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xfgpng · 10 months

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“𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲”

— : [nsfw] arranged marriage, loss of virginity, virginity kink, unprotected sex, praise kink + pet names

— wc : 4.8k

it’s an auspicious date for the ideal wedding. as ideal as a wedding can be for someone who wasn’t in the loop until a week ago. she had never dreamed of getting married, it was all too much for her but she knew her place.

her parents are far too secretive about everything and she’s only been told that the man she’ll be marrying is someone of high status.

she’s was not surprised in the least, considering her parents cared more for their status and money than they did about her wellbeing. she wonders what she would’ve done without saeko tanaka, a lovely maid servant her parents had hired when she was barely a teen and saeko had finished high school.

“dear, you know your place in society, don’t you?” her mother smiles but that smile has never reached the old woman’s eyes and it left her feeling uncomfortable.

she sometimes wondered if her parents would be more proud of her if she was a boy. she was smart and ambitious and had already graduated university with her degree but it was never enough for them.

greed was an ugly demon, always lurking close by.

“first we bow to the heavens and the earth, darling”

she woke up with a loud gasp. the air around her felt cold and damp despite it being much warmer these last few nights.

it sounded like something had whispered to her but she supposed anyone would be jumpy, preparing for a wedding they didn’t want to be apart of.

her friends were right, it was ridiculous to agree to marry someone she didn’t even know. they wouldn’t even tell her his name.

“the age of social media” her father rolled his eyes, “i don’t need you going around making a mockery of this family on that ridiculous x app you like to be on”

what about what she wanted? she knew that none of that mattered to her parents anyway so it was pointless arguing and running away would create bigger problems.

there was no way she’d be able to fall back asleep and she knew that if she tried to sneak down to saeko’s room, there was a chance she’d run into her father since he was always up in his study and she was too angry to talk to any of her parents.

“it was just a dream” saeko says, helping her prepare breakfast, “don’t read too much into it”

she did have a had habit of being a superstitious but for days she’d been having strange dreams and then she finds out she’s engaged? it felt like a warning of some sort.

“i just don’t understand why they can’t tell me anything about him” she groans, “what difference does it make? i’ll still have to marry him”

“maybe he’s a politician” saeko offers which doesn’t help ease the nerves at all. she never imagined being married to anyone that important, let alone a politician.

she wouldn’t put it past her parents though, since it would make them look good in the eyes of the public. attorney general’s daughter marrying into a prestigious family and she can only imagine the people flocking to her mothers design company.

she felt like a pawn to them.

“a red veil is compulsory dear, you know how important this is for your father and i” her mother sighs, “don’t make this difficult for yourself”

“what does he do?” she asks, “the man i’m supposed to marry”

“why does it matter?” her mother rolls her eyes, forcing her to stand upright as her measurements are being taken, “he’s very important and it won’t do us any good if you upset him”

“i feel like a doll” y/n frowns, “it’s too tight”

“you are a doll” her mother cups her cheek, “the prettiest of them all and you’ll be the perfect bride”

and the perfect sacrifice

“tonight, you’ll wear white” her mother instructs, “it’s important that you look your best”

“what’s wrong with what i have on?” she frowns

“don’t be silly” her mother scoffs, “i had the maids prepare your dress and shoes and saeko will help with your hair”

reaching into her bag, she produces a beautiful black box with gold phoenixes decorating it.

“a gift, from your betrothed” her smile is genuine this time and y/n knows it’s because she cares more about the expensive piece of jewellery.

the gold chain is thin and dainty and y/n can see the tiny center piece is the “grooms” family crest. she’s heard about these kinds of traditions and she doesn’t bother fighting when her mother insists on putting it on for her.

binding.

“how beautiful” her mother sighs but her eyes are on the center piece and once again, y/n feels like nothing more than a pawn.

she would never consider herself to be superficial, she knew real beauty was skin deep but she couldn’t help the small gasp when her walked into their large dining room.

he was so tall and pale, the moles on his face making his beautiful face stand out that much more. he didn’t smile and he didn’t seem interested in shaking hands with anyone, keeping a distance from her parents as his driver and assistant, stood nearby.

their eyes met a few times and y/n felt a cold shiver run down her back. his eyes were like two beautiful black holes, way too dangerous to keep looking or you’d surely get lost forever.

for a moment, it felt like the chain around her neck burned into her skin and she winced, looking back down at her hands in her lap.

“master wants to speak with you alone”

she looks up to see the man that had arrived with her .. fiancé.

“there’s no need to worry, i’m atsumu” atsumu smiles gently, “he’s in the garden”

she nods and follows him into the backyard. it’s the one place she can truly call her own since her parents never cared about it.

“there you are” kiyoomi says and his voice is rich and deep, causing a pleasant shiver to run down her spine. it’s different being this close to him and she’s a little surprised when he reaches for her hand and it’s cold to the touch.

“there’s no need to be so shy around me” he tells her, “we’re going to be married soon”

“… right” she says because she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. it helped that he was charming and he smelled like fresh lotus flowers.

“you’ll have a garden, just like this” kiyoomi says, “you take care of these flowers no?”

“i do” she smiles, “it’s my garden”

“you can plant whatever you want” he grins, “you’ll have all the free time to do everything you like”

as long as you never leave.

“iI think my mother would’ve loved you” kiyoomi says as he watches her pour him his tea, “she liked gardening too”

“oh.. i’m sorry” y/n says awkwardly

“it’s alright” he says, “it’s been years since i lost my parents, it’s an old wound”

does that mean he chose to marry her on his own? she didn’t understand what was going on. she also didn’t know how he even met her father and what exactly did he do for a living.

the next week felt like a blur, with having to get more measurements done, to having an official dinner as a family. they weren’t even married yet but the news spread fast that y/n, daughter of the attorney general, was finally going to be betrothed.

everyone in the city seemed to be excited for the grand wedding. smaller cities meant that everyone knew each other and she couldn’t even go out with friends without people congratulating her and some people looked as though they felt sorry for her.

an elderly lady at the café she frequented couldn’t even look at her without becoming teary eyed.

“i’m not going to stop coming here” y/n tries to make it lighthearted, “i’ve been coming here since high school”

“oh sweetheart” the elderly lady shook her head but before she could speak further, her husband pulled her away from their table.

“what was that about?” keiji asks

“it’s an old people thing” maki rolls his eyes, “don’t pay them any mind y/n”

y/n tried to ignore the uneasy feeling she felt for the rest of the day. it felt like the lady had more to say but her husband stopped her before she could say anything.

was kiyoomi really someone that well known? she had never really seen or heard of him before and that made her even more confused because the city wasn’t that big.

everyone knew everyone.

“there you are!” her father exclaims and she resists the urge to roll her eyes at him.

“kiyoomi thinks it’s important that you two get to know each other before the wedding” her father says and she can hear, in his tone, that there’s no room for arguments.

“will he come here?” she asks and her father shakes his head.

“he’s sending atsumu to pick you up tomorrow morning” he holds her hand, “you’ll spend some time with him so pack a bag”

she widens her eyes at that. her parents had always been strict about dating so why would they be so comfortable to let her stay at a man’s house she barely knew? a man she was engaged to.

“and keep the chain on at all times” he reminds her as she stands, “it’s important to him”

what about me?

“we’re very proud of you” her father says, “you’re very important to us”

she tries not to cry because that’s the first time he’s ever said that to her. she can’t even bring herself to hate him because after all, he was her father.

she wasn’t sure what she was expecting but his house is much bigger than hers and much more .. haunting. it must’ve been around in his family for many years despite being in perfect condition.

“come, atsumu will have them put your things in your room” kiyoomi takes her hand, “let me show you around”

“is this—”

“i told you” he pulls her into the huge garden in the back, “you can plant whatever you want here”

“it’s beautiful” y/n smiles, allowing herself to feel just a little bit happier. at least she’d be away from her parents for a few days.

“it’s yours” he tells her, “or rather, it will be”

and you’ll belong to me.

when keiji comes by the next day, he’s also shocked at how big the house is but it feels empty, almost like the walls whisper to you when you’re alone.

“the old lady was at the store earlier” keiji says, “she was so worried about you”

“about me?” y/n frowns, “what did she say?”

“she was talking so fast but she mentioned something about an old village nearby and sacrifices”

“oh” y/n laughs, “maybe she’s paranoid because i haven’t stopped by lately?”

“could be” he shrugs, looking around the large room y/n was staying in. “her husband told me to just ignore her so i didn’t say much else”

“ah, i see” y/n nods

she doesn’t mention the weird dreams she’s still having because she knows it’s because she’s just been overwhelmed lately and while saeko did go back home to fetch a few things, she knew she’d be back.

y/n still felt too nervous around kiyoomi even though he was putting in a lot of effort to make her feel comfortable.

“how is he?” keiji asks after a moment, “do you get along?”

“he’s great” y/n sighs, “almost too perfect, it doesn’t feel real”

“do you want to get to know him too?” he asks and she nods. she could admit that she was just a bit curious about him.

“i.. like talking to him” y/n says, “he listens and he’s patient because it’s obvious i’m still on edge”

“when is the wedding supposed to be?” keiji asks

“a week from now” y/n laughs bitterly, “my father picked the date”

“god he’s so—”

“don’t” y/n sighs, “it’s fine, i’m still getting used to the idea, that’s all”

“it’s still unfair” keiji sighs but he knows to back off.

a knock on the door startles them both and y/n feels that chill from before when kiyoomi opens the door to lean against the frame.

“you’re still here” he says and y/n nods.

“oh, this is keiji” y/n smiles, “keiji, this is kiyoomi”

“nice to meet you” keiji says and kiyoomi nods in acknowledgement.

she notices the mood change when keiji leaves. kiyoomi is already very quiet but it feels different that she feels the need to explain.

“he’s been my best friend since high school” y/n says, “he got married last year to his husband”

kiyoomi looks taken aback before he smiles again, standing to his full height.

“shall we have dinner?” he asks and she nods, smiling awkwardly.

was he already jealous?

“you’re the one i’ve been waiting for, you can never leave me. i’ve waited long enough for you to finally come to me and now that you’re here, i can never let you go.

sleep well, darling”

she wakes up gasping, sitting straight up in bed. the room is dimly lit since she had fallen asleep while reading.

she couldn’t really see anything or anyone in the recent dreams but it felt so real, like she was being pulled into the darkness just before she’d wake up, gasping for air.

“am i losing my mind?”

the conversation with keiji comes back to her and she can’t shake the feeling that something is going to happen. did people experience this before their weddings?

is this what cold feet was?

she shook her head and snuck downstairs to get a drink. she needed to clear her mind and reading was starting to make her overthink everything.

“can’t sleep?” atsumu asks. he’s sitting outside in the garden as she steps outside and she nods, holding her warm cup of tea close to her chest.

“is kiyoomi home?” she asks, sitting on the porch beside him. the garden was her favourite part of the entire place and she found herself playing with her chain as she stared out into the night.

“he’s in his study” atsumu smiles, “he’d love it if you joined him in there”

“wouldn’t i be disturbing his work?” she asks but atsumu chuckles.

“he has a personal library” atsumu adds, “master says he’s seen you reading a lot”

“ah yeah” y/n smiles, “i think i’ll go inside”

“goodnight” atsumu bids her farewell and she smiles.

that’s right, come to me darling.

she knocks gently and he calls for her to entire. she opens the door slowly and her eyes widen at how big his study is.

he looks beautiful even in the low light. glasses suit him and his smile made her feel warm inside. she didn’t feel so uneasy when he was around.

“oh, this is a pleasant surprise” he grins, “is something wrong?”

“i just couldn’t sleep” y/n admits, closing the door behind her, “am i interrupting?”

“of course not” he shakes his head immediately, “you can sit with me whenever you want darling, would you like a book to read?”

she smiles then and walks further into the study and towards the large bookcases.

“you’re more than welcome to come in here whenever you want” kiyoomi hands her a throw blanket as she makes herself comfortable on the couch. “after all, what’s mine is yours”

he watches her closely as her eyes begin to droop and he wants nothing more than to reach out and hold her but he knows he runs cold and it would be a while before she got used to his touch.

“so beautiful, even when you sleep” he sighs, “do you know how much i’ve wanted you?”

there have been others but none as beautiful as you are. i didn’t keep them either but their fates were already decided when the village elders sent out their names.

i can still hear the song of the brides as they were each carried on their sedans, brought into the cold forest and left there.

this way, is easier. i got to choose my bride and this time, i intend to keep you.

“what are your thoughts on having children?” kiyoomi asks. they’ve spent the morning sending out their wedding invitations and y/n would be going home until the wedding day.

“oh” y/n shrugs awkwardly, “i’ve never really thought about it and i’m not sure if i want to have any”

“i see” he smiles, “then we won’t have any if you don’t want to”

i would never have to share you with anyone ever again. you’ll only be with me.

y/n smiles up at him as he stands to get ready for work. he kisses the top of head, something he’s doing since the first morning they had breakfast together and she finds that she doesn’t mind.

she isn’t sure she wants to go back home but she knows she has to because it’s not appropriate for them to be so domestic before their actual wedding day.

“wait for me tonight and i’ll take you home” he says, “you can spend the day in the garden if you like or the study”

“thank you” she finds herself saying and he grins down at her.

“there’s no need to thank me” he cups her face gently, “i’m just happy to see you smiling”

she ignores the way that makes her feel, the butterflies in her stomach feel like a a tornado and she hates how disappointed she feels when he lets go and walks towards his study to get his work files.

you see it too, don’t you my love? you can’t be without me either.

“you don’t seem happy to be home” saeko grins, “do you miss the garden or kiyoomi?”

“oh, he’s no longer master?” y/n asks and saeko flicks her forehead.

“don’t try and change the subject” saeko says dryly, “do you miss him already?”

“.. maybe” she shrugs, reaching up to play with her chain, “it’s silly, i barely know him”

“does that matter?” saeko asks, “i haven’t seen you that happy and comfortable when you’re here”

y/n couldn’t argue with that. she felt free when she was with kiyoomi because he didn’t suffocate her and he was happy to just be in her presence without expecting anything in return.

“you’ll be with him forever after the wedding” saeko grins, “maybe you’ll have a child”

“he seems content to just have me” y/n looks down, suddenly feeling shy, “he said we don’t have to have any if i don’t want to”

“bare minimum but he’s a keeper” saeko says, “i’m excited for you now that you seem happier about the wedding and everything”

“i think he’ll make me happy” y/n smiles, “and i won’t have to see my parents as often”

good girl, you’ll only ever need me.

the room was cold, very cold and when she reached out to turn the lights on, it wouldn’t work. she could hear the faint sounds of a piano playing and the low humming of a man, a man that sounded so similar to kiyoomi that she couldn’t help but call out to him.

“kiyoomi?” she croaks out, her throat sore and scratchy. she couldn’t really recognise her surroundings but the scene before her caused her to scream and fall backwards.

there were people dressed in black, crying softly as the picture of kiyoomi sat in the middle of the room.

it was a funeral.

his funeral.

her screams are so loud that it wakes saeko up in the other room. she had stayed upstairs with y/n instead of heading into the servants quarters where the parents expected her to stay.

“y/n, wake up it’s just a dream” saeko gently shakes her shoulders, turning the bedside lamp on, “hey, it’s okay, you’re okay”

y/n can’t really think straight, still struggling to catch her breath as she wraps her arms tightly around saeko. she knows she shaking but she squeezes her eyes shut and tries to match her breathing with saeko’s.

“what was that?” saeko whispers, “you’ve never had nightmares before”

“i.. i don’t know” y/n chokes out, “it was just so cold”

“do you .. want to talk about it?” saeko asks gently, patting her head to help her relax.

“it was his funeral” y/n says softly, “like i could hear him humming softly but when i got closer to his study, the room changed and .. it was his funeral”

“it’s alright” saeko holds her tighter, “it was just a dream, he’s alright and so are you”

it just felt so real that y/n didn’t fall asleep again when saeko left. she said she’d be okay but she couldn’t get the image out her head no matter what she tried to do.

you see why you can’t leave me?

she doesn’t know why she tweets about it but everyone seems to think it’s normal and the amount of people praising sakusa makes her feel better. it was clear people knew who he was and he was obviously well liked.

it wasn’t like she was worried about any of that, she just didn’t like the dreams.

her phone ringing caused her to almost drop it.

“hello?” she says softly. she didn’t want to be too loud since it was way too early in the morning.

“darling, why didn’t you tell me you were having a hard time?”

“i.. i wasn’t sure how to talk about it” she sighs, “it’s never happened before so i must really be nervous. i didn’t want anyone to worry”

“i’d worry about you anyway”

“could you maybe.. come see me later?” she asks, “i know the wedding is in 2 days but i want—”

“of course” he says, “i’ll be there in an hour”

“isn’t it too early? you have to work” she frowns, glancing at her bedside clock, it read 5:56 am.

“i’m never too busy for you, wait for me”

“okay” she smiles, already feeling better.

when she opens the door to find him standing there, her body moves before she can think about it and she wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him down to hold him close.

“oh..” he grins, pulling her flush against him, “this is a lovely surprise”

“i just missed you” she mumbles but he still hears it loud and clear and he smiles, kissing the side of her head.

“i missed you too” he whispers, “do you want me to lay down with you?”

she nods. it was far too early to be awake and her parents would soon be getting up for their day and she didn’t want to see them right now.

closing the door quietly, she takes his hand and leads him up to her bedroom. the lamp is still on since the curtains are closed and the room feels cozy now that he’s with her.

he doesn’t wait for her to move closer, wrapping an arm around her, he pulls her against his chest.

“you could’ve slept like this with me at home” he chuckles, closing his eyes as he listens to her breathing.

“we only just met” she frowns, “i felt like this was overstepping but my dream really scared me”

“what happened?” he asks

“you were dead” she whispers, holding onto the back of his sweater tightly, “it was your funeral and there were people crying and everything felt so cold and scary that it was almost suffocating”

“look at me” he says and moves her back just a little. he cups the side of her face and forces her to look at him.

“kiyo—”

“i’m not going anywhere” he tells her, “it feels like i’ve waited lifetimes just to be with you”

she sniffs as wipes her eyes.

“i won’t ever leave your side” he promises, “you’ll never have to worry about anything or anyone ever again”

she nods and leans closer to him. she knows it’s wrong but she can’t help wanting to be closer and when he leans down to close the gap between them, she gasps into the kiss. his lips are soft and while his body runs cold, his kisses are so warm that she sighs and wraps her arms around him again.

“you won’t leave me, right?” he asks and she nods

“good girl” he smiles, kissing her again.

i have you now. you’ll always be mine, y/n.

she falls asleep to the sound of him humming softly. it’s comforting and she finds herself having the best sleep she’s had in months.

the morning of the wedding, she sat still as her mother fixed her hair. it was the only time she ever had her mother make such a fuss over her. she was grateful for saeko and kaori, it helped her not cry.

she didn’t want to ruin her makeup.

you’re just so beautiful, why wouldn’t i want to keep you forever? you’re the perfect sacrifice. i suppose i could grant this town a few blessings.

unless you told me not to. i would do anything for you.

kiyoomi could hardly keep his eyes off her as she stood in front of him. he could hardly focus on the bows or anything else as he watched her face through the pretty red veil.

she never needed makeup but her eyes were so much more prominent with the dark eyeliner. he could only think about finally making her his.

“beautiful” he whispers and he can see the way she smiles shyly. a smile only for him.

he could see her friends glancing at each other, trying to be discreet with their texting but there was nothing they could do now. he smirks as he makes eye contact with satori.

he must’ve always had his suspicions but after all, stories are just stories aren’t they?

saeko would do whatever she could to mark sure y/n was happy or he would just have to get rid of her.

no one would dare come between them or he would wipe the whole town out.

the bed was covered in a deep shade of red, matching her wedding dress. she sat patiently with her hands in her lap as she waited for him to join her.

she kept her veil down, knowing he had to remove it for her.

she was nervous but she knew she wanted to be with kiyoomi and it was clear he definitely wanted her just as much.

“lie down for me darling” he whispers, kissing her jaw as he slips the rest of his clothing off. she laid bare before him and he smirked, trailing his fingers up her thigh, stopping at her neck to squeeze gently.

“kiyoomi” she whispers, “please”

“i know” he tells her, “i just want to look at you”

i will never look at anyone the way i look at you.

he wanted to tell her everything, how he had seen her at that café she frequented. how he had set everything in motion for her greedy father and how it was just to easy to have them offer her up on a silver platter, all for him.

she gaps, grabbing onto his bicep as he slowly pushes into her. it hurt but she found herself moaning louder, wrapping her legs around his waist. she wanted all of him.

mine.. all mine..

he never cared for any of their offerings. he was almost 700 years old now and while he doesn’t remember much about the previous offerings, he knows he never cared as much as he does now.

you were so perfect and exactly what he wanted. before you, he had plans to get rid of the town that had conjured him up all those years ago for their own selfish desires.

“more omi, please” she begs, eyes tearing up when you feel him press deeper into you, his body so close that it almost felt like you were burning up.

he could give you that and so much more. he would give you everything you asked for.

“fuck, you feel so soft and warm” he whispers, gripping the back of your thigh and lifting it towards your chest.

like this he was even deeper, fucking you into the bed. your new bed that you’d spend your forever in.

“so good” she can’t help but cry out for him.

she’s never felt anything this intense before, he own fingers were nothing compared to the way he fucked her.

he knew exactly where to touch and where to kiss.

“tell me baby, who do you belong to?” he asks, gripping her jaw to force her to keep eye contact.

“you” she moans, “i’m all yours”

he believed her words to be true because he felt the way her pussy clenched tightly around his cock. a virgin, he grins down when he sees the tiny droplets of blood. it only made him harder, closing his eyes to keep his composure.

you have no idea.

#[ 🪼 ] xfg writes #haikyuu smut #sakusa x you #hq sakusa #haikyu smut #sakusa x y/n #sakusa x reader #sakusa kiyoomi #msby sakusa #sakusa kiyoomi x reader #sakusa kiyoomi x you #sakusa kiyoomi x y/n #sakusa kiyoomi smut

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heyitsmeyourfavoritechick · 8 months

Text

* ˚ ✦Capricorn observation* ˚ ✦

• Like any earth sign they like a timeless look or something fitting to their environment (messy environment messy look, clean environment clean look, picking up what I’m putting down?)

It also kind applies to when they’re looking for love interests.

• Very “old school” probably has a collection of some kind, maybe along the lines of retro memorabilia or collections of antiques (that they only think looks good) or they’re place looks bare because they could never spend money on “that pointless crap”

(I’ve almost met a lot of Capricorn placements who collects comic books.)

• They could never spend large amounts of money unless it’s apart of their “whole master plan” aka they will do anything to get ahead in their job or career even if it means hurting your feelings or taking your position!

That’s earths sign kinda of competitiveness.

• I personally feel like thrifting was invented by a Capricorn or the Russian mail order bride service, both ends mean business for one common thing, not love…. But money.

In some cases it means love.

• Capricorn in love is like a strong tree trunk if you appreciate it enough and have enough patience.

Can you stay all 4 seasons?

• Can you handle a Capricorn’s depression or seasonal depression because they rather get the bag than celebrate holidays including if they live far away from family.

•Free time for Capricorn means learning/ planning how to get more money when they DO have free time (which is never, they’re always busy) or tinkering around trying to make something (crafty) or fixing something that needed to be fixed 6 months ago.

They procrastinate a bit here and there.

• Just like a cancer they like they’re space and personal space but not carrying they’re home on they’re back like cancer, that’s what they lack and leads them to depression, dating a cancer can help them gain that nostalgia back for them but won’t solve there depression! (Don’t use water signs as emotional body bags.

• They do love the used, daddy issues, mommy issues people, because earlier on their life or childhood they had to grow up fast and never really shown love or proper love towards them. So they do the same.

Whata cycle Capricorn!

• They mentally think like a teenager but have a body like a 80 year old. Having back pains in highschool? And problems with they’re knees?

• Do you have crooked teeth? Deep voice? Sometimes raspy? Small face features but a long nasal cavity? Did you ever have those gold/silver caps in your teeth while growing up?

• The males are into older women, and women are into younger guys.

• Shy when it comes to love but very confident when it comes to money.

• Once when you have everything why do you feel like you gotta keep searching?

•How does it feel to chase something you don’t even know what your chasing?

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bella-goths-wife · 4 days

Note

What exactly do the Vs want from Pet? Whether to increase their power, what is each of the Vs looking with them?

🐢

What is each V member looking for in pet?

Warnings: mentions of adult film industry, emotional, physical and psychological abuse,mentions of sexual assault

Vox:

Originally Vox just wanted to use your power to gain him more influence and money

He saw you as a convenient person who he could use up until your powers ran dry before kicking you to the curb

But then you had to go and intrigue him

Your nature of cunning manipulation for survival and your lack of empathy for those who mock you just intrigued him beyond comprehension

He watched you for months as you handled mockery and abuse flawlessly, you had a strength about you that wasn’t common amongst hells population

He spent so much time with you and watched as your abilities grew and part of him felt like he wanted to show you how to use it to its full ability

But there was also a weakness to you that he wanted to exploit in a self imposed way, he wanted to rub away your strength to expose the fleshy vulnerability underneath

And he does as he used the power imbalance between you two to push you to your limits to see the truth underneath your act of strength

He wants a fatherly bond with you, he views you as the daughter he could never have when he was alive

He wants to groom you to be his heir, while also keeping you just powerless enough to never try and contradict him

He wants to raise you above the rest but keep you under his thumb

Velvette:

At first, velvette just wanted a competent assistant to make her life easier

And when Vox brought you in, she trusted that he hadn’t brought in some idiot so she decided to use you to assist her

And you were good at it, extremely good at it

You were so obedient, velvette often commented

Like a dog, she’d always state confidently

She just grew to like you as her obsession became sustained by working with you so closely

She quickly realised why she wanted your presence so much

You became a pet to her

Something cute to pet and show off

And something that she could hold power over you

She gains entertainment from you, you sustain her constant need for attention without her having to endure a friendship with you

She cares about you, but in the same way she’d care about an expensive car

Your a possession to her, you’ve gained her favour through obedience and she craves something to have brief affection with while being able to degrade you

She wants a pet most of all, and you make such a pretty mutt

Valentino:

Valentino wants a victim

Sure, he has plenty in his porn studios who he can abuse at the drop of a hat

But there’s something different about you

Your ability is able to calm him during his rages, and that makes you feel so much more of an intimate victim to Valentino

He has many uses of you, therapist, punching bag, assistant and calmer

He wants to provoke emotions out of you that he can’t get from anyone else

Your like a shiny toy that he wants to poke at to see what reaction you give

Your the perfect victim to him

The perfect toy

He treats you similar to his other toys but the fact that his touches only border on assault shows your a favourite

He doesn’t know what he wants from you, he just knows that he wants you

Your his favourite toy and he wants to keep you forever

This is probably the worst piece I’ve written for this au but I’m sleep deprived and it’s been in my drafts for too long 😭

I’m sorry it’s not detailed

@repostingmyfavs @buttercupfangirl @corvid007 @lilyalone @fandomaddict505 @perkypeony @sparkleyfishies @hazbinhotelxreader @the-faceless-bride @rerarlo @ivebeenthearchersstuff @idontreallyexistyet

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fushipurro · 4 months

Text

In the Shadows of Love

Chapter 6 - Vega

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☆ Content: 18+ MDNI, heavy angst, depression, suicidal ideation, implied/reference ED, mentions of blood (nosebleed), emotional hurt/comfort, insecure/intrusive thoughts

☆ Word Count: 7.8k

After your little “diner date” as Shoko and the gang started calling it, you found yourself hanging out with Toji more often than not, much to your surprise. You had your worries that the opposite would occur during said “date”, but it appears now to have brought you closer together.

Meals between the three of you ─ Megumi included of course ─ became a common occurrence, along with shared trips to the store. With winter settling in now, Toji stated he felt more comfortable with having you in his car instead of letting you carry bags home in the snow.

“Don’t need you freezin’ to death out here,” he’d say in an effort to convince you.

Other times, he would invite you over so Megumi could share some quality time with you to make up for all the times it’s just you and his dad. And who are you to deny the sweet boy?

Tonight is one of those nights.

The day began (early afternoon for you) with some games before dinner, enjoying said meal in front of the TV while watching a movie together. Megumi loves anything that features talking animals, so you thought it best to put on Kung Fu Panda, to which he fell in love. Hard.

He tired himself out trying to replicate all the moves, leading to Toji having to carry him off to his room to sleep. Turns out in this one-bedroom apartment, the two share the same king-sized bed. Toji had said before to you that because he’s out all night working, Megumi has the bed all to himself and vice versa during the day. He even took Megumi into consideration as far as bedroom décor went, stating his only preference is the happiness of his son, even if that means his sheets have dinosaur print all over them.

“Kid’s finally asleep,” Toji tells you upon his return, sinking back down into his spot on the couch with a thump. He laughs with a simpering expression, “Now we can watch something with a little more excitement for two adults.” His eyes fall on you from the side.

You jokingly gasp. “How can you say that movie wasn’t fun?” You place your hand over your heart to exaggerate the feeling of shock. “I’m telling you now, he’s going to be doing kung fu all week and have you in the Wuxi finger hold.”

“I can fight better,” he snorts, and you giggle. “I bet I could give any dragon warrior a run for their money.” Toji raises the sleeve of his ivory-colored sweater upwards. The veins and muscles bulge as he flexes with that same annoying grin stretched across his face looking for your approval.

“Okay, Tai Lung,” you tease, your voice coy sounding. “Whatever you say.” Your eyes roll away from him and back to the TV.

Toji laughs, snagging the remote before you can even think about it. “Just for that, I’m picking the next one,” he declares.

He pans through the options, debating what might be a good choice. He has a few ideas, but his primary goal like always is to get a reaction out of you. So, when he lands on a classic you know and love, he wastes no time putting it on.

Bride of Chucky.

“Perfect.” The words roll out like a purr. Or maybe a warning growl? Either way, he puts the remote down, leaning back against the couch and draping his arm over the back.

The movie picks up right away with an introduction to the main characters as you remember quite well. Rob Zombie’s “Living Dead Girl” playing while the one and only Tiffany Valentine makes off after the first kill of the movie.

Toji had thought the combination of blood and murderous dolls would have you leaning into him for protection, but to his surprise ─ and disappointment ─ you don’t. The most he gets out of you so far is a recoil during the first murder committed by Chucky himself.

“That’s what gets a reaction out of you?” His question comes out with a pout he doesn’t even hide.

You laugh through your nose, “Hey, the stabbings are one thing, but piercings getting ripped out?” You shudder. “No thank you.”

“Not even a little afraid of some creepy ass doll running around, killing people with a knife…” He goes silent for a minute as the bathtub scene occurs. “Or…a TV?”

“If we’re talking about Slappy from Goosebumps, then yeah,” you huff. “That guy was nightmare fuel for me, but Chucky I can enjoy.” You reach out for some popcorn, ever so quietly humming to “Call Me” by Blondie as it plays.

Toji takes his own handful before speaking, “You’re one odd girl, I’ll give you that.”

It’s funny the things that can affect you. Meeting new people turns you into a stuttering mess, yet you watch horror movies without a care in the world. As if the blood and guts doesn’t do anything to you unlike the words or actions of others do.

To others, you’re that of an iceberg. The image of you that others see is only a mere glimpse with the rest hiding below the surface. All it takes to reveal that side of you is time to warm up, something Toji is finally starting to see as you grow comfortable with him in your presence. No alcohol needed.

Throughout the rest of the movie, even if you weren’t clinging to him in order to shield your eyes, he still had his ways of keeping the distance close. There’s the brushing of fingers reaching for popcorn that seemed like more than accidents or the arm he has resting behind you this entire time for you to lean your head against.

It's like the awkward theater date you never had as a teen, except you’re the only one feeling awkward about it now. But at the same time, it’s endearing because you’re going through this milestone event in your life.

Except… you still aren’t aware if he’s single or not.

All signs point to yes since you’ve never once heard of another woman, or Megumi even talking about a mother. But she could just not live here, or they’re going through something, or she’s working abroad. The fact is, until you mount the courage to ask, or he tells you, you don’t know.

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t hoping he’s single. You’re enjoying this too much to think about this crush of yours falling apart.

Toji is sweet as could be and he makes you laugh every time you’re together. He continues to treat you and while you can’t return the favor financially, you’ve been trying with the little things like bringing baked goods over with the excuse that you made too many to cover up your nerves.

It's all you could ever hope to have with a friend or even a significant other, even if all it must be is platonic. It’s something you haven’t had in a long time, and one thing you don’t want to ruin by desiring more.

The movie ends and Toji stands up to stretch, collecting the leftover dishes to clean. You take a few, following him into the kitchen area.

“I would say let’s watch another, but I can’t be late for work tonight,” he groans, and you swear you can hear him pouting even with his back facing you.

“There’s always another night,” you reassure.

“I think we should just start the kid now with the good stuff.” His head turns in your direction flashing a mischeavous grin. “What do you think about watching Alien next time?”

“And scar him for the rest of his life over the spaghetti scene?” you reply with a sarcastic tone. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“Hey, I saw much worse at an earlier age and look how I turned out.” He raises both his hands and shrugs all nice and proud.

“And it’s a miracle you’re sane.” He rolls his eyes with a laugh. “I vote that we watch Finding Nemo next time. I’m sure he’d love that one especially with how similar one of the characters is to you.”

He looks to you dumbfounded. “In what way could I possibly resemble a fish?” he says with disbelief lacing his words.

You giggle, “Personality for one; Gill is tough, smart, and cares a lot almost like a dad.” You extend your hand, gesturing to the man. “And two, you share similar features, like the color black, how you glare at others, scowl, even having a facial scar.”

You bite your tongue, eyes widening at what you just said. Another piece of info Toji hasn’t told you about yet is how he even got the scar on his lip. You know more than anyone that it may not be the easiest thing to talk about, mainly if there’s trauma tied to it versus something mundane like getting cut by a sticker bush.

It doesn’t help that he’s facing away from you so you’re unable to read his current expression. “I’m sorry, I–“

“You think I’m all that, huh?” He interrupts with a huff, appearing unbothered. “Bet I’m tougher than any fish in the sea,” he tells you again, with another flex of both his arms this time around.

You sigh in relief, “What about an orca?” you ask, and he flashes you a toothy smile.

“Now that’s a better comparison for someone like me over some stinkin’ fish.”

You both laugh and continue to chat for a little while longer. While Toji is cleaning the dishware, you’re occupying yourself with Megumi’s toys, helping to tidy up. When all is said and done, he walks you out, hanging back in the threshold of his home and the hallway.

“I’ll see you later then, hope you have an easy time at work.”

“Thanks, sweetheart. Try not to have any nightmares later.” He winks, and you laugh.

“If I do, then I know who to blame,” you scoff. “Goodnight, Toji.”

“Sleep tight, and don’t let the cursed dolls bite.” You roll your eyes, calmy walking into your home. Once inside, you’re anything but calm. You practically skip your way over to your couch, throwing yourself onto the cushions to pet Tsumiki.

Sweetheart.

He calls you that from time to time, and the butterflies you feel are something else. It takes a few breaths to relax from such giddy feelings. It’s been far too long since you had someone like Toji in your life, and you crave this kind of attention. This closeness. For the first time in what’s most likely been years, you feel as though nothing could possibly go wrong.

You eventually pick up your phone that you haven’t bothered to look at in the hours spent next-door, and there were several notifications to greet you.

The first dozen were some cheers from work, namely from Kento regarding the publication of the magazine you modeled for.

The second bunch were the obligatory Instagram mentions, the most important being the one from Satoru’s post alongside a series of his choice photos from that day with you.

That’s when you remember things can and will go wrong, as the third set are all various notifications of strangers blowing up your account. The majority falls under Satoru’s post, a bunch of his followers spitting venom your way to target you.

Who’s this nobody he’s with?

Can she get any closer to him? I bet she’s just using him for clout

Must’ve been torture for him :( she’s not even that pretty lmao

Would look so much better with only Satoru.

You want to look away, you really do. You’d love nothing more than to shut your phone off and throw it at the wall, but you can’t bring yourself to do it.

It’s nothing new for you to be hated on like this. The sad reality is that it’s to be expected, no thanks to the anonymity of the internet. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less.

They’re jealous.

You know that.

Just obsessed fans taking out their anger on you because they wish it was them at his side.

You know that too, but it doesn’t stop the dark cloud that hangs over you wherever you go.

Why don’t you just stay in your lane? Be a flower on the wall?

You should’ve turned the project down, given it to someone else. You don’t deserve the recognition it brings.

This is your fault, you know. You should’ve listened to your parents when they said you weren’t going to succeed in life.

You sit up properly on the couch, tucking your knees to your chest. For a while, all you can bring yourself to do is stare blankly at the screen, watching all the new messages come through every passing minute. It’s a given, considering Satoru’s astonishingly high following. It isn’t until your phone shuts down from a low battery that you throw it aside and fall to your side, letting the tears come cascading down.

You wake up later, still lying on your side with a damp feeling against your face. The light that comes through your apartment is soft, no doubt earlier in the day compared to when you normally choose to wake up. Begrudgingly, you push yourself off the couch, listening to every creak your bones make like dated wood.

The first thing you do is plug your phone in to charge, followed by feeding Tsumiki her breakfast. You ponder whether you want anything, but even if your stomach was growling, you don’t feel all that deserving to eat. Not only does your depression take away your appetite at times, but it also puts a strain on the relationship you have with food and other things pertaining to your day-to-day life.

A shower helps. At least there you can attempt to drown out your thoughts with the water that rains down. Even when physically after you’re clean and smell nice, you still don’t feel all that great. Against your better judgement, you go to see how things were looking today on your phone.

The answer?

Worse.

More of the same shit fills your feed, but with the added bonus now of threats and other hate in your DMs, and all over your own posts that had nothing to do with the magazine. All are a courtesy from the people with nothing better to do than wish harm upon you for breathing the same air as their celebrity crush.

Speaking of, there’s a new message from him.

Satoru Gojo heyyy so sugu, sho, and I are going out to star plasma later to celebrate, you wanna meet up???

You Sorry, I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on :( hope you guys have fun though!

Satoru Gojo boooo :( well if you change your mind, we’ll be there <3

You wonder if he’s seen the same hate you have, or maybe he’s just that good at ignoring it for his own sanity. That, or maybe he just doesn’t care what they’re saying. Not everyone is like you.

Oh, how you wish you could be like that. You also wish you didn’t feel the need to lie to him about having work. The thought of the gang seeing you in this state fills you with disgust, not to mention if Toji’s working tonight.

You place your phone back down on your nightstand, eyes drifting across to your bed. Most of the time, it’s the only place you want to be in, all wrapped up nice and tight under lays of blankets.

Other times it feels like a prison.

All the fabric acting like chains, keeping you bound to your mattress with no hope to escape. It’s during these times that everything outside the walls of your apartment frighten you to no end. And like always, you give in to the call of your damnation.

Sinking down into the cold sheets, you stare now up at the blank, white ceiling. The various scuffs and spots act like sheep for you to count as you make a mental note to clean them later. That will have to wait for a day you feel capable. A day you feel better if that day ever comes before it’s too late.

Why does it seem so easy for others to ignore all the drama of life and intrusive thoughts? They make it sound so easy, that being a normal, functional being is easy but here you are, wallowing in your own misery. You long to feel happy in life rather than the sorrow you feel now.

But will that ever happen?

A few unremarkable days have gone by since then, and you still bear no signs of feeling better.

You’ve stopped crying now, but the emptiness took over. Somehow you manage to get out of bed, only to mindlessly complete your work and anything else you have to do. Tsumiki’s been hanging close-by, as if she senses how distraught you are. Her meows and cuddles are the only thing bringing a ghost of a smile to your face as you shut out the rest of the world.

Food has been minimal, most of it not even having a taste when it hits your tongue. Your appetite is lacking either for anything more than a few bites. All in all, you’re just passing time until you can fall asleep, letting time go by that you later hate yourself for missing.

Depression is an awful cycle.

Today you decided you needed to head to the store. You tell yourself it’s to get Tsumiki more food or toys for putting up with you, but the truth is that your fridge is looking scarce. Your meals have mainly consisted of whatever is easy to make, jokingly referring to it as “girl dinners” to try and make yourself laugh.

You don’t put much thought into your outfit, choosing to wear something easy to keep you warm in this December month. Sometimes it’s nice to try and look pretty to help your confidence and all, but right now you’d rather hide under bulky fabrics. There doesn’t feel like much of a point to care, either way. What does it matter?

It's a quick trip in the end, only coming back with a few bags. You keep your eyes low to the ground, counting the concrete tiles to keep your mind at bay. It works, up until you notice your neighbor hunched over an idled car out front of your building.

Something’s off, you notice, and it makes the hairs stand straight up on your neck.

Never once have you seen Toji express an emotion like the one you’re seeing ─ the death stare he’s giving whoever is sitting in the car. For someone so typically calm, this apparent anger is so much scarier than any cursed doll could hope to achieve.

Who is he talking to?

You want to know, but at the same time you don’t if they’re upsetting Toji this much. Your breathing stills as you walk by, hoping to slip into the front door without being noticed. You make it as far as a few steps up before you’re stopped short from a voice.

“Hey.”

Your body tenses up. You’ve been avoiding contact with anyone outside of work for a few days, and you especially don’t want to be near whatever was going on outside just moments ago. He doesn’t need to be burdened by you.

“Hey, Toji.” You turn your head slowly to the man, weakly smiling.

He makes a few steps up to where you are, a silent urge to continue heading up to your floor together. The fire you previously saw raging in his eyes no longer appears present, instead replaced with his normal scowl.

“I saw your friends the other night at the bar, was hoping you’d be with ‘em.”

You exhale quietly, swallowing thickly. “Yeah, I– wasn’t feeling it that day,” you mutter.

Toji’s eyes narrow with furrowed brows to match but he continues with your pace.

“I’ve got some time before my shift if you wanted to watch that fish movie or somethin’ else,” he asks. You bite your lip as you think of your response.

“I’m sorry, I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on.” You go silent for a moment, save for the tapping of shoes against the tiled floor. “Some other night?”

He raises his hand sheepishly to his neck. “Yeah, no problem,” he says with the hint of disappointment in his words.

Fuck, you don’t want to hurt him. Especially with another lie to someone close to you.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble, turning the key in your front door. “See you later.”

“See yo–“ The door shuts before Toji can even finish responding.

The guilt settles in like a knife to your heart. Enough so that you slide your back down the door to sit with your head between your knees.

“What the fuck is wrong with me?” Disgust drips off your words.

Tsumiki comes right up to you purring away. For several minutes, you remain there on the ground petting her before finally getting up to put the groceries away. Shortly after, you return to your bed, indulging yourself with some good old blue-light exposure therapy. Tsumiki joins you, bringing in one of the new toys you bought for her.

Later, a soft knocking startles you from your sleep, not even realizing you had fallen asleep in the first place. The time on your phone shows that it’s after midnight, so who in their right mind needs you at this hour?

Cautiously, you approach the door, peering through to the peephole only to reveal…no one?

Huh, wrong house?

You turn away from the door, only for there to be another knock, but still nothing through the peephole. You end up opening the door without even thinking, and now you realize why you couldn’t see anything.

“Megumi?” He stands there teary-eyed, clutching his frog plush tightly in his arms. “What’s wrong, did something happen?” you ask with a gentle voice.

“I had a bad dream.” He sniffles, his lip starting to quiver with oncoming sobs.

“Come here, ‘Gumi.” You take him into your arms, lifting him up, and closing the door behind you as you take him to the couch. With one hand, you rub soft shapes over his back as you sit him down with you. “There, there,” you coo.

Megumi holds on to you tightly like a baby koala. There’s a damp feeling sticking to your chest from the tears falling from his eyes. In this moment, you put aside whatever troubles you might have. He needs you right now.

You give him a minute to relax and calm down, waiting to ask, “Do you want to talk about it?” But he shakes his head in response. “That’s alright, you don’t have to,” you tell him softly, further adding, “I’m right here with you, you’re safe now.”

Toji must be at work for Megumi to have come knocking, so you pull up his number on your phone, texting to let him know about the situation.

“Hey, ‘Gumi? You want to try going back to sleep?” He whines into your shirt, doing everything he can with his tiny hands to stay fixed to you.

“Don’t leave me, please…” He sniffles, and your heart breaks. There are those words again, you think, remembering the time in the bathroom with him once before.

“I’m not going anywhere,” you reassure.

You give him some time to calm down, humming a familiar lullaby to whisk him away to sleep. He grumbles when you place him down into your bed, the spot still warm from your earlier rest, but he finds that he can’t fight his heavy eyelids. Between your song and the fingers running through his hair, he has no choice but to fall asleep once again.

“Ma..ma…” he murmurs, and you feel a tear fall from your eye.

Tsumiki joins you now, curling right up to Megumi’s side like the comforting angel she is. You send another message to Toji to let him know he’s still with you, to which he replies that he’ll be right over after his shift ends.

So much for avoiding contact with others, but it’s for Megumi’s sake right now.

It feels like déjà vu the next time you hear the knocking at your front door.

“Hey Toji,” you greet, parting the door for him to enter. He looks around with a confused look at first. He’s thrown off by the lack of lit candles, ambient light, or anything else. Instead, it’s just you, illuminated only by the moonlight peeking through the apartment.

“Did I wake you?” he asks, meeting your eyes. It’s a good thing it’s dark, so he hopefully can’t see the evidence of your tears.

“No, I haven’t slept yet,” you admit, and it only serves to puzzle him further. There’s a lot he wants to ask, but you’re already motioning towards your bedroom. He sighs, moving to catch up with you.

“He looks right at home,” Toji remarks, brushing Megumi’s hair back to better see his face. He gives Tsumiki some attention, careful not to disturb his son’s sleep in the process. Once Megumi is up into his arms, the two of you head back towards your door. He stops, turning to look you in the eyes again. “Thanks for watching him.” He doesn’t move from his spot, though his brows begin to furrow in thought. “About earlier…is everything okay? Did I do something to upset you?”

You feel your stomach dropping. The guilt you felt earlier comes crawling back up with razor-sharp claws. “Oh. No, no ─ I’m…sorry about that,” you stammer out, feeling your chest tighten. “You didn’t do anything, I promise.”

“What’s up then, you’ve been actin’ weir–“ Megumi interrupts with some slight stirring in his sleep from Toji’s raised voice.

“I’m okay, Toji. Really,” you try and convince, despite feeling the exact opposite. Another lie that stains your soul, but you remind yourself that it’s not his problem. You’re not his burden to bear.

You’re not sure if even bought it, especially after the noncommittal grunt he makes with eyes that stare intently, as if peering into your soul despite the darkness.

“Alright,” he says after a minute, his voice noticeably calmer, but still unsure. “If there is something, you can talk to me, okay?”

“I will, thanks.” You open the door to let him out. “Goodnight.”

His head dips to you before the door shuts completely. “Goodnight,” he replies, with your name punctuating.

For some reason it hurts to hear your actual name for once instead of a pet name.

With your apartment empty once again, it feels colder than ever. Lately you’ve been feeling that way a lot. It’s only when Toji is there that your house truly feels like a home.

You meander your way back into bed, curling up into a ball facing the window. You can’t shake the cold you’re feeling, no matter the number of blankets overtop your body. Even the dimly lit skies seem to relate with you.

When was the last time you could see the stars shining so beautifully?

There was a time you yourself felt like a bright star once, one that floated easily through the cold expanse of the universe without any issue. Unlike the other stars that met their fate, there was no spectacular supernova at the end of it all. No rainbow plumes of stardust to vividly show all of existence how good of a life you’ve lived.

It was more like a flip of a switch when it came to you. Shining one day like normal and the next, a bleak void of what you once were, absent of any light.

You roll away to face the wall opposite of your room, moving your hands to clasp either shoulder in a self-embrace.

I miss the warmth.

You wake up alone for once, with Tsumiki nowhere to be found from where you lay. It’s nothing you worry about quite yet, as you figure she’s out in the living room watching birds. You get up to investigate, but to your dismay, she isn’t out there either.

You don’t see her anywhere.

Strange, you think. Maybe she’ll come out for breakfast…?

You try that next. Heading to the kitchen to prepare her usual pampered meal, making noise as you call for her.

“Tsumi!” you croon, adding a pspsps after, but again, nothing.

There’s no way she could’ve gotten out of the house, so she must be around here somewhere. Your heart beats a mile a minute as you’re scouring in and around every piece of furniture you have looking for her. Eventually, you do find her, all tucked away inside your closet on a pile of your clothes.

“There you are!” you exhale in relief. “Do you know how worried I was?” you coo. You then move to pick her up and she doesn’t protest, but she also doesn’t start purring or mewling either.

You bring her out the kitchen, placing her down with her bowl. Your heart sinks again when she sniffs the dish and ultimately turns her nose up.

Tears weld up at the edge of your eyes. “Fuck, Tsumi’, don’t do this to me.” You start to pace, chewing anxiously on your lip as you watch her huddle up in another corner of your apartment. “What’s the matter, baby?”

Fuck, fuck, what do I do?

Searching the internet is your first idea, but the results are anything but helpful. Half the results are akin to that of WebMD (read: you’re already dead). By this point, you’re hysterical now, fixing to hyperventilate as the last bit of control you have slips away.

Of all the times for something like this to happen, it has to happen to Tsumiki. You’d give anything to swap places because you love her more than life itself. But when it rains, it pours, and right now it feels like a hurricane is hanging overhead.

She needs a vet, but you can’t possibly run with her across town. Waiting for a taxi will only prolong whatever she’s suffering from. Fuck, if only you could afford your own car, this wouldn’t be an issue!

But then you remember one thing.

Toji has a car.

Toji.

With no time to waste, you sprint out the door of your apartment, frantically knocking on his all while desperately hoping he’s even home to answer. Your prayers are answered when the door opens, revealing the man himself, half-asleep and shirtless.

“Toji, I-I-I–“ your voice cracks between sobs.

“Woah, woah, slow down,” he interrupts, placing his hands on both ends of your shoulders. He lowers his head to your level. Seeing you in distress snaps him awake. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Tsumiki ─ I-I don’t know, I think she’s sick!” you stammer out, “I need to get her to a vet but–“

“Go get her; I’ll get my keys.” His voice is calm as he tries to reassure you, bringing his thumb up your cheek, wiping away a tear with the rough padding of his thumb. “Breathe, okay?” You nod, but you’re still trembling.

Toji releases his hands from you, allowing you to run back inside to grab Tsumiki. You place her gently into her transport while at the same time, Toji enters your apartment, taking the crate from your unsteady hands.

The two of you exit the building as quickly as you can, letting Toji settle her into the backseat while you situate yourself right there at her side, cooing to ease your baby’s scared hollers. Toji wastes no time pulling out on the main road for the directions you gave him, putting on his seatbelt as he went.

From time to time, he looks back at you through the mirror, seeing you hunched over in tears over the crate. You’re trying to be calm for her, you really are, but it’s so hard.

You arrive in record time at the emergency clinic, Toji once again carrying the crate inside the building while you briskly make your way to the receptionist. You tell them your name, and everything else they need to know while they work on all the check-in procedures, eventually handing you a clipboard and pen to fill out with further information to fill out.

Toji guides you with a steady hand to the waiting area which includes several benches and tables to take advantage of. He places Tsumiki’s crate on a spot directly in front of you, pulling you down to sit instead of letting you pace the room. Both your legs and hands are shaking uncontrollably with fear, teardrops dotting the paper and ink as you try to write out what they need.

“Hey.” Toji cups your dominant hand with his own, bringing the movement to a standstill. “Breathe,” he calmly requests. “I know it’s tough, but you gotta try and relax for Tsumiki. You aren’t gonna be helpful to her if you suddenly drop over,” he tells you, and he’s right.

“I can’t let anything happen to her,” you mutter with a hoarse voice. You lean forward in your seat, moving your hands to the back of your head.

Toji slings his arm around your shoulder, pulling you against him. “I know.” His words are low, only for you to hear as he speaks into your ear.

“I don’t know what I’d do if something h-happened to her, she’s–“ A hiccup interrupts you. “she’s all I have left. Without her, I…I can’t.”

Toji takes the clipboard from you, putting it next to Tsumiki so he can fully embrace you with both arms. Your head is pulled against his chest and the fabric of his shirt helps to muffle your shattering heart.

“That’s not true,” he begins, his tone of voice calm, but equally stern, “You have me, Megs, those other three friends, even that boss of yours. You said it all yourself to me.” He pauses, bringing his hand up through your hair. His grip is tight yet offers indescribable comfort. The bottom of his jaw settles on the crown of your head. “You are not alone. Not anymore,” he promises.

If you could put a pin on when you start to fall in love in with someone, this would be one of those moments. Even if all he’s doing is reassuring you as any good friend would, it means the world to you and more. A moment in time you’ll never forget for as long as you live.

“Toji, I–“ You lift your head from his chest, taking one sniffle before you catch that metallic scent. You move fast to clutch your nose, but it’s too late. “Shit!” you hiss.

Toji leans back to see what happened. His eyes widen upon seeing the blood trickling down the palm of your hand, hitting his shirt in the process. Thankfully, there’s plenty of tissues given the environment, so he grabs a handful to hold under your nose.

“Fuck,” you cry out, “I’m so sorry, Toji.”

“Don’t be,” he huffs with some underlying amusement. “A bit of blood is nothing, I couldn’t care less.” You swap places with his hand holding the tissues. “Are you okay?” he asks, helping to clean the area around your hand.

“I’m sorry, Toji,” you mumble, lowering your head. “I’m such a mess right now, I don’t mean to burden you.”

“Don’t say that,” he replies, resting his palm on the apex of your head, teasing your hair in the process like he does to Megumi. “You have nothing to be sorry for, and you’re not a burden. Let your ‘knight in shining armor’ be here for you.” He winks.

His helpful teasing earns the hint of a smile on your face and a short-lived laugh, but it’s enough to begin to lighten the mood. At least until you hear a voice calling out your name.

You stand up, reaching out for Tsumiki’s carrier but then you hesitate. “Hey Toji?” He hums in acknowledgement. “Do you mind coming with me for this, please?”

He smiles. “Not at all, princess.”

When all is said and done, Toji drives you back home, walking you back up into your apartment. There, he places the carrier down gently, allowing Tsumiki to roam free.

“I feel, so stupid,” you sigh, kneeling down and hiding your face with your hands out of embarrassment. “All of that for a simple tummy ache.”

Toji chuckles, “Hey, it shows how much you love her. You can’t fault yourself there.”

You turn your head to look at him with a soft smile. “I’m sorry I took so much time out of your day.” Your mind flashes back to when he opened the door earlier in his sleeping form and you can feel the heat reawakening in your body. “I woke you up for it too,” you breathe out a laugh.

“What did I say about the apologies, princess?” He crouches down in front of you causing his denim jeans to bunch up. One of his knees bumps against yours given how close he is. “I’d like to know what else is bothering you though,” he suddenly inquires, and you feel the same guilt you felt the last time creep back up like bile in your throat.

Once again, you border on the crossroads of what to say. It’s a huge step to trust someone else enough to share your vulnerabilities ─ but if it’s Toji… maybe you can? You did it before and it worked out better than expected.

You remain quiet as you stand from your spot, moving towards the couch. While you’re busy pulling your phone out, he rises and makes his way over to your side.

“Look, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he says, trying to meet your eyes. “But we’re friends. I want to help you if you’ll let me.”

It’s a lot coming from Toji.

You’ve learned over the course of knowing him that feelings don’t come easy. He does what he can, and what he feels is the best course of action. It’s a big reason as to why you struggle to pay him back for all his moments of kindness. You’ve come to realize that that’s how he best expresses himself, not only through teasing, but also through acts of service.

Being not only a bartender, but also more importantly a father, it’s forced him to open up more to others and to himself. To reflect on his own feelings and shortcomings so he can be better for Megumi. It’s not easy and he certainly doesn’t do all this effort for others, but for you, he will.

You pass him the device silently, pulling your knees to your chest. You let one knee rest against your cheek as you look his way, and at the same time you avoid eye contact. Toji’s expression softens, and there’s the slightest hint of red on his ears, but mainly there’s some confusion in his features.

“These are beautiful ─ you’re beautiful,” he tells you, looking back your way. “What’s the problem with ‘em?”

You want to smile. It’s hard not to let alone the blush trying to come alive. There’s just one issue.

“This,” you proclaim, scrolling down to expand the comment section with your finger. “This,” you repeat, “is the problem.” You wrap your arms around your legs, hugging them to you with an empty expression.

He looks back and his face immediately darkens into a scowl. “You know they’re just spewing shit out of their asses, right? Bunch of dumb fucks that don’t have anything better to do,” he grumbles, more curses following under his breath.

“They’re not all wrong though,” you let out a dry chuckle.

“No, uh uh.” He shakes his head, the words spilling out fast and like that of a growl, “Do not do that to yourself. Don’t think for a second this shit means anything.”

“I can’t stop thinking about it!” you exclaim, drawing out each word. Your fears have come alive as the dam breaks. The tears that fall from your eyes are hot and heavy, flooding down your cheeks. “Every single thing they say sticks with me, and I hear it all the time in my head!”

He moves to sit in front of you, placing one hand down on your knee. “You shouldn’t listen to anything on here,” he says more calmly this time, scrolling further down the post. “It’s all garbage, they’re garbage.”

“I wish I could, but I can’t,” you mumble, tightening your grip around yourself to the point your nails are digging into the fabric of your pants to reach your skin. “I hate it so much,” you drawl, “and I hate mys–“

“No.”

His tone makes you flinch, stopping you from continuing. The only noises shared between you two is that of the sobs you try and hold back to not make a sound. To not let another hear you sob.

“Look at me,” he almost whispers to you. “Please?” he insists when you don’t respond.

You eventually do, keeping half your face hidden beneath your forearms, but your eyes finally meet his own and you see the worry behind them.

“No matter what anyone says, you deserved to be on that magazine. Satoru didn’t make you the model you are, that was all you, do you understand?” He pauses, waiting for you to nod before he continues, “Listen to me when I tell you that you are beautiful. These assholes don’t mean shit, and even he agrees,” he finishes by handing you your phone back.

You’re puzzled until you see what Toji is referring to ─ a recent update on Satoru’s page where he expresses how disgusted he is by the comments. He goes on to bash the people spewing hate at someone he deems his friend and how you deserve none of it. The words bring more tears to your eyes, but not all of them are sourced from a well of sorrow this time around.

Toji goes on to say, “You should post your own pics too from that day. Be proud of yourself and the work you put in.”

You still can’t help but scoff, “Yeah, and give them more fuel? It’s bad enough they’re under all my other photos too.”

“So?” he scoffs back. “Fuck whatever they have to say. Remember what I told you.”

“Okay,” you sigh, wiping your tears. “I’ll do it.”

His lips upturn into a wolfish grin. “Good girl. Show ‘em who’s boss.” He pats your knee a few times before returning it to his side. “Now what do you say about ordering in some food? We can watch that fish thing too with Megs if you’re up for it.”

Your eyes widen, darting to the clock on your phone to see how late it is. “Oh my god, Megumi! I’m so sorry, is he–“

“Relax, he’s fine,” he states, appeasing your worries. “I had his sitter pick him up from school.”

“Oh, thank god,” you sigh again. “I was so caught up with my own shit, I completely forgot.”

“No harm done, so quit apologizing already,” he teases.

“I’m sorry ─ fuck, sorr–“ You clasp your hand over your mouth to shut yourself up. Toji gives you a blank stare with his mouth stretched in a fine line before your stomach breaks the silence with a loud growl. You hide yourself behind your legs from the humiliation, meanwhile Toji breaks out laughing.

Funny how the tables have turned.

“I’ll take that as a yes then.” He stands up, pulling his phone out from his back pocket. “Speaking of the kid though, his birthday is coming up.” His hand meets the back of his neck. “It’d mean a lot to him if you’re there for it, we’re havin’ a small party.”

“I’d love to,” you reply with a bright smile ─ the first and most genuine one you’ve made in several days.

“Thanks.” He returns your smile. “I’ll go get the kid then and order your favorite, so get comfortable while I’m gone.”

As he leaves, you go back to some of the latest posts on your profile. To your surprise, a lot of the hate and threats you saw were no longer there. Even the threats in your DMs disappeared or their accounts suspended. You have a feeling Kento has something to do with this, to which you’ll have to thank him later.

You pan through the official photos from the shoot, choosing all your favorites. With a shaky hand, you remember Toji’s words and hit the button to upload your post. Moments later, a new message comes through from your group chat.

Satoru Gojo oi oi, you’re posting again! are you okay??? we miss you :(

You I’m okay now, I’m sorry for worrying you guys.

Suguru Geto Don’t be, you have every right to want your own space. We’re just happy to hear from you again.

Shoko Ieiri next time though you should tell us so we can help you feel better 💕

Satoru Gojo yeah^^^ I was this 🤏 close to getting that double D DILF you like to drive us to your place so we could see you

You oh my god, don’t even start

Satoru Gojo hehehe I can see you blushing through the screen >:3 Shoko Ieiri no need to deny the obvious :)

Suguru Geto I’m with them on this. :)

You wipe the happy tears off your face just in time for Megumi to come running in. He throws himself into you for a nice big hug, with Toji following closely behind.

“Food’s on its way, you feelin’ better?”

“Yeah.” You nod in response. “And thank you, Toji. I’m glad we’re friends,” you tell him with a sincere sounding voice.

“Me too, sweetheart.” He plops down next to you, pulling Megumi into his lap to bounce on his knee. “Now let’s get this movie going then so we can watch Alien later.” He gives you a devious grin.

You scoff, rolling your eyes. “Yeah, funny joke.”

“We’ll see about that,” he teases.

Megumi ends up thoroughly enjoying Finding Nemo, reciting Dory’s iconic line “just keep swimming” over and over to the amusement of you both. Toji on the other hand tries his best to deny the Gill allegations, but it proves to be an impossible battle once Megumi began to point it out and back you up on the claim.

After dinner, Tsumiki ends up joining you three on the couch as well, feeling better than ever now that she has the laps of three people to choose from for love. But between all the laughing and combined joy, you can safely say that in this moment, you feel a whole lot warmer than you did before.

☆ Notes: I will self-indulge myself with movie and song titles that I know and love unapologetically. It’s my way of giving recommendations in a self-insert fic where I try and make the reader as inclusive as I can within the realm of what I’m trying to achieve. jennifer tilly is my celebrity crush <3

also I don’t know about you all, but when I get super stressed out and cry, my nose starts bleeding like hell which is why I wanted to add that scene in specific to add to the depth of the reader's anxieties

revising this chapter makes me realize how much dialogue is hard to do for me. I get so stuck on whether or not I believe a character would actually say what I’m making them say, but then I try to remind myself that there’s some wildly outlandish stuff I’ve seen in other fics that’s still enjoyable to read even their personalities are crazy OOC. Hope that isn’t too much the case here, as soft!toji is something I really try to focus on given all the shit he’s been through.

Here's a fun toji edit by the way >:)

#jjk #toji fushiguro #jjk toji #jujutsu kaisen #toji zenin #toji x female reader #toji fushiguro x reader #toji x reader #jjk au #toji x you #model!reader #megumi fushiguro #shoko ieiri #gojo satoru #geto suguru #nanami kento

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yuri-is-online · 11 months

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For who would go crazy in TWST trying to save u over and over i have thoughts:

Vil - Mr. Perfect? Not being able to reach his goal, trying to get to the person who understands him best? ESP. thinking about how he's based on the Evil Queen, someone well known for having a Very Poor reaction to not getting her way? He'd absolutely lose it, have a "where are they now" episode about washed up celebs cause EVERYTHING he has is dedicated to saving you

Malleus - He wields some of the most powerful magic in the world, but he can't save you? Absolutely not. He refuses. Also in his case he's probably resetting the world himself, so the repeated deaths he can't save you from are arguably being caused by him to. He has no sense to pet go - you love him, know him so intimately that a world without you is meaningless. Reset.

Azul - There's no bargain he can make, power he can steal, trick he can pull strong enough to fix this mess. He's blindly ambitious, and refuses to hear the word "no". How could he give up his precious pearl, the one person he knows could see through everything he is that's nasty and gross, and love the whole of it? He knows, deep in his mind, that he can't change this fate. But to give up on you? Truly impossible.

notes: referring to this shitpost here, discussion of spoilers for all currently available books including book 7, I'll slap Malleus's part under read more to make those a bit more avoidable

No but annon your mind... so correct about all of this for all stated reasons and more. Seriously how did I not think about Vil? That's genius?

Assuming the original timeline follows the events currently evolving in game, I assume that Yuu ends up dying as part of Grim's overblot. I think it makes sense for the boys to die that first time too, only to wake up alive and in the middle of preparing for NRC's entrance ceremony. After they make sure that this isn't a dream, and that they really are alive and somehow back in time they start making plans.

Vil

I can see og timeline Vil regretting that he didn't pay attention to Yuu before VDC, and trying to figure out how to stay in their life during his fourth year internship because (even if his feelings technically run a bit deeper) genuine friendships are important to him. Remember how happy to see everyone he was in chapter 6? It's all he can do to remind himself you probably don't know who he is anymore when he sees Crowley drag you into the mirror chamber, he just wants to kiss your preciously confused face.

Something Rook immediately picks up on because I'm pretty convinced he would notice if something was that majorly off script about his queen. Vil's raised eyebrow is .3 centimeters off from his normal concerned face :/ he needs an explanation.

Vil's relieved at first, he has Rook's help and you are surprisingly receptive to his advances. For just a brief moment he has you in his arms and you are alive, and then you are torn away again. And again, and again and again and-

Vil's signature spell is a curse, he can recognize the traces of one, and I agree he would be so determined to break it he would slowly start to deteriorate into a actual villain. It's not like time is advancing forward otherwise, it's not like he can advance his acting career while he is stuck in this time loop trying to save you, trying to not let your zero percent of survival stay zero. I could see him spending a loop killing the other overblot mages before they build up enough blot to hurt Yuu only for that not to work and him to get even more unhinged as a result.

Azul

Ok so you remember that bit in the Ghost Bride event where Azul gets borderline creepy over the thought of being rejected? Or that part of New Years where he suffers a bit of sunk cost fallacy over the grab bags and gets back in line to spend more money on more stuff he doesn't need? Or how about his level up lines? Laughing at the thought of being satisfied with "just this much power" or warning that you will just be taken advantage of in this world, and inviting you to seek safety with him when that inevitably happens?

Well you did and he failed you. And no he isn't really someone who lets go of things. He goes out of his way to tell Riddle that he thinks being greedy is a good thing; you could have had a very long and happy life together that hit every milestone you set out to achieve and it still wouldn't be enough for Azul. He will never be satisfied, never have enough of Yuu.

But he's smart, he knows when things just aren't possible. It makes him more determined to prove himself. If he can't outsmart something as trivial as fate, can he really claim to be a brilliant mage?

Unlike Vil, I don't think he would immediately tell the twins what was happening. I do think they would figure it out eventually, and I do think they would help, but I think they would also maybe... eventually... realize that there was no saving you and maybe it's best for everyone involved if that's accepted. I could see Jade and Floyd going to Yuu directly and asking what you want, not because they are opposed to saving you but because they want Azul's suffering to end.

I don't know if you have ever played Amnesia Memories, but I could see Azul following a similar path to the Joker World/Ukyo (they are not similar characters but meh) in a situation like this. Won't spoil that here but I highly recommend it if you like otome games.

Malleus

In a twisted way I could almost see him being satisfied with being stuck inside a time loop trying to save you. Not at first obviously, at first Malleus refuses to believe he could fail in saving you. He is the fifth most powerful mage in the universe. He is a King, he can not think of anyone, anything that is stupid enough to tell him no.

Maybe he speed runs his own overblot and tries trapping you in a dream, only for that to kill you. Reset.

How about killing the other overblot mages? He'd arrive at that one a lot faster than Vil. Also doesn't work. Reset.

I don't think Malleus would bring Lilia, Silver, or Sebek into the loop of what was going on. Lilia- he's smart, old, and understands just how powerful Malleus really is, but I'm not sure he would be able to realize time itself is being reset. I think he would pick up on what Malleus's plan is in each individual universe and goes out of his way to prevent him from doing something stupid. You know who I could see picking up on it though? Leona and Idia, forcing them to work together to get Malleus to stop further driving a wedge between Malleus and the rest of the student body.

And then there is you, troublesome you. We don't really know what causes Grim to overblot, I could almost see a situation where Yuu does everything they can to save their friends, aware that time is being reset and thinking that finally, this time they can keep everyone from dying. They are completely content to die if it means no one else gets hurt, completely unaware that self sacrifice is what is causing all of this. What is one life compared to everyone in all of Twisted Wonderland after all?

Everything, it is worth everything, this world really is meaningless without you in it. Reset.

#twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #vil schoenheit x reader #azul ashengrotto x reader #malleus draconia x reader #the frog is for you annon this made my day #i tried to make him smug

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yuurei20 · 3 months

Note

Hi Yuurei!!

Same anon asking about stipends -

We're going down a whole rabbit hole with this one!

My friend asked if there's anything about Crowley Actually being stingy in game, or if that's actually something the fans came up with.

We could only think about chapter 2 Crowley saying he didnt promise to pay for living expenses, but that was to get MC and Grim to do what he wanted.

Otherwise, while not as generous as he humorously claims, I can't really think of much where he's genuinely "nickle and diming" things

Do you know of anything?

Hello hello!! I am so sorry for the delay, I can finally answer this question! (for the curious, anon's initial questions about stipends is here!)

There have been multiple examples of Crowley taking advantage of opportunities for financial gain, but there may be more going on than it seems!

Crowley allows Azul to run Mostro Lounge on school properly in exchange for Azul returning the powers he stole from students in his first year, and for contributing 10% of the lounge's proceeds to NRC. (Jack: "Wait, so you're gettin' something from it?!")

In Book 4, Crowley himself insinuates that he allowed Kalim to be appointed Housewarden of Scarabia in exchange for generous support from Kalim's family that help with the costs of providing education. In Book 5 Jamil says that he suspects the opportunity to get "generous Asim family donations" is the only reason that Kalim was sent a letter of acceptance at all.

In Book 6, Crowley explains how he could not refuse the Shroud family's request that Ortho be formally enrolled as a student after they paid to repair the buildings destroyed by STYX, as well as making "substantial contributions toward expanding the school's facilities."

When the Firelit Sky team leaves for the fireworks event in Jamil and Kalim's hometown, Crowley says that he will graciously accept whatever souvenirs Kalim brings back. Trey comments, "I knew there was no way he'd let us do this for free."

When the students leave for the Glorious Masquerade event Crowley sees them off with, "Don't worry about getting any gifts for me. As a side note, I prefer treats with subtler flavors rather than overpowering ones."

During Halloween we learn that the souvenirs provided to campus visitors are "just little bags of candy that cost less than a thaumark each in total" and Crowley insists, "it's all about the sentiment!"

But for all these examples of Crowley seemingly being very interested in money, there are just as many where he is not as stingy as he could be: visitors to school during Halloween tour the campus free of charge, and Crowley gives away multiple VDC tickets so that the members of NRC Tribe can invite friends and family, despite how they are "hot commodities" that he could presumably sell.

He also buys Sam's entire stock of goods for seducing Eliza during the Phantom Bride event (including tuxedos for the remaining suitors), fairy dust for the Fairy Gala event and club equipment for the winning teams of Vargas Camp.

Costs pertaining to expenses such as setup and food supplies are all charged to the school during Port Fest, with half of profits donated to the restoration of Craneport.

Upon Azul's recommendation Crowley voluntarily decides to give the rest of the profits to the students themselves, even encouraging them to host a post-festival celebration with whatever money is leftover rather than trying to keep any for himself.

As mentioned in the response to your initial question, Crowley also gives the prefect and Grim funds that are mentioned during Glorious Masquerade! (And they also buy things during other events so this was, presumably, not a one-time exception.)

In short, I think you are right and it is possible that Crowley has become infamous for a level of stinginess that might not be entirely accurate! It is also interesting how he never seems to mention taking money for himself, directly: it is always in the form of donations to the school, repairs to campus facilities, etc., with the exceptions of the snacks he overtly requests from Fleur City, and the souvenirs he encourages Kalim to bring back for him.

As you say he does mention money as a way to pressure Grim and the prefect into helping him in the main story, but also as you say these are only two of many examples of the various ways he gets Grim to cooperate, such as promising him a role in the Spelldrive tournament (Book 2), renovating Ramshackle's plumbing (Book 5), and tempting him with attention and food (Glorious Masquerade).

Overall, while Crowley certainly has a reputation for being stingy both inside and outside of the game, he may not be as cheap as he seems--or as he wants people to think he is? 👀

#twstask #Dire Crowley #twisted wonderland

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jtargaryen18 · 10 months

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His Inheritance ~ Chapter 31 Bonus Peek

I know, I know. I don't normally do this. But I want to give you guys a hint as to what's coming in Chapter 31 because it's dark - not in a fun way. There will be warnings on the chapter for all sorts of unsavory things. If you're not one for horror or a little gore, I just want to make sure you know what you're walking into.

Warnings: References to mafia lifestyle, transactional sex, murder, kidnapping, gang violence, and dismemberment.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Bucky asked irritably. He didn’t like her coming by his house uninvited. She knew that.

“I’m sorry.” Kat looked it. As he stood watching her, a sweaty mess behind his desk from his run, she meekly approached him.

Stopping on the other side of his desk, she carefully placed the gift bag on the top of his desk between them.

“It’s for you,” she said forlornly. “Thank you for helping Paulina.”

Blowing out an exhale, he looked at the bag. “She out of the hospital yet?”

Kat nodded. “She’s home. Resting. I’m staying with her since we don’t know who did this… or why.”

Bucky hated wasting the manpower but in the off-chance Kat was right… “I’ll send someone to keep an eye on her place for the next couple of days, okay?”

“And mine?” she asked, flashing him a smile.

“You said you were staying with her,” he pointed out. “You stay with her, someone’s looking after you too.”

The smile faded and he couldn’t even feel badly about it. Kat was one of many. He’d had women who were more beautiful, better in bed. She wasn’t unique. She wouldn’t even be memorable.

And she’d served her purpose a long time ago. He took up with her to piss off Steve, to hurt his wife. While Rogers had been pissed and insulted that he brought his former mistress to his wedding, he hadn’t succeeded in his second objective. The new Mrs. Rogers hadn’t been hurt.

No, the daughter of the old boss and the bride of his enemy had turned out to be a lioness.

And she would be his at the end of this. It was going to happen.

Glancing at his current mistress, he knew it was past time to end things. But he’d wait until Paulina had mended. Make sure nothing else was heard about that little incident. Then he’d drop the hammer.

“Do you really care so little about me?” Kat asked him.

It wasn’t a bad acting job. Bucky smiled.

“Do we really care about each other?” he wanted to know. “Relationships aren’t based solely on love. That’s the movies. Relationships are based on mutual need. You need someone to give you money to maintain your lifestyle and I need sex and occasionally some arm candy. Don’t make this something more than it really is.”

Hooking a finger in the bag, he peeked into it to see a wad of tissue paper.

Kat watched him expectantly.

Grabbing the bag, he pulled out whatever she had wrapped in that tissue paper. It felt odd in his hand, more than one thing. The first thing he encountered was a small jewel box. Setting the rest down, he opened that to see a set of ruby cufflinks winking up at him from the black velvet.

He had to give her credit. She knew his tastes.

“These are nice,” he told her with a grin. “Thank you… What else do we have here?”

Kat’s brow creased as she watched him pick up the wad of tissue still in front of him.

“There was nothing else,” she said, looking confused.

But there was something else. Peeling away the tissue paper, Bucky stared at the fucking fingers – human fingers – he held in his hands. In disgust, he dropped them onto the desk as Kat covered her mouth with her hand, backing away in horror.

“What the fuck?” he demanded, staring at those digits.

She shook her head. “No,” she said. “I didn’t do that. I didn’t… I feel sick.”

Kat dashed from his study like the devil was chasing her as Bucky muscled his way past the revulsion to study those digits. The fingers of a white man, toughened from work. There was no blood. No rings. No scars or other identifying marks.

Grabbing the bag, Bucky looked to see if there was something else. There was. A business card for a donut shop on Rogers’ turf. He recognized the name of the shop.

Fuck.

Posting this weekend...

#His Inheritance #Bucky Barnes #Kat #Sh*t's going down

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ystrike1 · 11 months

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I Treated The Mastermind And Ran Away - By 이이리 (7.5/10)

Curses that disable. Temples that use orphaned children like bags of blood meat. Horrible parents. Creepy, possessive, adopted siblings. This should have been an edgelord feast, but sadly the author doesn't go far enough. The art and writing just isn't strong enough to carry the dark concept.

Evelyn was reborn...as a side character in a novel who dies. The Duke who adopted her did it to drain her dry. He purchased her through a corrupt system that allows nobles to use orphans with divine power. All to increase their own influence. Divine power costs part of your lifespan. So the Holy Temple harvests every child with this power, and they are sold to the highest bidder.

This ensures that they are weakened or killed before they reach adulthood. Then they are no threat to the natural order, and the nobles who buy them can make bank off of their powers in the meantime.

It's a perfect system.

Evelyn refuses to use her powers, because death is inevitable. If she follows the dukes commands she will certainly die before adulthood.

She resists.

He tortures her.

His son, Killian, develops an unhealthy obsession with her while he cares for her broken body. The heir is abused as well, because Duke Deigo is an unbelievably sick bastard.

Evelyn doesn't feel the same attachment.

Evelyn doesn't give a crap about her brother. She plans to steal the female leads place. The "daughter of Duke Deigo" will be kidnapped by the powerful Duke Devan. That's how the story goes. Devan was cursed with blindness, and he knows he will not survive crippled. He has too many enemies. He steals Deigo's adopted divine power bucket because strong holy people are rare...because the population has been bled dry by slavery...

He's a pretty reasonable guy, but he's not very nice. He was the most promising young nobleman. The curse took his chance away. He can't even live like a rich man, because he is so vulnerable while blind.

He wants his power back.

He is supposed to marry Cordelia, and be happy with her. In the original novel they are a lovely, loving couple.

Evelyn doesn't give a crap about that.

It's kinda overplayed but I'm gonna say it anyway. The red eyed Duke thing is boring now. The side characters are hotter, so be prepared to be disappointed.

Even Killian is more attractive than the ML, appearance-wise.

Evelyn "heals" Devan, and she demands money. She intends to leave and never return.

Devan hunts her down for multiple reasons.

First things first she doesn't fully heal his eyes. Evelyn is not as powerful as Cordelia. She's also obsessed with escaping, so she does the bare minimum and she flees.

Rumors run around the castle. The staff believes Evelyn was kidnapped to be Devan's bride...because he's awful husband material.

This eventually becomes true.

Devan becomes abnormally attached to Evelyn.

He hears voices.

He's very cursed.

Evelyn helped him.

When she leaves he eventually snaps, and realizes he wants her comforting presence by his side.

Killian is a complete nut. He liked wiping Evelyn clean after she was tortured by their father. He has no intention of marrying. He planned to keep her trapped with him after his father's death. It's implied that he plans to kill their father and keep her.

He tries to hunt her too.

Evelyn has zero interest in him though.

Evelyn isn't super likeable...and she becomes more hysterical later on. There is confirmed yandere in this though, so it will be dramatic.

#I Treated The Mastermind And Ran Away #yandere #male yandere #yandere male #yandere boy #recommendations #recs #rec #recommended #webtoon #otome isekai #otome game #otome

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ramblingoak · 1 year

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The Cardinal’s Bride, Chapter 5: Copia

~ A Romantic Adventure in the Old West: After being forced into a marriage with Mr. Saltarian by your father you are sent west to his estate in Nevada. Along the way you end up meeting one of the cowboys you have always fantasized about... ~

~~ Please visit The Outlaw Brides Masterpost to catch up and read more stories from this world ~~

Thank you to @tasty-ribz for the wanted poster! Lots of other amazing people have done fanart of Cowboy Copia so please go check it out: @meowsaidmissy (1 / 2), @snail-shell2335 here, @vahvco here, @ghulehgwen here, @rabidghoul here, @nocterish here, @enjoy-my-swearing here, @blacktie-whitenoise (1 /2) and from valkyrieinpink on twitter. Also a huge thank you to @kissingghouls for aggressively holding my hand and letting me scream at her about cowboys.

Cardinal Copia x Female Reader: alternative universe, slow burn romance, gun violence, blood, NSFW, 18+ only MDNI, 8,200 words for this one

Aether hated being left behind.

He hated this situation especially because of who was with Copia and his friends. The second he saw Mary he knew something stupid was going to happen. Stupid shit followed Mary around like a shadow. The fact that Copia was just going along with what everyone knew was a trap pissed him off to no end. Then there was the fact that Copia left him at camp to fucking babysit.

Babysitting Sunshine was like trying to pet a feral cat.

“Sunshine, what are you doing?”

She had been digging through the saddlebags they were using the stolen stagecoach horses to carry. All he got for an answer was a grunt so he grabbed a small rock and threw it at her. That earned him a hiss, but otherwise she remained quiet and continued making a mess.

“Hey, we might have to make a quick retreat here. What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

Aether groaned and threw another rock.

“It looks like you’re making a mess.”

“Your cooking shit is still everywhere so maybe take your own advice.”

“Yes, well I’m picking up my cooking shit, you’re dumping clothes everywhere.” He reached down for another rock but this one she caught and launched back at him, barely missing his head. “Damn it, Sunshine, I’m ju–.”

“Don’t worry Dad, I'll pick it up. I’m looking for some clothes.”

“We don’t have time for you to play dress up.”

“They’re not for me.”

Aether glanced over to the tree line where Copia’s ‘Principessa’ was waiting. She looked nervous, she’d been looking nervous all morning ever since her and Copia came back with Mary. He hadn’t been able to tell if it was all because of Mary or if something had happened between her and Copia. Judging by the looks they had been exchanging he was pretty sure it was a bit of both. He sighed and looked back at Sunshine.

“Well we definitely don’t have time for her to play dress up.”

“Stop worrying, it won’t take long. We’ve got to get her out of that dress.”

Aether raised an eyebrow and looked back over at the Princess. Her dress had definitely seen better days, but so had everyone else’s clothes.

“Another week in that thing isn’t gonna kill her.”

“Yeah well, the smell might kill me so she’s changing. Plus this will make it easier for her to walk and ride.”

“We all smell, Sunshine. Get over it.”

Unsurprisingly, she ignored him and started holding some shirts up to look them over. Aether wasn’t trying to be an asshole towards the girl, but he also didn’t want her getting too comfortable. In one more week they’d be back at The Ministry and they could hopefully arrange for the switch for the ransom money. The end of this was so close and he didn’t want to deal with having to chase her around again.

“You’re just making it easier for her to run away.” Sunshine just laughed at him and shook her head. Aether watched as she finally set aside a shirt and a pair of pants before shoving everything back into the bags.

“I’m sorry, have you seen the way Copia and her have been looking at each other? She isn’t going to run away again.” Aether walked closer as she shook the clothes out. He wasn’t sure whose pants she had grabbed but that looked like one of Swiss’s shirts.

“Of course I’ve seen it and I’ve tried to talk to Copia about it but he won’t listen.” He crossed his arms when Sunshine just rolled her eyes at him. “What?”

“Good luck getting Copia to back off, I knew he was doomed as soon as I saw her picture in the paper.” She turned to head the Princess’s way, but Aether reached out and grabbed her arm, backing off with his hands up when she turned to growl at him.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re up to, but you need to just leave it alone. Leave them alone and don’t encourage anything.” Goddammit he was getting really tired of her rolling her eyes at him.

“That’s the problem with you guys, none of you have a romantic bone in your body.” She took a step towards him and jabbed her finger into his chest, he saw the shirt drop out of her hands and sighed. That was definitely Swiss’s. “All I’m doing is giving her a little hand with things, ok? Besides, if we get ambushed here or wherever it’ll be easier if she’s not tripping over that goddamn dress.”

“Fine. Fine, but that’s it Sunshine. Get her dressed and then let her be.”

“Of course, Dad.” Satan’s dick, Sunshine drove him crazy. “It’s just a change of clothes, man. Maybe a few self defense lessons.” Sunshine grunted as she leaned down to grab the shirt and started to shake it out.

Aether groaned and shook his head, but decided not to say anything. He didn’t know why he’d even wasted his time talking to her. Sunshine could be as stubborn as Copia some days. He eyed the shirt in her hands before speaking again.

“You know what seeing her in Swiss’s shirt is going to do to him, don’t you?” Sunshine just cackled and turned to start walking towards the Princess. Aether kneeled down to pick up the bags and started for the horses when he glanced back over at the girls. Something in Sunshine’s hand glinted in the sun and he watched as she handed it over to the girl. Unholy hell.

“Sunshine, stop giving her knives!”

The only response he got was Sunshine’s middle finger as they disappeared into the trees so the Princess could change. Groaning, he started for the horses again to get them ready. It was possible Copia and the others would be gone most of the day, but he wanted to be prepared in case they showed up sooner. Who knew how many of Saltarian’s men were waiting in that town. He was confident in everyone’s abilities, whether it was with a gun or something hand to hand, but still. A trap was a trap and Mary was an asshole.

Despite being worried of their need to possibly leave quickly he took his time. The stagecoach horses weren’t really cut out for anything more than lugging stuff around, but he brushed them out and took care of them just the same as their other ones. They’d be able to sell them for a decent sum whenever they made it back to town. He took a moment to look them over before deciding on one for the Princess to ride. Although he had a sinking suspicion Copia would find an excuse to have her ride with him again.

He had known what would happen as soon as he’d seen her picture in the paper too.

Aether paused when he heard the hoofbeats. A steady pounding coming from behind him, across the field. Lucifer, please. He took a deep breath and turned, hoping to see Copia and the others. Unfortunately the rider in the lead was dressed in all black so there was no mistake it was Mary. There were two other riders flanking him and as they got closer Aether’s heart sank when he didn’t recognize them.

He closed his eyes briefly, saying a quick prayer for his friends before glancing over to where the girls had disappeared into the trees. At least they hadn’t come out yet, it would give him some backup with Sunshine and he knew she’d tell the Princess to stay there where it would be relatively safe. He adjusted his gun belt and started walking through camp, passed the dying fire and stopping right at the edge.

By now he knew Sunshine had to have heard the horses and hopefully she was watching and ready. She hadn’t taken her rifle with her so she’d have to get close to help him. He would need to create enough of a distraction to give her that chance without being spotted. Copia left him here for a reason, he knew Aether would fight like hell to keep everyone with him safe. His friend had trusted him with his Princess for a reason and he wasn’t going to let Mary take her without a fight.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d worn pants.

When Sunshine had suggested a change of clothes you were ecstatic. Your poor dress looked nothing like it did when you had stepped into the stagecoach at the start of your journey. After days of horse riding and sleeping in the dirt it was more brown than blue and white. Falling into the creek the other day certainly hadn’t helped either.

What was worse was the smell, although it didn’t seem like it bothered any of your companions. It shouldn’t anyway, they smelled far worse after days on the road. You figured it was just one of the things people got used to if they spent lots of time out of the city. Everyone kept mentioning heading to a casino and while you weren’t exactly sure what to expect, Sunshine had promised you there were baths.

You’d never wanted to take a bath so badly in your life.

Anytime someone brought up the casino, The Ministry as it was called, you would get nervous. It wasn’t really the thought of the casino itself, but what it meant for you. The Cardinal had said a few times now that once they reached it they would be waiting there to hear from Saltarian. At that point you assumed they’d arrange the exchange of you for the ransom money and that would be it.

What happened after that you had tried not to think about too much. You didn’t want to think about being near Saltarian at all. In just a few days he’d gone from being some unknown business associate of your father’s to a cold-blooded murderer. You had no idea what he was like beyond that. How would he treat you? Would he be angry you had been kidnapped? Would you end up locked away in a room until the wedding?

The wedding itself was just one more thing you didn’t want to think about. While The Cardinal had mentioned the general plan a few times you really had no idea what it actually entailed. Were you going to be stuck in between flying bullets from both sides? Or what if The Cardinal and his Ghouls burned the church down? That would certainly be poetic justice considering what Saltarian had done to them, but what about you?

As the fear started to make your chest clench you tried to take a few deep breaths and calm down. The Cardinal had promised to protect you. You knew deep down you shouldn’t trust him, trust the outlaw that had kidnapped you, but again your thoughts drifted back to how things had changed between you. There was something there now, something that made your heart speed up for a different reason.

You shook your head, you shouldn’t be thinking about something like that. He was probably just trying to keep you happy and prevent you from running away again. Mary had mentioned another woman and there were probably more besides that. Why would he choose some silly city girl like you? You groaned and smoothed your hands down the pants before reaching down to pick up the shirt, turning your head when you heard Sunshine come through the trees.

“How’s it going, kid?” You smiled softly at her nickname for you, no one here seemed to want to use your actual name. Even ‘Principessa’ had grown on you a bit, although you’d never tell The Cardinal that. “Oh hey, those fit great.”

“The shirt’s a little big.” You held out your arms to show her how far the ends hung off your hands, but she just tsked and walked close to start rolling them up.

“Eh it’ll work just fine, you look great!” Sunshine finished with the other sleeve and then took a step back and grinned. “You fit right in now!”

“I’m not sure everyone would agree with you there.” You snorted and fiddled with the shirt for a moment.

“The only opinions that matter are mine and Co–, eh The Cardinal’s and I can guarantee you he’ll approve.” She winked and you looked down to hide your blush. Well, you weren’t going to lie and say you didn’t want his approval. But it was a silly thing to want considering the circumstances.

“I just…I’m sorry. I don’t even know what to think, my mind is all over the place.” You sniffed and turned a bit, trying to hide the tears welling up in your eyes. Oh now you were really being a silly city girl. You felt Sunshine’s hand on your arm and looked back at her despite your tears.

“Listen, I’ve known The Cardinal a long time, ok? I haven’t seen him ac–,” Sunshine abruptly froze and turned her head back towards camp. You started to ask what was wrong but she squeezed your arm so you kept quiet. You stayed frozen as she turned and crept towards the tree line. It was then that you could hear whatever must’ve stopped her speech, heavy horse hooves getting closer to camp.

She waved her hand towards you, motioning you to get down so you dropped to your knees, resting them on your dress for a moment before slowly moving towards her. As you got closer you were able to see Aether standing at the edge of camp. You held your breath as you turned to see what he was looking at, hoping it was The Cardinal and the rest of the Ghouls. Instead all you saw was Mary and two men you didn’t recognize. They had pulled up right in front of Aether and you could see them talking to each other, but you didn’t understand what they were saying.

“Sunshine, wh–,” But she shushed you, her eyes not leaving the men as they spoke. Their voices were becoming louder and your heart started hammering in your chest. Where was the Cardinal? Aether reached a hand out to point behind Mary, but the man just shook their head. Everyone's voices got louder as the conversation became more heated and Sunshine tensed up even more next to you.

“Fucking Mary, I knew that asshole was gonna try something.” She shook her head and started to say something else when the other two men moved around Aether to surround him. Mary nudged their horse closer to him right when one of the men drew their gun and cocked it. Aether turned at the sound, drawing their own gun but Mary abruptly kicked out and caught him in the face.

“Shit!”

Your hands flew to your face as Aether dropped to the ground, Mary leaping off their horse right after. When Mary got close Aether slammed his foot into their knee, bringing them down as well. One of the men jumped off their horse but Aether held out his gun and you gasped into your hands when the shot rang out. The man’s body dropped swiftly but before Aether could focus on the other man Mary was up and on the Ghoul, slamming a fist into Aether’s face.

Sunshine cursed under her breath and then turned and grabbed you by your shoulders.

“Stay here. If Mary or the other two head this way you run, ok?” You wanted to say something, but she stood up and grinned down at you, before taking off towards camp. Mary and the other man weren’t looking your way, Mary still busy fighting with Aether. The other one had gotten off their horse and was checking on his wounded companion.

You had thought she would have just run up to them shooting, but Aether abruptly spun Mary and was able to overtake them. The horses startled and started moving away from the chaos in between them. When the man looked up from what you assumed at this point was his dead companion their eyes immediately latched on Sunshine. The Ghoulette was quicker than him, getting a shot off before he could aim at her.

He jerked to the side and he went down right on top of the body of his companion. You couldn’t decide what to watch at this point. Sunshine seemed calm as she advanced on the man she had shot, but at the same time Aether and Mary were cursing and growling at each other. You couldn’t even tell who was winning as they rolled around in the dirt.

Where was The Cardinal? He wasn’t…he couldn’t be dead. There was no way he and the other Ghouls were dead. You took a shuddering breath and tried to fight the tears. Crying wouldn’t do you any good right now, or at all. Sunshine said you needed to run if anyone headed your way so you needed to pay attention. You lowered your head for a moment to try and collect yourself, but when another shot rang out you yelped and looked back towards the fighting.

Mary had seemed to get the better of Aether and they had their gun pointed at Sunshine. You couldn’t tell if their bullet had hit her or not, but she was down. Mary slowly got off of Aether, giving him one last punch in the gut before limping towards the Ghoulette. Your eyes stayed on Aether though, silently begging him to get up but he remained motionless where he was.

You looked back towards the other end of the field, still hoping you’d see The Cardinal ride out of the woods on Brizio but there was no one. Aether was down, possibly dead and Sunshine might be next. You pushed yourself onto your feet, your hands shaking as they rested against a tree trunk. Mary was standing over Sunshine now with their back to you pulling their gloves off and shoving them into their coat. When you looked back you narrowed your eyes, watching as Mary leaned back over Sunshine with a gun in their hand.

You couldn’t let anymore of The Cardinal’s people die.

Sunshine had told you to run away, but where were you supposed to go? Your chances were probably better with Mary than on your own with no supplies in the middle of nowhere. You started looking at the ground around you, hoping to find a branch or anything you could use against Mary. The knives Sunshine had given you were still in your dress and you didn’t have time to dig around for them.

Mary’s laughter rang out from camp, apparently Sunshine was awake you could see Mary kick her hand away from his leg. They were mocking her! You growled and grabbed a branch that was about as long as your arm and stalked out of the woods. Mary’s back was still to you, Aether hadn’t moved and neither had Saltarian’s men. When you looked back at Mary and Sunshine, Mary had cocked their gun and was pointing it down at your friend. An angry scream built up in your chest and you ran at them swinging the branch.

The noise startled Mary and they whipped around to face you, but it was too late. You had swung the branch back and slammed it down as hard as you could, knocking it against Mary’s shoulder. They cried out and stumbled out of the way, landing on their knees nearby. You immediately knelt down to check on Sunshine but her eyes were closed, a large bruise forming on her cheek. Before you could try to wake her Mary’s hands were on your shoulders and they were yanking you up to your feet.

“Man, he really did a number on you, huh?” You tried twisting away from them, but their grip on your shirt was too strong. “Quit fucking struggling, Sweet Cheeks. Your fun little vacation is over. Time to go back to reality.”

“Fuck you!” You kicked out behind you, but you missed connecting with anything. They grunted and wrapped an arm around your waist and then slid the other over your mouth.

“Man no wonder he liked you, the spunky ones always get hi–fucking shit!” You clamped your teeth down on Mary’s fingers as hard as you could, tasting blood. They cursed again and shoved you down onto the ground next to the smoldering fire, your hands landing on Aether’s cooking pots he hadn’t put away yet.

You spit Mary’s blood onto the ground and took a few deep breaths. All you wanted to do was cry, your mind becoming overwhelmed with the idea of The Cardinal being dead. Mary finally quieted down and you heard his footfalls come up behind you, the spurs on his boots jingling softly.

“I don’t know what kind of fairytale The Cardinal was weaving into your head, but the reality is you meant nothing to him.”

You turned to glare at him, staying on the ground, ashamed of the tears gathering in your eyes.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Mary snorted and shook their head.

“No, Sweet Cheeks, I do know what I’m talking about. But it doesn’t matter now anyway. He’s dead and so are his annoying sidekicks.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well I don’t give a fuck what you believe, all I need you to do is get up and get ready to go.”

“Don’t touch me!” You kicked out when Mary tried to grab you, connecting with their ankle. Mary stumbled back growling, glaring down at you.

“What’s it gonna take for you to accept it, huh? Do you want me to drag his body back here for you to cry over like some war widow?”

“He’ll come back for me!” The tears were flowing freely now and your heart was clenching in your chest. You couldn’t believe it, you didn’t want to believe it. Mary crouched down in front of you and you tried to take a calming breath.

“Alright, fine. I’ll play along, what if he did come back? What did you think was gonna happen?”

“I don’t…we were going to hide out until Saltarian paid the ransom.”

“Then what? He’d come swooping in like some hero and rescue you from your horrible new husband?” Your eyes dropped to the ground and Mary snorted before continuing, “Sweet Cheeks, did it ever occur to you he was blowing smoke up your ass to get you to cooperate? Hell, to get under your dress too.”

You clenched your hands into fists, your nails digging into your skin at the implication of his last words. The Cardinal had done nothing to pressure you into…into that. He’d certainly been attentive to you, touching and holding you more than you think you’d ever been since you were a child. You found yourself shaking your head again, he hadn’t done anything you didn’t like. If anything his touches had left you wanting more.

“He told me his plan and he said he’d protect me. That he’d keep me safe.”

“Oh, he’ll keep you safe alright, as long as it’s useful for him to keep you around.” Mary brought his bloody hand to your chin and lifted your face up so your eyes met. They smiled, but it was cruel and mocking and all you wanted to do was wipe it off their face. “Sweet Cheeks, I’ve known The Cardinal for a long time, nothing will get between him and his revenge. Not even some pretty young virgin like you.”

You jerked your chin out of his hand, narrowing your eyes as they laughed at you.

“He promised that he’d protect me.”

“Copia’s made promises to girls much prettier than you, so good luck holding him to anything.” Copia? Was that…was that his name? Mary must have picked up on your confusion because they started laughing again. “You see! You didn’t even know his name! Not much of a love story is it?”

You felt the fight leaving you as Mary’s words started to sink in. Maybe they were right, maybe this was all an act by The Cardinal. By Copia. An act to help keep you in line and make it easier to drag you to the casino. Mary was still chuckling, but you tried to block the sound out.

“This is all an act, Sweet Cheeks. If you get between him and Saltarian he’s going to take the shot and he’ll walk over your body to get his revenge.”

No. It wasn’t an act. Mary was right, you were inexperienced, but you weren’t an idiot. Copia had listened to you when you told him you weren’t there by choice, his behavior after that had changed. He had opened up to you that night by the fire, he had trusted you enough to share his past. You closed your eyes and imagined his arms around you while you rode around on Brizio.

You saw his face leaning closer when he was about to kiss you.

“Fucking wake up!” Mary’s raised voice startled you back to the present and you reached up to wipe the tears off your cheeks. “You don’t mean anything to him except the means to an end. And if your end is part of it, trust me, he won’t lose any sleep over your death.”

“Fuck you and fuck Mr. Saltarian.” You reached your hand behind you and grasped the handle of one of the cooking pans. You weren’t going to listen to any more of this.

“Sorry, Sweet Cheeks, you’re not my ty–” The sound of the pan hitting Mary’s head echoed around the campsite and you held it in the air for a moment, watching as blood started trickling down Mary’s forehead. Their eyes rolled back and they slumped over, laying there completely still while you stayed frozen with the pan in the air.

After a moment you dropped it to the ground and exhaled slowly. You looked around the campsite at the carnage, a bunch of bodies still laying around and not moving. The horses had started to mill around, munching on the grass. You pushed yourself off the ground and stood up, your hands were starting to shake and for a moment you felt like crying again. A sound behind you stopped you though and your breath caught as you slowly turned around to see what it was.

The Cardinal, Cardinal Copia, was riding out of the trees and racing towards you.

Before you even registered yourself moving you were running away from the camp towards him. As he got closer you got a better look at him, his dirty leather jacket was missing along with his hat. You could see one side of his face was matted with blood and you almost cried out at the sight. You heard him shout for you and you stumbled in your desperation to get to him.

“Principessa!”

Copia pulled up on the reins but didn’t even wait for Brizio to stop, leaping over the side and running the rest of the way towards you. He caught you as you practically threw yourself at him. You knew you’d probably be embarrassed at your display later, but right now you didn’t care. You didn’t care about anything except the feel of his arms around you. You buried your face in his shirt, a deep red button up that was marked with sweat and some blood.

“Hey, hey,” His hands cupped your face, pulling it away from his chest while you attempted to hide your tears. When your eyes met he smiled and you felt like crying even more seeing the wound on his face. “I’m ok, I’m here. We’re all ok.”

Your hand came up to grip his shirt but he caught it in one of his own, squeezing it gently and holding it over his heart. Like he knew you needed the extra reassurance despite him standing in front of you. His other hand stayed on your cheek, the thumb stroking across your skin back and forth. It helped calm you and you took a shaky breath before trying to speak.

“Mary’s here. They came back with two men and attacked Aether and Sunshine. I, I don’t kno–” Your voice cracked and he shushed you, holding your head against his chest for a moment. You felt his own head rest against the top of yours briefly and you swore you felt the ghost of his lips on your hair before he pulled away.

“Stay behind me.” He kept your hand in his as he walked towards camp, his other hand pulling his gun out of its holster.

“Mary said you were dead. That you were all dead.” It almost felt like a dream now, you found yourself squeezing his hand and you couldn’t help but smile when he squeezed back.

“We’re all a bit banged up, but the only ones that are dead are Saltarian’s men.” He let go of your hand when he reached the first body and nudged the man over onto his back before he knelt down next to him. You watched as he checked their pulse, then took the man’s hat and covered his face.

The next body had the same result and you breathed a sigh of relief. Copia went over to Mary next, giving them a much harder kick to roll them over. While he knelt down to check Mary you went over to Sunshine and knelt down next to her, taking her wrist to check her pulse. When you felt it beat steadily against your fingers you reached up to brush some of her hair back.

The bruise on her cheek had gotten bigger, but the worst thing you saw was the blood staining the sleeve of her coat. You jumped when you felt Copia’s hand on your shoulder and he helped you pull her jacket off, eliciting a few groans from her as the sleeve slid down her arm. Copia checked the wound for a moment and then pulled off the bandana she wore around her neck, tying it around her arm.

“It’s just a graze, Principessa. She’ll be fine.” Sunshine groaned and you watched as her eyes blinked open, squinting into the sun.

“Fuck you, Boss.” Copia chuckled and touched her shoulder gently. The Ghoulette turned towards you and gave you a quick grin before groaning and bringing a hand up to rub her cheek. “Is Mary still alive? If so, can I kill them?”

“Mary’s alive. For now.” You watched as Copia got up and started to move over to Aether before pausing. He looked back to Sunshine for a moment and then back at you with an eyebrow raised. “Who hit Mary?”

You bit your lip and glanced down to where the cooking pan was still laying in the dirt. Copia reached down and picked it up, turning it over to look at the huge dent Mary’s head had left. He looked back to you and started laughing, shaking his head as he tossed the pan back on the ground.

“Well done, Principessa.”

When you glanced over at Mary you saw that Copia had tied their hands behind their back. Blood had covered their face, but you couldn’t bring yourself to feel bad. You’d hit them again if you had to. You breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Aether and Sunshine were ok. Copia was helping Aether stand up and they grasped each other’s elbows briefly before they came over to you and Sunshine.

“We need to pack up and head back to the town.” Copia reached down and you slid your hand into his, letting him pull you up. Your eyes drifted to his wound again and you winced. He tilted his head to catch your eyes and smiled at you. “I’ll be ok, it looks worse than it is.”

You nodded, biting your lip to fight the tears that wanted to come once more. His face softened and he pulled you away towards where Brizio had wandered to, the horse always staying close to his master.

“I’m sorry, I was just scared. I thought you might not be coming back.” Copia cupped your cheeks again and you blinked your tears away so you could see his face clearly.

“Didn’t I promise to protect you?” You bit your lip and nodded, forcing all the nasty words Mary said out of your mind. Words that weren’t true. “I may be an outlaw, Principessa, but I keep my promises.”

“I believe you, Copia.” Your body froze when his name slipped out and you were waiting for him to be upset that you knew it now, but he just smiled. His hands dropped from your cheeks and took your own, bringing one up to his lips so he could kiss the back of it like he had done before.

“I figured Mary would let it slip. I guess you know all my secrets now.” You couldn’t help but smirk, pleased that he wasn’t upset about it. Happy that you knew his real name now and that you could use it. You looked down at his hands for a moment before he spoke again. “Well, maybe not all my secrets.”

When you glanced up at his face he winked at you and you rolled your eyes.

“Okie dokie, let’s get going.”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Cleaning up camp didn’t take very long. While Aether and Copia dragged the bodies into the woods you and Sunshine got things packed up. Mary had woken up eventually, but Copia shoved a rag into their mouth to keep them quiet. You couldn’t help but glare at them every time you walked by, but Mary just glared right back.

Asshole.

They threw Mary over their own horse and tied them down, you could hear them swearing through their gag but other than that you didn’t bother giving them any attention. Sunshine wandered up to you with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face. When she pulled them out she had the knives you had left with your dress in the woods.

“You did pretty good with a frying pan, but I’d still keep these handy, kid.” You laughed and took them back, but you were unsure where to stash them now. Sunshine started to say something, but Copia came up and interrupted her.

“Allow me.” Sunshine snorted and held her hands up while she wandered off towards Aether. When you looked back at Copia he had an odd look on his face so you raised your eyebrow at him. “We’ll need to teach you how to use these soon.”

“A knife doesn’t seem difficult to use, just stick them with the sharp end, right?” Copia laughed, ducking his head while he shuffled them in his hands. He stepped close and took the smallest one, slipping it into the pocket of your pants. You held your breath at his proximity, biting down on your lip when he used a finger to pull the waistband out so he could clip one of them to the belt Sunshine had given you.

“I think we’ll need to let you practice with a gun too.”

“Oh Copia, I don’t kno–”

“No, today proves that despite my promise you still need to be able to defend yourself.” He knelt down and lifted your pant leg up, tucking the final knife into your boot. You could feel its leather case rest against your ankle, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. If anything it was a comfort to have it, to have all of them close by just in case.

Copia stood up and looked you up and down for a moment. He cocked his head while he looked at the shirt you had on and you reached up to adjust it a bit self-consciously. Your lace chemise you had worn under the dress showed sometimes and you had already seen Copia notice it once or twice. He wouldn’t stop staring so you huffed and crossed your arms.

“What?”

“Principessa, whose shirt is that?”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Once you got to the town there was a nice reunion with everyone. Even Mountain had come up and lifted you in a huge bear hug. As you walked through the town your mood sobered a bit though, it was obvious quite the battle had taken place. You could see that in the tired faces of the Ghouls as well although it was clear they had taken the time to clean up a bit and bandage what needed to be bandaged.

Now with night having fallen you were all gathered around another campfire, this time near the outskirts of the town. Mary had been tied to an overturned wagon a ways away. The blood still caked on their face and the rag still shoved into their mouth. You almost asked if someone should clean them up or give them some water but you decided, for the moment at least, you didn’t care.

What you did care about was making sure Copia, Aether and Sunshine got cleaned up. Dewdrop had been surprisingly helpful, finding a few somewhat clean sheets in one of the houses and then going off to get some water. He didn’t say anything to you, but it felt like his attitude towards you had changed a bit. You’d have to apologize at some point for biting him.

Rain had taken up the task of cleaning up Aether’s face while Dew worked on Sunshine. He seemed like the only one willing to put up with her hissing and cursing while the bullet graze on her arm got sewn up. You had attempted to watch, but it was a little too much for you so you turned and set your attention on your own patient.

Copia had found his hat and had it back on his head, so you tipped it up a bit to get at the gash above his eyebrow. It wasn’t as deep as you thought it would be so you were relieved when he said it wouldn’t need stitches. That was probably a good thing because he was surprisingly twitchy whenever you brought the wet rag to wipe around the wound. When he kept wincing you shushed him, earning you a very impressive glare.

“I thought cowboys were supposed to be tough.” He snorted and reached up for his hat, taking it off and setting it on the ground next to him.

“Cleaning them up is usually worse than getting them.” You smiled as he made another face when you pressed the rag against the cut again, gently dabbing at the blood.

“I’m almost afraid to ask what’s the worst you’ve ever been injured.”

He tilted his head up and squinted his eyes, like he was thinking back on what you were sure were the countless injuries he’d received over the years. When he reached up for your hand you gave him a wary look as he brought it to rest on top of his left thigh, right in the middle. You glanced back up at his face when he spoke.

“Took a knife here a few years ago.” You made an ‘oh’ sound and looked back down at where his bare hand was settled over yours. There were a few scars on the back of it and it made you think of how many scars he probably had covering his body. Unfortunately that thought made your cheeks flame and you hoped the firelight dancing across your skin hid it from him.

You tried to tug your hand away from his so you could get back to cleaning his cut, but he wouldn’t let go. Instead he lifted it up so he could study it in the light and then narrowed his eyes at something near your thumb. There was a very small burn mark there, barely noticeable to you but his keen eyes had honed in on it immediately.

“Oh, I was trying to make myself some tea.” Your eyes narrowed as a bark of laughter left him and you jerked your hand away. “I was a child! I’m sorry I don’t have any wounds from knife fights to brag about.”

“It was barely a fight, Principessa.” He was still laughing, like it was a fond memory rather than a painful one. You looked back up to him with an eyebrow raised and he pointed towards town to where Mary was tied up.

“Wait, Mary stabbed you?” Copia nodded his head and smiled when you shook yours in disbelief.

“Eh, I’ve done worse to them over the years.” You snorted and wrung the rag out again, glancing back up at his face to make sure the cut wasn’t starting to bleed again. Another blush started to grow on your cheeks when you saw his eyes on you. “Still wasn’t the worst wound I’ve gotten.”

You frowned when he took your hand again and watched warily as he pulled it up to his chest. His hand settled yours right over his heart and you held your breath when you felt it beat strongly against your palm. Copia didn’t say anything for a moment and you looked back up at his face expectantly.

“A lovely girl in Denver.” He was biting his lip and you raised your eyebrow as you waited for the rest of the story. “She broke my heart.”

His laughter covered your groan and when you yanked your hand away he grabbed at it again bringing it up to his lips to place a quick kiss on the back. Your cheeks were going to be permanently red at this point, it seemed like his only goal anymore was to make you blush.

“You did good, Principessa. I’m impressed.” It was impossible to hide your pleased smile so you just let it grow on your face. You startled a bit when a shadow fell over you and let out a little sound when something plopped onto your head. The Cardinal had placed his hat on you, although it was too big and fell nearly to your eyes, obscuring your vision. Before you could move it one of his hands came up and tilted it back and you were met with a smile so dazzling you had to look away. “We’ll make a cowboy out of you yet.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be cut out to be a cowboy.” You bit your lip as you adjusted the hat a bit more. When you risked a glance at him his eyes held yours briefly before he winked and you had to look away again. The moment was quickly ruined when he knocked his hat down to cover your eyes and you growled but as you reached up to fix it you felt his breath on your ear and you froze.

“We’ll see about that.”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

In the morning they relocated Mary inside one of the buildings so they weren’t baking under the sun. You stayed back and helped pack up again, not wanting to hear any more poisonous words from Mary. Everyone seemed to be in better spirits this morning and it made you happy. Even Dewdrop was in a good mood, but you think that had something to do with whatever he and Swiss had found in one of the buildings. You had been about to ask them what it was but Copia and Aether had wandered out of the building they put Mary in so you waited in the street as they walked up.

“Are they going to be ok if you leave them here?” Copia raised an eyebrow at your question and you rolled your eyes. “I just don’t like the sound of them, or anyone, starving to death.”

“Mary will be fine. There’s a town nearby, some more of Saltarian’s men are waiting there.” You froze at that news, but Copia gave you a reassuring smile and rested a hand on your shoulder. “It’s a few days' ride away, Principessa. We’re safe. Mary will even be safe. When Mary doesn’t show up with you they’ll send some men out here to see what happened.”

“Do you think Saltarian will hurt Mary? For not bringing me back. For not killing you.”

“Mary is an idiot, but they’re still useful. Saltarian won’t waste the energy killing them.” Copia had remained at your side, his hand sliding down your arm to rest on your elbow. “We should get going, Rain said there was a storm brewing in the mountains.”

He squeezed your elbow and gave you a gentle tug so you’d follow him. You looked out to the mountain ridge and bit your lip. You didn’t see any signs of storm clouds gathering, but you trusted Rain to know what they were doing. Oh, you hated storms! Missouri would get such awful ones in the spring and summer and you were always a nervous wreck during them.

“What will we do?” Copia stopped next to the horse you would be riding and peered down at you, seemingly a little confused over your question. “In the storm, how will we avoid it?”

“We usually don’t, Principessa.” His face softened as he looked at you, seemingly picking up on your nervousness. “But we can’t stay around here. It’s not safe, not with Saltarian’s men so close.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I just, well you’ll poke fun, but I’m scared of storms.” You felt your cheeks heat a little bit at your admission and you glanced quickly at his face, expecting to see that smirk of his. All you saw though was compassion, his features still soft as his eyes traced your face.

“How many times will I need to remind you that I’ll protect you, eh?” His voice was stern but you could see the teasing glint in his eye. You smiled and nodded, the rest of your insecurities from Mary’s words fading away. He put a hand at the small of your back and nudged you closer to the horse, “Time to go.”

Copia helped you up much like he had done before, kneeling down and letting you put your foot in his hands to help lift you up onto the horse. It was much easier to do so now in the pants and while you still missed your dress, you were happy to feel more at home on a horse. Copia busied himself with adjusting some straps on the saddle before bringing his hands to your foot.

"Do you want to know the best thing about being rid of that stronzino, Principessa?" You raised an eyebrow and looked down at him expectantly, watching as he finished tucking your foot into the stirrup.

“What’s that?” Copia’s hand moved to your ankle, holding it in a loose grip. His eyes remained focused there, flexing his fingers around it a few times. The warmth from his hand was starting to seep into your skin through your pants and you couldn’t help but think about how good it felt. You were focused on his hand so much his voice startled you when he spoke again.

"With Mary gone there won't be anyone to interrupt us."

“Interrupt us? From wha–” Your voice cut off when his hand started moving from your ankle. It slid slowly up your leg, your cheeks starting to heat as it continued higher, only stopping when it reached your knee. He brought his other hand up to rest at your waist and you sucked in a breath, feeling caged in by him. It wasn’t anywhere close to an unpleasant feeling, but you still nudged your knee against his hand, trying to get him to answer. “Copia, what do you mean?”

He remained silent, but his eyes began to travel from where his hand rested on your knee, trailing up your thigh and higher. You could feel goosebumps sprouting over your skin as you watched his mismatched gaze take you in. Copia bit his lip momentarily when they rested at where his hand was on your waist before they continued further. It wasn’t until he was looking at your lips that they stopped again and the memory of when he had looked at them like that before popped into your head. Of when he had almost kissed you.

Oh.

You watched as a smile broke out onto his face, his eyes finally meeting yours. He took a few seconds to watch your reaction, your mouth had fallen open a little but no sounds were coming out. His smile just got wider as he watched the realization dawn on your face, both of his hands squeezing the flesh underneath them.

“We’ll have to find some time for that, eh?” With that Copia winked and gave you a final squeeze before he turned to make his way over to his Ghouls.

Oh.

Go to Chapter 6: The Newlywed Game

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