusiastic thumbs up. It was just a little over midnight, yet he already had plans for what to do.

“I took the weekend off so don’t worry about anyone calling you from the clinic.” Remy tells Luke as he put his wallet back in his pocket. “If they do, just tell them you’ll handle it on Monday.”

“Got it.” Luke nodded, already turning to go. “Also, don’t touch my drafts. They’re not part of the fun for you, okay?” He tells Remy, pertaining to the book he was working on and eliciting a stifled chuckle from Remy, who knew how secretive and private Luke was with it.

“Yeah, yeah,” Remy dismisses, also turning to go. “Don’t worry, I can’t keep my hands off this body long enough to touch your manuscripts.” He adds with a wink, before walking past Luke and teasingly blows a kiss his way. He wasn’t interested in writing anyway, he was gonna have fun.

Luke brushes this off with a laugh, before going on his way. This weekend has just started, he thought, and he already had plans to do today. He smirks to himself before pulling his hood up and leaving the other way.

10:36:15 AM

The first thing Luke did after enjoying his new body in front of a mirror for an hour and then sleeping for a couple of hours, was to hit the gym. He only felt it right to try on Remy’s body in the gym first before he headed out to enjoy his day. He was already familiar with working out of course, though he wanted to see how different it was to experience it in his friend’s body.

Luke grinned when he reached the place. It wasn’t the place where Remy used to go, instead it was the outdoor gym that Luke himself frequented before the swap. It was a great place, and he wanted to show off his new body and have it drenched with sweat under the sun. That would be hot, he thought, as he took his shirt off, opting to work out in just Remy’s black shorts.

Remy, on the other hand, was just waking up after the longest and most relaxing sleep he’s had for months. Luke’s apartment felt more like home than his own, probably because he wasn’t in his own apartment for long like Luke was here. He certainly had things to do today, sure, but he wanted to take it slow for now. And he still had to go through Luke’s closet for anything he could wear as a costume for Halloween tomorrow.

Remy still felt the lingering afterglow from last night—he felt a little embarrassed though that it was the first thing he did the moment he entered this apartment. Regardless, he got out of bed and washed his face to freshen up. He stared at his new reflection for a while, before smiling at it.

How could Luke seem younger than him despite them being the same age? He thought, then dismissed it. Must be work stress, he thought again. He marvelled at his chest, although not as sculpted as his, was just as good. He rolled his eyes when he felt himself getting stiff again, and wandered to the kitchen, hoping to eat something before he set out.

12:39:00 PM

It took most of Remy’s willpower to leave the comforts of Luke’s bedroom that afternoon, but he thought that was enough wasting of time and had to find somewhere to spend the day in. He thought about going to a bar, but it seemed awfully too early for that. He thought for a moment, before coming up empty and realizing he didn’t really do much outside of work and home, and he felt a little more envious of Luke from it.

“How about a walk in the park or the boardwalk?” He tells himself. He really hasn’t had the time to scope out the city, he thought. And this could be a good time to explore. Remy pondered for a moment, and agreed with himself. He wanted to send Luke a message, but knew the man would be too busy doing whatever he would in Remy’s old body. He shrugs it off, then sets off.

Luke, meanwhile, had left the gym some time ago with a fresh set of clothes. He headed off to the boardwalk near the beach, though he wasn’t planning on swimming. Instead, he was going to look for a hookup. Remy wouldn’t mind, he thinks to himself. He wasn’t even planning on telling him anyway. And besides, who could resist him? He thought.

And he was right about it. He hasn’t even had the app installed for half an hour and he already had a couple of guys blowing up his inbox. Luke bites his lips, and grins at his reflection on his phone before checking them out. He was going to have the best next hours of his life, he thought.

10:55:32 PM

Remy collapses on his bed that night, feeling his bones and muscles pleasantly sore from moving all day. It was different than moving around the hospital, and much closer to when he would work out at the gym for hours. He walked around town for most of the afternoon, and had time to try stuff he otherwise didn’t have time for—the arcade, the bridges, relaxing in the park with a book he just bought, heck even eating hotdogs out in the street. He even had time to take some pictures of himself and post them on his socials. Luke wouldn’t mind, he thought.

Remy yawned almost as soon as he settled in, and decided to turn in for the night. He hadn’t checked Luke’s closet again yet though, and tells himself to check later in the morning. He smiled at the thought, and nodded to himself. His last thoughts as he drifted off was that if only his life was always this easy.

Luke, on the other hand, was lying on his bed, still reeling from the afterglow of his last hookup. This was the second guy today, the first one had been this afternoon, and this was a twink he brought home from the bar. He didn’t know where Remy swung, but he didn’t care. It was his weekend, after all.

As soon as the twink left, Luke checked his phone for any message from Remy. There wasn’t any, though he was notified that his old account posted something. He grinned as soon as he opened the image, it seemed like Remy had fun too, he thought. He liked the image before setting the phone down on the dresser.

Luke yawns, still naked with just the thin sheets bunched up by his feet. He panthers on getting something to wear, but ultimately decides against it and settles into his bed nude and covered in seed. He shrugs at the sticky feeling, before drifting off and imagining his plans for tomorrow.

31st, October - 01:28:03 PM

Luke almost wanted to go to a Halloween Concert that they were holding down by the boardwalk today, if it wasn’t for one of Remy’s friends calling him early in the morning because a friend of hers had invited them to their yacht. Luke wasn’t one to waste this opportunity, and he agreed almost immediately to it.

It was someone named Vanessa, and Luke had to check on her and Remy’s interactions in his phone to know how to act around her. It was easy to pull off, and he didn’t really have much trouble convincing her that he had a little hangover. It was his turn to post on Remy’s social media then, and he smirked at the idea while they sipped liquor while sitting at some yacht.

Remy was out and about that afternoon again. The concert was still tonight, and he had some time to burn. He opted to not go in costume for the party though, but he may just throw some pants on and forget his shirt, it was his first concert party in a while and might be his last for some time so he felt like he wanted to feel hot in just his skin—or in this case, Luke’s.

Remy wondered what his friend was up to in his body, only to be notified of a new post. He could almost roll his eyes that his friend was keeping tabs on his account when he posts, like he does. He opens it, and finds himself smiling. Luke was with his friends on Michael Prescott’s yacht, and he was even able to dress up the same way Remy did. He was kind of glad for it though, since he couldn’t stand Michael.

He wanted to laugh, though. A friend of Luke’s just called him and asked him for his help. Luke was spending time with Remy’s friends, meanwhile Remy was going to spend time with one of Luke’s. His name was Garrett, if he remembered correctly. He was asking for help in fixing his shed, and Remy was very happy to oblige.

He still had time to burn before the concert though, he thought, so why not spend the time working his muscles and bones out? He hadn’t had to work at something similar for years, and it would be a nice change of pace for a bit.

11:47:58 PM

Luke might have had a few too many drinks, and he didn’t even notice it. All he knew was that Remy’s body could take way more shots than him, and he liked it. He didn’t even notice nor care about the time as they disembarked the yacht to go home. Vanessa had left him there first about a while ago, and questioned why he wanted to stay for a while longer when he ‘hated’ Michael. He didn’t even know how he responded, just that Vanessa gave him a funny look.

“Thanks for the drinks, Mike.” Luke told Michael on the dock, his words slurring slightly. “Great yacht by the way.”

Michael gave him a weird look at this, both surprised and incredulous, knowing that ‘Remy’ disliked him. “Uh, thanks. I guess?” he replied, raising an eyebrow at the mess that Luke was. “Didn’t think you’d drink that much.”

As a response, Luke lets out a chuckle and approaches Michael, their faces close together to the point that Michael had to gasp and stumble back a little, red creeping on his cheeks. “Let’s do this again next time, pretty boy.” Luke adds, patting Michael on the cheek and leaving a peck on the other. He quickly hails a taxi cab after, leaving the other man frozen in place as Luke made his way home to Remy’s apartment.

Remy, on the other hand, had gone home from the concert a little earlier than he wanted. He was wary of the time, and considering it was nearly midnight, he didn’t want to swap back with Luke while he was outside. He called Luke a couple of times too, though it seemed like he was still busy. He just hoped Luke didn’t get passed out drunk somewhere—especially not on Michael’s yacht.

Despite the worry though, he found himself crashing onto the bed and grinning to himself. That was probably the best weekend of his life, he thought. He was sad that it was going to end in a few minutes, sure, but he thought back to the coin. They could do this again some other time, he thinks, maybe for another weekend or so. The thought of going back to work the next day made him groan, but shrugged it off. He had his fill, and though he didn’t want to face the endless shifts yet, he knew he had to.

With a sigh and a lingering smile, he watched the clock slowly turn towards midnight while comfortably surrounded by the soft mattress and pillows for the last time. The moment it was only a few seconds before the hand struck twelve, he closed his eyes and took one last deep breath.

1st, November - 07:17:06 AM

Remy woke up with a pounding headache, his hands struggling to turn off the alarm blaring from his phone for nearly two minutes until he was able to shut it off. He felt sluggish, and sick to his stomach as he pulled himself out of bed begrudgingly. He felt himself almost stumble and lose his balance, suddenly feeling heavier than he was yesterday.

Yesterday, he thought, then remembered. The switch. He groans as he feels his stomach rising, then runs to the bathroom to throw up. He hadn’t been this drunk for a long time, Luke must have done a lot of damage the night before. He didn’t want to show up at work with a hangover though, but he had less than an hour to take care of it.

He paused after, to look at his reflection. He was fully nude, but the sudden shift in height and weight from the past two days made him frown, and feel a little more sick. He’s gotten used to walking around in Luke’s body, he supposes, and he was slightly feeling uncomfortable from it. He just sighs, and decides to bathe—which feels even weird as if he hadn’t done it before.

Luke woke up at that moment, with no hangover or headaches, but in an incredibly groggy mood at seeing himself back in his own place. He doesn’t even wake up at this hour, yet finds himself already feeling as if he is used to it. It was weird getting drunk just hours ago then waking up sober, he thinks. He pulls himself out of bed, hoping to make coffee.

When he was in his small kitchen though, he noticed that everything was almost neatly arranged from the jars on his cupboard and the plates he rarely used from the kitchen cabinets. He wasn’t necessarily messy, but it was weird to see them sorted out—though he did feel more satisfaction about it than he used to. He noticed how clean his space was, too, and he smiled inwardly.

“Thanks for cleaning the house.” Luke texts Remy to tease as he sipped on his coffee and thought about jogging and starting on his manuscript early.

“Thanks for the hangover.” Remy replies, downing a small cup of prairie oyster mixture, then opens his medicine cabinet to get his bottle of aspirin. He didn’t feel as sick anymore, though the hangover was still slightly lingering and the headache subsided only a little. “Had fun, thanks for the weekend!” he adds, before he leaves for work.

05:29:03 PM

Remy couldn’t believe how ‘fucking weird’ his day has been going. He was partially thankful at being drunk and having a hangover for most of the morning that he could pass off his behavior from yesterday as being influenced by alcohol. Apparently, Luke ‘teased’ Michael the night before, and now he couldn’t look at the man the same whenever they pass by each other in the ward—surprisingly, the man couldn’t either, and he didn’t bother Remy at all today.

“The fuck were you thinking? I thought you hated him?” Vanessa teased, mentioning that she had already left at that point but somehow knew about it. Remy kept denying, but it was for sure Luke’s own doing from the alcohol. He did confirm it from Luke too, and tried to not think about it much.

That wasn’t the weirdest thing at all, though. He kept tripping over his own feet, and bumping his head on things he wasn't used to. He didn’t feel like it was still from the alcohol, it was just that there was something wrong—his legs felt longer, his movements slower, and he couldn’t focus working much as he started to have vivid imaginations.

Luke, on the other hand, groaned and rested his head back on his desk chair in frustration. He hasn’t made any dent on his manuscript today, and he’s already on his fifth cup of coffee when he usually only needed one to last the day. The words just seemed so…weird today, he thought, like he was in another writer’s block except this time he didn’t really have a clue what he would do next—though he did find himself procrastinating by reading on medical journals the afternoon, something he didn’t necessarily need for his work but felt drawn to.

He goes to his kitchen to grab something to eat, but pauses as he opens his cupboard, hand raised. This is weird, he thought, his fingers barely brushing the box of granola bars sitting there. He felt shorter, and almost distinctly remembered being tall enough to reach it. He dismisses the thought though, as he tiptoes and reaches it.

He checks his time again, and feels the urge to keep moving around. He relents, thinking he may as well try to clear his head with a run or by cleaning his place. This is a weird day, he thought to himself as he shut his computer off.

6th, November - 09:24:40 PM

“This weeks been a huge mess.” Remy says on the phone to Luke, flipping the quarter in his hand but keeping in mind to not make a wish. The coin had something to do with this somehow, he thought. “I don’t feel like myself…at all.” he admits as he was lying on his bed.

Vanessa caught on to it too—from his avoidance of coffee, almost being late to his shift in the past days, the prolonged zoning out, heck, even his sudden interest in fiction was like a huge glaring neon sign that said SOMETHING’S WRONG. He couldn’t even focus on the medical conference yesterday which was something he’s been looking forward to for weeks.

“Oh yeah,” Luke agreed on the other line, head laid on his desk with papers scattered around him. “Yeah, fuck. I haven’t made any progress on this draft either. This isn’t another block.” he adds, then groans as he leans back on his chair.

His agent had been calling him all day to remind him of the draft that was due on Monday, but he hadn’t made any considerable progress that he didn’t immediately erase. He’s also noticed how quick he had gone through his coffee that usually lasted him for weeks. What was even worse was that he seemingly couldn’t both sleep early and wake up late—he has been staying up until three or four in the morning then waking up at seven AM for the past five days.

“You think the coin had anything to do with it?” He asks Remy, already washing his mug. This was another change Luke observed, he felt the impulse to wash it right after using instead of leaving it there as usual. “Like a side effect or something?”

“I don’t know,” Remy replies, already feeling drowsy. “I think I’m off tomorrow, would you let me take a look at your manuscript? I’ve been having…ideas, lately. I can help.” he says, putting the coin aside on his dresser.

“You know what?” Luke replies, already back on his desk. “Yeah I think I’d need all the help I can get.” He relents, it hadn’t been something he’s done before, but felt compelled to do so. Besides, he couldn’t get it done anyway, maybe Remy could do it for him.

“Thanks, Remy.” Luke hears Remy whisper on the other side, eliciting a raised eyebrow. He seemed like he was already drifting to sleep, Luke thought, and almost chuckled to himself.

After about a moment of silence, he ends the call and sighs before turning to his work. If only he could sleep now, too, he thought.

8th, November - 12:00:00 NN

Luke couldn’t believe it—Remy finished his draft for him yesterday night and somehow everything worked out brilliantly, even resolving something he hadn’t seen in the earlier draft. Even his agent who gave it a quick skim was impressed, and he made it a point to thank Remy now while he was still on lunch break.

He didn’t feel as satisfied as he used to though, but he shrugged it off as he made his way to the university hospital where Remy was. It was his first time there, though he felt a sense of familiarity with the place. He had called Remy a while ago, who agreed to meet for a few minutes for the good news. He found the man waiting for him outside the entrance, and both briefly embraced each other as greetings.

They hadn’t seen each other in person since the last swap, though Luke felt a little weirded out that he was staring at the face he saw as his own reflection a week prior. Remy felt the same, but he dismissed it as he led Luke to a bench nearby.

“I just wanna say,” Luke starts as soon as they sat down. “I loved how you pulled that ending off. Even Dean liked it.” he adds, mentioning his agent. Remy laughs awkwardly at this, scratching the back of his head the same way Luke did when he gets shy. Curious, Luke thinks.

“Yeah well, it just came to me.” Remy admits, chuckling to himself. “So tell me, how did it go?”

Before Luke could even respond, someone approached them, a college sophomore or a junior from the looks of it, with a clipboard and pen in hand. She walked up to the two of them, and Luke knew before she even started speaking that she was going to ask them to sign a petition or something.

“Hello, gentlemen,” she tells them, already thrusting her clipboard forward. “Can I take a few moments of your time and ask for a signature? I’m doing a survey.” she adds, to which both Luke and Remy reluctantly nodded their heads while she begins to say something about renewable energy.

When she was finished, she asked both of them some questions before handing them both pens so they could sign on them. Remy offered to sign first, and Luke let him. He scanned the other names and signatures on the list while his friend signed on it first.

That was when Remy caught himself. He was halfway through putting his signature on the paper, when he realized something. On the name line was Luke Green, and his signature looked nothing like his. He blinks, before furrowing his eyebrows. It was Luke’s name.

Luke, meanwhile, caught on with it, mouth ajar as he raised an eyebrow at his friend. Remy finishes the signature, and it was exactly the same as Luke’s own. He even got Luke’s handwriting the same on the dot.

The student just looked on, and thanked the both of them after they signed—as if nothing had happened.

“We really need to discuss this,” Remy breaks, to which Luke forcefully nods. “This is getting a little out of hand.”

10:28:09 PM

Luke proposed they use the coin again earlier, but Remy was quick to disagree, not knowing what else could happen the next time they used it. Earlier before they parted ways, Luke had called Vanessa ‘Vanny’, which was something only Remy himself would call her. Remy on the other hand noticed he could barely keep up with his work. It was too weird, and he immediately put in a three-day sick leave to fix everything starting tomorrow.

“Okay if you don’t want to,” Luke said earlier, thinking of a different solution. “Since you’re taking three days off—how about we spend them in each other’s place?” he suggests, earning him a curious glance from Remy.

“I told you, we can’t switch—”

“No, no,” Luke reassured him. “I mean, you stay at my place and I stay at yours. Act like we’re still switched, maybe we’ll get tired of it or something. I don’t know.” he told Remy.

It sounded like a weird idea, stupid even, to Remy. But he did have a point—maybe it was just the lingering feeling of being in each other’s life, he thought. They agreed to do it almost immediately though and met up right after Remy’s shift; and now he was staying at Luke’s apartment while the other man stayed at his.

He felt the sheets and mattress on Luke’s bed surround him with a calming familiarity, something he hadn’t felt in his own bed the past days. Even the smell of the fabric felt like something he’d been accustomed to for years. Remy grins, Luke did have a good idea after all.

Sitting up suddenly, an idea crosses his mind. Remy quickly rifles through Luke’s closet, picking out a few clothes here and there. He felt himself stiffen down the groin, but he ignored it for now as he put on some of Luke’s shirts and boxers. It was an exhilarating feeling—the clothes were a little tight but very familiar, and he relished the feeling of it. It was his, he was Luke this way and he liked the feeling.

“Ah, shit.” he mutters as he looks at himself in the mirror. “Guess I gotta handle it.”

Meanwhile, Luke himself was already having fun back at Remy’s apartment. The first thing he did as soon as he reached his place, was to make himself a cup of coffee and strip, putting on Remy’s used scrubs and taking in the smell of sweat. His next immediate thought was to do his business on the bed, until Vanessa started messaging him. He and Remy switched phones as well, to further simulate the swap.

She was talking to him about a patient she had to deal with today, and Luke found himself knowing what to say at every response she sent, even when the conversation steered towards Michael. Luke felt the same embarrassment Remy had when he thought about the last thing he did after the party. Remy even told him that Michael had been pleasant to him since.

Surprisingly, Vanessa didn’t notice anything amiss at all. It came to Luke naturally, like he had been talking to her for as long as Remy had been, even when their conversation took hours. Though after their conversation, he settled down to take on the warmth in his groin. He was Remy now, even if the scrubs were a little loose.

It was going to be a great long three days, they bought thought that night.

11th, November - 11:53:03 PM

“Your plan was shit.” Remy tells Luke who sat across from him in front of a cafe. At this, he receives a laugh, watching his friend scratch the back of his head. “I liked it though.”

Luke smiles at this, rubbing his neck. “Yeah, I know—and I did too.” He admits sheepishly. “So, what did you think about it?” he adds, staring up at Remy. The other man returns the smile, shoving one hand into his jacket pocket, fishing for something.

“I thought you might agree.” He tells Luke, tilting his head as if waiting for approval. In front of them, he sets the coin down between their half-empty cups of coffee. Luke’s eyes immediately light up at this. “It was your idea, anyway. I guess the plan only made me feel like I’m you more than make me change my mind. It only feels right.”

“Me too. It’s what feels right too.” Luke echoes Remy’s words, putting his finger over the coin and tracing the human skull embossed on the side. “How long this time, though?” he adds, picking the coin up and examining it. He had it in him the whole time while he was in Remy’s body but never thought to use it.

“Well,” Remy smirks, then winks at Luke. “Your call. Doesn’t really have to have a time limit when we’re, y’know, correcting it.”

Luke chuckles at the follow up, taking the coin from his palm and placing it between his fingers the same way Remy did the last time. He looked at his friend, eyes seeking approval again and confirming it. Remy just shrugs, then gives him a nod as he leans back to make space in the center of the table. Luke stretches his hand forward after, shrugging to himself.

“Heads, we switch bodies…” He announces, a little after taking a deep breath. “...permanently.”

12th, November

As soon as the flip came up heads, both Remy and Luke found themselves in each other's bodies, and in that moment, felt themselves ‘corrected’. This time, it included their memories. They were still aware of the switch, though they lived their new lives out like it didn’t happen at all—although with a few changes.

Luke, who was now fully Remy, woke up in the best mood he’s had for a long time, despite knowing that he had a ten-hour shift at the hospital. He didn’t mind it, he thought, it’s all he’s ever known. There was a little change though—the old Remy slept with pyjamas on, but this new him slept without a shirt on, flaunting his form even more than he used to. He grins at himself the moment he stares at himself in the mirror beside his bed, and thinks: “This is me now.”

Remy, who called himself Luke now, woke up late as he felt he always had. He felt rejuvenated from his rest, ready to put himself onto his work and conquer new worlds. Remy immediately smirked at himself at his reflection by the corner, just in his sweatpants. He lets himself flex and stare at himself for a while, already thinking up of ways to spend the day besides writing.

#male transformation #short story #male body switch #male body possession #male to male possession #male body swap #male possession #male tf #mental change #mental shift #scp4127 #malepossession #permanent swap

[messers-moony]

My Everything | S.B

Paring: Sirius Black X Wife!Reader

Summary: When five marauders goes to two within the instance of a day. Two children are left without fathers and a wife is left without a husband.

Request: Sirius Black x Wife!reader reuniting and she's Remus sister

A/N: My first Harry Potter request. I got so excited to see this in my inbox and I hope it isn’t the last :)

Perhaps it was the feeling of betrayal she felt when he was finally gone. The fact that everything he’d ever said was a lie. She couldn’t help but think maybe his vows were a lie too. The five Marauders were now two. Only two left. How did this even happen? 

The unbreakable group of five. James Potter, the so-called leader of them all. The mom friend who always made sure everyone was okay and cared for. Sirius Black, the second in command. The mischievous, charismatic troublemaker who was always in detention. Peter Pettigrew, the outcast of them all. The shy and naive boy who gave them all a sense of logic. Remus Lupin, the intelligent and solace of them all. The only boy smart enough not to get caught. Y/n Lupin, the creative and sneaky one. The only one who could sneak and out of the Potions cabinet without Slughorn noticing. 

Now it was just the Lupin twins who, as Sirius called them, the “Linking Lupins.” It was hard in the beginning. First-year was difficult. All they had was each other. Lyall hadn’t really been accepting in the first place, but Hope was always blissfully unaware of her son's problem. All she knew was that he had to go away once a month. Lyall cursed himself out every night that Remus went away, cursing himself for letting this happen to his son. 

The cries of his baby girl begging for her brother. The wails of Y/n pleading for Remus not to go away. Not wanting to let go of him, hearing Remus from inside the room in the basement begging to be let out. Sobbing, crying for his mum or his dad to let him out, praying that the wolf doesn’t take over. Whimpering at how much it hurts the way his bones dislocate and relocate back together in a new way. 

So yeah, first year was challenging. But Dumbledore had a safe place for him to go every evening of the full moon, and Y/n would be there when he woke up every time. Remus relished in the way her hands felt in his. They were so soft compared to his calloused ones. So gentle compared to his often rough movements. Small compared to big. She was everything he wasn’t, and he was happy about that. 

James Potter was the first to talk to them with his flamboyant nature. His eyes were the lightest of browns with spotted glittering green. His smile was perfect and straight. How could someone’s smile be that way at the ripe age of eleven? Despite his aura screaming, “I’m the popular kid, and you’re the loser,” he was actually quite nice. 

Upon looking at James, the Lupin twins both thought of trouble. They remembered the popular kids from their muggle school before this one, how they used to belittle Remus for his scars and how Y/n used to push them away. So, forgive them for being a little cautious around him. It didn’t help that James’ counterpart was the opposite of them both. 

Sirius Black, lanky and confident. This boy had no boundaries and absolutely no limits. If he wanted it, he was going to get it. His eyes were the purest iron, and his smile was white like quartz. Hair black as coal and personality as gregarious as the color wheel. His style was toned back, but his character could’ve put the color wheel to shame with how bright he was. Sirius Black could’ve been the antonym to Remus and Y/n Lupin. 

During second year they found another boy who was being beaten by Slytherins for his scarlet and golden robes. He was stocky, and it seems that he was pretty timid. His blond hair was disheveled, and his blue eyes full of fright. Y/n had stepped in front of him just like she had Remus from the bullies back in muggle school. Her wand was held tight in her grip as she stared at them. 

“What are you gonna do, Loony Lupin?” One of them snarled. 

“Aguamenti.” 

The Slytherins were now covered in water. Damp like they had all taken a shower with their clothes on. Their black robes turned a shade darker. The evergreen accents turned olive, and the silver turned into grey. The main Slytherin boy gritted his teeth, and his icy eyes stared into Y/n’s e/c ones. 

“You’ll pay for that.”

Y/n pocketed her wand in her robes, smiling sweetly, “I’m sure I will. Now, run along before I do something worse.”

They didn’t want to obey, but they also didn’t want to stay in that situation. The Slytherins scurried off like dogs following their owner's command. Y/n fixed her hair with her hand and turned around. She was offering her soft hand to the boy who was frozen, shocked, staring at her. Hesitantly he gripped her hand, allowing her to pull him up. She was only slightly shorter than him. 

“Y/n Lupin.” She introduced, “You are?”

“Pe- Peter Pettigrew.”

Y/n bowed playfully, “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Peter.” 

“Pleasure.” Peter muttered shyly as her group of friends approached. 

Remus swung an arm around her shoulders, “You’re bloody brilliant, you know?”

“Our star.” Sirius swooned jokingly as Y/n punched his shoulder, causing him to pout, “Who’s this?” James queried, looking at Peter, who cowered under the hazel-eyed gaze. 

“Boys,” Y/n smiled brightly, “This is our new member of the Marauders. Peter Pettigrew.”

Peter fiddled with his hands anxiously, “New- New member?”

“Mhm!” Y/n hummed, “You’re our new addition.”

James smiled, “Any friend of Y/n’s is a friend of ours. Welcome, Peter.”

From then it went from four to five. Peter never really stopped thanking them for letting him in. For the first time, Peter felt at home, and it was thanks to Y/n. He realized how kind she was, how creative she was. It was so strange. The group was so different, like extraordinarily diverse, yet they worked together so well. Y/n and Remus seemed to be the brains of things. James and Sirius seemed to be the trouble makers. Peter just did his own thing but always contributed. 

In fifth year Remus started to worry. Everyone was so secretive. They stopped hanging around as much, even his sister. It hurt. It really hurt to see them seeking around on the map that he and Y/n created together for the most part. It wasn’t until during the winter break did Y/n finally realize what they were doing affected them. 

Remus barely cried. Or at least that’s what people made it out to seem. Remus actually cried a decent amount. He was snuggled up in his room. His blanket encasing him, and his arms held around his pillow tightly, gripping it as if it’d leave him like he felt everyone else was. His heart felt broken. Y/n was outside his door, hearing his soft cries, and gently knocked on the door. 

“Rem. Can I come in, please?”

He didn’t say anything, so she just let herself in. The door closed behind her with a click, and she saw her tall brother curled up into the tightest ball with silver streams on his cheeks. Y/n sat in front of him and rubbed the side of his arm. Remus’ eyes continue to release water like a dam that had been broken. He couldn’t swallow it no matter how hard he tried. 

“What’s wrong, Rem?”

Remus didn’t say anything. He just dug his head deeper into the pillow he was holding. Y/n’s hand made its way to his sandy-colored hair. She was scratching at the scalp and smoothing his hair away from his face keeping the strands from getting wet. Her hand hesitantly reached his cheek and wiped away the tears that kept falling. 

She sighed, “Remus, please.”

“You’re- you’re gon’ leave me, aren’ you.” Remus choked. 

“Leave you?” Y/n questioned softly, afraid if she raised her voice any more, it’d make things worse, “I wouldn’t leave you if I was given a chance, Remmy.”

He sniffled, “You- you haven’ been a- around.”

“I know.” Y/n soothed, caressing his cheek, “But there’s an explanation for it. James, Sirius, Peter, and I have been distant. We know that. But there’s a reason for it. You’ll find out soon.”

Remus’ eyes met his sister's warm e/c ones, “Please don’t leave me.”

“Never.” 

He smiled gently. The corners of his lips barely curled, but she knew it was there. Remus had fallen asleep with his sister's hand in his hair. When she was sure he was sleeping, Y/n left the bedroom, allowing him to sleep peacefully. Then she wrote a letter to James where she knew Sirius was staying too. 

One more week, Y/n thought. One more week of this Mandrake leaf in their mouths until they could be done with this. 

It took another month before it was ready. Before they were ready. They were in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom when they started. James started first. When he turned into a stag, they all began laughing. James turned back, pouting. Sirius turned second into a huge black dog. Y/n smiled and petted his head. 

“Very fitting, Sirius.”

Sirius turned back, letting Peter turn next. He was so tiny that Sirius almost stepped on him. James and Y/n sniggered at their rat friend. Next was Y/n, who turned into a graceful cat. Her fur was black, and her eyes were a striking e/c. James smirked and nudged Sirius. 

“Matching animagus’, eh?”

Sirius scowled, “Cats and dogs don’t match.”

Y/n turned back, “Don’t they?”

“Ready for this full moon?” James asked them all. 

“‘Course!”

“Yep!”

“Can’t wait.”

That full moon was better than them all. Remus had people to join him. There was something that he noticed, though. Every time he’d get close to the cat, the dog would growl and stand in front of her. It was like the dog was protecting what was his. Y/n noticed it too. Every time Remus got close, Sirius stood in front of her, keeping him at a safe distance. 

It wasn’t until a quiet night in the Marauders dorm did Remus finally bring it up, “Sirius.”

“Remus.”

“How long?”

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows, “How long what?”

“You know,” Remus moved his hand in a circular motion for him to continue, “How long have you liked my sister?”

“Woah, Remus.” Sirius stated in shock, “That’s quite the accusation.”

Remus tilted his head, “Is it?”

“Yeah. It is.” Sirius replied, “Y/n is my friend. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“So, you not sleeping with any girls for the past year is just a coincidence?” Remus questioned knowingly, “You staring at her during class and parties is just on accident?”

Sirius’ cheeks went pink, “And it’s definitely a coincidence that you always hug her first after every Quidditch match.”

“Okay, fine, fine.” Sirius confessed, “I like Y/n. I have for a while.”

“So why haven’t you asked her out?”

“Excuse me?”

Remus shrugged, “Why haven’t you asked her out yet? You know she enjoys going to Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks.”

“Mate, have you forgotten we’re talking about your sister?” Sirius asked, “Like your twin sister?”

“I know.” Remus replied, “She likes you too, you know.”

Sirius’ eyes were practically bulging out of his skull. How in the name of Merlin was Remus so calm about this? He said it so casually as if they were talking about the weather. Sirius expected Remus to get angry or throw a book at him. 

“Are you- Are you giving me permission to date your sister?”

“As long as you don’t hurt her, sure.”

Sirius hesitated before asking his next question, “Can you help me do it?”

Remus smirked, “Casanova of Hogwarts can’t ask out Y/n?”

“Please, Remus.” Sirius begged, “I really like her, and I don’t want to fuck this up.”

Remus snorted, “You always fuck things up.”

“That’s why I need you!” 

Remus just smirked triumphantly. 

“Pleaaaseeeeeee.”

“Alright, fine.” Remus relented, “Just be cool about it, yeah? Take her to Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks. She’d enjoy that a lot. Maybe take her to Tomes and Scrolls.”

“You’re a lifesaver!” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Remus rolled his eyes, “Now shut up. ‘M tired.”

The following day Sirius and Y/n did go to Hogsmeade together. She was amazed when they went into Honeydukes together. She picked out some of her favorite sweets and some for Remus since the full moon was a week away. When she went to pay for it, Sirius pushed her hand away, paying for it himself. Y/n wouldn’t stop thanking him. 

Next, they went to Tomes and Scrolls. On any ordinary occasion, Sirius would’ve hated this. Truth be told, he wasn’t really a reader or a book person in general. But for her, he’d do absolutely anything. Y/n picked out some new books and began raving to Sirius about one in particular. So again, Sirius paid for them and told her to find a table in the Three Broomsticks. 

Sirius went to the area where the book she was raving about was found. He grabbed one for himself, planning to read and annotate it for her. Maybe he’d give it to her as a birthday gift or just a random gift. Nonetheless, he knew she’d love it, and Sirius would fall off a cliff if she asked him to. 

Inside he found her sitting with a hot chocolate and a butterbeer for himself. Sirius slid into the booth smiling at her. They talked about everything and anything. Sirius even went as far as to tell her some stuff about his family the other guys didn’t know about. He went on about how he envied Remus and her relationship wanting the same thing with Regulus. 

Sirius told her how he wanted his future to look. How many tattoos he wanted. Where he wanted to live. How many children he wanted. So on and so forth. He was so open and so honest it surprised her. Generally, if someone asked Sirius what he wanted his future to look at, he’d just shrug. Now he was spilling everything to her. 

It didn’t take long after that for them to become official. Remus smiled when she announced it. He was happy for her. Remus could see how happy Sirius made her, and for that, he was grateful that someone could take care of her in his absence. Y/n only wanted that for him too. One day she’d have a family, and Remus wouldn’t be her main priority. That scared her because, for all seventeen years of her life, it was just her and Remus. 

After graduating from Hogwarts, they got married. It wasn’t anything huge, especially with Voldemort on the rise, but it happened. James was Sirius’ best man, and Marlene was Y/n’s maid of honor. Remus walked Y/n down the aisle and gently kissed her cheek before letting her go. Seeing Sirius and Y/n get married made James overjoyed to marry Lily, but that would happen all in due time. 

So what was it that made her feel this way? Was it the betrayal? Was it the dishonesty? Was it the disloyalty? What was it in truth? The moment Sirius was locked away in Azkaban, everything changed. When Remus heard about it, she was his first stop. Inside he saw her with a baby on her lap. Their baby boy, just a year old. He was born only months before Harry. 

Little Perseus Sirius Black. Y/n’s pride and joy. He was everything to her. Remus had walked into the house seeing his broken sister holding her child close to her as he cried. Remus walked in and gently took the child from her arms, allowing her to lean on his shoulder as he held Perseus. The little boy smiled at the familiar face of his uncle. 

“Rem!” 

Remus smiled softly, “Hey, Perseus.”

It took a long time for Y/n to collect herself. Remus had taken a spot in the house since he couldn’t find a place by himself. Y/n worked at the ministry most days, and Remus would take care of her little troublemaker. As Perseus grew, he looked more and more like his mother. The same e/c eyes and h/c hair. The only thing that made him look like a Black was his defined body and facial structure. 

The sharp jawline, the defined nose, the straight cheekbones, the semi-hollow cheeks, and the pointed chin. His features were that of the Noble House of Black, yet he could’ve made his way to look like a Lupin even more. For a while, Y/n worked a lot. She was trying to keep her family afloat. But it wasn’t until Remus said he got a job offer at Hogwarts did she have to stop. Working for her felt like nothing. Every day she was worried about Perseus going to school. Especially with Sirius being out of Azkaban. 

The night that Remus saw Peter Pettigrew on the map, he knew something was wrong and sent Y/n and owl for her to come to Hogwarts. Without hesitation, she did. On the night of that full moon, she was also down in the Shrieking Shack, holding Harry close to her, not wanting him to get hurt. When everything got resolved, she cried. 

Y/n went home that night rethinking everything. A week later, Remus and Perseus returned home. She couldn’t remember holding Percy that tight ever. Y/n was just thankful that he was safe and he was home. That night that Y/n and Remus told Percy what really happened, why his father was never really in the picture. 

A year later is when Perseus finally met his father - well, that he can remember. He was fifteen now, going into his fifth year at Hogwarts when Y/n and Remus took him to Grimmauld Place 12. It felt foreign, and it felt evil. Needless to say, Percy didn’t like the place. Inside, Sirius was waiting for them along with many others. 

When the door opened and shut gently, he knew it was her. For the first time in over twelve years, he’d be allowed with his wife again. The woman he loved and the woman he felt the most solace with. He’d also see the boy that he used to know grown up into a young adult. The young gentleman Sirius always wanted. 

Perseus stood in front of her, Y/n’s hands on his shoulders. Sirius almost chuckled at it. Percy was protecting her even if she didn’t know it herself. He stood in front of her for a reason, to make sure she’d be safe. Sirius stood in front of them, swallowing harshly. 

“Remus, Y/n.” He choked on the last name.

“Good evening Sirius.” Remus greeted politely, “How have you been?”

Sirius shuffled, “I’ve been better.”

Remus hugged him, whispering in his ear, “Don’t fuck this up.”

“Hey, Siri.” Y/n smiled with tears in her eyes, “Hey, love.”

Gently she walked in front of Percy and hugged him tightly. Sirius’ arms went around her waist, and his nose dug into her hair. The scent of her perfume and shampoo calming his nerves slightly. Y/n dug her head into his neck and placed her arms around him. They pulled away and smiled. Gently he kissed her forehead. 

“I’m sorry for believing that you would ever,” She looked down, “You know.”

Sirius picked her chin back up gently, “You have nothing to be sorry for, love.”

Y/n kissed his lips softly. His lips were far from how she remembered. They were no longer soft and tasted of smoke. Instead, they were chapped and tasted of firewhiskey. Perhaps some things never change. Their lips melded together perfectly, just as they did so many years ago. They pulled apart, smiling brightly. She pulled from his embrace to stand by his side. 

“Sirius, this is-“

“Perseus, I know.” 

Perseus smiled nervously; they had the same smile, the same straight smile, “Hi.”

“Hi.”

It was silent for a while as Perseus shuffled, “Are you- are you staying this time?”

“I’d like to.” Sirius replied, “I’m not quite sure the extent of my living abilities, but I’ll be here.”

“I’m- I'm in Slytherin.”

“Okay.”

Perseus looked incredulously, “Okay? That’s all you have to say?” 

“There’s nothing wrong with being in Slytherin.” Sirius stated, “Your heart is in the right place.”

“How would you know?” Percy snapped, “You’ve been gone for most of my life. You don’t know anything about me.”

Sirius quirked an eyebrow, “So you standing in front of your Mather was just a happy accident? You weren’t planning on protecting her. Shall something go wrong?”

Percy looked at the ground, “Someone had to make sure she was safe while you were gone.” 

“That’s not fair.” 

“Life isn’t fair!” Percy yelled, “You left us. You don’t realize how badly you hurt her while you were gone.”

Remus walked back into the corridor to see Y/n frozen staring at her son. Sirius was standing in an argumentative stance. Percy’s eyes were filling with tears of frustration as he stared at the man who abandoned him from the start. 

“You left me. You left mum. You left Remus.” Percy cried, “How did you expect this to go, huh?”

Sirius didn’t say anything, “Did you expect me to be happy?! Did you expect me to hug you and fall into your arms?!” Percy shouted, “Because I’m not. I’m not happy, and I’m not going to fall into your arms and hug you like a naive little boy. My mum deserves better than this bullshit.”

“Enough!” Remus snapped, and Percy froze, “Your father is risking his life to be here right now. To meet you. I get it. I wouldn’t be happy either if my father did what Sirius did. But with things, the way they are right now is holding a grudge really that important?”

“N- No, sir.”

“Percy.” Y/n called, and he stared at her with watery eyes as she approached him, “I get it. You’re angry, you’re upset, but he’s still your father. He wants to be here now.”

“B- But he-“

“I know, my love. He’s going to try and make up for it. You don’t have to trust him right away. You don’t have to say ‘I love you’ right away. He isn’t expecting that.” Y/n wiped the tears from his cheeks, “All he’s expecting is his son. The little boy that he last saw.”

Percy looked down, “I know you aren’t that little boy, and I wish you still were. The little boy that used to make me smile and laugh. The little boy that used to cause mischief around the house driving Remus mad.” 

Sirius smiled, “You’re older now, and that will take some getting used to. I know you don’t remember, but Sirius used to be the only one who could get you to stop crying. He used to hold you all night, sleep with you in the rocking chair.”

“Sirius used to babble nonsense to you while I was at work. He used to take you to the park. Make you laugh by turning into a dog.” Percy sniffled, “Back then, Sirius was your everything, baby.”

Percy hugged his mom tight, “I- I’m scared.”

It was only loud enough for her to hear, “Why, baby?”

“What if- what if he leaves again?”

“He’s not going to.” Y/n moved the hair from his face, “Sirius wouldn’t leave us unless he had to.”

Percy knew what that meant. Sirius wouldn’t leave unless he got killed or died. Percy looked at Sirius’ eyes which were filled with tears from recalling the moments of his past. Y/n smiled reassuringly before Percy allowed himself to hug his father. He was wrapping his arms around his stomach, nuzzling his nose into his chest. 

When they pulled apart, Sirius smiled, “You’re my everything, kiddo.”

#sirius x you #sirius x reader #sirius x y/n #sirius black x reader #sirius black x you #Sirius Black x y/n #sirius black imagine #sirius black #the noble house of black #harry potter fanfiction #Harry Potter #harry potter imagine #james potter x reader #james potter #remus lupin #Remus Lupin x reader #professor lupin #marauders #marauders fluff #marauders imagine #marauders x reader #lightning era #golden trio era

[360iris]

Wanna Be Down (George Weasley x Reader x Fred Weasley)

Warnings: Pure smut! She/her pronouns for the reader! No funny business between the boys I promise! There’s bound to be some typo that I missed, sorry ‘bout that!

Word count: 1,628

Summary: There’s a birthday, a bunny costume and The Twins... What could go wrong?

A/N: This was originally meant to drop on their birthday, April 1st... I’m 28 days late for that but hey, better late than never! It’s been collecting dust for the entire time and I wanted to set it free. I hope someone enjoys it!

“You want me to- to wear a bunny outfit and have the two of you…” You faltered nervously, the words seemed foreign on your tongue.

“-fuck you in it.” Fred finished for you with a wide grin, as if this was the most in the ordinary activity to plan.

The twins wanted to sleep with you? This was the first you’d heard of it, that’s for sure. And though the thought sent waves of excitement through your body, the prospect was daunting.

You’d been friends since diapers, a meager six hours separating your births. And whether the bond that formed later was predetermined by fate, or by pure chance, it was wholly indestructible.

Through the years, the three of you operated perfectly insync. Remaining quite persistently glued at the hip; completing every task deemed worthy enough as an odd unit.

There was an unspoken rule that each of you would make sure that the others felt equally included in activities.

So why should taking your virginity be any different?

“We’ll be twenty in a few hours, Y/N. Don’t you want to kick off the new decade with a bang?” George asked, his face genuine and voice laced with just the right amount of sweetness. He always did know how to persuade you into going along with Fred’s crazy schemes.

“Quite literally in this instance.” Fred added cheekily and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes.

“Both of you have had sex before though. Plenty of times in fact! You told me about it afterwards! In vivid detail at that! Why are you so worried about me now?” Your brows were furrowed, lips turned downwards in a pout.

Sitting criss-cross on your bed, you tugged one of the many pillows on your bed into your lap. Squeezing it tighter when you met their gazes again.

Fred had his hands tucked into his jean pockets, happy as ever. He acted as if it was only a matter of time before he’d get the answer he wanted.

George on the other hand, at least looked like he was having a conversation with you; and not like he was just waiting for you to realize you’d never actually said no to them before. His eyes were soft, assessing your demeanor before approaching your spot at the foot of the bed.

“You know you’re our favorite girl. Don’t you, Y/N?” He questioned and you suddenly felt smaller looking directly up at him. Ginger waves caressing his cheeks and pooling at his shoulders.

“I mean- I suppose.” You replied dumbly.

“Who do we always come back home to?” He asked again, his left hand lifting up from his side to comb through your hair. The pads of his fingers brushing against your cheek as they went.

“Me.” Your answer was hushed, though it was only the three of you in the flat. They’d closed the shop downstairs hours ago.

“And who trails after me as much as she can during the day, practically jumping into my lap the first opportunity she gets?” His voice was getting lower and his gaze remained fixed to you, you tried your best not to squirm.

“M- Me.”

“Lastly, whose the babygirl that slips into my bed at three in the morning because she stays up too late and gets scared?” He was teasing you now, you knew it, but still gave him a reply.

“Me, George.” Both of his hands were cupping your face now, fingertips laced in your hair, you couldn’t look away even if you wanted to.

“So when I ask my favorite girl to put on the outfit I picked out for her, so I can make her feel good on her birthday, what do you think I want to hear back?” A single brow arched as he waited for your answer, ignoring Fred’s quiet “I helped choose it too, y’know.”

Wrapping your fingers around his wrists, you thought about all the times he and Fred had slept with other girls. How deep down you’d wished they’d looked at you the same way.

He allowed you to remove one of his hands, a dark smirk splitting across his face when you’d slowly brought it between your legs. Only coming to a stop when he was cupping your heat.

“I think- I think I’ve been holding out for you.” It was no higher than a whisper, but it’d been the truth nonetheless. He smiled wider at this confession, leaning in and pressing a light kiss on your forehead.

“All the more reason not to disappoint.” He responded, you faintly registered rustling from behind him.

“Y/N, dear?” Fred called.

“Hm?”

“Time to put the outfit on.”

It’d been relatively easy to slip into the get-up. The bodysuit, wrist cuffs and neck piece fitting like a glove.

“When did you get my measurements?” You asked, looking down at yourself.

“Since when have we not had your measurements?” Fred laughed, pulling you onto the bed with him until your back was flush against his chest. Your head comfortably leaning back on his left shoulder.

George following after you, settled for sitting up in front of you, his knees digging into the pink duvet.

“The ears are a nice touch.” He remarked with a pleased smirk. “Don’t you agree, Fred?”

“Absolutely. All white suits her.” He replied matter-a-factly, hands already roaming your torso. Ghosting over your exposed thighs, he hooked a finger under the bikini line of the bodysuit and let it snap back into place. Your hips jutted outwards at the impact.

“Want to hear you ask for it, Y/N.” George was palming your calves, making you feel small again.

“What do you want me to say?” Your brows furrowed curiously at the request, breath hitching when he utilized his grip to pull you further down Fred’s chest. Your ankles eventually hooking against George’s shoulders.

“Want him to play with your little cunt, don’t you baby?” Fred asked from above you, heat rushing to your face at his words.

“Y- Yeah.”

“Then ask, darling.” He grinned at your eyes widening as you met his gaze upside down.

Turning your attention back to George, you absentmindedly bit at the end your thumb nervously. Sure you’d used curse words like anyone else in the world, but the thought of actually asking the twins to fuck you was on a level you’d never thought you’d reach.

“Georgie?” You tried carefully.

“What is it, baby?” He replied softly, a smile playing on his lips, patiently waiting.

“Want- Want you to make me feel good.”

“How?” He prompted, delighting in your fidgeting. Fred however wasn’t feeling as patient, sending a soft smack to your inner thigh.

“Don’t have all day, bunny.” He chided, slowly massaging the site.

“Want your cock, Georgie.” You finally relented, wanting nothing more than to hide your face in your hands, but you feared being spanked again by Fred. 

George rewarded you with a kiss, palming your clit through the material. He swallowed up every whimper that escaped your lips, only answering by expertly thumbing the area faster. 

“Let’s see how wet you are, bun.” Fred whispered, pulling the bodysuit aside to reveal your heat. Running a finger through your folds, he promptly brought it to your mouth. Smirking widely when you began meekly sucking at the digit.

“I’m gonna get you ready, okay sweetheart?” George asked, mouthing at your neck. He didn’t move until you garbled something close to “okay” through Fred’s fingers sadistically pressing down your throat.

Armed with plenty of lube, the first finger sliding into you felt like nothing. By the third, he resorted to distracting you by rubbing your bud to ease the initial stretch. Although nothing could have prepared you for how uncomfortable taking his tip was.

It was a slow process, full of the boys tenderly guiding you to breathe deeply and relax your muscles. With the abundance of their attention focused on outweighing the discomfort with pleasure, eventually the mild pain began to blur around the edges. 

The level of satisfaction that rolled over you when you’d finally reached the hilt was like no other. 

“Good girl.” Fred purred into your hair as George wiped away a stray tear from the corner of your eye. “Took it like a champ, didn’t she, Georgie boy?”

“Sure did, Fred. Squeezing me so nicely too.” He replied smiling proudly.

“Full- So full.” You whimpered blearily, not sure which boy you were grasping for. Each accepted one of your wandering hands, giving them an encouraging squeeze.

“You’re doing so well, babygirl. How about you let me make you feel good now, hm?” George’s voice was gruff as he patiently waited for you to nod back in response.

Soon the discomfort had melted away, leaving only the easy slide of George’s length and the gratification of being engulfed between the loves of your life. 

You promptly got lost in the jumble of mouths, hands and pleasure. 

“Gonna come for us, love?” George asked, holding your hips done to focus his thrusts. 

“Can I- Can I, please? Please let me come!” You whined desperately, unable to distinguish whose hands belonged to who.

“Go ahead, bunny.” George answered and it was all you needed to hear. Your visioned blurred as your toes curled, the only thing you could register was that he was fucking you through it. Fred’s fingers circling your clit didn’t let up until you were pathetically trying to pull at his wrist.

A weak mewl fell from your lips as George pulled out of you spent. Simpering under his praises, you closed your eyes. 

The sudden smack against your face was sobering, leaving you blurrily blinking up at Fred’s eager grin.

“I hope you didn’t think you were off the clock, bun.”

#the weasley twins #the weasley twins x reader #fred weasley x reader #george weasley x reader #fred weasley x reader x george weasley #fred and george #harry potter #harry potter imagine #harry potter smut #harry potter fic #hp #hp fanfic #hp smut #hp imagine

[writer-akihiko]

Could I get the dorm leader’s reactions to a fem!S/O who punched a student because he was being creepy towards her?

Dorm Leaders + MC Punching Someone

Credits to my precious wife The Miss; I have never punched someone and my wife teaches and does self defense and martial arts, so she helped me out greatly. Work is cut for length purposes.

Warnings: creepy behaviour from NPC students, protective behaviour dorm leaders

Malleus Draconia

Malleus knew it was moments after your last class finished, so why were you late?

Sebek quickly noticed his master, and said that the teacher called for you

He wasted no time rushing to the teacher's room, only for it to be empty…

"I have nothing to do with you!"

He heard your voice, rushing to the source. You were in the gardens with another annoying student…

Unknowingly, he gathered his magic at his fingertips, ready to attack

CRACK!

Your lover witnessed you sucker punch that student right in the nose

What was this? That child of man was deadlier than he thought… and the thought thrilled him

The student scurried away, with a bleeding nose and that was when Malleus revealed himself

He watched as his YN shifted to her timid self once more. Maybe she was embarrassed?

"I witnessed all of it," He said. "My little treasure… you're quite the silent fierce type aren't you?"

You accepted Malleus taking you in his arms. You snuggled into his shoulders, knowing no one was there. "Only to people who annoy me. I'd never do that to you."

He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, enjoying this moment with you. "As much as I witnessed how capable you were YN, if those punches ever graze your skin, I might not hesitate to skin them…"

You smacked Malleus playfully. "I swear, I can be safe."

Malleus overall was thrilled every time you showed any display of your strength, although you were quite docile with him so he'd have to sneak around to see you pummel some worthless students

Riddle Rosehearts

He was severely upset that your absence caused his unbirthday party to be delayed

He asked for Ace and Deuce to search for you, but he himself found you near the school labs

Oh, how his blood boiled seeing that it was a Heartsyabul student approaching you…

He was about to approach the student and call him off for his rude remarks, but he didn't expect what was coming next

You punched the much taller student in the stomach, and the student hurled over in pain

"You… You-!"

"I dare you to continue that sentence…" Riddle said, stepping out and standing next to you

He shamelessly brought your knuckles to his lips, "Did you bruise your knuckles my Queen?"

The student tried to run away, but Riddle was quicker to respond

"Off With Your Head."

He would certainly have fun punishing the ignorant student later, but for now he had to tend to you

"I never knew you could do that," He admitted, escorting you back to the location of the unbirthday party. "I'm quite surprised."

You shook your head, feeling a bit shy that Riddle of all people was praising you so. "It's self defense. I'm not one to go around punching people…"

Riddle after having knowledge of your skills wouldn't be afraid to leave you alone, and he'd have his little fantasy of you teaching him some physical defense… With you two being close… He can dream can't he?

Kalim Al-Asim

Kalim had you seated next to him during one of Scarabia's parties, enjoying the festivities

Jamil had come over, asking you to excuse your boyfriend as other guests had arrived and were awaiting the host of the events

Kalim greeted the guests, although his voice was slightly strained since all he could think about was getting back to you

As he let the guests roam around, he took one glance at where you were supposed to be…

And saw the view of someone chatting you up…

Well, as the charismatic host he is, he has to put this student in his place-

CRASH!

The student fell onto a small table of snacks after you punched that student from getting too close

"I said," You poured the remaining of your drink on his head. "I don't want to be bothered."

Kalim's jaw dropped at the entire scene, and in his heart he might've been a little afraid of you

As he turned to Jamil, Jamil shook his head. "I didn't teach her that."

After the other servants cleaned the mess up, Kalim approach you cautiously. Giving you a hug from behind

He was relieved feeling your shoulders relax, but he had to make sure…

"YN… Would you punch me if I ever upset you?"

You quickly faced Kalim, holding his face in your hands, shaking your head. "No I won't. That guy was just being annoying…" You gave him a cheeky peck on his jaw. "And how could I ruin this adorable face?"

Kalim didn't mind you punching whoever annoyed you, but he was very impressed that it had gotten to the point where if someone bothered you, Kalim would be on the sidelines cheering at you

Azul Ashengrotto

As the dorm leader who runs the Mostro Lounge, Azul and the Leech twins would be typically busy with the constant rush of customers

In this instance he was grateful that you were willing to help out with the rush hours

He had you and the twins busy taking orders as he organised his contracts

There shouldn't be any troublesome patrons, or that's what he thought…

"Hey! Pretty waitress, why don't you sit with us? I'll buy you a drink!" Some sleazy customer hollered at you

You tried to ignore the students, continuing your duties. Floyd and Jade were too busy to kick them out, but you thought that they could be dealt with later…

From his view, Azul could only watch in disgust as the student dared to pull you to him

Before the student could put his hands on you, you swiped a clean punch across his face

The moment that happened, Azul couldn't help but laugh

The clique of the knocked out student scrambled out, intimidated by the creepy auras the twins emitted, and the way the Lounge owner's eyes pierced their core

You held your wrist in your hand, shaking off the slight pain. Jade and Floyd quickly escorted you to Azul's office area, and Jade even gave you a pat on the head for a job well done

Azul couldn't help himself from hugging you tight, showering you in praises and kissing your hand even though you insisted you weren't seriously injured

"My Angelfish… I should hire you for the Lounge's security instead," He joked, sitting next to you. "Actually… Do as you like! I get quite entertained with that fiery look in your eyes when you do get a hit or two!"

Long story short, you instead worked closely with Azul as a pseudo-bodyguard

Idia Shroud

Idia enjoyed his quiet time, especially quiet time with you, Ortho and video games

He didn't usually go outside, but he would always walk with you after class since you always calmed his nerves

Sometimes, if he was bold enough, he'd ask to walk hand in hand with you after a school day

At times, you could hear the gossip of some students, particularly about Idia…

On one day, Idia had to meet up with Azul due to club work. You decided to meet up with Ortho while waiting for Idia, since Idia wanted to continue his game's story mode with you

Idia quickly finished his business, but as he exited the room, he couldn't help but eavesdrop an interesting conversation…

"Why don't you hang out with us instead of that shut-in of a dorm leader?"

His attention was on the group of boys talking to you, closing in on you

He was caught off guard as you punched the leader square in the nose

"That's for insulting my boyfriend."

Idia had to admit that he got excited over you being so cool! It's like you're the protagonist that rescues the archmage-

Wait… That means that he's the archmage…

After scaring away the group away, Idia ran up to you, hugging you. His jacket covered you both, as you looked up at Idia…

"YN… Thank you…"

Leona Kingscholar

Leona always invites you to laze around, so when you were late, he got irritated

He was competent enough to memorise your schedule, so he knew where you would most likely be

He made his presence known, although he didn't care about the other students in his way

His ears perked up hearing your voice. Why were you in the labs?

He peaked inside to see some boys corner you. Ah… Some students that don't know their place…

"C'mon! Just one date and then you can go to that lion boy toy of yours!"

Oh… Now he was ticked off…

Before he could make a grand entrance, he heard a thud

The student hurled over in pain, clutching his lower half and gasping for air…

Oh… so the little herbivore punched him there…

He couldn't help but laugh, kicking the door open. You immediately went to his side, huffing away from those rude students

As Leona escorted you to his room, he mischievously called you out on it, "I didn't take you for one to go for the crown jewels… You gotta sanitise your hands before touching my sheets though."

You poked Leona's cheek, stopping him from teasing you, "And you, Leona, I might kick yours instead if you don't stop teasing me!"

You yelped, being carried by him. "No can do YN~"

Vil Schoenheit

Vil wondered why you didn't come find him after classes. You'd usually have some afternoon tea with him

He didn't think you'd skip out on purpose, so he commanded Rook to search for you

He also walked around, asking the students in your year whether they saw you or not

He grew anxious, quickening his pace until he heard your voice-

"I don't have anything to do with you, so stop it!"

He turned the corner, seeing you and your arms crossed and a group of students confronting you

One reached out their hand to you, which you retaliated by punching him square in the jaw

The student fell on his other friends, and Vil decided that this was enough

"Ah… I don't think it was wise to mess with my sweet potato…"

The remaining students scrambled to their feet, fearing the dorm leader's magic

"Scram, won't you?"

Vil didn't need to say it twice. The students disappeared, leaving you with Vil

Vil hugged you, patting your head. "My YN… I'm glad that you can defend yourself, but if you continue to do this, your knuckles will be bruised and I refuse to allow that."

You stood on your toes, pecking him on the cheek. "I appreciate the thought Vil."

#twisted wonderland #twst scenarios #malleus draconia #malleus x reader #riddle rosehearts #riddle x reader #azul ashengrotto #azul x reader #idia shroud #idia x reader #leona kingscholar #leona x reader #kalim al asim #kalim x reader #vil schoenheit #vil x reader #twisted wonderland scenarios

[clouds-rambles]

hey bestie i was hoping to request xiao, venti, childe and zhongli where the the reader and the character have just had an argument + the reader needs time to calm down from the argument. omg maybe the reader comes back with a gift to apologise

Ask and ye shall receive <3. I’m the kind of person who needs time to relax and process the situation after an argument. I’m always too worked up (read angry) to kiss and make up straight after an argument.

Pairings; (Separate) Xiao, Venti, Childe, Zhongli x reader

Warning(s); breif mention of a wound, alcoholism, swearing

Keep reading under the cut!

Xiao

You’re probably being too harsh on the guy

You had just come back from a tough mission with a few more scrapes than you normally come back, a nasty cut in particular situated on your shoulder was what caused the argument to kick off in the first place

In hindsight the argument started from Xiao’s concern of you getting hurt worse but you were too tired from the commission to really read it as concern

But boy now do you feel bad. You both went your separate ways for the evening and in the morning you still haven’t caught sight of your partner. You eventually go around Wangshu Inn and ask if they’ve seen Xiao.

You get told that he’s out for the day, apparently he caught wind of something manifesting in the mountains. So, you suppose that it’s high time to make an apology gift

And what’s a better apology gift than your partners favourite food? Because your arguments are often few and far between you don’t mind making Xiao almond tofu since it’s not something you’ve associated with apologising

Though you’re aware that the sweet snack means nothing if you’re not sincere with your apology. 

So what’s more sincere than sitting at the highest balcony of Wangshu Inn and wait for Xiao. You don’t mind how long it takes for him to come back just as long as you get to apologise

He comes back just after dusk and you pour your apologise profusely and tell him you understand that he was coming from a place of concern

Xiao is a little distant a short while after the apology but soon you’re reassured that he accepts it when he places his hand on the table for you to take hold of

The two of you sit in silence sat hand in hand while Xiao eats his tofu

You watch him eat with a grin on your face, sometimes just watching the Yaksha sit still and do his thing is enough to keep you in a trance for the evening

-

Venti

Maybe you got into an argument because you’re concerned over Venti’s drinking habits, sure he’s an immortal god but doesn’t he worry about his liver?

Sure the argument started because you’re worried about the archon but boy does he make you angry with his non-sensical thought processes

Venti is the kind of guy who wouldn’t let you leave without settling the argument

Even if the happy medium isn’t actually going to bring any change into the questionable drinking habits

But this argument just feels a little different, you’ve had the same conversation form months but nothing seems to change

You’re not even sure if Venti has actually listened to anything you have said to him about it

So you tell him “Do what you want, but you’re sleeping on the sofa tonight” yeah you just resigned him to sofa treatment. As much as you hate it you’re far too heated to just kiss and make up right now

So the night passes and you wake up with the cold space beside you, you’re confused until you remember the previous nights events

Though your unusual silence in the room doesn’t last long, you presume Venti sensed that you’re awake because you hear a knock at your bedroom door, you’re surprised that Venti is actually here and that he hadn’t sulked off to Windrise where you had originally planned to apologise to him

As you open the door you notice your partner stood before you with a bunch of hand picked cecelia's and dandelions and an apologetic look on his face

You’ve never known Venti to speak so fast he apologises profusely for causing you such worry and promises that he’ll try to drink less, he mentions that he doesn’t wish to give up his Friday and Saturday drinking nights but he’s willing to tone it down during the week if it stops you worrying 

You thank him sincerely and find a vase to put the flowers in

You hug Venti and apologise yourself for being such a worry wart and causing such a big argument

“I’m glad I have someone to worry about me, I don’t know what I’d do without you” You can’t help but swoon at his flowery words and grin at him before the two of you start off the day

-

Childe

It’s a bad habit he has, when you try and talk about something serious with him he constantly cracks jokes at the situation. Which in its self isn’t the worse thing in the world, even you crack jokes to lighten the situation but at some points it goes too far

And today is too far, what started off as a disagreement about where you were going to eat lunch ended up in a full scale (mostly one sided) argument in Childes office about how he can’t take things seriously

You, of course, know this to be false. You’ve seen him in action against his foes and bank business but just in this moment when you are so angry about the situation those rational thoughts go out the window

And what does the bastard do? He cracks another fucking joke

“Is this what I am?” you ask finally reaching the catalyst of your temper “A fucking joke?” 

And boy does the exclamation comes to a surprise to him. No matter how frequent your use of curse words you’ve never directed them at him so it catches Childe by even more surprise

“[name] I’m sorry I didn’-” he tries to apologise

“You didn’t fucking what Tartaglia? Want to make me feel like a joke? Cause you’ve been going down that road at every fucking disagreement we have” you cut him off in a fit of rage “Sleep in your own fucking bed tonight” you add before storming out his office

He tried to follow you out the bank before he was stopped by a fatui agent about some urgent debt collection, so he never got to apologise immediately

And that’s how the next couple of days go, you’ve taken most of the time to cool off and avoid anywhere Childe might be hanging about, your plan works better considering said harbinger was out of Liyue Harbour for a couple of days

Though on the third night Childe appears at your door, he doesn’t bring any gifts, just himself. Childe enjoys gifting things to you so he doesn’t want you or him to associate gift giving with apologies. You’re more than thankful for this

Childe apologises before you even have the chance to invite him in and takes your hand and wholeheartedly promises to try and not make jokes when you have a disagreement

You also apologise and agree that, in hindsight, you blew things out of proportion. You reassure him that he’s a hardworking man and that a few out of place jests make everything more bearable to him.

You invite him inside for some tea, your bed isn’t as cold as it was tonight

-

Zhongli

Disagreements with Zhongli never seem to get any further than that. The archon likes to listen to you vent your frustrations over a cup of herbal tea and usually that calms you down and everything is settled before supper

But every once in a while you’re a little high strung. For instance this time you’re running on a total of 5 hours sleep over the last 4 days. Sleep deprivation could possibly be your middle name at this point 

The only thing you want to do when you get back from your restless trip from Mondstat back home is to just sleep the next few years 

But the sweetie that Zhongli is he quizzes you about your great to horrific trip

Zhongli pulls all the stops he readys some dinner for you and draws a bath when you get back. He even gives you a small lecture about how you’ll feel terrible not washing before going to bed

But with your tired ears, eyes and brain it feels like a personal attack in your entire self “I’ve had it up to here with bloody hillichurls for 4 horrific days, all I want to do is pass the living hell out thank you”

Replace the bloodys with fucks and that’s probably more accurate to what you said

Zhongli is taken a little aback, being an older traditional man it’s unbecoming of anyone to use such sailor language. And thus the male lectures you about it

You take that as about as well as you expect, you don’t respond to him and favour walking out the room, barely getting undressed and collapsing on your shared bed

You wake up the next morning (though when you peek outside it seems like it’s after noon) disorientated. You don’t actually remember coming home the previous day 

Then the memory resurfaces of you yelling at your spouse and regret washes over you

Surely the gift you had prepared for Zhongli would be good enough as repercussions of yesterdays outburst

You see Zhongli in the dining room, to the untrained eye he looks like he’s in a normal mood but to you, you can see his brooding emanating off of him. If you dare point it out Zhongli will deny that he even broods in the first place

He’s the first to greet you without turning around. Rightfully so, he’s still in a mood. So you just profusely apologise for your outburst

You explain that you were running on next to no sleep and while that doesn’t excuse your outburst it certainly explains it. If your spouse so wishes to ask how your trip was you would comply much more now since you’ve had a good sleep behind you. 

You then change the subject to the gift in your hands, some rose tea. Something Zhongli had mentioned when you were courting all that time ago. 

The man sits you on his lap and explains to you about how it was out of place of him to assume you’d be in a talking mood immediately after your travels. You reassure him that under normal circumstances you wouldn’t mind talking about it, you promise that you will do everything in your power to not let the previous night repeat

You then bring out his gift, rose tea, which he had mentioned wanting to taste a little while back, and before long you’re back in the cycle of Zhongli profusely explaining to you some random subject (in this instance rose tea) before you go off to make dinner where you finally share the details of your travels

Hope this is okay! <3 I kind of went a little ham with the Childe and Zhongli one in comparison to the other two hope you don’t mind lmao <3

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #reader insert #xiao x reader #genshin xiao x reader #genshin xiao #venti x reader #genshin venti x reader #genshin venti #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #genshin childe x reader #genshin childe #zhongli x reader #genshin zhongli x reader #genshin zhongli

[alluringjae]

it’s a royal order - jjh

⤑ summary: one of your royal campaigns became a success, and your bodyguard jaehyun was there to see it all happen. it’s only fair to celebrate, right?

⤑ pairing: jaehyun x female reader

⤑ word count: 2k

⤑ genre: fluff, suggestive (dirty talk, jaehyun got a daddy kink, superiority complex!!), implied smut | bodyguard!jaehyun, princess!reader, slight enemies to lovers!au, modern royal!au (where south korea remains under monarchial power)

⤑ warnings: mentions of alcohol, drugs, family problems and therapy, explicit language

⤑ playlist: lows by pink sweat$ | céline by gallant | i put a spell on you by iza | nasty by ariana grande | dance for you by beyonce | body by sinead harnett

⤑ author’s note: this is definitely less emotional than all i do is wait! i got this idea from a show i really enjoyed before it got cancelled named the royals. specifically, i really liked the story of eleanor and jasper, which is the whole princess x bodyguard dynamic. the pining and tension, ugh! if you know this show or not, it doesn’t matter. anyways, thank you for the 30+ followers and 200 notes on aidiw! enjoy!

i need holy water because of this piece.

⤑ credits to jeongjaehyuns for the gif above uwu

⤑  leave me some feedback, constructive criticism or hellos!

“On behalf of the royal family, I would like to extend my utmost support for the Anti-School Violence campaign for all students to have a safer and more meaningful learning environment.” You proudly announced to the board of officials alongside other influential individuals in Korean society.

Being the only princess in the current royal line may have its pressures, but holding a strong, direct impact for a brighter future for the people motivated you to take advantage of your platform for the better. As the image of pure innocence and revamped women empowerment, you aimed to accomplish all the things your mother wished she could before her untimely death alongside your personal aspirations.

Expressing genuine joy with the campaign, with a tinge of desire to annoy the old-fashioned and closeminded officials, your prying eyes were more enamored by a certain man in the back clapping by the ballroom doors. You can’t help but act flustered whenever he witnessed you in a state of success and satisfaction.

This man went by the name Jeong Jaehyun, your trusted bodyguard since you were in your early twenties. 3 years later, he still stuck by your side and helped you endure all the darkness as a royal.

Back then, you went through a rebellious phase that was ruining the image of your family. Clubbing almost every night, drugs, skipping school, you even managed to get all assigned bodyguards to quit! The media ate up all your tricks, turning them into scandals. That was the plan, of course. You desired your own freedom from all the royal obligations because you didn’t ask to be born into that lifestyle. To all of your peers who wished to be in your footsteps, you would’ve impulsively passed your title to them. There’s so much deception that lies behind the glitz and glam of it all.

This unexpected change in your former untainted attitude came to the point that your father, the king himself, stepped in and personally assigned one of his men to get you in check. He figured that appointing a guard nearest your age may lessen the tension and mend you back together.

In the start, you absolutely despised him. There was no way to fool him when you were up to no good. He easily found your alcohol and drug stash which he disposed of on the spot and stood by your bedroom door every night so you wouldn’t sneak out past curfew (which your father also strictly implemented).

One big turning point in your relationship was when he rushed you to the royal hospital when you drank a cocktail that went unnoticeably spiked. To think that this was a typical social gathering with other royals and officials, you’re a constant target to many. You didn’t wake up for a few days, and the entire time, Jaehyun willingly stood by your bedside and outside your hospital room.

Since that and more instances your father insisted you get involved in royal affairs, you softened up. As cliché as it was, the more time spent with him, the more you knew about him and vice versa. He was the one that got you to fully open up about your grief towards your late mother, encouraging you to seek help. Turns out you weren’t as different as you thought despite your differing ranks in society when he also had a void for a missing parent. In his case, it was his father, who ditched his family for his mistress. Silently, you helped each other recover from your traumas alongside therapy. From dreading his presence, you started treating him more casually. Your father’s tactic of assigning a bodyguard around your age admittedly worked.

Oh, how time flies.

This campaign was the last thing on your weekend agenda, so you had the entire late afternoon and evening to yourself. Bowing one last time to the audience, you stepped down from the platform and accepted the soft hand of your bodyguard, who quickly made his way to you despite the flashing cameras. It was something he got used to as it is part of the job.

Once he successfully ushered you out of the ballroom, his hand still held yours. Nothing new, except this event was quite public and you didn’t want anyone to get any wrong ideas. Strolling down one of the many hallways in the palace became a pastime for the both of you, where no one can catch you. It was a safe haven within the destructive life of the Park kingdom.

“You did phenomenal as I expected, your highness.” Jaehyun complimented, recalling your panic the night before as the stage fright hit strong when you were reciting your speech to him over and over again.

“We are in private, Jaehyun. Must you really use those formalities with me?” You taunted, bobbing your head sideways mockingly. With him could you felt like a normal young adult, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. Jaehyun loved being frisky with you, catching you get irked up. And he was up to do it again.

“Hmm last time we strolled these halls, Yuta caught us making out after a successful meeting with the Prime Minister.”

You gasped at his statement, conscious of whoever may be in the vicinity. But before you could refute, your hand that was interlocked with his were mightily slammed against the white wall. You lost your breath for a moment, his warm body closely on yours. His free hand freely roamed up and down your covered waist. His lips were dangerously near your neck, where you’re sensitive. Your hips naturally grinded against him to release the pent-up tension.

“Something tells me you want to do it again, princess?” Now he’s just using your title as a pet name, but you couldn’t complain. It just hits differently when the situation was set up like this.

“I deserve it, don’t I? Got a lot of those hell-driven officials on my side for this round.” You raised both your brows cockily, licking your lips.

“Hell yeah, you do.” Finally, he rids of the tension and plants open kisses on your bare neck. Your throaty moans were uncontrollable, and you could care less.

“My princess,”

Kiss.

“So intelligent,”

Kiss.

“So benevolent,”

Kiss.

“So helpful,”

Kiss.

“But,” He changed his pace and direction, swollen lips near your ear.

“But?” You question naïvely. He scoffed, smirking at your antics of playing dumb.

“But a total slut for her bodyguard.” He dominantly planted his lips against yours, one of his veiny hands gripping on your waist and the other by the arch of your butt. He was hungry, needy even. Due to your shared schedules, it’s been a constant struggle to have proper alone time from the snooping eyes of Korean society. After all, it wasn’t in the norm for a princess to fall deep for her bodyguard. Nor were you sure you would be accepted by anyone. Yuta, the bodyguard of your oldest brother, the crowned prince Jinyoung, finding the both of you at that time was a total shock but didn’t care either.

All that mattered was that your feelings towards each other are real and strong. Accepted or not, you had each other.

All this lust put you in a daze, wanting much more than another smooch fest in the hallway. Tugging on his belt, he squeezed your butt tightly. You emitted a moan, which allowed his tongue access. No way could you keep your hands to yourself, touching his upper body and the flexing of his abdominal muscles from his button-up. You felt his now hard member poking through.

Analyzing your area, you were on the other side of the palace. Farther to your bedroom where numerous rendezvouses were made, one kink you’ve considered in the past amplified your mind. Considering this area was also the king’s side, and he was abroad for royal affairs, this was your chance.

“I have an idea, my love. You up for it?” You rose a brow at your lover, challenging him. Not one to overpower this man in bed, but always suggesting a way on how to spice it up.

“And what exactly does your feral brain want to do with me, princess?” His finger lifted your chin so you meet eye to eye. You can just see the fire still burning, and oh how you were ready to intensify it.

“The main ballroom, where my father and late mother’s throne rest, are a few doors away.” Your fingers signal him to lower his stance as his tall height was difficult to reach. With a sneaky smirk,

“Let me ride you in the king’s throne, my love.” Your lips brushed over his and sucked his bottom lip, tugging him by his belt. He groaned, squeezing your butt. “It’s a royal order.”  

“Nasty, your highness. Insanely nasty, you are.” His hands hoisted your waist, boosting you up in his arms. You gasped with profanities, ravenously cut off by his lips again. His nails digging deep in your bare thighs, your legs naturally linked themselves around his torso while your arms passionately intertwined his broad neck.

In between kisses, he carried you to the said main ballroom. One of your wildest imaginations, just a second away. This room remained to be the only place without any guards stationed technological advancements or updated interior designs to preserve its traditional beauty. Dated as far as the 19th century, only special events were held and the highest of the high were allowed inside. Spacious, surrounded by gold linings majestic paintings of angels from above with a huge crystal chandelier right above the center. Right ahead, the original thrones that your ancestors, grandparents, and parents sat on when they were throned in its pure glory.

Pushing your lover on the king’s throne, the gold sun-like rays plastered behind the headrest, he cockily leaned back and manspread his legs for comfort. He rubbed his hands before patting his thigh, waiting for your submission. But you weren’t going to give in just yet.

Not when you prepared a mini-show just for him underneath your designer silk dress.

Jaehyun’s solemn eyes marveled over your gorgeous figure as you stripped down one strap after the other. Due to its silk fabric, it effortlessly dropped down to your figure to reveal a new set of black lace lingerie from your previous trip to Paris. Ages ago, Jaehyun unhesitatingly ripped your favorite ones during his birthday, so you decided to get a mature version of it. A version where your bra lifted your breasts more and undies hiked up to your waist to elongate your legs. Only for the eyes of yourself and the man in front of you, establishing that you were a powerful woman who can be absolutely anyone she can be. Princess, a normal young adult, or his slut, it’s up to you how you see yourself.

Jaehyun mumbled all the profanities he could think of at the moment. Looking like a divine angel when the sun from outside shuns behind you, his slacks tightening so much more than a while ago.

“All this for me?” He ogled shamelessly, undoing the buttons of his dress shirt and untying his necktie. “What did I do to deserve such regal treatment?”

You sneered at his comment, stepping out your dress in your heels and stationing right in front of his luring lap. “You’ve always been there for me, thick and thin. I think you deserve a reward, don’t you think?”

Lowering yourself to straddle him, his breath hissed when your damp core collided with his crotch. Distracted and caught in your trap, “I don’t think you answered my question, my love.”

Rather than a verbal response, he roughly pulled you back in for a kiss. His hands scattered to explore from your back down to your waist. Your hands messily ran through his hair, tugging on some when your body got too sensitive to his wild touches. The thrilling sounds of the two of you drowning in your fiery romance bounced throughout the ballroom, not minding if anyone passed by the hallways outside. It was a private room after all, and whatever happens here, stays here.

Rolling on his crotch while his lips trailed down to your collarbones, the quick snap of your bra wires echoed. The tight lift lessened as Jaehyun’s fingers dropped the straps, unveiling your bare chest covered in his marks.

“Enough playing, princess. Let daddy have some real fun with you.”

#bye im descending #nct #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct fluff #nct smut #nct x reader #nct 127 #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 smut #nct 127 x reader #jaehyun #jeong jaehyun #jung jaehyun #nct jaehyun #jaehyun x reader #nct jaehyun x reader #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun smut #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines

[asweetprologue]

me lámh le do lámh - Part I

Ahh I can’t believe it’s finally done! After a year of working on this beast, it’s finally ready for me to share. This is something I started way back last summer, and I decided to finish it as my project for this year’s @geraskierbigbang. It will be ten parts in total, and I will post one part per day until it is complete! There are several art pieces that were created by the wonderful @herostag​ and Miranda.draws for this story, which I will link when the appropriate section is posted. For a summary and further links, please see the masterpost.

Next | Ao3 | Masterpost

“Alright,” Geralt said. “Don’t laugh at me.”

Yennefer looked up at him with bright eyes, curious and already mirthful. She was sitting across from him in his quarters, reading through a tome she’d found in Kaer Morhen’s disheveled library. Geralt had just come from a bath after hours spent training Ciri in the yard, and the room was filled with the warm evening light, supplemented by the fire crackling in the hearth. Yennefer had insisted on carting dozens of tapestries and drapes to hang around the drafty keep, and the room was nearly stuffy with their bulk keeping the heat in.

Yennefer gave him an amused smirk. “I will make no such promises before I even know what you’re going to say.” The gentle teasing brought a fond smile to Geralt’s face. After the events of the mountain all those years ago, things had been understandably tense. Yennefer had been reluctant to join them when she had finally met up with Geralt after Sodden, but had eventually agreed to seek refuge in the witchers’ keep and teach Ciri to control her magic. Once she’d met the girl it had all been a wash; it was clear as soon as their eyes met across the room that Yennefer was as much a part of Ciri’s destiny as Geralt was.

Geralt had expected that to either mend the rift between them enough for things to go back to the way things were, or make things even more awkward. Instead, they found themselves in a sort of in-between. Over the years his affection for Yennefer had only grown, but he found himself looking to her more and more as a friend—maybe his best friend. After Jaskier, of course.

Speaking of. “I was thinking about Jaskier.”

Yennefer rolled her eyes obviously. “As you are so frequently wont to do. The thaw will come soon enough, dear, and you can run off in search of your bard.”

Geralt felt his ears grow warm. Witchers couldn’t blush, not truly, but he still felt the tingle of it as he fidgeted with embarrassment. “That’s not what I meant,” he said, absently tracing a finger against the grain of the wooden table. There were two goblets of wine sitting between them, but so far neither of them had begun to drink. “Do you know how many winters it’s been since I found Ciri?”

If she was confused by the odd turn in subject matter, Yennefer didn’t show it. Instead she looked thoughtful. “Two, perhaps three? You know I don’t follow the seasons with diligence.”

“Neither do I,” Geralt agreed. “I was thinking the same though, two or three years since the fall of Cintra. Which means Jaskier is…” He paused, trying to do the math. “He was a few years past forty, during the dragon hunt, I think. He must be closer to fifty now than not.”

Yennefer raised an eyebrow at him. “I recall mentioning something about his crows feet. What of it? Humans age. Are you only just discovering this?”

Geralt forced himself not to grumble. In a way, he was only discovering it. He’d known humans across the years, of course, and knew that many that he’d once been acquainted with were no longer alive or were in their twilight years. For decades Geralt had wandered through the world, changing no more than a ghost would, touching the lives of regular mortals for a brief instance, maybe a few times if they were particularly unlucky. No one had stayed by his side, dedicated themselves to a relationship with him, the way that the bard had. The amount of devotion that Jaskier showed to him had made Geralt antsy, in earlier years, and then confused and angry by turn. He had hated the idea of someone needing him, had hated needing someone in return. The way his chest felt heavy when he and Jaskier parted ways had left him furious with himself and the bard.

And then Ciri came into his life, and everything had changed so quickly.

With Ciri, it didn’t matter whether Geralt felt like he should care for her, or if he wanted to. He needed to. Without him, the girl would die, or be kidnapped by Nilfgaard for who knows what purpose. He had to feed her, and clothe her, and teach her, and he had to love her for her to thrive.

She made it very easy. It was only afterwards that he realized how much of an idiot he’d been to Jaskier, and the thought of how he’d treated the bard over the years had plagued him. It had been months before he could find him to apologize, but Jaskier forgave him almost immediately—which Geralt found both relieving and infuriating at the same time. This was the first winter they’d spent apart since. Geralt left the keep more rarely now, heading out on the Path only when the months grew truly warm and returning at the first hint of falling leaves. Ciri was safe on her own, he knew, but he missed her when he was away. And he could admit now that one of the forces driving him back into the world over the last few years had been the itching desire to find Jaskier again and settle the yearning in his chest for another year. He was less inclined to venture forth when his bard, his daughter, Yennefer and his brothers were all in one place.

This winter Jaskier had begged off, saying that he had “work in the south,” which could mean anything from spending a decadent winter in the court of some noble or sludging through the front lines as a Redanian spy. Geralt had learned not to pry too deeply into Jaskier’s business when he wasn’t around. It was often either too explicit for him to stomach or too confidential for Jaskier to share freely.

It worried him, being away from the bard for so long. He could get hurt, or captured by Nilfgaard, or worse. But what really terrified Geralt was the idea that he would find Jaskier in a tavern along the Path and realize that the bard had grown old, to find silver in his hair and wrinkles beside his eyes. “He’s getting too old,” Geralt said to Yennefer, who looked at him with sympathetic eyes.

“You must have known when you started travelling with him that he would eventually leave you,” Yennefer said, not unkindly. “Humans are so short lived.”

“I didn’t exactly get a choice about becoming his muse,” Geralt said with a huff. Despite his improved relationship with Jaskier over the past few years, he still found it difficult to admit that he had always been more than willing to let the bard tag along. If he’d wanted to travel alone, he would have. But he never had. “I just didn’t realize…”

“It always comes sooner than you think it will,” Yennefer sighed. She set her book aside and picked up her goblet of wine, turning to look out the large window their table sat in front of. It faced west out of the keep wall, towards the mountains and the forest beyond. The sun had set below the craggy peaks, throwing the snow covered valley below into darkness. Geralt could just make out the ruins of the old tower, its stones dark against the white landscape. “You can’t cure his mortality, Geralt.”

“We did.”

The look that Yennefer gave him was sharp, almost angry. The firelight in the room turned her violet eyes darker, like mulberry wine. “At great cost,” she snapped. “I can’t imagine you would put him through the Trials.”

A stab of panic shot through his gut at the thought. “No. Of course not. He wouldn’t survive it anyways. Only children stand a chance at all.”

Yennefer nodded, apparently satisfied that Geralt hadn’t completely lost his mind. “The boy hasn’t got an ounce of Chaos in him, in spite of his rather chaotic nature, so I highly doubt they’ll accept him as a late trainee at Ban Ard.”

“There must be other ways,” Geralt said, feeling petulant. “Less conventional.”

“I cannot believe we are actually discussing this,” Yennefer said, rising to her feet. She picked up her book from the table as well as her glass. “There is no way to achieve immortality, especially not without sacrifice. You know that, Geralt. Drop this foolish line of thought.”

Geralt rose after her, reaching out to catch her retreating wrist. A grasp loose enough that she could break it, if she wanted, but Yennefer paused. “Please, Yen. Just… look into it for me? I can’t—the thought of—” He cut himself off, dropping his hand away from her arm. The look she gave him was more pitying than he would have liked.

“I’ll do some research, but nothing more. Don’t get your hopes up, Geralt. There’s a reason there are so few of us,” she said. Her face softened slightly, as much as it ever did. Despite Ciri, Yennefer was still made of more glass and fire than anything else. “I know you love him, even if you can’t admit it to yourself. I promise, I will do my best.”

Geralt nodded wordlessly as she left and wondered if Jaskier's eyes would be as bright next time he saw him.

*

For weeks Yennefer said nothing about his request, and Geralt refocused on spending time with Ciri and preparing to depart for the spring. Lambert and Eskel had already left a month before, as soon as the road down the mountain began to thaw, but Geralt had hung back. The roof needed repairs, a difficult job to do in the midst of winter, and it was a hard task to leave for Vesemir alone. It was always like this, now—him looking for odd jobs to keep him at Kaer Morhen, with Ciri, making excuses until Jaskier’s jitteriness or Vesemir’s raised eyebrows forced them on the road again. Some of that was mitigated this season by the silence he heard when he found himself listening for the sounds of lute strings strumming gently in the background, and Geralt’s increasing anxiety about Jaskier’s wellbeing. Even so, it was hard to leave Ciri behind.

The girl was progressing rapidly as she entered her teen years, the chubbiness of her youth morphing into lean if awkward muscle as she continued to work on her swordsmanship. When Geralt and his brothers weren’t pushing her through drills, she was studying monsters and alchemy with Vesemir, or practicing her magic with Yen. She never seemed to tire, eagerly absorbing any lessons passed on to her and desperate to prove her worth. The only person she seemed to let her guard down around was Geralt, who found himself often goading her into mock wrestling matches (which he refused to throw on principle) and humoring her when she became restless and wanted to explore beyond the keep. Kaer Morhen was dangerous in the winter, but as spring approached and the deep snows on the surrounding mountains began to thaw, the duo spent more and more time trekking through old ruins and sleeping beneath the stars.

He could put off his journey south no longer.

“I’m going to be fine, Geralt,” she said, rolling her eyes at him. He wondered if he’d been this petulant as a teenager. Certainly Lambert had. “I can take care of myself, and Yen will be with me.”

Geralt tapped her wooden training sword with his own, indicating that she should prepare to go again. When he was a boy he’d trained against the other foundlings, stumbling around like pups through drills and sparring matches. Ciri trained against full witchers, and only Eskel ever faked a misstep here or there to allow her to get in a good hit. When she won a fight for the first time, it would be on her own merit.

The girl raised her sword into a decent fighting stance, and Geralt moved to correct her footwork. Her sword work was exceptional above the belt, but she consistently forgot her stances, throwing herself off balance. They’d begun putting her on the pendulums to force her to focus, dancing between posts to attack the dummies. Geralt had spent many a night rubbing salve into her bruised shoulders, gained from taking fall after fall from the low poles. No one forced her, but if there was one thing Ciri hated, it was admitting to weakness in herself. “Sword up,” Geralt said, and launched into his attack.

He stayed on the offense, forcing her to practice the defensive drills they’d started going over recently. “I know you’ll be fine,” he said, continuing their conversation. His breathing was relaxed, almost meditative through the slow exchange of blows. “Just seems cruel to leave you with only the old man and Yennefer for company.”

Ciri giggled despite herself, and Geralt found himself grinning back before he smacked her lightly in the ribs with the training sword. She swore—Lambert, Geralt thought with chagrin—and danced back a few paces. “Gotta focus,” he said, still smirking at her.

She poked her tongue out at him childishly and reposted off of one of his blocked attacks. He easily swayed out of the way, but the movement was fluid and smooth, which meant someday it would be fast, faster than he could dodge. He gave an encouraging nod.

They continued to spar for another half an hour or so before breaking, heading to the well to fill their water pouches. Geralt sat on the short ring of stones and Ciri slumped on the ground beside him, leaning against his leg. The simple trust and familiarity she exhibited around him still took him by surprise, sometimes. “I’m leaving tomorrow,” he said, rubbing a hand over the top of her head. Her hair was almost as white as his.

She sighed, wiping dripping water from her chin as she tossed her water pouch down. “I figured,” she said. “Say hello to Jaskier for me, when you find him? I missed his songs this time.”

Geralt’s caress turned into a playful ruffle. “I will. Any requests for books?”

“Ones about Elves,” she said immediately, “and Skelligan alchemy. It’s different from ours, did you know? The Druids—”

Geralt chuckled. “I know. You’ve said half a dozen times. No fairytales this time?”

The girl hummed, reminding him for a brief and touching moment of himself. “Just bring Jaskier back. He tells about your adventures so much better than you do.”

“He’s certainly made a career out of it,” Geralt grumbled, feigning annoyance. “I’ll do my best. You know how he is.”

“You missed him too,” she said, hitting his knee with one closed fist. “I know you did. You get all…Well, more grumbly and mopey than usual, when he’s not around.” She wrinkled her nose up at him in exaggerated disgust. “It’s gross. But I do want you to be happy.”

Geralt knocked back against her gently with his knee, swallowing around the feelings that rose in his throat. “You just think I’m a boring old man who won’t help you put toads in Eskel’s bed. But you never even ask. I’m the expert, not Jaskier.”

Ciri laughed, bright and crisp in the morning air, and Geralt felt warm despite the fading winter chill. Tomorrow he would leave, and he would find Jaskier, and next winter he would tell Jaskier that he had to stay at Kaer Morhen. For Ciri, if nothing else. And if it was more for Geralt’s sake than anything, well, no one had to know.

*

Yennefer found him before he left, saddling Roach in the stables.

“Go to Triss,” she said by way of a greeting. Geralt knew what she meant by the gravity in her tone and the tension sitting in the corners of her mouth. “Ask after Ida. I don’t know where she is or if she’ll speak with you, but a Sage is the only one that might be able to give you anything.”

Geralt reached out to grasp her hand firmly in his own. “Thank you, Yen,” he said honestly.

The sorceress sniffed. “Well, you owe me one, I suppose. I hope you find what you're looking for. But be careful.”

“I won’t do anything that might put him in harm’s way,” he promised. “I swear it.”

“Good.” She gave him a slight smile before leaning in to brush a kiss over his rough cheek. The simple touch warmed him from inside out. “Say hello to the bard for me. Tell him I heard about that disastrous competition in Vizima. Ought to have him stewing for a good long while.”

Geralt rolled his eyes. “I’ll give him your love as always.”

“Goodbye, Geralt,” she said, patting his arm lightly. “Be safe. You know how to reach me, if you have need.”

“I do,” he said. “I will. Take care of Ciri.”

“It’s more the other way around, I’m afraid,” she said with a soft smile, and Geralt understood exactly what she meant. Ciri had saved them both, in more ways than one. Every time he left her was more painful than the last. Someday, he knew, they might travel the Path together, a witcher, a sorceress and their daughter. Maybe even a bard, if he was extremely lucky.

Geralt hoped he would be.

#geraskier #geralt x jaskier #geraltxjaskier #geralt/jaskier #geralt of rivia #jaskier #big bang #geraskier big bang 2021 #multichapter #fic #fanfic #the witcher #witcher #writing #my work #geraskierbigbang #me lamh

[uvobreakmylegs]

Right Place, Right Time

wanted to write something with a little more humor in it but there’s still dark shit because phantom troupe

Warnings: mentions of death

“There's trouble, boss.”

Phinks' voice cut through the chatter of the busy casino. Chrollo didn't look up at first, relaying a few more instructions to Shalnark via text. 'Trouble' wasn't unexpected; as much as Chrollo could plan ahead, human nature could be unpredictable and would usually cause a few bumps in the road when it came to their heists.

“What sort of trouble?” Chrollo asked as he pocketed the cellphone.

“A Zoldyck.”

Ah.... That was a bit more trouble than usual.

Chrollo's gaze followed that of Phinks and Shizuku. Looking down at them from a second balcony stood Illumi, his face devoid of emotion as the black void within his eyes took in the group.

The second Chrollo made eye contact with him, Illumi gestured to his left with a sharp jerk of his head before walking off in the same direction.

“Does he want to fight away from the guests?” Shizuku asked.

“Maybe,” said Chrollo. He began to walk in the direction Illumi had gone, signaling for Shizuku and Phinks to follow. The three of them walked up one of the staircases located to the side. Phinks pulled on the collar of his suit every so often, while Shizuku walked slightly slower due to the heels that she wasn't used to wearing. But Chrollo could sense that the two were anticipating a fight (Phinks likely ready to use it as an excuse to get out of the fancy suit he hated so much).

“But it may not come to a fight with him,” Chrollo told them.

“Don't the Zoldycks hate us?” Phinks asked.

“Silva hates me specifically,” Chrollo corrected, “but Illumi can be reasoned with.”

Phinks snorted a bit at that, but didn't say anything else. Shizuku then asked what Silva Zoldyck had done to the troupe, to which Phinks gave a brief summary of the incident that had happened years prior. A very brief summary, but he knew there was no point in getting into details since Shizuku would forget almost immediately; this wasn't even the first time she had asked.

Perhaps he should have expected that one of the Zoldycks would be present – it was the opening night for this particular high-end gambling hall. But with how stingy the owner had been rumored to be, he would have thought that the price of a Zoldyck assassin as a security guard would have been more than she was willing to spend.

If it was Zeno or Silva there would be no chance of ending things amicably: Zeno was dedicated to his work and wouldn't be moved by a bribe or any words that Chrollo could offer. And Chrollo and Silva shared a very mutual hatred of one another, so a fight would have been inevitable in that case.

But Illumi, while also just as dedicated to his family as his father and grandfather, could be convinced to stand down if Chrollo could name a good enough price and ensure that the Zoldyck name wouldn't be tarnished in any way. The Zoldycks successfully completed every job they took on, but they couldn't be held accountable if their client terminated the contract before they could complete it. It had happened once before, in an instance where a man had hired Illumi to assassinate Pakunoda. Illumi agreed to hold off on going through with the hit for a short while in exchange for twice the amount the man had paid him for and to allow the troupe the time needed to get to the client and release him from the contract.

Though it would be nicer to just get to Illumi's client and kill her off, there was no chance Illumi would allow them to do that while still under his contract. And Illumi would be happier if he was able to leave with twice the amount of jenny he had been promised.

Illumi was waiting at the end of a hall that had fewer people in it, pointedly looking at him before entering into what looked to be a darkened room. Chrollo pulled out his phone to text an order for the troupe to wait as he spoke to Phinks and Shizuku.

“You two wait out here,” he ordered.

Phinks looked as though he wanted to question him on that, but he held his tongue, crossing his arms as he gave a sharp nod in acknowledgment. If Shizuku felt that his actions were questionable, she didn't betray that fact to him.

Leaving the two of them behind, Chrollo made his way to the door Illumi had entered and pulled it open.

This room was darker than the rest of the casino, and without the electric lights that brightened the building and the bodies of the customers that increased the temperature with their own body heat, it was much cooler in the room as well.

It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light, but when they did, he saw that Illumi was leaning against a smaller circular table, toying with one of his needles as he watched Chrollo enter.

“I thought you didn't like the body-guarding jobs,” Chrollo said as the door behind him slowly swung shut.

“I owed my brother for his assistance on my last assignment,” Illumi explained, “so I'm filling in for him.”

Chrollo nodded, though he didn't particularly care all that much. Whatever the reason, the presence of a Zoldyck would hinder things. Best to get straight to the point.

“How much are you being paid for this job?” Chrollo asked.

Illumi's eyebrows raised slightly.

“You think you can pay me off?”

“It worked once before.”

“So it did,” Illumi conceded, “but it would start to look suspicious if I accepted your offer too many times, no? It would be a problem if people thought the Zoldycks could be bought out. Our reputation is everything.”

“Well, you can't help it if your client decides that your services aren't needed and lets you go, now can you?”

“Another inexplicable 'termination' with a job that involved the Phantom Troupe?” Illumi asked, “father was annoyed that I did that last time, though he was more annoyed that I took the job in the first place.”

Illumi sighed.

“But again, doing that too often would look strange, and I will not do anything to harm our business reputation.”

“Very few people knew about the previous hit on Pakunoda,” said Chrollo, “there would be few who would notice a particular pattern, and I think the two of us are both inclined to avoid an unnecessary fight if possible.”

“True. Killing you and the rest of your group would take some time. And it wouldn't be worth the amount that woman is offering. Really, she's low-balling us. I don't know what Milluki was thinking when he took this job. Didn't even make her pay upfront.”

“Then we can come to an agreement?” Chrollo asked.

Illumi closed his eyes in thought, his fingers still twirling around that needle. He was considering it.

Chrollo waited in silence. Trying to push Illumi to do one thing was unproductive and could possibly make him decide to fight after all, though he was certain that Illumi was already willing to take him up on the offer since the assassin hadn't sent his needles flying the second Chrollo walked in. Pulling out his phone, Chrollo checked the time: 8:54 PM. He had planned for this particular operation to begin at 9:15. The owner was part of a group that had begun to throttle the livelihood of Meteor City, and tonight she was the host of a party for that group that was taking place in the upper floors while celebrating the successful opening night of her casino. The main purpose was to send a message: kill the group and anyone else in the building so the rest of the world knew not to interfere with the business of his Meteor City. Whatever valuables they collected would just be bonuses for the troupe to divide amongst themselves.

Though Chrollo rarely went back to the city these days, it was beneficial for him if the city still existed. And though he would never admit it out loud, there was of that sentimental feeling of wanting to protect his old home, as harsh and cruel as it had been for him growing up.

Illumi opened his eyes and looked to Chrollo.

“3 billion and I'll leave.”

“That's quite a lot,” said Chrollo, “much more than I paid last time. Why such a steep increase?”

“So it's worth my while.”

Chrollo mulled it for a bit, checking his phone again: 8:57. He certainly had the funds to pay Illumi's price, but it did feel like he was being somewhat taken advantage of in this case. Still keeping an eye on Illumi, Chrollo couldn't help but notice that the assassin seemed to have something else on his mind that he was considering. Then, like he had come to a decision, he sat up a bit straighter as he addressed Chrollo again.

“There's one more thing,” Illumi said.

“Something more than 3 billion jenny, Illumi?”

“Just some time; give me four minutes before you start.”

Chrollo hummed. Illumi didn't need that much time to vacate a building like this. Was it an attempt to set some kind of trap? No, that was unlikely. It would be far too obvious and Illumi wouldn't go to such lengths unless he was being paid to do so. Still, he couldn't help but be a little curious as to what Illumi would need that time for.

“Why four minutes?”

“Personal reasons.”

Ah. He should have sensed something like that would be the answer.

“A lot can happen in even a single minute, Illumi. And you want four?”

“Four minutes is unreasonable?”

“Not enough to end this deal, but I may want you to lower your price a bit.”

“Are you trying to haggle with me?”

Illumi frowned a little when Chrollo smiled at him.

“Maybe just by 60 million or so,” Chrollo said.

“So you'd rather pay two billion, nine hundred and forty million?” Illumi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It's still more than you'll get if you keep your current contract, correct?”

Chrollo saw the corners of Illumi's mouth turn upwards ever so slightly, a small smirk on his face as he closed his eyes again and considered the offer.

“That's true. Even taking that out I'd still be much better off.”

Chrollo checked the time and found it to be 9:01 PM. If Illumi came to a decision soon the troupe's operation could still go as planned.

“Very well,” Illumi said after a moment of thought, “transfer me the money first.”

With a nod, Chrollo accessed one of his bank accounts through his phone, bringing up the necessary amount and transferring it to the account number Illumi gave him. Within a few minutes, the transaction was completed. Illumi seemed rather pleased with himself, Chrollo noted.

“Perhaps you should stay in here for a moment,” Chrollo said, “Shalnark is upstairs. I can order him to take control of the owner and have her officially fire you. Then there won't be any issues with your family, correct?”

“That won't be necessary,” Illumi answered.

“Oh?”

“I got fired before you got here.”

“..... Excuse me?”

There was a flat tone to Chrollo's voice that made Illumi chuckle as the latter continued “that woman felt like she was wasting her money, but she was pressured to hire one of the Zoldycks at the behest of her guests. Seems to me like she was looking for an excuse to get out of paying the full fee. Apparently I was 'unprofessional'. But I'm glad I caught sight of you, otherwise this evening would have been more of a loss for me.”

Chrollo said nothing at first. Illumi had been careful with his wording, Chrollo realized, and it hadn't occurred to him to ask if Illumi was still under contract.

The funds weren't that important to Chrollo, but he couldn't help but feel rather miffed. Had he known that the assassin was currently out of a job, there wouldn't have been a reason to pay a higher price than normal; Illumi would have been left between going home empty-handed or with whatever Chrollo would have been willing to give him.

But then again, how could he have anticipated that a Zoldyck would have gotten fired?

Realizing that he had been played, Chrollo checked his phone again: 9:07. At least they'd still be able to start on time.

“Your four minutes start now,” he said.

Nodding, Illumi stood from where he'd been leaning against the table. He made his way through the room, past Chrollo and to the door that lead to the hall where Phinks and Shizuku waited.

“Perhaps you could humor me,” Chrollo said as he walked by, “it shouldn't take you four minutes to exit a place like this. What exactly are those personal reasons?”

Illumi chuckled a bit as he placed his hand on the knob.

“I suppose you can see for yourself if you decide to watch me leave.”

With that, Illumi left, the door swinging shut.

Standing alone in the dark room, Chrollo wasn't sure what to make of Illumi's behavior. He was used to the assassin being more straight-forward. He was secretive, yes, but there was something about the way he had acted just now that seemed a bit more.... Playful.

Illumi and Hisoka had known each other before Chrollo had met the long-haired man, and the two had seemed like they were in frequent contact. Perhaps, Chrollo mused, some of Hisoka's less-than-ideal qualities were rubbing off on Illumi.

Phinks and Shizuku approached him immediately after he also exited the room.

“It looked like he was leaving,” Shizuku said, “were you able to talk him down?”

“Yes. It was more expensive than it needed to be, but he'll be leaving shortly,” Chrollo answered as he nodded at her.

“He required four minutes before we began, so we'll be able to stay on schedule,” he continued as he looked at his phone again. 9:08.

The two spiders nodded (though Phinks seemed somewhat disappointed to not have a chance to fight Illumi) and Chrollo updated the rest of the troupe. The three of them slowly began to walk back to the main hall before coming to a stop at one of the balcony's. Below them the crowd had only managed to have grow larger as more people had entered to try their luck in the new gambling hall. For the majority of the crowd it seemed to be more of a pastime as they looked more well-to-do, but there were a few individuals who already appeared to be reaching a point of desperation, sweating nervously while they looked to the indifferent dealers.

A grand clock at the top of the hall showed the time to be nearing 9:10, and they had yet to see Illumi leave the building.

“Why did he want four minutes?” Shizuku asked.

“He wouldn't say,” Chrollo answered her.

“Hm. I wonder what it was,” Shizuku said.

“It seems he wanted to collect some woman before we got started,” Phinks suddenly said.

“Huh?”

Both Chrollo and Shizuku looked to where Phinks was looking. Within the crowd they saw Illumi walking through, accompanied by you. He held your hand as he lead you through the throng of guests, and you were giggling at something he had said while you intertwined your fingers with his. Illumi smiled back at you as he continued to pull you forward.

It was not a sight Chrollo had anticipated, nor was he expecting to see the darkened marks on your neck when he squinted. Marks that could've been made by Illumi's mouth.

Remembering that Illumi had said he'd been terminated for being unprofessional, and suddenly the reason for his firing became clear.

“That's just a civilian, right?” Phinks asked, “what does he want with her?”

“I guess he doesn't want to leave her here to die,” said Shizuku, “that's sweet.”

Chrollo continued to watch as the two of you made it to the other end of the hall. When you were finally out of the crowd, you went to wrap your arm around the one that had been leading you, smiling up at him as you two continued your way to the entrance. There weren't many who could touch one of the Zoldycks like that and live to tell the tale. Phinks was most likely right in his assessment; you weren't anything special. You probably had no idea who the person was that you were so happily walking off with or how dangerous he was.

Illumi said something and smiled at you before the two of you began walking again, but Chrollo didn't miss the little warning glance the assassin had sent in his direction.

As Shizuku and Phinks talked amongst themselves on what all that was about, Chrollo found himself unsure of what to think of this particular turn of events.

Evidently to Illumi, you were worth at least 60 million jenny.

You had come to this event on behalf of your friend Kiki, who had been invited by her cousin who had wanted to spend a milestone birthday at the casino. Places like this had never done much for you; the odds were always stacked in favor of the house and you didn't want to lose your hard-earned cash by gambling it away. You only came to do a favor for your friend, and yet about an hour into the evening, she had left you to chat up someone at the bar, leaving you with a group of people you only vaguely knew in an even bigger sea of strangers. Most ignored you, but there was the occasional middle-aged man who would eye you up and make you feel uncomfortable enough that you felt like you needed to leave the general area.

And then you ran into him.

The handsome man with long black hair and dark eyes who'd been walking about. He caught your attention like he'd caught the attention of most of the people around him, though they had seemed more content to watch him and gossip about him from afar. Maybe it was because no one else was going for it, maybe it was because you were slightly jealous that Kiki had managed to find an actual date for the night, or maybe you were just tired of the gross older men that kept ogling you and you wanted to be able to enjoy yourself with someone that you were actually in to. Regardless of whatever it was that made you do it, you approached the man and asked if he wanted to get a drink with you.

He hadn't wanted any drinks, but your boldness had impressed him enough that he wanted to talk with you. In private. Leading you away from the crowd and noise, he took you to a staff-only hallway where he introduced himself as Illumi. You introduced yourself to him, and the two of you managed to hit it off, having a lengthy conversation that ended when he kissed you suddenly. It seemed like something that had been spur-of-the-moment for him, and he pulled away from you to ask if you had liked it. Your answer was to pull him back onto your lips.

Your make-out session had culminated in him pushing you against the wall while he sucked hickeys into the skin of your neck.

And then you got caught.

You were expecting that you'd both get kicked out, but Illumi had been asked to accompany some of the casino staff while you were taken back to the main hall. Being that they were more concerned about Illumi, they left you there while you tried to hide the marks Illumi had left behind. You hadn't been sure if you would see him again; you didn't realize that he'd been working for the casino, and you were worried that you had cost him his job.

So it was unexpected when he appeared before you and asked you to leave with him.

But you said 'yes' without any hesitation.

You slid into the backseat of the car that had pulled up, Illumi coming in after you.

“The Palazzo,” Illumi instructed the driver.

Wait....

“Isn't that the really expensive hotel on the riverfront?” you asked Illumi.

“Yes. I've been staying there,” he answered.

You were amazed that he had the cash to be able to stay at a place like that. Then worry hit you.

“I got you fired, didn't I? Are you sure that isn't an issue?”

With that same small smile you had seen several times now since he'd opened up to you, Illumi smiled back at you.

“I got a better payout leaving like I did than if I had stayed. So don't worry, there's no issue.”

That eased your worries a bit, and you settled yourself into the seat as the car began to pull forward. You glanced back at the illuminated casino as you drove off, and another pang of guilt hit you.

“What's wrong?” Illumi asked.

“I left my friend without telling her anything,” you said as you pulled out your phone, “I should text her about where I'm going.”

“Mm. Yes, that would be a good idea.”

Illumi's tone was always rather flat, so you didn't notice that he seemed slightly displeased as you messaged Kiki to let her know you had left. It seemed like she'd found her own date, so hopefully she wouldn't be too mad at you. It wasn't like she'd been left alone.

The instant you hit 'send', you turned your attention back to Illumi.

“Think she'll get it in time? The reception was a little spotty in some places,” you said.

“It was fine, but don't worry about that.”

With that, Illumi pulled you into his lap while you yelped. You wanted to protest, seeing as you two were in a moving vehicle and the driver could tell what the two of you were doing. Illumi held you securely, however, and when you looked to the front of the car, you found that a sheet of tinted glass now separated the front from the back. The driver must have been able to read the mood.

“Don't worry about what's going on back there,” Illumi told you, “from this point on, all I want for you to focus on is me.”

His order made you blush, and you shyly answered with an “okay” before his lips were on you.

The casino and the people inside it were the last things on your mind that night.

#yandere x reader #illumi zoldyck #illumi x reader #yandere #yandere hxh #yandere illumi #chrollo lucilfer #reader insert #yandere hunter x hunter #chrollo gets scammed #hope its not too dumb

[myherowritings]

order’s up!

— Osamu gets a big order of some rather strange rice ball combinations an hour before closing. He doesn’t expect that he’d find the customer who ordered to be so damn cute.

pairing: miya osamu x reader word count: 2,387 genre: fluff, post manga timeskip

a/n: first haikyuu fic and aHH it was so fun to write ,, i didn’t expect osamu to be my first but here we are and tbh i am not mad~ ;) FJSDHKJ hope u enjoy!!

“One unagi onigiri to go-- Your order’s ready!”

A middle-aged man stood up from his seat at the waiting area and headed over to the counter, thanking Osamu for the fresh onigiri and making brief small talk. As the man left, Osamu looked at the customer next in line, thankful there was only one person in here so close to closing time.

“I’ll be with you in a moment,” he stated when your gaze met his, lips quirking up to give his best customer service smile.

You nodded with a warm smile of your own before looking down at the phone in your hands, murmuring what he thought sounded like “salmon, plum, beef, extra green onions, heavy on the seasoning.” Now, he liked to think there were no rules to onigiri, but part of him did hope you wouldn’t ask for all those ingredients in one gigantic, imbalanced rice ball. Maybe you were reciting a large number of individual orders.

He shrugged. Money was money, and all onigiri was good onigiri when made with his special Miya love. Miya love that was specific to Osamu in particular, of course. Atsumu could never recreate it even if he tried-- Not that he ever tried. The day he tried in something other than volleyball would be the day Osamu said he was the worst onigiri chef in Japan.

In other words, never.

Osamu hustled over to the cash register and you took that as your cue to step forward, hands fidgeting with your wallet and cellphone.

He smirked to himself in silent amusement. A shy one, were you? By now he had lost count of all the nervous and fidgety costumers he had gotten at his shop, but to allow them to stay that way simply wouldn’t do. If his patrons weren’t 100% comfortable in his care--well, as comfortable they could be in an onigiri shop--it meant he was doing his job wrong.

As the owner of Onigiri Miya he wanted to make sure every customer would leave with a smile and a desire to come again soon. That was how he built rapport and got so many regulars after all.

“I can take your order whenever you’re ready,” said Osamu in a slow pace, encouraging you to slow your rhythm as you tapped your fingertip restlessly against your protective phone case. Were you in a hurry? You seemed rather antsy, but he went on. “There’s no rush here.”

There was less than an hour until closing and he figured you would be the last customer of the day-- Meaning there was no reason not to slow down. As much as Osamu appreciated how lively his hometown could be, he also enjoyed quieter moments like these.

Not everything had to be so loud. Not everything had to be moving so fucking fast all the time. And he learned that in some instances, he could just control the pace himself.

Your worried chatter brought him out of his musing. “Are you sure? Because I know you close soon and I really didn’t want to come in so late but the guys are still down over a loss and said this was their favorite comfort food,” you said, eyebrows furrowed in a tell of concern. “It’s kind of a big order, so if you need to start cleaning up for closing I can just go to another store-- Sorry for imposing!”

He blinked. He thought he just said there was no rush to imply he wasn’t worried and you shouldn’t be either, but you didn’t seem to pick up on that.

“Hey, you’re not imposing,” Osamu soothed, somewhat alarmed at your apprehension. “You said someone was down over a loss? You on a sports team?”

Losing sucked. Osamu knew this firsthand.

Sure, in hindsight it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but while it could sure feel that way sometimes. If it was bad enough, it could take a few days to really get over and grow from it. So hearing that Onigiri Miya was someone’s comfort food that could help cheer them up on days like those… That certainly gave him reason to puff his chest up a little more.

“Yeah! Well, kind of.” You moved your head side-to-side as if unsure of your answer. “I help assist the volleyball team at my university. It’s my last year in school and I’m sure all of the other fourth years are bummed too.” Catching the small frown on your face, you stopped yourself before it spread, clearing your throat. “But it’s okay! At least we all had fun. And now they’ll be getting some of their favorite food to cheer them up-- If you’re still taking orders, that is…?”

He nodded. “‘Course I am.” Osamu flashed you a grin intended to make your worries disappear. “What kinda store owner would I be if I couldn’t make your team their pick-me-up food?”

The two of you shared a look before you tore your gaze away, biting your lower lip to hide your smile.

“Thank you, then,” you murmured, unlocking your phone to what appeared to be a notes app.

Osamu picked up his pen with a short hum. “Ready to take your order when you are.”

“Right.” You stared at your screen in concentration before listing off what you had written. “Can I have three salmon onigiris with green onions, two umeboshi and mentaiko with light seasoning and ginger, one tempura and unagi with green onions and sesame seeds and heavy seasoning, two…”

As he noted your orders, some arguably stranger than others--not that he should be one to judge, what with his own peculiar preferences--he made a mental note of how cute your voice sounded and tucked it away in the depth of his mind. Was cute the word for it? He wasn’t exactly sure, but he guessed that sounded okay enough. There was something about hearing you talk that made Osamu want to hear more, even if it was just a list of onigiri ingredients.

He huffed. Weird.

When you finished he repeated back your order, affirming it was all correct.

“Great, so I’ll be with you in about 15 to 20 minutes with your order ready,” he informed as he held the paper with the dishes he had to make. “You can have a seat at one of the tables ‘til I return.”

You nodded at his words but hesitantly opened your mouth. “Erm-- Wait!”

He looked back at you, mere steps away from the cooking area.

“Is it just you working at this hour?” you asked, standing with your hands folded behind your back as you craned your neck.

“Yeah, we don’t get many late customers on a Tuesday night so I’m the only one closin’ today.” Osamu gave you a curious once-over. Bright eyes, nervous yet playful smile, cute outfit-- Damn, he sure was using the word cute a lot today. All in relation to you nonetheless. “Why?”

“Are you sure the order isn’t too big for you in this hour?” Once again, you were fretting. He reckoned he ought to teach you some relaxation techniques and tips of how to be less...selfless. “Do you need some, uh, help?”

The corner of Osamu’s lip twitched upwards. Help? What were you planning on doing if he said yes? Learn the basics of food safety and onigiri-making in less than 20 minutes so you could assist him in making your order?

Something told him that was, in fact, what you were ready to do.

Cute.

“Stop stressin’, sweetheart,” he said with a tsk, not bothering to hide his amused grin. “I’ve handled bigger orders than this. You just rest your pretty little head and I’ll be finished before you know it.”

Though you still looked concerned, you nodded and sat down, probably figuring you would be more of a hindrance in his onigiri-making flow than anything else.

“Don’t miss me too much-- And don’t even think of saying sorry or anythin’ like that!” His tone was teasing but he meant what he said. You were a customer at Onigiri Miya and he wanted no patron of his to be worrying this much if he could do anything to help it. “The store’s still open and I’ve no issue taking your order. ‘Kay?”

You blinked. “Okay. I… Thank you, uh, Miya-san.”

“Just Miya’s fine.”

“Right. Miya. Thank you.”

He sauntered off into the kitchen to get started with your order and as he went through making your onigiri, he hoped you wouldn’t still be feeling bad about a big order that wasn’t even that big compared to others he got. Besides, you had already paid for the order. There was no point worrying after the transaction went through.

Osamu soon made his way down the list of rice balls and, just like he promised, popped his head out of the kitchen along with three, full takeout containers in record time.

“For the cutest customer here tonight-- Order’s up!”

You perked up at the mouthwatering smell of his onigiri, pressing a hand to your stomach as you hummed. “I’m the only customer here tonight, but since your food smells so yummy I will choose to let that comment slide.”

Holding the bag of takeout in front of his, Osamu smirked at your surprisingly steadfast composure. You didn’t get flustered at his unabashed compliment like he thought you would, and for some reason that made you seem even more appealing.

As you accepted the order, he quipped, “Only customer here or not, you’re still the cutest.”

You wrapped your fingers around the handle of the takeout bag, the edge of your pinky brushing against his thumb. “Hmm, then-- I guess you’re definitely the cutest worker here tonight, even though it is by default.”

Osamu laughed, both in amusement and in happiness after finally getting you to feel comfortable in his shop.

“A compliment’s a compliment and I’m not above being the cutest by default,” he said with a lazy drawl, watching as you set the onigiri bag on the counter in front of you while easing into a conversation with him.

“As if you would ever have to win by default. You seem much too handsome and talented for that.”

It sounded like you were flirting. Were you flirting? He noted the mischievous glint in your eyes and the way you lingered in the store instead of leaving once you received your order.

Yeah. You were so flirting.

“Cute.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, nothing.” He smiled secretively but wouldn’t expand on what he said despite your questioning look.

You narrowed your eyes. “Sure, okay then.” Your fingers wrapped and unwrapped themselves from the handle of the to-go bag, like you didn’t want to leave just yet but didn’t know what was left to say. “Well-- Um, thank you for the order! I’m sure this’ll cheer the team right up.”

“And you as well, I hope.”

“Of course. I haven’t even tasted it but it already has.”

Just being here already has, is what you seemed to say. Osamu rather liked that implication.

“But… I still feel kind of bad for ordering all this so close to your closing hours,” you said sheepishly, rubbing the side of your neck like it had a knot. “I’m sorry.”

Osamu waved his hand at your words. “Please, what do you have to apologize for? Making me do my job?” he asked cheekily, his sideways grin showing teeth. “You shouldn’t feel bad.” He noticed the way you brought your lower lip into your mouth with uncertainty and he continued, “But if you still do...there is a way you could repay me and soothe those worries.”

You looked up, eyes widened. “How? I’d do anything.”

Dangerous words coming from such pretty little lips.

He adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves, unintentionally bringing your attention to his forearms. “Let me treat you out this weekend, yeah?”

Your gaze followed his hands as you nodded. “Yea--” You blinked to snap out of your daze and he stifled a laugh. “Wait, wait! Shouldn’t I be the one to treat you?”

“What kinda gentleman would I be if I were to ask you out on a date and tell you to pay?”

Maybe Atsumu would’ve made his date pay for their meal and activities of the day, but Osamu wasn’t him. Osamu had class.

“A date?” you parroted. “As in one with me? And you? Together?”

There wasn’t anyone else in the store he could be asking. Nope, just you and your awkwardly cute self.

Osamu nodded in affirmation. A date is just what he was asking you out on. “Well, only if you want, of course.”

You bit the inside of your cheek to contain the wide smile that threatened to spread across your face. “I wouldn’t mind a date with the cutest worker here tonight,” you teased, looking around the store before meeting landing on his face. “I still want to be the one to treat you, though. It’s the least I could do.”

As happy as he was that you didn’t reject him, he didn’t give. “Don’t worry about treating me-- Your company’s a better treat than money could buy.” You snorted at his pickup line and Osamu silently cursed his brother for saying that line would always work. And then cursed himself for believing it. “Look, I’ll pay. I insist.”

“I insist too.”

You held each other’s gaze, neither one wavering. He seemed to realize you weren’t going to give in, but he wasn’t planning on it either. He huffed, shaking his head, entertained. “Okay, then. How ‘bout we rock-paper-scissors it when the day comes?”

“Fine by me,” you laughed, hiding the bottom half of your face with your hand. He wanted to hold it in his so he could see the full smile you were covering, but Osamu decided he could save that for another time. “But don’t think you’ll have an easy win! I’ll have you know I play a mean game of rock-paper-scissors.”

“‘Course you do, sweetheart.”

And he didn’t doubt that at all.

As strange as the orders were and as nervous as you may have been at the start, Osamu found himself rather fond of you. Was working overtime worth it just for a date with a cute costumer?

Yeah, he decided. It was.

a/n: y/n’s vball team waiting for their comfort food after a bad loss while y/n and osamu are just there flirting after hours: 👁💧👄💧👁

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