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burnedbyshoto · 4 years

Text

deception

“Don’t you see what he’s doing to you?! He’s hurt you way more than what’s acceptable in a sparring march! You’re bruised and hurting, and he sure as hell doesn’t seem to care that this is the state he’s left you in.”

— Or in which, Hawks manipulates how you view your boyfriend, Shouto. —

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pairing: todoroki shouto x fem!reader

warnings: fluff, angst, cursing, alcohol consumption, manipulation, 18+, smut, first time sex, body worship, oral (receiving and giving), and praise

word count: 10,223

a/n: this was a commission! it was very fun to write this once I got around to it... life has just been... well you guys know because youre living it too. but I hope you enjoy this!!!!

edit: OMG AND SUPER BIG THANK YOU TO @marilla-eldriana FOR HELPING ME

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Being a student at Yuuei was a privilege.

Every year only two hundred and twenty students were admitted from a drawing pool reaching into the thousands. From there, only forty were admitted into the Hero Department, and finally, only three per year were granted the title of the Big Three.

“Watch out!”

You watched as Hawks crashed through the window to your left, and you looked down at him with a wide grin, what an idiot.

“I thought speed was better than power,” you mock watching as the villain the two of you had been hunting for some time now easily flicked the number two hero to the side.

“And that’s why I got you, isn’t it?” he chirped before rolling onto his feet.

You shrug, the smile on your face telling a different story while you both stared down the villain you had corned. There was no way you were going to let him go, no, this hunt was going to end now.

“I’ll assist you,” Hawks whispered, and your stomach fluttered in anticipation.

There weren’t many times in your internship where Hawks would say that. Working with one of the fastest and swiftest Pro Heroes ever meant that you were always fighting for a spot on the table. The days of Hawks swooping over the city faster than the eye could follow were still there; in fact, most of his sidekicks were probably cleaning up the mess the two of you had left five cities behind you.

But you were different than them, you guessed.

You were only fifteen years old when Hawks scouted you for an internship, and while you had heard the rumors of what working with the — at the time — number three hero was like, it wasn’t like that. Speed was something you had always lacked. Sure, you were faster than any past Olympian, and any ordinary citizen, but in comparison to your hero peers, you were slow. After a humiliating loss of your first Sports Festival on account of being too slow, it was an almost sweet irony that the fastest Hero took an interest in you.

But it was good. Three years you had worked with him, three years of learning how to keep up with the fastest hero by breaking your body down on multiple occasions. At first, it had been just trying to keep up with his sidekicks who cleaned up after his mess, who were extremely quick as it is. Then after figuring out how to use your power quirk to make yourself faster, something that had been helped with a fight or flight response on your own end, you were able to become faster than most Pros.

But that wasn’t anything in comparison to Hawks still, but when a sixteen-year-old girl saves your life because you overshot your ability to fight, it’s easy to incorporate said sixteen-year-old girl into your regular routine.

The initial introduction of you into his regular routine was less than ideal, he had simply stated to follow after him and would be gone. But with time, he took to holding onto you while he flew, which meant that you needed to include glasses and ear protectors into your costume.

With the glass crushing under the weight of your shoes, you crotched the slightest bit, looking over at Hawks with a smirk. Three years of teamwork had lead to moments like these, no need to communicate, and with a raise of an eyebrow, he nodded.

The feeling of his feathers skimming your back shot the anxiety coursing through you, and you ran out of the shattered window, Hawks hot on your heel and the villain coming straight at you.

In the long run, it didn’t mean much that you were physically stronger than Hawks could ever be, but it sure made you smile knowing that you were.

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“And that’s another point for me!” you grin watching as the police took the villain into their car, Hawks stood next to you with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“What will I do? I have eighty-seven points, and that makes what? Twelve?”

“It’s not my fault you go for slow as shit villains,” you accuse, turning your nose up at him.

“Oh yeah? Should we hunt for the fa—”

“Hawks!”

The two of you froze in your quarrel, turning to a man who was towering over the two of you.

Endeavor.

“Endeavor, hi!” Hawks erupted into a wide grin, his eyes brightening while he looked up at the man he admired.

Trying to hide your snicker, you tilted your head, and your eyes widened seeing three boys behind him.

“Hey guys!” you wave at your classmates behind Endeavor.

“Y/h/n!” Deku greeted you with a large grin and a bow.

You smiled, even more, seeing the way that Bakugou and Shouto both addressed you in their own ways.

“How are you guys doing?”

The rather one-sided conversation between you and Deku made you laugh on many instances. It seemed that being the only work-study students had meant that they were always getting their asses beat. Not that you didn’t already know this, it was just humorous hearing it coming from Deku’s mouth.

“Is Tokoyami-kun not with you guys?” Deku asked, looking around at last for the raven headed student who did, in fact, work with Hawks.

“Not today! A neighboring agency requested his help, so it’s just Hawks and me today!” you nodded your head at the three boys who were quite famous within Japan.

“Are you okay? We heard about the villain; that’s why we’re here,” Shouto spoke, his eyes curious, and his head tilts.

Your face warms when you smile, nodding gratefully.

“I am,” you clasp your hands together, “Hawks got sent through a building, though.”

“Some fucking number two hero,” Bakugou scoffed, and you snickered not wanting to agree with your stupidly observant boss behind you.

“You guys look less than put together; what happened to you?” you asked, noticing the scruffs and dirt on all of their faces.

“Bakugou and Midoriya got into a fight mid-air, and I happened to be in the fire zone,” Shouto rolled his eyes. At the same time, your friends exploded into offensive and defensive arguments, respectively. “We fell into the middle of some villain fight weirdly enough.”

While you grinned at Shouto, your eyes locked completely, you knew it wouldn’t last.

“Alright, y/h/n, Endeavor says there’s a villain seven blocks ahead, and I think we can beat them there!” Hawks laughs, and you can’t say your goodbyes because his hands lift you into the air. “See you guys there!”

And you were off.

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Your limbs ached slightly when you reentered campus grounds. With your case in your right hand, there was nothing to do except trudge ahead, hoping to get to your dorm quickly.

“You’re back.”

You blinked and saw Shouto approaching you. He was in a casual outfit, most likely having been here for some time, seeing that it was eight at night.

“What are you doing out so late?” you ask, pushing down your skirt in hopes to look presentable even with the bandage on your chin.

“I was waiting for you,” Shouto smiles gently, his hand brushing your cheek, observing the injury on your face. “You okay?”

“It was just a scratch, nothing too crazy,” you promise, and you smile under his warm touch.

There isn’t much surprise when his lips come and press against yours, and you hum contently feeling his warm skin moving gently against yours.

“I’m glad you’re back,” Shouto whispered, finally pulling away from you. You groaned, having not been satisfied with the simple liplock, but opened your eyes to see that he was studying your face again.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” you tease, your nose scrunching with your words.

“I have so many already.”

“I know,” you smile, dragging him away, “I’m starving.”

It didn’t take long for you to get a proper dinner. With you being out for your only day off, you were pleased to see that there was a plate of food waiting for you that was left behind by your classmates. So you sat in the dining area of the dorm, eating the food while talking with Shouto.

You told him about the rest of your day, of how the two of you were close to cracking this case of serial cases of disappearing Pro Heroes who would reemerge days later without memory. The two of you had been working on it for a week now and had multiple promising leads. With the end of your career at UA coming in only five days, you were excited about the possibility of cracking this case after your graduation to help give you a good running start as a sidekick on the Hero Charts.

But before you knew it, it was already past eleven, and with classes tomorrow, it was time for you to go your separate ways.

“You don’t want me to spend the night?” he asks while you walk unconvincingly to the door of your floor, your hands grasping his.

“You know that I do, but I can’t let that happen yet,” you pout, watching as Shouto nods in understanding. “Soon, I swear.”

“I just can’t believe my girlfriend has no self-control that I can’t even sleep in her bed without her wanting to fuck me,” Shouto sighs and while you splutter, telling him how he’s wrong, he places a goodnight kiss onto your forehead and leaves with a kind smile and a small wave.

Stupid son of a bitch.

But he wasn’t wrong.

You had morals and ethics that you had told to Shouto well before things turned serious for the two of you. Sex was something you were always nervous about, not in the sense that it was a bad thing — god forbid you’d ever slut-shame anyone — but more that you wanted it to be special.

It had to be with the right person at the right time.

Shouto was someone you knew was the right person, but as your hormonal feelings for Shouto grew and you realized one late night that you were grinding against his bucking hips, your face hot, his lips and teeth pulling at the sensitive flesh of your neck did you realize that this was so not okay. You had pushed Shouto onto the ground, his eyes dazed and confused while you began to say that you were so not ready for this step of the relationship. But it wasn’t like it was the only time you’ve blue balled your boyfriend… no, you had done it time and time again.

So much so that Shouto practically refused to be in a room alone with you now because it always ended with one of you pinned to the bed and Shouto being launched onto the floor.

With a sigh, you watched Shouto turn around, walking backward with a small wave and a grin when you blew him a kiss and flipped him off. He called you the moment he was back in his room, and although you weren’t letting him stay in your bed with you, you did fall asleep on the line with him, his steady breathing lulling your heavy eyes to sleep.

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Hawks watched while you trudged into his office, your face pulled into a pout, a bandage sitting on your cheek.

“Morning,” you call out, exhaustion evident on your face.

“What’s up with you?” he smirks, watching you walk to his desk and slumping onto a chair, your eyes closing.

“So tired,” you murmur, your head nestling into your arms, ready to fall asleep. “I didn’t sleep much last night?”

“Why’s that?”

“Stupid boyfriend,” you mumbled.

It had been three days since you had last been in the office, with graduation preparations, Hawks couldn’t call you out as often. But that wasn’t what he was concerned about, no. Hawks froze, replaying your words in his head like a broken record. He didn’t know you had a—

“Boyfriend?”

Those words passing his lips only made you groan louder, your head nodding, “Yeah… I’m dating Endeavor's son Shouto… for about… a year now!”

Hawks' brain went into overdrive.

A year of dating, and this was the first he’s ever heard of it! He had been your mentor, your boss, for three years and never before had you even mentioned a boyfriend before. Hawks lips pressed together, a looming pit of jealousy forming in his stomach. His feathers fluttered, his arms crossing.

Hawks was used to knowing everything, to being able to get what he wanted most, and he was planning on asking you out when you graduated. He had sworn his feelings had been returned; after all, who couldn’t find themselves falling for the young and hot number two hero?

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah! I can have him steal you a pair of Endeavors underwear if you want, I know you’d like that!”

Hawks looks down at your teasing face, his nose scrunching in mock disgust, “Please, I don’t need a baby stealing Endeavors underwear for me. I can get them myself!”

Your smile is warm, and Hawks watches while you pull out your phone, quickly texting something.

“What? Telling your boyfriend you made it safe and sound?”

“Actually… yeah…” you mumble while finishing up your text.

Now Hawks wasn’t evil, he knew that; he also wasn’t used to losing, because that wasn’t him. But there was something odd about the way his stomach twisted and his feathers raised at that confirmation, and the words poured from his mouth without him ever having the chance to stop them.

“Does he make you text him?”

You nod, a grateful smile on your face when you drop your phone. “Isn’t it sweet? I think it’s… why are you making that face?”

“What face?” Hawks fluttered his eyes, mock innocence for the first time not sitting correctly on his face.

“That one, Hawks!” you laughed, throwing your case at him. “The one that looks like when I stole your chicken leftovers.”

Hawks snorted, and he shook his head, deciding to walk out of his office to begin his daily routine; after all, these morning conversations were apart of said routine.

“I don’t know... He knows you’re strong and that you’re here with me, and yet he doesn’t trust that you’ll get here? Or is it in a controlling sense?”

“W-What?”

Hawks turned around and looked at you, your eyebrows scrunched, eyes looking down at your phone.

But when your eyes rose to meet his, Hawks simply smiled, his head shaking.

“Never mind!”

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It didn’t stop there. No Hawks had officially lost his brains with how he was approaching this. Everything out of his mouth concerning your boyfriend was bitter, foul, and implementing lies in your mind. A desperate attempt to get you to feel like Shouto wasn’t good enough that he was manipulating you and Hawks watched while you carefully danced to his tune, your frown deepening with every sweet lie that rolled off his lips.

“I’m hanging out with him and his siblings tonight!” you announced after the day at work was done.

Your smile was bright once more, a day on the field improving your mood. Hawks nodded his head, remembering how the Todoroki siblings were good people, and how you also had siblings.

“His siblings too?”

“Yup!” you nod. “I’ve gotten to know his siblings really well! They’re really great! We go over so often, and I like to believe that I’m close with his family now!”

“Oh, that’s sweet!” Hawks smiles, his head tilting to the side. Faux innocence. “How about your family? Is Todoroki close with your family?”

Your jaw opens, and your head drops, your head guilty shaking no. “It’s a bit harder for that to happen, and he met them once and well… it didn’t go too well.”

Hawks eyes widen, his hand rubbing the back of his head with a heavy sigh, “Ah, I see… don’t you think that’s weird?”

“Um… no, not really?”

“Well, as an outsider, and your friend, Imma have to tell you that it’s weird. It sounds like he doesn't like your family? He’s not trying to control you, is he? Not trying to isolate you from them, right?”

Your teeth dig into your lower lip, and Hawks watches with over bubbling joy at the doubt and realization growing on your face. He was hitting the right nerves.

“I-It’s okay!” you chirp, your feet dragging against the floor while you move to leave. “It's probably not that!”

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“Another movie outing with his friends?”

“We’re watching the newest All Might documentary, it’s not like it's a banger!”

“Todoroki just never seems to care to include your friends or do things with your friends. It seems like he’s trying to keep you confide in his friend group.”

“My friends haven’t… they haven’t said anything?”

“Who would? You’re dating the most powerful son of the number one hero, no one would dare to speak up against him, especially if he told them to stay away from you.”

“That doesn’t sound like Shouto…”

“I mean, Todoroki is jealous of the way that your family loves you, and that’s why you’re always with his family. I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t keep you from your friends too?”

“Oh…”

“You don’t have to believe me, of course! I’m sure he’s a great kid, after all, he did choose you to be his girlfriend.”

You scoff, shoving Hawks with your shoulder. “Shut up.”

“Nah, you’re amazing, y/n, and you should know it.”

“Mkay, pigeon, egg off.”

“Oof, I’m so scared!”

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Your world spun, and you crashed onto your back with a low groan, jolts of nervous energy coursing through your nerves while you remained pinned to the floor. Hawks stared at you from above, his jacket long since discarded, and his hands grasping your wrists while he straddled you.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve been able to pin you since you were sixteen!” Hawks laughed, but he immediately took notice in the way you were grimacing.

You didn’t do that often, but you weren’t done yet. Shifting your weight up and over, quickly, you managed to pin Hawks to the ground, his head bouncing against the matted floor with a groan of dismay on his skin. Your nose was brushing against his, his warm breath expelling gently against your face. No! You pulled away suddenly, your heart in your throat at the nearly intimate contact. But it was too much movement on your own end because your body screamed at you.

Your breathing was shallow, a feeble attempt to calm the pulsating pain that traveled through your nerves.

“What is it?”

“I was sparring Shouto last night,” you mutter, feeling Hawks’ fingers immediately searching your skin for injuries. “You know how he sucks at close range combat, but he must’ve been practicing with Bakugou and Deku because he’s never been able to land hits like that…”

With your jacket pooling from your shoulder, Hawks fingers traced over the bruises that colored your skin. Ugly purple, green, and yellow all over. You hissed when he applied pressure to one, and you flinched, getting off of him.

“Are you sure this was sparring and him not beating you?!”

“I would know the difference between sparring and an ass beating,” you groaned, your eyebrow scrunching while he took you in more. “Besides, you should see how he is. I still won!”

You were silent Hawks words ringing heavy in your ears.

Did Shouto… was this a sign that he wasn’t who you thought he was?

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“Shouto?” you whispered, your knuckles rapping at the door, hopeful he was in his room. “Are you in?”

You heard the sound of footsteps against the floor and watched the door open. There Shouto stood, wearing black sweatpants and a white tank he leaned against the door. Your eyes caught sight of the black bruises against his skin courteous of your sparring last night.

“Y/n?” he expresses with a pleasant surprise. Shouto’s hand reaches for yours, but you flinch away, stopping him in his tracks. “Are you okay?”

You swallow the lump in your throat, your head nodding, “Sorry, long day, and um, I’m still sore from yesterday…”

“Yesterday? Ohh~ what happened yesterday?” You watched with the smallest amount of amusement when Sero revealed himself, his arm thrown around Shouto’s shoulder with a stack of manga in his hands.

“We spared, why?” Shouto asked with that perfect density that Sero stammered, unable to recover from Shouto’s lack of an appropriate response.

“Boring, anyways, I’ll bring these back soon, I promise!”

You and Shouto bid Sero goodnight, and with a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Shouto looked back down at you.

“Care to come in?”

“I would.”

You sat on Shouto tatami, your knees bent with your arms wrapped around them while he rummaged around.

“Here, I made some healing ointment for the bruises,” Shouto said, placing the white container on your knees while he sat in front of you. “I know that even though you won, my kicks probably hurt like a bitch.”

“The biggest bitch,” you agreed, watching while he unscrewed the ointment and began to delicately place the salve on your skin. It immediately cooled down the warm skin, and you studied his face while he did so. His touch was gentle, almost too soft for someone as battle-ready as himself. But he was on a mission to make you feel better, and for every bruise he covered, he apologized.

Soon enough, every bruise was covered, and you didn’t even realize you were crying until Shouto’s eyes widened when he noticed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you not trust me?” you ask, the days worth of anxiety that Hawks had been instilling into you, finally pouring from your lips.

“What?!”

“It’s just… with the texting you where I am, and who I’m with even when you know before I leave! A-And how about my family? I always go with your family, but the one time you met mine, it was disastrous! And then you never w-want to hang out with my friends! And you were so hard on me during sparring last night… Did you want to hurt me?! Why are you trying to isolate me?! Are you trying to control me?! You’re a powerful person Shouto a-and with your dad being the most powerful person I just… are you forcing people away from me?!” Tears poured from your eyes, your sleeves rubbing away the tears on your face, the ointment gathering on the fabric,

Shouto instantly reached out to you, but you shifted away from him, your face burning with embarrassment from your outburst. You wanted Hawks to be wrong, Shouto was good. He was an idiot, but he was a good boyfriend. Please prove him wrong, you thought. Please.

“Is that how you feel?” Shouto asked, his voice quiet but steady. His hand was pressed against the duvet, centimeters from your side. Not touching you, but giving you the ability to reach him when you were ready. “I just… I’ve never done this before, you know that. Y/l/n y/n, you are someone that I am way too lucky to have in my life. I asked what are boyfriend appropriate things to do from my classmates, and I guess I might have been overdoing it myself. I ask for a text because I want to make sure you get places okay. I know you’re powerful and can take on anyone, but it’s because you’re powerful; it makes you a target to villains. I honestly thought you liked my siblings a lot, so I wanted to keep you with them because if they’re your friends, you deserve to see them. I am sorry about your family, but they are assholes, and you know that.

“But if you want to go visit and hang out with them more — with or without me — I would never stop you! I know I can’t keep blaming myself for being new to all of this a year into our relationship, but I didn’t know it was appropriate to invite your friends to hang out with us when we were with my friends. I thought they wouldn’t want to hang out with us guys. I also know you enjoy your alone time, and you tend to spend alone time with your friends, and I never want to intrude. I am so sorry for making you feel this way.”

“No,” you sniffle, your tears turning from one of sadness to those of guilt. “It’s not your fault.”

“It is,” he whispers, his fingers brushing against yours ever so gently. “It’s my fault you felt like I was isolating you, controlling you. You don’t have to forgive me, but if you’re willing to give me a chance to prove myself that I can change, I’d like that.”

There wasn’t stopping the way that you threw yourself into his arms, your tears soaking his neck, and he pressed gentle after gentle kiss against your temple until you were no longer crying.

For the first time in your relationship, you spent the night, and against what you had previously thought, the two of you did nothing more than embrace in a wet lip-lock.

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Graduation finally came around, and to say the least, you were excited.

Finally, you were now a Pro Hero — well, really a sidekick, but that didn’t matter! The entire day you spent it on campus, watching the graduation ceremony take place with your classmates at your side. Tears were shed, photos were taken, and the end of your high school career came to a close.

Due to your accomplishment, something that wasn’t at all doubted in the first place, Hawks had thrown Tokoyami and you a large party in celebration. You were, after all, the first students to have gone through his agency for all three years of high school, and he deemed that celebratory worthy.

With such an occasion and countless years ahead of you to be on your top tier game, it was to no surprise that you were letting loose at this party. And yes, by letting loose, you meant being drunk.

Me: shoutoooo baby i loe you oh so much

Shouto: I love you too, make sure you get water to drink and don’t have an empty stomach.

Me: i had dinnerr with you remeber !!!! no empty stomach here!!!!!

Me: im sorry for crying that night that was so dumb of me to being insecure about

Shouto: you should still be eating more if you’re planning on drinking more. And it’s okay, it’s equally my fault as it is yours.

You stared at the text, your vision slightly blurry while you imagined just what you would do with Shouto soon. You bit your lip with a grin, but with a sudden loss of balance, you stumbled back into someone.

“Oops, sorry!” you yelled louder than you expected, turning around to greet whoever you had run into. You saw a familiar face with a bird head standing there with his arms outreached to balance your stumbling form. “Tokoyami-kun! I didn’t know you were still here!!! I would’ve taken a shot with you! Oh my god, I LOVE your jacket! Where did you get it!”

Tokoyami smiled, his head nodding, “I happened to have it lying around, although I can’t remember where I cross paths with it, to begin with. And I couldn’t forsake you by leaving before you were ready. It’ll be pleasant to have you around all the time with Hawks starting in a few days.”

You nodded your head, your hands stretching out in an attempt to respond animatedly, but yelped when you slapped someone instead.

“OH, NO! Did I hurt you?! I’m so sorry!” you exclaim, turning to the second person you had hit in a matter of minutes.

It was Hawks.

“It seems she is quite inebriated,” Tokoyami pointed out, and you nodded in agreement.

“I am!”

Hawks chuckled, his head shaking, “Imma take her back to my place then, she’s a disaster in the making if we let her stay here.”

There wasn’t room for debate because you were suddenly in his arms and waving goodbye to Tokoyami, your sense of judgment gone.

“Take me hoooomeeee,” you sang into Hawks's ear when he soared into the night sky, and much to your amusement, Hawks continued your song.

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Shouto sat in the common room, his eyes shifting to check his phone every so often. He knew you were drunk, that had been very clear the moment you called him only twenty times pretending to not be you while slurring your sentences. Nothing was stopping the uneasy feeling in his chest after you had explained yourself and your feelings that one night, he had put together that Hawks liked you. But without definite proof, he didn’t want to claim such things.

And while he had no doubts about your ability to protect and defend yourself, there was no saying if that was true if you weren’t sober. Hell, he’s fought you sleepy once, and there was a significant difference between you being alert and you being exhausted.

Regardless, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he heard something back from you, and with his classmates currently celebrating the end of the year by playing video games, he was there alongside them.

“I’ve returned,” Tokoyami called from the entrance, and Shouto turned around to see the bird head man walking to approach the gathering of the few remaining classmates in front of the common room's TV. He said his greetings before coming to rest by Shouto’s side. “The party was a bit too loud, but I think you would have enjoyed entertaining it.”

“It’s your guys night,” Shouto shrugged his shoulders, “I didn’t need to be there when it was her work friends. How is she doing?”

“Ah, well you see,” Tokoyami nodded his head, his fingers raking through his black hair, “She was quite drunk, so Hawks-san took her back to his place to sober up, most likely spend the night at his place — Todoroki?!”

Shouto had no idea why bitter fire raged in his chest; all he knew is that for the first time ever while he slipped on his shoes and his jacket, he pulled up a contact he didn’t expect he would be using so casually.

“Shouto?!”

“Do you know where Hawks lives, Endeavor?”

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“Are you feeling better?” Hawks asks you, taking the bottle of water from your hands.

The low sparks of the alcohol that had once been coursing through your body had simmered into slow pulses. You knew you weren’t one hundred percent sober, but you were sober enough to realize that you should have asked Hawks to take you to the dorms instead.

“If you’re asking if I’m no longer sloppy… you’re in luck,” you sigh, a tired grin spreading on your face while you reach for your phone. You frown, seeing that it was dead, but it didn’t matter much; you would get home without it being alive anyways. “Thanks for sobering me up; I think you could have done it back at the party, though.”

Hawks snorted, his head tilting up, his head in thought. “I definitely could have done that, but I didn’t want you taking shots in secret while trying to sober you up.”

“I’m sure you could handle me just fine.”

“The last thing I can remember is that you are physically stronger than me and if you’re drunk… well, I was scared you’d kill me by accident.”

“Haha,” you laugh sarcastically, your eyes rolling in your amusement.

Silence overtook you both, and your gaze fell to your hands. You wanted to ask him why he was so insistent on Shouto being toxic, and how he did a 180 the second you told him about how the two of you talked things through.

“Did you want me and Shouto to break up?” you ask quietly, unsure of what you wanted him to answer. “I keep thinking of everything, and that’s the only thing that makes sense to me and all the controlling business…”

Hawks stared at you, his eyes void of all emotion, and yet you felt like he was more open to you than he had even been before. His mouth moved to answer, but there was a knock at his door.

With a heavy sigh, Hawks rose to his feet, “I don’t think I should answer your question.”

So there you sat, his once comfortable couch feeling stiff and hard.

“Y/l/n?” Shouto’s voice rang through the apartment, and your eyes widened. You got up off the couch, your head pounding just slightly while you clamored to the front door. There you saw Shouto staring down at Hawks, how funny it was that your eighteen-year-old boyfriend was taller than a twenty-seven years old Pro Hero.

“Tokoyami told me you were here, and I wouldn’t want to bother a busy hero with taking care of my girlfriend when I can do that myself,” Shouto spoke, his eyes narrowing down onto Hawks as the words my girlfriend let his tongue. But it also sent a shiver down your spine, a coursing ember that had been ignored this night, reigniting it once more.

You were ready, you realized when his blue and grey eyes found yours.

“Thanks for tonight, Hawks,” you wheeze, grabbing your shoes at the door and quickly pulling them on. “I’ll see you in the office in two days!”

With nothing more to say, you grabbed Shouto by his wrist and pulled him away.

⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆

The campus was quiet when you arrived, the day of excitement having long since simmered down as the clocks read two in the morning. This would be your last night in your dorm, most of your classmates had chosen to move out today as well, but with no one to help you out while you were at the party, you decided to stay one more night. But with the way your blood was pumping, and how you could feel the jealousy coursing through Shouto’s veins, you wanted to get back to your room as quickly as possible.

Entering the dorm building that was made for your class, you felt Shouto pulling his hand from yours, obviously ready to begin his goodnight routine.

Shouto’s hands grasped your cheeks, fingers hot against your cold skin, and his eyes staring down at you. Millions of emotions coursed through his gaze, but you were focused on the one that spoke of his love for you. His lips pressed down against yours, and you met him in full earnest. His lips pulling against yours, sending fire through your body, sensations that sparked only the familiar excitement you had always denied in the past. You could practically taste his unspoken anger and jealousy on his tongue, and it only made you crave more from him.

You were ready.

“Goodnight,” Shouto whispers against your lips softly, and you laugh. Your hands move up to cup his cheeks, and he pulls you in closer, his hands firmly placed onto your lower back. “I’ll come to your room in the morning to help you pack up.”

“Stay the night,” you say softly, your teeth tugging at your lower lip that was warm from his efforts. “I’m ready.”

Shouto’s eyes widened, his eyebrow lifting slightly, “You want to fuck?”

“Don’t say it like that!” you groan, pinching his cheeks in your embarrassment. But his eyes were bright, and the next thing you knew, you were being lifted into the air, and your legs found their place around his waist. “You sap!”

“Prude.”

“Say that one again, I’m finally going to let you smash, whor—”

He shut you up with a kiss.

It’s a slow kiss, one that warmed you up effortlessly, intimate contact pressing between the two of you, but nervous energy chipping through you fully. Your head tilts to the side, the kiss deepening, and your arms pulling him in closer. The two of you pull away slowly, both of your eyes slowly opening to look at each other in a whole new light and a fire under your skin, and something is silent between the two of you. Growing silently, steadily, and coming crashing down all at once.

“I love you…” Shouto murmurs, and that’s all it takes. The movements are desperate now, his steps quick and steady while your mouth clashes against his. Deep, ardent, fulfilling. You can’t help the nervously aggressive make out, tongues pushing against each out, drawing out noises you weren’t quite used to hearing. Low groans and pants you had known, but never in this context, and you were addicted. But Shouto must be thinking the same thing, for when you finally make it to your dorm room’s door, his mouth trails from your mouth. Sloppy and burning hot kisses trail down your cheek, to your jaw, before pressing searingly against your neck, and you mewl at the feel of his warm lips on your neck. Your eyes fluttering closed when his lips left hot and wet kisses on your sensitive skin.

Your lips met again, and this time you wrapped your arms slowly around his neck, and you pull him impossibly closer. His hands are moving vehemently up and down your back, making you shiver and arch against his traveling fingers. But when his nails glide delicately against an exposed piece of skin on you back, you gasped into his mouth, and the door opened loudly against his need to get to your bed.

A soft giggle leaves your lips when darkness falls against your closed eyes, and your hips shift in your state of need. Only that you weren’t expecting to feel him tremble under your actions or the pleasurable hiss that passed to your lips. your eyes opening to see Shouto’s eyes still closed despite the fact he was walking with you.

“I love you so much,” you whisper into his ear when you pull away from the kiss. Your fingers raking through his hair, your teeth nibbling onto his earlobe, his throaty groan a sign of victory. “Thank you for being wonderful.”

Shouto’s lips are back on yours, greedily seeking more contact, and you don’t hold back as you kiss him back with equal fervor. You feel the mattress of your bed hit your back as you continue to kiss him, sitting up so you could crawl back to let Shouto onto the bed with you. You smile once again as Shouto’s hand rests on the bed frame behind you, while the other one rests on the small of your back, keeping your torsos pressed together.

Your hands are fisted into Shouto’s hair, the small tugs from your hand blazing his own blood, making him press his growing length against your thighs, and his tongue grazes your bottom lip. You moan softly, your head tilting up, and you open up your mouth so that your tongues meet halfway. You start moving to unbutton your graduation outfit, and Shouto hastily pulls away, and your eyes open, his mouth is stained with your the leftovers of your makeup, and he looks concerned.

“Are you sure, y/n?” Shouto asks, his hands stroking your side. His gaze is intense, unmoving, and challenging. “If you’re not ready for this, I won’t be hurt.”

You stared at him, a soft smile coming to your lips as you sit up, making Shouto sit on his haunches while you move to your knees, “I always knew I wanted my first time to be with you, I just wanted the moment to be perfect… and this is perfect to me,” you confess to Shouto, and you watch his eyes soften when you press a soft kiss to his lips.

Pulling away, you stripped of your clothes and dropped it on the floor next to the bed, your breath hitching as Shouto stares at your now only lingerie-clad body, and you blush.

“Shit, you’re beautiful,” Shouto murmurs like a man who had seen something divine for the first time ever.

Your heart roars in your chest, your blood pulsating through your sensitive body while he leans in close. His mouth presses against the swell of your breasts, trailing down to the valley between your mounds. Your body quivers in your overwhelming emotions and sensations. Shouto presses you back onto the mattress, his calloused hands pressing right below your breasts, heating emitting in large waves from both hands, making your mind spin in needy desperation.

“Are you okay?” Shouto murmurs, his lips feeling the gentle movements of your body.

“I am,” you breathe, your eyes shut tightly. You wanted to feel his lips and forget everything else in the world. This was a night of passion, and you’d be damned if your anticipation was going to stop you. “Don’t stop.”

A low chuckle vibrated against his throat, sending gentle waves through you, and you moaned the second his fingers pressed against your breasts. Shouto’s hands worked your breasts tentatively, his eyes studying your flushed face while he kneaded the tender flesh.

“F-Fuck,” you moaned when his finger brushed against your erect and clothed nipple, your hips quivering underneath him.

“Did that feel good?” Shouto hums, and when you confirm his thoughts, coldness hits your chest. Your eyes open to see that he’s discarded your bra and that his lips are millimeters from your breasts. “Do you want me to do more to you?”

The words are curious, but you don’t miss the glint in his eye, but he’s long since knocked the air from your lungs.

“I need to hear your words, princess,” Shouto smiles softly, his warm breath fanning against your erect nipples that cried for attention. “What do you say?”

“P-Please…” you breathe, your body squirming in your denied attention.

“Perfect.”

The feeling of his hot and wet mouth encasing your nipple sent you impossibly over the moon, your body arching off the bed, a lament cry heavy on your mouth while his tongue circled and flicked your nipple. His eyes were on you, you could feel his stare burning into your body, but you couldn’t even see, your eyes closed in your throbbing pleasure.

More, you wanted more.

His finger pinched your free nipple, pulling and rolling the pert skin between his fingers, your wanton cries only fueling him further. Liquid heat coursed through your veins, your pleasurable sensations overwhelming you, and your hips began to hump against his clothed thigh. The friction of his jeans against your barely clothed cunt sending you well beyond the confinements of pleasure.

“You’re perfect,” he whispers. “I love you,” he confesses. “You’re gorgeous,” he repeats.

Tender and sweet words fill your ears while he switches where his mouth and hands are. The kneading of your breasts, the manipulation of your nipples, and the way his thigh pressed against your throbbing cunt was sending you over.

Your breathing was unsteady, puffs escaping your lips in an overwhelming and failed attempt to calm yourself down. Shouto was on a mission, however, and his mouth removed from your cool breast with a soft pop, your breasts shining with the coats of saliva, and you shivered.

Shout hummed while he lips pressed the sensitive underside of your breasts, and continued downward, gentle after gentle kiss down your torso, until he made contact with your trembling inner thigh.

“Do you trust me?” he asks, his fingers toying with the band of your panties. You can barely hear him over the roar of your heart, but you know what he says, and you nod. He smiles kindly, placing one final kiss to your thigh before pulling off your panties.

Instinctively, your legs try to close, nerves firing away, but Shouto keeps your legs wide open, and his mouth lowers towards your dripping cunt. His tongue takes a languid and slow lick. His tongue slipping between your slit and you arch off the mattress. Your eyes fluttering in their battle to stay open, the addicting sensation of his hot tongue against your equally hot core burning you.

Your legs tremble as he thrusts his tongue within your clenching wet walls, swirling in circles and pushing further in. His fingers thrust into you at an amble speed, aiding to your pleasure sent descent on the mattress. On one lick, one godly irresistibly mind-numbing lick, your thighs come crashing against his head. Shouto’s free hand moves to grip onto your trembling legs. His tongue coaxing your orgasm closer to the edge by speaking a language you knew nothing of.

“S-Shouto!” you curse, your hips rolling desperately against his mouth. Your hips were stammering against his compelling tongue.

Your eyes struggle to remain locked on his eyes, your body twitching with the building pleasure. The electricity igniting in your flesh and bloodstream. You can hear the sounds of your squelching pussy against his moving fingers, and your jaw drops. You’re under his absolute control, and you’re no longer able to hold back anymore, your orgasm is right on edge, but you stop him.

“Wait!” you push him off of you, your chest heaving, and the wet arousal pouring from your cunt was slick against his mouth, and confusion evident on his face. “I don’t want to… I want to cum on your cock.”

“Okay,” Shouto pants with amusement, and you watched when his fingers — which were coated in your essence — slipped into his mouth, sucking it clean. The image of that sent electrifying pleasure through you, and your mouth watered at the thought of sucking him off. “What is it?”

“Get up,” you command, your hands moving to remove the belt around his waist, and he was quick to stand on your bed, and you were on your knees. Your knees buck under your weight, and you help Shouto remove his pants. You watch in an almost lusting virgin horror when his cock springs out from under his underwear. The hard cock slaps against his lower stomach, and you take in the way that his cock is thick, with bulging veins, and precum leaking from his head.

There was no going back, it seemed.

Steeling yourself over, you wait for his feet to be free, and the moment he’s out of his jeans, your hands immediately encompass his length. His girth wide enough you struggled to hold it with one hand. You marveled at the way the skin was unearthly warm and impossibly hard in your grip. This is what was going to be buried in your cunt in moments time?

“Y-Y/n…” Shouto stutters as your hand fists up and down his length in initial unknowing movement. Your eyes snapping up to meet his lust covered ones.

“Now,” you sigh as your thumb rolls over the pre-cum that slips from the tip of his head. “You can’t make fun of me if I’m bad, okay?”

Shouto licks his lips, his eyebrow quirking. “I don’t think that’s possible from you, princess.”

You smile softly, but there’s a strong sense of hope when you notice the tremble in his legs, “We’ll see!”

Licking your lips, your mouth opens, and you let the head of his cock press pass your lips. The dark pink head is hot in your mouth, and your tongue presses against the flat of his head, swirling your tongue around, testing his reaction. By the fluttering of his eyes, and the way that his hands seem to fight whether they should latch onto your hair, you reckon it’s okay.

So, you push on ahead, moving further down his impressive cock. His girth so full you had to open wider than you were used to. You gasp as you push him further down your throat. Your eyes flashing up to see Shouto struggling to keep his head down and eyes on you.

Good god, you pray you were wet enough to take him in without lube.

Your mouth sinks down as far as you can go while not choking yourself. Your fingers trailing up and down his toned thighs as you move your head up and down his length. You’re now in a smooth rhythm, bobbing up and down on his cock with enough vigor to make Shouto praise your name.

Your movements signal to Shouto that he can move as well. Shouto groans, and his hips move forward. You relax against his rocking hips, you’re focused on your breathing as his cock moves up and down your throat. Deeper and deeper, you feel his cock move within you. His hand pressing against the back of your neck, and you gag softly against his length.

Your eyes look back up to see Shouto’s eyes closed. Moans and pants spilling out with every thrust, and your cheeks hollow out. Creating a vacuum sensation against his length.

“Oh shit!” Shouto snaps. His hands tangling within your locks as he struggles to not overwhelm you. “You’re amazing, of course, you would be good at this,” he gasps as his cock only goes further down your throat.

You struggle to breathe with his thrusting. His snapping hips overwhelming you with their speed and depth. He’s distracted while he fucks your throat, but you’re even more desperate to keep up. Uncaring about the burning sensation erupting through your airway as he continues at his strength and speed. Your tongue swirls around his thrusting cock. Trailing against his veins as his hips stutter, and your teeth dragging against the sensitive skin.

You moan against his length. The action allowing you to gain more air and sending a loud moan from Shouto’s mouth as his pace increases.

His hips abuse your throat, and you’re delighted in the fact that you’re keeping up. The soft gags that occasionally slip from your mouth, stirring him on. He’s sinful yet heavenly in your mouth, and you want him in your dripping cunt. Your thighs shaking with the mere thought of him having his way with you.

He pulls his length away from your mouth. Your saliva stringing between your mouth and his still erect cock. You cough as you try taking in the air again, the lack of oxygen had been ignored as your pleasure was so high.

“N-Not yet,” Shouto staggers, and you nod in agreement, watching him sink back to the bed.

“Take it off,” you mutter tugging at the hem of Shouto’s t-shirt, and he moves to take it off.

With your teeth tearing into your lower lip, you watch him remove the dark shirt. Shouto’s body had to be a sin while you stared at the rippling muscles on his body, something you had never truly appreciated before. They moved with his body, the faint scars littering his body for you to kiss and count later.

Tone and lithe. He was beautiful.

Shouto’s lips are back on yours as you kiss deeply, your head tilted to the side as his fingers gently grasp your chin. A shaky moan leaves your mouth at the taste of yourself on his lips and tongue, and Shouto moves his body so that you’re now on your back. The tips of your aroused nipples brush up against Shouto’s naked chest, and both of your release a throaty gasp as you pull him closer to you.

Your bodies were overshot with denied pleasure, and the mountaining need for more was finally being addressed.

Your leg hooks lazily around Shouto’s waist, and a sigh leaves your lips as Shouto gently grasps the back of your leg, running steady, consistent strokes from the end of your thigh to your ass.

A fire is building up in your gut as your hands work their way down to the buttons and zipper of his pants. His hands gripping your waist, and you could feel Shouto’s arousal pressing against your stomach, hot and throbbing with need. You pulled away from Shouto and giggled as he attempted to follow you with closed eyes as you had to brush your hair out of your face, suddenly feeling hot.

“Y/n…” Shouto just about whined, and you smiled softly at him, finding it endearing and the slightest bit hot when he used that tone.

His hands were on your breasts, slowly stimulating your aroused nipples as he slowly massaged them, making sure to brush your nipple with his thumb every so often, and your head tossed back as you bite down hard on your lower lip. He once again kissed you ever so lovingly, and you felt him pulling away to line his cock with your entrance. You watch with hooded eyes as Shouto presses the head into you, teasing the both of you to extreme lengths, and you wantonly sighed.

You rest on your elbows, a smile on your face as Shouto moves his messy hair out of his eyes. As you stare at his slightly sweaty face covered by strands of different colored hair, your heart just about bursts.

“Make love to me, Shouto,” you say aloud as Shouto stares at you, his cock removing from your entrance and carted against your clit.

“I plan on it,” he smiles, and he grabs your ankle, pulling you closer to him, and you shriek with laughter until his lips engulf your sounds. “Are you ready?” Shouto asks once more, teasing your entrance with the tip of his dick.

“Whenever you are,” you whisper into his neck, preparing for the initial pain.

You let out a cry of pleasure and pain as he slowly enters you, and you pant heavily, trying to contain your tears as he manages to push all the way in. Your eyes clench as you bit your lip, your head buried into his neck.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you cry as he stretches you out. Shouto is panting too at the feeling of your tight walls clenching against him, they’re unable to relax against his cock. It’s not until the head of his cock hits the wall of your cervix does he stop, and even then he’s not entirely in you.

Your breathing is harsh, and you feel like you’re sweating as you look down at the now joined body. The feeling of him entirely in you makes your head spin, the pressure in your lower belly could be from just Shouto within you or from your slowly growing orgasm, you had no idea.

“Are you o-okay?” Shouto stutters very clearly still adjusting to having his cock in you.

“Yeah, just… trying not to die,” you manage to croak out, and eventually, you collapse onto the bed, looking up at Shouto, who seems to be concentrating hard.

“You’re just super t-tight,” Shouto gasps as you wrap a leg around his waist.

It’s a good move, but it’s too quick as a sharp pleasure pained fire shoots through you as you slam your forehead against his shoulder.

“Too fast,” you snap in regret you try to calm your head. This was too much for you, you felt like every nerve was firing all at once on your inner wall, and no orgasm had reached you yet.

“It’s okay… breathe...”

It takes a few moments, but sure enough, you manage to raise your leg to his waist, and both of you moan at the new level of penetration and the way it made your walls clench around him. “Move,” you command, and Shouto falls onto his forearms as he nods.

Shouto moves his hips back, and slowly almost painfully slow, returns them to the original position, and even with the smallest movement, a lewd moan escapes your lips. Shouto continues going in and out, his hips slowly moving while you start to meet him with every thrust.

Whispers of encouragement escape both your lips as his slow thrusting continues.

Shouto picks up your legs so that they’re both wrapped around his waist, and he comes to lean over you. At the new angle, your head is thrown backward, and you let out a string of soft curses. “Shit, that feels so good,” you cry out in encouragement as you bit down on your lip harshly.

Your lips are soon sought after by Shouto’s as sheen layers of sweat cover both your bodies as the consistent moving of both your hips never falters.

“You’re so fucking tight, shit, you feel so good,” Shouto grunts, his hips picking up in speed as he drills into you faster, the sound of your meeting sweaty bodies echoing in your room.

Soon you can hear the sounds of your bed hitting the wall, and a cry escapes your lips as Shouto’s finger grazes your clit.

“Say my name…” Shouto grunts as he presses harder on your clit, and you can feel the coil within you getting tighter, but at the moment, all you can give is wordless cries. “Say it, y/n.”

“S-Shouto!” you scream out as you shake with an overwhelming need to climax, but Shouto’s finger leaves your clit and goes to keep your hands above your head.

“Are you enjoying this?” Shouto teases as he slams into you at full force again, your cunt tightening sinfully against his length, electricity coursing through your veins while you cry his name. “You’re so good, shit.”

“Oh my god, yes, Shouto!” your voice splutters, and his hands leave your wrist to gently pinch your nipple and clit. You go speechless, and your mind spins as he pulls one of your legs onto his shoulder, and all you can do is let your jaw drop as the new position lets you see stars.

You couldn’t take the feeling of how his body moved entirely within you, the strength and power behind his every move were almost too natural as if this was an everyday thing. You let out noises similar to a purr, grinding your cunt against his conquesting cock and laughing breathlessly at his low groan.

“You like this, princess?” Shouto nips at your throat, his thrusts making you shriek out his name as he buries you further into the bed, your nails digging into his flesh at the back of his neck. You nod rapidly, your eyes closed, your mouth open, your pants tumbling from your mouth. He wasn’t going too fast, just fast enough to have wet smacks echoing through the room, but every thrust seemed to have his cock being pulled out of you nearly completely. He pulled out entirely so he would have the ability to drill back into your wet cunt. The noises of your connecting wet sex left loud echo with your squelching pussy around his hot cock.

The muscles on his back seemed to flare dramatically, your screams turning silent due to your approval of this.

“I needa cum,” you shriek, the fire in your face as bright and hot as the one between your legs. His sweaty forehead pressed against yours, and his lips recapture yours.

Your mind goes blank when a mighty crash goes through you. But Shouto must not have felt the spastic vice-like clamping of your inner walls as he continues pistoling his hips into you, hitting your cervix, and pushing it further up with every slam. You cry against his mouth, your hands shoving at his shoulders as the feeling of your orgasm was too strong to deny, and he slips out of you.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” he moans, his mouth connecting with your breast, and once again slams into you.

Your scream is silent, your eyes rolling to the back of your head, your fingers digging into his neck, and your toes curl. His hips are driving, persistent, and have a goal in mind. You can barely keep up with him, your long overstimulated body wanting to collapse at the seams, but he doesn’t stop.

The bed creaks loudly under you, headboard crashing into the wall, over and over again.

“Cum, baby,” you beg, your hips wildly thrashing against his. “Cum..”

That’s all it takes, and a hot and heavy load shoots through you, and Shouto collapses onto you at the same time the bed falls. Neither one of you reacts as gravity shifts you both slightly downwards, but your mind is too full of Shouto to care. His body twitching while his cock remains hard within you, the feeling of his cum swimming in your cunt, making your head spin with euphoria.

Drowsiness hits you quickly, and Shouto’s body heat is quickly putting you to sleep.

He pulls out of you gently, and the feeling of his cock no longer in you makes you whimper, your nose burying into his neck as he flips the two of you over so that you’re laying on his chest. His hands send warm and cooling waves through your body, helping soothe the aches in your tired body.

“That was…” you mumble, your mind unable to think straight.

“Something?”

You snort, your head nodding.

“Yeah… something…”

“I love you, y/n,” Shouto whispers against your temple, and you sigh, contentness and warmth flooding your aching body.

“I love you, too.”

#todoroki x reader #todoroki shoto x reader #todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki smut #bnha #bnha x reader

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yellowcanna · 4 years

Text

Star-crossed Lovers

Summary:

"Have you heard of the story behind the Qixi festival?" Childe said mysteriously, waddling a finger at their little traveller friends. "It's about a pair of star-crossed lovers who can only meet once a year. It's a very old Liyue folktale, but I've heard rumours that this story was actually based on an adeptus and his lover. They are an Alpha and Omega pair that could only meet once a year.”

“An Alpha and Omega meeting only once a year?!” Paimon was horrified by the news. “Is that even possible?!”

“Adeptus…” Aether thought back to all the adepti he and Paimon had met so far. The face of one particular adeptus flashed across his mind. The Guardian Yaksha, Xiao. Like his element, he was the only adeptus that travelled around Liyue without a territory or home to call his own. “Do you know who?”

"Well now..." Childe's eyes flicked to the raven-haired man sitting beside him. "Who knows? It's just a rumour, after all."

Genre: Fluff, Omegaverse, light angst, hurt/comfort, separation, yaoi

Rating: M

Pairing: Cyno/Xiao, Childe/Zhongli

[Cyno is the Egyptian character in Act 3 from the Teyvat Chapter Storyline Preview.]

Author: Canna / Yellow Canna

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Available on AO3!!

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“The Qixi Festival?” Paimon asked, floating next to Aether and staring at the Fatui Harbinger—or former Fatui now—sitting across the table. “What is that?”

“It’s a festival dedicated to a famous folktale in Liyue called The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl,” Childe explained. “It’s a story about two star-crossed lovers. They even got poems for it but I’m not good with poems so I can’t tell you much about that.”

“Through the varying shapes of the delicate clouds, the sad message of the shooting stars, a silent journey across the Milky Way.

One meeting of the Cowherd and Weaver amidst the golden autumn wind and jade-glistening dew, eclipses the countless meetings in the mundane world.

The feelings soft as water, the ecstatic moment unreal as a dream, how can one have the heart to go back on the bridge made of magpies?

If the two hearts are united forever, why do the two persons need to stay together—day after day, night after night?”

Zhongli recited the poem before bringing a cup to his lips and enjoyed the aroma of the finely brewed tea.

“The story is about a young cowherd by the name of Niulang. He is but an ordinary human who fell in love with a goddess name Zhinu.” Zhongli glanced over to the two outlanders. “They’ve met and fallen in love within the mortal world, but their love was forbidden by the goddess of Heaven and forced to part. Separated by the Milky Way, they can only meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month—"

"Which is August, by the way," Childe prompted helpfully.

"—through a bridge made of magpies to spend one night together.”

“That’s…that’s so sad!” Paimon sniffled. “Why celebrate something so sad?”

“Half a glass of water can be seen as half empty, yet it could also be seen as half full. It is but a matter of perspective,” the raven-haired man chuckled. “If you look at it from another way, today is a joyous day for the two lovers to finally meet, thus should be celebrated.”

“But you know, there have been rumours going around that The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl was based on a true story~” Childe said mysteriously, waddling a finger at their traveller friends. “They say that this is a story of an adeptus and his lover. They are an Alpha and Omega pair that could only meet once a year.”

“An Alpha and Omega meeting only once a year?!” Paimon was horrified by the news. “Is that even possible?!”

“Adeptus…” Aether thought back to all the adepti he and Paimon had met so far. The face of one particular adeptus flashed across his mind, but he shook it away. “Do you know who?”

“Who knows? It’s just a rumour.” Childe shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “Sure you’re not gonna stay for the festival? There’s plenty of good food at this time.”

“Weeeell—” Before Paimon could scream ‘yes’, Aether held out a hand over her and shook his head apologetically.

“Thank you, but we really can’t,” the blond politely declined. “We need to head to Inazuma as soon as possible.”

“Guess it can’t be helped then.” Childe wasn't surprised by the blond's rejection. He knew how desperate the boy was in searching for his sister. He rested his head against his palm and grinned at the two. “I guess this is goodbye, huh?”

Aether nodded before looking at the Snezhnayan worriedly. “Will you be alright?”

“Of course,” Childe laughed, finding it funny that the blond would worry for his well-being of all people. However, when he spoke the next words, his icy blue eyes darkened despite the smile never faltering on his lips. “They already got the Geo Archon’s Gnosis. They wouldn’t risk coming to Liyue again just for the head of a little traitor.”

“Aether, Paimon,” Zhongli spoke up, drawing the two travellers’ attention to him. “I ask for both of you to not mention what has transpired, as well as my identity, to anyone—especially the adepti.”

“Why? Wouldn’t they be happy to know you’re alive?" Paimon couldn't understand the archon's decision of keeping silent on the matter.

Zhongli didn't speak for a long time. He stared at the tea swirling in his cup before looking back up to meet their gazes.

"Please," was all he said.

"Ok...we won't tell anyone," Aether promised.

Paimon looked like she had many things to say, but in the end, she kept her mouth shut and nodded as well.

Zhongli smiled and brought his hands up, making a gesture that the two outlanders were now overly familiar with, for the people of Liyue always did this gesture whenever they showed their thanks.

"It will get a bit boring without you two around," Childe lamented.

“Oh, we’ll come back!” Paimon chirped confidently.

“Be careful in Inazuma. The Archon of Electro does not take kindly to outlanders,” Zhongli cautioned.

“We will. Thank you for everything, Zhongli, Childe.”

Aether waved before he and Paimon left the Liuli Pavilion.

The two men watched them go. It was only after they couldn’t hear their footsteps anymore did Zhongli turned to his companion.

“Shall we dine then?" He waved a hand at the untouched feast laid before them.

"Only if you get me some forks. These chopsticks are seriously hard to use." Childe laughed, trying to pick up his chopsticks only for one to drop onto his plate. "How are you feeling?" His question was seemingly nonchalant as he continued to play with the chopsticks, but Zhongli could hear the bitterness lingering in his tone.

"I'm fine," he assured the Alpha. "The loss of Gnosis only means I cannot use my power. It does not affect me otherwise."

"Hm..." Childe tried using the chopsticks again but this time both clattered back onto the table. "Aaah, I give up!" He threw his arms into the air dramatically before flopping towards the Geo Archon and rested his forehead against that stiff shoulder.

"You should have run when I told you to,” he mumbled quietly. “Now you're stuck with me."

Zhongli reached one hand up and combed his fingers through the soft copper coloured hair. "Do you not want to stay with me?"

Childe snorted and looked up to meet those golden eyes clear without any other intentions. Seriously, how this archon remained so pure and oblivious despite being so old was beyond him.

"Nah, I'll stick around. Someone needs to keep an eye on you when you go out."

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Aether walked through the crowded street of Liyue harbour. He glanced around at the people setting up stalls and stands, preparing for the Qixi festival. Everywhere was rowdy with joy and happiness, so much that it almost made Aether wanted to stay. Almost.

“Let’s go, Paimon!” Aether grabbed Paimon who was drooling over some dumplings and dragged her away. After finally making it out of the packed city, he finally asked Paimon the question he didn’t dare to ask in front of Childe and Zhongli.

“Hey Paimon, is it bad for Alpha and Omega to be apart?”

“Of course!” Paimon shouted before remembering that this worldly outlander was clueless about the dynamics here since that didn’t exist in his original world.

“I told you how Alphas and Omegas are different than Betas, right?”

“Yeah…something about Omega could give birth regardless of gender?” Aether was still a little weirded out by that one. He wasn’t disgusted or anything, he just didn’t understand how that was possible.

“Yes, but when it comes to Alpha and Omega, once they found a partner, they’re bonded for life. They got this thing call a mating bite where they leave scars on each other’s necks—right over their scent glands!” Paimon pointed at her own neck. “I don’t know how it works, but I heard that it lets them connect on a…spiritual level? Basically, their partner means everything to them. Separating them is the same as taking a part of them away.”

“Is that so…?” Aether thought of his sister. He could relate to how it felt to have someone important ripped away from his side.

“Hey, Aether, look!”

“Hm?” Seeing Paimon pointing at the sky, he looked up and found that it wasn’t the sky she was pointing at, but Mt. Tianheng.

He put a hand over his eyes, protecting them from the bright sunlight and was able to make out the silhouette of a person standing at the very top.

“Is that…Xiao?”

As though hearing the call of his name, the adeptus above moved. In a few quick steps, the famed Conqueror of Demons ran down the mountain like a graceful mountain goat and landed before the two of them. Aether was certain that even if he jumped down without a glider, he still couldn’t beat the speed the adeptus displayed just now.

“I hear that you are departing Liyue,” Xiao said, his face unreadable as usual.

“Yes, we’re heading to Inazuma.” Aether nodded.

“The Archon of Electro does not welcome outlanders. Best to be on your guard.”

“You said the same thing as Zhongli,” Paimon giggled while Aether fought the urge to facepalm.

"Paimon!" He hissed.

“Zhongli?” Although Xiao’s expression didn’t change, they could hear the question in his voice. Paimon froze when she realized she had just mentioned the archon right in front of the adeptus—one of the people Zhongli specifically told them not to tell.

“I-it's nothing! Just a...a friend!" Paimon stammered. She was starting to sweat bullets with Aether glancing nervously at Xiao.

Fortunately for them, the adeptus was never the noisy type nor did he have any interest in other people's affairs—mortals especially.

"S-so!" Paimon shouted, trying to erase the previous conversation by raising her voice up ten notches. "What are you doing here?"

“You offered your aid to Liyue in times of need,” Xiao replied neutrally. “It is only courteous for me to see you off. I will escort you to the outskirt of the city. Come.”

“Really?!” Paimon shouted in delight before shaking Aether by his arm. “With an adeptus opening a way for us, we’ll be out in no time!”

Aether nodded and hurried after Xiao.

As they walked, the blond couldn’t help but keep looking at the adeptus’ face. Xiao ignored the boy in the beginning, but eventually, he seemed to have enough of the other’s staring and finally turned to look at him.

“What is it?” He questioned apathetically.

“Ah, sorry!” Aether quickly shook his head. “It’s just…you seem happy today?”

That caught Xiao off guard. Although his face didn’t betray his feelings, his steps faltered for a split second before he collected himself.

The blond traveller briefly wondered if he said something he shouldn’t have. He just thought the adeptus might be in a good mood considering how much he was talking today.

“…Do I?” Aether wasn’t sure if that question was directed at him. In fact, he didn’t know if he was even supposed to hear it, considering how soft the adeptus’ voice was. Xiao was already looking away, eyes locked on the mountains in the distance.

“Eh? Really?” Paimon ogled Xiao, but couldn’t tell what part of the adeptus screamed happiness to her companion. “Oh, could it be because of the festival?”

“Festival?” Xiao thought back to the streets of Liyue harbour that had been rowdy all morning. “…Was that what they were doing?”

“You didn’t know about the Qixi Festival?” Aether asked. He thought for sure that Xiao would know, considering how long he had been living in Liyue for.

“You didn’t know about the story of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?!” Paimon gasped in bewilderment, as though she didn’t found out about this story just minutes ago.

“I have little interest in stories amongst the mortals,” Xiao stated plainly.

“Then I guess that rumour was fake after all,” Paimon grumbled, looking at Aether in disappointment.

“Well, it’s just rumour.” Aether shrugged before finally noticing something strange. They had been walking for a while now, but hadn’t come across a single monster.

No, not just that.

Now that he took a close look around the area, there wasn’t a single monster or enemy in sight!

“Where are all the monsters?” Aether couldn’t help but voice out his thought.

“Hey, you’re right!” Paimon spun around in the air. “I don’t see a single one around!”

“It is due to my Heat,” Xiao spoke up in front of them.

“H-Heat?!” Paimon squeaked, jaw nearly dropping onto the floor at what came out of the adeptus’ mouth. “Wait, you’re an Omega?!”

Aether’s eyes flew wide. An Omega?!

Then did that mean Xiao was capable of…

Aether’s eyes nearly dropped to Xiao’s stomach before he had to force his gaze back up. Thankfully, the adeptus was walking in front so he didn’t notice that small action of the traveller’s.

Aether knew about Heats and why Paimon looked so nervous. Once a year, fully grown Omegas will enter something called Heat, where they let out sweet pheromones to attract nearby Alphas and find potential partners.

After an Omega and Alpha bonded, the Omega’s Heat will then trigger the Alpha’s Rut. It was extremely dangerous to go near an Omega in Heat because that was when Alphas were most protective of their mates and will attack anyone that got too close, regardless of whatever reason they had.

But…if Xiao was in Heat, shouldn't there be Alphas around going crazy after his scent? And Omegas only enter Heat somewhere between February and March, right now was August.

Also, why would Xiao’s Heat scare monsters away? Was it because he was an adeptus?

Aether knew Xiao wouldn’t answer all of his questions, so he only asked the very last one. Xiao spared a glance at the golden-haired boy before turning his attention back to his path.

“The stronger an Omega’s pheromone is, the more attraction they will gain from Alphas. Monsters and demons could also be drawn by an Omega’s scent if their Heats are strong enough. Once mated, the Omega’s scent will be infused with their Alpha’s, changing into a smell that will be revolting to anyone that is not their mate.” Xiao stopped and turned around to face them. “This is as far as I can take you. Do not let your identities as outlanders be discovered in Inazuma.”

With that, the adeptus took off at a speed so fast that the two barely had the time to react before he was gone.

Aether and Paimon stood (float) there for a long moment before the adeptus’ parting words finally sunk into their brains.

“Wait…you don’t suppose he was saying that he’s…mated?!” Paimon shouted. “A-and his Heat! Isn’t it right on time for the Qixi festival?!”

“Then the story of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is actually…” Aether trailed off before the two of them shared a look.

“No way!” Paimon laughed.

“Yeah!” Aether agreed.

That was a dumb rumour after all.

As for why Xiao’s Heat was in August and not February or March...he was the Guardian Yaksha. Things must work differently for these higher beings.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Xiao stood on top of the mountain, Aureolin eyes scanning over the landscape before stopping towards a certain direction.

Alphas can always track their Omegas no matter where they are in the world. Although Xiao was an Omega, he was a yaksha as well as an adeptus, so his senses were naturally sharper than those of mortals. Even so, he could only feel the general direction of where his Alpha was.

His Alpha was aware he was on the move and was trailing after him, tracking him for half a day now. That man was getting closer as time passed, and along with it was Xiao’s increasing heartbeat.

It had been a whole year since they last met.

Before being mated, Xiao always preferred to pass his Heat high up in the mountains where monsters and people were scarce. However, his Alpha came from a nation without high mountains like Liyue. Although that person said it didn’t bother him, Xiao still wanted him to at least feel comfortable, so he never chose a place too far off the ground.

That was why this year, Xiao decided to spend his Heat in Jueyun Karst. It was the quietest place he could think of with fewer disturbances from mortals. He had already informed Moon Carver beforehand and the moment the adeptus heard the Conqueror of Demons would be coming to his territory to spend his Heat, he all but fled.

It wasn’t anything unusual. Before mating, other adepti would flee from him knowing how tempting his scent was. Now, they fled from him for the opposite reason. Xiao leaped off the cliff, dropping towards the ground at a rapid pace while summoning his spear into his hand.

With a thrust of his spear, the earth below him shook and the camp of monsters was annihilated in a split second. Without taking a break, he darted off towards the next area with monsters. While his scent naturally repelled these monsters, it would cause an issue if any of these monsters were to run amuck and get near the few humans dwelling here.

After swiftly dealing with all the monsters in the area, Xiao found a nice location up the waterfall with a small, deserted wooden house. The house looked like it hadn’t been used in years. The woods were falling apart, but not so much that he could see the inside.

Despite being an Omega, Xiao was never picky about where he spent his Heat. Or rather, he couldn’t afford to be picky. The purpose of an Omega’s Heat was to attract a partner and reproduce. As an adeptus, Xiao’s Heat could affect all living being miles away and draw them towards him.

It hadn’t started off like that.

In the beginning, his Heat was normal. It was still stronger than human Omegas, but Xiao was able to manage to deal with it on his own. Unfortunately as the years passed, his Heat became increasingly painful. The burn of the Heat would persist for days and the amount of pheromone his body release kept doubling.

His reluctance in finding a mate only made his body even more desperate.

The only one that he could ever consult with about his Heat was Rex Lapis who was the only other Omega he knew, yet the archon couldn’t find him any solution in solving his problem other than finding a mate. And so, every year around August, a bloodbath would always be shed. Demons and monsters would swarm towards him like ants towards their prey with Xiao at the center of it all, slaughtering anything that came to him.

Xiao let out a small sigh and stared at the pond before him.

He sat down on a piece of fallen log in front of the house and stared at the beautiful scenery. Despite being summer, the leaves in Jueyun Karst were always in the shade of autumn—just like Moon Carver.

Xiao loosened his collar, pulling them apart to reveal the scent glands on the base of his neck—one on each side. Both of his glands were marred with scars his Alpha left when he bit into them a thousand years ago. He rubbed his fingers absentmindedly over the jagged scar and began reminiscing the past.

The day they met was when Xiao’s Heat was at its worst. Having gone a thousand years without finding a mate, his body was finally breaking down.

Even without the countless demons surrounding him, he was dying.

His Heat had tortured his body for a whole month with no signs of going away. Every single one of his nerves was screaming in pain from the burning sensation coursing through his body. He didn’t even notice when a demon had raked its claws through the flesh on his back because he could no longer tell apart the pain.

His sight was starting to fail him, but that didn’t stop Xiao from piercing his spear through one demon and another. He might be dying, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. Even without his sight, he could rely on the rest of his senses to kill the demons.

And that was when he met him.

The man was not an adepti, but a human that gained immortally. He was a scholar travelling in Liyue to study the demons when he came across the battlefield littered with corpses of demons and monsters.

Xiao had little memories of how their encounter went. What he did remember was attacking the Alpha when he broke through the walls of demons and came towards him. Their spears met in a dangerous dance with whirlwinds of fire twirling around them.

The adeptus was fully prepared to meet his end, but when he woke up, the pain in his body was gone along with his Heat.

On his scent glands were two fresh bite marks, forever bounding him to an Alpha from another nation.

Xiao held no resentment towards the other Alpha for marking him because he knew that Alpha had done it to save him. In a way, that Alpha was also a victim because to complete the bond, the Alpha needed to let Xiao mark him as well. With his scent gland injected with the adeptus’ pheromone, he will start to experience Rut in August which only Xiao could sate.

Neither of them was the romantic type nor did they ever thought that one day they would have a mate. The two of them easily came to an arrangement for the Alpha to come to Liyue every year so they can spend their Rut and Heat together.

For the first couple of years, their relationship where purely on a physical level. Even now, Xiao didn’t know at what point did that changed. Words of love were never exchanged, but their relationship naturally shifted to that of lovers. Perhaps it was because they were similar that they understood one another without the need of words, or perhaps it was due to the bond established between them.

Whichever it was, Xiao was never more grateful.

The adeptus walked up to the house. With a wave of his hand, he sent a blast of wind into the old structure. He held back his power, but some shingles were still blown off from the force. He leaped back when a fume of dust blew out from the windows and doorway. He sent out a couple more blasts of wind until all the dust was blown out.

He walked into the house, looking around to find a table and a couple of chairs in the corner of the dining room. When he walked into the bedroom, he saw a bedframe weaved with bamboo. It was old and broken around the corner, but sturdy enough to support two people.

He ran his hand along the hard surface of the bamboo bed. It wasn’t the best, but this will do. Xiao lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. He was worn out. Running from Liyue Harbour to this place had taken some toll on his body, considering how much energy his body was already consuming to prepare for his Heat.

He bit the inside of his cheek when he felt tightness in his lower abdomen. Xiao stared at the wall of the small house. Although he could guess the general direction of his mate, he couldn’t tell how close or how far he was. He didn’t want to miss out on meeting his mate, but at the same time, he didn’t want his mate to see him so vulnerable.

In the end, exhaustion won and Xiao decided it should be fine if it was only a quick nap.

All he needed to do was to wake up before his mate arrives. It should have been easy, considering how he was a very light sleeper, but Xiao forgot to take into account how badly his body and mind missed his Alpha. He had forgotten how safe it felt knowing his Alpha by his side.

By the time he woke up, everything was pitch black around him.

Xiao took a deep breath and his lungs were filled with a comforting scent that only one person in this world has. He sat up and found a dark brown cloak draped over his body. He stared at the cloak, running his finger through the soft fabric before finding the familiar brown and blue animal ears decorations on the top of the hood. Behind him where his head was resting was a leather bag acting as a pillow for him.

Xiao brought the cloak up to his nose and took a small sniff. His Alpha’s scent was practically drenching the fabric, meaning the other must have been wearing this cloak not long ago. It was no wonder he didn’t wake up. With the Alpha’s scent wrapped around him like this, his body naturally deemed the surrounding safe and he ended up falling into a deeper slumber.

Xiao folded the cloak up and set it on the bed before walking out of the hunt. When he stepped outside, he was greeted by the backside of a person dressed in the same cloak as the one that was draped over him. The person had his hood pulled over his head with that pair of pointed ears sticking upward.

“You should sleep a bit longer,” the man spoke in a euphonious voice that made Xiao trembled. The Alpha never once turned back to look at him. His sun-kissed hand came out of the large sleeve of his cloak, picking up a stick lying by his feet and began to rearrange the campfire woods, causing the flames to burn even brighter.

The yaksha walked up to the man and sat next to him on the log with inches of space separating them.

“You should have waked me up.”

“You seemed like you needed rest,” the Alpha replied, turning his head to reveal his snow-white hair and beautifully sculpted face. That single flame red eye gazed at the Omega before turning back to the campfire. “It’s not like you to travel before your Heat like this.”

Although it sounded like the Alpha was merely stating a fact, Xiao knew the other was concerned.

“I was seeing someone off,” he explained.

Though curious, Alpha didn’t ask or push the Omega for details. He picked up a ladle and stirred the thick soup in the pot. Xiao stared at the brown soup that would never exist in Liyue and could smell the aroma of lamb being cooked inside. He remembered this soup. His mate made it for him the last time they met and he quite enjoyed it. If his memory was correct, it was called Torly.

While Xiao preferred lighter food and vegetables over meat, the coming of Heat would always make him crave higher calorie food so his body could store up energy.

“Do you need assistance?”

“No, just sit there and rest.” The Alpha reached into the sleeve of his cloak and pulled out a small box.

Xiao immediately recognized the packaging and design of the small box. It was a takeout box from Wangshu inn.

“Eat that for now. I’ll be done soon.” He set the box onto the Omega’s lap before returning to the task at hand.

Xiao carefully opened the box and just as he expected, inside was Almond Tofu. He stared at the beautiful and glossy white pudding with the light aroma of almond drifting into his nose. The Omega could tell how carefully the Alpha was when transporting this from how the delicate dessert wasn't broken or deformed in any ways.

“Thank you.”

He picked up the small wooden spoon inside and scooped out a small piece of the pudding. He put it into his mouth, enjoying the silkiness of the texture melting around his tongue. He ate slowly while observing his Alpha work, unaware of how his eyes would soften whenever he gazed upon this man.

After another ten minutes or so, the Alpha was done. He finished wrapping up the wrap in his hand and handed it to Xiao.

“This is?” Xiao accepted the wrap, looking at it curiously.

“It’s called Shawarma.” The Alpha poured the thick soup into a bowl and set it in front of the Omega.

Xiao took a bite into the wrap. Like all food his Alpha made for him, it had an unusual taste that did not exist in Liyue, but was delicious nonetheless.

The two of them ate with the only sound around them being the crackling of fire and the burbling sound of waterfall. They ate enjoying the presence of each other and the serenity around them. Even though they were both taking their time, their dinner only lasted about half an hour before it came to an end.

Xiao was gazing at the stars, lost in his own mind when his Alpha suddenly called out his name.

“Xiao.”

The Omega turned his head and saw his Alpha holding something to him. Without questioning anything, he opened his mouth and allowed the Alpha to push the glistening round bun-like thing into his mouth. Xiao’s mouth was soon filled with overwhelming sweetness that made him hummed lightly.

The adeptus cared little for sweets and like all citizens of Liyue, he wasn’t good at handling anything overly sweet. The only exception was during his Heat, where sugar became something like comfort food to the Omega. He chewed on the dessert and realized it was some sort of bread. The entire thing was soaked in the sweet syrup which made Xiao wonder if the dough was cooked together with this syrup or was the syrup added in later. Distracted, Xiao didn’t notice his Alpha move until he felt fingers wrapping around his chin, turning his head around before a pair of lips pressed against his.

Xiao closed his eyes and leaned forward, parting his lips to allow their lips to better mold against one another. Their tongues were tangled in a dance with the Alpha stealing the remaining sweetness from his mouth.

“Cyno…” Xiao managed to call out his Alpha’s name before a hand slipped behind his head and his lips were sealed once more.

Xiao let out a small, muffled groan against the Alpha’s mouth. The restriction he put around his desire was slowly starting to crumble. He wrapped his arms around the Alpha’s neck while the Alpha’s other arm snaked around his waist.

The last distance between them was gone and their bodies slotted together perfectly as they kissed.

He missed him.

He missed him so much, but there was nothing they can do. They have responsibilities to their own nations so neither of them could risk leaving for too long. The distance between them also didn’t allow them to meet up frequently. The only time they could meet was during this time so they could spend their Heat and Rut together. They may have met a thousand years ago, but even mortal couples had spent more time together in a lifetime compared to the two immortals.

“Ah…!” Xiao’s head threw back when the Alpha dug his face into his neck, pushing aside his collar and bit down onto his scent gland. Xiao’s face instantly flared up in red. Despite not displaying it on his face, he was embarrassed upon realizing he had left his collar open.

Sumeru was a very open nation where Alphas and Omegas walk around showing off the scent glands on their necks—Xiao knew that much from how his mate dressed. However, in Liyue, scent glands were regarded the same as private parts. Going outside with their scent glands shown was the same as going outside stark naked.

Cyno hummed, his voice sending vibration against the sensitive gland which in turn made the Omega’s body quiver.

Xiao hastily pulled away from Cyno and closed his collar, much to the Alpha’s amusement.

“You looked like you have something on your mind,” Cyno pointed out. It was an off-handed remark, but Xiao realized his mate must have taken notice to his change of mood and decided to lighten him up.

“It’s nothing,” Xiao was turning his head away when his chin was caught by the Alpha once more. His head was guided back, cobalt yellow eyes meeting orange-red one. The Alpha didn’t say anything and silently stared into Xiao’s eyes.

Xiao felt his throat constricted before he reached his hands up and carefully took hold of the Alpha’s face. He brushed that long white bang aside to reveal the other eye hidden underneath. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss upon the scarred eyelid.

“There have been many things happening lately,” Xiao sighed. He slipped out of the Alpha’s arms and returned to his seat next to him, but now the distance between them was gone. Their shoulders were touching and their bodies so close that they could feel each other’s body heat.

“I’ve heard about Rex Lapis on my way here.” Cyno stared at the scenery before them. “Do you believe that the God of Contracts has died?”

“I don’t know,” Xiao admitted quietly. Deep down, he believed that Rex Lapis was still alive. Killing an archon was no small feat but then again, it wasn’t impossible either. “I have never imagined a future without Rex Lapis, so such situation still feels surreal to me.”

“Then perhaps you’ve been taking your archon for granted.”

“Perhaps.” Xiao wasn’t angry by his mate’s blunt words. It was true. He had been taking the archon’s existence for granted.

They all had.

All of them assumed everything will remain the same year after years. With Rex Lapis around, the mortals of Liyue never truly paved their own path. They have always been following the path given to them by their archon.

“How long will you be staying?”

“I took a month off from the Academia.”

Xiao nodded. Taking away the travelling time, it will be eight days.

“…How’s your body?” The Alpha asked after a moment of silence.

“There is still a bit of time,” Xiao said after closing his eyes to check on the condition of his body. Even sitting here, he could feel his body heat steadily rising. His heartbeat had started to quicken too, though Xiao didn’t know if that was due to the heat or the presence of his mate.

“Come to think of it, there might be something that will interest you.”

“Oh?”

“A traveller came to Liyue not long ago…” Xiao began retelling his story with the blond outlander from Mondstadt. Cyno listened as his mate told him everything—from their very first meeting at Wangshu Inn to the chaos that happened in Liyue then the Lantern Rite.

“So the person you were seeing off was this traveller?” Cyno inquired when Xiao finished.

The Omega nodded. “The boy is capable of using Geo, but I see no Vision on his body or those devices from Snezhnaya.”

Cyno frowned. No Vision or Delusion?

Could it be archon residue? No, if it was, Xiao would have known.

“His scent was also strange.”

“How so?”

“I wasn’t certain before, but now that I’m close to my Heat, my senses had heightened. That boy did not have the scent of a Beta despite claiming to be one.” Xiao furrowed his brows slightly and recalled that smell. “It was an odd smell, one I’ve never smelled on anyone before.”

“You’re saying he’s not any of the dynamic?” The first thing Cyno wanted to say was that it was impossible, yet as a scholar, there was no such thing as impossible.

Even amongst the archons, the ABO dynamic existed. It was how their world worked—like how trees grew from dirt and how all living beings needed water to survive. Never in Teyvat had there been a person not fitted into any of the three dynamics. But if his mate claimed that someone was not Alpha, Beta or Omega, then that was most likely the case.

“Fascinating.” This certainly piqued the Alpha’s interest.

“He is searching for his younger sister. If he can safely leave Inazuma, then I’m sure he will head to Sumeru next.”

“If so, we will meet eventually.” Cyno reached out his hand and his long fingers brushed across the pale cheek of the Omega.

The Omega’s bright yellow eyes seemed to glow beneath the full moonlight when he looked back at his Alpha. Very slowly, he leaned his face towards the hand until the Alpha’s entire palm laid against the Omega’s pale cheek.

Cyno let out a small, inaudible breathe when he took in the sight of the beautiful Omega beneath the moonlight. His heart trembled like a string being harshly plucked. He leaned forward while his hand guided his Omega towards him until their foreheads eventually touched.

“Xiao, come with me to Sumeru.”

Xiao stiffened upon hearing what his mate had said. He stared at that flaming red eye that was staring back at him seriously.

“Cyno, you know that’s—”

“I do not know whether your archon is dead or alive, but one thing for certain is that the future of Liyue will be paved by humans. The demons you fought for thousands of years no longer dominate this land. From what I can see, the humans of this land are fully capable of exterminating demons in your place. The era of the adepti was over long ago, and so was your duty,” Cyno told him. “Now that the God of Contracts is gone, there is nothing binding you down. You’re free to go wherever you like, Xiao.”

“I…” Xiao shook his head and pulled away from his Alpha. There was a slight shakiness in his voice, showing just how much the other’s words were affecting him.

The adeptus didn’t know what to do. He admitted that he had wondered what the world outside looked like. He had been thinking about it ever since meeting Cyno but his responsibilities prevented him from ever thinking further.

For so long, slaying demons and vanquishing evil spirits had been his sole duty. It was the reason he existed. It was the only thing he could do to pay back Rex Lapis for everything the archon did for him.

To suddenly be told his job has ended was just…

Xiao let out a startled gasp when he was suddenly pulled towards the Alpha. His head was pushed into the Alpha’s neck and the comforting scent of the Alpha washed over him, calming him down.

“You don’t have to give me an answer now, Xiao.” Cyno muttered against the Omega’s ear and cradled him within his arms. “I will wait for however long it takes. Once you’re ready, I will come get you.”

Xiao didn’t respond. He wrapped his arms around the Alpha, fingers digging into the brown cloak and clutched onto him tightly. Cyno peppered kisses on the side of his mate’s face before his tender lips moved down the pale neck. When Xiao slowly relaxed under the Alpha’s ministrations, he started to respond with kisses of his own.

Soon, the two of them were inside the hunt with Cyno throwing his cloak over the old bed before setting Xiao on top. Xiao’s shirt was already gone with his mate kneeling between his legs, pushing him down until he was lying on his back. Through the gaps on the roof of the hunt, moonlight streamed in, hitting the Alpha and casting a faint outline around his body.

Xiao took his time admiring the handsomeness of this man. He stared at the unusual clothing exclusive to Sumeru that barely covered much of the Alpha’s body.

Cyno caressed Xiao’s cheek before he captured his lips in a deep and passionate kiss. Despite being a scholar who mostly stays within Sumeru Academia looking through books and doing experiments, Cyno was a warrior.

He was one of Sumeru’s strongest fighters and the most knowledgeable. It was only natural, for Cyno would never be able to mark Xiao amidst the battle with demons if he was weak. The Omega shivered when a palm covered in a layer of callus slid down the smooth skin of back, reaching lower and lower before slipping inside his pant.

Xiao pulled away from the kiss with a sharp gasp. His head fell back with the Alpha trailed his lips down his throat. He kissed and nibbled the tender skin before biting down on that sweet scent gland.

“Hah…!” Xiao wrapped his arms around the Alpha’s head, gloved fingers tangling into the fluffy white hair with small breathless moans escaping his lips. The Alpha’s nimble fingers slide between the creases of his buttocks and teased the sensitive opening there.

Xiao let out another small cry when the hand on his rear lifted him up with the Alpha grounding down on him at the same time. The delicious friction made Xiao clamp his legs together around the Alpha’s hips, his body trembling with pleasure coursing through every part of his veins.

“Cyno, please…” Xiao pleaded before his pants were stripped off his legs. A pair of hands grabbed him by the forearm, pulling him up until he was sitting in his mate’s lap.

Xiao wrapped his legs and arms around the man, letting out broken pants with the Alpha lightly sucking on his right nipple while his hand toyed with the other. Eventually, the stimulation became too much and he had to bring a hand up to stop the shameful sounds from escaping his mouth.

Cyno gave one last lick to the perky nipple before he reached up, prying Xiao’s hand away so he could steal a kiss from the petal-soft lips.

“Don’t hide from me, Xiao,” Cyno said seriously, pulling Xiao’s gloves off his hands to reveal the old scars hidden underneath. The Alpha intertwined their fingers and planted a kiss upon each of his knuckles in such a loving way that Xiao nearly melted.

Hearing some sound, Xiao turned to see Cyno pulling out a familiar-looking vial from the leather bag lying on the edge of the bed. The Alpha popped it open and poured half of the content into his hand.

“Lift your hips,” The Alpha instructed and Xiao obeyed. He wrapped his arms around the man’s shoulder and lifted his hips into the air. He buried his face into the Alpha’s neck and waited with his heart pounding inside his ribcage.

It started with one finger, slick with warmed oil carefully sliding inside him before joined by another. Xaio’s arms around Cyno tightened, breathes becoming laboured as those fingers slowly worked him open.

Cyno was nuzzling his face against the Omega’s silky hair while his other hand caressed the yaksha’s thigh.

“Cyno, it’s enough,” Xiao groaned, feeling his inside completely coated with the oil.

“You’re still tight.” Cyno frowned.

“It’s fine.” Xiao gritted his teeth when he felt the uncomfortable coil in his lower abdomen. “My Heat is coming. I want to feel you before my mind becomes hazy.”

Cyno didn’t argue anymore. He slipped his fingers out and dipped his head down to capture Xiao’s lips. As they kissed, Xiao heard the rustling clothes accompanied by the jingling sound of metal. And then, the adeptus felt the tip of his mate’s cock—slick with oil—pressed against his entrance.

The Alpha didn’t move anymore aside from placing small, encouraging kisses along his neck. Gentle hands rubbed along his hips and legs but did nothing to guide the Omega down onto his cock.

Xiao knew that Cyno was letting him take control, so he did. He slowly sank his body, eyes fluttering shut when the head of the thick cock slipped inside. It had been a whole year since he was last filled by his Alpha.

“Cyno, Cyno…” he called out to his mate with more and more of the cock pushing through his tight walls and filling his inside. He could feel everything—the size, the warmth, the texture of the appendage…it was torture.

“Xiao,” his Alpha panted against his neck, seeming to be trying very hard not to move by how hard he was gripping onto the Omega’s knees.

Xiao wanted more.

It wasn’t enough, so he paused to take a deep breath before slamming himself down the rest of the way. A cry tore out of his lips as the cock speared him open, pushing past the walls and kissing the deepest part inside his body. Cyno wasn’t doing any better. The sudden movement of his mate nearly made him see stars. He was panting for breaths with both hands gripping onto Xiao’s hips to hold him still.

When Xiao opened his eyes, thick droplets of tears began to fall from his eyes. They fell off his long lashes and dripped over the Alpha’s cheeks. When Cyno gazed up, his heart nearly shattered at the sight of the Omega’s expressionless face with large pearly tears falling from those beautiful eyes holding so much sadness and pain.

Cyno always loved the colour of the Omega’s eye, because it was the purest colour of yellow—ones even gold cannot produce. He leaned up and started to kiss the droplets away. He knew this wasn’t Xiao crying. It was merely his body’s reaction.

Separation for mated couples was painful, especially for Omegas. Xiao may be strong, but in the end, his body was still bounded by his dynamic. Omega needed constant care from their Alpha to feel safe, and Cyno was not able to give him that. Throughout all of the battles and nightmares the Omega had to endure, Cyno was never there for him. He had left Xiao alone in a land where even the people he protected feared him.

That was his failure as his Alpha.

“I’m sorry, Xiao,” Cyno whispered tenderly against Xiao’s lips. His words seemed to have brought Xiao back for the next moment, those beautiful eyes blinked and the tears stopped.

“Sorry, again I—” Xiao wasn’t able to finish before Cyno pressed their lips together. He wasn’t going to allow the Omega to apologize for something that wasn’t his fault.

“Hold onto me,” Cyno spoke into his ear before he grabbed the Omega’s hips and started rocking into the heated body.

Xiao released a breathless cry and held onto Cyno, moving his hip to time with the man’s thrusts. Their movements were slow and unhurried. Right now, all they wanted was to take their time and feel each other.

When they finally came, they were wrapped up in each other’s arms, listening to the other’s breathing and feeling their heartbeats overlapping.

Xiao laid his head against the Alpha’s shoulder while the Alpha traced his fingers over the green tattoo on the left side of his hip and towards the inside of his thigh. It was a tattoo similar to the one on the yaksha’s right arm—one that only Cyno had the pleasure of seeing. While Cyno took in the sight of Xiao’s tattoo, Xiao was staring down at the clothes that were still on the Alpha’s body. Whenever they spend their Heat and Rut together, Cyno would never fully remove his clothes because they never know who might come and interrupt them.

Even though Xiao’s mated scent was repulsive to other Alphas, there would still be Alphas coming to target him.

It all came down to one simple reason—greed.

While Alpha and Omegas mate for life, they were still capable of being marked a second or third time. All they needed to do was to rip the Alpha’s or Omega’s scent gland out of their necks and with a strong enough healing magic, the scent gland will regenerate. Once the scent gland grew back, it will be clean without the marks of their mate. It was a very cruel process. Having their glands tore out and losing connections with their mate would make any Alpha or Omega lose their sanity.

Due to humans and gods living so close together, the people of Liyue held their archon and adepti in high regards. Even if they fear Xiao and steer away from him, they never dare thought of getting rid of him. People from other nations, however, were a different matter. They see the adepti of Liyue as a possible weapon if tamed properly. That was why being the only Omega amongst the adepti, Xiao became their prime target.

Omegas were always weak and powerless during their Heat so adepti or not, they naturally assumed Xiao to be the same. Whenever these people make their plans, not once did they take into account of Xiao’s Alpha. Once they learned that the Omega didn’t mate with another adeptus, they thought nothing more of the Alpha other than a nuisance needed to be removed.

In recent years, idiots like these were steadily growing—especially those from a certain nation…

Xiao was lying comfortably against his Alpha when he felt a rush of heat flowing throughout his body. An animalistic whine came out of his throat which was met by a dominating growl. The sound of his Alpha’s growl caused a gush of wetness to come out of his body. Xiao’s face burned as he closed his thighs tightly together, but that did little to stop the lubricant from flowing out of his body.

The sweet scent of his Heat flowed into the air, mixing with the dominating scent of his mate’s Rut.

Xiao’s scent glands started to itch. He wanted to scratch them, but his hands were caught by a pair of tanner ones. The world before his eyes spun and Xiao was pushed into the bed with his Alpha’s heated chest pressing down on his back. His hips were pulled up and with no warnings at all, Cyno thrust himself deep inside. Xiao screamed, eyes nearly rolling back at the pleasure of being filled. He clawed at the bamboo bed, the strength of his fingers starting to tear the material apart before his hands were grabbed and pinned down.

“Cyno!” Xiao mewled when the Alpha pulled out before slamming back inside.

“Xiao, you smell so good…” Cyno sighed, sucking and licking his ear before he buried his face into the Omega’s neck and started sucking on his scent gland.

Xiao was crying from the overstimulation. He could feel the pheromones inside his glands being sucked away while his mate’s hips constantly rammed into him.

“Xiao, Xiao…!” Cyno called out his lover’s name over and over with each thrust of his hips.

“Cyno…!”

More.

It wasn’t enough.

He needed more.

More, more, more, more…

Until there was nothing of him left.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Cyno stared at the Omega sleeping peacefully in his arms.

He pressed a kiss on the Omega’s forehead, over the purple diamond marking before he slowly pulled himself out. A quiet moan escaped the yaksha’s lips, but other than that the Omega showed no signs of waking up.

Cyno rubbed his scent glands that were bruised from Xiao biting on them, releasing more of his scent so the adeptus can sleep better. He gazed up at the ceiling where the sunlight was spilling in from and shifted Xiao to the left so the sunlight wouldn’t hit his face.

Xiao needed rest—they both do. As much as the Omega’s scent was constantly tempting him, Cyno wasn’t some weak Alpha who would allow his desire to take over. He laid his head over his backpack and closed his eyes for some sleep as well. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to join the Omega in his dreams for the next moment, his eye snapped wide open.

Cyno shot up and moving together with him was Xiao. The Omega was staring towards the same direction where the Alpha sensed the intruders. Cyno hissed out a string of curses in a language that the Liyue adeptus wasn’t able to understand. Seeing the confusion swirling within those pure coloured eyes, Cyno shook his head and pushed the Omega back down.

“Go back to sleep, I’ll take care of them.” He wrapped the Omega’s naked body up in his cloak and climbed off the bed.

Although he didn’t show it, Cyno was livid. No Alpha liked having their time with their Omega interrupted—especially during Heat and Rut. Even more so when these people came intending to take his Omega away from him.

He pulled out his Anubis mask and put it on his head. In the span of this short moment, the house was already surrounded. A ball of flames gathered in his palm before the Alpha shot it upward, blasting a hole in the roof and leaped outside. When he landed on the loose pieces of shingles on the roof, he was greeted by the sight of the intruders.

Unsurprisingly, it was those Fatuis again.

Most of them were Alphas, but Cyno could easily pick out the Betas seeing as all the Alphas had to wear masks over their nose and mouths to filter out the scent of his mate. He held out his hand and his spear materialized in his palm.

“Insolent fools,” he huffed, eye turning cold with crimson flames swirling around his spear.

When Cyno returned, Xiao sitting on the corner of the bed with his back resting against the decaying wooden wall. He had put on Cyno’s cloak with his eyes closed—seemingly to be resting. The Alpha’s eye softened at the sight of his mate. The moment he got close, Xiao’s long lashes fluttered, parting to reveal those calm Aureolin eyes. Cyno put on his cloak to hide the unique Sumeruan clothes before stuffing his Omega’s clothes into his bag. After that, he went over to his mate, letting Xiao hold onto his bag while he carefully gather him up into his arms.

“Sleep, I’ll wake you when I find a place,” he spoke in that soothing voice, walking outside and stepping over the burnt ground.

Xiao leaned his head against the Alpha’s shoulder and closed his eyes with the bag held tightly in his arms.

There were many old and abandoned structures around Liyue, so finding their next logging wasn’t much task. Cyno found a decent place around Qingyun Peak and the two of them spent the remainder of their Heat and Ruts there.

Eight days passed by in a blink of an eye.

During this time, the pair roamed around Qingyun Peak before they spent their last day on the floating isle above the mountains, known as the Dwelling in the Cloud. This was a very old place created by the Cloud Retainer. Xiao was certain the other adeptus wouldn't mind them using her place, considering how she hadn't left her domain for a long time now.

The air high above the cloud was thin, but neither of the immortals was bothered by it. They sat at the ledge and watched the night sky with the cloud below them. Even though they didn’t mind the cold, their bodies were still pressed against one another, sharing warmth.

The night went by with neither of them exchanging any words.

When Xiao woke to the morning light, he knew without needing to open his eyes that Cyno was gone. The body wrapped around his when they fell into slumber was gone without any lingering warmth left.

The yaksha sat up with the familiar brown coat sliding off his body much like when he first woke on the night of his mate’s arrival.

In the place where his mate laid were four white flowers growing from a single stem.

It was a Qingxin—Xiao’s favourite flower.

He caressed the soft white petals before bringing the flower to his nose and smelled the sweet floral scent mixed with the faint scent of his Alpha.

They never meet each other with hellos and never part with goodbyes. It was an unspoken rule between them, as though doing so would seem like they had never parted to begin with.

Xiao gazed out to the land before him, golden eyes filled with loneliness and lost. He stared at the sun rising out of the clouds, not because of the view, but because that was where his Alpha was.

“I will wait for however long it takes. Once you’re ready, I will come get you.” Cyno’s voice echoed within his head.

Xiao parted his lips, but his throat felt awfully dry. He clutched onto the flower and closed his eyes. He could feel tears starting to gather, but he refused to let any fall.

“Go out and see the world, Xiao.”

“…?!”

Xiao jumped up, sharp eyes scanning over the tiny island but didn’t find anything unusual or out of the place. He brought a hand to his right ear where the voice had whispered those words to him. It was a voice Xiao was familiar with, but it happened so fast that he didn’t know if it was a voice from an old, long-forgotten memory or reality. He looked down at the flower in his hand, then back at the sun.

Suddenly, he felt like the world before his eyes began to open up—like an invisible cage slowly dissolving away. Xiao took a small step back and felt himself stepped on something. When he looked down, he found that it was Cyno’s cloak. He picked up the cloak and gazed back to the distant sky.

The lost look on his face slowly melted away. He held the cloak close before his eyes fell to the statue of Rex Lapis below.

Leaping off the floating isle, he landed before the statue. He stared at the image of Rex Lapis—the one who had saved him and given him his current name.

“I’ll be back,” he promised, setting the Qingxin flower before it as an offering. Without another glance back, he turned and leaped off the mountain. He gripped the cloak tightly in his arms and ran down the steep slope, moving at a speed too quick for mortal eyes to follow.

Xiao had never run faster in his entire life. He went from mountain to mountains, chasing after that scent lingering within the air.

As he was nearing the border of Liyue, Xiao finally saw the cloaked figure walking through the valley, carrying nothing but a brown leather bag over his shoulder.

“Cyno!!”

Cyno stopped. He glanced over his shoulder, orange-red eye wide in disbelieve when he saw the Omega running towards him. Kicking off the ground, Cyno closed the gap between them and caught the Omega within his arms.

“Xiao?” Xiao’s name fell from the Alpha’s lips in a hushed whisper, as though he couldn’t believe the Omega was here. He held onto the yaksha so tightly that ordinary people would find it painful, but Xiao was anything but ordinary.

The adeptus held onto his mate just as tightly. The tears he had been holding back finally fell from his eyes. For the first time in his life, Xiao laughed. It was a very quiet laugh, but the sound was more beautiful than anything the Alpha had ever heard.

For the first time as well, Cyno also laughed. The tears rolling down his face was no less than Xiao’s.

They didn’t need to exchange any words, for that there was never any need.

After a thousand years, they’ve finally caught each other in their arms. This time, neither of them have any intention of letting the other go.

Back on Qingyun Peak, a gloved hand picked up the Qingxin flower left in front of the statue of the Geo Archon. The dark-haired man gazed out to the horizon with a gentle smile on his lips before he turned and blinked at the sight of large white flowers obstructing his view.

The flowers waved around in his vision, pulling back to reveal a smiling Childe holding onto a bouquet of Qingxin.

“For you, the fairest of them all.”

Zhongli looked around the statue and found all the Qingxin flowers that grew around here were plucked by the former Harbinger. He shook his head with a light smile and accepted the bouquet, adding the one in his hand to them.

“Thank you,” he thanked, already thinking of whether or not he got a vase for these flowers. If not, he will have to go find one.

A jade vase would certainly fit these flowers beautifully…

He will also need to get a painter to paint down the beauty of the flowers…

“Despite living so long, you adepti are all so interesting,” Childe snickered. “These flower suits you. Both you and that Xiao.”

“How so?” Zhongli lifted his eyes to meet those light blue eyes staring at him. The raven didn’t know why, but he felt his heart skipped a beat when he saw how intensely the Alpha was looking at him.

Childe walked forward and plucked a white petal off of the flower. He placed the petal against his lips and smirked at the oldest adeptus.

“In Liyue, Qingxin means Pure Heart, doesn’t it?”

The Snezhnayan leaned forward, pressing his lips firmly against the Omega’s. Zhongli’s entire body stiffened upon the contact. His golden eyes were slowly rounding while his grips over the flowers went slack, but not so much that he would drop them.

The kiss only lasted three short seconds before Childe pulled away with a laugh bubbling from his throat. Zhong stood there, his body as stiff as a rock with a white petal sticking on his bottom lip.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t told you my real name yet so listen closely, Morax.” He leaned towards the archon’s ear and whispered the name he had left behind ever since becoming a warrior. "My name is Ajax."

#genshin impact #zhongli #childe #xiao #cyno #genshin impact fanfiction #childe x zhongli #cyno x xiao

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rwby-diaries · 4 years

Photo

Fair Game Weekend 2020!

Day 1: Confessions

We couldn’t participate in the entire weekend, but we couldn’t help ourselves with this prompt! Our favourite uncles have been in love for a very long time~

Line Art by: @bosiphas

Colour by: @data-plays-viola

Ficlet by: @bosiphas

Ficlet edited by: @data-plays-viola and @lameclub

Ficlet under the cut!

Qrow wasn’t sure how to go about it. There was a tightness in his chest and a pit in his stomach. The thought of being so vulnerable, even in front of Clover, was unbearable. He’d changed since his days in the tribe. Before, he’d never have even let himself feel anything for Clover let alone tell him his feelings. But he was different now, and as much as it made him scared, he was happy. But that thought scared him even more. What happened if that happiness left? What if Qrow let himself be vulnerable and share the most private parts of himself to someone that sparked such joy in him, and that’s what drove him away? And in the back of his mind, he could hear his sister. We’re here to learn how to kill huntsfolk. Despite the connections they’d made with Tai and Summer, Raven would still try to remind Qrow, and by extension herself, that they weren’t staying. Her words had been a dreadful reminder for the past 3 years anytime either of them got too close to someone. He’d had a hard time admitting to her that he would never want to go back. Not after everything, after Summer and Tai, and… Clover.

Qrow swallowed hard, his palms clammy, as he stood in front of Clover on the helipad, ready to depart for Vale.

“So…” he muttered, trying to hold eye contact with him but failing miserably. As much as he wanted to stare into Clover’s beautiful green eyes all the time, right now they were heavy on his heart. Qrow scratched the back of his head awkwardly as Summer squealed a goodbye to Lucy, Clover’s teammate, a few feet away. Raven and Tai were just beyond the pair, saying their goodbyes to the remaining two of Clover’s team, Rayne and Vivian. It would’ve been easier if Qrow had been alone with Clover.

“I wish the Vytal Festival was longer,” Clover admitted, pulling Qrow’s attention back to him. “Would’ve given us more time together.” He took a step forward to Qrow, reaching out his hand and gently taking his.

Qrow looked down at his hand in Clover’s, then back up to meet Clover’s eyes. He could feel a slight warmth in his cheeks as Clover smiled softly at him. Gods, how could he ever have the guts to say this? What if it was too soon? He would scare Clover off—no, that didn’t sound like him, Clover was more forward than anyone he’d ever met. What if Clover wasn’t there yet and he made him feel uncomfortable? They’d only been together a few months. Spent almost every day together since they’d fought in Round 1 Team Fights of the tournament. Qrow clenched his jaw, trying not to smile too much, thinking of the stupid way they’d gotten tangled in Kingfisher’s line and Clover, gods Clover, smirked and said, “Lucky me, huh?”

Clover squeezed Qrow’s hand, noticing him tense up. He was anxious about something and getting distracted. “I’ll message you every day,” Clover declared, trying to sound practical by saying “message” instead of “call”. He’d already fallen so in love with the boy, but he could tell Qrow was someone not used to being so open with people. He wouldn’t ask—Clover didn’t want to pry—but he could surmise it was something to do with his family. His twin sister Raven was even more closed off, save for the rare moment with her team. And Clover didn’t think she liked him very much.

Qrow looked down to his feet, gathering his thoughts for a moment. He had to say it, he didn’t want to leave without saying it. Letting out a shaky but calming sigh, Qrow looked back up to Clover once more, determined. “I…” Qrow’s voice cracked slightly and he hesitated. His head was swirling with what if’s. “Y-you… have my number…” Fucking dumbass. Qrow cursed himself, defeated. Chickening out at the last minute, gods he felt pathetic.

Clover could tell Qrow was holding back, but in the interest of not pressuring him, he only chuckled in response. “I have it memorized, so, no chance of losing it.” Clover hesitated himself, wanting to follow his instincts to lean in and kiss Qrow, but he didn’t seem ready for PDA yet.

“Uh…” Qrow went to scratch the back of his head again, something he’d realized was a bit of a nervous tick, but he’d gone to do it with the hand Clover was holding. Qrow froze before he let go of Clover’s hand, but unfortunately, it was too late as Clover let go of his hand in response. “Oh, no… I–”

“Qrow! C’mon! We gotta get going!” Tai yelled from behind him on the airship that was taking them back to Vale.

Qrow tensed up his shoulders, annoyed. As Clover turned around and waved at his team that had called to him as well, Qrow turned to his own team that was waiting on him, Summer giving Tai grief for interrupting him and Clover, and Raven standing there, arms folded across her chest, unimpressed with a sour look on her face. He sighed heavily, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to say it now, but he’d be damned if he didn’t show some sort of affection to Clover. He had to, Clover couldn’t always be the one to close the distance.

As the two boys turned back around to face each other to say the final goodbye, Qrow leaned in hurriedly and placed a small peck on Clover’s cheek, and just as quickly pulled away. “Call me.” Qrow didn’t mean for it to sound so demanding, but he didn’t have time to correct himself, he was sure he looked ridiculous, his entire face was on fire. Without waiting for a response from Clover, Qrow turned around and hastily boarded the aircraft.

Clover watched Qrow run up the ramp of the aircraft, lifting his hand to touch his cheek where Qrow had kissed him. A wide smile spread on his face and he called out a goodbye to Qrow. He needed to give him more credit. Qrow wasn’t as closed off as he thought, and Clover knew that kiss took a lot of effort on his part.

Qrow turned around as the doors of the aircraft started to close, unable to help himself, getting one last glimpse of Clover’s face. He had the biggest smile on his face since they’d had their first kiss; Qrow could practically see the shining aura of happiness around his face as Clover waved him goodbye.

Qrow turned back around, let himself fall back against the closed door as the aircraft took off, and slid to the floor. He put his hands in his face, trying to ignore Tai’s laughter and feeling his sister’s piercing gaze on him.

“You look a little embarrassed, Qrow!” Tai teased, still thunderously laughing.

Raven moved her hands from her hips and crossed them in front of her chest. “More like he looks like a child.” She threw the insult at him, knowing he’d know why she was not happy.

Qrow dropped his hands from his face and snapped his head up to meet his sister’s gaze, giving her a warning glare.

Tai interrupted their staring contest, putting an arm around Raven and pulling her to the seats on the other side of the cabin. “C’mon, Raven! Haven’t you ever been in love?” He added an affected dramatic tone to the words “in love.”

“N-no! Of course not!” Raven tried to elbow Tai off her, but she still walked to sit with him.

Qrow watched his sister be a hypocrite with a look of disdain on his face as Summer took a seat next to him on the cabin floor.

“Do you love him?”

Qrow was surprised by the question, looking to Summer who could read his emotions almost as easily as Clover could, maybe even better. She was his best friend. The only thing she didn’t know about him was why he and Raven had enrolled at Beacon in the first place. He’d never admit to Raven how much he’d told Summer over the years–including but not limited to their upbringing in the Tribe. When he met this little girl in the forest 3 years ago, he never thought they’d turn out like this: Qrow wouldn’t know what to do without Summer.

Before he answered he looked back over to Raven and Tai, making sure they, or rather she couldn’t hear him. Qrow sighed looking at his hands. “More than I ever thought I could,” he answered.

Summer smiled, noticing herself how much Qrow had changed since she’d met him, but she wished Raven had made the same progress he had. “Then I’m sure it’ll all work out.” She adjusted her position that had been slightly turned to Qrow and placed her back flat against the door and rested her head against it.

Qrow smirked, looking over to Summer, ready to put the heat on her this time. “What about you and Lucy?”

Summer’s shoulders tensed and her cheeks lit up. “What about me and Lucy?” She sputtered, embarrassed.

“You’re not going to date her?”

Summer pressed her lips together, feeling dejected from Qrow’s question. “Lucy’s great, I like her a lot… but…” She peaked past Qrow and down to Tai who was teasing Raven by messing up her hair. She paid him back with a small jab in his side with Omen’s hilt.

Qrow followed her line of sight but already knew who she was looking to. “Sorry.”

Summer shook her head, equal parts an acknowledgment and a way to keep herself from crying. “It’s okay.” She rested her head on Qrow’s shoulder, who rested his head on Summer’s in return. After a long pause, she spoke again. “I’m sure you’ll be luckier than I am with love.” She grinned.

“Hey.” Qrow reached over with his hand and pinched her cheek as she giggled, chuckling with her. “Brat,” he sneered jokingly, but he knew she was deflecting to make herself appear okay. He wouldn’t say anything else though, knowing it would be better to leave it at that and sit with Summer in comfortable silence while he kicked himself for not saying what he wanted to Clover. Next time. Qrow promised himself. ~~~ When they finally got back to Beacon, it was late. Everyone was dragging their feet, walking back to their dorm rooms. Summer had fallen asleep during the flight and instead of waking her, Qrow opted to carry her. Tai had offered, but Qrow thought it best for him to carry her instead, considering certain feelings. As they were walking through the halls, Tai yawned dramatically and stretched his arms above his head.

“Imma go hit the showers before bed.” Tai split off from the other three, taking a hard right down to the co-ed bathrooms. “G’night…” He waved behind him to his teammates as they continued on down to their room.

Raven sighed heavily. “Such a child.” She shook her head and grimaced.

“You? Yeah, I agree,” Qrow spoke in a pointed but hushed tone.

Raven glared at him. “No. Shut up. I’m talking about our teammates.”

“Quiet, Raven,” Qrow warned his sister, not wanting her to wake Summer. “Don’t start. You always do this, when either of us is getting close to someone you -”

“I don’t get close to anyone,” Raven denied, stopping in front of her younger twin and crossing her arms.

Qrow rolled his eyes, stepped around her, and continued down the hall. “Okay, edgelord.” Raven started to retort his jab but Qrow continued. “Stop lying to yourself, Raven. You don’t have to. If you think I’m going to judge you for liking Tai,” Raven tried to interrupt once more at Qrow’s claim, but he continued still, ignoring her denials. “Or for being friends with Summer, I’m not.” Qrow turned slightly to look back at her and decided to take a chance. “We don’t have to go back.” He paused at Raven’s expression after finishing his daring suggestion. He’d expected her to deny such an option and penalize him for even thinking about it, but he could see it on her face: she’d considered it already. Her eyes fell from his face to the ground, and her eyebrows arched up. It was rare for Raven to show such a… vulnerable expression. “Raven, you-” Qrow began, but she quickly cut him off.

“Whatever, I’m going for a walk.” She turned on her heel and walked away from him, any vulnerability she was showing just seconds ago was now gone.

Qrow pressed his lips together and took a deep, tired breath. He wouldn’t bother her anymore; if left on her own, Raven would surely come to the same conclusion he had. Hopefully. He had to admit he was still surprised, though. His sister was many things, but stubborn was probably one of her most obvious qualities. Tai’s shitty flirting must’ve been doing something then. Qrow continued on to take Summer and himself to bed.

As he finally reached their dorm room, he felt Summer stir on his back. “Hey, Petals. We’re home,” he said and opened the door to their room. As Summer mumbled sliding down his back, he guided her to her bed and tucked her in.

“You should tell him, Qrow,” Summer mumbled out while lazily plopping herself onto her bed and laying down. She opened her eyes to meet Qrow’s, barely able to keep them open.

He stared at her for a moment, not sure what to say. “Just go to sleep,” he instructed.

“I forgot to give you the picture,” Summer spoke softly, digging around in her sweater pocket. After a moment of tired grumbles, she pulled out a polaroid and handed it to him.

Qrow felt his chest tighten as he looked at the photo. It was slightly bent around the edges from being in Summer’s pocket, but it was a picture of him and Clover. Last night, when their teams ended up just sleeping in Clover and his teammates’ dorm room instead of going back to their own. Qrow had fallen asleep next to Clover, and—he didn’t remember how—it seemed he’d made Clover’s chest his pillow. Clover was hugging him in and also sound asleep.

“You took this?”

Summer nodded, her eyes still lidded. “Raven told me to.”

Qrow paused, noticeably shocked. “Raven did?”

Summer nodded once more, stretching her back, and arching up. “Mhm,” she hummed. “You know, you both get much more relaxed when you think the other isn’t paying attention…” She opened her eyes a little more to properly meet Qrow’s gaze.

‘Cause we’re both not saying what we’re feeling. Qrow told himself.

“Night…” Summer sighed and turned over.

Before Qrow could respond to Summer, his scroll buzzed in his pocket. As he took it out and saw that Clover sent him a message, he’d returned the goodnight to Summer. He glanced back at her, sound asleep, then turned around to read the message.

Have you gotten back to Beacon yet?

Qrow replied: Just got back

A few seconds after his reply had been sent, his scroll started to ring with a call from Clover.

Qrow quickly walked out into the hallway to leave Summer in peace, before answering it. He closed the door with a light click and answered the call before he’d even realized this was their first conversation on the phone. His mouth became dry as he lifted the speaker up to greet him. His scroll felt heavier than normal, and his hands weaker. “H-hey,” Qrow stammered, trying to be aware of his voice and how he sounded.

“Hey! Did you make it back safe?” Qrow could practically hear Clover smiling, his voice was… different on the phone but it still sounded like him: almost unbearably chipper.

Qrow chuckled and leaned against the door. “What? Did ya think my bad luck would take down the plane?”

There was a slight pause on Clover’s side. “That’s not what I meant…” He replied, a nervous tone streaking his voice. Ever since they’d met Clover could tell that Qrow’s semblance was a sensitive subject. He would make small jokes about it sometimes, usually in contrast to his own semblance, but he didn’t want to upset him. Another thing, besides his past and childhood, that he didn’t want to pry about. There was an unmistakable desire to help Qrow be okay with his semblance, even if it was gradual.

Qrow tensed up, realizing his tone wasn’t clear that he was joking. “No, I know! I was just… kidding,” he explained, pausing at Clover’s soft “Oh” then continued. “Yeah, I made it back safe. I’m okay…”

“That’s good,” Clover replied. There were a few seconds of silence, and for Qrow, it felt like an eternity. Since when was speaking on the phone so nerve-wracking? Clover was the first to speak up. “I miss you,” he spoke softly. And with those simple words, Qrow’s heart felt like it could burst at the seams.

“I miss you too,” Qrow mirrored Clover’s soft tone. It wasn’t something he was prepared for, getting so attached to someone so far away. And before he’d met Clover, he had never imagined being so in love with someone. He and Raven were taught that love was a weakness, which even put a wedge between them, despite being twins. It was something so foreign to him when he first got to Beacon. He thanked whatever gods there were that Summer and Tai came into his life. And now he also had Clover, and the thought of losing him—losing that absolute fool that radiated sunshine—terrified him more than any monster he would ever fight.

Clover smiled sadly at Qrow’s response. He was happy he also missed him, but in a perfect world, they wouldn’t have to miss each other. “Maybe I’ll transfer to Beacon,” Clover half-joked.

Qrow gave a defeated laugh, knowing that Clover wanted to but wouldn’t. “You can’t. You have your heart set on joining the Atlas Military.” That also baffled Qrow. An ex-bandit falling for the Golden Boy who wanted to be a cop to do good and bring peace to the world. Personally, he couldn’t see the correlation between Clover’s ideals and his career choices, but he felt it wasn’t his place to question him anyway. Besides, it’s not like he could judge as an ex-bandit. He’d done plenty of bad in his life before he was even 18.

Clover chuckled. “Maybe you could transfer to Atlas and join with me,” he said smugly.

Qrow scoffed. “Fat chance. You aren’t going to get that lucky, Cloves.”

Clover hummed. “Lucky enough to know you.”

Qrow froze and his cheeks felt warm. Clover could be so cavalier about small comments like that: almost always luck puns. Those used to bug him to no end, luck jokes at his expense. His bad luck was just another reason for him to never be truly close to someone. Now, it was a connection to him, and the jokes were just a part of their love language. He still had a… difficult relationship with his semblance, but knowing his opposite—his other half—was around made it better. “You’re such a nerd.” Qrow listened to Clover’s tired laugh, unable to stop from smiling.

“You know you love me!” Clover retorted. However, the two boys instantly froze on either end of the call. “I-I mean… I didn’t mean-” Clover stuttered out frantically, worried the comment would put Qrow off.

Qrow’s entire face was glowing as he listened to Clover stammer and trip over his words trying to take back his teasing joke. In the back of his head, he could hear his own voice. Say it now. “Yeah.” Without giving himself another second to think about it, he jumped into the deep end. “…I do.”

Clover’s stutters had ceased, but Qrow could hear a shaky breath on the other side. “What?” Clover hoped, prayed Qrow would elaborate. He wanted clarification. He wanted to know he wasn’t misunderstanding, and if he wasn’t, he wanted to hear it again.

Qrow bit his lip, mentally pushing himself to talk. “I… love you.” Qrow gripped his scroll in his hand so hard his knuckles turned white. He swallowed hard, feeling a giant pit in his throat. His courage ran out though, he couldn’t wait and hear Clover’s response. “Bye!” Qrow yelled, hung up his scroll, and watched the screen as the call disconnected, hearing Clover call his name as it cut off.

“Qrow! Wait, Qrow!” Clover tried to call out to him but the line was already disconnected. No, no, no, no! Clover froze for a moment, his mind processing what had happened. I love you. The words echoed in his head, and it took another moment again to process that Qrow had said them…to him! Clover let out a shaky breath, feeling overwhelming happiness. It was being overshadowed by the anxiety of not having said it back yet, though. He couldn’t not say it back! He had to call Qrow back, and he needed to say it to him. Gods, he was over the moon, but he couldn’t even think about that as he frantically tried to dial Qrow’s number in his scroll. It felt like he’d lost all control in his fingers; he fumbled so many times. “I need to say it back,” Clover whispered under his breath, tears of frustration stinging his eyes.

Qrow watched the screen of his scroll for a few seconds before letting his arms fall to his sides. He let his head fall back, hitting the door and sinking to the floor once again. His breath trembled, hands shaking. His heart was racing, and somehow, he was out of breath. He felt like he could throw up. And all of these afflictions heightened instantly when his scroll started to ring again. He lifted it to read Clover’s name on the screen. He was calling him back. Fuck. Why didn’t I turn it off?! Qrow watched his scroll ring, unable to move to answer it, only feeling his heart thump against his chest. Gods he couldn’t answer; he didn’t know what Clover would say. But as he decided to pretend to be asleep and let it ring, a message came through, also from Clover:

Please answer!!

Qrow felt his chest tighten, an unbearable weight made him unable to ignore the feeling. Impulsively he jammed his finger on the screen, answering the call. It took a solid few seconds for him to lift the speaker back up to his ear, but when he finally did, Clover’s voice flowed through the receiver. “Qrow, are you there?” Clover hoped he’d respond, he had to know he was there on the other end listening.

“…Yeah.”

“I love you too!” His voice was high and cracked slightly, but he didn’t care. He just needed to make sure he’d said it.

Qrow sucked in a breath, a million thoughts overflowing his head. Had he heard Clover right? It felt like his ears were ringing so loud just from those words. His entire body felt hot, his chest felt heavy and light at the same time, and his fingertips went numb. Qrow almost dropped his scroll when Clover called out to him again.

“Qrow… Did you hear me?”

Qrow exhaled and closed his mouth that had been agape. He licked his dry lips before biting the bottom one and focused back on Clover’s voice. “Yes… No. I - Did you-” He stumbled through a few words, unable to form a proper sentence.

“I love you too,” Clover repeated, less frantic to get it out. He let out a strangled breath, trying to get his breathing back to normal, and rubbed his eyes to get out the tears that had built up.

“You do?” Qrow curled his legs halfway up to his chest, setting his free hand down on his thigh.

Clover hummed happily. “Very much,” he answered.

Qrow teared up, a big smile on his face as he let out a few happy sighs and patted his legs excitedly.

Clover chuckled in response to hearing Qrow’s reaction, only wishing that they were face to face so he could embrace him and give him an overwhelming amount of kisses. But the thought was cut short when Rayne threw a pillow at Clover’s face.

“Clover I’m happy for you and your boyfriend but please be quiet,” he implored, and Vivian and Lucy mumbled tiredly in agreement.

“Okay, Rayne,” Clover responded flatly. “I’m sorry, I have to go. Is it alright if I call you tomorrow?” Clover asked in a hushed voice.

“Yeah!” Qrow answered eagerly but cleared his throat when he realized he was being too eager. “…if you want,” he corrected himself.

Clover chuckled lightly. “I want,” he paused, “Goodnight, love you,” Clover spoke softly—so quiet Qrow could barely hear—but held his breath after saying it again. He waited to hear the words repeated back to him; he wanted to hear Qrow say them again.

“Love you too.” Qrow sighed happily as the line disconnected, and he let his hand fall beside him. He tilted his head back against the door, looking up to the hallway ceiling. He couldn’t think of a time he’d been this happy. Ever. He continued to pat his legs with his hands eagerly. The emotions were overwhelming, but he felt like he could fly just from hearing Clover return his feelings. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all, getting close to people. He’d always have those reservations in the back of his mind. It was hard to unlearn everything the tribe had taught him, plus, his semblance was always hard to manage. Maybe Raven could also be happy here, and with Tai, if she wanted that. Both of them could have a great life and never have to think of the tribe again.

At the very least, Qrow found himself hoping he’d have these important people in his life for a long time. ~~~ The shrill ringing of Qrow’s scroll pulled him out of his half-asleep daze. It was early—too early—which meant he knew exactly who was calling him. He rolled over from his back to his side, reaching to his scroll that was almost buzzing itself off the side table. Knowing who it was, he answered the call with a quiet, “G’morning, babe.”

“Good morning, my Pretty Bird. Happy Anniversary.”

The smile on Qrow’s face grew wider, but his eyes stayed shut. “Happy Anniversary.” His voice was croaky in contrast with Clover’s bright and awake voice. He’d likely been up for a couple of hours already.

“Late start?” Clover smiled smugly. “Early bird gets the worm,” He teased.

Qrow scoffed while rubbing his face. “Shut up,” he teased back but then sighed heavily, and Clover picked up on the exhaustion in his tone. “Long night…” Qrow paused. “Wish you were here.”

Clover felt a tug in his chest but opted to be positive. It sounded like Qrow needed it. “I know, I wish I was there too. I wish we could’ve been together for our anniversary so I could call you from the living room.” He listened to Qrow’s quiet chuckle, a loving soft smile creeping onto his face.

“You’re such a dork… If you were here you could just say it to my face.” Qrow rolled his eyes, but the fond smile stayed. Clover had always insisted on calling Qrow even if they were together for the anniversary of their first ‘I love you’s’, he’d call Qrow and they’d say it because that’s how they first said them.

Clover hummed. “I’d do both.” Clover paused and looked to the gold ring on his finger. “I can’t wait to marry you next month.”

Qrow’s mood picked up thinking about how the date had gotten closer and closer. He spun his own silver band with his thumb and prayed nothing happened that would cause any delay or sour the service in any way. His luck, even with Clover to balance it, sometimes had perfect timing. “I can’t wait to marry you either. Going to make you my Lucky Charm for life.”

“I love you,” Clover said confidently.

“I love you more,” Qrow retorted, mirroring Clover’s tone.

“Not possible.”

“That’s what you think, Lucky Charm.”

#rwby #rwby v8 #rwby volume 8 #fair game #fairgame #fair game weekend 2020 #fairgameweekend2020 #qrow branwen #clover ebi #summer rose #taiyang xiao long #raven branwen #rwby rewrite #rwby rewritten #post #canon #bo

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razorblade180 · 4 years

Text

Rosebud Prologue:The first move.

In times of despair and sorrow there are fundamentally two options. Wallow in it, or move forward despite through the pain. A wise person would recommend escaping one’s own personal suffering. A wiser man would ask the question nobody else does. When you move forward, what happens to things left behind? They don’t fade away, not always. Sometimes...they try to keep up.

It was just another day. Ruby was doing dishes while her fourteen year old daughter, Carmine, held her baby brother in her arms. The little monster was enjoying his bottle while his happy sister hummed Gold to him. Ruby couldn’t help but feel all warm inside. Carmine had been doing everything and more to help out. This past year could’ve been way harder without her, but now things had fallen into a decent routine. More importantly, Ruby could say goodbye to sweatpants again and hello to corsets! Her body was back in action like it was before pregnancy. Loving her children had no limits but it felt heavenly to not feel like a balloon again. Jaune never complained though. Most likely because it meant it was his turn to whip her into shape. The sneaky husband loved helping with her stretches.

Ruby put away the last dish and dried her hands. “Wanna switch off?” She asked, clearly seeing Carmine enjoy her current duty. The girl shook her head no. “I’m fine feeding Garnet. Just another role as big sis!” Her smile practically reached her eyes. Ruby noticed Carmine had her red contacts in. “Going somewhere soon?

“Yep. When dad gets back with groceries I’m gonna head out to do a bit of patrolling. Thought I’d stop by Sun’s place and see if Aero wanted to join. He gets snippy if I don’t at least try and convince him to join.” Ruby laughed, that was pretty on brand for the boy. “Just don’t go around town starting trouble. I’m tired of the cops telling me you’re playing vigilante.” Carmine couldn’t help scoff at such exaggerated claims. “How’s it my fault I happened to encounter a gang leader in his hidden base of operations? It was poorly hidden. Besides, the cops haven’t called in weeks.”

Ruby’s scroll immediately starts ringing with the Vacou police department ID on it. She turns to Carmine and sighs. “Listen, I was wild like this too, but not this wild.” Carmine raised an eyebrow. “But...I haven’t done anything. In a while, or that they can prove…” she hoped. Ruby only shook her head tiredly and answered. “What or who did Carmine break?” The officer laughed lightly before it faded off. “No no, this isn’t about Carmine. One of the stations a couple of miles out of the kingdom to the neighboring towns called our department. If I’m correct, you were very close with Maria Calavera, yes?” Ruby moved away from her kids and spoke lower. Maria had passed away several years ago. It was the first time Carmine looked so hurt. “Yes, is everything okay? Did something happen to her house,”

“Her home is fine, but not her tombstone. Apparently some punk kid decided to defile it. The cops are wondering if you can drop by and scare the punk into proper shape. You know how people get when they meet you. Also you take care and technically on it, so pressing charges have to come from you.” Ruby was still processing someone disrespecting a grave. To what gain? Maria had no more enemies. Not to mention that her grave wasn’t in a cemetery. It was moved to a hill near the outskirts. “Yeah I’ll show up. I can’t promise I won’t scare the kid to death though. I can’t believe a person did such a thing. This world I’ll tell ya; give me a few minutes to head out. Have them with me so they can admire their work before I make them clean it all up.” Ruby hung up and let out a sigh. There was always something.

“Everything okay?” Carmine asked. She walked towards her mother and held Garnet's adorably chubby face in front of Ruby’s face. It was impossible not to smile at it. “Hehe, I’m fine. Looks like a certain baby is fine too. I might have to put this boy on a diet!” She poked his tummy and patted Carmine’s head. “I gotta go to your abuela’s gravesite. Somebody was messing with it and I gotta give them a stern talking to.” Carmine looked as stunned as Ruby did, then her face scowled. Ruby had seen that before. “Nah ah, you can not come and beat them up.”

Carmine poked her lips out. “You’re no fun. I guess I’ll keep the house safe with Garnet then.” As if she had a choice. Who else was gonna do it!? She stopped pouting when Ruby kissed her forehead. Carmine wanted to rub it off but her hands were full. “Mom!” Ruby stuck her tongue out childishly as she walked away. “Lock the door! You dad will be home soon.” The front door was closed and the house became a little more quiet. “Well it’s just you and I now.” Garnet blinked his eye at her curiously before spitting up a little on himself. Carmine closes her eyes to collect herself. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

xxxx

The trip to Esperanza from the outskirts of Vacou was only a couple miles; not a real problem for someone who walked all the way to Haven. Ruby reached Maria’s small and festive hometown in about half an hour. It was still rather early for everyone to be out and about but noise and smells of food sizzling filled the air all the same. Ruby always liked this place. She spotted the tree that stood proudly on the hill on the other side of the town. Even from here she could see some limbs had been broken off and some kind of fabric flowing off of it. “Why would-ugh, teenagers.” Ruby groaned. Under the tree she could see a cop and another individual draped in a black hood. Now she was even more confused. An over eager fan or hater maybe? Many people around here loved Maria and her legendary status. Ruby wasted no time racing up to the vandalism, catching the raven haired officer off guard. Her emerald eyes bugged out at the sudden appearance.

“Gah! Wow, you’re faster up close. You should come with a bell.” Ruby chuckled at the statement. “I bet the grimm would love that idea.” A closer look at the tree revealed more damaged limbs and roughed up ground. Ruby turned to the cloaked figure who avoided her gaze. They were taller than Ruby expected but that’s all she could decipher. “Care to explain why you felt so compelled to ruin a memorial? Disrespecting the dead is pretty low.” She said firmly, crossing her arms for more affect.

The person hid further in their hood. Ruby waited for any possible response but there was only silence. They looked at the ground and dug their right foot into the dirt. The cop touched Ruby soldier. “He’s been pretty silent since I caught him red handed. There’s a mark on the back of the tree they spray painted. I can’t make sense of it but I was hoping you might be able to. For all I know, no gangs use that tag.” Ruby pointed star the culprit. “Don’t you dare try to run. We’re not finished young man.” He nodded. Ruby backed away slowly. There were always a few that tried running. It was as if they forgot what her semblance was.

A few steps from her and the cop told her that the dude was just gonna stay there. She finally turned around to examine the tree. “You said the back right? Gangs spray paint all the time so I might not know what….” her voice drifted into silence as she reached the other side of the trees. She had to take a few steps back to make sure she was seeing things okay. “This-This is…” words still eluded her as Ruby stared at black spray paint that perfectly made the image of a queen chess piece. Ruby could feel her face lose its color. “Cinder…” it was as if her name was a trigger for disaster. The tree suddenly was cut into by a blade that pierced the other side. Ruby was barely able to dodge the surprise attack, getting a clear view of the weapon. It was a scythe. Their culprit was holding a standard scythe that counted swinging at her. A small smirk was visible on the young man’s face as he came at her in full force.

The scythe constantly spun in his hand as he tried to swipe Ruby.The woman was done being surprised however. Ruby easily ducked and whipped out Cresent Rose. “Wanna play huh? Fine.” She hissed. Fighting first and asking questions later was something Ruby could get behind. She gripped the pole of her weapon tight and swung horizontally. The force alone caused enough pressure to push her opponent back while the blade barely scratched his torso. He had good reflexes. Ruby blitzed behind him and slashed him back before disappearing and reappearing in front of him. Ruby spun the bottom of her scythe and clipped his chin, then took a shot to thrust it forward. The sharp metal end would’ve connected to his face if an unexpected bullet didn’t hit Ruby in her arm. She turns her head to see the cop’s gun trained on her with deadly accuracy.

“What the hell are you-huh?” The emerald eyes of the cop turned pink and brown along with her hair. A familiar mischievous laughter comes from the old adversary as she twirls the gun and watches Ruby avoid the opponent in front of her. “Hey Rubes! You’re looking good; filled out quite a bit. I know your husband must like that.” She fired a few more bullets at Ruby’s feet to keep her moving as the red reaper was easily out classing the man in black, but he was nothing but persistent. He forced Ruby to jump by sweeping her feet and shoulder bashed her to the ground. Expert or not, Ruby was only so big. She quickly recovered by tumbling backwards and dashed towards Neo. For the first time in a long time, an ache more deadly than any blade pierced Ruby’s heart. Ruby couldn’t help but be bombarded with the memories of seventeen years ago.

“WHERE IS SHE!?” Ruby screamed at the smirking woman. That smirk pissed her off to no end. Not again, they’re not taking anything again. She swung Crescent Rose downward at Neo’s face, but quickly spun it sideways to shoot herself towards the right. The cloaked figure sprinted in front of her and blocked a horizontal slash that looked like it would’ve hit air, but wouldn’t. The Neo behind her shattered and the real one poked her head out from behind the man, happily surprised. “Damn, nothing gets past you anymore huh? Saw right through me.” Neo tried getting off another shot. “Still fast?” One bullet fired at close range only hit a rose petal. Instincts told Neo to push her partner out the way and duck. It was the right call. The edge of a scythe blade had been dropped and yanked backwards where Neo’s neck was. “I’m faster…”

Neo’s partner swung the end of the shaft to Neo to grab a hold of then Yanked her to safety behind him. “Phew, thanks darling. Told you she was the real deal.” Neo finally stopped smiling and glared at Ruby. “That’s What makes this next part so satisfying.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a detonator. Ruby’s body tensed up and her assault was halted. Neo’s thumb rubbed the top of the bottom rhythmically. “Guess where the bomb is?”

Ruby didn’t even flinch. “Leave the townspeople out of this or I swear-”

“Times up!” Neo hit the button and Ruby gasped. She went to dash at Neo but was hit in the side with a scythe from behind. The image in front of her shattered as she stumbled into it. An anger growl left her throat as Neo laughed. “Hahaha, kidding! This trigger does nothing.” She tossed it to the ground. “Still gullible after all these years. How are you not dead? Oh wait, others die for you.”

“Little…” Ruby grit her teeth and fired round after round at Neo. The cloaked man spun his scythe to deflect each one. He jumped forward with a downward slash but missed. Ruby spun in a tight vortex of petals that kept his feet fry the ground. She hooked his scythe with hers and yanked it out of his hands then hurled it Neo; not a shred of concern was seen as Neo leaned to the side and caught it. She turned to wink but saw Ruby behind her partner with the man on one knee and gripping the pole off Crescent Rose in an attempt to remove it from his neck before Ruby could choke him out. Neo pointed her pistol again but didn’t pull the trigger. With most of Ruby’s body behind his, it wouldn’t be a good idea to test her aim.

“Heroes take hostages now? That’s so cold”

“You would know.” Ruby pulled harder. “Must mean a lot to you if you’re not shooting. Where’s Cinder?”

“What? Am I not enough for you? Is my vengeance second rate? I thought you’d like me more after all we’ve been through.” Neo pouted.

“LAST CHANCE! OR-” Neo dropped the gun and yawned. “Or what? You’ll strangle him? That would be a terrible way to end a reunion, right Dustin?”

Just like that, Ruby felt her body go numb. “D-Dustin?” She muttered. Her grip accidentally loosened and the man ducked under the metal bar against his neck and rolled away in less than a second. The ground beneath Ruby trembled. Vines armed with thrones shot from the dirt and wrapped around her legs, waist, arms, and neck like barbed wire that pulled her down to her knees. The pain drained and felt a numbing, but Ruby could only stare at the black roses that bloomed on them slowly as the man walked towards Neo and grabbed his scythe. He looked back at Ruby who stared in disbelief, tears flooding her eyes. “D-Dustin…?” She repeated, her voice cracking. Ruby watched the man pull the hood off. Suddenly the world didn’t seem real. Her body felt ice cold with only the warmth of her tears on her face that came from silver eyes that became dim and cloudy; a perfect reflection of the ones in front her. Including the red and black hair. The difference being it was on a face that reflected not just her, but the man she married. It was only once, but Ruby never forgot that face. The face of the boy that made her a mother. The face she mourned for more times then she dared remember.

He finally spoke, “Hey mom. Glad you can make it.” The weight of cold and dense bone gripped Ruby’s shoulder. There wasn’t a nerve in her body that didn’t feel like fire and a heartbeat that didn’t sound like a boombox in her eardrums. If she was trembling before then she was now. Ruby didn’t even bother looking up. The shadow on the ground was enough. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s been quite some time since I met your mother in person. Isn’t that right?” The hand grabbed Ruby’s chin and turned it up to the right. Now Ruby had no choice but to look.

Cinder stood there looking down. Her previous outfit was ditched for dark purple leather pants and a black shirt that faintly glowed a deep fiery red like her heels. Not only was her arm different, looking fully formed and in case the bone armor grimm is known for, her eyes weren’t the same. One remained the same as before. The one that was never harmed. It was the injured one that made Ruby’s mouth run dry. The eye, it was silver as well. “Why don’t we catch up a bit? Normally I’m on a time crunch but since everyone is held up….” She turned Ruby’s head to the left and let her see what she had been missing out on. The wind around Vacou had picked up and turned a dust storm. In it, Ruby saw thousands of red eyes and the sign of fire. Alarm sirens blared seconds later.

“My gods…” Ruby gasped.

“Got to love subterranean grimm. Just have them move slow enough and a little magic to tip the weather in your advantage, then boom. Ambushed without a warning.” Cinder finally let her go sauntered over to Neo and Dustin. “Unfortunately it’s more smoke and mirrors than an actual bang. Tragedies on the scale of Beacon’s are hard to replicate. All you kids have grown up now and everywhere. It’s a pain in the ass. This event was just made to keep us uninterrupted.” Ruby tried struggling through the vines but could barely move. Every shift made her wince as they tightened. Not only that, but she actually felt weaker. They were doing more than restraining her. Cinder found amusement in the struggle. “Your son’s semblance is pretty annoying, isn’t it? Best not to move. Dustin, don’t over do it. I still want my fun.”

The pain eased and her strength was less inhibited. Ruby still couldn’t believe what was happening. She stared at her child who stared back, despondent. “Dustin, it’s me. I’m-”

He silenced her by tightening the single vine on her neck quickly. “I know exactly who you are.” Anger and vigor flooded his eyes in a glare that could only be seen as murderous. “And I have nothing to say to you.” Cinder rubbed his back. “Don’t mind him. You know how teens are, all rebellious and angry.” This situation was going so well she couldn’t help but laugh. “That being said, he’s grown into such a fine young man under my-”

“Ahem!” Neo said loudly. Cinder rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Under our guidance. He’s been quite helpful. Killing silver eyed people and learning their abilities has been far easier when he started helping out. It’s a shame, getting old that is. I used to go collecting by myself. Now he brings back the prizes for me sometimes.” Cinder rubbed the side of her face and saw Ruby shiver in shock. Their attention to each other was disrupted by a flashing light from Ruby’s pocket. The girl tried struggling again as Cinder reached for it and pulled out a scroll. Today got even surprisingly better all thanks to a home screen. “Oh well you look at that? Carmine was a person we expected to hear at least once, but I had no idea about the third one. What a handsome boy.”

Dustin’s body tensed tightly. “What…?” He muttered. Cinder tossed him the phone and sure enough, there the baby was with the rest of the family. Brand new silver eyes and all. The photo was blurred as Carmine’s name came up as the scroll rang. There was no hesitation in answering.

“Mom! Vacou’s being attacked and dad still isn’t back. Garnet is fine and no grimm are heading this way yet but-”

“CARMINE! TAKE YOUR BROTHER AND RUN!” Ruby screamed as loud as possible. Dustin hung up and looked at Cinder and she nodded. “Time for a family reunion.” She snapped her fingers and a nevermore descended from the sky for Dustin to jump on and head towards his brother and sister. Even with him gone, his vines still had a grasp on Ruby. It was weaker but the numbing pain still ran through her as she finally forced her way out of the ones around her arms and neck; air and sensation tried to fill her being again as she fell on her hands and knees. “My son, what did you do to him?” She raises her head with tears running down her face. Moving now would be stupid. Ruby had no choice but to recover.

“Me? You make it sound like I brainwashed him or abused him. No, no such thing.Granted it wasn’t my idea to keep him. The boy would’ve been dumped in a grimm pool or something if I had my way, then Neo had to step in and proposed a better idea.”

“Disguising as your nurse was far too much work to just have it end with a dead newborn. Besides, even I have my limits unlike some people” she glares the hell out of Cinder. “I can play the long game. A missing son returning to his family to erase it? That’s way more interesting don’t you think?”

Cinder circled around Ruby, watching the girl carefully as she indulged herself with explaining how a day like this could happen.“You asked me what I did to him. I did the only thing that made sense. I told the truth.” Ruby’s face softened. Her eyes scanned the ground as she tried to understand. The truth? Cinder groaned, “Boring I know, but a lie this big would be impossible. Ruby Rose, a name known by every last goddamn soul on Remnant. Between that and Dustin’s features, he’d figure out that he wasn’t ours sooner or later, so I told him exactly who he was. A child stolen by a hero's worst enemy. You should’ve seen the way he wept for you. I told him all I could. How incredible your reputation was to the masses and how you would be remembered throughout history for all time along with your friends. Surely a hero that elite would rescue their son, right?” She smirked, Cinder could see Ruby get pale from the implications.

“He...was waiting for me.” Ruby’s voice crackled and shook. A stark contrast from the laughter Cinder had. “Hahaha, oh he did more than wait! Time after time, your son tried escaping. Each attempt meant him killing grimm that I didn’t even have to influence, and each time it was up to either me or Neo to save his life. His will was quite astonishing, his mind sharp. He tried for years until one day...he actually escaped.”

“What?” Ruby wasn’t expecting Cinder to say that. “He escaped?” Cinder pulled out a scroll and nodded, “He was young too. Barely twelve if I remember. At this point I was at my wits end. I thought my choices were to cut my losses or kill him out of spite; Never did I expect him to come back with a look in his eyes I’ve never seen. The anger for his situation had changed. All because of one simple little thing.” The scroll was flipped around for Ruby to see. “Remember this day?”

Of all the things that Ruby expected, a picture of her from an old news photo wasn’t one of them. It was her holding Carmen up proudly after the girl’s first tournament. Her daughter had entered a jr competition at eight and took first place. Cinder put the scroll away. “Apparently he made it all the way to that event. Imagine the look on his face, seeing you smiling so purely with the sister he had no clue about? All that faith he put into you...and it meant nothing. Congratulations, how’s it feel to move forward? It brought him closer to me. My sweet Dustin.” Cinder and Neo fawned dramatically. Their laughter grew as Ruby’s anger rose. Her blood started to feel like it’s boiling and vision started to blur. Her eyes started glowing before flickering in and out constantly as she tried her damnedest to eradicate Cinder to no avail. A pounding in her head started forming that made her grip it. Cinder bent down and tugged hard on Ruby’s hair to stare right into her face with complete disdain. “That’s right Ruby, hate me. Hate me as much as I hate you. This isn’t about justice or preservation. Your anger vs ours. Let’s see who edges out.” Cinder backs away and blasts a wave of ice that only freezes then shatters only the vines. Crescent Rose is stabbed into the ground next to Ruby. This day was unavoidable. These feelings had been building a festering for years. Not just because of Dustin. Beacon, Pyrrha, the friends she’s hurt; the despair Cinder brought into Ruby’s life was too much and too often. Ruby had enough. She pulled herself up off the ground with her scythe. Eyes devoid of light beamed into the two pairs of glimmering evil as the clouds darkened the sky. Ruby could only think of one thing.The only thing that Cinder had thought about for ages.

“I’m gonna kill you.”

xxxx

The sounds of thunder and gun fire raged through and electrified the air as Dustin rode the nevermore. He looked back to see a concentration of wind and varying elements coming from where he left. “Looks like they’ve gotten serious. Time for me to get my party started.” He would be over Ruby’s house in a matter of minutes. Karma was finally gonna come knocking on her door. “A shame she won’t see this. Alright, time to see what my little sister I made-” a sudden pressure and force came upwards that hit like a canon. Next thing Dustin knew, the nevermore no longer had a head and was swan dive to the ground. He quickly jumped from the bird and rolled onto the sand to break his fall. Carmine watched the whole thing while cleaning grimm blood of her blade several feet away.

“I’ve never heard mom sound so panicked before. Grimm herds aren’t anything we haven’t handled before so I knew there was more to the situation; but what exactly is the more?” Carmine couldn’t make out his face from distance but the scythe on the sand and cloak were more than enough to be off putting. She stepped closer cautiously. The color of his hair and eyes immediately made her stop and jump back, placing her sword in front of her body as he stood. “Stop! Who are you?” He patted himself off and looked at his sister. Admittedly, he was caught off guard. This was already more interesting than he anticipated.

“What on Remnant possessed you to take out a grimm mid-flight? I doubt you noticed me.”

“A lone grimm going after a house outside of the kingdom when its friends are having a blast inside is pretty freaking suspicious. Now answer my question!” Her body tensed. Carmine didn’t know why but she felt as if his gaze alone might swallow her up like a pit of tar. There was no mistaking that color. His eyes looked fogged and hazy but they were definitely silver. Then there was his face. Carmine never imagined Garnet would look like grown up but this man’s face would’ve been pretty close.

“Huh, figures they never mentioned me. It was probably too shameful and humiliating to reveal such a major example of arrogance.” His words felt like venom and on the verge of being unhinged, yet maintaining a low tone of composure as he grabbed his weapon. “I think you already have a good guess on who I am, or do you need a closer look?”

Carmine saw the man vanish in the blink of an eye. She quickly rose her sword in front of her in a block that covered her entire body. A clash of metal crashed right into it and rattled her arms from the force. Now they were face to face with a similar look of intensity. “I….I don’t understand what’s going on!” Saying that this was unnerving was an understatement. Carmine has a job to do though. The longer he was with her, the further her clone was with Garnet. The only regret was splitting her sure evenly. Fighting an unknown opponent could go wrong.

“It’s simple really. You’re not the first born child of Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose. That kid got snatched by a witch.”

Carmine’s world felt like it stopped. “Cinder Fall.”

“Bingo.” A vine shot from the ground and wrapped around Carmine before flinging her. Dustin followed up with a leaping downward strike but Carmine corrected herself mid-air yo block it. “Heh, look at you…” his hand slid to the bottom of his scythe and started swiping side to side against Carmine’s defenses. Each contact made sparks fly and her arms ache from the weight of the attack. She couldn’t take it anymore and ducked under the next attack to get in close. Both opponents were no stranger to the limitations of a scythe or had to overcome them. Carmine knew he was likely to pull the entire thing back by bringing his hand to the top of the shaft, so she jumped straight up and grabbed her curved blade, Stamen, from both ends and swung it down to have it drop like a guillotine. The impact left a small crater where Dustin stood before he jumped out of the way. She had no expectations of hitting him but she needed breathing room. It was her turn on offense.

Carmine shot off three aura slashes before pursuing him. She watched closely as his scythe spun to block the attack and leaped over him to get a hit in from behind. More vines shot up and stabbed her hand before connecting. A low hiss came from her. This was obviously his semblance but knowing it’s function was hard to tell. More shot up around her in a circle. A simple spin cut them down to size easily and she unleashed a flurry of rapid attacks that clanged and bashed against his scythe when she wasn’t missing him entirely.

“Geez, maybe I overestimated. All the talk about my little sister and this is it?”

“Big talk from someone fighting a kid, and we’re not family!” Carmine swung at his left torso but was stopped dead in her tracks when he grabbed the blade with his hand. A jab to the throat made Carmine choke on her own breath as Dustin twisted her arm behind her then put her in a choke hold. Her feet barely scraped the sand as she desperately tried to breathe. Carmine could feel his breath on her ear as he whispered angrily through his teeth.

“Don’t act stupid and face the facts. It’s the least a sorry excuse for a replacement; don’t even have silver eyes like our brother.” He squeezed her wrist so tight she could feel it start to give. Stamen was dropped as she tried not to scream. “As for the age difference, three years ago I was already filling graves. What do you do? Rule over the talentless? Tournaments are useless. Just like you.”

Carmine squirmed and bit her lip till she bled. Screw the pain and his words. Weak was the last thing she was, and she was gonna prove it. “LET. ME. GOOOO!” Carmine felt a pop in her wrist as she jerked forward, hard. Her feet stomped the ground and two rose clones appeared on each side, the first grabbed her sword and drove it against Dustin’s ribs. The blow broke his hold on the original by pushing him back. The second clone grabbed his legs so he would fall backwards. It worked. Dustin’s head hit the ground and he stared up to the sky as the first clone did the guillotine drop the original did earlier. “Take this!!!!” It screamed.

Dustin hit his fist against the ground. Vines shot pierced right through the clone then swooped low to stab the other. With the last of its strength, the first clone tossed the sword to the original as she watched her clones go limp; their bodies faded as black roses bloomed the vines. Maybe it was their manner of defeat, but Carmine started to sweat. She hadn’t even realized she picked up her blade and was backing away from the man surrounded by a garden of death. A gut feeling told her that being trapped in those spelled the end.

Her semblance was info Dustin knew nothing about. To see it was genuinely surprising, but nothing he had to fear. Not with Carmine looking like a deer in headlights. “Do you know what black roses symbolize?” Carmine didn’t answer. Instead she pulled out the second part of her weapon, Pistil, and combined it with Stamen. The blade curved downward while the collapsible tactical baton connected to the hilt to make her scythe. Dustin felt a surge of excitement run through him. Another surprise from his sister. “HAHAHAHA! Oh please don’t tell me you’re about to challenge me with that?” He laughed hysterically, his calm demeanor completely shifting to nothing short of rage. He stabbed his scythe in the ground. “Rotten Rose will ruin you.”

“Rosebud hasn’t failed me yet.” Carmine got low and held on with both hands. Her right wrist aches but adrenaline and necessity demanded its use. Carmine needed all the reach she could muster. Dustin was done talking and put up his hood. Alarms, screams, explosions, even the wind blowing felt muted to Carmine. The only thing that mattered was the reaper in front of her. She was going to get through this and reject those black roses. Today wasn’t death day. Not for her. The vines shot straight at her. Carmine shredded through them like a blender by twirling Rosebud. Two more vines from each side forced her to jump straight up. She pulled a trigger on the shaft of the used to be tactical baton. A slug round recoil sent her back to the ground where a massive sweeping attack severed the vines. It wasn’t enough.

Her brief rest was interrupted by more sprouting from the ground around her. Another gunshot sent her out of the center before they all stabbed her from every side. More and more dove in and out of the ground like serpents chasing prey. Dustin stood motionless as his sister fired herself in any direction she could to avoid a strike. Occasionally she was forced to stand her ground to cut several before dodging again. She tried to hide it, but Dustin could see the fear in her eyes. He was gonna force it out of her. A wall of thorny vines walled off Carmine from back stepping again. Dozens of vines came from everywhere in the front. The fear he wanted didn’t come. Carmine grit her teeth and started slashing through them head on.

Chunks of plants flew everywhere as Carmine hacked angrily through them. “Haaaaaa!” The girl could only scream through the pain as thorns scraped her skin like a million stabs. “Just...a little...more!!!!” She refused to stop until a swing cut through to the other side. The sight of Dustin’s shocked face spurred her on. Another gunshot was sending her straight at him with Rosebud’s blade eagerly awaiting to connect with his throat. “You’re done!!!!” All her force went into swinging the blade; too much strength in fact. Dustin simply leaned back Carmine completely whiffed. Her momentum kept her body rotating. In the moment her body had turned away from him, her eyes could only see the blood stained thorns she borrowed through. Carmine’s anger subsided and was reminded of the most basic rule of fighting. Keep track of your aura. Her mistake for forgetting was an instant and excruciating pain that crossed her from each shoulder down to the opposite hip. It all had happened so fast yet time felt slow as the ground seemed to rise to meet her.

Carmine laid face down on the ground. Her back started to feel wet. Like if someone was pouring something warm on it, something thick. Tears filled her eyes seconds later when the shock of it all was met by the stinging of sand and reality.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH~”

Carmine couldn’t stop screaming in agony. Her arms did her best to lift her but her right wrist gave out. Everything was giving out. There wasn’t a muscle that wasn’t shaking in her body. There wasn’t a thought of anything anymore with the sound of creeping plants and footsteps approaching while a shadow loomed over her. The silhouette of her blood dripping off the scythe that was ready to draw more. The shaft of it flipped her battered body over for her to stare into the eyes that should’ve been preserving life; but all she saw was them asking for hers. Was this despair? Carmine never felt anything like it before. For the first time in her life she felt powerless, weak. Her tears ran down her bloody and soiled face. “Pl-Please…” she said, quivering. “ I don’t wanna die…” she shut her eyes and lost all sense of self. “I DON’T WANNA DIE!!!”

“CARMINE!!!” Multiple people cried out from a distance. Dustin turned his dead and was immediately blasted by a laser gun in the face that knocked him away. The current of electricity stunned him momentarily as he saw three more people. Two of them he had heard and learned about. The leader of team SSSN and his partner. The third was an unknown boy with bird wings that picked up Carmine while the other two stood in front of them. “Sun and Neptune. What are the odds the partners of a disbanded team are hanging out today of all days? One of you doesn’t even live on this continent.” He glared at Neptune.

The duo immediately recognized the man in front of them and gasped. No way they wouldn’t. Neptune gasped, “Is that…?”

“No way…” Sun said. He looked back at an injured Carmine then to Dustin. No doubt about it. He clapped his hands together and summoned clones. Now wasn’t the time to let his guard down. “I don’t know how you’re here but I’m not letting you go. Aero, get Carmine far away from here.”

“Not on my watch!” Dustin dashed forward immediately. Neither the clones or pro huntsman were quick enough to stop him blitzing the both of them. He reached to grab the boy holding his sister, then poof, nothing. It was like magic. Dustin blinked and they were gone. They went from right in front of him to already being in the sky, several minutes away. Whatever happened wasn’t speed. He didn’t know what that was, but it was definitely the boy’s doing. He looked back at Sun and Neptune who were charging at him in full force. Dustin clicked his teeth and sighed. Play time was over. “Two pro huntsmen like yourselves is way more than I bargained for. Especially after my other reunion, sorry.” A faint light in the distance caught his eye while planning his exit. Whatever it was had speed and was heading towards the storm over Cinder’s battle. “If I was a betting man…” Dustin used his vines to left himself into the air and grab a passing nevermore to ride, leaving Sun and Neptune in the dust.

“Damnit!” Sun yelled.

“Never mind him, let’s get back to town and help.” Neptune said, seeing the light. “Jaune’s gonna be pissed.”

xxxx

Aero was flying as fast as he could to the medical station set up. Finding Jaune or his friend would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. What he wouldn’t give to have a healing semblance right now. The blood that came from Carmine and dripped down his arms as she wept in pain was burning a memory into him he didn’t want to ever see again.

“Hang in there Carmine! You’re gonna be just fine. Your clone found my mom so don’t worry about Garnet. He’s perfectly fine.” He told her to ease whatever pain and stress he could. The way she clung close to him wasn’t inspiring any change. Carmine kept weeping and shaking.

“Hurts…” she winced. “It hurts so much.” Aero felt a lump in his throat. The boy kept flying with all his might. The tears of the strongest person he knew weighed heavily on his heart the entire flight.”

xxxx

That fight against Reaper and Maiden wasn’t fairing too much better. Neo could attest to that as she laid on the ground, aura flickering and writhing in pain. The normally dry, dusty air was soaked with pouring rain thanks to Cinder. Neo picked herself up painfully slow and could barely keep track of the hundreds of petals and embers that danced in the air over panicking villagers. Who would’ve thought Little Red would’ve grown into such a warrior? To Neo, both Cinder and Ruby might as well be freaks. She watched Crescent Rose carv through ice thicker than a goliath’s flesh and slam into Cinder. The woman went right through the already destroyed memorial tree before recovering with a tiny cyclone of lightning and fire that enveloped Ruby. That too was immediately reduced to nothing. Fortunately, Ruby looked tired. Her own aura and breath looked to be draining.

“Looks like this might be it.” Neo aimed her pistol. “Sorry Cinder, I get the kill-” the blur of bright light raced into view and then before Neo. Her eyes were witnesses to the shining white aura of a furious knight with a sword poised to strike her neck. Any time to move was erased to her as the blade was swung. The force would’ve been enough to take her head. The only thing stopping that was Dustin’s scythe between them that went unnoticed until now. Dustin’s arms went numb but his face remained stern as he stared at his father inches away who was lost for words.

“D-Dustin?” He uttered in disbelief. The hesitation left Jaune open for Dustin’s vines to grab him and throw him towards Ruby. The battling women had finally realized company had arrived

Dustin helped lift Neo to her feet. “You alright?” A pinch on the cheek and a nod told him that was a yes. Cinder landed near them while still facing Ruby and now Jaune.

“Why are you back?” She growled.

“Things got complicated, more huntsman. Time to go. We didn’t come here from a swan song.”

“Like hell! I’m just getting started.” Cinder made a bow and arrow out of lightning and took aim. “Ruby dies today.”

Not if Ruby had anything to say about it. She was ready for another exchange of blows but her anger was quelled when the sight of fresh blood was washing off of Dustin’s scythe. “Dustin, what did you do?Where’s Carmine and Garnet!?” Jaune was still shaken by who he was seeing. How was this possible? The sight of Cinder and Neo enraged him but the words Ruby said were brought to the forefront of his mind. “Carmine? Sun and Neptune should’ve-”

“I never saw Garnet.” Dustin interrupted. “As for Carmine...I’m sure she’s in shock by now. Fortunately for her my full swing wasn’t possible with how close she was. All blood, no lasting damage. Well...that’s not true. Trauma is tricky like that.” He smirked at his parent’s mortified faces. Dustin touched Cinder’s back. “Let’s go! We’ll kill them later. That wasn’t the point of this anyways.”

Ruby and Jaune tried their best to ready themselves as their son stepped forward and pointed at them. “Mark today. The peace you’ve cultivated in my absence will fall as easily as your daughter did, by my- our hands.”he declared. Ruby wasn’t even sure who she was looking at. The face she remembered was not covered in a hate and tragedy that mirrored the two by his side. Her heart couldn’t take it, it wouldn’t. Ruby was about to try and grab him when a shriek filled the air. The villagers down below were being trapped and attacked by vines. Ruby looked at Dustin. “Stop this!”

“You can either stop it yourself, or chase us. Choose fast. It’s not healthy to be wrapped too long.” The nevemore more extended its wing for them to walk on. He watched Ruby take another step before tightening his grip on screaming children. Ruby and Jaune looked in conflicting frustration before Jaune went to help them. “Ruby! I can’t do it all alone!”

Once again Ruby was asked to make the choice to chase her child or do her job. Grief filled her as she looked at him then stared at Cinder in seething hate. “Your head will roll if it’s the last thing I do.” Ruby threatened, joining Jaune to save the people. The nevermore took off and Cinder angrily aimed her bow before Neo blocked her sight with her umbrella.

“Don’t. Let’s not give them more reasons to hunt us now. It’s like Dustin said. This was just our first move. Break their world, then their lives. We waited this long. Just look at our handy work.”

Cinder watched the chaos of a small town and kingdom struggle with her grimm. To say it didn’t make her smile would be a lie. Yeah, she needed more of this. “It’s no Beacon, but it’s a damn good place to start.” Cinder looked at Dustin with more pride than she knew how to deal with. “Oh how I have high hopes for you. Do keep making your mothers proud. Dustin bowed respectively and watched the ruin along with her.

Finally a new game had started and the first move was theirs. Dustin couldn’t wait for his next one. “Here’s to a speedy recovery Carmine… Your big brother will be sure to visit.”

#rwby #rwby au #rwby rosebud #jaune arc #ruby rose #rwby lancaster #carmine arc rose #sun wukong #neptune vasilias #dustin arc rose #cinder fall #neo politan #aero amitola

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modernsocialmediaau · 4 years

Text

AVALANCE AU

AU: Sara is lead singer in a band called The Legends. Her band mates are; Charlie: Bass Player, Nate: Lead Guitarist, Zari: Drummer, Ray: Pianist. They call their fans beebos. Ava on the other hand is a famous actress with an entourage; Nora her best friend, and stylist, Gary: Manager, and Mona her publicist.

Surprise Motherfucker.

Nora smiles happily taking Ava’s phone before getting into the car to head to the airport.

“Let the detox begin.” Nora smiles jumping onto the front seat. Ava is still unsure about this weekend, honestly she’d rather be at her small apartment arranging her life away. So when she comes back from Vancouver it’ll feel more like a home instead of boxes.

“Hey, it’s going to be a good weekend. I promise—“ Nora pats Ava’s leg smirking “What are you planning Darhk—because if its another music festival through the mud and rain I am out.” Ava rolls her eyes thinking about the time she was dragged through the mud just to see Ed Sheeran.

“Detox weekend, no phones, no paps, no internet. Just a nice, good—detox.” Nora takes her hands off of Ava and places them both on the steering wheel. She is starting to get a little anxious because she knows that as soon as they are at the airport and Ava see’s Sara there is no turning back.

“Okay, if its suppose to be relaxing and detoxifying why do you seem so anxious?” Ava chuckles tapping along to the music that was playing in the background.

The car pulls up to the private jet hanger that Gary has arranged, and Ava sits up to see the very familiar crew of The Legends. She rubs her eyes to make sure that she isn't actually crazy and thats who she thinks it is.

“You didn’t, I told you Sara and I will never be a thing—we are two different people.” Ava turns to Nora who’s got a stupid smirk on her face. Ava turns around to see her window open with everyone including Sara to hear what she’s said.

“Message received.” Sara protrudes her lips and nods, heading for the passenger seat to grab bags with Ray.

Ava smacks her head on the dashboard and waits for the passenger doors to close which indicates that the two are gone. Ava then turns to Nora and smacks her like crazy, “WhAt Is WrOnG wItH yOu!” Nora chuckles trying to shield herself from Ava’s fire

“Detox weekend, c’mon lets go.” Nora cheers taking her the key out of the ignition getting out of the car. Ava is still not ready for her impending social doom and sits in the car for a little while longer.

Ray walks out of the jet and towards Nora, while everybody else is in the jet. “What happened, is she bailing?” He whispers.

Nora looks over at the parked car to see Ava let out a scream then get out of the car. She then looks back at Ray, happily taps his chest “See on the plane Rayge.” Nora gets on the plane and greets everyone.

She gets around to hugging everyone but Sara, she makes a face and Zari nods to the bathroom, and Nora smiles she looks around for an empty seat to find that there are two left, one next to Ray’s things and one next to Sara’s things. Nora being somewhat devilish and selfish herself decides to sit next to Ray’s things. Ava comes stepping onto the plane to see the seats available she was about to sit next to her conniving best friend. Yet, as she gets closer to the seat she see’s somebody things there.

“Excuse me,” Ray maneuvers from behind her to make his way to get to his seat. Nora looks over at the empty seat next to unbeknownst to Ava, Sara’s things. Ava crinkles her nose mockingly wanting to strangle her so called best friend. Ava fastens her seatbelt and everyone starts to converse about what they are most excited about the upcoming weekend. Sara comes out of the bathroom with one eyebrow cocking up at the sight of Ava sitting next to her.

“Hey Nora--Oh! You know for somebody who is convinced we are polar opposites you sure are clingy.” Sara teases sitting down on her seat and fastening her seatbelt, placing her eye mask on and headphones in. Before Ava can respond Sara’s already put up and impenetrable wall of DO NOT DISTURB. Ava looks over at Nora who is happily flirting with Ray. As for Mona she simply smiles at Ava trying to express her excitement. Ava rolls her eyes and takes her book out to distract herself.

The flight takes off and it’s about a 2 hour flight to Oregon. As Sara sleep and Ava reads the rest of the gang distracts themselves.

“Alright pets who would like to have a friendly little wager—” John smirks getting Nate, Mona and Gary’s attention

“Wager for what?” Mona wonders proceeding with caution she’s come to know the Brit quite well to be cautious at these things. John has a knack, to simply put it he has a weird sixth sense like some off brand Raven Symoné.

“For starters, those two.” He points at Nora and Ray who are currently watching a show on Ray’s iPad sharing headphones with one another. Nate and Mona sit up and turn around to look at them and Mona aw’s catching their attention. The two look up and all four of them wave. “Hey buddy,” Nate offers sliding back down on his seat.

“I’m all ears,” Gary smiles sneaking a look at the two of them every now and again, “Nate, Mo?” John smirks, the two exchange looks and nods in agreement.

“Alright I’m going to say, that by tonight those two will kiss.” John starts

“How do you know they haven't kissed already?” Gary wonders

“Nora’s told me, they haven’t .” Mona chimes in, and thats the truth they haven't shared a kiss.

“What about you luv?” John turns to Gary grabbing his hand and rubbing circles on his thumb “I’m going to say tomorrow afternoon, I mean we’re going on a hike thats a perfect time to get a kiss.” Gary justifies now he’s the one rubbing circles on Johns hand

“Alright, Nate? Mona?”

“I’m going to say tomorrow night, we’ve got the fire going, the stars and nothing else.” Mona confidently answers, having read and represented so many romance novels it basically the perfect recipe.

“None of you know Ray like I do okay, he’s a rather last minute type of guy when it comes to these things. I’m going to say right before we board the plane—”Nate nods his head

“Alright pets $10 in lets go.” John smirks, all four of them put money in the middle and Gary takes it. Placing it safely in his wallet.

“Now for the second wager—” John smirks before tilting his head at Sara and Ava who are sitting next to four of them

“That’s a hard one.” Mona shakes her head unsure

“And thats what makes it more interesting—So? I propose that Sara kisses Ava tomorrow afternoon during the hike.” John finishes and turns to the other three

“My money is on tonight, Sara closes all too well.” Nate sips on his coffee confidently taking out another $10 from his pocket

“I say Ava kisses her tomorrow night,” Gary hesitantly says

“I’m going to say Sunday morning.” Mona staring at Ava, she of course notices and puts her book down.

“What?” Ava sasses looking at the four of them gawking at her, the four chuckle awkwardly before turning back to their discussion

“Alright, love playing with you lots. Best of luck” John smirks taking the money, “Now who wants to play a little D and D?” Gary smiles.

For the rest of the flight the four play their little game. Nora falls asleep on Ray, Ray sleeps as well. Ava reads most of her book, and Sara’s shut eye lasts the whole flight.

*Alright folks thank you for flying Star Airlines I hope to see you guys soon.*

Ava gets up from her seat and walks over to the bathroom, and Sara took this time to take her eye mask off. The rest of the crew collect their belongings and off of the plane. Sara stretches and nods of to Nora who is the last one off, and Ava walks out. The two girls are quiet as they collect their items until finally Ava speaks, “Sara about what I said earlier—” Ava pauses but Sara continues to put her things in a bag. When she finishes she looks at Ava,

“Don’t worry about it, like I said message received.” Sara nods off and heads for the exit. Ava rolls her eyes because that doesn't exactly clarify anything, does that mean that Sara does like her but message is received that Ava doesn't feel the same way. Or message received as in I agree with you Ava we are polar opposites and are better off as friends.

Ava gets off the plane to be greeted by an old jeep that she presumes only Gary can choose.

“C’mon Sharpie we’ve got some miles ahead of us before we’re really detoxing within nature.” John smacks the side of the car, unsure of where she’s suppose to seat everybody in the car points to the front passenger seat.

Ava shakes her head knowing that everyone is really scheming. When she gets in the car, Sara is fixes her mirrors. She see’s Ava buckle up, and they head off to their cabin for the weekend.

“Alright kids, lets get our green on.” Sara says

“Can I at least get my phone?” Ava turns to Nora and she happily shakes her head.

——————

“Alright pee break before we enter the woods and say goodbye to the 21st century.” Sara parks the car and turns to everyone in the car. Everybody heads for the small quaint diner/gas station including Ava. As for Sara she paces around the car just thinking, lately she’s had a tune stuck inside her head with an amazing melody and upcoming arrangements but no concept. Every concept that keeps popping into her head doesn't fit how she saw the song becoming.

“Hey Capn—” Charlie walks over handing her a cup of tea, knowing that they aren't coffee drinkers.

“Hi Chaz what’s going on?” Sara looks down from the stars to her friend, and happily receives the coffee

“How are you doing?”

“What do you mean? I’m great we get a music break, no paps, phones, or—”

“I meant about the whole Alex thing, I know you saw her recently—“ Charlie states shocking Sara making her choke on her tea

“What do you mean? How could you possibly—“

“I’ve known you for 10 years Sara behavior doesn’t go unnoticed. Plus when you left for the bathroom your phone rang and it was none other than Alex ringing you up.” Charlie chuckles, Sara sighs. Yes she’s been with Alex recently but that’s too catch up. Before they dated, they were friends. Alex is one of the friends that Sara has outside of the band. She loves her band mates she really does but she loves having friends outside of them too. It broke Sara when Alex broke up with her. For Sara everything was going great, because before she knew it her tour was going to end, and they’ll be together.

They flew out to one another every now and again when the opportunity would present itself. And when they finally were in New York the two were going to celebrate being in the same country and state at the same time. Sara came by Alex’s hotel room and broke it off with her. Her main explanation being that even though Sara was there Alex always felt alone. As if her mind is still elsewhere. That truly they weren’t even in a relationship at all.

Sara couldn’t even bother to fight for her because everything she said is true. Anytime Sara would emphasize giving her privacy for a day it was often disregarded. But recently 2 months ago to be precise, Alex sent her a text to grab some coffee just to talk.

Sara doesn’t know what it is about Alex but she’s got a certain soft spot for her and went. Has she been using Ava as an excuse to sneak out from her friends yes, but’s it’s only happened a couple times.

“We’re just talking Charlie, we were friends before we dated.” Sara explains

“Which made it worse when you broke up. You were gutted when she let you go. I’m just looking out for you. You lost a lot when you lost Alex.” Sara nods in agreement stirrring her tea

“You’re telling me, we didn’t even date that long”

“8 years of friendship speaks volumes, you were practically married. Is that why you aren’t so bothered with the whole Ava situation.” Sara chuckles at Charlie’s insinuation

“That and the fact that she is right we are different people. Ava is the type of celebrity who’s private and has mastered the art of being so as well as down to earth. The whole you can take me home to your parents ordeal. As for I—“

“You—“

“Am an artist who can’t be trusted and is often moving. If it hasn’t been clear most of my relationship end due to my unavailability.” Sara finishes her explanation

“That’s just an excuse mate.” Charlie winks getting in the car, Sara looks at the group chuckling and giggling as they make they way back to the car. Sara rolls her eyes getting in the car to start it. Once they are all piled in they start driving the last hour of their trip.

1 Hour Later...

“Alright kiddos four bedroom. Two big rooms, 2 medium rooms and 10 of use which means...” Zari pauses turning to Sara to signifying to take the lead

“Right Z, Chaz and I take one of the larger rooms,” Sara pauses waiting for anybody else to talk

“Nora, Mona, and I can take the other big room,” Ava smiles and the others agree. Nate and Ray fist bump “Bunk buddies.” the two say in unison.

“And the happy rowdy couple get the other room.” Nora jokes

“Please take the one in the attic, we dont ever ever want to hear you guys.” Zari adds making everyone in the room agree. After that discussion everyone disperses to unpack their things. Mona and Nate have decided to make dinner for the group, which should keep them busy.

As Sara, Charlie and Zari unpacks Charlie and Zari decide to exchange looks. Charlie only ever trusted Zari about the new Alex information but having confronted Sara with that information she thought it’s the perfect time to bring Zari into the conversation.

“What have you been Alex been doing?” Zari brings up. Sara turns around to face Zari then Charlie then back to Zari.

“Obviously nothing public because that is something I don't want to spring up on the managers. So we hang out at my place or at her place, recently we took a trip to CO to visit Kara. Her and Monel aren’t doing so hot.” Sara sighs

“When did you have the time to fly to Colorado?” Zari shouts, Charlie throws a pillow at her trying to shush her. Zari puts a fist up at Charlie and she simply winks

“Do you that remember that time I said I was going back to Star City to visit Laurel and Tommy?” Sara sheepishly smiles, Charlie and Zari throw a pillow at Sara in utter disappointment

“Listen I've known Kara okay, and she asked for me--”

“Are you sure Alex didn't just tell you that so you’d come?” Charlie wonders finishing unpacking her things

“What was wrong between Kara and Monel?” Zari asks.

“It wasn’t good and that was last month, Monel wasnt even sleeping in the house. Kara couldn't talk about him without breaking down, but from what Alex has told me as well as Kara. They might’ve gotten married to early and that they shouldn't have rushed into it before getting to know each other. Monel from Alex’s point of view is a bit manipulative and emotional abusive. Before we left this weekend I helped Kara move in with Alex. I believe they are getting a divorce.” Sara explains sadly

“Fuck. That’s shit.” Charlie swears, shaking her head knowing that anybody with eyes can see that Kara was madly and deeply in love with that boy.

“Yeah, now I need a drink.” Sara comments not wanting to think about this situation. “I’m with yeah, lets head down for a bottle then head for the jacuzzi. Z are you down?” Charlie suggests, Sara nods grabbing a suit, starting to walk out of the room. She stop when she notices that Charlie isn't following her and the two are merely having a conversation by exchanging looks.

“We’ll catch up with you captain.” Z salutes and Charlie shakes her head. Sara oddly nods her head. Sara changes and heads downstairs. In the other large room, Nora, Mona, and Ava are having a heavy discussion about the events of today.

“Ava you have to apologize.” Mona insists

“I’ve tried and all she said was message received? What the hell does that mean?”

“Mhmmmmmm you’ve got me there—Mo?” Nora turns to Mona who is slowly pacing the room, she goes for another 3 minutes before slowly turning to Ava.

“Do you like her?”

Ava scoffs, “Of course I do she’s been one of my closest friends recently.”

“Not like that, do you like her?” Ava scoffs again turning to Nora for some help, she puts her hands up in defeat. Knowing that once you’ve got Mona’s ball rolling it’s best to not block her.

“It’s simples Ava, when you see her call you or text you do you get a weird feeling in your stomach. Do you oddly get excited when you hang out even though you probably saw each other the day before or two days ago? Do you feel like the biggest dick having said what you said and having to know that Sara heard it all.” Mona says in one breath shocking everyone in the room.

Ava is speechless, as well as Nora. Ava then clears her throat “Excuse me. I need some air” Ava ducks out of her room. She hears the two have a small argument but before she knows it she’s downstairs in the back balcony. Unaware that Sara is also out there in a hot tub by herself drinking.

“Interrogation getting too much?” Sara speaks up scaring the shit out of Ava “Jesus—fuck.” Ava puts her hand on her chest, then turns to Sara who is still not looking at her and continues to sip her beer.

“How did you know?” Ava questions walking towards the edge of the balcony looking around at the forest

“Because I was getting same treatment why do you think I’m drinking at three o’clock in the afternoon—”

“You do like the taste of scotch—”

“True but this is beer. Here.” Sara reaches for another beer and finally looks at Ava to hand her the beer. Ava sighs and happily takes the beer.

“To your weekend.” Sara puts her beer up

“To your dire band trip.” Ava chuckles and the two girls cheers

------

No kiss that night but here are the pics that they can’t share... ;)

Part 12/?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |

#avalance #zarlie #darhkatom #ava sharpe #sara lance #zari tomaz #charlie jiwe #ray palmer #nora darhk #mona wu #nate heywood #john constantine #gary green #avalance social media au #social media au #legends of tomorrow #legends of tomorrow au

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lessonsfrommadamexmas · 4 years

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Maiko AU Week 2020 -- Link to AO3 Day 7: Folklore - @idonthatemaiko

A/N: I got a day 6 too, but maybe only tomorrow. Here, I’m mixing Zuko’s storyline, which we all know, with the Brazilian lore of the pink river dolphin. As the lore goes, the dolphin turns into a man during a period of festivities, then goes to the party wearing all white and a hat to hide his big nose. Every time he goes, he seduces a woman to dance and spend the night with him on the river, then leaves her behind, pregnant, once he transforms again. It’s a legend that was used to justify a child out of marriage, but I’m changing parts of it.

- - -

Zuko woke up from another long dream. He blinked a few times, then looked up to the night sky. It was clearer than the last time, its royal blue contrasting with the floating satellite and stars. The full moon glowed as white as his suit, maybe he could have a better view of himself. His eyes turned down, observing his reflection in the river. Stuck in that endless cycle, he felt his remaining teenage years slip from his fingers and taken by the water. He did seem older than the memories of his sixteenth year, yet, he wasn’t living.

He removed the hat to better see himself. Zuko wasn’t completely human and he wouldn’t be until his mission was complete. His left eye was deformed and the skin surrounding it was hardened like dolphin skin. Once he put on the hat falling to the side, it wouldn’t be noticeable, and all the women would see would be a handsome and elegant young man.

He walked out of the river, perfectly dry and ready to party. The festivities took place less than a mile away. It was his third year trying but, apart from the dreams, it all felt like less than two weeks ago. Zuko wanted his life back, at any cost, but the final saying wasn’t his. In his past two attempts, he had relied on his charm, sponteinety and flirting to conquer the girls. None of that was him, though, because a part of him no longer was at his reach to control, working entirely towards his goal.

The forest was completely dark for some minutes. Dense trees intertwined blocking his view from the sky above. An intense petrichor scent filled his nose, but as usual, a rainy day didn’t imply a cool night. The present heat didn’t stop Zuko from missing the sun, though. He wanted to taste the sun rays touching his skin once again, but for now he would have to do with the party lights emanating from oil lamps.

He spotted those lights and followed the earthy road ahead; it took him to a colorful square filled with music and food stands. People were abundant and entertained themselves through dancing, drinking or chatting. Zuko had never been to this place before, not that it surprised him. That’s how it was always like.

His belly asked for food and the young man walked to the nearest stand where a woman with short curly hair served food.

— Good evening. I would like a piece of corn cake, please — he asked with a disarming smile.

— On the way, my friend — the girl replied, grabbing his request. Her dark eyes pinned him suspiciously and she added: — And how do you plan to pay for it?

— It’s right here.

He got his cake with one hand and caught her empty hand with the other, looking deep into her eyes.

— There. It’s a pleasure to receive this gift from such a beautiful hand — he placed a kiss on top of it — of such a lovely lady. Thank you.

— Thanks — she blushed, and he knew his spell was working.

— I hope to see you around until the end of the night?

Her expression turned sad.

— Unfortunately, I’m quite busy. Maybe some other time?

— Maybe.

He left. Zuko didn’t expect it to work with her, he was simply eager to start his hunt, determined like never before to put an end to this. For most of the night, he walked around targeting other young women and calling them do dance. He took breaks to drink now that he was of age. It tasted terrible, but it gave him the guts to continue his search. He hated what he had become. Zuko could barely remember all the faces he had come across in those years, the ones he had lured for food and drinks or the ones he had lured to the river were all objects of his pursuit for freedom. The one thing he always remembered was the universal scared look in their faces when they saw his face, right before they ran away. They wouldn’t have a clear memory of him the next day, and Zuko found solace in that.

He passed by the fountain for what could be the third time that night and noticed a constant. There was a girl with raven hair who was wearing a dark brown dress and hadn’t left the bench in front of the church. She held her sharp chin high and looked around with a bored expression. He started to take walks while observing her and her friend.

The girl’s friend seemed outgoing and flirty until a group of boys started to dispute her attention. She twisted her braid shyly and dismissed all of them. Zuko took it as a sign that she wasn’t up for love, however, his interest was entirely on the other one. It had been her beauty as well as her attitude that caught his attention. He might’ve been gazing at them in distraction, because the braided girl took notice and whispered in her friend’s ear, leaving right away.

Zuko wouldn’t waste the opportunity, thus, he rushed to approach her.

— Sorry that I was looking at the two of you.

— Whatever — she replied as if the word would make him vanish.

He joined her game.

— I’m also sorry to inform you that you don’t seem as transparent as you think sitting here alone.

— Is it? — she said, again uninterested.

— You’re clearly a fish out of water in this place — he smiled in response. — It sucks, doesn’t it?

She raised him an eyebrow.

— Don’t act like I didn’t see you enjoying yourself out there.

— Glad to have been noticed. But just because we’re trying, it doesn’t mean we’re truly in the mood, does it?

— Then why bother trying?

— Because I refuse to give up without a fight. — He heard his voice become somber. Suddenly, it was comfortable to open up to a stranger. — This party is all I have now. It’s my chance to enjoy life.

She crossed her arms and gave him a surprising come back.

— You suck at flirting.

He giggled. That’s right, he should be flirting, in fact, he was supposed to.

— I’m not. Look me in the eye. Please, — he pleaded, moving slightly closer to her. — tell me what you see?

She turned her attention to him, seeming nearly annoyed, however, her eyes softened in the following second.

— You’re tired.

— Until the end of the night, I’ll dance with someone else. But for now, do you mind if I just stay here a bit, until your friend returns?

— I don’t. This way other boys will think I’m taken — she smirked.

— Why don’t you just go home if you hate it here?

— My mom asked me to come. We just came to pay a visit to my aunt over the weekend, but she needed a last minute help and now my mother is working with her in one of those stands. My home is in another village.

A part of Zuko was already hoping to see her again. He’d found her sharpness endearing but it wasn’t worth the effort. A smart and independent girl like her wouldn’t fall for him so easily.

— Well, your torment is nearly over. I should go for my last dance. It was nice meeting you…

— Mai.

— Zuko.

He bent his head and touched the flap of his hat courteously, then moved on.

— Wait — she followed him —, I think I’m up for one dance.

He wrapped a hand around her waist and pushed her body gently close to his. They followed the agitated rhythm of the accordion. Whenever their eyes locked, he saw on Mai the same look he saw in any other girl and wondered if she felt the same way he did. Could that feeling be genuine, free from the spell he had refused to cast, yet real?

At every step they took, Zuko wished they would never break apart. It was clear to him now, that whatever was happening there was different from any other previous attempt. He had been wandering adrift all this time, waiting for someone to conquer his heart the same way as he would conquer hers.

The music ended. Zuko freed Mai’s left hand and loosened the grip on her back. Unexpectedly, she put her hands around his neck. She smiled and her honey eyes were shining in invitation. He leaned in for a kiss but she was already making her move. It was short but deep, honest in its tenderness. Her lips told him Mai was thankful and happy for sharing that moment with him.

— Will I see you tomorrow?

— No. But I don’t live far from here. It’s half a day down the main road, if you go by horse or wagon.

Half a day. That wouldn’t work.

— I would like to take you somewhere. It’ll be quick.

— What is it? — she asked excitedly.

— Come on.

He held her by the hand and they walked towards the forest.

— Wait, no. I’m not going there — she said. In hesitation, Mai untangled her hand from his.

— I thought you liked me — he asked, trying not to panic. — You kissed me!

— I’m not going there.

She was scared, of course she was. A man asking her to follow him through a dark forest. That only worked when he enchanted girls and it was always the same, they always gave up once they reached the river. Zuko couldn’t use his spell on her, he refused to, because he had never felt so… loved before.

— You’ll never see me again — he told her in a broken voice.

— I come here quite often. Next time, we plan something...

— I’m also gonna be gone. Goodbye, Mai.

Zuko’s chest ached so deeply he couldn’t stand another second in her presence. He had fallen in love, he finally understood what it meant, what it felt like. He ran in the woods until his lungs remembered how to catch a breath, all the way, until his legs begged him to stop, but only when he reached the riverside he fell on his knees and screamed to the night. Another year of doom was ahead of him. He would try, he had to, but she was the one and nothing could come close to what he felt for her.

In the next two days, nothing came.

(to be continued...)

#maikoauweek #mai and zuko fanfic #avatar fanfic #maiko au #folklore

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anubislover · 4 years

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“A Heart to Be Used as Needed” Chapter 3

A month of torture. That was the only way Law could describe the wedding planning. His blood pressure was through the roof, sleep was harder to come by than usual, and he was beyond pent-up. After thirty-one days of reigning in Doflamingo’s extravagant suggestions, enduring his boss’ intense scrutiny, and ignoring the far-from-subtle mocking from his colleagues—all without his usual outlets for stress—it was a miracle he hadn’t just abandoned his ten-year plan and attempted to tear out Joker’s heart with his bare hands.

He could live without sex, but with the additional strain the wedding brought on, he barely had time for his experiments or even senseless violence to let off some steam. Joker might not have banned them, but it seemed he was determined to make sure he was too busy to get in any form of relaxation. People called Law sadistic, but clearly, he’d learned it all from the best.

Sanity close to snapping like a stale breadstick, he nearly called off the engagement by week two, but Baby 5 had inadvertently persuaded him otherwise.

Body parts spun in the air like windmills as Law sheathed Kikoku, a sadistic grin adorning his face when they fell to the ground, landing in a neat little stack on his laboratory floor. Baby 5’s head plopped on top of her arms, rocking unsteadily for a brief moment before rolling down the bloodless pile, across the floor, before finally being halted by his boot.

It might not have been as viscerally satisfying as tearing into a helpless victim with his scalpel and hearing them scream as the blood painted the walls, but it was far less messy and almost as effective at lightening his mood.

“Thank you, Baby-ya,” he cooed down at his decapitated bride-to-be. She’d been doing her best not to tempt him, believing his month of abstinence was his way of displaying his devotion to her, but still regularly visited his lab to drop off coffee and receive his approval on all the little wedding details she and Doflamingo had been obsessing over. She’d come down to ask him some inane question about the ceremony, but upon seeing how tired and stressed he was—not to mention how close he was to murdering someone—she’d immediately offered to let him cut her to pieces if he needed an outlet. The words had barely left her lips before she was engulfed in a blue aura, and the past ten minutes had seen her vivisected and put back together in nearly a dozen different ways.

Blinking away the dizziness, she weakly smiled up at him despite her obvious discomfort. Even if his Room made amputation painless, it was far from a pleasant experience. “I’m just glad I could be useful to you.”

“Of course you are. Now, you had a question for me?” he asked, gently picking up her head from the floor. She was such a considerate thing, sacrificing herself to suit his needs like that. It really did bode well for their marriage.

“I wanted to know if you think we should we use our real names in our vows,” she replied, eyes sparkling at the thought of their wedding day.

He stiffened. He’d nearly forgotten that she knew his true name. If she dared utter that fateful D. in front of Doflamingo, Law was a dead man. Forcing a smile and dropping a chaste kiss to her brow, he replied smoothly, “No. I trusted my name only to you and Buffalo, and that’s how it’ll stay. And I like the idea of being the only one who knows your real name; a romantic little secret between husband and wife.”

Somehow, her eyes sparkled even more at the prospect. “Whatever you want, darling!”

From then on, even though it drove him batty, Law’d made sure to be as involved with the wedding planning as possible. He didn’t fear Baby 5 accidentally revealing his name, but it was a strange and sudden understanding that she unknowingly had a small amount of power over him, and it was in his best interest to fully convert her to his side. Otherwise, she could be a dangerous liability.

So, the Surgeon of Death endured the hours of flower arrangements and napkin selections, all for the sake of keeping his bride happy and in check. In turn, she allowed him to cut her apart any time he needed, and as the wedding date grew closer, Law felt more secure in his decision to make her a part of his scheme. It turned out she had uses beyond her sexy body and Buki Buki no Mi. He’d taken to asking about her day and quickly discovered that she was far more observant than he’d given her credit for; she knew everyone in the Family’s likes, dislikes, schedules, quirks, and even a few of their secrets. To many, she was practically invisible, able to listen in on conversations, and her presence at any particular time was hardly questioned, as it was her job to clean the whole castle. She’d make a fantastic spy, and her happiness that Law was willing to listen made her eagerly spill some lovely tidbits about Sugar and Pica that he had every intention of exploiting.

At last the big day came and Law was able to breathe a sigh of relief. The ceremony had been opulent but thankfully not the multi-day festival and gladiator tournament that Joker had originally proposed. Sugar made an admittedly adorable flower girl, though Law wasn’t sure he wanted to know who the toy soldier acting as ring bearer had been. Doflamingo walked the bride down the aisle, and even the Surgeon of Death could admit Baby 5 looked so blissfully happy it was hard not to be a little pleased with himself that he’d made her dream come true.

Especially since it brought him one step closer to his own.

The reception had been a true test of his patience and resolve. Joker had thankfully come through on his promise that there would be no bread during dinner, but it was only a small comfort in the nearly five hours of off-color speeches, too-loud music, mocking calls for the new couple to kiss or dance, and just generally being trapped in a room full of the people he hated the most. It all served as a sour reminder that if the World Government hadn’t poisoned his city and murdered his family, he likely never would have become a pirate and his wedding day might have been worth celebrating.

Still, Law endured it all with a charming smirk, laughing off Buffalo’s embarrassing Best Man toast and playing his part as the contented groom. The woman pressed to his side made it all slightly more bearable, acting as a constant reminder of the delicious prize he’d finally claim at the end of the night. Though the poufy ballgown Baby 5 had chosen prevented him from teasing her under the table like he wished, making her shiver by lightly brushing her bare arms and the back of her slender neck had provided a suitable enough alternative.

It was nearly midnight when, after the cake cutting and bouquet and garter toss, Doflamingo finally elbowed him in the ribs. “Go. You held up your end of the deal, and I can tell you’re ready to pop,” he sniggered. For the former World Noble, the whole affair couldn’t have gone better. His Corazon was even more firmly entangled in his twisted family web, his deadly maid wouldn’t stupidly run away with the next guy who proposed, and in a few years he’d have another genius child he could mold to take Law’s place after he got his eternal youth surgery. “Just don’t break the poor girl. She’s still got an important part to play, after all.”

The words were barely out of his boss’ mouth before Law activated his Room, teleporting himself and Baby 5 out of the ballroom and into his quarters. The hated feathered coat was spitefully tossed into a lonely corner of the room as he pounced on his long-awaited prize.

Amethyst eyes blinked in surprise; she’d been talking to Violet mere seconds ago, and now they were upstairs? Shouldn’t they have said goodbye to their guests? “Wha—”

Law cut her off with a fierce, aggressive kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth and savagely claiming the spoils of victory. He knew it was nothing like the soft, chaste peck he’d given her at the altar, but he refused to hold back now that he finally had the chance to indulge.

It was time for Baby 5 to discover what she’d really signed up for when she’d agreed to be the Surgeon of Death’s wife.

Still, when her tongue tentatively attempted to dance with his, he forced himself to slow down. This was not some whore he could satiate himself with and discard, but a valuable asset. He had to break her in carefully if he wanted her blind loyalty, and it was better to take his time and teach her how to please him, since she’d be doing it the rest of her life.

Besides, Law’d waited years to get his hands on the tempting little maid. No matter how ravenous he was, this was a night meant to be savored.

So, he pulled away to allow them both air, giving a lopsided smile as he loosened his tie and shrugged off the tuxedo jacket. “Sorry. I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve been wanting to kiss you like that for too long.”

“I understand, darling,” she said, cheeks flushed scarlet and lips already deliciously swollen. “I…I want to make you happy, so kiss me however you need.”

“‘However I need’, huh?” he taunted, trapping her against the wall. “That’s a dangerous thing to say to a man, Baby-ya. I’m beginning to see why Joker was so protective of you.” Leaning in, he bypassed her mouth to kiss along her jaw, nipping and sucking a hot trail to her ear. “You’re aware that I’m a man who has a lot of ‘needs’, aren’t you?”

“Of…of course! That’s why we’re perfect for each other!” she gasped as he wrapped his lips around the sensitive lobe. “I’m happy to attend to each and every one!”

A low chuckle rumbled like distant thunder as his tongue played with a delicate pearl earring. Releasing her flesh with a wet pop, he purred, “Of course you are. A good girl like you would do anything to please her husband, wouldn’t you?”

The shudder that rocked through her body and the way her breath staggered were highly amusing. Law’d both tortured and entertained himself planning out exactly how he’d defile her on their wedding night; imagining what he’d say and do to grant or deny her pleasure. It had become increasingly clear to him that she had a praise kink—which he intended to exploit all night long—but he was eager to see what other urges and weaknesses he could play with.

“Get undressed, Baby-ya,” he ordered, voice barely more than a growl as he pushed away so he could observe her properly, unbuttoning his shirt as he did so. Bit by bit, his dark skin and black, heart-shaped tattoos were exposed, and he preened at how his bride’s violet eyes were locked onto his lean muscles.

“Do…do you want me to undress completely?” she asked shyly. Nervous, she fiddled with the full skirt of her dress, though she couldn’t pull her gaze away from her husband’s chest as Law carefully stripped off his tie and shirt. She’d seen the bold, swirling tattoos plenty of times, but watching him peel away the soft linen in the intimate setting of his bedroom—their bedroom, and just for her—sent a jarring surge of liquid fire between her legs. “Or just to my underwear?”

A dark blue eyebrow lifted curiously, and Baby 5 continued, “I was given some special wedding lingerie and I was told you…might want to see me in it.”

Intrigued, a wicked smirk stretched across Law’s narrow face. He’d caught a glimpse of white lace and thigh-high stockings during the garter toss but hadn’t allowed himself to linger lest his already-straining control snap. “In that case, take off your dress and give me a little show. Let me see what naughty secret you’ve been hiding under that innocent gown all day.” Licking his lips, he added, “Oh, but leave the veil on.”

Obediently she nodded, reaching behind her back to unzip the fluffy white dress, letting it fall to the floor like a pile of snow. Law had to take a moment to stare at the ensemble underneath; whoever had dressed her had gone all-out with the lingerie. From the sheer, white lace corset to the matching stockings, garters, and panties that barely covered more than the essentials, she looked like a pin-up. The contrast of the pure color with such slutty scraps of clothing more than did its job turning him on. On top of that, each piece was adorned with little white bows, making her look like a present all wrapped up for him. Leading her further into the room where he could get a better look at her, he twirled his finger in a silent demand to turn around so he could appreciate the back. Blood instantly shot down to his cock when he saw the back of her panties had a heart cut-out right across the cheeks, another sweet little bow sewn daintily above it.

His brain quickly pushed aside any inquiries regarding who gifted her such a naughty ensemble. None of the options were particularly palatable, and the most likely one threatened to turn his mood from lust to loathing.

Instead, he wrapped his tattooed hands around her pale waist, yanking her towards him and grinding his already half-hard length against her pert ass.

“You look so fucking gorgeous.”

Her reply was adorably bashful. “Thank you,” she mumbled, head ducking to hide the blush that spread across her cheeks.

Oh, she was just precious. Such a sweet, innocent lamb, despite her impressive kill count and allegiance to one of the most vicious pirates on the Grand Line. A better man might even hesitate to strip her of her remaining virtue, but not him.

Innocence never lasted long around Trafalgar Law.

Sweeping aside her hair, he leaned down to nibble the sensitive shell of her ear. “Don’t be shy; you’re my wife, now. If there’s anyone you shouldn’t feel ashamed to show off your sexy body to, it’s me.” Dropping a kiss to her bare shoulder, he rasped, “In fact, you should wear this for me all the time.”

“But it’s wedding lingerie…”

“Who cares?” he asked, left hand sliding down to pry her legs apart. The sweet heat between her thighs urged him to wiggle his fingers beneath the fabric of her panties and delve inside but he held off, settling for just cupping her gently, gratified when she instinctively bucked against his palm. Carefully, he shifted their bodies so they faced the full-length mirror. His cock felt wonderful cradled against the soft meat of her ass, but he wanted to see her face as he played with her for the first time. “You look sexy as hell, and it turns me on. If I want you to wear it, you’ll wear it.”

“Yes, darling.”

“That’s a good girl,” he replied, chuckling as he felt her clench around his hand at his words. In the reflection he could see her cheeks flush further, and he briefly wondered if she might pass out. As a precaution, he wrapped her arms up and around his neck, with the added bonus that he now had full access to her luscious curves. “From the moment you kissed me, you agreed to be mine,” he purred, eyes locking onto hers in the mirror. Both his hands roamed her body, grasping and massaging the tender flesh hidden by intricate lace as he rolled his erection against her firm rump. “I’m curious if you even know what that means.”

“Of course I do!” she squeaked as his blazing palms squeezed her full breasts. She noted in the mirror how nicely his tan skin contrasted with her ivory tone, like coffee and cream. Further proof in her mind that they were perfect for each other. “I’ve read Giolla’s romance novels, and the girls…clarified some things for me during the bachelorette party.”

“Did they? Well, wasn’t that nice of them?” he chuckled as he teasingly traced the tips of his fingers along the lacy edge of the bustier. He doubted any of them had truly prepared her for what she was in for—the debauchery that took place in Trafalgar Law’s bedroom wasn’t easily put into words, after all.

A curious, devious thought entered his mind, and he whispered, “Did you fantasize about me, Baby-ya? Imagine all the sexy, naughty things I’d do to you now that we’re married? How I’d touch you and fuck you?”

“I…maybe a little…”

“Did you touch yourself while you thought about me?”

“N-no…”

Gold eyes narrowed, mildly insulted. He’d filled the wet dreams of men and women for years, but his bride hadn’t even pleasured herself while she imagined him fucking her? He harshly pinched her nipples as a reprimand. “Why not?”

Whimpering, her hips bucked in response to his rough treatment. It hurt, yet sent delicious sparks crackling trough her. “Because my body belongs to you! It’d be selfish to touch myself, especially when you weren’t allowed to!” Embarrassed, white teeth worried her bottom lip before she confessed, “And…and it wasn’t enough. E-even when I touched my clit, nothing felt as good as what you would do…”

A hot swell of lust shot straight down to Law’s cock. He found he liked the idea that a small, teasing touch from him could get her wetter than masturbation, and he knew he needed to get started immediately. “Stay right there, Baby-ya,” he rasped with a final sharp nip to the top of her ear, smirking as he felt the full-bodied shiver that ran through her at the promise in his voice.

Reluctantly prying himself from her warm body, he headed over to his desk and fished a small vial from the top drawer. It was filled with a red, viscous fluid that he swiftly chugged down, scowling at the bitter aftertaste. It was a solution he’d developed years ago that acted as a male birth control, leaving his seed infertile, though it wouldn’t diminish his performance—in fact, it reduced his recovery time to nearly half. Satisfied that he wouldn’t have to worry about producing the heir Doflamingo wanted while still getting to fuck his woman as much as he desired, Law discarded his shoes, socks, and belt before turning back to his wife, who had obediently stayed put.

“Given how…inexperienced you are, we both agree that I should take the lead on this, yes?” he asked rhetorically. Law wasn’t the kind of man who relinquished control, especially in the bedroom.

Coyly looking at him over her shoulder, the maid nodded her head. “I’ll do whatever it takes to please you, darling.” Biting her lip, she added, “Use me however you need.”

He hadn’t been looking for permission, but he certainly wasn’t going to refuse it. Prowling towards her like a ravenous leopard, Law spun her around, grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. With a feral smile, he dragged his tongue up her throat to just below her ear where he purred, “I’m going to fuck you all night long, sweetheart. I’ve got exceptional stamina, and I haven’t been satisfied in over a month thanks to you. So, get ready to be used thoroughly.”

Without waiting for a reply, he once more claimed her lips, this time taking a moment to appreciate them despite his hunger. They were smooth as the skin of a plum, softer than down pillows, and so deliciously pliant beneath his own. Prying them apart, he delved past to coax her tongue to dance with his; teaching her how sensitive the inside of her mouth was with every stroke and twirl. She gave a muffled mewl when he lightly brushed the top of her mouth with the very tip of his tongue, tickling her palette before pulling back to give her bottom lip a harsh nip.

“Ready for me to show you the kind of ideas you put in my head?” he rasped, running the pad of his thumb across the bite.

In leu of an answer she eagerly took his hand, wrapping her mouth around his thumb and sucking eagerly, just like in the lab. Smirking, he let her lavish his thumb with attention, piercing eyes never leaving hers as she licked and suckled, excited to see that hot, hungry look he’d given her in the garden again. The past month had been filled with wet dreams about the heady promise in his honey eyes, and now that they were finally married, Baby 5 was desperate to discover what his veiled words had meant.

With a chuckle, Law reluctantly pulled his hand back. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes,’ but didn’t I say that was one of my tamer thoughts? There’s a better place I want you to put that mouth.”

“Just tell me where, darling.”

“Get on your knees.”

Instantly she obeyed, the hard sound of the boney joints smacking down on the marble floor echoing through the room. Baby 5 hardly seemed to notice, though, as she realized her current position brought her eye-level with his crotch, cheeks flaming at the bulge straining against his dress pants.

Carefully combing back her hair so he could fully see her pretty face, he said, “I’m sure someone explained to you what’s expected of a loving wife when she’s in this position?”

Swallowing, she nodded, blunt, white teeth worrying her lip. “I’ve read about it in books and…Monet told me what to do. She said she’s…sucked you off, before.”

“Yeah, she has. Several times, actually. She was so jealous when she found out you’d be taking that honor from her.” Tilting her chin up to meet his eyes, the Dark Doctor smirked. “She tried to talk me out of marrying you; said you’d never satisfy me like she could.”

Baby 5’s eyes widened, then narrowed in jealous rage, flames igniting within the violet orbs as she snarled, “I’ll kill her!”

“Mmmm, maybe later. Right now, I think you should focus on proving her wrong.” Threading his long fingers through her hair carefully so as to not dislodge the lacy veil, he tugged her face closer to his erection. “Show me you can do better than her. That you deserve to be my wife. Start by unzipping me.”

Determined to outdo the imagined rival for her husband’s affections, Baby 5 studied his pants like a general making a battle plan. The light caught his metal zipper, and she suddenly recalled something Violet had told her about during the bachelorette party. Something she often did to drive Doffy wild whenever she was called to his chambers.

As carefully as she might handle the palace’s best china, Baby 5 grasped the little metal tab between her teeth, tugging down slowly. Her amethyst eyes remained locked on his as each tooth of the zipper unlatched with a gentle click, until his trousers were gaping open and her nose brushed against the soft fabric of his boxer-briefs. She kissed up the covered bulge until she reached the waistband, trailing her fingers lightly along his abdominal muscles before hooking them inside the elastic, pulling the cotton down to at last release his straining erection.

Law’s breath came out a little harsher at the show she put on. “Very good; Monet never did it like that. Such a smart, sexy wife I have.”

Eyes lighting up at his praise, she gently wrapped her hand around his fully-erect length, though her heart sped up as she finally got a good look at it. The books she’d snuck from Giolla’s room had always described a man’s equipment as being absurdly long, but Law’s, though intimidating, seemed far more manageable in comparison. About seven inches long and over an inch and a half thick, it felt like a steel rod covered in silk. The Corazon was usually such a cold man, but his shaft radiated heat against her palm, and she swore she could feel the blood pulsing through the thick veins. Giving it an experimental stroke, she blushed at Law’s pleased grunt in response. Confidence rising, she leaned in to take him in her mouth, but just as she was about to wrap her ruby lips around the mushroomed tip, she paused.

“Why are you hesitating?” He barely managed to suppress a growl, hand tightening in her hair. Law was a patient man, but at this point, he was far too on edge to appreciate any teasing when he was so close to finally getting sweet relief. She’d better have a good explanation; otherwise he’d cut off her head and literally fuck her throat.

Baby 5’s shoulders tensed at his tone and she averted her eyes in submission. “It’s just…if she didn’t want you to marry me, I’m worried Monet might have taught me the wrong way to do this. You know, as sabotage so you’d go back to her.”

Law grinned, mood instantly lightening. Of course the harpy would be the first to inadvertently damage Baby 5’s unquestioning trust in the Family. Jealousy was so easy to manipulate in his favor. “Aren’t you just the cleverest little thing? She probably at least threw in a few nuggets of bad advice in hopes of making me regret choosing you.” Rocking his hips forward, he brushed the leaking tip against her bottom lip, smearing a dollop of precum across the seam of her mouth. “I guess it’s a good thing you practiced on my thumb. Start like that, and I’ll tell you what else to do.”

Relief that she hadn’t made him angry was painted across her lovely face. Curious, she licked the drop of white fluid from her lips, surprised at the salty tang. Law’s hips jerked slightly when she experimentally flicked tip of her tongue against the glistening head of his erection, and the smirk he threw down at her proved it had been a good thing. Eager to keep him happy, she finally wrapped her sweet mouth around the frenulum, strangely enjoying the musky taste of him.

“Fuck, yeah, like that. You’re doing great, sweetheart, but I know you can take more.”

Needing no more instruction than that, the dutiful woman opened her mouth wider, allowing him to gradually sink another three inches inside her wet cavern until he hit the back of her throat.

Carding his fingers through her thick black hair, his hips jerked as she gave his shaft a particularly delicious suck, tongue stroking the thick vein that pulsed along the underside of his length. Regardless of whether or not she’d be useful in his plans, Law was definitely patting himself on the back for securing such a delectable and eager concubine. “Just like that, Baby-ya,” he praised. “Take a deep breath through your nose and relax your jaw; let’s see how you handle deep-throating your husband’s cock.”

Obediently she did so, and Law could have cum just from the feeling of her hot, wet mouth slowly engulfing his straining length. It was far from a new sensation, but after over a month of celibacy, the delicious feeling of her tongue stroking him as he sank into her, combined with the light scrape of teeth and the sight of those luscious, cherry red lips wrapped around his girth, made it nearly as overwhelming as the first time.

For a moment, she choked, unable to breathe around the thickness of his meaty shaft, her gag reflex straining against him. Law took a few seconds to enjoy the sensation of her throat muscles constricting before pulling out, allowing her to take in a few desperate gulps of air.

It took an absurd amount of willpower to stop himself from shoving his cock back inside her, Baby 5’s discomfort be damned. Logically, he’d known it would be too much for her—she’d never even been kissed before today, much less given head—but he just had the most twisted desire to push her limits and see how far he could go before she broke.

He ran the back of his tattooed fingers across her cheek. “I’m sorry, sweetheart; I thought you’d be able to take it. After waiting all month for you, I needed a proper blowjob, but I guess I expected too much,” he said, disappointment bleeding into his voice.

“No!” she gasped, panicked. Law needed her, and here she was, letting him down! “I can take it! I just wasn’t doing it right!”

A devilish smirk curved his lips. Perhaps she’d be harder to break than he’d assumed, at least physically. After all, this was Baby 5—a woman willing to destroy herself to make someone happy. The prospect excited him. “Well, if you’re sure you can do it, I’m not going to stop you. In fact, let’s make it easier; why don’t you focus on relaxing your throat and leave the rest to me?”

Swallowing hard, she nodded, once more opening her jaws as wide as possible and letting him fill her until the corners of her mouth hurt, wincing as the bulbus head of his cock bumped against the back of her throat. The fist in her hair angled her head back to take him better, while Law’s other hand stroked along her bulging throat, coaxing the tense muscles to relax and swallow down the mix of saliva and precum that gathered in her slick mouth. Inch by inch he worked himself further down with slow, careful thrusts, murmuring encouragement as she took him, finally stopping with a pleased groan. Baby 5’s eyes widened upon realizing her nose was buried in his pubic hair, the lightheadedness from lack of air and pride that she’d swallowed down all seven inches of him making her nipples pebble and sending thrilling tingles straight down into her core.

Face flushed and eyes dark with desire, Law gave the top of her head a little pat, like a dog who’d managed to get a new trick right. “There you go. Monet could never take me like this, but I knew you’d get there. Now just sit still and let me fuck your face.”

Slow and steady, he rocked his hips back and forth, using her mouth and throat shamelessly. The hands fisted in her hair guided her up and down his cock with no resistance, the woman completely submitting herself to his needs. With enough training, he was sure she’d be able to take him like this whenever he desired—and if training failed, he was happy to surgically modify her.

Little whimpers and moans sent delicious vibrations up his shaft as her throat clenched, further increasing his pleasure. Looking down, Law couldn’t imagine the innocent assassin looking more beautifully ruined. Tears had formed in her glazed eyes while drool leaked out of the straining corners of her mouth. The pure white veil was slightly askew in her mussed black hair. Scarlet burned across her cheeks as his swollen length pushed past plush lips with every thrust, and he swore he could feel her tongue rise up to stroke him. He was certain if he looked at her delicate neck, he’d see her throat bulging.

And yet, through the pain and tears, she looked almost blissful in the knowledge that she was pleasing her husband.

Her expression mixed with the pleasure he was feeling was enough to send Law over the edge. “I’m gonna cum, Baby-ya! Swallow every damn drop, sweetheart.”

The Corazon didn’t wait for her to brace herself, large palms merely holding her head in place as he fucked her face hard, groaning as his thick seed shot down her throat like liquid missiles. He could feel her desperately trying to swallow it all, the rippling of her throat muscles lewdly milking him.

Panting and pleased, he extracted himself carefully, stroking her tear-stained cheeks and whispering little compliments to the coughing maid. “You did so well, sweetheart. Took me beautifully. And that face—you looked so good sucking me off, I just couldn’t help myself. I’m a lucky man to have you as my wife.”

As she caught her breath and fought to swallow down the taste of him, her cheeks flushed further at his words of praise. Noticing this, Law chuckled as he rubbed her damp panties with his toe. “Did you cum just from sucking me off, Baby-ya?”

Whimpering, she rubbed her thighs together. “No, but if you need me to—”

Yanking her to her feet, he indulged in a deep, filthy kiss, tongue delving past her lips to taste the lingering drops of his seed still clinging to her teeth. When he finally pulled away to let her breathe, he chuckled, “As hot as I find the thought of you creaming yourself just from having my cock down your throat, I’d much rather feel you cum around me.” He ducked his head to trail wet kisses along her jugular in a false apology. “Did I hurt you? The first time’s never easy, but you did a great job.”

“You mean that?” she rasped hoarsely. Law hoped he hadn’t strained her throat too badly—he was looking forward to hearing her scream his name with what he had planned next.

“I’d never lie to you,” he cooed, voice full of poisoned honey as he nipped at her neck. “And since you were such a good girl, I think you deserve a little reward. Would you like that, Baby-ya?”

“If…if you think I should be rewarded,” she answered demurely, through the way her hands clutched his biceps betrayed her eagerness, especially when he started sucking the delicate flesh directly above her fluttering pulse.

Really, her pleasure shouldn’t matter. She was just a weapon in his arsenal; a tool to be used and discarded as needed. Her purpose was to be his fuck toy, alibi, spy, and secret weapon. But there was a small part of him that wanted her to enjoy this. That soft spot he had for his childhood friend demanded that, as much as this was his victory, Baby 5’s wedding night should be good for her, too.

Besides, the practical part of him knew that it was easier to ensnare the undying loyalty of those you’ve shown consideration to. It was how Doflamingo had managed to brainwash his “Family.” If Law wanted to break Joker’s hold on the loving-yet-volatile assassin and replace it with his own, he had to treat her even better.

Luckily for him, he was going to give her things the Heavenly Demon never would.

With a final luscious lick up to her ear, Law whispered, “You’re so damn precious I just want to eat you up. Sit on the edge of the bed and spread your legs. I love rewarding good girls like this.”

Instantly she did so, and Law took a moment to appreciate the sensual picture she made. Her thighs were pale and muscular, the white stockings and garters covering much of the flesh but leaving a sliver of skin at the top tantalizingly exposed. Full breasts were barely contained by the corset as she took deep, steadying breaths. And at the apex of her legs he could see her slick arousal seeping into her white panties, coaxing him to bury his head between her thighs and have a taste.

Slowly, he sauntered towards her, leaning down to brush a teasing peck over her lips, smirking when she unconsciously tried to chase after him as he pulled away. “Hold still, sweetheart; a good girl accepts her reward graciously.”

Her cheeks flushed further, and Law couldn’t stop himself from letting out a soft laugh. God, she’s so easy. I wonder if I could make her cum just by talking? Hmmm, maybe that’ll be tomorrow night’s fun. Mentally putting that on his agenda for the honeymoon, he slowly kissed and licked his way down her body, trailing his lips over the tops of her breasts, down her trim waist, smirking as she desperately tried not to wiggle as he teased her through the lace. Finally, his mouth reached her core. Firm hands stroked the exposed skin of her thighs before he looked up at her, grin stretching wide at her aroused expression when he ran his tongue along her covered slit.

“Ah, Law!” Baby 5 cried, burying her fingers in his dark hair as she tossed her head back.

In retaliation he sank his nails into her plump ass as he tugged her forward, mouth teasing her mercilessly. Even through the lace he could taste her feminine musk, and he knew the heat of his tongue was like nothing she’d ever felt before. She was undeniably untouched, but so wet and eager—practically begging to be used like a cheap whore.

Her hips twitched in time to his strokes, biting back mewls and moans as he pleasured her. Law had every intention of getting a better taste of her sweet juices later, but for now he retreated, ignoring her protests to reach under the bed and fish out a large box. “Don’t worry; I’ll give you more of that soon,” he promised, grabbing her shoulder with his free hand and pushing her down onto the bed. “Lay back against the pillows, close your eyes, and put your hands over your head. Your reward is only just starting.”

Aroused and keen to get more of her “reward,” Baby 5 did so, though her brow did furrow in concern when she heard a soft metal clink. Her eyes snapped open as her strength was sapped from her the second the Seastone cuffs touched her skin. “Darling, why?” she cried, weakly jerking her arms, but the chain was securely connected to a secret hook at the bottom of the sturdy headboard. She was further pinned down by Law straddling her waist. As he removed the gloves that had protected his skin from the power-draining metal, he rolled his hips so she could feel how he was already once more half-hard in anticipation.

Flipping the key to her shackles into the air and catching it easily, Law gave her a devilish grin before slipping it into his pocket. “Because I like the idea of you being completely helpless while I ravish you. You’re lucky it’s just cuffs—I’ve gagged and blindfolded my past lovers when I’ve done this.”

“But Seastone—”

“It’s just a precaution; can’t have you turning into a rocket mid-orgasm, can I?” he mocked. Holding out his hand, he surrounded her with a blue light as he whispered, “Mes.”

“Law, what are you doing?!” she cried as her heart popped out of her heaving chest, floating delicately over to her sadistic husband.

The Corazon chuckled, his wicked gold eyes studying the rapidly beating organ in his hand. “We’re married, aren’t we? That makes this mine by rights. I just thought I’d give it a little attention.”

“Wha-what do you mean?” she asked, a tremor in her voice. She’d seen him remove hearts before, but they’d always belonged to his enemies or people who seriously annoyed him. What had she done wrong? He said he was going to reward her for being a good girl, but this didn’t seem like a reward to her!

In answer, Law brought the transparent cube to his lips, dusting a feather-light kiss to Baby 5’s pulsing heart. It stuttered in his hand at the contact, and he watched the face of the chained woman beneath him contort in confused pleasure.

Like this, he had the power to crush the delicate organ to a pulp or give his new plaything sensations she’d never even imagined were possible. It was a hell of a rush, and Law intended to make it last. Honey eyes locked on her face, his tongue stroked up from the bottom of the left ventricle up to the aorta, relishing the way her mouth gasped in silent pleasure even as her brow furrowed in discomfort. Her fruitless writhing provided delicious stimulus to his hardening shaft as it rubbed against her stomach.

Reaching behind him, he stroked two long fingers along the soaked lace of her white panties, teasing her slit as he gave the heart another sensuous lick. The hips beneath him jerked in response, slick thighs attempting to snap together to trap his calloused digits, but he pulled away too quickly.

Helpless against the sensations, Baby 5 stared at him desperately, panic and lust warring in her eyes.

It was a look Law found unspeakably arousing. His fingers returned to curl against her, teasing her entrance through the barrier of her panties as he asked, “What is it, Baby-ya? Am I making you feel good?”

“Law, please…”

“You didn’t answer my question; am I making you feel good? How can I trust you to be a good wife if you won’t communicate with me?” he jeered with a smirk, pressing another fleeting kiss to the surface of the heart.

With a whimper, she managed to shakily respond, “It feels…strange. It m-makes me hot, but…scared, seeing you with my h-heart.”

He knew she was being honest; he’d played with his own heart a few times, partially out of morbid curiosity, and the sensation was hard to put into words. Adrenaline was certainly a common reaction, but the human body—being confused due to the inherent wrongness of such sensations inflicted upon a vital internal organ—usually let off a wide and fascinating array of responses. “You precious thing. Don’t you trust me? I mean, sure, I’ve broken plenty of hearts,” he said, giving it a little squeeze for emphasis. Baby 5 cried out in alarm and pain, and Law quickly loosened his grip, peppering kisses across it in apology, “but I’d never do such a thing to you.”

“You…wouldn’t?” she gasped, tears beading like pearls in her thick lashes.

Another kiss, this time more amorous with plenty of tongue, was his initial response. When she cried out in shocked pleasure, he rewarded her by finally slipping his hand inside her panties, giving her clitoris a firm rub. The little bundle of nerves was already slick with her juices and swollen with lust, prompting him to pinch it between his thumb and forefinger, chuckling at the way her hips tried to jerk under him in response.

“Of course not. You’re special, Baby-ya. The one woman in the whole world I could imagine being my wife.” Slowly, his index finger trailed down further to work its way inside her tight sex, chuckling darkly as she moaned. Experimentally, he gave a shallow thrust, and when she clenched around the digit tightly, he knew he had her.

Timing the curl and thrust of his finger to the licks and kisses he lavished across Baby 5’s heart, he watched as her cheeks flushed, and her fearful whimpers gradually morphed into lustful pants and mewls. Pleased, Law decided to kick things up a notch, forcing another long finger inside while rubbing her pearl with his thumb.

His cock swelled as he felt her hips buck, even as she once again scrunched up her face in discomfort. “Mmmm, how does that feel, Baby-ya?”

“It…it hurts. Just a little…”

“Of course it does. A precious little virgin like you is going to be amazingly tight.”

“I’m not sure you’ll fit,” she whimpered, remembering just how much of a strain deep-throating him had been. She knew the female body was designed for this, but if two fingers were already stretching her, the idea of taking his cock seemed impossible.

“Oh, I’ll fit. You just need some extra preparation,” he purred, finally returning her heart to the perfectly cubic hole in her chest before crawling down her beautiful body. He reluctantly removed his fingers from her warm depths, but only so he could strip her panties from her toned legs and finally get a good look at his prize.

Fuck! Law thought lustfully, black pupils dilating as he stared down at her quim. Pink and glistening, her netherlips looked just as kissable as the ones on her face. Her clit was swollen and practically demanded he play with it, while the scent of her desire teased his nose. What surprised him, however, was that she was perfectly smooth and waxed, except for a small, neatly trimmed patch of dark hair in the shape of a swirling heart, much like his tattoos.

“Do…do you like it?” his bride asked, voice trembling in anticipation. “Since it’s your motif, I thought—”

“God, you are just begging me to fuck you, aren’t you?” he growled. Really, she couldn’t have declared herself his property any more clearly, and Law felt his shaft swell even more.

“So, you like it?”

Leaning in, he pressed a fleeting kiss to her sensitive pearl. Naturally, she bucked at the electric sensation, and he responded by blowing a stream of cool air over it before replying, “It’ll do for tonight, but tomorrow, you’re shaving it so I can replace it with something more…permanent.” Raking his eyes across her beautiful, untouched body, he flashed his teeth wickedly. He could already picture it—his hearts tattooed on the smooth, sweet flesh above her ripe quim, ass, and around both nipples.

“Of course, darling,” she mewled breathlessly.

“Good girl,” was all he bothered to say before he hooked her legs over his shoulders and dove in to properly feast on her juices. Finally, he didn’t have to hold himself back; the flat of his tongue lapped at her dripping slit with abandon while his sideburns rubbed roughly at the delicate skin of the maid’s inner thighs. Baby 5’s cries of pleasure grew louder as he moved his mouth up to wrap his lips around her throbbing pearl, sucking hard as he thrust two fingers back inside her aching canal.

His tongue delicately flicked the pulsing bundle of nerves as he curled the digits against her G-spot. Baby 5’s back arched off the bed in response. “You like that?”

“Y-yes,” she mewled, hands balling into tight fists, her nails digging into her palms as she helplessly writhed beneath him. God, he was incredible! She’d never felt anything like this! Every time he twisted his fingers and flicked his tongue across her clit, another surge of fire and lightning overwhelmed her, making her toes curl and heart pound. It was a like a spring was coiling tighter and tighter in her lower belly, and she instinctively knew it was only a matter of time before it snapped.

Law could tell she was close. Her quim began to spasm around his fingers while her high-pitched cries bordered on shrieks, and for a moment, he considered denying her the orgasm that had been building up. But as much as he wanted to see her twist and squirm in frustration, he wanted to hear her scream as he pushed her over the edge so much more. And with how tight she was, the orgasm would make penetration easier for both of them.

So instead he pressed on, even managing to work a third finger inside before his bride at last came apart. Her back arched completely off the bed as she screamed his name in extasy, her sweet cream gushing over his chin and hand as her thighs clenched tightly around his head out of pure reflex.

It took Baby 5 a while to calm down from such an overwhelming orgasm, Law’s tongue sadistically lapping at her musky essence through the aftershocks, prolonging her climax. Tremors wracked her body with every hot lick, and when her legs finally relaxed enough for him to extract himself, the Corazon smirked down at her with an almost feral smugness. The flushed look of rapture did his ego good; she was staring at him like he was a god.

“So,” he drawled as he crawled upwards, brushing his damp lips against her mouth to let her taste her own juices, “did my lovely wife enjoy her reward?”

Barely able to catch her breath, she still attempted to chase after his lips as he pulled away. “Ye-yeah,” she panted. Her first orgasm had been earth-shattering and like nothing she’d ever experienced before. She felt like a stripped wire—exposed and sparking at the slightest touch.

“Such a good, sweet girl,” he purred, running his tongue along his upper lip to clean away the glistening cum. “You taste so much better than the whores I used to play with. Sweeter than honey. I think I’ll eat you out for dessert every night.” Wordlessly, he activated his Room, and he chuckled as he watched her instinctively flinch at the blue light. “Now, now; I’m not going to play with your heart again.” At least, not literally, he thought. He pulled the key out of his pants pocket before Shambling them, along with her corset and his underwear, off to the other side of the room. Careful to avoid touching the metal with his bare skin, Law unlocked the Seastone cuffs, dropping a light kiss to the assassin’s abused wrists once they were finally free.

With nothing to act as a barrier between them, his cock ground hotly against Baby 5’s aching cunt. “Ready to truly consummate the marriage?” he murmured, draping one of her legs over his hip as he lined up with her entrance. It was a rhetorical question—he intended on fucking her regardless of her answer. The woman existed to serve his needs, and with the serum now in full effect, Law was primed and ready to fill her with as much of his cum as she could take.

But the illusion of choice was important if he wanted to completely turn her to his side.

Baby 5 swallowed hard, clearly still nervous, but even more afraid of disappointing her husband.

Sensing her hesitation, he crooned, “I’ll make you feel good, Baby-ya. I promise. That orgasm was just a taste of what I can give you. Don’t you trust me?” He gave a slight pout for extra measure, and when she reached up to grab his biceps, bracing herself, he knew he had her.

Inch by inch Law sank his hot, pulsing shaft into her tight, slick sex, taking his time partially for his virgin bride’s sake, but mainly so he could savor the moment. Part of him wondered why he was enjoying this so much—tight and sexy as she was, fucking Baby 5 wasn’t that different from anyone else.

Then again, she was living proof that he’d managed to play Doflamingo for a fool. That his patience and subtle machinations were finally beginning to pay off. That Joker might have been powerful and difficult to kill, but he wasn’t some omniscient, unbeatable god—he was a mortal man that could be manipulated and beaten.

Claiming Baby 5, one of his most loyal subordinates, meant Trafalgar D. Water Law was one step closer to avenging Cora-san, and that was something to savor.

“You’re…so big!” the woman beneath him whimpered, nails digging into his tattooed arms as the intrusion stretched her virgin cunt. Even during the rare moments she’d sought to pleasure herself, she’d never been so full. It bordered on painful, the way his girth worked the untrained muscles. “Law, it’s too much!”

He could have laughed. An assassin who could transform into weapons complaining about pain? How ridiculous. “Now now, Baby-ya—a good girl would take her husband’s cock without complaint. It might be overwhelming right now, but soon you’ll be begging me for more,” he rasped, leaning forward to wrap his lips around one of her neglected nipples. She would beg him. He didn’t care what tricks or techniques he had to use; he’d have her screaming his name and cumming around his cock like the desperate whore that she was. It wasn’t just for the sake of testing her limits and loyalty; his pride demanded that she ended the night a flushed, lustful mess.

He’d waited weeks—years—for this, and he deserved nothing less.

Sneaking a hand between them, he flicked his thumb over her swollen and sensitive clit, smirking around her nipple when he felt her walls ripple around him in response. Wet tongue curling around the peachy nipple, he carefully strummed her little bundle of nerves with surgical precision as he slowly sank deeper inside her cunt. He could hear her pained whimpers gradually morph into ones of pleasure, and his free hand stroked up her sweaty body to play with her neglected breast, pinching and squeezing the amazingly soft skin.

His mouth released her nipple with a lewd, wet pop as he finally bottomed out, and a low, satisfied groan escaped his throat. She may have complained about him being too big, but her cunt eagerly sucked him in, silken walls instinctively milking his cock.

“See?” he grunted, giving a shallow thrust as she moaned beneath him wantonly. “I knew you could take it.”

“Ye-yes, darling!” she gasped, hips bucking experimentally to meet his thrust. When the friction resulted in a hot pulse of pleasure rocking through her core, she wrapped her arms around Law’s neck and threw back her head, submitting herself to him fully.

Thrusting hard and pulling out slowly, Law relished the feel of Baby 5’s wet heat milking his thick, meaty shaft. His fingers clutched her hips with a white-knuckled grip, lifting her ass off the bed so he could get a better angle, snapping into her hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs. His thumb was long enough to continue stroking her pearl, and his grin turned utterly depraved when the curved tip of his hot length pressed against her G-spot, coaxing a shocked and shameless cry from her lips. He didn’t think he could get any harder, but good god, her sexy little mewls and moans right in his ear made his balls tighten and his cock throb.

Baby 5 was in heaven, overwhelmed by the heady fire Law’s thick cock stoked inside her. Her heaving chest was flushed to match her face, her jaw hung loose as she moaned helplessly, and her sensitive breasts brushed headily against his chest every time he rammed into her, taking care to hit that magic spot inside her every time. That knot of pressure was building up again, tightening with every thrust, but somehow, she knew their current pace wouldn’t be enough to send her over the edge.

Or at the very least, she was certain she wouldn’t cum until Law gave her permission, and that wouldn’t happen until he got exactly what he wanted from her.

“Are you ready to start begging?” he groaned as he forced himself to maintain a slow and steady pace. Oh, he’d fuck her senseless, but not until she did what he asked. “Even good girls like you have to earn the right to cum. Tell me how much you like getting fucked and beg me for more.”

It was positive reinforcement, in a way; so long as she did exactly as he commanded, she’d get the pleasure she craved. The pleasure only he could give her.

“Please, Law,” she mewled in his ear, nailed scraping enticingly down his tattooed back, “you feel so good. I love getting fucked by you! Please, use me like you promised!”

Oh, she couldn’t have phrased that better.

Hooking her legs over his shoulders, he groaned as the new angle allowed her to squeeze him even more tightly. He halted his thrusts to lean forward and kiss her languidly, practically folding Baby 5 in half as pressed her legs to her chest.

When he pulled away, Law smirked devilishly as he whispered, “You asked for it, sweetheart.”

Forsaking any restraint, he proceeded to fuck her brutally, hips rapidly pistoning in and out of her like a jackhammer. The bed creaked with the force of this thrusts, though the sound was nearly impossible to hear over Baby 5’s desperate cries.

After what felt like an eternity, her silken walls clutched his cock like a vise as she erupted with pleasure. The greedy way she milked him was enough to set Law off, his hot, sticky cum gushing into her womb. A calloused thumb ground against her clit to drag the feeling out as he let his softening shaft rest inside her, relishing her warmth and the way she tensed and rippled around him.

Sweaty, panting, and pleased, the Surgeon of Death eventually pulled out to study his handiwork. Baby 5 looked utterly debauched and satisfied, just like he’d always dreamed. Sweat-slicked hair gleamed like obsidian. Creamy skin glistened under the dim lights. Rosy nipples were diamond hard and straining for more stimulation on her abused chest. Red welts from where his fingers had grabbed her ass would surely darken into purple bruises to match her eyes. Drops of white sperm and her own translucent juices leaked from her swollen quim.

The sight, combined with the stimulating effects of the serum in his bloodstream and the fact that he was still horny after a month of celibacy, made his cock ache for more.

Gently, he fisted her thick black locks and coaxed her onto her hands and knees, drawing her head towards his lap. He hadn’t fully softened, so his shaft, practically gleaming from their combined juices, stood at half-mast, eager for stimulation before the next round. “Clean me up, Baby-ya. With your mouth.”

Panting, the maid obeyed, wrapping her hot little mouth around his cock and swirling her tongue around the leaking tip. With the hand fisted in her hair guiding her, she licked up and down the length of him, lapping up the salty cocktail of their mixed cum. For a moment, she wondered if he planned on fucking her face again, but he seemed to like the teasing kisses and sucks she pressed to the sides of his erection, making no move to force himself back down her throat.

“Mmmm, where’d you learn to do this, sweetheart?” he purred as the flat of her tongue ran along the sensitive vein that protruded from the underside of his shaft.

She pulled away to answer, her hot breath inadvertently teasing him as she replied, “Nowhere, darling. I was just imagining it was a popsicle.”

“Do you always eat popsicles like that?”

“I will if you want me to.”

His only response was a low chuckle, his licked-clean rod once more hard and aching. He knew he could go at least another round before he needed a break—but oh, what position to choose? There were just so many ways he wanted to fuck her; he was simply spoiled for choice.

Pulling Baby 5 onto his lap, he held her right above his pulsing erection. He took a moment to grind the tip against her entrance, teasing her with the anticipation of penetration, but refusing to sink into her just yet.

“Eager for my cock now, eh?” he asked as she wiggled in his firm grip above him, anxiously trying to sink onto his turgid member.

As the mushroomed tip brushed her pulsing clit, Baby 5 whimpered and nodded. The two intense orgasms had been exhausting, yet she still craved more. She’d never felt pleasure like what Law had given her, and as sore as she was from his rough pounding, she ached even more for him to fill her up again and bring her over the edge once again.

Gold eyes glimmered in devilish glee. Perhaps it was because she’d stayed a virgin so long, but it appeared his innocent bride was well on her way to becoming a nymphomaniac. “Then ask me nicely.”

“Please, Law,” she squeaked as he caught one of her pebbled nipples in his mouth and gave a sharp little bite.

“Please what?” he muttered against her pale flesh, nuzzling the soft globe.

“Pl-please fuck me again.”

“Good girl,” he chuckled as he languidly lowered her back onto his cock. “What position should I fuck you in this time? Any suggestions?” His long fingers caressed down her spine to slip between her smooth ass cheeks, the tip of his middle finger teasingly brushing against her puckered hole. “I’ve filled your mouth and cunt—shall we go for the hat trick?”

“I-it doesn’t matter to me,” she gasped, though there was clear hesitation in her voice. Law didn’t miss the way the muscles in her pert rear tensed at the suggestion. “So long as you’re happy.”

Annoyed, he stopped, hand moving from her ass to harshly grab her chin he could glare down at her. “You’re evading the question. If you don’t want to get fucked in the ass tonight, say so. I won’t stand for a dishonest wife,” he snapped. Much as he wanted her as his pliant little fuck toy, it was more important that she never even dreamed of lying to him. She’d of course be required to lie to the rest of the Family, but to him, she needed to be an open book. There was only room for one manipulator in this marriage, after all.

Law suddenly had a wicked idea. Cock still buried inside her, he rolled onto his back, groaning as the new position made her sink down even further onto his aching length. Steadying his breathing, he let one hand rest behind his head while the other gripped the maid’s waist. “If can’t tell me how you want to be fucked, you’ll have to show me.”

“What?” she asked, eyes wide and slightly panicked.

His grin was sensual and cruel. “Ride me. Fuck yourself on my cock. Rub your clit. Do whatever it takes to make yourself cum.”

“I can’t!”

“Didn’t you promise to be a loyal, obedient wife, Baby-ya? And yet here you are, on our wedding night, already disobeying me.”

“I…but…”

“You’re to do as I say, when I say it. When I tell you to ride my cock while touching yourself, I don’t care if you think it’s selfish to take your own pleasure; just do it.”

The pathetic little whimpers she made might have swayed a lesser man, but Law simply lay there, watching her struggle internally. If she was going to be part of his plan, he needed her to obey any order he gave her. If she couldn’t give herself an orgasm because Law told her so, how was she ever to be trusted to follow him during his coup?

Finally, with no choice but to accept the Dark Doctor’s sadistic will was greater than hers, Baby 5’s pale, slender fingers slowly inched down to her swollen clitoris, experimentally giving it a light rub. The reaction was immediate; her hips bucked involuntarily as the over-sensitive bundle of nerves reacted to the sudden stimulation.

The man beneath her groaned as her walls clenched around his length, and he could see the wheels turning in her head. “Do that again, sweetheart,” he rasped, his grip on her hip tightening. Obediently, she did so, sending more shockwaves through her core, once more earning a pleased sound from her husband.

It finally clicked that her taking her own pleasure would bring Law pleasure, and she took to her task with gusto, flexing her hips and thighs so she bounced up and down on his thick shaft, her back arching as it hit that secret spot inside her. Masturbation had never felt right to her, but this was different; Violet and Monet had told her that men rarely cared about a woman’s pleasure, but clearly her darling Law was the exception!

“Much better,” the man in question growled, forcing his own hips to remain still, relegating himself to do nothing more than watch and guide her. At least physically. Throughout the night he’d been forcing himself to keep his words cloyingly sweet, but now that his snare was surely tightening around her, it was time to test the waters with some dirty talk. “You look fucking delicious like that. I think you were made for my cock.”

“W-we were—ah!—destined to be together!” was her strained reply as she rested her free hand on his hard chest to give herself better leverage.

“You think destiny had anything to do with how horny I get you?” he scoffed with a smug grin, flicking his thumb across her pearl for a brief moment before moving it out of her reach, smirk widening at her disappointed cry. “Don’t sell my skills short. I’ve made women cream themselves just by talking. And you…well, you’ve starred in my wet dreams for years. If it hadn’t been for Joker, I would have fucked you in every room of the palace a hundred times over.”

“I…I never thought you wanted me…” she admitted as she quickened her pace, chasing after that fire Law had ignited in her earlier. It was harder without his touch, but he needed her to fuck herself on him, and she wouldn’t dare disappoint her beloved.

The way she clenched his throbbing erection was sweet torture. “Well, I guess you were wrong,” he groaned, unable to stop himself from bucking slightly. When she moaned in response and rested both palms on his chest, he glared, grabbing a slender hand and forcing it back between her legs. “I never told you to stop touching yourself, Baby 5.”

Small white teeth sank into her abused bottom lip as she once more pinched and rubbed her pearl. It felt so good, especially when combined with the way Law’s hard cock stretched her so perfectly.

But…it still wasn’t what she needed. The coil of pleasure in her belly was tightening, but not nearly as much as when Law had touched her. It just wasn’t enough. Wasn’t right. Her body was supposed to be his to play with—like this, it felt like she was using him.

“Law,” she simpered, peering down at him through her thick lashes, pouting in what she hoped was a seductive manner, “don’t you want to touch me?”

It wasn’t hard to catch onto her game—she had never been good at subtlety—and Law smirked cruelly in response. “I’ll touch you when you tell me what I want to hear.”

“I…please, fuck me in the ass,” she whimpered, pinching her clit harder in hopes of pushing herself just a little bit closer to that daunting precipice, but climax remained out of reach. Violet had warned her that being taken in that hole would hurt more than the others, but if that’s what it took to finally get Law to bring her over the edge, she’d endure it.

Tempting as it was to take her up on that offer, partially as punishment for continuing to lie to him, Law staunchly refused. As much as he’d love to defile all three of her virgin holes in one night, training his new concubine honesty and obedience was far more important. Besides, leaving that one orifice unfucked gave him something to look forward to. Perhaps he’d save it for a special occasion…

He shook himself out of his fantasy when Baby 5 clenched sharply around him, back bowed as she rubbed herself harder. From the way her cheeks flushed and the desperate sounds that were pouring from her throat, it was clear she was caught on the precipice of her climax, but not quite able to push herself over.

“You’re still lying to me, sweetheart. I’m not going to do a damn thing until you give me the answer I’m looking for.”

“What…you’re looking…for?” she panted, aroused mind desperately trying to figure out what he wanted so he’d just fucking touch her and release the tight knot that twisted tighter and tighter inside her pulsing core.

Licking his lips lewdly, he purred, “Tell me what you want, Baby-ya. Tell me what dirty things you want me to do to you.”

Swallowing hard, managed to choke out, “I…I want you to fuck me.”

Law rewarded her honesty by removing her hand from her clit and replacing it with his own, giving the poor, abused bundle of nerves a brief but tantalizing grind before resting his palm back on her hip. “How do you want me to fuck you? Do you want me to bend you over my desk and take you from behind? To spank your cute little ass until it’s red and throbbing, then fuck it brutally while I play with your greedy cunt? Do you want me to tie you up and fuck you with an assortment of toys?”

“Yes~” she moaned, furiously riding his cock like she needed it to live, bucking in a frantic attempt to have his thumb brush against her pearl again. She was so close, she just needed that last touch from Law…

He wasn’t letting her have her way, though. “Wrong. Those are my fantasies. I’m asking you to tell me what you want. Now.”

Like waves futilely crashing against the rocks, Baby 5 clawed and grasped at the Dark Doctor’s chest, wordlessly begging him to just touch her, but he stood resolute.

“L-Law, please,” she finally screamed, tears welling up in her amethyst eyes. “I just want to cum! That’s all I want! I can’t make myself…” she trailed off, face a lovely scarlet as she buried it in her hands, ashamed and aroused and utterly desperate.

Gold eyes widened in both understanding and fascination. So, her psychological damage was to the extent that she couldn’t even take her own pleasure? Couldn’t climax at her own touch because her mind saw that as being selfish? No wonder she’d been so responsive to his touch. So eager for another orgasm. She’d likely never fully experienced one before tonight.

Oh, this just got so much better.

Grabbing her muscular waist with both hands, he slammed her down onto his cock, his hips snapping upwards to meet her halfway, smiling like the devil himself as she let out a gasping cry in response when the curved tip hit her G-spot. “Such a needy little thing,” he chuckled, brutally fucking up into her. “You weren’t desperate to get married; you were desperate to get fucked, weren’t you?”

“Ah! No, I—” she tried to argue, only to be cut off by a sudden climax, her mental barriers finally deeming it acceptable for her to cum.

“You were looking for a hard, thick cock, not a ring,” he taunted, continuing to take her through the aftershocks. Mischievously, he shifted his hand so he could rub his thumb over her pearl, relishing the way her slick walls spasmed and clenched him so perfectly as he once more prolonged her orgasm. “You would have spread your legs for anyone. Poor Baby 5 couldn’t get the job done herself, so she was willing to marry the scum of the earth just so she could finally get off. What a slutty little minx.”

He hit his own peak just as her tears started to fall, hot cum filling her tight cunt while saline drops splashed on his bare chest.

As soon as he caught his breath, Law flipped them over so he could hover above her, relishing her broken expression like an artist appreciating his work. Sweaty, crying, flushed, and caught between post-orgasmic bliss and despair, hers was a face he chose to burn into his memories.

Yet as much he enjoyed taking her apart, he would always make sure to put her back together; she just wasn’t as much fun in pieces, and that went for her mind, too. It was almost funny—even though he was trying to turn her into an obedient, compliant little weapon and plaything, he was remiss to relinquish that feisty spark she had. He always liked that she was willing to talk back to him, and he was a greedy man; he wanted both her obedience and her fire.

It would take some time and careful maneuvering, but he was patient, and the result was well worth the effort.

Pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, he cooed, “Lucky for you, I like slutty little minxes, and you’re definitely my favorite.”

“I-I am?” she hiccupped.

Cupping her face, he tenderly wiped away her tears, smirking slightly when he saw he was smearing her juices on her cheek. Leaning in, he licked away the mess, relishing the salty taste of her pain and pleasure. “Of course you are you precious thing. And so long as you’re only a slut for my cock, I’ll give you all the pleasure you could ever ask for. Because I’m your husband, and I always reward my good girl.”

Her smile was so beautifully ruined beneath him, he was nearly tempted to fuck her again, but his body demanded a break to properly recover. Acquiescing to his body’s needs, he pulled out and reclined against the headboard, wrapping his arm around his wife’s waist to pull her slick, exhausted figure against him. The veil in her hair was barely holding on to a few tangled strands, and he chuckled, plucking out the white lace comb and tossing it carelessly over the side of the bed.

As Baby 5 cuddled against him, Law activated his Room to fetch a cigarette and a lighter from his desk. The little orange flame licked at the end of the white stick as he promptly lit it, taking a long, steadying drag.

“So,” he began, releasing the smoke from his lungs as studied his thoroughly fucked wife, “was it as good for you as it was for me?”

“It felt amazing, darling,” Baby 5 replied, glancing up at the cigarette enviously. “Was it…everything you wanted, Law?”

“I got exactly what I wanted,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb along her swollen lower lip. “I knew he was wrong about you.”

“He?”

Though his expression remained carefully neutral, he could feel dark anticipation rise as he prepared to break her just a little more. “Joker thought you wouldn’t be able to satisfy me. Hell, none of the men did; they assumed you’d be a prude. Even took bets at the bachelor party on whether or not you’d get me to cum tonight.”

The naive maid’s jaw dropped slightly at the revelation. “They did?”

Law took a long, deep drag of his cigarette, drawing out her torturous doubts before he finally replied, “Mmm, I had faith in you, though. I knew such a good, obedient wife would give me all the pleasure I could ever ask for. Even if you did need some coaxing.”

“I…I’m sorry,” she whimpered, looking away in shame.

A tattooed hand gripped her chin, carefully turning her head back to face him. His other hand pressed the butt of the cigarette to the seam of her mouth, enticing her to part her lips and take it. “Shhh, it’s okay; now that we’re married, we’ll have plenty of time to practice. You’ve heard how…insatiable I am, and as my wife, it’s your duty to fulfill my needs.”

Her eyes lit up. “Of course!”

“My needs aren’t just sexual, you know,” he warned. “Now that you’re mine, that means you’re part of the Heart Army. Pica may outrank you, but you’re my subordinate now, so you no longer answer to him. My commands take the highest priority. So if I have a mission or task for you, you’ll obey without question, right?”

“Anything you need, Law!” she said happily. Though she’d miss serving with Buffalo and the rest of the Pica Army, it felt so good to know that her beloved wanted her at his side, even in battle.

Law couldn’t stop the dark, wickedly pleased smirk from curling his lips. Snatching the cigarette away, he gave her a long, hard kiss to compose himself. For a few minutes, he relished the way the assassin enthusiastically allowed him to dominate her mouth, tongues curling and stroking until they were finally forced to part for air. “That’s what I like to hear from my good girl. Can you keep a secret?”

“Yes!” she panted.

He gently ran his fingers through her sweaty, tangled locks before cradling her cheek with his palm. “Even from the rest of the family? Can you do as good a job keeping this secret as you have my name?”

“Anything for you, darling!” she cooed, nuzzling him affectionately.

His deep voice practically dripped with false concern. “Joker expects us to have a child together. Now, while I know you’ll be a wonderful mother, I’m scared; what if I didn’t remove all of my Amber Lead Disease, and it passes onto the baby? I couldn’t bear to watch my child suffer like I did.”

Violet eyes widened, the maid’s mind quickly remembering how weak and sickly Law had been as a kid. Of course he wouldn’t want his own children to endure the pain and stigma he had. And it might just kill her to watch her son or daughter wither away due to illness. “I understand, Law,” she said sadly, wrapping her arms around his waist to comfort him. “You need me to lie and say that it’s my fault; that I’m the reason we can’t have children.”

Long tattooed fingers stroked soothingly up and down her bare back. “No, but your consideration is appreciated. Doflamingo’s given me one year to study our DNA and do what I can to ensure we have a kid to carry on my legacy. But that’s not my only concern.”

She looked up at him, silently begging him to tell her what was on his mind. He knew she wouldn’t be able to bear the thought of her darling husband having troubled thoughts, especially now that he was dangling the possibility of a child in front of her.

“Perhaps I’m worrying over nothing concerning my disease, but even if you give birth to a perfect, healthy baby, I have so many enemies—people who might want to hurt our child. I even suspect there might be a traitor in our midst.”

Baby 5 gasped. “What?! Who?!”

He hid his grin by taking a long drag of the cigarette. Who indeed? “Right now, I can’t say—I only know that someone wants me dead.” That person was Doflamingo, of course, though only after he’d performed the eternal youth surgery. But at the sharp, protective gleam in his wife’s eyes, Law knew it was exactly the right thing to say. “I know we’re all supposed to be one big, happy family, but the Heart Seat is highly sought-after. Vergo is still bitter that Joker gave it to a disrespectful kid. Trebol frequently undermines my suggestions. Even Pica’s shown jealousy towards me, since no one mocks my voice.” Leaning in, he brushed his lips over hers. “I hate to say it, but you’re the only one I can trust, Baby-ya. The only one I know really, truly cares about me. The only one who would never even think to betray me.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Why else would Trebol have proposed? He must have caught on that I had feelings for you and wanted to steal you away.”

The fact that the disgusting executive had obviously proposed as a joke and had taken it back was irrelevant; in Baby 5’s cracked, romantic mind, this was a completely logical explanation. “He…to think I was almost stupid enough to accept his proposal!” she cried, burying her face in her hands in shame. He darling Law had been pining after her, and she’s nearly given herself over to another! Oh, how could her beloved even look at her, knowing she’d been so careless?

A pair of rough hands gently pried her fingers from her face, and gold eyes peered at her with adoration. “I forgive you, Baby-ya,” Law murmured, leaning in to brush a soft kiss to her lips. “What matters is you married me, and Trebol’s plans were foiled. But I don’t doubt he has something else up that snotty sleeve…”

“I’ll never fall for his tricks again!” she exclaimed, clutching his hands in hers, eyes full of earnest determination. “You said I’m the only one you trust? Then you’re the only one I trust! You were right, back in the lab; you’re the only one that cares about me enough to tell me the truth.”

Oh, the irony of it all. Still, perhaps later on he’d be more honest, once she was securely tangled in his web. He’d show her the dark side of the Doflamingo Family, offer up more proof that none of them had ever given a shit about her, and ensure that once his final plan for revenge was set in motion, she was past the point of no return.

The image of him standing over Joker’s dead, mutilated body was a regular fantasy, but now he envisioned Baby 5 resolutely at his side, arm a smoking gun as she shot a bullet or two into the heartless corpse for good measure.

The very thought brought a smile to his face, and he knew exactly what he had to say next.

Nuzzling her nose with his, Law whispered, “Baby-ya, I need to you promise me one last thing.”

“Anything.”

“If you see Joker trying to kill me, I need you to fight him with everything you have.”

“What?! But Doffy—”

“—has killed your fiancés before without hesitation. Perhaps it’s all some sick joke; to give you exactly what you’ve always wanted, then steal it away,” he sighed, hand dropping to run his palm up and down her thigh. The white stockings were smooth against his skin, and the likelihood of exactly who gave her the wedding lingerie once more taunted him. “Where you’re concerned, he seems to become somewhat…irrational and cruel. Despite us clearly being perfect for each other, it took a ridiculous amount of convincing to make him agree to our union.” Law’s other hand cupped her chin, tilting her head upwards so he could look into her eyes with trepidation. “I even wondered if perhaps…he wanted you for himself.”

“That’s ridiculous, Law—Doffy sees me as his little sister!”

A midnight blue eyebrow raised in disbelief. “Does he? No one can deny he’s even more insatiable than me when it comes to women. He’s been dressing you in that skimpy maid uniform for years—if he really saw you as his sister, he’d never put your body on display like that. He even told me he’d take you for himself if it weren’t for the fact that it would be the end of his bachelor lifestyle.”

“He…did he really?” she whispered, an edge of horror in her voice.

It took everything he had not to smile as he hammered the final nail in the coffin. “Baby-ya, who gave you your wedding lingerie?”

“…Joker did.”

Law shook his head. “Once we’re on our honeymoon, we’ll burn it and I’ll buy you a new set—the idea that he might be fantasizing about you in that puts me ill at ease.”

Baby 5 nibbled on her lower lip in thought. “But darling, if Joker wanted me for himself, why did he let you marry me?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say he’s got a long-term plan.” He pretended to think it over as he ran his thumb across her abused pout; she’d bit through the delicate skin hard enough that a few minuscule droplets of blood had bubbled to the surface, staining her already ruby lips a deeper red. “He only agreed to my request for your hand in marriage on the condition that I impregnate you with another medical genius—someone to replace me once I die giving him the Perennial Youth Surgery. Perhaps…once I’m gone, he intends to make his move. Take you for himself under the guise of providing for the widow of his late executive. He’d have you, eternal youth, and his next Corazon all in one fell swoop.”

“I’d never betray you like that, Law,” Baby 5 insisted. “Even if you died, I’d never even look at another man. And I’d certainly never marry the one that killed you!”

The Dark Doctor smiled like a leopard who’d had a baby deer stumble into its claws. “I know you wouldn’t. But if that’s really what Joker’s planning, we need to be careful. We can’t let him know we suspect him. We certainly can’t be sure who else in the Family might be in on it. So I need you to play the part of the feisty, dutiful maid and assassin while keeping your eyes and ears open for anything useful.”

“Absolutely. Anything I uncover that could be of use, I’ll tell you.”

“Good girl. And if the day comes where he realizes we’re onto him, do you promise to protect me, Baby-ya? To be a good wife and come to your husband’s defense should Doflamingo try to kill me?”

“Of…of course.”

Kissing her forehead to hide his smirk, he replied, “Such a good girl. I knew I was right to marry you.”

She beamed vibrantly at him; despite discovering that the people she’d considered her family had been plotting against her, she was comforted by the fact that she had Law by her side.

Wrapping her arms around his waist and gently kissing his tattooed pectorals, Baby 5 sighed contentedly. “It all feels like a fairy tale; I spent years looking for love, and there you were, right in front of me.”

The word “love” ripped at Law’s heart for a moment as Cora-san’s smiling face and final words overwhelmed his mind. What would his savior say if he knew what had been done in his name? Would he regret sacrificing himself for the sake of a man who would go on to take his place as Corazon?

It didn’t matter. Really, Law was doing more than the dead Marine had; he was successfully leading Baby 5 away from the Doflamingo Pirates. He was putting an end to the Heavenly Demon’s criminal empire. He would eliminate one of the shichibukai and perhaps even free Dressrosa as a result.

Not that he cared about any of that. All that mattered was revenge—the rest was just a lucky side effect.

Pushing away the memory of the man who had tried to protect him from this life, Law pulled his new wife flush against him. “Ready for another round, sweetheart?”

“Already?” she gasped as his mouth latched onto her throat, sucking a bright red hickey onto her neck—a mark of ownership nearly as unmistakable as the ring around her finger.

“All this talk of Joker lusting after you makes me want to remind myself that you belong to me; heart, mind, and body,” he purred, stroking her lush curves. “And you did tell me to use you however I needed tonight.”

“I did,” she agreed, turning her head to catch his lips in a kiss. He readily returned it, hands busying themselves with ridding her of the white stockings so she lay naked and defenseless to his lustful attentions.

Perhaps Cora-san wouldn’t approve of his actions. Would think him as cruel and monstrous as Joker. Right now, Law didn’t care. He deserved this. Life had been one massive pile of shit for him, from the Amber Lead to the genocide of Flevance to his servitude to Doflamingo—the universe owed him something as simple as a dutiful, sexy wife who could aid him in his ultimate plans.

Law needed this small victory to keep going. A reminder that his goal was attainable. And even if the universe didn’t owe him anything, Baby 5 did—he gave her her dream, so she had damn well better be willing to sacrifice everything for his.

They’d both be free of Joker or die trying.

The End

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