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lightsofpandora · 1 year

Text

Na'vi language

Summary: You were the new "acquisition" of the Omaticaya clan, the tribe had found you lost in the forest (you had been separated from your group on a mission to save your life) and they decided to take you with them since they did not want to take any risks: you were human and they had to decide what to do to see if you were intended to be a threat or not. Now, you had been with the clan for a while and the Sully children were doing their best to help you learn more about their culture and even more, their language. But, not everything went the best way for two of them.

Word Count: 1591

Warning: All of them have the same age

Pairings: sully children x female!reader

A/N: Sorry if there is more than one mistake, English isn’t my first language and I am still learning it. It’s my first time writing an Avatar fanfic! However, I hope you enjoy it and have a good time, thanks for reading! (:

Neteyam

You two had established a good relationship since he discovered that you were not a threat, from that moment Neteyam wanted to get closer and help you understand those lands, their traditions and the history of the people, because he could see in your eyes that you were a beginner in everything related to that world of which you knew nothing; he was more than happy to give you a hand and help you in whatever was possible. At the beginning, Neteyam and you communicated through gestures, signs and short words in English that his father and brothers had taught him, but, like you, he still needed practice to be able to dominate a whole sentence in English. Neteyam had become one of your best friends in the clan, so when he found out that you were to be given lessons of Na'vi he was very excited because he knew how fast you were learning and you were going to be able to communicate in a "more natural way" soon, no more English words and phrases that he battled with constantly and struggled to understand. He was very excited to teach you.

"Look, here's the deal: I'll teach you our language and if you say one correct word after another, you'll teach me that complicated and difficult language of yours, is that okay? It'll be an easier way for us to communicate! Tsun oe ngahu niNa'vi pivängkxo a fi'u oeru plite' lu!"

Lo’ak

Even when he knew you were not a threat to the clan, Lo'ak took much more time to trust and start a conversation with you because you were a human and he didn't know which side you were on, he barely knew you. The stories his parents had told him all his life about the RDA made him grow up with a feeling of constant alertness to any foreign movement, especially danger. He had learned to be distant and cold to those who were not part of his people or race, just as he was doing with you. However, as time went by, you showed him that you were friendly and had spent enough time in those lands to fall in love with every aspect and detail of Pandora, constantly trying to make him understand that not all humans were the same. Little by little, Lo'ak stopped being so defensive and began to approach you slowly, with "baby steps" (as his father would say) and the same way he got closer, it didn't take him long to fall in love with you almost instantly; a feeling that scared him at first and he tried to hide it as best he could, although, when he found out that you were to be taught to speak his language, he saw an opportunity to spend more time together even with his siblings around. He simply found it hard to take his eyes off you and even harder to accept that he was in love with a human. "You're doing great, y/n. Much better than us! Now, can you say tawtute?" he kept laughing with your pronunciation and the way you quickly managed to get frustrated, he found you really adorable.

Spider

Like Loak, Spider was hesitant to make friends with you and show you his ways because, like the others, he also thought that you were part of the RDA and that this was just part of a plan. However, time proved him wrong and besides becoming friends, Spider's heart developed something much deeper. At the arrival of these new feelings, he felt insecure and somewhat nervous, but, he thought that at least, he had a better chance than Lo'ak since the guy didn't have the least idea of how to dissimulate and didn't think he knew the meaning of the word either. When he was assigned the task of teaching you new words, Spider stayed leaning against a tree with his arms crossed watching how the others did all the work, not because he didn't want to teach you himself but because he knew that the others had more experience and knew what they were doing. Anyway, he would say phrases that always managed to make you laugh: "You said it wrong, Lo'ak! y/n, he's teaching you wrong. Don't listen to him, please!" "I'm sorry I can't teach you myself, y/n. My pronunciation is a hell of a lot better than Lo'ak's but my accent is awful." Those kind of comments always generated a friendly fight between the two brothers and some branch used to hit the head of the Na'vi.

Kiri

Unlike the two skxawng, Kiri was much more similar to Neteyam in many aspects; she was a very kind girl even when she was warned of your arrival, she was one of the first to defend you over the others by saying that she did not see you as a bad person. She was also very curious, so she went to meet you behind Jake and Neytiri's back to find out where you came from, who you were and what you were looking for in those lands. It didn't take long for the two of you to form a strong bond. But, at that moment, Kiri was worried because neither Lo'ak or Spider were teaching you useful words with which you could learn to communicate. All they were doing was laughing and being silly in front of you; on one hand, Spider wanted to teach you jokes and funny words so that you would "make good friends" while on the other hand, Lo'ak was determined to teach you how to say phrases like: "I love you", "Do you want to be my boyfriend?", "You are a cute boy" and some swear words; they were not teaching you anything at all. For this very reason and refusing to do nothing but watch, Kiri went looking for Jake.

"What's wrong, kiddo? is everything all okay?"

"They're not teaching her anything they should! Spider and Lo'ak are messing around and y/n is playing along with their joke simply because she doesn't understand what they're saying! She' s trying so hard to learn, but they're not helping!"

———————————————————————————

Hearing her words, Jake covered his face with his hands and let out a sigh, frustrated. He knew it wasn't a good idea to put two rowdy teenagers next to y/n, the way he saw it, they looked like two monkeys trying to get attention and it was a trait that always stood out to them.

"They're flirting with her, aren't they? little bastards!"

"Spider yes but Lo'ak... he's not doing very well, he doesn't know how to dissimulate, he's terrible, daddy." answered the youngest of the family, Tuktirey, who at saying those words frowned and played with a plant, not entirely sure of the meaning of her words.

Jake was guided by his two daughters to the place and observed the two young boys with a very negative look on his face. Then, he shouted something to them in his native language so that y/n would understand perfectly and, he hoped that it would have an effect on one of them:

"Hey, both of you! Stop acting like lovesick monkeys and do what I told you! You'll have the rest of the day to teach her romantic lines and anything you want. Damn it!"

And to his good luck, they did. Both, Lo'ak and Spider turned red as a tomato and shrugged their shoulders in embarrassment, unable to look at y/n or say a word. Neteyam let out a big laugh when he saw the expression of both and then thanked his father with a nod of his head, very different from Spider and Lo'ak, who didn't know whether to murder their father or their brother first.

Kiri and her little sister returned with the others, now ready to teach y/n the right way. However, the girl didn't want to return to her lessons without giving the two of them their revenge.

"So.... lovesick monkeys?"

The laughter that followed from the three girls and Neteyam was an embarrassing blow to the naughty ones, although deep down, perhaps, they deserved it. That would be a good story to tell later, but now they had to get on with their lessons, including Spider and Lo'ak who had already had their little secret found out.

"Can you say "Jake skxawng?" were the last words Lo'ak addressed to y/n with a fake smile before remaining silent for the rest of the lesson.

—lightsofpandora

#avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #lo'ak #lo'ak x reader #neteyam #neteyam x reader #kiri #kiri x reader #spider #spider x reader #avatar x reader #avatar x you #avatar imagine #james cameron's avatar #avatar 2009 #avatar

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lovelyyandereaddictionpoint · 1 year

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Who would you think would most likely to baby trap their barling in Obey me? Take your top four pick and why?

The tactic of baby-trapping is a hefty one. One that pales in comparison to these devils' powers and connection to you with their pacts. In the devil dom, they already have an advantage over you anyway so this is more of a psychological thing. Whether it's to satisfy his psyche or to control yours these are my top picks…

Mammon

He is the avatar of greed

who better than he to own you in a way that actually manifests a child

“Better off sticking with me! You’ll need my help to raise the coolest little copy of me!”

Its honestly probably an accident

But as long as he gets to keep you by his side so be it

At first, he’s just not fully aware of the responsibilities that come with having a baby

And boy is he winded

He can’t run out because you and Lucifer are willing to chain him down to help

So he’ll suffer the long nights and the wailing as you both just get used to raising an infant

But once he gets past the dread he’s elated

Not only does the love of his life stay by his side forever but he has a cute kid to prove it

He won’t tell you that though

“Hah?! Love ‘em? I tolerate the little booger at best! Hey! Don’t hold him like that, you’ve got to be gentle!”

A doting father to the max

and even being more attentive if not more obsessive with you

“I bet you thought the great Mammon would leave you to rot! Fear not I only left to get takeout…and diapers.”

“Mammon!”

“...and the heads of those demons that were talkin’ bad about ya…”

“Mammon!”

“What?! It was on the way!”

Asmodeus

Oddly enough he does it because of self-esteem

Whether it's yours or his it's up to you

If it's yours he’s just tired of you looking down on yourself

And using it as an excuse not to be with him

Well if you're so certain you're not the most gorgeous human in existence then why are you pregnant with the child of the most beautiful devil in devil dom

If it's not your self esteem it's his

Your divine.

He knows it you know it

And so does everyone else

He’s not afraid of you beating him

He’s afraid of the crowd that follows

“Wow (Y/n)-chan your so popular…they seem to like you an awful lot...”

He’s never felt so insecure about himself before

How will the world know your his

…better than with a product of your bond

“Wow! Aren’t they the cutest?! They’ve got my looks!”

Youtuber kid all the way

Your child is more likely to be on more magazine covers than their father himself

Which makes it harder to escape if that was ever an option in the first place

But that doesn’t mean he still doesn’t feel the need to pick off your most avid fans

Especially the fans and theorists that notice your worried gaze and the possessive hold on your hip

“Oya you really captured their emotions that way! Too bad we can’t have you ruining their Winter debutant. Don’t be too sad! You are having the most beautiful demon be the one to end your worthless ugly life.”

Barbatos

Even with your summoner status, he’s a tough demon to beat

The power of time and teleportation are on his side

Which can make for a maddening punishment if you try to escape him

“Oh, so you insist on running, then? Fine but I’m not privy to keep doing this with you.”

Its also just easier to keep your mind on him this way

Since you're so insistent on trying to run he might as well make it impossible for you to do so

Emotionally at first

This doubles as his claim to ownership and a way to halt you from running ever again

As a butler to the king, everything he has is to serve his master

Even you are allowed to be in his possession its because his master lets him or doesn’t know

But a child

His and your child

That's something he can fully own

It works with your mind as well

Leaving you to either make the heartless decision to abandon your child

or to stay and have no choice but to grapple with this constant piece of him

That is if he lets it get that bad

Again with time as a tool, he can make it so everything he says and does makes perfect sense

“Let’s have a baby, my love. It’d be death all over again if you won’t indulge me.”

“Oh Barbs, I was thinking just the same!”

Diavolo

Has to be given the idea

It's not going to be his first thought

“Won’t that be cool! Then we could be together all the time! Just the three of us!”

Whether its Barbatos or you scoffing at his behavior something gives him the bright idea

Like most things, he’ll be upfront

He doesn’t really need to stake his claim

He’s the prince of devil dom

The very clothes on your back say you belong irrevocably to him

it's more like he believes it’ll make your relationship better

You’ll be more willing to have fun not run if your child demands it

Right?

“Wow! Good job you managed to get them all in perfect order!”

“Good job!? They killed half the staff for a demented dominoes game!”

“...”

“That's a bad thing!”

“R-right! That's a bad thing just like your mother says!”

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asmallmoon333 · 1 month

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Another Death Note AU I love to think about: Fem!Light x Male!L.

I adore these two in any form, but the potential of this dynamic in particular had me thinking plots that had my brain noodles excited since way back when I was in the middle of writing Time Speaks.

Now, L's gender wouldn't change anything about him, not really, but Light? Oh, it would be a whole new act for her to put on. And with L still male, it ensures it's not just a repeat of canon, but a whole new exploration of their characters, their dynamic, and the world they live in.

So in this AU, we have a Light Yagami who grew up in a society that told her she was lesser. That implied her gender was predictive of her place and abilities. But she wouldn't actually have a lot of anger about her gender I feel, since that goes against her natural feelings of superiority based on her intellect, so she'd just see it as the world being wrong as usual (rotten, if you will). She would look down on men for how easy they were to manipulate; not that anyone else would ever see these thoughts. Except Sayu, who Light raises with care.

Now, while said world would make it harder for her to rise up, Light is someone who gets what she wants and thrives on a challenge. She would use gender as her stepping stone, playing the "good girl" role to perfection.

And she'd be so very good at it. A much better manipulator than male Light.

Now, when she gets the Death Note, the story goes about the same at the start because Light Yagami is Light Yagami regardless.

Then in comes L, the first person who bested her, the first person she hates, and the plot changes. L is the only person, the only man, who looks at her and sees Kira. The only man who is deadpanned and blank to her "good girl" act and meets her provocation for provocation. Infuriating her every time they meet simply by being as smart as she is. By looking at her pointedly crossed arms, at her 'casual' forward-leaning posture, at her inviting smile--and blandly asking if her back hurts like his sometimes does.

How dare he.

How dare he see and value and fear her for her intelligence? He is certain she is Kira despite how aghast every other man and woman in her life is about the very idea of it.

They call L mad. Sexist. He ignores them and insists he's right, that no one else could be Kira but Light. That she's perfect.

And Light? She hates him for seeing through her. He scares her right back.

But she also can't stop herself from craving the acknowledgement.

The game between them would be so different and yet just as complicated this time, because while the two of them don't care about gender, they know this about each other, the rest of the world is not at their level and can't stop their bias about it. And Light uses that to her advantage; Kira will use any shield.

While L will do his best to strip her bare of all her lies.

So Light plays with the world's perceptions of womanhood in her war against L, using her 'weak' gender and 'need for protection' to manipulate the police against him. While L continues to pursue his Kira with a single-minded focus and certainty. He knows it's her.

But now he has to work even harder to prove it because no one is willing to listen to him. He has no proof, and in this universe, that means a lot more to the task force.

Light is smug about this, internally of course. She sweetly tells him to give up and start looking for the 'real' Kira.

L blinks at her and says he'll give up when she stops being a serial killer.

Light hates him.

But she also can't stop thinking about him. She can't stop revelling in how he sees her like no one else was ever willing to. And she eventually decides that she'll get him to give into her too, like she's gotten everyone else in her life. She'll make him admit he wants her, too. That he's human just like they all are, that he has feelings. (Just like she does).

She'll give him her attention in a way no one else has ever deserved. And L better appreciate it.

And after that? She'll kill him, of course.

She's Kira. She's pitiless. She plays to win.

But she might as well...enjoy L while he's here.

He's the only one she'd ever want to have in that way.

As for L? Well he's more than willing to play along, in any and all ways Light wants. He's seen her from the start, seen Kira behind her sweet smile, and he's entranced by her as always. He'd want her in any form, and gender is just one more tool of the brilliant mind he'll always be obsessed with, in any universe.

And he's absolutely thrilled at this game.

So, yeah!! I love this AU and one day, I'll write it, but for now thank you to the amazing artist @thanatelle who inspired these current thoughts! His work is so good <3

Fem!Light and Male!L are so very fun.

#death note #light yagami #l lawliet #lawlight #Fem!Light Yagami

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ja3hwa · 11 months

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❝𝐇𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝!𝐎𝐭𝟖 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝❞

【sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs】 : Hybrid!Ateez wants to breed their mate in order to start a family.

『ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ』 : 1.26k

-> ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Smut, Suggestive, Fluff, Angst.

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: Ateez Hybrid Members x Hybrid Bunny Readers

[ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs] : mention of a nest. Hints of car sex. Hints of bathroom sex. Seonghwa is a sucker for cockwarming. Yeosang just wants to see you full with his um...cum... Swearing. Sans reaction is a little bit more angsty. Woops. Accidental pregnancy. Getting pregnant out of spite. Some shitty talking about shitty family.

Note : I hope you enjoy this request. And also to the lovely darling that sent in the request, I hope it's okay that i made it more on the line of family rather than just a breeding kink. I was feeling sappy, ahaha.

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𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠 - 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞

Hongjoong always knew he wanted kids the moment he became a leader. His dream was to be labelled a strong leader and have a powerful son or daughter to prove it. So when one of your heats came around, he was surprised and also glad it was during his mating season. And from what he was told when a bonded pair was going into heat at the same time, it meant perfect breeding time. And he was going to make the most of this situation. Pampering you, making you comfortable in your nest before using his strength to completely ruin you in the soft sheets over and over again until you were nice and full of his knot.

“You’re going to look so beautiful carrying around our foals, baby. Like the goddess you are.”

𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚 - 𝐒𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐞

Hwa is another hybrid who grew up dreaming of the idea of having his own little ones running around. He had to have four since it was the perfect number, but he also wouldn’t be mad if he had more. His parents were also thrilled with the idea of having gran-babies, so after you and Seonghwa got married, he planned to make your honeymoon full of nothing but babymaking. The wasn’t a time when Seonghwa wasn’t dotting on you, romantic dinner ended up fucking in the car on the way to the hotel. Bath time resulted in water going everywhere as he trusted harsher into you. And when you were going to sleep he made sure to keep you laying on his cock. His words were;

“if my cock stays inside you, none of my cum will leak out and it will give us more chance of you getting pregnant”

𝐘𝐞𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐠 - 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐫

Now, it wasn’t cause Yeosang wanted kids, but it was just the idea of you being pregnant that made him so goddamn hard. Cause little did you know, he had a big breeding kink, the idea of claiming you in more than one way made his heart skip, and his cock so hard it aches. He overheard you the other day about wanting kids and you weren't if it was even possible, your human friends had said it should work but maybe asking Yeosang for guidance, but you were worried he wouldn’t want kids. Oh boy, you were very wrong. He was going to make sure he pumped his kids into you if it was the last thing he could do. He had you crying out while holding onto his antler for support, his grunts filling the bedroom when he saw your fucked out expression.

“That's it Doll, feel my cock raw inside you. I’m gonna—fuck—breed you so well all you’ll feel is my cum dripping down your thighs. Take it, it’s yours.'

𝐘𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐨 - 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫

This tall, gentle giant actually never thought about kids. It was you that wanted them, and whatever his little bunny wants, will get. The fact that when you asked him, he was like ‘Okay what about now?’ and got straight to it, stripping you bare before fucking the life outta you. In the best way of course. His lips painted your skin and his knot was buried deep inside you, you would feel it when he placed your hand against your tummy. The more he fucked you, the more he realized, seeing you plump and pregnant would be the best thing he could ever witness. Just waddling around, carrying his child, glowing from motherhood, argh, he swore he never got harder until now.

‘I’m gonna fuck so many babies into you, darling. Keep you nice and plump. Fuck I’m gonna cum baby, let me pump my load into you. All of it for you.’ he was a rambling mess at that point.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢 - 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫

This big beefy body was all over your the moment you agreed to have kids. He had been begging to feel you raw for the past month, and you kept declining the big bear because you feared about being a mother, or in this case, failing as one. But he reassured you that you would be the greatest mother, you were already so good at looking after his younger friends and him for that matter that he could bet his life on you being suited for motherhood.

‘I can’t wait to meet our baby, I bet they will look just as beautiful as their mama.’

𝐒𝐚𝐧 - 𝐒𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐭

This mischievous feline loved kids and loved you. So, putting the two together was just a perfect idea in his mind. So when he started begging, you were reluctant at first. You were both still young, and the idea of children wasn’t something on your mind. You loved San, yes. But having kids with him was something you didn’t see at that current moment in your life. It wasn’t until you caught him literally crying on the phone to one of his friends. He was thinking he was the problem and you didn’t want kids because he was a different type of hybrid to you. But he couldn’t see far from the truth. In truth, you were scared. You had to step in and interrupt the call, not caring if his friend heard you. You immediately apologized to him and pleaded for him to stop crying. You repeated over and over that one day you would be happy to have kids with him, but for now, while you are both young, to live your lives.

‘I’m sorry Sannie. You are not the problem, and you never will be the problem.’

𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 - 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐱

So you both didn’t really care for the idea of having kids. If they happened one day, neither of you wouldn’t be mad. But what you didn’t expect was it to be by accident. When you missed the first two days of your period you at first didn’t think much of it, but day by day your worry worsened and now it had been 2 weeks late with you sitting on the floor of the bathroom with a positive pregnant test in your hand. Not including the three sitting on the counter, all positive as well. You were about to call Wooyoung telling him to get home quickly, but as if the gods were on your side that evening, you hear a click of the bedroom door handle.

He called out looking for you, and you told him you were in the bathroom. When he came inside, he immediately noticed the tests on the counter. A large gulp fell down his throat as he let out a half-assed chuckle while rubbing the back of his neck.

‘Uh…Woops’

𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨 - 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

You and Jongho were already excepting your first baby the moment after your honeymoon. You both had planned from the fourth year of dating that you wanted to try and conceive a child on your honeymoon. But it was not just for the fact you both wanted a family, no. It was also to prove to your families that you were better off without them. They never accepted your mixed species relationship, and the idea of you two having a baby together honestly scared them. The idea of an abomination being created by the two of you made them sick. So, of course, Jongho was going to pump as many kids into you as he possibly could. Heck, maybe four or five if he was lucky. He wanted a family, he wanted one with you. So if that means making some, then so be it.

‘you look so beautiful carrying our cubs my darling. You are going to be the best mother ever.’

-♥︎

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moonshine-nightlight · 8 months

Text

Nothing's Wrong with Dale - Part Thirty

It’s been a week, but you’re fairly certain your fiancé accidentally got himself replaced by an eldritch being from the Depths. Deciding that he’s certainly not worse than your original fiancé, you endeavor to keep the engagement and his new non-human state to yourself.

However, this might prove harder than you originally thought.

Fantasy, arranged marriage, malemonsterxfemalereader, M/F

AO3: Nothing’s Wrong with Dale Chapter 30

[Part One][Part Two] [Part Three] [Part Four] [Part Five] [Part Six] [Part Seven] [Part Seven.5][Part Eight] [Part Nine] [Part Ten] [Part Eleven] [Part Twelve] [Part Thirteen] [Part Fourteen] [Part Fifteen] [Part Sixteen] [Part Seventeen] [Part Eighteen] [Part Nineteen] [Part Twenty] [Part Twenty-One] [Part Twenty-Two][Part Twenty-Three] [Part Twenty-Four][Part Twenty-Five] [Part Twenty-Six] [Part Twenty-Seven] [Part Twenty-Eight] [Part Twenty-Nine] Part Thirty [Part Thirty-One] [Part Thirty-Two] [Part Thirty-Three] [Part Thirty-Four]

You blink at the woman for a few long seconds, trying to comprehend her words. “Excuse me? Did you just say Lord Dale has called off the wedding? Our wedding?”

“I…” The maid is at a loss for words in the face of your incredulity. She swallows. “Yes, my lady.”

There’s a rushing sound in your ears, like wind roaring. You stay perfectly still, your face blank as you try to think. That is not possible. It’s not. How could he do something like that? Why would he? You’d dealt with so many surprises, jumped over every obstacle, and handled every challenge. Why instead did you feel as though you had survived a trip at sea only to find your ship crashing into the pier while within sight of home? You feel numb.

Perhaps you are making some sort of expression because the woman grows paler. “I’m sure it is simply pre-wedding jitters, my lady,” she hurries to reassure you. “Lord Archibald will have him seeing sense before you can blink.”

“Best to continue getting you ready,” Ms Dearden says as she lays out your corded underskirts. You appreciate her practiced dismissal even if you fear there’s more at play here than she’s aware of. “Young men these days always get cold feet. He’ll be over it soon enough.”

“Yes, of course.” Your own voice seems distant to your ears, but your words are enough for Callalily’s maid to resume work on your hair. At some point she finishes and you’re helped into your underskirts. Your mind stays blank as you try to conceive of reasons for him to do such a thing beyond tiring of you and this whole facade. Distant imaginings of what your life would be like without the wedding crumble to fog.

You’ve been so committed and focused on today that the news feels nonsensical more than alarming. How could the wedding not be happening? Did you just speak with your sisters? Has every moment of the last few weeks been in service of it? Are you not now suddenly dressed in your lovely yellow wedding gown? The person in the hand mirror looks as though they are marrying today.

The door flings open and Steward Bilmont hurries in despite the reproach from the women in the room at both his presence and the dramatics of his entrance.

You only need to look at his face to understand that the situation with Dale has not improved since the first maid broke it to you. He opens his mouth to speak, but something about your countenance, or perhaps your lack of reaction, must inform him that you know something of the situation.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into him, my lady,” Bilmont says, wringing his hands. “He’s not been this unreasonable in weeks. Lord Archibald has refused to put a stop to anything, but Lord Dale refuses to see reason. He’s barred the door to his chambers after Lord Archibald wouldn’t accept his words.”

“I see.” With careful fingers you put down the small hand mirror and begin to stand, adjusting your skirts as you do so.

It’s Miss Adir who asks, her voice filled with trepidation, “My lady?”

“Excuse me,” you say, an undeniable calm spreading through your veins, as you cross the room towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Steward Bilmont asks as you brush by him.

You realize your decision as you reply, “To speak with my betrothed. Please continue preparations without me.”

The maid who brought the news is the one who speaks up, as your hand closes around the door knob. “My lady, I don’t think—”

“Continue without me,” you cut her off, eyes snapping, because finally some emotion has made itself known to you and it is anger. You’ve worked so hard and been through so much. Dale thinks he can just put an end to it all mere hours before you’re to be wed? No.

“My lady…” Bilmont tries, his hand settling gently on your arm. He’s almost wincing, the look in his eyes resigned. As though he thought everything had been going too well and this was the inevitable shoe that dropped.

You shake his hand off. “If Lord Dale wishes to call off our wedding,” some of that anger finally bleeds into your voice and you see the surprise in Bilmont’s eyes, “he shall tell me so to my face. Get out of my way.”

He obligingly steps back, hands hanging back at his sides. You don’t bother to observe the others' reactions, opening the door quickly, and letting it shut heavily behind you.

You walk briskly down the hall and towards the Northridge family bedrooms. No one else, servant or noble alike, crosses your path as you head that way. Not until you’re closer. You hear shouting and decide to peek around the corner, wanting to get the scope of the situation you’re walking into.

“—utter foolishness!” Grandfather is shouting at Dale’s closed door with two guards flanking him. He bangs his fist on the door for good measure. “Do you wish for me to find your Grandmother? I’ve kindly not informed her of your idiocy, but I shall have to if you persist!”

There’s no reply from the other side of the door, not even a sound. Grandfather rattles the door knob to no avail, but doesn’t try anything further with the solid wood door.

He groans in frustration and turns to the guards. “I want to know the instant he leaves this room and if he does not within the hour, I shall have to inform Lady Deidre as promised.”

“Yes, my lord,” the guards chorus looked properly cowed by the threat, even if it isn't aimed at them.

Grandfather turns dramatically enough you see more of the original Dale in him than you thought possible and storms off. The guards take up posts on either side of the door, not baring it, but still present enough that you stay where you are. You’ve no desire to speak to them or to shout at Dale with them nearby.

You frown, unsure why but something doesn’t sit right with you the longer you look down the silent corridor. It seems…empty, or perhaps still, in a manner that makes you feel as if you are not where you should be. Not that your presence is unwanted, but as if you are lost.

You study the scene more closely and find your eyes drifting towards the bright sunlight streaming through the windows and the faint light coming from under Dale’s bedroom door. After a second, you realize what is wrong with the light and shadow—both are completely still. Before, the maid had said both of them were shouting and you’ve never heard this Dale raise his voice except in a physical fight. If he were truly upset, or at least strongly emotional, there should be some evidence in the shadows, some unnatural movement.

You chance another glance down the corridor, but it looks utterly ordinary. As your gaze sweeps from further down where Grandfather disappears around a corner and then back closer to yourself they snag on the stairway down towards the studies and other meeting rooms. There’s no movement, but the shadows are deep and dark. There are no windows there, that stairway is more utilitarian than for show like the grand staircases in other places throughout the house, so that’s plenty of reason for the darkness, but…

You move as quietly and fluidly as you can towards that staircase, hoping not to attract the guards notice. You don’t want to talk to anyone except Dale. You don’t know what Grandfather would try to say to you given he is clearly trying to keep this news contained. He stopped attempting to prove anything with you since the attack, but you’re still not completely sure of what he thinks of you. Keeping your skirts just high enough off the floor and grateful your house slippers are soft and quiet, you make it to the stairs without the guards' notice.

Your footsteps are nearly silent as you hastily make your way down the flight of stairs. You’ve never given much thought to the amount of light that fills it, but surely it wasn’t this dark in previous mornings. Or is that simply your imagination? Is it just your hope that it means you can find Dale and talk some sense into him?

You peek out at the bottom, looking for anyone in this area of the house who might question one of the couple getting married wandering about alone. No one is present. An eerie silence permeates the corridor and like the staircase, it seems darker than it should be. You step out, eyes on the window that lets light in, but seems outnumbered by shadows.

Dale’s personal study is off a smaller side corridor from this hallway, in its own small tower. You think the upper floor might connect to his bedroom. Then there is the underground room, the real reason you believe the original Dale had requested his current quarters and this study.

There’s an oppressive aura that thickens the air as soon as you turn the corner and it builds the closer you get to his study’s door. You imagine that's partially responsible for the lack of others in this area, which in some ways you’re grateful for. You also manage to draw on its presence as fuel for your anger at such obvious overflow from his nature. The shadows under the door ripple, as if it were night and a lighted candle was guttering in the breeze, unremarkable except for the fact that it's closer to noon.

Cautiously, you reach out for the door knob. Grasping it firmly in your hand, you find that it's not locked as you had feared. The knob turns without effort and the door swings inside to reveal Dale’s study. The flickering shadows solidify as you step inside, eyes searching for Dale.

You find him quickly enough, a trunk half packed of books next to him. Somehow you don’t think they are being gathered for your wedding trip. He’s by the window, back to you, but you can see tension in every line of his body. All the breath desserts you at the sight of him. All the words you could say dry up in your mouth. The door shuts with an audible click behind you.

“WOULD—” Dale whirls, his frustrated voice cuts off the second his eyes land on you. Abruptly all the anger in his face leaves him. Instead he practically deflates, merely gaping at you. To your surprise, he spins away from you. “What are you doing here?” he asks, voice pitched higher than usual. “I thought we were not to see each other until—” He doesn’t finish his sentence, his shoulders slumping.

You take another few steps into the room and clear your throat. “Yes, well, I’m fairly certain that the betrotheds laying eyes on one the morning of the wedding is of no consequence if there isn’t to be a wedding, hm?” You’re grateful that you’ve rediscovered some of your anger and your frustration to draw on for the strength to weather this conversation.

“I…” Dale can’t seem to think of an adequate response even as he refuses to turn around.

Your heart constricts in your chest at this confirmation. “So it’s true?” You hadn’t realized how much you were hoping despite all the evidence to the contrary that once you found Dale he’d explain how it was all one big misunderstanding. “You’ve called off our wedding.”

He leans his head against the wall and says nothing.

“Dammit, Dale!” The words jump out of you, louder than you’ve ever spoken to Dale. “Look at me,” you say, your voice breaking. “If you’re going to do this, you’re going to look at me as you do so.”

Slowly, like a man condemned, he turns. Dale swallows, looking profoundly guilty. He murmurs your name, but you refuse to let his soft voice sway you and merely stare straight back at him. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

“My reasons are complex, but unchangeable.” His words are rote and his voice wooden. You imagine he said something like this to Grandfather. “I apologize.”

“I don’t understand,” you say as plainly as you can, tired of talking around topics and pretending to be sure when you aren’t. “Complex? How complex can they be that you won’t even enumerate them for me now. Please explain, justify, anything.” Dale just stands there and that anger surges through your blood. You take another step forward, your voice as stern as you can make it, “You owe it to me. Tell me why you are calling off our future.”

“I…” Dale starts before his blue eyes meet yours squarely for the first time since you arrived and he appears to shrink in on himself. He sighs a deep sigh, looking weary. “I could say any number of reasons, but you’re correct. They’re just excuses.” He pulls himself back up and braces himself. “In truth, I simply cannot bear to deceive you any longer.”

“Deceive me? About what? What can you not have told me that would cause our wedding to be canceled?” Panicked, wild scenarios begin to fly through your mind. “Did you marry someone else on your travels and they’ve arrived today? Have you been caught smuggling? Are you a wanted man? Did something happen this morning?”

Dale looks taken aback. He blinks at you. “Wha-? No, no—none of that.”

You feel some exasperation mixing with your frustration as he continues to talk around whatever he’s worried about. You’ve done this dance every day for weeks now and you are so, so tired of it. “Then what? I thought,” you swallow, hating how small your voice has gotten. You clear your throat and try again. “I thought you wanted this—wanted our marriage.”

“I do!” The words burst out of him, surprising you. How can he say so when he’s the one who is ruining it. He continues more quietly, as if the volume was what shocked you, “I do, but you don’t know…” He trails off again, looking away.

“Then tell me,” you plead, taking another step closer. Only another step or two and you could touch him. You could try in vain to keep him from leaving you.

“I,” he starts, looking at you and away again. “A few weeks ago, there was a… I mean to say that I,” he begins again, obviously having difficulty getting the words out. At least you can see he’s truly making the attempt this time. “Well, not me, but he…” Is this something the original Dale had done that was coming back to ruin everything? That was what you hoped for, in a strange way, because at least it would mean that this Dale still might want you. That whatever prompted this was out of his control. That maybe you could fix whatever it was. “I care about you,” he finally says, his eyes bright, bright blue as they meet yours squarely once more and your breath catches at the genuine sentiment in his voice, “more than I ever thought I would, but I’m not who you think I am.” He takes another deep breath and says bluntly, “Dale of Northridge died weeks ago and then I possessed his body.”

Everything seems to screech to a halt as he stares at you, his eyes pleading with you to understand. Aside from the relief at finally hearing him say it out loud, you don’t. Understand, that is. “Yes…” you say slowly, nodding. “And…?” You’re still waiting for him to complete the thought. To tell you what he’s been building to. Prompting him seemed to help before. “Did you eat someone a few weeks ago and have just now been discovered? Did something you forgot come back to cause problems now?”

“What?” Now Dale looks nearly as confused as you feel. It makes you want to scream in frustration because he’s the one doing this—he has to be the one that knows what is going on. “No, I don’t think you understand.” He talks more slowly, like you’re not hearing his words right. “I’m not human, I’m a demon.” He once again appears to brace himself for your reaction, but you still don’t get it.

Maybe you aren’t hearing him right, but that’s never happened before. Is this some new demonic power or collateral influence? “Yes, I know,” you reply just as deliberately. You enunciate as you ask, “But what did you do that means we can not be wed?”

“You must not be comprehending my words.” He seems to be aware of the issue, getting frustrated himself. He runs his fingers through his long dark hair before he takes on a consoling tone, “I know it is a great shock to find out your fiance is now a demon—”

“What?” You stare at him because is that what he thinks you are getting caught on? You put your hands on your hips and can’t say anything except, “Of course, I know you’re a demon.”

“What?” He leans back, eyes wide. “No.” Dale shakes his head. “How could you know that?”

“Did you think you’ve been doing an exemplary job of hiding it?” The response bursts out of you before you can help it. Because no, this cannot be the conversation you’re having. It can’t be. “How about we begin with how the human Dale was obviously interested in demonology and black market dealing. How excited he was the night before this,” you gesture to Dale’s entire body, “happened. How sick you were after and your memory issues. The fact that you occasionally have more eyes than is proper and your influence on shadows and the claws. You’ve had a tail at times, for stars’ sake!”

“Oh.” Dale’s voice is small and his eyes big as he stares down at you, clearly at a loss for words.

You’ve seemingly found a well of words with which to rebuke him. “Do you know how many times I’ve had to conceal your nature?” You take a step forward, unable to contain your ire and incredulity. He takes one back. “It is not as easy as you must believe to distract people from wriggling shadows and additional eyes and all the strange things you say. Did you really believe I didn’t know? That you were hiding it that well?”

“Well, I don’t know.” Dale sounds more flustered than you’ve ever heard him. “Humans are so oblivious most of the time!”

“Not that oblivious!”

Dale throws his hands up. “Well, no one’s instigated a purge, have they? And Grandfather and Grandmother don’t know, do they?”

Your heart rate is slowly returning to normal and you grudgingly admit, “No. Although Grandfather did think I’d cursed you for a couple weeks.”

“He thought you cursed me?”

“Yes!” you reply, exasperated that he didn’t even know. “After the hunt, where you did light knows what with the boar, he became convinced that I had cursed you or ensnared you with my ‘potions’. Perhaps while you were still recovering from your supposed illness. As a supposed practitioner of dark ritual or maybe even a summoner, he kept trying to exorcise me, which I had to make sure didn’t accidentally affect you.” When Dale just looks at you, obviously hearing this or putting the pieces together for the first time you can’t help, but feel as if you might be the one who has lost their mind. “You must remember when he practically threw a glass of holy water on us?”

Dale’s brow furrows. “…I did think that was a bit odd.”

You snort. “Yes, I would wager so.” Slowly, you realize you're laughing. You put a hand to your mouth but all it does is muffle the sound. Dale looks newly worried but you can’t stop. “I can’t believe you didn’t know that I knew.” Collapsing into a chair, you cover your face in your hands as you try to regain your composure.

How is this happening? How had you managed to get so far along without realizing he didn’t know that you knew? Who does that say more about him or you?

After a moment or two, you sense him near you and he asks, “Are you alright?” He sounds so concerned, like he’s still worried the knowledge of what he is, even if it isn’t new to you, might be capable of breaking your mind or whatever he feared would happen.

“Yes, yes,” you finally sit back up, blinking in the light as you attempt to reassure him. “I will be. I simply need a moment.” Dale hesitates from where he’s leaning over you before turning to fetch a cup of water. Haltingly, he holds out to you. “Thank you,” you say as you wipe away the tears that had gathered in the corners of your eyes while laughing.

You sip it carefully as you pull the tattered remains of your composure around yourself once more. Dale watches you take the first couple of sips before he begins to pace in obvious agitation. He’s clearly waiting for you to finish the glass before saying whatever is so clearly on his mind. You’re content to take your time and make him wait after everything he’s put you through, seemingly without even realizing what you were doing.

After a minute, you set the glass down deliberately and Dale comes to a stop in front of you. “I don’t…” he starts to say before changing his mind. “If you know, then why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” you ask. He’s the one constantly doing incomprehensible things.

“Marrying me!” he says, rather emphatically, as though it should be obvious. He runs his hands through his hair. “Going through with this wedding! I don’t understand.” He sounds desperate to understand.

You feel of heat gather high on your cheeks, not having expected to have a light shown on your own actions so directly. “What do you mean? We’re betrothed. Getting married is the expected course of action.”

He gives you a flat look that says you’re not fooling him. “Try once more. I admit there were certain times where I did think you…” He looks at you, a distant look in his eyes as he remembers whatever particular instance. “Where I did think that you knew. Half a dozen times, I was sure you knew,” he continues, eyes intent once more, “but you didn’t do anything about it! You never revealed me or tried to exorcise me or even demand any sort of recompense for keeping it secret. You merely continued on as we had. You were still there, at my side.” He sighs and he looks so tired again. “And so I thought I must be wrong, that you couldn’t know.”

You're not sure what to say in the face of his conviction that you knowing what he is and you continuing to associate with him were so unlikely he’d discounted it out of hand. He made it sound like tolerating or using him was the most he’d expected. “I…”

“And you’re afraid of demons!” The words burst out of him. “So why would—?”

“I’m not afraid of you,” you reply because that’s certainly true. If the manner in which the shadows behind Dale are writhing in distress are any indication, the reassurance can’t hurt. You’re worried about how his nature makes life more complicated and what other people might do, but you’re long past the point of fearing he’d physically injure you on purpose.

“I heard you and Grandfather talking about Two,” Dale replies, as if that proves something. “How you feared them because of what they were. That night, when I remembered what I’d heard, I changed my mind again about what you knew.”

You stare at him before saying slowly, “Dale, I was afraid of Two because they were trying to kidnap and murder us. Their being a demon made them more dangerous, so yes, that made me fear them more than the others. You were who knows where fighting them on your own and I was worried about you.” If you thought Dale looked confused before, he looks downright confounded now. You keep talking, relishing in the opportunity to finally speak honestly about the attack, “However, you being a demon makes you stronger, which reassured me. I couldn’t say anything else because of Grandfather’s attitude, but I did not grow up in Northridge. I may not have met a demon before, but I didn’t live anywhere with the rigorous, studied suspicion and fear that Northridge cultivates.”

“The rest of the world is not Northridge,” Dale acknowledges having composed himself, “but it is not charitable in its view either. And it is not wrong in that opinion. I’ve been on the Surface before. No one has ever treated me in the manner you have after learning what I am. It was impossible to reconcile the person I got to know with someone who would want what humans understand demons to be.”

It’s not as though you can’t follow where he’s coming from. You haven’t told anyone else about what he is for a reason beyond just what Grandfather and Grandmother. You’d never even seriously considered telling any of your siblings because you know they wouldn’t understand. You want to ask further about the personal experience he’s alluding to but that isn’t what matters at this moment. “I…” You take a breath and finally say the obvious truth that you’ve never been able to say directly, even if you alluded to the sentiment right after the attack. “I do want to marry you.” Dale looks thunder-stuck. “Far more than I ever wanted to marry Dale before you took his place.”

“You do?” You’ve never seen Dale look so completely bewildered. “Why?”

“Because he was a selfish, mean, entitled prick.” The plain, honest words slip out without thought and Dale’s eyes widen. “Because you’re not. I like you.” You swallow and continue, “I think we get along well. I would have tolerated marrying him. You make me look forward to marriage.”

It's a weight lifted to finally say those words, but they inevitably bring up your own confusion, your own lack of understanding of this Dale’s motivations and you can’t pass up the opportunity to ask. “But this is not just about why I have stuck to this facade. Why have you?” You still have no notion of what a demon might want. You’d only barely convinced yourself that Dale wanted this partnership since he was going along with it. He isn’t now. So perhaps you don’t know anything at all. “You could have stolen all you could from Dale and then disappeared to live your own life about a week after being here. You don’t have to be, to be,” you search for the words to define what’s he’s been doing, especially knowing he’s not been working toward the same end goal as you, “taking part in all these events, and playing dutiful grandson with Grandfather, Grandmother, or all the others.” You take a deep breath and add, with only a small shake to your voice, “Or being with me. Why are you still here?”

Dale opens his mouth, but no sound comes out as he stares at you.

Your shoulders slump in the face of his inability to give any reason, let alone a compelling one. “Although, I suppose there is no more wedding, is there? You’ve called it off, for all you haven’t left or told me why.” The prospect of the fall-out to come leaves you exhausted and hurt already. “I assume that leaving will be your next move.”

“No, no,” Dale starts to protest, “I…” Something changes in his expression as he searches for the words to say and this time, they come out steady, “Originally, I stayed because it was easy. I thought the best stroke of luck I’d had in my existence was when that imbecile broke himself opening an unguarded portal and I’d won the fight for his body.”

“Oh.” It had never even occurred to you that there might have been such an event. No matter what he does next, you’re grateful this demon is the one who won too.

“It’d been so long since I’d been up on the Surface,” Dale says wistfully. “I didn’t have a plan beyond getting here. I suppose, at first, I had considered taking what I could and leaving to make my own life. Except…” Your breath, your future hangs on that “except.” “I enjoy it here. Northridge, I mean, not just being out of the Depths. It’s somewhat impossible to know how much is experience and how much is borrowed memory, but I care for Grandfather and Grandmother. And for you. What is here in Northridge is more than I’d hoped for. A safe den, a loyal clan, a bountiful territory, an exemplary mate. Why would I go searching for better when it seemed I’d already found all I could want?”

“Truly?”

“Yes.”

Dale seems so sincere but that only brings your mind back to what prompted this conversation. “Then why are you trying to stop the wedding?”

“Because I thought you didn’t know!” he protests. “I told myself that since I’d never out-right lied to you, that was good enough.” He sighs. “But I realized if my only reason for not telling you who you were even marrying was because you might make a choice I didn’t want, that it was rather despicable.”

You can’t help, but ask the obvious. “Then why didn’t you simply tell me instead of calling the wedding off?”

“Because I’m selfish too,” Dale says, “and I couldn’t bear for you to know the truth and look at me like—.” He breaks off, shaking his head.

He’s returned to not meeting your eyes. Tension has crawled back up his spine to settle in his shoulders. His arms are crossed and he still seems one wrong word away from running. As if Dale’s still waiting for you to reject him. Perhaps you need to make up for all the times you didn’t speak up before. It seems like a fair concession if the hope blooming in your chest is proven true.

You stand up from your chair, crossing the remaining distance between you and Dale. You place gentle hands on his forearms and they loosen under your touch. Carefully you push those crossed arms down until they hang by his sides where you can entwine your fingers with his. You take advantage of the height he has on you to look up into his eyes, not even surprised to find more than just two. “Well, I do know.” Those glowing blue eyes stare back down at you with the same hope reflected in them. “And I still want to marry you. If you do.”

Dale’s answer is immediate and earnest, “I do. I want that. I want the life we spoke of building more than anything else I’ve ever thought to want.”

You nod, a smile breaking out across your face. “Good. Go-” He cuts you off with a kiss, which starts out light but grows in pressure when you kiss him back. He tries to lift a hand to your face, but instead the back of your own hand still held in his touches your cheek instead. You pull back to see the pout he makes as he stares at his hand, obviously unsure of whether to let yours go or to keep holding on.

The sound of a door opening above you followed by disgruntled voices pops the bubble of privacy you’d been enclosed in. You sigh. “While we still need to have a full conversation, I think it can wait for tonight at the least, yes?” Dale nods eagerly. “Then I must return to getting ready.”

“And I must assure Grandfather my ‘bout of childish insanity’ is indeed over. I’ve never seen him so furious.” At the look of surprise on your face, Dale smiles. “Regardless of what he thought before, Grandfather certainly thinks well of you now. He repeatedly told me that this would be the worst decision I ever made if I went through with it. He’s refused to even tell Grandmother, more out of fear for me than for her.”

High on emotion and relief, you giggle, too pleased that Grandfather spoke so strongly in your favor. “Did he?”

“Yes,” Dales says as he leads you to the study door. “And it's not as though I could provide a solid defense when I knew he was right.” He pulls you into a solid embrace before letting you go with a final kiss pressed to your forehead.

You pull the door open without looking away from him, not able to resist asking for one last reassurance, “Your word that you will be there at the other end of the aisle?”

Dale smiles. “Yes, sana, I give you my word that I will let nothing stand in the way of our wedding, not even myself.”

[Part Thirty-One]

#my writing #story: nothing's wrong with dale #story part #nothing's wrong with dale #monster romance #monster bf #exophilia #terato #osha compliant #slow burn #arranged marriage #reader #idk where today went #literally all i did was work on this and go to a bridal shower #and the day is gone #the anticipation just for myself for this chapter has been ridiculous #so i'm rly glad to hav finally gotten here and finished it!#hope you enjoyed the chapter!#let me know what you think!

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insult-2-injury · 6 months

Text

To Crush a Foe

Tartaglia x f!reader NSFW 6K

Wrote this months ago for @chickenparm and her hydro husband 💦

AO3 Link (fluff, pining, fingering, p in v, dirty talk, friends to lovers, reader is traveler)

~ ~ ~ ~

Surreal. That was the word you decided on; that strange fusion of emotion that went along with the final crushing of a former foe. Not in the crossing of swords, this time, no, but in the acceptance of a simple invitation.

Gods, if someone had told you one year ago you’d be sitting here eating supper with Childe’s family, you would have had yourself a good laugh right in their face.

“How did you fare on the ship ride over, dear?”

“Hm?”

His mother smiled. The charming ease of it was uncannily reminiscent of your red-haired travel companion beside you, who only smirked at your quiet, nervous reverie. If you sat anywhere else, outside the comforts of Childe’s kitchen maybe, you’d smack him upside the head in an instant for that.

You’d avoid such confrontation here.

“It was great!” You felt your face heat at the over-enthusiastic crack in your voice. Why were you so nervous suddenly? You had nothing to prove here. “Truthfully, I stayed inside the cabin most of the trip. Here I thought Dragonspine was cold.”

“Well I’m certain you’ll adapt just fine,” his mother said. “From what we’ve heard, you’re quite the adventurer. Our Ajax is lucky to have you.”

You blinked. You weren’t stupid. You knew what it looked like: the implication of him bringing you here. You could only hope that Childe had set the record straight: that you were just two people who had put aside a lifetime of differences in order to tolerate the other. Friends, you’d almost call it. Comrades, he would say in that unerringly cheerful voice of his.

You nearly jumped when Childe’s palm reached to wrap the top of your leg beneath the table, squeezing slightly.

“Forgive her for the spaciness, mother, she’s not used to the company of humans.”

You whipped your head over to him with an incredulous frown, dislodging his too familiar touch by crossing your legs. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Relax. I only mean she has an… interesting array of travel companions.” You narrowed your eyes at the impish grin crawling across his lips, both of you knowing full well he’d be calling Paimon a floating flour bag if his mother weren’t sitting right there.

“Oh what, like you’re just some ordinary guy?”

He chuckled. “Far from it!” The table creaked as he leaned forward on his elbows, addressing his siblings.

“I kid, of course. It’s just as I said in my letters home. The traveler here has embarked on adventures all across Teyvat, each more impressive than the last. It’s a wonder she doesn’t have a big head.” He gestured with his fork toward Tonia, Teucer, and Anthon, who sat like grinning ducks in a row. “You know… you’d be wise not to mess with her.”

The back of your neck prickled and you reached up to scratch at the heat. The center of attention was never a spot you particularly enjoyed.

“I’m not so scary.”

“See,” Childe said, leaning forward conspiratorially, “this one’s as tricky as they come. Don’t let her fool you, she’s a force. May have even knocked the wind out of me once or twice.”

You’d done more than that. You shook your head, something tender and nervous fluttering in your chest at the flattery.

“Enough talk about me,” you said, waving him off and addressing the kids. “Tell me about your adventures.”

And as they did, you became lost in thought.

Why had you accepted his invitation again?

Oh yeah, because he’d been relentless about it. Sending you letter after letter to come visit his family, along with pictures. Pictures of the gifts he’d sent over for his younger siblings' birthdays, the extravagant meals he’d eaten on his latest adventures. So many letters and pictures that it became something of suspicion to your other traveling companions.

And you were hopelessly intrigued, warmed by the trust he put in you, each battle making it progressively harder to find a way to dig into that diminishing well of rancor in your chest that had existed so strongly only a year prior.

But you’d pushed that flicker of affection aside and you’d told him to cut it out, that sending you messages across Teyvat was nothing short of reckless, but he’d matched your fervor with a cheeky smile.

“What, a guy can’t send a letter to a friend?” he’d said before unleashing a torrent of hydro upon you.

And he had worn you down– so much so that one day you’d just… accepted. Plain and simple; sent a single word answer back: Fine.

Gods, you wanted to fight him. You wanted that hand on your thigh again.

“Did Ajax get you properly packed, then?”

“Hm?”

She smiled and repeated herself.

“Oh. Sort of. He sent a checklist and I did the rest. I did get an – unnecessary – talking to about my wardrobe selection on the way here, though.”

Childe smirked. “All she packed were pretty little sundresses-”

“He’s lying.”

His booted feet crossed at the ankles as he balanced back in his chair, chin tilted down so he could properly examine you.

“I did give you a bit of a hard time, didn’t I, traveler? You weren’t too happy with me at all.” He reached over and playfully flicked a loose piece of hair that had been covering the full extent of your side glare. He laughed and turned to his mother. “You should’ve seen the way she was huddled up in the cabin, it was quite the entertainment. Folded herself up like the cutest little block of ice.”

Your heart skipped a beat, face heating, but he seemed all too casual. Cute? Who was he calling cute? You vowed to serve his head on a platter at the next family meal.

“It’s much colder at sea,” you muttered.

“You wouldn’t believe it now, mother, but there was a time she’d have had my head for teasing her like this.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t rule that out just yet.” Your eyes darted across the table to meet his mother’s twinkling gaze. You felt the uneasy furrow in your brow immediately begin to smooth and softly, you smiled back at her.

Childe re-crossed his arms cheerfully. “Luckily we’re on better terms now, aren’t we traveler?”

“Not for much longer.”

His family laughed. Unable to meet his gaze, you dropped your eyes to your plate, clanking your silverware around, feeling like a nervous child.

The rest of supper was uneventful, all things considered. You told them of your adventures; the choleric skies of Inazuma, the rolling hills of Sumeru, embellishing a bit only for the benefit of the younger Teucer, who sat on his hands, looking between Childe and you with a shining devotion.

The boy, then, with the enthusiasm of a dog with a bone, launched into the story of that day at the “toy factory”, when you’d seen the first glimpses of the shadows Childe hid inside. It both pleased and saddened you to know that the boy held the memory so close to his heart.

So shockingly in tune you were with the outward flow of Childe’s energy that it was impossible to ignore the near imperceptible shift in his demeanor. You peeked at him. Childhood had to end somewhere, of course, but knowing what you did about Childe, the last breath of innocence had come for him much too soon. Which made Teucer’s fearlessness all the more troubling to him.

“I worry.” Childe had written to you once in a letter. “I was never so bold as him. Not then at least.”

Those shadows of himself, they weren’t so easily hidden from you now.

Childe’s fingers tapped lightly upon his thigh and like a rubber band pulled taut, your hand snapped toward him with zero destination, your heart solely aching with the sudden need to comfort. He stilled, gaze dropping surprised on your fingers fluttering uncertainly upon the bare skin of his forearm.

Embarrassed, you moved to pull away, but quick as a flash, his hand snatched you back, warm, gloveless fingers capturing yours, threading them through and tightening.

Teucer kept talking, everyone clueless but perhaps his attentive mother to the pyro burst that had just singed through your every waking nerve, something a lot like terror running rampant through your veins. Your skin felt too hot at the simple touch, stomach too tight.

You jumped when Childe chuckled at Teucer’s exuberance. His hand idly squeezed yours, thumb rubbing idle circles into the skin between your thumb and index finger. When his head quirked to the side and found you quietly studying him, the corner of his lips began to curl into the makings of a soft smile.

You looked away, swallowing around the tightness in your throat.

He liked to be near people; liked to hug and touch arms and ruffle hair. But this was a gesture that implied the two of you spoke often through touch.

Well, you suppose that wasn’t entirely untrue.

You fought often, after all, and battle was an intimate affair; breaths intermingling, swords locking as you met in the middle again and again. Insults would fly, sweat would mix, your own gasps of exertion displacing that damp lock of ginger hair that always plastered to the center of his forehead when you’d been at it for awhile. The mere thought of it now had heat pooling like liquid gold in your belly.

You yanked away from the intimate grip and flew up from your seat to start helping his mother at the sink. With a yawning stretch, Childe stood and started clearing the rest of the dishes and your heart squeezed at the sight of this domestic side of him.

Teucer’s arms wrapped your legs from behind. “I’m so glad you’re dating my brother.”

The laugh on your lips turned into a choke as your brain short-circuited, thoughts turning to mush as your eyes widened on Childe, who’d frozen mid-step, a stack of dishes fitted into the crook of his elbow. You could almost see the cogs turn in his mind as mischief flared in his eyes like a lit match, terribly devilish when coupled with the slight upturn of his lips. He cocked his head at you as if to say “well?” a tuft of autumn hair falling across his eyes.

Gently, you detached yourself from the boy. “We’re- we’re not uh…”

Teucer’s brows furrowed, shoulders falling in disappointment.

“You’re not? But…” He looked to his older brother.

There was something so sad in the boy's voice that you hesitated and the silence grew incriminating, thicker and thicker until his mother stepped in.

“Teucer, sweetie-”

“We are,” you blurted, voice pitching unnaturally. “Yeah, uh. We are.”

“I knew it!”

Teucer beamed up at you and then let out a loud whoop, running away with his arms raised high.

You blinked. Oh Archons, you’d said it. You’d just said yes. You’d lied, sealed yourself off to a fate of the worst kind of humiliation at the hands of your former foe. You didn’t think it was possible for your cheeks to get any hotter.

Childe regarded you from beneath his brows and you quickly looked away from his terribly unreadable expression.

He turned to his mother abruptly. “So how are the fish biting this season?”

Oh, you were going to kill him.

The rest of the night was a blur. You didn’t address Childe and he disappeared anyway, making himself busy putting the kids to bed as you helped clean up and chatted with his mother, who blessedly didn’t mention your gaffe.

You hardly remembered what half-baked excuse you’d murmured in order to excuse yourself. You thanked her for dinner, bundled up quietly, and headed out into the bone-chilling cold, the bitterness a balm for your frayed nerves.

You approached the tiny guest house.

Gods, what spun out lie would you have to come up with to get out of this one? You considered slipping away into the night as you turned the key in the lock.

The room was pitch black and you fumbled for a good few seconds for the light before cursing, finally conjuring up a crackling ball of electricity in your palm.

“Hey, girlie.” You yelped and crashed back against the door right as light blossomed across the one room house. “Took you long enough.”

Childe was eyeing you lazily from his laid back position on your bed, looking wholly bored. Like you’d kept him waiting for hours. His hands were laced over his sternum, fingers tapping an unheard rhythm.

“What is wrong with you?” you hissed. “What is your insistence on always slinking about like some creepy old ghoul?”

“A ghoul?”

“You almost scared me to death!”

“Oh,” he said casually, propping himself up on his elbows. “Well it would be awfully depressing if after all this time I lost you to a bit of fright.”

You set your jaw and marched over to light the small fireplace, shrugging out of your coat, anxiety surging forth to take the place of the adrenaline ebbing out of your system, your hands shaking slightly as you stoked the fire. The image of him propped up on your bedspread was a tantalizing one. His gaze prickled at the back of your neck.

“Freezing in here,” you muttered. A chuckled response at your nervousness had you spinning around to pin him with a lethal glare, the fire behind you swelling at your call. Your hand instinctively went to grab the hilt of your sword, only to remember it lay packed away in your bag. So your arm whipped out to point at him accusingly.

“What are you even doing in here? Get out!”

“There she is,” Childe said, his voice almost reverent as his eyes flicked across you. “Stay right there, traveler. Perfect. You know, you’re quite the pretty picture like that.” A small thrill shuddered through you at the flicker of dark excitement in his eyes, there and then gone. His palms raised in mock surrender when your nose scrunched, fists balling angrily at your sides. “Hey, no need for theatrics. You’re my guest, after all. What kind of host would I be if I didn’t make sure you made it home safe?”

Your focus flickered briefly to the wide spread of his long legs.

“On my twenty foot journey over here?”

His head fell against his hunched shoulder with a teasing grin. “Who knows what sort of ghouls lurk around the forests of Snezhnaya?”

“I mean, I’d hope you would.”

Childe shrugged. “I do,” he admitted. “I just couldn’t let my best girl leave without so much as a goodnight.”

A shocking brightness blossomed in your chest and you set your jaw against it.

“Okay. If this is about what I said earlier… it was a slip of the tongue and I’m embarrassed enough as is so-”

“C’mere.”

“No.”

His mouth tilted into a fond smile. “Please?” He pushed himself to sit fully upright, leaning forward, elbows coming to prop atop his knees. You squinted as if he’d grown a second head. “Come on. I have something for you.”

“Last time you said something to that effect, I was nearly crushed by a whale.”

“It’s nothing like that. Swear on it.” He placed an earnest hand over his heart. “Besides, this shack is far too small, not much merit in taking us both out, don’t you think?”

“You’ve done crazier things.” You drew on your dwindling anger. “Like calling me cute.”

“You are cute,” he said. “Especially when you get all spitty with me like this. Now come here. Please. Don’t make me beg.”

You swallowed, fingers twitching at your sides, a sudden desire thrumming a needy tune between your legs. Bracing yourself, you stiffly closed more space between the two of you, still stopping several feet away.

He hummed disapprovingly. “Closer. Come on. You scared or something?”

“I’m plenty close. And if you hand me a stupid beetle or something, I’ll kill you.”

His hand flew out to grab a fistful of your shirt and yank you forward with a squeal. “Childe!” you shouted, catching yourself against his shoulders.

“There we go,” he said softly, your faces only inches apart. “Not so bad like this, is it?” He reached behind him. You relinquished your hold on his shoulders but his knees tightened around your thighs to keep you moving away. And for the first time, your instinct was to stay.

“Here,” he said, pleased. “Tonia told me to give this to you.” A single flower was in his hand, a beautiful coral red star with giant, shimmering petals.

You struggled to find words in the following silence. “Oh…”

“Do you like it?” The dark stem of a dendrobium spun between his agile fingers as he stared at it in thought. “I suppose you’d already know it’s a rare thing to come across one. There’s a legend in Inazuma that says dendrobiums can only grow in the wake of spilt blood. The bloodier the soil, the prettier and bigger the petals. Someone smart as you could probably puzzle out why I’m drawn to such things.”

Your nervous swallow was excruciatingly loud. “How would Tonia have-”

“Traveler…” he scolded quietly. Your breath cut embarrassingly short when his teasing gaze rose to meet yours. “You know how it hurts my heart when you don’t listen. I never said Tonia picked it herself. Just that she advised me to give it to you. After all, it was you that came to mind when I spotted it poking out so colorfully from between the rocks. Do you mind?”

His hand rose and he waited before taking your frozen, doe-eyed gaze as permission to sweep his fingers ghostlike up your cheek to push a fallen strand of hair behind your ear, sliding the flower into your hair.

The significance of his words hit you with the force of a raging Sumpter beast. He’d picked a flower for you. Such a simple gesture, yet your heart slammed in your chest.

Was this all some ploy? Your throat tightened further when you found no such evidence, bottom lip warbling slightly.

“Thanks,” you said carefully.

Slowly, studying you closely for any signs you meant to pull away, Childe curled his index fingers into your belt loops. His lips quirked when you allowed him to tug you further into him, until you were nestled fully within the heated framework of his thighs.

“What you said earlier at dinner,” he murmured. “You made me wait a long time to hear you admit that.”

“Admit what exactly?”

“That we’re something special, you and I.”

Childe latched onto your wrist, massaging gentle circles into your knuckles. When you wobbled on your feet, he twisted your palm upward to press a lingering kiss to the center of it and you shuddered, lips parting slightly. A pleased, catlike smile toyed at the corner of his mouth.

“Are we together, traveler, like you said?”

With one hand, you gripped the base of his chin between forefinger and thumb, the latter sweeping upward to explore the outline of his lips before tracing slowly up the curve of his jawline in thought. He hummed at your touch, the sound low and drawn out, sending a shock of heat between your legs. Your face burned and you opened your mouth. Shut it. Opened it again.

“I didn’t mean to say that earlier-”

In one swift movement, Childe’s grip had tightened on your wrist and he’d yanked you toward him, using the momentum to whirl you onto the middle of the bed with a cry of surprise. Intent on giving him an angry earful, you shoved yourself up, propped on your palms. But the words swelled and stuck in your throat at the roguish gleam in his eyes, the bed dipping as he crawled toward you.

Without any thought, your legs fell apart to allow him through.

“I’m going to have to disagree with you,” he said, advancing still, forcing you to retreat backward, flatten yourself until all you knew was his pretty face hovering above yours, his weight settling between your legs. “You never say things you don’t mean.”

Your heart clattered, chest rising with shallow breaths that drew his gaze downward.

“Maybe. But sometimes I do say things before I’ve thought them all the way through.”

“Mm, you’re not so wrong about that.” He lowered onto his elbows until the tip of his nose nearly brushed yours.

“I guess I just didn’t think before I said it,” you stammered. “Your brother seemed so confident and I didn’t…” You squeezed your eyes shut. “I didn’t know if you wanted that.”

Your skin burned white hot at the admission. Did he know just how vulnerable you were allowing yourself to be right now? The terror that lit through your chest when you thought about him not feeling the same way?

Childe grinned. “It’s a shame you’re blind as well as loose-tongued. Well, it would be pretty awkward to take it back now, yes? So I guess you’re stuck with me in the meantime.”

You laughed, the ball of tension easing in your chest.

“I think your family likes me alright,” you said quietly and he laughed at the change of subject.

“They do. A little too much, I’m afraid. We’ll have to make sure Teucer doesn’t smuggle himself along in your bags.”

You looked up at him, a long felt but never before addressed emotion swelling almost painfully in your chest. “You’re rare, you know,” you blurted. “I’ve never- I’ve never met anyone like you.”

Childe’s eyes softened. “I can hardly believe you’re real sometimes.”

Foregoing further words, you spread your legs all the way, inviting him to nestle more fully into the crux of your thighs. His breath stuttered across your lips at the hard press of his erection against your front. You bit your bottom lip, holding in a smirk. “I’m plenty real when I beat you in every fight–”

Matching your energy immediately, two large hands cupped your face, thumbs bracing beneath your chin to gently lever your mouth shut. “Shhh,” he murmured, slowly bending down to press a kiss to each corner of your mouth. “We can get to the bottom of that another time. But for now just… behave.”

A tiny whine from you was all it took for him to finally press his lips against yours.

The room dimmed and sharpened all at once. The muscles on his arms and back turned boneless beneath your fingers as he sighed into your mouth, as if your lips working back against his were a long-awaited antidote. It was slow, sweet. His thumbs traced gentle half moons under your eyes and his tongue dipped in tentatively before he grew bolder, gaining ground when you parted your lips in response to a well-timed drag of his hips.

A hand smoothed down your hair, coming to cradle the back of your head, pulling you in like he could inhale you completely, until it was bruising and raw and exhilarating; a different kind of battle entirely.

Your fingers worked clumsily at the buttons of his shirt from the top down, ghosting over the raised skin of old scars as you went. His breath hitched beneath your touch, the skin of his abdomen tightening and jumping as you teased beneath the hem of his pants before working unsuccessfully at his belt buckle.

“Stupid Sneznhayan bullshit…” you hissed against his mouth.

The hand in your hair tightened and you let out a humiliating noise, abandoning his belt and finding purchase in his shirt, using it to lever your hips up into his. Grinding to relieve some of the ache pulsing between your thighs. An amused laugh puffed against your cheek at your frustration and his head dropped to murmur against your ear.

“I do love your determination. It’s one of my favorite things about you. But it would be a shame to rush through this first part, don’t you think?”

His hand cupped the opposite side of your face so he could plant a firm, lingering kiss to your temple while the other now ran up and down your side.

“Be patient with me?”

“Sure thing,” you said hoarsely right before his thumb found and circled the pert bud of your nipple through your shirt. You shuddered violently against him, legs wrapping his hips mindlessly, yanking him in. “Actually no. No, no, no.”

Childe laughed but the noise was tattered around the edges.

“Always figured you’d be greedy in bed.”

“Archons, y-you’re so annoying sometimes.”

He nipped your bottom lip, sharp and punishing, drawing back to look at your disoriented expression.

“I want you to do something for me,” he said, raising his shoulder further so he could wedge the wandering hand in between you.

“Wha-?” you squeaked, hips dipping into the bed to assist.

“Will you tell me about the day we met?”

The request was unexpected. Kind of wholesome if it weren’t paired with the slide of his palm between your thighs, cupping gently along the curve of your pussy through the fabric of your pants. Oh gods. You shuddered, eyes fluttering shut. It felt so deliriously good, just being held by him like this. With the heat of his palm unmoving and his bare skin just two layers away from yours.

“You don’t remember?” you croaked. He drew just his middle finger firmly up the seam and back down, catching your clit, your spine arching upward like you’d been hit by an electro burst.

“Of course I remember,” he said, brows furrowing at you as if the question was offensive. “But we’ve all got our versions to tell. Let me hear yours.”

“I was–”

You paused nervously as Childe’s lazy grin turned almost smug. He worked with only one hand at your belt, his eyes attentively on yours as he showed you up, unclasping and tugging until the two ends separated. He undid the button beneath with a deft thumb and forefinger. Without being asked, your hips raised, wriggling as he sat back on his heels to slowly tug your pants and underwear off.

You thanked your past self for lighting the fireplace as the open air hit the glistening wetness of your spread cunt. Childe’s gaze roved unabashedly, his fingers at his own waist now, undoing the clasp of his belt but going no further. His eyes flicked back up to yours with a devout intensity before he shrugged out of his shirt.

“Go on, traveler. You were saying?”

Emboldened by the bulge pressing hard and insistent at the front of his pants, you pushed yourself up to your knees, scooching forward until your thighs bracketed his own, gifting him with the sight of the spread of you. His tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip as he glanced down. No longer in a rush, you trailed your hands across his chest. Explored the soft planes of his abdomen, running along curves of smooth, defined muscle. Rising to thumb over his nipples, testing him, studying his reactions. Seeing what he liked.

“I uh–” you cleared your throat “-was running from the Millelith.”

“Interesting but I already know that. Tell me what you were feeling,” he said, tossing your shirt carelessly over the side of the bed, moving on to your bra. “Hmm, better yet, tell me how relieved you were to see me.”

“Ah ok. So you need your ego stroked.”

“For starters.” His lips curled suggestively. Previously dragging light patterns across his skin, your nails clawed in hard and you were rewarded with the slight drop of his jaw and the low rumble of an appreciative groan.

Being completely exposed before Childe was nothing like you’d imagined. There was no self-consciousness, no reservations at all as his hands explored and cupped. Because you already knew each other, you realized, had already done this intimate dance; each dip, each curve memorized and stored from all those battles at the Golden House. The only thing left was to see.

“I think I was too full of adrenaline to be nervous,” you began. “But I guess I was backed into a bit of a corner when you found me.” You leaned forward with a small smile, palm cupping between his legs in the same tormenting fashion his had, sliding along the outline of his cock. Childe’s hips jerked. A soft moan tickled the hairs at the crown of your head, his chin coming to rest briefly atop as if looking at the motion of your fingers would be far too much.

“I was relieved to see you, sure,” you continued, thumb teasing at the ridge. “Could’ve handled it on my own, though.”

You felt his throat rumble out a warm laugh as you worked his pants open. “You could have, I’m sure.”

“I think I liked you right away,” you continued. “Before anything I admired your prowess. But I suppose I found you… cute,” you said, recycling the same word he’d used to describe you. You pulled him out before he could say anything cheeky in response. Wrapped him with your warm palm and gave an experimental stroke, grinning when he went completely stiff, a hushed curse following.

“Did you ever think about me like this?” The words spilled from Childe’s lips and he pulled back to look down at you, breathless, jaw working as he relished your slow strokes for a moment. “Back before you knew who I really was?”

“Yeah,” you answered honestly. You waited for the pang of resentment that used to come at the thought of his previous betrayal. But there was nothing, the idea so far removed from who the both of you were now that there was no harm in expounding. “Even after I knew, too. I… touched myself a lot. The thoughts were just angrier.”

“Yeah. Yeah I bet.”

Some strangled noise that seemed like it had been stuck at the back of his throat was released when your thumb swiped over his leaking tip. Cupping your face with a sudden urgency, he yanked you into a fierce kiss. But he pulled back as soon as it started, smile lazy and pleased at your dazed expression.

“My turn, yeah?” Childe’s head cocked. “I saw you first at the gates of Liyue when you arrived. I had to see the golden hero of Mondstadt with my own eyes, after all. And what a sight you were,” he purred. The fast, downward trajectory of his hand had you pulling in a breath and holding it in anticipation. “So pretty in that little dress. I thought about taking you for all you were worth right then and there. I think you would’ve come around to it. Am I right, traveler? If I’d have approached you then, would you have let me do this to you?”

You expected him to tease, hold out on you, so when his middle finger slid directly through your folds to dip lightly into the mess of your center, you nearly combusted, letting out a hoarse cry. Tried to pull away but his other hand curved the back of your neck, tugging you into his shoulder.

Childe turned to lay a gentle kiss on your cheek, fluttering his finger at your entrance just lightly enough to make a vulgar, wet noise.

“Well? Would you have?”

You shuddered. Nodded mindlessly and he purred in satisfaction at the easy give of two fingers, sliding into your cunt to the knuckle, hooking and hitting a spot inside you that had starlight bursting behind your eyelids. But still you fought through, pumping him, the movements jerky and pathetic now.

“But it was the day we really met, traveler. That day at the Golden House when I saw you for what you really were. That wild look in your eyes when you wanted to kill me so badly. I’ll never forget it. That’s when I knew for certain that no matter the outcome, I had to have you.”

“Childe–” you whined, hardly remembering to stroke him still.

“It’s okay,” he said softly, “just hold onto me.”

And so you did, wrapping your arms around his neck and letting him pump his fingers into you, slow and torturous until you burned white hot and senseless. Hardly aware even of your back delicately pressing into the mattress again, the new position allowing him more depth, each curl accompanied by a tiny whimper. You felt the quiet flutter of climax already brushing like a flurry of feathers across your skin. It was like nothing you’d experienced, being tucked into Childe’s neck like this, one of his hands still caressing your hair so sweetly while the other stretched you open.

“That’s it, sweet girl,” his faraway voice murmured, coaxing you to relax beneath him but you couldn’t while his lips brushed your cheek. While his fingers pumped, while the smell of him filled your senses.

You loved him. You loved him.

Everything swelled at once; emotion and that twisting pleasure in your belly rising sharply until your body went rigid, nails digging helplessly into his shoulders as you grasped for a tether to reality. A torn keen loosened from the depths of your chest as he worked you through with murmured, rhythmic praises. You spasmed against him, clinging like the illusion of him could disappear at any moment, leaving you nothing but a shuddering mess. You fell back onto the bed panting.

A press against the corner of your mouth and your eyes fluttered open. The sensitive slide of his fingers out of your pussy had your lips parting just enough that he could slide his tongue softly through. You lay there motionless for a time, blinking the pleasure from your eyes, Childe just massaging his tongue against yours, eyes closed, dipping in and out of you slowly.

His cock laid heavy and hot on your hip, leaking hot precum across your skin. Groaning, you finally reciprocated his kiss, your fervor met with a long purr of contentment from above. Your nails dug grooves into his bare hips, dragging him against you, imploring him without words.

Childe inhaled a sharp breath and pulled back to look at your face, eyes glazed slightly.

“You alright?” was all he said, voice in such shreds it had you laughing, cupping his face in your hands.

“Yeah, you idiot.”

The side of his nose brushed yours, a wry grin curling his lips. “Kind of impolite for a girl who was just cumming all over my fingers.” He pressed a single, firm kiss against your mouth before reaching between you to position his cock, wetting it with a drag through your slit before pressing in just slightly.

Childe’s blue eyes flickered between yours.

“I love you, too, by the way.”

Your eyes widened but any further reaction on your part was taken up by the delicious, burning stretch as he slowly pushed into you with a drawn out groan, not stopping until he’d bottomed out inside you, the only sound punctuating the room for several seconds the sound of steadying breaths.

You could already feel yourself making room for him, fitting yourself around him.

“Keep moving or I’ll die.”

His laugh was strained and he seemed oddly hesitant still, like he wasn’t quite ready to stop looking at you. You smiled softly and he let out a content sigh, his head falling to your shoulder. His cock inched out of you, pushing back in at the same dragging pace. And he began to fuck you deep, rocking into you slow.

“You’re perfect,” he murmured into your ear.

He loved you. Childe loved you.

Everything was perfect. He was perfect. The way he sucked gentle bruises into your skin. The way his hips rolled so steadily and how he was ruining you slow, hitting all the right spots inside you that had you gasping for breath, softly whimpering with each thrust.

You were warriors, yes. It was your baser instincts. But the pace that he set made clear that the quick step, fierce clashing of swords was momentarily being tossed aside in favor of slow hands. You panted as you took him again and again, your sweat mixing, brushing that damp lock of ginger hair to the side so you could fall into the blue of his eyes.

“I have another confession,” Childe murmured against your neck. “And I feel terrible about this one. So don’t bark at me.”

“Is now really the time for confession?”

Childe turned you over, his hands falling immediately to steady your hips, guide them into the same rolling tempo on top of him.

“Good as any, I think.”

He pinched the skin of your thigh when you didn’t respond, too blissed out and focused on the second rising tide swirling low in your belly.

“F-fine.”

“I told them myself that we were dating.”

“Wh-hat?” you choked out as his thumb found your clit, rolling in tight circles. He groaned at your hard clench around him. Archons, you were right on the precipice.

“I told my family in my letters,” he panted. “Told everyone I could that we were together a long time ago, traveler. That I’d found myself a pretty little adventurer in Liyue that I intended to make mine. Don’t you think that was presumptuous of me?”

“Ch-Childe–”

You didn’t know how to process the information, let alone respond. Your head spun, everything tightening inside, but terribly slow. With a plea on your lips, your hands flew up to play with your nipples, desperate for something to send you over that edge. You heard Childe curse under his breath quietly, hands digging into the flesh of your hip bones as he seemed to steady himself.

“Childe.”

“So really, I knew before you did,” he said, sounding like a fraying rope. “The whole world knew you were mine before you did. But I knew you’d come around. Knew it as surely as I know the Sneznhayan sky. Knew it as surely as I know you.”

Childe drew one arm around your back, the other up your spine until his hand found the back of your neck, pulling you forward to press his mouth to yours before his lips slid forward and found your ear.

“And I do know you.”

Suddenly, you were locked against him, his hips snapping into yours with a fervor. You gasped because there it was, that pounding friction that had you nearly sobbing into his neck, clawing at the bed as you were sped toward that edge and soared right over it.

The arms holding you so tightly left no space to roll and flex your body naturally through your release. It was a debilitating ecstasy, destructive and wet, all centered at one nexus point between your legs, so powerful it had you drenching his cock as he stuffed you again and again. Before you’d even remembered to breathe, Childe was swallowing your anguished whine, shifting your body upward so he could chase his own release.

“Say it again,” he gasped against your lips. “Please.”

Somehow, you knew. “Love you,” you breathed, completely dazed.

“Again, again, again.” He pounded into you desperately and you felt the telltale tightening of his abdomen, the beginning stutter of his hips.

You grabbed his face and poured every ounce of yourself into it. “I love you, Childe.”

A choked laugh turned into a groan as he slammed himself deep, emptying inside your still convulsing cunt, showering you with so many breathless praises that they all slur together like a desperate prayer. His face tipped back so beautifully, twisting in ecstasy before he went boneless, the only sound in the room your labored breathing.

You waited until your heartbeat slowed to shift atop him, rolling until you were tucked into his side instead. Your eyelids felt like a weighted blanket but you were too lost in thought to drift off now, fingers tracing lazy patterns into his skin.

Minutes and minutes passed. You fiddled with the flower in your hair.

“So everyone knew we were together except me?” you asked, more sheepish than intended, cheek moving against the hard planes of his bare abdomen so you could peer up at him. Childe burst into laughter and you found yourself pressing closer to absorb the sound.

“You really are blind. Every opportunity I had to show you my true feelings, I took. Even that floating bag of flour had her suspicions.” You smacked his chest hard but he continued with a chuckle. “Always looking over your shoulder like she could kill me on the spot. If she could see us now.”

With practiced quickness, you straddled his hips, palms propping on either side of his head. “That’s enough.”

Naturally, his fingers found your sides, dragging up and down, eyes full of a shining devotion.

“You’re beautiful.”

“You’re just saying that to get your cock touched again.”

Childe smiled dangerously. “Dirty words from such a pretty mouth. Careful, or we’ll end up making a battlefield of Sneznhaya yet.”

You grinned down at him for a long, giddy moment. “I could be tempted.”

#tartaglia #childe #childe genshin impact #tartaglia x reader #reader insert #genshin impact #genshin impact smut #childe x reader #f!reader #fanfic

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luna-rainbow · 13 days

Note

Allow me to present the defense case for Peggy Carter.

I don't mean the PC who is in What If BTW. I don't know who she is, but she's not Peggy. I mean the original version from 2011-2014, especially from recently re-watching The First Avenger.

Peggy comes off as being very aloof, detached and rather condascending at times. I argue that's because she had to be. Its very hard for women in the armed forces even today- but back in the 1940s it would have been even more difficult for a woman to hold her own in a male dominated context like the army. She'd have had to worked many times harder to prove herself and to gain the respect which her male counterparts took for granted purely by virtue of their gender and rank. If she showed any kind of emotional vulnerability or it seemed like she didn't know what she was doing, the men would have pounced on it and taken it as "evidence" she was just a weak and feeble woman who didn't belong in "thier" world. Even then... we still see people being insubordinate and talking down to her. When she punched that soldier who was making lewd remarks (can't remember his name) I don't see her being a bully. I see a woman having to deal with the type of casual sexism she probably experienced on a daily basis. When men who were far below her in rank treated her with contempt or just saw her as a sex object. No way that soldier would *ever* have spoken to a senior ranking male like that... She was also dealing with it in a very masculine way. Like another soldier would. In regards to Steve: again I don't think Peggy is ever intentionally mean or cruel to him. Yes, she's sassy and snarky, but I think she had to learn to be like that to hold her own among men. Her interactions with him in the movie are actually quite positive overall: she smiles when he uses his ingenuity and jumps on a dummy grenade, she doesn't talk about how weak he was she views him as a proper soldier when a lot of others don't: including Colonel Phillips. Even after the Serum Philips just sees him as some glorified performer whereas she trusts his judgement: reluctantly at first but willingly afterwards.

For his own part, Steve never talks down to her or views her as inferior. He was probably one of first men who did that only after Howard Stark perhaps.

When she said that Bucky was probably dead: again I don't think she was being uncaring. That line came after just after saying the 107th had been through "more than most" upon seeing an ambulance bringing an injured soldier back from the front. It seems to me she didn't want to see *another* man die in what she had every reason to think was a suicide mission. I mean, its very likely she'd lost friends before, maybe even had family members killed. Besides of which, she ended up helping Steve go on that rescue mission by persauding Howard to drop him near the HYDRA facility on his plane. Then didn't apologize for her actions afterwards even though Colonel Philipps basically threatened to basically demote her.

Finally, that scene where she fires her gun at Steve's shield: again I don't see that as bullying. When he kissed that other woman (*who did it very deliberately in front of Peggy*) it was quite obviously an attempt to make her jealous. (Not on Steve's part, but the other woman). I think in that moment she felt betrayed, because she believed Steve was different to the other men she encountered. Men who just saw her as a conquest or an airhead. She thought he was behaving "just like the other soldiers"- i.e treating women as objects, and she had an emotional reaction. She was actually wrong, but that proves she's flawed. She's human after all!

So yeah, Peggy in The First Avenger is great. She's sassy and snarky but she does seem to genuinely care for Steve as well. I see them as having a lot in common: both people who struggle to be accepted by others but find their place eventually.

Okay, before I start, I want to say that I did like her mannerisms when I first saw CATFA, because I like no-nonsense female characters. However, movies!Peggy was not a fully formed character — just as movies!Bucky wasn’t. One was the token love interest, the other was the token best friend. Hence, there are specific traits embedded in Peggy’s characterisation, or rather her story roles, that are factors of a male author writing a female love interest for a genre about macho superhero men. Which in itself is a product of the misogynistic nature of 2010 MCU.

Firstly, she’s never actually had her rank or her professional role specified. She introduced herself as an “agent supervising all operations of this division”, but all she does is hover around Howard and Philips in their offices. She’s not on the battlefield with Steve (no matter how her own series tried to rewrite it). She’s not in the field acting as a spy/agent. We are told she’s important, because somehow as an agent she’s giving orders to military trainees — a weird role but we can give her that suspension of disbelief — but we are never shown her doing anything important to contribute to war efforts. More than this being Peggy is a useless person, it’s a symptom of the writer not knowing how to handle a female professional in WW2, to the point of calling her an agent but having her both being in the science division and giving military trainee orders but hanging around looking like a secretary. And why exactly could Philips threaten to demote her? Who does she even work for? He could demote her if she’s military but she’s not. So it’s never clear that those soldiers are her subordinates, because they’re not. She’s not in the chain of command! And so why should they respect someone who’s not in their chain of command telling them that she’s going to give orders? She does have to earn it.

You and I remember that kissing scene very differently. Firstly, Lorraine pulled him into a kiss, Steve didn’t kiss her. We need to get the instigator clear here. We can debate how much of a willing participant Steve was, because that scene can be read anywhere from “Steve was unsure at first but then started to enjoy it” to “Steve was in shock the whole time and his hands came up to push her away”. Secondly, there’s no suggestion that either Lorraine or Steve knew Peggy was within watching distance, so I don’t agree with the interpretation that anyone did it to make Peggy jealous. Thirdly, Peggy and Steve were not an item at that stage, so it’s rather presumptuous of her to “feel betrayed”. What did he betray? He said he was waiting for the right partner, he didn’t say the right partner was her. She’s the one who’s taken it upon herself to demand his faithfulness. He never indicated he was happy to enter into that social contract. Fourthly, you’ve acknowledged that her emotional response to another woman kissing Steve was “flawed”, but object to that violent retaliation being called “bullying”. So let’s call it for what it is: unprofessional, unethical, unromantic, and bloody unhinged.

I’m sorry, there is no possible justification for discharging a gun at a man (and specifically in this case a man who is not in a relationship with you) over a kiss in an enclosed space at work where other bystanders could get injured.

But you know what? That scene is another symptom of male writers not knowing how to write a strong female love interest. In 2010 everyone knew it would be bad form if a man hit a woman for being kissed by another man, but violent anger from a woman directed at a man? That was seen as cute and funny and sweet. And that view exists because of the infantilisation of women. Female anger is seen as “not that hurtful” and “not that important”, dismissed as a momentary “emotional outburst” because women are prone to emotional outbursts, it’s a womanly thing to suddenly lose grip on logic over a jilted love. Where in a man that emotional volatility and violence would be a major character flaw that would turn him into a villain, in a woman that’s…cute and harmless.

So you know, Peggy was at the same level of neglect that Bucky-with-two-birthdates was. She was not a character they cared enough about to even give her a proper professional role in the army. She’s there because the movie needed a love interest. She’s there to show how unwanted Steve was before the serum, and how desirable he became after the serum. She appears, every now and then, to remind the audience she exists, but never in a way that directly affects the plot. @amarriageoftrueminds has multiple excellent metas explaining why the story could have proceeded without Peggy being present. She’s a character we are continuously told is important, but the narrative gives her only counselling type dialogues, and while those conversations are placed at narratively important milestones, none of her suggestions make any sway on Steve’s original plans before he started talking to her, making her someone who has minimal impact on Steve’s arc and on the story as a whole.

#anti peggy carter #asks

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ahsxual · 4 months

Text

NSFW ALPHABET - KAI ANDERSON

Genre: Smut

Warnings: death and Kai himself, that's a warning ladies and gentleman

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex):

Kai tends to be more affectionate after sex, silently cheeking for any bruises only to take care of them after. He's extremely possessive over you, so he feels the obligation to take care of his little lamb since it's his responsibility. On good days, he will let you cuddle with him while he runs his fingers over your legs and arms softly.

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s):

Definitely your ass, nipples, mouth and vagina/penis. He likes to grab them harshly while you're having sex, and fucks every hole in your body.

As for him, he likes his veiny hands and his dick. Those body parts of his are the ones that can offer you more pleasure and make him feel powerful and desired, so they're definitely his favorites.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically):

Inside you: in your mouth, ass and vagina if you have one. He feels the need to mark his territory on you, so he definitely wants you to keep his cum inside you as long as possible.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs):

He already thought about catching you having sex with another person, and then fuck you roughly to prove who you belong to. But after that, he would fuck whoever was with you just to make you watch without touching yourself, so you feel bad about yourself and regret your actions. "Even that guy/whore made me cum harder than you ever did to me" (which is a lie, he just wants you to feel bad and make you depend on him).

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?):

After getting crazy, Kai fucked a lot of women and men, so when you met him, he was already pretty experienced. He's also a fast learner, so he knows exactly how to make you cum in a couple of minutes.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual):

Doggy Style - that way he can change easily from hole to hole if you have a vagina, spank your ass, grab your hair, push your face against the bed or whichever surface you are against to, and have more control over you in general.

The Hook - on this position, he can go deeper inside you while watching your face. It also allows him to kiss, bite, suck and spit on your face and neck.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.):

He doesn't shave himself, not even if you asked him to (that would probably be a bad idea, since he would feel insecure which results on him being agressive and loud). If he shaves, it has to be by his own will.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc):

Kai is extremely serious when it comes to sex. He thinks sex has to be seen as something essential for humans and a very important act where two souls and bodies connect with each other. And since he has deep feelings for you, the more serious he gets about it. However, when he won the election to become the official council man, that day you made sweet love with some giggles and smiles here and there.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…):

It's rare for Kai to be romantic in sex, since he is a hardcore kinky bitch. He will grab you firmly, his hand prints being marked on your body and "love bruises" too. He likes to spank you and make you entirely submissive to him, so he's pretty rough inside the room.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon):

Everyone knows that Kai Anderson is a huge fan of masturbation and jerks off a lot. Even when he is with you, sometimes he orders you to simply kneel down while he jerks off on your face, mouth or boobs/nipples and then leaves to work on his cult meetings and future plans/projects.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks):

(Oh man, this is going to be long!!!) - Sir/Daddy/Divine Ruler Kink, bondage, pain kink, hard BDSM, choking, voyeurism, golden showers we all agree on this one lmao, hair pulling, blood kink, knife kink, dom/sub, breeding kink, overstimulation, edging, dacryphilia (watching the partner crying), podophilia (foot fetish), degradation/humiliation, innocence kink what am I forgetting.

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do):

Literally anywhere. He actually enjoys the adrenaline of getting caught, so he probably prefers to have sex outdoors, or indoors with someone in the house (especially his cult members).

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going):

When you obey him and do anything for him, even the hardest things like killing someone.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs):

There's nothing this man wouldn't do, really. The only thing he probably wouldn't like is being completely submissive, watching someone he was jealous of or that he hates fuck you or someone else without him being in control of the situation lol.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc):

Let's be honest here. We know Kai, so I'm almost sure that he prefers receiving a blowjob while he grabs your hair and makes you gag on him. About his oral sex skills, I would say that he's kinda messy and rough. You probably would have to tell him to go slower on you, so he wouldn't rip your clit/dick off lmao. But, when he's feeling generous, he would go down on you and make you cum in a few minutes for sure.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.):

Definitely fast and rough most of the times. He would make you beg to stop fucking you, because of how overstimulated you were and he wouldn't give a shit. On rare occasions, where he's feeling particularly romantic, he would go at a slower pace and be more careful with you.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.):

He enjoys quickies, but prefers taking his time with you. He has a very high sex drive, so depending on how occupied he is, you could have sex 2-3 times a day.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.):

For sure. He loves taking risks when it comes to sex. Especially on public spaces, where you both can be caught anytime. He really likes to try new things, so it doesn't matter how uncommon your kinks are, he would be really excited to try them out. Just say the word and prepare to have the best orgasm of your life.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…):

Kai has a very high stamina. He could go to 2-3 rounds with you. The first round he cums fast, but the next ones...

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?):

Oh... don't let me get started. When he's feeling particularly kinky, he would tie you up and stimulate you with vibrators, anal plugs, nipple clamps, spanking paddles, anything really. He would only use them on you but if you insist, maybe he would give it a try if you're lucky.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease):

He's the worst at teasing you when he's horny. He makes you beg until you can't take it anymore, so you can be ready for him just the way he likes it. However, if he's mad or had a bad day, he won't wait for you to get fully prepared for him and will go straight to the point and it hurts

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make):

We already know Kai is very loud during sex! He would groan so much while he fucks you and make the loudest moan when he finally cums. He just can't be quiet when he's inside you.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice):

One of the thoughts that can't get out of Kai's mind is fucking you after killing someone with their body right next to you or in front of his cult members to show everyone his dominance and power over you he's crazyyy.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words):

I would say his dick is probably 6,5 inches and thick, but not too much.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?):

Like I said, his sex drive is extremely high. He's always thinking about fucking you in the most random times and places, while doing the most nasty things to you.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards):

Pretty fast, actually. Now that you've been together for a long time, he completely trusts you to sleep peacefully next to you and not betray him like the others did.

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libbee · 1 year

Text

Obsessions for 8th Housers?

Do 8th housers get obsessed with someone and stay obsessed for years? It may not be romantic interest but even someone who displays the traits and emotions that the native embodies inside - quite literally the shadow work.

It happens in their life that they often get obsessed with someone, thinking about them all the time, when they speak they only speak about that person, they cannot even attempt to think about someone else, their emotions are tied to that person's behaviour, their memory is flooded with that person, they think about all the conversations with them and all the encounters with them, they make up scenarios in their head, begin their day with that person and end with that person. The subject of their obsession may not even know that the native is obsessed with them, native pretends everything is normal on the outside but secretly inside they are obsessing over that one person like crazy

You would wonder what the hell is this? Is it something deeply psychological issue? It turns out that these natives get obsessed with people who have something in their physical or material life that the native lacks but wants to have. 8th house deals with intense emotions and envy too is felt intensely. They are often not happy at the success of others and may even feel envious of other people's accomplishments. 8th house is psychologically complicated for a reason. If the native does not have certain things in life, he feels envious and bitter against someone who does have that thing. It could be something like respect in society, powerful job, elite lifestyle, somebody's looks or intelligence.

The natives may not even realize they are doing it and since envying someone is frowned upon socially as ethically incorrect, they feel ashamed of their emotions and add to the self-sabotage. That something is wrong with them or that they are a bad person for envying someone else's good fortune. Even talking about this behaviour is taboo because who wants to admit that they are an envious and greedy person? The envy is not unfounded because in - the material world a lot of people compete for few resources so most people are bound to lack the resources; - not everyone starts from the same point in life; - not everyone has the same natural inclination or potential; - not everyone wins the genetic lottery or is exceptionally lucky; - not everyone has the required intelligence or ability to understand concepts. The usual things that successful people say "I am here because I worked hard, the harder I work the luckier I get" is not quite correct because our decisions, choices, thoughts, instincts, impulses, motivations are often unconscious and only make sense in the hindsight. They also underestimate the extreme luck they had to beat the competition and know the right method that makes them successful at something.

On top of that, many of them go on to flash, rub it in other's faces, identify with their success and use it for hierarchy control. That others are inferior to them, "you are an inferior human because you are not as successful as me". Often they do it unconsciously because they do not realize it is their insecurities and inferiority complexes, despite the success, that they still want to prove themselves to others and maintain their dominance over others. It is true that not everyone who gets successful in life is capable of handling that success emotionally, it goes to their head, they become arrogant and flamboyant, they are convinced that they are great and special, that they know better than others, that they must be better humans with better karma. This is no surprise, what I am telling is the insights I have observed over the years.

Take this astrology page, for example. I know astrology because it was a natural impulse in me, it is easier for me to understand the language of astrology than others who are simply not meant for it, since it is my natural interest I also spend a lot of time thinking about it so I automatically get better at it naturally, for some reason I was born with the genetic lottery in occult and a natal chart with karmic influences in the field of occult. None of my family members are into astrology and some of them do not even know the basics. Astrology is like Spanish to them, completely dumbfounded they are when they see the birth chart. Does this mean I am a better human than them because I understand something they do not? Can I use the astrological knowledge to dominate and show off to others? No, that is arrogance, pride, being self-important and being delusional that my astrology knowledge is something I willed. I did not will it, it happened to me. And it is not permanent and eternal, I will die someday and with that my astrology gifts will end too. It is my purpose for this lifetime, not eternally giving.

For these reasons, 8th house is the shadowy and complicated thing that we do not understand on the surface. How easy it is to slip into entanglements of pride, ego, arrogance, possession over your material accomplishments. What we do not realize is that behind the glamour of success is deep fear of uncertainty, insecurity, lack of agency over one's life and fear of losing everything they have gained in life. Fear of losing good fortune makes someone dominate others so nobody else takes their place, become arrogant because internally they do not believe they actually deserve their good fortune, manipulate and misguide others so they do not become successful like them, build a brand for themselves so they leave a legacy and remain important even after death, they try to act like they know the secrets of success because they cannot digest that their success might just be a fluke or gamble of luck.

However, if these tendencies are ignored and dismissed, they bottle up inside and inflate the native's ego. With transition to 8th house or activation of 8th house in its ruler's dasha, this inflated ego is threatened and forced to collapse, undergo change and transform. The end result is to gradually realize that ego is merely an attachment to material form but what we forget to see is the wholeness of Self beyond the ego. When you go beyond "I, my, mine, myself", you realize that you are a nameless, faceless and invisible something. How scary is it to be a nothing in nowhere as a nobody! So you cling to the past, identity, material life, out of fear that you will never come back from the underworld.

So the obsessions that happen to 8th housers are indication of personal issues that native denies. For eg, it may be someone you deeply hate, even the way they talk just disgusts you, the way they move sends chills down your spine, you hate their vibes and how selfish they are. But at the same time, you are obsessed with them, does this person deserve your obsession? No. But can you shake it off? Not unless you accept the hard truth that you are just as selfish, deceitful, egotistical as the subject of your obsession. The rule of 8th house is that awareness and consciousness will set you free while denial and refusal to look into the shadow will keep you trapped.

Similarly, if you are envious of someone's fortune, can you identify your insecurities and label them? Can you achieve that fortune in some way? If not, can you adjust your perception around it? Often feelings are the guiding lights in this house. What no one can tell you, you feel your way through it. Here is no guru and no mentor, here is you and your feelings. That is why being in tune with your feelings is painful, mentally uncomfortable and tiring but essential task for 8th housers. Lucky are those who identify this psychological hurdle. There are many 8th housers who never realize that they can solve their own problems with change of perception or becoming more conscious of their feelings. Often, the obsessions with people will end when you are self-aware and witnessing your feelings, no matter how uncomfortable they are.

#astrology #astro community #astrology observations #astro observations #astroblr #astro notes #astro tumblr #astrology blog #astrology notes #8th house #venus in 8th house #sun in 8th house #moon in 8th house #shadow self

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my-head-is-an-animal · 8 months

Text

The Climb

Summary: You're a scientist, an engineer to be exact. Called to a meeting you had no real right to be at, Optimus Prime takes an exclusive interest in you, but you can't help but ask yourself at every turn, Why?

Rating: 18+ 🌹🩸🍆

Story Masterlist

Chapter 4

‘No, no, this is unacceptable.’ Smith exclaimed in a meeting in the hanger.

Optimus Prime stood in his usual spot in the centre, Lennox right beside me on the balcony at eye level to the Autobot, and a screen displaying the people responsible for making sure the official Plan A succeeded. There seemed to be a shared knowledge that it would fail, and more reliance was being put onto my plan.

‘You’re supposed to be finding a way to blow a hole in that ship, not planning to scale it yourself.’ Smith argued more firmly. ‘We gave you a list of perfectly suitable candidates, men who are trained to handle the type of mission you have proposed and now you’re telling us the world’s best athletes are not good enough, but you, a scientist who has never seen a day of hard exercise in her life, can. This is outrageous.’

The room was quiet, I felt my fear seeping in, he might have been right, but I didn’t want him to know that.

‘Someone would need to train you.’ Colonel Morshower said from one of the screens.

‘I’ll take that responsibility, sir.’ Lennox stepped forward.

‘I thought you might.’ He nodded.

‘Now, hang on a minute.’ Smith interrupted. ‘You’re not seriously considering placing the fate of the world in the hands of a scientist, who quite frankly doesn’t even look old enough to have graduated college.’

‘I thought it was my physical capabilities and not my superior intelligence up for debate, Mr Smith.’ I shot, tired of the arguing, I just wanted to get started with my training.

‘You’re on thin ice, young lady, I’d suggest keeping your opinions to yourself.’ Smith growled.

‘And I would suggest you keep your outrage in check.’ Optimus suddenly spoke, startling Smith. ‘Dr Harding is our nominated candidate as well. She has far more to offer than your small mind can see. I will not ask any other to make the climb.’

‘You’re not serious?’ Smith scoffed.

‘Dr Harding, if your council is agreement, then every Autobot under my command is at your service to ensure you complete your mission. Whatever is needed, you shall have it.’

‘Thank you.’ I breathed, knowing with Optimus Prime in my corner, I couldn’t fail.

‘And what if she asks for technology? You would entrust a single human being with your weapons-‘ Smith went on.

‘I wouldn’t ask.’ I snapped, feeling the bravery that Optimus and Lennox had put in me. ‘That’s the difference, Mr Smith. I’m self-aware enough to know that I may be liable to abuse such technology, so I would never ask. If I did, I would only prove myself unworthy of their trust.’

The room was quiet again and everyone was in agreement, I would make the thirty thousand foot climb and sabotage the ship that threatened to destroy Earth.

The council agreed to swap Plan A and B around, devoting more resources to my ascent than to research into weaponry that could penetrate the ship’s hull. Lennox took me out every morning to the track to improve my stamina, I worked with Theo to try and reduce the amount I had to climb, and Optimus was familiar enough with the type of ship that he could guide me through sabotaging it from the inside.

After the first month I found myself able to run ten circuits of the track and make the climb up the one hundred and fifty foot wall without too much trouble, but I knew I would need to push myself harder. One hundred and fifty was a fraction of what was being asked of me.

‘You need rest.’ Theo told me one evening while I was cycling on a machine and working on my tablet.

‘I need to keep pushing.’ I reasoned back. ‘I’ll never make it otherwise.’

Theo just sighed and wandered out of the training hall, it was just as Optimus and Ironhide drove in as their transformed counterparts. Ironhide revved, before driving away. Optimus, however, remained as the blue and red truck for a moment before transforming into his natural state. I never would get used to the sight of it.

‘Dr Harding,’ he said, an air of disappointment in his voice. ‘You should be resting.’

‘So, I’ve been told.’ I sighed and got back to work.

‘Without rest, your body will not recover enough to make the climb.’ He reasoned.

‘I won’t make the climb if I don’t push my limits.’ I shot back.

I heard him take a couple of steps before he was directly in front of me, kneeling down once again. His expression was one of someone who was not used to being disobeyed.

‘You must rest otherwise you will fail.’ His voice was deep and unimpressed, it was the same one he used on Smith.

I swallowed nervously, eventually slowing down before coming to a stop.

‘Thank you.’ Optimus nodded, finding his composure once again. ‘Understand this, we all want you to succeed, but you must allow your body to catch up with what your mind commands.’

I let a heavy breath go, putting my tablet down on my mobile desk and began to stretch my legs.

‘I know.’ I said, quietly.

‘Then why do you not stop when your friends ask it of you?’

‘Honestly? Because I’m scared.’ I admitted and felt the tears fall hard and fast. I slid onto the floor and let myself sob for a moment.

‘If you weren’t, then I would question your sanity.’ Optimus gently stroked the tip of his finger down my back, it felt like a whole human hand, he was just so big.

‘Can I ask a question?’ I turned to see his hugely complex features nodding. ‘Why did you ask for my opinion in the first place? Why didn’t you accept our presentation?’

Optimus took his hand away, leaning on the ground. He seemed unwilling to want to answer the question.

‘I cannot answer your question, Dr Harding.’ He shook his head. ‘Not for lack of want, but rather lack of knowledge. I do not know what it was about you that had me so captivated that day, but it continues to intrigue me.’

I frowned for a moment. ‘I don’t understand, you’re an Autobot, not just any Autobot, you’re Optimus Prime and I’m… I’m no one, I’m just a scientist, there’s millions of me.’

‘There is no one like you, of that, I am certain.’

I swallowed again. ‘What are you telling me?’

Optimus’s blue eyes scanned me. ‘I do not know.’

He didn’t say anything else. Optimus transformed into the familiar truck and drove off in the same direction as Ironhide, leaving me to continue working and rest my body.

Optimus drove speedily towards the Autobot hanger, angry with himself. He transformed back into his natural form and stomped towards the open doors that looked out at the last remaining rays of light.

‘Didn’t go well then?’ Ironhide stepped forward where the others didn’t dare just yet.

Optimus just grunted in response.

‘Look, if you like her, just tell her.’

‘It is not so easy, Ironhide.’ Optimus shook his head. ‘I do not understand why. Why her? Why a human?’

‘Can’t do anything about the heart.’ Hound spoke up. ‘It choses who it choses, we don’t often get a say in that. That’s what humans say anyway.’ He added.

Optimus hummed in agreement once again. He thought briefly on how fragile she felt beneath his finger, he tried so hard to be careful not to put too much pressure on her body which was already feeling the effects of training so hard. Optimus couldn’t help but feel something internal groaning to touch her again, even just to talk to her for a while would have been a privilege he didn’t think he deserved.

He hoped that Dr Harding would rest that night, she was pushing herself too hard and risking injury. If she continued the way she was going, she would almost certainly set herself back weeks and that was time they didn’t have.

If you liked this, please consider supporting me ☕ thanks for reading!

#optimus prime fic #optimus prime x ofc #optimus prime x reader #optimus prime #transformers

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heartfullofleeches · 1 year

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if we committed hypothetically accidental man slaughter how would elliot save us

No.

No. No. No

Droplets of blood drip from the knife you clutch tightly in hand; your arms covered in the same fluid - both yours and belonging to the glassy eyed figure on the floor. It was supposed to be an easy night. You got home from work and were waiting for your boyfriend to get home. You heard noises from the backdoor and foolishly thought it was him trying to prank you. He loved a good scare.. How wrong you were.

Your sobs come in hiccups; dropping the knife to the floor as you cradle yourself. You managed to get away, but he just- wouldn't stop following you. You saw his face afterall. You were able to get into the kitchen and...

You start hyperventilate. It was self defense- an accident. The tools in the man's bag not to mention his presence alone would prove your innocence, but at the end of the line- you just took another human's life. How would you look at yourself again? How would he-

Click.

Your teary eyes widen as the front door opens. Your brain commands your body to move, but you just sink to the floor. His footsteps approach.

"Y/n?"

Move.. please.

The footsteps quicken, likely due to the destruction of the living room. His voice becomes panicked. "Y/n?!"

The steps finally stop. His shadow lingers at the doorway. Elliot slowly steps into the room. It takes a moment to fully register the scene before him. His precious angel bruised and on the floor, and the bastard who hurt them lying feet away in a pool of his own blood. There's a hint of pride weaved into the storm of his rage. He remains calm walking towards you. So calm it almost scares you even more.

"Sweetheart.." He reaches out to grab your hand, but you pull away. He grabs you by the chin and forces you to look in his eyes. There's nothing in them. "Y/n, you need to look at me, and listen to every word I say."

"I... c-can't."

Elliot brushes your hair out of your face; expression softening. "You have to, or I can't make this all go away. I need you to breath, go upstairs and take a shower. Leave the door unlocked and your clothes on the floor. I have to leave for a few hours, but I'll be back?"

You panic more with each word. "What are you going to do? We should just call the police.. Don't leave me."

"Calm down." Elliot strokes your cheek. "I don't want you to think about this night longer than you have to - so we aren't telling anyone. I'm going to take care of you, but not before I take care of him.

He kisses your tears away as he embraces you. He cradles you until your sobs die out. Looking over your shoulder, he sees the body. His grip tightens.

"Y/n? I need you to do one more thing."

"What is it?"

"I know it might be hard, but you need to tell me exactly were he hurt you."

You tell him every detail of that night before heading upstairs. Elliot sweeps up broken glass and mops up blood on the tilted and wooden surfaces. Easy stuff out of the way. Staring at the body, he sighs in annoyance. He didn't bring all his tools so it would be a bit harder than usual. He felt guilty for lying to you about the real he wouldn't call the police, but the fucker had to pay.

Elliot raises his foot high and stomps down on the man's ribcage as hard as he possibly could; hitting the stab wound right between two ribs and taking great pleasure in the faint moan that comes from his lips. A scumbag like him would make the perfect star to his newest film.

#Elliot my oc #yandere oc #yandere slasher #yandere imagines #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere insert #male yandere #yandere blurb #yandere headcanons #yandere scenarios #yandere #yandere drabble #yandere x y/n #yandere x darling

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nonbinarypirat · 1 month

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A fellow enjoyer of mairuma who likes reading others headcanons/interpretations here! just thought I'd share my own headcanons

1.) I think the misfits lack parental validation from one or more parental figures so they seek that validation from someone else, like Kalego. He, as their homeroom teacher, knows full well what they're capable of and actively gives them harder challenges to further bring out their potential. So I think the misfits would seek near impossible tasks not just for the fun of it, but to receive validation from someone they look up to.

2.) I believe that Kalego shows his love in pride. And when I say love, I mean all love; familial, romantic, platonic, and the kind that you know is there but don't have a name for. I guess a good example would be Balam, his closest friend and well-respected researcher. Balam would have achieved great things in his field of research and Kalego would be very proud of him for it, though I doubt he would explicitly show it. The same would go for his students. A mix-match group of kids who have, more than once, taken the impossible and made it reality while proving him wrong every chance they get.

(also a small group of demon plus one human children have better cooperation skills than most adult demons. yes demons are self-centered but i do think its really funny.)

well, these are my headcanons sorry if its really wordy. what are your thoughts on them and what are your mairuma headcanons?

thx for reading and have a good day/night :D

I have been fully focused into my classes and college recently since I’m in my third year (we’re so close to the finishing line yall) but YES I love this!! One, I appreciate you sending me this since I haven’t done a post for a while! I promise im still here and I’m keeping up with the recent chapters 🫡. But yeah, I just love Kalego as a character. Like, he really is my favorite because I love a rude and snide character who you can tell cares a lot. Even if he won’t tell you that.

Kalego cares deeply for his students. Like sure, they annoy him and are goofballs. But at the end of the day, he is also protective of them. He knows they can accomplish great things and that’s why he’s hard on them, it’s not due to a lack of love. His pride is his way of showing affection. He will do his damnest to make sure you succeed and through his little actions, the characters can tell that he’s proud of them too. It’s the little moments with Kalego that make them know he does deeply care for them.

And yes, I also have a head cannon that for many of the misfits, they are lacking in some sort of parental or familiar love. Obviously we can’t say this for certain for all the characters, but it just feels like that’s why, no matter how much they complain about him, he also means a lot to them too.

As for my other head cannons… One head cannon I have (with the little info we have so far) is that Elizabetta grew up similarly to that little girl from Ouran Host Club, ya know the sister of the black magic club president? That is to say, I think she’s loaded but was primarily raised by her maids who gave her a lot of the romance books to keep her entertained. I think her parents were never really around. Or if they were, they don’t have her a ton of attention. I guess this is more of a head cannon slash theory? But when we see the house visits, we don’t even see her parents. A lot of them you saw the parents, a back shot or their torso. Something. We even saw Kalego call some of the parents. But her parents just wasn’t in the frame and she just kept showing him the things in her room which gives me the feeling she had a lot of material goods they bought her, but maybe not their affection. We also don’t see any adult when we learn about her ambition. Which is why I think she’s so attached to love, she is reaching for a connection she may not feel she has with her parents. And maybe in a way, she’s wants to build a family that will actually appreciate her the way she wants. Which to me makes the relationship to the misfits even more special because she finally has the love and pride of her found family. Idk, just a silly head cannon I have based on current knowledge!

#mairimashita! iruma kun #welcome to demon school iruma kun #iruma-kun #mairuma #m!ik #character analysis #relationship dynamics #misfits #ix elizabetta

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lipeg · 3 months

Text

Top Semblances in RWBY

I've never seen anyone talking much about the Semblances, I have gone to see the profiles of some RWBY characters on the website: rwby.fandom.com/wiki/Semblance

Some semblances are real shit, like in My Hero Academia where there is an extremely strong Quirk and others that are completely useless.

This list will not be from strongest to weakest or best to worst, I'm going to make a numbered list.

1 - Aura Amp, user Jaune Arc, in RWBY, the person who has the most aura reserves can be considered a GOD! Jaune has the best Semblance in terms of aura, which allows him to improve not only his own Aura, but also the Auras of other people. Not only this, but Jaune is able to restore a person's aura completely, If the person's aura has been broken.

Your Semblance will improve the Shield, Healing, Physical abilities, and Semblances of others, If the topic is aura, then Jaune has the best semblance for it.

I have already criticized this semblance because I thought it was very bad, but after studying the aura a bit, I saw that this is the best semblance. It is related to the aura.

2 - Tranquility, user Lie Ren, At various times, Ren's Appearance has proven very useful, against Grimms Grimms, it's a wonder he can go through multiple Grimms as if he just didn't exist. If Ren were to be an assassin, he would probably be the best one, the evolution of his Semblance is not very good for him, but if he were to become manipulative, it would be perfect.

3 - Polarity, user Pyrrha Nikos, It allowed Pyrrha to control the magnetism of metallic objects. Do I need to explain?

In the world of RWBY Gun-weapon where the vast majority are made purely of metal, Pyrrha's semblance is a wonder.

4 - Overactive Imagination, user Neopolitan/Trivia Vanille. Neo proved to be extremely adept at using her appearance. She used it on several occasions,

After the evolution of your semblance in Ever Alter (which may or may not have affected your Semblance ) your illusions that could not be touched before now become real.

Becoming capable of creating numerous tangible clones of herself or others and even replicate the abilities and weapons of those she copy. She can also grant her clones the ability to speak with the voices of the original. If her illusions could use people's semblance it would be greatly broken.

5 - Numbing Agent, user Hazel Rainart, allowed him to be completely insensitive to pain. I don't need to say anything else, for a Berserker this semblance is heaven on earth.

6 - Aura Disruption, user Tyrian Callows, so aura for Tyrain is even something that nothing, he completely ignores the aura, at least if the person is wearing armor, some other protection other than an aura, it is death.

7 - Photographic Memory, user Velvet Scarlatina, The name is self-explanatory, It allows her to mimic people's moves, including their fighting style.

8 - Beast Mode, user Fenix Nemean, ( Fenix Nemean is a character that appears in RWBY: The Grimm Campaign ) it allows him to transform himself into a beast like state that enhances his abilities.

Beast Mode allows Fenix to enter a berserker rage, increasing his physical capabilities. This can be triggered at will, but will also be triggered automatically if Fenix is afraid or extremely angry. However, he can be forced out of it if he becomes charmed, incapacitated, stunned, or unconscious. When he enters Beast Mode, it becomes harder for him to maintain his humanity.

Fenix's transformation has been described as visually similar to Hazel's transformation from injecting Dust crystals into his body, achieving greater musculature temporarily while giving into his primal instincts

9 - Telekinesis, user Glynda Goodwitch, this woman used her semblance in basically all of her appearances during volumes 1 to 3.

Then she became an unforgettable character.

10 - Invisibility Field, user May Marigold, It allows her to create a movable field of invisibility that makes things inside unseen.

11 - Pocket Dimensions, user Fiona Thyme, It allows her to absorb and hold objects inside of a personal pocket dimension.

Her Semblance seemingly allows her to absorb and store matter into herself through the palm of her hand. The exact upper limits to how much she can absorb are unknown, though Fiona has displayed the capacity to absorb an entire cargo truck complete with its cargo. One limitation appears to be that she must physically touch the object that she is absorbing. Fiona is able to then release said stored matter in whole.

12 - Mind Control, user Jax Asturias, It allows him to control the minds of others.

Mind Control allows Jax to dominate the wills of others he makes physical contact with. This is typically achieved by telepathically influencing their minds in the form of pushing a subconscious suggestion to them.

Jax is able to use his Semblance on multiple people at a time, with its effects lasting for extended periods of time, lasting from weeks to even months. When used on others, their Auras take on a nearly identical appearance to his own.

This list was made based on my personal opinion, you can research the Semblances and make your own list but be minimally coherent.

For example, Nora's Semblance is good, but that's the problem. She can't handle large amounts of electricity, she still feels pain, and as shown in volume 8 when you can see the large amount of electricity she fell unconscious.

Adam and Yang, Both have Semblances similar, the difference is Adam needs to use weapons and Yang needs to take damage, as soon as Adam loses his weapons it's over for him his semblance is useless.

Yang has a higher risk because in addition to taking damage, she runs the risk of having her aura broken. That is why your semblance is a double-edged knife.

I must remember that all semblances feed on the aura.

#rwby #jaune arc #lie ren #Pyrrha Nikos #neo #neopolitan #trivia vanille #pyrrha nikos #hazel rainart #tyrian callows #fenix nemean #glynda goodwitch #may marigold #fiona thyme #jax asturias #nora valkyrie #adam taurus #yang xiao long #semblance

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liannelara-dracula · 10 months

Note

Hello! Lately I've been thinking so much about academic rivals to lovers scenarios with Reiji but I couldn't find anything similar to that to read :(

So, if you're comfortable with that, can I request some hcs for this trope?

Hi Love,

Oh, yes! This is a nice idea. It's a shame they haven't made it, in that case, leave it to me :). I've literally been wanting to do this so I'm happy you asked this!

-Liannelara

Academic rivals to lovers scenarios w Reiji

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Prompt

Requests are open

Rules

Warning:

*certain words have been censored for Tumblr guidelines.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

📘I think this girl was raised to believe that she had to succeed more than anyone and so she felt pressure from her parents who probably expected a lot from her so when she met Reiji, she met her match.

📘And she wanted to prove to her parents that she was better which was becoming difficult considering Reiji didn’t make mistakes.

📘So she was working harder and harder to be the top student.

📘Reiji had always been confident with himself and he never thought he'd have to worry about something like this.

📘He thought that his rival was only Ruki.

📘Which he was fine with because Reiji would never back down from succeeding in academics and showing off his skills.

📘However, Reiji never thought about having a female rival

📘I mean realistically speaking, he's sexist and will believe that a woman couldn't possibly surpass him in anything unless it was something feminine.

📘So it's a shock to his system in a way but he is more so focused on the fact that he is being challenged by not only a human but a girl.

📘He will not stand for it, he must be above all else, especially a woman.

📘After all he’s Reiji, how could he miss something or not do something better than someone else?

📘I think it all started when she transferred to his school.

📘Teachers loved her, people tried to befriend her, and she joined the student council, which Reiji is not a part of.

📘She was doing so much in so little time and so she was admired.

📘Most of all she was very smart, especially with complex subjects such as math and science.

📘And she had some chemistry skills so this totally triggered him.

📘At first he thought nothing of it but the more she succeed he found himself being challenged and it was the same for her.

📘She’d miss a point and Reiji would get it or they were both right and it was a tie.

📘It got so bad that they would indirectly insult and get salty with each other and maybe even cheat a little.

📘In fact there were times when you two would argue with the teachers about which one of you had more precise answers.

📘And it would be a constant battle so much that teachers couldn’t even put up with it.

📘If the teacher tried to partner you two up in a lab it is nothing but constant bickering about how he thinks you burned the magnesium for too long or how you think he timed it wrong.

📘You both even argue about the process the whole time of how it should be done because you two have biased preferences.

📘“You’re always supposed to sand it down then roll it before burning it.” You’d point out.

📘“Not in this particular experiment.” He’d state.

📘“That’s your opinion, I feel that when I set the heat up first I get less percent error.” You’d argue.

📘“Perhaps it’s because of your inexperience.” Reiji would claim.

📘In P.E. you run for track and he feels the need to perform better than you there too. Even though you both probably hate P.E.

📘But because of his vamp speed and higher stamina, you can’t beat him. So in your case, you’d grow annoyed because he was better at it than you.

📘In fact he probably once stopped you during track just to taunt you, “it seems you do not perform as well as you’d like to on the field. How embarrassing it must be, though given your calves are short you are incapable of keeping up with someone taller. Did you not grow properly?”

📘Hearing this a pout grew on your lips which he loved seeing, “For your information height isn’t the only thing that contributes to someone’s speed. Of course, what would you know, you spent most of your childhood having growth spurts instead of knowledge expansion.”

📘If you were assigned a class presentation, he likes to be a dick and ask you complicated questions that may even reach out of the presentation's scope just to piss you off since they're complicated in nature.

📘“If you are not feel versed on the topic, perhaps you should inform yourself of it.” He’d answer smugly as your eye twitched at this before forcing a smile.

📘“Perhaps I will and then maybe you have to put your focus on Latin more.” You remarked, seeing he wasn’t as well versed in the language as you were.

📘You both ended up having a tie with Reiji at the science fair and this is where Reiji was shocked that his project and yours tied.

📘You had spent some many weeks talking smack to each other about your projects that even Ruki had to step in to make you both stop.

📘Although the judges had to come to a conclusion and so you probably one because your project was just more out of the box than Reiji’s. So you win the science fair and this is where Rei starts to be a bit nicer to her. After she wins, he probably goes over and shakes her hand, saying she won fair and square.

📘Rei's honestly not himself after this point because for her to beat him, he thinks she's something and definitely someone he's interested in.

📘This was really surprising to you, and he purposely made sure that you noticed this. Although Reiji was smart enough to know you’d be to taken back to say anything. So you instead stayed a little shocked and wouldn’t say anything because it just seemed so off to you.

📘Of course, little did you know that Reiji was intrigued by you now and would only be planning on getting your attention more often. And when possible get you to be shocked and display other facial expressions to which he found amusing.

📘So when he started to pursue, he started to do little things to get your attention, to which you were totally oblivious to.

📘He’d invite you to participate in the school's fair seeing you still hadn’t decided.

📘“As a student council member you should participate, however, if you are in need of company I suppose it cannot be helped.”

📘“Reiji?” You’d question, raising a brow in confusion.

📘“I will accompany you to the school’s festival.” He’d confirm, adjusting his glasses as he looked down at you, “Do you have any objections?”.

📘“Uhh, no. . . its just, well I--I never asked for help.” You’d stumble as you looked at him, a little confused as to why this was happening.

📘“I suppose it can atone for my prior behavior.” He’d reply, turning away to part ways with you, leaving you a little speechless again.

📘He once was able to get a coffee with you during break and talk about academic stuff too.

📘This is where he sensed your troubles and mostly about how nervous you were for one particular exam he mostly found this out by overhearing you with someone and because when he asked about it your heart raced a little faster in panic.

📘So finding the opportunity, Reiji offers to help you.

📘“If you feel uncertain of your knowledge you should be tested about the subject. Three o’clock, the library.” He’d say offering to help.

📘“Oh, no, it’s okay. I’m sure I’ll manage, Reiji.”

📘“Y/n, if I am not mistaken this is not the first time you have declined my offers in helping you. Continuing to do so makes you appear as though you have something to hide.” It’s true, you were avoiding these interactions with him because you didn’t feel right bothering someone.

📘“It’s not that I---well, if you’re alright with studying then I guess I will see you later then.” You’d say figuring it would be harmless.

📘“I will see you soon.” He’d smile, parting ways with you in the hall.

📘Which allows you two to study, it also means he gets to sit close to you in the library or at a table in a secluded area.

📘This is when he gets to adjust your grip on the pencil too and have the excuse to touch your hand and delicate fingers.

📘He also gets to hover over you as he’s pointing out things to you in the textbook.

📘This gives Rei the excuse to even lean in and be extra close to you with his chest brushing against your back and both of his arms on both sides of you blocking you from leaving.

📘And it's taking him everything in him to not steal a kiss from you.

📘He’ll get really close but make sure he doesn’t kiss you because he’s still waiting since it's not time yet.

📘In that study session and in a few other ones you two would exchange conversation about different things and he once got you to smile and giggle at one thing.

📘It was precious to him when you laughed that you covered your smile with your hand gingerly.

📘Studying with you became frequent between you both, even if you were in the library to return or search for a book and he was in the library casually minding his own business he’d find a way to get your attention.

📘He would do this by either clearing his throat and pretending like he doesn’t notice you or by walking by you to get another book and act like he doesn’t notice you until you bump into him.

📘When he gets you to interact more he will become more comfortable as well and try to keep you fascinated with things he knows.

📘He’ll share interesting things with you and this usually happens during study sessions.

📘Rei would show you one of his scientific journals and his discoveries. (and this is his way of flirting lmao)

📘He even shows you flowers and studies he’s done of them so you learn some interesting observations from him sometimes too.

📘“They are pretty, what is this flower called?” You’d ask, still looking at the plant in observation.

📘I know he plans most of his interactions but sometimes he just gets lucky and opens new doors and finds out more interesting things about his rival.

📘Some things of which he deems as “cute” or “worth tolerating”.

📘Like one time you got injured in P.E. and he took you to the nurses' office.

📘Another time you practically tripped and fell on him but he caught you.

📘At a school dance you stepped on his foot and he called you a clumsy dancer.

📘This kinda made you upset and get into a minimal argument.

📘“It is as if you were born with two left feet.” He’d say boldly.

📘You’d scoff as you both still continued to practice, “Do you ever have anything!--” you’d stop mid-sentence as Reiji twirled you around and dipped you, just to have you shut up. “ . . . nice to say.” You’d say shocked and speechless, still being held in the same position, his hair falling into his face his arms still holding your waist.

📘A blush crept onto your cheeks as you tried to get out of his grip, “Reiji, let go of me.”

📘He’d chuckle before letting you go, “It’s fascinating to see the top student turn red.”

📘You’d glare at him, “Excuse me.” You’d say before turning away to leave.

📘But of course, there was no way our bae Rei was going to have it end there.

📘Oh no, it was only the beginning.

📘Even if he isn’t asking you things or exchanging conversation with you, you are still in classes with him and he loves to have his burning gaze on you.

📘So you have constant stares, which you used to not notice. And once you did you grew a little cautious of how you moved or where you’d sit because you could feel he was watching.

📘And let’s just say, it got to the point to which to were nervous about coming to class early since it would mean he’d pick a seat where he could see you.

📘Or sometimes he’d be really bold and sit next to you.

📘Of course you couldn’t fully say this was true as there was no actual proof, because every time you looked his way he either turned away or acted like he wasn’t doing anything. Although you had a gut feeling.

📘Because when you came in early and sat in the front rows he’d side further behind at an angle to which he could get a perfect view of you reading and taking notes.

📘Even if you’re crossing your legs, to which he won’t admit is his weakness.

📘He was amused by watching you, especially because you hardly turned around to look at him. But he knew you were just too nervous to look but also engrossed in your work.

📘Although there were times when he caught you staring and he’d caught you a few times looking back, only for you to look away.

📘Reiji also grew to enjoy how you tried to get out of class as soon as possible, instead of asking the teacher questions so that you wouldn’t have to face him.

📘He loved seeing a girl so calm and collected become all nervous and apprehensive.

📘Any chance there was a project to be done with partners he’d stage it to have the teacher put you both together.

📘Which he’ll probably use his mind control for that.

📘And it’s just getting harder for you to avoid him, he’s bugged you during presentations. Like when you’re explaining he will have questions for you.

📘He’d bump into you in the halls more frequently too and then try to have conversations with you.

📘The study sessions got more personal, sometimes it wasn’t even studying which was very unlike you.

📘I think he asked you out in one of two ways, either he kissed you in the school hallway after asking for your answer to date.

📘Or you two were in the school garden and a flower petal got in your hair and being the gentleman that he is Reiji moved it out of your hair

📘 “You don’t need to--” you’d mumble out as his hand touched your hairline, he took the opportunity to steady your features and tuck a strand behind your ear before putting his palm against your cheek only to lean in forward and crash his lips on yours.

📘He’d pull away a little after, his hand still on your cheek as he admired the way your eyes had fluttered due to being kissed and how they now opened after he pulled away. “Reiji . . .” You’d whisper, unable to make a sentence.

📘“Please consider my offer, Y/n.”

📘Omg this man is so gentle with the woman he loves, I cannot. 😭😭🤧My lil Rei.

📘Once you accepted you two then established things at your own pace, and you came to know more about his playful nature.

📘And his constantly teasing and cruel humor, as well as him calling you dearest or my dear.

📘To know more about what school with him is like, you can see that here.

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#diabolik lovers #anime #diabolik lovers headcanons #anime headcanons #reiji sakamaki #diahell #dialovers #anime requests #sakamaki reiji #diabolik lovers reiji #diabolik lovers hcs #dl hcs

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