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xzhdjsj · 3 days

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Remnants of the Past

Xanthus x Reader

Slow dancing with Xanthus

Here's that draft I mentioned in your comments @chilliesillie!

Uhhhh I'm sorry in advance👁👁

Clai yes you🫵 that apology doesn't apply to you jk jk ily<3

Also just for you I made sure Love tells Xanthus they love him in this one!

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

And if you have a minute, why don't we go Talk about it somewhere only we know? This could be the end of everything So, why don't we go somewhere only we know?

The waves crashed against a rocky edge where the land touched the sea, each crash a rhythmic roar of nature's might.

The blindfold on your eyes left everything to your imagination, the rest of your sense dances with the stimulation of the elements, the cold breeze against your skin, the relentless surge of the waves and seagulls screeching overhead.

Xanthus’ unwavering insistence on the blindfold, urged you to keep it in place until deemed fit for you to remove it. You embraced his request without hesitation, excited for whatever surprise he had planned for you. With his guidance leading your steps, you didn’t feel a single ounce of worry or concern. You trusted him wholeheartedly after all.

"I smell the ocean." You smile.

"Well that much is obvious, isn't it? You can hear it too." His body moves behind yours, gently pulling at the silky cloth obscuring your vision. "Alright, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be!" You cheered, bracing yourself for what you're about to see.

You were quick to realise that no amount of mental preparation was ever going to be enough for the sight before you. Silently, you stare in awe and your mouth drops open as you heave a sigh.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Xanthus mused at your reaction than the actual scene before him.

From where you stood, all you could see was water, the shimmery blue and green colour push and pull creating a glistening illusion. That combined with the yellows and oranges of the sunset was magical, like a bottled potion in a witch’s lair. It was straight out of a fantasy film, perhaps the most beautiful coast you've ever seen. You don't bother answering Xanthus' question, instead breaking free from his grasp, laughter swirling into the wind as you ran to the railed edge of the cliff. Xanthus was shocked at your sudden burst of energy, panicking to catch up to you.

"Hold on! Be careful!" He shouted.

Naturally, Xanthus got their first, perks of being a vampire with enhanced swiftness. You pay him no mind, leaning over the metal bars as you marvelled at the shoreline below. Xanthus' arm securely hugged your body, an extra layer of protection warding off any possibility of a misstep.

"I admire your enthusiasm, but I don't intent to lose you just yet love." He chuckled playfully.

"Sorry, couldn't help it. Are you seeing this?" You turned to him, wild eyes finding his.

He continued to laugh at your expression, "So many times, I'm completely unmoved by it now."

"Really?" You turned back to the ocean. The way the water moved and splashed against the rocky shores below was mesmerising. "I don't think I could ever get used to this."

Theres a land mass that caught your attention, one completely detached from the land near it, it was only a fragment compared to the mighty cliff that you stood atop. It blended perfectly into the scenery of the sunset and foamy waves that break at its base.

"I believe it’s called a 'stack'." Xanthus chimed, pulling your attention to him.

"Hmm?"

"The land formation you've been staring at. That one right over there." He pointed at the piece of land that resembled a tall, layered cake. "It was once a part of this very land we stand on, but years of erosion separated it from the headland."

"Woah, water sure is powerful, isn't it?"

"I like the idea of consistency being powerful more. But you're right too." Xanthus didn't spend much time looking around, his eyes were glued to you, admiring the way your cheeks rise as you smile and your eyes singe at the corners.

"You haven't even seen the best part yet."

"I don't know what could possibly be better tha-" Your sentence is cut short when Xanthus turns your body around to face the scenery you've been backing. "Holy. Shit."

Did I mention that this place looks like an excerpt from fantasy world? Because now there's a castle. You wondered to yourself how on earth you missed that? Sure, the water was lovely, but this- this is a whole new thing. It wasn't extravagant or overly grand, nor was it gigantic and clumped together. If anything, it looked like a luxurious mansion, with the architecture of a castle.

“How-” You try to speak, but your words fail you.

“I bought this place a long time ago. It was a good way to leave everything behind and be at peace for some time.” Xanthus took your hand, making his way towards the grand doors in a distance. “Naturally, it became a place I visited when I was troubled.”

Your chest warmed at his confession, and you cling closer to his body. “It’s really beautiful. I can feel the calming aura that comes with it.”

“I haven’t been here since I met you.” He looked over at you, “I didn’t have a reason to be here. Your presence is somehow enough to make me feel at ease.”

“Well, I’m glad I have that effect on you!” You flashed him a toothy grin.

Xanthus pushed the giant doors open effortlessly, like it weighed no more than a feather.

“Come on, it’s just us here. I have something special planned for you.” He ushered you inside.

“Another surprise? You’re really spoiling me today.” You took his hand again, following him down the hall.

“I hope you don’t mind. I did also arrange a change of clothes for you, to fit the setting.”

“Wait really? Like fancy fit-for-royalty garments? Cuz that’s the vibe I’m getting from the place.”

“You’ll just have to find out for yourself.” He smirked and led you up a flight of stairs. Th interior of this place was even more remarkable. The handrails of the staircase were pure gold, shining under the light from the massive diamond chandelier that hung from the painted ceiling. If there was a boundary between reality and imagination, this was certainly what it looked and felt like. Your eyes drink in as much detail as you could, but every wall was a painted canvas. It was easy to get distracted by something else when trying to focus on an initial detail.

Your steps halt at door, “This is where we’ll stay when we’re here.”

He pushed the door open for you like the gentleman he is, and you take a step inside. It was just what you imagined it would look like, opulent but inviting and cosy. You spin in a circle, admiring the entire room. There was a canopy bed in the middle of the room, its pristine white sheets looked incredibly soft and comfortable, yet your gaze was drawn to a contrasting object laying in a corner.

As you move closer to inspect the coloured material with gold embellishments, Xanthus calls behind you, “I’ll be back to get you in 15 minutes. Get dressed and wait for me.”

You turned to ask where he was going, but he’d already disappeared. With a sigh, you turn your attention back to the bed. The ‘object’ from earlier was just a suit of clothes, a heavy outfit that was certainly fit for royalty. It spurs on your curiosity for the night of what Xanthus had planned. Excitedly, you struggled but somehow managed to get the fabric onto your body by yourself. It felt like a workout, but it was worth every drop of sweat and strain. All ready and waiting for you vampire soulmate to return, you seize the opportunity to admire how you looked. Xanthus sure knew how to make dreams come true.

It didn’t take long for him to return, soft knocking on the door.

“Coming!” You yelled, rushing to open the door. “Sorry, I was sittin- Woah!”

He looked like an angel at first glance, adorned in a fully white suit with golden accents and crimson details. But beneath the veneer of this heavenly attire, lies a complex person with a sinister nature, perhaps he’s more akin to a fallen angel. That could never sway that heart of yours, what he was simply didn’t matter.

“You look… stunning.” Your eyes followed his silhouette, up and down.

“I was about to say the same about you. Looks like I made the right choice with this one. Do you feel like royalty?" He grins.

"I feel it, I think I can get used to this." You smile back at him.

Shall we?” He offers his arm to you.

With eager anticipation, you intertwined your arm with his, following his lead down the halls until you reached yet another door. The soft strains of instrumental music seeped through the cracks, enticing you further. Once more, he graciously pushed the door open, pulling you into a spacious room adorned as if poised for a grand event, yet the sole attendees are you and him.

“When did you have the time to do all this?” You asked him, enamoured by the room before you.

“I had some help of course. Do you like it?”

“Like? I love it.” You smiled and kissed him.

Now that you’re inside, the music had filled the room and atmosphere around you. Xanthus extends his hand to you.

“Will you dance with me?”

With a tender smile, you take his hand, stepping into his embrace.

Under the soft glow of the overhead lightings and candles around the room, he swayed your body in perfect synchrony with his. The way he gently moved your body was smooth and effortless, perfectly in harmony with the smooth instrumentals. Each step was filled with love and passion as you gazed into each other’s eyes. There was silent understanding between you, something that felt sorrowful and heart-wrenching, but you both ignored it- for now.

With every turn and every dip, the world outside fades away little by little, but the feeling of the end of the dance grows closer. In this quiet sanctuary, all you had was him, but did he have you?

The music slows, drawing closer to the end and his grip on your body tightens. Your heart rate increased, in sync with his.

Fear, that’s what it is. He’s reluctant to let you go.

Immediately you halt your movements, Xanthus does too, but he doesn’t react. He was expecting it.

“Lawrence, you don’t belong here. Wake up.” You lift a hand to his cheek.

“My love, I miss you. Do you miss me?” He hums against your touch, pressing his nose into your palm with his eyes closed.

“Of course I miss you, but I don’t exist in your world anymore.”

“I know” He murmurs, “Every time I miss you, I come here, and you always show up.”

“Lawrence, my love.” You coo, tears streaming down your cheek. “I’m not real. I’m just a figment of your imagination. A past that’s already behind you. You need to let me go.”

“I know.” He whispers, a broken sound that claws at the heart of anyone who hears it. “I know that, yet I keep returning. It’s funny, isn’t it? How cruel human life is? Mortality laughed at my face when it took you away from me and there was nothing I could’ve done.”

“Lawrence please,” you sob, “You can’t keep hurting yourself like this.”

“I’ll open my eyes if you tell me you still love me.” He smiles against your hand.

“Of course I still love you. You’re the only one I’ve ever loved and the only one I’ll continue to love.”

“Thank you” He whispers, as his eyelashes flutter open.

Before him stood of a void of what he once saw, there was no one in his arms and no gentle hand caressing his face. There was no fancy ball room. There was no ambient lighting save for the moonlight that shone through the holes in the roof. The chandelier that once held a grand presence lies crushed in the middle of the room, and the walls are covered in moss and vines. There was no music, only the crashing waves and a tune from a small music box that’s abruptly closed behind him.

His hands, that were once grasping the air infront of him, drop to his sides.

“That’s enough Xanthus, let’s go home.” The incubus calls.

Dontis strides over to him, a gentle hand on his shoulder as he guides him out the remnants of what was once a castle. He stood with him as he watched the tides crash against the rock below them. Lawrence stares off into the distance, to the spot where there was once a stack. Now, all that’s left is a stump of the landform, long gone and eroded.

“Dontis?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you call me Lawrence from now on?”

“Why?”

“No reason. I just want you to.”

"Fine then, Lawrence."

His safe place is run over, and his safe person no longer exists, but Lawrence still clings to the remnants of the past.

Oh, simple thing, where have you gone? I'm getting old, and I need something to rely on So, tell me when you're gonna let me in I'm getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin.

#Eeeeeeeeeee #zsakuva #sakuverse #xanthus claiborne #zsakuva xanthus #xanthus x reader

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hippolotamus · 3 days

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thought i planned for everything (just didn’t count on you) | 1.6k | E (BuckTommy)

Earlier today I promised my wife @bidisasterevankinard an incentive for studying in exchange for making her think about too many WIP ideas. Since husband @diazsdimples is also going through it with schooling, this is for both of you 😘 ps: idk anything about what certs and licenses and stuff Tommy would need. Just roll with it and be nice, yeah? Also, this is unbeta’d so if you see any mistakes, no you don’t.

Tommy scrubs at his forehead, blowing out a frustrated breath. He’s looked at the material in front of him for months now, determined to ace his recertifications. And it had been going well. Really well, in fact. He had a study schedule mapped out, accounting for his shifts and time with friends. He even left a small margin for the unexpected. There was just one factor he hadn’t accounted for. Evan.

The past few years of dating haven’t exactly gone anywhere serious. Some casual dates, one that he thought could go the distance but only broke his heart. So the expectation of having that feeling again? Of having someone thoughtful and caring, who gives him butterflies and makes him want things? Pretty much zero.

But then a hurricane happened. Actual and metaphorical. It tore through his life, upending the idea that love – or anything close to it – just wasn’t in the cards for him. And when everything settled, there was Evan. Evan, who asks how his shift was, tells him when he gets back from a call, and turns a pretty shade of pink as he blushes and says ‘I missed you’.

Tommy doesn’t regret any of it, but he does wish the universe’s cosmic timing could’ve held off just a little longer. At least until the state of California tells him what he already knows and says he’s fit to pilot an aircraft.

A knock on the door gets his attention, but he seriously contemplates ignoring it. He didn’t order anything and he doesn’t have plans. Unfortunately, the first responder in him can’t help wondering if one of his elderly neighbors needs something.

Fine. He sets down the pen he’s been chewing on and reminds himself it’s been too long since he stood up and walked around anyway.

“Evan?” Tommy asks, surprised to see him standing there. He instinctively looks him up and down for obvious injuries or signs of distress, but finds nothing. Only his gorgeous boyfriend, smiling coyly. “I didn’t forget about a date, did I?”

“No, uh, nothing like that. Because you are supposed to be studying.” Evan raises one eyebrow like Tommy is in the wrong for answering his own door after somehow manifesting Evan’s presence.

“And yet here you are.”

“Here I am,” Evan says shyly. “I know I’ve been taking a lot of your time lately and wanted to help.”

For the first time, Tommy notices Evan’s got his hands behind his back and wonders what his definition of ‘help’ is. He’s dressed down, soft and adorable in a hoodie and joggers, so it’s unlikely to be a booty call. Though not completely out of the question. And not that Tommy would complain either.

“Did you bring flashcards or something?”

“As a matter of fact…” Evan steps over the threshold, past Tommy, like he owns the place. While shy, demure Evan is a favorite, confident Evan is by no means a turn off. Especially as he whirls around and proudly holds up a set of blue, yellow and pink index cards. “I did.”

“Evan-”

“A few nights, when I couldn’t sleep, I might have taken some notes of my own. And, like I said, thought I could make myself useful for my hot, pilot boyfriend.” He rocks up on his tiptoes, capturing Tommy’s lips for a chaste kiss before he meanders to the kitchen.

Tommy pushes the door closed, following Evan where he lays the cards down on the table, opposite the books and manuals Tommy has scattered. Evan walks to the cabinets and helps himself to a glass, filling it with water before returning. Next he makes himself comfortable in a chair, sitting slightly back with his legs spread apart.

“So, can I help?”

There’s a glimmer of mischief in the way Evan looks at him now that has his heart racing. Like helping is the last thing Evan plans to do.

Tommy gathers himself enough to sit down in his own seat and flashes Evan a confident smirk.

“Do your worst, kid.”

“I’ll start with an easy one. What is the atmospheric gas composition?”

“Twenty-one percent oxygen, seventy-eight percent nitrogen, one percent other,” Tommy rattles off.

“Well done.” Evan flicks the card down then casually leans over to untie one shoe and slip it off.

“What are you-”

Evan clicks his tongue, tutting in fake admonishment. “Can’t tell you all my secrets, baby. Next question. Each one hundred meter climb in elevation causes a temperature drop of what?”

“One degree Celsius.”

Evan simply grins and removes his other shoe, leaving him in socked feet. Tommy would be lying if he said his dick wasn’t taking interest now that he’s caught on to Evan’s game. It is thoroughly unhelpful.

“PAIP should be implemented how many minutes after an aircraft fails to give its position report or is overdue for arrival?”

“Fifteen. Got anything harder for me?”

Evan’s tongue darts out, licking along his lower lip. “Oh, you bet I do.”

Tommy takes a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure and think about… anything except bending Evan over the table. If only it was that simple.

They repeat the process, volleying questions and answers back and forth until Evan’s stripped down to his boxers, his cock obviously hard and leaking beneath the tented fabric. It’s distracting as hell and Tommy doesn’t know how he’s supposed to concentrate.

“Come on, old man,” Evan teases, palming himself lazily. “Lives are on the line here. You need to be able to think under tense conditions.”

“You’re such a brat.” Tommy’s jeans press uncomfortably on his own straining erection and he doesn’t bother to stop himself from mirroring Evan’s movements.

“Yeah, but I’m your brat.” Evan applies more pressure, letting out an obscene moan as he strokes himself. “Or I could be – ahh – if you get this – mmph – question right.”

“Fuck, Evan.” Tommy undoes his belt and zipper, creating the tiniest bit of relief.

“That’s the idea. Even – oh, fuck – wore the new plug I told you about.”

Christ, Evan’s gonna kill him before they get the chance to see this all play out. And that’s unacceptable.

“Don’t stop,” Tommy orders, stalking off to grab the lube stashed in the couch cushions. When he returns, Evan is still stroking himself exactly like he was instructed. “Good boy, Evan. Doing what I told you.”

Tommy grips his chin and crashes their mouths together in a filthy kiss, delighted as Evan makes the most beautiful whine.

“But, you – ah – didn’t answer me,” Evan protests when they separate.

“Myoglobin.” He leans close to Evan’s ear, nipping at the lobe. “Lesson’s over, kid. Face down over the table. Naked. Now.”

Evan nearly trips over himself, leaping up from his chair and shoving his boxers down. He drapes himself over the piles of papers and index cards, wiggling his ass like he’ll die if he has to go one more second without being fucked.

“Gotta say, I like your methods,” Tommy murmurs, starting to work the plug in and out, tracing his other hand along Evan’s bare skin. “But now I think it’s time for your reward. Don’t you, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, yes. Please.”

“So desperate, my Evan,” Tommy coos. “Thought you would be in control, getting me all worked up. And here you are, laid out so gorgeously for me, just begging for it.”

Tommy pulls the plug out completely, discarding it to the floor. Evan keens and clenches around nothing, just waiting to be full again.

“Don’t worry, baby. I got you.” Tommy shoves his jeans and boxers down to his thighs. He slicks himself up with the lube and smears a generous amount on his fingers, fucking them in and out of Evan’s hole. Just enough to ease the way.

“Tommy,” Evan pants, practically crying when he pulls out.

He lines himself up, gripping Evan’s hips and pushing in without additional warning. He doesn’t pause for adjustments before he sets a relentless pace. It’s unlikely either of them are going to last, but he’s not going for longevity here.

Evan curls his hands around the edges of the table, leveraging it to fuck himself back against Tommy’s cock. It’s stunning and breathtaking, the rhythm they’re creating. A symphony of moans, squelches and skin against skin.

Soon the familiar heat pools in his belly, bringing him closer to the edge.

“Ohfuuuuck,” Evan moans, purposely tightening around him.

Tommy digs his fingertips into Evan’s sides, the world around him being reduced to static and white noise as he comes, filling Evan up. He thinks he might shout Evan’s name, but he’s not really sure, nor does he really care as he slumps forward, draping himself across Evan’s glistening skin.

“Gimmeasec,” he mumbles. “I’ll take careayou.”

“No need,” Evan murmurs back. “All good.”

Tommy presses a lazy kiss to Evan’s spine, enjoying the resulting small shudder. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

He kisses another ridge, and another, before answering. “For taking notes. For caring. Wanting to help out. For being you.”

“It wasn’t too much?” Evan whispers, hesitantly.

“Never,” Tommy assures him, dropping gentle kisses over his neck and shoulders, mindful of the mess forming between them as he maneuvers to properly reach. “Never too much, baby.”

He bites back words that are too early to say, even if he definitely feels them. Has felt them building in his chest, creating a near endless chant. He wonders how long he’ll be able to smother them before they burst forth. Hopefully long enough. Enough for Evan to feel them, too. For Evan to want to stay.

“Clean up and nap?” Tommy asks instead.

“Sounds good. Earned it.”

Tommy huffs an amused sound against Evan’s skin before pressing one last kiss there. God, I hope so, kid.

#bucktommy #bucktommy fic #hippo writes #tevan #tevan fic #what can i say #i love my spice #di tag 💙💍#james tag 💍#fic: thought i planned for everything

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pinkiealexie · 16 hours

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"Night..." ✟ 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐦

NOTE :

Romantic, and also female reader! Very fluffy and we have sleepy Adam which is why he might be a single grain of ooc. Also this is a very short ficlet like 600 words I think??

It was dark, more specifically 1 am in the morning, almost 2. You and your boyfriend Adam had stayed up the entire night to binge whatever shows or movies that appealed to your interest since picking out something to watch was usually very hard for anyone to do.

His mask was off along with the robe he always wore, right now he only wore black boxers and his band’s shirt, his head resting on your stomach as his focus was on the show that was currently playing on the screen, with your hand gently running through his dark hair. He wouldn’t even be watching the show at some points, his gaze would occasionally shift to you, admiring your beauty.

Despite Adam’s previous claims of ‘not being tired’ from earlier you could catch glimpses of his eyelids drooping every few minutes but didn’t call him out on it. Now you think you should since you wanted him to get a good night's rest, he was a pretty busy guy after all, “You tired?” Adam nodded; You were a bit surprised that he didn’t deny it this time, not that there was a problem with it so you let out a soft hum while grabbing the remote from the night stand.

“Lets go to sleep..I think that’s enough television for todayyyy…” Your own yawn interrupted you when you spoke, causing you to drag out the last word which caused Adam to quietly chuckle, making you let out a chuckle as well “Mmm, kay….”. It was times like this when Adam was so soft, and so vulnerable that you couldn’t help the way your heart would melt at his behavior.

A tired smile crept on your face when he adjusted himself into a more comfortable position, pulling you lower so that you were laying down on the bed so that he could move his head in between your boobs, his favorite pillows. Remembering that the remote was in your hand, you click the small, red power button to turn off the TV then gently throw the remote to land somewhere on the bed, not caring where it landed since finding it would be tomorrow you’s problem.

When placing your hand back down on the bed you felt Adam’s large hand gently and slowly go up your arm to find your own hand in the darkness of the room. Upon finding your hand, intertwined his fingers with yours and gave it a gentle squeeze almost as if checking you were actually there with him. With your free hand you gently traced and rubbed small circles into his back, causing him to let out a small moan of bliss.

His small breaths for air were quiet and soft, a small smile on his face instead of his cocky grin/smirk while he listened to your beating heart, his favorite melody “Night..love ya, baby…” his voice drowsy and barely audible yet you could still hear him.

You chuckled sweetly, planting a kiss on the top of his head one final time as you got comfortable and let out a content sigh, “I love you too…goodnight…”

...

In less than a few minutes he was already in a deep sleep, his soft snores being the only thing filling the room up. Looking down at him laying on you, you realized how the moon light shined down on his face through the curtain cracks.

It took you a few more minutes to fall asleep so you decided to admire his beautifully crafted features one last time before finally closing your eyes and drifting off into a peaceful slumber with Adam.

#ficlet #x reader #romantic #fluff #domestic fluff #adam x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel adam x reader #hazbin hotel adam #adam hazbin hotel #adam hazbin x reader #hazbin adam x reader #adam x you #adam hazbin hotel x reader #alexie.writes

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ikilledmyhamster · 2 days

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Okay listen, what I love about BTD kid au is that Strade, rire, & sano were friends ever since childhood. I mean it's adorable if you actually think about it 😂

I do have a headcannon story that I would like to tell you all so feel free to read this!

I still don't know how the three met, it's kind of like that one trio where they don't even know how they met each other in the first place so let's just go with that. But I'd figured it would go something like this.

Story: Strade was an only child and had no friends due to his behavior. He met sano when he was around probably 6-7 who was stuck in a pond with ropes around his tail (Sano). Strade upon seeing a young boy with a snake tail, was curious and decided to help him...but the two ended up in the rope and it took 2 hours for them to get themselves free. Strade and sano became friends after that and strade didn't even bother asking about why sano had a tail.

The next part is where the two met rire which is kind of in a weird way. Strade got home from his kindergarten and decided to play with sano as the two were close, sano has an idea to summon a demon, which wasn't normal for a child to say that but hey, he's a naga demon so what do you expect? Anyway, they summoned a demon and you might be asking how and why they did it. Well one; They were pretty dumb kids and also just curious, two; Sano found rire's 'symbol' online for odd reasons and decided to try it. They successfully summoned kid rire but...they interrupted his tea time which made the demon prince angry (Btw he's a prince because his family is still alive, so he ain't the demon king yet). After a full on rampage that goes on for about a few hours, they were able to come into an agreement to become friends.

Childhood Moments: Strade, Rire, & Sano would build their own treehouse in their old neighborhood where they used to live, and they would make the treehouse pretty big. Of course the three had their own rooms and storage for their own stuff, by this time strade had an old camcorder, so he used it to create videos and/or memories of their childhood.

The three would go on adventures and weird places or even terrifying ones. Strades parents never really paid any attention to him so they didn't care if he left the house. Strade likes to draw or doodle in his free time, so he draws a lot of art of him, rire and sano. Sano and strade likes to pull pranks on rire. For example one time, they did a water bucket challenge but instead of it being normal cold water, it was holy water which burned poor kid rire skin. Of course he was not happy, but don't worry...he got his revenge.

Another childhood memory is that the three would occasionally watch horror films like slasher films. Especially paranormal activity, every time there is a demon or spirit that is possessing a person, sano and strade were pretty much scared while rire happily watches the scene. BUTTTT, when it comes to the exorcist scenes...Rire would immediately hold his friends with his tentacles while hiding behind them😂😂 (inspo from the photo above)

Another time, sano and strade did a research and they read that in old Russian ancient times, there used to be a saying that brownies could scare off evil spirits or demons. And so...they tried it on rire, the results did not disappoint them. The moment they bought a brownie cake and placed it on the table in front of rire...the poor boy disappeared. Which confused the two at first, but then they realized it actually works! Rire would stay in hell until he knows for sure, that the brownies were gone.

Treehouse: The treehouse that they built in the forest is still there standing stable till this day, and that treehouse holds a lot of childhood memory. Strade Sano & Rire would often sleep in that treehouse as their comfort zone and also since it's the place they mostly hang out in. They carved their names on the treehouse door, something like this; "LR+SK+S" Which obviously means in order; "Lucien Rire+Sano Kojima+Strade". Of course soon strade had to move out of his old town and so did sano and rire. They left their old treehouse but kept their stuff there.

Present: Whenever Y/N is free they sometimes go to the Kojima brothers house just to hangout or sleep over. One day they stumbled upon an old photo of the main trio. Rire in the center, strade on his left side and sano on his right side. The photo looked like it was taken a few years back and Y/N was able to open the frame and found a note attached to the back of the photo which had coordinates, which if your guessing correctly; Leads to their old treehouse. Akira & Y/N visited that place and found the treehouse with all of their stuff still there in the same places where they left it. And if they went all the way to the back, they would find a wooden box container which is filled with many cassette tapes and writing of dates. Strade would record those childhood videos and put them on cassette tapes so there was a lot of them. Of course, Y/N & Akira ended up watching some of the videos in the end and didn't bother telling sano, strade, or rire.

Anyway that's pretty much my version of the BTD main trio kid AU. Let me now which one should I do next down below here ⬇️⬇️⬇️

(Btw, credits to the art above belongs to @darqx)

#boyfriend to death #btd #btd akira #btd rire #btd sano #btd strade #gatobob #lawrence oleander #ren hana btd #alternate universe

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auncyen · 19 hours

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what I meant to write: mIrabelle as the one looping having a crying breakdown in the equivalent of act 3 because I thought of it a few days ago and it's been stuck in my head (Panic! at the Dinner Table).

What actually got written: can you imagine how terrible it'd be for another looper to start suspecting Siffrin did something WELL

Siffrin has been suspicious for several days.

(Odile might say 'days' is inaccurate, but it's close enough, you think! You start in early afternoon on one day and then, when everything goes well, see Euphrasie in late afternoon of the next day, so it's around a day--sometimes over...many times under. Also, calling them days feels...better. Maybe it's a 'cycle' or 'loop' for everyone else caught up in this, with them always being reset to the same places, the same lines until you start changing things, but you are moving through time. You're Changing.)

(You're changing, aren't you?)

(For the better?)

--Siffrin has been suspicious for several of your days. They still act like their friendly self--they've even gifted you a flower sometimes! (You suppose other times you might have been too abrupt in waking them up. And sometimes you haven't woken them up at all, because you realize they'll come to the Clocktower anyway. They all will, it's where you're staying. You couldn't come up with anything more creative than a sleepover?) But...something's off.

You first realized something was strange about Siffrin--well, a lot of things are strange about Siffrin. You're more worried about his memory than ever now. Whenever you go into that secret room for the stash of tonics, Siffrin starts talking about a time he ran away from home, only to suddenly stop and look confused. You've tried encouraging him to continue by reminding him of everything he said up to that point (Isabeau applauded your thorough recitation with the most lightheartedness he could muster while still looking Siffrin over with his own concern), but it doesn't jog anything. You've tried guiding Siffrin to tell the story a different way with questions, but it seems like he loses the thread even faster that way. Lately you've just...cut him off from telling the story by laughing as soon as he brings it up and mentioning how mad his parents must have been when he returned. Siffrin still looks confused and lost for a terrible moment when you say that, but then he grins and agrees, and surely he's agreeing because that's what actually happened, isn't it? He said he was playing a prank. He played a silly prank for an hour or two, and then he went home, and probably he got a scolding for it but everything was fine.

...You still. Would like to avoid that room in the future. To not see that scared, lost look on Siffrin. Maybe you're strong enough now that you don't need the tonics?

But, but, you need to focus. Siffrin's memory problems are strange and worrying, and you really wished they'd said sooner how bad it is instead of letting you all tease them about it, but what's suspicious is their connection to the King.

You're not entirely sure what it is. When you go to the King, he always singles Siffrin out. "Bright One...do you remember?"

Obviously, with the already-mentioned memory problems, the answer is No. You've tried asking Siffrin if they know the King in any way, but of course he says no? Even if they knew each other once, Siffrin could have forgotten him the same way he can't remember what happened when he went out on the ocean in a boat to prank his parents? You imagined a tragically doomed romance between a villain and a hero with partial amnesia from an injury earned in one of their past scuffles (why is Siffrin's memory that bad???) for all of ten seconds before you realized that if Siffrin could forget the King, he'll surely forget boring, stagnant Mirabelle as soon as he leaves. After that you were too depressed to imagine anything between Siffrin and the King, which was probably for the better. Especially considering...

One time, the King singled out Siffrin in a different way. A terrible way. The first loop--the first day after you defeated the King and got to see Euphrasie for a glimpse of happiness before being sent back--you'd lost your temper a bit. You'd pushed everyone to go through the House faster than any time before, brought back to your senses at the end of the second floor by Odile dryly commenting on her tired feet while giving a pointed look at Bonnie, who was obviously getting worn out. You'd apologized over and over, and chewed your nails off at the second snack break to let them take all the time they needed to recover their energy, and went through the third floor without saying anything to rush Siffrin. You'd kept your temper in check until you saw the King again, and then you'd accused him of being a cheat, an unchanged loser who couldn't accept defeat, and he'd let your venting wash over him with a calm indifference ("I do not know what you speak of, Housemaiden") until you told him exactly what you were speaking of--the time that kept turning back, again and again, the days the loops the returns--

His face is mostly obscured by his long hair, but you could tell by the way his head turned that he'd directed his attention to Siffrin, and you knew it was with a glare by the cold fury in his voice. "What have you done, Bright One. The Universe's will is with me."

And then

the king struck

and Siffrin--

You don't speak to the King anymore. You don't let him talk either. You're pretty sure he told you everything you'd want to know from him. He can use Time Craft, but he isn't the one holding you in these endless days. He thinks Siffrin can use Time Craft, which sounds ridiculous, but since then you've talked with the Change God (you'd wanted reassurance you'd wanted a sign your statue was the only one unbroken in the whole House and you touched its face in reverence and the Change God spoke to you) and they'd told you three things:

you're their favorite!

they're put out by Dormont being stagnant and unchanging, but they're excited to see how exactly you change (maybe being their favorite isn't good. Your favorite characters go through some awful things, after all)

Siffrin isn't not responsible for this???

So it makes sense that Siffrin had a hand in this somehow! After a few more days which let you reach Euphrasie, you realized the time reset at the end only happens while Euphrasie is talking to Siffrin! That's suspicious! And, and, you've tried preventing it by keeping Euphrasie from talking to Siffrin, but she is so insistent she'd like to talk to them, and everyone starts looking at you strangely the more you protest, and you just...can't stop it.

You can't stop Siffrin from ruining things.

You hate that you're even suspicious of him, but he won't admit to using Time Craft when you ask, and surely even with his terrible memory, he'd remember that? He doesn't forget everything! But if he's lying, then...

Then you don't know what that means.

You don't know what to do.

...What Siffrin did: show Mirabelle how to wish and be an islander recognized by other islanders and not particularly liked by the Change God

#in stars and time #in stars and time spoilers #siffrin #mirabelle

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sokkastyles · 3 days

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Zutara Month Day 11: "Mom and Dad are Fighting Again"

CW in the tags, and Ozai being Ozai, although just a brief mention.

They'd been arguing about some stupid thing. The color of the curtains in what used to be known as the war room. Zuko's advisors had flooded him with samples of various shades of crimson fabric, while Aang had taken it upon himself to list various new functions for what he had dubbed the "peace" room (just doesn't have the same ring to it, Sokka had muttered), when Toph had leaned over and put her hand in front of her mouth in a dramatic imitation of a whisper while she spoke in a sing-song manner in Suki's ear, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"Mom and Dad are fighting again!"

"Toph!" Katara whirled around. "This is serious. If Zuko wants to rebrand himself as the people's firelord," she glared across the room at him as she spoke, "he can't have curtains the color of blood! A softer apple blush would look lovely here, with a bit of cream and gold, unless someone doesn't think it's manly enough of course..." she trailed off, clearly anticipating his biting comeback.

"Wow, you really are ready to move in with him, aren't you?" Toph said. "I was only joking, but man..."

Katara sputtered at that, then found her voice. "Toph! Zuko!"

Zuko didn't hear her. He stood, hearing the echo of Toph's words, spoken years ago by a much younger girl as she'd grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the open palace window adjacent to the garden where he and his sister had been playing.

"Come on," Azula had said, insistent, tugging on his sleeve, as Zuko let himself be pulled along. He always did. "Come see," she said, and her grin made him feel something open up in the pit of his stomach as his feet followed her. "Mom and dad are fighting again."

Zuko found himself halfway down an empty, sunlit corridor before he realized it, his stiff and pointed firelord shoes echoing on the marble floor. Stumbling, he reached for a latch, pushing open a floor-length window and stepping out into the garden, overgrown now, but still the same place where he and his sister had played as children.

He didn't know how long he had been there before he heard Katara behind him.

"It's beautiful out here," she said, her voice soft with reverence.

"It's not what it used to be," he said, without looking at her. It was true. They had more to do to make things look presentable than just the curtains. His father hadn't cared much for beautiful things, after Lady Ursa had left.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently, and he could feel her behind him. "Look, I'm sorry about the stupid curtains."

"You never have to apologize to me." He wanted to turn around, to reach out to her, to hold her. But he just...didn't know how to. All he could think about was his sister pulling him towards that open window.

Finally he spoke, kneeling to examine a single yellow lily that had somehow grown out of a bed of weeds, the only spot of sunshine in a sea of red. So much damned red. Katara was right, it was reminiscent of nothing short of blood, and they'd had more than enough of that, hadn't they?

"My dad," he said. "Hurt my mom. He didn't...hit her or anything. And I was too young to know, really. But he hurt her."

"Zuko, I'm so sorry," she said, nearly whispering, as if they might break some sort of fragile silence between them.

And here she was, apologizing again, for something he had done. "I just...don't want that to be us," he said, finally, turning to look at her.

"Us?" She eyed him quizzically.

Zuko looked down again, afraid that he had misread things. Of course he wasn't as bad as Toph, he didn't think Katara actually wanted to move in with him, but he had thought... "Unless there's not...an us?" He studied her expression, waiting for her to laugh, or get angry again, but she didn't.

Instead, she reached for his hand. "I'd like there to be an us," she said quietly.

"Me too," he said, entwining his fingers with her cool ones, and when he looked up at her, he saw warmth in her eyes.

#zutaramonth #zutara #zutara month 2024 #mom and dad are fighting again #my fic #domestic violence cw

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luimagines · 1 day

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Unlocking Our Chains in the Shadows

.....Ok.

More "original" work. ^.^*

Once again cowritten with @thesoftieanon with her character Hesper.

We once again lost our minds here. It's blind child, mafia au where this time Hesper was paired with Time. No demigods here though. Enjoy 29 pages of pure brain rot. We certainly enjoyed writing it.

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

When they first entered the house, it was stealth and deadly precision. They were a unit. A single track mind with the goal to meet and a target to eliminate.

They didn’t expect the place to already be filled with blood and carnage.

It was a massacre.

They stayed quiet, so as to not arouse suspicion if there were any traps nearby but the place had been cleared out. There were at least five dead men The Chain didn’t recognize and they found their target beheaded on his bed. Given that it was the middle of the night, this was a premeditated attack.

They were too late to get their own licks in- and had lost the one source of info that they had hoped to gain from him. A shame, but there was no use of crying over spilled milk.

An ear piercing scream shatters the sickly calm over the house, snapping all of their heads towards the rooms. A high pitched sound that unmistakingly belonged to a child.

Their hearts dropped.

While they weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty… they had often tried to stay away from the little ones. Whoever came before was unlikely not as kind.

“I want answers.” Time growls, signaling for Twilight and Four to follow where Sky and Hyrule had gone off to. Those two had no doubt found the child first. The boss of the group had to send Wild and Warrior to check the perimeter once more. If the scream had attracted any unwanted attention, they would have to be quick about getting out of there as quickly as possible.

It only took a few minutes.

Twilight returned with the child in his arms, shivering and sobbing quietly. Something pulls on the Boss’ heart strings. The small child could be no older than six years old. So young. And already so scarred.

“Don’t….” They whimpered. “Please don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me like they hurt Father.”

Time sucks in a breath through his teeth. Sky and Four share an equally cringed look.

“We won’t.” Time tries to keep his voice level. The rage in his voice is already threatening to boil over at the dark scars on their arm. He doesn’t know where they came from, but it’s enough to know that this child hasn’t only suffered on this night- but perhaps many more before the attack. “We’re going to take you somewhere safe, ok? We just have to quiet for a little bit.”

They sniffle. “...No more bad guys?”

Time notices that the child doesn’t quite look in his direction. “No more bad guys.”

“Blind.” Twilight answers the unspoken question. He can see the confusion on Time’s face as clear as day. “Poor kid can’t see a thing. Doesn’t appear to be injury related.”

Time nods at his nephew. “Move out then. Don’t leave any evidence that we’ve been here.”

“Yes sir.” Was the answered chorus.

They move swiftly and silently and within the hour, they are back at their home base.

They’re quick to get the child settled, fed and cleaned. They don’t want to startle the child more so than they already were. Time interrogated Sky and Hyrule about their findings. Their target happened to be the child’s father, if they’re investigation was correct. The child had heard the house being broken into and hid in the closet for hours until they had arrived. The child hadn’t mentioned any other family.

Time sighed. They can’t exactly give the child into the system without giving themselves away but this was no life to live for the likes of a kindergartener. Wind was an exception. He had a little sister to look after the death of his grandma, but that didn’t mean they dragged on every mission they had.

Actually… now that he thinks about it… Aryll might be a bit closer to their age. Perhaps they could keep the child here. Aryll and Wind had nowhere else to go. Neither does this child.

Time sends the order to clean out a small space for the child to call their own. He calls Aryll over specifically and tells the young girl to keep an eye on them and help them feel comfortable. Be their friend.

Time calls over the boys and holds a meeting about the unsuccessful mission. No one seems to have anything to say.

He can’t blame them.

It’s late. They’re disappointed, tired and shocked.

Time holds a vote, mostly to see if any of them are against having the child here despite the challenges it would no doubt bring.

“Old man.” Warrior swallows harshly. “If we disagree, what do you plan to do?”

Time didn’t have an answer for him.

“Would you kick them out to the street?” Legend asks next, tempting the silence to answer back with teeth.

Time shakes his head. “Child of the enemy or not, they’re still a child. I’m not that cruel.”

A pregnant pause follows. It threatens to burst and explode but no one seems willing to take the needle to the pressure.

“No objections then?” Time raises a cool eyebrow. “It’s going to change our schedules by quite a bit. I expect all of you to play a part in making them feel welcome.”

Wild’s hands clenched into fists by his side. “With all due respect boss, it wouldn’t fit right by us to kick out someone with the same circumstances we all had at one point or another.”

Sky swallows harshly but says nothing.

Time allows himself to smile. The boys relax slightly.

“Dismissed.”

The boys nod and head out of the room. Only Twilight stays behind.

Time sighs and rubs his temple, already trying to compute mental calculations to keep things in order and figure out how to care for another vulnerable being in his charge.

“Uncle.” Twilight calls silently. “Didn’t the attack seem odd? …Right as we were about to get to our target, he’s already dead?”

Time shakes his head. “That drowned rat already had a bounty on his head. I’m not surprised he didn’t get wiped off the census earlier.”

Twilight hums and looks away. “You saw the scars on the child.”

“I did.”

“They’re also blind.”

“I saw that too.”

Twilight shuffles awkwardly on his feet. Time looks at him with the tender smile he only allows him to see when they’re alone. “What’s wrong pup?”

He takes another beat to answer. Time can see the veins on his neck pop as well as his jaw clench with whatever amount of force Twilight’s putting behind it. Twilight starts to shake. He’s pissed. “I’ve never been so angry on behalf of a person I’ve never met before, Uncle Link.”

Time nods. That’s his boy.

“I believe you.”

“I want to tear his heart out.”

“A shame he wouldn’t feel a thing.” Time answers dryly.

Twilight can’t help the wicked smirk that blooms on his face.

They say nothing more and depart.

The next few weeks are… strange to say the least.

The child is quiet and withdrawn. That’s to be expected. Aryll became close to the child and tried to be as close to them as possible. Due to this, Wind snuck past their defenses relatively quickly since that was his sister. Hyrule had been tending to the small bumps and bruises the child had sustained in their time in the house and also gained the child’s trust relatively quickly.

As weeks turned to months, Time didn’t know what to personally think of the child and didn’t go out of his way to form a relationship just yet. The child would come to him every now and then in his office and he’d let them sit in his lap. He’d hold them until they fell asleep and would carry them to their bed. But that was about it.

As more time went on, Sky and Four managed to get the child to giggle some more and explore some safe activities so that they weren’t bored. Twilight had taken to sitting in on their play time with playdough and beads and instruments to see if the child had started their schooling. If not, then the plan was for Time and him to make a curriculum and share it between Aryll and the child.

Legend didn’t seem to be in the child’s good graces yet, but the ones who were really struggling were Wild and Warrior. The child seemed to avoid them, but no one couldn’t figure out why.

Still that didn’t seem to break their spirits. Those two were just going to try harder and sweeter. In Wild’s case? Literally. He’d bribe them with sweets if he had to.

It wasn’t until the spring had begun to heat up for the summer that Time had gotten a rather unsettling invitation for a private meeting by none other than the Shadow Queen.

Now that Shadow Queen was another powerful boss that had built her empire from the ground up a long while ago. She was much more ruthless than Time and his Chain would ever be. Despite his own power, he knew better than to insult her intentions, no matter what they might be. They’ve never stepped on each other’s toes, never stepped beyond their borders and into each other's territory.

Time had no idea what Her Majesty wanted.

The boys were just as nervous as he was when he told them of the potential affiliation that would happen. They weren’t trusting of the circumstance but couldn’t come up with enough excuse to convince Time to not go through with it. The child comes up and hugs his legs.

“Will you be safe, papa?” They say.

Time feels his heart jump into his throat as he bends to their level. He tenderly moves their hair away from their face, kisses their forehead and gives them that same smile reserved only for solo time- but in front of everybody. “I will be back, safe and sound. I promise.”

Time leaves with his head held high.

That is until he gets to the center of The Shadow’s Queen kingdom. He enters through her casino with more unsettling ease.

It appears the guards have been expecting him.

He enters a back room and comes face to face with a desk with the chair facing away from him on the other side. He knows this trick. Time has played it multiple times himself.

He takes the chair facing the desk and crosses his leg across his knee, crossing his arms in a relaxed position.

She turns around and Time realizes that he’s actually seen her face before. Jet black hair and eyes that sparkled enough to rival the night sky at its fullest.

“You have something of mine.” She says sharply, tongue and tone all sharp and no doubt bladed.

Time doesn’t show any care or fear. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Does a six year old blind child sound familiar?”

“....I might know what you’re talking about.”

They have a stare down.

Time is trying to see if she’s willing to diverge any more information and the Queen herself wonders if the infamous Chain Boss is the weakest link of them all.

Neither of them want to back down. It would be a show of weakness that neither of them are capable of showing to the heads of the other mafia houses.

But there’s a desperation that Time doesn’t expect to see in the eyes of the Shadow Queen. It’s not the same cold blooded blood lust he’s heard so much about. This is a feral kind of hunger. A protection behind her fierce gaze.

This is personal for her.

He takes a chance.

"....I get them every spring and summer." Time offers. "You can have them in autumn and winter."

"I missed out on nearly six years, sweetheart, I'm not missing six months every year." The Shadow Queen chuckles, unamused. "You're cute, but not cute enough to get away with that much."

"You think I'm cute?" Time turns on his boyish charm, leaning in a little more to sell it further. "Regardless, a child needs stability. And my boys have grown quite attached to them. And while morality states that I hand the child over, you are a total stranger to them. It would do more damage than good to their psyche. I refuse to even so much as imply to abandon them. And my boys would very much agree with it."

She doesn’t answer him right away. Time knows that she’s chewing on his words. She’s taking him seriously. If she takes any longer to answer him then he knows that she’s considering his words.

Her fingers drum on the desk, well-manicured nails clicking against glass. She doesn't like it... but he has a point. And his charm is working better than she wants to admit. "... How about autumn and winter, plus weekend visits? So I'm not a stranger when we trade."

His eyebrows furrow invisibly. “....You’re the mother.”

She doesn’t answer him in that regard. Although her clicking nails subconsciously clack faster against the glass desk.

Time flexes his jaw, keeping a pleasant, if neutral, smile. "Naturally in autumn and winter the child will fall under your care. It's only fair to give the mother the holidays. And weekend visitation sits alright with me, so long as you come alone."

"That's not a problem, I was planning on that." She relaxes a little, seeming relieved. "I'm glad we could come to an agreement with minimal issues."

Time holds out his hand. "Pleasure doing business with you. I suggest making a place for the child and their wolf to stay in the meantime. I'll see you Saturday, your majesty."

He stands, brushing down his suit.

"I look forward to it." The Queen shakes his hand, standing with him. "Let me walk you out. Casino is hard to navigate the first time in."

"Of course." Time follows dutifully. He tries to look around as subtly as possible. You never know when he's going to need insider information.

The House of Umbra Casino was lively with customers drinking, gambling, chatting away. He notices bartenders and security guards roaming the floor, likely the Queen's people gathering intelligence. She chuckles after a moment, and Time realizes he's not quite subtle enough. "Taking notes on how I run things?"

"Only taking note of exits, my dear." Time responds casually. "The number of health code violations are minimal. I see why the business is unbothered."

It gets a small laugh out of her. "I take great care in my work. Do tell me the violations and I'll see they're taken care of."

"I hope you don't mind a closer examination then." Time turns his head and winks with his good eye. "On a later date, of course."

"Not at all." The Shadow Queen chuckles as they arrive at the door. "But for now, I'll let you go. Seems you have quite the family to get back to."

Time nods and leaves.

His mind is crowded with the idea that he might have a terrible decision. But he can’t afford for the others to see him dire straits. He needs to get his head on his shoulders and get down to business.

He informs his boys about the upcoming visit of the Queen and there is the expected outrage.

“You invited the Night Mother here to our base?! Just like that?!”

He didn’t expect Twilight to be the one to take issue with it though.

“Who’s that?” The child asks quietly from the doorway, silencing any further discussion.

They all stare at the child with apprehensive faces. Time forces a smile to his face and adds a more calming tone to his voice. “A friend. She wants to see you and is going to come by to play for a little bit on Saturday.”

The child perks up a little bit. “A new friend?”

“Yes.”

“...Would she like to play with Mr Wiggles?” The child shuffles nervously on their feet. Mr. Wiggle was one of the first gifts the chain had ever gotten them. It was their second day in the base and Legend had gone and bought them a stuffed elephant that Time was almost positive was actually a toy for infants. It had crinkly ears and what he thought was a rattle or a few bells hidden inside so it made a few noises when it moved.

They hardly went anywhere without him.

Time smiled a little more softly, shocking his boys even further. He’s starkly reminded of the way she all but begged him to get close to the child, how willing she was to agree to his terms without the threat of violence. If he looked closer, he thought he could see that very way their noses both curved and the slender hands that they shared.

Even if she hadn’t responded to him, Time knows better. She is the mother. But why wait until now to take the child back? He has more questions for her. “I’m sure she’d love to.”

The child smiles, bright and innocent.

The boys look back to him with valid faces of suspicion and distrust. Time meets them head on. “She’ll come by Saturday morning and will leave before sundown. I want a few of you boys to keep watch between her and the child. I don’t care how you do it, just do it.”

“Will she come alone?” Warrior frowns.

“Of course.” Time raises an eyebrow. “That was one of the conditions.”

“And she agreed?” Hyrule asks incredulously.

“I know. I was shocked too.” Time sighs.

Twilight shuffles awkwardly in his spot, not able to come up with an argument to stop what has already been agreed upon. The child walks further in and crawls onto Time’s lap once more. Time looks at his nephew and tries to not look too lost. “Pup?”

The young man wipes his hand harshly down his face and takes a deep breath. “I’ll be there.”

“Thank you.”

With that, they were off the races trying to get together the means to host The Queen herself into their humble base of operations. They went through with a deep clean of the place before tucking away any unnecessary info they would hate to be leaked.

Peaceful talk or not, they didn’t need an enemy to spy on their business.

Luckily, when she appeared in all her glory on the appointed day- it was hard to not see the panic in the way she walked. In the way she talked. It was much too business-like to speak with any child. She no doubt made Aryll uncomfortable as well. The young girl had offered to spend the day with the child and the Night Mother as well, if only for the child to have more familiarity with the stranger.

Twilight, Sky and Hyrule had offered to take shifts until The Queen left.

No one seemed willing to make eye contact with the woman- not that Time could blame them.

They took to fingerpainting when playing with Mr. Wiggles wasn't enough to distract the children.

The first day wasn’t a total disaster in the end though. Even Time had to admit that. He walked the Shadow Queen to the door and put himself between her and the boys he considered his own.

“Well, your majesty?” He offered his hand. “Was it everything you wanted to be?”

She bit her lip before banishing whatever nerves she may have had left over. “It will suffice.”

A beat passes before her anxieties take hold once more. “Did I frighten them?”

“You frighten everybody.” He shrugs, not willing to rise to whatever bait she’s planting. “Should I expect your carriage next week at the same time, your majesty?”

“Call me Hesper.” She once again doesn’t bother answering her question. “It’s easier that way.”

“Hesper.” He says her name slowly, savoring the way it tastes on his tongue. “Very well. Drive home safely.”

She nods and he closes the door.

Very quickly they all fell into the strange and unorthodox routine of this new arrangement. The child was still a little apprehensive around the woman and the woman had yet to fully break out of her business tycoon persona to let the child in. It was almost painful to watch.

But Time had to admit, she wasn’t going to give up anytime soon.

The summer passed by quickly. By the turn of autumn, the child was growing more and more out of their shell and Time was happy to see their progress. Wild had eventually won them over, although poor Warrior was still working on it on his end.

They were happy and things were calm.

That was until their base was attacked.

It was in the middle of the night and the boys were quick to awaken and fight back against the intruders. As soon as there was any push back whatsoever, the attackers fled the scene, hardly landing a scratch against them. Although there had to be at least a few gunshot wounds on the opposing side. Sky was quick to grab a weapon and fire a few… warning shots.

Time’s first concern was the child.

They had already been through violence. He wasn’t sure if they would be able to handle more.

As misfortune would have it, upon the very superficial investigation, the intruders were after the child.

Now that just pissed him off.

But that was nothing compared to the reaction of the woman he went to report it to. He’s actually quite glad that he took his nephew with him.

"I'll have my best people on guard in five minutes."

"Uh- m-ma'am, that isn't necessar-"

"Twilight." He shut his mouth in an instant. The Shadow Queen all but glares at the young man in question. "With all due respect: that is my child they're attacking. I am not having a repeat of what happened last time." She sends a text, then turns back to Time. "They'll be here in five minutes."

Time nods, as if expecting this. "I figured as much. Such is why I'm alerting you first thing. Let's go, Pup. We have to show our guests around."

"Wha-what?!" Twilight blinks double taking between the two adults. "Are you serious? Just like that? You're ok with this?"

Time raises a cool eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

Twilight can see the subtle threat as it is and he settles down... begrudgingly. "No, sir."

"Then let's go."

To the credit of her men, they’re right on time. They’re quick to check all of the perimeter and any weak points and blindspots the base has. They start reinforcing the second the find anything of potential interest.

Four and Wind had stayed with the child as the strange men poked their noses through their house. Aryll was taking a few notes of the way Hesper was ordering around her men, watching her with great interest as well. The others were too busy trying to move around the men and keep all of their information secret. Not that the other group was doing much snooping. According to the grapevine, The Shadow Queen had formed an alliance with The Chain.

No one wanted to break the thinly lined trust.

The child however, notices that everyone was on edge. They tug on Wind's sleeve. "Is the scary lady staying? Why is she yelling?"

"She’s just really worried about you." He's quick to make her seem (hopefully) less scary. "Your safety is really important to her."

"Yeah." Four joins in, ruffling the child's hair. "She just wants to make sure the bad guys can't get you, kiddo."

The child listens closer, eventually picking up on the telltale stutter of an anxious heartbeat, almost hidden behind the fury.

"mmm..." The child grips their shirt and Wind's sleeve. "Does papa know about this?"

"Yeah, he knows. He's with her right now." Four tells them.

The child looks away, letting their ears do most of the work. "Legend and Warrior don't seem too happy about this though.... Is it because the scary lady scares them too?"

Wind and Four share a look.

"Uh... maybe, kiddo. She's pretty new to them too."

Hesper finishes giving orders, and the guards vanish. It's then that she allows herself a small sigh, a slight lax in her shoulders. "Alright. They have their instructions. I'll look into who might’ve ordered the attack as well."

She frowns, thinking as she looks out into the city. "I hate to think that... nevermind. ... Did I scare them?"

Time doesn't look her way as he inspects the 'damage'. "Who? My boys? Yes, but I had assumed that would be a given. It's not everyday The Night Mother leaves her den, let alone to bark orders at another, formerly claimed, rival."

"Oh. No, I mean..." She trails off, glancing towards Four and Wind, but it clicks. Last thing a mother wants is her child being scared of her. Especially when trying to rekindle a relationship.

Time knows this. She had asked the same question the first she visited. He was just trying to distract.

He sighs. "It takes time. They witnessed the murder of three people when we found them. You can't expect them to be trusting. It took us weeks. They still act guarded around Warrior and Wild. Although the latter seemed to have given them enough sweets to lower their guard. Give it time. They're a good kid."

“Right... right, sorry." Hesper looks away. "Patience... you'd think I'd be better at that. Not in this case, apparently."

"You're scared." Time says bluntly. "You're efficient and you're used to instant results."

He also looks away from her. "This is beyond your comfort zone. You're not in control and you don't like it. ...The kid can feel it. There's no harm in being honest with yourself."

(Said the biggest hypocrite.)

She chuckles a bit. "Vulnerability around the wrong people can risk everything in this line of work, Link. I was trained to be a book no one wants to read. As much as I want to, I don't know how to be honest."

"Would you consider your child to be 'the wrong person'?" Time asks point blank. "Even if you don't know, I suggest you start learning. The kid would know when you're lying."

Hesper's eyes widen as she realizes what she implied, and it's like a switch flips. The professional killer and businesswoman vanishes, leaving the nervous mother scrambling behind.

"I didn't mean that, I-! Oh, why would I even suggest that..." She tucks a stray strand of hair back, blows out a breath. "Alright, I see your point. ... Any advice on how to start?"

The switch flip shocks Time more than he's willing to let on. If he allowed himself to think it, she appears just as any mother would

It's a shame she could end them all in an instant.

But he sees the trust where it's placed. At this point he knows her child better than she does.

Time smiles. "Ask them questions. What's their favorite toy? Their favorite show? They've been trying to paint recently. Draw with them. With time, they'll feel better around you. Just don't take it to heart if the boys join in. It's the most excitement we've gotten in a long time, and they love them."

Not to mention it's been helping the kid feel more at ease. But he won't say that. No need to rub salt on the wound.

"Painting?" Hesper feels a memory stir in the back of her mind; she had always wanted to... she quickly pulls away from the memory before she can get lost in it, and smiles back. "I think I have a set of paints back home, actually. I'll have to bring them next time I come over... Thank you, Time, that helps a lot."

Time raises an eyebrow, trying to tease her gently. “Oh, are we back to that? And here I thought I heard you actually call me by my name?”

She pauses and he laughs a little. He won’t push her. She’s flustered enough. He nods, turning to her at last. "You're welcome and please do. Let me know if you need a room. I'm sure we can clear space."

"Ah- a room?" She laughs a little, looking... flushed? Interesting. Time doesn’t comment on that either. "You've done so much already, I don't want to impose. It's still your house."

Time chuckles. "Well it just so happens to be a very big house. It'll just be a play room of sorts. Neutral ground for the child."

He'd do anything to make sure they feel safe. Of course, they may need more furniture for it.

"Oh! In that case, I'd be happy to help with it! I can bring some things in... after I've asked what they'd want in one... it could be their dream playroom!" She pauses, smiling sheepishly. "I-if that's okay with you."

Time chuckles and allows the way she blushes at the sound to please him deep in his bones. It’s been a long time since he’s seen a woman blush as delicately as she does. He allows her to stay for longer than usual that night.

With their guard higher than usual, the boys still refuse to complain to their boss about the changes. The child doesn’t notice much of a difference as everyone gets into another change in their routines. They keep learning the little curriculum they have and the chain tries their hardest to keep things as normal as possible.

It grows increasingly harder the more they see Time and The Night Mother spend longer and longer talking to one another. However, they can tell that something is happening between the two of them, even if neither of them is going to say anything anytime soon.

Autumn turns colder and winter approaches. That’s when trouble decides to come back to bite them.

It’s on the further side of the border this time. Ganon and his band of no good ruffians are making claims against The Chain again. This is not something they’re unfamiliar with, but they’re going to have to be smarter about this than in the past. They can’t risk having trouble on their side so close to their home when they have the children to think about.

The Shadow Queen has had enough of their funny business. Apparently she’s had a few run-ins with the son of Calamity Ganon but refused to elaborate when Time asked.

Wild was furious.

Calamity Ganon was the whole reason his family was dead- and yet his son gets to live?

Time had to remind him that no matter how much he deserved and was willing to attack, Ganon was more powerful than they were and he gained his power for a reason. This was not the time for rash decisions. Even if he secretly agreed with Wild’s logic.

Hesper had taken a few hits too many and told them that she was going to fight the man anyway. She asked them to stay behind while she pushed him back enough to remind him that he wasn’t the only King Pin around.

She stopped visiting as often.

Time didn’t want to admit it but he had actually grown to miss her. Dare he say, he wanted her with him instead. But he has a duty to his boys, his little girl and the child she entrusted to him to keep safe.

He couldn’t risk joining in on the fight.

It was dark already when he heard it.

Time had already tucked the child to bed and was checking the locks on the doors when he heard a solid thunk just beyond the wooden frame.

The sound causes him to pause and hesitate.

He undoes the locks and steps outside, keeping his weapon out just in case and- “Hesper?”

Blood.

Lots of it.

She’s on the pavement and not moving.

Time drops his weapon and runs to her side. His heart is instantly pounding in his chest as he picks her up and brings her inside the base. He puts her in the spare room they’ve kept clean for unsuspecting visitors but it’s about to get very messy.

Time hurries and wakes up Hyrule and gets Warrior, the two most versed in first aid as he scrambles to get the needed equipment for her to be treated.

He’s furious.

His heart beats rapidly and furiously. His own blood rushes through his body at breakneck speeds. It’s the only thing he can hear right now aside from his breath.

He’s so angry.

Hesper could have been followed.

Hesper had just brought the war she so desperately wanted to keep away from her child right to their doorstep.

Hesper could have asked for help.

Time would have given her the assistance needed then.

He forces himself to slow down.

Didn’t he just admit to himself that he couldn’t take that kind of risk?

He tries to stay out of the room and out of the way of those who actually know how to help her. As luck would have it, most of the blood on her wasn’t her own. As luck would further have it, Warrior was in tune enough with this line of work that he asked the same questions Time had when she was lucid enough to speak.

She was not followed.

She had killed Ganon and the last of his goons. The territory was now up for grabs. Something Warrior had gladly taken note of.

Hesper hadn’t slept in days.

Time had taken note of that.

Lastly, when Hyrule asked about coming here instead of back to her own place, she mentioned wanting to tell the good news but felt tired. So tired. She was going to turn back so no one would be worried any more. They should rest easy.

She fell asleep soon after that.

Time growls but thanks the two boys for their help, asking them to keep quiet about her arrival and to merely go get some rest after their hard work.

Time finds that he can’t sleep that night.

In fact, Hesper stays asleep for a long time. Days pass. Time finds himself worrying more over her well being than the rest of the responsibilities that he has to take care of. He’s lucky that the boys can more than handle themselves. But the child-.... Her child. He had to think of what to tell them.

By the fourth night, Time finds himself sitting by his desk with his head in his hands. It’s been another sleepless night. Dawn breaks and Time can hear the door of the room opening. There’s a small thunk and a muted curse. After a faint pained hiss, he hears the same floor board that always creaked when stepped on wrong. A pause and then it creaks further, slower- as if trying to avoid the sound from happening at all.

Time gets up, keeping his walk as calm as possible as he goes to confront her. He can see Hesper get to the stairs and begin her descent despite her bandages and bruises. He doesn’t want to make things worse between them but there’s frost on the ground now and if she left now she would most likely get sick with her injuries. For some reason, that only gives him more incentive to keep her here.

"Going somewhere?" Time speaks from behind her. He's leaning against the wall, his arms are crossed and an eyebrow is raised.

He does not look happy.

Hesper winces, looking back very slowly.

She can see why the boys hate this look.

She looks back down, deeming silence the best course of action over the responses 'no' and 'I'm sorry'.

His glare only hardens. "I asked you a question."

Okay, not the best course of action. "No..."

"Incredible." Time gets off of the wall, still glaring. "Going nowhere and yet you're out of bed and sneaking around my house like some rebellious teenager."

He begins to walk toward Hesper with purpose. "Get back there. Now. We need to talk, since you're finally lucid."

In a panic, she scrambles back up onto the bed as best as she can, squeaking in surprise when Time effortlessly hoists her up the rest of the way.

She has not genuinely feared the outcome of a conversation in a while, but this one definitely scared her the most.

Time keeps his arms by her sides, caging her in. He lowers his voice to a whisper, but he's obviously livid.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He hisses.

"I-" I wanted to see you. Oh no, she can't say that. She knows better than to say that. But what else can she say?? "I-I was going to do a quick check and leave-"

"Leave?!"

Time pushes himself away from her to pace the room. He makes a rash circle before coming back to the previous position. His hands grip the bed sheet until his knuckles turn white.

"What do you expect me to tell your child then?" Something in his eyes turns sharp and desperate. Like an animal. "Or Twilight. Or Wild. Or Hyrule. Or Warrior. Or Legend. Or Sky. Or Four. Or Wind."

He gulps, almost pushing himself into her face but holding back. "What were you thinking?! You could have died."

I could have lost you, sits on the tip of his tongue. But it's too soon. Too raw.

Blood on his hands- Ganon's, hers- haunts him.

He hasn't been able to sleep this entire time.

"... I'm sorry." There’s a line down one cheek, then the other. She takes a breath that hurts for too many reasons. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't... I wasn't..."

She hadn’t cried since her husband died.

Time's face crumples and his impossibly tight grip grows tighter.

He hangs his head and takes a deep breath. As he lets it go his whole body relaxes. Not looking up, Time reaches for her hand and gently, slowly, hesitantly, laces their fingers together.

"You scared me." Time admits. "Don't do it again."

Hesper sniffles, wiping at her eyes with her free hand (the one laced with his unconsciously squeezes it). "I know... I'm sorry..."

"...You've been unconscious for days." Time's voice wavers slightly. His grip on her hand also tightens- albeit more gently than how he gripped the bed sheets. It's tender.

"Everybody's been worried sick."

He crumples fully. Finally,

His head lands on her lap.

"The child asks for you. They know you're here. They ask me 'papa, when can I see mama? When is mama gonna wake up?' and I can't answer them."

He makes no movement for breathing, but her knee starts to feel cold and wet. "What was I supposed to tell them?"

A hand brushes through his hair after a moment. Gently and methodically untangling the knots, rubbing his shoulder.

"... You sacrifice a lot for them... no wonder they all love you so much." I love you too. Hesper sniffles quietly, smiling a little. "You should rest, Time. I can take it from here."

"....You're more insane than I thought." He mutters.

He lifts his head up, ignoring the tears running down his face. No one has seen him cry. He also hasn't cried in years.

"If you failed to notice, you were hardly capable of staggering out of the room. Let alone taking it over." He stands and wipes his face. "I'll send one of the boys up...and the child...It's ...only fair..."

He sniffles, fixing his face.

"You'll be taken care of here, I promise."

He leans in, caging her in gently once more before he pauses.

What was he about to do?

Time blinks, unsure of himself suddenly, uncharacteristically.

"I'll... go get them.."

"... Right." She nods, looking down. She lets his fingers slip away from hers slowly, then suddenly grabs his hand again before he can leave.

"... Hesper?"

She feels her heart flutter. She likes hearing him say her name.

"Promise... promise me you'll rest afterwards. Please." She asks softly, timidly... but she doesn't think it's the soft mom side of her talking. Or the assassin.

Time's eyes also soften.

In a fluid motion, he adjusts her grip, bringing her hand up to leave a kiss on her knuckles. "Yes, My Queen."

He looks up with a subtle wink, and lets her hand go.

He has to tell Wild to make food and for Twilight to bring the child and for Legend to find Hesper some clothes to change into. And he has to make sure that the budgets are in order and that the defense system is running...

Then rest. Maybe.

The child comes running to him a few (many) hours after he sends them up to Hesper with Twilight.

"Mama says it's bedtime for you, Papa." They find his shirt and tug on it. "You promised."

Time blinks, swaying slightly as he bends to pat the child on the head. "Is that so?"

He feels so tired.

"Did you talk to mama?"

"Mmhm! She was too tired to play tag, so we painted and talked for a while before she had to sleep again. She told me to make you go to bed too because she knew you were still up." The child takes his hand now, tugging insistently. "Come on, Papa, you have to sleep."

Time chuckles quietly and lets the child lead him through the house. It’s only when he realizes that the child begins to lead him to Hesper’s room that he digs his heels in. "Bubba, she's still hurt. I could make it worse by accident. It's better if I sleep in my own bed."

"Oh... but she wanted to see you. She asked Twilight about you."

Time winces, unknowingly letting his emotions betray him.

"Um... but..."

He can't think of a reason to not go.

The child grins and takes the queue to keep dragging him into the room where their mother is sleeping. Time smiles at the sight. It appears a little someone had tucked a teddy bear under her arm. The small child feels around for the bed before they begin to climb in. Time sighs, picking the child up. "Bubba- you should go to sleep too. I don't think there's enough room for all of us."

"Aw, okay. Maybe next time we can snuggle." The child pouts a bit, but accepts it.

Time chuckles, carrying the child away and to their room. "It's past your bedtime anyway, bubba. We'll see how mama's doing tomorrow."

And not because he nearly kissed her earlier and held her hand, twice. He was the one to clean her up and bring her in. He wants her recovery to be as perfect as possible.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Hesper had been awake enough to hear them both. She finds herself lost in her thoughts afterwards.

Mother never believed in getting attached.

She had trained Hesper to plan, to sneak, to kill, to run a business, to run from the law.

And yet Mother forgot the most important lessons.

What are you supposed to do when you get attached?

Knowing her, she would say cut your losses. Get rid of your feelings before they grow out of control.

Well, too late for that one.

Hesper sighed at the ceiling, still holding onto the stuffed bear from her baby.

Family was one thing. She would never regret that attachment.

... But what about a lover? She knew the sting of losing one; she couldn't bear it a second time.

Not with someone so wonderful. So powerful.

So utterly terrifying.

It was too late to leave Time... she'd already tried. It might’ve been the biggest mistake of her life. It would've meant so much more than leaving a person, it would be abandoning her child again, abandoning the humanity she just found.

... Why did she even try to leave? Was she afraid? Afraid of attachment, admitting weakness?

... Afraid of Time?

She shook her head, even if she was the one who asked. She wasn't afraid of him. She loved him. Time meant so much to her. Everyone in this house did.

... This house was her Achilles Heel.

... She should leave. For their safety.

Hesper grips the bedsheets. If she grips hard enough, she can feel Time's warmth there still.

A warmth she couldn’t bear to leave.

In the other room, Time sets the child to rest, finally. Three bedtime stories later and two lullabies and they fell asleep. Their chest expands and deflates with every deep breath.

He sighs.

He's so tired.

Time leaves the room, softly shutting the door and banking to the left. He's not entirely sure why, but he's heading back.

He has to see her. He has to know that she's ok. That she really did wake up.

He doesn't bother knocking.

He grabs the door knob and turns it quietly, in case she's asleep and opens it.

His heart is pounding in his chest and he feels as if he could throw up at any minute.

Is she gone? Is she still there? Is she hurting? Is she dead?

He can feel himself spiraling.

He's just there to check, he tells himself. Nothing more, nothing less.

Hesper looks up from the bear in her lap.

"... You're still awake?" It comes out much softer than anticipated.

Time blinks, sagging from the release of his anxiety.

"I could ask the same to you." He replies just as softly. "The child said you were sleeping."

"I was. Just woke up." She watches him a moment, then moves over, patting the now open space on the bed. "Come lay down. You need to sleep."

Time's eyes soften as he moves into the room. "You're still injured. I doubt that's wise."

He bends next to the bed, resting his arms over it. "How're you feeling?"

"A lot better, but I don’t feel like trying to walk at this time of night." Hesper rests against the headboard. "How are you feeling?"

Time hums. "Better, now that you're here."

He blinks. That was more honest than he was intending.

"A bit tired, but nothing a good nap won't fix."

He doesn't want to be checking her out, but he can't help the way his eyes fitter over the injures he knows are under the blankets.

"The child is asleep now." He tells her. "Took longer than usual."

Hesper chuckles softly. "I think they know how tired we are. Before I fell asleep, they suddenly stopped painting and insisted I go to bed. Tucked me in and everything."

Time snorts, resting his head on his arms. "They do the same to Warrior and Legend. They always seem to know. I see you have Charlie with you... They love that bear. It was the first one we got for them. Although Mr. Wiggles is their ultimate favorite."

"Charlie, huh?" Hesper admires the bear with a gentle smile. "Well, it’s nice to meet you, Charlie. You almost look like the blue bear I got them as a baby... could never get them to let it go."

Time chuckles, smiling softer. "Really now?"

This is cute. Time finds his eyes closing.

"They must have been a cute baby."

"Cutest in the world..." Hesper looks over. She can tell he's falling asleep. "... Come to bed. Please?”

Time doesn't even register that she speaks.

He reaches for her hand and promptly passes out.

Hesper snorts softly, taking his hand.

"That's going to hurt tomorrow." She squeezes his hand. "Sleep well, Time."

She stays awake a little longer, watching Time as he sleeps. Eventually, he turns, falling off of his seat and straight to the floor. Hesper laughs and finds herself relaxed enough to fall asleep again at last.

Hesper wakes up first and finds that Time is still on the floor of the room. She can’t help but laugh again at his expense. The sound wakes him up.

"Sleep well?" She’s in a teasing mood this morning. And doing terribly at stifling her laughter.

Time sits up slowly, running an internal diagnostic check.

Everything seems to be functioning. No pain outside of what he's used to. No hangover or side effects that he can recognize.

He turns to Hesper.

"Well...this is certainly one of the better places I've woken up face flat in."

He sent a dashing smile. "Good morning gorgeous."

She giggles, ducking partially against the bed. "Good morning, handsome. Suppose the floor is better than propped up against the bed. I feared for your back."

Time grunts, twisting so that his entire spine can pop like rock candy. "I've dealt with worse. Better bent over-"

You know what. He's not going to finish that sentence. He forgot he's in "polite" company. "What about you? Sleep well? Have any pain?"

Hesper hums. "No, no pain. Have some energy back, too. Given my track record for healing, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was up and walking again soon."

Time smiles genuinely. "Good. ...Good! That's great!"

"What about you? Feeling a little better after your nap?" Hesper chuckles, brushing hair from his face.

Time tilts his head into her touch. "I always feel better when I'm around you."

He smiles and gets up. "I'll get your food. I'll be right back."

"Okay. I'll be waiting." Hesper smiles as he leaves... then realization hits like a bucket of ice water.

Were they flirting? Is that okay??

She shakes her head. No way. They're just being playful. He couldn’t possibly-

Time leaves the room, feeling giddy for the first time since he was a boy.

Wild is already up, plates of food on the table, waiting to be claimed by whoever wakes up first.

"Good morning." Time takes two plates without hesitation. "Any updates on the matter of-"

"None that I'm aware of." Wild flips more food onto the next plate. "Who died that made you so happy?"

"No one." Time shrugs. "Hesper is recovering."

"....Is that all?:

"She called me handsome." Time turns on his heel to go back. "I'll let you know if there's any need for updates."

"Yessir."

Time returns to the scene of Hesper talking softly with her baby.

"Hm? Oh look, Papa's back." Hesper grinned.

"Morning, Papa!" The child waved, Hesper gently nudging them so they waved at him and not the wall.

Time can feel his heart swell at the sight.

"I brought breakfast." Time rotates the plates, handing one to Hesper as he sits on the bed.

"Thank you, Time." She smiles and takes the plate. She proceeds to share it with her child, who doesn't need to know there's only two plates.

"Does papa have food?" They ask before they take a bite.

"Yes, bubba. I have food." Time chuckles quietly.

"Eat as much as you like." Hesper encourages the child as she feeds them another bite.

They smile, eating happily.

Time eats silently, watching Hesper be a mother after so long of having to figure it out on the fly.

He finishes and puts the plate on his lap.

"Oh? All finished?"

"Mmhm!" The child hops off the bed. "I'm gonna go play with Wind, he's gonna teach me how to fly a kite!"

"Aw, a kite?" Hesper smiles. "You'll have to teach me how to get better."

"Okay, Mama!" And with that, they run out of the room, leaving the two adults alone.

Time smiles, nudging Hesper with his knee. "Your turn. Eat."

He's already done with his food.

"I am, I am." Hesper chuckles as she eats. "And before you scold me about the portion, I don't eat much on injuries. Can't stomach as much, for some reason."

Time raises an eyebrow. "I wasn't going to say too much. Having not eaten in three days can stretch out your stomach significantly when you do. I wasn't expecting you to eat much anyway. As long as you eat something."

"... Oh." Hesper blinks, clearly not expecting that one. Stunned by his calm (and intelligence), she finishes her meal quietly and wills herself not to blush.

Time takes her plate without any other comment. "I'm sure it's boring being on bed rest but unfortunately, there's little I can personally do to remedy that. The best I can do is get the boys to move you to the play room. I'm sure the child would be more than happy to spend the day with you. They've been wanting your attention for a while now."

Her eyes go soft on him. "Really? You already do so much, I don't want to strain you boys too much..."

But he already knows she'd love that more than anything.

Time snorts. "I've never been shy about putting them to work- but I don't think they'd complain as much if it has to do with you."

He winks, already taking out his phone. "I'll be back later and they'll be here in a jiffy."

Hesper giggles at that one. "Alright. Thank you, Time."

He smiles and leaves, intending to get to work without further delay.

Within minutes, Sky, Twilight and Warrior appear by the door.

"Good morning! Glad to see you awake, at last."

"Glad to be awake." Hesper chuckles. "I hear we're going to the playroom."

"That's correct." Warrior nods. "Ready when you are."

"Think I'm as ready as I can be."

Warrior and Twilight nod. They each move to the side, picking her up. Sky moves to support her back while the other two hold her up as she sits on their shoulders.

"Onward!"

Hesper helps as much as she can to get herself carried over to the playroom, but she can't help but joke about feeling special. Soon enough, she's settled in the playroom, and she thanks the three boys for their troubles.

It's at about this time that the child rushes in, leaves and twigs tangled in their hair.

"Oh, bubba, you have a few things stuck in your hair." Hesper chuckles. "Can I help you get them out?"

"Mama? Can you walk??"

"No, the boys brought me over so we could play."

"Oh! Yeah, I wanna play!"

"Can I help you with your hair first?"

"Sure, lemme get my brush!"

That was later in the autumn. Eventually Hesper got better and returned to her own house. It dawned on Time that the child they shared should have gone to her house by now but neither made an effort to correct the issue. Hesper was in no way healed enough to take care of the child 24/7 and she had yet to bring it up either.

By the time Hespered remembered the second half of the deal they made back in early summer, she had a new problem to deal with.

She was on her way to her scheduled appointment at the Chain Base, ready to chew Time out when her foot bumped something. A baby. On her doorstep.

There was a note on the top of the little baby’s chest.

For some reason, Hesper already gathered that this was her mother’s doing.

Hesper picked up the baby right away, regardless of potential risk. His face twisted as if he was crying, fat tears ran down his cheeks... but he made no sound. Not a single peep.

She bounced him gently as she brought him inside, nudging the door shut with her foot. The poor boy was freezing. How long had he been out there? He could've died-

She heard the church of paper. Tucked in his swaddle was a note. She shifted him to one arm, opened the note with her free hand.

He is of no use to me. Perhaps you will find use for him in that little waste of time you call a family.

... She crumpled the note in her fist, knuckles turning white.

She'd never wanted to kill her mother before.

She was lucky the baby came first.

She calls Time and says she's going to be late

"Late? Why?"

"... My mother left me a present."

Hesper wasn’t about to disappear on her own baby though, and decided that after the two year old was fed, washed and properly warmed, she would still go visit. And maybe ask for some help. Again.

Hesper knocked on the door, texting Time to come out alone. He does so, no questions asked. Hesper doesn’t have the forethought to think through that level of trust.

Time stares for a minute before he speaks. "You know.... I'm sure your mother would have said something first if she wanted grandchildren so badly... I didn't think we were moving that slowly."

The little boy stares at him curiously, blue eyes wide and bright.

"Better us than a woman who'd leave him in the cold for... who knows how long." Hesper cradles his head close to her chest. He smiles and nuzzles it. "He's mute. I didn't even know he was out there until I opened the door. I hope he doesn't get sick."

Time flexes his jaw and nods. "Wild can get the kid some warm milk. I'll see about running to the store for emergency supplies. Food, diapers, blankets and maybe a car seat. We can figure out the rest later."

"Thank you." Hesper looks down at him again. He's taken to looking around again, taking in the strange new world around him. "... I was thinking his name should be Sol. His smile is so bright."

"And here I was thinking it was for the bright blond baby hair he's sporting." Time chuckles, leaning over to run his hand over the baby's head.

Time grabs his keys, instantly texting a message on his phone. "I'll be back. Make yourself comfortable. Wild should be working on the food as we speak. I'll get the boys to make a list of other items we'd need."

He heads to his car, unlocking and opening it without missing a beat. "We'll take care of him."

Sol reaches towards Time, clenching and unclenching his little fist.

"Yeah, that's Time." Hesper whispers to him with a smile. "He's the papa here. He's such a sweetheart~"

"Hesper?" Sky asks as he opens the door. "Are you ok? I've never seen Time leave in such a rush."

Sol and Sky meet eyes at the same time. Sol offers a toothy grin, while Hesper offers a sheepish smile.

"I'm fine... Sky, meet Sol."

Sky's jaw drops and it's visible, the way he scrambles to form a coherent thought. "...Congratulations."

He clears his throat and opens the door wider. "I wasn't aware you were expecting.... like at all..... whose child is that?"

He tries to backtrack. "Not that it wouldn't be yours... or that there's multiple possibilities of fathers- it's just you were here last week... and you visit regularly and nothing was ever mentioned-"

Help him, he's rambling.

Hesper covers his mouth, chuckling. "He's my brother, Sky. Not my son. But I'm taking charge of him now. Does that help?"

Sky's mouth shuts with a soft click and he nods. "Yes....It does. ....Do you want to come in?"

"Yes, please." Hesper chuckles, finally stepping into the house.

Sky coughs and lets her in. He lifts his hand to his mouth and calls out. "Her royal highness has arrived!"

"HESPER!" Wind calls out from beyond the house. Multiple footsteps follow suit. The patter against the hardwood. "Good morning Your Majesty!"

Hesper laughs. "Good morning! I brought my little brother today, hope you don't mind!"

Sol merely grins at the sudden multiplication of boys, waving and bouncing in Hesper's arms.

The boys cheer as they come to say their greetings.

Twilight shakes his head. "Does he need anything immediate?"

"No, I have it covered." Hesper chuckles as Sol wiggles around. "I think he might want to play, though."

"How little is Mama's brother?" The blind child asks and Hesper crouches down.

"Littler than you, bubba." Hesper guides the child's hand to Sol's, and they gasp as his little fingers grasp theirs.

"Is he a baby?" At Hesper's confirmation, her baby gets excited. "Baby brother! Let's go play!!"

By the time Time returns, he finds all of his boys crowded around the woman and infant as they all try to get the baby to laugh. It is clear that while the baby smiles widely, he makes no sound.

When the commotion dies down and little Sol has enough to keep him steady for a week or two, Time gets the answers to the questions he didn’t ask earlier as Hesper explains all that she knows.

They talk for hours.

It’s a long time before either of them realizes what time it is.

It’s decided to revisit the earlier and let the blind child stay with Time and his boys for a little longer while Hesper tries to get her life together with her little brother in her own house.

It begins to snow outside.

Hesper stays the night.

No one’s sure when it happens but Hesper has fully integrated herself into their dynamic and she comes over nearly everyday.

They have a party for new years and naturally, she’s invited.

Most of the boys take to entertaining the children as they time counts down. The older ones, including Hesper, open the wine cabinet for a glass or two. Or more. Much more.

Time and Hesper have ended up on the bed next to each other as the clock slowly ticks down, neither caring much about the commotion happening down below as the boys no doubt begin to rough house. It’s nice actually.

A bit loud- but it’s family.

….This is they’re family.

They're talking, laughing, and then they're closer than they should be, being openly soft and vulnerable.

It slips out of Hesper first. She didn't mean to say it.

"I think I love you, Time."

Time abruptly stops laughing, staring at her for a moment.

He just stares. No more laughter. No reaction.

A hand comes up to stop her from leaving if she gets up. Slowly, it moves to cup her cheek. "Do you mean that?"

She can't help it; she holds his hand there with her own. It's so warm, so right, even as she worries she may have ruined their relationship. "... Every word but 'think'."

"Outstanding." Time runs his thumb over her cheek. "I would have said the same thing."

Hesper pauses, the train of acceptance derailed. She was the one staring now, at his eyes, his smile. "... Really?"

Time grins. It's boyish and uncaring. "Yes, really. Darling, you're stunning."

She laughs, a melody he thinks only he's ever heard. "What does that mean?"

Time scoots a little bit closer. "I see you... and I'm awestruck...star struck even. I forget to breathe. I forget to think. I forget myself. Everything in that moment is you. Only you. And your beauty, your wit, your talent. You are breathtaking."

They're close all over again, but it's intentional now. Maybe they're even closer than before. Hesper chuckles softly as she tries to find the words to reply, forehead coming to rest against his. "I'd argue you're the breathtaking one here. And the witty one. Somehow you know just what to say to leave me speechless. And... it's a wonderful feeling. ... You’re wonderful, Time."

Hesper wasn’t sure who leaned forward first. All she really knew is after a moment of resting her forehead there, staring into those brilliant blue eyes, she had glanced down, and then their lips connected.

It was soft. Short, simple, and sweet. Hesper almost couldn't believe it had happened, if not for the warmth it left behind. Slowly, one became two, and two became three, each one just a little longer than the last. Just another moment. Just a little deeper. Just a little sweeter.

Because all the time in the world just wasn't enough.

"Happy New Year, Mama!" Hesper’s baby exclaimed into the moment, running over to the pair. Hesper chuckled softly, reaching down to ruffle her child's hair.

"Happy New Year, My Darling."

Time thinks he might be drunk. But he's not sure if it's from the liquor or the kisses. He sits up and picks up the child. "Come 'ere you!"

Only to mercilessly tickle them.

"Happy new year bubba."

"Happy New Year, Papa." The child giggles, getting cozy between the two. Soon Sol has joined the party, clambering into their laps and pointing at the pretty lights hanging everywhere.

'Stars!' He signs with a grin.

"They do look like stars, huh Sol?" Hesper chuckles, kissing his head. "Good eye~"

Time snorts. "Yes, that's true. They do look like stars."

He's looks at Hesper though- trying to get a glimpse of her eyes once more.

He's not thinking straight. Something is telling him to leave- the vulnerability is dangerous. She is the Shadow Queen. The Night Mother. She can end his whole empire with a single stroke of her finger...

And yet he kissed her. He wants to kiss her again. He wants to never stop kissing her.

Her eyes are sparkling in the lights, warm and stunning as ever. She watches her kids run off again as Wind mentions sparklers and fireworks, and nods at Twilight as he goes to supervise.

And then she's looking at him again. How could this woman be the Night Queen? It just didn't fit.

"Interested in the fireworks?" She smiles, and the lights in her eyes dare to shine a little brighter for him.

"You could say that." Time smiles and holds out his arm. "Care to join me?"

"I'd be delighted." Hesper grins, taking his arm as they go outside.

Time's smile seems to widen as he leads her through his house.

The boys are busy shooting firecrackers and sparklers and getting the children to join in the fun. Sol runs around wildly with two sparklers, chased by Four who also has two. Both spot Time and Hesper at the same time and run over to offer them one of their sparklers.

"Oh, for me? Thank you, Four." Hesper chuckles, taking the sparkler.

"No problem."

Sol grins, bouncing a little as he extends his sparkler to Time.

Time nods, taking it gently. "Thank you, Sol. Go play."

He ruffles his hair and pats his shoulder to send him off. He stands and waves the sparkler through the air. He makes a heart and strikes a line through it. Like an arrow.

Hesper giggles from his side and makes a heart with their initials in the middle, like she's a schoolgirl doodling in her notebook. She follows it up with several tiny hearts.

"Now all that's missing is a stick figure wedding." She jokes.

Time wraps his arm around her hips, pulling her flush against his body. He presses his ear next to her ear. “Or we can just have the real thing.”

Hesper’s heart starts beating rapidly. She turns to him, not sure if it’s her heart or the liquor that does the talking but she kisses him again. “I’d like that.”

Time smirks and kisses her back, dropping his sparkler in the process. He can’t help it.

Behind them, back in the house, the clock strikes midnight, the beginning of the new year- and their new lives.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #blind child #mafia! chain #modern au

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analogwriting · 2 days

Text

Heat Waves

Killer x gn!reader (afab edition) word count: 2.3k amab version a/n: so technically this ties in with the latest chapter of this fic - call it chapter 3.5 if you will, but it also works as its own stand alone thing sooooo here ya go. also, side note: i use the term palette which someone brought to my attention that not everyone uses in this specific context (could just be something my bio mom called it idk). in this case a palette refers to spreading out blankets, usually three or four, one on top of another - typically on a floor - making a makeshift bed. also you put a bunch of pillows on it. im not sure if there's another term for something like that - i only know it to be a palette lmao

Suddenly, you were very glad Killer thought ahead. Not only did he bring the comforters and pillows to really spruce up the bed of the truck and make it more comfortable - he also actually remembered to set it up before the two of you got to business.

There'd been a few times where the two of you were hanging out in the truck bed and ended up getting frisky. You usually ended up with major back pain or all kinds of bruises and scratches from lack of buffer between you and the metal bed.

This time he had it all planned out and you were glad for it. You weren't going to have to think ahead or plan out exactly how to shag him while doing the least amount of damage. You didn’t have to think at all, actually.

Also, you knew that since you had riled him up earlier and then blue balled him, he was really gonna let you have it. Between that and the fact he was leaving for who knows how long - you knew you were definitely going to be feeling it the next few days.

Good.

You felt him place a hand on your back as he kissed you feverishly, his other hand on your thigh before he moved to lay you down in the comfort of the blankets. He didn't once break the kiss as he moved you to where he had wanted you, groping the meat of your thigh, making you whine softly.

He began to kiss your jaw and down your neck, leaving plenty of hickies in his wake. He wanted to mark you up before he left, reminders that he would be back soon enough. You gasped as you felt him bite down on your shoulder, your eyes rolling back slightly. Yeah, he definitely was in one of his more feral moods. Hell, you might not even be able to walk tomorrow.

Your body already felt like it was on fire at this point, more than excited to have Killer do whatever he wanted for however long he wanted. You’d go all night if he wanted.

Your hands found their way into his hair before tugging on it roughly, causing him to groan loudly against you. His hands made their way up your shirt, groping your chest before pulling it off of you completely. You were glad it was a summer night or you'd be shivering. Though, you did anyway from the sudden kiss of the cooler night air.

Killer covered you with kisses, his lips feather light as he ran them down your torso, nipping you here and there, leaving a few hickies. Your entire body was buzzing as you pressed into him. Each point of contact riling you up more and more, ready for him to get on with it already. You loved the light signs of affection, but it’d been a while. You were ready for him to completely use you.

It took him absolutely no time at all to take off your pants and underwear, tossing them somewhere to the side. You didn't even fully comprehend where they ended up but you hoped they didn't end up on the ground. Not the end of the world but inconvenient.

With a sharp inhale of breath, Killer spread your legs, leaning back for a moment.

“What?” you mumbled, face red as you looked up at him. You never really felt embarrassed or ashamed with him. You knew he loved every inch of you - inside and out.

“Mm, just enjoying my view.” He licked his lips and your heart raced. You loved it when he looked at you like he was some kind of wild animal watching his prey.

You opened your mouth to say something smart when you felt his mouth against you. He wasted no time in dragging his tongue along your folds. The fork in his tongue gave a whole different sensation especially as he flicked at your clit, placing it in between his split as he did so.

Ever since he split his tongue, it definitely heightened the experience for both of you. He got it from losing a bet, but it ended up working in his favor - both of your favors.

The sudden stimulation surprised you, your eyes rolling back as a moan ripped from your chest. It was loud enough that it echoed slightly and some nightlife skittered about. You didn't realize you'd been that loud. Man, you were glad you were in the middle of nowhere.

A small chuckle came from the man in between your legs and your face was ablaze. “W-What are you laughing at?” you mumbled, your breathing growing heavier the more filled with lust you became.

He pulled away from his assault on you for a moment to look up at you through his hair. You felt his fingers start to stroke you, your hips twitching slightly in response and a whine escaping your lips.

“Nothing in particular, you're just cute,” he crooned. You opened your mouth to retort only to, once again, be interrupted by your own lust as he slid in one of his thick fingers. You choked on your words, immediately closing and trying to muffle the moan that threatened to erupt from you. You couldn’t think clearly, already drunk on lust.

You watched as the smug smile on his face grew. You went to roll your eyes at him only for them to roll back into your skull instead as he began to work in a second finger. Fuck, he wasn't going to let you breathe, was he?

Not that you were complaining.

He worked on stretching you as you rolled your hips, trying to get more friction with noises that were a mix of pleasure and frustration. You just wanted him to get to the part where he destroyed you. It's been a while so you were yearning for it. He was taking it slow on purpose. The both of you knew you could handle him with ease. Hadn’t he already made you wait enough for things?!

You could feel yourself on the cusp of a climax, your breathing growing more shallow, your body growing warmer. “Fuuuck-” Then he pulled his hand from you, leaving you empty and cold. Your body shivered from the sudden lack of warmth as you looked up at him in disbelief. You let out a huff of irritation, glaring at him the best you could.

“Just a little payback for earlier, but I'm too greedy to completely stick to the bit.” And boy howdy, were you glad for that.

You were panting, vision hazy as you looked at him. It was a full moon tonight, so he was illuminated pretty well despite being where there wasn't any light from lamps and such. Fuck, he was beautiful.

“I only did that to get back at you for-” Before you could finish your sentence, he was back at attacking you with his mouth once more. His tongue plunged deep inside of you as his fingers started to rub your clit in full assault mode.

Your eyes widened and you cried out, thighs tightening around his head a bit as your body reached its sudden climax, making a mess of your boyfriend. He cleaned you up with his tongue, your hips and thighs twitching as you rode through your high.

You were panting heavily, closing your eyes as you tried to calm yourself down. Killer pulled up, a satisfied yet hungry look on his face. Your heart raced, body growing warm all over again. He could rile you up so easily but you already knew that you do the same to him.

He yanked his own shirt off, tossing it to the side and you admired the view. Your hands moved up, tracing over his chest before wrapping your arms around his neck. He kissed you hungrily, a small growl escaping from him. A shiver ran down your spine in anticipation, fuck. He was so hot when he was like this.

You suddenly felt his fat head press against you. You hadn't even noticed him pull himself out or even roll on the condom. He must've done it while you were collecting yourself.

“I love you,” he mumbled against you. Before you could return the sentiment, you felt him begin to press inside you. Your eyes widened slightly, at this point they were going to get dry with how open you were having them, and rolled back. As he pushed his way into you, your back arched, legs spreading further to make it easier for him.

He didn't slam into you, but he didnt go slow either. Your walls were stretched around him, throbbing slightly from the sensation as he bottomed out. You felt absolutely full, your body tingling and floaty. “I love you,” you finally managed to mumble back.

He just smiled, placing a kiss on your lips once more before getting down to business.

Get down to business he did. He didn't fully hold back, thrusting in and out of you quickly from the jump. You were already still sensitive from your first orgasm of the night and with the rough way he'd been handling you, his fingers digging into your hips paired with more bitemarks and hickies across your skin, you were about ready to snap again.

Your nails dug into his back, dragging them down. You weren’t going to be the only one marked up, that you were going to make sure of. As he pumped in and out of you, you started kissing and biting at his skin this time, wanting to leave him with memories of you.

You felt yourself tightening up, this round was about to close for you. The sound of skin against skin, the breathing and moaning of you both, it almost echoed in the forest around you.

“Killi, I-” You gasped, clenching around him as you threw your head back and cried out his name as you reached euphoria for the second time tonight. It wasn't long after that you felt his hips still as he reached his climax as well.

The both of you were panting as you rode out your high, both twitching and trying to recover.

You felt him move your leg up over his shoulder and you looked at him with half lidded eyes. You slurred something incoherent, trying to ask ‘again’ but garbled nonsense coming out instead. You're not even sure if any of it registered to Killer anyway with the feral way his eyes looked. Both of you were completely out of it.

Either way, you weren’t gonna complain. You kind of liked it when he was like this. Sure, you were sore for a few days but shit, it was worth it.

You felt him raise your other leg over his shoulder. Oh, he was really gonna hit deep with this one.

You hardly had time to prepare yourself before he pulled out for a moment. You had a feeling he was switching out the condom. Then, not moments later, he was slamming back into you. A loud cry ripped from your throat and you saw stars for a moment as the world spun around you. It didn't really hurt perse, but you were also too far lost in bliss to even really notice. It would definitely hurt tomorrow.

He pistoned his hips, fucking you hard and rough. Your legs were starting to tingle and go numb. Your nails were now digging into his biceps, dragging down before your hands dropped to your sides as you just didn't have the energy.

You were suddenly very glad he remembered to put the blankets down or you would be suffering right now with how roughly he was pummeling you into the blankets and pillows. It provided a surprising amount of comfort. He must've brought the good blankets - which meant he had planned on absolutely ravaging you from the start.

Your eyes were glued to the back of your head at this point, body limp, and you were pretty sure you were drooling but you were too out of it to really gather your surroundings or yourself for that matter. Nothing more than his cocksleeve.

This round didn’t last as long as Killer's hips stilled once more as he reached his peak, you'd done the same right along with him, your two bodies in such sync with each other.

Killer let your legs down and you whined slightly as you felt him move inside of you because of it. Fuck, everything was so sensitive right now. He moved, keeping himself inside of you for now as he laid on the blankets, pulling you onto his chest. You were trying hard to to be riled up as he moved around.

You just laid against him, eyes closed as you tried to stop the world from spinning. You felt like you were floating on clouds, your body still buzzing - heart pounding in your ears so loudly.

Slowly, the feeling was beginning to come back to your limbs and you were able to move. You slowly lifted yourself from Killer’s chest, looking at him with a lazy smile, still unable to fully open your eyes.

“How you holdin’ up there?” he asked you, his voice gruff. You only hummed in response, not too sure if you could form any words let alone a sentence. You kissed him softly, before resting your foreheads together.

A grin slowly spread across his face. “Good.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Cause I plan on using you all night.”

Your eyes widened at him, your heart racing again with excitement again. That’s all it took for your body to get hot all over again. Damn, you really loved this man.

“Fine by me,” you said, voice raw and hoarse, kissing him hard once more. You knew your voice was only going to get worse or disappear completely. It was going to be a long night.

#i wrote the bulk of this at work while slammered ayeo #but what else is new #i cant believe im closing everyday for the forseeable future fml #but those paychecks finna be sexy #one piece #one piece x reader #one piece x you #killer one piece #killer x reader #massacre soldier killer #killer #killer x you #killer op #am fics #smut piece

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starboy-sirius · 3 hours

Text

may 4 | cease | @jegulus-microfic | 1057 words

“Stop,” Regulus begs, pushing James away. “Please just stop.”

James stares at him with heartbroken eyes, his face crumpled as he attempts to grab Regulus’ shaking hands. They’re in the Astronomy Tower, the night sky dark and thunderous, threatening a storm it’s waiting to unleash. The moon shines down on them and Regulus can’t help but realise the irony of losing James when the sun isn’t shining, but he doesn’t know when else he’s meant to do this.

They’ve been meeting in the tower for the past few months and at first it was fun, the two of them snarking and bickering with each other until slowly it became more physical, a push here and a jab there. Until one day James pulled. He pulled Regulus into him, his back against the bannister in the tower and pressed his lips to Regulus’ passionately. Regulus had just called him some ungodly name and James couldn’t take it anymore.

Soon the tower became a place where they not only argued but also just talked. About everything and everyone. Without realising it they had become each other’s safe space and the kisses soon turned tender and soft, and the fucking transitioned into something with a little more meaning. Regulus didn’t dive off straight away and actually allowed James to wrap his arms tightly around his middle, pulling him back into his embrace.

But that was then and this is now.

Now, Regulus is staring at James imploringly, eyes shining with tears not yet fallen and James wants to scoop him up and kiss his pain away, only Regulus won’t let him come near him. James doesn’t understand. “Regulus? What happened?”

Regulus lets out a bitter laugh, wet and humourless. “What happened? Did you get concussed whilst kissing that Prewett twin or are you just an imbecile?”

James feels as though he’s been slapped and staggers backwards, because he had kissed Gideon. Or rather, Gideon kissed him and James had spluttered and pulled away so quickly that he’d almost torn a muscle in his neck. It happened just now at the Gryffindor party, one that Regulus didn’t want to go to, preferring to be in the Astronomy Tower watching the stars. James, apologising to Gideon profusely about not being available, had rushed to get the map and find Regulus, opting to spend the rest of the night with him.

Which is where he finds himself now, staring down a furious Regulus, his eyes rimmed with red. He had obviously decided to come to the party last minute and walked right in on the worst scene imaginable.

“Regulus, it’s not what it seems at all. Please let me explain,” James begs, his heart pounding its way up his throat.

Scoffing, Regulus sniffs and wipes his cheeks harshly. The sight of his tears makes James ache something fierce. He wishes he could reach out and comfort him but he knows Regulus isn’t going to allow that. Has this horrible sinking feeling that Regulus might not let him ever again.

“What is there to explain? You kissed him, and I’m the idiot because I actually thought that this meant something to you,” Regulus’ shoulders droop suddenly and he stops wiping his cheeks, it’s all in vain anyway because the tears won’t stop. “Like it meant something to me.”

“Regulus,” James breathes, taken aback by this impromptu confession.

They never spoke about what they were to each other, just that they enjoyed finding release in each other’s bodies and didn’t want to stop. The sneaking about was fun, or at least James had thought so until his heart wrangled its way into the mix and then he sort of just wanted to snog Regulus whenever and wherever. But he refrained because he knew that Regulus was scared. Scared of what Sirius would think, scared of it getting back to his parents. They’d spoken about it, lying on blankets in the tower as the sweat cooled on their bodies, and James had sworn that he would protect Regulus from everyone that wished to harm him.

Looking at him now, James thinks that the only person harming Regulus is him.

“Just go, James.”

“No,” James declares, stepping forward with determination, because Regulus basically just confessed to him and there is no way in hell that he’s going to leave here without telling him how he feels. Even if Regulus doesn’t want anything to do with him now. He has to do this.

So he starts speaking whilst Regulus is quiet. “Gideon kissed me. We were dancing, surrounded by everyone else, it wasn't just us, and he sort of just attached himself to me. I pulled away instantly, hurt my neck a bit doing it so fast, and told him that I wasn’t available. Then I came here to find you, and well, you know the rest.”

By the end of the speech he’s shyly rubbing at the nape of his neck, eyes intently focused on Regulus. The younger boy is looking at James warily, but somewhere deep in his eyes James can see that he wants to believe what he’s saying.

“You’re not available?” Regulus asks, voice small and vulnerable. But his eyes. Merlin, his beautiful grey eyes are shining with something James thinks looks like hope, and it’s what spurs him forward.

Regulus allows him to take his hands as he approaches and soon they’re standing with their faces close. It’s intimate and it’s all James wants for the rest of his life. “I’m not. You see, there’s this really prickly Slytherin who I’m a little bit in love with. Even when he’s insulting me I can’t help but adore him.”

“He sounds like a right tosser,” Regulus says and James laughs, feeling brighter as Regulus smiles at him.

“Hey!” James scolds jokingly. “That’s my lover you’re talking about.”

Regulus rolls his eyes, cheeks staining a pretty red. The younger boy’s face turns grave once more, though. “You better not be messing with me, Potter.”

“Never,” James swears, leaning down so that his nose brushes Regulus’.

“Good,” Regulus breathes. “Because I’m in love with you, too.”

James surges to press his lips to Regulus’, heart pounding as he smiles into it. Nothing has ever felt sweeter than the press of Regulus’ lips to his, and he’s sure nothing will ever be as sweet as this moment.

#jegulus #james potter #regulus black #james x regulus #jegulus microfic #marauders #starchaser #regulus x james #sunseeker #dead gay wizards #writing #microficmay2024 #the mauraders #the marauders fandom

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straykids-gives-me-life · 11 hours

Text

Too Hot To Handle

HWANG HYUNJIN PART I

word count: 5.2k

---

YOU: To be honest, I don't know why I signed up for this show. I think I just did it for a good bit of fun; sex and a vacation? I think so!

You were the first to arrive at the villa and it seemed so surreal that you had actually decided to come onto 'Paradise Island' because never in a million years would you have thought you would be here. You walked through the gates to enter and realised you were the first to arrive and to be honest, you weren't complaining. More champagne for you.

"Oh my god! It's so nice here," you say to yourself, picking up a bottle and pouring yourself a glass.

While you're looking around at the place where you'll be staying for the next few weeks you see someone walking over from the corner of your eye. An extremely handsome, tall, blonde man at that.

"Hi there," he says, a strong British accent accompanying his words.

"hi, I'm y/n," you say.

"Harry."

YOU: I'm fucked already and I've only met one guy [chuckles]

After the introduction to everybody else and dishing out five bottles of champagne whilst doing so, everyone is allowed to roam free and look around, get to know each other and have fun.

Of course, you being you, head over to the sun loungers where you lay back and take in the sun that beams down on your body.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" A voice says, startling you a little.

"Oh, yeah, of course, sorry," you rush.

"Oh, no, it's alright, I was the one who scared you," he laughs.

It's only then when you actually look at the man before you, his slender build shocking you a little. He is nowhere near the size of the muscular men in the retreat but holy shit, he was hot. His dark hair fell over his eyebrows and hung slightly in front of his eyes in such a way that made you want to fall to your knees there and then. he was absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous, nothing more, nothing less.

"I'm Hyunjin, nice to meet you."

He snaps you out of your trance. "Oh, I'm y/n, nice to meet you too."

"Can I just say how beautiful you are/" He says, making your cheeks flush pink.

"Oh, thank you," you smile. "You aren't too bad yourself."

YOU: Hyunjin is so fucking hot! [internally screams]. I just want to lick his entire body which I know sounds strange but he's just so... so... lickable.

"So what do you do? Outside of here?" He asks, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well I'm actually a choreographer for this trainee girl band for YG Entertainment, they aren't too bad actually," you explain. "What about you?"

"Well, at the moment I'm doing a few things at once. I'm trying out music production for the first time but I've got a part time job at a bar just for the time being in case I realise that I'm not cut out for being a producer."

You stare at him as he talks about his work. How can somebody look so good at all times, even when he's talking normally he looks so Godly, how does he manage?

"Well," you being, realising he was done talking. "I think that if you want to give it a shot, you should. you never know if you're gonna like it or not. And hey, some people really love working in bars so you never know, you might find that producing isn't your thing but pouring shots might."

What the fuck. Why did you just say that????? You were beyond embarrassed after blurting out the words, but surprisingly, he laughed.

"You never know," he grinned. "Maybe you'll be my interest instead."

"I already am."

HYUNJIN: This girl is going to be the death of me. I don't understand how she can be so fucking beautiful and oh my God her tits are amazing. I could just stare at her all day and never get bored. Her voice is like music to my ears, actually, I think I'll like producing after all.

Unfortunately, you and Hyunjin had to cut your conversation short because you were interrupted by two more contestants on the show, Patrick and Rhia.

"Hey guys, what's going on over here?" Patrick asks, sitting beside you and placing his arm around your shoulder.

He's moving a little fast, you think, so you shrug his arm slightly, hinting for him to remove it. you don't miss the little smirk on Hyunjin's face as Patrick puts his arm down, perhaps you were going to have someone to share a bed with tonight after all.

"Nothing much," Hyunjin says. "Just getting to know each other, that's all."

"Ah, I see," Patrick says. "So you're still open to talking to other guys here, right?"

"Um, I guess," you say, looking over at the girl, Rhia, for some support.

"That is if she wants to," Rhia says, sipping her champagne.

"Of course."

You felt a little awkward now, now that it wasn't just you and Hyunjin talking, you wanted to get away from whatever was going on. So, with that, you stood up and excused yourself to the "bathroom".

YOU: I think Hyunjin could tell that I was getting uncomfortable, he seemed a little concerned. I don't know why I'm so hooked on this guy already, I've literally only spoken to him once and it was a five-minute conversation, if that. [rolls eyes] He's just so dreamy and the way he talks just sucks me in. It's like he has his own gravitational pull.

You sat yourself down on the bed on the far side of the room, right next to the wall, it made you feel safe being so far away from everything. You were sure that people watching right now would think you are so dramatic for getting panicked over such a small thing but you've always been a pretty sensitive person, especially when it comes to people touching you when you least expect it. Don't get me wrong, you're all for a good fuck but it has to be with the person you want, you aren't a free for all.

There was a knock at the door and you weren't expecting Rhia to walk in and head straight towards you. If anything, you thought Patrick would come in to carry on sweet-talking you.

"Hey, hunny," she says, sitting next to you.

"How did you know I was in here?" You ask. "I said I was going to the bathroom."

She chuckles. "I'm a woman too, y/n. I know when we lie."

You laugh at her response.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, I just didn't really want Patrick to do that. I know it's only his arm around my shoulder but he just genuinely isn't my type anyways and he'd literally just got there too." You explain.

"I understand," she says. "It's completely normal for you to get a little anxious over it, it probably caught you off guard. I'm sure that when you go back down there in a minute you'll feel completely fine, you just need to get used to the people here, that's all.."

You nod in response. She was so good at this.

"Come on," she says, offering her hand to you. "Let's go get drunk!"

YOU: God, that was so petty of me. Despite that little shake-up, I quite like this place, it seems pretty chilled so far, not too crazy, not too horny. [grins] Yet.

Well, Rhia was right. The second you and her got down to where everybody else was sitting, drinking and laughing amongst each other, you felt better. You walked over to sit on one of the outdoor sofas, in between Hyunjin and a girl called Layla and if you were being quite honest, she didn't look too pleased that you had created a barrier between her and him.

"Hey," Hyunjin said, passing you an empty glass and filling it up with what seemed to be gin mixed with lemonade.

"Hey," you reply. "I'm sorry about walking away before, I just needed a little bit of space."

"It's alright, don't stress it. I know Patrick probably caught you off guard a little, I'm sure he meant no harm."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just a little sensitive to those things, that's all," you say, looking up at him.

"We all have our own pace at doing things, others should respect that instead of just assuming you're alright with it," he explains, taking a swig of his drink.

He was too good at talking; you could just sit here all day and listen to him talk about anything and everything. The way he worded things was so genuine and it made so much sense.

"Yeah, I completely get that."

"Anyways," he says. "What are you wearing to the party later tonight?"

"There's a party?" You asked.

YOU: Since, uh, when was there a party?!?!?!?

"Oh, you must've missed the announcement while you were with Rhia. There isn't a theme or anything, it's just dressing up and looking hot which I'm sure you won't struggle with," he flirts, making your cheeks heat up a little.

"You're one to talk," you smile. "I'm sure you'd look in just about everything. You look like the type."

"Do I look like your type?"

"Maybe."

You were getting ready for the party and excited wasn't a strong enough word for how you were feeling right now. You lathered a bold, red lipstick over your lips and puckered them, making sure it was good enough.

"Damnnnn girl, you look so good," Rhia says, standing behind you in the mirror.

"Oh, stop it, I barely changed anything. You, on the other hand - even I'd fuck you and I don't even like women," you joke, making her laugh along with you.

"You have to be joking, you literally look drop-dead gorgeous right now, y/n. I know Hyunjin won't be able to take his eyes off you."

You blush slightly at the thought of him obsessing over you. "What? Why would Hyunjin look at me? why would I care?"

"He is so attracted to you already, I can tell. the way he looks at you is like he's seeing God," she explains, making you smile unknowingly.

"As if."

"You can be in denial all you want, but I know you're getting a big fat snog tonight and there is nothing you can do about it," she says, an excitable tone in her voice.

"I'll kiss him if you kiss Patrick. I know you like him," you say.

"Deal." She smiles, shaking your hand. "But seriously, that dress looks so good on you."

YOU: Do I want to kiss Hyunjin tonight? Yes. Do I have the confidence to kiss Hyunjin tonight? Yes. Am I scared in case he isn't attracted to me the way I am to him? Also yes. But either way, I'm having fun tonight [winks]

You and Rhia walked down to the newly decorated 'Party Zone' and were greeted by three of the boys. Patrick, Mason, and Harry. As much as you thought Harry was attractive, you didn't see yourself sharing the bed with him tonight. Plus, he seemed smitten with Hollie so you didn't want to step in between them for the sake of a good fuck.

"Hey, ladies!" Mason said, his Australian accent ripping through his words.

God, how you loved accents.

"Hey," you said, accepting the drink he offered you.

"You look amazing," he says, smiling down at you. "Truly amazing."

"Thank you," you say, not much feeling going into it. "You look pretty good yourself."

"Aren't you a little flirt?" He asks, tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear.

"Do you want another drink?" You ask him, taking his glass from his hand.

"Uh, sure," he says stepping back from you so you can go and pour him and new one.

While you're filling up Mason's glass, you hear cheers from Rhia and turn around, Layla and Hollie were strutting down, Layla wearing the most gorgeous dress you've ever seen, and Hollie looking beautiful as always.

Layla had long, blonde hair that travelled all the way down to the bottom of her back; it curled in the most perfect places and she just looked incredible. Still, you hadn't really spoken to her so you didn't know if she was a nice girl or not.

When you had finished with the drinks, you walked back over and handed it to Mason who was now trying to chat up Hollie and let me just say, Harry did not look happy. You could tell from first glance that he liked her.

Hyunjin was the last to arrive and you could see why, he looked amazing. He was wearing a pair of navy blue cargo shorts with a black button-up, the first three buttons completely ignored. His hair was down and you were sure you'd never seen a more attractive man in your life.

You were the first one to go over and approach him. "Hi."

He chuckles. "Hey," he looks you up and down. "You look gorgeous."

"Thank you," you say, a small pink lighting up your cheeks.

"Aren't you going to say how beautiful I am too," he jokes, flipping his hair over your shoulder and making you laugh.

HYUNJIN: Listen to me, right. Her laugh is the most adorable thing a man could ever hear. I know I've only known her for like ten hours but I already know for sure that she's gonna be the girl I'll be chasing after.

"You do look really handsome, I must say," you compliment, untangling the microphone that's around his neck, grazing your fingers against his skin as you do so.

"Glad I could be of service," he smiles walking down to the others with you.

"Hey, sexy!" Layla shouts, whistling at Hyunjin.

All that Hyunjin does is smile over at her and give her a small "hey" before turning back to the guys and talking to them.

"Doesn't Layla look so good, man?" Mason says, biting his lip as he stares at her.

"I mean, yeah, she looks good but I wouldn't say she's the best-looking girl here," Hyunjin replies, thinking of you.

"Well, who takes your interest then?" Harry asks.

"I've got to say, y/n looks absolutely amazing tonight," he says, looking at you for a brief moment and then back at the other guys.

"She has a great butt but I wouldn't really say her face is all that great," Mason says. "I'm more of an ass guy though to be fair so I'd let her have it."

Hyunjin didn't really like Mason already, based off of that. Had he even looked at your face? You looked beautiful and he was sure that you always would. Oh well, more for him and less competition for you.

You, similarly to Hyunjin, were sat with the girls, discussing how amazing the guys looked tonight and sharing who you thought was the sexiest out of them all.

"I think Harry looks amazing," Hollie says.

"Of course you do, girl. We can all see how much you fancy him," you say.

"You're one to talk, you're practically drooling over Hyunjin," Rhia laughs, earning one from you as well.

"What about Hyunjin?" Layla asks, clearly only just paying attention to the conversation.

"Y/n fancies him," Rhia says. "don't you?"

Layla gives you the dirtiest look you've ever seen when she hears those words. You decide to play on her mind.

"Yeah, he's definitely my favourite here. He just manages to look so good all the time and I don't know how he does it."

"Well, I was talking to him before and I definitely think he likes me the most," Layla chimes, making Rhia chuckle.

"Whatever you say, babe," Rhia says, flipping her hair over her shoulder and taking a sip of her wine.

YOU: He likes her too? Honey, please. If there has to be a little war to win over Hyunjin then I will have no problems with doing that.

"Okay guys," Mason says, standing up in front of everybody. "Tonight, we're going to be playing the blindfold game. There are no rules. Do whatever you want. Kiss, feel, touch, smell. Anything. We just have to figure out who did what."

We all cheer and Mason declares himself as the person going first as he was the one who presented the game but you just have a suspicion that he's too horny to wait.

Mason places the blindfold over his head, covers his eyes and stands there, waiting for somebody to come up to him.

Layla stands up and walks over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him in for a kiss. His hands go around her waist as they attack each other's faces, tongues smashing against each other.

Soon enough, it was your turn to stand up in front of everybody and wait for someone to kiss you. Every ounce of you wanted it to be Hyunjin but you had a suspicion that someone would beat him to it.

As you stood there, you felt a pair of large hands place themselves on your waist and slide down to your ass. The man leans in and kisses you with some aggression, he grabs a handful of your butt and lets go, pulling away from the kiss as he did so.

When you think he has at back down, you remove the blindfold and look around, your eyes immediately darting to Hyunjin but he didn't seem to have a very pleasant look on his face. Were you really that bad at kissing? However, before you could point at him, you saw the huge red lipstick stain around Patrick's mouth and knew that it was him.

"It was you, Patrick, wasn't it?" You ask.

"How did you know?" he says, throwing his arms in the air.

"You're wearing my makeup," you laugh, placing the blindfold down on the table ready for the next person.

Hyunjin stands up.

HYUNJIN: God, I want y/n to kiss me. Stupid fucking Patrick beat me to it. Looks like there's a little competition here.

He places the blindfold over his head and waits. You see Layla stand up but you weren't going to let her take your chance away from you. You cut in front of her and grab Hyunjin's face, listening to the scoff she lets out before sitting back down. You pull Hyunjin close towards you and press your lips into his. He seems to enjoy the kiss and his hands go through your hair and rest on your neck, his tongue slipping into your mouth and wrapping around your own.

Soon enough, you have to pull away and sit back down before he notices who it could be. You could see the smile on Rhia's face and you turned at sat next to her and you were sure you had one yourself.

He removes the blindfold.

"Fucking hell," he sighs, licking his lips slightly.

He looks around the group and his eyes land on you. He points his finger at you, causing you to giggle and nod. A small grin breaks out on Hyunjin's face and it gives you a small sensation in your stomach.

He smiles to himself as he walks back to his seat and sits back down. He had a chance and he knew it.

After the party, it was time to have a little bit of free time before the nightly briefing. So, you being you, wanted a little bit of time to yourself and to just chill out before you went back and mingled with the group. However, whilst you were sitting on the bed you had claimed earlier, someone disturbed your peace.

Layla.

"Hey y/n," she says, sounding a bit snotty.

"Hey, Layla. You alright?"

"Oh, as if you care," she snaps. "All you want to do is pounce on other people's men. You can't take Hyunjin from me."

Was she being serious right now?

"Listen, all I did was kiss the boy I like. It's not my fault that you think he's attractive too. I guess he's just gonna have to choose between us because I'm not going to give up on him just because you like him. That's not how it works, babe," you say, standing up and walking out of the room, leaving her to her own devices.

Ironically, when you were heading to the sun loungers, you bumped into Hyunjin.

"Oh, hey y/n," he says, stopping you.

"Hi," you smile. He was so pretty.

"How are you? I didn't really get to speak to you for very long earlier," he asks.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just trying to find a quiet place for a few minutes," you reply.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll leave you in peace if you want."

"No!" you blurt, not meaning for it to be that loud. "I mean, no, you can stay."

He chuckles and says, 'Okay then'.

"So how are you liking the retreat so far?" You ask, sitting down with him opposite you, your legs grazing against each other.

"Yeah, it's pretty good at the minute. I have to say, I enjoyed the kiss earlier. It's just a shame it was in front of everybody," he admits, leaning into the conversation.

"Oh really?" you ask, raising your eyebrows and planting a smirk on your face. "How much did you like it?"

"So much," he whispered.

"I'll gladly give you a second taste," you say, biting your bottom lip.

"Bet."

Hyunjin leans in towards you and places his hand on your cheeks. He softly kisses your lips and waits for you to give him a hint that you want more. He slides his tongue along your lips, begging for entrance. Your tongues collide with each other, the kiss getting messier by the minute. You run your hands down his arms and pull away from the kiss, the two of you breathing heavily.

"You're way too good at that," he smiles, pecking your lips.

You giggle at him, pushing him away jokingly, your hand on his bare chest.

"You're so hot," he says, smiling at you.

"You're one to talk," you reply. "I just wish we could go to bed already."

You hoped he understood what you meant and by the look on his face, once he'd processed what you said, he understood it perfectly well.

"Just you wait."

YOU: [groans] Hyunjin is just so fucking dreamy. I just want to rip his clothes off. His body is to die for and his lips are just so soft. I could kiss him all day and never get bored. But hey, it's only the first day, who knows what could happen?

While you and Hyunjin were talking you heard a melodic chime from beside you and spotted a small cone.

"What the fuck is that?" Hyunjin says, a small chuckle escaping his mouth.

"Hello," the cone says. "I'm Lana."

The both of you say hi back to the cone you have never been more confused in your life.

"Welcome to your first night at the retreat. I hope the accommodations are to your liking.

"It's perfect, Lana. We love it," you say.

"I must say, you all are aesthetically pleasing to the artificial eye."

"Thank you, Lana. The same goes for you." Hyunjin laughs. "I love your cone."

"I must ask you to make your way to the cabana," she says before turning off.

We all gathered in the cabana, confused about what was about to happen. What was this cone and why did it talk?

The chime rings out again, making some of the girls jump.

"Hi. I'm your virtual guide."

"Hey, Siri," Mason says, clearly thinking that was the funniest thing in the world.

"Actually, my name is Lana," she says.

"Get told," you say, chuckling.

"Welcome."

"Lana is sounding kinda hot right now. She's very well-spoken, very polite," Harry jokes, making a couple of us laugh along with him.

"However," she says.

YOU: However? That is never good, especially on a dating show. What does she mean, however?

"You are not here for the reasons you may think. In the last twelve hours, I have been observing you, and learning about your behaviour. It has been most insightful."

"Alright," Hyunjin says. "She's a little weird."

"You have been specially selected as all of you are having meaningless flings over genuine relationships," she says. "The purpose of this retreat is to help you gain deeper emotional connections in your personal relationships."

"You'll have platonic friendships with women, basically," Harry says, a traumatised look on his face, making the other guys laugh.

She has to be joking.

"As an incentive to your development, I have included a grand prize of $100,000."

YOU: One hundred grand!? Okay, at first I didn't like her but she's starting to grow on me. Tell me more, Lana.

"What do you think we have to do to win?" You ask, everyone giving their own answers.

"If it's washing up or cooking, I might as well go home now," Mason says, laughing.

"However," she says. "There are conditions to your stay here."

"Oh, fuck, here we go," Hyunjin says, wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

"You will have to abstain from any sexual practices for the entirety of her stay."

HYUNJIN: Is she fucking serious right now? I've just met the hottest girl I've ever seen in my life and she's telling me I can't have sex with her. What is she gonna do next, tell me I can't kiss her?

"That means no kissing, no heavy petting or sex of any kind."

"Is she fucking serious right now?" you say, putting your hands over your face.

"This will also apply to self-gratification."

You have never heard a gasp so loud as in that moment. Why was she doing this to us? All we wanted to do was have fun and maybe one relationship could've come out of it but at the end of the day, it's our body, our choice.

"Right, okay. No sex of any kind," Hollie says.

Lana continues. "Money will be deducted from the prize for any sexual activity."

"No!" Patrick says. "I had a feeling she was gonna say that."

"Welcome to the retreat," she says, turning herself off again.

"Fuck you, Lana," you say as everyone collects their things and walks away.

YOU: If she thinks for one minute that I'm keeping my hands to myself for the sake of some money, she can forget it. I signed up for this show to have fun and wasn't going to leave with any money in the first place. Who gives a fuck?

It was time for everyone to get into bed. You had thrown on one of your lacy nightgowns that was perhaps a little too sexy for a retreat with no sex but oh well.

Walking into the bedroom was a challenge in itself, the smell of horny people just filled your nose and intoxicated your brain.

You walk over to the bed you had selected earlier in the day and get under the covers, waiting for your desired bed partner to walk in.

Soon enough, Hyunjin came through the door and his eyes immediately went to you, a smile breaking out on his face when he saw you waiting for him. You peel the blanket back so he can get comfortable and lay it back over him once he's sorted.

"Hey," you say, your voice a little quieter than usual.

"hey," he sighs. "These new rules are gonna be the death of me. I don't know how I'm gonna manage a whole entire month without touching you."

"Don't worry, we'll find a way. Who gives a fuck?" you say, earning a small laugh from him.

You feel someone staring into the side of your head so you turn to look at them and it ends up being Layla, a dirty look planted on her face as she sits in bed with Mason.

"What's her problem,?" Hyunjin asks you, quiet enough so she won't hear him.

"She likes you and hates the fact that I pushed in front of her earlier when we were playing the blindfold game to kiss you," you explain. "She argued with me about it before and she's absolutely furious that you're paying more attention to me than her."

He chuckles and rolls his eyes. "Of course, I'm going to pay more attention to you. You're the only one in here worth my time. Plus, you're the one I'm most physically attracted to which is helpful."

"Yeah, I suppose that's a good thing," you joke.

It was the morning and you woke up in Hyunjin's arms, your head buried in his chest and his hands placed perfectly around your waist. The lights automatically turned on, making you shut your eyes and groan.

"For fuck sake."

You hear a deep chuckle from next to you and realise that Hyunjin is now awake.

"How long have you been up?" You ask, smiling at him.

He places a hand on your hair and strokes through your hair. "Not long, I woke up just before the lights turned on."

"Me too," you groan.

"You are so gorgeous," Hyunjin smiles, looking down into your eyes.

"Stop it," you blush.

You didn't actually want him to stop. You had never felt this way about someone before, never felt this flustered at something so simple as a compliment.

"I'll only stop if you stop being so beautiful."

You giggle and hide your face in his neck. "Stop it!"

"Well, aren't you two adorable?" A voice calls from across the room.

"Shut up, Patrick."

YOU: I can't believe this place. I'm surrounded by horny people and I can't even kiss one of them. All I want to do is rip Hyunjin's clothes off and have a good time but stupid Lana won't let me do that.

inspo by @seospicybin

#skz #stray kids #straykids #skz x reader #straykids x reader #stray kids x reader #too hot to handle #hyunjin #hyunjin x reader #hwang hyunjin #hwang hyunjin x reader

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