#it’s snowing and I heard thunder!!!!!

[yellobb]

Holy shit dude thundersnow!!!!!!

#m rambles #I can’t stop smiling omg #it’s snowing and I heard thunder!!!!! #oh my god #yall thundersnow is super rare I’m blown away

[yikimiki]

>> bones and ashes

⚔️ sukuna x fem!reader | warnings for: violence, mentions of death, possessiveness (sukuna is as evil as they come so basically every red flag under the sun), non-con that turns into dub-con (Stockholm syndrome), mentions of virginity loss, anatomically impossible size difference (if u know what I mean), blood play, etc | around 5-6k words | also important to note that I absolutely assassinated the canon lore in some points but bare with me

Sukuna doesn’t really have the ability to love. But he thinks he gets close enough when it comes to you. Of course, in his own twisted, macabre way.

Sukuna isn’t familiar to the concept of fondness, let alone anything more profound or meaningful than that. He knows want, desire, possession, curiosity even. But none of those feelings have ever tilted towards the side of affection, nor does he want them to. They’re all narcissistic pulses that keep pushing him forward — towards more power, more control, more of what he can become. He’s not even fond of his own abilities. Arrogant? Perhaps, but not fond. He can’t be fond of something he knows is not at its peak yet, that would just be weakness.

And Sukuna is everything but weak.

He sees you in a cold winter morning and he does what he knows best: he takes. Takes your pride, your virginity, your blood. Takes you like he took the lives of the rest of your village, paints your skin red and watches as the tears wash it away. Sukuna takes and takes until you have nothing left to give, just like he has done countless times before and yet… this time, something switches.

This time, he decides to let you live. Trapped in a dark cell, of course, but alive regardless.

The days move slowly, and you learn to mark their passing by the loud, clanking sound of a metal dish being thrown through a cracked door. The food is mostly raw meet and, after a few days of disgust, you cave in and eat a little of it. Not enough to be satisfied, not even close, but enough to keep you alive for at least a few hours longer.

Sukuna comes by in irregular intervals, and you soon give up on trying to find a pattern in his visits. You know it’s him from the way the door creaks open even further to accommodate his size, and you watch as his large shadow observes your movements for a moment before he kicks the disgusting plate towards you. Most of time time he’s there, you force yourself to eat, afraid of what should come if you turn down his unspoken commands. Once he seems satisfied, he exits without a word.

There is one single advantage in being in a windowless, isolated cell: you can’t hear what goes on up there. You’ve heard enough the day that Sukuna came to your village — the shattering screams, the pleads for mercy, the babies crying, the sound of wood and bone breaking almost too similar to differentiate. You saw creatures beyond your realm and heard awful whispers and threats; held you family as they died and gave up as the snow beneath your hands became as red as the burning sky above. And you know enough about Sukuna’s legend to be aware that it wasn’t an isolated incident.

When evil incarnate arrives, there’s not much you can do but surrender.

Though, when it comes to the legends, you thought that his palace was more of a manner of speak than an actual location. Once again, though, you’ve heard enough legends to know when to stop inquiring about the details.

Sukuna comes in after a week with a plan and a cloud of amusement over his head — frankly, given the state you were in, he thought you would be dead by now. Your stubborn hold on life is as impressive as it is pathetic.

“You looked so small when I first saw you,” his thunderous voice breaks the silence. There’s no food in his hands this time, only the fire cracking behind his form. You’re sitting down on the cold floor, back against the wall, and you don’t even bother looking up at him. “You look even smaller now.”

You don’t answer, because you don’t know what to say. Of course you’re smaller — you’re weak, starving, lacking movement and sunlight. Every muscle in your body aches and the aftertaste of dried blood never leaves your mouth. Smaller is a compliment; you wish you were just bones and ashes by now.

Sukuna takes a heavy step inside the dark chamber. “I killed everyone you’ve ever loved that day,” he says, bluntly. There’s no amusement nor sorrow in his tone — it’s a neutral statement. He lowers himself to your level and, on the corner of your eyes, you see his four arms. He is so wrong, even in a physical sense. Like the scar of something that shouldn’t even exist. “And yet… you live. Do you want to know why?”

You sneer. “I wish you’d just let me die.”

He chuckles, and one hand meets the side of your head. His fingers dig into the dirty, messy strings and pulls on the roots. There are tears on the corners of your eyes but you refuse to let him see them. “That’s exactly why you’re alive,” he says. “I knew you were ready to die when I saw you — all bloodied up, on your knees in the snow. It was quite a sight.” Sukuna’s voice is a malicious whisper as he comes even closer to you — he smells rotten. The tongue that licks up your cheek makes you want to puke. He tastes you the same way as he did on the first day, and you have no idea what he’s searching for. “Tell me, why were you so ready to give yourself to me? Most try to plead at least.”

“Plead for what? Your mercy?” The sarcasm is clear through your tone. The words you mean to say are knotted in the base of your throat and the odor Sukuna reeks is making you dizzy; making you remember everything that came before this. “I— I didn’t have anything else to live for,” you stutter. “You killed… you killed my mother, my father, my baby brother… why would I want to live without them? Why would I humiliate myself asking for mercy from a creature that clearly doesn’t have any to spare?”

Through anger, you look up at him. His eyes are flames bursting through the darkness, and they shine as your words settle on his skin. “Do you only live for love, my little dove?” He asks. “What a purposeless life you have.”

“Do you only live for hate?” You ask back before you can hold your tongue. Somewhere in your mind, you know that he’s capable of unimaginable evil, but you are beyond the point of caution. “What a purposeless legacy you’re leaving behind.”

This angers him. The corners of his mouth twists as he speaks. “You people fear me. Even the strongest of sorcerers doesn’t dare to go against me.”

“I pity you and your ridiculous need for destroying what isn’t yours,” you spit. “And I hate you for keeping me alive. I hate you for everything you’ve done to me and to the people I love. And I hate that you even dare to come here and talk to me like I’m the smaller person for daring to care about something.”

The hands on your hair tighten and he pulls your face against his. Sukuna’s forehead is a furnace against yours, his eyes burn into your soul. “You little insect, I could kill you with a snap of my fingers if I wanted to.”

Your voice shakes but you say it regardless: “Do it, then, what are you waiting for?”

“No,” his answer is more cruel than death could ever be. And he knows that. “And you know why?”

“If you are keeping me alive to have your way with me, so be it, have it,” you say. The tears are obvious now. You wonder if he can smell how fearful you really are. “Violate me like you did before, I don’t care anymore, but just don’t keep me alive just to waste me away.”

His lips are touching yours now, but you can’t pull away even if you tried. Sukuna’s chest is heaving like he’s in the middle of a battle, his voice like a roar in your ears. “Then ask. For. My Mercy.”

“I w-would n-never…”

“Ask!” It’s a loud command that crashes against you like a wave. You sink like there is no adrenaline in your body to keep you afloat; the anger that moved you before is no longer within your reach.

The truth is clear: you’re human. He’s a curse — the king of curses, older than you could ever imagine; probably even more powerful than the legends you’ve heard. His eyes say that there are fates worse than death and you believe them. And maybe, just maybe, if you play by his rules, he’ll grow tired of you and let you wither away.

“P-Please,” you are sobbing now, tears falling down like a cascade. Sukuna licks them and hums in satisfaction, watching as you break apart into a mountain of hiccups and trembling limbs. “Please just… have mercy on me. I’ll do whatever you want just — please, stop torturing me like this.”

“Aw,” he coos. “Was that so hard?”

You want to say that yes, somehow, that took everything still left in you. You want to say that if he wanted to break your spirit, congratulations, he’s done it. But you don’t get the chance.

Sukuna kisses you with the same ferocity you expected, sharp teeth crashing against yours and tongue exploring your mouth with no prior warning. He groans as he tastes you — you, the blood in your food, the salt of your tears — and suddenly it’s all that he will ever crave again. You whimper against his lips as his two lower arms crawl up your thighs and hold onto your hips, pushing you against him as he stands up and presses you against the wall. You feel more caged now than you have felt these past few days.

“Silly little human,” he raps against your lips, then licks your cheek for more of your precious tears. He realizes how much he likes to make you cry. You wince and give out a little sob, which only makes him smile. Finally, his grip on your hair loosens. “What is my name?”

You blink, dumbfounded by the sudden question. “S-Sukuna…?”

He pouts. “Say it like you mean it or I won’t be so nice.”

“Sukuna,” you say more firmly this time.

“There we go, that’s a good girl,” he says. “See how things just work better when you don’t misbehave? Hm?”

You nod. He doesn’t like it. “Y-Yes, I see, I’m sorry.”

“Very good.” The hand that was on your hair moves to hold your face, and it’s so huge that you feel like it would crush your skull with one single movement. As the other two arms hold onto your thighs, the fourth limb squeezes your breast. “Now, this is what’s going to happen, my pretty little human,” Sukuna starts, “I will have my servants take you to my chambers. You will be washed, clothed, and taken care of. They will feed you proper human food this time, whichever it is that your heart desires. How does that sound?”

Sounds like a trap. “And, in return, what do I have to do for you?”

“What do I have to do for you…?” He raises his eyebrows.

“Sukuna,” you complete.

“There’s my perfect little girl,” he says. You hate that something inside you likes the praise. “You will have to wait for me there. Do whatever you prefer, but don’t leave my room. Any attempt at escaping or killing yourself will be futile, and I’ve already warned every single curse that your death will result in a much more dire future for them. So you will be brought back to me. And I promise I won’t be so nice.”

“I understand… Sukuna,” you correct yourself quickly. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

The hand on your breast squeezes tighter, and you bite your lip so you don’t complain. “I knew I was right when I brought you here, something made me spare you. Yet, I don’t know what it is just yet.”

Sukuna is a looming threat above you, his limbs trapping you, and his deep voice is like thunder about to break. You know why so many fear him — you fear him too. And the sooner you act like it, the sooner he’ll grow tired of you. Sooner he’ll realize he was wrong in bringing you into his fortress.

He smirks. “But I believe I’ll discover soon enough.”

- ⚔️ -

Sukuna’s chambers are as spacious and monstrous as himself — corners switching and adjusting like breathing flesh; furniture morphing into different shapes; the weird odor of something old; the feeling for something lurking. The large windows show a world between worlds; a reality that doesn’t seem right no matter how long you stare at it. His palace is in a dimension you can’t reach, and you give up on trying to understand it. If anything, the more you wonder about it, the more you shake under the weight of the sheer power it must take to keep it all existing like solid matter.

Your passage of time is morphed and unreliable, but you would guess that a couple weeks have passed by the time that you come to terms that, perhaps, Sukuna isn’t as easy to bore as you first expected. The fire in his eyes doesn’t seem to diminish as he sees you — if anything, his eagerness to have you all to himself only seems to expand — and the way he takes care of you makes you realize that he isn’t planning on letting you die anytime soon.

Life in his chambers is far more comfortable, you admit, but it’s a prison nonetheless. Still, you can’t say that you are mistreated. In his chambers, you are bathed and clothed, well-fed and pampered. You soon come back to your normal weight and the fatigue leaves your body; there is more space to move, more things to do. The curses that come to check on you seem to be strangely kind and human-like, though you know it’s out of fear and not out of worry, and they keep your mind occupied with several stories and legends as the days move on.

Sukuna is more absent than you would have imagined, conquering and killing as often as he can. When he finally comes to you he is clean, recently bathed, but you can still see he is fresh from a battle, some mindless corruption beyond the horizon that you would rather hear nothing about. There are shallow scars and deep cuts that heal unreasonably quickly; dried blood that hasn’t quite washed away and ashes beneath his fingernails.

You ask whose village he has attacked this time, but he says it doesn’t matter, because there are no survivors.

“I never leave any survivors,” he completes, kissing your forehead, “besides you, my little human.”

You don’t push beyond that information, but the feeling of being special, chosen, starts to blossom like a dangerous rose inside your chest. It stings and stings, but grows regardless, and you see yourself less able to fight against his possessive claims. You start to enjoy them. You start to wonder if life beyond those walls is worth fighting for when you seem to have everything you would ever wish for right here.

You can always tell when Sukuna is about to arrive in this world because the atmosphere switches into something darker, heavier. The air seems thicker and the clouds beyond your windows start to bleed into a deep shade of red. Sukuna returns with the apocalypse on his back, and, when he does, he uses your body as he pleases.

Like the room around you, there is constant change. Sometimes it hurts like hell; sometimes it’s pleasurable. Sometimes you wish it would just end and you end up crying in despair; sometimes you look at him like you might get used to feeling him inside of you. Some days, Sukuna is kinder, more patient, taking time to adjust you to his enormous size and even makes sure that you enjoy it before reaching his end; fucking you full of his cum until you can’t think of one single thing besides him. Other days, you know he is angry just by the way he walks through the door — and, in those days, you are left bleeding and bruised as he uses your body in every single way until he’s close enough to satisfied. That, on itself, can take a long, long time.

You realize that, during those violent days, he could use one of his curses to please himself, but he prefers to use you — because you bleed, you cry, and you suffer. As long as your pain exists, his interest is unwavering.

However, like everything else, you adapt, get used to it. Routine becomes familiar and you learn the tell-tale signs of his rancid mood; learn how to make it a little better and what things to avoid. You stop thinking about getting away — you don’t even have anywhere else to go — and start longing for his presence as he takes more time to come back home. Sukuna is warm, safe; next to him you know you are shielded from any harm. When he appears, no one dares to look or touch you, no one speaks until they are spoken to. Just by being in his gravitational pull, you are protected and no harm will ever come your way again.

Even if it hurts, you start hoping that he won’t get tired of you.

Sukuna, on the other hand, isn’t quite sure how he feels about it all.

It’s not love — he has gone over that one a few hundred times already, has marked off every possible scenario and imagined every possible feeling, and he is sure it isn’t love. To be frank, he doesn’t even think he’s capable of it even if he wanted to, he sold his soul too long ago to even remember how normal humans love. But if it’s not love, it’s something similar — a kind of tenderness, fondness. He has a soft spot for you, to put it bluntly. Though not in the typical sense.

Sukuna adores you like a painter adores his favorite canvas; like an exotic bird in a cage — he adores you with possession, obsession, with the knowledge that you can’t ever get away from his grip. He is fond of you in a way that he would murder anyone who would even dare to touch what is his; but would never set you free. He can hurt you, he can tear you into pieces and build you to his liking. Sukuna can kiss you or bite you; hug or break you, but it’s because you’re his little pet and no one else’s.

He is fond of the way you bend for him; the way you look at him with sheer adoration in your eyes even after he has taken everything from you. He is fond of the way that only he could kill you; that your small life is in his hands and you thank him for it. Sukuna is fond of the way your tight little cunt stretches so wide to take his fat cock; lives for the little whimpers you give out and the tears that stain his satin sheets when he finally allows you to cum for him. If he could crawl inside your soul, he would. If he could take it and eat it and have you forever, he would.

He doesn’t know why he craves you so much, but he knows that nothing else gives him the same high anymore.

So he keeps you.

It’s a heavy stormy night when he comes back the next time, and his room is only illuminated by a few candles and the lightening from outside. You’re in his large bed, looking as small as that day in the snow, and there is a touch of worry in your eyes that he doesn’t miss. But he ignores it.

“Undress,” he commands.

You rush to do as he says, throwing the faint fabric over your head. It falls to the ground as Sukuna walks towards the bed, his massive weight making it dip under his knee as he leans closer to you.

“My pretty little doll,” Sukuna muses. “Missed me?”

He always asks that. And your answer is always the same.

“So much, Sukuna.”

It’s more honest every time.

He hums, satisfied, and smirks as he pushes your hair away from your face. “I have something to tell you, and I think you will like it,” Sukuna says. You look at him with wide eyes as he settles over you, his four arms caging your body as you lay down. The mouth on his stomach open and closes, a large tongue coming out before it vanishes again — it always does it when he’s particularly excited. “Would you like to know what it is?”

You know he will tell you regardless. Like all the tales of his battles, he lives for the glimpse of horror in the back of your eyes. “Yes, Sukuna.”

“Seems like you are famous now,” he starts. You furrow your eyebrows. “Sorcerers are trying to save you. The poor little human girl that Sukuna took as a prisoner months ago.” He kisses your neck, then licks the skin. You shiver — months, it has been months then. “Two of them tried to enter my domain today, stupid little insects,” he continues. Another hand lands on your exposed breast, playing with your nipple. “You have no idea how enraged that made me, my little human. To have someone try to take you away from me; to try and to enter my domain and take you from me.”

His voice turns into a growl by the end of the sentence, and you feel the familiar pulse of terror running through your veins. He’s in a bad mood, that’s obvious, but there’s something hiding beneath that as well.

“What did you do to them?” You ask. “Did they get in?”

Sukuna chuckles darkly, and the hand that was on your breast now settles on your clit, massaging it softly. “I took care of them, my sweet thing, of course,” he says. Your breath hitches at the slow pleasure of his movements, and your eyes flutter shut. “No one will ever take you from me.”

“I don’t want to lose you,” you say without a thought. In your heart, you feel it’s wrong. But without him, you have nothing. “I’m yours forever, Sukuna.”

“I know you are,” he answers.

Sukuna holds you by the throat as he kisses you — not enough to suffocate you, but enough to make you a little dizzy. Your eyes cross mindlessly as his tongue invades your mouth; a deep groan coming from his chest as he tastes your lips. He always kisses you violently, possessively, like he wishes to suck your soul out of your chest. Beneath his size you can only shrink and hold onto his large biceps, the wetness between your legs growing as he takes what is his.

He pulls back, ignoring the string of saliva that connects you two. “Pretty little thing,” he muses, shoving his middle finger inside your mouth. “Suck for me.”

You do as he says and he smirks at the feeling of your pretty lips around his large finger. Soon enough, the same digit is invading your pussy, curling up so quickly that you see starts at your peripheral vision.

“Relax or it’ll hurt again,” he says — not like he cares about it. “I want you to remember tonight.”

“W-Why?”

“Because I’ll make sure that you’ll be mine forever,” he says, a devilish smile on the corners of his lips. “So no one can take you from me. No one would even try.”

Your breath is getting heavier, and you don’t even register what he’s telling you — he could do a billion things to you and you’d still let him. The time spent only in his company made your resolution vanish, and you became exactly what he wanted you to: another possession for him to do as he pleases. Because of him, you have nothing else. Besides him, you have nothing.

“You’re not cumming around my finger tonight,” he says and quickly removes his hand from your cunt. You whine at the sudden emptiness, walls spasming around nothing, but you know better than to protest. “It’s going to be around my cock, you got it?”

“Yes, Sukuna,” you say.

“Good girl,” he muses. His lower arms move to undo his pants as his mouth attacks yours once again. His sharp teeth drain blood from your lips and he groans at the metallic taste; drinks the little sob of pain you let out. “You’re all fucking mine. Forever,” he growls, “I’ll make you live forever with me.”

Months ago, that would be torture. But now, “It sounds like heaven, Sukuna,” you say. “I love you.”

Your vision falls to where his hands are working. His cock is massive, bigger than your forearm, balls swinging out of his shorts and falling heavy under his shaft. Your entire body tingles in anticipation as he strokes himself, aligning his cockhead with your opening. “Tiny fucking cunt,” he curses, rubbing it against your soaked folds. “I’ll train you to take my cock even better than now, kitten.” Your mouth falls open as he starts to push in and it hurts — no matter how many times you’ve taken him, it always burns. “Way too fucking tight for my fat cock, you know that?”

“I-I’m sorry, I’ll do better-“

He chuckles. “I fucking love it.”

In one strong motion, he shoves himself as deep as he can, pressing against your cervix as you whine at his size. It isn’t fair — it’s so thick you can’t even breathe, you can feel him in your stomach, pressing and pulsing until you can’t think of anything but the sheer size of his massive cock inside your poor little hole. Your walls hurt to accommodate his girth, stretching as far as they can, but it never seems like it’s enough.

“It’s t-too big, Sukuna,” you whine. And it is. You know he must be doing something to your body so you can even be alive right now, because it’s not humanly possible to take such a big cock. “I c-can’t…”

His hand lands on your head and pulls at the roots. “You are my special little human, my obedient little girl,” he reminds you. His cock throbs inside you and you whimper, the small movement alone makes you drool. “You will do anything I tell you to do.”

You nod. “Y-Yes.”

“So when I tell you to take it….” He rolls his hips even deeper and you call his name so loud that you’re sure the entire world will hear it. “You’ll fucking take it.”

You don’t even have the ability to answer as he starts to pound deep inside your soaked cunt, hard and violent, as he is. Your vision is blurry with tears as you look down to see his massive cock bullying itself again and again inside your cunt, taking everything you have to give.

“Look at me when I claim you,” Sukuna warns and you do it instantly. Your legs wrap around his hips and he squeezes your ass so hard it will bruise. There’s a malicious glint in his red eyes that never quite goes away, no matter how much he tries, and now it’s deadset on you. “My precious little girl,” he calls, voice strained with pleasure. You can tell from the way his cock throbs that he is close, but it doesn’t matter. He just keeps going. “You told me you love me. Do you only live for love, kitten?”

“I live f-for loving you, S-Sukuna,” you respond automatically. “I live for you.”

Sukuna groans like an animal — he adores what a stupid little fuckdoll he has turned you into. He can never get tired of this; he can never let it get away. “You’ll die for me, kitten?”

You nod so quickly you get dizzy. “Yes, a-anything… I’m yours f-forever.”

He calls your name like he has never done before, a little insane, a little sweet. If the sheer size of Sukuna’s genitals aren’t anything to go by, he cums a lot — it oozes out of your cunt before he’s even halfway through, cock throbbing and leaking again and again until you’re filled to the brim. His huge balls smack against your ass as he continues to bully himself inside you, a little more desperate now, intoxicated by his own pleasure.

There’s no rest, there never is. He only takes and takes.

“I’ll make you mine,” he groans.

“I’m yours, Sukuna, I’m yours…” you repeat like a broken record, half-aware of your own voice through the loud moans and hiccups. You watch in ecstasy as he uses one of his sharp nails to cut the palm of his hand, blood oozing out of it and dropping on your breasts. It’s like you know what he will say even before he says it. “You want me t-to-“

“Drink it.”

Perhaps you should be scared, but you’re not. Your mouth opens without a second thought and he presses his large palm on your lips, muffling your moans and allowing the hot dark liquid to invade your tongue. Sukuna’s blood is thick and it tastes like poison, but you do as he says, liking his flesh and drinking it until he seems satisfied and takes his hand away.

It strikes your body like an arrow, straight through your chest and expanding like deep roots. You feel as his blood burns your insides, changing something in your very existence. It’s hard to think through the sensations — the pleasure building up, the venom running through your veins, the mixture of devotion and fear that dances inside your mind. Your vision is double, black around the edges, and you think you might be cumming but you’re not sure you can even feel your body anymore. Sukuna’s voice echoes muffled in the background, and you can see his mouth moving in slow motion, but you don’t understand his words. You think you are crying. You think you can’t breathe. You think you are dying and being born at the same time and you don’t know why you feel so grateful for it all.

Your lungs are on fire and your throat is dry. You try to speak, but can’t. You have the vague flashback of the time your uncle made you drink alcohol, it burns just the same, but this time, no one is laughing. This time, you’re dying.

“… at me.”

This time, Sukuna’s voice rings sharp and clear. You stare at him, confused, as the flames inside your chest slowly subside.

“Keep looking at me,” he repeats, commanding.

You try to nod, but your head doesn’t move. You can’t see the room around you anymore. “H-Hurts,” you manage to get out.

“I know,” he says, and there’s a touch of softness in his voice you don’t ignore. “Focus on me. I’ll make it feel better.”

And that’s what you try to do, even if your soul seems to be floating miles above your body. You look down at where he is still moving in and out of you, at the white-coated mess that drips from your hole and soaks your inner thighs. It doesn’t seem to hurt as badly now, like your body is changing to accommodate him even better — in fact, it feels like heaven.

You look up at him, dumbfounded. “I t-think I’m going to cum, Sukuna,” the words come easier now, and you feel like you can move again. Though, it still feels like a dream. “It’s so g-good.”

“Cum on my fat cock, then, make me proud,” he coos. You close your eyes and nod, trying to focus on the paradise that blooms between your legs. You feel every ridge and vein of his massive cock; hear the lewd squelching sounds of his cum leaking out of you. It comes to you faster than you would have imagined, washing through your body like a wave as you cry and shake miserably. “That’s my girl, fuck, there we go, that’s my perfect little girl.”

The spasming of your walls manages to milk more cum out of him and he groans loudly as he releases inside you once more. Sukuna cums so much it makes you breathless, filling you again and again until he’s satisfied and the sheets beneath you have no salvation left.

“There we go, take everything,” he says in a strained groan, “every fucking drop inside this tight fucking cunt.”

Sukuna looks absolutely insane above you — fucking his cock so hard into you that it seems like he will never have the chance again; eyes blown wide and his teeth clenched. You cum again, this time a little softer, as you feel his thick cock shoot a specially large amount of cum inside your pussy, and wait until he’s done using your body.

Eventually, he settles, pressing his forehead against yours and looking deep inside your eyes. The redness in them is shining like flames, watching every movement of your face.

“Feels weird,” you say. “I feel dizzy.”

He chuckles and removes himself from you. Another white-hot wave gushes out of your cunt, and he sits back to watch it drip. “There we go, it wasn’t so bad, was it?”

You swallow, your tongue is still numb inside your mouth. “It was horrible, Sukuna. I felt like I was going to die.”

Sukuna smiles and uses two fingers to push some of his cum back inside you. “I can promise you it was better than when I did,” he says, and you’re confused for a moment. “But now we don’t have anything to worry about anymore, my sweet thing. Those pathetic little sorcerers won’t want you.”

“H-How are you so sure?” You ask.

“Aw, my sweet, stupid little girl.” He pouts, condescending as always. “No one will want to save a curse now.”

Your eyes widen. “Did you…?”

“I told you.” Sukuna licks his own blood at the corner of your mouth. “You are mine forever.”

#sukuna #sukuna smut #sukuna angst #sukuna x you #sukuna x reader #jujutsu smut #jujutsu kaisen smut #ryomen sukuna #smut #jjk smut

[bloompompom]

Cold, Cold, Cold | ONE-SHOT

for always acting so cold toward one another, it really didn't take much for things to heat up...

✧ content: ~5.8k word count. eren jaeger x female reader, modern au, dubcon due to marijuana use, switch!eren/reader, haters to hate-fuckers, okay maybe you have a soft spot for one another idk, dry humping, light choking, f!fingering, degradation themes, dirty talk, spit play, rough sex, dacryphilia, unprotected sex, facial, explicit sexual content, explicit language. reader discretion advised. 18+ only

Your footsteps thundered in rapid fire, rattling the whole damn staircase. From porch to back deck, anyone in the Kirsteins’ chalet could hear you coming. And they did. 

If they had to bet on where—or to whom—you were missiling toward, the odds would be disproportionately in their favor. 

“Here we go again,” Connie muttered. He reached for the six-pack he had just carried inside and cracked open his first beer of the day. 

The rest of your friends, all four of them, put their heads down—not to be confused with inattention. It was a spectacle the same way a car wreck was a spectacle, something they didn’t want to witness directly but held their attention just enough. 

The fifth, your not-friend, sighed. Like everyone else, he anticipated you rushing here in your hot fury. The only difference was he knew he was the target. 

The pitter-patter of your feet echoed through the hall. The tile felt icy beneath you, your skin still shower-hot and sweltering with vexation. 

“What the hell is your problem?” you roared as you rounded the corner. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

Eren, your not friend who arguably wasn’t worth referring to by name, scoffed. You were baiting him, he knew that. Even so, he wasn’t above getting swept up in some senseless arguing. In fact, he would be hard-pressed to pass it up. 

You were making a much bigger deal than he thought necessary. You were actually making an entire show of it, he thought, marching right up to him like you were any more intimidating than a mouse.

He only loured down at you, already bored of your antics. “Haven’t you ever heard of locking the door?”

If it wasn’t clear by this point, Eren had walked in on something he shouldn’t have, and God, you could kill him for it. 

Not long ago, you were one of the first guests to arrive for your week-long getaway. Jean stood in the doorway to his family’s vacation home and ushered you and Mikasa aside. He gave you a tour of the place, showing you the room the two of you would share. Then, he pointed you to the bathroom; you were in desperate need of a shower to liven up after the car ride. 

The running water drowned out the shudder of the front door and the boisterous greetings between everyone downstairs. You didn’t know anyone else had even arrived. You were contented, properly warmed from the outdoors, and humming as you stepped out of the shower, taking in the chic stone-clad bathroom. 

You didn’t recognize the click of the door when you should have. You were standing there, towel-dried and as bare as could be, and everything that came next happened in a blurry blink of an eye. 

It remained indiscernible which happened first: your horror-movie-worthy shriek—because as much as you didn’t want Eren to see you naked, he startled you even more—or his brief, “Shit. Sorry.” Either way, it happened, but why of all people did it have to be him?

Thankfully, he shut the door just as quickly, leaving you to contemplate if the snow would cushion your jump out the window to escape.

In total, it took less than an hour for you to regret your choice to come.

“I already said I was sorry. What more do you want?” Eren chided. “It was an accident.”

“Yeah, right. You knew it’d make me mad, that’s why you did it,” you snapped.

Eren snorted like you were being ridiculous. “Do you try to find reasons to be pissed off all the time, or are you just like that?” 

“That’s you, not me.” 

“Only because of you.”

Mikasa wedged herself between you and Eren like she had before. It hadn’t happened many times, but more than you would have liked. Enough that you could no longer count it on your fingers.

“Cut it out already!” Her glare shifted from you to Eren, making it loud and clear the message was for both of you.

Before either of you could say anything for yourselves, Jean threw himself into the mix next. “Would it kill you to play nice for a week?”

“For me?” Mikasa pitched her voice higher, sweeter, and her eyes were soft.

She was the only reason you were here. Her birthday was two days away, and Jean volunteered to host the celebration. You were surprised he extended the invitation; you were friends only through Mikasa. But she insisted it wouldn’t be her birthday without all her friends. So, as her very best one, you agreed to it with a big, fake smile and gritted teeth. 

Now that you were here, you couldn’t leave even if you wanted to; Mikasa drove. 

After a day spent traveling, it wasn’t exactly the celebratory first night everyone expected, but no one complained. By the time a movie was settled on, Armin had already gone to bed upstairs, and Sasha passed out not long after. And by the look of it, Connie would be next, having made himself comfortable against her shoulder. 

But that was boring. And out of everything Eren could do then—his options were limited—sleeping sounded the least appealing, even when compared to chatting you up. 

He only considered it because Mikasa had pulled him aside earlier. She ‘strongly advised’ him to be the bigger person, if not for her than for the sake of enjoying the rest of the week. 

So when Eren noticed you alone in the kitchen, he figured it was as good a time as ever to try and bandage the bridge. Mikasa only asked him to try, so the outcome didn’t matter much to him. Whatever way you reacted, good or bad or ugly, at the very least, it would be more entertaining than this movie. 

“Hey.”

Your eyes followed the voice until you found Eren stopped in the doorway. You felt your brows furrow, your tone cautious and curt when you replied, “Hi.”

He took it as an opening to join you in the kitchen, but you were sure you didn’t mean it as an invitation. 

You bristled. “What do you want?”

He pulled a face but was otherwise unbothered. “What? I can’t say hello?”

“No, you can’t.”

Eren rolled his eyes. “Fine. What about a peace offering?”

You surveyed him, suspicious. Whatever he was offering, you didn’t trust it.

“I don’t need your olive branch,” you snubbed. 

“Who said anything about olives?”

It sounded as if he really meant it, which only furthered your point.

You sidestepped him to leave. 

Eren stopped himself short of catching you by the wrist. That wouldn’t help anything. But he did call for you in a sort of whisper-shout, just loud enough to grab your attention.  He sucked in a sharp breath and pulled himself together, for Mikasa. 

“We got off on the wrong foot. I’m trying to fix that,” he told you. He reached into his pocket and showed you his palm. In it, a decent enough joint. “Okay?”

Right then, you would have done just about anything to relax—almost anything. The solution to your frustration was right in front of you. The only problem was that he was also the source of it. 

“I don’t know,” you hesitated. “Jean seemed pretty adamant about the no smoking rule.”

That wasn’t a lie. It was one of the very few rules he had mentioned upon arrival. 

“Oh, fuck Jean. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Eren ticked his head toward the stairs. “We’ll head up to the attic. I’ll even open a window if you’re that worried.”

You could get snippy with him over the attitude, but you bit your tongue. He was being sensible for once, so you ought to do the same—at least until he gave you a reason to snap that figurative olive branch in half. 

“Okay,” you sighed. “Lead the way.”

On the way upstairs, you checked on your friends only to find them exactly where you had left them. It was your second house tour that day as Eren took you further than Jean did, to the very end of the hallway.

What you would expect to be a linen closet, Eren opened to reveal another set of stairs. You trailed behind him, unwilling to be the first to blindly wander into a dark attic. But after Eren flicked on a lamp, you realized it was far from the forgotten crawl space you had imagined. 

Jean's family must have recently refurbished the room. It looked half-baked, still in the works of becoming a completed guest room, but it hadn't lost its old-time feeling yet, painted sepia in the lamp's light. There was a bed, neatly made but sitting frameless on the carpet. The ceiling slanted to the left, and if you wanted to pick a book from the built-in shelves, you’d have to crouch.

Across from you, on the other side of the little room, Eren pushed open the window. The night greeted you with a gust of winter air. You hugged yourself in a weak attempt to stay warm, considering you were dressed for cozying up by a fireplace. 

“How did you know this was up here?” you asked. 

“I’ve been here a few times over the years.” Eren plopped onto the floor and retrieved the joint. He was looking down, not speaking to you directly as he answered. “Had plenty of time to do some exploring.”

The house creaked with the wind. The sound of groaning wood sounded angry from up here. You rooted your feet in place.

“I didn’t have a lighter, but I did find this.”

As he said it, Eren revealed a candle lighter, likely pocketed from another one of his ‘explorations.’ He waved it around, and the flexible end flopped from side to side. He cracked a small smile, and you did the same, and you didn’t know what to make of it.

You watched him place the joint between his lips. He held it there, trying to align the flame with its end. He overshot it at first, then had to squeeze an eye shut to focus his vision. You lightly snickered. 

“Don’t laugh,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.

Once the joint caught, Eren took it with two fingers and set the lighter aside. He pulled a long drag and held it in even longer. He looked at you again, waiting on you, whether you were just going to stand there and watch or not.

You sat near the window, cross-legged and opposite him. He handed you the joint on his exhale, aimed only slightly toward the sliver of open window.

You took a hit, and it burned a little. You stifled your cough as you leaned to blow the smoke outside. 

The snow was shimmery in the moonlight, still as fresh as it was when you first arrived, blanketing the ground and weighing down the wobbly tree branches. 

You finally coughed then, interrupting the thought. You hid your face in your elbow as you passed the joint back to Eren. He plucked it from your hand, not bothering to comment on your cough or the tears welling in your eyes. 

After another hit or two, you began to blink slower. You noticed a heaviness in your eyelids, like you were suddenly made aware of their existence. You let your high settle in, propping yourself up on your palms and relaxing back. You admired the painterly night again, the snow even brighter than it was minutes ago. 

Lost in his own high, Eren’s defenses were down. It took him by surprise when he looked at you and felt… something.

What happened earlier threw off the whole dynamic between you, at least when it came to his side of things. Truthfully, he had no idea what to think anymore. 

Honest to god, you really pissed him off sometimes. And yeah, you being Mikasa’s best friend made his life exponentially harder. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t think about you, that he couldn’t look at you.

Eren’s eyes wandered absentmindedly. You were still agaze at the window, unaware that he stupidly couldn’t stop staring at your chest. Your tank top was distracting, your nipples pert from the cold and consuming what remained of his dwindling attention span. Whether it was right of him or not, he found thinking about earlier, trying to piece together his fuzzy memory of what you looked like beneath the thin fabric.

Consider it a temporary lapse in judgment, but maybe what pissed Eren off the most about you was that he wanted to sleep with you—after your uptight, bratty personality, of course. But that would be easy enough to fuck out of you, if you let him. 

Hey, everyone wanted the two of you to get along, right? This would be more than doing what was asked of him, though he wasn’t sure he’d play nice. 

Eren came to when the roach burned his fingers. He tossed it out the window with a hiss. 

You noticed his proximity then. It wasn’t intimate; it was more innocent than that. The kind of closeness shared between friends, despite that you were anything but.

You looked down at his hand resting beside yours and wondered, if you were to touch him, how would his hand feel right then? Placed atop his, would it warm you from the creeping night breeze? 

Or perhaps the better question was, why did you want to know—want to touch?

Heat radiated from the nape of your neck, and it unnerved you. 

It was as if all the edges about you, your prickliness around Eren, had been buffed smooth. When you would normally recoil, you only sat still as he tilted into you. You were stuck in a daze, and in that daze, you could only focus on his eyes, lidded and a little glassy but pretty. Had they always looked like that—that pretty?

“You’ve been on my mind a lot lately,” he told you, but it wasn’t a confession. He said it unabashedly, looking you straight in the face. “For obvious reasons.”

You almost fell for it. Maybe it was the weed, or maybe it was your and Eren’s turbulent history, but you couldn’t help but laugh. You did your best to keep it short, teasing, “What? I didn’t get you all hot and bothered, did I?”

You waited for him to laugh, for him to admit he was fucking with you, but his expression was steadfast. His eyes didn’t waver from yours except to look at your lips.

“Something like that.”

If you thought your heart was thumping hard before, you were now convinced you might throw it up. You wanted to blame it on frustration, considering he was still thinking about that, but you weren’t sure the feeling was there anymore. 

Eren closed in on you like he wanted to whisper a secret. He stalled momentarily, giving you the chance to shove him away. You didn’t. 

“I can’t stop thinking about you.”

You felt his words vibrate against your ear. 

“How pretty you looked.” His head dipped slightly, lips brushing against the sensitive skin of your neck as he murmured, “How soft you must feel.” He pressed a kiss there, below your ear, but you felt it tingle in your toes. “How good you must taste.”

Your head, once buzzing and light, went heavy. Eren’s hand curved around the back of your neck, allowing him to do exactly what he said he wanted: to taste you. With wetted lips and softly grazing teeth, he savored every exposed inch of your throat. 

You mustered what resolve you had left and cleared your throat. “I thought you said I pissed you off.”

You surprised yourself with how poised you sounded, but Eren kept it together just as well. 

“You do,” Eren said plainly, even as he continued to feast on your neck, and you continued to let him. “But you also happen to turn me on just as much.”

He punctuated the sentence with a lick of his tongue, trailing up to the hollow behind your ear before he nibbled at the lobe. A shiver ran through your spine, and his hands traced along its path. His fingers tickled at the bare skin of your lower back but didn’t dare any further. He idly kissed at your neck, patiently waiting to see what you had to say next—if you could still speak, that is. 

You felt his lips peck your jaw, then the side of your face, but never your lips; he only ghosted over them. As you moved in to meet him, he pulled back with this smirk like you had fallen right into his trap. 

“You have to tell me,” he said through that same grin.

Your eyebrows pinched together. “Tell you what?”

He sat back even further. “If you want me to kiss you.”

You tipped your head in that ‘you can’t be serious’ sort of way, pointedly glaring at him.

“It’s not my fault you’re giving me mixed signals,” he said airily. “An hour ago, you would have said you hated my guts.”

“Still do,” you muttered. 

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

You couldn’t put your finger on him. Was he only confident because he knew you’d never say the words? If you were to ask him to kiss you, would it shock him enough that his tough-guy act would finally crumble? If you were to admit you wanted this, would he admit he wanted it just as badly? 

No, you’d bet he wanted this even more. After all, he was the one to initiate this. 

A frisson skipped through you. You pushed yourself onto all fours, leaning into him with the heels of your hands digging into the carpet. You licked your lips in anticipation, telling him, “Kiss me.”

Then, for the first time possibly ever, Eren listened to you.

You couldn’t say why you did it, only that you wanted to. You wanted to know how his lips felt when they weren’t against your neck but slotted between your own. You discovered a surprising softness as he kissed you back, so unlike his usual abrasive self. 

The feeling whirring in your chest wasn’t the one you expected. You thought there would be resentment, that you might finally come to your senses. And if that didn’t happen, then the least you expected was confusion; that would make sense. But you only felt satisfaction. Satisfaction, but only filled ninety-nine percent to the brim. That last one percent was nagging at you. It kept you chasing. 

At some point—you didn’t know how much time had passed—you realized you had forgotten to breathe. Eren caught your chin when you pulled away. Shallow breaths trembled on your lips. Your eyes flitted across his face as you waited for reality to sink in, but it never did. 

“Kiss me again,” you mumbled.

When he did, the kiss changed, and neither of you had the wherewithal to consider the consequences of it. 

Restraint slipped through your fingers, but there was no use in trying to collect it. You could taste the need on each other's lips, just as potent as the smoke on your tongues as you moved yours against his. 

Eren placed a hand at your waist and pulled you in. He was forceful enough that you had no choice but to collapse onto him. Neither of you minded the thud.

You had him pinned between your legs, your hands on either side of his face as you continued making out, your lips never disconnecting once. 

Your fingers slid higher until they were beneath his head and tangled in his hair. He had you by your hips, tugging you down until you were fully against him. You felt him, how hard he was, as he rolled you over him. Through layers of clothing, you let him drag you over his length. Your panties pressed against your cunt, reminding you just how wet you were for him. 

When Eren let go of you, you continued grinding down onto him all on your own. You were aching, throbbing, and trying to choke back whimpers as your kissing turned sloppy. 

He practically had to swallow a whine of his own when his hands pushed between you to latch onto your breasts. He yanked down the hem of your top, revealing your bare tits to him for the second time that day.

Remember, you were still high; every touch, every sensation, had been dialed up to a ten. The air in the tiny attic grew chillier by the minute. You shivered hard when Eren groped at your breasts, tossed your head back with a gasp when he thumbed over your sensitive nipples. 

He was a bit dumb to anything but the pair of tits, your lovely tits, shoved in his face. He brought his mouth to your chest, just his lips at first, kissing wherever he could before closing them around your nipple.

His mouth was hot against your skin, his tongue flicking and circling your nipple before sucking lightly. Harder once you bore your cunt down on him harder, clearly getting off on the feeling. 

Still unsatisfied, you straightened out, pawing at your top until you could throw it over your head. The room felt even colder without your shirt, without the heat of his mouth. Even in that brief second, you missed it. 

Eren missed it, too, boyishly wanting to return to playing with your tits, freed and there for him to openly admire. It was pathetic, how maddeningly he wanted you, even as you quite literally looked down on him, perched with your hands flattened against his chest. He felt surrendered to you.

You tilted your head and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

You sounded a bit breathless, not nearly as pointed as you intended. 

His hand slid up the curve of your side, his gaze rising from your chest to meet your eye. 

“You look good,” he said bluntly. “You’re really turning me on right now.”

Instantly, you felt your blood run hot, your cheeks all feverish.

“Oh, whatever,” you dismissed with a click of your tongue.

“You asked.”

You jokingly slid your hand to the base of his neck like you wanted to keep him quiet. Instantly, he stiffened beneath you, not his cock but his entire body—though you did feel that twitch, too. 

You moved your hand higher and grinned when you felt his Adam’s apple roll beneath your grasp. It was a moment you could only describe as a short-circuit—not just for Eren but for you. Your mind blanked to anything but him, exactly like this. How good he looked beneath you. 

You bent to kiss him. His mouth opened for you to lick into, groaning when you started to work your hips again.

The feeling of your clothed cunt rubbing against him, your hold on his throat tightening as your weight shifted forward, had his cock straining in his sweatpants, almost painfully so. He tried to hold back, hands clutching your thighs like he could ground himself, but he shamefully couldn’t stop himself from rutting up into you. 

You drew back, separating an inch, but your hips didn’t relent. You washed his jaw slack at the push and pull of pressure over his cock. You scanned over his face, from his low-lidded eyes to his lips, slightly parted and glistening from your kiss. 

Saliva pooled behind your front teeth. You couldn’t say why you did it—or what compelled Eren to go along with it—but you grabbed his face and lined your mouth with his. His lips parted further like he knew what was coming. The very corners of them pinched into a grin, slight but undoubtedly wicked.

A long string connected your lips to his tongue. Before it could snap, you kissed it into his mouth, and he welcomed it with a perverse groan. 

“Bed,” he muttered between swapped kisses.

It wasn’t a question, but you nodded in agreement anyway. 

Eren sat upright and took you with him. He slid his hands beneath you, carrying you to the bed—if ‘carrying’ was the right word for it. He trudged to the bed, knee-walking with you clumsily wrapped around him. 

He dropped you first, then fell at your side. The old mattress springs squeaked under your desperate movements. 

Eren kissed you deeply, his tongue slipping into your mouth the same way his hand slipped down the front of your pajama pants. Your legs spread on instinct, making room for his hand to close over you. Even with your underwear in the way, his touch made your stomach flutter.

Your panties quickly became an annoying obstacle. The soaked fabric slid around with little friction as he rubbed your pussy, only making it harder for him to touch you properly. He pushed them aside and let his middle finger run along your slit, then promptly pumped it inside you.

Your moan was smothered by your lips smushed to his. You struggled to kiss him back, mouth stuttering as he added a second finger inside you. Your walls pulsed around the intrusion, having little time to adjust to his thick fingers stretching you. But as he curled his fingers toward your navel, rubbing the pads of them against that erogenous spot, your muscles slacked. Your entire body gave into him.

With his fingers rightly slick, Eren returned to circling your clit. He teased you, touching you only enough to keep you bleary, riding out your pleasure but never reaching the destination. 

You bunched his shirt in your fist, tugging and vaguely trying to get it off him.

“Take it off,” you demanded in a wet mumble against his mouth.

Again, Eren did as he was told. You used the opportunity to wiggle out of your sweatpants.

You trailed a hand down his stomach, felt the ungiving muscles, and followed the soft hair leading below his waistband. His cock throbbed in your hand as you started stroking him slowly, thumbing over the tip and spreading his precome down his shaft. 

Eren shimmied your panties halfway down your thighs and shoved his hand back between your legs. His pumping fingers were attuned to your hand movements, fucking you at the pace he fucked your fist. His thumb pressed down on your clit, sparking a fire that spread through your lower half. 

You no longer minded the open window or its breeze; the attic had grown heady, the air between you thickening with every humid breath you exchanged. You nearly couldn’t breathe right then, but there was only one thing you could think about. 

More. You needed more.

You weren’t in the mood for needless foreplay; you wanted to have him inside you. 

You grabbed his wrist. 

“Fuck,” you panted. “Just fuck me already.”

A biting smile crossed Eren’s face. 

“So demanding,” he tutted, his fingers still lazily playing with your pussy. “Can you at least say ‘please?’”

You reached for your underwear hanging at your knees and bared yourself entirely. Despite his smug words, he followed suit and started removing his sweatpants.

You laid back and retorted, “I’d choke you right now, but I think you might like that.”

You looked comfortable, but Eren didn’t hesitate to flip you onto your stomach. He splayed a hand in the middle of your back, shoving you into the pillows.

He kicked off his sweatpants and boxers at once, sitting back on his calves and settling between your legs.

“You’re probably right,” he said casually. 

Eren raised you by your hips. He licked his fingers—tasted you on them—and smoothed them over your cunt, already messy with your arousal. You held your breath in anticipation, quivering when you felt the head of his cock meet your entrance. But it only lasted a second before he pushed inside you to the hilt, even tugging back on your hips to ensure it. You could practically feel him in your stomach.

You whined loudly. Eren predicted as much, considering you were always whiny. The pillow did its job and muffled you well enough.

But what he didn’t predict was how fucking good you would feel around his cock.

“God damn,” he rasped on a drawn-out grunt. His eyes screwed shut, a shudder wracked through him, and he was very thankful you couldn’t see him right then.

Eren never imagined this happening, let alone imagined how you might feel—until today. Even then, he never dreamed of how much he’d actually enjoy it. 

He smoothed his hands up and down your sides, taking a full second to gather some semblance of composure. Your skin was balmy, yet his touch scattered goosebumps along the backs of your arms. 

He swallowed thick as he started to move, slowly dragging his cock in and out, testing you, before setting a proper pace, as he’d call it.

You wrung the sheets in your hands, lifting your head to find your breath as Eren drove into you from behind. Every thrust of his was punctuated by your little pants of ‘yes, yes, yes,’ as he kept you pinned to the bed with bruising strength. 

You were rapt on the feeling, how full you were, as your cunt flexed, desperately trying to accommodate him. It was a lot, you could only bite your knuckle to quiet your cries, but you’d be damned to say you didn’t just love it. 

Grunts, raw and tight in his throat, slipped past his teeth as he watched you twitch around his cock. He was surprised by you, listening to your mewls grow more incoherent, more guttural, the harder he fucked you. How your pussy gripped him perfectly, like you were sucking him in for more after he had bullied his way inside you.

Eren was right. Maybe all you needed was a good, hard fuck. 

“You like that, huh?” he asked, holding you down still, having his way with you.

You ignored him and focused on your imminent orgasm. 

You felt his hand curve around your face, his fingers pushing past your lips. You tried to close your mouth around them, but he hooked your cheek. 

“I can’t hear you.”

He spoke it like an order, and you were feeling defiant. 

You reached for his hand, pulling his fingers from your mouth with a wet pop. You angled your neck to try and get a look at him. 

“That all you got?” In spite of the gasps between your words, you smiled provokingly. “Fuck me like you mean it.”

You couldn’t resist goading him, that would go against your nature. But you were quickly made aware of what you signed up for once Eren threw you onto your back, staring down at you with darkened eyes. You had successfully gotten under his skin, feverish and slightly sheened with sweat because he had been fucking you like he meant it. 

You were talking a big game for someone with dried tears streaking her cheeks—with fresh ones spilling as he rammed back inside you. But if you wanted him to ruin you, then that was what you were going to get. He just wanted to see the fucked-out face you’d make when he had you coming on his cock.

Eren took hold of your jaw, tilting it so he could lick the pretty tear on your cheekbone. He could already see every spot he bit and sucked along your neck and chest, every scathing mark blooming beneath your skin that you’d have to explain away tomorrow.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he told you.

Your legs felt comparable to gelatin, but you managed the feat anyway. You locked your ankles against the small of his back, clinging to him, racking your nails down the taut muscles of his back as he pounded into you. His pelvis collided again and again against your swollen cunt, the brutal sound filling the attic.

“Fuck, just like that.” Your eyes fluttered shut. “Don’t stop.”

The iron-hot coil in your stomach had been winding tighter and tighter since you first kissed Eren. Now, it was straining, begging to snap. You thoughtlessly snaked a hand between your legs, needily rubbing your clit 

“C’mon,” he urged you, even pleading your name. “Come on me. Please.”

The sudden need in Eren’s voice had you taken aback, tearing you from your ledge until your orgasm harshly fell over you. 

Your entire body trembled. You could only whisper a tiny, “Coming,” as the rest of the words hitched in your throat. 

“Yeah, that’s it,” Eren said through ragged breaths, fucking you through it. “There you go, come all over my cock.”

Your legs were shaking so badly they had dropped from his waist. The aftershocks of your orgasm rippled through you; Eren could feel every one of them.

“Shit, I’m gonna—” His unrelenting pace began to dissolve. “Can I—fuck, where should I—”

“Anywhere,” you interrupted. You were too far gone to care. 

Your body went limp and lazy as Eren pulled out of you. He straightened out and sat forward on his knees. His cock dripped with your come; you could hear the slick sound as he jerked himself off above you.

His pants turned into short huffs through his nose. He squeezed the sensitive tip of his cock, cursing to himself as he let his head fall back. With a final clench of his sore abdominals, he came, hard. 

If you were to ask, Eren would tell you he tried to come on your tits, but really, he wanted to come on your face—you know, create a snapshot memory for the inevitable next time you pissed him off. He managed to do a little bit of both.

You winced when you felt the warmth of it hit your chin, your nose, and even as high as your cheek, with the last spurts painting your chest.

Spent, Eren leaned forward, catching himself with a hand planted near your head. You watched his heaving chest, staying so very still as you grumbled, “Really?”

“You said anywhere,” he said through heavy breaths. Once they settled, he reached for a blanket and started wiping your face.

You swatted him away, bemoaning, “You can’t just use one of their blankets, Eren!”

There you were again, already yapping at him. At least he didn't have to worry about things being weird between you.

“What do you want me to use? Your shirt?” He ignored your protests and began cleaning you again. “I’m sure they have a laundry machine here. I’ll worry about it tomorrow.”

Eren glanced you over, then wiped another spot near your collarbone. He inspected his work again, looking down at you with eyes that weren’t so dark anymore. Once he deemed you as clean as you were going to get, he petted over your hair once. 

There was a pause as you blinked up at him. “We’re not going to bring this up again, right?”

“Nope,” Eren said as he started get up. “Just get dressed.”

You didn’t move, following him with just your eyes as he started to step into his boxers. You bit your lip in thought, then threw caution to the wind as you blurted out, “But if we were to do this again—just this week, I mean—”

He peered at you from over his shoulder. “Then you know where the attic is now.”

You shared a long look, nodded, then prepared to head to your separate rooms for the night to pretend you had long fallen asleep.

as always, thank you for reading ♡

#eren x reader #eren jaeger x reader #eren yeager x reader #eren smut #aot x reader

[perlelune]

no body, no crime | Coriolanus Snow | x.

Your childhood friend returns from his exile in district 12, but he's not the sweet, quiet boy you once knew anymore.

Warnings: NON-CON, Plinth!Reader, Gaslighting, Drugging, Murder, Forced Marriage, Forced Pregnancy, Loss of Virginity, Somnophilia

This is a dark story. Heed warnings before reading under the cut.

𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖒𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙

Disbelief shimmers in William’s green gaze.

“You’re joking…” He cradles your face, searching your eyes. They are steadily filling with tears. He releases you, retreating as his face distorts with shock. “You’re…not?” He runs his fingers through his brown locks. “God, I’m such an idiot.” He unleashes a humorless laugh. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

Your stomach sinks. 

“This entire time. I waited for you. I trusted you. And you just…What? A-Are you with him now?” The betrayal quivering in his tone shatters your heart to pieces. 

You lower your head and mumble, “It’s complicated…”

“No it’s not. It’s actually quite simple. Do you love him or do you love me? Do you want to marry me or do you want to marry him?”

William’s anger and frustration coat the air, his voice growing louder with every word. You tremble. Your fiancé’s never yelled at you like this before. You’ve argued, of course, like every couple does. But never like this. And never has he looked at you like that. Like you’re a stranger. You wish the earth would open up and swallow you. 

“I…”

“Answer me!”

You jolt and step back, the heel of your shoe hitting the bottom of the stairs. 

Your father appears in the corner of your vision. An exhale of surprise leaves you. He wedges himself between you and William.

“Do not dare raise your voice at my daughter, young man,” Strabo thunders. You gape at his back. It’s the first time you’ve heard your dad use such a furious tone of voice. 

William lifts his hands defensively.

“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to understand-”

“I think it’s best if you go. Now,” your father urges, pointing at the door. 

Your fiancé’s shoulders sag. He tosses you one last, heavy look, his jaw clenching.

“Yeah, maybe it’s for the best,” he belatedly grits out. 

The second William slams the door shut, you’re in your father’s arms. The fat tears rolling down your cheeks drench his shirt.

“Dad…”

“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s okay.”

He rubs soothing circles on your back as you bury your head in his chest. You sniffle as a sob spills from your throat.

You doubt anything will ever be okay. 

The rest of the day is spent in your room weeping underneath your blankets. It’s a wonder there’s any water left in your body, the ceaseless flow of tears soaking your pillows and sheets. Ma and Dad keep visiting your room, bringing you food and trying their best to lighten your spirits.

But nothing can keep you from drowning in your sorrows. William was the best thing that ever happened to you. You remember when you first met him at the University. The two of you were paired for a project and ended up hitting it off while working together. You didn’t even expect him to ask you out. It was no secret half the girls in your cohort harbored a crush on him. And with his boyish charm and outgoing personality, a contrast to your more withdrawn, lonely nature, you never imagined he’d seek your company past the project. 

But he did, constantly finding lame excuses to talk to you like asking for your notes on a class or lying about needing a pen for a quizz. One thing led to another and, after a few months of courting, he got on one knee and asked for your hand. 

Then Janus died. Your world collapsed. Colors dimmed around you. Everything stopped making sense. Still…William did. Whenever you were around him, you could pretend away your grief, laugh away your pain. 

Your heart wasn’t so broken. 

And now…you don’t think it’ll ever be put back together. 

For days on end, you don’t leave your bed. The sun rises; it sets. Yet the same pains shackle you to your bedroom. Quicksands of guilt and sorrow suffocate you.

…Until you’re swept by a sickness one day. 

It happens a little under a week after your return. You rush to your bathroom and pitch forward, dry heaving the near vacant contents of your stomach into the toilet bowl. You then huddle on the floor, hugging your stomach as pain pulses through your midriff. Your brows collide in confusion. Hardly a bite of anything has crossed past your lips these days, as you only chewed on a few glum bites of the meals Ma brought to your room. Yet you are nauseous, cramps twisting your insides.

You bolt upward, racing to the toilet bowl again as another surge of queasiness takes you. Following that, you crash into a heap on the floor. Shuddering, you wipe the back of your mouth.

You crawl onto the floor, all the way to your bed. 

Every day after this one, you awake sick and cranky, the same ache and nausea plaguing you. You also begin to experience faint headaches. It becomes dire enough for your parents to summon a doctor. However many times, he checks you out, he finds nothing amiss or wrong with you. Throughout the checkup, concern is etched on your parents’ faces. You’re forced to promise them that you’re alright and that, to prove it, you’ll show up for family dinner as you did before. Your father pats your cheek, visibly relieved, but the concern on your mother’s face doesn’t relent. She keeps scrutinizing you with a strange look on her face, one you’re not sure what to make of. 

Still, even as you hug Ma and Dad, dread creeps inside you. Something else could still be wrong with you. The kind of thing there isn’t a quick fix-it for. The kind of thing you’d have to deal with for the rest of your life. 

But you don’t let your mind wander there. Not yet. 

As you end the day with yet another bout of vomiting and stabbing cramps, your mother rushes upstairs. She sinks to her knees at your side and strokes your hair.

“Are you alright? I heard you.” She frowns as she takes in your shuddering frame. “Perhaps we should call the doctor again so he can do more tests…”

You bristle. More tests would mean exploring other possible causes for your affliction. You can’t risk that. Not with Ma and Dad involved.

“It’s nothing, Ma,” you dismiss with haste. You put a hand on her arm. “Could we go to the apothecary this evening?” Her puzzled look draws a nervous chuckle from you. Twisting your hands, you chime falsely, “I bet it’s just a nasty stomach bug.”

Her frown deepens. “A bug? But you haven’t eaten very much lately.”

You shrug.

“It can still happen.” You slip on a mask of cheerfulness. “I’m sure I’ll be right as rain again with some ginger and camomile, Ma.”

“If you say so,” she says, returning your smile.

You’re a bit unsettled as you find yourself outside. The brightness of the sun sears your eyelids. You squint at the blue sky. You wobble down the stairs as your mother holds your arm. You’ve grown so accustomed to keeping yourself cloistered inside, either by your own will or the will of…others. Strolling along the cobblestoned path while the winter breeze caresses your face has a strange tickle running through you. 

An awkward silence hangs between you and your mother once you’re in the back of a taxi.

Your fingers twiddle in your lap as you keep your eyes low. Who knows what Ma could discern in your gaze. You never managed to conceal much from her ever since you were a little girl. She was always freakishly aware of every blunder, bad grade and secret.

Her motherly instinct is infallible.

“Dad and I haven’t seen much of you these days,” she suddenly notes, causing your head to whip up. “I know you’re sad about William but…” She hesitates, gauging you before stating, “I think it’s a good thing.”

“Ma…”

“He was never right for you,” she insists, her inflection stern. “You’re a Plinth. You should aim higher.”

“Mother!” you hiss.

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but it needed to be said.” She reaches out to drape her hand over yours. “You’re hurting right now but it’ll all be for the best in the end. You have a bright future ahead of you. That young man, nice as he is, was just holding you back.”

Mouth agape, you stare at your mother. While you know that she and Dad have never cradled William near their heart and weren’t too  thrilled with your decision to marry him, you never expected her to be so callous about your engagement ending. In her mouth, it nearly sounds like a business deal gone wrong. But she knew William, talked to him many times, saw you with him. She has to understand how much losing him means to you. How can she be so cold and dismissive about it? You quell the budding sobs in your throat. 

The quickness of the drive to the shop is a small mercy you bask in. After your mother spoke, the air in the car grew heavier, every lungful becoming torturous. 

You hastily climb outside the car once it comes to a stop in front of the apothecary. 

Windchimes sing above the door as you enter, your mother at your heel. 

You linger by every shelf, pretending to be lost between all the labels. 

“We could call the clerk to help…”

“No, it’s okay,” you cut her off. You giggle and shrug. “I like taking my time. Actually, you know what?” You grab a vial and shake it, pretending to study the label. You wave your hand at your mother. “I’m gonna stay behind and gather some more herbs. You should go. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Befuddlement knits her brow. “I could stay…”

“I won’t be long,” you snap, your lips curving in a wide, painful grin. You squeeze her arm, your tone softening.  “I promise. Just wait for me in the car, Ma. Then we could stop by a café and have a bite. How does that sound?”

She yields with a nod. “That sounds lovely.”

Relief fills you when she walks away. 

The second she’s out the door, you’re racing to the front desk.

“I need a pregnancy test, please,” you blurt out, your voice barely above a breath as you keep stealing wary glances behind you.

The mere utterance of the request has your insides coiling in horror. For a while, you were in staunch denial of that being a possibility. But you mulled it over, long and hard. It made you realize that, besides the sickness you’ve experienced lately, you also can’t remember the last time you had your monthly bleeding. You’ve never been late before. Not even once. And while things are a little fuzzy in your head…you’re pretty sure over two months isn’t a good sign.

The clerk blinks at you, seemingly taken aback. Still, she silently moves her head in agreement and dives through a door leading to what you assume to be the back of the shop.

The wait is agony. You count every second, praying your mother won’t show up out of the blue and start questioning what you’re up to.

When the clerk returns, you free a deep breath. 

She places a small, clear vial inside your palm. You give her an inquiring look.

“You must…relieve yourself and transfer it in this vial,” she explains. “If it turns blue, well congratulations are in order.” Her smile dies as she notices your tight expression. “Or perhaps…not?”

“Thank you very much,” you say, carefully squeezing the vial and shoving it at the very bottom of your bag. 

For good form, you ask for some medicinal herbs, some for stomach pains and others for sleeplessness. Just in case your mother inquires about your purchases. One can never be too careful.

When you’re back inside the car, your mother beams at you. 

“Did you find what you were looking for, sweetie?”

“Y-Yes, I did, mother,” you stammer, clearing your throat and letting your gaze roam outside the window. 

You’re thankful she cannot hear the cacophony of your pounding heart. 

You spend the rest of the evening with your mother, drinking tea and eating cake while she babbles about trivial topics. You try your best to listen, giving vague, half-hearted replies.

But your mind is already far away, a million thoughts bumping inside your head.

The entire evening, you’re restless, eager to go home and get answers to your questions. 

It requires every morsel of self-control within you not to make a beeline upstairs once the two of you are back home. You give a swift apology and tell your mother the day’s exhausted you and you need a quick nap. She reminds you that dinner is in less than two hours and you need to dress up. You don’t argue, all too happy to finally be on your own.

Once the door to your bedroom is closed, you slump against it, all the tension in your body draining all at once. You take a minute to breathe, leaning your head against the wood.

You retrieve the vial inside your bag. Your hands quake. Your heart drums.

Hesitation slithers through you. What if you just tossed it out the window, forgot about all this?

No. This isn’t something you can cower or hide from. You have to face this.

Your entire life could change in an instant. And it might be about more than just your life.

Shaking from head to toe, you proceed inside the bathroom. You pee in a glass and pour a small amount in the vial.

Insides painfully tight, you chew on your lip as you wait.

Stay clear, stay clear, you pray in silence, as if the water could hear your plea and change the course of your fate by some fantastical twist.

After a few minutes, blue starts bleeding inside the water. It doesn’t stop until all of it has morphed into the horrifying color, bubbles rising to the surface.

The air in your lungs falters. The vial crashes to the floor, scattering into tiny shards as you collapse on the floor of your bathroom.

You gape at the blue puddle on the floor. Maybe it’s a mistake. Tests aren’t always foolproof. They’re wrong sometimes. Perhaps yours was defective.

For a while, you loiter in your denial, conjuring a plethora of reasons why this isn’t happening.

Then you slowly blink. You realize the puddle hasn’t moved. The shards are still on the floor. The blue isn’t gone.

An audible exhale bursts from your chest.

Despite your desire to pretend otherwise, you can’t escape the truth. The ghastly, awful truth. There are no more ifs and buts, no ‘perhaps’, no ‘maybe’…Just the reality that will make itself known to all much sooner than you’d like.

You’re going to be a mother. You’re carrying Coriolanus Snow’s child. The urge to puke, cry and scream all at once surges through you.

“Sweetie, dinner’s ready.”

Your mother’s abrupt call from downstairs has your heart miss a beat.

“I’m not hungry, mom,” you reply automatically, tamping down the quiver in your voice.

“You promised,” she yells.

Right. You did. Perhaps it was foolish of you. How can you carry on with dinner and smile at your parents as if everything’s normal? As if your whole life didn’t take a gigantic turn…the biggest one there could ever be.

You collect yourself. You rub your sweaty palms on your skirt and pick a random dress from your wardrobe. You’re a little shocked to find the closet half-empty, gut wrenching as you remember a good chunk of your clothes are still at the Snows’ apartment.

Emptying your thoughts, you get dressed, your fingers slipping as you fumble with the buttons of your dress.

Get it together.

You slap your cheeks and will yourself to act normal. You’ll figure out the next steps later. Right now, you need to make it through dinner.

The facsimile of a smile nudges your lips upward as you drag your feet downstairs.

However all shallow semblance of happiness evaporates from your face when you take in who’s standing at the bottom of the stairs by your parents.

His smooth lilt ripples through the room.

“Hey, princess.”

Your stomach drops to your feet. Victory sways in his cobalt orbs as he savors your reaction.

He looks the exact same as the last time you saw him, simply more put together in his crisp red suit and white shirt, his blonde locks slicked back from his face.

Every cell in your body is screeching at you to run from him. As far as you can. For as long as you can. And never look back. 

Your fingers clutch the stairs’ handrail.

Your appalled gaze turns to your parents. They are entirely too calm for your liking. In fact, they appear more wary of you than him.

“What’s going on? W-Why is he here?”

Your father takes careful steps towards you.

“Sweetheart, maybe we should sit, have a discussion as a family…”

You scoff, shying away from his outstretched hand.

“But he’s not…He’s not part of our family. Or did you forget, Dad?”

Your father’s shoulders fall, a great weariness settling upon his features. In that moment, he looks every bit of his years, all the built-up grief and exhaustion displayed on his face.

“Yes, but, in the current circumstances-”

“What circumstances?” you interrupt.

“Stop it,” Ma snaps. She sighs, approaching you. You stiffen. “We’re not stupid.” She lifts her hand to cup your cheek, her voice mellowing. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you, sweetie?”

Your eyes bulge, shock striking you mute.

Coriolanus uses that moment to join your mother’s side. He places a soothing hand on her shoulder.

Your heart threatens to leap outside your chest when his eyes lock with yours.

“Your father’s right, princess. How about you come down so we can talk about this…” He flashes you a wicked smile. “As a family.”

#dark!coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow x reader #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #hunger games #tbosas fanfiction #dark!coriolanus snow x reader

[rnakamura22]

When they heard that you found your way home

Random　Characters

Prefect is female! Yandere vibes! Her name is Yu!

Malleus　Dragonia

Oh, Don't mind the sky getting pitch-black and thunder striking down rapidly! What? Flying classes got canceled? You saw Jack and Epel were totally soaked? Where are you even looking? Another man? That’s unacceptable!

You’re his first friend and crush! To him, you are like the first sunshine of spring! A beautiful blue butterfly in the meadow flying above the flowers! A gem more precious than any treasure he has! And now you’re just dumping him? Nuh-uh. Ain’t gonna happen! He’s one of the most powerful magicians in the world, so it takes no more than a flip of his hand to crush any form of way back home. He could lock you up in his room, mess with your body, destroy any form of mirror, etc. Hey, this was gonna happen one way or another since he already decided for the future Queen of the valley long ago(AKA when he met you).While he locks you up in his Diasomnia room, he could happily come and discuss the wedding plans. He already decided on the crown by the way, but he made a promise to discuss the dress colors with you since taking your opinion into account is necessary. Lila would be teary eyed of Malleus’s growth. You have no choice to accept your fate since even if you escape, he will come searching for you. After all, can a mere human win against a loving dragon?

Lilia Vanrouge

This 700 year old vampire fairy has more knowledge and experience than any of the villains. He thought his love ended with Malleus’s mom. But then, you came along. A cute little innocent human who only lived about a little percentage of his life! You are like a baby! You’re too young to survive out there! What if your way back home never worked! What if some thing got messed up? No, you need to be in the world safe and sound! He will protect you! He still has feelings about the age gap though. I mean, what happens in family day at school with your future children? Well, not to worry! As for making you stay, just break a few mirrors or take out any bad memories! He needs to look out for his juniors after all! He won’t break you, but he will punish you if you disobey. Fairies are possessive. Blame your own luck for shooting the heart of the vampire fairy.

Rook Hunt

At first, he seems happy for you! A lost deer should run back to her herd as quick as possible. But you forgot he’s a hunter. And a skilled hunter like him NEVER fails.

He casts his unique magic on you as you are about to leave. A part of him wishes for your happiness, but he couldn’t help it. A large part of him couldn’t forgive you. The most valuable prey were about to outrun him. He could never accept that. His magic will find you. Wherever you go, however you try to escape, the chase continues. Until you give up your world and return with him, they would be absolutely no peace.

Epel Felmier

(Anyone else love peel’s smug VILLAN faces from the ghost bride?)

Epel acts happy but inside, he’s devastated. He wanted to visit his home village again just the two of you. He knows he’s got competition when it came to you, and it was all for nothing. Well, he ain’t admitting that, that’s for sure.

From that day on, with the help of Vill and Rook, he creates a special gift for you. An apple red as the roses. A glittering poison apple just like the Beautiful Queen of his dorm created. To trap you, his one and only Snow White. He still wants to have fun with you and the first years. He wants to graduate with you. You gave him courage, and made him happy. He wants to return you with his own thankful emotions. #Yeah, Right.

On the day you were going to leave, he comes up to you and thanks you, than he says the magic words.

“Prefect…I want to give you something. Please have a bite. It’s a special apple I picked. It’s the most delicious apple I harvested and the most beautiful one! I cared for it so much!”

Epel now understands what Vil said for so long. His cuteness can become a weapon. Look at your eyes! You melt for his cuteness, and bites the apple without thinking twice, I mean, who can resist his cuteness. Instantly, you fall unconscious.

“Whoah!? That was close… but now you can be with us forever Yu! Snow White won’t hold a candle to you…. Let’s graduate together Ok? And we can be together forever…”

He’s a poisoned apple, what would you except? As the saying goes, looks can be deceiving.

Sebek Zigvolt

Ah, he says like 90% of the time about how fairies are better than humans, but for you, it’s an exception. He might not show it, but he cares a lot about you. He’s a tsundere after all.(No, you cannnot tell me otherwise) But he blames you for dumping him and making him feel bad.(AKA you two are not dating)

“This is your own fault human, you made me fall to your schemes and now you’re throwing it all away? Unacceptable!”

He may not show it, but he enjoyed school life with you and the other humans of his grade. He wants to live with you at the valley of Thorns. But your comment of going back to your world snaps something.

Better run away because lightning bolts are coming down in 10 seconds to smash that mirror. He will not let you go. And is you disobey…say goodbye to your eardrums and your freedom.

Silver

(Anyone else love this Silver’s face? I believe Silver can be a villain too, you won’t change my mind)

He is SHOCKED with a capital S. He’s a human, but raised by Lilia and fairies so he has fairy values and they may be SLIGHTLY different from humans especially about love.

He wants to be with you after graduation. He already planned a few preparations so you won’t be getting away.

Before you go, he casts his unique magic on you to appear in your dreams as a dashing prince. Saving you, chasing you, maybe choking you a little bit. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. Convincing that your world is horrible and terrible, and you should come back to Twisted Wonderland and live with him. Silver is a prince, and you are his princess. To him, the bad witch is your world. After all, he needs to defeat the bad witch to save his one and only princess. Than he can live happily ever after.

#yandere twisted wonderland #malleus x reader #female reader #lilia vanrouge #malleus draconia #lilia x reader #rook hunt #rook x reader #epel felmier #epel x reader #sebek zigvolt #sebek x reader #yandere silver x reader twst

[cb97breathing]

WHEN YOU KISS THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME. FT HYUNG LINE

Pairing: Skz Hyung Line x Reader

Theme: Fluff, Friends To Lovers, Hyung line reacting to you kissing them

Word Count: 1.2K

A/N: Please do not repost or translate my work! Let me know if you wish to be on the tagged list.

CHAN:

“C-Channie!” You choked out between laughs. “Please stop!” You tried to get away from him as he continued to tickle you, making you laugh so hard that tears were flying down your cheeks. No matter what you tried he would always over power you as you writhed helpless beneath him. 

“Not until you stop saying that you’re ugly.” He growled playfully. “You’re beautiful, say it!” He grinned as he attacked your sides. You gasped for air as he continued his assault and weakly hit him in the chest trying to push him away. 

“Never!” You cried as you continued to try to escape. “I’m an ugly whale.” You squeaked as you felt him get more aggressive with his tickling and soon it was becoming hard to breathe. You were laughing so hard that no sound was coming out. Your chest hurt and your face was going numb.  “Okay! I-I’m beautiful!” You cried out. “Please stop.” You begged. His hands stilled as he hovered over you with a proud smile. You stared up at him, panting softly, trying to regain all the air you lost from laughing. You both stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. You loved his eyes, you loved him. You had loved him for so long but were always scared to admit it. He gently brushed the tears away from your eyes and smirked softly. 

“That’s my girl.” He whispered softly. His words triggered something in you and before you knew it, your lips were pressed against his. You felt him freeze as your lips touched and you moved away blushing deeply. 

“I’m sorry I– I wasn’t thin–” Before you could finish your sentence his lips pressed against yours, kissing you passionately as you melted beneath him. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he pulled you closer to him. 

“Took you long enough.” He whispered happily into your lips. 

MINHO:

You whimpered and buried your face in Minho’s chest as you heard the loud roar of thunder. Your body trembled as your best friend held you tight, his large hand rubbing your back as he tried to sooth you. You had been left out in a thunderstorm when you were younger and had been scared of them ever since. Everytime a storm hit, Minho didn’t hesitate to come and console you. Didn’t matter what time it was, he was there. 

“It’s alright, Kitten.” He whispered softly as he ran his fingers through your hair. “I’m here, I will never let anything bad happen to you I promise.” He whispered softly. You clung to him and felt your heart flutter at his words. You never really realized how much you loved the man holding you until recently. You looked up at him gently as you heard him start singing your favorite song to you.  Tears flew down your cheeks as you looked up to him. In that moment, your eyes betrayed you, all they showed was love. 

Minho looked down at you and his gaze softened as his eyes locked with yours. You let out a shaky breath and leaned up pressing your lips to his. You knew that this could destroy whatever the both of you had but in that moment you couldn’t hold it in any longer. You felt him kiss back almost immediately and cup your tear stained cheek in his hands. You both laid there, pouring your hearts out in a slow deep kiss before you had to pull away for air. You blushed when you realized what had happened, but Minho just grinned at you. He pulled you back in for another kiss and the thunderstorm that had terrified you was long forgotten. 

CHANGBIN:

“Changbin, don’t you da–” You gasped as you were hit in the shoulder with a snowball. You stared at your best friend, eyes wide in shock as he stood there grinning mischievously. “Oh you little shit.” You growled out as you made your own snow ball. “This is war.” You threw one at him and it hit him right in the face, causing you to laugh hysterically. But the look on Changbin’s face made you stop in your tracks. He growled as he made another snow ball and you slowly backed away. “Now Binnie.. You started this.” You chuckled nervously. He didn’t hesitate to throw it at you and hit you square in the cheek. 

You cried out as you felt the impact and cupped your cheek as you heard him laugh obnoxiously. You glared at him and while his guard was down you pounced. Changbin let out a cry of surprise as you tackled him into the snow and straddled him. You both fought playfully as he laughed loudly. 

“Y/n, I’m sorry!” He laughed out as you tried to tickle him. “Please stop!” You grinned as you watched him squirm, but soon he flipped you over. You squeaked as you felt him pin you down against the cold snow. You looked up at him and blushed when he smirked down at you. “You’re doomed now.” He teased as he leaned in closer to you as he raised a snowball in his right hand. Your heart pounded and before you could stop yourself your lips pressed to his. You heard the snowball fall from his hand as he froze. But before you could pull away he was kissing back and pulling you into his arms. At first you did this just to distract him, but deep down you had wanted this to happen for a long time. Your lips moved passionately against each other for what seemed like an eternity until the both of you pulled away panting softly for air, noses and cheeks rosy from the cold. “Please do that again.” He whispered softly and you gladly obliged.

HYUNJIN: 

“Y/n, do you have a death wish?” Hyunjin growled out. To anyone else it would seem like he was mad but you saw the playfulness in his eyes as he wiped the paint off his cheek. You smirked as you held the paint brush up playfully. 

“I was bored and you were ignoring me.” You pouted. “This is your punishment.” You grinned as you splatted some paint on him again. Hyunjin gasped and looked at you with wide eyes before smirking at you playfully. 

“Oh you’re so gonna get it.” He smirked as he grabbed his own paint brush and whipped it at you making paint splatter all over you. You gasped as you looked at him with wide eyes. “You started it Mon Chérie, endure the consequences.” He laughed. Before you knew it, you were both running around his studio, flicking paint at each other for what seemed like over an hour. You both looked like a total mess by the end of it. 

Hyunjin had you pinned against the wall, his hands on both your wrists as you both panted softly from being out of breath. Your heart pounded as he stared deeply into your eyes. He pressed his forehead to yours and you couldn’t control yourself, your lips brushed against his and his eyes widened, you looked into his eyes and blushed. He didn’t move away from you, he didn’t run or back away in disgust instead he stood there looking at your lips. You couldn’t bear it anymore and pressed your lips to his in a deep kiss. He kissed back without hesitation and his hands moved to link his fingers with yours as he pressed into you. Your lips moved feverishly and passionately against each other, as if you needed to keep going to survive. 

“Finally.” He breathed out into your lips.

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#stray kids fanfic #stray kids smut #bang chan fanfic #bang chan smut #seo changbin fanfic #seo changbin smut #han jisung fanfic #han jisung smut #hwang hyunjin fanfic #hwang hyunjin smut #kim seungmin fanfic #kim seungmin smut #lee know fanfic #lee know smut #lee felix fanfic #lee felix smut #yang jeongin fanfic #yang jeongin smut #skz smut #skz fanfic

[angelbvnny]

Rainy Day

Gn!Reader, sfw, very fluffy fluff, nicknames "baby" and "sweetheart" used, sorry if Wanderer's is kinda off i wrote it at work

Tartaglia, Wanderer, Thoma

You and your boyfriend had a wonderful date planned out for the two of you. You spent all yesterday preparing the food for your little picnic date. But as you are about to head out, a loud thunder strike shakes the house. And only a few moments later, heavy rain can be heard dropping onto your roof. What to do now?

Tartaglia

Childe puts his hands on your cheeks cupping your face. It's an act that always brings you great comfort. His hands are so warm and you can't help but to feel so safe in his hold, even when it's something as small as his hands on your cheeks. He keeps a smile on his face, but not the usual one most people see him wear, rather a real smile, a smile from Ajax. "It's okay baby, i've got an idea!" Coming from a nation of snow and ice, rain is a rare sight for Tartaglia, and although it ruined your picnic plans, it's hard for him to hide the bit of excitement within him.

He rushes you to the bedroom, dressing you in a hooded coat then putting one on himself. By the time you realize his plans he's already opening the front door pulling you outside with him before you can interject. All you can do is stand in shock for a moment from the sudden coldness and wetness, but you quickly adjust and look over to Ajax. Your boyfriend is looking up into the sky, not saying a word with a wide smile on his face. He quickly turns to you running up to you, picking you up and spinning you around. An eruption of giggles escapes you as you watch him have so much fun.

He's not the only one having fun though, you're also enjoying yourself, the picnic long forgotten as the two of you stomp and splash into puddles. As you two continue to play in the rain, your shoes fill up with water and your body begins to shiver, although you barely even notice. Tartaglia does though, and of course he has to take care of his lover, so he ushers you back inside the house. Now enveloped in warmth, he brings a towel and dries you off, then himself. You both change into dry clothes and cuddle up together on the couch, listening to the rain continue to fall. Tired from your time outside, you lean your head onto his chest closing your eyes. You think you could fall asleep when-

"Achoo!"

Uh oh.

Wanderer

Scara can't help but find the little pout on your face funny. You looked like a sad little puppy, but he only finds your dismay entertaining for a short time before getting a bit irritated himself. He doesn't like seeing you upset for very long, especially if he isn't the one causing it. As you defeatedly put back the supplies for the picnic he stays quiet, racking his brain on ways to fix this little problem.

Before you get the chance to sit down, he grabs your wrist pulling you towards the front door. "C'mon.." he sighs out, his tone sounding inconvenienced, but you both know he could never actually be upset with you. He pushes you out the door but instead of you getting soaked, he's standing right next to you as he puts his arm around your waist pulling you towards him so the two of you are protected under his hat.

"Lets take a walk." He doesn't give you much of a choice as he starts to walk, bringing you along with him. You rest your head on his shoulder, the white noise of the rain and the cloudy sky relaxes you within minutes. Maybe it's okay that you couldn't do your picnic today, because it allowed for this moment with him. "We can go in a few days." He says in a quiet voice. A smile creeps onto your face hearing him try to comfort you. "Thank you Kuni." You can hear a little "hmph" of pride come from him as you both continue walking through the rain, completely dry.

Thoma

Your shoulders drop as you look out the window, a look of utter defeat and disappointment on your face. "Aw, sweetheart." Thoma comes from behind you, snaking an arm around you while taking the picnic basket from you with his other. He places it down, allowing both arms to wrap around you as he pecks you on the cheek. "Don't be sad, there's plenty of stuff to do inside as well!" His soft voice is as comforting as ever.

He spins you around so you're facing him. He makes a face acting as if he was in deep thought, before speaking again. "How about we make a pillow fort?" You laugh a bit at his suggestion. "I can't remember the last time I made one." He starts moving you towards the bedroom. "All the more reason to make one now!" You can't deny that the offer sounds quite fun and that beaming smile on his face is hard to resist.

Once in the bedroom, Thoma starts pulling the blankets off the bed, plopping them into your arms. He looks around tapping his face. "Hmm, this definitely won't be enough." He goes to the closet retrieving even more throws and sheets you didn't even know you had. He adds to the mountain of bedding you're holding before the two of you walk back to the living room. Thoma starts moving chairs around, adjusting them to what fits his standard. You then help him place the copious amount of blankets across the chairs, creating a little den for the two of you to share.

You both add some pillows inside for comfort and one final throw to lay under. You shimmy in, adjusting to get comfortable before finally laying in each others arms. Proud of your craftsmanship, you rest in his hold, the comfortable silence falling over you. With the now quiet atmosphere, it allows you both to hear the rushing of the wind and tapping of the rain against the house. You let out a content sigh, no longer upset about your little picnic.

#childe #childe x reader #childe fluff #tartaglia #tartaglia x reader #tartaglia fluff #wanderer #wanderer x reader #wanderer fluff #scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche fluff #thoma #thoma x reader #thoma fluff #genshin #genshin x reader #genshin fluff #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact fluff

[potatothots]

U do dark, yandere👀??? Can I request Grandmaster Bi-han conquering a village and taking virgin!reader as concubine😗 (I'm sick I know🙃😐)

I hope this lives up to expectations! Sorry it was so late. You're not sick, either! It's fantasy!! :D Let me know how I did.

Genre: Drama 

Rating: Porn with plot - NO MINORS

Pairings: dark!Bi-Han x virgin!reader

Warnings: Loss of virginity, breeding kink, talk of death, concubines, non-con

Summary: Bi-Han takes what he wants. The Lin Kuei are always repaid.

Note - I'm not your guardian. You read what you want. I can't stop you. If you don't heed the warnings, too bad for you, not me.

I wrote it, didn’t like it, rewrote some of it, and finally found something I kind of like. Edited by me, however, potatos aren’t the best at editing their own work.

It was a sunny, beautiful day when it happened. There was a chill in the air and a threat of snow on the wind, but it wasn't out of the ordinary for this time of year. You were walking the market street. The smells drew you to various vendors selling dumplings and sweet rice balls. Along with the staples you'd need for the week for yourself and your aging parents, you decided to indulge in some of the sweets. Your dad had a sweet tooth like you; he wouldn't mind. 

As the sun set low on the horizon you started your journey home. There suddenly was a thundering sound. Like horrid storms, but it was coming closer too quickly to be natural. You held your bags to your chest and turned to the noise. The sight made you stop in your tracks. 

More than a dozen men on horseback were charging through the street. They wore gear and masks that signaled their affiliation with the Lin Kuei. You'd never seen them in person but had heard tales of their might and savagery when they wanted something. 

The villagers ran this way and that way, trying to avoid the men on horseback along with the flying debris they left behind in their wake. They smashed stalls and trampled over those unlucky souls who couldn't get away fast enough. Some had bows and arrows and took down more innocent civilians. 

It wasn't until a child ran to you, tears streaming down her cheeks, that you came out of your shock. You threw down your bags and grabbed her, pulling her to safety. Only, it wasn't enough. An arrow pierced her neck. It went so far through that it stabbed your chest. The sight had you screaming in terror. You let the dead child go to run yourself. 

You found yourself in an alley. Pressing your back to the wall, you watched the riders ride past the opening, paying no mind to the dark alley. 

You let out a trembling breath. Your whole body shook in fear. Moving away from the wall, you turned your back to the alley entrance. You had to get to safety. You had to get home. Your parents were in danger. 

As you started to run, you smacked right into a wall - no, not a wall. A giant of a man in the Lin Kuei garb accented with blue. His mask was ornate and hid everything but his expressive brown eyes. 

Those eyes trailed down your face to your chest. He reached out to touch the bloody spot. His fingers were ice cold as they moved your jacket away to inspect the wound through your shirt. You shivered, backing away from him. His other hand grabbed your upper arm to hold you in place. 

"Are you hurt?" He asked in a deep, gravelly voice. 

Your eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Yes! You're destroying my home! Of course, I'm hurt!"

He made a face behind his mask like he was smirking. You tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened. 

"Let me go. I owe you nothing." You said, trying to pull away again. 

"That's where you're wrong, y/n. You owe me everything. Your family and your leader can't pay what they owe us. Instead, they hid the things most precious to them. You, I've decided to spare. You're no son, but you can be very valuable to me in other ways."

"You're wrong about my family. Maybe our leader, but my family would never do anything to be indebted to the likes of a low-life clan like the Lin Kuei."

"You have no idea, do you? I've watched you these last few years. You indulge and never ask where the money comes from. You're either naive or choose to be ignorant. Your father has land, a title, a good job, and somehow has more money than others in his position."

You pause, mulling over his words. Yes, your family might be wealthier than most in town, but your father always said it was that he was good with money. Doubt clouded his words in your head now. Was it true? Why else would they come after you?

"What will happen to the leader's family? His children? Their children?" Your voice is tiny, sticking in your throat with fear. 

"We will get rid of those who won't fall in line." 

His words are so casually spoken that you have to look away. Tears pour down your cheeks at the implications of his words. 

You sniffle, looking back at him. "I'm no fighter. What use would I be to you?"

"You're so innocent." He cups your cheek with the hand that had been inspecting your shirt. "You don't have to be a fighter to warm my bed."

A wave of panic shot through you at his statement. You cried out a sharp "No!" before you finally managed to yank yourself away from him. Only so far could you go before you felt his cold touch again. He held his hand over your nose and mouth. His other arm was tight against your throat. The more you struggled, the more your vision went hazy. 

"Yes. Fight back. It'll make this easier for me." 

He kept talking, but your brain was no longer listening as you fought to keep conscious. 

—

You felt yourself come to. Women were chatting in whispered voices. A few glanced your way. An older woman with gray hair moved over to the bed you were lying on. She held a kindness in her face and movements as she helped you to get up. 

"You'll be Grandmaster Bi-Han's prize tonight. I need you to take a bath and clean yourself everywhere. Make sure to use the oil for your skin. Once you're done, put the robe on and come find me back here." The woman instructed while the two of you went to the bathing room. "Do you understand?" 

You nodded, tears forming in your eyes again. 

"Good. Now, stop crying. He wants you natural and if you keep this up your face will be blotchy and swollen."

She opened the door for you. You stepped in, stopping in the doorway to admire the beauty of the room. 

"You have thirty minutes until the grandmaster is finished with his day. Relax while you clean and pamper yourself. The grandmaster has a temper. It's best not to upset him. 

Here," she put some towels, washcloths, and a robe in your hands. "Calm yourself and get clean so I can dress you."

She didn't give you time to respond as she left the room, closing the door behind her. 

Alone, you realized how quiet it was. The cold air was making you stiff. With a huff, you set to your task: washing and massaging the oil into your skin until you felt soft like silk. No matter what you did you couldn't stop the anger and depression. You threw on your robe and headed back to the busy room. You hoped the woman wouldn't notice your face was still puffy. 

She noticed. Other than a sigh as she wiped around your eyes, she said nothing. A little powder, a simple hairstyle, and some sheer gloss highlighted your face. She dressed you in a silver cheongsam with various blues making up the embroidered bird pattern. Next, she placed a long, white fur cloak around your shoulders and shooed you away with instructions on how to get to where you needed to be. 

When you reached the door it flew open, revealing a hulking presence. He peered down at you, his face set in a scowl. You shifted from one foot to another as he lazily took in your form. 

"Inside," he quipped, grabbing your arm. He pulled you into the room before you had a chance to move yourself. 

He walked you to the center of the sparsely decorated bedroom. 

"Take off the fur." 

You didn’t want to. He noticed the hesitation. Bi-Han narrowed his eyes. His hands flew up to your shoulders and pushed the cloak off. 

His eyes seemed to warm as they trailed over your form. “Where did you get this outfit?”

“The old lady in the - “

“Shush. It’s perfect. Birds suit you. My colors suit you even better.” 

Bi-Han took your hand in a tight grip and led you to the bed. His eyes undressed you as his hands did. You were trembling in fear. You’d never laid with a man, never even let a man see you without clothing on. As your dress fell to the floor you felt tears prick at the corners of your eyes. This was not how you thought your first time would go. 

The grandmaster slid his hands down your sides, pausing to grip your hips. You shivered, goosebumps rising on your skin from his cold touch. His hands moved back up to your breasts. He squeezed them. A hum of appreciation sounded from him. 

“You’ll do well in producing heirs.” He said flatly. His tone seemed at odds with his lust-filled expression and his exploring hands. 

You bit your bottom lip and looked away. “What if I don’t?” You’d heard about women who couldn’t give male heirs. They didn’t last long. 

“I’ll allow you to keep my bed warm.” he shrugged. 

It wasn’t the answer you were expecting. However, you didn’t have much time to process it as he pushed you onto the bed. He crowded you, kissing and biting at your skin. It was overwhelming. There was some pleasure, but mostly pain. He was harsh in his fondling of your body. There was a slight reprieve when he sat up. You were hoping it meant he was done for some reason, but when he simply took his clothes off you knew it was going to be a long night. 

He was barely any nicer to your body when he pushed his cock into your pussy. It stung and you tried to move away from him, but he held you tight. 

“Stop pulling away,” he growled as he grabbed at your ankles. 

“It hurts!”

Bi-Han let out a huff, repositioning himself so your legs were over his shoulders. The intensity of the new position had you crying out in shock. It hurt, but something else was taking over. Your eyes found the grandmaster’s. As cold as his touch was, his expression was burning. You’d seen boys drunk outside of alleyways, their glassy eyes a dead giveaway. That’s how Bi-Han looked. Like he was drunk and needed more. He shifted his hips slightly and you let out a shocked squeak. 

“Gods, right there!” The words tumbled from your lips faster than you could even think of them. 

Bi-Han smirked. “Anything for you, little bird.”

That yearning feeling in your gut was turning your thoughts into white noise. Everything came to a head all at once. The feeling seemed to explode inside of you. Your eyes squeezed shut and you were sure you said something, but it sounded like babbling to your ears. Then, you felt a wet coldness inside you. Bi-Han fucked you through your orgasm, his own triggered by yours. As his hips slowed, your brain was able to catch up with your situation. Tears streamed down your cheeks.

“Hush, now.” Bi-Han cooed, kissing the tears. “You did well, little bird. I knew you would. You were always going to be mine.” He captured your lips in a consuming kiss. 

#bi han x reader #dark!bi han x reader #yandere! bi han x reader #bi han x virgin!reader #potato requests

[vampyrsm]

‣‣ COR UNUM: CHAPTER SIX | KUEBIKO

‣‣ Synopsis: Our tale continues into the mountains where the darkest of souls reside, and here is where you will find a once in the life time opportunity. Will you take it or will you wilt beneath the crushing palm of the man who controls your life?

‣‣ Main Masterlist | AO3 ‣‣ Pairing: Sukuna x Reader ‣‣ Word Count: est. 6.5k ‣‣ Warnings: Blank blogs & Minors DNI. Dead Dove: Do Not Eat. Set in the Early-Heian Period, trueform!Sukuna, dead bodies, descriptions of wounds, threats of violence/death, female reader, brief description of ritual suicide.

“Leave.” Sukuna doesn’t spare the unknown woman a second glance after his command, instead, he glares directly at you. Clearly whatever the woman had realised whilst looking at you had angered Sukuna in some way. 

The raven-haired woman smiles knowingly in your direction, her eyes wide with mirth. Her hands remain hidden with the long sleeves of her kimono, and even then when she’s posing no physical threat to you – you can’t help but feel like you’re staring directly at death itself. 

“Of course.” She nods her head a little, moving to step past you before she stops directly at your side. You freeze at the proximity, the aura that follows her is suffocating. It’s different from Sukuna’s, whereas he is all-encompassing with regality and brutality, this woman makes you feel like an ant beneath her foot. You were beneath her.

“I do hope we’ll get to speak soon. Alone.” Her voice is far too close to your ear, a hushed whisper that laps at the shell of your ear until you shiver. “I’d love to know what’s inside that head of yours.” 

“Kenjaku.” Sukuna’s voice is a foreboding warning, his eyes now snapped onto the long-haired woman who smiles with ease over her shoulder. This time she doesn’t say anything in retort, simply smiles before leaving the throne room entirely. 

One threatening aura is immediately replaced with another. Sukuna. He’s still glaring at you with a far-from-impressed expression resting on his face. Slowly, his eyes scan down along your body as if he’s taking in the true state of your attire and general hygiene after a week or so of riding. 

“Follow.” Another order, and you follow as soon as he starts walking. He walks away from the door you had entered in and towards the left, you hadn’t noticed that there were multiple entryways into the room. Though the door you pass through is much smaller than the grand wooden doors, they’re less imposing. 

He leads you through the corridors once again, his footsteps are like distant claps of thunder with how heavy each step is. You pass by an open courtyard, enclosed by the walls of the temple and opened to the elements from above. The snow that falls is an intense tempest of white snowflakes, each of them gathering in the loose gravel of the courtyard and freezing over what were once functioning bamboo water spouts. 

On the opposite end of the courtyard, you spy a seat. Behind that seat is a large wooden symbol that’s painted in a similar red to Sukuna’s eyes. It’s a single word; 解. Dismantle. You had heard often of Lordships that would have grand courtyards like this, with seats overseeing it whenever they had to deal with a request made by Samurai.

You had seen it once when you were still living with your father. You had only been fourteen years old at the time and he had you sitting next to his large seat. He told you that if you wanted to be a Samurai then you would see what it means to be a true Samurai.

The courtyard was filled with his own Samurai, all belonging to the Shogun and each of them were also kneeling just as you were. Your father had neglected to tell you what the occasion would be to gather in such a place like this. In the centre of the yard, there was a simple bamboo mat with a man kneeling on it.

In front of him laid his katana and wakizashi; a smaller version of the katana. You recall faintly the words the man had spoken to your father, he wanted to be blessed with the highest honour by dying in front of the Shogun. Samurai often did this when they had disgraced their clan or were set up for execution.

Your father being the man he was, had allowed this. You could only watch in silent horror as the man stripped the top half of his yukata, and with one hand slid along his stomach until he found the spot just beneath his ribcage. The slick stabbing sound of the wakizashi was nothing compared to what came next, the man whilst sweating and grunting in pain had gripped his blade tighter before sliding it smoothly along his stomach.

No one had blinked an eye when the man disembowelled himself. The words your father had spoken to you when he saw the expression on your face were harsh. “You will fall to a similar fate if you dare disgrace this family.”

“Oi.” Sukuna’s voice causes you to blink away the blurry image of your father, you hadn’t realised you stopped to stare blankly out at the snow-covered courtyard. Another blink and the vision of the man fades from your mind, you hadn’t thought of that day in a very long time. 

You turn to face Sukuna, to continue on the path he was taking you on but you have to take a step back lest you walk head-first into his chest. He’s staring down at you, down the smoothness of his nose with a light frown. His eyes are bouncing back and forth between your own, trying to decipher just what had been going on through your mind. 

When his search turns out to be useless, he simply sighs heavily through his nose before a large hand wraps itself around your wrist. You’re tugged harshly alongside him, and it’s very similar to the situation when he dragged you out of the previous shrine to safety. Your feet struggle to keep up, slipping against the smooth wooden floorboards and tripping when you have to step over a threshold.

Sukuna didn’t stop nor did he give you a second glance as you struggled. 

The chill of the outside once again bites at your exposed flesh, and you find yourself being dragged into another courtyard within the temple. This one wasn’t nearly as large as the one you had previously seen, this one was much more personal. You figured out why when you saw the steam rising in curls from the hot spring in the centre.

“Bathe,” Sukuna says as he releases your arm, part of you wants to snap your teeth in his direction for the commands he keeps barking at you like you were some lowly dog. “I have something to attend to first.” 

You don’t have the chance to ask him if he means he’ll be returning soon, Sukuna has already vanished back into the temple leaving you in the blistering cold with nothing but the wind to accompany your thoughts. Looking back at the hot spring, you don’t feel nearly as apprehensive as you once had when you first were forced into one of them.

The ride here had been long and dreadful, you had mud in places you didn’t know mud could reach and the dried blood beneath your nails had started to hurt from just how much there was. You weren’t going to lose the chance to bathe, especially in a spring as warm as this when the snow continued to fall heavily atop your head.

Stripping the sullied kimono, you were quick to submerge yourself into the water. It was deep, just like the other one, and lapped harshly against your neck when you dunked yourself low enough to soak completely. It felt good, the aches in your thighs and hips slowly ebb away with the warmth of the water continuing to caress your body until you relaxed.

You found yourself looking up at the night sky once again, the sun was just starting to rise but it did nothing to blot out the dark grey clouds that hung heavy and low atop the mountains. They continued to snow heavily, the flakes melting before they could even find a resting place against your heated face. 

In the quietness of the heavy snowfall, your mind naturally began to wander to the past few days that seemed to blur together. You still had no idea why Sukuna had insisted on dragging you all the way to what must be his ancestral temple, it was clearly made for him, it was his place of power. You had no real reason to be here, and yet he made sure to keep you alive until you got here.

The next thing you can’t help but question was that woman you had briefly encountered just moments ago. Kenjaku. That’s what Sukuna had called her. Something about her still made your stomach twist uncomfortably, just knowing she was within range of you at any given time the longer she lingered here. Her words had left you anxious, why did she take such a keen interest in you? 

Was it purely because she was excited by the idea that the impervious Sukuna had found someone, a human no less, to protect? You doubted he actually even wanted to protect you. He seemed like the type of man to play with his food before he devoured it. 

“You think much too loud.” Sukuna huffs from the pathway that leads to the hot spring, you glance over to him to see that he had changed out of his own dirty trousers into a haori that was definitely made to his size. It’s a rich black material that hangs over his shoulders, tied loosely around the waist and the lower you travel you realise he’s wearing nothing beneath it.

So he was planning on bathing too.

In his hands is a folded material, another haori you realise that’s similar to his own. He places it onto a rock near the hot spring before starting to untie the loose belt holding his haori together. You don’t say anything when he does undress himself, instead scooting to the side of the hot spring furthest away so that he wouldn’t end up touching you on his way in. 

The silence that descends upon the hot spring this time is very different to that first encounter. There’s a mutual understanding now amongst the both of you, you had an unspoken bond — if you could call it that. Sukuna still relaxes back against his side of the hot spring, two of his large arms propped over the edge and his head tilted back. He doesn’t acknowledge your presence. 

Instead, he sits up for a moment before dousing himself in the hot water. It rolls off in thin rivers along his face and down the centre of his chest, large hands comb through pinkish hair that turns the water a light crimson from just how much blood was still nestled in there. You watch silently as he reaches over towards where he had entered, and you find that he had brought along a washcloth.

He doesn’t offer it to you, because of course he doesn’t, but instead, he washes himself with it. He doesn’t comment on if the fact you’re watching him is bothersome, but you can’t help but feel your fingers twitch when he starts to miss patches of skin that he can’t reach – even with four arms.

“Master Sukuna?” You ask quietly, and your response is a rumbling hum deep in his chest that’s asking you to continue. “May I?” 

Crimson eyes snap to you suddenly, and you’re frozen into place with just one hand raised as if you were going to take the cloth away from him. He’s scrutinising you, eyes dancing between your outstretched hand and your face. Slowly he extends the cloth out for you to take, and you pluck it from his hands. 

He continues to watch you as you slowly approach, the milky water obscures most of your body but you can’t help but feel like he’s seeing every part of you. You sidle yourself up next to him on a raised rock that serves as a seat, and being this close to him makes your heart pound in your chest. 

Sukuna had always had a suffocating aura but it was entirely different when you were stripped bare. But you had offered to do this, and you weren’t going to give him the satisfaction of scaring you out of making sure he was cleaned properly. 

With a shaky hand, you cup his jaw and you can feel the muscles jump when he clenches his teeth together at the touch. Beneath the water you can feel the ripple of an arm that raises to catch you, to stop you from daring to touch his face. He doesn’t fight you when you carefully turn his face away from your own to reach the parts of his neck he couldn’t reach.

The cloth moves smoothly along expanses of skin that are covered in dark tattoos. They look like they hadn’t faded at all, how new were they? You drag the cloth once again over the tattoos to free it of any grime, you had no experience with tattoos or how they were healed but it looked like these were brand new – a year at the most. 

Had he only been branded a criminal for a year or less? Who was he before all of this?

“What’s on your mind?” Sukuna rumbles, his voice vibrating against the free hand that you have pressed to his jaw to hold him in place. It sends a thrill down your spine. 

“I don’t think you’d want to answer.” You answer truthfully because you don’t think lying to him will do you any good. Especially not when you’re within range of both his claws and teeth. 

“You speak as if you know how my mind works. I’m asking you to tell me.”

You look at him for a moment longer, before you gently turn his face back towards you and a little to the side so you can expose the side of his neck. His eyes feel like they’re trying to burn through your very skin, still judging every minuscule movement you make. He’s waiting for you to answer his question.

“I wanted to know if Sukuna had always been your name.” 

He’s silent in response, you’d assume he was going to ignore you entirely if you didn’t spare a glance up towards his face to see that his face was completely relaxed; almost softened around the edges. He doesn’t protest when you direct his head back to wash his hair more thoroughly than he had, you wring the cloth once you had dipped it into the hot water over his head. 

You work your fingers back through his hair, continuing to pour water over it whilst working out the smaller knots of dried blood and other bodily matter that you didn’t want to think about. It’s a peaceful quiet that draws over the both of you, save for the sound of you pouring water over his head every now and again.

“Ryoumen Sukuna.” He mutters once you get to the back of his head, working through the shorter hairs. Another pour of water has his words vanishing beneath the splash.

“Hm?” You ask, leaning back to look at him properly. You meet his gaze almost immediately, and he seems almost troubled.

“You asked for my name, it was Ryoumen Sukuna. But no one calls me Ryoumen anymore.” Ryoumen. The name doesn’t ring any bells to you from your past, you don’t recall any great family having the name Sukuna nor did anyone have the name Ryoumen.

It didn’t answer your question as to who he was before he became Master Sukuna but it was a small win in your books.

“I see.” You nod your head, a smile on your face. “Thank you for telling me.”

Sukuna just hums in response to your gratitude, you give him a glance over and deem him clean enough that you start to pull away. Maybe he’d even let you use the cloth on yourself to scrub at your skin—

A hand clamps itself around your wrist just as you start to turn away, it comes with an abrupt tug and you’re forced to stand between Sukuna’s spread thighs. He’s staring down at you along the broadness of his nose, and it’s that same look from the previous time he had you cornered in the spring. He’s looking through you.

“Tell me what really happened in that fight with the sorcerer.” 

His question was a complete 180 change from the previous line of questioning you had opened up with him. Your eyebrows raise in surprise, you had told him the bare bones of what had happened.

“The Samurai had used some sort of energy against me and–”

“Not what he did. I don’t care about what he did.” His grip tightens on your wrist a little, forcing you closer to his body. “What did you do?”

“I used your Naginata.” You told him this already, why was he pressing for the fine details? “And… and I somehow blocked his attacks, I thought he was quicker than me but he wasn’t.”

“So you do have potential.” He surmises to himself, the tip of his thumbnail digs into your forearm when he grabs you a little firmer. “You just have no idea what it is, do you?”

You shake your head, no, you had no idea what ‘it’ could be. You know there’s more to the world than meets the eye, the cursed spirits you had encountered were just a fraction of it. 

“If I were to offer you the chance to become stronger, would you take it?”

He’s looking at you with a different intensity now, a hunger that you’ve seen before bubbling in his blood. It reminds you of when you had seen him in his element, and whilst it was hardly a fight for him in terms of power, it was mesmerising to watch.

So would you? Would you take the chance to become stronger? The goal you had promised yourself so many moons ago is still at the forefront of your mind, you hadn’t given up on the chance to be the one who kills Ryoumen Sukuna but you knew in your current state, you would never be capable of doing it.

He was offering it to you on a silver platter.

“Yes.” You answer in a hushed whisper with no hesitation. Because yes, you would take the chance to become stronger.

Sukuna grins then, with sharp teeth and evil intentions. “Then I want to make a binding vow with you.” 

“A binding vow?” 

“It’s a vow that must be honoured by both parties, if one were to break it then they’d be faced with their demise.” He hums, the thumbnail that was digging into your skin is now drawing patterns into your skin. “So now that you know what it is, will you agree to one?”

“That depends on what you want.” Your eyebrows furrow together, and Sukuna laughs quietly at your quick tongue. 

“Smart.” He adjusts his hold, another hand coming to grab at your side and you’re suddenly rooted in place when he sits up from his slightly slouched position. “Then allow me to lay down the rules.”

A hand raises from the water, a single finger raised. “One. I will make you one of the strongest sorcerers of this era, you will comply with my lessons.” A second finger raises. “Two. You in return, when the time is right, will lend me the power I have given you.”

What did he mean by that? Was he intending on training you to then use you as a weapon in his arsenal? You turn your gaze away from his unnerving one, instead focusing on the flakes of snow that have settled all around you. The ‘binding vow’ had said nothing about you harming him, you could do what he asked and then you’d be able to kill him with your newfound strength. 

“Well? Does the dove agree with the terms laid in front of her?”

You meet his gaze again, and he grins again when you square your shoulders. “I do.”

And then that grin grows malicious, the hand around your wrist clamps down far too tightly until you feel your skin burning beneath his bruising grip. Automatically, you try to push him off of you but he keeps you trapped between his thighs with the help of his many hands. 

“No need to run. You’ve made a vow with me, and I intend on honouring my side of it.”

Sukuna is rough with the way he pulls you into his chest, now holding your burning wrist above the water in the air. It still burns even in the cold brisk wind, as if Sukuna’s hand was made of molten lava. He only watches with mild amusement at the way you struggle to free yourself when he loops two large arms around your back to keep you pressed into his chest.

The realisation that you’re both completely naked beneath the water and now chest-to-chest is jarring, it makes your heart stutter in your chest and your lungs seize up in fear. He had you in a very vulnerable position, he could do anything to you and you’d be in no position to stop him.

His giant hand holding your forearm slides upwards until it engulfs your own quickly, the tips of his claws clink together when he squeezes your hand to ensure you weren’t going anywhere. You hesitate to look at what he had done to your arm when he gripped it with such force, but alas, your curiosity beats your rational mind. 

Around your wrist is a thick band of a tattoo, very similar to his own. It makes your heart sink into your stomach. 

“Now, you’ll never forget our vow. Your heart, your soul, it belongs to me.”

That sentence alone has your heart sinking into the bottomless pit that formed in your stomach. Maybe the terms of the agreement were so vague for this very reason; he wanted a loophole. He tricked you into a bargain with someone much worse than the Devil.

Sukuna seems delighted with the fact you’re mortified with the realisation, you gave him just what he wanted. His fingers unfurl your fingers slowly until his fingers slide between your own to entwine his hand with yours, his hand is far larger than your own. 

“For your first lesson, I want you to try and control your cursed energy.” A hand below the water starts to explore the expanse of your back, black claws dipping into the curve of your spine occasionally. “You have no control over it. You practically ooze with how untamed it is, it’s rather distracting.”

You had no idea that you were even doing such a thing, surely you would notice if you were ‘oozing’ cursed energy so much that it became distracting for others, surely there’d be some tell—... You freeze in the water, a realisation slowly drawing over your face. 

“Can cursed spirits sense it too?” You ask quietly, and Sukuna only grins wider. 

“You’re catching on, but you’re not entirely right either. You see, your emotions are a very big factor with cursed energy… and you’ve been oh-so miserable the last few weeks that you’ve caused quite a stir.” 

Your emotions. Your mind flits back to the darkness, the shadows and the thing that lived there. It wasn’t there when you were first thrown inside, it had manifested sometime during the second day when you realised no one was coming back for you. You had made that… thing. 

“So, to circumvent that. You’ll need to learn to control it.”

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you meet his predatory gaze once again. “How do I control something I didn’t know I even had?”

Sukuna sighs heavily as if you asked a ridiculous question, his fingers squeeze your palm uncomfortably hard for a moment before he relaxes. “Tell me where you believe negative emotions reside.”

You thought about that for a moment. Whenever you had a bad feeling about something, it was always in the pit of your stomach. When you were sad, it felt like a hollow void in the centre of your chest. When you felt anger, it bubbled in the depths of your gut until it felt like it was in your throat. 

“My stomach.” 

The man before you tsks quietly, as if he were scolding a child. “That line of thinking is why most sorcerers are weak.”

Sukuna shifts in front of you, another hand touches your body but this time it rests on your outer thigh. His last remaining hand slides up along your stomach, the back of his knuckles pressing into the flesh as if it test just how soft it was beneath his touch. It makes you squirm, to be touched in such a way felt wrong — but not in a way you were expecting. It made your toes curl uncomfortably against the rough rock beneath you.

“View your body as different sections. Instead of pooling all of this energy into one place like your stomach, separate your energy evenly.” His hands move with his words, the fingers at your back press into the small of your back, the ones at your thigh dig into the flesh and the ones at your stomach brush upwards until they rest at your sternum. 

“If you can learn to do that, you’ll be stronger than anyone who dares to face you.”

You suck in a breath slowly when those same fingers brush back down along your sternum, brushing delicately against the exposed skin of your stomach. You focus on ‘spreading’ your energy, even if you’re not quite sure just what it is he’s looking for. It reminds you briefly of the time when Kiso had taught you breathing techniques to keep up with your stances, to help you move as fluidly as possible.

Sukuna laughs at your attempt. “You won’t master it in a day. Not whilst you still hold so tightly to those Samurai beliefs of yours.” 

“What does that have to do with anything?” You snip back a little too quickly, and the glowing red of Sukuna’s eyes grows a little bit brighter at the feisty tone you dare to use on him. 

Those fingers across your body dig painfully into your skin, grabbing at your flesh until it pools between large fingers. “It has everything to do with it, you ignorant child.”

Your fingers holding his hand twitch unwillingly, digging your nails fruitlessly into the back of his hand as if that would do anything to convey your annoyance. Instead, it only makes Sukuna tilt his head in a condescending manner. 

The warmth between your clamped hands continues to grow hotter and hotter by the second, and yet it does not burn your skin like it had when he first grabbed your wrist to brand you. Sukuna hardly gives your joined hands a glance when he notices the shift in temperature, his main focus is settled on your face. 

His words bounce around your head, an ignorant child is what he called you. You were anything but ignorant or a child, you weren’t an official Samurai of course but you were still brought up that way. You had honoured that for so long, and to be accused of it being a hindrance now…? It only served to piss you off.

You think about what he had said about cursed energy, to focus all of that emotion into separate areas. But all you could focus on was the hand he was holding tightly in his iron grip, you wanted him to let go. You’ll make him let go. 

Sukuna clicks his tongue when he feels the burst of cursed energy in your fist, and he moves much faster than you anticipated as he uncurls his hand from yours only to grab at your wrist and aim your hand away. It comes with a loud bang, a burst of energy that was too raw. 

There’s a second delayed resounding boom, this time distantly and you look away from Sukuna to assess just what had happened. The entirety of the wall next to you had been decimated as if something large had been thrown through it. It was nowhere near as refined as the blue-eyed Samurai you had run into but it was a similar type of damage.

“You have far too much energy inside of you to be wasting it like a petulant child. If you do not adhere to the vow, I will ensure it’s you who suffers the consequences of breaking it.”

The biting cold stings at your now exposed palm, and Sukuna doesn’t fight to hold your arm in the air when you pull it back to assess the damage. Your palm looks like it had been dipped into burning oil, the skin is blistered along your palm and blood drips from the tips of your fingers. 

“Let this be a lesson as to why you’ll remain weak if you don’t listen to me.” His hands are no longer touching your body, that bruising grip is replaced with just the warmth of the water. “You’ll only be useful to me if you’re strong enough. If I find you weak and useless… then perhaps I’ll allow Kenjaku to take you.”

Those words pool real dread in your stomach. You had no idea just who or what Kenjaku really was, she wasn’t as monstrous as Sukuna sure but there was something about her that terrified you. 

So you shake your head no, dropping your chin down towards your chest. “I’ll listen.”

Sukuna hums, as if he doesn’t quite believe you before there’s a rush of water and he’s standing up much too close. You fall back into the water with a squeak, the blistered palm meets the hot water and it’s as if you had again dipped your hand into burning oil. It burns at the skin until it pops and blisters again. 

By the time you’re back on your own two feet in the water, Sukuna has draped himself in the haori he had arrived in. “Finish your bath quickly. Unless you wish to stay out here for the rest of the night and freeze. I don’t care.”

He doesn’t even spare you a glance, already walking back along the path that led back into the temple. He disappears into a different door however than the one you had come through, it’s on the right and oversees a good portion of the small garden you find yourself in. His personal quarters? That’d make the most sense. He seemed to enjoy being the furthest away from anyone else.

Your hand continues to throb as you hold it over the water, the blood had been washed off some in the fall back into the water but the blisters still remain swollen and raw. Maybe if you asked nicely enough, he’d give you something to wrap it in to avoid infection. Speaking of, your entire body shivers at a particular rough gust of wind that blows itself against your back.

It’s enough to get you wading through the hot water and clambering out the side, you look at the material Sukuna had left here. It definitely was for you then. You unfold it carefully, and you were correct to assume it was a haori very similar to his own. It was much smaller, thankfully, and that only begged the question as to just where he had got this from. 

But beggars can’t be choosers, so you quickly wrap it around yourself to scurry off after Sukuna’s large wet footprints on the stone path to seek a warm place to sleep for the night. You hesitate however once you reach his door, it’s just as foreboding as the one that led to his throne room but not nearly as big. Was it just his energy alone that filled anyone nearby with utter fear?

“Linger any longer and I’ll ensure you never leave that spot again.” He barks from the other side of the door. You don’t doubt he means it when he threatens you like that, so you slide open the door to hastily shut it behind you when another gust of wind blows in small flakes of snow along the wooden floor.

It’s mostly dark inside the room. The only light is coming from a lit fire on the other side of the room, it’s in a lowered hearth. It gives just enough light for you to map out the layout, you spot the bed first. It’s just as large as the one in the first shrine, if not just a little more lavish. It’s still a futon on a raised platform but this one is shrouded in sheer curtains that hang from the ceiling, quite the picture of royalty.

The room itself is quite large, on the opposite side of the room from the bed is a large bookcase that spans the entirety of the wall. It’s made of a thick black wood, painted so beautifully that you don’t doubt he had someone hand paint it. The books that line it are old, much older than anything you had seen, in languages you don’t recognise when your eyes scour over the titles.

The man that occupies the room however is sitting atop a zabuton cushion, his body language tells you he’s completely relaxed. His arms aren’t crossed over his chest whilst he flicks through some old book. His face is lacking any real emotion. You’d even reach to say he looked tired. 

It almost feels like you’re intruding on his space. 

“Where am I to sleep tonight, Master Sukuna?” His eyes drift towards you slowly, and that tired expression on his face deepens with whatever thoughts he may be having. 

“Here.” He says it so offhandedly it catches you by surprise. Your eyebrows raise, you hadn’t expected him to allow you to sleep in here – it was his room after all. “Don’t act so surprised. I don’t trust Kenjaku enough to not do something to you.” 

You suppose that made some sense, but surely the mark on your arm was enough to tell even Kenjaku that you “belonged”—the word nearly makes you shiver—to Sukuna. 

You clear your throat, pushing away the flusteredness that settles into your chest. “But what about y–”

“I don’t sleep. Not anymore. Use the bed, and get some rest.” He dismisses you by returning his eyes back to his book, one hand tucking beneath his chin to support his head whilst two hands work to flip the pages and simultaneously hold it. 

It’s unnerving to sleep in the same room as him. Of course, you had slept around him before, but that was out in the wilderness. It felt less… personal than it does now. To sleep in another person's bed, a man's bed, was intimate. You don’t even recall the last time you slept in the same bed as your husband after he had pushed you away.

Sukuna doesn’t comment on the fact you seem to hover for a second in the plane of uncertainty, he doesn’t even look your way when you take steps towards the futon and onto the platform that houses it. The large curtains brush to the side before you lower your knees onto the soft material. 

You practically sink into it with how soft it is, it feels much like how you imagine a cloud would if you could touch it for the briefest of seconds. The marvel at just how soft the bed is enough to distract you from the pair of eyes that flick up from the book to watch you paw your way around the large bed.

It’s gigantic. Of course it is. It could probably fit five or six of you in here comfortably. Slipping beneath the futon cover, you make sure to keep your haori as tightly bound to your body as possible, you could’ve asked for a change of clothes but perhaps you were already pushing your luck by forcing Sukuna to keep guard whilst you slept. 

You sink down into the pillows, and it’s as if the exhaustion of the past week hits you with the force of a bull. It becomes increasingly difficult to keep your eyes open, the ceiling above you darkens with each blink of your eye. But something is stopping you from sleeping, a nagging feeling at the back of your mind to look in the direction of the man who’s been both your saviour and nightmare in such a short amount of time. 

Sukuna is looking down at his book when you do end up rolling onto your side to observe him, his lower set of eyes are completely closed and you’re certain they’re sleeping. So much for not needing to sleep, huh? His body is slightly slouched, he was definitely in need of proper rest and for some reason it was tugging at your heartstrings.

“Master Sukuna?” You whisper into the frigid darkness of the room, only the flickering light of the fire from the hearth providing you enough to see Sukuna when he raises his head just a little to address you. “Will you join me?”

Those red eyes stare at you for a long tense moment, you start to worry that perhaps you crossed an unspoken boundary. He doesn’t even look like he’s breathing, each of his muscles is drawn tight as if he’s ready to pounce across the room and rip you apart limb from limb. 

Except… his muscles slowly relax again, and his body sinks further into the cushion before he gives a shake of his head. 

“I told you to get some rest. It’d be wise to listen to my words instead of trying to entice me into bed with you.” His words are brash, and they make your skin set alight in what might be embarrassment but something else lingers just beneath that — something unspeakable.

“I–!” You splutter, bringing the futon up to beneath your nose when Sukuna lets out a low rumble of a laugh. “I meant to sleep!” 

Sukuna simply rests his cheek against an enclosed fist, head tilted so he can observe you clearly with a lazy grin on his face. “I don’t believe you.”

You want to screw your face up and shout at him for being so absurd but you can’t find it within you to argue with him. So you flip yourself over instead to keep your back to him, and again Sukuna laughs at you but it doesn’t feel as malicious as it once had. 

“Sleep well, dove. You’ll need it.” He offers into the quiet of the night.

“...Goodnight, Sukuna.” He doesn’t reply, nor does he reprimand you for leaving out his respected title. Instead, you listen to the gentle crackle of the hearth, the flipping of old pages every now and again and the whistling gust of wind that continues to batter against the door. 

It’s much easier to slip beneath the gentle blanket of sleep that washes over you, with your nose unknowingly pressed into the pillow that smells so familiar — a soft flowery scent, not overly sweet but fresh, it mixes well with an underlying musk that has your eyelids too heavy to lift anymore until finally… you’re asleep.

‣‣ Main Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

#dead dove do not eat #cw gore #cw dark content #cw violence #tw cannibalism #sukuna x reader #sukuna x you #jjk x reader #banner artwork is official game art for ghost of tsushima made by ian jun wei chiew

[justagalwhowrites]

Yearling - Ch. 22: Storm

A spring snowstorm hits Jackson. A continuation of Yearling ch. 1-21 found on Tumblr here.

PLEASE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE CONTENT WARNINGS, THIS IS A ROUGH CHAPTER!!!

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader

Warnings: Past sexual assault vaguely described; animal death; PTSD response; sexual assault of a minor mentioned in a vulgar way (not seen); possible child death. No use of Y/N. Minors DNI 18+ Only 

Length: 8.6k 

AO3 | Chapter One | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Early May, 2013 

You were outside when the woman rode up. 

Your home was well hidden and you’d only seen five people since Mark had left almost a year earlier, each of them making their way into your land and telling you that he’d sent them your way. They were all kind, they were all vulnerable and they were all loaded down with things you would need. Flashlight batteries and bulbs, sugar and salt, rubbing alcohol and petroleum jelly. Thread, fabric, pain killers, antibiotics, guitar strings. One woman had been sent with a snack sized bag of Lays that were still sealed and a bottle of whiskey. That had made you smile, the clearest sign that Mark hadn’t forgotten about you. 

All of the others had arrived on foot, seemingly with a good idea of where to go, mostly alone but two women has traveled together. The timing wasn’t predictable but you at least knew what you could expect when someone Mark sent your way came into your territory.

This woman was different. 

You heard her before you saw her, the thundering footfalls and heavy breathing of her horse loud against the quiet of the forest. You didn’t have time to fortify your position, didn’t even have time to go get more ammo. So you stood your ground and raised your rifle, heart pounding, when she burst through the tree line and into the clearing that you called home. 

“Back the fuck up!” You yelled, gun raised. The horse all but skidded to a stop, the woman on its back clutching a bundle of blankets to her chest with one hand, yanking back on the reins with the other.  

“Easy!” She said dropping the reins and putting her hand up. She still clung to the bundle. You recognized the horse. It was Perseus, it was Mark’s horse. “Are you Texas?” 

“Who’s askin’?” Your accent was thick, fear a knot in your stomach as you looked Perseus over. You didn’t see any signs of injury.

She kept her hand up. 

“You knew Mark?” She asked. She had an accent, too. Georgia southern, like Mark. “Brown hair, criminally long eyelashes?” 

You narrowed your eyes at her and tightened your grip on your weapon. 

“He knew you,” she kept going. “He… he told me all about you. Doubt he ever mentioned me but… he talked about you all the time. He loved you and I think you loved him, too.” 

You swallowed past the growing lump in your throat and tightness in your chest. She kept using past tense. 

“What about him?” You asked, keeping your gun raised but your grip loosened. 

“He sent me to find you. We need your help,” she said, reaching and tugging her pant leg up just enough to reveal a festering bite mark on her ankle. “And I don’t have much time.” 

***

Early April, 2027

“I can’t believe you’ve been calling her a fucking baby deer this whole goddamn time!” 

Ellie was perched on Shimmer’s stall door, watching as you and Joel set out blankets for the horses. It has been snowing all day and winds were picking up. You were worried a blizzard was moving in and you wanted help getting the horses set to ride out the storm if you couldn’t get to them for a day or two. 

Joel was happy to assist, especially since he had come back from patrol a week earlier with a copy of Bambi on VHS. Ellie hadn’t been able to calm down about it since and it reminded him of the giddiness she had when she started in on the puns the first time, almost four years ago now. He’d have done anything to get that back and, it turned out, all it took was an old Disney movie and a funny nickname.  

“Thank you,” you laughed, almost smug. “Don’t talk for a few minutes and get saddled with the name of a cartoon deer for life…” 

“Hey, needed somethin’ to call you and you try coming up with anything else after lookin’ at you with those big eyes,” Joel said, defensive but smiling. “Not my fault it stuck.” 

“Yeah well Bambi here was gonna kick your ass the first time we met,” she replied. “Big bad contractor was gonna get beat up by a fucking cartoon deer from a kid’s movie…”

Joel tried to keep from laughing and raised his eyebrows at you. 

“OK that’s an exaggeration,” you said. “All I was going to do…” 

“I asked if you were going to try to kick his ass,” Ellie cut you off. “And you said ‘no try about it, I was gonna kick his ass.’” 

“And what did I do to deserve that?” Joel asked, teasing. 

“Well, Ellie tried to warn me about you…” You began, but Ellie cut you off. 

“Should have listened….” 

You glared at her. 

“But she wasn’t very clear,” you said. “And if some grown man was messing around with a girl, I was going to kick his ass. Turns out I didn’t have a reason to.” 

Joel laughed. 

“Glad you spared me.” 

You laughed before planting your hands on your hips, looking around the stable for a moment, taking stock. 

“Think things are just about as good as they’re gonna get,” you sighed. “But I think they should be good for a day until we can dig out and get back over here. Just wait for them to finish dinner, put more feed in after…” 

“Think there’s any chance of the patrols making it back tonight?” Ellie asked, her eyebrows drawn together. 

“Probably not,” Joel said. “They got places to ride out shit like storms if they get stuck, they’ll be alright.” 

“Still,” you said. “Had a group that was due back tonight, Jackson was probably the closest point to ride it out. Think I’ll hang out for a bit yet…” 

“I’ll go get us something to eat,” Joel said. “We’ll wait with you, head home after, settle in to ride out the storm.” 

“Can we stay at Bambi’s?” Ellie asked. “She’s got a way better stereo.” 

You smiled. 

“Sure, kid,” you said. “On you to get Joel to dance party, though.” 

“Dance party?” He frowned. 

“You wouldn’t get it, Old Man,” she replied, the hint of a smirk on her face. 

“Don’t get a lot of things about you, Baby Girl,” he said before stretching his back a bit. “Alright, back in a few. Try not to find too much trouble while I’m gone.” 

You and Ellie both rolled your eyes and he couldn’t help but smile as he made his way through the few inches of snow that had already fallen, heading for the mess hall. 

One of Joel’s favorite parts of being back on good terms with Ellie was getting to see your relationship with her. Even before she was mad at him, he wanted her to have someone like you in her life. Another woman she could talk to, look up to, guide her in ways he didn’t fully understand. She needed that and he hadn’t been able to see it happening from the distance she was holding him at before. 

He knew the two of you were close, he just hadn’t realized how close until the last few months. The two of you felt more like family than Sarah’s mother ever had and he treasured it, treasured that you seemed to love his daughter almost as much as he did. 

The mess hall was getting ready for a storm, too, putting together baskets of food to send home with Jackson residents so people wouldn’t be struggling through the storm for their meals over the next few days. He gathered enough to last the three of you for a bit plus some sandwiches for tonight before he started back toward the stables, the wind more forceful and biting than when he’d left just half an hour earlier. 

As he got closer, he noticed tracks in the snow, hoof prints leading to the stables. A patrol had made it back and, for half a moment, he was a little disappointed. If the storm wasn’t as bad as they were expecting and the patrol was able to make it back to Jackson without losing much time, he might not get to spend the day with you and Ellie tomorrow. Ever since the storm started moving in that afternoon he’d been excited for the chance to have some unexpected time just the three of you - almost like playing hooky but with permission. 

But he knew he should just be happy the patrol made it home through the weather, hopefully with all the people intact. Which, he was. But damn if he didn’t love an excuse to spend time with you. 

He opened the door to the stable and quickly moved shut it behind him, expecting to find you taking saddles off horses. Instead, you damn near slammed into him, your eyes wide, not saying a word as you shoved the door open and took off into the snow. 

“Bambi?” He called after you. You didn’t even slow down. He jogged over to Ellie’s perch and set the food down, a tightness starting to grip his chest. 

“No idea,” Ellie said, not waiting for him to ask. “Patrol came back, said something about some people they found outside… She just said ‘savvy’ and took the fuck off.” 

Joel looked around for a second. Julie was standing next to her horse, a confused look on her face. 

“You found people outside?” Joel asked. 

“Yeah,” she said, still staring at where you’d run out. “Yeah, a group of five. We brought them back…” 

“Where are they?” He asked, fighting to keep his voice calm. 

“The clinic…” 

“Ellie,” he said quickly. “Stay put here, alright? I’m gone more than half an hour, head on home. Mine or hers, don’t want you in that little place for this storm, OK Baby Girl?” 

“Yeah,” she nodded, not giving him shit. She looked concerned, too. “Yeah, OK.” 

He gave her a stiff nod and went out into the building storm, following your footprints to the clinic. 

Joel heard you there before he saw you, your voice pleading and desperate as he shut the wind and snow outside. 

“Anything,” you were begging. “Anything at all, a name, an age, hair color, anything, please…” 

“I’m sorry,” a man whose voice Joel didn’t recognize said. “She did say much before she died, just that there was a girl…” 

Joel found you then, in the same room he’d been in when he’d come in from patrol with a bullet in his leg. 

“Where?” You asked. “Where’d you find her? Did she say where she escaped from, how far she’d come?” 

“We picked them up about 15 miles north east of here,” Fred, one of the men on patrol, said. “Just south of Kelly.” 

“Think she came from a camp ground near there,” the other man said. He was skinny, a patch of frostbite on his nose. “Said something about cabins…” 

“Right,” you nodded. “Right, thank you.” 

You turned and ran smack into Joel’s chest. You barely seemed to register it, hardly even glancing at him before ducking around him and running out the door again. 

“She was asking about a girl,” Fred said quickly. “These folks here, had a woman with them before we found them. Said she escaped raiders, that the raiders had a teenaged girl…” 

“Fuck,” Joel muttered under his breath before looking at the other man. “Thanks, Fred.” 

He didn’t wait for a response, just ducking back into the snow, the wind starting to howl now, running to catch up with you. 

You were on your porch by the time he reached you. You didn’t even seem to be aware that he was following you, you were too focused on something else entirely. You didn’t even bother to take your boots off when you got in the house, just ripping the coat closet inside your door open and pulling out your patrol materials as Joel let himself in. 

“Bambi,” he said gently. You looked up at him for a moment, like you were surprised to find him there before you focused back on your pack, shoving in blankets and flashlights. “Come on, honey…” 

“They’ve got her, Joel,” you said, barely glancing at him before you grabbed your bag and half walked, half ran to your kitchen. “Can’t just leave her out there with them, I…” 

“There’s a snowstorm, Sweetheart,” he said gently, trying to keep his voice calm. “It’s not safe…” 

“Doesn’t matter,” you started stuffing food in your bag, no rhyme or reason to it that Joel could see. 

“Yes, it does,” he said, trying to take the pack from you. You yanked it back, a vicious look in your eyes before you ducked around him. “Baby.” 

“I’m not leaving her to those… those…” your voice cracked. “Those fucking monsters, I’m not, I can’t just leave her, I can’t just abandon her, I…” 

“You getting yourself killed won’t help anybody.” It was getting harder and harder to keep the panic from his voice. He’d never seen you quite like this. Close to it when out on patrol and there were signs that raiders were near, signs of their violence, but he’d always been able to pull you back from the edge. He wasn’t sure he could this time. “Bambi, you can’t…” 

“Yes, I can.” 

You moved around him and he followed. 

“I know you want to help people,” he said. “But you can’t help anyone if you get yourself killed. I know you want to save everyone from going through what you went through…” 

“That’s not what this is,” you said, turning in circles like you were looking for something but you couldn’t place it. 

“Then what is it?” He caught you by the shoulders and looked at you, your eyes wide and panicky. “Tell me, help me understand. When the weather clears, I can go with you and…” 

“It’ll be too late then,” you shook your head, tears starting to swell. “As soon as the snow stops they’re going to leave and it’ll be too late, I’ll never catch them and they’ll still have her and I can’t lose her again, Joel, I can’t, I can’t take it, I can’t do this again, please, don’t ask me to do this again I…” 

“Do what?” He asked, pleading, his grip on you firm. “Let me help you, Baby, please, tell me what’s going on. Who…” 

“My daughter!” You said quickly. Joel froze, his heart pounding against his ribs. “I have a daughter, I have a daughter and if it’s her I… I can’t lose her again, I can’t. I have to go get her…” 

“You…” he breathed. 

“My daughter,” you said, eyes wide. “Please, Joel. I think they have my daughter.” 

*** 

Early May, 2013

You lowered your rifle enough that it was no longer an immediate threat and she relaxed a little, letting the pant leg fall over her ankle again. There was a small cry from the bundle in her arms and you frowned, looking between her and it. She carefully lowered it from her chest, looking down to it. 

“Hey, you’re OK sweet girl,” she said gently. “It’s alright…” 

The bundle fussed but didn’t cry again and she looked back to you. 

“Can I get down?” She asked. “Got a lot to talk about and not a lot of time to do it. Figure I’ve got an hour left. Two, tops.” 

“Yeah,” you nodded quickly. “Yeah, OK. Let’s talk.” 

You didn’t invite her in, not wanting to deal with the potential hazard of her turning into one of those inhuman things in your house. She didn’t seem to mind. 

Her name, she said, was Laurel. She was about your age, you guessed, with her dark hair in two thick braids, deep brown eyes and rich umber skin. 

“This is Savannah,” she said, tilting the bundle so you could see inside. “She’s nine months old…” 

You looked at her, awed for a moment. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d seen a baby and you resisted the urge to reach out and run your finger over her chubby, impossibly soft looking cheek. She blinked at you, her brown eyes oddly keen and exacting for a baby, her lashes almost obscenely long. You frowned, leaning in to look closer at her. You knew those impossibly soft, brown eyes set in her lovely russet-hued face. 

“She’s Mark’s,” you said softly, looking up at Laurel. “She’s Mark’s, isn’t she?” 

“Yeah,” she said. “Yeah, she is.” 

“I…” your voice broke. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know he had someone, I wouldn’t have…” 

“It wasn’t like that,” she cut you off. “My husband died about three years ago. He got hurt, it got infected… Not even the fucking apocalypse kind, just the kind that you can clear up with penicillin if you can find the damn stuff. Mark… we were both lonely, looking for something to make it better for a while. It just kind of happened. She just kind of happened.” 

The baby cooed, stretching and reaching for you. 

“Where is he?” You asked, looking back at Laurel. “What happened to him?” 

“Our settlement got overrun,” she said, her voice suddenly thick. “They came out of nowhere and just… He tried. He tried so, so hard, you should know that he tried. But he got bit, on the neck, trying to protect us and… He told me where to find you. That’s what he did with the last few minutes of his life, he told me where to find you, he told me that you’d take care of us, make sure we survived. He told me to tell you that he loved you and that he wanted to come back to you…” 

You found yourself nodding, tears on your cheeks as you looked into the eyes of the man you loved in his child’s face. 

“He died before I got bit,” she said. “He died thinking we had a shot. I kept her safe, though. She was safe…” 

“You did good,” you said, throat tight. “You really did…” 

“I need your help,” she said before taking a deep breath. 

“Course,” you nodded, tearing your eyes away from Mark’s daughter to look at her. “What…” 

“I need you to take Savannah.” 

You just blinked at her for a moment. “I…” you broke off, shaking your head. “What? I… no, no, I’m not who you want, I don’t…” 

“I don’t have a lot of options,” she said. “I don’t have time to find another person let alone someone I know I can trust. And I know I can trust you with her. Mark loved you and you loved him, you won’t let anything happen to his child.” 

“But I…” you looked back at the baby in her arms. “I don’t know anything about kids, I wouldn’t even know where to start, I don’t…” 

“Please,” she said, her voice breaking. “He wanted you to take care of her. I think… I think part of him knew it would just be her. That’s why he sent me here, to you. He wanted it to be you. He trusted you and he loved you, he wanted her to be with you. Please, I’ll beg if I have to, just please take care of her. Please.” 

You looked at the baby in her arms, at Mark’s eyes with the impossibly long lashes. 

“OK.” 

Laurel held her daughter while she told you everything. You paused her to take some notes when you thought of it, things like a recipe for formula when she refused solids and what to do when she started crying but wouldn’t stop. She told you how much her daughter loved to gnaw on bits of apple and loved to bounce in time to her father’s humming and her birthday - July 20. 

She started twitching more in what felt like no time at all, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. She pressed her lips to her daughter’s forehead. 

“You’ll be OK sweet girl,” she whispered to her. “You’ll be OK. Mama loves you, OK? Try to remember that for me, OK?” She looked up at you. “Will… will you tell her about me? About Mark?” 

You nodded, the pinch of tears tight in your throat. 

“Of course,” you said. “I’ll make sure she knows everything you did for her. She’ll know about you.” 

She nodded, passing you her child. Your child. 

“I’d like to do it myself,” she said, nodding to the gun at your hip. “If that’s OK.” 

“Yeah,” you nodded, adjusting Savannah in your arms and handing Laurel the gun. She took it and walked backwards away from you, her eyes on her daughter. Your daughter. 

“I’ll close my eyes just before,” she said once she was about 20 feet away, still looking at her baby. “Can you cover hers for me? I want to look at her as long as I can but I don’t want her to see…” 

“Yeah,” you nodded again. “I can do that.” 

“Thank you,” she smiled tightly, actually looking at you this time. “I… I know this isn’t what you planned but… It’s easier, knowing she has someone.” 

“I’ll take care of her,” you said. “I’ll love her. I’ll take care of her.” 

Laurel just nodded and looked back at her child, watching her for a moment, the gun in her shaky hand. 

“Mama loves you,” she said softly, raising the gun to her temple and closing her eyes. You quickly pressed Savannah’s face into your chest and held her close. 

Everything was eerily silent for a moment, the longest second of your life, before there was the crack of the gun and the sharp cry of the baby who was all you had left in the world. 

August 2018 

“You have learn this, Savvy.”

“I don’t want to shoot them, Mama,” your daughter looked over at you from her spot on the downed tree, looking at the infected more than 100 feet away through a scope. 

“These are the easiest things you’ll ever have to shoot,” you said gently. “It’s nice to shoot them, you’re making it so they’re not hurting anymore…” 

“But they’re people.” 

Her eyes - her father’s eyes - were so wide. The springs of her curls were bundled back away from her face, a sprinkle of freckles across her nose. 

“I know they look like people,” you ran your hand over the crown of her small head. “But they’re not, not anymore. They’re things that are hurting and the only way to help them is to shoot them. And shooting them keeps you and me safe. Now, you can do this. Do it just like you do at home with the targets.” 

She looked at you, her big eyes watery, before obeying and turning back toward the gun. You watched as she lined up her shot and took a deep breath, exhaling before firing. 

Her shot went a little wide, catching the infected on the arm. It whipped its head around and shrieked before running for you. 

“Mama!” 

“It’s alright,” you said, looking down your own rifle for a moment before firing and hitting it in the head. It dropped like a stone. “See? All OK. This is why we learn.”

“I’m sorry,” her voice was thick and trembling and you looked over at her, tears streaming down her face. “I tried hard, I promise…” she hiccuped and gulped in air and you set your rifle down and sat up before pulling her against you. 

“You did so good,” you kissed the top of her head. “Don’t be sorry, Honey, you did so good, I’m so proud of you.”

“But I didn’t kill them,” she pulled her face from your chest, her lower lip quivering. “I did it wrong and…” 

“You’ll get better,” you said gently. “No one is perfect when they’re learning. This is just to make sure that you’re safe. I’ll always protect you but it’s good for you to know how to protect yourself, too. This is just in case, OK?” 

She nodded against you and you held her until she stopped crying. When she calmed, you ran your thumbs over her cheeks and kissed her small forehead, wishing you didn’t have to teach her these things. If you could just shelter her away from the world - from infected, from the people who has found power because of the infected - then it would all be OK. She wouldn’t need to know how to kill. It could be just you and her, growing things and raising horses and reading by the fire, until the end of time. 

But the world, you knew, was not so kind. 

“Want to go pick out some books?” You asked gently. She nodded and the two of you got up and you took her hand, leading her to the library. 

In the more than five years you’d had Savvy, she had become your entire world. Everything you did, you did for her. To keep her safe, to make her happy, to teach her. You’d known nothing about children when Laurel brought her to you. The first night, you’d held her close while you both cried and you prayed to a god you’d never been sure existed that you would do right by her.

Loving her came easy. Living for her was harder. 

But you fell into it eventually, guiding her through the world as it was now as best you could. If you found a family near your territory, you’d watch them from afar and, once you knew it was safe, bring Savvy to introduce her, give her a chance to know someone besides yourself. You taught her how to read, how to count, how to skin a rabbit. You had no idea if it was the right thing but you hoped it would be enough that, when she was older, she would survive if something happened to you. That’s all that mattered, that she would be OK. 

“Mama?” She asked, setting her picture book on her legs as you browsed the shelves for more books on home schooling and small scale farming.

“Yes baby?” 

“What else would I need to shoot?” 

You frowned and looked down at her, your hand on the spine of a book. 

“What?” 

“Well, you said that the not people are the easiest things I would have to shoot,” she said, face serious. “So… what else would I have to shoot?” 

“I don’t think you’ll like shooting animals much,” you said and she crinkled her nose. “But you’ll probably have to at some point.” 

“But I like animals,” she pouted. 

You smiled. 

“I know you do.” 

“What else?” She asked, still peering up at you. 

You sighed. 

“Sometimes…” you turned your attention back to the books. “Sometimes you’ll have to shoot a person.” 

Her wide eyes somehow grew wider, a look of horror on her face. 

“But…” her little voice broke. “But I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“I know,” you said quietly. “But sometimes we have to.” 

“Why?” 

“Because,” you looked down to her. “There are things in this world that want to hurt you and you need to know how to hurt them first.” 

“But you’re here,” she said. She was so young, so small. You knelt, getting down on her level. 

“You still need to know how,” you said. “I will do everything I can to protect you but I might fail. You need to know how to destroy them before they destroy you because they will. They will destroy every part of you they can touch if they have the chance. Don’t give them the chance.” 

She considered that for a moment, her face very serious. 

“Does it hurt?” She asked, looking up at you. 

You reached down at cupped her cheek.

“Yes,” you said quietly. “Yes, it does.” 

Her eyes were wide and soft and deep and you wanted, more than anything, to keep her safe. 

“But I’ll take care of you,” you said, stroking her soft skin with your thumb. “For as long as I’m alive, I’ll take care of you.” 

September 15, 2023 

“Mom?” 

You looked up from where you were working at skinning a rabbit. There was a glow in your front window, a hold over from when Savvy was even younger and you had to leave to go check on the horses before bed. She got scared one night when she woke up and found that you weren’t in the dark cabin. Ever since, you always left the electric lantern on when you left in the evenings, even though she said she didn’t need it anymore. It was just enough to work by as the sun got lower outside. 

“Yeah?”

“What…” she paused, an odd look on her face. “What’s in Gattling’s mouth?” 

The dog was hovering behind Savvy’s legs and you leaned around from your position on a tree stump, trying to get a look at her. You frowned, not able to make it out in the low light, and set the rabbit and your knife down, wiping your hands on a rag tucked into your belt.  

Gattling’s tail wagged as you approached, her head low and you squatted down to be on her level, angling her head toward the house so her muzzle wasn’t in shadow. Her snout was red with blood, something dangling from her jaws. You held your palm out flat. 

“Gattling, release.” 

She obediently dropped it in your hand with a sickening splat. It took you a moment to realize that it was a pinky finger. 

“Mom?” Savvy’s voice was shaky. You dropped the finger where you stood and heard the crack of a gunshot in the distance. 

“We have to move.” 

You grabbed her arm and pulled her in the house, Gattling trotting close behind. 

“What’s happening?” She asked, looking back over her shoulder. “Mom, what’s…” 

“Get packed,” you said, grabbing a pack and thrusting at her before running to the dresser in the corner. You shrugged out of the shirt you were wearing and traded it for the one you’d worn when you fled the ranch 20 years earlier, not willing to leave Justin’s shirt behind. “Some clothes, first aid, batteries, flashlights, all three kinds of ammo, sleeping bag.” 

You went to the kitchen and started grabbing things you’d already preserved. Jerky, dried fruit, some seeds. Most of the canteens in the house were full and you grabbed a few. You grabbed the pistol, the shot gun and the rifles. You set it all out on the table and looked over to your daughter who was obediently filling her pack. 

“Leave room for this,” you said, taking your rifle from the pile. “Meet me by the horses as quick as you can. Turn out the lantern on your way.” 

She just nodded. You sprinted for the cabin you’d turned into a stable. Nike was huffed at your arrival and you grabbed her tack and saddled her up as quickly as you could, making sure there was room to add basic supplies. Savvy ran into the pen just as you led Nike and Perseus into the middle of it. 

“Long guns,” you held your hand out as you tightened down straps of the saddle. She handed you the shotgun first and you tucked it into a strap on the saddle. The rifle came next. You stepped back and looked at it for a moment. 

“OK,” you said turning back to your daughter, looking her over. She’d gotten so tall, she was only a few inches shorter than you now, you didn’t even need to stoop to press a kiss to her forehead. “Want you to head north, understand?” 

“What are you talking about?” She asked as you took her arm and guided her alongside the horse. “Mom, you’re coming with me, I’ll just follow you, I’ll just…” 

“I’ll get to you when I can,” you said. She shook her head, her eyes wide. 

“No,” she grabbed your arms. “No, you can’t, you can’t just leave me, you can’t…” 

“I’m not leaving you,” you held her face in your hands, looked into her eyes. She had her father’s eyes. “I’m not, OK? I will find you. I will always find you, sweet girl, I will always protect you. That’s what I’m going to do, OK? I’m going to buy you time. Cut north, stick to the woods, off the trails. You know things here. Go out of the way, work your way around the long way to the library. Meet me there in three days, it should be safe…” 

“Three days?” She gaped at you. “No, I can’t…” 

“Yes you can,” you said, firm enough that you believed it, too. “Yes you can. I’ve taught you everything I know, you can make it. It’s just three days, you’ll be OK. You’re so strong and you’re so smart, you’re going to be OK. I will always find you. I will always protect you, I will always keep you safe. I promise.” 

You pulled her tight to you and kissed her temple. 

“I love you,” you breathed, pulling back to look at her face. “More than anything, I love you. I’ll see you soon, OK? Ride through the night, switch horses at dawn and keep riding until tomorrow night. You can do this.” 

“I can do this,” she repeated. “I can do this.” 

You looked to the dog at your feet, her tail wagging and her muzzle bloody. 

“Gattling,” you said. Her ears perked up. “Savvy.” 

She immediately went to your daughter’s side, ready to protect her. 

You boosted Savvy onto the horse, taking a final look at her. 

“Just three days, right Mom?” 

You swallowed, hard, before nodding. 

“Just three days. Be safe. Be smart. I’ll see you soon.” 

You didn’t have the luxury of watching her ride away. The second her, Nike and Perseus were clear of the paddock, you ran to saddle up Hercules. 

You needed to buy her time. 

October 13, 2023

You were still paying for your escape. 

It was hard to keep track of time. You were with Mitchum and his crew about two weeks the first time. That’s what it felt like, anyway. You were pretty sure it had been about half as long since they got you back. It was hard to tell. You were so panicked, in so much pain that time stretched and expanded and every hour that passed was an hour that you were separated from your daughter and you needed to get to her, you had to. She was just 11 years old and the world was not kind to girls. You’d taught her everything you knew but you had to get back to her, you didn’t want her to have to hurt and kill. 

When you’d escaped, you’d done nothing but search for her. You went to the library, tried to track where you thought she’d have come from but it had been weeks. There was no trail left to follow. You were about to return to your cabin to check there when Mitchum’s men found you again. You still had no idea where Savvy was.

You’d promised to take care of her. You’d promised her, you’d promised the woman who had given her to you a decade earlier. You’d promised. 

You had to get back to her. 

They’d chained you to a wall this time but you thought you might be able to pull the bolt out of the wood if you worked at it diligently enough. You pried at it until your nails were bloody and you kept going. You were covered in blood already, anyway. It was sticky on your skin where it had flowed from the cut on your head where your face had been slammed into the floor as one of Mitchum’s men had taken you from behind while you were on your knees. It had been a steady drip from inside of you since the first time Mitchum forced himself on you when you were brought back, whatever injury there was not given time to heal. The raiders seemed to like it when you bled on them. It even coated part of your arm where one man had cut you when trying to control you, not happy with your lack of compliance as he hurt you. A little more as you tried to pry yourself free wasn’t going to draw attention. 

The door slammed into the wall without warning and you jumped, shocking back from the wall. The man standing there smirked, stalking over to you. 

“Getting ideas are we?” He sneered. He didn’t wait for a response. “Thought you’d have learned your fuckin’ lesson last time…” 

He pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the cuff that held you before pulling you roughly to your feet. He didn’t give you any clothes, he just pulled you, naked, out to the circle of men around a campfire. Your heart sped up, tried to count them. You weren’t sure you could survive being at the mercy of the more than two dozen who were here, not at one time. He threw you into the dirt and you caught yourself on your hands and knees. 

“Here’s my favorite little bitch,” Mitchum stalked forward. You sat back on your heels and crossed your arms over your chest, trying to protect what you could. “How have you liked being back home? We keepin’ you entertained?” 

A few of the men laughed. You swallowed and peered around, hoping for something you could take advantage of, just one open space, one unguarded moment and you could escape. For good this time. You could do that, you could escape and figure out where you were and then find Savvy. 

“Figured out what you were hidin’ back in that homestead of yours,” Mitchum said, a smirk on his voice. You looked at him, eyes wide. Your stomach dropped and he laughed. “Didn’t think you’d like that. Can see why you were workin’ so hard now, she sure was a pretty little thing.” 

“Fuck you,” you spat. 

He laughed. 

“That can be arranged,” he said. “Fucked that girl of yours, too. Broke her in real good…” 

You were on your feet before you fully realized what you were doing, running for him. You grabbed at his face, snarling and grasping as you sank your bloody nails into his skin. You dug deep and he punched you in the stomach as one of his men pulled you back, forcing you to the ground. 

“I’ll kill you!” You shrieked. “I’ll fucking kill you!” 

He stalked forward and punched you across the face before grabbing a fistful of your hair, forcing you to look at him. You felt blood on your teeth and you wished it was his. You wanted to rip his throat out like an animal, wanted to claw and bite at him until he succumbed. 

“I wanted to keep the both of you,” he said, holding your hair tight in his fist, fingers against your scalp. “Figured you’d be a lot more fun with her life on the line. Too bad she couldn’t take it.” 

The world tilted on its axis. You hadn’t eaten in days but you still felt like you were going to be sick, like everything inside of you, the blood and the viscera that made you a living being, was going to come up. 

“Oh yeah,” he smirked. “Should’ve probably been more careful with her but it was just so much fun to hear her beg for her mama…” 

“You’re a liar,” you hissed through clenched teeth. “A fucking liar!” 

He kept his eyes on you and he whistled before forcing you to look at the fire. Two men stepped forward, each carrying burlap sacks. One was much larger than the other. 

“Show ‘er.” 

The first man, the one with the large bag, turned it over. A horse head fell out of the sack, landing on the dirt with a wet thud. It took you a second to recognize her, separate from her body, but it was Nike. You screamed, the sound clawing its way up from your chest and you instinctively reached for her only to have Mitchum rip you back by your hair. 

“Wanna see what’s in the other bag?” He pressed his mouth against your ear as you sobbed. “Decided to keep her head, thought I should pass it around, see if it’s as good cold…” 

You strained in his hold, trying to shake your head. You couldn’t get yourself to form words. There was the distinct feeling that someone was cracking you open, prying apart your chest and pulling your organs out one by one. They didn’t belong to you anymore. You weren’t sure they ever really had, they were hers and she was gone.

You couldn’t see her like that, see just her head, like she had only ever been parts and pieces to begin with.  

“Please,” you managed through the gasping, racking sobs. “Please, please, no, I’ll do whatever you want, whatever…” 

Mitchum smiled. 

“Good.” 

The pain of the brand barely registered in your mind, even as your body jerked with it. Everything seemed dulled and numbed. Time slowed and stretched and, for a while, the only thing that your body seemed to have space for was the agonizing pain of losing something you were never built to lose. 

It was a year before there was room for anything else. 

Early April, 2027 

“Bambi…” 

“Move, Joel.” 

You shoved past him. You’d need a sleeping bag, two sleeping bags, actually. An extra pair of boots, she probably didn’t have those. She’d have out grown the last ones she had, she would be 14 now, she’d be even taller, have bigger feet, longer legs. They didn’t give you clothes when you were with them, you doubted it was different for her. 

First aid, that you’d need. 

“You can’t do this, Baby,” he was following close behind you. 

“Yes, I can.” 

“You’re gonna get yourself fucking killed,” there was a strain in his voice. “Who knows what you’ll be walking into out there, how many there’ll be, how armed they’ll fuckin’ be, what they’ll do to you if they get your hands on you…” 

“I have to try.” 

You didn’t have a gun here. You’d have to get one, you were pretty sure Maria would give you one if you told her why you needed it. 

“Just…” Joel sounded desperate. “Just wait, until after the storm, just wait, I’ll go with you, we’ll look, we’ll…” 

“It’ll be too late,” you shook your head. “Someone got out, as soon as the weather clears they’re gonna move and we’ll lose them, it has to be now.” 

“Have you seen how shit’s pickin’ up out there?” He came around in front of you, taking you by the shoulders. “Baby, the wind is gonna knock you off your damn horse, you can’t help her if you’re dead, please, I’m begging you, please…” 

“What would you do?” You asked. “If it was Sarah, if it was Ellie. Would you sit here and wait? Or would you go get her?” 

He froze, looking at you. 

Your knife. You’d need your knife. You went to get it but Joel stopped you, his hand on your elbow. 

“Bambi,” he said quietly. “You can’t know that it’s her.” 

“It could be,” you said. “Joel…” 

“It’s been years,” he whispered. “Baby, it’s been years, there’s… I’m so sorry but she’s… They wouldn’t have let her live this long, she couldn’t have survived this long, she’s gone, I’m so sorry…” 

You shook your head. You had that feeling again, like the one you had that day around the fire when Mitchum had told you he’d killed her, the feeling that your whole self was being ripped apart. 

But you’d never seen that she was gone. You never held her body, never saw the life leave her eyes. You didn’t know that she was gone. She could be alive. She could. 

“You don’t know that,” you said, your voice thick. “You don’t…” 

“You barley survived,” he said softly. “You, the strongest fucking person I know and you damn near died. A teenager couldn’t have survived that, Baby, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry and…” 

“No,” you snapped, swallowing back your tears. “You don’t know, you don’t know them like I do…” 

“I do,” he cut you off. “Sweetheart, I am begging you, stay here. Please. Don’t get yourself killed, if it’s her we will find her as soon as it’s safe…” 

“You don’t know!” You pushed him back. He was costing you time, time you didn’t have. Savvy was out there, she was out there alone and afraid and you were going to find her. “Let me go, Joel. I know them, you don’t understand them, you can’t understand them…” 

“I understand them because I used to be one of them!” 

You froze. He was watching you, his eyes wide and desperate as he panted for breath. Your heart was pounding, there was a high pitched whine in your ears, something like a siren or when you first came to Jackson and could hear the electricity in the walls. 

“What?” You whispered, suddenly keenly aware of how close he was to you, of his hand on you. You could feel the outline of his fingers, each individual callus distinct against your skin. 

“I used to be one,” he said softly. “A… a raider, I used to be one. It was a long time ago but I know how they think, I know how they operate and… I’m sorry but if they’ve had her for three and a half years? She’s gone, Sweetheart. There’s nothing left for you to save…” 

You thought Joel was still talking but you couldn’t hear him. It was like you’d just jumped into deep water, the cold of it shocking and painful and the rush of it drowning out everything you knew. You couldn’t hear, couldn’t breathe, could barely see. 

Joel. Your Joel, the person you trusted more than any other, was a raider. He was like them, like the men who had torn you away from your daughter, who had raped you, who had tortured you, who now might be doing the same to your child right now and Joel knew them because he was like them because he had done those things, too. 

“Don’t touch me.” 

You were suddenly in your body again, out of that deep dark water and back in your house. Joel’s hands were on you and it was like they were on fire, you could feel it through your skin into your muscle, your bone, down into the marrow of you it hurt where his hands were on you. 

“Baby,” he said gently and you forced yourself to look at his face. You couldn’t breathe. You’d kissed him, told him things you’d never told anyone, all but begged him to touch you and he was just like them. 

“Don’t touch me!” You screamed it and he ripped his hands away like you’d burned him. You could breathe again and gulped in air, reaching for the back of your couch. You needed something to keep you standing, you felt like you were going to collapse or throw up. Joel’s hands were up, like he was waiting to catch you if you fell. “Don’t touch me, don’t you fucking touch me!” 

“You’re OK,” he said, keeping his hands off of you but stepping closer. “I’ve got you, you’re OK…” 

“Get away from me!” You backed away from him, looking for the best way out of here. You had to get away from him, he wasn’t safe, he was just like them and you had to get away from him, you couldn’t be anywhere near him. “Get away!” 

You said it again and again and again and you kept backing away from him until you were pressed against the wall. Joel stayed where he was and, when you were able to look at him again, it looked like he was in pain. 

“I’m away,” he said softly, his hands up. “Not gonna touch you, Sweetheart…” 

“Don’t call me that,” you were sobbing and you weren’t sure when you’d started. 

“What?” He whispered. 

“Don’t fucking call me that!” You bit out, staying back against the wall. He was so big, he could overpower you, he could hurt you, it would be easy for him. “Don’t call me that, not when you’re like them, you’re just like them, I trusted you and you’re just like them…” 

“No,” he shook his head, voice thick. He closed the gap between you quickly and you shocked back from him but he didn’t seem to notice, taking you in his arms and clutching onto you. But his touch made your skin crawl, everywhere his body was against your own screaming in panic. “No, not like that, I never… I never did what they did to you, Sweetheart, please, you have to believe me, I never did that, never. I just…” 

“I trusted you!” You sobbed, your legs collapsing from beneath you. Joel clung to you, keeping you from falling to the floor, but you hated his hands on you, suddenly feeling like hands you’d hated so much. You twisted and fought to get away but he just held onto you. “I trusted you, you made me love you, I let you inside of me and you’re like them, you’re just like them…” 

“I’m sorry, Baby,” his voice was thick and wet. “I’m so sorry, I wish I could take it back, wish I could change it…” 

You managed to firmly plant your feet on the ground and you shoved against his broad, firm chest, desperate for distance from him. 

“Don’t fucking touch me!” 

He let you go and you scrambled back from him, fighting to breathe. He was looking at you, tears in his eyes. 

“Baby, please,” he whispered. “Please just… let me take care of you, I understand what…” 

“I don’t want anything to do with you,” your voice shook. 

“Bambi…” 

“Get out,” you managed. 

He said your name. Your real name. 

“Get out!” You screamed, so loud and harsh you felt it ripping out of you. “Get out of here, get away from me, get out!” 

“I’ll go!” He kept his hands up. “Just gotta promise me…” 

“I don’t gotta do shit for you,” you shook your head. 

“Promise me you won’t do anything that will get you hurt,” he said softly, He was crying, too. “Please, I’m begging you, I’ll do whatever you want just promise….” 

“I won’t, now get out!” You yelled. “Get out, get away from me!” 

“I’m going,” he said quickly. “Please… Please, be safe, please.” 

You watched as he made his way to your door but he stopped and looked back at you. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “For… for all of it, I’m so sorry.” 

He closed the door behind him and you collapsed to the ground and sobbed, clutching onto yourself like it was going to keep your body intact but it still felt like you were going to shatter into a million pieces and there would be no one to help put you together again. 

You weren’t sure how long you were there on the floor but, eventually, you were able to make yourself move again. 

You thought of Savvy, of your daughter, of where she might be, of how you’d promised to keep her safe. You got up off the floor, body numb, and grabbed your pack before going out into the snow. 

Next Chapter

A/N: Alright, yell at me. I'm ready for it.

There's a lot in this chapter, I know. It's long, it's rough, it's been coming for a while. We first got a hint of Savvy in chapter 4 when Bambi thought about Joel's possible relationship to Ellie and she's been hinted at regularly since. She's why Bambi knew to use ginger to help William's teething, she's why Bambi was specifically grateful to have another adult around when Marisa showed up, she's why Bambi keeps searching every time there's even a hint of raider activity.

And after everything she's been through, she can't just blindly accept Joel's past, that's way WAY too much for anyone who's survived what she has to bear.

I hope this didn't come completely out of the blue and I hope you're still up for reading more of this story. I hope it'll be worth it in the end. I think it will be.

Thank you for being here. This is a story that I feel like deserves to be told, even the dark parts of it, and I'm so thankful you're along for the ride. Love you ❤️

Taglist: @ashleymsnodgrass@planet-marz1@kalea-bane @juneswonderlust@ilovepedro @h-annahayy @starstruckmusiciansartghost@beccerjune@mumma-moonchild@netonetoneto@mellymbee@purplelye@n7cje@flugazi@evyiione@randomhoex@aliengirl99@orcasoul@reds-ramblings@pedropascalsbbg @fupoola @tinypotatothing @knopes-waffles @lilmizmoz @ayamenimthiriel@jenispunk@panda-pascal@sarap-77@flugazi@your-slutty-gf@daniegraceg@partyofone3413@cumberpegg@noisynightmarepoetry.@fifia-writes@grumpygrumperton @srmacaroni @txlady37 @bigboiseason123

#fanfic #joel miller x female reader #yearling #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x oc

[sillylittlestoryblog]

Keeping me warm

Part 2

Trafalgar Law x Reader

Warning: female Reader, use of y/n , Angsty angst, Fluffy Fluff and some suggestive thoughts but nothing wild tho, English is not my first language, so yeah there are some mistakes in this possibly.

Plus I am currently still on my first watch of one piece and am only at Fishman island. So Law isn’t a character I know all to well. So he is more like a mixture out of other ffs descriptions and my own headcanon.

Notes: I never planned on making this second part but because I really am craving more Law in my life and because I got some really nice comments and people asking for a second part, I just had to write a lil something. I really hope you enjoy. And thanks again for all the nice comments. They literally make my day ❤️😭

I am quite shy and rarely comment on posts myself but I m trying to be better with it in the future because honestly sometimes we forget how much some kind words can effect someone. ❤️ thank you all for reading. Have fun.

The first thing you noticed after waking up was the silence. The rumble of thunder and the biting wind could no longer be heard. Tired, you opened your eyes and looked around. Warm rays of light broke through the entrance to the cave. Sleeping pirates in tight embraces lay around you. Your captain had wrapped his stretched arms around as many of them as possible. He was laying next to you in an uncomfortable position on the cold cave floor. Luffy was loudly snoring and mumbling incoherent sentences in his sleep. But despite the uncomfortable resting situation, there was a satisfied smile on his features.

"Well? Awake yet?"

The beautiful archaeologist was sitting next to you, reading a book. She looked at you with a small smile.

" Be careful, the others are still asleep. But you can go outside if you want. The snowstorm has stopped."

Robin had decided to let her friends sleep. It had been too long since they last got a little rest.

With a quiet groan, you straightened your body. You could feel an annoying headache forming. Neck pain, cold and hunger. Even if you were able to sleep, it couldn't have been for very long.

How much you were wishing to be on the Sunny right now. In your soft bed. With linen sheets. In the cozy room you share with Robin and Nami.

You stretched your body and while yawning you started walking your way out of the cave. In your head you were still dreaming. Of soft pillows and fresh-smelling flowers, like the ones that Sanji regularly brought back from the local markets for you girls. Even if his antics could be annoying, the flowers always made you smile brighter.

The girls' bedroom was always tidy and quiet. Only sometimes your giggling got louder if there was something exciting to gossip about. It was your little comfort place on the Grand Line and not only for Sanji the so-called "heaven on earth".

While fixated on your Daydreaming, you walked through the cave until you reached the entrance. You had expected that all the snow might have buried you and it would take a while to shovel your way free, but there was only a small amount of white mass in front of the cave that was relatively easy to climb. As you continued to walk towards the sunny outdoors, your thoughts returned to soft blankets. Soft pillows. And warm arms wrapped around your body.

Wait what?

You shook your head. Such thoughts were completely out of place here. The important thing now was to see how you could all get back to the village and then quickly get something to eat.

But as your legs sank into the deep snow, your selfish daydreams were immediately back.

Warm hands caressing your cheek. A rough voice whispering in your ear. Soft kisses being pressed on your neck.

Tattooed arms that were wrapped around your body and tried pulling you closer to his heaving chest.

These thoughts kept you more than warm as your thighs sank deeper into the cold snow.

No matter how hard you tried to categorize these thoughts as wrong and banish them from your brain all at once, each time they came back even stronger.

Would he touch you like that? Would his hands be as soft as you imagined? How much you would love to run your hands over his tattooed arms. Over his long fingers. And over whatever else was hidden under his covered chest.

The first time you met him, he had been wearing a dark shirt. It had been unbuttoned at the top and while observing him from a little distance, you had seen that his dark tattoos continued on his chest. But you couldn't see much. And as if he had noticed how you were literally trying to undress him with your eyes, he had turned in a different direction. You had stood there, caught, perplexed, confused, while a heart eyed Sanji had been dancing around you singing compliments to you in your new dress.

You remember hushing to Nami about those same tattoos. You had tried to make it sound as neutral as possible. Simply interested in the art under his skin.

But Nami had already figured you out. She knew how interested you were in the captain of the other crew. But instead of secretly whispering with you, she had decided to push you in his direction. She had tapped the tall man on the shoulder and asked loudly if he could take off his clothes, so that you could admire his tattoos.

You could have killed your best friend in this very second.

After he stared at the navigator with a questioning and almost angry looking face, the red head pushed you in front of the doctor. Feeling heat all over your body, the words you were trying to say came out kinda stuttered.

"I .. I'm ... sorry. There must have been a… misunderstanding. Nami wasn’t…, Captain... uh... yes, I... was just wondering if all those tattoos must have hurt?"

A incredibly stupid excuse.

"You know… because I heard that it hurts, not that I think you're too weak... no, i definitely don’t.. I know how strong you are... I mean... Chopper told me about it and well, our captain always talks about your fights... You..."

You were not really forming coherent sentences. You wanted to run away or sink into the ground. No matter how you turned it around, it would never become a sensible explanation.

The man in front of you had looked puzzled. You were way to nervous to look into his eyes.

If you hadn't been so focused on your sentences and the awkwardness of the situation, you might have seen how gentle his gaze was. Almost confidently smirking downwards.

He had just wanted to interrupt you and was planing on explaining his tattoos to you, when the loudest strawhat pulled Law towards him with his outstretched arms.

"Traaaaaaa Guuuuuuyyy! Haha. Look what I made for you." The boy was holding a plate in front of his face. It was a mountain out of various food. Meat. Vegetables. A huge amount of dry rice. It looked like an inedible mess that the other captain had formed with his own hands. At least that's what Law assumed when he saw the straw hat's food covered hands, sending a shiver down his spine. How could this young man be so out of his mind? Law felt the urge to loudly slap his palm against his forehead. The stupidity and naivety of the strawhat-ya was too much to bear. But with a little squint, even he realized that the mess on the plate in front of him looked a lot like one of his crew members.

" shishishi it looks like your bear friend, torao. Do you like it ? "

Law just rolled his eyes. That was the reason ? Angrily he stared down at the other captain. He couldn’t believe he had just been interrupted in the moment, he had the chance of a conversation with his crush! Well, not that y/n was a crush... no. Definitely not. Law just wanted to make conversation. Completely normal. Without any ulterior motives. After all, she was the newest member of the friendly pirate gang. That would only be polite. Law talked himself out of any palpitations. Was it just him or was it just really warm on this island? Besides, there was the campfire. That was an explanation on while he was feeling that way. He was definitely not feeling that warm because of some woman.

A really really cute woman.

A really cute woman standing a few tables next to him. Still at the same space, talking nervously to Nami.

The cold snow under your feet became less and less. It barely reached your ankles. The sun was shining on your face as you breathed in the fresh air. The world around you was clear and bright. Now you could see where you were. When you had all sought shelter to hide from the coming storm, the rain and snow had already been so thick that you could hardly see anything. You had been glad that Franky had discovered the cave with his headlights.

You weren’t even that far from the village. If you would have known you could have even climbed down the mountain during the storm. But because nobody had a clue where you guys were, it was saver to stay and wait for the storm to end. The cave was on the mountain between the harbor and its tiny town and the small fishing village on the other side of the island. The harbor was run by the marines and it was impossible to go there. But in the town, there were stores and places where Franky could get the parts he needed to repair on the Thousand Sunny. The fishermen had also reported that there was a small Inn in the small harbor town where they could spend the night. That had been the actual plan. Get fresh food and the repair parts. To spend the night in the town and then go back to the sunny to repair it. But you never got that far.

The snow glistened in the sunlight. A small smile flitted across your face. Even if the last few days hadn't been ideal, you were still really relieved. Everyone was doing well. No one had been tragically injured and the little bit of peace and quiet had certainly done everyone some good.

Next to your tracks in the snow, a few others were starting to appear. They couldn't be old. They were definitely fresh footprints. Probably boots.

The prints were bigger than yours. Had someone been missing when you left the cave? Immediately your thoughts went back to the tall captain. Your heart began to beat loudly.

Your eyes wandered over the landscape. And not far from you, a figure was sitting on a tree trunk in the snow. As you approached quietly, you realized that he wasn’t alone. From afar you couldn’t make out the other being in the white snow. His white fur, tousled as he was laying on the ground listening to Law while making snow angels. Bepo looked like a small child. Only in the body of a huge polar bear.

„How cute.“ you thought. A broad grin crossing your cheeks.

Until Law started talking.

"I really don't know what to do, Bepo. Every rule I ever set for myself is

Absolutely against this!“ he shook his head slightly. "fuck I can't stop thinking about her" cursing he put his face into his hands, looking down and taking a deep breath.

Who was he talking about? Quietly sneaking a little closer, you hoped the captain was too lost in thought to spot you with his Haki.

"Oh Captain. Doesn't it feel good? The most important thing is that you're well!"

The polar bear hugged his captain and talked to him gently.

"Never mind Bepo. I'm sorry to bother you with something like this. The last few weeks I could have used your time better than constantly talking about y/n"

Wait. Your name?

" I'm sure she's not interested in me anyway. After all, she's on a ship with that lovesick cook. Or the swordsman is probably much more interesting to her anyway."

"Don't tell yourself that Law. Chopper told me how much she appreciates you. Besides, she's probably annoyed by Zoro and Sanji's constant bickering.

I'm sure she thinks you're just as great as we do, boss."

There was a tired smile on Law's face. No matter how distressed and confused he was on the inside, Bepo was always a reason for him to make this feeling disappear. The polar bear apparently had no idea how much Law wanted your attention. Never would thoughts like his fly through his best friend's brain.

The way he craved your touch. And the way he got hot inside as soon as he thought of your innocent eyes looking at him from below. He wanted for you to like him a lot more than his crewmates did. Bepo was way to naive to understand why Law was waking up covered in sweat with his pillow covering his lower body when Bepo wanted to see how he was doing the other morning. Not for the first time, he wondered if he could get away with kidnapping you. Surely the strawhat-ya would be more than pissed. But it would be worth to have some time alone with you. Law had to sigh. His thoughts too shameful to ever voice them.

" Let's go back to the cave. We have more important things to do."

And with a quick -shambles- from Law, the two Heart Pirates disappeared out of your sight.

Relieved that you had not been seen, you were sitting behind a rock. You could hardly believe what you had overheard.

At first you were afraid Law was talking about someone else. Maybe Robin or Nami. They were both beautiful and clever. And both had already fought alongside him. You, on the other hand, had hardly any experience of fighting and although you had already noticed through Sanji's affection that other people perceived you as attractive, you would never have compared yourself to your friends. Both were so beautiful, kind and graceful

and yet Law had said your name.

Although you were automatically ashamed of this thought, you thought of Law laying in bed with you again, stroking your hair and repeating your name over and over again.

You wanted to bury your head in the cold snow. The heat caused by these thoughts was just too much. Annoyed and confused with yourself, you slowly made your way back towards the cave.

Your heart beating so loud you thought it would jump out of your chest.

Two days later

With a tired smile, you said goodbye to Bepo and Ikkaku. Penguin walked behind them. Before he left with the others to return to the harbor, he turned back to you.

"Hey y/n, if that crazy strawhat ever gets tired of the pirate life, our captain would certainly have no problem with you joining our crew."

He leaned his head in my direction and winked " I think he would be more than satisfied with you on board"

Laughing, he walked through the door. Closely followed by Shachi, who formed his hands into a heart and sang something unintelligible.

You couldn't help but roll your eyes. Was it that obvious?

But no matter how hard you tried not to react to the teasing comments, your face turned red when you saw Law in the corner of your eye. Whether he heard it or not, you knew this was going to be awkward as soon as you were standing face to face.

Law had of course heard what his crew had implied. But he could hardly think about it, because at the same moment the straw hat wrapped its arms around the doctor several times. If he was going to try hugging him even more, Law was sure he would end up literally crushing him.

"Let go of me immediately, Straw Hat-ya!“

" shishishi. Sure thing, Torao. Have a good journey."

Luffy's grin went from ear to ear.

Law didn't really know what to do next. He had planned to just calmly say goodbye to the others. Without any big words, and above all without any more hugs.

These crazy pirates brought out the worst in him anyway. He was always annoyed at how much he didn’t think about real life issues and even smiled from time to time. It could hardly go on like this. After all, he had a reputation to uphold.

He took a step back and spoke to the rest of the friendly crew.

" I'll see you again in two months. If you find out anything important, you'd better call us right away via the telesnail. It means a lot to me, that we are helping us in these troubling times as an alliance. Thank you for your support."

He was about to leave when something pulled at his long coat.

"Oh, Doctor Law, before you go, here are the books I borrowed from you. I was not aware of some of these treatments. So thank you very much. I look forward to working with you again."

Chopper stood proudly in front of him and gave Law back three thick medicine books. How the little reindeer was able to carry these books at all puzzled Law. But presumably one of the others had helped him. Probably Robin. The devil fruit user patted Chopper proudly on the head. A wry grin on her face. "We're all looking forward to seeing you again Trafalgar, aren't we

y/n ? "

Robin gently nudged your arm and looked expectantly into your flushed face. Inside you were cursing her. How could she have found out how you felt about the tattooed captain too. Apparently everyone knew by now anyway.

" Uh, yeah. Sure... I... eh, we all appreciate you very much. And we're happy to help you, of course. It's important to us to be there for you. And to support you on your mission. I hope everything goes well with you... with you and your crew. We want to see you back in good health."

You look in his direction with an innocent laugh. You felt beyond awkward. Were you making a fool out of yourself again?

You didn't really want to see all your friends making fun of you while you were desperately trying to talk to your crush. But when your lowered gaze went up, only a satisfied smile sat on Law's face.

Robin and Chopper turned towards the other Strawhats.

While Law was still glancing at you. His eyebrows furrowed as if he was thinking hard about something to say. After a moment of silence, he was clearing his throat.

Softly, he whispered a " Take care of yourself, Y/N-ya." in your direction.

"And you take care of yourself, Law."

Smiling, you looked once more at the handsome face in front of you. His eyes were almost shining and a quick glance at his lips made your heart beat faster.

Law wondered if he should say something else. Something that could give you certainty. But apart from a softly breathed "Y/N", nothing came from his lips.

The other pirates around you were long forgotten. Your friends saying goodbye to the other crew members, Luffy dancing around the room laughing while Sanji explained to him why he had to wait until the food was ready, and Chopper proudly telling Nami about his new knowledge. While Usopp was making fun of a loudly snoring swordsman.

Even Brook's singing was just background noise. The only thing you could hear was the loud pounding of your heart and the soft voice of the Supernova repeating your name again.

Without thinking, you took a step towards the man in front of you. He was so tall, you had to lean your head back quite a bit to keep seeing his face.

Law's head was in chaos. The rational part of him would now take a quick step back, not ever look at you again and run away with a grim expression.

But his heart had already chosen a different path. His body decided what to do next for him. Although a moment ago Luffy had his arms around Law and he cursed any form of embrace, now he longed for it. As if she had read his thoughts, Y/N put her hands around his neck and hugged him tightly. Even though his head was still not fully aware what was happening , law wrapped his strong arms around her body. How he would have loved to pull her even closer to him. But there was no time for that. And would she even want that? He could ask her to run away with him? He can’t believe his thoughts were this idiotic.

Than the brief moment was over. Neither of them wanted to draw any more attention to themselves.

He detached himself and gave you a nod with his hat hiding his eyes, before turning around and following his crew with determined steps.

Did that really just happen?

Yes, it was only a hug. But for you it was more than just that. The way he had whispered your name, what was he trying to tell you? Maybe he had that feeling too. Longing.

Even after the conversation between him and Bepo that you had overheard the other day, you were still unsure. Did he like you back?

While you stood there rooted to the spot for a few minutes and looked after the Surgeon of Death, your thoughts full of question marks, he was already scolding his silly crew members. Even if he wasn't doing it very well today.

And so he walked with Bepo, Shachi and Penguin back to the bay where his submarine was anchored. His face was red, his gaze downcast and his eyes still hidden under his hat. While Bepo asked questions like "Is it true that you really "like like" her? Or „if she becomes part of our crew, will she sleep in the same room as you?" Or " Penguin said something about you being all dirty? But you just had a shower, haven't you?" Or " Law? Do you think I'll ever find a bear girlfriend?"

Penguin and Shachi cried with laughter.

And although few things in his life have ever embarrassed him as much as the awkward questions and fake kissing sounds of his friends, Law was feeling way to happy and warm at that moment to really care.

#trafalgar law x reader #trafalgar law #trafalgardwaterlaw #trafalgar d law x reader #x reader fanfiction #one piece #one piece imagine #one piece fanfiction #tony tony chopper #Law #Trafalgar law one piece #trafalgar law imagine

[pastanest]

Jon Snow x she/her!reader

A/N: after an eternity away, I have returned with a gift. this took my entire heart and soul, and a month of my life, to write, so I truly hope you enjoy it!! ♡

warning: events up to Battle Of The Bastards referenced. also, it’s 8.5k words long 😳

part two can be found here

Yours - Part One

It was Maester Lewin that found you that day, stumbling on weak little legs that could barely hold your weight, through a thunderous storm towards the gates of Winterfell. He ran to you, nothing more than a helpless child that crumbled into his arms, your tattered clothes soaked through by the rain, wet fists balled at your face as you coughed and hacked into them. In truth, you do not remember much from that day, but you have heard every account from each member of the family that took you in.

While Lady Catelyn Stark always said she heard your coughs before she saw you, her motherly instincts bringing her to feet as she ran to meet Maester Lewin the moment he carried you through the doors of the castle, Lord Eddard Stark always first recounted the expressions on his children’s faces. Neither Bran nor Rickon were born by that time, and Arya was just a baby, but Sansa was just old enough to recall how sickly and thin you looked - a charming memory, you’d roll your eyes and tell her when she chose to bring up such details. Robb and Theon both held slightly different recollections, with Robb worrying that you carried some kind of sickness that his mother would catch by being close to you and Theon simply recalling that you were a girl around his age and that being his main thought at the time, but both always mentioned one particular detail: the eyes of the third boy in the room, locked onto you from the moment you entered the room until you were carried out of it.

They say that Jon Snow’s gaze was fixed on every door of every room he entered for the rest of that day, as though waiting for someone to walk through and deliver some news of you. Even teases from his brothers could not distract him. 

Once, on a rare occasion when you were alone with Robb because Theon was not shadowing him, he told you something in confidence, not wanting his dear brother to be teased for something nobody else knew that he had done. Supposedly, for the three nights that you spent unconscious or so delirious that you could not tell the difference between your sleeping and waking moments, Jon Snow would tiptoe past your bedroom door and check in on you. If the door was closed, he would not disturb you by opening it, simply stand there and listen through the door until he heard your labored breathing and felt assured of your safety for the night. If he heard you cough, he would run to report it to Maester Lewin immediately. On the occasions that the door was open when he passed it, though, he would stop to peer around the frame, seeing your face so exhausted even when sleeping, and felt something strange blooming in his chest, so strong he would find himself pressing his palm to his chest through his shirt to check that his heart was still there. Robb caught him doing this, but never told him, and you didn’t tell Jon that you knew of his check-ins until many years later.

Lady Catelyn Stark was in your room the majority of the time if Maester Lewin was not there, ensuring you were safe and breathing well. Having not long birthed her second daughter, she felt a strong maternal instinct over you and your worrisome state, unable to stop herself from picturing her own daughters in your place and wondering where your mother was, why she was not the one that was worrying over you, and if she couldn’t be, Lady Catelyn would do so in her place without question. One motherless child in the castle was enough, and she had no reason to hold the resentment to you that she held to the little boy that was so enchanted by you, even then. 

Once you had recovered enough to sit up and hold a conversation, Lord and Lady Stark pressed you with gentle questions on who you were, where you had come from, who your parents were, and why you had arrived at Winterfell. Unfortunately, you were too young to remember many details, only knowing your own name and your parents by ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’, only knowing the place you had come from as “south of here” and only knowing you were in Winterfell because they had just told you that. Your parents had simply told you to “head north” when the fire had started in your village, that was the most detail you could recount of your arrival. The Stark parents understood enough from your vague explanation to suggest that you did not have a home of your own to return to, and upon sending riders south, found the rubble and ash left behind from a village not two day’s walk from Winterfell - such a travel for one so young had been what ailed you. They debated amongst themselves what to do with you, whether to send you to a township with an orphanage and wondering if that would be the place for you. Over the days of you regaining your strength, the Stark children became your fast friends, slowly trickling into your room one at a time to introduce themselves and immediately trying to impress you, as children do. 

The Lord and Lady of Winterfell found it endlessly amusing, discovering Theon and Robb in your room practicing sword fights with broomsticks, making you laugh and applaud their display, which you thought then to be magnificent. Sansa, though younger than you, enjoyed sitting beside you on your bed and talking about her favorite stories of princesses and princes of old, which you listened to like it was your duty, having never heard the tales that highborn children were raised on and finding them fascinating. In turn, you told her of your favorite fairytales, most of which involved giants. Naturally, Sansa told you giants did not really exist, but when you asked her how she could know that, she sat back, stumped, and you grinned at her, continuing to tell her all of your favorite stories of giants, direwolves and white bears.

What truly set your permanent residence in stone was one fateful night, when Eddard Stark had been kept late in the hall, discussing important plans with the Lords of other northern houses. He had no intention of stopping when nearing the doorway to what had become your bedroom, until he heard a quiet laugh that he did not often hear. Lord Stark’s footsteps stopped just before the open door, never wanting to eavesdrop on his children, but needing to be sure. 

“All of you are Lords here, then? You, your brother and Theon?” Your question was an innocent one, and at the delay in your conversation partner’s response, Ned’s heart sank.

“My brother is, and Theon could be, I s’pose, but not me. I’m just a bastard.” Little Jon Snow answered you, sounding defeated. 

“Oh…why?” 

“Lady Stark is not my mother.” Jon explained, and you gasped.

“She’s not mine either, does that make me a bastard, too? We can be bastards together!” You sounded so excited at the prospect that Ned had to muffle his own laughter behind his hand.

The same laugh that had stopped him in his tracks reached his ears again, your complete lack of judgment towards Jon’s status putting him at ease. 

“No, because Lord Stark is not your father, but he is mine.” The young boy clarified.

“Oh…well, can we be friends still? Even if I’ve not got a title like you have?” You asked, voice so hopeful, making Jon chuckle again, with rosy cheeks that you couldn’t see under the dim candlelight by your bed.

“Aye, if you don’t mind being friends with a bastard.”

And you answered without hesitation. “I’d love to be, you seem like a wonderful friend!”

Nodding to himself, Lord Eddard Stark turned and walked the long way around to his chambers, so as to not disturb the conversation between you and his son. The moment he stepped through the door to his chambers, Lady Catelyn smiled warmly at him, and his lips were already parting to speak the conclusion he had come to the second he’d heard the laugh you brought to his boy. 

“I think she should stay with us.”

With your fate decided, you were officially taken under the wing of the Stark family. While you lived amongst them and played with the Stark children like a highborn friend of theirs would, you did not ever want to overstep, knowing they were leagues above you in status and not wanting anyone to assume your status incorrectly by association. So, upon being granted permission to stay with them, you asked in a small voice if you could be their maid; that was the only position that you knew by name because Sansa had mentioned it to you. Thinking it both hilarious and very endearing that you, a child, were offering yourself as a maid to the family, Lord and Lady Stark agreed to this, and asked their existing maids to train you when you wanted, but not to be at all strict on you. Still, you took your role as seriously as you could at that age, learning to fold clothes and prepare beds for the Stark children. Going into Jon’s room was always your favorite, because even if he was not sitting in there as he often was, there were pieces of him everywhere. Pages of parchment with scribbles of writing and doodles on them, battered wooden swords and shields that poked out from beneath his bed. You liked crawling up to the window and peering down at the castle courtyard from there, knowing that is where you were most likely to see him. 

“Lord Jon! Guess where I am!” You’d call in a singsong voice, waving down at him. 

He’d laugh, waving back at you. “I don’t need to guess, I can see you there! When will you be free from your duties?”

And you’d grin cheekily. “Soon, but if you made your bed yourself, I’d be done a lot quicker!”

It was a running joke between the two of you, because Jon Snow had made his bed every morning since learning of your position as maid, never wanting to appear as untidy to you or giving you further work to do on his account, but you’d insist he never, ever made his bed and it was such a chore for you to always do it for him.

The first couple of years that you spent at Winterfell were peaceful ones, spent adjusting to your new life and the family dynamic that you had slotted into, at your new best friend’s side. After that second year, Jon Snow came down with a terrible case of the pox, and you were terrified, seeing him the same way he had seen you when you had first arrived, weak and most often unconscious, in his bed. Strangely, Lady Catelyn did not leave his side that first night, which you thought to be odd considering the hatred you had come to understand she harbored towards him - very unfairly, you thought, and frequently told Jon the same. Of course, you knew that she did not leave the room because when you had asked Maester Lewin of Jon’s condition and he had said “If he makes it through the night, he’ll live”, you dragged your mattress from your bed and down the hallway, to the floor beside Jon’s and refused to move, insisting you would never forgive a soul that attempted to remove you from his side. Naturally, you did not sleep that night, your ears finely tuned to every ragged breath, cough and whimper that passed Jon’s lips, and it seemed Catelyn’s were that night, too. 

Only when the sun rose did you leave Jon’s side to run to Maester Lewin, fist pounding on the door of his chambers to wake him and have him check on your dearest friend. You had apologized for disturbing the castle’s Maester afterwards, but were too panicked to consider his sleep schedule at the time. Once he had evaluated Jon’s health, he confirmed to you and the rest of the family that he would, in fact, make it through, which seemingly allowed Lady Catelyn to leave the room. You, however, only left briefly to borrow a book from the castle library before returning to Jon’s room to sit at the foot of his bed, with the large book of fairytales in your lap. As soon as you were told you were allowed to stay with the Starks, Lady Catelyn began teaching you how to read and write, two skills that you thought yourself very lucky to have mastered by the time Jon Snow was fighting his war with pox. For the rest of the day, you did not move from the foot of his bed, and you read story after story aloud, hoping that somewhere in the land he was traversing within his tangled, sleeping mind, he could hear you tell tales of long Winters passed and the creatures that roamed the lands throughout them.

It was only sometime later that Jon admitted to you he had awoken an hour before he decided to open his eyes, because he was so enjoying you reading to him. 

When his eyes did flutter open, though, you all but flung yourself at him with a cry of his name, more relieved than you had ever felt in your entire life thus far. Through chuckles and coughs, Jon thanked you a thousand times and assured you he was fine a thousand more. For the next ten minutes, you would not let go of him as you rambled about how worried you’d been, how much you’d missed him, how you swore to never take him for granted ever again. And you kept that promise, the two of you becoming inseparable from then on.

It became common knowledge within the walls of Winterfell that wherever you were, Jon Snow would not be far, and vice versa. While Theon Greyjoy was Robb’s shadow, you were Jon’s companion, his other half, his partner in crime. You were the more mischievous of the two of you, and when Arya was old enough, she followed in your footsteps to become your secret accomplice. Due to the circumstance of your arrival, Lady Catelyn had a softness in her heart for you, for seeing you happy, and even she could not deny that you were at your happiest when you were with Jon Snow. Lord Eddard thought what was blossoming between the two of you to be the loveliest thing, and was proud of the involvement he had in your residence at Winterfell to continue such a bond. He, himself, was very fond of you and the happiness you brought the son that had been disadvantaged since his birth. Though he did not like to plan too far ahead, he hoped that someday, Jon may request his father’s advice on asking for your hand. 

And as the two of you grew up together, Ned Stark only became more confident in his hopes for his son’s happiness. In the eyes of others, you would only ever dare intertwine your pinky fingers and cast longing smiles at each other, but that was enough for Lord Stark to know what was becoming of the two of you. In the privacy of your own space, or the godswood, you were free to hold hands, hold each other completely, and even share the occasional chaste kiss if the moment called for it. 

The first of those kisses had been on your fourteenth nameday, when Jon had led you to the godswood and presented you with a bouquet of flowers that he had picked himself, tied together with a black cord necklace that had a silver sword charm hanging from it, that he had asked the blacksmith to assist him in making for you. It was a little crooked as a result of Jon’s shaking hands when welding it, but you only thought that made it more personable, proof of the fact he had been the one to make it for you, which only made it mean all the more to you. Untying the bouquet, you held it in your hands and turned your back to Jon, allowing him to bring the necklace around your front and clasp it at the back of your neck. The smile on your face when you spun on your heel was like nothing he’d ever seen, the tears in your eyes reflecting the light of the sun as it streamed through the leaves of the weirwood tree. Seeing the necklace he had made and gifted to you actually hanging from your neck for the first time was an experience like no other, and it continued to take his breath away every time he saw you wearing it thereafter, the pride with which you wore it never failing to give him butterflies. And every time you caught him staring at you, his gaze flickering between your eyes and the sword charm, he was brought back to the godswood, under the weirwood tree, when you had wrapped your arms around his neck, holding the bouquet of flowers behind his head and gifting him with the first kiss he had ever received from anyone.

But no matter how proudly you smiled whenever you were at his side, no matter how many times you bit the heads off of any that dared call him a bastard in your presence, no matter the countless nights spent reassuring him that you had never thought of him as lesser for his namesake, Jon Snow could never believe himself to be good enough for you. 

Lord Eddard Stark had hoped that when his son approached him not long after his sixteenth nameday, the time had come for him to bestow the fatherly advice of how to ask for a lady’s hand. It was only when Jon asked about the Night’s Watch that Lord Stark understood he had been sorely mistaken, and as Jon had never explicitly disclosed his feelings for you to his father, he did not think it was his place to ask his son if he was certain he wanted to leave you behind in taking such an oath. And when Jon shared his future plan with you, you did not feel it was your place to selfishly question why he would consider leaving you, when you knew such a position would bring him the feeling of honoring his father, something he had sought after all his life. And so, no opposition to Jon Snow’s future was presented, and your days together were numbered.

You had not taken Jon for granted since the day he had awoken from pox, but after he confessed his intention to join the Night’s Watch, you were more determined than ever to show him each and everyday just how much he meant to you. There was no ulterior motive to your actions, you wanted him to feel loved and appreciated in a way that only you could, for as long as you could. Some part of you did hope that perhaps your love for him would be enough to change his mind, but that did not motivate your actions, it was not an achievable goal in your mind, you were not foolish enough to believe you could accomplish the impossible. So, you began writing him letters and leaving them in places only he would find them. Posting them under the door to his bedroom, hiding them under his pillow, in the pockets of his jackets; and you would never tell him when you had written another, simply waited for him to find it, write his reply, and hide it for you, too. A constant and secret subtext to your every conversation that neither of you ever outwardly addressed, but in those letters, you laid your souls bare. Confined in written words, you were safe to dream of a future that could never be, to decide where you would live together, the colors you’d choose for the interior of your cottage, the horse rides you’d go on, the meals you’d cook together, the children you may have. All of it was safely locked away, for your eyes only, almost like the two of you could live that life through the rolls of parchment and then carry on your real lives satisfied by such fallacies. 

The sentiments in your letters would often reduce Jon Snow to tears when he read them in the solitude of his own chambers, wishing more than anything that he could give you such a life, cursing the Gods for forcing that kind of love to be so far out of his reach. He appreciated every word, rereading them countless times until he would fall asleep with the pages still clutched in his hands, dreaming of the life he could never have. 

Beyond that, everyday was met with beaming smiles between the two of you, both putting off the inevitable and pretending that the countdown of an unknown number of days was not looming over your heads with every sunrise and sunset you saw together. You would ride horses and hunt together, walk through the godswood hand in hand, spend hours on end in each other’s bedrooms, sitting beside each other on either of your beds to talk about anything and everything, to flirt until both of your faces were too hot to make eye contact anymore. And when Jon returned from the ritualistic event of beheading a deserter of the Night’s Watch with a white direwolf pup in his arms, you could not have squealed louder if you tried. The way that you cooed over that little creature, cradled it in your arms and spoke to him as though he could understand every word, made Jon’s heart sing further songs for a future he’d wish for over anything else, with as many animals as you would like if you would melt over them like you did Ghost.

After that, though, your lives seemed to pick up to a pace that neither of you liked. The death of King Robert’s hand led him to Winterfell, requesting Lord Eddard Stark replace his departed hand and join him in King’s Landing, and that in itself was a horrific enough turn of events. As the Stark’s maid by role, you would be best suited to serve Sansa and Arya, accompanying that half of the Stark family to King’s Landing and leaving Lady Catelyn and all of the boys, including Jon Snow, behind. But, of course, that was not the worst of it. Benjen Stark, as First Ranger of the Night’s Watch, was sent to Winterfell to appeal to the King for more men and resources, and the moment you saw Jon talking to him, you knew that your worst fear had come true at long last. 

Everything passed in a blur after that, to this day you cannot recall how much time passed between the dread hitting you at seeing Jon talking to Benjen, and the hollow pit that formed in you seeing Jon preparing his horse for his departure to the Wall. For the first time since meeting him, your steps towards him were nervous, hesitant, and you hated yourself for it. If this was the last time you were to see him for Gods knew how long, you should have run to him, taken every second you could in an act of pure greed. But the closer you were, the more real it became, the more it hurt to face the fact that he was leaving, for good. 

Hearing your heavy footsteps, Jon turned to face you, his face falling as he read the devastation in your eyes, clear as water. 

“Oh, (Y/N).” Not caring for the public opinion then, he pulled you into his arms, wrapping his cloak around you to hide the two of you away in a little pocket of the world where you were safe to just exist together, one last time.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to make your leave any more difficult. But I will miss you more than any words I write to you will be able to express.” You confessed, pouring your heart out to him because it was the last chance you had.

Jon’s arms tightened around you. “I know, and I will miss you just as much, if not more.”

Pulling away from him just enough to see his face, you took a deep breath. “I love you, Jon Snow.”

For a moment, shock flickered in his eyes, before he settled into a soft, warm smile, because he knew, you both did. “I love you too, (Y/N), and it’ll pass. We’ll live. Promise me, you’ll go out there and live.”

You nodded frantically, because if all you could give him in your last moments together was your word, you were going to give it to him. “I promise.”

A teasing smirk reached his face then, attempting to lift your spirits. “I don't doubt you’ll have men falling at your feet the second you reach King’s Landing.”

Rolling your eyes, you playfully slapped his chest through his clothes. “Don’t take the piss, you know none of them will ever compare to you, you just wanted to hear me say it for the hundredth time!”

Jon chuckled at that, always enjoying when you spoke the common tongue in the midst of the more formal vocabulary you’d been given since arriving at Winterfell, and shrugging at your insinuation. “Perhaps I did, but you know there are no women at the Wall, so you will forever be the only one for me, forgive me for wanting to hear you say I’ll be yours in the same way one more time.”

Smiling with him then, you took another deep breath and stepped away from him, holding his hands. “Well, if you get cold feet when you’re about to take your oath and decide you would like to reconsider the whole ‘taking no wife’ aspect, you’ll know where to find me.”

At that, Jon squeezed your hands and released a hearty laugh. “Aye, and if any man mistreats you, send me a raven and I’ll get him ordered to the Wall somehow to sort him out.”

Before Jon could mount his horse, he faltered, eyes darting from yours to your lips before deciding that if it was his last chance to do so, he was not going to deny himself the bliss that was you. Taking your face in his hands, he kissed you more passionately than he ever had before, your knees nearly buckling beneath you and your head spinning as he did, gripping his wrists to hold him there. 

By the time you parted from each other and Jon mounted his horse, you were both panting with dazed smiles on your faces. 

“I’ll always be yours, you know, no matter what.” He swore to you.

“And I will always be yours. Dream of me, Jon Snow.” You asked of him, and he grinned at you.

“Each and every night, I swear it, by the old Gods and the new.”

And then, he was gone. Riding through the gates of Winterfell for the last time, not daring to look back at you because if he did, he knew he would see you collapse to your knees as you sobbed. He could feel the weight of that in his heart without needing to see it, and that was temptation enough to nearly turn back. If he looked at you then, he would never be able to leave.

Thinking back, that should have been what told Jon Snow that he never should have left. And it would not be long before he wished he never had.

His journey to the wall passed in a painful blur, feeling every inch of new distance that separated him from you, further than he had ever gone without you since the day you arrived at the gates and made Winterfell his home. Jon felt a chain tugging at his heart as it resisted moving any further from you with every step he and his horse took, every word he spoke with his traveling companions of his new life that would not include you. He was ready, he was so certain of it, but soon enough he realized that everything he would do for the rest of his life would have you at the heart of it. Every foe he fought, every task he took on, his first thought would be that in some distant way, he could have just saved you from something, and that was the only victory he truly felt. 

Upon entering the snow covered courtyard of Castle Black to begin his new life, an older man in a black fur cloak greeted him and the group of men that had arrived with him.

“Which of you is Jon Snow?”

He very nearly missed the question, too in awe of the sheer size of the Wall and wondering what the world would look like from the very top - being able to picture your amazed expression upon seeing it, as clear as day - but immediately concluding that everything he could see in the direction he came from would serve as nothing more than a reminder of you, not to him. To him, you were the world and more. 

“I am Jon Snow.” He answered, clearing his throat and stepping forward.

Reaching into his cloak, the older man handed him an envelope. “Never have I seen a raven arrive before the boy that the letter in its beak was addressed to.” 

Jon’s cheeks flushed pink, turning the letter over in his hands and knowing from the way his name was written on the front that it had come from you. Quietly thanking the man he did not know to be the Lord Commander at the time, he tucked the envelope in his own cloak to conceal it, and did not have the time to read it until he had retired to his quarters for the night and had to squint to read the words with candlelight.

“My dear Jon,

I watched until I couldn’t see you anymore, and then came straight here. I hope to not write too much, so that maybe this letter is sent in good time and arrives at the Wall before you do. We are leaving for King’s Landing soon; I will be grateful to no longer be in a room that exists solely as a reminder of you, like everything else here, but I fear that even in a place I have never been, I will find pieces of you. 

Please, let me know that you arrived at the Wall safely, and tell me of your first day. Are the men treating you kindly? 

I hope to see you in my dreams, I’ll be searching for you there.

Until we meet again.

Yours,

(Y/N).”

Quite suddenly, Jon found that he no longer cared for his own exhaustion at all. He rose from his bed and marched out of his chambers, heart set on a mission. If you had gone to the effort of writing to him quickly enough for it to reach him on his arrival, he would be damned if he did not reciprocate such a gesture. 

And so, when you arrived at King’s Landing, Lord Varys approached you with an envelope decorated with handwriting that you recognised immediately. The smile that overtook your face that had been missing ever since Jon’s departure, returned in grandeur, informing Arya, Sansa and Lord Eddard Stark that both you and they all knew exactly who had sent a raven to you. Even Lord Varys, ever the perceiver, smiled at your excitement. 

Without delay, you tore the envelope open, eyes scanning over your beloved’s words with fervor. By the end of the first sentence, your vision was blurred by your own tears, but you were determined to blink them away in order to read and memorize Jon’s every written word. 

“My Lady (Y/N),

Your letter arrived as intended, before I had even reached the wall. Thank you for sending such a precious thing, I have folded it and will keep it in a pocket over my heart for the rest of my days, I swear it. To carry a piece of you with me is the greatest comfort in this new place. 

The Wall is bigger than any can say, I hope someday you are able to visit and see it for yourself, but I understand if a short lived reunion would be too painful. 

I hope that King’s Landing brings you countless new sights, instead of constant reminders of our past, though I can speak to the fact that everything here reminds me of you, despite you having never set foot further north than home. 

My time here has been a good challenge so far. I have begun training with the other men; in truth, I think you could take on any one of them. 

I have not yet spent my first night here - I am writing to you with the same urgency with which you wrote me, but I am certain that I will see you in my dreams this night and every night thereafter, as promised.

I am not certain I will be able to reply to your letters often, but please, do not stop sending them. I will treasure each and every one. Please, tell me of King’s Landing, of the things you do there, of the adventures you have with Arya, and send my love to her and my father, as well.

Now, I’ll race to sleep to see you again. 

Yours,

Jon x”

By the end of his letter, your bottom lip was trembling and the tears you had been blinking away were cascading down your cheeks. Chuckling quietly, Lord Stark wrapped an arm around your shoulders.

“Come now, (Y/N), I doubt this was the reaction he wanted!” 

Sniffling, you nod at him. “You’re right.” Looking to Varys with determination in your eyes, you composed yourself as much as you could. “Please, can you take me to the ravens so I can write back?”

Sharing a glance with the Warden of the North, Lord Varys nodded. “Of course, my dear, follow me.”

Walking away from the family that had taken care of you for many years, you ascended the tallest tower of King’s Landing to find a raven sitting in a window, with a desk holding quills, jars of ink and rolls of parchment in the center of the room. Little did you know then, that would be the room you spent more time in than anywhere else during your stay at King’s Landing.

You would send letter after letter, starting at sending one a week, then one a month, then one every other, not wanting to bombard Jon Snow with correspondence when he was yet to respond to the very first letter you had sent from that tower. In between helping out in the kitchens to continue your role as the Stark’s maid, spending time practicing sword fighting with Arya and gossipping with Sansa, you would sit in that tower and wait. Most nights, that is where you slept, the last sight of each day being the stars that you stared up at from the window and hoped with everything in you, Jon could see them, too. 

Though it pained your heart to wait day after day and receive no word from him, your fondness for Jon Snow did not dare waver. Some part of you knew that he was still alive, that he was alright, because you firmly believed that if he wasn’t, you would feel it, even from so far away. 

Lord Eddard Stark’s heart ached for you when every eve, you would arrive at the door to the hand’s chambers with the same question, the same glimmering hope in your eyes and voice as you asked it, and he would have to let you down as gently as he could, each and everyday.

“I’m afraid there’s been no word from him as yet, (Y/N), but I’m sure he is just too busy with his duties.”

You would nod, because of course, that had to be the truth. It was not possible for you to even consider the notion that Jon did not want to hear from you, he had pleaded with you to keep sending letters, so you would, until he told you not to.

“The farmer’s boy that came to the kitchens today has some affection for you.” Sansa had said to you when you had joined her in her chambers after supper, smiling in the hopes that it would encourage you to do the same.

Instead, you barely even met her eyes, your tone showing little to no interest in the eyes she had seemingly spotted a boy giving you when she had visited you in the kitchens, that you neglected to notice.

“Does he?” Your tone made your disinterest clear, your focus on your duties as you made your friend’s bed, the act second nature by that time.

Sansa rolled her eyes and took your hands, bringing you over to sit down beside her on her bed. “Of course! How could you not see it?”

At that, you shrugged sheepishly, knowing the answer as well as she did. “There’s only one I’ll ever wish to see such things from, m’Lady.”

A common girl at heart, you had never been one to address the Starks informally. 

“Why is it that you cannot let him go?” Sansa asked you then, her voice pained for you, seeing you pine for her brother in such a way.

“He is gone, I know that to be true, m’Lady, but…it seems my heart doesn’t know the same.” You offered her a small smile, the most you could muster at the time, and Sansa sighed.

After that, she sought other means of cheering up. The two of you tried on every dress she had in her ornate wardrobe and danced around the room to music that was not playing, pretending you were fanciful Lords and Ladies at some grand ball. 

Once Sansa had fallen asleep, you had tiptoed back to the tower, pinning every hope you had on the thought that while you had allowed yourself to have some fun, there may then be a raven waiting for you. But upon reaching the top of the tower, you saw the window was empty, not a feather in sight.

And unfortunately, after that day, the events of King’s Landing meant that you only had more and more letters to send Jon.

To see the man that all but raised you, beheaded in front of a crowd that hurled abuse at him for confessing a crime he did not commit, was not something that you even had time to process. There was not a moment to grieve when you had to ensure Sansa’s safety, because you were the only one left to do so. Arya was gone, you didn’t know where, but you hoped that she had escaped safely and was living an adventure of her own. 

And later, the news of Robb and Lady Catelyn’s brutal murders while in the slippery hands of Walder Frey. Again, you were unable to think of yourself, and could only be with Sansa while she suffered and mourned the loss of her entire family, as she knew it.

You only allowed yourself fleeting instances to grieve, to feel the anxiety of it all, and those moments were all safely concealed in your letters to Jon that continued to go unanswered. They began to serve you more as a journal than correspondence awaiting a reply, and you found solace in the fact that your words and worries and pains were going to Jon, because they were safe with him. The knowledge of him holding all of your secrets and still, in some way, being there for you in receiving them, was the only comfort you had.

When Lord Petyr Baelish, someone you believed to be a worm of a man from the second you were introduced, came for Sansa, you were the only person she trusted enough to stay at her side. In fact, she completely refused to be parted from you, and Baelish agreed to rescue you, too, because he thought of you as nothing more than a maid and a means to earn points with Sansa. 

As much as you advised where you could, Baelish was never far enough away for you to be completely honest with Sansa about him or his antics, he made certain of that. While you could not protect her with regards to getting her away from him, you thought you could at least protect her in whatever schemes he manipulated her into.

Regrettably, that led you back to the place you had called home, except it was in ruin when compared to your last memory of it. Having first been overtaken by Theon Greyjoy, which was the greatest personal betrayal you had ever felt, it had since been infested with the Boltons. The act of marrying Sansa to Ramsay Bolton - who you desperately wished you could refer to as Snow in your own head to mentally scorn him, if such a namesake didn’t have a place in your heart that forbade you - was outright barbaric, in your opinion. You could tell the man he was from the sight of Theon, or Reek, as he was newly named. But again, you were not given a moment alone with Sansa to dissuade her.

Still, you did everything you could and stayed at her side at every waking moment. That was, until her wedding night. While on the way to her chambers to meet her before the event, one of Ramsay’s henchmen that you had thought was just walking past you, grabbed you and slammed your head into a wall, knocking you unconscious.

At her wedding, Sansa had scanned every face in the crowd, searching for you desperately. It did not take her long to conclude that you were not there, and that thought alone told her that everything was wrong. 

You awoke in darkness, unable to determine how long you had been unconscious for, but found one of your wrists chained to the back wooden leg of a bed, that was seemingly bolted to the stone ground that you were sprawled out on. The throbbing in your head quickly reminded you of what had happened and you fought to break free from your chains, to get to Sansa, save her, give your life for hers if the situation called for it, but it was fruitless. 

Only when you sat back against the wall, breathing heavily and crying tears of frustration, did the door open. There stood Ramsay Bolton, with a grim smile that you could only see in the light of the candle that he held to his face.

“Welcome home, maid.”

Having been stuck in a similar mindset to you, barred from processing his own emotions in the place of his duties, Jon Snow had, too, reached a point of no return, in more ways than one. He had read many of your letters to begin with, but as the months passed, he was given more and more responsibilities, more tasks that took more time, and journeys beyond the wall. As a result, Jon simply did not have a moment to sit down and devote to you, outside of his dreams. While he had tried to read your letters as and when they arrived, before he knew it, there was a pile of envelopes forming, all of which addressed to him, and he could not bring himself to read anymore. The more he heard of his family’s passing, he knew that you would be sharing your grief with him, and that was a weight he was not ready to bare, having not yet confronted his own. 

As well as that, the responsibilities Jon had been given and the things he had accomplished during his time at the wall had led to the majority of men, including the Maester, to vote in favor of him becoming the Lord Commander - a position he had never imagined were possible for someone like him. And his first thought on being granted such an honor was to tell you, it truly was, but without having read or replied to any of your letters since the very first, he thought it would be a disservice to the time you had given to him. One day, he would tell himself each and every night, one day he would sit down and read each and every one, and he would send you the longest letter you’ve ever seen, that would take 10 ravens to deliver to you.

But despite the continued chaos of his life at the Wall, Jon had noticed that no letters had arrived for him in some time. The last one you had sent had been from Winterfell, he knew that based on the sigil the envelope was sealed with, but he also knew that his home was under the control of the Boltons, who were not to be trusted based on the vultures they had been in claiming his home. 

Still, there was only time for him to worry about such things in between everything else. The wildlings he needed to save, the white walkers he needed to save them from, the fate of the rest of the world as he knew it, and how Samwell Tarley would fare as a father to his adoptive son, were amongst the most prominent of Jon’s thoughts. 

It was only upon saving the wildlings and doing what he thought was right - what he knew you would agree was the right thing to do - he was murdered in an act of mutiny from the men of the Night’s Watch, and a boy. Death was what allowed Jon Snow to regain some perspective. Once awoken from what should have been an infinite sleep, the red witch had approached him and asked what he had seen once life had faded from him.

“Nothing.” Jon had said, and he was not deceiving her.

It was true, he did not see a thing once the world faded around him. Everything disappeared into a great abyss, endless darkness, and he felt he was in an awful dream. That was, until he heard your voice, calling his name. Just a whisper at first, but it grew in volume, in urgency, until you were crying for him and with a gasp, his spirit returned to his wounded body. 

And the moment he had opened his eyes, he knew what he had to do. First, he had to punish those who had betrayed him and retire from his watch, having served his duty ‘til death, as his oath intended. As soon as he was free of such responsibility, he disappeared to his chambers and took the box of envelopes, all addressed to him, and sitting on his bed, he read through each and every one.

Jon Snow had never felt worse, or cried more, in his life. Reading of your sorrows and hardships, the pain you had felt in his absence and in your grief, how desperately you pleaded to receive word from him, of his safety. Even through his tears, though, you managed to make him laugh. Sometimes just a quiet chuckle, but the tales you told and memories you recalled were enough to bring hearty laughs from him as he wiped his eyes. By the time he reached your final letter, his face ached and his heart was heavier than it had ever been. 

“Jon,

I do not know how long I will have to write this, so I will keep this brief. Sansa is not safe here. I will do all I can to assist her in her escape, but it will not be easy.

If I can get her out of here, I will send her to the Wall, to you. She will tell you everything. 

I miss you with every waking and sleeping moment, knowing you will not be there when I open my eyes again. I hope to see you again, but in truth, returning here has resulted in seeing you in places that you have been, but no longer are. Please do not worry, I am not losing my mind, but my eyes are playing cruel tricks on my heart in such a familiar place, where I have seen you everywhere, more times than I can count.

Please take care of Sansa, and yourself.

Yours, always.

(Y/N) x”

All of a sudden, Jon Snow wished he had not so quickly resigned his position as Lord Commander. Had he not, he would order every man to Winterfell to rescue his sister and you, who you had not spared a single thought to in your own escape plan for Sansa. 

That was the moment he heard it, commotion at the gates of Castle Black. Regardless of no longer being the Lord Commander, he felt a responsibility to see to the arrival of whomever it may be. And like a miracle sent by the letters he had taken far too long to read, his sister was stood in the courtyard, with a knightly woman and her squire. The sight lifted Jon’s heavy heart beyond comprehension as he tentatively approached his sister, who had been a girl the last time he’d seen her and was now a woman, but when her face fell and she launched herself into his arms, he could not resist the sense of dread for what was to come; finding out the reason behind your absence from their party.

Not wanting to address the dark cloud that loomed over him until Sansa was settled, he sat with her in his chambers with a warm fire crackling at her feet and a bowl of hot stew in her hands. The two of them reminisced on the lives they missed terribly that were lost to time, and Jon knew either of them could only go so long before-

“Where will you go?” Sansa asked him with worried eyes.

“Where will we go.” Jon corrected her. “If I don’t watch over you, Father’s ghost’ll come back and murder me.”

And with a gentle smile, Sansa finally spoke your name. “And if you don’t rescue (Y/N), both Mother and Father’s ghosts will haunt you until the end of your days.”

He smiled back at her, a wave of relief washing over him like nothing he had ever known, because he knew you were alive. By no means were you safe or happy, but as long as you were alive, Jon Snow could fix the rest. And he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, he would. Even if doing so killed him a second time.

———————

taglist: @otteropera @neymarjrrwife @oliviabelova

#jon snow #jon snow x reader #jon snow image #game of thrones #game of thrones x reader #game of thrones imagine #x reader #imagine #fanfic #fanfiction #headcannon #headcannons

[pawnshopbleus]

hi! i was wondering if you could do a corio x plinth reader where he aproches her bc she is a plinth (and she notices and gets mad bc she think that corio takes her for a stupid girl who would just fall for his lies) but he slowly falls for her. i would really like if it ends well, like them together. i hope you understood my idea, i love your work btw.

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

coriolanus snow x fem!plinth!reader

summary - basically what the request says, but there is no happy ending because i'm evil.

contains - angst, the capital being described as beautiful, gold-digging, rude coriolanus, not beta read

author's note - i'm so sorry @simpovereveryone for the unhappy ending, but i feel like once someone finds out you originally wanted to date them for their money there is no coming back. originally, this was going to be a happy ending, but I just couldn't write one that felt natural and real. if you want, I can do a happy Coriolanus later, but there is no happy ending in this one.

IT was no secret that Strabo Plinth’s daughter was in love. It was the only thing people would talk about at the Academy. In between each Hunger Games, Capitol citizens were bored. Gossip would spread like a wildfire. They didn’t know how to keep a secret. 

Coriolanus knew that you liked him. It was obvious to anyone that had two working eyes. The way that your eyes would follow him wherever he went, and how your back would straighten every time he walked by was evidence enough that you had a crush on the blonde boy. 

Coriolanus was flattered, really, but he just wasn’t one to date. Many girls have tried and failed at dating him. None piqued his interest. He found that most pretty Capiol girls were dumb and had no interest beyond their physical appearance. They also lacked what he needed most, money. 

Coriolanus wanted to continue his education at the University after the Academy. He needed to keep a roof over his, Tigris, and Grandma’ams head, or he would have failed as a cousin and a grandson. Those necessities don’t come cheap after a war, no matter how long ago the war was. 

And then he heard the news. Some new students were chatting during lunch. His name and yours got thrown around, and after some intense staring at his apple, he heard what they were talking about. Your little schoolgirl crush on Coriolanus, and that was confirmation enough. 

Then there you were, sitting in all your glory. 

Being the one and only daughter in the Plinth family made you susceptible to fake people. Always after your money and status, but they will talk about you behind your back. Coriolanus has heard it all. He needed to outsmart the many and study the few that made it to your inner circle. Just because you already had a crush on him meant nothing if he didn’t have a good enough reason to chase after you. 

Your red school uniform mixed in with the rest of the crowd, but your face was what drew him in. It was so different, unconventional, and beautiful. The unconventionality of your face made him want to paint a picture of you from memory. You were unique, which he liked. This won’t be too bad, Coriolanus said in his head. 

Your tired eyes met his and he didn’t look away. The bags under your eyes accentuated the fact that you couldn’t sleep last night. The thunder crashing outside of your window was probable cause to keep you awake. 

Coriolanus got up from his chair and stocked towards you. His stride was purposeful, guiding through clumps of students gathered around the room. He sat across from you and said nothing as he studied your tired expression. It was weird that your brother's friend and your crush were sitting across from you all of a sudden. You were in no way ready to talk to him right now. 

“Did you want me to tell Sejanus something?” was all you could manage to ask. Your brain was begging you to ask more. Why are you here? How is your family? Do you think I’m crazy for liking you, even though we’ve never had an actual conversation? But your mouth stayed shut, which saved you from a boatload of embarrassment. 

Coriolanus smiled. His teeth were imperfectly imperfect. A natural color, not too white, but not too yellow. His right front tooth was slightly crooked, giving his teeth personality. 

“No, I came here to talk to you.”

Your brows furrowed for a second. Why in the world would he want to talk to me? Besides being the sister of his friend, you had nothing going on for yourself. There were far prettier girls that he could talk to. You weren’t all that traversed in philosophy and classic books like he was. You were just…you. 

Your lips pressed together in a small line and then returned to normal after a second. You couldn’t form coherent words right now. You nodded your head at the boy in front of you and looked across the room, not ready to make eye contact with him at the present moment. Students talked and whispered with each other as they took in the scene. Coriolanus Snow talking to the girl that had a crush on him. Many girls who had tried to date him in the past narrowed their eyes at you. 

You had not noticed that the room was almost silent, save for the whispers of the nosey students. Coriolanus kept repeating your name, trying to break you out of your trance. You liked the way your name rolled off his tongue. An unlimited amount of syllables were repeated over and over again in his baritenor voice. 

“What?” you ask as you are broken out of your trance. 

“Do you want to go on a date with me?” he answered your question with another. 

This seemed too good to be true. The boy you’ve had a crush on for years had just asked you out for seemingly no reason. Either whatever higher power in the sky was on your side, or this was one huge prank. Either way, you agreed. 

˖ ࣪ . 🦢 ࿐ ♡ ˚ .

You stood in front of the full-length mirror in the corner of your room. The baby pink silk slip dress you were wearing used to belong to your mother. She had given it to you two years ago in hopes that you would wear it. She hoped that you would wear it on a date with a nice boy. That’s exactly what you were doing, but there were two problems. The first problem was that you were nothing like your brother, outgoing and outspoken. You preferred to keep to yourself, and if you had to socialize, you would do it with the handful of friends you had. The second problem was that it was two years later. The dress no longer draped beautifully around you like it did when you were younger. It clung to every curve, crevice, and roll you had on your body. You were lucky that the dress still zipped up. You studied yourself in the mirror, going from the tip top of your head down to your painted toenails. At least it looked like you had enough money to be well-fed and groomed. 

Coriolanus was taking you to a new rooftop restaurant. The women in your mother's book club raved on and on about how elegant and regal the vibes in that restaurant felt. They also recounted how hard it is to get a reservation. For a new restaurant, it seemed pretty picky with its patrons. 

He picked you up around six. The sun had already set and a chill breeze kissed your skin, causing goosebumps to rise on the bare skin of your arms. Coriolanus kept you close to him, placing a strong hand on the small of your back. His hand was cold, causing you to shiver. 

The reviews were right. The restaurant was beautiful. The entire place was lit using nothing but candles. They lined the tables with pristine white cloth. There were other details of the restaurant that were otherworldly, but the view of the Capital made you swoon. With Coriolanus long forgotten, your eyes lit up at all the lights and such that outlined every building and street. You had forgotten how beautiful the Capital was at night. Your heart panged with gratefulness at being able to experience this even though you weren’t born here. 

Coriolanus studied you once again. The city lights flashed and shone across your body, accentuating the way your skin looked. It looked soft, almost perfect. Nothing was ever perfect. 

“So, Sejanus told me you like to paint,” Coriolanus commented, breaking the silence between the two of you. 

Your eyes broke away from the shining lights and back to the companion in front of you. “Yes,” you simply said. 

The simplicity of your words made Coriolanus fix his hand into a fist under the table. He was doing you a favor! You were the one who had a crush on him, not the other way around. He couldn’t say anything, though. He had to remind himself why he was doing this. Flashes of images passed through his mind. They all had one thing in common; they were dear to him - the only things he loved. That was the reason why he was here. He needed the money that was attached to you. 

“What do you like to paint?” The food that he ordered for the two of you was being placed down on the table. He ordered steak and potatoes with a side of steamed vegetables.

You are a vegetarian. 

Everyone knew you were vegetarian. You loved animals and couldn’t fathom eating a living animal. You didn’t judge people who ate meat. Everyone was free to live the lifestyle they wanted and you choose to live a meatless lifestyle.

“Why did you ask me out on a date?” you questioned the boy in front of you who was currently eating his food like a starved man. Which he was. He barely had enough money to pay rent, let alone pay for this meal…

That’s why he asked you on a date - for your money. You’ve lived your entire life having to question whether or not someone wanted to be your friend. Your last name followed you everywhere you went. There was nothing shameful about your family, but you hated having fake people around you. It was literal hell. 

Of course, Coriolanus didn’t like you. He just needed your money. You scoffed at him and didn’t even let him finish as you sprinted out of the restaurant, leaving him confused and with no way to pay. 

It’s safe to say that Coriolanus is never welcomed back. 

#coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus x reader #coriolanus snow fanfiction #angst #young coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow x you #coriolanus snow x fem!reader

[dreaming-of-mossballs]

Porridge for— you guessed it— A Bashful Captain (Gepard x florist!reader)

Summary: After hearing the shocking news that Gepard is sick, Serval entrusts you with the task of making sure he doesn’t burn himself out while no one is watching. Good luck with that.

▸ Genre(s): fluff

▸ Word Count: 5k

▸ Tags: Gepard x reader

▸ Warnings: food mentions

A/N: I’ve been struggling to get my posts to show in the tags, so let me know if you want to be taglisted! It’s really demotivating seeing my work get demolished by the algorithm.

MASTERLIST

How nice it was to have a moment of respite after a long and arduous campaign.

At least, that’s what the captain wished he could say.

Every muscle in his body seemed to be screaming at him to stay in bed after he woke up that morning. His throat felt like it had been scraped with steel wool and then some. Plus, his body felt chilled, even after piling far more than the usual number of blankets on his bed.

“Don’t overexert yourself,” Serval had said. Aeons, she was right.

Gepard vaguely registered the fact that this combination of symptoms spelled disaster, but nevertheless, he had to get up. He drew in a deep breath in an attempt to gather the strength to hoist himself out of bed, but the air seemed to have invisible barbed wire that scoured his already painful lungs. He broke into a hacking cough that echoed throughout the estate and immediately sat up to cover his mouth with his elbow.

A knock on the door drew him out of his misgivings.

“Young master Gepard?” A concerned voice— which belonged to one of the maids— called.

Although the captain felt like his stomach was churning like butter, he shifted the blankets aside and treaded towards the door. Even the estate felt dreary that morning as the sunlight reaching through the window was weak and scattered (Due to a thick cloud covering, indicating an impending snowstorm.) The expensive plush carpet on the floor of the room did little to ease his newfound dislike of standing upright.

How silly he felt, a man who trudged through waist-deep snow on the daily, was now reduced to a sniveling mess in his family home. Gepard, still rubbing his nose, opened the wooden door slightly.

The shock on the maid’s face was evident as she caught her first glimpse of him. He really did look worse for wear, his golden hair was unkempt, his complexion was pale, and he had to lean on the doorframe to keep the room from swaying and bending inwards and—

“Um— young master. I heard you coughing,” she blurted out, eyeing his drooping eyelids. “Would you like me to fetch you a glass of water?”

Gepard raised his voice to respond but instead let out a ghastly wheeze followed by coughing that sounded like thunder. He turned his head away so as not to catch her in the blast.

“Y-yes, please,” He resumed looking at her. “That would be much appreciated,”

His voice was uncomfortably hoarse. She glanced up at him. “Would you like it with lemon or without?”

The young man didn’t get a chance to respond. His calloused hand slid down the doorframe, his vision went fuzzy—

—and then everything went dark.

The maid’s shriek echoed off the walls, causing the sparrows that perched on the windowsills to take to the sky.

Her voice turned heads, both maids and butlers alike, all throughout the manor.

(It is said that they still speak about it to this day, much to her chagrin.)

❆ — ❆ — ❆

You were convinced that work was going to give you a heart attack.

With the Solwarm festival upcoming, flower sales practically exploded. Your job as a florist was a source of many joys, but even you had your limits. Your hands were permanently stained with a mix of red and orange from all the Solarflowers you’d been handling. It looked like brilliant flames adorned your arms, but it lost its novelty after you realized you couldn’t wash it off, even with industrial strength soap.

And you had a catch-up with Gepard in three days. Just great.

He’d sent the invitation through a surprise letter a week before he came home. He said he’d be busy for a bit with mission debriefings and yada yada, but he’d like to meet at Serval’s for lunch once he got the chance.

Couldn’t he have just texted me? You snorted when you opened it. Those nobles. (You betted that he’d never gone on a date that was anything other than a fancy matchmaking dinner.)

But then you realized that was dumber than dumb. He wasn’t allowed to have his cell phone on military expeditions. You nearly smacked yourself with the first edition copy of the Gardener’s Almanac in shame.

You cast a mournful, longing glance through the paned glass windows and out at Qlipoth fort. Of course Gepard had ten thousand meetings to attend to after getting home.

A pang of pity reverberated throughout your chest. Didn’t he at least deserve a short break? He was like a herding dog that never got a day off.

You looked up from where your head was resting on the counter, feeling the warmth of a Solarflower bouquet spread across your face almost like a blush. Handing the customer’s change across the counter whilst simultaneously stifling a heartbroken sigh wasn’t much, but it was one of the hardest things you’d done all day.

I am so. Friggin. Tired. You groaned. The overcast weather was really getting to your mood.

A clatter came from the back, which caused you to prick your ears.

“Hey, (Y/N)? The plumbing in the upstairs sink broke. We’re missing the right kind of wrench. Would you mind going out and grabbing it?” Meg spoke.

“Sure,” you perked your eyebrows, eager to escape your thoughts for a split second. “What kind is it?”

Your boss handed you a paper with the details, and you swung your florist’s bag over your shoulder with newfound gusto. A trip to Serval’s workshop was exactly what you needed.

The breeze outside the shop was stagnant. It made you shudder. You couldn’t control the weather, but you could sure as hell skip to the shop to spite the bad hand you’d been dealt recently.

The bronze shop bell dinged to announce your entry. And Serval, the owner of the Neverwinter Workshop, was fast asleep on a pile of papers.

That can’t be comfortable,

“Hey, Serv—,”

She shot up from her desk faster than you could blink.

“Welcome to Neverwinter Workshop! What can I— Oh! (Y/N)! Sorry about that, I just uh… dozed off for a bit,”

You chuckled. “Not a problem. I just came by for an 18x18mm wrench. Would you happen to have one of those?”

Molly, the assistant, peeked her head in from the back. “Only a few hundred of them,”

You stared back, flabbergasted. “Why so many?”

“Miss Serval put an extra zero on the order form,” she said with a shrug.

Serval looked at you sheepishly, her blue eyes filled to the brim with embarrassment. You shot her a glance loaded with concern.

“Have you been getting enough rest?” You inquired.

“Yeah, totally! Well… The band and I have been pretty busy with rehearsal lately. Y’know, with the Solwarm festival coming up and all—,” She waved a hand in the air dismissively. “—anyways, the person who’s case you should REALLY be on is Gepard’s,”

You lifted an eyebrow at her attempt to deflect the blame. “Yeah? And why is that?”

She paused, not paying you the slightest crumb of attention before she let out an planet-shaking yawn.

“Huh? Oh, he’s sick. Real nasty case. He got it from Pela,”

“Jeez. Seriously?” You exclaimed. “That sucks. I hope he gets better soon,”

She blinked slowly and tiredly. “Yeah, yeah. We do too. He actually passed out this morning,”

Your eyes went wide.

“He WHAT???”

“Ah, well, he passed—,”

“Nope, nope, nope. I got it,” you said, rubbing your temples while staring at the floor. “Holy crap. It must be really bad then. Did he have to go to the hospital?”

Serval shook her head. “Nope, thank Qlipoth. Lynx has had to crash here so she doesn’t catch it,”

You glanced around the workshop. “She has? Where is she?”

Your friend pointed at a stack of cardboard boxes stacked beside a shelf.

“Right there,”

And clear as day, you spotted the white tufts of fur from Lynx’s hat sticking out of her sleeping bag.

❆ — ❆ — ❆

“Okay… So, let me get this straight. Gepard returned home and promptly passed out,” You gripped the edge of the reception desk so hard you thought it might splinter. “Is anyone keeping him from going to the meetings or… anything?”

“Well, yeah. He knows well enough not to spread his sickness around. What I can’t say for sure though is that he’s not forcing himself to do paperwork… and stuff,” Serval hummed to herself, sorting through another stack of papers that had been rearranged from her catnap.

You let out a withering sigh. “Someone’s gotta stop him,”

Picking up your phone, you hurriedly dialed his number. After far too many seconds, you flopped helplessly onto the desk. No answer.

“Ugh. Can’t we like… call Dunn or the household or something?” You said weakly.

“I thiiink you may be blowing this one out of proportion,” she grinned, showing her pointy canines. “Why don’t you stop by if you miss him so much? You can knock some sense into him or whatever,”

She smirked as she saw embarrassment seep into your face.

Aha! So you DO miss him,

“Yeah, if warp trotters fly, maybe,” you tried to hide your expression by running a palm over your face. “I can’t just show up unannounced,”

“You sure can! I do it all the time,” she said cheerfully. “Usually when the man of the house isn’t there, though,” A look of distaste flashed in her eyes.

“The head butler has a good memory. He should remember you. Say I sent you—,” she perked up. “Oh! Here, I’ll write you a note,”

The blonde-haired woman yanked open a wooden drawer with an ear-piercing screech and lifted a notepad and pen out from its confines. She scrawled something out quickly.

“This should do,”

You squinted at the note skeptically.

I hereby authorize (Y/N), a friend of Gepard’s, to check up on him and make sure he isn’t working himself to death,

Signed,

Serval

[A strange doodle of a smiling face holding up a peace sign]

“Now go!” She shouted, practically pushing you out the door. “Go, go, go! You got this!”

“What—? Serval, I can’t—,”

“Yes you can! Call me if they don’t let you in. Rock on!”

She dropped you unceremoniously on the stone steps outside and slammed the door.

“Cheers!” Her muffled voice called.

I really should become a matchmaker, she snickered to herself.

You looked at the note once more and wilted.

❆ — ❆ — ❆

Gepard’s residence was… exactly the same all the other times you had gone, maids and all.

It was still plenty overwhelming though. You brushed the wrinkles out of your tunic as you waited for someone to answer the door. It wasted no time swinging open with a force that could’ve flattened someone, had they been standing behind it.

You nearly squawked in fear. Didn’t these people know how to open a door normally?

While gripping your messenger bag, filled with a few things you had brought from home, you requested entry from the broad-shouldered man that answered. You had no trouble keeping your voice steady but your chest felt like it was being crushed under a metal boot as you faced him.

“Ah, yes. Anything for a friend of the young master!” The butler smiled warmly at you. He didn’t show any sign that he had picked up on your nervousness. Hah, you didn’t think you’d ever get over all these pairs of eyes on you each time you came.

But wait— a friend? Hadn’t you told them each and every visit that you were a gardener he hired?

You bit the edge of your lip but kept your mouth shut.

He motioned you inside. “He’s been resting. Please, let us walk you up!”

You kept your eyes trained on the velvet carpet draped on the stairs as you followed him up. The floorboards squeaked softly under your soles.

When you got upstairs, the curly-haired man stopped in front of a particular door. “Just go on in,” he instructed.

You thanked him and rapped on the door lightly.

“Gepard?”

He looked up from his paperwork hurriedly from where it was bent over the desk to the source of your voice.

“It’s me. Serval sent me over to check if you were doing alright,” you said, leaning your head closer to the wood.

Gepard’s brows knitted together.

If she really wanted to, she could have busted my door down like last time.

He switched off the lamp and got out of his chair.

You heard a croak that sounded like “coming” and winced away from the door. Eek. He must be in really bad shape.

The door opened, causing a breeze to hit your face. After not seeing his face for a month, this wasn’t how you expected your first meeting to go.

By Qlipoth’s grace—, you clapped your hand over your mouth to prevent yourself from saying it out loud.

Gepard’s hair was messy and his cheeks were crimson. Locks of his golden hair covered his eyes, which were puffy and red. Better yet, he was wearing a matching set of blue and white striped pajamas. You nearly gawked. At least he wasn’t wearing his uniform if he wasn’t working.

He took in a quick breath to greet you but a harsh bout of coughing cut him off. Turning away from the door, he hacked into his elbow and tried to shut it.

Without a moment’s hesitation, you wedged your buckled boot into the space between the door and the frame. That swift action shocked him out of his coughing fit.

“A-apologies, I wasn’t expecting a visit. Please step away before I give you my illness,”

“Oh! That’s why you shut the door,” Your mouth went wide. “I thought you knew the real reason why I came!”

His eyes went wide as you used your forearm to force the door open wider, a vaguely threatening gesture.

What real reason?

“Forget what I just said,” you grinned while sauntering into the room. “Anyways, my immune system is great! I used to eat dirt when food was scarce in the Underworld. It’ll take a lot more than a cold to kill me,”

“Oh my. Is— is that so?” Gepard cleared his throat, forming a fist over his mouth. He followed a few steps behind you as you went about the room.

“Yessir. I came to say hi! Nothing more. Definitely not,” You chirped, looking around his quarters (not at all suspiciously, by the way.) “How are you feeling?”

Wait, didn’t you say Serval—?

He didn’t get to finish that thought.

“Well— all right, I suppose. A little lightheaded and feverish,” his eyes trailed your form moving about. “I took some medicine earlier, and my condition has improved some. Nothing a little rest won’t fix,”

You nodded, not sparing him a glance. “Yes. Rest. Glad to see we’re on the same page here, Gepard. Hey— you moved your bamboo plant in here!” You spotted a joyful little green plant in a pot on top of his desk.

He gave you a puzzled look. Your behavior was…strange, to say the least.

“Ah, yes. I moved it because—,”

—it reminded me of you, he narrowly stopped himself from saying.

“—I read that bamboo didn’t need as much light as I was giving it, so, I figured it would be fine if I transferred it,”

You bent your knees a little to take a closer look at it. “I see. The soil looks nice. Mind if I turn on the light to take a closer look?”

“Be my guest,”

You rotated the little key that controlled the lamplight. It flicked on, spreading a warm glow onto the books and papers on the desk. A glint reflected off a dollop of ink resting on a half-written paper.

You froze. That ink is fresh.

Bristling indignantly, you whisked your head towards him. He picked up the change in mood immediately and blanched.

“I thought you said you’d been resting,” you narrowed your eyes at him.

“I have,” He paused, confused. “Well—,”

“AHA!” You shouted. “I gotcha! This ink is fresh, Captain. Don’t think you can fool me,” You said triumphantly, placing your hands on your hips.

“Serval— she did send you, didn’t she?!” He sputtered. The usual stoic captain was nowhere to be seen as he rubbed the back of his neck in shame.

“Yes. She did. But also I would’ve come either way to make sure you weren’t wearing yourself out,” you snorted playfully. “She said it was highly likely you were doing paperwork. And paperwork IS. NOT. REST.” You shook a finger at him accusingly.

Gepard flinched slightly. “I’m not exerting myself physically, so there’s no need to worry, (Y/N). Really,”

The air around you seemed to grow dark. You cracked your knuckles, staring him straight in the face.

“Sit down. Now,”

He obliged, choosing to plunk down on his bed.

“I know it feels like you’re wasting time doing nothing, but your mind needs to recover too,” you shook your head disapprovingly while giving him an exaggerated sigh. “You should know that,”

You pulled up a chair in front of him and took a seat, facing the window so he was looking at your side profile.

“I don’t care if you’re the most capable man on Jarilo-VI—,”

—and it was pretty likely that he was,

“You need time to rest, just like everyone else,” you lectured, opening one eye to peer at him teasingly.

“Right,” Gepard replied, defeated. He had nothing against you.

“Did you even wear the scarf I gave you out there?”

“I did, but I didn’t want to dirty it,” he replied. You gave him a snort, which quickly turned into laughter.

“Aww. That’s thoughtful of you,” you flashed him a smile. “I made it knowing I might have to make you another one though. Or three. Just let me know if it gets too damaged to wear, okay?”

Gepard looked down at his striped pajama pants, a small smile crossing his features. “Thank you. I appreciate it,”

His chest almost hurt with all the things he wanted to say trying to fight their way out.

“No problem. If anything, you deserve it,” you sang. “On the other hand, have you eaten anything today?”

“I haven’t,” he rested his head on his chin. “I don’t seem to have an appetite, unfortunately,”

“I see. You should get something in ya though. Natasha told me your body could use the energy,” you stated knowledgeably.

He tried in vain to stamp down the feelings in his chest that sprouted from seeing your concerned expression.

For him. You cared about him.

Aeons, he didn’t deserve this.

“You can ask the cooks to make you some porridge or something,” you suggested. “I have some instant stuff, but it might not be to your liking,”

“I’m sure yours will be fine,” he rebutted quickly. “I’d be happy to eat it,”

You looked at him disbelievingly. I’ve never seen someone so determined to eat instant porridge,

His face stayed just how it was, his eyebrows weighing heavily on his eyes, just like twin anvils.

“Yeah, ok,” you let up. “Do you have a kettle or anything close by?”

“I believe there is one in the kitchen that they use for tea. You can ask the maids to retrieve it for you,” he motioned to the left.

You shook your head and got up. What use was it to call a maid for a trip that merely entailed going up and down the stairs? (Well, there were a stupid number of stairs, but that’s a whole other issue).

Kettle, bowl, spoon, and cloth napkin in hand, you bolted back upstairs to your patient. You plugged the kettle in and set it down on a towel so the heat didn’t damage the furniture.

Tapping your feet while you waited for the kettle to boil, you took a quick glance around the room. It told you a lot you needed to know about Gepard.

Firstly, he was relatively neat. Of course the areas of high traffic, like the bookshelves and the desk, were messier, but they hadn’t more than a few specks of dust on them. His uniform was hanging off of a dark oak armoire, and his military medals were pinned on a cork board attached to its door.

Secondly, there were quite a few pictures hanging on the walls. There were a few of him at awards ceremonies, at various ages. And one of him as a cadet— and wow— he was pretty short back then. He stood almost a whole head shorter than the other guards. You almost squealed with delight.

You turned back to him, noticing his eyes were glued to where you were staring. Oops.

You hurriedly apologized for staring so conspicuously at the photographs, but he shook his head at the statement. Photos were meant to be looked at, after all.

This quickly led to a slew of questions he wasn’t expecting, such as “How old were you when you joined the Guards?” And “Did Serval ever threaten to bench press you?”.

He almost laughed at that one. Probably. His nose wrinkled a little. Or whatever. You figured he’d finally laugh for real once the moons collided with Jarilo-VI.

The kettle began to whistle.

“Ah, water’s boiling,” you said, turning towards the outlet where it was plugged in.

Gepard had since settled down in bed, pulling the covers over his waist. You poured the piping hot water into the bowl carefully, the steam forming curls in the air, and covered it with a lid.

After a few minutes had passed, you set the bowl on a library book from your bag (Eek. Bad idea.) as a makeshift tray and stuck a spoon in it.

“Voilà. Enjoy!” You flung your arms in the air ostentatiously as he looked onward.

Gepard took a spoonful and blew on it gingerly. You watched him with an expectant look on your face. Although whether you were expecting something good or bad, you didn’t quite know.

He lifted it to his mouth and you zeroed in on him even harder.

“It’s delicious,” he said with conviction, meeting your eyes. You squinted at him.

“Um. Gepard, I think the fever is messing with your brain. Are you sure you can taste right now?”

“I’m sure,” he responded.

“No way!” You exclaimed, slapping your forehead. “Let me try— actually, wait. That’s a bad idea,” you sighed. “I’ll just have to believe you,”

The captain nodded affirmatively. He brought another spoonful up to his mouth and relished it, feeling the warmth spread across his tongue. You swore as you watched him savor it contentedly that you’d buy some on your way home to try for yourself.

While Gepard polished off the contents of his bowl, you yammered on about various events that had happened in Belobog while he was away. You had been saving them for when you got together for real, but you figured now was just as good a time as any.

Once he had finished, he rested the spoon on the side of the ceramic bowl.

“Thank you for coming to visit me, (Y/N),” he said gently.

“Someone had to,” you laughed while kicking your feet up. “When I heard you’d been bumbling about all day, I nearly had a heart attack!”

He ran a palm over his face, closing his blue eyes. “Yes— and I’m sorry for that,”

“I didn’t want to believe her, but you guys both have a tendency to push yourself way too hard, you know?”

“By her, you mean Serval?”

You pursed your lips at him.

“That’s how the Landaus are,” he exhaled heavily, letting out a small cough he quickly covered. “It’s… our duty to bring glory to our name, after all,”

You folded your arms. “Maybe by fighting valiantly or repairing automatons, but crawling through paperwork?? I don’t think so. Secretaries that want to help you are a dime a dozen. It’s a lot easier than risking your life in the Snow Plains,” you chortled.

“You’ve probably filled your glory quota for the next two centuries, Gepard,” you glowed. “Bronya and Pela know just how hard you work. You can always ask for help,”

Gepard sighed again. (He did that a lot.) You made a good point.

“I’m sure I’ll recover in no time, thanks to all of you,” he said sincerely. You imitated the sound of an explosion while opening your fist.

“Boom. Magic porridge,”

To your surprise, this elicited a short chuff from Gepard; This caused your breath to get lost somewhere in your throat.

It felt strange seeing him so unguarded in his bedroom with his hair unkempt, in contrast to the well-polished emblem of strength shown on the recruitment posters everywhere in the Administrative District.

You folded your hands over your lap contentedly, silently thanking Serval for clueing you in today. Out of the blue, Gepard spoke up.

“When I recover, would you like to go to the Belobog History and Culture Museum with me?”

That startled you. “Really? I have been wanting to go,” you gnawed on your thumbnail hesitantly. “But are you sure? With all the stuff you have on your plate?”

“Positively,” he replied, his blue eyes capturing all of your attention. You quickly averted your eyes before your circuits overheated. “Volunteers can bring in one guest for free. I… know we haven’t had too many chances to spend time together because we’re both busy, but I figured I’d make an offer anyhow,”

You didn’t catch the last half of that sentence over the sound of a train whistling in your ears.

This should be illegal.

Is he even hearing himself right now?? To— to spend time together?? If I wasn’t super-duper ultra perceptive, I’d think he—,

You clamped your hands on your cheeks (internally, of course) to still yourself, while the rest of you stared straight ahead.

Oh dear,

“Sure!” You blurted out, stiff as a statue.

Smooth, (Y/N).

Fortunately for you, an alert from your phone jostled you out of your internal minefield. You flipped it open while trying to expel far too many thoughts from your mind at once.

It was Serval. You popped into your messages app to see what she had sent— and in true Serval fashion— she had sent the most mind-boggling, disorienting message possible.

From: Serval at 13:44

S: how’s he doing? did u get there alright?

S: ahh you’re probably busy.

S: tuck him in for me, will u?

You nearly spit out your drink. Gepard blinked at you.

You— you can’t just SAY something like that, you cried internally. Not when my feelings are all messed up! I should get out of here before this gets any worse,

“Is something the matter?”

You sighed, long and heavy. “There’s always something, isn’t there?”

He made no move to make any inquiries.

“Anywho, I guess I should take my leave now,” you spoke, reaching down to pick up your messenger bag off the floor and rising from your seat. “before I keep you up any longer. Take it easy, okay?”

“Ah— yes,” he replied, not letting the disappointment leak into his voice. He wondered about the sudden change in mood, but he didn’t want to pry if it would cause you discomfort.

“I’ll… keep that in mind,”

You smiled warmly at him.

“Good,”

❆ — ❆ — ❆

Even though you had left with the reasoning that you didn’t want to keep him awake, Gepard was anything but tired.

His strict internal clock as a soldier was probably to blame. A sigh echoed throughout the room. It was way too quiet now. And the velvet curtains absorbed any sound too weak to escape them.

He had to do something to keep his mind active. Maybe reading, perhaps? But the only books he had on his bookshelf were on war strategy and history. Both of which were related to his job.

How about drawing?

Now, that didn’t sound too bad.

He got out of bed and picked up a pencil, a spare piece of paper, and the floriography manual you lent him, off of his desk to use as a hard surface. As he settled into his mattress, he peered out the window one last time. He spotted a familiar green beret against the tan limestone bouncing way faster than necessary down the steps leading to the plaza.

A chuckle escaped his lips.

Well, time to get started,

❆ — ❆ — ❆

You sat in the break room of the florist’s, reading the latest edition of Automatons Weekly while waiting patiently for the porridge you had bought from the grocers to finish absorbing the water.

Vaska sat across from you, drinking floral tea while flipping through Tales 2. You’d prepared a bowl of porridge for her as well, just a different flavor. Hers had flecks of green and black in it, and it smelled quite good. Rather savory, in your opinion. The one you had gotten Gepard was the plain kind.

They had a surprising amount of flavors of porridge specifically at the grocers, like cinnamon, coconut, banana, whatever. It was honestly overwhelming. The fact they spent so much time curating the porridge aisle was weird, considering they didn’t have anything worth buying from the Underworld. But nonetheless.

After lifting the lids and seeing that the grains were sufficiently cooked, you both dipped your spoons in and shoveled them in your mouth.

“Blech!” Vaska said, coughing her mouthful into a napkin. “It tastes like soap,” You looked at her wordlessly as you swallowed yours.

You pondered for a moment.

“You know… I think I’ve had dirt more flavorful,” you said, bursting into loud laughter. “And how exactly do you know what soap tastes like?”

Vaska gave you a look loaded with venom.

“Whatever. You up for some cookies?” You shrugged.

She snickered, cracking open the door to the sweets cabinet in response, and fished out a jar of Meg’s famous chocolate brownie cookies.

Well, so much for that plan.

2024 - Dreaming-of-Mossballs - Do not repost/translate without my permission - NO AI

💙 THANKS FOR READINF I LOVE YOU 💙

#gepard x reader #gepard x reader fluff #gepard fic #gepard fanfic #hsr x reader #hsr x reader fluff #hsr fic #hsr fanfic #bfabc #gepard x florist!reader #hsr x florist!reader #fanfic #Text #not genshin #gepard #gepard hsr #gepard honkai #gepard honkai star rail #Mossball_Writing #hsr #honkai star rail #star rail

[guccifrog]

bittersweet tragedy

chapter 1

(inspired by the movie a silent voice)

Matt sturniolo × f!reader

warnings: angst/swearing/bullying/deaf fem reader

do not copy/steal/translate my work!!

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴:

"(bittersweet tragedy-melanie martinez)"

01:23 ━━━━●───── 03:43

ㅤ ㅤ◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷ ㅤㅤ

₊˚

Back then, if we could have heard each others voices, everything would have been so much better.

But the wind didn't carry our words, and the snow didn't record our footsteps. All that was left were the memories of what could have been, frozen in time like the ice that covered everything else.

We continued our separate lives, never truly knowing what the other was thinking or feeling. Sometimes, in the silence of the night, I would wonder if she ever thought of me at all.

October/2019

The sky was covered in a heavy blanket of clouds, threatening to unleash its fury at any moment. The grasses seemed to have a party with the wind, dancing in their own rhythm, as screams and laughter echoed through the air. 

A group of middle schoolers was gathered around a small clearing, laughing and shouting as they played a game of tag.

The wind picked up, sending leaves and twigs flying through the air. A particularly strong gust caused a nearby tree to sway violently, its branches scratching against the sky, a 15-year-old girl sat down under the tree, watching the group play tag. She looked a bit bored as if she had seen all this before. 

she sighed, looking back to her lap her eyes scanning the pages of her book. The wind picked up even more, rustling the leaves around her and causing her hair to whip around her face. She pushed it back out of her eyes and went back to her book, lost in the words it contained.

Suddenly, a particularly strong gust of wind blew through the clearing, sending the book flying out of the girl's hands. Startled, she jumped to her feet, her heart racing as she watched the book tumble through the air. With a groan, she dashed after it, her legs carrying her quickly across the grass. 

As she neared the group of middle schoolers, she noticed a hand reaching out and grabbing the book just before it fell to the ground. A boy around her age stood there, a mischievous grin on his face. "Well, well, what do we have here?" he teased, holding the book above his head.

The girl's eyes widened as she realized who the boy was. He was in her class, but she didn't really know him. His name was Matt, and he was sort of popular in her school.

Matt continued to tease her, "Come on, you can have it back. I just wanted to see what you were reading that was so important." He smiled at her, his blue eyes twinkling. She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to trust him or not.

She reached out, trying to grab the book from him. her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Matt just laughed, stepping back and holding the book further away from her. "you can't have everything your own way, you know," he teased, grinning.

The girl felt her heart race faster. She wasn't sure if she should try to take the book from him or just walk away. As she hesitated, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a deafening crack of thunder.

The wind howled even louder, sending leaves and twigs swirling through the air. The group of middle schoolers playing tag nearby barely seemed to notice the storm brewing around them.

Matt glanced at the dark clouds gathering above, a slight frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. He didn't want to get caught in the rain, but he wasn't about to let her have the book just yet. "Looks like the weather's turning," he said, his voice barely above the roar of the wind. "Maybe I should head back."

She narrowed her eyes at him, she just wanted her book back. Matt suddenly turned to look at her frowning his eyebrow" What's that" he asked making her look at him in confusion.

He quickly reached his free hand to her ear, pulling out a device from it. "Oh," he muttered amused as he studied the hearing aids in his hands.

The boy looked up at her smirking" Want these back ?" He asked teasingly " Oh wait forgot you can't hear my bad" he added before extending his arm to hand her the hearing aids, the girl smiled softly but as soon as she reached out her hand to grab the aids she let out a gasp and her smile dropped as the boy's hand opened and the hearing aids fell to the floor, without hesitation Matt stomped on the hearing aids with a grin on his face. "Now what are you going to do huh?" he asked with a smirk.

Panic rose within the girl as she watched the boy destroy the only thing that made her feel normal like all the other kids. She couldn't believe he would do something so cruel.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened. The wind howled even louder, making it difficult for her to think clearly.

She glanced around, hoping someone would step in and help her, but the group of middle schoolers playing nearby seemed oblivious to the situation.

Matt continued to taunt her, "What are you going to do now, huh? You can't even hear me anymore!" He let out a laugh before turning to leave, disappearing into the crowd of children. 

The girl felt helpless and alone, her heart breaking as she knelt down to inspect the remains of her hearing aids. 

She could hardly believe that someone could be so cruel.

How could I be so cruel? She was so pure, so innocent, and yet I was constantly ruining her, just because I couldn't figure out my own feelings.

Every time I tried to explain how much she meant to me, I ended up making things worse. It was like opening a wound and pouring salt into it. I hated myself for it, but I couldn't seem to stop.

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[liyawritesss]

ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ꜰɪx ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ꜰɪx ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ

Characters: Insomniac!!Miles Morales x Black!Fem!Reader

Type: Fic

Word Count: 2k

Synopsis: You were one of the many things Miles had neglected when he took up the mantle of Spiderman, not to mention the fiasco involving ROXXON and The Underground during what was supposed to be his winter break from school. He plans on changing that on New Year's Eve.

Warnings: Light cursing, this is game miles who is canonically seventeen so be mindful of that when reading! Honestly nothing else just a boy tryna fix his mistakes lmao.

A/N: I just finished the game and when I tell you this boy got all types of giddy, like he’s so precious (as is every other miles) and deserves the world bc WHY THEY DO HIM LIKE THAT !!! Anyway hope you enjoyyyyy!!!

Song Suggestions: “So Into You” by Tamia; "Running On My Mind" by Ali Gatie

Tags: @6-noir @babyboiboyega @badass-dora-milaje @jacuzziwaters @mbakuetshurisprincess @shuriszn @verachii @writingintheshadowsforever @cafehyunji @lulu-network @niyahwrites @pantherheart @marsfunzon22 @briology @honeybleed @romiantic @queenofthespiderverse @onlyperc @starsoir @yasminisbroke @asensitivecookie @kdyance @sussybaka10 @daisydark @ykimobessed @famedrs-blog

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Miles would think that after spending much of November & December swinging through the many buildings of Harlem, that he’d be used to the biting cold that nipped at his skin through the material of his spider-suit. Feeling the piercing bite of snow and hail against his body that sting and melt upon contact was a reminder of just how much of his winter break wasn’t actually a ‘break’, what with everything that had happened during the holidays. 

Yet, when he was walking through the entrance of Central Park, the fur of his hood guarding the sides of his neck against the breeze that ruffled the branches and the fairy lights that were strung through them, he thinks that, somehow, someway, it’s gotten colder than what he can take.

He could have chalked it up to the unpredictability of New York weather, or the cold air that comes from the water that the city is surrounded by, but the thunder in his chest and the clamminess of his hands tells him otherwise. Eyes dart between the many passers by, some he knows, others he doesn’t but still greets out of kindness, but he’s got his eyes trained for someone in particular. Someone who’s face he’s not sure if he’s ready to see, nor knows if they will even spare him a glance.

Miles walks further into the park, passing the many stalls open for a variety of winter time snacks and foods for people to enjoy - hot chocolate, fresh-made cookies, soft pretzels - anything warm and filling as people wait for the real attraction to begin. As appetizing as it all looks, his own anxiety prevents him from thinking too hard on buying something to chase away the aching cold that’s beginning to rest in his bones - partially from his own anxiety, partially from the actual cold that keeps the mounds of snow solid and glistening even under the artificial lighting.

He tries to remember the words of Ganke and the encouragement of his mother. ‘She was completely into you, dude,’ said the raven haired boy as he pushed his glasses up his face, ‘as long as you’re sincere about it, I doubt she’ll just give you the cold shoulder.’

That’s the same reason she should give me the cold shoulder! Miles thought, but never said to Ganke, because in truth, they both were thinking it.

‘You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t rip your head off, mijo,’ Rio sighed, though if Miles was honest, he’d rather have heard that than any sugarcoating from the older woman, ‘whatever you decide to do, one thing is very clear; you have to be okay with whatever decision she choses as well.’

It wasn’t like Miles intended on ghosting you, but with the responsibilities of his newfound role as Harlem’s Spiderman, paired with the fiasco that was ROXXON and The Underground (which, he still dealt with the remnants of - the glowstick army held absolutely no chill, and it left a lot of mess for Miles to clean up on a day to day basis), there were a lot of things he’d unintentionally neglected.

His homework was one thing - he could speed through it and ask Ganke for help; and if he pulled the best sob story he could muster, he’d even be able to garner an extra day or two.

Salvaging a talking stage would be much more difficult. Proposing a relationship (which he had planned to do before…well, everything) was near impossible.

Fog comes from his lips as Miles sighs into the air, scanning the surrounding area that he’d walked into. Hearing a familiar song play over a distant speaker, it gives him an idea of where to begin looking for you.

His feet turn and move before his head does, and ironically, such a movement causes for his body to collide into another - and for a moment, the aching chill in his chest is replaced with a burst of warmth as the person stumbles into him while attempting to regain their balance.

“Shoot- sorry!” Miles is quick to apologize, though any further words get stuck in his throat when he realizes who exactly has bumped into him. 

Who could mistake the soft locks that adorned your head, cascading down your shoulders covered in your black jacket? Or the way your pretty eyelashes dance across your cheeks? Or those gorgeous eyes of yours that captivated him from the moment he saw you…

…which, as he begins to focus, Miles notices that they’ve shifted from shocked to disbelief. And not the good kind.

“Oh,” you murmur out, giving him a once over with little interest; but whether it was trained or genuine, he’d never know, “it’s just you.”

“Ouch,” Miles breathes, brows furrowing in hurt, “that hurts.”

“Good.” You huff, eyes scanning for a way out of the most awkward situation you could’ve found yourself in on what was supposed to be a memorable night out by yourself.

You try to escape, slipping past Miles’ side, brushing against his arm. Unfortunately, you don’t get far, when you feel the faint grip of his hand on your elbow, pulling you back. “Wait, (Y/N), can we just-”

“Wait?” The word leaves you in a scoff, and Miles knows that he’d chosen the wrong word to start off this encounter.

“I’m gettin’ real tired of that word- especially as it pertains to you.” you scoff, and it’s an especially hard jab into his chest that leaves a newfound sting that’s neither cold nor warm; just dull and painful.

“Really, really fucking tired, but y’know what?” He feels you spin around in his hold to face him, though now your words make him unable to look into your eyes as his hand falls, and your face twisted in frustration comes into view.

“I just happened to be such a nice person that gives people one too many chances they don’t deserve; so go ahead Miles,” you say, “go ahead and tell me what exactly I should be waiting for? What I have been waiting for?”

You had that effect on him - being able to render him speechless with little to no effort at all. It was one of many things that attracted him to you, and he’s reminded of that as he watches your hair fill with snowflakes and your eyes light up with a fire he’s never seen before.

“You’re angry-” Miles begins.

“I’m angry-” you scoff again, ready to turn and leave for the second time at his obvious observation.

“-you’re angry, and you should be; you have every right to be angry with me!” Miles tries to maintain a calm and collected composure as he speaks, though he can already feel his own frustrations influencing the evenness of his voice.

“You ghosted me, Miles.” You say, and the boy notes the way your expression shifts from vexation to hurt as you speak the words. “Two weeks, you ghosted me, and then you show up here and all you have to say for yourself is that ‘i have every right to be angry with you’?”

The brown skin boy winces at your cold words, his hand coming to wipe down the length of his face as he tries to formulate the right words to say to you, to somehow clear his name with you, and at least get you to not hate him. Because while he couldn’t tell you the truth - at least, not yet - perhaps his sincerity would justify his actions. He hopes it does, because this is possibly his only chance of ever reconciling with the girl he’d fallen for months ago.

“I know it looks bad,” Miles sighs, tugging his lip between his teeth as he speaks, “I know it looks real bad, but you have to believe me when I say I never meant for it to happen.” 

There’s a plea in his eyes that begs for you to hear him out, to spare him a moment of your time like you first did when he called your name down the halls of Visions Academy to talk to you and compliment your Spiderman charm on your bookbag. You’re silent as that memory flashes before you, and Miles takes it as an opportunity to continue.

“I’ve been dealing with a lot,” Miles begins again, “and I’ve been taking on so much, much more than I could handle, and it’s been weighing me down a lot; and I know that none of that is a justification for why I never responded back to you, but I mean it when I say that I never, never, meant for it to happen.”

There’s a soft waver in his voice that you pick up on, which causes your brows to furrow. The air around the two of you shifts to something warmer; the lights begin to blur - perhaps it’s because of the tears that begin to prickle at the corners of your eyes. The emotions build at an overwhelming pace.

Miles sees this, and slowly takes a step forwards towards you. When you don’t pull back, he begins to speak again.

“I meant what I said,” he mutters, close enough to do so, “about liking you- I-I'm crazy about you, (Y/N).”

It’s now your eyes that find it hard to meet his, constantly darting between his hazel orbs and the fabric of his red sweater underneath his coat. Arms folded across your chest in a metaphorical attempt to guard your heart, oddly reminiscent of the same stance you took when Miles initially told you that he wanted to talk to you on a romantic level.

Miles purses his lips together in a tightly, before parting them once more, “I’ve lost a lot already, with everything that’s happened.” he hums, and when your darting eyes finally settle onto his own, his hands reach for your arms to pull you in closer, hands shaky and unsure, but guided by an unrivaled sense of determination. “I don’t wanna lose you, too.”

There’s a long moment of silence that befalls the both of you, and Miles wonders if he’s said something wrong, if he’s mentioned something he shouldn’t have. He can’t read you, face obscured by the way your soft locs fall across your face. Yet, you haven’t moved from his hold, and while he doesn’t want to get his hopes up, he can’t help but feel a bit of solace in that fact.

A suck of your teeth and a raise of your head makes his stomach jump as he awaits your response; your eyes hold a sense of irritation, but if Miles is correct, there was an inkling of something else in there…

“It don’t take that much to text someone, Miles,” You mutter out, voice low and strained against your own emotions.

“I know.” He answers. “I ain’t got nothin’ to help my case there.”

The breathless chuckles that leaves his lips in an attempt to ease the air garners him the smallest of smiles to tug at your lips, and for once in this entire engagement, his stomach loosens from the tight pull his anxiety had on it.

“And I know that it hurt you…” he says these words carefully, still well aware of the tight rope that he walks in regards to making amends, “but if you’re willing to give me another chance…I can promise to try.”

Your jaw clenches in thought, silence befalling the two of you once again. There was a part of you that was resistant to his insistence, a part that had suffered and wanted to refuse his advances in fear of being subjected to the possibility of it happening again. Yet, you made the choice to look up at him once again, and while you hate to admit it, the way the fairy lights dance in his eyes and shine against his skin is definitely clouding your judgment in the moment.

You suck your teeth again, an unamused expression donning your face as your arms drop from your chest and instead find their way onto his. The other hand that rested on your arm now travels to your waist - careful in his movements, aware that while you’ve dropped your guard and entered his space, Miles still has a lot of making up to do.

“I’ll think about it,” You hum, and it garners you a smile from him; that was practically code for I’ll unblock you, but you’re still in the doghouse.

“I’ll think about it while you buy me hot chocolate.”

“Yup, there it is.” Miles teases, lips spreading into a hearty chuckle.

“Uhuh, get to movin’, big steppa.” A gentle push on his chest has Miles turning in the direction of the nearest hot chocolate stand. You follow in tow as the clunking of his Timberlands echo against the ground, your own shoes creating a softer sound as they follow in tow.

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