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mysicklove-main · 11 months

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Parings: Yandere! Rengoku x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 14.3k (Part 1/3)

Warnings: This chpt is pretty chill so, overprotectiveness, slight possessiveness, vague meanings, rengoku personality does 180s, character injury, minor character death, gore (demon eating human and reader gets impaled)

Summary: Meeting the one you have idolized for years is a once in a lifetime experience. So, you live it up, baking him all the treats in the world. When you finally befriend him, you believe that everything is going great. But he keeps saying strange things, and is acting like he isn't leaving by the end of the week...

𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

Growing up, you have always idolized demon slayers. Your father was one, and he told you and your brother everything about them from a young age. Sure, it may have scared the daylights out of you, but at least you were forever prepared for the real world.

He had planned to teach both of you the ways of a slayer, but he passed early into your childhood. With your mom passing at birth, it was only you and your older brother. The two of you made do with the loss.

Instead of following in your father’s footsteps, the two of you lived a simple life. The both of you live in a small cottage, just on the outskirts of a village. You woke up early every morning to sell fresh baked goods to the villagers, while your brother traveled west, aiding the sickly, and making money through donations. He always came back after one week of being gone.

When the two of you are together, you always are reminiscing over the stories your father once told. Most of the time referring back to how he met the Hashiras.

By god, you idolized them. You have always dreamed of meeting them like your father did. He described them as the most skilled people on the planet. The protectors of the human world. His words couldn’t help but draw you in. You wanted to know everything about them. How they trained, how they spoke, how they lived.

You daydream all the time about meeting any of them.

Specifically, the son of the man who once saved your father from death. Who granted him an extra three years with you. You have fond memories of how your father used to mention how strong the boy was from such a young age. The boy who was built to protect.

You dreamed of meeting him. You were a plain girl who lived a normal life, so you couldn’t even fathom the thought of being your age and fighting off demons. The thought of him drew you in and you vowed to someday find him.

You knew what he looked like. Your father went into detail about the child. The boy who looks like the flame. Fiery hair and eyes.

You shiver in glee like you always do when you think of your idol. He has to be your age by now, maybe a little older. You wonder what he is like, of course, he has to be unbelievably strong, but was he arrogant because of it? Or was he kind? You didn't care, you just want to see him. Talk to him. Just one time. That's all you needed.

“Hey, Y/N!” Your brother calls as you begin your journey toward the village. You turn, to see him in front of the house, his travel backpack on, and waving at you.

You frown. “You're not leaving right?” You respond, and the waving arm hesitates. He had just got home yesterday, he usually stays for a week before leaving.

“I have to! I just got word that someone needs my help.”

You sigh but nod. He always was so kind. “You'll come back? In a week?”

He grins at you, that bright smile he inherited from your father. You wish yours was as bright as his. That's part of the reason he was loved by all. “Always. I'll be back in a week’s time. Be good without me!”

You throw up a hand, waving him goodbye. “I will! Be safe!” You call and he smiles in return, before turning his back on you and beginning his journey.

You sigh when he disappears, sensing something amiss, but brush it off. Your worries always got the best of you, and you needed to focus.

Alas, you begin to walk forward and toward the village.

You are greeted by your regulars, and many of the elderly come up to you to complain about how big you are getting. You always have to remind them that you are not a child anymore, but nevertheless, they never seem to get it.

The villagers have always been kind to you, and you were forever grateful. With the lack of parents, it was nice to have someone to turn to for affection.

Currently, you were walking around and greeting the villagers, with your hands completely full of fresh goods. A handful of people approached you and paid their dues, with a warm smile. The business was going well, and you were having a nice time chatting with the villagers.

You see a dark hooded figure in the distance, walking quickly toward you. Politely, you make your way to the other side of the road to avoid the stranger. You slightly nod to yourself and continue forward.

Suddenly, at a couple steps away they switch back into your lane and run completely into you. Their shoulder knocks into yours and you wince. Black gloved hands move quickly and you can see them snatch the money in your pocket. You can’t seem to do anything, because the force of his shoulder has sent you falling backward.

You land on your backside with a groan and watch all of your baked goods tumble across the pavement. Immediately you look up toward the stranger, but he was gone. So, you turn back toward the ground and try to scoop up any of the pastries you can.

They are all ruined. You try not to let it get to you, but it hits you hard. You sit on your knees on the hard pavement and clench your fists, trying not to cry. All that time you spent baking and selling was for nothing. Just for some thief to steal your hard work from you.

A shadow stands in front of you, but you ignore it, too focused on yourself to deal with another kind villager. You don’t want to lash out at them.

A booming male voice says, “Are you alright?”

You jump at the sheer power of the stranger’s call but continue to keep your head down. Tears were now pooling in your eyes and you quickly wipe them away. “I'm okay. It's fine, you can go now,” You mumble, but the shadow doesn't move.

“How could I leave a maiden in need?” He continues, still abnormally loud. You shake your head and sigh, before grabbing the remaining pastries and putting them back in their holder. When you begin to stand up, you feel a strong arm, grab onto yours and help ease your way up.

You finally look up to take in the man’s appearance and your eyes widen. Eyes and hair of a flame. A fire kimono. A sword connected to his side.

This was him. The man you have wanted to meet your entire life. It had to be.

Your mouth hangs open as your mind blanks. He frowns slightly. “Are you alright, ma’am?”

“Its…It’s you,” You say breathlessly, not caring at the moment how strange you may sound.

He frowns even more at your vague statement. “Oh! Do you know me?” His voice causes some heads to turn, but he seems to ignore it, almost used to the stares.

You blink at him. You are at a loss for words. He was here. You didn’t actually think this would happen. It was supposed to be just a dream.

A couple of seconds go by.

He instead changes the subject at your silence. “Well! I see that you dropped these.” He points to the now dirty danishes. “How upsetting! I wanted to buy some. Will you make more?”

This seems to snap you back into reality and you begin to ramble nervously. “Oh…Yeah. A thief knocked me over and took my money. Just my luck, huh? But i'll be back tomorrow with fresh ones.” You're blushing. You didn’t say or do anything embarrassing, but the fact that you are finally in his presence is making you squirm.

He smiles and you tear your eyes away from him, a wobbly smile pulling at your face. “Great! I'll buy the whole bunch in advance!” He hands you a huge stack of money and you gape at him. He just handed you two days worth of cash.

“Sir, this is way too much!” You splutter, beginning to hand him back the money. He just laughs in return. His huge body tilts back with the booming noise.

“Nonsense! It's to compensate for what the thief did to you.”

“Are you sure sir? You don't have to do that.”

“I want to. As long as you promise to make more of those danishes!”

His kindness makes you beam and the words slip out of you before you could stop them. “You are so generous, sir. As expected of such a high-rank demon slayer!”

You knew you sounded like a total fangirl, clutching your fists with sparkles in your eyes, but you didn’t care. The fact that you weren’t freaking out right now was impressive.

He cocks his head to the side, the soft smile never falling. “You know who I am?”

“Of course, I know who you are! The flame harisha. One of the strongest demon slayers out there. I am a huge fan, sir!” You grin up at him, setting the ruined danishes aside, and he lets out another powerful laugh.

He didn't seem as shocked that you knew about demons as you thought he was going to be. Or maybe he was just hiding it pretty well. “I didn't know I had fans!”

You hum with a frantic nod. “If everyone knew what you did for us, you would have millions of fans!”

He places a hand on your shoulder and you buzz with happiness. “You are too kind, ma’am. But please don't give me so much praise! I am only doing my job.”

You shake your head, “You’re being way too humble! You have no idea how great you are.” You pause, coming back to reality. You don't want to annoy the slayer with your useless rambling, he was a busy man.

You sigh and instead, bow. “Thank you for everything. I won’t take up your time.” Your voice is quieter and more controlled but still expresses your immense gratitude.

You grab your stuff and head home with a gleeful look in your eyes before he could even say anything.

A second goes by and you begin to daydream about the types of danishes you are going to make for him. Suddenly, you feel a presence, so you turn to your side to see him walking beside you, a small content smile on his face. You almost jump, his movements were so silent, how did he catch up with you so fast?

When he notices you take in his appearance he turns to you and grins. “You’ll be back tomorrow, right? I must dine on some of your baked goods!”

You match his intensity with a wide smile. “Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you, sir!”

“Please, call me Rengoku.”

“Of course, Mr. Rengoku!” You are buzzing again. Two conversations you have had with him and now you know his name. You couldn’t wait to tell your brother all about this.

“Great! I’ll see you tomorrow…” He pauses, turning toward you, hinting for you to continue.

“Y/N.”

“Tomorrow then, Miss Y/N. Stay safe!” And just like he appeared, he disappeared in a matter of seconds, while you are stuck red in the face from your idol saying your very own name.

You could die happy.

You woke up extra early the next morning. The goods had to be absolutely perfect. You were determined for him to like them. You even used some frosting to draw little orange flames on them. You hoped he didn’t think they were lame. It’s definitely a very good possibility he did.

When the sun rose, you grabbed your iteams and quickly headed down the hill. The quicker you got there, the better. You didn’t want them to get cold.

The town was extra busy that day. More people greeted you on the streets and you had to apologize to many that you weren’t selling today. After all, he bought every single one.

Your head hung high and you were practically skipping around the town, beaming at anyone and everyone.

You don’t seem to notice the small curb in front of you. You run into it, and screech when you begin to fall forward, not knowing what to do. You could drop your danishes and save yourself from pain, or you could move the basket up and brace yourself for a harsh fall straight to the face.

You weren’t about to let Rengoku’s desserts get ruined.

Just as you were about to hit the floor you stop. You feel a hand on your shoulder, as you stare face to face with the ground. You clutch the pastries. “Miss Y/N, its a pleasure seeing you here!” The familiar voice calls and you turn red out of sheer embarrassment at the situation you are in.

He pulls you back with just one hand and you have to physically restrain yourself from fangirling. He held your entire weight with one hand like it was no big deal.

You quickly turn around, trying to ignore the fuming of your face, and hold out the pastries to him. “Here! I hope you like them!” You exclaim while pulling the lid off to show him the decorated buns. You take in a deep breath and wait.

His eyes seem to sparkle when he takes in the frosting and you take this as a good sign. He smiles wide and grabs one of the goods. Without a second thought, he plops the entire thing into his mouth.

He chews in silence, and you could almost hear your heartbeat pound as you wait for his thoughts.

With a swallow, his eyes fall back to you, and he says, “Tasty!”

You beam instantly, matching his wide smile. “You think so?”

“I know so. These are one of the most delicious baked goods I have ever had!” The gleeful buzzing is back, you knew that your baking was good, but to hear it from his mouth was such a gift.

He puts both hands on both of your shoulders and you freeze at the touch, internally freaking out. “Come with me, Miss Y/N. Let us eat them together!” He exclaims, before snatching the goods from your hands with one hand and pulling you behind him with the other. You don’t have room for protest.

He leads you to the edge of the town and plops himself on a curb behind a small restaurant, and faces the hill you live on. You sit next to him, and he doesn’t seem to care about personal space, because almost instantly he is crowding yours.

You’re going to have to get used to this, you can’t freak out anymore than this.

He opens the box again and hands you one of the goods, but you pull away. “Those are for you, Mr. Rengoku. I can’t take something you bought!”

But, to your dismay, he grabs your hands, places a baked good into them, and shuts his fingers over yours. “Eat!”

You weren’t going to ignore his demand, so you pick up the bun and begin to nibble on it. He stares, waiting for a reaction. You smile hesitantly, “It’s good!”

“Right!” He exclaims before placing another danish into his mouth, with another loud, “Tasty!”

You begin to laugh at his antics. The way he yells, the way he dragged you away like it was nothing, and simply how enthusiastic he seemed to be. He was a strange man, but you couldnt help but like him even more.

He looks at you as he chews, while you throw your head back in a laugh. “Is there something funny?” He asks, glancing around the area. It was just the two of you.

“You are just so…so human!”

He mimics your smile, even if he is totally lost at your vague statement. “Well, I'd hope so!” He says before taking another huge bite.

Your smile softens as you stare at the food in your hands. “It’s just, I thought you would be different, you know? A Hashira, shouldn't you be super serious or arrogant?”

He swallows his bite and looks out toward the hill. His voice comes out softer, “You idolize me too much Miss Y/N. I am nothing but a man who must protect the weaker people of this world.”

“But do you want to? You aren’t forcing yourself to do this because of your father, right?” He turns to you with slightly wider eyes and blinks. The two of you remain in silence for a couple of seconds.

But then he grins, with the tilt of his head. He places a massive hand on the top of your head and you freeze. “Not to worry, Miss Y/N. I love what I do. I wouldn't change it for the world,” He says, slightly ruffling up your hair.

Another couple of seconds go by as you think of what to say. But he speaks up before you do. “You knew my father?” The man prompts, turning his attention directly on you. It makes you nervous, his watchful eyes seem to take in your every move.

You press on either way, tearing your eyes away so you can focus. “No, but he saved my father about ten years ago. So, I am forever indebted to the Rengoku family. I cannot thank you enough, Mr. Rengoku. Even if it wasn’t you who saved my father, you and your family have protected so many people. Saved so many. It's incredible, really, you're incredible,” You hum and he continues to stare.

You continue, you have been waiting to tell someone this, specifically him, so you couldn’t stop the rambling. “All of the Hashira are. For years I’ve daydreamed about meeting them. You specifically.” You glance up at him and quickly look back down in embarrassment when you see his small smile. “I've always idolized you all. It’s strange to think, we are the same species, but you are someone who risks their lives daily to kill demons, why I sell pastries to keep food on the table. It’s kinda embarrassing when you think about it…” You trail off, taking another bite of the good to keep yourself distracted.

Seconds go by and you begin to get uncomfortable. You turn toward him to meet his watchful stare. His fiery eyes seem to look through you. “I’m sorry, did I make you uncomfortable? I said way too much, please just enjoy the bun, I'll be quiet, I promise!”

He sets the danish down and your eyes follow it with a slight frown. He forcefully grabs your hands and you quickly look up shocked at the sudden touch. “Thank you for the kind words!” He yells and you cringe slightly at the volume. “But like I said yesterday, we are just fulfilling our duty. You are not indebted to anything. And Miss Y/N please don’t think that way! You don’t have to kill demons to be great, you know. Being this good of a baker is way more important than someone like me!”

The way he says it throws you off. It all sounds so genuine like he truly believes that what you are doing is important. He definitely knows how to make someone feel special. “T-Thank you, Mr. Rengoku!”

He smiles wide. “Please, call me Kyojuro! I think we are going to be friends, Y/N!”

You are taken aback. You didn’t think you would ever be friends with someone like him. It makes you grin. “You really think so?”

“Yes! Besides how else am I going personalized fresh goods from a pretty lady?” He says, gently letting go of your hands so he can point to the wobbly icing drawing of a flame located on the center of the bun.

Your face fumes, both from embarrassment at his compliment and the ridiculous decoration. You wave your hands in front of your face. “It’s nothing! You deserve much more sir—Kyojuro.”

“Nonsense! How could anyone deserve something so magnificent!” He declares, loud and full of pride.

It made another small laugh slip through your lips. It was endearing to see how passionate he was about the smallest things. He was unreasonably kind to you.

He grins with a small hum, when he sees you smile, before shoving another bun into his mouth.

“Tasty!”

And just like that, you made friends with a Hashira.

The two of you were quick to get closer to one another. I mean it was simple really, you interviewed him on his entire life story, while he happily explained. You bring him goods every day, and no matter how much you reassure him it’s fine, he always insists on paying you the full amount.

But nevertheless, you have been avoiding the question that hangs in the air. Why are you here?

You don't want to know. There has to be a demon near or else he would never come to this small town. You fear that when you ask that question it’s going to spur his leave. It’s been four days now. He has to be on his way soon.

You've grown attached even in this short period of time. He has to have that effect on others; you wouldnt believe him if he said otherwise. He was the type of person who people couldn’t help but be drawn to. It made you feel possessively good that he was spending time with you rather than the other villagers.

A shoulder bumps into you while you are lost in your daydream. You flinch back and into Kyojuro. He glances down at you and then snaps his gaze back to the man that knocked into you. In less than a heartbeat, the Hashira steps in front of you and grabs onto the jacket of the stranger. You could barely even process what was happening.

“Sir, I’d ask for you to apologize. You’ve disrespected a lady,” His voice is tight, but the Hashira smiles at the man. It makes you gulp.

You realized quickly that Kyojuro is…overprotective. It made sense though, his whole job is to protect people, but these were humans he was protecting you from. And most of the time they weren’t even doing anything amiss. Simple things like, a salesman having a snarky tone at you, a man trying to flirt with you for your service, a small child almost tripping you, or now, someone who accidentally bumped into you.

He never gets truly upset, the smile is still plastered on his face, but the tone is always sharp, dangerous even. His voice was powerful naturally, so to hear it shift was intimidating.

You grab onto his arm before the man could speak. “It’s fine, Kyojuro. It was my fault, I wasn’t paying attention.” You turn to the man and quickly bow in apologies.

His gaze sharpens, and you see his eyebrows begin to furrow at your actions. He didn’t seem to like this.

The man remains in his grasp. “Hey, you can let him go now,” You say, moving your hands to his fingers to try to coax them open.

His eyes remain locked on the man who was now struggling in his hold. “Apologize, sir.”

“Kyojuro, I said-”

He cuts you off, his loud voice cutting your train of thought short. “He touched you, so he must make up for it.” He smiles at you, but this time it doesn’t feel the same as it usually does. The malice in his voice is unhidden.

“I’m sorry! Can you just let me go you crazy bastard!” The man complains, grabbing at the Hashira’s wrist to pull himself away.

In an instant, Rengoku drops him, and the man scampers away, mumbling curses underneath his breath.

You sigh, your gaze following the man that beginning to disappear into the crowd. When you turn back around, Rengoku is staring at you, the familiar small smile on his face. “Was that really necessary?” You whine.

He huffs a small laugh, before placing a hand on your head. Something he seems to do as a sign of affection. “Of course it was! I can't let you be treated that way!”

His usual smile is back and you find comfort in it. In these moments he was always different, but he always snapped back to usual not long after. So, you tend not to dwell on them.

“Whatever you say, Kyojuro,” You hum, before changing the subject. “C’mon, let's head back to my place, I wanna teach you something!”

He pauses, eyes slightly widening. He has never been to your place before. The two of you tended to stay in the village, spending daylight hours with one other. You have never asked him over, and at this time. It was almost evening.

It made him concerned. Do you invite other men over to your place? He knew you idolized him, but if you had met Tengen or Giyuu first, would you have invited them over as well? It made him feel strange to think about it. You were too accepting, you should be more cautious of inviting people over. The two of you only met a couple of days ago.

“You don’t have to go if you don't want to…” You say, your voice unsure at his original silence.

He snaps back to reality, and blinks at you a couple of times, before grinning wide. “I would love to go!” He bellows, causing heads to turn.

You’re used to it by this point, so you grab his hand and lead him up the mountain.

He looks massive in your small cottage. It wasn't just his height. It was his overall frame that made him look so out of place. It wasnt built for a Hashira to live in.

You decided not to comment on it, you didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Besides, a demon slayer needs a frame like that. It was rather intimidating.

You lead him into the kitchen, pulling him away from the shrine dedicated to your parents. He didn’t comment on it, instead bowing low and letting himself be dragged.

You begin to pull out your baking materials, while he stands and watches, occasionally asking if you need any help, to which you deny with a hum.

Finally, once settled you dramatically slam your first on the table, and look up at him with a smile. His eyes follow your fist in a confused, but delighted stare. “I am going to teach you how to bake!” You exclaim, hands thrusting into the air with excitement.

His eyes light up. “Tasty!”

You in turn roll your eyes, the smile still plastered on your face. “That's the goal. I hope that you can make your own goods when…you know.”

His eyes soften, and his voice drops. “I leave?”

“Yeah.”

He walks over to you, and he uses his hand to lightly trace the area near your temple, bending down slightly to meet your gaze. “Don't worry about that for now. We've got time.”

Your mind travels back to that question.

Why are you here?

You ignore the recurring thought. It never seems to leave you alone. It wasn’t worth thinking about it. You were here with your idol, and that should be enough for you. Just meeting him should have been enough. You found yourself getting greedy.

You nod into the touch, blushing slightly, when he pulls away with a hum. You never got used to how physically affectionate he was.

He seemed to think nothing of it, constantly brushing his hand against your body. You’ve thought it was an accident at first, when his hands lingered on your hips for a second too long, or when his hands seem to twitch when they graze yours. But when he led you through a crowd with a hand on your back, it made you realize how touchy he must be.

You didn’t mind of course. If he was showing any affection toward you, it had to be a blessing. Demon slayers would kill to talk to a Hashira, nevertheless, be friends with one.

“So where do we begin?” Rengoku prompts, rubbing his hands together as to prepare them for heavy work.

You laugh, cutting your thoughts off, and begin the lesson.

It turns out he is horrible at baking. For all of the talents he was gifted with, the kitchen was not one of them.

He tried, truly he did, his face is covered with flour, and whenever you asked if he needed help, he pretended that he was doing completely fine. It was cute, really.

But, after twenty minutes of struggling to follow your commands, you saw him begin to get frustrated. His brows were pinched as he tried to knead the dough, way too hard than usual. His fingers dug into it, and you heard his noises of annoyance under his breath.

You walk over to him and stand next to him, before reaching over to put your hands on his. “Gently, Kyojuro. Like this.” You murmur, before guiding the both of your hands to knead the dough, gently this time.

His hands are much larger than yours, and you struggled to move them, but he went completely lax under your hands. He lets you lead them into the repetitive motion, while you mumble instructions.

His silence becomes deafening. Rengoku isnt one to stop talking, especially in situations like these.

You glance up at him, to see that he is staring at you. His eyes are opened wide, his mouth curled up in a small content smile. “What?” You muse, automatically removing your hands from his. His smile drops when they leave.

“That's the first time you touched me.”

“What? No, it’s not, I feel like the two of us are always somehow touching one way or another.”

He barks a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, but I always initiated them. You touched me, Y/N!”

You turn red. “Am I not allowed to?” You say, trying not to let the embarrassment get to you.

“Of course not! Please, feel free to touch me at any time and anywhere!”

“Don’t say it like that!”

“What? I am merely speaking the truth. I enjoy it immensely when you touch me, Y/N!” Your hand covers his mouth before he could get anything else out. He blinks at you, before closing his eyes with a wide smile. Probably grateful you were touching him again.

What he was saying was true. You tried to keep a little bit of space between the two of you. Even if he enjoys physical contact, you didn’t want to catch him on a bad time and have him snap on you. Honestly, you don't want to do something that may make him upset, because the idea you have of him in your mind would be tarnished. You like how you see him now.

“Are you done now?” He nods frantically under your hand. You pull away and he beams at you. It was rare to see him not smiling honestly.

He turns back to the dough, a determined look on his face. “Alright, I believe I can do this! Gently this time!”

You nod and stand close to him as he begins to try to knead the dough.

Too soft. Way too softly. It looked like he was afraid to touch it. You sigh. “Kyojuro, I don't think this is going to work.”

His body snaps over to you, his eyes wide and looking a little panicked. “What’s not going to work?” He splutters.

It was the first time he didn’t look like a Hashira in your eyes. He looked like a regular man, who also have their fears and worries. But you have no idea what he seems to be worried about.

You place a hand on his lower arm and tilt your head to the side in a soft grin. His eyes flicker to it, and his body seems to jolt at the touch. He focuses his stare on you. “You baking. I think you should stick to demon-slaying, hmm?”

“But how am I supposed to eat these delicious goods?”

You pause, using your other finger to tap your chin. “You could visit me from time to time and I can make them for you.”

He stares at you, a small frown on his face. He seems to do this a lot, you’ve taken notice too. The staring. It’s like he goes into a whole different world when he looks at you. Sometimes he would speak on what he was thinking about, others he would change the subject.

It seemed that he felt like talking today. Even if the results shocked you so. “Or you could live with me!” He exclaims so loud you swear you saw your porcelain cups shiver.

You blink at him. He smiles in return, and grabs both of your hands, cupping them in his own. “What?”

“I said, you could live with me!”

You shake your head, eyes flickering to your hands in his hold. “No, I know what you said, but what are you talking about? I can’t just pick up and move in with a guy I just met, simply because you like my danishes.”

His smile falters. “It will be more than just you baking for me, I promise Y/N. Besides, we met four days ago and we seem to get along perfectly! Do you not trust me?”

“Of course I trust you, you are a Hashira after all. The world has to trust you.” He doesn't seem to like this answer. His smile drops completely now, and his eyebrows slightly furrow. You gulp, not wanting him to be upset at you. “I mean–It's just that I can’t leave my brother alone! I have to stay here and watch the house when he is gone!”

He drops your hands, the smile returning. “Of course! The brother. You are so kind, Y/N, really.” His hand lands back on your head, ruffling the lose strands. His voice seems to be just barely strained, and the grip on your head is a tad bit harsher than usual. Not enough to hurt, but enough to notice the difference.

It’s not that you don’t want to go with him. It would be a dream come true to live with a Hashira. But you weren’t dumb. You knew that underneath the kimono and the blade by his side, he is still a man. A strong one at that.

The thought made the image of him in your head start to blur once more. You are getting too close to him, and although it was nice to be his friend, when he leaves you don’t want to think of him any differently.

You focus on the task at hand. You fix your hair quickly, while he laughs gently. You beam back at him. “Well, lets finish teaching you how to bake!”

“Right!”

Tomorrow your task was to pick up necessities from the village next door. Stuff like flour, cloth, string, baking supplies, and maybe, if you made enough this week, a new pair of shoes. You go on these trips once every three weeks. They took about the whole day, as it was about a five-ish mile walk and you needed to visit many different shops.

So, you couldn’t see Rengoku tomorrow. The thought made you a little sad, but the two of you had seen each other for five days in a row. You didn’t want him to get sick of you anyways.

The two of you sat on the bank of the nearest river. Him filling up the containers for you, even when you tried to stop him, reassuring you that you could do it by yourself. He didn’t listen of course.

It’s silent between the two of you, instead listening to the sounds of the river passing by. His leg is touching yours. You don’t know if it’s purposeful or not. “I’m leaving tomorrow,” You hum, trying to start up a conversation.

Silence. Your eyes flicker to him. He stares at the ground, eyes wide, and darting back and forth along the grass, as if trying to process something. His hand grips his kimono. “Where?” He breathes, after a couple more seconds of thick tension.

You try to laugh it off, confused by the mood shift, and his eyes snap toward you. Recently, he has gotten more…serious. It made you even more afraid that he was beginning to not like you. “Where?” He questions again, his voice louder this time.

“To the next village over. Need some supplies. It will only take a day,” You reason, and you swear you could see his body begin to relax.

And suddenly, as if nothing happened, he turns to you with a grin on his face. “Of course! We shall go together!”

You blink at him, the thoughts of him getting sick of you resurfacing. Besides, he had a mission to do, you know he did, whether he told you or not. “I appreciate that, Kyojuro, but I kinda wanna do this alone.”

His grin falls in a heartbeat, and his eyes become wide again. Similar to how he looked yesterday. Panicked. “Are you sick of me?”

“What? No! Of course not. How could I ever get sick of you?”

He huffs, turning toward you. “Then we go together!”

“But,” You continue, causing his smile to drop. “I think it’s a good idea for us to spend some time apart. We’ve only just recently met, and we have spent every day together.”

“That’s true! But we are enjoying it, are we not?”

“Well yeah, but we may not…soon.”

“Why?” He begins to move closer to you. You can almost feel his breath on your skin. The proximity makes you shiver.

“Because…Because I don’t know! That’s just how it works.”

“I will not enjoy spending time with you, Y/N. I hope the same for you.” He says that now, but you don’t believe him truly. It’s human nature for one to need alone time. It was strange that someone like him who works alone most of the time doesn’t understand it.

Your head is scrambling for something else to say, and without meaning to you tell him what you have been wanting to know for so long. “Kyojuro, what are you even doing here?”

He falters at this and your own eyes widen. You didn’t mean for it to come out like that. “I’m sorry–I meant, It’s just…are you on a mission out here?”

He smiles at you, his gaze soft, like you say anything, and still, he wouldn’t be mad at you. “Yes. There is a group of demons near the woods. I’m here to end them!”

His story sounds plausible, but you weren’t stupid, he was a Hashira. This mission should have ended after at most two days. And not only that, you haven’t heard of any people going missing. Was he saving them and taking his time to kill the demons?

Rengoku wouldn’t do that. The flame Hashira would never leave demons walking on this world willingly. He must be planning a strategy to kill them. He must be.

But you’ve heard stories of how his father took down hundreds with little to no trouble. Was Rengoku weaker than you thought?

You couldn’t stand the thought of the glorified picture in your head being damaged.

So, you nod. “Well, you should probably stay here to protect the villagers in case something goes amiss?”

“Don’t you worry, my Y/N! Demons don’t come out in the day! The villagers will be completely fine with my absence. Please let me come along! I will not be a nuisance!”

He seems adamant about him coming, and you didn’t want to be a bother. So, with one last sigh, you nod and give in. Besides, you wouldn’t ever be sick of him, and you couldn’t help but cling to the idea that maybe he wouldn’t be either.

The Hashira accompanied you on your journey the next day, grinning the entire time while carrying your bags.

Two days have passed by. You’ve been with him for six days in a row now, and honestly, you’ve never been better. You were wrong about the idea of getting sick of him. Nothing about him steered you away.

In fact, you believe that you have started to have a crush on the Hashira.

Not that you would ever admit it. It was a ridiculous idea, but you couldn’t help but fall for him. It wasn’t even him being a Hashira that drew you in now, it was his personality. Sure, he would always make you feel safe and protected from harm, but it was the way he smiled at you that made your heart flutter. The way he was always so polite, and treated you with the utmost respect.

You haven’t experienced many people like him, so like a moth to the flame, you began to fantasize about what it would be like to be with him.

But, it was naive of you. He was bound to leave soon. A group of demons has ought to be killed soon. If not, his master would surely call upon him soon.

You were growing too attached to him. It was weird to think about how you would have to start doing everything alone again. How silent everything is going to be again.

If you went with him, what would life be like for you?

You throw the thought out. You couldn’t leave your brother alone, he’s all you had left. The two of you needed each other to survive.

“I feel jealous of whoever you are thinking about, Y/N,” Rengoku calls from behind his shoulder, as he helps you put away some dishes. He turns to you with a smile on his face.

You laugh lightly, beginning to get used to his teasing. “Aw, too bad you’ll never know.”

He sets the dish down and begins walking over to you, with a small smirk and raised eyebrow. You don’t move. He approaches you, much too closely as usual, and you try to refrain from blushing. “What?”

“And if I make you tell me?” He questions, eyes staring deeply into yours.

“Hmmm, how?”

His smile widens at your tone. “I have some ideas!”

You laugh at this and jab a finger into his chest. “You, my Hashira, wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

He blinks at you. “You know just what to say to make a man blush!” He exclaims, the familiar loudness returning. It was true, his face seemed to have a twinge of pink.

It took you a second to understand. You didn’t mean it like that. The “my Hashira” was only supposed to tease him in turn. It made you fume from embarrassment. You begin to scramble to explain yourself, but he places his large hand on your head again.

His voice goes softer. “But my flame, that isn’t true. Please don’t doubt me. I wouldn’t hesitate to end someone if anyone hurts you. It’s my job to protect you.”

The seriousness in his voice makes you uneasy. “A demon right? Not a human?” You question, sounding way more nervous than you should be. The way he said it made you really think about how strong he truly is. Without a second thought, he could kill you or anyone if he wanted to.

This thought confused you. Rengoku would never hurt you, nor any human, why does the thought seem to leave a chill down your spine? How are you having these thoughts, when not even a minute ago you were thinking about potentially leaving with him?

He stares at you, the smile not leaving his face. “Exactly,” He says, and then removes his hand from your head, to turn back to the dishes. He was always booming with confidence, why did he sound so doubtful?

Why are you questioning a Hashira’s morals?

You have to get your mind off the subject. It was making things complicated and you were allowing paranoia to get the best of you.

You creep up next to him, grabbing the clay cup from his hands, and away. “Kyojuro, do you remember the time I showed you how to bake?”

He turns to you with a wide smile, eyes lighting up. “Of course! They were delicious!” Well, yours were. His didn’t turn out as well. You gave up on teaching him how to bake correctly, and he didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Well, you must pay a price for my knowledge,” You hum, turning your back towards him to hide your smile.

“Not to worry, I will pay for all the ingredients!”

You roll your eyes at the offering. “A different price. I did you a service, now you have to do me one.”

Footsteps approach you rapidly, and suddenly his chest is against your back. You jump at the feeling and crane your head to look up at him.

Two bright eyes stare down at you, blinking owlishly. His hands fall to your shoulder, and his smile is different this time. It seems more like a smirk, rather than a grin. But still, you could tell that the man was practically gleaming. “What type of service, Y/N?”

His low voice startles you, and you flush at the noise. As on instinct you jump away from his hold and turn toward him. “Not that type of service!” You scramble out, trying and failing to keep your cool.

He laughs at this, and you clench your fists in embarrassment. “I apologize, I was teasing you, Y/N!” When you don’t respond, he continues, tone lighter than before. “I am at your beck and call, what do you need from me?”

“I would like for you to teach me some basic self-defense mechanisms.”

His eyes sharpen in an instant, the laugh in his voice gone. “Why? I will protect you.”

You frown at him, not expecting this reaction. “When you leave, Kyo.”

“You don’t need to protect yourself, I said this earlier. I will not let anything touch you. It’s my duty.”

“When you leave,” You repeat when he doesn’t get the memo. He’s acting like he could protect you even when is gone for his next mission.

His eyebrows furrow and his voice comes out flat. “Do you want me to leave?”

It feels like an accusation.

“What? No, but its inevitable.”

He grabs onto your hands and holds them tightly. It feels more than a regular friendship hold, it seemed desperate, but you were too engrossed in the situation to even think about that. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

You try to pull away, but he holds them in place. Your voice goes softer, almost as if you were soothing a small child. “I can’t go with you, Kyojuro and you know that. My brother needs me.”

His smile drops in an instant and his face turns cold. “Fine. I’ll teach you. Let’s go outside.” The swordsman says cooly, dropping your hands and beginning to walk toward the door of your house.

Regret fills your veins. You have never seen him upset at you, and you have no understanding of what you did was wrong. He should know that the two of you living together was strange. Unless he was asking for marriage? But that doesn’t seem right, he hasn’t made any romantic moves on you and he would need your brother’s blessing to even be considered.

Or was it asking him to train you that made him upset? But that also didn’t make any sense. Wouldnt he want you to be more protected? Learning basic self-defense is something that everyone should know, and could possibly save your life.

He was so confusing. In one second he’s smiling at you with stars in his eyes, and in the next, he seems to be a completely different person.

Who was he, really?

You scramble toward the door.

He stands in front of you, back facing you. His figure stands tall, and his hair gently falls on the top of his shoulder. Even from far away, he oozes with power.

You tip-toe your way over to him, gulping when his eyes flash to you the second your feet land on the pathway. You smile awkwardly at him, and he in return nods his head with a huff. He turns around to face you. The two of you stand in front of one another in silence.

You begin to apologize, the strange mood was not something you intended, but he cuts you off. “To begin, take out the knife in your pocket.”

You flinch, staring at him in shock. You never told him about the knife you store in case of emergencies. It’s hidden beneath enough fabric that nobody could feel it on you even if they patted you down.

He watches you begin to scramble for an explanation and laughs. The powerful noise throws his head back, with the return of the smile. Another strange shift in his personality. But you don’t mind it at the moment. The cold shoulder he gave you worried you. The laugh makes you feel more at ease immediately, almost forgetting completely about the knife.

“I saw a glimpse of it when you reached for the top shelf!”

A simple explanation. Obviously, it had to be, you were being dramatic, Rengoku would never do anything weird. So, you just nod at him and reach into the cloth to pull out the steel blade.

It was nothing fancy, but your father gifted it to you when you were younger, so you treasured it deeply.

“Great job, Y/N! Now attack me,” He beams, stepping a couple of feet away to give you running room.

You blink at him, trying to ignore the borderline embarrassing encouragement. He said it like you actually did something great. “What?”

“You heard me! Attack me! Pretend I am the thief from a couple of days back!” You do what he says without much hesitation. You asked to be trained, and he knows exactly how to do it. Besides, he was a trained swordsman it’s not like you were going to actually land a blow on him.

You charge at him and swing the knife up toward his shoulder. As expected, he dodged immediately. He now stands behind you. “Again!”

You shift your feet toward him, clenching your teeth as you take another strike, this time aiming for his neck. Like before, he seems to disappear. An arm grabs onto your wrist. He quickly moves your hand positioning on the blade, huffing when satisfied. “That was great Y/N!”

You nod your head, ready for some pointers or any sort of criticism. But Rengoku just stands a couple feet away, and waits for another attack. You grip the knife, and try a different strategy, instead aiming for his feet. It’s useless, he jumps away. “Creative!”

You huff from the exertion and glare at him. Frustrated at the lack of advice, you speak up. “You are supposed to be teaching me.”

He flashes you a grin. “I am!”

“No, you’re not. Your toying with me. How am I supposed to get any better?”

“I actually think you are great at self-defense! And with me around you will never be in danger. I think its time to head inside for the night!”

When he turns to walk away, you jump in front of him, clutching the base of the knife. “Kyo, this is training for when you are gone.”

His eyes flicker to the blade, and for a moment, his voice is flat. “If you want to continue, keep swinging at me.” You obey his command and try to slam your arm into his shoulder. He continues, voice now expressing more of his emotions, “Why do you keep bringing that up? We will deal with that later!”

You scan the area for where he landed after the dodge. “Your mission is bound to end soon. I know how these things work, my father told me about it. You will leave and it will be soon.”

With a swipe to his collarbone, he jumps back behind you, and you feel his hand caress your neck. You shiver at the soft touch of his calloused fingers. His breath is right next to your ear. “Are you forcing me away?”

You clench your teeth at this and try to turn to him, but he has already moved. “Why do you keep saying these things?”

“Because it sounds like you want me to leave. Is that it, Y/N? You’re sick of me already?”

Another swing, you're so worked up that you don’t even care where to aim at.

“No! My god Kyojuro, you are acting so strange!” In an instant, you feel the blade come in contact with flesh and you freeze. Your heartbeat picks up, eyes wide, as you stare at the Hashira.

Blood drips from his hand and feel yourself pale. Your pulse picks up when the Hashira eyes for the first time during this training leave yours. He hisses out in pain and you watch his eyes widen at the wound.

“Oh. Ow.”

You immediately rush over to him to make sure he was alright. You grip his hand, mind trying to grasp anything your brother has taught you. You half drag him to your cottage, dropping the knife midway. He follows behind you silently, holding his hand up to try to slow the bleeding.

You push him into the nearest chair, and scramble toward the first aid kit your brother left.

When you return, he’s staring at you silently, like he is waiting for some sort of reaction. You pay no mind to it, trying to stay focused on the task at hand.

You kneel down in front of him and he jumps, grabbing onto the chair with the other hand. You glance at him with a raised eyebrow, before grabbing his hand and beginning to clean the wound. “I'm sorry. I should have been paying attention. I didn't mean to.”

“Hmm. It really hurts.” His tone comes out whinier than you have ever heard before and you begin to really panic. He was a demon slayer, he must get hurt all the time, and if this was hurting him, then it must have been a sensitive spot.

When you pour alcohol on the injury, he hisses and you place a hand on his leg to try to comfort him. You feel his gaze on you, as you hold back tears, the guilt tearing ruthlessly at you. “I’m sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?”

A smile begins to resurface and you feel better almost instantly. “No more lessons?!” he says, placing the other hand on your head again.

Why was he so insistent on you not being able to protect yourself? Wouldnt he feel better knowing that you can be safe on your own?

Maybe he has some sort of traumatic past for self-defense that you don’t know about? You don’t know much about him, so that does sound like a reasonable answer.

“Of course! I promise I won't ask again.”

He beams down at you and your heart begins to pound, like it has been the past couple of days. “Great!”

You nod at him, and his eyes flicker to the hand still placed on his leg. You immediately pull away from him, embarrassed, but he grabs it before you can fully remove it. “One more request.”

You try your best not to blush, as he places the hand back on his leg, and begins to rub his thumb over the back of it. His voice softens, and his stare is unwavering. “You have to dote on me. I’m injured, so you can't leave my side until I have healed.”

You blink slowly, but nod your head automatically. It was his dominant hand that was injured, so he may struggle with basic tasks. Plus, you didn't mind not leaving his side. It’s not like the two of you have not been glued to one another since you met. It wouldnt be that big of a change. “Of course! I'll take care of everything. You don’t have to lift a finger. I’m sorry again, Kyojuro.”

He smiles, with a tilt of the head and picks up your hand, giving it a gentle, but affectionate squeeze. “Nonsense! But Y/N, I need you to promise not to leave my side. Do you understand?”

The intensity in his words makes you hesitate. “Until you are healed?”

His words become more frantic, and the grip on your hand tightens. He refuses to look away from you, the bright eyes seeming to peer into you. “Yes. Can you promise me?”

You had no idea why he was so insistent about this right now, but you give in immediately under his stare. “I promise I won't leave your side.”

He stands up, pulling you up effortlessly with him.“Good! Now, don't you think its time for bed!”

You pause for a second, completely forgetting about the fact that he was spending the night. At night he was off slaying demons, or so you assumed, so you never really saw him past sundown. You glance at the hand and sigh, he must have to stop because of you. You ignore the ache in your heart. You already apologized, it was the best you could do.

“Sure. You can sleep on my brother’s cot. He isn’t here.”

He uses your hand to pull your forward, so you had to look directly up at him. You are used to the forwardness, so when you collide with his chest, you don't even question it. “You just promised,” He says with a cocked head.

“But you won’t need any help when you're sleeping!”

He throws his head back in a laugh. “You never know! Besides, I think–” He hisses out and his eyes fall back to the injury. Your own eyes widen and quickly cup the injured hand, worry plastered on your face.

You are quick to reply, not wanting to make it harder for him. “Okay. I'll bring the cot into my room!” You scramble out, before heading into your brother's room and beginning to drag it over.

He starts to walk toward you, as to help you, but he stops midway. He glances at his hand, and then sighs gently, fidgeting as he watches you move the cot by yourself.

Once finished you turn to him with a small smile. “I am going to get ready for bed. I can lend you my brother’s sleep attire?”

“It’s okay! I have clothes under my kimono that I wear to bed.” He says, already peeling himself from the top layer of clothing. You slam the door shut immediately, and you hear the booming laugh from behind the door.

As you head back to wash your face, your mind travels back to the incident. No matter how you think about it, it was strange. He dogged every single one of your attacks without even a hint of a challenge. It was like he wasnt even taking you seriously.

So how did you land a blow? You were just a regular girl and he was a trained Hashira, ready to defend himself at any moment.

Was this on purpose?

But Rengoku wouldn’t do anything sly. He was always kind to you, and a Hashira. Hashira’s don’t trick people, they protect them from people who scheme.

He must have been distracted from the whole self-defense thing. You should really stop doubting his morals.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see a slightly burnt piece of paper on the floor. About the size of a letter.

Immediately, you wander over to it, confused because you haven't received a letter in a while. Plus, you would have read it before and why was it opened?

When you bend down to pick it up, a hand lands on your shoulder. You jump back in shock, to see a shadowed figure.

You know it’s Rengoku, even in the darkness, his figure is very much defined. But the presence still makes you unnerved. Maybe it’s the fact that you can’t see his smiling face in the darkness. “Kyo?”

His voice is flat. “C’mon, Y/N. Let's go to sleep.”

Your eyes flicker toward the paper on the floor. “Sure, one second I just need to–”

“In the morning. Please? I can’t go to sleep if you aren't there.” You feel the brush of the bandages on the back of your neck. It makes you shiver, and remember his injury. You clench your fist for a second, but sigh and turn around.

He was right, it will be there tomorrow, and besides it would be hard to read at this time anyways. “Right.”

As the two of you lay next to one another, his non-wounded hand brushing over your face, you make small talk. The two of you whisper in the dark and laugh over nothing important.

He tells you stories of the demons he slayed, and you unconsciously lean even closer to hear them. He is powerful, and kind, and smart, its overwhelming that someone like him is next to you.

You see a hint of a smile in the darkness. “What are you thinking about?”

“You are so cool Kyojuro.”

His body rumbles with a laugh, quieter than usual since its late and the house is silent. “You praise me too much.”

He leans closer, and the two of you are only a couple of inches apart now. “It’s true. Do you know what I give to be like someone like you?”

The face petting stops for a moment. “I don’t like that idea. It’s too dangerous out there for you. I like the thought of coming home to you, with fresh goods in your hands. Safe and away from any threats”

Your face heats up at the words. He makes it sound so romantic, and to be honest, you don’t mind the idea. But your brother should be home any day now. “I can’t live with you. You know this.”

He hums at you. “What if I told you I have fallen for you?” He murmurs, his voice low and soft. His calloused fingers return to tracing your face.

Your heartbeat picks up, and he must have noticed, because he chuckles lightly. “You like me?” You say, eyes wide, wishing desperately to see his face better in this moment.

“Is that outlandish?”

You look away, instead focusing on the shadows of your fingers. “Well…I don’t know. I’m just surprised.”

“I thought my intentions were clear. Please forgive me, if I confused you.”

It made sense that he was pursuing you. All the stares and the adoring touches. You just didn’t want to think of the possibility of someone as amazing as him liking you. Didn’t want to think of the fact the two of you won’t work out. “No, you didn't, it's fine. I actually like you too…But you are leaving.”

“Come with me. Live with me. I will treat you well. We can be happy together.”

At this point, the two of you were going in circles. You have had this conversation multiple times, and still, he doesn’t seem adamant about giving up. “I won’t leave my brother alone.”

He rolls himself on top of you, most likely annoyed that you weren’t looking at him anymore. He rests his body on his forearm, and his hair brushes your face. His voice is in a hoarse whisper. “You are too kind, Y/N. Think about yourself for once.”

You try your best to ignore the position. His body seems to engulf your own, and it makes you feel unreasonably small, but you’re unwilling to back down. “You know I can't do that. You know what it is like to have a sibling.”

His eyes become wider, and more desperate looking. You can’t meet his stare. “What if he was gone? You would come with me, right?”

Your head snaps back to him, and you look at him in shock. “Why would you say something like that?” You seem to hiss out.

At your tone, he becomes meeker, as if he was hiding into himself. He rubs his forehead against yours, with a hint of a whine in his throat. “Do you even like me?”

You immediately regret what you said, and instead begin to grow concerned. You have never seen him sound so upset before. “I do. I promise I do!”

His head falls into your neck, and his body begins to tremble. “You're causing me so much pain, my flame,” he whines and you begin to internally freak out.

Rengoku was never one to get his emotions involved. He was always upbeat with you, and the fact that he was so hurt over this must mean something big to him.

You place your hand on the back of his head, to try to get him to calm down. He was your idol, and now crush, you didn’t want to see him hurt, but you love your brother.

“If my brother found somewhere to live and be happy with, I would go with you. But he isn’t looking for a wife currently. So, I can't. I would love to, but I can't. I’m sorry, Kyo.”

In a heartbeat, his mood switches. He pulls his head out of your neck and begins grinning from above you. He rubs his nose onto yours, and you on instinct scrunch it up in surprise. “You want to. That's all I need. You want to live with me. Thank you. Thank you, so much!”

He rolls the two of you over so now the both of you are on your cot, with your head on his chest. You smile lightly at him, glad whatever you said finally made him calm down.

His non-dominant hand rests on the back of your head, and you blush, finally taking in a new position. His body expels warmth, and you find comfort in it.

Savorying the last amount of time you have with him to the fullest. It’s getting harder to ignore the ache in your chest whenever you think about him leaving.

Slumber begins to take a hold of you, and you listen to the rhythmic sound of the man’s heartbeat.

A couple of minutes go by, and you hear a whisper near your ear. “My flame?”

You hum and try to hold back a smile. “I like the nickname.”

He chuckles, and your body shakes from the force of it. “Me too. But Y/N, make sure you come back to me. Always. Do you understand?”

You yawn, in your half-sleep state, but mumble out a, “Okay.”

He sighs, and he continues to pet your hair affectionately. “Good. Goodnight. Sleep well, Y/N. Tomorrow is going to be an eventful day.”

But you couldnt hear his warning. You had already fallen asleep the second after you agreed to his strange request.

You are awoken at 2:50 AM the next day by frantic whispers and aggressive shaking to your body. You blink a couple of times and flinch at the harsh light in your face.

Your pupils begin to constrict to the light, and your eyes scan the figure in front of you. Your brother was shaking you awake, with panicked eyes and a lantern in his hands. “What are you doing here? You were supposed to leave!”

He drags you from the cot, and you stumble forward. Your mind finally begins to awake, and you regain consciousness of the situation at hand. “Brother? What’s happening? Are you okay?”

He grabs your hand and pulls you through the small house, scrambling through cupboards looking for something. When he pulls out your father’s sword, you gulp.

He heads back over to you and begins to drag you away. “Didn’t you get the letter? You are supposed to be heading east by now!”

“What’s happening?” You reason again, voice louder and more panicked. He turns to you, and you jump at his appearance, finally able to see him clearly. His hair is a mess, he’s slightly trembling, and he looks like he hasn’t slept in days.

He grabs onto your both shoulders, and his voice coming out frantic. “A demon. Or maybe multiple. I got messages that people have been disappearing from towns, and some of their….remains have been scattered around villages. It’s traveling from village to village, and yesterday it hit the town where we get our goods. Five innocents are gone and our village should be next. Tonight.”

You stare at him, eyes wide in shock. “Why are you here? You shouldn't have come!”

“I was going to grab fathers sword. We need some sort of protection while we wait until the demon slayer’s corpse comes.” He doesn’t know how to use it, he's a healer, and neither do you, but it was better than nothing. Especially if the two of you were without a home until everything clears up.

“Grab your knife. Everything going to be okay. Just trust me. Everything is going to be fine,” He mumbles, seemingly trying to comfort himself more than you. He begins to drag you toward the door and you begin to reach in your pocket for your father’s knife.

It wasnt there. You lost it when you cut Rengoku.

Your eyes widen when you finally realize his disappearance. You turn around and quickly scan the room before your brother pulls you completely outside.

“Kyo-” A hand covers your mouth immediately.

Your brother looks at you in pure fear, and you feel your own bubbling up at his gaze. “Quiet. We have to be as silent as we can. It could be near,” He whispers at you, and you nod from behind his hand.

Your eyes dart around the area for the demon slayer. But he is nowhere to be found. He’s probably out looking for it by now.

But he’s injured. Is it really okay for him to be fighting in his state?

Your brother removes his hand from your mouth and begins to drag you forward, a sword in one hand and your hand in the other. You gulp and follow him in the darkness.

A couple of minutes go by and the two of you haven’t said a word. The both of you had heard eerie noises, and you swear you heard a woman’s scream far off in the distance.

Your mind flashes back to all of the villagers you have gotten close to. It was better not to think about it. Rengoku should be there soon.

The two of you took the path into the woods. It was not the normal path to take when heading eastward, but it was safer. You both knew the woods well, and the chances are the demon is raiding the village. That’s what they have targeted the last couple of days at least.

Suddenly, you hear a growl to the right of you guys. Your brother freezes, and you run into the back of him. Your heartbeat picks up, and the hair on your neck rises. Your brother is trembling in front of you.

You turn to noise to see three bright yellow eyes staring at the two of you. A deathly aura creeps on the two of you, and it’s pin-drop silent.

Your brother grabs you by the shoulders and pushes you forward yelling out, “Run!”

As on instinct, you turn back to him to pull him with you, but he’s gone. As if he vanished into thin air. The eyes disappeared as well.

A mass amount of dread and fear weighs on top of you, as you begin frantically scanning the woods. Your heartbeat is pounding in your chest and you’re shaking out of your wits. “Brother? Brother, where are you!”

Tears begin to form in your waterline, and you begin running, searching desperately for any trace of him. In the back of your mind you know your not going to be able to do anything, but it doesn’t stop you from trying.

You wish Rengoku was here. He would be able to find your brother in a heartbeat, but he was most likely in the village. Where the demon should have been. But it doesn’t stop you from calling his name desperately for help.

Which is exactly how you attracted your very own demon. Your brother told you to be quiet, and you should have listened better. Fear made you naive.

It was standing in front of you, its eyes seemingly pinning you down. It was smiling at you, showing off its razor-sharp teeth, and you take a step back. You were trembling, alone, and defenseless against the demon.

“What’s a young girl like you doing out here alone?” The voice was high in pitch and shrill. A step toward you.

You don't respond, eyes darting around for an exit, while the demon continues to laugh and move forward, closer toward you.

You turn around and run. You dont have many choices in this situation and you rather take a chance than be a sitting duck.

It didn’t work, but you knew it wouldn’t. The demon grabs at your leg and pulls you back toward him. You fall forward onto the ground and hiss at the feeling of rock digging into your skin. You are being pulled backward, and the clawed hand on your ankle makes you shiver.

“I think I will take my time with you,” The being coos, licking a stripe up the back of your leg.

Tears stream down your cheek as try to kick it off, to no avail. It’s going to tear your limps apart and eat you. Your brother is not going to be saved, and your family line is going to end.

With your last plea, you begin to scream. Loud enough to most likely alert every living being in the forest. Even the demon hisses out in annoyance.

Suddenly, there is a flash of orange and red. A flame.

You hear the plop of a sliced head a second later, and the slicing sound of the demon’s arm being physically removed from your leg. You cringe at the sound, but relief immediately floods your veins.

You turn your head to the side to see Rengoku, slightly frowning in concentration while he sheathes his sword. When he catches your eye, he smiles, and the comforting action makes the tears continue to flow.

He's holding you in an instant, crouched on one knee while wrapping his arms around your figure. His eyes are wide with slight panic, and his grip on you is tight. In any other situations, it may have been overbearing, but you craved the warmth.

His voice is hoarse and seemed to have a waver in it. “I was so scared, my flame when I couldn't find you. I thought you really left me. Or something worse had happened to you. The thought makes me feel ill. Tell me, why were you in the woods? You weren't supposed to be in the woods!”

You take a couple of deep breaths to calm yourself down, while he runs his hands up and down your body as if reassuring himself that you are actually there. “We were trying to–” You freeze, eyes widening and immediately squirming in his grasp. “My brother. We have to find my brother! A demon has him!”

His hold on you doesn’t let go, and your movement is futile. He stares into the distance as if almost entranced by something. He doesn’t say anything for a long second, but when he does, his voice seems to be in a whisper. “Does it now?”

You don’t pay attention to the tone, too distracted by the thought of your brother being on the verge of death. “Yes! So we have to go. Kyo, we don't have time!”

He hums, and the grip on you loosens, allowing you to stand up, and away from him. He stands in front of you, calm and composed while staring at you. You, on the other hand, are scanning the woods frantically trying to figure out where the demon is and failing miserably.

“Let’s go this way,” You say with uncertainty, pointing to the direction where you had last seen him. When you take a step forward, a hand grips your wrist, and you make eye contact with his owl-like eyes.

“You will stay. I will find him for you. It’s too dangerous for you.” The statement is unwavering as if it was a command to you, with no room for question.

“But-”

“Don't be afraid, my flame. I will place you in a tree, safe and hidden from harm.” He didn’t understand that you did not care for your own safety, it was your brother that you were concentrated with.

You turn to him with pleading eyes. The idea of you sitting here while your brother could be getting murdered, makes you feel sick. You need to be there for him the second Rengoku saves him. “Please, I won't get in the way! I can help, please just don’t leave me behind.”

His eyes widen at the statement, and he grips onto your shoulders with both hands. “I would never leave you behind. Never in a thousand years. But I am not the type of person to put the one I care about in danger. You will sit on a branch until I grab you. Safe from harm.”

He scoops you up with ease, and you jump with slight surprise. Then, he walks over to the nearest tree. “Please?” You plead for the last time, and he smiles at you.

“Everything will be fine, my love. After tonight, everything will be perfect. Just let me do this.” He murmurs and you sigh, and allow him to do whatever must be done.

He walks up to the nearest tree and eyes it, before making a small huffing sound. Then he holds you in one arm and jumps. Way higher than a normal man would be able to you, and your eyes widen in shock.

He grabs onto a branch and pulls the two of you up, while you continue to stare at the fact that he is doing this effortlessly with one hand. He sets you down onto the branch, with your back leaning on the trunk for support.

You glance down and gulp. It was way higher than you expected, but Rengoku didn’t seem to notice it. He is balanced on the branch with ease and instead is focused solely on you. “You will be okay, do not fret. If anything goes amiss, shout for me and I will come running.”

You nod your head and he smiles softly. He begins to turn around but pauses when you grip his kimono. “You will save him right?”

He blinks at you and sightly frowns. “Everything will be alright.”

You believed him.

You were an idiot. An idiot for believing him. An idiot for jumping out of the tree in the first place.

Not long after Rengoku left you, you heard your brothers scream.

You acted on pure instinct. You moved within a second, trying to climb down the tree. The Hashira made it seem easier than it was to maneuver on the tree. You slipped and fell.

You hissed when you landed on the floor. Very much close to breaking your legs, but you got lucky. You stand up and try to ignore the pain shooting up your spine. Then, you turn toward where you heard the noise.

It was during your sprint you realized you made a mistake. What were you going to do against a demon? How are you going to help your brother? He was the one medically trained, not you. Aren’t you just going to make things worse? You could be killed too.

But you were too deep in it now. Tree trunks turn into a blur as you continue to run, your legs throbbing with every step.

You notice a figure and stop immediately. When you catch your breath and notice who it is, you cover your mouth. Your father’s sword lays next to the curled-up body. There was so much blood, he was barely recognizable.

But you couldn't keep your eyes trained on your loved one. Crouching above him was a demon, chewing.

Nausea hits you like a train and you’re forced to take a step back. You dont have it in you to scream for help. Would Rengoku even get here in time?

Where is he? What was he doing all this time? He told you everything is going to be fine, why is your brother laying in a pool of his own blood?

You continue to stare, the fear making you immobile. You take in the demon. It was strange, nothing like the one you had last saw. It was trembling before the body, as if afraid of something. It’s letting out disgusting wavering whines and cries, between each bite.

Your thoughts are cut short.

A shiver runs up your spine, and you freeze. You see the hair on your arms begin to raise, and your breath catches. Your eyes flicker back to the body, and the demon hasn’t moved.

A nail as sharp as a dagger, trails its way up your arm, and you begin to tremble. You feel the power the demon emits, and it is different from the one before.

You shouldn't have moved. You shouldn't have left the tree.

You hear the horrific noise before you can feel it. Your eyes flicker to the space right above your hip, to see the long fingernail peering out. Through you. And in an instant, you hear the squelching noise, and the finger is gone.

Like a dog lapping a bone, you hear the demon lick its finger clean and shiver.

You hear frantic, nervous mumbles behind you. “Just a taste is fine. It’s alright if I have just a taste. I didn’t kill her, just wanted to try it…” The being that made your skin crawl, sounded absolutely petrified. You didn’t know of what, and you didn’t want to find out.

But, you didn’t have time to ponder. Your kimono is turning a deep red, and you feel the blood beginning to drip down to your legs. You fall to your knees with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. If you don’t wrap it, you are sure to bleed out within minutes.

The demon behind you panics, frantically telling himself that you aren’t going to die and everything is fine. But you’ve tuned it out.

You look up toward your brother again and freeze. Just a couple feet to the right of the two figures was a man leaning against a tree. The fiery hair that you could pinpoint in a crowd makes him recognizable in less than a second.

Rengoku was watching your brother get devoured with a blank stare.

The loss of blood had to make you see things. Or maybe it was the fear. Something had to be wrong with you. He would never do such a thing.

You clutch at your side with your hand. “Kyo?” You mumble, and his head snaps toward you, somehow hearing the call. He removes himself from the tree in an instant, and he stares at you with wide frantic eyes. You’ve never seen him look so petrified.

In a blink of the eyes, and a flash of a flame you hear the demon behind you getting beheaded. “She isn’t dead! You promised! I was–” Another slicing sound and silence.

He’s by your side in the next second. He’s tearing off his kimono in an instant. “What are you doing here? Y/N, you're not supposed to be here! Fuck, the bleeding.” He’s tearing apart the cloth with his teeth, and wrapping it around your torso. You don't notice the shaking of his hands.

You feel dizzy and weak, from the mix of the bleeding out and all the other beatings you sustained. You can’t focus on his words, you are staring at your brother.

You miss the panic of his words. The way he trembles in front of you. “It's going to be okay. Don’t worry, I will take care of everything. It'll be okay.”

The demon has scrambled off, and it was just his mutilated body left behind and the sword. Tears well up in your eyes, and your brother’s now lifeless eyes stare into yours.

You point to him and Rengoku follows your finger. Your words are soft, broken. “Help him. Please.”

But he ignores you. You're being lifted again, the callused hand putting a decent amount of pressure on the wound. He leads you back to your house, while your left staring at the body left in the grass.

You're exhausted, you can't fight him. For the last time, you plead, “Help him.” before closing your eyes and slumping against his body.

“It's going to be alright, my flame. I won't let anything happen to you. I will protect you now.”

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a-998h · 4 months

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hi, I hope you don't mind that. I want make an order. I would like a cult! Sagau fatui harbingers (Pulchinela plantonic, the rest all romantic) for Fem! Creator with character of Nastya (from cartoon Anastasia 1997.) She has a brave, astro smart, kind, short-tempered character. The creator remembers almost nothing about herself, trying to remember her past and who she is. She also has love line with Dottore (and once sorry Y/n hit him hard on the cheek and he was shocked). As in the previous request, you can come up with a continuation of this story. (Pulchinela plantonic, the rest are romantic)

(The closest character I could find is Anya from this moive and I've not seen this movie, so don't judge me).

You're trip to Snezhnaya was coming to an end. The harbingers have kept you mostly inside the palace. Being very boared you plan your escape. Sneaking out at night would work in any other region, but Snezhnaya getting below freezing at night. Sneaking out could still wrok, but it's not a good idea. So, you waited until the harbingers were at a meeting so you could escape.

When you did mange to escape you explored the city. You explored as much as you could. Exploring lead you to the local shrine and statue of the Creator. You had gotten used to people comparing you to her. The freedom you felt was new. You've tried finding out who you are, for as long as you can remember. You're search took you to dead ends. You decide to start serching for answears again. You walk into a city libraryand start looking at the books. The serch leads you to a worn, old looking book. Pulling it off the self you start reading. It is talking about the Creator, and how great they were. It gets boring, untill it mentions the fact that the Creator supposedly died in Snezhnaya. You remeber a young man in Fontanie telling you there was an energy coming from you. Deciding this could be a lead, you plan to go to the spot where the Creator died. Following the route, it ends to a stone. This pissed you off. You had braved the wild winter weather for a stupid rock.

You punched the rock in anger, which then made you feel a tingle run through your body. Looking at the rock, it is now glowing green. The rock breaks open to reval a locket. Putting it on, you feel yourself being sucked into your mind.

In a black void, you see fragments coming together. As the fragments come together you see memories. They show someon who looks like you creating the mountains, animals, and many other things. You think you're having a cold induced delusion. This theory is ruined when you see the figure adress themselves with your name. In Teyvat, no one was allowed to name their child after the Creator, or any other gods. You breathing picks up, your heart beats so hard that your ribs might break. When you get out of your head, you stare at the locket. A beam of light shots out of it. Following the light, you run into monsters that make it their mission to try and kill you. It gets on your nerves so much that you decide to beat the monsters into the ground. When you get to where the locket wanted it's revealed to be another rock.

"Another rock... I think I've lost my mind," You tell yourself.

Getting close to rock, it has words written on it. You stared at the words and you could understand them. Thing is, you never really knew Teyvat's language. You needed others to read things for you, and that made you feel helpless. The rock said, here lays the soul of our god. It wasn't refering to the Tsarita because she was still alive. Touching the rock energy follows through you. It scaes you. Getting to your feet you hear a voice. Looking behind you, you see Dottore.

"I was looking everywhere for you," he scolds.

You had started getting a crush on him over the month. His features and intelligence drew you to him. You saw yourself married to him, if you ignore the human experiments. He drags you back to the palace nad after everything that's happened today, you were not in the mood for this. You yell at him to let you go, but he ignores you.

"Hey! Let me go!" You yell.

He continues to ignore your yelling. This pisses you off even more. You raise your hand, palm open, and full of rage. The next thing Dottore knows, you've slapped him right across the face. He looks at you in shock. There is a staring match between you two. You see how you left a large red mark on his cheek. You lead him inside and to the guest room you were staying in.

"Wait here," You tell him.

He waits for you to come back. When you do come back with an ice pack he smiles a bit. Putting the ice pack on his red cheek he can't help but smile. When he thinks his redness is gone, he leads you to the meeting room. You sit in the seat that has been chosen as yours. The harbingers stare at you, while even more obession than normal. Dottore takes his seat and looks at you.

"Turns out our guest is more than a королева look a like," He says.

There is an unseen tension in the air. Dottore pulls out a vital of your blood.

"When I took this sample, it was red now it is a glowing gold color," He explains. He expalins how he found you in the forest near the rock. Turns out the rock is the grave of the Creator. The relization that you're the Creator hits everyone hard. The harbinger starts worrying that they weren't respecting you enough and you starting panicing because you might have to quit dancing.

"Well, it seems the other archons have not been taking care of you," Pulcinella mutters under his breathe. Pierro stares you in the eyes.

"It seems you will be staying in Senzhnaya until further notice, " he tells you.

Their romantic antics and attention grabbing tactics increase. Even though he now knows you're a god, Pulcinella still treats you like the young lady he sees you as. Your crush on Dottore goes from one sided to mutual. He brags that he is your lover, even if you haven't even kissed yet. Scaramouche treats you a bit more respectful. They never made you stopped dancing, they think it would be to cruel. They try and help you regain knowledge and memories.

In the end, if they weren't obessed before they are now and they never plan on letting you go.

#cult au #sagau #genshin fanfic #creator!reader #sagau lore #genshin x fem!reader #dottore x fem!reader #romantic fatui harbingers #harbingers x fem!reader

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mochie85 · 2 years

Note

Hiiiiiii I have a prompt idea. A Loki X reader pre relationship

so my mind threw a random memory at me and I remembered a very cute scene from a play called Maine. The scene was called I fell. It was about a guy confessing his love for another guy and he did it by falling and then when his friend went to check on him he said I fell for you.

That being said

The reader has powers kinda like Wanda. Only difference, she can fly. If she uses to much power she can drain her energy and can pass out. Well during a mission with Thor and Loki, this happens and she falls from a very great height. Thor tries to catch her but can't make it in time. Luckily Loki is there to catch her (I can hear Thor shouting "LOKI LOKI LOKI CATCH HER!" And I can see Loki sprinting to catch her in time.) When the reader wakes up she sees Loki at her side. He says something like that was some fall. And she looks at him and says "I fell for you." Maybe Loki confesses his feelings for her to. I know it's cliche but I thought it would be a cute prompt. 💙💚💜🖤

The Pretty Follies

One-Shot Masterlist Complete Masterlist

"Love is blind, and lovers cannot see the pretty follies that they themselves commit."

A/N: Yes, it's a Shakespeare reference. Extra points if you guys can tell me the other two mentioned in the fic 😁. Also, I drew from the "Almost, Maine" play that @crimson25 mentioned in her request. Pairing: Loki x Female Reader Word Count: 1840 Warnings: Fluff

You strapped your fingerless gloves on tight and rolled your shoulders. Sighing, you took one look at Thor and dared him to say something. Anything.

“He. Said. What?” He asked disbelievingly.

“He said, and I quote, ‘That I smell.’” You replied with an embarrassing look.

“Smell like sunshine? Smell like a fresh field of flowers?”

“I don’t know Thor.”

“Smell like nectar from freshly picked fruit from the gardens of Asgard? I don’t understand milady. How could he say such an atrocious thing to one such as yourself?” Thor asked puzzled.

You raised your shoulders and gave him a disbelieving look as the quinjet slowed down for its descent. You and Thor have been best friends since he came back to New Asgard. You were assigned as the liaison between the new town of Asgardian refugees and the existing town of Tønsberg. It was there that King Valkyrie had discovered you and your secret powers.

You were reckless and got caught going out one night, flying overhead, exhibiting telekinetic powers. In truth, it was the only way you could put yourself to sleep. There was so much power coursing through you and you needed an outlet. A way to expel your energy so you can tire yourself and go to sleep.

So when Thor came back around to help and check in on New Asgard, he offered to spar with you before bedtime. “Training,” he had called it. Little did you know that he was actually training you to fight along with the Avengers.

You were hesitant at first. You loved your life and your job. You liked knowing that there was a routine to everything. There was comfort, not in the mundane, but in the simplicity of it all. You did not need to be a hero. The only reason why you agreed was because of the god sitting next to you, Thor’s brother.

Loki leaned over the shared armrest as he unbuckled himself from the seat. He nuzzled his nose deep in your hair, inhaling your floral shampoo. Can a person heat up and freeze simultaneously? Because that’s exactly what you felt like. You blushed and froze in place when you felt his face so close to yours.

“Hmm.” A contented sigh left him and you used whatever power you had not to melt into a wet puddle right in the seat. “I have no idea what that simpleton was talking about brother,” Loki said. “She smells like the heavenly rose gardens of Elysium.” You turned meeting his mischievous eyes. “I mean honestly, I don’t think you should introduce her to any more of your associates. How can you call her your friend when you subject her to mind-numbing torture every week?” Loki continued as he stood from his seat and berated Thor.

“Ya, Thor! I thought we were besties!” you said crossing your arms, adding fuel to the fire. Loki was formidable on his own. But when the two of you joined forces and conspired against him, Thor couldn’t do anything. He was helpless.

You got up to follow Loki, taking some short knives that he handed you and securing them in your thigh holster.

“Now don’t you start with me! You’re the one that asked me to help you find a companion.” Thor said pointing an accusatory finger at you as he grabbed Stormbreaker. Loki took a sideways glance at you. The fact that you had asked Thor to help you find a suitor was news to him.

“Yes, I did. My mistake, apparently.” You whispered that last part to Loki, and he sniggered. “I thought it would be like in the movies, you know. Romantic meet-cutes. Grand gestures of love. The handsome love interest saving the damsel in distress.”

“You are hardly a damsel in distress, darling,” Loki said to you as the three of you walked down the gangplank of the jet.

“Thank you,” you grinned back to Loki. “But these men you picked out seem like they came from a horror movie, rather than a romantic comedy!” You accused Thor.

By now the three of you were already out of the jet and had instigated a fight with some of the fiendish-looking footmen. They saw the quinjet approach earlier and immediately sent a missile out for the three of you.

“Darling…” Loki said looking at you panicked.

“I’m on it.” You replied, using your telekinesis to deflect the missile, turning it back onto the monsters that launched it. Loki had been using his seidr to engulf the three of you in a protective bubble. While it worked for some of the lasers that were being shot your way, he didn’t think it could withstand the blow of a missile.

Giving up on long-range weapons, the beasts decided to go for hand-to-hand combat.

“Where are these atrocities from?” Loki asked.

“Some weird new terrorist group called Weapon X.” You explained. “Oh look, that one looks like my date from two weeks ago.” You said pointing to the one that Loki had stabbed to the side. Loki looked at the poor creature with a disgusted face. “Maybe it is my date from two weeks ago.” You said coming closer to the fallen body.

“I feel for you, pet.” Loki agreed, taking a deep breath.

“Can I get a hand here, please!” Thor grunted as he tried to push back on the flying bat-like creature that has pinned him to the ground. Both you and Loki stood clapping in his direction.

“Good job, brother,” Loki said. “Excellent work.”

“You can do it, Thor! Woo-hoo.” you concurred, still clapping.

“Not the hand I had in mind!” Thor grunted as he pushed the creature away making it fly with Stormbreaker still in its jaws. “You two! I swear you were made for each other!” Thor pointed, as he panted his way in between the two of you. You both stood there, giving each other the side eye as smiles formed on both your faces.

Thor called Stormbreaker back into his hands. Dragging the flying creature along with it. The bat screamed into the air calling forth other flying creatures from the horizon.

“Ok, little battery, just like we practiced,” Thor said to you. “Loki watch our backs.”

Loki fortified the protective barrier he encased you guys in. He watched as your powers lifted you into the air. Your arms spread apart like a vengeful goddess with wrath in her eyes. Thor had channeled a lightning bolt into you. You soaked it up like an empty receptacle waiting for a charge.

“Are you sure she’ll be ok, Thor?” Loki voiced his concern. He watched you in the air as your eyes glowed in the same fashion as Thor’s. Electricity humming in your veins.

“She’ll be fine. We’ve done this multiple times.” Thor smiled. Just then, a group of wild horrors decided to charge at both Thor and Loki, surprising them. Thor called forth an extra amount of lightning to damage the area around him. In doing so, the flow of lightning doubled inside you. More than what you were used to.

You brought your hands together in a quick clap. Looking for a way to dispel the energy. The sound resonated with a cackling current, sending it straight into the heart of the flying beasts that were headed your way. You could easily connect each and every flying monster with the line of electricity you were sending them. It looked like a glowing dandelion. One by one they fell to the ground. Their fur singed and their flesh burned.

As soon as the charge left you, nothing was holding you up anymore and you fell too. All your energy, depleted. You fainted from the sudden rush of oxygen leaving your body.

“Loki!” Thor yelled. Loki looked at Thor, who pointed into the sky. You were freefalling down into the earth. “Loki, Loki! Catch her!” Thor tried to determine where you would land and make his way there, but the gruesome beasts had targeted him as the threat and had pounced on him, keeping him captive where he stood.

Loki ran. He sprinted like the east wind to get to you. He jumped over the dead. Plunged his daggers into the attacking grunts. All the while keeping his eyes on your falling figure.

He was too slow. He couldn’t get there fast enough. With flourish and smoke, he jumped and transported himself mid-air, catching you. Then transported back down to the safety of the ground. You both landed a little ways away from the fight. Loki looked around to make sure you were both safe and in no immediate danger.

“Dearest. Wake up.” Loki cooed as he ran his fingers down your cheeks. Your eyes were rolled back as you lay there limp in his arms.

You woke up suddenly to a sharp intake of breath. You coughed as Loki sat you up and patted your back. He kept his arm around you, holding you close.

“What happened?” Your voice was raspy and dry. You leaned back into his arms, unable to hold the weight of your own body.

“You fell. Like a seraph cast out of heaven.”

“I fell, for you. Badum-tch” You giggled attempting weak finger-guns. Loki laughed.

“You must’ve knocked all the oxygen out of your brain.” He said carrying you up easily from the ground.

“Ya, let’s go with that.” You said snuggling into the crook of his neck. “Did we win?” You asked looking into his eyes.

Loki looked around towards Thor who was busy cleaving Stormbreaker from the last of the monstrosities. “Yes, dearest. We won.” He murmured as he walked you over towards the awaiting quinjet.

You sighed. You were tired and zapped of your energy and faculties. You could barely keep your eyes open anymore. You could feel Loki’s strong heartbeat through the pulse on his neck and it lulled you to sleep. You took a deep breath and smelled him. Remnants of his cologne mixed with the sweat of the battle. “Hmmm,” your lips murmured into his neck. Making Loki freeze and burn at the same time. “Good night, sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”

“Are you quoting Shakespeare to me now, darling?” he asked, but it was too late. Your eyes were already closed. Your body had retreated into slumber, charging itself up. Loki placed his lips delicately near your ear and said, “Hear my soul speak, of the very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly at your service.” He confessed to your sleeping form.

Loki held you the whole flight home as you slept peacefully in his arms. Thor took one look at you both and chuckled.

“Why did you set her up with all those horrible dates, brother?” Loki asked. And why wasn’t I included on this list?

“To make both of you realize what everyone’s known all along,” Thor remarked.

“Everyone? And what does everyone know that we don’t?”

“That you’re both idiots. Idiots in love.”

All Taglist:

@alexs1200 @a-witch-with-words @athalialaufeyson @britishserpent @crimson25 @el-zef @fictive-sl0th @gigglingtigger @goldencherriess @huntress-artemiss @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @immersed-in-mischief @kellatron55 @kkdvkyya @lokidbadguy @lokiprompts @lokisasgardianvampirequeen @lokisgoodgirl @lokisninerealms @lokischambermaid @loopsisloops @lucylaufeyson3 @luvlady-writes @michelleleewise @mischief2sarawr @muddyorbs @nopenottodayson @one-oblivious-nerd @ozymdias @peaches1958 @salempoe @theaudacitytowrite @user13cabs @vbecker10 @wheredafandomat @xorpsbane @vickie5446

#writing ideas #fic prompt #loki fanfic #loki fluff #mcu #loki laufeyson #loki fandom #tom hiddleston fanfic #loki x you #loki oneshot #loki x reader #marvel fanfic #loki series #answering asks #asks #ask me #answered asks

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blurredcolour · 1 year

Text

Extrication in G Major | Part Three

Extrication in G Major Masterlist

Summary: Jake shows up with something rather important that you left at his house and finds out just why you left the way you did. You think you’ve found a way to move forward, but objects in the rear-view mirror are closer than they appear.

Warnings: Language, Reader has Panic Attacks, Vague Reference to Reader’s Traumatic Past, Vague Reference to Jake’s Difficult Family, Monetary Issues, Threats, Mature/Explicit Themes [manual stimulation – f receiving, oral – f receiving, vaginal penetration, condoms, multiple orgasms] – 18+ only

Word Count: 5705

The night had been anything but restful; cycling between guilt at how you’d left the party, despair at Jake’s cold response, and the ugly memories of your past. It was no surprise, then, that when the knock came on your door at ten the next morning you were still in bed, trying to soak in as much rest as you could muster. Or perhaps you were too weary to face the day.

You were tempted to ignore it, to pretend you weren’t home, to hope they would go away. But they knocked again, and you sighed deeply, sitting up. Dressed only in a tank top and sleep shorts, you reached for the nearest thing to cover yourself – an old, oversized New York Giants sweatshirt your father had sent to you when he’d learned you were moving to Boston. You pulled it on and shuffled towards the door, pulling the chain and turning the deadbolt before swinging it open to reveal a very tense Lieutenant Commander Jake Seresin.

His shoulders were squared back, his expression guarded…a tight mask of firm lines in place of his usually sunny expression.

“Morning.” He greeted you and you felt the absence of ‘darlin’’ like a yawning chasm between the two of you. “You forgot this.” He held out your cello and you lurched forward to grab it quickly, afraid to meet his eyes.

You could feel how swollen and irritated the nighttime tears had left your eyelids and cheeks – given his cold demeanor, you were loathe to expose that to him.

“Thanks very much for returning it to me.” You quickly set it on the ground, turning back to him and blinking to see he was wearing his uniform boots…it was still Saturday, wasn’t it? You hadn’t lost that much time, had you?

Your eyes flicked up along the green fabric covering his body, the patches on his shoulders and across his chest, before they slipped to his eyes in confusion at the fact that he was clearly wearing a uniform of some sort. The sadness that mottled the usual crystal-clear green of his eyes drove the air from your lungs and sent you reeling back a step. Your hand groped for the handle of the door, your body in desperate need of support as somehow, in all of this, you had become the person who let people down. The person who disappointed others.

Despite your admittedly dehydrated state, there were somehow fresh tears accumulating at the waterline of your eyes as the weight began bearing down on your chest once more.

“I’m so…sorry…Jake…” You gasped out, the hinges of the door groaning in protest as you leaned heavily on the knob, head swimming.

“…jesus christ…” You heard him say, distantly, before you felt him gather you to his chest, carrying you further into your apartment.

He sat on the end of your bed, settling you across his lap and cradling you against his torso. His broad palm gently drew circles between your shoulder blades as you felt his chest rise and fall steadily against your shoulder.

“Can you breathe for me, darlin’?” He asked softly, his free hand squeezing the back of your calf, his fingers stretching up into the hollow behind your knee.

You focused on the rhythm of his breath against you, did your best to mimic it, your fingers and toes tingling as oxygenated blood returned to your extremities.

“You’re doing so great.” He gave you an encouraging squeeze and you huffed a watery laugh. “Rooster said you looked panicked….” He murmured against the top of your head, and you nodded as it was an accurate word for the situation. “Can you talk about it?” He asked quietly and you shook your head quickly. “Ok…ok…easy…” He squeezed you again gently, hand still making soothing motions against your back.

Recovery was much quicker in his arms, you found, and you straightened carefully to look at him properly.

“Thank you, Jake. And I’m sorry.” You reiterated, reaching out with a hand to cup his cheek.

“Just…please will you tell me next time?” He swallowed; brow furrowed. “Maybe even what causes ‘em?”

You swallowed at his earnest desire to help you. This should be the moment when you pushed him away for good and forever, but you were helpless to stop your feelings for him. Considering that the mere thought of disappointing him had sent you spiralling not five minutes ago, perhaps it would be unwise to even try. Nodding softly, you leaned in to press your lips against his cheek gently.

“I’ll try.” You affirmed as you leaned back to dab at a few teardrops still clinging to your lower lashes with the cuff of your sweatshirt.

You felt his hand slide up your leg to tug at the bottom of the blue fabric, eyebrow raised curiously.

“This…we will also definitely be talking about this, too.” He smirked and you laughed tiredly, letting your head come to rest on his shoulder. “Really darlin’….the Giants?” You giggled and felt his lips brush against your temple. “It will have to wait, however, otherwise I’m going to be late for work.”

You jerked back as he confirmed what you had being trying to sort out earlier.

“On a Saturday?” You tilted your head in confusion and watched as he nodded proudly.

“Today is the flyover at the football game.” He watched as recognition dawned on your face, his own smile stretching wider.

“That felt so far away when you first told me…So that’s why you’re wearing…this…” You pressed your lips together, fingertips trailing down his zipper absently, defenses completely decimated by exhaustion.

You caught the bobbing of his adam’s apple before his tongue wet his lips.

“My flight suit, yes…This is what I wear in the air…” He replied, watching you intently.

“Jake?” You whispered, trying not to look at his lips, but your eyes accidentally fell there once or twice.

“Yes, darlin’?” He breathed in reply.

“You’re gonna be late…” You gulped, biting you lip.

His eyes fell shut and he inhaled deeply through his nose, nodding slowly.

“You’re right, I have to go. Promise me you’ll take it easy today?” He opened his eyes and turned to gently set you on the bed before standing.

“Yes, Lieutenant Commander.” You nodded up to him with a grin and saw him clench his fists.

“Darlin’, I’m trying to leave, not pin you to the bed…” He huffed in a flood of honesty, and you bit you lip almost painfully at the rush of heat that unfurled within you.

“Sorry, Jake. Have fun up there.” You tried to keep your tone light.

“I can definitely do that. See you later, darlin’.” He nodded and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on your forehead before forcing himself out of the door of your apartment.

You got up and locked it behind him, tucking the cello away in its hiding spot, before taking a shower. You were just pulling on a fresh pair of comfortable clothes when there was another knock at the door. Opening it, you found a delivery of breakfast had arrived, making you sigh fondly. You settled to eat it in bed, despite having a perfectly good dining table, and sent him a grateful picture to prove that you were indeed taking it easy.

You set a timer to be sure to catch his flyover, sending him a screenshot to prove that you had watched it, before curling up for a nap. The past twenty-four hours had more than confirmed that you needed to look into help of some kind. Full blown panic attacks had never hit you in rapid succession before, and the cost could obviously be more than just the physical toll on your body.

At some point over the next week, Jake started calling you after work rather than just texting. It did both of you good to hear one another’s voices in the evenings, chatting idly about the day, making plans for the upcoming weekend.

“So, I can pick you up after the open rehearsal at the band shell?” He confirmed on Thursday, and you could hear the sound of the letter opener tearing through his mail.

“I’m counting on it, Jake.” You smiled warmly, sticking a bookmark into the Rachmaninoff biography you were reading and closing the book with a thunk.

“You still working through that Russian tome?” He teased, hearing the noise through the phone.

“It’s for work, Jake, if I’m going to play the man’s music if helps if I understand the man…” You laughed, shaking your head. “Besides, he was rather fascinating, it’s not that much of a chore…I’m sure you enjoy reading your plane books.” You smirked, knowingly saying inflammatory things.

“I do, in fact, but I’m not reading a book about the man who designed the plane…” He clarified but sighed deeply before tearing open another envelope. There was a loaded silence that had you glancing at your phone.

“My mom sent me an engraved invitation for Easter. ‘Dear Jacob, You are cordially invited’…who does that?...Family is….” He trailed off into silence and you rolled onto your back, eyes roaming across the water stained, textured ceiling above you.

“The people we love no matter how many times they disappoint us.” You added contemplatively.

“That you or Rachmaninoff talking, darlin’.” He asked carefully and you tensed, realizing you’d said more than you meant to.

“De…definitely Rachmaninoff…but more Russian of course…Wanna hear something he actually said?” You rolled over quickly, hoping to distract him as you re-opened the book to a page you had marked with a sticky note.

“Of course.” He said indulgently, the sound of him chewing on one of usual post-work snacks coming through the phone.

‘The new kind of music seems to create not from the heart but from the head. Its composers think rather than feel. They have not the capacity to make their works exalt – they meditate, protest, analyze, reason, calculate and brood, but they do not exalt.’ You read from the page and sighed reverently. “No wonder his contemporaries wrote him off – they just didn’t like what he had to say about them.”

“Bet you look real cute right now with those musical stars in your eyes…” Jake murmured and you laughed softly, shaking your head.

“D…do you think you’ll go home for Easter?” You bit your lip as you waited for his answer, hoping you hadn’t overstepped.

“I put in for the leave, we’ll see what they say…You still have a performance that week right?”

You nodded before remembering you were on a voice call.

“Yeah, yeah we do, so I’ll be here if you can’t go.” You offered and he hummed happily. You chatted about a few more topics, including the meal he started preparing before you swallowed roughly to pluck up your courage. “Hey Jake?”

“Yeah darlin’?” He replied immediately.

“You asked me what causes…my panic attacks…uhm…. gambling and disappointing you…the last one was new., though” You exhaled shakily, chewing on a hangnail as you waited for his reply.

“Thank you.” He replied warmly and you could hear the smile in his voice. “I promise we won’t do that around you, ok? You have my word.”

“Thank you, Jake.” You smiled softly.

“And you could never disappoint me…” He assured you softly, making you smile shyly.

“I appreciate that, thank you. I’ll see you Saturday?”

“Night, darlin’.”

Rehearsal on Saturday afternoon went well, though it was hard not to be distracted by thoughts of what you and Jake might get up to afterward. At last, you were making your way towards the exit where you’d arranged to meet him when the dark-haired figure of Luca Palumbo stepped out of your nightmares and into your path, stopping you dead in your tracks.

“Well, hello there, kid. This sure is a long way from Boston.” He smiled in a way that, to any onlooker would seem friendly, but you knew better.

There was only one reason this man would have made the effort to track you down. Only one reason he would have made the trip from New Jersey to San Diego. You heart started slamming against your ribs as you visualized the meagre number in your savings account, the utter lack of assets to liquidate this time.

“H…how much…” You croaked, trying to count three on the inhale and the exhale as the counsellor had taught you on your first and, so far, only visit. You did not want to fully melt down in front of your colleagues and the general public.

“An even 60k, I’m sure you can manage…” He grinned expectantly.

You shook your head in disbelief. “When…”

“He’s already three weeks overdue, kid, you know I only come to you when I have no other choice.”

Frowning deeply, you looked to the side, trying to do some quick calculations – a natural reflex in the face of your father’s debts. There was truly no way for you to scrape this together, and no reputable financial institution would loan you the money. Maybe a payday loan service, but then you may as well find a local loan shark of your own.

A blur of red movement caught your attention, and you blinked your eyes into focus on the bouquet of red roses in the arms of one Lieutenant Commander Jacob Seresin weaving his way through the crowd toward you. He was briefly waylaid by a couple he knew, pausing to speak to them, but his presence sharpened your focused. Reminded you that this was not Boston. This was not New Jersey.

You had left those places behind for a reason, to start a new life, one that did not involve carrying the debts of your father. You turned back to Luca’s face filled with anticipation and shook your head again.

“No. I don’t have it, nor will I be able to acquire it. You will have to look elsewhere, Luca.” You eyed him firmly.

“Kid. You know that there are consequences for not paying. Consequences for you, consequences for your father.” He said tensely, narrowing his eyes.

While his words filled you with fear, you clenched your teeth and shook your head a third time.

“I’m done.” You grit out.

“You!” He said sharply, his voice bouncing off the windows of the building behind you, turning a few heads, reminding him he was in public, and making him tense. “You will regret that, kid.” He hissed and stalked off.

You closed your eyes, narrowing in on your breathing once more.

Inhale…1…2…3…Exhale…1…2…3…Inhale…1…2…3…

The scent of Jake’s cologne flooded your senses and made your lips twitch in a smile, your eyes fluttering open.

“Hey there darlin’, sorry to keep you waiting. Everything all right?” He slid his arm around your waist and kissed your cheek gently.

“No problem, run into someone you know?” You smiled, sliding an arm around him in return, taking in his black bomber jacket over a simple black t-shirt, jeans and boots completing his outfit.

“Yeah, the former admiral whose party you played at. He’s going into politics just like I suspected. Who were you chatting with?” He looked in the direction Luca had headed curiously.

“And old friend of my father’s…” You muttered vaguely before reaching up to cup his cheek. “Jake?”

“Hmmm?” He looked to your eyes quickly.

With a warm smile, you turned to face him fully, leaning in to press your lips to his gently. His fingers curled into your waist, pulling you tighter as you felt him inhale sharply through his nose against your cheek. Tilting your head slightly, you pressed your mouth tighter to his, letting your hand drift from his cheek up into his hair, shivering as he hummed against you in delight.

Parting from his lips just enough to take a breath, you rested your forehead against his. Something about Luca’s words felt final…inevitable…and if that was to be, then well – well you wanted to be selfish for once.

“I’m sure you have something very lovely planned but…can we just go back to your place?” You murmured, lips brushing against his before you pulled back to look into his eyes.

He eyed you intensely, giving you one sharp nod.

“Absolutely, darlin’. Trade you?” He offered you the bouquet and you couldn’t help the fond smile.

“You know you didn’t have to…” You murmured, sliding the cello from your back and exchanging it for the flowers.

“Of course I didn’t have to, clearly I wanted to.” He eased the instrument onto his shoulder, sliding his arm around your waist once more and guiding you through the crowd toward the parking lot.

“They’re beautiful, thank you.” You cradled them in your arms, mildly annoyed at the architect who designed this brand-new facility for placing the parking so very far away from the stage, feeling more than a little impatient to be alone with him.

“You are most welcome.” He replied, fingers stroking along the side of your top, accidentally slipping beneath the waistband of your chiffon pants. He glanced at you curiously. “That is a very deceptive outfit you’re wearing darlin’, I would have sworn it was another dress.”

You laughed brightly, feeling a bit of relief when you finally spotted his truck.

“Well you’ll know all of its secrets soon enough, Jake.” You licked your lips.

He set the cello in the back seat, taking the roses from you to set in the footwell carefully before closing the door. You reached for the passenger-side door but now that you were both unencumbered, he was suddenly pinning you against the side of his truck, kissing you hungrily in the semi-privacy of the parking lot. You arched against him, the dark metal of his vehicle hot in the late afternoon sun, gripping his sides as his hands framed your face.

His tongue licked at the seam of your lips, and you eagerly parted them, welcoming his tongue with yours as you felt his swelling arousal pressing into your hip. Gathering the fabric of his jacket in your grip, you whimpered softly as he savoured the taste of your mouth, setting your head swirling for all the right reasons. He shifted against you, pressing his thigh between your legs and gasping when it easily nestled against your core.

“Pants?” He uttered in surprise and your head fell back against the passenger-side window as you laughed breathlessly. He smirked and took advantaged of your exposed neck, kissing along the column of your throat as he contracted and relaxed the muscles of his thigh creating a delicious friction and making you bite your lip savagely in an attempt to keep quiet.

“Public, Jake…People…” You panted, eyebrows furrowing with the effort.

As if on queue, the sound of a giggling child drifted closer and he pulled back carefully, helping you straighten and boosting you into the front seat of the car once he got the door open.

“Let’s get you home then.” He pecked your lips quickly before jogging around to the driver’s side.

Though his phone indicated the drive should have taken nearly thirty minutes, Jake managed it in just over twenty, his hand resting on your leg the entire drive. You chewed on the inside of your cheek as his fingertips drew concentric circles on the inside of your thigh, pooling desire in your lower abdomen. He pulled into the garage, turning off the ignition and letting the automatic door close behind him as he turned to you. As he leaned across the console, your eyelids began to slide shut before you had a flash of realization. You quickly lifted your fingers to press against his soft lips, pulling back.

“Just…let me put these roses in water, you spent a lot of money on them…” You insisted weakly, watching with bated breath as he parted his lips to nibble at your fingertips, considering.

“I can give you five minutes….” He murmured, tongue swirling around the end of your index finger, making your breath hitch in your throat.

“F…five minutes…” You nodded in agreement and gulped as he pulled back to slide from the truck.

You fumbled with your seatbelt, finally getting the damn thing unbuckled before opening the door to slide from the vehicle. Jake was already retrieving your cello from the backseat, and you leaned in to grab the flowers, following him through the side door directly into the house. You lost ninety seconds taking in the wide-plank floors running through the modern space, drawing your eyes towards the accordion doors that opened onto a patio right on the waterfront.

He lived in a magazine. You were retrospectively mortified for every second he had spent in your shitty apartment until he cleared his throat behind you, hanging up his jacket and setting his boots by the front door before crossing his arms.

“Time’s ticking, darlin’…” He smirked wickedly and you lost another thirty seconds tracing every line of musculature that pose emphasized before his words sunk in.

You quickly toed off your shoes and let your bare feet propel you into his open concept kitchen, laying the bouquet on the white quartz countertop of the island as you frantically began opening cupboards in search of a vase, a jug, anything.

“One minute…” He murmured, stalking closer and you let out a huff of frustration, darting over to the island, plugging the sink and beginning to fill it with cool water.

You stretched out an arm, barely gripping the corner of the bouquet, dragging it closer and pulling at the brown paper ruthlessly as you tried to free the stems.

“Time’s up.” He breathed against your ear, body pressing tightly into your back as his lips dropped to your neck, leaving a wet trail down the skin of your throat as he turned off the tap.

Broad, heated palms slid up the curve of your waist, along your ribcage, to cup your breasts. You whimpered needily, arching into his touch. The warmth of his skin soaked through the fabric of your top, through your bra, pulling your nipples into hardened peaks as he kneaded the sensitive flesh. His hips pressed tighter to yours as he could feel your body reacting to him, pining you against the front of the sink as he nipped at the juncture of your neck and shoulder.

“Jake!” You gasped, your head falling back onto his shoulder as your fingers continued to fight blindly with the wrapping on the bouquet.

He hummed in reply, sucking at the irritated skin soothingly as one hand skimmed down your abdomen, past the waistband of your pants. You felt him huff against your neck as, rather than your underwear, he felt the continuation of your top. Your bodysuit.

“Fucking hell…” He growled.

“Last surprise…I promise…” You panted, trying not to laugh, feeling the thrill of hope as the wrapping at last gave way and your fingers brushed against the woody stems of the roses, clipped free of thorns by a thoughtful florist.

Jake huffed and cupped between your thighs with his broad palm, wrenching a whine from your lips, making your fingers dig into silicone of seal between the sink and countertop as you tried not to keel over. You felt him chuckle in victory, grinding the heel of his hand against you as his fingers stretched and searched for the snaps holding the offending garment in place.

He slid a finger between the two snaps once he had finally located them, bending his knuckle and tugging until they yielded, the two ends unclasping and sliding up your body to at last allow him access to your underwear. He cupped the damp fabric, his chest rumbling in delight.

“Darlin’…you seem to be having a bit of a problem…” He commented as his fingers teased your folds through your underwear.

“A…are you gonna just talk about it…Jake?” You rolled your head along his shoulder to nip at the tanned skin of his neck. “Or are you gonna help a lady out?” You gulped, chest heaving as his other hand had yet to let up its alternating attention on your breasts.

You barely had time to sweep the bouquet into the sink, submerging the flower stems below the water before his fingers slid beneath your underwear, parting your folds. You rose up on your toes with a ragged moan as he brushed your sensitive bundle of nerves. Reaching your arms back to wrap around his neck, he easily bore your weight as his fingers gathered your slick as his thumb toyed with your clit. Your fingers carded through the short hair at the base of his skull as he slowly worked one, then two fingers into your welcoming heat, unable to contain your cries of pleasure and praise.

“You make music with your mouth, too, darlin’…” He rumbled huskily, his hips undulating into your back with the same rhythm of his fingers working you open, stroking your sensitive walls. The outline of his hard cock – the size of it – filled your mouth with saliva.

He dragged the now-loose fabric of your bodysuit higher along your body, freeing your breasts so that he might pinch and roll your nipples through the thin fabric of your bra. You clenched around his fingers tightly, knees wobbling as you were dangling on the precipice of release. It had been an embarrassingly long time since a man had pleasured you…and never had one been so efficient as Jake Seresin.

“P…please…Jake…” You beg, tugging at the ends of his hair, nails brushing against his scalp.

“I got you, darlin’.” He rasped and increased his pace, curling his fingers forward each time they were seated knuckle-deep inside you until he found that spongy spot that punched the air from your lungs and had you seeing stars. “There it is.” He muttered triumphantly and relentlessly worked it until your eyes rolled back in your head with a wail, knees giving out as your climax gushed over his hand.

You were vaguely aware of the fact that his free hand had slid around your waist to hold you up against him while he continued to stroke his fingers inside your wet heat, prolonging your pleasure until you reached down to grip his wrist gently in a silent plea to stop as you were growing overly sensitive. Dropping your arms before turning awkwardly on legs like a newborn fawn’s, you leaned up to kiss him deeply, clinging to his shoulders.

You watched, struck silent, as he lifted his glistening hand to lick it clean, the black of his pupils all but swallowing the green of his irises. You let out an involuntary whimper and glanced around.

“Bed?” You asked, not immediately seeing one.

“Upstairs.” He replied, hands grabbing the back of your thighs and wrapping your legs around his waist before heading that way.

You gasped, quickly wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

“I…can walk you don’t have to…” You protested weakly.

“No, you can’t, darlin’” He smirked proudly, and you huffed, smacking his shoulder playfully. “What? Just speaking the truth.”

Carrying you into the primary suite, he set you onto a comfortably firm mattress in the middle of the room. You guessed by the light flooding in behind you that there was an equally stunning view of San Diego Bay from this room, but your eyes were focused on the man in front of you. You rose up onto your knees and seized the hem of his black t-shirt, gently working it up and off his toned torso, swallowing thickly at the perfection of him. He took advantage of your stunned silence to slide the bodysuit up and off your torso, adding it to the growing pile of clothing on the floor.

Threading your fingers through his hair, you tugged him down to crash his lips into yours, licking into his mouth, sighing as you could still taste yourself on his tongue. His fingers busied themselves with the clasps of your bra, freeing them before sliding the straps down your arms and tossing the garment aside. Hands splayed across your back, he pulled your chest flush against his, the smattering of coarse golden hair across his pectorals teasing your already sensitive nipples, making you whimper wantonly.

Your hands dove to work his belt and fly open, tugging his jeans down his hips before pushing them to the floor with a satisfying thunk. He began to work your pants down, off your hips, pulling back from your kiss to gently push you onto your back and pull them up and off your legs. He set your left ankle on his shoulder, gently kissing the inside it before looking down at you.

“Sure look pretty in my bed, darlin’…” He beamed before nipping and licking his way up your calf, pausing to suck the skin just above your knee between his teeth, leaving a mark. He reached for your underwear, working them off your hips and down your legs, holding them up to the light, assessing. “These will never be the same…” He grinned, quite pleased with himself.

You could not help but laugh, shaking your head.

“Better buy me new ones, then Jake…for every pair you ruin.” You bit your lip.

“That a promise, darlin’?” He licked his lips, bending your knees and gently pressing them open, blinking as they offered little resistance. He raised an eyebrow as he easily pinned your bent legs to the mattress, spreading your cunt wide open to his greedy eyes. “Flexible, aren’t ya?” He remarked, Texan drawl its thickest yet.

“Occupational hazard…” You murmured thickly, shivering a little at the brush of cool air from the ventilation system against your heated, sensitive skin. “Spent a lot of my life with my legs spread playing the cello.” You elaborated.

“Mmmm” He replied, clearly distracted, before bowing his head to lick a broad stripe from your entrance to your clit, humming against you. “Fuck you taste good.” He groaned and buried his face against you, lapping at the remnants of your release before sealing his lips around your bundle of nerves, awakening a deep, hollow ache inside you.

Your fingers flew to his sandy-blonde hair, tangling in the strands as you bucked to his mouth eagerly.

“J…Jake…p.p.please I…” You arched and curled your toes, feeling so very empty. “I need you inside me…” You begged, trying to pull his head up towards you.

He surfaced, licking his lips, breathing heavily.

“Yeah?” He asked, fingers brushing along your cheekbone, and you nodded quickly.

“Please.” You looked to his eyes intently, arching up to kiss him firmly.

He pressed a few kisses along your jaw before sliding from the bed, making you raise up on your elbows, wanting to see what he was up to. He stepped over to the bedside table and fetched a condom before removing his boxers, revealing the length and girth of his cock as it stood proudly against his defined lower abdominal muscles. You sank your teeth into your lower lip as you watched him tear open the foil packet and unroll the condom onto himself. You sat up fully and held your arms open to welcome him back as he crawled back across the bed towards you like some kind of predator.

Laying you back gently, he settled between your hips, gliding his cock through your folds to gather as much of your arousal as he could to ease his movements. The head of his length nudged your clit, and you pressed your face to his shoulder as it pulled a moan from your throat before he snagged on the entrance to your warmth. With a roll of his hips, he shifted forward to slowly sink into the silken heat of you. His face dropped to your collarbone, ragged breaths brushing against your skin as he managed to keep the motion steady and measured, pausing as his pelvis met yours to give each of you a moment to adjust.

You took small sips of air, feeling so utterly filled by him that you could hardly manage anything more than that. You squirmed against him a little, overcome with the need to move, and he shuddered, lifting his eyes to meet yours before rocking his hips forward against you.

“Ah! Jake!” You exclaimed, fingertips digging into his forearms as he began to thrust in earnest.

Your legs quickly snaked around his hips, pelvis chasing his, hardly able to stand his absence when he pulled out but very much in need of the friction to drive you higher. He planted one hand beside your head, bending down to sucking at your right nipple as his other hand sought your clit, determined to draw another orgasm from you.

“Oh fuck, Jake…” You hissed, nails digging into his one forearm, your other hand wrenching at the duvet, desperately seeking something else to hold on to as his arm moved out of reach. Your thighs started to tremble around him, and he grunted, skin slapping against yours as he thrust demandingly.

“Gonna cum for me, darlin’?” He groaned and you nodded rapidly, eyes clenched shut. “Atta girl” He praised you, rocking tightly, calloused thumb circling your clit insistently until you gave a harsh shout.

Your body arched sharply against him as your climax seized your muscles, clenching tightly around his cock, making him swear thickly as his thrusts grew erratic and frantic. He came with an agonized moan, burying his face in the crook of your shoulder as his hips rocked forward to wring every drop of release into the condom. Sliding from your body carefully, he rolled to the side, chest heaving with the aftereffects of his orgasms. You forced yourself onto your side and gently reached down to help rid him of the condom, throwing it in the trash can beside the bed.

He pulled you down for a lazy kiss, fingers tracing abstract shapes on your damp skin.

“That was a far better way to spend the afternoon that anything I could have planned, darlin’…” He murmured and you grinned.

“I couldn’t agree more, Jake.” You kissed him warmly, grabbing the throw blanket that had fallen to the floor and covering your rapidly cooling bodies to snuggle in, laid diagonally across his bed.

Read Part Four

Extrication in G Major Masterlist

Credit: Glen Powell's Instagram

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raziraphale · 2 months

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I've learned not to trust my memory, so I wanted to make a note for myself of some things I enjoyed from the Neptune production of RAGAD before it all leaks out my ears. It's mostly for me but thought I'd post it here in case it's interesting to anyone else.

Note for people that aren't me: this is the only production of RAGAD I've seen live. I've seen the movie and the 2017 NTL recording as of writing this, for reference. So, forgive me if I gush about elements/choices that are common to RAGAD productions and not unique to this one lol. Also I was an English major but not a theatre guy outside some Shakespeare, so also bear with me if I'm lacking some specific terms.

Performances:

I feel like this almost goes without saying but Boyd and Monaghan are excellent as Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Their chemistry is great. There was an excellent rhythm to their dialogue together that was really fast-paced without feeling artificial (imo there is a certain point where performers talk so fast it can only feel fake. They were all believable enthusiam).

I particularly liked Monaghan's Rosencrantz! like there was just something so earnest about him. He had this character tic of chewing on his finger most of the time out of anxiety or inattention and that stuck out for me for some reason. It was endearing. Also the line "I wanted to make you happy" made the whole theatre let out a wounded animal noise.

Also Boyd's Guildenstern really did a good job of projecting an aura of "person trying really hard to appear in control but may also snap any moment". Control freak recognizing control freak o7

The Player (Michael Blake) was amazing. He had such huge stage presence that you really believed the character was a seasoned performer. I fully believe this man could successfully sell me snake oil with the power of his presence alone.

Personal note but I was jazzed to see Drew Douris-O'Hara as Alfred. I'm not a regular Neptune patron so I don't know how often he appears in their productions, but I have seen many a Shakespeare By The Sea show in my time so he's a very familiar face. Always a really fun presence.

I also feel like I have to mention Ophelia (Helen Belay) even though she obviously doesn't get much to do here. The actress really sold every small appearance though like my heart broke a little every time I saw her in anticipation for her off-stage fate. Less important but have you ever seen a woman so beautiful you started crying?

Costumes:

I really liked Ros and Guil's tattered suits. They looked like they were dragged behind a horse. These are the clothes of two guys that have been trapped in a play for like 50 years, truly.

They also had an inverted colour scheme (Ros had a blue suit with a green waistcoat, Guil had a green suit with blue waistcoat) that really emphasized the two-sides-of-the-same-coin/ yin & yang vibe. Also the colours weren't really shared by the rest of the cast much (they tended to be a bit more muted) so it made them stand out as separate from the rest of what was happening.

Also personal note but I was enchanted by Monaghan's slightly stupid-looking grown-out fauxhawk. He basically had a lesbian mullet haircut. That combined with his single dangly earring was a Look.

The Player's coat was gorgeous. It felt grand but also appropriately dated/worn. It wasn't fully a feather jacket, but it had a smattering of large feathers that got more dense as it went down. It kind of reminded me of a vulture, honestly, which I think is fitting, with him being an opportunist that loves some corpses.

Script:

Misc. Stage Stuff:

Unless I'm really mistaken, I think they cut/modified the few lines with some outdated racial terms (I have two specifically in mind, referring to Chinese and Inuit people). So unless I just somehow missed hearing those, that's nice.

Just a note to say that the line about who the English King is will depend on when they get to England got a huge laugh. Thank you to King Charles' cancer for making everything funnier

The lighting !!! It really did a lot to separate the scenes from Hamlet from the rest of it. The stage was dark for most of it, with cool lighting (like a blue darkness). For the Hamlet portions, though, the lights were suddenly bright and warm yellow. That combined with the differences in the performances gave a strong impression that the curtain had just suddenly risen on a more traditional production of Hamlet right in the middle of Ros and Guil just doing whatever.

I really liked how they used the two risers on wheels they had (not sure if that's the right word -- they were those three-tiered platforms I remember from doing choir in school. Kind of like bleachers). They looked like they belonged on an empty stage and also gave the actors something interesting to climb on. They were able to reposition them pretty easily with the wheels, which really worked for the portions on the boat tbh. They just pushed them together so that the lower tiers touched to create a half-pipe-shaped skeletal "boat". They could climb "above deck", or even go below while still being fully visible from whatever angle. The whole thing was spun around a lot during the pirate attack, which was fun.

The risers also separated the stage really well in the first two acts. For most of it, there was one on the left side facing the audience, for characters to sit on, and one on the right facing backwards and partially obscured by the curtain they had covering that side of the stage. The curtain was backlit, so you could see the silhouettes of anything behind it. At some points, you could actually see shadows of events in Hamlet happening in the background while Ros and Guil were doing their thing in the foreground. Unfortunately I didn't get the best look at them, bc I was sitting at far right of my row, so the far right of the stage was partially out of my sight line. Still a really cool effect!

They did turn the risers fully around to face the back during the players' performance of The Murder of Gonzago, with the curtain pulled across. You saw the shadow of the king standing up and storming out.

For the final scene, they did the expected thing, where Ros and Guil are alone in the dark, illuminated by a single narrow spotlight each. The spotlight goes out when each of them die and they disappear from view. The detail that made me insane though is that each time a spotlight went out, they played the sound of a flipped coin hitting the stage and the audience was so quiet it felt like a gunshot both times.

After all the deaths they had Rosencrantz and Guildenstern start from the opening scene again tossing coins for a bit before the final curtain. They did not escape the narrative 😔

Will add more if anything else comes to mind?

#this felt good to write out #cementing the details in my brain #since alas I cannot follow the show to toronto #and it doesn't look like it's going to get filmed #which is a travesty #beyond lucky to be able to see it at all #things like this never come out my way it's nice lol #reilly.txt #rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead

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asmilethatshines · 4 months

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Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates the holiday and comes across my blog. May you and your loved ones be wrapped in happiness and tied with love ❤️🥰😍😘

I hope somewhere in their far-off memories something like this did exist once. I didn’t include L because to me he is not a brother/father figure to them.

I was complaining about my suck-ass lineart and someone commented: “line art is just a way to cheat since artworks without line art takes way longer to look okay enough/acceptable”. Of course I wanted to try a challenge like that 🤩 the x-mas tree looks ok without lineart (first time I drew an x-mas tree so Smile went easy on me and she said “it’s an ok tree” ._.). But I failed miserably with the boys lol especially Near. He looked like a ghost without lineart. Spent too much time trying to fix him and in the end I got tired and rushed everything left ._. Furthermore the coloring looks very different when seen on my laptop screen and phone screen. Edited a lot and now I have doubts about my own eyes ._.

This picture reminds me of the movie “The Great Gatsby” in some way, when Nick said he was both an insider and outsider several times in the movie.

By choosing to draw from this perspective it looks like I am an outsider standing outside Wammy House and get a glimpse of their nonexistent memories. But at the same time the x-mas tree takes direct references from our workplace’s x-mas tree. Plus Near’s sitting position is also a direct reference from my pose, I feel very much related to my picture, like I am the one sitting inside - an insider 🫣

Asked my colleague to take multiple photos of myself doing various things beside the tree for drawing references (sitting, standing, decorating, picking up ornaments/gifts…). Poor things had to put up with so much of my shit 🤣🤣

Behind the scene 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

#meronia #mello #near death note #matt death note #death note #merry christmas #oh well sorry for the blurry suckass picture this time it’s my fault not Tumblr 🫣🫢

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alitgblog · 3 months

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Continuing guessing what s8 characters are gonna look like, here we have the firefighter

I absolutely think if I tried to draw Alex from memory he would like this.

Let's just pretend this taken was right before he did a firefighter calendar shoot (for charity) because in my head I'm like oh he's Mr. February or something and that'll be his nickname in the villa and he's gonna be coy about it but embrace it like one Jake "Sweetcheeks" Wilson.

If we were going based off of personal preference, I wouldn't have drawn him like this. But fusebox tends to cycle through the same character designs, so like, he's gonna be the white golden retriever dad joke loving Gary/Alex of the group, so he has to look like this. I'm sorry. I just don't think fusebox is gonna give variety. I also just have a hard time imagining the name Oakley with a non white person lol

But Gary/Alex clone basically summarizes my choices; it's not nearly as complicated as last time for me😂

Clearly firefighter, he's gotta have the large chest and arms. I was looking at at pictures of Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans, particularly for the eyes, hair, and torso, because that felt like that conventionally attractive, muscular dirty blonde guy was the vibe.

I gave him tattoos so he didn't look exactly like Alex. I think the arm tattoo is probably gonna be more detailed like Gary's tattoos but I was too lazy to find a reference tattoo to draw so I did those arm bands, which could also be a tattoo he has. I also think the chest tattoo might be bigger/more detailed but I didn't know what to draw so the fact that I drew a bird at all to represent it is great for me. I do think maybe it'll be one of those heavily shaded tattoos.

I at first gave him thinner eyebrows and then was like nah if this is Gary/Alex he's gotta have thick dark eyebrows lol

I also was gonna give him dirty blond hair but it ended up looking more like brunette with blond tips like Bruno and I didn't hate it enough to change it haha.

as for style, I imagine ya know a lot of plain t-shirts and jeans. Not the most interesting. But I think having a very cozy style or with some colorful button ups/florals like Raf would be fun and a nice change.

all that being said I do have an alternative idea which is that in addition to all the family stuff like Gary, he's just as nerdy as Ibrahim but more confident, still stylish and such. Okay so that being said the inspo is Winston Duke but I personally have a problem fancasting Winston Duke in everything so that's just on me. Anyway this is the pipe dream for this character

#litg #litg s8 #(cough cough bonus drawing if you click read more)#speculation #this just reminded me i have a wip of gary somewhere i should finish #aside from making fun of fusebox in this post I do regret drawing my prediction guy so boring #... but i kinda think alex looks boring so 🫣#like alex is sweet personality wise but he's so plain looking compared to other characters they've drawn #also if you saw me accidentally post this earlier today for like a minute no you didnt bc i was at work 😂😂

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otakween · 6 months

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8-Man vs. Cyborg 009

Who's this schmuck? Just kidding, I did some background research and apparently 8-Man is one of the OG cyborg heroes to come out of Japan, predating Cyborg 009 by a year. He's called 8-Man because the scientist who turned him into a cyborg failed this experiment 7 times before getting to him. Yikes.

Crappy name aside (apparently the mangaka also had a manga called "Wolf Guy," which I find hilarious), it's a neat idea to put two OGs against each other. I'm sure the boomers are excited lol. (Come to think of it, Japan's population skews older, so it would make sense that this sort of thing would be published now).

Ch. 1

Coming from the BGOO Parts manga, the art feels a little clunkier and dated here. Backgrounds are very simple and there's less detail in how the characters are drawn. It's still faithful to the original series though and that's good enough for me.

Just like with BGOO Parts, they're rehashing Black Ghost stuff again, with some retconning along the way. Series that resurrect the same villain over and over are so dull. Please do something else writers!! :(

Why did the skull-masked guy (Cyborg #22) look kinda kawaii tho? They drew his eyes all shiny and cutesy.

They flashback to the end of volume 10 AGAIN. I guess that really is the most iconic moment of the franchise, but with every flashback it's losing its charm.

There was a diagram explaining 8-Man in the front of the manga and I guess he uses cigarettes as a power source? First of all...huh? Second, that's the most 1960s thing I've ever heard.

Also in the front of the manga is an image of Joe carrying a beat up looking 8-Man. Way to spoil it! I wonder what the vs. in the title is implying? Are they going to be rivals and then team up or are they straight up pitted against each other?

Did they pair these two together because they were like "8? 9? You get it? Eh? Eh?" What if it was 8-Man vs. 008 lol. It would have to be underwater randomly I suppose.

Ch. 2

Okay I stand corrected, I guess 8-Man isn't a cyborg...he's closer to an android, but he has a human consciousness so...he's not really an android either.

This was like, the exposition chapter. They wrote this assuming the reader was new to 8-Man and maybe Cyborg 009 too so they gotta hastily give little wikipedia summaries of what the reader missed lol. Not enough exposition for me to know who the robot bossing 8-Man around is supposed to be though! Maybe that'll come later.

I see the obvious parallels with the stories here, both cyborgs/androids/whatever were created as weapons but their creators wanted more for them. 8-Man has a little more of a film noir vibe tho with the detective aspect.

How the heck is a cigarette a "cooling" tool? My brain does not compute.

So 8-Man is being ordered to attack Joe, I guess. I wonder if he's been misled about Joe's background? He kinda helped him out back there with the cigarette, so I guess he's showing hesitation.

Ch. 3

So I guess Black Ghost's motive is to "resurrect/summon the God of war Ares by sacrificing one of the heroes..." Not Greek mythology again...please. I can't take it anymore!

8-Man's hands kinda look like Mickey Mouse gloves teehee

Dr. Tani and Dr. Daemon look so identical to me that I had to swipe back a few pages and compare them. I finally excepted they weren't the same person when Dr. Daemon referred to Dr. Tani in the third person lol.

We get more revelations about how 8-Man's machine brain works. He retains every memory (either OP or awful) and Ivan can't read his mind. I forgot Ivan could read minds in the first place? I feel like he doesn't do that much.

This manga has a lot of two page spreads, which I appreciate. They make the reading experience more cinematic, it moves things along quicker in general (no dialogue), and it looks great on my giant tablet :D

Ch. 4

The villains from the respective series place their bets on which hero will come out victorious. It gave me Squid Game vibes (but obviously less gruesome).

It's kind of funny how the villains are low key rooting their corresponding hero on, wanting to show off their nemesis to their new friend.

Kinda awkward how the other numbers cyborgs are just tagging along waiting for 8-Man and 009 to be done. I guess there's not much they can contribute, which is probably why BGOO Parts gave everyone accelerator mode...

Obvious fake out death is obvious

I enjoyed the shot of Joe and 8-Man outrunning the shinkansen. That was fun.

Ch. 5

After the battle between 009 and 8-Man, Black Ghost and Dr. Daemon attack and kidnap Joe, Francoise and Azuma. Black Ghost reveals their master plan to harvest memories from the cyborg so that they can resurrect the 3 brains that make up the "true" Black Ghost and put them in a giant robot body.

I'm not fully clear on what Dr. Daemon gets out of all this? I guess he gets to help rule the world or something?

The way they depict Francoise's ability makes her seem hilariously useless. She's supposed to be able to detect things from very far distances but every time she senses something it's like 2 feet away from everyone lol. Like she'll be like "something's coming...from the ocean!" and the gang turns around and it's right next to them. Thanks for nothing lol.

The demon God statue (taken from the original manga) looks kinda silly. It's bird beak makes it look like it's from Darkwing Duck or something haha.

Ch. 6

Okay 8-Man and Francoise getting all flustered once Francoise implied that her and Joe are in love was really cute. I wanna see more scenes of them getting to know each other and becoming friends :D (not likely)

The concept of world domination via a giant space satellite/demon God statue is pretty badass, not gonna lie. Very classic evil guy plan.

Seems we can now drop the pretenses that this is going to be a "versus" situation and everyone will just team up in volume 2. Pretty predictable.

#8-man vs. cyborg 009 #Cyborg 009 #manga #8-Man

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lostonehero · 10 months

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Heh, they got so close and just went Nope were gonna be in denial

Henry was in William's office. He was leaning on his friend on the couch. He couldn't come up with a reason why he wanted to touch William, nor could he explain why it made him feel better when he was around the other man. Henry could feel William examining his spider legs. It didn't feel bad, just odd, like a new limb. He no longer had the ability to look normal, but he didn't mind as much as he thought he would.

William hums. "Do you think there's bone underneath?"

"I dunno." Henry shrugs he's relaxed and content leaning on his friend.

"Can you feel me touch them?" William pauses, feeling Henry nod. "Interesting. How's your mouth?"

"I can't tell you, I'm asleep, remember." Henry chuckles, spotting his friend pout.

"You know what I'm talking about." William sighs. "Thanks again for...."

"Enough of that. I was happy to let Evan and Lizzie in. I would let Charlie in as well, but you know how slippery my daughter can be."

William chuckles. "She was having fun with that boy." He taps on the spider leg. "The night tours will be a great success, even if not many people come, the kids will have fun. Oh, and Clara will have a fit."

Henry decides that the tapping from his friend on his spider leg is his new favorite feeling. He smiles. "I think it will be a good time whatever the outcome.

William nods, stretching. "So want to watch an old memory?"

"Mine or yours?" Henry hums.

"Well, I don't want to move, so you'll have to deal with one of mine."

Henry can't help but smile. "I suppose I have to agree with you."

.....

"Mikey, when are you going to talk again." Evan hums drawing on a piece of paper.

Micheal shrugs he's sketching a portrait of Evan while he draws on the floor.

A piece of paper falls in front of Evan. "Oh, ok... Mikey, why do you like Jeremy? Mommy kept saying boys and girls belong together, not two boys or two girls."

Micheal puts his pencil down and sighs. A blackboard appears behind him, and he starts to write. "Some people just like the same gender. Some boys like boys and some girls like girls. Some like both."

Evan sits up and nods. "So you like boys and not girls?"

Micheal nods.

"How did you know?" Evan stares up with his big black innocent eyes.

Micheal pauses before he starts to write again. "It's complicated, I knew I didn't like girls, but it took me a while to realize that liking men was ok." He stops again. "People are weird."

"Lizzie says boys are weird." Evan hums, holding up his picture. "I drew you."

Micheal shakes with a silent laugh erasing the board before writing again. "Nice job, Evan. Want to see mine?"

Evan nods and gets up to walk next to Micheal, climbing on his chair as Micheal shows him his drawing. "You drew me?"

Micheal nods.

"I look so cool." Evan smiles. "Can I have it."

Micheal nods and rips it out of the sketchbook, handing it to Evan.

"Lizzie gonna be mad." Evan giggles.

Micheal pats his head.

"Can you.. uh... can you draw all of us? Like daddy Lizzie, you and me?"

Micheal smiles as he returns to the board. "You have to get then to sit still for me to get a picture to use as a reference."

Evan nods. "Ok, yeah. Thank you, Mikey."

"Don't thank me. I haven't done anything." Micheal writes out.

"Jeremy can be in it, too. He's nice. I like him, Lizzie thinks he's weird and says you can do better like a firefighter or a ballerina." Evan looks up and smiles, kicking his legs in his chair.

Micheal gives a silent laugh. "I was a firefighter."

Evan looks up amazed. "You were? Did you save a kitten from a tree?"

Micheal nods

"Can you tell me stories?"

Micheal smiles and writes. "I can write you stories."

"Mikey," Evan whines.

Micheal ruffles Evans hair and starts to write out a story of one of his jobs.

.....

Jeremy is sitting on Micheal's legs until he feels a push. Black eyes greeted him when he stared at Micheal. "...Evan?"

"Why are you sitting on Mikey?" The innocence in Micheal's voice was a little off-putting.

Jeremy pauses. "Well, I was going to kiss him awake, but Micheal doesn't like affection when he can't talk. So I'm bothering him by sitting on him."

Evan blinks. "Lizzie's right, you're weird."

Jeremy chuckles. "That's right, I'm a weirdo. Is Micheal up?"

Evan shakes his head. "Mikey wants to rest more, and he let me take control."

Jeremy nods. "Alright then." He pauses. This explains why Micheal wore a shirt to bed. "Alright up and at'em. It's time to get breakfast."

Evan nods, sitting up. Sure, he can easily control Micheal's body, but he isn't used to being this tall.

Jeremy can't help but smile. "Do you want help?"

"Mikey's big." The whine from Evan sounded strangely cute with Micheal's voice. He's standing with his arms crossed.

"Well, either go back and wait for Micheal to wake up, or I can help you to the kitchen."

"....help me." Evan says quietly.

Jeremy chuckles, helping Evan control Micheal's body to the kitchen, where Henry is already working on some eggs and bacon.

"Hi, Uncle Henry." Evan said cheerfully from Micheal's mouth.

Henry looked back and paused. "Micheal's asleep?"

Jeremy chuckles. "Micheal wanted to sleep in, Evan not so much." He can see William laughing in the reflection of the metal fridge.

Henry nods. "Alright, breakfast will be done soon. Eggs and bacon with some toast."

"Sounds really good." He was kicking his legs and leaning his elbows on the table. "What are we gonna do today?"

Henry holds back a laugh. Hearing Evan talk through Micheal's voice was quite amusing. "Well, I'll be going to work later, and I'm sure Micheal has his own chores to do today. Jeremy is going to visit his sister today, right?"

Jeremy nods. "Yeah, baby, be here any day, so today I'm watching over her. She hates it, but she also says she can drag me to the hospital."

"Why?"

Jeremy chuckles, pointing to his head. "I've got a brain injury. I know it looks healed, but I do have bad days."

"Does it hurt?"

Jeremy shrugs. "I mean phantom pain days, but mostly no. Just makes my thoughts fuzzy sometimes."

"Like how Mikey remembers our old house?"

"Uh, kind of." Jeremy hums. "Makes it hard to concentrate or recall things certain days, or filter my thoughts, but I'm healing.... still." He sighs. "I've been on a good streak, though."

"Fritz says he's sorry." Evan frowns.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I'm still not hurt."

"I know."

...

"Morning Mikey."

Micheal's eyes return to that baby blue as he yawns. He nodded and stared down at the half eaten food. He shrugs and continues to eat.

"Welcome back to the world of the living." A dry southern drawl comes from Henry, well William controlling Henry's body.

Micheal raises his brow.

"Uncle Henry wanted dad to eat." Evan says before he jumps to Henry.

Henry covers his face, trying to hide his inhumane parts. "Evan, go back to Micheal."

"You're weird like Mikey." Evan giggles and pokes at one of the spider legs. "Mikey has fox ears like foxy and a big zipper, and tendrils like doc ock from Spiderman. He has a tail, too, but he doesn't like it touched."

Henry sighs. "Does Micheal care that you're telling me?" He scoops up Evan.

"Ooo, your hands are black, like how daddy burns food on the grill." Evan giggles, grabbing onto Henry's hand. "Mikeys hands are like a skeleton. Yours are warm."

William coughs, grabbing a drink. "Evan, my cooking isn't that bad."

"I don't like it." Evan hums.

William frowns, and Micheal gives a silent laugh. "Oh, hush Micheal."

Henry chuckles softly. "This is why I don't let your father cook." He smiles softly. "You're not scared?"

"Noooo, Lizzie doesn't like spiders, I'm a brave boy." Evan jumps out of Henry's arms. "Spiders are cool. You're like Charlie. Oh, can you climb like her? Can you stick to the walls like Spiderman ?"

Henry chuckles again. "I don't know. I haven't tried." He can't help but smile. The comment about his daughter was small and probably didn't mean much to Evan, but it meant everything to him.

William hums. "Evan, go back to your brother. We're going to work soon."

Henry chuckles. "We don't have to leave for another hour, William."

Micheal picks up his empty plate along with his father's. He goes to clean them off in the sink.

Jeremy hums. "You can come with me to the hospital."

Evan makes a face and jumps back into Micheal.

Micheal shakes his head.

"Oh, I see how it is." Jeremy jokes. "Alright, well then, you have to deal with Micheal in therapy."

"What's therapy?" Evan looks up at Micheal, who sighs.

Micheal glares at Jeremy.

"I won't let you get out of it." Jeremy has a sly grin on his face.

Micheal gives Jeremy the finger, and he just laughs.

Henry's purple eye stops glowing. "Maybe you should come with us, Evan."

Evan jumps into the mirror and shakes his head.

Micheal sighs and waves. He takes out his phone and texts Henry. "I'm fine. It would probably be better if Evan came with me, and I know he won't understand, but it would make me feel better."

Henry sighs, putting his phone down. "I can drive you."

Micheal shakes his head

.....

Henry wasn't paying attention to him, and it was fine. He was working on going over paperwork, and he didn't want his help. Again, this was fine he wasn't a child, and he didn't need constant attention. He, however, wanted to reach out and grab him. He missed being alive. He missed being able to be himself and not puppet his friend's body in order to pretend to be alive again.

William sighs, and suddenly, he is dragged under. He blinked, confused, staring at an equally confused Henry. Well, he needed a name for this Henry, but he hasn't thought of a name yet. Maybe spider because this Henry calls him rabbit.

Henry blinks four eyes staring back at William, who was laying awkwardly in the webbed nest. "I didn't drag you here." He honestly looked a little lost with his confusion.

William coughs, sitting up. "You didn't?"

Soft clicks from his spider legs as he climbs into the nest. "Oh rabbit, you would know if it was me." He pauses, dragging William up, hooking his arms up with his hands.

William swallowed Henry's thick accent had never helped him focus on anything but the man in front of him. He didn't know why he was here, and he was thankful Henry was holding him up because he knows he can't stand in this nest.

"Why are you here?" Henry narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. He leaned his face closer to William to where he could feel his friend's hot breath on his neck, making him squirm. "I didn't send you here, nor did I drag you down."

William crossed his legs. He's never felt this way that he could recall. His head buzzed, and indecent images of his friend flashed in front of his eyes, causing a blush to form on his cheeks. His mouth went dry, and he struggled. "I-i"

"You what? Rabbit, use your words." He seemed impatient like William did something that riled him up. He pulls the taller man closer. "What's with that face rabbit?"

William whined, he has never whined even when Clara was using him. He might have groaned and grunted but never whined like a child not getting something they wanted. His face lit up a darker red as he crossed his legs tighter raised his arms to cover his face. This was Henry, and he couldn't. He couldn't allow himself.

Henry lowered William, crouching down using a clawed finger to wipe a tear from the other man's face. "Oh rabbit, what's the matter? Did I scare you?"

"S-stop being nice." William whined again he wrapped his arms around his chest and kneeled in the nest. He didn't know why everything felt wrong. He wasn't supposed to be happy or be rewarded. He was a bad man he had to be punished. Why wasn't Henry like Clara? He needed to be punished, but even Henry hurting him felt like a treat.

Henry pulled William's chin up so he could look the man in his eyes. Tears dripped down his friend's face, and he didn't like it. He frowns and dies something he regrets almost immediately and headbutt the man hard.

The dull pain from the hard hit clears William's head slightly, but it only gets worse as his hands cover his croch, and he can feel his body getting hot. "I-i," William swallows, opening his eyes and staring up at Henry.

And Henry, Henry growled. William couldn't tell if it was anger, frustration, or desire. "Rabbit -" he huffs, gripping William's shoulder painfully tight claws digging into his skin. "William."

The accent made things worse, and William bit his lip, swallowing a moan at his lips. The pain felt good, and he couldn't understand why. He gave an embarrassed whine when Henry let go and jumped back out of the nest. He felt so lewd and exposed, and he was still fully clothed. He didn't even register the click and that he was on the hard floor of his office.

Henry gets a sudden flash, and he snaps his pencil in his hand and swallows. "What the fuck." He wasn't one to curse either. He cursed again, seeing his hand bleeding from the splinters. He chose to ignore what images flashed in his mind and store it deep somewhere where he couldn't touch it. He needed his first aid kit.

.....

William doesn't know how long it took for him to calm down enough to see Henry again, but the first thing he noticed was the slightly bloodied bandage on his friend's hand. "I'm so sorry."

Henry looks up startled, but he drops his pencil instead of gripping it. "I uh, what?"

"I'm sorry for before, I uh don't know what came over me." William has a slight dusting of red on his cheeks.

Henry pauses. "William, I should apologize, I hit you. I panicked, and I hit you. Oh heavens, are you ok?"

William covered his face. "I don't have a bruise or marks from your claws. I deserved it, I mean, it probably should have hurt more, but it didn't, and I don't understand why it felt...." He stops himself to Henry's confusion. "I'm fine."

Henry looks distraught. "William..."

"I mean, Clara hurt me all the time. She used everything from a hot iron to knives to just whatever she could grab. She never did it in front of the kids, even Micheal didn't really know. If she wanted something, she would take it being sex or just inflicting pain. I mean, who would have believed me, a man getting hurt by his dainty ballerina wife. We couldn't divorce or separate due to the contract, so I just lived with it."

Henry isn't happy with the picture that was being painted, and he just wanted to hold William. "William, I'm sorry."

"Why? You hurting me isn't the same. Henry, I liked it." He laughs and hugs his chest. "It didn't feel bad, I... I" he covers his face and sighs. "Henry fucking I'm seriously broken, why did you even let me in?"

Henry didn't realize he was crying till William's expression changed. He swallows. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you, not anymore." He sighs, playing with his tie. He doesn't even know why he wore it he wasn't doing any meetings. "William, I don't want you to leave." His accent slipped at William. He didn't have the energy or focus to hide his accent it felt as if his mind was twisted and pulled by his emotions. He felt so raw.

"You don't want me to leave?" William stares at Henry with a shocked expression.

"Please don't leave." Henry wiped his eyes and stared down at his lap. "I don't want you to. I don't want to be alone again."

William swallows he doesn't like seeing Henry upset. He decides he never wants to see him upset every again. "I won't leave. I'll stay." He bites his lip. "Use the tissues on your desk, and please replace that bandage."

Henry gives a strangled laugh. "William, please." He wipes his eyes again with his hand. "William, you look like a mess."

"I don't think you look much better." William chokes out a laugh, and he realizes he's wearing a purple hoodie and sweat pants that have been through a shredder. "Bloody hell, you're right."

Henry smiles and takes a breath. "Alright, alright." He reaches for his first aid kit again. "I think I need to head to the bathroom for this."

"You didn't before?"

"It was just a pencil."

"Henry!"

"I'll clean it out." Henry sighs, heading to his personal bathroom. "I got the wood out."

"Henry, it's going to get infected." William sighs.

"I'll be fine."

.....

"Henry Arthur Emily what the fuck happened?" Jen has her arms crossed as she stands in the doorway to the entrance to Henry's home.

Henry looked around.

"Your middle name is Arthur? That's more British than William is." William hums.

"I'm fine." Henry waves his hands. "My jaw is a bit sore, but I'm fine."

Jen gives a look to Henry that makes him freeze. "Not only you've been ignoring my calls, you've spent an extra three hours at work, and your hand is bleeding. What did you do?"

Henry laughs nervously. "I was just working, and the pencil was an accident. I didn't realize how hard i was gripping it. I had my phone on silent, and I didn't check it."

Jen sighs. "Get your ass inside."

"Yes, ma'am." Henry sighs.

....

Jen is replacing the bandage on Henry's hand. "How long ago did you hurt it? It's still bleeding, not much, but still."

Henry frowns. "It's not that bad. It doesn't hurt either. It's actually really itchy." He sighs. "I'm fine, really, I uh do want to talk to you about something."

"About?" Jen rewrapps it. "Also, keep an eye on it. The edges are black, but it's too soon to be necrotic."

Henry takes back his hand and looks at William, who just shrugs. "I uh William and I talked today."

Jen's eyes widen. "And?"

Henry rubs his injured palm. "I uh Clara was actually a lot worse than I realized."

Jen sits back, but her brow is raised. "What do you mean?"

"Well.... uh, William showed me some of the scars he has from her." He can't outright say abuse. He doesn't want to do that to William. The man still thinks he deserves to be hurt.

Jen frowns. "Fuck..." She sighs. "How long?"

"Well, thanks to the contract William was under, he couldn't exactly leave, and uhh," Henry stops, staring at William.

"She's your sister. I don't mind if you tell her. Just let me be the one to tell Micheal when he asks." Willaim sighs and rubs his arm.

Jen grabs Henry's uninjured hand. "Henry, what did you see?"

Henry looks away. "Remember how Ma would get and what she did."

Jen grimaced.

"Worse than that." Henry stops. "Oh, I think I have some of his scars."

Jen takes a deep breath. "Does it hurt?"

"Hurt? No, the only thing that hurts is my jaw, but that's more of an ache." Henry pauses. "I didn't realize I got his scars."

William frowns. "Sorry...."

"No, no, it's fine. I don't really pay attention to my body." Henry hums. "I don't mind how I look."

Jen sighs. "I'm glad you aren't hurt. Well I think I have to visit the museum tonight."

Henry pulls out a remote from his pocket. "I made copies of the controlled shock remotes."

Jen smiles. "I won't need that, but I'll take it. I'll bring Margaret along, but that means you're staying here."

Henry frowns. "But..."

"Nothing, you're pushing yourself too hard now that you're in a younger man's body. I will not have you run yourself into the ground." Jen sighs. "Henry, stay in make dinner, I'm sure Micheal will want to spend time with you." She pauses. "Actually, is he ok?"

"He had a therapy appointment today, and Evan is with him. Oh, and he's also nonverbal." Henry sighs. "He says he's fine the last time we spoke."

Jen sighs. "That explains earlier, but that's fine. Let him move at his own pace. Rest up, Henry, and again, pay attention to your body. I swear I'm getting too old to keep patching you up."

Henry huffs, crossing his arms. "I am an adult, and I can take care of myself." He sighs and smiles. "I'll pay more attention. Both you and William will be keeping an eye on me."

"Good, William, I swear you better keep him out of trouble, possess him if you must, but he better be resting." Jen sighs. "Night." She waves and leaves.

....

Micheal stretches as he enters the kitchen. The smell of dinner cooking dragged him down. He taps on the wall to get Henry's attention.

"Oh Micheal, sorry I didn't mean to come by so late." Henry smiles. "I'm making a meatloaf."

Micheal nods and points to his hand.

"I didn't realize how strong my grip was holding a pencil." Henry sighs. "I already got a lecture from your father and my sister."

Micheal hums and blinks. Evan jumped to Henry without warning. It didn't bother him when Evan left it just shocked his system when he left and reentered, mostly its giving him lower back pain. It was probably the same as Henry's jaw pain from his father. So, it's not that concerning.

"Daddy, I met Mikey's therapist. He's British like you." Evan giggles. "He's very nice, and he even saw me, and he wasn't mad Mikey didn't talk. I went into the camera and scared him. Well, I didn't mean to scare him, but he was nice about it."

William smiles. "Did Micheal actually get to talk to him?"

"No, but he did type to him." Evan hums. "Mikey's been writing a lot."

"Well, he isn't able to talk right now, so writing is his next option." William smiles again, picking Evan up.

"You're right." He gives William a hug. "Did you know Mikey was a firefighter. Lizzie gonna be mad I found out first."

William chuckles. "Was he? Oh, you'll have to tell me about it."

Henry listened in as Evan talked about the stories Micheal had told him. He pauses and turns to Micheal. "Did you have a good day?" He smiles as Micheal nods. "Good, I suppose I did too."

Micheal hums.

"Did Jeremy become an uncle yet?" Henry sighs when Micheal shakes his head. "Oh, she must not be happy, I recall when Margaret was at the end of hers with Charlie. Oh, that wasn't a fun time."

Micheal nods and sends Henry a text. "Jeremy ended up getting a full work up at the hospital while his sister laughed. She isn't comfortable, but she's taking it in stride."

Henry smiles. "Good for her is Jeremy ok?"

Micheal nods and sends another text. "Jeremy's fine. It's just the normal scans he has to get. He hates them, but his medicine is working the way it should, so it's all good news."

"Good, I'm glad." Henry chuckles at the text Micheal saying Jeremy will be grumpy.

Micheal smiles and starts to sketch in his book.

....

Henry went to bed early, Evan didn't want to explore his mind, so he jumped back to Micheal because Micheal was teaching him life stuff. Which neither of the men could figure out when they pushed. They all hoped Micheal would start talking again. He sighs as he lays down, he was going to have to talk to William. He just hoped he wouldn't leave.

Opening his eyes, he's in his home. It looks off like his old childhood home somehow carved its way inside. He hated it.

Henry sighs as he slashes at all the old doors. He didn't need this, and he didn't want these old memories infecting him. He didn't want William to see these. He huffs as he makes his way down the new halls.

He stops, William's door seems to have roots, spreading into Henry's own mind, it was comforting. He let his anger melt, and suddenly, he felt content as if seeing his friend relax and dig themselves deeper into him was comfort itself. It meant at least he wouldn't leave.

Punching in the code became a second nature as he opened the door. He breathes a sigh of relief when he steps inside. William's office resembled more of an apartment now. It's not perfect, but it's a work in progress.

William is lounging on his couch. He's working on a little box, and he has a screwdriver in his free hand.

"Sorry to interrupt..." Henry laughs when the box falls on William's face.

William sighs. "You're asleep early."

"I'm taking my sister's advice to heart and taking a rest. Should I return to my mind?"

"N-no." William didn't mean to stutter, but Henry, for some reason, made him flustered now. They talked about this in the office he needs to relax.

Henry moves and picks up the box. "What are you working on?"

"A music box." William sighs. "You are my sunshine is the song."

Henry hums. "I do enjoy that song."

"So do I." William sighs as Henry puts it on the table and sits on the recliner next to the couch. "So what do you want to do?"

Henry shrugs. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. It's just a perpetual state of fine since I'm dead." William sighs. "But I am ok. I'm sorry about earlier. I don't exactly have good control of my emotions."

Henry frowns. "William, it's ok. I'm not mad. It's ok to feel whatever you have to." He pauses. "Are you sure? I think I hit you pretty hard."

William chuckles. "Because you've got a thick skull." He shakes his head. "No, totally healed and fine. I've never seen you pick violence as an answer before."

"You've never seen me as a teenager." Henry pauses, rubbing his face. "Gosh, I was probably worse than Micheal. I don't know how Jen handled me."

William snickers. "I highly doubt it. You were way too nice when we first met."

"That's because I grew up." Henry huffs. "What were you perfect growing up?"

William mock gasps. "I was a good kid. Actually, to be honest, I didn't do much but focus on studies. Didn't really have friends. I kept to myself. Books were my friends, parents always worked so didn't really interact with them much. I hope Micheal never met them. They had the philosophy that children are to be seen, not heard, probably why I never had siblings."

"That sounds dreadful." Henry hums, pulling up the foot rest. "Is that why you were so quiet when we first met?"

"I wasn't quiet. You just talked so much." William crosses his arms.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." Henry smiles. "Is that why I've never met your parents?"

"I mean, you did briefly, but you probably thought they were strangers. I got a lecture about not letting a dumb American ruin my life, but jokes on them, I ruined yours."

"William, sure you did bad things, but I don't think of my life as ruined." Henry chuckles. "I think in some ways you made it better."

William covers his face as he feels heat in his cheeks. "You're such a sap."

"Only for you, William." Henry chuckles as William turns to face the inside of the couch.

...

Micheal has gotten used to the ache in his lower back. It's gotten a little bothersome, but he didn't mind it. Ok, maybe it was a little frustrating getting pants on. He didn't want to make it a big deal. Jeremy was finally back he spent a few weeks helping his sister with the twins, shocking nobody knew she was having twins. Doesn't matter. Jeremy is back.

"Mikey, why are you so excited?" Evan is sitting on the bed.

Micheal smiles. "Jeremy will be back any moment. I have missed him."

"He's been with his sister, right? She had her babies." Evan hums.

"That's right, but he's coming back." Micheal can hear him coming to the room.

"Put on pants, Mikey. You can't surprise him in your boxers." Evan huffs.

"My back hurts Evan." Micheal sighs. "Fine, I'll find a pair of sweat pants." He cdouches down to go through the draws. "Sorry, I'm getting pants because Evan says I have to get dressed."

Jeremy opens the door and freezes, staring at Micheal, well staring at the massive red bump coming from his tailbone. "Micheal?"

Micheal turns around. "Yes, Jeremy, my love... what's with that look?" He sighs. "Look, it's not infected. I've checked, just uncomfortable."

"Micheal, I haven't been gone that long. Are you ok?" Jeremy puts his bags down and crouches next to Micheal. He reaches out and touches it, pulling back when Micheal makes a noise of discomfort. "It's hot to the touch, and it's hard, so I don't think it's puss."

Micheal sighs. "It's not. I've cut it open a week back, kind of want to do it again." Micheal sighs and pulls out a pair of grey sweat pants. "It's like my uncle's jaw, but he's fine, so I'm probably fine. It's just a side effect from Evan going back and forth, and I'm not mad at him for it."

Evan frowns. "But, you're hurt..."

"I'm fine, and besides, it's not like it will kill me." Micheal shrugs.

"That doesn't mean it's ok." Jeremy sighs. "Does Henry know?"

"No."

"Yes, I told daddy and Uncle Henry." Evan frowns.

"Evan..." Micheal sighs and pulls the pants on grimacing at the pressure. "It's fine. Everything is fine."

#immortal micheal afton #william afton #henry emily #micheal afton #jeremy fritzgerald

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fairyhaven13 · 2 years

Photo

I saw this making the rounds among the Self Shippers I follow, so I had to do one! I saw this on @shiny-self-shipping‘s page for reference. I did edit the name, though, because although these OCs all started as self-ships, now they look absolutely nothing like me. But, they were still created with the intention of shipping with a favorite character, and I think they count. I had to add a couple extra rows because I just have so many. I’ll put some info on each ship under the cut.

Kind vs Cruel--that’s my non-Hazbin version of Alastor (I use him in the Owl House instead) with an OC I haven’t fully decided on a name for. I’m still working on figuring out her story. Right now I’m thinking she accidentally brings Alastor from the Boiling Isles to the human world and has to teach him how to live there.

Morosexual and Moron--that’s another unnamed OC with Sun Wukong, specifically the version of him from Lego Monkie Kid. He’s an overconfident idiot with a good heart. What’s not to love?

Drive Each Other Nuts--Barbara Ann Berry, or just “Ann,” who works for King Dice at the casino. She’s always causing trouble, and he’s always getting onto her case for it, but they love each other anyway.

Dork and Debonair--my TF2 class, Snitch, with the red Spy. Gosh, I drew him awful. His face is surprisingly difficult to capture.

Criminal Pals to Lovers--Pepper, an alien from outside Star Command’s influence, rebuilds Nos4a2 and they become partners in crime.

Height Difference--Zoe and Troy are sent back in time to Borderlands 2 and become part of the Vault Hunter gang there, falling in love in the process.

Peppy and Grumpy--Dottie was originally Cad’s target, but she ends up helping him enough that they become partners. She’s a sweetheart and he hates it but he gets fond of her as time goes on.

It’s About Power--Layne is my Courier Six and is very smart and very strong. She won’t let Dean be in control like he wants to be. He very unexpectedly gets flustered by this.

Lit Major and Drama Major--Jill is a New Yorker with a calm outlook and thinks she’s very profound. Scarecrow is a perceptive ham who shows Jill that she isn’t as great as she thought she was.

Sunshine and Tsundere--Rynn Spicito gets the card pack instead of Luke and glitches the game out, getting physically sucked into it. She is enamored by P03 and refuses to leave him alone, and he won’t admit he likes it, even when he ends up saving her from the agent who came to kill her.

Mom Friend and Dad Friend--Barb runs into Sam and Max on a mission gone crazy (as usual) and ends up part of the team. She’s very maternal and is always watching after the two, scolding them when they’re particularly rotten and baking them cookies on the side.

Poised Perfection and Ditz--Sally May got pulled into the Dishonored games through Void shenanigans and the Outsider is baffled by it. She loves teasing him and running around like a headless chicken and it amuses him greatly.

Hurt/Comfort--Marylin, my Anti-Maria Robotnik, is knee-deep in the war with Zobotnik when her team captures Ztarline. He quickly realizes that, A, she is a Robotnik, and B, she is a kindhearted one who won’t betray him, and joins her side. He briefly is terrified when Finitevus turns her into Enerjak but honestly he finds it more enamoring. They’re there for each other when they weep over past memories in the middle of the night.

Nervous Wreck and Monster--Parcel was from the normal dimension on Earth and was pulled into the crazy side Hat Kid landed on. She is terrified of Snatcher, but he ropes her into a contract as his mailwoman and she’s too happy to have job security to complain. She catches Snatcher off guard by bonding with him through it.

Hermbo and Tired Cynic--Sarah is a half-Trill who ends up on DS9. Her inclusion changes the timeline and Weyoun ends up on the station as well, with her teaching him how to Person. She’s endlessly optimistic and it’s what keeps him going.

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chuluoyi · 6 months

Text

UNHOLY MATRIMONY — 07

✩°｡ ⋆ love unspoken

- fushiguro megumi x oc/reader - oc/reader's character name is hara sena, pronouns still refer to “you” and i won’t mention it often—just for the sake of aesthetic rather than repeatedly writing "y/n"

in another life, in which fate is still screwing his life over, Fushiguro Megumi finds himself in an arranged marriage―with you.

genre/warnings: arranged marriage au, gojo cameo, jealous!megumi

notes: ladies and gentlemen, it’s with great pleasure to tell you that another drama is about to unfold after a one-week break :)

✩°｡ ⋆ unholy matrimony (masterlist) | chapter six : a longer dream <- previous ✩ next -> chapter eight : all falls down

Harajuku, Shibuya. The busiest ward in the city is the most lit spot to meet up with anyone. And the greatest place to hide in plain sight.

Gojo Satoru, suave and neat in his casual shirt with that distinctive sunglasses, undoubtedly drew the eyes of many. He appraised you from head to toe, from your curled hair to your blue floral sundress, and then let out a chuckle.

"Well, well… Look at you. Now quite happily married, eh?"

You regarded him with a furrowed brow. "It's been a while, Gojo-san."

"How's it going? No regrets, I hope? You look absolutely stunning, so I'd assume not."

This isn't a good idea, you lamented internally. You shouldn't have agreed when he asked to meet at this popular bakery in Harajuku.

After Megumi's more or less confession on that morning, you immediately contacted Gojo, because in the end, he was the only one who actually could help you and Megumi.

You cleared your throat. "Megumi treats me well, yes."

"As I expected of someone I raised," Gojo proudly quipped with a proud smirk on his face.

You remembered the night following that fateful morning a week ago. Megumi told you that he was this close to finding someone who might be able to break his sister's curse.

“A curse-breaker, also a jujutsu sorcerer,” Megumi explained. “She possesses a nullifying technique capable of canceling all curses. Perhaps she can help to free Tsumiki as well.”

A beam bloomed on your face upon his explanation. "That's great! Like, if she can cancel the curse, there's a high chance for her to recover right?"

"Should be... I've got to meet up with her first though. So far, I'm still using the Zen'in name to contact her." He had this look of being deep in thought briefly before fixing his gaze on you. “Well, I just want you to meet Tsumiki soon.”

The fact that he wanted you to meet his remaining family filled you with joy. "You never talk about her much. Tell me more."

"She's exceptionally kind. In short, she is different from me." His emerald eyes crinkled a bit, seemingly remembering a fond memory. "She is against cruelty, even though there were many people who weren't nice to us."

"For as long as I can remember, it's only been Tsumiki and me," Megumi proceeded to add, as if sensing your curious stare. "Gojo-sensei is there too but I can't say he's my father now, can I?"

No, Gojo is more like his benefactor, and with his sister cursed, Megumi is essentially alone. Your smile fell a bit at that.

It was strange, you did feel sympathy for Megumi before, but now that you had acknowledged that you were in love with him—and even more now that he also made it clear that he felt the same, the thought of him being alone sent needles to your heart.

"Don't make that face," he retorted and you glanced at him. "I'm fine now. It was not that bad."

He then went after your hair and messed it up, making you scrunch your face in faux indignation.

Before you even realized it, you were down bad for him. You didn't want to see him get hurt or upset, and ultimately, you wanted to stay by his side for as long as possible. And that was what hurt the most, because you didn't know how long this could go on.

That was why now you were facing this six-eyed devil once again.

"Gojo-san," you exhaled. You didn't come here just to let him mess with you. "With what I've heard, the first hearing went well. The second one will be held soon. You… will be there, right?"

He let out a thoughtful hum. "Well, if I don't have any missions lined up, then sure."

"Please treat it more seriously. You know how they wouldn't dare to touch him with your presence alone."

"Oh, it seems you've forgotten already," Gojo remarked with a snort as he plucked a mini tart and popped it into his mouth. "That should be your part, Sena-chan. I'm just here to assist."

You clicked your tongue in irritation. "My point exactly. I'm asking you to provide your assistance."

You couldn't really believe him. He had said it himself—he had raised Megumi. Why wasn't he slightly bothered at all?

"You know, you're really cunning now that I thought about it," he blurted, mouth still stuffed full, as if mocking you altogether. "You're playing him like a puppet just to fulfill your goals."

"Don't act like you don't have your own agenda too." You bite back your anger, disregarding his comment. Apparently, true to many rumors about Gojo you had heard, this man was truly infuriating. "You want control over Zen'in. That was why you agreed to my proposition in the first place. You're using Megumi too."

"Are you really in mourning?" Gojo fixed his gaze on you, his clear blue eyes seemed to shimmer. "Barely a month after your mother's passing and you are instigating another bloodbath without knowing the consequences."

You felt your breath hitch at the blunt words. Something inside you snapped at his mention of your mother, and you bit your lower lip, willing your tears at bay.

Gojo's mouth was split into this rather manic grin, satisfied at how he managed to make you clam up. He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Crankiness doesn't suit you, Sena-chan. And you don't have to worry if I will be there, because as you put it yourself, I do have my reasons."

But now your mind was pulled elsewhere. "Did you know something about who murdered my mother?"

"No. But she wasn't even a sorcerer. Who would target her? Someone who pins a mark on you would."

"Zen'in Naoya..." You gasped at the realization. He was the first person you should look into, how could you overlook it?

"Nah, but that's jumping too early," Gojo huffed. "You can't just come with nothing and accuse him of murder. Naoya would have your head before Megumi's."

"But he—!"

"Keep your eyes forward, Sena." Gojo's voice dropped, nearly sending a shiver down your spine. This sensation felt familiar to you, you could have sworn you have gone through this washed up terror before.

Your father's warning words. The way you would lower your forehead to the dirt ground, asking him for permission only to be told to remember your place.

Gojo Satoru was this era's strongest sorcerer, and now he was staring you down as if you were the stupidest person he knew. "I see through you. You can't run away from this. Not anymore."

And his smirk made you flinch.

"Not when Megumi is involved. Figuratively and literally speaking, you can't do that."

You shuddered this time, as what he said sank into your core. Figuratively and literally was the cold truth, incorporated in your binding vow, and not for the first time, you truly feared what and where this would lead to.

Perhaps sensing your silence as petrification—which wasn't far off the mark, brutally speaking—Gojo threw his hands in the air and barked a sardonic laugh to ease the tension. "Well, you've got me. Don't stress too much about him. Worry about your actions more."

"I'm doing this for him as well, you know," you snapped. "All of this, now I'm doing this all for him too, not solely for myself anymore."

Megumi was now so close to breaking Tsumiki's curse. As much as the prospect of him becoming the Zen'in clan head wasn't appealing at the slightest, that vile name was still useful and you could worry about that later.

Gojo released a derisive snort. "Is that so? Then, what's still in it for you?"

You looked at him with blind determination.

"I'm going to destroy Zen'in Naoya by taking away the one thing he covets the most."

Megumi thought it was going to be an ordinary day. As ordinary as meeting someone new would be, at least.

He was meeting up with a woman by the name of Kurusu Hana to discuss the possibility of curing his sister in Shibuya. At first she was acting fine, he was certain of that.

"Zen'in, right?" her voice sounded hesitant. He snapped his head towards her, and nodded. She promptly took a seat before him in this high-end cafe. She seemed nice, and he was convinced after she introduced herself.

"Let me introduce myself first. I'm Kurusu Hana, it's a pleasure to meet you, Zen'in-san."

"Oh, that... actually—" He never rectified it in their calls, but it felt wrong if he didn't disclose it to her now. "I'm not actually a Zen'in—please call me Fushiguro. Fushiguro Megumi."

"Fushiguro... Megumi...?"

That's when he noticed a sudden shift in Hana's gait. It occurred to him that she might be not as cooperative now after knowing that he was a not true-born Zen'in. However, this theory didn't align with her behavior, as she continued to respond to his inquiries and displayed genuine interest in Tsumiki's condition.

"Uh—oh, so it's been nine years..." she mumbled, lost in thought. "A curse as profound as that is not easily undone." Hana briefly met his eyes, then quickly looked away, a shy expression crossing her face.

If he were honest, her demeanor made him uncomfortable. He saw that kind of expressions on you, and you looked adorable, whereas she... was not. Well, might be because he definitely wasn't remotely attracted to her.

"Can it be reversed somehow?" he asked curtly.

"In theory, there's a chance. Possibly 40% actually," Hana responded, though her tone lacked the firmness he would have preferred to hear. "A curse residing that long in a human's body have... ingrained into the body itself, so it's not going to be as simple as exorcising newly-planted curses."

Megumi knew it wouldn't be easy, but hearing it firsthand was undeniably disheartening. "I see... Is there something that I—or you—can do?"

"I can attempt to break it, but the cost of it failing would mean the vessel’s immediate death."

He took a sharp intake of breath at that, his chest feelings suddenly tight.

Why was this world so unforgiving to kind people like Tsumiki and your mother? They hadn't done anything wrong, so why did they have to bear such heavy curses?

It was hard, but stalling any longer still meant Tsumiki’s impending death, so he decided to go through with the idea.

Hana would do enchantments for three weeks straight as a preparation to lift the curse from Tsumiki's body. And Megumi would be there to keep watch. Ah, he was thinking he could bring you too to switch with him if needed.

Wrapping the discussion up, he expressed his gratitude to Hana and prepared to take is leave. However, she halted him with a hesitant look.

"We have met before." She looked at him with such a hopeful expression it was jarring. "D-Do you... remember me?"

To him, what she said sounded like the peak of absurdity, and so he blurted the first thing that crossed his mind. "No, we have not."

"But..."

Megumi wanted to argue but then noticed something peculiar out of the corner of his eye. Through the glass panel of the quaint cafe, he could see the establishment next door that just happened to be where you and Gojo were.

Wait, you and Gojo-sensei?

"You saved my life!" Hana exclaimed, her raised voice shattered his thoughts and drew the attention of nearby diners. "You had two dogs with you—they led me out safely. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made it until today."

There were many things on Megumi's mind then. It took him a few seconds to discern her words as his eyes flickered again to where you were, and this time he saw you getting up from your seat and grabbing your purse.

And how Gojo seized your arm, pulling you roughly enough that you stumbled back a couple of steps.

Megumi saw red.

"I don't remember."

He knew it was his irritation speaking. He shouldn't have brushed her off like that, especially since he was the one in need of her help, but an overwhelming urge to stride over to where you were surged within him, and Hana's insistence was starting to grate on his nerves.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go." He completely missed Hana's crestfallen face as he fixed his gaze on you. "Thank you. I'll be seeing you again soon. Will contact you later."

He marched towards where both you and Gojo were, forcefully yanking the door that it caused the bells to ring with such intensity that it startled the girls waiting in line for pastries. That was when he realized that this fancy place was the one that required reservation before you could have a seat here.

Was it Gojo? Or you?

In any case, it appeared that both of you had finally become aware of his presence. You whirled to face him, wrenching your hand off Gojo's grasp.

"Megumi." Your voice came in a tense gasp. "What are you doing here?"

In sharp contrast to you, Gojo Satoru was jolly and didn't seem to care if he had just manhandled another man's wife. "Yoo, Megumi! It's been a while!"

It was as if every wire in his body had switched to autopilot. He remained expressionless, but he swiftly grasped your hand and pulled you to his side.

"I'm the one who should be asking you." His voice carrying a hard edge as he turned to you. "What are you doing here with him, of all people?"

"Booo, Megumi, you wound me! It's not like I would do anything to Sena-chan—"

Gojo's familiarity with you seemed to irritate him even further as he shot him a warning look. "Shut up, you're annoying," he said, lacing his fingers with yours and glancing at you from the corner of his eye. "We're going home."

The three of you—or rather, Megumi—definitely had made a debacle that onlookers were left with gaped expressions. He scowled and passed by them, maintaining a firm grip on your hand.

Gojo couldn't suppress an amused smile. "Well, well, Megumi-kun... Look at how much you've grown up."

Kurusu Hana was in love with Fushiguro Megumi.

She had convinced herself of that fact somehow, going as far as thinking of him as her destined one.

On a harsh snowy day, when she was teetering on the brink of certain death, a fluffy dog suddenly barked at her and indicated the path to safety. She recalled crawling on her hands and knees, following the white dog, until she felt the warm touch of local police guiding her to a secure location, away from menacing curses. She also remembered how the dog had dashed toward a boy who promptly patted it on the head. The boy, whose name she would later learn as Fushiguro Megumi, looked at her with a straight face, before a smile slowly spread across his lips.

She really didn't expect that she would really meet him again. More than ten years had passed by, and yet she still held that boy close and dear to her heart. Her savior.

Meeting him again this time was, of course, fate, or at least that was what she thought. She was about to erupt with euphoria… until he didn’t acknowledge her and left to catch another woman, pulling her along in a display of possession.

She was heartbroken. Maybe it was her fault too for keeping this love unspoken for as long as she did. But then again, how would she even speak it out loud? She never got the chance.

The way this encounter had played out and that she had seen him firsthand with a woman who clearly had his affections made her realize that there might not be a chance for her after all. Hana felt disheartened once more. But her spirits were consoled somewhat as she reminded herself that, from now on, she would be in contact with Megumi regularly due to her involvement in breaking his sister's curse.

It’s okay… Even if she couldn't have him, she could still admire and be near him.

That… should be enough.

✩°｡ ⋆ next -> chapter eight : all falls down

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#jujutsu kaisen #fushiguro megumi x reader #fushiguro megumi x oc #fushiguro megumi #megumi fushiguro #jjk x reader #megumi fushiguro x reader #fushiguro megumi fluff #jujutsu kaisen x reader #megumi fluff #arranged marriage au #fushiguro x reader #megumi x reader #jjk megumi #jjk fanfic #jjk imagines #fushiguro megumi angst #series: unholy matrimony

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