Tumgik
#it may just be me going crazy but the only one blatant lie he tells to porsche in this scene
seventh-fantasy · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
“I’m used to that by now. Ever since I could remember, the dirty work were for us to do. If there’s something wrong, they suspect us first.”
a lie and some truths.
166 notes · View notes
flyawaybird444 · 6 months
Text
✧˖°.Prompt List✧˖°.
Tumblr media
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
You may choose a number from this list when sending asks according to our weekly schedule! Enjoy!
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
Smut prompts:
1. "Don't make me take you home."
2. "'I’ve never wanted anyone to fuck me this badly."
3. "Don't give me that look."
4. "You're more than just a one night stand."
5. "Would you just shut up and kiss me already?"
6. "You want me to give you your book/phone/item back? Make me."
7. "Like what you see?"
8. "Try to stay quiet, understand?"
9. "We're in public, you know."
10. "I didn't know you were so sensitive."
11. "Dont be so rough. there cant be any marks."
12. "God you look so hot right now."
13. "Are you sure? Once we start, i might not be able to stop."
14. "No, i'm supposed to be making you feel good."
15. "Make me."
16. "Stop teasing me so much.."
17. "Take off your clothes."
18. "I'm waiting."
19. "First one to make a noise loses."
20. "Mine."
21. "We cant do that here!"
22. "Behave."
23. "What did you just say?
24. You want to have sex in the elevator? Challenge accepted!"
25. "Why did you wear underwear, when you know I'm going to tear it off anyway?"
26. "Isn't the thrill of getting caught half of the fun?"
27. "Since l've been good, it's time you let me have a taste of you."
28. "You want to put what, where?!"
29. "Show me how you play with yourself.”
30. "Using your teeth, is the only way I'm granting you access tonight."
31. "I missed you so much."
32. "I've been thinking about you all day."
33. "You're so perfect. And l'm so fucking lucky.
34. "Don't smile at me like that. You know it drives me crazy."
35. "I like it when you say my name like that."
36. "I heard shower sex is dangerous, but right now, l'm willing to take the risk."
37. "I really don't care. You still look hot and l'm trying not to kiss you senseless
38. "Shut up.
39. "You're so fucking hot when you're mad.
40. "We're not just friends and you fucking know it."
41. "C'mere, you can sit on my lap until i'm done working.
42. "What? Does that feel good?"
43. "I'm not jealous! its just...you're mine!"
44. "If we get caught i'm blaming you."
45. "We have the whole place to ourselves, we don’t even have to be quiet this time."
46. "Tell me again."
47. "You have no idea how much i want you."
48. "Say it."
49. "If you don't like my teasing, then why are you moaning?"
50. "Wow, i didn't realize you were that...flexible."
51. "I'm gonna fuck you so hard that you forget you ever even met that asshole.
52. "I think thats the first time i've heard you moan...it was like a fucking melody."
53. "I really want to kiss you right now."
"Then do it."
54. "You're not taking me to bed. ever."
"Who said it had to be on the bed?"
55. "She may seem like lollipops and rainbows but i bet behind closed doors she's latex and whips."
56. "Ah, he's playing hard-to-get. thats cute."
♚ ♔ ♚ ♔ ♚ ♔ ♚ ♔ ♚ ♔ ♚ ♔ ♚ ♔ ♚ ♔ ♚ ♔ ♚
Angst prompts:
1. "You can't tell that I am in love with you because you were too busy loving someone else to notice me."
2. "I'm sorry, but l'm done waiting."
3. "They warned me about you, I should have listened."
4. "All I want is for you to look at me the way you look at them."
5. "It was a blatant lie when you said that you love me, but I don't care."
6. "Have you ever loved me? You know what, don't say anything, we all know the answer."
7. "It's time to stop lying to ourselves."
8. "Loving you was a torture and I enjoyed it all too much."
9. "If only you could give me half the love you have for yourself."
10. "Can I convince you to stay?"
11. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm over you."
12. "You were no good for me and I was too naive to see that."
13. "You did a wonderful job convincing people that you love me, I almost fell for it.
14. "I've finally come to accept the fact that you will never think l'm good enough for you."
15. "I don't owe you an explanation.
16. "We have to be quiet."
17. "You're trembling."
18. "I want an answer, goddammit!"
19. "It was you the whole time!
20. "Tell me again."
21. "This is why we can't have nice things."
22. "I'm not going anywhere."
23. "You don't see me."
24. "I can't keep kissing strangers and pretending that they're you."
25. "You could have died."
26. "Prove it.
27. "I might never get another chance to say this."
28. "Do you regret it?"
29. "Tell me I'm wrong."
30. "Lie to me then."
31. "You've thought about this, haven't you?"
32. "We need to talk about what happened last night."
33. "I never stood a chance, did I?"
34. "I feel like I can't breathe."
35. "I'm only here to establish an alibi."
36. "Are you drunk?"
37. "I still remember the way you taste."
38. "How much of that did you hear?"
39. "What happens if I do this?"
40. "Why are you whispering?"
41. "You make me want things I can't have.
42. "Were you ever going to tell me?"
43. "I'm done trying to help you!"
44. "Sorry doesn't fix everything."
45. "You didn't call. You didn't text. Nothing."
46. "It isn't up for debate."
47. "I don't know what's wrong, okay? I'm just really tired."
50. "I'm fine. Stop asking."
51. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong, and don't try lying to me."
52. "I hope someday you get a taste of your own medicine."
53. "Pack your shit and go. Get the fuck out of my sight!"
54. "Is this how little you think of me?"
55. "I can't do this anymore.. not with you."
56. "You said you'd always be there for me... so how did this happened? Why weren't you there?"
57. "Did it ever occur to you that you're hurting me too?"
58. "I don't need help! I just want the pain to stop
2 notes · View notes
anakinskywalkerog · 9 months
Note
omg no way tumblr never bothered to tell me you replied. plus why is nothing showing up in my following feed??? a bone to pick for next time ig
ahaha i missed this too you're so good with advice! ❤ and thank you hehe i have been informed the new pfp it a character calld lust from an anime called fullmetal alchemist, but i just like the aesthetic
it really is and thank youuuuu! im sure it will! *sends ✨good luck✨*
hmm i dont wanna obsess over han at all, because first of all, ELI! that would be unfair. and han is sort of crazy, anyways. i am listening to i can see you from speak now tv but i shouldnt because it reminds me of han. it also reminds me of anakin. very anakincore track. i cant help it though, i can see you is so good, although it gives more of a reputation vibe than speak now tbh. still love it anyways and thank mother taylor for it. are you enjoying speak now tv? what's your favourite track? i think im enjoying mine, mean and back to december, but everything is ofc v nice! wish we had a mine pop mix tv and some more beat to enchanted, but its perfect as it is!
yess "there will be plenty more guys 😂 trust me." that's exactly what i thought, too! like, he's here now, but someday there's going to be someone else EXACTLY like that. although it might not be so bad if i did make a decision influenced by him because he and i have a similar objective - physics/engineering degree at oxford/cambridge so its a win-win no matter which way i go ig. plus we're academic rivals. competition is the norm for us. but about intrigue with han...
"oh? whos your friend? (i asked han to pose for one of my snaps hehe) is this friend good-looking?"
... dude? like, WHAT? that sounds like pretty blatant flirting to me.
but lets not forget that once we were in the corridor and bro leaned in super close (keep in mind this was months ago and this was in the middle of like 15 other people anyways) and i leaned away out of reflex 😂 i think he looked at me later with a very patronizingly disappointed
Tumblr media
kinda expression. i think that was a test, and i failed miserably but thats fine 💀
eli really is we even have loads of similar interests!
yw and sameee! it is hehe she even send me memes and is a pedro pascal stan (as she should. pedro pascal is an icon. love him) ! very happy with that
oh no, is everything okay? can i do anything to help? if it helps, my life is only peaceful because i am in isolation from all friends, hehe i need time to regenerate. i am an ambivert at heart. my extrovert meter needs to recharge lmaooo
also, a part of me wonders if cranberry is mad at me? basically, he aksed me to write a steamy story abt him and han (thyre best friends) and didnt want his gf to find out incase she thought he was weird (bro she already does. shes ur gf. she knows what weird she signed up for smh)
anyways i made a small oopsie. i asked some people to critique it for me, and one of those poeple may have been the girl from my diary, whos friends with cranberry's gf, and who previously told machete i liked him when i wanted it to be a scret and explicitly told her so, and the one who i knew cannot be trusted with secrets because she will tell someone and lie about it 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️
anyways cranberry was annoyed (and understandably so.) he said his gf was mad at him (impossible - if she was, shed be mad at ME first cos thats how women are. better than revenge is living proof. but she isnt! ) and i get it, but then people stop being mad, right? i mean, ive been really mad at him too, for a variety of reasons. i forgave him though and he didnt even apologize like i did! but he seemed normal at prom perhaps a bit icy? a guy friend told me im overthinkinngit and while he may have been annoyed it doesnt mean hd stop being friends with me or anything, and that he definitely wouldnt stay mad because its not a big deal.
but i texted him cranberry with a pretty obvious joke and he didnt even find it funny??? like thats HIS sort of joke??? how does he ot find that funny??? my friend says he must be mad then, but says theres the chance he just didnt find it funny?
like, i get it, but i want to make amends! and i wont even see cranberry in person so i can never tell. but if he was mad, he wouldve blocked me, or left me on delivered, or just opened. but he even sees my stories n stuff!
plus his friends would be mad if something happened. like guys are super gangy like that. but his friends are not mad at all, like han and this other guy are totally normal and no one sad that. even when han brought it up the day after the whole thing, he didnt imply it was serious and just dropped it after joking around abt it.
my friend did say if i was friends with cranberrys friends, it doesnt mean they have to be mad, but what if cranberry and his gf broke up over something as stupid as a joke???? and it was my fault??? i would feel awful and i cant even tell or say sorry.
nor can i ask han over text cos then hed tell cranberry and itd be weird. and i cant ask eli cos i dont want to set a bad rep.
he texted about it and i delved into a tiny argument he said its fine but "just think more next time". i think he and han both know i didnt mean for this to happen and that it was a genuine accident, but people gte hurt over things even if they know it wasnt meant to hurt them. shoulve said no is proof of this.
but they did send me a video of them reading the story together [cranberry and his friends, it was han who filmed (i did ask them to film their reaction)] and cranberry was cracking up as he read it! if he was mad he wouldve abandoned it. but they sill seemed to love it. surely if cranberry was mad at me, then that wouldnt have happened?
jesus christ, thats LONG. i apologize for troubling you, i didnt think itd get this long! its just been on my mind :( ironically it happened yesterday just after i was so happy. ugh. boys are awful
yes haha thank youuu :) if you're okay with my constant somewhat accidental drama dumps, i definitely will :D
love you and stay safe x
hi sythe so sorry it took me so long to respond to this!
I hope all is well with Eli. but GIRL have I been listening to “I Can See You” sooooo much it’s literally the delulu girl anthem! I love it. having a little crush on Han just adds some spice!! there’s nothing wrong with a little seasoning to an otherwise boring existence 😂
I am okay 🩵 just really been struggling with my OCD lately. I hope it gets better soon.
no fuckinf WAY cranberry asked you to write a steamy story!!? girl that is NOT platonic. what are these men doing out here 😂😂😂😂 but I agree, very unlikely that he is mad at you
I love the drama dumps, I wish we could vent together for real because I have been ALL over the place with my drama lately 😅 but it’s fine, it adds the comedy. i’m watching my own life like a work of absurdism. I would absolutely recommend that strategy.
2 notes · View notes
kmhnsecretexchange · 1 year
Text
All-Knowing and All-Agony
Title: All-Knowing and All-Agony
Author: @collegiate-trash (@ThatRandomFan)
For: isdisorigionale (Twitter)
Pairings/Characters: Komahina 
Rating/Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Prompt: dnd au– either they’re playing Dnd, or they’re dnd characters with a bit of self-awareness (to separate it from just a normal fantasy). they have to find Ms. Monomi’s lost hope fragments!!! to save the world!!
Author’s notes: If it feels like a fever dream, then it probably is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Life in Jabberwock is as peaceful as it can be. Blue skies, blue water, blue blood spewing out of the monster’s severed neck—
“Komaeda, do something!" 
Ah, yes.  Nothing can be much better than this!
…Except maybe not getting shoved around by his partner. It will certainly make the entire thing much better.
"What was that for? You know I bruise easily, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda Nagito huffs as he turns away from the dying monster before them. “You could have just called me.”
He can tell he hit a nerve when he spots red slowly taking over his companion’s face. So cute! 
“I did call you multiple times, you asshole!” Hinata Hajime rages, pointing at the slowly disappearing carcass of their most recent hunt. “You could have helped deal with that, but you’re all the way here looking pretty!”
“Aww, you think I’m pretty?” The prince bats his eyelashes, prompting rage to take over the protagonist as he stomps back to deal with the mess they made.
He has only known the winter prince for a few weeks, but he is more than ready to throw him back into the castle he picked him up in. Honestly. His company isn’t bad half the time, but sometimes… Hinata can’t help but sigh as memories visit him while he collects their loot.
Meeting Komaeda had been a happenstance, as most of his adventures are. He heard people talking about the gates of Winterfell opening up for its decennial ball. It piqued his curiosity, sure, but more so because of the possible networking he could do while having fun. How is he supposed to know that attending means solving a curse surrounding the entire castle and saving the prince trapped inside of it all? 
He doesn’t even know what prompted him to go through all of those trials just to save Komaeda too. Sure, it feels bad to know that someone is already doomed to die, but—
“What are you doing?”
“Gah…!”
 All he hears is laughter as Hinata tries his best to calm his heart after the scare. It’s beating fast due to shock— not because Komaeda looks good from this angle. The sun makes his hair glow like a halo, but that impish smile on his face ruins the immersion of seeing an angel. “S-stop doing that! God, you’ll be the death of me.”
He knows he made a mistake the moment the prince steps closer to him, leaning down to prove just how much better he is than Hinata. “Oh, really? Why is your face all red then?”
 "Fuck off,“ he grunts, pushing himself up while pushing a few monokuma coins into his royal princely chest. "Next time, you’re on damage dealer duties.”
Komaeda simply hums as he counts his reward. “Are you sure that’s wise? You know I’m just a fragile little waif who can barely lift a weapon.” He even finishes his statement with a convincing frown. Too bad Hinata is busy holding back his laughter at that blatant lie.
The prince may look like a porcelain doll, but he certainly isn’t one. Hinata underestimated him once, and that nearly cost him his life. He won’t be doing that again anytime soon. No, thank you. What Komaeda lacks in raw strength, he makes up for with his tremendous mana and crazy analytical skills. It doesn’t help that their fight happened within Winterfell Castle—the prince’s cage for nearly half of his life. He has home-field advantage, and he really used it to his own benefit. Truly, if he wasn’t fighting for his life then, he would have been swooning at the sheer power oozing from him.
Which is ironic given how childish Komaeda looks now with that pout on his face.
“Right. Whatever you say, Your Highness,” Hinata snorts as he ruffles Komaeda’s fluffy white hair, much to his chagrin.
Still, perhaps it is a testament to their bond that the prince no longer shies away from his touch. He used to be so touch-averse when they started traveling together, until Hinata nearly fell down a ravine. Needless to say, the experience brought them closer together. Komaeda said it made them even after that Winter Ball fiasco, but Hinata can tell that something changed in the prince the moment he pulled him into his arms and out of harm’s way.
 If he ends up staring as the prince puts his hair back to its prior disorganized mess, well. No one is watching them right now. Hinata can remain purposely oblivious to how domestic that little gesture was. And while Komaeda is busy with that, he takes out their quest list to cross out the recently deceased monster’s name. “This guardian makes us what? Three fragments out of five?”
“Out of six,” the prince cheerily pipes up once he is satisfied with how he looks. “Three more, and we should be able to summon Monomi for your wish!”
 Hinata nods. Personally, he didn’t really think the legend of Monomi was real until Komaeda told him about it. It was so dumb, but the prince has a silver tongue. Hinata won’t be surprised if he tells him the most ludicrous lie in existence, and he will still believe him. Maybe that’s the reason he is off adventuring the world right now, chasing after a mythical beast that can fulfill your heart’s desire.
Ugh, it’s so cheesy, but fuck it. Komaeda looked so enthralled while telling him about the legend. How was he supposed to say no to that face? To be blunt, the only reason he hasn’t walked away now and left the prince to chase off his fantasy of meeting Monomi is Komaeda’s starry gaze. It looms over him, luring him in every single time he tries to turn away. How could he say no to that?
“Careful now. Don’t hurt yourself by thinking too much,” a teasing voice says against his ear. It completely breaks him out of his thoughts and earns the culprit a crude gesture as he stomps off ahead. “Ahaha, Hinata-kun is always so fun to tease…”
Komaeda watches him go with a fond smile. The situation may be different now, but Hajime remains as he is, doesn’t he? The thought comes unbidden and slowly sours his mood. It’s funny how quickly things turn bittersweet at a moment’s notice. Then again, he supposes it is up to him to remember where Hinata cannot.
He just hopes it won’t take too long now.
As fun as it is to roam around this made-up world as adventurers, he would really like to go back and be with his husband now. Well, that is not entirely true. He would have enjoyed exploring this world if the circumstances had been different. He doubts Hajime would approve of it, given how workaholic he became after the simulation, but…
  “Nagito-san please hurry! Hajime is…!”
  Life in Jabberwock is as peaceful as it can be. Blue skies, blue water, blue paint that he drops as soon as he hears that call—
Running has never been something he has enjoyed. In fact, he hates it with his entire being, just like every other form of physical exercise. Hajime tried to instill in him why it was a good idea for him to run, but he was just not having it. Honestly. He really regrets that decision now. Maybe if he listened to him, he wouldn’t be panting this much. Maybe if he listened then, he would be faster. And if he had been faster, then maybe things would have been different.
Except it never was. 
No matter how many times he runs the events through his mind…
“H-Hajime is in stable condition,”
“B-but, it’s unclear w-when or, or, if, Hajime will wake up." 
 "The s-scans show little, little to no activity in the brain, I’m s-sorry, Nagito-san!”
…the ending remains the same as it was when it first occurred. 
   Life in Jabberwock is as peaceful as it can be. Except it’s not anymore. The blue skies are gone, and the blue waters are tainted. The only thing left of him now are the blue tears he sheds beside his sleeping husband. Mikan may have found the cause of his comatose state, but what good will that do when he remains asleep like this. 
Days turn to weeks, and weeks turn to months. All Nagito can do is wait for a miracle to occur. 
And if that miracle comes in the form of an endless dream… 
The prince laughs as Hinata huffs at his late arrival. “Ah, sorry… Were you waiting long?" 
"Does it really matter to you if I was?” The protagonist kicks a pebble as he answers before turning away. “Knowing you, you’ll just take your time even more to spite me." 
"Such low opinions of me, Hinata-kun… I couldn’t possibly spite you,” he scoffs, placing a hand on his chest as if promising solemnly. Too bad his companion isn’t having it with how he snorts at his display. Komaeda expects him to ditch him again, like earlier. Imagine his surprise when Hinata takes his hand and drags him along. 
Really, he looks so dashing with the sun shining on him. If he can keep this image alive for a while longer, can he bring it back home? Nagito isn’t so sure about that, but listening to him berate him like this…
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m only doing this because you’ll just end up in a daze again if I leave. Then, who fucking knows when we’ll get to the next guardian!"  
…Maybe it isn’t so bad to enjoy what precious moments they have left before the inevitable end. 
— 
  "What other choice do we have? It’s either this or lose him forever, Nagito-san…”
Life in Jabberwock is as peaceful as it can be. Blue skies, blue water, blue code blinding him as they seal him away—
Things were never supposed to be like this. Hajime’s little adventure game was only supposed to be used for leisure and relaxation. It was never meant to be used as another cartridge for the Neo World Program. He made it with love and with the hope that it would keep everyone together. How were they all to know that it would be used to bring him back the way he did with them? 
“Remember, Nagito-san..”
“Six fragments… for six memories…” he mumbles like a matra. His memory may be fickle, but he swears to remember this until he dies. “Six fragments… for six memories…" 
It was nothing more than a theory, but it was the best they had. When every avenue had already been explored to no avail, they had no choice but to cling to the small glimpse of hope in this risky venture. He has to get Hajime back. 
And if that means being transported to a game his husband created out of love…
"Upload successful!" 
"We just have to wait now, right?”
“Don’t lower your guards. We have to monitor them for the entire duration of the procedure.”
“Aye, aye captain! Ibuki is all set to stand guard 24/7!”
“They will be fine, r-right? …W-we checked everything but, um…”
“Nagito-san, Hajime-san… please come back soon…!”
…would it really be so bad? 
4 notes · View notes
laurore-stormwitch · 3 years
Text
BEWARE THERE ARE ROW SPOILERS IN THIS FAN FICTION
So, I did something. Rule of Wolves left me in tears. But I felt we were missing an epilogue, and that’s my take. We can see a little of Nikolai courting Zoya, his proposal and the wedding. I poured all my love into this, all of how much these characters mean to me. I hope it can bring comfort and a smile to all of you who love them as much. I don’t say it much, but this is one of the things I loved most writing, and I hope you’re gonna enjoy it. I send a big hug to whoever has taken this grishaverse wild ride  word count: 4953 you are my endless summer - ao3 
“Is this strictly necessary?”
Zoya asked, faking more annoyance than she felt. She wondered what kind of crazy idea had come to Nikolai’s mind this time, as she stumbled through the woods with a strip of cloth tied on her eyes. Nikolai was guiding her, holding her hand and her elbow to steady her through the fallen branches on the ground. He didn’t answer, but she could swear she could hear the smug smirk on his face.
“I already know where you’re taking me. You’ve kept me away from the garden for two months, I kind of figured out what you were doing.”
“How cunning you are. That’s why I love you.”
She nudged him on what she hoped was his stomach, eliciting a laugh from his side.
“Humour me Zoya, please. What kind of a surprise would it be if I let you see?”
“The kind where you don’t end up being a pile of smoking dust.”
Nikolai laughed again, a crystal-clear sound that made her heart twitch. The threat was not that far from the truth. Nikolai had been entertaining himself way too much with this idiotic courting thing he had decided to pursue. She thought back on when she believed she could have a quiet romance with him. A quiet romance with a man who has a double identity as a privateer and wears a ridiculous teal frock coat. Great thinking, Zoya.
The first hint of how much not quiet Nikolai was going to be had been the absurd deal of public flirting he engaged in, knowing damn well how Zoya was used to propriety. And bitter and ruthless words, at the very best. Not even under torture she would admit how endearing it had been instead; better to keep scolding him. However, as usual, Nikolai saw right through her pretence, caught the gleam of amusement and desire in her eyes. That had only made him become more daring and blatant. Nothing could compare for him to the satisfaction of leaving Zoya speechless. Zoya had tried to match his bold attitude, but she had to admit she was not half as good as him. To this day, he was still rubbing in her face the time where she had almost caused a diplomatic incident due to the shock of his shamelessness. He had just got back from a trip to Ketterdam, right after the coronation. They were waiting at the palace’s gates to meet with the Shu delegation, coming to pay their respect to the recently crowned queen. Nikolai had chosen the moment where their newly acquired allies were emerging from the carriages to lean into her ear to whisper, ignoring the fact that they were surrounded by soldiers and dignitaries, and not just Genya and Alina like last time; Nikolai loved an audience as much as he loved himself.
“I see you’ve resorted back to your kefta”, he had muttered in a casual tone.
Zoya had cut him a quick glare, saying something she would regret later. “Did you like the coronation dress better?”
“Oh no, not at all. If I remember correctly, I suggested you get out of that.” The Shu delegation was getting closer. Nikolai had lowered his voice even more, starting to smile at them. “I stand to my suggestion. There are several outfits I like better on you than a dress. Namely, your kefta, which I'm happy you got back.” She had kept her eyes trained in front of her, ignoring him. “Or the rough spun clothes you use when we are on the Volkvolny.” He had plucked a non-existent dust from his sleeve, keeping the nonchalant attitude of someone who was speaking about the weather. “Your nightdress, the one that looks like a starry night and has a shockingly small amount of fabric.” He had waved a hand in Ehri’s direction, who by that time had been a couple of steps too close to them for Nikolai to keep talking. But the man did have a tendency to risk his life. “But you with nothing on would definitely be in first place.”
Zoya had widened her eyes and a violent rush of blood had tinged her cheeks, while Nikolai had sprinted on to welcome her guests and she stood there like an idiot, trying to catch back her composure. After that, she had quickly understood just how much Nikolai appreciated a challenge. And when he understood just how much Zoya hated to cause a scene, that had been the end for her. At least it seemed like they were alone right now. Better to be safe than sorry, although.
“Nikolai, please at least tell me you’re not about to stage another of your embarrassing public fit.” She asked him now, half pleading and half threatening, as they made their way through the woods.
Nikolai chuckled. “Not this time. And do not lie to me, I know you’ve enjoyed my scenes.”
“I have not.”
“Not even a smidge?”
“You should thank the Saints you’re still breathing after all the stunts you pulled.”
“The Saints and your infinite love for me, I suppose.”
“My love may be infinite, but I assure you my patience is not.”
Zoya tried to keep the smile from her voice, failing miserably. Nikolai had a way to overwhelm her with a now familiar lightness and serenity. Their bickering, his hand in hers, his scent in the air. It all felt like home. So much so that she had found herself subtly pressing on him to get married, eager to have him forever with her. It was a feeling of certainty she wasn’t willing to let go of. It was a treasure she wanted to protect. And she didn’t really care about grand gestures, about big declarations. As far as she was concerned, she could find a ring on her nightstand and they could be married in secret. Nikolai knew that, always seemed to know exactly what kind of attention she needed. He left her his little wire boats everywhere to be found, he concocted small and useless inventions just for the sake of amusing her. He placed hidden notes and drawings in her drawers or under her pillows. He courted her in a way she had never been courted before, dedicating his clever mind to making her feel loved and safe - a task in which he was succeeding brilliantly. 
But the privateer in him came out every now and then. Apart from the flirting, which she could admit she had been enjoying, he had picked up the unnerving habit of pretending to be about to propose to her in the middle of all sorts of gatherings. The first time he had sank down on one knee had been during one of their evenings with the rest of their friends. Everyone had drawn a sharp breath, falling silent and still. But the idiot had simply picked up one of her earrings that had fallen on the floor, winking at her while she narrowed her eyes at him from the upside down. Then he got bolder and bolder. The next time, he had clanked his glass at the end of a state dinner, saying he had a declaration to make for his queen. Zoya had glared at him from her seat, shifting uncomfortably, praying to all the Saints for him to shut up. But the worst had been during the ball they threw last week in honour of some Saint or occurrence she could not even remember. They were dancing, spinning around the ballroom. Nikolai was indeed a very gifted dancer, so she usually let him guide her. It was a strange feeling, the safety of being carried by his arms.
“Your hand is nowhere near the level of propriety, Nikolai”, she had whispered with a playful look, noting the fire on her skin as he had brushed her lower back.
He had smirked. “Let them envy me. I’m dancing with the most gorgeous woman in the room.”
“The one that’s going to step on your foot if you don’t behave yourself.”
Nikolai had nudged her closer, skimming his lips on her jaw. “Want to give them something else to watch?” And then, without preamble, he had kneeled in front of her, right in the middle of the ballroom, holding one of her hands in his. The music had stopped, the room had been filled with ecstatic murmurs. Zoya had caught Genya giggling on the other side of the room, but she could only hear her heart thrumming in her chest.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
One beat had passed. Two beats, and that delicious grin of his had erupted on Nikolai’s face. He had cleared his throat and turned to the people assembled around them.
“Pardon me for the interruption, but I believe it’s time for the Queen to give her speech!” He had joyfully declared, getting back up on his feet. She had looped her arm on his, seething under her breath.
“I am going to smite you where you stand.”
From that moment on, every time he had tried to garner the attention in public endeavours, she had been terrified to see him cause another scene. Deep down, Zoya knew he was not going to ask her like this. He was way too much of a romantic soul to do this. Sure enough though, he was immensely enjoying himself. She supposed she could let him have his fun. As long as she was his, and he was hers, she didn’t really care how many times he would embarrass her. There was nothing on earth that could compare to the feeling of seeing him beaming with happiness. Not even the dragon, in all his lifetimes, had known a warmth like this. Zoya loved him enough to let him have his way at times.
The creak of the garden door distracted her from her thoughts. Finally, Nikolai stopped. She heard him move behind her and place his hands on her hips, while his lips brushed on the skin of her neck. 
“You can look now.”
He murmured against her skin. Was she imagining the slight tremble of emotion in his voice? He sounded thrilled, nervous. Slowly, she pulled the cloth from her eyes, caught back by the light that was flooding the place. Whatever she had thought she was going to see, it was nothing compared to what Nikolai had built. The breath was knocked out of her lungs, the beating of her heart racing up like it was about to take flight. It was her garden, but it was so much more. The structure Nikolai had designed was an engineering marvel of glass and wrought iron, twisting toward the sky, looking like the dome of a chapel. A perfect combination of his brilliance and a most expert Fabrikator’s craft. The whole building was transparent; Zoya could see the sky beyond, the clouds, the ray of sun warming up the place and shattering through the glass in a rainbow of colours. The flowers hadn’t been touched; new pots had been placed, new space to fill. The thorn wood still ran on the sides, around the bricks and the lanterns. But the wall had been painted with every sort of wonder; there was a dragon roaring through the sky, a ship that looked like the Volkvolny sealing a storm-swept sea, with a two-star flag added to Sturmhond’s one. A fox emerged from the bushes on the wall nearer to the door. The Grisha colours and symbols were all over the place, a flash of blue, red, and purple blossoms; waves, fire and lightnings ran throughout the murals. 
“Alina painted them.” 
Explained Nikolai, whispering softly when he noticed she was looking at the walls. Zoya took two steps in front of her, tilting her head up. There weren’t words she possessed right enough for this moment, none of the languages she knew was fit to describe this. The wrought iron was shaped like quince and gusts of wind that towered over the place in a million branches, spreading on the lines of the glass dome.
“Every panel of glass can be opened in the summer. They’re closed now, so that the heat stays in and the flowers can blossom in every season.”
Nikolai’s voice was still soft, still stumbling a little, like he was holding his breath to wait for her reaction. He had poured all of himself into this extraordinary building. This is what love does. If only Lilyiana could see her now. If she could see what she had found. Let love pour through, my little girl. Let your golden hero carry you home. You are safe. Zoya was shaking. Breathing was hard. She turned to him, feeling a suspicious prickle behind her eyes. Nikolai had once again got down on his knee amidst her wildflowers; she caught the sparkle of a jewel in his hand. Zoya smiled, too stricken with emotions to concentrate on anything that wasn't him.
“I hope it’s the last time you kneel to me.” Zoya tried to muster some wit, but her voice came out croaked, her throat sore. Nikolai was undoing her.
“Do shut up, Your Highness. I believe it’s my turn to speak.” The too-clever fox smirked, a clear and expectant look in his gleaming hazel eyes. “I had a speech - honestly it’s hard to remember it right now.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve been wanting you for so long, and I’ve been believing for so long that there wasn’t a future for us, that it seemed impossible to have this.”
He opened his mouth again, clearly about to correct himself, but Zoya was quicker. “Improbable”, she added, unable to restrain herself. Another smirk curled his lips.
“Improbable”, he conceded, immensely satisfied that she had picked up on his favourite line. “I know I’ve kept you waiting. I would have asked the first time you kissed me. I would have asked that night in the cargo hold. But I said something else that night, something I wanted to live up to.”
Zoya watched him carefully, trying to see through him, to wrap her head around what was happening. She felt like her heart was about to burst in her chest.
“There were things I wanted to do before asking you. I wanted to gift you something ill-suited for war, something precious. That’s why I built this.” He gestured to the structure around them. “Because your garden need not be just a monument to grief anymore, but one to life. To the way you make everything around you blossom.” Nikolai paused, his gaze intense and fierce on her. “And then there were other things I told you I would have done for you, once I could.”
“You wanted to give me a crown.” Zoya said, with surprise in her voice. She had started to figure out where he was going with this, had started to grasp his words from the memory of that night, carved inside her. 
“That was the first thing. I believe it worked splendidly. What else did I tell you?”
“You wanted to show me the world from the prow of your ship.” 
She brought her fingers to her lips, as if she could not believe her own realization. Her voice was trembling too, now. She remembered. She remembered when Nikolai had insisted they took a couple of days at sea, during their mission in Os Kervo. Zoya knew Nikolai wanted to travel with her, but they simply had not had the time to do it properly. Zoya had promised him they would, someday, when peace was secured. Nikolai had pressed her on that trip to sail on the Volkvolny, even for a little while. She had not questioned him, thought he was only being nonsensical as usual and had obliged him. He had told her something, on the railing of the ship, as the sun was setting in front of them. That’s why I like the sea, he had said to her, because when you look out at the horizon, you see everything beyond. Look, Zoya. You can see the whole world from here. It’s all ours for the taking. She had laughed, tilting her head to the sun. You gave me Ravka, Nikolai. It’s enough for me. She had been wrong. Nikolai had not just given her Ravka. Here, in the silence of her garden, she knew he was giving her so much more. 
“And then there was one last thing.” Nikolai encouraged her. Zoya drew a sharp breath, catching the ring in his hand into focus. 
“You wanted to give me a sapphire, the size of an acorn.”
Nikolai took her hand and placed the ring in it. The band was made of white gold, in the shape of a dragon curled around itself. Between its tail and its head, it held a glowing sapphire, the colour of a midnight sky. She peered at him under her lashes, too overwhelmed to say anything. His hands were shivering.
“I know it’s not the size of an acorn. We are still slightly broke, and, well - I thought you would have liked it better like this. It’s more elegant, it suits you more.”
Silence enveloped them. Zoya felt his warm uneven breathing on her skin, his nervousness, the sheer truth and love behind his actions taking her like a tide, filling the well inside her that had once protected her grief and caged her heart.
“I wanted you to understand that I’ll always be true to my promises. I don’t know when I started loving you, but I know I’m lost now. I searched for you for a lifetime. I still want you all the time. I want to lay beside you every night, wake up with you in my arms every morning. I want to build the future with you, I want to watch you scowl at people and be the brave and ruthless leader you are.” Nikolai inhaled a deep breath, trying to steady his voice. “You've been my general. You are my friend, the woman I love. I would have chosen you before, I would now and I always will. Would you do me the honour of being my wife?”
Zoya didn’t try to hold back the tears. It didn’t matter. It didn’t because she had never felt safer in her life than she was feeling now, held in the dome that protected her garden, in the hands of the man that had always protected her. What he was telling her now, it had an echo to so many other things he had told her in the past, scattered throughout the moments they had shared. It told the story of how they took care of each other for so long, of their longing, of their strength. How they had found each other at last. She gently kneeled in front of him, folding her hand over the one that was holding the ring. All around them, the flowers had sprouted, their scent clouding them. She placed the other hand on his cheek, locking their eyes together. It took all her might to find her voice within the emotions swimming in her chest. Zoya had never been sentimental like him. She had never tried to be, maybe she could never be. Yet, she wanted him to know now; to know even a fraction of how much her love for him ran deep in her veins.  
“You made me believe that impossible really is just a word.” She tried, wavering, gaining more confidence with each word she brought out. “You made me believe again, Nikolai. You are the hero of every story I have ever heard. And yes, I’ll marry you.”
He opened in an astonishing expression of relief, leaning in her touch. Nikolai slipped the ring on her finger, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
“Turns out you can be romantic too, when you want to.” He teased, getting up and bringing her with him, circling her in his arms. As she leaned on his chest, she heard the rhythmic pounding of his heart, quick as the flapping of a bird’s wings. 
“It’s hardly a match between the two of us. I know how much you enjoy it, so I let you take all the credit.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Does this mean you’ll stop kneeling in front of crowds?” 
“I think so. I will not stop with the flirting, though. It’s a compulsion.” 
Zoya went on her toes to press a kiss on his mouth. 
“Do keep up with that. I like it.”
She tucked her hand into his pocket, closing her fingers on the blue ribbon he kept on him all the time. Zoya pulled it out, unfurling it in front of them. 
“I believe I’ll need this for the wedding day.”
The smile that lightened up his face was worth a thousand wars to wage. A thousand years to wait. 
 ***
To say that the wedding was grand, would have been an understatement. Genya had outdid herself, both with the decorations and the dress. If Zoya had thought she had made a great work with the coronation, what she had managed to create on this day put everything else to shame. Zoya didn’t remember much of it. It had been a whirlwind of colours and voices, people kissing her hand and offering their congratulations, dancing, and music and mostly a lot of drinking on their part. The ceremony had been long and complicated, but as usual, Nikolai had made everything more bearable. Somehow, he had managed to make her feel like they were the only two people standing in the chapel, the same one that held such awful memories and was now a place of celebration. 
She had chosen not to wear gold, and they all went with it. Once had been enough; silver was more fitting for a dragon queen that commanded the storm. Being a queen had its advantages in terms of breaking with traditions. Nikolai had walked the aisle with her; he had never left her side, he had never left the grip on her hand. Zoya could feel his intense desire to make this day joyful for her. She would never stop marvelling at his selflessness, at how good and pure his heart was. To her surprise, he had chosen to relent the traditional Ravkan wedding vows in favour of the ones spoken by Grisha. They applied a lot more to them than any other oath they could make.
We are soldiers. I will march with you in times of war. I will rest with you in times of peace. I will forever be the weapon in your hand, the fighter at your side, the friend who awaits your return. I have seen your face in the making at the heart of the world and there is no one more fierce, passionate, and unbreakable.
There was not much else to say; everything they needed to tell each other, they had already done in the quiet of their intimacy. Everything they needed to share about what it meant to have each other, they already knew. But Nikolai had added something, lowering his voice to a whisper, only for her to hear. 
I will always seek to make it summer for you.
He had spoken the words in Suli. A ridiculous Suli, with an accent as thick as Zoya’s one and probably quite the number of mistakes. Zoya didn’t care. She didn’t know much Suli either, but she had understood. She had felt the urge to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him senseless, all these people be damned. Instead, she had murmured her answer to him, searching in her childhood for the words, hoping his knowledge of the language was broader than hers.
You are my endless summer. 
Nikolai’s eyes had sparkled, his lips trembled when he had kissed her, knocking her off his feet, and she knew he had understood too. The first half of the party had been slightly tedious. Her dress was heavy, the crown hitched on her head. But as the night went on and the brandy had started to flow, she had found she was enjoying herself much more than she thought. Nikolai’s presence glowed in the room, equally as handsome as her. It was well past midnight when people had started retiring, saying their goodbyes to the newly wed royal couple.
At last, they found themselves alone at a table with all their friends. Tolya was astoundingly drunk, much to their amusement. He was trying to convince Adrik to stand on a chair and recite some poetry with him. Adrik, who was incredibly smiling, seated next to Leoni who wore her usual thousand sun merry expression. Adrik had taken Zoya’s position in the Triumvirate, while Leoni held the post for the Materialki now. She and Genya were deep in an argument about some sort of poison used to make people sleepwalk. Genya was laughing, her head thrown back, a glass of honey tea in her hand. Seeing her happy was a sight for sore eyes. Zoya knew they were all missing David more tonight; her eyes wandered on her friend’s kefta, which stood a little too tight around her stomach. The bump was starting to show clearly right now, four months into the pregnancy. She was beaming. It takes a village, people said about raising a child. This child would definitely never be alone. Alina and Mal had retired earlier, eager to return to their kids. She had held Alina in an embrace a little longer than usual, trying to convey how wonderful her gift to Zoya had been, how much comfort the paintings in her garden would bring. In the middle of the room, Tamar and Nadia were still dancing, or trying to at least, missing every rhythm of the music. Tamar stopped abruptly when she saw Zoya watching them. 
“I can’t believe you two pulled it off, at last!” She made a toast in their direction, making Nadia stumble. 
“I can’t believe Nikolai pulled it off”, Genya smirked, toasting back to Tamar with her tea. 
Nikolai shrugged his shoulders. “I’m known for always choosing the hardest quest.” 
There was little hope to ever make them stop with the teasing. Turning her gaze, Zoya caught sight of Nina and her prince, who had traveled all the way from Fjerda to be here tonight. Nina was stunning as usual, in a dress that hugged every curve of her, stacking on a pile of pastries and forcing Hanne to taste each and every one of them. The reckless Heartrender didn’t miss the chance to weigh in on the conversation, popping a pastry in her mouth. “And to think Zoya was the one to bash me about falling in love with Fjerdans. It backfired right in your face.”
Zoya clicked her tongue. “At least I take care not to let people walk in on us having a private moment.”
“That’s on you”, Nina grinned, “But I guess now you know that the thing about Fjerdans being cold it’s just a myth.” 
“Definitely a myth", confirmed Nikolai, winking at Nina. Leave it to the two of them to be inappropriate.
Tolya downed another glass of whisky. For a giant, he didn’t have a good resistance to alcohol. “Good luck Zoya, he’s all yours to suffer now.” He managed to mutter. “At least he’s not moping around about you anymore like a lost puppy.” Tolya, the most respectful soldier she knew. He really was drunk. 
“I’ll still mop around about her, don’t worry.”
“I can manage, I think", Zoya answered to Tolya, curling her lips. 
She sighed happily, tightening the hold on Nikolai’s hand next to her, while she watched the people who were now her family filling the air with their laughter. He put the glass down, gazing at her with amusement. His golden hair were ruffled, his elegant shirt crumpled, his skin heated. His eyes were filled with awe, a smile dancing on his lips. She felt her breath itch at the sight of him. Nikolai leaned closer to her, bringing her hand up to his mouth. His look turned soft, affectionate.
“You survived today wonderfully.”
Zoya fell silent, watching her golden boy. This is what love does. You fight for it, and it saves you. You build it, brick by brick, and it stays. The dragon spread his wings inside her. 
“You built me a home.” 
She told him, and cocked her head to the side, making some strands of hair fall from the elaborate updo Genya had weaved. Nikolai rushed to tuck them back into the ribbon that held them in place, the one she had taken from his pocket when he had proposed. 
“You gave me something to build it for. Someone to fill it with.”
Zoya knew, in that moment. She knew that every blow, every pain, every loneliness she had endured had been meant to take her here. It had been meant to make her worthy of him, to make her believe they could have this. She knew every loss and every battle had forged her so that she could let herself love him. And Nikolai made everything possible. The weight of his hand in hers felt sacred. 
“We will go on, you and I. We are going to be fine.” 
It wasn’t a question. It was the strongest belief she had ever had. It was hope. After an eternity of fighting and suffering, the stone tumbled inside her, coming to rest. Nikolai nodded, closing his eyes and sighing. The world felt easier. It felt warm, and sunny, full of his light.
“Yes, we are.”
And they would. For years to come, they would be fine.
263 notes · View notes
moonawrites · 3 years
Note
For Jily - “Please just look at me while I confess, after that you can look anywhere you like, I swear.”
Sirius Black has had enough.
Enough of James’ pining and whining and dramatic sighing. It’s embarrassing, but more than that, it’s just fucking annoying. He and everyone else in the entire school knows he’s in love with Lily. Everyone except for Lily.
Incidentally, Sirius has had enough of Lily too. Enough of her longing stares and painful, trying so hard to be nonchalant it actually hurts to witness questions. Everyone knows she’s in love with James too, except the idiot himself.
What’s worse is both of them refuse to admit it, not only to each other, but to everyone else too. So as he so often has to with friends this stupid, Sirius takes matters into his own hands.
“So you’re really not into Evans, right?” he asks James at breakfast one day.
James chokes on his coffee and coughs for a bit, eyes bugging a bit. But then, predictably, he says, “Um, yeah, no. Not at all. Why? Haven’t we been over this?”
Sirius smiles. “Oh, good. That’s what I was hoping to hear.”
James narrows his eyes. “Why?”
“Just, you know. You’re so unbearable when you have a crush.”
James does not look convinced, but Sirius decides it’s time to shift the conversation to the match coming up this weekend, and so it’s forgotten.
Until dinner. They head over to their usual spot at the end of the Gryffindor table, but Sirius jogs ahead and slips into the seat next to Lily before James has a chance. Both of them look a bit surprised, but neither comments.
“This colour looks really pretty on you, Lily,” Sirius says casually. He only notices what colour she’s wearing after he says it – a nice baby blue, so at least it isn't a blatant lie. Lily looks a bit taken aback, but she smiles at him.
“Thanks! I like it too.”
Deciding to play it up a bit, Sirius flits his fingers over the material from her shoulder to her upper arm. Then he makes a show of freezing, as if just realizing what he’s doing, and abruptly drops his hand. “It’s… yeah. It’s pretty.”
It takes a great deal of effort not to snort with laughter at the look on James’ face, like he can’t decide between looking suspicious or scandalized.
Sirius keeps it up for a good few days. He compliments Lily and finds excuses for innocent touches – imaginary lint on her sweater, hands brushing in the corridor, reaching for the same items at the table. All while James is there to see, of course. It all kind of makes him want to gag if he’s honest, but it’s a necessary evil, because he can see them starting to crack.
James becomes snappy and irritable around him, and he has no excuses when Sirius innocently asks why – after all, he hasn’t done anything wrong, has he? He even had the good grace to confirm again and again that James did not fancy Lily.
Lily becomes nervous around him and tries to avoid him, tries to laugh off his flirting when she can’t – and Sirius lays it on thick. It’s all a credit to his immense talent as an actor that she doesn’t just laugh in his face – he’d done a great job of pretending to be hurt the first time she did.
He finally gets a chance to end it all for good when he gets paired with Lily for a Potions assignment. That evening when James announces that he’s off to the library to work on his own assignments, Sirius waits twenty minutes and then he rushes down to the common room and scans the room for Lily. She’s sitting on the ground at one of the tables by the fire, books and parchments spread out in front of her.
“Hey, are you busy right now?” he asks when he walks over.
Lily jumps a bit and glances up from her books. “Um, a bit. I was just working on the Transfig assignment.”
“I thought we could head to the library to start on research for the Potions assignment,” Sirius suggests. “I’ll be busy with Quidditch this week, it would be good to get started early.”
Lily chews on her lip, looking like she wants to refuse. But in the end she just nods. Sirius surreptitiously studies the map while Lily packs up her stuff, and deduces that James is sitting at their usual table in the back right corner of the library. He makes a show of acting jittery and nervous while they walk, brushing it off with a shaky laugh when Lily asks if he’s okay.
Sirius pretends to consider which table they should sit at, before leading them to the table on the other side of the shelf from the one James is at. He knows James will be able to hear them, they’ve spent many hours eavesdropping while they studied in that spot.
Sirius scours the shelves and picks out some good books, and then he actually works with Lily for a bit – eventually they’ll have to work on the assignment for real anyways, he may as well multitask. But not long into their work, he straightens up and fixes Lily with a serious look.
“Lily, I have to tell you something.”
Lily jumps slightly and glances up at him. “Is it important? I’m in the middle of reading.”
“Yeah, it’s very important. I’ve been holding it in for a long time, and I just can’t anymore.”
On the other side of the shelf, he hears a chair scraping back. Sirius bites the inside of his cheek to stop his lips from twitching into a smile. He has to keep acting nervous.
“I... um, maybe you shouldn’t,��� Lily says quietly.
“Why not? I know James used to fancy you, but he told me he doesn’t anymore. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Lily’s eyes widen just slightly, but she doesn’t look surprised that the conversation has led them here. She gives Sirius an almost pitying look, and he barely stops the eyeroll. As if.
“I really can’t hold it in anymore,” Sirius says, as if the words pain him. Lily swallows and looks away. Looks at her notes, at the shelves of books next to her, at the ground, everywhere but at him.
“Sirius, I really don’t think now’s the time. We should get back to work.”
“Do you know how hard it was keeping this from you both back when James fancied you? It was torture, Lily,” Sirius says with anguish. “And now I don’t have to anymore. I can tell you the truth.”
“Oh my God,” Lily whispers, panicked. “Please don’t, please don’t say anything.” She still won’t look at him.
“Lily, I have to do this. I have to do it for me, or I’ll go crazy,” Sirius insists. “I deserve to speak my truth. I’ve suffered in silence for long enough, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know what to do,” Lily whines, and she stares up at the ceiling. “Please kill me.”
“Please just look at me while I confess,” Sirius begs. “After that you can look anywhere you like, I swear.” She doesn’t, but Sirius soldiers on. “Lily, I’m in lo– ”
“You can’t!” Lily yells, lunging forward and slapping a hand over his mouth. A few people several tables down turn to look at them. “You can’t. I’m in love with James,” Lily admits, as if the words have been ripped from her throat, and she looks so anguished Sirius almost feels bad.
On the other side of the shelf, a very familiar voice yells “What?” and then there’s a commotion. It sounds like a chair gets knocked over and books flung off the table. James curses several times. Footsteps thunder down the aisle, and then James appears at the end of their own aisle, looking flushed and flustered. His hair is more disheveled than usual, as if he’d been tugging on it in distress.
Lily clears her throat and drops her hand, awkwardly patting Sirius’ cheek. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to smack you that hard.” And then it seems to catch up to her that James is there. James, who she has just confessed to being in love with.
Sirius sighs heavily and stands up. “Well, that was fucking miserable, but my work here is done.” He stretches and grabs his bag. “Enjoy your awkward conversation.” He pats Lily’s shoulder on his way past her, and then James’ when he reaches him.
“If you fuck this up after all my suffering, I’m going to murder you with my bare hands.”
255 notes · View notes
the-redeemed-anon · 3 years
Note
Another day another post including c!Wilbur in big bad manipulators list with c!Dream and c!Quackity and i go "huh, is he tho?"
Like genuienly i would want to know, bc to me at least all like c!Wilburs "attempts at manipulation" were like.. blandly obvious and not that well executed?
Not enough to secure him the position of a Big Bad Manipulator Who had an Overarching Big Plan Before This Specific Interaction and Knows What He's Doing.
Bc most ppl who call Wilbur a manipulator point to this quote here
“Tommy, literally have you not noticed? Everyone who’s claiming to be on our side, they’re lying to us! Tubbo?! He’s lying to you man! He would drop us at the second he realises we’re not in the lead anymore!”
But like... this is like clearly c!Wilbur having a paranoid breakdown and unloading all the stress fear and worries that got progressively worse during pogtopia to c!Tommy. c!Tommy def didn't have tools to handle that and like shoudnt be expexted to but its not manipulative?? Of c!Wilbur?? At all??
Like the only two instances that i remember that like can be called manipulative is maybe this??
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing important. I just wanted to say that- I think you can come back from what you’ve said, you know. I’m just saying now, there is a chance that you could be President, you know, you could be- you could definitely get an executive power in the remains of L’Manberg. You could definitely be a leader of that, I have no issue with that. But, you need to understand that you’re gonna have to get on my good side, and I, you know.”
And the recent stone collection thing with c!tommy?
Im asking bc i can be blantly missing something but? I dont think i am?
- Music Anon!
Music Anon, you're back with another interesting topic!
Okay so I may have another perspective than most on the "Then let's be the bad guys" scene because, as I've said before, I have paranoid thoughts, so, for me, it's much much easier to put myself in Wilbur's shoes in that moment.
So, as far as I remember in Pogtopia, I would coin Wilbur's behaviour as persuasive. He was trying to persuade Tommy to his side, something that Tommy was free to ignore and not accept. Manipulation and persuasion are very tricky to tell apart, because it's two things that are very similar, and you can't tell them apart that easily. You know how all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares? Same thing here. All manipulation is persuasive, but not all persuasion is manipulative. There is a fine line between the two.
I googled it before I wanted to respond to this ask, but from what I gathered, you can tell persuasion from manipulation by these factors: coercion, withholding of truth and intention.
I want to compare Wilbur's case with our most blatant example of manipulation, Dream. Especially since it's centered on the same character, Tommy:
Coercion. The Dictionary defines the term "coercion" as "the use of force to persuade someone to do something that they are unwilling to do". I do not remember any moment in Pogtopia where Tommy was forced to act against what he wanted to do. The way he spoke to Tommy was always open to Tommy rejecting his ideas, which happened quite a lot. It's another thing if later, Tommy, of his own volition, agreed to what Wilbur wanted, like blowing up Manberg at the Festival.
Dream, on the other hand, we see it a lot in Exile. The threats to Tommy's life. The hitting. He was forcing Tommy to stay in Logsted and give up his gear. That's one box ticked for Dream, zero for Wilbur so far.
Withholding of truth. Here I am as stumped as you are. I want someone, who thinks that the "Then let's be the bad guys" scene is manipulative, to tell me where Wilbur is withholding the truth. The President line? this one? [“Tommyinnit, you’re scared that people are gonna think differently of you. Tommy, when I said you’re never gonna be president, you gotta understand, that wasn’t a challenge, that’s true. You’re never gonna be president, Tommy. And I can hear it in your voice, you’re trying sound like you know what you’re doing, so that you can prove me wrong. Tommy, none of us know what we’re doing. We’re fucked, we were fucked the minute we were thrown out.” - (Wilbur’s video Am I the Villain?: 19:39)] or these? [“That guy Tubbo? You know? We love Tubbo… but he’s not on our side, is he? Let’s be honest. We act like he is, like, everyone’s always how like, oh it’s crazy how everyone’s against Schlatt.” - (Wilbur’s who are you go away: 1:12:57, 8th Oct)], [“Everyone’s always saying how like, oh it’s crazy how everyone’s against Schlatt. No one’s against Schlatt. Everyone’s pulling the biggest ruse on us. Literally, they’ve got us all by the fucking scruff of our necks.” - (Wilbur’s video Am I the Villain?: 17:59)], [“Tubbo’s like, ‘I’ll be your spy!’. And then we’ve got like Fundy who’s like saying to everyone’s twitch chats that he’s gonna revolt against us. And you’ve got Eret giving us fucking potatoes, that say fucking ‘I’m gonna be friends with you’. It’s bullshit! It’s all bullshit!” - (Wilbur’s video Am I the Villain?: 18:09)] Honestly someone tell me where Wilbur is withholding the truth here. I do not see it. He's just stating his opinion. I am someone who was around in Season 1, I watched Wilbur's POV only and I swear I thought too that Tubbo was a double agent for Manberg. I was sure of it. This is just Wilbur laying out his reasons to be paranoid and things he considers as true and his own opinions on matters. Opinions are not lies or truths. Telling Tommy that he will never be President, in his opinion, isn't a lie or the truth. It's just an opinion.
Meanwhile over in Dream's camp... Dream did withhold the truth. He lied about Tubbo's Compass, he lied about the Invitations, all of this he did to get Tommy to his lowest, to make him think that he is his only friend. This is the second box ticked for Dream, still none for Wilbur.
Intention. Here I need to talk about what paranoia is. Paranoia, to me, is a way of thinking fueled by fear. Wilbur's paranoia started because of the Final Control Room. Eret's betrayal deeply affected him, we can see it in quotes like this: [“Anyone caught in the crossfire is caught in the crossfire. That’s how it goes, you know? Eret especially, he is the most clear, the most clear cut traitor of them all. He was a traitor from the very get go. I have no, I have no remorse offing Eret.” - (Wilbur’s who are you go away: 1:41:22, 8th Oct)] Wilbur's paranoia started from a betrayal, therefore, Wilbur's paranoia is centered on people backstabbing him. Of course he would start spiraling into a rant about how everyone is out to get him. Especially after believing his own son betrayed him. So, why tell that to Tommy? Simple, really. I personally do it, too: he was reaching out for support. When I have doubt about my train of thought, I go to someone I trust, and they help me by walking me through it, to figure out if my thinking was rational or if it was paranoia. I think this is what he was trying to do with Tommy, because he trusted Tommy, but also it was an attempt of keeping him safe. I have talked before in my Eight analysis that Wilbur is a naturally protective person. I think Wilbur was attempting in part to shield Tommy from another shock from betrayal, attempt which didn't get across to Tommy. Tommy was and is a teenager and even back then he had his own worries. He just didn't have the resources to help Wilbur, or even understand what he was going through, and he can't be blamed, and while the scene may have been scary for him, I do not think Wilbur had malicious intent with it.
Meanwhile, Dream had malicious intent. He did what he did in an attempt to isolate Tommy, to make him feel alone, so he could swoop in and mold him into thinking he was his friend. This ticks off the last box, Dream was manipulating Tommy, while Wilbur was trying to be persuasive.
While I agree that Wilbur is dipping into manipulative territory with the stone bit, I would say that doesn't make him stand in the line-up of manipulators alongside Dream or Quackity. I do agree however that he is a big persuader and his power lies in how he uses words to convince others to agree with him and join him on a cause (as discussed above, this is not necessarily manipulation). I hope this analysis helped out!
As always, the quotes are from @kateis-cakeis' masterlist of Ghostbur/Wilbur quotes. It’s a goldmine of a resource for analyzing Wilbur and I highly encourage you to check it out.
147 notes · View notes
moondustis · 4 years
Text
new things: day dream (m)
pairing: college teacher!doyoung + reader genre: smut, a hint of fluff (includes: dirty talking, name calling, bimbofication kinda, teasing) word count: 3,5k summary: Because the thing is, you had a plan. A very stupid one you’ll admit to that, but still it was a plan. A plan that involved seducing the teacher, to finally get him to pay attention to you. a/n: special thanks to the anons that sent me ideas for this one a while back. hope you guys enjoy this! 
Tumblr media
Kim Doyoung was a very respectable man.
He had a passion about teaching that translated perfectly into the way he spoke to and addressed his students, making even the ones that were just taking his class to fill their curriculum interested in the matters of classical music theory. And to make it even better, he was as handsome as he was smart, getting every girl in the class to want a piece of him that they would never have.
It was endearing, really, to see all these girls and even some boys, that were here to get something as noble as a masters degree, going cross eyed because the teacher just happened to look too good for his own good. The giggles, long stares and sometimes blatant flirting were all funny to watch, even more because of Doyoung’s clear lack of interest.
And you… Well, you are very stupid and maybe have lost your damn mind. Because the thing is, you had a plan, a very stupid one you’ll admit to that, but still it was a plan. A plan that involved seducing the teacher, to finally get him to pay attention to you.
A plan that probably needed a little more planning involved, but it’s too late now for that.
Doyoung walks into the classroom, all white button up and neatly pressed slacks, his round glasses hiding the faint dark circles underneath his eyes from probably one too many nights gone without sleep, for the sake of grading papers. He’s wearing a caramel cardigan today and you think it’s an absolute crime that he can make something like that look so hot on him.
You sit on the first row, of course you do, and when his eyes lock onto you he looks stunned for a moment, eyes raking up and down your body because the outfit you had put together was anything but subtle. The short skirt that showed your legs too well, the closed cardigan the was a little too low on your cleavage, everything about it was planned perfectly in order for him to swallow drily as he placed his thing on the desk.
He clears his throat, gathering himself before he greets the class, telling everyone to open the article he had sent via email. It’s a boring lecture, mostly because of the fact you can’t focus on anything but the glances he gives your way and the words he speaks seem to slur together in sentences that don’t quite make sense.
But you don’t get distracted, no. You have a plan and there’s no turning back now, you had left shame outside the moment you stepped into this classroom with the thought of fucking the teacher clear as day in your mind. When he looks your way again, you put it into action.
It’s kind of like a game, you see. The first step is to get him to pay attention, which he does but without losing his composure, he’s better than that of course. But you have tricks up your sleeves, so you lean on the desk a little, bite on your lips enough that he raises one eyebrow in curiosity. And there you go, the second step is achieved as he becomes interested.
From there it’s easy, he lets himself look enough but not as much as you want, as if to not raise suspicion. It makes you feel giddy, finally basking in the attention most girls in this class could only dream of getting.
The class goes on with your shared glances, expectation making your blood boil in a way you haven’t felt in some time and it only makes you feel bolder. So when the lecture is finally over, you wait until every student has walked out of the classroom, as you watch him gather his things with his back turned to you.
He’s expecting you to make your way towards him, of course he is. And you can hear a chuckle leave his lips when he hears the sounds of your footsteps. For some reason, that only serves to incite you.
“Good evening, professor.” You say, voice too sweet as he turns to you.
He raises one eyebrow, in a challenge almost. “_______.” It’s simply said but you almost can’t help the smile that wants to form on your lips as your name falls from his lips. “How can I help you?”
He rests both his hands behind him on the desk, body leaning towards yours in nothing but an inviting way. You lick your lips, watching his eyes follow your movements. “You see… I have been having a little trouble with some of the readings from your class.”
It’s a stupid lie, cliche maybe with the way you say it feigning innocence, but he seems to find it all very amusing. “I see. May I know which ones in particular?” He asks with a glimpse of smile on his lips. “So I can know how to advise you, of course.”
You squint your eyes at him briefly, clearing your throat before you say the first thing that comes go mind. “That… That book with the blue cover, you know? The name escaped me, I’m sorry.”
This time he doesn’t even try to hold in the small laugh that escapes his lips. “Classical Form? It’s understandable that you would have some trouble with it.” He’s still smiling at you when he moves from the table, gathering his things. “Would you like to accompany me to my office, then? So I can assist you properly.”
You can’t agree faster, a smile turning the sides of your lips slightly upwards.
You follow him outside the class until you reach his office, a small room with a big shelf filled with books and music sheets, a fancy desk and a sofa that looks designer made and not something you would buy from ikea. He gestures for you to sit down, so you do, but still watching him closely as he locks the office’s door before walking to lean against his desk.
You cross your legs when he eyes you, making your skit rid up a bit. There’s a glint on his eyes before he’s breaking the silence. “Classical Form, then?” His voice is flat and your eyes stick glued to his lips. “I’ve left the copy I own at home, but I’m assuming you have brought yours?”
You haven’t, of course, but still you pretend to look around for it on the bag you had dropped on the couch, sighing loudly to indicate you obviously couldn’t find it. “I must have forgotten mine at home as well.”
He bites his lips then, holding in a clear smile. It’s endearing to watch him, as much as he must think it is to watch your silly attempts. “Miss ______, forgive me for saying this. But I think it’s not your readings that you need help with.”
‘Duh’ is what you want to say, but instead you smile bashfully at him. “Am I that obvious?”
“A little bit.” He says with a scoff, crossing his arms. “Tell me then what is it that you really want.”
Maybe it’s your mind playing tricks on you but he says it almost in a challenge, eyes not moving from yours as you stare right back at him. “What I really want? I don’t think you’re ready to know that, professor.” You say with a small laugh.
A loud laugh escapes his lips this time.
“You’re crazy.” He says amused and with a shake of his head. “I think I can handle it, _____.”
He falls for your bait too well and it’s thrilling, makes you feel more confident that he’s not only giving you his full attention but urging you on. So you play your cards. “The thing is,” Is what you start with, a grin of your own on your lips. “I’ve been very needy because of you.”
That makes him raise both eyebrows now. “Because of me? That’s a very harsh accusation.”
You scoff playfully, uncrossing your legs so you can balance your elbows on them and rest your chin on your hands. “Is it?” That’s a rhetorical question because next you add. “Did you know every girl in your class wants to sleep with you? Some of the men too.”
“I didn’t.”
“Liar.” You mumble, rolling your eyes, and that makes him smile at you, a playful one that looks way too cute for the situation.
A moment of silence passes before he’s asking. “Are you one of those girls then?”
Obviously, you think to yourself. Wouldn’t be here practically offering yourself for him if you weren’t. “Maybe I am.”
You decide then to get up from the couch, making your way to him with purpose and as if on cue, he’s opening his legs that were crossed before, but you don’t go that far. “And what would you like me to do about that?” He says it in a way that shows you he’s teasing, trying to embarrass you and that sends a thrill through your entire body.
“Are you trying to get me to say I want you to fuck me?” You take a step forward, standing in between his parted legs and if he wanted he could easily touch you. “Is that it, professor?”
“That would be inappropriate, relationships with students are not allowed.” His lips twitch as he says it, eyes roaming your face.
You fake a pout. “Am I not worth an exception?”
“Are you?” Another challenge, he seems to like them.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I am.” And then you are stepping closer to him, close enough that he can move a hand to the back of your neck and smash your lips together.
So much for self control, you think. But even if Doyoung was apparently good at keeping his cool façade, you knew that deep down he was easy to break, easy to succumb to desperation. And he kisses you with exactly that, lips nipping at yours as he positions your head to his pleasing and you fall as putty as you’ll allow yourself.
You still chase his lips when he breaks the kiss, grabbing at the front of his shirt and bring him closer so you can take the direction of the kiss into your own hands this time. It’s just shy from messy, how you lick at his lips to get him to part them, how you slide your tongue against his in motions that make you lose your mind just a little bit.
He scoffs a little when this time he manages to break the kiss. “You’re really bold.” He says as a matter of fact, a little breathless and the hand still on your neck squeezes it just a little. “Do you like acting like a little slut, is that it?”
You fight back the urge to smile, instead biting your lips in a whole theatrical scene as his eyes stay fixed on your face. One of your hands move to his neck, then slither down to his chest where you pop open the first button of his shirt. “Maybe it’s because I want you too much, sir.”
A noise comes from the back of his throat. Then he’s stroking your cheek. “Will you let me do whatever I want then?”
You laugh now, separating from him just a little and now unbuttoning the first button of your already low cardigan, as if to match his. “Now who’s being bold?”
“You, again.”
“Ha! I only do it because you seem to like it.”
One of his hands come to your back, pulling you closer again. “So you will let me do whatever I want.”
Now you really say it, eyes on him with playful determination. “Duh.”
His throat bobs, jaw tense. And then he’s turning you around to face the desk, your hands coming in contact with the hard material of it.
It takes no time for him to press behind you, his interest on your little back and forth clear when you feel the forming bulge on his slacks. His hand roam your thighs, reaching the rem of your skirt and bringing it up. “Are you always a brat or is it just because you want my cock, hmm?” He whispers, pressing his cheek to the side of your head. You shiver in anticipation, lips parting at his foul language and hips moving backwards trying to press your ass even closer to his front.
“Why don’t you give it to me and see it for yourself?” It’s your bite back, earning a low chuckle from him that is a high contrast to the way his fingers squeeze your thigh in what you think is desperation.
With a grunt, he dips his hand inside your skirt, tip toeing around your skin in a way that makes it tingle, but it doesn’t stay at that. With a blink of your eyes he’s pressing his palm to your clothed core, the cotton fabric sticking to it in a way that makes you embarrassed from how wet you already were. But was it really your fault?
It makes him laugh lowly. “I don’t think I will.” And then he pushes his palm upwards, the friction on your clit making you whimper pathetically.
Of all the things you expected to happen, him dropping to his knees behind you were not first on the list for sure. You expected him to lose control a little, push your skirt up and fuck you while you still had your panties on, them pushed to the side as he pounded into you in a way that made your eyes roll. Deep and rough like you liked it.
What happens is a lost of control in different ways. In a way that involves him pulling your legs to his liking, making space for him between them. Your skirt gets bunched up on your back, your ass on display for him to squeeze and with his face so close that you feel the little puffs of air on your still covered core.
His hand squeezes your soft skin harder when you try to squirm and get him to finally do it. “Tsk, are you going to be good?” He asks, with a small slap to your ass to enhance his word. “Or are you going to continue acting like a desperate slut?”
A small part of you wants to be the desperate slut, get on his nerves and make him annoyed enough that he just fucks into you. You’re sure that he would be able to slide in without any difficulty with how wet you are. But you also want desperately to come, taking a guess that this wouldn’t be happening if you were to pick his second alternative. “I’ll be good.” You mutter finally, breathy voice as he rewards you by pushing your panties down.
It’s a second of just him close enough but not touching. Then he spreads your legs even more, getting you exposed enough so he can press his lips to where you wanted him the most. You cry out with no hesitation, hands gripping at the desk as his tongue laps on your entrance, spreading your wetness around in a way that is as collected as it is messy.
He eats you out with teasing as his goal, flicking his tongue in agonizing ways and sucking your clit with patience. It makes you absolutely crazy, twisting around on his hold and trying to get more friction, to make him move faster.
A loud curse leaves your lips when he dips his tongue inside your entrance, just the tip, and he reprimands you with another slap when you try to throw your ass back in attempts to get it deeper. “Ughnn, you are so mean.”
“I though you said something about being good.” He whines back at your, words muffled and sending vibrations through your core that make you clench a little around nothing.
“Pleasee.” You drag out the words when he laps slowly at your pussy, followed by kittenish licks. “I will if you give me what I want.”
Maybe it’s because he loses his patience finally, or maybe because you were very persuasive with how you look behind your back to catch his eyes just as he gets up from his kneeling position. He smiles at you, just shy from wicked. “Liar.”
The unspoken words are that he likes it that way. Likes that you talk back and squirm under his hold, likes that you act like a brat until he gives in. But he also likes that you’ll take it however he wants, that the only thing that will make you stop acting up is his cock deep inside of you.
And he gives you just that. The sounds of his belt clicking and pants being pushed down just enough to get his leaking erection out, making your head spin. Even more when he finally enters you, a yelp on the tip of your tongue as he bottoms out just like you thought, with no resistance at all.
“Fuck. This is what you wanted, hmm?” His voice is strained despite his attempt to seem calm as he moves his hips once slowly, erection gliding out of you coated with your arousal. Then he slams back inside, your nails trying to grip on the desk but you fail, your body plopping on the desk.
“Y-Yes.” It’s more a moan than anything else, your mind barely able to form coherent thoughts because it’s been so long, and you feel so full with him fucking you deep and fast like you wanted.
One of his arms encircles your middle and pulls you up so that your back is pressed to his chest, giving attention to your nipples as he grunts so close to your ear that the sound makes you clench around him, turning it into a pained moan.
“You’re just a dumb little slut aren’t you?” He asks with a pinch to your nipple. You nod dumbly, so close already that you have to squeeze your eyes shut. “Yeah, you are, my pretty dumb slut that will do anything to get fucked.”
This time your walls pulsate around him, a long whine coming from your lips as he fucks into you faster, hand gripping at your waist for leverage. “Ugnhn, fuck. It’s so - so good.” You manage to get out and the words are followed by your lips parting in a silent scream as he hits repeatedly the sweet spot inside of you.
It doesn’t take you long after that, your body shaking in his hold as you come with a loud moan, your hands moving back to grip at his clothed thighs as blinding pleasure washes over your body. You trash around when he continues fucking you, too sensitivity but it feels too good, your release making the slide even smoother.
He mutter incoherent sentences, moans of your name as his hips snap into yours quick and deep, until they falter and he’s coming inside of you, spurts of cum coating your walls as he lets a long ‘ah’ that sounds too melodic for just a man reaching his high.
You both pant heavily as you catch your breaths. Wrecked a word too simple to describe how you feel as he pulls out, tucking himself quickly inside of his pants, and you fall forward with both your hands supporting you on the desk.
He helps you put your panties back on, fixes you skirt with a pat to your ass that is as sweet as the kiss he presses on your bare shoulder before he’s turning you around and into his arms. Your cardigan has moved enough that your chest is exposed but he fixes that too. You can’t help the small smile on your lips when he kisses it.
“This was highly unprofessional.” He says after a while and you scoff, hand caressing his cheek affectionally.
“Please, we had to fuck in your office at least once in our lives.”
He gives you his gummy smile, as if amused that you both really just did that. A thing that had only been joked about before over the years you had been together. “But not while pretending you are student of all things.”
Now you laugh affectionately, slapping him playfully on the chest. “Says the man that played his part way too well. You liked it, you pervert.”
“I like anything that involves you, silly girl.” His answer makes your heart somersault in your chest. You watch as his eyes soften, the dark circles even more visible with his this close, so you caress it softly with your thumb. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been giving you enough attention, love.”
“It’s okay, baby.” You reinforce your words with a kiss to his lips, sweet and enough to make him sigh. “Now can we please go home so you can give me some more of it?”
The smile he gives you is your favorite from the entire night. Then he brings his hand to where yours is on his face, lacing your fingers together and bringing it to his lips so he can press a small kiss to the back of your hand. “Anything for my wife.”
543 notes · View notes
ink-system · 3 years
Text
Tickletober Day 9:Ganged Up On
ok so here is the extremely late tktober fic. Sorry it’s so late school and writer’s block happened but it’s here now and I hope you guys enjoy it a bit
TW: safe word mention, calling of safe word, intense tickles, Deceit, Remus
Word Count: 5813
Virgil was running. Where he didn’t know, all he knew was he needed to get out of there and he needed to get out of there fast. He was being chased by vicious, merciless monsters.
“Oh Viiirgey where are youuuuuu?~”
“We just wanna play with you!~”
“We aren’t gonna hurt you!”
“We would just like to show you how adorable you are.”
“It’s going to be so much fun once we catch you”
The teasing words echoed throughout the mind palace, drilling into Virgil’s head. He would never admit it, but the teases were slowing him down. The taunts were getting to him and the monsters were quickly gaining on him.
The purple side looked behind him, only for a second, and what he saw sent shivers down his spine…
All 5 sides right behind him, ready to attack. 5 sides who wanted to wreck him. 5 sides who were in ler moods. 5 sides who knew he was in a lee mood. 5 sides who were ABOUT TO TACKLE HIM HOLY SHIT HE’S GONNA DIE-
With Virgil looking behind him he got even more distracted and slowed down, which gave Roman just enough time to sprint the last few feet separating him from Virgil to tackle him. The fanciful side leaped forward with his arms reaching out for the side on the run.
“Aaaaaand GOTCHA!”
“NONONONO LEMME GO!”
Once Virgil was in the red side’s arms there was no escaping them. He was trapped. Done for. Stuck. He was gonna be tickled to tears by 5 lers and there was nothing he could do about it (not that he wanted to but that’s beside the point-).
“You put up a nice fight Virgey but it was pointless. You knew you were gonna get caught and that once you did you were making it worse for yourself by running away from your big, bad, personal tickle monsters. But you probably wanted that didn’t you, you big ass lee,” Roman teased to the squirming purple side in his arms.
As Roman was speaking he carried the struggling side to the coach and laid him down before straddling him as Janus used two of his six arms to pin the ex-dark side’s arms above his head.
“OH SHUT FUCKING FUCK YOU ASSHAT,” said purple side yelled, flustered out of his mind from the fanciful sides truths lies.
“Virgil, language!” the father figure exclaimed in both real and fake horror at the language his son used. “You should know better than to use those words, kiddo! I think you need to be punished for your potty mouth.” the dad of the group scolded. Patton’s teasing was fatherly and he almost always scolded the lee for something they did. It was… very flustering in its own way.
“Precisely what I was thinking, Patton. Such language is extremely uncalled for and calls for punishment” Logan, slightly cold yet teasingly stated. Logan’s teasing was very scientific and calculated. It was surprisingly flustering, him seeming almost indifferent to his actions and how they affected the lee.
“Yes, it does seem like he definitely knows how awful that language is. He doesn’t need to be taught a lesson,” the deceitful side said casually. Janus’ teasing was just stating the obvious but backwards, and it unfairly flustering, especially for something so simple. It killed everyone, especially poor Virgil.
“Such profanity is inexcusable! I say we show little Virgey here what happens to lees who say such horrible words!~” the sash wearing side exclaimed, far too dramatic than what was necessary. Roman’s teasing was just like him, overdramatic and far too extra. Yet there was something… flustering about it? He is creativity so it would follow that he would be able to tease quite well.
“Yeah having a ‘potty mouth’ is my thing! You’re stealing my thing Virgey! That’s even more punishable!” the duke yelled while reaching his hands out towards Virgil’s stomach, but he was stopped by Logan grabbing his collar. “Ahhhhh c’mon dork I just wanna wreck Tickle Me Emo’s little tummy for stealing my shit.” Remus’ teasing was… well. It was Remus teasing you. It was oftentimes very suggestive (even though he tried to not make suggestive with Virgil, Patton, and Roman), and its own way it was… kind of flustering.
“No, you need to be patient and wait for the rest of us” the tie-wearing side stated calmly.
“But you dorks are so slow and I wanna wreck him now. I’m sure he would prefer to get wrecked sooner than later. Isn’t that right, tickle toy”
Hearing them talk about him like he wasn’t there was driving Virgil crazy. Hearing the shit Remus was saying was even worse because it was true wrong and blatant lies and not true at all. Virgil couldn’t do a thing about it either. His face could’ve been mistaken for a fucking tomato at that point and the knowledge that the impulsive side was right made his blush spread from his face to his ears and neck. It sent tingles down his spine, and he hated how much teases got to him. Logan said it had something to do with him being the embodiment of anxiety and fight or flight and tickling being a way to train children to defend themselves and it is a panic defense. All he knew was it was making his already awful lee mood even worse.
“NONONO NOT RIGHT AT ALL” Virgil shrieked “I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN! FUCKING LET ME GO YOU ASSHOLES.”
Virgil knew what he was doing, he knew he was making it worse for himself and that he was going to get wrecked even more than he was before. But he may or may not have wanted that (okay he definitely wanted that but shhhhhh), and wasn’t regretting a thing.
“Such foul language! You must really want to be wrecked! I mean I knew you were in a lee mood but not one this big! I mean c’mon- 5 lers and you’re still having an attitude and cursing at us.” the good half of creativity remarked teasingly, not missing how red the lee’s face went at his words.
“Oh yes, it would seem that poor little ticklish Virgil here has amassed quite the lee mood and he is resorting to being bratty to get more tickles,” Logan stated slightly cold as if he were reading a lab report out loud rather than teasing the living daylights out of the lee that is Virgil ‘Anxiety’ Sanders.
“Yes, he’s been having quite the attitude with us thus far. Quite the bratty lee if I say so myself,~” the serpent side teased to the blushing, red, lee mess that was the embodiment of anxiety. “And we all know that bratty lees don’t want to be wrecked with tickles until they can’t even fight it anymore and they definitely don’t want punishment tickles so they misbehave to get them.”
And then Virgil heard the worst thing he has ever heard in his life.
“I say we make him ask for the tickles like a good little lee because bratty lees don’t get what they want”
No. No no no no no no. This couldn’t be happening right now. Not to him. Not in this big of a lee mood. Not with this many lers around to hear it and see how red his face is. Not him having to actually say the dreaded t-word. Not with five fucking lers to wreck him after he asks, holy shit he fucked up-
But there’s no way it could get worse. I mean only Janus said that the other sides probably won’t even agree with him! They’ll have mercy on him and not make him ask- right?
“Oh what a wonderful idea Dr. Trickyll and Mr. Lie!”
“What a good idea! Oh, you’re so smart Janny!”
“Yes, it would be beneficial to teaching Virgil a lesson to make him ask for what he wants.”
“Oh come on! Now I have to wait even longer to wreck him, cause we all know that Virgey here can’t say tickle!”
Aaaaaaand it got worse.
Not only did (mostly) all of them agree with the scaled side, but the only one who didn’t was Remus, and that was only because he wanted to wreck him sooner. Great.
So it was settled. He was going to die today. And it was all his Janus’ fault. I mean- how could he be so mean? Making him admit to being in a lee mood? The rudest thing he’s ever heard, how dare they make him admit to wanting to be wrecked with t- you know what.
And Virgil, the side who is definitely not a lee, eloquently said, “I- I- NONONONO- THAT ISN’T FAIR YOU ASSHOLES.”
“Now you are just proving our suspicions. You are in a leviathan of a lee mood and are being a bratty lee and defying us to get the desired amount of tickles. We are not going to give in to your brattiness and do as you wish until you ask nicely.”
Virgil wanted to crawl into a hole and stay there forever. They were seriously going to make him ask? Now? In this economy? But more importantly right now-
Was he going to ask?
Was he going to embarrass himself to all of the other sides? Was he going to let them know, once and for all, that he was in a big ass lee mood? Was he going to tell them that he wanted 50 fingers wiggling and scribbling all across his body, forcing them to make him laugh? Or was he going to die from lee suffering and not ask?
Yeah, he was gonna die from lee suffering.
There was no way that he would, or could, ask for something so childish and happy when he was anxiety. He was supposed to be the protector of the group, not the guy who gets giant lee moods and shows weakness and is soft, no matter how much he may have wanted to do so.  
“Come on kiddo, you can do it! I believe in you!” the fatherly side encouraged.
Or maybe he could… maybe.
“But it’s so… ” the emo side trailed off, face somehow flushing even redder, “embarrassing,” he finished quietly.
“Oh c’mon Emo Nightmare, it’s fine to let loose every once in a while! There’s no shame in wanting tickles, in fact, it’s quite adorable!” the fanciful side dramatically exclaimed, aiming to make the anxious side feel a bit better, noticing the aura of shame surrounding him.
“Yes it is, in fact, beneficial to one’s mental health to laugh, and tickling, as I’m sure you know, is a way to produce laughter. Therefore, it would aid your, and most likely Thomas’, mental health to be tickled if you so desire. There is no shame in it Virgil.” Logan stated the oddly calming words in an almost motherly tone to the patchwork hoodie-clad side.
“Yes, it isn’t adorable how easily you’re flustered and how much you want to be wrecked by us. And even if it was adorable, which it definitely is not, we all know you love being tickled. So that makes us wrecking you until you cry is a form of self-care! And there are so many things wrong with practicing self-care, especially as the literal embodiment of anxiety.” the deceitful side said, trying his best to comfort his old friend in his own way.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah Virgey just c’mon and say it. I wanna wreck your little belly button now so if you could hurry it up with the asking thing that’d be better than a butthole!” Remus said while looking ready to pounce on Virgil as soon as he asked for it, if not sooner.  
Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay he could do this. All he had to do was say three words! Three words aren’t that many!-
Please. Tickle. Me.
He couldn’t do this.
Those three words were the bane of existence. Those 3 words were going to be the death of him. Those 3 words made his face look like a fucking tomato even just thinking them, let alone saying them. Those three words… that he was going to say.
He took a breath, and ever so calmly said “PLEASE TICKLE ME!”
“Awww I knew you could do it kiddo!”
“There we go, you adorable emo!”
“I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to tell us what you wanted, and that you were polite about it.”
“See that wasn’t too hard now was it, my little spider”
“FINALLY!”
The emo side’s face somehow went even redder at his fellow side’s words of excitement at finally getting to wreck him.
Whether Virgil was going to die of embarrassment or lee first was anyone’s guess, but all he knew was he was going to die of something that day. His face was so red it could be mistaken for a tomato, and it spread to his neck and ears at this point. The emo side’s lee mood had grown so big that it was becoming more all-consuming than a lee mood already was normally. So maybe he might die of both at the same time if the other sides didn’t hurry the fuck up and wreck him.-
“So… pick a spot Emo Nightmare,” the good creativity said calmly after a few seconds of silent anticipation of what was to come (well the anticipation was mainly on Virgil’s end but shhh)
“WHAT?! NONONONO I JUST ASKED YOU FUCKING ASS!” the anxious side exclaimed in disbelief before slamming his head down on the ground in exasperation.
Did Roman just live to embarrass him? He made him ask and now he’s making him pick a spot. He’s basically making him tell where he wants to be wrecked the most and that’s completely illegal.
“Well now you’re being bratty again, should we make you ask again?” the logical side asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.
“…don’t make me say those fucking words again,” Virgil said, face somehow flushing even redder at the idea of being made to ask again, avoiding eye contact with the other sides. He was beyond mortified at this point, all the other sides had heard him ask to be wrecked, were going to make him pick a spot, and now they heard him admit to not wanting to say that fucking word again. He wanted to crawl inside a hole and stay there for the next 4,000 years.
“C’mon kiddo, just say any spot! You’re so ticklish that any spot will be great!” the paternal side said, accidentally teasing his son.
“Patton whyyyyyyyyy” Virgil whined while trying to hide his face in his shoulder as best he could, embarrassed at the moral side’s words.
“What?! It’s true kiddo!”
“No, it’s not”
Virgil wasn’t pouting. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not at all. He was big, bad anxiety who didn’t pout, no matter how much he may have thought it was unfair that they were being so mean to him.-
“Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” the emo side groaned in frustration and embarrassment, from the other sides still not wrecking him and the father figure words, before whispering, “…sides.”
As soon as the word left his mouth Remus pounced on him, literally. The impulsive side tackled his twin brother of the emo and replaced him by straddling his waist and squeezing Virgil’s sides.
The emo bit his lip to try and keep his laughter in, but it was no use; he was already too keyed up from anticipation for him to not laugh.
“Wahaihihit noho!”
“Oh, but we’re just getting started, Virgil,” the logical side said, smirking as he saw the emo’s eyes widen in panic when he saw the logical side calmly walking towards him.
“Just remember, you asked for this kiddo,” Patton said before walking towards his son with an innocent yet slightly sinister grin on his face. He was so excited to finally get to wreck his son to pieces! Virgil often came to him when he was in lee moods and it was so adorable! Now he got to share that adorableness with the rest of the sides!
Janus was already behind him and was spreading four out of his six arms to wreck the ex-dark side. He wiggled all of his available fingers where Virgil could see them. He relished in the way his face flushed an even darker red before he closed his eyes to avoid seeing the teasing, wiggling fingers.
The good half of creativity had since recovered from getting shoved off the lee and had climbed next to Virgil’s legs and had a hold of his ankle to keep him from kicking. As he did that, he stretched his leg out slightly in order to gain access to the backs of his knees.
“Wahihit Rohomahan nohoho!” the current lee cried out in panic at the knowledge that the fanciful side was going to tickle his knees.
“Why did I choose today to wear shorts?” Virgil thought to himself in regret before he remembered, “Oh yeah, I wanted to get wrecked. Well… fuck my life I guess”
Roman started scribbling his fingers on the backs of the emo’s side’s knees, listening to his,ironically, bright and cheerful laugh as he did so.
The tie wearing side finally walked all the way over to Virgil and kneeled next to him on the coach. He began scanning the darker side for a spot to tickle that wasn’t already being wrecked by the other sides. His eyes landed on his ribs, which were known to be a pretty bad spot on their own for the purple side, so tickling them combined with the other spots covered by the other sides were likely to make him go even further into hysterics.
“Virgil, how does it feel to know that you’re going to be tickled without mercy until you cry by 5 lers? Is it terrifying? Exciting? Exhilarating?” he said while summoning a notebook to write his answers down, eager to have more research.
The emo’s side flushed the reddest it’s ever been at Logan’s words and at seeing the notebook. He knew whatever he did was going to be observed and recorded for the logical side to look back on when he was collecting more data on the side’s reactions to certain aspects in tickling.
“Lohohogahan, nohoho!” he laughed harder, becoming more giddy by the second, feeling the logical side’s eyes drifting up and down his body. Virgil knew the tie wearing side was going to try and collect data from him, but he didn’t expect him to ask questions.
“Logan, yes!,” the dark blue side exclaimed, uncharacteristically excited and child-like at the opportunity to collect more data.
“You know Virgil, you still haven’t responded to my question, would you mind doing so now?”, the left brain side questioned. He finally kneeled down next to Virgil and began to squeeze his ribs while observing the emo’s reactions to him doing so.
“Yehehes Ihihi wohouhuhuld mihihind! Shuhut uhuhup!”
“Oh kiddo, well now that’s just flat out rude! You should know better than to be such a meanie!”, the paternal side scolded. “I think you need to be taught another lesson, it’s the only way you’re gonna learn after all!”
“Yes, it would be a good incentive to answer my question, seeing as how he doesn’t seem to want to be cooperative. It would also be beneficial to my research to see how he would react to your ‘punishment’.”
“Wahahaihit nohoHOHOHO!” Virgil tried to say before he was thrown into even deeper hysterics from the father figure had started scribbling his fingers on his stomach.
All of the other sides all mentally, and some verbally, awwed at the normally dark and pessimistic side’s bright and happy laughter.
With Janus scribbling Virgil’s armpits with 5 arms, Roman tracing his knees, Patton scratching at his tummy, Logan squeezing his ribs, and Remus digging into his sides, Virgil was, well… losing his fucking mind.
“GUHUHUYS! HAHAHAHA!”
“Uh, guys- I think we should give him a break. His face is as red as my sash and he’s kind of wheezing.-” the fanciful said, sounding very concerned at his friend’s current state.
“Oh kiddo, are you okay?”, Patton questioned as he pulled his hands back from their place on his stomach. He knew the darker side could take a lot but he didn’t know if he could take that many tickles, especially with so many lers.
All the other sides slowly began to move their hands away when the rest of them noticed that the fanciful was right. They each looked at him as they all backed away, concern visible in their eyes.
“Virgil, would you like a glass of water?”, the logical side asked, voice surprisingly soft and almost motherly.
The emo side nodded his head, still too lost in residue giggles to respond verbally. Virgil’s brain was practically melted from all the ghost sensations still tingling all over his body.
“We didn’t go too far did we, my little shadowling?” the deceitful side asked, being genuine for once. Him and the emo side may not have been that close anymore, but Janus still deeply cared for him and wanted to make sure he was okay.
“Yehehes, ohoho gohohod,” the purple side giggles out, still a bit loopy on endorphins from laughing so much.
If the emo side was being completely honest, his lee mood still wasn’t gone. He still wanted more tickles. He wanted to be wrecked more than he already had been, and more than he ever had been before.
As all the sides stepped back a bit to give him some room to breathe the emo side managed to say through his giggles, “Noho dohont gohoho,wahant mohohore tihicklehes!”
The other 5 sides felt their jaws drop at his words. He wanted… more tickles? Man he really was in a giant lee mood. After they all got over the shock of his words, the five sides grinned wider than the cheshire cat.
“More? You want more tickly tickly tickles, Virgey?”, the green side said, as he slowly walked towards the lee again with wiggling fingers.
“Yehehes!”, the emo side exclaimed, still clearly loopy from the endorphins.
The five lers all awwed at endorphin high Virgil and him being so open about wanting more tickles. Just when the rest of them thought that the emo side couldn’t be even cuter, he did this. Even Logan had to admit that the sight was adorable.
“Okay kiddo, how about this? We’ll give you alllllll the tickles you could ever want after you calm down a bit more. How does that sound?!”
“Gohohod!”, the emo side giggled out, as excited as they’ve ever seen him before. He started taking deeper breaths to try and calm down quicker so he could get his second round of tickles even sooner.
As soon as he came down from his endorphins rush the purple side’s face flushed red as he remembered what he said stuttering out embarrassed excuses. “I didn’t mean that!-” and “I was lying!-” were the most common excuses he made.
None of the other sides believed him.
As they shouldn’t have, as Virgil still had a wide, wobbly smile on his face from the anticipation of knowing he was going to be wrecked again.
“You see, Virgil, you still haven’t answered my previous question. Why don’t you answer it now?”the dark blue side asked teasingly. Logan smirked as he saw the way that the emo side’s face flushed an even darker red, traveling all the way to his neck and ears. He knew the emo couldn’t handle answering his questions for his research, and he used this fact quite frequently. Teasing always made it worse for the purple side, it was almost too much for him to handle. It was almost mean to tease the embodiment of anxiety, especially when he was this worked up and flustered in the first place.
“Uh, how about I don’t do that?-”, the anxious said quickly, not wanting to have to tell Logan how excited he was to have five lers to wreck and tease him until he was a red, flustered, hysterical mess.
“So Panic! at the Everywhere, you say you want more tickles, then you deny wanting said tickles. What’s wrong, a little flustered? Are we teasing you too much? Can big, bad anxiety not handle a few simple teases or questions from his own personal tickle monsters? Oh, what a pity, and were going to have so much fun with you too! We were going to scribble our fingers on your tummy, lightly scratch our fingers on your toes, squeeze your thighs, poke your sides, skitter our fingers on the backs of your knees! Now we won’t get to do any of that, and that’s such a pity for all of us!”, the fanciful side teased, glancing at Virgil every so often to see how red his face would go at his words.
Roman certainly wasn’t disappointed with the emo side’s reaction. He started kicking again, face flushing red and it spreading to his neck and ears, giggles spilled out of his mouth against his will from anticipation, shaking his head, and tugging on his arms while half heartedly begging to be let go.
“Nohoho, Prihihincehey stahap beheihing mehean!”, the patchwork clad hoodie side pleaded, giggling from anticipation and Roman’s mean teasing. It just wasn’t fair- I mean c’mon, Virgil was anxiety, you’re really going to make him wait? How mean could someone possibly be?
“Kiddo, do you want more tickles?”, the paternal side asked tenderly, not intending to tease his son, just merely wanting to make sure he actually wanted them before five lers were wrecking him again.
The emo side shyly nodded his head before turning to hide his very red face in his shoulder. He couldn’t handle the others seeing him so flustered, despite the others having seen him just as flustered before. The only difference was they were all together this time. They all were seeing him, face the most red it had probably ever been, at the same time. It was almost too much embarrassment for Virgil to handle.
“Awwww! Gerard Gay really is adorable, isn’t he?!“, the fanciful side exclaimed excitedly before looking at the other four lers, bouncing on his heels a little from the adorable sight. He was just so excited cause he got to wreck the normally stoic and edgy emo more because said emo asked him too!
“You dorks need to shut the fuck up and help me wreck Tickle-Me-Emo,” the green side said before walking over to Virgil.
As Remus walked over to him, Virgil shook his head wildly, eyes wide open, legs kicking, and tugging on his arms. The purple side knew that the intrusive side was one the most merciless lers in the mind and he didn’t stop unless you were crying from laughter or begging for mercy. And he was walking right towards him again while Virgil was pinned down and couldn’t fight back like he normally could.
“I for one am curious as to why the little spiderling wants more tickles. Would you mind telling us, my little shadowling?”, the deceitful side questioned affectionately. He always loved to make Virgil say his fantasies as he knew how much it flustered him.
“Yehes Ihi wohouhuld mihihind”
“Too bad, you’re telling us Robert Downey Jr.”
Virgil whined, knowing he wasn’t getting out of this as easily, and that the other sides wouldn’t be satisfied with his answer unless he gave specific details. All he wanted was to be wrecked again, was that too much to ask?
Apparently it was.
The emo side groaned, far too gone in his lee mood to not get more tickles. He took a deep breath, trying to gather up the courage and willpower to speak again. He was gonna die from embarrassment, he just knew it.
Virgil took a breath and replied, “Uhuhum, Ihi lihike beheihing toho weheak toho fihighihit bahack ahand beheihing fohorcehed toho lahauhugh.” His face flushed to the same shade as Roman’s sash as he said this, knowing that they were never going to let him live this down. He glanced up to see the logical side writing his words down. The emo side could feel all of their eyes on him, looking him up and down, their eyes drilling into his worst spots, just begging to be able to wreck him for a second time and make his lee fantasy come true.
Remus shockingly wasn’t the first side to move towards the blushy side, it was Logan. The logical side was normally the last one to move towards the lee he was wrecking, often too busy observing the lee to actually wreck them until they were begging for him to do anything.
Logan was excited to wreck Virgil again, and he was showing it in his own way by rushing over to him. The logical side kneeled down next to the emo side’s stomach and rolled his shirt up to his ribs. He was looking at the spot, appearing almost rabid with need. The tie-clad side’s ler mood had gotten even stronger at the lee’s words, and Logan needed to wreck him now. The more he waited the worse the more his ler mood grew.
Janus pinned the emo side’s arms above his head once again with two of his arms, the other four resting above his ribs and armpits. Patton kneeled next to his ‘son’s’ knees as he hovered his hands over the spot. Roman straddled the purple side’s thighs again, pinning his legs down with his weight as he looked down at the current lee’s stomach. Remus was moving towards Virgil’s feet, sitting on his calves so he couldn’t pull his feet back, nor kick his legs at all, he pulled his toes back with one hand and rested the other on his foot.
The anticipation was going to kill the anxious side. As each of the sides walked to get in their positions Virgil’s face steadily got redder and his smile became more difficult to fight off. He was so close to getting what wanted again, yet the other sides were stopping as soon as they got into their positions.
“Guhuys pleheahase! Juhust doho ihit ahalreheady!”, the emo side begged, giggling from anticipation.
“I mean… he did say please,” the fatherly side stated. As much as Patton loved teasing his son, he wanted to actually wreck him now. He wanted to give his son what he wanted, so he was going to.
“Padre’s right. He’s been so polite recently and he answered Calculator Watch’s question, we should reward him for being such a good lee.”
The other 3 sides nodded in agreement as they exchanged glances with each other, shit eating grins on all their faces. As they looked at each other they nodded, communicating without speaking.
“Three…”
“Two…”
“ONE!”
As soon as they yelled out the last number they all pounced on the emo side. Janus scratching at his ribs and armpits, switching between lighter and rougher tickles. Roman fluttering his fingers on his stomach, keeping all his touches feather light. Remus scritching at his toes, never giving the emo side a break from the tickly sensations and keeping him on his toes, literally. Patton alternated between squeezing each of his knees, not letting his son get used to the sensations. Logan alternated between squeezing his sides and helping the fanciful wreck the anxious side’s stomach.
Virgil arched his back as he screamed in laughter. He had never experienced such intense ticklish sensations, especially not all at once. He couldn’t even process all the sensations coursing through his body and he swore he was going to explode from them.
“N-NAHAHA! GUHUHAHAHA!”, the emo side screeched desperately, not even able to form words anymore. All he could do is throw his head back in laughter and take it. His body wouldn’t let him squirm, far too overwhelmed by all the sensations being forced upon it.
He loved it.
The emo side hadn’t felt that care free in a long time. It was… nice to be able to let go and laugh and not have to worry about anything else then the tickly sensations attacking your body and having laughter forced out. It was something that the normally grumpy and edgy side truly needed.
“IHI- IHI CAHAHA! HAHAHA!”
The five lers looked at each other, slightly concerned. They knew the patchwork hoodie-clad side had asked for this, but wasn’t he reaching his limit? This was a lot for anyone, especially for the embodiment of anxiety who wasn’t used to physical touch.
“Kiddo, are you okay? Do you need a break?”
“IHIM F-FIHAHAHA!”, his words once again got lost in the midst of his hysterical laughter. Even though he couldn’t finish his sentence he was telling the truth, he was fine. Actually he was better than fine. He was amazing. This was exactly what he wanted, to be tickled to his limits, to not be able to fight back. Some people might say it was extreme but his lee mood was too bad to really care about that. Not that he could actually think, his mind was too busy trying to process what he was feeling to think many coherent thoughts.
At his words the other sides continued to wreck him for a few more minutes until the emo side cried out “S-SAHAND- SAHANDEHER-.”
They all pulled back immediately as they heard the safeword. All five lers looked at the emo side to see if he needed anything at that moment before he could speak coherently again. The fanciful side got off of his hips and the deceitful side let go of his arms and slowly worked the lee’s arms down from their position.
As soon as Virgil was free to move again he curled into a ball to protect his spots, still feeling ghost sensations all over his body. He was still giggling from ghost sensations on his stomach, knees, feet, armpits, and ribs.
“Ohoho gohod, thahat wahas amahazihinig! Thahank yohouhu guhuys!”
The other sides awwed at him again. He was just too cute for the others to handle sometimes. The normally stoic and edgy side was giggling and thanking them for tickles, it was just adorable and the paternal side wished he could take a picture of the sight of a flustered, giggling Virgil.
“Would you like anything? Water? Snacks?”, the logical side questioned, immediately slipping back into his almost motherly role with Virgil.
The wrecked side shook his head and just giggled as he said “Cuhuhddlehes?!”
There he was again, being adorable. The other sides awwwed again as they walked back over to the emo side to give him what they wanted cause…
How could they say no to that?
82 notes · View notes
uhhhhyandere · 4 years
Note
I love, love, love you ❤️ I was hoping I could request where the main character begs for Yandere Light to let her get a doggo bc she’s so lonely since he made her quit a job. Like full on having a full ass fit. I’m talking full blown brat shit. Just how he would react and what she would have to do to convince him if you catch that drift 😏😉
yeah, i know what i said in my last post. whatever. never believe anything that comes out of my stupid mouth i am the single biggest sob in the universe. 
um… i took this in a… direction to say the least. someone has to stop me from riding suck n’ ride smut bc… it always goes like this. 
next light smut there is going to be ass-eating or i swear to god my name isn’t kerry literally all im thinking about is giving him a rimjob. really. this is where we are at folks. 
warnings: smut, face fucking (oops), dick sucking, sex, rough sex. he not happy boi
word count: 3.5k 
All you did was watch dog videos anymore. Of course, you watched them because you literally had little else to do during the day, but you just… happened to be more open about it when Light came through the door. Did it have anything to do with the fact you’ve been thinking about getting a furry friend to keep you company from the silence of an empty house and the dark recesses of your mind?
No, of course not. It had nothing at all to do with it, and it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that if you ask him directly, he would say no before any more words could breach the air. You would have to be creative, because when Light said “no,” there was no more argument, and you wanted this argument.
“A Pug. Wow. Beautiful.”
“Look, it’s a—it’s a Corgi. Oh my—wow. That’s amazing.”
You’d play around with different sizes.
“This Mastiff? This gentle giant? Can do nothing wrong.”
“This Bichon matches with the snow!”
And you’d talk about listings you just happened to see online from the local shelters.
“This one—wow. All of her shots. She looks so nice. Oh, and potty trained! What a girl. Damn.”
“He’s sitting down—oh a paw. I see a paw. Can he do the other paw? Oh, yes he can. Also has all his shots. Wonderful.”
Considering the man you lived with, you were pretty positive that he figured out your intentions day one or day two max. It’s been about a week since you’ve been… outgoing in your interest. At this point, it was a game as to who would break first. You bet he was waiting for you to get annoyed with his ignoring of anything you said related to the subject with how blatant he was with shirking you off, forcing you to simply ask.
You weren’t going to make it so easy on him. Though he happened to be the king of hiding his emotions, you knew you had to be getting to him. Light would never admit it, and he would certainly never show it. He wanted to keep that satisfaction as far away from you as possible.
So, you turned up the heat.
Before, you would break off the dog topic after a time, wanting to etch it in your daily schedule only bits at a time. Now? It’s the only thing you talk about, no matter the actual subject at hand.
“There’s another event we have to—.”
“The animal shelter is having an event in the park next week for adoptions.”
“I’m going to have to go for groceries soon.”
“Look at this weenie dog dressed in a weenie costume.”
“I—.”
“Doggo cute.”
It was only a matter of time until—.
“This French Bulldog is—.”
“Y/N.” His voice was clear, demanding. Even after all this time, like a teacher scolding elementary students, it immediately brought you to silence. You sat on your shared bed, legs crossed, as he leered down at you from the bathroom. “I would say it was cute at first, but you know it’s a waste of time to try asking anything indirectly. As if I would succumb to your manipulation, but I let you carry on. You would get bored. You would stop and think and realize that it was pointless to keep it up, but you persisted. I thought to myself maybe you were just trying to see if I would crack and give you the satisfaction of indulging in your antics, and I was right.
“It begs the question. Why didn’t you just ask directly? Easy. Because I would say no, and you would be correct. To allow something else besides me your devotion? Not likely. But what? Did you think showing me videos of Shibu Inus and Pomeranians would make me want one first? You have the logic of a six-year-old, Y/N,” Light began to unbutton his shirt, “Did you honestly think it would work? Or did you simply want to get a rise out of me?” He removed the shirt entirely, then lifted his undershirt over his head just as easily. Light tossed the fabric into the hamper, leaving a pale, lithe abdomen on display. He turned to fully face you and took two easy steps forward. “Why would you want one in the first place? Have I not given my fiancée enough attention recently? Is this your way of getting back at me, hm?”
You were almost at an even height to his belt buckle, but you did your best to ignore that as his eyes demanded attention upwards. His gaze was near malicious, but not quite so. Ah. Lascivious. That’s what they were. You swallowed the knot out of your throat.
“Y-you wish.”
“Your hesitation is very resounding. Then, if you’re so sure, indulge me. Don’t tell me you wanted a distraction from your loving husband-to-be. I know you didn’t want something else to focus on besides me when I’m away at work, so tell me. Tell me why you desired a filthy, shedding ball of fur. Your answer may earn you some mercy.”
You unfolded your legs from underneath you as your foot began to numb under the weight of your leg. Your hands glided back and forth on your thighs. Was there a point in lying? No, scratch that. Was there a point in lying to someone who already knew the truth? Well, his own truth that Light would undoubtedly make yours. There was little purpose in making it worse on yourself.
“No, you’re—uh—right.” Light set his hands on his hips.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I’m just… lonely when you’re at work. So… yeah.” You risked a peek upwards. Oh, geez the smirk on that fucker. “I’m sorry.” His arms rose from his hips to cross over his chest.
“For?”
“Huh?”
“What are you sorry for? Annoying me for days with your drivel? Wanting a mutt? Lying?” You furrowed your brows. “Oh, that one confused you, hm? Alright, well, if you won’t admit it, I can do it for you. Lonely-“ he scoffed- “You can’t be serious. Such a blatant lie from your lips. The second time you are insulting my intelligence. I’ll ask one more time. Where does your motivation lie?”
“I’m not lying!” You hissed, jumping off the mattress to stand. “What—just what am I supposed to do all day cooped up in this place like a goddamned prisoner? Clean? The place is clean. Cook? As if you’d even let me try. Watch TV? My brain is rotting. You don’t even let me help kids with math anymore online. Just what am I to do? Next thing I may just throw myself out the window—,” Hands gripped your shoulders, causing a slight pain at the intensity.
“You think I’d let you? I expect you to stay here and be good and thankful that you are where you are. I, just as much as you, know—knew women who died to be in your shoes, and you’re ungrateful to be alive and safe? You want more?” You tried to shrug out of his grip, and he allowed you to take the steps away from him.
“I’m asking to be a human being, for fuck’s sake! I’m going to sit here and go crazy. Isn’t it enough that I don’t fuck with the rules anymore? I’m quiet. I don’t say anything. I put every façade you ask me to. All I want is something for me! Something to distract me from literally going insane here! To distract me from everything.”
 Light’s eyes sometimes spoke more truth than his mouth ever could. Right about now, the browns were all-consuming, aflame with ire, but his lips were upturned in a challenge.
“A distraction. Caught in a lie, Y/N. Bad form, even for you. After all this time, you still can’t face reality, dearest. I knew you’ve been pitting your mind in some gutter you call the truth. Makes this all easier to accept, but to go to the physical extent? I won’t allow it, and you won’t be able to recess your mind for long, so enjoy that pleasure while you can.” He paused, countenance recessing to something more composed. “You love me, don’t you, Y/N?”
“Yes.” There was no hesitation, no lie in that affirmation. It was the easiest of his questions to answer. “I love you.” Light inhaled deeply, chest flexing with the exhale.
“With love comes compromise, correct?” You responded with a glare. His tone was all too insinuating. “So, let’s compromise, yes? I hate arguing with you.” He reached an arm out, hand open. Your eyes glanced between the extended limb and his eyes before cautiously taking it. His hand squeezed and pulled you in tight. Light twisted and adjusted you so when he fell onto the bed, you landed comfortably on his lap. Releasing your hand, he brought his own up to gingerly glide his fingers across your cheek, a trail of bumps in its wake as it curled into your locks. Almost like a lover. Almost.
His fingers seized the strands and pulled, forcing your head back and opening your neck for his mouth to latch. “Then compromise, dearest. Prove to me what you think you deserve.” He spoke against your skin, open-mouth kisses with a hint of teeth between his words. “And I’ll make judgement.” His hand let go of your hair and traced to the back of your skull to slant your lips onto his impatient ones. The other wrapped itself to pull your body closer until he pushed you off with an unexpected force, almost knocking you to the ground.
From the unbalanced position, you watched him adjust his position to lie in the center of the bed, head angled to watch you from the pillows with both his hands as another cushion for his crown. Light smirked, watching you stand straight. “Well, go on. Compromise.” 
Light was never on the bottom. It was non-negotiable. Being anything else was utterly unacceptable for a god. This situation, despite the physical placement of both bodies, was no different. You may be the one crawling on top of him, fiddling with his belt buckle, but he had every bit of this situation in his control. Under his watchful gaze, you removed the strip of leather and threw it across the room.
“You’re going to have to help me here,” you muttered after undoing the fly. Wordlessly, he obliged, allowing you to slip the trousers off of his person. You glanced at his feet. Thank god he took his shoes off already, so he only lied in his boxers.
No, you would never be accustomed to this.
“You always look like it’s your first time,” he remarked. “As if you haven’t seen my cock before. From my recollection, you should be quite familiar with it by now.” You inhaled sharply. “Unless you don’t want to compro—.”
“Shut up,” you hissed, crawling to straddle his legs. “Just be quiet,” you said more quietly. You reached out to rub the only half-erect cock through the fabric. Only small groans were elicited above you. Light was not a noisy one, to say the least. It took your first, painful, terrible experience of deep-throating to even get him to moan fully.
“Do you think teasing is going to get you anywhere?” His voice is always composed during sex, and it really was alarming because… you really couldn’t relate. You glowered, fingers digging under the waistband and pulling. He helped again, lifting so you can get the fabric off. “If you think you’re doing anything fully clothed, I should take a cold shower.”
You made quick work of taking the layers of comfort clothes you had on, off. “You really know how to put on a show,” he deadpanned.
“Shut. Up.” You returned to your position, seeing his cock now fully erect from your previous work. You were sure you were wet, but you ignored it as best you could. You had a feeling you would not be serviced tonight. Before you can even lean down, he spoke again.
“Beg for it. Beg for the honor of sucking my cock. Convince me you deserve it if you believe you are so entitled.” There was not a single physical restriction to keep you from taking it into your mouth, but his words were powerful enough to keep you still. Light was daring you to try and misbehave, and you really couldn’t help the physical reaction his words always do to you.
“Please—,”
“Pathetic. I can have any girl in my bed. I can stick my cock in any person interested, and here you are, an ungrateful brat who wants more. You’re making quite an unremarkable argument for yourself. Perhaps I will take away—.”
“Please, Light. Allow me the honor of sucking your cock, of you fucking my throat. I want the privilege of swallowing your seed. Fuck—please. I’ll do anything.” You leaned down close, but not touching anything. You only lifted your eyes up to his. “Please. I know I’ve been bad. Please, let me make up for it.”
Your words in bed were always forced. He knew you hated dirty talk as much as you did, therefore he always made you speak, always made you confess how much you craved him, wanted him, and whenever you spoke it was hardly ever in lies. Your embarrassment was too prominent in your body language to tell him otherwise.
“Go on, then. Show me.” You licked up his length first, then around the head and back down. “Teasing will get you nowhere,” he repeated. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes and took him in, inch by inch. Light was incredibly average despite his ego. It wasn’t impossible to fit the entire length into your mouth with slow adjustment, but that didn’t mean it was fun. You would continue to work his length, getting more and less intense with your pressure and the speed your head bobbed. Still, there was little reaction from him, not there really never was any mind the grunts you could make out. Your inclinations to keep going, and you did until you pulled back.
“How’s—,” His hand was at the back of your head immediately, forcing your head back down, pushing his cock down your throat, pushing until you could feel his balls against your chin. No hair. He was pristine down there. You convulsed, gagged, choked, but he did not release his grip. Hand keeping its hold, he dragged your head up just a hair enough to thrust upwards. Water began to pool at the waterline of your eyes. You had to relax your throat, or this was going to be just worse.
But it was hard, so hard at the pace he was thrusting at. You squeezed your eyes shut and took it the best you can. Listening to his quiet grunts and groans, you forced your lips to continue covering your teeth, but you could not force your throat to loosen. Drool pooled at both sides of your mouth, carelessly falling into both him and the sheets along with the liquid of your tears. 
“Your throat is so fucking tight. That’s it. Choke on my cock. This is what your dirty mouth deserves.” Your limited experience could be to blame for its restricting. That, or the selfishness of the man whose grip on your hair tightened even more right before he allowed you to breathe once more.
And breath you did. Gasping, reeling for air as drool continued to leak down. From beneath your hair, you looked at Light, his eyes wild and alive with lust. Small heaves from his smiling mouth mixed with your wet and heavy ones. “Do you think you deserved that, dearest?” You finally wiped your mouth and shook the spit from your arm. “You’re lucky I am so generous. Come. For doing such a decent job.” His hands patted his hips. Swollen eyes met his. “Ride me, before I change my mind and fuck you into the mattress.”
Regaining some semblance of control, you moved to straddle his length. “Oh, your pussy is glistening. Did me fucking your throat really do that much to you? You loved to be controlled, don’t you?” You did not answer, shaky hands guiding his cock so you can sink onto it. You groaned at the feeling. “Tell me how good it makes you feel. How only I can make you feel like this.” You bit your lip, sinking down another inch or so.
“God, Light. Your cock feels so good. Only yours can make me feel like this. No one—no man, no woman, no person—can make me feel anything—like—this—fuck!” You sunk down to the hilt before you lifted yourself again, easing yourself up and down his length. “It’s so good—so good.” Light allowed you more time but decided your gentle pace was not enough to soothe him. He roughly grabbed you and flipped your positions.
“Too slow, Y/N. What did I say about teasing?” He brought his hips back and then snapped them into yours. You screamed, and you wondered if the neighbors would call again, but his pace did not relent.
“Light—please. It’s too—too much! It’s too fast. I can’t…” He smiled, a wicked grin over you.
“And you won’t. Don’t you dare think about cumming. I decided you don’t deserve it. This is your compromise. You get to live, marry, and get fucked by me, and only by me, and I will only have eyes for you. You’ll never feel like you need a… distraction again.” You clenched your teeth and pushed your head farther into the pillows. “I feel you clenching onto me. Don’t you dare think about disobeying me.” His thrusts were even, balanced.
“Please, please, please let me cum. It feels too good. You feel too good. I’ll do anything.”
“Then don’t cum.” You threw your hands back and gripped the headboard, feeling it rock in rhythm to his thrusts. They were beginning to become, sloppy, wild, he was close while you were holding back for dear life. “Y/N. You are mine and mine alone. Your body. Your actions. Your mind. I am the only thing you are allowed to think about.” With one final push, his seed released, filling and coating your insides. He rode it out, making sure every drop stayed. He hated to have to wash the sheets after, though your drool stains remained.
Pulling out, he retreated and stood, ignoring your writing, unfulfilled form. “Come. You aren’t going to sleep like—get those hands away from there. Let’s get you clean before you ruin the sheets even more.” Like before, he extended his hand to your heaving form. “Alright, alright, I’ll take care of you, but you need to get cleaned up first.” An unstable hand fit into his own. His gently pulled you to stand and allowed you to lean your weight onto his.
Hot water cascaded down your body. Though Light effortlessly scrubbed washed his hair, you could not bring yourself to match his speed, and by the time he was already done, you hadn’t even washed your body yet. You heard an incomprehensible mutter amidst the running water as he left you alone. He was washing his face as you finally emerged, wrapped in your towel. No romance tonight, you figured. Not that it was any different than any other night. You followed, brushing your teeth, washing your face, and taking your pills while he huddled in bed.
You could only dream of romance anymore. Getting your pajamas on, you approached the empty side of the bed. Before you could get on, Light shifted, opening his arms and staring at you expectantly. You froze. Did… did he want…? “Well, come on.” Ah. Was this supposed to be the ‘I’ll take care of you,’ he mentioned earlier? You supposed he would never wash you in the shower, so this would have to be it. You swallowed and fell into them, feeling his arm wrap you close to him so you lied nearly on your stomach, face buried in the crook between his neck and shoulders. His arm lied around your neck, the other near your elbow on the arm that sprawled on his chest. Oh, hello? What is this?
Ah. This is the quote-on-quote, attention he promised as a fiancé. His eyes remained closed as you stared. How forced was this? You wondered if he hated it, if he saw it was succumbing to your wishes, but it was unlikely. Perhaps it was him showing the physical love outside of sex that you lacked thinking it would keep you from having another outburst as you did before. Him keeping his side of the compromise so you would keep yours.
You allowed yourself to close your eyes before you thought too hard about his actions. The more you thought about it, the more—and less—real it all became, but if he was offering more conventional couple things: cuddling, dates, attention, you would not pose another argument.
“So, no dog?” you whispered.
924 notes · View notes
malarkay · 3 years
Text
To Walk With Dreams and Darkness
Chapter two up!  For the perusal of the two of you who are actually seeing this and, presumably, reading it.  Thanks, gatorkid509 and yami268!
Chapter 2: Goodbyes and Greetings
Piper pushed her eggs around her plate as she tried to decide how to tell her family about her being magical.  "Hey, eat up," Robert told her as he deposited a pancake onto her plate and dusted it with confectioner sugar.  "Florence said the train leaves at 11:00 sharp, with or without you on it."
 "I'm just not very hungry," she told him as he gave Finn and Aaron each a pancake before returning to the stove to get a new batch from Agatha.  She had barely finished her sentence before Finn snatched the pancake from her plate.  "Hey!"
 "What?  You said you aren't hungry.  I am!"
 "Finn, we do not steal food off other people's plates in this house," Agatha chided from where she was pouring the last bit of batter into the pan.
 "But she didn't want it!"
 "Yes, I did!"
 "You're only saying that because I took it!"
 "It's a pancake! Of course I wanted it!"
 "Then don't say you're not hungry!"
 "You don't have to be hungry to eat a pancake!"
 "It helps!"
 Beside Finn, Aaron just shook his head slowly as he quietly ate his own breakfast.  Robert came back and gave her two pancakes, then added another one to Aaron's plate.
 "What about me?"
 Robert gave Finn 'The Look' and waited.
 "May I please have another pancake?"
 "Yes, you may, thank you for asking so politely," Robert told him, giving him one more.  He added the rest to his own plate while Agatha came to join them with her own.  
 "Are you excited, Piper?" she asked.
 "Nervous."
 "That's understandable. I think everyone is feeling a bit out of sorts this morning," Agatha said, looking at Finn, whose brow was furrowed in a frown as he shovelled food into his mouth.
 "You're going to be just fine," Robert said.  "People are going to love you."
 She smiled at him, and breakfast finished up without any further arguments.
 Ms Davies arrived a little after 9:00 and pulled her aside as Robert loaded her things into the boot of their car.  "Have you told them?"
 "Not yet.  I didn't want them to think I was crazy, so I thought I'd wait until we get to King's Cross Station.  If what Professor Skeelur told me about how to get onto the platform is right, then there's no denying that magic is real when they see it for themselves."
 "Well, you're not wrong about that," Ms Davies agreed.
 All six of them couldn't fit into one car, so they split up for the ride to King's Cross.  She and Aaron went with Ms Davies, while the Wrights took Finn with them.
 "Promise me you'll write," Aaron told her as they drove.
 "Of course I'll write," she assured him.
 "Every week."
 "I'll do my best, as long as you do the same."
 "I will.  And if you have any problems with any of the other kids and you can't handle it, not that you won't be able to handle it, but if you can't, let me know.  I'll come up there, and I'll deal with them!"
 She laughed.
 "I mean it!"
 "I know you do. That's very sweet, but I don't think you're going to have to."
 Once at King's Cross, they reunited with the others.  "Where'd you put your ticket, Piper?" Robert asked her.  "We need the platform number."
 "Um, about that," Piper said, pulling her ticket out of the messenger bag she had slung over her shoulder.  "There's something you need to know first."
 "You're having second thoughts?" Finn asked.
 "No.  It's just the school I'm going to; it's no ordinary school."
 "Pfft, okay, we knew that already.  It's for super-smart kids like you," Finn said dismissively.
 "Not exactly. It's, well, it's easier if I show you. We need to get to Platform 9 ¾."
 She watched for their reactions.  Robert and Agatha exchanged concerned glances before looking to Ms Davies for confirmation. Aaron looked confused while Finn laughed.  "Good one, Piper.  Seriously, is it platform 9 or 10?"
 "Platform 9 ¾," Ms Davies confirmed.  "You have to run at the wall that separates platforms 9 and 10."
 "I'm sorry? Florence, we've known each other a long time, but this sounds absurd," Robert said.
 "You want us to run into a wall?" Agatha asked.
 "No, I want us to run through a wall."
 The Wrights still looked rightfully sceptical, so Piper spoke up.  "Let's just go, and then Aaron, Finn and I will show you."  
 Robert shook his head but gestured for her to lead the way.  "Alright, but I really don't want to spend the rest of the day in hospital while the three of you get patched up."
 For their parts, Aaron and Finn looked excited at the prospect of either running through or into a brick wall.  When they got to the column between the two platforms, they backed up to give themselves a good running start.  "Okay, on the count of three," Aaron said.  "One."
 "You're really not even a little bit hesitant?" she asked them.
 "No, we trust you. Two."
 "This is the stupidest thing we've done all week!" Finn said, grinning.
 She glanced over to her foster parents.  Agatha was shielding her eyes from what she must assume would be imminent disaster. Robert stood with a hand covering his mouth, looking perplexed.
 "Three!"
 They raced each other to the column, and when they reached the brick, there was a moment of darkness as they passed through, and then they were on the other side.  The platform was packed with families seeing their children off to school.  On the tracks behind them was the Hogwarts Express, an impressive-looking steam locomotive, all shiny red and black and looking brand new even though she had read that it was 150 years old.    
 "Awesome!" Finn yelled, drawing several eyes toward them.  "This…this is magic!  You're magic?"
 "I'm magic!"
 "The school you're going to is a magical school?"
 "Yes."
 "That's so cool! And unfair!  Why can't we be magic, too?"
 "It's a rare gift," Ms Davies said from behind them.  They turned to see that she and the Wrights had made the journey through the platform.  The Wrights were looking around as if they thought they were having a shared nervous breakdown.
 "Aww."
 "By the way, the school isn't named Saint Cyprian's," Piper explained to the Wrights and Aaron while Finn was busy pouting.  "It's called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  When you write, just put my name and the school's name on the envelope and drop it into the post.  Professor Skeelur said it will get to me."
 "I don't understand. That professor didn't look like a wizard," Agatha said faintly.
 "To be fair, Ag, Piper doesn't look like a witch," Robert replied.
 "None of them do," Aaron said, looking around.  "Aren't witches supposed to be green?  With warts?"
 A girl a few years older than them shot him a dirty look as she passed, shaking her head. "Bloody stupid Muggles," she muttered under her breath.
 Piper crossed her arms, "That's just in the movies."
 "They do dress kinda funny, though," Finn said, getting over his disappointment.
 It was true.  While everyone was wearing Muggle clothes, not everyone was doing a very convincing job of it.  Most of the kids had managed to pull together a look that wouldn't raise too many eyebrows.  The same couldn't be said for the adults.   One woman in the crowd was wearing an elaborate ball gown, which wouldn't automatically be a problem except that it was 10:50 in the morning on a Wednesday.
 "Well, they do have their own world that's separate from ours," Piper reasoned. "It makes sense they dress a little differently."
 "As much as I'd love to stand here and discuss wizard fashion, we better get you and your luggage boarded," Robert said.  "The train leaves soon."
 Piper nodded and turned to Aaron first, hugging him.  "I'm going to miss you," she told him.
 "I'm going to miss you, too.  But you'll be back for Christmas.  And we're going to write each other all the time," he reminded her.  "It'll be like you never left!"
 She let him go and turned to Finn.
 "Well, I'm not gonna miss you even a little," Finn said.
 "Good, because I'm not going to miss you either."
 "I suppose you expect a hug."
 "This is the last time we're going to see each other for the next three and a half months, but I'm not going to twist your arm."
 He scoffed and hugged her, surprising her a little with the fierceness of it.  She hugged him back just as tightly, and he buried his face in her shoulder.  She felt a bit of dampness seep through her shirt.  "Are you crying?" she whispered, even as she felt her own eyes start to sting.  
 "No," he lied.
 They broke apart after a long moment, and Aaron threw an arm around Finn's shoulders as she went to hug Agatha goodbye.  She even hugged Ms Davies.  Once her goodbyes were said, she and Robert went and got her trunk settled into the luggage van.  After that, there was nothing left to do but board the train herself.
 Students crowded the corridor, congregating to greet old friends or looking for a compartment to settle down in.
 She picked her way slowly down the corridor, searching for a seat. The compartments were filling up fast, but she managed to come across one that carried only three occupants, two boys and a girl who all looked to be fellow incoming first years.
 "Do you mind if I sit in here?"
 The three looked at her appraisingly before exchanging glances, coming to an unspoken consensus. One of the boys, a stocky kid with shaggy brown hair, spoke, "Compartment's full."
 She put her hands on her hips, frowning at the blatant lie. If they didn't want her around, the least they could do was have the guts to be honest about it. "It doesn't look full to me."
 The group's spokesperson scowled, but it quickly shifted into a grin as he looked over her shoulder and waved to someone behind her. "Lark! Saved you a seat!"
 Piper glanced around and spotted the girl from the wand shop. Their eyes met, but if she recognized her, she did a good job of not showing it.  "How very thoughtful of you, Alex," she said dryly as she slipped past Piper to join them.
 "You know me, always thinking," the boy said.  "Besides, I haven't seen you since you've been back.  We've got a lot to catch up on."  He looked back to the doorway, feigning surprise that Piper was still there.  "I thought I already told you that there's no more room.  Find somewhere else to be.  Oh, and close the door for us on your way out, would you?"
 "Close it yourself!" Piper turned on her heels and stormed off. Her departure was met with a chorus of snickers from the group.  In her annoyance, she failed to watch where she was going and ended up nearly bowled over a lanky boy with ginger hair.
 "Whoa!" He reached out to take hold of her shoulders, steadying them both after their collision. "Are you alright?"
 "Yes, I'm fine," she snapped and immediately felt terrible.  "Sorry I ran into you," she told him more gently.
 "It's okay.  And are you sure you're fine?  Because I might not be if I had to deal with that gang of tossers."
 She looked up at him, wide-eyed. "You saw that?"
 "Yeah. You're better off, honestly. You don't want to be friends with them."
 "You know them?"
 "Well, no, not personally," he admitted with a slight frown. "More by reputation. Come on, let's find somewhere to sit, then we can talk more."
 She trailed along behind him until he found a compartment that was empty save for a blonde girl.
 "Mind if we join you?" he asked her.
 "Not at all. I'm Dierdra Macmillan."
 "Bill Weasley. And this is," he paused to let Piper introduce herself.
 "Piper Cochran," she said, sitting next to Dierdra. Bill sat across from them.
 "Is this your first year at Hogwarts?" Dierdra asked. They both nodded. "Mine, too. I can't wait! What House do you think you'll be sorted into?"
 "My mum and dad were both in Gryffindor," Bill answered. "It wouldn't surprise me if I'm put there."
 "My father was in Ravenclaw, my mother in Hufflepuff.  But I'm not sure where I'll be placed, honestly."
 Piper's face grew hot as they spoke. She curled up in her seat and tried to stay out of the conversation, but Bill had other plans.
 "I'd wager Piper is going to be sorted into Gryffindor. You should have seen how she had a run-in with a group of bullies and didn't let them intimidate her," he grinned.
 Dierdra's face twisted as if she'd been force-fed a lemon. "Bet I can guess who you're talking about. Alex Nott and his friends?  I saw them earlier."
 "Do you know him?"
 "Unfortunately. We're distant cousins on our mothers' sides.  Not distant enough for our paths to never cross, sadly.  He's always been an insufferable prat."
 "My condolences."
 "Thank you. Anyway, I don't understand why the Ministry is even allowing the children of Death Eaters to attend Hogwarts."
 Bill shrugged. "You can't really punish them for what their parents did, can you?"
 Piper chewed her lip as curiosity warred with her embarrassment over not understanding what they were talking about. In the end, curiosity won. "What's a Death Eater?"
 Dierdra looked at her in surprise before realization lit her face. "Oh, you're Muggle-born! Why didn't you say so? Death Eaters were followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
 Piper's lack of comprehension must have shown because Dierdra elaborated, "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a dark wizard who believed Pure-bloods should rule the world. A lot of good people who disagreed with that died in the war against him."
 Piper gaped at her, "There was a war? When?" How could there have been an entire war going on right under their noses, and they had never noticed?
 "It went on for practically our whole lives. It just ended last October when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was finally stopped. As for his followers, a lot of them have been sent to Azkaban."
 "And a lot of others managed to lie their way out of trouble," Bill added.
 "Or buy their way out of it," Dierdra added with distaste. "And who knows how many others are out there who haven't been caught yet?"
 "So those kids back there, you're saying their parents are Death Eaters?"
 Dierdra shrugged, "The Ministry suspected Thaddeus Nott of being one.  They even put him on trial, but in the end, they couldn't prove it. That's Alex's uncle, though.  They never suspected his father, but as someone who has met the man, I can tell you that the odds are good that he was one, too.  The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
 "The Cyclonis' definitely were," Bill said. "It was a real shock when that came out after they died. Cyneric Cyclonis had a good reputation within the Ministry. My dad works there, too.  He says a lot of people thought it was only a matter of time before he'd run for Minister for Magic and that he'd probably win."
 "How'd they die?"
 "No one knows. My dad says it was probably You-Know-Who," Bill answered.  "He'd do that, sometimes, kill his own followers if they upset him badly enough."
 "Was there never an investigation?"
 "There was, but…"
 "But what?"
 "But they were Death Eaters.  The Ministry wasn't going to put too much effort into solving the murder of a couple of Death Eaters, no matter how popular they may have been before their secret came out," Dierdra finished bluntly when Bill hesitated.
 "That's awful."
 "A lot of awful things happened in the war," Dierdra said, in a tone that suggested that the story they had just told her was amongst the least of them.
 Piper knew what it felt like to lose both parents. Dierdra may not feel any sympathy toward Lark, but Piper couldn't help it. But the way that Bill and Dierdra spoke made the Death Eaters sound more like terrorists than soldiers in a war. She couldn't make herself feel too bad for Lark's parents in that case. Still, it'd drive her crazy if her parents were murdered, and no one cared enough to find out who did it or why.
 "You still with us, Piper?"
 "Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking."
 "That was a lot of information we hit you with all at once," Bill said apologetically. "I'm sure the school library will have old copies of The Daily Prophet if you want to read up on the war. Some of the stories are pretty bad, though."
 Piper nodded, "I'll take a look. I want to be able to understand what people are talking about, after all."
 "You'll get used to the wizarding world pretty quickly," Dierdra assured her. "It can't be all that different from the Muggle one, can it?"
 Piper laughed. Just from what she'd seen so far, she knew they were very different. "You have no idea."
 "Anything off the trolley, dears?"
 Piper looked toward the door where a kindly looking old woman stood with a trolley laden with sweets.
 "I brought something from home, thank you," she said.
 "Me, too," Bill said.
 "What?" Dierdra sounded absolutely scandalized. "Piper, you at least have to get your first chocolate frog."  She hopped out of her seat and handed the trolley attendant some money. "Three chocolate frogs, please."
 She was handed three fancy looking boxes. She passed one to Piper, one to Bill, and retook her seat with the third.
 "Thanks, Dierdra, but you really didn't need to buy us anything," Piper said.
 "But I wanted to. Open it up! Each chocolate frog comes with a collectable card."
 Piper pulled off the seal that held the box closed and flipped open the lid. As she did, the chocolate frog within leapt right out of the box. She made a grab for it, snatching it out of midair before it could hit the ground.
 "Whoa, nice reflexes!" Bill exclaimed.
 She held the squirming frog out at arm's length. "Is it supposed to do that?" she yelped.
 Dierdra covered her mouth. She was trying not to laugh and not doing a good job of it. "Sorry! I know I should have warned you, but I really wanted to see your reaction."
 "The frogs are enchanted," Bill explained with a grin. "They're fine to eat once they stop moving."
 Piper tentatively opened her hand. Luckily, the frog's enchantment really had worn off, and she was able to put the now still frog back in the box after retrieving the card.
 She looked down at the pentagonal card. A blonde-haired woman wearing an old-fashioned aviator cap and goggles smiled up at her. At the bottom of the card read the name Jocunda Sykes. As she watched, the woman waved and snapped off a little salute.
 "They're animated!"
 "Well, sure, why wouldn't they be?"
 She flipped the card over. There was a little blurb about Jocunda's accomplishments printed there. She was the first witch the fly across the Atlantic Ocean on a broom back in 1935. Piper thought that sounded like a lot of fun.
 "Are we going to learn how to fly on a broom at Hogwarts?"
 "Of course! Not only that, but if you're any good at it, you can try out for your House Quidditch team."
 "Quidditch? Oh!  There was a shop in Diagon Alley that had that in its name, but I didn't think to ask what it meant."
 Dierdra and Bill grinned at each other.
 "You might as well get your lunch out and make yourself comfortable; we've got a lot to talk about."
 ~*~*~
 Talk they did, until some older students came along, walking down the corridor and knocking on doorframes. "One hour to Hogsmeade Station. Time to start thinking about changing into your robes."
 Dierdra pointed a finger out into the corridor. "Out, Bill. We'll change first."
 Bill went to stand out in the corridor, and Dierdra slid the door closed, pulling down the window shade.
 They changed into their uniforms without much chin-wagging, so they didn't keep Bill waiting too long. Piper had to admit that she felt a little silly as she slipped her robes over her uniform.
 Once ready, they swapped places with Bill. By the time they were all dressed, the older students were making their rounds again. "Half an hour to Hogsmeade Station! Make sure you have everything you brought with you! The train won't be coming back until the Christmas holiday!"
 Before she knew it, the train was pulling into the station. They made their way to the exit and stepped out into the night. The station bustled with activity.
 "All luggage and pets over there! They will be brought to your dormitories!"
 "Second through seventh years, make your way to the carriages! Four students per carriage, please! We won't have a repeat of last year! Looking at you, fifth-year Gryffindors!"
 "Firs' years? Firs' years this way, follow me!"
 Piper and the others followed the sound of the last booming voice and discovered that it belonged to an immense man with long dark hair and a beard. He was broad, but more than that, he was tall. Taller by far than anyone she had ever seen before. Twice her height, easily, and then some!
 Looking around, she saw many of the others openly gawking at him. So, some things took even wizarding children by surprise. Good to know.
 He led them to the edge of a lake, where a small fleet of rowboats waited.
 "Alrigh' then, in the boats yeh go!" he told them, overseeing them all. They sat four to a boat. Piper, Bill and Dierdra were joined by a boy who introduced himself as Liam Logue.
 Once all the first years settled into their boats, the giant man stepped into one of his own. It creaked loudly under his weight but stayed afloat. His boat moved of its own accord, pulling out in front of all the others, and all the other boats followed.
 She looked out over the lake to their destination and inhaled sharply. An expansive castle rose from the craggy shores at the far side of the lake. A gibbous moon rose into the clear, starry skies behind it, casting its glowing reflection into the lake in front of them. It was beautiful. A low murmur of appreciation rippled through the fleet of boats at the view.
 As they drew nearer to the castle, the man called out, "Watch yer heads!"
 She ducked slightly as the boat glided through an ivy-covered opening in the cliff. They sailed on through an underground tunnel before coming to a stop on a rocky shore. They climbed out and followed the man up a flight of stone steps to a heavy wooden door. The man knocked three times, loudly, and the door swung open.
 They followed him into a large entry hall, coming to a stop in front of a strict looking woman with her black hair pulled into a tight bun.
 "Professor McGonagall," the man greeted. "The new firs' years for yeh."
 "Thank you, Hagrid," the woman replied. "Follow me," she said to them. She led them across the large entrance hall, stopping before another large door.
 She turned to address them. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin. But first, there are a few things you should know. There are four houses at Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each of you will be sorted into one of these houses, where you will remain throughout your years here. Over the course of the year, you will have many opportunities to win your house points. Any misbehaviour, however, may lead to the deduction of points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup. Now then, are you all ready?"
 They all nodded, and Professor McGonagall pushed open the doors, striding into the Great Hall beyond. They trailed after her, and Piper stared in wonder. Four long tables stretched along the length of the hall, two on each side of the walkway they followed the professor down. Dozens of kids already sat at each table, watching them. At the head of each table hung a banner depicting what she assumed was each house's crest. Green and silver emblazoned with a serpent, blue and bronze with an eagle, scarlet and gold with a lion, and yellow and black with a badger.
 Hundreds of candles floated in midair above them, casting a soft flickering glow throughout the hall. The ceiling, well, she wasn't sure there was a ceiling. It looked exactly like the night sky had outside. Even the phase of the moon was the same.
 Upon a raised dais, at the front of the hall, sat another long table where the teaching staff sat. She spotted Professor Skeelur amongst them and tried not to gawk.  His hair was styled into a tousled quiff; the long top section dyed green while the shorter sides were purple. Even his goatee was purple. He was dressed in robes, black with silver trim on the outside, but with a violently fluorescent lime green lining that glared out from the inside of his hood and sleeves.  She could just imagine the look on her foster mother's face if he had shown up to their house looking like that. Aaron and Finn would think it was the wickedest thing ever, though. She felt a twinge at the thought of them. She really wished they could be here, too.
 In front of the table, right in the centre of the dais, sat a stool with a wide-brimmed, pointed hat sitting atop it. The hat looked ancient and worn, and she wondered what purpose it served in all of this.
 Professor McGonagall led them right up to the steps leading up to the dais before climbing the steps herself to stand behind the stool.
 An expectant silence fell over the hall, and after a moment, the hat began to sing.  Because, of course it did.
 Before I Sort you all tonight, there's one thing to make clear,
A note to both the tall and small that I find apt this year.
When Godric, Helga, Rowena and Salazar began,
They joined forces to achieve their illustrious grand plan.
For all four were well aware that they could not unaided,
See their great ambition reached; they were not yet so jaded.
So all together they succeeded in their common quest,
To build a school that the wizarding world would name the best.
And while it's true that each had certain values that they sought,
When it came time to fill these halls, it's everyone they taught.
So, while it is my job to place in Ravenclaw the wise,
And make sure that it is the true that Hufflepuff comprise,
And while in Gryffindor it is that boldness must reside,
And into Slytherin go those whose aspirations guide,
I bid you to remember that united we are strong,
And don't forget that each and every one of you belongs.
 "When I call your name, come up and take a seat on the stool," Professor McGonagall said once the hat fell silent.  She retrieved a scroll of parchment from a pocket in her robes, unrolled it, and called the first name.
 "Agarwal, Arjun."
 A nervous-looking boy wearing a black turban climbed the steps and took a seat, and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head. They all waited in eager anticipation to see what would happen next. They weren't kept waiting long. About fifteen seconds later, the hat called out, "Hufflepuff!"
 The kids at the yellow and black table broke into applause, and the boy smiled and hopped off the stool to join them.
 She watched as the same scene played out for a couple more kids, and then the professor called out, "Avery, Josephine."
 Piper frowned. She recognized the plump, bespectacled girl as part of the group that had rebuffed her on the train.
 Less than ten seconds went by before the hat yelled, "Slytherin!"
 The green and silver table burst into loud applause as she joined them.
 "Boo!" someone called from the scarlet and gold table, and Professor McGonagall shot them a look that Piper was very happy to not be on the receiving end of.
 "Decorum, ladies and gentlemen," the professor said sharply. "This is your one reminder! Brimble, Claudia."
 "Gryffindor!"
 That was met with riotous celebration by the scarlet and gold table.
 Bryne, Elliott and a pair of twins by the name Cadwallader all went to Hufflepuff. And then...
 "Cochran, Piper.'
 She slowly mounted the steps and sat on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head, and the brim slipped down over her eyes, obstructing her view of the Great Hall.
 She nearly jumped when a voice spoke to her. 'Let's see what's in this head of yours, shall we? Hmmm, interesting. You're quite intelligent, aren't you? I see a great deal of curiosity. You're studious and creative. You'd do very well in Ravenclaw. Very well, indeed.'
 She waited for the hat to shout that out to the rest of the room. Instead, the hat spoke again.
 'Not so fast. I'm not done with you yet. There's more here. I see bravery. I see a desire to do the right thing. You're someone who won't tolerate injustice when you see it, who won't back down from a fight. Fine traits in a Gryffindor.'
 Again, she waited for the hat to make its announcement, and again it did not.
 'I haven't decided yet. You're a difficult case. I believe you'd excel in either house. But what about you? What do you think?'
 'I don't know,' she thought to the hat. 'I don't know enough about either house to decide.'
 'You don't need to know anything about them. You just need to know yourself. What matters to you?'
 'I don't know!' she thought, frustrated. 'I want...'
 'Yes?'
 'I want to feel like I'm part of something, like a team or a family. I already miss mine. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about learning magic. Really, really excited! But I worry I'll end up too homesick to enjoy it.'
 'I see. Each house is like a family to its members, but it is true that some form closer bonds than others. Of the four, Ravenclaw is the most individualistic. And so, I believe, the matter is settled.'
 "Gryffindor!"
 The hat was pulled off her head, and she made her way to the cheering Gryffindor table.
 "I told you!" Bill said as she passed him, and they grinned at each other.
 She found a place to sit at the table, getting handshakes and backslaps from everyone within arm's reach. She couldn't stop smiling as she turned her attention back to the sorting.
 "Coventry, Maximus."
 That did make her smile falter a bit. The scrawny kid with dark, curly hair who took his place on the sorting stool was the other silently judgmental boy from the train. It came as no surprise to her when the hat called out, "Slytherin!"
 "Everyone is getting sorted so fast," she commented to an older girl who sat next to her. "When I was up there, it felt like it took forever!"
 "You actually were up there for a while," the girl told her. "Close to two minutes. Some people aren't as easy for the hat to figure out as others. It's not a bad thing. The hat wants to make sure you end up in the house that's right for you. I don't think I'd trust it if it sorted everyone in five seconds."
 "I suppose that's true," Piper conceded as she turned her attention back to the ceremony.
 "Cyclonis, Larkspur."
 Piper expected her to be sorted as quickly as the Coventry boy, but ten seconds passed, and the hat remained silent. Fifteen seconds. Thirty. A minute. It was a minute and a half before the hat made its decision.
 "Slytherin!"
 "See?" the older girl told her reassuringly. "It's not uncommon."
 The sorting went on for some time. Their boat mate Liam went to Hufflepuff. Dierdra ended up in Ravenclaw. Alexander Nott landed in Slytherin. Eventually, the group was whittled down to three.
 "Weasley, William."
 The hat had scarcely settled on his head before it declared, "Gryffindor!"
 He took a seat across from her and smiled. "Mum and Dad will be happy."
 Winters, Gideon was sorted into Hufflepuff and Woodlock, Aisling into Ravenclaw. And with that, the sorting was complete.
 The stool and hat were replaced with an elaborate owl lectern, and a man stepped up to address the room. He looked exactly how she expected a wizard to look. He was a tall, thin man draped in midnight blue robes, with long white hair and a long beard. He studied them through gold-framed, half-moon glasses.
 "I'd like to start with a brief announcement. As many of you may have already noticed, Professor Skeelur has returned to us. He will not be resuming his role as Divination professor, however, as Professor Trelawney will be staying on in that position. Instead, he will be taking over the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts."
 Professor Skeelur stood and gave a jaunty bow as the students applauded.
 "Now then, for those of you who may not know, I am Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of this school, and it is my pleasure to welcome you all to a new year at Hogwarts. You know, I've always found the beginning of a new school year to be a magical time, a time of new beginnings and new possibilities.  And this year, I feel it even more keenly.  We have been through tumultuous times in recent years.  For some of you, that is all you've ever known.  But we have weathered that storm.  Those days are behind us now, and we are free to look to the future with a renewed sense of hope.  And that is what I feel when I look at all of you now.  Hope.  The hope that we can help guide you into becoming the best possible versions of yourselves.  You are the future of the wizarding world, and it is my fervent wish that your future is a bright one, one full of peace, and prosperity, and progress.  That is the world you deserve to know."
 He paused, letting his words sink in as his gaze slowly swept across the hall.
 When he spoke again, his tone was more light-hearted, "But that's enough talk for one night. Enjoy the feast!"
 With those words, a multitude of steaming serving bowls and platters laden with food appeared in the centre of the table.
 She helped herself to a slice of roast beef and one of baked ham, roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary, Yorkshire pudding, peas and glazed carrots and tucked in for a night of good food and conversation.
 She discovered that the older girl she had spoken to during the sorting was a fifth-year prefect named Cathy Wells. She assured Piper and the other first years within earshot that they could come to her with any questions or concerns.
 She also learned that two other first years at the table were Muggle-born and just as excited as she was to be here learning real magic. Connor Monohan was from Wexford, Ireland, while Edgar Grant was from Leeds.  When they found out that she was from Brixton, they wanted to know all about her experience with the riots from the previous summer. Her foster parents had kept her and her brothers well clear of the violence, but she told them what she could of those days and their aftermath. The conversation fascinated the wizarding kids, who didn't seem to grasp the concept of racial tension until one of the older Muggle-born students compared it to Pure-bloods versus Muggle-borns. That had everyone chiming in with their own stories from that same summer. Apparently, the Death Eaters had been particularly emboldened in the months leading up to You-Know-Who's downfall.
 Cathy only let the conversation get so far before she steered it away from the grim turn it had taken. No one complained.
 The dinner dishes vanished as Bill told them funny stories of his five little brothers and baby sister. In their place, an entire spread of pudding appeared. Being stuffed from dinner didn't stop her from taking a slice of Victoria sponge cake.
 About half an hour later, all the plates disappeared. Professor McGonagall, who Piper had learned was both Deputy Headmistress and the Head of Gryffindor, announced that it was time for the prefects to lead their houses to the dormitories.
 Piper followed Cathy out of the Great Hall and off to the staircases. "Pay attention," Cathy instructed them. "The staircases change, and you don't want to get lost on the way to Gryffindor Tower later when you're all on your own."
 Sure enough, as Piper watched, some of the staircases overhead shifted from one landing to another. "We're this way," Cathy pointed out before mounting the steps. "Seventh floor."
 She led them up several flights of stairs and down a hallway to another spiral staircase that led to a large landing where a portrait of a large woman hung on the wall.
 "The Fat Lady guards our common room entrance," Cathy explained.
 "Password?" the portrait requested.
 "Frabjous day!"
 "Callooh!  Callay!" the Fat Lady replied with a delighted laugh, and the portrait swung open to reveal a round door that opened into a circular common room. The room was warm and cosy, with a fire roaring in a large fireplace. A lion portrait hung above the mantle, and the walls were lined with paintings and tapestries in varying shades of red and gold. Overstuffed scarlet chairs and sofas dotted the room. Several long tables could accommodate multiple students for studying, along with smaller side tables that held books or chessboards. Tall windows were spaced in even intervals along the walls. During the day, the common room was sure to be bathed in sunlight. A few nooks and alcoves were cut into the walls, which would lend a small amount of privacy to the few occupants they would allow. Near the door stood a message board. Cathy explained that they could find announcements such as Quidditch tryouts, club meeting schedules, and changes to the common room password posted there.
 "First-year girls, follow me. I'll show you to your dorm," Cathy said. "First-year boys, follow Matthew. He'll show you to yours."
 She pointed to a blond boy who looked about the same age as Cathy. The boy saluted, "Matt Higgins, at your service."
 Bill and the other boys broke away from the group to follow Matt while Piper and the girls followed Cathy up a side staircase to a room that housed five four-poster beds in a circle around the room, each bed draped with heavy scarlet curtains. Their trunks were placed at the end of the beds for them, and they each had a plain wooden chair and nightstand of their own.
 "Breakfast is served in the Great Hall from 6:30 to 8:30. You'll get your class timetable at breakfast tomorrow. Classes begin at 9:00. Whatever you do, don't be late! We don't want to start the year with negative house points. Curfew is between 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM, except when you have astronomy. Other than that, no wandering the castle in the middle of the night. It's against the rules, but besides that, it's dangerous. Lights out at 10:00.  Bathrooms are one flight up the stairs we took to get here. Any questions?"
 They all shook their heads no.
 "Well then, sleep well!"
 With that, Cathy left them to their own devices. They chatted as they prepared for bed. Her dormmates were Claudia Brimble, Maeve McCarver, Catriona Taggart, and Jocasta Erskine. None of them were Muggle-born, although Claudia and Catriona both had one non-magical parent, so the Muggle world wasn't a completely foreign concept to them. They all seemed friendly, and Piper thought they would probably get on well enough during their time here.
 "We should probably get to sleep soon," she said as she laid out her uniform for the following day. "Like Cathy said, we don't want to be late."
 The others agreed, and soon they were all tucked snugly into bed for the night.
6 notes · View notes
violetnotez · 4 years
Text
HC: Being Handcuffed to the Boys
I only did Midoriya and Bakugo because Im lazy-sry- but I hope you enjoy! :)
|Part 2 w/ Kirishima+Shouto|
(RULES | MASTERLIST| REQUESTS OPEN!!! :))
Midoriya
Tumblr media
Midoriya, as sweet and intelligent as he is, was NOT that smart that day
He was studying hero terminology, laws and rules to help him be a better hero, until a thought popped in his head- what if he needed to know how to use handcuffs? Like in some random situation where he needed to detain someone and the only thing he could was use handcuffs, could he do it?
Of course he could but he over thought it and convinced himself he COULDNT and began to slightly freak out
So of course he called you, but he didnt give you ANY info to go off of why he needed you so badly and it kind confused and worried you
“Y/n- I need you to come over quickly”
“Why, is something wrong or-”
“No, no, nothings wrong! Just- come over soon-please?”
“Im coming, Im coming, dont worry….”
When you finally got to his dorm room, you expected him to have some super important news to tell you- like he was hurt, or there was a huge pop  quiz you two needed to study for ASAP...but you were met with  blushing Midoriy holding hndcuffs
KiNkY
You just stared at him and at the handcuffs with a huge WTH face
You dont have the slighest idea of were he had HANDCUFFS
“Umm care to explain why you have handcuffs?”
He explains it to you, and you wanna laugh at how adorably overreactive your boyfriend is but you dont because you wnt him to know you take his concerns seriously
 So he tells you his plan- he was going to put one side of the handcuffs on you as if your were a villian, and one on him (the smart thing to do, he said, so if they couldnt escape because theyd be attached to him), and then take them off. Easy peasy!
NOT EASY PEASY
He put his side of the hand cuff with ease, but when it came to you it took FOREVER
He was so scared to hurt you (like pinch your skin or something) it took him 3 whole minutes to crank it closed
“Midoriya, why are you taking so long?”
“Well-I dont want to hurt you!” he blushed, sweating alittle as he tried his best to not potentially hurt you
“Your not going to hurt me- besides, I thought I was supposed to be a ‘villian’?”
“But- your not a villian- your my girlfriend! And I cant hurt my girlfriend!” he would protest as you laughed at his cuteness
Once it was finally on, Izuku felt way more relaxed- he did it,he could do it, and he wouldnt have to worry about some wierd freak scenario where he couldnt use handcuffs
So, naturally, you ask is he could unlock you guys since he was content with his work
“Yeah of course!” hed say with a sigh of relief until he’ll realize- he forgot where the key was
He’ll start sweating alot and you’ll get super concern
“Izuku, are you all right?”
“Umm….”he confess timidly, “I may or may not have…. Forgotten where the key is.”
Not gonna lie, youre gonna freak out a little
Your literally HAND CUFFED to your boyfriend
He spends 30 minutes in a rampage looking for it (yanking and dragging you around his room in the process)
“I know its here, I just had it, Ill find it I promise-”
Your wrists was turning red from the constant yanking and you had to finally just tell him to stop and figure out another way out of them
You two sit on his bed and thought for a moment- Midoriya’s first thought was Iida and Ochaco, since their his best freinds
But you didnt know for sure what they would do but ask awkward questions and freak out a little like you both did
You then thought of Mina with her acid quirk, but then thought better of it- she didnt have the best control over it and you didnt feel like having your skin melted off
And she was besties with Kaminari and Sero, the biggest pervs at UA, so if they even caught a glance at you two theyd take it the wrong way and you two wouldnt hear the end of it
You giys pondered on what to do next until Midoriya finally got an idea
“What if we go to Hatsume? She has so many gadgets she must have a way to unlock us”
You groaned- you were okay with Hatsume, her perosnality was a little- loud- which was fine, its just you could totally tell she had the hots for Deku and you didnt really appreciate that side of her...but she was your best bet….
“Fine, lets go”
The walk to the her workshop was tortorius- you two both wrapped yourselves up in your biggest jackets to hide the handcuffs so no one could see (even though it was the middle of the afternoon) and holding each others hand so it looked like you were just holding hands and nothing more
It was nerve wracking- you didnt want any of opur classmates to talk to you, let alone see you until you had those CUFFS OFF
When you finally get there, you were so grateful Hatsume was by herself 
And as perky as ever
Izuku tells about your guys predicament timidly as you both have huge blushes
But Hatsume doesnt seem to care about your embarrasment or how you got into that situation at all- shes just excited to try out a “new baby” 
She interjects Izuku with a loud outburst and begins to whip out a bunch of crazy looking gadgets
You look at Midoriya with a skeptical look but you allow her to get close and try to relese you guys
Surprisingly, after a few minutes you were free, and the sound of cold metal hit the tiles
You both rubbed your wrists happy to be out of those restraints
You start to laugh from relief, thanking Hatsume and turning to Midoriya with a stern grin
“Im  not going to ask today….but one day I will figure out how you got those handcuffs”
*small gulp from Izuku
Bakugo
Tumblr media
Some days you wonder if your friends WANT to die
You and Bakugo had had a thing for each other for weeks
It was painfully obvious- you would be a blushing mess with Bakugo, giving him the biggest comebacks whenever he was mean to you all the while so red you looked liked you would explode
Bakugo was such a rude dirtbag to you most of the girls wondered how you restrained yourself from slapping him, calling you mean names and criticizing you for the smallest things
But if anybody hurt you or even said you were cute or pretty
OH NO
He would become so angry and possessive it was terrifying
So, since all of Class 1A was sick of hearing you deny any sort of love towards Bakugo and sick of almost getting their hair fried off by Bakugo if they even mentioned your name, they decided to take matters into their own hands
One day, Mina had called you over, leading you over to Kirishima and Bakugou
Your heart already began to quickly start beating just being near him
Bakugo huffed, hating how just seeing that annoyingly pretty face of  yours put his body into overdrive
“Whyd you bring this extra over?”
You rolled your eyes with your cheeks on fire, pretending like the comment didn't hurt as Mina gasped at his blatant rudeness
“Whatever, Bakugo, your just still bitter that I beat you in training last week-”
“Howd you beat me?! I was distracted for 2 seconds, that was no win-”
“Really?! So eating the dirt because I had KO-ed your cocky ass doesn't mean-”
“It means jack shit baka!”
Unknowing to the both of you as you bickered, Kaminari was sneaking behind you two with a pair of handcuffs while Sero followed him with an evil grin from behind
Before you two even knew it, Kaminari had clasped one side of a pair of hand cuffs to one of your wrists and one to Bakugos, Sero using his tape quirk to keep you two from squirming
You were confused and startled on what was even going on, while Bakugo was extremely pissed off
“What the hell do you think youre doing you idiots!”
“Cool down Spiky, or youll blow a fuse!” Sero laughed at his handiwork as you both squirmed to get out on the restraints
“Im gonna do worse than blow a fuse,” Bakugo spat at the whole grorup, “Im gonna blow up your asses into space once I get out of this!”
“Ohhh no your not!” Kirishima smirked at Bakugo”s clearly agitated face and your distressed expression “You two are going to stay like this until you can act like normal human beings around each other”
“Kirishima this isnt cool!” you whined, “How long am I going to have to be attached to this rabid hedgehog?!” You nodded towards Bakugo, who clearly didn't like your comment
“Rabid hedgehog?!” Bakugo shrieked, “Say that one more time and Ill-”
“And youll blast me into space? Fry me into Hell? Kick my ass into next week? Save your breath Katsuki, Ive heard every threat you can throw at me!” You snapped at Bakugou, your annoyance and stress of being stuck to him for God’s no how long making you jumpy-you cant be stuck to your crush YOU CANT
Bakugo looked like a fish gulping for a water as he was looking for a come back to that, as Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari looked shocked and amused by a stuttering Bakugo
“You guys are gonna stay together for as long as you need to,” Kirishima said, “we have the key to unlock the cuffs, so when you guys are ready- just come and get one of us!”
The group walked out, Sero and Kaminari betting how long it would take you two to have an agreement as Kirishima pushed them out the door
You stood there with Bakugou awkwardly for a few moments, him unable to look at you-his cheeks were on fire because of one little thing you said earlier
And you didnt even know GOD DAMMIT
You looked at Bakugou, thinking he was just ignoring you like usual- the BrAt
You sighed, “Look- if were going to be chained up like this, might as well get some things off our chests….” you swallowed hoping he couldnt feel your hand shake from being so close to him
He didnt say anything, your voice ringing in his ears and making me him shiver- GOD DAMMIT WHY WAS HE SO DAMN WEAK FOR YOU
He didnt say anything for a while, making you feel hurt and kinda bored
“Fine then, if you dont want to talk, at least walk with me to the kitchen-”
“You called me Katsuki.” He grumbled, still not wanting to look at you
“What?” You looked at him, confused on WHY he wouldnt look at you and why calling him by his first name was such a big deal
 “You called me by my first name-Katsuki.”
“Okkkkaaaay,” you drawled out, completely confused and annoyed, “dont know why that would bother you so much but can we plese just-”
Bakugo huffed in annoyance, his cheecks on fire, “You dont get it do you baka?! No one calls me Katsuki because Id kick their asses if they ever did-but-”
“But what?” you asked kinda gentle, seeing Bakugo struggling to say something to you and curiosity was getting to you
Is He GoNnA ConfeSS ;o
“But-you-said….it...and I-I-was...okay with it….” he struggled out, his face contorting so much to just push that out of him you were kinda worried
You looked at him, completely amused and not really taking him seriously
“That was it? I said your first name and you didnt have the urge to rip my head off like you usually do? I guess we can consider that progress!” you kinda laughed nervously, making Bakugo wish you would laugh again and then cursing at himself for thinking that
He hated how you made his head feel dizzy and it was making him angry
“You dont get it do you baka?!” he shouted aggresively, “I was okay with it because I like you and I fucking hate it!”
You stopped breathing, your eyes wide with shock and your brain seeming to shut down
“You-you-like- me? Like- more than a- friend?” you stuttered, looking at his face which was now obviously red
“See anyone else in the room? Of course its you who else would I fucking say that to!” he retorted, wishing the heat in his face would BACK OFF
OH CRAPPPPPPPPPPPP HE CONFESSED YALL :D
“I like you too….Katsuki,” you smiled, watching his face get even redder
  “Awww you look so cute blushing!”
“Shut up you baka!”
You laughed, making him feel all warm and squishy inside
“Well, I guess Kaminari is going to owe Sero $20- we deifnitely got this figured out in under an hour.”
-----------------------------------
I hope your day (or night) is going well!
REQUESTS + MATCHUPS ARE OPEN!
874 notes · View notes
Text
I never meant to hurt you
Your boyfriend that you adore, forgot your date for the second time in a month. But he’s determined to let you know how much he loves you.
(Smut)
Tumblr media
Yes, Ji is eating in the GIF. That’s my kind of humour :) I know, I’m hilarious.
Pairing Kwon JiYong and female reader.
W.C. 2230
Warning: angst at the beginning. Smut. Oral (female receiving), fingering, touching, squirting and also... Kwon JiYong in a smut is a warning in itself…
NOTE: ok, normally I read my texts like 10 times before I upload. But since I’m writing “king” right now, I wanted to upload it fast enough so I can go back to my serie. Meaning, I read it only once. Meaning, there will be mistakes. Sorry in advance. But still, enjoy! 
Don’t be shy to comment in private or under the post. I don’t mind the way but I love to hear from you.
“Stop it Kwon! I’m way too mad to hear that shit!” You told him over the phone.
“But Jagi… I’m… I don’t understand... ”
He doesn't understand? What a blatant lie. It was the second time it happened this month. You understood his crazy schedules, you always did.  You knew he may have to cancel your date night sometimes. You too, had to to work and changed your plans. He’s fucking G-Dragon after all, you knew how busy he was before you started this relationship. 
But this month, he didn’t cancelled, he just completely forgot to show up. TWICE.  No texts message, no phone call. Nothing.  And both times, you waited for him like a fool, alone at the restaurant trying to avoid the empathic glances of the waiters.
“Ji, please. I’m not asking for that much. I wouldn’t be mad if you would have dared notify me. But no, you didn't and it’s the fucking second time this month”.
“Jagi, you’re swearing, you’re really mad!”
“No shit, Sherlock!” You snapped.
“I’m…”
“Spare it Kwon. I wanted to be with you tonight. I took the time to make myself beautiful for you. I combed my hair, I did my makeup and put on your favorite dress”. 
“Ooh, no! The lilac one?”
“Fuck the color of the dress Kwon JiYong. Fuck it, it’s not important!”
“Baby… why are you like this?”
“Ji… we planned this night yesterday, you cannot have forget already but you fucking did. I spent one hour ALONE at the restaurant looking at my watch ”
“I told you, I didn’t realised what time it was”. 
You were so sad, hearing him say that. You have been waiting for this date, for him, all day with butterflies in your stomach. You were so happy to meet him tonight, to spend time with that man that you love so much. But there he was, forgetting your date. Forgetting YOU.
“In one year of relationship, it never happened Ji, never. But this month, you forgot 2 dates night with me. What’s going on? You don’t love me anymore? Are you tired of us?”
At this idea, tears start to flow on your cheeks, again. But if he doesn’t love you anymore, you don’t want to hold him back, you want him to be happy.  You don’t want him to stay with you because he pity you. 
“What? No! Of course not. Love, I’m making you cry… I’m so sorry…”
“Ji, I cried all night thinking you don’t love me anymore… but don’t spare me. If it’s over between us, I’d rather know”
“You are the love of my life, how can you say something like that?’
“You love me? Then fucking act like it!”
You heard your words, you knew you sounded childish and egoistic. The last thing you wanted was to be a demanding, spoiled brat girlfriend. Right now, it’s exactly how you sounded though and you didn’t like it.
“Please, listen…”
“Look Ji, let’s talk tomorrow, ok? I love you with all my heart but I can’t talk with you right now. Good night”.
You hang up the phone, you didn’t want him to hear your sobs. You knew you would be loud.  You were never the jealous type, as long as he stay faithful, he can go out with his many friends, girls or boys.  You trusted him, he was always a wonderful boyfriend. He never made you doubt his commitment. What was going on between you?
However you looked at it tonight, the fact was that he forgot you. Twice. And it hurts like crazy.
Crying, you undress in the living room and let your clothes on the floor, walking on the elegant  lilac dress that he bought you at the very beginning of your relation. You took a second shower tonight, making sure to take off all that pretty makeup from your face. After that, no longer having the strength to do anything, you rushed under the duvet, naked. It’s a pang of pain in the chest that you fell asleep.
You didn’t hear him call you softly from the front door neither you heard him walk around the apartment looking for you. You were already in a deep sleep phase when you felt a slight sensation on your thigh. It was soft, light. Almost imperceptible. You turned to the other side and grabbed your body pillow, put one leg over it and continued to sleep. When you felt a light touch starting from your knee and going up to your hip, a delicate caress as if you were touched by a feather, you immediately knew you weren't dreaming.
“Jagi… I’m so sorry I made you cry”
Still mad but mostly hurt, you pretended you were asleep and you didn’t move a bit. You let him do whatever he was doing.
“I was composing a song with hyung. I just lose track of time. I have no excuse, just the cold truth to tell you. I should have set an alarm or something… I deserve your cold treatment”.
Before falling asleep, you took care to wrap yourself in a sheet. It was still wrapped around your chest but your legs were released. The slight pressure of his lips on the outside of your thigh was very noticeable despite its delicacy. Or maybe it was the airiness of the kisses that made your skin tremble.  
“I love you so much Y/n… I can’t forget myself for the tears you shred tonight…”
Another serie of kisses. He was now trailing his way down your knee, the heat of his breath washing across your skin.
“I couldn’t live without you”  he whispered against your thigh. 
You felt the mattress sink under its weight, behind you. His fingertips delicately  traced a line from your forearm up to your shoulders.  Then, the tender brush of his kisses in the nape of your neck. 
“I.Love.You” each words were whispered between soft kisses” 
He nuzzled his nose against your neck inhaled into your scent. He kissed your head, caressed your naked shoulder. Then, he were not on your back anymore.
“I know you are awake my love...”  he dotted one kiss on your foot
“and I know I deserve your silent treatment but...” a kiss at your ankle 
“you told me…” a kiss on your calf followed by a few more on your knee.
“to act like if I love you…” a kiss on your tight this time 
“so will I. After all, I am a man of my words” 
Suddenly, he grabbed you by the hips and turned you on your back in a gentle but determined movement. Surprised by his action, a soft “oooh” slipped from your lips. Lifting your upper body, resting on your elbows, your eyes met his. 
“Ji…”
“Shh my love, let me love you, shall I? Please?” He insisted when he found you didn’t answered fast enough for his taste. You nodded.
“Thank you love! I won’t disappoint” 
With a skilful hand, he untied the knot of the sheet and spread it apart to strip you completely. He gazed upon your body, your skin glistening under the moonlight coming from the window. 
“You are beautiful”
You knew what was coming as he positioned himself between your legs, spreading your knees in his path. You were craving the act to come and felt the desire burn you inside just thinking about it. Jiyong was good at giving heads, he proved it many times before. But tonight, there was something special in his eyes, something you never saw before. 
With a last “I love you”, he dived in. 
His mouth grazed your flesh, it was not quite a real kiss yet. Just the sensation of a light, light caress. His lips remained motionless, pressed against your opening. He raised his chin and caressed you like this, his nose getting in the game as it tickled your clit during the movement. His hands drifted to your hips and settle there as he nuzzled his nose on your clit. You couldn't resist the temptation of combing your fingers through his hair. 
“Your smell bewitch me, you’re driving me crazy…” he uttered before he shoves his nose a little deeper into your flesh, breathing in your intimate perfume. Your head fell back on the pillow, expecting what was going to come.
“How can you imagine for a second that I don’t love you anymore?”
When you felt a teasing swirl from the tip of his tongue, warmth radiate from the little spot his tongue touched and spread all the way through your body.  His hands trailed down from your hips to the inside of your thighs, making you shiver. His caresses became more pressing, more demanding.  You glanced in his direction. He was looking at your sex as if he was about to taste the most exquisite dish that had been presented to him, exploring you with his eyes before he would taste you. The thought of him using all his senses to pleasure you, seeing him pleased while doing it, made your heart swell at the same time as your clit.
“So beautiful and mine…”
With a long and flat tongue, a long stroke on your fold,he tasted you.  Your flavor was enrapturing, so delightful that he wrapped his arms around your legs and pulled you closer to his face. He buried his mouth in your folds, attentive at each one of your reactions. He was exploring your sex, taking his sweet time.
Pulling back his head, he slipped his fingers between your labia. He put some pressure on it, squeezing them together, sliding his fingers up and down to tease you. 
“You love what I’m doing?” He asked pinching your clit and labias together, changing the pressure on his fingers. He was slowly building your orgasm.
“Oh yes! It’s wonderful” you moaned.
He found your clit and very gently at first, with the tip of his tongue, tickled it with a up and down motion. He fasten the speed and the pressure on you then he kissed it once, twice.  You start bucking your hips, thrusting your crotch towards his face. You needed more already and you needed it now.  You locked eyes with him as he let you moved your hips and pleased yourself on his tongue. For a moment only, because he wanted control tonight. He steady your hips and his tongue became more greedy, he was ready to give you more. 
When you felt the gentle suction, you squirmed under him. Your wetness was soaking his lips. 
“Mmm Jagi, all those juices just for me. I’m blessed” he murmured against your clit. He grabbed a handful of one breast and started playing with your nipple, rolling it between his fingers. Then he did the same with the other.
“You want something special, love?”  he asked between two gentle suckling kisses.
“I want your fingers Ji, please” you rasped out “I’m close already”
“oooh, the effect I have on you…”
He rolled your clitoris across his lips and pulled it further into his mouth, tongue rubbing against it in circles. 
“Baby, please… I need it” You were craving for more.
He inserted two fingers and pumped them gently in and out as he continue to suck on you. Each time he tilted his fingers at a perfect angle to reach this place, this precious place that was driving you crazy. You began to quake, holding onto the sheets. The sensations were delightful. 
When he felt your whole body tense, he knew what he had to do. He was not teasing you anymore, his suction became more insistent and he fasten the pace of his fingers hitting your spot until. You felt tingly all over your body and your muscles start contracting. Your whole body started to shake uncontrollably and your thighs tightened around his head. 
“That’s it love, cum for me” he said before he went back at business. 
“Ji, don’t stop… harder, please”
He did as you asked until your had your sweet release.  You felt your juices running out of you, sucked and engulfed by that man that you love so much. With every wave of pleasure, you shuddered while was drinking on your cum as if his life depends on it, sucking on you until you stop shaking. When he felt you relax against his mouth, then only, he released the pressure on your clit and stop his fingers from moving. But he kept them inside you.
For a moment you stayed like that, both panting for different reasons. He kissed your tummy gently, brushing his lips against your skin by the time you were coming back to heart. When you stroked his hair softly, he lift his face.
“Was good?” he asked before he laid few soft kisses again.
“If it was good? Ji… it was wonderful. I saw stars” 
“So, you know, that I love you, right? You know I never meant to hurt you tonight?”
“I was so scared that you didn’t love me anymore Ji… It was unbearable”
“That much”
“More than that… I almost died from pain…”
“Holy shit! That’s bad. Then I need to so I really show you again, how much I adore you? Shall I?”
When you felt his fingers start to pump again inside of you, you knew what he had in mind. 
277 notes · View notes
birdsandspades · 4 years
Text
I Was Never Good at Waiting (Sugawara x Reader) Chapter 13
Tumblr media
- It was your last year in highschool, everything had been going smoothly until you got assigned the new teacher. Sugawara Koushi was handsome, maybe too handsome for his own good. Be he wasn't flirting with you right, teachers shouldn't do that....I guess we will see where this year goes.
Word Count - 9,227
----
You looked down at the phone in your hand, thumb hovering over the dark screen. 
You knew you needed to call him, tell him what had happened with Yua. But what would you say? You had created yet another problem that he was going to have to solve. 
You sighed, sinking into the couch cushions. “Maybe I can just figure it out without telling him about the whole Yua thing. I could tell her you got sick, or that we broke…” 
Your phone screen illuminated, the sudden vibrations jostling you as you fumbled with the device in your hand. “H-Hi Koushi!” You nervously yelled into the phone, gripping it with both hands.
“Hi F/N? You sound kind of weird, are you ok?” He questioned. 
“Yeah, totally fine. I had to run home, it looked like it was going to rain. Didn’t want to get caught in it ya know.” Drawing your lip between your teeth, you chewed at it nervously. That had all been a lie, a blatant lie. You had been home for over an hour, nervously toying with the power button on your phone as you waited for his call. 
“Huh, ok…” Sugawara craned his head to look out his kitchen window. 
The sky was a vibrant blue, speckled with wispy clouds. The heat of the day was evident from the radiance of the sun that peaked out between them. He wouldn’t call himself a cloud expert, but those definitely weren’t rain clouds. 
“Well, i’m glad you made it home ok.” He drew out the sentence, mulling over your panicked tone. 
“Yeah, home. Safe and sound!” You hoped he would leave it at that, you prayed that he would leave it at that. 
“So, did you work things out with Yua today? I saw you leave together after practice.” Sugawara probed, he knew you were hiding something, and he was going to get it out of you. 
“Yeah, everything's all fine now! Nothing to worry about at all. We worked it out and now everything's great!” You knew you were repeating yourself, but the speed that your brain was trying to dig your way out of the conversation coming was dizzying. 
“And...details? She didn’t seem super excited to see you this morning, how did you manage to get her to listen to you?” His soft chuckles sounded through your speaker, something that would have usually relaxed you. 
“Oh um, I just kinda forced her to listen to me. Nothing that eventful.” You weren’t really sure how to explain to him the course of events that transpired during your warmup run, or what thought process you had when you decided to tackle your friend. 
But it didn’t matter, you didn’t need to. He had gotten the wonderful opportunity to watch it all from the comfort of the gym vending machines. 
He would be lying if he said he didn’t pick those particular vending machines just to see you. They were out of the way, and had a far worse selection then the ones available in the teacher's lounge. But nonetheless, there he was weighing his options for juice when he picked up the faint sound of yelling. 
He had looked up as Yua and you came in view at the top of the hill, your arms around her middle as you tipped over the side. He watched you both roll down the hill, limbs tangled with hers. You both unraveled from each other at the bottom, covered in grass and dirt as your bodies finished it's last rotation. 
He had started to worry when you didn’t get up, still laying face first in the grass. But once he saw you roll over, red faced from the run he knew you were just fine. He peaked out from behind the machines, snickering to himself as he watched you and Yua. 
He had left after he saw you both stand up, happy to see you two talking again. 
“Nothing interesting on the way home? She didn’t want to know who I was?” He added, smiling to himself, Maybe that was what you were so nervous to tell him. It was a pretty silly way to get her to listen, but he wouldn’t have expected anything less from you. 
“Well… she did ask about you.” You trailed off, looking out the window.
Sugawara waited for you to finish. “And?” He drug out the word, annoyance hidden in his tone. 
If you didn’t tell him what was going on soon you were sure he would just drive to your house and interrogate you in person. 
“And I told her that you lived in Tokyo and that we hadn’t really met in person yet…” 
Sugawara let out a small sigh, “Well that's easy to fix, we can just make up…” 
“So now she may be buying train tickets to Tokyo on Sunday so...wecanbothmeetyou.” You rushed out the sentence, volume dying as you mumbled out the end. 
“Did you say meet you, as in she’s going with you to Tokyo to meet your boyfriend.” Sugawara pursed his lips as he slowly connected the words you had spit out. 
“Yes.”
“This Sunday, as in two days from now. You and Yua are going to travel to Tokyo to meet me, your boyfriend, who is also her teacher.” His tone was calm and collected as he reiterated.
You were silent, listening to the faint nervous tapping of his fingers over your speaker. “Yes.”
“Ok, that's what I thought you just said. F/N I CAN’T LET YOU INTRODUCE ME AS YOUR BOYFRIEND TO YOUR FRIENDS, YOU DO KNOW THAT RIGHT?!” It was over for him, there was no way out of this. 
“Yes I know that, BUT SHE’S JUST SO SCARY AND I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!” You were both panicking now. You were banking on the fact that this man could figure out anything, and now look where you were. 
“Ok, ok. We can figure this out, it can’t be that hard. We can meet up tomorrow and think of options and…”
”About that, you know how you wanted to come to my next show. Well, it’s tomorrow…” You squeezed your eyes shut, pulling the phone away from your ear. 
“F/N WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE CONCERT IS TOMORROW, I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO TELL ME WHEN IT WAS WEEKS AGO!?”
You had broken him. The calm and rational man you loved was gone, replaced with a frantic ticking time bomb of nerves. “I’M SORRY! I FORGOT AND EVERYTHING'S BEEN SO CRAZY WITH ME GETTING PUNCHED IN THE FACE, AND YOU KISSING ME,THEN IGNORING ME, THEN KISSING ME AGAIN, AND I ROLLED DOWN A HILL FACE FIRST TO TALK TO YUA ABOUT BEING WITH YOU, BUT I COULDN’T REALLY SAY IT WAS YOU, please don’t be mad at me…”
He gritted his teeth. This conversation was going nowhere, and the panicking wasn't going to change that. “I’m not mad at you, not exactly happy with all of this, but i’m not mad at you. I’ll think of something, just send me the information for the concert tomorrow and when you need to be there. I’ll pick you up and we can go together ok?” His tone was soft as he tried to calm you both down. 
“I’m sorry Koushi, please don’t break up with me.”
He snorted at your sudden remark. Hand coming up to suppress his laughs.“It’s going to take a lot more to make me break up with you, so don’t worry ok? I’m sure your brain was still a little rattled from how many times you rolled down that hill.” 
Your eyes shot open at his teasing remark. “Wait a minute, did you see me fall down the hill?!” 
His laugh finally erupted from your speaker, your face heating up as realization set in. “I love you, i’ll see you tomorrow.” 
You tried to interject but the line went dead before you could get a word out.
He set down his phone on the kitchen countertop, rolling his eyes and smiling. You were going to be the death of him. 
----
You had just gotten out of the shower, settling into your bed for the night when your phone buzzed on your bedside table. You reached over, turning the phone just enough to see the new message.
“Hey loser! I got our tickets, so make sure your secret boyfriend knows that we will be at the Tokyo Station around noon. I got us tickets for the bullet train so you better not flake out or i’ll shake you down for that money! I’ll send you a photo of the tickets! I can’t wait to see what kind of guy you scored!” 
You turned the phone back over and laid back.
You were grateful for such a great friend. You had someone who loved you enough to spend that kind of money just to get you to meet your kind of fake boyfriend. You could only hope that she would be excited when the day came that you could introduce her to the person you were actually dating, you just hoped that day wasn’t Sunday. 
You sank into your comforter, your mind racing as you thought of the fast approaching day. 
----
You peeled one eye open, the blurry dark corners of your room coming into view. The only light you saw came from the edges of the phone on your bedside table, the ringing continuing as you reached to pick it up. Turning it upright you read over the caller id, groaning as you accepted the call and lifted the device to your ear. 
“I know that you're kind of famous now, but us normal people have regular sleep schedules.” You rolled back over in bed, closing your eyes again. You could hear the commotion of a party in the background, the heavy bass resonating through the speaker.
“Tooru, did you butt dial me?” You waited a moment for a response, listening to the background chatter of the club. 
“I’m sorry, I know it’s late.” Oikawa apologized, looking down at the drink in his hand. He pulled the phone away from his ear to look at the time, 3:27 a.m. 
“It’s ok, are you doing alright? You never call this late.” 
He smiled at the concern in your voice, happy to be on your mind, even if it was just for a moment. “No, i’m a bit drunk.” He giggled, setting down his drink on the toilet paper holder as he leaned against the bathroom stall door. 
“Senpai, do you want me to call Hajime to come get you?” You sat up, resting your back against the headboard of your bed. 
“No, i’m fine. I’ve been hiding in the bathroom for a while. These girls are relentless, and my head is throbbing.” His words were slurred, syllables connecting as he mumbled. 
“You should go home Tooru, get some sleep.” You watched out your window, eyes fixed on the moths dancing under the distant street light.
“Yeah, I should. Goodnight F/N, I love you…”
“Goodnight Senpai, please get home safe ok?” 
He ended the call, staring down at your contact photo. A knock sounded on the bathroom stall door as the screen went black.
“Oikawa-san are you going to come back out?”
He wiped away the threatening tears, opening the stall door and giving his friend a forced smile. “Sorry, I had to make a phone call.”
----
You were sitting on your porch steps waiting for Sugawara to pick you up. The evening sun peaked out from the top of the houses, oranges and pink brushing the edges surrounding the remaining rays as it disappeared for the night. 
You didn’t get much sleep after your phone call with Oikawa, far too worried to relax.
You had called Iwaizumi after you got off the phone, troubled by such a late call. You begged him to go pick up his friend, listing off all the things that could go wrong. You both knew that he was the safest bet for getting Oikawa home safely that night. 
Despite his annoyance, that was all it took for you to convince him to drive down to the busy club nestled in downtown Tokyo. It took him a while to find him, all by himself fast asleep in a private booth.
Your phone call with him had ended around 6:00 a.m, finally at ease once your cousin had gotten the drunk man in his own bed. You had fallen back asleep around 7:00, happy to know everyone was safe at home.
But that didn’t last long, the obsessive ringing of your phone made sure of that. 
At 10:00 Ryu started berating your phone with calls, determined to get you up for a surprise rehearsal before the concert.
Now here you were, sleep deprived and halfway to a caffeine coma as your boyfriend pulled into your driveway. 
He stepped out of the car, flashing you a bright smile as he closed the door. 
You stood up, guitar case in tow as you walked over to him. 
“Hi honey.” You pushed your face into his chest, lazily wrapping your arms around his waist. 
He reached a hand up, giving your head a soft pat. “Hi princess, someone looks tired. Did you stay up late studying?” 
You rolled your eyes, giving him a light push. “Mhm, I studied all night.” 
He took the instrument case from your hands, putting it into the trunk of his car. “What else would my A+ student be doing all night?” He laughed and opened the door for you to get into the car. 
“Oh you know, illegal stuff.” 
He chuckled, closing the door.
“Your outfit is nice…” Sugawara peaked over at you as the car slowed to a stop.
You looked down at your faded grey sweatpants, eyes fixed on the discolored paint spots that speckled the legs. “Oh, our manager dresses us when we get to the venue.” You laughed as he cocked his head. 
“You still look nice.” 
Your face heated up at his compliment, eyes avoiding his gaze as you toyed with your shirt sleeve. “You look nice too…”
He was so handsome at school, always so well dressed. It was easy to forget how young he really was when he was teaching. He could easily pass for someone much older than 23 with the way he held himself. But today was different, his usual professional demeanor was replaced with the relaxed look of a young adult. 
He had on a plain black and white baseball tee, sleeves pushed up slightly as the extra fabric pooled around his elbows. Your eyes moved to his legs, shifting as he moved to press the brakes. His knees peaking through the rips in his black jeans. 
“Really? I was running errands before I came and got you so I just put something comfortable on…” He reached over, taking your hand in his and giving it a soft squeeze. “Is this your first big concert?” 
You nodded. “Yeah, the biggest audience we’ve had so far was about 350 people. But Macana is the first real venue we get to play at. They said it was sold out…”
You were definitely nervous, anyone could see that. It had taken a lot of work to get you this show, but you were finally getting the opportunity. After they had canceled your spot at Kyoritsu Kodo you were sure this concert wasn’t going to happen. Luckily your manager knew the owners of Macana in Sendai and got you moved over with little issue. 
“Thank you for coming, I've never had someone come to a show that I actually knew…”
Sugawara gave you a surprised look, sure he knew it was a secret that you were in this band. But had no one really come to see you play? 
He flashed you a smile, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand. “Well I plan on coming to every one of your shows, if you remember to actually tell me when you're having them.” 
You looked over at him, pink dusting your cheeks. 
He laughed, he would never get tired of seeing you like that. He unlace his fingers from yours, reaching up to squeeze your cheek. “I’m proud of you, all your hard work is paying off.” His gaze shifted from you to the road, hand returning to the steering wheel as he pulled into the venue parking lot. 
Only time would tell if all your work with Systematic would pay off, but seeing that smile everyday while you figured it out didn’t seem half bad. 
Koushi held out his arm as you wrapped the yellow band around his wrist. 
“Don’t lose this bracelet. If you do they won’t let you backstage,, and you have to remember to call me Kiko. They don’t know my real name. If you get lost backstage you can find my manager, she goes by Hanami-san. She’s really tall, long black hair, kind of mean. She has two passes for your friends, you can give them theirs when you see them.”
Sugawara followed behind you as you moved through the crowd of people setting up the stage. His hand reaching for yours as you listed off the rules of the night.
He looked up at the stage lights, watching as they tested the different colors. The patterns danced on the back banner as it unfolded from the ceiling. A stage hand tested the microphone in front of it, waving hand signals to someone far off as he balanced out the volume. 
You tugged on his hand, pulling his attention back to you. 
“It’s a lot to take in.” He gave you a sweet smile, picking up his pace to match yours.
You held the black curtain open as he walked backstage. “I’ll introduce you to everyone before I have to go get ready. But I'll meet back up with you for warmups after.”
He nodded, taking your hand again as you walked him down the hallway. 
You pushed open the door to the waiting room, the sound of chatter growing louder as you both stepped inside. “Hey brats, I see all of you actually came on time.” 
The four boys turned, smiling once they saw you. 
“Kiko! Did you see the stage? It’s huge!” A tall man stood up, awkwardly trying to step over top of the couch as he made his way to you.
Long blonde hair feathered out around his shoulders, tousled and soft as it led up to his dark roots. He reached up to brush his lengthy bangs from his light brown eyes, his gaze focusing on Sugawara as he stopped in front of you. 
“Hi, i’m Ryouku, but you can call me Ryu. You must be Koushi.” Ryu took Koushi’s outstretched hand in his own, giving it an energetic shake as a smile spread across his face. 
“I’m Jomei, nice to meet you.”
Sugawara looked around the bright blonde to a smaller man. He was sitting on the floor, a messy notebook in his hand.
He looked up, emerald eyes peeking through his black waves.
Sugawara gave him a wave, smiling as the man returned it.
Another man made his way around the couch, offering his hand to Koushi. “I’m Sana, it’s nice to finally meet you!” 
He was by far the tallest of the group, towering over the three of you as he shook Koushi’s hand. His curly red hair was pushed back with a hair band, drawing focus to his eyes.
They reminded Koushi of a lemon bar, the milky yellow fading to a golden brown that ringed the outer rim. 
You tugged on Koushi’s sleeve, pointing to the last member of your group. 
He was set up in the corner of the room with his keyboard. Headphones pushing down the spikes of his light brown hair. 
“That's Toma.” You waved your hand at the man, pulling his attention away from his work. 
He looked between you both, his tired auburn eyes almost staring through you. He gave you a brief nod before turning his gaze back on his composition. 
An older woman popped her head into the room, her long black hair pulled into a tight bun. She trained her grey eyes on you, pushing up her glasses as she motioned for you to follow her. 
“I have to get ready, do you want to come with me?” 
Koushi looked between you and the new group of men he had just met. He was definitely uncomfortable with the amount of new faces in the room, you knew that as much as he did. 
“No, I'll stay here.” He shook his head. 
You returned his sweet smile, giving his hand a light squeeze before following your manager. 
He had made you bring him so he could meet your band members, and this was his chance.
----
You had taken longer to get ready then you expected, but after three outfit changes, two hair styling sessions, and a lot of makeup touch up, you were finally finished.
You looked in the mirror, smoothing out your black t-shirt dress.
Your manager had originally gotten you a long opaque lace dress, the red bodysuit underneath would have peaked through under the right amount of stage light. But the garment bag had never made it to the venue, lost somewhere among the rest of your stage equipment you left behind. 
She had made some quick changes, making due with the wardrobe she had for you and the boys. She had given you Sana’s black t-shirt, the length falling mid thigh on your smaller frame. A pair of bright red fishnets hugged your legs, found at the bottom of Ryu’s backpack from a concert long ago. She stole Jomei’s denim jacket from his locker, it had been just small enough to fit you. The outfit was tied together with Toma’s small collection of pocket chains, modified to fit as a necklace for the occasion. Lucky for you, your trusty black platform boots were in your bag, happy to not need to wear your band members shoes. 
It was a franken outfit, made up of your band members left over clothing items. But somehow it felt fitting for the occasion, the perfect mixture of the group, and you got to wear it. 
You made your way back to the lounge. “I hope Koushi is doing ok, I've been gone for awhile…”
You peaked your head inside, looking around the room for your boyfriend. “Hey sorry that took so long, you're not going to believe what we had to do to get me dressed…” Your heart squeezed at the sight before you. 
Your members sat around the room, eyes fixed on Sugawara and Sana. Sugawara was fumbling through fingerings on your bass guitar, Sana adjusting his digits as he taught him the notes to one of your new songs. 
“Yeah, now slide this one down. Don’t lift this one though. That looks good, now go ahead and play.”
He slowly strummed out the notes, pausing after each one to adjust his positioning. 
You shut the door behind you, quietly watching as the boys encouraged him. 
Sugawara caught sight of you standing behind the couch, a large smile spreading across his face. “Sana-san was teaching me how to play one of your favorite songs, but I think i’m butchering it.” 
The rest of the boys laughed, giving him praise for the progress he had made while you were gone. 
“I think you sounded great.” You made your way around the couch, standing next to Ryu.
Sugawara lifted the neck strap over his head, handing the bass back to Sana. “You look pretty.” He pushed a strand of hair behind your ear, looking over your outfit of the night. 
“Hey is that my jacket?” Jomei questioned, turning you around to get a better look. 
“And are those my fishnets?” Ryu added, glaring up at you. 
Sugawara gave you a questionable look as you laughed at your band members probing. 
----
It was close to 8:30 p.m when the venue started to fill up, concert goers filing inside as the stage hands finished setting up.
“I’m going to go find Daichi and Asahi, they just texted me that they were walking inside.” Sugawara turned you away from your warm ups as he motioned for the exit. 
You walked with him to the black curtain separating the blocked off backstage. “Will you be up front when I come out?” The audience was loud on the other side of the curtain forcing you to yell. 
Sugawara nodded, moving out of the way of a group coming off the stage. 
“I’ll see you soon!” You gave his hand a firm squeeze, turning to return to your warm ups.
Sugawara grabbed your wrist, turning you back towards him. “Hey, you haven’t even kissed me today.” 
You gave him a confused look, the noise around you too loud to hear him. 
“I said, you haven’t even kissed me today!” 
You tilted your head, lifting a hand to your ear. 
“I said, oh forget it.” He reached out, grabbing your face as he pulled you into him. His lips crashed against yours, softening once he had you pushed up against him. 
You were caught off guard, grabbing his arms as you steadied yourself.
He pulled away, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. 
You shook your head, leaning up to capture his lips again. 
“Gross guys, can you go somewhere else with that shit?” Ryu teased as he walked past. 
You tried to pull away from Koushi, reaching to grab the back of Ryu’s shirt. But Koushi wrapped an arm around your neck instead, deepening the kiss as he pulled you in closer to him. 
The group of men chuckled, watching as you squirmed in his tight embrace. 
You gave in after a moment, smiling into the kiss as he loosened his grip on you. 
He pulled away again, the same smirk returning to his lips. “I love you.” 
The apples of your cheeks heated up, flustered as his eyes looked over your features. “I love you too.” You stuttered out, your eyes fixing on his own. 
“Hey time to get ready.” Your manager touched your shoulder, pulling you away from him. 
“I’ll see you soon.” He placed a kiss to your forehead before waving goodbye to the rest of the band members and disappearing out of the heavy curtains. 
Sugawara made his way through the audience, eyes scanning over the sea of heads as he made his way towards the doors. 
“Hey, Koushi!” 
Sugawara whipped his head around. 
“Turn around, a little more…” 
His brows knitted together as he continued his search. Rotating his head, he looked over the people pushing past towards the stage. 
Someone screamed his name again, turning the heads of those around them as he focused in on their waving hands. 
Asahi apologised to the people around him as Sugawara made his way over to his frantic friend. “Sawamura-san, you don’t need to yell so loud.” Sugawara smiled as he wrapped his arms around the men, squeezing them in his tight grip. 
“You’ve gotten blind and deaf in your old age Koushi, how else should I get your attention?” Daichi chuckled, his teasing words earning a small pout from his friend. 
“Sorry we came so late, the line outside was crazy. I don’t think they expected so many people to show up.” 
Sugawara looked around the room, Asahi was right, the place was packed. He had expected it to be full tonight, but he was starting to feel like a sardine as he rubbed shoulders with the people around him. 
“So I take it you and this girl worked things out since we’re here?” Daichi questioned, gathering the other two as he pushed them towards the stage. 
“Yeah, I guess we're dating now…” Sugawara smiled to himself, you were dating. Finally being able to openly say it to someone felt good. This was honestly the perfect opportunity, no one here knew who you were or how you knew him. Tonight you two could just be a couple, nothing to hide. 
“How did you even meet this girl anyways?” Asahi leaned in towards his friends, his voice loud as he shouted over the crowd. 
Daichi shot Asahi a quizzical look. “What do you mean? She’s the girl from the coffee shop Koushi was obsessed with.” 
Sugawara's heart skipped a beat, of course they would recognize you from the coffee shop. He drug them there almost every day in an attempt to see you. 
“Oh yeah! That is her. When did you two see eachother again? I thought you said she didn’t come back to the shop once school started again?” 
A panicked laugh escaped Sugawara’s lips as he looked between the men. He hadn’t made a fake “How you first met” story yet. “Uh well…” 
The lights cut and the audience quieted. The stage lights went up as the band walked out, waving to the crowd as the members made their way to their instruments. Never in his life had Sugawara been so grateful to be interrupted.
“Wow, look at everyone! They weren’t kidding when they said we sold out twice! But you asked for extra tickets, and we like to deliver!” You laughed into the microphone, looking over the packed audience as your members got ready for the first song. 
“Well since it’s our first big venue, and some of you may be new. How about we introduce everyone?”
The crowd cheered in response as you walked the microphone over to Jomei. You lifted it up to his mouth as he adjusted his guitar strap.
“Hi, i’m Jomei! I play guitar and do backup vocals for the band.” He blushed as the audience members greeted him back. 
You gave him a soft smile before walking behind him to your drummer. You stepped up onto the platform, stretching your arm across the drum set to hand Ryu the microphone. 
“I’m Ryu, the visuals of this group!” 
Sana walked up behind him, plucking the microphone out of his hand as he made his way to the front of the stage. 
Ryu gave him a playful pout, earning an eye roll from Toma. 
“Hello! My name’s Sana and I play bass as you can see.” Sana wiggled his bass at the audience, a bright smile plastered on his face as he looked over the mass of people. “I’m glad you could all make it for such a big concert! I hope it's one of many venue shows that we can share together!” Sana handed you back the microphone, laughing as he looked over at the Toma. 
Toma frowned as you walked up beside him, tilting the microphone toward his lips. You mouthed a go-ahead to the quiet boy, waiting for him to say something. 
“Toma, keyboard and backup vocals.'' He mumbled out his introduction, eyes never leaving your own as he did. 
You couldn’t help but giggle at his soft scowl, a bright smile spreading across your face as his heated up. 
“And I'm Kiko, vocals and the occasional bass player. Thanks for coming to our little show tonight.” You made your way back to center stage, placing the microphone back on it's stand and looking back to Ryu. 
He gave you a nod, starting the count off for the first song to start. 
Sugawara was blissfully watching you bounce around the stage, shooting you smiles every time you looked his way. 
You were on your forth song of the set, a rendition of “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer. He recognized it as soon as it started, the familiar guitar stirring memories from the beginning of the school year.
You had forced him to listen to the original during one of your previous study sessions, claiming that it was the perfect love song. He could hardly hold back his laughter when he saw how sad you looked when he said it wasn’t for him.
He did indeed like the song, it was catchy and sweet. But he had another song in mind while he sat next to you. 
It had played on the radio the day he saw you sitting in his classroom for the first time, pushing your smile to the forefront of his mind as he listened to it. He had listened to it daily since then, putting it on whenever he needed just a little bit of you in his life. 
Maybe one day he could get you to sing it for him, you probably would if he asked. But for now he just loved seeing you up on the stage, bright eyed as you looked out into the small sea of people. 
Sugawara was pushed forward, bumping into Asahi as he tried to catch himself. He turned around, glaring at the small man that shoved into him. “Hey, I know it’s packed in here. But can you watch what you're doing?” 
The dark haired man turned around to face Sugawara. “I’m so sorry, I tripped over someone’s foot and hit you. Are you ok...Sugawara-san?” 
Sugawara squinted, trying to make out the man’s face between the flashing lights of the stage. 
“Wait, Yamaguchi?” Daichi smiled, leaning in to hug Tadashi. 
“Yamaguchi, what are you doing here?” Asahi chirped. 
“Tadashi, hurry up. You don’t need to stop every ten seconds.” 
The four boys looked up at the tall blonde pushing his way towards them. 
“Tsukki, look who I found!” Yamaguchi pointed towards Sugawara, smiling as he looked over his old friends. 
“Tsukishima too! What are the odds?” Daichi chuckled, it had been awhile since he had last seen your underclassmen. 
“What are you guys doing here?” Sugawara yelled over the music at the two men. 
“Me and Tsukki are big fans of Systematic! The drummer is in my literature classes and got us tickets to come see them as a thank you for homework help. What are you guys doing here?” Yamaguchi answered back as he tried his best to speak over the song. 
“The lead singer is Sugawara’s girlfriend!” Asahi smiled, giving Sugawara a pat on the back. 
“Let’s go over by the door, it’s hard to hear you guys!” Daichi motioned for the exit as he looked between everyone. 
“No, I'm gonna stay and watch the show, but you guys can go.” Sugawara gave the men a soft smile before turning back to the stage. 
“I’ll stay too, just text me if you need me to come find you Tadashi.” Tsukishima motioned for them to go as he turned to watch the concert. 
Sugawara stood next to Tsukishima in silence, the both of them watching you. 
“So you're dating Kiko.” Tsukishima broke the silence after a while, eyes still on the stage as he spoke to Sugawara. 
“Yeah, but we haven’t been together for too long.” Sugawara grinned as you talked into the microphone, thanking everyone for taking the time to come out. 
You made your way over to the black curtains, meeting your stagehand as everyone began tuning for the next song. She lifted the strap over your head, positioning it to rest comfortably on your shoulder. You thanked her as you fished a pick out of your jacket pocket. Making your way back to the microphone, you pulled on the stand as you adjusted it. 
“Ok, just a few songs left before they kick us off the stage. So I suppose now is the perfect time for some new songs.” You grinned as the audience cheered. “I wrote this one a few weeks back for someone who at the time was very confusing. I was gonna scrap it, but Ryu liked it too much. So here is “Sweet Tooth”. Thanks for forcing me to write you a drum part to this song.” You rolled your eyes at the drummer, his smile bright as he yelled something inaudible at you.
You started off the song, playing the same base notes he had learned earlier in the day. He smiled to himself, his fingers recalling the positions as he subconsciously played along with you. 
----
The last song wrapped up, the final cords ringing out as the audience cheered. 
“Thank you again for coming out tonight. I hope I get to see all your beautiful faces at our next show. But until then, we have a new album coming out soon. So if you have more money to waste on us keep an eye out for it! Have a great night everyone, get home safe!” You waved a goodbye, following your band members backstage as the house lights turned on. 
Tsukishima looked past Sugawara, his eyebrows furrowing as he spoke. “You missed all the new songs Tadashi.” 
Sugawara turned around, smiling as his friends made their way through the dissipating crowd.
“Really? Man, I bet they were good. She’s been writing so much good stuff lately, and it’s thanks to you Sugawara-san.” Yamaguchi frowned, looking up at the empty stage.
“Hey, are you guys coming back stage or what?” The group of men turned their heads towards the backstage curtains, Ryu’s head stuck out as he motioned for the group to hurry. 
“Come on, I’m sure Kiko would love to meet you guys too.” Sugawara smiled as he motioned for everyone to follow him. 
----
You were waiting in the lounge for your boyfriend, happily talking with the rest of your band members as he walked into the room. 
“I brought some friends, I hope you don’t mind.” Koushi touched your shoulder, pulling you away from your conversation with Jomei. 
“Of course not.” You smiled, standing up to meet the newest additions to Sugawara’s group of friends. 
“This is Yamaguchi.” Sugawara pointed to the dark haired boy, laughing as he frantically shook your hand in his. “And this is Tsukishima.” You extended your other hand to the tall blonde, smiling up at him as he took it. 
“It’s great to meet you guys. How do you know Koushi?” 
“We were all on the volleyball team with him in high school.” Daichi added, giving you a grin as he chuckled at Yamaguchi still shaking your hand. 
“Wow, that's amazing. You guys must be really close.” 
Sugawara watched you as you talked with his friends. He loved how easy it was for you to conversate with others. You could have a meaningful conversation with just about anyone without even batting an eye. Now here you were, laughing with his friends like you had known them your whole life. 
Sana nudged Sugawara, pulling his attention to Ryu in front of him. 
“I’m sorry, I think I zoned out.” Sugawara blushed as he let out a sheepish laugh. 
“It’s cool, I was just seeing if you were busy tomorrow. We were gonna plan a beach day and Kiko said she was spending the day with her friend so I figured you were free.” 
Sugawara’s heart dropped at the mention of tomorrow. He had forgotten all about it. Sugawara took out his phone and clicked the power button. His lockscreen read 10:05 p.m. “Ah, i’m sorry. I have some work stuff to take care of tomorrow.”
“No worries, but you should definitely come next time!” Sana smiled before walking off to join the rest of his band members with Ryu. 
You looked over at Koushi, his eyes glued on his hands as he chewed at his lip. 
“Hey, are you ok?” You quietly questioned as you rested a hand on his arm. 
He nodded, giving you a soft smile. “Yeah, I'm good.” 
You weren't buying it. 
You tugged on his arm, pulling him away from the busy room. You held open the exit door, propping it open with a box as you made your way outside with him. “Koushi what's wrong?” You questioned again, tilting your head to meet his worried eyes. 
“I don’t know what we're going to do tomorrow F/N. I was hoping I would have something figured out by now, but it's almost midnight and I have no clue what to do.” 
You wrapped your arms around your boyfriend's torso, resting your head against his chest as he relaxed into your touch. 
“ I know she won’t be satisfied until she meets someone. She cares about you too much to let something like this go. I’m going to have to come, she’s just going to have to know it’s me.” 
You listened to Sugawara as he voiced his worries. 
“What if this goes bad F/N. What if this ends us. I just got you, i’m not ready to give this up yet.”
You wished you knew what to do, but you were in the same boat as him. You had been thinking about it all day. The possibility of having to end everything just because your friend may or may not take your relationship so well. 
“If only we had someone to meet her. Like a fake boyfriend for the day. But I can’t think of anyone that we could get that she doesn’t already know.”
Sugawara mulled over your words, leaning into you as he thought about it. It could work if he was able to find someone to be your pretend boyfriend for the day. But they would have to be around his age, going to school, and live in Tokyo. If he could find someone that he trusted enough, that could possibly work. 
Sugawara kissed the top of your head, looking out at the empty street, “We can figure this out.” Sugawara mumbled into your hair, his mind racing as he tried to think up a plan. 
----
The day was slowly wrapping up as the clock inched towards midnight. Everyone looked around the room with tired eyes, the conversations dulling as minds wandered to the beds waiting for them at home. 
The last of the beers had been drunk, the pizza boxes empty on the coffee table, and the stage equipment already packed and on it's way home. 
“Let’s head home Yamaguchi, it’s late and I have to do something in the morning.” Tsukishima beckoned for the man as he made his way towards the door. 
“Yeah, I think it’s about time to call it a night.” Sana nudged Ryu, waking him up from his alcohol induced slumber. 
“I’ll call a car to come pick us up, are you riding with us Kiko?” Jomei questioned as he helped Toma pick up the leftover cans. 
“No that's ok, I think I should take someone home.” You looked over at your boyfriend, shaking your head as he stumbled back into the room. 
He gave you a sweet smile, his face flushed from the alcohol. 
It had taken you a bit to convince him that it was in fact ok for him to drink with his friends, it was afterall a party to celebrate the concert. 
“I shouldn’t drink, not right now. I need to get you home after this, and I still need to figure out something for tomorrow. I can’t.” Sugawara rattled off reasons, his mood dropping by the second as he thought about more. 
“I can drive us home, I have a license you know. You look like you could use some fun with your friends. Don’t worry about tomorrow, i’m working on something, go have fun! I can’t stand you staring at them so sad while they are playing Pin Pon Pan.” You gave him a soft push toward the group of men laughing as they played. 
Sugawara wasn’t a huge fan of drinking just to drink. To him, if he needed alcohol to have fun, then it wasn’t something he needed to do. But drinking games were different for some reason. 
It had probably started in college, his love for the innocent game of Pin Pon Pan. It was easy to play, no one got left out, and he loved seeing the look on someone's face when they messed up the chain. What trouble could a few drinks cause, plus they had his favorite pear sake. 
“Ok, one game. But that's it.” He gave you a stern look before joining the circle. 
“Yeah, yeah. One game.” You teased, watching them play from the couch. 
Now it was two hours later, and your boyfriend was a giggly mess. He leaned up against Daichi, teasing an equally drunk Asahi. 
“Where did your shoe even go?” Daichi laughed, looking down at Asahi’s bare foot. 
“It’s on Suga-sans foot!” Asahi pointed to the mismatched pair on his friend's feet. 
“Where did my shoe go?” Sugawara chuckled, sitting down on the floor. He pulled off his other shoe, looking at it as if it would hold all the answers. 
“Where did you three disappear to?” You shook your head, chuckling as your boyfriend offered you his shoe. You gingerly took it, earning a soft smile from your very drunk boyfriend. 
Daichi looked down alarmingly at his jacket, patting the pockets as he looked for something. He reached inside, pulling out his vibrating phone. “Hi baby, mhm. Can we get some food on the way home? Me and Asahi-san are hungry.” Daichi wandered back into the hallway, Asahi chasing after him. 
“Is that Michimiya-chan, tell her hi for me!”
You could hear their footsteps echoing down the hallway as they made way for the exit. “I think it’s time to get you home too.” You reached your hand out, pulling your boyfriend to his feet.
“Goodnight guys, get home safe!” You waved goodbye to your band members, gathering you and Sugawara’s things as you walked him out of the room. 
“I want you to drive, because i’m drunk. Driving drunk is illegal and I could get in trouble.” Sugawara mumbled as he fished his keys out of his pocket. “And if you're ever drunk, i’ll drive you home. I wonder what kind of drunk you are. I hope you're cuddly....”He continued to talk to himself, mumbling about the legal drinking age and how much he enjoys your hugs. 
“Put on your coat for me and I'll drive.” 
He nodded, trading items with you.
You put the keys in your own pocket, laughing as he struggled with his insideout sleeve. “Here let me help you.” You pulled out the stuck fabric, freeing his arm from the blockage. You took each side of his coat zipper in your hands, guiding them together once he was inside of his coat properly. 
Reaching down, he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. “You take such good care of me. I’m really lucky to have you.” 
You could feel your ears heating up, his gaze flustering you more by the minute. You zipped up his coat, giving it a pat once he was securely inside. “Come on handsome, I still have to get you home.” 
He nodded, taking your hand as you guided him down the hall and out of the venue. As you walked, a lone shoe came into view, wedged in the emergency exit door. 
“My shoe!” Sugawara shouted, pulling the shoe out from the door. He looked at it for a moment, happy to have it back in his life. “Can you hold it for me so I don’t lose it again?” He held out the shoe to you, looking at the other one still clutched in your hand. 
You gave him a soft nod, taking it from him and tucking it under your arm. You opened the door for him, watching him run over to his car. 
“I got this car two years ago from a really nice old lady. She said she couldn’t drive it because her back was bad. It made me sad...but now the car is mine.” He flashed you a bright smile as he attempted to wrap his arms around the body of the car. 
You unlocked the doors, chuckling as he jumped. 
He opened the drivers side door for you, helping you inside before stumbling to the passenger door. Once inside he clicked his seatbelt, the same soft smile still on his face as he watched you adjust your seat. 
“You know, your mine too.” He reached his hand out, running his fingers down the side of your jaw. “If I had to pick between my car and you. I would always pick you.” 
You took his hand in yours, leaning into the feeling of his warm palm. “And if you did, I would buy you a car so you could have both.” 
He gave you a pleased smile, watching as you backed out of the parking lot.
----
You pulled into Sugawara’s parking lot, the GPS flashing as it ended the route. 
“Let’s get you inside, what number is your apartment?” You were unbuckling your seatbelt when an arm reached across you. “What's wrong Koushi?” You gave him a confused look, your eyes squinting as you tried to make out his face in the dark. 
He leaned across the center counsel, his hands finding your face as he pulled you closer to him. His lips met yours, his kiss slow and rough. 
Your hands found his own, holding them against you as you leaned into him. 
He spread his fingers, letting you lace your with his own as he pulled away.
“Come here.” He sat back in his seat, patting his thigh. 
You opened your mouth to protest, but his hooded stare told you he wouldn’t listen even if you did. You reached for his hand again, using him as leverage as you climbed over the console and into his lap. 
“I should warn you now, I'm a needy drunk. And I haven’t kissed you enough today.” He gave you a faint smile, his eyes dark as he looked over your features. His hands unlaced from yours, reaching down to pull you closer. 
Resting your hands on his chest, you leaned in, hovering your lips over his own. 
“I want to take my time with you, take my time with us. But I can’t help but want to indulge in you a bit right now.” He whispered against your lips, each syllable he spoke grazing the soft skin of his own against yours. 
His cool fingers slid up your back, gliding up your spine as your shirt bunched around his arms. “Please tell me if you feel uncomfortable, because I won’t be able to stop if you don’t tell me to.”
You nodded, closing the gap between you. 
He smirked into the kiss, his grip on you tightening as his rational thoughts blurred over. The only thing he wanted, needed right now was to be as close to you as he could possibly be. The wanton need to have you was taking over every thought he had. 
He licked your bottom lip, the taste of pear sake mixed in with his own. He waited for you to part your lips, nibbling on them impatiently. 
You didn’t respond, too lost in his touch to think about your next move. 
He furrowed his brow, the need to taste you becoming too much for him. The warm pads of his fingers tingled, slipping under the band of your bra as he scratched up your back. You gasped from the contact, his opportunity had finally presented itself. 
He pressed his tongue against yours, hot and soft as your saliva melded. 
Your fingers twisted in his shirt, holding onto him as your body went numb. Your skin only recognising his touch. 
At one point, your brain had been working. Forming coherent thoughts, telling you to take things slow. But now you only thought of him. His smell, his taste, his touch. Going slow just wasn’t going to work. 
Sugawara moved from your lips to your jaw, trailing wet kisses down to the sensitive skin on your neck. He sucked small red spots down to your collar, his fingers pulling at your collar as he moved further down your chest. 
You ground down on his lap subconsciously, the need for friction bubbling up from the back of your mind. 
Sugawara let out a low moan from the pressure, pushing his nose into your neck. 
You froze in his arms at the sound, unaware something so sinful could come out of someone like him. 
Sugawara pulled away from you, crimson brushing his cheeks. He avoided your widened eyes, causing you to shift uncomfortably on top of him. 
“I want to keep going F/N, I really do. But this isn’t how I want it to go.” Sugawara looked at you finally, his heart dropping when he saw your dispirited look. “I just want it to be romantic, you deserve it to be romantic! Please don’t think I don’t want to, because I do. Ah, i’m drunk and this isn’t how tonight should have gone…” Sugawara frowned, leaning his head against your shoulder. 
“Koushi…”
He sat back up, giving you a worried look.
“Thank you.” You gave him a bright smile, your heart swelling. You would have been more than happy to be with him tonight. But the fact that he wanted to give you something better, something more intimate and loving made you cherish him even more. 
He loved you, and you really did feel it in everything he did. 
You savored the moment, looking at each other while. The heat of the moment dying down to a low smolder.
He brushed his fingertips over your collarbone, his love marks already forming. 
“We should get to bed. I have a busy day ahead of me.” You giggled, drawing his attention away from his thoughts. 
“Drive my car home, I can pick it up in the morning. I don’t want you walking alone so late at night.” 
You tried to protest but he put a finger to your lips, shushing you as he pulled his apartment key off his keyring. He helped you back into the driver's seat, buckling you in before he got out of the car. 
You rolled the window down as he walked around to your door. “Thank you for the taste.” he teased. 
Your breath hitched in your throat, your mind backtracking to the feeling of his lips on yours.
He let out a soft chuckle as he pinched your red cheeks. “Drive safe honey, please tell me when you get home.” The sober Koushi was slowly coming back, his mind finally able to focus on something less sinful. He pressed his lips to yours one last time, this time his touch was innocent and soft. 
He waved goodbye to you as you pulled out of the parking lot, waiting till you were out of his view to walk up the stairs to his apartment door. 
Once you got home you set his keys on the coffee table, falling onto the couch with a loud sigh. Your back heated up again, the ghost of his fingertips still lingering in your mind. “I should probably text him that I'm home.” You mumbled to yourself, pulling out your phone from your bag. 
You clicked the power button, noticing a message from a new number. You opened the message, your brows knitting together as you read it. 
“Sugawara told me you needed a fake boyfriend for the day and gave me your number for the details. What time do you need me to show up at the station tomorrow?” 
----
Previous Chapter - Next Chapter
----
24 notes · View notes
lady-plantagenet · 4 years
Text
Unsolicited Book Reviews (n3): The Sunne in Splendour
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️(+1/2?)
Tumblr media
Even before I had an account, I tended to go to tumblr to see people’s opinions before buying a histfic. Certain books are either severely underrepresented, where I feel like there needs to be something on them, whereas others, though talked about enough, something more can still be said about them. So for my quarantine fun, I have decided to start a series where I review every medieval historical fiction novel I read. Hopefully, it will either start interesting discussions or at least be some help for those browsing its tag when considering purchasing it.
TL;DR: Keep in mind that I’m harsh with my ratings. I don’t expect my historical fiction to offer some sort of insight about the human condition or be some perfectly manicured prose, but this book’s biggest detriment was its lack of depth. Some scenes packed a serious emotional punch, but then again I am attached to this era and given the length, it would be insane not to. I learned a lot - no lie, but while my background knowledge on the wars of the roses has become enriched, I feel no closer to Richard.
Plot: We follow Richard III from a young boy at eight right before the catastrophe that was Ludlow to his death and a few years after. This story seems to be told through omniscient third person point of view, which creates issues when it comes to voice - a lot of the characters sound the same (John ‘Jack’ Howard, Francis Lovell, Richard Catesby to name a few). This is only a natural consequence of the sheer amount of people Penman chose to portray. I’m honestly still grateful for this as I was not a fan of Richard III’s POV, but really enjoyed Richard Neville Earl of Warwick’s, Margaret of Anjou and Cecily Neville’s. Everytime these three were the center of the chapter, it was truly enjoyable and multi-faceted which comes to show that Penman is capable of writing complexity when she wants to. I would also like to add that the author’s knowledge of medieval life (e.g. the food, the dogs, the nature of battles) was a high point of this novel and did something to counter-balance the rampant late 20th century flavour in this novel. She tries way too hard to adapt a medieval man such as Richard to our modern values to propagate her Richardian Agenda, which ultimately underscored this.
It must be said though that the author clearly did her research as most of what she said regarding minutae such as: what day of the week it was, where the characters were at one time, details of documents, who did what in which battle, what laws were passed etc... I had just come back to this time period after some years and I thought I knew all there was to know, yet, here comes this book which springboarded me into a wealth of new research - I suppose I am grateful for that. However, do not let that delude you into thinking it is comprehensive. There were historical innacuracies which I can only guess were intentionally made for the sake of the author’s Richardian goal e.g. Anne Neville being forced into her marital duties when historicalMargaret of Anjou made it clear that there would be no consummation until Warwick would prevail at Barnet, Isabel Neville being ‘abandoned’ by her husband in France when really it was only about 4 months they were apart and it would have made no sense for Isabel to sail with an invasionary force, Richard III abolishing benevolence tax because he thought it unfair as opposed to the reality which was that he had failed in his initial attempt to raise them because the population opposed, Richard III allowing the marriage between Jane Shore and Thomas Lynsom when in reality he had initially opposed it... Historical fiction is entitled to innacuracies but given that the author made it clear in her afterword that the only time she strayed was setting a scene in Windsor as opposed to Westminster, it is dishonest to conceal the aforementioned blips, especially when they are so unobvious that it would take a seasoned enthusiast to spot them. As you can tell they either do have a negative bearing on Richard’s image as a saint or show detractors in a positive light, clearly neither that which she was in a mood to explain away.
Characterisation: I can not stress enough how well Cecily Neville was portrayed, every scene she was in, I felt. She tends to be a very difficult character to get because of the whole illegitimacy rumour which casts shades of doubt. She was proud but also pious, subservient but also commanding... just an incredible woman of gravity. I enjoyed Warwick in all his flamboyancy as well and Edward IV was masterfully portrayed as the intelligent but forgiving man that he was. You could clearly see how despite his indulgent character, he knew when it was time to be serious, it was a joy to read the scenes where he strikes people into subserviancy. Anne Beauchamp was also quite a treat for the little time we had with her.
There were also some portrayals of mixed quality: George Duke of Clarence for one, his warped sense of humour and charm were well presented, his unpredictability adequately captured. The issue I have though is that no man is unpredictable to themselves and while it may make sense for other characters to see his temperaments as those like a weather vane it would make no sense for it to be this way in the chapters where he is the POV. Penman’s basically wrote him off as crazy (I mean literally mad) for the majority of the story which is utter tripe given that the whole madness angle is a modern invention. I won’t write more on this now as it deserves its own post (btw if anyone wants me to elaborate on anything I said so far send me an ask). Last thing I will say though: the last scene we have with him is utterly tragic and still sticks with me today, honestly the best writing in this novel was during the ‘Anne’ Book and ‘Protector of the North’ in the years surrounding George’s death. Speaking of, where do I begin with Isabel Neville and Elizabeth Woodville? Their marriages with Richard’s brothers are portrayed negatively for no other reason than to set up Richard and Anne Neville as a perfect love story. This story-telling technique is cheap as hell and I did not expect to find it in a novel so highly acclaimed for its ‘quality’. Let me make this clear: The marriage which was hailed as a love match at that time was that of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV. Anne and Richard could have been just as much a marriage of politics as George and Isabel’s, or the latter’s just as much a love match. George fought for Isabel just as much, if not more than Richard did for Anne, George stayed loyal for a surety whereas Richard’s bastard John’s conception may have coincided with his marriage according to Hicks, Marrying Anne was highly advantageous for Richard as marrying Isabel for George... I could go on. Therefore, why is Isabel constantly described as wretched, miserable and at one point abused(!) by her husband whereas Richard was nothing but gentle to the happy Anne. The Mary of Burgundy proposal story is often cited as proof that George only cared about power... but what about Richard’s proposal to Joanna of Portugal one month after Anne died? This may sound minor but it’s a perfect example of the author trying hard to make Richard a modern romantic figure which he wasn’t. I think he may have loved Anne Neville, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was a medieval king and made marriage provisions after her death to secure the succession. For a 800+ page novel about Richard III some seminal pieces of information were left out such as his seizure of the aged Dowager Countess of Oxford’s Howard fortune, the mysterious circumstances in which George Neville Duke of Bedford died young and unmarried after becoming his ward. All in all, do not let the wonderful historical detail fool you into thinking this is a complete account of Richard III’s day to day life.
Don’t even get me started on the Woodvilles... They were all treacherous villains and social climbers who belonged in hell. EVEN ANTHONY WOODVILLE - what has he ever done to Penman or anyone? All scenes with Elizabeth Woodville at the beggining were bedding scenes pretty much, which shows that the author saw her as nothing more than a heartless seductress. There was even a point where Edward in his rage said: ‘you would lie with a leper if it meant you becoming Queen’ and I was just shocked at that. I was further shocked when her daughter Elizabeth of York was musing that if her mother had been a good wife her father wouldn’t have needed to stray and I was just like... ‘I thought we were trying to be sensible in this book 0_0’ - How is it appropriate to have a woman blamed for her husband’s infidelity? How can we have such blatant classism and sexism on the one hand and late 20th century wokeness on the other? It’s what I said earlier, the author can’t prop up Richard and Anne without putting down all other couples in this book. By the end of the book I was honestly finding myself cheering for Elizabeth Woodville as she was becoming the woman with sense and cunning as we all know her, the saving grace of this entire characterisation was that Elizabeth became the only person with a brain by the end (I doubt this was the author’s intention). Down here in this category of bad characterisation I will add Richard and Anne themselves. Anne Neville though often absolutely adorable to me lacked any personality trait apart from being in love with Richard and past sexual abuse by Edward (which didn’t historically happen). Anne’s father and only sister die and she barely thinks about them, which severely undermines her portrayal as a loving and empathetic person. Her death scene and wane was tragic and affected me as a reader but holy Christ before that the author was very heavy handed throughout the book with her martyrisation of Anne, even when she was a young girl and everything was going well she cried in nearly every goddamn scene. Yes, this is Warwick’s daughter we are talking about. Richard (unlike the real great man that once lived on this earth) was similarly flawless and any small flaw he had was something like: ‘too trusting’, ‘acts then thinks’ - essentially ‘too good for this world’ flaws. No one is like this, least of all the real Richard who would not recognise this weird contrived romanticisation of a man. The saving grace of all this is that he admitted around the end to himself and Anne that he did want to be king a little bit, which YES, at least we get that because no one goes through all the procedures he did and endangers the survival of their house, unless they wanted to become king, at least a little bit. All in all, if Penman’s Richard III is the real man, all I have to say is: thank god his reign was cut short because this character would have made a terrible and weak monarch.
Prose: And here is where another of the stars was deducted. The prose is largely very pedestrian. It was full of modern phrases such as ‘hear me out’, ‘He thinks I am in the wrong’ ‘he can’t get away with this’ and other such likes. Also, I know it’s difficult to write a book where everyone’s names are Elizabeth, Edward, Richard and Anne, but apart from ‘Nan’ which was a nickname of that time, the modernity of ‘Bess’, ‘Bella’ or ‘Lisbet’ and the use of them in-text and not just dialogue, did much to draw me out of the medieval era. This is not just a criticism towards Penman but a grand majority of historical fiction novelists of this period. Having said that, her choice to cut conjunctions and use the word ‘be’ intead of ‘is’ or ‘are’ did not bother me at all and I found it effective in dating the language a bit. I appreciate that writing in poetic prose for 800+ pages is extremely difficult, but other’s have done it. And even in other novel where that’s not the case, the writing is still profound and impactful and conveys a deeper meaning, whereas here it’s more of a fictionalised history book. The author appears to have some imagination as the few scenes she made up e.g. Catherine Woodville’s visit to Richard or Edward summoning Edmund’s previous carer John to talk about Edmund as he was trying to deal with the grief of losing George, any scene with Cecily Neville in it, Anne Neville and Veronique (OC lady-in-waiting to her) when they were in hiding, Rosamund and Richard at the end, Margaret of Anjou when she was lodged at that abbey, When Stillington visited George before his death to give him a rosary and last rites and he refused to get them from him, Anne and Richard going to Middleham and Isabel’s lying in state were just some of them. However, even if you took all those well-written scenes and stuck them together they would not be more than maybe 150 pages which is not good in such a massive novel. I really don’t know how I would rank the prose, I feel weird saying it’s at the low bestseller level because at least it’s not overwritten and annoying, however, it lacked a lot of soul most of the time, which is dissapointing given what Penman had to work with. I can see that the author has some strengths, for example she’s good at writing about the weather and the natural landscape, she’s also good at describing facial expressions. But her massive flaw is dialogue and flow - especially the latter. The flow is hindered by her abject inability to weave historical events and their happenings into the prose, so she often settles for an exposition dump, especially when it comes to some male chatacter’s POV such as John Howard, Francis Lovell or Buckingham. A lot of the characters exposited at each other too, which wasted the opportunity for some serious character profiles. Basically too much telling and not enough showing. In conclusion, It didn’t always feel clunky, expository or laboured, but it way too often did for the good to be redeemed by the bad prose-wise.
In Conclusion, I cheated on this book a couple of times when it dragged, but got right back into it whenever the good sections came along. It is one of these books which people cannot stop raving about and I can’t stress how much I wanted to love it when I got it. It’s nice being a fan of something a lot of people are too for once, but it was just not to be. But at least now I can say I have read the cult classic of this histfic niche which apparently everyone has read and cried over. Even though it took me 7 months where others got through it in a week through sleepless nights. Despite all the negativity in this review, I would still reccomend it as it is a solid book and written by someone who clearly gets the conflict and time period. You will learn lots with this book (I intend to keep it as a sort of timeline) regarding things that you might otherwise find too dry to research in depth e.g. battle strategies and sieges. But what you will not learn about is the characters’ psychologies and personalities though Penman tries very hard and heavy-handedly to exposit their feelings to us.
29 notes · View notes
jjpmoans · 4 years
Text
oxygen | im jaebeom
 wc : 2.5k+
warnings : fluff (overload, i don’t know, I sucked at fluff)
a/n : Happy Valentine’s Day! May your Valentines gets better with this fic! To those without boyfriend, lets indulge the sweetness!
Tumblr media
Parents are of different kinds; they definitely are not the same as your friends' parents. Sometimes your friends' parents sound too cool that you wonder why your parents aren't the same. Your friends get to go out anywhere at any time while you have curfews, no more outings after 9 o'clock at night. It sucks, yes. But you do know why your parents are strict as well. You just wish them to be more lenient sometimes.
"No?" your best friend pouts in disappointment when you said you can't be his Valentine date. You shake your head again, playing with your lunch as he scoots closer and hugs your waist. "But I thought Mom loves me? I think she will give an exemption if you say it's me."
Your heart thumps at the proximity given Jaebeom's chin rests on your shoulder; his nose nudging your cheeks as he whispers the plan. You can never guess when Jaebeom will make your heart flutter but now you think it's better for him not to be close to you because your heart isn't fluttering, it is close to exploding.
"Jaebeom. People are watching." you tell him when you feel the gazes burning on both of you. Partly because being sweet in the college cafeteria is definitely not right but partly because how the college bad boy is snuggling up against the girl from the Student Council.
Or best known as the Vice President of Student Council, Park Jinyoung's right man.
He whines as you try to move away, pulling you closer by your waist. "Let them be."
"I am angy because you don't want to go out with me tomorrow night!" he huffs, sulking even more.
You stare at him in disbelief as he puffs his cheeks to melt you. "Did you just use the word 'angy'? Im Jaebeom? Really?" 
"What's wrong with using that word?" he sounds offended now, pouts getting more prominent and ready to throw some spoon in your direction. "I AM angy with you." 
You coo, pinching his cheeks to calm him down. "The school baddest boy just used a cute word. I need to commemorate this!" you squealed, bringing out your phone to record him. "Say you're angy with me again!" 
To your surprise, he repeats, pouting even harder to please you. He knows you love it and he has no problem repeating it over and over again. Jaebeom is the softest when he's with you, that is a fact. You don't know how much control you have on him but you're not deaf either. People have been talking about how Jaebeom hasn't been smoking for some time now, which immediately reminds you of his deal with you three months ago. 
"Hello Jinyoung's right man." he called as you passed by him, his scent reeked of cigarette smoke. You hated smokers to your core but you can still stand their smell. However, if they want to talk to you, they better be clean from smoke. Which is why you just ignored his call. "Oh. I can't talk to you because you have a title? I am not entitled to speak to Ms Vice President?"
 Okay that would be enough. You were not going to let him call you someone arrogant. Instead you whipped your head, finding his interested eyes on you. "I hate smokers. Even if they are my President's friend, which totally have no correlation. If you want to talk to me, then stop smoking. After that we talk."
 "I am deeply offended if you're thinking about another man while I'm right here in front of you." Jaebeom snaps you out of your thoughts making you smile right away. Your stretch makes him melt again, grins plastered on his face.
You pinch his cheeks again, caressing it before turning to your lunch. "Tell you what, let me ask mom once again. If I can't, I'll send you a text." 
Jaebeom nods enthusiastically, not without crossing his hands to chant 'please mom please mom please.' 
Tumblr media
You send the text with a heavy heart, guilt washes all over you when you remember how excited Jaebeom was to hear news from you. Suddenly you hated your parents even though you do understand that they want you to be safe especially at nights. It's Valentine's night and most of your friends are probably at the party doing god-knows-what while you are here on your bed in your pyjamas watching a Netflix romance movie.
Very romantic.
It has been a good 40 minutes of sadness because the main lead is currently shoving his tongue down the female lead throat before you hear a knock on your door, pausing you in your feelings. You stand up, leaving the bed and head over to your door. Upon opening it, you find no one at the door. Wicked since you are sure that you heard someone knock. Or could it be the window? But the knock should be different and you're not dumb to not differentiate between a door knock or a window knock. 
You close the door again however; you jump when an unexpected visitor appears behind the door. 
"Hello." 
"Jaebeom!" you scream in hushed, quickly check the door and lock it. You will be a dead meat if your mom decides to check you in. However, Jaebeom can't care less. He is grinning, looking at you up and down, scanning your frightened state. You on the other hand are in panic and reach for his hand to tug him away from the door. "What are you doing here!?" 
Still panicked, you look around to see which direction he was coming from. Jaebeom shrugs, sending you a wink before heading to your bed and climbing it to sit in the middle of your bed.
"I am your Valentine date." he explains with no hint of fear on his face. He definitely has nothing to fear or probably he is too dumb to realise that your dad can definitely chop his head off. 
"But I told you I can't go on that date!" 
"Which is why," he gestures to you to come closer to which you follow hesitantly and crosses your hand. "I bring the date to you." 
You are still unsure of this crazy plan because there is no way a boy exists in your room even though your parents know him. Jaebeom must have sensed it because he reaches for your hand and softly assure you by rubbing it. 
"Come on. I'll leave after midnight." he looks at his watch, chewing his lower lips. "Or whenever you want after you spend the Valentine date with me." 
You let out a sigh, relieved probably, at his promise. "Okay. After midnight okay?" 
He nods, his smile comes alive after he knows you have let your guards down. He knows how scary your parents are but he can always find a plan to spend the day with you even if it costs his life. 
"Hey." you call. "It's not I don't want you to be here. I just- I'm scared that mom and dad will find you. I don't want you to get scolded." 
Instead of replying, he pulls you towards him, comfortable situating you both against the headboard, his hand around your arm. 
"It's okay. Now let me be your boyfriend for the night." he offers a smile, then pressing a kiss on your forehead to start the date. "What are you watching?"
Tumblr media
The movie ends one hour later together with a box of pizza, sandwiches, popcorn and cokes. You never thought Jaebeom is capable of setting a picnic but he really brought the whole date to you, with a basket -- yes he did -- and climbed to your room. 
"I can't believe you climbed to my room." you say in his arm after you requested for a cuddle. Cuddling with Jaebeom is really nice, partly because he is the only one you cuddle with after your dad and partly because you think his hugs are really warm. "With the basket even!" 
Jaebeom laughs to agree with you, he was surprised with himself too. He never thought he could climb the wall, he even cursed at himself for trying too hard but oh the things he would do for you. 
"I can't help it. How can I leave you to a party when you're up here alone?" he reasons but he knows that is a blatant lie. He is attracted to you and he knows you won't leave his mind even if he associates with other girls at the party. The bad boy inside him ceases to extinction when he meets you. "I need to warm your lonely night." 
"Cheesy yes?" you laugh. Jaebeom has never felt that way, never had a girl put him on a spell. He feels like he has been caught in a complicated feeling, he feels like his heart is going to burst every time he sees you. His days will not be complete if he hasn't talked to you and like the other days, his day ended well whenever he talked to you. You act like his oxygen supply, constantly giving him new breath of his life. 
"Hey." he incline to your side while you play with the hem of his shirt. Jaebeom wears white shirt and a pair of jeans but as expected from a bad boy, he will always look handsome and hot. A simple outfit but he manages to make you swoon. "Can I tell you something?" 
Maybe you like him. That is the reason why your heart explodes every time he gives cheesy comments or even pouts. You wish you are certain of this feeling because unlike Jaebeom, you don't want to beat around the bush. However, knowing this probably will affect your relationship with him, you can't risk it. You still have a long year to go and really, you can't afford to lose him. 
"Hm... what is it?" you're drawing circles on his chest while you rest your head against his arms. You swear you heard his breath hitches when the tip of your nail grazes his chest a little hard and his biceps contracted. 
"I think I like you." 
The first thing that comes across your head is 'fuck. he like me! fuck yes.' then the next thing is 'fuck no he is my best friend.' 
"Baby say something." you can hear his heart rate increases rapidly as your silence continues. Even that, your hand is still on his chest, not pulling away. "Are you mad? I'm sorry. I just- I can't hold it in." 
"Why?" is the first word that comes from you. "Why can't you hold it?" You're not mad. You're curious. Why does he feel the urge to tell you he likes you? Damn now you are scared because instead of feeling neutral, you had to admit you feel giddy when he said he likes you. 
Fuck, do you like him too? Yeah you think so. If you don't, you must be freaking out now since you don't know how to reject people. 
"I can't hold it in because I wanted to kiss you the moment I climbed through the window just now." he confesses, throwing you off guard. "I just-- I can't. You look so stunning even in your pyjamas and oh god your messy hair. I want to wake up to it every day."
"I look like a monster when I wake up in the morning, Jaebeom." you laugh in astonishment. To say you're shocked is an understatement, but you had never thought Jaebeom can be as sweet as this, wanting to wake up to you. You have it in your bucket list but you never thought it would be with Jaebeom because honestly, you're out of Jaebeom's league. 
"My beautiful monster then." he pulls you closer by your waist, your chest bumps to his. "My goodness you smell so good. I'm going crazy with you beside me. I wanted all of you to myself and I can tell those fuckers at school to fuck off and don't look at my woman." 
You feel giddy, high up in the cloud nine that you grin as soon as Jaebeom aligns his face to yours. "I haven't said I agree to be your girlfriend, Beommie." 
"Fuck." he turns his head away to swear, coming back to press a peck on your lips. "Call me that again." 
You giggle, calling his name again. "Beommie. I haven't agreed to be your girl, Beommie." at this point you are very sure that you too, like him. 
He sucks in a deep breath and opens his eyes, staring straight into your eyes. However, he can't maintain a 5 seconds eye contact with you, hiding his face in the crook of your neck. "Fuck you're so beautiful and look at what you did to me." 
You hum as his breath tickles your neck. "Beom-ah." to that he lets out a rough huff, affected by the pet name which you laugh, ruffling his hair. "You still need to get me to agree, you know." 
"You're contemplating it without me having to ask. Isn't it clear that you will be my girl?" he appears from your neck, now having the courage to talk to you. 
"What if I don't want to?" your giggle intensifies as Jaebeom's eyes grow wide and his pout starts to form. 
"I guess I have to curse you to be single until you're mine." 
"That's not nice!" you're definitely crazy. You feel like a love-strucked teenage girl, giggling for 5 minute straight. As the vice president of Student Council, it is your second demeanor to be cold and stay unaffected by any means. However, that is one power that Jaebeom holds over you, to make you like a teenage girl again. 
"Will you be my girl, baby?" he whispers to you and only you. His eyes hold yours, reflecting the love he has for you. You never thought he is capable of holding this much love since his reputation as the bad boy but you guess the three months you had with him serves as a reminder that this bad boy has a story behind him. He is capable of loving, to shower someone with affection and a very deep person behind the cold mask. 
"Yes, Jaebeom." you let out the breath that you don't know you're holding, relieved as you agreed to be his. 
"Hmm, wrong answer." 
"Yes, beom-ah. I'll be your girl" Your pet name makes him grin again, even wider this time and he shows them by dropping countless pecks across your face. "My goodness, Jaebeom!" you squeal but did nothing to tell him. 
Jaebeom is halfway on top of you, his arm on either side of yours, caging you effectively. 
"My girl." he smiles, capturing you for a kiss, molding your lips with his. Your lips fit perfectly with his as he deepens for more, nose touching at the proximity. 
He releases your lips which are all swollen and red, looking satisfied with his own work. 
"Mine." 
"Yours." you reply as he leans to capture your lips for another kiss. 
"Happy Valentine's Day, baby."
Tumblr media
All rights reserved © jinyoungmoans
[ Writings ]
105 notes · View notes