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sugar-petals · 6 months

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⌈ pile I - QUEEN OF CUPS „i adore you so much“

⌈ pile II - ACE OF CUPS „i’m your lover in plain sight“

⌈ pile III - JUSTICE „i’m the one you deserve“

🔓 select the tarot card that you noticed first.

⌈ NOTE 🌹 ➝ welcome to this extended nsfw reading. at the bottom of the deck i found the 5 OF WANDS (see below cut) so the overall theme is: teasing 😏 let’s find out what it means for you individually in your piles. what steamy thoughts are running circles in your person’s mind? tell me what you got and enjoy 🐝

[ deck used | the wonderful golden art noveau tarot by Giulia Massaglia — gilded example cards below, not the actual piles ]

{ 𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚝/𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘 𝚖.𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 }

the FIVE OF WANDS - today’s overall energy is playfighting.

message. they want to give you a sexual challenge rather than indulging in a soft and hesitant mood: tease them right back and they’ll appreciate it. it’s all in good spirits as long as both play along. boldness is appreciated and keeps the chemistry running.

no need to fear conflict, this is all friendly banter without the intent of hurting. behind all of that is the idea of testing limits + experimenting sexually through fun and activity rather than keeping it a guessing game what the other person might like.

pile i - QUEEN OF CUPS „i adore you so much“

⌈ QUEEN OF WANDS - THE EMPEROR - PAGE OF COINS - 3 OF CUPS

Oh hot damn… Lucky in Love or Drunk in Love are the type of lyrics I’m getting from this. Nothing prevents them from thirsting over you lmao but it’s a good thing! Because they’re confident in liking you so. Damn. Much. And they know you like them back. What a secure lover this person is becomes apparent in their ambitions: They reflect dedication. Meanwhile, they’ve got a balance of mature and outgoing/youthful energy alike. And I feel like they really went from being serious in your presence to just letting it all out! Good for them, because they’re on a roll since they met you slash made contact.

The main kink I’m seeing here is teacher and student, hands down. They are seriously into pretending there’s a difference in power, authority, knowledge, age, looks, all of that. Doesn’t have to be real, it can be roleplay, but they do consider you to be someone to look up to. They pleasure themselves like mad to those thoughts, honestly. The Daddy or Mommy kink is real in this one because whew, QUEEN + EMPEROR? That’s a big deal. You two are either two bold personalities coming together (or they fantasize about that, some major powerplay) or they identify you as that person who pulls all of their strings with little to no effort. Far from intimidated, they are ready to learn and enjoy because they’re your babe.

This person is not a starfish though. Happily under your spell, I can see them quite actively horny because wow Pile 1, their sex drive is just impressive, to say the least. Not scattered, just very strong in general. And they see you just like that as well. They know you are in charge, they feel that you’ll handle the shit out of them without hesitating. Boss of their body is what I’m hearing! Not an inch will belong to anybody else. They love how madly possessive they are.

At the same time, they also think you can learn together, it’s not so set in stone. I like that contrast in the cards. Sovereignty and mature sex versus being carefree and raunchy like a student party. Like they want you to pounce on them and dominate their every cell, but they also want to be your cute little pet to fool around with. I get the impression that this person worships the hell out of you and thinks you’re the best in bed, no matter your degree of experience. That’s the thing, they would be happy with a virgin and a sexpert alike, as I said they hardly care! Because you charmed them and made your standpoint clear! Even if you have a hot VERSUS stone-cold demeanor and sex appeal, they feel inspired by that.

Your sexual energies complement each other well I feel. In their mind, you could top them so easily. They gladly submit to an orgy of pleasure. I think they trust you a lot, they just want to lose control and be chased. They won’t chase you! You’re too prideful and want to set this up on your own terms. This relationship is yours to create, they won’t interfere. They’re too starstruck and want to gather their resources first, only to find out you’re tremendous fun to be with and they had nothing to worry about.

You are the sun of their universe Pile 1, you seduced them so much. If only you would boss them around, they want it so badly. This scenario could be a total clash of titans since you are both a total smokeshow in your own ways. They looked at you and wanted you to open up, leave the stiff old life behind and feel younger again. Since you’re so foxy to them, they treat you like the bombshell you are, with lots of reverence and respect. I’m even getting service sub vibes from your person, Pile 1, they’ll just do whatever you ask `em like you’re royalty, long as it’s consensual of course, but I don’t get any toxic fantasies from this pile, just very dom-sub centered ones.

{ 𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚝/𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘 𝚖.𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 }

pile ii - ACE OF CUPS „i’m your lover in plain sight“

⌈ EIGHT OF SWORDS - KNIGHT OF WANDS - 6 OF COINS - PAGE OF CUPS

Whirlwind kind of romance right here, lots of ups and downs in their anxious mind. You left them feeling powerless to all the energy they perceive you to so blazingly have, Pile 2. They were thunderstruck by your presence, were frozen on the damn spot. Tied. Up. Which leads us to the card imagery, by the way. Bondage fantasies is a huge theme here. I’m just sayin’… That’s their sexual fantasy when they think of you. If you’d blindfold them, or try something like knife play, even (as the swords card indicates), that would get them going so much. Despite their freaky imagination, ironically they are the mellow one, while you are the fiery counterpart that doles it all out to them in their wet dreams.

As contradictory as it sounds, reciprocating and giving back is the dynamic here, though. For instance, if you bought stuff for them, they’d be so happy and fawn over you like wild. Since this is a rollercoaster ride, however… I can’t quite tell what exactly their constant feelings are for you, Pile 2, as they are just so changeable. From no sex drive to reckless abandon to self-control to begging to being a fool in love. What a journey they’ve been through because of you. You make them feel all of this, and they’re saying thank you.

One day they want to be controlled by you, the other, they want to unleash their passion without any help and do their own dance to impress you. They have an edge but they’re romantic, they’re hopeless and they’re hot shit, they’re fair and then such a tease giving you less than you deserve, full well knowing it will keep you hooked and coming for them like an avalanche.

They want you rushing to their home like it's the firefighters. Because well, well… they’re feeling way too hot, aren’t they. At the same time, that’s the puzzling thing, they also want you to keep them at an arm’s length. If you aren’t confused about this person yet, at this point, you gotta be: Which mirrors them, in fact. They don’t quite know what they want consistently, you left them too dumbfounded to understand the situation for sure. Pile 2, this individual is head over heels for you.

Now this starstruck person dreams about being acted upon by you and they love that. Pillow prince/ss is what I’m seeing all over the spread, they have that receptive energy for the most part. They might be a little unruly once they get out of their comfort zone or don’t feel like they’re acknowledged by you (they might as well have a come-save-me fantasy… do them a favor and help them out). But when they do get signals, they are back in love romantically, yes, not so much sexually, they’re touchy-feely like crazy. Just when they felt like roaming free before! If there’s some hunter-prey fantasy going on here I wouldn’t be surprised, they want to keep you on your toes.

As I said, you get the best of both worlds Pile 2, your person is not the predictable type. Maybe that’s why you like `em. They are flirts and then they’re not. They want rough sex and then they want affection little by little. But the final note in their mind is always this: They want you to glued to them, to go wild for them, to witness them like a fish in the water: Through requited love. All they want is to be asked out and live their dreamy, sensitive love. Confusing you is not their intention. Don’t forget they just want love at the end of the day.

{ 𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚝/𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘 𝚖.𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 }

pile iii - JUSTICE „i’m the one you deserve“

⌈ KNIGHT OF COINS - PAGE OF SWORDS - THE SUN - THE EMPRESS

What started out as a sensual, stable connection which didn’t go down in flames of horniness now turned their head into a mush. Which then turned into them bursting with vitality! An online message of yours shook them up, or something you said. But in a positive way, because they’re so happy now. Romantic, personal, sexual bliss, they’re feeling so good about themselves because of you, the dull days are over. What a mood boost you gave them, and they’re confident in their looks because of your steady presence/communication, oh my word.

Because you started out easygoing and then picked up speed, they are absolutely feeling themselves like it’s nobody’s business. I’m so happy for you, Pile 3, because your person is just prancing around like a child after you’ve been frank with them. Talking it out was so needed. Approaching it from a headspace was. Being chatty with them made your person super hot and bothered, too. Hell, they are totally into your voice, the way you take your time when you walk, the way you carry yourself, how you dress up, the way your hair is tousled (if you wear it longer), how you treat yourself, how you choose your words, and how you smile especially.

At first, they were so scared how serious and single-minded you came across. Now they’re blushing and sweating their ass off because you said what you said and you paid attention to them! When they thought they were the knight in shining armor, you gave them a reality check and dodged the bullet, stood your ground instead of playing helpless — which worked in their favor not to get their hopes up and invest right away. That’s how you made this person’s libido explode. But in a good, wholesome way.

This proper mix of humor and the crazy slow burn (!) between the two of you has them going nuts without actually making them crazy, you know? Just healthy adoration and warmth they feel. I get the impression your person has lots of sexual stamina, Pile 3. They know what they’re doing, y’all… they might come across as a total sunshine, but they are, oh my word. Fertile as hell, go all the way, ready to make those babies and live the good life. In this economy? Your person thinks so, who am I to judge, they want that settling down and parenthood. They just know you’d be good at raising kids. But without compromising the mental stimulation, which you give them consistently.

And because you’re such a hottie with charm and good looks, they’re at your feet. You rule them! Your sex appeal has their pretty head spinning, their routine is broken, they can’t get enough of you, they want this in-depth (literally!). For long, they fantasized about having carefree sex with you out in nature, wild and free. Never too much of a good thing with you. You’re so juicy to them, graceful, steamy, gorgeous, you seem to have it all in their eyes.

They think you have elevated status or just carry yourself in a way that shows your life is fulfilled and abundant. Oh hell, what don’t they like about you. Maybe you can be too direct and frank at times? They prefer your magnanimous, silly, soft, giving, cute’n’comfy side. They need to be taken care of a little, or need your cheer-ups. Because they want to take it easy, and not have conflict and difficulty in communication. Healthy, loving, and lasting (!) sexuality is the gist of this, I’m thinking. Quite Venusian of them, I see their sexual thoughts as Libra/7th house or Taurus/2nd house-themed. An all-around feel-good reading, Pile 3, I love the positive cards you got.

{ 𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚝/𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘 𝚖.𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 }

FINAL NOTE. meet me in the reply section if you want, and if you got stuff i can improve about my PAC posts, drop a comment as well, i want to brush up my format again!

⭐️ DISCLAIMER // there is no guarantee for accuracy. believing in the cards is a choice.

© 2017-2023 sugar-petals. All readings for entertainment purposes only: They do not substitute any professional advice. Take what resonates, discard the piles that don’t hit home. If you aren’t drawn to any pile that’s okay, these messages aren’t for you. Do not repost my readings.

#tarot #pac #pick a card #pac reading #tarotblr #pac tarot #pac love #tarot reading #pacs #pick a pile #pick a card readings #love reading #love pac

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lxstfathier · 1 year

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Mi niña

Alejandro Vargas x Reader

Summary: its late at night, you can’t sleep, and a sudden knocking on your door interrupts your attempts to get some rest.

Warnings: wounds, blood, unprotected sex, p in v, oral (f! receiving), loss of virginity, creampie, age-gap.

A/N: i have never played the game, i just have a thing for military men heheh. Also, english is not my first language, so i apologize for any errors. Hope y’all enjoy this! <3

It’s almost midnight. Usually, you would be asleep already, dreaming about pretty animals and cute guys, but today is way different, you’re still awake, looking at the moonlight peeking through your window and a strange feeling lingering in your guts.

You try your best to not think much about it. Maybe is just your own anxiety acting up. So you move on your bed, over and over, closing your eyes and trying to find a comfy position to sleep. But no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get some rest.

It’s frustrating. You mind screams at you to fall asleep already, telling you that you need to get your energy back for another day of hard work around the farm. Come on, it’s your turn to feed the horses and cows at six in the morning, you can’t waste more time like this.

Suddenly, your own thoughts are interrupted by the loud noise of a vehicle pulling up in your property, right in front of your house, followed by the sound of the doors being opened and closed.

Of course, you knew your bad feeling was there for a reason, and now your heart is beating faster than ever. Who would be at your property at such late hour? The police? Robbers? Sicarios from a powerful cartel?. Who knows, but when a knock in you front door breaks the silence you feel as if you were about to faint.

You’re alone, there’s no one you can ask to go see who’s knocking, you can’t yell at one of your siblings to do it. Your family is away for the weekend, so you need to be brave and do it yourself.

You get out of bed and walk all the way to the front door, feeling your legs wobbly and you heart pounding in your chest, finally opening the door with your trembling hands.

Obviously you were expecting it to be some narcos, but, to your surprise, they’re not. Instead you have colonel Alejandro Vargas and his sergeant Rodolfo Parra right in front of you. Of course you know who they are, everyone in Las Almas knows them and admires them. And you would be lying if you said that you didn’t have a crush on Alejandro since you were a teenager, rubbing your clit every night to the thought of him for years.

And now you regret wearing that old shirt and shorts as pj’s instead of something sexier. But you shouldn’t be thinking about that, the only worry right now should be the reason for them to come knock on your door. You’re just a normal family who makes a living selling milk, you don’t have any issues with the law.

“Is there any problem?” You ask nervously, looking at the tall soldiers with their stoic expressions and powerful weapons on their hands.

"Ninguno, bonita. We’re just looking for someone, do you mind if we take a look around your property?.” Alejandro says, charismatic as ever. You could never say no to him, no matter what he asked.

“There’s nothing to see here, coronel, just cows and horses. But sure, go ahead and tell me if you need something.”

They both nod and get back to their job, going away to look around, seeing the empty corrals and the stalls full of sleeping animals, without a trace of the persone they’re looking for. And you stay near the door just in case, still very nervous and anxious even when there’s no reason to feel like that. Your trust them, they’re honorable men, they mean no harm, just let them do their thing and they’ll be gone soon.

A few minutes later, Alejandro comes into your house while Rudy keeps watch outside, checking every single room until he’s sure that you’re not hiding his target. Even though he already knew that you would never do something like that. He’s seen you around town too, always sweet and calm, doing your best to help your family with the little business, always trying to stay away from the violence.

That’s it. His work is done here. He needs to go look somewhere else, but, when he’s about to leave, you can’t help but notice that his right hand is almost fully red, dripping with warm sticky blood, making a mess on his uniform and gun.

“Coronel… you’re bleeding” you say, as if it wasn’t already obvious, and he stops dead in his tracks. How can he be so calm and collected with a wound like that?.

“It’s just a little cut, nothing to worry about” Alejandro shrugs it off. An hour before that’s what he thought, a little cut on his hand, nothing serious, he didn’t expected it to get bigger and become a bleeding mess.

“You should definitely worry about it. Come on, let me help you and then i’ll let you go”.

He can’t say no to you, specially when you’re looking at him with those innocent doe eyes. So he agrees, following you to your room and sitting on your bed, leaving his gun on the ground, waiting patiently while you run to your bathroom to gather all the necessary stuff to take care of it.

Once you come back, you take his hand on your own, cleaning his cut with a wet cloth, disinfecting with alcohol, putting some closure strips and wrapping all his palm with a bandage. You’re no doctor or nurse by any means, but you know how to help your animals when they’re hurt, which gives you at least a little bit of knowledge.

And Alejandro is more than happy to let you work on him. He doesn’t feel any pain, maybe for the adrenaline pumping through his veins, or maybe because he’s so mesmerized by your beauty that he can’t think of anything else.

“This should be enough for the night. The bleeding is going to stop, but you need to go to the doctor tomorrow, i guess you need some stitches” you say, smiling at him, feeling your cheeks burn. You had never been so close to him, and you can’t believe that you just got to help him without freaking out.

“Gracias” Alejandro murmurs, barely audible, looking down at his bandaged hand. “You’re too sweet. You shouldn’t be in this town, you deserve a better place”.

Any other person would have let him go away, leaving him alone to take care of his wound by himself, not wanting to get involved with such a troubled soldier. But you’re different. You’re kind and sweet and the most pretty girl he’s ever seen, so distinct from all the other shitty people in Las Almas.

“There’s no better place for me, i like it here” you answer. “I have my family and my animals… also, there’s no other place where i could find another handsome colonel”.

Alejandro doesn’t get it right away. Are you flirting with him? yes you are. But he’s never been good around women, so it takes him a while to understand what you mean, taking the hint only when you dare to place one of your hands on his thigh, something that he believed only could happen in his imagination, when he thought about you while fucking his fist late at night.

“No digas eso, bonita. I’m no good for you, go and find a nice guy your age” he says, even though he’s dying to kiss you, to feel your gentle touch again, to claim you as his.

“But i like you, Ale”.

“No quiero arruinarte”.

“You would never ruin me” you soothe him, moving your hand to his chest and leaning closer, staring directly at those beautiful brown eyes that you only used to dream about. “Por favor, i need you. Make me yours.”

That’s enough. Alejandro cups your cheek with his gloved hand and pulls you closer, his lips meeting yours, sweet and tender until it suddenly turns into passionate and lustful.

He tastes better than anything you ever had before, like fresh fruits in the summer, intoxicating all your senses. And before you know it you’re already straddling his lap, slowly moving your hips against his clothed bulge, trying to get some friction to relieve the boiling heat in your lower belly.

“I don’t have much time, bonita” Alejandro says, breaking the kiss, knowing that it’s just a matter of minutes to hear Rudy’s voice in his earpiece asking what’s taking him so long. “Take off your clothes for me, si?”.

You happily oblige, getting off his lap and stripping naked as fast as you can, all of your shyness long forgotten, wanting nothing more than to be a good girl for him.

“Qué pinche hermosa” Alejandro groans, admiring every single part of your exposed body, guiding you to the bed again, laying you on your back with your legs spread as he positioned between them, dropping to his knees to kiss your thighs and taste your soaking cunt. “Are you a virgin?”.

You squirm at the sensation of his tounge on your clit, and you have no idea how he managed to know that. Maybe your inexperience is way too obvious. “Si” you reply, tugging at his dark hair.

Alejandro swears that he could cum right there in his pants. Such a pretty girl? untouched? just for him to take? way too good to be true. He feels like he just won the fucking lottery. If he wasn’t in the middle of a mission, he would surely eat you out for hours until you can’t take no more.

But the clock is ticking right now, so he wastes no more time, undoing his pants just enough to free his hard length and then kiss all the way up from your tummy, your tits and finally your neck. “You sure about this?”.

“Si, Ale” you whimper. “I wanna be yours”.

He takes himself in his hand, positioning his hard cock to your wet cunt, the red tip prodding at the small entrance. “This might hurt a little bit, if you want me to stop just tell me, si?.”

You nod and Alejandro thrusts inside you, agonizingly slow, inch by inch, splitting you open until he’s buried to the base. The strange pain making you cry out his name and your eyes fill with tears.

“Fuck” Alejandro breathes out against your neck. “Such a good girl, taking me so well”.

He picks a steady pace, pounding your tight heat as if there was no tomorrow, going way faster than he would like to. But you don’t mind, you let him be as rough as he wants, whimpering as his thick cock abuses your walls, hitting your cervix with each thrust.

“Feels so good Ale” you moan. Now almost all of his weight on top of you, his gear digging into the soft skin of your breasts. The pleasure is too much, and you can already feel the orgasm forming in your belly. “M’ gonna cum”.

“Ah- Fuck” he grunts when your walls squeeze him harder, his gloved hand quickly making its way to your sensitive clit, rubbing it fast. “That’s it bonita, cum on my fucking cock, i wanna feel it.”

His words take you over the edge, squirming and moaning like a whore, your hole spasming around him and your nails scratching at the back of his vest, experiencing the most powerful orgasm of your life. And seeing you fall apart like that, just from his touch, makes him feel really close too.

“Where do you want my cum? huh?” he asks, chasing his high, thrusting harder into your poor sensitive cunt.

“Dentro, please ” you whine, too cockdrunk to think about the consequences.

“Si? you want that? you wanna carry my seed like a good little slut? Fuck- then i’ll fill you up until you’re dripping for days, and everyone will know who you belong to.”

His cock twitches and he comes undone, grunting like an animal, emptying himself inside your pretty pussy, filling your womb to the brim with his hot cum.

You both stay there for a moment, melted into each other, catching your breath. Looking at him with half lidded eyes, you caress his scruffy beard, so in love, hating that he needed to go away after such an intimate moment. And he hates that too, if it were for him, he would spend the night with you, praising your body and making you scream his name again and again.

You kiss one last time and Alejandro pulls out, getting out of bed, immediately fixing his pants and grabbing his gun, ready to leave.

“Will i ever see you again?” you ask. What if he was like those guys who only fuck you and then you never hear from them again?, just thinking about it makes you teary.

“Claro que si, mi niña” he answers, his gloved knuckles brushing against your cheek. “As soon as this hell of a mission is over i’ll come back to you. I promise.”

“Then i’ll be waiting” you whisper, but Alejandro hears it clearly. And once he has eased your fears, he gets back to work, going away as if nothing happened, walking through your home straight to the front door.

“Carajo Ale, por qué tardas tanto?” He hears Rudy’s voice in his earpiece, just like he anticipated.

But Alejandro doesn’t answer. He can only think about you. You got him under your spell and he’s already planning the next time, contemplating on coming back with a huge bouquet of flowers and a beautiful diamond ring to put on your finger.

#alejandro vargas x reader #alejandro vargas smut #cod smut #call of duty fanfic

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leportraitducadavre · 1 year

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“Sarada is the first Uchiha that awoke her MS out of a sense of pure love, unlike the rest of them that were rooted in hatred –she’s the first one to break the “Hatred Cycle” of the clan.”

*sighs* Listen, there’s nothing I’d like more than to leave Boruto and all of its byproducts behind for good, yet over and over again the rabid anti-Sasuke fandom comes back to trash on the original characters of the show for the sole purpose of chanting “old Uchiha bad, new Uchiha good” around a barely lit pit fire.

Allow me to quickly break this notion, as it doesn’t need much more inspection than a faint passing of our eyes through the original series to debunk it.

After hearing Naruto is sealed away alongside Hinata and everyone blames Boruto, Sarada starts crying and, in desperation, asks her dad to “help Boruto”, awakening her Mangekyou Sharingan.

[Contrary to what I initially believed as I thought she might be asking for help as she couldn’t move, she’s not injured, she appears to be (at most) in shock due to everything that Boruto has to face, so, in case you’re one of those Naruto fans that are used to have pretty plot-relevant, emotional moments after the initial awakening of an Uchiha’s MS, let me tell you: That’s not happening, at all.]

Regardless of the minuscule and for real, for real, not sarcastic at all, very-well thought and constructed attempt to empower a character whose relevance to the main plot lies in the fact that she is the only daughter of Boruto's mentor, many stans of the child saw this opportunity to trash on Sasuke’s power as an Uchiha (you know, the reincarnation of Indra itself), and to justify such an awakening of one of the most powerful forms of the Sharingan under the premise that “it’s a different type of awakening because it’s linked to love, not hatred.”

So, in order to fact-check such affirmation, let’s see how other characters achieved the Mangekyou:

Sasuke:

Sasuke awakes his MS originally from learning the truth behind his family’s genocide; before this (and I mean, chapters before this, as his MS is dedicated a total of three chapters) Obito explained that the Uchiha were planning a coup and that Itachi, to protect Konoha and his brother, committed the annihilation of his entire kin following the government’s orders. We see him crying before a new resolution is reached: destroy Konoha. His MS awakes due to his pain which turns to complete anger.

However, you wouldn’t believe how Sasuke has conscious access to both Mangekyou:

That’s right folks, he has conscious access over his right MS by thinking of those he wants to protect, Team Taka and Team 7. So this “hatred” cycle that powers up his Sharingan is fuelled by one thing and one thing only: love.

Furthermore,

Sasuke got conscious access over his left MS technique when trying to save Karin, as she’s a very dear comrade of his. Something similar happened when he awakened his Sharingan versus when he got conscious access to it when trying to save Naruto.

[Sasuke awoke the Sharingan when he was eight years old, so the idea that “haha, Sarada awoke her MS when she was younger than him so she’s better!” is stupid as he awoke it when he was at least four years younger when facing the genocide of his people, unlike her that got it from daddy issues. In fact, awakening MS or the Sharingan before or after has nothing to do with the person's capacity as a ninja as it solely depends on the traumatic events that said person experiences. It's safer to say that her emotional threshold is significantly lower than her father's given the "peaceful" times in which she grew up than to claim a "superiority" based upon the age they both experienced traumatically enough events to influence their chakra and develop or evolve their doujutsu.]

Obito:

Obito, somewhat similar to Sasuke (and this is due to their feelings, as they’re heartbroken and such pain triggers their raw hate), awakes his MS when he sees the girl he loves get killed by the boy he started to consider a friend when he was twelve/thirteen years old. His feelings are so strongly connected to his Sharingan that they also evolve the doujutsu that Kakashi possesses.

However, there’s a striking difference between how Obito awakened his Sharingan (basic form) and how Sasuke or even Sarada did as he achieved such power when trying to save his comrades.

[Sasuke awoke the Sharingan due to the pain he felt when seeing his parents get killed by his brother, which turned into hatred when Itachi "explained" his reasons. Meanwhile, Sarada got her Sharingans due to the pain she felt when her father didn't recognize her, which turned into fear when he threatened to kill her.]

Obito’s Sharingan was completely awakened by a sense of protectiveness over those dear to him, in other words, love.

Every single Sharingan or evolution of the same doujutsu is driven by the same emotion. From there, it either derivates to different states (pain, hate, grief, and so on), or it doesn’t, but no Uchiha can access either form without feeling a strong positive connection with someone or something they are trying to protect.

P.S: Unrelated, but look how pretty Kishimoto's art is compared to Ikemoto's (who also sexualizes minors constantly, as this is the cover of the newest volume), Sasuke looks so ugly and Sarada's MS is the most awful thing I've ever seen. No wonder the manga is flopping. Yikes.

Edit to add: It’s devastatingly hilarious how the whole point of Sarada’s Mangekyou wasn’t even about her; nor her power, nor the relevance of her bonds, it was about making a powerful enough moment for Sasuke to believe her and help Boruto! Everything becomes, yet again, about Sasuke.

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eeunoia · 14 days

Text

ENHYPEN Series

sinag — psh.

chapter seven

pairings: park sunghoon x reader

synopsis: waiting for a great plot twist in your life, the ruthless and powerful mafia boss park sunghoon forced his way in to it.

word count: 2.6k

warnings: contains harrassment, violence, guns, killings, abuse, obsessive love & other stuff. if you can't take this stuff, feel free to scroll away. let me know if i missed some.

note: i’m not sure if the story is slowburn, but i wil take my time with sinag. anyway, thank you so much for reading. replies & reblogs will be appreciated. ily, stay safe.

“I admire your dedication and how brave you are, really. At a young age you managed to start building your empire. Honestly, I’m impressed.” he stated and then took a puff from his thick expensive tabaco.

“But we’ve been in partnership with the Kwons for years already, Mr. Park.” the old business man with so much influence stated while sitting in front of Sunghoon.

The young mafia boss smirks, back leaning over his swivel chair. He looked relaxed and confidence ooze from him, mainly why despite the age difference, the men he gathered today gave him respect. He’s known for being so impulsive and often take risks when it comes to business. Wreckless, if someone will describe it at one word. But God, is he good at it. He clearly knows what he’s doing.

“Exactly...” he starts and tilts his head while eyeing each and everyone of them. “you’ve been partnered with the Kwons and yet no development. You are still there. Making money, yes. But not growing.” his words were precised making them speechless.

They eyed each other and that statement obviously left something in them. He was right anyway. The silence stretched for five minutes before one reached over his pen and signed the contract in front of him. The others watched with utter shock on their faces.

Sunghoon’s smirk grew in victory before he stood up to shake hand with his new investor/partner. With the lead of his first alliance, the others gradually followed and signed his contract as well. It was a sure victory for him again. Another gain for him and a lost to the Kwons. He won’t stop until he stripped them off of everything they have. They kept on going on his way and so he needs to get rid of them.

The meeting ends smoothly and after everyone left the conference room, Sunghoon stood in front of the big clear windows and stared at the view of city lights beneath him. It was relaxing, makes him forget about being frustrated in the continuous failure of searching for you.

“There you are," he craned his neck and looked over his shoulder when he heard somebody talked.

Jake stood by his door, his coat off and only left with his white longsleeves polo that he wears under it. It seems like his friend had a long day of work as well. What else does he even do other than bury himself with paperworks and make more money despite having many of them already?

“I thought you’re in Italy?” Sunghoon turns back and once again looked over the view while asking his friend.

He heard the sound of a chair moving, maybe he sat down.

“That was the other day. I got back last night.” he stated and he only responded with a nod.

Sunghoon has a lot of things in his mind lately. His plan on making the Kwon fall apart, expanding his empire and of course, to find you. That’s the most important thing in his list. The most highlighted one, the priority.

“Do you think I’m really losing my mind like how they’re implying?” he suddenly blurted out that caught Jake’s attention. He watched how his friend blankly stared outside the windows.

He wanted so bad to tell him that he had found you. That you aren’t just a hallucinations created by his mind, but a true person. But he knew well more than to distract him from what he should acquire first.

Freedom.

Sunghoon may seem like he’s free as he usually do everything he pleases, but no. He knows that himself. Even if how many times he reject and deny it, he’s in fact attached to his Father’s shadow. He’s part of his dark past that will always find a way to hunt him. He needed to be even more successful without being aligned or connected to him. He needs to stand up on his own feet, til the day that his Father won’t be mentioned every time he succeed on something. Until he proved everyone he don’t need his glorious name and influence in the mafia world to be well known. To be feared.

Jake sighs and stood up before trudging closer to his friend. He clapped his shoulder once before sliding his hands inside his pockets then joined him on watching the busy city beneath them.

“No.” he simply answered.

It was just a one word answer. It may mean nothing or unsincere for some, but for Sunghoon that means a lot already. Jake Sim is the type of person who never lies. His honestly in terms of business had been applied even outside his workplace. He knew Jake won’t say words just to make him feel better. He’s his friend. He will say the most hurtful things if he knew Sunghoon needs to hear it.

“But I’ve searched everywhere already. Maybe they’re all right? That I’m insane for looking for someone who might actually didn’t exist.” his eyes dark and sad.

Jake was there ever since day one. Since the day he started to look for you. He’ll be honest, before he can even found you he thought his friend was just hallucinating. Or maybe he mixed someone’s face with someone and suddenly came up with a new face if that’s believable enough to stop him from searching.

But the way his eyes looked so hopeful and excited whenever a new information about your whereabouts came, indicates how serious he is with you. He’d never seen his friend like that ever since. He never looked more alive. And so he believed and he never failed.

He claps his friend’s shoulder. “The world is bigger than you think, Sunghoon. We’re going to find her.” he stated seriously.

“You’re going to see her soon.” he added, eyes looking at him meaningfully.

Sunghoon nods his head and smiles a little. “You’re right. I’m going to see her soon.”

Sunghoon is busy reviewing some paperworks when someone suddenly burst his door open. It was so hard that it made a loud sound. He seemed unfazed about it and lifts his head up to meet the person who dares to disturb him.

A grin appeared his face as he settles the folder down his office table. The view of raging Mr. Kwon just makes him feel funny.

“I don’t think you set an appointment with me today, Mr. Kwon.” he taunts that made the man even more mad.

“How dare you steal my investors from me?! Is this your way of starting a war with me?” he sighed heavily, trying to calm himself even if its no use. He was obviously very mad, face red and hand clenched into fists.

“You are just a kid. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

His statements almost made Sunghoon laugh at his face. He looked pathetic in his eyes. It didn’t even made him scared.

He sighs and slowly leans his back over his swivel chair then sat comfortably in a dominating position. He saw how it added fuel to the firing rage of Mr. Kwon.

“I already warned you, didn’t I?”

Sunghoon’s smirk faded and he stared at him with blank face. He stood up and struts closer to him and he stopped infront of Mr. Kwon. He puts his hands inside his pocket and stood proudly. The amount of power and confidence oozing from him are unmeasurable. It made Mr. Kwon a little anxious, but he tries his best not to look scared. After all, fear is what makes the hunt for predators more fun.

“Get out of my fucking way my way.” he said sternly that left the older man speechless and stoned to his position.

Sunghoon tilts his head, “Take it as a warning.” he turns his back and went close to his table to click on the intercom.

“Escort Mr. Kwon out of my office. We are done talking.” and he gave another look on him before going back to his table.

On the other hand, Jake and Ni-ki are on their way to the company where you’re working at. It’s been almost three weeks since you started your job and he just wants to check on you. Make sure everything is all right and smooth for your advantage.

“Are you really sure its her, hyung?”

“Riki, you’ve checked it yourself. You already digged some informations that clearly matched her with the same girl Sunghoon was talking about back in that country.” Jake sounded like he’s slowly losing patience with his friend.

The younger one nods, “Ah right. It’s just still fascinating for me. She did really exist.” he says amused.

“Sunghoon hyung is not crazy!”

Jake grinned and scoffed before swatting the younger one's shoulder. He whined a little, but still pull his teasing grin.

“He might actually go crazy if he don’t see her.” Jake added after a big sigh.

“This is a slap on Jay hyung’s face. He always teases Hoon hyung about her.”

“You cannot tell him.”

“I won’t, don’t worry!”

“You better.” Jake says as a warning.

Ni-ki raised his right hand and even crossed his heart in joking way. He looked extra excited so Jake reminded him that they won’t really show themselves to you. They just went there to observe and to check on how are you doing lately.

“When do you plan on making them meet?” Ni-ki asked, again curious to what’s about to unfold.

Jake shrugged his shoulders off. “Probably soon.”

“Next month?”

“Not that soon. Sunghoon still have a lot of things on his plate.”

The younger one nodded, understanding the situation despite feeling impatient. He couldn’t deny it but he wants so bad to know how will his Sunghoon hyung reacts once he saw you.

“So our job is to babysit for him?”

Jake chuckles on the way he describe what they’re currently doing.

”Yes.” he answered.

“What do I get in return?” the sly smirk on his face obviously shows why he’s their maknae.

Jake rolled his eyes. “Do you always need something in return? He’s our friend.”

“Business is business, hyung.” he shrugs his shoulders. “And besides, you got a check from hyung!” and even knudge his shoulder.

Jake chuckles. “Let’s first make sure she will be safe until the time they meet and maybe Hoon will gift you something.”

“Do you think he will give me another private plane?” he wonders.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Good morning, Aelia!” your head lifts from fixing your uniform and search for the person who greeted you.

A wave is what you respond to them with your warm smile. It’s been weeks ever since you started and so far you’re enjoying your work. The people in the office are nice and friendly. You can say you have a better office environment compared to your previous workplace.

“Hi, Aelia!” another one greets you and stood still beside each other.

“Hello, good morning.” cheeks tinted a bit red, feeling shy.

“How’s your sleep? I saw you going out from the building pretty late. Overtime?” he asks, eyes never leaving you. As far as you remember, he’s part of the Finance Department. Their floor is just below yours and he oftens visit your floor whenever they have to breakdown some office expenses.

“Yes.” you shortly replied.

He didn’t seem bothered by your response and was about to ask more when a bunch of other employees enters the elevator.

When his floor tings, he glanced at your direction one last time then waved. You gave him a nod and he left. It’s not that you’re being rude or anything, you just really don’t know how to deal with men right now. It still make you uncomfy and anxious sometimes.

The moment you arrived your floor, a crowd of early employees are gathered over by the side. A pout made its way over your lips as curiosity struck you. They seemed so hook to whatever that is that they’re talking about. You have to walk by them in order to go to your office and when you’re near enough, one of them noticed you.

“Ohh! Miss Aelia!” she called and smiled brightly over you before heading your way.

You waved because she’s so adorable. She’s part of your team and you can say that she’s very nice.

“I told you to just call me Aelia, Clara.”

She giggled and stalked behind when you walk towards your office, ignoring the crowd of employees all circled early morning.

You sets down your things at your office table before taking off your long coat. Clara watches you with a small smile.

“What’s with the crowd? It’s very early for that, don’t you think?” finally found the courage to ask about it.

“Oh!” she exclaims and glanced over them once before looking back at you. “Should I tell them off? I can go and—”

“No, no!” you are quick to refrain her from doing so. She stopped her tracks and faced you with a little surprise look.

“It’s fine, let them be. Its not yet office hours anyway, so its totally fine.” and you end it with a warm smile. She nods and eyes settles over you.

“They’re actually watching the footage of the shootout that happened last night.” she suddenly says.

Your brows narrowed and glanced at her direction, confusion mirroring your expression.

“Shoot out?”

She nods again, “Yes! There’s a lot of people who died last night. I bet its because of those mafia families again...” her eyes looked terrified just by the mere mention of that word. She held her arms together, like giving herself a hug and shivers.

“I still can’t believe mafias really exists. It gives me chills.” she mumbles and you fell silent.

Memories of that night starts to flows back in your mind. Suddenly, you can remember that cold, silent night that still gives you nightmares from time to time. You cleared your throat and glanced back at Clara.

“Why isn’t it on the news? What did the goverment even doing?”

She pouts and shook her head, “The government can’t do anything about it. Those families are very powerful that even the police doesn’t want to get involve.” she states in a low tone.

“I heard it was Park Sunghoon last night.” she added and her eyes flashes fear. “Even by just hearing his name, I’m already shaking.”

You’ve heard his name before and never once with a good news. A lot of people fears him and often describes him as someone ruthless. Well, that ain’t a surprise from a mafia. Sometimes, you wonder how he looks like. Is he old? Probably, right? If he’s this powerful and influencial already then he must have been aged.

“I just really hope I can avoid encountering any of them.” she states.

You pout and nodded in agreement. That’s the best way to avoid trouble and to keep your precious life. They said there’s a lot of temptations that comes along with getting involve with people like them. Money is one of the common temptress. Something that people cannot ignore instantly.

“Me too, Clara. I will do my best to avoid getting involve with them.”

main master-list

permanent taglist:

@rubyanne @map-of-border @hwangjangmi @love13tter @candewlsy @simpforniki @classicroyalty @bridgebridgebirdiebridge @hime98 @moonsclassyslore @ddeonubaby @yeoungie @acciomylove @mymeloem19 @jvngw0n @dreamjerky @minamoons @clar-iii @herasalvatore @nyfwyeonjun @rcveribin @yizhoutv @one16core @soobin-chois @kyutiepeachy @chareadingpurposes @hwalllllllelujah @solelyenha @90sni-ki @nourhan-8 @nikipedia07 @yangbreads @drunkjazed @kimmchijjajang @hoonbrry @axartia @all4haru @sta-rie @hiqhkey @purplepuppychild @iceeee @wtfhyuck @tobiosbbyghorl @nikililmj @moonlightisland @ayayiiie @aeyeree

sinag taglist:

@heeseung-min @lovingvoidgoatee @dimplewonie

#enhypen #eeunoiaverse #eeunoia #eeunoiawrites #enhypen imagines #yandere enhypen #enhypen park sunghoon #enhypen sunghoon yandere #enhypen sunghoon x you #enhypen sunghoon imagines #enhypen sunghoon #enhypen sunghoon x reader

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a-dumb-sarcastic-bisexual · 30 days

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More headcanons about Anakin and Ahsoka being menaces to the general public

I feel like both Anakin and Ahsoka react to being sick in similar ways and by reacting in similar ways I mean they do everything in their power to ignore the fact that they’re sick

Which is funny because they both get annoyed when the other refuses to accept that they’re sick Ahsoka will take any hint that Anakin gives her that his condition is failing and runs with it

Man could breathe different way and she’s like “Master it sounds like you’re sick maybe you should lay down and let me take over” to which Anakin refuses

Ahsoka’s just as bad because Anakin tries his best to take care of her without letting her know he’s onto her

But of course she’s not stupid and can tell when he’s being more of a helicopter sibling than normal and calls him on it

God forbid they get sick at the same time because they just spend the whole time trying to take care of each other

And god forbid they get sick at the same time when Obi-Wan is around cause then they just turn into whiny children

Like no seriously it’s like a switch goes off in their brains that renders them into beings incapable of fixing their blankets

Obi-Wan obliges because what dad would stop taking care of their kid depending on the age

Honestly my brain kinda leaned into Ahsoka’s chaotic younger sister energy with this one

But I love the idea that she will just sneak attack Anakin and Obi-Wan

Most of her “sneak attacks” go something like this: Anakin walking down the hall minding his business when Ahsoka drops down from the ceiling

But before she can land on him he sidesteps and grabs her by the collar before she can hit the floor which results in Ahsoka moaning and groaning that she “Almost got him that time” and Anakin grumbles back that the only thing that “almost got her” was a black eye

He does have to admit that her random seak attacks have made her better at climbing

Sometimes she’ll walk up behind Obi-Wan and try to cover his eyes but most of the time all she gets is his shoulders

Most of the time it doesn’t even slow the man down he just keeps walking while asking her about her day and how classes are going

But as she gets older she’s able to mask her presence better and manages to sneak up on the men once or twice

Obi wan is always willing to admit defeat and congratulates her on her well earned victory

Anakin blames it on his age and that’s the only time that Ahsoka will ever hear him admit to being “old” (he’s 30)

It’s an ongoing joke that you shouldn’t separate Ahsoka and Anakin some say you risk a limb if you try others say you’re risking your life what most don’t mention is how you’re risking your sanity

Because they become the most annoying motherfuckers when they’re apart

Ahsoka acts like they’ve been separated for 10 years and will tell stories like she’s reminiscing about the good old times but most of the time the people she tells the stories to were present for the events so it goes something like this:

“Hey Rex do you remember when me and Anakin threw someone into that lake those were the days” “Yes I do remember that commander because I was that person and it was a week ago”

In his defense that’s the fifth story she told him in the past hour and he was there for all of them

Anakin’s just as bad but for a different reason because all he does is overthink

Like don’t get me wrong he keeps up the “cool guy” personality before she leaves but the second she’s gone he’ll sprinkle little questions into normal conversations like “Do you think she packed warm enough?” “Do they have enough emergency rations?” “Did anyone make sure that ship was up to code before they left?”

He made sure she packed for every single weather possible, he packed enough rations for two weeks even tho they were supposed to be gone for two days, and he checked the ship before they left

Sometimes Anakin or Ahsoka will just walk into each other's room and hang out they don't do much they kinda just sit down and talk

Sometimes they have a silent but mutual understanding to leave the room and go bother Obi-Wan in his

I love the idea that Obi-Wan and Anakin are victims of Ahsoka’s undying fascination with human hair she loves when their hair is long and encourages them to grow it out longer so she has more to work with

She all but falls to her knees when she sees how long Padme’s hair is and she’s the creator of some of Padme’s funkier hairstyles (both Anakin and Padme make a small note to force Ahsoka to do their future kid's hair)

She’s also weirded out by facial hair so every single time Obi-Wan shaves or Anakin tries to grow a beard they’re treated like a different person entirely

It took them a while to figure out why but once they did they lost their minds laughing (and also made silent vows not to do it again cause it freaked her out)

People often say it’s like Ahsoka and Anakin can read each other's minds without using the force

Some people find it hard to believe but it’s pretty easy to tell when people are having conversations through their bond and when two people are having a conversation just with looks

It’s not an uncommon sight for them to shoot each other looks after someone says something a little bold and for both of them to be laughing by the end of it

It’s just as common for them to get into little arguments and finish it in complete and total silence before one of them finally gives in with a huff

It’s kinda freaky but they don’t seem to notice and everyone around them is too used to it to care

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princessprettyprivilege · 9 months

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Leveling Up Past Your Insecure &/or Pick Me Family

Guess what? Your family will always move the goalpost until they benefit from or experience what you seek. This is mostly for women who are unable to move out, too young (18+), and cannot afford to distance themselves for sanity, causing a power struggle or an uncomfortable house.

For some of you, if you absorbed every bit of advice your family or friends gave you, you wouldn’t be on this page, still pick me-ish, unmotivated, just not where you saw yourself being. Throw your hands up to their woes and tune them OUT. If I listened to bad advice, I would’ve been on the couch all summer with Cheetos, in bed all day, a pick me arguing with a trash bf and masculine minded.

Stop it right now telling anyone other than you and trusted people your goals. The goalpost will be moved by insecure people. People who constantly use “but I don’t”, “but I didn’t” will trip you up and leave you confused on your ass. Just because they may seem like authority from age and experience, it doesn’t mean they’re smarter than you.

Toxic, dysfunctional and generally unhappy people will use your goals and standards against you until their last sunset.

Everyone tells you to move in silence to the point it sounds cliche, but it’s pertinent to remember to shut your mouth because your wishes and new routines will not be appreciated or admired unless it benefits THEM.

Don’t EVER give up a dime of your profit from leveling up because you feel forced or encouraged to. Negative, tacky low esteem people will always move the goalpost and have their hand out for more. Giving away money only benefits the person taking it since there was no service done in your benefit.

🚨 If your purpose for leveling up is to become Captain Save-A-Hoe, LEAVE. I am NOT doing that. You’re going back to being a pick me and square 1 by submitting to family who may wish for you to do well, but to their level. At a point, getting a job will be less thankless than leveling up to give your family money.🚨

This is very different from taking care of incapacitated people, the elderly, ill or people who CANNOT work, and people who require constant care or children because they cannot help themselves. Don’t misconstrue my words on purpose.

Do not be a slave to able bodied, competent people because they will use and abuse your kindness. Do not give to family or friends with frivolous spending habits. It’s “fine” to share with able bodied others, but that shouldn’t be your overall goal. Pour well into your cup before others.

Check your family if you cannot leave. Negative people will always move the goalpost, whether you appeal to them or not, and your appeal will not be appreciated.

Check them like a Nike shoe. I was taken aback when I was told I should’ve exercised early in the summer to look better before school, BUT when I began walking 4mi a day a few weeks before school, I’m told 4mi is TOO MUCH and SO UNNECESSARY for a young person! You need to eat more instead! Like wtf?? You can verify yourself that 10k steps a day is acceptable, and once I did what I said, it was suddenly unnecessary.

Now that my legs look great and I normally walk a lot, I’ll tell someone who wishes for my leg tone that I despise their attitude, it makes me gag b/c I told & shown what I do. Leading by example and not reflecting their attitude back is a cleaner way of checking attitudes.

Give them the exact treatment back if you dare, but not by stooping their level, or let them grovel until they realize they don’t make sense. Another option is to be altruistic and give advice but that’s the very last resort since it can backfire. Lead by EXAMPLE.

Stay 2-3 steps ahead of criticism and let your confidence shine.

If you always share your plans, the goalpost moves and you’ll never measure up.

Contrary to popular belief, don’t pummel your family when they are down because you and your feedback will be remembered and referenced to in the future.

Don’t move the goalpost on them, this method does not progress anyone. It’s not what you say or how you said it, it’s how you made them feel. Also, they might not see it as an insult like you do and as a way you’re coming back to your “roots”.

Lastly, some may be more empathetic to your plight and respectfully disagree or be open to learning from observation.

Maximize the pretty, not stress!!! 💖

#pretty privilege notes personal #princesskhalyiah #femininity #high maintenance #pretty privilege #high standards #levelup #pretty privilege tips #leveling up #femininity tips

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cable-knit-sweater · 1 year

Text

When you’re close up, give me the shivers

a moodboard by cable-knit-sweater

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes

Rating: T

Wordcount: 1.4k

Tags: au - model/photographer, au - modern, photographer Steve Rogers, model Bucky Barnes, age difference, slutty Bucky, flustered Steve

Written for: @stuckybingo | card: R4005 | Square: N5 - AU: Model/Photographer

A.N: This was gonna be a different fic. Then it was going to be a short blurb. Then it turned into a ficlet. I blame @late-to-the-party-81 😂💖

Summary:

Steve’s been a professional photographer for over a decade. His work has been featured in countless magazines, on billboards, in fashion articles and photography books. He’s shot some of the most beautiful, most interesting, most powerful people in the world. He’s won numerous awards, is sought after by so many for his work. It means his schedule is fully booked, like, always. It also means he earns enough money to afford a gorgeous loft apartment that can easily double as a studio when he wants to.

Steve’s mostly unfazed by the supposed glamor of his job or the world he inhabits. He can see how some of the models he’s photographed represent some sort of beauty ideal, even if he doesn’t necessarily always agree. He’s not actually always a fan of the circles he works in — because of the beauty ideals, but also because there’s some sort of toxicity in it sometimes, one he tries to avoid. It’s made him somewhat of a recluse, at times, which in turn has caused people to speculate a lot about him — and his personal life.

For some reason, there’s this assumption that he probably has hooked up with some of his models. Sure, he’s found some of his models attractive, but he’s never pursued anything. He’s aware of how he himself looks and he’s had models make a pass at him, or ask him to go out on a date after they finished shooting, but he’s always declined. Steve doesn’t mix business with pleasure. He’s seen how that goes. It’s a rule he put in place for himself long ago and it’s worked out fine.

He’s going to have to break that rule.

When the model he was supposed to shoot doesn’t show up…he’s annoyed, to put it mildly. It’s happened before. Most models are - even if they’re demanding sometimes - conscientious of his time. He doesn’t want to sound like an asshole, but standing him up like this is rude, and his time is valuable.

He calls the agency — and they apologize, telling him the model will be there in 15 minutes, almost half an hour after they should have started. Steve sighs. He can make it work, but they’ll lose some of the light. He’s frustrated for sure, but all he can do is wait.

When the model does show up… At first Steve is grateful for being patient for once, because the model is gorgeous. Then he curses everything in existence including himself because the model is gorgeous, and he’s not sure he’s going to be able to keep it together.

It’s not even the soft looking - albeit slightly messy - curly brown hair, or the gorgeous grey-blue of his eyes, or the dimple in his chin. It’s red bitten lips, the look in his half-lidded eyes that makes him look like pure sex, a jawline that could cut glass. He’s wearing a leather jacket over a black t-shirt, impossibly tight black jeans. Steve forgets to breathe for a moment, looking at the guy a little dumbly.

Those red lips curl into a slightly wicked smirk, like the guy knows exactly what kind of effect he has on people. On Steve.

“Sorry I’m late,” the guy says, looking up at Steve from below his eyelashes, with big blue eyes that have Steve entranced. “My cat locked me out of my apartment.”

It’s the dumbest reason, the dumbest lie, Steve has ever heard. No one in their right mind would believe that. “Th-that’s okay, no worries at all!” he stammers out. “It happens?”

What the fuck. Who is he?

The guy giggles a little. It’s a great sound. Steve wants to roll around in it.

“I’m Bucky,” he says, “it’s an honor to get to work with you.”

“I-uhm, I’m- me too, I mean, I’m Steve.”

Steve needs to get himself together. Not in the least because Bucky bites his lower lip to stop from laughing, undoubtedly about how much of an idiot Steve is. It’s the worst thing he’s ever seen. He wants to pull that lip from between Bucky’s teeth. With his own.

But Steve’s a professional.

So much of a professional he’s completely forgotten what the assignment for this shoot is by the time Bucky has gotten ready.

This isn’t showing off clothes, or a formal portrait. Bucky is an actor – Steve will need to look up his work after this – and this shoot is for some sort of magazine article. They want Bucky to capitalize on the image he’s made for himself through some of the TV shows he’s been in and…

Steve remembers laughing when he’d first seen the note. “Ideally, a sorta messy twink look,” it actually says. That’s…that’s the idea they’re supposed to be going for here. He’s definitely not laughing anymore. He also definitely needs to watch more TV.

It doesn’t start off too smoothly. At first, Steve is too tense to actually focus on Bucky enough for the photos to come out well. Then later, when Bucky “has an idea” – which apparently involves taking off everything but his jeans – it doesn’t go so smoothly because Steve’s heart goes into overdrive and his skin feels completely on fire.

He doesn’t usually get this flustered. But everything about Bucky just seems to make him lose a little bit of higher brain function.

The way the dog tags he’s wearing nestle between sparse chest hair covering toned pecs.

The way his hair gets even messier the more he runs long, elegant fingers through it.

The way he continues to bite his lips until they look positively indecent.

The way he touches Steve’s arms, telling him to relax, making Steve shiver instead.

The way he looks at Steve with a gaze so heated that it feels like it burns into Steve’s skin.

The way he says “where do you want me, Steve?” in a voice laced with so much innuendo…

Steve is only so strong. He’s barely hanging on.

They do a couple of shots near the window, while there’s still enough light. The camera loves Bucky and it should be easy, but it really isn’t, given all the distractions.

They do a couple of shots with Bucky laying on Steve’s bed – Bucky’s idea, again. It almost makes Steve’s heart give out, makes his fingers itch to touch. He wants to scream. He’s a professional.

Bucky keeps making it worse with the looks he gives the camera - he gives Steve. He’s being a tease, Steve’s pretty sure of that by now, but he decides to stick to his rule. He’s never broken it before. He’s not gonna break it now, as much as he almost aches to give in.

It’s not until they do some shots in the bathroom, that Steve’s resolve crumbles. Bucky has put on his tank top again. With the water pouring down on him, the fabric clings to his body. But it’s the way he looks up from underneath his wet lashes, with his mouth half open and his lips so red, looking like, like…

Bucky knows exactly what he looks like and he knows Steve knows it too.

Then Bucky says, a smirk on his face, eyes knowing: “You wanna join me? Maybe a cold shower would be nice?”

And Steve gives in. He cannot take it anymore. Bucky has completely broken him down.

He puts down his camera as calmly as possible – when he’s feeling so far from fucking calm – then breathes in, gives Bucky one more look, then takes a couple of quick steps towards him, crowding Bucky against the shower wall and pushing up against him. He barely spares a moment to look into Bucky’s eyes, to see if this is what he wants – whether he wasn’t just trying to rile Steve up without wanting to follow through on anything – before claiming his mouth with his own.

Bucky kisses back eagerly, pressing up against Steve even more. Steve can’t bring himself to care about completely ruining his clothes. He finally gets to take Bucky’s lower lip between his teeth. He pulls on it a little in admonishment, growling: “Wanted to do that all fucking day.”

“Thought I was gonna have to spell it out for you,” Bucky chuckles a little breathily, “F-u-c-k m-“

Steve cuts him off by claiming his mouth again in a heated kiss, hands traveling down to unbutton Bucky’s jeans.

Bucky ends up on his knees in the shower. His lips end up an even more indecent shade of red.

And Steve ends up breaking his rule. Maybe some other things in his apartment too, in their rush to get to Steve’s bedroom later on. Who knows.

So what. Sometimes, rules are meant to be broken.

Faced with Bucky Barnes, Steve really never had any other choice.

#maya tries to write #stucky bingo #stucky fic #stucky #steve x bucky #ficlet

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calisources · 8 months

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A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE & HBO'S GAME OF THRONES. sentence starters taken from both the source books and the hbo's adaptation of a song of ice and fire from george r.r. martin. change titles, names and pronouns as you see fit.

"Tell them the North remembers. Tell them winter came for House Frey."

"Leave one wolf alive and the sheep are never safe."

"I'm not a lady. I never have been. That's not me."

"Nothing's more hateful than failing to protect the one you love."

"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground."

"An unhappy wife is a wine merchant's best friend."

"What good is power if you cannot protect the ones you love?"

"So we fight and die or we submit and die. I know my choice."

"I thought if I could make something so good, so pure, maybe I'm not a monster."

"Power is power."

"I'm not going to stop the wheel, I'm going to break the wheel."

"Do you understand? I'm no ordinary woman. My dreams come true."

"It's not easy to see something that’s never been before: A good world."

"I believe in second chances. I don't believe in third chances."

"As long as I'm better than everyone else I suppose it doesn't matter."

"When enough people make false promises words stop meaning anything. Then there are no more answers, only better and better lies."

"If you only trust the people you grew up with, you won't make many allies."

“Winter is coming. We know what’s coming with it."

"It is a big and beautiful world. Most of us live and die in the same corner where we were born in, never get to see any of it. I don't want to be most of us."

"I wonder if you’re the worst person I've ever met? At a certain age it's hard to recall. But the truly vile do stand out through the years."

"Know your strengths, use them wisely, and one man can be worth ten thousand."

"Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you."

"I try to know as many people as I can. You never know which one you'll need."

"No one is very happy. Which means it’s a good compromise."

"Men decide where power resides, whether or not they know it."

"Give us common folk one taste of power and we're like the lion who tasted man—nothing is ever so sweet again."

"But it's you and me that matters to me and you. Don't ever betray me."

"I want to be the queen."

"Any man who must say, I am the king, is no true king."

"The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword."

"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention."

"Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder."

"A ruler who hides behind paid executioners soon forgets what death is."

"Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word."

"If you would take a man's life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. "

"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."

"People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up."

"Every man must die, Jon Snow. But first he must live."

"We look up at the same stars and see such different things."

"I need you to become the man you were always meant to be. Not next year, not tomorrow, now."

"It's a neat little trick you do. You move your lips, and your father's voice comes out. "

"Tell me something, Varys who do you truly serve?"

"They’re dragons, Khaleesi. They can never be tamed."

"Love is the death of duty."

"Thousands of men don't need to die. Only one of us. Let's end this the old way."

"I Am not beholden to my ancestors vows."

"Robert's rebellion was built on a lie."

"We're children playing at a game, screaming that the rules aren't fair."

"With respect, Your Grace, I don't need your permission. I am a King."

“The world is one great web, and a man dare not touch a single strand lest all the others tremble.”

“Black and white and grey, all the shades of truth.”

“In the songs all knights are gallant, all maids are beautiful, and the sun is always shining.”

“There is no creature on earth half so terrifying as a truly just man.”

“Every man should lose a battle in his youth, so he does not lose a war when he is old.”

“I prefer my history dead. Dead history is writ in ink, the living sort in blood.”

"The war continues, Davos Seaworth, and some will soon learn that even an ember in the ashes can still ignite a great blaze.”

"He has a song. He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.”

"The only time a man can be brave is when he is afraid."

#rp meme #sentences memes #meme call #roleplay memes #sentence meme #( cali meme. )#rp memes #rp prompt #rp musings #roleplay prompt #roleplay meme #got meme #game of thrones memes

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its-your-mind · 6 months

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Taliesin: Percy's right there, what did you expect me to do? He knew. He had no illusions.

Thinkin about Percy laying in bed at night (alone watching over Whitestone while his wife is presumably off doing world-saving shit) thinking about that annoying as SHIT earth genasi punk who keeps popping up, insults and mocks him, shows outright contempt for his authority, and so very clearly has no idea what the hell they’re doing.

Percy’s probably top three smartest CR characters, and not only that, he’s an engineer. He knows a formula, a pattern, when he sees one - haphazard group of cast-offs and overpowered nobodies trying to save the world? Walking into rooms full of powerful and important people they don’t quite know how to act around? Succeeding and surviving through dumb luck, sheer force of will, and the strong family connections they’ve forged with each other? He knows this story. Hell, he made a cuckoo clock of this story.

And while he and Ashton might be complete opposites on the surface, he knows how it feels to have the kind of family who you’re constantly running with side-by-side into danger. He knows loss. He knows exactly how heavy a weight the responsibility of “saving the world” is.

So when the Hells walk in holding a shard of a titan, bearing news that Ashton is holding one inside already? When Allura tells them that the power that’s already inside Ashton just needs something to awaken it? When Ashton sits down with her to have a serious conversation for the first time Percy’s witnessed? They talk about drawing power into yourself, unknown effects, a power too dangerous to be allowed in the world for too long, that could be used for morally reprehensible things…

And a person who has so very clearly been ravaged by life just as much as Percy had by the time he was their age. At least all the visible consequences Percy had had to deal with was the white hair - he could pass that off as premature aging. Ashton wears their damage on their body, up their arm, across their face. Their skull is translucent, for gods’ sakes.

And now, Bells Hells has to save the world. And here in front of them is an ancient shard of a titan, and the means to absorb its power. Ashton already has two of the foundational powers of Exandria in their body - a shard of the Empress of Earth, and a piece of the Luxon. Based on what Allura has said, it’s a miracle their body still holds together at all.

Percy is good at noticing patterns.

Someone who has been shown some of the worst parts of the world without any opportunity to heal properly from their past. Visibly damaged, but with their chin held high and an eyebrow raised to the world, as if daring someone to comment on it. Someone who, by all rights, should have been dead already. Someone who doesn’t have a choice but to keep living.

Offered power. The chance to make a difference, to achieve your goals, using and building on the talents and traits you already have. No clear understanding of what accepting this power may mean for you. Not caring all that much either. Being willing to sacrifice yourself in pursuit of a singular goal.

Who else does that sound like?

I wonder if some part of him almost stepped in and removed temptation. Locked the funnel away, told Allura to take the shard and go, sent the Hells off in a rush, without giving them time to remember the burning shard sitting on his worktable. Spared someone else the curse ability to make this choice at all. But of course, it’s not his job to stand between a reckless stranger and their own stupidity, especially not when the world is at stake.

So when Ashton walks up those ziggurat stairs? When they are the one to send everyone but Fearne away, to request “privacy,” multiple times? Of course Percy knows what they’re about to do.

Going off alone to take a risk onto yourself so it won’t hurt your family? Not telling them because you don’t trust that they’ll let you do what needs to be done? Accepting power into yourself without understanding exactly what it is you’re getting into?

Allowing only one person to see you broken and vulnerable?

How ironic that Cassandra volunteered the ziggurat as a staging ground. The same tunnels where Orthax was destroyed will now bear witness to the birth (or failed emergence) of a new kind of explosive elemental power. Something new to be fashioned of fire and earth. Something never before seen in Exandria. A new creation that will have the power to change the fate of the entire world.

#c3e77 #critical role #bells hells #percy de rolo #vox machina #cr1 spoilers #c1 spoilers #cr3 spoilers #c3 spoilers #ashton greymoore #percival fredrickstein von musel klossowski de rolo iii

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ghost-party · 1 year

Text

Masterlist || Next || AO3

Pairing: Sosuke Aizen x F!Reader (Modern AU)

Word Count: 5.1K

Warnings: transactional relationship, sugar daddy arrangement, age difference, power imbalance, alcohol, swearing, sexual fantasies, kissing, vaginal fingering, marking

A/N: This was originally an idea for @chaotic-nick's One-Night Stand Collab, but then it quickly became something much bigger. Tumblr seems determined to keep deleting several paragraphs towards the end, so feel free to jump over to AO3 if you suspect you're missing something. IF YOU ARE A MINOR, DO NOT INTERACT!

“Will you please stop refreshing your inbox and do a shot with me?”

Before you can protest, Rangiku’s manicured hand enters your field of vision, grabbing your phone and yanking it away from you. With a disapproving look, she tucks it into her purse.

“It’s Friday night. Nobody’s going to be hitting you up for an interview until Monday.”

“If they even do,” you mutter, sullenly reaching for your shot. “What is this?”

“A lemon drop. You can thank Shuhei for making it on the house.”

She waggles her fingers at the dark-haired bartender, who blushes a little in response, before tipping her shot back like a practiced pro.

You follow suit, sugar from the rim clinging to your lips. “Don’t tell me you told him.”

“What, that you were laid off?”

Rangiku either doesn’t see your wince or ignores it, looping her arm through yours and dragging you down to the other end of the bar.

“Come on. It’s not like you fucked up or anything. It was what, a third of your company, right?”

With a sigh, you nod, claiming an empty stool and resting your elbows on the slightly sticky bar top.

She’s right. It wasn’t personal. But when you wake up on a Monday morning and go about your normal work-from-home routine, only to log in and immediately see an internal memo explaining that your position’s been terminated… It’s hard to not feel bitter about it.

Five years. You were at that company for five years. Which, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t a ton of time. But you really thought you had a future there.

Now you have to start all over. And so far, you’ve had zero luck. At this rate, you may have to adjust your budget and take a part-time job. But even those are hard to come by right now.

“Quit making that face,” Rangiku chastises, gently pinching your cheek. “You’ll find something! And in the meantime, you have options.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

You’re almost afraid to ask. By day, Rangiku is a paralegal for one of the city’s top prosecutors, an ambitious, young prodigy she both mercilessly teases and deeply respects.

But in her spare time, she engages in a bafflingly-wide variety of hobbies. From beginner ballet classes to axe throwing to possibly selling photos of her feet to strangers on the internet (she refuses to confirm or deny), you never know what bizarre new venture she’ll regale you with next.

Removing your phone from her purse, she holds it up to your face, unlocking it. She dodges your attempt to snatch it back while navigating to the app store.

“Let’s see… Oh! Here it is.”

You lean in, seeing that she’s clicked on an app called Luxe. At first glance, it looks like any other dating app. But as you read the description, your eyes widen.

“Nope.”

“But you haven’t even tried it!” She keeps a firm grip on your phone, pouting at you with glossy, peach-colored lips.

With a huff, you lower your voice and tell her, “I’m thirty. I’m way too old for a sugar daddy.”

“Mmm, you’d be surprised…”

Shuhei swings by just long enough to deposit two drinks in front of you. This time, they’re rum runners garnished with pineapple.

“When did you even order these?”

“I told him I’m in a fruity mood. Focus.” She snaps her fingers in front of your face, which only makes you stick your tongue out.

“On what? The fact that you want me to get wined and dined by a rich geriatric so I can pay my rent?”

She shakes her head. “You’re hopeless… At least humor me and download it. They’re not all old men.”

You somehow doubt that. But you know Rangiku won’t let it go until you do what she wants.

And some part of you is curious.

It’s true, you’re not interested in going on a paid date with a guy old enough to be your grandfather. But it’s been weeks since you were laid off, and you need to find a way to make ends meet until you land another job.

Once the app has downloaded, it prompts you to create a profile. You lean on the bar, sipping your drink as you type out a basic bio and list your interests.

Rangiku takes over after that, scrolling through your camera roll and choosing several photos.

“You look hot in this one… Ooh, very cute. Let me just crop this, aaaand…”

She looks borderline smug as she saves your profile and hands over your phone.

“You can browse, if you want, but if you want my advice? It’s much more fun to let them message you first.”

Draining the last of her rum runner, she plucks the paper umbrella from the rim and twirls it between her fingers.

“And trust me, babe. They will.”

•••

By the time you crawl into bed that night, pleasantly tipsy and resolving to wash your makeup off in the morning, you’ve nearly forgotten about the app.

It’s only while you’re reviving yourself with a cup of coffee the next day that you think to check your notifications. And… Wow.

You already have twelve messages.

As you scroll through them while waiting for your toaster waffles to hopefully surpass lukewarm, you delete a few that give you creepy vibes. One in particular says, Your skin looks so soft, and you wonder if he might be a serial killer.

Most of them, however, seem nice enough. A little stiff at times, maybe, as if they don’t know how to switch from business to personal mode. But maybe this is business for them, you think, chewing the last bite of waffle.

All but three are over the age of fifty. And of those three, only one inspires you to return to his profile after giving it a cursory glance.

Sosuke Aizen. 43. He’s tall and handsome, with brown hair and a kind smile. While his profile doesn’t disclose his exact occupation, it says he works in finance. He enjoys traveling, cooking, and fencing.

“‘I’m someone who enjoys deep connections and stimulating conversations,’” you read, sprawled on the couch with your legs hanging over one armrest. You’re surprised to see that you fall into his preferred age range. I thought sugar daddies were more into college girls. Apparently, not all of them.

In his first photo, Aizen stands near the railing of what appears to be a yacht. Behind him, you can see the iconic sprawl of Santorini, a sea of white buildings interspersed with blue-domed churches.

He’s wearing tailored khaki shorts, a blue linen shirt, and dark loafers. If you had to guess, the watch on his wrist cost more than your entire college tuition. But instead of projecting a haughty arrogance, his smile strikes you as genuine, like a man truly enjoying himself on vacation rather than boasting his wealth.

His other photos are equally compelling. One is clearly cropped and shows him in a charcoal gray suit, his hair combed back, holding a glass of champagne, his expression one of reserved professionalism. Another shows him standing in a spacious art gallery, his sleeves rolled up, wearing a pair of thick-framed glasses.

It’s the last one, though, that you find yourself swiping back to again and again. Unlike the others, it’s obviously a selfie, taken in front of what looks like a wintry cabin. He’s bundled up in a green turtleneck and black puffy coat, his cheeks a little flushed from the cold.

His expression seems softer in this shot, when it’s just him and there’s no need to put on a performative front. It’s because of this photo that you notice his eyes are brown, that they’re bracketed by fine lines when he smiles. His hair falls across his forehead, speckled with snowflakes.

You tap on your inbox and reread his message.

It seems we have some common interests. Would you like to have dinner with me this evening? Among other things, we can discuss a potential arrangement that would benefit the both of us.

His straightforward politeness definitely beats some of the other messages you received. And he’s right. You feel like you could sit down and have an enjoyable conversation with this man, not even because he’ll likely be paying you to do so, but because you already feel fascinated by him.

Trying to play it cool, you message back, Yes, that sounds great. Do you have someplace in mind?

A half hour passes before you hear from him, tearing your gaze away from yet another lackluster job posting to open the app and read his reply.

Perfect. 7pm at La Belle.

You should have expected that he would choose an upscale venue. But you know for a fact that La Belle is one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city. It’s impossible to secure a reservation weeks out, let alone on the same day. It’s also formal attire only.

As if he’s read your mind, another message appears.

If you need a dress, go to Ishida’s on 16th. Tell him I sent you.

•••

You’re nervous as you stand on the step riser, watching in the full-length mirror as Uryu Ishida takes your measurements.

He’s younger than you expected, with dark hair that falls across his face and wire-rimmed glasses that sit precisely on his nose. You quickly surmised, after a few small attempts on your part, that he’s uninterested in idle conversation. So you stand there in silence, listening to his occasional muttering of numbers as he commits them to memory.

He seemed unfazed when you walked in and relayed Aizen’s message, simply gesturing for you to follow him into a fitting room. The only question he deigned to answer was if the financier comes here often.

“Yes. I tailor his suits.”

The drawer clicked shut after he retrieved his measuring tape, and for the first time, the tailor seemed to really look at your face rather than your figure, his expression bordering on perplexed.

“But he’s never sent anyone else here.”

Realizing he’s now finished his measurements, you watch him scrawl several notes onto a memo pad before tucking the pencil behind his ear and disappearing behind the velvet curtain serving as a door. He returns several minutes later, carrying a cocktail-length dress.

It’s a dark shade of red, almost crimson — a color you wouldn’t immediately gravitate towards. But Ishida nods, seeming confident in his choice as he hangs it up, gently smoothing the fabric before stepping back.

“Try it on. I suspect the alterations will be minimal, which is convenient.” He adjusts his glasses with one long finger, his gaze distant as he mentally assesses the work ahead of him.

True to his word, the dress fits. It flatters your figure more than you expected from just looking at it on the hanger. And after he’s worked his magic, it looks as if it was custom made for you.

Awkwardly, you shift from one foot to the other, watching as he slips it into a garment bag. When he hands it off, draping it over your outstretched arms, you ask, “Do I owe you anything?”

Ishida’s lips press together, and you can’t tell if he’s suppressing a laugh or a scoff. “No. Mr. Aizen instructed me to charge everything to his card I have on file.”

While you had expected as much, the confirmation of it leaves you feeling stunned. This man hasn’t even met you yet, and he’s already spending excessively on your behalf. But you have to remind yourself, again, that your idea of excess is entirely different than his.

When I tell Rangiku about all this, I’ll never hear the end of it…

•••

You arrive at La Belle a few minutes before seven, initially feeling a little silly. You don’t think you’ve been this dressed up since senior prom, and even then, your dress was from the local shopping mall, made of cheap chiffon and tulle.

But when you step inside, you relax when you realize you look the part. From what you can see of the dimly-lit dining room, other women wear dresses of varying colors and lengths, while men wear polished suits. From the clientele to the opulent décor of the place — high ceilings with golden chandeliers, black, gauzy curtains, marble flooring — the place seems to radiate an impression of wealth and status.

When you give the hostess your name, she smiles, almost knowingly. “Right this way.”

You follow behind her, straight through the main dining room, where tables are either occupied or marked with Reserved signs. As you near the back of the room, you can feel eyes on you, and you wonder why. Is it that obvious I’ve never been here before?

But when the hostess leads you into a private room, one with an expanse of windows overlooking the city, you think you understand their interest.

Not only was your date able to secure a same-day reservation at a notoriously booked-up restaurant, but he somehow managed to claim their most exclusive dining space.

Who the hell is Sosuke Aizen?

The man in question stands when you enter, already moving to pull out your chair. A small part of you is grateful he looks the same as he did in his photos. You’ve heard plenty of catfishing stories, and you wouldn’t put it past someone to steal an attractive man’s identity and try to pass it off as their own.

He's dressed in a sharp black suit paired with a black button-up and a tie that appears to be a perfect match to the color of your dress. You’re certain you have Ishida to thank for that small detail. He moves with an easy confidence, his smile warm and inviting.

“I’m so glad you could make it.”

His voice, low and almost seductive in its smoothness, elicits a physical reaction from you, something in your chest tightening as your heartbeat suddenly quickens.

“Thank you for inviting me,” you manage to answer, hoping to conceal just how much a few simple words have affected you.

But as you lower yourself into the chair he slowly pushes in, he bends at the waist and leans in closer. You can smell something warm and spicy, a woody musk that makes it hard to think straight.

The feeling only worsens when he murmurs, “You look stunning.”

As he takes his seat, a waiter approaches and offers to pour drinks in preparation for the first course. You must look surprised, because the young man smiles and says, “You’ll be served a four-course meal this evening, starting with sea bass crudo paired with Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut.” He gestures to the bottle on the table.

You watch as he fills your glasses, and once he’s left, your date lifts his in a toast.

“To a lovely evening ahead of us.”

When you mimic him, delicately clinking your glass against his, he looks pleased.

“So…” After taking a sip, he sets his champagne aside and sits back in his chair, fixing you with his steady gaze. “Tell me about yourself.”

During the first course, you take a few polite bites of your sea bass and tell him about losing your job. He asks about your responsibilities, how long you were with the company, what you studied in college. When he asks if you wish you had chosen a different major, you blink at him.

“Sometimes,” you admit. “When I was younger, I wanted to be a writer — a novelist.”

It’s a confession you’ve always felt silly about. Only a fraction of aspiring authors land publishing deals. As you grew older, the aspiration seemed less attainable and more like an indulgent dream.

“But someone convinced you to pursue something more practical.” When you nod, Aizen looks dismayed. “I think anything we’re passionate about is worth doing.”

“Says the man who works in finance,” you quip before you can stop yourself. But he simply chuckles.

“Touché. I decided a long time ago, however, that my job would be a means to an end. A way for me to afford the things I truly wanted.”

Deciding it would be best to broach the subject early on, you ask, “Is that why you’re on Luxe? Would you call that a ‘passion’ of yours?”

It’s only after the words have been spoken, his eyes widening a little, that you realize how rude they likely came across. “I’m sorry — Mr. Aizen, I —”

“Please…”

He sets his knife and fork on his plate, forming the shape of a cross. It’s a silent signal that the two of you are ready for the next course.

“Call me Sosuke.”

He doesn’t sound upset with you. Instead, his tone has softened, and he’s regarding you with an almost apologetic expression.

“Sosuke,” you obligingly murmur, the name heavy on your tongue. He nods in approval.

“I’ll admit, it’s something I never thought I’d do. But I suppose…”

He thinks for a moment, reaching up towards his face, as if he might adjust his glasses. Remembering he isn’t wearing them, he looks abashed.

“I suppose I’m lonely.”

During the second course — diver scallops with green apple, pomegranate, and squash, paired with a glass of pinot noir — you learn what he means.

He explains that he’s spent the past two decades focused more on his career than anything else, revealing that he’s risen through the ranks to become the CFO of one of the largest companies in the city.

“It’s only in the last few years that I’ve made more of an effort to fill my life with things I enjoy.”

Reciting from his profile, you say, “Traveling, cooking, fencing.”

He nods, smiling at you as he lifts his wine to his lips. “I’ve been to France, Spain, Greece… I went to my father’s hometown in Japan, the city where my mother grew up in England, raised by her grandparents.”

Waving a hand towards his half-empty plate, he says, “I cultivated an appreciation for different types of cuisine. Took cooking lessons with private chefs.”

“And fencing?”

His smile widens. “Now that I did in college. I was also on the rowing team.”

You can see it in the way he carries himself, his physical presence, the broadness of his shoulders tapering into a leaner figure. Your cheeks burn hot when you realize you’re staring. But he either doesn’t notice or is polite enough to not mention it.

“But it’s difficult to find time for a committed relationship, at least one that’s more traditional.” He swirls the wine in his glass, looking thoughtful. “A colleague mentioned the app. It seemed like a tidy solution to my problem.”

He lifts his gaze, sounding more serious as he clarifies, “You’re under no obligation to do anything, though. Especially not something that would make you uncomfortable.”

“Oh. I… Thank you.”

“Of course. Even if you simply keep me company now and then, just like you’re doing now, and I’m able to help you keep the lights on… That’s more than satisfactory.”

During the third course — cask smoked prime ribeye cap with shallots, peas, and Gruyère potatoes, paired with a black plum wine — you begin to feel more relaxed, easing into the conversation now that he’s taken the pressure off.

It’s not difficult to tell that he’s whip-smart and verbose in a wide variety of subjects. The two of you discuss literature and philosophy, as well as critique the modern romantic ideals impressed upon unwed people in their 30s and 40s.

You’re certain the drinks are helping to loosen your lips and encourage you to freely speak your mind. But more than that, it’s his presence, the way he pays such close attention to you, hanging on every word you say. You wonder if anyone has ever looked at you the way he does, with a glowing sort of admiration that makes something in your lower belly stir.

As the waiter clears the table for dessert and Aizen — no, Sosuke — compliments the last dish, you find that it’s not hard to imagine your arrangement moving beyond simple companionship, shared dinners and intellectual tête-à-têtes.

You find yourself imagining what it might be like to go home with him, to let him slowly undress you, lavishing your bare skin with his mouth, putting that silver tongue to good use between your —

“Are you alright?”

That honeyed voice of his breaks through your reverie, and you feel like you’ve been caught. Managing a quick nod, you take a too-large gulp of your wine. Sosuke tries and fails to hide a knowing smile.

During the fourth and final course — salted chocolate caramel tart with goat cheese and toffee walnut crumble, paired with a chocolate espresso martini — you both disclose your previous relationships.

“I dated a colleague at one of our partner companies for two years,” he tells you, slicing into his tart with careful precision.

“I thought you said you didn’t do committed relationships.”

“Very true. We weren’t exclusive. When she started seeing a pediatric oncologist, she ended things with me. Now they’re married with three children.”

“Does it make you jealous?”

He takes the question in stride, as you knew he would. It’s only been a few hours, but you’ve learned to read him well, and he seems unbothered by things others might consider rude or prying.

“Yes and no. I’ve never been interested in becoming a parent, but… knowing that someone will always be by your side, someone who understands you, accepts you…” He glances out the window, his expression surprisingly unreadable. “That must be nice.”

You tell him it’s been over a year since you’ve been on a date. Work was always a convenient excuse, but the truth is that you were beginning to feel burnt out on the dating scene.

“It’s not for the faint of heart,” he says, his tone light. But you can tell the commiseration comes from a real place.

“Honestly, I wish I had met someone like you sooner.” When his eyebrows inch upwards, you stammer, “Not because of your money. That’s — I didn’t mean that.”

Propping an elbow on the table, he rests his chin on his fisted hand and smiles. “Even if you did, I would appreciate your honesty.”

You avert your gaze, staring down at the red satin of your dress for a long moment before you finally look back up at him.

“You’re kind. And I didn’t realize how badly I needed that in my life.”

For the first time all night, he looks thrown off by your words, as if he had anticipated you saying something else entirely. But as the waiter asks if there’s anything else you need, he quickly schools his expression.

“No, thank you. I think it’s about time for us to head home.”

As he speaks, he looks directly at you, his gaze steady once more as he communicates exactly what he has in mind without the need for explicit confirmation.

And when you choose not to correct him, you silently give him your answer — and your permission.

•••

It’s no surprise that Sosuke Aizen lives in a penthouse apartment. It’s sleek and modern, with dark furnishings, an open floor plan, and a large staircase leading from the living room up to the second floor. The entirety of it is enclosed by enormous floor-to-ceiling windows that make the ones at La Belle look pitifully small. But on the eightieth floor, you doubt he lacks for privacy.

As you politely step out of your heels and look around, taking in the almost sterile cleanliness of the place, Sosuke walks to the kitchen. He pours two glasses of red wine and offers one to you with a small smile.

“Shall I give you the tour?”

Track lighting illuminates the dining room and kitchen, the latter featuring a massive island complete with a breakfast bar space. The living room is softly lit by a dimmable chandelier, its layered circles making it look more like an art installation. Everything around you is gray, black, or chrome, and the couch and nearby leather armchairs look immaculate, as if no one ever uses them.

He leads you upstairs, where an office space overlooks the room below. Here, you feel more of a lived-in warmth, perhaps due to the books. The wall-to-wall shelves are completely filled, and his dark wooden desk has a stack sitting on the corner. You tilt your head to look at the spines. Two books on psychology, one about artificial intelligence, a French cookbook, a dense text on astrophysics, and a collection of poems by Yeats.

“I’m running out of room, as you can see.” Sosuke takes a sip of wine as he watches you with something that resembles amusement. “If there’s anything you’d like to borrow, you’re welcome to it.”

You murmur a thank you and follow him into the next room — the master bedroom. Like the rest of the apartment, it overlooks the city, the curtains drawn back to reveal the nighttime sprawl of lights. More books sit on one of the bedside tables, along with a pair of glasses you recognize from his photos. The lighting in here is softer, coming from small lamps.

“The master bath is through here,” he says, placing a hand on the small of your back and guiding you through another doorway.

It’s not the first time he’s touched you. That happened when he helped you into the car at the restaurant, his hired driver waiting patiently as Sosuke took your hand and helped you into the backseat. You were grateful for it, since your dress limited your usual mobility. And you had missed the warmth of him when he pulled away.

Now, your heart beats a little faster, especially when he leaves his hand there once the two of you have entered the bathroom.

Unlike the rest of the apartment, it’s a vision in white and cream, with a walk-in shower tucked into the corner. But your gaze lingers on the large, round bathtub that sits close to the windows, more than big enough for two people.

“And there’s a walk-in closet there,” he says, lifting his wine glass in that direction. “Not an ideal placement, but I was willing to compromise on that.”

“It’s incredible,” you tell him. “But I’m guessing you have a housekeeper. It looks like no one even lives here.”

He laughs softly, seeming once again to appreciate your honesty. “Yes, I do. And I’ll admit, I spend most of my time at work, so I’m sure that contributes to your impression.”

It takes you a moment to realize you’ve both returned to the bedroom. Your wine is nearly gone, and as you watch, he drinks the last of his, setting his glass on the nearest bedside table.

Even while you’ve been paying attention, another part of your mind has been preoccupied.

You’re under no obligation to do anything.

You appreciate his reassurance. Everything you know about transactional dating comes from common stereotypes, all of them implying sex is always expected.

But now that you’ve been told it isn’t, that it’s entirely up to you… It feels different. Your anticipation and nervousness have receded, leaving room for something else to take their place.

Even without the gifted dress, the fancy dinner, this apartment that surely cost more than you could hope to make in your lifetime, you’re undeniably attracted to Sosuke Aizen.

At the end of the night, you have a feeling you’ll be depositing a rather large sum of money into your account either way. Before that, though…

After draining the last of your wine, you set your glass next to his, then take a step closer to him. His expression doesn’t change, his smile placid, his eyes watching you with that familiar amusement. Or perhaps it’s affection.

“You said it’s my choice, if things go further,” you say, and he gives a single nod. “I… I want that.”

He lifts a hand and gently traces the line of your jaw, something darkening in his gaze. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” The word is more of an exhale than anything, your skin tingling at his touch. “I like you. And I want more… If that’s alright.”

He hums, the sound seeming to come from deep in his chest. While his hand clasps your cheek, his thumb sliding down to brush against your lips, his other arm encircles your waist, pulling you close.

“I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you,” he says, his voice almost hypnotic, low and provocative.

You’re not sure if he’s talking about when he saw your profile or when you walked into La Belle tonight. But it doesn’t matter either way. His words still have an affect on you, every part of you he touches suddenly sensitive, heat blooming in your chest.

And when he kisses you, the sensation intensifies. You feel alight and consumed, despite the softness of his lips, the unhurried way his mouth moves against yours. His hand grasps your waist a little tighter, and a small whimper escapes you. As your cheeks flare hot with embarrassment, you can feel him smile.

“Don’t be shy,” he murmurs. “You don’t have to hide anything from me.”

You shudder as his hand slowly moves from your waist to the small of your back, his fingers splayed almost possessively.

It momentarily startles you when he pulls away. But you watch, entranced, as he shrugs out of his jacket, tossing it over a nearby chair before tugging at his tie.

His eyes look darker than ever in the dim light of the bedroom, and his smile verges on a smirk. Even so, when he takes you in his arms again, his movements are slow and gentle.

“All I want is to make you feel good.” Lowering his head, he noses at your cheek, making you shiver. “Won’t you let me?”

By the time you return to your apartment in the early hours of the morning, chauffeured by the same driver who picked you up at the restaurant, you’re blissfully tired. You take a quick shower before falling into bed, your phone clutched tightly in one hand. For what feels like the hundredth time, you open your banking app.

REMOTE ONLINE DEPOSIT $5,000

You're not sure what has you feeling more stunned — the amount of money or the memory of Sosuke's deft fingers buried deep inside you, his mouth hot against your breast. When you reach under your oversized sleep shirt and touch the spot, it's tender, already bruised from his lips.

Even as you walked into La Belle tonight, you weren't convinced this would be anything more than a one-time thing. An opportunity for you to step out of your comfort zone and gain at least a little financial security as you continue your job search.

But now, you've agreed to see him again. And rather than keep you awake, the anticipation of it envelops you, reassuring and warm. He wants to take care of you. He wants to make you happy.

And who are you to deny him?

#desperate measures #bleach #sosuke aizen #aizen x reader #sosuke aizen x reader #aizen sosuke #aizen sosuke x reader #tw sugar daddy #tw age difference #tw power imbalance

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shipskicksandgiggles · 5 months

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dialogue prompts

hi! I’m Ellis, I’m a college student that that apparently keeps landing myself in bizarre situations and I cope by making prompt lists out of them. they’re usually hilarious and great for short fics, so feel free to send me a number with a character/ship/dynamic, or even just a fandom that you think fits

“Is this about the fax machine? Because if it is, my vote is we put a bullet in it.”

“I don’t need to hear about any of your sex lives. I’m talking to you specifically.”

“Why are you all in the hallway? Is that a dog?”

“Do they remind you of someone?” “Yeah, me when I was that age, I was hoping you wouldn’t mention it.”

“I’m going to steal someone’s kneecaps.”

“Someone just barked at me in the grocery store parking lot.” “Go see who it is.” “You asshole.”

“Why are you standing like that?” “They’re autistic, leave them alone.”

“It’s been like three months. Why are you a different person?” “Catastrophic change and trauma, babe, don’t worry about it.”

“Every day my interests become more and more like a middle aged father’s.”

“Do you want to come build a chair?” “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Why do you talk so much about cannibalism in this class?” “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Everyone gets excited about boobs!” “I honestly don’t think that’s true.”

“Do you need the heat pack more?” “I wasn’t going to bring it up, but you limped home, I think you need it more.”

“Some guy just mistook me for a cis man, this is the best thing that’s happened to me all week.”

“You went to Catholic school? I would have thought you’d gone to public school and then taken a hard left into satanism.”

“Did you have a Voltron phase?” “No, why?”

“You know how I would literally rather die than ask for help?”

“Do you have time for me to have a gender crisis on you or are you too busy?” “Oh, no, this is happening.”

“Dude, they took your door.” “Your door privileges have been revoked.” “What the fuck?”

“Oh my god, quit it with the mother henning.” “If we lose the kid I’m blaming you.”

“Do you have a reason or are you being a nasty cynic?”

“So he’s better than you.” “I’m okay with that.”

“Did you just call me to tell me the person who won Jeopardy! has my chronic illness?”

“I regret asking.” “Why would you ask an autistic person about their hyperfixation when you don’t want an in depth answer?”

“Insane question, but can I put you in hell?”

“If one more person gives you public recognition for a thing I think you’re going to set yourself on fire.”

“Holy shit, you’re like a vampire.” “In all seriousness, you should see someone about that, that’s not normal.”

“Did I just sleep for 16 hours?” “Roughly, yeah. How are you feeling?” “About how you’d expect.”

“Where are you? Oh you’re having floor time.”

“Your taste in men is seriously questionable. If you only want his dick I’m sure we can figure out something else.”

“You need to crash your car right now.”

“Don’t make me pull rank at 6 in the morning again, I’ll die.”

“Are you crocheting right now? God this is such a weird group of people.”

“I got called an anarchist again.” “By the same person as last time?” “Nope.”

“Are we going to talk about what happened back there?” “No, why, what happened?”

“My mom has apparently kissed more women than I have.”

“You goddamn whore!” “What happened?” “She lied to me!”

“Of all of us, I think you’re the most likely to be a vigilante. Like a journalist by day, crime fighting hero by night.” “Like Spider-Man?” “Exactly like Spider-Man!”

“What’s going on?” “There might be a squirrel in the building, let me get back to you.”

“Don’t flirt with me while I’m holding a knife.”

“So imagine you’re a bisexual woman and you want to go to a strip club.”

“You scare people.” “I’m literally the nicest person alive.” “I watched you yell at someone last week.” “And?”

“The group chat is rioting.” “Oh my god.”

“We’re stealing your dog. She’s ours now.”

“I’m going to use my powers of being everyone’s favorite to get out of this.”

“I don’t associate myself with my birth name because no one called me by that name growing up.” “Have you perhaps heard of therapy?”

“My professor thinks I need an emotional support bird.” “No, I know you need an emotional support bird.”

“Okay, so they’ve got some trauma they need to work through. What’s driving the rest of you?”

“I ended up with the straight up rainbow one. Maybe straight is the wrong word. Anywhom-”

“You met this man a week ago, what do you mean you’re in love with him?”

#ellis writes #writing prompts #prompt list #dialogue prompt #send prompts #fyi I am willing to write for just about any fandom I’ve ever been in #I love good omens and doctor who in particular #but I will also write for Star Wars stranger things or others #I’d be willing to give TMA fics a shot

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lilac-honey · 11 months

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WIP intro: saints and pearls

genre: litfic, coming of age

pov: 1st person retrospective

setting: very very small valley town in southern bc. (i hear you. ur saying “but you’ve never been to canada !!!” no. you’re right. but i feel its Vibes within me). it’s an isolated, fundamentalist christian sect founded by a prophet in the 60s who claimed to be the living word of god, succeeded by his son. the year is between 2013-16, i sense.

themes/aesthetics: god, divinity & power, devotion & worship, girlhood & motherhood, innocence, sin & corruption, desire & temptation, resurrection & rebirth, truth, lies & false prophecy. identical grey houses, the sun setting through a wire fence, girls in white dresses cycling down an empty road, mountains in the distance dusted with snow, a town with no traffic lights, screaming and hearing no echo back.

cws: christian fundamentalism, cult, deeply patriarchal society, death, implied murder, disappearance / missing person, children in implied danger.

logline: when her mother vanishes, fifteen-year-old opal returns to live with her father in the isolated religious sect she grew up in. as she tries to find the truth about her mother’s disappearance, she becomes entangled in a sinister love affair with her father’s young new wife & the struggle to succeed the sect’s ageing prophet.

literal logline: opal’s reputation era takes an unexpected turn when she comes up against siblings as weird about god as she is

synopsis & characters under the cut <3

synopsis:

When her mother disappears, fifteen-year-old Opal chooses to return to the isolated sect she and her mother fled two years prior. But when she returns to Virtue, things have changed. Her father, Franklin, has remarried to a young new convert: the alluring, saintly Neeve, whom Opal is irresistibly drawn to. What’s more, the mounting health problems of the sect’s ageing prophet are set to kickstart the race to replace him in earnest at any moment.

The family are intent on ensuring Franklin’s accession as the next prophet, and Opal suspects they know more about her mother’s disappearance than they’re telling her. There’s a simple solution: gain Neeve’s trust and use her to find out what the family are hiding—yet Neeve’s magnetic zealotry only pulls Opal in closer, and their intoxicating relationship threatens to derail Opal’s quest to expose the truth.

Meanwhile, Opal’s rebellious flirtation with Warren, Neeve’s cunning older brother and Franklin’s main rival for the prophethood, opens the door to escape from her family’s control—and the opportunity for long-awaited revenge against the man and church who terrorised her childhood.

As Opal becomes entangled in the struggle to become Virtue’s final prophet—a deadly web of plots, fanaticism, and false prophecy—she draws closer to uncovering the dark secrets she’s sought all along about her family and community. But, with disaster edging ever-closer, Opal must confront the truth about herself, and her own hunger for power: is she really any different from the people she seeks to destroy?

this is not my Best Work unfortunately bc it does not accurately capture the goals, conflict and stakes but i will not be rewriting it again actually ! sorry ! i have suffered enough !

characters:

there are too many … more than listed here and that was not my intention

opal lauritzen

15/16, narrating the story probably in her 20s although unspecified.

delighted to unveil my very own unhinged teenage girl protagonist

she’s a little bit Scary !!

morally challenged, if you will

homosexually charged rivalry with neeve

fundamentally on a silly little mission to be adored & worshipped but she’s taken on a side quest (finding out who killed her mother)

she’s so remember my name by mitski coded. she needs someone to remember her name, something bigger than the sky…how many stars will she need to hang around her before she can finally be all done, somewhere like heaven?

everyone is a means to an end for her, apart from her adopted sister, runa (aged six), her bestie. can’t hate a child.

neeve lauritzen/sloane

17/18

neeve is playing chess while everyone else plays chequers

vegetarian (this is very important to her character like … after everything eating meat is still where she draws her moral lines in the sand. and i respect that!)

actually not as evil as opal thinks she is in the beginning. she does actually want to be friends.

she plans to name her baby cinnamon or cherry or similar. maybe moon. she’s silly and goofy like that

she’s fighting demons (comphet) and losing

alicent hightower … is that you ???

warren sloane

20/21

looks so much like austin abrams in my head

if neeve is playing chess … warren is playing monopoly

Charismatic Leader. manipulation is his thing

he’s mastered the female gaze but in a bad way

college dropout for sure. that stem major was so hard he became a creationist and joined a cult

franklin lauritzen

early 40s

opal’s father

a villainous little villain if ever there was one

wants to be the next prophet-leader So Badly it’s kind of embarrassing xx

he’s like low-key an incel he really hates to see women succeed

truly needs to get a life outside of terrorising teenage girls

runa caraway

opal’s adopted sister and also biological cousin

really need to develop her as a character but she’s basically an infant

fundamentally she reminds opal of her childhood self, creating Guilt and Conflict

asa and calvin lauritzen

20ish & 17ish

opal’s older brothers

they really Really hate each other xx

accidentally set them up as cain and abel so i’m now going to have to follow through on that foreshadowing

father paul

late 20s

token outside world character

this random catholic priest who becomes very concerned about opal after her mother goes missing

he wants to Fix opal and she knows this and very much enjoys pretending to be a damsel in distress around him

not really sure what purpose he serves in the story apart from a nice scene in a church (with candles !!) in chapter one

he gives her his number so i think she’s going to call him every now and then for a pep-talk

i think he’s going to try to stage an intervention for her later actually

betsy

15ish

opal’s slightly unhinged school friend

true crime girlie

i can’t explain her she’s best seen in action

like when opal and runa come to stay with her family when annora disappears she’s like .. exciting !!!! do u guys want to see my if i go missing folder !!!!! let me get all the true crime twitter girlies On to this !!!!

i might make her detective dreams come true later in the story so stay tuned xx

lux

15ish

opal’s childhood best friend in virtue

now betrothed to asa, opal’s oldest brother

retired from golden sunshine new career in false prophecy

newest addition to the cast but the story holds terrible things for her i fear

ask to be added to the taglist <33

#saints and pearls #wip intro #writing update #wip update #own work #this took so long to post oh em gee #sorry

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peachiecure · 3 months

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Character introduction: Larissa/“Cure Jump”

~Basic info~

Name: Larissa Frausto

“Alter Ego”: Cure Jump

Age: 13

Birthday: September 22

Hair color: Brown (w/ red ombré as “Jump”)

Eye color: Brown (Blue as “Jump”)

Larissa is a girl from another world who happens to visit from time to time. She holds the ability to transform into a magical girl known as “Cure Jump”. She is a side character in Project: SFA.

Larissa is a very shy and awkward person. She often is seen to be either panicking, not able to put out words or trying her best to do what is asked of her. Coming from another world, her surroundings here seem to fascinate her in a way as if she has been observing from the outside for a long time. In her free time, she seems to like to draw and play video games.

Her “Alter Ego”, Cure Jump on the other hand is much different in personality. She is strong willed, brave, leader-like and overall a joy to be around… she fights with the power of fire, along with a few other new tricks up her sleeve that she learns from Mario as they protect the kingdom at times. Though… there seems to be something behind those blue eyes of hers.

For more information on Larissa & Cure Jump, including more details and voice claims, please visit the side blog @nintendoprecure for her intros there~

A Precure? What’s that?

For my non-precure fans here, it’s a magical girl franchise. If you’re familiar with the concepts Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura, it’s pretty similar. Hopefully you don’t need to know that much about the franchise to understand the concept. A lot of precure fans like to make OCs, and that is where Larissa is from. So yeah it’s another project of mine. Larissa transforms and fights for what’s good with the power of her transformation device! (Which is a 3DS aha) She pops into SFA every now and then. You don’t need to dive deep into my other project though to understand her role in SFA, so I hope she is still a fun character to SFA’s overall story and lore. Just know that she pops in every now and then, helping out the best she can!

~Relationships~

Mario: “O-oh— I need to talk about Mario? U-um— he… he talks much more than I imagined… I’m so used to hearing reused voice lin— I MEAN from what I’ve heard from others!! He’s very nice!! I’m… I’m not good at socializing… at all. He seems to care about me though… I-I just feel that I’m to… incompetent to be standing by his side. He always tells be how I do such a good job as Jump but… I’m n— I mean, yeah I’m… Jump… but— sigh, never mind.”

Peach: “I could cry. I gonna cry. I-I can’t just cry?… she’s everything to me… seeing her in front of me physically of course I’m going to cry!! SHE’S MY FAVORITTTEEEE…. MY QUEEN…. And she’s so nice to me too I’m crying. I-I’m sorry I’m crying. I can’t help it. Little kid me prayed for moments like this… oh my gosh—“ (the rest is incoherent, we cannot understand her through her sobbing)

Sweetheart: “Finding out that Peach and Mario were married was one thing… but finding out they have a child… was something else entirely. I didn’t know how to process that information— my ship— I mean I’m very happy for them!!! Sweetheart herself is a very sweet little girl… well… she’s currently 10 but her behavior is very pure. Sometimes I think she looks up to me like an older sister which… I-I am an older sister in my family but I— I don’t feel like one. I’m cowardly, but she somehow finds the good in me when I’m around and wants to do things with me… her parents have explained the… situation with her powers, so I do have to keep an eye on her just in case anything happens.”

Luigi: “… I like Luigi, he… he really understands me when I can’t really get words out of my mouth… or… or when Mario drags the two of us somewhere impulsively as we’re both worrying… it is also surreal seeing him talk in front of me… oh my good they’re real the Super Mario Bros. are real and they’re in front of my oh my god. I’m gonna explode….”

Daisy: “Daisy has so much energy that she really overwhelms me— but not in a bad way! I really like her I’m just… I-I just like to take things slower and stuff. She’s a wonderful princess! She really cares about her friends and she would definitely fistfight a god for them!…”

Rosalina: “Mario brought me to the Observatory once and… it felt very weird to be able to breathe in space— where I’m from you— you can’t do that you’ll die. I got to meet Rosalina and the Lumas, and I really had a nice time with her. She’s gentle and made sure I felt comfortable and safe in her home… even read me a few stories from her iconic storybook that surely the soundtrack— I mean the music that so happens to play around when she reads— has not made me cry! Not at all!—“

Flame: “Flame is a new face I met upon coming here. I’ve never heard of his Kingdom at all. He seems like a nice kid who just wants to have fun with his friends. He-he’s very panicky, like me, so I— I relate a lot with him. He seems to always fight with Aqua and… I can’t blame him on that. Aqua… is… something… I just find it a bit odd how he always does what Sweetheart says?… I-I hope he’s only doing that because he wants to be a good friend…”

Aqua: “… C-can I tell the truth?—I-I don’t currently like him. I hate sounding mean but— he reminds me of someone from school with his spoiled attitude and I just can’t stand how he constantly arguing with Flame… there’s still a-a lot I don’t know about him, so I am open to change my view on him. It just seems like he isn’t willing to tell anything besides what he wants us to hear… and I don’t want to pry… I won’t say it to his face though, that’s just mean… he hasn’t really DONE anything to hurt me yet so I wouldn’t talk back… not like I ever would in the first place… he’s royalty…”

Toadsworth: “Toadsworth started calling me Master Larissa after one battle and… I cannot get used to the title. I am no master at… anything. Unless it’s crying, I’m… very good at that… ahaha… ha….”

~Rumors~

“Yeah I’m… I’m not related to the Mario Bros… I-I don’t know why that’s such a popular rumor… I’m not even Italian… ahaha… w-wait who thinks I’m related to Mario—? Is it because of my brown hair?— o-or how I’m small?… I’m simply just learning alongside him… because of Ju— because I’m a magical girl!…”

And that’s it for Larissa’s intro! Next will be… well, a certain jester…

#project sfa #larissa frausto #cure jump #peachiecure art #intro post #super mario #smb #super mario bros #art #precure oc #pretty cure oc #fancure #nintendo precure!

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mrs-gucci · 1 year

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It’s Just Politics (Part 1 of 2)

Commander Mills x senator!Reader (f)

written for my welcome back celebration, phase one.

y’all voted, y’all wanted me to write some more Mills, so here I am :) this is part one of two, so enjoy the beginning of the story and get excited for part two which will be coming soon!!

content warnings. accidentally walking in on someone naked (he walks in on her), implied/mentioned age difference (gap not specified, Mills is 36)

word count: 3.4k (...whoops)

summary~ Commander Mills reluctantly takes a last-minute job captaining the Senator of Somaris’s personal ship on a flight to Cyllene for this year’s galactic policy conference. Both of them get much, much more than they bargained for...but they’re not necessarily complaining about it.

"You're kidding me."

Jai shakes his head, continuing to submit order forms for ship parts.

"I'm dead serious, man. Travis wants you to do it, it'll pay well, and you won't be gone for that long. At least two weeks, it's just to Cyllene for the annual galactic policy conference. Simple."

"Nothing is ever simple with her, you know that. She's impossible to deal with." Mills huffs. "What happened to her captain? Why can't he do it?"

"Dunno. I think he transferred or is off on a long-range mission. I can't remember, but you should take it. Even though the Senator is a bit of a difficult client, she has a lot of power and could easily help you get a higher-paying job."

Mills knows Jai is right. He should take this job; he needs the money after paying for Nevine's treatments. He has to continue supporting his wife even if their marriage is a bit on the rocks.

"Fine," he says after a moment. "I'll tell Travis that I'll take the job."

Jai smiles, walking past his coworker and giving him a pat on the back as he does so. He lets out a soft chuckle. "Good man. Just...try not to kill her, okay?"

Mills hums, smiling ever so slightly.

"No promises."

***

"Are all of my dresses packed properly?" you ask the service droid as it begins to load your things onto the dolly. "It's of the utmost importance that they not be wrinkled. I want to represent Somaris to the best of my ability at this year's conference."

"Yes, Mistress," the droid says. "I made sure to pack each one myself."

You nod slightly. "Good. Thank you, I always appreciate your hard work, PZ."

"Of course. I am always at your service, Senator."

PZ finishes loading the bags and quickly takes them to the royal vessel while you prepare for the long journey ahead. You always hate going up into space, but unfortunately, it's an integral part of your job, so you have to do it more often than you'd prefer.

You walk to the docking bay, and you stop as soon as you see him walking towards your ship.

"You're kidding me."

Mills huffs out a soft laugh as he passes you. "Yeah, that's what I said too."

"Tell me you're not the one flying the ship. Please, please tell me you're not in charge of this trip--" You catch up to him.

"I need the money, alright?" Mills says, jaw clenching. "That's the only reason I agreed to it. Trust me, I wish I didn't have to, but there's hardly any work for pilots right now."

"No need to give me your whole life story, Mills. I won't cry you a river like others may have."

You roll your eyes and walk towards the ship ramp, immediately colliding with him. Apparently, he decided to step forward at that exact moment that you did. You huff and leave him in the dust, boarding the ship and immediately going to your sleeping quarters.

This'll be an interesting journey, that much you're sure of...

***

For the third time in the thirty minutes you've been flying, your water glass nearly falls onto the floor as the ship suddenly jerks to the side, then a bit downward, before returning to a steady state. You shut the computer off and walk to the cockpit, immediately hearing Mills's grumblings as he reaches across the controls console.

"I know you dislike me, but I didn't think you'd try any sort of murder attempt until much later in the trip," you say, crossing your arms as you stand in the doorway. "And I must say, I'm extremely disappointed in your efforts thus far."

Mills's jaw clenches once again. And here he was, starting to relax now that he's mostly figured out the new controls...

"For now, I figured having you get sick would be satisfying enough," he says, turning around to look at you. "The murder attempts will be much more obvious, I assure you. Plus, keeping you alive until after the conference is in my best interest, so I get paid for at least half of the trip."

You chuckle dryly. "Fair point. Now, are you sure that all of your licenses and qualifications aren't expired? Because you're flying this ship almost as badly as I do, and I don't have any licenses."

"I've never flown a ship with such unnecessarily complicated controls," he replies simply. "This is a class of ship I'm not used to handling."

"Mm, mhm. Sure, my ship's definitely the problem. You could never be at fault for not having flown a diverse range of ships in your many years of being a pilot...because you're old."

He huffs. "Really, you're resorting to calling me 'old' now? You can't find any more halfway decent or clever comebacks in your apparently vast bank of them?"

You smirk slightly. "So you admit that my comebacks are clever and good?"

"No, I said they're clever and halfway decent," he says, unable to help the tiny upward twitch of the corner of his mouth. "Big difference. Also, I'm not old."

"Everyone who's old tried to say they're not old. If you're over 40, you're officially old."

"How old do you think I am?" He looks back at you.

"I dunno," you shrug. "Like 40."

"Fuck, I'm 36," he grumbles, turning back to flip a switch on the panel. "Go back to your quarters, Senator. I'll try to keep the ship under control, although I doubt it'll be to your very high standards."

You turn and begin to walk away. Suddenly, the ship dips again, and you nearly lose your balance, falling into the wall. You whip your head around and hear the softest of chuckles from the cockpit, rolling your eyes at the sound.

"Just do your damn job, Mills."

***

Mills sighs as he flips the autopilot switch and prepares to head off to his sleeping quarters. He probably should've asked where his quarters were before takeoff, but honestly, he didn't even think of it at the time. He was too busy dealing with you.

As much as he hates to admit it, you actually intrigue him. You're young, beautiful, and incredibly hard-headed. All qualities he saw in his wife when he first met her.

Several doors line the hallway, and Mills picks the one closest to the cockpit. It opens, and it's a closet filled to the brim with luggage and garment bags. He huffs, then shuts it promptly.

He moves to the next door, already mentally checking out for the night. When it opens, his eyes widen.

You're standing completely bare, applying your body lotion before you dress for bed. You turn around and gasp, quickly covering your breasts before turning away.

"Get out!"

Mills, for a moment, can't bring himself to move. Fuck, it's been a while since he's seen a naked woman, and you're so--

"GET OUT!" you exclaim, looking back at Mills. "OUT!!"

He suddenly snaps back into reality, muttering an apology before shutting the door and letting out a shaky breath. He tries to commit it all to memory: how your skin shone in the dim lamplight, your plump breasts and hardened nipples, the beautiful curve of your hips...

Turning away, he walks to the final door in the hall, which contains a small cot. He puts his things into the small dresser and tries not to revisit his memories of your body. It's highly inappropriate for him to lust after a woman years his junior, especially since he hates you, and you two have yet to have a non-argumentative conversation.

Suddenly, the door slides open as Mills takes off his shirt. He turns around and sees you, now dressed in a nightgown, looking absolutely infuriated. But he doesn't miss how your eyes dart down his body momentarily.

"What is wrong with you??" You ask angrily, glaring up at him. "Why didn't you close the door right away? Why'd you keep looking at me? Are you some kind of pervert or something?"

He huffs, turning away from you.

"No, I'm not a pervert. I just froze up for a moment. I was surprised. I thought the room would be empty...it won't happen again. It was an accident."

"Mhm. Aren't you married? How would your wife feel if she saw you staring like that?"

"Yeah, well, she and I aren't exactly on the same page these days," he says, pulling his sleep shirt on before turning to you again. "So what, you wanna see my dick, make us even?"

Well, kind of.

You huff, crossing your arms. "No," you say. "Because I'm a lady and would never do anything like that."

Mills chuckles. "Mhm. You just keep telling yourself that."

He reaches for the pants resting over his hips. "If you're such a lady, I suggest you head out before you see anything improper. God forbid."

"Goodnight to you too, Captain."

***

Mills's quarters are open when you pass by, so who wouldn't be curious about what secret life this guy could be living? You look around, then step inside. It's very basic; he's brought almost nothing personal. Well, almost nothing. You spot a holoprojector lying on his bed.

Is the great Commander Mills enjoying some pornography during his downtime?

Chuckling softly at the thought, you pick it up carefully and turn it on, purely out of curiosity. What comes up is incredibly unexpected. It's a young girl playing with a toy ship. Suddenly, it clicks in your mind: this is his daughter. Before she…

You scroll to the next one, and the next, and the next, watching only a few seconds of each. Then, you reach one where she's looking much sickly. She's got a nasal cannula in, and her cough, which you noticed throughout the videos, is much worse.

And then, you flip to the very last side. It's the voice of your wife, hand on your daughter's lifeless one.

Oh no—

"What are you doing?"

You gasp softly, startled at the sound. He's calm, but a certain edge to his voice sends a little chill down your spine.

"I-I..." you don't have an answer. "I thought this was something--"

"Give that to me," he snaps, snatching it from your hands and turning it off. "This is my quarters, my personal space. What's so hard to understand about that, huh?!"

You open your mouth to speak. He doesn't allow it.

"I would never think to step into your room and look through your belongings. You think just because you're a senator that you outrank me and can do whatever the fuck--"

"That's not it!" you say suddenly. "It was wrong, alright? I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I let my curiosity get the best of me. I didn't think you'd have anything like that."

For a moment, Mills is genuinely surprised at your quick admittance of guilt. He thought you'd surely make up some bullshit excuse as to why you're in here looking through his daughter's holo memories.

Just seeing that bit of the final holo of his daughter already has him tearing up, but there's no way in the galaxy he's gonna cry in front of you. He looks away, setting the holoprojector back down on the top of his dresser.

"Go."

You're at a loss for words. Look at what you've done; you've violated his privacy and forced him to relive such an awful memory. All because you wanted to get some dirt on him. It all seems silly and stupid now. "Look, Mills, I'm really--"

Tears are threatening to slip down his cheeks. He needs you to leave before you see him break down.

"Leave!" he snaps again, although his voice is much shakier this time. "Leave me a-alone!"

You swallow harshly, then walk back towards the door. You pause for a moment, looking back at him, seeing how his whole body shakes as he tries to keep his sobs.

"I'm truly sorry."

He says nothing, waiting until the door closes to let out the quiet but violent cries he's been holding in.

When dinner rolls around, you sit in the same seat you usually do at the small table. Except there's no sign of Mills anywhere. He's stayed on the bridge with the door shut all day. PZ brings out your meal, then sets Mills's down at his usual spot.

"Where is the Captain?" PZ asks. "Will he not be joining you for dinner this evening?"

You shrug slightly, looking over at the bridge door. "I don't know, PZ. He hasn't left his pilot's seat all day."

"Well, perhaps I should--"

"No," you interrupt. "You don't wanna irritate him. He's had a rough day. I'll take it to him if he doesn't come out."

PZ nods, then walks back to continue checking on your dresses. You sigh softly and eat alone, occasionally looking over at the door. Nothing.

You really don't wanna take the food in, but you know it's the right thing to do. Plus, it'll give you time to hopefully apologize again for earlier without him yelling or getting too upset.

With a deep breath, you press the 'open' button, and the door whooshes, revealing the tall back of the pilot's chair. Various controls on the panel flash and beep. He reaches over to silence them.

"Yes?"

You step forward. "I have your dinner. I figured you wouldn't wanna come out to eat with me--"

"A correct assumption."

"...so I brought your dinner in here."

He nods. "Thank you."

You set the plate down to the side.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier," you say sincerely. "It wasn't my place to snoop around your quarters, and I apologize. I also...I didn't know about your daughter. I'm sorry about that, too."

Mills says nothing but turns around in the chair to look at you. After a moment, he nods slightly. "Thank you for apologizing. And I'm sorry that I snapped like that. It's just a hard thing for me to revisit."

"Of course, and I completely understand why you reacted the way you did. I deserved that, but you didn't deserve to have your private life violated like that. I'm sorry, truly. I feel terrible about it."

He's very much surprised by your sudden remorse and show of emotion. You rarely soften like this, and it makes him wonder if he's jumped to conclusions too soon. Maybe you're not always the hard-ass, demanding, a stubborn politician you make yourself out to be.

"All is forgiven, Senator. I promise it's alright. I appreciate you apologizing."

You nod, offering him a small smile. "Great. I'd hate for us to be on shitty terms for the rest of the journey."

"Agreed," Mills nods. "Thanks for bringing my dinner. I'll see you tomorrow, Senator."

"See you tomorrow, Captain."

***

"Wait, wait..." you start, huffing softly. "You're telling me we have to stop on Zexade for fuel? I thought this ship could carry enough fuel for the entire journey. I've never had this problem before."

"There's a first time for everything," Mills replies simply, flicking a few switches on the dashboard. "We had to take an alternate route around a nebula, which took more fuel than anticipated. Zexade should have what we need."

"How long is that gonna take? We cannot be late to this conference, Mills. It's super important that we arrive on time--"

"You'll get there on time, Senator. You insisted we leave two days earlier than we needed to. Do you not remember that?"

Your jaw clenches. "I recall that, yes. But I've been late before, and it was absolutely humiliating. I want to be sure I'm there in advance to begin talking with the other senators."

"The refueling stop shouldn't take more than a few hours. We're on schedule to arrive on Cyllene early." He rolls his eyes. "There's no need to worry about anything. I have it all under--"

A loud crash is heard, and the ship lurches. You stumble, quickly gripping the wall for support.

"Everything's under control, huh?" you ask bitterly. "Then what in the world was that?"

The control panel and the proximity sensor start beeping frantically, and Mills groans. He was worried that something like this would happen. More shots are fired at the ship, and he dodges most of them.

"Get out of here! Strap into a chair or something!"

"What is it? Why are they shooting at the ship--"

Another bold hits the ship and takes a few pieces of paneling off. You nearly fall again.

"Pirates," he says. "They want the ship to salvage and possibly take us hostage for ransom money. Now get into a seat before you get hurt!"

You run back towards the emergency seats, but then you see the hatch for the gunner position. You know at that moment what you need to do. The ship dips again, and you fall into the wall with a soft groan, but you climb into the gunner seat before any more sudden jerks.

Mills' eyebrows furrow when he hears static from a headset hanging on top of a control panel. He lifts it up and puts it on, thinking it could be some sort of communication from the pirates.

"Get me into position," you say, flipping switches and pressing buttons rapidly, warming up the guns. "I can take them out."

"What the fuck are you doing down there?! I told you to strap in--"

"Fuck strapping in; I'm not just gonna sit there and wait for you to let the ship be torn apart. These pirates are gonna take us out if we don't put up some sort of defense."

He knows he should focus on the pirates, but he's still trying to wrap his head around that you apparently know how to operate the gunner position. He's also trying to wrap his head around that he's about to take commands from you.

"Alright, alright," he says, adjusting the headset quickly before swerving more shots. "Do you have a shot?"

Your jaw clenches. "Do you think, if I had a shot, I would have told you to get me into position?!"

This is gonna be harder than he thought.

"Can we save the biting wit and snarky remarks for when we're not getting shot at by pirates, please?!"

"Fine," you huff. "I've almost got a shot on one of the ships. Take a sharp left and drop her down a bit."

He does what you say, and you quickly shoot the pirate ship down, which explodes and takes another one out. You smirk, mentally high-fiving yourself.

"Suck it!" you say into the microphone, forgetting that it's on. "You just got shot down by a fucking senator, losers!! Ha ha!"

Mills listens and allows a slight smile to tug at the corners of his mouth.

"Your mic is still on, Senator. But thank you for that wonderful piece of audio," he says, looking over at the proximity map. There are two more ships left. "I'm gonna pull up really hard and try to get you a clear shot on the two smaller fighters. Can you do that?"

Your cheeks warm with embarrassment. "Y-Yeah, yeah, of course, I can. Just get me into position, and I'll take care of the rest."

"Good." He chuckles softly and suddenly pulls up, accelerating rapidly.

You keep your hands on the trigger buttons, holding on tightly as the ship climbs almost directly upwards. The pirate fighters are obviously confused but follow, climbing with us.

“Do a corkscrew maneuver!” You say into the mic. "Now!"

"What?! You want me to do a what?! You're crazy!"

You growl softly. "Trust me, just do it!!"

Mills grips the steering wheel tightly and begins to spin the ship around and around, cursing you in his head as he begins to feel nauseous. Your eyes narrow, and you shoot at the vessels, hitting one, then the other.

"I got 'em! We're clear!"

He slows, returns the ship to the usual level state, and sighs, running a hand through his hair. Goddamn, that was fucking crazy. You're...incredibly quick on your feet, and you ultimately made the right call.

Between your genuine apology and this sudden show of badassery, it's almost hard to believe that Mills is starting to actually like you. He'll never admit that part out loud, but it's true.

You emerge from the hatch and walk to the cockpit, releasing shaky breaths. The adrenaline is still flowing as you head towards Mills' chair.

"So..." you start. He turns and looks at you, and you offer him a teasing smile. "How much longer to Zexade?"

-- part two (upcoming) --

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unrequitedloveletter · 2 years

Note

you’re laying waste to halloween- give me a trope or an AU (soulmates, best friends to lovers, etc.) and a character, and I’ll write a fic for it that’ll be 1-8000 words in length. (you can let me know how long you want the fic to be, and if you want it on the longer side, the more specific you get about details and settings and specifics about the AU, the better!)

best friends to lovers with kaz?? maybe they grew up together and go through everything side by side and we just see their relationship grow deeper and deeper until their practically married

To The End- Kaz Brekker

Okay! Hi! First off, I'm so sorry that this took ages!! I wanted to have it written and out by Wednesday of last week but then my brain decided to nitpick the way that I'd written it by that time to high fucking hell. A storm hit late friday and we had a power outage as well, so I only had the chance to get this done at around 9:30 as of saturday, and it's being posted about three-ish hours later!! I hope that the length of this fic (a bit over 7000 words) makes up for how late this is :)

I did take it in a bit of a different direction than what you'd requested. and if you want me to rewrite, please go ahead and let me know, I'll definitely do so!

I do have Kaz and the reader touch in this fic, but that’s at the end of the fic and it’s after Kaz has worked on his touch aversion.

Fic type- fluff

Warnings- mentions of homelessness and a few mentions that the reader grew up homeless, depictions of alcohol and alcohol consumption, mentions of crimes such as arson and theft, and a mention of cheating, as well as a few mentions of water and the way that it behaves in relation to Kaz's trauma

SEVENTEEN

As Kaz’s gaze moved to the water, head inclined to it with his exhaustion, he couldn’t help but notice your footsteps. They were one of many sounds on the boat as the sun rose and people woke with the knowledge that the shores of Ketterdam were barely fifteen minutes off, but Kaz had been able to recognize your footsteps for eight years by that point. It was habitual, and at seventeen, there was no undoing it.

The heist you’d gotten back from was one that quite literally took a night and a morning. As the boat approached Ketterdam shores, there was forty-five minutes left to sunrise, at minimum. Everyone had slept through the day to compensate, and while Kaz had tried, he’d gotten four hours and called it a night.

“You were out here when I left,” you said as you joined him, standing on his left. You rested a cup of coffee onto the boat railing, and Kaz took it, the two of you moving like clockwork. “Tell me that you slept, Brekker. Even for a minute.”

“Four hours. More than I’ve gotten since we left.”

He looked at you, watching you shrug as he put the coffee mug on the railing. You took it, holding the warm mug as you spoke.

“I can’t judge,” you said. “Barely got enough of it myself, but I always get antsy on the returning trips. Trouble always awaits.” You took a sip of the coffee, placing it on the railing. Kaz took it, and when you moved, resting your back against the railing and allowing it to face the water, your eyes on his as you moved.

“Back in Ketterdam,” you said. “I’ve missed it here.” It’d been a long few weeks, to say the least of it. After the Ice Court, you’d pulled a heist in The Wandering Isle, having gotten the information through a contact you had there.

“We all have,” Kaz said. “You, especially, it seems. We’ll get the money upon our arrival?”

You glanced at shore, nodding as a grin pricked the edges of your lips. “I see the contact. They’re ready to make the exchange, if a bit antsy about it.”

“Fourteen million kruge on their person, I can imagine one would be a bit startled by it, especially so close to the Barrel,” Kaz answered. “Worth it haul, I would say. Especially when you consider the amount of jewelry, but never again will I travel so far as the Wandering Isle for a heist.”

You turned your gaze to him, smiling at him as you did. “You would,” you quipped, and damnit, you were right. For the right price, Kaz was entirely sure that he would be willing to go to any small corner of the world, even if it took him months to manage to get there.

The two of you stood, side by side, as the boat docked. Kaz finished his coffee, and shortly thereafter, the seven of you—yourself, plus Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper, and Wylan—were off the boat. You shook hands with your contact, they bid a good day, and while the seven of you headed toward the Crow Club to split the rewards, your contact moved toward the warehouse district and Sixth Harbor, where a boat waited to take them to the Wandering Isle.

As you all arrived at the Crow Club, heading toward a booth at the back, greetings were tossed at you as Rotty clapped you on the shoulder, victorious smile on his face as he joined up.

“Alls well and good?” He asked.

“The heist went off with—” Nina stopped, scooting in next to you in the U-shaped booth. “Well, fewer hitches than the Ice Court.” Matthias followed Nina, then Jesper and Wylan. Inej and Kaz were the last ones in the booth, Kaz sitting at one end while you sat at the other.

“Well and good, Rotty,” you gave him a grin. “Seriously. Don’t worry too much about it.” With the words, Rotty walked away, heading into a loud conversation with a few of the club regulars.

“So, when’s the next job?” Jesper asked. Inej snorted.

“We’ve just gotten back,” she noted. Kaz watched as you waved a waiter over, ordering drinks and food for the table. “Are you so anxious to commit another international crime? Are the two we’ve managed in the past six months not enough?”

Jesper didn’t answer, merely pressing a kiss to Wylans head, purposefully ignoring the jab. Later, Nina and Inej sparked a conversation that took the attention of the whole table. When food and drinks came, the chatter only continued. There was so much of it, in fact, that it allowed you to slip away without it being noticed by anyone else.

Except for Kaz, of course. Kaz had known you eight years, and in those eight years, he’d made a habit out of noticing.

He let Inej know he’d see her, Nina, Matthias, Wylan and Jesper back at the Slat, leaving the briefcase in Inejs care before heading out, leaving through a back door and making sure his cane wasn’t heard as he walked. Nobody would notice someone they couldn’t hear, and having nobody aside from the Crows know that Kaz had left would be better for the club, anyway. Kaz’s presence was intimidating, one that most were terrified of, and when they assumed he was around, it kept the patrons of the club from cheating, or assuming that an employee wouldn’t notice and alert Kaz to it.

He let his cane be heard as he left the Crow Club, rounding the building and being careful to duck out of view from any windows. He checked the Slat, with no luck. He checked Wylan and Jespers place, not finding you there, either.

It hit him suddenly; he’d seen you leave the booth, not the building. He would’ve known if you’d left the building. As much as Kaz enjoyed your company, you had your predictable moments. Kaz could often count on you to be sitting on rooftops, enjoying the sounds of the wind as it blew past your ears.

He went into the Crow Club once more, making his way up to the roof, and—yeah. You stood, facing the direction of the breeze. Your back was to him.

Wordlessly, Kaz approached, standing to your right without saying anything. He didn’t object to look down, merely looked at the Ketterdam skyline from the vantage point provided by the roof.

“Hi,” you said after a moment. “I’m sorry I disappeared.”

“I found you, didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” you said. When Kaz turned his head to look at you, he saw that you were almost smiling. “You always manage to, Brekker. Have you started doubting yourself?”

“Eight years as your closest friend? This last one spent—well—” As your partner? As a couple? Kaz couldn’t figure out how to say it. “No. At this point, in regards to you, doubt is not a word in my vocabulary.”

You did smile that time.

“Good to know.”

Silence lapsed between you two, your eyes looking over the skyline of Ketterdam, dotted with buildings before giving way to the water, the shadowy outlines of boats as they docked and left the harbor. Sunset had started, dousing the sky in pastel blues, purples, yellows and oranges, and still, even as beautiful as it was, Kaz found that he couldn’t tear his gaze away from you.

“Wonderful, isn’t it?” You asked, eyes still on the skyline.

“Yeah,” Kaz agreed, nodding even though you wouldn’t notice it.

“Seriously, Kaz. It’s fucking gorgeous,” you said. “I come up to the roof for this view, normally late enough that I go unnoticed, but it’s wonderful to have someone to share this with.”

Kaz nodded again, eyes still not having moved to the skyline. “It’s incredible, actually,” he said, eyes only watching your expression.

When you turned to look at him, Kaz quickly brought his eyes to the skyline, fighting off the urge to grin as he did. He could feel your eyes as you watched him, felt it as they moved to the ground and back to him again.

“I have to agree with your words,” you said after a moment. “Incredible really does describe this view perfectly.” But you were still staring at him, still watching his features as he watched the skyline, noticed boats as they came into Ketterdam or left it.

Silences between the two of you were comfortable. They’d always been comfortable, easy and not difficult like silences often were with others.

“We should get back inside,” Kaz said as the darkness took the sky over. “They’ve noticed our absences by now, I guarantee it.”

You gave him a grin, the two of you heading back into the Crow Club together as you did.

The following morning, Kaz woke to the sound of the rain. He pressed his head into the pillow, kept his eyes closed and took in the smell of coffee and the sound of your voice as you hummed an old Ravkan tune and it carried through his office, past the small archway leading to his room, and finally met his ears.

Kaz sat up, running a hand through his hair before grabbing his cane and moving throughout the room. First, to grab clothes and a towel, then to shower. Once he was done and dressed, his hair in the process of air drying, he found himself in his office.

“You’re in quite the chipper mood,” he noted as he watched you take the teabag out of the mug you’d plopped it into. You’d set the coffee on his desk, and when Kaz took a sip of it, he noted that it was almost cold. “What’s got you so giddy?”

“I guess I woke up on the right side of the worlds thinnest mattress,” you joked. Kaz leaned back in his chair, reviewing plans he’d worked on the night before, for a heist in the Zelver District. “I don’t know why I woke up like this. Maybe I’m just happy to be back? I genuinely don’t know.”

“Well, either way, we’ve got another job next week,” Kaz said. “Zelver District. Ten thousand.”

“Crew?”

“Us and the rest of the crows, as normal,” Kaz said. “Try to relax today.”

You took your mug with both hands, flinching as you registered the heat that the cup was radiating with the boiled water still inside it, though you didn’t adjust your grip. You merely set it on the windowsill and climbed up, taking it back into your hands and appreciating the warmth that spread to them as you did.

“Relaxing is my every intent,” you said. “How’d you sleep?”

“About as well as you, though for less time,” he took another sip of the coffee, resting the mug near the corner of his desk. “No major jobs til the next heist. We need to lay low for a bit.”

“I don’t hate the idea of that,” you said. “I’m content to stay in here and read for a bit, if you don’t mind?”

“I don’t,” Kaz said. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want, Y/N.”

“Thanks, love,” Kaz forced his gaze to the papers in front of him, the scrawls of the plan he’d set in motion early next week, executing it with you and the rest of the crows later on. He tried not to think of the nickname too much, of the implications that came with it, tried not to blush as he tried not to think.

Eventually, when the coffee you’d set out for him had been long made, your tea long drank and the mugs rinsed and set back onto the small table where they were kept, Kaz heard the sound of the downpour, falling asleep in his chair whilst you fell asleep sitting on the windowsill.

NINETEEN

“Hey,” You greeted as you walked up to Kaz. He passed you a tea as you passed him a coffee. You’d known each other for ten years by then. Ten years of knowing glances, of walking side by side, talking about everything and nothing all at once.

The pair of you walked back to the Crow Club, not talking at all. Ten years, Kaz noted. Ten years and the silences were still more comfortable than half the beds in the Slat.

You walked into the Crow Club, and it was like your attention had been commanded with your mere presence. You greeted several people with swift nods before yourself and Kaz found a table near the back, Kaz sitting his cane against the back of his chair.

You drank tea and listened to Kaz’s updates, telling him a few stories from your meeting with the triumvirate in Ravka in regards to a jewel heist. You told Kaz all that they’d told you to relay to him, and he told himself he would work on it later, knowing himself well enough to know that he’d remember every single detail you’d offered.

When Jesper, Wylan, Inej, Matthias and Nina joined you, pulling up chairs and ordering waffles, Jesper and Nina were grinning.

“So?” Nina asked.

“Next fall,” you said. “Fifty-six thousand kruge. Not much, but a lot, when considering it’s coming out of the pocket of a country that’s long been in debt.”

“They’re pulling themselves out, bit by bit,” Jesper said. “Paying back their loans. Ravka is getting back on it’s feet.”

“Nikolai assumes they’ll be out of debt completely within the next two decades,” you said. “Seems like a long time, but it’s really not, all things considered. Two decades to get out of debt they’ve been drowning in for more than two generations? I would’ve assumed they had it done before any of us hit thirty.”

“Anything from Kuwei?”

“He’s well,” you said. “Apparently he’s dating a Tidemaker who he met while on a mission in the Wandering Isle. I don’t really know, he spoke rather quickly, as he was trying to get to Davids quarters to offer an assist with something relating to fire.”

“Good on him, then,” Jesper said.

Nina ordered waters, popping a toffee into her mouth as the waiter walked off. When the waters came, you all thanked the waiter. Kaz watched you ignore the flirtations directed at you, felt anger come up from somewhere within him, though he quickly repressed it.

“So, next fall?”

“Fifty six thousand?”

“Who’s on the crew?”

“Everyone here,” you said, gesturing around the table. “Annika could be a very wise addition to the team for this one, but whether or not we’ll ask her onto the team is something that Kaz and I have yet to discuss.”

“Making decisions as a team now?”

“We’ve been doing it this way on all major jobs?” Kaz found himself stating. “The Ice Court, the heist in the Zelver District—”

“Oh, you mean the one that almost resulted in seven arrests?”

“Don’t act as though we didn’t make it away in time, Jes,” you said. “There’s a reason that you said almost. We made it out in time, evaded the stadwatch, and here we are.”

“Well, even so, it’s neat,” Nina said, giving you and Kaz both a smile. “I never thought that Kaz would have it in him to consult anyone else. It’s wonderful to know that such a skill exists in his arsenal.”

“I mean, in fairness, they’re not just his partner, they’re his best friend,” Wylan offered. “It makes sense that he’d go to them for a second opinion.”

You took a sip of your water, and Kaz watched you lean back in your chair, content to let a conversation take the table over. You loved your contented silences, he knew. You met his gaze, and for a moment, a small, almost nonexistent moment in time, Kaz wished he had the strength to reach across the table and take your hand in his.

The game he played with his touch aversion was a game of give and take. It was good days, bad days, days wherein there was simply nothing, an oddball-ish kind of in between wherein nothing took steps forwards or backwards, merely just stayed in place, caught in something like a stand still.

“I was thinking about going to Ravka before the next big thing,” you said. Kaz had known Ravka was on your mind. You’d needed something of a break, to put it simply. A break from heists, from crime. You’d needed time to lay on a bed that was better than just half decent. Since you’d mentioned it, Kaz had been debating going with you, leaving the Slat and the Crow Club in the care of either Inej or Annika. “Take a bit of a rest.”

“Ravka is always lovely in October,” it was close to fall. August was coming to an end.

“Leaving the Slat in the hands of Annika for a bit?” Jesper asked.

“That’s currently up for internal debate,” Kaz said. “Weighing it out, but if you can’t find me by this time two months from now, you know why.” Jesper cheers’d his glass against Kaz’s, grinning as he did.

“You really do look like you could use a bit of a vacation,” Nina said. “Maybe use the time to get a proper haircut, hm?”

Kaz merely offered a shrug as he brought the glass of water to his lips, meeting Ninas gaze as he did.

“Never.”

Nina laughed, leaning back in her chair, and Kaz’s gaze drifted back to you.

You met his gaze, offered him a grin, silently cheers’d your glass against his. Kaz watched you become enveloped in the conversation, content to remain quiet as he did.

“There’s something odd about the two of you,” Nina was saying to you a few weeks later. The two of you were walking along Sixth Harbor, having finished a job in the warehouse district and on the way to fifth, where you’d rejoin Kaz and Matthias for the last part of the job before you and Kaz headed off on a boat to Ravka, where you’d relax and see the sights for the following two weeks. “I mean—not odd, necessarily. Everything about the two of you makes a plenty good bit of sense, but—” she stopped herself.

“But?”

“I’m a Heartrender,” she said. “I register heartbeats around me, oftentimes without meaning to. Every heartbeat is unique, a sound similar to the others but also distinctly different. Kaz’s heartbeat is loud. It’s always been loud, and the one thing I’ve noticed with him, is that the second he looks at you, it gets faster than I’ve ever heard it. Even if it’s for a moment in time, a split second glance that nobody notices, the two beats that happen while he watches you are quicker than the two before and the two after. It happens every single time, too. Always.”

You looked at the ground, feeling your cheeks grow warm as you heard Ninas words.

“Your heartbeat does, too,” Nina continued. “I noticed it when I’d first met you and Kaz when we were sixteen. You’d been standing a few feet away, but every time you’d look at him, your heart would start racing in an instant. I don’t know if you were in love with him then, but if you weren’t and if I was wrong, my ears have certainly fooled me.”

You crossed into Fifth Harbor as she spoke, and as you did, you caught sight of Kaz and Matthias. They were both standing, eyes on the harbor as they engaged in conversation.

“There it goes again,” Nina said, laughing slightly. She draped an arm over your shoulders, grinning as you finally registered your own heartbeat. Nina had been correct, your heart was going fifty miles a minute. She watched Kaz turn his head, meeting your gaze in the process.

“And, there goes his!” she said, laughing a bit more. “Lovesick idiots, the two of you are.”

“Yeah,” you said, nodding. As you approached, Kaz and Matthias moved to meet you halfway.

As you looked at Kaz, you couldn’t help but grin, because Nina was right.

Fuck, did you love Kaz Brekker.

TWENTY-ONE

Fall in Ketterdam was always cold. Over time, yourself and Kaz had grown to call it pre-winter rather than fall, as the closer winter drew, the colder Ketterdam got. By the end of October, temperatures dropped to the negatives at least once every few weeks, often finding a spot in the colder side of the middle ground.

As Kaz walked into the Crow Club, cup of tea in hand, he placed it on the table at which you sat, meeting with a member of the Black Tips to negotiate the ownership of a building before it escalated to the point of a war. He didn’t look at you as he joined Inej at the table she’d chosen, though he knew you were due to join them any minute. A bit of guesswork and bluffing on your part would have the Black Tips allowing the building to come into complete Dregs ownership, and within days, the building would be ready to open.

“How’re things going with the meet?” Inej asked as Kaz sat down.

“Seemed like it was going well, but we’ll find out in a matter of minutes,” Kaz said.

“Have they told you what they want to do with the building yet?”

“They’re turning it into a cheap diner for Barrel residents only,” Kaz said. “ID needs to be provided in order to eat there, unless someone living on the streets is brought in, and the cooks are required to make extra so as to have enough to feed a few of the people living on the streets throughout the city.”

“An anti-tourist establishment?” Inej asked. “That’s incredible.”

Kaz merely shrugged at that. “They lived on the streets once,” he said. “They don’t want to become a landlord, though, so this was the next best thing. For Barrel residents, no meal costs more than five kruge, and the homeless get them for free. They’ve set up an initiative, too. They’re buying out a few of the old warehouses in the warehouse district and paying the people on the streets to help get them fixed up. The Merchant Council is regarding them as one would regard a criminal less and less these days. I read recently that more jobs have opened up in the financial district and they’re paying for transportation there from the Barrel. More rooms in the Slat have opened up, and we’re letting people in until they can get on their feet without being a member of the Dregs being on that list of requirements. All per my loves request, of course.”

“Ninas right about you, you lovesick fool,” Inej said teasingly. “It’s nice, though. I didn’t think you the type to be capable of being lovesick for anyone.”

“I’m not lovesick,” Kaz denied. “It’s a smart business plan, and if any of them decide they don’t like working for the banks or the merchants or whoever they end up working for, there’re jobs open most everywhere in the Barrel and the Zelver District. It just depends on which gangs territory they work in.”

Inej just gave Kaz a grin as you approached the table, sitting down next to Kaz as you sipped your tea, a victorious kind of glint in your eyes.

“The property is mine, Geels will be dead by tonight, and everything is already set in motion.”

“What information did you get on him?”

“Geels is having an affair with the girlfriend of the guy I met, something I found out this morning. I let him know and he gave me the property in a second before thanking me for telling him. I did it out of obligation. I don’t care if they’re a rival gang, nobody gets to cheat and get away with it.”

“Geels will come after you for that.”

“If he’s smart, he’ll do the opposite,” you said. “He’ll crawl into some hole in the world and never come out of it again.”

“If he doesn’t do such, I’ve got your six,” Kaz said. You grinned, meeting his gaze as he spoke, and Kaz felt his heartbeat grow a bit quicker, like Nina had often teased him about.

“For that, I have no doubt,” you said. “You’ve always had my six, and I’ll always have yours. To the end, Brekker.”

“To the end,” he responded, standing up as he spoke the words. “I have to meet with a member of the Merchant council in relation to a contract, and I’ll be late if I’m not heading out now. No mourners.”

“No funerals.” With the words, Kaz turned and walked out of the Crow Club

Kaz came home with a slight grin on his face, and it only widened as he saw you.

“Hi,” he said. You were standing, back pressed against the wall as you read through some plans for a heist that was to happen the following week. “The deal is in for the property that you’re turning into a shelter. Eliot Vales son is working for you, so he didn’t need any convincing. Pretty much just asked me to pull out the contract and a pen, signed it, and then treated me to a glass of wine and a few bottles from his personal cellar as a thanks for all the help you’ve given his son.”

“Eliot Vale is the guy you were meeting with?” You asked, eyes turning from the paper. “Goodness! I could’ve gone to that meeting with you, love. Will asked me to send along a happy update to his father.”

“Send along a letter,” Kaz suggested. “I’ll be able to help you fix up the drywall in the building over the weekend. The restaurant opens when?”

“The beginning of November, so long as I can get it in shape by then,” you said. “Provided that I work on the shelter just as much, it’s likely that they’ll open on the same day.”

“And the warehouse project?”

“It’s going a lot better than I expected,” you said. “I’ve met with the council and asked them to give me a hundred thousand to contribute to the wages of the people I’ve hired. I think it was because of Eliot that my request was approved.”

“You really are too good for this place,” Kaz said. You leaned over and tapped the papers against the desk, straightening them so that they made a neat pile, before placing them back into the binder you’d taken them from and closing the rungs.

“I love the life I live now,” you said. “I love doing what I do. Petty crimes, arson, theft, all of it, yeah. It’s among my favorite things about living here, but I grew up where so many others are now, on the streets. I hate seeing so many people going through the same. They need help, and I don’t care how many items I’ve stolen, how many places I’ve set on fire. If nobody on the Council will give it to them, I will. I don’t even care that they’re giving me the money I need to increase the wages a bit. They wouldn’t be doing so if Eliot had never been introduced to the council, if it wasn’t him to take Van Ecks place.”

Your dedication was more than impressive. It was admirable.

“Kaz, you understand it, too, right? I can’t keep letting them sweep the homeless under the rug like it’s nothing. I refuse to do so.”

“I get it,” Kaz nodded. “I kill for a cause, you live for one. We’re opposites that way.”

You nodded, the truth to the words settling in the quiet of the room.

TWENTY-THREE

You laughed a bit as you corrected another person who’d greeted you upon your entrance into the Crow Club. You sat next to Kaz, who’d been on one end of the U-Shaped booth, with you on the other, Matthias, Jesper, Wylan, Inej and Nina sat between the two of you.

“The marriage rumor has gotten too far out of hand,” you spoke as you sat. Nina slid you the brandy she’d ordered for you, and you took a sip, enjoying the way that the sweet bitterness slid down your throat. “I’ve been addressed as Mx. Brekker nine times today! I’m being referred to as such in letters from the bloody Ravkan king!”

“Are we due in for another heist down there?” Jesper asked. “Been a bit since the last one, hasn’t it?”

“Something about a dress of jewels or something?—it’s a long story, Kaz and I will explain it when he’s sent along more context,” you said. “I’m at the point wherein I’m completely ready to stop correcting people.”

“You two are common law at this point,” Wylan said pointedly. “Ketterdam law says that a couple is in a common law marriage if they’ve lived together more than two years, and you two have shared the third floor for three years now.”

“If that means I can’t correct people anymore, I’m fine with it,” you said. “I’m too sick of having to do so to continue on, anyway. If Kaz is fine with it, so am I.”

Kaz shrugged. “I don’t mind,” he said.

“How’re things with the shelter?”

“They’re going incredibly. There’s fifty occupants now, where there used to be ten times as many. Zoya mentioned putting one in Ravka with my assistance on the project, and I wrote to her recently to see about creating a space for Grisha who’re on the run from angry slavers, setting up something at Fifth Harbor to direct them to Ravka. I told her I’d need her help with that, and I was hoping to get you on the project?” You turned to Nina, who was beaming.

“Yeah,” she said. “Always happy to help the cause. Anything you need.”

“Repairs need to be made at the restaurant, right?”

“A few minor things. The storm we had last week blew through a few windows that never got closed. I’m installing the lights and fixing up some patchy drywall this week,” you said. “I’ll close the diner for a night or two, deep clean it and give it a fresh coat of paint like it deserves.”

“I can install the lights,” Matthias offered.

“Wylan and I can help with the painting and Kaz can definitely sweep a floor or two.” Jesper offered.

“Inej and I will come around to keep you lot company,”

You grinned. “That sounds wonderful. Thanks, guys.”

“We love you, Y/N,” Nina said.

“Yeah,” Inej added. “We do love you, a bloody lot, especially Kaz.”

“Any from Will?” Kaz asked.

“A letter,” you said. “He’s in Ravka working with the royals for now. He’s just been promoted to communications liaison between Ravka, Ketterdam, Shu Han, Fjerda, Novyi Zem and The Wandering Isle. His boyfriend recently proposed to him, and they’ve bought a place close to the palaces with some of the money Will had been setting aside when he got his paychecks. I promised we’d pop in for a visit whenever it was we next found ourselves there, so around the time of the next heist.” With the words, you stood, giving Kaz a grin as you walked out, heading to the diner to make a list of all that needed fixing as a result of the storm.

By midnight, something of a miracle had happened. The walls had been painted, the floors swept and then mopped. Lights to replace the broken ones had been twisted into their sockets. The counters had been wiped down, the ovens and stovetops cleaned and then cleaned again to be sure that no dirt had been left behind. Cabinets had been dusted and wiped down.

As Kaz looked at the time, he realized it was just after midnight. Matthias hauled in another bag of flour as you put a lid on a container full of it. Matthias opened the bag as you grabbed the last container, pouring the flour into it. Matthias passed the bag to Kaz once it was emptied, who put it into a bin and placed the filled container into the cabinet where the flour was kept.

The seven of you walked out of your restaurant, heading to the Barrel with relative silence, at first.

Then, the rain, on a relatively clear night in Ketterdam, began. At once, everyone turned to look at one another, yours and Kaz’s gaze meeting while Ninas gaze met Inej and Matthias, Jespers gaze met Wylans.

“I hate Ketterdam,” Matthias said.

“I love it,” you said. “I met Kaz when the weather was like this. I’ve loved it as long as I can really bother to remember.”

“Meeting Kaz is as far back as you can bother to remember anything?” Matthias asked. You shrugged, bare hand brushing against Kaz’s as you stepped forward, face tilting toward the sky as your arms extended. Kaz paused, expecting the water to start rushing toward his ankles, only to find that it did, for a single moment.

“Shit, sorry!” You said, meeting Kaz’s gaze.

He shook his head, waiting still for the water to react. “It was an accident. You’re fine, Y/N.”

For a single moment, the water rose.

But then? After that?

The water receded.

It stopped.

You tilted your head to the sky, and, almost completely infatuated, Kaz watched.

“When I met him, I went through a bit of a butterfly effect. Seeing him and his brother as they walked past me on the way to meet someone, it got me right here. I’m grateful for that, so yeah. Meeting Kaz Brekker is, in fact, as far back as I can be bothered to remember.”

Kaz gave you a grin, feeling his heart grow lighter.

You were the love of his life.

Well, and truly, you were.

TWENTY-FIVE

Kaz swallowed thickly as his fingertips met yours. He watched your hand, watched his own, as he willed the waters to a distance, moved his fingertips down until suddenly, your palm was against his. He could grab your wrist if he moved just a bit more, hold your hand just as some part of him had been wanting to for eight years.

“Saints,” he said, unable to think of anything else to say. He moved his hand, grabbed your wrist lightly. When he looked up, feeling the burn of your gaze, he just nodded, and slowly, carefully, you did the same.

“Saints indeed,” you said.

Kaz stared, almost unable to believe it.

He’d started working on his touch aversion shortly after the last Ravkan heist, and it’d taken him two years to get to that, a lot of trial and error, steps forward and backward, giving and taking. It was a gut wrenching, sometimes painful process, but as he held your wrist, felt the cool feeling of the ring on your finger against his own, he wasn’t in pain.

For the first time in a long time, the touch wasn’t making him want to vomit, wasn’t reeling in the waters, flooding every single one of his senses like it so often did. He could only stare, shocked, unsure of what to do next.

“Where do we go from here?”

“I’ll make that the choice of the one with the touch aversion,” you said. Kaz held your wrist for another minute. Maybe it was two, maybe three or even five, but still, somehow, it felt like it’d been bare seconds.

He let go of your hand, willed himself to look at you, really look at you.

You looked genuinely thrilled.

“Hi,” he said, almost breathless.

“Hey,” you grinned.

Kaz, completely unsure whether he was making the right call, lifted a hand to your face, cupping the side of it. He waited for the water, waited for it to flood and pool at his ankles as it always seemed to, ruining even the moments that felt more than perfect.

“This is terrifying,” Kaz said. “I love it.”

“I love you, Brekker,” you said.

“I love you too,” he responded.

That night was the same as many other nights were. It always started with Kaz trying to hold your wrist, trying to get used to letting you hold his. Some nights, Kaz couldn’t even stand the way that your fingertips felt against his own, sometimes he needed to break when your palms met, other times he just couldn’t do It, but more and more, it seemed, you progressed passed that. Kaz felt ready to try something different, something more.

And then, much like it always had to, the water pooled in, and like clockwork, you let go of Kaz’s wrist and when he let go of yours, you stepped back, went through the bedroom to the office, got started on a coffee while Kaz gripped his cane, got the waters back to bay. You passed him the coffee, holding the mug by the handle where Kaz grabbed the body, the both of you operating carefully so as to make sure there was no accidental brushing of hands.

Kaz would apologize. You would tell him he didn’t need to, that you understood and were okay with things as they were. Kaz hated himself those nights, hated to think that you’d grown used to the fact that, up to that point, Kaz had only ever been capable of loving you from a distance, loving you with his back pressed against walls and doorways.

Inej, and Kaz had been walking through the Barrel, heading back to the Slat. “Are the rumors true?” Inej had asked at some point. “Y/N with a ring spotted on their finger and again with one on a chain while they bartended. You, with a piece of silver around your neck, one that many think has a ring attached to it?”

“It happened at the start of September,” Kaz said. “I should’ve told you, I know.”

“You could’ve written, but I understand why it slipped your mind,” Inej said. “Proposals, engagements, in our respective lines of work? There often isn’t time to celebrate them.”

“Please, Inej,” Kaz said as he registered that glint in her eye. “Don’t tell me you planned a party.”

“Nina did,” she said. “And, even then, it’s not a party. It’s dinner at the Crow Club to celebrate.”

“Thank the saints, then.”

“Don’t start hitting me with that bullshit,” Inej said. “I had to talk Nina down from a party in one of the most extravagant spots in the Financial District. You’re lucky I even managed that, but I do have the capability to be pushed towards wanting to tell her you’ve changed your mind.”

“I will pay you a thousand kruge to do the opposite.”

Inej laughed, and Kaz didn’t fight his smile.

“You’ve changed quite a bit in the past eight years,” Inej said a while later, when the Slat had been maybe eighty more steps off. “For the better, of course. I like this version of you.”

“I’m still who I was,” Kaz said.

“People have seen you and Y/N in the past few months, hands interlaced as you talked and walked about the streets,” Inej said. “I’m not saying that you’re not the same murderous criminal that you’ve always been, Brekker. If anything, I actually think you’ve gotten more prone to violence in these past few months. I’m saying that you’re not the same person you were when your relationship had just begun. I’m saying that you’ve become a better person because of them.”

“I love them wholeheartedly,” it was the first time that Kaz had allowed any kind of a statement to be said to anyone except for you. “I became a better man because I needed to. They just gave me a reason to want to do it, and I’m grateful for that.”

“You should be,” Inej said. “You should let them know as much, anyway.”

“I’m grateful for you too, Mrs. Ghafa,” nine years of friendship, of unexpected camaraderie, and that was where the two of them ended up. Talking as they walked to the Slat, preparing for another heist like so many others they’d done before. “Seriously. Thank you.”

“Any time, Kaz,” she said. “C’mon. I have to get into an argument with Jesper, Nina, Wylan and Matthias about who’s officiating the wedding.” Kaz looked at the ground as he smiled to himself.

He’d done it. He’d proposed. He’d proposed and you two were going to get married at a date you’d not yet decided, though you’d both agreed it had to be at some point throughout October.

As Kaz walked into the Slat, such knowledge was almost mystifying. He’d gotten himself exactly where he’d hoped, but simultaneously never expected to be,

TWENTY-SEVEN

Kaz’s bare hand cupped your face, the touch almost feather light, but you knew he was there. You could feel it, feel his skin against yours. When his thumb glided along your cheek, you felt lighter than a fucking feather.

His hand had been there, in that same spot, for maybe ten minutes, one hand against your waist, his gaze unwavering.

It was funny, really. Every time you looked at Kaz, you were almost convinced he was factory made, nothing more than a severely attractive robot who’d been sent to Ketterdam to commit crime and brood. It just seemed like there was no way for someone so attractive to be allowed to exist.

“I wonder often how I got so lucky as to meet you,” you said. “I don’t understand it, Brekker. I never have, and I think I’m alarmingly content with the fact that I probably never will.”

“I often think the same thing,” Kaz said. “I look at myself, knowing all that I’ve killed, everything that I’ve sacrificed for the utmost selfish reasons, and I get confused as to why I was allowed to have you still be apart of my life. I wondered it after my first kill, when we first joined the Dregs, when you almost died in the Ice Court.”

He took another step forward, pressed his forehead against yours, watching as your eyes closed before he closed his own, and waited for the water.

It seemed, though, on that day, the water would not make an appearance.

It seemed that Kaz had negotiated a sort of peace with it, at least for that moment. The water had long grown sick of the games they played together, had given Kaz at least a day of happiness, one wherein he made more progress than the day before and allowed himself to enjoy it.

“I wonder often why the universe allowed me someone so good,” he said. “I have spent many nights thinking that I don’t deserve you, Y/N. Not for all that I am, all that I have been.”

His words were met with silence, and for that, he was glad. He was sure he wouldn’t know how to respond had you said something in turn.

“Loving you has been the greatest thing that I’ve had the privilege of happening to me,” Kaz said. “I love you wholeheartedly, Y/N. I always have, and I know that I always will.”

“I would love you in death,” you said.

Kaz opened his eyes, separated only an inch from you. Your eyes opened shortly thereafter and your gazes met. Kaz was overwhelmingly in love with you. He’d been overwhelmingly in love as long as he could care to remember.

“I catch myself wondering how a man so beautiful as you are is allowed to exist from time to time.” Kaz laughed.

“I am not beautiful,” he said.

“You’re saintly.”

“This, coming from the one who is often the most ethereal person in the room?”

“Often?” You asked.

“Always,” Kaz laughed. “Always the most ethereal person in the room, love. I apologize for my having misspoken.”

“I love you, Mr. Brekker.”

“I love you too, Y/N,” Kaz said, allowing his eyes to close. He paused, took a deep breath in and grounded himself a bit. “To the end.”

Kaz had never felt so content, as when he stood there with you, hand holding yours as yours was against his face, arm wrapped around your waist and forehead pressed to yours.

Often, outside of moments like that, ones where the water had receded and allowed him moments wherein he was so content he thought he was going to melt, he still had to lean his back against walls and doorways, still had to cast loving glances from a bit further of a distance.

There was a difference, though. Two years earlier, when Inej had said he’d changed, she’d been right. She’d absolutely been correct, as she most often was, it was just that Kaz had changed in more than the ways she’d described.

At seventeen, though he’d been in a relationship with you, there was still the thought in his mind that love was a weakness, one that could get someone killed, one that could result in a terrible kind of heartbreak.

At twenty-seven, married to you and more than happy in such marriage, he knew that his beliefs on love had changed completely, for at twenty-seven, he did not view love as weakness. He rather thought it the smart option to view it as strength.

#kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #six of crows #shadow and bone

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