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#one of these was a spoiler for like two days but now people know nicknames yay
rubindraws · 9 months
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Various Artfight stuff I did Part 1
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etherealising · 10 months
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chapter one | a berzatto family christmas
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masterlist | next chapter ↣
pairing(s): carmen berzatto x fem!reader : platonic!michael berzatto x fem!reader : platonic!richie jerimovich x fem!reader
summary: you reunite with carmy years later at the berzatto family christmas party.
warnings: language (cursing), blasphemy, angst (maybe?), spoilers kinda (if you haven't seen season 2 don't read), the berzatto family, not dialogue heavy, very subtle hints to mikey being suicidal, probably ooc!characters, idk what else but if you find something let me know please! not beta’d and minimal editing so sorry for any mistakes. i also wrote this overstimulated on caffeine so if it doesn’t make sense or it’s repetitive then we know why : )
semantics: no use of Y/N: reader goes by the nickname Baby it has a backstory and its literally so simple, if this bothers you idk what to tell you, sorry : (
wc: 4.7k
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You were standing on the sidewalk, nerves filling your body as you hyped yourself up to take the few steps left to the porch and ring the doorbell. You shouldn’t have been so nervous, you knew that but your mind was spinning with the myriad of scenarios both good and bad; that could play out once you stepped foot past the threshold. In all honesty, it wasn’t so much that you were nervous to enter the house itself, it was the fact that you’d be face to face with your childhood best friend for the first time in you didn’t even know how long. Maybe childhood best friend was a stretch you had only been introduced into each other's lives due to circumstance, and because of that forced proximity, you both took comfort in having someone stable around.
The two of you weren’t friends because you had chosen each other, or because you had met in kindergarten and shared toys in the sandbox because the other kids were stingy. No, you met because as a single mom, your mother needed all the shifts she could get even if that meant working the graveyard shift at the hospital, and only seeing you a handful of hours throughout the day because most times she was too dead on her feet to be conscious for more than a few hours. And when she could no longer pay the babysitter her next best option was the eccentric woman across the street who had children close in age with you.
Enter Donna Berzatto, a woman who came to feel like a second mom to you. It's not that she replaced your mom, no one could ever replace her, but she was the only real mother figure you knew for a time in your life. Who took you in as her own when your mother needed a new babysitter, and not just you but integrated your mom into the family as well, when she was spared the time off from nursing. Donna Berzatto who never sent you home empty-handed, and always made enough food for you and your mom to last throughout the week, just so your mother wouldn’t have to worry about fitting grocery shopping into her already hectic schedule. Donna Berzatto who, even when you were old enough to no longer need a babysitter, would send Carmy across the street to fetch you for family dinner, or even just invite you over because she thought you needed company.
Now that you were thinking about it, it seemed like you were more friends with his mom than you ever were with Carmen Berzatto. But then that would be a lie wouldn’t it?
You and Carmen Berzatto were friends due to circumstance, maybe even best friends. You weren’t just friends at his house, but you were school friends, you were everywhere friends. He really was your only true friend, of course, you had school friends, but that’s just what they were. You saw them Monday through Friday for a mandatory education, never an hour before school started or a minute after the final bell. Which didn’t necessarily bother you, but sometimes you longed for a weekend invitation to hang out, not that it ever came. And it wasn’t like you were shunned or unpopular in school, you were just average, you didn’t see a point in making friends with people you weren’t actually interested in befriending.
That’s what made Carmy so different, yes maybe you were only introduced due to circumstances but that didn’t stop the two of you from latching onto each other for dear life. Your mom always wondered how you two even established the friendship you did, with both of you being shy and never feeling the need to go out of your way to make friends. Include the fact that you had been neighbors practically your whole lives and never once taken an interest in each other aside from shy waves and curious childlike staring when either of you would be outside.
Your relationship with Carmen progressed as any childlike relationship would, you befriended each other, had your incessant petty arguments and fights, nothing ever serious enough to actually cause damage just childish antics. And it continued to progress through middle school and high school, the two of you were each other’s person, you just understood each other, the two of you let the other understand you, and wanted to be understood by each other.
You could also recall what you explain as a minute change in your friendship. As Senior year approached and you and Carmy continued to grow into yourselves, you developed a slight crush on the boy you had grown up with. It obviously wasn’t as small as you thought it was if you were standing in front of his childhood home giving yourself a pep talk just to ring the damn doorbell though was it?
The unsolicited card and wrapped present weighed heavy in your tote bag, as your breath was made visible by the chilly Chicago weather.
It was Christmas and for all intents and purposes you had been planning on mailing the present to Carmen’s New York address, but after visiting The Beef on your way back into town Mikey and Richie had let it slip that indeed the infamous Berzatto sibling would be gracing everyone with his presence this holiday season.
It was moments like these you wished you had picked up on the Berzatto family’s horrible smoking habit, thankfully your mom had taught you just how vital having functioning lungs was.
Your head shot up as the sound of loud rambunctious voices drew your attention to the front door opening and closing revealing a face you were all too familiar with and actually relieved to see. The oldest Berzatto brother stood on the porch, hands on his hips as he gave you a goofy smile. You could feel your lips stretching into a smile of your own, the infectious aura that Michael Berzatto exuded doing wonders to calm your racing mind.
“I know you didn’t come all this way just to stand outside staring at my family home like a fucking weirdo Baby.” Mikey’s smile grew in size as he teased you.
You rolled your eyes at the childhood nickname you wish hadn’t stuck as Mikey opened his arms to wrap you in one of his signature hugs. The two of you stood on the porch embracing each other for what felt like hours, you needed this hug as much as he needed it, you knew it and Mikey did too. That was the thing about you and Mikey although not blood-related it was as if your souls knew each other in a past life. Of the Berzatto siblings, Mikey was the last sibling you developed a relationship with. Growing up he was always just Carmy’s older brother but as you grew up surrounded by him, he became your surrogate older brother as well. And when Carmy dashed off to pursue his culinary dreams in New York, you and Mikey grew even closer.
You stepped back from the embrace, your eyes finding Mikey’s as he looked at you with a knowing glint in his eyes. “You not standing out here cause of a certain Chef in that house are ya?” Mikey asked, smirking down at you.
You chuckled “The only reason I come around anymore is for Mama Donna.” You joked doing a poor job to convince Mikey.
He nodded, tossing his head back with a laugh, “You were always a shit liar Baby. Carmy’s an idiot, don't let him ruin your Christmas.”
You let out a sigh head resting against Mikey’s chest as you tried to let his words soothe you even more, “He’s not ruining it, you just know things have been kind of stilted between us, and I don’t know this whole situation just feels awkward.”
You raised your head to look at Mikey again, “It’s awkward right? Am I making things awkward? I don’t wanna ruin Christmas Mikey, I know how your mom is and I know how Carmy is, I don’t wanna ambush him.”
The worry in your voice was evident as Mikey stood there listening to your ranting. His hand reached out as he used his thumb to massage away the frown between your eyebrows. “Calm down Baby, you know Ma is expecting you, and she wouldn’t take it well if you missed Christmas. She looks forward to seeing you every year, you give her a piece of Carmy when he can’t be fucking asked to come home and visit.” His hand moved down to cup the side of your neck rubbing soothing circles where his thumb rested, “Do it for Ma okay? Let Carmy be fucking wonder boy Carmy a’ight.”
You laughed nodding your head as best as you could with Mikey’s hand holding it, he smiled giving you one last hug before dropping his hand to grab your wrist and tug you into the house. You stopped him by placing a hand on his arm that was connected to yours.
“Hold on Mikey, I got you something.” You moved to start rummaging through your tote bag stalling because you were too nervous for his reaction to the present.
“Awe you didn’t have to get me nothing.” You turned back to him with the present in your hands as he held his own hands over his heart mockingly. You knew Mikey didn’t do well when it came to sentimental things and the best you would get out of him was a joke as opposed to anything else.
You laughed holding the rectangular wrapped present out to him, “I wanted to Mikey, don’t think of this as a gift, think of it uhh…as a show of appreciation yeah?” You nodded feeling your face heat up as you dropped your head so he couldn’t see how unsure you were about the gift.
He smiled, finding your shyness endearing before tearing into the neatly wrapped paper and revealing a frame, his hands engulfing it from end to end. He smiled looking at it before you saw confusion etch across his face, “This is great Baby, yeah but uh what the fuck am I looking at?”
You shove his shoulder before laughing at him and grabbing the frame out of his hands but holding it in front of your chest so he could still see its contents, “It's a trademark certification you dumbass, can’t you fucking read Mikey.” You joked to try and underestimate how big of a gift this was.
Mikey’s brows furrowed before he snatched the frame out of your hands to get a better look at the certificate sitting behind the glass, eyes snapping back up to your face with a look you couldn’t read. You shuffled your feet feeling like you overstepped a boundary you didn’t even know was between you and Mikey, “Don’t worry though I-I, put it in your name, it’s not like I trademarked it for myself or anything. I just know how much this means to you and I, I know shit has been tough lately and I’m sorry if you feel like I stepped on your toes but…Mikey, you deserve good things too okay?” You hadn’t meant to go on a rant, but you could feel the apprehension leaving you as you became passionate in every word you spoke.
“You deserve to be fucking happy Mikey, and I, I want you to know I fucking believe in you and I’m always in your corner. If it's-” You were cut off by Mikey clearing his throat, causing your eyes to snap back up to his, all the emotions he didn’t know how to translate into words swirling in his brown eyes, a small smile resting on his lips.
“Mikey-,” Before you could get another word out you were once again trapped in his comforting embrace, this hug conveying something completely different from the earlier one you shared. Mikey’s head tucked into your neck as you felt his uneasy breathing through your hands clutched around him. Mikey wasn’t the type to get emotional in front of other people, and feeling a tear of his smear against your cheek as he raised his head from your neck and settled his bearded cheek against yours, you weren’t sure if you had done the right thing by giving him the gift or not.
The two of you stood in silence as you allowed Mikey his moment, not wanting to make him feel insecure about you being present while he was being emotional. When he finally pulled away you could see the leftover sheen in his eyes. He tucked the framed certificate under his arm as both his hands reached up to grab your face in both of his hands, eyes finding yours, a whispered “thank you, baby,” leaving his lips as he placed a kiss on your forehead before he grabbed the frame again and wrapped you in another hug.
His head rested atop yours as your face rested against his chest, ear pressed against his beating heart. You lied, you thought the last hug was different, but no it was this hug that was different, while the second hug you shared in the span of 20 minutes was a hug of love and gratitude. This hug felt heavier, like there were things Mikey wanted to tell you but couldn’t, things he only felt he could convey through a hug, things you weren’t sure if you wanted to question or not.
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It had been almost 20 minutes since Michael had escaped the house to do whatever the fuck it was he was doing outside. Carmy didn’t know and in all honesty he didn’t actually give a shit either, too busy helping Donna out in the kitchen to try to give any thoughts to whatever had grabbed Mikey’s attention.
He was focused in the corner of the kitchen making Tiff Sprite to help alleviate her nausea symptoms. Anyone else would have done their best to block out the rambunctious noises going on throughout the house, not Carmy though, the chaos fueled him, it grounded him. If the house was quiet it would have been too much for him, to be alone with his own thoughts ping-ponging around in his head, waiting for a chance to drown him. So if he had to listen to his mom list a plethora of things he needed to make sure happened for Christmas dinner to go off without a hitch while he was making Sprite from scratch, he welcomed it.
He finished his concoction just in time for Richie to walk through the kitchen, the older man trying to figure out how the fuck it was even possible to make Sprite from scratch. Gratefully taking the glass Carmy had offered to him, marveling at the carbonated drink in his hand.
Carmy nodded in his direction, “Yo Cousin, where the fuck is Mikey. He just fucking disappeared.” Carmy’s head swiveled around the kitchen double checking whether his brother was there or not, coming up empty in his search. Richie glanced up before settling his eyes back on the drink in his hand still doing the mental math to wrap his head around what the fuck Carmy just made.
Richie jutted his head in the direction of the front door, “Outside talking to Baby.” His eyes finally focused on Carmy’s in time to see the frown grace the younger man’s face, his eyebrows pinching together in agitation, annoyed that his brother was on a phone call rather than inside. Though that’s what Carmy told himself subconsciously he knew he was just annoyed at the fact that Mikey was even talking to you at all. Carmy didn’t think he was possessive but as you and Mikey grew closer through the years, he couldn’t help but feel miffed about the ever growing friendship between the two of you. You and your friendship with Carmy was the first thing in his life that he felt like was actually his and his alone.
It’s funny really for Carmy to think he has any sort of claim over you, or like the two of you were even really friends anymore. When he left Chicago to pursue his culinary dreams, he left you behind to, essentially ghosting the one real friend he did have. It’s not like he meant to, you two just went your separate ways after graduation, and he wasn’t even sure if there even was an “Us” when it came to the two of you anymore. If that was the case the only person he had to blame was himself, it was no fault of yours that your friendship had hit a plateau, Carmy hadn’t responded to a text of yours in years, and the fact that you still texted him to this day caused a slight pain in his chest as he stood in the middle of his mother’s kitchen, frown still etched into his features.
“He’s outside on the phone with Baby?” Carmy questioned the ache in his chest doing nothing to alleviate his irritation. It was Richie’s turn to frown reciprocating the same confused look Camry wore.
“What - No dickhead, he’s talking to Baby, like she’s right in fucking front of him and shit.” Richie swatted the side of Carmy’s head like a child. “Your moms invites her to every holiday, Cousin, and she comes every time.” Richie knew the last bit wasn’t necessary but felt Carmy rightfully deserved it, all anyone wanted from the youngest Berzatto was a visit.
“Dudes been out there for fucking ever though, those to idiots just standing outside like a bunch of fucking jackoffs.” Richie left the kitchen not waiting for Carmy to follow him before heading to the front door. He stopped moving the curtain on one of the side windows to spot two of the people he considered family. He let out a low whistle nudging Carmy’s shoulder who had finally joined his side nodding his head to the window.
“Get a load of these fucking losers hugging on the porch like they’re in some fucking Hallmark movie or some shit.” Richie laughed pointing at you and Mikey through the window. Carmy leaned closer to get a peak at what Richie was going on about.
Carmy hated to admit it, but Richie was right, the too of you looked like the happy couple who just saved a small town’s Christmas or whatever the fuck Hallmark movies were about. Mikey had finally separated himself from you long enough for Carmy to take in your features. He’d be lying if he said the years apart made him forget what you looked like. You were still the same girl he left in Chicago all those years ago except the wand of maturity had touched you, and in his opinion he thought you looked more beautiful than you had in high school.
Carmy was never one to pay too much attention to a woman’s features, and not because he didn’t care, it's just that he didn’t think it mattered. But as he drank in your form he learned in that exact moment why a woman might want people to notice the small things. Like the haircut you were sporting that Carmy felt shaped your face well, not that he knew shit about stuff like that, but he could appreciate art when he saw it. The outfit you picked out doing wonders to compliment your tall form and accentuate your legs. Carmy could look at you all day, scratch that he wanted to look at you all day.
He was torn from his reverie as Richie narrated the scene happening in front of them, “Aw look at these fuckers lookin all in love an shit.” He joked watching as Mikey slung his arm around you and led you towards the door, what looked to be a frame held in his other hand. The two of you walked side by side, your arm wrapped around his torso, hugging him into your side, Mikey’s head leaning slightly down to whisper something in your ear a small smile gracing your face as Mikey pressed his lips onto your temple lingering there for what Carmen swore was forever.
The tightness in his chest intensified tenfold as the realization of just how close you and Mikey had become sank into him. He didn’t know how to feel, his brain not even allowing any emotions to process, saving himself from any conclusions he might come to from a split second interaction.
Carmy left, he chose his path, he knew this, and he had no regrets he would pursue his dream every time the opportunity was presented. He just wished that, maybe if he held onto you as tightly as you still held onto him, it would’ve been him greeting you on the sidewalk on Christmas Day, being the sole object of your attention holding you close to his longing body. He knew overall the decisions he made regarding you were wrong, while he ignored your daily text and calls enough times for you to just resort to monthly check ins asking him about his endeavors and congratulations as you heard about his achievements in the culinary industry, he knew deep down that Mikey answered every text and call you sent his way, made it his mission to connect with you anytime you were back in Chicago.
Carmy couldn’t admit it to himself but deep down he knew his family saw spending time with you as a way to stay connected to him. You were the closest thing any of them still had to Carmy, and even though he had essentially cut you off from his life, his family loved you too much to allow Carmy’s shortcomings to affect their relationship with you.
He was broken from the recesses of his mind as Richie threw the door open stepping over the threshold raising his hands in the air to welcome you and Mikey into the house. The glass of Sprite still clutched in his left hand, a broad smile spread across his face as you left Mikey’s hold to greet Richie eyes not having spotted Carmy who was hidden behind Richie’s small frame.
Carmy’s first up close look at you in years were your hands wrapped around Richie’s torso as he pulled you into a hug, rocking the two of you back and forth, Richie let you go quickly turning his body back into the house “A’ight fuckers you can all stop pretending you care so much about Carmy and his little rat in the chef hat bullshit. We got the real deal here now, Baby's gracing us with her journalist presence.”
Carmy’s brows furrowed at Richie’s dig only slightly offended about being compared to a fictional character named after pasta, too caught up in allowing the sound of your laugh to grace his ears for the first time in what felt like forever. Mikey had finally caught up to you standing behind you with a hand placed on your shoulder, Carmy watched as his brother’s hand glided up and down your arm before giving your bicep a slight squeeze and nodding his head in Carmy’s direction.
If Carmy was being honest it was becoming increasingly difficult to quiet his mind that was eagerly trying to piece everything together. From yours and Mikey's prolonged moment on the porch, to the kiss he placed on your temple, add in Richie’s jokes and the almost constant physical contact between you and Mikey and Carmy was sure he figured shit out.
You looked to where Mikey motioned his head finally noticing Carmy’s figure standing there while Richie ran off towards the stairs after his impromptu introduction. Looking at Carmy was like being in a Time Machine, nothing had drastically changed, he looked more exhausted than what you remembered. But overall he was the same Carmy you parted ways with all those years ago.
A small smile graced your lips as you took him in, he was still your Carmy appearance wise, and right now for you that was all that mattered. You lifted your hand in a small wave gaining his attention, your smile growing wider as your eyes locked with his.
The clearing of a throat broke you from your thoughts, Mikey’s hand giving your shoulder a squeeze as he walked you two into the house before shutting the door behind him. As he finished he stood in front of you so that Carmy was partially covered from view by each brother in your line of vision though your focus was taken up by the eldest. He gave you a reassuring smile before gently knocking his fist against your chin and presumably turning to leave you and Carmy alone.
As Mikey walked past Carmy he gave him his signature grin and a wink before patting his shoulder as left to check on Donna in the kitchen and mingle with the other guests.
Carmy’s face was still set in the same frown it had been in when he first asked Richie where Mikey ran off to. You took a deep breath to settle your nerves before taking a step to close the gap between you, your hand reached out to gently squeeze Carmy’s arm though stopping in midair as you watched him subtly flinch. Your smile faltered, your hand finding its rightful place at your side. You looked up to see the apology in Carmy’s eyes, you did your best to brush the moment off, maybe you came on too strong, maybe it wasn’t fair that you were still pushing for a friendship when Carmy had given you all the reasons to stop trying, maybe the Carmy in front of you was a different Carmy to the one you used to know. Maybe the life where it was you and Carmy had finally taken its last breath and you were just too clingy and desperate to realize.
You cleared your throat trying to alleviate the lump forming from the thoughts that were racing through your brain. The small placating smile on your face there to stop you from having a full breakdown in the Berzatto’s foyer. “Its good to see you Carmen, I hope New York is treating you well.” You lips wrapped around the generic greeting forcing yourself not to say anything you might regret.
Carmy nodded his head rapidly accepting your lackluster words, his lips parting and closing all in the same breath. The man obviously had nothing to say to you, and maybe you just had to accept that. You stayed a moment longer cursing yourself for doing so as the air between you two filled with palpable tension.
“Baby, is that you? My goodness you look fucking gorgeous.” Half of Donna’s body had popped out of the kitchen finally gaining a spare moment to greet you. Her words mumbled through the cigarette between her lips, a ladle held in her right hand while the left was occupied by tongs. Her apron covered in all sorts of sauces and whatever the hell else your brain couldn’t even begin to discern.
You laughed half in amusement and half in relief, you weren’t sure how much longer you could stand there as Carmy burned holes in your body. You waved at Donna quickly, beginning to head towards her to join her in the kitchen. It wasn’t your first choice as an escape from Carmen but you’d rather try and help Donna finish preparing Christmas dinner than be around Carmy for another minute.
Donna waved the tongs in Carmy’s direction, “Jesus fucking Christ Carmen, take the girls bag and coat. Don’t just fuckin stand there.” She huffed eyes glaring the longer Carmen stayed glued to the spot. You handed him your tote as soon as his arm shot out and began hastily shimmying out of your jacket. You gave him a soft smile before laying the jacket on his awaiting arm.
You began to leave the foyer as Donna motioned for you to follow her, mentally preparing yourself for what you were about to walk into. A sudden thought occurred causing you to gently grip Carmy’s bicep as you were walking past him, “I uh, I actually bought you a Christmas present. So um, find me later yeah?” You smiled tilting your head slightly in questioning.
Carmen Berzatto graced you with a small smile, nodding back in agreement as you sent him one final nod and turned to enter the kitchen. The first positive emotion he granted you since you walked back into his life 30 minutes ago.
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next chapter ↣
a/n: this is my first fic that i’m publishing and i genuinely have no clue what the fuck any of this is, : ) but nonetheless hope you all enjoy! or don’t i’m just a stranger on the internet. constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated though. please like, comment, reblog if this behemoth tickles your fancy!
also i write for fun/hobby and i'm such an inconsistent bitch so don't get your hopes too high, but this will potentially be a series idk yet though lol.
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dulaglutide · 11 months
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Hello, can I ask for the upper moons to fem! Human reader who is exhausted almost all the time because she has a lot of trouble sleeping?
Thank you if you do this request!!
Have a great day/night!
Me fr
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Warnings⚠️: cult mentioned (Doma), slight manga spoilers (Akaza), swearing, nickname princess is used (Karaku), let me know if I missed any!
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Uppermoons x human! fem reader
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Kokushibo
He will force you to lay down
He will make sure the house is completely quiet for you so you can rest
He will sit with you until you fall asleep if you wish
He will make sure nobody bothers you
If you just can’t get to sleep whatsoever he will carry you around and he will have you just lay down because your tired
He will let you sleep on him if you beg
He will be against you laying on him at first but he will eventually get annoyed from your begging and just pick you up and lay you on top of him
Doma
Oh god
He’s going to get you the softest pillows, blankets, etc
He will cuddle you
Baby will try and get you to fall asleep in his lap when he has to go be a cult leader
If you complain about how tired you are he will treat you like a baby and be like “oh~ is my poor y/n have trouble sleeping? That just breaks my heart~”
You know he’s just teasing you
Sometimes he manages to make you laugh when he teases you
He will smile down at you if you do manage to fall asleep cuddling him or sitting in his lap when he’s being a cult leader
Akaza
You are getting taken care of
He is amazing at taking care of people but he can’t remember how or why
You are under amazing care with him
Even if your just tired it doesn’t matter he will find a way to make it all better
He will hold you if you want and he will get you anything you might need to fall asleep
He just wants you to get your needed rest because your a human
Humans need rest
He will make sure you rest if it’s the last thing he does
He turns it into a mission for himself
He will be very happy if he gets you to fall asleep
And then Doma come bursting in and wakes you up and now Akaza is angry
Sekido
YOU ARE SLEEPING LITTLE LADY
Holy shit he will make you fall asleep one way or another
He will make sure the other clones don’t disturb you
Your in good hands when your with him but it can be a little overwhelming
He’s trying to act all tough but he fails because he is worried about you
You can see right through his little act
He will grumble and complain if you want him to sleep with you but he does it anyways
If it helps you sleep he will do it with complaints
When you do fall asleep though and he knows your 100% asleep you will get kissed on the forehead
Karaku
He will get you to sleep
At first he will think it’s a persuading kinda thing but then he realizes it’s not
He will lay you on his chest and make sure you fall asleep
He will whisper comforting praises in your ear
If that does work then he will find another way
He will be a cuddle bug and will kiss you all over your face
He will tease you though
”awwwww does my princess need help falling asleep?~”
Aizetsu
OMG
He will baby the fuck out of you
He is amazing for this stuff because he’s so calm and has a comforting aura
He will hold you to help you fall asleep
He will wrap blankets around you two when you cuddle so your comfortable and will just do everything to make you comfortable and make you sleep
He will sleep with you!!!!
Your in such good care with him
He might fall asleep before you and that’s okay because the little breaths he lets out when he sleeps is so comforting and so fucking cute
I need to stop because I can go on about him for hours marry me please sir
Urogi
CUDDLES
Ever heard of the Cookie Monster?
Well he’s the cuddle monster
He will wrap you up in his wings and nuzzle his face against you
He will kiss you randomly anywhere on your face also
He will try to be as quite as he can be so you can sleep
If you really need it he will wrap you in a blanket and his wings you most likely won’t need it because he is a fucking heater
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lu-is-not-ok · 7 months
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Everything you need to know from Leviathan
First things first: this is Not a story summary of Leviathan. This is merely a collection of all the pieces of characterization, backstory, and worldbuilding that I believe is or will be relevant in Limbus Company.
I encourage everyone who has finished Library of Ruina (or doesn't care about spoilers to that game) to read Leviathan yourselves, as I will be skipping over most of the actual plot of the novel.
Also, due to the nature of Leviathan as the direct sequel to Library of Ruina, some endgame spoilers to that game will inevitably come up. That being said, I will try my best to keep those spoilers as minimal and vague as possible.
Preamble: Done. Let's get into this. Something something long post warning ahead. It's also kind of chaotic and borderline incomprehensible. If I missed something then, uh, whoops.
Event Timeline:
The end of Library of Ruina directly causes an event dubbed "the first miracle" by some, and "the second passing of White Nights" by others, during which the people killed in the Library would begin returning to the City as if nothing happened.
An orphanage in the Backstreets of District 22 (V Corp's) was at the epicenter of this event, being destroyed in the process and causing the Ring to take interest in the children raised there.
The events of Leviathan follow half a year after this event, and seem to take place over the course of at least a few days. It's as of yet unclear how much time has passed between the end of Leviathan and the beginning of Limbus Company.
Vergilius:
Vergilius comes from District 22 (V Corp's), a Nest filled with wide water canals and boats that make use of them, making it somewhat reminiscent of Venice.
Vergilius used to be the operator of a highly-experienced and skilled Fixer Office. The lowest Grade Fixer at that Office is Grade 3 until a rookie joins them during the events of Leviathan. This Office seems to be dissolved by the end of Leviathan after half of the Fixers working for it die.
Vergilius's title, the Red Gaze, is a stealth pun in Korean. The word used for Gaze is a homophone to the characters used in an epiphet meaning Immortal Poet.
The red eyes Vergilius is named after appear to have a certain kind of aura to them, which causes him to draw attention to himself and be easily recognised. For missions where stealth is involved, Vergilius has a special pair of glasses to make his gaze less recognisable.
Also, Vergilius owns whole-ass calling cards with his Fixer title and a portrait in a Roman-inspired style.
As a Color Fixer, Vergilius is extremely strong and fast, being able to crack the ground underneath his feet when running at full sprint and literally cut through buildings. In fact, Vergilius's body is heavily augmented with artificially woven muscle fibers, which Vergilius compares to hydraullic cylinders and motors in how it feels to use them, though they're not literally mechanical. Despite that level of power, he's noticeably less experienced or skilled than another Color Fixer seen in Leviathan - Iori, the Purple Tear.
Speaking of her, Vergilius appears to know quite a bit about her, including her name, what happened to her in Library of Ruina, and what one of her goals is. She's also implied to have taught Vergilius a technique called Shin that gets introduced later in Leviathan. Also, Iori calls him a junior, implying a difference in either age or experience between the two. Oh, and he also knew Roland.
In addition to knowing those people, Vergilius appears to have also known Carmen before she died. He recognises the nickname Carmen uses for him within the Light as the one she used for him back when they knew each other. Also, back then, Vergilius's weren't as they are now, implying they've known each other before Vergilius was a Color Fixer.
For some time during his work as a Fixer, Vergilius has had the ability to sense "Flow". A fate-like pressure that he sees as trails of shadows and light, pointing him towards a destination he doesn't know. It's a force he notably struggles to resist, only being able to by following dim Flows, rather than the slow but bright Flow. However, doing so merely brings ruin to Vergilius's life, as the dim Flow inevitably guides him back to the slow Flow.
For ten years, Vergilius has been visitting an orphanage in the local Backstreets, donating money and goods and spending time with the children there. He even keeps an old photograph of him with all the orphanage's residents on him.
Before he found the orphanage for the first time however, Vergilius would go on rampages and kill people he believed were contributing to the horrible current state of the City. One of those rampages involved the slaughter of a whole Syndicate, the leader of which was Lapis's father. It's heavily implied that all the children within the orphanage landed there as a direct result of Vergilius's actions.
Vergilius is consistently shown to be stoic and emotionally distant, yet deeply caring underneath his aloof exterior. This is most clearly shown through his relationship with Garnet, the previously mentioned rookie who was raised at the previously mentioned orphanage. Though Vergilius denies Garnet's claims that he raised him, and regularly thinks about how Garnet's sentimentality is going to get him killed, yet he also can't help but feel proud of Garnet in moments where he truly shines, care a lot about Garnet's safety, and feel horrible guilt when he fails to protect him.
Back during his rampaging days, Vergilius is unable to show mercy, with his "attempt" to do so involving giving the last survivor a cut that would let them survive for a few hours, in gratitude for giving him a code to the door. Inversely, current day Vergilius appears to have softened, as his gladius has a heating mechanism that immediately cauterizes the wounds it inflicts. This ensures non-fatal wounds remain not fatal, even if leaving his target alive could cause him issues later on.
Vergilius's motives for taking care of the kids at the orphanage despite being the one who orphaned them are as complex as they are layered. Guilt is clearly a part of that, as Vergilius believes there's no reason for him to see Lapis again when Garnet offers to take him along for his meeting with her. Another part of it might have been Vergilius secretly wishing that one day, one of the kids would realize what he'd done and take their retribution... however it's unclear how "canon" that particular motivation is due to it only being brought up in a vision of a Mirror World. The orphanage was also a reprieve from his former reality filled with wails and begging for mercy. It was a place of warmth, filled with voices of delight waiting for him every time. At the same time, it was a source of hope for him. A place where he could redeem himself, to raise children who could live with the heart he couldn't have, and who could potentially change the City with their virtues alone. All of these motivated Vergilius to cover up and forget about his true goal. One he's been actively burrying during his visits at the orphanage.
That goal? Redacted from the viewer. The first explicitly set up mystery in Leviathan. However, we know that it is directly tied to how Vergilius wishes to change the City.
Vergilius believes that the City is deeply wounded, with its injuries having festered for a long time. He believes that the way to change it is to continue spilling blood, never letting it dry out. To try and pierce through the City's thick shell into its wounded core. When describing the world he wants, he says it's "a world that can only be understood once you feel it with your whole body".
After a talk with Carmen, Vergilius effloresces into his E.G.O, which allows him to wield blood as both a weapon and armor. It also allows him to become one with pools of blood, however he would be unable to leave them if they were to dry while he's inside. However, the usage of his E.G.O is limited by the amount of other people's blood he has available to him. If he were to run out, he'd be forced to use his own, dying painfully in the process.
Also, Vergilius keeps coming up with one-liners when beating people up. It's kinda funny.
At the end of Leviathan, Vergilius is invited into Limbus Company, being promised to give him Lapis (who had been replaced by Charon) and Garnet (who has been reduced to a tiny glowing jewel) back. Thinking back on his past, Vergilius accepts, though the story ends before we get to see the exact terms of his employment.
Charon:
Previously, Charon was known as Lapis, and was one of the kids at the orphanage Vergilius would regularly visit. She was especially close friends with Garnet, who would later become a Fixer and join Vergilius's Office. In fact, Garnet notes how Lapis wouldn't usually open up to anyone but him, and when they did talk she would often talk about Vergilius. She's also noted to not be a fan of studying.
Lapis ended up at the orphanage after Vergilius killed her father during his slaughter of the Syndicate he led. While we don't get to know much about her father, we do know he cared deeply for her, to the point his last words were calling out her name.
In a flashback to her childhood, we learn that Lapis would always suck on bitter candy as she's able to preserve it and suckle on it little by little, whereas sweet things melt away much sooner. She follows this anecdote of hers up by revealing her wish to "try all the flavors in the world" when she grows up.
After aging out of the orphanage, Lapis got a job at a fruit-harvesting company. During the events of Leviathan, Lapis has decided to meet up with Garnet at a private location. However, the area turned out be occupied by Syndicate members, including that of the Ring, and Lapis was kidnapped to be used in the Ring's experiments with Mirror World technology.
At the end of Leviathan, Lapis turned out to be the only of the "gems" to have survived the experiments. However, she did so because she was the only successful one. Her former identity was completely erased, replaced by that of Charon. Initially, Vergilius is hesitant to make contact with her, feeling like keeping his distant will save both of them from pain. However, he relents when Charon finds a still living piece of the jewel Garnet had turned into.
Gubo:
Gubo is one of the researchers at N Corp, and during the events of Leviathan he comes to an auction held by the Ring for the sole purpose of gaining access to their Corridor and retrieving Aseah.
His connections to a Wing allow him to casually bid 10 billion Ahn like it's nothing. Gubo is also notably frustrated when the auctioneer appears to be breaking their own rules, trying to convince them that doing so would put their gallery in ill repute.
To enter the Corridor despite his failure at the auction, Gubo is willing to sacrifice the lives of the people that had accompanied. Notably, Vergilius is able to tell that Gubo did no fighting himself due to his appearance, reckoning he merely hid while others fought in his stead.
Gubo is someone who's willing to keep himself calm and composed regardless of the situation. He's constantly calculating ways to reach his goal, willing to do anything and pay any price to do so. However, that composure is said to reflect insecurity, obsession, and yearning. He is shown to take some ridiculous risks in pursuit of his goals, attempting to attack Vergilius twice despite being clearly outmatched against a fucking Color.
Despite N Corp being at potential odds with the Ring, due to them kidnapping Aseah, Gubo doesn't act hostile towards the Ring's members outside of getting rid of those who were directly standing in his way.
Aseah:
During Leviathan, Aseah is the main researcher working on the Mirror World technology for the Ring. He's specifically working on modifying and tuning an invention made by Young-Ji, the Glass Window.
By that point in time, Aseah had already joined N Corp, however the Ring kidnapped him to use his knowledge for their own gain. Despite such seemingly dire circumstances, Aseah does not seem bothered to be working for the Ring in the slightest.
Aseah is a cold and usually emotionless individual who only cares about his research. In fact, he only ever shows emotions, specifically passion, when realizing he's made a breakthrough or describing how the technology he's researching works. He's easily swayed to risk other people's lives for the sake of pushing his research even further.
One of this main motives for using the Glass Window is to create a Singularity to surpass Yi Sang's creation, as well as any other competing technology of this kind. Despite his self-imposed rivalry with Yi Sang, Aseah still calls him a friend.
At the end of Leviathan, Aseah is successfully retrieved by Gubo . However, a question is posed: for both to get back out of the Corridor, Aseah must be able to know how to navigate it. If that's the case and he could have escaped this whole time, why didn't he? He must have had reasons to not fly away, even though his cage was wide open. Add that to the mystery counter.
Limbus Company:
Limbus Company shows up at the very end of Leviathan, being a new enough Company for Vergilius to have never heard of them before.
A Special Operations Team from a department called LCA raids the Ring's lab, specifically searching for Vergilius. A woman with hair that seems white from far away, but appears graysih close up, approaches him. This is revealed to be Faust, and she's the one who gives Vergilius an offer.
Work for Limbus Company, and we can bring Lapis and Garnet back.
The Ring:
The Ring are a Syndicate that are said to only believe what they see with their own eyes, and are dedicated to the creation and display of various types of art. They also hold auctions for various pieces.
Some of the Ring's art falls within our understanding of it, such as paintings and sculptures. A large amount of it however includes acts of extreme violence or otherwise cruel behavior.
Many of the lower-ranking members of the Ring and Backstreets residents under their protection are considered to be akin to students, being graded on their pieces and taking art exams. While the Ring does allow resits on their exams, flunking too many times will result in death. In such an environment, a lack of inspiration causes people to have mental breakdowns.
As far as we've seen, the Ring hold two different types of art galleries, which I'll refer to as Syndicate-facing and Public-facing respectively.
Syndicate-facing art galleries are structured more like schools, complete with classrooms and suspicious "art" exhibits within the halls. One of those exhibits we see are "statues" of people with animal heads. However, these statues are actually sill living people that are forced to stay completely still under the threat of violence, or "scolding". Oh, and those people also had their mouths and ears sewn shut. This particular exhibition is revealed to be a part of a test that the Ring was holding that night.
Public-facing art galleries look more akin to modern art galleries we'd see in our world, and their lower floors are accessible to pretty much any public person. These floors are filled with more standard types of art, like paintings and sculptures. The top floor of these galleries is considered the VIP floor, where auctions are held and the true disturbing nature of the Ring is shown to the guests there.
During the auctions, every participant has a veil put over their head, and they are to bow in respect when the one holding the auction enters the stage. The art pieces sold on these auctions can be anything from paintings of real slaughters that took place in the City, to objects made out of or containing pieces of actual people, to straight up dancers stuck eternally dancing in glass stages in which time flows slower. Additionally, the person who wins the bid on the "meister's most cherished work" will be allowed into the Ring's Corridor.
At the time of Leviathan's events, the Ring not only has access to the Corridor, but also Mirror World technology in the form of the Glass Window.
A secret research lab was kept hidden within one such Corridor, where the Ring would test Mirror World technology on "gems" - young people who came from the orphanage at the epicenter of the Miracle. These experiments involved these people experiencing many Mirror Worlds at once within their mind, with those people physically shattering if pushed too far.
The Ring's goal with their research of the Mirror Worlds is to open as many Rifts to as many of them as possible, with one of the high-ranking Ring members saying they wish to open ten thousand rifts at minimum.
This plan appears to be thwarted by the end of Leviathan. It's vaguely implied that N Corp and/or Limbus Company seized the tech in the Ring's possession, leaving it unclear if the Ring still has access to it currently.
Over the course of Leviathan, we learn of two different high positions within the Ring: Docents and Maestros. Each can be identified by the kind of ring they wear on their ring fingers. Also, all of the ones we've seen thus far are gender non-conforming as fuck.
Docents are responsible for taking care of and monitoring the art galleries. Notably, they are responsible for guiding guests and giving lectures on the lower floors of their public-facing galleries. These lectures appear to involve explaining the ideals of their Maestros. Docents wear two-coiled rings that extends down the top of their hands and coils around their wrists.
Maestros are responsible for holding the auctions and appear to have a high amount of control over the Ring's actions. They wear three-coiled rings. They also notably act a lot more according to what they believe is true art, as opposed to the Docents who can still be swayed by money and social standard. As an example, Maestro Jumsoon decides to give his most prized artpiece not to the person bidding billions of Ahn, but to the person who convinces him they can complete the piece due to being personally involved in what it represents.
N Corp:
The physical location of the Ring's secret lab appears to be within N Corp's District. However, due to its entry point being connected to the Corridor, it's unable to be accessed from outside the Corridor.
One of N Corp's main source of income and culture are so-called suicide vending machines, or vending machines that dispense canned experiences that specifically allow a person to experience suicide. This bit of technology is considered both amazing and condemnable, and is said to be one of the main reasons people move to N Corp's Nest.
N Corp Taboos are upheld vehemently. Recorded footage of that secret lab, even without knowing it's located in N Corp, would result in Taboo Hunters being sent out over the breaking of the Nest filming taboo. They are highly efficient, going after everyone who had seen the recording before finally retrieving the footage.
M Corp:
M Corp's full name is MDM Enterprise. In Leviathan, we see M Corp do business with the Ring through delivering their product to them - an entire moonlight stone.
A moonlight stone delivered in a massive box filled with a flesh-like cushion around the stone. Opening the box requires using an unlocking mechanism composed of multiple various levers. Everyone present in the same room as the box during its opening are required to wear ear plugs, while those actually opening it also require airway protection. Upon being pulled open, the stone needs to be cut out of the flesh cushion using a knife.
If sufficient ear protection is not worn during this process, the sound the stone emits while being forced out of its container will cause all that hear it to experience a "wave of hiraeth". This is shown as a sort of dissociative state where the person rambles about the ocean being their home and family, and how they need to return to it.
The moonlight stones themselves appear similar in shape to large pearls. The Ring appears to use them by putting them in translucent containers, where the stone is attached to multiple electrodes and tubes for a yet unclear purpose.
The Light:
After the second passing of White Nights, people would begin transforming into forms similar to cocoons or eggs. This happens when a person becomes aware of how unbearable the world around them is, causing them to retreat from reality.
When seperated from their bodies, people establish their... Redacted. Yet another mystery. However, it's implied to be something along the lines of the ideal world they wish to create, or the dream they wish to make true. If they manage to set this Redacted and endure the process, they can be born anew as a Distortion (or potentially with Effloresced E.G.O). If they can't their bodies are seized by their sins, resulting in the creation of a Peccatulum.
This process is pointed out as being different to the process of Distorting that we're used to seeing, though it's not yet unclear to what extent.
The inside of the Light as utter stillness, shimmering as if somethered in light. When someone is inside the Light, Carmen attempts to guide them towards a specific conclusion, acting kind and trying to absolve them of any guilt over their actions, while showing an utter lack of pity or genuine feeling. She's able to see past the facades people put up, directly looking into what they have been through. She uses that knowledge to direct people towards realizing their true desires and wishes.
Carmen is able to meet and talk with people whose hearts "crack". Who are too overwhelmed with their emotions in the moment. When she discovers a person's true wish has been buried and hidden away, she acts as if the act is so painful that it hurts her by proxy. She uses this opportunity to offer these people the power to create they consider right, one only for their own eyes.
She claims that she's helping everyone paint the City with their own colors, much like the Light, in which all colors perfectly blend together. When it's pointed out to her that doing so would be impossible, due to everyone's colors being different and thus it being impossible for them all to exist together in perfect harmony, Carmen responds by saying everyone should be dedicated to protecting and fighting for the sake of their own world, even if it means fighting the entire world itself.
Carmen describes the process of Distorting or Efflorescing E.G.O as becoming a "self unbound by the eyes and standards of the City", with Carmen attributing the latter to being Ayin's idea. Carmen says that she believes the final destination of everyone's ambitions is Love, specifically unconditional Love towards oneself, as the only person that can truly understand and love them is themself. This is where Carmen and Ayin come into conflict. Ayin believes people should be able fight using clothes and tools, holding the human form in high regard. Carmen, on the other hand, sees that as unnecessary moderation, and argues one should express their love through their body, so that it and their heart can become one.
Effectively, Carmen is trying to guide people to only caring about themselves and their desires, disregarding everything around them. She does so through a "friendly, yet ruthless pressure", by offering the seemingly perfect solution of absolute self-love at the cost of being blind to one's reality. She knows what the "right" choice is, and will be disappointed if one were to choose the other option, but she won't stop anyone from pursuing their desires even if their way is different from what she's envisioned.
...There is a purpose to it all. A goal Carmen has for herself. After all, she's a person too. It's another bit of information that's redacted, setting it up as yet another mystery, but we do have a hint towards what it could be. Somehow, a person who was given power by Carmen failing to fight for their wish appears to contribute towards Carmen's personal purpose.
Speaking of that, Leviathan reveals another, more violent way to defeat a Distortion. By proving the fundamentals of a Distortion's beliefs wrong, by breaking the foundation upon which their wish was built, the Distortion begins to fall apart. With nothing left to its form but vague concepts, an Abnormality is born, tearing out of the Distorted person's body and killing them instantly.
Peccatulae:
The Peccatulae are the result of the process enabled by the second passing of White Nights, in which a person retreats into a cocoon-like form upon finding the world too unbearable and faces an ordeal within. If the person fails the ordeal by not being able to find a wish for which's sake to return to their world, their body is left to be fed on by their sins. This results in their bodies transforming into manifestations of those sins - the Peccatulae. Once this transformation takes place, it cannot be reversed.
Peccatulae are not Distortions, as they are what happens when one lacks the strong desire needed to either Distort or Effloresce E.G.O. They are also not Abnormalities, as unlike them the Peccatulae can be killed.
The Peccatulae visually lack any humanity they may have had before the transformation. At the same time though, the cries they let out are compared to that of humans burdened by life, by the sin of bearing sin.
Those cries are also seemingly able to affect one's mind, causing memories associated with the Peccatulum's Sin Affinity to resurface.
The Glass Window:
The Glass Window is a piece of technology created by Young-Ji, which was co-opted by Aseah and studied by the Ring. This technology is considered to be a Singularity by Wings and Grade 1 Fixers.
The main function of the Glass Window is superimposing Mirror Worlds onto whatever is viewed through it, though in a blurry state. It's noted to be less stable than Yi Sang's Mirror technology, but in exchange it's capable of superimposing a much larger number of Worls at the same time.
The amount of Mirror Worlds and their intensity can be controlled through modifying the Glass Window's Refraction Rate. A higher Refraction Rate allows more overlayed Worlds to stack, at the cost of "yielding more of one's heart to the Glass Window".
Surviving high Refraction Rates without physically shattering involves attaining focus - a process involving perishing one's heart without killing it.
Most weapons cannot damage the Glass Window.
The Corridor:
The Corridor is a piece of technology that the Ring owns during the events of Leviathan. It's a liminal, seemingly-infinite space that can connect to places all over the City. As long as the area they wish to link has an exit, a matching entrance will appear within the Corridor.
Many of the doors within the Corridor are locked using mental locks, to be able to enter them one needs to think specific mental keywords as they attempt to open the door.
Inside the Corridor itself, electronics such as video recorders and ear pieces appear to malfunction.
Despite the Corridor being a mostly linear space, the complex and intricate rules by which its passages connect make it more than possible to get lost within. As such, navigating the Corridor is usually done when accompanied by a guide.
To navigate the Corridor by oneself, one needs to always remember two things - their starting point, and their destination. Knowing those two points will allow one to be able to find their way by feeling which directions to take. This is due to a phenomenon called Reversion of Causality, a phenomenon which some Singularities take advantage of as well.
Breaking through a wall in the Corridor leads to a massive hall made of constantly shifting purposeless surfaces lined within even more purposeless doors. Staying within this outer hall is dangerous, as one would become stuck here if the doors within the Corridor reassembled themselves.
Shin and Mang:
Shin is a technique Vergilius learned from (who's implied to be) the Purple Tear. Shin involves completely relinquishing the control of one's body to one's mind, specifically one's memories and the feelings associated with them. When Shin is used, it causes glowing rings to appear around the weapon (or body part if weaponless) one is using to fight. The glow of these rings is constantly emphasized to be that of the moon.
Vergilius describes Shin as "the power of Light", and "the power of sin".
To use Shin, one needs Mang (referred to as luna/lunae when not a proper noun), often multiple of them. Using Mang is described as filling onces emptied minds with dense and heavy memories, then letting the lunae of these recalled feelings guide one's movements.
Random Miscellanous Bits of Info:
It's a tradition in District 8 (H Corp's) to gift apples on Christmas Eve, to wish the giftee a peaceful night.
Cellphones in the City seem to be at a stage in-between Iphones and slightly older smartphones. The screen only takes up roughly half of the phone, but it appears to be a touchscreen due to the lack of mechanical buttons.
Related to that, payphones also exist in the City. The District the payphone is in gets shown to the one recieving a call from one.
The Seven Association holds seminars for new and aspiring Fixers that teaches them the basics, such as information about major Syndicates, Singularities, spatial awareness, etc. The Seven Association also holds Fixer qualification tests.
Higher education is something one can pursue in the City.
There are still video recorders that use videotapes in the City.
Cognition-warping ID Cards are a thing within the City. However, they are noted to only be useful for brief deception.
One of the canonical Mirror Worlds is literally our world.
Airplanes don't exist in the City.
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companionjones · 7 months
Text
But He's Married (1/4)
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader
Fandoms: Marvel, MCU
Summary: You meet a guy at a party.
Warnings: *Spoilers* Abusive relationship
1/2/3/4
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*******
It was 11pm at a house-warming get-together that your friends Nat and Wanda had thrown you. It was really sweet of them, but honestly, you couldn't wait until everyone was gone and you had your new place to yourself again. You wanted to go to sleep.
"Hey, are you alright?" A man came through the crowd to where you were sitting alone on the couch.
You smiled. "Huh? Yeah. I'm okay. Just a little tired," you admitted.
He nodded. "I know how you feel. Me too. Is it okay if I sit?"
Not minding at all, you gestured to the spot next to you.
The man took a seat. "Yeah. This party's fun and everything, but I'm just more of a home body, I guess."
"Me too!" you related. "But I'm feeling a little less at home now with all these people here."
A look of surprise took over the man's face. "You're Y/n! This party is for you!"
"It is!" You laughed a little at his realization.
He then cringed, "Aw, I'm sorry you're not having fun at your own party. That sucks."
"It's not that bad," you lessened, "I'm very thankful that I have the friends that threw me this party. I'm just--"
"Exhausted," the man finished with you. He continued, "I got that." I had a long day at work today. I didn't really feel like going out."
You nodded. "Where do you work?"
"Stark Security," he answered without a second thought. "You?" He took a sip from his drink.
"The book store over on 3rd and South? I don't know if you know it--"
He almost choked on his beer. "I love going there! Have they got Kelly Pike's new book yet? How have I not seen you there?"
You started to laugh at his enthusiasm. It was adorable. "Well, to answer your first question, I believe her book came in earlier today. And the reason why you haven't seen me there is because I started yesterday. I just moved here. Hence the house-warming party?" You gestured around you.
The man grew sheepish. "Right. I guess I should've put that together..."
You smiled, "No, it's alright. So, what do you do at--"
"James?"
There were so many emotions that crossed his face when he heard what was apparently his name. Guilt, annoyance, even anger. You wondered what could've sparked all that when you turned your head to a very pissed off woman marching through the crowd.
James stood up. You did the same after a second of confusion.
"Shannon!" he greeted with a forced-happy tone. "You found me!"
"What do you mean 'found you'? Were you hiding from me?"
"No, that's not what I was sayi--"
"Who are you?" Shannon turned toward you venomously.
"Y/n L/n," you returned immediately, not trying to anger her further. You offered your hand for her to shake, but you brought it back down to your side when all she did was glare at it. "How do you two know each other?"
James looked as if he was going to say something but Shannon beat him to it. "I'm James' wife."
"Wife." You didn't know why you repeated that. You glanced at James, but he just offered you an apologetic look before Shannon pulled him away from you. She was muttering something about 'going home because this place is trashy'.
The rest of the party filed out pretty soon after that. You tried not to think that it was because of the small scene Shannon had caused.
One of the last guests to leave was a man named Steve. Apparently, he was close friends with James.
"Yeah. Bucky and I go way back," he told you.
"Bucky?" you wondered aloud.
Steve explained the nickname was from James' middle name: Buchanan.
"I saw you met Shannon too," the blond pointed out. "Word of advice: Don't pay much attention to her. Her bark is far worse than her bite." With that, Steve bid goodbye to you, Wanda, and Nat, and left for the night.
"You two don't have to stay to help clean up. It's pretty late." You offered to your two best friends when they started picking up trash.
Natasha clicked her tongue. "Don't start with that. We basically forced you to throw this party. We're staying."
"Of course we're staying," continued Wanda. "When else would we talk to you about McSteamy you were chatting up in the corner!"
Nat started chuckling.
The comment threw you through a loop. You felt your cheeks heat up. "We weren't in the corner..."
Wanda gasped, "So you admit you were chatting him up!"
"Well, I was..." you started.
Natasha's chuckles turned into full-out laughing.
"...But then I found he's married," you completed hastily.
Shaking her head, Wanda sypathized, "Poor, poor girl..."
Nat finished for her, "What have you gotten yourself into?"
*******
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, check out my masterlist. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3
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wardenparker · 3 months
Text
The King's Queen - chapter 9
Javi Gutierrez x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst
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Prince Javier of the Balearic Islands has always known that one day he would have to follow in his father's footsteps to be the caring and steadfast king that his people deserve. What he did not know is that he would be stepping into the next phase of his life alongside a woman he has never met before - and amidst a rocky sea of unusual circumstances of every kind.
Rating: M for Mature, but this blog is always 18+ Word Count: 10.7k Warnings: *Blanket warnings for this series: arranged marriage, age gap, classicism, cursing, food and alcohol, mentions of American politics, deceased parents* Lots of mystery related content this chapter, so no warnings in order to guard against spoilers! Summary: As the weeks progress, the investigation into King Miguel's death is stalling out. Until an unexpected conversation renews your suspicions about a particular member of court. Notes: We're winding down toward the end of this story, folx and thank you all so, so much for reading! It will probably be one more chapter and an epilogue -- so for now have a gif of Lucas and Javi for ✨atmosphere✨
Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7 ~ Ch 8
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In the weeks following, the palace falls into a rhythm. The ongoing investigation is the dark cloud that covers the planning of the royal wedding and coronation, but life goes on. You've accompanied Javi on multiple public outings as Crowned Princess now and the press coverage does seem to be reasonably positive. Maisie and Gabriela have made a few gossip headlines along with you, including one tabloid photo of the three of you visiting a recently opened café owned by two young women in downtown Palma. The photo op had been chosen very strategically by your brother working together with the palace's security team, and you had insisted that the business they selected for the three of you to patronize needed to meet certain standards. The small shop had served you one of the most fantastic lunches you had ever had, and you were sure to tell the women so. The photo of you savoring your crema catalana had gone up on your official royal Instagram account that night.
You're settling in, is really what it comes down to, and at Javi's encouragement you've decided to clean up a room in the palace that hasn't been used much in the last few decades to turn into your receiving room. The Queen's office is one thing. That's a separate space in the working wing of the house, and your brother's office is adjacent to it. But a room for you to receive guests in or have meetings in...it's something that the palace hasn't needed since Javi's mother passed away.
“Your Highness, the furniture movers have arrived.” Despite having an abundance of nicknames for you growing up, and being your brother, Sebastian insisted on making sure that during working hours he addresses you by your title rather than any nickname. Wanting there to be no slip ups in protocol, or for visiting dignitaries to believe that they could also address the future Queen so informally.
“Thank you, Sebastian.” The room had been emptied of its former furniture set and divested of its previous rugs and trinkets. The fireplace had been scrubbed and all of that. Curtains taken away to be replaced with the set that you had chosen. Now the team from the palace steward’s office will be bringing in that expansive set of blue velvet upholstered walnut wood pieces, with their silver accents and silver-embroidered curtains to match. It will be your space and yours alone, just the way you like it. Even the paintings that are going up for decor were your choice, and the collection of Spanish impressionists that will hang on the walls is stunning.
"Of course." He smiles slightly and nods his head in deference to your position. "They have also located a rug for the space, I have told them to bring that first for your approval." The storage for the palace holds all of the furnishing through the years.
Just as he defers to your title during working hours, you’ve kept yourself to using his full name during those times as well, not wanting any rumours to build around why you hired your brother for this position — or even fuel the incredibly stupid theory that went around at first that he isn’t your brother at all. Some tabloid had printed that they thought he was your secret lover but thankfully that had gone nowhere with the people. You look far too much alike for anyone to not realize you’re related. “Do we know when Maisie and Gabriela are due back from their appointments?” Your ladies had gone into Palma for something that you hadn’t quite caught the explanation for but you’re hoping they will be back before dinner. The two women really have become you close friends in almost no time at all. And you’ve noticed a little bit of flustering on your brother’s part around Gabriela that is very sweet.
Sebastian looks down at the tablet in his hands and checks the calendar. Any appointments your ladies in waiting have are also kept by him so he can inform you. "They will be returning to the palace in thirty minutes."
“You are a font of useful information.” And you’re so incredibly glad that he’s here. Having someone nearby who just knows you as a person — what makes you tick and what makes you anxious — on staff is so helpful.
He smirks and holds up the tablet. "You just like me for my schedule." He teases playfully.
“Honestly?” You waggle your eyebrows at him, aware that until the movers from the steward’s office come into the room, the only people who will see or hear this interaction are the security officers watching the cameras that have been discreetly installed around the room. “I’m starting to see why so Dad was mad that I stole you away.”
"You understand and appreciate my work." Sebastian smirks, preening slightly. "Dad's new assistant isn't completely incompetent, but apparently he's not me and that infuriates the old man."
“C’est la vie, I guess. That’s why you should always appreciate the people who make your life easier.” As if on cue, a set of four workers from the steward’s office appear. They’re toting an enormous rug with them and look a little apprehensive.
“Y-Your highness?” The first man holding the rug bows his head. “This was – for your approval? If you do not approve, we will carry it back to the storage.”
“I’m sure you’ve made a wonderful choice.” And considering you know next to nothing about rugs, you’re willing to bet that they made a decision far more educated than yours would be. “Will you let it out, please? I’m very excited to see your choice.”
There’s a grateful smile on the third man and they begin to quickly unroll the rug. “It, uh, the blues and silvers in the rug could work with the furniture.” The first man explains.
"Then it will be perfect." You and Sebastian step back to give the men room, and soon enough the enormous Turkish carpet is rolled out to reveal its intricate patterns and subtle colors. It's exactly the right thing to bring warmth to a room that was once stark whites and ladylike pinks and pale greens, and you smile gratefully. Your color palette is slightly more robust than the last queen's, but there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, this piece will be what ties the room together. "Que maravillosa," you hum, seeing it all laid out. "Gentlemen, you have made the perfect selection. I could not have done better myself."
The pride that filters out from the men's faces would make Sebastian think that you had just knighted them. He hides a small smile and nods, stepping forward. "I think that it is safe to say that the Queen will keep the rug that you have chosen with her upmost gratitude." He tells him.
“We will return shortly with the first truck of furniture.” The seeming leader of the group tells you, bowing his head politely before he herds the others out to the hallway. They have two large, motorized hand trucks to bring down the king palace hallway and then they will arrange the pieces to their princess’ satisfaction.
"They chose well." Sebastain comments as he examines the plush rug. "Almost as if they were eager to please the crowned princess or something." He has felt the love the palace staff have started to extend to you, finding less pushback on his requests than he had once expected.
“I’m grateful it hasn’t been difficult,” you admit, smiling softly as your engagement ring winks in the late morning sun. “Javi is already having a hard enough time with the investigation still ongoing. I can’t imagine if he was fighting pushback in the press, too.”
"They still have found nothing substantial, and the King is growing impatient." He nods. glancing around to make sure no one else has come into the morning room.
“Remarkably, the investigation seems to conclude that it may have been accidental.” You keep your voice low as well. “But I still find that conclusion…unsettling.”
"As do I." Your brother hums, even if he agrees quietly.
The men from the steward’s office stay with you for the better part of an hour. It turns out that moving the furniture about takes seemingly no effort at all when it’s done by four men who could probably bench press you, and soon the seams of 1920s artisan-made study furniture is set precisely around the room in the perfect way to make it look nonchalant yet elegant. You didn’t even know furniture could look nonchalant, but now there is an art deco chaise lounge in your morning room ready to prove you wrong.
"Should I have tea and a light snack brough in?" Sebastain asks, knowing that you would want to settle into the room, get a feel for her. "I have some paperwork that needs attending, and you have nothing on your schedule until after lunch."
“Bring me everything you need me to sign,” you sigh dramatically in resignation but flash your brother a grin. “And if you could ask the kitchen for a tea tray, I would be eternally grateful.” In the last few weeks, the palace chef has gotten the contents of your personal tea tray down to a science, and you swore up and down to Javi that night that this is true luxury. Having your favourite snacks on hand at all times is what it’s all about.
"As you wish, your highness." Sebastian bows gracefully and sends you a small wink before sailing out of the room.
The room is better than you had envisioned it would be. The paintings are light and bright and bring a sense of invitation to the art deco furniture. It's a mix of styles so it doesn't feel too stuffy, making the room feel a little bit more personable. You sit down at the writing desk by the fireplace, admiring the elaborate carvings and the personalized touches. The men from the steward's office had also come in with a case of your personal stationary and a set of the pens that had been ordered with the emblem of the Crowned Princess of Mallorca on them. It had all been very overwhelming at first, but you're starting to settle in to it. One sheet of stationery and one of the pens find their way out of their cubbies in and into your hands, deciding that you'll write a note to be delivered to Javi as he goes about his work during the way. Your little notes make him smile, and if even a moment of smiling eases some of his burden, then they are well worth the few minutes they take to write.
He watches you from the shadow, frowning and furious. About to step out and speak when the silly little maid arrives with a tea cart. Making him curl his lip in disgust. You would have everyone believe you were an English queen with your teas and little treats.
You thank the girl and smile when she curtsies, knowing that being on your best manners with the palace staff is everything. The tea tray is laden with a mix of things and you sip your cup with a happy sigh. Until Sebastian comes back with your paperwork, it's just you and your tea and your love note to Javi.
"Well, aren't you just settling in nicely?" The voice comes from the far exit, carrying across the room. "Already changing things, causing disruptions."
If his voice causes a slight twitch in one eye, it isn't your fault. It's just that Lucas has been a needle in your side since the day you met him and there is nothing you can really do about it except be overly kind to the point of making him uncomfortable. "Lucas." You turn your head, setting down your teacup and folding your hands in your lap to offer him the most witheringly perfunctory smile you can manage. "Or shall I start to call you cousin? After all it won't be much longer before the wedding."
“Yes…the wedding.” He walks into the room as if he owns it, sniffing as he looks around the room. “Very…quaint.” He decides. “How fitting.”
"Is there some reason you have sought me out this morning?" He has a tendency to try to bait you into debates or arguments with polite insults, but you are in far too good of a mood today to be bent out of shape by petty words. "Can I offer you a cup of tea?"
“No.” He scoffs the word, almost close to a chuckle as he strolls around the room. Taking pains to touch different things, adjusting them to his own liking. “I have to admit that I’m surprised you are still here.” He glances up at you and then down the small Tiffany music box on a table. His finger running over the gilded lid. “Perhaps the prize is too large to let go?”
“Whatever gave you the impression that I might leave?” There hasn’t really been a serious moment since meeting Javi where you’ve considered it. Is the job difficult? Of course. But Javi makes every single second worth it. And you would never disappoint him by leaving — or so coarsely abandon the man you love.
“The king is dead.” He shrugs slightly. “Unless an arranged marriage is something you actually wished for.”
“King Miguel is dead; may he rest in peace. But King Javier is very much alive and well.” His refusal to accept that his cousin has ascended the throne is something of a curiosity to you. Like there is a full block in his mind that prevents him from accepting it. “And happily I will tell you, as well as anyone else who wishes to hear, how very much in love with my fiancé I truly am.”
“Come now.” He tuts and sends you a pitying look. “No one would be in love with Javier. Expect perhaps my wife.”
“I think it would be more difficult to find someone not at least a little in love with him.” A pinched, derisive smile makes you tilt your head. “The only exception seems to be you, cousin.”
“I have known Javier my entire life, believe me, there is nothing special about him.” Lucas sneers.
"I'm very sorry that you believe that," you reply placidly. Lucas truly has a talent for getting under your skin — and it's really all to do with his attitude toward Javi. He seems to think his cousin is the least remarkable man in the world, which is a thought process that you just can't wrap your head around. Javi's goodness is what will make him a kind and sympathetic leader. "Javi's ability to be kind in the face of an unkind world is one of the most special things I have ever witnessed in a human being. It seems to me that you might not know your cousin as well as you think after all. But that is merely an observation."
There’s a mean little grin on his face, making the classically handsome exterior appear almost rotten because of the evilness inside. “I think you might actually believe that load of horse shit.”
He truly seems to have come to see you just to be cruel today, which is rare, but it isn’t the first time. Lucas taunts and intimidates and spits venom as his surest means of communication. It is who he is. But he is also exceptionally talented at hiding his true nature, which leads to unfortunate circumstances like the group of loyal followers he still has here at the palace. Allowing yourself one more sip from your teacup, you set it down again and give him your patented Senator’s-Daughter placid smile. “Is there something that you needed, Lucas?”
“I was wondering if you had heard anything about the investigation?” He picks up a book that has been strategically placed and smirks as he opens it, glancing up and you and snapping it closed loudly.
"I am not at liberty to discuss the investigation," you remind him, interested in what he might have to say about it. Lucas has been relentlessly present during the investigation.
He rolls his eyes and snorts. “There’s no one here.” He huffs and lifts a brow. “I’ve heard your investigators have been probing, asking very pointed questions.”
“Well of course they are, a king has died.” You don’t say that he was killed, always very careful about your wording with Lucas — but something about his wording strikes you a moment later. ‘There’s no one here’ he says, blatantly encouraging you to speak liberally with him. As though you are entirely in private. Lucas…does not seem to know that your morning room has already been wired for security. “Of course…” you venture, keeping your breathing even and your voice steady so he doesn’t sense any change in your whatsoever even though your heart rate is now racing. “We will all be very glad when the matter is resolved. The country deserves to heal. To move forward.”
“It will, with a new king.” He is very certain of that and straightens slightly. “I understand the pressures of the throne might be too much for my cousin. He has always been a follower. Meek.”
Not so long ago, insulting the king so overtly would have been enough to have Lucas censured or even stripped of his title, but you bite your tongue on that point and simply tilt your head. "Do you really think so little of your own flesh and blood?"
“It is more that I know my own flesh and blood.” Lucas chuckles. “He is not the brightest Gutierrez, unable to figure out what is right under his nose.”
It's like Lucas wants to keep talking. Now that the topic has been breached and you are not shutting him down immediately as you usually do, he seems to be as unstoppable as the enormous boulder that chased Indiana Jones. "King Miguel believed in his son. He named Javi his heir and paved the way for him to take the throne. You think you know things about Javier that his own father did not?"
He smirks and shrugs slightly. “Miguel had to have faith in his son.”
"Had to?" That piques your interest, and you fold your hands in your lap even as you turn toward him a little more fully. There is a camera and microphone built into the clock above the mantel of the fireplace and you want to make sure this entire conversation is very firmly in the line of sight and sound. Though you doubt Lucas would ever overtly incriminate himself, he is being fairly damning if anyone ever called his loyalties into question. "King Miguel could easily have named another heir if he felt it was the best course of action."
“That would never have happened.” He hisses, face twisting into an angry scowl. His fist tightening in fury.
It might be the first time you've ever wanted to reel back from one of Lucas's outbursts, but you hold yourself steady in your chair and try not to make it obvious that you've just swallowed hard out of discomfort. "Never? Then King Miguel must have believed in Javi quite a lot."
“Not because he believed in him.” Lucas sneers. “But because the old bastard wouldn’t stand the shame, the humiliation of having such a weakling for a son.”
There will be time to take umbrage with Lucas's characterization of Javi later on. Right now, you have to stay laser focused on what is being spit out right in front of you. It is absolutely no secret between you and your fiancé that you both believe Lucas had something to do with King Miguel's death. But you still have no idea how to prove it. "And so...you believe that the late king would rather...gamble with the future of his country? Surely he would have wanted Javier to have help if he thought it was necessary."
“He had changed it.” Lucas growls, the fervor in his eyes nearly manic. “I saw. He had changed his directives – but the bastard guarding him refused to let me read it.” He curls his lip in disdain. “More of a lap dog than an assistant.”
"You think that Julius had something to do with the king's death?" That would be a grave accusation if it were true. Or, hell, it's a grave accusation anyway. Thankfully it will never be given any credence because of how hard Julius has worked for Javier.
Lucas barks out a rough laugh, throwing his head back. “You are made for my cousin!” He chortles. “Just as dim witted.”
You have no choice but to swallow the insult, finding your heart beat faster every second you are more and more hellbent on getting himself to cough up something that you can have to the investigators that will incriminate him. "It seems obvious that my mind does not work the same way yours does."
He chuckles, sending you a pitying look. “It’s a shame that you are so wrapped around my cousin’s thumb.” He tells you, “it would be fun to take another of his toys away from him. He’s already lost so much to me.”
"He already has the throne, Lucas." Not dignifying that idle threat with a response is causing you actual physical pain but sitting in your chair is currently taking enormous concentration. Anywhere else in the world and you would rather be wringing Lucas's slimy little neck. "Everything else is a trifle."
“Does he?” Lucas tilts his head and smiles. “Perhaps. Long live the king.” He intones sinisterly.
The irrevocable shiver that his tone sends down your spine is withering, and for a second you almost close your eyes against it but you are somehow convinced that taking your eyes off of him physically for even a second would be a terrible mistake. "He does," you state again, watching Lucas carefully. "And our child will have it after him. That is how the line of succession works. I know that you know this."
“Unless my dear cousin suffers the same fate as his father.” Lucas counters, waving his hand as if offering a solution. “Before you make that child.”
"How do you know we haven't already?" The surety in his voice is chilling, but you have to keep your own tone even.
“Because any child before your vows would be a bastard.” He hums. “Ineligible for the throne. Then the line of succession falls to…” he perks up and feigns excitement. “Well, me.”
"That is only true up to a point," you challenge, pressing the point if only gently. "Javi will not be dying of a heart attack anytime soon."
Lucas only stares at you, his dark eyes lifeless as he stands there quietly for nearly thirty seconds. “Of course not.” He says after that silence is up, his body relaxing and his face shifting into an innocent expression.
It might be the most unsettling and least reassuring ‘reassurance’ of all time, and the sinking feeling in your chest and stomach makes you feel positively sick. “In time,” you swallow bile as it rises in your throat. “You’ll see. Javi’s goodness is what will make him a great king.”
“Perhaps.” He shrugs as if the past few minutes of conversation hadn’t happened, and he shoots you a charming smile. Or it would have been if there wasn’t malice layered under it. “I will leave you to enjoy your new room then. Princess.”
“Good morning, your Grace.” You don’t stand, nod, or give him any other formal acknowledgement, but you definitely breathe easier when he turns and strides from the room. It’s like being in the same space as a cartoon villain, and you’ve found out that that is much more disturbing than you ever imagined.
“Your highness?” The maid who had been sent to check on your tea hurries into the room and her eyes are glancing around worriedly. She had seen the man most of the staff loved but she loathed walk out with a dark look on his face, one she is well acquainted with, and was concerned.
“Ah, Beatriz.” There is no choice but to shake off your unsettled nerves and pretend everything is fine, even though the sinking feeling in your stomach is sinking that much harder. “What can I do for you?”
“Are you—” she bites her tongue, knowing the question is inappropriate for the Princess. “I am checking to make sure you did not need anything, your highness.”
“I suspect that is not the only question you wish to ask me, Beatriz.” There are some members of the staff who have been more or less assigned to you, like your ladies’ maid and a few of the stewards or other staff, and you have generally been trying to get to know them and have them be comfortable with you within the bounds of what is considered proper. Probably being American fosters some of that in your mind all on its own, but you don’t like the idea of anyone being frightened to come near you in the palace.
“I— the count—” she starts before she stops again. “I saw the count hurry by me looking very unhappy.”
“I’m afraid the count is feeling a bit worse for wear today,” you lie, gracefully not indicating whether you mean he’s in a bad mood or that he’s actually ill. “I’m sure it will pass.”
“He- you are feeling well?” She asks, eyes searching you worriedly.
“I am perfectly fine.” The last thing you or Javi need is anyone on the palace staff spreading word that you might be ill, so you dispel the maid’s fear immediately. “And my tea is wonderful. Thank you for checking. If you would not mind waiting a moment, I am just finishing a note that I would like delivered to the king.”
“Of course, your highness.” She bows her head quickly. It was expected that you would never take her into your confidence, but it’s enough to find that you are…undisturbed. She breathes a quiet sigh of relief as she waits for you to finish writing your missive.
What was once a love note full of encouragement to your fiancé has quickly transformed into a gently coded indication that you have something you need to talk to him about privately. As soon as it is written out you fold the card and slip it into an envelope, sealing it with a small sticker bearing the royal seal of the Crowned Princess. "Please deliver this directly to the king," you instruct her, handing the maid the sealed card. "From my hands, to yours, to his. Is that understood?"
“Yes, your highness.” She nods solemnly, feeling very proud of being tasked with something of such importance. “For the king only.”
"Gracias, Beatriz." She curtsies and you nod, turning back to your desk as she hurries from the room. It's not exactly that you have evidence against Lucas, but at least now you have something solid to hand to the investigators to prove Lucas has a vendetta against Javier. There hasn't been anything besides hearsay until now.
Hurrying through the halls, Beatriz nods at different personnel but doesn’t stop. Not allowing herself to be waylaid on her mission. Once in front of the door to the king’s office, she stops and smooths her uniform out before knocking.
The door to the king’s office opens with a distinct click, and Julius steps out into the hallway. “Sí?” He knows Beatriz, of course, and knows that she tends to you, but does not know why the maid has come here of all places.
“I have a message for the king from her highness.” Beatriz tells him, shaking her head when he holds out his hand for the message. “The Princess said from my hand to King Javier’s.” She insists.
“I see.” Julius purses his lips in amusement. Normally when the king receives a note of that nature it results in copious blushing and clearing his throat. “Very well. You had best deliver it, then.”
It’s an honor to be allowed into the king’s office and she’s well aware of it. Bowing her head, she waits for him to open the door and follows him inside.
“Your Majesty.” Julius hums softly, breaking the king’s concentration as he bends over his desk. “A note from Her Highness.”
“Oh?” His head pops up and his brow furrows as he sees the maid in front of him.
“To be delivered from her hands to yours.” Beatriz tells him, barely stepping up to his desk and curtsying while she holds out the envelope.
“Thank you…Beatriz.” He finally comes up with the maid’s name, having a flurry of new staff being changed around with your arrival, his father’s death and the upcoming wedding.
The maid curtsies and exits promptly once the envelope is in his hands, blushing over the fact that the king knows her name. Julius, for his part, smiles and nods to the door. “Shall I leave you?” He asks, hoping to offer privacy if it is wanted.
“Please.” Javi nods, barely looking up from the closed note in his eagerness to see what you have written. “Give me just a minute and we will continue.”
With a nod Julius is gone, leaving Javier to his reading.
Mi amor, A very interesting conversation with someone we are both interested by may pique your curiosity. If you would like to relive it for yourself, I will show you this evening. M
Javier frowns at the paper and wonders what the hell has happened today. A mystery would once have thrilled him, but he knows this is concerning one particular person and he feels a sense of dread.
******
His busy schedule keeps him occupied until dinner time, but the now-designated one night a week that you and Javi eat alone is proving to be a blessing. The serving cart is wheeled into your chamber and the table on your balcony set with candles, and you’ve taken off your heels to let your aching feet rest for the night in comfortable slippers when the door to your suite opens to let him inside.
Javier feels the mantle of responsibility seemingly lift. Even if he could be interrupted by any manner of emergencies, the idea that for tonight, he’s just your fiancé is a comforting one. The guise of not being responsible for a country needed as he has worried about your note for the rest of the day after receiving it. “Margarita?”
“Javi!” It would be a lot to pretend you aren’t excited to see him, and why would you pretend that at all? Instead, you pad across the sitting room of your suite eagerly and wrap him up in your arms. “How was your day, querido?”
“It was good, but it is better now.” He accepts the easy affection and snuggles close to you, burying his nose in your neck. “How was yours? Beatriz gave me your note.”
“Lucas paid me a rather interesting visit today.” It’s a shame that your dinner together has to be overshadowed by this but there is no way around it. “In the morning room.”
“You just set that up.” In fact, Javi had been put out that there had been no wiggle room in his busy schedule to allow for a visit to the room to see how you had redone it. He had planned to see to it tomorrow, but now he is wondering if it’s been tainted by his cousin.
“It seems he disapproves of my choice of decor.” You roll your eyes to show it does not bother you and place a kiss on his cheek. “Come. Eat with me. I’ll tell you what happened over our supper.”
“It is your space, like my mother’s.” He huffs, but he eagerly lets you lead him out onto the balcony. “The staff loves to make sure our private dinners are romantic.” Javi smiles at the candles on the table.
“They do wonderfully for us.” Tonight there are pink gin tonics in the cocktail pitcher that awaits you, and a beautiful seafood supper with fresh bread and bright vegetables. A feast that won’t make you feel over full or too tired afterward is a gift in its own right.
“Perhaps we should have a party for them.” Javi suggests. “Catered food, nice drinks. They can relax and be served.”
“That would be a very kind thing to do, I think.” You’re not sure if there’s precedent for that kind of thing, but you have to think it’s been done in some form before. “Maybe I can look into what it would take? And include the clean up being done by someone else, of course. It would be useless to give them a party that they have to clean up after themselves.”
“Of course.” Javi nods seriously. “Everything taken care of.”
“But…” You take it upon yourself to pour two glasses and hand him one, inhaling the wonderful scent of the plates he has set down on the table. “Lucas seems…more devious than usual.”
“Is that even possible?” Javi asks, rolling his eyes slightly. Ever since you arrived, it seems as though the blinders have been pulled away. Showing Javi how rotten his cousin’s soul really is.
“I hadn’t thought so.” It’s unfortunate to be wrong on that front, but here you are. “But he came the closest he’s ever come to incriminating himself today and we were standing right in front of the fireplace in the morning room while he was doing his…I hesitate to call it an interrogation of me, but it wasn’t comfortable. Either way he was very candid, and I watched the footage after retrieving the file from palace security. I think it’s damning enough to encourage the investigators to look into him again.”
“Really?” Javi has just sat down, leaning forward and his eyes narrow. “Tell me what he said, Margarita. I want my father’s death explained. I want to know why we lost our king too early.”
As you eat your recount every detail. The conversation is burned into your brain from this morning and though you’ll show the footage to Javi later so he can see it all for himself, you’re confident in your ability to tell the encounter to him completely. “I can’t help but think it all seems…sinister. But that may be my own bias against him showing. It might m be best just to let the investigators decide.”
“That’s what we will do.” Javi nods. “Although, I don’t want you to be alone with Lucas again.” He admits. “Will you keep Sebastian or one of your ladies with you?”
"A rotating witness along with my security detail?" Of course, to Javi's point — the guards who are meant to protect you are usually some small distance away so that you don't feel smothered. Today they had been at the door to the morning room while you were inside. Perhaps it is time to make better friends with them after all. "If that will make you more comfortable, querido, then I will make sure I keep someone with me."
“I just do not wish for my cousin to do something.” Javi admits. “I cannot banish him for any reason, and I cannot risk your safety.” If Lucas is plotting something, he would rather he not have access to you.
“I am not an enormous fan of your cousin trying to do something to either of us,” you reason. It is plenty enough work to run a country without having to worry about your own family trying to sabotage you or worse. “I will keep someone around me and so will you. The only time we should be alone is to be with each other.”
“I can agree with your logic.” Javi nods as he spears a stalk of broccolini. He doesn’t mention that it will give plenty of alibi for anything Lucas tries to cook up. Especially with the extra surveillance that has been discreetly installed under the guise of ‘redecorating’.
"I will have Sebastian contact the investigators first thing in the morning and hand the footage over to them personally, with a full explanation of what they are watching." It won't be fun, but at least it's some kind of progress. And progress desperately needs to be made.
“Perfect.” Javi nods even though it’s painful to admit that this can come from inside his own family. “Make sure that the investigators know that we are more than willing to be interviewed again.”
“I will.” A short reach across the table is all it takes to fit your hand in his, and you squeeze his fingers gently. “We will see this through. Your father deserves to be able to rest peacefully.”
He doesn’t want to monopolize the dinner with talk of his cousin, or his father. It pains him in a way that’s indescribable. “How has Sebastian settled in?” He asks curiously. “Has he had time to explore the country? You should take him, have a driver give you a complete day.”
“It’s probably asking too much to think you could get away for a day?” You know it is, but you still prefer to spend as much time with him as you can.
“I might be able to take half a day.” He would have to double check with Julius, but his schedule wasn’t too taxing the next few days.
“I don’t want to crowd your schedule with more things,” you assure him. “But it would be nice to spend time together.”
“I have relatively light days.” He promises. “I can try to combine the days to block out an afternoon. Or would you rather a morning?”
“I suppose it depends on what you want to show me.” The prospect of spending time together — even in public with cameras flashing and admirers stopping to spot him on the street — is a bit thrilling. While the investigation is ongoing, royal security isn’t keen to let the two of you eat at establishments they cannot control. Very few exceptions have been made and you haven’t been able to begin your date night idea quite yet. “Maybe we ought to consult security if we plan on doing anything besides going for a drive.”
“I will talk to Julius and send you a note?” He asks, knowing that it can’t be tomorrow. “Unless you have some appointments to plan the wedding?”
“Julius and Sebastian share our schedules for exactly this kind of reason.” They’re miraculously well-coordinated, actually, and you continue to be impressed with your brother’s work the longer he is with you. “We’ll ask them to find the day that works best.”
“Perfect.” He nods and smiles. “We are getting closer.”
“We are already very close, mi amor.” A smile even wider than his graces your lips and you hum happily around a bite of your dinner. “Would you like to hear about the wedding preparations?”
“I would love to hear.” He leans forward eagerly. “And anything you would like for me to help with, I will.” He assures you. “Even those little gift bag things. We are having those, right?”
“If you would like to have them, I will make sure they are included.” Javi always lights up when wedding plans are mentioned, so it seemed like a very good topic for lightening the mood of your meal. “I can ask our wedding planner to put together a list of ideas she suggests to fill them and you can pick whichever you like best?”
“Yes.” Javi nods. “Something local. Show off the art and craftsmanship of our people.” He tells you.
“I completely agree.” The more locally made everything at your wedding, the better it all will be. This is going to be a celebration for many more than just you and Javi.
“Local sweets. A handcrafted piece of jewelry that commemorates our day?” He suggests. “I want that to come from my personal wealth and not the budget.”
“Maybe a small pin, as the jewelry?” Something universal would be best, so it does not matter which bag goes to which guest. It will relieve an enormous headache on your wedding planner’s part. “Something symbolic, rather than the typical image of us smiling out from a white background.”
“That would be perfect. Maybe our flag? Made from local stone? Or gems, whatever you think is best.” Javi tells you. “I’ve just always loved the gift bags in wedding movies.”
"I'll see what the wedding planner thinks is doable in a fairly short amount of time and then you'll get a list to choose from," you promise him. After a few more bites in relative and enjoyable quiet, you put your fork down again and take a sip of your drink. "I've...been thinking about something. And I was wondering if I could talk to you about it."
“Anything.” It sounds serious and Javi is immediately giving you his full attention. Fork down and looking into your eyes. “You can talk to me about anything, Margarita.”
“That is actually what I wanted to talk to you about.” You reach across the table to take his hand and leave a kiss on his knuckles for good measure. “I’ve been doing some reading, and I had Bastian pull records. And it seems to me to be a sort of…unofficial Balearican tradition for foreign born spouses of monarchs to take a regnal name.” The whole concept of taking a regnal name — a name you will be known as, as queen — seemed positively odd to you at first. But the tradition seems to stem from taking pride in leading the people of these lively, engaging islands. A way of embracing the place and the people and promising to honor them. “I wondered how you would feel if…I did that, too.”
“What would you like to change it to?” He asks curiously. “I would love whatever you do, but I will still call you Margarita.” He admits with a bashful smile.
“Well…” It seems almost embarrassing, or it would be embarrassing if it were anyone but him, and you feel your cheeks heat as you swallow. “I thought…Margarita might actually be the right choice. I looked it up and it’s not too uncommon of a name. I thought it might be…romantic is the wrong word, but loving.”
“Queen Margarita?” Javi hums as he thinks about it and nods. “It would be a beautiful tribute to our future.”
“I always knew I would come here eventually.” For your whole life, you’ve waited for it. Waited to be summoned, and waited to be married, and waited to be with him. “But I only truly fell in love with this place after I met you.”
“It is easy, no?” He asks with a grin. “Our country is easy to love.”
"Very easy." You can agree to that easily. "But not as easy as it is to love you, querido."
The way Javi blushes makes you smile and he’s happy about that. Nothing is forced, nothing is put on with you and that’s what he loves. If you were just normal people, there would still be these tender affections between the two of you.
“Anyway, I just… I wanted to ask you how you felt about it.” He is blushing and he is adorable when he blushes. You shift a little in your seat and a pleased smile curls your lips. “Because ‘Margarita’ was just your name for me, and now I’m thinking about sharing it with the world. If you aren’t okay with it, I will choose something else.”
“I don’t mind.” He admits quietly, leaning in and staring into your eyes. “As long as we are together, I will happily share you with my country.”
“I’ll always be with you.” That is a promise you will make to him without hesitation. Now that you’re with him, the last thing you want is to be separated from Javi in any meaningful way.
“Hopefully your interaction with my cousin did not ruin your day?” He asks quietly. “How are your ladies doing?”
“Gabriela sat with me for some time this afternoon.” A small, mischievous smile curls your lips as you finish your meal. “My brother mentioned that it might be helpful to have some help in learning the geography and history of the country, as well as cultural tradition. Gabriela volunteered to be my tutor, essentially. And she’s been wonderfully helpful.”
“Good.” His affection for Gabriela will always be there, but it has shifted to a more brotherly love than anything else. Or perhaps it was always meant to be that way and he had been rebelling against his fate. Regardless, he’s happy you and Gabriela have formed a friendship. “She was much better in her studies than I.”
“She and my brother are also getting along very well,” you venture, wondering if that is too sensitive or inappropriate of a topic. True that Gabriela is married, but it’s abundantly clear to anyone with eyes that they are miserable, and she did not make the choice to marry Lucas willingly.
“Do you think there could be something there eventually?” He asks softly, knowing that it would be unlikely unless Lucas were out of the picture. Gabriela was loyal and would never shame the royal family with a divorce, even though she should divorce her husband.
“Maybe?” It’s just theoretical right now. Just a little gossip. But you know that Javi’s comfort level with the situation means a great deal to everyone involved. “Nothing will happen, of course. Not with Lucas in the way. But I think it’s sweet.”
“I want her to be happy.” Javi tells you. “As happy as we are.”
“That’s very admirable.” You admit, knowing that there are a lot of complications in the way of anything realistic. Still, you offer him an encouraging smile. “But I don’t know if anyone is as happy as we are.”
“It is quite a lofty goal.” He teases with a smile. “Perhaps it can be achieved.” He still marvels over how lucky he is and is grateful for it.
“Perhaps.” Just knowing how much he loves you makes your heart soar, and the familiar warmth returns to your cheeks. “Although it is a very lofty goal.”
Javi pauses for a moment, and he frowns as he reaches for your hand. “As long as you are never uncomfortable.” He shakes his head, aware that it’s coming out wrong. “As long as you know my feelings are genuine and I no longer will ever think about any woman the way I think of you.”
“I think the fact that you’ve stayed friends with Gabriela after breaking up speaks volumes about both of you as people. You’re good and kind and deserve to have those things visited back to you. And besides,” you reach out to squeeze his hand reassuringly. “Gabriela is also my friend. I want her to be happy, too. And my brother is a fantastic guy. She’d be lucky to have him.”
“Gabriela would be a wonderful partner to anyone who wishes a partner.” Part of Lucas’s problem is that he thinks he’s better than everyone. He had decided on Gabriela simply to hurt Javi.
“And Lucas deserves a good clobbering.” It’s mumbled, but only slightly, and you definitely mean it. In fact, you’d like a hell of a lot worse than a clobbering to happen to Lucas Gutierrez. A lot of people would.
Javi smirks slightly, hearing you perfectly but he doesn’t comment on that. “And what if Maisie?” He asks. “How is she settling into the role?”
“I think Maisie might have been born for it,” you chuckle. Javi clears away your empty dinner plates and you uncover the slices of Basque cheesecake smothered in cherry rioja sauce that the kitchen made for your dessert tonight. “Her husband is away on business as of this morning so she’s taking the chance to buckle down in helping with wedding and coronation plans.” Sending Javi a smile as you set out the smaller plates, you lean on the banister beside your small table while he pours out the last of your cocktail pitcher. “I think she deserves a very large ‘thank you’ after all this is finished. Gabriela does, too.”
“Perhaps a girl’s weekend on the royal yacht?” Javi asks, wondering what you had in mind.
“I was thinking of a getaway for Maisie and her husband. Something wonderfully romantic where they don’t have to worry about anything but enjoying themselves.” The first bite of cheesecake makes you both groan happily and break out into contented grins. “Maybe by that time Gabriela will be able to spend time with whoever she wishes.”
“Perhaps.” Javi frowns slightly. “If – if Lucas is as bad as we think that he might be, we will have to circle the wagons, as that American saying goes, around Gabriela. She will be distraught.”
“I would think she will be glad to be free of him.” You do shake your head, though, and nod. “If his true colors turn out to be as black as we suspect, we will take care of Gabriela. Make sure that she comes out of the thing unscathed.”
“Yes.” He nods seriously. “It will be good for her to be your lady if everything is as bad as we expect.” He admits quietly. “I am so sorry that you have been thrown into such a mess, amor.”
It might surprise him to hear, but the truth comes out of you alarmingly fast as you sit together at the little balcony table. “I don’t care,” you tell him truthfully. “I’m just glad that you didn’t have to go through all of this alone.”
He pauses, in awe of you and picks up your hand. “You are the most gracious and loving woman.” He murmurs softly. “I hope to never take that, or you, for granted.”
******
"Your Highness." Sebastian has been in and out of your office all morning, but this time when he steps inside he has a much more determined set to his face. "Inspector Jefe Blanco is here to see you."
"Oh, good. Excellent. Bring him in, please." Waiting for the Chief Inspector's arrival this morning has had you on edge. It will be good to get all of this out of the way and put the evidence into the hands of professionals. "And Sebastian, will you stay, please? While he's here. I would feel more comfortable."
“Should I order some tea?” He asks, knowing that it might set the tone from the grim talk into a more open conversation.
"I asked the kitchen to prepare a tray this morning. If you could just ring down and ask them to send it up?" His instincts are good and you appreciate your brother's attention to detail, especially in these moments. "I'm sure that will put us all a bit more at ease."
“Good. I will have Flores bring it in so no more staff than necessary needs to come into the room.” Sebastian decides. He will instruct the staff to leave it outside with your personal maid.
"Thank you, Bastian." For one more second, it's just you and your brother in a room, and you flash him a grateful smile before putting your official princess countenance back on. "Please show the Inspector Jefe in."
Sebastian nods and moves to the door, opening it and stepping back to allow the very official visitor in. It’s clear the man has taken special care with his appearance, every medal shined and his uniformed neatly pressed.
"Thank you for making time to come and see me this morning, Inspector Jefe." You stand from your desk and shake the man's hand. He has been very diligent and professional in investigating this case but you have to admit that you have now known the man quite a bit longer than you would prefer. In a perfect world, this case would have been over before it began. "I'm afraid I have some information to share with you, but I do not know how helpful it will end up being."
He frowns slightly, confused as to how you can have more information. “What do you have, Princess?” He asks curiously. “I must confess I am surprised to have been contacted by your office.”
"I had a conversation yesterday with the Count of Ibiza that...unsettled me." Polite wording is necessary here, so that you don't appear to be accusing Lucas of anything outright. "The conversation was videotaped by our security system here in the palace, and I would be very much gratified if you would consent to watch the footage with me and tell me if there is anything to it. If the count's manner seems suspicious, and his threats genuine, as I suspect they are. Or if I am perhaps too sensitive to the topic being touched so deeply by the late king's sudden death."
“The Count has an excellent reputation.” The inspector informs you, a little wary when it comes to potentially implicating members or the royal family. “However, he was slightly evasive during questioning.”
"It is my sincerest hope that my worries are unfounded," you lie as cleanly as you can. It is the only lie you have ever told the inspector and what you do hope is that it stays that way. "But I will not claim any kind of expertise in law enforcement or investigative technique."
“Even though you say there is video evidence of the conversation, I find that it is always helpful to have someone describe the interaction. Posture, tone, facial expressions cannot be accurately displayed at times through a security system.” He explains quietly, pulling out a notebook from his jacket pocket. “Princess, will you please tell me about this conversation with the Count?”
"Besides deeply insulting both myself and King Javier, the Count outright stated that he believed the late King Miguel made the wrong choice as to his successor and expressed anger over not being considered in the choice. Or, rather, not being chosen outright." You pause when Flores brings in your tea tray, thanking her as she pours out three cups and sets one beside each of the three of you seated in the room. "Thank you, Flores. We'll manage from here."
“Yes, your highness.” She bows respectfully as she eyes the inspector. There are many questions as to why he is here, but she won’t voice them.
“So, you see, Inspector,” you continue once the door is shut securely behind your maid. “When outright statements like that are made in the same conversation where the Count also voices his opinions that King Javier is not fit to rule, or that I have some ulterior motivation for being here and accepting my role in his country…it makes me quite worried. That perhaps the Count may not have the most honorable intentions after all.”
“I can see why that would raise your suspicions.” He frowns and flips back through his notes to look at the impressions he had jotted down from the interview with Lucas Gutierrez. While some of the men question his old-fashioned methods and claim that he wants to model his investigative style after American style gumshoes, he finds it good to have those notes easily accessible rather than having to go back to the system computers. “And you say that he felt like he was threatening you?”
“I felt that he was threatening the king.” The clarification is important here, you know that. But you’re very glad to have your brother in the room with you to be an emotional anchor so you don’t end up seeming distraught or too forceful with the inspector. “The Count made it very clear that he did not consider me worth threatening. He appears to regard me as an ornament to His Majesty. Which is insulting, but not threatening.”
“I hope that regardless of what I find, you informed his majesties security team?” He asks seriously. “Another king lost in a short span such as this would throw our small country into chaos.”
“It would.” Especially considering Lucas is the next in line to the throne. A horrible alternative that you can’t even begin to comprehend. “And I have. I informed His Majesty and he has taken it to his team.”
“Good.” Inspector Jefe might have some private concerns about the new king, but he would never dream of making them public.
“With this background, will you be willing to watch the footage that my security team gathered yesterday morning?” Convincing him that it is worth looking into Lucas again is the key here, even though you know it’s a hard sell. As the Count of Ibiza, the people have come to mostly love Lucas Gutierrez. But they do not see his true nature.
“I have learned in my time as an inspector that some people’s true nature is always concealed until they believe they are immune from reproach.” He picks up his tea and takes a polite sip. “Would you be able to provide a copy or would I need to view the footage here only?” Sometimes the security for the palace had certain protocols in place that he would not be able to change.
After discussing it with Javi, Julius, and the head of security, it has been decided that a copy of the footage could be handed over to the police for their own use, and you open your desk drawer to retrieve it. “The copy has been made for your use, but of course I expect you will want to view the original here as well so you can be assured that no changes to the footage have been made.”
“Thank you, Princess.” He nods his head slightly, grateful that you understand the delicate nature of these things. “Once I have reviewed the footage, I may have more questions. Would it be possible to request some time in your schedule if that is the case?”
“Of course.” In fact, you would be concerned if he didn’t have more questions for you. “My assistant will make sure you are afforded access to me when necessary. This investigation remains of the utmost importance.”
“I appreciate that.” He knows that you must be busy, the announcement of your wedding accompanying the coronation had been announced and it wasn’t too far away.
“Just as I appreciate you being available this morning.” The footage is already queued up on the computer display monitor on your desk, and you turn it to face outward so both the Inspector and Sebastian can see. “Cooperation is everything in these matters.”
“The tales of your wisdom have not been underestimated.” He hums, turning to the screen and leaning forward so he can watch.
This is the fourth time you've watched this conversation, not to mention the fact that you lived through it the first time, and while the Inspector Jefe listens to Lucas spit his vitriol, you sip your tea in silence. Every time you listen to him it makes you angry all over again. But you can't afford to show any kind of anger in front of the inspector.
There will be several notes that come from this video, and he frowns as he looks back up at you. “This is very disturbing.” He admits. “The count did not know that he was being recorded, yes?”
"That is correct." It's a relief to hear that the investigation will be taking your conversation into account, but you try not to show it too much. "But I did not make any effort to hide the fact from him. All areas of the palace that are in use by staff and the royal family are protected by surveillance."
“It almost seemed as if the count wished for you to accuse him of something nefarious or to reveal it himself.” Jefe looks around the room, and nods. “Please do not try to be alone with him, Princess, but let him talk if he comes back.” He tells you, standing up. “I will have to review this many more times, but I will be taking a closer look at the Count in my investigation.”
"If you need to speak with me again, please do not hesitate to contact my assistant. And if I have any other information to pass along to you, may I request for you to come in the same way you did today?" You stand along with him, showing the Inspector Jefe the respect that his position is due. "I have already made arrangements to ensure I will not be alone with the Count again. At the king's insistence."
“Absolutely.” He had been brought in through the tunnels under the palace to prevent speculation, and he understands that. “Whatever you wish, your highness.” He bows politely and thinks that you are also as gracious as you are beautiful.
"Have a good day, Inspector Jefe." That might be a fruitless wish, considering the task on his shoulders, but if anything? That is something you can absolutely relate to.
He nods again and quickly walks out of the room to leave you and Sebastian by yourselves.
Once the door shuts, you sit back in your chair and pinch the bridge of your nose between two fingers and sigh. “That went better than I expected.”
“I don’t think the inspector wasn’t too surprised by your claims.” Sebastian admits, curious as to the man’s true feelings about the count. Not that he seems the type to ever say. He seemed to play his cards close to the vest.
“I think he was surprised that Lucas would admit to being so vile, but maybe that’s just me being too American and imagining all these nobles constantly play nice with each other. I can’t tell.” Now that the meeting is over, you refill your teacup and pick up a biscuit gladly. “Well, darling brother. We have an hour to kill before wedding planning overtakes my day.”
“What would you like to do?” He asks, aware that he had blocked out much more time than necessary for the meeting with the inspector.
“Javi and I talked about taking a little driving tour of the islands sometime soon. Do you think that’s something you could coordinate with royal security?” You’re not asking him to do it right now, god knows, but you do rummage in your desk with a mischievous grin on your face while you ask.
“Are we talking about an actual tour?” He asks with a laugh. “Or cordoning off lover’s lane so you can make out with the king like you’re teenagers?” He’s amused by the idea but also happy that you are so happy with your future husband.
“Say what you want, but my fiancé is ridiculously sexy.” And frankly, you’re exceptionally happy about that fact. Not just because you’re glad to be attracted to your partner, but because producing an heir is such a big part of what’s expected of you. It will not be a hardship to fulfill that duty.
He snorts and shoots you a grin. “Most of the world agrees with you.” He admits. “Which is why I’m so confused as to why his cousin is so harsh on him.”
“It’s jealousy, don’t you think?” At least, that’s what you’ve always thought. Javi was graced with looks, and charm, and privilege as well as so many other attributes — and Lucas simply couldn’t stand that his cousin was more beloved. “Lucas doesn’t see that cunning is not the only worthwhile intelligence in the world. That’s the other thing.” A moment later, you extract a travel Scrabble set from your desk drawer with a squeak of triumph. “Spanish Scrabble for an hour?” You suggest, shaking it at him enticingly. “Build that vocabulary like I know you want to?”
Sebastian rolls his eyes but grins. “I don’t know why you claim my Spanish isn’t up to par.” He teases, nodding and sitting down beside you. “I’ll still kick your ass at scrabble, Princess or not.”
______
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cryptidcorners · 5 months
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Mike Schmidt x childhood friend headcanons pls
Mike Schmidt x GN!Childhood Friend
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Description: You've been friends with Mike ever since you were kids, but your relationship rippled after he moved away due to the loss of his brother Garrett. Now, you're his nextdoor neighbor. Despite Mike's graphic changes, you still hold a great care for him, and possibly more.
# requested by anon
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Media: FNaF!Movie
Character: Mike Schmidt (+ Abby)
Tags: Childhood Friends, Headcanons, Fluff, Reconnecting, Romantic Implications (up to your interpretation), Soft!Mike, Found Family, Comfort, Domestic, Sweet Stuff as usual.
Warnings: FNaF Movie Spoilers, Mentions of Kidnapping, Depression, Childhood Trauma & Trust Issues.
read my TOS + Mike Schmidt Masterlist
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When you saw each other again, Mike couldn't believe his eyes, and neither could you. It had been over a decade since you two had been together, and now, you both were shyly delivering compliments and lazy stories as an attempt to rekindle your friendship.
Mike trusted you around Abby despite everything that happened in his youth, even if he hadn't seen you in years, Mike had an intense soft spot for you. Besides, Abby should know the person brought him intense joy as a kid.
You were surprised how private he was despite being incredibly outgoing before he had moved away. If you two go anywhere in public, he strays close to you. Not because it makes him feel safer, but because it eases his paranoia. Plus, Mike is a lost puppy dog when it comes to being around strangers.
Semi-affectionate. Especially with back hugs. Mike doesn't use his words too often to describe how he feels, so he'd rather express it in other ways. He also really enjoys patting your back and holding your shoulder.
Loves talking about all the shenanigans you both got up to while you were kids. Of course, you'd definitely keep it far away from Garrett territory. Anytime there's a mention of younger relatives, he gets very silent. + Mike loves listening to you to you talk.
Will buy things relating to your childhood interests. Another way he shows affection. Even if you weren't into a certain band or sitcom, he'd get it for you regardless. You probably have a mini-collection.
You're one of the rare few Mike will actually open up to. Of course, you'll probably only hear the tip of the iceberg, but you're content with him taking it slow. Speaking of which, he'd drop everything for you.
Mike loves spending time with you and Abby. Seeing you two close together makes his heart melt. Especially when Abby said you all together was like some strange family.
Something Mike enjoys is showing you around his neighborhood, or some of his favorite places to go. He's even taken you to Sparky's a couple times, somewhere you were surprised he liked (of course, he'd always go there devilishly early to avoid people and noise.)
Absolute sweetheart towards you. Due to being a huge part of his life, Mike can't bring himself to get angry at all, even if you're both in an argument. It hurts too much to get upset towards somebody so important.
You're definitely Abby's babysitter. And if Mike could, he'd pay you triple. You cannot tell me he doesn't get sad when you come over with no payment.
Loves the nicknames you give him.
Mike probably wished you could live with him, but he doesn't want you to get hurt because of him.
There are several moments you need to take care of him, whenever it's from a hard day of work or life in general. Mike always smiles when he wakes up on the couch with a blanket over him.
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bokutosmochi · 1 year
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SHAME! SHAME! SHAME! or embarrassing moments with jjk men
what's it? crack with a sprinkle of fluff
allergen warning/s? gn!reader, kind of spoilers for gojo's past arc in nanami's (not exactly canon, but you'll see teehee), smoke alarms (no actual fire though)
sugar level? 1.1k
names for the order? gojo satoru, geto suguru, fushiguro toji, nanami kento, sukuna ryomen
regulars? @tahonet​, @tokyometronetwork​
bon appetit!
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GOJO SATORU:
"are you a piece of candy? cause you're a tootsie, and you're on a roll." you couldn't help the way your eyebrows quirked at gojo's statement and failed pick up line. "what does you're a tootsie even mean?" and to that, he simply shrugged. "dunno, but it's a cute nickname and it always works on cute little buttercups just like you." he leaned down to boop your nose that is now scrunched up as a result. "satoru," you sighed. "you know i love you dearly, but i doubt that has ever worked on anyone. you need better pick up lines." at your brutally honest words, gojo stomps his foot, reminiscent of a child and pouts. his arms are crossed across his chest and he looks like a perfect blend of intimidating and non-intimidating. he turns his head to the side and sticks up his nose. "my methods of flirting have worked with plenty of people. maybe you're just different and quirky." you spat out your drink "that's how you flirt?" because you know just how many people threw themselves at the feet of your boyfriend before you got together and this is how he got laid? you pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed for the nth time. "pretty privilege does crazy things. baby, you cannot flirt."
GETO SUGURU
"geto suguru, oh. my. god" the words that came from you were almost squealed. it was nearing midnight and geto has had a very long day; meeting with his fellow curse users who share his vision, tending to the pathetic, helpless monkeys who called for his aid in getting rid of equally weak curses, and of course, walking around kyoto, tending to mimiko and nanako's every need and want. in fact, he was so busy he didn't even hear neither the front door or bedroom door open and close. "sugu baby, you look so cute!" now that was most definitely a squeal. the man in question had a toothbrush in his foamy mouth, and his hair was held back by a soft brown headband with bear ears and various glittery butterfly hairclips. he went back to the bathroom to spit the toothpaste out and gargle before greeting you properly with a hug and a minty fresh kiss on the lips. "the girls got a hold of me." he chuckled lightly, pulling the cutesy headband away. "if you arrived any earlier, you would've seen me with makeup on." you shook his head at him, the worst curse user. "you would do anything for those girls, wouldn't you?"
NANAMI KENTO:
"kento, you never told me you had piercings." you murmured softly, running your thumb over the space below his bottom lip where there were two tiny holes on either side, assumingly from piercings. he caught your hand and kissed your warm palm, eyes closed. "did gojo tell you about those, angel?" at the mention of his troublesome former upperclassman's name, his nose scrunched up - after all, it seemed like ever since learning about your relationship, the snow haired sorcerer would not stop telling you stories from when they were students. nanami knew that gojo picking the embarrassing ones were not some sort of a coincidence either - making you laugh as you shook your head. "no, i just noticed the piercing holes on your lip. are there more?" you did not wait for his answer though. instead, your eyes were already looking all over his face. you spotted more on his nose and several ones on his ears. "you never told me you had a punk rock phase, kento." you told him, poking his cheek with a giggle making him grumble out something you could not decipher as his face heated up with something akin to embarrassment. "the opportunity never came up."
FUSHIGURO TOJI:
"heya baby boy!" you greeted toji with a quick kiss on the scar on the side of his lip before plopping down on the opposite side of the loveseat. you were certain there was nothing out of the ordinary, but your boyfriend's head immediately snapped towards your figure for a reason you did not know. "you okay, big guy?" you chuckled nervously, scratching the back of your head. his mouth was slightly agape and his face was flushed red. he swallowed thickly, adam's apple bobbing and cleared his throat, "what'd ya call me?" you blinked at his words, the gears in your head turning. "baby boy?" his cheeks got a shade of red darker. but this time, the nickname he was not used to no longer flustered him. "do i look like baby boy?" he snickered at you. "'n if i remember correctly, last night, 'y were callin' me a much different name." he trailed off, a smirk gracing his lips. you shook your head at him, crawling towards him on your hands and knees and cupping the side of his cheek, gazing into his eyes tenderly, hoping to caress any sort of weakness from him, break down his cockiness from last night's activities. "oh toji," stroking the skin of his cheek with your thumb, your lips were pouted and head tilted. "you're always gonna be my baby boy."
SUKUNA RYOMEN:
"ring! ring! ring! ring!" that was the sound that woke you up on your birthday. not your alarm clock, not the familiar weight of sukuna's arms on you, or his rough voice commanding you to get up and not sleep in. no, this one is unfamiliar, because it's the smoke alarm. you quickly pushed the duvet off of you, taking a mental note of the curse's absence from beside you, and rose up, running to the kitchen to see what has transpired within its four walls. there sukuna was, standing on his tippy toes to reach the fire alarm. he sighed in relief when he finally turned it off, but he still rolled his eyes. "stupid twenty first century gadgets.". he was sure he'd never get used to them. it was only when he turned around did he see you. his eyes were narrowed into slits before looking back up. "the unnecessary thing woke you up, didn't it?" he nearly growled out. you just hummed out a response. "it's not unnecessary, 'kuna. house fires from not paying attention to what you're cooking is a real danger." you murmured, walking to where he is by the stove and wrapping your arms around his waist. "for example, burnt," whatever this was on the pan. "pancakes." he mumbled out, answering your unasked question. "was supposed to surprise you for your birthday."
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i get: reblog
you get: a jjk boy of your choice
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felony-bunny · 10 months
Text
Malleus x non-gendered reader
Scenario: Malleus doesn’t understand how mc doesn’t fear him. He doesn’t know if they’re brave, dumb, or not afraid of death. Spoiler they’re all of the above.
Btw I’m on chapter 6 and have no clue what happens in the next chapter.
LETs GET INTO THIS MOFO
(I wrote this all forever ago but I thought that I could add more to make it better but I was wrong. For some reason this was so fucking difficult. This isn’t the first time I’ve done a oneshot too. I literally do not think that I could write anymore twst oneshots because of how bad this came out. I’m literally so sorry. You can read if you want but I hate this so so much. And also sorry for the wait.)
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Most people feared Malleus’s strength. That’s what he was used too. He usually didn’t focus on people enough to care but you were different. He could understand how you weren’t scared before you know how he was but even after you found out you still called him by that silly nickname and acted the same towards him. Every once and awhile he tries to think of a reason for this.
1.) You are actually really stupid
2.) You’re some sort of narcissist and think you two are on the same level
3.) You have short term memory loss
4.) You’re stupidly brave
5.) You do not fear death
He crossed out 2 and 3 after hanging around you for a bit. But even after all the times you two have hung out he still hasn’t been able to understand how you work. One day his curiosity took over and he asked you outright.
“Child of Man?”
“Yea yea?” You absent mindedly replied as you balanced on some old bricks.
“Why don’t you seem to fear me? You have many reasons to be.”
Well standing on one wobbly brick you looked up at him “Why should I? It’s not like you’ve hurt or threatened me.”
Do you not realize how much of a threat he can be?
“Still…“
“Still what? Listen I get you’re pretty overpowered, like everyone wastes money on pulls for you in Gacha games kind of overpowered.”
Huh?
“But you’ve been nice to me and that’s all I really need to trust you.”
He didn’t like the next words that came out of his mouth but he needed to know
“Child of man, I could easily kill you. Do you know how much of a danger I could be to you if I chose to?”
You both stand there for a minute.
Did he mess up?
Did he bring up something you haven’t thought of and now you were scared?
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“I mean if you ever did kill me it would suck but whatever.” You look down at the brick wobbling.
Did you just say whatever at the possibility of being fatally injured?
“Why don’t you value your own life?”
“Is that really a question? What about my life actually has value? I mean it’s not guaranteed that I’ll go back home or that I’ll be able to start a new life here and if I do go back let’s say three years later I’d have to go back to school and waste a shit load of time and money on it. Honestly there are millions of things that could go wrong. It’s pretty difficult just existing here and not knowing what’s going on at home but whatever.” You jump off the brick and continue walking “At the end I just have to believe that things will string together and I don’t have to worry.” You spin around to face him and smile.
You say the weirdest things but still enchant him every time. Your a brave idiot who doesn’t care about how badly things could end and just put it up to luck, but that made him love you.
He smiled “I see. My apologies that was a foolish question on my part.”
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babyyweebbitch · 6 months
Text
Home
i would like so sincerely apologize for the sad writing i made a few days ago, please take this semi cute one 🧍🏾‍♀️ im gonna milk the shit out of this btw
content warning : !!!CALL OF DUTY MW3 SPOILERS!!! , Female reader , death , angst in general
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It’s been a few months after yours and Johnnys deaths… Simon still wasn’t doing good but he was better than he was before. he went back to working with the rest of 141 a few times and there was a mission he was on that he got injured on pretty badly and he was fighting for his life in the hospital for days…
he was on a mission in Russia, flying in the back of a helicopter with Gaz being the pilot, Simon and John shooting at enemies down below. he was hitting every target and being dead silent while he did so. in the corner of his eye he saw something flying towards them but he didn’t think much of it, he just kept shooting trying to take out his anger on people that weren’t even involved in your deaths. suddenly the back of the helicopter was hit by a rocket of a rocket launcher. Simon immediately fell back as the helicopter lost control and started spinning in the air. Gaz tried his best to regain control but it was hard
John tried reaching for Simon once he noticed him starting to slip out, he failed to grab him in time and Simon fell out. after that Simon woke up in a hospital bed with tubes connected to him and in an excruciating amount of pain, he tried moving but eventually passed out from the pain…
this would happen a lot over the next few days, him waking up, screaming out in pain and passing out the rest of the day… the doctors only gave him a week to survive because his injuries were so severe, when he landed on the floor after falling out the helicopter he broke almost every bone in his body, lungs were punctured and many vital organs were damaged.
Simon woke up and his eyes shot open… he wasn’t in a hospital bed… or the hospital room he grew to be familiar with every time he woke up and screamed in pain… most importantly he wasn’t in pain… he moved his hands to touch his chest and stomach as if he had lost something. he looked around and he was in the living room of a house with a fire place, christmas decorations, a blanket over his lap and a cup of tea on the little coffee table beside his chair.
you walked in with a tray full of snacks and Johnny followed after you, you both we talking about holidays and how you can spend them with a few people who very clearly were not alive anymore, you placed the tray on the larger coffee table and you looked up to see Simon staring at the two of you.
“Y/n…. Johnny…?” he asked almost a little scared but confused. he slowly stood up and immediately ran to bring the two of you into a tight hug. Johnny laughed softly as he hugged him back, so did you
“Hey Simon, buddy! we missed you” Johnny said with the happiest sounding tone of voice
“hello to you too, Simon” you chuckled as you rubbed his back gently. you felt him shaking like he was crying — which he was. he buried his face into your shoulder and held you and Johnny like this was the last time he ever would
“am… am i dreaming…?” he said softly as he calmed down his crying and looked down at the two of you.
“no… you’re not…” you said softly as you looked up at Simon. you knew he knew he was dead…. you just didn’t know if it settled in quite yet
“what is this place…?”
“our home…. Simon… this is where we live from now on…” Johnny said softly as he could also tell Simon that knew he was dead, it just hasn’t settled in yet. after a while of silence and looking around the living room in shock Simon smiled softly and he laughed softly as well…
“whats so funny, Bubba?” you said jokingly using the nickname you had for him before you died
“i wasn’t expecting the afterlife to be something we all wanted….” he said as he walked to look out the window, it was snowing showing that it was christmas time in the afterlife just like it was in the real world. You and Johnny looked at each other before walking over to stand next to him
“we all wanted the same thing….”
“that was to spend the rest of eternity together…” you added softly as you looked at the two men
“im glad im home…” Simon said softly as he grabbed the two of you into another hug. the three of you laughed softly as you hugged realizing you all wanted the exact same thing in the after life — to be together
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callsign-rogueone · 1 month
Text
mercy - m.s.
Mira Sorrengail x reader Back in your days at Basgiath, you and your friends made up Mercy, a game of spontaneous “assassination attempts”, to prove your strength and skill in single combat. Mira starts a new game, years after the last one ended, and it has unforeseen consequences. 🎧: “I will show no mercy for you, you have no mercy for me, the only thing that I ask: love me mercilessly” - Hatef—k, The Bravery words: 4.5k 🏷: Iron Flame spoilers. NSFW, afab reader but no pronouns used, violent homoeroticism, sparring and a teeny bit of blood, childhood friends to college rivals to lovers, mysterious unresolved tension between you, reader is coded as being on the curvy side bc I am, one very brief mention of past abuse from your father, you could be Dain’s sister but I didn’t say that part out loud for inclusivity’s sake, use of the nicknames bunny (derogatory, but also affectionate), sweetheart, and baby. softdom!Mira, mild predator/prey vibes, fingering, overstimulation, biting (once), aftercare, love confession, soft ending, I proofed this with a migraine so pls ignore any grammar/syntax errors lmao
A cold hand closes around your throat. You know it can only belong to one person.
“Hi, bunny,” Mira purrs, confirming your theory. “Did you miss me?”
Your pulse jumps under her fingers as she moves forward, pressing her body up against your back. You don’t know if you’re more relieved or scared -- she’s alive, but she hasn’t changed a bit, still hellbent on making you play her little game of cat and mouse. 
“When did you decide the game was back on?” you ask, finally able to form complete sentences.
“Just now,” she answers, tightening her grip on your neck ever so slightly. “Why? Have you lost your bite? Did those two years in the middle of nowhere make you even softer?”
You burn at the insinuation, bringing a hand up to dig your nails into her wrist -- she hisses in pain, releasing you, and you take the opportunity to slip out from her reach, unsheathing one of the two blades you have left after last night’s events.
You stalk in circles around each other, waiting for someone to strike first. 
“Try not to kill each other before I can say hello,” a familiar voice sighs, and your head snaps up. 
Brennan is standing twenty feet away from you, alive.
“Truce,” you and Mira declare in unison, suspending your fight. 
You rush forward to embrace her brother, hugging him tightly.
He smiles, resting a hand on your back. “It’s good to see you again, kid.”
“Someone knows how to greet people like a normal person,” you say with a glare over your shoulder at Mira, your voice wavering with emotion. You can’t believe Brennan is standing here in front of you, that he’s still alive.
“And someone didn’t punch me straight in the face when they saw me,” he adds dryly.
Your jaw drops. “What the hell, Mir?”
“I don’t regret it,” she says firmly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Brennan’s gaze lands on the reddened bandage around your arm. “Do you want me to…?”
“Oh, no,” you say, looking down at it fondly. “This was a parting gift from the Colonel. I’d like it to scar.”
Both siblings know who you’re referring to, know that the man who sired you and your brother isn’t Dad to you, just his title — he’s never acted like anything other than your commanding officer. 
Brennan doesn’t ask if you’re sure, doesn’t push the issue further. He knows your relationship with your father has always been strained, that the Colonel would’ve had more than just some choice words for you when he found out you were going to desert. 
He remembers the last time he saw you, a week before you and Mira were to enter the rider’s quadrant — he was in his third year at Basgiath, “home” for an evening. He’d been the one to answer the door when you’d shown up, not knowing where else to go.
You didn’t want to follow in your father’s footsteps, but you weren’t given a choice; your family are dragon riders, through and through, even if the line of work cost your mother her life. 
The mention of her earned you a bloody nose that Brennan had been able to fix near-instantly. You’d spent the night on the Sorrengails’ couch, the two of you silently agreeing to never speak of it again.
Mira burns with anger, but she stays quiet. “I’m so sorry, bunny.”
“It’s okay,” you say with a sad smile. “At least he’s finally out of my life for good. Are the kids here, too?”
Brennan nods. “Vi and Dain are around here somewhere. But things have gotten… weird between them.”
“That’s an understatement,” someone says quite coldly.
You turn, tensing when you see Xaden Riorson standing ten yards in front of you. 
“I didn’t expect any members of your family to be joining us, Captain,” he drawls, inspecting you. “Why the change of heart?”
Brennan is about to speak, to vouch for you, but Mira beats him to it. “You of all people should know that it isn’t fair to judge someone for the actions of their parents.”
You put up a hand to stop her, speaking for yourself. “I came here because it was the right thing to do. The name on my uniform means nothing to me, but if you cannot see past it, I will take my leave and fight on my own.”
He must realize that you’re serious. He softens ever so slightly, but does not apologize. “Very well. Welcome to the revolution.”
Mira leaves you alone — and therefore, on edge — for two days, a silent statement that it’s your turn to sneak up on her, that she’s waiting to see if you’ll bite.
Nothing has changed about her, including her workout routine — she’s holed up in the gym before breakfast, when half the fortress is still asleep.
She has her back to the door, settled into a high plank on one of the small stretching mats. A perfect opportunity; she’s already on the floor, unarmed. Easy.
You take a moment to admire the toned muscle of her back and the green rider’s relic spanning her shoulders before you press your boot into her spine.
She yelps, her concentration broken — her sweaty palms slip against the foam, sending her straight to the floor with a soft thud. You lean down to pin an arm behind her back. “Consider yourself dead, Sorrengail.”
Too perfect. Too easy. It’s your turn to squeak as she yanks you down to the floor with her, your back hitting the hard wood with a wet slap. It feels like your skin is on fire. You gasp for air, but you don’t have time to recover before she’s looming over you, that devilish grin on her face that you’ve missed so much.
Your friend rolls her eyes, stopping Garrick from leaping in to pry you and Mira apart. “It’s a game we made up as cadets. The two of them took it farther than anybody else, as you can imagine.”
You manage to gain your bearings, twisting a leg up and over her shoulder, behind her neck and using the other as leverage to squeeze tighter, locking her in place.
She digs into your hips, clawing at you with blunt nails, but you hardly feel it through the thick thermal fabric of your leggings.
“I should make you a little white flag to wave,” you say with a sweet smile, convinced you’ve won.
She hisses at you, some snide remark already prepared, but someone else speaks first.
“I don’t want to know,” Professor Devera says, looking down at the two of you still tangled up on the floor, “but we have work to do.”
You release Mira, letting her pull back and breathe. “Truce?”
“Truce,” she pants in agreement, and you seal the deal with a firm handshake, rising to your feet.
“Does it bother you at all that she could kill you in your sleep?” Garrick asks as you exit the gym and ascend the stairs.
“That’s against the rules,” you say matter-of-factly. 
“Since somebody can’t bear to admit defeat,” she adds, glaring at you.
The two Lieutenants can tell that there’s a story here, and there is. The rule was made during your second game of mercy. After a week of back and forth with no winner and no surrender, she’d taken desperate — or cunning, measures, however you view it — and befriended your bunkmate, Sascha, as a guise to get into your room, where she’d struck unexpectedly. 
You’d nearly had a heart attack when you’d woken up to see her looming over you. Needless to say, Sascha did not take Mira on another date, and at your insistence, the two of you added a new rule to the game.
“Your target has to be awake, and not doing anything directly related to base safety or following orders,” you explain. “The barracks are fair game, but not the flight field.”
“Truce can be called at any time, but it expires in an hour, or whenever you’re off duty for the day,” Mira adds, and you both make a mental note of the time. 
“Anyone can start a game by striking first. Surrenders can last from two days to two years, apparently,” you say dryly.
Mira finishes the set of rules with a narrow glance at you. “And you can’t seriously hurt them. You can act in self-defense, but try not to draw blood.” 
“That was one time,” you huff, crossing your arms over your chest. “And you shouldn’t have snuck up on me while I had a knife in my hand! It’s a miracle I didn’t kill you.” There’s a note of hurt in your voice as you remember how close of a call it had been.
As soon as you saw the blood dripping down the pale skin of her neck, you had dropped everything to take her to the healers, terrified that you’d hit a vein — you hadn’t, but you still didn’t resume the game for two weeks afterward, until the cut had fully healed. 
Mira smiles. “I’m touched, bun, but I don’t think you could kill me if you tried.”
You only bare your teeth at her in response.
Mira is waiting for you outside the bathroom door, leaning up against the wall looking bored — she must have been here for a while.
She pushes off the wall lazily, smirking at you. “So, bunny, do you want to give up yet? Call it all off?”
You suppress a shiver. “That wouldn’t be any fun,” you say calmly, hatching a plan; you can lose her easily enough, and get back to your room and be safe until breakfast, when you’ll be properly dressed and armed. 
You dry your hands on your towel, dropping it at your feet and putting one leg behind you, bent at the knee as if you’re going to have a proper fight -- then run like hell in the other direction.
You hear her chase after you, the pounding of her footsteps matching up with your racing heart as you make turn after turn.
There are two problems with your plan. 
The first; this place is a damn maze. All these doors look the same, and you’re moving too fast to look at the numbers posted on them. And like any good maze, there are plenty of dead ends. You skid to a stop as you realize there’s no way out of this hallway — or just one way; past Mira.
You quickly find the second problem; you’re running in wet sandals. You trip over an edge of the thick rug that lines the stone floor, headed straight for the ground, but Mira grabs you by the wrist, breaking your fall.
You steady yourself, yanking your arm away.
She lets you go easily, content to stand a few feet back and taunt you. “Just a defenseless little bunny, walking down the hallway in these cute little pajamas, all this skin exposed… I know you don’t have any daggers hidden under that excuse of a shirt,” she says, looking at you with the shine of something predatory in her eyes. “I can see everything.”
You move to cover yourself, crossing your arms — the fortress is cold, and you hadn’t bothered to wrap your chest just to walk back from the showers… you squirm under her gaze, embarrassed. “I am clearly at a disadvantage in these clothes,” you huff, “not fair.”
“That’s on you. You knew this could happen when you got dressed,” she dismisses. “But you’ve also been at a disadvantage this whole time playing against me. We both know I’m a better fighter than you. Maybe I’ve just been faking to let you believe that you’re all big and strong.”
That’s the last straw. You kick off your shoes and lunge at her, not caring that you’re still in your pajamas, cornered and unarmed — you’re going to end this round now, prove to Mira once and for all that you can go toe to toe with her and come out on top, disadvantaged or not.
She grins. “I was wondering when you’d start really trying.”
You knock her to the ground, though she lands more gracefully than you had the other day -- your back is still tender.
“You really need to switch it up, Bun. This whole wrestling-on-the-floor thing is getting old,” she taunts, grabbing your arm and twisting it behind your back.
“Shut - the fuck - up,” you pant. “You think this game isn’t getting old? You’re the one who’s stuck in the past.”
You struggle, and she loosens her grip enough for you to hook one arm over her head, squeezing your elbow around her neck in an attempt to get her to give up.
You hear her wheeze, running out of air, and you’re about to triumphantly proclaim your victory when you feel a sharp pinch in your bicep. 
She fucking bit you.
You gasp, releasing her and standing upright to cradle your elbow in one hand and inspect the damage. There’s a perfect imprint of her teeth in the muscle, two tiny punctures from her canines. “What the fuck, Mir? That really hurt.”
“Oops.” She rises to her knees and licks up the small beads of blood forming on your skin, making you squirm.
Gross. Well, actually… 
You don’t have much time to think about it before she’s pinning you to the wall. You struggle, but she has you trapped firmly against the cold stone.
“All you have to do is admit that I’m stronger than you. Say the word, and I’ll let you go.”
“No,” you spit, “you cheated and you fucking know it. You were the one who made the no-blood rule.”
“Poor baby. Want me to kiss it better?” she asks, looking down at you with that signature smug expression. You want to slap it right off her face, but she’s currently holding both of your wrists in one hand.
Your stomach flips at the realization of just how strong Mira is, how easily she can pin you down, how she could do anything to you right now if she wanted. 
Okay, now is not the time to be horny. You have a point to prove.
You start to struggle, but she only bears down harder, presses in closer.
“If you wanted this, you could have just asked,” she says quietly, her nose brushing against the side of your neck. 
Your resolve is crumbling. The way she’s talking down to you in that condescending tone and the way her muscles flex as she presses you into the wall have you more turned on than you should be.
You want only one thing more than for her to hold you down and fuck you absolutely stupid, and that one thing is to win, to have Mira Sorrengail beg you for mercy.
You only see one way to get out of this — to cheat, like she did.
You blink up at her, doe-eyed. “Mir, please,” you whimper, pretending to struggle, but all you’re really doing is grinding against the muscled thigh she has wedged between yours.
She takes the bait, loosening her grip and leaning down to nudge her nose against yours, connecting your lips, remarkably gentle.
It feels too good to carry out your plan. You melt right into her, your whole body relaxing, and she drops your wrists to rest her hands on your waist, dipping under the hem of your shirt as she steadies you.
She kisses soft and sweet — a stark contrast to the ache in your arm from where she’d sunk her teeth into your skin.
She pulls away after a moment, smiling at the dazed look on your face. “You wanna be a good little bunny and let me have my way with you? Let me play with that pretty body?”
“Yes, please,” you breathe. It’s not an act; you really do want her hands on you, you have for years. You’ve never felt this needy in your life, never craved anyone’s touch this badly.
You should be more careful what you wish for.
You gasp into her mouth as she tugs aside your pajama shorts and brushes her fingertips against the embarrassingly damp fabric of your underwear, right over your clit.
“Not here,” you manage, clinging to your one last shred of rationality — at any moment, someone could walk out of their room and see you here, in the middle of the hallway, half-dressed, with Mira’s hands all over you.
She appears to agree. She pulls you down the hall by your wrist, wasting no time unlocking her door and leading you through it, pushing you right onto her bed. 
Your back hits the mattress and she’s leaning over you in seconds, though the predatory look in her eyes is gone, replaced with something softer.
Your heart pounds. You have no idea what she’s going to do. 
“Such a cute little thing,” she coos, her hands moving to knead at the plush of your hips. “Spread your legs for me.”
You comply instantly, starting to take off your shorts, but she stops you.
“Nuh-uh, bun. Keep them on.”
You whine softly, but she doesn’t budge. Her hand slides over your thigh, settling over the soft fabric. “So warm and wet… did you like me on top of you? Like me holding you down?”
“Yes,” you answer readily, panting even though she’s hardly touched you. “N’ liked… liked kissing you.”
It’s a thinly-veiled plea for her to do it again, but it works.
You whine into her mouth as she starts to circle her fingers over your clit through the two layers of clothing, smearing your wetness into them. Her other hand slides up to your chest, squeezing gently through the thin cotton of your shirt. 
You should have known that this would be good -- it’s Mira. She knows exactly what she’s doing; she’s had plenty of bedmates over the years, and she isn’t shy about it at all.
You burn with jealousy at the thought of anyone else being in your position, laid underneath her, her hands all over them and her lips on their neck.
Well, that’s new, you think. And not at all concerning.
Your inner monologue is interrupted as she pulls back, guiding you to look at her with a gentle hand on your chin, assuaging your worries. “Relax, sweetheart. It’s just you and me here right now.”
You push away the thoughts, closing your eyes and focusing on the three soft sensations -- her lips on your neck, her hands on your chest and between your legs, teasing you… 
She hooks her fingers into the thin straps of your tank top, slipping them over your shoulders one at a time and tugging the neckline down until your breasts spill out over it. 
She swears softly. “You’ve always had such a pretty body, bun. Shame you keep it covered up all the time.”
You burn at the praise, feeling exposed, but the embarrassment quickly fades as she kisses her way down your neck and across your collarbones, down… 
You can’t hold back the gasp as she laves her tongue over your nipple, her free hand thumbing at the other.
“Oh, you liked that,” she muses, smug, but quickly returns her mouth to the other, sucking gently.
You did. You really liked that. No partner has ever paid this much attention to your chest before, only some casual groping before they moved things downstairs. Nobody’s paid this much attention to you, period, taken this much time preparing you for the main event. 
You can feel the pressure building between your hips, your muscles tightening. You might actually cum just from the way she’s still circling her fingers over your clit through your underwear, and her mouth…
“Want me to keep going?” She asks, and you can hear the grin in her voice as she continues. “You know what to say. Just one little word.”
You don’t care if this is all an elaborate scheme to get you to admit defeat -- you’d do anything if it meant she’d keep touching you. You’re already addicted to her after one dose; you need her like you need air.
“Mercy,” you beg, “I’ll admit it, you’re— you’re stronger, you’re the better fighter, just please don’t stop, need it so bad,”
“There we go. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” she coos, smoothing a hand over your hip. 
You let out a soft whimper as she sucks hard on the side of your throat, undoubtedly going to leave a mark.
There’s that rough edge you were expecting.
She pulls down your shorts and underwear in one quick movement, spreading your thighs apart easily. “Gods, bun, you’re soaked.”
Enough for her to slip two fingers right in. She finds that special spot near instantly, laughing when you squeak in shock. 
“Oh, right there? Does that feel good?” She asks, even though it’s clear as day that you fucking love it.
You give her a soft sound of affirmation, biting your cheek to hold back the slew of whimpers.
“You’re probably used to keeping quiet, hm? Laying in your bunk with a hand over your mouth, wishing someone was there to make you feel good? Do you think of me when you touch yourself, sweetheart?”
“Yes, ah, I do,” you admit, too far gone to care. It’s true; you’ve spent many a night pretending your hand belonged to her, imagining a moment just like this. 
She continues to batter her fingertips against that little soft spot, not letting up for a second. “And does it feel this good when it’s just you alone?”
“No,” you cry, “this is, ah, this is better, oh, fuck, Mira,”
Your fingers flex helplessly, reaching for something, anything to ground you, and she takes pity on you, giving you her hand to hold while you sob into her pillow.
“Shh, bun, it’s okay. Just let yourself feel good. Know you needed this so bad, needed someone to fuck all the thoughts out of that pretty head.”
She strokes her thumb over your clit in time with the movement of her fingers, and that’s all you need; that and her soft voice cooing all those condescending things to you.
You clear your head enough to speak properly, or try to. “Mira, please, gods, fuck, gonna, ah, gonna cum,” 
“Go ahead, bun. Cum for me.”
You’ve always been good at following orders.
On her command, every muscle in your body tightens then releases. You grip her hand for dear life as warmth flows through your body, eyes rolling back and cute little whimpers pouring from your lips.
“Fuck, bun, you get so tight when you cum,” she swears, but she doesn’t stop or slow down at all, continuing to press and rub and kiss, overwhelming your senses.
“Too much,” you whimper, squirming away from her touch, but she doesn’t stop. 
She shushes you softly. “Just relax for me, sweetheart. It’ll feel better in a minute.”
You sob, dropping your head back onto the pillow in defeat -- you aren’t in a headspace to fight it, and you aren’t sure if you even want to; it hurts, but it’s still so fucking good.
She slows for a moment. “You know what to say if it’s truly too much, don’t you?” 
“Yes,” you manage, “I know.”
“Good bunny.”
You whine softly at the praise, gasping as the sharp sensitivity turns back into pure pleasure. 
She knows those panicked little whimpers mean you’re close. “It’s okay, bun. Let go for me.”
You unclench your free hand from the sheets, yanking her down by the collar to kiss you as you fall apart beneath her, your soft cries muffled by her lips.
She slows to a stop, letting you ride it out, giving you a few more soft kisses. You whine softly as she withdraws her fingers, feeling empty without them. 
She rests her hand on your shaking thigh, petting the soft skin gently. “It’s okay, sweetheart, we’re done,” she soothes. “You did so, so good for me.”
She easily moves you to sit up in her lap, wrapping her arms around you and letting you rest your head on her shoulder.
She hasn't been this tender with you in years. You savor the moment, hiding your face in the curve of her neck as you try to catch your breath.
“Can you look at me?” She asks after a minute.
You lift your head up enough to see her beautiful brown eyes gazing at you with a softness you’ve never seen in them before.
“There’s my pretty baby. Was I too rough with you?” She asks, genuine concern in her voice.
You shake your head. “No,” you promise, nuzzling your face into her neck. “Felt really good.”
You feel great. Your whole body feels fuzzy, your muscles relaxed and your brain completely liquified, all thoughts of the week’s events wiped away save for this moment; Mira holding you so gently, stroking your back — a minute of soft quiet.
You take your chance.
“Do you remember the night we came back from Squad Battle, our second year?” You ask, closing your eyes.
“Of course I remember, bun, that was fucking terrifying. Why…” 
You continue. “I couldn’t even make it upstairs to my room, I was that exhausted. I was planning to sleep in the courtyard, until you found me.”
She looks confused. She knows this story; why are you telling it again? And why now?
“You didn’t leave my side for a full day. You helped me shower, found me clean clothes, let me sleep in your bed until you were convinced I wouldn’t die… You put aside the game, and the fact that we’d spent the last two days on opposite sides of a war, because you were that worried about me. I’ve been hopelessly in love with you since that night, and I have spent every waking moment since graduation regretting how we left things. I missed you so godsdamned much, Mir. I don’t want to be apart from you ever again.”
You can feel her sigh of relief, her whole body relaxing against yours.
“I love you too,” she says quietly, still stroking your back. “I was so relieved when I saw you again, bun. I wanted to tell you how much I missed you, how sorry I am for ending things that way, but I was too scared. It was easier to just go back to the way things were before,” she admits. “You know I’m no good at that stuff. You’ve always been the one who was good with words, not me.”
You smile, leaning forward to brush your nose against hers. “Then let me tell you every morning and night for the rest of our days how much I love you, Mira Sorrengail.”
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wonjns · 2 years
Note
What petnames dyt each skz member would give us? I’m writing another story but I can’t think of anything & im crying over it 😍
° Nicknames Stray Kids Would Call Their Boyfriends
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° skz x male reader
° wasn’t sure if you wanted nsfw or not so both fluff & suggestive themes included ! <3
...
♡ chan
he’s such a hopeless romantic
the main nickname i see him using is darling.
it’s classic & cute,, and sounds adorable in his accent. but he truly calls you about every name in the book; beloved, baby, honey, sweetie... ugh so cheesy but endearing.
but pls he loves to use these on you when he’s encouraging you (during both family friendly and not-so-innocent times).
“there you go darling, you’re doing great.”
“attaboy, i’m so proud of you darling. that’s my baby.”
...
♡ minho
please. i have the strongest feeling he would call you things just to watch you blush.
especially his timing. his petnames would most often come during intimate, steamy moments.
both in and out of bed he would call you sexy, or prince, but mostly whenever he wants to rile you up.
“hey sexy, can you come take a picture for me real quick?”
“what’s wrong, prince? can’t take anymore?”
just so casual and shameless, even around the members. it makes you facepalm but also flustered, and that’s what he loves to see.
...
♡ changbin
he would find you so so cute, even when writhing under him so expect cute-ish nicknames.
instantly sways towards baby boy, especially when you’re adorably sulking over something you want, beaming at him with those beautiful eyes of yours.
“what’s the matter baby boy? god you’re so cute.” he’d mumble while squishing your cheeks between his strong palms.
he’s also into the whole teasing, second person reference type thing.
“does my baby boy need something?” with a small smirk blooming on his face.
...
♡ hyunjin
hyunjin gives me two vibes; he seems like the type to be personal, or the type to having teasing names. or just both.
he’d form nicknames for you based on personal experiences. like if he was utterly awe-struck at your features (spoiler: he is), then you can expect to be his pretty boy. immediately. constant reminder of how infatuated he is with you.
“ah, there’s my pretty boy. come give me a kiss rn.”
but also if you’re the clumsy type, prepared to be called dopey / silly / goofy... god it’d be unbearable, especially during heated moments when you’re too turned on to argue back.
“awh, my little dopey really needs my cock right now, hm? what a silly boy.”
he’s also another shameless one, never hesitating to out you of your little inside jokes around people.
...
♡ jisung
what a guy :’) 
he’s a classic, babe or baby sufficing enough for him.
but the main reason this nickname gets you weak are the ways he says them.
if he ever wanted something, the petname is immediately followed up with soft touches and nudges, him sporting his most adorable glance. the literal sparkles in his eyes irresistible.
“baby, i know you’re busy but let me take you to the beach this weekend. please 🥺” (shirtless han? yes pls)
but the duality of someone like jisung’s is petrifying. if he wants a different type of attention, it’s a full 180.
“go to the bedroom, babe. you have 5 minutes to get ready for me.” like omfg.
...
♡ felix
oh felix. he’s a charmer.
another one to make you wobbly in the knees from the simplest words.
with a voice like that?? it wouldn’t take much. so when his deep voice rumbled his reference to you as love, that was all it took.
“love, come sit. i want to talk to you.” he’d speak softly, patting his thighs.
he’s endearing with it but it was still enough to turn your legs to jello. and best believe you’re sat.
so God help you the days you feel testy. felix always treats his boyfriend like a fragile cloud, but wouldn’t hesitate to ground you back to earth.
“woah, love. i’d choose my words more carefully if i were you. now open up.”
...
♡ seungmin
he’s pretty soft with his bf. sassy, but soft.
precious just sounds so natural coming from his lips. because that’s what you are to him, his prized jewel :(
“good morning, precious.” with kisses to your forehead.
idk why it’s so difficult for me to imagine hard hours with him, but he definitely has his moments.
“shit, yes, just like that. keep going babe.” with a moan. “so dirty... what happened to my precious boy?”
...
♡ jeongin
innie<33
he may be the youngest, but is also so devious. with a cute ass face like that but also able to switch into some dom aura on a dime - yea he’s dangerous.
his nicknames would def have double purpose, like my cutie.
“ahh, i’ve missed you, my cutie. thanks for coming today.” while doting on you, rubbing his gentle thumbs over your cheeks and hands.
he’d insist you were more adorable than him, but whether that was true or not, what really mattered was the possessiveness. you were his cutie.
this came to show even when you were short circuiting, watching his newfound abs flex while he hovered above you.
“look at my cutie, can’t even use his words anymore. cmon, tell me you want me.”
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© 𝐟𝐥𝐰𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐢 — all rights reserved
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archie-sunshine · 2 months
Note
Hi again, I'd love to know more lore about your Oc's I've seen that Pandora lost her job in legal fights is there details on that?
Also how did she get Jaks frame? He's a recognized model from a company from what I've seen of your other posts so did she buy him? or he a pet project she was hand making with parts before plugging in his mind which is actually a person who got his body snatched.
Would love to hear more about that idea too how that happened if there's a group, some scene or maybe even some underground ring of robots who want human (organic) bodies and he's a victim of like a black market organ trade... just whole body instead of a kidney lol
HIIII!!!! so YES i absolutely can tell you more about them!!
I will one day make an actual comic or post going over pandora's legal bot fighting days, but for now, the simplified version is that pandora did some stuff her league didn't like and they framed her for cheating and 'exposed' her live on tv during the season semifinals. I'll eventually probably make a super dramatic retelling of this but those are the basics!!
AS FOR JAK'S FRAME!
JAK's frametype is a 'Jeddisson-engineering's Automated Kickboxer' nicknamed JAKS or JAKrabbits due to their mainly kick based combat drivers and large rabbit like finials. There are newer JAK models with different shapes and updated coding, but JAK's model is simply outmoded.
BUT! because Pandora lives on a space station with an absolutely NIGHTMARISHLY HUGE garbage dump, she actually lucked out and found a mostly intact JAK model in the trash and started fixing it up to be her next underground bot fighting bot.
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After losing her career and doing illegal fights, Pandora started chewing through bots VERY quickly, so she was always in need of another lamb for the slaughter so to speak. She started fixing his body up before she actually found his hard drive.
Side note- JAK actually spent about a month and a half living on Pandora's computer as a very bitchy computer virus while she was fixing the JAK body for him.
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AS FOR HOW JAK GOT LIKE THIS.
the funny thing is? I have actually no idea <3 Since these characters live and exist in a world that belongs to @pinkanonwrites and is made for a very bitchin ttrpg campaign, there are some things i LITERALLY am not allowed to know. even though jak and pandora aren't pcs or even npcs in the game, according to pink, me knowing who did this to JAK is a massive spoiler. So when that reveal happens? I'll be fucken screaming about it brother i'll tell you that for free.
ANYWAYS im so SO SO HAPPY people are enjoying these two, i am. RRGHGRH i love drawing them and writing about them, so expect more comics of them in the future bc they bring me SUCH JOY. Honestly i'll probably make one about JAK as a bitchy .exe file sometime soon hehee,,,,
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yandere-writer-momo · 11 months
Note
yandere dorian hcs please 😳
I will give you your steroid Santa Clause! But I’m making it sad. After the fight with Retsu, I felt so bad for him. I wanted to hug him.
Spoilers!!
Yandere Baki Head Canons
Kaioh Dorian edition
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Kaioh Dorian
You worked at a pastel maid cafe and he was a foreign customer that tipped you more than any other customer. Though at times you felt his eyes linger on your form longer than what was comfortable but his big tips made up for it
As the days turned to weeks, you learned his name was Dorian. He was overly nice to you and sometimes he’d bring you candies. To you, it seemed like he was trying to heal his inner child so you never corrected his behavior. The giant man somewhat reminded you of one
He’d call you “dolly” all the time due to your pastel maid uniform and you let him. It was a cute innocent nickname. Sometimes Dorian would gift you little porcelain dolls that looked eerily similar to you, but you thought they were cute. A part of you wondered how he knew you collected dolls, but perhaps it’s the way you presented yourself?
One time he stayed near closing time so you sat with him and chatted a bit. He was an American and he was 65. He’s never been married and he used to practice Chinese Kenpo. He was interesting
That was until you saw the news and realized he was an escaped convict. He killed a lot of people… you began to limit your time around Dorian and he noticed. He didn’t like it one bit
As you sleep at night, you feel the bed shift. You try to scream but a large hand is covering you mouth. You realize Dorian had broken into your house. How did he know where you lived?
Dorian tells you he’s been keeping an eye on you for awhile now and he doesn’t want you to hate him. That you’re his dolly and he’ll always treat you well.
He doesn’t do anything sexual to you at all, he just lays beside you and falls asleep with you in his arms. You don’t sleep a wink because you’re terrified but Dorian doesn’t harm you. He cares for you in his own way
You don’t see him for awhile after that, and you kind of feel sad about it. That’s when you find out through your coworkers that Dorian was now mentally handicapped after a fight with Kaioh Retsu
You go to see him and you’re surprised he recognizes you. Dorian runs over to you and calls you dolly still. He’s so thrilled to see you but now his mind is reduced to that of a child’s. It breaks your heart and you hug him. You cry as he hugs you back
Dorian tells you how his dad never let him have much candy and how abusive his father was with while he’s in this new mindset. You take it upon yourself to befriend him again
You visit Dorian everyday and bring him lots of candy. You sit with him in the psyche ward. Sometimes you go on walks with each other
You bring him a doll and he’s so happy. You two play together a lot, the way kids would. Dorian always looks forward to your visits
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ka1yo · 1 year
Text
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HE XUAN headcannons !
sfw + nsfw. unedited. m!switch!reader x switch!he-xuan.
! CW
nsfw, spoilers. cock can be interpreted as a strap if not amab or identify as a male.
note: you are a banished god 🥶🫵
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SFW ! hes so bbg..
- since he xuan's island is very well concealed, and usually is feared for people and gods alike to go to, it was quite the shock when he saw you, strolling around his island like it was your own personal domain. what nearly shocked him into his ass was that you were a banished god, and would've obviously been informed of the 'black water submerging ghost.'
- god knows how you managed to turn into lovers, but oh well. at least you weren't dead. he xuan was heisitant at first to let you get close to him, but seeing as you were immortal, he slowly opened up, starting from mn's and grunts to full fledged conversations. he was cold, and almost perfers to be alone, but with you pestering him for his attention as well as with help on your new home, he could do nothing except to hide from you in the water.
- since he xuan is more laid back, and doesn't have any current eyes on him, he is all for you. leaving small gifts of pearls and shit like that, he only denies he left anything for you. the best thing is, when you tease him about all the small things he did, his face flushes and he turns away with a awfully cute squeak. sure, he might be all terrifying and malicious on the outside, but who knew deep down he had this small soft spot for you?
- when you two are alone, hugging, cuddling, or about to go to sleep, he loves to trace and leave kisses on your cursed shackle, which surrounds your neck. usually pestering you with kisses and licks like a cat, you tease him in reply, calling him 'my tiger' or 'kitty,' as well as patting his head. he usually ignores those nicknames, thinking them foolish, but secretly adores the 'tiger' nickname. he has no complaints of the head pats though, only he wishes to have more of them.
- when you visit his inner domain, you nearly cursed him out for keeping a fucking skeleton in the main hall. he was at a loss of words (mostly at your vocabulary of curses) before taking it away with a long sigh. now pleased, you decorated the walls with beautiful pictutes, depicting him swimming with the skeletal fishes, or him sitting on a throne, a playful but lazy smile painted on his lips.
- loving to swim, he xuan convinces you to swim with him, before forgetting you cant breathe underwater. merely granting you the ability to breathe underwater, you swam together, playing with the skeletal fishes that once seemed like a absolute nightmare, now like a puppy, chasing he xuan around as you laugh, bubbles emerging from your mouth. at the sight of you laughing, he xuan's heart lit up, completely forgetting the revenge that was posted onto the wind lord's head.
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NSFW ! smash ong ong
- those golden eyes, filled with lust, seemed to never leave your figure as you fuck him, his hardened cock leaking. soft moans make you feel like you could ascend again as you give him all sorts of praises, with just a couple words of degradation.
- the curses that he spewed out of his mouth made your lips twitch upwards as you continued to fuck him dumb, knowing that another day he would probably fuck you like this too. oh well, he looked beautiful underneath your foot, hole twitching and hugging into your cock as you continued to thrust in and out, chasing your climax.
- "mmmaah! f-fuck.. damn y-youuaaANGH! HHAH.. AAH! ♡"
- as you finish with him, filling him up, he lets out a muffled moan, obviously new to this sensation. just to see one of the 'four calamities' moaning and begging for you was enough to make your heart race, let alone having the chance to have this with him.
- just like you said, now it was his turn to fuck you brainless, eyes rolling to the back of your head in pleasure. your breath hot, moans soft and airy as he sucked you off, tip hitting the back of his throat everytime he bobs his head up and down.
- loving to watch you arch your back, he fucks you on all fours, not holding back a single bit. the pleasure turns into overstimulation before his fingers covers your slit, not letting you cum. eyes shutting in a whine, his continues to fuck you dumb, until all you can scream is his name.
- "hah.. moohre, moohre! pleashe—AH!—he xuan, moohreeAH!♡"
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moral support from @renwaan as i wrote this..
why am i like this
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villainessxassassin · 2 years
Note
Hi I'm new here and I loved your writing, I really liked the stork, can I ask the boys' reaction to a very innocent S/what is an only child with an overprotective father? she's the only thing left of the mother so the father kind of prevents her from approaching the opposite sex and tries to preserve her innocence, it would be funny to see the dorm leaders (Jamil in Kalim's place, please) meet with her future father-in-law.
Yes flashbacks to those overprotective brother headcanons we wrote...
Also were changing the limit to the people we write so Jamil and the others will be on the second part.
Anyway overprotective brother/father supremacy.
Warnings: some spoilers, fem reader as per request of ask but I kept using You/your, bonus scenario
--------
This scenario could actually go in two ways. The first is if s/o and her father both arrive in NRC and both got dragged with the students shenanigans all the while s/o's father thwarting away any suiters. The second is where s/o's father got transported in NRC quite later where s/o already has a significant other, what would s/o's father do exactly?
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-Your father was already unhappy that you were both transported to NRC, but being dragged with the shenanigans of the school? He's going to have blood pressure!
-He was already suffering at the fact that you were friends with the Adeuce duo, always managing to get you into trouble.
-And with Riddle's oberblot? He had a heart attack!as what your father would put it but that was him being overly dramatic
-He dislikes Riddle's anger issues, which is why he vowed to himself to get you away from Riddle(but ofc that didn't work)
-And when your father heard Riddle caught feelings for you? And you also took an interest with Riddle? Boy he got another mini heart attack! He can't leave his precious child with the crimson tyrant now could he?
-Riddle knows how your father dislikes him due to his anger issues and obsession with rules, which is why he tried to tone it down a notch to gain your father's approval.
-If your father got transported later and you managed to have Riddle as your boyfriend then:
*sobs* "I can't believe I was too late to stop my darling daughter from keeping her innocence 🤧 "
-Your father is reluctant at first on getting along with your boyfriend, especially when he heard what transpired within Heartslabyul.
-Riddle invited your father to a private tea party to get along with each other, however your father turned it into an interrogation on Riddle.(Riddle was sobbing in the corner later telling Trey and Carter how he will not get your father's blessing to court you)
-Trey and Cater worried for their friend's well being helped him by either talking to your father about how "Riddle has change for the sake of your daughter."
-Many private tea parties later, they eventually got along making you quite happy.
-Your father saw how capable Riddle is on being a leader despite his flaws thus he allowed Riddle to court you.
-You three would have tea parties together ^^
-your father was still overprotective of you though, he warned him not to do anything to his dear daughter or he'll face his wrath.
Hmm... If you can tone down your anger issues then I'll happily give you my blessings.
Yes I've been working on that, and I believe I managed to hold in my 'anger issues' now.
Is that right? Alright then Shorty.
I am not short-
Yeah no you've got a long way to go child.
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-Your father didn't like him one bit, he keeps overthinking that Leona would eat you one day because of his nickname for you.
-Your father didn't like the fact that Leona was willing to harm people just for the sake of winning a game against Malleus.
-He also dislikes how lazy Leona is, as for Leona he Hates you father's constant nagging, it always messes up his afternoon nap!
-Leona would send Ruggie to distract your father so you can spend time with him^^
-However it back fired when your father managed to bribe Ruggie with food.
-Your father will probably provoke Leona to show his bad side, which doesn't work.
-You'll see a one sided bickering between them.
-It probably takes a while for these two to get along with eachother.
-Your father is still skeptical about Leona
-Your father likes how Leona respects women though, that's what made your father try to get along with Leona. Respect women Juice
- Occasionally Leona and your father would play chess together and the loser would have to follow what the winner says
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-Your father was impressed with Azul being a business man
-however he greatly despises his manipulative personality, as well as how he scams people with his contracts. your father was fuming at him when you willingly accepted his deal in hopes to save your friends
-When Azul caught feelings feelings for you, he tried to win your father on permission to court you at first.
-But no matter what he does it seems like your father did not want you to get close with him.
-Which is why the two of you secretly hang out, since your curious on how he managed to became a successful owner of monstero lounge
-When your father discovered you two hanging out secretly, he merely sighed your father understands why you'd keep your hangout a secret because he was overprotective worried about you but he glared at Azul though
"Fine I'll allow you to court my daughter, if you hurt her I swear-"
"Oh? And what about a marriage contract?"
"Then I'm having an octopus dinner🙂"
"hahaha..."
-If your father got transported later to where both you and Azul are dating- oh he's a business man you say? Wait. What do you mean he has two scary gaurds? And- And he tried to scam his daughter!?
-Big no no for your father. He tried to do what ever it takes to make you stay away from him.
-Azul knew what your father was planning, that's why he tried to make a contract with him that he promises to take care of you (plus a discount in montro lounge) in exchange all he needs is to allow him to court yo- oh, your father ripped the contract
-Thus Azul sent the leech twins to distract your father convince your father that Azul is a changed man.
-So Azul and your father were forced to get along with each other, and they always bicker.
-In your perspective it's quite funny to see the two of them bicker
-Every time your Azul got his ways with hanging out with you, he'd eat an octopus dish in front of him!(Where he got it? You don't even know)
-However like Riddle they slowly got along but their bickering is still there
-In conclusion your father radiates a passive aggressive aura around Azul but other than that they get along and talk about buisness.
Bonus:
If you hc that Crewel is a father figure to Yuu then your in luck! They could get along quite nicely!
Keyword on could.
If Crewel see's y/n as their child then your father and Crewel would get a rivalry of who's the better father.(If you also hc Crowley as a father figure and see Yuu as his child as well then shit is about to go down)
One thing is clear though these two three if you count Crowley will not hesitate to work together if it means preserving their dear daughter's innocence.
_______
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