#please do not pay attention to the fact that i cannot draw hands
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The Bet
Summary: Dustin cannot believe Eddie “The Freak” Munson has a girlfriend (as pretty as Galadriel, no less), and the boys seem to think the same. Max and Robin disagree, arguing that Eddie is, in fact, a catch. They decide to settle things once and for all through a bet.
Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader
Word count: 4,9k
Warnings: cursing
Notes: I'm absolutely in love with this one, it's honestly my pride and joy (at least so far). The idea for this one came to me during an Invertebrates class (should I have be paying more attention to the class? probably, but I did end up doing well overall in that subject, so). If you spot any mistakes, please feel free to warn me and I'll correct it right away, and feedback is always welcome and appreciated. I hope you truly enjoy this story.
This is part of a series, but most parts can be read as standalones (so far they are published in cronological order, but this will change).
Reader is female, but no physical descriptions provided (other than being gorgeous, that is!)
Next part | Masterlist | Read on AO3
“I call bullshit.”
“Dustin!” El exclaimed.
“There’s no fucking way you have a girlfriend!”
“Dustin.” El gritted her teeth “Don’t be mean.”
“What? I’m just saying” Dustin explained, completely unphased “that out of all the people sitting on this table, he is the least likely to have a girlfriend.”
“The same has been said about you and yet…” Max smirked in that sardonic way of hers, making the others laugh.
“Do not bring Suzie-poo into this!” the boy rolled his eyes, but his shoulders tensed in embarrassment.
Lunch time at Hawkins High was never a quiet affair. More often than not someone, most likely someone from their usual table (even more often than not that someone was Eddie), would be doing something rambunctious that would attract the attention of every other student in the cafeteria. They had all learned to ignore it and fully embraced their nerd/outcast situation, almost always wearing their Hellfire Club t-shirts. Today, Dustin was the one drawing attention to them, fervorously denying what he had just been told.
“Come on, people.” he opened his arms, gesturing around the table “Let’s face it. Other than Mike, Lucas and I, who already have girlfriends, the most probable person here to get a girl would definitely be Robin.”
“Ouch, Henderson,” Steve punched the boy next to him on the shoulder, with a little more force than necessary “uncalled for. And besides, all she does all day is mope about Vickie, without ever making a move.”
“Uh, actually” Robin piped up “I just asked Vickie out, we’re gonna watch Letter to Brezhnev this weekend.”
Steve groaned, while Dustin’s face conveyed something akin to ‘I told ya’.
“Actually, Eddie, I’ve been meaning to ask, if this whole thing between me and Vickie does work out, can I bring her to one of our sessions?”
“Be my guest.” the man, who was currently being talked about as if he wasn’t even there, answered, his smile never weavering.
“Guys, we’re losing focus here.” Dustin clapped his hands “Let’s get back to the matter at hand: Eddie, your so called girlfriend.”
“What about her?”
“Tell us more about her.”
Eddie’s smile grew impossibly bigger.
“She’s everything my humble heart could ever ask for.”
“Humble, yeah, right.” Steve scoffed, earning him a slap on the back of the head from Robin.
“She is immeasurably intelligent, infinitely kind and would never hesitate to help those in need. Not to mention, she is the most beautiful creature to have ever walked this Earth.”
“How beautiful are we talking?” Lucas asked.
“Galadriel level of beauty.”
A bunch of ‘wow’s and even an impressed whistle, courtesy of Robin herself, sounded from the group.
“What does that even mean?” asked Steve. Dustin narrowed his eyes at the older boy and didn’t even bother with an answer, before addressing his DM again.
"Bullshit! What’s her name?”
Eddie’s once dreamy smile turned mischievous.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Dustin scoffed.
“There is our answer. You are making her up.”
“No, I’m not.” Eddie said, a strange calmness in his voice.
“Yes, you are.”
“Why would I make her up?”
“I dunno, you are our DM, you literally come up with the most creative stories as a hobby, which, might I add, might as well be your side job at this point!”
“Why have you never introduced her to us?” Eleven asked, only slightly offended that her new friend hadn’t deemed them worthy of knowing the inner mechanisms of his private life.
Some people shook their heads in agreement.
“She works at the time of our campaigns.”
“How convenient.” Lucas exclaimed.
“If you really want to meet her so badly I’ll bring her around some day.” Eddie shrugged.
"How about this?” Dustin lowered his voice conspiratorially “10 bucks she’s made up and you’re bullshitting all of us.”
“Dustin!” Max hissed.
“I’m in.” Lucas said.
“Lucas!”
“Guys, don’t you think this is a little… cruel? Making a bet at someone’s expense?” El hesitantly pointed out.
Everyone looked in Eddie’s direction at the head of the table, whose face didn’t give anything away.
“Nah.” all the boys, excluding Will and surprisingly including Eddie, said.
“I’m with Dustin.” Mike said, to which El glared at him “What? Easiest money I’ll ever make in my life.”
“Make it 20 that not only she’s real, but she’s also gorgeous.” Robin chimed in.
“Thank you Buckley.” Eddie bowed his head at her.
“Seriously?” Steve almost shouted.
“What, Eddie is a pretty nice guy. If I wasn’t into…” she trailed off, glaring at Steve next to her as he mouthed the word ‘boobies’ “other things,” she emphasized “I’d definitely date him.”
“You are so on, Rob.” Steve indeed shouted this time “You’re going down.”
“El?” Mike asked his girlfriend.
“I don’t know. I’m not really comfortable doing this.”
“Me neither.” Will agreed.
“I’m with Robin on this one.” it was Max's turn to say.
“Alright!” Eddie grabbed a pencil and a rumpled sheet of paper (math’s homework, they noted) “It’s two against four: Buckley and Mayfield vs Harrington, Henderson, Sinclair and Wheeler. Should I mark 20 bucks for everyone?”
The boys, who originally opened the bet at $10 each, all agreed.
“So that makes the final prize a total of… $120.” he eyed all the people on the table with a mysterious grin, his voice morphing into the one he used while performing as Dungeon Master during their campaigns “Do you, my mighty Fellowship, accept this challenge?”
Everyone looked at Dustin, the one who had come up with all that mess, to seal their next step. He stood up and extended his hand for Eddie to shake.
“Hell yeah.”
“I’m telling you, there is absolutely no way in this world, and in the Upside Down, that Eddie is telling the truth.”
Dustin was leading the group around downtown Hawkins on their way to the movie theater for a showing of Top Gun.
“Dustin, man, don’t you think this is going a little too far?” Will asked, a worried look crossing his features.
“I mean, why does he feel the need to lie to us like that?” Lucas interrupted “Not having a girlfriend is not something to be ashamed of.”
“Tell that to Steve.” Dustin smirked, high fiving his buddies, to which El, Will and Max rolled their eyes.
“Maybe because he isn’t lying?” Max said, crossing her arms, annoyed “Has that ever crossed your minds? And that maybe he hasn’t introduced her because you are simply too immature to handle it?”
Mike, Lucas and especially Dustin had the decency to look sheepish for a fraction of a second before diving right back on their shenanigans.
“I mean who in their right minds would date Eddie of all people?” Dustin changed the subject, making Max wave her arms incredulously, giving up.
“Why is it so hard to believe someone might be interested in Eddie?” El asked, half trying to defend her friend and half genuinely curious.
“Well, for one he’s an outcast.” Lucas said.
“So are we all.” Max retorted.
“He’s a freak with a very peculiar set of interests.” Mike gave his input.
“That doesn’t really mean anything, we all enjoy D&D and rock music as well.”
“And he’s on his way to have to do the senior year for the fourth time.” Dustin finished.
“Oh, come on, give the guy a break!” Max snapped “You know what he went through this year, it kinda makes sense that school wasn't his top priority.”
El nodded, agreeing.
“Besides” she said, a tilt to her head indicating she actually meant it “Eddie is a really nice guy and anyone would be lucky to date him.”
“Would you?”
“Would I what?”
“Date Eddie.” Mike told her “Would either of you date Eddie given the chance.”
Eleven and Max shared a look, not even hesitating before they answered.
“Yes.”
“Absolutely.”
“What?!” the boys asked in disbelief.
“He’s a really nice guy!” Max said, linking arms with El.
“He’s really funny.” El complemented, adding a skip to their step.
“And he’s pretty good looking.”
“His hair is cool.”
“And have you seen his tattoos?”
“He’s bitchin’.” El finished, smiling.
Mike and Lucas looked at each other, only slightly worried, while Dustin scoffed, shaking his head in disappointment.
Arriving at the theater, they went to buy the tickets.
“Okay, let’s entertain this crazy idea for a second and say she is real.” Dustin simply couldn’t let the subject go “What do you guys think she’s like?”
“Like him to some degree, otherwise they wouldn’t be together.” Lucas rushed in “They have to have a lot in common.”
After a moment of silence Mike spoke up.
“I could see Eden dating him.”
“Eden?” Dustin asked, perplexed “Suzie’s older sister? When did you- you know what? I don’t even wanna know.”
“But she’s dating Argyle now.” Will pointed out.
“True.”
They finally arrived at the snack booth, a familiar face behind the counter that they knew pretty well.
“Hey, look who it is! My favorite person in the whole world!” Dustin called your name very enthusiastically, a gigantic, very dramatic smile plastered on his face while he leaned his forearm over the counter “Whats up?”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Henderson.” you rolled your eyes, already used to the boy’s behavior.
“But why?” he whined, head thrown back dramatically “You always give El an extra piece of candy every single time, how come she’s your favorite?”
“Whaaat? I do no such thing.” you retorted, sending a conspiratory wink in El's way “Even suggesting that is an offense to my honor.”
“Ugh, I’m so sorry, miss ‘do-no-wrong.”
You giggled. No matter how much it seemed to annoy you, you absolutely loved those kids and would do everything for them.
“Same as always?”
“You know us too well.” Mike answered.
While you went about preparing the kids’ snacks, they (read Dustin, Mike and Lucas) quickly created a game out of people watching, much to the annoyance of the rest of the group.
“What about her?” Lucas pointed out a girl, plain clothes and nothing truly remarkable about her appearance.
“Nah, they don’t seem like they really match.” Mike countered back before pointing to a stuck up looking girl who seemed annoyed to just exist “How about that one?”
The other boys looked the girl up and down before shaking their heads.
Dustin perked up when his eyes landed on someone coming out of a showing of Poltergeist II.
“What about her?!” he pointed out a woman in darker clothes, excitement lacing his voice “She seems like she would be perfect for him. Look, she even likes horror films!”
Max rolled her eyes so hard they almost popped out of the sockets.
“If he was interested in older women he would be drooling over Mike’s mom.” the corner of her lips lifted in a tiny smirk “How did you describe her? ‘Smoking hot like chicken wings’?”
Mike’s face turned red as he turned to face Dustin.
“What did you say about my mom?!” his next move would have surely resulted in an immeasurable amount of pain for Dustin (and probably a trip to the hospital) had you not intervened at that very moment.
“Alright! Here you go.” you started putting the snacks over the counter “Three large popcorns, one with extra butter, two large sodas, two medium sodas,” you then proceeded to hand the items one by one “Blue Raspberry Airheads for Will, Cry Baby Tears for Max, Gummi Bears for Lucas, Licorice Rockies for Dustin, Watermelon and Cherry Nerds for Mike and last, but not least, a packet of Spree for El.”
As you were sliding the packet towards El, the girl noted that you had given her a Caramello bar, hidden under the other candy. That had been something you had been doing ever since she had first stopped by the theater you work at; she had been mesmerized at the assortment of sweets on display and simply could not choose one. You had overheard her telling her boyfriend that she had never tried any of those, and you had made it your life’s mission to give her as much candy as you could without getting busted by your boss just so she could figure out her favorite kind. So far, nothing had beaten Spree. She smiled at you, grateful for what you’ve been doing for her.
“Hey!” Dustin also seemed to have noticed the interaction “I saw that!”
You and El looked at each other, suppressing a smile.
“Saw what?” Eleven asked, a deadpan look on her face that only made Dustin more exasperated.
After paying and balancing all their food, the kids started heading towards the movie rooms. As they were walking away you called after them.
“Good luck trying to defeat Lareth the Beautiful!” you waved and then added under your breath so they could not hear from the distance “You’re gonna need it.”
“Thanks!” they all responded in unison, not giving it a second though.
After a moment of playful banter, Eleven decided to address something that had been on her mind since they got to the movie theater.
“What about her?”
The others shot her a confused look.
“What about who?” Will asked.
She nodded her head back at the counter where you were wiping out fallen kernels and elaborated, though it ended up sounding more like a question.
“As Eddie’s girlfriend?”
The boys who were in on the bet looked at each other before bursting out in hysterical laughter.
“Her?!” Lucas sputtered out “Dating Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson?! Seriously El?”
“Little Miss Perfect, Goodie-Two-Shoes over there?” Dustin added “Who works at the nursing home during the week and volunteers at the animal shelter every other weekend?!”
“There is no way!” Mike doubled over.
“Never in a million years!”
“Absolutely not!”
El looked towards Will and Max for support, who only shrugged, as if having given up discussing the subject. But she didn’t miss the quiet look of agreement she saw crossing their faces.
On the other side of town, a similar conversation would take place only a few hours later.
“I’m telling you, Rob” Steve said, placing a recently returned copy of The Empire Strikes Back in its respective place on the shelf “if I can’t keep a girl interested in me for more than a week, there’s no way Munson has a girlfriend!”
Robin hummed, rearranging the collection of Planet of the Apes in the correct order.
“That’s not saying much, you know that, right?” she snickered.
He rolled his eyes at what she was implying.
“Let the guy be, Steve.” she moved on to the next row “If he says he has a girlfriend, then he has a girlfriend. I don’t know why it’s so hard to believe that.”
“We go to the same school as him, right? I don’t know if you noticed but girls aren’t exactly throwing themselves at him.”
“I don’t know if you noticed, dingus, but he’s almost three years older than us. He’s supposed to have graduated by now. I’m pretty sure his girlfriend was in his original class or something.”
“But we were freshmen when he was a junior!” he threw his arms up “I’m pretty sure we would have noticed if he started getting cozy with someone!”
“Steve,” the girl gave him a sad, almost resentful smile “you didn’t even notice me before we started working together last year. You only had eyes for Nancy.”
Steve was quiet, for he knew she was right.
“That and you let those two dickheads Tommy and Carol infiltrate your mind and hypnotize you into becoming a jock!” she tried lighting up the mood, knowing she had hit a sensitive spot for him, which seemed to work as he chuckled.
Their bonding was interrupted by the sound of the little bell over the door, signaling a new client had just come in. Robin started the whole customer service speech while walking slowly towards the counter.
“Hi, welcome to Family Video, how may we help you?” she stopped short once she realized it was you “Hi! Oh my god, I haven’t seen you in a while, how are you?”
“Hey, Robin! I’ve been good, a little busy but what’s new?” both of you giggled, Robin with a bit more flare than necessary.
Steve watched the interaction with a strange kind of fascination.
“What can I get for you today?”
“Let’s see…” you tapped your chin, deep in thought before asking with a hopeful tone “Is Lady and The Tramp available?”
“I got it!” Steve typed it down on the computer “Lucky for you, m’lady, it is.”
Robin stared at him as if he had grown a second head while he retrieved the tape.
“Can I get a second one? I really wanted to watch The Three Caballeros, but I think it’s kind of mandatory to watch Saludos Amigos first.”
The girl checked in and sure enough, it was available. While she checked you out, Steve was busy putting your tapes in a bag.
“Make sure to drop by more often.” Robin said “It’s been so long, we have to catch up eventually!”
“Yeah, come hang out with us sometime!” Steve added, immediately wincing at his own lack of subtleness.
“Will do.” you waved at them and walked out of the store.
Robin slowly turned towards her friend.
“What was that?”
“I don’t know! I kind of panicked!” he rubbed a hand over his face “Who was that anyway?”
“Duh,” Robin stated your name “only the smartest, sweetest and most beautiful girl in school in forever? Straight A’s, always super nice to everyone, incredibly well dressed, kind of a nerd, but no one gave her too much of a hard time?”
Steve continued to stare blankly at her. She sighed, giving up.
“I had the biggest crush on her in sophomore year while she tutored me in math, but she left the following year and I almost flunked without her help.”
Steve shrugged, not really remembering you at all.
“Now that I come to think of it, she used to hang out with Eddie quite a lot back then.”
“No!” he stared at the door you had recently left through “Do you think…?”
“I don’t know!” she shrugged, a seemingly victorious smile spreading across her face “Maybe?”
They stood in silence for a second.
“There is no way a girl as sweet and as hot as her would be interested in Munson of all people!”
“Come on, Steve, that’s so mean!”
Almost a month had passed since that fateful lunch break. Lucas and Mike eventually settled down and forgot about the whole ordeal, but Steve and, especially, Dustin were relentless. Everyday they would bring up the subject of Eddie’s girl, to the point where the other members of Hellfire Club were starting to get annoyed.
“So, Eddie,” Dustin started accusingly, “where is that imaginary girlfriend of yours today?”
Everyone groaned.
“How many times do I have to tell you this?” Eddie rolled his eyes and rubbed both hands down his cheeks “She’s working!”
“At night? In the middle of the week?” Steve added, suspicion is his voice.
“She’s fresh off training so she gets the worst shifts.” Eddie explained, getting kind of tired of the matter.
“Hey, Steve?”
“Yeah, Henderson?”
“You know what that sounds to me?”
“What?”
“A bullshit excuse!” Dustin shouted, pointing his finger in Eddie’s face.
“Uhm excuse me.” a voice sounded from the end of the table “If you two old ladies have finished your daily 3 pm gossip over the window, can we go back to the game? How are we supposed to defeat Lareth if all you do is bicker all day long?!” Erica, who occasionally joined the party if she didn’t have too much homework, piped up, annoyed.
Dustin mumbled, clearly not done talking about it, when an idea struck him all of a sudden, making him punch the table, rattling all of the metal figurines.
“What the fuck was that for, Dustin?!” Max asked, startled, a look of angered surprise on her face that matched that of almost everyone there.
“S-sorry.” he answered, only slightly embarrassed “I-I’m just- excited to maybe finally defeat Lareth?”
He winced, not sounding the least bit convincing even to himself, but the others seemed to have bought it for now.
After the game, in which they hadn’t, in fact, managed to defeat Lareth the Beautiful and frankly almost got all killed trying to do so, Dustin pulled Erica aside, out of earshot from the others, especially Eddie.
“What do you want?” she hissed.
“I need a favor.”
“What makes you think I’d help you?” she crossed her arms petulantly.
“Please?”
She sighed and nodded for him to go on.
“I need you to spy on Eddie for me.”
“Uh, why?”
“We have a bet. He says he has a girlfriend, I think it’s bullshit. Steve, Mike and Lucas agree with me, while Robin and Max, the fools, think this girl is actually real.”
“And what do you need me for?”
“Follow him around, I don’t know. He would never suspect, you’re not part of the bet. Just try and prove that he’s actually lying to all of us”
She thought for a long moment.
“What’s in it for me?”
“What?” he squeaked.
“What’s in it for me?” she repeated with a smug expression “What do I get out of helping you?”
Dustin sighed.
“You can keep my share.”
Erica’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped open.
“Honestly? At this point I just want to prove I’m right. Join in, make the total amount larger and you can keep both yours and my share of it.”
She extended a hand for him to shake.
“It’s a pleasure doing business with you.” and she skipped away to catch up with Lucas.
Dustin hadn’t heard from Erica since their conversation and his faith in her was beginning to waver. A couple more weeks went by before the girl finally joined the Club once more.
“Eddie.” was the first thing she said the minute she sat down in front of the board game “I heard there is a bet of sorts going around.”
“Yes there is, Sinclair the Second.” the man answered and, having a feeling where the conversation was going, grabbed the paper he previously wrote all the names (and it looked somehow even more crumpled than before).
“I’d like to join in.” she said, a large grin on her face.
“It’s $20 per person-” Eddie started explaining before she cut him off.
“Actually I’d like to add 30 bucks.” she said decisively.
Most people around the table looked at each other, impressed and apprehensive at the same time. Dustin on the other hand, nodded victoriously towards his buddies.
“Alright, I have to admit you’re bold, Sinclair the Second.” Eddie did the math “So that increases the final prize to $150. Which side are you joining?”
Erica looked towards Dustin, who discreetly nodded at her.
“I think she’s real.”
Dustin’s jaw dropped.
“Wh-aat?!” his voice cracked from surprise.
“I just don’t see why Eddie would lie, that’s all.” she shrugged nonchalantly.
Dustin shot her a murderous look while Eddie scribbled down her name alongside Max and Robin’s.
“That sure is a good thing. Because she was just talking about requesting to change shifts with a coworker who’s said something about wanting to take more care of his cat during the day.” Eddie finished writing with a flurish “So you might get to meet her pretty soon.”
“Yeah, right.” Lucas snickered, which prompted an elbow to his ribs from Max.
The game proceeded without much hitch after that. After the fiasco that was trying to defeat Lareth the Beautiful the last time everyone was a little apprehensive in trying to take him out again, that was, if they could even find where he lived. But, in a move of sheer luck, Eleven managed to figure out his hideout after scoring 17 while searching an abandoned moathouse. Now all they had to do was attack.
“But I must warn you, my fellow adventurers,” Eddie spoke, his low voice smooth and mysterious while his eyes roamed the face of everyone in the room “every action has consequences. Think through before you strike, for you might not come out of this alive.”
El, who had been feeling brave after a succession of favorably high rolls (which may or may not have had something to do with her powers when she felt she was going to score too low, but you’d never get that out of her as long as she lived), decided to speak up.
“I say we go for it.” everyone stared at her wide eyed “What? We had a lot of time to prepare, everyone has their health full and all their best weapons… we already lost once, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“She’s right.” Lucas agreed, grabbing the dice “Who wants to start?”
“I will.” Steve decided “I’m the weakest of us all, that way if something happens to me you still have a chance to escape and get stronger.”
“No, Steve.” Robin argued.
“No one gets left behind.” Max concluded “I’ll go first.”
“No, I will.” Mike tried ripping the dice out of Max’s hands.
“Come on, let me go first.” El tried to speak, but suddenly the metal doors squaked open, silencing everyone in the room.
Shyly, someone poked their head inside.
“Hey!” you spoke from your place by the door “I hope I’m not too late?”
Eddie practically jumped out of his throne.
“Sweetheart!” he boomed, opening his arms “You are just in time! They are just about to face Lareth the Beautiful.”
“Again?” you asked, fully stepping inside the room.
“For good this time.” he answered with a mirthful smirk. “What are you doing here?”
“Mrs. Johnson let me off earlier from the nursing home. I managed to swap shifts with Mateo, so now I can come to your campaigns!”
Walking closer to the table, everyone gawked at your sudden appearance. You stopped beside the DM’s throne, but Eddie was quick to pull you sideways into his lap, where you landed giggling like a maniac. Turning your head over your shoulder, you pressed a light peck on his lips.
“No way…” Lucas gaped, shaking his head.
“Yes way.” Max retorted, nodding mesmerized.
“Hah!” Robin slapped both her hands on the table, pointing a finger at Steve in front of her.
Confused, you stared at Eddie, whose smile has never looked more smug.
“What is going on?”
“It is you?!” Dustin stood up so quickly his chair scraped on the floor before tumbling backwards onto the floor.
“Is what me?”
“You’re his girlfriend?” Steve started in awe, feeling a tiny pang of hurt on his chest.
“Uh, yeah.” you nodded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“How?” Mike all but shouted, Eleven smiling triumphantly at his side.
You and Eddie shared a look.
“You know, Wheeler,” Eddie started, smirking “when two people love each other-”
His speech was interrupted by a chorus of repeated ‘woah’s, Steve rushing to cover Erica’s years, Robin doing the same for El, all the while you chuckled at your boyfriend’s antics .
“There are children here, man.” Steve hissed.
“No, I mean it.” Dustin shook his head in disbelief “Why are you dating him ?”
“I told you would never believe me.” Eddie explained.
Your laughter turned into a dreamy smile.
“Eddie is such a sweetheart. He’s charming, he makes me laugh. And I know I can always count on him no matter what. I know he’ll always be there for me.” you beamed softly at him, before turning back to the party, a playful grin on your face “And it doesn’t hurt that he’s incredibly attractive.”
Dustin made a gagging noise while Eddie playfully flicked his hair over his shoulder.
“I mean, who could resist my witful charms, Henderson?”
Erica turned towards her brother, Dustin, Mike and Steve, a proud look on her face.
“Pay up, losers.” she made a come hither motion with her hand “I believe the four of you owe us $50 for each of us.”
She high-fived Robin and Max.
Dustin stared at her, a look of betrayal taking over his features.
“You agreed you’d help me.” he accused.
“No” she said matter-of-factly “I agreed to spy on Eddie for you. And I did.”
Eddie let out a fake gasp, holding an offended hand over his heart.
“You asked Sinclair the Second to spy on me?!”
Dustin held a hand up.
“That’s besides the point.” he turned back to Erica “What happened?”
“I spied on him, just like you asked. And what I found was the both of them” she nodded her head in your direction, where you were still draped over your boyfriend’s legs “being all lovey-dovey with one another. Y’all are just too dumb to see it.”
Dustin shook his head as if he still couldn’t believe it.
“Now that we’ve gotten this out of the way” Eddie’s voice suddenly shifted to the one he used as Dungeon Master “are you ready to take on Lareth the Beautiful once and for all?”
Everyone around the table shouted words of agreement and encouragement, including you. Dustin quickly grabbed the dice, ready to go first. He raised his arms, hands cupped around the dice, and started shaking them. Every member of the club, and now you, stared at him in anticipation, before he hesitated.
“Seriously, though, what do you see in him?”
“Dustin!”
#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x you#eddie munson x female!reader#eddie munson x f!reader#eddie munson fluff#eddie munson fanfic#dustin handerson being a little shit#stranger things fanfiction#stranger things fanfic
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His Diamond: Chapter 7 (Anthony Bridgerton x plus size!fem!reader)
✨Masterlist✨
✨Previous Chapter✨
Y/n needed to be alone, if only for an hour or two. She woke up before Anthony, carefully removing his arm from her waist. Y/n grabbed her coat and slipped shoes on.
While she was sneaking out, Benedict had spotted her, "Y/n, are you alright?"
Y/n turned to face Benedict, "Rough night, I need to clear my head. I'll be back soon." She left to the stables, taking a horse and mounting him. She missed riding.
After she left the property with her horse, she guided the horse to the woods she and her in-laws played in as children.
The ride was going smoothly, Y/n's mind was elsewhere, thinking about the night before. She wasn't paying attention and a squirrel spooked her horse. Y/n gripped the reins in an effort to calm and control the horse, but she was thrown from the horse. A harsh, dull pain grew at the back of her head before she slipped away.
Anthony rolled over, he woke up from feeling Y/n's absence in their bed. He sat up and rubbed his face, he wished he could take back everything he had said to her in his study the night before. Anthony was ready to apologize, make her feel important.
Anthony walked into the drawing room, only in his pants. He found Colin and Benedict in the drawing room, "Brothers, have either of you seen Y/n, my wife, this morning?"
Benedict bit his lip, "I saw her a few hours ago, she wished for space and she took a horse. I am sure she is just fine, she should be home soon."
Anthony's stomach dropped, he had a bad feeling that she was, in fact, not fine. He simply nodded to his brothers, exiting the room. He threw on a white shirt and riding boots, racing to the stables. While mounting his horse, he gave the horse signal to run, steering his horse to the woods they played in as children. Y/n always went there when she was deeply upset, even after she was no longer a child. Anthony was angry with himself that he was the cause of such pain, this is exactly what he had been trying to avoid.
Anthony saw a red fabric on the ground, and he noticed h/c locks. Dismounting from his horse, Anthony was heartbroken to find Y/n incapacitated. He gently scooped her up in his arms and managed to mount his horse once again. As she leaned against him, Anthony held her to his chest and raced home.
Guiding the horse to the steps of the back Aubrey Hall, Anthony screamed, "Help! Mother! Help!" He was panicked, he didn't know what to do to make this better.
Violet came racing out of the house, "Anthony, what happened?" She saw Y/n passed out and called for the butler, "We shall need some help to carry her carefully." Violet wanted the upmost care for her daughter-in-law. She looked at her son, he bore the same look that he did when his father died.
Anthony started hyperventilating, "I don't know! She was in the woods, she's bleeding! She-she needs a doctor, please Mother!"
Violet led Anthony inside and up to his bedroom, "Benedict, call for the doctor! It's Y/n, it's urgent!"
Benedict quickly ran out the front door, hoping he could make it on foot to the doctor.
Violet helped Anthony place Y/n on their bed and make sure she's comfortable. She gently removed Y/n's coat as gently as possible, her hand getting blood on it when she touched Y/n's head. Violet kissed her daughter-in-law's forehead, whispered to her, "You'll be okay, dearest." She didn't know if Y/n could hear her, but she needed to think that Y/n could.
Anthony was at Y/n's side the moment his mother left it, he held her hand in both of his, "Please don't leave me, wake up and yell at me all you want, just don't leave me. I cannot lose you too." He kissed her knuckles, his hands shaking.
Once the doctor arrived, Anthony was asked to leave the room, he refused. The doctor took a look at her head, examined her eyes, then a few more minor checks of her vitals. He turned to Anthony, 'Would you perhaps know the last time she had her courses?"
Anthony thought for a moment, "No, she did not have one while on our honeymoon."
The doctor nodded, "She is one of my regular patients, and she has never missed her courses. She must be with child."
Anthony shook his head, "Will she pull through?"
The doctor looked at Anthony, "We will have to wait and see." He packed his equipment, "Do let me know if she wakes up, I will come check on her."
Anthony numbly mumbled, "Of course, thank you, Doctor."
Violet escorted the doctor to the front door, leaving Anthony alone with Y/n.
Anthony kissed her forehead, whispering against her skin, "I'm so sorry, my dear."
✨Next Chapter✨
Taglist: @unholyhuntress @faatxma @sarahskywalker-amadala @ilovechickenwings @m-rae23
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3. taxi
oh man, this one FOUGHT me y'all. so much cutting and pasting. I am not even kidding when I say that everything that happens in this chapter was supposed to be part of the last one, and I gave up and cut that one off early because I was sick of trying to finish this part. and now this is my longest chapter yet. you know, out of all three of them. at 1.3k. lol. I am not, how do you say, fast. but I was hoping I'd be able to get a chapter written over christmas, and I'm really proud of myself for finishing it!
Content warnings for this chapter: box boy universe, pet whump, dehumanization, cage mention, rampant classism. As always, please tell me if there's anything else I need to tag.
[masterlist] [chapter two] [chapter four]
“Okay I know they’re supposed to be expensive but what can you possibly be charging this much money for.”
“Adoption fees are to offset the cost of room, board and medical care while at the facility,” the employee parrots, without so much as the decency to look ashamed.
“He does not look like he has had literally any of those things while he’s been here. Or possibly in his entire life.”
“Ma’am, if you cannot afford the adoption fee, then you cannot adopt a Pet.”
“Oh, I can afford it,” Vanessa growls, handing over a very shiny credit card before her mouth can get her in enough trouble to stop the employee from taking it. She bites her lip until she tastes copper to keep from saying, I’d just rather put it towards something that isn’t blatantly and obviously going right back into Worldwide Rehabilitative Un-fucking-limited’s pockets despite the fact that this is supposed to be a goddamn government facility.
Harm reduction, she reminds herself. Paying extortionate fees to kill shelters is still harm reduction. It’s the unsavory truth, but it doesn’t make the blood in her mouth taste any sweeter.
“Sign here,” the woman says, handing her credit card back along with a digital pad and stylus, and Vanessa cracks her wrist before she takes them. It’s sore and snapping like a glowstick from the mountain of paperwork she’s already been made to sign since the employee unceremoniously hauled the man on the floor behind her down from his double-high-stacked wire crate. She can’t decide whether to consider it an obscenely large amount, or an obscenely little one for all that it represents.
She can’t think about it too hard. Can’t draw too much of her own attention to the fact that she’s really doing this, or she might just run screaming back out into the grey-tinted autumn afternoon, and then where would this guy be?
She scribbles her name on the touchpad, and just like that… it’s done.
—
“Don’t forget your leash and collar,” the employee reminds her.
“I won’t be using those,” Vanessa says, with all the imperious rich-lady self-assurance she can fake.
“You will if you don’t want to be liable for civil and/or criminal penalties up to and including the permanent forfeiture of your right to Pet ownership,” the woman drones like she’s rattling it off from a handbook, and nobody has the right to own a person but even Vanessa knows better than to argue the system with someone who literally works for it.
She grinds her teeth as she takes the lengths of bulky blue nylon from the woman. She crouches beside the man, who’s bent himself into an odd kneeling fetal position on the cold tile floor. “Sorry,” she whispers as she slides the coarse material around his throat, feeling his pulse beat harsh and rapid underneath. She hopes she’s being quiet enough that the employee won’t hear her talking to him like a person—because he is a person, goddamnit—but she knows better than to trust her own volume. Best if she can get the fuck out of here with him now, before she makes a mistake.
She really doesn’t want to lead this dude crawling down the street like an animal. Doesn’t want to imagine what people will think. But she asks him, “Can you stand?”, and he makes a sound like a choking dog, and so much for both their dignity, she fucking guesses.
“Ugh, fine, whatever, just… come on.”
—
Fuck standing, the guy can barely support himself on all fours. His joints threaten to buckle at every step as Vanessa urges him out onto the chilly sidewalk. Coat of dirt aside, he’s got nothing on him but a pair of boxers as filthy as he is and that godawful blue collar, and when his bare skin meets the frigid pavement his body clenches so hard she can practically hear his teeth slam shut.
She looks at the unwashed man before her, shivering hard enough to rattle his bones in the cold October air. Looks at her thick brown coat. Ugh, she likes this coat, the lining is stitched in in all the right places to keep the texture of the shell from making her want to climb out of her own skin and no amount of dry cleaning in the world is going to convince her to put it on again once it touches… whatever the fuck is all goddamn over this guy. She sighs and shrugs it off.
Fuck fuck fuck it’s cold. She’s shivering herself in just plain blue jeans and her second favorite Cure t-shirt. But a million “if you’re cold, they’re cold!” memes flash through her mind and she grumbles aggrievedly and drapes the wool coat over his massive, gaunt frame. This dude has like a foot on her standing, she remembers when the lapels will barely pull around his shoulders. She’s gonna have to shake Austin down for clothes.
God, it feels beyond fucked up to have a person on a leash, and it doesn’t help that the cheap blue nylon feels plasticky in her hand and she hates the texture. She can’t imagine how much worse it must feel around the throat of the shuddering man before her. She’s taking the damn thing off him as soon as she gets him home, she’ll get him a better one if Roselle can’t find her a loophole and she absolutely fucking has to, but when the fifth or sixth cab passes her by without even slowing down she starts to wonder how the hell she’s going to get him home at all.
—
“You want to go to the corner,” the employee says boredly, not so much as looking up from her newspaper when Vanessa shoulders her way back through the door.
“You what?” Vanessa echoes.
“The corner. Better if you go another block or two, even. Cabs don’t stop in front of the shelter.”
Of course they don’t, Vanessa thinks.
She hipchecks the door back open and returns to the stupid goddamn hitching post they so conveniently provide along the front wall of the shelter, where she’s awkwardly strung up the loop of the stupid blue leash. “Hey, uh, dude? I’m gonna go up the street a bit, okay, I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
He barely acknowledges that he’s heard her, curled back up under her coat in that same odd position with his forearms tucked into his chest. “...not that you would,” she adds dubiously, before power-walking away to the next block.
Vanessa hisses through her teeth in the bleak grey air and rubs at her goosebump-riddled arms, but true to the employee’s disaffected word it’s only a matter of minutes this time before a cab driver catches her wave and pulls over. “Thanks,” she says as she tumbles in. “I’m going back to the Heights. Need to pick someone up first, though. Just on the next block.”
The driver looks skeptical, but he rolls down the quiet street all the same—until he clocks the shelter just as Vanessa tells him to stop. “No. Nuh uh. No way. I don’t let Pets in my cab.”
“I’ll double your fare. Up front.”
The driver shakes his head, staring revulsed in the direction of the hitching post. “Not worth all that crud on my seats.” Oh. Great. He’s seen him.
“What if I cover the seats. Newspaper.”
The driver sizes her up with a calculating gaze, one elbow propped on the back of his seat, and somewhere in the middle of wanting to punch him for looking at her she finds herself wishing for once that she’d dressed… richer. Finally, he grouses, “Triple fare. And the meter’s runnin’ while ya cover ‘em.”
“Fine,” Vanessa spits, and sprints out with the door wide open before he has time to change his mind.
She barges into the shelter one last time, hopefully the last fucking time in her life if she has any say in it. Leaning over the counter, with a grin that’s probably a little too smug for her to be proud of, she snatches the newspaper directly out of the apathetic employee’s complicit hands.
-
taglist: @maracujatangerine @pigeonwhumps @tragedyinblue @marchtothefuckingsea @octopus-reactivated @briars7
#whump#pet whump#rescue whump#recovery whump#bbu#box boy universe#vanessa + juniper#disaster caretaker#imperfectly consistent#tw dehumanization#tw classism#I feel like I'm writing more plot than whump here#like I could be leaning way more into descriptions of what dude's experiencing but I'm just trying to get through all these fucking scenes#the not leaning into whump part is unsurprising but the concerning bit is that I can't actually write plot. at all#so if that's what's supposed to be holding this together then well. uh.#we'll see how that goes I guess lol#oh I almost forgot!#points to whoever catches my wru mention#it's probably not subtle lmao#I just wanted to do something a lil different#ps idk what the fuck happened to my section dividers#but tumblr seems to have retconned it into my previous chapters as well#so it's probably not something I can fix lmao#btw if it wasn't obvious. I've never been to nyc in my life and I have no idea how anything works including taxis#just pretend they invented box boys instead of ride shares I fucking guess#@ my ass writing a novel in the tags instead of writing. you know.#the actual novel
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Oh god you scared me.
How was your week? I'm guessing it's stressful, i hope you get better soon. I'm always here if you need to talk to someone about anything. Don't go hard on yourself! If you feel like you can't write or things like that you can obviously take a break. If you don't, maybe you can write something about taking care of a stressed Vander? Idk if that would help tho😞
this ask (T-T) thank you so much for sending this sal, i appreciate it. it's been a teeny, inchie little bit stressful, but getting an ask like this in the middle of it is as a good as a glass of water. don't worry, i'll be staying hydrated and i hope you will too, thank you so much for the request because you hit the nail right on the head so without further ado...
vander gets overwhelmed and has lowkey himbo vibes because he thinks a bonk on the head might solve his overthinking, but reader is stressed too. i had complete sensory overload while writing this so i have not edited this yet. reblog, reblog, reblog, and again, thank you so much for requesting this.
Vander huffs, leaning on the bar with a tankard in hand. The bar is closing up for the night, but he's not there to do it - no, actually, you sent him in the back for the remainder of the night after things got out of hand in the Drop's busiest hour.
The tankard slams hard on the coffee table and draws his hands up his face, into his hair, and then back down so the sharp cuts of his scruff stab his fingers when he breathes too hard. He wonders how sweet words and kisses over his forehead from a refreshing morning with you had turned to a sour, bristled night ending with none other than Vander himself initiating a bar fight that you had to break up. He grits his teeth and squeezes his eyes shut because it's embarrassing just to think about. It's not the fact that you had to bash him across the head with a tankard to get his attention.
"Hey."
There you are, opening the door with an elbow while simultaneously attempting to wipe your hands with a counter top rag, not the ones he tells you to use. He can't even scold you when there's some weak version of a flame in his chest fueling his embarrassment. He opts for staring at the fraying couch arm instead of words.
"Bar's empty, Benzo came 'round asking if you wanted to have drinks" you sit yourself on the opposite end of the couch on the arm, leaning on the thick cushions. "Told him you were mine for tonight, that okay?"
He huffs a sound, something dryly amused because where else would he rather be than swallowed up by the comfort of his own. He wants to rot in the embarrassment he's caused himself and he cannot be more thankful for you telling Benzo he was in for the night.
Vander's half paying attention. He doesn't see the way you frown at him or the way you ease off the couch and move around it to come near until you're sitting on the coffee table with a hand on his knee. He jumps and you withdraw your touch. He's surprised by your wide eyes directed at him, rather than the unamused glare he was expecting.
That's all you do for a second, both of you stare at each other until your hand stills in the air, halfway between you two, "is it okay for me to touch you?"
Vander chews the inside of his cheek, glaring at the couch and it pains him to shake his head. He's not sure how much he can take of you tonight, you're wonderful - beyond that actually, but everything is too much and you're- he's... words are a little hard for him.
But you can see it in the way he's stiff against the couch.
"That's okay," you stand up from the coffee table and move around it.
His eyes widen and you're stopped in your tracks by his hand curled around your wrist. His brows are knitted together and his lips pressed into a thin line, his words are clipped, "Don't leave." muttering a please that breaks in his throat.
Your fingers press and brush the inside of his wrist before you lean down to kiss his arm, keeping his gaze all the while, "I'm right here, Vander. I'm sitting over there, is that okay?"
His eyes flickers to the chair you've gestured to and you see his nose wrinkle. His features soften when he sees the upturn of your lips and he releases your hand, relaxing back into the couch cushions and watching you curl into a ball in the arm chair on his right that's too big for you. You're a vision of comfort and he leans his head back into the cushions while you both stare.
"Sorry about hitting you over the head," you prod the area on your head in the spot you clocked him earlier.
He shrugs, "Nothin' I didn't deserve."
Vander watches you curl your legs underneath yourself as you lean on the arm, closer to him. He turns his gaze because he doesn't want you seeing these feelings rearing their ugly heads. He needed that hit, he's convinced himself it helped calm him down and squints as he considers a second might be the hearty cool down he's missing.
"They really got to you tonight," your voice is still soft and he wants it to grate a nerve in him. He wants you to give him a reason to be angry at himself for his outburst tonight, but when he glances over at you he can't be.
Your cheek is squished against the frayed armchair upholstery and your eyes seem more like doe eyes than they ever have when you're staring up at him like he's hung the moon. He glances away and sees your mouth curl up and he wonders if you're deliriously believing he's hung the stars. Your eyes crinkle when your lips push into your cheeks and he swallows, maybe you're playing tricks on his heart.
"Why're y'stressed?" your nonchalance grates something in him and he throws his arms into the air and kicks the coffee table with the toe of his boot.
"Cause!" he snips, "It's pilin' up, shits been falling apart, the tankards need replacing, and I threw a couple of folks half way up the piltover bridge-" he rounds on you with fire in his eyes and he's standing to his full height across the room, kicking the fallen tankard and turning his back to you so he can run his hands through his hair. He swears up and down at everything including the fallen tankard to the accident he had when he cut his jaw shaving this morning.
"I'm exhausted and, I..."
He leans his head against the wall, away from you, and you sigh. He bites his lip and quietly scolds himself because he's being selfish, you're tired too and here he is complaining about all of this. He turns around, an apology on his tongue, but he doesn't get to face you because there's a cheek on his back.
He tenses and lifts a leg to see your socked feet behind his boots. You hadn't made a sound nor do you when you meet his eyes when he raises his arm and awkwardly bends his head to catch your gaze.
"Thank you for telling me." you offer yet another smile and it's only now that he can spot the droop to your eyes.
His lips part and that heated frustration in his chest, releases and unfurls seeing your kind smiles, "I've been stressed too. Thought I was the only one."
Vander turns around and cups your face in his hands, he rubs his fingers beneath your eyes that are only slightly sunken in because he forgets that keeping the bar open for an hour later doesn't only take its toll on him. You lean into the warm palms that cup your face and sigh, nuzzling your nose into their center and he draws you close, if only to let you curl against his chest and he watches you fully melt into him. Your shoulders sink and your fists curl into the fabric of his shirt. You shiver when his palm draws down the length of your back and he finds himself wrapping himself in you when he dips his head to bury his face in your neck. He pulls you off of your feet if only to keep you pressed to him and inhale your scent.
"I'm stressed too," he reiterates. Fingers press into your back, massaging and rolling the muscles there until you're moulding against him and nothing but an extension of himself when he moves the two of you to lie down on the couch, you ontop of him.
"You're not alone, Vander." you tilt your head up and stroke across his jaw, if only to get his attention and he melts into you, sighing and rolling you on your side so you're pressed to the cushions and his chest.
He presses his lips to your temple and rests there, sighing and curling his arms around your waist while you kiss whatever you can reach, his shoulder, his collar, and his neck. He nuzzles further into you and squeezes you in his ars.
"I know."
#the arcane x reader#the arcane vander#vander x reader#vander x you#the arcane imagines#the arcane oneshots#the arcane oneshot#vander imagine#vander oneshot#the arcane x y/n#vander x y/n#arcane x reader#vander fluff#vander angst#arcane angst#arcane fluff#arcane hurt comfort#i needed this#you don't know how much i needed this#vander is so nice#i barely finshed this because this checkmark draft thing kept popping up on the screen#guys im ike#whats teh word#overwhelmed??#oversensitive#overstimulated rn#completely overstimulated rn and do not feel like edititing bc oversensory sucks#but i hope you liked this#reblog#reblgo reblog reblog
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Down The Escape Hatch (Vore Story)
Me: *Shakes head and sighs as I enter the confessional, getting down on my knees and praying* “Forgive me father, for I have sinned.”
Priest: “Oh, surely it can’t be that bad! What is it?”
Me: “I-I-um...got obsessed with a new franchise and wrote a self-indulgent vore fanfiction for it.”
Priest: “Well I mean that doesn’t sound too bad, but what franchise was it?”
Me: “That’s just it, father.”
Priest: “...what?”
Me: “The franchise, it was...it was...it.............was.............” *whispering* “It was Beavis and Butt-Head.”
*There is a sudden sound of a glock being loaded as the pounding of heavy footsteps exiting the confessional draw near.*
“...some sins cannot be forgiven...uhuhuhuh.”
“WAIT NO, BUTT-HEAD WHAT ARE YOU DOING? NO NO NO NO NO YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS! PUT THAT GUN DOWN! BUTT-HEAD! PLEASE!”
“SHUT UP, BEAVIS!”
“OW!”
“Uhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh.....”
*BANG*
****
As was the usual on any normal day of his, Butt-Head was lounging absentmindedly on the couch, with absolutely zero complex thoughts bouncing around in his hollow, dust-slathered skull. Loosely held in his right hand was the remote for the TV, something which the habitually static brained teenager was barely even paying any attention to anyway, as he had, naturally, begun to doze off not too long ago. The local weather forecast endlessly blared its ambient haze of boring data and numbers (which may or may not have contributed a share to the situation), as Butt-Head’s semi-conscious form continued to breathe in and out, eyes closed with a thin trickle of drool swaying precariously from his mouth; all as per usual for the apathetic teenage boy.
The only thing that wasn’t usual for him, and that you have almost definitely picked up on by now, was the fact that, currently, his lifetime best friend Beavis was not by his side. Butt-Head knew where he was though, despite the fact he currently had no way of gaining conscious access to it, the mystery place in question being that of Highland High, where the two of them would (occasionally) go to school.
That particular day after the final bell had rung, the two boys had temporarily split ways, as Beavis had decided that he wished to use his newfound borrower form to chew through some of the wiring in the school’s electrical system. Maybe, just maybe, the resulting loss in power would leave them exempt from doing any work for a while without the risk of penalties, or pissing off Coach Buzzcut. The two hadn’t seen each other since. Butt-Head naturally assumed that Beavis would come back eventually, but unfortunately for the both of them, despite having been on a mission to specifically avoid such an outcome, poor little Beavis had still somehow managed to incur the borderline psychotic gym teacher’s wrath.
“BUTT-HEAD!”
As Butt-Head’s body was instantaneously rammed into a paralyzing state of sheer shock, the iconic, downright unmistakable voice of Beavis, who was still in his borrower form at this point, frantically and painstakingly squeezed his tiny form underneath the house’s front door before hectically stumbling onto his feet, and sprinting over towards the couch which occupied Butt-Head’s still stiff and stagnant form, whilst positively gasping and gagging for air.
Butt-Head’s brain had just barely managed to finish the process of contemplating what had just happened, as well as awaking itself to a somewhat functional capacity (as much as that concept is even coherent to the specific case of Butt-Head) before Beavis had made use of his non-retractable borrower claws to scramble all the way up his leg, past his classic AC/DC shirt, and screech to a halt square onto the top of his shoulder.
“BUTT-HEAD! BUTT-HEAD! YOU GOTTA HIDE ME! YOU GOTTA HIDE ME RIGHT NOW! RIGHT NOW!”
The downright terrified, hysteric teenager shrieked directly into his currently much larger lifetime best friend’s ear.
“BUZZCUT CAUGHT ME CHEWING THROUGH THE WIRES AND CHASED ME ALL THE WAY OUT OF THE SCHOOL AND DOWN THE STREET AND NOW HE’S APPROACHING THE HOUSE AND IF I’M NOT HIDDEN SOON, HE’S GOING TO LITERALLY KILL ME!”
Prior to this moment, all Butt–Head had been doing, was sitting on the couch. To such a sudden and grave situation as this, however, the poor teen just could not respond, at all. And as a result, all that came out, was, quite simply:
“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh………”
Butt-Head wouldn’t even be given a chance to attempt to respond properly, though, before the already exceptionally serious situation, (which may in fact, have been the one single moment in all his years of being alive, where his beloved Beavis’ life was in legitimate danger), would prove to become even worse.
“YOU CAN’T HIDE BEHIND THAT DOOR FOREVER, BEAVIS! I WILL GET INSIDE OF THERE, AND WHEN I DO, YOU’RE GOING TO WISH THAT YOUR CRACKHEAD FATHER HAD NEVER EVEN COME TO HIGHLAND TO “SCORE” WITH THAT SLUT MOM OF YOURS!”
A positively frothing Coach Buzzcut barbarically bellowed and raged while literally throwing his body against the door.
Forget any chance that both Beavis and Butt-Head had to resolve the situation in a logical manner (again, as much as that notion even makes sense in the context of these two), prior to this, as now, the both of them were merely acting on instincts. And Beavis’ instincts told him that he needed to get the fuck out of sight before Buzzcut managed to break down the door. As such, with literally no other options available to him, Beavis’ miniscule, frail Borrower body sporadically convulsed in terror as he desperatly leaped into the one single place where he would have any chance at escaping Buzzcut’s powerful, bloodthirsty hands: Butt-Head’s maw.
Beavis didn’t mind the saliva. Beavis didn’t mind the dental plaque. Beavis didn’t even mind the scraping, metallic touch of Butt-Head’s iconic braces against his legs and feet. No. All he cared about was that he was someplace safe. Safe, snug, soft, and as would prove quite comforting to the panicked, riled up borrower, warm.
Butt-Head on the outside was barely even able to sense Beavis within due to his own mental numbness, but his own instincts were still up and running just as normal, as that aspect of the brain’s functionality does not require conscious thought in order to work. As such, Butt-Head’s instincts were able to recognize what Beavis was trying to do. Though he could barely see it, the absent-minded teen still knew that Beavis’ borrower tail, (which possessed golden-tan fur similar to that of a Gerbil’s) was precariously dangling out of his mouth, where Buzzcut could easily see. As such, Butt-Head proceeded to slurp up the tail like a noodle, before fully closing his maw so that only his upper teeth and gums were visible to the outside observer (as they always tended to be).
Beavis on the inside was still shaking violently, and had at this point curled up into a fetal position on top of Butt-Head’s tongue. He attempted to raise up his head a little bit, only to find himself bonking his head upon the hard, rough ridges at the top of Butt-Head’s maw, thus causing him to immediately let out a rather loud: “OW!”
“Uhuhuhuh-Shut up, Beavis! You’re gonna give yourself away!” Butt-Head at last managed to say due to a combination of his brain having recovered to a point where he could once again form coherent sentences, and the fact he had forced Beavis to slide off his tongue so he may use the wettened muscle to speak without the cooped-up borrower getting in the way. This, of course, would only lead to the smaller teen to hit his back upon the flesh-covered yet still considerably solid form of Butt-Head’s lower mandible, barely avoiding getting his tail crushed between the larger teen’s molars as he closed his maw once more.
Crawling back up onto the slick, wet surface of Butt-Head’s tongue, barely managing to not slip off and land back onto the mandible whilst doing so, Beavis’ own brain, now that it had managed to get somewhere at least somewhat safe, was at last beginning to put two and two together. This place was cramped, easily opened, and overall, had a pretty high chance of leading to him getting caught in the end. Beavis would have started to “logically” consider any alternative option, before, of course, things took a turn for the worse, yet again.
As the door instantly burst down upon Coach Buzzcut giving it an FBI-style drop-kick, Beavis’ brain once again kicked into overdrive, leaving him, once again, only able to rely on his instincts. Having only just realized that he had practically backed himself into a corner by climbing into his lifetime best friend’s maw, and left with absolutely zero other places to go, Beavis scrambled forwards on his hands and knees using what little space he had within the confines of Butt-Head’s closed maw, before at last making it all the way to the back. He did have a slight moment of hesitation, but once Coach Buzzcut let out a guttural screech of rage upon at last having managed to enter the house, the instincts made the final decision for the tiny borrower. And the decision in question? Escape down the throat, lest literally get murdered by Buzzcut.
As such, though Buzzcut would have most likely just chalked it up to a gulp of fear if he had managed to see it, Beavis on the inside practically plunged his head deep into Butt-Head’s gullet, before reaching backwards to grasp hold of his uvula. One swift tug, and Beavis was gone.
Butt-Head on the outside was actually kind of shocked that Beavis would, indeed, choose to go that far, but he wasn’t exactly going to comment on it due to, one, still needing to hide Beavis, not give his location away, and two, he couldn’t really do so anyway, as, currently, he was……..well…….kinda being held up in a vice grip that only tightened further around his neck when he squirmed as a positively raving Coach Buzzcut inhaled and exhaled with a considerable amount of heaviness, and stared Butt-Head directly down his pupils while the enraged gym teacher’s own bloodshot gaze was narrowed, his teeth gritting down and grinding against each other, all in preparation for questioning.
Beavis, whilst being squeezed down Butt-Head’s esophagus by his powerful, rhythmic throat muscles, could somewhat feel Buzzcut’s grasp as well, the rough, callused fingers pressing down hard on the slight bulge Beavis was making in Butt-Head’s throat. Beavis literally convused from terror, knowing that if he wasn’t seperated from Buzzcut’s murderous hands by Butt-Head’s own skin and muscle layers, he most likely would already be dead. Trying to do his best to just focus on the pink, squishy walls squeezing in around him, Beavis began shaking violently as poor Butt-Head on the outside was forced to bear witness to an oncoming verbal onslaught of interrogation at the hands of Coach Buzzcut. Closing his eyes and tightening up his body, Buzzcut let out what could only be described as a low growl into the poor teen’s ear before the oral assault began.
“I’M NOT STUPID, BUTT-HEAD! I KNOW THAT BEAVIS HAS TO BE AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE, AND IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO TELL ME WHERE HE IS, THEN I’LL MAKE YOU TELL ME WHERE HE IS, YOU GOT THAT?”
For an obvious variety of reasons, not the least of which being that all that yelling on the part of Buzzcut had just plain and simply caused the poor teen’s brain to shut back down again, Butt-Head couldn’t exactly respond in proper. Rather, all that came out instead was but simply yet another empty-headed reply of:
“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……………”
“I DON’T WANNA HEAR NONE OF THAT BULLSHIT FROM YOU, BUTT-HEAD! TELL ME WHERE BEAVIS IS!”
“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……………………….”
“Oh you useless, idiotic bastard! WHY DID I EVEN BOTHER ASKING YOU ANYTHING?”
Literally tossing Butt-Head to the floor, Coach Buzzcut proceeded to bend down in front of the iconic pink couch which both troublemaking teens would nonchalantly laze upon almost every single day of their lives, before completely lifting the thing off the ground in one second flat without the slightest, without but a miniscule sliver, of problems.
Setting it back down upon realizing Beavis wasn’t there, Coach Buzzcut let out a frothing scowl as he took a couple of steps away from the couch and towards the TV, (that which had never actually been turned off when the whole situation began, and was still casually blasting its media), hauling up both it and the wooden stand it lay upon, before setting that, too, back down on the ground.
“GOD DAMMIT! HE’S GOTTA BE AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE! WHERE THE HELL IS HE?”
Completely unbeknownst to Buzzcut, Beavis, despite not being out of the woods quite yet, just couldn’t help but whisper to himself under his breath: “Heh. I’m right here, ya dumbass.” as he continued to make his way down the rhythmically squelching tunnel that was Butt-Head’s throat. He was just about ready to enter his final destination, and at this point, both Butt-Head’s shaky, staggered breathing, as well as his intense, thumping heart rate were clearly audible to the blonde haired borrower as the lower esophageal sphincter at last became visible to him.
Though Beavis’ brain just could not help but recognize just how similar the thing looked to a bunghole, he still knew he had to suppress his laughter, lest risk sabotaging his safety, as Coach Buzzcut was indeed still in the house.
Still, though he couldn’t get the hilarity of imagining himself getting squeezed out of a different sphincter into a different pool of water out of his head, Beavis still somehow managed to stick a half-decent landing, having pretty much done a whole summersault in the air, before finally splashing down into the harmless, sloshing pool of liquids within Butt-Head’s stomach, and violently shaking his naturally soaking wet body off as much as he could as such.
Meanwhile, on the outside, Coach Buzzcut had just about finished picking up and tearing apart every single inch and object inside of the problematic teens’ house, and upon making the discovery that Beavis was, in fact, under, on, or inside absolutely zero of them, practically began overboiling with rage. While shaking furiously and bunching up both of his fists.
“GOD DAMMIT I MUST HAVE TAKEN HIS BAIT! HE RAN ALL THIS WAY JUST TO THROW ME OFF AND JUKE ME! OH HE’S PROBABLY A MILE AWAY FROM HERE BY NOW, FUCKING SHIT!”
While Coach Buzzcut aggressively slammed the door to their house behind them but a few seconds after screeching out his final roar of rage, (that which actually caused a few shockwaves to reverberate their way through and across the walls and floors of the place), neither Beavis nor Butt-Head dared say a word for quite some time before the much larger teen at last managed to pick himself off the floor, sit his ass back down on the couch, and open up his mouth for the first time since having “responded” to Buzzcut in order to make sure his dear Beavis was okay.
“So, uhhhh…you comfortable in there?” he semi-hesitantly managed to ask.
Beavis on the inside had curled back up into a fetal position at this point whilst leaning slightly into the cushiony, churning walls. He had started shaking again now that he finally knew Buzzcut was gone, and was all and all greatly depending on the pillowy warmth of the surrounding tightened chamber belonging to his lifetime best friend in order to help calm him down.
“I uh-uh yeah! Yeah yeah! It's really nice in here! All warm ‘n stuff…” he eventually managed to stutter out to his much larger buddy on the outside whilst simultaneously giving him a couple of shaky internal pats.
“Uh, well okay Beavis, so like Buzzcut’s gone now, so do you want me to like-”
“What? N-n-no way, Butt-Head! I just got here! I just- I wanna stay down here for a while, okay?”
Though Butt-Head wasn’t exactly sure why Beavis was so adamant about staying put in his stomach, so long as it wasn’t hurting the little borrower and he was comfortable, the larger teen had pretty much no reason to object.
“Uhuhuhuhuhuh-okay.” he eventually relayed to his buddy inside his guts, before placing a hand on top of the tummy as such, just as one more layer of protection.
Back on the inside, Beavis was only now beginning to understand the true nature of the current situation at hand as it at last settled within him exactly where he was.
“Heheh-woah!” he immediately let out upon allowing his eyes to scan over the confines of the churning, gurgling chamber. He was indeed tucked safely away inside of the slick, soft stomach walls of his lifetime best friend’s stomach, lying comfortably in the harmless liquid pool sloshing around as such, and leaning up against the slimy, shifting form of the walls in order to calm himself down.
Despite the fact his body was still shaking from almost having been up and murdered by Coach Buzzcut, Beavis did had to admit, this was indeed, really cool.
At last letting out a bout of his iconic scruffy laughter as such, Beavis proceeded to give Butt-Head on the outside a few internal rubs in order to show his thanks while his larger friend on the outside reciprocated the laughter with his own.
Thus, the resulting scene the two troublemaking teens found themself in wasn’t actually very different from how they normally spent their afternoons. Butt-Head was sitting down comfortably upon the couch, staring blankly at the TV, whilst laughing uncontrollably along with his beloved blonde haired buddy. The only difference was, said blonde haired buddy wasn’t situated at his side and at his normal size as he normally was. Instead, the currently miniaturized teen had found himself tucked away inside the warm, gurgling confines of his lifelong buddy’s stomach, safe at last from all the outside world, but in particular, Coach Buzzcut.
Merely closing his eyes and allowing for his subconscious mind to take over the process of recovering from all the horrors of the day, Beavis’ iconic chuckling only persisted as his being began to drift off, both the rumbling and growling of the ever-churning walls of the stomach as well as the blaring babble being broadcasted upon the TV continuing to ring in his ears as he did so.
The very last thing Beavis was able to process before his laughter died down and he began to enter deep sleep was the sheer fact that despite Buzzcut being so adamant in his conclusion that Beavis wasn’t in the house, in reality, the uncontrollably bezerk, demented gym teacher had only been but a few skin and muscle layers away from ending the poor little borrower for good, and to Beavis, that was all he needed, the singular thought he required, in order to comfortably claim the last laugh.
#soft vore#safe vore#wholesome vore#willing vore#willing pred#willing prey#endosoma#extreme cuddling#protective vore#protection vore#vore story#vore stories#vore writing#human pred#human prey#gt vore#g/t vore#male pred#male predator#m/m vore#male predador#male vore#v.ore#v/ore#v0r3#vor3
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Ok so I'm bored and I wrote a first draft for my Papa 2 as a father angst/parody fanfiction and english is not my first langage so there will never be a second draft because I cannot correct myself in a langage I'm not fluent in, so uh let's just dump that here and wait for the publics' vote. Yeah. Here you go.
TW: blood (nobody harmed in the chapter), pressure to have a child
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How To Raise Ghost's Child
Chapter 1
When will you have an heir, Dante? Why is it that you still don't have any children at your age? You're the older one, Dante, it's time for you to produce an heir to the clergy. Your brother is too irresponsible to have a baby, but why do you still wear condoms with women? Why, who, when, Dante?
It pissed him off. As the second -well, third technically- Papa of a gigantic satanist church he had his fair of responsibilities and paperwork. All day long he would plan the next band tour, the meetings to write the songs and design goodies, the interviews for Alessandro, the taxes of all sorts. He really, really had other things to do than bend to Nihil's demands and produce a child with a random woman he wouldn't be attracted to. There was no point to that.
He forced his steps in the Ministrys’ corridors, a huge pile of important papers under his right arm, a cup of coffee in his other hand. It was quite late and he still had to send a dozen emails before calling it a day -may the Internet be alive. Most of the Siblings of Sin were already asleep in their dorms, the ghouls piled in theirs, and his brother must have been partying somewhere. Really, the weight of the church incombed to him alone and he could do a better use of his free time than changing diapers and caring for the mother of the potential child.
It was ironic of Nihil, really, to press him into having a child when he had no responsibility in the church anymore and never cared for him and Alessandro anyway except to turn them against each other. No, really, he had no use of a child and no time for it no matter what.
But… If he didn’t want to oblige Nihil… why was he feeling a growing void in his chest? What force made him stop before the childrens’ department in the stores he went to? Why had he felt his heart melt a bit -just a bit- at the sight of a baby in a carrier the other day? He had everything he needed to be functional, and yet he felt like he could have something more. Something with a deeper meaning than paperwork and coffee - and coffee was the love of his life.
I took him a very, very long walk around the Ministry until the first lights of the day, long after he had his job done, to stop his mind on a choice: he wanted a baby. And he, in fact, knew just the right person to ask that to.
*
Dante placed the last candle on the floor, on the tip of the pentagrams' branch. He rummaged his robes' pockets until he found his lighter, and set alight the meche.
He carefuly took a step back to admire his setup, paying attention not to burn his robes. The pentagram on the center of the chapel glowed warmly in the darkness, illuminating the cold stones of the floor.
It was the middle of the night, and no one would bother Dante in his private ceremony.
He rolled his long sleeves up above his elbows, grabbed the bowl of blood he left on a nearby bench and proceeded to splatter the half-coagulated liquid on the ceremonial drawing. He was quite pleased to see that no blood stained his clothes in the process; he wouldn't have to explain himself in too much extents if he were to meet someone in the early morning.
Placing the bowl back on the bench, he faced the circle of tightly written incantation and extended his arms widely. The silence of the chapel was almost painful near midnight and his own voice came as a relief:
"Oh Satan all mighty, You who gifted me with the reponsability of your Word. I give all my devotion to you, night and day, for you are the One and Only. Your Light bath me every day, and I am here before you to ask you to bath someone else with me in Your mighty light. Oh Satan all mighty, gift me a child. A child I could raise in Your name, a child I could take care of like you took care of me.
He felt a bit stupid, standing there and asking the void for a baby -Alessandro would never stop laughing at him if he witnessed that- but, he felt the force pushing him again and he finished his lithany: "Satan, please, give me a child."
He bended in respect and waited. Only the silence answered him, and the blood beating strongly in his ears. After a few minutes bended, his back began to hurt. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay still in the unconfortable position. Ten minutes later, no one had aswered him and his back was aching so badly he felt that maybe he would never be able to rise again. He began to loose hope. Satan was probably mocking him and telling him to get back to work.
He slowly rised, careful of his back, and rested his gaze upon the now dried blood and stained white pentagram. He felt tired. The flickering flames of the half-melted candles didn't help. He must have had a few hours only to clean his own mess, and he would definitly skip sleep. Cleaning, shower, coffee, back to another day of work trying not to feel like a complete fool.
He sighted and was about to turn around to fetch a bucket and a mop when flames suddenly bursted from the pentagram. Papa II took a step back, startled. He looked half anxiously half expectantly into the red and blue fire that consumed every bit of the dark blood.
When the fire finally went down and disappeared, it revealed an egg.
Dante suddenly felt so stupid. What was he still expecting? An actual baby? He asked Satan, and Satan mocked him. What a fool he had been.
He bent down, because he definitely didn't want anyone to find a damn egg the size of an american footballs' ball in the middle of the chapel, and softly poked the shell to check it's heat. Surprisingly, it was nicely warm and he lifted it with a little effort but no pain.
The egg loved into his arms felt… alive? It was soft, warm, it smelled good, it… had a heartbeat. It had a heartbeat! The 2nd Papa stucked his ear to the shell, trying to listen more carefully. It definitely was a slow but regular heartbeat.
He felt like crying. It was weird, it was unregular, it looked nothing like he imagined, but he asked for a baby and Satan delivered. Unblessed be He.
#I'll warn you now: I may never finish this fic#because when do you end a slice of life fic?#that's a mystery#anyway let's put some general tags below#ghost fanfiction#the band ghost#ghost b.c#papa 2#papa secondo#secondo emeritus#ghost the band#ghost bc#ghostb.c#How To Raise Ghost's Child
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Unprofessional
as promised, the MSBY manager AU 💕
MSBY Black Jackals x female reader
TW non-con, smut, gang-bang, nsfw(ish)
You second guess yourself, now that the Captain’s right here in front of you, fidgeting in your seat like a little kid sent to the principal’s office.
In all fairness, you were the one to ask him to come in early, figuring that it’d be easier to say what you needed to before everyone else arrived, rather than having it eat away at you while you waited for practice to end.
Yet under the scrutiny of his dark eyes, you wonder whether you should have just let it slide. At least for a few more weeks. Taking a formal complaint to the higher ups was a step too far, and you hadn’t wanted to bother the coaches this close to the start of the season for something so… trivial. Meian seemed like the better choice. He’d listen to you and be able to help; you trust the Captain and you know the team does, too. If he told them to back off, they would, you’re almost positive. But now that he’s here, there’s this nagging feeling of-
A hand touches your shoulder, and you flinch at the sudden contact, jerking back to the present.
“Hey,” he says, a slight frown marring his features. “Whatever it is, you can talk to me - don’t think I haven’t noticed you’ve been a little out of it lately.”
There’s nothing but concern in his eyes - no judgement, or irritation, and something inside of you eases just a fraction. This is Meian, right from the moment you signed onto the team - granted, only a few months ago - he’s done his utmost to make sure you’ve felt welcomed and part of the team.
You take a breath, offering him a small, tight smile. “I-it’s um, some of the guys- well a few, I guess…” your fingers twist in your lap, and Meian squeezes your shoulder lightly in response.
“Miya hitting on you, right? Getting a little outta hand?” he surmises.
And for a split second, you’re surprised. But really maybe you shouldn’t be. Miya’s the one who’s overt about it, drawling stupid, cheesy pickup lines whenever you walk in, slinging an arm around your side and dragging you close, all the winks and the innuendos about as subtle as a tank.
Of course Meian noticed, but that’s just how Atsumu is. He doesn’t bother trying to hide it because nobody but you seems to mind. And maybe, if that’s all that it was, you’d be able to grin and bear it, but it’s not.
“Yes and… no.”
His brows draw together. “No?”
Taking another deep breath, you begin to tell him everything. Miya’s incessant flirting, all the hugs and touches that fell just the wrong side of what you considered professional. They’re a tactile team, with one notable exception, and you understand that, but the way Bokuto, Hinata and Miya feel comfortable just grabbing you and dragging you around, interrupting you in the middle of whatever task you’re doing to make you pay attention to them is a little alarming.
And then there was the incident last week, when Inunaki had caught you smiling at your phone during their cooldown and called you on it, which drew the attention of the rest of the team - only to have Bokuto snatch it out of your hands and start reading through your messages. Of course, Meian was there for that, putting a stop to it only when the wing-spiker had started reading them aloud, much to your mortification.
But he hadn’t been there two afternoons later, when an old friend of yours had swung by to pick you up and you’d had to deal with half the team glaring daggers at him over your shoulder like a pack of overprotective mother hens.
Even Sakusa, who usually kept his nose out of the others’ nonsense, stood off to the side with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, glowering at your friend until you both disappeared from sight.
The texts that blew up your phone in the hours that followed crossed so many lines, it honestly scared you a little.
Meian doesn’t say a word as you talk, the words flowing easier the more you tell him. It’s not that anything they’re doing is wrong per se. They’re not hurting you, and you think that aside from Miya, the team’s attitude is coming from a good place - some protective, irritating big brother kind of thing.
There’s nothing wrong with it, except the fact that you don’t want any part of it. You’re a professional and this is a job - a new one, an important one. If you ever want anybody to take your dreams of coaching a pro team seriously you cannot have so much as a whisper of anything less than absolute professionalism. God forbid, if rumours start spreading that you were sleeping with somebody on the team you can pretty much kiss your dreams goodbye.
At the end of it, Meian’s chin is resting on his fist, faint dissatisfaction pinching at his face, and for a moment, you’re worried that he’s about to chew you out for wasting his time - you know he’s stressed with the start of the season only days away - but he only sighs, leaning back in his seat and shaking his head.
“Thank you for telling me, I’ll talk to them.”
And it’s like this huge weight just falls off your shoulders and suddenly you can breathe easy. “Thanks, really,” you tell him, and the smile on your face is genuine this time.
“Anytime.”
—
You don’t know when he finds the time to pull them all aside, but the next morning when you walk into the gym and Bokuto catches sight of you, golden eyes widening in delight, he starts to bound towards you-
“Bokuto.”
-and stops mid-stride, face falling like a kicked puppy. His shoulders slump, glancing over his shoulder at the Captain, watching the both of you through narrowed eyes.
He doesn’t say another word to the wing-spiker, turning back around to continue his conversation with Adriah - something about tightening up their blocks before the game against the Adlers - and despite the fact you can see half the team’s attention drawn towards you both, none of them say a word either.
It’s strange, compared to the last few weeks, it’s suddenly like you’re a ghost. They thank you when you pass them their towels and bottles, and for once Hinata sits still when you help him tape up his ankle, though his eyes still follow your every movement with unnerving focus.
They’re polite and respectful, but unless you’re directly addressing them or they need something, it’s like you don’t exist.
Even Atsumu manages to keep his comments to himself when it comes time for the team to stretch out, though judging from the scowl on his face whenever he glances towards the Captain, he’s not particularly thrilled about it.
There’s one more day before game day, and they’ve got bigger things to worry about, but for you it’s like you can suddenly breathe easy. You don’t have to tiptoe around your own discomfort, you can just do your job and help them. It’s not that you hate them, not even Atsumu - though he does grate on your nerves at times - you just can’t afford to let them fuck this up for you.
They’re your team, and you’ll help them and you’ll stand on the sidelines and cheer and support them until you’re red in the face. You’ll celebrate with them and commiserate if they lose, but there has to be a line.
And maybe finally they’re realising that.
Meian sends you home while the others head off to the showers with a clap on your shoulder. “Go home. Today’s been long enough, and you need your rest. We’ve got an early start tomorrow.”
You don’t fight him on it, already feeling the exhaustion creeping through your body.
But after months in this job, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to find that by the time you’ve had a quick catch-up with the coaches about tomorrow’s training, changed and gathered up your things, you find yourself falling into step with Sakusa, freshly showered and also on his way out.
Dark eyes find yours, but he doesn’t say a word - at least until the two of you reach the big double doors at the gym’s entrance. “Do you need a lift home?”
It’s rare of him to offer, but you suppose that it’s later than you’d normally leave, the sun already disappearing beneath the horizon. Nevertheless, you shake your head, “No, it’s only a ten minute walk, I’ll be okay,” you say. And almost as an afterthought you smile and add, “Thank you, though.”
He regards you silently for a moment, but simply shrugs his shoulders, “Fine.”
Sakusa turns to leave, heading off to the carpark when a sudden thought strikes you, and before you can think better of it, you call out to him, “Your lineshots were incredible today, by the way. You played well. And please don’t forget we’ve got an early start tomorrow!”
It’s a pointless statement, on both counts. Sakusa doesn’t crave praise the way some of his teammates do, and you can imagine how little it means coming from you of all people. He’s also the most punctual, usually the first in, preferring to get stretched and warmed up before the rest of the team arrived. But the change in plans was kind of last minute and a reminder never hurts.
Sakusa pauses mid-stride, glancing back at you once more over his shoulder. “I know,” he says, and maybe it’s a trick of the light, but you swear there’s something different in his eyes as he stares back at you. Not angry per se, but… you can’t quite put a finger on it. It’s odd, you think, out of character for the usually aloof spiker. “Captain told us.”
—
It’s still dark when you arrive at the gym, and the lights are all off, not a soul in sight. That in itself doesn’t strike you as odd though, checking your phone you see that there’s still twenty or so minutes until you were all supposed to meet, but you would have thought that the coaches at least would’ve been here, or Sakusa maybe, if not Meian.
“Mornin’ princess,” a familiar voice drawls, and you jump a little at the sudden weight of his arm draping over your shoulders.
Atsumu’s smile is far too wide and upbeat considering it’s only a little after six in the morning. You’re used to a dead-stare, don’t-talk-to-me-until-I’ve-had-caffeine Atsumu, and it’s almost startling enough to make you forget the arm he has around you.
Either that, or you’re just bewildered that he’s actually arrived early for once in his life.
“You’re awfully chipper,” you mutter, trying to shove his arm off of you as you walk in tandem towards the gym. It’s a pointless endeavour - he replaces it a moment later, tugging you closer. “And early. Do you normally do this the day before the season starts, or can we expect to see you bright and early every morning for training?”
The corner of his lip quirks into a lazy smirk, and Atsumu laughs, “Nah, I’m actually late. All the others are already here.”
You’re halfway through fishing for the keys when he just pushes the door open, and you falter. “Wait- they’re here already?” you glance inside, and the lights are all still off and there’s not a soul in sight, but- “I thought Meian said we were meeting at 6:30.”
There’s something in the way that his smirk widens that’s almost unsettling, but he’s already pushing you forward, flicking on the lights as you pass.
“Oh, he did.”
Your eyebrows draw together in confusion, but it’s too early and you’re too tired to try and decipher Atsumu’s cryptic bullshit. He already has you on edge with how close he’s got you - you can feel the heat radiating from his body, the familiar scent of his cologne invading your nose. “Fine, whatever. Just- just put your stuff away, grab the others if they’re here and I’ll see you on the court in a few minutes.”
You try to shrug off his arm, but his grip only tightens, “Nope,” he says, firmly steering the both of you in the direction of the locker room.
“Miya,” you start, squeezing your eyes shut. You can already feel the beginnings of a headache taking root in your skull, but Atsumu just chuckles lightly, patting your shoulder.
“Relax, wouldja? Jeeze, yer so tense!”
With no other sound but the eerie echoing of your footsteps across the linoleum floors, his laugh is too loud, too grating. It sets you on edge, and you have to bite back a scowl of your own and remind yourself that you only have to put up with him a little longer - just until Meian gets here. Unperturbed by your silent irritation, Atsumu continues, “We know how hard you’ve been working lately. We came in early to say thank you, y’know, for everythin’ ya do for us.”
And for one split second, regret fills you, snuffing out the spark of irritation simmering through your veins. Here you are, seconds away from slapping the setter when he is - for the first time in his life - actually trying to do something nice for you. You sigh quietly, smoothing your expression over as he slows down and pulls you to a stop.
He lets you slide out from under his arm, your back to the locker room door, moving so that he’s standing directly in front of you. You open your mouth to speak, an apology on the tip of your tongue, but once again, Atsumu beats you to it. “Yer the best manager we’ve ever had.” He takes your hand in his, twining long fingers with yours and steps closer.
Too close.
“Atsu-”
“We really do care about you - love ya, even - which is why it kinda felt like a kick in the balls when the Cap came and told us ya wanted some space. Said we were bein’ too ‘overbearing’ and ‘inappropriate’, just cause we want ya nice and close.” Dark eyes harden, “It hurt us, baby. You gotta realise that.”
The grip he has on your hand is painfully tight, but you don’t have a moment to focus on that. Not as Atsumu sweeps forward to close the distance between the two of you, his lips crashing against yours. Hungry. Demanding. A tongue snaking between your lips, melding with your own.
His arm snakes behind you to open the door, and for a moment you’re stumbling backwards into the dark-
Only it’s not dark, not as the blinding fluorescent lights flicker on around you, and you’re not stumbling, not as you collide with a warm, muscular chest and strong arms find your middle to steady you.
“You took too long,” Bokuto whines, and you’re yanked from Atsumu’s hold and spun, barely having a second to register the gleaming golden eyes before he’s dragging you into a needy kiss of his own.
Dizzy, lightheaded, your heart thumping erratically, you can’t think straight as his hot, wet mouth moves against yours. Greedy fingers grope and squeeze at your body - utterly frozen in shock, pliant under his touch.
“Aw, quit yer whining, Bokkun,” the blonde growls as Bokuto finally pulls back enough to grant you a few precious gulps of air, gazing at you with a kind of love sick adoration that makes your stomach clench.
A scoff sounds behind Bokuto, “A bit rich, coming from you, Miya. The two of you just are as bad as each other.”
It’s then that you realise the three of you aren’t alone. Wide eyed, on the edge of hyperventilating, you glance over your shoulder to find two pairs of eyes watching; russet eyes blown wide, enraptured, and swirling black depths, narrowed and glaring over at the blonde.
Hinata and Sakusa.
It doesn’t feel real. Even with everything they’ve done so far, their possessive behaviour, their smothering affection - even the kisses, it feels like a fever dream.
Even as Atsumu’s fingers are tugging your jacket off and Bokuto drags you forward, you can’t bring yourself to accept it, to properly fight back against it.
(Not that it would make a difference. They’re professional athletes, and there’s four of them against one of you.)
When your eyes fill with tears, Hinata’s there to brush them away, smiling down at you as he shrugs his own shirt off. “Don’t cry, angel. We’re gonna make you feel amazing, just wait!”
His words don’t fill you with ease. They can’t, not when he has that manic excitement bleeding through his expression - the same one you know he gets when he’s lost in the game, flying across the court like the laws of physics don’t apply to him.
Hands are on you everywhere, teasing and exploring, too many to keep track of. Your clothes are pulled off, tossed aside and discarded without a second thought, and theirs follow suit. Fingers are tweaking your nipples and palming at your breasts, smoothing over the curve of your ass and trailing between your legs to play with your clit.
“So fuckin’ pretty, ain’tcha? Our pretty girl, gonna be such a good little cockwhore for us.”
There’s lips against yours, at your neck, trailing down the column of your throat with a pleased hum. And between the kisses, you think that you’re crying, pleading for them to stop and let you go, but nobody listens as you’re manhandled onto one of the benches.
Your legs refuse to obey you, trembling as you try to kick out and wriggle away, only for rough hands to find your hips and drag you back. “C’mon, baby. Be good for us, you’ve already made us wait so long.”
Somebody smacks your ass and you jolt, crying out, only for a hand to soothe over the welt, another squeezing at your hip in a mockery of reassurance. “Don’t make us have to hurt ya, sweetheart.”
It’s easier, you think, to just close your eyes tight and pray that any second now, you’ll wake up in your bed to the blaring of your alarm. But the moment they flutter shut, teeth digging into your bottom lip as fingers dig into your thighs, warm breath ghosting across your sex, a low voice whispers in your ear, “Look at me.”
And you have no choice but to obey, forcing your eyes open to find Sakusa standing to your side, stroking his cock. It’s pretty, you distantly think, and you suppose that it suits him. Well groomed, long but not terribly thick with a slight curve, flushed pink at the tip and glistening with the pre-cum beading at his slit. His other hand comes to rest on your cheek, cupping it with a gentleness that feels out of place, considering the hunger burning in the black depths of his irises.
He doesn’t say another word as he coaxes your mouth open and guides your head forward to take his cock into your mouth, but the low moan that escapes him as your lips wrap around his length makes you shiver.
Sakusa isn’t gentle as he fucks your mouth, his thumb stroking your cheek as fresh tears well, but it’s hard to focus on that alone when Hinata’s face disappears between your legs, his tongue laving at your cunt, eager for a taste of you.
It doesn’t take long for the other two to join, and you’re manoeuvred between them, forced to sit on Bokuto’s lap, his thick cock stretching you out while Hinata sits between your legs, diligently slurping at your folds, sucking at your clit, one fist wrapped around his own length, lazily pumping it. Sakusa continues to use your mouth to get himself off, uttering backhanded praise between instructions, hissing in pleasure when he hits the back of your throat and you choke around him, while Atsumu has one hand playing with your tits, the other gripping yours, forcing you to jerk him off.
It’s too much for your brain to take.
Your sobs and whimpers, already muffled thanks to the cock in your mouth, are lost to the symphony of grunts and moans, lewd squelching and the sound of skin slapping against skin. There’s too many hands touching you, too much pain fused with unwanted pleasure, overwhelming you as heat and panic and terror build up inside of you, and it feels like there’s an inferno burning beneath your skin, and you can’t breathe and you just want it all to stop, you want to wake up, and-
Suddenly, the door to the locker room snaps open, and all five of you freeze in place as the Captain stops dead in his tracks and eyes the scene before him.
There’s no possible way for Meian to misconstrue it, not with everything you told him. Not with your face flushed and teary, your eyes glazed over and all but broken from the sick, twisted debasement his teammates have subjected you to. You’re naked, your body littered in love-bites and bruises, spread out before him like a feast.
And still, your eyes meet his, silently pleading for him to say something and stop this.
Meian takes a single step forward and a muffled whine leaves your lips as the cock inside of you twitches insistently. Sakusa draws his hips back, pulling himself free from your mouth, and despite the burn in the back of your throat, you swallow and try to speak.
“Please.” It’s little more than a squeak, hoarse and choked, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference.
The Captain barely acknowledges that you’ve spoken at all, his attention fixated instead on your body; the way your pussy’s clenching around the base of Bokuto’s length, the tremor of your thighs under Hinata’s rough hands, the way your tits rise and fall with every quickened breath, your lips, swollen and beautifully fucked, glistening with spit before finally, those dark eyes meet yours once more.
And slowly, a grin breaks across his face. “You’d better hurry it up, the others aren’t too far off.”
#yandere haikyuu#yandere atsumu miya#yandere bokuto kotaro#yandere hinata shouyo#yandere sakusa kiyoomi#yandere atsumu x reader#yandere bokuto x reader#yandere hinata x reader#yandere sakusa x reader#tw non con#i honestly don't know how i feel about this one#but it's done#i hope y'all like it anyway#i'm posting it before i can overthink it
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karasuno boys as boyfriends
a/n: im just basically astral projecting myself into these situations; ALSO if you want more detailed ones, just ask, and you shall receive! (also this is my first post i’ve written on here! but if you want plenty of kpop content i’m @hyucksong where i’ve been writing and I am still active! :))
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[KARASUNO BOYS AS BOYFRIENDS HEADCANNONS]
-tsukishima, yamaguchi, hinata, kageyama, tanaka, nishinoya, sugawara, daichi, and asahi
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tsukishima kei.
the type to look you straight in your eyes when you ask for a hug and say “no, who do you think i am, your boyfriend?”
runs his hands through your hair from the front and then when his hand reaches the back of your head he pulls you into him and kisses you either on the forehead or the lips <3
in order to be in a relationship with him you HAVE to have the same type of humor.
i don’t think he could date someone who doesn’t make fun of people with him
you guys are like best friends who make fun of each other and. make out a little every once in a while
he’ll hold your hand and hug you in public but he will NEVER do anything else, especially not in front of the boys
he thinks the blush that ignites on your kissable cheeks should be for his eyes only
he gave you a keychain that had a cute little strawberry shortcake on it. and it’s your most prized possession
will shoot a glare at anyone who watches you too closely. like no. don’t get googly eyed over MY girlfriend.
and you don’t have a problem with that ;)
yamaguchi tadashi.
he likes to watch you when you’re not looking to pick out the little habits you do
he thinks that knowing someone’s little hardly noticeable habits is one of the most intimate things on mother earth
he knows that you stir the milk in the bowl three times before you pour the cereal in to check for chunks because you accidentally drank spoiled milk when you were younger
NEVER has an issue getting you a gift for any occasion. he ALWAYS knows what you’re looking at and what you want and you lowkey think he can read your mind but in reality he just pays attention <3
you’re either just as shy as him to bring out his more assertive side or more assertive than he is to bring out his more timid side -- both are good
kisses you on the forehead and holds your hand in public -- he loves PDA because he can show you off :’)
yes. he kisses the back of your nape in public. so what.
YES. HE CLOSES HIS EYES WHEN HE DOES IT AND ACCIDENTALLY INHALES YOUR SCENT AND WHISPERS IN YOUR EAR THAT YOU SMELL GOOD. IDC IF YOU THINK THAT’S CREEPY. IT’S CUTE. YES. HE GIVES YOU THAT LOOK THAT SAYS HE’S CRAZILY IN LOVE WITH YOU. SO WHAT.
kageyama tobio.
he probably fell in love with you because you were just as passionate about something else as he is about volleyball; music, drawing, writing, math, science, reading -- whatever
i see this relationship as being one that’s like...accelerated friends. like,,, you act like him and hinata except you kiss sometimes and he can see you at the end of the wedding aisle
DEFINITELY reads cosmopolitans once you start dating because he wants to be a good boyfriend for you <3
PDA is literally little to NONe,,, not because he doesn’t like it...it’s just because he doesn’t realize that he’s not showing you affection lololol
like in one arm he has his athletic duffel bag and the other he has a volleyball
he doesn’t mean to neglect you he just does AGAGAG
realized he liked you when he thought about you when he was drinking his milk and mindlessly bought you one too
the first time y’all kissed. he literally stared at you so intensely for a SOLID ten minutes debating in his head whether or not he should just go for it or wait or just smash his face into yours and hope your lips connect
he chose to cross his fingers and ended up smashing his forehead and nose into yours
it was cute tho <3
hinata shoyo.
YALL HAVE DATES WHERE YOU BABYSIT HIS SISTER. WTF SO CUTE
when yall cuddle and you’re the little spoon he likes to put his head on your shoulder/between your neck and watch as you scroll through tiktok or instagram and just mindlessly talk about his day
the type of boyfriend where neither of you can cook and you both confusedly look at recipes on google like: ????? wtf is the difference between brown sugar and regular sugar
it’s his INSTINCT to hold your hand. no matter what. his hand just...gravitates to yous.
AND HIS LIPS JUST FIND YOUR CHEEK??? like it’s so natural to him to kiss your cheek when he sees you, even in public. it’s so adorable i--
THE TYPE OF GUY TO WIPE OFF FOOD FROM THE CORNER OF YOUR MOUTH AND STILL EAT IT AND SAY “you taste good!~” AND NOT EVEN REALIZE WHAT HE SAID. BUT WHEN YOU DO IT TO HIM HE BLOWS A FUSE
he loves to tickle you. like you’ll be vibing, drinking whatever you drink in the morning and he’ll come up to you all casually and kiss you cheek...and then he’ll pounce
he holds you close to his chest when he tickles you, partally because he likes feeling your laugh vibrate on his chest, and partially because it’s easier to not get tickled if he’s right behind you
his sister LOVes you and it just. makes him so happy
tanaka ryuunosuke.
you CANNOT remove his hand from your ass. it is permanently glued there. it is attached to you. yes, even in public.
number 1 hypeman! he will always support you, no matter what! you could be in a competition to raise the biggest beetle and he’ll be there rooting you on and staying up late with you as you rear your award-winning beetle
you two lay next to each other on the couch/on his bed and he’ll have his arm around you and you’ll lay your head on his chest as you watch netflix shows
YOU, NISHINOYA, AND TANAKA? UNSTOPPABLE TRIO. POWER TRIPLET.
i don’t imagine him being shy when he first kisses you; the first time he kissed you, you were literally just. existing and he literally just...couldn’t hold it in...and he just went for it
literally CATAPULTS himself into you and kisses you senseless
yes you and saeko are besties she gives you ALL the tea about young tanaka
the type to take off his shirt more during practice if you’re there watching, and literally BURN red if you mention anything about his muscles
you once traced a vein in his arm and commented on how hot it was and he literally short-circuited
kiss his biceps. kiss his abs. kiss his cheek. please. it’s all he wants. he’s touch-starved
nishinoya yuu.
SUCH an excited boyfriend
like he seriously gets so hype doing ANYTHING with you pleaSE give this man an award. you’ll be at the amusement park and the line to get into a ride will be three hours and he’ll be like
“I get to spend three hours with you?!! fucking sick! absolutely radical!”
he’s bold in public, but only because he wants to rub you in his teammates faces, but his ears will be Red
at home, he’s calmer :) he just loves to spend time with you, even if you’re sitting on a bench watching him practice receives for five hours straight in the blazing sun.
he just treasures your time so much, you treats you like a precious gem -- he will NEVER treat you wrong. deadass has no problem admitting when he’s wrong -- but if he thinks he’s right then he WILL stand his ground
he’s a passionate man, who loves just as passionately.
his favorite time to kiss you is after you’ve taken a sip of a soda because he likes the taste of the syrup and the burn of the carbonation, but most of all because he likes the taste of your lips in combination with all of them
NIPS AT YOUR EAR. DEADASS JUST LOOKS AT YOU BRUSH A PIECE OF HAIR BACK WHEN YOU’RE DOING HOMEWORK AND IS LIKE “free real estate” AND C H O MPS
the day nishinoya told everyone yall were dating, kiyoko stopped you in the hallway and deadass got on her knees and thanked you LITERALLY she was like “i’ll buy you anything. give the word and it’ll be yours.”
sugawara koushi.
would kiss you on the first date. deadass. he’ll just drop you off at your doorstep and you’re still high on adrenaline, and you’re lowkey hoping he’ll kiss you and you get little disappointed when he doesn’t and then when you least expect it. bam. his lips on yours
his smell oh god, he literally smells like fresh sugar cookies. it’s like as soon as you get anywhere near him his smell just invades you nose and. you’re powerless. you just wanna hug him
never smells bad. try me, bitch. NEVER.
his hugs are literally god’s gifts. he loves hugging you. he just completely envelopes you with his pretty setter arms and his smell takes up all the space in your head and nothing else exists for that moment, just you two
loves tucking your hair behind your ears or just moving it out of your face; doing homework and your bangs are in the way? not for long because he’ll clip them up for you <3
he’s pretty mischievous and will playfully put his hand next to your head and lean down with such a HOT look in his eyes
and he’ll say some shit like “i wanna devour you” and then he’ll laugh afterwards and give you a kiss on the forehead and you’re standing there. like -.- o.o -.- o.o
whenever he feels insecure about his position on the team, you’re always there to comfort him and he’ll just lay between your legs and rest his face on your stomach as you comb your fingers through his hair and scroll through tiktok
PDA? yes please. uh huh. mhmm. he doesn’t care who sees his love for you he just wants to love on you baby. kisses you on the lips, no problemo
daichi sawamura.
you and suga are the only ones who can scare him when yall are mad lol
boyfriend where you’ve dated for like a year but it feel like 50 have already passed. in a good way!
this relationship is so ungodly domestic. like from the first day it’s just pure comfort and he’s like your rock and you’re his anchor
you two bicker a lot but it’s lighthearted and you just feel so secure with him that poking fun at him and at yourself is just natural
daichi. gives. god. hugs. he does. it’s fact.
his arms are just so big and he has so much body warmth and he probably smells like some bullshit cologne like “smoldering woods” and it’s just so. daichi
you two spend the night at each other’s house so often it’s like you already live with each other and people always forget that you don’t lolol
totally sleeps with his shirt off and only with underwear. isn’t awkward about it either; when he wakes up he puts on sweats but still remains topless (not that you’re complaining)
you two are like. the strict parental couple, when you walk together whether it be down the street or in the hallways, you just look so right for each other it’s. mind blowing
doesn’t mind kissing you a little in public but really thinks that stuff should be for private; so normally he just kisses your temple and always has an arm either around your shoulder or around your waist
WHEN THE TEAM SEES YOU KISS ON THE LIPS THEY GO “EW” EVEN SUGA AND ASAHI AFIEFHEWIF
asahi azumane.
literal fucking teddy bear. god please cuddle him. please kith him. please comb through his hair with your fingers and kiss his nape and kiss the back of his head. please i beg of you.
did NOT ask you out first. he wrote love letter to you and then waiting behind the gym because he thought being near the volleyball gym would give him some luck and them you got in front of him and he was. deer in the headlights
needless to say you asked him out and kissed his cheek. he DIED
even once yall are comfortable in the relationship he still needs reassurance every once in a while because he’s a little insecure, not that you’ll leave him for someone else, but that he’s not good enough
his PDA skill are. subpar. he usually just holds your hand and that’s it, but sometimes kisses the corner of your eye or nose and you just combust
OH RIOGEH TOTALLY DOES BUTTERFLY AND BUNNY KISSES. YES GOD YESSSSS
when yall cuddle he doesn’t like spooning. he likes to be able to see your face and the expressions you make, so doesn’t like being the little or big spoon; yall face each other and just lets your head lay on his arm even tho it’s numb. im: soft
kisses are so sweet, slow, and hesitant. he doesn’t really kiss you often because he has terrible timing but...when he does it’s like the whole world just becomes still in that moment and nothing matters but his hands on your waist and yours in his hair
#haikyuu#tsukishima x reader#tsukishima fluff#kageyama x reader#kageyama fluff#hinata shoyo x reader#hinata shōyō#yamaguchi x reader#yamaguchi fluff#tanaka x reader#tanaka fluff#nishinoya x reader#nishinoya fluff#sugawara x reader#sugawara fluff#daichi x reader#daichi fluff#asahi x reader#asahi fluff#haikyuu headcanons
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LUCID | NCT DREAM ‘00 LINE X READER | CH.6
LUCID DREAMS - A TYPE OF DREAM WHEREIN THE PERSON IS AWARE THAT THEY ARE CAUGHT IN A DREAM WORLD.
Summary: It was supposed to be a harmless, professional transaction. You were to tutor a group of boys, get your pay at the end of the day, and go home to your loving fiance. Kids aren’t supposed to be dangerous, right? So why, then, are you caught up in a web of madness that slowly makes you feel like you’re in a living nightmare?
NOTE:This is a yandere plot featuring NCT Dream ‘00 line which means there will be mature themes in the story as well as obsessive, toxic behavior. If you’re a minor, please refrain from interacting. If this isn’t your thing, then just scroll and skip. In no way am I condoning anything written here— this is not love, this is obsession—nor do I think that any of the people mentioned here will act any way like in this story. This is purely a work of fiction.
Genre: yandere, horror, suspense
TW: abuse, obsessive behavior, toxic relationships, suggestive scenes, stalking, possible kidnapping, mental health. Age gap–though nothing dramatic. Everyone is of legal age, drugs, slight smut for this chapter but nothing graphic, questionable consent (?) I guess? Creepy, creepy, creepy! This will be updated as the story goes along.
CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 | CHAPTER 5
“EVERYONE HAS A DARKER NATURE. EVERYONE. GOOD MEN FEAR IT, AND EVIL MEN EMBRACE IT.”
- JAMES ISLINGTON
The silent hum of the air conditioning filled the space like a foreboding chant. Nothing else but the sound of the hospital machinery and random noises outside pierced the stillness of the room as you stared, unseeing, at the green and orange numbers that blinked on the monitor above the bed.
You barely have any recollection of how you managed to find yourself in the hospital, but you do remember brief memories of Taeyong picking you up from the floor you found yourself crumpled on after you got the call. You remember seeing Jaehyun's parents at a brightly lit corridor and his mother pulling you into a hug as she broke down and his father telling you how his son hasn't woken up since he was brought to the emergency room.
You remember your heart breaking in shock, mind too numb from the godforsaken pills you have been taking and your own injury. So many times you wondered to yourself if you were still caught in one of your nightmares, but every time you tried to break free from it, you're slapped back with the reality of how all of this is real.
Your fingers gently tightened on Jaehyun's hands now as your gaze landed on his face. He looked so peaceful, like he's just sleeping, that you almost wanted to bend over and try to kiss him awake. You don't even have any idea what time and day it is already, but you have barely left his side since you were brought to him. The nightmares and sleeplessness? They're barely a problem for you anymore because right now, you're entirely not resting at all unless your body forces you to crash from physical exhaustion. Even then, you usually only sleep for about two to three hours at best to make sure that you never miss a moment with your fiance.
"Severe traumatic head injury. He was lucky enough that the airbag shielded him from the worst of the impact."
The words of his attending doctor echoed in your head again like a faraway voice. You could only remember bits and pieces of what he said to his parents back then as he reported his findings, but you caught enough context for you to draw a picture of the situation. You remember Jaehyun's mother asking the chances of her son waking up again, her voice barely holding up from her emotions.
"I cannot promise anything, Ma'm. I'd say he has a 60 percent chance. He's fighting."
And he is. You know Jaehyun inside out. He might be unconscious now, but there is no way he is giving up. Not from something like this.
"Keep fighting baby…" you whispered in the stillness of the room as you lifted his hand gently to your lips to kiss. "I'll wait for you. We still have a wedding to do."
The slight creaking of the door barely made you look away from his sleeping face. You only did at the gentle sound of a throat clearing, your eyes slightly widening as you recognized the man who just walked inside the room. Taeil had the same mildly shocked look on him as he stopped on the other side of the bed across from you.
"You…"
"Are you a relative of the patient?" He asked now as he tucked his clipboard under his arm. You simply nodded, watching him quickly glance at the numbers on the monitor before his eyes settled on you again.
"I'm his fiancee."
That made him raise his brows slightly. He pulled a pen now from the pocket of his coat to quickly write something on his file. "What a coincidence. Not a good one obviously. I'm sorry to hear about him. Mr. Jung, right?"
You swallowed. You didn't want to acknowledge anything that he just said so you tried to divert the conversation instead.
"You're not his doctor. Why are you…"
"Oh. He was turned over to me today. I am one of the resident neurologists here but he had to be moved to me because his first doctor has too much in his plate already. Don't worry, I was briefed properly about his case."
Your gaze followed Taeil as he bent over to check Jaehyun's oxygen level as well as the other wires attached to him. You don't know what to feel about him taking over, but at least you already know him previously.
"Are there any changes? Positive ones?" You asked in a frail voice that Taeil definitely didn't miss. You told yourself to not act silly and ask questions that probably do not have answers yet, but you couldn't help yourself now. The man seemed to think over his words first, noticing your state, before calmly giving his reply.
"No particular ones, but the fact that there are no negative developments is… something. I will have to request for some tests to be done on him again tomorrow so we can see if there are positive changes in his brain."
Neutral. Not good, but at least it's not bad either.
"How are you? I was about to check on you again. Is your head okay?"
You were still thinking over his words that you barely caught his question. Looking up, you tried to scramble for an answer to give. To be honest, you haven't given proper attention to your own injury since this happened. You would even only remember to take your medications on your clearest, less anxious moments, which, honestly, isn’t a lot.
"I'm uh… the wound has closed. But the headaches. They're still there."
He simply nodded. "Any other side effects?"
You didn't immediately answer. You didn't want to sound whiny, but it's not like you're going to lose anything by telling him the uglier parts of your recovery. You swallowed to try and dislodge the slight blockage in your throat.
"Nightmares…" you said now, voice soft. You briefly remembered the last one you had back in the manor before you woke up to the bad news and you felt your stomach turn again. "Lots of them. Hallucinations sometimes…"
The doctor watched you carefully and you know he is trying to compute things in his mind despite his face remaining calm.
"Have you been keeping to your schedule with your medications? Are you taking too much?"
You firmly shook your head no to his last question.
"No, I haven't been overdosing. But… I've been skipping my pills the last few days because of...because of this."
"How have you been feeling since you started missing your dosages then? Do you remember?"
That made you actually stop and think about it for a moment. Now that you are paying attention, you did notice how the nightmares have calmed down slightly. Even the hallucinations are almost gone. You frowned slightly to yourself.
"A bit… better actually."
Taeil took his time to observe you a bit more before writing something on a new page of his clipboard.
"You must have had severe reactions to the mixture of pills I gave you. I'm going to prescribe you new ones and ask the nurses to pick them up and bring them to you here. Can you promise that you'll try and take them though? You really need them to fully heal."
You nodded and gave him a slightly sheepish look.
"I will, thank you very much."
Taeil dug his hands into the pockets of his coat and gave you a gentle smile.
"Well, that's it for today. I'll come back tomorrow to give you updates about Mr. Jung." He had already turned and started walking away when he suddenly stopped to look at you again.
"Oh, and another thing. Please try and get some sleep. Recover… and then focus on helping your fiance."
*******
You didn't really know what woke you up. Stirring from your sleep, the first thing that registered to you was the sound of distant traffic mixed with the gentle chirping of the morning birds from outside the window. A warm feeling radiated on your cheek and made the back of your eyelids glow red.
You flickered your eyes open and immediately rolled away to escape the ray of sunshine that slipped from the open curtains and shone directly at your face. You easily evaded it as you moved over to the other side of the bed which was empty and cold from the night before.
That was when you finally remembered that you were back in your home, in the same bedroom you share with Jaehyun. The day before, his mother offered to take the responsibility of watching over him so there was a sudden change of plans that finally gave you the reason to check back into your apartment after so long. If it were you, you would have preferred not leaving your boyfriend’s side until he wakes up, but you also knew that your future mother-in-law wanted to spend time with him so you relented.
Of course you weren't thrilled to be home alone, especially with Jaehyun not being there, but the comfort that a real mattress provided—over the small couch you used to sleep in back at the hospital—is definitely a welcome change for your body. You even tried to take your medicine properly, the new ones that Taeil had provided, in the hopes of getting knocked down fast. Your adrenaline and anxiety had been fueling you in the past days, but you know from the way your heart thumped and your hands shook that you need a solid rest.
And you got it. You still feel a little groggy now but your body is definitely lighter and your head clearer. The nightmares didn't even come, and while they were replaced by total darkness or dreams in white that still made you anxious, you are willing to take those anytime over the graphic ones that you used to have.
You gently sat back against the headrest of the bed now and reached out for your phone to check the time. It's barely 7AM but as expected, Jaehyun's mom has already provided you with updates from the hospital. He’ll have some tests taken today as Taeil advised and then they’ll hear more about his progress. From the looks of it, she seems still set on watching over her son, which means you still have at least today free to yourself.
You quickly typed a reply to her and sighed. You’re thankful that even though you weren’t related by blood, his parents have always treated you as if you were their own. Having a family is not something you’ve really experienced in your childhood, so that’s something you’ve always appreciated about them. That is also the reason why you wish for the best out of this situation, because you also couldn’t bear seeing your fiance’s mother and father heartbroken. He’s their only son, after all.
A quick look around your room left you feeling empty. The last week has been so hard that it felt longer and now you’re struggling to find your normal pace again. In an effort to bring yourself to focus, you decided to pick up your phone once more and started flipping through your calendar to check your schedule. It didn’t take long for you to frown when you realized the upcoming dates there. You’ve plotted important academic schedules in advance and one quick look at it told you how much you’ve obviously missed in the past week. You’ve been so lost in the mess of everything that has happened that you’ve entirely forgotten about your job at the manor. You realized that they didn’t even call you once to ask about your absence, probably because they also know about the situation, but even that is not enough excuse for you to entirely fall off the radar.
Biting your lip, you quickly scrolled through your contacts now to look for the number you need. Your thumb hovered over the call button momentarily, but you eventually pressed it anyway. Your eyes wandered towards the clock on the wall, hoping silently to yourself that it wasn’t too early for you to call.
“Rosewood Manor, how can I help you?”
You straightened on your seat.
“Hey, Taeyong. It’s me. Sorry if I called so early.”
The other boy seemed to have been taken slightly by surprise by the way he fell silent at the other end of the line. You tapped your finger against your knee, waiting for him to speak again.
“Hi. No, it’s fine. Work started for me about an hour ago. Are you okay? How’s things on your end?”
You nibbled guiltily on your lower lip and finally got off your bed to walk over to the window. You pushed the curtains open and stared at the slight snowfall that had started falling on the ground. You’ve missed so many days of reporting to them but the first thing he does is to check if you’re fine.
“I um—things are still the same. My boyfriend’s still at the hospital.”
“Oh… I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Look, I want to apologize. I haven’t really reported to work and I didn’t even call about it. It’s just that—things have been so crazy lately, but still that isn’t an excuse for me to just not show up.”
Taeyong, however, was understanding as always. You were about to go off for another round of apologies when he gently cut you off.
“Hey, it’s fine. We know you’ve been dealing with a lot lately so we also weren't expecting anything. Don’t worry too much about it.”
“But, the boys’ examinations and portfolio review is happening in three days and I haven’t really checked in with them. How are they doing now?”
“Oh...that. Well, we actually tried looking for a temporary tutor to help out but I...uh… I think he isn't really cutting it. Maybe because he isn’t the one who started the program with them. But he’s a big help still.”
“Oh god, I’m so sorry about that. I should have at least—look, I can drop by today and just try to fix things.”
“Are you sure? You really don’t have to. Don’t you need to be at the hospital?”
You started going around your room now, trying to gather the scattered papers and files that you’ll need. It’s a good thing you woke up early so you still have time to prepare for work. “My boyfriend’s mother is the one watching over him today so I have the day off.”
“And your injury? How is it?”
Your eyes landed on the new bottles of medicine sitting on your bedside table.
“Better. I’m feeling so much better.”
You heard Taeyong sigh in relief over the phone. “Thank god. We were so worried about that. Well, you really don’t need to go, but if you have time, I guess doing it today won’t hurt. It will help us a lot.”
A small smile tugged at your lips now and you switched the phone over to your other ear as you started arranging your bag. “Thank you so much for being understanding. I need a distraction anyway. I’d rather work than stay home alone… Thanks for not firing me.”
That made him laugh a little. “I’ll tell the boys that you’re coming over. Oh, and be careful on your drive here. The roads are a little bit slippery today because of the snow.”
“I will, thank you. I’ll be there by 9.”
*******
“Noona!”
You have barely finished arranging your materials on your desk when the door to the room burst open and ushered an anxious-looking Jisung inside. You looked up quickly at him, only barely catching Chenle wobbling with his crutch before your vision of the entrance was blocked by Jisung’s tall frame. His hair looked swept up as if he ran and there was a slight flush staining his cheeks. He stopped right in front of you, stopping just in time for him not to topple you over.
“Hey, Jisung how are—” You tried to give him a smile but he was quick enough to grab your hands between his.
“Are you back? Are you really back for real?” He pressed now, eyes wide as he tried to bend over to look closely at you. He looked like a puppy, the only missing thing being a wagging tail to complete the look. You couldn’t help the brief laugh that passed over you as you tried to calm him down.
“I am. For the day, yes. Sorry I missed so many of your sessions.”
“We thought you left us,” Jisung continued, his lower lip protruding just a bit. Just then, Chenle had finally reached the two of you, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. This is actually the first time you saw him again since the day the two of you had your accident and you’re glad to see him healthy despite his broken leg.
“Hi, Chenle. How are you?”
The boy scratched the back of his head and looked away slightly. “Fine… I’m sorry, noona. I wasn’t able to visit you when you stayed with us. I’m really really sorry about what happened in the forest.”
You tried to give him a reassuring smile and freed one of your hands from Jisung’s hold to ruffle his hair. The action seemed to have calmed him down a little because he finally looked at you again, a small apologetic smile on his own lips.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. But be careful next time, okay?”
“Are you going to be our tutor again, noona?” Jisung pressed once more and you turned your attention back to him. To be honest, you’re still not sure how your schedule will turn out after this, but you couldn’t really bear to break the poor boy’s heart at the moment.
“Yes… I’m here to teach your big brothers today for their tests though. We’ll have to schedule you and Chenle’s lessons again. Is that alright?”
A brief look of disappointment flashed on his face but he was quick enough to pick it up. Jisung smiled and gave your hand a squeeze.
“Okay. We can wait. It’s good you are back, Jaemin-hyung was so—”
“Yah, don’t hog her by yourself. You’ll scare her away.”
A new voice made the three of you look back to the doorway. Haechan smiled at your little group as he strolled casually into the room followed by Jeno and Jaemin. The three of them joined your crowd and you felt Jisung finally let go of your hand as he stepped away to go over to his brothers’ side.
“Hi. Sorry, I only returned now. Taeyong told me that you—”
You weren’t able to finish what you wanted to say as Haechan gently stopped you mid-sentence. He leaned his head to the side, eyes briefly scanning you from head to toe. Unlike Jisung, he looked calm and only barely excited.
“It’s fine. We knew you’ll come back. How are you?”
“Oh… I’m good. My head is better. I haven’t had the chance to thank all of you for taking care of me when I was here.”
“How about your boyfriend?” It was Jeno who asked this time and you quickly turned to him to address his question. Your eyes briefly slipped to Jaemin who was standing behind him before you could even speak though, and for a moment you had the impression that Jeno was shielding him—or blocking him from you. You blinked a little bit in confusion, wondering if it was just your imagination that was making you think that way.
“He’s still… still unconscious,” your smile dropped a little but you tried your best to keep your voice casual. “We’re getting more tests for him. His doctor said that he isn’t showing bad signs at least.”
“I’m so sorry to hear about him,” Haechan said with compassion and you gave him a grateful look. Your gaze settled on Jaemin again, however, who for some reason had barely looked at you since he came into the room. You know that he can be quiet and reserved at times, but there is something in the air around him that makes you slightly worried. He’s so still, but the way he carries himself makes it seem like he’s so strung up at the same time. It also doesn’t help that Jeno seems to be almost pushing him back from view.
“Hi Jaemin… How are you?” You tried to gently ask him to make sure that he is okay. He didn’t look at you at first, but when he finally did, you felt yourself freeze a little. His eyes looked dark and almost emotionless when he met yours and there were shadows under them as if he hadn't slept properly for days. He didn’t even answer and just simply stared, his gaze blank and accusing at the same time.
Haechan casually glanced over his brother and chuckled. “Our Jaeminie here has been sick for the past couple of days so he’s a little out of it. But he’s going to be fine now,” he put a hand over the other’s shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze as if to calm him down. “Right, Jaemin? We’ll try our best to go to class today since noona is finally back, hmm?”
Jaemin, however, didn’t even seem to hear him. He continued staring at you the same way that kept you pinned on your spot.
“Are you leaving again?” he finally asked and you almost felt goosebumps rise on your skin. It didn’t sound like a question… but more of a threat. You swallowed.
“I’m going to have to arrange my schedule till things get better…” you answered carefully, as if you’re navigating dark waters. That didn’t seem to cut it for him, unfortunately.
“So you’re not leaving. Forever?”
You blinked. To be honest, you’ve been thinking of quitting and just finishing the rest of the month if things didn’t improve, but you don’t think that’s the right answer to give at the moment.
“No… not for now,” you finally managed to say. You watched as Jaemin seemed to visibly relax, his stiff shoulders loosening under Haechan’s grip. He didn’t say anything after that, but he at least looked away, seemingly more satisfied with your words.
“Great. I think we should get to work,” Haechan broke the silence and looked around the room as if the tension you were feeling was just something only you could feel. He nodded towards Chenle and Jisung then. “You guys go back to your own classes. You’ll have your share of noona once it’s your turn.” He then glanced at you, smile still in place. “Should we start then?”
You nodded. “Is Renjun still not back?”
“Not yet. He’s going to be here tomorrow though,” Jeno answered as he took his seat on one of the desks.
“I see…”
Haechan also found his spot, but not before you’ve noticed him urging Jaemin to do the same. Playfully, he took the pencil you’ve arranged on the desk and started tapping it against the wood of the table.
“Don’t worry. We’ll tell him you’re back. I’m sure he can’t wait to have his lessons again~”
*******
You looked over the window for the third time in the last fifteen minutes and sighed. The day had been busy with you trying to catch up on the boys’ lessons that you barely even noticed the state of the weather outside. When you finally did, it took you by surprise when you saw how much of the ground was covered by snow—one look at it told you that it is at least a feet deep by now. Your first instinct was to try and maneuver your car out of the lot before your tires get entirely buried in it, but then you remembered that you promised to wait for Taeyong to come back before leaving the manor. The butler requested for you to temporarily watch over the manor while he tries to do some last minute errands back in the city, but it’s been two hours since he originally promised to come back. You eyes glanced at your watch now, then back at the quickly darkening view outside.
“...severe snowstorm has blocked some of the main roads in the city at the moment. Expect heavy traffic and don’t forget to drive safely.”
You turned to the television now to catch the last of the rambling dialogue of the reporter about the weather. You’ve been debating on whether to call Taeyong or not to check on him, but you didn’t want to seem impatient to go home when you only really wanted to make sure if he’s safe. From the looks of it, he’s stuck somewhere because of the hale, too.
You were on your way to get your phone from your bag to at least try to shoot him a message when you suddenly heard it ring. Getting it just in time, you almost sighed in relief when you saw his number there. You quickly took it and went over to the window to answer it to make sure you get some proper signal.
“Hello? Taeyong?”
“Hey. Finally. I’ve been trying to call you for the last hour, thank god it finally connected.”
“Oh, sorry, my phone’s in my bag. I think the signal’s getting bad because of the snowstorm. Where are you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, about that, I’m still stuck in town. The traffic’s so bad here because a section of the main road is blocked. Road maintenance is supposed to come thirty minutes ago but I think there’s a delay because there are other roads they are working on.”
Your gaze drifted back to the television where scenes of the same blocked avenues were being flashed. “Yeah… the news says the same. Are you safe though?”
“I am. I’m really sorry for making you wait. I’d tell you to drive back and not wait for me anymore but I don’t think you’ll also make it home in time with all this traffic going on. I don’t think it’s going to be safe. Do you mind waiting for a little bit more? I’ll tell you once the roads are better.”
You thought it over quickly, a frown settling on your face. You really want to go home, but he’s right. There’s no point in trying to drive back if you’ll only find yourself stuck in the roads for hours. Not being a big fan of night driving yourself, you can already imagine the stress waiting for you if you add a snowstorm to the mix. As much as you wanted to leave, you’re left with no choice, at least for the moment.
“I can… I’ll just wait for you, I guess. Do you want me to do anything here while you’re gone? Dinner for the boys?”
“Oh no, no, you don’t need to do that, that’s not part of your job,” Taeyong sounded abashed when he said that. You stepped away from the window then and took a seat by the fireplace that Jeno started earlier. Half of your concentration was on the news which has now shifted to a different set of reports also caused by the snowstorm. “They’ll know when to go down and eat. Don’t worry about them. Where are they right now?”
“Ah, I think they went back to their rooms? I did tell them earlier that I’ll try to wait for you.”
“I see. Yes, I think that’s better. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated. If things don’t get better, I think I’ll have no other choice but find a hostel here and wait for the weather to calm down. You can stay there and just ask for help from any of them. You can stay in the same room just in case.”
You didn’t quickly react to the offer. Instead, your eyes flickered to the doorway of the room before refocusing your attention back to the conversation. It’s not like you have anything against spending the night again at the manor—you’ve done it before, after all—but it’s honestly not really something you’re comfortable to do again. Maybe it’s because you’ve never really been okay with overstaying at strangers’ houses but your gut feel is also telling you right now that it shouldn’t be your top option regardless of the situation you are in.
Still, you didn’t want to come off rude to Taeyong, not when he is only being kind to offer you temporary shelter while being stuck in the middle of nowhere himself. So instead, you went against your initial doubts and offered him your thanks in return. It’s just Plan B that he’s proposing after all.
“I will. Keep me updated though if you need anything you think I can help with.”
“Thank you and I will. I have to go now though. Please make yourself at home. I’ll try to call again after an hour.”
“Okay. Take care.”
You put your phone down now with a worried frown as you heard the line drop. You couldn’t believe this is happening the first day you got back to work but it’s not like you can really blame anyone for it. The only good thing is that you’re sure Jaehyun is being taken care of right now so that is at least one thing off your shoulders. You didn’t really need to rush anywhere, not especially to a vacant home. Leaning back against your seat, you tried your best to relax as your gaze travelled around the room once again. You deliberated on sending a text to your mother-in-law to tell her about your situation but decided against it, not wanting to worry her more. You sighed. For now, you guess you didn’t have any other choice but to wait.
You did try to distract yourself by watching the news for a few more minutes before finally giving up on it. With resignation, you picked yourself up from your seat again and turned the television off. For a moment you simply stood in the middle of the room, trying to figure out what to do with your time when your gaze settled on the door again. Everyone retreated to their own rooms after they finished with their lessons so it means the house is pretty much yours for exploring if you wanted to. You toyed with the idea for a little bit, before finally resigning yourself to it. It’s not like there really is anything else left for you to do, and Taeyong did say you can make yourself feel at home if you wanted to. With a sigh, you finally turned on your heels to leave the room and peered silently into the hallway. It was deserted as expected, but still your eyes travelled left and right to check if there’s anyone out and about at this hour. It was only after you made sure that you were alone when you finally allowed yourself to step into the corridor.
Of course, you have a plan. You’re pretty much sure that checking out the rooms on the first floor is acceptable since it’s where you’ve been rotating your classes so you’re going to stick to those areas. You remember finding a library there once and you focused on finding your way to it to maybe check out some of the books in the collection.
It did take you about five minutes to finally find the place you were looking for. For some reason, the sections in the manor always confuse you no matter how many times you try to memorize each one, probably because of how big and similar-looking they are on the outside. You’ve already tried four doors when you were finally welcomed by the familiar-looking bookshelves at the fifth one. You sighed and gave one quick look around the room before slipping yourself inside after making sure that you’re alone.
There will probably never be a time when you won’t find yourself fascinated by anything in this grand home. If the architecture of the mansion is not enough to convince anyone how rich the family is, their book collection is enough to assure that at the very least. You’ve only ever taken a quick glimpse of it once during one of your lessons with the boys, but one look of the titles in their shelves is enough to make any literature major excited. You looked at the floor to ceiling collection now, your fingers gently running over the spines of the books you could reach with a small smile on your face.
You were about to check out the rest of the collection on the other side of the wall when something in the middle of the room caught your attention. You didn’t really catch it at first because of the shadows that concealed it when you first came in, but you could pretty much discern the outline of a blanket covered standee now from where you stood. You frowned. Taking careful steps, you closed the distance towards it to try and figure out what exactly it is that you’re seeing.
A closer look revealed it to be an easel covered with white cloth. You could see the outline of the canvas where the blanket falls over it while shadows of colors peeked out into the thin fabric from the surface it was covering. How odd… you knew that Renjun had a different art room for his paintings so to see this now here in the middle of the library seems uncanny.
You didn’t know how long you remained standing in front of it, too. You know you should have walked away—after all, the white cloth hiding it away from plain view means whatever is on that canvas is not meant for everyone’s eyes to see, but you simply couldn’t tear yourself away from it. It’s as if there was a silent force asking you to pull that cloth to reveal what’s underneath, the inclination so strong that you could almost hear its voice breathing down next to your ear, unrelenting until you do what it says.
The next thing you know, you had your hand attached to one end of the fabric. You stared at it now, wondering last minute if you should go ahead or not. You swallowed and glanced around one last time around the room. If you’re alone… it wouldn’t hurt if you could take a peek, right? Nobody will know. You just have to see, then cover it back again. Before you could even think about it too much, your arm was finally moving on its own as it gently tugged at the covering. You watched as it fell gently on the floor, like a bodiless ghost melting into the shadows on the ground.
Your eyes couldn’t make out what you were seeing at first. The dim lighting of the room wasn’t helping at all, but you were sure that it was a woman’s silhouette that was staring back at you from the canvas. Colors swirled around her, like some unknown mass trying to drag her back into unknown depths. Shapes and tones jumped from the picture, but her form stood out from the rest, gracefully twisted as if she was in the middle of trying to fight and succumb to it at the same time. You frowned. Taking a step closer towards it, you tried to study its details under what little illumination the lamps above afforded you.
That’s when it all happened simultaneously. Your heart stopped beating the same time your eyes widened as they finally focused on what’s in front of them. It’s as if the ground suddenly vanished from underneath your feet and you were falling, falling, deep into the abyss despite your body being frozen in fear and shock.
You know this painting. You’ve seen it before. It was the same one by Renjun, the one that you saw on your first day working in the manor.
But it was different now. Instead of the unfinished state that caught your attention before, everything about the picture now is in sharp focus. The lines on the woman’s nude body, the hands—which you thought were simply dark swirls dragging her back—and her face twisted beautifully in pleasure and madness stared back at you like a nightmare.
But it was not those which truly shook you to your core. It’s the realization that it was your own face in the portrait that was staring back at you, silently screaming for you to run away.
You stumbled back in shock. Your chest felt tight as you tried to grasp for air while your hands fumbled to find something to hold on to keep you from crashing on the ground. Before you could even take another step, however, something hard hit your back and you felt strong arms wrap around your waist like a vice. You have barely realized what was happening when you felt someone lean over your shoulder, lips pressing against the shell of your ear.
“Isn’t it beautiful? You’re the perfect muse, don’t you think?” Renjun asked softly as he pressed a gentle kiss to your temple.
*******
You didn’t know how long you stayed frozen in his embrace. For a brief moment you thought you were dreaming again until you felt his arms slowly tighten around your waist. As if a jolt of electricity shocked you, you immediately turned to push him away as you scrambled to put some distance between the two of you.
Renjun didn’t seem the least bothered when your eyes finally focused on him. He remained on his spot, his gaze on you unwavering. You, meanwhile, were shaking from head to toe, the vision of the painting still branded vividly in your head.
“Renjun—what’s this?” you managed to stutter as you pointed at the artwork in the middle of the room. You couldn’t even spare to look at it again while he merely gave it a casual glance.
“It’s you. I’ve been working on it for a long time. I was about to show it to you but it seems like you couldn’t wait for it yourself.”
You felt nauseous. A part of your rational mind was slowly losing it as you tried to process his answer. Something's not right. Something is so terribly wrong.
“Why—why did you do this?”
Renjun simply stared at you and leaned his head a little bit to the side as if he was only mildly curious of your reaction. Your stomach turned even before hearing his answer.
“You said it’s beautiful.”
“This is not right—!”
“I came home because they said you were leaving for good,” he continued speaking softly, effectively cutting you from what you were about to say. The hairs on the back of your neck stood on end and you took another step back as you watched him get close to his artwork. You watched in horror as his thin fingers lovingly ran over the corners of the canvas. “Jaemin almost lost it… It’s a good thing I got here on time.”
And just like that, everything seemed to have clicked into place. The glances, the touches, the words that seemed to have a different undercurrent under them… they weren’t just fragments of your imagination. Every little thing that has gnawed at you from the inside came into crystal clear focus and you felt your knees go weak from the weight of it all. It took every fiber of your being to try and keep yourself steady now, your legs moving on their own as they took small backward steps away from the boy staring at you now with dead eyes. You couldn’t breathe, but it was the last words he told you that finally snapped you to run.
“I don’t think you’ve realized it yet. But no, you cannot leave. Ever.”
You didn’t know where you got the energy for it but in seconds you were flying out of that room and running blindly down the darkened corridors. Your blood pumped noisily in your ears and your chest felt like it was going to split from the sudden exertion you put on it, but you didn’t stop, not even looking back as you tried to put as much distance between you and the library. You didn’t even know where you were going. All you’re focused on is to find the exit and leave the house as soon as possible.
A loud bang that sounded off to your right startled you and you screamed, the force of your shock making you whip around and almost lose your balance. Before you could even hit the floor, however, a pair of hands caught you and you immediately turned, grasping at the chest of your rescuer.
You froze. Haechan smiled down at you as he tried to steady you on your feet.
“Haechan,” you gasped as you took fistfuls of his shirt and tried to shake him in your panic. “Renjun—he’s—please, help me. He’s after me—” you gasped out, almost out of your wits. You’re on the verge of a total breakdown that it almost escaped you, the way he simply smiled down on your shaking form. It was only when you felt one of his hands gently caress the top of your head that reality slapped you in the face again. You suddenly stopped struggling in his hold, pupils shaking as you watched him study your features lovingly.
“Shh… it’s fine. I got you,” he whispered and you could swear ice pricked you from the inside. A slight movement to the right made you turn your head and you saw Jaemin lean casually against the banister of the stairs, his face serene. He gave you one quick look before a gentle smile finally lit up his features.
“Has it started?” he asked and you felt Haechan’s hold on you tighten.
“It has.”
You didn’t struggle. It was as if any trace of fight you had left you in that moment and you let your hands fall limply on your sides. Haechan also loosened his grip on you and you stared at the two boys blankly, your chest heaving as if fighting for air. They didn’t move from their spots and simply followed you with their eyes as if relishing the fear and realization flashing in your face.
Trapped.
You’re trapped.
You’ve always been.
You didn’t even realize that your legs had started moving again on their own as the pieces of the puzzle started to fall together in your mind. You were only shaken from it when your back finally hit the front door, the cold metal of the knob pressing against your spine. Jaemin and Haechan remained on their spots still, even as you blindly reached out for it from behind.
You were expecting it to be locked, so you were a little bit surprised when you felt it give way under your hand when you tried to turn it open. Just before you could even entertain the idea of escaping, however, any trace of hope you had quickly died as you turned and came face to face with Jeno standing right in front of the entrance. He didn’t look the least surprised seeing you there, as if he was waiting for you in the first place.
You eyes took in his calm countenance before slowly moving to stare downwards at what he was holding by his side. Your gaze locked on it in fear, and that’s when the flight response in you flared up again.
Jeno’s hunting rifle shone dully in the light of the entryway, his pale fingers wrapped on its handle.
“There’s really only one place you can run, noona, but I won’t advise it,” he said evenly and you felt your blood freeze in your veins.
“After all, no matter where you hide, I’ll still find you in that forest.”
It happened all at once. You broke into a run, your body screaming at you to go faster as you heard gunshots pierce the air.
---
CHAPTER 7
A/N: Good lord, I wasn’t expecting I’d finish this today but I got one large iced coffee and well... things happened. Anyway, enjoy! Let’s hope the format won’t mess up this time. T.T Finally, all hell broke loose~ <3
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#nct dream yandere au#nct dream yandere#nct dream yandere fic#jaemin x reader#jeno x reader#renjun x reader#haechan x reader#nct dream 00 line fic#nct dream 00 line x reader#nct horror au#nct dream yandere imagines#jaehyun x reader#yandere!nct dream#yandere!jaemin#yandere!jeno#yandere!renjun#yandere!haechan#nct-writers#yandere!nct dream 00 line
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Why Elriel has the most realistic relationship in the ACOTAR series
Disclaimer: If you’re reading this, please take a step back from your personal preferences (ships, characters). This post lacks any subjectivity and focuses, instead, on the timeline (canon) of the ACOTAR series, and what this means for the development of Azriel and Elain’s relationship.
I’m always surprised when I read a post claiming that Elriel is not realistic, or that it came out of nowhere. While I will use scenes from the books as references, my biggest argument against Elriel not being realistic, or having come out of nowhere, is the passing of time (and compatibility).
These two characters have spent more time together than any other ACOTAR couple.
How, then, does it not make sense that they developed a mutual attraction/feelings for one another?
Remember: We have yet to read Elain’s POV, and have read very little about Azriel’s thoughts and feelings, but the little we do know is very telling.
Let’s start by looking at compatibility—something that Maas has focused on, again and again, since their first meeting.
Feyre draws constant parallels between them—how alike they are in temperament. How similar they are, both able to put others at ease without much difficulty. They’ve shared one scene together, interacted once, and Feyre can already picture it, picture them together.
Most importantly, however, Maas draws the reader’s attention to their ability to read one another. Remember—Azriel’s own family is unable to discern his thoughts/emotions and yet, Elain manages to do so during their first meeting.
This shows how perceptive they both are.
Their ability to read each other is addressed again in Azriel’s Bonus POV, but more on that later.
Then, in ACOWAR, the little hints about their compatibility increase tenfold. Do you think that it’s a coincidence that Elain interacts with Azriel moments after her first interaction with Lucien?
(It is also interesting to note the description in this passage. The image is poetic, and the meaning behind this moment (him carrying her in his arms through the front door - bridal-style? - even more so).
Do you think that it’s a coincidence that, after saying that no one truly sees her (or bothers to look), we see Azriel offering to show Elain the garden? He senses what she needs before anyone else does.
(It should also be noted that he offers to show it to her, something that no one asked him to do.)
Do you think that it’s a coincidence that Elain, who is viewed as the weakest of the Archeron sisters, is never afraid (or intimidated by) Azriel, who is often perceived as one of the (if not the) most feared member of the IC? Azriel, with his shadows and wings, with his cold eyes and expressionless face?
Do you think that it’s a coincidence that Feyre noticed the small moment between them, when Elain looked at his scars and called them beautiful? The scars on his hands are a reminder of the horrors he endured and yet, Elain calls them beautiful.
(It is almost as if she truly sees him, as well).
Finally, do you think that it’s a coincidence that Feyre, who witnessed both, Elain’s interaction with Lucien and Azriel, questions whether the Cauldron chose the right mate for Elain?
Again, we have the poetic description, and two contrasting images: brutal and lovely. And yet, Feyre looks at them and sees how compatible they truly are. She knows Lucien well—she considers him a friend—and yet, the chemistry between Azriel and Elain is so evident (and has been since ACOMAF), that she cannot help but wonder if the Cauldron made a mistake.
I would also like to draw your attention to the scene that Feyre witnesses between them. They are both sitting in silence and yet, they appear content. Do you know how rare it is to be in the same room with someone and not feel the need to fill the silence with conversation? I don’t know about you, but I’ve only ever experienced this feeling with the people I’m closest to.
Azriel understands Elain’s need for peace and quiet (a need that he shares and can relate to, as well), and he chooses to stay with her in the garden (again, no one asked him to). She is comfortable enough around him to not mind his presence. In fact, with Elain drinking her tea and Azriel reading his reports, they are the very picture of domesticity.
Then, Azriel continues to seek out her presence.
Any interactions between them take place behind the scenes, but again, notice how Azriel is the one offering to keep her company in the garden. Feyre was going to do it herself, but he stepped in. What can we conclude from this?
He enjoys her company.
So much so that, after the Ravens’ attack, when Nesta worries about Elain, Rhys informs her that Azriel was still at the house when the attack happened.
The scenes that follow are the most widely discussed, so I will only mention them briefly:
It is not a coincidence that it was Azriel (and not Lucien) who figured out that Elain is a seer (nor is it a coincidence that he was the only one who truly listened to her, instead of thinking that she’s gone mad, like everyone else).
It is not a coincidence that he was the only one who thought of her when the Cauldron lured her away. Why didn’t Nesta, the overprotective older sister? Or Feyre, who dreamed of it happening? Why did Maas have Azriel utter, “What about Elain?”
It is not a coincidence that he was the one who risked his life to save hers (and not Lucien).
I believe that, if Elain wasn’t already feeling some kind of pull towards Azriel, having him rescue her was the final push in that direction.
And it makes perfect sense.
She’s never seen by anyone (not even her sisters)—until she meets Azriel. Not only does he pay attention to what she needs, he keeps her company, and seemingly enjoys being in her presence.
Similarly, it makes perfect sense for Azriel to feel a pull towards Elain, as well.
Contrary to what a loud majority has been saying, Azriel does not need another Cassian or Mor in his life. He is quite obviously an introvert, who craves peace and quiet above all else. He is surrounded by extroverts and, if you’re an introvert, you know how draining it can be. It makes sense, then, that he gravitated towards Elain, whose temperament matches his.
Again, it all comes down to compatibility.
They understand each other.
He understands her need for peace and quiet, and she understands his.
They accept each other.
But, more importantly, they trust each other.
It makes sense, doesn’t it? That he risked his life without a second thought to save hers. By the time Elain gets taken, Azriel and Elain have spent time in each other’s company and have quite obviously formed a bond/connection—a companionship of sorts, built on mutual understanding and acceptance.
She trusts him. She feels safe with him. Something that I guarantee she hasn’t felt since being violated and changed into a Fae against her will.
Similarly, he trusts her.
Why does Azriel give Truth-Teller, his legendary blade, to Elain? He doesn’t just let her touch it; he actually lends it to her, and trusts her enough to know that she’ll return it to him when she’s ready to.
In 500+ years, he has never let another person touch that blade—not even Mor, the woman he loves—but he parts with it for Elain.
Why? Because he knows that she cannot go into a battlefield unarmed, and understands that she, too, trusts him enough to accept it and use it if need be.
We, as readers, understand the importance of this moment. Maas draws our attention to Cassian’s shock, and includes the dialogue between Feyre and Rhys to underline, again and again, that something extremely significant is taking place.
So significant, in fact, that the scene was included in the coloring book and mentioned again in ACOFAS.
Maas is once again saying how rare this is. How different. How significant.
And what about the description? Like before, Maas uses poetic wording and contrasting imagery to describe Azriel and Elain.
The only bridge of connection—because what we are seeing, what we’ve been getting hints of, is two people who have slowly formed a connection.
Trust is earned.
Trust is built.
It does not happen overnight.
Remember—the majority of Azriel and Elain’s relationship takes place behind the scenes. We know that they are spending time together—and even have a description of some of their interactions—but we don’t really know what happens when it’s just the two of them.
This connection between them does not happen overnight.
ACOFAS takes place months after the war.
And what do we witness?
Azriel and Elain having grown even closer. In other words, we see progress and development.
He respects her, and cares about her. He makes everyone wait for her to be seated at the table, something he has never done before (similar to when he lended her Truth-Teller).
Again, that understanding.
And Azriel seeking out her company.
And Elain seeing him, paying attention to his needs.
Making him laugh like no one has ever had before.
And finally, them enjoying spending time in each other’s company. At 3 AM.
Azriel would rather sit and listen to Elain talk about her garden than go upstairs with the others.
Notice the pattern of understanding, trust, and connection that Maas has been coming back to (and increasing, strengthening) since ACOMAF.
Why, then, are readers surprised by their feelings?
More than two years have passed since their first meeting.
By the time we get a glimpse into Azriel’s thoughts and feelings, these two characters have been interacting and spending time with each other for years.
No, his feelings did not come out of nowhere.
No, their feelings are not cliché, or unrealistic.
No, he did not get over Mor after meeting Elain. In fact, we went from this in ACOMAF:
To this in ACOWAR:
And finally, to this, in ACOSF:
Again, remember: ACOSF takes place 1.5 years after ACOWAR, and almost 2 years after ACOMAF.
Azriel getting over Mor has been a gradual process. Same with Elain getting over Graysen.
Azriel does not see Elain as the third sister, one he is entitled to.
He actually sees Elain, something that Maas has been hinting at since ACOMAF.
The relationship (and feelings) between these two characters has been building for 2 years.
And 90% of it has taken place behind the scenes.
Azriel’s POV is proof of this:
What looks? What occasional brush of their fingers?
We’ve seen none of this.
And it makes sense.
We haven’t gotten their POVs yet.
Even Azriel’s POV is filled with the pattern that Maas has established for them since ACOMAF.
Understanding (and an ability to read each other without the use of words):
Trust:
Connection:
This is why their relationship is far more realistic (and healthy, but that’s a post for another time) than Feysand’s or Nessian’s. In a way, it reminds me of Kallias and Viviane’s (friends to lovers), who spent years developing a friendship, which then turned into romantic feelings.
Why?
Because they’ve had time.
Time to get to know each other, to connect with each other.
Time to develop a friendship which then slowly turned into romantic feelings and sexual desire.
This is also why I connect with and understand their relationship—more so than anyone else’s in the ACOTAR series.
#acosf spoilers#acotar#acomaf#acowar#acofas#acosf#elain archeron#pro elain#azriel#azriel's pov#elriel#pro elriel
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CHAPTER 20
- fuck it, i know what’s coming and i’m doing another set tonight, let’s GO
- Violet being a shit to Cyprian gives me life.
- “the sensation of coming home, as though they knew each other.” hnnnnnnnnnnng alkdjfghkfg
- “we could rub mud on him like we did with the horses.” i cannot tell you how much money i would pay to see this happen. someone please draw me art of Cyprian covered in mud and scowling fit to shoot lasers with Violet laughing her ass off in the background. pLEASE.
- Cyprian and Violet bickering, Will like ‘i will turn this car around, so help me!!!”
- gawd, Devon recognizes him as the Dark King reborn immediately, what a shock that must’ve been. for Sarcean himself to just come wandering in off the street and claim he’s looking to buy some ivory. like wtf. but also, “i am your servant.”
- “for all we know, this was the last.” as the last of his own kind that was hunted for his horn, this whole thing is very macabre. idk how he can stand to work in a shop like that.
- such an interesting back and forth, Devon testing Will to see what he knows/remembers and what his goal here is, and Will having no idea.
- “‘for a lady?’ ‘he knows.’” Dark King and his Lady, YEAH he knows!!! do you? does Will genuinely understand here that Devon has fully recognized him as Sarcean? the hand scar is mentioned, ya know, that one that’s representative of his mother trying to kill him for what he is.
- yeah, he totally knows, gosh. but also, the narration claims he was planning for Devon to tell James who he was. he obviously didn’t, by the end of the book James still doesn’t know the truth of it. was that Will’s plan? did he expect Devon to tell James the whole truth, or to keep up the pretense that everyone else believes? I CONTINUE TO HAVE QUESTIONS.
- on another note, the fact that he went in there with a coin purse full of rocks to make himself look wealthy enough to pay attention to is, for some reason, really funny to me.
- James coming in with violence and a snappy one-liner, like the icon he is.
- the description of James’ magic is uuuuhhhh something 👀 intimate, like his own hands. i’m not surprised that i’ve already seen it used in smut, even with only 16 fics existing for this fandom, adlfghjk.
- James literally uses his magic to undress Will, cAN YOU BELIEVE
- James says Will is no match for the Dark King, and Will laughs. the irony, of course, but also the truth of it. the futility of fighting against fate, of thinking that he can overcome his nature, that he can be something good. (also Violet is there with a blunt instrument, but i’m thinking broader terms here, lmao.)
- their plan really was to knock him over the head with something heavy and hope that worked, and it DID. sometimes simplicity is key, ya know? don’t bother overcomplicating things. just whack ‘em. 100% success rate.
CHAPTER 21
- the thrill Will gets from having James contained and subdued is a little chilling, with knowledge of the Collar later on.
- i want more of James & Cyprian so badlyyyyy. they grew up together!!! they know each other!!! Cyprian functionally took James’ place!!! Cyprian is what James would’ve been, if not for his previous life!!! Cyprian is everything James wasn’t given the opportunity to be!!!
- i’ve said before and i’ll say again: i’m a SLUT for characters who use provocation to cover up vulnerability. the world is going to hurt them anyway, so they might as well give it a reason. if they ask for it, then they can at least pretend they had control over the pain.
- is St Clair the name James was born with? is it Jannick’s name? Jannick St Clair? did his adopted sons take his last name? Cyprian St Clair? these are absolutely crucial questions that i need answered immediately.
- “HELLO, FATHER.” -record scratch-
- everything about this hurts. because James doesn’t even remember his past life. all of this for something he doesn’t even remember and isn’t necessarily beholden to. how different he would’ve turned out if they hadn’t written him off. “that thing is not my son.” i mean, damn. that fucking stings.
- it says the box with the unicorn horn is the length of a walking cane now, but i’m pretty sure last time it said the horn was the length of both Will’s outstretched arms cuz i remember remarking that that would be like 6 feet long 😅 maybe i’m just dumb, i should go back and check, but also i’m lazy. i’ll do it later.
- the horn is representative of James himself, beauty and innocence desecrated in the pursuit of its possession, in this essay i will -- (i mean Will draws this parallel too, but he’s missing the deeper level of it, beyond his superficial beauty. he doesn’t know yet that James’ betrayal was never willing, that he was stolen and subjugated. that even in this life, he wasn’t given the opportunity to retain that purity. it was taken from him. it’s always taken from him.)
- the juxtaposition of the horn and its purity, “a hero’s weapon”, and the violence required to use it, god it makes me FERAL (but not as feral as the rest of this scene jfc aldfkgjh)
- James spreading his legs and challenging Will to stab him is literally so homoerotic that my brain is melting out of my ears.
- James tells the truth when he says no one can stop the Dark King’s rise. he’s already here.
- HAND ON THROAT, I’M LOSING IT
- James only truly fights when it comes to the Collar, his own last chance at freedom, he fights so hard afdjhg
- James pivoted (attack as defense) to reveal the Stewards’ hypocrisy, to hamstring the entire group by fracturing their trust in each other. god he’s good.
- “‘i’m not Simon’s lover.’ ‘i didn’t ask.’” the second, maybe third, time that James has denied the accusation. unprompted this time. i find that so interesting. there are some accusations he’ll accept and even own, but not this one. especially not to Will, though he doesn’t know why yet.
- “you could stick it in again.” sir pls i’m already dead aldfkgjh
- Will undressing James, at his behest, the same way that James undressed him in the street earlier to get at the medallion. idek what to do with this kind of threatening intimacy.
- i am so utterly fascinated by the relationship people with super-fast healing have with pain, both incidental pain and pain inflicted on them deliberately. serious injury fleeting and unimportant, something to be shrugged off as an inconvenience, grit your teeth and it’ll be over in a moment. but also, being gaslit by his own body. evidence of trauma gone before the mind can even begin to process that it happened. “nothing to show for the violence that had been done to him.” how many times was he branded? he doesn’t even remember. he has no way of knowing. did it even happen? was the pain real? was the trauma of it real? did it count? how bad could it have been, if it didn’t leave a mark? James is surprised that Will seems to care that he was hurt.
- but also the question of......does Will care, in the sense of compassion for James essentially being tortured? how much of it is possessiveness? someone else trying to brand what he knows, deep down, belongs to him? Will knows the mark is his own, but Simon’s actions are clear. Will doesn’t like it.
- Will’s true motive rears its ugly head.... and then Will throwing a lifeline, giving James the hope to be something other than dark. giving him the chance the Stewards didn’t. what you were is less important than what you could be. you choose your own path, we all do.
- “a golden hero, full of righteousness like Cyprian. or a hapless boy unready for the fight.” like Katherine?
- no one has ever asked James if he remembers. all these years, all this fuss, and no one has even bothered to ask him if he remembers the previous life he’s been condemned for.
- god, this is one hell of a chapter.
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Long overdue - Bucky Barnes x Reader
Title: Long overdue
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader
Warnings: None
Prompt: Could you please do a Bucky and y/n where she is shy but is really close to Steve and Bucky thanks their dating and he gets jealous because he loves her but they don’t really talk that much? Love your work
“Still not ready to retire old man?” you smiled, teasingly when the blonde looked at you over his shoulder, but always with a warmth in your eyes that only longtime friends, family, at this point could have. Especially after everything you've all been through.
“What did you just call me, right now?” he narrowed his eyes at you, a lightness and easiness in both his movement and voice, as you couldn't see much of his face at that moment. Granted there was still some heaviness in the atmosphere whenever silence followed, and his moves if one was to pay close attention could notice were short and stiff. And you do notice it.
But who could blame him? Things are better than what they've been five years ago but still, that doesn't mean good. Not when people were still lost in the battle, important ones. Also family.
It's as good as it can get for now at least, and to have your best friend alive and here with you is really the second best thing at the moment. So you can't nor will complain.
“Am pretty sure you heard me. Just as I am sure that if I looked close enough, I could spot a white strand of hair here and there.” you smirked when his eyes widened “But that's not the point here. What I mean is, it's been a good couple months since you gave up that shield, and yet you're still somehow around. Changed your mind, maybe you need a new one? I saw one the other day when I was in town, I think it would suit you.”
“I'm just taking my time, it's not that easy to find an apartment in Brooklyn. You know that.” he turned to fully face you, a frown on his face but it was anything but serious as he crossed his arms over his chest “Besides, weren't you the one that said I should take as much time as I need and that this will always be my home? What happened now? Can't wait to get rid of me?”
“Oh you figured it out, at last.” you played along, letting out a long sigh of relief “Yeah, I'm so sick and tired of seeing that perfectly handsome face all the time. Distracting, taunting and at the same time reminding me of the 20 skincare products I have to use yet again tonight, to look even remotely human.”
A deep chuckle escaped his lips, the easy smile managing to warm you deep to your heart, just as much as his arms did the moment they wrapped around you "If that is to say you look like an angel otherwise, then yes I will accept it.”
“Yeah, particularly the one that rules hell.” you chuckled.
“Why do I even try to say anything nice for you in the first place?” he laughed, shaking his head.
You giggled, wrapping your arms around him as well, trying to find some comfort in your friend- in your family, before you inevitably had to throw yourself into this new world without him. The new age of heroes where many things had changed and in which you wouldn't have someone to turn to any given moment, as easily as it was with Steve. Steve had always been that important. There still was one, much more important of course, but that treacherous heart of yours made it impossible for you to even remotely think you could be so open with him as with Steve. Not without turning every shade of red there was, anyway. “In any case-” you cleared your throat “I could still get you that shield and you can be back on the business in no time. With a new title, of course, but still doing the job... which involves making me breakfast and dinner when I'm too tired. I mean, now that I think about it, you can still keep up that job even if you don't wanna be out on the field.”
“Ah so I do see why you want me to stay after all.” he nodded his head “By the way, what kind of shield are we talking about?”
“Oh it's a special one. I think it was based off a movie? You know how they are with superhero movies lately. And given how bright pink it was I'm guessing Captain Barbie or someth-” but you didn't even get to complete your sentence when a yelp left your lips and soon laughter followed. His fingers moved swiftly as he tickled your sides but you were faster at swatting his hands away.
“Fine, fine. Not a fan of cinema, I see.” you shook your head with a sigh.
“Yeah, forgive me, but we all have flaws. Even me. Is that the real reason why you want me out of here as soon as possible, maybe?” he raised an eyebrow.
“You've got me. Deep down I cannot stand the fact.” you shrugged innocently, but the smile on your lips betraying what you felt.
“Man, I feel the love. You all are glad I came back alive from returning the stones I see.” he said only as a joke, focusing back to gathering the papers filled with older drawings that he had on his table.
“... I am glad you are still here, though, Steve.” you said softly and he looked over his shoulder at you again. This time he didn't just pause, he let go of the papers and turned to face you.
“Where else would I be?” this time a frown set on his face, more serious than any other you'd seen on his face so far, because he understood what your words meant “This is where my family is.”
“Well, yeah, but I mean-” you bit the inside of your cheek and shrugged “There still were more options. More than you had before.”
“More options, yes. A need for a choice? No. I'm good, more than good. And I wouldn't change a thing about what I have here...” he shrugged softly, looking at you carefully almost with calculating eyes before he started speaking again “I mean, save for one thing I suppose. There is always-”
“Don't. Don't you even-” you gave him a sharp look, fast enough to cut him off “Not unless you want me to kick your ass out of here, right now.” you shook your head, lowering your voice “We agreed we wouldn't talk about it. You promised me you wouldn't bring it up again, Steve. You promised.”
You adored your best friend, you honestly did, but moments like this you really wished you had not told him a single word. Not that he wouldn't have figured it out by himself. He was a persistent man, standing by his opinion no matter what. And this time, seeing as he was somehow convinced your feelings could be reciprocated, he did everything in his power to convince you to act on them. He was the only one that knew the truth and you didn't really know if it was a blessing to have someone to talk to about it or a nightmare with how he acted.
“I try but it is too hard seeing how idiotic the two people closest to me can be.” he crossed his arms over his chest, making you frown for a moment in confusion “And I'm still having a hard time understanding why. I get that you have trouble opening up to people, more than just get it. I know how it is. I'm not the most open person exactly, either, and the thought of getting attached to someone is terrifying given the job we do. But it's not just someone, someone random, we're talking about here. There is nothing to be shy abo-”
“I'm not shy about a damn thing, Steve, stop saying that.” you huffed, giving him a hard look “I'm a grown-ass woman who has saved your ass and the world at the same time, more times than I can count. I'm not some schoolgirl to be shy or crushing or daydreaming or whatever word you wanna use again about- about me and you-kow-who.” the fact that you couldn't even say your name for fear of him somehow being around and hearing did make you look no more mature than a schoolgirl.
“All I'm saying is that if you opened up more, you may be surprised in ways that you couldn't even imagine.”
“Oh like him telling me he feels the same? Well, let's see: you are his best friend, practically his brother. He confides in you, trusts you with his life and everything important to him. Has he told you he sees me as anything more than a friend?”
“Well, he-” he paused “No, not really. He doesn't seem to want to talk much about it... you, with me. Like when I bring you up he gets too stiff but I- I see the way he looks at you! He may not admit it-”
“Because there is probably nothing to admit! It's all in your mind and I can't get my hopes up over just a feeling, Steve.”
“Look, all I'm saying is-” he sighed, shaking his head “All this- All this waiting, and pining because you know that's what this is-” he pointed a finger at you before you could get to retort “You know that's exactly what this is! Waiting and hoping it- it goes away somehow? That your feelings for him are something that will just pass like a scratch on knee, or that you'll cover it up and it will be like they don't exist? This is not how it works. You have to try your chance because if you don't then you'll only live to regret it, and I know you will the same I know it's not something that goes away. He may not see it, but I do. And the way you look at Buc-” he stopped himself when your eyes widened, he sighed instead and raised his arms in surrender “The way you look at him, the way you care and-” he stopped himself, shaking his head before slowly approaching you again.
“For god's sake, the way you love, (Y/n), that is not something that can easily be found. This love that you have in you, this big heart that you are so willing to give without a second thought, the care and selfless devotion is- it's one of a kind.” he slowly wrapped his arms around you, looking you carefully in the eyes “You are one of a kind. And anyone that has even part of your love should thank his lucky stars because it is a blessing to be loved by a woman like you. Waiting is one thing, but to be loved like this and not know it, it would be the biggest tragedy in one's life, (Y/n).”
You knew he was only saying everything because he wanted to help you out, to give you a push as gentle as possible towards the right direction. How right was it for you to confess to his best friend that you've always had feelings for him for so long and possible ruin the dynamics and relation you'd built with all of them (besides making a terrible fool of yourself), you didn't know. You were scared to even think of telling him the truth when you could barely utter a few words in his presence because of that treacherous heart of yours that jumped around like crazy whenever he was near.
“Says the world's leading authority on waiting too long.” you mumbled as a weak excuse, knowing he was right, and let your head rest on his chest as he tightened the hold around your waist.
“Yeah, well, speaking from experience I suppose.” he kissed the top of your head “I just want you to be happy, you know how important you are to me. And I would hate to-”
He didn't, however, get to finish his sentence when another voice was heard “Hey, Steve, you done with those-” but his words were also cut off as he breathed a low, gruff “Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.”
“Wha- No, hey, Buck. Not interrupting.” Steve gave his friend a soft smile, pulling away from you and giving you a chance to take a goo look at his friend, and a good look you did take “Just having a word here with (Y/n). Sorry to keep you guys waiting.”
“No I uh should've thought so. Judging from the heartfelt words and all that. I shouldn't have assumed you were talking to yourself, I suppose.” he was mostly speaking to Steve but his eyes were mostly on you, a soft smile on his lips though it didn't reflect on his eyes at all. After barely half a beat, he spoke to you “Hey (Y/n). How you've been?”
“Hello Bucky.” you smiled as well, your throat closing up “Good, you?” you asked and he gave you a soft nod, without taking his eyes off you. Not that you did either. How could you?
Even if somebody were to warn you about it, it would never be able enough to prepare you for what you were seeing. You always knew and would easily admit that the man was good-looking, but this- this even more attractive than you could even imagine. You had seen photos of him back in the days, with his hair shorter and his face on full display, but to see him in person was a whole other thing. It took your breath away to have his eyes fully on you and not for a second hidden. It felt like his whole face was more open, even though his features were still somewhat clouded; the weight on his shoulders wouldn't go away anytime soon that was for sure. But to be able to be like the man he was back then was more than in looks, he could slowly feel like him again.
“Because that would have made so much sense now, wouldn't it?” Steve spoke up.
“Probably. I don't know, I just heard the last sentence anyway, so-” he shrugged, his eyes only stealing a glimpse at you before looking away in what seemed like guilt which you could not understand “Apologies about that. If you guys wanna stay alone some more, I can go by the car and wa-”
“Nah we're good here, all that lady's been doing is distract me anyway.” Steve shot you a playful look “Maybe you can help me out here a bit. I'll take this bag to the car and (Y/n) can tell what else we need from the desk.”
“Alright, I-” Bucky hesitated only for a second, his eyebrows pulling into a frown when Steve all-too-eagerly grabbed his only full bag of clothes and left his room, all excited to leave you alone with Bucky and you would have glared at him if you didn't feel terrified “There he goes.” Bucky sighed before turning to you with a soft smile “Ok, so is there anything you need help with?”
“I uh ye-yeah. Steve was gonna gather his drawings next so given they're important we could... do that.” you breathed out a little hastily but also in a low voice as you rushed to get to the desk. Bucky didn't say a word himself, only letting the tense silence hang in the air; while you struggled on the inside to come up with something good enough. It wasn't just that you were shy or quiet, you were always so unsure of what was best to say to the man, fearing you'd mess it up or make a fool of yourself.
“He's got plenty of these, must have felt really inspired hm?” Bucky spoke in a soft voice, looking over at the drawings Steve had done of you. You got distracted for a moment, taking the warmth in his eyes and the smile that look bittersweet if not sad on his face.
“Uh yeah.” you cleared your throat “It was around the time I was trying to get him back to drawing after I found his art. I was a bit shy about it at first but I suppose they're good.”
“His art always was, he's got a way of bringing things to life, capturing things in a different way but this-” he pause, looking up to meet your eyes, locking them in a look that only made your knees weak if the small distance hadn't already “It would never even compare to the real thing. That is one of a kind. You've always been anyway, I don't think there is a single person that knows you and could deny that.”
“I- I'm not that special.” you could feel the heat rise up on your cheeks and forced yourself to look down.
“I didn't just say special. I said one of a kind, unique. As is... everything about you. But then again, Steve has always been lucky without even knowing it.”
Glancing at him you did notice the honesty in his eyes, the warmth that almost reached out to you like that of the sun. If it weren't for his words that had your heart hammering in your chest, you would have paid more attention to the way his smile didn't really reach his eyes or the longing with which he looked at you.
“I suppose.” you mumbled, though you couldn't understand the meaning behind his last sentence. Letting the silence fill the room again you desperately searched for something else to say. You didn't speak much with Bucky but you wanted – despite your fear – to be the one to keep the conversation going because the truth was you loved talking with him “You look good, you got a haircut.”
Well, when you weren't making a fool of yourself that is.
Bucky paused for a moment, looking at you and you really braced yourself for him to laugh at you and call you out on what a stupid thing that was to say. But instead all you got a smile that you would be damned if it wasn't shy. It was almost too sweet for your heart to take, and the way he ducked his head as if some bashful... schoolboy (you almost laughed at the word that came up in your mind) had your breath getting caught up in your throat once more. You had never seen this side of Bucky. Never.
“Yeah I uh-” he smiled, fully smiled, and your own heart jumped to your throat “I thought that maybe it was time for a change. I didn't know if I could pull it off again after all these years but I-”
“No” you whispered “No, you're- you look great, really, Buck.” you confessed softly and his smile only got bigger “Not that you didn't before, don't get me wrong. You just look like you did back in the days. I- I saw a couple photos of you and Steve, and it's- it's good. Real good.” you gave him a small nod, which he return.
The smile stayed on his lips as he admitted “Yeah, truth is Steve was the one that insisted on it for some reason.” some reason, yeah, more like you saying how good Bucky looked with short hair better yet.
“Well, I'm glad you took that choice. It does look great. And... not that I think you had any trouble before, but now you'll have all the ladies swooning over you, you will barely have time for us.”
“That would never happen, never. I would never put anyone else before you.” he spoke with so much sincerity that you had to look away for a second because of the intensity “Besides-” he cleared his throat “Looking forward to go on double dates or something? I figured you and Steve wouldn't have time for us.”
“Steve, probably, he's got a lot on his plate now. But what do I have to do with any of it?”
“I just-” he shrugged softly, frowning “I figured that moving in a new place is... a lot.”
“It is... hence Steve having a lot on his plate. I still don't get what I have to do with that? I mean, sure, I'm his best pal besides you and Sam, but it's not like I'm moving in with him or anything.” you shrugged with an smile, focusing for a few moments on the drawings before you.
“Oh I thought-” he paused, nodding his head before he let out a soft breath “Well, I suppose I was just assuming. It's not like... this changes anything, right?” his words were so hesitant that it confused for a second.
“...No? Why would it? Steve is still Steve. Things are and will continue to be the way they've always been.”
“I mean-” he cleared his throat again, shifting in his place “You two are good right? Like, together and all that, you're good?”
“Just like we've always been, Buck, I don't understand why you're asking this. Honestly... Is there something not right with you, maybe?” you asked softly, trying to meet his eyes even though he avoided it.
“No, why would there be?” he swallowed thickly, nodding to himself “And besides, I should've thought so.” he offered you a smile, albeit weak “He wouldn't have given up a chance with... A chance to the life he would've had for something that's not important. As far as that is concerned, I don't blame him. I would do the same.”
“You... you mean Peggy, don't you?”
“I-” he shrugged softly “I didn't really wanna mention her in case... Well, he did leave her for you. He stayed here, didn't go back to live his life with her. Which, again, is the right choice. To tell you the truth, I feared for a moment that we wouldn't see him come back from that time travel unless he was graying and old.” feared, and that terrible part of himself that was too selfish, hoped he would stay back in time to have his life with Peggy so that Bucky could maybe get a chance with you in case-
“But he did come back.” you whispered “And he did it for all of us, there's no reason to give me all the credit, Bucky.”
“I mean, you're still the main reason. And as I said, he did make the right choice. Hell, I know that if he had even so considered staying back there, I would have kicked his ass for it. But I guess I'm more than glad you two are so good like this, that I didn't need to.” liar, he knew he was such a big liar for saying all of it.
“Main reason, yeah sure.” you breathed out a laugh, feeling proud with yourself for how casual you sounded “Just say what's on your mind, Buck. Steve's so tired of my single sorry ass that he had to stay here to make sure I don't end up being a crazy cat lady. I mean can I blame him? No. I can't even tell the guy I... the guy I like how I feel about him.” you shrugged, not meeting his eyes.
You were saying things you never thought you would, but feeling bold maybe you would slowly get somewhere in the end “I'm sure Steve's just gonna snap one of these days and tell him 'She likes you you idiot, for fuck's sake do something cause I'm sick and tired listening to her talk about you non-stop.' and I'm not even joking. That will be it, word for word. So-” you let out a low laugh “I better hold him back huh?”
“What?” you did expect to see such a dark and serious look to meet you when you finally looked at him “What did you just say (Y/n)?”
“That... you know, with me being single all this time, Steve might try to set me up with- I'm sorry.” you shook your head “Did I say something wrong? Was it something that I-”
“You're... what?” his voice was so gruff that you felt even more worried.
But before you could voice your concerns, your best friend was walking inside the room again “Sorry for the delay, though I suppose you guys barely noticed my-” but he stopped himself when he was met with the hardest glare you had seen Bucky give his friend “Uh is everything alright?”
“We'll see about that.” his voice was deep “Come on. You. Me. Talk. You have lots explaining to do.” he took a deep breath, looking at you for a few too long seconds too many emotions on his face for you to tell apart, before looking back at his friend “And it's been long overdue.”
#avengers#avengers imagine#avengers x reader#avengers fanfiction#avengers one shot#marvel#mcu#bucky barnes#bucky x reader#bucky barnes x reader#bucky imagine#bucky barnes imagine#bucky fanfiction#bucky barnes fanfiction#bucky one shot#bucky barnes one shot#winter soldier#winter solider fanfiction#winter solider imagine#winter soldier x reader#winter soldier and the falcon#sebastian stan#imagine#x reader
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There's a Fire in My Heart (Yandere!Rengoku x Reader)
Hello! I wanted to start this post off by saying that I am aware that shorter reader-inserts often garner more attention, but I don't mind that my longer reader-inserts don't garner as much. I hope you enjoyed this piece as much as I enjoyed writing him! And a shorter version may come out soon.
Word count: 4,010
Warnings: YANDERE CONTENT. MENTIONS OF SELF-HARM/SELF-MUTILATION.
Everyone knew about Kyojurou Rengoku. He was the kind, sincere, hard working Hashira who worked his way into the hearts of many. He was handsome and elegant despite being so hardy, with the callouses that adorned his hands like a second skin, and the scars that littered his body. He was able to sway the hearts of many, including your own. You'd been a secret admirer for a while now, writing him cute little notes and leaving them at his post every sunrise that always seemed to make the man smile brighter than the charming smile he always held on his lips.
You knew this because you overheard him talking about the notes with his fellow Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji. "I'd love to meet my secret admirer one day." He told her. One day.
He was always busy, so it became hard to capture his attention... or, rather, it was.
It felt like a stroke of luck so strong that you were going to have bad luck for the rest of your life when you twisted your ankle—because Kyojurou wasn’t looking, and you tripped. Purposefully, yes. You immediately regretted it. Your body came clashing to the forest floor, and the wood inside your basket spilled out onto the ground below you. "Ah!" You whined aloud as an instinctive reflex.
"I'm so sorry!" Kyojurou shot to your side. "Here, I'll grab your things, and then I'll take you to the Butterfly Estate. I'm so sorry!"
You were unable to talk because of how dazed you were, from hitting the forest floor, to the fact that he was now so close to you. You stared at him through bleary eyes as he picked up the long logs of wood and put them back into the basket that was once on your back. He slotted his arms into the straps and helped to hoist your body against his, wrapping his right arm around your waist while his left arm held onto your right. "Stay close, okay? Let me know if I'm doing too much for you."
Shinobu revealed the unfortunate news of being bedridden some few hours later.
”Oh... that’s awful,” he put his right hand over his lips and furrowed his thick brows with worry. His fiery golden eyes looked down at you and caused you to look away before your blush became obvious. “I’m so sorry... [Y/N], was it?”
He knew your name...
“I’ll make up for it somehow, I promise.” He told you. “For now, I must go, I have other matters I must attend to. But I will return, every day at the same time, until you’re better. Okay?”
"Okay."
DAY 1
"I took your wood to your home." He started off the conversation now that he was in the room. "You live alone, [Y/N]?" Alone... if that was a way to put it. "Recently, yes," you admitted aloud, "my family moved away after I passed the The Final Selection. They couldn't agree with my decision to become a demon slayer. I miss them." You smiled wistfully as you recalled the day they cast themselves out of their own home.
Though Kyojurou looked saddened by that answer, he didn't comment on it much further. "I brought your breakfast. Kocho-san was too busy to bring it herself." He set the tray down on your lap. You cringed at the hot feeling, visibly enough to draw his attention—but that might've simply been because you yelped short after. You fought the feeling to reach down and grab at your propped up, sprained ankle, as pain ricocheted through your leg.
"Oh!" He quickly lifted up the tray off of your legs. To your surprise, he didn't spill the contents of the food anywhere around you or on the floor. "I'm sorry, was it too hot?" He asked, causing you to look up at his face. He was blushing out of embarrassment! He looked so cute!
His eyes bulged wide with worry, and the same, saddened frown appeared on his face from moments before. "Just a bit... I wasn't expecting it." You chuckled wryly. "Sorry, you can put it back down." You reassured him and gently pat your lap. "No, it's fine, I'll hold it. I don't want to put any unnecessary strain on your ankle." Kyojurou stated. "It'll be fine! I won't leave until I know you've eaten breakfast."
A blush spread across your own features. He was a selfless man and it showed in every action he performed. How could people not fall in love with him? "Oh, okay," your breath was taken away, clearly. He even went through the act of holding the tray out for you so that you could eat your food. You looked down at what you had to eat—miso soup and onigiri. It smelled delicious. "The cooks here are fantastic." Kyojurou remarked. "I'm sure you've had to spend a lot of time in here, haven't you?" You asked him.
"Mm? Oh, yes." Kyojurou nodded his head. "If I don't come back from a mission with some type of injury, then something is wrong." He chuckled.
"How are they?"
"What is it?"
"I'm just asking, how are the missions? I haven't been able to go on one yet," you admitted, "I've been dealing with a lot of training. Ooyakata-sama says that I'm not ready to go out on my own yet."
Kyojurou looked more than surprised by that answer. "When you live out so far on your own?" He furrowed his brows. "Are you at least training yourself when you cannot attend daily training sessions?" You nodded your head. Of course you tried, but sometimes, training could be too far away. You wouldn't tell him that—you feared that he would pull something out of his sleeve and try to— "eat please, [Y/N]."
"S-sorry," you squeaked. You didn't waste any time digging into your meal. First with the onigiri that seemed to fill you up almost immediately upon biting into the second one. "I don't think I can finish these," you looked up at Kyojurou. His eyes were already on you, as if he was watching you eat. You didn't think anything of it. "Would you like one?"
"I shouldn't... but..." he trailed off as he thought about it, before nodding his head. "I'd appreciate it. I haven't ate, so watching you eat has made me hungry."
"Never starve yourself!" You gently scold him. You reached down and took the rice ball into your hand to give to him, smiling gently at him... until your smile dropped when you realized that you couldn't give it to him. "I-I'm so sorry!" You sputtered. "It's fine. Just feed me," he spoke casually, much to your surprise. You swallowed thickly. Your lips parted to say something, anything about what that man just said, but nothing came out. Your hand instinctively drifted toward his lips, while his head met you halfway. The bite into the food made you jump, your eyes wide as if you were a deer in headlights. You tried not to pay too much mind while you fed him, but it would eventually become apparent that you were embarrassed to do something like this for him. He didn't seem to mind one bit... maybe even he was enjoying it? You had to stop this somehow!
"Do you think the soup has cooled off enough by now to set the tray on my lap?" You asked. The onigiri were delicious, and you weren't joking about it possibly taking up all the space in your stomach. But food was food, and you didn't want to get rid of it all.
Kyojurou hummed and pressed the tray onto his lap. He hovered his right hand over it. "It does seem to be that way." There was the slightest hint of undetectable disappointment in his voice. Had you been better at picking up facades, you would've been able to catch up on it. "Here you go, [Y/N]." He sat the tray down in your lap, engulfing it in warmth. He took the rice ball from you and continued to chew on it while you dug into the soup.
The meal was finished, even though you didn't want it to be. It was filled with eerie silence, because you didn't have anything to say, and Kyojurou was... well, eating. "It was a fantastic meal!" Kyojurou beamed, "I'll be sure to thank them on my way out. Now—" he stood straight, “I have to go. It was nice eating with you, [Y/N]—“
The two of you were interrupted by the sound of a shoji opening. You were surprised to see two butterfly attendants making their way into the room with a room service cart. “What is this?” You asked, “I thought Rengoku-san had the breakfast covered for me?”
”I believe there’s been some sort of mixup. We just finished making breakfast ten minutes ago—but this tray does look like ours.” They picked up the tray and observed it. “Maybe we—“
”There’s no need to conduct an investigation.” Kyojurou spoke up. “I lied about the breakfast. To tell you the truth, I am the one who made that breakfast, and I hoped that we could eat it together.” He smiled apologetically and bowed, “I’m sorry for the confusion I’ve caused, but I truly must take my leave. I’ll see you tomorrow, [Y/N].”
H-he wanted to eat with me?!
Your heart couldn’t stop pounding a furious beat against your chest. You just couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth! Eat with you?! You barely knew each other! “Bye,” you weakly called to him while he left the room. If this was going to happen every day? Why, it didn’t feel too bad after the initial impact...
DAY 2
Hours poured into the morning. It felt unusually past the time Kyojurou said he was going to show up... not that you had a way of knowing. Breakfast had already been served, and you were left with the displeasure of eating it on your own, in the silence of your room. You thought you would've been used to the quiet, after all, you lived alone now—but he seemed to dull that pain. Now you missed him.
“[L/N]-san. Are you busy?” Shinobu’s voice was a break in the thick silence, and very much welcomed. The presence of another person was soothing.
You glanced up from your lap and nodded. “Not at all. Please, come in.”
Shinobu slid the shoji shut behind her and stepped over to the bed. She sat down in the bedside chair and elegantly folded her limbs atop one another while she addressed you. There was a warm, inviting smile on her face, much like the one Kyojurou held. “How are you feeling?”
”I’m feeling alright.” You responded. “My foot seems to be doing better than before! I think I’ll be able to get back on my feet by the end of the week.” At least you hoped so. As much as it was nice to be able to have the Flame Hashira see you in personalized visits, you had a life that you needed to live outside of these four walls.
“You’re right about that,” Shinobu started, “but that doesn’t mean I want you to immediately start hopping on your feet and walking around one-legged. In order to make a full recovery, I want you to stay for another two days. Is that fine with you?”
You winced. Two more days of staying in this bed? What if Rengoku-san didn’t show up again? Was it worth it? “That’s fine,” you weakly respond. No it isn’t. But did you have a choice? Not exactly.
”Thank you.” Shinobu stood. “With the more important information out of the way, I’ll allow visitation now—after what happened yesterday involving the mishap with Rengoku-san, I shortened your visitation hours. I didn’t like having to dispose of a good meal just because someone wanted to be friendly.” There was scorn in her voice. You nodded your head slowly in scolded understanding. “I’m sorry about that.”
”You don’t have to apologize,” Shinobu said. She walked over to the shoji. “Please, be well.”
As soon as she left, Kyojurou emerged from the shoji. He looked radiant, as usual, like the sun on a beautiful day with clear skies. His smile acted as the ray of sunshine that would blind your eyes, but at least you welcomed this form of sunshine. A smile bled onto your own lips as he fully made his way into the room and shut the shoji behind him. Alone, the two of you.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it.” He let out a sigh while he walked over to the bedside chair. “Kocho-san is strict, but with good intentions.” He said aloud, as if to convince the two of you of that fact. "I know that. I'm still appreciative of what you did for me, even if we might've gotten into trouble."
You reached over and gently grabbed his forearm—noticing that he winced from that feeling. “Oh, did you just come back from a mission?” You asked. There must’ve been a cut under his uniform’s sleeves. Come to think of it, you could see a faint spot of blood where your hand pressed against it. "Does it need to be patched up?" You frowned with worry.
”Oh; no, that’s not it. I happened to get into a bit of an accident earlier this morning while I was cutting wood,” he explained, “I’ve already patched it up. No need to worry—it just hurt a bit, that’s all.” He smiled reassuringly, one that nearly melted you. You smiled back at him just as much. “I see.” You responded, “well, I have exciting news.”
He perked up. “What is it?”
”I’m going to be discharged in two days.” You told him. “You won’t have to worry about me anymore.”
”Two days?” Kyojurou’s face contorted. He looked... worried. He was quick to voice his thoughts about the decision. “Are you sure that’s going to be all you need? I thought sprained ankles needed more time to heal,”
It was so cute. How could he be so worried about someone he had just met? You found yourself giggling at him. “Relax. I feel much better now than how I felt yesterday. If I could, I’d even try getting up and walking around to see how it felt.” Being able to walk around would’ve been a relief. As enjoyable as it sounded before, being bedridden felt much like a nightmare. “I definitely don’t recommend it,” he said, clearly half-joking. “Please take care of yourself. Well—I have to go.” He rushed to get out of his seat. He stood tall, reaching over to gently pat your leg before he half-turned to face the shoji to leave.
”So soon?” You frowned. You were going to be lonely for the rest of the day...
”Visitation hours were cut short; remember, silly?” Kyojurou chuckled. “I’ll try to see you and stay for longer tomorrow.” He stepped out of the room as quickly as he came in, leaving you in the silence.
DAY 3
No sign of Kyojurou—just another quiet day. He said he would come... was there something wrong? You wanted to ask someone so badly, but you didn't even know how to voice it. For now, you would just stay quiet about it. Maybe he had to go on an actual mission. Aww... that would've meant that you couldn't see each other when you were discharged...
DAY 4
Discharge day. You couldn’t wait for this day as much as you dreaded it. It would be fantastic to finally get out of this room, out into the world, where you could go home and be in the comfort of your own bed. You awoke early to catch Shinobu just in time, who stepped into the room with the same, happy go lucky smile on her face. “I know you must be excited about today, [L/N]-san.”
”I am,” you beamed while you began to sit up. You slowly, steadily raised yourself off the bed and met her halfway. The sensation of walking... felt strange, after not doing it for so long. Your legs felt partially asleep, and there was a dull pain in your ankle that was sure to become annoying after a while. “How are you feeling?” She asked. “If I need to change your compression bandages for you, then I can.” She held out the gauze for grabs. ”I’ll be fine. Thank you for your magnificent service, Kocho-san.” You bowed to her and took the gauze out of her hand.
"[Y/N]-san!"
Kyojurou's voice grabbed your attention and made you nearly squeal with excitement. You hurried as best as you could to reach the shoji and thrust it open to eagerly meet the sight of him. He smelled faintly of burning wood... "did you just get done with doing something?" You asked. "Maybe something important?"
"Not important, no," the beaming, fiery-haired man shook his head and continued to smile. "I wanted to walk you home." A walk home? That sounded so sweet of him. "Oh," a blush spread thinly across your cheeks, "that's very nice of you. Thank you, Rengoku-san." The two of you stepped out of the Butterfly Estate. The walk was a quiet one... Kyojurou seemed so fixated on simply walking, and your mind was occupied by the fact that you were even having the chance to walk home with him made it so exciting.
It came into view. It took longer to get there than what you normally remembered it taking, but you shrugged it off, merely thinking of it as nothing more but a slow pace. He was just so considerate, after all.
You stepped in behind him after he opened the shoji for you. Home sweet home... it smelled like it, felt like it. Everything looked unchanged—but there was something off about it all. You could tell. "Wait... this isn't my home," you narrowed your eyes. Bewilderment seeped into your brain while you tried to make sense of it. "Why are all of my clothes and belongings here? Where are we truly at, Rengoku-san?"
Tricked. You were almost tricked, but you recognized your home anywhere you were at. These walls weren't the same. You didn't have an irori...
"I thought long and hard about it, but... I can't keep hiding the truth from you, [Y/N]-san." Kyojurou reached over to grab one of your hands, pulling the limp appendage into his own and giving it a gentle squeeze. What is he talking about? "For some time now, I have admired you. I liked watching you take your daily walks. I liked seeing that you were healthy, I liked seeing you take care of yourself."
What?
"I liked the notes that you left on my engawa—seeing you play dumb as if you weren't the one who put those notes there. The cute little smudge-marks your fingers would make when you were finished with the ink," he gently squeezed your hand.
How did he know?
"When you told me that you lived alone, it only confirmed my suspicions. You don't have anyone else to go to. I would hate such a life for someone who is so deserving of any love that comes their way."
Why was he talking about it?
"I did what I thought was the best thing to do..." he trailed off to take your other hand in his, squeezing both of them as he made his way in front of you. "You don't have to love me, all you have to do is trust me."
"Why?" Your lips were trembling. You felt sick. Yes, everything or what you could see of everything from your home was inside this single room, but it wasn't what mattered. You grew up in that home, and he... and he... "You took everything away from me. Y-you burned my home."
"No... no, don't think about it that way." Kyojurou looked all over your expression for some sign of comfort. His hands dropped yours to cup your cheeks, staring into your own with a worried expression. "That's not how you should think about it, [Y/N]-san. Don't you understand? This will be the opportunity to start your life anew with me."
It was so deranged, so sick. You barely had the physical power to shrug him off, but you managed to pull through. You needed to go back, you needed to see what he did to the only place that reminded you of your family that you had left.
"No... please, [Y/N]-san, you don't want to do this," Kyojurou tried to reason as he trailed behind you, off the engawa and into the barren yard, "you're going to see things that you don't want to see. You don't have to subject yourself to that torture." His hand touched your forearm and gently grasped it. You lashed out at him and ripped your arm out of his grip. "Leave me! Don't you see that you've ruined my life!?"
Kyojurou stood still. "Y-you don't get it," he stammered, "[Y/N]-san, I need you too. You have the energy I want in my life!" He raised his strained voice as he ripped both sleeves of his uniform up on his body to reveal scars. Plenty of them. It was alarming, but in your mind, it couldn't have hurt as much as seeing your childhood home burn down. "You're speaking like a madman," you scolded him. "I don't even know why I'm entertaining someone so delusional."
"...I'll do it."
The blade came as a shock. Your eyes widened, how did he get his hands on one so quickly? You thought you couldn't even see his arms moving... "I deserve it for being a bad significant other, don't I?" He sounded so creepy. His voice sounded off; desperate, but loving. "I've hurt you, so I must hurt myself, right?"
"..." you grimaced. How did you respond to an emotionally taxing situation like this? "You wouldn't...Rengoku-san, I don't even know you!"
"But you do!" He blurted back at you. "I'll do anything for you, [Y/N]. I just ask that you come back! Walk back to me... you don't have to see what happened to your home, you can just be with me," he pleaded.
But you didn't listen. No, you wouldn't. You turned and ran as fast, and as hard as your feet could take you into the forest, into the direction of your home. The scent of something burning helped with your path-finding, but it didn't matter. Your ankle started hurting. Hurting, hurting, and hurting. You'd forgotten that it was even strained until just now, where the pain became so severe that you ended up toppling over your injury.
"AH!"
You fell to the forest floor and squeezed your eyes shut out of pain. "Hoo... oh fuck," you hissed, clenching your teeth and bowing your head. What a painful feeling to come across, it was almost excruciating. But you needed to keep going... he was coming after you. Even if he threatened to do whatever he did back there, the pain of going through it wasn't going to stop him.
"[Y/N]-san... please."
He was already on you... maybe he was even behind you the entire time and you were under the foolish assumption that you'd escaped his line of sight. No, not at all.
"Get-get away from me!" You yelled at him. "Please!"
You stifled a gasp and a sob as his bloodied hands caressed your face. His hands trembled while his thumbs pressed directly into your cheeks while his thumb smeared the blood from his hands onto your poor cheeks. His blood. You knew what he did to himself. "Finally," he whispered, "I've finally caught you...and you can't leave me anymore. Please, [Y/N]-san, for our sake... think of this as our new life together. How I've waited so long for this opportunity, and now that I have it..!"
#yandere#rengoku x reader#rengoku kyoujurou#kimetsu no yaiba#demon slayer#kny x reader#gender neutral insert#reader insert
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I was curious what is it about Remus that draws yourself and others in? I ask this as someone who identifies so much with him and it’s endlessly fascinating to me what drew him to people and others interpretations of him. How do you see him?
you see, remus is my little meow meow. also:
i think the werewolf thing is endlessly generative and can be analogous to many things. he is basically a vessel for exploring what it means to be human, wrestling the beast within, i am the thing? is the thing me? am i seperate from the thing? etc. you can use lycanthropy as a conduit to interrogate gender and shame and disability and assimilation and liberation. basically this post and this post and this
feels like some ungodly evil thing. sometimes he is ok with that.
he wants nothing more than to be loved/ have friends but at the same time he could be incredibly antisocial. in one way or another everything to remus is a sort of performance (part of this is rooted in his need to come off as a Good Werewolf/ general self loathing)
basically, for people whose every social interaction feels like a performance, “maybe i should stop pretending to be a person” is a relatable sentiment. (that is cringe, i know!! but it’s how i feel)
has bursts of anger/ brashness. emotionally unpredictable. people around him are never exactly sure how he’ll react to a given situation.
being offered unconditional love is scary for him because it feels temporary/ like he doesn’t deserve it. however when he allows himself to be loved he can form these very close and deep relationships in which he is more authentically himself.
lies constantly. and can be closed off emotionally/ uncommunicative and then expect other people to read his mind and understand what he needs
basically he has a No One Understands Me complex yet makes little effort to be understood
condescending. will give you unsolicited advice that he himself will not follow. also has a superiority complex (modern day remus would’ve regularly browsed /mu/. ‘oh you’ve never heard mbv? normie....’)
aloof but makes an effort to be kind. as a student i think he was considered friendly/ would help you with your homework if you asked
has a tendency to see relationships as transactional
has the same vibe as the band talking heads. i know this is a cringe thing 2 say but he matches their ‘cerebral awkward art students meet the nyc punk scene’ energy. they were his favorite band too.
stoner. at hogwarts he was The guy to go to for illicit substances
enjoys the presence of women… outside of the marauders most of his friends r gals. mama’s boy etc.
very cognizant of the fact that he is friends with two best friends, i.e. if the sidewalk was too small for three people he would be the one to walk behind them. he is okay with this but if he thinks about it for too long it might start to sting a bit.
enjoys being choked in bed lol
has little interest in controlling people/ has a healthy distrust of authority. as a prefect he would let most things slide, as a teacher he would let you retake tests as many times as you wanted. said voldemort, not youknowwho. all of these things r canon btw
chronic pain. pure projection here, but he also has hearing loss.
turned homework in late and i cannot decide if he was a very attentive question asking note taking student or just did not pay attention at all and then went to the library at night and tried to teach himself everything he was supposed to learn in class.
the early 80s were uhhh tough for him. drugs as a coping mechanism/ substance abuse etc. never stayed in one place too long/ travelled a lot.
will never apologize and acts completely irrationally to avoid confronting his insecurities.
smart but not as naturally gifted and talented at everything the same way s and j were. he actually had to try in school, and doing well was important/ high stakes for him because he couldn’t just live off his family’s money for his entire life
very much a pisces in that at times he liked to sort of marinate in his sadness…… because when you are the one being victimized you cannot be a monster, right?
dirt under his fingernails. holes in his socks.
likes to do things that makes him feel in control of his life and his body.
doesn’t kill bugs. catch n release. will hold a spider in his bare hands. sirius it’s okay it won’t hurt you. sirius please don’t kill it. pls.
likes being alone but not as much as he likes being around his friends :)
and basically everything @wolfbuck has ever said about him being welsh.
#this is like . a fraction of all my thoughts this is just what i could Articulate....#perhaps i will add more later...#sorry this has been in my inbox for like weeks uh. bad brain momence ..#asks#parts of this are sooo incoherent lmaoo#remus lupin#wolfstar
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Of Kings and Beasts - Twelve
Pairing: King!Bucky X Princess!Reader X King!Steve
Summary: Born a bastard of the King of Orlen, you’re thrust to the West to marry the Kings. However, the greeting you get is anything but warm, and your life with the King is far from enjoyable. He knows it isn’t your fault his husband is gone, but that fact alone won’t prevent him from taking it out on you.
Warnings: Angst, Language, Smut (almost?), Injuries, Violence,
Word Count: 3K
A/n: Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehe
THIS SERIES CONTAINS SMUT AND DARK THEMES THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME AUDIENCES!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! 18+!!!!
Series Masterlist
~*~
Your eyes slowly flutter open, your head throbbing and body aching.
The events prior to your collapse come flooding into your mind and you’re suddenly filled with anxiety.
You push yourself up, wincing as ropes bite into your wrists and a gag scratches the corners of your mouth
You’re bound on a bed, still wearing your cape and gown.
“I was beginning to wonder when you would wake up... if I had been a little too rough with you,” a silky voice says.
You look over to the source, glaring at the man by the window.
Loki only smiles at you, slowly walking towards you.
“You’re far smarter than anyone gives you credit for, do you know that? The Kings think you to be nothing more than a delicate princess, but we both know that’s not true. You had to find your way, make your way. You’ve gone to great lengths just to survive. And that’s where you and I are similar.”
Two long, cold fingers are under your chin, tilting your head back.
“You’re so much more than they think. But they won’t get to know that, will they?” Your eyes widen and you shimmy back, terrified for your life.
The man only laughs, shaking his head.
“I’m not going to kill you, petal. Not yet, anyway. But I cannot say the same for your husbands.” You make a noise through your gag, wanting to only ask him one question.
“You want to know why?” He asks, waiting until you nod before answering.
“Because I have lived in the shadows for far too long. That is something that you and I have in common. We’ve both blossomed in the shadows of other people. But for no longer. It is time for me to take my rightful place as King. King of Asgard. King of Acadia. They will be one under my rule.” Your brows draw together. He means to overthrow not one but two of the strongest kingdoms on the continent.
He opens his mouth to further his explanation, but the door opens and a certain blond-haired beast walks in.
“Ah, yes. I was about to come fetch you,” Loki says, looking over at you and shooting you a wink. You’re still so confused.
“Now, you have your fun with your new wife, while I go divert the attention of her husbands,” Loki says, taking a step back. His appearance changes before your very eyes, and then you’re staring at yourself.
Your lips smile at you, and then your body is walking out of the King’s chambers and closing the door tightly behind.
Thor seems to pay his shape-shifting brother no mind and is instead entirely focused on you.
He slowly approaches the bed, hands extended towards you and you flinch away.
A frown graces his features and he shakes his head, pulling the gag from your mouth.
“I had asked him not to be so rough with you, but he insisted it was necessary. I do hope you’ll forgive me, my love.” You’re taken aback by the name, staring at him in shock.
He chuckles, the sound almost nervous.
“I suppose I should explain myself.” You wait a little less than patiently as the King gathers his thoughts, his eyes darting to you ever now and again.
“You... you are intriguing. You’ve bewitched me, as I said. Captured both my attention and my heart with only a few moments.”
“What in the name of the Gods are you speaking of?” You’re so bloody confused.
“When I first stumbled upon you, I had hoped that you were not in fact the queen. That instead, you were a mere maiden in the Palace. But even finding that you are wed to two of my dear friends... why, it wasn’t enough to stop me from falling for you.” He takes your bound hands in his, thumbs rubbing over your palms. It makes you feel sick to your stomach, and you wrench yourself out of his grip.
“You will not touch me! Not after what you’ve done.” A thought bubbles into your mind and you look up at him. “Loki had called me your new wife... what on Earth does he mean by that?” Thor grins, two fingers stroking your cheek gently while he gazes at you like a lovesick puppy.
“You are to be my wife, (Y/n). And I swear to you that I shall treat you with the respect and the love that you deserve. Your current husbands should be killed for the way they have treated something as delicate as you.” You glare at him, jerking your face away.
“You will not speak of my husbands in such a manner. Your actions are treasonous, and you will bring war upon your kingdom. Why would you do that for me? Why overthrow their kingdom? The greed of men never ceases to disgust me.” He furrows his brows, him being the confused one this time.
“Why would I not go to the ends of the Earth for the woman I love? You have carved a way into my heart, darling, and I would both die for you and kill for you.”
You shake your head vigorously, wanting to cease his speaking.
“How can you claim to love me when you do not even truly know me? You know nothing of me, besides whatever you have created from your own imagination. You do not love me, Thor. Do not try to convince yourself or me that you do.”
He grips your face roughly, eyes alight with fire.
“Do not for a moment think that I am not in love with you.” His voice is booming, frightening even, and for a moment you shrink in on yourself, reduced to that terrified young princess yet again.
He takes a deep breath then lets it out, leaning in to press a kiss to your forehead.
“I did not mean to frighten you, my love, I just... I love you and I need you to know it, to accept it. You are to be my wife. My queen, and the mother of my children. I know it is not something you are keen on, only due to your loyalty to your first marriage, but that will be fixed over time, I promise. You need only give me a chance. A chance to show you how it feels to truly be loved.”
There's something off about him, his eyes, his smile. But you cannot deny the fact that his offer is tempting. A chance to not live in fear? To be treated with respect and love? It’s everything you’ve ever wanted and so much more.
But you cannot simply give up on your husbands, can you?
~*~
“There you are! We were beginning to get worried!” James exclaims, taking your hand and ushering you into the room.
Steve watches curiously, something about you seeming off to him.
“I was engaged with Loki, I do apologize for taking so long.” You sit down on the bed, hand reaching for Steve’s.
Something’s not right.
You’ve been quite receptive to their physical touches, but this doesn’t feel right.
Instead of saying anything, the King keeps quiet and plasters a smile onto his face.
“You’re safe here, darling. You need not cut your conversations short for us.” You smile up at him then look over to the note on the bedside table.
“Have you had any luck?” The two shake their heads, wishing they were closer to figuring out who the threat is.
“What can you remember about receiving the letter? The time, if anybody was around?” James watches as your brows furrow, trying to recall anything that may be of use.
“Nothing stands out... although... Thor was quite adamant about bringing me here instead of back to you. I thought that a little strange but at the time I did not question it. And... there was an incident the other night.” Steve’s hand finds your lower back, urging you to continue.
“He made advances... declared his love for me. He later apologized for it, but the entire event has put me on edge.” The two Kings exchange glances at this new information, the brunet ready to go find Thor and give him a piece of his mind.
“Please do not be angry. I’m sure he meant nothing by it, and I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble.” James shushes you, taking a seat on the bed beside you.
“You won’t cause any trouble. If this issue bothers you, then it must be brought up. We will have words with Thor.” You nod, the corners of your mouth turning up in a small but sinister grin.
~*~
The door to the chambers you’ve been trapped in opens, and the trickster walks in with a gleaming smile on his face.
“What have you done now?” You demand, tugging against your bonds.
He only chuckles, walking past you to the small tray of food on the bedside table.
“Oh, I’ve done nothing. It’s what you’ve done that will be the downfall of the two great kingdoms.” You shake your head at him, wanting to know exactly what he’s talking about.
“Right as we speak, you’re confessing to the Kings just how much my idiot brother loves you, how much he longs to be with you and how he would do anything for you. And we both know how much of a temper your husbands have, especially when it comes to you. So it is only a matter of time before they become defensive and seek him out.”
“Wait, Thor is unaware of your plot?” The man laughs, a full belly laugh from deep in his core at your question.
“Oh, Gods no! He is nothing more than a pawn in a far bigger plan than he realizes. His simple mind was far too easy to take, and his initial protection over you was easy to nurture into an infatuation and an unhealthy obsession.” He looks over at you, a smile on his face.
“And you, my dear, are going to be my greatest piece yet. His obsession will be not only the downfall of the Kingdoms, but also of you. He will be your undoing. Because in his mind, if he cannot have you, then nobody else can.” He straightens up and walks over to the wardrobe, pulling off his cloak and hanging it up.
“It’s unfortunate, really, because you are quite beautiful. Beauty is something that shouldn’t be wasted. But I suppose they’ll write sonnets and ballads about how ‘your beauty was what brought the kingdoms to ash’.” You struggle against your bonds, wanting nothing more than to take the knife strapped to your thigh and slash his throat with it.
“You will never get away with this! The Kings are far too smart. They’ll see right through your disguises.” He chuckles and turns to you, arms crossed over his chest.
“There’s a magic in this world, girl. One that you could not even begin to understand. The Kings are nothing more than mortal men. They will succumb to the powers I wield and they will burn, with you alongside them.” He cocks his head to the side, eyes raking over your face.
“But perhaps I need to have my own turn with you. Experience you both inside and out.” You shiver in disgust, pushing yourself as far back on the bed as you can.
The door creaks and the two of you look to the sound, the trickster backing up a step before vanishing into thin air, leaving you alone with the newcomer.
“I do hope you'll pardon my absence,” Thor says timidly, raking a hand through his hair and shutting the door behind himself.
“I had hoped to spend more time with you, however the duties of a King need to be fulfilled.” You say nothing, Loki’s words ringing over and over again in your ears.
You’re so lost in your thoughts that you don’t realize he’s climbed onto the bed until his large hands are pushing your knees apart.
“W-wait no!” An idea bubbles into your mind and you speak before you have time to second-guess yourself.
“If you truly wish for me to enjoy our time together, you must release me from my bonds! Do not take me the way the other Kings have. Please. You say you love me, then release me so that I too may enjoy it.” His face softens and he nods, pressing a tender kiss to your cheek before reaching around your back to yank the rope off of you.
“It was never my intention to bind you, sweet flower. But Loki insisted. He said that you couldn’t be trusted and I... I believed him. Please forgive me, my love.” He takes your hands in his so gently, so much love and affection behind his actions, and you find yourself feeling sorry for the man.
Beneath the pity is an anger. Anger at Loki for putting not only Thor through this, but for tormenting you with the knowledge that his love is not real. Nothing more than a facade.
“Thor... how much do you trust your brother?” The blond looks confused by the question and takes a moment to ponder it before answering.
“I... well... Loki and I have not always seen eye to eye. But within the past few months he has come around and been more present. All I’ve ever wanted was for my brother to feel at home in his kingdom. He believes himself to be shunned, an outcast, but he is my brother and I love him dearly. It pains me to see him shut himself away, but now he’s opening back up. And I do think that there is hope for us yet.” Your heart cracks at this.
“But enough about him. This should be about us. You and me, my dear.” His lips are then on your neck, hips pushing between your thighs and big body holding you down against the mattress.
Once again, you find yourself pinned beneath a man with no hope of escaping.
Well... almost no hope.
You swallow back the bile in your throat and seek out his lips, kissing him fiercely while your hands grasp at his shoulders.
He pulls away after a moment, yanking his tunic above his head and grinning down at you.
“Eager, are we?” You nod, fingers trailing over his sculpted torso.
He is a beautiful specimen, and it pains you to do what you’re doing.
“My King,” you whisper, back arching as he kisses over your neck once again. He hums, waiting for you to speak.
“May I ride you?” The words are whispered, barely breathed in the warm air of the room, but they elicit a growl from the man above you.
Your positions are flipped in an instant, you straddling the blond man while he lays comfortably below you.
His hands find your hips while your own shaky fingers pull his manhood from his trousers.
A groan leaves his lips at the feeling of your soft hands against his hot length, and your eyes flash up to his face.
His eyes are squeezed shut, and in that moment you realize it’s now or never.
One hand stays on his length, stroking gently, while the other reaches to the dagger strapped on your inner thigh.
You don’t need to kill him, only to incapacitate him long enough for you to escape.
Disguising the motion as you simply moving your skirts out of the way, you grind your teeth together and squeeze your eyes shut.
The blade is raised high above your head, and then with all your might, you slam it down into his abdomen.
He lurches forward, eyes popping open in shock as you yank the blade back out and stumble off the bed.
His face contorts with first confusion, then betrayal, and pain following.
“Why?” His voice is a broken whisper, but you don’t dwell on it. Instead, you rise to your feet and sprint out of his chambers, bloody knife still held tightly in your grasp.
You can hear him behind you, grunting with pain as he moves through his chambers then stumbles through the doorway, but you’re already far enough ahead to create a scene if need be.
You cut through the gardens, grabbing your skirts and hiking them up above your knees to give you more room to run.
Your shoulder connects with the familiar door of safety, and you stumble inside, shaking hands dropping both your skirts and the blade onto the floor.
“(Y/n)?!” James and Steve rush over to you quickly, inspecting your body for any wounds.
“I-It’s Thor! And Loki! Loki’s behind all of it and he has Thor trapped under a curse of some kind! I do not know what he has told you, but he was posing as me and you must believe me!” You’re near hysterical, knowing that if they don’t believe you then you’ll be sent straight back into the hands of the King.
“What on earth are you talking about?” Steve asks.
“Loki is a sorcerer. A powerful one. H-he posed as me and no doubt came to the two of you. I can only imagine the lies he spewed. He means to overthrow the kingdoms and he has Thor under-” The door gets pushed open, the man in question looking around frantically until his eyes fall upon your figure.
“Ah, there you are. You needn’t be afraid, my love. I know it was only an accident.” He’s got one of his hands pressed against the gaping wound in his abdomen, the other reaching out for you.
“No!” You cry, near ready to pull your hair out.
James pushes you behind his back, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at the King.
“You will not take another step, do you understand? We can discuss this like men, not fight about it like boys.” Thor blinks a few times, eyes darting between you and your husbands.
“Very well.” He straightens up, face perfectly political.
“I would like you to hand over my wife, or I will kill her where she stands. If I cannot have her, then nobody can.”
#royal!au#stucky x reader royal au#bucky x reader royal au#bucky x reader royal au#king!steve x reader#king!steve rogers x reader#king!bucky/reader#king!bucky#king!steve/reader#prince!bucky x princess!reader#princess!reader#bucky x princess!reader#thor x reader#dark fic#Steve Rogers x reader dark fic#bucky x reader dark fic#tw rape#tw dark themes#tw dark fic#dark themes#dark thor#dark bucky#dark steve#dark!stucky#dark!stucky x reader
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jib 7 breakdown and analysis
a little while ago i said that i am open to requests for making analysis posts when it comes to cockles panels and just cockles in general, and i got quite a few responses. the first person who asked me was my lovely tea anon, and the panel in question is jib 2016 aka jib 7.
first of all i want to give you my take on the overall vibe, and then second of all i will get into the details and link to certain timestamps in the video.
standard disclaimer: i am not gonna be linking to every single thing i talk about, but i will try my best to link to the moments that stand out to me the most. my recommendation would be to watch the panel in its entirety alongside my comments. i have read long posts about this panel before, so not everything in this post is gonna be original or said for the first time ever, simply because there is a good chance that information has stuck in my mind and has subconsciously formed my view of this panel. this is also in no way, shape or form gonna be coherent, unfortunately. i’m just gonna hope that the cockles hivemind will be able to make sense of this regardless. love and light. and lastly, this is all in good fun, so don’t come at me if you think this is too out there please and thank you.
the overall vibe that this panel gives me is that jensen and misha are a unity at this point. they are in sync with each other, and this whole panel is very relaxed and in good spirits. there is also the fact that their outfits match very well. and with jensen ross ackles involved, that cannot be a coincidence, so i love that a lot.
another thing that i cannot ignore is that it’s also a very sexual panel, with a lot of double meanings and innuendos and remarks that can be read as sexual if you are as pervy as me.
now let’s get into the specifics.
although i am sure this is not going to be news for any of you, i feel like a little background knowledge is in order. before this panel, misha had had a panel that day with j*red. the mishalecki panel was really fucking funny and filled with sexual innuendos.
between these two panels, it appears that there was a break in which they all had nothing to do (i am basing this off other people’s experiences and reports that i have read in the past, as i unfortunately wasn’t there myself).
considering how this panel goes, i think there is a good chance that jensen and misha just had sex beforehand. and based on both of their demeanors, one could draw certain conclusions about who did what (i honestly don’t like talking about who tops and who bottoms because who gives a shit and things are rarely that black and white, but all i’m gonna say is that even though jensen has joked about his asshole before, jensen and misha clearly said switch rights).
from the very first second. the VERY FIRST SECOND. jensen is sauntering on stage like he is thee man. then the crowd is cheering ‘one more time’, and jensen looks at misha, starts cheering too, and makes a movement that is bordering on obscene before waving it away. conclusion: ‘one more time’ could also mean ‘one more round of hot steaming sex’ and he still had sex on the brains, so that was what he was thinking about.
ahhh, the intricate ritual [1m34s] of greeting each other on stage as if you haven’t spoken to each other all day, even though you probably just had sex….. jensen ackles, i wanna study you. i wonder what the deal is with that. does he just like to pay misha extra attention on stage? does he revel in the fact that he knows that fans like this sort of interaction? can he just not help himself? questions that keep me up at night.
also, there is just SOMETHING about the way jensen says ‘i’m doing well how are you?’ it’s almost flustered? borderline shy? and then he goes on to say that he did an impression of misha earlier, in a manner that’s just so flirty. idk guys. it’s flirty. kindergarten flirty, but flirty nonetheless.
misha, of course, immediately turns his entire body towards him. almost as if they both already forgot there is an audience in front of them. then he just gets closer and closer to jensen, for no reason whatsoever except for the pure magnetic pull they have on each other. pray4misha.
i think it is a testament to how in sync they are that misha immediately realises that jensen mentioned bicycle touring during his ‘impression of misha’, and i love the moment where jensen puts on an accent (something that misha normally does) and goes ‘is like sport’ and misha laughs and goes ‘is very similar to sport’ and they both lose it. idk, i feel like that might be a sort of inside joke to them as well.
this might be slightly reaching, but hear me out: right away, jensen goes: ‘oh by the way, sore?’ why would he say ‘by the way’? what is he thinking about when he says that? is it about ‘is very similar to sport’? because i could totally see them having sex and refering to it as ‘well that’s kind of like a sport’, as an inside joke. it works. i’m just saying!!!
look. i know this back and forth has been discussed to death. we all know that the implication is that jensen fucked misha and misha is kind of stunned that jensen actually goes there. so stunned that he repeats it: ‘sore? am i sore?’ almost as if to stall a bit in his response. yikes.
i think that it’s fair to say that this is something jensen enjoys doing: riling misha up on stage. because a lot of the time, misha has the upper hand on stage (probably also in the bedroom but that’s another conversation), but sometimes. sometimes jensen just can’t help but throw a lil oil onto the fire. (see also: underbear panel, throwing himself on stage to get straddled, etc).
misha goes on to say that ‘after the panel with j*red’ he is quite sore. you can take that at face value, and think ‘oh so he is joking around that the panel with j*red made him sore haha’ or you can see a little bit of the truth shine through: literally after that panel, something happened that made him sore. it’s always easier to lie when you are bending the truth.
i actually can’t believe i never connected the dots before, but when misha deflects and says ‘oh you’re talking about the bike riding’ jensen is quick to say: ‘oh no i was talking about what just happened’ but instead of pointing at the stage (which is where the previous panel took place) he is gesturing to backstage. i mean…. way to feed into my ‘they just had sex backstage’ theory, jackles. thanks for that.
i cannot get over the way jensen is looking at misha throughout this whole ordeal, but especially when he goes ‘you heard it here first, folks’ and misha walks up to him. THAT FACE. fuck him. he’s so gone.
sidenote: i have never wished to be able to read lips as much as i have since i have stumbled upon these two morons, because i WISH i could see what misha is mouthing to jensen. i know there is some spec that he might have said ‘i am a little bit’ (aka he is a little bit sore) and i could see that, but i just want to know for sure. and even though i have seen people state that jensen would have already known about the panel with j*red, i think it’s possible misha hadn’t filled jensen in yet, seeing as they probably were doing something other than talking.
let me take this moment to tell y’all about one of my jenmish theories, and that is: i think that jensen sometimes is overprotective of misha and that can come across as jealousy when it’s actually just worry. and i think this panel is a good example of that.
misha says [4m25s] that in italy they call come influence and jensen just. straight up looks at misha like ‘what the fuck did you do, what mess did you get yourself into this time?’ this is another reason why i believe he actually didn’t know about what happened during that panel yet: the reaction looks very authentic. you see his eyes shift from one side to the other and back again, as he is trying to process it. and honestly when you look at misha, his face goes through this journey of ‘this is funny’ to ‘shit is this maybe going a bit too far?’ and ending on ‘okay wrap it up wrap it up’. this is further solidified by the fact that jensen starts to mime digging a grave (aka ‘digging your own grave’).
misha tries to ‘change the subject’ by saying cas is the bottom in the implied relationship with sam and jensen immediately brings it back to sports. see what i meant when i said that they are tying sex and sports together? here jackles goes again, doing exactly that. for no reason whatsoever. (except to once again proof my point).
WHY [5m50s] do they both burst out laughing at ‘tight end’ why why why i don’t wanna know but why why also quick reminder of ‘are you sore at all’ help i am just. EVERY DAY they are making me perceive things and connect dots and i do not like it. anyways i’m not saying that this is all very graphic stuff about their sex lives but i’m also not not saying it, you feel? jensen’s face says it all tbh. on a more wholesome note: i love the fact that they basically wanted to say ‘we should take questions’ at the same time. again: in sync.
when the first person to ask a question said ‘this is a serious question’ misha goes to explain to jensen that that was a joke during his panel with j*red, another reason to believe that he hadn’t told jensen about the panel yet. jensen’s face there…. heart eyes motherfucker.
i really don’t see enough people talk about the ‘safe word’ [6m38s] bit. jensen is the one to bring it up ‘so we should probably establish a safe word at this point. mine is keep going.’ misha laughs, and then realises what jensen has said, and (here comes my dom/sub truthing) teases jensen by saying ‘what is your safe word?’ to which jensen replies ‘keep going’ but LOOK at jensen’s face after he says that. he shakes his head with a little smirk and looks at misha with such a knowing look in his eyes that says ‘you fucker you know damn well what my safe word is’ and he actually does a double take and immediately rolls his eyes at himself after that. it’s all very quick but it’s far from subtle and i am here for it.
i fucking love this next part because when the person says ‘a real story about the real jensen and the real misha’ they both are just like ‘yes okay’ but as soon as they say ‘that you have never told anyone before’ jensen just looks down and moves his head as if to say ‘what the hell am i supposed to come up with then’ lmao it’s really funny, and they end it with: ‘to know you a little bit better’ and guys (gn) i beg of you to look at the way they look at each other here. [7m24s] jensen is just like ‘help wtf should we say to this’ and misha just smiles down at him fondly like ‘sigh our fans really want us to talk about our relationship and as much as we would love to share stuff we just can’t’.
when misha says ‘we have to dust off some of those stories that we usually try not to tell other people’, something comes to mind: the ‘3 least ordered items on the menu’ story, that jensen shared a year after this at honcon. i honestly think that maybe they started to talk about what else they could share with the public, after this panel, because they get similar questions like this one all the time. either that or jensen just thought about what he felt comfortable sharing, without talking to misha about it, and decided to tell that story.
i also absolutely love when they say ‘this is a serious question’ at the same time. AGAIN: IN SYNC!!!
‘i actually have a voice for you’ jensen can you please tell me why this sounds flirty and charming while you are actually about to make fun of your husband? i hate you (no i don’t) the fact that misha immediately knows what will happen, says a lot.
then jensen says: ‘dust off an old story for uhh..’ and burst out laughing. i swear to god i’d give my left pinkie to know what came to mind and what he whispered into misha’s ear. and i’m left handed. but i think we can all agree that whatever jensen said, it was something sexual, seeing as misha goes ‘nope’. those fuckers (affectionate).
something that i have mentioned in the past is that jensen always sort of ‘jokey’ goes ‘oh shit’ whenever misha says he’ll share something personal/private about them. i mean. jensen, it would be less sus if you didn’t respond. just giving you some pointers here, bro. because misha almost never shares something strange, it’s actually your reaction that makes me go ‘hmmmm.’ this time he even gets kind of elaborate breathing?? [10m27s]
oh to be a fly in clif’s car… honestly, the things clif must have heard and witnessed lmao. he clearly knows what is up between them (has made enough remarks about thinking that misha would be the bottom and that misha on his knees was nothing new for me to see that he absolutely knows.)
this isn’t really important when it comes to cockles but they talk a bit about j*red’s internet dispute with at&t and jensen goes ‘oh they know’ gesturing to the audience. so clearly, jensen is well aware of the fact that fandom gets involved whenever something happens online with any one of them. just. thought that is an interesting fact. just in general. also love how i can tell that they both think j*reds crusades are bullshit (as they should).
there is something really cute [14m13s] about the way misha goes ‘do you want your apple juice?’ and jensen goes ‘yeah!’ it sounds so domestic and mundane and i just. god i love them so much.
i know we talk about jensen’s heart eyes a lot. but y’all. look [14m52s] at misha right here. he’s SO in love.
the thing that strikes me about jensen putting on ‘that voice’ for misha is that misha is honestly not bothered by it at all, but i think if the shoe was on the other foot, jensen would definitely be bothered. i don’t know what conclusion to draw from that but i just thought that is interesting. i always laugh at that bit, though, they seem to have so much fun.
i REALLY wanna know how jensen got from ‘will you dance for us?’ to ‘no but i’ll tell you what, misha and i will write a song for you real quickly.’ it’s such a fast transition that i am tempted to think that this was something he had been thinking about for a while now. he just wanted his mish to sing a song. and that warms my heart.
if you think i will ever get over how soft jensen is here… ‘you’re smart, you think on your feet, you make brilliant videos, put them on facebook, write amazing texts (*coughs* poems) and tweets and stuff, go ahead. spit out some lyrics, big guy.’ there is not one single thing about this that i do not adore. an ode to misha!!!! so casually!!! fuck. it might be true that if you want jensen to do something, you get misha to ask him, but it’s certainly also true the other way around.
the way jensen just. stares [19m02s] at misha, trying to get inspired by him, trying to feel out what cords to play. yeah. the way misha stands up but instinctively turns to jensen when he starts to sing. yeah. and then during the remainder of the song, he keeps on turning to jensen even though he faces the audience. and jensen loved it all. it’s so sweet. idk why but it just is. jensen just wanted his babe to thrive and get the love he deserves.
aaaand in comes the dom shake [20m37s]. we love to see it. jensen just keeps on looking at mish. almost gets lost in it. touches his inner thigh (one of his habits, which he does a lot around misha or when talking about misha).
i think it’s very interesting that jensen’s reaction [22m11s] to the question if he thinks dean will ever find a way to have a romantic relationship and to find himself in between normal and supernatural, is to immediately looks at misha. like? what was the reason? did he expect misha to answer a question that wasn’t about cas but about dean? did he think he should maybe answer it in a destiel-like manner? was he worried that the fan was hoping for a destiel-like answer and was he looking at misha to gauge what he thought was a smart way to respond? so many questions.
i think it’s pretty interesting that jensen was very aware of the fact that people did not wanna see dean end up with a huntress lmao. he absolutely was aware of so many fandom things.
when jensen said that misha just crossed the line [23m40s], it’s another example of how jensen is ultra aware of what misha says and how it could get him into trouble and by the sounds of it, misha knows that as well but he just can’t always stop himself in time. from what we can see, he often realises just after he has already said something (when it is already too late).
listen. the fact that misha says ‘when harry met sally’ BEFORE the question was even finished, and jensen LAUGHS, like??? that panel was 5 years ago at that point. it clearly made a lot of impact on the both of them (jeez i wonder why, could it be because misha faked an orgasm and jensen got excited? hmm. who knows.)
i think the dance portion is so fucking hilarious i’m wheeeezing. literally. they are just moving randomly AND YET THEY STILL SORT OF ARE IN SYNC? amazing.
you wanna know what i find really cute? the fact that jensen has such a soft spot for the resume off. part of me thinks it’s because they had a resume off in both 2012 and 2013.
and jib 2012 took place during the famously rumored break up period. i wouldn’t be surprised if jib 2013 was that much more special to him because they finally got to make it right again. don’t look at me i’m getting emotional (on that note…… i might wanna write something about the break up period at some point. but idk. i mean. it’s a lot to delve into especially since i wasn’t in the fandom back then but. it compels me. we’ll see i guess.)
okay i know i keep saying this but they are SO in sync, as soon as they talk about photo ops and jensen goes ‘and to dab a little salt in the wound’ misha knows what he is gonna say, and they stand up together to demonstrate what happened. AND they both go ‘that’s not the punchline’ they are husbands.
misha and jensen have both “twirled away laughing” in the EXACT same manner during this panel: misha when jensen starts to read the script, and jensen right here when misha says ‘what’s it like to be in a successful long running show’. they are mirrors. listen. listen. i know my mind is in the gutter a LOT of the time but like. uhm. there is this moment where they recall a woman saying in the photo op to ‘eat it’ (the string candy she gave to them) and misha says ‘and so we did’ and jensen looks at misha and it is SUCH an incriminating look i mean i don’t wanna be that person but 5 bucks he was thinking about eating misha out i am JUST SAYING. LITERALLY LOOK AT HIS FACE. [28m55s]
misha teases [7m02s] jensen by saying ‘what did you do? did you actually do it on purpose orrrr’ and i think it was to make jensen elaborate on it. which i think is a fucking good way to pull that off when it comes to jensen. cause jensen doesn’t like to brag, which misha knows, so by making that joke he is essentially trying to get jackles to tell the audience more about what he did, without him feeling like he is boasting about himself. and misha looks so pleased when jensen starts talking.
fuck i literally had to pause just now because. jensen says: ‘one of the characteristics of dean that i love to play is that he can bottle those fears up, stash them away, and just go. and uhm… sometimes i wish i could do that.’
this is actually making me a bit emotional because. he took his time saying this. it was a very deliberate move. he wasn’t sorry he said anything or regretted it. he wanted to get that out there. and i just. it makes so much sense if what we all think is actually true. he wishes he could just ignore all his fears and go for it. and it’s not hard to imagine what ‘it’ could be: coming out. whether that be just about his relationship with misha or being attracted to more than women in general, just in any way shape or form. it’s poignant. and misha turns away, but you can see him sigh a little bit.
the whole bit about “apple juice” is just very cute and i enjoy it a lot. one thing i will say though is that i can kind of spot two tells of jensen: the way his face scrunches up when he is telling a lie that he thinks is clever, and the way he always leaves his chair to pour a drink when a question becomes difficult/hard/too funny to face head on. he has done both of those things time and time again, during panels with misha. just an observation.
there is this little moment [10m13s] where misha tells the story about how he used to make apple cider with worms and dirt in it and in the end he goes ‘anyways. new england apple cider everyone. highly recommend.’ and jensen echoes that, ‘highly recommend. yeah.’ and of course that could just be a way to joke around and play along with misha but i’d like to think that he has visited misha and they had some apple cider together. just because i like the thought and i can, so.
how CUTE is it that jensen remembers ‘i’ll just wait here then’, a line cas spoke 7 years prior to that panel, in a scene jensen wasn’t even in. i love it.
jensen slowly shaking his head when misha says ‘fuck’ and apologizing for it has SUCH major ‘excuse my husband’ energy. i love it.
‘i’ve got an idea’ [14m13s] ‘what? let’s do it’ misha imMEDIATELY regretted that lmaooo they are always so aware of double meanings and yet they cannot seem to help themselves. we love to see it.
can you BELIEVE jensen ‘dance monkey dance’ ackles OFFERED to shamelessly promote a movie they have nothing to do with??? jensen, who hates the fact that they have to play some sort of show on stage, actually wanted to do that with misha??? i’m just- something something if you want jensen to do anything ask misha, but apparently also: if you want jensen to do something get misha involved and he’ll love it.
and then he has the audacity to say ‘over to the wheel of love.’ i mean. i can’t.
(i don’t necessarily understand what is happening btw but that’s okay, because it leads to champagne. which is fun.)
okay so again apologies for my mind being in the gutter but jensen’s face [16m33s] when he says he is going to explain what [the champagne] tastes like……. hm. help.
honestly i just love the whole champagne bit because i love it whenever they get so playful on stage, and them “presenting” the bottle and going all ‘we know what we’re talking about’ ‘we’re kind of connaisseurs’ and the whole english accent bit. say it with me…. in sync.
jensen popping a champagne bottle is something that can be so personal…. (i’m touch starved and going crazy, leave me alone)
i absolutely love the fact that jensen notices that misha is miming taking off his pants and misha immediately runs to him to explain and jensen just goes full on protective husband mode (YET AGAIN) ‘i turn my back for 2 minutes’ lmao it’s just such old married couple behavior. an old married couple that is horny and deranged, but still.
i’ve seen the gifset of this moment [24m52s] many a times but i still think it’s so intimate. the way misha looks at jensen and walks backwards with him, for no fucking reason at all. sigh. misha’s hand clenches a little, and honestly i think he would have wanted to reach out to jensen in that moment. pat his arm or his back. and something happens a little while later that only proves my point even more…
that caress [60m5s] is probably one of the most intimate gestures i’ve seen between them. it’s so familiar. so natural. it says a lot.
and that’s the end of the panel. all in all i have to say that i enjoyed rewatching this panel with the analysis goggles on, because it’s really a very different experience and i picked up on a lot more than i did when i watched it just for fun. i think this is one of my favorite panels of theirs (at least until my next analysis lmao) because of the fact that they are so in sync with each other, which goes to show that their relationship was in such a good place (mind you i am only using past tense because i am describing a past panel, not because i think they’re not in a good place right now). this was a lot of fun folks, if you actually read all of this, god bles, you’re the best. see you next time!
#cockles#jib 7#this is very very long but in my defense this panel is an hour long#comments and thoughts are always appreciated!!
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