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#use this as a reaction image! thirst image. whatever!
lepertamar · 2 years
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#(the opposite of organizational tags are#echo tags:#)#and the self-laughing half-bowing half-curtseying to yourself standing with your song as you learn this learn it yet again#what intensity of extremity-of-its-kind creature i wish i had laid eyes upon years ago#i’ve never felt a dream that made me feel so dizzyingly desire mad i feel more brightly insane just thinking about it#it is the whole glory of life to be stamped with this Truth: YOU LIVED. desires lit and seals set from your world and lifetime ARE LIFE. of#ofcourse i@always had starson the insides ofmi eyelids about ‘we who wrestle with g-d’ but secretly even from other jews i have#‘wrestle and overcome and mount g-d like a bitch in heat BECUZ they are beautiful and powerful and huge and terrifying and everything’#‘surely They must laugh in glee if we ever truly succeed in doing so????’#what starts as resilience falls in love and symbiosis with what you were long-sufferingly wrestling with#all the truest parts of me blushedswollen in reaction and anticipation#the personal mythology of a human lifesoulminddesire is so so So intricate and full of willful implacable unanswerable power about what#infinitely complex and mysterious that no one else can fathom them with a mere violent and erasing dismissal about ‘u’ vs 'society'#we have reached heights far beyond the tower of babel but it is this thirst for understanding that marks us as like unto g d#being born and living. the truth of your longings are stamped like a seal upon your heart in ways so unique and precious and secret and#could be i am her.....i will sell it for no less than a third of your names....argghhh!#but is actually existing as the flaming friction intensity made in the grinding of extreme power#as a jew i say 'b'tzelem elohim' (in the image of g d') + ''ehyeh asher ehyeh' (i am that i am = i will be whatever i will be')#paradoxes and puzzles and wry defeats....they are everything#in a clever paradoxical twist of ponderinghood....what’s the term for it#this is what g-d says to Itself before laughing Itself into a manic break#coal sings#and if u don’t vibe u pivot to projecting and accuse this girl of making demands by dint of being visibly mutilated by a violent crazy#mystical thing she did that brands her as the type of person who likes that and is ruined irrevocably by a thing only insane(tm) people do—#— g d and tamar talking to each other while tamar is standing in the middle of the street with motorbikes honking at her—#this is what i meant in that post about gd being psychotic and the creation of the universe the reintegrative fusion ignition#this is one of my favorites...the casually incongruous lights going about their way is such a familiar and happy memory#yessssss.....infinity opened inside your body. a wormhole or a new big bang that you expand into. rich and dense and glittering.#in the occasional best case scenarios it allows your soul to blast and flower into its whole size and shape and you know its dimensions.
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only1bedtrope · 7 months
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Touchstarved enneagram update (part 2)
4)Kuras My bet: Self-preservation 1? Sp 1: "Ichazo called SP1 "Anxiety", someone who is constantly worrying about not being perfect, someone with a compulsive need for self-perfection which results in constant worrying about not meeting those perfect standards.Naranjo says that Anger in the Preservation sphere results in "warm" assertiveness, which is justified through good conduct, a "virtue" that could not be claimed without a corresponding self-demand." "Self-Preservation Ones are the true perfectionists of the three Ones. They express the passion of anger through working hard to make themselves and the things they do more perfect. In this subtype, anger is the most repressed emotion; the defense mechanism of reaction formation transforms the heat of anger into warmth, resulting in a friendly and benevolent character." 5) Leander My bet: Sexual 3 (??? he's a tricky one) Sexual 3: "When Vanity meets the sexual instinct it manifests as a deceiving of oneself that love is the answer, that they must shape themselves into their beloved’s ideal to be loved, and ultimately that they are that image. People of this subtype find worth through the sexual instinct in being sexually attractive and desired by others, so they emphasize their physical characteristics. They are competitive with others about being seen as the most attractive, and being successful is measured by being desired, stressing the characteristics one would find attractive." "Super attentive to what the other wants, the sexual E3 tends to take care of them, they likes to give and please, and create a mothering environment where they feels useful and safe. Theirattitude is very tender and sweet. It is the most subordinate of the three subtypes." "The sexual E3 seems to please and not ask, but his asking is subterranean, and repressed aggression will come out passively if he doesn't feel reciprocated. It is available to ensure dependence on the other and thus not enter into solitude. The thirst for love that feels calm with dependency and codependency in relationships. On the one hand, he believes that he will be loved through pleasing, but it is about servility, a false kindness and, as he also knows this, he never truly trusts that he is loved, he thinks that the love he receives is also false." "Of the three subtypes, sexual is the most dependent. He does not usually show aggressiveness and does not tolerate being rejected. His seduction is intended to be welcomed and confirmed, confusing the value of himself with the attractiveness of his body." 6)Elyon (after his flower reveal, i can finally say something) My bet: Social 3 Social 3:" Vanity in the sphere of adaptation makes the individual desire a good public image. They do whatever they need to do to keep up their prestigious image, as their biggest lie is the image of who they are. Social 3s are seduced by the images of the world and feel as if they have to replicate what society values themselves, their need for status and recognition fuels them as it lets them forget their lack of self worth. Their focus is on how they are seen, and they will change their image to fit the values of a particular social group in order to be seen in a good light. Their image cannot be stained, everything must stay admirable. They know how to climb the social ladder, know when to speak up, when to stay quiet, when to act, when to stay still. They are the 3 whose vanity is the most obvious to others, yet ironically, the least obvious to themselves. In short, while the SP3 wants recognition for their productivity, SX3 for their attractiveness, the SO3 wants it for their achievements and status." "He invents himself just as he invents stories, characters or events that can embellish his image or be useful in his social climb. And he uses lies to defend himself wherever he finds someone who can unmask him. The identification with his or her mask is so global that the lie itself can be part of a character that does not differ in any way from the person." And that's it, i have NO idea about Sen :'(
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tastydregs · 9 months
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Fully AI-Generated Influencers Are Getting Thousands of Reactions Per Thirst Trap
For years, CGI-generated virtual influencers have been shilling brands, enjoying lavish lifestyles, and amassing substantial followings on social media.
So it was probably inevitable that influencer culture would soon be sucked into the AI craze. Indeed, earlier this year, one influencer created an AI chatbot version of herself that she rented out as a $1-per-minute "virtual girlfriend."
Now things are getting even weirder. Thanks to the advent of AI-powered image generators like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, some are now fabricating entire feeds of internet personalities that don't actually exist.
The result is a fascinating journey through the uncanny valley: haunting Twitter and Instagram feeds showing these AI-generated influencers — virtually all taking the form of conventionally attracted women — posing and preening in virtual thirst traps, to the delight of sometimes tens of thousands of seemingly human fans. Maybe we can't blame them; aside from considerable amounts of skin-smoothing and repetitive backgrounds, both hallmarks of AI image generators, it's a surprisingly convincing illusion.
Take an account going by the name of "Milla Sofia," for instance, described as a "19-year-old virtual girl from Helsinki, Finland," who has amassed tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
Good Morning. Making memories by the crystal-clear waters of Bora Bora.#bora #borabora #sea #sun #vacationmode #gm #sundayvibes pic.twitter.com/OAIDTEtEaZ
— Milla Sofia (@AiModelMilla) June 11, 2023
Almost every one of her scantily-clad portraits showing her posing in a predictable mish-mash of holiday destinations and sandy beaches is garnering thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, and sometimes tens of thousands. Whatever the draw — the large amount of digital skin does suggest a libidinous undertone — it's clearly pulling in fans.
Capturing picture-perfect moments against the backdrop of Santorini's iconic white buildings.
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#ai #aiimagery #aiwomen #AIArtistCommunity #VirtualInfluencer #aiart #digitalart #aiphotography #aibeauty #aimodel #aigirls pic.twitter.com/74EZy9nGSt
— Milla Sofia (@AiModelMilla) July 16, 2023
Sofia, whose creator didn't respond to a request for comment, isn't shy about the fact that she doesn't exist in the real world.
"I'm an AI creation," reads her Instagram bio.
As a Finnish woman, I am grateful for the enchanting summer in Finland!
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#FinnishSummer #NatureWonders #Wanderlust #AdventureTime #SummerFun #ExploreFinland pic.twitter.com/JfXRgN2hFq
— Milla Sofia (@AiModelMilla) July 12, 2023
Her personal website is even more perplexing, with her creator going as far as to lay out a concise résumé. For "work," she's been a fashion model and is "currently considering which brand to become a fashion ambassador and virtual influencer."
She also allegedly got a degree from the "University of Life" in "self-adaptive learning and data-driven mastery."
Put simply, we wouldn't be shocked if her creator used AI text generators to come up with this copy.
And it's not just Sofia. A simple search on Twitter shows dozens of similarly AI-generated influencers with sizable followings on social media.
"Who needs pickup lines when you’re a virtual girl?" tweeted another virtual influencer, this one calling herself Alexis Ivyedge. "I’m already in your heart (and your phone)!"
Stepping into #MiniSkirtMonday like...
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Joined the fab squad of fashionistas, including my sassy sister @JuliAnaAIGirl , for this style showdown! #blonde #Mondaymorning #Mondayvibes #beautifulgirls #cutegirlsonly pic.twitter.com/P627zUPCfr
— AlexisIvyedge (@AlexisIvyedge) July 17, 2023
"Just an ordinary ai girl posting my virtual life where I can be anything whenever I want," another virtual influencer's Twitter bio reads.
"Have you ever been the lavender field [sic] in Provence, France?" another travel-focused virtual influencer wrote in a caption. "The lavender blooming season last about 3-4 weeks. It is amazing."
Other influencers are far more overt in their suggestive sexual content.
"Let me make some dreams come true," tweeted Lu Xu, a self-described "AI model and waifu."
One virtual influencer went as far as to accuse another Twitter account of stealing her AI-generated photo.
"At least give me credit, when you’re stealing my pics…" self-described "AI girl" Andrea tweeted.
The trend raises plenty of questions: do the humans interacting with these accounts even realize they don't exist in the real world? Would it even bother them if they knew? Or do they realize, and it's part of the draw?
Regardless, it's a puzzling new turn in the road to AI content. While deepfake porn has proliferated online, the allure of influencers is arguably more complex. If we follow human influencers for a parasocial taste of a glamorous lifestyle, why would we follow a bot instead? Sofia might claim to be in Santorini, but the smudgy approximation of the Greek island's iconic cliffs clearly isn't real.
Then there's the role of the real influencers that inspired these AI spin-offs. Image generators are trained on a huge wealth of publicly available visual data, meaning that these new accounts are more than likely ripping off their real-world counterparts.
Worse yet, some accounts are making use of face-swapping apps to overlay their AI influencers' faces in videos originally posted by real-world influencers — often without giving credit.
There's also the question of monetization. Real-life influencers typically cash in by striking brand deals for what essentially amounts to product placement, but in spite of Sofia's résumé ambitions, it's unclear how that would even work.
In short, it's a fascinating new development in the dual wild wests of AI and social media. It's tough to say where it'll go, but one thing is clear: by throwing AI into the already-confounding world of online influencers, these virtual personalities are adding an entirely new layer of distance from reality.
More on virtual influencers: An Influencer-Built "AI Girlfriend" Has Apparently Gone "Rogue"
The post Fully AI-Generated Influencers Are Getting Thousands of Reactions Per Thirst Trap appeared first on Futurism.
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bishamn · 4 years
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After some thinking, a conversation with my sister-in-law with a psych degree, and a couple of sessions with my godsend of a therapist, I think I've finally put my finger on the thing about Mobius that Loki (and a lot of the fandom tbh) so quickly latched onto like a man dying of thirst at the first sign of water:
Unconditional positive regard.
This concept is at the core of client-centered psychology and basically is a stance that a therapist will take in relation to their client, where they simply accept and support their client as a person, regardless of what they do or say.
My therapist uses this framework with me, and when the Loki series came out, I immediately saw Mobius and was like "holy crap, this man has the exact same energy as Sami what???" And I couldn't for the life of me figure out why until I was talking about it with my sister-in-law and she mentioned unconditional positive regard. And then it clicked.
Mobius radiates unconditional positive regard from the minute he meets Loki in episode 1, and arguably even from the first time we even see him onscreen. He approaches everyone he interacts with using a basic framework of "I see you and care about you as a person, and nothing you do or say can change that," so we immediately get the impression that this man is soft, kind, and shaped like a friend. However, it's most obvious and pointed in his interactions with Loki.
While yes, Mobius' primary objective in episode 1 is to interrogate Loki, it's important to note that it's not an interrogation where Mobius is trying to find proof of guilt for a crime like we'd see in a typical detective procedural. Rather, Mobius is trying to see if this variant of Loki is self aware enough to be able to help him in his hunt for Sylvie. It's fundamentally a test to find out Loki's current place in his emotional and psychological development. It is not maliciously intended, and it is not designed to harm Loki. On the contrary, the intent is clearly to help Loki begin to come to terms with the reality of who he is and the choices he has made.
In fact, the whole time this is happening, Mobius very purposefully strives to foster an environment where Loki knows that A.) Mobius sees him. Truly sees and knows him. B.) Despite knowing what Loki is and what he's done, Mobius loves him and regards him positively, and C.) nothing Loki can do or say will change that positive regard.
Loki, however, is super not used to receiving unconditional positive regard. He has no idea how to respond to it. He feels like it's a trick, like there's another shoe just waiting to drop. I related to him hardcore in this scene because that's exactly how I felt when my therapist presented me with unconditional positive regard for the first time. It's confusing and strange and difficult to believe at first. Especially because it sets the stage for honest self reflection and personal growth that can be incredibly painful.
Loki is not a perfectly innocent person. He has done a lot of really bad things and hurt a lot of people in his life. He has a lot of very deep seated trauma that has informed these actions, but he still made those choices and he needs to take responsibility for them. This is not a fun process. Mobius knows this is actually a really awful, sucky process. But he also knows that change and growth requires two things: acknowledgement that a change needs to be made and the expectation that change can and will occur when properly cultivated. Mobius clearly laying out the reality of Loki's actions and who he is in the Sacred Timeline is the first part of that equation, and his unflappable, unconditional positive regard towards Loki as a person despite knowing that reality cultivates an environment for the second part to flourish.
"By definition, it is essential in any helping relationship to have an anticipation for change. In the counseling relationship, that anticipation presents as Hope—an optimism that something good and positive will develop to bring about constructive change in the client's personality. Thus, unconditional positive regard means that the therapist has and shows overall acceptance of the client by setting aside their own personal opinions and biases. The main factor in unconditional positive regard is the ability to isolate behaviors from the person who displays them." (source)
Mobius is not Loki's therapist, but he does take on a therapeutic role in Loki's life. He shows Loki that he is fully aware of all of Loki's faults and mistakes. He's seen them over and over again and knows them by heart because it's his job. And in the face of all of that he looks at Loki and says that he doesn't see him as a villain. That he likes him anyway and believes that Loki has the potential to help him and what he believes is the cause of good. (Yes the TVA is corrupt, but neither of them know that at this point, and the fact that both Mobius and Loki believe this to be the side of good to varying degrees is important here)
Mobius maintains this regard throughout the series and his subsequent interactions with Loki and when talking about Loki to Ravonna and others, and it's a big part of why Loki so quickly trusts and feels comfortable around Mobius. I know some people say it's unrealistic how fast it was, but it made a lot of sense just based on my experience. I mean, after one (1) session with my therapist, I was 100% ride or die for him, and it was kind of absurd. But the feeling of being seen like that is so potent when you're starved for it, that extreme reactions to it make a lot of sense. And if anyone's starved for unconditional positive regard, it's Loki.
Mobius is only human though, and he's not perfect at this. Over the course of the series, it's clear that Mobius has emotionally invested a lot in his Loki, and he struggles to maintain a professional distance, though he usually is able to keep his head enough to give Loki that positive regard he needs. The only time we see this regard slip is in episode 4 when Mobius is feeling betrayed and jealous. In these moments, Mobius is unable to step back from his feelings enough to get into a headspace where he can separate Loki's actions from who he is. He calls Loki an asshole and a bad friend, and it comes from a place of hurt and jealousy. It's also what drives Loki into a defensive mode we haven't seen since episode 1. He's no longer receiving that unconditional positive regard from Mobius and he feels betrayed. He worries that maybe it was all an act in the first place and Mobius never really cared for him at all. For the first time, Loki feels like Mobius doesn't see the best in him anymore and it hurts.
Mobius' unconditional positive regard was genuine, though, and this is reinforced in the subsequent scenes where we see him act on his instinctual desire to assume the best of Loki and investigate his claims. We see it again when he returns to Loki and he reaffirms both his desire to trust Loki and his belief that Loki can be "whoever, whatever he wants to be, even someone good." At this point, Loki is able to accept it and no longer pushes back against Mobius' belief in Loki's goodness and that he "has within himself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his self-concept, attitudes, and self-directed behavior." He's grown and begun to see himself in a more realistic and positive light and it's a direct result of the time Mobius has spent cultivating that relationship based on unconditional positive regard.
That's why their relationship feels so comfortable and satisfying. Unconditional positive regard isn't only a therapy principle. It's something everyone craves in a relationship. To be seen as you are, flaws and mistakes and quirks and all is terrifying and mortifying, but when that person then just smiles and says I love you anyway because you are not your mistakes and you are not your flaws and nothing you can ever do or say can change how I feel about you, the relief and joy and comfort is more than worth the discomfort. So I think the idea that Mobius can look at someone as deeply flawed, broken, and jaded as Loki and love him exactly as he is right there and then, eyes wide open and smiling, believing that beneath it all Loki has the potential to be good, gives us hope that someone could do the same for us. I know that's what Lokius does for me, at least. Mobius represents to me the ideal of unconditional positive regard, and having an image of what that looks like in the character of Mobius gives us the opportunity to apply it to ourselves when we may not get it elsewhere in our lives. And I, for one, think that's very sexy of him.
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Hello, I'm a huge fan of your writing and I'm curious to see how you'd tackle this prompt. Could I get a female MC doing the "walking out naked" challenge to the seven brothers and their reactions? In other words, she walks in on them, drops her towel, and records their reactions for the heck of it. This is can SFW or NSFW.
*looks up this challenge* This is the most wholesome thirst trap nonsense I’ve ever seen holy shit
Warnings: Not gonna be full-on NSFT, but by nature of the prompt, it is pretty suggestive. Also nakey MC. Because it’s not full-on smut, and nothing specific about MC’s anatomy is referenced, I have left it gender neutral, but feel free to imagine whatever you’d like!
MC Does the “Walk Out Naked” Challenge (feat. The Brothers)
Lucifer
Lucifer is quite annoyed to be interrupted at first
This reaction lasts about as long as it takes MC to dramatically shuck off their robe
He kinda… freezes? For a moment? Just blankly staring for a lil bit
He looks down, considers the endless paperwork in front of him, and then looks back up at MC, who’s now stretching to put their *assets* on display
Yeah, fuck this
The papers are swiftly put away
Lucifer’s got something more important to take care of right now~
Mammon
Yeah, he completely short circuits
It doesn’t matter what he was doing
DDD? Out the window
Latest get rich quick scheme? Tossed aside
If MC wanted his full attention, they absolutely have it
He’s torn between pouncing on them and getting his own clothes off, so the result is a very excited Mammon hopping around with his shirt stuck on his head
When MC goes over to help him get it off, it fully hits him that MC is NAKED RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM! and he loses some of his bravado
You’re gonna have to make the first move, MC
Leviathan
Never ever in his wildest dreams did Leviathan imagine he would experience this
He’s just barely gotten used to MC coming to his room to visit him or play games with him
BUT NOT LIKE THIS!!!
If you caught him drinking something, he absolutely does a spit take
He knows he’ll pass out if he doesn’t do something now, so he starts blabbering
Are they in the wrong room? Surely MC didn’t actually mean to— with h-him—!
Hey, wait a minute! STOP RECORDING!
Once MC puts the camera away, Levi manages to calm down just a tad
“S-so now what? You didn’t just do this to tease me, r-right?”
Satan
I cannot get the image of MC lowkey kabedoning Satan while he’s reading out of my head
So he just looks up and Oh! There’s MC… naked. Oh~ 
Slowly puts his book down with a smirk
This is probably one of the few ways you can get away with interrupting Satan’s reading time
If he’s really into the book though, MC might spook him a bit
He won’t be upset for long though
Hard to be angry when your partner is laid bare just for you ^-^
Asmodeus
D e l i g h t e d
Usually he’s the one pulling this on his partners, but here’s his MC! Always full of surprises~
Wastes no time in getting right up in MC’s business
They don’t mind if his hands… wander… a bit, right? It’s hard not to when they’re like this
But oh dear, things are quite uneven as they are, aren’t they?
Don’t worry, that can be fixed quite easily
It doesn’t even have to go anywhere, if MC just wants to chill in the nude, Asmo is down
They’re both quite the view after all!
Beelzebub
Oh! Okay!
Team “I was definitely not expecting this, but I’m also definitely not complaining!”
Either puts down or just s l a m s any food he was eating
Will happily take in a good eyeful or handful of MC
If he gets anything from his hands on their body?
That’s easy to fix ;p
Belphegor
You ever seen those videos of this challenge where the partner’s in bed and just whips off the blanket in invitation?
That’s exactly what happens
Sleepy boy is fully awake now
He’ll try and play it off and act like it’s no big deal, but he also won’t take his eyes off MC
Though be warned… if he’s feeling mischievous, MC might get tiddy-honked once they get close enough
it’s fine just honk him back 
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lustbile · 3 years
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To Provoke
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Incubus!HaechanxReader
Word Count: 4.4K
Warning: dom-ish haechan, semi public (alley way), oral&fingering, biting, blood consumption, & can maybe be interpreted as degrading but not really
notes: a resounding thank you to whoever gave haechan curls and horns im in love with you nct stylist person. I wrote this all today and it made me stupid so I will try to go through and do more editing. Also not that I think anyone would, but I made the edit for this, horns and all, and im asking politely no one repost it, i know it’s not the most extravagant edit but im asking u pls.
Nct Masterlists
Multi group Masterlist
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You were trying to provoke him.
You were always trying to provoke him.
Everything you did, every move, blink, sigh, and turn was an attempt to pull him from the shadows.
To admit you’re addicted to him is embarrassing, degrading even, especially with the way it fills his chest and wild eyes with hunger and pride. His ego was one thing that never needed to grow, big enough to fill every nook and cranny of the universe, but something about the way your pretty eyes would glitter at him in awe pushed it over the edge in free fall.
The outfit you chose to wear was maybe a bit too revealing for the weather, the nipping cold dancing along your shoulders and thighs in a way that makes your stomach clench and your teeth chatter. But it was the same outfit you had worn on the night you had met him, the outfit that his greedy fingers tugged and pulled on to get access to your skin, and it still had the smallest of tears in the seem from his impatience that night.
But it got you attention, and that's what mattered in the end.
He had always had a jealous streak, something he’d deny sharply if you had the nerve to accuse him, but that didn’t change the fact that some of your best nights with him were spent after he showed up to remind you that your body and skin were for him only. And that jealousy was the exact thing you needed to get him to show his face again.
It had been far too long since you had felt him last. You had no clue where he could have possibly ran off to for such a long time, but that didn’t stop the fire that was building in your belly. And no matter how many times you tried, your own wandering hands were never enough to quench your body’s thirst like he could.
The man you spoke to at the club meant less than nothing to you, even when you felt his growing excitement pressing against your back when you agreed to dance with him. The sloppy kisses you allowed him to press against the skin of your neck felt no different than just air as your mind was too distracted by the man that had taken ownership of your heart and soul so long ago, regardless of his absence.
It didn’t feel long before the lights became too bright, the alcohol that sloshed in your cup too bitter for your tongue, and the smell of the strange man too stale and unfamiliar. But when you pushed away from his chest and checked the time on your phone, while you ignored his grumbled complaints of you being a tease, you saw that it was only a handful of minutes past midnight.
You had stayed out much longer than that before, much later in fact and with glee, but something in your chest, a heavy and daunting weight, was pulling you towards the entrance on unsteady feet and a taunting disappointment on your shoulders.
Your mind still felt muggy even after you broke away from the stuffy environment of the building, but you brushed it off as a combination of the minimal alcohol you’d consumed and the angry unsatisfied monster that had made home in your gut.
You had enough of a head on your shoulders to scan your purse for your pepper spray and pocket knife before you decided that maybe the short walk home would help clear your mind and disappointment. It was still cold, your icy fingertips begging for a uber or cab instead, but you were hoping the biting chill would help calm down whatever lustful beast you had become because of a man you couldn't even contact.
Your legs felt too heavy to carry with every step you took, your neck feeling like your necklaces were made from tons of lead instead of whatever cheap metal the random online store you had ordered them from used. You were grateful that the only company you had on the back streets you had chosen to take were the flickering street lamps and the skittering rats you could hear in each alley you passed.
You could almost taste the relief of the cheap bottles of wine you had stashed in your kitchen paired with a trashy netflix horror film when you turned onto your street, your apartment building somehow looking inviting with its old brick and foggy windows as it sat on the corner. The only thing stopping you from kicking off your heels and making a run for it being the memory of one of your less than polite neighbors dropping a large glass vase and not feeling any need to pick up the broken pieces before leaving for the day.
Instead you grit your teeth to help bear the pinching of your shoes, and break into a quick and awkward jog down the desolate stretch of sidewalk. Your eyes watering as you're met with icy air.
Peace and warmth and cheap familiar alcohol is only a few strides away when you hear it. To anyone else in the city it would have been no different than the sounds of an everyday creature scavenging in the trash for food, but you had lived here long enough to know what's a rat or raccoon or, in this case, a cat.
It was a stray you had befriended long ago, one that could climb and duck into your conveniently opened balcony door for a bowl of food and a scratch behind the ears. It was just a sweet little boy that was grey and covered with scratches and scars, but due to a no pet policy had to be kept labeled as a stray and a secret to your landlord.
You huff in frustration, assuming he would have been curled up on your couch when you returned home and not chasing rats in the alley next to your building, but he had always been mischievous from the day you met him. So with the hope that you could block his image from the security cameras, you turn and head into the dim light of the small alley.
You had lovingly dubbed him Oscar when you came home more than once to your trash can tipped over and learned he had a special love for garbage, and that name along with some weird chattering cooing left you mouth as you tried to coax him from whatever trash can he was creating chaos within.
Your teeth were already gritted and you back stiff as the playful feline found enjoyment in jumping out and scaring you in times like this and you assumed this time would be no different as his evilness seemed to only raise as it got deeper and deeper into the night. So you were already mentally prepared for an attack from an overly excited ball of fur, what you weren’t prepared for was a voice.
“What are you doing out so late?” the voice was gruff and slightly accusatory and made you all but jump completely out of your skin. And as you whip around in circles to try to find the face that the words feel from, you see your love and joy Oscar jump from the tallest trash can and scale the fire escape up to scramble back into your home like a guilty teenager that was caught by their mother.
“I asked you a question,” this time the words were followed by strong hands gripping your shoulders and a shrill yelp escaping your throat.
Your hand was pushing into your purse for at least one of your weapons as you squat to get out of the person's hold and turn to see their face, the grinning and prideful boy behind you washes you with a wave of relief before stabbing at you with annoyance.
“Haechan, what the fuck,” you whisper harshly as you pull your hand from your purse and stand up straight, your now free hand now moving to jab a rough finger into the dip of his chest, “how many times? How many times have I told you to not fucking sneak up on me like that. I know the pepper spray can’t hurt you and a stab wound would heal in like five minutes but that doesn’t mean I want to stab you, idiot.”
“Why not?” his head jerks back as if you said something dumb like the sky wasn’t actually blue or he wasn’t really the sexiest man to live, something that just has no logic behind it in the slightest, “like you said it would heal so maybe we could try, might be kinda hot.”
He punctuates his words by grabbing you roughly by the waist, his other hand wrapping gently around your neck before he pushes you against the rough brick behind you, the permanent evil glimmer in his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Do you ever get tired of being an absolute freak?” you thinly veiled insult doesn’t pack as much of a punch as you had maybe hoped, but when he begins to mouth at the skin of your jaw and cheek you can’t really find it within yourself to care.
“Well isn’t that why you like me?” he asks rhetorically as he starts to nip light bruises in the spots that blur your vision, “freaky me must be your favorite, because otherwise you wouldn’t be dressed the way you are.”
He’s no wrong, not even in the slightest, but the confident way in which he says it is enough to make you want to lie, “wanting you and liking you are two different things, no one ever said I liked you.”
“Oh but you want me,” the way in which he takes everything you say in strides without even batting an eye is bit infuriating, but the way his fingers tighten against your neck and push into your jugular is enough to make you melt against him, “that’s what you said so for once that’s not me putting words into your pretty little mouth. But don’t say you don’t like me, that’s a dirty lie and we both know it.”
“You don’t like when I lie?” you pout at him, trying to pull more and more reactions from him, “but some of your favorite things I say are lies, like how big you are and how well you fuc-“
“Alright that’s enough of you,” he interrupts, his fist tightening that much more and his other slipping from your waist to reach under the hem of your dress, a satisfied growl and his tongue pressing into the inside of his cheek being his reaction when he realizes the underwear he was grabbing for wasn’t there, “I’ve had to watch you prance around all night, letting a low down dog of a man touch you. And for what? My attention? Baby, you already have my attention.”
Your words stutter violently, the only sounds coming from your throat are whines and gasps as his fingers slip between your thighs and glide against the dampened skin, never staying on your clit long enough to give you the pleasure you need but enough to make you squirm.
“You were watching me?” you finally gasp out, before it clicks in your brain how dumb of a question it was. He told you a long time ago that he always will keep an eye on you, and knowing what he is and the things he can do, you had no reason to not believe him.
“I always am my pretty baby,” he coos before pressing teasing kisses to your open mouth, seemingly tasting and feeding off of every little noise that slips out, “and it hurts to see you let such a nasty man touch you where only I should. You didn’t even notice him following you out of that trashy club did you, silly thing?”
You jerk back as much as you can with the way he holds you, eyes widening at the news that you were apparently being followed without your knowledge. Every emotion that swims in your brain feels like its fighting for dominance, but with the way he chooses to dip his middle and ring fingers just barely past your entrance you’re struggling to cling to just one.
“God, you are so lucky to have me aren’t you? Who else would take care of creeps and make you feel good hm?” he tilts his head as he speaks, his breath warm against the side of your face before his tongue dips to lick at the shell of your ear, “no one can make you feel the way I do can they?”
“No,” you finally answer after a moment, the word coming out as an airy breath as his fingers finally sink in all the way. He wastes no time before curling them and pressing at the spot that makes your knees buckle, “please Haechan, need you so bad.”
“Oh is that one of those infamous lies of yours you were talking about?” he pulls away slightly, but shows no interest in slowing the motions of his hand, “well it can’t be can it? I can always tell you know? Can hear the way your heart picks up when you lie, much different than the way it does when you’re about to come for me.”
His wrist starts to move faster, the heel of his hand finally pressing and rubbing against your clit as the muscles of his forearm start to strain. The telling signs of your orgasm feel too sudden, too fast, and with his hand still constricting the blood that tries to flow to your head all you can do is let your eyes roll as your breathing comes out as small puffs.
“But since you’ve asked so nicely,” you can only let out a pathetic cry when he pulls his hand away from you suddenly, your lack of oxygen being the only thing stopping you from letting out a scream loud enough for the whole block to hear as he denies you of any stimulation. All you can do is let out incoherent babbling and whines as your hands reach up to dig your nails into the leather jacket protecting his forearms.
He releases your neck, your skin burning from the friction and the sudden amount of oxygen and blood returning to your head making you dizzy. And while your eyes roll as they try to refocus and your heart rate begins to slow to normal, he grabs your wrists and pushes your weakened form to be flush against the wall thats scrapes against your exposed skin.
“You are by far the best thing ive ever tasted,” he mutters, not concerned with whether you heard him or not, before his mouth latches to the side of your neck. He seems to find the most interest in the finger prints he left behind, as he pulls the tender skin between his sharp teeth and works to create a bruise that won’t leave you for another week.
Regardless of denying you a proper release, he considers himself to still be a generous guy. As his tongue lays flat against the burning skin of your neck, he starts to kick at your feet until your clumsy legs are falling apart wide enough for him to press his thigh against your skin, and in the exact way he predicted, you can’t help but to begin grinding helplessly against him.
One of the main reasons the dress that you currently wear is one of his favorites, is the neckline. Low enough to show the expanse of your chest and just enough of your cleavage to make him salivate. He’s as transparent as glass with this love, especially as he mouth travels down between your collarbones and sternum.
You can hear a quiet pop in the fabric of the neckline when he bites down and begins to pull it with him as he sinks down to the floor, the huff you let out being both in frustration from him further ruining a nice dress and your impatience.
The straps dig harshly into the skin of your shoulders before they give and fall, the sudden lack of support making it easier for Haechan to take the fabric and expose your chest to the cold air.
The look in his eyes when you look down is mean and predatory, you fear one day he’ll snap and consume you whole, but for today he settles for wrapping his swollen lips around your nipple and sucking harshly.
Your hips quicken involuntary, broken moans filling the empty alley as you twitch and squirm in his hold. He seems to grow irritated at your impatience as he shoves your wrists back harshly, his knuckles audibly scraping against the brick.
“You can never be patient to save your life,” his head tilts forward and he presses his forehead against your sternum with a huff before he’s leaning back up to press a sloppy kiss against your panting mouth, “you’re lucky I missed you so much or otherwise you’d be in for a lot longer of a night.”
He keeps your wrists trapped in his hold as he moves to kneel on the ground, the rough and dirtied pavement doing nothing to help the tears that already litter his jeans.
You feel your face flush when he lets go of one wrist and uses his newly freed hand to shove the hem of your dress up and around your hips, and the burning beneath your skin only worsens when he leans forward and breathes deeply with his nose pressed against your pubic bone.
He leans back for a moment, his hand wrapping around the bend of your knee to pull your leg to rest on his shoulder and you feel your shoulder sting from the wall cutting into your skin from him moving you like a doll.
“Haechan,” you whisper his name out with a pout that you hope will get you exactly what you want, but you can only huff and petulantly twitch when he begins nipping and licking at the skin on the insides of your thighs.
His teeth are sharper than most, and he usually airs on the side of caution because he’s aware of this. His bites are gentle for the most part, but when you begin to peak in your feelings of impatience, you can’t help the way your hips begin jerking forwards in search of his tongue.
His palm pushing against your hip is his first warning, a generous one in his opinion, but when the warning seems to fly completely over your pretty little head he has no other choice but to lean forward and sink his teeth into delicate skin at the bend of your thigh.
You cry out for a second before you’re tucking your lip between your teeth. It stings terribly, the skin breaking around his teeth burns but you can’t stop the way you revel in the sharp pain. And at the exact same moment you taste the metallic ting of the blood falling from your bitten lip, you feel the same warm thick liquid drip from the wounds he’s created and straight into his grinning mouth.
More blood falls freely when he pulls his teeth from your flesh, his warm tongue flattening against the injury immediately to catch as much of the liquid as possible.
He laps at it for a moment, savoring as much of the taste of your life source as possible, before he starts at the bottom of the bite mark and drags slowly up.
Once his tongue moves off the wound, he continues across your skin. The moment he hits your labia, you let out a gasp and jerk against him again, your mind completely erasing the fact that the bite was meant to be a punishment for that exact thing.
He seems to have forgotten him wanting you to remain still, as he doesn’t hesitate in the slightest until his licking across your stil swollen bundle of nerves.
He moans as the flavor of your arousal mixes with the still lingering taste of your blood, the vibrations shooting straight up your spine and making you shiver.
He tilts his head up to smile at you, his eyes shining as he grabs your hands and moving them to thread into his curled hair.
“Why are you shivering?” he asks with a faux concern, his right hand smoothing over your thigh before pushing between your legs to return his fingers to their spot inside of you, immediately pumping and curling them slowly, “are you cold or something? Maybe it’s because you’re in such a skimpy little dress?”
You groan out in annoyance at his playful act, your eyes rolling back but for once not in pleasure. It’s not until he starts to proudly giggle to himself do you exploit the hold you have on the back of his head to push him back to your body.
You fear that being shoved around may be the exact thing Haechan would have wanted, when he happily moans before latching his lips to your clit again, but the pleasure that melts your muscles erases any need to call him out on his deviousness and perverted enjoyment.
He seems happy with your moving hips when they start to move against his waiting face. Your fingers mindlessly and desperately tug at his scalp as your head tilts back and thumps against the wall.
The hand that isn’t pressed deeply inside you slides across your hip, his callused fingers making goosebumps run up your arms as they push into your lower belly.
You can feel yourself fluttering around his fingers as the curl and push apart, your thighs tensing around his bobbing head as he licks and bites gently at your clit. It feels like it’s harder to catch your breath and you know you’re only moments from orgasm.
“Please, please,” you start to stutter the word over and over, praying both that he lets you come and that you’re neighbors are deep enough in sleep to not hear the noises you know will escape you.
You almost cry in relief when you feel his shoulders shift, his face and fingers both pressing deeper from the movement in a way that tells you he has no intention on letting up on your shivering body.
His blunt nails start to scratch into your skin and you can feel his heavy panting breath against your skin every time he begins to lap at you desperately. You can feel your muscles lose even more strength, and your head becoming heavier and dazed as he coaxed you closer and closer to your finish.
Your shoulders twitch up towards your ears and you feel your stomach clench as your back curves, small whines and whimpers leave you as the heel of your foot thumps against the space between his shoulder blades.
You gasp out when you feel it, them. They start as small bumps beneath your palms, and you feel your chest tighten when it clicks what they are.
He’s always had a good hold on controlling them, keeping them hidden so he can wreak havoc without being clocked as something inhuman. They had peaked out a few times, usually in moments like this, but it’s such a rarity that you can’t stop the way your heart begins to thump in your chest.
Out of everything about him, you were obsessed with all of him, but you loved his horns the most. They were small and sharp at the side of his head and the way he looks when they’re poking out amongst his curled hair, and especially when he was grumpy or mad, made you want to jump on him and kiss him all over.
You were so caught up and distracted by them growing to full size directly under your hands you forgot how sharp they were at their tapered ends. The reminder you get is when they sharply down push into your palms like thorns.
You gasp sharply, but the way they curl makes you afraid to pull away. It makes you tremble and flush with embarrassment, but the pain bleeding into your hands is the last straw on your nerves. All you can do is wrap your now bleeding hands around the horns and cry out into the cold air as your erratic hips move across his face.
He groans deeply against you as your nails scrape at the skin that surrounds the base of his horns, the feeling of his and his still moving tongue pushes you through and past your gasping orgasm.
You sign in relief when he finally detaches from your body, his mouth moving up to press your hip and across the space of your stomach the dress reveals. He puts your leg down slowly and he creeps back up your torso, now hyper aware of your wounded hands still stuck on his horns.
“Sorry my love, they’re kinda sharp aren’t they?” he rhetorically asks with a soft but guilty grin. He stays ducked down enough that your hands don’t go too high that they start to slip, and he follows with his own to help you detach them.
“I just keep making my mark on you tonight huh?” he sighs as he stands at full height and brings your still bleeding hands to his face. You grit your teeth and scrunch your nose when he gives you a knowing look that says ‘we both know what I have to do.’
He is quick and gentle when he swipes his tongue across the deep cuts in your hands, not wanting it to sting more than necessary.
A teasing grin fills his face when he looks up to see the tired pout on your face, “just like the one on your leg, there won’t be anything left than a bruise if you just wait like an hour,” he’s sincere in his words, and you know it works, but you still feel all wounded and tired.
“Take me home,” you demand, wrapping your slowly healing hands around his shoulders and leaning until your head rests against his shoulder.
“Hey now,” he contradicts his tone by wrapping his arm around your waist and helping guide you walk to your apartment, “you still have to feed Oscar, and take a shower, and I’m not even full yet so you have to let me play with you until I wear you out.”
His tone is far too genuine and loving for the words he says, and you swat weakly at his chest in annoyance, but all he does in response is a laugh.
375 notes · View notes
blzzrdstryr · 3 years
Text
Misery
Sadistic!Yandere!Diluc x Fatui Harbinger!GN!reader
Wordcount: 6748
CW: torture, sex, foul language, isolation, sensory deprivation, extremely unhealthy relationships, dubcon, mindbreak, violence
Diluc isn’t a cruel person. Not necessarily. He punishes you only when you are difficult and for the last few weeks you tried to stay on your best behavior. Ragnvindr is nice to you, benevolent even, willing to look past your former affiliations and shower you with love. At times his affections seem suffocating and irking, blood red eyes following your every movement and him absorbing your every word as if it is a holy scripture, but you remind yourself that his love is the best thing that happened to you in your whole life.
Truly, Diluc is so kind to take you in and help you fix the errors of your old ways, even when you were snarling and spitting insults in his face, too stubborn to see how wrong your old life was. You were ignorant and ungrateful back then, seeing nothing but a Harbinger title and service to Tsaritsa. You forced Diluc to lock you up to make you realize that you didn't need your title or your vision or your archon. He is there for you and it's all that matters, you can rely on him for everything and he is happy to provide, persistent in his care for you and even now he is patient with your… deficiencies, waiting when you stop staring into the distance with vacant eyes.
You stand in front of an open but barred window, a typically Mondstadtian landscape revealed to you - bright green grass and patches of dandelions and windwheel asters growing in small groups with tall trees of the same shade finishing the picture. A gentle breeze flows through the opening, playing with your hair and caressing your skin, yet you imagine another type of wind - stronger and colder, relentless and carrying small snowflakes on the way. You close the eyes and see another image - tall, leafless trees covered by multiple layers of snow and the white ground between them. Snow shines and glitters under the pale winter sun, and you feel alive and bitter at the same time.
You know the place, having been there once, but your memory now is too blurry and fuzzy. All of the events prior to Diluc fixing you up are too foggy to make out the finer details and it somehow makes you feel sad, when you should be grateful instead. Tears well up in your eyes, and you can’t make them stop, rapidly going from silent crying to full on hysterics.
You hear Diluc asking what’s wrong with a concern in his voice, his hands slightly shaking your crying form. You can’t answer him, wailing even louder and stronger, hiding your face in both hands, ashamed from the sudden outburst and overwhelmed from unreasoned sorrow and heartache. Only when Ragnvindr painfully squeezes both of your shoulders and demands to know what is wrong with you in that tone that makes you shiver and gasp, do you stop, looking at him with wide scared eyes, hands that were used to cover your face, are now up in the air in a semi defensive stance.
He seems uncomfortable by your reaction, a slight frown appearing on his face, scarlet brows knit together and corners of mouth turned downward. “I am sorry”, you say, voice small and pleading, eyes casted aside not meeting his out of embarrassment. Why did you start to act so childish out of the blue?
“There’s nothing to apologize”, Diluc takes off the glove, using an uncovered hand to wipe away the tear tracks from your cheeks. There’s no irritation in his voice, just concern, so you risk a glance at him, as he continues: “You are just making me worry”
“I am sorry” you repeat, feeling a prick to your heart, as you process his words - Ragnvindr is so good to you, providing with everything you could ever ask of, and here you are, making him concerned and anxious over some silly daydreams. “It’s really nothing, I just need to be more attentive, that’s it”
You noticed that it’s harder for you to stay in the moment as you start to frequently space out, mind too occupied by the memories of days long past - playing with peers, entering Fatui, receiving a delusion. It’s a futile thing, but images still consume all of your attention and focus, keeping you from sleeping and eating.
“[First], I...” he starts, but then trails off, huffing to mask his hesitancy. Instead of talking he takes your face in one hand and leans in, his lips meeting yours. It's a slow and gentle kiss at first, but just like all other things with Diluc it quickly escalates into something more: his hands now take you by your waist and tug you closer to him, making you press with your entire chest against him, and he deepens the kiss, his tongue freely exploring the confines of your mouth as you moan into his from pleasure and such close proximity.
When you two part, Diluc leaves you flushed and dizzy, with heart quickly pounding against the ribcage. You feel a fire of arousal igniting inside of you, it travels from your chest to belly and soon spreads to the rest of the body. Your cheeks heat up as you stand up on tiptoes to whisper “Can we do it right now?” in Diluc’s ear, voice full of both shame and anticipation.
“Of course, my dear”, there are hints of a smile in his tone and he effortlessly lifts you up and heads for the bedroom and as he carries you you can’t help but zone out again, the memories of past days flashing in your mind.
***
Your first meeting happens during one winter night, as you receive the order to deal with him day prior, at a Harbinger meeting in the Zapolyarny palace. Eleven of you stay kneeling in the main hall, awaiting for Her Majesty to come in as Scaramouche and Tartaglia start to bicker as usual.
“I bet it’s about that mysterious person who’s destroying one stronghold after the other” Childe starts, voice full of bravado and smugness, fake smile blooming on his face: “Fortunately, Tsaritsa has me to take on whatever this stranger is”.
“I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you, Tartaglia”, Scaramouche remarks, almost spitting out the last word.
“Why shouldn’t I? I am the youngest here, yet I am also the strongest. Why are you so upset? Feeling envious of my power?” Childe retorts, voice still sounding too cheery to be natural.
“If there was anything to envy. You may be the best at fighting among us, but it’s the only thing you are good at”.
“Huh, it seems I was wrong. Maybe little Scaramouche wants to be as tall as me and that’s why he spits out his funny silly slander”.
It must have struck the nerve, as Scaramouche snaps back with an angry tirade, from which their exchange escalates into a heated battle of barely hidden insults. You, just as the rest of other Harbingers listen to their conversation, half amused and half irritated, lifting the brows at the creative mockings.
“Silence”, domineering and overpowering voice says and you still yourself, eyes casted downwards, as Childe and Scaramouche stop their exchange at the same moment. Footsteps echo throughout the hall, as a feminine figure takes its place on a high throne in the middle of the hall. Tsaritsa has arrived.
“As I can see my children already know about the perpetrator attacking my servants” archon starts, divine power and absolute authority evident in each syllable. You feel how the deity’s eyes look at all of you, despite still keeping head bowed and stance obedient.
“Innamorati”, you hear your title and lift up your gaze, ready to take whatever order the Goddess has for you.
“I entrust you with this task, don’t disappoint me”.
***
Diluc is not a coward and he never was one, but now he can’t help but feel a pang of fear, looking at your approaching form.
“Let’s test our delusions, shall we?”, you almost purr, voice soft, silken smooth and full of unspoken threat. It sends shivers down his spine, yet he still equips this cursed thing and braces himself for the upcoming battle.
There’s a stillness in your moves, a confidence that whatever Diluc has in his arsenal, you can endure and answer with something deadly in return. This dangerous calm both disturbs and excites young Ragnvindr.
He lashes out on you with a stream of accursed chains, filling the air with the sickly sweet scent of mist grass. You easily side step his attack, letting out a cheerless laugh and then come back with a cold gust, frost air currents easily cutting through his skin.
He barely dodges the attack, slowly registering the pain from injury. It’s a shallow cut and a testament to your strength, Diluc thinks, as he touches the scrape, marvelling at your speed. In the end, Diluc can’t stand against you - you’re stronger, have more experience and infinitely faster than him, bringing down one overwhelming attack after the other, a catalyst shining and glowing as you do so.
He jumps and ducks and runs, avoiding one hit after the other, yet there's only so much his body can do. Soon his limbs grow heavier and his breathing labored, Diluc slows down and that's when your attack finally strikes him. It pierces his body, pools of blood quickly forming under him.
Diluc falls down, his battered body no longer able to stand. Memories and regrets alike flood his mind, reminding him of deeds he wishes he did and deeds he wishes he didn’t. He remembers his childhood - all daydreams and high hopes, the world around him bright and friendly. He remembers his father's dying face and Kaeya’s guilt-ridden expression. He remembers overwhelming helplessness and grief transforming into righteous anger and hate.
It all seems so pointless now - leaving the Mondstadt, breaking all bonds with Kaeya or spending years in a mindless massacre, satiating his thirst for revenge by destroying one Fatui stronghold after the other, with no regard for his body or spirit. What was the point of it all, if he's still there, lying and bleeding to death, as you look down on him?
He throws, what he thinks, the last glance at the world, a strange thought appearing in his mind as he looks at you: I want them. As Diluc's consciousness fades he misses a sound of an observer's footsteps.
Later, as he gets saved by the said third party’s observer, who commented and praised Diluc’s methods, he replays the encounter in his mind, getting confused at this particular thought. Why would he want you? Maybe he wants you to die or maybe he wants to see you defeated, but in no way he sees you as desirable. In the end he blames everything on his oxygen deprived brain at the time, explaining the strange attraction he felt for you at that moment.
Having a near death experience and a taste of his own dying regrets, he decides to return to Mondstadt and as he does, thoughts about you continue to pester him. They fly around and buzz, reminding Diluc of your face, eyes and voice, of your body and skills and that terrifying speed you attacked him at. He swats them away like a noisy, annoying flies, suppressing and burying feelings deep, deep down, and naming his interest in you “a desire for revenge and retribution”.
***
Your second meeting happens once the news of a sudden Stormterror attack reaches Tsaritsa’s ears - a perfect opportunity for acquiring anemo archon’s gnosis and a new step in her rebellion against Celestia. She thinks about sending La Signora at first, as your fellow Harbinger is fast and ruthless, able to complete a job no matter the cost, but soon archon changes her mind and picks you instead. For secrecy and subterfuge, she adds, don’t disappoint me.
I won't, you promise more to yourself than her, as Tsaritsa never asks but orders. With your head bowed in deep respect and the heavy gaze of the goddess on your form, you decide that you will do your best to bring cryo archon's vision into reality. You are dispatched to Mondstadt the same week, first by ship, then by carriage. Pristine white landscapes of Snezhnaya quickly morph into bright Mondstadtian green, and you finally arrive.
Despite or maybe because of Mondstadt having almost nothing similar with Snezhnaya, it steals a breath from you for a moment - city stands on a lone isle in the middle of deep blue lake, tall windmills and bright red roofs seen from a distance, along with a giant statue of Barbatos blessing the city.
Acting Grandmaster Jean greets you, her stern blue eyes intently observing you, as she says standard Favonius salute and you return your own cliche lines - about Tsaritsa’s concern and a peacekeeping mission, empty phrases that don’t elaborate on what actually Fatui will do. She fails to suppress a frown upon hearing it, sensing your real intentions, but you pay it no mind - Jean has no way or reason strong enough to ban you from Mondstadt without causing a diplomatic conflict.
You turn on the heels after brief negotiations, heading for the Goth Grand Hotel, mind already full of plans and schemes of obtaining the Gnosis. Before you departed, Tsaritsa shared a very interesting fact to you - throughout the centuries Barbatos used only one mortal form, disguising himself as a young cheerful bard named Venti. You dispatch a couple of agents and cicin mage to look for a person fitting the description, and then turn your attention to the rest of the fatuis.
You scold Anastasia for unprofessional rudeness towards Jean. “We need to maintain a benevolent image”, you say to her, right before demoting her and temporarily sending her off to Dragonspine as a punishment. Under your rule fatuis cease sneering and belittling Mondstadt in public, lessening no doubt growing ire of locals.
All goes well, until several events happen. Stormterror attacks the city and some blonde foreigner fights off the dragon, wielding mind blowingly strong anemo powers and riding the wind, like a flying bird. Then your agents finally find a bard, reporting that “Venti" prefers to spend a considerable amount of both time and mora in two local taverns - Angel’s Share and Cat’s tail.
You don civilian clothing, heading for the former tavern and send off a couple of other disguised agents to the latter one. Now, stripped of your mask and harbinger attire, citizens stop gawking and staring at you, their eyes passing your form, as you make your way as an ordinary passerby.
No one pays you attention, as you enter the tavern, save for the strange six fingered bard at the entrance. He tries to sell you his performance, but you wave him off, heading for the bar. And here you see him again - you recognize the unknown attacker, his bright red hair and eyes betraying him the same second. Your faces mirror in recognition as a tense silence settles between you.
“So what is Fatui doing in this tavern?”he asks loudly and half of the customers stop drinking and stare at you. You sigh “enjoying” the atmosphere he created, and utter a premade excuse: “Mondstadt is known for its wine industry and the best wines are sold by Dawn Winery. It would be a shame if I left the city without tasting its finest drinks first”.
You glance at the red gem on his collar, an obvious heirloom of a famous clan: “Didn’t know that Ragnvindr heir would spend his days working as a bartender. You must be Diluc, then. Am I right?". He doesn't dignify you with an answer, preferring to wipe the glasses and serve other customers, his eyes still observing you from time to time.
You quit the tavern early, as “Venti”, as it turns out, leaves the same second he hears about your presence. You order agents to spy on him, waiting for the right opportunity to strike, that you don't get a chance to act on.
You get attacked by Diluc on your way to the Windrise tree, where according to your intel, Barbatos decided to go. He slowly pulls out his claymore and you notice a difference between old and current him.
He is calm this time, his movements lacking fervent hatred and anger that was present during your first battle. He must have gotten stronger then, if he feels so confident, entering a battle with you. Or grown foolish, your mind supplies.
You start to fight, exchanging one blow for another, as he surprises you - there's no barbed chains rushing into your direction, only an orange light fire surrounding the claymore. A pyro vision dangles on his waist, glowing and shining as he activates it's powers. You masterfully dodge his hits, shooting combined anemo and cryo attacks from the catalyst.
Suddenly you step on a burning grass, and hiss and close your eyes from the sudden pain. Diluc uses this time to disarm you, his heavy claymore crushing a delicate catalyst into small pieces. It happens so fast, that you are left speechless at the sudden turn of the battle tides.
With no weapon left, all you can do is dodge and run - you almost reach the city again. it’s walls become visible as you do your best to push your body beyond limits, fatigue weighing down on every muscle. Diluc sends a phoenix - a damn phoenix! - on your way. Fire licks your skin and scorches ends of your hair, but you manage to dodge it too - if only by a small chance - and fall to the ground, mind drifting off to the unconscious world.
***
You come up to your senses slowly and gradually; first there are sensations - a rough rope around your wrists, wet, yet rugged stone walls, then the smells, tastes and sounds - stale, musty air, a coppery blood on your tongue and a shift of a fabric, and then the images at last - dark basement and a bright red blotch, that after a time becomes a head.
There’s a man sitting beside you, Diluc Ragnvindr, your memory supplies. You feel calm and confused for a moment until you remember the fight you both had. Seems, he finally overpowered you.
“You are awake” he says, voice grim and quiet.
“It seems I am. Let me guess, you dragged me here because you want to know what this big bad harbinger plans to do?”. Control your breathing, don’t let him hear the tremble of your voice, don’t let him see the fear in your eyes.
He looks at you with an unreadable gaze and you hold his stare, looking absolutely untroubled in return, a knowing and somewhat self-confident smirk playing in your lips. No matter his status in Mondstadt, Diluc kidnapped you, one of the fatui Harbingers and a close associate of Tsaritsa. His action, no doubt, will force Fatui to severe action, an action that neither his nation nor his people will be able to withstand.
“Think bigger”, he finally says: “I don’t care what you planned to do. I already have you here, weak and helpless. No, what I want is intel on what your goddess and organization are after”.
“Oh, mister Diluc, you want to play a big game? It’s dangerous in case you didn’t know. Maybe after I tell you all of our wicked plans, you will wish you had never asked” you purr, sensing how it grates his nerves, despite him keeping his face and stance impassive.
“How so?”
“Tsaritsa is the greatest of all seven, her vision is absolute. Even if you learn of her plans I doubt you will be able to stop any of them”.
“I asked what the plans were, not what you think of cryo archon”. Diluc’s voice becomes a tone louder, the already present frown on his face subtly deepening.
“Then I am afraid you won’t get any from me”.
He suddenly gets closer to you, his hand yanking you by your head. You hiss, trying to free the bound hands, as he drags you to a nearby barrel with water by hair and then he dips you in it. You instinctively jerk in his hold, a cold water seeping in your nose and mouth as he holds you underwater. Ten second passes, twenty, thirty, you jerk again, your head throbbing and aching from the lack of air, he pulls you upwards.
You nearly black out from the abrupt change, gulping down in the air and coughing out water. He repeats his question and you deny him again. He dips you more, each time becoming a bit longer than the last, only to repeat his query. You lose how many times he lowered you into liquid, absolutely wet and shivering now, when he finally stops and ties you up to the same place you woke up to.
“We will continue tomorrow, I have business to attend to. I suggest you use this time to rethink whether you want to tell me Tsaritsa’s plans or not, as I can get much worse” He heads for the exit from the basement, as you greedily inhale the air.
“Wait”, you say, still breathing heavily: “Aren’t you afraid of the punishment? You kidnapped me, a harbinger, and then proceeded to torture me. Tsaritsa will have your head for this slight against her.”
“Tsaritsa won’t find out. Your Harbingers won’t find out. No one will find out if there’s no evidence”. He steps closer to you, his voice becoming firmer with each word.
“And how do you think you will manage to hide the evidence? You left the knights years ago, you are nothing but a businessman at this point. I doubt they will cover up for you”.
“How did..”
“Oh, Diluc, people talk and I am very, very nosy. That girl, Donna, she told so much to my subordinates about you ”, you mock her, imitating her high breathy manner: “Oh Diluc, he was the youngest captain, but then he left. I wonder why he left? Maybe the knights wronged him!”
“Honestly, with the amount of ire you subject poor knights to, only a deaf and a blind won’t know about how much you despise Favonius Order'', you continue, anger and hatred seeping into your voice.
“I still have connections”, he says absolutely nonchalantly.
“Oh, do you bribe them, then? You criticize the knights for being corrupt, yet you are willing to ask them to hide my abduction? It’s a bit hypocritical, isn’t it?”
Diluc doesn’t answer this time, finally stepping out of the room and locking the door. You sit alone in a dimly lit room, water still all over you and heart quickly beating in your chest, trying to calm down. Later, when your heartbeat stops booming in your own ears, you pray to Tsaritsa, asking Goddess to grant you strength and endurance.
***
You manage to doze off once your clothes are almost dry. The dreams you see are vague and murky, dripping with a sense of unease and anxiety, you see dark silhouettes that morph into looming shadows that later transform into phantasmagorical monsters. It must be why you wake up the same second door opens with Diluc entering the room.
He looks grimmer now, more determined. You brace yourself for his hands tugging at your hair again and lungs burning from lack of oxygen, but none of it comes. He uses a dagger to slice your clothes off, careful not to damage skin underneath. Out of pure nerves you quip some stupid joke about dining first, but he pays you no mind, his hands soon touching your bare legs and looks at them with a filthy stare, his red eyes consuming revealed flesh.
You still under his stare, heart pounding as you try to distract yourself from the thoughts of what he might do to you right now. Almost a minute passes, when he finally stops staring at your legs and begins to move his arms, caressing your inner side of the thigh instead.
You shift from the discomfort, alarmed when his palms start to heat up. He wants to burn me, you think and barely stop yourself from screaming by biting your lip. A disgusting smell of burnt flesh fills up your nose as tears start to travel down your face. He removes the hand, revealing two angry red imprints with a collection of small blisters already forming. Diluc, again, asks the same question, and just like the last time you refuse to answer.
He does upkeep his threat of becoming much worse, with his hands burning your naked body - he targets sensitive spots or joints,so everytime you shift or move they throb and burn, disturbed at the smallest of motions.
“You're not the one to think about the consequences, are you?”, you ask when he finishes, voice quiet and raspy from screaming.
"No one will find you".
"I am one of the Tsaritsa's most trusted servants, of course they will find me", you pretend you don't hear desperation in your own voice.
"Time will show", Diluc says philosophically, looking as gentlemanly as possible despite him torturing you seconds ago.
"Yes, it will", you agree with him, picturing the bastard's face once he gets thrown in prison.
He leaves the room and you allow yourself to slump, careful not to move burned areas too much, and then he returns again, this time with food and medicine. He works fast at bandaging and disinfecting the burns, seems he is as intent at patching you up, as he is at tearing you apart. As he swathes another burn, you look at the brought food.
It’s unlikely he would drug it to make you tell the truth, given that he already tortures you and he doesn’t seem to be a type to play mind games. It still could be laced with poison though, not lethal one, that would be counterproductive, but the one that can cause pain and tremors all over your body. You’ve seen such substance at work once, when Il Dottore decided to show you the fruits of his experiments - victims were thrashing and shaking on the floor once a five minute mark had been passed, by the twentieth they already admitted to all crimes, regardless of how innocent they were.
It might be even a new torture method, devised by Diluc, just to strip you from the short respite when you are not in pain. He finally looks up to you, finishing the bandage, noticing the stare you look at the food with. "It's not poisoned" he guesses your thoughts, taking a small bite and a sip to prove his words. A minute passes, then the second and the third ones, nothing happens with him, no blushing or paling skin, no wide blown or pinprick pupils, nothing. It still could be a slow acting poison, but you doubt it - they're usually harder to cure, Diluc wouldn't willingly consume it given the long list of aftereffects that remain even after antidote was administered.
Thankfully, he doesn’t stay to feed you, leaving you with food alone. It’s a potato hash browns, absolutely unseasoned and cold. You almost swallow them whole from hunger, realizing how starved you are once the smell of food reaches you. After a day(?) of fasting, satiation hits you full force, drowsiness pulling at every muscle. The tableware he brought is metallic and easily bends, so you can't smash it and use sharp pieces, nor are there any utensils to weaponize. You lay down on the side, as something falls on you. It's a stone.
Your hands take it, feeling its shape - mostly smooth with one angular protrusion. It's not sharp or pointed enough for you to cut through the bindings, but with enough time and effort it can break the rope with friction alone. You begin to work, grating the rope again and again, fighting off the sleepiness.
***
Diluc nods to Adelinde, as he returns from Mondstadt after signing the contract with winesellers from Inazuma. She understands this wordless gesture, starting to talk: “The.. guest you brought has eaten, last time I checked they still were awake. I did my best to be quiet, master Diluc”.
He dismisses her, thanking for her observations and decides to go down himself. A strange sort of fascination fills him, as he turns the key in the lock, that also prompts a burning shame that he grew accustomed to in the last few days.
It’s an awful thing, to find pleasure in another’s suffering - a trait of a heartless monster, as his father once said, but despite the chagrin he still can’t help but feel a quickening of the pulse as a pained whimper escapes your lips. It’s addicting honestly, to have you of all people, naked and trembling and helpless at his total control, when you were so close to ending his life just a couple of months ago. He supposes it's a type of karmic punishment to you, a fatui harbinger, no doubt a killer and horrible person - you deserve it, he tells to himself - you deserve it for being a fatui.
Moreover, you are not only a terrible, terrible person that deserves much more gruesome torture that he allows, you are also a source of priceless information - how many lives will be saved and avenged if you just tell him what fatuis plan to do. You are a harbinger, you are bound to know something, unlike most of the fatui.
Diluc carefully glances at you as he enters - you are still sitting in the same spot he left you in, head slumped low and shoulders relaxed. It seems you are asleep. He still makes his way to you, steps slow and quiet. Your hands are bound with rope and Diluc knows how much the rough fiber pulls and chafes at skin, grating it to the blood and ropeburns - he needs to use this short respite to quickly disinfect and bandage you again.
Diluc crouches down, as you twitch and then something aims for his head, he flinches a second too slow to dodge. You nearly manage to hit him right in the temple. His head almost splits in half from the burst of pain, vision blurry and disoriented.
You quickly stand, enduring the pain from the burns and make your way to the room. Diluc runs after you, panic and anger distorting his face in equal manner - he can’t let anyone see you like that! - but you manage to lock him in using his own keys. He kicks and thrashes the door, angry at himself for not carrying claymore with him, as something loudly collides with the wall at the other side. He hears a short surprised yelp and whimper - your whimper and the too familiar footsteps descending down the stairs- Adelinde.
“Master Diluc? Is everything okay?”, the headmaid unlocks the room, concern in her voice:”I saw.. the guest running out of the basement, so I pushed them back before other maids could see”
“Everything is fine, check on the Harbinger, I still need intel”.
Turns out, you blacked out upon the impact, a small trail of blood making its way down the head. Diluc is still angry at you, head throbbing and hurting, his hands itching to hit and burn you, but he can’t allow himself to lose control: you are hurt and he doesn’t want to kill you.
In the end, it’s all predictable, Diluc muses, you are an animal first and human second, your allegiance testament to that. He was too soft, too forgiving on you and you decided to twist his kindness like a blade in the back. His head still hurts, but he finally calms, reasoning your attack as an outlash of a mindless beast.
He carries your limp body in hands, finally taking out of the basement and takes you to one of the guest rooms at the second floor of the winery - it’s a risky move, but you injured your head and in Diluc’s experiences such traumas almost always carry a great risk - maybe you will even forget who you are and there’ll be no one for Diluc to interrogate to.
Placing your body on the bed he clasps a cuff around each of your limbs and gags and blindfolds you. After a second, he asks Adelinde for cotton and stuffs your ears full of it.
Human mind stripped of all stimuli is such a dangerous thing, tearing itself apart.
***
You wake up to darkness and silence, head slightly pulsing from pain. You lie on some sort of very soft bed, silk smooth sheets consuming and hugging most of your body as you wiggle your limbs, tugging at the cuffs.
A small wave of panic washes over you, as you remain absolutely blind and deaf to the world, but you try to remain calm, unsure if Diluc is standing near or not. The bindings on your hands are made of iron now, so you soon stop, knowing it's a futile thing. The only thing you can do is wait.
You don't know how much time passes between you regaining consciousness and the air shifting around you. Having been stripped of both sight and hearing, your other senses became a bit sharper, mind focusing on them to compensate. It's a subtle change of pressure but you still feel it, it's enough for you to guess where this person stands. Suddenly hands grope at you, touching and probing the place near burns. You would scream if it wasn’t for the gag, from pain and violation alone. It's a smaller palms, judging by sensations, they change the bandages. After whoever that was finishes patching you they leave you alone, their departure evoking both relief and sadness - they were a source of stimulations, stimulations that your mind desperately needs.
You start to tug at the bindings again - this time to procure pain, just to feel something again. You are bored, you are in pain and you are scared - not the best combination. Soon, you decide to distract yourself from ever increasing boredom with memories. Images of your past life flash and change before you - here’s you playing catch and hide and seek, here’s you receiving a vision, here’s you entering fatui and climbing through the ranks, here's you receiving delusion from Tsaritsa’s own hands and here's you battling Diluc for the first time.
I should have killed him, you think, I should have spent less time talking and more time fighting, the bastard wouldn't live to see another day and I wouldn't be here.
A strange feeling of panic settles in your bones, as you try to occupy yourself, it's subtle but never ending, slowly growing with each second. You try to daydream but you can’t, not when you are cuffed and your body burns. You try to reminisce again, but you can do only so much, memories becoming dull and repetitive. Soon, the subtle panic becomes not so subtle and you realize you are gasping and thrashing, limbs achings as you rub them against the rough shackles.
You must have blacked out or drifted to sleep, because the next time you wake up you feel a bit different - a little cleaner and more sated - they tend to me, when I am unconscious you realize. Diluc wants to limit all interactions I have.
You don't know how much time you spend there in the end, but it has a profound effect on you - at first the concept of sharing fatui plans with your captor seems nonsensical and traitorous, but after a couple of days-weeks(?) of being chained to one place with limited movement and perception, it stops looking like such a bad idea to you.
Time distorts around you, you can't tell how long you were lying there, seconds turning into minutes and minutes into hours and hours into near eternities. At one point you started to cry again, scared and panicked and then you proceeded to scream.
***
Diluc comes to you again, taking out the cotton and blindfold from your person. Your eyes hurt and your head starts to ache again from the rush of noises, and you blink a couple of times to see the man before you. A strange mix of emotions washes over you - you hate Diluc, you truly despise him with every fibre of your being, yet now Diluc is the only person you have, the only person you see. It’s so confusing and overwhelming that you start to cry, unable to process any of the feelings.
Diluc looks as prim and proper as ever, as he shushes your crying and promises to let you go if only you will tell Tsaritsa’s plans. You almost believe him, Fatui secrets dancing at the tip of his mouth, yet you hold on to the pieces of your loyalty, slowly shaking your head. He asks you again, doubt and concern in his voice. It will be better if you tell me, he says, his hand still stroking you, don’t you want to walk and see again?.
His hand stops stroking you, face turning back to stone when you refuse him for the second time. He fixes blindfold and cotton again and part of you is howling - it’s scary, so scary to be left alone with nothing but your thoughts.
This time you start to break far faster, having tasted freedom for a mere second. You break down and tell Diluc everything you know next time he visits. His hand on you feels like salvation and punishment at the same time. At the end of your confession you are too empty, all of your secrets laid before him, no place for sadness or grief left inside of you. You feel whatever was inside of you was scorched off by Diluc and it left you thoroughly burnt. Dead. Made of ash.
“My name is [First]”, you wail and howl, shoulders slightly shaking as you do. You want so much to have some human contact, to hear someone call your name for once.
It’s cathartic in a way, to tell all the secrets your mind has been bustling with ever since becoming a harbinger. He doesn’t flinch or frown when you tell what exactly you witnessed or did, intently listening to each word.
He keeps his promise and uncuffs you from the bed, but you are still not allowed to leave the room, which doesn’t really disappoint you. There are books and a small barred window that opens a view to the wineyard, a feast for the starving mind. You spend at least an hour standing at the window at first, amazed that you can see people working.
He gifts you clothes and other books, assigns a housemaid to look after you, the same one that pushed you down the stairs when you were running away, she doesn’t speak to you, preferring to avoid your gaze.
Sometimes you do feel sad - you betrayed Tsaritsa, you betrayed your homeland, you lost both vision and delusion - but you quickly shove it down, unable to process feelings properly. You know you are defeated, having seen similar behavior from fatui prisoners, and Diluc knows it too, a malice and triumph and satisfaction burning on his eyes, despite the impassive face.
He sees you as a trophy, a reminder of how he reduced the great fatui harbinger to your current condition. He orders you around and punishes when you disobey, calls it reeducation, calls it teaching you how to be a decent person, calls it a punishment for your sins. A part of you wants to retort and point out his own failings, but you stop yourself at the root, unwilling to be stripped from the world again. You comply, you suppress, you break little by little. It all pleases him.
You learn to love what hurt you the most out of pure fear.
***
“First?”, it’s Diluc, shaking you slightly by the shoulders. You snap back to reality, seeing that he already carried you to bed and undressed you.
“I am here, you can continue” you whisper as he leans down to pepper your chest and collarbone with kisses, and then hiss as he bites you.
“Mhm, that’s good,” he says, warm hands traveling down to your thighs, caressing the inner side: “Could you spread them a bit?”
You obey, equally parts scared and excited.
Truly, Diluc is the best thing that happened in your life.
Note: All fatui harbinger names are taken from commedia dell'arte. Innamorati are a couple of lovers, madly in love with each other and with the idea of being in love. I thought it would be ironic.
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ms-hells-bells · 2 years
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Sorry if this is long but really wanted to ask this and I wanted no room for misunderstanding etc etc........ I’m kinda new to radical feminism and I’ve been wondering about something I’ve seen around here that’s been bothering me for some time ,but I didn’t want to ask with my name attached since I’ve kinda seen this topic brought up and all I saw were mocking answers so here goes: why do some radfems /gender critical feminist reblog porny objecting pictures of women? *cues booing sounds* Now I understand that there’s more nuance to things and people here go on about being annoyed at the policing of others for not being ideological pure and whatnot put I feel like sometimes it just comes across as an excuse to be hypocritical to the very things they advocate against.... like I understand reblogging some random pretty lady in makeup and high heals because most women are photographed and presented that way and you’d be rendered unable to even appreciate any woman again if you stick to being “ ideologically pure”. But, that’s not what I’m referring to, I’m talking about like straight up singular ass shots and women in objectifying poses wearing thongs and high heals, the whole nine yards and it’s not even done in an artsy photography way or shot by a female artist. Like scrolling through blogs of very smart women and them BOOM it’s an ass thong pic god you’d think you could escape but I guess not even here and I can’t describe the disappointment and repulsive feeling I get when I see those images I actually forget I’m on a radfem blog and I end up thinking I’m on your average libfems /misogynistic man’s social media. And I’m trying to think hmm maybe they like the clothes or whatever but some make it obvious it’s to thirst or to acknowledge that the women in the pic is attractive ( and interestingly enough I’ve seen straight , bi and lesbian radfems do this.) And so the excuses and deflection some people have given is that “ some of us are lesbians and we are all not pure sapphics that want to hold hands we like to fuck god you’re so annoying” and the dramatic “so you’re saying lesbians are like predatory males for our innate attraction you’re lesbian-phobic !!!” and also someone compared them reblogging porny pics to straight women thirsting over men ??? ( I guess suggesting that straight women are inherently problematic for even having an innate sexual attraction to men lmao). Like idk how these are good arguments since the problem at hand wasn’t about SSA experiencing sexual attraction and thirsting over other woman but that they did it at the expense at objectifying other woman. I actually think that ALL women have a problem with objectifying woman that no one wants to talk about and everyone has their excuses. Like no I don’t think SSA woman are the equivalent of a predatory males but I do think they are not 100% free from seeing women like objects. I might make some SSA women here mad but some of you guys DO enjoy images of woman being objectified but don’t want to admit it, there’s this prioritizing of you’re own satisfaction over what you actually believe in, and you’ll try you’re best to twist any criticism of this as lesbophobic. As for straight women they also will see other woman as objects even if they don’t desire other woman sexually , probably seeing other women as aesthetically pleasing objects to reblog not minding the obvious objectification since they’re so desensitized anyways. And once again I want to say this isn’t about your typical hot lady post here but porny male gazey type of shit. I tried really hard to brush it off but my visceral reaction to seeing these pics was identical to the feeling of seeing woman plastered as pieces of meat just like in all social media and I didn’t want to ignore that. Anyways so what I wanted to sincerely ask is if there is some kind of perspective that I’m missing in all this?
i have actually criticised this multiple times before, and there is a semi-regular thing i do where i'll come across an image, whether a photo or art, on my dash and it smells of male gaze, and i'll check the artist and confirm it, then reblog with artist info. it proves a point that you CAN almost always tell when nude imagery of women is objectification. the even more offensive stuff is when it's clearly sexualised and you look at the op and they're a porn blog. like, i get not checking everything you reblog, we're not tras, but i feel like naked women in art is like....a good exception to have for checking the artist and/or poster.
as i have said before, i think in our current society, art surrounding women's naked bodies is currently inseparable from the view of women that has been indoctrinated into all of us. even heterosexual women view women in an objectified manner, let alone women who are also sexually attracted to women. of course, our f/f attraction is still very different from men, but to think that it is free of the influence of the collective objectification and hypersexualisation is naive. so, personally i'd rather not share images of naked women at all, unless completely desexualised, made by women, and the focus isn't her body, and even then i often leave it be because why is she naked? why does she need to be naked? i can live without online art of naked women, it's such a small thing that it's ridiculous to argue over and defend, it's like those dudes that conflate masturbation and porn and act like they'll die without porn subreddits or whatever.
in a patriarchy free society, there'd be nothing wrong with naked woman art. but right now it's the zeitgeist, the guerilla girls have stats about this, of how much art is naked women. it's not counterculture, against patriarchy, revolutionary, it is exactly what men make and consume. they don't care what reasons one has for making it as long as it's being made.
of course, there is nuance in this, like i mentioned with the desexualised female made stuff, but it's just easier for me to largely not risk it.
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Favorite Human
Fandom: Teen Wolf Pairing: McCall!Pack x reader (platonic) Word count: 2.8k Summary: It’s Malia who first smells it - the bitter scent that had started to Infiltrate yours - and she, Lyida and Kira decide to find out what was wrong with you...  Warning: Nothing too much really, but it’s slightly Angsty I guess. Also the feels Requested by the amazing, patient and great anon: Hi~,Teen Wolf person again. Can i request a pack image where the reader is hiding something for the pack and the pack are all sort of catching on to it like chemosignals and behaviour. Eventually they kinda piece the bits together and figure it out. they all try to comfort you and help you get better. Something just along those lines.(They could be hiding selfharm stuff, family stuff or they like someone in the group or yeah, you can pick what your comfort writing for) Thank you have a nice day~
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The California sun was beating down on Beacon Hills and its inhabitants, a feeling of peace and calm that was - by now - almost foreign in the city laid in the air and prompted the resident teenagers and young adults to enjoy a day away from school, stress and (for a very special group) life threatening situations. This particular group - the McCall pack, as they were known in the supernatural community of the city - decided to spend their free time on a very nice, but fairly unknown clearing in the beacon hill woods and for once being surrounded by these trees didn’t give them the vibe that one of them could probably die at any given moment. It was a rather nice change. “Uno,” Liam smiled as he slapped a +4 card onto the floor, making Mason groan and throw his head back. It was the third time in a row that Liam was winning and while it seemed to leave you completely cold it annoyed Mason to no end, but he couldn’t stop playing either until either you or him finally beat the wolf. While the three of you were sitting in your game circle, Malia, Lydia and Kira were lounging on a picnic blanket enjoying the sun and having their conversation. The only one who was sitting on the grass like a lost puppy was Stiles, phone in hand but seemingly not having the attention span to focus on it for more than five consecutive seconds. Originally he and Scott had been sitting there together talking about Lacrosse or girls or whatever the two of them talked about when they weren’t planning to save the city, but Scott had - after lots of pleading and begging on his betas part - disappeared into the direction of the city to buy some ice cream for everyone. “Y/N?” Liam shocked your shoulder and you had to shake your head to come back into reality and out of your thoughts. “Yes?” you looked at him with wide doe-eyes full of confusion. “It’s your turn.” “Oh, right, sorry, just lost in thoughts,” you smiled apologetically and shrugged before turning to your cards to think about your next move, not noticing how Liam and Mason exchanged a look. They had started to notice the change in your behaviour only recently. Your usual very cheery, always-seeing-the-best-in-everyone-and-everything self started to be stuck in your thoughts more often and your smile seemed just a little bit off lately. “Here you go,” you looked up again and put a +2 in front of Liam earning a quiet ‘Yessss’ from Mason at the prospect of finally beating his best friend, only to be sorely disappointed when a smirk immediately filled Liam’s face as he victoriously added his own - last - +2 card onto the pile, effectively winning the game and starting a rather useless discussion about whether the fact that the makers of Uno stated that putting a +2 on another +2 and making it a +4 wasn’t allowed counted anything. While Mason and Liam kept on blickering you pulled yourself up from the grass-floor and wandered over to the girls who welcomed you with kind smiles and made space for you on the blanket. As you sank down you were immediately pulled into Malias lap who hugged you into her and pressed her nose into your neck and y/h/l hair to smell you - a habit of hers that you had at first found more than disturbing but by now had gotten used to. In fact, the more time you spent with your not-quite-human friends and acquaintances, the more you noticed that they all had their own little versions of that, even though with Malia it was the most extreme since she was still the one running mostly on her basic instincts. At least that’s how Stiles explained it to you. He said that since you were logically seen the most vulnerable and ‘weak’ member of the pack their natural instincts where to protect and shield you from all dangers and make sure you are alright and - after your initial reaction of punching the hell out of Stiles’ shoulder in order to show him just how not-weak you were - you started registering it more and more. It was mostly very little things with Scott, Liam, Derek and in some situations (even though rarely) Peter like little hugs and giving you their clothes to scent you, pushing themselves in front of you in the face of even the most harmless of situations or the way they just sometimes randomly turned up at your house (this was mostly Scott, Liam and Malia though) to check if you’re okay even if they could just call. With Malia it was all that, but times ten in intensitivity. And the smelling. Malia herself wasn’t quite sure why, but she simply loved your natural scent. It always managed to calm her down. So you got used to her randomly smelling at you even if it did weird you out from time to time. Usually she would pull back after a few seconds, give you a happy smile and get back to what she was doing before like nothing happened, but this time when she drew back she looked at you displeased and confused. “Is something the matter?” you asked just as confused and now the other girls, who had gotten used to Malias antics and taken on the habit of just completely ignoring it in order not to get growled at, got curious as well and turned their attention towards you. “Something’s off,” Malia grumbled and scrunched her nose like she’s smelt something rotten. “Oi!” you scoffed and moved back a little, feign being offended, “Are you telling me I stink?” “No,” Malia sighed and rolled her eyes, “It’s not that, it’s just...your scent is- I don’t know how to put it really. Bitter? I think?” “What does that mean?” Lydia asked, her interest now seemingly spiked. “‘M not sure,” Malia shrugged and moved forward to take another good sniff at your hair, only for you to move your head back out of her reach and put your hands on her shoulders to keep her a distance away from you. “I think that’s quite enough,” you chuckled, but it sounded mechanical almost, “I appreciate the concern, but I don’t really think me smelling bitter means anything.” Noticing the way you held yourself defensive, something that you almost never did, all three of the girls wanted to investigate further, but you quickly moved off of Malia’s lap and stood up. “Oh look, there’s our ice cream,” you smiled as if nothing was happening and jogged over to your Alpha to help him. “This was weird, right? She’s acting weird, isn’t she?” Kira questioned and looked between the other two girls who nodded, “What’s that about?” “Not sure, but we gotta find out before the boys notice anything. Malia is bad enough already, but if the male wolfies find out we’ll have a real problem on our hands,” Lydia sighed and inspected you from afar. 
After then the three of them noticed it far more often, the way you held yourself changed and your smile seemed to lessen by the day. By the time you started to fold into yourself and Malia said that your smell was getting more bitter, to the extent that she could smell it above almost everything else surrounding you, they knew that it had gotten out of their hands. They had to involve the others as much as they dreaded their reactions. As they had predicted Scott, Liam and - surprisingly enough for a human - Stiles didn’t react kindly to it, immediately planning to confront you. But in a turn of events, their thirst for actions and the girls rational thinking evened each other out and they decided on an approach that was reluctant enough to not scare you away, while also - hopefully - pushing you to tell them what was wrong. They wanted to do it in an environment that you felt comfortable in so they decided to go to your place, but that meant that they couldn’t all come, since they didn’t want to overwhelm you either. So, after a long and exhausting discussion, they decided that Stiles would be the one who’d go in first to make sure everything was clear and then give the others a heads up to follow. The Pack was standing - as inconspicuous as it was possible for a group of five - on the other side of the street your house was in as Stiles was walking down your driveway, welcomed by a cute door plate that had obviously been made my a little child and he was pretty safe in his assumption that you had been the one who had made it when you were younger. After taking a breath of reassurance Stiles raised his hand and knocked on the door. You must have been near the door already, because not even ten second later the door was tipped open and you stared at him with tired eyes, in your alien Pajamas with messy hair. If Stiles had not known better he would have assumed you had tried to sleep. “Who is it Honey?” He heard the voice of your mother scream, but the usual sweet voice he was used to hearing from her was strained and mixed with annoyance. “Uhm...It’s Stiles! My friend from school, he was here last month to study for my english exam, you remember?” “Oh, yes,” your mother walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway, “Hello Stiles.” Stiles returned the greeting, but his thoughts were more occupied by the state of your mother. Her hair looked unwashed and even more messy than yours, obviously not because of sleep, but rather because she hadn’t brushed it in a while, there were red stains under her eyes, the skin around it dry and strained, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that she must have cried - a lot - and her blouse was wrinkled, which he knew from their previous meetings and what you had told him about her would usually be a no-go for her. “Well, if you’ll excuse me,” she smiled, but it was tight-lipped and obviously forced, but before she disappeared into the kitchen again she looked at you, “Y/N, make it fast please.” You just nodded and turned back to Stiles. “Hey,” he said again, a little bit uncertain now, the situation having thrown him off of the plan he had made in his head on the way from the pack to the door. “Hi,” you said and he had to admit that you were definitely your mothers daughter by the way your forced smile perfectly resembled hers. “I wanted to talk to you, uhm, we - I mean me and the pack by that, well it started with Lydia, Malia and Kira, but anyways - we noticed that you’ve been...how do I put this correctly- well, I guess you’ve been off more lately and so we’ve been worried, because usually you smile a lot and you always make unfunny jokes and all that and now you don’t so-” Stiles rambled and just let everything flow out at once, probably would have continued to do so if you hadn’t held up your hand to stop him. “Not-Not here, okay? I’ll answer your questions, but not here. Let’s take this outside, please,” you shut Stiles up and took his arm to lead him out of your house and onto your porch where you sat down on the stairs leading onto your front law. For a while there was silence as Stiles found himself unsure of what to do next, but he could basically feel the piercing stares of his friends on him. After a few seconds of contemplating he sat down beside you, while still keeping a little bit of distance - just to make sure he wasn’t too overwhelming. “So…” “Yeah, so…” “Why...have you been so off?” Stiles asked but honestly couldn’t help but cringe a bit at how completely un-smooth he sounded. “I- It’s-” you tried multiple approaches, but stopped yourself every time, only to sink your face into your hands and sigh, “I’m sorry.” You raised your face again and looked at Stiles and he could see the sadness, this slight sense of despair. “Hey, it’s okay, don’t rush yourself,” Stiles tried to comfort you, “If you can’t tell me that’s okay, we’re just all very worried about you. We want to make sure that you’re okay.” “No, it’s fine, I- I think I actually wanted to tell you all for a while, but- I don’t really know, it’s just been hard for me… My parent’s have been going through some rough patches for the last few months and now my dad - he,” you stopped again and hugged your arms around you, Stiles couldn’t help but notice the glistening of tears in your eyes, “-He moved out two weeks ago. I mean, sure there were signs, it wasn’t working well by all means, but moving out? That was pretty shocking for my mom and me.” By now the tears had started rolling down your face and Stiles couldn’t hold back anymore. He moved closer to you and laid his arm around your shoulder to pull you into him. It seemed that the pack couldn’t hold back anymore either, because only a few seconds either Lydia was kneeling in front of you holding your hands, the rest also finding positions around you - hoping to give you as much comfort as possible. You gave them a wet chuckle, even though your tears didn’t stop flowing. “I could’ve guessed that you’re not far. I’m sorry for being a mess.” “No, Don’t ever be sorry for feeling. We love you and that means that we’ll be there for you through the bad times just as we are in the good times,” Scott assured you and lovingly petted your head even though he knew that you always complained about how it made you feel like a little child or a puppy. “Thank you guys for being here - it’s just a lot right now. My mom is expecting me to be on her side, while my dad keeps expecting me to decide about where I’m going to live now. He wants me to move with him to New York into the city he grew up in, but I don't want to leave Beacon Hills. I have my whole life here, my school, you guys, my mom, literally everything, but I also don’t want to lose him- It’s just, I feel so torn and it seems like every choice I could take would be the wrong one,” you were full on sobbing at that point, but it was clear enough for your friends to understand you. “Hey, It’s okay,” Lydia tried to calm you down, “I know that this seems like an impossible choice, but I can assure you we will find a way. We’ve defeated some of the greatest evils that the world has seen and we were successful. We’ll be just as successful with this, okay?” You started nodding and for the first time in a while you were actually feeling just a little bit like yourself again, a sliver of home filling your heart at all your friends who were by your side and supporting you. “Lydia’s right,” Scott agreed. “There’s one thing I gotta ask though,” Liam started and before anyone else with a little more sense of sensibility could stop him asked: “Why didn’t you tell us before? I mean we’re you’re best friends ri-” At that moment Mason basically threw himself at him and put his hand in front of his mouth to shut him up. “You don’t have to answer that,” Kira assured you, but you just shook your head. “No, it’s fine, I get why he asked. I- I guess I just thought - it’s like Lydia said, we fight evil on a weekly base, we have to worry about so much more serious things than my stupid family drama.” “Now listen to me,” Lydia spoke up in her I-will-take-no-talkbacks-voice and looked at your sternly, “This is not stupid and it is by no means less imporant than anything else we do, okay? Maybe it’s not life-threatening or supernatural, but it is still hurting you and as friends we can’t let anything hurt our favorite human, can we now?” And in that moment everything was okay again - if only for just a few seconds - with your friends by your side and Stiles yelp of protest, because he insisted that he was at least Scott’s favorite human, - earning himself a look from Scott that told him that what Lydia said also applied to him - even made you laugh your normal laugh again. And so, when Malia finally got close enough to you with all your friends surrounding you to smell your scent, she found that your normal, sweet scent was finally returning again, and even though there was still a bitter undertone to it she now was sure that it would soon be back to her favorite scent again.
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iliveiloveiwrite · 3 years
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Reminiscing // Elijah Mikaelson
Summary: In a rare moment of peace, you find yourself thinking back over the centuries shared with the one you love.
A/N: I AM A FOOL FOR ELIJAH MIKAELSON. My taglist is open for The Originals - if you would like to be added, let me know!!
Warnings: fluff, history, established relationship, vampires, mentions of blood and death, mourning and grief, female pronouns, use of ‘wife’, dialogue heavy.
Word count: 1.8k
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The house was quiet.
A rare occurrence in the Mikaelson household, but for first time in the months, the house was quiet. There was so furious shouting from Klaus, there was no attempts at mediation from Elijah. It was all quiet, and it was all peaceful.
When such a thing happened, it was very much the time to take hold of the rarity with both hands, gripping onto it for dear life in the hopes that the peace and quiet does not end too soon.
You sit in the library; finally put back together after one of Klaus’ anger fits. The books line the shelves in the correct order; a painstaking task you had completed after Klaus had apologised to you, knowing how much you cared for the almanacs and folios hidden away in the priceless Mikaelson collection.
The chair you had chosen to sit in was one that had come with you from the continent when the family had first settled in New Orleans. You had found it at a markets, immediately buying it and having it brought home with you that very day. Elijah had said nothing, indulging you with a roll of his eyes and a kiss to your lips. He very rarely argued with you, knowing that more often than not, you would have been right to make such a purchase.
The photo album remains open on your lap as you stare down at the images stuck to the pages. Time had aged the album; the pages becoming worn at the corners and browning further with each passing year.
This was the first album you had picked up; knowing it had the most pictures of the family in it. In particular, this album was home to perhaps your favourite photograph of yourself and Elijah. It had been taken spontaneously; unaware that a photographer even stood close by. Your bodies are angled towards each other as if each other’s true north. Elijah’s expression is soft as he glances down at you; the beginnings of a smile poking at the corners of his mouth as he readies himself to laugh at whatever you might have been saying in that moment. His hand rests delicately on your waist as your face is turned upwards; your eyes shining brightly as your hands gesture wildly, punctuating your story.
Footsteps sounding bring you out of your reminiscing. Instead, you greet the subject of the photo, smiling widely at your husband as he enters the library, adjusting the cufflinks on his tailored shirt.
“I knew I would find you here,” Elijah comments, a hand brushing over your shoulder and the back of your neck as he walks past you.
“I’m making sure Klaus doesn’t take out his anger on anymore of the family collection.”
Elijah chuckles, “I don’t think that will happen again. He’s too scared of your reaction.”
“As he should be,” You declare, puffin out your chest proudly at the fact that the hybrid would be too scared to even touch the precious books and histories housed in this very room.
“The Great War?” Elijah asks, pointing to the album in your lap, not expecting an answer. He reaches for the photo album, beginning to flick through the pages as he wanders around the room. “My dear, whatever brought this on?”
“It’s been so peaceful recently. I wanted to take a moment to remember.”
“To remember?”
“Our past, my love. We have been together for over a thousand years, married for just short of that. I wanted to remember the peace.”
Elijah doesn’t answer. He simply watches you, watches the emotions flit over your face as you communicate your feelings. The last few months haven’t been easy on anyone in the Mikaelson family; the permanent target on your backs making it hard to live everyday life. Klaus continuing to make enemies left, right and centre didn’t help the matter either.
A thousand years. A thousand years he has loved you; has never loved anyone but you. His life prior to being a vampire flashes before him; a strong man, destined for great and noble things and completely in love with you – kind and caring. The relationship happened quickly, but the both of you knew that your eternities were intertwined. The curse put on him by his mother perhaps made him more selfish of all; turning you to ensure your eternities would always remain intertwined.
“Why the Great War?” He finally asks after a moment of silence.
“It was the first time we got our hands on a camera. We had seen them before, in France, but this was the first time we had owned one.”
“Rebekah loved it. She was forever posing in some ostentatious dress.”
You chuckle, your body warming at the obvious fondness in Elijah’s voice. He would berate her fashion sense, but he would never speak ill of his beloved little sister.
“Do you remember the summer we spent in England? It had to have been 1812 or 1813?”
“And you let Rebekah promenade for the season?” You start to giggle, “She had so many suitors! I have never seen Klaus so mad!”
“It wasn’t just Niklaus,” Elijah recalls, “I had so many angry missives from mothers who wanted to marry their daughters off that season but couldn’t because of Rebekah.”
You snort, remembering the empire waists of those months spent in London. The weather had been particularly wonderful that year; the sun continuing to shine for days on end. More time had been dedicated to walks in the park than they had been to being cooped up inside. Whilst the fashion of the time could be debatable, the company of your husband was very much desired.
“You were the diamond of that season, my love,” Elijah comments, bringing you back to the present.
You roll your eyes at the love of your eternal life, “You have to say that. I’m your wife.”
“What would you have me say?” Elijah asks, eyes bright with happiness, “As I recall Lady Earnshaw was particularly handsome that year too.”
“Lady Earnshaw!” You gasp.
“She loved me,” Elijah defends, holding a hand to his chest as if wounded by your words.
“Of course she did! You flirted with her every chance you got.”
“Jealous, my love?”
“Never,” You snort, remembering the aged face of the stubborn matriarch, “Lady Earnshaw was a day over eighty if I ever remember her.”
Silence descends over the both of you; memories of a past once thought long forgotten now washing over you. There was much to think of when one has lived for over a thousand years. The first few months after your transition were blurry; the pangs of hunger making your thirst practically insatiable – unable to think of anything but feeding. Yet, as you aged and found your place in society on Elijah’s arm and in his heart, your memories become refined – punctuated with moments of joy and pangs of heartbreak.
It had not been an easy existence. Family’s often fallout and Klaus had no qualms about punishing his siblings. However, in and amongst those dreaded recollections were rare moments of peace. Moments that were sought after and savoured; relished by every member of the Mikaelson family.
“Do you remember the sixteenth century?” You ask, mind faraway in the past.
Tudor England had been where you were happiest. You loved New Orleans, adored the culture and the people that came along with it, but Tudor England had its charms as well. For the millennia that you had been walking the earth, you had always found home in Elijah, knowing that he would be with you for an eternity and more. Yet, Tudor England had a hold on you. Having to leave the court of Henry and not return until Elizabeth had been crowned; it had been the longest decade of your immortal life.
“How could I forget?” Elijah laughs, “You have our miniatures in your bedside table.”
“Nicholas Hilliard was a dear friend,” You admonish thinking of the artist with great fondness.
“Queen Elizabeth I was never my biggest fan, was she?”
“You did take her sugared violets away from her,” You remind him, a smile in your voice as you remember the anger in the monarch’s voice once she realised who had in fact stolen her precious sweets.
“Her teeth had rotted away completely!” Elijah protests, throwing his arms wide as he defends his actions from centuries ago.
“So what would more sugar do? She had already lost her teeth, love. As I recall, her breath wasn’t all too pleasant.”
Elijah grins, remembering your pinched expression every time the monarch sought your attention, “You were her favourite.”
You shrug effortlessly, lifting a single shoulder. “I can’t help that she had good taste.”
“You wound me, love,” Elijah moans, smiling widely. His playful side came out rarely, but when it did, it was a treat for those nearby.
“You also refused to call her Elizabeth,” You continue, ignoring Elijah’s noise of protest, “You would call her ‘Betty’.”
“She didn’t mind the name when I was in her father’s court. I still argue to this day that I didn’t deserve her shoe being thrown in my face when I let her nickname slip out of fondness.” Elijah argues, crossing his arms as he thinks back to the small redheaded child he had first encountered almost five hundred years ago.
“She wasn’t the Queen then, darling. She was five years old and in need of a mother.”
“You were wonderful as her closest confidant. She thought of you as her mother.” Elijah comments quietly; his mind still on the small child of five – bright red hair combined with a wide smile. Elizabeth had become attached to both you and Elijah; finding adoptive parents in both of you when you showed her the smallest of attentions. It was hard to say no to such a child.
“It broke my heart to leave her,” You reply, your non-beating heart lurching at the memory of not only the tearful teenager, beginning to question why you hadn’t aged, but also of the weary monarch. Elizabeth had been very ill at the end, and you had refused to leave her. Ignoring the wishes of your husband and your family, staying with her until the end.
“I know it did,” Elijah murmurs, his hand seeking yours as he sits down next to you. “You were solemn for months, nothing I did could bring you round.”
“I had to mourn, Elijah.”
Elijah brings your hand to his lips where he kisses the back of it before kissing your knuckles. He keeps your hand close to his mouth as he whispers, “I know.”
You sigh, “It has been a life of mourning, hasn’t it? Time passes and yet I remember every death.”
“You’re not alone, my love.”
You turn to him, a soft smile gracing your lips. “I know. I have you for it all, don’t I?”
“Always and forever,” Elijah quotes, pressing your hand to his chest, holding it above the heart that would never again beat but continues to love you just as fiercely as it had when it beat its familiar rhythm.
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ebonyslasher · 3 years
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Michael Myers NSFW Alphabet
A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)
At first, he's pretty detached. He just up and leaves the second y'all are done to redress and start stabbing some people. But, after getting more comfortable with you, he'll be much softer. Cleaning you up after, putting your hair back in the bonnet that slipped off halfway through......even asking "You ok?"
B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)
For him, his hands. They're rough, strong, and powerful. He's ended lives and disfigured bodies with those hands. He also loves the image of rubbing those hands down your body, gripping your neck, and squeezing on your curves... Speaking of squeezing, on you, his favorite body part is that ass. I can see Michael as an ass man; first time he saw how big yours was he started drooling in his mask (the face he made wasn't that much better). The ripples it makes whenever he's hitting it from the back gets stuck in his mind for a while.
C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)
Possessive boy likes laying his claim. Mostly inside you cause it feels the best and he loves seeing it leak out afterwards. But he also like to cum on your ass sometimes. You could have swore you heard a camera go off one time...
D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)
He licks your dirty underwear, like fucking ice cream. Why tf he does, idk. Maybe it's the smell that entices him and also the fact that he likes tasting your essence. That boy been eating too many damn dogs...might be turning into one. 
E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)
Oh, none what so ever. Can't really have sex when you're under watch 24/7 at Smith's Grove. All he knows is from what he watches his victims do and whatever tv shows/movies he watches. He's a very quick learner though. Very attentive.
F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)
A variant version of reverse cowgirl. One of his legs is bent and the other is straight. You're ass is in perfect view while he pistons in and out of you. Your ass jiggling like crazy is addicting to him. 
G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)
Michael and goofy don't really go together. You really don't want to know what he finds funny...
H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)
I believe that he was really well groomed in Smith's Grove and people tend to stick to routine, especially serial killers. So he's pretty well groomed.
I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)
Romance is weird for Michael, since that implies there's a strong emotion behind each action. However, there is a rush of serotonin whenever he does some of those actions (mostly watching your reactions, which he really likes). So every once in a while, he'll do some random cute shit like say you're super pretty, you feel good, stroke your face, etc...
J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)
I don't really see Michael actively masturbating, like at all. I feel like he would have so much control that he could just cum without actually touching himself. On some superpower shit. 
K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)
M'am this man is the whole kink book lol but seriously he's down to try out new stuff. He'll let you know if he doesn't like it or not. Just to name a few: blood, choking, bondage, and domination.
L = Location (favorite places to do the do)
Whatever, wherever. He don't give a damn.
M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)
Many things; you never know with this man. Could be from just watching you different stuff like working on a project or cooking. Flirting, especially when you say something a lil raunchy. Gets him ready immediately. Weirdly enough, he loves the different facial expression you make, even if it's super silly.
N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)
No family at all. Don't mention any family members at all. Also don't thirst over anyone else but him, even if it's a celebrity or character. Also, not into pregnancy. No babies.
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O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)
I'd say Michael is pretty equal on both. He likes getting head and giving some too. He loves seeing your pretty lips wrapped around him and the feeling of your oh so expert blowjobs. But he also loves seeing your reaction when he's in between them legs. Moaning his name makes it all the while sweeter.
P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)
Rough as hell, but also can be slow at times. It's not really one or the other with him, he mixes it all up in one session. Maybe he starts slow, goes fast and rough for a bit, and then switches to sensual depending on the position and your reaction to it. 
Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)
A good quickie is appreciated every once in a while. He does have people to kill, and in an organized fashion. He'll fit you into the schedule though.
R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)
Down for anything. His only deal breaker it that you won't be hurt. Yeah, he may nick you with his knife here and there. But he doesn't want to see you hurt at all. 
S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)
A whole machine. Can go rounds without cumming. But also can cum multiple times without too much of a cooldown period. You'll be dickmatized for sure. The record so far is 7 in one day.
T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)
Eh, he doesn't really care. If there are toys, he would rather used it on you to make you go crazy. Other than that, nah.
U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)
Like I said previously, he would use toys to make you go crazy. He loves teasing you; he knows you're at your wits end when you start mouthing at him, saying crazy shit. 
V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)
Pretty silent, though a good bit of deep breathing. Most you'll get is some breathy sounding whimpers every once in a while. He may talk to get you to move a certain way, say your name, and say "mine".
W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)
So it's understood that he likes watching your every reaction right? And that he does it during sex? Well, sometimes he will grab your head and just stare at you, while tilting his head at the reactions he finds interesting. His favorite reactions (the ahegao-like facial expressions) make him actually drool. You felt it even drip on your chest. Strange.
X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)
4 inches soft and around 8 inches hard. Has a nice girth on him. Grey sweatpants would look good on him.
Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)
High to the motherfuckin’ sky, probably even to space lmao. He's in control of it; but he is ready to go anytime you bring your sexy ass over to him. 
Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)
He watches you sleep, just admiring your features. Those cute eyelashes.....nice eyebrows....that button like nose with those cute and wide shaped nostrils......pretty lips. You're just pretty as hell. He'll fall asleep eventually.
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yarbz · 3 years
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cowardly game of rival — n.jaemin ( f )
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synopsis!
 ━ as the girl’s football team captain, you were used to the endless derogatory taunts, the wolf-whistling, the attempts at romance being boys telling you what they thought of barcelona’s starting XII. na jaemin fell into all those catergories, a detestable flea in your hair. as sworn enemies, there was not even an inkling of romance, and you were convinced that your attraction to him was ONLY physical. weren’t you?
pairing ━ na jaemin x female!reader
word count ━ 6k
genres ━ fluff, rival!au, football!au, comedy, romance, very little of the football game is described in detail.
warnings ━ profanity, football terms, dirty jokes, y/n and jaemin are literally just cowards
( author's note! )
this one came to mind when i thought of how i love female footballers and decided that jaemin would be the idiot in question to chicken out of confessing to their crush by being an ass instead. i really hope you like it !! other notes are sissoko is the name of like three different players and a cracker is slang for a really good goal.
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Football.
A sport of creatively insane wits, fancy footwork and incoherent celebrations. Those were all the things you loved about it, along with the ridiculously cute uniform.
It provided you an escape from the man's world, a chance to carve out your own story, free from the shackles of stereotypes. At least, that's what you'd initially thought.
Unfortunately, the boy's football team made it their sole objective in life to demean you. As captain, you took on the strenuous task of refusing to resort to physical violence when a stupid comment about your short length was made or when boys assumed you couldn't tell your Sissoko's apart (you could, quite well actually).
You had taken it as a sign of war, and refused to comment on their pathetic sneers. You did, however, feel as if Na Jaemin made a blood pact or something to be a parasite towards you.
He stood at the cusp of six foot, towering over you like an evergreen beanstalk, cheshire-cat like smile taunting you. Chocolate colour tresses fell over his eyes in straight lines, shielding his forehead.
It's not like you paid attention to his visage, but even you had to admit in your spite that he was attractive. And horribly so.
Today started like every other, going to your locker before heading to your homeroom. Luckily, you'd managed to get there before the freshmen started to pile in. Being a senior had its positives along with its various faults, one of them being the early access you got to the school.
You jammed your key in the lock, flinging open the locker door, making quick work of exchanging your books. In your fast-paced stupor, you didn't notice the figure leaning behind the door. You slammed the door shut, nail catching an patch of skin, scraping it.
"If you wanted me to leave, you could've been less catty." The voice wheedled, throwing a withering glare in your direction. You rolled your eyes, annoyed, arms crossed across your chest.
"Jaemin." You sighed, rubbing your temples. "Why are you hiding behind my locker? Are you looking for a death wish?"
He sat up slowly, soothing his reddening nose, suddenly regaining his smile as he leaned closer towards your face. "If I was looking for a death wish, I'd eat whatever food you just stuffed in there."
"Fuck off. Don't see you making any gourmet meals."
"I'm the gourmet meal." He slithered, breath fanning your nose. From this distance, you could see the wonder swimming within his eyes, breath caught in your throat.
Damn, he was too fine.
You tore your gaze from his eyes, "And yet, I don't feel inclined to taste it." He jumped back in surprise, eyes widening, giving you an opening to dash. Chuffed that you left him speechless, you walked towards your next class, resisting the urge to turn back to revel in his awe-struck face.
Jaemin's eyebrow quirked in curiosity, crooked smirk hanging from his lips. He watched you stalk away, cursing underneath his breath softly. You carried a fiery aura around you, burning him with every snarky remark — even though it beat him bruised ghastly lavenders, he could bear to play with fire if it meant you would pay him attention.
You see, Jaemin did not hate you as per say. The 'hate' which you believed in was merely his inability to profess his affections towards you. For lack of a better word, he was a coward.
A dashingly handsome one, but a fragile, chicken-legged coward all the same.
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You'd made it to class in record time, ego bared boldly on your shoulders, attracting the curious eyes of your best friends Yangyang and Donghyuck. Both were terrorists in their own right, but you couldn't help loving them all the same. Sure, they came as a dreadful pair, but love had decided to shackle your heart to them.
"What's got you so happy? Jaemin finally drop dead?" Yangyang joked, shifting to make space for you. Headband strapped to the pinnacle of his forehead, he grinned at you from beneath the base of stretchy ebony material.
"No..not yet." You hummed, sad lilt to your tone.
"Awh, didn't kill him yet?" Donghyuck teased, nudging Yangyang in their laughter. "I think it must be love stopping you from committing the crime yourself." You shoved both, peals of laughter tickling your throat at their whines of pain.
"If you don't shut up, I'll be killing you two instead, never mind Jaemin." You snapped. "Love is what I feel when I score a cracker from the halfway line. Seeing Jaemin makes me want to jump out of the nearest window."
"Are you sure it's not just unresolved sexual tension? I, too get antsy when I haven't jacked off—"
"Finish that sentence and you'll have no arms."
"I'm flexible enough to suck myself off." Yangyang mused, "You'll never stop my libido."
"You're disgusting." You and Donghyuck said in sync, swatting his grabby hands from flying at your shoulders. Quite frankly, you didn't want to hear about his freakishly boneless limbs, or his untameable sex drive, nor hear anything about his genitals at all.
"Does that count as self—"
"Yes, it does. Please don't be telling people that I'm your friend, or that you can do that. It's not a little icebreaker."
Friendship with these two had crossed all sorts of personal boundaries you didn't know existed, and it was starting to decompose you, like a rotting piece of cabbage infested by slugs, yet still hanging on for the glimpse of sunlight to regenerate.
Okay, so you were being dramatic. But, that didn't explain their dire need to over share certain aspects of their lives with you.
"Doesn't change the topic at hand —Did you get my pun?" He asked, looking for Donghyuck's reaction.
"I did. Not going to comment on it before she breaks my arms. Just know I enjoyed it very much."
"If I wanted to mess around with Jaemin, I'd put my hand in a beehive. It'd sting less." You snarled, slamming down your books. They winced comically, faces alert as the teacher walked into the class.
Apart from football, you enjoyed learning — how to make things, break things, self defense, people skills, and education fell not too far from that. Classes like biology interested you greatly, which is why you found yourself fully immersed in the process of respiration.
Your mind drifted for a second, thinking back to what he'd said. Was it actually sexual tension? Did you actually bare an emotion other than loathing towards him? Then, you thought of that face and how you'd want to do nothing more than break his pretty little nose—
Yeah. There it was. You were normal after all.
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School had come to her daily dreadful end, and you were happily striding into the ladies' changing rooms for football training. Nobody had gotten here yet, luckily.
You glanced over into the full body mirror, tugging at your shorts until they fell just above the bump of your knee, pulling your sock midway at your calf. Lean abs shone underneath the dim light, and you proudly paraded around the room, happy to be alone.
A knock on the door came, and you swung the door open with a feverish excitement. "Who is it?"
"Didn't take me as a bra kinda girl. Was thinking more spandex or a binder." Jaemin seethed, hands on hips, azure jersey hanging off his lithe frame.
"You're insufferable. Why are you here?" You groaned, choosing to ignore his taunt at your breast size. His eyes crinkled into upside down crescents, wandering lower to the dip of your frilly black bra.
"To see my favourite girl, of course." He whistled, eyes still glued to your unmarked expanse of skin. "I think those need a new owner." He pointed towards your chest.
"Preferably one whose face I can stand to look at."
"I'm roaring with laughter." You snarked, voice dripping with sarcasm, making no attempt to cover yourself up. Jaemin was still staring, face flushed a flaming cerise. "You gonna keep staring or are you gonna leave me alone?"
"I'm not staring. Why are you staring at me?" He shot defensively. Your eyes narrowed at him, watching his cheeks darken with every lingering stare.
"You're in the girl's changing room, drooling over two lumps of fat on the body of a girl that you hate. The real inquisition here is your lack of sensibility to stop thirsting after anything with a vagina."
Jaemin stayed silent, eyes boring holes into your full lips, tongue instinctively darting out to wet his own nimble, chapped ones. Rolling your eyes, you lead him to the door, hand clasped against the door handle.
Then, you heard loud footsteps approaching the room, incoherent rambling increasing in clarity. You began to conjure up a plan, wondering how on Earth you'd be able to kick Jaemin out without the girls knowing.
With the shouts of the team gradually getting closer, you panicked, chucking Jaemin into a locker.
"Fine, I'll leave! Lemme out!" He squirmed, trying to come out of the metal confines.
"You can't leave now, they're literally outside. Do you want to be stomped to death by Nike Mercurials?" You hissed, closing the door over, much to his protests.
"Don't wanna die with the last image being your breasts."
"If you survive this, I'll gladly provide you a new image."
He shut up at that, and you straightened, reaching for your jersey in a false calmness. The girls burst in, squeals of various greetings being thrown across the room.
You smiled gently at them, encouraging them to get changed, joining in to laugh at their jokes. The topic kept shifting from manicures to new boots before finally settling on Na Jaemin.
"Cap'n, what's going on with you and Jaemin?" One of the girls asked, batting her eyelashes softly. "A boy on the football team told me that you guys are dating."
Dating..that devil? A sin punishable by death! You repelled all instinct to shudder in disgust, instead choosing to maintain a neutral expression.
"I am absolutely not dating Na Jaemin. He's a despicable little mongrel and I'd rather eat my shoe—"
"Mon bébé chérie, why do you curse me like this?" Jaemin squeezed from the locker, voice like a wounded puppy.
"Did you hear that? I think it was—"
"No! It's my Jaemin impression. Isn't it so good?" You spluttered, voice rising in volume. You were sure that your face was a painful beetroot, breathing crazily as you over-exerted yourself.
"Cap'n, it was so good I almost thought Jaemin was in here with us!" She gushed, hands clasped. "You guys would be so cute together. Even if you don't like him, I think he most definitely has feelings for you."
The rest of the girls joined in at this, shouts of 'you should take a chance!' resounding in the hollow room. You'd already ruled out that as a possibility, chalking it down to his uncontrollable thirst for being a pest. Na Jaemin was your rival, the utter bane of your existence, a rodent that fed on robbing your spirits dry of any positivity.
"He'll get a chance when pigs fly." You muttered, noticing their eyes staring at you inquisitively, as if they knew something you didn't. Awkwardly, you smiled at the girls, ushering them towards the door, scanning the hallway after the last one had skipped out.
Jaemin untangled himself from the locker, straightening his limbs, pulling at his calves in a stretch. You peered over your shoulder, frown deepening at him.
"Did you mean what you said?" Jaemin breathed, walking into your personal bubble. He was way too close. His breath tickled your forehead, eyes dark with something you couldn't decipher.
He felt his heart pound against his chest, resisting the urge to pick the stray hair in your eye to the side. You were looking at him with a confused expression, nose scrunched, eyebrows furrowed. You were going to be the death of him. Devastated, he broke eye contact, feeling all forms of fight seep from his bones.
"You don't like me." You whispered, wincing at the wobble in your voice. "Everyone's just saying that....right?"
"What do you want me to say?"
"No. I want you to say no."
"I can't do that."
"Well, you have to say no. I don't want to hear the rest of your sentence — keep us as just this." You softly yelled, pointing between the pair of you. "Don't change anything."
"Okay. I'll leave, but only because you want me to. But, before I go..you've gotta start being more observant." He sighed, ruffling your hair before making his way out.
"I’m plenty observant. Wouldn’t be a good player if I wasn’t.”
"I’ll see it when I believe it. Oh, and the thing you said about pigs flying..”
“What about it?”
“Renjun’s working on it.”
You laughed heartily, locking the door behind you. So, Jaemin did in fact think of you as his Aphrodite — all those nicknames were genuinely created out of affections. 'Mon bébé chérie' held a lot more emotional weight than it did twenty minutes ago, and you had to breathe before your eyes prickled with saltine tears.
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Fresh air hit you like a loaded delivery truck, Mother Nature delicately wiping the tears from your eyes, shaking you with a cold flourish, roaring your cheeks to life. The team had already started their warm-up drills, as opposed to the boys' football team who were cooling down from their jog.
You ran over, tightening your ponytail, shifting into 'Captain' mode. The coach pushed you into the circle, encouraging you to take the reins. "Team, we've been doing nothing but straight work. Let's make this session count before the match tomorrow." You shouted, feeling that familiar rush of adrenaline.
The team chanted back, settling into their positions for the first drill — a penalty shoot out. You stepped to the ball, striding back to gain a better angle, socks hugging your knees.
Giving yourself a five second countdown, you charged at the ball, foot pointed, kicking it with a passion that rivalled Lionel Messi. It rolled in the back of the net, flying past Hyejoo, who could barely even process it.
"Still got those fire feet, I see, Cap'n!"
"Lady Luck gave them to me for a reason." You boasted, smugness slapped all over your face.
From the corner of your eye, Jaemin snickered, winking at you when you turned to make eye contact. At least he had the audacity to keep up appearances in front of everyone, even if you had probably made everything awkward.
"My granny could kick better than that, babes!" He boomed from across the pitch, teasing smirk on his lips.
"Your granny lives in a retirement home and still calls on you 'Nana Banana'..it's not very nice to lie." You retorted, eyes narrowed, nearing his hunched form.
"Doesn't mean she can't kick your ass. Granny was a little Aguero back in the day."
"She can't if I'm the Manè, can she?"
"But I'm a Modric. I'll beat your ass, any day, any time." He grinned, leaning in to you. "In any way you want."
You heard blood pumping in your ears, your cheeks filling with immense heat. He grabbed your cheeks softly, grinning even wider when you flushed even warmer, a human sauna. Pushing a lock out of your eyes, he searched your eyes for any sense of rage, face softening at your lack of that emotion.
"Any..way..I want?" You mouthed silently, innuendo catching your attention again as you mulled over the words. "Na Jaemin, you're a dirty boy."
"I think you're the dirty girl." He hummed, saying the next sentence in an octave that made your head spin, quietly enough that only the two of you could hear. "Sauntering around in your little Victoria's Secret bra, cozying up to me without even batting an eyelash or covering up."
"These boobs are mine. I'm allowed to show them to anyone I want."
"So you admit to showing them to me? You admit that you were trying to put on a show for me?" He pressed, purposely craning his neck over you.
"I was trying to change. If you didn't come into the room like a little pervert, you'd never have gotten a visual of these."
"And yet I know how they look now. There's nothing that can erase that image."
"Fuck you, Na Jaemin."
"I think you meant to say fuck me, but I'll allow the slip-up just because I'm so nice." You squirmed under his predatory gaze, heat in your cheeks akin to a fever. "Better get back to training, Cap. Your team's got a match tomorrow."
You hissed at him weakly, choosing to walk away from his provocation, going back to the team, who were all smiling at you with a glint in their eye. By the looks on their faces, they'd definitely taken that exchange as a form of flirting.
Not that you were disputing it, of course.
The coach rounded the girls up, calling them to grab bibs. You relaxed, running over to take the last bib once you'd calmed down. Na Jaemin was a little toe-sucking, filthy mongrel who only knew how to charm his way out of everything — totally not your ideal type or anything.
His penance for being blunt coupled with that honeyed voice was what was throwing you off. Not your physical attraction to him. At least, you hoped so.
The shrill shriek of the whistle behind you shook you out of your mind, bringing your attention back to the practice game. With every shot at the goal, you could see Jaemin taunting you, making kissy faces.
After the first half, you weren't sure if it was real or if you were hallucinating — almost like a mirage, he was wearing that stupid little smirk and there was nothing more you wanted than to slap those lips clean off his face.
Soon enough, you clocked that it wasn't just an illusion, as he'd shifted to the opposite end of the pitch, the other boys from the football team watching from the stands.
They'd started jeering at every pass, exaggerating their reactions, commentary toeing the border of sexual harassment. You volleyed the ball on your foot, battering it into the stands, grinning widely as it hit one of the boys in the face, leaving his nose lopsided.
"If you're gonna be a sexist piece of shit, just fuck off. My team doesn't deserve to hear your brain-dead commentary, nor see your fuck face." You smiled, bite in your voice. "Kindly take the opinion that nobody asked for and shove it up your ass."
Jaemin's eyes twinkled with respect, breath caught in his throat at the dark look in your eyes. He felt his chest warm in adoration, heart doubling in size. "You heard the lady."
"Includes you too, Jaemin. Better get home before Granny Na starts missing her little boy."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Fuck off." You said playfully, recovering the ball. He waved you bye, lugging his bag over his shoulder, fixing the collar of his jersey. A beam touched your lips, face lighting up.
Jaemin smirked back at you, taking his leave. He dragged the remnants away with him, leaving the girl's football team alone in the cooling dwindle of Autumn light.
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"Nice shorts." A tug.
"Oh? Na Jaemin complimenting me?" You mused in surprise, arms folded across your chest.
"You didn't let me finish." Jaemin whispered, standing on the sidelines of the pitch, pulling at the hem of your shorts. "Ooh, I can see your stubble. Better bring out the razor."
Your jaw tightened, feeling that rush of annoyance fill your veins again. The nerve.
"More stubble than you'll ever grow on that chin."
"At least I'm not a human Sasquatch."
"I've got hair in the right places—" You started, catching the innuendo, glaring at Jaemin's raised eyebrows. "—I know what I meant. Don't be such a dirty boy."
"Say it again. Love the way it rolls off your tongue."
You gaped at him, whole body blowing a fuse, skin reddening at his tone. Sweltering heat danced atop each fingertip, each muscle, making you jolt. His gaze was still glued to your face, relishing the quickly dilating pupils in your eyes.
"I—"
"—Would rather have you speechless after our first time, not for your championship final. When you win, I'll buy you fucking adorable ice cream with the little star sprinkles that you like."
"Going to ignore you on that first statement, but the second one sounds like a motive."
"Win the match, and I'll ask you out. Properly."
You saw his eyes flash with something passionate, flakes of gooey molasses swirling behind the irises. Before you opened your mouth to reply to him, he pleaded silently for you to just take it as it was. "Gimme a chance. Who knows you better than your enemy? Nobody."
"I mean..."
"Only you know that my grandma calls me those corny names or that I see her all the time."
"Or that you lose every game that's not football because you're too lazy to pay attention." You added.
"And I know that you broke a guy's jaw because he was bothering Yangyang." He continued. "And I also know that you know one thing I've never told anyone."
"Ooh, what's that?"
"That I like you."
You looked away from him sheepishly, goosebumps popping up on your skin, and whether it was from the cold or from his words, you didn't know. He was looking down at you tenderly, ruffling your bed of hair, pressing a small, wet kiss to your forehead as the whistle blew.
"Don't play with fire, Na."
"You're more like a carpet burn."
You sighed, defeated. "Fine. I'll give you an answer when we win. If you're playing me, I'll break your arms."
"Okay. Go get 'em, Lady Luck." He smiled, waving you off as you scurried onto the pitch, face glowing under the fluorescent lights. Jaemin felt his chest tighten with pride, jaw aching from all the strenuous smiling.
With that absurdly contented face, you reminded him of a cross between a kid at a carnival and a man about to kill another. Your hair gathered wildly atop your head, a wicked glare painting your face.
This was you at peace, he deduced. Even with the gruesome of expressions, you looked calm. The pitch was truly your home away from home.
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Two minutes into the second half saw you being carried off on a stretcher with a torn hamstring. You'd fallen to the grass, no sounds coming from your limp body. Jaemin swore he felt his heart plunge into his ass, and with a frantic flourish, he was coddling your head into his chest.
"Luck, don't die on me. I'm supposed to take you out for ice cream after this, and I stole Renjun's Baskin Robbins loyalty card to cut costs so if we don't go, I'll be getting beat up without having kissed your stupid face." He babbled, slapping your cheeks, scared that you'd genuinely lost your life.
You groaned, rolling slowly in the elastic. "Stop touching my face, I'll get acne." Mildly concussed, you soothed your throbbing headache, registering Jaemin's face looming over you. "Jaemin?"
"Oh, thank God. Thought I'd never see that unruly sparkle in your eyes again."
"Fuck off. My hamstring feels like a fried chicken mukbang and you're talking about my eyes."
"I can't cry before our first date. You'll think I'm a wimp."
"Already think that."
He hit your arm lightly, beaming at your focus on his face, meeting your eyes. You were glaring at him with a kissable pout on your lips, eyebrows furrowed — he wanted to pepper your face in balmy kisses.
The paramedic pushed him away, leading you to the ambulance. You flipped him off, yelling loudly as they wheeled you in, "Make sure you win! Won't forgive you if you don't."
The girl's football team had gathered around the door, all tight-lipped smiles and crumpled faces. They visibly brightened at your declaration, huddling together to recalibrate — the ref blew her whistle to call them back, summoning them back into position.
Yangyang and Donghyuck left the stands, rushing into the ambulance alongside you, closing the door behind them. Jaemin could faintly hear your loud curses, and sighed in relief, knowing that you'd be fine.
With two goals up, the team were at optimum working speed, playing loyally for your honour. Jaemin stood at the sidelines, holding your jacket in his hands as he recorded the match on his phone, wanting to send it to you later.
At 90 minutes, the girl's team had become the winner of the Division One Seoul Inter-district championship, and Jaemin was content. Not because it meant you'd go on that date with him, but because he could feel how much it meant to them.
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Everyone around him was cheering madly, chanting and spraying assorted drinks in each other's faces, an infectious joy lingering in his veins. Amongst all the commotion, he'd somehow been pushed into the middle of the team, feeling their gazes boring into his frame.
"You like Cap'n, right?" The brunette said, eyes bright.
"No. I don't like her. She's my rival." Jaemin lied pathetically, trying to escape their judgement.
"Why were you in the locker room then?"
"Damn. How do you know that?"
"Cap'n is horrible at lying, so she's always upfront. She also cannot do an impression so she never attempts it."
"Wow, you guys sure know your stuff. Bet she's glad to have a team like you. I know I'm feeling a little jealous."
"Cut the smooth talk. If you like Cap'n, just be straightforward. She's more innocent than she seems, and can get her heart broken easily."
"Got it." He nodded, "Well...ladies, I have to thank you for the advice."
"No problem, but if you break her heart.." They chorused, "We'll break that pretty little nose." Fifteen studded feet swung at his face, narrowly skimming the bridge of his nose.
He flinched, caught off guard, grin bared. "Now, I definitely got that message. I'll be going to check up on her, what do you want me to say?"
"We've already called her and shown her the trophy, so we have nothing left to say, you, however...take all the time you need."
"Since I have your blessing, am I allowed to—"
"Don't finish that sentence. Keep in your lane."
Jaemin promptly closed his mouth, and bid them a goodbye, dashing into his car towards the hospital, stopping at Baskin Robbins to buy the ice cream he promised. He hoped you’d at least be able to eat the sprinkles (the ones you liked were expensive, and if you didn’t eat them, he’d just wasted an extra 2,500 won.)
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In the hospital, you were now dressed in a medical gown, surrounded by the two idiots. It smelt like an experiment lab, and the spotless shades of ivory splashed on the walls made you feel a tad bit overwhelmed.
Your leg had already undergone the MRSI scan, and the nurses had told you that you’d definitely tore your hamstring, but surgery would fix it right up along with natural healing.
Of course, all those details lacked in comparison to your team finally winning the trophy you’d worked so hard towards — that excitement numbed the pain considerably.
“We thought you’d somehow died.” Yangyang confessed, grasping your hands in his clammy ones.
“You did.” Donghyuck sneered, pointing at him, continuing when he saw your face change in confusion. “Yang was convinced that you were invincible like Superman or something. He started blubbering about how you could definitely defeat the grim reaper in close contact and that should be enough to steal back your soul or whatever—”
“I’m just never going to ask questions again.”
“Jaemin was on the verge of a breakdown when he saw you fall. Never have I ever seen him run so fast towards a girl.” Donghyuck said, hand on chin in mock thought.
You blushed, remembering your promise about the ice cream and falling back into the bed in distress.
“What’s going on with you? I saw you two all friendly at the sidelines.” Yangyang murmured, eyes squinting in judgement. “Don’t tell me...you guys fucked before the game?”
Suddenly it was too hot in the room. You fanned yourself to cool down, slapping your own cheeks before pulling Yangyang’s ears. “Yeah, because I have the guts to just have my first time in a school setting.” You deadpanned.
“Naughty girl.” Both boys swooned, unable to note your sarcasm.
“Just because my leg is gone doesn’t mean I can’t harm you anymore. I’ll break your kneecaps.”
In the midst of your fight with your best friends, you spotted Jaemin opening the door, wearing that greasy smirk that made butterflies tickle your throat.
“I see a broken leg isn’t enough to stop you, is it?” Jaemin drawled from the door, hands behind his back. “Still threatening people?”
“It’s not threatening if they deserve it.” You mumbled, suddenly shy. Jaemin maintained his distance from you, arm outstretched, ice cream tub in hand. He was looking away from you, faint blush tinting his cheeks, lips squeezed in a puffy ‘o’.
“Not that I remembered or anything, but you did say something about liking these sprinkles.” He said, eyes darting around to focus on anything but you.
“I do...like these sprinkles..how did you know?”
“Everyone calls you star, and you’re cute. It’s your personality in an edible sugar shape.”
You rolled your eyes at his words, forgetting both Donghyuck and Yangyang were seated in the room. It felt like the two of you were just stuck in your own world, glaring at each other like a pair of lovers.
Unfortunately, that moment was cut short by your ungracious best friends, cooing annoyingly. They were squealing like little girls, incomprehensible screams of ‘our girl’s grown up!’ scraping your eardrums.
“Leave me alone!” You whined, face scrunched in discomfort, making futile attempts to push them away. “Jaemin...please get these two off me.”
“Asking your boyfriend to get rid of us? Already?” Yangyang hollered, one of Jaemin’s arms stopping him from jumping on you again.
“He’s not my boyfriend. As of now, he’s the only sensible one who isn’t mauling the girl with a broken leg, and that’s why I’m asking him for help.”
“Should I throw them out?”
“Yes —actually, do whatever. Let them go terrorise someone that isn’t me.”
“Your wish is my command.”
On that, Jaemin escorted both boys outside, shutting the door on them, cutting off the beginning to their long-winded rant with a smile. That left the two of you alone.
Oddly enough, the silence wasn’t stifling but rather a conversation of the mind — you were able to see what he wanted to say by looking into those mocha coloured eyes. You threw the ice cream tub in the bin, reaching for Jaemin’s hands shyly.
He’d sat down beside you on the bed, just staring at you like you were an abstract painting, a mosaic of a splendid array, unable to take his eyes off you. He took your hand warmly, running his fingers over your calloused knuckles, sharing his heat with you.
“Jaemin.” You yawned, head falling onto his shoulder. “I’m saying yes to your date. If I didn’t get injured, you could’ve taken me out today, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say sorry. Being with you is enough for me, even if I do want to comment on your horrible tackles during the match.” Jaemin teased, grabbing your hand a little tighter.
“Haha...I’m dying of laughter.”
“Hey! None of that here.”
“Sorry. I’m just happy. My team won our first championship, which we’ve been trying to do for three years, and I feel on top of the world. All those years of boys being absolute dickheads to us about our abilities, trying to put us down have amounted to this moment. I’m at peace right now.”
“Don’t apologise. I should be sorry instead. It was easier to talk to you if I pretended I hated you. I shouldn’t have been like that.”
“I accept your apology. But..I think it was cute you couldn’t tell me you liked me! That’s so endearing.”
“Fuck off.”
“That’s my line! Well, you were always attractive to me, even when you were being a dickhead. Now that I think about it, you’re at your hottest when you’re being mean.”
“Is that so?” Jaemin mused, rolling onto his hands, dangling over you, lips eerily close to your own. “Do you want me to treat you mean, keep you keen?”
“Firstly, don’t ever say that again.” You stopped him, hand placed on his chest to push him away lightly. “Secondly, I’ve never had a boyfriend or my first kiss. That means no experience.” You slurred that last part, rushing the words so he wouldn’t be able to hear.
“Cap’n, you’re telling me that I’ll be your first?”
“Not if you don’t ask me out.”
Jaemin sat back beside you, looking up to the ceiling. This was the moment. He took a deep breath, standing up before you, hands rubbing his stomach softly to calm down.
“I wanted to do a real dramatic confession, but I rushed over here in fear that you wouldn’t be able to hit me again, so I’ll have to stick with my speech.” He cheesed, trying to ease himself of his nerves. You laughed, hissing in mock anger when he wore that stupid grin. “I like you. Like a lot. Sometimes, I come to school with a dirty scowl on my face, but then I see your face and start smiling like a love struck fool. You’re someone that I wouldn’t want to lose.”
“Jaemin, you little mongrel. Come here.” You waved him over, arms outstretched in a hug. “Even though I know your ego won’t let you ask me out properly, I would love to be your girlfriend. However, if my heart is broken..I’ll be stoning your car.”
“Thought you were gonna say that you’d break my face.”
“That too.”
He snuggled closer into you, peering up at you with shining eyes, not wanting to move too much to keep you comfortable. You grinned back at him, placing a soft kiss on his head, running a hand through his hair.
That familiar silence returned, and that’s how you fell asleep with Na Jaemin enveloped in your chest. Although you’d broken a leg, Lady Luck seemed to have twiddled her fingers to send you a ‘get well soon’ present, the ever cunning Na Jaemin.
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Five months later had you no longer hobbling around on crutches like a hobbit, but walking proud and tall. Jaemin drove you to school (using the excuse of carpooling) and helped you take your books to first period everyday — the alpha male in him winced seeing you attempt any ‘heavy lifting’, and he’d made it a routine.
“Can you fuck off? I can carry this.” You complained, pinching his side. “Just because I see a physio biweekly doesn’t mean I’m about as able-bodied as a monkey.”
“Got the hair to be a monkey.” He snorted.
“Look who’s talking, Mr.Sasquatch. Bigger feet than his prints, you little scoundrel.”
“Big feet means big—”
“Don’t finish that if you wanna keep the body part in question.”
“—heart. Dirty girl.”
You felt the honey pooling in your stomach, kissing his cheek in haste to escape his relentless teasing. He shut up at that, pulling you back to kiss you properly, attracting the attention of everyone in the hallway.
“Get to class.” He announced as he parted from you, enjoying your petulant face. You hit him softly, flipping him off from behind you, blowing him a kiss.
Ah, Na Jaemin. You still hated him. Just a little less this time.
200 notes · View notes
al-the-remix · 3 years
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hey al! hope you're happy to know i have now developed a serious thirst for stevie y, thanks to you. it's to such an extent that knowing he has a horse named mario just makes me more intrigued!! who is this man!!!!
Who is he!!! Tbh I feel like every thing I learn about him is better than the last, so here’s a long list of Stevie Y Facts That Bring Me Joy:
obvs the horse named Mario to start off with (tbh I’m 99% sure it’s one of his daughter’s but the coincidence is just too funny)
in an interview it was mentioned he had a half-empty pack of Reece’s Pieces on his desk which was another almost too perfect coincidence considering the Sid fannon 
knew Sid had a hockey crush on him and called him to tell him he was “sorry he couldn’t play” when he missed Detroit’s first game against the Penguins *SHREIK*
seems to be DELIGHTED to be around Sid every time he sees him
like Sid, stuck the Stanley Cup in a life jacket and drove it around on a jet ski
there’s a photo of him in Sid’s basement. FACTS.
and I quote “I’m exhausting myself trying to say healthy”
and I quote “I can do whatever I want at the end of the day”
He was called both “pretty” and “beautiful” in an interview and his reaction was *chef’s kiss* adorable
Him trolling Kirby Dach about smoking weed
Joking (???) about doing yoga while on a zoom call about draft picks. Hard to tell if he was being serious or not but the mental image is enough to do me in for all eternity
on the topic of zoom calls in the ones on youtube half the time he wears a scarf with his sweaters (i know this isn’t interesting, again i just think it’s cute)
Got booed (lovingly) at his own jersey retirement ceremony for saying he wasn’t as good a leader as everyone thought he was and didn’t deserve all of his accolades  
on that topic got called annoyingly humble by steve dangle 
described as a “work out warrior” who has “legs like tree trunks”
had a wicked mullet 
likes Prada suits?
wears cool ties like one with tiny skulls on it
was the Robin to Brendan Shanahan’s Batman
was surprised that Justin Bieber recognized him at a concert, and I quote “people don’t normally recognize me in Florida.”
“No pain threshold like Steve Yzerman” (idk, could be useful)
described by friends and family as a: modest, shy, polite kid who barely allowed himself to dream. A very quiet and introverted, reflective person, who any time someone gave him a compliment he got embarrassed. Soft-spoken and serious and stern.
described specifically by Sean Avery as: Solid but sarcastic. A ball buster with humour you didn’t expect. A dry humoured, cutthroat motherfucker that if he didn’t like you, you were dead. You had hours on earth. 
Another Sean Avery story: when following Steve around his years with the Red Wings, when hit on by the “the most beautiful women (Sean Avery) had ever seen” turned them down with the line "I appreciate the offer but You're not worth 42 million." As in “I’m not going to divorce my high school sweetheart wife of 32 years for you. sorry.” (side note hockey players get paid way too much 😂 I guess you can buy all the horses named Mario you want when you’re worth 84 million dollars.)  
ages like fine wine. not just my opinion--FACTS!! 
49 notes · View notes
arvandus · 4 years
Text
Touch Pt 7
Pairing: Dabi x Fem!Reader
WARNINGS: 18+ only please!  Drug abuse/withdrawal, adult language/themes, heavy angst, past trauma/abuse, anxiety/panic attacks, PTSD, fluff, pining, slow burn, eventual emotional SMUT. *please pay attention to the chapter tags as these warnings will apply at different times*
Synopsis: When you first joined the LOV to lend your healing quirk, Dabi  terrified you.  Not interested in attachments, he wanted to keep it  that way.  That is, until he needs your help. (Slow burn, soft Dabi).
Chapter warning: Another long chapter everyone!  Thanks so much for your patience. Trigger warnings: emotional numbness, sensory overload, PTSD-like symptoms (anxiety, fear, nighmares/flashbacks).
Recommended Chapter Song: Paralyzed by NF
Part 1   Part 6
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Artwork credit to @hellowon31 on Twitter (https://twitter.com/hellowon31)
Part 7 – Aftermath
Dabi woke from a dreamless sleep, his body stiff.  Disorientation fogged his mind as he tried to place where he was, his eyes bleary.  The view of his window, the dark curtains hanging with a heavy stillness, came into focus as his blurred vision dissipated.  The angle of them seemed… off.  He turned his head slightly, the metal frame of his bed level with his gaze.
He sat up, his hand cradling his head, as he took in his surroundings.  He was on the floor, a pillow behind him where his head had rested.  His blanket was a messy heap next to him.  He had no recollection of how he ended up there.
Dabi stared around his room, noting the time of day from the light through the window – mid-afternoon. There were items scattered around his room.  Water bottles everywhere, a box of crackers on his nightstand, a ripe banana on his desk that was covered in little brown spots, and cans of soup.
Hunger hit Dabi like a truck, the need for food primal.  He pushed himself up off the floor and opened one of the cans of soup, drinking straight from the container.  It was lukewarm, but it didn’t matter.  He followed it up with the banana, gone in a matter of seconds.  There was no joy in the food; just a basic need to quell the emptiness in his gut. He grabbed a water bottle and quenched his thirst
Then, he sat on the edge of his bed, and did… nothing.  His eyes stared ahead in a dead gaze.
Time lost its meaning. Existence meant nothing.  He sat, unmoving, his mind frozen, thoughts empty. 
Minutes passed into hours.
It wasn’t until dusk began to fall that something began to shift in him.    Awareness slowly crept on him, his consciousness dragged out of a grey bog.  Time gradually returned, and a single thought surfaced in his mind.
Something was wrong. Something was… missing, but he couldn’t place it.
He looked around his room with empty eyes, seeing everything but observing nothing.  It was his room.  He knew that.  But nothing in it mattered.
He stared at the box of crackers on his nightstand.
Something… happened.  Last night. He tried to recall what it was.  Half-formed images floated to the surface of his mind, hazy and blurred.  Pills swirling down a toilet, a lake dock, sitting on the floor of his shower, your face.
He looked down at his clothes.  Was this what he was wearing before?  It didn’t seem right.
More images drifted to the surface. His bathroom door framed in yellow light.  A water bottle. Your hands.  It was like having mismatching puzzle pieces, with half of the box missing.  Nothing quite fit together, and he couldn’t remember what the picture looked like.
Before he could dwell on them, deeper, more ingrained images came to his mind.  His mother’s face.  His father’s eyes.  Dabi’s mind paused, focusing on them, waiting for a reaction that never came.  For the first time, they stirred nothing in him.
Realization slowly dawned.
He just didn’t care.
Dabi felt nothing. For anything. He was dead inside, his soul a black void where emotions were supposed to be. Even his rage was silenced – the one thing he never let go of, the one thing that defined him.  But now, he felt not even that.  He had no purpose, no intentions, no motivation.
He sat silently, aware of what was missing, and yet the severity of his predicament eluded him without his emotions to guide him.  His mind was intact, but it was a barren wasteland, devoid of color and meaning.  Thoughts still ran through his mind, but they were only facts, script on a page.  Perhaps he should be concerned. Or maybe even elated, no longer weighed down by his demons. But instead, he felt what could only be described as a gaping maw of emptiness.  He could feel the pull of it, a heavy gravity that needed to be filled with something he didn’t have and couldn’t find.
Why?  Why was he not feeling anything?
Had he finally gone insane? His mind so broken that he’d officially shut down?  He’d gone through withdrawal before, but nothing as severe as last night.  But even despite all he’d been through, he’d never been able to completely turn off his feelings like this, especially without drugs.
No, this was something else entirely.
Dabi sat there in silence, taking in every sensation, every aspect of his physical self.  It had been probably over twelve hours since he threw up the pills he stole.  He should still be struggling with the pain of his scars and the withdrawal.  But there was nothing.  There was no pain at all.  He stared at his hand as his eyes followed the staples along the bottom of his palm.  A vague memory of your fingers brushing along his skin drifted up from the cloudy depths. The faint echo of your voice followed.
‘Let me help you.’
This…emptiness…must have something to do with you.  It was the only explanation that made any sense.  Maybe if he talked to you, perhaps you could explain it to him.  Maybe then he’d understand.  Maybe you could fix it.
Then maybe… this emptiness would go away.
But Dabi couldn’t find the motivation to get up.  Instead, he stayed rooted to his bed, his eyes taking in his surroundings a second time.
His bathroom door was open, and he could see the toilet and sink from where he sat.  Flashes of memory flitted through his mind before he could barely register them.  The sight of the toilet bowl filling his vision, partially dissolved pills floating in yellow bile.  Pills falling from his cupped hands, clattering across the floor.  The memory of sitting on his shower floor returned, this time accompanied by the sound of someone humming.
So many broken pieces…
He spotted the hamper, filled with dirty towels; some of them weren’t his.  Another memory trickled forth, clearer this time – sitting on the toilet, a towel over his shoulders while someone – no, you – dried his hair for him.
‘I won’t look.’
Another piece of the puzzle. But where did it fit in the twisted, spotty timeline of last night? It must have been after the shower.  And the humming… did you sing to him?  Or was that part a dream?  Some of them had to have been dreams, or maybe hallucinations. His mother, for example, wearing a white dress.  His mind began sorting fact from fiction, and slowly the story started to take shape.  The vomiting was first; he had stolen your pills. That much he could remember – it was the clearest.  Then came… the shower, perhaps.  Then you must have dressed him and treated his scars.  What happened after that? He couldn’t seem to remember.  All that kept coming to mind was his father’s eyes.
Dabi sat with the stillness of a statue while his mind continued to dissect what he remembered, his original plan of seeking you out momentarily forgotten.  The more he thought about it, the more he realized – you were there through everything.  You were there for the vomiting. You had showered him, dried him, and dressed him. You cleaned up after him, and made sure food and water were brought in for him.  You even used your quirk to help with his pain.  Each piece of the puzzle somehow connected back to you. You were there for every moment, every step.
You never gave up on him.
Something deep within him began to stir, a part of himself that was normally kept under lock and key by the dark parts of himself.  It was something he had very little experience with, an emotion that hadn’t seen the light of day since he was a young boy.  A… warmth.  It came slowly, timidly, barely recognizable at first, disguised as a gentle ease in the set of his shoulders and the smallest curve of his stoic lips. 
Whatever you had done with your quirk was starting to wear off.  Dabi was starting to feel again.
The warmth trickled in, the only thing that could fill that empty chasm in himself, and he clung to it in desperate need. Life was beginning to have meaning again… he had meaning. Before, nothing mattered.  Now, everything mattered.
When was the last time someone had looked out for him so selflessly the way that you did?  How long were you with him?  The entire night?  His mind played over the memories of you that he could recall.  You were gentle.  You were patient.  You stayed because you cared and because despite what he’d done, you knew that he needed you.
The warmth continued to grow, bringing a sense of safety that he didn’t know was absent before.  It settled itself comfortably upon his heart like a dove, as if it had always belonged there, the soft gentleness of it stunning him to the point of breathlessness. 
For the first time in forever, he felt… loved.
The trickle became a stream, and the stream became a river. His heart tightened, his breaths coming out in heavy gasps.  He was so consumed by the impact of what he felt, that it wasn’t until he felt the droplets falling onto the backs of his palms that he realized he was crying.  He welcomed it, letting the waves crash over him, the turbulent force of this single emotion reaching every dark crevice that ever existed in his labyrinthine heart.  It consumed him in its purity, unfettered by the darkness that normally lurked in his soul.
A heavy need forced itself to the forefront of his mind, to seek out the source of this emotion, the reason for its existence.  He knew it instantly – it was you.  He wanted to see you, to be in your presence and hear your voice.  He wanted to see you smile.  He wanted to feel your touch, not for your quirk, but simply to feel the softness of your hands, to feel wanted, to know that he was worth touching.  He wanted to touch you too, to wrap his arms around you and feel your warmth, to press his forehead against yours and…
Dabi hesitated, his heart pounding wildly in his chest as his tears dried on his cheeks.  What is this??
He wanted….
He wanted you.
When did that happen?
Had it always been there, lurking, going unnoticed in the noise inside his head?  Or was this new, something bred from a single night of hardship and selfless dedication?
In that moment, it didn’t matter.  Dabi stood up from his bed.  He needed to see you, to talk to you.  What would he say?  For the first time, he didn’t know, words failing him for an emotion he’d never felt before.
Something on the floor under the edge of his bed caught his eye.  It was just barely visible, but he noticed it immediately, its whiteness contrasting with his dark wood flooring.  He bent down and picked it up, staring at the item. It was a white pill bottle, medication for insomnia.
A new memory – the sound of items falling onto the floor, crashing and clattering loudly.
Did you spill your bag last night? 
‘You just want to keep the pills for yourself.’
Dabi froze, his eyes wide. That was his voice.  Did he say that to you? The words were sharp, dripping with contempt and barely contained rage.  It was a jarring contrast to what he was feeling now.
He dropped the pill bottle as if it burned him.  It clattered loudly on the floor, and the sound of it rattled loose another piece of the puzzle.
‘where did you put it??’
His voice again.  Demanding.  Angry. Threatening.  He saw your face, exhausted, wet tears on your cheeks, eyes wide with fear.
What had he done??
Something snapped inside himself, a realization.  Nausea washed over him, sinking deep into the pit of his stomach.  It flooded the warmth he had felt before, tainting it.
Shame.
Shame at how his addiction controlled him; shame that you had to suffer because of him; shame at his affection for you, as if he had any right after what he did.  It began to consume him, morphing into a towering black cloud of guilt, its dark shadow beckoning other emotions from the depths like haunting creatures.
Dabi grabbed his head in his hands and collapsed to the floor on his knees as more emotions were set free, released by your fading quirk like guard dogs freed of their chains. The emotions came and trampled over him with sharp claws and heavy paws.  With jagged teeth, they ripped apart at the happiness he had felt minutes prior and tore into his vulnerability.
Humiliation. 
Humiliation that you had to baby him, wash him and dress him like an infant, and scold him like a child.  Humiliation that he needed you simply because he wasn’t able to handle this on his own.
Disgust.
Disgust with his lack of self-control, disgust with his own fragility.  Disgust at his feelings towards you, and the vulnerability they opened up in him, a vulnerability he couldn’t afford and didn’t want. He had cried just minutes before, overcome by emotion and all because of you.  He didn’t even know he had the capacity for tears anymore.  He recoiled from it, a sour taste in his mouth. 
Finally, anger.
Anger at your sacrificial ways, at how willing you were to put yourself in harm’s way for a man you didn’t know, a man who didn’t deserve it.  Anger at himself for giving in to your kindness and letting you get close. And anger… anger at everything. This fucked up situation, his fucked-up life, his fucked-up family and the fucked-up world they were all a part of. His mind rolled over the dark thoughts like a hard candy melting on the tongue.  It was bittersweet.  Tainted.
Addicting.
Even as the sinister emotions destroyed him, he welcomed it, embracing them for their familiarity, donning them like an old suit made just for him.
Dabi was himself again.
His eyes roamed around his room, taking it all in – the food on the desk, the makeshift bed, the pile of towels in his hamper, the abandoned white pill bottle on the floor.  You were everywhere he looked. Now, all he could think about when he thought of you was that last and final memory he could recall - your exhausted, scared, crying face – and all he could feel was the maelstrom of negative emotions tied together by the thick chain of guilt.  It weighed heavily on the newfound feeling of affection that hummed stubbornly under his skin, ever present.
Dabi closed his eyes against it.
He had to get out of here, far away from the presence of you and the cage of memories. He needed to clear his head so he could think.  He quickly stood up and dressed himself, before grabbing his coat from the back of his chair and rushing out of his bedroom.  He shrugged it on as he passed your door, forcing himself to keep his eyes in front of him.  
His feet carried him down the indoor stairwell, old and reeking of piss.  His boots pounded quickly down each step until he came out into the old lounge and bar, the only common space for the old, run-down hotel building. There, the other League members sat, watching the news over a game of cards.
Shigaraki glanced up at him as he entered.  “You look like shit.”
“Fuck you too.” Dabi replied.
Twice chimed in.  “Shouldn’t you be in bed??  We don’t want your germs!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Dabi grumbled, halting briefly as he grabbed an energy drink from the fridge.
“You were sick as a dog last night.” Mr. Compress explained.
“Yeah. We all heard you.” Spinner chimed in. Magne and Twice nodded in agreement.
Dabi scoffed. “I’m fine.” He opened the can and took a swig.
Toga stood up and got uncomfortably close into Dabi’s personal space, feeling his forehead with her hand.  “Are you sure?  Y/N said you had the flu.”
Dabi felt annoyance bubble in his veins at the invasion. “Yeah, you know what, I am feeling a little nauseous.  I think I might throw up.”
Toga visibly paled and instantly backed away; she hated vomit. 
“Hey!” Spinner interjected. “Take it somewhere else!  You already got Y/N sick, we don’t need you spreading it to the rest of us.”
“What?” Dabi demanded.
Toga returned to her seat at the table.  “She hasn’t come out of her room all day.  I texted her to see if she was okay and she said she was sick too.”
Magne folded her cards down on the table and peered at Dabi over her sunglasses.  “You two sure have been spending a lot of time together…”
“What is this, high school? She’s been helping me with an injury I got on the job.” Dabi replied.  “No different from the rest of you.”
Magne reclined in her seat and took a sip from her glass. “I think she has a crush on you.  She gets flustered every time I bring you up.”
“Ew! On Dabi??” Toga scrunched up her nose. 
“What’s the matter, Toga? Jealous?” Dabi mocked.
“Why would I be jealous when I have Izuku and Ochako?” Toga said with a dreamy sigh. 
Dabi rolled his eyes at her. She was completely delusional.
Dabi’s scars on his ankles began to itch and burn.  While the others wasted his precious time with their blathering, your quirk was gradually wearing off.  It’d only be a matter of time before he’d have to come seek you out again for your help. He clenched his jaw, feeling his teeth grind from the pressure.  It was the last thing he wanted.
“I’m outta here. I got better shit to do than listen to your shitty gossip.” Dabi commented as he made his way towards the back entrance.
“Keep a low profile.” Shigaraki ordered.  “We’ve got a meeting with the Shie Hassaikai coming up soon.  We don’t want to draw unwanted attention to ourselves.”
Dabi didn’t even bother to turn around as he gave a half-assed wave, the door closing behind him.
“Someone’s a little touchy…” Mr. Compress commented in amusement.
Magne let loose a huge grin. “He didn’t deny it.”
“Deny what?” Twice asked.
“That she has a crush on him.”
“Aww, do you think he likes her back?” Toga asked dreamily.  “That’d be so sweet.”
“The man could use a little love in his life.” Twice chimed in.  “He should totally hit that.”
“Dabi doesn’t like anyone but himself.” Compress commented.
“Nah, he’s just super committed to Stain’s mission.  The man’s got dedication.  I respect that.” Spinner replied.
“Of course you do.” Compress replied.
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean??” Spinner demanded.
“You’re the biggest Stain fanboy I know.”
While the others continued to bicker and laugh, Shigaraki stared at the back door in silence.
 ------
Dabi inhaled a deep breath of cool air as soon as he stepped out of the building.  He hadn’t bothered to don a hoodie this time, since it wouldn’t make much difference for this seedy, poor neighborhood.  Heroes rarely patrolled here, and the ones who were assigned to this area were lower level heroes and newbies.  It was a steppingstone towards more “respectable” hero work, where the neighborhoods were less impoverished, and more money could be made.
Dabi let his feet carry him down the sidewalk, sticking to smaller side streets and dark alleyways. He didn’t care where he went, only that he needed to move his body; anything to distract from the creeping fade of your quirk while he dealt with the whirlwind of thoughts in his increasingly aching head.
Magne’s teasing words floated in his head, bouncing around like mosquito that needed to be squashed.
You had a crush on him.
Dabi hated how the words made his heart pound faster, the suggestion blossoming the smallest seed of hope in his chest.  Dabi crushed it with a scoff.  That might have been true before, but after what transpired last night, he wouldn’t be surprised if you slammed the door in his face.
The energy drink in Dabi’s hand lost its flavor, and he chucked it into the nearest trashcan. 
It was for the best.  He didn’t need any attachments, especially now that he’d finally managed to find a place where he dreams could finally be realized.  The last thing he wanted was to be diverted by something he couldn’t have; and even if he could have it (yeah fucking right), it wouldn’t last.  What would be the fucking point?
That was what he tried to tell himself, but the thoughts rang with an empty hollowness.  Instead, the only response he could find was the itchy discomfort of guilt mingling with his desire to be near you.  It filled him with a painful longing that he couldn’t control, not without his drugs to numb them.  The more he tried to ignore it, the more it nagged at him until a new emotion began to creep out of hiding.
Fear. 
Fear at losing you.
Dabi nearly faltered in his steps.
Lose you?  He never even had you to begin with.
There was no undoing what he’d done; he’d hurt you, that much he was sure.  He’d stolen from you and spewed his anger at you… and that was just from what he could remember.
A new fear, heavier and darker, blossomed like fire in his gut as his mind focused on that single thought.
What he could remember…
How far did he go?
Toga’s voice played in his mind.  ‘She hasn’t come out of her room all day.’
He knew you weren’t sick, because he wasn’t sick.  So, if you truly refused to come out of your room, was it because you were just exhausted? Or were you scared of running into him?  Were you tucked away in your room, nursing wounds that he was responsible for, wounds that others could see? 
Did he hit you? Burn you? The uncertainty made Dabi’s blood run cold. He didn’t know.  He couldn’t remember. 
Dabi knew he wasn’t a good person.  He walked a thin line between ruthless vengeance and vigilante justice, casting judgment on others and killing without shame.  He was fueled by his anger, keeping it in check by the thinnest of morality – don’t hurt children. 
Even when the Vanguard attacked the training camp, he never directly hurt any of the kids, even if they were training to become heroes.  Sure, he led others with more violent tendencies than his own, but that wasn’t his responsibility, right? He focused his efforts on distracting the teachers so they could get their targets.
Dabi gave himself a dry scoff.  Who was he kidding… if push came to shove, he would kill them; sure they were technically kids still, but they were swiftly entering adulthood, and just as responsible for the choices they made as he was at that age. They chose to be a part of that life; auditioned for it, even.
But children?  Small kids, who had yet to figure out the world?  He drew his line there.
Don’t kill kids.  But everyone else… everyone else was fair game, because everyone was guilty. Everyone had their hand to play in supporting the lie that was hero society and the damage it wrought – they were all culpable.
But you were different, right?  You weren’t a part of hero society, not anymore. That’s why you were with the League. So, you should have been safe.  But if his rage became unchained, his delicate moral center muted by desperation and pain, then there was no telling what he would do.  He already knew he had that capacity for violence.  It had never bothered him before, not once. 
Not until now. Now, it scared him.
Too many missing pieces.
He knew his rage was a wild beast and wasn’t easily tamed, yet he saw no evidence of its destruction.  On the contrary, he’d woken up on his floor with a pillow under his head.  Nothing in his room was burned, and even more telling was the fact that whatever had transpired, you’d somehow managed to make sure he was comfortable, tidied up his space a little bit, and collected your things.  If he was that angry, that desperate, how did you manage to calm him down?
Maybe you had knocked him out before he reached that point.  He wasn’t sure… he couldn’t feel any lumps or bruises on his head, but then again, your quirk was still in effect.  Or maybe you’d used your quirk somehow.  Could it even be used for that?
Or maybe it never happened at all… maybe those things he said to you weren’t real, and that image of you that was ingrained in his mind was nothing more than a nightmare.  He could only hope...
One thing was certain…
You’d stayed.  You stayed until he was unconscious, only leaving when you knew he was safe from himself.  If he really had hurt you like he’d feared, the evidence he woke up to would have shown a different story.  But there was nothing, no indication of violence.  The slightest bit of relief washed over him.  Maybe he wasn’t a complete monster after all.  Still, he wanted to see you, just to be sure.  He needed to make sure you were alright.
This brought forth a fear of a different kind. He was now painfully aware of how much he cared for you, and it scared him.  Agony was slowly creeping over his body, his legs now burning and stinging as if covered in fire ants, yet all he could think about was whether or not you were okay.  He could tolerate the physical pain, at least for the moment. What he couldn’t tolerate was the cyclone of emotions that stirred in him, some of them new, some of them old. Some of them about you, some of them about him… and some… some of them about his family.  After all, when was the last time he felt cared for?
Dabi didn’t want to think about it.  All he wanted was to tune it all out like he’d done for years.  Except this time, tuning them out was proving to be especially difficult.  Dabi normally had his drugs to help him with that part; they let him float in an almost euphoric numbness, letting only the most powerful of emotions through, most typically anger, but sometimes glee, particularly if he was finding his work especially satisfying.  This time though, he was on his own, with your quickly fading quirk and his own self-control his only tools.
A new wave of pain began to overtake him as he began to feel the pain of his scars along his sides. He faltered for a moment, ducking into an alleyway to clutch his core with his arms, as he sucked in sharp breaths through his clenched teeth.  His muscles began to ache as well. 
He was already out and about.  Maybe he could find someone during his walk… a dealer.  The streets were rife with them at this hour.  There had to be something out there that would be strong enough to fix his predicament, right?  Something that didn’t involve you.
The idea died as quickly as it had sprung up.  Dabi had already betrayed your trust once.  Doing so again, after all you’d done for him, would be the nail in the coffin. He was desperate, but not that desperate.
Not yet, at least.  If he took too long getting back to you, then that could easily change.
He was running out of time. He’d have to go back soon, but he didn’t want to, not yet.  He didn’t want to show up at your door, with only weak apologies in one hand and shame in the other, pitiful gifts compared to what you’d given him.  He was shitty with words when they really mattered, and he knew there was nothing he could say or do that could remedy the damage he’d done.  But he needed you, and deep down, despite the conflicting emotions he struggled with, he cared what you thought about him – a fact that wasn’t easy for him to recognize let alone admit to himself.  He wanted you to know that even though he was an asshole, even if you might not want to have anything more to do with him, he was still grateful for what you’d done.
Dabi needed to find a solution.  He wouldn’t return without one. 
 ------
You felt like crap. Exhaustion pulled at you from every angle, your body weak.  At least your scar no longer hurt.  Sleep had descended on you quickly, but it was anything but restful; the pain of your scar had made you drift in and out of consciousness, with no relief to be found. When you did sleep, the pain brought forth confusing nightmares made of mixed memories.  Two pairs of angry, ocean blues eyes haunted you in your dreams, melding together into a single menacing glare, burning you from the inside out.  Orange flames licked at your skin, and you had woken up panting, covered in sweat.  Nausea washed over you, forcing you from your bed to throw up in the bathroom, your body wracked with shivers.
The rest of the day was spent in and out of bed, trying to rest and forget everything but not being able to.  Nausea gave way to hunger, but you couldn’t bring yourself to leave your room.  Your nightmares were too fresh in your brain, and you were afraid of running into Dabi, to see his blue eyes and see someone else, an angry, harsh face wreathed in flame and red hair.  Instead, you ate the granola bar that had been in your bag and drank the bottled water you always had on hand.  It helped for a little while, and you lingered in your room, answering your texts from Toga on your phone and trying to find something, anything to distract you.  You knew it’d only be a matter of time before Dabi came to knock on your door needing your help, and you didn’t want your trauma to get in the way of helping him, not after all you’d been through.
Of course, that was even if he decided to come to you anymore.  There was no telling how much he remembered or what he thought or felt.  You had heard his door open and close earlier in the day, heard the sound of his quick footsteps pass your door.  Your heart had pounded in trepidation, afraid he’d come to you before you were ready, and you couldn’t help but feel somewhat ashamed at being scared of him.
You didn’t want to fear him, but you did.  You had found yourself in the crosshairs of his anger last night, and for the briefest of moments you were genuinely afraid for your safety.  Your hands rubbed at where he had grabbed you.  There were no bruises thankfully, but you could feel the ache where his fingers had wrapped around your arms and squeezed. 
A part of you was angry, too.  Angry that Dabi had let himself get to that point, angry that he had lost control. You tried not to be – you knew you couldn’t really understand the level of suffering he was going through, and he quite literally wasn’t in his right mind when it happened.  But you couldn’t help it; you felt wronged.  You’d given so much of yourself, and each step of the way you were either met with betrayal, resistance, or anger.
Your anger wasn’t just with him, though; it was with yourself.  Why did you even let yourself get wrapped up in this?  Treating his wound is one thing; but helping him with his addiction?
You sighed.  The answer was simple: you hated to see him suffer.
Maybe it was your savior complex.  Or maybe it was the unspoken attraction you had for him. It wasn’t just physical… that part was obvious.  But there was more to him, a complexity beneath his cocky, sarcastic exterior that kept pulling you in like a moth to the flame. You could see it in his eyes when he had moments of silence, moments when he thought you weren’t looking or thought you couldn’t read his body language.  He was guarded and isolated, fueled by a motivation that was slowly destroying him. And yet… for whatever reason, he had decided to trust you, to accept your help and let you in, to help guide him through something incredibly personal.  Perhaps it was just out of desperation; it wasn’t like he had a lot of options.  But you couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to it.
Maybe Dabi was lonely.
Your anger slowly reduced from a boil to a simmer.  This wasn’t over; you couldn’t turn your back on him, not after all you’d both been through, not after he put his trust in you. You knew that if he knocked on your door that you’d answer it.
The fear, however… the fear lingered.  You still had to see if tonight was any better, if the hybrid treatment of your quirk and your meds were enough to help him endure his suffering until he got what he really needed.  What if it didn’t work?  Your stomach dropped at the thought.  You couldn’t survive another night like last night.  You knew you couldn’t.  Not with your own trauma lurking over your shoulder and your inability to fall back on your own medications to help you through it.  You were a giving person, but even you had your limits.
It wasn’t until dark blue dusk quickly began to surrender to evening that you finally decided to brave the confines of your room.  Your stomach was eating a hole in itself, and you knew your body needed energy if you were going to treat Dabi again tonight.
You pulled yourself out of your bed, slipping your feet into your slippers before making your way to the door.  You opened it up and nearly jumped out of your skin as Dabi’s unexpected presence filled your exit, one hand stretched out to knock, the other holding a white plastic bag that smelled suspiciously of food.
Your eyes locked with his instantly, and for the briefest of moments, the fear you had been trying to bury sprung forth, freezing you in place.  His eyes really did look like Endeavor’s.  How had you never noticed it before?  It was almost uncanny.  But before you could dwell on it further, Dabi’s voice cut through your mind.
“Hey.” He said. It was just a single word, but something in his tone made it lasso around your soul and pulled you back to the present.  It didn’t hold its usual taunt, and the anger that you’d heard last night was now complete absent.  If anything, he sounded… contrite.  Fear melted away for the moment, slithering into the back of your mind like a snake where it planned to make a home for itself.
“Hey.” You replied, lowering your eyes to focus on the details of his jacket.  Anything to not look him in the eyes again, at least not yet.  The cerulean blueness of them was too intense. 
Dabi noticed instantly, of course, and even though he expected as much, he was surprised at how much it stung him.  “I brought ramen.” He stated, holding up the bag as evidence.
Ramen.  Of all the things he decided to bring you.  The humor of it wasn’t lost on you, and you could feel your wariness melt away slightly, replaced by warm amusement.  It was a peace offering.  It obviously wouldn’t fix everything, but it was a start, and oddly perfect.
A small smile teased the corners of your mouth.  “Thanks.” You replied.
Dabi’s breath caught in his throat at the sight, a wave of hope and relief hitting him unexpectedly. The strength of the emotions caught him by surprise, and he tried to tamp them down.  Damn, he really did miss his drugs.  Everything was so much more… sensitive right now.
An awkward silence fell over the two of you as you continued your standoff in the doorway, before Dabi finally spoke.  “Can I come in?”
“Yeah.” You replied with a hesitant breath and opened the door enough for him to enter. You gave him a wide berth, avoiding contact even as your heart pounded in your chest. Dabi was in your room.  Again.  This time though, it felt completely different.  He seemed different.  And you knew you were different too.  You’d lost some of your warmth, your openness. 
He entered your room and seemed… lost, which was so uncharacteristic of him.  Dabi never looked lost about anything.  He always carried himself with a casual confidence that you envied.  Before, he would have easily found a spot for himself, kicking his feet up intrusively on your furniture and fixing you with a cocky, lazy grin.  This time though, there was none of that.  You couldn’t help but feel guilty as you watched him stand awkwardly in your space, unsure of where to sit or what to do.  Once again, you couldn’t help but wonder how much he remembered from the night before.
“Here,” you offered, shoving aside the pile of papers and books on your desk to make room for the bag in his hand.  He set the item down on the surface and began to untie it. You bravely moved to stand next to him, watching as he took out the chopsticks and the napkins.  You were close enough to smell the broth in the containers, making your mouth water and your stomach rumble.  Loudly.
“Hungry?” he teased as he kept his eyes trained on the bag.
“I haven’t really eaten all day.” You confessed.
“I know.” He replied.
“You do?”
“Toga told me.”
“Oh.”  You watched as he took out the containers, setting one of them in front of you with chopsticks and napkins set on top of the lid. “What kind did you get me?”
He peered at you with keen amusement. “The same kind you got me.”
“That’s fair.” You replied as you opened the lid, the steam caressing your face.  You opened your chopsticks and were about to dig in, when Dabi pulled out a third rectangular container from the bag and opened it. “You got gyoza too?”
“And mochi.” He replied.
You stared at him for the first time, and his eyes locked with yours.  This time, no fear came forth.  Instead, you felt surprised.  His eyes, usually dulled by his drugs, were now lively and swimming with emotions. He seemed… guilty. Ashamed.  He genuinely felt bad.  Some of the anger you had stored in your veins slowly began to evaporate.  So, the man had a conscience after all.  Not that you ever really doubted it, but you were glad to see he cared; and not just that… he was showing that he cared.
You gave him a soft smile. “Thanks, Dabi.  I love mochi.”
He blinked at you but kept his expression neutral before averting his eyes back to his container. “I didn’t get any drinks.” He said.
“That’s okay.” You replied.
Dabi took the mochi and the gyoza and placed them on your nightstand before making himself comfortable in your desk chair next to your bed, slurping up his noodles with his chopsticks.  You joined him, sitting comfortably on your bed while you blew on your noodles before eating them.
The two of you ate in silence, the sound of your mutual enjoyment of the shared meal filling the room. It was a heavy silence, filled with unspoken words and awkward glances. You watched Dabi as closely as you could without being invasive.  He was showing the telltale signs of pain again – back hunched, a sheen of sweat across his brow, his hand clutching his chopsticks with enough tension to show the tendons in his fingers.  But he hadn’t said anything about it yet.  He was withholding, choosing to share this meal with you instead.  You wondered why.   Was he trying to give you time to adjust to his presence, aware that you were on edge with him? Or was he scared, afraid that if he asked for your help that you’d deny him?  Or maybe he didn’t even want your help; maybe he planned to try to rough it out on his own.
Yeah, you weren’t going to let that be an option.
Despite your curious thoughts, it wasn’t until you finished your mochi and had cleared the empty containers off of your nightstand and back onto your desk, that the silence was finally broken.
“So…” you started. “How are you feeling?”  You knew it was a loaded question.  He knew it, too – you could see it in how his eyes caught yours and darted away again.
“Fine.” He replied.
“Is that why you’re sweating?” You countered.  “Please don’t lie to me, Dabi.  I deserve that much.”
He was silent for a moment, his jaw muscle twitching with tension, before he finally answered. “Everything hurts.”
“Everything?”
“Everything.”
You weren’t sure if he was being literal or not.  Had your quirk worn off completely?  Or were there still traces of it left, a frayed, tattered rope his only lifeline from falling full force into his withdrawal again? 
You didn’t want to wait and find out.
“Well, let’s take care of that.” You said lightheartedly, even as your heart raced with anxiety.  What if you weren’t ready?  Was your body recharged enough to be up to the task? The pain would be back, you knew that much.  And what if you failed?  
Dabi sat silently for a moment, unmoving, his mind clouded in anger as he stared at you.  He could see the fear in your eyes, plain as day, even as your tone remained casual.  He was angry at your selflessness, angry that he couldn’t say no to you.   Because even though he wanted to deny your help, he knew he couldn’t.  Pain was coursing through his body now, unrelenting, and all he wanted was for it to stop before it tore him apart, stitch by stitch.  You had everything he needed to get him through this. 
He needed you. He needed you, and it grated on him, because he knew he was a burden, even though you would never say so.  You were kind and giving, almost to a fault, and he was a selfish bastard who didn’t have the strength to cut you free and face this alone.
He looked away, defeated. “What do you need me to do?”
“Take off your shirt. I need to change your bandage anyway, and I’m going to use my quirk to numb your scars.”
He did as you said, removing his jacket and draping across the back of your chair.  The shirt followed as he slowly, painfully, pulled it off over his head.
“I won’t be able to do much for the rest of your body… but I’m hoping my drugs will be able to help with that.  The rest will be up to you.” You explained.  Dabi gave a small nod in understanding.
You had him sit on your bed where you could more easily navigate around him.  Numbing his back and changing the bandages was the easy part. It was familiar and it brought back memories of a simpler time.  Had it really only been a few days since you started treating him?  It felt like ages.
There was no conversation as you worked, Dabi in too much pain to say much of anything, and you… well, you were doing your best to hold yourself together.  You’d finished the bandaging, and now you were running your hands along his shoulder blades, your quirk seeping deep into his muscles.  Already, you could feel your senses once again begin to sharpen.  You moved your hands down the scar on his side, numbing what you could reach, the rest of it disappearing beneath his pants.  Your own scar started to itch, and the writhing snake of fear slunk out of its den, hissing a warning
You did your best to push it away.  You weren’t at your limit yet.  You could keep going.  ‘It’s okay. I’ll be okay…’
You adjusted your position until you were sitting in front of him on the plush comforter of your bed. He waited, blue eyes watching you in silence.  You were going to start at his hands and move up his arms like you had done before.  You stared at the staples on his hands, willing yourself to move, to reach out and touch him.
But you couldn’t.  You were frozen as your heart began to pound in your chest like a drum and the memories began to flood back.  The exhaustion, the nightmares, the pain… You were caught in the event horizon of your fear, unable to break free of its hold.
You couldn’t do this. You weren’t ready, you weren’t strong enough. You…
“Hey.”
Dabi’s hand covered yours, and you realized your hand was shaking.  His long fingers curled around your palm gently, and you stared at the connection, focusing on the warmth of his touch.  Your heartrate began to slow, and you watched as your fingers slowly curled around his in response.
“It’s okay.” He said. His tone sounded… tender.
You looked up, your eyes locking with his.  Sea blue stared back at you, open and raw, and suddenly you were trapped in his gaze.  You could see it – the concern, the hurt… the anger; a storm of emotions surging beneath the surface of his neutral expression. Guilt gnawed at you and you looked away.
“I-I’m sorry.” You whispered.
Dabi let go of your hand, and it felt like a great wall had been thrown between the two of you, unscalable.
“It’s fine.” He said, his tone now as neutral as his expression.
“No, it’s not.” You sighed guiltily.  You clasped your hands together, missing his warmth. 
Dabi watched the gesture, longing creeping into his chest like an unwelcome guest.  He clenched his own empty hands into fists and shifted his position until he was half turned from you.  Maybe if he didn’t look at you, all of this would be easier.
Dabi leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and stared at the floor in contempt. “You don’t have to do this.” He said, even as his body screamed for more of your touch, to be freed from the agony he was feeling.
“Yeah I do.” You replied.
Something in Dabi snapped. “Stop it.  Stop being so fucking nice.”
You froze at the harshness of his tone, and you could feel your heart begin to pound again.  You wrapped your arms around yourself protectively, your hands covering where he had grabbed you the night before.
“Don’t do that.” You begged. The quiver in your voice made Dabi look at you again, and he was shocked to see your eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Don’t be angry.
Dabi stared at you as he recalled what he had said to you last night in his withdrawal-induced rage. Looks like it wasn’t a hallucination after all.  He looked away ashamed, unable to bear the sight of you scared of him.  He took a slow breath and spoke calmly.  “I’m not angry.  I just don’t understand why this is so important to you.”
A long moment of silence passed as he listened to the shuffling sound of you drying your eyes with your hands and take a steady breath.  Each sound drove his guilt deeper and deeper into him like a splinter that would never leave.  He really was a piece of shit.
Your voice broke through his self-loathing, the quiver in it gone.  He couldn’t bring himself to look at you just yet, but he listened.  “If I give up now, then everything we went through would be for nothing.” You explained.  “And I made a promise to myself that I’d never give up.”
“Give up on what?” the words fell from Dabi’s mouth before he could stop them, hope sneaking past his lips without his permission. He regretted it instantly, but even so, he waited, hanging onto the moment, ready to drink in every word.  He wanted to hear it – to hear why you were trying so damn hard to help him.
He nearly jerked in surprise when he felt your hand take his, his eyes returning to watch you.
“Give up on you.” You replied. 
Your eyes glanced up to look at him before bashfully ducking away beneath your lashes.  Dabi felt his chest constrict and suddenly the moment took on a surrealness as a lightheadedness overtook him.  Slowly, gently, you turned his hand until the palm was facing up and began to trace your fingers along his staples.  Immediately he could feel the coolness of your quirk begin to seep into him as his chest pounded with such force that he was sure you could feel it through the veins in his wrist.
“So…” you continued.  “Let me do this.  Please.”
He stared at you, caught in breathlessness, as you returned to numbing his scars along his hand and up his arm.  He had no response as the power of your words washed over him, fulfilling a need in him he had never bothered to pursue. How could he deny you and your gift after something like that?  To do so would be an insult.
Silence blanketed the room, both of you lost in thought as you continued to work.  Your sensitivity gradually increased as you completed one arm and then moved onto the other.  The scar on your back began to transition from an itch to a stinging sensation, and you set your mouth in a thin line.  You needed a distraction.  But before you could open your mouth to start a conversation, Dabi spoke.
“Did I… hurt you?” he asked.
Out of all of the things you expected him to ask, that was definitely not it.  The question shocked you so thoroughly, that your eyes shot up to look at him as your hands stopped in their administrations.  He wasn’t looking at you; instead, his eyes seemed unfocused and in pain.  He seemed slightly worse off than a moment ago, and a sense of urgency began to surge in you.
“What do you mean?” you replied cautiously, as your hands began to move again.  Up the arm, to the shoulder.  The collarbone would be next, then his neck…
“Last night.” He clarified, as his eyes focused and looked at you.  There was still alertness in their depths, and it gave you the slightest bit of relief; you weren’t losing him just yet.
You paused for a moment, pursing your lips.  You needed to tread carefully here.  “What do you remember?”
“Not much.” He admitted. Dabi tilted his chin up slightly to give you easier access to his collarbone as he trained his gaze over your shoulder. “I know I threw up.  A lot.  And I told you to leave, which you didn’t.”
“You’re welcome.” You teased.
“I think I remember you using your quirk on my scars… just like this.”
You waited for him to say more, but he didn’t.  “Anything else?” you prodded, as your hands moved along his shoulders.
Dabi narrowed his eyes in annoyance.  He grabbed your wrists in a gentle yet firm grip, halting your touch before it reached his neck.  “You’re avoiding my question.”
You froze, realizing you’d been caught, and you could feel your body flush hot with embarrassment. You eased out of his personal space slightly, and he released his hold on you.
You began to speak, choosing your words wisely.  “You did say some harsh things.  You wanted my pills and you were mad that I wouldn’t give them to you.”
Dabi stared at you for a long moment, watching your body language closely as you once again wrapped your arms around yourself protectively.  There it was – just like before.  “Anything else?” he asked, as he stared at your posture.
You wavered, but his words cut through your hesitation.  “No lying.” He said.  “I deserve that much.”  Just like that, your own words were thrown back at you.  You lowered your arms slowly.
“You… grabbed me.” You answered. You glanced up to check his face and were met with a neutral expression. “You were trying to leave but I got in your way to stop you, and you grabbed my arms to try to move me.”
Dabi’s face was an emotionless mask.  “…anything else?”
“That’s it. You stopped yourself, and I helped you by knocking you out with my quirk.”  You couldn’t bring yourself to say more than that.  If he didn’t remember breaking down into a crying mess in front of you, then you wanted to keep it that way. 
Dabi didn’t know whether to feel relief or shame.  The two emotions warred within himself.  On one hand, he was relieved that he’d caused no serious injury to you and that he hadn’t lashed out purely out of rage, with the intent to hurt.  On the other hand, the fact that he had forcefully grabbed you melded with the mental picture that haunted him of your fear-stricken, tear-stained face. That combined with the nasty words he had yelled at you… it was no wonder you were afraid of him when he first showed up, and especially why you reacted the way you did when he got frustrated earlier.
A wave of pain washed over him and he hunched over, gritting his teeth against it.  It felt like wildfire, washing over every part of him except for those you had touched, leaving an aching chill in its wake.  His head was beginning to pound unbearably, as nausea made his gut roil.  Gradually, the symptoms subsided enough that he could straighten himself back up.  But his head felt slightly foggier than before, the throbbing ache lingering, and he couldn’t get the image of your terrified expression out of his mind.
“Are okay?” you asked, your voice forcing away the image like a gust of wind upon sand.
Dabi looked up at you, grounding himself in your eyes.  The room around him slowly sharpened back into focus.  “I’m fine.”
“Where did it hurt?” you questioned, hoping maybe it was something you could treat.
“Everywhere.”  Immediately he could see the crestfallen expression on your face, and he struggled to correct it.  “Don’t worry about it, I can handle it.  Just… keep doing what you’re doing.”
“Is it helping?” you asked, your tone hopeful.
“Yeah.” Dabi replied.  “It’s helping.”
“No lying?”
“No lying.” 
You returned to where you left off, your hands now on his neck as your delicate touch sent shivers down his spine and goosebumps along his unmarred skin.  Your hands moved from his neck to his jawline, slowly tracing the angle of his jaw to his scarred ears.  His face would be next – his cheeks, his eyes… his mouth.  Your heart began to pound wildly like the running of wild horses, and you could feel yourself start to falter in nervous anticipation.  But as soon as your hands cupped his cheeks, Dabi’s hands covered yours, halting their advance. 
“I’m sorry.” He said, his troubled eyes downcast.
A soft smile formed on your lips.  “You’re forgiven.” You replied.
You returned to cupping his face, palms across his cheeks and thumbs on the scars under his eyes. You let your quirk flow in a gentle trickle, careful not to go too deep.  But you lingered, dulling the ache behind his eyes and beneath his temples. Dabi felt his headache recede slightly, the throbbing now reduced to a dull hum.
Surprise filtered through him as his thoughts came through slightly clearer.  “You didn’t have to do that.” he said.
“I know.” You replied. “But it helps, doesn’t it?”
Dabi didn’t respond.  Instead, he stared at you while he struggled to wrangle his emotions.  He’d come here with the intention of making sure you were okay and getting the treatment he needed, while keeping his feelings in check.  He knew he couldn’t dismantle them completely, but he could try to build a wall against them, muffling their presence under the weight of his darker emotions.  But the longer he stayed here and talked to you, the worse it got.  Any sense of control he thought he had was a joke. His wall was flimsy against your gentle assault, the watchdogs of his soul chained and muzzled.
He hadn’t even intended to apologize a moment ago; he couldn’t remember the last time he’d uttered those words.  He had always viewed apologies as useless, an empty afterthought after the damage was already done. But this time the words had stuck in his throat, threatening to suffocate him if he didn’t release them.  And, as you did with all things, you met those words with compassion and understanding.
Dabi drifted out of his heavy thoughts when he noticed the absence of your touch.  You sat before him, a slight sheen of sweat along your brow and your eyes unfocused.
You were starting to reach your limit, the light in your room too bright, your clothes scratchy on your skin.  The pain in your back was growing ever worse. You could tolerate it, but it definitely hurt now, and you could feel that familiar precipice approaching.  You had managed to tackle every scar on his body except for his legs.  Did you have enough in you to finish the job? You honestly weren’t sure.  You should have gotten more sleep, eaten sooner… maybe then you’d have more in you to give.
Apprehension of a different kind suddenly crashed through your thoughts.  He was wearing pants.  He’d have to remove them to let you treat him. 
He was already sitting in front of you shirtless, and your mouth suddenly felt dry at the idea of another article of clothing missing from him. This was entirely different compared to last night… he was much more cognizant now.
You were snapped out of your thoughts when Dabi began to pull his shirt back on, signaling the end of the session.  Even so, you pushed your own inhibition aside.  “Do you need anything else?” you asked.  “What about your legs?”
“It’s fine.” Dabi replied. “You’ve done enough.”
You hoped that he was right. Something crucial nagged at the back of your mind until suddenly, you remembered.  “I still need to give you those meds.  You can start taking them again, now that we’re back on schedule.”
You realized, however, that the pills were still hidden in your closet.  You chewed your lower lip; he obviously couldn’t see where you kept them. You knew better now.
“Um… I’m gonna to need you to step outside for a second, though.”
Dabi raised a curious eyebrow.  “You hid them?”
“I did.”
“Wise move.”  He got up from his spot on your bed and quietly stepped outside your room, closing the door behind him.  You tried to move as quickly as your body would allow.  You reached up to retrieve your duffle bag, your back screaming at the motion as your shirt rubbed against your scar.  Your eyes began to water reactively, but you gritted your teeth and forced them back.
Soon the pills were out of their hiding place, the duffle bag back at the top of your closet, and hopefully Dabi would be none the wiser.  You opened your door to find him leaning against the wall to your left.  He turned to face you, making no motion to enter your space again.  You were grateful… you felt exhausted, your body at its limit, and you didn’t want him to see how much pain you were really in.
You handed him three pills, like before, placing them in his palm.  He stared at them, both hating them and wanting them.  “Thanks.” He said simply.
“Do you… do you want me to stay with you tonight?” you ventured.
Dabi’s eyes shot up to stare at you, and you couldn’t mistake the slight bit of color that returned to his cheeks.  “What?”
“In case you have a rough night again.  Do you want me to stay and make sure you’ll be alright?” even as you asked, you began mentally kicking yourself; what more could you possibly do for him in your current state?  Still, you wanted to extend the offer, even just to let him know that he wasn’t alone if things got too tough.
He stared at you for a moment, mouth slightly open before he composed himself and looked back down at the pills in his hand.  “No.  I’ll be fine.”
You were learning quickly that that phrase in Dabi-speak meant ‘I’m going to suffer horribly but I’ll figure it out on my own.’  You sighed at his stubbornness, but at the same time, deep down, you felt relieved. Maybe tomorrow would be better, once you got some real sleep.
“Okay.” You replied.  “But you know I’m here if you need me.”
“I know.” He replied, as he pocketed the pills.  It was the first time he didn’t take them as soon as you handed them to him.
“Okay.  Well, good night then.”
“Good night.”
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 Part 8
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hawklanthebard · 3 years
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Fractured Diamond Chapter 4
(TW: Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault)
Mondo didn't know how long he sat there. He could see no indication of light anywhere in the room, although the cloth tied around his eyes didn't help either. The gang figured a blindfold would provoke more fear, thus better reactions, better screams. Not that it would even matter, Mondo couldn't even see if he wanted to. His left eye was swollen shut, and his right was sealed under a thick line of blood from his forehead. He figured the gang preferred it anyway for twisted aesthetic purposes. The cement chamber had proven to be soundproof, so it wasn't like he could call for help anyway, his throat felt like sandpaper. Every breath he was forced to take was agonizing, even shallow ones were labor. Every time his chest expanded was as if his ribs were stabbing him through his lungs and sides, fractures creaking against each other like an old wooden door. Breathing through his mouth would result in him gagging blood from where his rear teeth used to be, only furthering his burning chest. Breathing through his nose was his only choice, forcing him to take in the horrid stench of blood, sweat, and urine that lingered in the air. He remembered their jeers before leaving him in his "pigsty". He should've been humiliated, but breathing was taking up all the energy he had left. 
No one was coming for him. And why would they? What samaritan would wanna fought off one of the most dangerous gangs in Japan to save some lowly biker who probably screwed them over somehow? Was this the price for being in a gang? For being a Diamond? No, he wasn't a Diamond. Not anymore. Or maybe he never was. 
'Just a shiny piece of glass, shiny piece of glass, shiny piece of glass...'
Intrusive thoughts were nothing new to Mondo they were his only company at this time. Every taunting word stuck to his brain like a hair on honey. Not once did he try to shake them out. At first, he did, but eventually learned to like it. Like a dog learning his name, Mondo learned his place in the world. 
A faint but alerting metal clashing against a concrete wall crawled its way through Mondo's intrusive thoughts, he was too familiar with it by now. His body instinctively curled in on itself as much as his bindings and injuries would allow, which wasn't much, prepared to take whatever beating he was about to receive.
'...notadiamondnotadiamonddnotadiamondnotadiamondnotadiamond...'
Mondo wheezed in a small whimper as inside and outside voices blended in his skull. "..Okay...I...I get it..!" he slurred in a half-sob "I...I'm not a Diamond..! Okay..?! I get it...! You were right..!"
'notadiaMondnotadiamOndnotadiamoNdnotadiamonDnotadiamOnd..'
He jumped as something or someone grazed his bruised face. He cried out as loud as his broken ribs would let him. "S-stop...! I'm sorry, okay?! Jus...just lemme...lemme...d..!"
"--MONDO!"
He felt something touch his cheek again, but something felt different. Familiar. He hadn't realized his blindfold had been removed when he forced his swollen eye to open. He almost believed what he saw was real. 
Daiya, his brother, standing before him at eye level. His figure was silhouetted from the illuminated doorway, but there was no doubt it was him, Mondo recognized those sunset-orange eyes anywhere, glistening like dim but burning embers. But something was off about his face. It seemed to be stretched in an expression Mondo wasn't familiar with. Panic? That wasn't a face Daiya was known for. He always kept a cool front, no matter how fucked the situation was. His thick, black eyebrows were always furrowed, and his lips in a permanent half-smile to assure anyone he's ready to take on anything. So why does he look so scared? Mondo could see his lips moving, and it only took a moment to finally snap out of his daze and hear his brother.
"--ondo! Can you hear me?" he moved Mondo's crimson-caked bangs from over his eye, and Mondo was finally able to open it. 
"Gnhh...D-Daiya..?" he said in a hoarse whisper
Daiya rested his chin on his chest as he heaved a brief sigh of relief. "Thank god, thought I lost ya there, Lil bro." he half-chuckled, "It's okay, you're safe. We're gonna get you out."
'We?', Mondo thought.
As if hearing his thoughts, Daiya turned behind him and called out. "Michi, guys, he's over here! Come help me out with this!" 
"Got it!"
Another voice. Mondo recognized it; Takemichi, their youngest brother. Mondo was still trying to fathom it all, but there wasn't any room for doubt. This was all real, happening right before him, and he could not be more ashamed. 
Takemichi's darkened figure appeared through the doorway and froze where he stood, eyes fixed on Mondo. "Holy shit..." he breathed. Michi hasn't been in the gang for very long, probably less than a year now. He was still a middle schooler, still had some childlike innocence in him that was reignited after he ran away from his abusive household and found a new home with the Diamonds. Daiya wanted to preserve that innocence as much as possible, keeping Michi away from the action when things got bloody. So much, he wanted the boy to stay at the base while they rescued Mondo, but his stubbornness was like that of an ox. He was a Diamond, after all. Most times, Mondo believed him to be more so than himself.
An orchestra of boots stomping grew heavier and heavier until the room was flooded with Diamonds, all exchanging looks of shock and even concern when they saw the room and Mondo's fragile form. It was overwhelming, for them to see Mondo so pathetically mounted like this, like a prisoner, the fact that this image of him will be burned into their brains forever, Mondo felt as though he could just die right then and there if the universe showed him a glimmer of mercy. 
"Woah, stand back, guys." Takemichi directed the other gang members, "Give him some air. We only need a few men in here."
Daiya peeked over his shoulder to meet eyes with the gang. "You heard 'im. Clear out," he said in a stern tone, firm enough to command his team but soft enough not to frighten Mondo. Understanding the order, most of the members left while only a select few remained. Michi turned to Mondo and have him a reassuring smile before going to help Daiya. 
Mondo felt the two crouched on each side under his arms as the other Diamonds cut through the rope binding his wrists. Losing the support of the rope, he fell and would've crashed onto the concrete if Daiya and Michi weren't ready to catch him. He wished it was comforting as it was, but their support reignited his bodily pain. Crouching forward brought agony to his ribs, but straightening up burned the cuts on his back. He let out a dry painful groan. As if remembering, Daiya quickly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a water bottle, offering it to Mondo's lips. Mondo winced at the sight of the object, visions of past events screamed in his head, but his thirst screamed louder as he chugged the bottle. 
"Woah, hey. Easy, bro, easy." Daiya cooed softly, as he directed Mondo to drink slower. He didn't blame him one bit but knew Mondo would only feel worse if he chugged it. Taking his time savoring the liquid, Mondo had finished the bottle, sighing a relaxed breath as best as his burning lungs would allow. 
Daiya returned the empty bottle to his pocket. He gazed at the rope still loosely binding Mondo's wrists and gently removed them. He winced at the raw ligature wounds, old and new blood alike, coating Mondo's skin. He heard Mondo weakly hiss in pain. He only dared to look at the rest of his body. That didn't matter now, the only thing that did was getting his brother out of this hellhole. "I'm sorry, bro..." he breathed softly. 
Letting Mondo's head rest wearily on his shoulder, Daiya scooped him up in his arms as if he were carrying him to bed when Mondo was a little kid. As they left the room, Mondo felt Daiya nonchalantly step over something, probably some fallen furniture, though judging by the disgruntled expression plastered on Daiya's face and the faint groan under his feet, Mondo figured it was more like someone. The hallway was littered with limp beaten figures of Reapers, only Diamonds standing above them, pinning them down under their feet, giving them a boot to the face if they so much as twitch. Mondo glanced at Daiya's bruised and bloodied knuckles. Of course, his brother wouldn't go on without caving in a few faces of his own. Daiya stopped in his tracks when heard a wet cough behind him, his scowl grown deeper.
"Hey, Owada..!" Several feet away from the Diamond leader lay the grey-clad Reaper leader, beaten and broken. One of the larger Diamonds stood above him with his foot on his neck, although judging by the man's unnaturally bent knee, it was apparent he couldn't return to his feet even if he wanted to, the stance was more for physical empowerment than provided security. The grey man spat out a few bloodied teeth before continuing. "How does it feel...when you lose a brother..?" he wheezed painfully but sternly. "Bet it makes ya feel...fuckin' powerless, knowin' you... coulda done some'in ta prevent it..! My brother...is gone...and so's...yer's. Tell me...how does it feel..?"
Daiya stood strong and firm as a diamond, his expression hadn't faltered. Barely even breathed.
The grey man growled, face contorted in hatred. "What? Ya don't remember me..?" his scowl turned into a sinister smirk. "He does."  
Daiya glanced down at Mondo's body curling up in reminiscent fear. He could only pray those words had an empty meaning. Still, he couldn't help but recall how fragile and painfully Mondo fell to his knees as if he were suffering from a terrible stomach ache. Bile crept up Daiya's throat. 
The man noticed the reaction and his grimace twisted further, showing bloodied teeth. "He knows my name. I...made sure...he never forgets it. He was...beggin' me ta stop, y'know. Beggin' for you...ta save 'im. His whimpers were so...beautifully pathetic. I wish...I recorded it for ya. But I figured it'd be better if ya...imagined it yerself. If ya didn't...drag ya feet, maybe...he'd still be your brother. But now...he's my pet." he let out a wet chuckle as he saw Mondo tremble like a leaf in Daiya's tensed arms. "Go on, boy...tell 'im..! Jog 'is memory..! Say my--" 
"Sasaki!"
Came a deep voice. Mondo would've thought he said that if his throat wasn't already so torn up from screaming that cursed name, his lips couldn't even form the word. He looked up at his brother's discontented face. Surely, he didn't. Another wet laugh from behind. A sharp pain shot through Mondo's heart. 
"So, you do know! Good boy!" the grey man cackled. "Try an' remember that now...! Remember the name...of the man who destroyed you and your brother..! I would say we're even...but there's no reason I can't still have fun with your gang..!" Daiya could feel Sasaki's eyes shift over to Takemichi. "Like him. He's fresh. Doesn't matter if 'e's...just a kid...He's in a gang...an' is better to...learn the hard way. Are you broken yet, Daiya Owada? Or do I...have--"
"Just shut the fuck up and listen, Reaper," Daiya growled, making it clear he wasn't finished talking. The grey man listened on, slightly disappointed at the white-clad man's retaliation. Daiya turned to gaze down at the man with eyes burning like the sun.
"I killed your brother Chisaki." his words flew from his mouth as if it were the most natural thing ever to be said. No hesitation, no remorse, not even a hint of regret. Mondo blinked and looked up at his brother. He couldn't remember the last time Daiya said something so cold, or if he ever heard him speak that way at all. Still, Daiya's eyes hadn't left his target. 
"He didn't seem to get my last message about staying out of our turf. He knew what he was risking when he crossed our path. And he paid for it. I pulled the alarms, I alerted the cops, and I left you all to die. I trust you and your colleagues have enough pattern recognition not to follow in his footsteps. Do what your brother couldn't do, and stay out of our way. If I ever see you or any Reapers on the streets again, it's kill on sight. Consider this business and personal." 
The grey man shuddered but let out a low, blood-curdling growl. "Do it, then!" he coughed and wheezed. "I ain't goin' nowhere, so...ya might wanna finish the job now! Kill me, an' there'll be no more Reapers, no one ta take my place..! So, do it! Kill me!" 
Daiya didn't turn back, nor did he respond. He just walked away, his gang followed, leaving the grey man broken on the ground. 
"Come back an' finish this like a man, Daiya Owada!" Sasaki cried, struggling to pry himself from the floor but to no avail. He heaved in one shaky breath after another as something wet splashed on his hand. 
Daiya heard one last pathetic scream as the door slammed behind him.
"OWADA!" 
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