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baldursgate3tempobsessed · 8 months

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Soft Astarion Jealousy

Now with part 2!

I love Ascended Astarion because he's horrible but the sweetness of the other end of the spectrum is impossible to deny. He's just so in love and grateful I can't 🥺🥺

So here's some jealousy that isn't psychotic. Well it is but not as bad:

Astarion never expected to be the jealous type. He always thought...well. In all honesty he never thought about the reality of having a relationship. He didn't even think it was possible for him, let alone the idea that he would actually want it. Even with you, even after he admitted a fraction of his own feelings to himself, he never thought that he would be so... possessive. Though admittedly, he had very good cause for it.

Because you were frustrating. So, so frustrating. For some idiotic reason, you simply didn't understand how alluring to others you really were. You were a pretty little thing, yes but that wasn't the problem. It was so much more than that. And he knew that the others wanted you. Every last one of them. Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Wyll, Karlach, Gale, Halsin. All of them like moths to a flame. And that wasn't even counting all of the strangers you had met on your journey, the extras that thought they had a shot with your greatness. They all wanted you in ways that made Astarion seethe. And the desire from others wasn't even the kind that he was used to, the kind he understood like the back of his hand. Because you didn't need to seduce to cultivate desire. All you needed to stoke the flames was merely your presence. Experiencing you was all that was required for people to know they wanted more.

Astarion knew that the others weren't just looking for a bedmate, they wanted you for the same reasons he had grown to. Your empathy, your desire to understand those around you. Your fearlessness, your infuriating habit of always trying to do the right thing. They wanted you for your laugh, the way your eyes would crinkle in the corners when your smile was too wide. Your silly jokes, your endless hopefulness for a future. It felt as though everyone around saw you for the gem that you were and it was... concerning. Extremely concerning.

Astarion hated thinking about things like this. He loathed admitting the truth to himself even more. But he was...terrified of losing you to someone else. Especially since it could so easily be done. He was so very lucky that you weren't the brightest, or at least not when it came to matters of the heart. You could do so much better than him, a fact that was incredibly obvious to everyone around you. Everyone but you, a luck that Astarion did not take lightly. But how much time did he have before it ran out? Would it ever?

Perhaps it was delusional, but he was starting to think when all of this was over, assuming neither of you perished anyway, that...it could just be the two of you. Living together, exploring the world, even if it had to be under the cloak of night. Maybe... maybe the two of you could even find a cure for his unsavory condition. The thought itself was incredibly stupid, but then again, it was just as idiotic to believe that there was a cure to the Mind Flayer parasite. But here they were, closer then ever. And if that was such an impossibility turned into reality, perhaps a vampiric cure wasn't so impossible. Or maybe even finding an alternative method for immortality for you, without the downsides of his own. Anything that could just keep you both together, for as long as possible. It was an unrealistic dream, that would never come into fruition. If anything it was dangerous, so very dangerous to even entertain the thought of forever. Especially when your connection was so tenuous.

Astarion would never be stupid enough to thank Cazador for anything but...he'd be lying if he said he wasn't appreciative for his own lack of subtly when it came to seducing you. Even if it originally was for distasteful reasons, it still got him ahead of the pack. If he had been less calculating, less astute, there was a sincere chance that you would be warming someone else's bed at night. Callousness would never be without it's uses, even if it led to uncomfortable situations like his current infatuation.

What would he do when you inevitably wanted to leave? How could he survive after having something so...good. Someone so caring, someone who for some very horrifying reason liked being around him. And the sex... it was fabulous. He was a massive fan of your intimacy, when he was capable of participating in it. He adored it, he adored you, your beauty, the sweet noises he could coax from your mouth, the europhia of being inside of you. Then there was the fact that you could be intimate without any traces of it devolving into lovemaking. He had never been gifted with the ability to say no before, so often and so freely without a single fear of punishment. If anything, it felt like he was rewarded when he was honest with you, when he would share his sudden fits of discomfort in his own body, the memories that plagued him and doomed him to staying stubbornly soft. You would never get angry, never even disappointed. You would just listen and smile, always adorable when you would ask, "But I can stay for a cuddle, can't I?"

An extremely silly question, considering the two of you hadn't spent a night apart from each other since you'd made it to the Shadowlands. Yet it never failed to make him melt.

It was getting worse, these feelings. He just wanted you around, by his side, constantly. Constant enough for him to get the ridiculous urge to hiss at anyone else who dared to come near you. He felt an intense need to protect the closeness the both of you had cultivated, the kind that he had never been allowed before. He had no interest in sharing you with your own friends when it came down to it, let alone another lover.

Which is precisely why his original, mild distaste for Halsin turned into a full-blown hatred the night he had the gall to proposition you.

It had felt like a shard of ice going through his chest when you bounded over to him, laughing about one of his greatest fears coming much too close to reality, "You won't believe the conversation Halsin and I just had-"

"Ah, I was wondering when you were going to ask me about that," Astarion laughed, purposefully interrupting you. He had no desire to hear the specifics of that conversation. He didn't even want to be having this conversation, where you were inevitably going to ask if it was okay to explore someone else.

The answer was no. Never would he be okay with it, allowing someone else to be close to what should have been his. But he needed to think strategically here. To say no could be disasterous. If it became a game of choice between him and Halsin... he's almost certain he would lose. Halsin was everything he wasn't; caring, giving, sharing in your worldviews in a way that Astarion never could. He couldn't risk it, he wouldn't. Having you at all was better than nothing.

"But I'd never even consider something like that-"

"It's fine," Astarion interrupts again, the fakest smile he can muster plastered on his face. The pain was worth the risk mitigation, he was sure of that. But... he still had to ask, "But is this because we haven't...y'know, in awhile?"

A sick part of him prays that you'll say yes. Because if that's the reason, he could do something about it. He could force himself if need be to always tend to your needs. Especially if it meant keeping you to himself. It was such a small sacrifice in comparison to the rest of his life. He would do it in a heartbeat if you demanded, anything to just make you stay.

But that was not the answer he received. Instead you frowned, looking him up and down, "What? No, I-Astarion no. Please don't think that. What we have together is so special to me. The physical part of it is lovely, perfect even. But...it's not what we are."

It's almost comforting to hear you say that. But then why did that make the situation feel so much worse? If it wasn't sex you were after then that certainly meant you wanted more with Halsin as well, did it not? But it was too late to rescind it now.

Astarion nodded, a confused mixture of hurt and gratefulness swirling through him, "I just needed to know. But if you're satisfied with me and just want to explore, go right ahead. I'll be here when you're done."

You nodded slowly, brow furrowed when you asked, "So...we aren't exclusive then?"

"No, of course not," Astarion confirmed, ignoring everything inside of him that was screaming for him to take it all back, "We can be as open as you'd like."

"I see..." You said, trailing off with a frown. You coughed into your hand, looking up at him sharply. Sharp enough for him to be sincerely confused, "Does this mean that you'll be speaking to me before you explore your other options?"

"I-yes? If you want?" Astarion answered, a new type of unease settling in his chest. You didn't seem very happy with this conversation, despite his best attempts to give you what you wanted. Where had he gone wrong? Was he already working to throw you into the arm's of another man, without even trying?

You were still frowning at him, your look cold in a way that made him feel particularly ill, "Please do. I'd like to know everything. I'm going to speak to Halsin, get this all sorted. We can talk later."

And then you were spinning on your heel and marching away, like Astarion was the offensive party here. It made no sense. He had done it all right, hadn't he? Agreed to it immediately, didn't make you feel guilty, had tried to be what you wanted. How had he failed?

He didn't wait around to see you go to Halsin. Instead he went straight back to his tent, closing the flap as he laid down. Great. Fantastic. Now he would have to be aware, perhaps even hear you being with another, while simultaneously reliving that horrid conversation in his head for the entire night. The hurt and worry was making his mind wander to uncomfortable places. Perhaps...Halsin could be dealt with in another way if things became too serious between the two of you.

Would poisoning the man be too extreme?

But before Astarion had the time to start thinking of a more detailed plan he was interrupted. Suddnely, moonlight was filling his tent, with your silleoute shining in the darkness.

He blinked up at you, confused, "What are you doing here?"

You frowned at him, looking hesitant in the entry way, "Should I not be? I thought-I can go if you'd like."

"No!" Astarion blurted out, loud and desperate enough to make him cringe. He cleared his throat, trying again, his voice still a touch too pitiful for his liking, "No, no, come here darling. Of course you're always welcome. I just assumed you would be busy."

To his relief you listened, crawling into the bedroll next to him. Astarion didn't waste any time in wrapping his arms around you, relieved to humiliating degrees that you had chosen to come back after the deed. Though...you didn't quite smell as he had thought you would. There were no traces of the floral, woodsy smell of the druid on your skin. Just the sweet, pleasant scent that he had grown so fond of.

You sighed as he tucked you against him, the warmth of you enough to make him relax for the first time that night. You laid together in a pleasant quiet, one that Astarion was actually scared to disturb. Despite the fact that he desperately wanted to know what happened between the two of you.

But you broke the silence for him, muttering into his chest after the two of you were settled, "I'm...sorry for being snappish earlier. I shouldn't have been. You didn't do anything wrong, and I know I don't own you. I shouldn't have assumed."

Astarion frowned, pulling back to get a proper look at your face. You looked hurt, sad even. Like you were the one who had gotten their heart broken. He could feel a curl of distaste settling in his stomach, annoyed that this felt as though the situation was being placed back to him. He had played his part, perfectly. What more could you ask for? What was there to assume?

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," Astarion carefully said, his eyes fixed on every micro expression on your face, "What did I do that could have been construed as incorrect?"

"Nothing!" You rushed to say, shame coloring your cheeks, "I was being stupid. You never promised me anything. I just...assumed. Wrongly that we were something we aren't."

That didn't-he-what? Astarion frowned at her, his confusion evident on his face, "What did you think we were?"

You looked uncomfortable, avoiding his gaze when you answered, "I thought that we were...together. Alone. Just us. But if that's not what you want I understand. It's fine-"

"What in the hells are you talking about?" Astarion blurted out, his anger and pain bubbling to the surface, "I haven't done a thing. And we were just us before you decided to galivant off with a bear of a man!"

He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. So much for playing things safely. No, he couldn't even have the self-control to stay quiet. He always had to ruin everything.

But surprisingly, you didn't look angry. If anything you seemed just as confused as he felt, "What? I didn't-we didn't do anything! When did I say I wanted to do anything with Halsin? You were the one saying you didn't care!"

You weren't making any damn sense, "Well why else would you ask me about it?"

"I didn't!" You huffed, glaring at him, "All I was going to say was that he asked me. And I wanted your help on how to best turn him down! And then you jumped at the chance to push me onto someone else-"

"I did nothing of the sort!" Astarion seethed back, "If it was up to me you would never look at another man again! Or woman for that matter!"

It was an odd feeling, to be arguing while holding each other so closely. But Astarion had no intention of letting you go anytime soon, even if he could feel you squirming against his ironclad grip when you fumed at him, "Then why would you say it was okay?!"

"Because I don't want you to leave me!" He shouted back, loud enough to snap him out of his own anger. All of his fury was instantly replaced with fear. Gods, why had he felt the need to say that? To lay his biggest insecurity out on the line. Why not just hand you a stake while he was at it, since he was so eager to give you the tools to destroy him.

But you were still seething, hissing back at him, "Why praytell, would I leave the man I've been in love with for months? Hm? Please, explain it to me!"

Astarion couldn't. He was too busy being shell-shocked at the confession, feeling too many emotions at once. Joy, relief, somehow even more fear than before. You so freely said the words that he had done his damndest to bury, to ignore. But now they were out there, filling him with a horrifying joy.

He wanted to say it back. He did. But he couldn't get the wrecthed words out. Instead he was just staring at you like an imbeicle, his mouth hanging opening at the confession.

But his silence didn't make you falter. Instead you looked determined, near fierce as you grasped his face into your warm hands, "I love you Astarion. You don't have to say it back. That's not what this is about. But I want you. And only you. If you want the same of me then you must tell me. Now."

Astarion let his hands flutter over your wrists, humiliating tears prickling at his eyes. But at least his vocal chords allowed him to answer you this time, "I do. So much more than you know. I want us. Just us. No one else."

The words were flowing out of him, too fast and sincere for him to make the appropriate edits in his head. He was saying too much, feeling too much, giving too much. But the way your eyes brightened at his words, the way you grinned at him before pulling him in for a sweet kiss made it suddenly feel like he wasn't giving anything up at all.

As much as he loathed to admit it, Astarion was exceedingly grateful for Halsin's existence after that night. He would never have had the gall to demand you to himself without a trigger, without the anger you both shared at being misunderstood. Because now, you were his. His alone, the proclamation coming from your own lips. And he was free to stop hiding how much he had wanted it. How willing he was to do anything to keep it. He let himself off his own leash after that, leaning completely into the mutual ownership you had of each other. No more would he silently sit back and seethe as a stranger flirted with you. No, now he'd be upfront and center, with a possessive hand around your waist as he glared them down, more than prepared with a confidence-shattering quip on his tongue.

He started to let all of his urges seep through, taking full advantage of your willingness. If Wyll looked at you for too long at the fire, with a touch of something that Astarion didn't like in his eyes, he'd effortlessly pull you into his lap onlookers be damned as breathed you in. If Gale suddenly had a suspect offer to teach you some new magic in a secluded location, Astarion would invite himself, impervious to any glares sent his way. And when he felt as though all of them were being a bit too flirtaious, he was more than happy to put them in their places at night. Spending hours upon hours making you scream his name in bed from pleasure, loud enough for everyone to hear and know exactly who you belonged to.

He couldn't care less if it added to his own unpopularity amongst their merry-band of rejects. Their opinions didn't matter. Not when you were eating all of the sudden attention up.

You let him do it all because you understood him, in ways that no one else had bothered to before. You knew who he was, what he wanted, the extent to how much he craved your attention. And you let it all happened, reveled in it even. The intense shows of affection. Because you loved him. And he loved you. And one of these days he'd allow himself to admit the obvious.

But for now, he had what he wanted. What he needed. And in the first time in his life, even with disgusting tadpoles squirming his his brain, Astarion was actually...happy.

#astarion #baldur's gate 3 #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #astarion fic #long fic #you'll pry my long posts out of my cold dead hands #may add a dirty part two here #dirty sweet

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eff-plays · 9 months

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The way Astarion reacts depending on how you compliment him in the mirror scene (I have no interest in insulting him so I won't be covering that here, have fun though!) drives me fucking insane.

"I want to know what the world sees when it looks at me. What you see."

And you get two types of responses. First, your choices for compliments are

Strong, piercing eyes.

The creases when you laugh.

Pick the first, and he's pleased. "Go on," he says, sounding very seductive. You're giving him exactly what he wants, and he's encouraging it.

Pick the second, and he gets upset. He's an eternally young vampire, not your doting grandmother! You can do better than that. Even if you meant it as a compliment (I know my Tav definitely did), he doesn't seem to take it that way.

Your second options are

That dangerous smile.

The way your hair curls around your ears.

Once again, the first one pleases him, and he even praises your efforts. Very good. Now finish the scene and tell him he's beautiful.

But if you say the second, he gets exasperated. This is meant to be flattery, not poetry. Just tell him he's beautiful and we can call it a day, he says with a dismissive wave of his hand. He doesn't need to hear this crap, just tell him what he wants and fuck off.

Of course, it doesn't matter how you get to this point, and every dialogue option at the end of the scene nets you the same amount of approval. If you call him beautiful, it's +1. Call someone else beautiful, it's +1. If you ask whether he just wants shallow praise (aka don't call him beautiful), you get +1. So this is me pulling this out of my ass I guess.

I always choose to call him beautiful becuase 1) he is and 2) my Tav thinks so too and would oblige him if he asked for it that directly.

But I am obsessed with the different routes you can take to get to this point and what they imply.

Strong, piercing eyes and dangerous smile pleases him more outwardly, but doesn't actually affect the outcome. He's satisfied and confident with these compliments. They confirm what he's trying to project into the world, what he aspires to have and to be.

The creases when he laughs? The hair curling around his ears? Those are things he can't control, can't use against someone else. But he asked to be seen, and if this is what Tav sees, then what does that mean for him?

Why are they complimenting his laugh lines? Why are they speaking poetry at him? Why are they seeing things he has no control over, and why are they revealing them to him?

He doesn't want shallow praise. Questioning this nets approval, and giving it to him doesn't increase approval. What he wants is assurance that what he's trying to be is what the world sees, that he's in control.

And if you actually act as a mirror, point out the things unique to him that you see, he gets uncomfortable, because you're showing a reflection of someone he thinks he's not, of someone he has no control over. And that's scary, even if it's supposedly complimentary.

Because what's scarier than losing control?

But then, compared to how genuinely upset he seems when you insult him (I looked these up on YT for context), the laugh lines and hair curls are still accepted as compliments. So what does he think when Tav says these things?

They see past his piercing eyes and dangerous smile. They see something else that they like even more, things he's not aware of or doesn't appreciate as much. What does that feel like, to cultivate such a perfect image of oneself for the purposes of seducing and tricking others, and then be stumped when someone walks past all that and points out something entirely different that they noticed and found endearing?

Do you do him a favor, and tell him you see only what he wants to be? Or do you speak the truth, and show him what he actually is? Which one is better? Which one is worse?

#i have my own headcanons of course and this is influenced by those #but i just ... AUGH the mirror scene!!!#bg3 #bg3 meta #astarion #baldur's gate 3 #long post #also 'strong piercing eyes' lmao #sad wet puppy eyes more like #also he says he feels seen with tav later on like!! AUGH #DO YOU SEE HIS WANT FOR CONTROL!! OR DO YOU SEE HIS NEED FOR RECOGNITION!! WHICH ONE DO YOU ENFORCE!!

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thetimetraveler24 · 5 months

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Sometimes I think about how people rank Jason as their least favorite because he’s “such a bland character with no personality”, but was he even allowed to have one in the first place?

He’s two years old when Lupa guides him to Camp Jupiter. He’s brought up to be the perfect soldier, the perfect Roman, the perfect hero. He doesn’t know life outside the legion. He’s the son of Jupiter, he has to be great. If he’s not, he’s a failure and a disgrace. If he is then he’s still not the best because there so many other heroes who did it better than him so he has to keep trying harder and harder even though no matter what he’s never going to be good enough because the moment he slips up he’s no longer the perfect hero.

The few times he actually tries to do something he wants, he’s only cut down. Changing the 12th legion to the 1st legion? No, you can’t do that. It’s tradition. You’re wrong. That’s stupid. Joining the 5th cohort? Why would you join those losers? You’re only hurting yourself. You could be great if you join the 1st cohort instead like a good Roman boy.

So why would he try to do anything that cultivates his identity? Why would he try to do anything that brings him joy if everyone around him is just going to suck it right out?

He has no best friends at Camp Jupiter. He has acquaintances. He has people he’s friendly with. Say what you want but Reyna was a coworker. Dakota was cool, Gwen was nice. But none of them make Jason want to stay at Camp Jupiter instead of Camp Half-Blood. He thinks of Reyna but only in terms of he doesn’t want to saddle her with the responsibility of picking a new praetor. He thinks about duty. When he is picking between the camps he’s weighing his options between doing his duty as he’s done his whole life or picking himself for the very first time ever and he picks himself.

And it’s honestly so fucking depressing that the first time Jason picks himself and is actually supported in his decision happens when he is sixteen years old. And most of the people supporting him have only known him for a month.

But then he saddles himself with duty and responsibilities because that’s all he’s ever known and Percy is dying and Jason is a good Roman and a good hero and his job is to sacrifice his life for everyone else because of course it is. So he takes on Pontifex Maximus to build shrines and temples to minor gods and goddesses (not that they shouldn’t be honored but… once again he’s sacrificing his identity for the good of everyone around him).

And then, just as he’s finally discovering an identity for himself—he likes physics, he’s learning about the mortal world and living in it, he’s becoming more than just Jupiters son and Juno’s perfect hero—he’s killed.

Jason never got to be Jason. He only got to be Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, Praetor of the 12th Legion, slayer of Krios, one of the Seven, Juno’s Champion, Pontifex Maximus. He always belonged to someone else and never himself.

All this to say, Jason is my favorite of the Seven and although he’s not the eldest nor a daughter, as an eldest daughter I relate so hard and feel very seen in him.

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gglitch1dd · 4 days

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Us & You Pt 1

DILF Kirishima Eijiro X Teacher FEM!Reader

Context: Kirishima Eijiro has done everything to forget Bakugou Katsuki in his life and just focus on his daughter, his amazing and loving daughter. The light of his eye. Due to an incident, Eijiro meets you, a teacher at his daughter school who he can't help but fall for. However, as his daughter grows older and questions start being asked, it feels like the peace he tried to cultivate is slipping through his fingers.

Note: Bullying, Discrimination, Angry Daddy Eijiro, Single dad Eijiro.

PLEASE NOTE BEFORE READING THIS SHORT SERIES: There will be some deep discussions about morality, children, abortion arguments pertaining to Pro life vs Pro choice as well as the father's role in raising a child/conceiving a child. It also deals with the struggles of being a single parent. It's very messy and very much real life. Katsuki is Trans in this story (mostly cause I couldn't find another character to be Sachiko's mom and you'll see why).

!!HAPPY 7K Followers to me!!

[PART 2]

“Daddy!”

Eijiro happily snored in bed as he lay face first in bed. The large black-haired man was happy to stay in bed without a single care in the world. The sound of soft padded feet were heard as a little girl walked over to the giant bed that belonged to her father. She stood to the side closest to where he was with a huff. The black haired girl pushed against his bare back using all her force. She knocked herself against him, trying to get him up.

“Daddy!” She whined out again. “Wake up! I’ve got to go to school.” She reminded him.

Eijiro let out a load groan, his eyes squeezing shut as he turned away from the ten year old “Where’s… where’s Miss Hanako…” He mumbled barely awake. “Miss Hanako… take… school.” He let out in a tired drawl.

The little girl sighed before tilting her head to the side. “Miss Hanako is on maternity leave.”

… right.

His personal assistant was on maternity leave. Something he had forgotten about despite reminding his daughter that he would be taking her to school for the next couple of weeks just the night before. With a deep sigh, Eijiro slowly sat up from bed with messy long thick black hair. He scratched his head as he let out a deep big yawn, almost like a giant lion. “What time is it?” He asked still disorientated as he looked towards his side table.

“It’s seven.” She told him.

It took Eijiro a moment to recall what time that was. Suddenly his eyes opened wide as he looked down at her surprised. “It’s seven?” He asked shocked. She nodded her head. “Sachiko, why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” He quickly jumped out of bed and raced into his bathroom. “Did you shower!?” He asked loudly as he switched on his shower.

“Yep.” She told him as she moved to leave his room, not surprised that he didn’t notice that she was already in her school uniform.

Eijiro raced into the shower, reminding himself of the meeting he had been preparing all night for that he had at half past eight. However, if he were honest with himself, he wasn’t surprised that he woke up late nor that his daughter woke him up. Ever since she learned to walk, she always came to his room first thing. It was something Eijiro loved. Even now as she grew older and started to learn to do things for herself, the fundamentals didn’t change and he was grateful for that.

It was just their dynamic. It had always been them. Eijiro and Sachiko. Of course, they had the entire of the Kirishima family at their back and never really were alone with how much of their family was engrained in their lives constantly, but when it came down to it, it was always father and daughter. Even now, as Sachiko just closed the bento she made for him. It was a task that she wanted to learn to do and one she had been succeeding in. It was one of the many things he loved in his day that reminded him of his daughter.

Eijiro picked up a muffin as he walked into the kitchen, he took a bite of the warm baked good. He let out a groan at the taste, nodding at the muffin he was holding. He gave her a thumbs up making her smile as she moved around the kitchen making sure her own bento was ready and packed away. Eijiro walked over to fridge, looking at himself in the reflective surface. He adjusted his tie and gave himself a look.

Sachiko tapped his shoulder. Turning to face her, knowing that she was more the stylist between the two of them, she reached up on the tips of her toes and took off his tie, opening the first few straining buttons. She tilted her head, before nodding and taking her tie with her. “You finished your presentation, Daddy?” She asked him as she moved to place it on the sofa back.

Eijiro nodded his head. “Yes, just before midnight actually.” He told her as he moved to grab his daughter’s blazer off the wall.

Sachiko grabbed her bag and her father’s bento. She took off her apron, moving to hang it in the kitchen. She quickly moved to the foyer where her father was. She placed his bento down into his backpack. She set her own bag down.

Eijiro motioned for her to turn around which she did. He carefully slipped on her blazer onto her shoulders, slipping her arms through. He fixed her appearance for a moment, moving a strand of her hair back out of her face.

He smiled down at her, cupping her soft face in his large hands. She looked up at him, the two undeniably related looking so much alike. “You said your prayers?”

She nodded her head as he raised his eyebrow. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Good girl. Did you do your affirmations?” Sachiko hesitated, earning a pointed look from her father. She gave him a bright smile, trying to distract him. Eijiro couldn’t help but chuckle. He shook his head with tsks. “Come on, you know the words.”

Sachiko sighed as she closed her eyes for a second before opening her crimson eyes again. She put her hands to her chest. “My name is Kirishima Sachiko, daughter of Kirishima Eijiro. I am constantly growing and developing into a good person. I am beautiful, I am strong, I am smart and I am talent. I know my values. I am as strong as a mountain and as proud as a dragon. I am a Kirishima, worthy, loved and true.” She finished with a gentle smile.

Eijiro looked down at her with a proud smile. He leaned down closer to her face. He placed his forehead against hers for a second. Sachiko placed her hands over her father’s with a smile. He placed a kiss on her forehead. “Okay... lets go.” Taking her smaller hand in his own, the two of them left the apartment into the elevator.

Sachiko stood in the elevator with her father, holding on to his hand as the elevator descended down the tall building. “Daddy, I added my equestrian competition to your calendar.” She told him as she looked up at him. Sachiko was still much smaller than her father, but it wasn’t much of a surprise to Eijiro. She was still young and whether she grew taller like her Aunt Akari or stayed shorter like her other aunt, Tamami. He didn’t really care much.

“I saw. You don’t mind if I invite your grandma and grandpa, right? They’ve been hoping to see one of your competitions for a while now.” He asked her, honest.

Sachiko shook her head, her locks of black hair moving with her. “Of course, I don’t mind. I’d love to have them there.” She said sweetly with a bright smile.

“Perfect, because your grandfather has been on my case about it.” Eijiro moved to take his phone out of his pocket but paused. It was then he noticed that Sachiko’s hair was curled. Long curly thick locks of black hair that fell to the middle of her back. He paused as he tilted his head to the side. “You curled your hair?” He asked surprised.

Sachiko put a hand to her curls. She nodded her head shyly, a soft blush on her face. “Yah… I thought I could do something different today.” She spoke softly, clearly a bit self-conscious about it. She flicked her eyes back up at him. “Is… is it okay? Does it look nice?” She asked worriedly.

Eijiro let out a soft breath, before giving her a genuine smile. “You look perfect, sweetheart.” He gave her hand a squeeze as he shoved her softly. “My precious little diamond.” Sachiko brightened up, her posture straightened up as she smiled up at him happily.

The elevator door opened and Eijiro led the two of them out into the underground parking. It wasn’t a very usual thing for Eijiro to drop his daughter to school, normally his personal assistant would drop and pick up Sachiko back into Eijiro’s care but with her on maternity leave it meant a new routine. It was, however, not exactly unwelcomed from the pair so it wasn’t too much of an adjustment.

Eijiro opened the door for her, allowing her to enter the door first before getting in himself. Sachiko watched as he put on the engine and slowly started to reverse out of parking. She looked at her father for a moment before putting on the radio to listen to the news. Her grandfather often told her that it was important to hear about your world at least once a day, whether it be on the news or radio or some other way. She tried to stick to that as best she could, because she trusted in her grandfather and how he got to be the man he was.

Eijiro focused on the road as the radio host spoke on the morning show. Suddenly the mention of a certain name pricked his attention. “…the trendsetters in fashion, the Bakugous, have once again broke barriers in the fashion industry with their new more affordable line for spring season. Bakugou Katsuki has talked about expanding branches out of Japan for the family own deal-”

“Hey, sweetheart.” Eijiro started, “Mind putting on some music this morning?” He asked her rather nonchalantly.

Sachiko shook her head as she looked to her father for a moment before moving to media. Eijiro held the stirring wheel hard but focused his attention on getting his daughter to school and making it through the horrible morning traffic.

Finally making it to the private prestigious middle school that was nestled not too far out of the city. Eijiro smiled as he looked to Sachiko who grabbed her bags and undid her seatbelt. “Okay, Daddy, remember that I finish at four. I added it to your alarms so that you know when you should leave the office. Don’t forget to eat your lunch and good luck with your presentation.” She spoke, moving to place a kiss on his cheek, before opening the door as the car came to a still.

He chuckled. “Thank you, Sachi. Have a good day at school, sweetheart. I love you.”

Sachiko paused at the door, holding the door open still for a second before putting on a soft smile. “I love you too, Daddy.” With a wave of goodbye, she closed the door and easily found her way to her friends that stood near the entrance waiting for her.

Eijiro let out a soft breath as he watched her leave. She reminded him so much of himself as she talked with her friends with a broad smile on her face, her red eyes bright and happy. It was as if every day she was growing more and more and it scared Eijiro half to death. He knew he was an old sap but he couldn’t help but beam in pride at the sight of her. His daughter. She was his everything and he hoped she would always remember that.

Eijiro sat behind his monitor screen, his eyebrows furrowed as he had his phone to his ear as he typed away at his keyboard. He listened to the phone call he was on as he absently typed at the document he was working on. “Yah… yah of course.” He nodded his head to the person on the other side of the line. Walking into his office was his older sister who also just so happened to be his boss. Eijiro nodded as he leaned back in his chair. “Send it our way and we’ll take a look at it. Alright, thank you.” He put down the phone, moving his phone back down onto his desk. He let out a breath.

“You look stressed, Eijiro.” Eijiro flicked his gaze up to his older sister, Akari as she walked over in her black heels over to his desk. She moved herself to sit on the edge of his hard wood desk, crossing her long legs as she folded her arms over her chest. The tall woman looked down at her younger brother amusedly. “When was the last time you had fun, hm? Go to the bar, get a drink, or maybe even get laid.”

He rolled his eyes as he leaned back in his black cushioned chair. “I don’t have time right now.” He told her, moving to look at his calendar on his widespread monitor. “Without Hanako picking up and looking after Sachiko, I can’t let loose right now.”

Ever since him, Eijiro stopped much care about romance and finding love. It was a sad thing, however it allowed Eijiro to focus on the single most important thing in his life, and that was his daughter. Nothing else mattered to him. She was the reason that he worked so hard, the reason he stopped dyeing his hair and accepting himself how he is so that she would never need to feel different about her own, she was the reason he was so engrossed in his family once again in order to raise her.

Akari rolled her ruby eyes at her younger brother’s excuses, not surprised at all. “Yah, it’s probably for the best.” She stated, making Eijiro nod his head in agreement. “We can’t handle another one of your accidental baby mamas.” At that comment, Eijiro looked up with a glare making her chuckle. “Kidding, kidding.” She stated putting her hands up in self-defence.

“Don’t you have better things to do Akari, other than bully me?” Eijiro asked as he pushed himself out of his chair and moved to grab a drink from his mini fridge.

Akari looked at her manicured nails. “Well of course I do, Eijiro, being CEO to a multi-million-dollar diamond industry is a lot of work as well as being next Head of the family by default. However,” She tilted her head, her soft black locks brushing her forehead just slightly as she smirked at him. “Tormenting you is what helps me sleep at night.” Eijiro rolled his eyes as he moved over with a can of soda, handing it to her. She chuckled easily opening it. “You are my favourite employee.”

“You just say that because you’re allowed to abuse me more than the others.” He spoke plainly.

She nodded, not denying it as she took a sip of the grape flavoured drink. Eijiro sat down as he sighed shaking his head. “Come on, Eijiro, you’re so dramatic. Even more dramatic than my surrogate and she’s pregnant with my child.” She reminded him.

Eijiro turned to look up at her. “How is she?”

Akari immediately put down the can and took out her phone. “Absolutely glowing. She looks gorgeous with my child inside of her, look!” She swiped to a photo of said woman, shoving the phone screen in Eijiro’s face to see. “She’s great, being pampered at home because she doesn’t know what it means to take a break. The doctor said that everything’s great with the baby and my new little girl should start moving around soon.” She swiped showing Eijiro the ultrasound scan.

Eijiro looked up at his sister as she started to ramble on about the new baby yet to be born and all that. Akari already had three boys that she carried herself when she was married to her husband, however after her husband died of cancer, she never really wanted any other man after that. He was her one and only and even if she did find someone else, they would never take the place he had with her or her sons. She always did want another baby, but she didn’t want to get off of work. Eijiro thought she was probably scared about being put back in a time in her life where she had her partner to support her.

Akari was the type of woman to work hard to where she was today. She worked hard as the eldest daughter of Kirishima Takeo to prove to him and the other family members that she could head the company after his retirement. She proved that she could do it all. She could be a mother, she could be engaged in her family life and she can do her job without feeling weak about it. Even when she was pregnant, her other siblings were there to fill in the gaps like they always were in the Kirishima family.

Eijiro was proud of her and admired her a lot more than he would ever say to her face. “I’m glad. You ever need me or Sachiko’s help, we would be more than willing to be over.”

Akari moved to slide off his desk, standing up straight in her black jumpsuit. She put a hand to her broad hips as she waved her other hand down. “No, it’s alright. Ma already has her bags packed for when it’s the third trimester. She’s determined to be there for the boys and I.” Even though she rolled her eyes, Eijiro could see the appreciation behind those eyes.

Before Eijiro could comment, his phone rang. He raised an eyebrow at the unknown number but moved to answer the phone. “Kirishima Eijiro, speaking.”

“Kirishima-san, this is your daughter’s home room teacher Ms T.” Eijiro perked up at the voice. “Unfortunately, we need you to come to the school, Mr Kirishima. Your daughter was in a fight.”

“A fight?” He asked confused as he tilted his head confused. It didn’t sound like his Sachiko at all.

“Yes sir. We will tell you more when you get here.”

“Is she alright? Is she hurt?” He asked quickly as he got up from his desk. Instantly, Akari looked worried at what Eijiro was saying.

The homeroom teacher hesitated for just a second and that was enough to have Eijiro worried beyond belief. “She’s fine, Mr Kirishima. We just ask you to come as soon as possible.”

“Okay, I’ll be there soon.” He put down the phone and immediately moved to switch off his monitor. His movements were rushed and yet pretty accurate for having his mind clouded with all possible scenarios. “Sachiko was in a fight.” He spoke out without Akari needing to ask.

The older woman had her eyebrows raised in surprise. “Oh my goodness, is she okay?” She asked as she followed him as he slipped his laptop into his bag.

“I don’t know. I’ll have to be exc-”

“It’s alright, Eijiro, just go.” She dismissed automatically as she followed his hurried footsteps out of his office. She glanced at him, watching the way he frowned, a scary sight that reminded her so much of their father. Almost something mixed with worry and yet almost anger. Akari knew it wasn’t aimed at his daughter, but at the poor soul who decided they could touch his daughter. “You need me to come with you?”

Eijiro shook his head as he pressed the down button for the elevator. Some employees watched in interest as the two Kirishima seemed to be in a rather bad mood today. Nothing was ever good when two Kirishimas were upset together. “No, it’s fine. I’ve got this. I’ll call you later.” He notified her just as he stepped into the elevator. “And don’t tell Abba, not until I know what’s going on.”

Eijiro slammed his car door as he moved towards the school entrance with large strides. Standing at the entrance was his daughter’s homeroom teacher, Ms T. He had met her only twice before, once at the beginning of the school year and another time at a parents association meeting. He didn’t mind her all that much.

At the sight of him, she bowed at the waist, always being instructed to do so with such high paying patrons of their school. “Mr Kirishima.” She greeted, before leading him inside.

“Where’s my daughter?” He asked not caring much about pleasantries or caring enough to take the time to look around at the school and its impressive clean hallway or foyer.

Miss T, tried her best to keep up with him at his large strides as she scurried forward, her heels clacking against the marbled floor. “She’s in another teacher’s office as we speak, but I’m taking you to the principle’s office.” She looked up feeling his gaze on her. He had an unimpressed look on his face, a single black eyebrow raised up at what he hoped was not a teacher joke. She looked away from him, clearing her throat. She led him up a flight of stairs before reaching a door that led into the principle’s secretary’s space before walking into the principle’s office.

The principle, an older gentleman with a frown on his face as a woman seemed to be basically shouting at him from across his desk as she sat in her cushioned seat. The older thin-haired man seemed rather exasperated from her rambling. Standing in the corner was another teacher who kept to herself beside the other woman.

The principle, Mr Tanaka, upon noticing Eijiro immediately stood up from his chair. He bowed. “Mr Kirishima, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Eijiro nodded his head at best as he moved to sit down in the other free chair beside the other woman. The two teachers decided to step to the side, almost like silent spectators as the door was closed and finally the issue could be addressed. Mr Tanaka cleared his throat as he put his hands in front of him. “Kirishima-san, your daughter as well of Mrs Fujihara’s daughter were in a bit of a… dispute.” He put kindly. Eijiro had his arms crossed over his chest as he sat up straight. He didn’t say a word as he kept his eyes on Mr Tanaka. “Miyu and Sachiko got into an argument, some words were said and Miyu ended up pushing Sachiko.” He explained slowly. “Which resulted in Sachiko spraining her wrist.”

“What you’re telling me is my daughter was assaulted.” Eijiro summarised frankly.

Mr Tanaka hesitated for a moment, but Mrs Fujihara didn’t seem to have the same restraint. “My daughter did not assault anybody. She can’t commit assault in the first place, she’s eleven.” She spoke boldly and loudly, trying to stand up for her daughter who Eijiro considered lucky she wasn’t here.

Eijiro glanced down at her with a scowl instantly raising the tension in the room. Eijiro effectively ignored her as he looked back to Mr Tanaka. “What were the girls arguing about?”

Immediately everyone in the room seemed to not have an answer for him. He looked to the principle who looked through the report that was given to him not even five minutes ago. Mrs Fujihara also suddenly seemed to be at a loss for words as she turned to look away from Eijiro with a huff. He raised an eyebrow as he looked to his daughter’s home room teacher who also seemed not eager to answer his question.

“Mr Kirishima, I can assure you that it was nothing serious and has been resolved amongst the girls-”

“That is not what I asked, Tanaka.” Kirishima said with a roll of his eyes. “I asked about what were the girls arguing about.”

“Mr Kirishima I can assure you that-”

“Sir.” Taking Kirishima’s attention was the teacher who was already in the room when he had entered. You were dressed professional and yet cute as well. Eijiro looked at you, not remembering ever being introduced to you before nor hearing your name. You kept your eyes down away from him as you bowed deeply and lowly. “I was the teacher on duty when this happened and I sincerely apologies for what transpired. I was busy helping another student and if only I was more attentive this could have been avoided.” You started, your voice sincere and almost filled with sadness about what had happened. “To answer your question, Miyu was teasing Sachiko about her parentage, sir. Specifically, the fact that she… she only has one.” Eijiro went still at the words you said. “Sachiko proceeded to speak about supposed allegations concerning Mr Fujihara and Miyu then pushed Sachiko off her chair. I was just able to separate the fight before anything else could happen.”

The room was silent after you finished speaking, no one truly knowing what to say. Mrs Fujihara cleared her throat as she motioned to you. “As you can see, your child, Mr Kirishima is-” Her words stopped in her throat as dark ruby eyes flicked to look at her. Eijiro’s face was emotionless as he hadn’t said a word since you had started speaking. She swallowed down hard as she decided against speaking again.

Eijiro’s eyes than flicked to Mr Tanaka. He let out a breath as he tried his best to relax in the chair he dwarfed. He kept his hands on his lap, his grip tight. “I send my daughter to your school, and this is the type of actions you allow to take place here?” He asked lowly, his temper only increasing the more he wanted it to diminish.

Mr Tanaka put on a nervous smile as he chuckled, sweat appearing on his forehead. “Sir, that is-”

“What’s so funny, Tanaka?” The principle went stiff. Kirishima didn’t smile, glaring at the man opposite him. “You find my daughter being bullied funny?”

The other parent in the room turned to Eijiro shocked. “My daughter,” Mrs Fujihara started. “Is not a bully. She-”

“Such incidents don’t happen in isolation. Tell me, have the girls fought before? Physically or verbally?” He asked, dismissing Mrs Fujihara all together as he stared at the principle. Mr Tanaka was at a loss for words, not entirely sure on what to say or how to comment. He scratched the back of his head. Eijiro’s jaw tensed in annoyance. This was getting him nowhere. He turned to you. “Has this happened before?”

You hesitated, glancing at your boss he seemed rather adamant about you not saying anything. You looked back to Eijiro. The large man had hard ruby eyes but behind them all you saw was slight fear. “Yes... It has. Verbally with light shoving and all that, nothing major. We have talked to Mrs Fujihara about her daughter’s behaviour to other students before.” You told him honestly.

“And yet nothing was communicated to me?” He asked lowly, glancing back to look at Ms T, his daughter’s homeroom teacher. She was silent as she lowered her demeanour almost not wanting to face him. “I see...” He folded his legs over one another and faced Mr Tanaka. “Considering that communication is so lacking in this school’s community, you shouldn’t be surprised if communication about the Kirishimas’ sudden leave as a main sponsor to this school is also... lacking.”

Mr Tanaka sat up in worry. “Mr Kir-”

“What punishment is Miyu receiving?” He asked straight to the point.

Mr Tanaka paused for a moment. “Suspended for three days and on detention for two weeks.” He notified him confidently in the punishment they were giving to her.

Eijiro was silent once more as he took a moment to think it over. He huffed with a nod. He turned to look at you, startling you slightly. “Where is my daughter?”

“I-In my office.”

With a grunt, Eijiro stood up. Your eyes widened at the pure size of him. With him standing right in front of you, it made you feel so small just looking up at him. He radiated the same presence he did when he first entered, power and control. He looked rather stern and other than in looks (which he looked identical to his daughter in), you wondered how such a man could raise such a sweet girl. “Please take me to her.” It was more of a demand than a request. You nodded your head as you motioned towards the door once more.

Mr Tanaka cleared his throat as he too stood up. “Mr Kirishima, we’ll talk more about this over the phone.”

Eijiro ignored him as he followed you out of the room. You walked by his side, your small body trying to lead the way through the halls as he followed beside you. He noticed your hurried steps trying to make sure to keep up with him. He slowed down for a moment, allowing you to take the lead at a better pace for you.

You noticed it almost instantly, which you smiled at as you led him down the corridor. Then you paused. You turned back to him with a bow once more. “I… I have to once again apologize, sir. Really, I wish this never occurred. I apologize for my negligence.”

“Please, you aren’t responsible for other people’s actions.” Eijiro reminded you with a stern look with a stern look as he folded his arms over his chest. He let out a sigh as he looked to the side. “I apologize for my behaviour. You are all trying to do your jobs and here I am-”

“No.” You quickly stepped forward closer to him, catching Eijiro by surprise. You looked up at him with urgency in your eyes and yet something kin to understanding. “You don’t have to apologize. You are a father worried for your child. It is only to be expected.” Eijiro’s eyebrows raised in surprise at your words. It was the last thing he was expecting from a teacher, especially with what he had just said to all of you. You gave him a training smile, gentle and easing. “Besides, I’ve seen worse parents.”

He let out an amused scoff. “I bet you have.” He spoke out lowly, the tone of his voice sending a shiver down your spine as you tried your best to keep your composure. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I got your name.”

You perked up at that fact. “Oh! I didn’t introduce myself.” You bowed at the waist, your hands in front of you as you closed your eyes. “Ms L/N, but Ms Y/N is just fine, the kids prefer to call me that.”

He smiled and for the first time since you knew him you saw something just like his daughter. That beautiful smile. “Ms Y/N...” He said your name trying it out on his lips. “Kirishima Eijiro, Sachiko’s father.”

You giggled, which made the edges of Eijiro’s mouth tilt upwards. “I know who you are Mr Kirishima. Your daughter talks a lot about you.” You revealed to him, as you motioned for the two of you to keep moving.

Eijiro raised an eyebrow in intrigue. “Really? What does she say?”

You shook your head with a smirk. “That’s between Miss Kirishima and I.” You kept your lips sealed.

Eijiro chuckled at the statement. He raised a single eyebrow in intrigue, glancing down at you amusedly. “Between you and Sachiko, huh?” He asked you amusedly. You nodded your head agreeing with his statement. He hummed not convinced which only made you giggle. “So you and Sachi must be close to be gossiping about me.”

“We don’t gossip, sir. We just comment.” You reasoned earning a scoff from Eijiro. “You’re daughter and I…” You hesitated and yet Eijiro saw a soft expression on your face, gentle and calming. “Your daughter is real special. She’s such a good girl, always doing her work and trying her best in her classes. She’s such an interactive learner too, which makes her such a pleasure to teach last year. She’s very respectful and kind. You raised her well, sir.” You reported to him, sincere and true.

Eijiro looked down at you for a while before a proud look went to his face. He smiled. “Thank you and please, don’t call me sir. You’re making me feel old.”

You giggled lightly. “Old? There’s nothing wrong with being more mature than others.”

He rolled his ruby eyes at your wording. “Don’t compare me to wine. You seem rather…” His eyes caught on you as you walked beside him. You looked up at him with wide eyes attentive and capturing his very soul. His ruby eyes trailed your body for a moment. His breath caught in his throat as he chastised himself for checking out the young cute teacher that was leading him to his daughter. He closed his eyes and held his hands behind him, gripping his hand hard enough to try and distract his thoughts to more pure ones. “You’re way too young to understand.”

You chuckled with a shake of your head. “I am not that young.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Jesus.” Eijiro let out as he looked away from you, making you laugh. “Now you’re making me really feel old.” He commented.

You paused at the door of a classroom, looking at him with a smile that held something behind it. “Well you know what they say about wine, Mr Kirishima.” You leaned forward slightly exposing a bit more of your chest to him unbeknownst to you. “It tastes better the older it is.” You moved to open the classroom entering first.

Eijiro had to pause for a moment, briefly closing his eyes for a second. He took a breath, praying he can get through this without having the urge to pound into you on the closest desk.

He recollected himself and entered in following you. The classroom was brightly lit, decorated in a way that showed your personality so well. It was bright with colour and personality, it seemed like an enjoyable place to learn. He looked around surprised at the whole format of the middle school classroom, however he tried to remain focused as he watched you move to a door not too far from the entrance of the classroom. You motioned for him to follow you.

You opened the door. Inside was a small office space with shelves on the walls and a multitude of maths textbooks. So you were a maths teacher? However, taking all of his attention was his daughter who sat in the cushioned chair behind a desk drinking from a cup of tea and eating biscuits. The girl looked over to the two of you. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. “Daddy...”

“Sachi!” He quickly moved towards her, forgetting everything around him. He crouched down at her side, his ruby eyes moving to the wrist brace that was on her left arm. He gently moved to touch her arm, his eyebrows furrowed in worry,

Sachiko quickly saw the worry in his eyes. She forced a smile onto her face. “I’m fine, Daddy. I managed to land on my left arm so I can still write. I’m okay, it was nothing bad. I’ll be alright.” Her words were laced sweetly with a smile on her face and yet you watched her father not smile. You moved to close the door, wanting to make sure that anyone who came into your class wouldn’t disturb the two of them. You stood outside the door, giving them the room.

Eijiro frowned as he looked up at her. He reached a hand up to her face, caressing her cheek as he looked up at her. “My sweet little miracle...” He spoke lowly. “They’ve been hurting you, haven’t they? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Eijiro watched as Sachiko kept her smile for a moment, looking at her father. Suddenly her smile started to waver as she looked to him, her beautiful crimson eyes becoming glossy and filled with tears. Her smile was replaced with her frown as she bit her bottom lip trying her best not to sob. Small whimpers left her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Eijiro quickly picked her off the chair and held her to his body, holding her head gently and rubbing her back. He shushed her sweetly, but it only made the girl cry harder. She clutched onto his back harshly as she cried in his arms. Eijiro held her tightly as she cried. “It’s okay, my little miracle. Daddy's here. Daddy’s always here.” He comforted her, placing a kiss on her head. The sound of her crying made Eijiro tear up. “I'm sorry Daddy wasn't there to protect you.”

She sniffed as she turned her head trying her best to breathe through it. “Daddy... they... they were so mean to me. I didn’t wanna cry, Kirishimas don’t cry.” She shook her head as she tried her best to stop her tears.

“Oh sweetheart,” He moved to angle her head up to look at him. He gave her a gentle smile, his own eyes being glossy. “Even dragons cry.” That only made her face break as she buried her face in his chest. Eijiro let her cry as much as he wanted, patting down her hair and allowing her to compose herself on her own. “I know that people can be really mean, and they say awful things, but that’s why we have affirmations. We have to affirm who we are and that we aren’t what people say we are.”

“But what if we are what people say we are?” Eijiro grew stiff for a moment. Sachiko looked up at him with a frown. “Daddy... I don’t have a mommy like the other kids.”

Eijiro tried to keep his composure, he knew this would come eventually. “That doesn’t make you any less than them.” He reminded her. “It doesn’t make you any less my little miracle. Yes, you don’t have a mother, Sachi, but that doesn’t define you as a person. You are a kind and loving young lady and you are so loved by me, your grandparents, your aunts and every single person that has the pleasure of knowing you. Okay?” She nodded her head as she wiped her face. Eijiro took his handkerchief and wiped her nose making her whine in annoyance. He chuckled. He pat down her hair before cupping her face in his large hands. “I love you, Sachi.”

She gave him a gentle smile. “I love you too, Daddy.”

Eijiro gave her a kiss to her forehead before scooping her up. While she dusted off her skirt with her good hand, Eijiro pushed in the black cushioned chair. “Hey sweetheart, Ms Y/N is she one of your teachers?”

Sachiko shook her head as she watched him. “Not this year, but she was last year. I ended up in a different maths teacher’s class this year, unfortunately. She’s so nice, Daddy. She lets me sit in here sometimes whenever Miyu and the others pick on me during lunch when I’m not with my friends. She even let me eat her cookies sometimes too.” Sachi spoke with a smile on her face.

Eijiro nodded his head as he put a hand on her shoulder, leading her out of your office. You stood in front of the door, almost as if you were keeping watch, making sure no one would disturb them. The gesture was noticed and appreciated by Eijiro. You turned at the sound of the door opening. You smiled.

Sachiko moved to stand in front of you. She bowed to you. “Thank you for everything Ms Y/N.”

You chuckled waving a hand down. “It’s no problem, sugar.” Surprising you, Sachiko moved in for a hug, which you happily took up. You held her tight in your arms, squishing her with a light laugh. Eijiro stood watching with a smile on his face, finding the action cute. You let go of Sachiko. “Don’t worry about maths homework. I told your teacher and he said he’ll have you catch up in class tomorrow.”

“Thank you!”

You hummed with a smile. Eijiro smiled with a grateful nod. “Thank you for taking care of my girl.” He spoke sincerely.

“It’s a pleasure, sir.” You bowed. “Now, excuse me but I need to prepare for my next class. Sachi you can show your father the way out, right?”

She nodded her head dutiful. “Yes, ma’am.” With a wave to you, the two of them left you alone in your class.

Ever since then, Eijiro couldn’t really get you out of his head. The cute, nice teacher that his daughter seemed to really like. He couldn’t blame her. You were really pretty and he couldn’t stop about how soft you seemed. Eijiro half thought himself a creep for crushing on you. You were ten years his junior for goodness sake. And yet... that didn’t stop his thoughts.

It sure also didn’t help that close to two weeks later there was the Parents Association meeting at school and you were there too. He was shocked to find you there.

Eijiro stood talked to the head of the PA, discussing the next fundraising event for the school when something caught his eye. He glanced to the side and saw you. You stood with another parent, having a rolling bag beside you as you spoke leisurely with a kind demeanour. Once again you were somehow dressed modestly and yet you were so eye-catching. Eijiro could barely focus on what he was in a conversation about.

“Yes, I think if we can raise about 10% more than last year-” You bowed your head to the parent and gave her a wave before moving towards the exit of the school building. Suddenly Eijiro felt rushed for time. “Right. Of course, well lets talk more about it over email. I’ll see you soon.” Eijiro said his goodbyes and tried not to act as if he was running towards the exit after you.

You stood outside, the sky already dark as you looked around for a moment, almost thinking about what you were to do now. Eijiro paused somewhere behind you, trying to get the balls to approach you right now. He let out a breath and stepped forward closer to you. “Ms Y/N.”

You turned to look at him, wide eyes staying on him. You smiled and Eijiro thought he would trip over his entire being. “Mr Kirishima, good evening.” You bowed over to him, standing pretty in your short, heeled shoes.

“I didn’t know you were part of the PA.” He started as he moved closer to you, his hands in his pockets.

You paused before chuckling. “I’m not. I was just working late. I really do want to attend but it often inconveniences me in travel, like right now.” You expressed with a sigh as you looked away from him for a moment.

Eijiro raised as eyebrow. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

You turned to him, noticing the concern in his ruby eyes. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at you. You shook your head with a soft smile. “Nothing, it’s just that I have to get an uber to take me back home. That or I get to the bus stop, but I think the buses have stopped for the day.” You spoke as you took out your phone to check the schedule again.

Eijiro fished out his keys, unlocking his car. The huge Ford track flashed up to life, making itself known in the dark parking lot with a low rumble. “Come, I’ll drop you home.” He spoke as he took your bag for you and started making his way to his Ford Raptor.

Your eyes widened at the action and you quickly scurried after him. “It’s alright, sir. I’m okay. I can travel home myself.” You tried assuring him.

Eijiro waved a hand down. “It’s okay. What type of man would I be if I let you go home without making sure you were safe?” He asked rhetorically.

He moved to put your bag inside the back seat leaving you to stand beside his truck in surprise. The vehicle looked extremely expensive. A bit too expensive for your standards. You weren’t surprised though. This wasn’t just any private school you worked for. The parents here were wealthy with enough connections to the government to keep the media out of the face of the school. You weren’t surprised at all and yet you still felt flustered at the sight. Eijiro closed the back door and walked over to you. He opened the door for you, offering a hand to help you into the large Ford that was much too big for you to get into normally.

You chuckled. “Thank you.” You took his hand, his large warm hand that was more gentle than it seemed, so certain in helping you. You slid inside, allowing him to close the door after you. As he closed the door, you took out your phone and texted your best friend who also was your roommate. You sent her your live location. Rather be safe than be sorry.

Eijiro got into the driver’s seats easily without a second of difficulty. He started up the engine and easily started to ease his way out of the parking lot. “You’ve got someone waiting for you at home?” He asked you as he focused on getting out of the school parking manoeuvring his larger than life car that suited him come to think of it.

You nodded your head. “Yes. My best friend Melissa.” You informed him.

“I want you to send her your location, also punch in your address into the GPS.” You looked to him in surprise that he would suggest it. He glanced at you and smirked in amusement. “I’m not going to kidnap you, but you can’t always trust people instantly.” He reminded you. “I’d want my daughter to do the same thing the moment she’s allowed to travel by herself.”

You were a bit surprised that he was thinking about your safety, and to be honest it made your face feel hot. You nodded your head. “I already did.”

“Good girl.” He spoke. You froze at the praise, trying to fight the heat to your face as you tried to focus on anything else. You watched him easily drive like it was second nature out of the school. He kept one hand on the steering wheel at all times, his sleeves pushed up to his elbow, exposing his forearm to you. “So… how was school?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the question. The sound of your laughter made him grin at the cheesy question. “It was fine.” You informed him honestly. “Have to grade some papers so it might be an even later night for me, but that’s alright.” You told him. You turned to look at him. “How was your day?”

He shrugged. “Boring work stuff.”

“Well, I’d love to hear about your boring work stuff.” You told him genuinely, looking at him.

Eijiro glanced at you unsure but let out an amused scoff. “I had to secure a sale of some products that we’re dealing with. That went surprisingly well. I was expecting more of some difficulty.” He expressed to you.

“Really? That’s great news. What products do you deal with?” You asked him, interested in more than you were just told about him.

Eijiro hesitated. Now it wasn’t that he wanted to lie to you, it was just that he had been through enough situations to know to be cautious about talking about what he did when especially since you didn’t know what he dealt with. It was a bit relieving actually. “Just raw materials.” He told you rather casually.

“Did you always want to go into business?” You asked him casually.

Eijiro slowed down as the two of you hit a red light. “Not really.” He told you honestly. “To be honest, I didn’t think myself as much of a corporate guy. Did you always want to be a teacher?”

You nodded your head. “It’s a calling. You have to do it if you have a calling, the else there’s no point.” You told him, truthfully with a fond smile on your face. “I like the thought of making an impact in someone’s life, even if it’s just for a short time. There’s so much more to teaching than just a syllabus. There’s caring for a child and ensuring their welfare and that they are able to learn in a productive and safe atmosphere. I just love the job cause I get to be surrounded by things I love.”

“Like maths?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You and your daughter are just the same.” You pointed out. “You really need to stop that mindset of you can’t do maths. It’s affecting her.”

Eijiro shrugged almost as if he couldn’t help it. “Kirishimas can’t do maths. I mean, we multiply pretty well but-” You gasped as you looked at him shocked. That made him laugh at your expression as he continued on forward. “It’s true. I have nine sisters, there’s ten of us in total.”

“You’re the only boy?” You asked with furrowed eyebrows in shock.

“That’s what shocks you?” He asked amusedly. “Not the ten kids?”

“Families come in all shapes and sizes.” That made him chuckle, but he nodded his head to your reasoning. “So what did you want to do if you didn’t want to go into corporate?” You asked raising an eyebrow.

Eijiro sighed at the question. He glanced at you, flexing his thick fingers. “Don’t laugh.” Automatically a smirk pulled to your face making him grumble. He let out a sigh as he decided to say it. “I wanted to start a gym.”

“Really?” You asked with a disbelieve chuckle. However, it made sense to you especially with how fit he seemed. His body was built like a brick house, showing he must be strict when it comes to his work out regime. “Why didn’t you?” You raised an eyebrow.

The dark-haired man beside you let out a breath as he dragged a hand through his hair, moving to the left. “I had just graduated with my business undergrad when Sachi was born. I could have followed my dreams, but dreams aren’t certain. My parents own the business I currently work for and my sisters also worked for them too. I wanted to ensure that Sachi got every opportunity and every single fund possible to ensure that should anything happen to me, she had it. Dreams might make me happy, but it might not ensure her happiness.”

You watched his face carefully. Worry lines on his face and yet you saw the phantom smiles as well. It was clear that he worried about his daughter a lot, that he was dead set on ensuring a future for her and yet he seemed to also love every second of that journey. Almost as if nothing, not even his dreams would come in the way of how important his daughter was to him.

You couldn’t help but have an adoring smile on your face at the sight of it. Eijiro glanced at you, his eyebrows raised in surprise at the look on your face. You hummed. “You’re a good father, Mr Kirishima.” You expressed, your voice gentle. “Sachi’s very lucky to have you.”

He paused for a second before letting out a gentle scoff. “Actually… I’m lucky to have her.” He took a moment before clearing his throat. “So when you aren’t teaching what do you do?”

Talking to Eijiro was almost as easy as breathing. He made it so easy almost as if you weren’t talking to someone you barely knew. It was almost as if you were talking to a friend. Sooner than you had hoped, you had arrived at your apartment building.

Eijiro peered up at the building. It wasn’t in the safest part of town but it was good enough that he wasn’t too concerned about you and your safety. He moved to exit the car, you tried pushing open the big heavy door. By the time you opened the door, Eijiro pulled it open the entire way, offering you a hand out. You gratefully took it, standing on your own two feet. He got your bag out for you which you were very much happy to receive.

“Thank you so much, Mr Kirishima. You’ve saved me and my pocket a bunch.” You spoke sincerely with a bow at the hip. “I don’t know how I could repay you.”

Eijiro shrugged keeping his hands in his pockets. “Give me your number.” It was a simple statement, closer to a demand than a statement but it still made your heart stop for a moment.

You raised an eyebrow with a smirk. You stepped closer to him, keeping your hands in front of you as you stared up at him, doe eyes in tow. “Rather demanding now, aren’t we? What do you want to do with it?”

“I want to talk to you some more.”

“Why?”

Eijiro’s ruby eyes never left your form, his heated gaze slowly moving up your figure making the pit of your stomach twist and burn in need. He let out a breath and smirked. “I know what I want.” He answered simply. “And you’ve intrigued me.” He took his phone out and handed it to you.

You looked up at him, not breaking eye contact, you took his phone. You focused on punching in your number before handing it to him. You looked him over before letting out a hum. You took the handle of your bag and turned to leave. You gave him a small wave. “Good night, Mr Kirishima.” You spoke simply, leaving him for the night.

It was late when you finally decided to wrap up marking for the night. You were tired and also way too drained to continue. The numbers were starting to look like sentences, and you saw that as time for bed. When you had just got yourself cosy in the covers that’s when you noticed the notification on your phone.

Eijiro: Hope you got up to your apartment safe.

You couldn’t help but start grinning like an idiot as you shot him a reply back.

You: The stairs gave me a bit of trouble, but don’t worry, I got them handled.

Eijiro: Careful now, never say never.

Eijiro: They trip you up when you least expect it.

You tried to bite back your giggles at the cringey dad joke, a voice at the back of your head telling you that you wouldn’t sleep tonight.

-Glitch1d

#kirishima #mha x y/n #kirishima x reader #dad kirishima #dilf kirishima #kirishima eijiro x reader #kirishima eijiro #kirishima eijirou #eijiro x reader #eijiro kirishima x reader #bnha eijiro kirishima #eijiro kirishima

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tabibitto · 1 year

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Pretty Little Liar | Black Butler

m.list

CW: little angst, heavy smut, corruption kink, breeding kink

A/N: yk this was originally drafted for a comfort/fluff and somehow my horny ass made it into my first official smut on my page. Eat well bitches.

Demons need no rest.

Those of which are often spoken of with disdain, cannot feel. They cannot taste what humans think delicious, they have no need for the mundane things such pathetically weak animals cannot survive without.

Their contract's contents vary. Simple things as an assassination to spending an entire human lifetime with someone. Fulfilling their every need, all whilst hiding their satanic facade behind a mask:

A loving husband, a doting father, a caring butler. Each mask carried a new name, a new aesthetic and set of rules to play.

Tonight, he continued his ongoing three years as Sebastian Michaelis, butler to a small and truly incapable child if it wasn't for him. Though, many things in this world, if truly credited. Would belong to his dark and burning world of fire and blood. Demons did not exist to rule over their inferior prey, they were not to mingle with histories unless directly ordered to by their contracts

Nothing, he did was without the rules of his contract. But Sebastian was never one to ignore loopholes. After all, such rules could be boring or too restricting for his liking.

Truly, honest to heaven and hell alike, if any of his kind were to see what he used loopholes and spare time for they would spit in his face and send him back to damnation. An utter laughingstock, a disgrace to the arts of soul cultivation.

His demonic nature, weakened and tweaked by that of whom he was supposed to consume after a goal was met.

Human.

Such a pretty one at that, inside and out. A rare thing to find among specimens. Especially, with a soul begging, calling for him to take as his own.

Sebastian never made double contracts, he didn't like the hassle of pleasing two people at once....in this scenario of course ;)

And yet for you, he would do anything.

For as long as Lord Phantomhive lived, he was free to do and be with you as he pleased. With you the mask fell and revealed his true, playful and cunning self. You never seemed to mind

In fact you relished in it, abused and used it to your pleasure and he would wallow in you over and over. Letting your fragile being wrap and caress his own. In return for protection, sex, love, lies, death.

Whatever you wished for. That would only be fair. A thing he never gave and only demanded to receive. Selfish

And with you he still was, selfish. Sebastian wanted you all to himself. A delicious slice of cake, waiting to be cut into.

With the way you allowed him to split you open, and use you as he pleased after doing what you wished of him.

How beautiful..how foolish to stain your soul with such a vile vermin as himself. Fuck, he loved all of it

Corrupting your pretty head until all you could utter was his given name, relishing in his touch, verbally needing his body, his kisses, his spit, his cum to corrupt you whole until your body became one with his. Until Satan himself planted the seed of damnation deep inside, and Sebastian would spend eternity using, loving and lying to you.

Whatever pretty little lie it would be, you two would exchange empty words, read out a script of new lives in the human world over and over, cultivating a human, ripping into it alongside him..

"S-Sebastian! Seb...ngh.. Sebastian slow down p-please~" You pleaded, tears streaming down your face as you clawed at the hand clutching your throat. Gasping for air yet wanting him to take it from you. your body curling inwards into his hips. Wanting to runaway yet you couldn't... wouldn't move until he filled your little cunt to the brim with his corruption.

You knew what he was. Who he was. Yet that didn't stop you from wanting him in fact you needed his attention more. You demanded more of him, cruelly, lovingly Moreso then that master of his. Yet he didn't seem agitated like with every other living being in his presence

Sebastian almost seemed to enjoy your demands, he found your control over him amusing and he couldn't wait to see what you wanted next. His smug and knowing smiles a complete mockery of you, he knew full well you never were in charge once you were in his chambers

His frustration on everyone else, his need for his master's soul, his desire for your pussy wrapped around his cock, your mouth's snug fit on him. All of it taken out on your delicate body.

His frustration could never be with you. No his pretty princess was too perfect of a specimen for Sebastian to get mad at that's why he was your plaything during the day. Sebastian Michaelis was yours

But at night. During the witching hour you were reduced to a simple fuck toy, a cuddle partner, a friend, a lover, whatever he wanted you for you gave to him. You were his.

Sebastian let go of your reddening throat, and just as he heard you choke out a breath of life, he shoved your face into the pillows, pounding his hips down with all his weight into your quivering hole, muffling your screams into his bed, unused for years and only now did it begin to warm with your body lying next to his after every session.

"My..what a whore ive got all to myself...look at you~"

Sebastian shifted over in the bed and turned you around so you were facing the mirror on his wall. Roughly pulling your head back, wrapping a free arm around your waist as he made you watch yourself be fucked like the toy he loved you for

"You know im a demon, you know once my contract is over ill be done with you just as ill be done with him. My summoning was his doing, and my disappearance will all be his as well. And yet you so eagerly await me here every night for payment of all i do for you."

You heard every word loud and clear, yet as a response you could only babble about how his tip pushing into your g-spot with every thrust felt so good. Truly pathetic

"You like this don't you hmm? Tell me pretty, you like when i come and fuck this hole every night? Fill that pussy of yours full."

He spat dirty words into your ear, and his rough and hard thrusts increased in speed until he had to occupy your mouth with his to muffle your screams as he fucked you stupid.

"More! More please more more more moreee....fuck!" Squealing before growing silent, you trembled as you came, pulsating around him. Knees tingling into numbness.

After a moment of being on cloud nine, you were thrown down onto the bed, Sebastian pulled out and you whimpered at the loss.

Suddenly feeling your leg being yanked open in missionary, Sebastian pulled you to him, pushing your legs up into your chest as he aligned himself with you once more.

Taking away every ounce of rest you might have, every thought became his and nothing in this world was needed more then his cock rutting into you like the animal he was.

Use him, fuck him, love him.

Until lies become truth, love becomes pain, grief into joy, Sebastian be your plaything and you his.

And then he will cease from your life, mere dust in the wind.

A faint and insignificant memory of what could have been.

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femmefatalevibe · 10 months

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Femme Fatale Guide: How To Validate Yourself & Stop People Pleasing

A comprehensive guide to learn love & trust yourself and break out of your people-pleasing identity. Hope this helps xx

HOW TO MASTER THE ART OF SELF-VALIDATION:

Remember the longest relationship you have in life is the one with yourself. While we all need an external support system to be well-rounded & healthy individuals, no one else will be with you throughout your entire life except for you. So, acting as your own best friend is the secret to living your happiest and most fulfilling life. You ultimately need to do what's best for you. Otherwise, you're damaging the only relationship you will have to confront in every aspect and stage of your life.

Acknowledge your humanity and fundamental right to have needs, goals, and personal desires. Validate your personhood and individuality. Remember you're only human and are bound to have your own physical/emotional limitations and preferences. If you would be willing to cater to others' schedules, boundaries, and limitations, give yourself this equal level of respect and expect others to do the same.

Know everyone is self-centered to a certain degree. No one cares about your happiness as much or is watching you as closely as you are. They all have themselves and their lives to worry about. People are paying attention to their own self-interests (or want you to accomplish things to boost their own credibility or self-esteem). Being your greatest personal cheerleader is the only way to fully give yourself the praise and spotlight you deserve for your accomplishments.

Self-confidence is magnetic. It is the secret to showing up as your best self in all areas of life. Being secure in yourself makes you a better friend, family member, lover, partner, spouse, professional, conversationalist, etc. Validating yourself will make you feel good, but also radiates into every relationship or interaction in your life.

Discover what you love about yourself. Reflect on the personality traits, skillsets, and behaviors you know to be admirable about yourself. Are you constantly making others laugh? Do you get endless praise for your cooking, drawing, singing, or problem-solving skills? Would people come to you first to manage a crisis like a champion? Are you a master disciplinarian when it comes to going to the gym or reading? Do people regularly compliment your outfits or nails? Think of all of the aspects of your being that make you unique and help you to feel content with your existing, authentic self.

Take control of your life to cultivate your ideal self. While you should consistently praise your naturally admirable qualities, remember that you always can change aspects of your life that will help you feel like your best self. Know that you're in control of your decisions and have the mental freedom to think & act in any way you desire to reach any goals or implement lifestyle changes to feel like the person you feel destined to be.

Block out the noise and negative self-talk. We're (almost always!) our worst critics. Consider every new experience or interaction as a learning opportunity. Mistakes and failures are life lessons that facilitate self-reflection and opportunities for growth. Remember not to beat yourself up for past mistakes: You did the best you could with the information you had at the time. If you weren't embarrassed by your past self, you never gave yourself the chance to evolve and grow. Every success, failure, and new life stage offers its own lessons and teachable moments. Remember that we're all our own unique life paths. Comparing your life to someone else's is like comparing apples and oranges. Both entities may be fruitful but have vastly different flavor profiles, growing seasons, and rates at which they ripen. As Dita Von Tesse shrewdly said: "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there will always be someone who hates peaches."

HOW TO STOP PEOPLE PLEASING:

Acknowledge that people-pleasing is a form of self-neglect. By prioritizing another person's desires or approval above your own, you're ultimately neglecting your physical, emotional, energetic, or spiritual needs. Consider acting in your best in your own best interest as an act of self-care that safeguards your well-being.

Set boundaries. State your limitations, calmly, clearly, and directly. Understand that boundaries are your response to other people's actions, not a means to control other people's behavior. An expectation would be to ask someone not to call you during the workday. A boundary is stating that you will not pick up the phone during the workday and will only make/return calls in the evening after leaving the office.

Communicate your needs & expectations clearly. While you can't control what others will do, being upfront with your needs and expectations can eliminate unnecessary stress, logistical issues, misplaced hurt feelings, or disappointment in any type of relationship. Direct communication between parties will allow you both to respect each other's boundaries and to prioritize interactions that are mutually more positive, helpful, and emotionally nourishing.

Express your "no" freely (and without over-explaining). Remember that "No" is a complete sentence. You do not owe someone your time or emotional energy simply because they asked or expect you to do something/attend an event out of perceived obligation/guilt or simply to make someone else happy. Making sure you're okay is your first priority. Feel free to say "no" to any requests that would emotionally drain you, make you overextend yourself, or compromise any of your personal values/goals/priorities. You don't need to justify your needs. Just kindly decline, and let it be.

Remain consistent with your boundaries & priorities. People will treat you how you let them treat you. Once you set a boundary or share your priorities will someone, stick to these words through your actions to show you're serious about how you expect to be treated. Teach people how to interact with you in a way that doesn't feel self-sacrificing. No one will respect your boundaries and priorities if you don't and are easily swayed to forgo these self-imposed standards on a day-to-day or case-by-case basis.

Consider the long-term consequences of people-pleasing. While it may appease immediate conflict or anxiety, people-pleasing offers a one-way ticket to resentment and misplaced anger. By ignoring our own needs for the sake of others, we place unspoken expectations on these individuals' obligations to reciprocate our emotional labor – whether it be with their future actions or matching our generosity with unprompted favors or emotional support. We start keeping score as we continuously give ourselves over to others of perceived obligation. When someone doesn't return the favor, we get upset, despite never expressing this expectation of someone else or that we're even self-sacrificing in any way. This can lead to us feeling depleted or guilt-tripping others, and from their perspective, seemingly out of nowhere. It is best to remember we always have a choice whether to give to others and it should be of a genuine desire, love, or support for the other person – not as a way to gain external validation or manipulate a situation to create a false sense of obligation that we keep ourselves or the receiving party beholden to. Think of your energy, time, and personal resources given to others as a gift, not a bargaining chip.

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beyonsatan · 11 months

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Here are some REAL astrological tips that I'm not just pulling out my ass and actually learned from reading

1. Aquarius is not ruled by uranus, aquarius is ruled by saturn. When astrologers discovered uranus they borrowed some of the traits of saturn and applied them to uranus because they didnt know what to do with this planet. Having strong uranus influence won't make you feel like an outsider but having a strong saturn influence will. Uranus does not rule "outcasts" or "obstruction" it rules sudden changes which we only associate with aquarius because of their eccentricity and the modern rulership of this sign, aquarius isn't as open to "change" as we would like to think they are, they're a saturn(restrictions) ruled fixed sign, they're more open minded and progressive than capricorn but they're more traditional and less accepting than we think pisces to be.

2. NO planet is unwelcome in the 5th and 11th house. Any personal planets in these houses including mars and saturn, especially the chart ruler is a sign of good fortune, wealth, successful investments and just an easy life in general because these houses are the joy of Venus and Jupiter, harmful planets here become neutralized and instead work to our benefit even with difficult aspects. Ex: Someone with a 5th house saturn might work high paying government jobs or become some kind of authority(saturn) figure sometime within their life.

3. What you've been taught about the north and south node is wrong. The north node is not "underdeveloped traits" The north node represents "increase" while the south node represents decrease, not your comfort zone and this is according to hellenistic and ancient astrology. The north node represents the dragon head while the south node represents its tail. Wherever your north node(the head) is, is where there's an infatuation and/or otherwise increase of energy and experiences, the south node (the tail) is something you abandoned (and shouldnt have) so you could focus on your north node, it's not necessarily something you need to let go of because that's like saying the dragon cut his tail off so he could keep his head lol, the dragon doesn't need to cut his tail at all, his tail is what's helping send him into the right direction because how do you expect him to move without his tail? In this case the south node is something you can rely on to assist you when handling the topics of your north node, that's the whole point. If south node was something that we needed to dismiss or free ourselves from it, there wouldn't be a south node, the south node and north node exist with each other, they HAVE to co-exist

4. I don't really debate about which house system to use when reading your own chart or others but when reading transits, synastry and composite charts, I strongly recommend using WS to make things alot less confusing.

5. The moon is a significator of money in alot of the same ways venus and jupiter are that's why the moon gets exalted in taurus. Moon in Taurus, Pisces, Sagittarius or Libra in the 3rd (house joy), 5th or 11th house is an indicator of wealth.

6. When outer planets transit your cadent houses please don't have a breakdown, planets in cadent houses have the weakest influence within a person's chart.

7. The houses responsible for fame are realistically the 5th, 7th house, 10th and 11th house and everything starts with the 5th house. Explanation: 5th house is the talent you have, the 11th house is your audience, you bring the talents you build upon in the 5th house for the world to see over into the 11th house, the 7th house is your relationship to law and the public, partnerships etc, if you wanna get contracts like a partnership with the NBA or picked to star in a movie, all of this would take place in the 7th house, the 10th house is the brand and image you cultivate after your name gets around from the 7th house, this house talks about your peak, how well did you do? Did you make it big? Planets here, where it's ruler is/and aspects will color all of this. Honorable mention is the 1st house cause the 1st house like the 10th house is angular and says alot about whether eyes are on you, do you get attention, are you an extrovert, are you confident or is building up those kind of things difficult for you, all of this gets answered in the 1st house.

8. Do not let any amateur astrologers gaslight you into thinking that having 8th or 12th house placements make you spiritual, spirituality gets its meaning from the 9th house and the 11th house where jupiter finds joy, planets in the 8th and 12th house is NOT for the weak and I don't mean to sound arrogant, I have 12th house placements and I'm aware that the 12th house doesn't get its meaning from pisces or jupiter, sprutuality is meant to be a good thing, planets in these houses is not a good thing so it is not wise to draw proximity there

9. Both Venus/ Jupiter and it's aspects is an indicator of marriage, the sign they're in, house placement and aspects will tell you more about your spouse (venus if you're attracted to women and jupiter if you're attracted to men)

10. Debilitated or fallen planets are liberated or in accidental dignity when in the angular houses or the 5th and 11th. Yes this counts for retrograde planets as well even tho i don't count retrogrades as a debilitaty. Think of them as having "redemption arcs" like negan from the walking dead, started out evil or In bad condition but it got better real fast or the challenges with that placement are easy to overcome. Ex: aquarius sun in the 1st house, aquarius is obviously debilitated under the sun because the sun and saturn are enemies and aquarius gets overwhelmed by the attention and self expression that comes with the sun but with the sun in the 1st house that luminary becomes apart of you, it's literally influencing your physical body and how you behave, with the sun here you have no trouble expressing yourself and actually like attention, so it's like having a leo rising but alot more intense

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kneelingshadowsalome · 3 months

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Salome!

"La Belle Dame sans Mercy" ("The Beautiful Lady Without Mercy") - A ballad by John Keats

"The poem is about a fairy who condemns a knight to an unpleasant fate after she seduces him with her eyes and singing." please

This screams Knight!König x Fairy!Reader to me.

I just know König would gladly die by the hand of such an ethereal being.

"She looked at me as she did love, and made a sweet moan."

"And sure in language strange she said—'I love thee true.'"

That’s it. Thank you.

I swear this artwork kills me everytime I see it....

Ok this became the silliest fairytale ever 🩷✨️

CW: Historical AU blending with mythical/supernatural AU. König being a dreamy mess of a knight who doesn't fit in "normal" society. Reader is part of faefolk. Heavy Arthurian Romance vibes.

König returns to the castle one day. The son of a great liege lord, a warrior through and through, but some people say he should’ve been a poet: so dreamily he looks beyond the battlements at times, sighs after drinking too much wine, stares off into dark corners of the room while tending to his sword and armour as if he can see little pixies dancing there.

His siblings sometimes hit him on the back of his head, or wave a hand over his eyes when he’s about to slip into the fairy world, a forgotten plane that is not supposed to reach the castle. But the castle stones were taken from the moors and the woods, the old land not bending to the priest’s will no matter how many crosses they brought here. Fragile souls are wanton prey for the elves and the fairies who would take them to their land the moment they drop down their guard, and only prayer and fasting hold them at bay. In the fairylands, there is no toil or sorrow; the food is golden honey and wine, the dance and love everlasting, and the fae girls more beautiful than any human maid.

It sounded too good to be true, and it was: God had created men to work and women to give birth, and all the land was theirs to use and cultivate, it was not made to simply run and frolic upon. Some say that these were just old tales and that Christ would banish these creatures away, turn the land to yielding crops and tame firewood.

But some still believed.

When he was a child, the mighty son of the feared lord took porridge and almonds to the woods. “For the fairy people,” he said with bright, trusting eyes. Stole food from under the mistress’s nose, and no one ever dared to say anything about it.

But when this nonsense carried on to adulthood, people had to intervene. There was work to be done, war, harvest and building, and no matter how many coins this man paid to the visiting bards, it would never turn their stories true.

His arm was strong and his strike was true, but his head seemed to be filled with dandelion wine, even when he hadn’t been drinking. Sighed after this maiden or that, wished to travel to foreign lands, courted every nobleman’s daughter who visited the castle, but no one ever took him seriously.

This man had to watch how lady after lady chose some other valiant knight as their husband, some men whose heads were not filled with fairytales and dreams. They did flirt with him, for who could’ve resisted the temptation of making this giant a little sweaty under all that armor? Armor that demanded plate for two people, and a smith who had the talent to forge such a beastly thing.

Nevertheless, he was always left without a warm embrace, and so he was usually found outside, looking at the full moon or spending time in taverns, choosing the company of thieves and rascals over his serious kin.

And now he has returned from the woods, having been gone for months.

People thought he had finally left to fight for some other lord, posing as a simple footsoldier, a disguise that would relieve him of his tedious duties as a knight. Or to court some “lovely peasant girl” he always talked about – such talks were usually crushed by his father, demanding him to be sensible for once in his life.

But he doesn’t prattle about peasant girls now, nor does he ramble about screaming ships at the bottom of the sea. He doesn’t hold a speech about forgotten stone circles in the forest, the ones that already grow moss. No, he has finally lost it completely.

His eyes are wild, as is his hair; his armour is nowhere to be seen, and his sword is without its sheath. He doesn’t talk about what he saw in that forest to anyone, nor is he willing to tell where he has even been these past few moons.

He seems very shaken when he’s told they were worried he wouldn’t make it to the May Day feast, and asks for how long he was gone, drives a hand through dishevelled hair when he hears that he was away for three full months.

“Three months…” he mutters to himself, then leaves to his room, the huge sword dragging against the stone floor as he goes. He has always, always made sure it wouldn’t dull, but now he’s treating it like it’s become a part of him, confused and lost.

He doesn’t eat, hardly speaks after that.

The food tastes like ash, he says, and the ale tastes like bile. But the following evening, when his mother orders someone to pour her poor son some more wine, he looks up helplessly like a child.

“I have to go back,” he says.

A clamour arises, huffed exclaims of “What on earth is he on about” and “Sir, you only just got back!” His father rises from his chair and orders him to stop this nonsense at once. But this time, there is no embarrassed sweep of hand through hair, no red colour that rises on this peculiar knight’s cheeks. His lips only make a thin line before he rises as well and leaves the hall with a weight on his shoulders and dark determination in his stare.

At the stables, a stout Moorland pony and poor stable boy get to witness the drunken bawls of a forlorn knight. The wine sack almost slips from his hands to the dirt as he slumps against the timber of the stall, distorted face coming to rest against a wide, shaky palm.

Luckily, a friend of his knows where to look, and the stable boy sneaks into the shadows, slightly scared of the sorrow of such a big, intimidating man.

But even the companion who always listened to every enthusiastic story since they were kids and ran across the moors, throwing little rocks at his father’s soldiers and laughing when their helmets made a funny clinky sound, can not understand the drunken babble that comes out of König’s mouth this time.

He starts from the middle, which is highly unusual, and talks in strings of sentences that don’t make sense. “She was real, I just know it,” he repeats, over and over again in the middle of confessions about how beautiful she was, how her hair was like the softest spun yarn, her body incredible, naked and wild when she came to him. That her laugh was like the chime of little bells or the sound of the loveliest harp, a song on its own when she walked to him.

She was fascinated with his sword, especially the pommel and the handle interested her, and the curve in the middle of the blade she brushed with her fingers as if it was an entire vale.

He had never seen a woman touch his sword like that… They were never interested in such things, but she was, and she asked him so many questions.

Had he ever felled a tree?

Did he like squirrels?

Were his thighs as hairy as his chest?

She took him down the river, or he followed her; he can’t remember. Her step was so light it didn’t make a sound, and the moss seemed to turn brighter every time her little foot stepped on it. Her hands were tiny too when she wrapped them around his neck, pressed her body against his, and kissed him until there was nothing left of him: no helmet, no sword, nothing but sun and her, her hands and her lips.

Her mouth was still on his when she whispered she didn’t like his armour because it was so hard and rigid and cold, oh, she wondered if there was a man inside there at all.

So of course he showed her.

She giggled at the sight of him, especially his thighs, knelt down on the moss to see how hairy they were.

And would you believe the way she touched him then? It makes him heady even now…

Yes, he took her. But not the way a man takes a woman. She came to straddle him and laughed again, and the things they did together… He can’t even speak about them, but he knows the sun always shined when they rolled on the grass. Her giggles and moans surrounded him, her soft little thighs were stronger than they looked, her breasts so round and soft, so perfect he swore he had gone to heaven.

He bathed in her, with her, all day long. And the nights… You wouldn’t believe the nights: there was song and dance and more giggling women, and also a man dressed all in leaves, so big and thick he first thought he was a tree. An old king, she said, nothing he should worry about. And the wine tasted like summer and honey and gold; it was red, perhaps, but also like sea amber and sun…

She fed him flowers and laughed, caressed his face and said he’s the biggest and hairiest human she had ever seen. She let him lick honey from her fingertips and caressed him with heather and ivy, opened her mouth before feeding him a soft, sweet piece of cake, showing him how he needed to open his mouth as well if he wanted it on his tongue.

She kissed the crumbs from his lips and trailed a finger down his chest, all the way down, until…

Oh, he can’t talk about it.

It was better than he ever even imagined: better than the stories they tell in the taverns. It was like his wedding night, over and over again, it was like he was Lancelot, and she was his Guinevere.

No, no, she was not an enchantress, although everything about her was enchanting... All the stories came alive with her, even the moon was bigger than anywhere he’d ever seen, the deers ran past them while they made love, and the birds sang even at night.

He told her he loved her, but she didn’t know what it meant. When he explained it to her, she looked at him gently, so gently…

He cried from joy then, but she never mocked him. She only said it’s a sign that he’s hers. That he will never forget her. She said he’ll always find her, even when he’s old: she will make him young again. He’s welcome here if he wants: she has so many places to show him.

He thanked all the saints for having found her, Saint George and Saint Mary first, but stopped when her little brows furrowed with sorrow. Her eyes, filled with starlight and love, turned so sad that his heart couldn’t bear it, not for one beat.

The sea is far wilder here: he should come and see the ocean as it was at the dawn of time. The ivy is so strong you can use it to climb the trees and see the whole world from atop the tree, the whole land, covered in forest, such as it was before humans came. There’s no smoke or fire or war: just green everywhere, wild rippling streams and honey bees and berries and fish for everyone who ever feels hungry... They can make love day and night, and she’ll teach him all the songs of old. Humans only remember bits and pieces, but she knows how things really happened, she can tell him everything about heroes, kings and queens.

She said she wanted to sleep, and so he took her from the feast and laid her on the grass… She might’ve sung to him, he can’t remember, but it was like an angel’s caress all over him, somber and sweet before the dreams took him, a dream within a dream.

He slept for ages, it seemed, saw so many dreams, each more beautiful than the last until he woke up and saw that the forest had turned grey.

There was no maiden in his lap, no dance and song in the distance, no scent of flowers and dreams and springs to be found. The sun was up in the sky, but it didn’t paint all the colours with gold or fill the streams with light. The forest was half dead to him, just old, thick trees around him, a green-grey forest floor and a shaggy squirrel who chirped and squeaked at him as if it was his fault that the fae folk were gone.

He searched for her, called for her, but she didn’t answer, and how could she have? He didn’t even know her name. He only knew how lovely she felt, how soft her hair was when it fell to cover him like a veil, how adorable her sighs and tiny little gasps were when he filled her, over and over again.

His armour was nowhere to be found, and his sword was somewhere downstream, half covered with leaves and dirt, rusty and beaten by the wind. It was early spring when he came here; the land was still barren and grey, but now, everything was green. Still, it was not the green he wanted. It was not the green that filled his vision entirely, bright, blooming green that pulsed with lush joy. It was just… earth and grass and dirt.

So you see, he has to go back. He has to find her, whatever it takes. She promised he could always come back… She promised…

He cries once more, head bowed and mighty shoulders trembling from the force of his sorrow, and it is no use to tell him that the fae folk are evil. That they’re from the Devil and only want to make good, decent men like them forget. Forget their duty, their laws, their Christ.

It’s no use to tell him that it is not natural, the place he has seen. No doubt he has been somewhere, but it cannot be anything good… No man can survive on flowers and spring water for three months; they cannot frolic with the faeries for days on end without losing their mind and soul.

And König is already lost; he was lost since he was a child, rambling about how he received flowers, sticks and stones as tokens of the faefolk’s gratitude because he brought them food.

He tries to tell the boy who never grew up, the mightiest man in this kingdom, the dreamiest knight there ever was, that he needs to return to the real world. No fae woman would have him as a husband, they are only after his soul. But surely some human lady would take him into her bed, think about it, for God’s sake, please... He has duties here, people who love him, his father would make him a lord if he only put himself together. What kind of knight would abandon his sword, helmet and armour for the sake of an elf who despises the saints...?

But in the morn, König is gone.

His rusty sword is on the floor, the wooden cross taken off the wall. There lies a honeycomb and a flower on his window, a blossom so sweet it cannot be plucked from any field around here. Too exotic and bright, especially when placed atop the rough, grey stones, it looks like it could never wither from how beautifully it blooms.

The peasants now tell a tale of a man that haunts the woods: a huge giant dressed all in green, donning a leaf cloak of some sort and a beard that grows ivy. But they say he is not evil: he only shows himself to hunters who are about to fall a deer, or children who remember the land with little gifts.

Old men say they saw a green man when they were kids and brought bread and milk to the faeries, they swear to this day they saw a man who greeted them with a smile. And when they looked again, there was nothing but a tree where this giant stook, a young oak, sighing with the wind...

#könig x reader #könig x you #mythology au #arthurian au #historical au

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sunderwight · 18 days

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Thinking about a bingqiu Dreamling AU where Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua are both bored deities, just sort of taking a brief sojourn through the mortal world to shoot the shit and see some interesting monster or other that Shen Yuan has heard about, when they come across a tea house and decide to take a break and do some people-watching instead.

Shen Yuan is well into something of a shut-in phase, which Shang Qinghua doesn't like, mostly because when Shen Yuan is in those phases he doesn't do particularly well either. Shen Yuan's a social butterfly, for however little he cares to actually acknowledge it about himself, and his critique of Shang Qinghua's literary masterpieces gets so much harsher when he's not getting enough enrichment.

So when they overhear one of the kitchen boys solemnly insisting that he is going to do everything in his power to never die, and Shen Yuan laments that the boy would probably regret such a wish if it came true, Shang Qinghua decides to bestow a rare bit of godly power onto this mortal and grant his wish.

He doesn't make him a god, of course, that wouldn't even be in his ability. At least, not without using up more time and effort than he's prepared to expend on this one random kid. But immortality on its own is not that difficult. The boy will still finish growing up, and will still be able to be harmed, to know hunger and pain and illness. It just won't ever kill him.

Shen Yuan sighs that it's a cruel thing to do to a mortal, especially one with such low odds of ever cultivating other skills to mitigate the potential torment of it all. But Shang Qinghua just shrugs and they place bets, that this boy will ask for the immortality to be revoked in a hundred years, or two hundred, or so on, or else he won't. Shen Qingqiu approaches the kitchen boy and flusters and bewilders him by telling him to meet him back here again in a hundred years time.

A hundred years later, the tea house is larger. The boy has grown to be a striking young man, who looks at Shen Yuan with wariness and something else, something almost like awe, as he asks what manner of creature he's made this bargain with. Shen Yuan assures him that he has no nefarious intentions, and instead asks Luo Binghe how the past century of his life has gone.

Horribly, at least at first. Binghe's mother had already died by the time they met, but afterwards he managed to earn enough money to travel to a nearby sect. Working in the tea house's kitchen was just a minor stopover along the way. Shen Yuan was wrong, it seems, about his odds of becoming a cultivator -- Luo Binghe earned entry as a disciple.

Yet, he had no success. The master who took him on was unaccountably cruel and mercurial, and Luo Binghe's attempts to cultivate failed. Looking back he sees now that there were many times when he should have died but didn't, but when it was all happening he just thought himself lucky. At least until an enemy sect attacked a cultivation conference, and he suffered mortal wounds that absolutely should have killed him (or anyone) but still didn't die. (No demon race or abyss in this AU, but there are still demonic and fantastical creatures.)

His cruel master, upon witnessing this, accused him of heretical practices and tried to kill him as well by flinging him off the edge of a gorge. The fall was terrible. Binghe lay at the bottom in a horrifying state, injured beyond reason and yet, still, he didn't die. Eventually his body recovered enough for him to drag himself out, and once he did the only thing on his mind was getting revenge. For the next several decades he managed to ingratiate himself to all manner of potential allies, forging alliances, accumulating blackmail, and convincing people that he had to be some powerful cultivator through his supernatural resilience, lack of visible aging, and a lot of bluffing. He got revenge on his old teacher, drove his first sect into ruin, and rose to prominence as a feared and respected leader of the cultivation world.

Shen Yuan listens with clear interest, asking plenty of questions and seemingly quite taken up with the story. At the conclusion, Luo Binghe admits that his actual cultivation is still mostly a matter of smoke and mirrors, and wonders if -- now that the hundred years have passed -- Shen Yuan means to strip his immortality from him.

Shen Yuan asks if Luo Binghe wants that. When Luo Binghe says no, he accepts the answer, and tells him to meet him back here again in another hundred years. Luo Binghe calls after him, but before he can ask anything more, Shen Yuan has disappeared again.

A hundred years later, Binghe arrives back at the tea house with an entourage befitting of an emperor. The tea house has also expanded. Luo Binghe orders a lavish feast from them, which everyone hastens to provide. He's spent the past several decades consolidating his power, forging alliances with key political players via several marriages, producing heirs, and crushing his enemies. As he brags about the state of his massive harem to Shen Yuan, the deity's eyes begin to glaze over. He doesn't seem impressed. He also doesn't seem to care much for the food, and eventually his attention is stolen away by a conversation at another table. The diners are discussing the exploits of a promising new poet and novelist. Try as he might, Luo Binghe fails to regain Shen Yuan's attention before the evening is done. Shen Yuan doesn't think it's a big deal -- after all, if Binghe is still riding on top of the world, he's probably not going to want his immortality gift revoked just yet!

Another hundred years go by. The tea house has returned to a more modest situation, the next time Shen Yuan sets foot in it. He waits an unusually long while for his guest to arrive, and when he does, he's almost stopped at the door by the tea house's servers. It's only when Shen Yuan bids them let him through that Luo Binghe is able to come to the table, almost collapsing against it and desperately falling onto the arrangement of snacks with obvious hunger.

Shen Yuan wonders if this, now, will be when the boy (no longer a boy) asks for the immortality to be revoked. Surprisingly, he finds himself resistant to the idea, even though it's also clear that the game has run too long. Maybe hundred year check-ins were too short? He doesn't like the implications of what's gone on, even if he's not really surprised about it either.

Between desperate mouthfuls of food, Luo Binghe explains that without mastering inedia, going hungry but never dying is a deeply unpleasant experience. Shen Yuan orders more food. Once Binghe has finally eaten his fill, he begins, haltingly, to explain his situation. His clothes are ragged, he is painfully thin, and his gaze is haunted.

Apparently, several of his wives conspired to assassinate him, despite his reputation as unkillable. Realizing that most poisons and such didn't kill him, but that he could still be incapacitated, they hatched a scheme to dose his food with a powerful sleeping agent, and then walled him up in a famous ancestral tomb. They went to great length to ensure that it was impossible to escape from. It took Binghe decades to do it anyway, digging away at the floors, and when he got out he found that his power base had collapsed. In-fighting and the incursion of his enemies had led to the deaths of all of his children, and what wives had survived had either fled or remarried. Not that he particularly wanted them back at that point, since the ones actually most loyal to him had also been killed early on after his own "death". His face marked him, to the eyes of his enemy, as a surviving descendant of himself. He was hunted down, chased across the continent and back again, until he managed to fall into enough obscurity that his pursuers abandoned the chase. Except that he has nothing, and any time he tries to regain something, he runs the risk of being hounded again. Those who might see some potential in him still remember the collapse of his recent "dynasty" and slam doors in his face, or else try and turn him over to those now in power in pursuit of a reward. Those who don't know that much see only a dirty beggar, and usually run him off on that basis instead.

Shen Yuan, almost hesitant, asks if Luo Binghe would like to have his immortality revoked.

Luo Binghe declines. How will he be able to take revenge on those who wronged him if he is dead? He has a hit list a mile long by now.

Which is definitely not the most noble of reasons to persist, but Shen Yuan finds himself reluctant to ask twice. Instead he orders more food, and then even reserves one of the traveler's rooms above the tea house for several days. By then the sky is turning grey, and Luo Binghe is losing his apparent battle with exhaustion. Shen Yuan presses the key into his hand, thinking it's probably not enough, but there are limits to how much gods are supposed to interfere and Shang Qinghua already stretched them to the breaking point with this entire scenario.

He leaves, not seeing the hand that reaches after him just before he is out of the door and gone.

Another hundred years pass. This time, Shen Yuan arrives to find Luo Binghe already waiting for him. He isn't surprised to see that Binghe's situation has visibly improved -- maybe he was keeping closer tabs on him, just a little bit, for this past while. If only to be sure he wouldn't have to warn the tea house workers to expect an unorthodox visitor again! But no, Binghe has been doing well enough for himself. No more harems or thrones, though. He dresses more like a well-off merchant now, deliberately posing as his own mortal descendant rather than as a great immortal cultivator. The food at the table looks far more delicious than usual too (Binghe commandeered the tea house's kitchen himself this time). As they chat, Shen Yuan is regaled with the exploits of Luo Binghe's travels and adventures, how even though he initially set out to claim revenge on those who overthrew him, by the time he was in a position to actually do so they had already died of the usual causes (time, illness, their own schemes backfiring, etc). Subsequently, only their children and grandchildren were left with the scraps of power they had obtained, and when one of those children employed Luo Binghe as a bodyguard, his initial plan to assassinate them eventually fell by the wayside. After all, the wrongdoings weren't actually theirs. From that point, Binghe was able to restore himself to a more comfortable life, joining his new employer on their travels until he had set aside enough earnings to take his leave before his youthful good-looks earned him suspicion. He then began investing in travel and trade, specifically cargo ships, because never spending too long in the same place or around the same people helped disguise his immortality. He had found that, at least for now, this served him better than playing the part of a cultivator. It also gave him time to try and actually repair his ruined cultivation base somewhat, and fighting pirates proved very diverting.

Binghe is midway through recounting his adventures with a gigantic sea monster, while Shen Yuan hangs on every word, when they're interrupted by the arrival of a brash young mistress, clearly wealthy and trained in cultivation. The young lady declares that there is a rumor that a fallen god and a demon meet in this tea house once a century, that they wield strange powers, etc etc, and she intends to interrogate them both with the assistance of her hired muscle and her own spiritual weapon, and discover the truth of the matter. Then she whips out, well, a whip!

Before Shen Yuan can deal with the matter, Luo Binghe is already on his feet, disarming the goons and breaking a few arms in the process. Shen Yuan is so distracted that he almost misses the whip aimed right for him, but before Binghe can catch the barbed weapon with his bare hand (wtf, Binghe, no) Shen Yuan deflects it with a wave of his fan, and then efficiently knocks the troublesome young lady unconscious. The hired muscle flees, Shen Yuan arranges for their assailant to be placed in a room upstairs until she regains consciousness, and he and Binghe resume their meal and conversation in relative peace.

Even though it's clear that Luo Binghe has not yet reached the end of his tolerance for life, Shen Yuan nevertheless finds himself strangely reluctant to part ways at the end of the night. Still, he does, because that's what is expected of him, gently denying Luo Binghe's suggestions that they find some other establishment to continue their conversation at. He also has to investigate these "rumors" that the young lady mentioned. It's probably nothing (Shang Qinghua has a loose tongue when he's drunk, and a lot of imaginative storytellers have frequented this tea house over the years) but he doesn't like being caught unawares like that. Heavenly politics are... complicated, it's best not to court unwanted attention in any capacity.

Another hundred years go by. This time, when they meet at the tea house, Luo Binghe asks Shen Yuan why he keeps it up. Why did he pick Binghe? What is he really after? When Shen Yuan fails to give any kind of clear answer, Luo Binghe shoots his shot and makes a (very obvious) move on him.

Shen Yuan, flustered, gets up and flees. Ignoring Luo Binghe's calls after him. It just doesn't make any sense! Why would Binghe do that?! He's a man who once had a harem of wives in the triple digits! Clearly he's not gay, so what was that all about? Was he just messing with him?! How dare he! Etc, etc.

Another century passes. Luo Binghe waits at the tea house, which has fallen onto hard times again. With the construction of some new roadways, travelers no longer pass through as often. Binghe listens, worried, to the proprietor's laments that this old place will probably not be around in another hundred years. He listens because he has no one else to speak to, because Shen Yuan has not shown up. Not that morning, not during the day, not come evening, and not now that it is closing time. Binghe nevertheless charms and bribes the proprietor to let him stay even after the place has shuttered.

It seems damning, of course. He pressed too hard and now his mysterious benefactor wants nothing more to do with him. Except, no, he refuses to accept that. He's still immortal. And he has gleaned enough of Shen Yuan's character by now that he thinks that even if he was rejected, he would be let down more clearly and gently than this. The more he thinks about it, the less willing Luo Binghe is to believe that he has been deliberately stood up (also, since the tenor of his confession was different from Hob Gadling's, he never delivered an ultimatum about what it might imply when they met up again).

Over the centuries, Luo Binghe has built up a few contacts with similarly strange and supernatural stories. Cultivators, sure, but also others, fortune tellers and people of strange ancestry, questionable abilities, those who have interacted with powerful beings of mysterious provenance. He makes his way to a certain gambling den, frequented often by such people, and while he flashes around enough money to draw curiosity, he collects information. Shen Yuan wasn't the only person who started paying more attention to the kinds of rumors surrounding the two of them after their confrontation with the young cultivator a couple centuries ago. And in fact, Luo Binghe has been spending many, many years trying to find out more about his mystery man. Though, too many potential deities and immortals fit his description for him to have ever conclusively figured much out.

This is how Binghe gets wind of a rumor that an eccentric occultist has somehow captured a god in his basement...

#svsss #bingqiu #scum villain's self saving system #bingyuan #scum villain #long post #whoever the roderick burgess proxy is here he's got a big storm coming #going the classic dreamling fanfic route and having shen yuan get rescued instead of having to escape by himself #shang qinghua has definitely made other people immortal on various whims and impulses #he bestows his gift recklessly on a betrayed young prince at one point and the divine emperor is just like 'enough!'#'if you're doing to do this I'm going to make you babysit the results! you descend and work for that prince now!' so he's got his hands ful #dreamling might be the situation but shen yuan isn't much of a dream of the endless type #and luo binghe is nothing like hob gadling lol #'I want to live because I love life!' nope it's mostly about spite #the hardest part of this AU is imagining a universe where shen yuan would ignore luo binghe for long enough to let actual centuries pass

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