#if you let me decide from the fandom... hm.. both fandom are kinda... not.. lively. so the fandom only giving minus point :)

[dios-hoes-tm]

Okay! Mod Prim here! I got this idea from @risottosplug ! I hope they don't mind me tagging them.

La Squadra x Boss' Daughter!Reader: Gangbang Headcanons

I'm not gonna write a full fic just yet, if you wanna see it, let the mods know!

Warnings: Smut, risky kinks, Sorbet and Gelato are feral, Ghiaccio is worse, Melone being Melone, etc.

Context: (all characters are 18+) You, the reader, are the boss' daughter and La Squadra uses you as blackmail against the boss. You were never picked up by Bruno's squad and were instead taken by La Squadra.

Melone:

All too eager tbh

Tries his best to make you feel comfortable with being at their hideout to start things off.

He DOES want you to consent after all.

He is the one who starts things off because it's MELONE

Will call you sweet nicknames in Italian (cara mia, dolcezza, belladonna(which means pretty woman), mia amata)

The mating press is his go to position due to his general nature and knowledge

Besides, what better way to blackmail your middle aged boss by knocking up his daughter, right?

Most definitely indulges in his own foot kink. We saw that episode. We can't deny it.

This man will suck on your toes.

Decently well endowed, 6-7 inches hard, not unbearably thick, well groomed

Know what the clit is and where it is so it's safe to assume you're gonna cum

Definitely creampies you. That is not up for debate.

Formaggio

He shrinks you down just a lil bit for funsies

He wants you to struggle to fit him

It's the size kink for me

Second biggest tease

Backhanded compliments

"You're so tight puttana. I feel like you were made for this!"

Hair pulling extraordinaire

Please claw at his back he will nut so hard omfg

He's not much for toys but he will shove the handle of a knife in your ass to 'prepare you'

Call him daddy. He'll laugh but he'll enjoy it.

100% into calling you kitten I don't take criticism

6 inches hard, thick, he does not trim thats a fuckin bush down there

Didn't know where the clit was at first until Melone showed him, but he didn't listen

Prefers to pull out and cum on your thighs and stomach

Illuso

By far the biggest tease

He will choke the living shit out of you like your eyes will be rolled back and he's making Melone hold your hand so you can't claw at his hands

Wants your neck to bruise

You might pass out but that won't stop him

If you do get your hands free, pull his hair and this man will MOAN SO GODDAMN LOUD

He will bite the shit out of you though ngl

Like, you're bleeding today

Surprisingly into knifeplay

Yeah that knife in your ass is being gently dragged across your skin just enough to break it and blood to bead up on the surface

Solid 8 inches, he will destroy you, completely shaved. He likes to be clean.

Despite his cocky demeanor and smarmy bitch attitude, he knows where the clit is and will make you cum

He will creampie you but he's also gonna pull out and jack himself off, edging himself until everyone's had a turn with you

Prosciutto

Double-teaming you with Pesci

Consider it a learning experience for both you and him.

Prosciutto in the front, Pesci in the back. Sweet and Sour sandwich.

Sooooooo goddamn rough

He's putting a collar on you and yanking that bitch until you bruise even more

Call him daddy and that makes things better or worse depending on your outlook

Tells Pesci what to do while fucking you

"Use her damn it! Be rough!"

D E G R A D A T I O N

"Take it troia! I wonder what your real daddy would say if he saw you like this. What would he say puttana? Hm?"

Please answer him. He will slap the fuck out of you.

Another solid 8 inches, a little on the thinner side, very well groomed

Obviously he knows where the clit is and you will cum. No matter what.

Big fan of the creampie. Demands Pesci creampies you as well.

Pesci

He kinda didn't want to do this

But he comes around to the idea when Proscuitto makes him join in.

He's shy and doesn't want to be rough but Proscuitto demands that he be rougher with you

So he complies

Holds onto your waist

Compliments you

"Y-You feel so g-good! And you're s-so pretty!"

Buries his face in your shoulder blades to keep from moaning too loud

Average length, 5-6 inches but thick, well groomed

Proscuitto showed him where the clit was but he's still a little inexperienced

Creampies you because Proscuitto told him to

Sorbet and Gelato

Good luck

Oh these two are going to break you

Bruises, bites, scratches, blood

Gelato begs to take your ass and that is probably worse considering he is absolutely feral

Drags his knife between your shoulder blades and gathers up the blood to use as lube. Even he knows how important it is folks.

Sorbet takes the front and gives Gelato a sweet kiss before absolutely wrecking your shit

Pulls your hair like he's trying to rip your head from your shoulders

Bite him, he bites back and he will lap up your blood like a goddamn vampire

He is daddy. If you call Gelato daddy they will laugh.

"Normally it's little bastard but I'll be your daddy just for today troia piccola"

Sorbet is longer at about 7 inches, a little on the thinner side and well groomed. Gelato is 6 inches, a little thicker and man's got a fuckin bush.

They know where the clit is but they don't care

Sorbet prefers to creampie and Gelato pulls out and cums on your back.

Ghiaccio

Feral bastard

Has Melone join in again for a triple threesome

He will scream, degrade, bruise and make you cry before he's even inside you.

Meanwhile Melone is balls deep in your ass

But when Ghiaccio is inside you, he has the most brutal pace out of anyone

He wants to make you scream and damn it he will

Pull his hair it'll make him whimper before he gets even more pissed and decides to fuck you harder.

"You think that was funny puttana?! I'll give you something to laugh about!"

Has Melone hook his arm under one leg while he hooks his under the other and rails you into next week.

He's gonna be sure you either can't walk or have serious trouble walking.

7 1/2 inches, decently thick, well groomed but it's super curly

He also knows where the clit is but he also fails to give a shit

Pulls out and bends you over so he can cum on your face while Melone creampies your ass

Risotto

Once everyone on his team has had a turn, Risotto stands up.

The minute you see him you know you are oh so very FUCKED

He makes a display of his strength by picking you up and using you as his own personal fleshlight.

Lives for the bulge in your stomach he can't get enough of it

He doesn't moan, he groans and growls.

Uses the blood dripping from your body to make handcuffs and chains using Metallica

Orders Proscuitto to put them on you

Calls you gattina(kitten)

Call him master and something snaps

You aren't walking after this

But if you call him Capo

Honey you aren't waking up after this

Adores choking his partners

You are no exception

10 inches(as is the consensus from the fandom), the kind of thick that will split you in two and well groomed

He knows where the clit is and uses that to his advantage whenever he's about to cum

Creampie. This man has enough cum to be a 1 man bukkake

Then he tilts you down so Illuso can finish once more on your face

After you've been thoroughly used and have cum multiple times, you end up blindfolded. You're covered in cum, filled with cum, and you're blindfolded. Turns out the men in LA Squadra fixed themselves up and decided to take a snapshot of you, upload it to Risotto's computer and emailed it to their boss. Your father. This seemed to be ample blackmail.

#jjba headcanons #jjba smut #risotto nero #formaggio jjba #Proscuitto jjba #jjba pesci #melone jjba #illuso #sorbet and gelato #risotto x reader #prosciutto x reader #illuso x reader #melone x reader #ghiaccio x reader #sorbet and gelato x reader #la squadra x reader

[softxsuki]

naive denki x blushy gf oneshot pls!!

Naive Kaminari with Easily Flustered Reader

Pairing: Kaminari x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Perhaps, maybe, kinda suggestive at the end if you squint, but not really????? idk

Genre: Fluff

Post-Type One-Shot (just barely)

Word Count: 1k

Summary: In which you and Kaminari are out on a date and his naive remarks, which you find adorable, continue to make you a flustered mess.

[A/N: Thank you for the request anon! I had such a hard time figuring out what to write about honestly. This one was pretty tricky, but hopefully it lived up to your expectations. I apologize if it didn’t :(. It’s been a while since I last posted. I’ve been super busy doing final assignments for my classes, but I’m nearing the end of my semester. I’ll be graduating in a few weeks! So after that I’ll have a lot of free time. I plan on taking a year off before I start working just so I can practice my writing and learn a few things on my own. Thank you for everyone who stuck around despite my inactivity! BUT WOW GUYS. I’m almost at 100 followers! I’ll probably make an announcement once I reach 100 followers, but I wanted to do something special. Maybe I’ll add another fandom to my list. I’m thinking Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on TItans, or Yona of the Dawn. Or maybe I can do a drabble event, idk. Let me know if any of you have any suggestions. I know 100 followers isn’t much, but that is a huge achievement for me! Anyway, I’ll make an official post when I actually get there lol. I hope you all enjoy reading this :)]

It had been a few weeks since Kaminari had asked you to be his girlfriend. You had both been crushing on each other for a while so Kaminari made the first move and decided to make you his before anyone else had the chance. Your days consisted of lots of cuddles and hand holding, soft cheek or forehead kisses, and just lots of fun in general. Kaminari always knew how to keep a smile on your face and his blatant naivety also seemed to bring heat to your cheeks. 

For instance it was one stormy night when the two of you were cuddled up in Kaminari’s dorm just enjoying each other’s presence. He was softly guiding his fingers through your hair and you nuzzled your head into his chest. A bright streak in the sky followed by a loud boom from the storm outside made you jump a little, but Kaminari just shot right up in bed.

“Babe, do you know what this means?” he asked you.

“That there’s a storm?”

“No. I mean yes, but no. That’s the universe's way of clapping for us! Even the world is proud of our achievements,” he stated with bright eyes as he looked at you. 

You were at a loss for words, but you couldn’t fight the heat rushing to your cheeks. 

“That’s an interesting way to look at it Denki,” you mumble, while turning your head away from his line of vision. 

“Hm? Are you okay?” he reached out to hold your face, “Why do you feel so hot? Are you coming down with something?”

This just made your cheeks burn even more and you shoved your face into your pillow and nudged his hand away.

“I’m fine, just a little flustered from the storm,” you mutter through the pillow. 

He proceeded to lie down beside you and scoop you back into his arms as the storm continued.

That was a few nights ago, but currently the two of you were walking hand in hand back to the dorms. Kaminari had just taken you both out for ice cream since you told him the previous day that you were craving some. The sun was beginning to set and you both ate away at the ice cream in your hands. There was a factory on your way with smoke coming out of the chimneys and Denki gasps in amazement, grabbing your hands and running closer to the factory. 

“Look Y/N! That factory is making clouds,” he stares wide eyed in amazement. 

The clouds were in fact just smoke, but you didn’t want to burst his little bubble so you too watch in amazement. You glance over at his face and see his innocent eyes shining up at the “clouds,” once again your cheeks began to heat up at his adorableness. You turn your head away again, not wanting him to catch you a blushy mess, but he sees you turn away from him. 

“Baby,” he pouts, “You alright?”

You cover your face with your hands, trying to knock some sense into yourself. You never knew why you always got so flushed so easily; it was embarrassing. 

You just shake your head, not trusting your own voice to convince him that you were fine. You weren’t about to confess to your boyfriend that you were flustered over his cute, naive behavior. 

He just shrugs and grabs your hand again as you both continue to the dorms, ice cream still in hand. He figured the chilly night air was beginning to take its toll on you, making you sick so he walks a little faster while keeping you close in his warm arms. 

When you both arrive in front of your dorm, ice creams long gone, Kaminari pulls you into an embrace and thanks you for coming out with him. 

“I mean I was the one who wanted ice cream, so I should be thanking you Denki. Thank you,” you look down at your feet in embarrassment. 

Your relationship was still fairly new so being around Kaminari in general turned you into a puddle of nerves. Deciding to braven up a bit and show him some affection, you lean in to kiss his cheek, closing your eyes firmly so you wouldn’t chicken out last minute. Little did you know that Denki had the same intentions and as you were inches from his face, he turns around to kiss your cheek as well, but your lips met instead. At the contact that felt nothing like a cheek, your eyes burst open and you find yourself face to face with the frazzled blonde, lips still locked. 

You jump back in surprise since that was your first kiss with him. Your face flushes incredibly hot and you peek at Kaminari who seems to be just as surprised as you are. In a matter of seconds the man is freaking out, apologizing to you profusely for kissing you by accident. 

“Oh my gosh Y/N. I’m so sorry. You’re going to get pregnant now, right? I should have been more careful,” he cries. 

“What?” you burst out in confusion, “Pregnant? Denki, that’s not how that works.”

“Oh?” he calms down, “Then how exactly does that work?” 

Your face was basically on fire at this point from his innocent, yet not so innocent question.

“Uhh, I don’t really want to talk about it. Maybe ask Aizawa, but yeah don’t worry, kissing can’t get me pregnant,” you mumble trying to calm yourself down. 

“In that case,” he smirks a little and leans in until he’s inches away from your burning face, “Shall I make our first kiss a little more special?”

You nod your head nervously and in seconds his lips are once again connected to yours. Little sparks go off between you (literally, man's quirk is going crazy,) as he becomes flustered from the contact. His arms wrap around your waist and in return your hands wrap around his neck, bringing him even closer to you. 

“Tch, disgusting. Take your session somewhere else you damn extras,” you hear Bakugou say behind you. 

The both of you detach from one another in embarrassment (more on your part) and Kaminari just laughs at his statement. 

“Maybe we will,” Kaminari teases with a wink in your direction.

You softly smile at him and take his leading hand, ignoring Bakugou’s remarks in the background. You were both happy and you enjoyed every moment with the idiot you called your boyfriend. 

REQUESTS ARE OPEN :D

Posted: 5/19/2021

#mha x reader #mha x y/n #bnha x reader #bnha x y/n #kaminari x reader #kaminari x y/n #denki x reader #denki x y/n #mha imagines #mha scenarios #mha headcanons #mha oneshot #mha drabbles #kaminari headcanons #kaminari oneshot #kaminari drabble #kaminari scenario #kaminari imagine #denki oneshot #denki headcanons #denki imagine #denki scenarios #bnha scenarios #BNHA Headcanons #bnha imagines #bnha drabble #bnha oneshots #kaminari denki #denki kaminari #mha x female reader

[lancermylove]

Mixed Signals (Oneshot)

Fandom: Obey Me

Pairing: Barbatos x fem!Reader

Warning: N/SFW! I MEAN IT! Kinda slow burn.

Requested by: Anon

Prompt: Hi. Could I request a one-show with a female reader and Barbatos (Obey Me). It's holiday themed so if it's not you cup of tea I understand. Both are attracted to each other but never said anything, though they have friendly banter often and think the feelings are mutual. There's a party going on and they end up under the mistletoe. She thinks it's going to give them an opportunity to open up to each other but he is reluctant to do it (fearing she likes one of the brothers).  After he pecks her cheek she thinks she read the signs wrong & feels down. After the party she decides to find his room. She confesses her feelings, he explains why he acted the way he did. He didn't want to do it just because of tradition, he wanted it to mean something. Maybe he mentions wanting to know a side of her the brothers don't & keep it to himself. I'd like it to be cute but spicy so you can go as n.sfw-ish as you feel comfortable. I hope it's not too long/confusing. Thanks.

A/N: I know you said n.sfw-ish, but it turned into n.sfw...no wait, DETAILED N.SFW. XD Also, I know Barb’s bedroom is filled with door, but I’m just going to pretend he has another room that’s like a normal room. 😂

Word Count: 2,973

———————————————

Your first day at Devildom was completely unexpected. Aside from being teleported into a different world, and that too hell, you didn't expect to meet such good looking men.

As time passed, you met all the brothers, angels, Solomon, and Diavolo. You found each one attractive in his own way, but you never considered dating any of them. That is until you attended the party at Diavolo's castle and met Barbatos.

When you saw the butler, you couldn't take your eyes off him. Was it his looks? His calm demeanor? The sense of mystery about him? You couldn't put your finger on it, but you were drawn to him.

Unfortunately, since you lived at the House of Lamentation, you rarely saw the butler. Your eyes yearned to catch a single glimpse of the green-haired man, and one day, your wish was granted by none other than the demon king himself. Diavolo invited you to his castle to ask about your stay and experience at RAD thus far. On top of that, he informed you about your weekend meetings with him.

"(Y/N), I would like you to visit me every weekend to share your experience and progress in Devildom." Diavolo flashed a friendly smile, "Also, if you don't mind, I would like to hear stories about the human world. Your world intrigues me."

You immediately agreed to his invitation and took it as an opportunity to meet Barbatos.

At first, Barb simply greeted you while serving you refreshments and then excused himself. As you visited the castle more frequently, the demon butler became friendlier towards you. He started to converse with you, asking about your day and classes. To your surprise, he even asked about your favorite foods, so that he can prepare them for your next visit. You merely took as his kindness, not realizing that Barbatos began to develop feelings for you.

Even the Ruler of Devildom noticed the changes in his trusted butler when you were around. Diavolo wholeheartedly supported Barbatos's feelings for you. Every weekend, he made excuses to show up late for the meeting, allowing you to spend more time with the demon butler. Slowly, the two of you began chatting about topics other than food and Devildom. 

Your friendship grew to the point where Barbatos invited you to help him in the kitchen as an excuse to spend more time with you. More than anything, the demon enjoyed teasing you - smearing flour on your cheeks, dabbing icing on the tip of your nose, playfully arguing about Devildom food being better than human food. His actions made you think of him in a different light. No man would tease and banter with you to this point if he didn't like you, right? You didn't get the answer to your question until Christmas came around.

Diavolo planned a grand party for all the important people of Devildom, and of course, he invited you. You donned your finest outfit, picked by none other than Asmo. The Avatar of Lust knew about your feelings for Barbatos and supported you.

"Sweetie, when I'm done, you'll look so beautiful that Barb won't be able to take his eyes off you." Asmo winked while applying blush to your cheeks.

The fifth-oldest brother was not kidding. When you entered the party, everyone stared at you in awe, including the demon brothers, angels, Solomon, and Diavolo. Unfortunately, Barbatos was nowhere in sight, so you exited the party in search of him. Though you looked and looked, there were no signs of your crush anywhere, not even the kitchen.

You returned to the party once more, hoping to find him there; instead, you found yourself standing under a mistletoe. As you stared at the green branch overhead, you wished that by some miracle, Barb would join you. Unbeknownst to you, your partner in crime noticed you staring at the mistletoe and immediately found Barbatos, dragging him in front of you.

"Sweetie, I found him! Barbatos, (Y/N) has been looking for you everywhere." Asmo chuckled, "Hm? Why are you blushing, (Y/N)?"

The Avatar of Lust moved his eyes to the branch above you and gasped, pretending he never saw the mistletoe above you. He glanced at Barbatos before shifting his eyes up, clapping his hands together. "Barb, please do the honors of fulfilling the Christmas tradition!"

This was the happiest moment of your life. To think that you were going to kiss the man of your dreams, all thanks to your fairy demon. While you indulged in the thought of how the kiss will feel, you failed to notice Barbatos hesitating. He slowly leaned in, but instead of kissing your lips, he pecked your cheek. The butler quickly excused himself, leaving both you and Asmo in shock.

Your chest tightened, making it difficult for you to breathe. You instantly walked out of the party with Asmo following in your trail.

"Sweetie, please wait," Asmo gently held onto your arm and pulled you closer to him, turning your body to face him. The demon cupped and wiped your tear-stained cheeks.

"I...am stupid," you began and bit your lower lip, fighting the tears threatening to escape your eyes, "I thought he liked me, but I misread everything."

"Don't say that, dear." Asmo drew you into a hug and rubbed soothing circles on your back. "Please calm down and don't jump to any conclusions. Talk to Barbatos first."

You weren't sure why, but a strong feeling told you that you didn't misread the signals. Barbatos was not the type to get friendly with just anyone. You thanked Asmo for comforting you before rushing to find your crush, knowing well that your heart was not going to be at peace until you got the answers to your questions.

After a while, you found yourself standing in front of his bedroom door. You raised a shaky hand to the door and took a deep breath before hitting your knuckles against the wood. The butler was stunned to see you but stepped aside and invited you into his room.

"Did you lose your way?" He questioned, closing the door behind you.

You weren't sure if he meant 'lose your way' in a literal direction or figuratively, but you pushed on. "Barbatos, do you have time to talk? I need to tell you something."

The butler studied your averted eyes and red cheeks as he nodded. "What would you like to tell me?"

"When I first came to Devildom, I was surprised to see the men here. I found them all to be attractive in one way or another, but none of them tugged on my heartstrings. That is...," your voice turned into a whisper, "until I met you."

Upon hearing your words, Barbatos's eyebrows tugged up as his body stiffened. He remained silent and waited for you to continue.

"I felt drawn to you and wanted to spend more time with you. That's why I always looked forward to the weekend." You couldn't bring yourself to look at his face, so you continue speaking with your eyes glued on the stone floor. "When you started to spend more time with me, I was very happy. Um..."

You gathered the courage to lift your head and look at the handsome demon. Barbatos stared, expressionless, but you didn't let that faze you.

"I thought you liked me. Your behavior around me was different, bu-but...," you curled your damp hands into a fist, preparing yourself for the worse as you asked, "why didn’t you kiss me properly under the mistletoe? Did I misread your signals?"

You felt your eyes stinging, but you dug your nails into your palms to hold back the tears. Barbatos didn't expect you to ask him such a direct question, but much to your shock, he smiled.

"You did not misread my signals. I presumed that you held feelings for one of the brothers, considering you seem to be quite attached to them." he paused to see your reactions and chuckled. "As for the kiss, I apologize for hurting your feelings. I want our first kiss to hold meaning, not for the sake of tradition. Also, I did not want to kiss you in public."

Barbatos stepped closer to you, delicately wiped away the tears collecting in the corner of your eyes, and whispered, "I apologize for causing your pain and bringing tears to your eyes."

“Y-You like me?” You couldn’t believe your ears and weren’t sure how to react. You always dreamt of this moment, but now that it arrived, you were at a loss. 

“I do.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead and looked into your eyes. "Might I be selfish enough to ask for a favor?"

"S-sure."

"I always considered the brothers lucky for being able to get friendly with you. How I wished my lord had asked you to stay in this castle instead." The demon butler gave a small smile. "Would you be kind enough to show me a different side of you? A side that not even the brothers haven't seen."

It took several seconds to digest his words, and you weren't sure what exactly he meant. So, you pursed your lips and closed your eyes, waiting for him to kiss you. Barbatos held a finger to his lips and chuckled, finding your action adorable. He rested his hand on your cheek delicately as if he was touching glass.

"I am not familiar with the traditions in the human world, so forgive me if my words frighten you. Physical intimacy holds a deep meaning for me, so my love, would you permit me to hold you? Would you be mine?" Barbatos held out his hand in front of you and waited patiently for your reply.

You stared at him with your lips ajar. ‘Be his...what does he...?’ 

A deep shade of crimson covered your cheeks as you gasped, clamping one hand over your mouth. Your heart jumped with joy as your head spun slightly from the sudden rush of blood. Only when you nodded did the demon plant a tender kiss on the back of your hand. 

Barbatos placed butterfly kisses on your face before capturing your lips. He gently pulled away from the kiss, his hot breath tickling the lower half of your face. Barbatos slide the tip of his tongue along your lower lip, waiting for you to part your lips. A shade of red once again spread across your cheeks, but you granted him entry. The demon impatiently thrusted his tongue into your wet cavern while his hands stroked the curves of your waist. He explored your mouth and rolled his tongue on yours. 

You dug your fingers into his jacket as his hands began to roam freely around your heated body. Barbatos drew his tongue out and wiped saliva running down your chin. He ran a finger up your back, tracing the zipper of your fitted dress before tugging down the pull tab. Not breaking off eye contact, Barbatos helped you out of your clothes and undergarments. Feeling the cold air against your warm skin, you shivered and crossed your arms over your chest.

"You look breathtaking," he complimented, scooping you in his arms and walking towards the bed.

The red on your face grew darker as you nuzzled your face in his warm neck. He gently set you on his bed and straddled your body. Barbatos tugged his gloves off with his teeth while giving you a teasing smile.

"You are such a tease." You mumbled and tried to pry your eyes from his face in vain. He chuckled at your statement and continued his venture.

Taking hold of your hand, he kissed your fingers, the back of your hand, and up your arm. Barb trailed wet kisses to your shoulder, neck, and up to your lips. He pecked your lips before tenderly kissing down the other side of your neck and to your chest.

You watched him examining your mounds, finally realizing that your dream was coming true. The man you yearned for was in bed with you, physically showing his feelings for you. ‘This isn’t a dream, is it? This is...really happening.’ 

The demon butler rolled his tongue on your perked nipple before taking the bud into his mouth and sucking on it. Gasping loudly, you closed your eyes as your heart pounded against your chest. You ran your fingers in his hair and dug your nails into his scalp, prompting Barb to take your whole breast into his mouth as his free hand massaged the other mound. Your muffled cries only added to his desire.

After leaving both your breasts sore, the green-haired man processed to kiss down your stomach while caressing the side of your hips. His touch was even more satisfying than you had imagined in your fantasies. He pushed your legs apart only to have you press them back together.

Barb brushed your pelvic bone with the tips of his fingers and smiled tenderly, "Let me see how beautiful you look."

Though you were nervous, you gave in to his request and slowly parted your legs. He sat in the middle, taking hold of your right leg and ghosting his lips over your ankle. The entire time his eyes stayed glued to your glistening womanhood. Barbatos trailed his lips up your leg, leaving goosebumps in his wake.

"My love, you are beautiful." He whispered, his hot breath caressing the area between your legs. He sunk his teeth on the side of your thigh, marking you as his before pressing his lips deeply between your legs. 

"A-ah, Barb." You groaned, arching your back.

Your voice was music to his ears. Barbatos slowly ran his tongue up and down your slit, drawing more lewd sounds from you. 

“You taste so sweet,” he groaned, pressing the tip of his tongue to your clit, sliding it down to your entrance. Shifting his eyes to meet yours, Barbatos shoved his tongue inside your entrance.

"Oh my god," you exclaimed in a breathy voice, earning a witty reply from your lover in return.

"There is no god here, my dear."

Barb teasingly thrusted his tongue in and out a few times, earning a series of moans from you in return. He licking up to your slit, and without warning, he pushed two digits into your entrance, wiggling his fingers to get a feel of the soft flesh inside. You yelped, gripping the bedsheet with both your hands.

"B-Barb. A-at least wa-warn me."

"Where's the fun in that?" He chuckled as he gently began stretching your insides with his fingers.

Barbatos withdrew his long fingers, earning a disapproving groan from you. He brought his digits to his face and licked them clean of your essence. "I could get used to this taste."

You averted your eyes and bit down on your lower lip to suppress a groan.

Maintained eye contact, he stood up and started to undressed. The butler took his time, peeling each layer off one-by-one until you cried, "Barb...hurry!"

"My, someone is impatient." He teased while pushing his pants down to his ankles. You stared hungrily at his precum-soaked erected manhood.

Barbatos positioned himself between your legs and pressed his tip at your entrance. "My love, are you sure about this? If you are not ready, then I do not want to pressure you into this. We can always-"

Not being able to take it any longer, you shot your eyes to his face, "Barb, I want you NOW!"

The butler let you a small laugh at the unexpected reaction as he gripped your hips. Little by little, he pushed his length inside, taking care not to hurt you. You cried as your inside stretched to accommodate his large size, tears collecting in the corners of your eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned by your pained expression.

"Y-Yeah," you managed to answer.

"You are taking me in quite well." He stole passionate kisses while cooing words of praises as you adjusted to his size. When you gave him the green signal, Barbatos slowly started to move inside you. You held onto his arms as your body gave into the intense pleasure. He studied you with a smile, watching you melting under him. Barbatos was truly happy to finally become one with you.

The butler hovered over you, sweat bead rolling down his face. He kissed you hungrily as he changed his angle to hit you deeper. His focus was on you, and his only goal was to please you. Barbatos took note of every expression, movement, and sound you made.

"There! B-Barb h-hit t-there." Your voice drove him mad, but your words made him crazier, "ugh...g-go f-faster." 

The butler pinned your trembling hands next to your head, pulled out his length, and slammed into you. He hit your sweet spot with enough force to make you scream his name. Though he had picked up his pace, Barbatos tried not to be rough with you. He wanted your first time with him to be passionate and memorable. 

As you got closer to your climax, Barbatos moved his hips faster against yours, leaving you a moaning mess. The sound of your bodies slapping against each other and your mewls filled the room. Not long after, your vision went white as your body shuddered under the demon. Your head was spinning as your essence coated his length. Barbatos held you closer to him, his thrusts losing their rhythm. Soon after, he pulled out and released on your body, coating you with his essence. The butler rested his forehead against yours as he caught his breath.  

"Thank you for agreeing to this," Barbatos whispered in a breathy voice, "I promise to always be there for you and love you till your last breath. N-No, continue to love you even after your last breath."

———————————————

➣ Obey Me Masterlist ➣ Buy me a Ko-fi or Commission?

#obey me #obey me barbatos #barbatos x reader #obey me diavolo #obey me asmo

[picnokinesis]

fic writer review

tagged by the wonderful @swinging-stars-from-satellites whoop!! Let’s go!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

Fourteen! It was thirteen until yesterday, which appealed to me a lot, but I decided that posting pirate!thoschei was worth changing that number hahaha

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

394,102

3. How many fandoms have you written for?

Technically five, because I’m not counting Avengers and MCU as two different fandoms hahaha. But they are: Doctor Who (2005), MCU, Stargate Universe, The Greatest Showman, and X-Men (comics) - the latter, though, wasn’t really for that fandom, because I was writing a TGS X-Men au hahaa

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

Liminality , with 195 kudos - I am not surprised about this one, since it’s probably the most ‘readable’ of my fics, being a oneshot, not shippy, and also not being stupidly long haha!

Renegades in the Ring , with 144 kudos - I didn’t realise how much kudos this one got? I guess it helped that the fandom was very active when I first posted this. Alas, if only I had finished this one...I have a lot of nostalgia for the idea, but I don’t think I’ll ever return to it, simply because it would take about as much effort as campervan au is taking me right now. 

i need a place to hide (before the storm begins) , with 125 kudos - which I am genuinely SO happy about because ahh! This is my big project and to know that 125 people said ‘yes this is good’ is just...really really nice?? Especially when it’s such a niche, specific au.

Tropospheric Disturbance , with 125 kudos - honestly, I’m surprised this one has as many kudos as it does, since I regularly forget I even wrote it hah! It’s a weird one, because it’s not actually in my usual writing style, but I am very proud of it!

and they did live by watchfires , with 109 kudos - and I’m really really happy to see this one here, because I think this is probably the favourite thing of my own that I’ve written. 

5. Do you respond to comments? Why/why not?

YES absolutely!! I love comments so much, and I really love to ramble about my stories because I almost always have a LOT of thoughts hahaha

6. A fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I mean, it’s probably a toss up between i need a place to hide (because I ended it on that twist/cliffhanger), Retrograde (which is another cliffhanger ending, leaving all the characters in a REALLY BAD situation), or maybe the new problem kid, you’ll taste all the salt in my lungs, because, uh, it basically ends with the Doctor saying ‘the person I was before this moment is dead’ HAHAHA. But, to be honest, I don’t know if I would call any of those endings VERY angsty? They’re more like ‘AHHH WHAT HAPPENS NEXT’ endings rather than angst. I don’t tend to write angsty endings because I love angst but I always prefer to end it on a hopeful note...otherwise it feels very unsatisfying for me to write, personally. 

7. Do you write crossovers?

Technically? I mean, I see Renegades as an au more than a crossover, because it’s merely set in the same universe as the X-Men comics, and the only crossover element is Nathaniel Essex being in it...and I never even wrote those scenes hahaha

8. Ever received hate on a fic?

Nah, people are wonderful!

9. Do you write smut?

Since I’m sex-repulsed, this is a hard no HAHA

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know!

11. Ever had a fic translated?

I have not

12. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Me and @sunshinedaysforever have a collab-wip graveyard in our dms HAHA - but I am actually working on cowriting a fic with some other wonderful folks at the moment! I am. Supposed to have my part finished by the 6th. Hm. 

13. All time fav ship?

Right now, it’s thoschei/spydoc, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s my all time favourite, because my favourite changes a lot. I do have a HUGE amount of love for Clintasha and Rush/Young though! 

14. WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Hmmmmm, there’s a few. I mean, at the moment, I feel like The Grandfather Paradox will NEVER get finished, but I like to think that if I’m still into Doctor Who enough when I finally finish campervan, I might take a crack at it? Grandfather Paradox is more solid atm than some of my other wips...(see: deathless, disarmed). Oh, I know which one I almost certainly won’t finish - this one I came up with waaay back before In the Wind, which is set between O55 and Telsa, which is about telepathy and not listening to warnings from the past, amongst other things.

15. Writing strengths?

I’ve been informed that I’m really good at character voices, and I also think that I’m quite good at expanding characters we see very little of and fleshing them out a lot more. I’ve had to do that a lot for campervan and it’s been really good fun!

16. Writing weaknesses?

I think I can get kinda tangled in the emotional plot lines sometimes, and it makes everything get convoluted and messy and hard to follow? Also I’m not very good at...taking a good metaphor and expanding it? If that makes sense. I’m also actually kind of terrible at subtle, clever foreshadowing because half the time I don’t know what’s happening HAHAHAHAH but sometimes I do manage it!! I’m trying to do it in campervan at the moment. Also I. Can’t write short things HAHA. My characters always think and talk a LOT and sometimes that’s good, sometimes not so much

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I’m actually doing it currently in part 5 of campervan, since Gabriela and Jamila both speak portuguese (and I’m learning portuguese!)

18. First fandom you wrote for?

On ao3? Stargate Universe. On the internet? The Avengers. Ever? Uh. I honestly don’t know. I made up ocs based on two unicorns in the aftercredits sequence of a My Little Pony VHS tape, does that count?

19. What’s your fav fic you’ve written so far?

I mentioned it earlier, but I’m extremely proud of and emotionally attached to and they did live by watchfires

If anyone wants my ao3, it’s right over here!

And oh, who to tag!! No pressure, of course, but: @sunshinedaysforever @theplatinthehat @taardisblue @hetzi-art @krebkrebkreb @echo84 @theoreticalabsurdity @1-of-those-things @walker-lister @timelostdoctor and anyone else who wants to!

#taka gets tagged #this was an interesting one!! #thanks for the tag!

[im-actually-ok]

Fangs

Chapter one

Next

Masterlist

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Ships: Platonic DLAMPR

Word Count: 2276

Genre: Semi angst? Not really, uh hurt comfort? It's not fluff exactly but idk what to put here.

Warnings: Fangs, very slight body horror(the fangs), food, sleep deprivation (i think that’s it but if i missed anything please let me know so i can add it, thank you!!!)

——

“Experiment 4379, fangs,” Logan spoke into his audio recorder, holding it inches from his mouth as he did, “It has been proven that sides can alter their appearance completely to replicate others, I wish to see if a side could alter smaller traits of oneself. Today I shall try to alter my appearance in a minor way to test my theory, to test said theory I will attempt to give myself fangs because, as Remus has said, they are ‘dope as hell’,” he let go of the small button, pausing the recording for a moment to let out a small breath of, “here we go.”

He turned to cross the room to the small square mirror on the wall. He opened his mouth, moving one hand to prod at a tooth for a moment before closing his mouth and squeezing his eyes shut. He had only changed his appearance twice, both for one of Thomas’s videos, but he had never tried to change simply one thing and not on his own, he had had enough trouble returning to human form after the whole puppet thing.

He imagined the fangs in his mind. The sharpened teeth, similar to that of a wolf’s teeth but structured to fit inside a human mouth. He stumbled a little, catching himself on the desk under him. He was always a bit winded after changing, it took quite a bit of energy but while Thomas was recording he did a pretty good job of hiding it. Wait, does that mean it worked?

He stood up quickly, looking in the mirror once more, opening his mouth again and letting out a soft, breathed, happy laugh when he saw the sharp teeth between his parted lips. He moved a hand to prod at a tooth once more but quickly retracted his hand with a small hiss of pain. He saw a small bead of blood on his finger and watched it roll down to his hand. God, he had made these things really sharp, hadn't he?

He picked up his recorder, “experiment 4379 is a success! I was able to replace my teeth with a set of fangs quite easily, though it did take a bit more effort to pinpoint a specific trait, this should make future experiments much easier seeing as I will not have to beg Roman or Remus to take me to the imagination. I will have to conduct more experiments with the fangs later but for now I am going to retire, creating said fangs took quite a bit out of me. Not to self: figure out a way to maintain energy after a transformation. Now all I have to do is transform back which should not be a problem,” he let go of the small button, setting the recorder on the desk again before looking in the mirror once more, admiring his work before closing his eyes again. He imagined his regular old human teeth, focusing on it to try and shift his appearance once more.

He didn't feel anything though. He didn’t feel the usual exhaustion or small tingling sensation. He opened his eyes once more, opening his mouth to find the fangs. Hm. Odd.

He closed his eyes again, his hands gripping the edges of the desk as he squeezed them shut as hard as he could, focusing hard on the image in his mind. He focused on every small detail of the set of human teeth he imagined, trying to will them into existence. But when he opened his eyes once more he was met with the same sight.

Okay. This might be a problem.

----

Logan had tried everything. After an hour of trying to change his teeth back, he finally decided to try and find-- alternate methods. He tried to file them down with one of Roman’s nail files and when it didn’t he used the metal one he used for his work. It did nothing. He was starting to get worried and ended up trying to chew on a rock. The rock broke. He had definitely done something wrong because these were not normal fangs. He was getting desperate. Logan eventually got to the point where he simply tried to pull them out but they would not budge.

God, what would everyone think if they saw? Not only was he now a freak, but he had failed to get himself out of a predicament he had caused due to his foolish curiosity. No. No they could not see, he would not let them.

He stayed in his room for days on end, running on only coffee and crofters though the organic fruit spread was hard to eat with his sharpened teeth. He continued to try different things, trying to find some sort of way to fix this but all of his attempts had failed.

He was currently lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling with a sigh. His hair was ruffled from running his hands through it and his tie that was simply draped around his shoulders. He took off his glasses to rub his eyes, letting his hand hold them loosely as it hung over the side of the bed.

Then he heard a knock.

He shot up in bed, eyes flying open as he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and called out a small, “who is it?” with a voice crack that made him inwardly wince.

“Uh, hey Lo! It’s Patton! Could ya open the door?” Patton asked, his voice hesitant.

“I’m-- I’m a bit tied up at the moment, Patton. Do you need something?” Logan lied, standing and moving across the room, placing his glasses on the bridge of his nose and pushing them up.

“Come on, Pocket Protector, I can hear you moving around in there,” He heard Roman call. Wait, Roman?

“Roman? You are here as well?” Logan asked, turning to face the closed door from across the room.

“Yeah, we’re all here, Lo,” Virgil said, “Well, most of us. Remus is kinda headless in the imagination but he would be here if he could be.”

So they were all there? Why? “I apologize but I cannot come to the door right now, if you have a concern you can tell me here or you could wait until I am done, if you would like.”

“Of course I’m concerned, you’ve been in your room forever,” Patton said softly

“Patton, I have been in here for a few days, you know I have a lot of work, this is not the first time I have done this so you should not be concerned,” He said plainly, sitting on the edge of his desk.

“Logan you’ve been in there for a week now,” Janus said with a tad of force in his voice that made Logan choke on air.

A week?! How could he let himself lose track of time like that?! He ran a hand through his hair once again in a slight panic. What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to tell them!?

“Lo? Buddy? You still there?” Pat asked, moving a bit closer to the door until he was inches away.

“I-- yeah,” he moved to open the door, moving a hand to hover near his mouth as he pulled it open.

Patton gave a small gasp and Virgil winced back at the sight of Logan, Janus simply gave Logan an up and down as he surveyed how terrible Logan looked and Roman just said, “Holy hell, what happened to you?”

“I have been-- busy,” he said, covering his mouth slightly to ensure no one saw, “But I almost finished and I will be back to normal shortly, I promise.”

Patton noticed the way Logan had covered his mouth, but he didn’t question it. He sighed and nodded, “yeah, ok, just-- get some sleep tonight, ok?”

Logan nodded, “I assure you, I will.”

----

He did not. He was up all night again. He stood in the mirror, tying the tie around his neck and pulling it up around his neck tightly before combing his hair and straightening out his shirt.

He opened his mouth again, brushing over one of the fangs lightly, as to not cut himself again. He sighed, moving to tuck a pack of flashcards into his back pocket before making his way to the door. He let himself take in a deep breath before opening the door and entering the hall. Here we go.

He moved down the hall and down the stairs where he was met with a beaming Patton, “Morning, Logan! It's nice to see you out of your room!” he said with a small relieved huff.

Logan smiled with a closed mouth and whipped out a flash card that read ‘whatup dawg?’ and held it out to Patton.

Patton looked momentarily confused but simply let out a soft chuckle before saying, “I dunno, what is up with you?-- dawg?” in a quite awkward and choppy manner.

Logan simply nodded and shrugged before moving on, past the living room into the kitchen. Patton watched him as he did with a curious look, Logan was never this quiet, was something wrong?

Logan moved to the fridge, pulling it open and searching through it and letting out a small annoyed huff when he couldn’t find his--

“Looking for this, Microsoft Turd?” Roman asked with a laugh, holding up Logan’s jar of Crofter’s Organic.

Logan shot Roman a look as he closed the fridge, pulling out a flash card that said ‘that’s not very gucci of you’ and flipping it over to reveal the other side that said ‘Throw that back my way’.

Roman laughed, “Wow, prepared today, aren’t we?” and then he simply waited for Logan to respond, but his coy mocking smile fell a little as Logan continued to simply stare at him with annoyed eyes. Roman frowned a little under Logan’s gaze, waiting for him to say something, anything, “Geez, teach, sorry, didn’t mean to press your buttons,” he said awkwardly, not exactly sure how to feel, “uh- here, you can have this back,” Roman tossed the jar at Logan. Bad idea.

Logan was surprised and stumbled to try and catch it, but he had never been the best at catching anything, so it was no surprise when it slipped through his fingers and smashed on the ground.

Roman gasped a little and instantly started uttering small apologies, he just wanted to mess with him a little bit, not break and waste the entire jar!

Logan simply stared down at the floor, first in surprise, then in anger. Goddamn it, Roman! He felt himself bare his teeth a bit as he stared at the broken glass on the floor and even felt a small growl rise in his throat. Wait? A growl?

Logan stopped himself, standing up straight again and clearing his throat before turning away from Roman, making sure the other could not see his mouth but covering it slightly with his hand, just in case, “I am going to retire to my room, do not wait for me to eat, good night,”

“It’s-- It’s 3:30, Logan,” Roman stuttered out, slightly dumbfounded that the side in front of him was leaving to go to sleep so early.

“Good night,” Logan repeated, a tad more aggressively.

“Logan I’m-- I’m sorry, I wasn't thinking, Im-”

“I said good night,” he said, almost turning to bare his teeth at Roman, but he knew better. He simply covered his mouth and continued to move back up to his room, past a confused and speechless Patton and up the stairs. Not like he would have really been able to actually eat the jelly, though. It was so hard to eat anything soft with these fangs.

----

“Logan?” Virgil asked softly, tapping his knuckles lightly against the door.

Logan was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, frustrated about what had happened earlier and about the fact that he couldnt get these stupid fangs out! “Can I help you?” he asked, just loud enough for Virgil to hear.

“Uh- we were just wondering if you-- if you’d come down for dinner? Eat with us?” He asked in a hesitant manner.

He couldn't go down to dinner, they would see his fangs! He just couldn't! But he hadn’t eaten in quite a while and he couldn’t simply refuse to eat with the others and then take food up to eat by himself, then they would know something was up. How could he say no? How could he say yes!?

“Lo? You still there?”

Logan sighed a bit and nodded even though he knew VIrgil couldn’t see him, “Yeah. I am still here,” he moved a hand up to rub his eyes under his glasses, “I’ll-- I’ll be down in a little bit. Is that alright?”

“O-of course, take your time,” Virgil said before slinking back down the hall, away from Logan’s door. Something was wrong. They could all tell. The way Logan hid in his room, covered his mouth when he was speaking recently, heck, he growled at Roman! So yeah, maybe they were trying to figure out what was wrong, and maybe they were trying to see what Logan was hiding, and maybe they were being paranoid but come on! This just isn’t like Logan! What were they supposed to do?! Talk to him like normal people!? Of course not!

Was Virgil worried out of his mind? Yes. Yes he was.

But he was coming to dinner, that was a step in the right direction, and they could put their plan into motion.

----

Author's Notes!: I kind of forgot about this fic that I wrote a while ago but I never finished, just thought I’d post it to see if anyone wanted to read the second half cuz then I would write it. Enjoy i guess!!!

#because i can #my fics #sanders sides #thomas sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #janus sanders #remus sanders #fangs #tw fangs #slight body horror #tw slight body horror #food #tw food #sleep deprivation #tw sleep deprivation #fangs Au

[blackvelvetwriteson]

Hi baby🥰🥰 please don't feel obligated to answer this or anything. But could you write some headcanons for Tendou & Sugawara? They could be platonic or not, nsfw or sfw, idrc. I just wanna see some Tendou x Suga headcanons 😌 oki bye I love you💖

Hi baby! Of course I’m gonna answer, don’t worry. Amidst all of this Thanksgiving bullshit, I’m already watching Haikyuu so I decided to whip up some of these HCs for you bc 1) you asked, duh, 2) I need to write for Haikyuu anyways, and 3) SUGAAAAAA BEBEIIIII imsorryiminlovewithHIMMMM-

Anways, so have some nipple sucking HCs because that’s what came to mind first-  I love you so much and I hope this is what you wanted!

𝐍𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐊𝐘𝐔𝐔 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

-- 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘒ō𝘴𝘩𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪

GENRE: Smut                                                                 

FANDOM: Haikyuu! 

TRIGGER WARNINGS: SMUT! Just overstim, slight dacryphilia, nipple sucking- duh, and swearing!

SUMMARY: Just Reader-Chan (gender neutral) sucking on best boi nipples.

(Headers are mine, but the art inside of them are not! Please don’t steal or repost without credit!) 

𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐊𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈

He’s always enjoyed your guys’s encounters ever since the two of you first met.

You started off as a friend of the team of course, introduced to the other members by Hinata with his extroverted self.

Immediately, you took a liking to Sugawara; I mean y’all did go to the same school for awhile and were in the same class so it only made sense.

Everyone around you already knew you and him would make it out of high school.

You’d always hang out with each other, and when you two were alone, that’s when he asked you out.

Hell yeah! He cared for his team, so it only makes sense that he cared for you a little more because you were his S/O

It goes without saying that he was fairly traditional.

… And sensitive.

So when you asked him- directly- if you could suck on his nipples, he instantly turned red and fell silent.

At first, you thought you struck a nerve and hurt him in some way because his eyes started to glisten more.

“I-It was just a suggestion- we don’t have to do it.”

He looked even more red, this being one of the only times he’d let you dom him.

“Get on top.”

No other direction had to be said, and he quickly- and easily- forced you into his lap.

You couldn’t help but to notice- already- how hard he was under you.

I guess he really is an imaginative character, huh?

He closed his eyes and looked away, his nipples already hard and peeking at you from under his shirt.

The both of you were in college, but it was apparent that something like this had never happened to him before.

You couldn’t help but to run your hands under his shirt first, feeling around his toned chest.

Just to fish for his reactions, you palmed his hardened nipples and smirked as you waited.

It was a short wait; instantly, his back arched and his body pushed into yours as he clenched his eyes shut.

You thought you’d hurt him until he leaned into you and let out one of his breathy moans that you loved so much.

“Harder,” he panted at you as he whined, wrapping one of his dainty hands around your wrist, forcing you to press into his pec more.

He looked like he was about to cry already as he got more antsy.

He knew that his body was sensitive and he’d easily cum from just you teasing his nipple with your hand.

“Someone’s a little needy tonight, hm?” You couldn’t help but to smirk down at him.

He couldn’t do anything but nod and clumsily move to try and pull up his shirt, panting like a dog without water after a run.

You laughed and ducked your head under his shirt that was halfway lifted and instantly locked your lips around his puckering nipple.

He was excited, maybe a little TOO excited.

Instantly, he threw his head back and let out a loud moan before slapping a hand over his mouth as to not alert the others that also live in the college dorms.

You pressed your tongue against it, pushed and teased and felt his cock throb in his pants as he started to tremble under you.

From how he was breathing, he sounded like he was about to pass out.

You had to pull away and remind him to calm down.

“Slow down your breathing, babe. You’ll pass out,” you cooed at him softly.

“I-I’m sorry, Sugar,” he whimpered quietly as he bucked his hips into you. “I-It just f-feels too good! I ca-can’t-“

Without letting him finish, you nipped at his swollen nipple gently with your teeth.

As if he wasn’t already pushed over the edge, he jolted and practically stopped breathing, his toes curled as he let go of you, burying his hands into the bed beside him.

“S-Sugar! S-Su- S-Suga-“ he whined out as his tears rolled down his face, his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he trembled and melted under you.

You took in every single one of his moans and cries, his chest heaving as he became more overwhelmed.

You didn’t want to stop until he begged you to, so you bit his nipple again as you sucked hard.

Even though his shirt was over your head, he still managed to tug your hair at least a little, his free hand holding your hips down as he humped into you.

“I-I’m gonna c-cum S-Sugar,” he whimpered in between his uncontrollable, breathy, whiny moans.

You, of course were ready. You knew his day had been stressful and he’d been completely overwhelmed by you just teasing his nipples whether with your mouth or your hand.

So in response, all you did was suck harder hearing every peak of his moans and cries as he trembled and bucked his hips harder, orgasming as his toes curled, his nails practically ripped the sheets on his bed, his eyes still streaming tears as they rolled back into his head and he made no noise, not even breathing.

You had to pull away, fearing that he was already overtimed and you gently slapped his face.

He was trembling, and finally he took a deep breath, opening his pretty eyes to look up at you.

“I-I’m sorry Sugar,” he whispered softly as he nuzzled into your hand a little more. “I-It just f-felt too good,” he whispered as he closed his eyes, practically purring under your soft touch.

“There’s no need to apologize baby boy,” you cooed out quietly to him, gently swiping tendrils of ash grey hair from in front of his face. “Just relax and I’ll go order us some dinner. You have early practice tomorrow.”

𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈

Of course it was the typical story of a forbidden rival school love.

not.

All in all, most of the schools respected Shiratorizawa back when you were in high school.

And to see him lingering around Kurasuno both made everyone’s morale leap at least 50% but also made them question wtf dude was doing there all the time.

He often helped the team practice and gave them pointers on how to get better, and also got you more involved too.

He’s always teasing, cracking jokes etc.

Sometimes it pissed you off; your name in his phone was “Itty Bitty Panda-Chan”

It didn’t help that you loved it and every time he called you his Itty Bitty Panda-Chan, it made you flustered.

Like usual, he played on it. All of the time.

Even alone.

You were hanging out with him at his house because he lived away from the college dorms and the two of you had finished with your work and had things for your next class situated for the next day, so you were playing games and he was… Well… Staring at you like usual.

“Is there a reason you’re staring at me, Idiot-San,” you mocked him constantly.

“Well… I have something in mind, Pan-Chan,” he dubbed you for short. You were interested but said absolutely nothing.

“Oh little Pan- Chaaaaan,” he teased as he climbed on top of you while you were still rested on your stomach.

He really didn’t have to do much to tease you or make you flustered since teasing was only natural for him.

Your body tensed up because of course your boyfriend was up to something. He always was.

“Answer me when I’m talking to you, my cute little Pan-Chan,” he whispered in your ear causing you to squeak.

“W-What d-did you have I-in mind, Satori,” you murmur as the next match of your game begins.

“Wow! I’m so happy you asked,” he teased as he forced you on your back and he laughed softly.

You’re just looking up at him like “I can’t pause it. It’s online.” And of course he doesn’t care.

Disrespectful bitch.

“How about…. Mmmm…. You give me the controller. I wanna play.”

That grin on his face when he was up to something said it all and you forked the controller over.

“What do you want, Ten?”

He looked like a little kid, slinging his feet over the bed with a laugh. “Chu chuuu~ This game is so… Cute,” he trailed off, seemingly sucked into the game in front of him.

That was, until you felt his strong hand on your hip, pulling you into his lap.

“T-Ten-“

“Shh,” he whispered as he lifted his hoodie, playing the game momentarily with one hand. “Suck… I want you to suck on them,” he whispered as he ‘dodged’ to one side, acting like he was the character in the game.

‘What is it with him tonight,’ you thought to yourself, just staring at his muscular chest.

You felt his gaze on you and you looked up with a soft gasp.

His cat-like eyes immediately locked with yours as he respawned in game. “I didn’t ask, Panda- Chan,” he said quietly, sternly, clearly. Honestly it kinda scared you.

“U-Um… O-Okay,” you thought you could handle him, but when he got like this, you couldn’t really. You liked how he had control over you no matter what.

As soon as your tongue pressed against one of his nipples you felt a flutter in his chest. And yours. His breathing got quicker and his eyes fluttered, but he still continued with that stupid demeaning tone of his.

“Chu chuuu~” He practically squealed. “That’s… N-Not g-good enough, Pan-Pan-Chan,” he gasped out softly as he leaned back.

Obviously, it was a lie. You could tell by how his legs jolted a little or his breathing quickened. He was loving every second of your teasing.

“C-Cut the shit, Satori,” you whispered softly, your hand timidly resting on his hip, the other one running over his abs.

“Mouthy, hm?” He looked down at you with that piercing gaze again. “Use all that spunk and suck harder,” he growled as he focused back in on the game, bucking his chest at you.

You did as instructed, savoring his sweet and salty taste, humming as you did so, your other hand palming at his sensitive chest as you stared up at him.

He threw his head back and let out a soft groan as he felt you get amped up and he laughed softly as he continued to play the game.

“Fuck yeah,” he whispered out softly as he grinded into you, not caring too much about the game at this point.

You were too far into it by now to just stop, and you loved every reaction you could get, and you let yourself go, accidentally biting his nipple, causing him to drop the controller, his eyes crossing a little as he tilted his head back.

You let out a little hollow laugh of your own and continued nibbling and kissing on his nipple feeling him practically melt beneath you. You held the power and you loved it.

Also hearing his moans and praises was definitely a huge boost for you to keep going.

You grinded your hips down into his bulge and moaned softly feeling how well he fit in between your legs.

It was apparent that this wasn’t enough to get him to cum, but close.

He tangled his fingers with your hair as he edged closer and closer to cumming, pulling you closer as he let out a strangled groan.

Obviously, this is gonna escalate into a lot more.

#Black Velvet x Community #Jae's Pebble #bb kit #Jenesis Asks/Answers #black velvet asks #black velvet x haikyuu #haikyuu!! #haikyu x reader #sugawara hcs #sugawara smut #sugawara x you #sugawara kōshi #suga #sugawara x y/n #sugawara fic #sugawara imagine #tendou headcanon #tendou x reader #satori tendo x reader #tendou satori #satori x reader #tendou x you #hq headcanons #hq smut #hq tendou #hq suga x reader #hq sugawara

[momentofmemory]

FICTOBER 2020 - day five

Prompt #5: “Unacceptable, try again.”

Fandom: The Old Guard

Characters: Nile Freeman, Andy | Andromache of Scythia

Words: 1239

Author’s Note: Don’t mind me, just casually projecting my own struggles with throwing pottery onto Andy, whilst simultaneously having Emotions™ about sculptor!Nile. Nile POV. for @seek-rest

>> centered

Nile dips her hand into the bowl, gently pinching the side between her forefinger and thumb before bringing it up, feeling for abnormalities in the clay. She bites her lip and tries not to laugh.

“It’s not bad,” she says, pulling away to wipe her hands on her jeans, “it’s just a little…”

“Terrible.”

Nile snorts and sits down in front of her own clay, which is easily twice the size of Andy’s, and is still perfectly centered on the wheel. “Let’s go with unacceptable. Try again?”

Andy just groans and swipes the clay off the wheel, before hastily smashing it back into the shape of a ball.

“You should let that dry out before you center again,” Nile says. She sets her wheel to an easy pace, and begins teasing out the lip of her bowl. “Or just get a new piece. Bag’s on the counter if you want to wedge some.”

Andy, predictably, ignores her and throws the clay back onto the wheel.

The two work in relative silence for a few minutes, the only sound coming from the persistent whir of the wheels’ motors. It feels good to be back in a studio—it’s not like the one she’d used back home, but it still has that earthy smell to it, and that same afternoon sun filtering in to bathe everything in warm shades of yellow and red.

Nile finishes coaxing her own bowl into a shape she likes, then leans back, careful to retract her hands slowly so as to not disrupt the clay’s equilibrium, and watches Andy’s progress.

There’s not much of it.

“Scoot a little closer,” she says, after Andy’s clay collapses for the third time. “Your elbows aren’t anchored and that’ll make you wobble—no matter how strong you think you are.”

Andy scowls, but does as Nile’d suggested. This time, the clay manages to make it all the way up and back down, before a too-quick release sends it off kilter.

“You gotta stay aligned,” Nile says. “The clay’s just doing what your body’s telling it to do. The more centered you are, the more centered it’ll be.”

Andy starts again, still using the same piece of clay. “Remind me why I let you talk me into this.”

“Because you wouldn’t let me talk you into showing me how to do bronze casting.”

Andy smirks. “Don’t know what I was thinking.”

“I’m sensing a pattern.”

Andy makes the mistake of looking up in indignation, then curses when the clay she’d been bringing up starts listing to the side, following the shift of her body.

“Stay centered,” Nile says.

“I am centered—”

The sides wobble, then cave in.

Andy curses again.

For her part, Nile continues trimming her base unbothered. “Just go wedge the damn clay, Andy.”

“No. Feels too much like giving up.”

Nile snorts, the words and mindset feeling familiar.

Andy squints at her. “Something funny?”

“Nothing.” A distracted smile ghosts across her lips, her hands gently cupping the clay. “You just, uh. Remind me of my dad, is all.”

Andy seems to consider this. “That a compliment?”

“It’s not not one.” Nile reaches for the water bowl and refreshes her drying clay. “But you really are setting yourself up for failure if you don’t know when to start over.”

Andy hums noncommittally. Then she places the same, overly soaked clay back onto the wheel.

It’ll probably last two minutes before falling again.

Nile picks up her throwing rib and begins shaping the outside surface of her bowl. “So you got something against common sense?”

“No—”

The clay falls again.

“—just futility,” Andy says, and with that brings her wheel to a halt.

Nile half glances at her, but she’s in the middle of levelling the lip and doesn’t want to risk disturbing the clay, so she lets it slide.

The sound of running water turning on behind her blends in with the sound of the wheel, and after a minute, Andy comes back over with a cloth and begins towelling off her workspace.

Andy clears her throat. “So, he teach you how to do this?”

It takes her a second to place the train of thought.

“…My dad?” Nile flicks a scrap of clay into her discard pile. “No. I tried taking him in one time when he was on leave, and he lasted about an hour before he got impatient.”

“Ah. So that’s why I remind you of him.”

“Yeah, but, in his defense, he lasted twice as long as you, and he hadn’t had several thousand years to practice.” Nile brings her own wheel to a halt. “How’d you manage to live this long and never pick up throwing, anyway?”

Andy sighs and drapes her towel over the wire rack. “Probably had too much time.”

Nile’s still trying to figure out what that means when Andy must decide they’ve unlocked a new level of friendship, because she actually pursues the earlier part of the conversation.

“So if not your dad, where’d you learn—” Andy gestures vaguely at the now-completed bowl—“this.”

“One of my mom’s friends had her own studio back home,” Nile says. She wets her sponge, and squeezes the water out onto the edge of her wheel. “She’d let anyone who wanted come in and throw, as long as we cleaned up afterwards. It’s how I got interested in art.”

“Hm.” Andy looks away, examining the pieces done by the owner that line the wall, and Nile thinks the conversation’s over until Andy adds, “You still interested? In art?”

Nile pauses from where she’d been dislodging her bowl from the wheel, the wire still in hand. “Uh. I guess? Military was supposed to pay for my degree, but. Kinda hard to apply for a scholarship as a dead person.”

“You’re one of us,” Andy says. “If this is something you’d like, we’ve got more than enough to support you for a few years.”

“Wait, so you’re saying—” Nile is, in all honesty, reeling a bit. “I thought I had to keep a low profile?”

Andy shrugs. “Pick a big enough university and it’s just as low profile as anything else.”

The water and wire finally do their job and the bowl hydroplanes neatly off the wheel and into Nile’s hands. She stares down at the fragile shape. “Can I—can I think about it and get back to you?”

“Nile, you’re going to live thousands of years. You can wait a few decades to decide if you really want,” Andy says. “You’ve got more than enough time.”

Nile nods, still trying to process how quickly her foreseeable future was changing. “Yeah, I—yeah, okay. Wow. Decades.”

She shakes herself, then she pauses.

“Hey, Andy?” she says. “You know you’ve still got enough time too, right?”

Andy shrugs. “Like I said. What’s a few decades to a few thousand years.”

“What’s a few seconds to a few hours? Because that’s the trade-off you were making earlier by not just wedging the clay.”

Andy purses her lips.

“If we’re gonna do this thing, we’re gonna both live our lives,” Nile says. “Fair enough?”

Andy half laughs, looking off to the side before bringing her gaze—and a smile, however small—back in Nile’s direction. “You drive a hard bargain.”

Nile moves her bowl to the designated shelf, where it’ll remain bone dry for as long as it needs to before firing.

“No other bargain worth trying for.”

#fictober20 #nile freeman #andy #andromache the scythian #the old guard #memsfic

[ethereousdelirious]

Fandom: The M.agnus A.rchives

Characters: E.lias, P.eter

Pairing: E.lias/P.eter

Tropes: mistaken for drunk, fever, collapsing, flu, coughing, pining, mild humiliation, caretaking, intimacy

Summary: E.lias comes down sick a party he tricked P.eter into attending. P.eter looks after him.

Warnings/Notes: Mild spoilers if you don’t know who P.eter L.ukas is, obviously haha. Mild spoilers if you don’t know why E.lias is a main character. Usually with p.odcasts I try to avoid describing the characters but my h.eadcanons kinda crept through this time. I tried not to be too in-your-face about it Also I have a specific interpretation of how L.onelyE.yes works that you may or may not share??

Umm final thoughts, I’m A.merican and have undoubtedly let some A.merican-isms slip through and you’re just going to have to live with that. Also the symptoms are kinda?? IDK how to describe it. A little inaccurate but done deliberately. You’ll see what I mean. Basically, I know what I’m about and if you see something wrong that isn’t a typo, I either did it deliberately or am aware it’s fudged don’t care enough to fix it

Peter, Elias was delighted to see, was looking distinctly uncomfortable. His shoulders were tensed, his head ducked in a futile effort to make himself smaller and somehow less noticeable.

Elias took another sip of Prosecco and congratulated himself on a job well done. It had been pathetically easy to get Peter to turn up at the Magnus Institute holiday party. Really, all Elias had to do was convince Peter that he wasn't wanted there, and Peter would turn up just to watch him squirm. It had worked like a charm.

"So many people seem to want to meet you," Elias said, only half trying to keep the smugness out of his voice. If he was being honest, the Prosecco had gone to his head a bit, and they hadn't even been here that long. "I did tell you I didn't think you should come. I'm sure they'll all be talking about you for weeks."

Peter eyed him mistrustfully. "You don't seem to mind too much."

Elias actually laughed at this, and passed his glass over to Peter. "Oh, do try to lighten up and enjoy yourself."

Finally, the penny dropped. "You tricked me," Peter said plainly. He accepted the glass and finished its contents in one swallow. "You wanted me here. Why? Just to watch me suffer?"

"Not at all," Elias lied. "Believe it or not, I do enjoy your company, and I knew you wouldn't come if I asked you to."

"There are so many people," Peter said with audible disgust. "And they're all being so friendly with each other. God, I hate the holidays." He looked down at Elias, whose face was flushed. "Are you drunk, Elias?"

"Hardly," Elias said, another lie. The hotel ballroom he'd had Rosie rent was incredibly warm despite its size. Under his jacket, he could feel his shirt sticking to his upper back with a fine sheet of sweat. "Why don't we go outside?"

"I don't forgive you," Peter muttered, but he let Elias lead him around the dance floor to one of the balconies.

He shut the sliding door behind them, and then they both turned and stared at each other with vastly differing degrees of coldness.

Perhaps unused to being scrutinized so severely, Elias broke first under Peter's frigid gaze. "Oh, come on, Peter. Don't be like that. I didn't invite you here just to make fun of you. I wanted you to come." His face was still flushed and he wasn't shivering despite the cold December air that made his breath come out in white puffs.

"Really," Peter said. He went to lean against the metal railing, but thought better of it. The wrought iron had gone icy cold. He rubbed his hands against the thick wool of his sweater and gazed out over the cityscape.

"Really," Elias said. He didn't say more.

Peter continued to stare out at the city. Surrounded by companionship, he pretended he could feel the intense loneliness of one who walked the city streets at night yet had no connections within.

It was part of why he could stand Elias. Elias never made him feel loved, just used. Peter revelled in the wanting, in the desire for something more that he knew would forever be denied to him. He decided. For Elias, for the Lonely, he would endure.

"Fine."

"You'll stay?" Elias lit up, clearly delighted. He took one of Peter's hands in his own, and they were warm. "Excellent."

Peter tugged Elias closer to him because he knew it would annoy him. "When was the last time you felt anything other than smug satisfaction?" he asked, wrapping his arms around Elias.

"Don't, someone might see," Elias protested. He was warm, and he was small. He barely came up to Peter's collarbone and couldn't wrap his arms all the way around Peter's sturdy body. He was staring fixedly through the glass door.

"I thought you wanted me here," Peter teased. He shivered and pulled Elias in closer. “Doesn’t everyone here think I’m your husband?”

"You're cold," Elias said. "Let's go in. I'm sure someone will have spiked the punch by now."

He slid the door open and stepped over the threshold.

"You don't think you've had enough?" Peter asked. Elias had never been a heavy drinker, and he was still pink-cheeked from the several glasses of Prosecco he'd had earlier. Then, just to annoy Elias, Peter added, "Little guys like you should go slow."

Elias huffed and ran a hand over his perfectly-styled hair as though to slick it back. "I think I know my own limits, thank you very much."

They got drinks, avoiding conversation, and posted up against the wall as all the tables were taken and Peter didn't want to share.

Elias clutched at his glass of water and leaned against the wall, absently studying the cable pattern of Peter's sweater.

He didn't look like he was sobering up at all, Peter reflected. His shoulder was pressed against the wall a little too hard to be casual and his pale cheeks were still aglow.

"Dizzy?" Peter asked with faux-innocence.

"A bit, actually," Elias mumbled, which wasn't like him. Peter barely heard him over the music.

Peter smirked. "Want to sit?"

"No." Elias downed half the glass of water in an instant and shivered. "That won't be necessary."

"What's the alcohol content of Prosecco, anyway?" Peter teased. The punch had indeed been spiked. He was careful to just sip at it, the better to make fun of Elias for going too fast.

"12%," Elias answered. He frowned, looking perplexed. "I only had two glasses."

"Two and a half," Peter said. It wasn't often that he had anything to hold over Elias, and he was enjoying this immensely. "Tell me, do you have any special urge to do karaoke? Or dance on the table?"

"Shut up," Elias said, frowning. He took another sip of water and leaned harder into the wall.

"Why don't you introduce me to this new Archivist of yours?" Peter suggested, trying to get something out of Elias.

"Later."

Peter frowned. "Then why don't you eat something? The party's not going to be any fun if you're like this all night.” He shook his head. “I never would have pegged you as a melancholy drunk.”

"I do apologize," Elias said sarcastically.

"Really, sit down. I'll get you a roll or something."

"I'm not hungry."

"You'll feel better if you eat," Peter insisted.

The look Elias gave him was keen and full of mistrust. "What do you care if I feel better?"

"We're friends, aren't we?"

"That's certainly a word for it." Elias sighed and tried to straighten up, but kept most of his weight on the wall. "Where do you suggest I sit so you can fawn all over me, hm? I can't have them knowing too much about me."

"Of course," Peter said with sarcastic solemnity. "That's your job."

"Precisely."

"Look," Peter said. "Just sit down and eat something. Stop acting like a child."

"Fine. But do watch your hands." Elias marched off to a table and set to work scaring off its other occupants. Peter watched him at it, then started filling up a plate with things he knew Elias didn't like.

When Peter returned Elias was sitting slumped, with his chin resting in his palm, the fingers tensed along the angle of his jaw. He didn't look any better, although it had already been some time since his last drink.

Peter didn't reflect on it too long. He slid the paper plate over to Elias. It was piled high with sweets and baked goods.

Elias actually made a face. "I'm really not hungry." 

"You really will feel better if you eat something," Peter said.

"And I'm telling you I don't want to," Elias snapped.

Peter noticed suddenly that he wasn't slurring his words, and hadn't been all evening. "Elias?"

"What?"

"Have you considered that you might be sick?"

"I'm not going to be sick," Elias said, misunderstanding.

"No, no. That you're sick. I think you have a fever." Peter leaned over and cupped his hand on Elias' neck. It was warm, but then, it was a warm room.

"Ah," said Elias curtly, leaning away from Peter's touch. Then, "Damn." He shifted positions, putting his head in both his hands. "I don't even remember the last time I was sick."

"You'd better sit up," Peter said brightly. "People are starting to stare."

"They are not," Elias said, but he straightened up all the same. Sure enough, the group at the next table over was looking at him curiously. "I can't leave early," he said.

"Why not?"

"It'll look bad." Elias took a few shallow breaths and set his jaw like he was in pain. "I'll have to stay."

"Will they be expecting a speech?" Peter wondered out loud, mostly for the joy of seeing Elias go pale with dread.

Elias did indeed blanch, turning almost gray under the low lights. His forehead was shiny with sweat. "I just won't this year. Nobody likes those speeches anyway. I mostly give them because people hate them."

"You need to go home," Peter said. "You look terrible." Now that he knew what the problem was, it was quite obvious. Though a persistent fever blush stained Elias' cheeks a drunken pink, the rest of his face was sickly white. His breathing was irregular and his brow was creased in evident pain. Peter imagined he had quite a headache but wasn't admitting it.

He also imagined that Elias knew he needed to go home, but was resisting for the simple, petty reason that it was Peter who'd suggested it.

"I'll be fine," Elias insisted.

"So you're just going to sit here," Peter said, "all night." He checked his watch. "It's only just now 10:00, and I can't imagine this will be over earlier than 3:00."

"Everyone usually starts clearing out around 1:00," Elias corrected him. He coughed lightly, experimentally.

"You didn't answer me," Peter said.

"About what?"

"Are you really just going to sit in the chair for 3 hours?"

Elias regarded him coldly and coughed again, this time muffling the sound into his sleeve. "Perhaps."

"Do you want some coffee?" Peter asked suddenly.

"Yes," Elias said. He eyes the plate, piled high with pastries and all the things Peter knew he didn't care for. "Please don't do anything strange to it. I'll Know if you do."

Peter went off to get the coffee. He thought about adding sugar to Elias' just to spite him, but didn't, and came back carrying two mugs of perfectly ordinary coffee.

"Thank you, Peter," said Elias with something close to real sincerity.

Peter shrugged, uncomfortable. "Maybe it'll help with that cough."

The night dragged on. Peter, bored and uncomfortable, wanted to leave.

Sitting there watching Elias smolder with fever was not exactly fun, if only because he wasn't getting any sense of personal triumph out of it. Elias didn't seem to be getting any worse, and Peter was worried he wasn't going to get a grand "I told you so" moment. Still, he waited on the off chance that it might happen.

They hadn't bet on it exactly, but Peter felt the thrill of a bet all the same. In his mind, he had bet against Elias making it through the evening and he wanted to see what would happen. Since it wasn't a proper wager, Elias' humiliation would be prize enough. The only thing Peter had to lose was time, and he had plenty of that.

Elias smothered a cough into a cloth napkin.

"How are you feeling?" Peter asked.

Elias looked at him with malice. "If you ask me that again, I'm going to--"

"To what?" Peter challenged, beaming. "You wouldn't kill me, Elias, you like me too much."

"Try me," Elias said through gritted teeth.

Every so often, one of the more bold (or drunk) employees would happen across their table and make conversation with Elias. Peter was consistently amazed at Elias' ability to lie through his teeth and act like an ordinary man. He even came off a bit stupid, which was a truly great deceit.

Elias slumped backwards in his chair and rubbed at his forehead.

"Headache?" Peter asked.

Elias looked at him sideways. "Would it make you happy if I said 'yes'?" he asked, sounding exhausted.

"You could ask for paracetamol," Peter suggested.

"I know you don't have any."

"That's not what I meant." Peter smiled sedated. "I could go ask for you, if you like." He affected a saccharine, doting tone and expression, "Excuse me, do you have any painkillers on you? I'm so worried about my dear Elias--"

"Do shut up," Elias said. He coughed a little behind his lips and looked at the army of mugs and glasses surrounding him. Finding the most recent addition, a mug of chamomile Peter had recently brought him, he took a sip. "You put honey in this."

"For your throat. Do you want me to ask about painkillers or not?"

"No. You could sneak into the coat closet, if you were so inclined, and steal some from the red purse or the navy jacket in the back."

It was as close to asking for a favor as Elias would ever get, and it was good enough for Peter. Wondering idly if the Lonely disapproved of such frivolous manifestations of its power, Peter let himself disappear.

Finally, it came time to leave. The music stopped, the overhead lights came on, and Peter got to his feet with a bitter feeling of disappointment in his chest.

He'd babysat Elias all night with nothing to show for it.

"Shall I see you home?" he asked. "I can't imagine you'll want me to stay."

"I don't care either way," Elias said. He stood up and immediately had to grip the back of the chair to keep his balance as the color drained from his face.

He looked awful. Peter realized with no small measure of delight that Elias felt much worse than he'd let on. "I'll take you home," he said.

Elias released his white-knuckle grip on the chair and made slowly for the exit. The remaining employees were leaving in a trickle.

"Quite a lot of people are still here," Peter observed, surprised.

Elias didn't say anything.

They joined the throng in its slow crawl toward the doorway. Elias put his hand on Peter's back and bunched up his fingers in the fabric of Peter's sweater. He didn't seem to realize what he'd done, and had no expression whatsoever on his ashen face.

They reached the exit. Elias' grip went slack and he stumbled.

"Elias?" Peter said, reaching out for him. People turned to look. Elias took a staggering half-step forward and fainted.

"Elias!" Peter repeated. He caught Elias by the shoulders and lowered him to the ground.

They were right in the middle of the doorway, surrounded by people on all sides. There was absolutely no privacy to be had.

The wave of curiosity and concern from the crowd was almost physically repulsive to Peter. He shuddered under the weight of it.

Doing his best to ignore the murmuring from the crowd, Peter put his hand to Elias' cheek. He was burning up, of course. Even as Peter looked down at him, Elias' eyelids began to flutter. He sighed and opened his eyes. Momentarily confused, he looked at Peter, then at the ceiling.

Realizing what had happened, he closed his eyes again and pressed his lips into a thin, white line. "Shit."

Peter remained silent, his hand still pressed to Elias' fevered cheek. Behind him, someone was trying to get the crowd to back off.

"Help me up," Elias muttered, moving his lips as little as possible. Peter wordlessly held out his arm and hauled Elias to his feet.

"I'm quite alright," Elias was saying in response to a whole barrage of questions. "No, no, that won't be necessary. Yes, just a flu, I'm sure. Peter will see me home. Thank you."

And, clinging almost painfully to his arm, Elias dragged Peter across the lobby and out a side entrance, then collapsed heavily on the steps with his head in his hands.

"Don't stop here," Peter said, finally allowing himself to feel sorry for Elias now that he'd gotten a heavy dose of humiliation.

Elias let out a barrage of coughs in response, folding over nearly double. This too had gotten worse. The sound was dry and crackling.

"You're really not feeling well, are you?" Peter asked, almost in a marveling tone.

"Just go if you're going to mock me," Elias said in an unusually thready voice. "I don't have to put up with this."

"Oh, Elias." Peter had gotten the upper hand so quickly it almost wasn't fun anymore. "Come on and let me take you home. They've got cabs waiting out front." He shivered and realized with irritation that he'd forgotten his jacket inside. Oh, well.

"Come on, up you get."

Elias stood up slowly and stood panting for a moment. Peter waited for him to recover then steered him to a taxi. This really wasn't fun anymore. He had never seen Elias so pliant, so agreeable, so…. So vulnerable.

Still, Peter reflected, leaning back after giving the driver Elias' address, he didn't want Elias to die. If word got out that he was ill, someone would most certainly come to finish him off.

So, Peter would have to stay with him until he was better.

"I'm the only one that gets to kill you," he said softly to Elias, who had gone slack against the door.

The driver looked up in alarm, but said nothing. 

They reached Elias' building. In lieu of searching for the keys, Peter phased in through the door and unlocked it.

Elias ignored him, crossed the threshold, and went immediately to bed.

The whole apartment has a cold, untouched feeling that made Peter feel immediately at ease. It was a welcome change from the warm, cheerful atmosphere at the holiday party. Peter shut the door, locked it, and leaned back against it. He closed his eyes and breathed in the abject loneliness of the apartment. Then he straightened and went to go get Elias.

If Peter was going to be looking after him, he could at least exact a bit of torment while he was there.

Although. He was certain nothing could ever be as satisfying as watching Elias faint in front of half his staff, with nothing and no one to blame but himself and his pride.

Peter sighed in satisfaction and flicked on the lightswitch.

"Go away," Elias said, not visible beneath the covers.

"You're not sleeping in that suit," Peter said cheerfully. "Let's get you changed!"

"I'm going to kill you," Elias said evenly. Peter grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him up. He took off Elias' suit jacket and began to unbutton his shirt.

His skin was still ablaze with fever heat and his skin was slick with sweat.

"I'm going to reach into your mind and pick out the worst thing that's ever happened to you," Elias was ranting, glassy-eyed, "And I'm going to show it to you in such vivid detail that the anguish kills you on the spot."

"Dear Elias," Peter smiled paternally at him. "Meeting you was the worst thing that's ever happened to me. Now take off your slacks."

Elias got to his feet and immediately had to lean back against the bed for balance. When he was standing there in nothing but his boxers, Peter turned away. "Now let's see, where do you keep your pajamas?"

"Peter," Elias said in a warning tone.

"Do it, then," Peter said placidly, digging through Elias' chest of drawers. "Really. I'd like to see you try. Ah! Here we are."

He turned around to find Elias glaring daggers at him. Then a flurry of coughs overtook him. The muscles in his chest and abdomen all jumped with the effort.

"You're so scrawny," Peter said, dressing Elias with ease. "What are these, silk? They're nice."

"I really hate you," Elias said. His head was hanging, his eyes half-open, and Peter suspected that his locked knees were the only thing keeping him upright.

"To bed with you," Peter said.

Elias tucked himself back under the covers and closed his eyes.

"I'll be here when you wake. Shout if you need anything." Peter turned off the light and went out, knowing full well that Elias' pride wouldn't allow him to ask for a single thing.

"Peter?"

Peter woke in confusion, not realizing he had fallen asleep. He was sprawled out on Elias' couch (to the extent that a man of his size and stature could sprawl).

"Peter," Elias called again, gently. He coughed and Peter winced.

He got up slowly, yawning, and shuffled into Elias' bedroom. "What is it?"

Elias didn't answer, but Peter could hear his labored, wheezing breaths.

"I'm gonna turn on the light."

No reply.

Peter flicked on the lightswitch and almost flinched at the sight. Elias had kicked off the covers and was lying on his back, sprawled out and breathing heavily. His face was an angry red all the way down to the neck and his eyes were glassy and distant.

"Hm," Peter said, more to himself than to Elias. "I knew the Eye wasn't going to let you die, but I didn't think it would allow you to suffer quite this much."

For all his faults, Peter did in fact possess and conscience, and he really wasn't enjoying the sight of Elias suffering like this. 

"Obviously I can't take you to hospital," he said, looming over Elias. "Do you even have organs anymore? Or is it just eyes all the way down?"

Elias coughed and fought to draw breath. "I can't--" he tried to articulate. "I don’t--"

"Relax," Peter said. He smoothed back Elias' hair and let out a dismayed sigh at the heat radiating from Elias’ head. He really wasn't sure what to do, but he certainly had nothing to gain by leaving Elias here to suffer.

"Peter," Elias panted. "What's happening to me?"

"I know you've had a fever before," Peter said, consciously refusing to feel too sorry for him.

"Hurts…"

"I know." Peter put his hands on his hips and surveyed Elias on the bed. His carefully pomaded hair was a mess, his pajamas soaked in sweat. Yet his dark eyes somehow hadn't completely lost the sharp quality of Beholding. Even now they seemed to bore into Peter.

"How about I run you a bath?" Peter suggested.

"I don't care what you do." Elias rolled over and winced, pressing his hand to his forehead. "Just make it stop."

Peter walked away to run the bath, then came back to get Elias. He bent down and slid his arms under Elias' back and knees, carrying him bridal style. Elias was so warm it was actually uncomfortable to be close to him.

"What's your temperature?" Peter asked.

"41," Elias said. He slumped bonelessly in Peter's arms, barely able to keep his head up.

"You know," Peter reflected. He set Elias down on the edge of the tub and started to undress him. "A normal person would be in deep shit right about now. But look at you. You can still talk. I bet you could even stand if you tried."

"No," Elias shook his head. He let Peter strip him naked without even a shred of resistance. "I'm so tired."

"Mm." Peter manhandled Elias into the bath, bracing himself for impact.

Sure enough, Elias gave a cry and immediately began to shiver. "This isn't better, Peter."

Peter shrugged. "You were overheating. Let me take care of you a little."

"Take care of me how?" Elias growled.

"I've asked you not to compel me," Peter said with forced evenness."Besides, I thought you could just take that information?"

Elias' shoulders dropped. Stark naked and shaking, wet, with his hair all in his face, he looked so pathetic that Peter almost felt truly sorry for him. "I can't control it. The woman upstairs purposefully broke up her daughter's marriage and there's someone walking by who committed a hit and run three years ago and is still terrified of getting caught--"

"Enough," Peter said. Elias' voice was tremulous, pained. "Just let me wash your hair."

Elias nodded, and Peter rolled up his sleeves and began to run his wet hands through Elias' hair. It was stiff with product, and lightly scented. Elias stopped shivering and gave a deep, exhausted sigh.

"See?" Peter said. "Isn't this nice?" He reached for the shampoo and massaged it into Elias' scalp. He was still incredibly hot, but perhaps a little less than he had been before.

Elias seemed to want to speak but was overtaken by a coughing fit. His shoulders spasmed and leaned forward, coughing violently into open air. Peter rubbed his back until the fit was through, then continued running his hands through Elias' hair.

"Peter," Elias said, sounding almost like his usual self. He hesitated, licked his lips. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"I don't know," Peter said after a long pause. He cupped his hands and started to rinse the shampoo out of Elias' hair. Elias hadn't compelled him that time, yet he still felt a strange need to be honest. "I won't lie, I do like seeing you like this. It's not often you've got your worst enemy helpless at your feet. But…" He thought for a moment. "I don't want to see you suffer too much. When I put you to bed and you were overheating and miserable, it didn't feel like victory. It just felt like cruelty. And despite everything, I don't want to be cruel. Not to you."

For a long time, Elias didn't say anything. Peter started to condition the ends of his hair.

"I wouldn't do the same for you," Elias said.

"I know," Peter replied.

That was the whole point, after all.

#i'm sorry i talk so fucking much gkhsfkhjfs #i have a d h d #ethereous writes #illness kink #caretaking #whump

[broomballkraken]

Title: A Dullahan and a Firewolf Walk into a Café...

Fandom: Cafe Enchante

Pairing(s): Kotone/Canus/Ignis

Word count: 3309

Warnings: None

Summary: ...and they eventually fall in love with the sunny and upbeat owner. This is a cause of tension between Canus and Ignis, who are normally the best of friends...that is, until they realize that they are in love with each other as well.

Enchanté had always been a place where Ignis could escape the constant fighting and the bitter cold of Bestia. Relaxing in the quaint café atmosphere with a nice drink and a filling homemade meal was always something that he had looked forward to.

This time, however, he was feeling anything but relaxed.

Ignis’ grip tightened around his glass of soda as he stole a glance to his right, where Canus sat sipping on his smoothie, his discomfort obvious due to the deep blue color of the flames that were ever-present around his neck.

They were currently the only regulars present today; Il was locked in his room playing the latest otome game, Misyr had business in the demon world, Rindo had offered to escort Kariya to his checkup at the GPM, and Kotone was off shopping for groceries. The fact that Ignis was alone with Canus only made this awkward silence between them more deafening. There was also a palpable tension in the air, and it had everything to do with the beautiful human who owned the café.

Ignis would be the first to admit that he had been wary when Kotone had taken over the café. Enchanté was his escape from the constant fighting in Bestia, and he didn’t know if it would be the same without Souan. However, he soon realized that his worry had been unfounded, because Kotone’s Enchanté was every bit as cozy and welcoming to non-humans as her grandfather’s had been.

It was even more so actually, as unlike Souan, Kotone had shown great interest in visiting the non-human worlds, even though she had ended up in the middle of a few terrible situations, especially in his own world of Bestia, and Canus’ home world of Medio. She had helped Ignis break free from his fate of becoming Vanar, so it was no surprise that he had fallen in love with her along the way, and luckily for him, she felt the same way.

This had surprised him, because while they all were helping Canus deal with the threat that Yggdrasil posed to Medio, Ignis watched as Kotone and Canus fell in love with each other. He had never considered the fact that she could be in love with two people at the same time, but that wasn’t really a problem.

No, the problem wasn’t that they both loved Kotone, it was that Ignis was also in love with Canus, and he didn’t know what to think of that. In Bestia, the beast-folk took on one mate for life, and Ignis had never heard of anyone forming a polycule of any kind before. He wasn’t sure what humans thought of that, and from what he had gathered about the fairy customs concerning romance, he really couldn’t fathom a guess at what Canus’ thoughts about it were either.

The more Ignis thought about it, the more he realized that he had probably been in love with Canus far longer than he had with Kotone, and he had just been too dense to realize it. He didn’t need to see Canus’ face to know that he was attractive; his kindness, loyalty, and passion for protecting others was more than enough to cause Ignis to fall in love with him.

When Ignis had found out about the horrible burden that Canus had been forced to bear for Medio, he had felt physically ill at the thought. Someone as kind-hearted and gentle as Canus had no business being forced to kill innocents against his will. Ignis had been more than happy to lend a hand in burning that bastard tree Yggdrasil down to nothing but a pile of ash.

Canus had been a big part of helping Ignis out with his own bullshit trauma, and Ignis really couldn’t thank him enough for helping Kotone keep him from passing that point of no return. They had developed a very close bond, and Ignis had realized that the line between friendship and love had been blurred for a long time. Now that he knew that line had indeed been crossed, he didn’t know what to do about it.

When Kotone had confessed her love for him, Ignis thought that would solve his problem once and for all by overwriting his love for Canus. However, those feelings persisted nonetheless, and it only confused him more when he found out that Kotone loved Canus too.

Ignis’ patience with this dilemma was wearing thin, and he knew that he needed to talk about this with Canus. He hated this awkward air that lingered between them now, and he decided that he was going to put a stop to it right now, one way or another.

Ignis downed half of his drink and slammed his glass onto the counter harder than he needed to, startling Canus. “Ugh, alright, we’ve gotta talk about this already,” he said, waving his hand in front of him as he turned to face Canus head on. Canus stiffened and he turned as well, letting out a deep sigh.

“Indeed. We have put it off for far too long.”

“So, you love Kotone, and I love Kotone.” Ignis decided to not beat around the bush at all, and he continued when Canus nodded, “And she loves both of us.”

“Yes, she has told me as much.” Canus crossed his arms over his chest, and his flames turned a radiant yellow in color, causing Ignis’ face to heat up at how pretty they were. “It was easy to fall in love with such a gentle, caring soul.”

“Yeah.” A soft smile crossed Ignis’ face as he placed an elbow on the counter and rested his chin on his hand. “She’s so compassionate, too much for her own good sometimes. Kotone really pulled us both out of some really dark places, huh?”

Canus’ flames flashed dark blue briefly, and Ignis winced as the awful memories resurfaced briefly. They both really had been through hell by being forced to kill against their will, albeit with different overall circumstances. All of their friends had been a great help, but Kotone had been at the center, for both of them, and had been a key factor in giving them both a happy ending to their ordeals.

“But,” Ignis continued as he worried his bottom lip between his teeth, “is it really okay for her to be with both of us at the same time?”

“Hm, I believe so. Human relationships are varied and complicated. I have read in a few of the romantic magazines that Kotone has given Titania that some do in fact form polyamorous relationships.” Ignis was curious as to why Canus was reading those magazines in the first place, but he decided against asking about it. Instead, he sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Tch, humans are stranger than I thought...I guess I can live with her being in love with both of us…” Ignis trailed off, failing to hide the disappointment in his voice, not at the fact that he had to share Kotone, but that he also wanted to be with Canus. Ignis wasn’t sure if he could stand to watch Canus give Kotone affection when he wanted it badly from him too.

But Ignis would try, because he loved them both, and if he had to suppress his feelings for Canus to make them happy, then he would make that sacrifice, no matter how painful it was. He stole a glance at Canus out of the corner of his eye, and even though he couldn’t see his face, Ignis could feel Canus’ intense gaze boring into him as the flames around his neck suddenly turned a light pink in color.

“...Yes, but with that being said...I do believe that I may have similar feelings for you as well, Ignis.”

Ignis had unfortunately been in the middle of taking a generous swig of his drink, and it immediately ended up all over the counter as choked on it and spit it out. His coughing fit was eased when Canus smacked a firm hand to his back a few times, and Ignis finally managed to squeak out a response after he wiped his arm over his mouth.

“...H-Huh??”

Canus lifted his hand to his invisible face and cleared his throat, his flames turning an even deeper shade of pink. “I, ah...I’m in love with you too.”

Ignis just stared at Canus, with his jaw hanging open with shock. He couldn’t help but wonder if fairies possessed some kind of mind-reading magic that he wasn’t aware of, but the thought was pushed from his mind as an incredible warmth erupted within his chest. Canus...really felt the same way about him, huh? Ignis definitely hadn’t expected that at all.

“If you do not feel the same about me, that is...quite alright.” The flames around Canus’ neck betrayed his actual feelings as it turned a deep shade of blue, and Ignis frowned at the sight. “I will suppress my feelings for you and we can focus on making Kotone happy-“

“Whoa, whoa, back up. Don’t just assume things without hearing what I have to say first,” Ignis interrupted, pouting as his eyes narrowed, “Because, ah, actually do, kinda, maybe feel the same way…” Ignis fumbled with his words and his voice trailed off at the end, and Canus just stared at him.

“I...don’t understand-” he started, and Ignis let out a frustrated noise as he shook his head.

“Gah! I love you too, alright?” he blurted out, his gaze falling to the counter as he rubbed at the back of his neck. He heard Canus suck in a sharp breath, and Ignis almost didn’t hear it over the roaring of his heartbeat in his ears.

“O-Oh, you...you do, really?”

“Yes, really.” Ignis forced himself to look back up at Canus, “I’ve...loved you for a long time now, actually.” He swallowed thickly and sweat began to bead on his forehead as Canus stared at him, before his flames turned a bright yellow.

“I am so happy to hear that, Ignis. I...was honestly scared to tell you, given your relationship with Kotone.” He paused and rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. “I didn’t know if there would be room in your heart for me.”

“Oh fuck that, Canus,” Ignis said with a roll of his eyes, “For you, there was always a place in my heart. I was just too dense to realize it sooner, you know. You’re just...really easy to love.”

Canus’ flames turned a dark blue as he let out a deep sigh. “I never really thought that I was deserving of love, back when I was doing my duty as the Fairy of Death, but you and Kotone made me realize that I was wrong, and I cannot thank you both enough for that.”

Ignis snorted and shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, I’m surprised that you two still gave me the time of day after the bullshit you saved me from...but I’m really glad you two didn’t give up on me either.” Ignis smiled as Canus’ flames turned pink again, and he hoped that this wasn’t a cruel dream, because damn he never felt so goddamn lucky and loved in his entire life.

Canus reached across the counter and placed his hand over Ignis’, causing the latter to make a strangled noise in the back of his throat, while his cheeks turned a bright pink in color.

“You are rather adorable when flustered, Ignis.”

“S-Shut up.”

Canus laughed as his flames turned a lime green, and that was enough to cause Ignis’ face to flush an even deeper red while his heartbeat quickened considerably. He couldn’t stop a smile from crossing his face, however, and he entwined their fingers together as he gave Canus’ hand a light squeeze. His smile morphed into a grin when Canus’ flames turned pink again, and even though Ignis couldn’t see his face, he could just tell that he had the brightest of smiles on his face.

Suddenly, the bell at the door rang, prompting Ignis and Canus to look to see who would enter…

---

When Kotone pushed open the door to Enchanté, she hadn’t expected to see Canus and Ignis sitting together at the counter, and her eyes widened when they both turned to look at her. It had been very awkward this morning, when she had served them their drinks and quickly made up an excuse to rush off to the marketplace. She knew that she was the source of the awkwardness between them, and that made her feel immensely guilty.

She didn’t know how it happened, but she had somehow managed to fall deeply in love with both Ignis and Canus. She knew that it wasn’t fair to them to not pick a side, but her heart kept telling her that it was big enough for the both of them. Kotone was honest about her feelings when she talked to them, and they seemed fine with her also being with the other. However, she couldn’t help but feel like it would be better if they all could be in one happy relationship, but she had no idea how likely that was…

That is, until her gaze wandered to the counter, where Ignis and Canus’ hands were clasped together, and she let out a light gasp as she hurried towards them, as they both shot up from their seats.

“Ah, K-Kotone!”

“Er, hey…”

Canus and Ignis both turned and greeted her nervously, with the former’s flames flashing between dark blue and pink, while the latter’s eyes darted anywhere but to meet her own. A smile slowly spread across Kotone’s face when their hands remained clasped together in spite of their flustered states.

“You two are holding hands!” she blurted out, and Canus’ smoke flushed completely pink and Ignis glanced down at their entwined hands, before they both finally looked at Kotone.

“W-Well, yes...We, ah…” Canus mumbled, his free hand fiddling with his collar as he stumbled over his words.

“Ugh, we found out that we love each other too, okay?” Ignis interrupted Canus to blurt out a blunt explanation, and Kotone giggled, her chest flooding with an immense warmth. Knowing that they all loved each other equally was a dream come true, and Kotone couldn’t contain her happiness as she pulled Ignis down for a kiss, and then did the same to Canus.

“That’s wonderful!” Kotone exclaimed as she stepped back, and she looked back and forth between them a few times. Canus and Ignis just stared at her, looking a bit confused at her eagerness. She laughed and placed her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at them.

“Well? Are you two going to kiss now?”

Kotone brought a hand to her face as she tried to suppress another giggle when the two men before her bristled at the suggestion. They glanced briefly at each other before quickly turning away, Ignis’ face flushing a bright red to match his hair, while Canus’ flames turned a deep pink.

“Um, I...suppose that would be the next logical course of action…” Canus mumbled as he sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck.

“Y-Yeah, but...this is...embarrassing…” Ignis crossed his arms over his chest, his fingers digging into his skin.

“Oh?” Kotone cocked her head to the side. “But you two kissed me just fine.”

“T-That’s different!” Ignis sputtered with a firm shake of his head, “You already knew how we felt about you. Canus and I just confessed our feelings for each other…”

“Oh, then all the more reason for you two to have your first kiss now!” Kotone drove her point home by smacking her fist into her other hand and smiling sweetly. The sincerity in Kotone’s words must have reached them, because Ignis and Canus both fixed their gaze on her, both nodding as the former swallowed thickly, and the latter took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“...R-Right...”

“...U-Understood…”

They turned to face each other, and the comically serious expression on Ignis’ face combined with Canus’ stiff posture had Kotone snorting as she tried not to burst out laughing. Ignis stared at the ‘empty’ space above Canus’ neck with an intense look, his eyes narrowing as he slowly lifted his hands up.

“...Can’t even tell where your lips are…” Ignis mumbled, a grumpy pout crossing his face as he lightly smacked his hands against the spot where he thought Canus’ cheeks were.

“Ignis...there’s no need to hit me.” Canus’ flames flashed a dark blue in color, before snapping back to pink in an instant. Ignis opened his mouth to respond, probably with a snarky retort, but he froze when Canus’ hands moved to cup his face. Kotone watched the scene unfold with great interest, and a gentle warmth seeped into her cheeks when Canus lowered his face to Ignis’ and guided his lips to the proper place. She hadn’t really been sure if these two would love each other as much as they loved her, but looking at them now wiped all doubts from Kotone’s mind, especially when she saw Ignis’ lips curl up into a smile.

When they pulled away from each other, Kotone did not fail to notice the fond looks that the two men exchanged, before Ignis’ face scrunched up and he scratched at his chin.

“Huh, strange…”

Canus jerked backwards as his flames immediately turned a deep shade of blue. “Was it...really that bad?”

“What? No, that’s not what I meant at all!” Ignis quickly explained, shaking his head as he grabbed Canus’ hand, “It’s just...you’re ah, warm…” Kotone giggled at the exchange and nodded.

“Yeah, Canus’ kisses are always warm to me too,” she chimed in, and Ignis joined her in laughing when Canus sputtered, embarrassed, “It’s a bit strange that we can’t see your lips though.”

“I, ah, do have them, it’s just that no one but I can actually touch them, or any part of my head for that matter. But,” Canus’ flames turned a vibrant yellow as he placed his hands on Ignis’ and Kotone’s shoulders, “I...can feel how soft both of your lips are against mine and...it is a pleasant feeling.”

Kotone smiled brightly and laughed as she wrapped her arms around both of them, hearing them both make a startled noise as she pulled them into a tight hug. “I’m so happy that we all feel the same about each other! I really love you both so much!”

“Ah geez,” Ignis grumbled, and Kotone glanced up to see that his pouting face was flushed red, “I, er, love you both too.”

Kotone felt a rumbling chuckle roll through Canus’ chest, and she giggled when he leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek, before doing the same to Ignis. “I love you both as well, with all that I am.” His arms wrapped around both Kotone and Ignis and he pulled them against his broad chest. “I never thought that I would return to Enchanté to find not just one, but two people who I’ve come to cherish more than anything else.”

“Ugh, that’s so cheesy,” Ignis grumbled, hiding his beet-red face against Canus’ chest, but Kotone still caught the beautiful smile that was on his face, “Thanks for loving me you two, in spite of all the bullshit I’ve put you through.”

“Of course, you both are so easy to love…” Kotone said, letting out a content sigh as she melted into the embrace of the two men that she loved the most. As they stood in the middle of her Enchanté, Kotone would forever be thankful for the dullahan and the firewolf who walked in one day, and changed her life for the better.

#cafe enchante #kotone awaki #canus espada #ignis carbunculus #kotone/canus/ignis #hello yes here i am with my otome game ot3 #fanfiction #jade writes fanfiction

[some-cookie-crumbz]

Years Wiser

Years Wiser Fandom: My Hero Academia Pairing: Toshinko Summary: Midoriya Inko and Yagi Toshinori may be grown adults with grown adult problems and grown adult lives, but that doesn’t mean they handle all of it like that. Age is most relative, after all. Standard Disclaimer: If you read and enjoy this, please give it a like/ reblog so I know if I should write more.

Midoriya Inko felt silly. Incredibly silly. Why was she sneaking about like some kind of hooligan? After all, what did she have to be timid or shy about? It wasn’t like she was doing anything wrong! No, not at all! She was just your average woman out doing average things and-! She flinched and darted around a corner when she heard an incredibly familiar laugh coming from the other side of the column she was ducked behind. “When you say it like that, Todoroki-Kun, you make it sound like I’m careless!” Izuku’s voice was light and filled with mirth, causing her to peer around the corner at him, staying just out of his line of sight.

Todoroki-Kun and Iida-Kun were walking to his left while Uraraka-Chan and Asui-Chan were walking to his right, if her memory served right. Iida-Kun made some kind of grand, exaggerated hand gesture. “While his wording may seem blunt, it is also incredibly accurate!”

“Especially since that’s exactly what I meant,”

“W-What? But that’s so mean to say! I’m not careless!”

“You act carelessly because you care so much, kero,” Asui-Chan chimed in quietly, poking the corner of her own mouth thoughtfully.

Izuku let out a small, distressed noise in response and a fond smile stretched across her face. It filled her with warmth to see her precious baby finding his way in life and finding new friends to help support and encourage him. She knew that it had been hard for him when he’d been thought to be quirkless, how he’d been bullied and had only a few scarce friends he could rely on. But as he adapted to his powers and grew, it was clear he was leaving the past behind him. It was enough to make her lower lip tremble and her eyes mist up! But, she reminded herself, that part of this was only thanks to the man she was actually here to see. She peered to make sure Izuku was distracted by his friends again, their voices starting to taper off, before turning and continuing on her path.

Behind her, she didn’t notice the large brown eyes watching her curiously. “Huh,” Uraraka mumbled to herself, tilting her head.

“Hm? What is it Ochako-Chan, kero?” Tsu asked politely.

“Oh! Sorry, I thought I saw Midoriya-San for a second!”

“Huh? Mom? What would she be doing here?” he mumbled quietly, turning around to peer over his shoulder. Thankfully enough, Inko had already disappeared around the corner out of sight.

Elsewhere, Inko floundered her way through trying to navigate the UA campus. She’d only visited a handful of times both since and following the construction of the dorms. She encountered a polite enough young man with purple hair who was able to direct her to the faculty office, making sure to thank him several times and bow for good measure. She adjusted her grip on the circular holder in her arms and adjusted the strap of her purse, reaching inside to make sure that the little gift box tucked inside wasn’t visible. Her cheeks immediately flooded with color as she recalled what she was doing here and Mitsuki’s remarks that morning.

Midoriya Inko had never had any real interest in Pro Heroes before. She appreciated the work they did, but that all changed when Izuku was accepted to UA. Suddenly, she was being dragged into the very real life of a Hero relative. It had been horrifying and heartbreaking and difficult at first. She remembered having so many panic attacks fretting over her beloved son - her only baby - being constantly placed in life or death scenarios and constantly breaking himself. She had been torn for so long over it all, over voicing her concerns. She wanted to do better for Izuku, to support and encourage him the way she hadn’t when he needed her before, but there was still the instinct in her to protect him. He was her whole world, her pride and joy, her moon and stars. She didn’t want to take his dreams from him again, not when they were so close. She had cowered and then she had lashed out in anger and then she came to acceptance. It was a roller coaster to say the least.

And from that all, she came to meet All Might, the Pro that had started it all for her son. And, much more importantly, she met Yagi Toshinori.

The man was an anomaly when she met him. She was used to seeing the large, muscle-bound form of him on television and the posters decorating her son’s walls. But when he appeared he was broken and bandaged, seeming like a wisp of the man so revered. She expected him to be haughty and confident and assert with her refusal to let her son continue on. She had expected a fight to break out. But, he had left her startled when he instead acknowledged his fault, bowed his whole form to her floor, pleaded with her to allow Izuku back into his tutelage and vowed to give his life for the boy. In that moment, she saw the first glimpse of who he was outside of the mask he wore, saw what lurked inside him deep down.

And she had been unable to reject that. Her whole life she had been vulnerable and breakable. How could she tear this man down further at his lowest point?

And at first, that was all there was to it. She had allowed her baby bird to leave the nest they’d made and take flight. It had been hard, being alone in the apartment most of the time. She had some part time work to do at a nearby library but that only filled the void up so much. The first call came in one late Thursday evening, as she was figuring out what to make herself for dinner, from a number she didn’t recognize. She chanced answering it, a brief part of her wondering if it was her ex-husband calling to check on things. Maybe he had caught wind of their son’s newfound abilities from all the way across the ocean and wanted to try and revive that relationship, she didn’t know. “Hello?”

“Ah, hello, Midoriya-San. I hope I’m not calling at an inconvenient time,” Yagi Toshinori said, his tone even albeit a bit awkward.

Red alarms went off in her mind. “What has happened? Is my Izuku okay? Did he hurt himself with his Quirk again?”

“N-No, no! Young Midoriya is doing just fine!” he answered her just as frantically. She released a small whimper of relief as she let her body sag into one of the kitchen chairs. “I’m so sorry, I should have thought this through better. I just… I wanted to call and offer to give you weekly updates on his progress.”

She blinked before feeling a small smile turn up on her lips. “I’d like that. Thank you, All Might,”

“Oh, no need to call me by that name! Just Yagi will be fine, going forward,” he said with a relieved chuckle.

And so began the weekly calls between them. At first they stayed to the topic of Izuku and his progress; how he was adapting to his Quirk, how his control was improving, how his grades were looking for his classes and the like. For a good few months that was all it was, until Izuku’s progress was steady enough that her worries were mostly abated and slowly new topics started to slip into the conversation. They learned of a shared adoration for silly competition shows centered around cooking, baking and other such things. Yagi confessed that, despite not being a particularly skilled cook himself, he always liked observing the process and feedback that was offered. She then invited him over one night for dinner and a season finale of something, and a new tradition started up. They’d try to get together once every week or two and watch the latest episodes of this or that together.

It was all very simple and domestic and something she had missed dearly. She had missed having someone around her own age to converse with and watch shows with. She had missed sitting on the patio with a cup of warm tea, sprinkling an amicable silence with silly anecdotes from either of their times. She had missed all of it so very much and was so grateful to have befriended Yagi Toshinori. So, when she realized that his birthday - known because of Izuku - she had decided to get him a little something to show her gratitude. She had gone out and looked for a nice blend of orchid oolong tea to gift him, as well as taking the time to bake him a dark pearl chiffon cake. She had noticed that he tended to prefer his desserts with a bit of bite and tartness to them.

Bakugo Mitsuki had been over for lunch while she’d been working on the cake earlier that day, humming to herself as she skittered to and fro in her tiny kitchen, pouring the batter into the tin carefully. The blonde woman had a knowing grin on her lips as she watched her, leaning her cheek into the palm of her hand and leaning heavily on it. “It’s been a while since you’ve done some baking. Who is it for?” she asked conversationally, though there was a certain underlying tone in her voice.

Inko would have noticed it if she’d been giving her all her attention. “For a friend’s birthday today. I went and picked up a lovely tea to pair with it, too,” she said giddily, leaning over to carefully slide the tin into the oven.

“Ah, that tall blonde man, yeah? Seemed kinda familiar,” she mumbled before pushing up and heading in as well. She plucked the up the drained mixing bowl and spoon from the counter. “Anyway, I’m impressed and proud, Inko! It’s about damn time you got back in the game!”

“Back in the…? What do you mean?” she asked innocently.

The other raised an eyebrow while swirling the spoon in the bowl to get a good amount of excess batter on it. “You’re making this for your boyfriend, yeah?”

The green haired woman let out a loud squeal, the noise akin to an overheated tea kettle, while her face turned dark red. “W-What! N-N-No! Y-YYa-Yagi-K-Kun and I aren’t-!” She cut herself off to hide her face with her hands.

“Yagi-Kun…? Oh! All Might!” she hummed, lifting the spoon up and licking some batter from it. She let out a contented little sigh at the flavor. “Ah, amazing as usual, Inko. I have to say, the man has good taste; in desserts and in women.”

“M-M-Mit-Mitsuki! It isn’t like that!”

Ruby red eyes blinked slowly as they watched her. “But you want it to be, right? And so does he, if those looks he casts your way are anything to go by,” she said, waving the spoon about as she spoke, dripping a little bit of batter on to her arm.

Inko whimpered and slumped against the counter, her mind whirling. Had Yagi-Kun been looking at her like that? No, no! There was absolutely no way! Even if he wasn’t still working or able to appear as the man the public adored, this was still the All Might they were talking about! He was so well known and well loved he could have anyone he wanted! And even without the muscle, he had so many endearing qualities about him! He was kind but also bashful and overly polite, which was charming in its own way! And then there was that smile of his that, even now, still had this warmth to it that was comforting! And his eyes were such a lovely shade of blue, like a cloudless sky in early spring! He wouldn’t have to settle for someone like her; someone who was plump and anxious and meek and was raising her son all alone and-!

Her thoughts were cut off when a brief flash of pain flared up from the back of her head, making her yelp.

“I know what you were doing in that little head of yours, sweetheart, and you’re gonna stop it,” Mitsuki snorted, picking the abandoned spoon back up. She took another lick at it before pointing it at Inko. “You and Hi-Shithead haven’t been a thing for over seven years. The guy comes and visits you frequently. You two have similar hobbies and interests. He looks after your son better than that deadbeat ass that knocked you up. And you’re an absolute darling, Inko. You’re compassionate and affectionate and thoughtful. Any man would be lucky to have you on his arm; Pro Hero or not. So, what are you stalling for?” she prompted evenly.

She hadn’t known how to answer that. And, even now, with her heart hammering so hard it was rattling her body, she wasn’t sure. Perhaps it really was the fear of rejection, of being told she wasn’t good enough? That she wasn’t worth the time to invest? And what if he didn’t reciprocate? What if it ruined everything they already had, and she lost one of the few friends she had? That was a terrifying thought in and of itself.

Yagi-Kun and the time they spent together meant so much to her. She didn’t want to ruin that over what was most likely a crush.

“Excuse me,” An annoyed, deep voice barked at her, causing her to shriek and throw her arms up. She barely managed to use her Quirk to call the cake back to herself before it fell to the ground, taking a deep breath as she meekly peered over her shoulder at the form addressing her. Their appearance was dark and shaggy, as if they either didn’t have the time to put themselves together better or didn’t care enough to. She was inclined to think it was the former, though. He looked her up and down once before letting out a small hum. “You must be related to the problem child.”

She plastered on a tight smile at that, already certain she knew what he meant. “Midoriya Inko, it’s a pleasure to meet you. And thank you for taking care of my Izuku,” she said as she bowed.

He stared at her before turning to reach for a nearby door. “The student dorms are on the other side of the campus, but he may be doing some training with his friends. The grounds are-!”

“U-Um, actually!” she squeaked out, wilting a bit at how he stared at her for interrupting him. She adjusted the carrier in her hand again. “I wasn’t here for-! T-That is to say, um… I’m actually looking for All Might!” she managed to choke out, her eyes skirting about the tiled floor like mad.

“All Might?” he repeated. She nodded without lifting her head. He threw the door he’d been reaching for open and stepped inside. “All Might! There’s something going on with the problem child again!”

There was a clatter inside. “W-What? Is Young Midoriya okay? Is he in the infirmary? Or is he with Principal Nezu?” Yagi-s familiar voice asked frantically, perking Inko up and making her giggle a bit. She couldn’t blame him for the reaction.

She carefully stepped a bit closer, standing in the doorway and meekly waving at him. He was standing at his desk, hands on the surface as he looked ready to take off running. There were a few other teachers gathered in the area, reassuring her that she was at the faculty office like she’d wanted, but she could tell that even the ones that weren’t looking at them were paying attention. “Hello,” she said meekly.

“Midoriya-San? It’s good to see you, but what are you doing here?” he asked worriedly, carefully stepping around his desk and walking over to meet her.

She held the carrier up, taking a small breath to relax herself some and knowing that it would do nothing. “I, um… W-Well, today is your birthday and… I thought… I wanted to give you something! But I wasn’t really sure what kind of things you may want or need, so I thought that I could bake you something. It’s a cake! Oh, but that may have been obvious! A-And I did get a small something to go with that, too!” she rambled, reaching into her purse to hold out the little gift box where the tea tin rested.

She cautioned a glance up at him and was stunned to see his own cheeks tinted pink, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck shyly. But, a shy and genuine smile was turning up on his lips. “You’re incredible,” he breathed, the blush going darker.

She giggled and averted her gaze. “It’s nothing. Just… Just a thank you, for being you,” she said, holding his eye as she spoke.

His blue eyes widened, filling with an emotion she couldn’t place, before his smile brightened even more. “Would you like to come in for a while? I’ll start some water for the tea and we can have the cake together,” he suggested, offering one of his hands to her while ushering her inside with the other.

She nodded. “I’d like that very much, Yagi-Kun,”

#My Hero Academia #Toshinko #Inko Midoriya #Yagi Toshinori #my fics #Wow its been almost a year since I last posted a one shot here #Whoops! #Glad I broke the stream for these two because they are precious #And I would die for them both #God this was fun to write! #Also Mitsuki ships it

[darkhymns-fic]

The Origin of Pow Blade

Lloyd didn't exactly know how Pow Hammers worked, but that didn't stop him from wanting to learn how to use them! This is why he then seeked out Colette as his teacher.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairing: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel Rating: G Mirror Link: AO3 Notes: Written for Colloyd Week, Day 4: Unison Attack! This was taken very literally and was a good excuse to just write in the stupidest way possible. We have fun here.

--

So, where exactly do the Pow Hammers come from anyway?

“That’s not something you just ask…” Genis had warned Lloyd once. The boy was fixing up his kendama, tightening the string around the rubber ball so that the length wouldn’t drag onto the ground. “It’s a Chosen thing.”

“Huh?” Lloyd was seated on the grass in front of his friend’s house, fidgeting as he yearned to just go and fix Genis’ kendama for him.  He wasn’t even tying up the string right. It would just snap off again. “Wait…how does being a Chosen make you summon hammers?”

Genis shrugged. “I mean, do you see anyone else do that?”

“No…” he admitted, letting the younger boy smile in satisfaction.

He supposed it made sense… Lloyd had always wondered, ever since Colette summoned a bright, red hammer in the air to counter a mangy wolf that had sneaked its way into the village. Colette had felt so bad though, even as the pow hammer made a squeaky noise when it hit the wolf on the snout. The animal had rushed right out of there with a yelp, while Lloyd had to reassure Colette that the animal was okay, really…

“That’s so cool…” he said aloud, lost in the vision of that red hammer. “I wanna learn it too!”

“You’ll just get bored with it, what’s the point?” Genis sighed. “Also, I just said only the Chosen can learn it. Are you even listening?”

“You don’t even know if that’s true!” Lloyd stood up, now definitely needing to learn more about Pow Hammers than anything else!

“I do know! Because I’m smart, so there!” Genis pulled on the string to his kendama so tightly, he was messing up the knot!

“Gimme that, you’re tying it wrong!”

“I am not! Let go!”

And while both probably struggled with that kendama longer than was necessary – at one point the toy flying out of their hands to land straight into the middle of the pond – Lloyd still couldn’t get the Pow Hammer out of his mind. Was there a way he could learn this technique?

Clearly, Colette was a master at it.

--

“Hey!” Lloyd shouted as he rushed up to Colette’s home, kicking up dirt as he went. “Hey, Colette!”

He was lucky he had caught her now. Sometimes Colette came back home a bit later from her lessons at the Temple, but she was just walking up her front porch, turning at the sound of his voice. It had been harder to spend enough time together lately, but he supposed it was because of her being a Chosen. Though he wished they would give her a break already.

“Hi, Lloyd! Oh, why are you all soaked?”

“Huh? O-Oh, don’t worry about it.” He whipped back his damp hair to be more away from his face, eliciting a giggle from Colette. Also his shoes were squelching with a lot of that pond water… He really needed to stop losing bets with Genis, but at least he had been able to fix up the kendama himself because of it! “I wanted to ask…can you show me how to use your cool hammer move?”

“My what?” Colette asked with a tilt of her head. She seemed so confused. “I don’t carry around any hammers… Are you sure you don’t mean Dirk? He has that big one all the time!”

“No, I don’t mean real hammers. Well, I mean it’s kinda real? Maybe?” He still didn’t know? “Anyway, I meant the ones you summon out of thin air! Those hammers!”

“Oh, I understand now!” Colette nodded, clasping her hands in front of her. “But how come you want to know? They’re not nearly as strong as your swords.”

“I mean, if I could summon swords out of the air, that’d be even cooler!” He paused. What if…he could? Whoa… He would probably have to discover that technique later though. “But maybe I should start with hammers. Could you teach me? I promise I’ll be the best student!” Professor Sage’s opinions didn’t count.

Colette took a moment before she would answer, worrying Lloyd slightly. What if she really couldn’t? Were pow hammers really just meant for the Chosen? Damn, he didn’t think it was possible for him to be a Chosen too.

“Okay! I’ll try my best to teach you!” Colette sounded so positively upbeat that Lloyd wondered why he needed to worry. “This is really exciting! Should we try now?”

“Yeah! Thanks! Is around here okay?”

Colette nodded, moving to a part of the front lawn where there was more open space. “Um, maybe where Grandmother can’t really see…”

“Oh, right,” Lloyd said, quickly walking to that spot a little away from the front windows. They were past the stone well that was placed near her home, further into the greenery where they sometimes retreated to when they were kids. This had also been one of the good places to play hide and seek back then.

Once there, both decided to sit in the grass since it was a sunny day outside. Even while sitting, Colette was trying her best to look all teacherly-like with her straight and prim posture, the way the Professor would! But her excited smile kind of gave it all away. “Yes! So, uh, I guess I should give a background lesson first! it’s been passed down through our family… Grandmother taught it to me last. She used to summon Pow Hammers for me to play with when I was little!”

At that, Lloyd was already having questions. “Uh, but aren’t-?”

“Oh, raise your hand first!” Colette chided. “Um, please?”

“Sorry!” At that, he obediently raised his hand.

“Yes, Lloyd? What’s your question?”

“Uh…aren’t the Pow Hammers weapons?”

“Oh, they’re actually toys! Really old ones too.”

“Aw…” This doesn’t sound as cool anymore…

“Although they’re toys, they can still hurt a lot.”

 “Oh?” Okay never mind. “Like-” He stopped again, and raised his hand. Colette nodded for him to continue. “How can you use toys as weapons?”

“We just alter it a bit so that they can be! You can even make them cause effects, like poison, though.. I haven’t learned that yet, hehe.” She pulled at her sleeves with self-consciousness. “But if you use them right, they can stun really good! It’s actually a very ancient technique. This was even used by Spiritua!”

Lloyd blinked. “Who’s that? Wait! Don’t tell me…” His dad mentioned this at one point… He raised his arm again, though he was more or less waving at this point. “Is that… one of the past Chosen?”

“That’s right! Good job, Lloyd.” Colette smiled at his correct answer, making Lloyd brighten up visibly. “It was written in the angelic scriptures how her Pow Hammers would rain down from the heavens, smiting her enemies. I don’t really want to smite people though, so I’ve just been summoning one at a time. But even that might be too much, like for that poor doggy…”

“Colette, I told you that wolf was fine. I even saw him the next day! And then he stole my lunch…” Lloyd shook his head. He’d grumble about forest animals stealing his food (again) another time. “But if you could summon a whole bunch of hammers, you’d be super powerful! I think you should try it!”

“Hm… I guess I’ll need it for the journey.” Colette nodded. “Okay! Oh, but I’m still supposed to teach you… I’m sorry, I got carried away!”

Standing up, she dusted away the grass from her dress. Lloyd followed suit, though the grass was a bit more stuck on his pants… He should probably change clothes at some point. “Alright, I’m ready!”

“Okay, so to summon a Pow Hammer…” Colette started, looking much more serious than she ever had before. “You have to think about happy things!”

“…Okay, you lost me.” This wasn’t how he expected his first lesson to go.

“Like for me, I always think about the cute doggies I’ve seen. Like little Bunz that lives in the village! Or Noishe! When I think of them, and focus all my energy, I can summon the hammer to come down. Like this!”

To do so, Colette held out her hand in the air, as if waving hello. With a resounding pop! sound, a familiar red hammer materialized in the air along with a poofy cloud. It was bright red, with a long golden handle. Lloyd stared, wide-eyed.

“That’s so cool!”

That was when the hammer landed square on his face – with a nice small squeak, kind of like one of Noishe’s old doggy toys that he never played with. “Ah!”

“Oh no! I’m sorry!” Colette waved her arm more frantically, and the Pow Hammer vanished as quickly as it came. She rushed up to Lloyd who was rubbing away the red mark on his forehead. “Are you okay? I made it fall on you…”

“I’ve had worse…” He winced at the stinging sensation now on his head. He had even felt a bit stunned when that hammer hit him... He was even more impressed! “That was a good way of showing me how it works first-hand! You’re a great teacher, Colette!”

“Oh! Hehe, thanks.” Colette brushed back a lock of hair behind her head, also looking quite proud. “Now you try.”

“Okay!” Lloyd ignored his forming bump and stood up tall, feeling more confident than ever. “I’m gonna summon a big one! The biggest hammer! So big I can’t even move!”

“Won’t that be too much?” Colette asked curiously. “Then you can’t fight with it.”

“…Shoot. Didn’t think of that. Okay, I’ll just get stronger! Easy!”

“Hm, maybe it’s good to start off small first though. Just to get the hang of it! Don’t you think?”

Lloyd thought on this deeply, crossing his arms as he considered Colette’s advice. “…Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Dad says to start off building small things before you move onto the big stuff.” Soon enough, he was gonna build that huge boat! Just a couple hundred more necklaces and figurines to go!

“Just hold up your arm and think of all the happy things! Like all the doggies in the world…”

“Can I think of food maybe?” he wondered, but dutifully raised his arm up, trying to copy what he had seen Colette do. He even stood up on his toes for extra effort. “And…hammer go!”

Nothing happened. He reached up and tried again. “Pow Hammer go!”

Nothing again! He waved his arm all around him. “Stupid…my arm’s probably broken…”

“Don’t worry. Let’s keep trying!” With Colette, there was no way he could fail!

Until an hour passed, and all he got out of it was an aching arm.

“Why can’t I do it still!? Agh…” Lloyd finally lowered his arm and sighed. “Man…I’m not gonna summon any hammers at this rate, let alone swords!”

Colette had patiently stood by his side the whole time, advising on how high he should reach and the many happy thoughts he could have. But try as she might, Lloyd just wasn’t grasping the idea. “It’s okay, Lloyd. I had a lot of trouble too at first. And sometimes I still mess it up.” She smiled warmly at him. “Not just with Pow Hammers but my other artes too. Like when I accidentally took Professor Sage’s apple gels the other day.”

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “Colette, I’m gonna be honest. I’m not sure how you can just accidentally trip over someone and then just have their belongings in your pockets.”

“But it really was an accident! I didn’t mean to steal those from her.”

“Don’t you call the move Item Thief though?”

“…That’s not the point!” A pause. “Didn’t you name that move for me?”

“Oh right!” Lloyd nodded, looking immensely proud. “Heh, I really come up the coolest names… What were we talking about?”

“I don’t remember…I’m sorry.”

Lloyd shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter. I’ll keep trying next time!” And with that, Lloyd gave a big thumbs. His clothes were all dry now, though his hair was now more disheveled than usual. He needed to comb it ASAP. “Thanks for being my teacher, Colette! Think you can keep training me?”

“Of course! If you really don’t mind?” Colette asked with a slight flush. The weather must have been really humid today for her to have that reaction. “I’m sorry I didn’t help enough.”

“Why would I mind? You’re amazing! And I’ll make you proud once I’ve learned it too.” He clenched his fists, looking ready to do more lessons. “Let’s do this again soon! But now I gotta get home or Dad’s gonna get mad…”

“Hehe, okay!” Colette held her hands in front of her dress, the wind picking up her hair. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

But that had been just a few weeks before the Oracle had arrived. And by then, Colette was already off on her journey.

--

“Maintain your stance. Your legs are too close to each other.” Kratos nudged the boy’s shoulder, making him move. “And don’t slouch.”

“Mmgh.” Lloyd mumbled, keeping his swords crossed in front of himself. Kratos was kind of a jerk, but Lloyd had to admit when he was right about something. His stance was already more stable than it usually was. “I got it, I got it…”

“Do you? Then we can continue with the basics. You’ve been distracted lately.”

“I’m paying attention just fine- Ah!” Lloyd swerved backwards, just narrowly dodging a sword lunge aimed for his shoulder. “What the hell?!”

“Stay alert,” Kratos merely intoned before lunging forward again.

Ever since Lloyd had asked Kratos for sword-training lessons, life had been much more brutal. After the hour-long session was up, Lloyd’s back was aching so much. He practically collapsed onto his sleeping cot once they both made it back to camp.

“Hi, Lloyd! How was training?” Colette was seated next to him, leaning against a large rocky outcropping, sipping some hot tea that Genis had made. The campfire lit off her Cruxis Crystal, a bright gleam that made Lloyd blink slightly.

“I think I might be dying…” he whined before turning so he could lay on his back. He thought he heard Genis snicker from across the camp, but he was too exhausted to do anything about it besides weakly shake his fist. “Can’t even…move…”

“I’m sorry, Lloyd.” From his angle, Colette’s smile was all he saw, more so as she set her mug next to her. Wait, no, she was frowning. He was looking at her upside down! “It’s because of how hard this journey is that you have to train this much.”

“Huh? How is this your fault? You make no sense sometimes.” He tried to sit up, wincing when he felt like he pulled a muscle. “Ow… and I need to train anyway if I’m going to protect you!”

“I’m sorry for making you feel you have to.”

“You’re not-! Agh, forget it.” Slightly grumpy, Lloyd shifted, looking around on the ground for something… “Genis!” he called back. “You didn’t get me any tea!”

“You took too long! Also Kratos already took the last cup.”

“...My apologies, Lloyd,” spoke Kratos from nearby, seated with his sword in his lap. Noishe was curled up next to his side, which still confused Lloyd greatly. “I have already finished my cup as well.”

“Ugh…whatever.” Lloyd sighed, and it felt like every muscle in his body went out of commission. The best he could do was lean back, holding himself up on shaky arms.

It had already been a long journey – Lloyd had finally caught up to Colette with Genis in tow, though he also had to be rescued by a Desian base first, thus effectively detouring the Journey of Regeneration. Having gone to help her, he felt he had just made a mess of things instead.

And when Kratos had nearly sliced his neck open one night, an assassin later catching them off guard, and combining all that along with the troubles of Palmacosta, Lloyd was beginning the feel the heavy weight of his inexperience. Training with Kratos seemed like it could help with that.

As he looked up at the stars, Lloyd blinked, remembering something else he had forgotten, besides the now-broken necklace he had tucked back into his pockets.

“Hey, Colette… Remember when we were training together too?”

“Hm?” She turned to him, her eyes reflecting some of the stars above. “Oh… It’s been a while since, hasn’t it?”

“You know what that reminds me of?” Lloyd flashed her a grin. “You still have to teach me that Pow Hammer move!”

Colette didn’t speak at first – probably because she was sleepy after a long day of traveling. They hadn’t come across any Salvation Houses in a long time, and Lloyd never thought he would miss a bed more than now. “You…still want to?”

“Well, yeah! I tried to show it off to Kratos but it didn’t work… Then he just made this weird face afterwards. Like this!” Lloyd pulled off the best Kratos-frown he could muster, down to the heavy-set eyebrows. Colette giggled at the expression.

“Hehe, wow! You really do look like him!”

Lloyd smiled. He was so good at impressions! “I need to do better next time! Let’s go back to training together again!”

“Would Mr. Kratos be okay with that?” Colette asked with concern, but Lloyd waved it off.

“It’s fine, we haven’t trained in forever! Let’s do it next time!” Until another wince that went through his shoulder, Lloyd barely suppressing a yelp. “Nn… since I’m way too achey to do anything now…”

Colette was still smiling at him, probably more than she had since the start of the journey. Maybe she just needed a break from things too. “Yeah, of course!”

--

They were already near the Ossa Trail, but there were no more signs of a weirdly-dressed assassin following after them. Lloyd made sure to look everywhere, even checking to see if there were any more secret hidden pitfalls.

But once he determined everything was safe, Lloyd gave the thumbs up, telling Colette that their training could start! The small grove near the mountain side was well-cleared of rocks and trees to give them ample room.

“This time I’m gonna get it!” he announced, feeling way more rested, and none of his bones feeling close to breaking this time. “And I’m gonna summon a million of ‘em like you do now!”

Colette scratched at her cheek from the compliment. “Hehe, it’s only about a dozen… And I started doing it after you told me about summoning more! I wanted to see if I could make it more helpful.”

“It is! And now with all those hammers, it’s like…um…quad something the power, right?” He’d ask Genis what the real word for that was later. “I’ll try to get at least half of that to appear!”

“I know you can do it, Lloyd!” With that, Colette rushed up to him, reaching for one of his arms. “I think last time you needed to reach up higher…like this.” She pulled on his hand, fingers pressed against his palm. “Like you’re reaching to grab the sun. If you do that, I’m sure the hammers will appear!”

Lloyd took a moment, feeling the warmth of her hand in his. Even though he wore gloves, he could still feel her. “Uh, y-yeah! Got it.” Following Colette’s guidance, he lifted his hand, fingers outstretched until they were blocking out the bright sun overhead. “Like that?”

“Yep! Now just think about nice things… like the sunshine, or maybe Genis’ cooking. Oh! And doggies.”

“Well, I think about those things plenty…” Lloyd mused before smirking. “Heh, how about beating up Kratos until I’m better than him?”

“Hm, I’m not sure if that’s nice-”

“Yeah, let’s do it! I’m gonna be a master swordsman, and then Kratos will have to respect me!” He reached up high into the sky – reached up both hands to get what he wanted, but double it! “Let’s go!”

And then suddenly, something happened. Like a pop? Or a poof? Lloyd blinked, remembering that familiar sound when Colette had called forth her own Pow Hammer. There was even a small cloud appearing above him! That meant it was working! “Colette! Colette! I think I got it now!”

Then the sharp clap of thunder made them both flinch. “Uh.” Followed by a sudden torrent of rain that fell over them completely. “Ah!”

“It’s a rainstorm!” Colette announced, still holding onto Lloyd’s arm. “And it was just sunny not so long ago…”

“Man, that’s so lame!” Lloyd whined until another thunderclap boomed, making him jump a second time. “Never mind…” And to think he got fooled by a raincloud, of all things…

--

They had to find some quick shelter, and with the campsite a bit far away, both Lloyd and Colette retreated into a nearby cavern. It was small and really damp inside it anyway, but at least they weren’t being pelted by rain anymore.

“Aw, even your cute ribbons are all soaked…” Colette said with a pout, holding them from the jacket Lloyd had unbuttoned.

He flushed at the comment. “They’re not supposed to be cute!” Although he wouldn’t really argue too much, seeing the way Colette was carefully folding his jacket to not get wrinkled. He meant to offer that for her overcoat, but she had already done so before he could. He had been too preoccupied with all the buttons he had to unbutton…

“I’m sorry I’m not being a very good teacher,” she then apologized, laying Lloyd’s jacket against the rock wall, next to her own clothing. “I’m just not as good as Mr. Kratos at all…”

“No way, you’re great! I’m just…bad at learning things.” He sighed, shoulders a little slumped, staring out into the rain that refused to stop. “Professor Sage always complains about it and now I’m starting to get it..”

“But that’s not true! Dirk taught you how to craft things, and the vows! You can learn so much!”

“The vows aren’t even that hard to remember.” And for the necklace, it still lay all broken in his pack. He felt even worse now. “Maybe I’m just hopeless.”

Colette didn’t respond, which only cemented Lloyd’s belief in himself. He might as well go back to Kratos, but maybe even the mercenary was just humoring him with the lessons. What if he was just wasting everyone’s time?

He felt her hand on him again, taking his wrist. “Maybe we need something else…” She was looking at him, standing close to his shoulder. “Lloyd, remember how you said you wanted to summon swords too?”

“…Um, yeah.” He was feeling her warmth again. “But, how can I do that when I can’t even summon the hammer?”

“Maybe we just need to use something, like your sword! …Unless that’s stupid.” She looked to the side. “When I summon them in battle, I always have my chakrams out. And it’s been easier to call them too. So… if you think that…”

Lloyd was beginning to see her point then. “Oh, I get you!” With that Lloyd went to unsheathe his left sword, the raindrops reflecting off its surface. “So I just do the same thing while holding this?”

“Yeah! We might as well try it.” Colette smiled, still holding onto his wrist. “Is it okay if I keep holding you?”

“Sure, I need you to guide me!” Even if Lloyd had the general idea, a little help from Colette never hurt. He grinned, feeling confident again. “Okay, let’s go!”

The cavern was luckily not that small, so he could outstretch his arm along with the sword, and not scratch at the ceiling. With Colette holding him, he could feel her better. With only his shirt, his arms were bare, so her heat was way more noticeable, especially with the chill rain just outside.

“Just think about happy things now!” Colette advised. “I think stuff like food should work better…”

With her close, it was getting much easier to notice a few things from Colette; her hair was slightly damp from the rain, sticking to her forehead, and her crystal seemed to reflect the light from within its depths. And when she smiled, he thought he could see dimples form on her cheeks. He never noticed that before…

“Yeah…Food…”

“Maybe thinking of Noishe will help! Or Dirk!”

He loved them both, but they were very distant from his mind right now as he continued staring at Colette. “Uh huh…”

“And…Lloyd. There’s something…”

He already knew the moment she said his name, his warm feelings suddenly becoming brisk. The growling from deeper in the cave caught his attention.

Not like bears weren’t common around here, and he had seen his fair share just traveling from his house to Iselia, but this animal was…much bigger, with arms that looked ready to ensnare them as it marched up to them, fangs bared and eyes sharp with hunger.

“Colette, watch out!” At least he still had his sword out, but the bear didn’t exactly seem to care, already drawing close.

Colette still held onto him protectively. “We should go!”

“But our jackets!” Man, the bear just had to be right next to them too! “I’ll fight him off! Go get the others!”

“I’m not leaving!” Colette said, still holding on. Her grip was so warm still, even as the bear got close. Too close. Lloyd had to act fast!

And just when he swung his sword, Colette’s hand on his, something happened – with a pop!

A Pow Hammer suddenly bonked right onto the bear’s head. Little stars appeared as the hammer made contact, springing out into the air. Lloyd gripped the golden handle tightly, before the hammer disappeared again in a puff of smoke, leaving him with his regular sword.

It had happened so fast, with Colette also left speechless. The bear was too busy being stunned.

“Uh…okay, good time to leave now!” Lloyd said, taking Colette’s hand as they rushed from the cave – but not before grabbing both their jackets on the way out as they disappeared into the pouring rain.

--

Once they were well out of the bear’s home, Lloyd and Colette panted once they made it to a clearing, filled with lilies whose petals were wet from the rain. The clouds had parted, leaving them with sunshine that acted like it had never left.

“Lloyd…you did it!” Colette was saying then, even as she tried to catch her breath.

“I…wha?” he questioned. He was not that used to bears like that either… “What’d I do?”

“The Pow Hammer! You summoned one! Only it replaced your sword for a moment!” Colette’s eyes were bright with awe. “I didn’t know that could happen!”

The realization slowly dawned on him. But that had really happened, didn’t it? He had been holding his very own Pow Hammer! Or maybe… “I thought I was holding your Pow Hammer somehow!”

“Really? I don’t remember summoning it… But I wanted to protect you from that bear, so I’m not sure what happened.”

“And I wanted to protect you…” he mused aloud. “Maybe we summoned it together?” Was that how things worked?

“I’ve never heard of that happening either.” And as both mused on the possibilities, both reached to the same conclusion.

“We should totally do that again!” Lloyd announced, while Colette nodded eagerly.

“Yeah!”

Maybe it was in the way Colette held his wrist, or how her soft encouragement was enough. But once he got it, he was swinging bright red hammers – two of them! In place of his swords were two Pow Hammers, both making the satisfying squeaky noises when he practiced strikes against a nearby tree stump. They were super light too! He couldn’t wait to try these out on Kratos next time.

“This is the coolest thing ever!” Lloyd was saying, just before his hammers went back to his regular swords in twin puffs of smoke. “Too bad they don’t last very long.”

“But you did it!” Colette reassured. “It’s because you were thinking of Noishe and Dirk at the time, right?”

“Huh? Oh, right, yeah that was it!” Lloyd cleared his throat, still grinning wide. “But…it was mostly because you helped me, and…I really didn’t want you get hurt.”

That was something he had told Kratos too before seeking training from him. How could he protect Colette if he was always so weak? And even now, he had to look to Colette for help.

Yet when she walked up to him, hair still a little soaked from the rain, she showed him a gratefulness that made his heart skip a beat. “And you helped me too. I’m just happy I could help you back in some way.” Then a soft giggle. “Besides, it’s cute seeing you with double Pow Hammers!”

Lloyd pouted. “But when I use them, they’re more cool than cute!” His pout instantly changed to a smile that reflected Colette’s own. “Next time we’re in battle, I’m counting on you! So we can use our new Pow Blade move together!”

“Aw, that’s such a cute name too!”

“Nooo, it’s supposed to be cool!”

Both laughed, as bright as the sunshine that was free from the clouds. With a smirk of her own, Colette reached out her arm, summoning a Pow Hammer of her own and grasping the handle in her hand. “I think maybe we should train more? We have to get better at using Pow Blade!” She smiled, though she looked shy as she did so. “If you think that’s okay?”

“Are you kidding? That’s great!” Lloyd stood tall, hands on his hips. “I’ll take whatever you throw at me, Master Colette!”

“Hehe.” And with that, she playfully bonked him on the head with her hammer, just gently enough so that it wouldn’t hurt or stun him. “You’re amazing, Lloyd.”

“Ha, yeah, that’s…” Lloyd then suddenly felt all sluggish, his mind slowing down. “That’s…uh…”

“Lloyd?”

He realized just then and groaned. “Colette… I think… poison…”

She blinked. “But I’m not poisoned. I feel fine!”

“No… Your hammer!” he struggled to say as he wobbled, Colette deftly catching him in her arms. “That was…your poison hammer…”

“Ah, I’m sorry!”

“Dork…”

While Colette quickly fed him some antidote gels (which were always really bitter-tasting) Lloyd didn’t really mind it anyway. At the very least, he learned something today! And to learn it with Colette made it even more worth it too.

#colloyd #tales of symphonia #colloydweek2020 #lloyd irving #colette brunel

[set-phasers-to-whump]

be okay

X=done, O=taken

Prompt: bleeding out

Whumpee: Geralt of Rivia

Fandom: The Witcher (Netflix show)

For: @deepwoundsandfadedscars​

I haven’t written much for this fandom before (this is only my second work) so I’m kinda figuring stuff out, so this may not be the best, but I hope it’s ok!! (also i hope my like. lore and shit is not too bad i googled stuff lol)

Geralt’s life was simple. Find the monster. Fight the monster. Kill the monster. Get paid. Get out of town. As it always was. 

Except this time, it wasn’t. All because the fucking bard had decided to come along. Well. Decided wasn’t really the right word for it. Decided implied that Geralt had given the bard a choice of some sort, when in fact the exact opposite was true-Jaskier had simply spotted Geralt from across the tavern the night before his hunt, and refused to leave once he knew what was going on. So Geralt was stuck with a companion he didn’t especially want but who he absolutely could not get rid of. 

He’d awoken early in the morning to set out on his hunt for the group of drowners which had been lurking in a pond in the forest at the edge of town. Several young women had already met their demise by the time Geralt had caught word of it, so he’d perhaps spent slightly less time preparing for his hunt than he normally would have. The one saving grace of having Jaskier present, he supposed-the bard could pack his supplies while he sharpened his blade. 

So the two of them set off into the forest. The pond wasn’t too far deep into the trees, so Geralt had elected to leave Roach at the inn and walk instead, a move which he regretted as soon as they stepped foot into the woods and Jaskier swung his lute off his back and began to play. 

Fortunately, as soon as the pond came into view, Jaskier went silent, understanding how important it was to be quiet, now that the fight was nearing. 

The fight itself was not particularly difficult-only three drowners apparently resided in this particular pond, and Geralt, his enhanced senses coupled with the effects of a blizzard potion, had little trouble taking them all out. 

He could feel the effects of the potion begin to wear off as he straggled out of the pond, covered in blood and monster guts and algae. He tossed the head of one of the drowners, retrieved as proof to the townspeople that their monster had been taken care of, to Jaskier, who was standing far too close to the edge of the pond to have been safe should a drowner have left the fight to find another victim. Jaskier reflexively caught the head, saw what it was, yelped, and dropped it on the ground. It rolled away, and would have rolled straight back into the pond, were it not for Geralt sticking out a foot and stopping it. 

“Why the fuck,” Jaskier said, brushing drowner guts off his clothes, “would you do that?”

“You want to come on a hunt, you get to help.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Hm. Too late.”

Geralt tossed the head back to Jaskier, who caught it with a groan and held it by the hair as far away from his body as he could. 

The pair began their trek back to town. Jaskier did not reach for his lute this time. Not that he could, of course, his hands being occupied with the drowner head as he continually passed it back and forth between them, as though it were something hot and he was trying to minimise the damage it would do to his hands. 

Jaskier was switching the head from his left to his right hand when a few feet ahead of them, a rabbit crashed out of a bush with far more noise than Jaskier thought it had any right to make. He dropped the head to the ground once again, and it began to roll rather quickly down the slight slope that they were walking down. Jaskier hurried off after it, already feeling Geralt’s anger at him having nearly lost the damn thing twice. 

He had just caught up to the head and bent to retrieve it when an arrow whizzed past his head, so close that it ruffled his hair. The head forgotten, he stood up quickly, searching for his assailant. A second arrow came flying out of the right side of the woods, and he stepped back, nearly stumbling over his own feet as it came within an inch of his face. 

“Geralt!”

Geralt had, of course, already been aware of the attack before Jaskier had shouted-in fact, he had run into the woods as soon as Jaskier had run off after the head, having heard a twig snap unnaturally and catching the scent of humans who were surely up to no good. 

He reached these humans just as the second arrow was fired, and stabbed the man who’d fired it directly through the chest. Two other men rounded on him immediately, with daggers in their hands and bows slung across their backs. He struck at the first one and managed to cut his neck as he ducked, but the second man was on him in an instant, silvery dagger flashing in the sunlight. But a dagger was no match for a sword, and Geralt easily parried the man’s strike, then stabbed him through the stomach. He collapsed to the ground, and Geralt turned away.

One left. He moved to strike, and stopped cold when a sword plunged into his back and through his body. He looked down at the tip of the blade that stuck out from his armour and wondered how in the hell he’d missed the fact that apparently, one of them had had a sword. 

However, not even a sword through the back could stop a witcher with monsters to kill, and he made short work of the one man left standing, then rounded on the one he’d stabbed through the stomach, whose hands and face were splattered with Geralt’s blood. He hefted his sword, feeling his arms begin to shake, and stabbed the man through the chest, skewering him to the ground. 

He leaned on the hilt of his sword, breathing heavily, as he tried to work out what to do. He’d been stabbed before, obviously, but never quite as...extensively as this. He groaned and sank to his knees just as Jaskier came crashing through the trees, brandishing his lute like a sword, coming to a screeching halt when he saw the carnage in front of him: three dead men, an array of bows and daggers splayed around them, blood seeping into the dirt and leaves, and Geralt at the center of it all, on his knees with a sword clean through his torso. 

Jaskier dropped his lute and rushed to Geralt’s side. 

“What happened?”

“What’s...it look like?”

“No, okay, I know what happened, but...what happened?”

“Got stabbed.”

“Impaled, more like. What the fuck...what the fuck am I supposed to do? Geralt? Geralt, what...?”

“‘S fine,” Geralt coughed, a thin trickle of blood running from his mouth. He couldn’t survive this. He would lose too much blood before they’d be able to reach help. “Always knew I’d...die bloody.”

“No. No, you are not dying. Absolutely not.”

Geralt groaned again. Fuck, this hurt. He could feel his normally-slow heart beating far too fast, the blood pumping out of his wound in time with its beating. 

“Think I am.”

 Jaskier dropped to his knees in front of him. “No, you are not. Tell me what to do.”

“Nothing.” With that Geralt fell forward, the tip of the sword digging into the dirt. 

“No, no, no, okay, think...” Jaskier muttered frantically to himself. What could he do?

If he thought much longer about what to do, Geralt would die. There was no time to think-he just had to act. Be impulsive. He knew how to do that. 

Jaskier stood up, grabbed the hilt of the sword protruding from Geralt’s back firmly with both hands, and pulled up. 

Geralt nearly screamed when he did it, writhing on the ground in some desperate and futile effort to escape the pain. 

“Why,” he gasped out, “did you do that?”

“I don’t know, I panicked, okay?”

Jaskier realised immediately that what he’d done was not the right thing to do-without the sword to slow the bleeding somewhat, Geralt’s wound was bleeding far more profusely now, and Jaskier frantically searched for something, anything-there! 

One of the dead men had a bag slung over his shoulder, a cloth one with a thick rope handle. Perfect. Well, maybe not perfect, but it would do. 

Jaskier pulled the bag off the dead man’s shoulder, dumped its contents to the ground, and searched wildly for something to cut it with, his eyes quickly falling on one of the dead men’s daggers. He chopped the fabric of the bag roughly in two, then cut off the handle. 

He returned to Geralt. “Geralt, I’m going to need you to sit up, okay?”

No response. 

“Geralt?”

Nothing. 

He frantically checked the witcher’s pulse, which was alarmingly quick and faint. 

“Fuck, don’t make me do this by myself.”

But Geralt still didn’t respond, so Jaskier set to work on his own, pushing the witcher into a sitting position as carefully as he could, removing his bloody armor to better address the wound (if Geralt lived through this, and he would, he had to, he’d kill Jaskier for that). Jaskier sucked in a breath through his teeth as the full extent of Geralt’s injury was made visible. A large, fairly smooth entrance wound at the back, and a similarly large but dirty exit wound at the front, and far, far too much blood. 

Jaskier pressed a piece of fabric to each wound, wondering if this would really do anything at all. He couldn’t think like that, he reminded himself. Geralt would live. He had to. Jaskier tied the makeshift bandages up with the rope, as tightly as he dared, then carefully let Geralt’s body sink back to the ground. 

He stood up and grabbed his lute, slinging it over his back. He thought for a brief second, then placed the dagger he’d used to cut Geralt’s ‘bandages’ securely in his belt. He then returned his attention to the witcher, once again carefully lifting him to a sitting position, and then to his feet, which was quite a harder task than it sounded, but he managed it. 

“Okay, Geralt, I could really use your help here,” he muttered. “Please?”

Geralt’s eyes fluttered open for a second. “Jas’...wh’tre you doin’?”

“Saving your life, idiot. Which would be a lot easier if you’d bloody help.”

“Hm.”

Geralt did his best to help, which mostly consisted of taking small and shaky steps and making rather pitiful noises each time he did. Jaskier did his best as well, which was quite a lot better than Geralt’s best, at the moment, and fairly carried the both of them back into town, which, fortunately, hadn’t been too far away. 

The second they (Jaskier, really) stepped into the square, they were surrounded by clamouring locals. 

“Do any of you know a healer?” Jaskier fairly shouted, desperation cracking his voice. 

A few of them nodded, pointing to a small hut near the woods on the opposite side of the square. “Ol’ witch Thornton will set you right,” said a kind-faced man in blacksmith’s clothes. “Let me help you.”

Jaskier sighed in relief, though he knew this whole thing was far from over. He began to walk towards the hut, the blacksmith helping him and taking on some of Geralt’s dead weight. 

Jaskier wasn’t sure what he’d expected of ‘ol’ witch Thornton,’ but he was greeted by a woman who looked like she could be a grandmother. She smiled warmly at her new arrivals and directed the two men to lie Geralt across a small bed in a corner of her surprisingly-spacious hut. That done, the blacksmith headed out, with a quick wish in the way of Geralt’s healing.

“What happened?” the witch asked, as she began to work on Geralt with a variety of jars and bags of things Jaskier could not (and perhaps did not care to) name. 

“I dunno, really. Someone shot at me twice, with a bow, and by the time I got to where it had come from, Geralt had killed three men, and he was stabbed through with a sword.”

“That is quite a story, young bard. Tell me, has your witcher here ever been stabbed through with a sword before?”

“Probably not. He said he was going to die. He isn’t, is he? You can fix him?”

She nodded calmly. “Oh yes, I can fix him. He has lost quite a bit of blood, but with his constitution, he should be just fine. I simply wondered because, as I take it, you carried him here nearly on your own, which is quite a feat for a bard. I thought perhaps you’d carried him before.”

She began stitching Geralt’s wounds. He didn’t even move, too far gone with the blood loss to register anything at all. Jaskier supposed he should be thankful for that-he couldn’t imagine it felt very nice to be stitched up while completely lucid, even with a witcher’s strength.

He thought on the witch’s statement for a moment, watching the needle pierce his friend’s flesh as though nothing was wrong with that, as though everything was fine, which it would be, he reminded himself. Geralt was in good hands. “I haven’t. Carried him, I mean. Usually I’m just tagging along with him-if either of us ended up carrying the other, I’m sure I would’ve thought it would be him carrying me.”

“Do not underestimate yourself, bard. You saved his life today.”

Jaskier nodded-he had done that, hadn’t he? And Geralt...Geralt had thought he was going to die. 

But here he was, alive. Currently unconscious, bloody, paler than death, and being stitched up, but alive. 

He would be okay. 

He would be okay.

I feel like the ending could be better but if it didn’t have a bad ending it wouldn’t be my writing would it lol, anyway hope you enjoyed!!! I liked writing this!

#bad things happen bingo #the witcher #geralt of rivia #bleeding out #my writing #i say things #stabbed #blood #hope this was ok!!! #anyway i hope he bled out enough idk i feel like my focus couldve been more...whumpy yknow #thanks for reading and hope u like!

[lilixloveswriting]

Shell

Whumptober 2020 Day 19 (Prompt: Grief | Mourning Loved One | Survivor’s Guilt)

Fandom: BNHA (This is an AU for my Next Gen...AU...😬)

Characters: Hitoshi Midoriya (OC), Mitsuko Midoriya kinda, she’s dead (OC), Izuku Midoriya, Ochaco Uraraka, Katsuki Bakugo, Saisho Kirishima (OC), Eijiro Kirishima mentioned, also dead, Kayda Todoroki (OC), Hisao Todoroki (OC), Akio Todoroki haha...you guessed it (OC)

Word Count: 4582

A/N: This may be a mistake since y’all don’t know these characters yet but it just fits all the criteria for today’s prompt and I just couldn’t pass it up. Umm so I wrote this in the car when I couldn’t sleep on a road trip from 2 am to 9 am. I never acctually planned on posting it anywhere, so...idek what I’m trying to say. It’s the darkest thing I had written at that point (and imo, still is my darkest piece) so...yeah. Buckle up, it’s a sad one also please note canon Hitoshi is not this mean

TW: swearing, dissociation, suicidal ideation, child whump (Hitoshi is 13/14), survivor’s guilt (obvi), grief (obvi), family member death, past death of minor (Mitsuko - age 17), emotional detatchment, blood, ptsd flashback (nightmare), panic attack mention, vomiting mention, eventually Hitoshi has a well deserved emotional breakdown

The pencil spun around Hitoshi's knuckles in sync with the second hand of the clock. He stared at it, waiting for it to hypnotize him so that he didn't have to be there for the rest of his session. It wasn't anything personal, his therapist was fine. Today was just a bad day. Not that his days were ever good, but today was a particularly bad one. One where he felt like running out into traffic, just to see what would happen.

"Hitoshi?"

His voice seemed so far away in his dissociative state. It was nice, kind of comforting actually. More so than the unbearable ringing that would occur sometimes when someone spoke to him. The accident fucked his hearing, that's what the doctors said. The accident fucked a lot of things.

56, 57, 58, 59, 4:00

Hitoshi snapped into action, catching his pencil in his hand and slipping it into his bag as he lobbed it over his shoulder.

"Who's coming to get you today, Hitoshi?"

"My dad." He responded with a grumble, not that it was any of his business.

"Okay. Is he here, or would you like me to wait with you?"

Hitoshi shrugged his shoulders, biting back a sarcastic remark as he turned the door handle to exit his therapist's office and enter the hallway. He knew the way back to the waiting room all too well by now: a left, then two rights, down the elevator, and straight down the hall. Hitoshi heard muffled sobbing as he passed one of the doors, sparing it a glance before continuing. He wondered what her problem was. He was a little bit envious, for whatever it was, at least she could express how she was feeling. Hitoshi never felt anything but anger. Sometimes he never felt anything at all.

He made a beeline for the stairway, not too keen on sitting in another silent room with his therapist.

"Getting your steps in today?"

Hitoshi rolled his eyes as he swung himself around the flat bit of the stairwell. Their session was over, couldn't this guy shut up?

He arrived at the waiting room soon enough, tucking his thumbs into his backpack straps as he scanned the room for his dad. Not here yet.

"Not here yet?"

"No, dingbat. Do you see him?"

"Hm. I've got some time before my next appointment. I can stick around for a while."

"Fuuuck me."

"Hey! Sorry, I went to the bathroom." Hitoshi turned towards the cheery voice he knew so well, a small sigh of relief escaping his lungs. "Hey, kiddo-" Izuku placed his hands on Hitoshi's shoulders, faltering as he moved and shoved the front door open. "Hey, hold on!" He called after his son, and Hitoshi did slow down, but he didn't stop. He left the building, then walked a few steps down the sidewalk, perching himself on the ledge of the window sill, his back to the building.

"Uhh…" Izuku sighed, "bad day?"

The therapist gave a vague shrug and Izuku frowned.

"What did he say? Did something happen at school? Did I do something? His mom?"

The therapist smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Midoriya. You should talk to your son."

Izuku bit down on his lip. "Please, just…tell me something. Anything." The words begged to escape his throat, but he swallowed them down and nodded. He understood doctor-patient confidentiality, but that didn't make it any less frustrating.

He bid Hitoshi's therapist goodbye, then joined his son on the sidewalk.

"Hey, kiddo." Izuku's voice sounded far away too, and Hitoshi wasn't sure if he wanted it to this time. He continued to stare at the curb of the sidewalk, the whizzing of tires lulling him off into another dissociative state. His father's voice was muffled and he didn't remember the walk from the sidewalk to the car.

"What's wrong, Hito?" Izuku turned to him, and he couldn't will himself to look away from the dashboard. 

He didn't know what was wrong. Nothing, nothing was really wrong, but everything was wrong at the same time. He felt so fucking numb but ached all over at the same time. It was exhausting, he just wanted everything to stop. He wanted everyone to stop trying to fix him; he couldn't be fixed.

Hitoshi took a deep breath, willing all of his effort to move his tongue. "Nothing, I'm just tired." it was silent in the car, nobody moved and a wave of guilt washed over Hitoshi, though he wasn't sure what for.

"Survivor's guilt is a common occurrence. It won't be unusual for Hitoshi to feel as though he did something wrong for surviving the crash. Getting him into therapy sessions now is probably the best course of action."

"Can we go home now?" Hitoshi inhaled again as he reached for his seatbelt, jerking it over his body and clicking it into the buckle.

His dad put the car into drive and Hitoshi rested his head on the window.

"You wanna get some ice cream?" Izuku asked. Hitoshi shrugged and ten minutes later he had a chocolate ice cream cone in his hand. He had grown to hate the taste, but he ate it anyway because it made Izuku feel better. 

It still felt wrong not to pass any napkins to Mitsuko to get it out of her hair.

Izuku flipped on the lights to his apartment; the "bachelor pad" as he called it. He had turned Hitoshi on to the idea of a man den when he was ten. They both knew this wasn't what he meant.

"Do you wanna-"

"I've got homework," Hitoshi said, heading straight to his room and shutting the door behind him. He kicked off his shoes and told himself that he didn't care enough to put them away, but the way they were scattered across the floor was a little too much like her, so he picked them up and lined them up against the wall.

He fell back onto his bed, exhaling deeply as he stared up at the popcorn ceiling. His room here wasn't too bad, it was a decent size and his dad even bought him a desk and helped him decorate it with figurines and pictures. He put the pictures away though, they made him feel uneasy. 

"Hey," There was a short knock at the door and it slowly creaked open. Izuku stuck his head inside. "I know you want to be alone right now, but keep the door open, yeah? Just a crack, okay?"

Hitoshi sat up a bit and nodded at his dad, who gave him a weak smile in return.

"Okay. Thank you." He said, and Hitoshi appreciated that he didn't pry, even though he knew his father was worried. "Uh, is there anything you want for dinner?"

Hitoshi shrugged and Izuku sighed.

"Okay. Think about it and let me know, okay?"

Hitoshi nodded a little, knowing he wasn't going to decide on anything. He really didn't care.

"Okay. I'll leave you alone now. I love you," Izuku said and Hitoshi gave him a small smile, then he left, pulling the door closed with about an inch to spare.

Hitoshi let his head fall back onto the bed, exhaling in a puff as another wave of guilt crashed over him. He always saw the look in his father's eyes. 

"Please give me something. Anything."

But he couldn't, no matter how badly he wanted to. He didn't even know what to say. His dad had always been emotional, he wondered how many nights he spent crying because Hitoshi couldn't even manage an "I love you."

He wanted to cry. He couldn't really remember what crying felt like, but he knew he used to feel better after he did. Now, he just felt bad all the time. He was tired of it.

Hitoshi flipped over onto his stomach, trapping his pillow between his arms and his face as his eyes fell on his bag. He had homework, but he couldn't convince himself to do it. The mere thought of it was exhausting and Hitoshi turned his head the other way, towards the wall. 

The blood coated his fingers like syrup, making an awful squelching sound as it mixed with his tears. He applied pressure, he heard that somewhere, a tv show, he thinks. It was supposed to make the bleeding better or something, but it kept leaking and it soaked into his jeans and shirt and skin. He must not have been doing it right, maybe he was pressing too hard because Mitsuko kept gasping for air. Maybe he was choking her. 

She turned to him and took in a shaky breath, eyes wide and bloodshot and she whispered in a spine chilling voice, "Help me, Hito."

Hitoshi gasped and in the moment of fear, loosened his grip on Mitsuko's neck. She screamed as the ground caved in, swallowing her whole, and Hitoshi couldn't do anything but scream her name as he reached in after her.

Hitoshi opened his eyes and lifted his head from his pillow, blinking a few times before looking around the room. He sighed, realizing it had been a dream. He wasn't sure which reality he would rather be in.

The faint smell of food caused him to sit up fully, and he looked at his nightstand to see a plate of pizza waiting for him. His dad had to eat alone again. Dick move, Hitoshi.

He rubbed his eyes as they fell on the window, the sun had already set. How long had he slept for? Hitoshi yawned and swung his legs over the side of his bed, taking a second before standing up and opening his door. He went to the living room, a short walk in the small apartment. His dad turned his head from the tv as Hitoshi stepped into the room, greeting him with a small smile. 

"Hey. I don't know if you saw, but I left you some pizza. But if you don't want that then I can see what else I can make you."

Hitoshi shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "It's fine." He whispered, and if you weren't listening for it you wouldn't have heard it. 

"Okay. Mom called. I told her you were sleeping. You want me to call her back?"

Hitoshi shook his head and Izuku tilted his head to the side.

"Sweetie, you should call your mom." He said, prompting a sigh and a bit of an eye-roll from his son. He nodded in the end, though, so Izuku counted that as a victory.

"Later."

"Not too late. She probably has a shift in the morning, she'll be going to bed soon."

Hitoshi didn't respond to that. Instead, he walked around the couch and sat down next to his father. "What are you watching?" He asked, and Izuku was thrilled to be getting this many words out of him.

"I don't know. The news. Nothing special."

"Pro Heroes Ground Zero and Chargebolt work together in EPIC villain take down!" Izuku cleared his throat, switching the tv off before standing abruptly.

"Alright, it's late. Call your mom and get ready for bed, okay?" Izuku ruffled his hair and planted a kiss on his head. "Goodnight, I love you." He said, then went to his room.

Hitoshi stared straight ahead at the switched-off tv. He should get to bed soon so his dad's sleep didn't suffer. Izuku always waited until Hitoshi had gone to bed before actually sleeping himself. He sighed, staring at the phone on the coffee table. He didn't want to call his mom; calling his mother actually involved talking, and she was much more thorough than his father was. He didn't want to deal with that today. Still, if he didn't call her then it'd be his father who suffered and Hitoshi didn't want that.

She picked up on the third ring.

"What, Izuku?"

"Mom." Hitoshi said, leaning into the phone as it rested on his palm.

"Oh, hi honey. What are you doing on Dad's phone?"

Hitoshi shrugged, sighing in frustration as he realized she couldn't see him. "It was closer than mine."

His mother laughed. "Lazy butt. How was your day?"

"Fine."

"How was your meeting with your therapist?"

"Fine."

"Okay…how's Daddy?"

Hitoshi sighed as he looked over the top of the couch to his dad's room, door open and light on. "I'm slowly killing him."

"Fine."

"Okay, can you give me more than that, please? I miss you. Pretty please?"

Again, Hitoshi sighed. "He's okay. We got ice cream."

"Oooh what's the occasion?"

"He's sad that I won't speak to him." "Just…guys being dudes."

Ochako laughed, which provided some type of relief, even if it was only temporary. "Alright, did you guys get your homework done?"

"Yeah," He lied. He didn't want his dad to get reprimanded for his own destructive tendencies.

"Did you have a lot?"

"Not really."

"Any you struggled with?"

Hitoshi cursed silently, looking for a bullshit answer. "Algebra." Mitsuko was good at algebra.

"Oh, ummm, well did you two get it? If not you could snap a pic and send it to me and I can help. Or you could ask Kayda, I'm sure she'd love to help you."

"We figured it out."

"Of course you did, you're so smart." There was a pause when Hitoshi didn't respond. "Your dad is pretty good at algebra, huh?"

Hitoshi sighed. "Yeah." That's where Mitsuko got it. 

"Okay, well it's getting late. As much I know you love talking to me, you need to get your rest."

"Okay."

"Okay. I love you, bubba. Goodnight."

"Night." He said and hung up the phone, letting it sit idly in his lap before he moved. He went to his father's room and peeked inside to see the bathroom door closed. He must have been showering. Hitoshi left his phone on his bed, then went back to his own bedroom. He laid down on his bed, not bothering to get under the covers, figuring he'd just get up and shower when he'd inevitably wake up again in two hours. Everything felt heavy, especially his eyelids, and he let them fall closed as he drifted off into the night.

✱✱✱

Hitoshi kicked at the ground as his hands gripped the sides of the chair. His cousin sat in the one next to him, resting her chin on her hand.

"He doesn't need whatever the hell this is, Katsuki-"

"I don't have anything to do with this, don't start with me."

Hitoshi sighed and bent down to pick up his backpack just as Katsuki and his mom burst through the door to the principal's office. His mom rushed over to him, cupping his face in her hands and repeatedly asking if he was injured. Hitoshi pushed her off and started towards the door, scoffing when Ochako blocked his path.

"Hitoshi, what happened?"

The brunette glanced at his cousin who rolled her eyes as she picked up her bag. "Nothing."

"Obviously, it's not nothing if you're both here-"

"Okay, would you shut up and let me parent my own kid?" Katsuki spat, and Ochako scoffed.

"You're not doing a very good job-"

"Mom," Hitoshi whined. Nothing good was going to come from this.

"Saisho, what the hell happened?" Katsuki asked and the girl rolled her eyes. "Don't you dare roll your eyes at me, do you know how many strings I had to pull to come get you?"

"Oh, yeah. 'Cause it's my fault, right? It's always my fault." She pushed past her dad, ignoring his angry shouts and walked out of the door. Hitoshi slipped around his mother, following Saisho's lead. He just wanted to go home.

"This is the third call I've gotten this month. Saisho, whatever the hell this is, you need to get it together because I'm sick of it."

"What do you think, I like you coming to my school and screaming at me in the halls?!" Saisho whipped around and shouted right back at her father, a few spikes growing on her arms. "Yeah, it's the highlight of my freaking week!"

"Watch your mouth!" Katsuki scolded her but she was ready to fire back with more sarcasm.

"It wasn't her fault, she had a panic attack!" Hitoshi shouted over them, grabbing both of their attention as well as his mother's. Quieter, he continued, "They pick on her, they wouldn't leave her alone. So I stepped in and then her quirk was all…you know and then…"

"What…is this true?" Katsuki turned to Saisho, who's breathing had picked up as she stared at Hitoshi. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you don't listen! It doesn't matter."

"Of course, it matters. How could you even think that? You're supposed to tell me stuff like this-"

"She was just scared-" Hitoshi started, but was quickly stopped by a wry cry.

"Oh my GOD!" Saisho wrung her fingers through her hair, pulling at her scalp in frustration. She turned to Hitoshi, "Would you FUCK OFF?! Stop fighting my battles for me!"

"Hey!" Ochako stepped up next to Hitoshi, offended for her son who simply sighed and cast his gaze to the floor.

"Hey! Not okay!" Katsuki grabbed onto her wrist and she growled, yanking it away with all her might but still not able to get free.

"LET GO! Don't touch me! Stop!" She cried, clawing at Katsuki's hand. "Ugh! None of this would be happening if Dad was here!" She yelled, and that was enough for Katsuki to loosen his grip in shock. Saisho immediately ripped her hand away, stumbling backward in a fit of tears.

"I'm here! I'm here, sorry I'm late!" Izuku threw open the double doors, slowing down at the sight in front of him. "What…what's going on?"

Saisho let out one more frustrated sob and stomped forward, shoving past Izuku to the parking lot. 

Izuku gave Katsuki a look, which he ignored and started after his daughter. Izuku grabbed him by the arm before he could get passed. "Hey-"

"Don't touch me!" Katsuki yanked his arm away, whipping around to face Izuku. "You're not the only one who lost someone in that accident, you know?! And that's what it was, an accident! It was an ACCIDENT! I'm sorry! You know I'm sorry! And you can punish me all you want, but don't you fucking drag her into it because she lost a parent!" He pointed out at the parking lot, tears welling up in his eyes and Hitoshi realized this was the first time he'd actually seen his uncle cry.

Izuku didn't stop him from leaving after that, and the broken family watched the blond storm out of the school.

"Okay…what the heck did I miss?" Izuku held his arms out to his sides as he approached his son and ex wife. 

"More like why the hell did you miss? Izuku, where were you? I know they called you after they called me." Ochako stepped towards him, arms crossed over her chest. 

"I was working-"

"So was I."

"I was all the way across town!"

"What happened to your super speed, Mr. Full Cowling?" 

"Okay, I'm not doing this with you right now. Hitoshi-"

"No, you don't get to do that. You don't get to dodge my questions like they aren't important."

"I am trying to check on our son!"

"He's fine! I already checked, because I was here."

"Well I am here now and I would still like to know what happened."

"He was in a fight!"

"You were in a fight?!" Izuku echoed, turning to Hitoshi with a shocked look on his face.

Hitoshi raised his eyebrows and his mouth dropped open in surprise. "What?! No, it wasn't a fight-" He started, but was interrupted by his mother before he could finish. 

"Maybe you could have done something to prevent it if you actually talked to him."

Izuku recoiled, his eyebrows furrowing and his mouth morphing into a scowl. "I do talk to him."

"Oh yeah? What do you talk about?"

"We…Ochako, this isn't fair-"

"You want to know what isn't fair? What isn't fair is that I'm stuck being his mom after you decided to be his friend! Let me guess what you had for dinner last night: whatever he wanted?"

Izuku frowned. "Actually, we had pizza."

"Oh, pizza! Even better!"

Hitoshi shut his eyes, scrunching his nose up as they continued to bicker. He was sure the classrooms down the hall could hear, and he didn't need to add anything else to his souring reputation. "You guys, can we please go home-"

"Shush!"

"Not now!"

This was how they'd been since the funeral. They argued constantly; over why the dishes weren't done (Mitsuko always did them), about who's turn it was to buy groceries (Mitsuko did most of the shopping), about whether they were going to keep Mitsuko's door open or closed.

The last one didn't last long because Izuku moved out a few months after. He wanted her door closed, but now Ochako could keep it open. 

They argued over Hitoshi a lot too, and he remembered when he first saw the headlines: "Pro Heroes Deku and Uravity Messy Divorce After Loss of Child!"

He threw up after reading it.

Things were better after they separated. Well, not better, but at least they weren't fighting all the time. They had gotten better at communicating, but he still hated being in the same room with both of them at a time. It was times like these where he wished his sister was still here, or at least that Saisho didn't hate him. 

He guessed this was the type of stuff he was supposed to tell his therapist. But how was he supposed to say it when it felt like talking about her was forbidden? Her name was like a lit match, waiting to be dropped on a stick of dynamite embedded deep inside of the Earth's core, ready to blow his world to pieces. He lost himself in these thoughts, spiraling down and down and down until he'd forgotten what reality he was in.

His dissociation was dangerous because he would sometimes wander without realizing it until someone woke him up. This time, it was Hisao.

Hitoshi blinked as Hisao shook his shoulder, staring at him with a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay? Here, come in." He ushered and Hitoshi listened realizing his clothes were damp. He must have walked there in the rain.

"KAYDAAA!" Hisao shouted, and from the annoyed look on his face it didn't seem like it was the first time. "I don't know where she is. Damn, I've got a thing to go to, I just stopped by to pick up some tools. Here, uh-" He flipped the switch to the fireplace and it lit up. "I'll go get you some dry clothes."

"What do you want?" Kayda came down the stairs, her irritated expression faltering as she laid eyes on Hitoshi. "Hito-chan…what…?" She started and looked to Hisao who shrugged, bounding up the stairs to get clothes for Hitoshi.

Kayda finished down the stairs and jogged over to Hitoshi, who was shivering now. "What are you doing here?"

Hitoshi shrugged. "I don't know." He truly didn't.

She frowned and grabbed a blanket from the couch, wrapping it around his shoulders.

"Mom and dad were fighting." He mumbled and her shoulders slumped. He felt bad for unloading onto her like this. Mitsuko was her best friend after all. 

"Okay! They're gonna be pretty big, but it's better than what you're wearing, so," Hisao appeared next to them, handing Kayda the dry clothes. "I'm late to meet with Jisoo, so are you guys okay? Should I…?"

Kayda shook her head. "Go on, we'll be fine."

Hisao muttered a quiet "kay" and quickly left the house, leaving Kayda and Hitoshi alone. 

"Here, why don't we get you changed?" Kayda helped him stand and led him to the bathroom, handing him the clothes before he closed the door.

About fifteen minutes later, he was curled up on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate. 

"You know," Kayda sighed, picking at the blankets they were curled up with, "When Akio died…I wanted to die too. Well, not literally. I just couldn't…grasp the concept of living in a world where he didn't exist. I was so mad at him for…leaving me behind."

Hitoshi stared down into his cup. "It's not the same."

Kayda looked at him, then swallowed and nodded, sniffling. "I know."

Now he made her cry. When was this ever going to get any easier?

"I guess what I mean is," She sighed once more, allowing her hands to fall into her lap, "I've lost two important people within the last couple of years. So if you ever need someone to talk to…"

Hitoshi nodded. Kayda was nice, she had always been nice to him. But if he couldn't talk to his therapist, someone who his parents were paying to listen, how was he supposed to talk to his dead sister's best friend?

"Why didn't I wake up sooner?" Well,he's done it. Kayda raised an eyebrow and he, somehow, continued, "If I had…" He stopped, an involuntary sob bobbing in his throat, "She was just…lying there. She was all alone." He whimpered and his vision went blurry before he felt a warm wetness on his cheeks. "If I had…if I had woken up…s-sooner-" He coughed in his own tears, bringing a hand up to cover his face.

It had been a long time since he cried, and now that it was finally happening he didn't like it. His face was hot, and his head felt like it was going to explode from the sheer effort he was putting in to keep his tears from falling. Effort that didn't matter, because they were falling anyway, like a dam that had been patched up with gum, water spurting out of every crack, every crevice it could find. And to top it all off there was this sharp pain in his chest and he couldn't stop his lungs from seizing as he gasped for air, choking on his sobs and coughing when he couldn't get enough of it.

Warm arms restricted his shaking and he pressed his head into Kayda's chest, her hug providing some sense of security as he cried until his eyes swelled. Mitsuko would have made fun of him for this, and the thought only made him cry harder, pleading to some sentient being for the past year to have been a nightmare. Unfortunately for Hitoshi, said sentient being must not exist, because his desperate prayers went unheard. 

She whispered little reassurances, and though he didn't believe them, they made him feel a little bit better. His breathing slowed and his cheeks dried, though his head still pounded like a drum. He would have fallen asleep if he hadn't pulled away, hiccuping as he wiped at his eye.

"I should tell my parents where I am." He mumbled, taking out his phone and struggling to type in the pass code with his shaky hand.

"They don't know?" Kayda inquired, to which Hitoshi shook his head. He hadn't told him he was leaving, and they had been too caught up in their argument to notice. 

He shot them a text, nothing fancy or anything more than an address. He didn't want to talk to them. He was tired. 

But he did feel better. Even if it was just a little bit.

#whumptober2020 #no. 19 #broken hearts #grief #survivor's guilt #mourning loved one #bnha #hitoshi midoriya #my ocs #bnha ocs #writing #bnha fanfic #blood #swearing #dissociation #suicidal ideation #mha #my hero academia #my hero academia ocs #bnha next gen #izuocha #kiribaku #lilixloveswriting #lilixloveswhump #my writing #mitsuko midoriya

[edgydepressedchoicesthot]

24: my love was stronger than your pride (any ES pairing)

Summary: Neither of them knew that this was the last time they’d see each other before Andromeda’s sacrifice made time reassert itself.

Something else they didn’t know is that the same force that tore them apart would bring them back to each other. Seraxa/Yvonne

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23248093

A/N: Well, this one took a while. Apologies to @brightpinkpeppercorn for taking my sweet time with this. I originally asked for prompts to get myself out of my writing funk, and I decided to take the quarantine as a chance to use some new free time to start writing again. I hope you’re all doing okay and staying safe.

After getting the prompt, I thought a bit on what ship do to this for; Estela/MC, Quinn/Michelle, Craig/Aleister (idk lol). But seeing a post saying that Serafine in Bloodbound is Yvonne from the Vaanu!Ending (who she OBVIOUSLY IS DAMMIT), that got me thinking. When I was fresh in the fandom, I heard someone suggest Seraxa/Yvonne, and I kinda liked the ship. And after seeing the “Serafine is Yvonne” Theory Fact, I wondered: what has she been up to? Is she keeping in touch with the Catalysts? Has she been back to La Huerta? HAS SHE SEEN HER GREEN GIRLFRIEND AGAIN? And thus, this fic was born! I made a few alterations to the canon (Yvonne stuck around during the Cetus battle and helped out), but nothing so that it’ll be too unrecognizable. Enjoy!

BTW I am not responsible in any fashion if you injure yourself whilst trying to lick your elbow.

————————

The pirate was probably trying to be stealthy, but Seraxa still heard her coming.

Night blanketed Elyys’tel, and lanterns hung all over the Great Tree, made to look like their own star-filled sky.

Andromeda, just Handfasted, was off enjoying the night with their beloved. The rest of the Catalysts joined the Vaanti in the festivities. People danced by bonfires and played as many games to rival the ones from the last Valinorim. All the laughter, singing, and happy shouts melded together into one joyous roar.

The last Seraxa saw of Taari was he and Zahra running off to play what she had called “dodgeball”, leaving Seraxa with her thoughts.

“Not one for parties?”

That was the second time she and Yvonne had spoken. The first was just before Varyyn’s coronation, when she bid the Catalysts a fond farewell.

Seraxa had thanked, or at least acknowledged, Yvonne for helping to protect the Vaanti during Cetus’s attack. The pirate tipped her hat with a flourish and a wink, and called her “milday”.

Taari promptly asked if the pirate was her new girlfriend, and Seraxa assigned him a long list of chores after the Valinorim.

“I’m here for one, am I not?” Seraxa replied, not turning around.

“With the way you scowl like the sun’s in your eyes, you could have fooled me,” Yvonne was right next to her now, joining Seraxa in standing off to the side instead celebrating. It looked unfamiliar to Seraxa, since Yvonne seemed the type to waste no time in celebrating.

Seraxa also remembered the way the pirate arrived in the midst of Cetus’s attack to help, and how she led a crowd of Vaanti to safety deeper into the jungle.

“Truly though,” the pirate broke the warrior out of her thoughts. “Do you ever rest?”

“I am not fighting or preparing for a fight, so you can say I rest now,” Seraxa retorted.

“You’ve not touched a single drink the whole day, and watching everyone like a hawk does not help your case. In all the time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you relax.”

“I wasn’t aware you were so keen on watching me.”

To Seraxa’s surprise, Yvonne blushed. She didn’t take that long to recover though.

“Still, with you being a military leader, that warrants a day off, no? Two, at the least?”

All the more reason I can’t let my guard down, Seraxa thought to herself. Everything seemed safe before Cetus attacked, and attacked he did.

Seraxa’s pride refused to acknowledge what might have happened if the Catalysts hadn’t come when they did.

“And I told you, I am resting. If we are to talk in circles like this the whole night, you’ll grow weary.”

“That I doubt,” Yvonne said quietly with a mischievous smirk that Seraxa didn’t quite understand. “You seem to have missed quite a show earlier,” the pirate continued. “The big one, Craig? He challenged one of your soldiers to a match.”

“Then Ursa is a dead man for sure-”

“He won.”

“Hm?”

“You heard correct,” Yvonne smirked. “Against several, actually.”

“He…he, an outsider, bested my warriors in a spar?”

Seraxa’s mind went through all the grueling exercise regimes she would put those warriors through to compensate for such a defeat (she will get names), before Yvonne spoke again.

“No no, they did not fight.”

“…Then what did they do?”

“Craig licked his elbow, and challenged one of your soldiers to do the same.”

“Whaa…” Seraxa’s jaw dropped.

“And several of your troops tried to succeed where the first had failed. None of them could.”

Seraxa…had no words. Elbow licking? She expected warriors under her command to be above making a fuss over something so ridiculous…

Her eyes darted down for a second to her left elbow; only for a second, but long enough for the pirate to catch.

“Try it.”

“Don’t be absurd.”

“We both know you’re thinking about it,” Yvonne waggled her eyebrows. “Someone did manage to accomplish the feat, at last.”

“One person out of nearly everyone in Elyys’tel?”

“Yes. It was Grace. And naturally, she won the prize.”

“There was a prize as well?”

“Indeed. She had the privilege to watch as all who tried and failed form something they called a ‘human pyramid’. It was quite the disaster.”

A smile played on Seraxa’s lips, one that she couldn’t quite smother. Not overly large, but big enough to be visible.

The pirate leaned closer, eyes squinting as they inspected Seraxa’s face. The warrior’s cheeks heated up.

“What are you-”

“Checking to see if your face has cracked,” she said earnestly. “It appears intact, and lovely as ever.”

Lovely…lovely…

Lovely…????

Seraxa’s mind went blank, as if her mind was thrown into a time loop, focused on that one word.

The two of them stand in silence for a minute. Seraxa’s eyes glanced once at Yvonne, feeling an uncomfortable rising of anxiety at the awkward quiet.

She turned to Yvonne to speak. Later, when Seraxa thought back on that moment, she could never remember what she had wanted to say, because what happened next took over her full attention.

Yvonne leaned in and kissed Seraxa.

The kiss was like lightning; quick and intense. Yvonne’s lips were warm and searching, and pulled away.

Once again, Seraxa’s entire mind went blank.

When the warrior was silent for a few seconds, vulnerability flashed on the pirate’s face.

“I’m sorry, was that not-” Seraxa swapped their places with a kiss of her own.

“Don’t be sorry,” Seraxa said when they broke apart. “Unless it’s because you didn’t do that sooner.”

A laugh escaped Yvonne’s lips as they met Seraxa’s again.

Neither of them knew that this was the last time they’d see each other before Andromeda’s sacrifice made time reassert itself.

Something else they didn’t know is that the same force that tore them apart would bring them back to each other.

————————

Something Seraxa was used to waking up to was the sun’s rays shining through the windows of her home, or her cats’ morning playfulness dragging her from sleep.

This morning, she woke up to Yvonne, behind her in bed, tightening her arms around her lover in a secure hold.

Speaking of the sun, all of Seraxa’s windows had now been boarded up to keep it from shining through, accommodating Yvonne’s now-nocturnal nature.

It had been almost two years since the first time she had seen Yvonne after Andromeda’s sacrifice. The Catalysts when they made their yearly visits was always a welcome sight. But seeing with them, someone she had thought she’d never see again, was a surprise to say the least.

When everything had settled, and it was established that there wasn’t any trickery afoot, Yvonne had quite a tale to tell.

After being taken back to her own time, she said that she came into contact with creatures from the world outside of Vaanu. Creatures that made her into one of them, an immortal.

An immortal, with a regular need for blood.

Yvonne couldn’t stay on the island any longer than a month before the need for blood would become unbearable. Neither of them knew how Yvonne would take to Vaanti blood, if it would nourish or poison her, and Seraxa wasn’t willing to risk it. Pavos volunteered to run tests on Vaanti blood, and only ended up confirming what they feared.

Thus, Yvonne could not stay for any longer than three weeks at a time. And affairs on the outside world kept her from visiting as regularly as she would have liked.

It was probably for the best, Seraxa thought. Adventure was in Yvonne’s blood, and she was not meant to pick one place to live out the rest of her days.

Yvonne had told her all of this on the first few days she had come back; that she did not want marriage even if her nature wasn’t a factor, and said that she understood if a relationship with her was too much for Seraxa to handle.

Thoughts back to the present moment, she turned around, and joined Yvonne in a mutual embrace.

“Did I wake you?” Yvonne asked sleepily.

“Yes,” Seraxa smirked. “But I’ll have to get up soon anyway.”

“Can’t you order someone else to take care of your duties for the day?” Yvonne asked. “You need your sleep. And what good is authority if you can’t flaunt it every once in a while?”

Yvonne’s nature altered Seraxa’s sleep schedule quite a bit, but it was a worthy sacrifice.

“I’ll be back by nightfall,” Seraxa shifted and pulled Yvonne closer.

“That’s still too long.”

“You’ll survive without my embrace for a few hours,” the warrior resisted the urge to laugh.

“You’re so cruel,” Yvonne whined, snuggling closer.

“We’re here now,” Seraxa buried her face in Yvonne’s hair. “So until I hear a knock on the door, I’m yours.”

They’re not sure how long they stayed like that, wrapped around each other, until Yvonne poked Seraxa’s nose.

“You look too thoughtful for someone who just woke up,” Yvonne commented, and Seraxa finally noticed she was frowning.

“I was just wondering…” Seraxa began. “Before I met you, I was resolved to live a life without a partner. There would be no guarantee of a long life, so I did not want anyone to need me, a wife or a child, should I leave them behind.”

Yvonne stroked her face.

“That’s a lonely way to live, my dear.”

“For a while, I thought it was the only way I could live.”

Yvonne said nothing, and Seraxa continued.

“Both my parents died in battle when I was a child. It was a reality I had to face when I followed in their stead as a warrior, and more so when I was named War Chief. I’ve have so long to get used to the idea, that my pride wouldn’t allow me to indulge anything else.”

“Well it’s a good thing I plan to keep you around,” Yvonne said before giving Seraxa a deep kiss. “What we have might not be normal, but-”

“It is not normal, and I want it no other way,” Seraxa kissed Yvonne this time.

“Thank you,” Yvonne breathed. “For letting me in, and for having a place for me with you.”

“Thank your ability to break past a War Chief’s defenses, my love.”

“I’m afraid it was rather simple,” Yvonne curled up closer to Seraxa, nuzzling her head into her neck. “My love was stronger than your pride.”

Seraxa pressed a kiss to Yvonne’s head.

“And I thank the stars for that.”

 A/N: Seraxa is a little spoon, Yvonne is Serafine Dupont from Bloodbound, and both Craig and Grace can lick their elbows. I don’t make the rules I just think them up and write them into a story.

Also, Yvonne and Seraxa might not have the “living together” relationship I thought of when I started writing this, but in my mind this is the most realistic scenario for these two to be together. Yvonne’s too adventurous to stay in one place for the rest of her life, and Seraxa has a big sense of duty regarding her responsibilities to the Vaanti that I can’t imagine her giving up (even more so if she becomes Elyyshar when Varyyn leaves with Diego). So, in the end, these two have a long distance and open relationship (I strongly headcanon Yvonne/Serafine as polyamorous), but they love each other very much and fill their time together with as much lovey-doviness as possible.

Another thing, this is my first time writing a bilingual character while not writing up scenes directly from ES, so I apologize for any mistakes. Since I figured Yvonne is either in her late twenties or early thirties, and since being multilingual would almost be a necessity in sailing and adventuring, she would be a fairly decent English speaker. And I learned some of the biggest reasons for bilingual people slipping back to their native language is when they’re either really tired or go back and forth from speaking their native language to the other one. And since Yvonne is spending a lot of time lately around primarily English-speaking people, she probably wouldn’t have spoken much French at all. I hope I did it justice. I heard from other members of the fandom that PB butchered the way Yvonne and Tio Nicholas, both bilingual, would have spoke, so I wanted to do better and tread lightly. 

Finally, I have no idea what alien forces enable a select few to lick their fucking elbows and I don’t care to know.

#playchoices #pixelberry #Endless Summer #BloodBound #seraxa #Yvonne #serafine dupont #seraxa x yvonne #my fics

[ranissupercool]

Fic Where Mari is Problematic - Ch. 1

Fandom: Love Live! Sunshine!! Characters: Matsuura Kanan, Takami Chika, Sakurauchi Riko, Ohara Mari Relationships: ChikaRiko, KanaMari Rating: Teen and up Word Count: 1,636 Summary: Mari kisses Riko and stuff. No one is happy with this.

this is dumb

Read on Ao3!

“So you and Mari are like, really close, huh?”

Kanan raised an eyebrow as she stared forward at Chika, who sat across the table from her. Although they were in the school library and meant to be studying-- Chika especially-- it seemed she had something else on her mind.

That, or she was simply making small talk as an excuse to not study. Both could probably be likely. Kanan decided to respond anyways, albeit with a very simple answer and a shrug. “Well, yeah. Have been for a while. Why?”

“It’s just…” Chika rested an elbow on the table, chin in her hand. “I was thinking, it would be really great if I could be that close with Riko, y’know?”

“You think?”

Kanan was given a vigorous nod to the simple question. Clearly, this was going somewhere. “Yeah! Do you think you could give me advice?”

“Advice…” Kanan furrowed her brow slightly. “On becoming closer with Riko? I don’t know… Considering you’ve known each other for less than a full year, I’d think you’re already really good friends with her in that time. Aren’t you?”

“Well yeah, we are, but not the same way as you and Mari!”

“I mean, I guess not, but…”

“Okay, um, if I have to just come out and say it…” Chika, likely sensing Kanan’s utter confusion, gave an oddly shy chuckle. Really, what was this about? “I... wanna know how you asked Mari out.”

Chika fidgeted, poking her fingers together as Kanan registered what was asked, the unexpectedness of the question making the process just a bit slow.

“...What? Asked her out? I don’t know what Mari told you, but whatever it was, she was probably making things up.”

“N-No, Mari didn’t say anything! Sorry, are you guys, like, on the DL? I didn’t realize--”

Kanan quieted Chika with a raised hand. “Chika, I… have no idea where you even got the idea that we’re dating…”

“Well… I thought it was obvious? I mean, the way you two act with each other… I never really saw you act that way in the past around anyone! Although I guess I never even saw you hanging out with Mari or Dia before I started high school… I was super surprised to hear how close friends you guys all were.”

“I mean, it’s always been like that between us… It was just hard to hang out outside of school because of Mari’s parents, and then she went to study abroad…”

Chika’s eyes practically sparkled, and she grinned widely. Kanan had a sinking feeling that this misunderstanding was just deepening... “Wow, you’ve been in love with each other for that long? That’s so cute...! Why didn’t you ever tell me, Kanan? Was it because your love is forbidden and stuff, so you had to keep it a secret?”

“Tha-- That’s not what I meant!” Kanan could feel her face starting to heat up, and she really hoped she wasn’t visibly blushing. This was just embarrassing! “I’m trying to say we’re not dating and we’re not in love with each other! A-- And I don’t even treat her that much differently from my other friends, so…”

“Eh? Kanan, are you… a tsundere?”

“No, Chika!” 

Before Kanan could continue, the two could hear an abrupt slamming noise which drew their attention to the front desk where Hanamaru sat, staring at both girls with a scolding expression usually just reserved for Yoshiko. Whoops, right, they were in the library…

Kanan frowned, but she turned back to Chika and lowered her voice. “She’s just really affectionate and stuff. It’s not like she wants to date me…”

“What if she does?”

“Excuse me?”

Chika tilted her head. “What if she does want to date you? If she did, would you?”

“If she really did, I’m sure she would have said something by now… given the type of person Mari is.”

“But what if, Kanan? C’mon, even just hypothetically?”

“Geez… You’re really pushing it, Chika. Look, I don’t… I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it. Not much, anyways…”

“S-Sorry. But… if that’s the case, you do like her at least a little bit, right? ‘Cause if you didn’t, you wouldn’t even consider it and you’d just say no.”

“Well…” Kanan let out a sigh. She wasn’t sure why Chika was so persistent… but it wasn’t like she was wrong, either. “Maybe. But really, what does it matter? You just wanted to… get closer to Riko, was it? You want to get close in that way, then?”

“E-Eheh… Yeah… I thought you were dating Mari, and I figured you’d have been the one to ask her out, so I thought I’d get some advice from you. But I guess not… I mean, that’s okay, though! No biggie, heh…”

“Why don’t you just… ask her?”

“H-Huh?”

“Ask her out.”

Oho, was Chika blushing? That was new. She didn’t often get embarrassed or flustered-- certainly not talking about romance. Although come to think of it, as far as Kanan knew, this could’ve very well been Chika’s first time having a crush on someone…

“I-- I don’t know… I mean, it’s not that easy! I wanted to talk to her about it, but I get all nervous and stuff… and besides, what if she doesn’t like me like that? She might feel all awkward around me, and I don’t want that…”

“You still asked me for advice on asking her out, though…”

“Well, yeah… I’m nervous and kinda scared, but if I’m always like that with people I like, I might never get anywhere.”

It was a fair point. Honestly, Kanan hasn’t expected that Chika would put so much thought into such a matter.

Or any at all, like with many of the things she did and said. Chika was somewhat like Mari in that regard… Although both of them, Kanan had found lately, did think about their actions a lot more than they’d initially let on.

“Well… I’m not sure what advice you could even be given, really. I guess if you want to make sure it goes as well as it can… practice it? Sort of like practicing a speech or a presentation for school. You’d be more confident when you know what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it.”

“Huh… That’s actually pretty good advice, Kanan.”

“You think?” The suggestion was really just the first thing she’d thought of, but if Chika was happy with it, she’d take it. “Does that mean we can go back to studying now?”

“Wait, um…” Again, Chika bashfully poked her fingers together, apparently hesitant. “...Can you help me practice?”

“...Practice asking Riko out?”

Chika nodded.

“Can’t you ask someone else? I’m sure You would be happy to help.”

“Um… For some reason, You doesn’t seem to like when I gush about Riko and stuff. I think it makes her uncomfortable. I don’t think asking her would be a good idea-- but I guess I could ask Mari, maybe...”

“I-- I’ll help. But it’s going to be after we finish studying, okay?”

“You’re the best, Kanan!”

The two barely got anything done because Chika’s normally bad attention span seemed to be even further weakened by her mind being stuck on the whole Riko thing. Because of that, they ended the session earlier than intended. Kanan really hoped they could get this over with soon… not only so that Chika would stop worrying so much, but so that her grades didn’t suffer from an innocent crush.

“Okay, you be Riko.” The two sat outside the diving shop, Kanan drinking a grape soda and Chika a peach tea. Kanan still wasn’t sure about this whole “practice” thing, but she did want to at least try and help her friend.

“Alright, I’m Riko then. Hey Chika?”

“Hm?”

“Have you finished those lyrics I asked you to work on?”

That got Chika flustered. “N-- No, not like that, Kanan! Geez… You can be such a meanie sometimes.”

“I’ll take that as a no,” Kanan replied with a chuckle.

“A-Anyways, let’s start over. I’m gonna go first, okay?”

“Fire away.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

Kanan quietly cleared her throat.

“H-- Heeyyy, Riko…”

“Um…”

“I-- I felt put on the spot, okay!?”

At the outburst and at Chika’s silly pouting, Kanan laughed. “Just relax, will you? If you talk to her like that, she’s going to think something’s wrong.”

“I know, I know… Ahem. Okay, so-- Hey Riko, wanna go out!?”

“T-Talk about straightforward…”

“Ehh? Is that no good either?”

“Man…” Chika really didn’t know what she was doing, did she? Not that Kanan had been expecting her to. “I’m not sure… but I don’t know how receptive someone like Riko would be to suddenly being asked that…”

“Um… Then…” Chika thought. For about two seconds, then she had a brilliant idea… or so Kanan guessed from her expressions, anyways. “Show me!”

“How to ask her out?”

A nod. “Yeah! I’ll be Riko. Or I guess Mari?”

“R-- Riko is fine. Different people respond better to different approaches, anyways.” She doubted that Riko and Mari had many of the same interests in that regard. “As for what she would like… I sort of have an idea, maybe… Chika, do you mind standing up?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, sure.” With an inelegant scrape of her chair against the floor, she stood.

The next thing Chika knew, her back was against the wall of the shop, Kanan bracing an arm against said wall and leaning in… really closely.

Whoa. 

“Hey Riko, have you ever thought about the two of us being… a bit more than just friends?”

“...K-Kanan, I--”

The two heard a thud nearby, and so their heads automatically turned to the source of the noise…

Only for them to see Mari and Riko kissing rather intensely right by the shop.

Oh. Huh.

#love live sunshine #chikariko #kanamari #matsuura kanan #takami chika #sakurauchi riko #ohara mari #fanfiction #ranfic #fic where mari is problematic

[ethereousdelirious]

Fandom: Cri\tical Ro\le Cam\paign 2

Characters: C\aleb, M\olly (everyone else appears or is mentioned in passing)

Pairings: Wid\omauk

Tropes: F L U F F, college AU but D&D races are still a thing

Summary: uhh Cal\eb gets sick, M\olly takes care of him. Moll\y gets sick, Cale\b takes care of him. groundbreaking

Warnings/Notes: [Spoilers for episode 26. Description under cut]

UHHH yeah so this is gonna get rambly and it’s really not all that important, you can skip to the fic if you want:

SO my main problem with Widomauk is that Caleb and Molly honestly didn’t even really like each other until right up before Molly died and it so I don’t really find Widomauk believable. So I kinda wrote this as an interpretation of the “Molly gets res’d scenario without having to deal with figuring out where the M9 would be in canon if they ever got to a point where they could res Molly. I wanted to explore the only way I feel that Widomauk could be believable to me; that Caleb gets over is “woe is me I don’t deserve love or kindness complex” and Molly ditches his “swagger swagger I’m so much smarter and better than you all because I’m self-aware” attitude.

LMAO that makes it sound like I don’t like them buT I SWEAR I DO, just at the start of the campaign, NEITHER of them was in a good place to be in a relationship.

Okay that’s enough outta me

OH ONE MORE THING. Literally the only reason I made this a college AU is because there’s SO MUCH canon-compliant Caleb whump that I honestly couldn’t think of something original to write LMAAOO

okay i’m done now Caleb Widogast was no stranger to discomfort. He had endured pain and discomfort both physical and emotional many times over the course of his life and had gotten quite good at functioning through it.

So when a headache started to drum in his temples not 15 minutes before he was supposed to meet his friends at a party, he simply swallowed down some painkillers and headed out.

The house was close enough to Caleb's own accommodations that he could walk, so he did. Summer was only just coming to an end, but the air already got bitter cold at night. Caleb pulled his coat closer around himself and swept his hair back, cursing internally when he felt a drop of rain land on his face. Maybe he should have called an Uber.

The rain got heavier and Caleb walked faster in turn, until fat droplets were pattering on the sidewalk and he was red-faced and out of breath. He was close enough now that he could hear the music, pounding in time with the pain in his head.

Most of the parties Caleb had attended were small things, just a handful of people getting drunk in someone's living room. He had quietly been hoping tonight's party would be the same way, but of course he should have known better.

Molly had just returned from a semester abroad and was throwing himself a welcome back party, and he never did anything by halves.

Caleb reached the door. He dry-swallowed two more painkillers before entering.

He was immediately greeted by a chorus of cheers. "Caleb!

Molly was moving toward him, half-naked and wearing some sort of plastic tiara, and then Caleb's brain shorted out. Molly had him by the jaw, a hand on either cheek and was kissing him so hard they would have fallen over had Caleb not backed into the door.

Molly pulled away, smirking and bright-eyed. "Good to see you again!"

"He did that to Fjord too." Beau materialized by Caleb's shoulder and pulled him away. "And Jester."

"Why are you soaking wet?" Molly called after them.

"I, ah…" Caleb let Beau pull him into the crowded living room and stripped off his coat. "I walked here. It's raining." The music seemed to just keep getting louder and louder. Caleb felt drunk just from the sheer volume, although the heavy taste of rum on Molly's lips probably wasn't helping matters.

"What are you drinking?" Molly asked.

"Oh, um." The thought of drinking alcohol made Caleb's stomach turn. "Mocktail?"

For a moment, Molly cocked his head, obviously confused, but he brushed it off. "I'll have Jester whip you up something nice."

"Thank you."

"Get me something too," Beau hollered after him, her voice fading into the music

Molly flashed her a thumbs up behind his back. Caleb shook his head to clear it. It didn't help.

"You been pregaming?" Beau demanded.

"No."

"You're acting weird."

"Forgive me, I wasn't expecting a tongue down my throat the minute I walked in the door." Caleb ruined the sarcasm by laughing. "It's good to know he hasn't changed."

Beau snorted. "You should have seen Fjord's face when Molly finally let him go. I thought he was going to pass out."

Whatever Caleb was going to say died on his lips, overtaken by a fit of dry coughs. He smoothed his wet hair out of his and cleared his throat. Not liking the look Beau was giving him, he decided to change the subject. "Do all these people know Molly? I don't even recognize half of them."

"Hell if I know." Beau just shrugged. "Hey, drinks!"

They both sat up and watched Molly weave his way through the crowd, a plastic cup held in either hand.

"You could help!" he yelled to Beau. She just flipped him off and laughed

"I don't think you deserve this any more," Molly said when he finally reached them.

"Well." Beau cracked her knuckles. "You can either give it to me or I can take it from you."

"Oh, sure, threaten me." Molly laughed and handed Beau the cup.

"Thanks-- Hey, where's Jester, anyway?"

Molly shrugged. "She abandoned mocktail duty, apparently. Maybe she's putting condoms in people's pockets when they aren't looking."

"Ja, or making balloon animals."

"That seems more likely."

Beau stood up. "I'm gonna go look for her."

Molly sighed and threw himself down on the couch beside Caleb, the contents of the remaining cup sloshing dangerously. "You're sick of me already? I've only been back for a day. Very well, I grant you leave. Go find Jester."

"You're such a dick," Beau said, not bothering to hide her smile. She turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"For you." Molly held out the cup to Caleb. "It's a raspberry lime mojito. With no rum, obviously."

"Thank you." Caleb took a cautious sip. It did taste nice, but the acid stung his throat and made him cough. He turned his head to the side and buried his face in his sleeve until the burning itch finally subsided and he could breathe again.

"That bad, huh? I can make you something else." Molly took the cup back and tasted its contents, clearly confused by Caleb's reaction. His tail lashed figure eights down by their knees.

"Oh, no, it's not that." Caleb cleared his throat and sniffled. His headache had moved from his temples to his sinuses and a sudden realization hit him. "I think I'm coming down with something."

"Oh. Molly's face darkened. "Kinda wish I hadn't kissed you now." He looked down at the cup. "Hm."

"Sorry. I thought it was just a headache, but. Everything's getting worse."

Molly just shrugged. "It was kinda my own fault. So." He stood up and offered Caleb his hand. "Your place or mine?"

"What?"

"Well, I'd imagine you want to go lay down someplace that isn't blasting electropop at earth-shattering volumes."

"It's your party," Caleb protested. "It's fine, I can walk home again. Or call an Uber. I'll be fine."

Molly ignored this. He pulled out his phone and  began to type. "You haven't moved houses, have you?"

"No."

"Great." He typed a few more things, stared at the screen a moment, and nodded. "Okay, let's go."

"Go?" Caleb rubbed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to ease some of the pressure in his sinuses, but only managed to tease out a few sneezes.

"Gesundheit." Molly winked at him. "C'mon." He took one of Caleb's hands and hauled him off the couch.

"What are you doing?" Standing was unpleasant. Caleb hadn't realized how tired he was. Unsure of what else to do, he let Molly lead him toward the front door.

"I'm taking you home."

"Molly." Caleb stopped in the doorway. Molly pulled him forward a step and shut the door.

"Caleb." Molly had his arms wrapped around himself and Caleb registered with an uncomfortable jolt that Molly was shirtless. "I want to do this."

"You're shivering. I left my coat inside, let me just--"

"Come on." Molly took Caleb by the wrist. "The car's here. I'll have Fjord get your coat." He led Caleb down the steps.

The car's dimly-lit interior was heaven compared to the constant overstimulation of the party. Caleb let his head fall on Molly's shoulder while the tiefling made quiet conversation with the driver.

Caleb was half-asleep by the time the car pulled up to his apartment building. He let Molly thank the driver and slid out after him.

"Okay, I'm here safe and sound. You can go back now, really." He tapped the cheap plastic tiara Molly was wearing on top of his curls. "I'm sure everyone will be missing you."

"Aha." Molly tapped his nose. "They want me. You need me."

"Cute." Seeing that Molly wasn't going to give in, Caleb climbed the stairs to his door and unlocked it. His place was clean enough, if a little cluttered, so he didn't bother apologizing for the state of things.

"You know," Molly said, "when I pictured taking you to bed, it wasn't quite like this."

"Forgive me for the lack of energy." Caleb coughed shortly into his sleeve and let Molly push him onto the mattress.

"I pardon you." Molly knelt and started untying Caleb's shoelaces.

"Oh, Molly, there's no need; I can--"

"Hush." Molly slipped off one shoe, then the other.

"Thank you."

"You're most welcome. Now get cozy under the covers."

"With my socks on?"

"Well, yes, it's freezing in here."

"You can turn the heat on. And borrow one of my shirts."

Molly's tail swished in excitement. "I can?"

"Ja."

"Excellent." 

Caleb arranged himself under the covers and watched Molly go through his closet with unparalleled glee, occasionally making remarks about what colors Caleb should wear more often.

Finally, he pulled out a navy blue Henley and slipped it on, careful not to get his horns snagged on it. "I hope this isn't your favorite shirt, because I'm never going to give it back."

Caleb laughed despite himself. "It's too big on you."

"Then I'll roll the sleeves up," Molly said, doing so. "Now! That's me taken care of. How about you?"

"I'm already wearing a shirt."

"Very funny. Have you eaten?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well, good." Molly fiddled with the hem of Caleb's shirt, thinking. "How about I make you some tea?"

"Ah, sure." Caleb couldn't help but blush. It was still hard to get used to the idea of people doing nice things for him with no ulterior motive.

"Perfect. Don't move, I'll be right back." Molly left.

Caleb's head was filled with the image of Molly wearing his shirt. The blue should have looked odd, like bruising against Molly's pale lavender skin, but for some reason it didn't. The way it hung off Molly's frame should have looked ridiculous, but it didn't. It was cute.

Idly, Caleb ran a few fingers through his hair. This wasn't good. Maybe he should ask for the shirt back.

Then he sighed and shook his head. It wasn't the shirt. It was Molly.

He was different now that he was back, more mature. He still teased, of course, but he was even getting along with Beau.

"Fuck," Cale whispered. Maybe he had a fever and his brain was getting wires crossed. He pressed his palm to his forehead.

It was at that moment that Molly reentered the room holding a mug. "You okay?"

"Oh, um, ja." Caleb blushed furiously.

"You sure?" Molly set the mug down on Caleb's dresser and leaned in so he could press his lips to Caleb's forehead.

It was something he'd done a million times before, something Caleb should have been used to, but his blush only deepened.

"You feel warm." Molly pulled away and smoothed Caleb's hair back. "Poor thing. How's your throat?"

"Sore."

"Hopefully the tea helps." Molly stuck his hands in his pockets. There wasn't anywhere to sit down in Caleb's bedroom so he stayed standing.

Caleb watched the steam curl out of the mug and dissipate. "Molly, listen," he said, steeling himself for an immediate protest.

Molly only cocked his head. "What?"

"I really do think I'm going to be okay for the night. You should get back to the party. It's for you, after all."

To Caleb's utter surprise, Molly didn't push back with nearly as much force as he'd been expecting. "Are you sure? I don't just want to abandon you here."

"Come by tomorrow, then. I promise not to die before morning."

Molly smiled. "Alright. I'll be here at 6:00 sharp."

"Don't even think about it."

"I'll think about it a little bit." Molly adjusted one of his sleeves, which had started to slide down his forearm. "Text me?"

Caleb waved his cell phone. "I'll send you pictures of Frumpkin."

"You'd better." Molly started to leave but paused in the doorway. "Really, though. Do text me if you need anything."

"I will. Now get going, before everyone thinks you left the country again."

"Alright, alright."

Molly left.

Caleb sat, almost overwhelmed by the sudden loneliness. He sighed and buried his face in his hands. He was too exhausted to process emotions right now. He'd figure this out later.

--

Caleb woke up the next day feeling much, much worse. He silenced his alarm and coughed into the open air.

He wasn't getting out of bed today for anyone or anything. Certainly not for a Friday morning class. 

After a moment's thought, he decided to at least email the professor. His phone was just barely hanging to life at 12% battery and he had notifications for almost every social media app he was on. They must have missed him at the party.

"Frumpkin?" Caleb called. The cat came running in a few moments later. "Hi." Frumpkin sat down in the center of the room and stared.

It was no use trying to go back to bed now. Caleb decided to text Molly to tell him to come over.

Molly responded with a blurry Snapchat. Caleb squinted at it until his headache got so bad he was forced to put the phone down and close his eyes until the throbbing in his sinuses died down.

This was the worst.

With nothing else to do, he sat back and ran his hands through his hair, combing out the tangles that had accumulated in the night. When that was done, he rolled over and tried to get Frumpkin to jump up and cuddle.

After a moment of teasing, Frumpkin circled up on Caleb's chest.

Then the front door opened and he jumped down again to go investigate.

"If you're a serial killer, be warned, I have so many swords in here," Caleb called.

Molly laughed and poked his head in the doorway. "Damn, I was going to come in a murder you, but I'd hate to get stabbed."

Cakeb sniffled. "I'll give you a pass if you get it done swiftly." He sneezed and pain rang through his head. 

"Bless you." Molly crossed the room and placed several plastic bags on Caleb's lap. Then he turned around and held up his phone. "I promised everyone I'd take a selfie with you to prove you were still alive. Smile."

Caleb immediately pretended to be dead, letting his head loll and sticking his tongue out.

"Very funny. I'm sending that."

"Oh, can you do me a favor, please?"

"Anything for you, dearest." Molly's tail swished like it did when he thought he was being funny.

"Can you get my phone charger from the living room?" Caleb muffled a sneeze into his shirt collar. "Please?"

"Sure thing. There are tissues in one of those bags, by the way."

"Thanks." Caleb began to paw through the bags while he waited for Molly to come back.

"Oh by the way." Molly tossed Caleb the phone charger. "I don't think you'll be seeing any of the others today."

"Why's that?"

"Well, you know, Beau and Fjord got pretty fucked up last night, so Jester and Caduceus are probably going to be tied up looking after them. And you Nott went home, and I think Yasha is dead. She certainly wasn't moving when I left."

"Ja. Two hours is a hell of a commute."

"So!" Molly framed his face with his hands and smiled. "It's just going to be you and me. How ever shall we pass the time?" His coy smile faded when Caleb started to cough, an awful, barking noise that made Caleb feel like his chest was being shredded.

"You could kill me?" Caleb suggested.

"Hold on, I have some cough syrup in one of these bags."

"That will make me all hazy," Caleb warned.

"Then sleep. You probably need it."

"Fair enough." Caleb stretched. "Am I allowed to get up for breakfast, Dr Tealeaf?"

"I'll allow it." 

They walked into the kitchen together. Much like the rest of Caleb's apartment, it was small and shabby, with furniture that was mismatched but sturdy enough.

"Okay!" Molly set the bags on the table and started unpacking them. "From the pharmacy: cough syrup, tissues, cough drops, a thermometer, candy. From IHOP: pancakes, pancakes, and more pancakes."

"You're still wearing my shirt," Caleb noticed.

"I told you I'm not giving it back. I like it; it smells like you."

Caleb busied himself opening the boxes of pancakes, then turned away to fetch some plates.

"Hey, let me take your temperature before we start eating," Molly said.

"Sure." Caleb came back with the plates, satisfied that his blush had faded. He sat down and watched Molly fumble with the plastic thermometer covers. "Do you want some help?"

"I got it. Open wide."

Caleb opened his mouth and let Molly slide the thermometer under his tongue. He must have looked like a mess, still in his clothes from yesterday, not having showered or shaved.

Molly was also wearing yesterday's clothes (sans plastic crown) but hebat least seemed like he'd brushed his teeth and not passed out in bed mid-text message.

The thermometer beeped. Caleb looked at it. "101.3," he said, doing the conversion to Celsius in his head. "Hm."

"That's nothing. Have some cough syrup after breakfast. I'm sure you'll be better by Monday." Molly sat down and began to stack pancakes on a plate. "Speaking of, I can't believe you're missing class today. Since when do you do that?"

Caleb shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. Maybe he had also changed when Molly was gone. "I am sure the professor would not want me there like this." He gestured at himself.

"Well, I'm glad you decided not to go." Molly smiled at him over the table.

Caleb smiled back, warmth spilling into his chest. "So am I."

"Now finish eating so I can pour some DayQuil into you."

"That's not a great mental image."

Molly stuck out his tongue.

Caleb's appetite was always the first thing to go when he got sick. He managed a few more bites of food before yawning widely behind both hands and scrubbing at his face. "I think I'm ready to go back to bed."

Molly poured him out a dose of the bright orange sludge body calling itself 'medicine.' "Bottoms up."

Caleb swallowed it down and staggered back to bed.

--

As Molly had predicted, Caleb was well enough to attend classes on Monday. His fever was gone, though he was still a little tired.

He almost considered ditching his study group so he could go home and sleep, but he decided not to at the last minute. Bleary-eyed, he walked to the library and hiked up to the second floor.

"Hey, Caleb." Fjord nodded in greeting and pulled out a chair for him. "Glad to see you're not dead."

"Thank you." Caleb sat. "You as well. I heard you all had quite the Thursday night."

"I'm never drinking again," Beau declared.

Yasha shrugged. "I will probably drink again. But I had a very bad Friday morning."

"You guys should totally stick to milk," Jester said. "Me and Caduceus had fun and we didn't get hungover."

"Where is Caduceus, anyway?" Beau asked, looking around for him. "I know Nott said she was running late."

"He probably got caught up talking to one of his professors," Fjord said with a shrug. "You know he never checks his phone. What about Molly, anyone heard from him?"

They all looked at Yasha. She shook her head. "No, I saw him this morning, but that's it. I'll text him."

"Alright, let's give it 5 more minutes," Fjord said.

"Ugh." Beau flipped open one of her textbooks and slumped back in her seat. "Can't we just get it over with? I wanna go for a jog before it gets dark."

Caleb stood abruptly. "I think I'm going to go, actually. I'm still a bit tired."

Beau narrowed her eyes at him while the others said their goodbyes. Caleb didn't look at her.

He left the library slowly, bought a coffee, and started the trek across campus toward Molly and Yasha's apartment. Now that he thought about it, Molly hadn't been very responsive all day, only sending a few texts in the morning before going silent. Caleb had a sneaking suspicion where he might be.

Molly's door was locked. Caleb tried him by text and got no response, so he knocked. That also got no response, leaving him standing on the porch like an idiot while he tried to decide what to do.

He'd been so sure Molly would be here.

The door opened and Molly appeared. He yawned and steadied himself against the doorframe.

"Hey, Caleb."

"Did I get you sick?"

"If we want to get into it, I got me sick." Molly looked at Caleb with something like wistfulness. "Guess I should learn to keep my hands off you." He opened the door wide. "Do you want to come in?"

"Yes. Thank you." It wasn't the first time Caleb had been to Molly and Yasha's apartment, although it had been a while. It was mostly clean, save for the pile of blankets on the couch. Molly had evidently made himself a best.

"That's cute," Caleb said out loud, picturing a cozy purple tiefling nestled in blankets. 

"Hm?" Molly wrinkled his nose and sniffed.

"What?"

"Oh, um. Nice setup."

"Thanks." Molly burrowed under the blankets and scooted off to the side of the couch so Caleb could sit as well. He buried his face in the blankets and coughed miserably 

"I'm sorry," Caleb said when Molly resurfaced.

"It's really not your fault." Molly shifted under the blankets, twisting so he could rest his head on Caleb's lap. "Is this okay?"

"Ja." Caleb began to stroke Molly's curls. "Do you have everything you need? Medicine and all that?"

"Ja, ja." Molly smiled against Caleb's leg. "Yasha's good about keeping that stuff on hand. I don't like cough syrup though. Makes me all fuzzy."

"Do you have cough drops?"

"Yeah, but I forgot 'em in the bathroom. Didn't feel like getting up again."

"I can get them for you."

"Don't you move." Molly pressed one of his hands to Caleb's knee.

"Hey. Molly." Caleb shifted until he realized he might be disturbing the tiefling in his lap and made himself hold still. "You've changed."

"For the better, I hope?"

"I think so."

"You've changed too, y'know. I like it."

"I'm glad." Caleb traced the outside of Molly's ear, trying to think of how to word what he wanted to say. "Things were… Not the best between us when you left."

Molly laughed. "We were all assholes, you mean. Well. Jester wasn't." He coughed. "But the rest of us. I think we were just learning how not to be assholes to each other when I left."

"That's a fair point." Caleb sighed. "Molly. I don't want, ah. Well. To be blunt, I do not want to make things weird between us."

"But you realized you were madly in love with me when I was away and now you can't live without me, yes, I know. Jester and Nott have already confessed their feelings for me."

"Ah, well. Not quite that. Um, but, I do think what you said is true. About us being assholes. And I would like to spend some more time with you, just the two of us." Caleb sighed and hid his face behind his hands. "I am royally fucking this up. Molly, I want-- I think--"

"Hey, hey, you're not fucking anything up" Molly sniffled and swiped at his nose. "Let's start here, just like this. You petting me, and me sneezing all over your leg. I think it's very romantic."

Caleb laughed and ruffled Molly's curls. "Okay. Let's start here."

#ethereous writes