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#truthfully only one or two people are as close to having been or has been there as much. and i love those people quite dearly too.
thedevotionaltour · 10 months
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me when i have a 2 1/2 hour phone call with one of my best friends in the whole world someone who it feels like fate connected us who is everything i have ever wanted in my life and more and i know everything will be ok forever even on the worst days on earth because this is someone i see being in my life for the rest of the time i'm alive
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flynnriderishot · 4 months
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hey there, queen! i absolutely adore your stories, and I'd be thrilled to read an angsty story featuring Chris. so, here's the deal: the reader appears to have "cheated" on Chris, but in reality, she never did. so then, the reader is hurt by Chris's lack of trust, but take a turn when Chris discovers the truth. and so he does everything in his power to make things right, and Chris goes all out to win her back. you can plan the rest of the story.
i hope this makes sense :)
scandals - c.s
a/n: tysm 😭 i’m so sorry it took so long to write. i was deadass taking my time planning this
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christopher ❤️✨
are you fucking kidding me?
we’re done
block my number
baby 🩷🩷👩‍❤️‍👨
wait wait??
christopher❤️✨
don’t act stupid
it’s all over social media
to think you’d cheat and get away with it while being a fucking influencer is insane
christopher ❤️✨ has blocked you
nicolas 🥳🥸
did you cheat on my brother?
i want to think it’s not real but that picture deadass looks like you
oh wait your hair isn’t red anymore is it?
nevermind
i’ll talk to chris
have you spoken to him?
y/n 🤍🥳
he blocked me before i could get anything in
i didn’t even know what was happening until a few minutes ago
i didn’t cheat, nick, i promise.
nicolas 🥳🥸
i believe you
matt 🫡
chris is freaking out
wtf happened??
you cheated on him?!
y/n ‼️
i didn’t cheat, matt
it’s not me, i swear on my life 🙏🏾
my hair isn’t even red anymore, hasn’t been for nearly a month
matt🫡
😐
that’s so true
my bad
i’ll talk to chris. he’s convinced it’s you
he keeps saying how you could’ve cheated a while back and finally got exposed for it
y/n‼️
that makes no sense
the only times i’m not with him, i’m with nick, there’s no time within the two months i had my hair red that i would’ve found the time to cheat on him
and even if i did, i fucking suck at lying, how the hell would i have gotten that past him ?!
matt 🫡
tried telling him that.
kid damn near slammed my finger in the door
starting to think i shouldn’t get him the love of his life back 😐
•••
it’s been nearly two weeks since you’ve spoken to or seen chris. he seemed to have been thoroughly convinced that you cheated on him.
you weren’t able to get through to him due to him blocking you. you could have tried messaging him through instagram since he hadn’t blocked on the app, but you knew the amount of dms he got a day so the chances of him even seeing your message was slim to none.
with him not blocking you on instagram came the sadness of seeing him slowing either delete or archive the pictures he had of you two on his account.
truthfully, you didn’t cheat on him and his lack of trust in you and your relationship felt like knives to the chest.
you knew how chris was, he’d eventually realize he was in the wrong and finally try to talk to you.
now, you weren’t so sure how you would feel if he did. it’s genuinely hurt you to know that one simple thing could lead to him doubting your love for him completely. you weren’t fond of being in a relationship with someone that chose to listen to strangers rather than to hear it from the source.
you just finished stress cleaning up your room, a pile of chris’ belongings off to the side in case he had one of his brothers stop by to come grab it.
just as you were about to take a break, your phone began to go off with people mentioning you on a video on tiktok.
curious, you sat in your desk chair, your heart pounding in your chest as you watched a girl, who could easily be mistaken as you, set up her camera.
video-
‘hi, my names jasmine- jas if we’re close.’
she chuckled, tugging her red hair behind her ear.
‘recently, there’s been a picture of me and my boyfriend going around. in the photo, we can be seen kissing, but my back is towards whoever it was that took the picture.’
she cleared her throat, adjusting her posture. the exact photo that got people confused showed up in the corner of your screen.
‘now, i don’t do social media. i’m not an influencer, but i am aware of what goes on, you know what i mean? anyway- people think that i’m the youtuber yn ln.’
she laughed in disbelief.
‘i wasn’t going to say anything because, again, i don’t do social media. but i saw the poor girl getting hate because people think she cheated on her boyfriend chris. i’m here to clear it up. that is me in the picture, not yn. here’s a side by side of the picture the stranger took, and l a picture from the same day that my boyfriend and i took.’
as she said this, a cute photo of jasmine and her boyfriend smiling at the camera appeared on the right side of the picture that got you canceled.
‘i doubt she’d see this, but if she does, i’m so sorry that i didn’t come out sooner to say anything. but last thing i want is for someone to get hated on for something they didn’t do.’
and with that, the video ended.
you couldn’t stop yourself from going to the comments to see what people thought.
sturniolosbaby i bet y’all are embarrassed 😭
nicksbabygirl you guys ruined a relationship and it wasn’t even her 💀 that’s sick @/yn.ln @/christophersturniolo
chrispepsicola oh wow @/yn.ln
mattskisses it might not have been her in the pic but she still could’ve cheated
>>> sturniolosbiggestfan don’t start 😐
letstripbaby @/yn.ln @/christophersturniolo @/nicolassturniolo @/matthew.sturniolo @/sturniolotriplets
>>> babysturn damn tag their parents while you’re at it 😭💀
ynxsturniolo @/yn.ln look at these morons
nicksgaywife chris already deleted their photos together on instagram, look wtf you guys did 😒 @/yn.ln @/christophersturniolo
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nicolas 🥳🥸
bitch
link to tiktok
chris is so upset right now
warning‼️
he’s begging matt to drop him off at yours. figured you should know before you start packing his shit
y/n 🤍🥳
too late…
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fushic0re · 6 months
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𝐀 𝐇𝐔𝐒𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐃❜𝐒 𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐓𝐎
𝐆𝐈𝐅𝐓 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆
⊹ ࣪ ˖ 𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗨 𝗚𝗢𝗝𝗢, 𝗦𝗨𝗚𝗨𝗥𝗨 𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗢, 𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗢 𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗜, 𝗧𝗢𝗝𝗜 𝗙𝗨𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗨𝗥𝗢, 𝗥𝗬𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗞𝗨𝗡𝗔, & 𝗔𝗢𝗜 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗢.
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𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟑 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝑹𝒊𝒌𝒂𝒏𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓 ⋆.ೃ࿔*:・
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𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ─ how they are as gift givers (how soon do they shop, do they shop late, etc.)
𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 ─ 18+ ONLY; MINORS DNI. a bit of angst for toji because i can’t help myself. mentions of violence.
꒰ ͜͡➸ 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐎𝐘𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘, 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆! 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒❜ 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 & 𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑! ♡
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𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐈  
WE’RE STARTING OFF WITH THE BEST. 
You literally don’t need to make it overt what you want for Christmas–not even just Christmas if we’re being real. 
Takes gift giving very seriously. It’s more than just handing you things he has bought for you, it’s about celebrating you and how highly he regards you
…..Though there’s no price that can be put on how much he loves you. So, he’ll settle for spoiling you instead. 
Every first of the year, he starts game planning his next gifting season. 
He pays very close attention to you, memorizing your every habit down to your breathing pattern. Do not be surprised by the fact that his gifts are always immaculately packaged with wrapping paper that is the exact shade of that new color you’ve been into (yes, that one) paired with a complimentary bow and card to match. 
A professional spy when it comes to purchasing your gifts.
Oh, that top you looked at for literally only 5 seconds? He’s already putting it on hold in your size for him to come pick up later. 
If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought Kento never bought you anything because you never noticed a change in routine. Not a single one.
He also doesn’t put his gifts under the tree until two days before Christmas so that your nosey self doesn’t snoop through them. 
You literally wake up one morning to the tree flooded with gifts and him just nonchalantly sipping his coffee. 
His favorite gifts to plan are vacations for you guys. You are his motivating factor to rest and actually live the life he has made for himself. 
While his gifts are immaculate, it’s his cards that are the real tear jerkers. 
He writes you the most beautiful things. You stopped reading his cards when people were around because they made you sob. 
Truthfully, the real gift is the sweet messages your lover leaves you. 
𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐔 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐎 
Suguru is right up there with Kento in terms of gift giving. 
This man is observant and prepared, putting in lots of time, care, and effort into buying you gifts. 
He isn’t above sourcing your friends too. Every year, your friends get a text like, “If she mentions wanting something to you, text me ASAP please. Thank you!” 
At this point, he has a whole database of things you like and want.
Unlike Kento, Suguru won’t be as secretive. He knows you know when he’s out shopping for you and loves teasing you when you get curious. 
He’ll literally taunt you about all the things he’s getting you until you’re foaming at the mouth and going feral while trying to guess what he got you. 
Packages his gifts and immediately puts them under the tree when you’re asleep that way you wake up to a new gift every morning until Christmas.
“Oh! Someone got a gift from Santa. Sigh, I wonder, I wonder, I wonder.”
Gift giving is symbolic to him as well. Every gift of his is sentimental and has a connection to aspects of your relationship. 
Remember the cherry blossoms that had just bloomed at the park you guys were at when he first asked you out? He stuffed some in his pocket and had them framed. The dried Sakuras now hang on your office wall, a reminder of his love for you every time you work. 
𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔 𝐆𝐎𝐉𝐎
Money is clearly nothing to this man…but that’s what makes Christmas shopping for you hard.
He literally buys you everything you want on the spot! What the hell else is he supposed to give you? 
Struggles a bit for this reason. 
He tries to splurge on your less throughout the year to build up Christmas, but it’s impossible. He absolutely cannot see something that makes him think of you and not get it.
For this reason, you tell him that it’s okay that he doesn’t get you anything on Christmas since every day with him is like Christmas….this falls on deaf ears.
Really he’s most concerned with getting you something meaningful since like I said, you have everything you could possibly need and want. 
Uses Megumi and Tsumiki for his emotional appeal factor.
For sure asks Suguru and Kento for help.
Ultimately, he decides to go for something simple and sentimental yet still very Satoru–a gorgeous ring with your birthstone with a sweet message engraved inside and a family photo of both of you with Megumi and Tsumiki. 
That ring is just a warm up for the real deal…but he’ll plan that a little bit more elaborately. 
𝐓𝐎𝐉𝐈 𝐅𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐎
Women like perfume, flowers, and shit right? 
God bless this man. It’s been a while since he had to shop for a woman, he’s just trying his best.
He still needs help though. 
Since the passing of his late wife, he hasn’t opened up to anyone, let alone another woman. 
But here comes you in all of your glory waltzing into his life and defying all of his expectations, bulldozing his walls down like they were made of straw.
He wanted so badly to give you a token of his appreciation and love for you, but it’s so hard. 
It’s hard walking through the familiar flower shop he used to frequent to buy his late wife flowers. 
It’s hard thinking of her so much because he can’t help it when he does things like this. 
It’s hard subtly comparing you both as he shops for you, but she’s the only other woman he’s ever loved and his only guide to doing right by you. 
Toji’s not a rich man. He won’t ball out on you the way Satoru or even Kento does. 
He resorts to a lot of homemade gifts with the help of Megumi because lord knows he can’t craft for shit. 
He takes the traditional approach with flowers, breakfast in bed, homemade ornaments–little things that bring life and love into your shared home.
He saves all of his measly paychecks to buy you a locket. Inside is a picture of you, him, and Megumi.
On the other side of the locket are the words he’s too afraid to say out loud because they’ll break him…..
“Thank you for loving me.”
𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐔𝐍𝐀
………God.
Do not tell this man you want anything because he will get it for you, but tenfold.
Oh, you enjoyed your trip to Kyoto? He’ll kill everyone there so you both are the sole inhabitants of the city. Kyoto is now yours. 
You love the ocean? Great, it’s yours and whoever roams it without permission will be considered trespassers and dealt with accordingly. 
Fuck a beach house, he’ll just give you the whole sea. 
He will literally mount the heads of your enemies on the mantel or hang their beating hearts on a gold chain that you can wear around your neck if it brings you joy.
In his head, there are no limits when it comes to his Queen of Curses. None whatsoever. 
He wants you to be instantly gratified. You are the one person he feels the need to prove something to. 
There really isn’t much to be said other than this. 
This man would burn the world if it meant keeping you warm, so don’t be surprised when he does. 
𝐀𝐎𝐈 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐎
……God 2.0. 
Aoi is the kind of guy to buy you a whole present just because you sneezed and that calls for a pick-me-up present. 
He buys you apology gifts when you have to open a door by yourself because he isn’t around. 
Christmas is his time to SHINE. 
He approaches it like it’s an Olympic sport that he needs to win otherwise he’s unworthy of being your man. 
Shops early as hell so that the things you want don’t sell out. 
Not above throwing hands if he needs to snag the last of your items. 
Your wishlist is essentially a binding vow to him and if he doesn’t fulfill it, he’ll die. 
Horrible at hiding them because he gets so overwhelmed with excitement that he wants you to see what he got you right away. The gifts don't even get wrapped.
By the time Christmas actually arrives, his presents are the only ones under the tree because he forced you to open all of yours prior.
He tried to control himself, but at some point he literally starts waking you up in the middle of the night because he will not sleep out of pure adrenaline.
SO DRAMATIC. He practically gives you his presents like he’s acting out a Shakespearean play. 
He’ll kneel, bow, and grandly bestow each present upon you with two hands.  
Your reactions mean the world to him. 
Each time you get all giggly and happy opening gift after gift, his heart swells. 
He could deadass start crying tears of joy right then and there tbh. 
Those reactions are his gift. 
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© all rights reserved to fushic0re ─ do not repost, translate, copy, or plagiarize my work in any form.
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nervoussagittarius · 2 months
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if there were cameras in the traffic lights they’d make me a star
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chris sturniolo x reader
summary: chris love to go on drives with you especially so he can distract you every time you hit a red light
warnings: kissing, like 1 curse word, little blurb
“babe, babe, babe red light!!” chris exclaimed trying to get your attention
“chris if you yell at me one more damn time while i’m driving i’m leaving you on the side of the road,” you said trying to hold a straight face.
driving with chris was always an adventure. he was your passenger princess, and he loved taking advantage of it.
this night specifically, chris wanted to go for a drive around the city. you agreed only because he promised to buy you food while you guys were out. you also just loved having these simple moments with chris.
recently chris has been in a phase of trying to make sure you hit every red light and stop sign possible. he’ll tell you to go down random streets or take a wrong turn just so you have a closer chance of getting that dark color when you pull up.
as much as you tried to hate it, because he was taking you off your track, you loved seeing how excited chris would get when he was able to give you a small kiss.
“stop sign!” chris yelled as he quickly stretched his head over to give you a kiss on the cheek.
you laughed as you looked both ways before you continued driving.
lil skies played in the background as you listened to chris ramble about the newest project he was working on for fresh love. he loved telling you all about the stuff he was working on. he was truthfully one of the most creative people you know.
you were close to the boys house when you realized you only had one red light left until your trip was over.
as annoyed as you pretend to act whenever chris yells out to get your attention, you miss it when he’s distracted or doing something.
“chris! red light!” you yelled at him. he jumped at the sudden loudness before looking up from his phone and making eye contact with you.
you quickly leaned over cupping chris’ face. your hand moved up to slightly grab the hair at the nape of his neck, slightly moving his beanie. he pushed forward deepening the kiss. a few seconds went by before he began to kiss down your neck when all of a sudden a loud honk was heard from behind your car.
“oh fuck it’s green”
“go! drive baby.”
neither of you two knew how long the light was green before you were made aware, but it didn’t matter to you.
you now had a tradition of kissing at that exact red light.
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lilyhyperfixates · 3 months
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I think he knows - B.B
Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x Reader
Wordcount: 0.7K
Warnings: Age gap (10 years, Benedict is 28, Reader is 18.) No Y/N used.
Authors note: Who was gonna tell me our boy Ben is 28 in S2??? I was flabbergasted when i googled it for this fic😭
The ball was absolutely boring to you. You were silently observing the people there and the conversations being held around you. The dance card that dangled from your wrist painfully empty, the small glass lemonade in your hand turning lukewarm from being held so long. Your eyes fall on Benedict Bridgerton, one of the most eligible bachelors of the season.
This social season was only your first, having been presented to Queen Charlotte only two weeks prior. You held no hopes of marrying this season. The gentlemen of the ton had not paid a lot of attention to you thus far, apart from the few dances you’d had.
Despite mr. Bridgerton being 10 years your senior, you felt yourself oddly enamored by him. You had just turned eighteen, only just allowed to be out in society. Regardless of your age you had gentlemen far into their forties approaching you for dances. The thought of mr. Bridgerton wanting to dance with you did not repulse you like it had with other gentlemen. Thinking about it even made your stomach flutter a little, not that you would ever admit that.
Benedict had been getting pestered by debutantes and marriage minded mama’s all evening. Since the ball was hosted by the dowager Viscountess, his mother, it was to be expected he would be approached all night, but in all honesty you pitied him a bit. He had been getting more and more attention each social season that he remained unmarried.
You had heard of Benedict Bridgerton before your debut, as he was an acquaintance of your father’s. Now at the ball you saw him in a completely different light though, not an acquaintance of your father, but a man you found quite attractive. You had always thought him an attractive man, but in the lighting of the sun setting and the stained glass windows from the ballroom he looked simply angelic.
Benedict and your father often painted together and you always found small excuses to be in the room, harboring a small crush on Benedict.
Suddenly you were pulled out of your thoughts when Lord Beswick approached you. Lord Beswick was a man in his late thirties with little to no hair on his head. He had seemed particularly eager to have you dance with him on earlier occasions, which was hard to refuse without seeming impudent. As the man approached you, you prepared yourself to have to dance with him again.
Then you feel a touch on the small of your back. Your head snaps around to find the source of the touch and your eyes meet those of Benedict Bridgerton. Lord Beswick then finally reaches you and asks you for your next dance.
"Unfortunately for you, the lady has already promised her next dance to me, Lord Beswick.” Benedict tells the man in a smooth and charismatic voice. You silently thank him with a look and allow him to write his name on your dance card. He quickly leads you to the dancefloor and gets ready to dance with you.
As the music starts playing Benedict begins dancing with you gracefully, he had obviously had dance lessons as a child. “Thank you for saving me from Lord Beswick.” You thank him, speaking softly, almost as if you were frightened to talk to him. Truthfully you were slightly scared to be talking to him, he was a bit intimidating to you.
“No need to thank me, I could not let a lady such as yourself dance with such a man.” Benedict states. His voice enhances your attraction towards him, it being crisp and confident. You had noticed before he always carried himself with confidence and grace. “I shall thank you for it regardless, I do not believe I would have survived another dance with him.” You utter out, still nervous to be in such close proximity to him.
You feel like he has got your heart skipping down sixteenth avenue, it almost beating out of your chest. He gives you a small smirk, looking down at you as you dance. “I have noticed you looking at me, Tonight and whenever your father and I paint at your estate. Is there any particular reason for that, my lady?” He asks, the smirk still lingering on his face.
I think he knows…
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cozymoko · 1 year
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So what I was thinking was that yuu has been in the manor for awhile, she always sees a locked door that she just can help but be curious about. Whenever she asks about it they tell her to bind her business, one the door was unlocked somehow (maybe someone forgot to lock it again after visiting idk) and she goes in to look and she finds us! The only sister of the Sakamaki family! (If it could be platonic Yandere that would be great) and you can go on from there bc idk what to add or the reactions of everyone would be 🥲 also sorry if this still isn’t any help I’m not sure if this is still confusing
THE SECRET SAKAMAKI
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Note: I completely understand, no worries!
PART TWO: here!
Synopsis: Yui finally meets the only sister of the Sakamaki family who has been hidden away by her brothers.
Pairing: Yandere! Sakamaki brothers x platonic! sister reader
Format: Scenario
Word Count: 1.6k
WARNING(S): slight platonic yandere themes.
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Want more Diabolik lovers? → Masterlist! ★
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Please proceed below the cut.
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Only a few weeks had passed since Yui Kamori’s arrival, and she truthfully wanted nothing more than to return home. Where she didn’t have to sleep with one eye open. Her skin ached, practically screaming for salvation after undergoing endless amounts of “punishments'' for even the smallest of actions.
But today, no one was here. At least not at the moment, leaving her to relax until her heart’s content. With that said, the young human teen decided to treat herself to a walk, around the manor of course. After all, she had yet to see even half of the wonders (horrors) that were the Sakamaki household and she was more than just curious. 
Door after door: open, close; open, close. It was a never-ending cycle of boredom and disappointment. She had almost given up, concluding that there was truly nothing extraordinary happening behind closed doors. But that was before she saw it. Yui stumbled upon an unfamiliar door with a unique gold plaque just inches above it, serving as its most noticeable dissimilarity from the others.
The door was nothing special. It was wooden with gleaming gold imprinting smoothed between every crevice. But it stood out nonetheless. Yui slowly dragged her eyes along its surface, taking in its somewhat feminine appearance. Above it rested a large golden panel, inhabited by intricate calligraphy neatly engraved into its exterior; reading “Our treasure: [Name]”
Yui reached out, allowing her fingertips to subtly graze the cool doorknob, mere moments away from twisting it open… 
“You know, it's really impolite to go snooping around someone else’s home, little bitch~!” The sound of Laito’s voice nearly made her jump out of her skin. His tone was light but lacked the playfulness it tried so desperately to convey. “Allow me to escort you back to your room, fufu~.” 
Reluctantly, she followed, allowing the vampire to steer her further and further from the mysterious door; then down the hall, and back to her room. Her newfound curiosity outweighed her feeling of fear, despite Laito’s troublesome grip on her arm.
And she couldn’t help but wonder…
Just what was behind that door? Who is [Name]?
So the next day she tried her luck once more. Swiftly abandoning the security of her room, Yui proceeded down the dimly lit hallway. With the door close in sight, she noticed hushed whispers growing more audible by the second. Lo and behold, it was Kanato. 
His pale cheek pressed flush against the door's wooden frame, sweet yet borderline obsessive affirmations spilling from his thin lips. Yui assumed he was talking to himself, as far-fetched as it seemed. Though she wouldn't put it past Kanato of all people.
That's when she heard it. The faintest voice reached her ears, it was feminine and loving; and very clearly a blessing to Kanato's ears. She was sure he was ready to squeal with joy if not for the very slim amount of dignity he retained. Never had she seen him happier. 
A small smile pulled at the corners of her lips and before she knew it she was staring fondly at the scene. It wasn't every day she saw those sadistic men act so sweet and vulnerable, even if it was a little odd. Her dazed state didn't go unnoticed, unfortunately, as lilac hues met her soft rosy ones. 
“You—?!” The vampire practically screeched, trudging down the hallway towards the human girl. “Just how much did you hear?”
Let's just say she was left with more than just a few bruises, poor girl. 
The next day Yui ventured down that same vacant hallway. The old floorboards threatened to groan under her weight as she approached that same door that haunted her dreams.
“Haah…You really are a troublesome woman,” Yui jumped, startled. At her side lies a familiar champagne-haired man, tired and less than amused by her appearance. “This room is off-limits for brides. Even so, I've never met one as nosey as you. Leave while you can.”
The girl was stunned, shaking like a leaf. When did Shu get here? Why was he here? Her suspicions were creeping up on her like an unruly wave threatening to sweep her under any moment. At that moment she had finally realized, It wasn't just a door. 
I think.
But of course, curiosity killed the cat. 
Having grown tired of being caught, tied up, and punished time and time again Yui tried a distant approach; she had no choice. Her fair skin had grown battered and bruised, adorned by more lacerations and pricks than she could count. So as one does, she took her chances and decided to confide in Reiji. 
Entering his room, Yui politely took a seat across from the man at a polished deep oak wood table. Accompanied by freshly brewed tea set evenly between the two. “Reiji,” Yui commenced, though her words came as an airy puff as her nerves threatened to tear through her light bravery. “I…I've been curious about something as of lately. A door in particular,”
His red eyes narrowed significantly, “Go on.”
“All the guys have been acting kind of strange lately every time I get close to it and—”
A firm hand made contact with her chest, successfully knocking the wind right out of her, slamming her into the harsh cushioning that lined the leather sofa. “Enough; That is none of your concern, you are merely a living blood bag,” He sighed, sending her a menacing glare. “Don't allow your curiosity to push you to do unnecessary things. If you disrupt the peace of those I hold dear to be I shall punish you personally, do you understand?”
The mortal nodded and swallowed sharply, briskly maneuvering from the vampires prying gaze. And much to her surprise, he allowed it. Yui rushed to the door before slipping through its slight opening, down the hall, and then back to her room once more.
Someone Reiji cared for was behind that door, and from the looks of it, there was no way it was one of his brothers. So who? 
No matter, at that point, Yui had given up. She was scared shitless, not wanting to undergo any more torture than she already was. She had a sneaking suspicion that the brothers were slowly losing their patience with her and she didn't want to be there to experience the consequences. 
So the next few days were carried out like any other. Today she was spending her time with a certain redhead, mindlessly listening to his narcissistic rambles.  As they turned down a familiar hallway, she glanced to the man at her side. Ayato walked past the door without a care in the world and made her start to second guess herself.
Perhaps her gaze lingered on the door for a second too long, for a certain redhead had noticed her delayed footsteps. “Oi, pancake what the hell are yo-?” He paused, his face growing visibly sour as he followed her eyes. “...Looking at.”
He scoffed, gripping tightly onto her frail wrist. From the looks of it, he was not pleased. 
“The last thing I need is for more competition, those five assholes are more than enough.” 
His hushed grumbles were like sirens to Yui's ears, igniting the dying flame of determination in her chest. That was all she needed to hear as nothing from that point on could prove her suspicions false. There was definitely someone behind that door. 
However, it seemed her luck had already run out. 
Until one fateful day at least. 
A sliver in the door, so small it was almost unnoticeable. Feeling some sense of urgency the girl jumped to her feet, making a straight beeline to the wooden door before slamming it behind her. The subtle sound of someone clearing their throat dragged her from her internal celebration. 
The woman looked to be no older than sixteen, but she knew better than to believe she was any younger. Her silky hair was tied neatly out of her face, with very little makeup brushing her features. An extravagant rococo-styled dress fell to her ankles as she busied herself with a thick novel. Only when she met her eyes did Yui notice the resemblance the woman shared with the brothers. 
“A mortal girl,” The woman said, almost matter-of-factly. “You must be the sacrificial bride, correct? Yui Kamori, I presume.”
She nodded, so slowly that she seemed unsure, causing a jovial laugh to slip through the beautiful woman's painted lips. 
“I see…you’re not much of a talker, are you?” The woman smiled politely before closing the book that rested in her hands, lazily tracing small circles into its cover. “No matter. Answer me this, how did you get in here? Subaru must've forgotten to close it, he's in here quite often, after all, he's such a big baby.”
“Wha…What?”
“That door is never open so I think you know what I’m hinting at.” The physically younger woman leaned toward the mortal girl, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “As for Subaru, I'm a little bit older than him so he tends to cling to me like his life depends on it!”
Yui gave her a look of blatant confusion, hardly catching onto whatever the young vampire was spewing out. “Hm, you look a bit confused and clueless, let me help you.” The woman smiled, whispering her rude comment dismissively “Do you even know why I’m in here?”
Yui shook her head, ignoring the anxiety gnawing away at her composure. Gradually shying away from the woman's attention as she hugged her sides. 
“Oh my, then this should be a real treat.” She giggled, gazing fondly at the frightened girl. “Now, Yui Kamori, allow me, [Name] Sakamaki to tell you a tale of endless obsession!”
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dentos-wife · 1 year
Text
Let’s talk how about Chrom and Robin’s bond evolved over time
With everyone clamoring over the new emblem I wanted to take a look back how we got here with their relationship and why I think at this point Chrobin is the intended or inferred Chrom pairing when it didn’t used to be.
In 2012 we got Fire Emblem Awakening, and as Chrom was related to Marth, his inferred pairing was Sumia a pegasus knight as a nod to Caeda, Marth’s canon wife. Granted because part of Awakening’s charm is you could pair anyone up, you didn’t have to pair Chrom up with Sumia if you didn’t wish to. But to IS she was the intended choice.
She had special scenes with Chrom and was the most likely to end up paired with him if you weren’t gunning for a specific wife for him
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And you see her here in the opening with Lucina
Robin is you, the avatar, they don’t even have official art, just them with a hood
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They had a canon design what we all know now but it wasn’t really used. And that should have been it as far as IS was concerned. Awakening was their last hurrah. And then FE blew up.
Robin’s canon design is now getting used, both the male and female version are now in Smash Bros. Then we have Warriors and Heroes and the Awakening cast shows up more. But not Sumia. Perhaps it’s because she’s not popular or the people flocked to Cordelia instead but she is the pegusus knight everyone loves. Sumia isn’t even in Warriors or the base FEH she gets added much later to FEH only with other less popular Awakening characters.
It’s here when FE became more maintstream I believe that IS changed their tune on Sumia being the intended wife and retconed it. I fully think Sumia was dropped and they no longer had an intended pairing for him all because she just wasn’t popular. Him and Robin were close of course they always were, obviously some would see it as friendship others would see it as something more the usual nothing really changed there.
And then 2022 ten full years after Awakening’s release...this happened
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Couple things here. I fully believe the reason Chrom was paired with MRobin here instead of FRobin is for two big reasons reasons.
1) If they paired him with FRobin it canonizes a pairing so MRobin is the safer option, FEH doesn’t usually pair men and women unless they’re already a pairing. So MRobin got paired with Chrom and FRobin was on her own but she still has lines about how much Chrom meant to her.
2) MRobin is the more popular Robin as has been shown every year in CYL and he’d even win next year
So Chrom and Robin were always close it was a no brainer to make them a duo unit, they picked the male version on a very family oriented banner.
That said some of these lines...well let’s just say if a man and a woman were saying that to each other there would be no doubt here. Imagine if this Robin was the female version
Robin: There's Lissa, Emmeryn, Lucina, Frederick... I think we've got gifts for everyone. Don't we? Chrom: Well, all but one. What would you like your gift to be, Robin? Robin: What? Me? You can't just come out and ask like that, you know. There are rules! Chrom: You know I don't care about that. Just tell me what you want. Robin: Truthfully...I can't think of anything. Chrom: You don't want anything? Aw, come on. Think of the bind that puts me in. Robin: You gave my life meaning when I had nothing—not even my memory. The sense of purpose I've found at your side, working for peace in the world, is all I could ever ask for. Chrom: You're not alone in that, you know. I feel the same way. That's why I wanted to give you something nice. To show you how I feel. Robin: All right, all right. In that case, why don't you give me one of those flowers you're wearing? Chrom: It's only going to wilt. Robin: I'll press it into one of my books. That way I'll never forget this Day of Devotion.
Snippet from their duo convo. Usually when someone gives flowers it’s considered a pretty romantic gesture I’ve heard plenty of people call this alt playfully the gays and yeah this is very strong.
FRobin even comments on them in one of her lines.
“That man with Chrom is a Robin from another world, right? They get along so well, I'm almost jealous...“
There was no need for that line at all, we can tell from their lines how flipping close they are but they felt the need to have another character comment on it in base lines
I do believe MRobin was used not to canonize a pairing...at first. And then they gave up because it looked like people really liked it going even further in the next year.
In Awakening Chrom and Robin refer to themselves as two halves of the same whole which is already a loaded term. But it’s never been used after and was just part of the game
Enter the next time they pair up as the Emblem of Bonds which brought that back for the first time since 2012, in full force
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Correct me if I’m wrong but no one besides them have referred to each other as their other half in Awakening
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Lucina does it in Engage. For reference other half means husband, wife or partner (romantic). I think after the Valentine’s alt they decided sure why not and now they’re really going in with Robin being Chrom’s other half when they only touched the term once past Awakening in a FRobin cipher card. Other half in Engage is Robin and he pops up when engaged with Chrom to mix magic with the attack. I don’t doubt you can mean a friend with this term but when paired with everything else they say to each other, it’s pretty strong evidence it’s further than friendship.
Okay now for the the ultimate Robin is now Chrom’s intended partner view, Legendary Robin also released this year
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“Tactician of Ylisse. Celebrated as Exalt Chrom's other half in the legends that followed their exploits. Appears in Fire Emblem Awakening. “
I saw some people argue exalt could mean Lucina too but no it doesn’t, it clearly means Chorm it says so and if you didn’t believe that, we got a map that was the two called Chrom and his other half. Which is Robin.
His art also references his other half status, he now wears blueish green jewelry which stands for Chrom and the brand of the exalt is on his chest plate
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Finally in his damage art he once again has the symbol of the exalt formed in magic.
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And a ring, some have argued it’s his clothes but usually the magic gauntlets he wears are on his middle finger and not under his gloves; pretty sure it’s a ring, it’s even on the ring finger of his left hand, where you generally put a wedding ring.
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All this together is some very strong evidence, but put it with everything else they’ve done since last year and it’s clear to me, IS now is pushing Chrom and Robin as the intended pairing. Not canon like Marth and Caeda or Alm and Celica, but intended like they do with Eliwood and Ninian and some others I’m probably forgetting. And because MRobin is who they use and their “canon” sort of like FCorrin is the “canon” Corrin, IS is strongly hinting at MChrobin
Which fascinates me, we went from Chrom with a intended implied wife to scrapping it and pretended it never happened to this, Chrom with an intended husband. Him and his best friend, both two guys, very much in love. In ten years IS changed it’s mind on the intended canon pairing that isn’t even possible in the base game. They are a fate defying duo, the emblem of bonds, the exalt and his other half, two halves of the same whole and they are showing that in symbolism harder than ever. I think that’s really cool
To end this I’m aroace and see romance a little differently from the amatonormic norm Chrom and Robin could just be really good friends lord knows I also think friendship should be just as important as romance BUT if they were, it’s very clear they are each others most important person over any wife they might separately have.  But even that doesn’t follow a typical heteronormative relationship no? Chrom and Robin’s bonds are so strong they transcend the concept of romance and friendship as we know it, there is no name for the type of love they share it’s beyond us.
But what about Lucina? (and Morgan) In a world with magic, dragons, people dying and coming back to life, time travel and more the idea of two guys somehow having a child is no longer far fetched at all really, or even surrogates exist.
Also they act like kind of like dads with her and it’s really cute
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Now granted IS could remake Awakening and MRobin will still not be able to marry Chrom and this whole analysis would have been for naught but I think if they do remake it they’ll add it. Look at how many people have been introduced to them just through Heroes and Engage you don’t think people are going to want to pair up the exalt and his other half in their game?
To sum it up, yes there literally is no heterosexual explanation for where IS has taken this. It wasn’t originally the intended pairing but it sure is now, I don’t think there is any room for denial anymore until we see what they do with a remake.
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yandere-daze · 1 year
Text
As you may have noticed, I started getting into Resident Evil and the Leon brainworms are strong. I am so down bad for this man so it was inevitable that I would have to write something for him soon.
So here you go, enjoy!
gn reader
tw yandere, obsession, over-protectiveness, delusional mindset, mentions of violence and guns ( because it´s resident evil), staring, delusional mindset
Please do tell me if there is anything else you would like to have tagged!
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General Yandere! RE2 Leon Kennedy headcanons
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I believe that rather than an authority figure or someone working with the government, Yandere! RE2 Leon would fall in love and grow obsessed with a civilian
He first sees you in Racoon City, an innocent bystander running away with a zombie following behind very closely. You were scared to death and Leon immediately decided to jump into action, not at all hesitating drawing his gun and shooting the zombie until it dropped to the ground and stopped moving
It has always been in his nature to protect other people and so naturally, he just had to help you out.
But there was also a different reason why he had decided to help you. Truthfully, Leon had just been overwhelmed with relief to see another living human being amidst this hell he had been thrown into. All this time he had feared that he might be truly alone in this, but now there´s someone else. Someone that can keep him company in these dire times. Someone he can talk to. Someone he can protect and keep safe
Of course you´re very happy to see Leon after he had basically just saved your life and so, after you´ve both introduced yourself to each other, you agree to tag along with Leon when he offers to take you with him
I mean why wouldn´t you? Going with him would greatly increase your chances of surviving this entire ordeal and not being completely alone just lifts a huge weight off your shoulders
You´re honestly just glad that Leon lets you go with him, it´s not like you´re really of use to him, so you would have understood if he decided that it was too much to deal with
And yet, when he looks at you with a small smile and promises you that he´ll keep you safe no matter what, you have a feeling that you can trust him to keep his promise
And he definitely does! Whenever a zombie appears, Leon tells you to get behind him while he wastes no time shooting them.
He has to admit though, the way you fearfully hide behind him and stick close to him makes him feel a little strange. Why does it feel so good for you to go to him for protection? Why does he like knowing that he´s the one making sure you´re unharmed, the one taking care of you?
Why does he not want to let go when he protectively wraps an arm around your waist?
Yes, the more time passes, the more Leon starts to fall for you. Going through such a traumatic event with someone else by your side probably speeds up the process too.
You´re both the only partner the other one has. And so, Leon starts to get attached to you. The way he feels about you slowly shifts from someone he met under unfortunate circumstances to someone he met because it was meant to be this way. Fate had brought the two of you together.
Why else would you two be the only living people in this place? There was simply no other explanation.
And he had certainly taken notice of the way his heart speeds up when you smile at him every time you thank him for taking care of you.
He wants to take care of you forever. He wants to show you that he could. Better than anyone else.
And so, Leon gets more and more protective, determined to make sure you both get out of this alive so you can start planning your future with each other.
Because of this, he doesn´t like it when you stray too far away from him. Just having you leave him for around a minute makes him want to make a mad dash to go after you, immensely worried that something might happen to you while he´s not there to protect you.
He´s pacing around the room and biting his fingernails when you tell him you just want to check out a room you saw down the hallway real quick. It doesn´t matter that he already killed all the zombies roaming these halls on your way here, what if there´s another one? What if you´re all alone in that dark room and suddenly the door slams closed and a zombie tumbles out of a locker? What if he wouldn´t be able to get to you quickly enough? What if you died because he wasn´t there?
These thoughts keep eating at him and so Leon practically insists on going everywhere with you, he starts getting really clingy all of a sudden, not letting you walk even two steps without him trailing closely behind.
You might have gotten mad about someone acting that way usually but you can´t really bring yourself to blame him, considering the situation you were in.
Still, you found it kind of creepy how his eyes never seemed to leave your form. Whenever you would turn your head to look at Leon, you would catch him already staring at you intensely.
He´d have the shame to blush and apologize for staring at you but he never really stops doing it either. He just can´t help it, you´re so enchanting he has to always have his eyes on you! It´s like he´s drawn to you.
Um, he always has to make sure you´re safe, is what he meant to say there actually! There´s no other motive behind his staring!
But yes, Yandere! RE2 Leon is like a lovesick little puppy that trails after you and practically begs for your praise.
There´s always this creepily bright smile on his face whenever you thank him for doing something for you. It´s like he´s living off of your praises. And he is, truthfully. There´s nothing better to him than hearing your praise, it makes all this work worth it.
It just feels so good to hear you compliment him so sometimes he makes a show out of killing zombies, trying to look as cool as possible in front of you in an attempt to charm you. He wants you to think he´s cool and reliable. He wants you to think that he´s a good partner. That he could be the perfect boyfriend for you.
Because he´s sure that there´s no one out there that cares about you as much as he does. He would do absolutely anything for you. You could use him as much as you like and he would do it all with a smile on his face.
He just wants to show you how much he adores you, how much he loves you! That you two are meant to be together! He´s too shy to say it to you outright but he knows you must also feel the same way about him. You must! Because you´re soulmates and now that he finally met you, Leon is not willing to let go of you again.
It´s unlikely he would ever lock you up or kidnap you but he desperately wants to be a part of your life.
So please just say you love him back! Tell him you´ll never let him go and Leon will worship you every single day for the rest of his life.
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ineffable-suffering · 9 months
Text
Aziraphale, I love you. But you lied. And here's why.
Okay. I’m not gonna beat around the bush for too long. It’s time now for me to also throw my try at a personal Good Omens Season 2 Magnum Opus into the mix of already existing magnum op..i? Opusses? (Smited? Smote?)
If I’m honest, it isn’t fully my own magnum opus, as I read this meta not too long ago that made me go: „Oh! My God! That’s it!“ And I’m pretty sure a lot of other people have clocked this too by now. Of course I’m not saying it’s the objective truth but after having mulled it over for many endless nights and days, wading through the onslaught of coffee theories, body swap theories, The Metatron re-writing the Book of Life theories and many, many more, this is the one I think is most plausible and, if you look closely, most obvious.
And it goes as such: Aziraphale lied.
To all of us. All of them. And most of all, to Crowley. He lied to him. Well, he sort of did and also sort of didn’t. He certainly didn’t tell the truth. At least not all of it. I hear you ask: “OP, what the fuck are you talking about”. I answer you: Let’s start from the top and under the cut.
(Small note: this meta ended up being way too large for Tumblr, which is why I will redirect you to an external doc at the end of the post, where I have written it all down nicely and accurately. It's about 35 digital A4-pages long, just in case you want to save it for later.)
(Word count: 12.831 | Approximate reading time: 50 minutes)
Let’s start with a short recap of what happens before the Metatron crashes the bookshop party and everything goes to shit. The proper visuals for this are in my Tumblr post but I am absolutely convinced that right up until when the Metatron comes to take Aziraphale away and talk to him, the angel is fully ready to get into Crowley’s Bentley-chariot and finally ride off into the sunset (or Alpha Centauri-set or whatever). You can see it in his face and body language. You can see when the penny drops for him that a) Crowley loves him b) he loves Crowley and c) they can finally start their happily ever after. Aziraphale realizes this all throughout said Brielzebub reveal in the bookshop. And he’s such a lost cause once he does. 
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I mean, look at that. Look at it. This (very shitty recording, sorry, I'm not tech-savvy enough to avoid the Amazon Prime screen recording blocker) is the very second Aziraphale realizes hat Crowley loves him. When he hears him suggest Alpha bloody Centauri as a getaway for Gabriel and Beelzebub, as Crowley has done to Aziraphale for so, so many times now. He finally understands what Crowley was trying to tell him with that all those times.
Aziraphale realizes this all throughout the Brielzebub reveal in the bookshop. And he’s such a lost cause once he does.
Right when Crowley suggest Alpha Centauri as a nice getaway spot to the two, Aziraphale looks at him and he gets it. That Crowley has loved him, has been loving him for millennia. Truthfully, they've both known that for a long while now. But there's a difference between knowing, wanting, craving and actually being able to finally have something. And that's exactly what we see on Aziraphale's face here. This is it. This is where it all starts working out for Crowley and him. This is were they can start their eternity together.
So from that second on, Aziraphale only has eyes for Crowley. He keeps physically pawing at Crowley with complete heart eyes, as if to say „Look, look, that’s gonna be us too! Finally!" He’s actually so smitten that he doesn’t even hear what Crowley is saying when he asks Shax if he can have back his apartment now because he’s sick of living in his car. (Also, what way to drop that bomb right in this moment Crowley, lmao). 
Once the Metatron comes in, the first thing Aziraphale says is that they don’t need to talk because „he’s made his position quite clear“. He doesn’t even want to talk to the Metatron, because in his mind, he’s already made the choice. Actually, he made the choice way before the bookshop showdown. For starters, I’m convinced that the Jane Austen Ball actually never was for Maggie and Nina but for Crowley and him (you can read more about that here). And apart from that, for this whole season we have seen Aziraphale trying to advance his relationship with Crowley romantically and domestically and move them to the literal next base (our car!). And after everything he just witnessed with Brielzebub, the final nail in the coffin of ethereal-infernal romance being possible, his choice is absolutely crystal clear: It’s Crowley. It’s always been Crowley and it always will be Crowley. And now it can be Crowley. They can be an us.
The whole of Season 2 is such a massive learning curve for Aziraphale’s character, with him remembering all those important pivotal points of his past,  and this very moment is the peak, with him not only understanding that Crowley loves him (because he certainly knew for quite some centuries now) but accepting that love, letting himself have that love, being allowed to want that love and taking that love and starting their new and final chapter with it. Nevertheless, the plot clock ticks for them. The Metatron saunters into the bookshop, evil and stinky as Metatrons do, and urges Aziraphale to come with him with his whole Take The Coffee schtick, which I will get into later. And Aziraphale, immediately sensing there’s Something Up, does. Can’t really turn down someone as high-ranking as the the voice of God, after all. Even if you were currently already planning how you were going to elope with a certain red-haired serpent of Eden. 
he next time we see Aziraphale on screen, it’s so painfully evident on his face that he is neither happy nor excited. Not even the slightest bit. We’d know if he was, thanks to Mr. Michael master-of-microexpressions Sheen. None of the usual “Aziraphale is happy”-signs are there. No blinding eye-smile, no giddy wriggling, not giggles and gasps. No, when the Metatron tells Aziraphale to „go tell your friend the good news“, his expression looks like this:
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I’m gonna go out on an entire limb here and say: That does not look like someone who’s absolutely tickety-boo hyped to tell his demon soulmate that he just got the juiciest promotion and that they can both be angels and live happily ever after in ethereal eternity now.
This, folks, looks like someone who knows exactly that the news he has to break right now, are going to be tickety-shit awful and very upsetting to said demon soulmate. And already, from that very short snippet of conversation, we can tell that Aziraphale isn’t really given a choice by the Metatron. Because while the Metatron does tell him that he doesn’t have to „answer right away“, he immediately follows it up by: „Go ahead and tell your friend the good news!“ Very distinct and definitive choice of words here. It’s “good news” because it’s already been decided. Because it’s already a done deal. There is no “yes, no, maybe”. This is the only choice he’s giving to Aziraphale. Because it’s ‘Coffee or death’. 
And he already gave him the coffee. 
***
Tumblr won't let me continue this over a certain character limit and I am not even remotely done yet – so, I feel like this is a good moment to redirect you to the continuation of this insane meta before we're in too deep. You can do so right here!
I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions about this once you've fought your way through it. Hope you have a good time with it!
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whispereons · 11 months
Text
Oracle!Reader Part 5
Masterlist - Part 1, Part 4, Part 6
Warning, I guess? Like I said last part, my AU has death and voilence. This one also has frisky(?) moment, no full NSFW
You aren't quite sure how long you have been sitting on this bench. The cats you were watching have already grown tired and were lazing around. The smoke smell was still faintly in the air and the sky was the same blue as before.
Couldn't have been more than 10 minutes then.
You should get up and leave. But to go back to the main area is to back into the fray. And you really didn't want to do that. With a heavy heart, you got up and stretched.
A loud crash and bang from around the corner startled you. You peer curiously in the direction and a pained groan is all you can hear. You walk over and see opened crates on the floor with fireworks rolling out of them.
Carefully you step around the fireworks to get to the heart of the problem. Yoimiya was on the floor with crates scattered around and a bell near her. The usually peppy blonde was clutching her head with a pained expression.
"Did you just get hit by that bell?" You say with a smile. You struggle not to laugh as you hold your hand out to her.
"Unfortunately, I did. Ugh, that really hurts." She takes your hand and slightly jolts from the electricity that your skin brings. You notice her action but don't put much thought into it, you pull her up.
"If we don't pick up all your fireworks fast, we'll probably lose some." Yoimiya smiles brightly completely forgetting her lost battle with the bell.
"You would help me? That's great to hear, I'd be looking all over Inazuma City for them without you!"
You start picking them up with her as you leisurely talked with her. Truthfully you offered more for yourself, as selfish as it sounds you just wanted a distraction.
The nearly mind-numbing or annoying task, depending on how far they rolled was easier with the chatty woman. Yoimiya knew how to talk to people, truly an extrovert with great social skills.
"That should be all of the fireworks. At least none of the boxes broke." You close the last crate and wipe the sweat from your brow.
"All thanks to you. I wasn't expecting anyone to be around since the ritual was in session. It should be finishing up though." She has an excited smile as she speaks and picks on two crates at a time.
Eager to change the subject you grab the last box and are about to pick it up. "No wonder you dropped it, carrying three crates would be too much-ugh. Damn, how much do these things weigh?"
You hurriedly position the crate in your arms to a more comfortable position as your grip tightens. You weren't weak but these things were absurdly heavy. You glance at her holding two of these monsters. She's not fazed in the slightest by the weight.
"The weight isn't too much of a problem, but the size was my oversight. I couldn't see while holding all 3 boxes and hit that bell. Thank you for carrying that one. Just follow me, we aren't too far from the drop-off location."
You inwardly sigh at now being stuck with the weight. But... You glance at the Yae Publishing House. Better than being stuck with Yae. You follow Yoimiya as you get closer and closer to the main area.
"Have you heard the rumors?"
"What rumors?"
"About there being an oracle! Really, it's only spread among the kids. They keep telling me that an oni, his name is Itto, keeps telling them about how he met the creator's oracle."
So, it's already starting. At least it's staying between the children right now, by the time Yae hears about it and connects the dots you'll be gone.
"Maybe it's true. You'll need to meet that oracle for yourself to be sure." You shrug and bump her shoulder. Playfully she bumps you back.
"I would love to meet them! Believing in fantastical things is a lot of fun. And if it turns out that they're a fake then I'll light them ablaze." You were suddenly reminded of Itto by how she spoke such vicious words with a bright smile.
"What if they prove that they are an oracle? What would you do then?"
"Ask if there is anything I can do to be awakened! I traveled to Sumeru with the traveler, and it was the closest thing to being awakened. Awakened acolytes can see all sorts of sights and stories."
The sparkle in her eyes was full of joy, no doubt imagining what it would be like for her wish to come true. The thought of your very low primogem count made you want to cry. 'Sorry Yoimiya, I don't think anyone is getting pulled at this time.'
Arriving back at the ritual area you can see the dead bodies being moved away and the blood being cleaned. You doubt they'd be able to clean up all the ashes today.
"Such a shame I missed out on it. But I would rather supply my fireworks for the finale festival than watch in a sweaty crowd."
To think that everyone here has grown numb to sight... Do people become less than cattle once they are dubbed a sacrifice? You follow Yoimiya around the slowly dispersing crowd to the back.
Ayaka is giving orders until she spots you both. Quickly she comes over with a smile.
"I'm relieved to see that you were with Yoimiya. Thank you for watching over the oracle in our absence."
"Wait-What?! They're the oracle?" Yoimiya comically looks between you and Ayaka's smiling faces.
"You just let me talk about the oracle while not telling me you're the oracle?" You finally laugh at that. Setting the crate down, you sigh in relief and speak.
"It was entertaining, I promise I was planning to tell you before we split paths."
"I'm torn between being embarrassed and happy. At least you know my wish now." She deflates as she holds the crates with a pout. It's gone as quick as it came and she's back with a sunny smile.
"Well, then Ayaka please lead the way for me to put these fireworks away. I can't wait for the final ritual to see them light up the sky."
"You just saw them last week, you're insatiable for fireworks. Y/N, I'll meet up with Ayato, Thoma, and you in a little bit."
Ayaka smiles softly and beckons Yoimiya to follow her. Yoimiya smiles cheerfully and waves enthusicastically before hauling all 3 boxes. Does archery really make your arms that strong?
"Y/N!" A shout of your name and hard armor meets your back as you're hugged from behind. It was just a quick hug before you spin around.
"Gorou, all done with that soldier?" He smiles widely showing off his fangs. He's holding your arms with his gloved hands as his tail wags.
"Yeah, sorry about having to leave so suddenly. Are you feeling better now? You don't look as bad as before."
"I'm feeling a lot better now. I didn't worry you too much right?"
"I mean, I can't deny that I was worried but you're all better now so that's all that matters. Remember if you need to talk about it, you can always come to me. I'd prefer it that way."
His whisper is low, and you strain to catch it. But he smiles with a blush and it's enough to dissuade you. He's helped you a lot, you didn't want to be too nosy. He's also one of the few that hasn't used you for information about the creator too. It doesn't bother you but it's nice feeling like he hangs out with you because he finds your company nice.
"It's been some time since I've seen General Gorou this happy. Are you a friend of his?"
Motherfucker- How in the world did you manage to run into Kokomi fucking Sangonomiya!?
You hadn't accounted for her appearance since she's usually on Watatsumi Island. She's way too good, like facing a kinder, fishier Yae. Hell, she managed to beat Yae in TCG and find the card snatcher in that event. This wasn't Ei but meeting Yae and Kokomi on the same day has got to be bullshit.
While you were internally dying Gorou took the initiative to introduce you to Kokomi with a happy grin.
"This is Y/N, they're an oracle for the creator. They even have the Kamisato Clan's approval."
"That is quite impressive, allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Sangonomiya Kokomi, I'm the divine priestess of Watatsumi Island."
"It's an honor to meet you Sangononomiya? Sanganonomiya? Sanganomiya?" Your voice gradually lowers as you butcher her name. Honestly, you were just hoping she would dislike you and leave. You did not want to have another Yae-level battle.
Purple glossy eyes watch you struggle with her name in amusement. You even managed to confuse yourself on how to pronounce her name. She can't help but laugh bringing a gloved hand to her mouth.
"You must not be a native Inazuman. You can just call me Kokomi, as an oracle and Gorou's friend I can trust that you're a good person."
Gorou beams at his superior's approval and his expectant stare on you makes you feel even more trapped. So much for getting her to dislike you.
"Thank you for your generosity, Kokomi. I've heard here and there how good of a leader you are. Both in and outside of combat. Your citizens seem to adore you a lot."
At least you don't have to pronounce Sangonomiya anymore. She takes a step closer and peers at you. She's good but not impossible.
"Thank you but I believe you aren't that different from me."
What the fuck is that supposed to mean. Gorou holds your hand with a confused face. Was he always this touchy-feely in the game? You can't remember well with Kokomi staring dead into your eyes.
"I'm the divine priestess for Orobaxi, a god that Watatsumi Island worships despite being deceased. And you are an oracle for the creator. All living beings in Teyvat worship the creator, our jobs may have more similarities than you think."
"Are you saying this because as an oracle I am a communicator between the creator and the people? While as divine priestess you carry out the will of Orobaxi to protect your people?"
She smiles knowingly making her eyes squint a bit. "Precisely. Wouldn't you benefit more from staying on Watatsumi Island? Maybe not permanently but you could learn a lot from staying with us."
Wait what? Does she think that you came here to help Narukami Island? Not a bad guess since you do have the Kamisato's approval. Is she trying to poach you?
"This isn't well known but I'm on a mission for the creator. I can't share all the details, but it involves me moving around Teyvat a lot. I already have transportation to Liyue all prepared. Thank you for the offer but I'll have to decline."
Gorou and Kokomi both have disappointed expressions with Gorou's being far more dramatic. Or maybe that was his dropping ears and tail exaggerating his look.
"I understand, the creator must come first. If the tides ever lead you back to Inazuma, please come and visit Watatsumi Island."
As adapting as water, she moves past her rejection and smiles softly holding out her hand. You grab it and shake her hand until you feel a familiar feeling. The feeling of eyes watching you and ears listening to you strikes you.
You release her hand and Gorou speaks to her about something. You can't focus on what they are saying as the feeling leaves you chills.
It must be Yae.
Now that you think about it, isn't it weird how Gorou and Kokomi are in plain sight with no Yae? Her rival, punching bag, and an easy victim are all in one group, surely, she would not hesitate to come over. Unless she's with Ei.
Jumping to conclusions, you are definitely jumping to conclusions. Forcing yourself to breathe easily, you smile casually as you can finally hear what Kokomi and Gorou are saying.
"Your Excellency, I've already moved that emergency shipment to the boat. We can wait for you to finish meeting with the Electro Archon."
"You should go on ahead without me. Whatever she has called me for doesn't sound like a minor problem."
"Even so, leaving you in enem-" Kokomi's look makes Gorou shut his mouth and backtrack.
"Right, right. Sorry, force of habit. But I would still feel more comfortable waiting till you are done, your Excellency."
"Okay, I understand your concern. Please wait in Inazuma City until I'm done." Gorou smiles at Kokomi's acceptance.
"So, you'll be staying a while longer? It's a shame you didn't come a day earlier. I'm leaving for Liyue today after all." You join in when you get a chance. The last thing you want is for Yae to notice how aware you are of her presence.
Kokomo opens her mouth to speak when yells of your name can be heard across the plaza. You all turn to see Thoma waving to grab your attention while Ayaka and Ayato calmly stand and stare at you. Or are they staring at Gorou and Kokomi?
You give a wave back to let them know you saw them. Turning back with a small and slightly sad smile you hide your joy at a perfect escape option.
"And that is my transportation calling me. It's been lovely meeting you Kokomi despite the short amount of time we spent together. And Gorou, you were the highlight of this festival, I'll be sure to seek you out next time I come."
Gorou seems to swoon at your words while Kokomi smiles at your words and holds both your hands. Her stare is unnervingly deep into your eyes. Fisheyes in the game and in real life are much different up close.
"You are quite the fascinating person. Whenever you do come back, Watatsumi Island is more than happy to greet you with open arms."
Your smile is gentle matching hers despite how you're secretly sweating bullets. She releases your hands, and you see Gorou smiling at Thoma who is clearly glaring at him.
Unlike humans, animals bare their teeth to threaten. That little tidbit of information comes to mind when you see that Gorou's grin is a little ferocious. It all goes away once he sees you looking at him.
"Y/N, whenever you come back, make sure to visit Watatsumi Island twice as much time as you spent here. I can show you even more stuff than what I showed you here."
"I will Gorou." You promise before petting his head. You weren't sure when you would get to pet someone like this again so you wanted to take advantage of it while you still can. Gorou seems to like it as much as you do. His eyes close and his tail wags a little as he angles himself deeper into your touch.
When you pull your hand off, he pouts a bit but waves to you as you walk to the Kamisato's. You carefully peek back to see Kokomi say something teasing to Gorou that makes him embarrassed.
Yae conveniently turns the corner at that exact moment and scares Gorou. Seems like you dodged a bullet at poor Gorou's expense. But it also raises a question. Did Yae intentionally wait for you to leave to join the group? If so, is it because she feels bad or because she doesn't want you hearing what she has to say?
Deciding to leave it be you turn back to the Kamisato's as you approach them. Once you're in reach Thoma sweeps you into his arms and hugs you.
"What a warm welcome. Missed me that much Thoma?" You say with a smile as Thoma sets you down.
"Well, I have to! You're leaving today, I have to make the most of it." He smiles a little embarrassed as he avoids your eyes.
"Totally not because I pet Gorou?"
"Totally."
Ayato covers his mouth with his sleeve and coughs with a not very subtle "Liar" in between. Ayaka swats his arm with her fan and Thoma playfully glares at Ayato.
You snicker at the familiar sight of them fighting and almost trip over a firework stick. Your near tumble makes them all pay instant attention to you. Ayato and Thoma are quick to put a hand on your shoulders to steady you as Ayaka picks it up.
"It's a few are still missing. I'll have to send a servant to put it with the others later."
"Damn, sorry Ayaka I thought Yoimiya and I got them all. Will you have enough for the final ritual this month?"
"Oh yes more than enough. We always order extra just in case something like this happens. It's a shame you won't be here to see the final ritual." She looks to the ground sadly as she finishes.
"Ayaka is right, it truly is a shame. The final ritual is the cumulative of everyone's efforts and the fireworks look beautiful at night. I mean you could always stay until then. The Kamisato Estate is always open to you."
Ayato speaks with a purposefully convincing tone. What is up with people trying to convince you to stay? First Kokomi and now Ayato? Without thinking too deeply you reply.
"The journey from Liyue to Inazuma is pretty long and unpredictable. And there's no way I can freeload on you guys for some fireworks. Next time I come over I'll stay longer to attend it. Besides I can use the teleport waypoints."
The second you say that is the moment you regret it. Great going, now you'll be forced back to Inazuma in less than a month!
Too busy insulting yourself for your own stupidity you don't see how Ayaka and Thoma light up. Eagerly she writes down the date and time of the final ritual before placing it in your palm.
"Oh, that's perfect Y/N! Now you can continue being an oracle the way you wished and make it in time for the festival."
Ayato seems far too calm and smug for this whole thing to just be your own mistake. There's no doubt Ayato was waiting for you to mention teleporting yourself. Probably in case there was some prerequisite. Which you definitely would have made up if he mentioned it first. No one else to blame except yourself.
"Thanks, Ayaka, I'll do my best to attend." You slip the paper into your bag and smile warmly. You can't out right reject it now but maybe later on you can make some sort of excuse to avoid attending. Either way you have time and if you do have to attend...
Then your luck and lies going your way will let you have a firm standing as an oracle that won't allow Ei to suspect you that easily.
Maybe you're better off faking your death and living with the Aranaras. As the creator you should have some sort of influence on creatures. Hopefully...
"So, since the ritual is done and the festival is coming to an end, I should be on my way to Ritou. What boat am I taking?"
"That eager to leave Y/N? I would have thought you would at least let me bring up the topic seeing as we housed you all this time." Ayato's eyes are narrowed as he looks at you. His hand is covering his face and his voice sounds annoyed.
"I would never want to overstay my welcome in your estate. How could I take advantage of your kindness anymore then I already have? Besides wouldn't kind hosts like yourself avoid making your guests unwelcome by bringing up the topic of leaving. I'm simply doing you a favor."
You speak with a mocking kind voice and bring out the fan he gave you to cover your mouth. His annoyed voice melts away as he laughs softly at your actions. You crack a smile too until he tips your fan forward to reveal your face.
"This fan will be your ticket to the boat. As promised, I selected the best boat, the Crux will treat you kindly when you board the Alcor. Captain Beidou is said to be one of the best captains and a crew member by the name Kaedehara Kazuha was once a loyal subordinate of the Kamisato's."
That was actually pretty cool. Beidou is said to have defeated a hydra in her character entry. Plus, Kazuha was a really popular character. You were fond of them both and thinking of meeting them with no worry of dying sounded amazing.
At least until you remembered how the Crux was known for 'daring' adventures meaning batshit dangerous sailing. They could all survive it because they either have a vision or training. But you? You weren't a fighter, nor did you have any powers. It's that stupid dilemma about what to do when you inventible encounter enemies again!
"Thanks Ayato, the creator seems to trust them both a lot too. To get to Ritou I'll need to pass Byakko Plain and Konda village. And that little shore area with loads of monsters."
Ayato pauses when you mention monsters. He didn't forget that you can't fight right? You look to Ayaka and she's avoiding your gaze. You turn a little more urgently to Thoma just for him to smile nervously.
"You all forgot that I don't have any guards, fighting skills and powers, didn't you?"
"It's not that we forgot when we were making preparations Y/N. Originally, I was going to accompany you but the Shogun suddenly announced a meeting this morning that will be starting in an hour. Ayato and I will be forced to attend leaving Thoma the only one to take care of the estate in our absence."
You feel a bit more frantic. Maybe if it was daylight, you'd just take the risk but nighttime? You have no intention of dying to a hilichurl or any other monsters, humans included.
"Can't a guard come with me then?"
"It seems that's our only choice. The guards are necessary for the festival due to the large number of people. And the amount only heightens at night but it's a risk we'll have to take. Your safety is priority, you'll need two guards at least"
You feel a bit guilty knowing that you'll be putting the public in danger. But the chance of someone dying without two guards is much lower than the chance of you dying without a guard. It's not a bad thing to have survival instincts, you tell yourself to ease the guilt.
"Wouldn't a better idea be for me to accompany them instead?" Someone butts into the conversation (rude) with a horrifically familiar voice.
Clips of the scene "Traveler, you're so dreamy~" echo throughout your mind as you remember his first birthday art posted on Reddit during a crisis that only caused more chaos.
Heizou walks with confidence to your group smiling innocently. Like he wasn't just eavesdropping on everything. You want to scream.
Who fucking cursed you?! You managed to run into everybody you wanted to avoid! Except Ei but you were starting to doubt that you'll be able to avoid her too.
Thoma throws Heizou a suspicious glance before standing next to you protectively. You wish Thoma was able to protect you from whatever Heizou's intuition is telling him about you. There's a large chance he heard you be referred to as an oracle.
Ayato and Ayaka keep their composure as Heizou stops in front of them who are standing in front of you. Seems like they all don't want him close to you. Is it because he's part of the Tenryou Commission?
"My, what's the caution about? I'm an upstanding member of the Tenryou Commission. With a vision too! I prefer not to fight but I am good at it." His voice was even more melodious in person. If only it wasn't hiding the absolute trap, you know he has behind his back.
"Considering that you were eavesdropping on our conversation for a while, I truly doubt your words. You always abandon or delegate your work to other people too. Can I really trust that with Y/N's safety?"
Ayato's words are as sharp as his stare. His eyes are similar to the depths of the ocean waiting to pull their victims into the freezing water. It really reminded you of when you first met him. Your relationship with him has improved in bounds and leaps.
"Now, now no need to be so hostile. I'm under Madam Kujou Sara this time. She was worried about the oracle and asked me to check up on them. I am the only other vision holder that's awakened in the Tenryou Commission. I can promise you that they'll make it to Ritou, they'll probably be boarding the Crux, correct?"
Heizou, to his credit, is good under Ayato's pressure. Probably from dealing with Sara all the time. Thoma clearly doesn't trust Heizou, Ayaka is seemingly neutral on the matter and Ayato is weirdly against Heizou.
"Were you not listening early enough to be sure what boat Y/N is going on?"
How didn't you notice Heizou listening? You were able to spot Yae right away, yet you missed him?
"The oracle is clearly an important person as they are directly connected to the creator. Only the Crux could provide a level of safety fit for them."
You saw Yae first, so you were always on guard for her. Did you unknowingly relax around the Kamisato's therefore preventing you from noticing Heizou?
"All it took was a quick deduction. I'm a detective for a reason." Heizou ends with a smile. Ayato though less tense hasn't let up his stare. The tension is killing you, but you can't afford to stay any longer.
Heizou only offered to figure out the mystery behind you and his intuition probably had a hand in it too. Going with him does mean dealing with whatever questions he throws at you, but it seems to be your only choice. You can't risk staying any longer and running into Ei.
You move away from Thoma's side and place a hand on Ayato's shoulder. You smile trying to lessen Ayato's suspicion.
"He doesn't seem to be a bad choice at all. Going with him means I'll be safe and so will everyone else. Like he said, he's an awakened acolyte with a vision. Sara wouldn't send him unless she was truly okay with it. She's very cautious concerning these things after all."
Ayato looks down at you with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. If it was up to him, he would accompany you himself. Better yet he would keep you in Inazuma. He knows Ayaka and Thoma would be more than happy with that too.
But the longer he looks at you the more he knows that what he wants just isn't going to happen or work. The nervous smile you send him makes his heart flutter. With a sigh he nods.
"If that's what you wish Y/N then Shikanoin can escort you to the boat." And if his subordinate that is already stationed there reports back that you never boarded the boat then he knows exactly who to blame.
You smile feeling relieved that you won't have to worry about dying on the journey. Looking to Heizou you feel that relief turn to exhaustion as you imagine what the conversation during the journey will be like.
"You're Shikanoin Heizou correct? I'm Y/N, an oracle for the creator. Although I don't appreciate you eavesdropping, I am thankful that you'll be escorting me."
You walk forward and hold out your hand to shake his. Heizou looks at the two Kamisato's and honorary Kamisato behind you who are giving him varying levels of glares. Flashing a smug smile to them he shakes your hand.
"Don't mention it Y/N. You can just call me Heizou, we'll be spending a lot of time together on this trip after all."
You can tell he's saying that more to rile up the Kamisatos, but you tactfully ignore it and release his hand. Time to play damage control! Fun.
You turn around to face them with a grin. You were honestly going to miss them, a lot more than you originally thought.
"I can't thank you three enough for helping me out like this. Whenever I visit Inazuma again, the first stop will be the estate. Probably when the final ritual is occurring. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know, okay?"
They all gave you their own version of goodbye.
"I'll be eagerly awaiting your next visit." A sad but happy face hiding behind a fan.
"Come whenever, I'll make you more good food!" An excited and slightly melancholic expression.
"Don't sound so sappy, you make it sound like you'll die." A gentle look that alludes to the longing hiding behind it.
You can't help but feel a sense of dread rise up. As if the next time you see them won't be as happy as you think it'll be.
But that's the future. The future can always be changed. You shouldn't get so hung up and worried about something that is so far away.
To ease your worries and the sorrow you feel at having to leave, you wave to them with a bright smile. You follow Heizou who already began walking to Inazuma City's exit.
He isn't speaking, just quietly leading you through the city. You don't bother trying to break the quiet like you did with Ayato. You don't need Heizou's attention anymore then you probably have.
Your eyes trail over Heizou as you follow him. You try not to stare at his exposed sides but judging by the smile he gives you... He definitely noticed. Slu-
"Are all oracles supposed to be as perverted as you?"
"What do you mean by perverted? If you take my glances at you as perversion, then you're the perverted one. Aren't you cold?"
"It's not that bad. I'm sure you're at least a little warmer with that mask on." Here comes the questions.
"It's broken, any heat I could retained is lost through the cracks."
"Then why wear it? Surely the Kamisato's would gladly fund you more masks. So, what's so special about that mask? Why even wear it?"
Unlike Yae who was only interested in toying with you, Heizou is looking to solve the mystery. Plus, you had him which means he must feel the pull you give off as the creator. What's the point of being the creator if it only leads you to more problems?
Like it or not you're stuck in this situation and his intuition is like an otherworldly sense. Staying silent might lead him to arrest you, you can't risk missing the boat. So, you'll need to lead him around, a plan that just might work due to his own pride.
"Well why can't I? My mask isn't hurting anyone. Is your instinct as a detective telling you that my mask is important?"
"My intuition you mean. You're smart enough to get the Kamisato's trust and Madam Kujou Sara's trust. And I have a hunch that, that mask is connected to your oracle status."
"Doubting me huh? Well, you can't arrest me for wearing a mask or just looking shady so let's make this journey fun." You say with a smile as you both pass farms and the huge tree at the edge of the city.
"What are you proposing?"
"I guess you could call it a game. Your intuition seems sharp enough to pick up on any bullshit I spew. Ask me any questions and I'll give you cryptic answers. Maybe I'm lying, telling the truth, deflecting or a mix of them all. A test of both of our skills. If you can figure out why I'm hiding my face, then I'll tell you everything."
You actually mean it. Mostly because Heizou wouldn't believe you if you aren't being honest. If he can actually wait and listen to everything, then maybe he won't immediately attack you.
You know it's a stupid chance, but you can't risk being here any longer. You want to stop feeling scared of thunderous skies and lighting chasing your every move.
Heizou is quiet as he watches you while thinking. Should he accept this? His intuition won't stop nagging him to find the truth behind you. What does he really have to lose playing with you like this? With a smile he finally responds.
"Alright, let's see if you can keep the truth hidden as well as you think you can. Is that mask special?"
"Not really, I only took it because it was broken."
"Why would you take a broken mask?"
"The price of course, well the lack of price I mean." You only fibbed a little there. You have to test how well he can pick up on lies.
He hums in acknowledgement. It's clear he doesn't fully believe it. The game was right to dub him as a prodigy detective.
"That mask has the trademark of Mr. Sanden. He's a bit of a perfectionist, he doesn't sell any masks he isn't happy with. So how did you manage to get him to sell it to you?"
He's got home advantage too. But remembering Heizou's past made you recall his hatred for sin. You can't help but worry that he'll react violently if you admit your theft. That's what selective wording is good for!
"You got me. Sanden didn't want to sell it to me, but he eventually did let me leave with it. I'm thankful since the mask has served me well."
"Are you wearing that mask to deter certain people?" That little bait was a good deflection.
"Well, you could say so. Maybe I committed a crime that would be revealed with my mask off. Or I'm hiding an ugly scar behind it that I don't want people to see. It could be that I'm living a double life and this mask is the only difference between my lives."
You shrug and pass by the spot where you met the Arrataki Gang. Not for the first time you missed them. Sara included, at least you didn't need to think hard and fast on how to fool her.
"What do you think is the truth? Are they all true to a degree? Or are they all lies?"
Heizou hums and holds his chin looking like a true detective. You look a little closer to examine the moles beneath his eyes. It was pretty cool how he had matching ones. He snaps his fingers and points at you with mirth.
"Sounds more like two lies and a truth. Or maybe half-truth would be a better description. That double life choice seems to be on the right track."
He wasn't wrong, but the answer was much farther than a double life. You spot the teleport waypoint that you activated after defeating those treasure hoarders and nobushi. Are the materials you collected from them still bloody?
"Believe what you will. I don't necessarily need to confirm whether you got the correct answer."
"Getting a little defensive aren't you. Seems like I should ask you a little more about this topic. Where were you born?"
"I actually don't know." It's true, you had no clue what hospital or city you were born in.
"Then where did you arrive in Inazuma? Watatsumi or Ritou?"
"Neither I simply woke up on Seirai Island." You know he'll probably dig around for more information about this topic once you leave but you're okay with that. How will he tell which story on your appearance is true or false?
"I find it hard to believe that you don't remember anything beyond that."
"I don't have many memories before becoming the oracle. Realizing what I have to do ordered by the creator makes me believe that my past-"
Your rambling is cut off by the scoff he lets out.
"Man alive, no need to start preaching about the creator that I've personally experienced. I don't believe your words about the creator at all. And we got quite off topic, didn't we? Tell me, did the creator order you to wear that mask?"
What a question. Perfect time to test deflection.
"Would you stop asking me questions if I say that the creator did order me to wear it? Would you even believe me if I said that they did?"
"No."
"So, you're just asking to fuck with me?"
"Not necessarily, all these questions are just steppingstones to the truth."
"Fancy way to say that you'll ask me anything and everything."
"Glad to hear that you've already accepted your fate." This little shit.
You slow down your pace while passing by the temple. You feel a bit tempted to enter it to admire the murals. Heizou stops to watch you stare up at it in amazement. For an 'oracle' you seem mesmerized by the temple.
You jump a little as Heizou slings a arm around your shoulder and pulls you along the path again. Konda village is in sight and his breath is fanning over your ear.
"So, tell me Y/N, do you at least remember what region you were born in? Or at least lived in before becoming an oracle? Y/N isn't a very common name, in fact you're the first person I've met with that name."
"Well, I'm quite sure I wasn't born in Inazuma. I wouldn't call Seirai Island a home either." You nearly whisper as you stare straight into his eyes. You refused to be psyched out, not after all the other authorities you tricked on Earth.
He lets go of you and walks a little ahead of you. Frowning in confusion you speed up to match his pace. You barely catch the way his smile wavers a little and his hand toys with the baton on his hip. Was the previous proximity affecting Heizou too?
"What's wrong Heizou? For someone who I pegged as the teasing type you sure can't handle your own consequences."
Heizou smiles a littler wider contradicting how his eyebrows furrow. There's a large chance you're a criminal, something like that shouldn't have affected him so strongly. So why did you? Why did the heat of your body and smell of something sweet on you make him fumble like that?
"Speak for yourself, your heart was beating out of your chest."
"Even noticed my heartbeat huh? Sounds like you've got some sort of crush."
"You wish now stop trying to distract me. In fact, what about those writings on the temple walls made you so distracted."
"They were writing?" You questioned instinctively and immediately regretted it. The smile Heizou wears is victorious.
"Yes, it was. Do you know how to read?"
"No. Or at least not that well."
"Heh so that's a yes, just not in this language."
"Basically."
"Interesting and very believable. That writing was very old, but it was written in the universal language with Inazuma dialect. Meaning you should be able to at least recognize it as writing, but you didn't."
You're nervous but you calmly cross the stone bridge into Konda village. Heizou seems to want to ask something but the yells from parents interrupt him.
"Takeru! Takeru, you little rascal it's bedtime! Where are you?! Oh, where is he?" An older woman is calling out for Takeru who seems to be a child judging by the bedtime.
"Futaba! It's nighttime, it's not safe to be out this late! Futaba!" A much older woman with white hair is calling out too. You and Heizou pass by them a little concerned.
The sky is darkening but it's not pitch black just yet. Those children should probably still be out playing or something. Heizou hums and sweeps his eyes across the village.
"After I drop you off, I'll come back to make sure those kids came back fine."
"Is it normal for children to play without supervision?" The thought of kids playing outside when there are literal monsters around sounds unbelievable.
"It's quite common especially around villages like this where only elderly and children live. This is a farming village too so they're likely playing on the farm."
You nod and follow Heizou to leave the village by going under the flimsy looking gate. The sickle you picked up and put in your bag on whim still makes you uneasy. Your gut feeling made you pick it up and you aren't quite sure what to do with it now.
"I haven't forgotten about your slip up. So, either you lied about knowing how to read or you know how to read in a different language that has no roots in the universal language."
This guys just does not miss a beat. As you get closer to the beach area that leads to Ritou, you see a teleport waypoint. You couldn't activate the one in Inazuma City due to the crowd and Yae but this one could be used to your advantage.
You stop at the waypoint making Heizou look at you in confusion. You place a hand on the waypoint and relish in the new gold color it turns. Smugly you look to see Heizou staring at the waypoint with a shocked expression.
"Man alive, how did you-?"
He's cut off by a scream. It sounds like a young boy and you both look at each other in alert. Immediately Heizou turns and runs down the steps onto the shore with you following him.
The scream is joined by another scream sounding like a girl. You and Heizou follow it to the right and run past the waterfall and follow the dirt path. Blindly passing by a hilichurl camp you see a Fatui Hydrogunner and an Electrohammer.
You freeze up in fear as you watch a boy be slung over the Hydrogunner's shoulder and a girl try to crawl away from the Electrohammer. Heizou wastes no time to deliver an anemo infused punch to the Electrohammer giving the girl a chance to stand up.
You take a deep breath and move closer to hold the girl. She clings onto you in fear as she weeps loudly. You watch in a daze as Heizou continues dealing blows to the Electrohammer. At least until the Hydrogunner makes his move.
"Freeze or the boy drowns."
All three of you freeze as the Hydrogunner points to his gun to the boy's head. The Electrohammer hits Heizou straight in the chest with the war hammer knocking him back.
"Heizou!" You yell as you watch him hit the ground harshly. You yelp in pain when you're suddenly lifted up harshly by your neck. Struggling in his grasp uselessly until he squeezes your neck and throws you over his shoulder. The girl cowers and cries as she's yanked onto the other side.
Heizou stands up but stays in place as the Hydrogunner keeps the gun to the boy's head. You're about to wrap your hands around the Electrohammer's neck when he speaks.
"I wouldn't do that unless you want the boy to get blown to pieces."
You freeze before hanging limply over his shoulder. Everything is quiet save for the children's sobs. The Electrohammer starts walking farther from the city and the Hydrogunner does the same but slower.
You can only watch as Heizou's furious face gets smaller and smaller. They bring you and the kids to a camp close to Araumi. You land roughly on the floor with rope tied around you. A Anemoboxer who was waiting at their camp ties up the kids and drops them next to you. You give one last scathing glare before they close the tent flap.
Tense, you wait a few moments until you hear the muffled sounds of them talking. You turn back to look at the scared kids next to you.
"Hey, hey it's okay. We're going to get out of this, okay? Did you see that guy with me? He's a friend and he's really strong too. He's gonna get us out of here."
Their sobs slow down at your words and they look up at you. They have little scratches and scraps from trying to escape the Fatui.
"I want to go home, I wanna see Granny." "Are they going to take us?"
You shush them quietly to stop them from working themselves up into a crying fit.
"Me and my friend are going to make sure you get home safe. Why don't you both tell me your names? Mine is Y/N and my friend is called Heizou."
"I'm Takeru and she's Futaba." Takeru speaks with a waver as Futaba nods tearfully. They're still scared and the conversation between the Fatui is slowly turning into an argument.
"It's nice to meet you both, now I need you both to be brave and stay quiet for me." They both nod and you smile trying to offer some comfort. You couldn't let them take you and the kids' hostage again.
The ropes are tight around your torso and wrists, but they underestimated you. There is a pole in the middle of the tent with a wheel but it's the gear behind it that matters.
Carefully you move your legs until they are bent underneath you. You stand up and stumble a little to the gear. You can feel the sharp edges around the gear and smile.
At first you try to cut the large rope around your torso, but the rope is too thick and strong. You move your back higher against the pole so that the rope around your wrists is the one being cut.
Takeru and Futaba watch you in a mixture of fear and hope. You smile when you feel the rope give away and fall to the ground. With your hands free, you struggle a little to shimmy your bound arms to your front.
It's like wearing a really tight shirt with your arms still in it. Uncomfortable but not super painful. Once it's done you move to your bag that was thrown on the ground. Carefully you kneel and open it.
The game screen is deeper in the bag, and you shove your hand in to select the sickle you took from Konda village. When you pull your hand out it's weakly holding the sickle.
The kids smile as hope becomes clearer. The argument outside is getting louder. Yells of "this wasn't the plan!" and "we have to do it!" are making you increasingly worried.
Carefully you maneuver the sickle to cut the ropes without cutting your own shirt. The ropes break and you stretch your arms to get the blood flowing.
"Alright, I'm gonna get you both free but you have to stay quiet and listen to me or we'll get caught again."
They nod eagerly and you move behind them. You cut off the ropes and they stand up in a flash. But the loud sound of a punch cuts your victory short. Takeru and Futaba huddle closer to you in fear.
You smile kindly and hold out your free hand to them.
"Hold onto me, be prepared to make a run." They nod and grasp your arm as the sound of fighting gets louder. You walk closer to the tent flap and lift it to see the outside.
Heizou is fighting them all with a few wounds. The hit he took earlier must still be affecting him. This was not a good match up. Although the elemental shields aren't up yet, it wasn't an easy fight.
The Anemoboxer and the Hydrogunner are both healing and the Electrohammer is giving heavy electro blows. Not even mentioning the swirl that's happening. Once those shields come up, Heizou will have even more work to do.
The minute they have one of you hostage is when the fight is over. You can't let that happen. You can dodge but the kids can't. You eye the path and turn back to the kids.
"Listen carefully, you saw that dirt path they took us on? You need to follow it back to where me and Heizou found you. Just stay there and wait, okay? If anyone that you don't recognize starts coming. just hide."
You would rather them go straight back to Konda village, but you didn't want them at the mercy of the hilichurls either. They tremble but nod at your words.
You look out the flap sneakily and suck in a breath as the Anemoboxer starts heading towards the tent you all are at. Quickly you throw it open and drag the kids out with you.
The fighting freezes for a moment as the flap hits the Anemoboxer in the face and you push the kids in front of you. The Electrohammer and Hydrogunner look at you in surprise.
"Run!"
This springs the kids into action and Heizou delivers a charged up anemo punch to the Hydrogunner. Rain starts to fall, and the elemental shields were thrown up. The Anemoboxer has just doubled in your dangerous rating. The Anemoboxer reaches out for you making you jump back.
You just need to keep the Anemoboxer away from Heizou who's dealing with the other two Fatui Skirmishers. You keep dodging and running circles around him. You were mostly afraid of him using anemo to pull you in.
The fights weren't like watching it in the game. These guys bleed even while encased in the war machines. You hear the groan of the Hydrogunner passing out and smile crookedly. Was this fight finally going to be over soon?
The Anemoboxer leaves you to fight Heizou and you finally take a breather. Heizou doesn't stick to the Genshin game rules either. His catalyst follows him as he mixes up his normal attack pattern. Horrible timing but it's really cool watching him use anemo in creative ways that the game never showed.
The enemies seem to be in a rougher state. There's a three way stand off as they all stop to catch their breath. You see movement behind Heizou and feel your blood run cold.
"Heizou behind you!"
Heizou follows your words and just barely dodges the water blast from the Hydrogunner that was slowly getting back up. With one last fully charged kick to the head, the Hydrogunner falls down. The loud crack lets you know that he may never get up again.
The other two Fatui don't let the opportunity slip. With the Anemoboxer dragging Heizou closer, the Electrohammer slams the hammer down onto Heizou. You clench the sickle in your hand tighter as you can only watch in horror.
You stayed out of the fight for a reason, you couldn't fight you would only be in the way. But that's not an option anymore. Hearing his pained groans as he's punched by the Anemoboxer swirling the electro and rain spurs you into action.
While the Anemoboxer's back is turned you sneak up and raise the sickle. The spot in his back with no armor covering it seems to call to you. You slam the tip of the blade straight into it making him cry out.
You pull it out in a hurry and jump back as the wound bleeds more. The Electrohammer looks at you in surprise giving Heizou a long enough breather to get back up.
The Electrohammer and Heizou go straight back to combat as the Anemoboxer faces you. His huge gauntlets swing around trying to hit you as he coughs up blood. The ground is slippery, and it makes your dodging a little harder.
You jump closer to the boxer making him throw up his shield in reflex. Using the rain, you slide around him and slash his thigh to limit his speed.
The sickle's weight was clumsy at first but the more you traded blows using it, the more you came to master it. Gritting your teeth, you quickly stand back up after slipping from the wet ground.
Silently you urge Heizou to hurry up, you weren't sure how much more you could take. Your mask was starting to crumble but you pushed it to the back of your mind.
The boxer runs up to you in a flash not letting you back away fast enough. Reflexes are what save you from a punch to the face as you crouch and roll away. He's still bringing his fist back to defend himself giving you an opening.
You can tell something is different as you swing your sickle. Something about you is different that makes you wonder if you'll be able to finish the boxer once and for all.
Electro crackles around the sickle as you puncture his chest. The electro-charged reaction and wound seem to do the trick. The boxer stumbles and gasps for air.
You watch in horror and relief as the boxer falls onto the floor. You really killed again, and you used elemental to do so. You don't have a moment to stew on that though as you hurriedly dodge the now furious Electrohammer. The war hammer slams onto the ground and Heizou is quick to kick a projectile anemo shot to his face.
It knocks him to the ground, and you watch with unknown feelings as the mask he wears breaks. The fight is over, you and Heizou won. There's no time to wallow in self-pity, not as Heizou stumbles with a dazed expression.
You're quick to support him and he lays his bleeding head on you. You gently move his arm to wrap around you and do the same for him. His wounds aren't life threatening or serious, but he's been bleeding for a while. You need to stop the bleeding first.
Helping him gently you move him to lean against a small boulder. In a rush you go back to the tent and open your bag. You take out some of the leftover medical supplies you kept (stole) from the Kamisato Estate.
Slinging the bag back on you hurry to Heizou. The rain seems to be letting up as you examine him. His head is bleeding from a cut, so you bandage it first. His shirt is dyed red, and you lift it up and wince at the sight.
Multiple bruises and cuts cover his stomach and chest. That's gonna be a bitch to bandage, especially considering how much damage his back too.
"Sorry Heizou, this'll hurt." Heizou only weakly groans with his eyes screwed shut in pain.
Pushing the shirt as high as you can, you start wrapping it around him. Not the best solution but it's your only one with so little supplies. Heizou's consciousness seems to come and go as you finish and fix his shirt.
The thought of Heizou closing his eyes and falling asleep in such a state worries you. What if he passes out from blood loss and dies? Thoughts like that rise up and you grasp for anything to keep him awake.
"Hey Heizou, if you can respond to me in words. I'll tell you a big hint to my secret."
His eyes focus on you a little more. That's a good sign, nothing like baiting a detective like him with leads.
"Well, *cough* what hint are you *cough* going to give me?" His raspy voice and coughs worry you, but they seem to make him more awake.
"You were really close on me having a second life."
"That's it? That's a *cough* crappy hint."
You laugh at his remark trying to hide your relief. The fear of holding another cold body of someone you cared about still plagues you.
"If you want a better hint then you better drag it out of me as I drag you back to Konda village."
You support him as he chuckles at your words. He does his best to not lay too much weight on you but that's hard when his head is fuzzy.
The walk is quiet and with him so close you relish in the sound of his harsh breathing. It lets you know that he's still breathing, that you didn't fail.
You don't want to think about the person you just killed. So, your mind analyzes about the electro you wielded through the sickle instead. It makes a lot of sense that you can use the elements through a weapon as a medium. How could you have not realized that possibility?
If you continued training with it, could you eventually use electro without a weapon? Probably not but the idea of shooting electro is cool, nonetheless.
Takeru and Futaba are waiting nervously in the spot you instructed. You smile at the sight and wait till you are closer to call out.
"Futaba, Takeru! Over here!"
They smile at the sight of you both and run to meet you. Futaba frowns in worry at the sight of Heizou and you injured. Takeru tries to help by supporting his other side.
Heizou buries his head in the crook of your neck to hide the grimace of pain as Takeru touches the wounded area.
"Takeru, Futaba can you guys guide us to Konda village? It's an important job since we don't want to get ambushed by enemies."
Eyes wide they nod and walk a little ahead. They survey the surroundings seriously and nod at you firmly to show that it's safe.
Heizou keeps his head on your shoulder and mumbles. "Thanks, guess you're as perceptive as I thought."
You huff in amusement and continue supporting him until you all get to Konda village. The two women that were looking for the kids earlier spot you all and rush over.
They both hug their respective family members with tears in their eyes. It's clear that the kids aren't over the dangerous encounter.
"Thank you so much for saving Takeru and Futaba. You both seem very injured, please come to my house. I have some supplies that can help you both."
The village chief approaches you and Heizou with concern. You nod gratefully and help Heizou into the house. There's a small cot on the floor and Heizou lays down on it slowly.
Konda Densuke, the village chief comes back with a fully stocked medical kit. It's more primitive than the ones you are used to in Earth, but it'll work well enough.
"I'll leave you to it, once you're done, please come outside. I'll have something that can help that young man."
Quietly you thank the old man and turn back to Heizou as the door closes.
"I'm about to get pretty personal with your body, that's not a problem, right?"
"Why are you asking as if you weren't doing that earlier? Of course, it's fine, just don't be so obvious with your staring."
"If you weren't injured, I would hit you myself."
He chuckles and removes his cracked arm guards. You focus on taking out the bandages and ointment out of the kit. You leave briefly to wet a rag with water and come back to see Heizou shirtless sitting on the cot.
He smiles up at you seemingly more aware and alert. His bandages around his torso are stained red. Smaller cuts and scrapes cover his arms and legs. The bandage on his forehead is bleeding a lot less than before.
You kneel beside him and carefully remove the bandage on his head. Heizou bears the pain of you wiping away the dirt and applying the ointment well. The new patch is put on his head and your hands move lower to the bandages around his torso.
After unraveling it, you feel relieved that nothing has become inflamed or infected yet. The bruises on his back and front are tended to before you clean the cuts. You firmly wrap the new bandage around his torso. He only tenses up as you finish.
"This is only a temporary solution. Once we get to Ritou you should see a doctor."
"I will, I promise but I must say. This is some pretty good work, like you have experience doing this kind of thing. Care to tell me who you've helped before?"
He really is a nuisance. He was almost killed in a bad match up with three Fatui Skirmishers and his first instinct after properly waking up is to question you?
"Seriously? Not even a thank you? And my expertise comes from taking care of myself if you must know." Scowling with no real annoyance you put away the remaining supplies back into the med kit.
Heizou laughs at your reaction before placing a hand on your shoulder. He rests his head on the opposite shoulder and speaks softly. What is with this guy and leaning on you?
"You're right, thank you Y/N. Even with my suspicions, I'm still thankful that you helped me and those kids. I'm hoping that whatever secret you're hiding isn't one I'll ever have to arrest you for."
HIs bare bandaged chest against your back makes you embarrassed.
"Aren't you a bit too up close and personal with someone you're suspecting?" You say stiffly as he proceeds to melt even further into you.
"Getting shy?" He whispers teasingly. His face is dangerously close to your neck making you tense up further. You already knew that he was a flirt but isn't he moving too fast?!
Your face gets redder as his breath grazes your neck. People have tried to trick you in numerous ways before. That includes pretending to have fallen in love with you for information. Seduction never worked on you due to how untrusting you are.
But in Teyvat? Where the characters you found comfort in and loved? It was hard not to be affected or overthink things like this. While you were avoiding looking at him, Heizou took his time admiring you.
The flustered look on your face, your fingers drumming on your thigh. It was adorable how nervous you were. For a split second he remembered how comfortable you were around the Kamisato, how brightly you smiled. Did you get all flustered around them like this too?
A flash of jealousy engulfs him, and his body seems out of his control. His teeth lightly nip your neck making you stand up in a flash. Your voice is steady, but your heart is beating out of control.
"I'm going to see what the village chief had for you. Just stay here."
Watching you leave in a hurry makes him realize what he just did. Man alive, what the hell made him act like that? Despite the slight guilt from overstepping a boundary, he honestly didn't regret it. If he had a chance, he'd probably do it again.
When you come back in with two plates and a cup. Your face was back to normal, and your posture was relaxed.
"They were nice enough to make us some food and a drink to help with your blood loss. It's some citrus juice so make sure to drink it all."
Sitting down next to him, you pass him the cup and a plate. You eat the food and Heizou follows your lead. It's fine if you don't want to touch on what happened. Frankly he's still unsure why he's become so enamored by you as well. But at least he has a better grasp on you and your secret.
After eating everything you both return the dishes and thank the chief. The elderly women, Takeru, and Futaba all come out despite the dark sky. They thank you and Heizou asking if you need anything.
"Don't worry, I'm just glad no one got seriously hurt." Heizou tries to elbow you with playful intent, but you move out the way with a smile.
"Why don't you both stay the night? Those injuries must still be bothering you. We have extra room."
You only had some minor bruising compared to Heizou. The cuts and scrapes were no more than an itch to you. These kinds of injuries were normal to you on Earth. And you really couldn't afford to waste any more time.
"Thanks for the offer but we have to get to Ritou before the stars come out. Please stay safe."
You wave to them one last time before arriving back at the shore area.
"Seems like there's no more children being kidnapped, let's get across this area fast."
Heizou on the other hand seems content to just stroll along. Well, that wouldn't work for you, you could not miss the Crux. You stop letting Heizou walk a little ahead of you. He notices your absence and stops to look back at you in confusion.
You run past him and grab something from his side. You slow your sprint a little to face him as you raise your prize.
"If you want your jitte back then you'll have to catch me!" Spinning around you face Ritou's direction and continue running. You can hear Heizou kick sand as he chases after you.
He honestly could care less about his jitte. It's the sight of you smiling brightly as he tries to grab you that makes him continue chasing you. The wounds and injuries from the fight still ache but it's worth the pain. You're worth the pain.
You'll be leaving soon. You might be a fraud. Logic says that being so fixated on you so soon is dangerous and stupid. Yet his smile never leaves his face as he finally snatches his jitte out of your hand.
His intuition screams at him that you're so much more. That whatever you're hiding will bring him happiness of a lifetime. That you will bring him that happiness.
You stumble onto the stone pavement in Ritou as Heizou keeps his hand on your shoulder. You're both calming down from laughing at him nearly falling face first into the sand.
"How didn't you see that pile of crabs? Too distracted by me to focus?"
"What if I was? You can't tell since you nearly passed out from laughing at me."
"You can't blame me for that! I would pay good money to have seen you actually fall face first."
You walk past Ritou's town square as the docks and inspection tent get into view.
"Money huh? Is that the currency in your old world?"
You continue walking casually but there's no denying how you almost froze up.
"Is that the conclusion you've come to after all the questions?"
"My intuition tells me that I've barely scrapped the surface but I'm all out of leads. For now, my suspicion is that you come from another world similar to the traveler. Although I'm not sure if the creator ordered you to keep your identity secret. You do seem to be an oracle for them."
Psychology really was amazing. By getting Heizou so worked up about your mask, you managed to have him believe you to be an oracle. The minor fact of you not being from this world makes him feel accomplished in a sense. You let him figure out one secret to hide a bigger one.
"You really are a great detective. No one else has realized I'm not from this world but you. But that didn't answer my original question in the game. It seems like you lost Heizou, no secrets for you."
Stopping at the end of the stairs Heizou looks at you seriously.
"I really hate leaving mysteries unsolved."
"Then you'll just have to handle me being the mystery left unsolved."
"What if I just took your mask off right now? We both know I'd catch you even if you tried to run. Or better yet I could arrest you for any stupid reason just to take it off."
You can't stop the laughter that bubbles up inside you. You wipe the moisture from your eyes as your laughter turns to giggles. The main reason you were okay with traveling with Heizou despite his intense need to solve mysteries is because...
"That would utterly destroy your pride. I know that you dislike fighting, that the moment you're forced into combat while solving a mystery is when you feel like you lost. You take so much pride in becoming a detective that having to resort to force would be a low you'd never stoop down to reach."
He turns away with a relaxed stance. His head angled to the ground with a nostalgic smile.
"Guess you must have found out some of my private information through the creator. But you're right, I would never do that."
It's quiet as you two resume walking to the inspection tent. Ah crap, does the fan work as an ID for you too?
There's no line due to how late it is but there is a familiar person.
"Sara?"
She turns away from the inspector and looks at you with some confusion. The sight of Heizou next to you, so close to you, makes her frown.
"Y/N, a pleasure to see you again. I can only assume that you are leaving under the creator's orders but what are you doing with Shikanoin?"
"But didn't you ask him to check up on me?"
...That little shit.
Sara glares at Heizou as you mentally put the pieces together. Sara sees Heizou as someone irresponsible. There's a very low chance of her entrusting someone connected to the 'creator' like you to him. She would rather do it herself.
Ayato was right when he said that Heizou tends to skip or delegate regular Doushin duties to others. And that's because he has no interest in those jobs. Sara probably knows that full well and would rather avoid that outcome. Plus, Heizou even asked where you arrived on Inazuma even though you already told Sara that you woke up on Ritou.
"Shikanoin, that is not acceptable behavior for a Doushin. What explanation do you have for yourself?"
Sara's stern voice bounces off Heizou who is far too used to it. You didn't bother stepping in. Not only were you curious how he got to know all your previous information, but the sneaky bastard deserved it.
"Madam you really can't blame me for investigating on my own accord. Not only have there been some subtle rumors about a mysterious oracle, but you kept glancing at Y/N during the festival. As Y/N already knows, I listened in on their conversation with the Kamisato Clan for a bit before introducing myself."
"Even still, you know the proper procedures to investigate something. Now that you've already interrogated them, you should leave them be- What are those wounds?"
Sara's exasperated voice turns cold when she looks closer at you and notices the minor cuts on you.
"Were you attacked on the way here? Not only did the oracle get injured but you also investigated them in this state?"
Maybe you should step in now, Sara seems on the verge of throwing him in jail.
"It's fine Sara, some Fatui were trying to kidnap two children from Konda village, so we stepped in. Honestly Heizou did most of the fighting and is the real wounded one."
You smile and finish with an almost proud laugh. "It was impressive how Heizou had me fooled this entire time. I'm not mad at all so don't worry Sara. But thank you for being so worried."
You softly hold Sara's hands and give a grateful squeeze before pulling away. You step past her to talk to the inspector. This was gonna be a nightmare. You don't see the competitive glare Heizou and Sara give each other.
As you are denied exit permission due to your lack of identification, Sara and Heizou step in to help you at the same time. After a few minutes of Sara and Heizou vouching for you as third-party authorizers, you hand over the fan.
That seemed to be enough proof for them to hand you a stack of papers to fill out. You moved the monstrous number of papers to a crate. Paperwork that you had to touch to read before filling out, what a joy.
"I'll be leaving first. The Shogun requires my presence for an important meeting. Shikanoin, I expect you to be at headquarters to finish all the new paperwork you earned after pulling the stunt you did. And Y/N please stay safe on your journey, may the creator guide you."
"Thank you, Sara, good luck at the meeting! Oh, and please tell the Arrataki Gang goodbye for me too!"
Serious as always, she nods her head before leaving. Heizou moves to stand beside you as you start tracing the words to become readable.
"Why are you touching the letters? You didn't recognize or read the words on the temple so how does touching it help?"
"To put it simply I can read the words easier after I touch them. But shouldn't you be on your way too? Don't think I've forgotten how beat up you are. Go see a professional before every medical building closes!"
"Man alive, are you trying to get rid of me so soon? Why I thought we bonded so well over our time together."
You know he's just playing and teasing but the answer you give is sincere.
"I did, I had a lot of fun. Despite how annoying you were at times, I really enjoyed playing around with all the questions and answers. But I would rather suffer through all this paperwork alone then let you stay with me as hurt as you are. So do us both a favor and see a doctor."
His eyes widen for a split second before settling into something calmer and sweeter. Have you truly bonded with him enough for him to let such a pure expression show?
"Since you were so honest with me, I'll go now."
You smile gratefully and are about to voice your goodbye before he pulls you close to him. You stand in a stupor as his chest presses against yours. His whisper is low and earnest.
"It was a pleasure to meet you Y/N. I eagerly await your next visit to Inazuma."
He releases you before walking away smoothly. Robotically you go back to the paperwork and fill it out. It's probably best to not take his words as anything deeper than friendly. Heizou has always been a flirty character, you were nothing special to him… right?
The stars are out by the time the paperwork is handed in and you have permission to leave. Not wanting to look at the identification card they gave you, you stuff it into your bag for later use.
The Alcor is huge, there is only one crew member awake on the deck and you climb the ramp to speak to him.
"Hello, my name is Y/N, this is the Alcor correct? Here is the fan I was told to show as my ticket." You give the fan to him as he stares at it tiredly.
"I never really expected someone to actually bring it at one point. You must be Lord Kamisato's guest of choice. Come in and enter the doors on the right. The voyage itself is 15 hours but taking into account other things, the trip will take a whole day. Go get some rest."
He gives you back the fan, and you nod in thanks. As you walk past him to the right side, a voice calls out to you from the docks. Curiously you go the railing and look down to see Yae there.
You frown in confusion at her appearance. She must have arrived after you put in the paperwork. Surely, she overhears what Heizou said. Even so, the sight of the sly kitsune makes you automatically stressed.
"Catch." Is your only warning before a small box is thrown towards you. Catching it swiftly, you open it to see a mask inside it. It's a gold accented fox mask specifically designed to only cover the top of your face. The shine and lack of marks make it clear how new and expensive it is.
"An apology for bringing up an uncomfortable subject to you in our conversation. The war has affected many people but it's those in your position that suffered in ways others have not. I hope that whenever you come back to Inazuma, you'll have a lighter heart."
You close the box and smile at her with gratitude. It's a perfect mask for that creeping feeling of dread. This is now the second mask you've obtained from stealing. This mask could have been something different for someone who actually suffered due to the war.
Silently you wave at Yae before she leaves without any other words. You watch her form disappear around a corner as whispers asking, "Where is Captain Beidou?" and "Did she drag Kazuha to drink with her again?" roll off you. You can deal with that later.
The walk to an empty room below the deck is a blur. Your few belongings are on the table as you lay on the bed. The Anemoboxer that you killed rises up in your mind like a tide.
They were kidnapping children, that should be enough justification for their death. You don't feel like arguing that point. You also don't feel like thinking on how you'll deal with any future Fatui members either.
Instead, you ponder about the sickle you used that was encased in electro. If you activate other Statues of the Seven, could you unlock other elements?
Those were the only thoughts you allowed yourself to think about as you gradually fell asleep.
Well this took a while. If anything I blame the fight scene and Heizou being flirty. I did use my decently built Heizou and fought that exact squad of Fatui. He defeated two before dying (it was raining) meaning the outcome of that fight isn't off. I'm experimenting with different yandere types and how the interact. I'm sure most people would write Thoma and Gorou acting nice and trying to one up each other by being kinder while keeping their rivarly secrect. But I thought it was funnier if they were outright hostile and were very bad at hiding it. In case anyone is wondering, I will not be writing full on smut. I'm not sure how far I'll take it in terms of stuff like making out but it'll probably never get past a kiss or two. Maybe I'll change my mind but never smut. I'm far too embarrassed for that.
I never realized just how many characters I had to write until I put the tags. I don't want to know how many words it is but it's 13k. Which is honestly pretty good, I was expecting like 15-16k. I'm very glad that I split the chapter. With Fontaine coming close and the trailer out, I'll probably spend more time playing to make up the primogems needed. Maybe more readers will join with the new hype or players will read less due to the new updates idk.
Taglist: @vvyeislazzy, @nikqi, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @etherisy, @yourlocalstranger123, @ra404, @iruiji, @goldenglow149, @haru-tofuu, @lsleepysimpl, @bebobeboben, @yuyuzi-ling, @amidst-the-tempest, @resident-cryptid, @mxd1zzy, @mochicurls21, @nervouseaglelover, @thedevioussmirk, @yumuramma, @kwqsla, @undecidingfate, @ehjane, @game-savvy, @akiramirae, @sielt, @fluffy-koalala, @formacoon, @sxftiebee, @khxii-i, @ursinaw, @chuuya-brainrot, @sweetbills, @kazuchaos, @snowfoxnix, @bluebelony, @conspicuous-mayonnaise, @pencil-of-ashes, @ghostlyintervention, @taiformaifo, @sielt
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caesium-55 · 2 months
Text
—everything is orange. [ i ]
pairing: lando norris x kpop idol! reader
summary: a racecar driver who needed a fake girlfriend to dispel rumors and a kpop idol who needed publicity for her song. somewhere in between orange cars and orange sunsets, stands something they're afraid of naming.
author's note: i wont take tags for this im sorry 😭 also, i changed the faceclaim
masterlist.
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The room is dimly lit. You didn't like dim lighting. It reminds you of your childhood bedroom. A barely functioning lightbulb hanging on the ceiling, your mother never bothering to change it. You were too short to change it yourself. You asked your neighbor once to do it for you but he had asked for a night with you in exchange so you kicked him out of the house before he could change the light bulb. You chose to study under the sucky light which became the reason behind your poor eyesight today.
You sit on a chair across Atty. Kim Jin Hwang, HAN entertainment's legal representative and one of the best lawyers Seoul has to offer, with a table dividing the two of you. He’s a man in his fifties, quite close to the age of retirement. He’s a veteran and despite his age, his mind is still sharp. 
You refrain yourself from tapping your foot against the floor anxiously. Anxiety does not look good on you and you refuse to show people that you're anxious. Anxiety is weakness so you keep your posture straight and make sure to keep eye contact with Atty. Kim. If you look away first, you're a coward.
“Tell me honestly. Is this you in the pictures?” Atty. Kim Jin Hwang points at the pictures sprawled across the table. They’re blurry and grainy and incredibly zoomed in. You can't even tell it was you from some angles. You look quite different from the person that you were when you were sixteen. HAN Entertainment is particularly fond of investing in their idol’s plastic surgeries and while they only fixed your crooked teeth, removed the hump on your nose bridge, altered your uneven ears, bleached your skin, and plucked your brows—which are quite minor changes—you still hold very little resemblance to the teenage you. 
You grew up well. Thankfully, you inherited only the best parts of your parents. Or at least, the best parts of your Mom. You have no idea what your father looked like, only knowing that he was from Brazil or some country in South America.
“Yes,” you answer immediately, not bothering to lie. What is the point of lying anyway? People have been calling you all sorts of malicious names across different social media platforms and you’re sure Atty. Kim has seen some of them. There’s no point lying to his face and saving your image anymore. Might as well admit that you are exactly the kind of person they’ve been yapping about. An illegal driver. A criminal. 
“Why did you do it?” Atty. Kim asks and truthfully, you did not expect the question. You expected the what and how and where and when but never the why question. You fall into a thoughtful pause.
“I was sixteen,” you shrug your shoulders, almost uncaringly so. “I wanted to leave home as early as I could and to do that, I needed money. Nobody wanted to accept student part-timers and I tried doing stuff like tutoring and doing other people’s assignments but it wasn't enough. I have a friend who joins street races. He’s not a good driver but he’s got a good car. He really wants to win so he cheated and let me drive his car on the condition that if I win, he’ll split me the winner’s money. I did it. I won races in that car, acting as if he was the one driving it.”
Atty. Kim gives you a long look. You don’t know what it means. 
“Alright,” Atty. Kimlifts his chin and rises from his chair. “That concludes our meeting. In the meantime, you lay low. We’ll handle everything.”
You nod, “Okay.”
True to Atty. Kim’s words, HAN entertainment handled everything. They released a statement that you watched one race because you were sixteen and clueless and didn't know you were getting yourself involved in an illegal activity. It helped that you drove under a different name so people were easily convinced of this lie. You knew your friend—the owner of the car— wouldn't even reveal that it was you who’d driven the car. His ego would be bruised once the people discovered that he cheated on the street races and a sixteen-year-old girl with no license and no personal car outperformed him. 
Additionally, HAN announced that you were to depart your group—ORACLE—which absolutely destroyed you because ORACLE had been the place where you felt like you belonged. ORACLE had been your goal. You worked yourself to the bone to the point of collapse because you wanted to be in ORACLE and wanted to remain in ORACLE.
Nevertheless, you accepted your fate easily. There was no point destroying the other members because of your fault alone. 
Your members cried for a whole week after the announcement was made public through HAN Entertainment’s official social media platforms and you spent every single day you could still spend inside the dorm reassuring them, telling them that you’d still be there for them, that you’d be standing behind them in each step to their success. You loved your girls so much. You wouldn't even choose to leave them. If only fate was a bit kinder to you. If only life was less brutal.
Furthermore, HAN made you publish a handwritten apology letter. You couldn't remember what you wrote anymore but you did remember how heavy the pen felt, how your hands trembled as you wrote each sentence, how writing the damn letter took three hours because you kept breaking down midway. They announced your hiatus promptly after. They used the term indefinite hiatus but it might as well be retirement.
You can't believe that you suffered through sixteen years under the same roof as your incredibly abusive mother, left home with only a backpack and a paper bag of cash just as you hit eighteen years old, worked your way in the harsh world by juggling three part-time jobs and a scholarship-shouldered university education until a scout noticed you, undergone the rigorous and borderline suicidal training of a KPop idol to-be, and sacrificed everything you had—mental stability, blood, sweat, and tears—just so you could pass every monthly evaluation and become your company’s darling, only to have everything disappear because someone found pictures of you predebut in an illegal street racing event. Fuck. 
You were fucking sixteen at that time! You didn't know any better. You only wanted money. You didn't have a license. Getting one is too expensive. You borrowed a car from a friend. It's an unregistered car. You drove the car. You won races. You stopped when you turned eighteen. That was it. 
Knetz decided to crucify you for a sin born out of your desperation when you were sixteen. When a dog was hungry, it ate whatever was thrown its way, uncaring if the food thrown at it was good or not because its primary instinct was only to cure its hunger. It was not as if you sexually assaulted someone. It was not as if you bullied someone and involved yourself in school violence. It was not as if you drank alcohol and drove or even involved yourself in gambling. Sure, street racing was illegal but you never even hurt someone! You never even crashed into someone mid-race.
You’re sure you’re going to leave the company and you won't fight their decision if they want you to do so. People spit out their gum when they lose their flavor. That's also what the industry did. You saw it happen too many times to too many idols. They collect pretty faces, push them to their limits until they could be loved by the public and once the public decides they’re not worth loving anymore, they’d spit them out. You are a gum in this story.
You feel like you’re eighteen again. You want to run away from home all over again. You ran away from the house you were born in once and now, you’re going to run away from the house you worked hard to live in. You want to pack your bags and board the next plane to another country even before the light of the rising sun touches the ground. That gnawing feeling of not belonging to a place that’s supposed to be home kept tormenting the cracks of your heart and the only way to seemingly get rid of it albeit only temporarily is to pick up on your feet and run away, never to leave anything behind you. Not ghosts, not traces, not memories—nothing.
But HAN entertainment won't let you. Yoon PD-nim knocked on your door, a contract in hand. He offered you an apartment to live in, a salary, a place in the company, and told you to keep creating songs. HAN Entertainment knew your talent in song making and producing was partly behind the success of ORACLE, their rising girl group. You were too useful to get rid of easily. 
And like that, you spent the last two years making music for every kpop group under HAN Entertainment. You mostly made B-sides for the junior girl groups, AURORA and PRIZMA, and the title tracks for boy groups, HIRA and 1THEBOY. You worked for soloist, Ciel, once for his last comeback before his mandatory military service and worked on half a mini-album’s worth of songs for ORACLE every comeback. Thankfully, the songs gained positive feedback from the general public. That was your ticket to keep staying in HAN entertainment as a ghost producer and ghost song-writer.
Two years. You rotted in your apartment and the studio. This felt no different than the time you lived under your parents’ roof. You felt like a ghost, present but also not quite there. It's quite fitting, you think. You're a ghost producer and a ghost song-writer. 
This was not a life worth living but you’d rather a life not worth living than have nothing at all. 
You empty your fifth cup of coffee for the day—an unhealthy brew of Americano with five shots of espresso—before standing up from the ergonomic chair where you’ve glued your ass on in the last two to three business hours. The demo for Sunset Paradise is almost finished. There are still a few parts that need major adjustments and refinement but you’re confident that you’ll be done by midnight.
Manager-nim enters the studio just as you reach the door. You jump, almost kicking the indoor potted plant inconveniently positioned near the door. The caffeine made you extra jumpy today. Once you get over your tiny shock, you bow your head in greeting. Manager-nim mirrors your actions.
“You're still working?” he asks.
“You're still bald?” 
Manager-nim rolls his eyes at you, smiling. You chuckle. 
Manager-nim, or rather, Song Dan, is ORACLE’s manager. He is a middle-aged man who only came up to your shoulders. He’s shaped like a square with round glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. He treated you and the other members of ORACLE as if you were his daughters. 
“I’m going to go get coffee. You can sit here for a while,” you invite, gesturing to the tiny cream couch. You use your feet to nudge the potted plant and clear Manager-nim’s path.
“No coffee,” Manager-nim stops you, taking a seat. “That's enough coffee for you today. Sit down here. We need to talk.”
“You can't kick me out. I won't give you Ciel’s first post-military mini album and ORACLE’s summer title track if you do.”
Manager-nim’s eyebrows draw together, a vertical wrinkle appearing between them, “What? No. We're not kicking you out.”
Your shoulders sag, relieved.
“Yoon PD-nim wants you to release a single.”
At that, your entire body stiffens, eyes going wide as saucers. You let out a noise in disbelief.
“You're joking.”
Manager-nim’s face doesn't shift in the slightest.
“You're actually serious,” you rub your chin with your hand. 
What is Yoon PD-nim trying to pull now? Two years have passed since you’ve disappeared from the limelight. You're certain that you're not returning to the world of flashing lights and stage performance anymore and you’ve already accepted that your career has ended.
“Why?” your voice slightly wavers as you ask. Manager-nim sighs heavily, patting the vacant space beside him.
“Take a seat. We’re going to be talking for a while.”
The girl in the mirror stares back at you. She looks exhausted. She has deep bags underneath her eyes. Her shoulders are bony. They look like they're about to pierce through her pale skin. Her lips, which should be a nice shade of pink, are pale. Her eyes hold emptiness.
You pull your gaze away from your reflection and direct it to the bathroom sink, where a hair brush sits on the white tiles quietly. Fallen hair gathers up in its numerous sharp teeth. At this rate, you’re going to end up like Manager-nim—bald. 
You can't go bald. You have a weirdly shaped head.
“Yoon PD-nim wants you to release a single but before the release, he needs you to be in a PR relationship with someone.”
You hiss loudly, slapping a hand on your temple. God, you want to act like Manager-nim never said that. You don't want to remember it.
You? A PR relationship? With someone you don't know? How atrocious. You didn't even need to hear Manager-nim out until the end. You are out. You do not vibe with romantic relationships. They make your skin crawl.
“Listen, [Name]. This might be your only chance to come back again.”
“What if I don't want to come back again?”
“Then why are you still here? Why are you still making music? You're good at leaving so why didn't you?”
The public still terrifies you but you will never tell that to anyone. You can’t even go out and buy groceries without trembling. So many eyes. So many judging eyes. They're all waiting to destroy you again with their stupid eyes and stupid mouths with sharp teeth. A stupid PR relationship won't save you.
But what if it will?
You hold the edges of the sink and lean the majority of your weight against it. Your knuckles slowly turn white. Your knees feel weak. You close your eyes and let out a shaky sigh.
Why are you still here? A voice in your head asks.
I just want to be home. You reply.
Do it. This is your ticket to go home. It says.
You open your eyes and gaze into the mirror. 
Do you want to be home?
More than anything.
With a nod, you push yourself away from the sink and exit the bathroom.
Yoon Sang Hyuk, CEO of HAN Entertainment—the black marble desk name plate indicates; the text an intimidating shade of gold. The owner of the name sits behind the table, his legs crossed over the other. His face is sealed with a neutral expression. Suddenly, a satisfied smile works its way across his face and you swear the wrinkles that permeated his entire face doubled in amount.
“I knew you still had it in you,” he says calmly. “That's good.”
“Thank you,” you say, your tone coming out bland. 
“I’ll give you a manager and you are to leave for Singapore tomorrow.”
You nod, “Yes, Yoon PD-nim.”
“Oh and [Name]?”
“Yes, Yoon PD-nim?”
“I know you're smart and you're hardworking and you're strong,” he begins. “I am confident you’ll do well so when you fly out there, don't be intimidated by any of them. You're as powerful as them. Remember the reason why you're there in the first place and do what you think is best.”
“You're putting a lot of trust in me,” you observe. 
It's questionable; the amount of trust he’s giving you. You already expected that Yoon PD-nim would send out an entire escort team just to make sure that you're not going to mess up again and get yourself involved in a PR nightmare incident. Who knows? Maybe someone will dig up pics of you copying homework from your seatmate in middle school and crucify you for being an academic cheater while you're out there holding hands with your fake boyfriend.
“I know you won't make the same mistake twice.”
You finally catch the underlying message behind his seemingly harmless words.
Focus on coming back and don't make another mistake. 
You nod, “Yes, Yoon PD-nim.”
“Lando Kinder Norris,” you read the name on the folder, brows furrowing. That's a rather unique middle name. “British-Belgian. Born November 13, 1999—” 
It's good that your fake boyfriend and you were born in the same year. You're not very fond of age gaps.
“—in Bristol, England. Currently racing for McLaren. Car number 4. First entry is the Australian Grand Prix.”
Below is a series of long paragraphs detailing his racing history that you’re definitely not reading. Shoving the folder aside, you lean back into the seat and cross your arms over your chest. Your eyes flutter close. Jinnie, a HAN entertainment manager who looks like she’s half white and half Asian, gives you a judging look from her seat. 
“You should read it,” she advises.
“No,” you say.
“I spent hours compiling that information,” Jinnie frowns. 
“You compiled the wrong info,” you tell her, not even bothering to glance towards her. “Nobody will believe we’re real if I only know the things written in Wikipedia. You should have asked his PR team how he likes his coffee, if he prefers brunch dates or dinner dates, if he likes staying in or going out, if he likes the sunny weather or the rain, if he’d rather get food delivery or cook, if he’d like to hold hands and walk side by side or walk ahead of you so he can act like your guard dog. Those things.”
To be loved is to be known.
“You speak as if you have romantic experience.”
“Do poets have to experience the things they write poetry about?” you retort. “Immanuel Kant believed that everything depended on how individuals interpret and respond to his environment based on their personal opinions and feelings. I don't need to experience it to know.”
Recurring observations are your common source of knowledge. Reading is another.
And besides, this isn't your first PR relationship. You like to think that you know exactly what you're doing.
“Tell me something that's not written in the folder, Jinnie-ssi,” you open your eyes and tilt your head so you can lock eyes with her. “For example, why does a distinguished racer need a fake relationship? I can’t be the only one benefiting from this agreement.”
Jinnie purses her lips, “I don't know much.”
“But you know something,” you rest your chin on the palm of your hand. “Tell me.”
“There have been rumors that Lando Norris got a girl pregnant. The woman marched into Woking and demanded to see him. Apparently, he got her pregnant when they slept together in a bar,” Jinnie shakes her head. “It's a messy ordeal but McLaren recently proved that Lando wasn't the father. Too bad though, the public isn't believing them.” 
“And they think giving him a girlfriend would somehow make the public love him?”
“They need to show the world that their boy isn't an asshole,” Jinnie says. “That he’s a loving, loyal partner. That he isn't capable of committing fuckboy crimes because he has a girlfriend waiting for him at home.”
You snort. McLaren really decided that you’ll be the best girlfriend? How did they even know your existence? The KPop community and the F1 community are worlds far away from each other. It's easier for them to choose a supermodel, an American actress, or even a pop star. But no, they really decided that a washed-up KPop idol is a good girlfriend for their star boy. You can think of a few reasons why they chose you. 
“Are you sure he really isn't the father?” you ask. Companies can ignore morality for the sake of protecting their golden images. HAN Entertainment is no different. For all you know, you’re going to be fake dating an asshole who made a woman pregnant and refused to take responsibility. He’d be no different from your father who left your pregnant mother.
“Beats me.”
An hour later, the plane lands in the most expensive city in the world, Singapore.
You have three choices: a VAQUERA blue devil sweatshirt, Motel Rock chute trousers, and a Adidas forum low shoes combo, or a varsity baseball jacket, Bonbom rhee cargo pants, and a Curetty C round toe mary janes combo. You went with the varsity jacket-cargo pants-mary janes combo. You put on a bonnet to finish the look. When Jinnie enters the hotel room and sees what you're wearing, she immediately says:
“No. You're definitely not wearing that.”
“What's wrong with this?” you ask, looking down at your fit. This is what you usually wear. They're comfortable and acubi fashion is a trend nowadays. 
“You're a WAG now. Dress like it.”
Your eyebrow arches.
“WAG?”
“Wife and girlfriend,” Jinnie replies. Your confusion isn't absolved, not even the slightest. Your mouth pulls to the side.
“And how does this correlate to my fashion sense? Do race car drivers control their girlfriend’s fashion style?” you genuinely question.
“No,” Jinnie says. “But they’d prefer it if you dress in something befitting for a WAG, you know? Elegance? Classic timely looks?”
You put a finger up, “No.”
Jinnie huffs, “I’m not taking a no for an answer. Wear a satin dress. Wear cotton trousers and silk blouses. Look like you're from an old money family, not some hip hop dancer from the streets. You're no longer your own person, you are an extension of Lando Norris. You have to look a certain way, act a certain way, talk a certain way. Your goal is to make Lando Norris look good.”
You push your tongue to the inside of your cheek, annoyed. Your jaw is tense.
“And when Lando Norris looks good, you’ll look good. Good enough that the public will love you again to support your new song. Do you understand?”
She's right.
She's right.
You hate that she's right.
No matter how bitter the truth tastes, you are irrelevant and Lando Norris is your ticket to going back. In any other world, you will never ever allow yourself to become a jewelry for a man to wear. So you grit your teeth, keep the ugly prideful monster within you at bay, and clench your fists. You have nothing and when you have nothing, you need to be resourceful and make use of the people who have the things to push you to the top again.
You let out a sigh, “Jinnie, choose my outfit for me.”
Jinnie nods and leaves the room immediately.
It's three days before the Singapore FP1 2023. Jinnie drives you to meet Lando in his hotel. They organized a lunch gathering with you, Jinnie, Lando, and the other McLaren PR representatives who are responsible for this entire PR scam. 
You're wearing a Versace tweed cardigan and a boucle tweed skirt paired with high heel leather boots and Greca goddess large shoulder bag. All black in color. Jinnie is the one who styled your hair. She insisted on it actually, claiming that your beach waves hair isn't doing it. She flat ironed the hell out of your hair so now, it's straight as a pole. She also sprayed your bangs with strong hold hairspray to keep them in place.
The outside world is nothing but a blur of high-rise buildings and cement pavements as the car runs. You're picking on your nails. They're clean but bare of manicures. Your two pinky nails are a bit too short. You tried to stop yourself from biting them in the airport but you can’t resist.
Two years is a long time. A bit too long in your opinion. You don't remember the things you learned in your etiquette classes anymore—how to stand in the public, how to walk, how to pose in front of the cameras, how to smile, how to greet people, how to look completely in your element despite being anxious of having a thousand eyes staring at you, how to act as if you're not crumbling at the pressure of looking good for everyone. That's the only way they’ll love you. If you look good in their eyes.
“We’re here.”
You blink.
“Come again?”
Jinnie points outside the car window. The car stopped and you didn't notice.
“Sorry,” you mutter, flipping your hair over your shoulder. You let out a breath, roll your shoulders back, and push the door open. Your entire face relaxes and you smile politely at the valet when Jinnie hands him the keys of the car. You ignore the starstruck expression on his face as you gesture to Jinnie to lead the way, following after her but not before saying your thanks to the valet. You're polite. You're trained to be.
You keep your shoulders square and your walk confident as you enter the hotel lobby. There aren’t a lot of people inside. There's a family of four in a corner, a group of elderly people sitting in the waiting area, and a group of posh friends chatting near the front desk. You can see a few heads turning in your peripheral vision. You can't blame them. You can be stunning if you try to be.
Your heart begins to ram violently against your rib cage. A million butterflies infest your intestines. Your ankles feel like it’ll snap in half a few minutes later. Your mind chants: DID THEY NOTICE HOW SCARED I AM? DID THEY NOTICE HOW TERRIFIED I AM? DID THEY NOTICE? DID THEY?
You want your ball cap and your sunglasses and your face mask. You want to hide your face.
You have to control your breathing as subtly as you can but you continue walking as if you're the prettiest yet the most down-to-earth creature to ever grace the planet. You fix your hair again once Jinnie and you stop in front of the elevator. Jinnie presses a button and you wait. While waiting, you twist the sole of your boot against the floor. It's better than tapping it against the floor. The elevator dings and the two of you enter the empty box.
When the doors close, your knees give out. You slam your hands against the stainless steel walls to stop yourself from dropping to your knees on the floor. Jinnie’s hands wrap around your waist, supporting as you pull yourself up. Her face contorts in worry.
“Are you alright?” she asks. You nod quickly.
“Yeah, yeah,” you lay your palm against your chest, right above your drumming heart. “Thanks.”
You straighten up, tugging the hem of your Versace tweed outfit to smoothen the creases and fixing your hair again. You clear your throat. The elevator dings and the doors open. You step out and your mask slides in place. 
Jinnie leads you to a private dining hall. In the middle of a hall is a table occupied by five people wearing tacky orange-black polo shirts. You recognize one of them to be your fake boyfriend, Lando Norris. 
Jinnie had already shown you what he looked like in her tablet and a few printed pictures but the pictures didn't do him justice. He looks extra charming personally.
He's still not your type.
The entire group rises to a stand just as you and Jinnie reach the table. You give a ninety degree bow, hands flat on the collar of your top so you won't accidentally give the McLaren people a view of your chest. (It's not like they have something to see anyway. Your chest is flatter than a rice field.) The edges of your lips curl upwards in a polite smile. You see Lando, your supposed fake boyfriend, try to imitate the bow, although he doesn't go as deep as you did. Your head tilts slightly at his action. 
Jinnie is the first one who speaks, stretching a hand in front of her to shake hands with the McLaren team. She introduces herself in fluent English, “I’m Jinnie Jo of HAN Entertainment. It's a pleasure to meet you. This is [Name].”
They each introduce themselves one by one. Nicole, Greg, Kyla, and Louis. You try to memorize their faces and their names, drilling it into your brain so you won't forget. You're going to be working closely with them after all.
“Hi,” you greet them. You also shake hands with each of them. It feels weird, shaking hands as greetings. You are more accustomed to bowing. 
“Wow, Jinnie, your accent is good,” Kyla compliments your manager.
“Thank you,” Jinnie smiles pleasantly. “I was born in Chicago. English is my first language.”
“How about her? Does she speak English?” Louis inquires. He's giving you a funny look. You ignore it.
“She does,” you smile at him pleasantly. “I’m very fluent. You don't have to worry.”
Risha, the Canadian member of ORACLE, was the one who helped you master English. You even have a Canadian accent when you speak English because of her. Additionally, you also took language classes when you were a trainee—Japanese, Chinese, English, and you even requested Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Korean sign language. You dabbled a bit on Tagalog, too, because you know how large the ORACLE fanbase is in the Philippines. You continued taking the classes up even after debut, even after all the members of the group had stopped, because you wanted to master the languages for the fans, to be able to hold conversations with them, to connect with them. You only stopped going to the classes after leaving the group two years ago. It's nice to see that your English skills are still in perfect shape.
“Please take a seat,” Nicole invites. You and Jinnie sit down. You place your bag on the empty chair beside you and when you pull your gaze up, you coincidentally meet Lando’s eyes. They're blue and green with flecks of hazel dusted in the middle. It's the first time you've seen someone with eyes wielding three different colors. They're stunning.
You smile at him. He smiles back and then averts his gaze. You turn to Nicole, who’s sitting beside you.
“Now,” she says, putting two folders on the table. She slides them towards you and Jinnie. Jinnie picks them up. You don't. Instead, you stare at them. 
“What are these?” you question, slowly bringing your eyes up and meeting Nicole’s gaze.
“Contracts,” she answers.
“Contracts?” you echo, picking the folder up and opening it. You take your sweet time reading from top to bottom, tilting your head a bit to the side.
“You don't have to read it all. It's all just formalities. Just sign it,” Louis inputs. “Reading can be hard for you since it's not your first language—”
“I read just fine,” you interrupt, not glancing up as your eyes thoughtfully scan through the words printed on the paper. “Thank you for the concern but this is a contract that involves me and my future. I wish to know what I’m agreeing to.”
Louis wisely keeps his mouth shut. You put your hand on your mouth so you can discreetly smirk.
When you finish reading, you slowly set the folder back on the table. You press your tongue against the inside of your cheek as you tap your finger on the wooden surface of the table. 
“This is unfairly written, don't you agree?” you ask. “You're putting rather lots of demands on me but so little on him.”
From beside you, Jinnie thins her lips. You know she's also thinking the same thing. Fucking HAN Entertainment. They didn't even make sure that the contents of the contracts are not disadvantageous towards you. You are disappointed but not surprised. They really just sent you to be devoured by wolves and demanded you to not make a mistake.
McLaren also thinks they can just choose a washed-up KPop idol to cosplay as their golden boy’s trophy girlfriend and make her do all their demands with little benefits and zero complaint. They deliberately chose someone who still holds popularity but little power. Someone who needs them as badly as they need her. They chose you.
Assholes. The two of them.
“What do you want him to do anyway?” Louis sneers. His face is beginning to look a little too annoying. “He's busy building his career. All you have to do is support him and make sure everyone knows it because you have none. That's all. Or is that a little hard for you?”
Louis is getting this all wrong. Jinnie told you that you're going to fix his reputation for him so his career wouldn't be ruined. In exchange, he gives you publicity so you could bring your career back from ruination. This is not a parasitic relationship where only their side gets the benefits. How could you even work on that comeback of yours if you're going to be glued by his side? 
Your jaw ticks with restraint yet you choose to smile, “He’s not the only one building his career.”
You pick up the folder and toss it to Jinnie, who catches it skillfully. 
“Throw that away. We're flying home. I don't need a PR relationship to promote my single that much.”
Satisfaction fills you when their faces grow alarmed. 
Ha.
“Wait,” Kyla stands and she shoots a dirty glance towards Louis. Your eyebrows scrunch a little. “The contracts are open to revisions.”
You clap your hands together, smiling widely.
“Perfect. Jinnie, hand me a pen.”
The team leaves you and Lando alone in the hall to eat, to give you both a chance to get to know each other. 
You allow your eyes to scan the hall. It has a bright spacious ambiance. The windows are stretched from the floor to the ceiling, allowing as much natural light inside. Singapore looks absolutely breathtaking down below. The flooring is made out of natural pine and a crystal chandelier hangs atop the table where you and Lando ate. You keep thinking: what if it'll fall? You shake the thought out of your head and put a fork full of pasta into your mouth.
“Is the pasta good?” Lando asks. You nod, humming and smiling. You don't like it one bit. You're also mildly allergic to shellfish. You're definitely going to get a bad case of rash later. You hope Jinnie is prepared with a medicine kit. You forgot to bring yours.
You wipe your mouth with your table napkin, announcing, “I’m full.”
You have only eaten half the plate.
“Oh you have a…” Lando points at the corner of his lips. You wipe the same area in your face. “No, the other side.”
You wipe the other side, “Is it gone?”
“Allow me,” he says, standing up from his chair and leaning across the table to thumb the stain. 
“Is it gone?” you ask again. Lando nods.
“Yeah, it is.”
He goes back to his seat.
“Thank you,” you smile. “You're already doing great with the whole fake boyfriend act.”
A flustered smile splits Lando’s face, shaking his head.
“I try.”
“By the way,” you begin, leaning a little forward. “Did they also give you a folder with my information?”
Lando nods, “Yeah.”
“Did they also suck?”
He purses his lips.
“Well….” he drawls.
“You can tell me if it sucks. The one my manager gave me looks like it's copy-pasted from Wikipedia.”
Lando chuckles. 
“I mean, your biography is very…detailed? Too detailed, I think. I didn't remember most of them, sorry. I only remember a few of them. Like your birthday. January 1, 2000.”
“1999.”
“Pardon?”
You wave your hand in a theatrical flourish, “I was born in 1999. The company manipulated my public information.”
Lando’s brows raise in surprise.
“They do that?”
“You’ll be surprised,” you lean back into your chair.
“But why?”
“So every member in ORACLE can be born in 2000. I don't know,” you shrug your shoulders. 
“That seems like an unnecessary change.”
“It is,” you agree. “But HAN wants everything to be perfect. They see a flaw. They fix it to their liking immediately.”
“What are the other things that are a scam in your biography?”
“Scam is a big word,” you tell him, amused. “But I’ll tell you. In exchange, tell me about yourself. Not the info I can read in Wikipedia. In order to make this work, I have to know you.”
To be loved is to be known.
“Alright,” Lando says. “We can take turns asking each other questions.”
“Cool,” you bring a glass of water towards your lips, taking a sip. “I’ll start. How do you like your coffee?”
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janeyseymour · 2 months
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Hey so I was wondering if you could do a fic about a Melissa X daughter reader where we start working at the school and nobody catches on that we are Melissa’s daughter and the keep putting the pieces together until they finally get it. Maybe something like where Janine and Jacob go to Melissa’s house for cooking lessons and we are just like there and that’s how they find out. Or alternative idea where we are Melissa’s daughter and we start dating someone from Abbott like Ava or Janine and how that would play out. Sorry that’s a lot. Thanks
Relatively Related
written in the midst of the week before spring break and hoping that it isn't absolute trash :)
WC: ~2.5k
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Growing up with Melissa Schemmenti for a mother, you saw what it was like being a teacher. You grew up hearing the horror stories that came with being a teacher in a center city school in Philadelphia, and you knew the horrors of growing up in a different part of Philly and going to that neighborhood school. While she didn’t much mind what you did with your life, she had always thought you would be a good teacher. And when you decided to go to college for education at West Chester University, she knew Abbott would take you in a heartbeat. It didn’t even matter that you were her daughter and she was quite the accredited teacher- West Chester’s name had enough to secure you a job anywhere in Philly that you wanted. You had vehemently denied working at her home away from home for quite some time, and yet here you were, with a bit of nudging from your mother, interviewing to become the new third grade teacher at Abbott Elementary. 
“C’mon, hun,” she had sighed over dinner a few weeks ago. “I think if you would give it a shot, you would like it… I know Abbott ain’t no suburban school, but it’s a hell of a lot better than some of the places you’ve applied.”
“I just don’t want people thinking I got the job because you’re my mom,” you tell her truthfully through a mouthful of ziti.
“Y/N, if you wanted the job, I could get it for you without an interview.”
“Isn’t that essentially what would happen if I applied and checked off that I have family within the district?”you challenge as you raise a brow.
She rolls her eyes. “You act like they actually look at resumes. Please, they’ll take pretty much anyone who has a pulse and a certification… how you think I got stuck with Darlene as a part of my team?”
“I guess.”
“And besides, you have your father’s last name… how are they gonna know you’re my daughter if you don’t have my last name?”
You have to admit, she’s right. So you send in your resume. And two days later, you receive an email saying that they’d like to see you for an interview. 
Your interview is practically a joke, and you’re offered a job on the spot. That night, Melissa and her work wife Barbara take you out for dinner.
“To Abbott’s newest member of the team,” Barbara makes a toast to you. “May it take you far in life.”
That was three years ago, and since then a lot has changed. A new principal has come in, there’s been a massive turnover in teachers, and you find yourself as a first grade teacher now. The only thing that hasn’t changed? The only one who knows you’re true identity at the school besides you and your mother is that Melissa Schemmenti is your mother. 
This year, a few new teachers start: Jacob Hill as the eighth grade social studies teacher, and Janine Teagues as the other second grade teacher.
And as much as your mother loves to rip on new coworkers of yours, you find yourself quite drawn to both of them. Sure, they’re a little nosey and love to hear all of the new gossip and find all of the deep secrets that are hidden in the walls of this old bomb shelter turned elementary school, but you like them. They haven’t found you out, not that you or Melissa really care, but it’s quite nice to have that little bubble around the two of you. 
They’ve come close though. Like the time that it came about that you share a name with Melissa’s daughter- who at this point they’re starting to believe doesn’t exist with the lack of pictures or stories.
“I’m telling you, I have a daughter,” Melissa rolls her eyes as she taps away at her phone. “I’m texting her right now.”
That is true- she is indeed texting you. Sure, she’s just texting you to tell you that you need to pick up lentils on the way home, but she isn’t lying to them.
“Show us.”
The redhead rolls her eyes, but she shows the two of them your conversation. “See? I’m just telling her she needs to pick up lentils if she wants me to make dinner tonight.”
Jacob’s brow raises as he catches the name at the top of the screen. “That’s odd… your daughter shares the same name with Y/N!”
“Well that would make sense,” your mother sighs, and you know she’s about to just out the two of you.
“It’s not like my name’s uncommon,” you jump in quietly. “I mean… really. Y/N. Not the most unique name in the world.”
Barbara raises a brow in your direction, and you give her a pleading look. “She’s right,” is all your mother’s work wife says. 
That seems to stop the conversation for now, but the adrenaline rushing through your bones doesn’t quit until you safely pull into your driveway that day- lentils in hand.
“I’m home, Ma,” you call as you open the front door. Her head pokes out from the kitchen. “And yes I got the lentils.”
“Good,” is all she says before heading back into the kitchen. You follow in her direction and set them next to her before picking up the glass of wine she’s already poured for you and sipping on it.
“Aye,” she clicks her tongue. “No hello? No ‘how was your day?’”
“I saw your forty minutes ago,” you snort.
“An’ a lot coulda happened in forty minutes,” she replies. When you raise your brow at her, she sighs. “Okay, so in that forty minutes I drove home, changed into my lounge clothes, and started dinner… but I was also thinkin’-”
“That’s dangerous,” you quip. At the look she gives you, you raise your hands in surrender. You might be a grown woman, but Melissa Schemmenti was still your mother. 
“I was thinkin’… you reacted kinda weird when I went to say that you were my daughter.”
You shrug. “I just don’t see why it’s anyone’s business but ours.”
“There’s gotta be more to it than that, hun,” she says as she stirs in the lentils.
“Jus’ don’t want anyone thinkin’ I’m some sorta nepo baby,” you sigh. “I got this job on my own, an’ I don’t need shit from the Abbott crew.”
“They ain’t gonna give you shit, ‘specially once they know you’re mine, and I know a guy,” she laughs,
“Little do they know, half the time, I’m your guy,” you tease her.
“Well, if that’s what it is, that’s fine. I won’t say nothin’.”
“Thanks Ma,” you smile as you kiss her cheek. “I got some grading to do, so if you have anything that needs graded, just put it next to my stack.”
As time goes on, the group starts to catch on a bit more… like:
The fact that you’re just as good a cook as your mother. You’re always bringing in new things in your Tupperware containers- that just so happen to match Melissa’s… because they came from the same house. You quickly cover that one up with a roll of your eyes and a, “So we both shop at Marshalls, the containers ain’t that special.”
Or when you manage to get pink eye from one of your kids, and Janine notices that you have the same emerald eyes as your mother. “Green eyes aren’t as rare as you think, Janine,” you huff as you grab your lunch from the fridge before leaving for the day.
There’s the instance where you’re getting fiercely protective of your students as one of the teachers from Addington makes their way over to flaunt the fact that they have more resources down the street, and you fold your arms over your chest and square up with the woman in true Schemmenti fashion. That time, Gregory takes notice, but he’s new at this point, and you just roll your eyes as you storm away down to your mother’s room to rant. 
But no one ever really finds out. Not until…
“Kid, I’m having some people over for dinner tonight,” your mother tells you. “You joining?”
“Nah, I have some grading and prepping to get done tonight if I can,” you say. “But can you save me a bowl?”
“For a price,” she smirks.
“Hand me your spelling tests I know you’ve been stalling on grading,” you chuckle. She just points to her bag, and you go and pull them out before heading up to your room. “Have fun with your friends tonight. Love you, Ma.”
“Love you too, you little shit,” she calls back lovingly.
You’ve spent hours grading papers, and now you’re pouring over your lesson plans for the next week. You realize that you should probably do a craft that has to do with the upcoming holidays, and you find a few cute ones online. You know that you and your mother have a plethora of crafting supplies in the basement- you just don’t know what of. So, you start to make your way down the steps when you hear two very familiar voices: Jacob’s and Janine’s.
Knowing though that if you don’t go and look in the basement now, you never will and will just end up buying all new supplies and adding to the ridiculous amount of pipe cleaners and glitter glue you have stashed away.
You make your way through the kitchen. The three of them seem to be deep in a cooking lesson while also snacking on a few of the things your mother had already whipped up and don’t have a clue you’re walking through.
“You need any crafting supplies while I head down and see what we have?” you casually ask your mother as you pass.
You stop to watch as your two coworkers’ heads whip around in a near comical unison, mouths dropped in shock.
“Y/N?”
“Hey,” you give a half-committed wave. 
“What are you doing here?” Janine asks.
You furrow a brow and fold your arms over your chest. “I live here?”
“You live with Melissa?” Jacob gasps.
“Yeah? She’s my mom?”
“She’s your-“ Janine points a finger at you before turning around and looking at Melissa. “You’re her-”
“I told you guys I had a daughter, that she wasn’t fake,” your mom smirks. “You believe me now?”
“How did we never know?!” Jacob admonishes.
“Well, for starters: I don’t have the Schemmenti last name. Secondly, who’s business is it to know who my mother is?” you quip. “You know how private the Schemmenti family can be.”
They both look beyond shocked. “Well, why don’t you join us?”
“I really do have to go check for pipe cleaners and paper plates, and I know how to cook,” you laugh. “But I’ll see y’all tomorrow.”
You head down the steps, and you hear your mother call, “The big jawns!”
“That’s what I figured, Ma!”
“What the hell?” Jacob whips around to your mother, and you laugh because you know she’s about to get grilled on the fact that you were indeed her ‘secret’ daughter.
You find what you need before heading back up the steps and for your room. “Have a good night y’all!”
The next morning, you’re sitting in the lounge sipping your coffee and sulking over the fact that you forgot your lunch on the counter this morning. Luckily for you, your mother brings it with her when she sees that you left it on the counter. She slips it into the staff fridge before sending you a text that it’s there. She preps her coffee and settles in next to you to grade a few more papers before everyone else stars trickling in to watch the news.
“Uh, hello?” Jacob questions when he walks in and everyone else is here now too. “Are we not going to talk about this?”
“Talk about what?” you and your mother ask at the same time.
“You two!” He gestures wildly between the two of you. “That you guys are related!”
“You two are related?” Gregory asks with a brow lifted.
“Uh, yeah!” Janine tells him.
“How do you know?”
“She told us last night when she called Melissa ‘Ma’!”
“Why didn’t any of us know this?” Jacob continues on.
“Know what?” Ava asks as she comes waltzing into the lounge to grab a coffee.
“That Melissa is Y/N’s mother!”
“I knew,” Barb states with a smirk on her face.
“Oh, damn! I was starting to think Melissa being a milf was just a rumor. I am happy to find out that it is entirely the truth,” the principal grins. “Greg, grab me a tea bag so I can sip on this tea!”
“There isn’t any tea, Ava,” you roll your eyes. “Yes, Melissa is my mom, but it really ain’t that big a deal.”
“Oh, it definitely is! Why were you so secretive about it?! Hmm?” Jacob asks as he sits next to you.
You shimmy away from him just slightly with a huff. “Because nobody needs to know a Schemmenti’s business except a Schemmenti. And, I didn’t want nobody thinking I got this job because of who I’m related to.”
“Y/N, please. You’re good at what you do, hun! You could get this job without the Schemmenti name, and you did!” Your mother cuts in and jostles you slightly.
“I also didn’t want to hear you-“ you look to Ava. “-calling my mother a milf more than I already do.”
“She is! And now that I see the two of you next to each other, I definitely see where your future is heading too!”
“Ava!” You, your mother, and the rest of the group scold.
The principal just shrugs. “Jus’ sayin’ the truth. Bye, y’all.”
Once she’s gone, you’re bombarded with questions. What’s it like having Melissa for a mother? Is your father really as bad as your mother makes him out to be? What was it like growing up? If you saw the horrors of Abbott, why did you work here? What were you like as a child?
“Enough,” you finally groan. “This is why I didn’t want people knowin’. I may be Melissa’s daughter, but-”
“Isn’t it weird calling your mom by her first name?” Jacob cuts you off.
“I’ve been yelling her first name since I was fourteen and realized she didn’t always respond to Mom or Ma, but always Melissa,” you reveal. “Now: she may be my mom, but I’m still a damn good teacher who got this position on my own volition. And y’all better stop asking these questions, or I know a guy.”
“And I’m the guy,” you mother states proudly, a proud grin on her face.
“No you ain’t. Uncle Vin is my guy.”
“While we’re at it,” Melissa sighs. “Stop asking me to get weed from my guy and just ask Y/N instead. She’s my guy for that.”
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“are we going to talk, or are you going to keep walking away from me.” with peter parker butttt maybe with a happy ending :)
Don’t Be A Stranger
--genre: fluff & angst
--pairing: college!tasm!peter parker x college!gn!reader
--word count: 0.8k
--warnings: mentions of drinking, mentions of being drunk, angst, fluff, language, peter is mean in the beginning.
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--gif credits: the very talented, the very amazing, @sincericida
You wish you weren’t here right now, but you needed to be. Your friend, Erica, called you, slurring her words, and clearly not in the right state of mind to be out like this. As soon as she hung up, you made your way downstairs and walked to her location, the party only being a few blocks away. 
A crowded, smelly, and sticky house party was the last place you wanted to be tonight. You’re still in your pajamas, your current state barely making you the center of attention though, the people around you too gone to notice. 
The only person that did notice you was Peter, of fucking course, locking eyes with him from across the packed kitchen. You knew he’d been having a hard time lately, his temper teetering on the edge of madness. In the beginning, you thought that being there for him would be helpful, but god were you wrong. 
Peter blew up on you, and it wasn’t something that was resolved quickly. His words were not stopping as soon as he found something, or someone, to go off on. It seemed to never end, it was like his mouth was spewing hate, and it just so happened to reach you. 
Peter has never done anything like that before, never. So when it did, you stepped back in shock, how could your Peter say such awful things to you? There was a slight hesitation as you left his apartment, heading straight for yours. His voice was faint as you stormed out, hearing a soft ‘baby, wait’. That was a week ago. 
Seeing him at the party was the first time you’ve seen him since then, your heart beating fast and hard the second you two made eye contact. Setting his cup down, he starts to walk towards you, a sense of urgency in his step. You needed to find Erica, you didn’t have time for this. As if on cue, the girl you’ve been looking for attacks you in a bear hug. “(Y/N)! I’ve been looking for you all night,” her voice suddenly became very loud in your ear.
You hold her up, putting one arm around her torso, “I just got here?”
“Oh, right,” Erica’s eyes suddenly droopy, “I wanna go home.”
With that, you started walking very slowly towards the door until a familiar voice called out your name. Turning your head, you see your boyfriend, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. You ignore him and keep walking, Erica is too out of it to realize the situation at hand. 
Peter calls out for you once again, the noise level lowering as you three make your way away from the commotion, “Are we going to talk, or are you going to keep walking away from me?”
You were face to face with the door when he said that, taking a breath before twisting the handle and pulling it open. Without missing a beat you reply, “I don’t know, are you going to yell and berate me again?” 
You only make it a few steps past the threshold before Erica's dead weight becomes too much for you to handle, slowly pulling you to the floor. But Peter’s stronghold prevents you from fully collapsing. He’s situated himself on the other side of her, slinging her arm on top of his shoulder and wrapping his other arm around her back, his hand coming close to touching yours. Now you really couldn’t escape him. 
He wastes no time before speaking again, the silence of the elevator making you anxious “Bug, I’m so fucking sorry. I shouldn’t have blown up at you like that. I want to use my shitty few weeks as an excuse, but truthfully there is no excuse for the way I spoke to you. God, I’m so sorry (Y/N). This will never happen again, and I swear by that.”
Making your way down to the ground floor, you gaze up at Peter with a conflicting look. You know that what he did was wrong, there’s no doubt about that, but why was it so easy for you to forgive him? He slides his hand towards yours, connecting you two together for the first time in a week. You hate to admit that you have missed his touch, the one thing that could make you crumble. 
“I accept your apology, but let’s get her home, she’s pretty out of it.” 
With a nod, you and Peter walk to her apartment, leaving her with her boyfriend who couldn’t make it tonight. 
Walking back onto the dark street, you look up at Peter. You grab his hand, “Sleep over tonight?”
He squeezes your hand, “We’re okay, right?”
“Yeah,” you sigh, “we’re okay, Pete.”
--author's note: a small break from the steamy hot smut! thank you nonnie for submitting this!! i'm always a sucker for some angst tbh, and i love peter;) keep sending in requests!! my inbox is open and my 200 follower celebration is happening right now babe, what's stopping you?? don't forget to like, comment, and reblog if you see something you like. ok, bye ily<333
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maliland · 3 months
Text
RESENTMENT: PT. 2
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"how could you lie?" part one angel(s): e-42 miles morales & black fem reader includes: angst, infidelity, homewrecking, depressing themes, & heartbreak (men being disappointments per usual) synopsis: you used to describe your experience with love as one of complexity and simplicity all at once, but after you learn what your boyfriend did at a party with another girl while you were at home and sick, your heart is left with irreparable damage and an abundance of resentment. wc: 6.7k divider by @/cafekitsune a/n: this is gonna be my last sv fic for a hot min (or forever) 😭 savor and enjoy. ik the tag has been dead and you all have been malnourished, so yw! <3 icl, idk how i feel about it but y'all can lmk 🫶 (p.s: before ppl start nothing non-pg ever happened in this fic at any point in time. just kissing. ion get down like that 👍 thanks.)
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when you arise in the morning and before you lay your head to rest at night, one thing is always definite: you are human.
humans are imperfect, so they make mistakes. genuine ones. honest ones. you’ve mixed up salt and sugar while baking chocolate chip cookies. you’ve hit your best friend square in the face while trying to spike a volleyball. you’ve missed assignment deadlines, forgotten about chores, and left the grocery list at home, all honest mistakes. a boy pressing his lips to another girl’s, though he has another he calls his own, is not a mistake. if it were up to you, it’d be a crime punishable by execution. between miles and yourself, no mercy was shown for the loyal one of you two, so why should he be granted any? infidelity; the act itself is the murder of the most important, sacred muscle, so why not return the favor?
you know your intentions before you give into the temptation of them. you knew miles knew. he knew from the moment that girl pulled him over to a vacant bedroom. did he think they’d simply exchange pleasantries? even so, why partake in such with someone who clearly has a taste for you? a taste for insulting the one you love most just as easily as she breathed?
these are all questions that would never be answered truthfully. you’d have to make peace with the reality or the only peace you’d know was the eternal kind that followed after death. and to think that you once believed in those stupid children’s fairy tales. miles made you believe that that kind of love could be real life. he almost made you believe you could attain the happy ending you always dreamed about. you were so close to it too. to have your bubble burst like that by the person you love most..? cold. way colder than the shivers repeatedly sinking down your spine.
it was a stupid idea to leave your window open.
the medicine you had taken for your cold had you knocked out in the warmth of your bed and you slept soundly. the chilly air would blow through the curtains now and then. the wind was only a light breeze at first. it felt nice, maybe even comforting, but when night finally fell, the current picked up. you were woken up by an icy blast hitting your face.
you groaned and slowly rose up, pulling the covers off of you before you swung your legs off of the bed. you drowsily staggered to your window and forced it shut, drawing the curtains closed only seconds afterward. you would just have to hope the mishap wouldn’t make you any sicker than you already were. you mindlessly carried yourself back to your bed and submerged yourself under the covers. you grabbed your phone, which was lying face down beside you.
you unlocked your phone and went straight to instagram, tapping through everyone's stories. most of the people you knew were at the party. parties weren't your cup of tea, so you couldn't really say you wished you had gone. you were more of a homebody than you'd like to admit.
you eventually got to miles' story. all he had posted was a single picture of him and his group of friends, and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. seeing your boyfriend happy made you happy. you smiled to yourself before switching to your messages app. you had notifications from both miles and your friends who were also at the halloween party. you opened miles’ messages first.
9:37pm
miles: hey ma (9:37 pm) miles: i know you’re probably sleeping right now, but i wanted to lyk that i got here okay (9:37 pm) miles: i’m with my friends (9:38 pm) miles: ima go now but i love you 💗 i’ll text you soon (9:39 pm)
10:23 pm
miles: yooo just checking in 🙌 miss you a lot (9:36 pm) miles: hope you’re enjoying that nap ❤️❤️(9:37 pm)
you: hey i’m up now 😈😈 (10:52 pm) you: i saw your ig story 🙃 looks like you guys are having fun so i’ll leave you to it (10:52 pm) you: text me later, i love you so much more 💓 (10:53 pm)
you swiped out of your text thread with miles and opened your group chat with your three best friends, sasha, lani, and nae. while you met sasha and lani not too long ago, you’ve known nae for damn near your entire life.
dollz 💘 9:13pm
sasha: how’s my bedridden baby? 🫶🫶 (9:13 pm)
lani: she’s been unconscious for mad long 👎(9:14 pm)
nae: we should ditch this party n go to her place instead i’m BOREDDD (9:16 pm) nae: and what if bro’s dead (9:16 pm)
jana: girl (9:20 pm) jana: she ain’t dead 🤦‍♀️ please. (9:21 pm)
sasha: ofc not (9:23 pm) sasha: nae's right.. this party lowk boring asf🧍‍♀️ can we leave soon? (9:25 pm)
jana: yes 💋 (9:25 pm)
nae: thought you’d never ask. (9:26 pm)
10:57pm
you: y’all i’m up damn! 😭 (10:57 pm) you: is it really that boring? miles seems to be having fun (10:57 pm)
nae: he buggin then cuz it's been like two hours and this party is STILL boring as shit (11:01 pm) nae: i tried to give it the benefit of the doubt but nvm. (11:01 pm) nae: my niece's fourth birthday party was x100 more turnt than this (11:02 pm) nae: i’m stuffing all the good snacks in my purse nd then we outta this bitch 🏃‍♀️ i’ll be in the car y’all (11:02 pm)
jana: bruh🧍‍♀️ (11:03 pm)
sasha: nae beloved, you already put hella snacks in the passenger seat (11:03 pm) nae: so? 🥱 (11:04 pm) sasha: you don’t need no more tf 😭😭 big backed hungry ass (11:04 pm)
you: yes she does (11:10 pm) you: she’s thinking of me, duh (11:11 pm)
sasha: damn you right.. maybe 🤷‍♀️ (11:15 pm) sasha: or maybe she'll eat up all the snacks and i'll laugh in your face and say i told you so 🤌 (11:16 pm)
jana: uh huh... anw girl can we come over? (11:18 pm)
you: i’d say yes but miles is coming over soon (11:21 pm) you: y’all can come over first thing tmrw morning tho 💋💋(11:21 pm)
right as you sent that message, your phone began to ring and you were met with your own puzzled reflection on the screen of your phone. it was a facetime call from nae. you couldn’t come up with a reason why she’d ever need to facetime you from a party when she could text or call. nevertheless, you picked up. you forced yourself up and out of you warmth of your bed, throwing your comforter and many, many blankets off of you.
you answered the facetime call as you turned the knob to your bedroom door to leave, making your way downstairs to the kitchen so you could raid the pantry for food. when nae’s face popped up on your screen, you noticed that the interior of sasha’s car surrounded her, but neither sasha or lani were anywhere to be found.
“hey danae, what’s up?” you said into the phone as you shut the microwave. you'd settled on instant ramen since you were feeling lazy. when you caught a glimpse of your best friend's face on your phone screen a second time, you clocked that she looked worried and that made you worried too. it didn't help that she was dead silent. you raised an eyebrow. “you alone? where’s lani and sasha?"
“something happened,” nae spoke slowly, disregarding your question. her eyes were bolting back and forth between her phone camera and sasha’s car window.
“what?” you shook your head, your eyebrows furrowing in concern. you set your phone down on the counter, propping your elbows onto the surface while you tried to decipher nae's expression, but that got you nowhere.
“i’m gonna send you something. just hold on a sec.”
“nae, what’s going on?” you inquired, a puzzled expression painting your face.
she didn’t reply. you pressed your lips into a thin line and closed your eyes in both confusion and frustration, strings of air passing through your nostrils. whatever nae was about to tell you was obviously nothing good. you didn't anticipate anything but the absolute worst. you opened your eyes again when your phone dinged. it was photo attachment from nae. you furrowed your brows blinked a few times before tapping it, pulling up you and your best friend's text thread. your entire body went limp when your brain registered the monstrosity on your screen. all you could do in the moment was stare in shock. it was a clear shot of miles and arielle at the party making out in some random bedroom upstairs. arielle who wouldn’t quit making moves on miles. miles who would shut down her pathetic attempts every time. arielle who’s always hated your guts without reason. miles who swore on everything that you were the only one he loved. 
it was all so ironic, truly. arielle was dressed as an angel, a sparkly halo hovering above her head as if she wasn’t concomitantly sinning—shamelessly home-wrecking. and you could see it now: the embodiment of your relationship, or the so-called home you and your boyfriend shared. in your mind, it was ablaze and you were curled up all alone inside of it. you were left to succumb to the searing flames, burning to nothing ash while all that you and miles share burned beside you. 
the boy would come home to the walls still burning and in the process of self-purging. he wouldn’t find you, rather the remnants of what used to be you. the ash would slip through his dirty, unfaithful fingers as they trembled in horror. he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. he’d desperately try to grasp you. he’d try to save you and scoop debris into his sweaty palms so he could salvage what was left of you. still, there was nothing. there wasn't a single thing in the universe that could aid the way you felt in that moment.
now, miles would have to mourn you, for he killed you. and he didn’t even know it yet.
your eyes were squeezed shut because they had to be deceiving you. you must not be fully awake yet. the medicine must be making you hallucinate. you were dreaming. you were a hundred percent dreaming. that wasn’t miles. 
how could that be miles?
“i was looking for lani and found… them instead,” nae muttered. “i don’t know if he saw me take the picture, or what. i left to tell you right after.”
you swallowed hard. though a million different thoughts were racing through your mind, none of them came to be verbal. you couldn’t bring yourself to say anything, because what do you even say when something like this happens? would anything you said be enough? would any quantity of words in any given order be able you place the way you felt? unlikely. highly.
your eyes continue you gape at the photo, even though the sight was making your stomach churn. you couldn’t look away. your eyes were fixed on miles' hands on arielle's hips, then her hands cupping his cheeks. nae was still on facetime explaining whatever it was she was explaining, but you weren’t listening. her words were static to your ears. there was a pit in your stomach and it was growing deeper and deeper, your wounded heart subsiding along with it. you set your phone face down on the kitchen counter and began to clutch your stomach. you swore you were going to convulse and vomit from how ill you felt.
“[name]!” nae snapped her fingers into the mic. “yo, you still with me? i’m coming over. i’m gonna call an uber right now.”
you blinked and shook your head, flipping your phone back over and taking a deep breath. you couldn’t just shut down, not now. you had something you needed to confront. someone.
“no,” you sniffled. 
you didn’t even notice the hot tears rolling down your cheeks. you quickly swiped them away with the sleeve of miles’ hoodie. the realization that it was his hoodie you had on made you freeze up again for a few seconds, and then you buried your face in the palms of your hands.
“what do you mean ‘no?’” nae frowned, bringing the speaker up to her ear in case she heard you incorrectly.
your phone dinged three times. in your notification center were text messages from the devil himself.
miles: hey ma, i’m leaving now (11:25 pm) miles: the party was okay at first but it got boring (11:25 pm) miles: i’ll be there in like fifteen ❤️ (11:26 pm)
you just stared at the messages, biting your bottom lip until it began to draw blood as a plea for you to stop. the taste was metallic in your mouth, but your teeth didn’t budge. you didn't want miles over anymore, but it was far too late to tell him to turn around. it's not like he'd check his phone while he was driving, anyway.
“i keep losing you, girl."
you had forgotten all about nae for a second, her voice grounding you back to earth. you exhaled, your breath coming out unsteady. “miles is on his way over. after i talk to him, i’ll call you and you can come over then.”
“okay, babe,” nae nodded with a gentle sigh. 
“do… lani and sasha know?” “no, they don’t,” nae denied. “i wouldn’t tell them before you.” 
you pressed your lips together and silence engulfed your kitchen. you let your mind wander some more. after all this was over and done with, you'd have to explain to all of your loved ones that miles cheated on you. the very thought of having to tell everyone—your family, your friends, your dad—it embarrassed you. you couldn't stomach the very thought, so you exhaled deeply, opting to take it one step at a time. nae spoke again. “listen, if you don’t call or text me in, like, an hour, ima come over there.”
“okay," you nodded.
“remember that you deserve nothing but the best of the best. i love you so much, okay?”
“i know,” you tried to convene a smile. “i love you more.”
you hung up the phone and rid of any stray tears on your face. after nae's face vanished from your screen, you were left staring at you and your boyfriend's message thread. without putting much thought into it, you began to type.
‘cool, i’m jus—'
your fingers froze. you couldn’t text miles. he didn’t deserve anything so little as acknowledgment. you repeatedly hit backspace until the bar was blank and shut off your cell.
you sat idly on one of the kitchen stools behind the counter, your instant ramen long forgotten about. in the moment, you were feeling indifferent as a result of shock. still, you knew yourself better. when miles finally confessed his sins, you’d want to scream. you’d bombard him with a million questions at once, only to angrily invalidate any explanation that passed through his adulterous lips. you’d want to burn every handwritten love letter, every piece of clothing, and every gift, because they all meant nothing now.
he was a liar, and he knew it. if you could kill a man and face no consequences, miles might’ve been gone before he even walked through your door.
while you waited for him, you sat there and tortured yourself in thought. you couldn’t help it. was this planned? was this the first time? had he always thought of her like this? did he wish you were her when he was with you?
when you’d exhausted all of those questions, you began to think back to your own actions and behavior as you scrolled up on your texts with him. 
maybe i said something that upset him? but i think he would've told me... right..? or have i been distant? no, that’s not possible. we talk every day. is he bored of me? is that it? am i boring? none of these texts are showing signs of boredom, so what is it?
you'd soon resorted to flipping through the pages in your diary. you were really good about documenting your day-to-day life. if something happened with miles in the past that your brain wouldn’t let you dig up in the moment, surely you would’ve written it there. the pad of your index finger slid across the rough pages as your anguished eyes skimmed the entries. ten minutes in, you still couldn’t find a thing. you'd give anything for a straightforward answer, but you knew it wasn't going to come from miles himself.
when you heard a key grinding into the keyhole of the front door, you slammed your diary shut and jumped off of the stool, knocking it over in the process. you sprinted upstairs to your bedroom, shoving the journal under your pillow. as you trailed out of your room, you closed the door behind you and braced yourself for the worst. 
you shuffled back to the kitchen and picked up the stool from the floor, setting it upright. you caught a glimpse of miles unlacing his jordans at the front door. this was real. 
“hey. i thought you’d still be in bed,” miles grinned as he approached you, spreading his arms for a hug. he wasn’t in his costume, but in a red hoodie and black sweats. he must’ve gone home to change. his costume probably smelled like arielle’s designer strawberry-scented perfume, the one everyone compliments her on. she never shuts up about it.
“hi,” you whispered, accepting his hug in an attempt to seem normal. “i was, but i got hungry. how was the party?”
miles smelled like his favorite cologne, except the scent was unusually potent. it wasn't faded in the slightest like it normally was after he'd been out and around other people. the deplorable amount of effort he was making just to mask the truth infuriated you. it angered you even more that he clearly wasn't planning on telling you anything. if you hadn't seen it yourself, you might've never known.
“it was ight,” he shrugged, loosening his grip on you after a couple of seconds. you hated yourself for wanting to hug him for just a little while longer. he sure as hell didn’t deserve it, but for all you knew, that was the last time you’d be in his embrace. he let his hands fall down to your waist instead and it made you shiver on contact knowing he had his hands on arielle's waist not even a full hour ago. “would’ve been better with you there, y’know. you feelin’ okay now?"
“mostly, yeah,” you responded blandly, your throat tight and your voice fairly groggy. “still a bit tired.”
you didn’t know how to bring it up. this wasn't something you could beat around the bush about. you found yourself deep in thought. so deep to the point where you didn't notice that miles had started talking. you were busy staring off into space with half-lidded eyes, way past his gaze. he clocked it and moved his head so that your eyes were boring into his by force, his eyebrows lowering in concern.
“is everything okay?”
you cleared your throat and gently pushed his arms off your waist, stepping back as you began to blink back tears. there was no easing into it. standing there in front of miles pretending like everything was okay was already bad enough. it felt like you were twisting the knife that he plunged into your chest. eyes glossy, you swallowed hard and batted your lashes a few more times, desperately trying to rid of the tears that threatened to spill.
“i know you kissed arielle at the party,” you barely managed to speak the full sentence, your voice cracking when you spoke her name. “and i’m confused.”
miles’ eyebrows knitted to be one as if this news stunned him. you wished you could hear all his thoughts from start to finish after you spoke. you wanted to know whether he was planning to lie or tell the truth. would he gaslight you or admit to his wrongdoings? you wouldn’t find out now because you didn’t give him an option. this already hurt enough and it would end the same either way.
“nae told me. and she sent me pictures.”
silence fell between the two of you. it felt like it was eating you from the inside. the chirping of the crickets outside and the noise from the refrigerator running slightly compensated for it. not much.
“i just wanna know why you did it. and why her? why the girl that hates me with every last atom in her body?” you broke the silence, shrugging your shoulders. you were hugging your arms, rubbing them in an up-and-down motion as if you were cold.
miles was dumbfounded, guilt painting his features. he couldn’t meet your eyes anymore. you wondered what you would say if you were in his shoes, but it didn’t give you any insight because you knew you'd never do this to him, so you gave up. instead, you stared at the neat middle part in between his two signature braids that cascaded down the back of his head, down to his shoulders. you’d braided his hair only a couple days ago, back when nothing seemed impossible—nothing like now. 
though he wasn’t, miles’ hair still looked clean, freshly done even. what if arielle had redone his braids for him? she did say she was practicing, and she'd made it a goal to practice on him. you mentally cursed yourself for worrying about something as minuscule as miles' braids at a time like this. you didn't want to give yourself another reason to freak, but your brain wouldn’t let you rest. not even in silence. if miles wasn’t going to give you an answer, you’d send him on his way and come up with one by yourself.
“i don’t know why i did it,” he finally retorted.
“oh, word?” you laughed humorlessly. you were trying not to slap the hell out of his shamefully beautiful face. “it happened not even two hours ago. you know why you did it. your memory is sharp, it always has been, so tell me.”
miles exhaled, rubbing the palm of his hand on his forehead. “look, she came onto me while i was grabbing a soda. it was a heat-of-the-moment kind of thing! it didn’t mean any—“
“that’s what they all say, morales,” you cut him off with a scoff. “it didn’t mean anything but somehow you traveled from the kitchen downstairs to a spare bedroom upstairs so you could swap spit without anyone catching you?!” miles tried to speak, but you cut him off again. “were you even gonna tell me? because you came up in here acting like shit was sweet as if you weren’t just making out with the girl you swore i’d never have to worry about, meanwhile, i was home, sick! a fucking cold, miles!”
“i wasn’t gonna keep it to myself. i didn’t wanna hurt you,” miles said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “it wasn’t gonna happen again, i swear.”
none of the words miles spoke were convincing enough for you in the slightest, so you disregarded them.
“did i do something to you? are you holding a grudge about something and trying to get me back?!” you yelled, your voice trembling.
“no, it has nothing to do with you!” he hollered back, squeezing his eyes shut as if he was stressed out. he had no right.
“so then why the fuck would you go and do this shit?!” you were silent for a few seconds, chest heaving up and down while your heart beat out of your chest. your breath was sprinting away from you and you were trying to catch it. "it's bad enough that you kissed another girl, but arielle?"
miles pleaded, “it was a mistake.”
“damn right it was!” you narrowed your eyes to slits. “i can’t believe i trusted you, like, seriously. you’re sick.”
“i let you down, princessa, i know, i’m—“
“sorry?” you finished his sentence, folding your arms. you were far more angry than sad now. “miles, you weren’t sorry when you were kissing her. don’t be sorry now either. you were gonna kiss me with her bright pink lipgloss dried on your lips like it was nothing. you were gonna sit here and play me like i'm stupid. you were never gonna tell me!”
miles couldn’t counter that. he knew you were right, so it was back to uncomfortable silence apart from your hefty breathing and sniffles. miles had never seen you so angry. you'd never seen yourself so angry. there was no one else to blame but miles. you had no idea where to go from there. it was only after you asked the question that you were about to ask on impulse that you realized you should’ve wrapped this up many minutes before.
“is this the only time this has happened?”
miles was hesitant, his eyes growing wider. “yes!” he spat.
miles had a tell—not just his disinclination to answer your question the way he normally would, but also the way his eyebrows would position as if he wasn’t so sure himself. his teeth would clench behind his sealed lips, but you could tell because his jaw was tight and he swallowed hard, and he wouldn’t know what to do with his hands. 
you knew all of this about miles, yet you felt like you were gazing into the eyes of a stranger. 
this wasn’t the miles you fell in love with.
you muttered under your breath, “you know what? i’m wasting your time... and my own. you won’t have an answer that’s both truthful and something i wanna hear. we’re done, you and i. give me the key and get the hell out.”
“mami, come on—“
“nigga, deuces! i said leave!” you snapped as you backed away from him, holding your hand out.
miles dug deep in the right pocket of his black sweats, handing you the key. you flinched when your skin made contact with his. you didn't hesitate to trap the key in the palm of your hand, dropping your arm back down by your side. miles sighed to himself and trudged to the door to lace his shoes back up. you didn't even watch him leave, opting to turn around and battle the tears threatening to spill from your eyes instead. when you finally heard the front door shut, you rushed to lock it. you turned around and pressed your back to the door, face twisted in pure disbelief. 
this was real.
you slid down to the floor and pulled your knees to your chest, your cries echoing through your empty house. you’d never been more grateful that your father was gone for the weekend. miles wouldn’t have heard the end of it. at least now you had time to make up some lie to cover for miles' ass, and it'd be the last damn time.
not even five minutes passed before someone knocked on the front door three times and you sniffled. miles was going to drive you insane. “go the fuck away!”
“it’s me, baby,” a muffled voice said from outside, but it’s one you recognize, and it’s most definitely not miles.
you wiped your tears with the sleeve of miles’ hoodie and stood up, twisting the lock to open the door for your best friend. she was holding a box of pizza in her hand with a tote bag strap over her shoulder.
“you’re early,” you mumbled, one of your hands pressed against the rim of the door.
“i ubered home and got my car. when i got here, i just parked and waited,” nae pushed past you. you closed the door and locked it again, following her to the kitchen, where she set the box of pizza down on the countertop. “you wouldn’t have called me either way. i know you.”
she was right. you weren’t mad at her for being there though. she had always been so good to you.
nae walked over to the dining table and placed her tote bag in one of the chairs. “i brought your favorite type of pizza, and i stopped by the store to grab some snacks and soda. those are still in my car though, so—”
“i don’t think i can stomach anything right now,” you stated as you rubbed your arm. “i broke up with miles.”
saying that out loud felt weird. and final.
“oh, my love,” nae’s brows lowered and she shuffled over to you with open arms. she wrapped them around you and you did the same, sighing into her shoulder. you really didn't want to cry.
it hadn’t been long and you were already over feeling the way you did. you wanted to fast forward to the part where you got over miles for good. as an attempt to console you, nae was rubbing your back in a circular motion. 
“you did the right thing,” she spoke lowly.
you withdrew from the hug and slightly opened your mouth, fixing to ask nae a question only god knew how to answer. “why did he do it though?”
she led you to the couch in your living room and sat you down, massaging her thumb over yours in a back-and-forth motion as your hand stayed clasped in hers. you stared down at your lap, sniffling every couple of seconds and swiping away stray tears.
“boys are just greedy, babe,” she shook her head. “so very greedy. they want it all. there are so many different reasons why people cheat. it’s difficult to pinpoint just one. my random guess is that… miles has issues?"
“issues?” 
“mm-hmm,” she hummed. “internally. maybe he's insecure about himself, i don't know. whatever it is, it doesn’t justify infidelity. you were more than enough, it was him who was lacking."
“i don't get it. i mean, none of this makes any sense… unless i'm blind or stupid, it came out of nowhere. literal thin air. and when i asked, he said he didn't know why he kissed her,” you muttered.
nae sighed. “even if he isn't lying, he still did it.”
“i know,” you nodded. “and i'm sure it wasn't the first time. that’s why i left him.”
“and i’m so proud of you for that,” nae gave your hand a tight squeeze. “walking away isn’t easy for anyone. it takes forever for some people, but you did it just like that.” 
“yeah, well, i kinda had to. it’s bad enough that arielle is gonna rub it in my face until we graduate, and even after that, she’ll probably find a way to .”
“there won’t be any of that,” nae promised. “miles isn’t going to take her seriously—if he even takes her at all. he lost you because of what he did with that bitch. he won’t even be able to look at her without feeling guilty.”
“she can have him, i don’t care either way,” you scoffed. that was a lie. you did care. you cared more than you’d let on if you ever even admit it.
“yeah, you do,” nae raised an eyebrow as if she had effortlessly read your mind. “let yourself feel. it’s how you’ll heal.”
“oh, i’m feeling alright. i’m weighing the pros and cons of murder,” you shakily exhaled, balling up your fists and closing your eyes. “i can’t believe this nigga. seriously.” 
“i’d help you, but i’m not going to jail for him and neither are you.”
you let out a soft sigh, your gaze now fixed on your lap. the tears welling up in your eyes were beginning to cloud your vision. how someone could throw away so many years of loving one another so easily was so far beyond you.
“nae, i’ve been with miles for so long. he’s always been there—i don’t know how to be without him. he’s why i gave love a chance after swearing not to... now he’s shattered my perception of it. the worst part is i should hate him, but i don't. somehow, i still love him and—”
“hey,” nae cut you off. “that’s normal. how you feel is normal.”
you sniffled. “is it?"
“pshh, girl, yeah,” nae assured you, flicking out her wrist. “listen, breakups are terrible. you’re gonna cry and scream. you’re gonna wish you never met him. you’re going to go through old texts, swipe through old photos, and mope in his hoodies. all of that is okay. the worst thing you could ever do to yourself is force yourself not to feel,” nae paused. “if this is who he really is, then it's not your loss. i know it doesn't feel like that right now, but trust me... it just takes time. i don't know how long, but i know my best friend, so no matter how long it takes, you’ll be better than good without miles. i promise." "i'm still gonna miss him," you muttered, sniffling and drying your tears as they fell. nae wrapped her arm around you and exhaled. you sobbed into her shoulder, releasing all the pent-up frustration you'd been concealing in the name of keeping your cool. you'd never felt so inconsolable in your life. "i know, babe. i know."
❤︎₊ ⊹
it was late. 3:28am. time had never moved so slowly. you were genuinely considering calling 911 and telling them you were suffering from a heart attack. you were thoroughly convinced that this was damn near the same exact thing.
the moon wasn’t full tonight, but a waning crescent. it reflected you and how soulless and dejected you felt. the moonshine bleeding through your curtains was also the only source of light you would tolerate, the rest of your bedroom completely dark. you lay on your side facing the window, allowing the icy gusts of wind to hit your face. you were practically drowning in a sea of blankets all while still being in miles’ black hoodie.
nae was gone. she’d left about two hours ago, but not before suffocating you in countless hugs and forcing you to eat a slice of pizza and drink two glasses of water, despite your not wanting to ingest anything due to your unwavering nausea. you told her you’d be okay alone. you knew you wouldn’t and so did she, but you wanted to be alone, so she gave you your space and promised to check in on you when the sun rose. you loved nae dearly and you'd never take her for granted. you felt lucky to have such a kindhearted best friend.
you'd been in a 1v1 with your thoughts for a while now. your phone was powered off and shut away in one of your nightstand drawers to help resist urges. you hated that you wanted to call miles, but you did. you wanted to scream at him. belittle him until you just couldn’t anymore. and you wanted him to sit there and watch you do it without protest. you wanted him to be honest and tell you the truth. you wanted him to promise it would never happen again, and then you wanted to curl up under the covers of your bed with him and sob in his arms while he planted kisses on your forehead, apologizing profusely. you wanted him to tell you he loved you until you believed it again.
you couldn’t do any of that—you wouldn’t. it’d mean you have no respect for yourself. it felt like you hardly had any now, so you needed to keep the scarce amount that remained.
your thoughts were blank and sporadic all at once. you’d never been through a breakup, but you had a rough idea of how these things go, so you spent some time mapping it out in your head.
you'd eventually have to meet up to exchange one another's belongings. maybe rio would apologize on miles’ behalf and say she’d always love you. she’d call you a couple times a week. the calls would eventually come slower and grow more infrequent. soon, the calls wouldn’t come at all. even if there was the acknowledgment that rio’s arms were always open for you, they’d still feel closed. you'd treat them as such.
you'd barely eat because you couldn't stomach a single thing. you'd rot in your bed and binge all your favorite movies and shows. you'd go to war with the urge to run back to miles. you'd read old diary entries where you were gushing about how much you loved him and how amazing he was to you. you'd look back at old photos and videos. you'd reread old texts until you were sobbing so hard that you couldn't breathe.
you'd write letters that nobody was ever going to see and all the tears you shed would smudge the black ink and ruin your fancy penmanship. you'd lie to your dad and tell him that your relationship had just run its course and that you and miles needed to work on yourselves. your friends would check in on you, and of course, you'd tell them that you were okay every time, even if that was the furthest from that.
word gets around fast. when this dreadful weekend was over and monday crept up on you, you'd have to return to school and deal with the piercing stares and shameless gossip. you weren't ready for any of it, because now, everyone at school would know you as the girl who got cheated on by her long-term boyfriend for arielle. rumors would spread. words would be twisted and lies would be told, both about you and miles. in retrospect, it was all the more embarrassing for miles, but you still felt utterly humiliated. not to mention that you had no doubt in your mind that arielle was ready to run to his defense, preferably by kicking you when you're down.
sometimes, just for a fleeting moment, you'd forget about it all and your mind would go quiet. your heart wouldn't swell in longing and you wouldn't feel sick to your stomach. it never did last long before the same thoughts you desperately wanted to leave you alone started to pester you again. "but you two seemed so in love!" nosy girls at your school masking their prying motives behind what they thought were "supportive words" would soon tell you. the worst part is that you'd never know how to respond, because you thought you and miles were in love too. he was your sun and you were his moon. how could you so quickly forget that the sun didn't need the moon to shine, it was the other way around? you thought it was and always would be your heart tethered to his, but now you were left with a broken chain and a heartache.
you thought things would be different with miles. you truly did. now you knew that anyone could screw you over even if they crossed their heart. there weren't any exceptions, not anymore. miles proved that you can do everything right and still get done wrong. it wasn't fair. you should've known you weren't exempt from something like this happening, yet you still let yourself believe you were. maybe you jinxed it, or maybe you thought your case was special. maybe you thought this would never happen because you believed you were special. you only did because he made you feel that way.
you were sick and tired of brooding over your misfortune. you rolled onto your back with a frustrated groan and gaped at your ceiling, the cold air from outside still blowing against the side of your face. as exhausted as you were, sleep just wouldn't grant you sanction in its assuaging embrace.
what hurt the most is that you were so sure that you'd bagged a kind of love that was for the books. the kind of love you thought you could only dream about. though you weren't searching for him, the stars sent you miles morales. in your eyes, he was perfect. you loved and adored him, and swore he was your soulmate, made just for you. he was godsent and you never wanted to let him go, until tonight, when you learned that you were never the one who needed to hold on to begin with.
you came to the humbling conclusion that maybe the reason people told tales of faultless love was because real love was far too sickening to bear. it was merely a way to cope. nothing more, nothing less. maybe "happily ever after" had been a hoax all along. all the fairytales you had read growing up always began with “once upon a time”, but your story with miles ended with it, because loving him was easy—once upon a time.
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maliland ©
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number1mingyustan · 11 months
Text
- Cuffing Season-
Your Impact
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boyfriend!mingyu x fem!reader
Warnings: established relationship, size kink, switch!reader, switch!gyu, dom!reader, sub!gyu (he just has a hard time admitting it), unprotected sex (riding), light bondage, scratching, kissing, cursing, pet names, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, lowkey brat taming
Summary: Mingyu would actually do anything for you
Word Count: 2.8k
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(a/n: i don’t usually write the dudes being submissive but idk i kinda love it now 💃🏽)
“You know that boy is totally whipped for you right?” Your friend Mai says.
You and Mingyu are currently hosting a barbecue with some friends. Mingyu has finally gotten things better with the company, so he's not working as much. He doesn't have to go in for work at all today, and he figured he'd spend it with the people he loves.
He insisted on hosting and almost went out a bought a new grill just for it.
"What?" You say, turning your head to look at her.
"Mingyu... I'm sure he'd do anything for you. I've never seen a man look at a woman the way he looks at you," she says, eyes locked on the
Mingyu stands in your backyard with a beer in hand. He's wearing a black muscle tee and conversing with some friends. He looks so good even when he's not trying.
He notices you staring and turns his head the slightest bit to your direction before shooting you a wink. Your face grows hot. Even though it's nearly four years into your relationship, he still makes you nervous.
There's truth to her words. Mingyu has never shied away from showing you how much he loves you. Even earlier this week when he was two steps away from buying the pointless new grill, all you had to do was tell him you didn't need it and he listened to you.
"He'd only do anything for me because he knows I'm right," you joke back.
You laugh, but truthfully her words have got you thinking.
__________
"You okay baby?" Mingyu asks as he brings the last tray of food inside. "You've been quiet lately."
All your guests are gone and it's back to you and him. You're standing at the sink washing some of the leftover dishes.
"Yeah," you give him a small smile. "Just a little tired."
Lie. You're not tired at all, you've just got something on mind that you can't shake. It's what Mai said earlier in the backyard.
"Mingyu... I'm sure he'd do anything for you"
Anything.
Anything entails a lot, and it's got you thinking all kinds of thoughts. There are a number of things that have crossed your mind, but you've never been confident enough to think he'd actually go along with it.
"Well I'll finish cleaning up and you can go upstairs okay? Get some rest baby," he places his hand on your arm gently.
"You don't have to–"
"Nonsense," he cuts you off. "Mostly everything is cleaned up already. It's no worry."
He kisses your cheek and sends you on your way upstairs. But rest is still the last thing on your mind and you've already got an idea brewing in your head.
________________
When Mingyu enters your shared bedroom upstairs, you're nowhere to be found. He strips himself down to his underwear before sitting down on the bed.
The door is closed, but he notices the light is on in the bathroom connected to your room.
And moments later, you walk out in one of his t-shirts.
"There you are," he says, large hands pulling you over to him by the waist.
"Gyu," you say. "You'd do anything for me right?"
"Of course baby, what's this about?" he asks, voice laced with worry.
"Like anything anything," you clarify.
"Yeah baby, what is it?"
"I was just thinking you know... I wanna be in charge tonight. Let me tie you up," you suggest.
Mingyu blinks a few times in disbelief. He'd actually started to worry and you're just horny. He crosses his arms.
"What are you on about?" he asks.
"I just wanna be in charge for once," you inform him.
"I let you be in charge on your birthday every year baby," he sighs.
"I know... and it's my favorite day of the year."
He groans. "Baby..."
"Please? You said you'd do anything for me," you remind him.
"Yeah but I didn't think you meant–"
"C'mon baby..." You pout, pulling off his t-shirt. It revelas the lacy red set you were hiding underneath. It distracts Mingyu for a moment too. He loses his mind any time you wear red. Especially this set. "You love me, and you said anything"
"C'mon Gyu, I know you're not gonna pass up an opportunity to fuck me. I'm even wearing your favorite set." you say.
"I never said all that," he raises an eyebrow.
"Well... then we're not fucking unless I'm in charge," you say.
"You don't mean that," he frowns.
"And if I did?" You ask, pushing him down on the bed so his back meets the sheets.
"You're so cruel," he sighs.
"And your ego is fragile," you say.
"No it's not," he grumbles.
"Yes it is baby, your ego is the only thing getting in the way," you push your hips down against his. "You want this so bad. I can feel it."
"Not true"
"But you're already so hard, Gyu," you smirk.
"So what?"
"You're into this"
" 'M not," he lies.
"You are!"
"No... you're practically naked and sitting on my lap, of course I'm turned on," he defends.
"So you're not even the slightest bit into the idea?" you ask, subtly pulling out a silky rope.
"No," he lies.
"Not even a little bit?" you ask as you begin tying his hands above his head.
"No"
"So then why'd you just let me tie a pretty bow with your hands?" you grin.
"You're just sneaky..." he groans.
"True," you say with a smirk. You reach around yourself, unclipping your bra and allowing it to fall. "But you could've stopped me, and you didn't."
This time, he doesn't even bother responding. His eyes are scanning your body shamelessly. He's fucking throbbing in his underwear. There's already precum drooling through the material.
He can say he's not into it all he wants, but his body tells a different story.
You're nearly satisfied with yourself. You've got your big, strong boyfriend tied up nearly about to cum untouched in his underwear. Someone so large and dominant like Mingyu in a position like this? It swells your ego. All you have to do now is get him to submit to you.
You begin leaving wet kissing along his skin, starting at his neck and making your way down toward his V-line. Your hand finds its way to his very prominent bulge, slowly palming him through his underwear.
"You're so hot... fuck," he moans.
You grin, pulling his underwear down and allowing his cock to spring up and rest against his stomach. "Glad to see you're finally giving in."
" 'M not," he protests. "I called you hot, didn't say anything about being your little bitch boy."
"Oh but you are my little bitch boy," you smirk.
Before he can get another word out, you're wrapping your lips around his cock. You take his entire length in your mouth, allowing his tip to hit the back of is throat before withdrawing your mouth completely and leaving him squirming.
"Fuck's sake," he groans.
"Such a pretty cock," you say, swiping your thumb across the tip. He lets out a hiss. " 'S big and pretty Gyu... just like you.
"D-Don't say stuff like that," he whines.
"Why? Scared you might like it too much?" you bite down on your bottom lip.
"No... it just doesn't suit me," he pouts.
"You don't think you're pretty?" you tilt your head to the side.
"You're the pretty one," he compliments.
You grin. "Thank you baby." You press a quick kiss on his lips. "You're pretty too though. So pretty and big, I love it. I only say it cuz I mean it."
He groans.
You lick your lips before sliding your damp panties down your thighs. Once they're off, you're quick to toss them onto Mingyu's face with a giggle.
"Baby girl..." he groans.
He tugs on his restraints, but it does nothing.
"Feel how wet they are?" you ask.
"Uh huh. Just for me?"
"Yeah Gyu, only pretty little bitch boys get me that wet," you giggle. “Gonna gag you with those next time.” You toss your panties onto the floor somewhere. “But for now… I wanna hear you. Gonna make you my bitch. Have you moaning and crying for me.”
He groans again, cock throbbing at your words. Much like Mingyu, you too have started to grow a little impatient. You lift your hips, holding his cock against your slit.
"You want it?" you ask.
He nods.
"Use your words Gyu," you tell him.
"Yes," he says.
"Good boy"
He doesn't have time to comment on the pet name because you're already sinking down on his cock. He can feel the stretch of your cunt accommodating to his length.
And fuck, it feels so good.
You're fucking him like a mad woman, circling your hips and bouncing on his cock. His tip is nestled deep inside of you, pushing in further and further with each bounce of your hips.
"Holy shit," he moans.
Your hands grip his shoulders for support.
"Love it when you ride me," he admits, tilting his head back.
"Yeah?" you smirk. "You should let me do it more often."
"Nu uh," he protests.
"How come?" you pout.
"Don't wanna," he strangles out.
"Don't wanna what, huh? Don't wanna watch my tits bounce in your face? Don't wanna stretch me out while I'm on your lap? Don't wanna Fill me up without doing any of the work? What is it Gyu?"
"Fuck you're driving me crazy," he groans.
"Your cock is so big Gyu... swear it was fucking made for me," you moan. "Always stretch me open so good"
Just when he thinks it can't get any better, the rhythm of your hips changes. You're circling your hips differently and it feels incredible.
You're spelling your fucking name on his cock.
"You're mine," you breathe out. "Say it Gyu."
"You're mine," he groans out.
"Nu uh," you stop moving, planting yourself on his cock.
He groans, tipping his head against your shoulder. "Fuck... please keep going."
"Say it Gyu," you tell him.
He groans again against your shoulder. "Don't do this to me."
"C'mon Gyu, 's two words. It's not that hard, I promise." You say.
"Fuck me..."
"I will baby, just say it first. I promise. You know I don't break my promises," You assure him.
"Fuck," he groans again. " 'M yours, I'm fucking yours baby”
"Good boy," you start bouncing again, picking up in speed.
"Don't say that..."
"Why? Scared you might cum too soon?" you tease.
He moans out in response. Being completely honest, you were right. He could already feel how close he was, dangerously close. Your stamina has never been this good and he's mentally cursing himself because if you don't stop soon, he'll cum before you.
But you're just as needy as him. You won't stop any time soon. Matter of fact, this position is perfect. It allows you to press your clit against his pubic bone, providing you with another layer of friction. You're in a blissful state, feeling every stretch of his cock and thoroughly enjoying your ride.
"C'mon baby... you can't tap out on me now," you tease. Mingyu is fucking losing it. Every time you move, you're reminding him that you're the only one who can fuck him like this. He feels like his balls are gonna burst, the feeling intensifying every time your ass slams down against him.
" 'M going dizzy holy fuck–" he moans out. "You're fucking crazy."
"I know baby... your big cock just makes me crazy. Feels so fucking good, I'm so lucky." you moan.
He squeezes his eyes shut tightly. You're bouncing on his cock faster and he's really lost it.
"There we go. Cum for me baby," you encourage, each roll of your hips pulling more out of him.
"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck! Slow down!" he cries out.
"Nu uh, you've already been difficult enough. Take it." you demand.
"It's too much!" he cries out. " 'S too much! P-please."
He can't stop it from happening. His cock is throbbing inside of you and you're just not stopping. He's pumping a huge load inside of you and his cock is so sensitive.
He can't take it. You're really not stopping either. Your thighs are sore and your body is begging you for a break. But you're too determined, heart set on overstimulating your big stubborn boyfriend until you cum.
"Hurts... it hurts," he rasps. "Fuck y/n it's too much."
He's restless beneath you, desperately tugging on his restraints to no avail. In his efforts to break free, he's pushing his hips up, fucking himself into you deeper and overstimulating himself more.
Mingyu has never expereinced this feeling. Never felt anything remotely close to this in his life. Overstimulated to this extent and submissive? You are a different kind of woman. As much as he wants to say he hates it, he fucking loves it.
If he was going to do anything for you before, he'd do anything times 10 right now. He loves you so fucking much. He's so lucky to have you. You're like a goddess to him.
You grab his face, holding him by the chin and forcing him to focus on you. "Look at me."
When his eyes meet yours, that's how you know you're broken him. A fucking tear falls from his eyes. One... then two... then three. He's fucking crying. You got your 6'2 dominant CEO to cry over your pussy.
"Fucking take it Mingyu," you growl. "You hear me?"
And then he fucking whimpers. He nods weakly, obeying and fully submitting to you.
Holy shit you're so hot. Mingyu feels pathetic right now but it's turning him on so fucking much. He never knew you had this side to you and he fucking loves it. He wants this experience tattooed onto his brain.
His eyes are still shining from the hot tears spilling. "Wasn't so hard now was it?"
All he can manage is a head shake. His cock is still throbbing inside of you, it stings in the best way possible. He can feel his body going numb. Each bounce goes straight from his cock to his head, making him feel like he might even pass out. But he doesn't want to stop.
You're scratching at his chest as you feel yourself growing closer to the edge. The pain only adds to the pleasure.
"Oh fuck! You're so hot Gyu, cock feels so good. I'm gonna cum!" You cry out. "You wanna make me cum? Huh baby?"
He manages a weak nod before you untie his restraints. He wraps his arms around your back with the little strength he has left. The closer contact allows you to rub your clit against deliciously.
"Go ahead baby, fuck me how you've wanted to this whole time," you rasp.
With his hands on your hips instantly, he tilts his head back, fucking his hips up into you desperately. His thrusts are so sloppy, but you're both so sensitive it feels to be hitting just right. He can feel his own cum dripping down his cock and he's beyond overstimulated. He can't stop fucking into you even though he's so sensitive. It feels so fucking good.
Mingyu's vision goes white momentarily when you cum. It brings a second orgasm out of his that he didn't know was possible. You squeeze around him too good, completely milking him dry of everything. Your body convulses on top of his as the blissful feeling takes over.
You've never cum this hard. And once you do, your body finally gives out, collapsing on Mingyu. You're both breathing heavily as your bodies reach exhaustion.
"Fuck..." he rasps. "You gotta hop off baby. 'M so sensitive."
You give him a weak nod before lifting yourself off of him with shaky legs and falling next to him on the bed. His cock is still semi-hard, throbbing and red.
"Where the hell did that come from?" he asks suddenly.
You lick your lips. "I've always wanted to be in charge."
"You've never put it on me like that on your birthday," he pants. "You're fucking crazy."
"Yeah," you smirk and grab his cock suddenly. He lets out a loud his and jerks back. "But you loved it."
"Fuck! Okay okay... maybe I liked it a little bit," he finally admits.
You press a quick kiss on his lips. "I know."
You swipe your thumb across his damp cheeks. "Can't believe you cried."
He weakly pushes your hand away. "Shut up."
"You big baby," you tease.
"Stop it. You're not allowing to bring that up. Ever."
You grin.
"I'm serious."
"Okay you big baby."
"Stop it!" He reaches his arms out, pulling your sweaty body closer to his.
You lay there for a moment together. It's nice, being in his arms like this. But your body is tired and you're starting to feel sleepy but you haven't showered yet.
"Gyu."
"Hmm?"
"We have to shower."
"No we don't."
"We do. We're all sweaty and gross."
"Baby..."
"C'mon, we can go to bed right after I promise."
"Okay... only cuz I know you don't break your promises."
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© number1mingyustan - Do not repost without permission.
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Text
The Perfect Pair
Miles Morales x fem!Reader
2.4K words
Summary: Miles would do anything to keep you out of harms way. But what if the only way to protect you is to hurt you in the process?
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Miles rapidly bounced his knee up and down.
He was sitting on the variety of red and orange seats of the New York City subway while looking at your contact on his phone. He eyeballed the picture that lit up his screen every time you called—a candid photo he took of you mid-giggle-fit with your mouth open and your eyes shut tight.
His thumb hovered above the call button for what felt like forever to him. The longer he waited, the more anxious he got and and his knee bounced, and bounced, and bounced… and now he was calling you. Miles physically froze; paralyzed. His eyes widened, his breath halted, and his heart pounded.
“Your message has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system (347-).”. Miles blew out a sigh from his lips, hung up, and hunched over his knees, thanking whoever decided not to put cell phone service underground.
Miles loved you. That was a fact nobody could deny. You were all everyone ever heard him talk about. You were his first thought when he woke up in the morning and the last face he imagined when he closed his eyes at night. With you being everything he absorbed, the last thing Miles wanted to do was hurt you.
News had been circulating around about “Spider-Man's Potential Lover?” with various pictures of him swinging around the city with you attached to him . Paparazzi were ruthless and would do anything to get a glimpse of gossip at the expense of your safety, and Miles would not have any of that. If you were revealed as Spider-Man’s lover, then his parents (and yours) would know about his double life. Everyone who knew you and him would know. That possibility would put you and everyone around him in danger. And villains wouldn't hesitate to do something horrible just to get to him.
It’s to keep her safe, he reasoned with himself.
Truthfully, he couldn't stand the thought of another person he loved dying because of him. Miles would rather go the rest of his life knowing you're safe from a distance instead of standing atop your grave. If Spider-Man was bound to lose the people closest to him, then Miles couldn't be close to you anymore.
She’ll understand; he tried to convince himself, right?
Meanwhile, in your room, you sat alone in the dark. Your only source of light was that of your phone, which illuminated your face and nothing else. “‘The stars sure are beautiful tonight. Too bad you can’t see them, Toph!’” you huffed out a laugh at that line. You were watching Avatar: The Last Airbender, a show you initially introduced to Miles for the two of you to watch together, but actively watched without him when he wasn’t around.
…which, when you thought about it, seemed to be more often than not recently.
Of course, this was the routine for the entirety of your relationship with Miles. He was around, but not really. In class during roll call, Mr. Morales was almost never there to announce himself as present. During a date at your favorite burger spot, Miles had to leave early because of a car accident on Clinton Street. A text you sent at 3PM on a weekday wouldn’t get a response until 5PM. You knew of his responsibility and the toll it took on him in every way, shape, and form. So, when he didn’t call or text at night, when he got home at 3AM from patrol, you knew the ‘why’ and didn’t get upset because you understood that this is what it meant to be in a relationship with a superhero.
This will all pass, you presumed, …right?
A triple knock on your window brought you out of your onslaught of spiraling thoughts. You didn’t have to turn around for your brain to register who was behind the glass. You turned off your phone, rolled out of bed, and strided to your window in one big swift movement, then opened it to be face to face with him. You noticed he wasn’t in his suit, which wasn’t unusual, but if he wanted to spend time with you, he could just have used the front door. You made a mental note to tease him about that later.
“Hey!” you breathed with an infectious smile, all while grabbing one of his hands into yours to keep him sturdy as he ducked under the window frame and into your room.
“Hey, Y/N.” he muttered. You kissed him upon his greeting, muffling his annunciation of your name.
“How was your night?”
“Oh, it was fine,” he shrugged. “You know… beat a couple’ve bad guys… the usual.
Miles stuffed his hands in his pockets, nervously rocking back and forth from heel to toe. “So, what about you? How was your day?”
“The same— well, I mean, I didn't beat up a couple of bad guys, but y'know… the usual,” you answered. “Oh! I— uh… may or may have not watched a couple of episodes of Avatar—”
“You didn’t!”
“I said I may or may not have. I never said I did!” you chided playfully.
“How many episodes did you watch?”
“... Eight,” you said, through gritted teeth.
“What!” Miles threw his head back in mock despair. “That's practically an entire season!”
"No, it's not!" you insisted. "Just because I watched ahead doesn’t mean I can't rewatch it with you!" At that, you and Miles burst out laughing with squinted eyes, covered mouths to muffle yourselves, and smile lines that pierced into your cheeks, but not too loudly; your parents were home.
Miles watched you through the slits of his eyes while you were hunched over with one arm cradling your stomach and the other covering your mouth. While what you said wasn’t even that funny, for whatever reason, the reaction that came out of your banter caused a chain reaction like pinball; you laughed, he laughed harder. He laughed because of your laugh, and you laughed because he was laughing at you. It was the epitome of your dynamic. But the ease and warmth he felt around you were quickly replaced by dread and guilt seeping through the seams. Miles subconsciously reminded himself that he came here for a reason.
"You know you could have used the front door," you chuckled, simmering from the laughter from just moments ago.
"...It's 9pm."
"Right, well..." you shrugged, "y’know, for next time."
"Yeah, for next time. Okay." Miles wavered. Miles stood there in front of you for a few seconds before slowly trekking around your room with his head down and his hands still in his pockets, like he was pondering something. Your eyes followed him from point A to point B.
"Miles..." you tried, but he didn’t hear you, so you called for him again.
"Hm?" He perked up.
"You okay?"
"Me?" he asked, pointing to himself. The expression on his face genuinely looked like he didn’t know if you were trying to get his attention or not, although he was the only person in the room you could be talking to.
"Yeah, you," you crooned. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." He cleared his throat to avoid another voice crack. "Yeah, I mean, I'm great. Why-why do you ask?"
"Mmm… I don't know. You just seem a little on edge."
The way Miles fidgeted with his fingers and his inability to keep eye contact with you were telltale signs that he was not, in fact, great like he said he was, and the look on your face let him know that you were losing patience and he couldn’t keep stalling the situation. So he sighed, "Y/N… there's something I need to tell you."
You took a deep breath. “…okay.”
The onslaught of spiraling thoughts returned with a punch to the gut. What could Miles need to say so badly that it made him this nervous? Your heart pounded in erratic beats; a sudden shortness of breath caused you to plop down onto your bed, looking up at Miles standing before you. You weren't stupid; you knew what was happening. Miles was pretty cliche with his advances, but you never imagined he would come to your home in the dead of night and say, "There's something I need to tell you." Like they do in the movies.
You get ‘em how you lose ‘em, I guess.
You should have known from the moment he said your name when you helped him into your room. You felt that he was off, like you were telepathic or something. Your mother once told you that you and Miles were “the perfect pair” because you read each other so well. "It's a good trait to have in a relationship," she said. "If you know when your partner is feeling off, you can find a way to help, even when they feel like they can’t ask for it." But now that you were in that moment, you didn't want to read him the way you could because, right then, you knew what you were reading wasn’t going to have a happy ending.
Your lingering gaze on him was a little intimidating. So much so that Miles had forgotten the lines he was going to deliver to you. The ones he replayed and revised in his head from the moment he stepped off the train to when he landed on your fire escape
"Well..." he stammered. "Uh, um…" Miles dropped his shoulders, blew out a deep breath, and rubbed his face.
How am I supposed to do this? He thought.
Miles lightly trod toward your bed, seating himself next to you; his weight caused a dip in the mattress, resulting in you bouncing on the surface.
"There are pictures of us out there, Y/N," he began. "Of me and you swinging. The most recent one was on Tuesday; that was four days ago."
"Okay, so then we won’t swing together anymore." you offered.
Miles clicked his tongue and shook his head, saying, "No, Y/N, you don’t get it. It's too risky."
"That's never been a problem before."
"If they recognize you just by your backpack—" Miles didn’t even want to think of the possibilities. "Look, I don't want you to get into trouble. It's too dangerous. If your parents or mine—"
"I can handle it!" you argued.
"It's not about handling it," he hissed. "It's about keeping you safe!" The look on his face was frantic; it portrayed the true image of fear and uncertainty. "And you won't be safe if you're with me." He whispered. The shift in Miles’ body language from then to now showed you that he was serious about his decision. The eye contact between the two of you was too intense for you to hold all at once.
Then a knock, knock, knock sounded at your door. You and Miles jolted at the sudden noise. "Y/N?" It was your mother. She slowly opened the door, peeking through it as it widened more.
"Yes, mommy?" you ask innocently, lying on your bed with your ankles crossed and your phone resting in your hands.
"Is everything okay? I thought I heard arguing coming from here."
"Oh, no. That was my show." You shook your head. "Although there were people outside arguing a minute ago, I don't know."
"Okay, well, close your window before you go to bed, okay?" She replied, turning out of the room. "And why are you in the dark?" You shrugged your shoulders. "Weirdo," she called you, as she shut the door in its entirety.
You waited a couple of seconds for your mother's footsteps to fade before calling out for him. "Miles?" you whispered.
"I'm here." You turned your head in the direction of his voice. He reappeared on your windowsill.
“Who gets to decide that, Miles?"
"What?"
"Who gets to decide whether I'm safe with you or not?" but you didn’t get a reply that time. There was no point in dragging this out longer than it needed to. Normally you wouldn't be so stubborn with him, but you knew once Miles stepped out of your window, he wouldn’t be yours anymore. You moved to the side of your bed closest to the window, closest to Miles, and reached for his fingers, nervously toying with them.
“You want to break up?” you whispered. Unable to say the words and look at him at the same time.
"Yes." With that answer, your eyes met Miles's. "I mean, NO, I don't want to break up, but.. GAH!" He tried to come up with some sort of bluff to soften the blow, but he couldn't bring himself to be dishonest with you at that moment. "Yes." But he couldn’t even look you in the eye when he said it.
Your eyes darted around his features as tears welled up in your eyes, swallowing the lump in your throat. You felt a cold rush flush through your chest—a dull ache that caused your heart to physically hurt. It was like the opposite of the flutter you felt in your tummy when... before...
It’s done. It's over.
You let his fingers slip out of your hold, leaving them to dangle between the two of you. Miles could feel the sadness radiating off of you. He couldn’t bring himself to look at you because he hated the idea of being the cause of your pain.
"I'm sorry, Y/N," he sniffled.
"Okay," you said monotonously. Miles watched as you got up from your bed and headed toward your door, opening it and then closing it behind you.
And with that, you were gone.
This is what he wanted, right?
Miles thwiped, swung, and released in aggressive cycles across the city. He didn't really have a destination in mind, but he knew he couldn’t go home yet. Memories and shared moments between the two of you reflected themselves off the glass of the skyscrapers as they played through his mind. The sound of your laugh and whispered "I love yous" flooded his ears, drowning out the noise from below.
Miles understood the sacrifices that came with being Spider-Man; he had experienced them once before. However, he had never experienced the pain of losing a loved one by choice. He had never experienced heartbreak like this before. Regret started to settle in as it hit him that he'd just hurt the one person he vowed to always protect, and that was a decision he’d have to live with.
Miles thwiped, swung, and released. thwiped, swung, and released.
Maybe in another universe, he thought.
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