#its been a few days and i JUST realized i put the bandages on the wrong arm omg 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

[chuluoyi]

Hey you!! I am still a bit quite new to the jjk fandom and everything going around but i am reading tons of things and your page became my fave in like a blink of an eye, no joke!!! Like i swear everything you write with Gojo goes through my soul and beyond🔥💕 i was thinking if you would maybe sometime take on the idea of how would Gojo react if his wife/gf is pregnant and him the protective dude he is, looses his shit when she gets hurt (either random or an a mission)?and taking care of her after.

Also i hope you are well and send you all the hugs and love i can give from where I am💜💜💜

࿐ ࿔ before the dawn

tw: pregnancy, mentions of blood, satosugu angst, hurt/comfort. goes through your soul and beyond? omg that’s the highest praise🤧 oh and hurt/comfort is actually my roman empire! to fit in love entries, i have to put it in the jjk0 timeline... and also sending love for you too nonnie!! this is so sweet aww thank you🫶🏻✨

a part of gojo's love entries

“…geto suguru is going to unleash curses in tokyo and kyoto.”

you stood still, suddenly feeling like your world had crashed. you blinked at what ichiji had just said after stuttering many times. “huh? geto… suguru?”

you just had your prenatal checkup with shoko, and you had suspected something serious had been going on by the grim way she looked and how she tried to evade your questions. satoru too had been kind of busy these past few days, and he was sorry to leave you more often because of “a business he had to take care of.”

so this was the business.

“how? why?” you asked ichiji with widened eyes, the horror dawning on you surely and fast. “how is he—doesn’t that mean… he’s— he’s going to be hunted down?”

that was a stupid question. suguru had been a criminal for ten years, of course they were going to catch him. it shouldn’t be new, you knew it. but this was an act of terrorism. this was the gravest and he could—suguru could…

three years of your and satoru’s youth flashed in your mind. the laughs. the memories. how? why must everything escalate this way?

“they’re g-going to… eliminate him.” ichiji looked down with regret, swallowing hard as he told you this. “gojo-san… he’s going to participate in the battle too.”

hearing that, suddenly you felt sick to your stomach. another reality crashed: satoru could end up murdering his best friend.

almost immediately, your womb clenched and throbbed with such intensity that your breath hitched, and you lurched forward, gripping onto ichiji’s arm tightly—

“ahh!” a scream tore its way out of your throat as you crumbled to the ground. the vice-like gripping pressure that assailed you sent waves of pain coursing through your belly and there was something wet and scarlet trickling down your legs.

blood. you wheezed, whimpered and your voice came out in panicked gasps. “b-baby… my baby—!”

“i will get you to ieiri-san!” ichiji immediately carried you back to shoko’s infirmary, trying not to turn into a blubbering mess. your anguished cries resonated through the quiet hall as you held onto your spasming abdomen, and ichiji could only pray with all his heart that you would be okay… or else gojo would definitely have his head.

he was informed through a phone call, that you passed out due to shock.

satoru felt his ears ring. everything blanked out afterwards. you were bleeding. you and your baby were bleeding. you weren’t supposed to and he wasn’t even there.

you were already so far along in your pregnancy and there was only a little over two months left before your due date. despite the impulse to scream at ichiji for subjecting you to such shocking news, he realized it would be futile, because in the end, you deserved to know.

he dashed towards the infirmary, the bandages on his eyes unraveling to reveal the bright glint of his six eyes as he met shoko’s stern gaze.

“where is she?” his voice came out ragged, almost in a growl, and his fists were clenched so tightly.

his remaining friend solemnly guided him towards your room and he wasted no time to rush inside, heart in his throat to make sure that no harm had come to either you or his baby.

“...satoru?” you were sitting on the bed, still pale, the swell of your belly was prominent even under the blankets. he looked at you with a mix of fright and concern and pulled you into his arms, breathing in your scent.

“you alright?” he inquired, voice softened exponentially as he pressed kisses on your head. “does it still hurt anywhere?”

“no, shoko has—”

“your belly no longer hurts? baby okay?” his palm brushed against your abdomen, lips tugged into a very concerned frown, and when the baby kicked him was when satoru could finally heave a sigh of relief.

“you scared me so much,” he whispered into your ear in a rasp and a sigh, before squeezing his eyes shut and reveling in your familiar warmth. one of his hands rested on where your baby was, to feel his twists and turns inside you, while the other continued to hold you in his embrace.

“satoru…” you mumbled, leaning against his sturdy chest and sensing the rapid beats of his heart. you felt exhausted and guilty for having mortified him, but you must clarify one thing. “they said… geto will curse everyone… is that true?”

his heart sank at your innocent question. “for now… can we just stay like this? i will answer you later, but for now…”

and you indulged him. over the years, you learned that satoru needed assurance in physical form more than you did. your heart fluttered as he patted your back and rubbed your belly many times, his worry crystal clear.

“i’m sorry i wasn’t here… and i’m sorry that i tried to hide it from you,” he began. “in my defense, i don’t want you to put you through more stress. you have our baby to worry about already.”

as he explained things to you afterwards—about how your once kind, respected senior was now radically persistent in his pursuit of eradicating non-sorcerers and targeted yuta, your eyes watered with tears once again.

“can you stop him?” your lower lip trembled, beginnings of sobs welling up within you. “satoru… he’s… was—your best friend…”

geto suguru was an undeniable part of your vibrant youth. a part of you never got over how he decided to abandon everything during your last year of high school.

and you knew that your husband too must feel the same, with how crestfallen he looked now. it was the greatest betrayal for him to see the only person who understood him branched away to the worst path possible.

“shh... sweets, look,” satoru made you face him, the blue of his eyes darkening as he joined both of your hands together in his, dropping down on one knee before you. “for now, please— please, just focus on yourself. i don’t want you to get hurt.”

“but—”

“i won’t be able to forgive myself if you or our baby are not the slightest bit fine.”

you went silent at that. gojo satoru never showed his weakness to anyone, and with you, rarely. yet, in this moment, he appeared vulnerable, confessing that losing the only thing that kept him sane—this little family you made—would be unbearable.

“i’m fine, i promise,” you reassured, pulling your hand away before wrapping your arms around his neck, seeking his comfort and letting your tears to finally fall freely. “i’m sorry for earlier…”

“don’t. i should’ve told you sooner, that way you wouldn’t bleed,” satoru firmly rebuked in a grave tone, his voice tinged with self-deprecation as he hugged you again in return, stroking your hair. “did it hurt much? you must’ve been so terrified…”

“i was spooked, but we’re fine…”

“i’m going to take leave for the next few days, yeah? we’re going to be together. i can't—in this state of mind—leave you alone.”

the thought of potentially losing your baby filled him with terror. everything else be damned—including suguru’s atrocities, he had to take care of you first.

because you were the one who stood by his side when his world was at its darkest—you had came to him with the light of the dawn. he was forever grateful to you for becoming the apple of his eye, mending his broken heart, and ultimately becoming his everything.

he wouldn't let anything happen to you. that was his vow to himself. and he was a man of his word.

. . .

it didn't occur to you until much, much later, after all was said and done—after you were notified of suguru's death on december 24, that his mind had been set since then, because satoru had never promised you that he would be able to stop him.

#𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 #gojo satoru x reader #gojo x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jjk x reader #gojo satoru #jjk imagines #jjk drabbles #jujutsu kaisen x reader #satoru gojo x reader #jjk angst #jjk hurt/comfort #gojo satoru angst #gojo angst #gojo satoru fluff #jjk fluff #gojo x you #satoru gojo fluff #satoru gojo imagines #satoru gojo angst #jujutsu kaisen imagines #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #gojo fluff

[sillygoosealert]

🫡 I will send in a request for some Bi-Han angst. Let’s do one where reader and Bi Han are in an argument (as couples do) and reader says something that’s very true (like idk he’s too quick to anger) And this causes a reaction out of him. And of course, being a stinky sexy angry man, he ends up lashing out in anger. And OOP- ice shards come flying towards reader, (the cold never bothered me anyway) cutting her cheek and slashing her forearm, along with a few other scrapes. Bi Han realizes she’s actually fucking RIGHT and showers reader with love, praise, and begins helping with her wounds. (Fluffy? Apology sex maybe 🤔)

WAIT WAIT THINK THINK BRAIN BLAST THIS IS REALLY AMAZING

Enough Anna..I SAID ENOUGH o(≧口≦)o

Bi-Han angst to fluff to sex 🤯 afab

‘Do you even for once want to think about how I feel about this? Because if you took a second to even talk to me half of your problems wouldn’t exist.’

His back is turned from you as he washes the blood out of one of his uniforms

‘Why won’t you look at me, I want to talk to you but you make it so, so hard. Can you even look at me, can you handle looking at me?’

‘Wouldn’t you like that? For me to just look at you and change everything about me. This is who I am, and you can either acknowledge that or continue to live in ignorance.’

‘But this isn't who you are. You are making rash and unusual decisions. I'm worried you are going to do something you'll regret immensely. You're quick to rage and you know that.’

He whips around, ice coming from his arm going towards you

‘What would you know about being Grandmaster? I am helping my clan- my people. They are thriving and are respected because of me.’

You don't hear what he says as your arms go up to protect your face and stomach from the ice shards.

They slice through your skin with ease, going through your forearm and shoulder. One even skims your cheek

It was only after his speech that Bi-Han noticed what he had done, a rash, and unusual decision that he immediately regretted.

But he doesn't make a move to go toward you, he just stands there in shock

However, you move, you move away from him quite quickly

‘Come back here. I meant no harm in my actions.’

You do not come back. You run off to the nurses

When the sky turns dark and inflicts its symptoms of the night- drowsiness, and the need for another to be by your side as you rest; you are no where to be seen

He knows it would be better to find you himself

So he wonders around until he finds you, bandaged up and sitting on a bench

‘I have been looking for you’

You look in his direction

‘Why didn't you come back’

‘You know why’

‘Please come back’

He's frowning, more than usual

‘Please?’

‘Please’

You get up, slowly walking to him

‘What do you need me to do to get you to come back?’

‘I don't know Bi-Han, everything hurts and I'm injured. I don't know if I want to come back.’

‘I’ll carry you back if you would like’

‘You’ll carry me back?’

You sound amused but he looks serious

He picks you up bridal style and starts to walk back to his room

‘You can’t just change for a day and expect me to forgive you. I don't think you'll keep up with this.’

‘With what?’

‘Being nice to me.’

He doesn't say anything to that.

After he returns to his room, he sits you on the bed

‘You are dirty’

‘Yes, I am.’

‘How do I help you clean, with your bandages?’

‘I need to take them off first, then put on new ones after’

‘So it's fine if you clean your wounds in the bath?’

‘Yes’

‘Okay..’

He takes you to his bathroom, carefully undressing you

‘Ow-’

‘Did I hurt you, What did I do?’

‘My shirt, you took it off too fast. My shoulder isn't looking good, I can just take off my own clothes..’

He shakes his head, pulling you onto his lap

‘I will be more gentle. Where else do I need to be wary of?’

‘It's just my upper body, everything else is mostly fine’

After removing your clothes, he turns on the water

Keeping you on his lap, he strokes your hair with one hand, and the other is wrapped around your waist

‘Feel the water, is that temperature okay with you?’

‘That's fine’

He slips you in, holding onto your chest rather than your arms

‘I am regretful of my earlier treatment of you. Will you let me show you I am sorry?’

‘Depends, how do you plan on showing me you didn't mean to harm me?’

‘You will see’

After bathing you, he sits you on his bed

‘Where do I need to wrap you?’

‘Shoulder and arm, anything else is fine being left alone’

He's slow and cautious when treating you, knowing you are vulnerable

You sit there naked and shivering as a man, much gruff, holds you

‘Does that feel secure?’  

‘Yes, thank you’

‘I am..sorry’

‘I know’

He frowns, squeezing your cheeks with one of his hands

You return this act, cupping his face with one of your hands

When you think he's leaning in to kiss you, he just presses his forehead against yours

‘I want to make you feel good’

‘How do you plan to do that?’

He's in between your thighs, slowly laying down so his head is on your cunt

Oh

With a little kitten lick, he starts to work on your clit

His hands are gripping your thighs as you have a hold of his hair

Slipping in two fingers, he starts to pump them in and out of your warm pussy

One of his hands wonders onto your chest and plays with your nipple

Then he starts to thrust his tongue into your vagina, his fingers now playing with your clit

The pace is fast and hard, and he's grinding into the bed

His nose is stimulating you along with his fingers, its too much

You don't ask him to stop though, that doesn't even cross your mind

With another suck to your clit your hips stutter and you squirt into his mouth

He licks it up, even lapping at your pussy to try to get more

Sighing into the bed, he rides out your orgasm

When he doesn't stop though, your thighs clench around his head on instinct

Pulling away, he wipes his lips

‘Did you feel good?’

‘Yes Bi-Han, thank you’

‘Do you still hold what happened earlier against my character?’

‘I won't just forget what happened, but I don't hate you for it’

You run your fingers through his hair as he lays his head on your chest

‘Okay..’

‘I love you, I hope you know that’

‘Thank you..’

You kiss his head and you both doze off, what happened earlier doesn't matter right now

Nothing matters right now, it's okay

🎀

#mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat #bi han #bi han x reader #bihan #mk1 bi han #angst #mortal kombat bi han #mk1 angst #bi han smut #bi han mk #bi han mortal kombat #bi han sub zero #mk bi han #bi han x you #mk sub zero #mortal kombat sub zero #mk1 sub zero #sub zero #mk 1 #mk smut #mortal kombat smut

[sunnyferr]

"The characters from Naruto realizing they're in love."

Hello, this is my first headcanon! Please bear with me as I'm not very fluent in English, but I'll do my best <3

Characters: Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru

The first thoughts towards you were something like "She's too nice of a girl!" because you were kind and quite fun, to be honest! I spent most of my time with you. If we weren't training, we were eating ramen at Ichiraku, and if we weren't eating, we were bothering Tsunade or Sakura.

Spending time with you became a habit in our afternoons, mornings, and nights. There were times when you went on missions for almost a whole week. Strangely, I felt empty without you. After all, you were my teammate and best friend, right?

Well... not entirely. I loved you, but I just thought it was another teenage crush like the one with Sakura. But it wasn't really like that. I felt a connection for a long time. The fear of rejection was the real issue...

The day I accepted loving you was the day you almost lost your life facing some ninjas from the Sound Village. You came back badly wounded. Seeing that scene, I felt something break inside me. I didn't want to see you harmed, I wanted to protect you.

When you came out of the hospital, with your hands bandaged and a few scratches here and there, I was waiting for you at the door. Upon seeing me, you asked what I was doing there. I invited you to eat ramen, thinking it would ease any pain you were feeling at that moment. We walked slowly to Ichiraku, sat down, and ate almost until bursting. Both of us satisfied, you put money on the table, but I placed a sum higher than yours. You looked at me strangely, "I'll pay, y/n-chan..." You vehemently refused, trying to pay yourself. Ichiraku and its daughter watched amusedly, the argument was small, like when we argued as kids. After some back and forth, we split the bill evenly, and we left the food stall. I walked you home, we talked about everything, but little by little I felt our hands brushing more than usual. Suddenly, I stopped and stood in front of you, uttering the words that had been longing to come out of my mouth.

"These past few days have been the best since you've been with me. I would like to always be by your side... I ask you, please, to be my girl until the end of time. I promise I'll always protect you! Dattebayo!"

Quite challenging, honestly. He's like a stone, shows you NOTHING, I'd even believe a stone could show more affection than him. The first thought he had of you was a 'hmph...' and NOTHING ELSE.

But that changes when he sees you train. He sees you as a strong and powerful woman, trying to move forward and continue training with a fixed goal in mind. He adores that his partner has a fixed goal and strives to achieve it (as he does, actually).

He wants a partner who fights alongside him, not someone he has to rescue from every problem they encounter. And when he noticed how independent and resourceful you were, he fell for you like nobody else.

At first, it was hard for him to accept that he was utterly lost in your presence as the Alpha Female, given that his pride is bigger than his body. But he wanted you to be with him as his future wife and to restore the clan with you (😏).

He took you by surprise, seeing him at the window of your house, leaning on the frame. The moonlight illuminated the room, and the curtains danced in an infinite seeming dance. Sasuke had left the village a long time ago, but he visited you almost every day, and you never knew the exact reason, but you almost expected him every day. 'What are you doing here? I thought you had an important mission tonight!' you said, snapping out of the surprise that the dark-haired boy had given you. He stepped away from the window frame and approached you slowly, taking your hands delicately. His hands were very cold compared to yours, which radiated a warm embrace. He sighed and spat out the words that had been stuck in his chest:

"I need to be by your side. It makes me feel calm with myself. Right now, I'm giving you the opportunity to escape together and restore my clan... both of us, together."

(my baby❤️)

He is the true "mastermind" (Taylor reference). Since he realized his love for you, he began to play with your mind little by little so that you would fall into his love trap.

I know he seems like a lazy guy who doesn't care about anything (which he actually is), but when he felt the direct hit to his heart, he realized he couldn't let you slip away from him.

"How annoying you are, I guess I'll have to accompany you so you don't get lost, right?" It seems like you're forcing him to accompany you, right? NO, he indirectly offered to take you to Training Ground Number 5 (even though you knew perfectly well where it was).

He would make all the dominoes fall perfectly in his favor, and he knew that you also felt something strong for him (Ino, the gossip, never tell him about your loves again).

You arrived at the gates of the village; you had been away for a few days on an important mission, with an important scroll in your hands. At the entrance, the boy with eyes as dark as night was waiting for you. He greeted you as usual, teasing you about being too slow. He always made silly jokes because he knew it annoyed you a little, but it was funny to see you like that. He offered to carry the scroll together, and you accepted. You walked together to the Hokage's tower, and before entering Tsunade's office, a hand on your wrist stopped you.

"Lately... you've been more annoying than usual... you never leave my mind, and the clouds I see every day. I need to confess to you that I don't want you to be just annoying in my dreams, but also by my side. What do you say?"

#naruto #naruto x reader #naruto uzumaki #naruto shippuden #naruto fluff #naruto boys #naruto manga #sasuke uchiha #sasuke x reader #uchiha x reader #sasuke uchiha x reader #team 7 #shikamaru nara #shikamaru x reader #nara shikamaru #naruto shikamaru

[onestepbackwards]

Love That Bites Pt. 11

Hi! Here's part 11 to my Dracula x Reader series! I apologize for the huge delay, I've had a lot going on IRL, so I haven't has as much time/energy to write as I would have liked. Still, I hope you enjoy! I hope to have more happen in the next chapter as well, hopefully some action! Summary: Dracula finally manages to get things running somewhat smoothly, only to run into a snag when it comes to the potions he's had made for you. Thankfully, it isn't as big of a setback as it could be, so long as he can see you beginning to heal. During all of it, he begins to recognize some old feelings...

CW: Injury mention, death mention, brief description of injury, thoughts of murder,

Word Count: 6244 Words!

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Likes and reblogs appreciated!

Tag List: @pumpkinvampie, @bethleeham, @mshope16, @sixsixtwenty, @haleypearce, @rvautomatic, @tinystarfishgalaxy, @marshmelloe, @maorizon, @ursamajor17, @sapphicsfordracula, @dame-sunflowers, @sleepyendymion, @starrlo0ver, @onewiththebeanbag First: Here! Last: Here! Next: Here! - - -

Dracula was beginning to wonder just how you had managed to survive so long on your own.

He wasn’t doubting your skills. In fact, Dracula could tell from a glance you were a powerful fighter, much like your ancestors had been. He wouldn’t be surprised if you were one of the strongest Belmonts yet.

No, he was concerned over how you seemed lacking when it came to taking care of yourself.

Sure, you had bandaged yourself on the way to his castle, and he was thankful you seemed to have some sort of survival instinct.

But he noticed you didn’t put in too much effort though in your own health overall.

It wasn’t just from how you came to his castle recently, but something he had noticed long before he had been freed.

After the first few times he saw you, it was clear to him. You would briefly mention your headaches, and your homelife, how you just ‘dealt’ with it.

You had mentioned to him in a joke how even though you had been sick at one point, you just pushed through it while sleeping in your car for a week.

He couldn’t ask you at the time why you did such things, being trapped in stone. Now, he felt it would be counterproductive to ask you. Not until you were comfortable around him.

But it was a horrifying thing you mentioned offhandedly while eating a sandwich, and you refused to elaborate. Why would you put yourself through that?

Add that to his mental list of reasons why he had to investigate your home life. If anything, that was blatantly unhealthy. How the hell was your immune system putting up such a fight on its own if that was how you handled being sick at your home?

How did you handle most injuries before you met him? A part of him really did not wish to find out, but he couldn’t help but feel the desire to know.

Dracula was at least thankful you mentioned a small cabin once. After you had mentioned it while he was stone, you realized what you had said, and were quick to try and change the subject. You had not meant to tell him about it, it seemed.

But he was thankful at least that you had a small place nearby to rest.

At one point throughout the day as he checked in on you, he briefly considered going to see this cabin, or sending a scout to see where it was. However, he dismissed this idea almost as soon as he had thought it.

You’d no doubt be upset if you found out he had done so, and he would be willing to bet you had traps all over the land leading up to your small sanctuary away from your home.

It was only logical to assume so. You had found his castle nearby your own property.

Something he didn’t fail to see irony in. Of course his castle would choose a place nearby a Belmont’s property.

Still, if it had been him in your situation, he would have placed traps on top of traps once finding out such a thing. Sending an underling was just asking for it to either be captured, destroyed, or injured. Or for such information to spread to less enthusiastic minions who were disgruntled about your stay here.

No doubt when you inevitably left, you would check the traps, or at least notice one out of place, if not finding a dead monster's remains on your land. Dracula couldn’t afford to have you lose trust in him just because he was curious.

Yes… Dracula would wait, and put his patience to the test. He’d try to get you to open up to him, and show him yourself.

You already were showing you didn’t detest him, something that was bringing an old warmth to his cold heart.

He’d even wager you opened up to him just a little earlier, when you had mentioned your injuries had been from something personal.

Sure, it wasn’t a large amount of information, but it was progress.

Now, he just had to keep this progress going forward, something Dracula knew was not going to be smooth sailing as he had hoped. There was already unrest in the castle, he could just feel it.

No one had said anything to him, but Dracula was more in tune with his castle and its magic than people gave him credit for. Every being here had energy that was woven with the castle’s in some way shape or form.

And people were anxious.

Some were restless, some were afraid. Many were irritated.

A Belmont being treated as a guest? He knew it would only be a matter of time before someone or something acted out.

Dracula just hoped it wouldn’t be at your expense. He could clean any other mess as need be, but he wouldn’t stand you being injured further.

Alas, he couldn’t act unless someone else acted out first, or he could see they were planning something that involved you. Dracula, loathe as he may to admit it, would only cause more unrest by acting too hastily.

That was fine though, he could bide his time.

The only thing that had him on edge was your current injuries. Or rather, he didn’t want you fighting with your injuries and making them worse, especially after your healing has been progressing nicely.

Speaking of which, You were healing incredibly quickly. If it wasn’t for your lineage, he would have guessed you had some sort of distant supernatural blood in your veins, such as vampirism.

Still, even though you were healing at an impressive rate, it still wasn’t enough. Your injuries by all means could have killed you, and they were still deep and fresh.

His fingers tapped on the wood of his desk in his study, concern no doubt etched clear on his features.

Those potions should be finished today, or at least the first batch of them. The stronger type usually required a longer amount of time to simmer for better healing effects. Time though, was not something he could afford, so a batch of the regular sort would have to do.

Of course, he’d have to thoroughly check them himself after his alchemists were finished. He had not explained who the potions were for when he had ordered it to be done, but now, there was no doubt in his mind the ones creating the potions knew it was for a hunter.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t even trust most of his underlings with this. Even his more trusted ones, he was going to be forced to keep an eye on.

The chances of his alchemists messing with your potions were low, but not impossible. Thankfully, he knew potions very well after studying them centuries ago. Dracula was confident he could catch any ‘unneeded’ ingredients that might slip in the finished batch.

However, he hated that he would have to check.

“How bothersome…” he mumbled as he pressed his face into the palm of one of his hands.

Looking for poison itself wasn’t the issue, it’s something he’ll gladly do. It was the fact this would mean it would take longer to get the potions to you that irritated him.

If the potions were tampered with, like he worried they might be, he’d probably have to make them himself. Something he would also do without pause, but again, he didn’t wish for you to stay injured any longer than necessary.

Dracula rubbed his eyes for a moment, wondering how he had grown so protective of you like a mother hen.

The last time he could remember fretting over someone, was whenever his late wife had gotten sick, or when his son fell ill once or twice.

Back before everything fell apart.

He sighed, feeling another migraine coming on. It wouldn’t do well to think of that now. The less distractions, the better.

At least one good thing came from this. You were receptive to him checking in on you. Dracula doubted you would trust any of his underlings to do it, or at least any of them bringing you meals.

Not without him there to supervise, it seemed.

It was small, but that amount of trust you had in him was a lot for the circumstances.

Dracula felt another sigh escape his lips, and he ignored the temptation to lay his head on his desk like a daydreaming school boy.

What were you doing to him? Had the Great Dracula really fallen for a Belmont?

His eyes widened slightly at his own thoughts.

Fallen? No. Though he detested the idea of admitting he had a schoolboy crush.

He could at least admit he felt fonder for you than some human teenager just figuring themselves out, thank you very much.

Deep down however, thinking about this unsettled him.

Dracula cared for you. He could admit that in his head whole heartedly. Somehow, the Little Belmont had wormed their way into his cold, dead heart without even trying.

But he feared to think about what that meant for him. His life. His future. Your future.

The trust between you two was rocky, but it was there. Could he really push to have you trust him more? Was that really a future he could hope for? Try for? To even care about?

Was it even worth it?

Dracula ran a hand through his hair, and debated summoning another glass of blood to sooth the migraine he could already feel forming in his temples.

Himself and your family had been doomed to fight for centuries. Would even trying to open up the possibilities of at least a friendship be very wise?

Looking from the outside, it seemed like something doomed to fail.

So why did he want to try?

His fingers began to thrum idly on the desk again.

The answer was still the same as before. It was you.

You were different. Different from most Belmonts.

Was wanting to bet on that difference really worth the possible pain? Heartbreak? Potential agony?

Vlad’s eyes drifted over to a portrait that hung in his private study. One depicting his precious Lisa.

Lisa had been worth it, even if his time with her had been so cruelly cut short. He knew her time with her would have been limited, as she had wanted to stay human. It was one of the things that had made her so precious.

One of the few things he regretted was not being there for her when she needed him most. Probably one of his biggest regrets, alongside not being next to Elisabetha when she passed back when he had been human.

So perhaps… This too, would be worth it.

He could not deny that this was a golden opportunity. If, by small chance, he could change fate…

Perhaps he would not have to suffer being killed once more, and this damned cycle between him and your family could finally break.

Dracula was no fool. He was sure this cycle affected your family just as much as it did him. Ever since Leon, almost every Belmont has had to learn to fight creatures of the night. Either to be a hunter, or to avoid simply being the prey.

No doubt not every Belmont liked this, and judging from the small glimpses of your home life he has seen, the Belmont clan seems to have fallen into disrepair.

There was a darkness in your eyes when you spoke about your home, one that had him worrying all over again.

That was something else he was going to have to focus on. Your life at home.

Given that your clan was full of vampire hunters, even if he did by chance get your home’s location, he doubted himself or any of his underlings would be able to get too close. Surveillance wouldn’t be an easy option, or most likely would not be an option at all.

Unless, of course, your family’s home and protections have also deteriorated. Perhaps getting close to the home wouldn’t be as big of an issue.

But alas, he wouldn’t risk most of his underlings finding your home like that. He has a few he trusts, sure, but he couldn’t in good faith let most of them know where you lived.

All it would take is one slip up, and your home would no doubt be swarmed. Even if it wasn’t monsters from his circles, it wouldn’t take much from other groups to learn and decide to exterminate you en masse.

Even if no one could penetrate your home’s defenses, it wouldn’t be hard to stage an ambush to have you assassinated the moment you left your property. Or anyone else that lived with you.

Dracula’s eyes narrowed at that thought. Oh, how that was tempting, just to see those who may have hurt you torn to shreds.

But he had to wait. He’d have vengeance for you one way or another.

Before he could contemplate who he had to murder, he heard a brisk knock at his door. Crimson eyes narrowed, and with his mask slipping back into place, he sat back in his chair.

“Enter.”

Large doors to his study creaked open, and one of the alchemists he had working on your potions stepped into the room. A young man who had answered the Castle’s magical call for power and safety.

The young man before him tried not to tremble under his gaze, barely making eye contact before looking at a different part of the room. Dracula had to hold back an annoyed sigh.

A shame those who could create potions were few and far between, leaving him with such a sniveling fool. At least he could get the job done, along with the few others he had working under him.

“Is the task I set for you and the others finished?” he asked, thrumming his fingers against the desk once again, a bored look on his face.

Swallowing nervously, the alchemist nodded, before remembering he needed to speak.

“Y-Yes, milord. The first batch of potions has finished, but…”

Dracula raised an eyebrow. He was already nearing the end of his patience.

“But?”

The young man flinched, and the vampire tried not to roll his eyes.

“I’m afraid, ah… this batch won’t be that potent, due t-to us having to rush…”

As if Dracula didn’t already anticipate that.

No matter though. What was important was getting you something to fend back the majority of your injuries. Even if it is just enough to help you fight infection and mend a few patches of skin, it was better than nothing.

“I’m aware of the effect of making potions on such short notice. Is that everything?”

For a split second, the alchemist’s heartbeat spiked, and he avoided looking at the Vampire Lord. Dracula forced his face to remain neutral.

How curious.

“That’s everything, sir.”

Almost immediately, the shadows in the room crawled forward, and the temperature dropped a noticeable amount.

Dracula stood up from his chair to his full height, and leaned over his desk. His claws dug into the wood, and his eyes grew black and red.

“Tell me, Alchemist, why are you lying to me?”

A squeak left the young man’s lips, and he physically shrunk in on himself. No one wanted to be on Dracula’s bad side.

“I don’t tolerate liars in my court.”

The Alchemist fell backwards onto the floor in a scramble, and shuffled backwards a few feet. The door magically shut behind him, and he looked as if he were to faint.

Dracula felt the air grow heavy around him, and the pathetic man in front of him began to pant and shake.

“Now, what is it you are hiding from me?”

The threat was clear as day. Should the young man in front of him lie, or do something foolish, he would not live to see tomorrow.

Swallowing thickly, the Alchemist shakily stood to his feet.

“I… As I was finishing up my batch of potions, I overheard a few of the witches talking.”

Dracula had the tension in the air lesson to a degree. The boy in front of him was willing to speak, so he may as well not make it too difficult, lest the coward faint.

Though he made sure his displeasure was apparent.

“Go on.” Eyes darted between him and other parts of the room, the Alchemist shrunk in on himself further before speaking.

“I… I overheard them talking about how they think the hunter has bewitched you. That the hunter is going to kill you, and everyone involved.”

Dracula wanted to scoff. Just mild gossip. He wasn’t surprised it was already making the rounds, though he’d have to keep an eye on it lest it fester into something unmanageable without conflict.

Rumors and resentment building would only cause unrest, and the less he had to deal with, the better.

“And just who were the witches who were discussing this?” The man swallowed. “I don’t know.” “So you didn’t think to get a look on who it might be?” He shook his head, fingers twitching idly.

“No sir. But…”

Dracula could feel the throbbing in his temples. Perhaps he should summon some wine…

“...The witches talked about wanting to do something before it was too late.”

Now that caught Dracula’s attention.

“They what?!”

The Alchemist winced, though straightened up a little now that Dracula’s ire wasn’t entirely directed at him.

“I-I have no evidence, nor was I able to follow them, but- I think some of them might be planning something, sir.”

The room’s temperature dropped further, and at the moment, the Alchemist felt like his soul left his body.

Dracula was well known for his fury.

How his anger was icy, yet his fury ran hot.

“Planning something?”

His voice was low, in a way that was like a growl. Like a predator readying to bite down on the neck of its prey. It was inviting, yet it had the survival instincts of anything around him screaming to run.

The wind picked up around the castle, and lightning began to strike across the clouded sky. The flashes of light only seemed to emphasize the anger on his face.

Briefly, The King of the Night hoped you weren’t bothered by the pick up of the storm. Surely you’d notice the change in atmosphere…

But that was something he could check in with you later.

“And do you happen to know just what they might be planning? Or which ones it even was?”

Dracula’s mind was beginning to work overtime. Which witches lingered near the Alchemy lab? He's going to have to do a sweep it seemed, and soon. At least Castlevania would give him some insight should he ask for it.

If some of his underlings were already conspiring against him…

The boy in front of him was eerily silent, and Dracula held back from snapping. Killing the fool wouldn’t solve any of his issues, especially as he needed him for now.

Then, a thought suddenly hit Dracula, and he sat back into his seat, his claws growing sharper.

“Boy, where is the finished batch of potions?”

The Alchemist froze for a moment, taken aback by the sudden question.

“Um… In the labs?”

Dracula’s eyes sharpened, almost glowing red.

“And is there anyone or anything protecting the finished batch of potions in the labs?”

“Ah…”

Running a hand across his face, Dracula fought the urge to kill something.

He was going to need that drink before visiting you.

—

Much to Dracula’s disappointment (and hidden fury), it was just as he had expected.

He had decided to check on the batch of the potion himself after that conversation, just to be sure it hadn’t been tampered with.

It was something he was already going to do, but now it was incredibly important to do so after hearing what the Alchemist had to say.

Just as he had feared, the main batch that had been left out had indeed been soiled.

The potion itself was a darker blue than it should have been, a first tell that something wasn’t quite right. Then there was the smell.

Potions already smelled a bit bland, with a hint of bitterness to them. However, he was able to catch the scent of something almost sour.

The texture itself was also a bit… thick. Closer to a cream rather than the liquid form it was supposed to have.

Dracula felt his brow twitch with thinly veiled disdain.

With a sigh, and barely hidden rage, he ended up banishing the whole batch. No point in taste testing when he could already smell the signs of tampering. The only thing he would be able to get out of a test would be what ingredients specifically had been added, but there was no point. Not when he already knew the results.

It seems he would have to keep a closer eye on things than he thought.

Even if the alchemists and potioneers he had working on this were as trustworthy as they could get, it seemed that there was only so much he could do before the rats began to poke their noses where they didn't belong.

As much as he hated to section off parts of the lab, it seems he would have to until you were healed, or he found all the idiots involved who dared try and pull a fast one on him.

Thankfully however, not everything was lost.

Dracula was thankful that moment for employing several alchemists to the lab for different batches of potions. He could just take from those, since they would have a similar effect.

The other alchemists were to keep working on different batches of potions, so he could have stronger ones brewing while the first batch was finished. This meant there would be less powerful ones, sure, but he would simply have more made.

What mattered was getting this first batch to you.

You may be healing relatively quickly and well, but he was quickly growing to dislike seeing you injured.

The shadows under your eyes, and how sunken in your face looked, added to your winces of pain… He hoped that he could help with that by taking care of your wounds.

It would be a long journey, he was sure. No doubt it would take more than just healing your injuries to actually have you looked… alive.

That was what had his cold, undead heart beating worriedly in his chest.

You didn’t look like you were living.

Sure, your blood pumped, your heart still beats, but you didn’t have a happy light in your eyes. Dracula could mistake you for one of his minions with how those eyes alone looked.

He was thankful though, seeing a spark in them. It was subtle, and only showed up on occasion.

However, he found himself yearning to protect it.

Ha. Him. Lord of the Night. King of all Vampires, wanting to protect his own supposed enemy. Even more so, with such… feelings developing.

Dracula still wasn’t sure whether to find it amusing, or pitiful.

The beast in his mind that he had embraced so long ago surprisingly didn’t fight him on it. At first, it had called him pathetic the first time he found himself wanting to help you.

But that same beast had quickly done a 180, quickly growing to respect you much like his logical side had.

And oh, how it had quickly grown protective.

Dracula felt his lips almost twitch upward at the thought, feeling the very same protectiveness stir in his soul as he approached your door.

He gave a brisk knock at the door, casting a brief glance to the living armors he had stationed near your room. Stone still as always.

After a brief moment, he heard your voice, telling him to come in.

Carefully he opened the door, and it was as if a weight was lifted off his chest just seeing you. The way you subtly perked up when seeing him, sitting up in your bed…

He tried not to let his pride get to him, how it was him that you were sitting up for.

‘One step at a time, Vlad.’

The scent of your blood though soon quickly caught his nose, and he felt himself stand straighter as he walked quickly to your side.

“Your injuries… did one re-open?” He was quick to ask, internally scolding himself when he felt the urge to have a taste.

For a Belmont, your blood was still such an intoxicating scent…

Sheepishly, you looked away from him after he arrived at your side.

“Ah… I fell on the way to the restroom. I accidentally pulled some stitches open, but I got the wound under control.”

If he had been a human, he would have sworn you were trying to give him a heart attack at this rate. How was it you were such a trouble magnet?

Gently, he leaned over you, his hands hovering over where your shirt was. Underneath, he could already smell the irritated wound and fresh blood.

His eyes met your own.

“May I?” He asked, desiring to see how bad it had gotten. His voice was soft and tender, not wishing to push you or make you uncomfortable.

You froze for a moment, and a glimmer of emotion passed in your eyes. However, it left as quick as it came, and you carefully pulled your arms up to give him access.

Even now, Dracula was still incredibly impressed with the trust you were giving him. If this had been any of your ancestors, or any hunter, really, he would no doubt be in a fight.

Gently, his cool hands brushed against your warm skin as he lifted your shirt upwards to see the bandaged wound. He pointedly ignored the shiver you have, no doubt his cold hands most likely the cause.

At least, that’s what he told himself, also ignoring how you tensed slightly. Or how he heard your pulse pick up as he got closer.

It was not the time to let his mind wander and theorize.

Dracula would give you credit, though. Your pain tolerance wasn’t anything to scoff at, and you were taking everything in stride, even now.

He removed the bandages with a gentle ease, and immediately internally stomped down the sudden hunger he felt.

The fresh scent of your blood still somehow managed to drive him crazy, even when he wasn’t starving.

To think he’d find a Belmont’s blood so appealing?

It took a bit of his will power to calm himself, before continuing to look at the wound. Pursing his lips, he let out a hum.

His hands held your midsection still as he observed the new damage, ignoring your sharp intake of air.

“Apologies…” He mumbled, knowing full and well his hands were most likely even colder the closer they were to your feverish flesh.

“No worries…” You breathed, your voice small. His eyes flickered up to your face, and your own were wide as you watched him. Still vigilant, even now. Cute.

Eyes back on your wound, he felt a bit of relief. Thankfully you hadn’t torn open as many stitches as he had feared, and you had cleaned the wound up well.

It seems getting rest and meals was helping you both physically, and mentally. You weren’t hanging on a thread, wrapping wounds with little regard to your life now.

Really, he shouldn’t be surprised. Even if he was worried about how you thought of yourself and your health in general, you of all people would know how to properly wrap a wound when in good conditions to do so.

After a moment, he pressed the bandages back onto your injury, and stepped back.

“Despite several stitches being pulled, it could have been worse.”

You pull your shirt down, and smile sheepishly.

“That’s good. It didn’t look too bad, but I’m glad you agree.” You spoke, rubbing the back of your neck a bit nervously.

It seemed you were still on edge, though he didn’t mind too much.

He looked you over for a moment as you fixed your shirt. You really were looking better than when you first arrived. Even from when he saw you this morning, you seemed to be improving.

At least, he was definitely thankful you no longer looked like you were dead on your feet.

Clearing his throat for a moment, he nearly smirked at how you almost jumped. Most would have missed how your muscles tensed, though he decided to count the fact he wasn’t outright scaring you a plus.

“I have something for you.”

Immediately your interest was piqued.

How you subtly leaned towards him and tilted your head, you were curious.

“You do?”

He stepped back for a moment, before holding out his hand. In a flash of smoke and light, a bottle appeared in his hand.

As he held it out to you, your eyes widened as you gently took it from his grip.

“A potion? You really made some?”

Dracula crossed his arms a bit in pride as you looked over the bottle.

“Of course. You’ll find I am not fond of breaking promises, or going back on my word.”

You took a moment to look over the bottle you now held in your hands, almost disbelieving. Dracula felt a pang of something in his heart. Pity? Worry? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t like how astounded you looked over the fact he would get you some basic potions.

“I do apologize in advance. Due to the fact your injuries were severe, I had this made as fast as possible. It won’t heal you completely, but it should heal the worst of your wounds.”

For a moment, you were silent, clearly thinking.

“If you are worried about it being poisoned-” he began, but you raised a hand to cut him off.

“No! No, it’s fine. Sorry. I trust it isn’t poisoned.” You spoke. After another moment, you pulled the cork off the bottle, and debated if you should take a sip.

“However, I do wish to warn you about something.” Dracula said, speaking before you could drink it. He may as well tell you now, before you take a drink. No doubt you’d be upset if he told you after.

You froze, looking at him expectantly.

“Yes…?”

Dracula let out a frustrated sigh, a hand coming up to his forehead just thinking about it.

“Someone has tried to tamper with one of the batches of potions I have commissioned to be made.”

Your eyes widened, flickering to the potion, but he held up a hand to try and calm you before you could panic.

“I tossed that batch out after testing it myself. I can assure you the potion you hold in your hand has been deemed clean by myself personally. That one you hold in your hand was not supposed to go to you today. It was a batch that was supposed to simmer for a few more days.”

“To become a stronger batch…” You murmured, and Dracula felt a small twinge of pride. He supposes it shouldn’t be a surprise you would know such things, given how often you probably used potions in general.

“So… Someone wanted me dead…?” You asked, still eyeing the bottle critically. Dracula’s face turned a bit more sour.

“Unfortunately so. I will not lie to you, having you as my guest has… ruffled some feathers. I’m currently investigating those I believe tried to lace the potion with poison.”

Bright eyes flickered to him, and he caught that look, one of near disbelief.

“Why? I don’t particularly blame them, I’m a hunter, after all…” You murmured once again, eyes glancing back to the bottle.

“Because you are my guest. I will not tolerate those who wish to go against my orders, and attempt to kill the company I deemed worthy to keep.”

Dracula wondered if you weren’t used to such thoughts, with the way he saw emotions flicker across your face, gone as quick as they came.

Summoning a chair from the side of the room, he sat down, placing his elbows on his knees as he rested his chin over his clasped hands.

“If you don’t wish to drink that potion, I will not force you. It will just take a longer period for you to fully recover. I will not blame you for doing so.”

After all, he just admitted someone tried to use a different batch to kill you. He wouldn’t blame you for being careful.

You seemed to think for a moment, and Dracula decided to keep speaking as you thought about it.

“I also wish to officially inform you that unrest is beginning to stir in the castle. However,” Dracula began, taking in your expression of slight alarm, “I once again wish to reiterate something. You are allowed to protect yourself. I will not vilify you if you defend yourself from an attack.”

It was the truth. He had means to see if it was self defense, or a planned attack. He doubted you would attack unprompted.

You look at him a bit confused.

“But… How would you know it was self defense? The monsters who want me dead could just lie as a group, right?”

Dracula felt the corners of his lips twitch upwards. You had clearly been thinking about this, though he could tell it was something that must have weighed on your mind.

Not so much you thinking you could get away with attacking his subordinate, rather, you were worried about being attacked and thinking ahead.

He felt his lips curl into a small, amused smirk.

“I have my ways of figuring out what happens throughout my castle without being present.”

It was through his close connection with Castlevania, really.

Thanks to his connection, he was able to loosely figure out just who had tampered with your potions. Needless to say, it wasn’t hard to get the two witches to admit it, with how weak willed they were.

His castle was now a few witches less. Not that it mattered.

It wasn’t all of them, he was sure. Dracula still had a bit of investigating to do. The two he disposed of were just the ones who admitted to it, and Dracula could tell more were involved. No doubt he would be busy later looking further into the matter.

Some certainly weren’t happy with him, but alas, that was what happened when you attempted to hurt those he was protecting.

You seemed a bit skeptical, or perhaps curious?

“Um… Is it through the power of Chaos you can?”

As soon as you asked it, a worried look appeared on your face.

“Uh, if that isn’t too personal of a question, I mean…?”

He almost wanted to laugh. You were trying to be respectful, unsure if that was too much information to ask for.

“Trying to figure out a way to one up your enemy, hm?” He asked, though his lips ticked upwards in a full grin, clearly teasing you. Dracula could tell that wasn’t what you meant.

“No! That’s not what I-! I didn’t- fuck, I mean-”

It was adorable how you sputtered, and tried to catch your words to apologize.

“Relax, I’m only teasing you. Yes, it’s partially through the power of Chaos. Though Castlevania itself is bound to my very soul. Not much gets past me, should the castle alert me about it.”

You instantly relaxed at his words, and seemed to perk up in interest.

Once again, your eyes flickered to the bottle in your hand.

“Is that how you found out the last potion was poisoned?”

Dracula hummed, leaning back in the chair.

“No. One of my Alchemists alerted me to the fact several witches were discussing how they were… unhappy about your presence. I decided to check on the potion early, even if it was finished. I simply had my castle assist me in finding out who had done it.”

Silence filled the room once more. It seemed you were unsure what you wanted to say next.

After a beat passed, you looked back at him.

“Thank you, then. For checking. And for giving this to me.”

Your voice was soft, as was your smile.

If Dracula still breathed, he just knows his breath would have caught in his throat.

That was a smile that was worth protecting.

After you thanked him, you brought the bottle to your lips, and began to drink down the potion.

The effect was almost immediate. Even if he couldn’t see most of your wounds, he could see how you changed.

You no longer favored one side, leaning oddly to the left. Nor did you hold your arm as close as before. In fact, your body seemed to relax even further, now that the worst of the injuries were finally repairing from the magic treatment.

When you finished the drink, you pulled the bottle away from your lips, a disgusted look on your face presumably due to the taste. You coughed for a moment, and shook your head a bit.

After gathering your bearings, you then looked back up to Dracula, and truly smiled.

For once, you looked happy. You looked alive.

Yes, Dracula thought. Pursuing a future where you two don’t have to fight, would be one worth aiming for, just to see you smile once more.

#castlevania #dracula #castlevania dracula #vlad dracula tepes #dracula x reader #castlevania x reader #vlad dracula țepeș #x reader #reader insert #Belmont!reader #love that bites #long post #zed.writes

[luimagines]

OK OK OK BUT LIKE WE GOT *HIM* REALIZING HE LIKE THEM. BUT CAN BE HAVE READER REALIZING THEY LOVE HIM?

Yeeeesss!!!!! I can't wait!! (I've been wanting to write this since I started this blog XD)

Masterlist

Part one will have Time, Twilight and Warrior.

Content under the cut!

Time

It was a quiet acknowledgement.

It was unintentional to boot. You weren't looking for anything with anyone. It was just... a bunch of little things that caught your attention.

When he'd ruffle Wind's and Twilight's hair for fun- how concentrated he'd get in the middle of battle- when he'd help braid Wild's hair to calm him down after a bad night. The quiet way he'd support Warrior from the side. Not to mention just how he leads the group causes you admire him in many ways.

And for a time that was all it was. Admiration. Nothing more, nothing less.

Then you got hurt one day. Your palm was bleeding. Nothing deadly or worrisome but it was your dominant hand. The bandages, swelling and bleeding made it difficult to do much of anything. Not to mention that you kept picking at said bandages, making them fall loose.

Time noticed and puled you aside, rewrapping your hand with grim look on his face. This felt worse, somehow. Like you've disappointed him. He looks pissed, even though he's yet to say a single thing to you.

"I'm sorry." You blurt, hoping that it'll ease whatever tension is on his face.

It doesn't work. If anything he looks angrier. "It's not your fault... I just wish I would have gotten to you sooner. this could have been avoided."

Hold up-

Your heart starts beating faster and your face warms. "Im-impossible, Time. You were so far away."

"Mmm." Time grunts, tightening the bandages once more. "Do me a favor, yeah? Get better. Stop picking at it."

He flicks your forehead playfully, smiling at last. The look... takes your breath away. It's far from perfect. But it's soft and genuine and... you've never seen him look at anyone else like that. You swallow the spit in your mouth, hoping that you're not blushing any more than you already are. "...ok..."

"Good." Time sighs and kisses your forehead. "I worry enough about you as it is."

Did your heart just stop? Hello? Anyone home?

"Thank you." You say and smile back, trying to outwardly keep calm. But on the inside you feel like screaming. Is that good or bad? You don't know yet.

Time smiles again and put his hand on your shoulder. He puts the back of his hand to your cheek and winks. "Always."

You stay there stunned and bite your lip. "...cool..."

He snorts and walks away. "Come on. Or they'll leave us behind."

"Right. I lo-" You panic. What were you about to say? Would you have meant it? I love you? Seriously? Just like that? When did this happen?

Time doesn't seem to notice and keeps walking.

Meanwhile your world just turned on its side. Then again- you've known for a while now, haven't you? It just now where it's grown too obvious to ignore anymore.

You take a deep breath and follow the man back to the group.

Maybe you'll tell him. But another day.

Twilight

Twilight was annoying. You hate to say it. But you would really like to get a grip when it came to him.

It was just some.... stupid puppy crush. There was nothing to it. It was nothing serious- but my god, did it get in the way of literally everything else.

He could say something nice or he would try and be helpful and you would be stuttering and fumbling over yourself. It was stupid. Dumb. Idiotic. You wanted to scream.

At best, you could try to avoid him, but he was so gentle. So sweet. You couldn't even be mad.

You sighed and shook your head, hitting your cheeks a few times to try and get a grip.

"You ok, Darlin'?" Twilight comes up from behind you.

You jump and whip your head around to look at him. You feel like you've been caught doing something suspicious- yet all you were doing was standing there hitting your face. "...Um... Ye-yeah. I'm fine. I'm cool! Don't worry about it."

Twilight raises an eyebrow. "Sure. And you were hitting yourself because...?"

"...I'm tired." You lie. "I feel like I'm about to fall asleep any second now."

Twilight frowns and stands a little straighter. "Everythin' alright? Had a bad night or somethin'?"

You cough and nod. "Yeah, something like that. I haven't been able to sleep well lately. I don't know why."

Yes you do. But it's fine. Totally fine.

Twilight puts the back of his hand to your forehead before either of you realize it. His fingers tips move down over your cheeks and behind your jaw. He frowns and leans in. Your breath stills completely, you think your heart stopped beating.

"Are you feeling alright?" He whispers. "I hope you're not getting sick."

You shake your head, gently taking his hand and moving it away from your face. Your attention instantly goes to the way his hand feels in your. Which is totally normal, right? "I don't think so... It just my brain not shutting up these days. I'll be ok."

Twilight leans back and you feel like you can breathe again. "Are you sure? I can help out if you need a break."

You snort. "Yeah? How?"

"I can carry you for a little bit. It's not like it costs anything."

You flush and shake your head, already feeling annoyed with yourself for not holding it together again. Naturally, you want to blame him. "No, really. I'm ok. Come on. We're being left behind."

Twilight nods and moves to walk to the group, still not looking satisfied with your answers. But then Warrior calls him over for something and with one last look to you, he leaves you behind.

It's the perfect excuse to finally break down and scream quietly. You're worse off than you thought. And he's still so sweet. And you can still feel his hand in yours and against your face and the way he looked at you and-

You whine in the back of your throat. "I think I love him."

Warrior

There was something about him that you couldn't look away from. You couldn't say for certain what it was but you liked it.

You like him, to put it simply. He was charming, funny, confident- he didn't hesitate to act and he was always there to put a smile on someone's face regardless if it was at his expense or not.

Speaking of, he kept to your side as it was pouring cats and dogs, sacrificing his scarf to hold it over your heads. You helped him as it got heavier and heavier, huddling closer to his side as it dipped and drooped.

You sigh and looked at him. "How're you holding up?"

"I might have to drop this thing, sorry." He admits quietly. And he's right. You can already see how tired his arms are getting and the scarf is soaked through already, it's not like it helping keeping either of you dry anymore.

Then again, that doesn't answer your question.

You sigh and shake your head, dropping the scarf already. The rain instantly soaks into your hair and shirt, making everything seem twice as heavy. "Do you think we'll reach the others anytime soon? Wild and Time are still behind us, right?"

Warrior sighs also dropping the scarf. Water drips down his face in an instant. "I'm no longer sure. It's too dark to make out anything directly in front of us. If anything, we might be better just sticking to one spot and waiting either for the others to catch up to us or for the storm to stop."

You hum and think about it for a moment. "Do you think there's any cave nearby to take shelter in? I know there's no lightning but I don't feel conformable taking shelter under a tree, just in case."

Warrior looks around, wiping his face free of as much water as he can. He takes your hand and point. "There's that."

It's not much, a large rock jutting out of the ground with only enough space for you both to sit under it. But it'll have to do. You nod and together you both run to the little respite in the storm.

Warrior instantly does his best to clear the area of smaller rocks and twigs for you both to sit comfortable. your heart squeezes a little at the act. He sits down, pressing his back against the rock and pulls you into his side, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. "I wish I do more..."

"This is good enough." You feel yourself growing shy at the close contact. He's never done this before... or has he? It seems so natural to him that he didn't seem to think twice- it's only now that you're noticing it.

You look down for a moment and tuck yourself closer. Warrior takes off his scarf and sets it aside. He takes off his armor and outer most layers. He's warm, you realize and his tunic is still dry. He gestures for you to do the same. Granted, you don't wear as many layers as he does, but by shedding the first one, you instantly feel better and warmer as he pulls you in closer again.

Only his form is more obvious to you this time around- and yours to him. Warrior doesn't seem bothered by it.

You however can feel yourself blushing. This seems awfully familiar to you. Have you dreamed about it before? Your heart is pounding, but it feels good. You feel happy just at the thought of this.

Hold on.... Why?

....Uh-oh.. are you crushing?

"Feel better?" Warrior whispers next to your ear and you look up at him. You bite your lip and nod, unable to hold the look for long. Warrior chuckles under his breath and rubs your shoulder comfortingly. "Good."

Oh, that laugh is going to haunt you now. You liked him. But now it's complicated.

part 2

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #linked universe x reader #lu x reader

[drowninginblox]

Between a Rock and Moss Place

TW: Fighting in general, accusations of being suicidal, Zoro dealing with the actions of his consequences

"I will never understand you," I confessed while a numbness I knew too well branched up my arm. We've been at this for hours, painstakingly redressing his wounds while a thick silence entangled with tightly loomed thoughts. He ceased his struggle just a few minutes ago when he finally realized there was no way out of there until he was fully healed. "Join the club sister." He snickered under a sinister growl. I rolled my eyes. "You know, I've seen far scarier than you."

"I highly doubt that." He countered through a doubt-filled glance. But rather than give in to his curiosity, I continued in my work. He eventually noticed my lack of an explanation while I reached over for a new roll of bandages. It's been- god- not even a day? "And you're already itching for a fight," The thought slipped through a huff I thought was quiet enough. "Not a fight. I know my limits-" Again, he tried to defend his bruised pride from the slab but all I could do was fail in holding back my bitter laughter. Whether it be out of rage or fear, the bandages and scissors I held were slammed onto a nearby table. "Do you now? Was that before or after you got your ass handed to you what was his title again? Oh right, the strongest swordsman in the world, Zoro. Honestly." The moss head tried to get up, the searing pain that coursed through his chest kept him down though. "Y/n, It is my dream-"

"I know! To be the world's greatest swordsman! I know that Zoro. But, god damn it. You have to be alive to do it." A crass laugh swept through the heavy air. "Tell that to Gold Rodger," I glared daggers at him, getting up from my station to grab a bottle of alcohol spared for disinfecting. At least, that was what it was supposed to be for. Opening it was easier with all the rage. "Gold Redger's dream was to have a legacy. To be king of the pirates. You don't need to live long enough to see it happen. You just need to make an impression." With that, I dared to down whatever was in the bottle. Its rancid taste reminded me of nail polish remover and the smell made my eyes water as soon as it wafted through my nostrils. But that didn't stop me from dedicating myself. This conversation isn't something I planned on having, but Zoro can die. Especially not by biting off more than he can chew. Regardless of how big that stupid mouth can be. "So I haven't left an impression on you?" Speaking off.

Zoro's voice barely made it, but the ghost of his intention was obvious regardless of how quiet he meant to be. A tired sigh broke through my bitterness. "Zoro, I couldn't forget you even if I tried." He scoffs. His rebuttal slithered up his throat, bathing itself in something I hadn't heard out of him yet. At least, not directed at me. "Nice acting. You should go professional." I take another sip, this time staring into his eyes. Something was building behind them at the fact that I wouldn't share with him while he was in this state. I couldn't tell what it was though. He didn't give me enough time to properly ponder what it was before he turned over to stare out that small port window. "Are you done yet?"

When I made my way back to him, I leaned over his slab of bed just to see for myself if it was a struggle to look at me. I like to think it was. It looks like it was a battle to focus on those ever-changing waves. "That depends. Are you?" His eyes narrowed while his Adam's apple swallowed down what could only be assumed to be a bark for me to back off. "What put that stick up your ass y/n?" I bit the inside of my mouth at that. But that sweltering pain didn't stop you from banging a fist against his bed, making the damn thing almost capsize in the process. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"You! You asshat!" I didn't mean to shout as loud as I did. "Ever since you decided that you'd die to a master swordsman than to admit that you're not all you're chalked up to be!" The silence that followed was telling enough. I didn't need to see that stupid, blank face Zoro puts on when tensions are high. But he still bothered to egg me on. "What's that supposed to mean?" And he knew I always took the bait too. "You heard me, just before we picked up Sanji, you heard me talking to Luffy about what I think of y'all. And I was honest. Even after I realized that someone was eavesdropping on us, I was honest."

"Oi y/n! Why don't you join us when we dock this time?" It was dark. I like to think that I was reacquainting myself with the ship after years of only seeing it from my apartment and in my dreams of running around with Usopp when we were children. Knowing him, he probably knew this ship front to back. I didn't expect to see Luffy up this late. Considering his child-like demeanor, I'd thought that he'd comedically pass out at 8:30 on the berry like any other child. "Oh hey, Captain! After everything that happened over on 'Syrup? Consider it a no. 'Sides, someone has to watch the ship while y'all are dinkin' around. Rev the engines to ready our escape ykno?" I say, mimicking a motorcycle in the process. He keeps quiet, cocking his head to prove that he has no idea what I was talking about. "Eh, never mind. But seriously though, I'd rather stay here. Get some alone time from..." I didn't know what to call them yet. Crewmates would be the best answer but being official isn't Luffy's style. So what would've been good enough to call these guys? Not-

"Our friends? Why'd you want that?" Beat to the brunt. Even though Luffy didn't seem like the type to, he can rip the band-aid off pretty well without even knowing it. "Well, Luffy, it's nothing against you or them. I just, I don't see them as friends yet." Even in the dark, I could see him slouch at that disappointing truth bomb. "It's not that I don't like y'all. I just, don't know you that well." Luffy huffed like a child, making me smile. "Well, then why did you join the crew?" I sighed. Part of it was Ussop, Kaya and I knew too well he needed a grounder and Kaya was in no state to leave her home. Not even for him when her health was so poor. Another was Luffy. The genuineness, the optimism, it screamed like a bad idea but when he asked both Usopp and me, god damn it. But, if I were being really honest with myself, "Regardless of what everyone else says, Luffy, you're a really good judge of character. And you read me." He smiles slightly at that. "But, even though I don't what you see in me to offer up a place, I wanna make it worthwhile." I leaned up against the railing of the ship. "I never liked disappointing people. 'Especially not the ones who matter."

"How am I one?" I smiled. "You just... I don't know how to describe it other than... You're like raw hope Luffy. I haven't even known you a week and I can see that." I straightened slightly. "I've met and seen a lot of sailors and pirates, you're unlike any other I've experienced." I could feel his smile. Even in the cool darkness, the air seemed to warm with it. "Okay, but what about them? What do you think of the others?" I don't remember what was going through my mind initially but my immediate reaction was to sigh. "Okay, well, going off the top of my head... Usopp may be a coward and prophetic liar, but he's good. Like, good good. The type of good that everyone is born with but not everyone actively chooses to be. And yes, he does bad things. He's a liar," my right-hand grazes over the railing of The 'Merry, momentarily admiring the polish of the painted wood. "..but he always tries to do what's right. Even when he's scared out of his mind." I smiled. "He's one of the realist people I know." Luffy took after me and leaned against the rail, but rather than face the sea, he positioned himself to face the deck. But his eyes remain on me. "Now Nami, I want to know her. But I just don't. And you and I both know that she can be scary-" out of habit, Luffy tensed as if bracing for a blow to the head. "You don't need to tell me twice." I laughed for a moment before regaining myself. "I think she's hiding something Luffy. Granted, It's not my place to pry," He nodded in agreement. "but I'm worried for her. She seems strong on her own, but there's always strength in numbers y'know?" He shrugged, his posture returning to being loose. "Do you think she's made a deal with someone or something? Like a monster?" At that point I didn't think I knew what he was saying so I just laughed at it and went along with the joke. "Yeah. Totally sold her soul to the devil." I concluded intermixed with a chuckle. Luffy's gaze turned back to the door leading below deck for a few moments before he returned to me. "What about Zoro?"

I didn't mean to tense up when he asked. There wasn't a reason to, it was just Zoro after all. We were amicable both on and offshore. "I... I don't know what to say about him." I didn't notice Luffy was leaning over my shoulder until I could feel his cheek squished into mine. "What do you mean?" he whispered just before I shoved him away with a hearty laugh. "Look, I just... I don't know what to say okay?" Luffy steadies himself on the railing again before properly standing. "Do you think he's boring or something?" I will admit, I took some time to consider it. But that didn't change my answer. "Yeah? I think so. I mean, swords can only be so much of someone's personality though so I may be just missing something or-" Luffy's laughter interrupted me before I could properly explain myself. "Hey! C'mon, man!" From the corner of my eye, I could've sworn I saw a light. Not a lantern or anything, probably a candle with how dim it was, but just as soon I saw it, it was gone. It wasn't until Luffy called out for me to get to bed, that I noticed the door leading to the upper floor from the mast was slightly ajar. I didn't think about it much at the time but,

"But you keep on putting up this 'Master Swordsman' front but you aren't there!" I continued. The anger from before kept building and building from my feet to my chest. "Of course, I'm not!" Only grew hotter and harder to control with every acknowledgment I gave him. "Then why did you walk in front of one of the deadliest people in the world and tell him to make you into a pincushion?! What is wrong with you Zoro? Are you suicidal?" For some fucking reason, this time he managed to get up, using his elbows to prop himself up rather than relying on his core muscles. "Of course not!" My throat tightened just as I screamed the loudest I had ever been in my entire life. "Then what is it? Why are you so careless with your life?!"

"Because I have to be strong enough!" He screams, tears threatening to spill from his face. "Because I have to! I was the first person Luffy asked for, that makes me the first person he looks to! If I'm not strong enough for him, for this crew," He opened his mouth but closed it just as soon as he realized. Instead, he took the moment to breathe and level out his voice. "Y/n, I have to be strong enough to achieve both my dream, and to be the person Luffy can rely on when he achieves his." Through his defense, I realized just how emotional I got and whipped the tears I had away. "You wouldn't understand." He eventually concluded before he turned back to his damned window.

"No! Of course, I wouldn't understand. How could I? How could I- the "weakest bitch" on the crew, not understand about getting stronger? Rather, how could I understand the complexities around being relied on?" He turned back to me. "No, don't bother Zoro. Clearly, I wouldn't understand your constant and tedious struggle. Absolutely none of us can!" I declared while I motioned my arms above my head to the main deck above us. "y/n-" I don't bother to hear him out. I was on a roll anyway. "Not me, not Sanji, not Ussop, not Nami, no! None of us know the struggles of the master swordsman Roronora Zoro!"

Part 2

#opla zoro x reader #zoro x reader #live action zoro x reader #opla #one piece zoro #one piece #x reader #haha angst #roronoa zoro #i love #putting men in their place #<3

[apocalypseornaw]

Real or Not (Pt 2/5)

Dean Winchester x Female Reader

Just as you're beginning to feel like you overreacted the biggest challenge yet gets thrown your way

@lacilou s idea

You sang lightly along with your Playlist, Kaleo cranking through the Bluetooth speaker you'd hooked your phone up to as you worked through the stack of lore books the boys had stored in the small room just outside of the "dungeon" as they called it. They'd gone on a supply run into town and despite Dean asking you to tag along you'd chosen to instead stay behind at the bunker.

A couple weeks had passed since that day you'd overheard him and Sam talking about Camila. You'd been more careful of announcing your presence coming into rooms hoping to not walk into the middle of any more reminiscing. A part of you hoped Dean hadn't noticed any change in you while another part of you was nearly desperate for him to notice, to soothe your worries.

You let out a louder sigh than you'd meant to, noticing the legal pad in front of you was still blank despite the fact that you'd come in here with intentions to gather more information for the hunters journals you and Sam had been compiling to make assisting other hunters easier. "That thing say something bad to you? Cause I'll kick its ass" your eyes flew up to where Dean was now leaned against the doorframe watching you.

A small smile slipped onto your face "How long you been there?" He shrugged "Long enough to see that you looked like someone kicked a black kitten in front of you" you tried to look genuine when you said "Nothings wrong Dean" he nodded slowly "You sure?" "Of course" he smiled before walking closer, leaning down to press a quick kiss to your lips he tapped his knuckles against the legal pad before playfully saying "You hurt my girl's feelings again I'll set your ass on fire" you laughed despite yourself. Why were you worried when here he was threatening an inanimate object for you?

Yet again you found those three little words warming your lips begging for escape and yet again you choked them back down denying them the freedom to be released into the world. You did love Dean, you were in love with him but you wouldn't say it first. Take away the doubts lingering in your mind you knew him well enough to know the man didn't commit often, you were one of few lasting relationships and wasn't about to say it first just to freak him out.

You realized you were staring at him and felt the tips of your ears warm. Why you weren't sure considering you shared a bed with him and had for a while now. A smirk slipped onto his face before he said "Don't be shy sweetheart. You can feel free to check me out whenever you want, I'm all yours" your head flipped in your chest.

"I just fed your ego even more didn't i?" You teased and shrugged "Maybe just a little" you laughed and shook your head before pushing back from the table and grabbed his hand "Cmon I need a break. I'll help you and Sam put everything away"

You were beginning to think you'd simply over reacted to the mention of Camila. You had a few exes that you ended on good enough terms with that you still spoke to them occasionally and would back them up if need be on a hunt. While it was true none of them came near holding a candle to Dean you had cared about a couple of them.

--------------

You hissed lightly when Sam touched the ragged slice across your arm. Fucking ghouls, you hated the little scavengers. "Easy Y/N" he comforted, the antiseptic cold as he applied it to your wound.

Dean looked up from across the room, the slice across his cheek somehow added to his looks. It wasn't fair he always looked amazing, even when he was bloody "Sweetheart I haven't seen someone take down ghouls that fast in a while" you grinned slightly "Coming from one of you two I'll take that as a compliment"

----------------

Once Sam was through throwing a couple stitches in your arm he placed a bandage over it and smiled over your shoulder at you "all patched up" you nodded "Thanks Sam" He wished you and Dean goodnight then headed for the door that connected the two motel rooms you'd gotten.

-------------

Normally the three of you would just drive back to the bunker but considering you'd had to make the drive down to New Orleans to help a coven with their ghoul problem it had been a unanimous decision to crash halfway back for the night.

When you suggested just getting one room Sam had shook his head "No, I am not risking waking up to the sight of you and Dean being handsy with each other" you had ducked your head from embarrassment but Dean had simply shrugged "She's gorgeous, what can I say?"

--------------

Once the door shut behind Sam, Dean raised an eyebrow at you "What's that look about dee?" You asked and he shrugged "Just thinking you'd be a lot more comfortable out of those jeans"

You felt a smirk slip onto your face "Oh really?" You held his eyes as you unzipped your jeans and pulled them down your legs, kicking them behind you. A smile worked across his face as he took a step towards you "Now let's get you out of that shirt and bra"

You laughed as he reached for the hem of you shirt "So I'd be more comfortable naked?" He caught your lips in a hungry kiss before saying "Yeah, you would but don't worry I'm gonna get comfortable with you"

When you woke up Dean was curled up to your back, his warm breath hitting your neck with every slow exhale as he slept. Your arm wasn't that sore considering although some other body parts were after the night before. A warmth spread through your stomach and lower at the memory of Dean's lips on your body, the way his hips had rolled into yours both of you clinging to each other, a solid chorus of moans mixed with the skin meeting had filled the room.

As if he could hear your thoughts Dean started to stir behind you, his lips finding your neck "What you thinking about?:" you smiled, leaning back into him "A gorgeous guy" he murmured against your skin "Lucky asshole" before his hands began to roam lower on your body.

--------------------

You'd just gotten out of the shower and was getting dressed when you heard Sam's voice in the other room talking to Dean. You caught a few words like "Gotta talk to Y/N"

You quickly got dressed and brushed your hair before heading into the main part of the motel room. Both Winchesters snatched their heads towards the sound of the door opening "What's wrong?" You asked and they exchanged a look "A hunter nearby called for an assist" Dean said matter of factly so you nodded "Ok, what's the case?"

They exchanged another look before Sam said "Thinking changling" you groaned inwardly, the last case had been horrible. "Let's get on it. Who is it?" With one final look exchanged between the boys Sam finally said "Camila"

@lacilou

@saranghaey

@stoneyggirl2

@marimarvelfan

@roseblue373

@suckitands33

@backtotheshitshow

@jackles010378

@badassbitch-21

@leigh70

@diagnosedpsychosis

#dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x female!reader #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfiction #dean winchester fanfiction #real or not mini series

[mychoombatheroomba]

Thank God, You're Finally Home

Between the Bones (Leon x GN! Reader) - Chapter 15

Leon faces the end of his assessments, and then the two of you face whatever is between the two of you.

(Cross-posted from Ao3)

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Index

“How are you feeling, rookie?” 

Leon was, despite his aching head, his bruising jaw, the freshly sutured wound in his arm and the exhaustion from a long day and interrupted sleep, in a good mood. How could he not be, after the conversation the two of you had just had? Whatever came next for you, at least you were talking again. At least he got to see you smile. Not much could kill the high that had put him in. Not much, but hearing Major Krauser’s raspy voice sure threatened violence against that happiness.

“I feel like I was woken up with tear gas,” Leon answered, not caring if the Major would think the response too sharp. 

“Upset about that, are you?” Krauser sounded amused as he stepped up to where Leon sat at the edge of the bed. “And here I thought you could handle anything I threw at you.” 

Leon’s brow slid down, the easy expression he’d been wearing becoming something more determined. “I can.” 

“Really? Because no one else had to be carried out of there tonight.”

That fact set stones in Leon’s gut. He’d been so caught up in the pain and panic - and then elation - he’d almost missed the sinking feeling that he had, in the Major’s eyes, made a mistake. 

“What did I tell you about being a hero?”

Leon tensed, his brow twitching. Might as well get right to the point, if this was going where he thought it was. “So did I fail, then?” 

Krauser looked at him, inhaling slow. “Well, that depends. You think you can fight with that arm?” 

Eyes widening, Leon looked up, and any doubts, any worries he had were gone. “I’ve had worse,” he said, and Krauser chuckled. 

He almost looked proud.

“Well alright then, rookie. Get some rest. Report as usual for First Call.” 

And Leon was there, his arm bandaged and his body aching, but standing at attention for those first morning drills. His squad mates had eyed him as he filed in, and in the quiet moments as they waited for Major Krauser to arrive, it was Williams that spoke up at last. “Hell of a night, huh?” 

The laughter that followed was hushed and dry. The sort that was brought about by enduring a shared hardship.

 Leon couldn’t help but smile as Alenko nudged him with a grin. “Good to see you made it, Kennedy.” 

Leon just shrugged. “Wouldn’t miss it.” 

By the time Krauser arrived, Leon’s squad, though tired, though beaten down, was ready. They all stood tall, their jaws set firmly as the Major passed them each a practice knife, the silver blades dull in the dim light of the morning. Combat drills weren’t usually run so early, but Leon knew not to expect Krauser to adhere to a schedule. So, he braced himself, taking some deep breaths as he looked for the appearance you’d told him you would be making. 

Instead, the Major found another way to surprise them. 

“Hold onto those today,” Krauser instructed, pointing to the knife that he’d just handed to Shinoda. The Major was grinning, because of course he fucking was. “Be ready to use them. Now, get your gear.” 

Leon realized then that you’d perhaps only told him half of the final test. He’d assumed a fight with you meant what it usually did: you working your way down the line in the training yard, later in the day. Instead, he learned very quickly that day that Krauser had something else in mind. 

It wasn’t long into the forced march that he saw you - or what he came to realize was you. He hadn’t been sure at first; all he’d seen was the shape of a person moving through the trees. Then, like a shadow, you’d emerged, and there was steel flashing at the throat of the recruit that had fallen behind the rest. 

It was over in a few seconds, and your opponent barely had time to pull his knife from its sheath. Then, he was forced down onto the dirt path, his arm held down and your blade at the back of his neck. 

Leon and the rest of his unit went for their own knives, until Krauser’s voice halted them. “No, no. This isn’t your fight,” he hissed, and everyone stilled. “Don’t worry, the Sergeant has plenty of time. You’ll all get a chance to play.” Leon was suddenly aware of his heart beating more heavily as you stood, helping your defeated opponent up as you did. The intensity he’d come to know from you was back, a suit of armor that kept you well-protected as you moved off the path and into the trees once more. Armor that he saw a chink in when you met his eyes briefly, and he saw a challenge sparkling there in the low light. Then you were gone, and the game truly began. 

And a brutal game it was. 

You didn’t play fair - and Krauser likely had instructed you to do just that. There were nine more recruits to fight through, and it soon became clear that you were taking your time, choosing moments when they wouldn’t expect it. You went after one during the morning exercises, attacking when the recruit was doing push-ups. Leon managed to shout his comrade a warning, letting him get up in time to mount a defense. In the end, though, it didn’t matter. 

Shinoda’s fight came at breakfast, right as he set his food down. The violence earned shouts from the other recruits watching, a savage chorus cheering on the combat. Shinoda was able to use the tables to his advantage, and after a few minutes of cat and mouse play, he managed to land slashes on your arm and leg. 

You still ended the fight as the victor, though, with a slash across the belly. 

“You two train together,” Williams pulled Leon aside, as the group was headed to the firing range. Paranoia had everyone in a stranglehold, and they were all dealing with it in their own way. Williams, it seemed, wanted to plan ahead. “Anything to watch out for? Weaknesses?” 

Leon wasn’t sure how to answer. He knew you better than they did, true, but pointing out your weaknesses felt like a betrayal. Even if you were, in essence, picking them off one by one. But then, would it even matter if they knew? Would they be able to adjust in time to beat you? 

Luckily, Alenko was there to return the favor from the night before and saved Leon from answering. “If you don’t know by now, then you haven’t been paying attention,” he said. 

Alenko must have been paying attention, though, because when you rushed him only moments later, he held his own well enough. At least, he did, until you pulled another blade into the fight - one concealed at the small of your back, beneath your shirt. 

Then, even Leon who had fought you more than anyone else on base felt nervous. You’d never used two knives before, not that he’d seen. Still, as he watched your exchange with Alenko, he realized that you must have been practicing as much with your own squad. You danced with the twin fangs well, and secured another victory in doing so. When you locked your blade against Alenko’s throat, your eyes found Leon’s, and any frustrations he might have had about this new development melted away. 

He’d asked you not to go easy on him, after all. 

So Leon awaited his turn, keeping his guard up with the rest of his squad as the day went by. Some of them came close, but none of them managed to score a victory against you. Not when you had the element of surprise and were armed just as they were. He watched each fight - not quite the easy affairs they once were, but still incredible to behold. At least, as far as Leon was concerned, they were incredible. Steel was an art with you - a song that only you knew the steps to. 

Still, he didn’t let his focus waver. He had to get through this and then, perhaps, he could entertain those thoughts. 

If you were willing. 

Instead of thinking of how beautiful you looked with those weapons, Leon focused on how you were just a touch slower to act with your off-hand, when you had two knives out. How you would sometimes go for the binds he knew you favored, only to reconsider and go for an attack at the last minute. 

Williams was the ninth fight, and she nearly had you. As strong as she was, and with her reach, she was able to cage your weapon against your leg, and nearly ran you through with a stab. Then, your other hand went for your second knife, and you spun to the side. The dulled blade met her neck, and then only Leon remained. 

“Of course Kennedy gets saved for last,” Williams grumbled, not happy with losing. 

Leon wasn’t sure what it meant that everyone had lost so far, but he did his best not to let it affect him. Krauser had trained them well. You had given him the tools he needed to win. All he needed to do was keep alert and apply what he’d learned. 

He kept an eye out through his drills and hand-to-hand sparring and everything in between. The tension dragged just long enough for the anxiety to begin to creep in, with Leon watching for you around every corner. He knew how to stay alert. How to move carefully and watch closely. How to react quickly, if he needed to. He knew that was likely all that saved him, when the time came. 

He was sparring with Alenko when you made your move. He almost didn’t realize you were approaching - Alenko’s eyes widening, and the sound of quick footsteps were the only warning he got. 

He got his block up just in time to fend off the stab you brought down on him, and staved off another as you brought your blade down and around, switching hands. It led to the two of you being locked together for a moment, his hands closed around either of your wrists and your eyes fixed on each other. Leon saw that flare of life in your eyes, the same way you’d looked the night you kissed him, and it sent electricity through him. 

You brought your leg up, kicking him away. Leon took the opportunity to draw his own blade, nostrils flaring as he bent his knees. Raised his guard. 

Something unspoken passed between the two of you - warm and charged - and then you were both rushing forward. 

Leon couldn’t even say what happened in those first few seconds. All he knew was that you moved, and he moved with you, a series of attacks, blocks and ripostes that he got through purely on instinct. His body remembered where to go, what to do, your lessons and Krauser’s ingrained in his bones. He felt your knife brush against his forearm as you twisted it. He felt his own blade do the same when you didn’t get out of the way fast enough. 

When the two of you separated, you were both breathing heavy, neither one of you down for the count. 

And you were almost smiling. 

 “Not going to use both?” Leon asked, pointing at your waist where he knew the second knife was hidden. It was a risk, but you weren’t as used to fighting with the two blades, he’d seen it. Maybe, if you took the bait, you would trip up. Make a mistake. Then he might be able to win.

Or, he’d get cut to theoretical ribbons. 

Either way, he was about to find out because you took the bait. You didn’t give him a response as you pulled your second knife out - you only looked at him with a raised brow and a tilted head. He knew that look, now. It was the expression you took on when you were sure you were going to win. Your funeral. 

Leon found some pride in the fact that, even as you rushed him with two blades, he wasn’t panicked as he used to be. Even with an injured arm, he held his ground. 

His squad mates cheered him on as he traded slashes and stabs with you, but it was all just noise to him. All he could really hear was the sound of the knives parting air, and the sharp exhales you both gave as you attacked and defended. The hiss of pain he made as your knife slashed against his bandages on a failed evasion. God, you were fast. You hardly gave him a moment to breathe, and with two weapons, Leon was on the defensive. He would go for an attack on your arm, and you would counter cut to his arm with your right hand, your other going for his belly. He would dodge a stab to his stomach only to have to block a slash at his throat. 

His mind rushed as he tried to think of a way to get you to trip up. 

He slashed at a diagonal, high to low. Your blades chased his arm as you retreated, then turned towards his midsection. Back arching away to avoid the attack, Leon pressed forward, going for your left shoulder. A feint, one that you raised a block for. The redirected attack was caught, wrist against wrist. 

You made a mistake, then. 

You went for the disarm on instinct, and Leon saw the split second as you changed your mind, deciding that you could end the fight then and there. It was all the time he needed, and he let the knife in his hand fall. 

His left hand was there to catch it, to slash at the arm attacking him and then go for your stomach. You grunted as the first attack landed, the second missing by a hair’s breadth. More cheers, but Leon only heard one thing; the voice in his own mind. 

Damn. 

The knives in your hands flipped, and then you were holding them in a reverse grip. The same way Krauser preferred. 

You were going to end the fight, Leon could see it in your eyes. 

You moved first, attacking high and low. Shoulder, knee - Leon blocked both with wide eyes. Tried to slash down at you but had to move his hand out of the way of your counter cut. 

A flash of steel as you went for his throat. 

Another as he leaned away, and your second knife hooked at the back of his ankle. 

He was falling, then, and his free arm couldn’t stop both the blades you followed him down with. 

But he could raise his own knife in time. 

You settled on top of him, the points of both of your blades finding his throat . . .

. . . and your eyes went wide as you realized you’d been met with steel in your chest. 

You both would have died together, if it were a real fight. One more slow than the other, perhaps, but you’d still assured each other’s end. 

A draw. The closest anyone today had come to winning against you. 

And as Leon looked up at you, his heart nearly burst, because you were smiling at him with so much pride. He couldn’t help but smile back, and the world around the two of you ceased to be. It was no more than a second, but it would stay with Leon for much longer; the image of you above him, eyes sparkling, the sun above you outlining you in gold. You looked from his eyes to his lips and back again, and he swore that you decided something then and there. 

Then, the moment ended. You stood, placing both of your knives in one hand and reaching the other down. When you helped him up, Leon felt like he was floating rather than standing. 

⧫⧫⧫

In the end, only five of ten were deemed ready to move up to the next level of training. A woman named Lawson, who you’d exchanged maybe five words with and Shinoda, who you’d fought the day Krauser had pitted you against two at the same time. Williams and Alenko had passed, too, and you weren’t surprised by the news. Both were good soldiers, and they’d earned their new place in your squad. 

The fifth - the only one you’d truly cared about - was making his way to you now, his eyes somehow bright even after everything he’d endured in the last few hours. But then, he was one of the strongest people you knew. Of course he could make it through these tests and still have it in him to smile when he saw you. 

“Still managed to get another surprise in there, after all,” he said, and the good humor in his voice set you at ease. 

“And you handled it. Told you, you’re getting good at this.” 

“Guess I am,” Leon nodded, before his eyes took on a more serious light. “You still want to have that talk?” 

You expected dread at the mention of it, but instead you just nodded, a sense of inevitability washing over you. After all, you’d had days to reconcile what it was you were feeling. It was time to stop hiding from it. 

“Yeah,” you nodded, looking to the open window of the officer’s barracks and then back. This wasn’t the sort of conversation you wanted to have in earshot of Krauser or anyone else. Especially Krauser. “Let’s walk.” 

And so the two of you set out across the base, tracing a little ways away from the walls. The first few minutes were spent in a comfortable silence, one that you didn’t mind. It was a little reprieve for both of you from the day’s events, a moment to just take in the sounds of evening crickets and the way the sky was getting ready to put on its evening show. 

Calm could only last for so long, though. The two of you understood that better than anyone. And after everything either of you had survived, you didn’t want this to be the thing that finally made you run for your life. So, you waited until you reached the spot you’d been searching for - that little corner behind the mess hall where the cameras were blind and the shadows were long. Leon didn’t question as you led him there, or as you went and leaned against the wall. He settled in beside you, not too close, but not too far. Just within reach.

“Quiet spot,” he observed. 

“That’s the idea,” you nodded. Then, you took a breath and went on. “You said we should just talk about what we’re feeling next time - be flat out.” It was now or never. And you wouldn’t forgive yourself if you let it slip into the latter. “I’m ready to have that talk, if you are.” 

Leon looked over at you, and the hope behind his baby blues was too damn much. “Yeah,” he nodded, “I’m ready.” 

And there was the open ocean, uncharted and unyielding, stretching out before you. Waiting for you to take the plunge. 

Well, fuck it. 

“We’re training to fight things that take people and turn them into something else. Take their souls.” You hated that your voice already started to strain, but you went on. “If it doesn’t happen to us, then there’s a million other things that could go wrong. Us focusing on each other could make us slip up. And when we’re done here, we probably won’t even be put on the same missions half the time. It’s a bad idea. Us being together.” There was some bitter humor in your tone as all of those hard truths were given voice and form. Humor, because there was still one thing that overshadowed them. “And the worst part is that I know all of that . . .”

You didn’t give yourself a chance to second guess.

“. . . and it doesn’t make me want it any less.” 

Leon turned towards you fully, and his gaze drew you in. Unavoidable. Inescapable. You were sure that, in that moment, no one could have looked away from him. Not when he looked so beautifully and unexpectedly elated. You wished you could keep the world from taking that joy from him. 

“You mean that?” 

“I do.”

Then, he blinked and laughed a little. “You’re kind of a tease, you know that?” 

You grinned. “Trust me, pretty boy, you haven’t seen anything yet.” 

“Will I?” He didn’t miss a beat, and you were a little pleased with him catching you off guard like that. 

“That depends,” you countered, turning to face him more fully. You wanted an equal playing field. “Your turn. What are you feeling?” 

Leon didn’t take long to answer. “I think that you know already . . .” you had to give him that much, “. . . but honestly, I think you’ve been the best thing about this place.” 

That admission was almost enough to knock you off your damn feet. A little humor was your only defense. “Pretty sad fucking state of affairs for the base, then.” 

“I’m serious.” He moved a little closer. “Having you has made this all easier. And I meant what I said.” The pink blush dusting his cheeks and ears betrayed his nerves, but he was pushing through it anyway, holding your gaze and speaking in a hushed tone. “You didn’t push things too far.” He looked down at your lips. 

“How far is ‘too far’, then?” you asked, and you almost couldn’t hear your own voice over the pounding in your ears as you leaned in. It was Leon’s last chance to back out. To take the sensible path. Your last chance, too. 

“If we ever get there, I’ll let you know.” 

You’d known it was going to end this way. Still, when the two of you met in the middle, lips crashing together, you felt like you’d been thrown from the top of a building without a parachute. 

All you could do was fall. 

And you fell into the movements of his mouth against yours all too easily, less desperate than the last time. That had been all adrenaline and desire. This, you could tell, was something else. You could feel it in the way his arms moved around you, holding you so gently. So reverently. A hand came up to your jaw, and you responded in kind by putting a hand at his back, feeling the muscles that he had earned through so much pain and perseverance. You pulled him into you, taking care this time to memorize how his body felt against yours - to marvel at how right it felt, despite the distant warnings of your mind. 

Warnings that grew more and more distant as the kiss went on, silenced by a greater desire. A will to get it right, this time. A second chance at a first, you thought, as you wove your other hand into his hair. He groaned a little at the touch, and you couldn’t say what possessed you to slip your tongue between his lips. All you knew was that he didn’t pull away. He met you in equal measure, breathing heavy against you. 

So warm. 

So real. 

The steadiness of it began to turn into something else. Liquid fire, melting away at your belly. You went on kissing him, almost to spite your worries. To fly in the face of the nerves that had choked you day after day. 

Each moment was a risk, but you couldn’t care less. Not when it was Leon in your arms and on your lips. 

It didn’t seem like he cared much, either. 

It might have been seconds or hours by the time you separated. Either way, you were both panting when you got the chance to really breathe, your lips swollen and shining in the low light. “Too far?” you asked, grinning like a fox because you already knew his answer. 

“God, no,” Leon shook his head, laughing.

Your hand traveled from Leon’s hair to his face, in a more tender gesture than you perhaps intended. Still, you couldn’t deny that something in your heart stirred as he leaned into the touch. 

And the smile he gave you . . . it was enough to split the world in two.

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Chapter Index

A/N: The final (for now) Dawid Podsiadło song rec is the "Little Stranger", I had that on repeat while I was writing these last few chapters.

Broken record here, but seriously, thank you all so much for reading! It means the world to me! Stay happy and healthy, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

#leon kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy #leon kennedy #jack krauser #resident evil x reader #resident evil 2 #resident evil 4 #resident evil #between the bones #gender neutral reader #leon kennedy x you #no y/n

[subskz]

hi ms. rin!! long time no see ☺️

i was always reading your works & all your amazing posts but i realize today it was a long time since i sent an ask >< i hope you’re doing great!

i wanted to ask if you’re still writing the childhood friends to lovers with lee know? ever since butterfly bandage i was craving to read another longfic from you cause you write so beautifully :< & with minho being my bias i think i’ll die if you make a story for him..! not to pressure you of course 💕

-🧸

hello hello omg it really has been a while!! it’s so nice to see you again my dear i hope you’ve been doing well and taking care since we last spoke ♡

you’re too kind thank u so much for your lovely words!! it’s so sweet that u even remember i was writing that lino fic i’m really glad you’re looking forward to it 😭 it’s still very much a wip so i’m not exactly sure when it’ll be out, but i work on it all the time! here’s a few lil sneak peeks just for u hehe

also please note that a lot of this is subject to change since i’m still working on it 😽 these snippets are still a bit barebones

ᓚᘏᗢ — snippet 1

You stared at the crumpled nest; abandoned, with what was left of it quickly being carried away by the wind. Straw by straw. You felt like crying.

Don’t be so sensitive. You told yourself. It's just a stupid bird.

“Wow,” a familiar voice, soft and brusque and not sounding very wowed at all, came from behind you. “That’s amazing, isn’t it?”

You lifted your head, whipping around to find its source. Not that you really needed to, anyway. You knew that voice better than your own, by now.

“Huh?”

“They were just babies, but they already flew away.” Minho crouched down next to you to examine the remains of the fallen nest. His small fingers brushed over it, so delicately that the grass barely shifted under his touch. “Like they know exactly where they’re supposed to go.”

You rested your hands on your knees, unconvinced, refusing to look at him. Your eyes were stinging. You didn’t want him to think you were dramatic. You didn’t want him to make fun of you. He’d put just as much care into looking after them, if not more. He’d stayed with them even longer than you had. How could he be so accepting of it?

“Birds are so cool,” he continued. A gentle breeze ruffled your hair, like it was summoned by his airy lilt. “They can go wherever they want.”

“Why do they have to go?” you muttered.

“Cause the world’s so big, dummy,” he said it like common knowledge, like he’d consulted the birds himself. “And they’re so small. So they gotta start seeing it early before they die.”

You puffed out a half-hearted laugh.

“You’re like a bird,” you decided.

“Mm?”

“You do what you wanna and go where you wanna.”

“I can’t be a bird,” Minho sniffed. “They fly too high. I'm more like a cat, ‘cause no matter where they go, they always know how to find their way home.”

“Like Soonie,” you said.

“Like Soonie,” he agreed. “Remember when he was gone for three days? But then he showed up again like nothing happened?”

“You cried a lot,” you giggled.

Minho huffed, looking away. “I knew he’d come back.” 

It had been one of the only times you’d ever seen him cry in your four years of friendship. He might’ve completely denied crying altogether if the subject were anything other than his beloved cat. His little brother.

“So you’ll always come back, too? Like Soonie?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “I'm gonna be here ‘til I'm at least 100, or else someone will take our spot under the maple tree.”

ᓚᘏᗢ — snippet 2

Minho’s hand reached for yours. It was shaking.

“If you're scared, I can stay with you,” he offered. You could tell he was trying to sound casual, but there was an undeniable tremor there. Not breezy, not carefree; thick and heavy with apprehension. It weighed down your conscience. “It’ll be embarrassing if you’re the only one in class left behind, right?”

You remembered how he’d reacted when you traveled up to the mountains last summer, how he’d turned away from the window when the car drove along the edge of the road, with nothing but a flimsy, rusting metal barrier standing between you and several thousand foot fall. You remembered how much trouble he’d had walking straight when you first arrived at the campsite, strangely quiet, muttering to himself about how high up it was. It was too high, the air was too thin, the world was too far away. 

Those were the issues, of course. The issue certainly wasn’t that he was terrified out of his mind. A cat stuck in a tree, longing to accept help without sacrificing his pride. Unsure whether to hiss at whoever came near, or leap into their arms. He’d grabbed your hand the exact same way, back then. 

“Okay,” you replied.

He perked up, features flashing with a hopefulness that was almost enough to break your facade. 

“Hm?”

It would’ve been so easy in that moment, to tease him. To call him out, gain the upper hand on him for once in six years. But looking at those eyes—round and bright and gleaming under his glasses with an innocence that effectively wiped away every annoying thing he’d ever done from your memory, you just couldn’t bring yourself to. 

“Let’s skip the rollercoaster,” you said plainly. “I’m scared.”

You weren’t, strangely enough. You wondered if Minho knew that. Of the two of you, he was undoubtedly the risk taker. His mind was too capricious to not explore every possibility there was, to not absorb everything the world had to offer until he found himself in it. It was almost exhilarating for you, to be the adventurous one, for a change. To be the one who didn’t hold yourself back.

You wanted to be bold. You wanted to be fearless. You wanted to impress him. 

But more than any of that, you wanted to stay with him. You didn’t want him to sit alone on the amusement park bench, watching his classmates have fun without him as he fumbled with the wrapping of a snack he couldn’t eat, because the anxiety had made his stomach hurt. 

“Seriously,” his grin was weak, but as he laced your fingers together properly, you could feel the quiver in his hand begin to calm. “What would you do without me?”

You simply grunted, allowing him to tug you along to the bench. You didn’t want to think about it. It was playful, not really seeking a response, but that didn’t stop his question from lingering in the back of your mind. Like a part of you knew that, sooner or later, you’d have no choice but to find the answer.

#ask #🧸 anon #💌

[idyllic-affections]

invisible disability? it's rather visible to me.

summary. baizhu knows the struggle of maintaining a job while being chronically ill; as such, he is willing to offer an accommodating work environment for others who struggle like he does.

trigger & content warnings. angst (at first... it gets better i swear /lh), ableism, etc.

tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. hurt/comfort. baizhu & chronically ill!teen!reader, qiqi & reader. 1.7k words. they/them pronouns for reader.

author's thoughts. he's out of nonplayable prison ygs!!!!! can't wait to see his character stories for..... personal reasons..... anyways i want to specify that i am chronically ill. i am constantly fighting with my genetics to be healthy, its ridiculous LMAO

imagine baizhu employing a chronically ill, visionless teenager.

baizhu can easily say he's known their family for a long time, so he of course knows that they have trouble keeping a job. they often mention little things like that about their life during their visits with him. never once has he found anything wrong with them; they're always in virtually perfect health.

that doesn't change the fact that they're very clearly struggling. he's observed just how much they overexert themselves in a desperate attempt to actually keep a stable job, simply to help support their family, but all the exertion only seems to make their invisible issues worse.

also... they've been in his care for heat stroke more than once in liyue's warmer seasons. the heat is just far too much for their body to handle if they aren't careful.

"What the hell is wrong with me?"

Their voice was so quiet and whispery that if Baizhu hadn't been attuned closely to them at that moment, he might have missed it. They half wished that he would have. Based on the brief glance he spared in their direction, they knew he was listening. Oh well.

"I mean... really. This is ridiculous," they murmured, knees drawn up against their chest. "Everyone thinks I'm just dramatic. I'm not. I do fine for the most part, but then it just... gets bad for no reason at all... how am I in perfect health?"

By that point in their rant, his undivided attention was on them. Though his gaze was thoughtful, musing, they interpreted it differently and winced slightly.

"...Sorry. I really shouldn't be complaining like this in front of someone who's chronically ill."

"No, it's quite alright. You shouldn't minimize your pain. Your struggles are as valid as mine. I find your trust, your ability to confide in me, quite endearing, even," he reassured, unbothered, to which their shoulders seemed to lose some of the tension they harbored. "In fact... I've been thinking about this for quite some time now. Chronic illness may show itself in a variety of forms. Sometimes it may show itself in the form of your symptoms. Would you like to learn how to manage your energy better?"

the liyuean doctor basically hired them right then and there, but they don't really realize that for the first few weeks.

in the beginning, they're just... spending time at bubu pharmacy, learning how baizhu manages his own limited energy and applying those techniques to their own life (it works shockingly well). that's all!

it slowly turns into them helping out where they can—packaging herbs, learning what exactly each one of them does, delivering prescriptions to those who cannot physically get the medicines themselves... even when people start to question if they've found a new job, they remain oblivious.

it's one day while helping mince herbs that they realize they're basically a junior herbalist.

A soft hiss left their lips when the knife nicked the pad of their finger. They were quick to put pressure on the little cut, pulling their hand away from the countertop to prevent any blood from dripping onto it.

"It's best to get rid of those herbs," Baizhu reminded, stepping away from his own work to gently bandage their wound.

A small pout graced their lips. "I didn't get any blood on them, though..."

Amusement and the vaguest hint of fondness twinkled in his gaze. "We don't know that for certain, do we, now?"

"...Wait a minute." Their eyes narrowed suspicously at him, drawing their freshly-dressed hand back once he was done. "This isn't about energy management anymore, is it? Have I been... I've been working here this entire time. These tasks are very employee-like."

"Come, now. Don't look at me like that. You were looking for a stable job, and I am more than willing to accomodate your needs."

"You could've at least said something to me. I've been doing free labor all this time, and as a child, no less! Hmm... now, I do believe that is illegal in this part of Teyvat~ It'd be shame to get Ms. Yanfei involved~"

in the spirit teaching them to manage their energy, he often takes them on house calls with him, starting off to just homes in liyue harbor and later to homes all the way in qingce village. it's a good way for them to gain stamina and get a better understanding of their job.

baizhu has a tendency to smile through his own pain for the sake of his patients.

this habit slipped by unchecked until [name] came around.

whenever they feel like he isn't doing very well, they'll take over for him regardless of what he has to say about it.

herbalist gui is very thankful for them—baizhu hardly ever listened to him, but he does take better care of himself for [name]'s sake.

(he swears that baizhu is oddly parental when it comes to them, but he wouldn't dare mention the doctor's blatant affections to his face.)

"welcome to bubu pharmacy," they'd greet with a kind smile after unceremoniously shoving baizhu towards the back of the pharmacy where he could rest undisturbed, "unfortunately, dr. baizhu is currently out of commission, but herbalist gui and i would be glad to take care of anything you may need."

sometimes changsheng can be seen wrapped around their arm! usually it's their dominant arm, which is terribly inconveniencing. still, it would be an honor to be Chosen™ by their loved one's pet... if only she wasn't so mean to them.

"Hmph. You're terrible at cutting herbs. It pains me just to watch."

"Okay? Go back to Dr. Baizhu then? I'm not holding you hostage, Changsheng. You came to me," they huffed. "Also... maybe I'd be able to cut better if you weren't strangling my dominant arm. Just saying."

It's a few moments later that they're sulking, murmuring curses as Baizhu disinfected their fresh snake bite. Changsheng completely neglected to apologize until Baizhu had prompted her to.

(They would complain that he found that incident a little too funny if anyone were to ask them. It really hurt, you know!)

changsheng bullies them lovingly <3 she bites them affectionately <33

(not that she'd ever say that, though. baizhu knows. he just chooses to let her believe he doesn't know.)

qiqi becomes very attached to them very quickly, i think. she'd like having a nice older sibling around and would address them as such without even thinking about it. "jiějiě," "gēgē"... she can't really tell what gender they identify closer with and doesn't remember to ask, so she tends to bounce between the two terms of address.

she has an entire page in her journal dedicated to little things about [name] that she deems to be important. she notes down things they seem to like, things they seem to dislike, their birthday, other important dates, defining features...

she also keeps important warning signs related to health episodes of their's jotted down, like how when [name] stands still a little too long, qiqi should urge them to sit for a moment because they're probably either dizzy or having vision issues, or how when their hands begin to tremble, qiqi should share a sunsettia with them.

she does miss these signs sometimes... she does her best, though! qiqi only wants to help the sweet junior herbalist that braids her hair and accompanies her on her herb-picking trips and hugs her and says "i love you, please stop this task, you might get hurt" with so much genuine affection that it often overwhelms her :(

it's rare, but sometimes, there will be a customer or patient that has little tolerance for their disability-induced weakness or slowness.

because their illness(es) is(/are) invisible, very few people take their struggles seriously.

some people take this as an excuse to verbally and even physically abuse them.

baizhu does not take kindly to people abusing his employees, especially not his chronically ill teenage employee. especially not them.

"Is there an issue I can help with?"

They didn't mind being the only one at reception during the days Herbalist Gui was out, Qiqi was herb-picking, and Baizhu was otherwise occupied. It wasn't a big deal, really.

At least... not until someone particularly impatient decided to make their job difficult.

Baizhu never took kindly to such incidents; this one was no different. Based on his tone of voice alone, it wasn't hard to guess that he was livid, golden irises alight with rage. Even Changsheng had hissed in their defense at the sight in front of her eyes.

He'd come back just in time to see them flinch away from the raised hand of some foreign adventurer.

"This one—"

"And who said I was asking you?" he scoffed, sliding behind the counter and checking them for wounds. They were shaking, he noted, gingerly supporting a fraction of their weight in case they were to collapse. "I was asking my herbalist, [Name]."

Baizhu was a man of patience and, really...

He wasn't all that confrontational. Despite that, any semblance of the supposed cowardice he harbored was gone in an instant.

His scarred fingers drew soothing shapes on their upper arm as he led them into the back of the clinic, guiding them to sit on one of the beds before their legs could give out.

"Are you alright?"

baizhu takes very good care of them after stressful encounters because he knows very well that such high-stress emotional experiences will take a toll on their body.

whenever a wealthier patient comes in, they've learned to overcharge them on purpose even if it's for the most ridiculous of ailments; oh? you say you have been sneezing quite a lot and are having a hard time breathing? no, no, it's not springtime allergies, who told you that? it's quite dire, in fact, and the treatment price will be awfully expensive... oh? you'll pay it? wonderful!

^ herbalist gui says that baizhu is a terrible influence on them sometimes.

in their defense, they get hefty bonuses every time wealthy people pay ridiculous prices for typically rather inexpensive herbs (like a certain ginger harbinger did one time! they still giggle at the memory of him paying so much for so little). the more wealthy people pay, the bigger their bonuses (fatui harbingers are very wealthy...).

simply put, they make more mora than the majority of their family put together because of this morally dubious behavior.

baizhu, gui, qiqi, and [name] are a chaotic found family but yk what? they all make it work <3

please consider reblogging, it helps me out quite a lot!

#aphelion's headcanons 🌸 #: [ the junior herbalist! 🌸 ] #baizhu x reader #platonic genshin impact x reader #platonic genshin x reader #platonic genshin impact #baizhu x you #baizhu x y/n #genshin imagines #genshin x reader #qiqi x reader #platonic qiqi x reader

[luneariaa]

got several nanami drafts atm actually, so i just decided to post this one first,, 💛🌻 very much self-indulgent.

minor mentions of wound/blood, fluff ending.

. dividers by @/cafekitsune !! 💛

"Kento-!" You call out in worry towards your fiancé, and onto the clearing of the area-- where previously, cursed spirits can be seen roaming around aimlessly. Now that most of them are being killed off, the place becomes a bit more safer.

Nanami's line of vision would shift instantly; looking over your fast-approaching figure with such worry in his eyes.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Was his first question, when you were about to ask the same to him.

You shake your head reassuringly at him, gently grabbing ahold of his arm once you reached closer to him.

"I'm fine, don't worry-- your arm is bleeding!"

The blonde-haired male goes silent; his expression changing to a rather grim look. It was then, he realized that there's a quite long cut along his left arm; perhaps it's deep, even. It's staining the sleeve of his shirt at this point.

He sighed a bit as he finally spoke, "Don't worry about it. It's just a scratch."

"No," your voice changes to a firm one. "We need to get it bandaged."

You begin to lead him away further by tugging on his uninjured arm. Nanami knows that he couldn't protest anything; not when you look so, so concerned over him.

His brown eyes would observe you instead while you took the lead, and his gaze became softer on its' own. Even his facial expressions become slightly more relaxed knowing that you are there with him.

It's as if you're the only thing that keeps him safe at this moment. His surroundings being ignored, and you are his main focus.

"Sit there." You ordered in an almost quiet tone as you motion for him to rest up at the spot. Then, without hesitation, you cut a certain portion of your lower clothes that you're wearing with the small blade.

"This should do."

You gently put a pressure to his wound, which causes him to flinch slightly. Even for temporarily, this should help.

And all the while you're doing so, he has his gaze locked on your form.

Once you make contact with his wound gently, Nanami flinches slightly, which causes for you to mumble a string of apologies.

"Sorry.. But this should help for now. You have to see Shoko soon."

He doesn't mind; not at all. Slowly, he lifts his other free hand up to your face, gently removing some strands of hair that's been covering your face as you concentrate still on the task at hand.

Despite the pinkish tint starting to cover your cheeks, you didn't let it distract you just yet.

"And done!" You exclaimed in a bit lower tone after the pass of a few minutes-- standing up straight after and doing a little stretch. "We should head back now."

Nanami didn't answer, but instead, merely nodding off your words while grabbing ahold of your hand after.

"Kento, sometimes, I do wonder.."

"What makes you choose me as your partner?" You broke the silence that's been lingering in the air during the walk still. And having no specific topics to talk about, but you wanted to end the silence as well.

He looks taken aback by the first question that you've decided to ask. But even so, he will always remain loyal and true to his words.

With the gentle grasp of his hand with yours, he responds calmly. "From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were the one for me."

When his eyes gazes down at you for a while there, you return the eye contact with a glance.

"How so?"

"If I'm being honest with you.." He softly breathes out, "You're everything that I ever wanted. Surely, you have some flaws here and there to others, but to me, you're simply perfect. I couldn't ask for more."

"I do not regret my decision to marry you soon, even the slightest."

And in all honesty, he just seemed to fall in love with you more and more deeply; in every single passing day.

"And I can't wait to call you my wife, that's for sure."

His words of truth have already brought tears to your eyes, clearly being touched by every single word he has spoken. No other man has loved you the way he did.

Nanami took notice of your incoming tears, and stopped in his tracks for a bit-- gently holding onto your shoulders to make you look up at him.

"Look at me." You obeyed, slowly gazing up at him as were told.

"I love you, alright? Don't ever forget that, and I will keep loving you until my last breath."

Less to no people are around that area where you both are at, so it makes it easier for him to express his genuine feelings. He needs to let you know.

The last words made you smile, eyes not leaving his own. And your eyes-- they seemed to shine in adoration as always at him. You love him so, so much, and that feeling seems to grow even more.

You squeeze his hand tenderly, the smile remains on your face. "And I love you more."

"No, I love you more," he chuckles in amusement. "You can't convince me otherwise."

"No, I do more."

You pouted at him, who's refusing to let you win at this mini battle.

"I love you, the most. End of discussion." Nanami remarks once again with a smile, beginning to take a hold of your hand once you both continued the walk. You knew for this time, you can't win, knowing he is very much persistent with his answers.

And by the end of the day, you both just love each other so, so much. Very much that it hurts sometimes.

Nanami Kento loves you so much that it hurts so good to him.

© 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚜.

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #kento nanami #kento nanami x reader #kento nanami x you #nanami kento #nanami kento x reader #nanami kento x you #nanami kento x y/n #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk x y/n #aria's post 𖥔 ݁ ˖

[wooahaes]

what a cat-astrophe

pairing: non-idol!wonwoo x gn!reader

genre: supernatural au. cat shifter!wonwoo, veterinarian!reader.

word count: 1.5k~

warnings: mentions of magic. injured wonwoo but its not serious. magical chaos hinted at but not elaborated on.

daisy's notes: i had this idea forever ago and im glad i can finally. do something w it lol

Halloween was usually a day you were ‘on call’ at the veterinary office. Of course, you were usually the person on call most days. It was just something for emergencies, and you were glad to help people out—that was why you chose this profession, after all. And, of course, your phone started ringing a little after dinner with a familiar name popping up.

Which led you to where you were now: getting out of your car to see Soonyoung standing outside the building, a black cat curled up in his arms. Once you came a little closer, you realized a few things about the poor kitty: it was breathing shallowly, and it had this tight… something curled around it that dug in enough to restrict movement. In the low light, you couldn’t see what it was exactly, but Soonyoung had already launched into an explanation.

“My… cat has been missing for a few days,” he said after a moment, “and then he came home like this. I didn’t want to touch anything in case it could hurt him, and my friend who could help is out of the country visiting his family, so—”

“It’s fine,” you said, digging out your keys to the building. “I can handle it. What’s his name?”

“... Panther.”

You nearly rolled your eyes at that. Seungcheol had told you back when he introduced you to Soonyoung to be wary of his love of tigers. Sure, it could be cute sometimes, but you were thankful he had enough sense to not name a completely black cat ‘Tiger.’ He could name it whatever he wanted, sure, but you knew that people always had questions in one way or another. Why ‘Tiger’? He’s a black cat. Why not something like ‘Shadow’? And so forth and so on. People liked to question things like that sometimes, and you’d had your fair share of pets growing up with ‘abnormal’ names. 

With the building unlocked, you took Panther from Soonyoung and told him to wait outside while you worked. It didn’t take long for you to gather everything you needed, and Panther seemed rather lax. He merely laid there on the table, letting you work at removing what you discovered to be these weird black vines. 

“It’ll be okay, buddy,” you said softly, giving Panther a little scratch behind the ears. He shut his eyes, relaxing his body against the table. “I’ll be gentle, alright?”

To be honest, you were glad that he seemed to relax, hopefully put at ease by you. You had seen cats that would go feral trying to get away from you when they were injured, and everything in-between that and how Panther was responding to you. If you had to, you would had called Soonyoung in to hold him still while you worked. Instead, you turned your attention to removing the vines first before discovering thorns pressing into the poor cat’s skin. There was this abnormal heat underneath your fingers that made you worry about infection—you’d take care of that, too, for Panther’s health—as you worked. Soon enough, you had a small pile of thorns and vines on the table next to you, and that heat had entirely dissipated by the time you were done. You reached for your bandages, only to find that you must have run out earlier that day.

“Shit,” you muttered. You turned back to Panther, scratching him behind the ears again, “Stay here, buddy. I’ll be back in a minute.” 

He merely slowly blinked at you. You quickly gathered everything you needed to dispose of and disappeared into the back, dropping it into a bin as you began to search for bandages. What a weird cat. Then again, if he was Soonyoung’s cat, it kind of made sense. Soonyoung wasn’t weird, but he would find a cat that’s a little quirky in some way. Intelligent, too, based on the way he seemed to entirely understand you. Almost as if he knew every single word you were saying—

The sound of a crash tore you from your thoughts, and you dropped the bandages to rush back to the room. You pulled the door open, half-expecting to see where Panther had bolted from the table… only to see a man, who must have collapsed onto the ground. Immediately, you let out a scream, and Soonyoung ripped open the other door. His eyes widened upon seeing the man, and he immediately bolted to you, hand clasping over your mouth.

“NONONO–It’s okay! It’s okay! That’s my friend!” 

You nearly bit Soonyoung’s hand before you shoved him away from you, staggering back a few steps. Panther was… gone—Where the fuck was—

Oh. Oh. You stared down at the man on the floor, brain piecing everything together all too easily. You could see the wounds on his skin, peeking out from underneath his clothes. This… was a cat shifter. Fuck, you had no idea what this guy even needed. Shifters were different from ordinary animals—thank fuck you didn’t try to give him any antibiotics or anything, especially if he was the kind that had bad reactions to it. Soonyoung had backed off from you, turning his attention to his friend since he’d begun to rouse again. 

Hold on. Didn’t you meet this guy once…? He seemed familiar, at least. Maybe he was one of the intern’s friends? You’d have to ask Mingyu sometime… After you threw hands with Soonyoung for not telling you about this guy in the first place.

“I didn’t know if you’d help if you knew!” Soonyoung said, reaching out for his friend again despite the way he kept drifting toward you. “And—And he was a cat! You’re a cat doctor, not a people doctor!”

Truly, you weren’t sure how to refute the logic. “You knew he was a shifter—”

“Jihoon said I needed to bring him to you before midnight!” He said quickly, almost tripping over his words. “Magic gets weird on Halloween and it could have trapped him like a cat forever.”

“Wouldn’t have been forever,” the handsome stranger murmured, consciously leaning away from you now. He pressed his hands against the metal table, eyes still shut as he stretched. “Just until someone else could help.” 

“See!” Soonyoung pointed toward him for emphasis, before letting his hand fall back down to his side. “Maybe I should have told you, but can you blame me for panicking? Wonwoo could have been in trouble.” 

With a heavy sigh, you admitted that you couldn’t. If you were this guy’s friend, you would have probably panicked as well. “Fine. Okay. Just… I dunno, just go. I wanna go home.”

Soonyoung nodded. “Right. Wonwoo—”

Wonwoo furrowed his brows, clearly not all present as his gaze fell to you. “Why do I want to rub my face on you…?”

Almost as if on cue, Soonyoung’s phone rang. He picked up, putting the call on speaker without much thought while you pushed Wonwoo into a chair, finding the other first aid kit you kept in the room (for human injuries—you’d been scratched before and liked to have bandages nearby). “We took care of him! Tell my vet friend thank you—”

A new voice (Jihoon, judging by the name) immediately sounded out, “Did you touch those vines?”

What the fuck…? You paused for a moment, taken aback by the question, a band-aid nearly slipping from your grasp. “Uh. Yeah? I had to remove them.”

“Shit.” 

Soonyoung looked down at his phone. “You didn’t tell me not to touch them! I didn’t know they weren’t supposed to!”

“I charmed you already, you’re immune from most things,” he said, “they won’t be. Fuck, I’m packing up and coming home early—”

“No!” Soonyoung said quickly. “Just tell us what’s going on. Wonwoo’s back to normal, he should be fine, right?”

“I’ll explain better when I get back,” he said, and you could already hear the sound of shuffling. “But I sent the picture to Joshua, and he said that anyone who touches those vines gets… connected to the inflicted person. Shifter. Whatever got caught up in it. So now they’re…” He trailed off for a moment. “I don’t know. Bonded. I can break it safely when I get back.” 

“Why can’t Shua do it?!” Soonyoung whined. “He’s in the city—”

“He doesn’t have the ingredients that I do and you’re not letting him or anyone else into my room. Just… don’t let them get too far from one another or it’ll hurt.”

You immediately looked over to the way Wonwoo was leaning into your touch, brows furrowed together as his jaw clenched. Soonyoung just watched, mouth agape at how outwardly affectionate Wonwoo seemed to be with you, a complete stranger, already. 

“Jihoon?”

“I’ll be home as soon as I can be. Just… watch out for them.” The moment the call ended, Wonwoo shut his eyes again. He let out a long sigh, “I’m gonna kill him.” 

Wonwoo pulled away from you the moment you were done dressing his wounds, putting Soonyoung in between the two of you. He didn’t seem uncomfortable or flustered in any way, but he refused to make eye contact with you for more than a moment. 

Which meant you’d definitely landed yourself in something deeper than you ever intended.

taglist: @twancingyunhao @wonuziex @synthetickitsune @staranghae @weird-bookworm

#wooahaes.fall23 #wooahaes.fic #seventeen imagine #seventeen x reader #seventeen x you #svt x reader #svt imagine #svt x you #wonwoo x reader #wonwoo x y/n #jeon wonwoo x reader #jeon wonwoo x you

[carlsdarling]

How to save a cat Part V

Carl and Y/N have serious problems now... Everyone is 18 or over.

WARNINGS: angst

You lovingly gazed at Carl, who was lying relaxed next to you with his eye closed. A smile formed around his lips as you kissed him on the forehead, and he squeezed your hand. During the last weeks it had become cooler, autumn announced its coming, and the temperature in the hall of "Joyland" had dropped noticeably.

As often as possible, which was usually two days a week, you and Carl now came here to be undisturbed, to sleep with each other, and then just to lie together and celebrate your closeness and your love for one another.

You lazily turned over on your back and looked up at the ceiling. Somewhere up there on the steel beams, birds were nesting; you could hear their soft chirping.

Your father's attention had waned by now, probably assuming that you had listened to him and broken off contact with Carl. In Alexandria, you avoided each other as much as possible and exchanged only as many words as were absolutely necessary in order not to arouse suspicion.

You both successfully avoided the fact that your relationship was ill-fated. It was clear that Carl and you would never have a future together in Alexandria, under your father's eyes; your father was in the process of expanding his dominant position. He acted so unsympathetically and ruthlessly that both Jesus and Rachel, the leaders of Hilltop and Oceanside, had distanced themselves from Alexandria and reduced mutual trade. Only Negan was fairly unimpressed by your father's behavior.

It was obvious to you that the current situation could not stay like this, Carl and you were enjoying your relationship only two afternoons a week, and this had been going on for quite a while now and the bond between the two of you had become stronger and tighter; it was not just a fling, it was so much more and you could not and would not imagine a life without Carl by your side. But you didn't like to think about it, because there seemed to be no solution. So you lived the moment as best you could.

"We have to get back to Alexandria," Carl said, yawning as he sat up to kiss you, then you got dressed, Carl put his bandage back on, you gathered the trash, fixed up the makeshift bed for your next stay, and you left.

                                                           ***

But just a few days later, you realized that you probably had a problem. At first, you had assumed that your period was simply late, after all, you and Carl had used protection every time. But when you were two weeks overdue, nausea set in, and your breasts began to become taut, you panicked. It couldn't, no it couldn't, be that you were pregnant.

You shared your worries with Carl the next time you visited your place of love. "Are you sure?" he questioned anxiously, rubbing his chin. "We've been so careful, haven't we?" Of course, Michonne had inculcated him to be extra mindful, and also pointed out to him that no contraception method was infallible, but Carl never imagined that you would actually have such bad luck.

"I don't have a test, so I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I'm afraid I really am pregnant," you said glumly. You couldn't explain how exactly it had happened - maybe one of the condoms had ruptured unnoticed, or it had slipped off a bit when Carl had pulled out of you, or maybe he'd had some sperm on his fingers when he touched your pussy; especially if you made several rounds. In the end, the details didn't matter; it had happened. You sought out a pharmacy nearby, but it had already been extensively looted, so there were no more pregnancy tests.

Another two weeks passed without your period, but the pregnancy symptoms increased noticeably. "Okay, I think we can be sure now," Carl summed up helplessly, and you began to cry in despair. That was the end. The end of you and Carl, the end of all. Carl wrapped you in his arms. "Don't cry, please. Don't cry, darling. I'll take care of you. We'll find a way out of this," Carl promised.

"But which one?" you sobbed, "There isn't one! I'll soon start to show, my dad will kill me, and then you!"

Carl mused. "We must escape, before anyone notices," he then decided. "We have to leave Alexandria secretly, and find shelter somewhere else."

"How do you think you're going to do that, Carl?" you asked incredulously.

"During the next few days, take some of your belongings to the hayloft of the horse barn. Just enough so your parents won't notice. The bare necessities. I'll pack it into my car little by little. And in a couple of days we'll be on our way at dawn. We'll drive to Hilltop and ask to be taken in. We can't avoid relocating in the long run anyway if we want to live together; after all, your father would never accept it," Carl summed up the problem.

"Jesus is scared of my dad, what if he doesn't have the guts to take us in?" you gloomily pointed out. "My dad would take that as a declaration of war. Winter is coming, we can't live on the roads, even more so now that I'm with child!“

"Then we'll try Oceanside," Carl didn't give up. Well Rachel and her people weren't exactly known for liking to take risks either. "And if Rachel won't help us too, well, there's still the Sanctuary," he said hesitantly.

Your eyes widened. "Seriously? You want to live in Negan's community?"

Carl hugged you tightly and held you as you were shaking with tension. Your muscles felt sore. "I'm willing to live anywhere and under any conditions, as long as I can just be with you, Y/N," he told you softly. "And Negan may be a sociopathic asshole, but he certainly won't be daunted by your father. Besides, he has a soft spot for me for whatever reason. If I ask him to take us both in, he won't refuse me. It's not my dream to become one of Negan's people, but if that's the only way we can live together, then I'll gladly pay that price. I just want to keep you and our baby safe."

For days you were preparing your escape, and finally it was time. Carl's car was stowed with all the necessary things, and you planned the last details. "Tomorrow morning, before sunrise, we'll leave," Carl decided. You had met behind the church, and he kept glancing around nervously. "They probably won't notice we're missing until about afternoon, so way too late."

"Okay. You head out through the gate, and I'll climb over the fence and walk to the road," you reasoned, even though you didn't know how you were going to transport the box with Garfield in it over the fence. You would probably have to use a rope.

"No. There's no way you're going to climb in your condition," Carl said firmly. That was also the reason you hadn't gone to Joyland in some time. "Meet me at the garages, and you hide in the trunk," he determined. "No one will check my car. They'll just let me through at the gate; I'll say I'm going to find some medicine, we have a shortage as you know."

That evening, you arranged the clothes you were going to wear and hid Garfield's transport box in your closet. Leaving the cat behind was out of the question, so you made sure Garfield stayed in your room. You would have to sneak out of the house quietly, with Garfield and your backpack. And thus you would leave nothing and no one behind that or who meant something to you.

But unfortunately everything turned out differently. Suddenly, as you were about to go to bed, having just brushed your teeth, your father stood in the doorway; his silhouette filled the doorframe threateningly. "What's wrong, Dad?" you asked in a squeaky voice, your heart pounding.

He came closer, towering in front of you. "Your mother empties the trash cans in the bathrooms," he said in a casual tone, but you could hear the suppressed anger in it. "She told me you hadn't bled in quite a while now. There were no pads, no tampons in your trash can."

Your mind raced. "I only use tampons now, and I threw them all in the toilet. Sorry, Dad, I know that can clog the pipe. It won't happen again." Your heart was hammering more and more wildly, your mouth dry with fear.

He eyed you with suspicion. "Then I'm sure you won't mind taking a pregnancy test." He held one out to you. You sucked in a sharp breath. Your mother had appeared and was avoiding your gaze.

"All right," you agreed, and headed for the bathroom. You hoped that if you soaked it in water, the test would be negative. Or at least it would be invalid, and then your father wouldn't know if you were pregnant or not.

"I have several of these tests," he said then. "And your mom is going to accompany you to the bathroom, Y/N. Just to be safe." Your father's voice was low and angry.

Seeking help, you glanced at your mom. There was only one option left: she had to pee on the test stick instead of you. You would beg her to save you, hoping that for once in her life she would make the right decision.

But your father seemed to anticipate the course of events. "I've changed my mind," he said, grabbing your wrist. "Come along." You stumbled after him into the kitchen, where he took a mug from the shelf and handed it to you before shoving you into the broom closet. "You will now pee in that cup and give it to me, and I will perform the test myself. Until you hand me the cup with your urine, I won't let you out again, and you won't get any food or drink either. Neither will Garfield get anything." He smiled coldly before locking up behind you. The broom closet had no window, and there was nothing in it except the vacuum cleaner, buckets, some rags, mops and brooms. Now you really had no chance, there was no way out, so you might as well give up now. Weeping, you pulled down your pajama pants and panties, held the cup between your legs and peed into it.

--

Tags: @loveforcarl @knochentrocken0808

#the walking dead #twd #carl grimes fanfiction #carl grimes x reader #carl grimes x y/n #carl grimes #carl fanfiction #carl grimes imagines #how to save a cat

[anticanonsposts]

Lunar Embrace-Chapter 4

cw: fem pronouns used, allusions to nsfw themes, spooky?

word count: 1,130

As the howling continued she found herself feeling very thankful that she was on an upper floor of the cabin. As if that would really make a difference if someone or something got in. She didn’t even have a weapon. Now usually she was very kind to animals, prey and predators alike, but the howling this creature was producing wasn’t like anything she’d ever heard. Eventually the howling seemed to get farther and farther away from the cabin, and y/n drifted back to sleep. 

Almost comically, y/n’s eyes fluttered open in the morning, around 9am, to birds chirping and the sun beaming through the windows down onto her. After getting up, using the bathroom, and putting pants on, she made her way down the stairs to the kitchen/dining area. There she met with König, sitting at one end of the wooden table. He looked as though he had been awake all night.

König’s eyes wandered up toward what was making noise and they landed on y/n’s form. His shirt draped lazily over her shoulders, exposing the left one slightly due to its size. He had had one hell of a night, rougher than usual and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and tune everything out. But he gave her a small smile and mumbled good morning through his mouth full of eggs and ham he had made as soon as he got home. 

Y/n’s eyes narrowed onto him once more, really taking in everything. The bags under his eyes made it seem like he hadn’t seen sleep in a month, and it looked as though there were several bruises forming on his arms and chest…That’s when she realized that he was shirtless. She tried not to gawk too much, but she couldn’t help but notice his build. He looked incredibly strong, even for a lumberjack, but again she saw copious amounts of bruises, scars, and gashes across his chest and back. ‘So this is why he is such a good customer,’ she thinks quickly, before responding to his greeting.

“Good morning König! I hope last night wasn’t too difficult and that the horses are ok.”

“Oh yes, thank you they were fine. The storm was just tough to get through.” he responds, averting his gaze from hers.

It seems like he was neglecting to tell her some crucial event from last night, but she didn’t pressure him. “Well, I should get going, I don’t want to intrude any longer!” she says, turning to pack up her bags. 

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea” he says and continues when y/n gives him a prying look. “Oh umm, this morning before you woke up someone from a neighboring village to ours said that there was a lot of strange animal activity last night and that the authorities are advising people to stay inside for the next few days….Unless of course you have urgent business back home?” he finishes, feeling increasingly nervous. He didn’t want her to think he was lying, or that he was just trying to keep her captive. 

“I-I would offer to escort you back myself but….” he trails off before repositioning so his left leg is out from under the table, exposing a huge gash across his shin and a very swollen ankle. “I just don’t know if its a good idea for you to go out on your own..I’m not saying you couldn’t take care of yourself, please don’t think that, I just-” he starts to ramble thinking that the absolutely blue any chance he had with her. 

But she interrupts and says, “No, don’t worry, I don’t think that at all. I do think that that leg needs tending to, with gentler hands” she quips, trying to lighten up the mood slightly. 

“I would appreciate that,” he replies.

So y/n got to work gathering salves, tonics, and bandages to help him. He pulled out his chair from the table, and she situated herself near his feet to get a better look at his wounds. She racked her brain to try to figure out what could have possibly happened to cause these kinds of wounds. But she pushed those thoughts aside so she could focus entirely on making him feel better. She noticed that although the injuries were severe, he was not bleeding as much as she thought he would, and things that normally stung didn’t seem to faze him much.

While she was cleaning and wrapping the wounds, she told him that she had also noticed weird animal activity the previous night. She described the strange howls she heard and that she even considered looking around his house for a knife or gun just in case. At that he let out a hiss as she was pulling the gauze tightly around the gash on his shin. 

“I’m sorry,” she musters. And just replies with a small smile and shake of his head.

“Thank you very much, and I don’t want to ask you for anything else, but I am exhausted. Would you be able to help me up the stairs?” he asks, sounding even more kicked down, if that was possible, than before. 

“Well of course, especially if I am camping out in your house while the monsters of the world wreak havoc outside.” she replies giggling. But his eyes quickly leave hers at the word monsters and he responds with what sounds like a strange chuckle. 

Normally she would overanalyze his reaction and think herself sick. But her nurturing instincts kicked in and she acted as a human crutch getting up to his room. Finally more or less flopping him onto his bed she gets some pillows for under his ankle and makes sure he has water on one of his nightstands. 

“Thank you, again. I know I am not being the greatest host right now.” König says with a small smile, trying to prop himself up on an elbow. But y/n quickly hushes his worries and gently but firmly pushes his chest back down with one of her hands. A hand, that König noticed, was so much softer and warmer than his, so much gentler, so much kinder. 

Before he could make any further objections she scampered back downstairs, assuring him that she could entertain herself while he rested. And König’s heavy eyelids closed and he drifted into a heavy sleep. 

Y/n found a few books on König’s shelves to keep her occupied and even took a small nap herself, after fixing herself something small to eat and tidying up the kitchen. As she drifted into her nap she tried to push out the carnal thoughts flooding her mind now of his hands, chest, arms, and everything else about König, telling herself that she was getting far too ahead of herself. 

Taglist:

@honeybeeznutz

#könig smut #könig #könig x reader #könig cod #konig smut #konig x reader #call of duty smut #call of duty modern warfare #cod smut #cod mw2 #konig mw2 #konig cod #könig blurb #könig imagine #könig x you #konig blurb #konig imagine #werewolf #werewolves #werwolf au

[hufflepuffwritingstuff2]

Can you continue the vampire caretaker series?/nf

Hi there anons! I would love to continue Vampire Caretaker! Thank you all for your patience while I worked on it! Thanks for requesting this, here you go!

This final part is a bit long, so I put it under the cut!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Caretaker pulled their hood a little farther over their head. They hadn’t expected it to be such a sunny day. No matter, they would be home soon, and then they’d make some breakfast for their guest. They only wished Whumpee would be willing to stay permanently; it had been so long since they’d had someone who didn’t want to kill them after finding out what they were, much less a companion.

Caretaker opened the front gate, and the sound of distant screams assaulted their ears, thanks to their enhanced hearing. Caretaker ran with incredible speed into the mansion, hearing the screams get louder. They sounded like they were coming from the basement. Caretaker threw the basement door open and sped down the stairs. What they saw made their red eyes widen in horror.

“Ah, so nice of you to finally join us, creature,” a stranger said, “we’ve been waiting for you.”

As they spoke, Whumpee writhed in their chains, wailing in pain.

“What have you done to them?” Caretaker growled, flashing their fangs.

“I’ve given them a little something to get your attention, that’s all,” the stranger said, “but let’s just say your attention comes at a price. Coursing through their veins right now is a rather slow-acting poison, a bit different than the last kind I gave them.”

“You were the one who poisoned Whumpee,” Caretaker realized, “in the alleyway.”

“Brilliant deduction, you should join the secret service,” the stranger said, “as I was saying, the poison is slow-acting but by no means is it not deadly. Your friend has about a few hours of agony to go through before they die. Of course, I could be persuaded to give them the antidote…”

The stranger held up a small bottle of a strangely-colored liquid.

“What do you want?” Caretaker asked.

“I want to rid the earth of filth like you,” the stranger sneered, “it’s my mission to purify this world of aberrations such as yourself. Surrender yourself to me, and I’ll make sure your little blood bag here lives.”

“D-don’t,” Whumpee sobbed hoarsely, “please don’t.”

As Whumpee continued to scream, something snapped inside Caretaker. An instinct that they had worked long and hard to bury resurfaced. Before they knew what was happening, they lunged. One moment, they were at the entrance to the basement, and the next, they were on top of the stranger. Their clawed hands tore at the stranger’s flesh, eliciting a harsh cry from them. The stranger went to reach for a wooden stake at their belt, but Caretaker pinned their arms down. Their fangs were bared menacingly as they bit into the stranger’s neck. They were tempted to suck them dry, but the last thing this world needed was someone like them living forever. They drank and drank, relishing in the taste of their blood.

“Caretaker!”

Caretaker’s head jolted up and turned to look at Whumpee.

“S-stop,” they said, “you’re not a monster…”

Caretaker looked down at the stranger. Their breathing was short and labored, and their eyes were half-lidded. Caretaker wiped the blood from their mouth and stood. They looked around for the bottle containing the antidote and discovered it shattered on the stone floor, its contents spreading out slowly. Caretaker ran to Whumpee.

“I’m sorry,” they said, unwrapping the chains, “I’m so so sorry.”

“Don’t let me die,” Whumpee pleaded, “please.”

Caretaker nodded, cradling Whumpee in their arms and turning their head, exposing their neck. They tore the bandages off and bared their fangs. They sank their teeth into Whumpee’s neck, sucking out the poison in their system. Compared to the untainted blood of the stranger’s, Whumpee’s poison-riddled blood tasted terrible. That didn’t stop Caretaker from sucking it out. When Whumpee’s blood started to taste normal, Caretaker pulled away and spat out the contents onto the floor.

“There,” Caretaker said, “you’re going to be alright- Whumpee?”

Whumpee’s eyes were closed, and their breathing shallow.

“Whumpee!”

…

Whumpee stirred on a soft surface. The memories came back in fragments as they lay with their eyes closed. Whumper had poisoned them… Caretaker had tried to save them. Had it not worked? Were they dead? Something cold clasped Whumpee’s hand. They had never heard of angels’ hands being cold, but then again, they didn’t know much about angels. Whumpee opened their eyes, expecting to see their guide to the afterlife.

Funny, Whumpee thought, their vision blurry, this angel looks a lot like Caretaker.

“Whumpee?” the angel asked.

“mx. angel?” Whumpee responded.

“No, not an angel. It’s me, Caretaker.”

“…Caretaker?”

Whumpee squinted, waiting for their vision to clear. When it did, they saw Caretaker’s face staring at them.

“Caretaker!” Whumpee cried weakly.

Whumpee sat up and hugged Caretaker, though they were so weak that it wasn’t much of a hug. In fact, they immediately regretted their decision as a dizzy spell washed over them.

“Easy, easy,” Caretaker said, laying them back down, “don’t sit up yet.”

“You saved me,” Whumpee said, “again. Thank you.”

“I would do it a hundred times over for you, Whumpee,” Caretaker said, smiling softly.

Whumpee smiled back. Then they felt a twinge of fear twist in the pit of their stomach.

“Whumper,” Whumpee breathed, “the stranger- did they-?”

“They can’t hurt anyone anymore, I’ve made sure of it.” Caretaker said.

Whumpee’s eyes widened. Caretaker, they didn’t…?

“No, I didn’t kill them,” Caretaker added, anticipating Whumpee’s question, “I’ve just made arrangements for them to live out their days more peacefully from now on.”

Whumpee visibly relaxed at that. They were curious what Caretaker meant by that, but they didn’t press it.

“So, um, I was thinking,” Caretaker began, “once you’ve recovered, maybe I can help you find a safer, more permanent living space from now on. If you’d like that.”

Whumpee’s face fell. Of course, how could they have been so stupid? It was their fault Caretaker was put in danger, and they had probably overstayed their welcome anyway. While it was true that Whumpee had fantasized about making this place their home, they could see now that that was a selfish desire.

“Of course,” Whumpee said quietly.

Caretaker tilted their head. Why did Whumpee seem upset? Surely Whumpee wanted to get as far away from vampires as possible after all that had happened. While Caretaker would love nothing more than to have a companion in Whumpee, they couldn’t be so self-centered.

…

Caretaker escorted Whumpee to the front gate.

“We’ll get your bags from the inn, then we’ll head into the village to see what housing is available,” Caretaker said, “sound like a plan?”

Whumpee nodded quietly, their head down. A couple of tears fell, staining the ground below.

“Whumpee?” Caretaker asked, “what’s wrong? Oh-!”

Whumpee hugged Caretaker tightly, their tears falling freely now.

“I’m sorry!” Whumpee cried, “I know it’s selfish, but, you’re the first person that’s been kind to me in a long time, and I don’t want to leave you!”

Caretaker was stunned. They ran their hand up and down the back of Whumpee’s head.

“Oh my,” they said, “I’ve misread the situation entirely. I thought you wouldn’t want to stay here anymore after all you’ve been through. I thought you’d want to live somewhere safer-”

“There’s nowhere I feel safer than when I’m with you!” Whumpee sobbed.

Whumpee cried for a few more minutes. When their tears had reduced to sniffles, the pair pulled apart.

“Whumpee, I had no idea that you felt this way- that you felt the same way I did,” Caretaker said, “you’ve only been here a few days, and you’ve been the best companion someone like me could hope for.”

“Really?” Whumpee asked.

“Yes.” Caretaker nodded, “if you’re serious about living here permanently-”

Whumpee nodded vigorously.

“-Then we’ll go to the inn, grab your things, and bring them back here. How does that sound?”

Whumpee nodded, wiping their tears, and hugged Caretaker again.

“Thank you, Caretaker,” they said.

“Of course, Whumpee,” Caretaker said, “now let’s go before the sun gets too high, this hood only does so much.”

Caretaker and Whumpee headed to the inn to grab Whumpee’s things. They would bring them back to the castle, where they would start their new lives together.

… Whumper rose from their bed and strode over to their window, pulling the curtains back and gazing out at their yard. It was a perfect day for gardening. In the recesses of their mind, there was imprisoned their memories of their time as a hunter, locked away by the power of a vampire’s hypnosis. Whumper got dressed, grabbed their gardening tools and headed outside; the roses were looking quite beautiful this time of year.

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Tags: @rainy-knights-of-villany ,@wolfeyedwitch, @lokigodofaces, @burningkittypoet, @a-crumb-of-whump, @mythixmagic @infinityshadows @fishtale88 @thelazywitchphotographer @the-beasts-have-arrived @princessofonwardsworld

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ko-fi

#vampire caretaker #caretaker x whumpee #whumpee x caretaker #vampire #vampires #vampire whump #whump #hurt/comfort #human whumpee #vampire hunter whumper #poison #noncon drugging #poisoning #restrained #writing #writeblr #creative writing #writing community #creative writing community #whump community

[three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat]

"Kaeya?

He jolted with surprise, the roll falling to the floor with a muted thump.

"Master Diluc." He said smoothly, moving into a more natural position to try and hide his wound and his near complete lack of a shirt. He forced the grimace of pain that came with the movement into a smile. "I didn't expect to see you here this early."

Whumptober Day 15: "I don't need you to help me, I can handle things myself." | Makeshift Bandages | Suppressed Suffering | "I'm fine."

The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon when he stumbled into the bar.

Of course, he knew that this wasn't the best place to go after an Abyss Mage and its lackeys decided to use you for target practice, but it was the closest– Diluc kept medical supplies behind the bar for when his, hm, less than legal activities were more dangerous than anticipated.

The door wasn't even locked, and he tsk'ed at that. Honestly, it felt like Diluc didn't even realize the value of some of the things in the bar sometimes. Nevermind that, though– Kaeya was more than willing to sample it all and let him know.

He walked behind the bar, grabbing a bottle of wine and uncorking it. It was some of the cheapest stuff, and he grimaced as he drank it, but he couldn't afford to try and reach the higher shelves, not right now. The point was to dull the pain, not to enjoy the Angel's Share's wares.

He pulled aside the ruined remains of his shirt next, wincing with every feather-light touch of fabric. The burns weren't quite as severe as he had first thought, although they covered more of his torso than he previously thought, and the arrow didn't seem to be barbed, although it wasn't doing its job of keeping his blood in very well.

(He briefly lamented the loss of his clothes– that had been a new shirt, Archons damn it.)

He reached down, pulling out the small medical kit; it didn't contain much more than a needle and thread and a few rolls of gauze, but he didn't need much more than that. He set to work cutting the fabric away from what remained of the arrow shaft– although that left little fabric left to cover the lower half of his torso. He took another swig of the wine, aware that what was about to come would be unpleasant, and picked up the roll of gauze.

"Kaeya?"

He jolted with surprise, the roll falling to the floor with a muted thump.

"Master Diluc." He said smoothly, moving into a more natural position to try and hide his wound– and his near complete lack of a shirt. He forced the grimace of pain that came with the movement into a smile. "I didn't expect to see you here this early."

"Someone broke a table. I stayed here to fix it." He crossed his arms. "You should not be here at all."

"Perhaps I just wanted to pay my dear brother a visit." He put on one of his most charming smiles, gesturing to the bottle next to him. "Although I admit, I might have had an ulterior motive."

He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "At this hour? My, maybe I should have a talk with Master Jean about your drinking problem."

"There's no need for that, I'm sure." He leaned over the counter, and barely managed to hold in a scream as the arrow shaft hit the underside of the bar.

"Are… you alright?" He stepped closer, the barest hint of concern on his face.

"I'm fine, Master Diluc, truly." He said breathlessly. The taste of iron filled his mouth.

His gaze moved farther down, and his eyes narrowed. "Those burn marks on your clothes say otherwise."

He was sure that if he wasn't wearing gloves, his knuckles would be white. "Just an accident with Klee, you know how she is. I haven't had the chance to change my clothes, is all."

"Right." He said. "I'm sure the blood on that wine bottle is actually, what– jam?"

He looked at it, and, sure enough, there were bloody fingerprints on the side.

He waved a hand, ignoring the pain that came with the movement. "It's nothing serious, I just didn't want to trail blood through the streets."

"So you decided to get it all over my bar?"

"My apologies, Master Diluc. I'll pay for the costs of cleaning, if you'd like– and the cost of the wine, of course."

"Ugh." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Patch yourself up and get out."

"Your hospitality is ever generous, Master Diluc." He rested one hand over his heart, giving a short, mocking bow.

He leaned down, gritting his teeth against the pain, and picked up the roll of gauze. When he stood back up, Diluc was frowning at him.

"Wait." He said, reaching up towards his face. "You might have a concussion, there's blood in your hai–"

Memories flashed through his mind– another time with Diluc, another time he had been burned, another time he had studied his face with such scrutiny– and he jerked away from the bar. "Don't touch me!"

Diluc stared at him, hand still hanging in the air. Kaeya squeezed his eye shut; moving so quickly had been a bad idea, and what little bit of pain the wine had dulled was coming back in full force.

"I–" He tried to laugh it off, but it was hard to even speak. His head was starting to spin. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that–"

"You idiot, how are you still standing?"

"Huh?" He blinked his eye open in surprise.

He waved down at his wounds. "Look at yourself, you're going to–" He moved around the bar, and Kaeya took a step back.

He stopped, a brief look of hurt flashing across his face. "What are you–"

"I don't– I don't need you to help me, I can handle this quite well myself."

Why was he– why was he scared of him? The bar didn't resemble that day in any way, neither of them had weapons– he didn't even think Diluc was wearing his vision.

"Kaeya– you're–"

Why was he trembling? Diluc– Diluc didn't scare him, he never had, why was he–

"I won't hurt you, I promise." He raised his hands, taking a step forward. Kaeya flinched away, back hitting the wall and sending another horrible wave of pain through him.

He didn't remember getting hit in the head– although between the burns and the arrow, the fight had started to get a bit fuzzy; it was possible, he supposed, and would certainly explain why he was acting so– so– so scared, so paranoid.

"I know that– there are a lot of things in our past that you can never forgive me for." He said slowly, speaking as though every word pained him. "I know that you– you probably hate me for what I've done. But please, you need help."

Why would– why would he be mad? Diluc hadn't done anything he hadn't deserved, really– Kaeya was sure he would've reacted in much the same way, especially in his circumstances.

When he didn't react, Diluc stepped forward, picking up the abandoned emergency kit. He stepped towards him slowly, hands up like Kaeya was a scared animal, ready to flee at any moment. It was an apt analogy, he supposed, considering his behavior of the last few minutes.

"Sit on the counter." He said. "You shouldn't have been standing for this long."

"That really isn't the bes–"

"Do it." He said sternly, grabbing his arm.

Kaeya stared down at his hand. "...Right."

With a bit of difficulty, and quite a bit of pain, he managed to get up on the bar. Diluc headed to the backroom, and returned a minute later with a rag and a bowl of water.

"I'm going to clean your burns first." He said. "Unless you have any other injuries you neglected to mention?"

He looked down. It seemed that, at some point since he had entered the bar, the arrow wound had started bleeding again– bleeding quite a lot, actually, probably why he had started to feel lightheaded. Or it could've been the concussion he likely had– now that he focused, he could feel the dried blood in his hair.

"None that I'm aware of." He said. "Unless you count what happened to my clothes."

"I don't." He said curtly.

"Nothing at all, then."

"Here." He said, grabbing a bottle of wine and uncorking it. "Drink this. It'll help with the pain."

He looked at the label on the bottle. "This is–"

"Just drink it. You can pay me back later."

He took a swig of the wine– it was quite fine, one of the most expensive ones in the bar, although the lingering taste of blood ruined any enjoyment he could've taken from it.

Diluc inspected his wound, hands hovering over his torso. Kaeya could feel the heat radiating from him– although it also could've just been the heat from his burns reflecting back.

"How long has it been?"

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps an hour?"

"And you… left the arrow in the entire time."

He took another drink. "I couldn't very well pull it out, could I? I'm afraid most of me would've been left behind before I had even reached the city."

He grimaced. "...Yes, I'm sure."

"Besides, I froze it over. Everything managed to stay intact well enough, didn't it?"

"If that's what you would like to call it, then yes." He said, a hint of frustration in his voice. "It's intact."

"I would like to call it that, yes."

His hand hovered over the arrow, ready to grab it, but Kaeya stopped him. "Wait."

He pulled off one of his gloves, shoving it into his mouth, and gave him a nod. The taste wasn't very pleasant, but it would certainly be better than biting his tongue off.

Diluc nodded once, the slight hesitation on his face replaced with determination, and pulled the arrow out in one swift movement. He screamed, and Diluc flinched at the noise, the arrow falling from his hand.

"You know, Diluc." He said, when he had managed to regain his breath somewhat– which was several minutes later. "I didn't hate you before, but I might start to now."

"You didn't… what?" He paused, the rag halfway between Kaeya and the bowl. The water was already starting to stain pink, which probably wasn't good.

"Is now really the best time to have this conversation?"

"...No, I suppose not."

He continued to clean the wound in silence, the only sounds Kaeya's muffled exclamations of pain and the dripping of water from the rag.

"You shouldn't need stitches…" He said, setting the rag down in the bowl. "But I'm worried it'll start bleeding again if I don't."

"I'll go see Barbara in the morning. I'm sure I'll be fine until then."

He frowned. "Are you really going to?"

Diluc hadn't been this worried about him in years. Maybe he should be the one to go see Barbara (he didn't say that, though).

"Take me there yourself, if you're so unconvinced." He said.

He nodded. "Alright."

Alri– surely he hadn't seriously meant that? Willingly spending time with Kaeya that he didn't need to? Even helping him with his wounds was odd enough; maybe he really was ill.

He picked up the gauze. "I suppose you're doing this for me too?"

He huffed. "Of course. How did you even plan on doing this yourself?"

"I would've managed just fine without your help, Master Diluc. I'm not some helpless child."

He rolled his eyes, ignoring him in favor of starting to wrap his torso. It was a painful endeavor, and by the end of it, his breath was coming in gasps of pain.

"It's alright, I'm almost done, it'll be over soon." Diluc whispered after a particularly loud gasp, winding the gauze around just a bit faster.

It reminded Kaeya of another time, when he was still a child and had fallen. Diluc had held his hand, telling him much the same reassurances as Adelinde cleaned the wound and bandaged it. It was the first time he truly felt like a big brother, Diluc had confided years later, and it was for that very reason that Kaeya held that memory dear.

"You've always been a horrible liar, 'Luc." He said through gritted teeth.

He laughed, but there wasn't any joy in it. "You used to be just as bad."

"Maybe so." He said. "I'd like to think it's at least one thing I'm better at than you."

He secured the gauze, and leaned back slightly to inspect it.

"You should be fine for a few hours." He said, starting to clean up.

He inclined his head towards him. "My thanks, Master Diluc."

He put the kit back behind the bar, standing up and grabbing the bowl. Kaeya rested his hands on the bar, getting ready to stand.

"Were you serious?" Diluc asked suddenly, turning around. "About what you said earlier?"

"What?" He paused, halfway up.

"About…" He scowled, looking away. "...not hating me."

"Oh." He blinked. What an odd question. "No. You're the one who hates me. It's easier just to go along with it."

"I don't–" His mouth snapped shut, and he stared for a moment, finally setting the bowl down and crossing his arms. "I've never– hated you, Kaeya. I assumed that, after I… returned, you wouldn't want anything to do with me, and I… kept my distance."

"Well." He sat down, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We're certainly not very good at this, are we?"

He snorted. "No."

"Let's just… do this another day, alright?" He rubbed his forehead. "I can't…"

"I still have a table to fix, anyway." Diluc said. "Before you so rudely interrupted me."

It was clear that he was trying to rile Kaeya up, but he didn't have the heart to make it sound believable.

"I'll help myself to your fine collection here, then." He gestured to the bottle of wine still on the counter. "Unless you plan to deny your poor, dear brother a respite from his pain?"

"Just… try not to get drunk."

"Well, I can't make any promises." He tipped the bottle in his direction.

He sighed, shaking his head, and started to head towards the stairs. He seemed to change his mind halfway through, though, and went to the back room again, carrying his coat with him when he returned. He held it out to Kaeya. "Here."

He set the bottle down, and took it from him gingerly. "And… What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Wear it, obviously. There's nothing left of your shirt but the sleeves." He crossed his arms. "I didn't help you just so you could catch a cold before we get to the cathedral."

"…Right." He stood up, shrugging the coat on. The sleeves were just a bit too long, the cuffs hanging down over his hands.

Ah, well. At least it was warm.

#genshin impact #whumptober 2023 #kaeya alberich #diluc ragnvindr #ragbros #kaeya #diluc #mb's writing