#୨⎯ Then It Has Done You No Good At All ⎯୧

[amessageonthewind]

Winter's Blessings

Synopsis: A particularly bitter winter puts the safety of the Pearl Clan at risk, and it's up to the Galaxy Team and the Diamond Clan to help them survive the harsh blizzard, uncovering an ancient tradition whose origins were lost to time.

Pairing: Adaman/Rachel during Legends: Arceus (spoiler alert for really far along in the timeline)

Author's note: Clue is an OC that belongs to my buddy @kammyclues.

Rachel’s first winter in Hisui had come bitter, the sharp wind biting and nipping at her soft skin as she stepped outside her warm lodge kept heated on the lit hearth inside. Though it started to grow colder and the ground beneath her feet lacked the spongey soft give it had in the autumn, she was still surprised by just how cold it felt when she stepped out. There was even frost on the rooftops of Jubilife Village despite the sun being just shy of its highest peak, small piles of snow collected in the shadows.

She shuddered, holding her arms. “Brrr! This is kinda chilly even for me…” The woman remarked, her loyal dark-furred Zorua on her shoulder pressing himself underneath her chin in an attempt to keep her sensitive and exposed neck warm. Laughing a little bit, she reached to give him a friendly scratch and nuzzled into his fur. “Heh…thanks, buddy.”

“Chilly, yeah?” A voice called out as he approached, her other fellow Survey Corp member greeting her warmly as he approached, his Pikachu following alongside him. “Winter doesn’t usually come this early, but I guess it couldn’t wait, could it?”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Rachel agreed, already making a mental note to dress a bit warmer if she was going to go out and do survey work. Especially if she was going to work in the highlands or the icelands, though it might be a better idea to skip them with this weather.

Though, she couldn’t help but worry about the Pearl Clan and Irida. If it was already this cold here, it was probably a hundred times worse in the coldest part of the region. “Oh, yeah! Almost forgot. Commander Kamado wants to see you.”

Nodding, Rachel began to make her way to the Galaxy Hall to see him. She never really liked meeting with him much, always acutely aware of how much of an outsider she was. Mostly because he took every opportunity to remind her of it whenever he could, as though she didn’t already know it and as though she hadn’t already gained the trust and companionship of the leaders of both clans.

Oh well, it couldn’t be helped. If Kamado wanted to be a shrewd and suspicious old man, then let him. It wasn’t Rachel’s problem and she had proven to be capable enough of looking after herself if he couldn’t do what needed to be done.

Making her way up the stairs up to his office, giving a friendly wave to Professor Laventon as she passed by, she spotted a familiar cerulean silhouette in the doorframe, eyes widening. Clan business. Of course. But to her surprise, Irida was not there. In her place was Calaba, Ursaluna’s aged warden of the Pearl Clan. It was odd, but perhaps this was an issue that didn’t need Irida’s oversight, which meant that maybe Rachel’s job would be easy today.

And maybe it meant that the relationship between the clans was improving. “Where’s Irida?” Rachel asked anyway, wanting to at least ask about the Pearl Clan leader (and her friend) and show her concern in both clan leaders. Speaking of which… “Why aren’t you more bundled up? You can’t stand the cold even at the best of times and it’s really crept up on us.”

Chuckling at her open concern, Adaman reached up to tug at the scarf she had given him last they ventured into the icelands together, smiling warmly at her as he tucked his chin into it more. “Winter did creep up on us in the mirelands, but we only really have to prepare for the dry season and then the wet season. But your scarf is surprisingly doing a good job of keeping me warm.”

Bashfully, a small grin creased her cheeks at the thought that he kept it so fervently. Kamado seemed to hum in vague interest at the prospect. “Yes, I had wondered why he was in possession of one of our scarves from our Survey Corp uniforms.”

Sensing a bit of judgement from her superior, Rachel shrugged, feeling a very minimal need to justify herself to him. “He was cold, so I gave him my scarf. Is that a problem?”

The weathered man shook his head, but it took him a moment before he responded at all as though he needed to actually think on that. “No, I suppose not. But that’s not why I called you here, Rachel.”

“Though the matter of Irida’s absence is relevant.” Calaba responded, the stout old woman turning to face Rachel. Stubborn and prideful, but when the chips were down, she was often the first to suggest working together for the sake of the common good regardless of clan relationships. The incident with Arezu had taught them all a lot in that regard, it seemed, and Rachel was always glad for Calaba’s council. “Normally, regular correspondence is expected. However, for a few days, now, things have been…silent from the Pearl Clan.”

“Like they haven’t been getting back to you?” Rachel asked, worry worming its way underneath her veins and creeping into her chest.

“Yeah, and it’s not just the Pearl Clan, either.” Adaman interjected, crossing her arms with eyebrows furrowed. His eyes were downcast, as though he were finding it difficult to stay in the present moment with the concerns currently at hand. “We haven’t heard from Sabi, either. And she’s normally pretty frequent with staying in touch with us while she’s at the Snowpoint Temple. To not hear from her is…strange. To put it plainly, it’s not like her.”

Now, Rachel was beginning to understand the potential severity of the situation. “So, you’re both worried that something may have cut them off in the icelands?”

Calaba nodded gravely, head hung. “That is what we’re saying, young one.” She replied, shaking her head with a low groan. “I’ve even confirmed with the other wardens to make sure there hasn’t been some mistake. Irida hasn’t been heard from the others.”

“And the other wardens haven’t heard from Sabi, either.” Adaman added.

This certainly sounded worrying and Rachel didn’t like the thought that something had happened to Irida, especially with the biting winter that was quickly looming over them all. Of course, those in the Pearl Settlement were naturally acclimated to the cold in the polar north of Hisui, Irida especially easily overheating in contrast to how easily Adaman caught the chills. But even for someone like her, in bad enough conditions, could even be too cold for her.

Rachel then turned to Kamado, dark-eyed gaze stern as she regarded her superior officer. “And you haven’t heard from her, either?”

Kamado shook his head. “The Pearl Clan leader hasn’t responded to my messages, either. And I admit, it is a cause for concern.”

So the situation was potentially grave. “So, then what do we do?”

“That depends on the severity of the situation…” Kamado replied, reaching up to worry at his dark beard. “The Alabaster Icelands are prone to blizzards quite frequently, but if the winter is particularly harsh, it may be too much for even us to handle venturing into.”

Narrowing her eyes at him, she shook her head. “You can’t seriously be suggesting we do nothing, knowing that this could potentially be a crisis.”

“I’m not saying that.” Kamado insisted sternly, squaring his shoulders at her. “But if the winter proves to be harsh in the icelands, then they could prove to be harsh here. We need as much of our resources as possible in that instance in case it grows harsher. We need to be mindful of how much of our help we need to offer without risking the welfare of our own people. Not to mention the risk that would be posed to our own if we were to send an expedition out there.”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem, Commander!” A bright and commanding voice announced, heavy footsteps that could only belong to one person drawing nearer to his office as the fiery woman greeted the group. “I’ve just gotten a message from one of my own men just outside of the Alabaster Icelands. The blizzards are really bad, bad enough that not even a single Flying Pokémon is in the sky. It’s too dangerous for even them to fly, a lot of the local Pokémon hiding away from the storm.”

Widening her eyes at Zisu, Rachel crossed her arms, brows furrowed. “So if the local Pokémon are forced into hiding by the storm, then there’s a good chance that the Pearl Settlement might be cut off, too.”

“And the dangerous flying conditions would explain the lack of correspondence as well…” Calaba muttered, worrying at her chin.

Shaking his head at the Security Corp captain, Kamado continued to insist, staying rooted in his positon. “All the more reason to be conscious of our supplies and what we can offer.”

“Commander, with all due respect, we have plenty of supplies we can offer the Pearl Clan. We have food farmed from the finest crops in Hisui by the finest workers to till it. We’ve got lots of winter clothes and blankets we can offer, and plenty of firestarting materials to help them stay warm until the storm blows over.” The muscular crimson-haired woman in carmine uniform then turned to look at Rachel directly. “And, my Security Corp troops would be led by the best the Survey Corp has to offer.”

Blushing a little bit at the praise, Rachel chuckled a bit bashfully. She never knew what to do with praise. But Kamado still didn’t seem convinced. “Even if we have the materials, transporting them would still be incredibly dangerous and it’s not guaranteed that you won’t be attacked and lose the supplies to a wild Pokémon.”

“I’ve seen how tough Rachel’s Pokémon are, and mine aren’t anything to sneeze at either.” Zisu insisted, throwing an arm around Rachel and patting her shoulder a bit roughly, though the much smaller woman appreciated the gesture. “Besides, do you really have such little faith in your own Security Corp that you don’t think we can handle a blizzard?”

“I would never suggest that.” Kamado replied, sighing. His will was wavering, but his sense of caution still seemed to overrule the support for such a decision. “But there’s no guarantee.”

“Hey, hang on a second! Why are we all acting like I’m not planning to help?” Adaman quickly interjected, stepping forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Rachel, facing Kamado. “I’m worried about Sabi, naturally. She’s one of our own and she’s…just a kid. A very capable warden, don’t get me wrong. But she’s still a kid, regardless. But I’m just as worried about the Pearl Clan and about Irida.” His dark gaze then settled in Calaba, intent behind them as he regarded the old woman. “We may not always see eye to eye and our differing beliefs may put us at odds, but I don’t like thinking about a world where the Pearl Clan suffers and I didn’t do anything to help as leader of the Diamond Clan. We may be at odds, but we all share this ancient and sacred land of Hisui. We all have a right to live here, and it wouldn’t be right for me not to help. I have to do something and I know we can contribute our own supplies, too.”

Nodding, Calaba gave the young leader an amused smile, the age creasing pleasantly as she regarded the man. “Wise words, Adaman. You’ve grown quite a bit since Arezu’s little mess.”

Though Rachel was touched that Adaman wanted to help Irida as much as she did, she didn’t want to put the Diamond Clan at risk, either. “But what about your clan?”

“Mai’s in charge until I get back.” He replied, smiling affectionately at Rachel with a small smirk. “Besides, since I’m assuming you’ll be taking Wyrdeer with you, her duties will be better fulfilled back at the settlement in the mirelands. If there’s anyone I trust to run things while I’m gone, it’s her.”

“You know me so well.” Rachel replied just as warmly, a soft dusting of rose on her cheeks as she then turned to address Calaba. “And if you’ll allow me, I’d also like to take Ursaluna with us as well. If there’s a chance anyone from the Pearl Clan is missing, finding them as quickly as possible is a top priority.”

“Of course, I understand. You have my blessings, young one.” The old woman replied, turning to Kamado. “Well? It seems that we’ve reached an accord. Do you find this acceptable, Commander?”

Glancing between everyone, it was clear that Kamado was outnumbered and reluctantly, he sighed in defeat. “If the Diamond Clan is going to contribute as well and Captain Zisu is confident in the viability of this plan, then I suppose we are in accord.” He finally agreed, shaking his head. He then turned to address the Diamond Clan leader himself, his expression stern. “And in a way, Adaman is right. We all share this land. In a way, we do have to work together to preserve our ways of life. And if there is no Pearl Clan, there is no preserving their way of life.”

Nodding, the group turned to leave. “I’ll go round up the best of the Security Corp and get our supplies together.” Zisu said, patting Rachel on the back as she grinned. “Can’t wait to actually work with you and see you in action in the wild, Rachel! See you there!”

“I’ll go inform the other Pearl Clan wardens and let them know a decision has been made and help is on the way.” Calaba added, taking Rachel’s hand and patting it. “You’re a stubborn one. You’ll need that resolve.”

Smiling at her as she walked away down the stairs, Adaman was the last person in the room, gently putting an arm around Rachel and leaning against her. “I’ll go get everything ready.” He said to the woman, leaning in to murmur into her ear. “Meet you there?”

Looking up at him, Rachel gave him an affectionate smile. “Definitely. And you’d better bundle up properly, this time.”

Laughing a little, he walked past her down the stairs to go on his way to do just that, a joint effort now being achieved and the task before her feeling daunting. “Just a moment, Rachel.” Kamado’s voice said behind her. Pausing, she steeled herself, already mentally preparing for a talk about how as an outsider, she needed to prioritize keeping their trust above all else and how they were likely going to be quick to distrust her if something happened on her account. Nothing she wasn’t already used to. “Be careful…please.” He said quietly in a tone of voice that was rather…uncharacteristic of him, making Rachel turn to face the weathered commander. He was as visibly stoic as ever, but his slacked shoulder betrayed his concern. “The icelands will be more dangerous than any of your other expeditions. Please keep this in mind and do your best to help them without putting the relationship between the clans in jeopardy.”

Nodding, Rachel sighed through her nose. “I will, Commander.”

“And remember, if you fail…they will blame you first as an outsider.” He added sternly. “Keep that in mind.”

Ah, there it is. “I will. Thanks.” Walking out of the commander’s office, Rachel hung her head back. Of course he couldn’t help but remind her of her place as he always did. It was kind of redundant and useless at this point, considering how close she was with both the Diamond and Pearl Clan at this point. “You’d think he’d get tired of saying the same thing over and over again, wouldn’t you?” She said to Cedric, loyally seated on her shoulder.

He shrugged. “Eh, sometimes I think he just likes to hear himself talk and sound more intimidating than he actually is.”

Rachel couldn’t help but laugh a little as they talked in low tones to each other to not draw attention to themselves. “Yeah, he wasn’t even brave enough to spar with Stormfast when I offered the chance for him to. Yet, I can do it no problem and not be afraid.”

“She can be scary.” Cedric pointed out before he nudged his trainer affectionately. “But you’ve gotten pretty good with swords, now, thanks to her. Not to mention fighting an enemy that’s bigger and stronger than you. You finally managed to beat her, yesterday.”

“Yeah! That was huge!” Rachel exclaimed, quietly flexing her arms to feel the muscles in her biceps harden and bulk under her Security Corp uniform. “I feel like I’ve gotten so much stronger since we wound up here. Wait until everyone at home sees it.”

“You might even be able to pick up Clue without breaking a sweat.” Cedric teased, grinning at her with a toothy maw.

Rachel chuckled at her dearest companion. “We’ll see.” Someday.

As she walked out the door of the Galaxy Hall, a familiar face greeted her, blond hair covering half his face and tucked underneath his Ginkgo Guild hat, hefty backpack slung on his shoulders as always. “Good morning, Rachel.”

Smiling warmly, Rachel approached him. “Good to see you, Volo.” He had become such an inexplicably comforting presence since her arrival in Hisui, his eerie familiarity eventually explained by his resemblance to her sister, Cynthia. Which meant that he was likely an ancestor of theirs. That he was family. Not to mention that he also shared their passion for history and ruins made Rachel feel even more of a kinship. That she now knew where who she and her sister were came from. “The cold making your work any harder?”

“Oh, not at all! Though it’s kind of you to be concerned.” He replied, grinning at her before he put a hand on his hip. “What’s this I hear about a dangerous expedition into the Alabaster Icelands?”

Naturally, Volo would be curious. There was a fair bit of hubbub now, especially with Zisu running around and rounding up Security Corp members and starting to gather supplies in packed crates. “The winter’s hit the Alabaster Icelands pretty hard and we’re concerned that the Pearl Clan could be in a lot of danger due to the storm. The Diamond Clan is pitching in supplies and aid as well.”

“Is that so?” Volo replied curiously, bringing a hand up to his chin to ponder. “Looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you. Though, if you’re interested, I may have heard something of a myth that may catch your fancy.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow at him. “A myth, you say. Do tell.”

“I may have to refresh my memory on the subject myself, but if I recall correctly, there is a quartet of legendary nature spirits that migrate to Hisui in seasonal rotation.” Volo continued to explain, eyes closed as he reminisced on the tale. “One heralds the spring, one heralds the summer, another the autumn, and another the winter. Each one brings something to Hisui, whether it be storms or blessings.”

Nature spirits. How intriguing. “And you think they may have something to do with the severity of the snowstorm?”

“It’s possible.” Volo replied vaguely, resting his hands at his sides as he regarded the smaller woman. “If I remember correctly, I believe the winter spirit is known as Tornadus.” Cedric’s ears immediately pricked at the name. It was…familiar to him. He had heard it somewhere before! “It’s incredibly powerful, but I have confidence in your abilities. If it is indeed causing the storm, then perhaps defeating it will abate it.”

Nodding appreciatively, Rachel gave him a smile. “Thanks for the heads up, Volo. I’ll keep that in mind while I’m out there in the blizzard.”

“Of course! Can’t have my favourite customer getting lost in a snowstorm, now can I.” Volo replied brightly, pointing as he spoke to her. “Be safe, Rachel.”

“Thanks. You take care, now, Volo.” She wished, walking away from Volo towards her lodge to get ready for the oncoming journey and quest. It sounded like it was going to be tough, so she needed to be properly prepared.

As she walked away, Cedric suddenly whispered into her ear. “I’ve heard that name, before.” He said to his trainer. “Tornadus. It’s a Unovan myth, I think.”

Raising an eyebrow at him, Rachel tilted her head. “Really?”

“Yeah. And Volo said that they migrate in seasonal rotations, right?” Cedric pointed out. “They might be migrating from Unova.”

“You really think?” Rachel asked, intrigued at the thought that their myths might have some overlap.

Cedric nodded, though his head was bent down in thought. “But…I only remember three nature spirits. Not four…so I’m not really sure what that’s about.”

Reaching up to pet him, scratching him behind the ears and ruffling the large tuft of fur on his head, Rachel nuzzled against his cheek. “Well, maybe we’ll figure that out on our own time.” She assured him as they stopped in front of the door to their lodge, hands on her hips as she took in a deep breath. “But for now, let’s get ready for a long trip in the freezing cold.”

It was just before sundown by the time everyone met up in the Alabaster Icelands - the golden hour. Though, one wouldn’t be able to tell with how thickly the sun was blotted out by dark clouds and how violent the snowstorm was. They could only see a few feet in front of them collectively, but Rachel had traveled through these icelands enough to know its hazards intimately. Feeling the biting winds whipping against her face, it became clear exactly why communications were cut off – these weren’t safe conditions for any bird Pokémon to fly in to deliver any.

She was confident she could guide them, the Security Corp led by Captain Zisu behind her with all the supplies gathered and pulled along on sled-like boards that helped them move easily over the ice and snow. But they would need to be careful.

Wyrdeer and Ursaluna were both dutifully by her side, waiting for the woman to give the sacred Pokémon her commands. They may not be hers, but for now, they followed her since she was in charge. “So, what’s the plan, Survey Corp girl?”

“There’s a chasm just ahead of us that blocks our way across.” Rachel pointed out, gesturing in front of them just where the blizzard cut off their visibility. “It’s not too deep, so if anyone falls in, they should be fine. But it’ll still be a pain to get across, especially with the supplies we need to ferry across. Making sure they get across without getting damaged is paramount.”

Zisu nodded in agreement. “Right you are.” She agreed, hefting her backpack onto the ground and pulling out a series of supplies, including pegs, ropes, and planks all tied together. “Lucky for you, I had a feeling we’d run into trouble like this. You’re pretty good on that Wyrdeer, right?”

Shivering beside her, Adaman nodded through chittering teeth. He was wearing one more layer than usual, which annoyed Rachel a bit. “O-oh yeah. Sh-she’s p-p-pretty good. B-better than s-some of our m-m-most exp-perienced.”

Shaking her head at him, she sighed. It wasn’t like she could blame him too much for this. It wasn’t like he was used to the cold and this was a lot worse than anyone could’ve anticipated. Luckily for her, she was prepared for this, too. Nodding at Cedric, he quickly grabbed something out of her own bag and handed it to her, Rachel walking over to Adaman and draping it over his shoulders, pulling the hood over his head. “Put this on.” She ordered, giving him a stern look to make sure he knew that it wasn’t a request.

Unable to argue with her, the Diamond Clan leader quickly slipped his arms into the long sleeves and tied the cloak together in front of him, nuzzling his face into the scarf and hood and breathing out a sigh of relief. Though, the soft pale grey cloak was…familiar, in an odd way. He recognized the texture and scent when he took a moment to examine it. “Is this…Wyrdeer wool?”

“Yeah, I groomed Wyrdeer a while ago while he was blowing out his summer coat to prepare for the winter, and I felt like all that undercoat would’ve gone to waste. So, I had an idea and went to Anthe and she taught me how to spin wool myself and she helped me make this cloak out of it.” Looking up at Adaman, Rachel continued to adjust his cloak to make sure it sat snugly on him, appreciating how it looked on him. “How’s that feel?”

Looking down at her, he couldn’t help but smile. This was one of the things he appreciated most about her. When she saw a use for something or a way she could accomplish something, she did it. She put in the effort to learn how, if she didn’t know how, and put her everything into learning a new skill for the sake of it. He’d seen plenty of her wooden carvings to see that for himself, and he’d heard the improvements to her flute playing as another example.

Anything made by her hands was made with care and effort, and he appreciated that very much about her. “Much better. Thank you.”

“Good.” Rachel replied, trying to smirk at him before she met his gaze and grew bashful, her cheeks growing warm at the way he looked at her so warmly and affectionately. “I…made it especially for you. To help you not be so cold all the time.”

Another thing that he liked very much about Rachel. That she did not hesitate to do a kind thing for others simply because she could. She noticed a lot of little things about others and remembered them fondly. It showed in the gifts she made for others and the ways she complimented people.

It was what made every little gift from her so important. Every single gift and compliment was genuine. Her kindness was pure and it made Adaman appreciate the world just a little bit more just because she was in his. “What would I do without you?” He asked in a playfully sarcastic way.

Matching his energy, Rachel scoffed at him. “Freeze to death, probably.”

Feeling a strong hand slap against her backside, Rachel jumped a bit, Adaman startled a bit too despite having the visibility to expect it. “Not to break up the tender moment, but the sooner we get these crates across that ravine, the better.”

Nodding, Rachel had to agree. “Right. Priorities.” Turning to Zisu, she bowed her head, giving the Security Corp captain her full attention. “What’s your plan, if you have one?”

“You jump across that chasm on Wyrdeer’s back with these pegs, ropes, and planks holding one end, and I’ll hang onto the other from the other side and then we’ll set them up on both sides and carefully ferry across the supplies.” Zisu explained, using her hands to further illustrate her point to the pair. “Then, once all of the supplies are on the other side, then we navigate towards the Pearl Settlement and make sure they get there.”

It seemed like a sound enough plan, if a bit precarious. But she couldn’t help but worry even still, looking up at Zisu with furrowed brows. “And you’re sure the ropes will hold the weight of the crates?”

“Positive.” The fiery woman replied, broad shoulders squared. “And then, the rest is all up to you.”

“No pressure.” Rachel replied sarcastically, though she wasn’t actually bothered. After all, she agreed to lead this effort and she was nothing if not committed to her duty and to her plans. Feeling Wyrdeer and Ursaluna nudge her from behind, the shorter woman reached to give them both an affectionate and friendly scratch. “Come on, Wyrdeer. I’ll need you for this.”

The large white deer Pokémon bowed his head respectfully towards her. “At your service, traveler.”

Taking end of the makeshift bridge from Zisu, Rachel got onto Wyrdeer’s back, gripping onto the saddle handles tightly to stay on, feeling Adaman climb on after her, his chest pressed against her backside. Though she didn’t feel nervous at the moment, she appreciated the Diamond Clan leader’s presence too much to refuse it. After all, an extra pair of hands would help her focus with the limited visibility.

With the man holding onto the end, Zisu followed Rachel as she carefully led Wyrdeer forward until she found the edge of the ravine, working on muscle memory at this point. She had jumped this chasm a number of times and the icelands were no longer alien and unfamiliar to her. She knew every landmark by heart, even in this blinding blizzard.

Soon enough, the lip of the ravine came into view, Rachel leaning forward to confirm it before she turned back to the Security Corp captain and giving her a thumbs up before leading the captain right before the edge of it. Once Zisu was in position, Rachel led Wyrdeer back enough to keep the ravine just barely in line of sight and far enough back to have a good running start to get across the chasm.

Despite how easily this came to her, there was still a great deal of trepidation as she stood before the precipice. She was confident she had the distance right and would clear it. She had the proof by the sheer number of times she had done it, so much so that it had become second nature, at this point.

And yet, that fear was still there. She needed to push it down for the sake of the mission. The Pearl Clan depended on it, and being here in this relentless maelstrom only confirmed that.

Just as she expected, she easily cleared the chasm, stopping on the other side and getting off of Wyrdeer, waving at Zisu from the other side as they both walked backwards and pulled the ropes taught. Zisu secured her pegs on one side while Rachel did the same on hers, the pair testing the strength of it by both stepping on the bridge. It was a bit shaky for humans, but the crates should be able to get across with ease.

Carefully, each member of the Security Corp precariously pushed each crate across the plank bridge to the other side, the progress slow and steady. Though time was of the essence, the Pearl Clan couldn’t afford any of these crates being damaged or lost, so they had to take their time pushing each one across. Adaman and Rachel were quick to pull each crate onto the other side, the humans along with them. One-by-one, each member of the Security Corp was ferried across with a crate of supplies for the Pearl Clan until everyone was on the other side.

As they prepared to clear Whiteout Valley, Rachel watching Ursaluna carefully climb across the icy wall on one side of the chasm until he made it across to join the others. Rachel brought out Emberheart and Vendetta to flank the group, Emberheart as a Fire-type could help protect the party from hostile Ice-types and keep the group warm if they got lost, and Vendetta knew the territory as a native to this polar icescape.

Frequently, Rachel referenced her Arc Phone just to be sure that they knew where they were going. The two things they needed to be the most aware of were the icebergs that jutted out from underneath the ice to the surface and then the holes that led to the underground ice cave network beneath Avalugg’s Legacy. Which meant that they couldn’t just blaze through the blizzard to get to the Pearl Settlement and needed to take their time, much to Adaman’s anxiety. Though, she would be lying if she said she didn’t share his sentiment. Every moment that passed was a moment that the Pearl Clan could be without aid longer and longer, and the last thing she wanted was to get there too late to help them.

Eventually, with careful navigation around the unforgiving landscape, the bridge that led to the Pearl Settlement became visible, and the group began to ferry the supplies across it as Rachel made her way on Wyrdeer’s back towards the entrance.

Hopefully it wasn’t too late…she’d be glad to see Irida and the appearance of the Pearl Clan leader alone would be enough to abate most of her anxieties.

But when they arrived at the Pearl Settlement, Irida was not the one to greet them. In-fact, not a one of the typical residents of the settlement were outside (naturally), and the people who met them were none other than Gaeric, Lord Avalugg’s warden, and Sabi, Braviary’s warden. Rachel could feel the tension in Adaman’s body behind her melt when he saw that his clan’s warden was alright.

Like usual, the young forest green-haired child seemed completely unfazed by the current circumstance. “My clairvoyance told me that we would meet you here.” She greeted them as they approached. “It also showed me that you would come to help us. Will that come to pass?”

“It will, Sabi.” Naturally Adaman was the first to respond, dismounting from Wyrdeer and quickly approaching the young girl to scoop her up and hug her. Normally, he would be a bit more formal when addressing a warden of his clan in front of others, but he was just so relieved to find her safe and taken care of. “Where’s Braviary?”

“Taking roost besides the hot spring.” The young girl replied, eyes sparkling at Rachel. “You were able to surmise that the Pearl Clan was in danger, yet they weren’t able to call for help. Am I clairvoyant? Or are you?”

“It is impressive that you were able to figure out that we needed help.” Gaeric pointed out, arms crossed as, for once, the cyan-haired man wore a jacket instead of walking around shirtless. For a man who prided himself on how resilient and unbreakable he was to do such a thing spoke to the true severity of the situation. “How did you figure that out?”

“The absence of communication wasn’t a good sign, and the frigidness that crept up on us certainly didn’t help.” Rachel remarked as Zisu approached with her Security Corp, pulling supplies along into the settlement. Regarding Gaeric with utmost respect, the Survey Corp member nodded at him. “I’m beginning to realize that simple inevitability is my call to action.”

“Well, I’m glad to see that your fighting spirit and burning determination hasn’t been snuffed by the storm!” Gaeric replied with a proud mirthful chortle. “We could certainly use quite a bit of it.”

Quickly, Rachel realized that Irida had not yet made an appearance and a note of dread began to hum in the back of her mind when she exchanged a worried glance with Adaman while Security Corp personnel filed past them, waiting for Zisu’s or Rachel’s orders before proceeding. “Where’s Irida?” Adaman asked.

Her worries about the grave circumstances breaking down Gaeric were only further confirmed, the man’s confident and brazen demeanour reduced to an unsure and listless visage that almost felt alien to witness from the warden. “She…hasn’t come back.”

Worry began to bubble into a quiet panic, Rachel’s fears beginning to make themselves impossible to ignore in the back of her head. “What do you mean she hasn’t come back…?”

“Earlier today, she realized that if something wasn’t done…the storm could lead to us losing some of our own.” The Pearl Clan warden admitted, tone distant as though he himself were lost without Irida. And given the circumstances, Rachel could completely understand why. Even though he was the mentor to the Pearl Clan’s leader, this whole situation was completely unprecedented, outside of the expected and thus completely uncharted territory. And, naturally, he was worried. “So, she took it upon herself to try and find help…and she hasn’t returned, yet.”

“Are you serious?!” This was bad. Very bad. The Pearl Clan was desperate and in need of help and now they were without a leader. “And she went alone?!”

“She left me in charge.” Gaeric replied, squaring his shoulders in an attempt to appear in control and in charge, but the fact that Rachel couldn’t be convinced only further unnerved her and made her even more anxious. “She didn’t want to put anyone else at risk. Normally, I wouldn’t worry. After all, she learned from the very best and mightiest that the Pearl Clan has to offer! But…this is unusual, and I have not heard the tones of her Celestica Flute playing for hours, now. It leaves me feeling…well, not optimal.”

Growling under her breath, Rachel couldn’t contain her exasperation and her worries. “Argh…even when she’s trying to ask for help, she still thinks she has to do it alone without anyone else’s help…” Of all the lessons that she desperately wished that both clans would learn, putting their pride aside was one of them. After all, pride doesn’t keep food on the table and won’t keep you warm. Feeling Ursaluna worriedly nudge her shoulder, she knew what she had to do. “I’m going to go out to find her. Nobody else come with me, I’ll take Ursaluna to track her and Wyrdeer to get her back home safely.”

“Great, I’m coming with you!” Adaman proclaimed, already making to follow her.

Stopping him with a hand against his chest, forcing him back. “No. You stay here.” She ordered, her voice stern and firm as she stood her ground. As much as she wanted to have him by her side, the last thing she wanted to risk was Adaman being lost, too. “You’re needed here and I can’t risk losing you, too.”

The worry that flashed before his dark eyes was palpable, and it nearly made Rachel flinch when she met his gaze. “But…you can’t go out in this blizzard alone, you could get lost, too!”

“I have the Arc Phone, it tells me where I am and where I’m going at all times.” Rachel reminded him, feeling somewhat fortunate, for once, that she had the assistance of Almighty Sinnoh on her side. “And besides, I’m more used to being in the wilds on my own than you are. I’ll be with my Pokémon, and Wyrdeer and Ursaluna will be with me, too. I’ll be fine.”

“But – what do you expect me to do? Sit here and wait for you to get back?” Adaman retorted, worried aggravation evident in his raised tone of voice. “You know me well enough to know I can’t do that.”

She nodded in understanding. She did know him well enough. “I know…and I’m not asking you to.” Turning to Zisu, Rachel gave the Security Corp captain her command. “Start distributing supplies. Ration the food and make sure everyone gets warmer clothes and blankets and that there’s enough firestarting material to last until morning in each tent. Ensure they know that Gaeric’s met with us and that there’s a search in place for Irida.” Waiting for the Security Corp to be busy, Rachel leaned close to Adaman, reaching up to pull him in and hold him tightly. The Diamond Clan leader didn’t hesitate to bend down to wrap his arms around her, pressing her tightly to his body for comfort. “These people need you. Gaeric is a very capable man and he was Irida’s mentor, but he’s not their leader. You are a leader. He’ll need your help to figure out what to do and to keep everyone calm and level-headed. Your job is to make sure that the Pearl Clan knows that the Diamond Clan won’t abandon them and to keep the peace and prevent mass panic and hysteria. Think you can do that for me…?”

Sighing, Adaman nodded, but his grip on the small woman tightened, the man pressing his face into the side of her head. He was almost afraid to let her go out of fear of losing her in the blizzard, too. “But what about you…?”

Silent for a moment, Rachel held him tighter, too. “If something happens to me…the Galaxy Team loses a member of the Survey Corp.” She pointed out, pulling back to look Adaman in the face, heart aching when she saw just how worried he was when he gazed down at her. “But if something happens to you…the Diamond Clan will lose its leader. I can’t risk that.”

Eyebrows furrowing, Adaman grabbed onto Rachel’s shoulders, the strength of his grip telling her that she should listen to him intently. “If something happens to you…” He paused, the thought caught in his throat. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, trying to force what he wanted to say out in the open. “…I’ll lose a dear friend. It’s bad enough that Irida’s missing…but I can’t bear the thought of the both of you getting lost.”

Softening, Rachel sighed through her nose and rested her hands over top of his, giving them a squeeze as she offered him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry.” She murmured softly to him. “Come doom or high water, I’ll make sure Irida comes home. I will bring her home. You have my word.”

“You’d better.” Adaman responded hardly, squeezing her shoulders before letting go of her, stepping back to let her go reluctantly. “I’m holding you to that.”

She was warmed that she had grown to mean that much to him, but right now, the task at hand was to find Irida and bring her home. She didn’t have to worry about the Pearl Settlement for now – it was in good hands. As she pulled Wyrdeer close, rallying Ursaluna, Emberheart, and Vendetta alongside her, Sabi giggled brightly at the woman as she turned to face the blistering blizzard once more. “Don’t worry, Rachel. I saw you stumbling across the bridge with Irida on your arm. Do you think it’ll come to pass?”

Regarding Sabi for a moment, Rachel knew her well enough to know a challenge when she heard one. It wasn’t about whether Sabi was right, it was never about that – it was about whether Rachel had the resolve to make her own way, whether Sabi foresaw it or not. Though she valued Sabi’s clairvoyance, she knew it was only a suggestion of the future rather than a prediction. “It’s not about what I think.” She said resolutely, gazing down at the young Diamond Clan warden with determination glinting in her dark eyes. “It must be done, so it will be. Simple as.”

Tilting her head, Sabi smiled at Rachel. “The real question is: will you succeed because I’ve seen it? Or in spite of it?”

That certainly was the real question, but now wasn’t the time for philosophical musings. Now was the time for action.

Tugging on Wyrdeer’s reins, the group was off, taking off into the snowstorm before it could get any worse. The sooner they located Irida, the sooner they could bring her back. Walking alongside Ursaluna, she put a hand on his backside, speaking gently to the large bear Pokémon. “Find the Pearl Clan’s leader, Ursaluna. You’re our only hope.”

As the Pokémon put his snout to the icy ground, Cedric leaned in to whisper directly into Rachel’s ear, feeling the worry rolling off of her like mist despite her best attempts to give the appearance of being in control of the situation. “Do you really think this is a good idea?”

“No.” Rachel replied immediately, patiently waiting for Ursaluna to catch a scent to try and find the lost Pearl Clan leader. Sometimes it could take a while for her to find a scent and they needed to be mindful of their surroundings, especially with consideration to the limited and lack of visibility. “But what choice do we have?”

Carefully, they navigated their way around the Alabaster Icelands, staying near Avalugg’s Legacy while they searched for any sign, any scent of Irida. It was difficult to do in this storm with how severe it was, but they needed to stay focused. They had a mission to accomplish and they would not rest until Irida was found and brought back home to her people.

She was likely looking for help, so they needed to try and find where Irida would have gone to look. But they also needed to be mindful of where she could’ve gotten lost and would have taken shelter. So far, Ursaluna wasn’t finding any sign of her around Avalugg’s Legacy in the centre of the icelands. That had to mean that Irida hadn’t taken shelter in the underground cave system, which meant they had to expand their search further.

But where to start? Where would she have gone to look for help? Where could she have taken shelter? Her only solace as to not getting lost was her Arc Phone, keeping her informed of her location at all times. Thanks for not completely forsaking me, almighty Sinnoh. Looking to Ursaluna, who was still moving slowly in an attempt to pay attention to any stray scent of Irida they could find, Rachel put a hand on the bear’s shoulder. “Any sign of her…”

Grievously, the Pearl Clan’s sacred Pokémon shook his head, nuzzling it into her hand. “I’m afraid not…the storm is wiping away every scent as soon as I catch it…” He moaned mournfully. He had ferried the Pearl Clan leader so many times that her scent was firmly committed to his memory, and yet when she was lost, he could not find her. “I’m sorry, traveler…”

The hopelessness in the Pokémon’s gruff voice gave Rachel pause, dread sinking into her gut that she forced down out of determined spite. “We can’t give up! She’s been gone for a day! We can still find her!” She said, nudging both Ursaluna and Wyrdeer. “Keep looking. We have to find her!”

As Rachel continued to press onward, Emberheart and Vendetta exchanged a look between them. They were naturally concerned for their wielder, but neither of them knew who should take the initiative. Normally, the Arcanine would, but since Vendetta was more familiar with this territory than she was having grown up and lived here, she felt that the Zoroark should. And since Vendetta felt that since Emberheart had known Rachel for longer than Vendetta had, the Arcanine should step up. But the inaction eventually led to inevitability, and Vendetta decided to make the decision to try and talk some sense into her.

Besides, this endeavour was partially driven by spite, which continued to intrigue the Zoroark. Spite to succeed and prove everyone wrong who was worried she would be lost in the storm, too. These continued demonstrations of spite, anger, rage, and hatred performed in the name of good – of kindness – slowly became less and less alien to Vendetta. What she had once seen as opposites in direct juxtaposition to each other she was beginning to realize was a catalyst for the other.

Spite was a spectrum, and humans had those in myriads. “Your conviction is strong…I’ll give you that.” Vendetta said to the human, flanking her dutifully alongside Emberheart, the Arcanine scanning their surroundings for any Pokémon that would dare try and interfere with their mission. “But you should consider what to do if you fail…or if time is not on your side. You must survive.”

Rachel grit her teeth, her jaw clenched as she glared at the white beast whose billowing rage whipped in the biting and cruel wind on sanguine tendrils from her brilliant and imposing mane. “None of that matters until we find Irida, and I won’t stop until she’s found.”

“But if you don’t make your own survival a priority, you will fail.” Vendetta pointed out, reaching out to grasp at her wielder’s shoulder, crimson claws digging into the thick fabrics that kept her body warm despite the frigid icescape around them. Though Rachel wanted to argue with her, she knew that Vendetta was right. If she didn’t protect herself, then Irida would be lost for good. “You can’t help anyone if you can’t help yourself.”

Relenting, Rachel let out a frustrated sigh. “If it comes to that…we’ll find shelter and try to wait out the storm.”

Nodding, Vendetta encouraged her to continue, the group following Ursaluna’s fruitful attempts to catch Irida’s scent. It felt bitterly hopeless, but Rachel wasn’t someone who obeyed odds. She was someone who succeeded in spite of them, so naturally, Vendetta stood firm by her. “If you hear her voice, be warned – it may be a trick.”

Scoffing, Rachel rolled her eyes. She remembered that all too well, when she once thought that Zinnia had followed her into Hisui and was lost in the Alabaster Icelands in the caves below, only to find that she had been tricked.

It was how she came to find Vendetta in the first place.

Suddenly, the Zoroark stilled, standing rigid and tall as her ears swivelled and twisted, as though she had caught a sound on the wind. Waiting intensely, Rachel’s eyes were glued to the white creature as she tried to discern what she was hearing. Finally, she spoke. “Her memories…! I can sense them!”

Eyes widening, Rachel gasped, reaching to take her Zoroark by the paws. “Where?! Where is she?!”

Regretfully, the Normal-Ghost-type shook her head, yellow eyes squinted against the snow that pelted her in the face. Despite having grown up in this bitter environment, it could still overwhelm even a creature like her. “I can’t sense where she is…only that she’s nearby.”

“But she’s close! That means we might be able to track her scent as long as we stay in the area where you can sense her memories!” Rachel cried, jubilation echoing across the frigid icescape before disappearing in the violent biting winds. Finally, real hope bloomed in her chest. If Vendetta could sense her memories, then that meant that Irida was alive! They would be able to find her and bring her home! Turning to Ursaluna, Rachel quickly climbed atop, gesturing out into the icy white that swirled around them. “Find her! She can’t be far!”

With renewed vigor, the Ground-Normal-type bear pressed his snout to the sharply cold ice beneath him, determined to find his clan’s leader. Now that they knew for certain she was close by and that she was alive, they couldn’t fail. They couldn’t give up, now that it was possible. Not when they were so close! Carefully navigating the blizzard, staying within the area where Vendetta could sense Irida’s memories, they found themselves patrolling and investigating Arena’s Approach. Perhaps in her desperation, the Pearl Clan leader was on her way to beseech the help of Lord Avalugg to save them.

Finally, Ursaluna caught the scent of his dear leader, moving at a much faster pace, running and galloping with even greater speed so much so that Wyrdeer struggled to keep up. Emberheart and Vendetta were on the Diamond and Pearl Clans’ Pokémon’s heels, running ahead to where Ursaluna was leading them. But strangely, when Rachel checked her Arc Phone, she saw that they were not going to the Icepeak Arena, but towards Icebound Falls tucked away in the south.

Once they approached, she immediately realized why. There was a tunnel that led from the greater expanse of the icelands towards the icefalls. So she took shelter…good.

As they approached, her hopes were confirmed when she spotted two familiar Pokémon emerge from within. It was Irida’s Glaceon and Espeon! “They’ve found us!” The Ice Pokémon cried, rushing up to Rachel to greet her warmly, reaching the woman and nuzzling her gloved hand gratefully.

“Just as I knew she would.” Espeon added, pressing himself against Rachel affectionately.

Gently petting them both, she was relieved that they were alright. “Where’s Irida?”

“She’s inside.” Glaceon informed Rachel, grabbing her by the hand gently in her jaws and tugging her along at a frantic pace.

Pressing along the woman’s side to push her onwards, Espeon mewed anxiously. “Flareon’s just inside, trying to keep her warm…but she hasn’t woken up for a little while.”

Then hopefully, they weren’t too late.

Entering the tunnel, Rachel recognized it in an instant, the strange hieroglyphics on the wall as perplexing as ever as she dismounted from Ursaluna and approached. She could recognize some of the shapes as the nobles, but some were unfamiliar to her. Huddled beneath the perplexing puzzle was the Pearl Clan leader herself, her Flareon desperately pressing his body against her paler than normal skin, her lips and fingertips turned blue. She was motionless, and seeing her pale still body, Rachel began to panic, even with Flareon’s efforts to try and keep her warm.

She was alive! She had to be!

Collapsing on her knees, she pressed her ear to the Pearl Clan leader’s chest, nuzzling past Flareon’s head to hear a faint heartbeat within the frigid skin pulled taught against her bones. Good…she was still alive. That at least was a relief, but she didn’t want to even think about what would’ve happened had she not been accompanied by Flareon and her other Pokémon. “Irida…?” Rachel said quietly, holding the blonde woman’s face in her hands. She felt as cold as ice as she shook her to try and rouse her. “Irida, come on! Wake up!”

Weakly, the Pearl Clan leader’s eyes creaked open, a small smile creasing her cracked sickly looking lips. There was no light in her pale blue eyes, only a fading flicker of life still within. “M…moth…er…?”

Shit, this was worse than she thought. Any longer in this cold and Irida would surely freeze to death, even with Flareon’s help. She was already delirious. “No…no, it’s me, Rachel.” She insisted. When Irida couldn’t maintain consciousness any longer, the Survey Corp member didn’t hesitate to beckon her Arcanine into the tunnel. “Emberheart, get her warm! She’ll freeze to death!”

Moving aside to make room for the large doggish creature, Rachel could feel the idle heat coming off of her fur. It wasn’t hot, but it would be enough to warm Irida and keep her out of the danger zone. Cedric didn’t hesitate to pull the thick blanket out of her backpack, handing it to Rachel and dashing over to Irida to check her heartbeat. It was weak…but there. For how much longer?

Not very if they didn’t act soon.

Gesturing to Ursaluna and Wyrdeer to stay put for now, Rachel then nodded to her Zoroark. “Vendetta, stand guard. Let me know if the storm gets worse.”

“As you command.” The white beast replied, dipping her head before standing vigilant at the exposed entrance, her massive mane blocking much of the way.

Which was good, since it would block the frigid blizzard air from getting into the cave and making Irida colder than she already was. Rachel wouldn’t be surprised if she was already suffering from hypothermia despite Flareon’s best efforts. Cedric had the blanket in his mouth and nodded at Rachel, Irida’s loyal Fire-type Pokémon at his human’s side ready to help.

Cradling the Pearl Clan leader gently, Rachel lifted Irida’s body from the ground, Cedric and Flareon then tugging the blanket underneath where she was before the Survey Corp member then laid her back down, again. Odd…didn’t Irida weigh more? Or did Rachel get stronger? She had been training a lot since she’d started sparring with her Pokémon in a regular basis.

But no matter. They had important matters at hand.

Wrapping the blanket around Irida and tucking the ends of it into each other to make sure she was tightly bundled, Rachel then pushed Irida into Emberheart’s side, hoping that she could make the most of the idle heat that the Arcanine was throwing off. Just a calm gentle warmth. Flareon then climbed up and sat on her, hoping to warm her up with his body heat, too. The gentle heat from both Pokémon would keep Irida alive and, if they took a moment to let her acclimate, they would be able to make the trip back to the Pearl Settlement in no time.

Looking up at Wyrdeer, Rachel reached up to him. “Do you think we can carry her?”

“Of course.” The pale grey deer replied confidently, gently nuzzling Rachel as he rested his forehead against her. “She has you to thank for saving her life and I’m grateful that the Pearl Clan will not lose another leader. I will lay down my life to be able to ensure she’s safely returned home.”

Smiling, Rachel pressed her forehead against his. The first of the sacred Pokémon that she had met, and in some ways, the closest to her. There was nowhere she could think of going without calling upon him to carry her. It was like they were one and the same. Did either clan realize how much each other’s sacred Pokémon valued and respected one another regardless of allegiance?

She hoped they would, someday. “You and me both…”

Grunting worriedly, Vendetta turned to address her wielder, trepidation creasing her brows as she approached Rachel. “The storm looks like it’s worsening…perhaps we should take shelter here for the night.”

Shaking her head insistently, Rachel refused. “No. We found her. We can take a moment so that she won’t die on the way back, but now that we found her, we can just take her home!” Despite her conviction, the Zoroark didn’t seem convinced.

Ursaluna seemed to agree. “If the storm worsens, I may not be able to navigate us back through scent. We may risk getting lost ourselves.”

“Trust me, finding Irida was the hardest part.” Rachel insisted, pulling out her Arc Phone to show the creature. “This device tells me our exact location at all times. As long as I have this, we’ll never be lost. We just have to make it across Avalugg’s Legacy to get back to the settlement, and everything will be okay.” Hearing Irida moan pitifully in her hypothermic slumber, Rachel wilted. At least she seemed to be recovering strength…slowly. “Just…let’s wait for her to be strong enough to hold on…then we’ll go.”

Taking advantage of the shelter that was now provided, the party waited until Irida was at least fit enough to travel. Outside, the blizzard continued its relentless assault on the Alabaster Icelands, and from the skies, the patron of winds watched closely. He had witnessed and brought every winter season for generations, and he had watched the Pearl Clan survive every one.

However, his disappointment when they lost many of their numbers to war was immeasurable. Only by communing with his fellow nature spirits did he learn of the feuds between the Pearl Clan and the Diamond Clan. The bringer of spring had told him of the similar dwindling in numbers of the Diamond Clan in the Crimson Mirelands, and it saddened her just as much to witness. After all, she was the patron of new beginnings, new life. It was natural for her to be saddened by the loss of life within the Diamond Clan.

But his own position as the patron of winter was not one of cruelty. He did not wish for creatures to perish nor did he purposefully wish so. He was the patron of survival of the fittest, those that could survive and make it through his harsh winters would survive through many seasons. Winter was about hardship and perseverance.

A will to survive. A will to live.

The Pearl Clan was squandering their chances for the survival of their future generations and was risking the death of their whole clan and culture through their feuds with the Diamond Clan and by refusing to beseech help. He knew they were quite prideful in that way, and it disappointed him. Humans were social creatures that depended on one another. That much he knew about them. To not ask for help to ensure their own survival was to go against their nature, to go against what made humans so strong. Their sense of community was one he admired.

And the last thing he wanted was to see a clan that had survived many of his harsh winters die out because they had forgotten what they were. His grief would be inconsolable.

So, he devised a trial. A trial that would test the mettle of the Pearl Clan’s will to survive and to see if it was too late for them to recover. By sending them a storm so severe that they had never faced, before, the grave circumstances would force them to realize how vulnerable they were and surely they would have no choice but to beseech the help of others – perhaps the Diamond Clan.

And then, surely they would realize that they were stronger together than they were divided and at ends with one another. It would be a step towards ending the legacy of senseless death between the clans and towards building a future where they ensured the other’s survival at the worst of times.

They would remember their humanity and come together to endure the greatest hardship he had ever sent their way. They had to, in order to survive. And if they had the will to, they would. He was certain of it.

The Galaxy Team was something different entirely. They were comparatively new to the land of Hisui compared to the clans, and yet they had by far the largest settlement both in size and in population. They had come from a land from far away and, from what he and his fellow nature patrons could glean from sequential observation, they studied the land of Hisui to learn from it and had a neutral relationship with both clans.

And, curiously, none of the Galaxy Team could speak with Pokémon like the clans did. None except, strangely enough, for this one. He did not recognize her and the Pokémon in the area spoke of her reverently, particularly its lord. She was a traveler from beyond the rift, having fallen into Hisui some time ago, and not only did she understand Pokémon, but she was making strides in bridging the gap that existed between the Diamond and Pearl Clans.

She even had the bravery to stop an enraged charging Piloswine in its tracks just to save the lives of the leaders of both clans. This was someone who not only had a will to live herself, but had a will to live threefold, enough to protect others and ensure their lives would endure as well.

Perhaps she was just what he needed to prove that the Pearl Clan was not yet lost. So, it was time to test her mettle as well.

Marching through the blistering white world in front of them, barely able to see their hands in front of them, the group had to proceed with extreme prejudice to the potential environmental hazards. Glaceon was taking the point position in front of Ursaluna who was trying to track their path backwards, Wyrdeer then walking slowly behind him with Rachel on his back with Irida in her arms still bundled in the blanket. Cedric was nestled against her, pressing his fur against her face in an attempt to protect her from the wind without suffocating her.

Vendetta and Emberheart flanked the Diamond Clan’s sacred ride Pokémon, Flareon and Espeon guarding the rear as they traveled. Rachel glanced at her Arc Phone to ensure that they were heading the right way, but occasionally on their way, they would get confused and have to turn around to try and navigate towards the Pearl Settlement. It couldn’t be that far…it couldn’t be that difficult.

But the only problem was that the Arc Phone didn’t tell her what direction she was facing – only where she was. It was getting colder, the wind getting more violent, and eventually, the wind would become impassable if they stayed out here for too long. The group huddled close together, yet every time Rachel checked the Arc Phone, it seemed like she was going in circles around Avalugg’s Legacy.

They couldn’t get lost…not now. Not when they were so close. They’d found Irida…she couldn’t give up now. “I don’t think…we can go further…” Ursaluna bemoaned miserably, shaking his head. “I can’t smell anything, anymore…we have no hope of being able to follow our trail back to the east…”

“He’s right…” Glaceon said, shaking her head from the front as she turned her head to address the group, the tassels on her head whipping violently in the white blizzard. Were it daylight, they might have gone blind. “Maybe we should take shelter until morning…!”

“No!” Rachel cried, shaking her head as she held Irida’s body closer to her own, refusing to let her go as though the moment she did, the Pearl Clan leader and her friend would disappear forever. “We’re not giving up! Not when we’re this close! We can make it!” They just had to keep going. They just had to… “So long…as I’m still standing…so long as I still draw breath…I will bring Irida home.”

So, onward they pushed despite the hopelessness that threatened to close in on them and freeze them in place. They moved slower and slower, snow sticking sharply to their skin and fur collectively. Rachel’s throat began to crack and grow dry with how heavily she was breathing. The chilly air was starting to suck the moisture out of her mouth and it was starting to grow painful.

She couldn’t fail. She wouldn’t let the Pearl Clan lose another leader. She wouldn’t.

Stopping, Vendetta perked up, the white Zoroark standing rigid as she began to growl. Her fur billowed threateningly, scarlet sinews of mirthful rage and lashing hatred glowed angrily like tongues of red hot fire from the deep earth within. She almost appeared to be twice her size as she snarled a warning to the group, backing up to be pressed against Wyrdeer. “Hold formation.” She ordered them, the white beast baring her fangs at the cyclones that surrounded and threatened to sweep them away in the violent and impassable storm. “The Winterbringer is here, and he bites with no mercy.”

At that warning, Wyrdeer and his passengers were boxed in the centre, their guardians forming a protective circle around them to face the dangers that laid out in the storm. For a moment, everything seemed to stand still despite the wind that continued its assault. As they all looked out into the whiteness, waiting in anticipation for what would come next, completely unsure of what to expect, it seemed like the world itself was drawing in a long breath.

Before it exhaled into a world of whirlwinds and cyclones that circled them relentlessly, completely preventing them from passing and pushing them in every which way. The sheer force of these biting powerful winds that swiftly pushed past and around them was enough to likely sweep them away, never to be seen again if they took one step out into the invisible world they were trapped in.

It pelted them, forcing them to hunker down as all of them began to attack at the impenetrable cyclones. The light from Emberheart and Flareon’s fire attacks was quickly swept away, the only source of light in this white realm they were forced to endure.

But in the brief flashes of light, Rachel spotted a shape whipping by. A shape that flew so fast that she could barely parse it as a shape, hardly even a silhouette. Yet, it was there. It was there clearly.

This Winterbringer was not actually trying to attack them. So what was it trying to do? What was the purpose of this? This storm? This attack?

There was only one way to get that answer. And if they could stop it in its tracks, perhaps they would. “Emberheart, Stone Edge! Agile Style!”

Obeying the orders of her wielder, rearing up with a mighty roar, the large Fire-Pokémon brought her paws down heavy onto the ice, the tremors echoing beneath their feet before sharp stone spires suddenly jutted out from the ice below with a shattered crackle, in the way of the figure zipping about and whipping the storm up worse.

Just as she predicted, the figure that was doing this smacked into the stone spires that had erupted from the ground at full speed, being suddenly thrown back by the impact, creating a temporary halt to the severity of the storm. They still couldn’t see the sky, but at least they could now move.

Without hesitation, Vendetta pounced on the now prone Pokémon, pinning it to the ground and snarling, holding its arms behind its back and sinking her teeth into its neck, rolling it over so that it faced Rachel.

Looking down at it from the back of Wyrdeer, the woman glowered at it. This Pokemon appeared to take the form of a humanoid, with green skin splotched with lilac, though its lower body was rendered invisible by the clouds that cloaked it. A long graceful violet tail with yellow spiraled ridges along it that resembled stylistic renditions of gales and winds.

Two horns jutted out of its forehead, a curled white quaff of hair on its head just behind them. It sported a jagged mustache of the same colour. Strangely enough, its hair also seemed to resemble the clouds that concealed half of its verdant body.

Cedric’s pale blue eyes met this Pokémon’s searching yellow gaze. He definitely recognized this Pokémon from home. This was indeed the Pokémon that Volo had warned them about, and Rachel was sure of that, too. “I gather you must be Tornadus.”

Chuckling amusedly, the Pokémon grinned at her. “Ah, I see that my reputation precedes me.” He commented, Tornadus seeming completely unconcerned with the situation he was currently in. Though, Rachel should’ve expected as much from a being such as him. “A pleasure it is to meet you in the flesh, Rachel. I’ve heard whispers on the wind about you.”

Narrowing her eyes, she had no patience for this thin veneer of small talk. Not when the situation was dire and he seemed to be the cause. “Did you cause this storm?”

Her will didn’t waver, even in his presence. That was good to see. “I bring the winter winds with me to Hisui. It’s what I am.”

Setting her jaw, the woman’s fingers dug deeper into the blanket that swaddled Irida snugly. “Abate it. Now.”

“I will. In due time.” Tornadus attempted to assure her, staring intently at her as he didn’t even attempt to struggle in Vendetta’s ruthless grip. “But first…the survival of the Pearl Clan must be assured. Only then will the storm abate.”

“If you would abate the storm, I would be able to do so.” Rachel retorted sharply, sneering at the green-skinned Pokémon of gales. Tornadus didn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation he caused. Or, he had purposefully caused it for some reason and was fine with the consequences of it. The grave consequences.

Shaking his head, Tornadus refused even still. “You misunderstand.” He insisted, meeting the woman’s gaze with a calm stillness that made her shudder as she sat there and listened to him. “I am not cruel. I simply bring hardships to determine who are strong enough to survive for seasons. After all, nature is chaotic and untameable. Only the strongest can truly survive.”

Growling, Rachel spat at him. “So, you’re fine with just weeding out the weak? Bringing death just to enforce an idea of strength at the cost of innocents?”

“Innocent and guilty matter not to me, but once again, you misunderstand.” Tornadus continued to speak calmly, regarding the human with respect despite the circumstances he was currently in. “Do you know what makes humans strong? What allows them to survive some of the most punishing of hardships?” Curling her nose at him, Rachel waited for him to explain. No matter what she answered with, he would tell her what he thought anyways. “…their sense of community.” That…wasn’t an answer she was expecting. “Humans are strongest when they band together. It’s how they have survived and conquered for centuries. Their strength lies in community, and the Pearl Clan over the generations has forgotten this. If they are to survive, they must not only remember their own humanity…but the humanity in their perceived enemies as well.”

So…this was some sort of test? Some sort of sick test? She couldn’t disagree with him, but why this? “If you were trying to teach them that, then why this?” Rachel demanded, tilting Irida so that she was facing away from the wind in her arms. “Why create this deadly storm to teach them that lesson when you could’ve taught it through kindness? Without risking their lives?”

“That is your role as a human, and humans seem to have a tendency to isolate themselves from opposing viewpoints, seeing any opposition to their beliefs as a personal threat.” Tornadus replied casually, as though this were just any regular conversation they could be having. As though they were merely speaking philosophy rather than actively gambling with the lives of innocents. “Nature teaches lessons where human kindness fails. My intervention was inevitable. You could even say that the inevitability itself was an invitation for my intervention.

“But regardless of my place in all of this, I ask you this, distant traveler:” Grinning, Tornadus’s eyes widened, clenching his fists tightly against the ice beneath him, clouds billowing around him. “How strong is your will to survive?”

A sudden twisting gale suddenly slammed into Vendetta, pushing her back into the storm and forcing her to release Tornadus, the gale Pokémon disappearing just as quickly as he reappeared, cackling into the ether as his presence was swept away with the wind, as though he and it were one and the same.

Leaving Rachel and her rescue party alone in the frigid and unforgiving winter gales below.

Completely unaware of the struggle that Rachel was enduring out in the icy wastes in the white blizzard outside of the settlement, Adaman was busy and hard a work helping the Security Corp distribute supplies and personally attend to the people of the Pearl Settlement at Gaeric’s command. The man was quite agreeable, surprisingly enough, and the pair actually worked very well together.

Naturally, the Pearl Clan was suspicious of the Diamond Clan leader helping them, but they accepted his help nonetheless, and speaking with them, he wasn’t met with hostility. “You don’t waste even a second. Do you, lad?” One of them commented as he ladled the woman in Pearl Clan robes a bowl of soup from the lit hearth.

Chuckling quietly, he handed her the warm bowl, his relief at seeing her eat bringing him only a little bit at peace. The truth of the matter was that he was trying to keep himself busy to not drive himself insane with worry. Rachel had been gone for a long time and he was already fearing the worst.

Helping these people was the only thing keeping him holding onto hope. He needed to believe in her. “I can’t just sit by and do nothing. Especially if there’s something I can do to help.” Adaman replied, hoping he wasn’t giving away just how scared he was for both Rachel and Irida. There wasn’t a minute that went by that he wasn’t quietly uttering prayers in his head to almighty Sinnoh to bring the both of them back safely. “I’m sure Irida felt the same way when she realized the danger her people were in. I’m confident it’s the reason she decided to take matters into her own hands.”

Humming worriedly, the woman held her soup in her lap in the tent, shaking her head. “And now she’s lost to us…and we’re at the behest of you and of our outsiders.”

Furrowing his brow, Adaman shook his head. These people needed to believe in her as much as he was trying to. “Rachel will bring your leader back. I promise she will.”

The woman met his gaze, eyebrows furrowed. “What makes you so sure, Adaman?”

He smiled warmly, remembering the way she openly scolded him when he doubted himself for a moment. Without hesitation, all the things she saw in him and admired about him spilled out and he was thoroughly unprepared for it. It was so passionate, so unprompted, and so heated. And yet, he knew it came from a place of genuine care and sincerity. She meant every word she said about him to him, and in a way…it changed him. It pulled him out of the near constant quiet doubt that whispered incessantly in the back of his mind.

He smiled as he regarded the Pearl Clan woman. “Because there’s no one in the world who’s like her. She’s the best of the Survey Corp that anyone’s ever known and when she cares about something, nothing can stop her.” He said, smirking a bit wryly. “Besides, despite my clearly blasphemous ways, I’m not doing too bad a job out here, am I?”

Chuckling at the Diamond Clan leader, the woman couldn’t help but shake her head. “No, I suppose not.” She paused, taking a moment to savour the warm meal, looking out towards the door to the tent that swelled and bent in tandem with the violent winter winds outside that put them in this position to begin with. “As a matter of fact, we’re all actually quite grateful that the Diamond Clan has not forsaken us…it warms the heart to know that we have not be left behind.”

“We may have our differences, but Hisui is both of our homes.” Adaman replied, repeating what he had said earlier in the Galaxy Hall when they were discussing what to do about the Pearl Clan. “Even at odds, I actually have a lot of respect for Irida and the rest of your clan. We value your clan’s safety as much as we value ours and we all have a right to live here. To do nothing would be to go against everything I stand for.”

Nodding, the Pearl Clan woman hummed in contentment. “Well said.”

Glancing at her now empty bowl, Adaman smiled at her. “Is there anything else you’ll need?”

She shook her head. “You’ve done plenty enough. But if we need you, we’ll find you.”

Nodding at her in acknowledgement, Adaman left the tent back into the frigid air outside. He pulled the cloak and scarf given to him by Rachel close to his body as he shivered, breathing in the comforting scent of the wild flowers and grasses and the sea that the woman always carried with her.

Even just her lingering scent on the clothes given to him made him feel safe. It gave him hope…that everything was going to be alright.

Spotting Gaeric looking out at the edge of the Pearl Settlement with Zisu at his side, holding up a lantern, Adaman approached, indents left behind by his footsteps swept away as quickly as he made them. “Any sign of them, yet?” He asked anxiously.

Shaking his head, Gaeric wore a solemn expression on his face. “Not a one, I’m sorry to say.”

Even Zisu’s signature warm optimistic demeanour seemed to flicker for a moment like a weakening candle, her brows furrowed and her eyes clouded with lingering fear. Not for herself, but for Rachel. Though they weren’t close, Zisu had a lot of admiration for the Survey Corp girl and a degree of affection as well. There was a brightness that she brought to the Galaxy Hall and the Training Grounds whenever she appeared and the compassion she had for both humans and Pokémon was something that endeared Zisu to her greatly.

She was a bright shining star in their little galaxy that served as their north star, guiding them towards a bright future by her resolve and her unwavering kindness. To lose that would be to lose one of the brightest lights in their world and Zisu didn’t like the thought of such a brilliant light being snuffed out like this.

Standing beside them, Adaman sighed solemnly. The storm was worse. He couldn’t even see the massive glaciers that towered over Avalugg’s Legacy, not even a distant silhouette. The sky and the very air was blotted out by white snow, leaving little room for hope left.

Adaman hated waiting. Especially when he felt like he should do something and knew that there was nothing he could do. “Things…aren’t looking good…are they?” Gaeric muttered, dropping his persona of impenetrable strength to show the Diamond Clan leader a rare moment of vulnerability. It was natural that the cracks would begin to show. Irida was not only his leader, but his pupil.

Losing her would be like losing his kin, something Adaman could empathize with – he felt the exact same way about his fellow Diamond Clan members and its wardens. For him, it was a bit more literal. He, Mai, Arezu, and Melli all lost their parents and guardians in a previous war with the Pearl Clan when they were children and bonded with one another, becoming more like siblings than anything else.

They were the only family he had. He would do anything to keep them safe.

“It’s hard not to assume the worst…” Zisu admitted, the Security Corp captain reaching up to rub at her neck, holding her lantern up higher to try and get a better view of their surroundings. But the blizzard only caused the light to blot out everything else by its sheer brightness far more than the blizzard itself was. “But – and I really hate to say it – there’s a good chance Rachel might be lost out there.”

Feeling his stomach twist at the thought of Rachel and Irida freezing out in the storm, Adaman tried to pull his hood in closer. The light from Zisu’s lantern was so oppressive in this blizzard that he was starting to feel a headache coming on and was tempted to tell Zisu to put it out. After all, there was no point in keeping it lit.

At least…that’s what he thought until he realized just how bright it was and how sharply it seemed to cut through the snow. The snow even seemed to amplify the light through the crystals.

His dark eyes widened, a glimmer of hope behind them that was beginning to spark into something more. “Captain Zisu, how many of those do we have?”

Glancing at the Diamond Clan leader with a curious look, the woman raise her eyebrow at him. “Enough for every member of the Pearl Clan and every one of us at least twice over. Why?”

Looking about the path towards the Pearl Settlement proper, he walked down towards the bridge, eyeing the trees at the edges. One towered above the rest and a plan was beginning to form in his head. Maybe there was something he could do after all! “I think I’ve got an idea how we can help Rachel and Irida get back home…!”

Huddled on the ground, left alone and weak in the absence of Tornadus, the group resorted to pressing against one another for shelter and warmth. Their will was fading, only a faint ember that was being desperately nursed by every last one of them, human and Pokémon. Rachel tried to will herself to keep going despite the severity of the storm, now knowing it was a test.

But she couldn’t. She could no longer push herself forward and she could only try and convince herself to take another step and fail. But while she had Irida, she would protect her no matter what.

She couldn’t give up…not yet…she needed to try again…they needed to get back home.

Were Glaceon not an Ice-type, she would be huddling close to her human as well. But she was cold enough, and they needed to get Irida back home to the Pearl Settlement before she froze to death. However, when she looked off into the icy distance, the Ice Pokémon spotted a peculiar sight. “What is that…?”

Looking up from cradling Irida against her chest to try and keep her warm, Rachel squinted when she saw what Glaceon was looking at. It look like a series of lights in the distance rising up and then settling in various places. It didn’t look like a random cluster moving erratically. Quite the opposite, the moving lights seemed to move in an organized fashion.

It was utterly bizarre. “How strange…”

Staring at the strange sight, Vendetta growled quietly as she stared into the distance. She didn’t quite trust it just yet, and the last thing she wanted was for her wielder and all the other Pokémon to get lost or misled by a malicious force that laid hidden in the blizzard. “Wait here for a moment.” The Zoroark grunted, getting up and walking on all fours through the snow. “If there’s anyone who knows tricks…it’s me.”

Before Rachel could protest, the Pokémon had already vanished into the storm, her white coat making her blend in seamlessly into the snow and ice. It was no wonder that Zoroarks and Zorua were able to blend in so well in this landscape.

Worried, Rachel huddled closer to Irida and Cedric, Emberheart and Ursaluna huddling closer in Vendetta’s absence. She stared into the blizzard, staring at the moving and then settling lights and anxiously waiting for her Pokémon’s return. The last thing she wanted was to lose Vendetta, too.

They couldn’t afford to lose anyone.

But, soon enough, Vendetta’s shape cut through the blizzard, the large white fox Pokémon yipping and whooping as she returned to the group. “It’s the Pearl Clan!” The Zoroark cried, rushing over to nuzzle into Rachel and nuzzle Irida back to life, the woman confusedly moaning and groaning as she was suddenly roused from her cold-induced slumber. “They’ve lit a beacon to guide us home! We’ve made it!”

Wyrdeer rising to his feet, the group didn’t hesitate to make haste towards the bright lights that beckoned them in the distance. Finally! Their efforts were not in vain! They did it! They had succeeded!

Irida was going to live and the Pearl Clan was going to survive!

“Come on! As many as you can!” Adaman called out to the Security Corp, trying to find another place on the tree to put another lit lantern. Any way to make the tree brighter to guide Rachel and Irida back to where they belonged he was going to take.

Even though the tree was practically bathed in bright oppressive light at this point.

Smiling, Zisu walked up to Adaman and put a firm hand on his shoulder, pulling him back and making him face her. “Hey…I think you’ve put enough lanterns on the tree.”

Even though he knew that that was true, it wasn’t good enough for him. Having to wait again made him fearful again and he didn’t want to rest until Rachel came back home. Only then could he finally rest and feel at peace. “But what if it doesn’t work? What if it’s not bright enough? I have to keep at it!”

“You’re not usually such a worrywart, Adaman.” Sabi teased, giggling at him as she walked up to him, hands behind her back with a cheeky grin on her little face. “Or have you always been and it’s somehow escaped my clairvoyance? Who can say?”

Rolling his eyes at her, Adaman let out a shaky sigh. He did his part, all they had to do was wait and hope. Hope and pray that this plan would work and they would be seen and would be able to guide their lost loved ones back home.

What seemed like an eternity passed, Adaman’s lungs feeling tight from the cold and how much he was holding his breath. All he wanted was to see their shapes emerge from the blizzard coming close to them. All he wanted was to know that they were safe.

All he wanted was to hold Rachel and know that she was real. To know that the nightmare was finally over.

“There they are!” Gaeric announced, pointing to a shape that began to materialize as it emerged closer, slowly gaining speed until they could be recognizable. Adaman would recognize the hulking figure of Ursaluna and the graceful shape of Wyrdeer anywhere. The Pokémon that surrounded them were all becoming more visible. “And she’s found Irida!”

At the sound of the Pearl Clan’s warden of the icelands, the Pearl Clan began to clamour out of their tents to meet the rescue party, cheering and calling out to them as the group finally emerged from the world of white. Rachel was carrying Irida tightly in her arms astride Wyrdeer and Ursaluna lumbered past the Pearl Clan members, exhausted from the harrowing rescue mission and content to simply sleep away the stress by the hot spring.

As Rachel atop Wyrdeer stopped before the tree that was lit with lanterns, Gaeric bellowed in jubilation as he rushed forwards. “I knew you would find her! There’s no one else whose will is as unbreakable as mine!”

Smiling at the man, Rachel gently passed Irida’s bundled body to the warden, letting him tend to her as her Pokémon followed her diligently. Glaceon glanced back at Rachel as she followed Gaeric, giving the woman a grateful nod before following him.

As Irida passed Adaman, she was awake enough to recognize him. The leaders of the clans exchanged a smile between one another. One that said more than words could, but they both understood the sentiment behind it. I’m glad you’re alive…

“See? I knew you could do it!” Zisu cheered, helping Rachel off of Wyrdeer and giving her a hearty slap on the back to welcome her back. “There’s nobody with your tenacity!”

The warm welcome was more than…well, welcome. The harrowing ordeal was all worth it just to see Irida welcomed back as swiftly as she was. But she didn’t expect Adaman to rush over to her and nearly knock her over, throwing his arms around her and squeezing her tightly. “I’m so glad you’re safe…!” He confessed, pressing his head into the crook of her neck, arms rubbing up and down Rachel’s back to press her as close to himself as possible. “You have no idea how worried I was…”

Smiling, Rachel eagerly hugged him back, squeezing him just as tightly. Though this outburst was somewhat unexpected, it wasn’t unwelcome. It was nice to know that Adaman cared so much about her. She felt very much the same way. “I told you I’d bring Irida back home.” She said, nestling her chin into his shoulder. “You know how I feel about making promises…”

Glancing up at the tree that they used as a beacon to bring her back home, Rachel squinted at it. Each lantern was hung on a branch all the way to the top as high as they could go. From down here, she could swear that the lanterns in the tree almost looked like…ornaments.

Wait…she’d heard a story like this, before. There was a story about two warring clans that came together to help the other survive a bitter storm, and every year on the same eve, they would have a truce where they would celebrate the blessings of winter and exchange gifts and uphold the truce until the morning when they would go their separate ways.

Was this…was this where Winter’s Blessings came from?

For the rest of the evening, there was nothing but joy throughout the settlement. Adaman and the Security Corp were exchanging stories and even playing games with one another to pass the time, laughing and brimming with mirthful abandon. Even Irida, once she was warmed up sufficiently and treated by Paselle of the Medical Corp.

Though, it was odd seeing a blanket on her shoulders. Maybe she would be a bit more careful about wearing warmer clothes in colder than average weather from now on.

It was also nice seeing Adaman and Irida getting along. Rachel could safely say that the Diamond and Pearl Clan leaders had become her dearest friends and this one night would go a long way to securing a future of peace and safety between the both of them going forward. It made Rachel happy to see them getting along so well, now.

Despite their animosity towards one another at times over their theological beliefs, they also had a great deal of respect and admiration towards each other. And, in this rare instance, even affection, it seemed.

Which was good. It meant that once Rachel went back to the world she belonged to, there was someone that had a chance of making Adaman happy. As much as she liked him, as much as she sort of knew that it was mutual, it just…couldn’t be. She had a life to get back to and the last thing she wanted was to be a burden on his life. She didn’t want to waste his time with a relationship that wouldn’t last.

But as long as he was happy, she was happy. That was good enough for her. The idea of Adaman finding someone that would make him happy after Rachel was gone brought her a profound sense of comfort.

At some point in the night, Rachel had fallen asleep where she had made herself comfortable amongst the revelry, cuddled up to Cedric and Emberheart sleeping alongside her to keep her wielder warm. The woman was so stressed that she fell into a deep sleep despite all the noise.

She didn’t even notice that Irida and Adaman were both standing right above her. “I didn’t even get a chance to properly thank her…” The Pearl Clan leader lamented, sighing as she shook her head.

Smiling, Adaman gently put a hand on his fellow leader’s shoulder. He never thought he would be so happy to see Irida, but after tonight, he knew he would never take her for granted ever again. “Let her sleep. You can thank her tomorrow morning.” He suggested, looking over at Rachel and admiring how peaceful she looked when she was asleep. She was always complaining about poor sleep whenever she was awoken in Jubilife Village from her lodge. The fact that she looked so at peace now said a lot about that that made Adaman a bit sad to think about. “She’s worked really hard to bring you back to your people…she deserves a good rest.”

“I know.” Irida replied, smiling at Adaman. “And she deserves just as much to know what her efforts mean to me. To the Pearl Clan.”

“And to me and the Diamond Clan.” The man added, raising an eyebrow at her. “I know she really stuck her neck out for you tonight, but…that’s just what Rachel does. It’s who she is. Someone who goes the distance to do the right thing, to help someone. And she’s gone out of her way for both of our peoples.”

“She has.” The Pearl Clan leader sighed wistfully, pulling her blanket tighter over herself. She still felt like she was running a bit hot, but after the ordeal in the blizzard, she would have to start to learn not to trust that feeling so much. “And she also deserves to know what she means to me as a friend, too…”

Nodding in agreement, his attention was immediately stolen by a small shiver accompanied by a subconscious chattering of teeth from the exhausted Survey Corp member, Rachel curling in on herself tighter around Cedric, pressing her back against Emberheart’s fur to better maximize on soaking up the heat.

Smiling, Adaman undid the cloak Rachel had so diligently made for her and gently draped it over her, tucking her in and ensuring she was properly covered up so she could sleep comfortably tonight. Once she was warm and enveloped, a small smile spread across her face, a curl of hair falling over her face and tickling her nose a bit.

Gingerly, Adaman reached toward to remove her glasses so she could sleep more comfortably, folding them and setting them aside where she would see them once she woke up, and gently brushing the hair on her head aside so it wouldn’t bother her, anymore.

He would give anything to make sure that Rachel could sleep easy every night. She deserved that much. “Sleep well, Rachel…you’ve earned it.” He whispered before he put a hand on Irida’s shoulder and guided her away. “Come on, let’s wrap things up. I think Zisu’s on her last game with Gaeric.”

Chuckling brightly, it was a relief to see her so full of life after the ordeal she went through. None of her Pokémon had left her side since she had returned to the Pearl Clan and Irida wouldn’t have it any other way. She was looking forward to going to sleep knowing that everyone was safe and looked after and the people she trusted most would be close by.

The night came and went, Rachel barely stirring in the night all bundled up and comfortably cuddling with her Pokémon. When the morning came, she noticed that the cloak she had given Adaman was draped over her like a blanket. She must’ve fallen asleep during the festivities, but she was thankful for it nonetheless.

Rachel had never been happier to see the morning sun, the storm had completely abated. Whatever it was Tornadus was trying to test the clans for, they seemed to have succeeded, thankfully.

The Security Corp and Adaman were all preparing to leave, the Diamond Clan leader staying behind a bit to speak with Irida for a moment. Just as Rachel suspected, the leaders of the two clans suggested the idea of an annual truce on the same night every year to try and maintain and improve the relationships between the two clans and to ensure that neither clan would forget what was done, here.

This was the origin of Winter’s Blessings, and Rachel counted herself fortunate to have witnessed it, perhaps even been a part of it. What a strange thing to think about…she was a part of something that she had celebrated as a child her whole life, and only now could she have known it? Time was a strange thing.

Was her world of the future – her present – shaped by her? She couldn’t know, but if this one part of it was, she was happy with this being her contribution. It was a reminder that she had more power than she thought, and she could use that power to make the world better.

That anyone could. And having the proof of that made it all worth it.

With everyone bidding their goodbyes, Rachel took Adaman astride Wyrdeer once more, dismissing Ursaluna now that the task was done and wishing him a happy hibernation. Zisu led the way, Rachel bringing up the rear. She handed him back his cloak, smiling bashfully at him. “Thank you…” She muttered, leaning against him subconsciously. “I…didn’t realize just how tired I was.”

Smiling, Adaman wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her head as they traveled across the icelands once more to make their way home though he could put on his new cloak, its warmth didn’t compare to Rachel’s and he much preferred it. She had very quickly become someone that made him feel warm inside and out, and he intended to cherish it for as long as she was in his world.

No matter how long or short that time would be. “You’re welcome.”

#୨⎯ A Message On The Wind ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Pokémon Trainer Rachel ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Leader of the Diamond Clan ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Then It Has Done You No Good At All ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Tricky as a Fox ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Leader of the Pearl Clan ⎯୧ #merry christmas

[lewisvinga]

true love | max verstappen/joe burrow x fem! reader

summary; after news came about the ending of y/n and max’s relationship, fans think didn’t think k she’d rekindle with her childhood lover, joe.

fc; amberly yang

warnings; cheating

taglist; @namgification @louvrepool @locelscs @thehufflepuffavenger1 @minseok-smaus @goldenmclaren @ollieshifts @lavisenri @graciewrote @xoscar03

note; requested ! i don’t write for joe burrow but i rlly liked this idea😭 i lowk missed the fact reader is a rbr driver but i tried to add little comments after lol

masterlist !

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yourusername uploaded to their story !

[caption 1; grumpy bc i don’t want to go out in sweats w no makeup when we’ll be out all day????😀] [caption 2; no longer grumpy bc he has food now???😭]

joeyb_9 put that phone down and finish ur makeup pls🙏🙏

yourusername im almost done don’t worry🙄

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joeyb_9 uploaded to their story !

[caption 1; finally dressed up buy by baguettes ???] [caption 2; i don’t get her but she’s cute and wins races at least lol ]

yourusername it’s a fashion statement , you wouldn’t get it!

yourusername also u think i’m cute??🤭🤭

joeyb_9 i can hear u giggling btw and yes i do

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liked by joeyb_9, yourbestfriend, and others !

yourusername: guess being cheated on leads you right back to your true love since day 1

tagged; joeyb_9

joeyb_9: happy birthday, pretty girl ❤️ liked by yourusername !

joeyb_9: i love you❤️

yourusername: i love you🥹

username: not the max shade LMAO

username: ICONICCC

username: JOE AND Y/N ARE TOGETHER AGAIN😭😭❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

username: THE WORLD IS HEALINGG

yourbestfriend: happy bday hawt girl 😻and ur bf is cool i guess 😒

joeyb_9: we’ve known each other since high school????

yourbestfriend: yeah so lol

yourusername: LMAOO thank u bae

username: GOD BLESS AMERICA🫡

username: i used to pray for times like these 😭😭❤️‍🩹

username: don’t let ur bf stop yall from finding true love guys

username: except her bf cheated on her 🤓good thing tho bc she’s thriving w joe🙈

username: my parents are back together 🙏🙏😭

username: wonder how rbr feels abt this😭

username: no more maxy/n pr, the joey/n girlies are happy 🙏

#formula one x reader #f1 x reader #f1 smau #f1 scenario #formula one scenarios #f1 imagine #formula one imagines #formula one imagine #f1 scenarios #football smau #footballer x y/n #football player x reader #football x reader #footballer x reader #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow x y/n #joe burrow smau #joe burrow imagine #joe burrow scenarios #joe burrow x you #max verstappen smau #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen scenario #max verstappen imagine

[melobin]

જ⁀➴ mirror 𐙚 sungchan

warnings - smut, dom!sungchan, mirror sex, strength kink, size kink, oral f receiving, unprotected sex, praise, dacryphilia, manhandling, choking, big dick!sungchan

wc - 3k

summary - you and sungchan stay in a hotel for the night where there’s a continently placed mirror above the bed.

a/n - a conversation with my love @neosvcr occurred and now this is here! very sorry to my friends over at the discord server …..

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“i’ve never seen a mirror above a bed before” sungchan looked over at you as he emerged from the bathroom, a plain white towel wrapped low around his hips. if you weren’t so distracted by the mirror you would’ve been drooling over him.

“really?”

“mhm” your eyes travelled from the ceiling to your boyfriend, shamelessly flicking straight to his abs. there were still a few droplets of water slowly sliding down them, you let your mouth water at the sight of him “what is it even used for? it’s not very practical” sungchan laughed at your question.

“are you checking me out?” you could only hum in response as you watched him pick up a different towel and bring it to his hair, drying as much of it as he could. his biceps flexed as he done it, toned arms being on full show for you to enjoy “what do you think they use it for, love?” you simply hummed again, too distracted on watching him to answer. he looked up at you and smiled “perv”.

“it’s not my fault” he threw the towel he used for his hair onto the chair in the room and walked over to the bed, sitting next to where you were perched up against the headboard. he brought his hand to your face, brushing your hair out of it before cupping your jaw. he took note of the way your thighs clenched together the closer he got to you.

“then whos fault is it?” his hand fell from your jaw to your bare thigh, mentally thanking you for putting on one of his shirts. it both drowned you and exposed you all at the same time, the shirt being baggy over your skin but the sleeve falling down your right arm exposing your shoulder to him. his shirts always rode up your thighs, especially when you were sat down. it gave him easy access to the parts of you he loved teasing the most.

“yours? why would it be mine? i’m not the one in the gym everyday just because my best friend beat me in an arm wrestle once” sungchan narrowed his eyes at you.

“well he hasn’t beat me since has he? none of them have”

“i know, it’s hot” you placed your hand on his shoulder and let it slide down his arm, stopping on his muscle to dig your fingers into it lightly “you know i love how strong you are, channie” 

“of course i do baby” he leaned forward to press an open mouthed kiss against the exposed skin of your shoulder, hand moving up and squeezing your thigh “my sweet girl” his kisses slowly trailed from your shoulder to your neck, fingers inching toward your panties. “so little and fragile” he pressed the pads of them against your clothed clit, slowly rubbing his fingers up and down the material as he sucked on the skin just below your ear “could break you if i wanted to”.

you whimpered at what he was doing, sungchan always knew how to push your buttons and work you up. he studied your body intense, learning all the ways to make you tick and always used them against you immediately after. he claimed working you up was just a way to make things feel even better for you, but you knew he just enjoyed teasing you. he could be so evil sometimes. 

“why don’t i show you why people have mirrors above their bed, hm? promise ill fuck you real good” he put more pressure against your clit, he was practically moaning his words into your ear. it done nothing to dull the throb he was creating between your legs. 

“please” you whimpered, he pulled away from your neck to look at you. pushing your panties aside with his fingers to feel your soaked cunt directly, he practically hissed when he felt how wet you were. he circled your clit whilst he leaned in to kiss you, lips moulding perfectly against yours. tongue slotting into your mouth when your lips parted to let out a moan. the kiss carried on for a short while before he was pulling away. 

“you’re so wet, did you get that worked up from watching me?” your fingers fell from his biceps to his wrist, wrapping around it as his fingers sped up. your hips bucked slightly against his hand, small whines leaving your lips. 

“you’re just so pretty, channie, can’t help it” your words are broken and slurred, you were a wreck already but to him you were the cutest thing. he found it even cuter when you whined as he pulled his fingers off of you. instead they climbed up your body, under the shirt you were wearing in order to pull it over your head, every part of him adored the fact you lacked clothing underneath. bare tits on display for him. 

“lay down for me, baby” you followed his instructions, laying down properly on the bed, letting your head fall against the pillow before looking at him. he stood up and let his towel fall to the floor, his cock was already hard, it struggled to hold itself up with how heavy it was. precum leaking down the sides, coating his bulging veins. just the sight of sungchan’s cock made you whine, countless memories of how he’d use it to drive you to the bring of insanity with sharp, deep thrusts clouded your mind. you could never get enough of him. 

you expected him to kneel up between your legs and slide his cock into you, but he didn’t. instead he moved to lay down between your legs, hands grabbing the top of your inner thighs inorder to spread your legs further apart. he littered small, open mouthed kisses along the skin of your inner thigh before looking up at you to meet your eyes. his fingers hooked over the waist band of your panties, he pulled them down your legs and let them fall to the floor, almost moaning when he felt how soaked they were. he was quick to return back to his former position

“mmm” he hummed for a moment, digging his fingers a little deeper into your thighs “don’t watch me, just lay back and look into the mirror” you met your own eyes in the mirror above you, your reflection looking back at you. the position let you see sungchan too, or well the back of him. still, your boyfriends back was one of the hottest things about him, especially after you had raked your nails down it as he fucked you. there was excitement lacing through your veins at the idea of being able to see the way his back flexed through the mirror as he fucked you. 

the feeling of his tongue against your cunt brought you out of the daze you were entering, sungchan never held back when he ate you out and you knew he wasn’t going to tonight. his tongue flicked against your swollen clit teasingly, he almost whined as the taste of you filled his mouth. you were always so sweet, always melted delciously on his tongue, it was one of the reasons he always called you his sweet girl. he meant it literally.

sungchan dragged his tongue down your slit, pushing it inside you just to collect more of your slick on your tongue before licking back up to your clit and swirling it around it. he loved making you as wet as possible, nothing was hotter to him than making a complete mess of you. and he always did, especially when he wrapped his lips around your clit and sucked on it until you felt light headed. he placed a hand against your lower stomach to keep you in place whilst he done it.

it was then that your hands went to his hair, he was quick to grab one of them with his free hand and lace your fingers together, squeezing your hand as he continued sucking on your clit, tongue flicking over it. the sight in the reflection seemed filthy. it felt weird watching yourself be ravaged by your boyfriend, but it was hot. something about it felt so intimate and sensual. just the image of you sweating a little, one hand in his and the other in his hair and your body squirming as much as it could under his grip was surreal. you were starting to understand why people enjoyed using mirrors so much.

you felt his hand leave your stomach, moments later he had two fingers pressing into you, your cunt welcoming them eagerly. with how already drenched you were, his fingers slid inside of you easily. he thrust them into you slowly to begin with, that was until he was finger fucking you with his lips wrapped around your clit. fingers curling inside of you, being long enough to press perfectly against the spongy spot that laid deep within your walls. you were a mess, the intensity of the please had your head spinning, you could barely keep your eyes open to focus on the reflection above you.

you were falling apart, your sanity drifting away as you grew closer to spilling onto his tongue. he knew it too. he could tell by the way your moans grew louder, how you pulled a little harder on his hair and how you squeezed his hand impossibly hard to the point it almost hurt him. he loved it though, adored the fact he was pushing you into such a state of ecstasy that you could barely control your actions.

once you were cumming around his fingers you were lost, your eyes shut themselves as you were pushed over the edge. his tongue flicking non stop against your clit, fingers curling resulting in an embarrassingly loud squelching sound to echo throughout the hotel room. your moans almost overpowered the sound of it, especially when you were at the peak of your high. everything felt so intense, it left you shaking when you were coming down from it.

he pressed an open mouthed kiss onto your clit as he slipped his fingers out of you, he knelt back on his knees and looked down at you fondly. your gaze was set on the mirror above you, eyes flicking over your own body in the reflection. you looked so fucked out, sungchan thought you looked pretty like this and he hoped you thought it too.

“so sweet” his fingers ran over your skin, hand still in yours “my sweet girl, gonna fuck you so good, just like i promised” he settled himself properly between your thighs, he held the base of his cock with his hand and pressed it against your cunt. he lifted it before slapping it against your clit, laughing at the way you whined and jolted at the sudden action.

sungchan leaned over you, keeping your hand in his and pinning it against the pillow next to your head. he leaned down to kiss you softly, lips only pressing against yours for a brief few seconds before he was pulling them off of yours and shifting his cock to line up with your hole. he looked down at you whilst he pressed the tip inside of you, his lips parted as he felt you squeeze around him.

“need to relax, baby” he breathed out, already feeling overwhelmed by how wet and warm you were “can’t fit me inside if you’re too tense” you nodded at him, trying your hardest to keep your eyes on his as he stretched you out, easing himself deeper with a gentle whine. you could’ve came just from the sounds he was making, nothing was prettier than the way sungchan moaned when his cock was pressed deep inside of you.

sungchan grabbed your other hand and pinned it on the pillow the other side of your head, keeping you in place with your hands in his. his head found its way into the crook of your neck, hips pressed against yours as he tried to relax himself. you’d swallowed his cock whole, took every inch of him with ease. sungchan remembered the time you struggled to take even half of his cock, now you were here taking all of him eagerly. he was proud but so overwhelmed, nothing compared to the feeling of your soaked little cunt wrapped around his cock.

it only took a few sharp thrusts for your eyes to find the mirror, the reflection showed something that you could only describe as completely sinful. sungchan’s back flexed with each thrust, your legs were wrapped around his waist pushing him deeper into you. it turned you on endlessly, sungchan was sure he felt you gushing around him, clenching with every other thrust. it turned him into a mess. his moans fell into your neck, groaning a little deeper each time you tightened your cunt around him.

“you’re so fucking wet” sungchan found the strength to lift his head out of your neck, pace of his thrusts increasing slightly as he looked at you, finding your eyes glued to the ceiling. they were dark, he was sure he had never seen you so turned on before, so soaked and dazed “you like watching yourself get fucked, baby?” you moaned, eyes barely flicking away from the mirror to meet his eyes, he pressed a soft kiss against your jaw, noticing the way your eyes had filled with tears.

“feel good?” you nodded, whimpering the moment your lips parted when you tried to talk. sungchan’s hips bucked a little harder against yours, a tear fell from your eye at the contact. you felt swollen, poor pussy being fucked raw by him, the feeling was surreal, the pleasure more intense than ever “fuck, you look so pretty when you cry” he leaned down to press a soft kiss against the tear that fell from your eye before slowing his thrusts down, lifting himself up and pulling out of you. you could only whimper at the sudden emptiness you felt.

“what’s wrong?” his heart melted at the way you asked him, your eyes wide and cautious as you watched him. he smiled at you.

“want you to ride me” god, if there was one thing you knew sungchan adored, it was having you ride him. he loved taking control even when you were on top of him, somehow he always found a way to grab you and fuck his cock up into you. it sent you to heaven every time without fail.

he sat down, having part of his back resting against the headboard. he was slouched, he beckoned you to sit on his lap. once you did he grabbed you, it was as if he manhandled you so your back was against his chest. “gonna watch you get fucked together, okay? need to see my pretty girl fall apart” you gulped back a whine at his words, he held his arms around your waist as you reached down to hold his cock, trying your hardest in your shaky state to line him up with you. 

a whimper left you as you sank down on his cock, hands holding onto his toned forearms as you took all of him. the familiar warmth instantly filling you again. your nails dug into his skin when you felt him thrust up lightly into you, your body moulded against his. you met his eyes through the mirror, his eyes looked clouded over, as if he was in a state of delirium. sungchan simply thought that what he was looking at was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen, he needed to wreck you.

he placed his feet flat on the bed, one of his arms leaving your waist so he could wrap his hand around your neck, his other hand fell to your clit as he thrusted up into you. his grip on your neck was tight as he fucked you, cock fucking into you quite fast with strength behind his thrusts. you were dizzy and that only grew as he groaned into your ear.

“you’re so fucking perfect” his eyes never left your body as he fucked up into you, fingers rubbing constant circles on your clit. if he wasn’t as strong as he was, you were sure you would’ve slipped off of his body with how much you were trying to squirm. the overwhelming pleasure made it hard to keep still “you look so little against me, fuck, you drive me insane” he practically groaned his words out.

he was right, it only made you clench around his more as you watched the way his body almost devoured yours. he was ruining you, inside and out, in the best ways possible. everything mixed together left you on the verge of cumming around his cock, yet it was impossible for you to tell him. moans slipped from your lips, you could see the way his cock disappeared inside of you through the mirror and somehow the visual of it only made it harder for you to keep your moans to yourself. sungchan had a good sense of your body though, being able to tell when you were on the edge.

“cum, baby, need you to see how pretty you look when you cum” sungchan’s voice was strained, he was holding himself off from pressing his cock inside of you and filling you with his cum. but he couldn’t, not yet, he needed to watch you cum first. and he did. he watched you squeeze around his cock, felt you dig your nails into his arm as he fucked you through your orgasm, his cum spilling into you only moments after.

his arms wrapped around your waist as you tried to calm down, your thighs shaking from the intensity of your orgasm. your eyes met his in the mirror again, there was a soft smile on his face. both of you were fucked out, on the edge of delirious, but that didn’t stop you from asking him an important question.

“so, when are we getting one?”

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#riize smut #sungchan smut #✧ melody posts #✧ hard hours ✧

[angelanderson]

DOM!ABBY ANDERSON HEADCANNONS

cw: dom!abby (soft & mean), both receiving, fluffy too :) u mostly decide if au or not. minors dni. 18+ under cut

── ⋅⋅⋅ ────꒰ ୨ ♡ ୧ ꒱──────────

♡ dom!abby who loves causal dominance.

she’ll gently redirect you when you’re not paying attention to something important. “pretty girl, i’m talking to you.” a kiss on the forehead ensues if you whine out of embarrassment.

night out with drinking? she’s keeping her eyes on you. she definitely grips your chin as she pours water into your mouth. ”don’t need you hungover tomorrow.

refuses to let you grab anything off high shelves after an incident involving glass. “just need someone bigger, don’t you?”

♡ dom!abby who doesn’t care if you call her mommy, daddy, or just abby. she just loves to hear you call out and moan for her. she swears your voice sounds like honey to her ears.

♡ mean dom!abby who definitely loves it when you cry. she’ll coo and wipe your tears away as each thrust of her strap feels bruising. she doesn’t think she’s fucked you good enough without tears when she’s in that mood.

♡ soft dom!abby who loves to have you in her lap while she overstimulates you, shushing your whines with gentle kisses. “oh, baby, you’re doing so good. gonna cum again for me?”

♡ dom!abby who rarely puts up with any bratty behavior. three strikes and you’re out. she knows you can be sweet again once she’s done with you— even if it takes all night. she’s always proven she’s not afraid to punish you.

soft!dom abby will edge you until you’re in tears, begging her to let you cum. she’ll tell you to apologize and then maybe she’ll let you cum. “gonna apologize now, yeah? gonna be good for me?”

mean dom!abby will smack your ass red before she’s fucks you from behind with your least favorite strap— it’s not thick or long enough to really get you there. “you wanna cum? then this strap is all you get. bad girls don’t get what they want, so get to it baby.”

♡ dom!abby shoves her fingers in your mouth when you won’t shut up. “baby, i’m busy. suck on my fingers and shut up.” she’ll shove her fingers in further if you try to respond to her.

♡ dom!abby’s strength kink goes hard. being a gym rat pays off in more ways than one. she likes to fuck you against walls, holding all of your weight up with just her arms. she’s the kind of woman to bounce you up and down with her hands on your hips when you whine about being tired while riding her.

♡ dom!abby pulls your hair when you’re eating her out before shoving your face in more. she loves to watch you get all messy as you become more and more pussy drunk. “my messy girl. doing so good for me.”

♡ dom!abby likes to have you on your knees while you eat her out. she loves the way watching your on your knees makes her feel. abby swears the orgasm is ten times better when she has you like that. you also get ten times the praise.

♡ dom!abby loves to tie you up and stick a vibrator in you. especially when you’re pleasing her; she likes to see if you can cum at the same time.

♡ dom!abby loves teasing you. lazily teasing your bud with her fingers, making you beg her to do more. she knows you like it based on how much more wet you get when she does it. “good girls are patient. patient girls get good things,” is all she’ll tell you before she starts up again.

♡ dom!abby knows how to make you feel good like she knows the back of her hand. she’s sure she could have you cumming in under five minutes if she didn’t enjoy the long game as much as she does. she usually has you cumming at least twice every time. “not a good girlfriend if i don’t have my girl completely blissed out after every. single. time.”

♡ dom!abby who whispers how much she loves you into your ear as she slowly takes you apart with her fingers, tongue, and toys. she always tells you how much she adores you no matter what mood you’re both in. she can never hold in a coo when you tell her the same things back.

♡ dom!abby who drops the role the second it’s time for aftercare. she always kisses you on your forehead before she gets you water, a washcloth, and your favorite fuzzy robe. she holds you in her arms, one arm arm rubbing your back on the days you need to be lulled to sleep afterwards.

#abby anderson x reader #abby anderson fic #abby anderson x you #abby anderson smut #abby anderson headcanons #abby x fem!reader #wlw smut #lesbian smut #abby anderson au

[ncttytrack]

alright who’s mtl to en- hyung line fucks out their s/o.. bratty attitude (SKKSHSUA i jzt change my mind. sorry for inconvenience heehhe🥲🥲🥲.. you just can do this instead of legal line that I’ve sent..)

Hmm...this is a hard one. (I really liked your last ask too so I will probably answer that as well if you want to hehe) I got carried away with sunghoon I'm sorry...

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆ ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

ꕤ I think Sunghoon wouldn't waste a single second before shutting you up. He would hate your bratty attitude, because it shows that you think you can act up towards him. As if you had a chance to have the upperhand with Sunghoon. Even though he can feel the anger inside his chest when you act like a brat, he loves to shut you up. You would act bratty for one second, even if it only was a harmless joke, before he would grab your cheek, cover up your mouth, and push you against the nearest wall. His body would press against your back, trapping your body, making you unable to move from his touch. "We both know who's in charge here, don't even try to get an attitude when you're with me". You already knew it would be a long night, and it sure was. Right after he was done with you, your body would be aching, and your legs would be sticky from your juices. Sunghoon wraps his arms around your stomach, lifting you up, helping you walk to the bathroom to clean you up. You looked so pretty like this, right after he fucked the attitude out of you out of anger. "I'm sorry baby, I got carried away. Now let me clean you up"

ꕤ Jay would've let you be a little bit bratty in the beginning, because he just loves you so much. It would be hard though, since he finds the bratty attitude pretty annoying. Maybe it's her way of rebelling? But his dominant self, the urge to be the one in control, would take over him, and after a while of letting you be bratty, he would fuck away your attitude. And he is so good at it, almost making you forget that you were bratty in the first place. He always fucked you the hardest when you were bratty, though otherwise he would be a lot more gentle. He would flip you on all fours, his hand keeping your wrists in place behind your back, pounding into you making you unable to talk. "I hate it when you talk to me like that baby, that gives me no choise but to shut you up."

ꕤ In comparison to the other two, Heeseung would love your bratty attitude. He is well aware of how much stronger he is, and that he can pretty much just shut you up if he wanted to. But he just loves to see the way you are trying to talk back to him, and he finds it quite cute. You would attempt to insult him, only to get back a "Mhm?" and a smirk on his lips while he massages the back of your neck. You try to ignore how his touch makes your back arch, keep making claims that he has no affect on you what so ever. Eventually he would've suddenly been so rough to you, making you realize that he was letting you be bratty on purpose. You try to talk back, but the only sound that you are able to let out are your sweet moans, making Heeseung tease you between his thrusts. “Aw, is my bratty princess suddenly quiet? And here I thought that you would be brave enough to talk back".

ꕤ I just know Jake is a brat tamer, and he probably prefers you being bratty. Therefore, Jake would be the only one that wouldn't shut you up. “I love it when you talk like that, make me want to tame you” He definitely gets turned on by the fact that you act bratty, and would think you are sexy when talking back. Oh, and he himself would not be quiet. Would definitely be mean to you, taking your bratty remarks and hitting them right back at you. A full on argument session while he fucks into you. It's passionate, it's rough, it's hot and he loves it.

#enhypen #enhypen smut #enhypen hard hours #enhypen x reader #enhypen hyung line #enhypen imagines #heeseung smut #jake smut #sunghoon smut #jay smut #enhypen hard thoughts #Heeseung #Sunghoon #Jake #Jay #jake enhypen #sunghoon enhypen #jay enhypen #Heeseung enhypen

[christhopersturniolo]

୨ DINNER ୧

summary: you go out with the triplets to a restaurant and ended up in the bathroom with chris.

warnings: smut, sex in public (kinda), dirty talk.

notes: english is not my native language, so sorry for any mistake! this is my first time ever writing a smut, so please don’t judge me lol. also ty for my bestie @madisonsslut who helped me thinking about what to write

୨୧

While going through my closet, looking for the perfect piece for my dinner with the triplets, I struggle to find it. I have nothing to wear. Nothing seems to look right, my room is turning into a mess and they are about to picking me up in some minutes.

Just when I am about to give in, my eyes met my short, dark red dress. Chris’s favorite dress. He always gets rock hard when I wear it. I mean, it’s not my fault he can’t keep his eyes away from my back.

Under the dress, I have a matching red set, that he bought me as a present after he ripped my expensive panties apart. I slip a pair of heels on each feet. My make up, nails, hair is done. As I take one last glaze on the mirror, I hear the familiar sound of Matt’s car pulling outside. I hurry up to get completely ready, knowing that at any moment Chris will be at the other side.

Someone knocks on the door. Running downstairs, I shout out “Coming!” My hand reaches the doorknob, and there he is. As I feel his eyes travel along my body I can’t help but smirk. “Hi Chris” I say.

He looks back up into my eyes with a smile. “Hey, ma” He gets closer, placing his hands on my waist and giving me a kiss on the lips. “You look gorgeous” In a matter of seconds, his hands start sliding from my waist to my butt, he squeezes it gently, making me chuckle. He kisses me one last time before asking “Are you ready to go babe? Do you have your things?”

I nod. “Yeah let’s go” He grabs my hand and leads us to the car, opening the door for me. I get into the backseat noticing Nick. I greet him and Matt. We start driving.

We couldn’t find any parking spot nearby the restaurant, so we had to walk a bit. As Nick and I chat while walking in the front, I hear the other two talking behind us.

“Bro are you even listening to me?” Matt snaps. “You just been staring for Y/n ass the whole time!” I can’t help but burst into laughter at his comment “Come on, Matt" I tease, turning back to face them. "You know Chris can't resist a good view." Chris rolled his eyes playfully, but I can tell he is pleased by the attention.

The restaurant was super fancy, and it was pretty full. We arrive to our reserved table. Chris pulls out my chair, gesturing for me to sit, before taking his place beside me. Nick and Matt settle in across of us.

Some minutes after, the waiter approaches us, with a confident smile. His eyes immediately lock on me. “Good evening, welcome to our establishment” He says, but is evident that his attention is completely focused on me. “Can I start off with some drinks?” Chris observes the situation.

They all order for their own drinks. “And for our pretty lady over here?” I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, taking a quick glance at Chris. Before I could even respond, my boyfriend does it for me. “She will just have some water.” He places his hand around my waist, in a clear display of jealousy.

I hate when he makes choices for me. “Actually, I will have some Fanta, please.” I speak up with a firm voice. “Alright..” He takes notes of our orders and goes away.

The moment the waiter stepped away, chris hand gets away from my waist, he turns to me. His mood has changed completely. “Really Y/n? You always get water, and now suddenly, while he is fucking flirty with you, you change your mind In front of him? Making me look bad?” His jealousy makes me chuckle, I can’t believe his arguing over this. I roll my eyes and I give him a small kiss on his forehead. “Chris I think you are way to stressed”

Nick and Matt look at each other, trying hard not to laugh at our stupid discussion. “Yeah Chris she’s right, you are overreacting a bit” Nick says.

"I'm not overreacting," He insisted, his tone laced with frustration. "I just don't like the way that guy was looking at her. ‘And our pretty lady over here?’” He mimics the waiter in a mocking tone. We couldn’t help but giggle at Chris’s exaggerated impression of the guy. He is visibly annoyed.

Chris has already finished his food, while I am still in the middle of it. As I continue to enjoy my meal, I suddenly feel Chris’s hand on my thigh.

I try to ignore it, but his fingers start getting higher and higher. My breath catches in my throat with his touch. I shoot him a warning glance, but he only smirks in response.

"Chris" I whisper, serious. "Not here."

“Let’s go somewhere else then” His smirk just gets bigger when he saw the confusion in my eyes.

“Just forget it, there’s nowhere else to go.” A small chuckle leaves his lips before speaking. “The bathroom, sweetheart.” He whispers in my ear his lips brushing against my skin. He gets up from his seat. “I’m going to pee real quick” He says looking at his two brothers. “I’m sure Y/n also has to come with me, right?” His eyes get back on me, daring me to refuse.

I take an embarrassed look at Nick and Matt, they definitely know what’s going on. I begin to rise from my seat, we make our way to the bathroom.

As soon as we get there, Chris wastes no time, he automatically closes the door behind us. We start making out like there’s not tomorrow. He grabs me by the waist and lifts me onto the counter, his hands gripping my thighs as he positions himself between my legs.

I grip his hair tightly. His tongue explores every inch of my mout as our kisses become more sloppy and desperate. His lips scape from mine, he starts kissing me down my neck. I gasp as his teeth graze my skin, definitely leaving marks.

His hand slips between my thighs, teasing me through the fabric of my panties. “Enjoying this, aren’t you? Huh?” He smirks, connecting our mouths back again. “You are dripping wet for me..” I moan in response, not able to create a sentence.

“I want fucking words out of your mouth.” He says firmly. “Tell me how much you want it.”

“I need it so bad..” I whisper in his ear "I need you inside me, Chris. I need you to make me yours." With a satisfied chuckle, Chris's fingers push my panties aside, he inserts his middle finger inside me, making me arch my back, craving for more. I close my eyes tightly. His finger moves faster, and at the same time his thumb rubs my clit.

I moan in pleasure, and he adds another finger. “I know you can take some more..” His skilled movements driving me to the edge. “Christopher, shit.. Right there.. Please.. It’s so fucking good.. I’m.. I’m gonna..” With every thrust of his fingers, I feel myself getting closer to an orgasm.

Until, suddenly he leaves me completely empty, I open my eyes again, confused. “Not yet baby..” He says. I try to catch my breath, but before I can even answer, he takes the fingers that were just buried deep inside me and brings them close to my lips. “Open.” He commands. Without hesitation, I part my lips, allowing him to slide his fingers into my mouth. My tongue swirls around them, sucking on it like it’s his cock, tasting myself. “Such a Good girl..” He takes it out of my mouth.

With a gentle but firm push, he instructs me to step off the counter, my legs slightly shaking. “Turn around and bend over.” I lean over the counter. Watching him from the mirror in front of me

I feel his hands gripping my hips, pulling me closer to him as he positions himself behind me. He pulls my dress up, letting me fully exposed for him. He slaps my ass check hard, making me gasp.

He pulls his grey sweatpants down, revealing his Calvin Klein black boxers with a big bulge underneath it. As his underwear hits the floor, I see his thick dick touching his stomach. Chris strokes himself a few times, his eyes locked on my reflection in the mirror.

“You’ve been fucking teasing me all night long, that slutty dress drives me insane” The more he talks the more I arch my back, needing him, making him smirk. He knows the effect he has on me. He teases my entrance with the tip of his cock before pushing himself completely inside me, making me gasp. “Shit!” I yell.

Chris pulls my hair, pulling my head back as he plunges deeper into me with each thrust. "Stay fucking quiet” I struggle to stay silent with the amount of pleasure I am receiving.

With his free hand, he wraps it around my throat, his fingers squeezing just enough to make me gasp for air. He pounds deep and rough inside me, getting faster at each second. “Chris..” I moan desperately. “I can’t take it anymore.. I’m gonna cum..”

He starts getting more vocal, letting out some moans. "Yeah that’s it.. Cum for me, baby. Let go and cum with me." With one final, powerful thrust, Chris buries himself deep inside me, his hot seed spilling into me. We two finish at the same time.

But before we can even fully catch our breath, there’s a knock on the door, follows by Matt’s voice calling out “"Hey, what's taking you guys so long in there?"

We completely freeze, looking at each other with eyes wide open. “Fuck” I try to compose myself, adjusting my dress and hair. Chris pulls up his sweatpants in a hurry. "Uh, nothing Matt.." He says holding back his moans. "We'll be out in a sec."

“Me and Nick will be waiting at our seats.”

after Chris finishing putting his pants back on, he turns to me, leaning in to press a soft kiss against my lips, like he wasn’t just fucking the shit out of me two seconds ago. “Ready to go back to the restaurant?” I nod.

He kisses me one more time. “Matt ruined everything, but once we get home I will make it up to you okay?” Chris gives me a small peck on my cheek, making me giggle like a little kid. “Humhum..”

୨୧

i swear in my head this was better, it’s so shitty

taglist: @chrisloyalgf @sturniolho @daddyslilchickenfingers2 @orangelala

#chris sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #matt sturniolo #nick sturniolo #matt sturniolo smut #sturniolo smut #christopher sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #sturniolo fanfic #fanfic #christopher owen sturniolo #matthew bernard sturniolo #chris sturniolo fluff #sturniolo triplets smut #sturniolo triplets x reader #matt sturniolo imagines #matthew sturniolo #sturniolo x reader #nick sturniolo smut #christopher sturn #christhopersturniolo

[eternalxvenus]

୨⎯ Like a good neighbor, Gojo is there ⎯୧

summary: You've just moved into a fixer-upper in a quaint neighborhood, excited to start building and designing your dream home. Everything's perfect…or would be, if it weren't for that gorgeous but obnoxious Satoru Gojo next door, who you fight with practically every day.

cw: smut 18+, satoru gojo x f!reader, smut, a little fluff, a smidgen of plot if you squint, gojo is annoying, no curses au, gojo is stupidly rich, pet names (baby, sweetheart), oral f!receiving, p in v, light choking, squirting

word count: 1.5k

notes: this is my first time writing smut so pls bear with me… the tile is bc that logo has been stuck in my head all damn day </3, im also debating on making a part 2… and lastly HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

You woke up to the sound of birds and wind, the sun shining brightly through your uncovered windows. As you stretched your limbs out with a groan trying to fully wake up, you thought about all the things you had to do today.

The clock shown 9:15am. Getting out of bed, the house was warm thanks to the summer morning. After doing your morning routine and eating breakfast you decide that you’re next project for the house will be painting the outside porch railing. You already had the paint, opting for a soft brown color.

Outside the air was warm and almost humid. The half empty coffee cup rested on the small table you had out there. Your clothes were already stained and rugged from previous projects done on the house. You picked up a paintbrush and promptly started on the porch.

About an hour or so later you were still painting, a light sheen in your forehead as you hummed a song stuck in your head. This was the peace you were looking for.

“Heyyy Y/N, how’s your morning going?” You roll your eyes, recognizing the all to chipper voice. Your neighbor Satoru Gojo. He was the most non-peaceful thing about the entire neighborhood. You tried to ignore him, but of course he was already making his way over. “I said good morning, what’s wrong too tired to speak?” he inquired.

A loud huff leaves your mouth. “No Gojo. I just don’t want to speak. To you at least.”

“Ah don’t be like that. I know what’s got you in a sour mood. It’s that ugly paint color isn’t it? Looks like shit— literally.”

“Gojo please do not come over here starting nonsense. It’s a pretty neutral brown. Now go away and leave me be.” You pick up the paint can and move to the next part of the porch. Gojo watches you lazily as you move about. He’s uncharacteristically silent and you almost forget that he’s even there. Glancing up to give him a look that says ‘What?’

With a no good smile on his face he says “Have lunch with me Y/N. Take a break and i’ll make us something good.”

You thought about declining but you were really hungry. As if on command your stomach growled rather loudly. “What’s the catch? You berate all my artistic choices thus far?” you deadpan.

With a hand over his chest in mock offense Gojo replies saying, “I would never!” He starts walking over to his house beckoning you to follow. “C’mon i’ll make us some sandwich wraps.”

You follow Gojo into his house and i soon as you step inside you see the stark contrast the inside has compared to the outside. Everything looks modern and sleek.

Gojo clears his throat before speaking. “Have a seat wherever. I’ll get started on the wraps.” You give a brief nod, walking into his living room to get a closer look at the decor. Fifteen minutes later, Gojo walks in empty handed.

“I put the wraps in the fridge. I usually let them sit in there about 10-15 minutes before eating so they have a better crunch and don’t get as soggy.” He plopped down on the couch stretching out his arms and legs. His eyes kept moving down to your ass as you walked around. “Come sit and let’s talk.”

You sit down next to him, making sure to leave a good amount of space between you both, before he scoots you closer by the hips.

“You know, I’ve never had such a pretty neighbor before…” Gojo’s voice is smooth and filled with seduction. Your heartbeat picks up as he places a hand on your thigh squeezing lightly.

“Gojo… what are you doing?” You ask in a breathy voice. His touch had an effect on you and you hated it. The last thing he needed was an ego boost.

“Oh come on Y/N, why do you think i’m always coming to bother you? I needed an excuse to see your pretty face.” He lowered his head to place light kisses along your jaw and neck. You moved your head to the side to give him better access. It couldn’t hurt to have a little fun…

Gojo moves from your neck and looks into your eyes. You see the dark lustful look in them before he pulls you in for a heated and bruising kiss. It’s all tongue and teeth, both of you barely stopping to get any air. You can feel the heat and arousal rushing through your body as he pulls you into his lap. Lifting his hips up slightly you can feel that he’s already hard and definitely not small. You break the kiss to pull off your shirt and Gojo nearly rips off your bra before taking one of your hard nipples into his mouth while working the other between his fingers. “Ah… Gojo-”

“Satoru” he says breathing heavily and looking into your eyes. “Please call me Satoru.”

“Satoru… don’t tease.” you nearly whine.

“Fuck… i need to taste you.” Without missing a beat Gojo lays you down on the couch, making quick work of getting your jeans and panties off. “You’re so wet, this all for me?” his lips formed that cocky smirk. “Shut up and do something.” you say squirming. He grabs your hips to still you then lowers his head to taste your arousal. “You taste better than I could’ve imagined… so fucking sweet.” He goes straight into it, sucking your clit into his mouth and teasing your hole with his tongue like he’s starved. Your hands immediately find purchase in his hair. You tug slightly making Gojo moan which only adds to the knot that’s already forming in your stomach.

You try to lift your hips but he has you in an iron grip. Heavy pants and moans slip past your lips as you feel that familiar sensation or your orgasm. “Ah! Sa-satoru! Fuck i’m gonna cum!” he continues working his tongue on your clit as he inserts two of his long fingers inside of you, curling them to hit that spot that has you seeing stars. Gojo eagerly licks and sucks all that you’re offering as you slowly start to come down from your high. He kisses your thighs and slowly makes his way up to your face. “I could eat you out all day” he breathes out. “But right now I wanna be inside you.”

You watch as he takes off his pants, seeing the wet patch on his boxers from his precum. After removing the rest of his clothing he now rests in between your legs, stroking himself as he rubs his tip against your clit. You buck your hips trying to get more friction but Gojo won’t budge. “Tell me what you want.” he whispers aligning himself with your entrance. “Satoru just fuck me please!” You say impatiently. The only warning you have is Gojo saying “If you say so.” before sliding his cock in until he bottomed out.

He threw his head back with a groan. “Shiiiit baby you’re so fucking tight.” He gave you a moment to adjust then started fucking you at an almost inhuman pace. All you could do was moan not able to form anything coherent. You felt Gojo’s hand come to your neck and squeeze just enough to heighten the force of his thrust. “You take me so well… this slutty pussy just keeps sucking me in.” His free hand slipped down to rub harsh circles on your clit causing you to practically scream. “Satoru! Too much!”

“You can take it baby i’m almost there. I want you to cum for me.”

Gojo keeps up his unrelenting pace and overstimulates your clit. You can feel him throbbing inside of you as his thrusts start to stagger and get sloppy signaling he was close. “Fuck baby I’m gonna cum… gonna cum all over those pretty tits.”

“Please Satoru! Feels so good… fucking cumming ah!” You feel a gush of warm liquid between your legs just as Gojo pulls out whimpering while spilling his cum all over your stomach. “F-fucking shit! Fuck baby…” you both lay there panting as Gojo gives you small feathery kisses. After a minute or two he gets up to grab a towel to clean you up with. He’s back in his boxers and had one of his shirts for you to wear. You blush taking it with a small “Thank you.”

Once you’ve sat up and slipped on the shirt you notice the wet spot staining the couch. “Shit… sorry about your couch Satoru. I’ll give you the money to replace it.”

Gojo laughs at your concern for his couch. “Don’t worry about it sweetheart.” He moves you both over to a the other side of the couch that isn’t ruined. “No really i’ll replace it, how much was it?” He mumbles something that you don’t understand. “What?”

“$3,600.”

You stare at him in shock. “Satoru what the hell!” He dismisses your shock with a wave of his hand and lays you both down. “I told you don’t worry about it. Right now just lay here with me.” Just as you both got comfortable and closed your eyes, your stomach growls loudly.

“I guess now would be a good time to get those sandwiches.” Gojo laughs.

likes, comments, and reblogs are greatly appreciated!

#jjk x reader #gojo smut #gojo satoru #satorugojo #jujustsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jjk gojo #gojo x reader #gojou satoru x reader #gojo x you #jjk smut #jujustsu kaisen smut #smut #fanfic #jjk fanfic #gojo fanfic #gojo x fem reader #black!reader #black reader #fem reader

[suguru-getos]

୨・┈﹕✦﹕ Kinktober Day 12/13﹕✦﹕┈・୧

keigo takami x f!reader -> nipple play, thigh riding

-> art credit goes to the wonderful @/kadeart

-> event masterlist

being the number two hero’s assistant at work had it’s own perks. you had a lavish salary, you had a lot of work so you were busy in the best of ways, you had hawks — the bestest perk ever. you got to be near him, near enough so you could smell his wonderful cologne whenever he talked to you, near enough to see his beautiful crimson wings and how they had a life of their own. expressing hawks’ moods whenever. sometimes they’d be extra perky, sometimes faltered up when he’s bored/annoyed. sometimes flared up when he’s a little moody.

you also know what he likes/dislikes by your heart. his favorite coffee, his favorite restaurant place he likes to takeout from. and his antics and his charm whenever he wants something.

it started a few months ago with a drunken one night stand which has now made you hawks’ most favorite toy and loved toy ever. you don’t want to label it as a relationship, part of you dreads he would run away if you got a little too clingy. part of you could almost see hawks wanting you to be his baby-mama with the way sometimes his pupils slit and his gaze darkens in the most carnal, predatory & animalistic of ways.

whether he would just shamelessly look down your ass when you wear a pencil skirt, bend you over his table and tease you with his semi protuding between your ass cheeks and call you cute for whimpering for him. or whether it’s one of his sick games. oh yeah— hawks loves to play with his prey, you.

today’s game was boredom. keigo was bored and sick of the paperwork he had, being the fastest hero sure had some disadvantages too. slumping dramatically over his desk, his brain smirked at what was next. he called you to his cabin, feathers quickly locking and shutting the roor while he yanked you to straddle his thigh, skirt hiked up and shirt’s buttons loosened. “fuck- hawks- what are you?” you gasped softly while his hands massaged your mounds with a hum.

“ssh~ is it professional to speak to your boss like that?” he smirked, leaning in and biting your sensitive earlobe. your breasts were pulled out of your bra cups, while you could feel your cheeks darken at the embarrassment and flustering situation keigo has put you in. you gasped, your pelvis on fire with the way he knows how to touch your body in the best ways.

“god it’s tiring to read so much.” keigo sighs, pinching and squeezing your nipples while you feel the pressure on your clit when he hikes his knee up. you gasped out, whimpering & mewling at the tug on your hardened nipples. “please- shit oh my god.”

hawks smirked, and you could feel his cockiness when he whispered. “it’s so lewd how you’re not listening—“ he mumbled, “don’t make me punish you now.” he warned once, pinching your nipple harshly so the pain makes you comply.

“hmm, so, where was i? yeah.” he grinned, still toying with your nipple and “grind on my thigh.” he commanded, and it was as if you had no choice but to comply. cheeks flushed as you moved your pelvis against him while he didn’t leave your nipples alone. “you will read these paperwork reports, all the ones which are left, and until we’re done… you don’t cum.”

a rebellious whine escaped from your parted lips, brows furrowed as you continued, and even though hawks had been relentless in toying with your pebbled nub, he means it. “come on; it should be rewarding in some ways.. shouldn’t it babybird?”

“go on… read.” hawks’ voice was a threatening order. while you whimpered, trying so hard to focus on the piece of paper in front of you.

“the- the smuggling gan- gang res- responsible for the smuggling of antiques was, hnng- recently caught by the wing hero.” you pathetically finished the sentence, while hawks could feel himself losing his mind over the way his cock threatened to come out from the tent in his pants.

“aw good girl.” hawks smirked, “continue… go on.” he continued, kissing the sweet spot in your neck & suckling onto your skin, breaking it into a hickey.

eventually, after long, cumbersome 44 minutes of you sniffling, whimpering, and begging hawks to let you cum, hawks melted. “awh, she’s crying now?” he cooed, kissing your cheek.

“go on babybird, cum for me.” he smiled, and you tipped off the edge, staining your pants and also his thigh while your nipples were sore from the continuous playing hawks never got tired of.

your mouth parted in a silent scream when you whimpered and tipped off the edge, nerve wracking orgasm tearing through you. “that’s it, sweet girl.” hawks cooed, kissing your cheek and eventually eating your sniffles in a silent, passionate kiss.

he did the courtsey of dressing you up, primming you up & kissing your chin. “that’s it girl, that’s it. you did so well for me. you know that? hmm?” his behavior had changed completely, peppering your face with soft and tender kisses all over. “gonna need you to go to dinner with me, love bird.” he cooed, while you hummed in a nod.

“sure, hawks.” you spoke out, wiping your tears and reduced to a mess in subspace.

“it’s keigo, sweetness.”

#hawks bnha #bnha hawks #hawks x reader #hawks thirst #hawks smut #keigo takami #keigo x reader #hawks x reader smut #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha thirst #bnha smut #mha smut #mha thirst

[renjunphile]

for the rest of ours ᡣ𐭩 song eunseok

୨♡୧ WORD COUNT: 13.4k ୨♡୧ PAIRING: riize's song eunseok x female!reader ୨♡୧ TAGS & WARNINGS: chaebol heirs!au, rich kids!au, one sided enemies to lovers!au, arranged marriage!au, angsty at the start, overall fluff, reader is selfish and mean to eunseok for a good chunk of the story, brief unrequited love but y/n is an unreliable narrator tbh, second chance romance, she fell first but he fell harder trope, drinking, partying, non linear narrative

୨♡୧ SYNOPSIS: you find song eunseok to be utterly and despicably insufferable. too bad he's your fiancé since birth! and there was nothing you could do about it!

୨♡୧ NOTES: OHHHH im having such an intense eunseok rot that i had to write the most gut wrenching and nonsensical piece that becomes to sickeningly fluffy at the end. theyre just so in love with each other and there's literally no plot at all!!!!!!!!!!! lowkey one of the worst pieces i've written in recent times since i rushed it but i will edit and add scenes and plot in the future :> but for now, enjoy! ♡ i.b let my by zayn at the end :)

˗ˏˋ જ⁀➴ ˎˊ˗

It may be disturbing for some and horrifying to say, but your eyes hadn't even fully formed in the womb to open and your limbs weren't even well defined enough to have joints when your life was signed off to another's. For goodness' sake, it had barely even been a month since your tiny, minuscule heart started beating! What would the Song's have done if you grew up ugly?

You sighed to yourself, muttering under your breath how Korea's third richest family should be grateful you were akin to art in anyone's eyes. You were looking through the dusty photo albums that the housekeeper found while tidying the primary study of the mansion, and you grimaced at the photos of your fiancé that appeared from even the very first page.

It was bad enough that you were engaged before you were born, but did he really have to attend your birth? He probably didn't even have memories then! But there it was, under your fingertips: a perfectly preserved photo of a 3-month old Eunseok bundled up in sleep suit being posed next to where the nurses placed you after they literally just took you out of your mother. You don't even think the umbilical cord had been cut yet.

"Y/N, Mr. Song is outside," your favourite housekeeper coos at you from the double doors going into the study. You give her a terse smile and stand up from your father's office chair, straightening your silk gown before taking her hand as she helped you down the marble stairs of your home.

You roll your eyes (mostly to yourself, but you didn't mind if he noticed) as you saw his car parked at the bottom of the stairs leading to your front door.

"You can't even be bothered to come and collect me? Or open the door for me?" you sneer as soon as you settled yourself into the passenger seat.

"Well hello to you too, my lovely wife," Eunseok smirks, immediately revving and setting off around the fountain of your courtyard.

"I'm not your wife," you snap, deciding to ignore when the word 'yet' seems to slip under his breath, "But seriously Eunseok? This car? I'm going to look so stupid trying to get out of this car in my dress and heels. Why do you love sitting on the floor so much?"

Eunseok has an extensive car range. One that any car junkie would envy, but Song Eunseok knew nothing about cars. He just had them because he could. This car was a sports car where you had to sit in such a ridiculous position just so the car could look cool on the outside.

"It's white!" he defends himself, slightly whining in a cute way to which you swallow down a positive reaction. His eyes flicker over to you momentarily and his tongue traces across his bottom lip, "You look gorgeous, by the way. Very bridal."

You're wearing a white silk dress that looks like it's made for your body. It's draped so beautifully around your hips and hugs every part that needs to be accentuated. You loved this dress the second you saw it in Paris, but you never thought then that it would be used for this occasion. 

"Just shut up and drive," you quip. It takes a few moments of silence for you to feel bad even though his expression remains neutral and you sigh, "I guess you don't look too bad."

"Aw, I knew you were in love with me!" he teases again, a phrase he liked to use every time you said something to him that wasn't snarky, sarcastic or an insult.

You choose not to reply, instead taking in the bright lights of Seoul as he pulls into a main road. You haven't been back in a while, holing yourself up in your penthouse in Manhattan, but you always loved the sight of home.

"But seriously, Y/N," Eunseok coughs to get your attention, his voice dropping down low and suddenly serious, "This actually might be your last chance to back out of this. Just say the word and I'll turn this car around and take you straight to Incheon and you can run away around the world long enough until they find me a new bride."

You turn to look at him, perplexed by his words, "And you? You actually want to get hitched off to some random?"

Eunseok shrugs, not meeting your eyes, "You're not some random. I've known you since you were born. I've known you'd be my wife since the day I could understand what that meant. But if I have to find a replacement because you don't want to do it anymore, I will."

"Gee, ever the gentleman," you deadpan, "I think want is a pretty strong word. I don't want to marry you, but I guess I will."

"You're not backing out? Not leaving me looking stupid up on the altar?" Eunseok taps his finger on the leather steering wheel.

You think about his words sincerely. There's really nothing more in the world that you'd love than to run away to a small little town on the southern coast of Italy- somewhere quaint and quiet where you'd find love and spend the rest of your days cooking, cleaning, baking and finding peace in the ocean. There's nothing more in the world that you want more than for someone to ask to marry you because they were in love with your soul and not having you by their side would be like torture in the cruelest form.

Alas, you're Kang Y/N of the powerful Kang family, the eldest child of your father and the next heir waiting to take over the conglomerate. And because you're Kang Y/N, the eldest daughter of the second richest family in Korea, you were contracted to marry the first son of the third richest family in Korea. After that, your companies would merge and you would overtake the Kim's as the sole ruler of the country.

"It's my duty," you swallow nervously as you begin to recognise the streets of where you were driving, signalling that you were soon approaching the venue, "It's fine, Eunseok."

"I wish it wasn't just fine. I wish this was what you wanted." he breathes out and your heart stops beating for a second before anger seeps in through the cracks of your heart.

"Do you think it's any girl's dream to marry someone that doesn't love them?"

Eunseok sighs as he presses on the breaks, moving through the lifted barrier where they had closed a portion of the street in anticipation for his car and your arrival. He twists his body to look at you, "Y/N-"

"It's fine, Eunseok," you grit your teeth as you repeat your words, eyes trained on the paparazzi camped out on the steps of the venue, eager to get a glimpse of you, "Let's just get this engagement party over with."

˗ˏˋ જ⁀➴ ˎˊ˗

Song Eunseok had to follow you around the world like a lost puppy.

When you said that you wanted to go to that boarding school in Switzerland where only the richest sent their kids, Eunseok was in the seat next to you on that first class flight. When you said that you were going to Oxford to study for your undergraduate degree, Eunseok was tossing away his dream to study at Harvard to join you getting drunk at 18 under the grey British sky. When you said that you wanted to do your masters at Columbia so you could live in New York City, Eunseok was moving into the apartment across yours while he worked at the company his dad created in New York just for him to have something to do there.

If you said jump, Eunseok had to say how high?

That was just the name of the game considering the Song's had more to gain from this arrangement. Your family was richer. Your family was in a greater range of industries. Your family's money went back a lot further than the Song's. And you- you were the most stunning woman in Eunseok's eyes and because of him, you were stripped of your choice to fall in love. That's why the Song family gave you princess treatment from the second you were able to demand things. 

You had protested until your vocal cords went raw when they found out that they were sending Eunseok to university with you. For years up until you turned 18, you had imagined finally getting away from Eunseok for once, even if just for 3 years. He had always talked about Harvard and with the grades to boot, you thought that you'd finally have an ocean separating you.

It certainly wasn't an easy fight at the airport as you threatened to drop out of university the second that you even stepped foot into the new country. All your father did was bat his eyelashes and give you a heartfelt, "Please, princess? Just do this for us."

The phrase 'just do this for us' nearly knocked you sick nowadays after over 2 decades of hearing it spew out of your father's mouth. Ultimately, yes, you were lucky to have such a loving family that never pushed anything evil or truly despicable onto you. This was the one thing they needed from you. They obliged every want and wish for the trade-off of giving your hand in marriage to the Song's first born son.

In June of your third year of university, a couple months out from your graduation, Eunseok turned up at your door completely drunk.

"What are you doing here?" your arms were crossed tightly, trying to cover as much of yourself as possible as you were clad in the smallest pyjamas for the British summer heat.

He grinned goofily up at you, eyes lazily fluttering open and closed, "Hi, Y/N. I'm drunk." He was leaning against the doorway, nearly making out with the frame.

"I can see that," you sniffed the air and grimaced, "And smell it. But what are you doing here?"

"Can't I visit my lovely fiancée on her 21st birthday?" he batted his long eyelashes sweetly at you, taking one step into the apartment. You gazed at him hesitantly, taking one step back.

"I don't think anyone would appreciate their fiancé turning up on their doorstep piss drunk at 2am," you spat, "If you truly wanted to wish me a happy birthday, you would have left me alone."

"I lost my keys," Eunseok groaned, "I didn't know where else to go."

It should be sweet that out of all the places he could have chosen to go to in the city, he went to yours. Instead, it made you feel angrier.

"Eunseok, stop bothering me," your words contrasted your actions as you pulled him into your apartment and locked the door behind him, "Go sleep in the spare bedroom and leave as soon as you wake up. I'm going out for breakfast with my friends tomorrow so lock the door behind you and keep the key with you 'til you see me next." You pulled the spare key out of the drawer and placed it in his pocket.

Like a pathetic dog, Eunseok followed behind you as you led him through the apartment your parents had bought for you.

"Can I sleep with you?" he murmured.

"In your dreams, Song," you retorted, stopping in front of the spare room door, "Plus, you stink like shit."

"Ah, it's okay," he sighed dreamily, resting his head against the door, "We have the rest of forever to sleep beside each other."

You let out a frustrated screech, shoving his chest, "Can you let me live in peace? Why do you have to keep reminding me?"

"In the hopes that one day the thought of it won't make you sick or angry," he replied, opening the door of the room.

Your strong gaze faltered, "What are you- in love with me?"

"No," Eunseok shook his head, "I could learn to though, if you wanted me to."

"The only thing I want from you is to be far away from me," you ran your hands through your hair to soothe yourself, "And even that you can't do."

"I'm sorry, Y/N. Thanks for letting me stay," Eunseok gave up on his tyranny and dropped his voice, "Happy birthday."

You muster up a near half-smile, turning to return to your bed where you'd be tossing and turning until your alarm went off, "Goodnight Eunseok."

˗ˏˋ જ⁀➴ ˎˊ˗

The worst thing about your arrangement with Eunseok was that it was kept secret.

Of course, it was an open secret in your families and to the company- and there were always rumours about it since you two ended up always together around the world. But it wasn't like it was announced to the world at any point to protect the prospective merger happening when you and Eunseok came of age.

That made relationships very hard indeed. It always had to end in heartbreak, at least for the other person.

The two of you agreed that you could see other people if you wanted to, and you agreed on this the same day you had your very first heartbreak.

"Eunseok, can we talk?" you poked his side to catch his attention. Eunseok was bouncing his basketball up and down while he spoke with his friends just outside the school courts. It had been 2 months since you moved back to Korea after spending 3 years in Switzerland at boarding school, where you quickly became homesick. Eunseok followed you home immediately.

Your fiancé bid his friends goodbye and gave you a sweet smile, "Yeah of course. What's up?"

You led him to the adjacent square that was thankfully deserted and settled just under the bloomed cherry blossom tree in the middle, "Um."

Eunseok giggled at your hesitancy and pushed your hair behind your ear, "What is it?"

16 year old you blushed terrifically at that moment, highlighting your plump cheeks and shining eyes as Eunseok peered down at you.

"I know this is um, pretty stupid," you began, breaking his stare and looking down at your Prada loafers, "Well basically, my friend Jimin- you know Jimin?- she told me to-"

"Just say it, Y/N."

"I like you?"

It came out more of a question as you quirked your eyebrow up at your fiancé.

His eyes went wide, taking in a deep breath, "Y/N. You," he paused, "You like me?"

"Yeah," you exhaled, "Is that so bad? We're going to get married someday."

Eunseok looked around and noticed his friends turning the corner to the courtyard, presumably to look for him, "Look, Y/N, I'm sorry but I thought we were going to, you know, try experience life like how others do and meet people and do whatever we want to until they tell us we need to get married. I didn't think we were obliged to date."

Your eyes began to water and your lips began to quiver as sheer embarrassment sunk into your bones, "So what? You want to date around?"

Eunseok reached out to cup your face but you quickly took a step back, feeling humiliated and slightly bettayed, "I'm sorry Y/N. I didn't know you felt like this towards me. Look, can we talk later? I'll swing by your house after basketball practice, okay?"

From the ages of 0-16, you would say that you and Eunseok were close childhood friends. Even though you had no concept of marriage or love, your parents had forced the two of you to be together through every occasion with weekly play dates and attending the same schools. When you finally understood what being engaged to each other meant at around 12 years old, it made you swoon that you were going to spend the rest of your life with your best friend, who you'd always found endearingly cute. He became more handsome as the years went by and at 16, he was the object of all of your desires.

He was manly, he was protective, he was sporty and most of all, he treated you so well. He would run around town with you no question to go shopping and indulge you in all of your cravings even if you needed to have ice cream at 10pm in the dead of winter. He would take the train with you all around Switzerland to see different lakes and ski resorts. He would help you study in the library and pass you your favourite snacks whenever it seemed you were getting tired. He would give you his jacket on the breezy nights watching the local sports matches.

You were so blinded with your affection towards him that you had convinced yourself that he did those things because he liked you back. Because he wanted to treat his future wife well.

The day Eunseok stamped all over your little heart was the day you waged a one-sided war against him. Eventually, Eunseok began reciprocating your snarky attitude and the rest had been history.

You told your maids and house security to refuse entry to the grounds to Eunseok that night, but because of your parents' unconditional offer to Eunseok to make your house also his home, he had spent a good part of the night on the other side of your bedroom door trying to get you to open it so he could apologise. For a man you were once smitten for, it was easy to put on your headphones and drown him out until he got exhausted and left.

˗ˏˋ જ⁀➴ ˎˊ˗

Eunseok opens the car door for you and offers out his hand. In the darkness of his car, you grimace slightly, but force yourself to take his hand and use your free hand to smooth your dress out as you exit the car. The flashes from the press are blinding and carry on all the way up to the bottom of the staircase leading into the venue your parents had hired for the evening.

You try to keep a pleasant smile on your face as Eunseok passes his keys to the valet men before wrapping his arms around your waist. It comes nearly naturally to him, from all the photos your parents had made you pose together in dating back a decade or two. But it's your first official public appearance together, so the flashes intensify and you're taken aback. Eunseok feels you stumble slightly and begins to lead you along the carpet rolled out up to the stairs.

There's shouting from every direction- asking where your dress was from, asking if you were dating, asking why you were with the 'rival' company's son all the time- nothing new to you. After you traverse up the stairs, the two of you turn around and give a small wave at the cameras. You feel Eunseok drop his head down to yours, so you nestle yourself into him a bit more. How sweet, you thought to yourself, pushing down the urge to throw up at all this fakeness.

"Last chance to run," Eunseok murmurs as the doorman opens the glass doors into the foyer.

"Are you begging me to?" you counter, "Why do you keep insisting I back out?"

"I'm not. I just feel guilty, so I'll make up a solution if you want to stop all of this," he whispers into your ear. To others, it's an endearing moment as you keep your face neutral.

"It is all your fault. You should feel guilty. I'm not doing this for you or your family, but for my family. If this is what they want, then I'll oblige," you nod your head firmly.

While Eunseok's family was definitely benefiting more from the merger, it did come with some advantages for your family too: less competition in the market, combined success superseding the current top conglomerate, and for your parents: the knowledge that their first born child was going to have someone that was born to and raised from a good and rich family- someone that would be able to take care of you no matter what and understand your life in a way no other civilian could.

You know that your parents' argument for you to marry this guy was weak- there were plenty of good, rich guys from other companies- but you had been happy with the arrangement at the start and by the time you were 16 and he was breaking your heart, the companies had already started slowly merging or putting the plans into place. It was honestly a shame to your parents that other than rejecting you, Eunseok really had no faults. He was always polite, always courteous and intelligent enough to take over the conglomerate with you when the time would come.

Eunseok drops his arm from your waist, instead sliding his finger between yours.

"Miss. Y/L/N, Mr. Song," your family's general assistant approaches you in the foyer with a tight smile, "The event is about to begin. Please follow me to the stage. Are your speeches prepared?"

"Mhm," you hum, tugging Eunseok with you behind your assistant, "The rest of the family are here?"

"Yes. They're waiting by the stage," she replies as nerves finally settle into your stomach. You suddenly can't even look at Eunseok anymore as the gravity of the situation clicks into your mind. After this, you were going to be officially engaged in front of the world and you were going to be his bride in no less than a year from now. There was no turning back anymore.

Eunseok has to shoot you a look to stop you shaking on the stage as your father and his begin their speeches about their company, and the new era and blah, blah, blah. You tune them out in order to focus on your breathing and make sure you don't barf the second you step up to the podium. After minutes of nonsense, you feel Eunseok place his hand on the small of your back, signalling you to take to the stand.

"Um," you began, suddenly losing all the lessons you had learned in your public speaking classes growing up, "Thank you all for joining us on this occassion. As my father said, we are transitioning into a new era of our company and as I take on the role of COO, we believe it's important to have good people by your side to support you. While my family and the Songs are joining together in business, we are also joining together in family," you look over at Eunseok, who gives you a reassuring nod, "Song Eunseok and I are to be wed in one year's time. We have been close friends and partners since we were born and I couldn't imagine anyone better suited to be by my side. We can go into this business partnership fully trusting each other and our companies and we would be grateful if you could give us your support. Thank you."

You step away from the podiums as gasps ring through the crowd. The business venture was nearly an open secret in the industry, but your relationship with Eunseok was based on rumours only, having never confirmed it. Now that you have, it would stir up all these new rumours- were you only getting married for the merger? Did you two actually love each other? What about all the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes that had been conniving to get even a bit of your or Eunseok's time to beg for your hand in marriage?

Eunseok takes his place beside you, wrapping his arm around your waist again as your families smile together for the pictures. The engagement party also doubled as a celebration for the merger, so at least all of the spotlight wasn't on you.

You're glad that your friends are here. They're all business heirs too, since like attracted like at your school. Your best friend Minjeong attacks you with a hug the second you step down from the stage.

"Ah, my best friend is getting married," she sighs dreamily into your ear, "You know what, Y/N, at least he's handsome. It's harder to hate someone when they look that good."

"Then you marry him," you chide, half-joking, "The problem has never been his looks. It's the situation."

"He doesn't hate you half as much as you hate him," Minjeong tuts, "And he's in the same situation. He never got a choice either."

You know deep down that she's right, but you're committed to making his life hell until the ends of the earth for breaking your heart. If anyone could say anything about you, it was that you could hold a grudge.

"Whose side are you on?" you prod her arm, but she rolls her eyes and links arms with you to join Eunseok and his friends.

"Happy engagement, lovebirds," Sungchan greets you with two kisses on your cheeks, "So excited to be at your wedding."

"I'm sitting you at the back," you retort, sticking your tongue out. You hated that Eunseok's friends were genuinely nice and funny people. It was so hard to distance yourself from Eunseok when your friendship groups had been deeply intertwined since you all could walk.

"Not when I'm a groomsman, right Eunseok-ie?" Sungchan swings his arm around his friend's shoulder, pulling him close, "Now tell me, who's the best man?"

Eunseok shoves his arm off, "You can just draw straws for it."

"I'll be the best man, hyung," Seunghan grins cheekily, "I'll make sure to give a really good speech, okay?"

"It's almost as if it's a real wedding," you smile bitterly, "Jeong, you'll be my maid of honour right?"

"You have to ask me properly," Minjeong whines, "We're going to do this wedding right, okay? My best friend will only get married once. I'm not letting you let your wedding planner do everything; we've been planning our dream weddings since we were 10 so we'll do it according to that."

"C'mon Y/N," Wonbin bumps his shoulder with yours, "We can make it fun. We know you'd rather not marry hyung, but he had always been the groom in all the weddings you'd plan when you were young. Now it's like a dream come true."

"Yah, Park Wonbin," Eunseok grits his teeth at his friend for bringing up the past. You wince at the reminder as Minjeong slaps his arm.

"Y/N, I think your mother is calling over you and Eunseok to dance," Shotaro calls for you softly, and you turn around to see your mother desperately signalling to you to join her on the dance floor.

"I'll see you guys later," you bid your friends a goodbye as you follow Eunseok into the crowd.

The night crawls by. It's nearly painful as you fake a smile with every passerby and acquaintance who congratulates you for your engagement. It feels like you're getting stabbed in the heart over and over again as everyone coos over how in love the two of you seem and how they always knew you were going to end up together. It crushes you as Eunseok leans down to your ear while you dance, apologising for how this was your life.

You get into his car after the party. The ride home is silent, apart from the noise of the city around you that seeps in even through the rolled up windows. Eunseok won't even dare breathe too loud in fear of making your life even less like what you had dreamed it to be.

He pulls up to your house and you make a quick move to unbuckle your seatbelt and open the door in one motion, but Eunseok wraps his hand around your wrist gently, bringing you back down.

"What is it now, Song?" you sigh in frustration, closing your eyes in defeat.

"I know this night has made your hatred for me 10 times worse," Eunseok begins, shuffling in his seat to reach into his inside pocket, "And I know that what we have isn't real to you, but I thought you at least deserved this."

Your eyes flutter open and you look over to him. He uncurls his clenched hand, unveiling a shiny ring in the middle of his palm. You bite back the gasp that bubbles up through your throat, and you reluctantly take the ring between your fingers without looking at him.

It's exactly your dream ring. It's what you imagined the love of your life to propose with when you were younger. It's what you wanted to be someone's physical manifestation of their love and devotion to you. That makes it all the worse when it comes from Eunseok.

"I remembered," Eunseok reads your mind, "When we went ring shopping when we were young for fun because you wanted to make sure I would propose with the right ring. I hope it's still what you want."

You can't bear to look at Eunseok at all, so you clench the ring in your hand and open the door, "Goodnight Eunseok. Thank you. Get home safely."

There's 100 steps between your front door and your bedroom. It takes what's left of your energy to hold back the sobs that threaten to escape prematurely. As soon as your bedroom door clicks shut, you collapse against your floor and break down in tears.

Why did Song Eunseok have to be such a good man? Why did you have to hate him? He was yours now, and that was what younger you wanted all along. Why were you taking it out on him? You had been holding onto a grudge for so long and he had been trying to make amends in private ever since, despite going along with your whole enemies thing for his own fun.

You hated how you knew that Song Eunseok could and would give you the life you wanted. You hated how all you wanted to do was love him like it was your choice and for him to love you back like it was his. But in this world, you were privileged enough to have everything you ever wanted, aside from the choice to love whoever you wanted to.

You hated how you didn't even have a choice in loving someone who didn't love you back.

˗ˏˋ જ⁀➴ ˎˊ˗

You fought with Eunseok nearly every time that you saw him through your university years. You found problems in the way he positioned himself too close to you and problems in the way he would distance himself and act like strangers when you did complain about that. You found problems in the way he didn't talk to other girls despite rejecting you and found problems when he would go on dates after you said that.

In short, Song Eunseok was a problem to you.

Yizhuo was forcing shots into your hands and demanding that you downed them with her as you tried to tune back in to the party going on around you. You couldn't think of anything else the second that Song Eunseok walked through the door arm in arm with some girl.

It was the last party of your undergraduate university days, since exams had finished and you were going to graduate in just a couple of weeks. Someone had rented out some kind of manor in the outskirts of Oxford, dedicated for everyone to stay at and party for a weekend. You knew the organiser through a friend of a friend, but everyone that had been invited was someone you either knew personally or knew of. The spoilt brats community at your university was large, but tight.

You obliged Yizhuo's request and bitterly downed the drink, hissing as it burned through your tracts, "What is this? It tastes disgusting."

"Alcohol isn't made to taste nice," she tutted at you, following your line of sight before sighing, "I guess it's time to get you more so you don't have to be sober looking at that."

Minjeong shook her head on the other side of you, "I can't believe he would bring someone here. He knew you'd be here. So disrespectful."

You saw that Eunseok was about to turn, so you quickly spin away in order to avoid eye contact, "It doesn't matter to me. We're not dating."

"But he's your fiancé," Yizhuo stomped in defiance, "He should have some respect for you."

"Since he didn't want to date me, i'd rather him date other people. Then it just looks like he rejected me because he didn't like me as a person," you affirmed, taking another shot with Minjeong.

"Y/N, please. You were 16 when you confessed and 16 year old boys don't have the most mature outlook on life," Minjeong argued, coughing after the bitter shot, "I'm sure he's not stupid anymore. You grew up hot and he's practically tripping over his own feet trying to chase after you."

"He's not chasing me," you scoffed, "He brought a girl here."

"Oh, you're impossible, Y/N," Yizhuo cried out, beginning to slur, "What do you actually want that poor boy to do? Even I would be confused with the way you act."

Your best friends have been trying to knock sense into you since you turned 18 and Eunseok gave up his dream to study at Harvard to be with you in England. They had claimed that Eunseok realised his feelings for you and wanted to make up for rejecting you. You claimed that if that was his intention, he would have told you that by now instead of pestering you by inserting himself into your new life without reason.

"He can do whatever he wants," you turned your nose up, "I don't care about him."

"Well you better act that way. He's coming," Minjeong warned you, suddenly disappearing with Yizhuo and leaving you stranded with your fiancé walking towards you.

It honestly felt like the grim reaper floating over in slow motion before he came to collect your soul. You fought hard to control the grimace on your face as he stopped in front of you.

"Y/N," he greeted softly, leaning in to give you a hug. You stood still, but you don't push him away. You ignored the way your heart skipped a beat when he pressed his cheek gently against the top of your head.

"Eunseok,"

"How were exams? You're graduating this year, right?" his head is tilted at you, eyes focused into yours.

"Why are you even asking? I'm sure you know my plans for the next 10 years considering you're still following me around," you scoffed, "Does your new girl know you're moving to New York after graduation so you can stalk me while I do my masters?"

"Are you jealous?" he smirked suddenly, gentle demeanour disappearing, "She's just a friend."

"Does she know that? I don't care what you do, Song. I just feel bad for the poor girl whose heart you're going to break when you tell her you're engaged," you feigned nonchalance, pouring yourself another shot, "I guess it's my fault for telling you to have your fun and experience things since apparently you'll be so devoid of love when you get married."

"Y/N," he trailed off, grabbing the soju bottle that had appeared in your hands, "You know it's not like that. I didn't mean it like that when I reject-"

"Save it, Song," you rolled your eyes, "Your girl is coming. Don't go blaming me when time comes to break her heart."

You turned away in time and managed to snatch back your alcohol before arms wrap around Eunseok's and a high pitch voice squeals to him about how she lost him. You find Sungchan somewhere in the crowd and convince him to call you a taxi to take you back into the town where your apartment was. Before he could even confirm the booking, you had already disappeared into the crowd, the shots you had taken truly seeping into your blood and making your head spin.

You don't really remember what happened the rest of that night, but if you try hard enough, you can remember being tucked into a bed on the third floor, big eyes peering down at you as you tossed under the duvet, a hunched figure sat at the end of the bed on the floor and a soft voice singing you to a deep slumber.

˗ˏˋ જ⁀➴ ˎˊ˗

"It's gorgeous, darling," your mother's voice takes you out of the focus mode you're in. The sunlight seeps through the stained glass, illuminating the sunroom at the back of your house. If you look down through the windows, you'd find the garden that your mother has been cultivating for decades. The rose garden with its arches and its vines was where you'd dreamed to get proposed to when you were young.

"You think so?" you showed her the sketch in full, turning the pad, "Do you think it's easy enough to create in real life?"

"We can make anything you want happen," your mother takes a seat in the lounge chair next to yours.

"Can you make Eunseok love me back?" you hum dejectedly, shading in the corset of what would be your wedding dress.

"He does, sweetheart. You just refuse to see it," your mother swiftly utters, and you stop your drawing, clenching the pencil tightly in your fist.

"Why does everyone say that?" you growl, "Everyone but Eunseok."

"Because you act like you hate him. You act like marrying him is the worst thing in the world. You act like there's nothing he could say or do that would bring him back into your favour despite you loving him all these years," your mother is lecturing you now, "He follows your lead, my darling. He will go to the ends of the earth for you and he always has. What more does he have to do for you to accept the way he shows his love? What more can he do to have your forgiveness?"

There's tears welling up in your eyes and your mother takes the drawing pad away from you to examine the dress you had envisioned. She carries on while you chew your lip and fight back the tears.

"You're going to be beautiful in this dress. One year's time will fly by, so make amends with Eunseok by then. Even if you don't go into this marriage as lovers, at least go into it as friends. That will make your life easier."

"I don't want to be friends," you grit out.

"Mhm, you want all or nothing. Why don't you ask him, then? He threw the ball in your court when he asked you if this marriage is what you want. Someone who doesn't love you or care about you wouldn't give you the option to run away to save yourself, you know?" you hate how insightful your mother is as she grabs your left hand, "This ring is beautiful, Y/N. He knows your heart like it's his."

"Cause it is his," you choke as the tears begin falling, "And he stamped all over it 8 years ago."

"He was just a young boy back then. He's followed you all over the world to be by your side ever since. He's sacrificed his own life to make your dreams come true. You have no choice but to marry each other, but he's been making choices to give you the life you wanted," she strokes your hair gently, "Can you give the boy a chance?"

Over the years, your parents had apologised to you for putting you in such a situation. They had told you that if you truly, inside your heart, didn't want to get married to Song Eunseok, they would call the whole thing off. The marriage was a way to ensure the merger wouldn't go awry by putting you and Eunseok as collateral if one side ever did try to betray the other. Tying the two of you together in marriage was a way to prevent either families from ruining the other.

You considered putting a stop to things more times than you could count on your fingers, but selfishly, you would imagine yourself on a rocking chair on a porch, hair grey and skin wrinkly and when you would look over to see who would be on the other chair, Eunseok was the only one you could imagine with you.

"But I've treated him so horribly all these years," you hiccup, trying to stop your crying, "There's no way that Eunseok would love someone like me."

"Because you won't let him," she stands up and places the drawing pad back in your lap, "Y/N, your father and I love you very much and all we want is your happiness. We haven't opposed this marriage despite how hard you've tried to push Eunseok away because we know that if you let him, he would make you truly happy. You're the only person stopping that happiness."

You ponder on her words for a while after she leaves, adding little details to your dress. For someone who was acting like this wedding was going to ruin their life, you sure were investing a lot of your free time into it. Maybe Minjeong had gotten into your head; unless you planned to divorce Eunseok (after the 5 year clause, per the contract), you were only going to get married once, so you should at least do it in your style.

Wonbin was right at your engagement party. You'd been planning your wedding since young. You knew exactly which flowers you wanted to adorn the aisle, which flavour of cake you wanted to eat, which song was going to play while you walked down the aisle, and whose eyes you wanted on you on the other side as you did. Eunseok had always been your dream man- he was your first crush, your first love and your first heartbreak all rolled up into one devastatingly handsome package. You imagined him in his crisp suit, laughing through his tears because you just looked so beautiful, and the thought of that takes you out of your fantasy and back into the room that was filled not with tears of happiness, but of silence.

You look down at the ring. The sun is hitting it perfectly, making the diamond shimmer in the beam. You slide it off and inspect the band for the first time, wondering what size he got since you didn't even know your size. Your heart stops when you first notice it. It's so small that if you blinked at that moment, you probably wouldn't have even noticed it and you would've lived the rest of your life not knowing it was there.

You run your nail against the engraving, your breath hitched as you read it.

To the one I'll always choose.

It's always been about choice. This whole time, it's been about your freedom to choose.

You and Eunseok weren't born with the privilege of choosing the one who was going to love you so hard that it would drive you crazy. You were instead born with a silver spoon in your mouth and a signed contract that because your family was going to have a girl first, that girl would be married to the Song's first born when the time came.

There was no question or argument about it. You grew up beside Eunseok knowing you were going to spend the rest of your life together, so you chose to learn everything about him. You chose to learn that he loved playing basketball with his friends and that he became silly and unserious when around them. You chose to learn that he doted on his much younger baby brother and that he would fight anyone and anything that could bring harm to him. You chose to learn that Eunseok had a soft heart that had its very own soft spot reserved just for you- one that grew bigger after your hatred for him did as well.

While you chose to hate Eunseok for rejecting you, he chose to stick by your side anyways. He chose to join you in Oxford, even if most of his friends went to America to study. He chose to live at the block just down the street from yours, so he could walk behind you to lectures and check that you were okay every day without overwhelming you. He chose to sleep on hard floors and wake up with kinks in his neck because he chose to sing you to sleep while you were drunk and then refused to leave to sleep in a nice bed so he could watch over you and protect you in your state. He chose to take on a job in New York for two years instead of joining his father's company straight out of business school so that you had someone to accompany you on your midnight walks through New York City. He chose to give you the choice to leave if marrying him was truly a burden you couldn't bear, because your happiness was the grand reward of the consequences that he would bear in your place.

When you chose to hate him, Eunseok let love grow in the emptiness that you left behind instead. He would choose you a million times over and over again until the day you'd finally see it. Your hatred for the situation stemmed from the fact that you thought your choices were stripped away in being arranged to marry. You wanted Eunseok to love you not because he had to, but because it was his choice to.

You were too blind by your rage to see that Eunseok had been choosing you over and over again not because of the arrangement, but in spite of it. That was the greatest love of them all.

-

On the next sunny day, Eunseok joins you on the bench in the middle of the rose garden. You'd been sketching up ideas on how you want the aisle to look like. You were thinking light flowers along the bottom with candles dispersed to illuminate it. In your dreams, you'd get married at sunset in a glass pavilion that could hold only your closest friends and families. As the sun started dipping, the candles would take over as the source of light and bathe everyone in a soft, golden glow. In your dreams, the light would reflect onto Eunseok's face, highlighting his sharp cheekbones and large, round eyes that were peering down into yours.

"What did you call me over for?" Eunseok sits on his hands and looks around. It's spring time and the garden is at its most vibrant and beautiful.

You hold out your hand in front of you, "I found the engraving on the ring."

Eunseok takes a sharp breath in, "Ah you did?"

"Did you not want me to see it?"

"I had just hoped that whenever you did see it, you would believe it," Eunseok whispered, "It's true, by the way."

"I know," your response has Eunseok turning his head so fast it almost gives him whiplash.

"You do?"

"Mhm. You chose to follow me around the world despite me hating you and you having to give up on your dream schools just so you could try to prove yourself to me. You chose to keep giving me gifts on birthdays when we were abroad since my family often couldn't make it. You always choose me. Why?"

"In part to make amends for the mistake I made when I was young pushing away your feelings like that without thought," Eunseok explained, "But for the most part because I care about you and I want to make the best of a bad situation we're in. I know that no one wants to be in an arranged marriage. I just wanted to show you that I could give you the life you wanted. That you could be happy with me."

Your heart aches at his words as you realise how truly misguided your perception of him was. You had thought that he was following you around to torment you and to remind you that you could never be free, but all this time, he was letting you live your dreams and staying by your side to show that he was supporting you.

"I've treated you so badly over the years and you still want to marry me?" you meet his eyes that have been trained on you since the moment he sat down.

Eunseok giggles and reaches up his warm palm to your cold face, "Hm, your words are harmless Y/N. You've shown your affection to me in other ways; I know you love me."

You roll your eyes and push his hand away, "In your dreams, Song."

"Mhm, actually in your dreams," Eunseok teases, "Considering you've been dreaming about marrying me for 10 years."

"And I don't know why. I must be sick in the head for that. Did you hit me in the head when we were young or something?" you retort, trying to move away from him.

Eunseok lets out a full-bodied laugh that sends butterflies through you instead of the burning rage that usually ensued whenever he was having fun in front of you. He stretched his arm around you behind the bench and pulled you closer to him, "Just admit it, Y/N. Everyone knows you've had a fat crush on me since we were teens and it's only ever grown. There's a very, very fine line between love and hate."

"I still hate you," you grumble, "This doesn't mean anything."

Eunseok drops his head down, pushing your head into his shoulder. Your first instinct is to recoil away and grimace, but Eunseok's grip on your shoulder is tight, so you try to relax in his hold.

"You'll always be my girl, Y/N. You just have to accept that."

You hum and watch the bees buzz around the rose garden, "I've always wanted the whole ordeal- the crushing, the pining, the courting, going on dates, having your firsts, moving in together, proposing how you want. I feel like that was taken away from me before I even knew what they were and even if we do those things, how would I know what's real and what's fake? What you're doing because of me and what you're doing because of the arrangement- that kind of stuff."

Eunseok's heartbeat is slow and strong, "The arrangement only brought us to each other. How can I make you believe that everything I do for you is because I want to?"

"How about we start with when you rejected me and left poor little 16 year old me heartbroken?"

Eunseok scoffs, "Y/N, I was stupid, okay? It was a mistake, I was young and I was too blind to see what was in front of me. You were still special to me back then and I have always cared for you, but I didn't know what I wanted back then. I grew up and haven't looked back since."

"And the girls you brought around at university?"

"Because you were demanding that I dated other people," Eunseok rolls his eyes, thinking about your past explosive arguments about relationships, "I just went on dates here and there, but never anything serious. I always let them know that I couldn't commit, but you know there was a line wrapping around Oxford wanting to date me."

You chuckle at that. Everyone was falling over their feet for the chance to get just a second of Song Eunseok's time, the same way he was doing to you. He was incredibly popular and girls would approach you to ask you to set them up, but you would always growl and send them on their way.

"You were only the most eligible bachelor because you're the son of the third richest family in Korea," you sneer, jokingly.

"And I'm handsome, charming, intelligent and kind," Eunseok lists off his traits on his fingers, "But everyone knows you've always had my heart."

"I don't know if I can believe that."

He shrugs simply beside you, "Doesn't matter. I can show you now."

"What?"

"We can date from now on. I'll show you how I feel. Then in one year's time, you'll be gladly getting married to me instead of having to be dragged up the aisle kicking and screaming by your family," he says it so casually that you question if the shocked reaction you're having is the abnormal one.

"Date?" you splutter out, completely bewildered, pulling away from him, "Us two? Now?"

"Why are you saying it like it's crazy? I basically just confessed to you," Eunseok crosses his arms in front of his chest and tilts his head in confusion, "Are you rejecting me? Is this payback?"

You wave your hand in dismissal, "Yah, you're really confusing me here, Eunseok. I don't know what I'm feeling right now."

He laughs again, and he's glad that he can finally laugh with you for the first time in years. He takes your hand between his and squeezes assuringly, "It's okay. We can figure it out together as we go. Just stay by my side, okay?"

You sigh into the breeze. The air was crisping up as the sky began to illuminate in visions of pink and purple. You look over at Eunseok and the reflection of the sun makes his eyes look iridescent. One thing you've always known about Eunseok is that with him, you felt safe, so you nod and squeeze his hand back, "Yeah."

˗ˏˋ જ⁀➴ ˎˊ˗

The first time you saw Eunseok again after your undergraduate graduation, it was in New York City at the end of summer.

You had spent the entire summer travelling nearly every country in Europe with your friends, while Eunseok was forced to come home and start learning how to actually work in his father's company before he started his role at the New York branch. You were glad to have this summer without him considering the two of you spent your summers together as children and as teens, your friendship groups overlapped so you also had to hang out with him.

There were endless boxes in your apartment since decorating your space was one of your life's great pleasures. The boxes were organised by room and had been shipped out from England at the start of the summer when you moved out. They'd been collecting dust, so all your windows were thrown open in the summer heat to air out the apartment and the dust. Of course you had AC, but there was something about the noise of the city traffic and the hustle and bustle travelling up to your apartment that made you feel like you were truly in the city.

The knock on your door made you groan instantly and you had to suppress the urge of banging your head into the coffee table you were decorating. You took small and slow steps to the front door, but the pattering on the door wasn't letting up.

"Already here to bother me on my first day? It's only been like 3 hours since I got off the plane," you sighed as you came face to face with your dreaded fiancé.

Eunseok rolled his eyes and pushed past your shoulders into your kitchen, "I know you missed me. I brought takeout since you probably haven't eaten and don't have any food yet." Eunseok held up a bag of his favourite Korean food in the city and placed it on your dining table, dishing out the styrofoam boxes.

He arrived in the city a week and a half before you did, moving into the apartment across the hall so he had been able to get himself settled into both his job and his city before you came to rain down terror on him.

"What makes you think I want to eat with you?"

"I bought it, so I'm gonna eat it. Up to you if you wanna starve or not," Eunseok shrugged, already making himself comfy in one of your expensive dining chairs. He took out some plastic cutlery from the bag and began to dig in to the beef bibimbap he had ordered for himself. There was another few boxes of food in the bag, all of which smelling amazing and instantly causing your stomach to grumble.

Sheepishly, you took the seat across from him and scavenged through the food. He had ordered you some tteokbokki and a stew with some rice. Either he knew you too well or it was a lucky guess. For the sake of your heart, you settled on the latter choice.

The two of you ate in silence for a while, not really looking up at each other and just staring passively at your food. Silence was few and far between when it came to you and Eunseok. It was always hushed arguing or full blown insulting between the two of you no matter where you went or how inappropriate it may have seemed to others. You were sure there were rumours that the two of you didn't always get on despite being photographed together so often, but your families' PR teams were experts in mangling all those 'rumours'. 

You broke the silence first, "How's the new job?"

The heir in front of you coughs and looks at you strangely, as if he couldn't believe you would ask him that, "It's... work. Not horrible and met a couple friendly colleagues. Having this job does make me feel so grown up and responsible, though," after the initial shock of you initiating a conversation, Eunseok began blabbering about his new position at his family's company.

"Well then hopefully it makes you more mature," you snide.

Eunseok scoffed, "Trust me, Y/N, when I say that I'm the more mature one out of us. You'll find out what I mean one day."

"If you were mature enough, you'd know to oppose this crazy marriage with me," you turned your head away from him, feeling the anger bubble up again.

"And it's because I'm mature enough that I'm not," he shrugged, "Unlike you, I don't think this marriage will be the worst thing that can happen to me."

"I'm honoured," you retorted, "I don't know why you think that when all I've done is make your life difficult. Why would you think I can't continue for the rest of our lives?"

He smiled coyly at you, pushing a drink that appeared in the bag towards you, "You'll get tired, sweetheart. Then you'll fall in love with me."

You feel sick at how he's all entirely wrong. Despite that, you appreciate how he's always able to diffuse any tension between the two of you even if his words are always cocky and arrogant. z

You don't say anything to him for a long while. When you finished up your food in silence, he packed everything anyway and placed it in the correct bins. Wordlessly, he began to unpack your boxes with you, unwrapping everything bubble wrapped and placing it on the kitchen counters for you to organise. You would have protested this act of service, but he's right- fighting him all the time does get tiring.

In this light from the living room as the sun setting made your apartment glow and burst with light, Eunseok looks radiant. You hope he can't see you admiring him from the next room. It's almost as if you're a normal couple, moving into their first home and starting their new life together. It's a melancholy sight as you ponder the what if's.

He breaks down all of your boxes flat, humming to himself a song that you think you've heard at the end of parties when you'd be sat on someone's bedroom floor just talking or playing cards half-drunk. Eunseok turned his head towards you and you whipped your head away so fast it hurts your neck.

"You still have this?" he held up a mug that instantly flashed you back to 6 years ago. The mug is majority a light pink and wonky in places since you made it yourself from clay. It was a few months process making and painting the mug, but when you were 15 with the biggest crush on him, having a mug brandishing "Y/N + EUNSEOK" on it made you feel giddy inside.

"All my other mugs broke," you lied through your teeth, snatching it from his grip and placing it in a random empty cupboard, "My mother packed it for me when I moved to Oxford."

"Mhm, okay," you could tell he was smirking but you made yourself busy with the plates, "I'm gonna take the boxes down to the recycling. Do you want any more help?"

"I've had enough of you for today," you breathed out. Too much time with him truly drove you crazy, "But thanks."

"Anytime, princess. I'm just across the hall if you need me and I'll get your number whenever you get it set up." he wiped his hands on his jeans and have you that charming smile that made you fall in the first place.

You see him out wordlessly. You don't argue when he turns up the next day demanding for your number in case you ever needed anything from him (or if he wanted to come and bother you). You feign annoyance when one morning he's insisting that he ran out of coffee in his apartment and wanted some of yours. You leave him in your apartment because you were running late to class, but when you get home, you open the cupboard and try not to fall all over again when you see a matching, much lumpier, handmade blue mug that brandished the words "TO FOREVER <3" on it next to yours.

˗ˏˋ જ⁀➴ ˎˊ˗

You're tossing and turning in your seat as Eunseok shakes you gently. He laughs when you groan under your breath as he wakes you up, "Sit up. We're landing soon."

The sleep you got on the flight was long, but you still woke up incredibly tired since you kept getting woken up for meals. You were grateful that you could fly first class with separate seats and beds, otherwise you'd be much more groggy than you already were.

Buckling yourself in the seat next to Eunseok's, you yawn, "Eunseok, what the fuck is an engagement trip?"

"A trip celebrating our engagement, duh," he looks at you like you're stupid, so you shove him as hard as your tired body could muster, "Like a honeymoon but before. Never too many excuses to take a vacation. Plus, we're going to be busy this trip."

You've never taken a vacation with just Eunseok before. Sure, you've lived in three different countries together outside of Korea and gone on a couple of vacations as children and with a large group of friends, but never just the two of you with a purpose.

"I don't understand why our wedding planner couldn't just pick a venue for herself and call it a day. Why must we go all the way to Italy and do it ourselves?" you're up to your neck in work, but you couldn't protest when you found a week blocked off in your calendar by your assistant, telling you it was 'orders from above' AKA your father.

"It was my idea," he confesses with a shrug, "Won't it be nice if we actually like where we're getting married? If we chose it ourselves because we can see ourselves getting married there?"

It feels like your heart is clenching at the insinuations behind his words. He wants to get involved with your wedding planning, like it's a real wedding. You sniff and turn away from him. It is a real wedding, you remind yourself. You were going to get married legally and this wedding was real, no matter the intention behind it. No matter if you loved or hated each other, it was a real wedding.

"Yeah. Everywhere in Italy is nice so at leadt it'll be a good trip," the past couple of months since you've been officially engaged to Eunseok, you've been attempting to be nicer and hold back your retorts. You've made an effort to argue less and he's been trying to get on your good side. You've both been busy with work considering the news of the merger brought a whole new wave of problems, so you've had no time to interrogate his profession to "date" you. Thank gosh, because your heart would not be able to take that.

The plane lands soon enough and before you know it, you're in a private car going to your hotel. You were staying in Milan, but driving around Lake Como and Tuscany to tour the list of potential venues that your wedding planner had come up with. You were definitely going to be exhausted by the end of it.

The drive was relatively silent, just listening to music and looking out of the window, but when you arrive at the hotel, Eunseok opens the car door for you and snakes his arm around your waist as you walk up to the front desk, "Hello. We're checking in to the penthouse suite. For Song?"

The hotel clerk smiles sweetly, handing over your keys swiftly, "All ready for you both, Mr Song. Congratulations on your engagement."

You're spluttering a thank you with flushed cheeks as Eunseok drags you over to the elevator, "You told them?"

"I just wanted the free champagne that I assume will be up there," he grins cheekily and you roll your eyes. As if he couldn't afford it.

You are however delighted to find a small cake beside the bucket of ice cold champagne and you dig into the red velvet goodness as you watch Eunseok open up your suitcases and hang your clothes up in the master bedroom wardrobe meticulously. You're halfway into the cake when he drags his suitcases out of the room.

"Wait, where are you going?" you frown.

Eunseok snickers, "To the other bedroom? Why? Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Oh. I just didn't know there were two rooms." you say sheepishly.

Eunseok stops in his tracks, hand on his suitcase loosening, "So you went into this trip okay with the thought of sleeping with me? If so, I'll stay here with you then."

"No!" you call out, "Just- just shut up and go."

The smirk on his face is smug as he nods and continues his leave, "Alright, sweetheart, but let me know if you get nightmares and want company."

You bear the butter knife at him and he laughs melodically on his way out. You pop the champagne yourself and drown a glass down, hoping you'd be able to make it out the trip unscathed. He's running into the room with a pout after hearing the loud pop of the corkscrew, so you pour the both of you a glass and you clink them together as you chugged them back.

The days pass by similarly. You wake up and have breakfast together before embarking on a sleepy drive to a venue. You have lunch in endless terraces and gardens under the sun, basking in the heat and evaluating the venue you saw that morning. You both ooh and ahh at different venues that all look the same before you find a flaw in it that stops you from making the decision to host one of the most important days of your lives there. Some are too big, some too small, too pretentious, not pretty enough, the flowers aren't the ones you envisioned, the location too secluded or not enough. You always agree on the flaws of the venues and it's the penultimate full day when you make it to the final venue on the list.

"If I don't like this venue then I'm not marrying you," you huff in the car as it pulls up the driveway.

"Who knew wedding venues were so complicated?" Eunseok exhales in frustration, "Should we just get married in Seoul?"

You puff out your lips, "Italy was always my dream, but I was naive to the process."

Eunseok smiles and takes your hand, "I have faith in this one. At least I hope." The commitment he has to giving you your dream wedding despite it all is unwavering.

When you enter the final venue, you think that maybe it was the last on the list for a reason, since you're blown away every step you take through the grounds. The hallways to the main room is ornate and delicate at the same time, with pretty floral paintings wrapping the walls and big windows letting in the golden light. The room where your reception could be held is stunning with murals all over the walls and a dome ceiling that compliments it perfectly. It's neither too big, nor too small and there's little nooks and crannies for guests to nestle themselves in. You could see yourself in the middle, slow dancing with your head on your husband's shoulder.

"This is nice," Eunseok awes, coming up behind you with the grounds manager, "Very pretty."

You nod in agreement and ask to see the gardens, since you always wanted to get married outside in the sun. The manager gushes over the outside while she leads you out and your heart is pounding in anticipation. Eunseok probably guessed how giddy you were, because he joins you by your side and gives you a hopeful look.

"We're here. Most brides start from here and have the aisle straight down to the arch."

She throws open the double doors and you gasp in admiration at the sight in front of you. The stairs going down to the garden seen steep, but grand. You envision that your father could probably help you hobble down to the garden, where it was staged as a wedding venue. There's chairs laid out in rows, decorated in tulle and bows with an aisle adorned in flowers. At the end of the garden, there's an arch with vines wrapped around it and flowers creeping up. From where you were standing, you could see that this garden was actually on a balcony overlooking a lake that seemed to be glowing and sparkling as the slight wind caused some ripples on the surface

"I'll give you two some time to explore?" she proposes, to which Eunseok nods and wraps his hand around your wrist, tugging you down the stairs.

"First impressions?" he's looking around with blown out pupils as the two of you reach the bottom of the stairs and the beginning of the aisle.

"I like this one a lot," you shyly admit, "It's exactly what I imagined."

"I love it as well. Why don't you walk down the aisle and see how you feel. Imagine yourself on the day," he's taking off in front of you, running swiftly to the arch before you could even take a breath and get a word out.

At his antics, you let out a full-belly laugh and straighten out the ivory dress you happened to be wearing. You look down at the slip dress hitting your ankles and think it might be fate you chose to wear this specific dress on this specific day. You look up and find Eunseok suddenly frozen still at the other end, hands intertwined in front of him and his eyes trained solely on you.

When he notices that you meet his eyes, he gives you a gentle smile as he mouths to you, "Come here."

It takes you a few breaths to actually muster up the courage to follow his direction. You think that walking down a straight path shouldn't be such a big deal, but the thought that this could be the very steps you take to marry the same man at the end in less than a year's time strikes your heart.

The aisle is a soft and smooth stone, perfect for walking on in high heels. It's wide enough that a wedding dress wouldn't drag along the sides and knock over the flowers and long enough for anticipation to build as Eunseok gazes down at you from afar.

"Y/N," Eunseok calls over.

You take the first step and your breath catches in your throat. All you can look at is Eunseok now, with his shirt unbuttoned at the first three to expose some chest and his hair falling over his eyes. He keeps fidgeting with his fingers, as if he couldn't stand still and his lips are puckering and stretching as if he had much more to say.

The second step is easier than the first and the third one even more so. By the fifth step, Eunseok is chewing on his bottom lip and you're ridden with anticipation to meet him at the end.

With each step you take down the aisle, you're flashed back to all the crucial moments in your life with Song Eunseok so far.

You were sandbox best friends. You learned to walk together, and then ride bikes with each other. You learned to swim in the same swimming pool that still remained in your garden. You learned to ski and snowboard with each other in the blustery mountains of the alps. You were each other's first heartbreaks when you were teens. You took your first alcoholic drink together with your friends by the Han river, faces flushed red and hearts beating out of your chests at the prospect of getting caught. You got blackout drunk together for the first time during your first week of university. You posed together as you threw your graduation caps up in the air at the end of the three years. You chased each other around New York City, running around in blocks after he snatched your phone from your grasp when you would ignore him. You begrudgingly invited him to ride swan paddle boats with you in every lake and river around the city since he was the only person that would drop everything for you at a moment's notice. You would leave containers of home cooked food outside his doors when you noticed he was getting swamped with work, knowing he had the tendency to either order too much unhealthy takeout or stop eating altogether when busy.

With every step you take to meet Eunseok at the bottom of the aisle, you accept that Eunseok has been with you for every step of your life.

He's an arm's length away when you notice his eyes are glossier than usual. Eunseok refuses to break the stare between the two of you as you arrive in front of him, exactly where you would stand under the arch if you got married at this very space.

"Are you crying?" you whisper, afraid of your own voice.

He chortles and dabs at his eyes, "It's just the wind."

"Mhm," you hum, fighting back the smile threatening to expose your emotions, "What do you think?"

Eunseok takes a bold step towards you and closes the gap between your bodies. He's closer than you've ever had him and you can nearly feel his breath on your skin. It's making you dizzy but all you can do is keep your eyes on him.

"Eunseok," you murmur in a hushed tone.

His head is drifting closer down to yours, forehead nearly touching. If you moved your face even just by a centimetre, your noses would bump and you knew you wouldn't be able to stop yourself.

"Let's get married here," Eunseok nudges his face forwards. You have to stop yourself from pulling back even with the drumming in your chest, "You're going to look so beautiful. You do already."

"I like this place. Our parents would like it here too."

Eunseok's eyes flutter shut as he sighs and shakes his head gently, "No, let's get married here because we want to, not because our parents would like it. Let's get married because we want to."

"Eunseok," his name falls out of your mouth like it's the most sacred word you can say.

His forehead is still pressed against yours, his eyes squeezed tight and his palm comes up to make home on your cheek, "I love you. I always have."

Sincerity drips from his words and you know that this time, it's the real thing. It's the words you'd been dying to hear him say sincerely for a decade. It's the words that underlined every fight and argument you've had as adults. He finally and bravely bares his heart to you for the first time, still considerate as he always had been by giving you the choice to determine what will end up of the two of you.

There's something different about his profession of love after all you'd experienced together. Back then, when you confessed that you liked him, the world would probably say it was just some puppy love- a silly high school crush. Something that would fizzle over and dissolve when you would experience the real hardships of life and what it could throw at you. You think that a late confession carries a profound and heartfelt meaning like no other.

"Seok-"

He cuts you off before you could finish, pulling away from you and causing you to open your eyes, "I don't need an answer yet, Y/N. I just need you to know that I want to be with you. I want to be your boyfriend, your husband, your partner- whatever you want me to be. I want to make you only happy from now on, instead of angry or resentful. I want to be by your side and keep following you around the world. I want everything with you."

You've never felt more sure of anything else in the world when you bounce up on your tiptoes and capture his face between your hands, pressing your lips against his. It feels like every nerve ending in your body is on fire, but at the same time feeling relief as if this was the one thing in the world that could finally relieve you from all the anger and bitterness you had been displaying and trying to internalise for all these years. Deep down, you could never ever hate Song Eunseok, the boy who has had your heart since you were just young.

He's rigid for a split second while he processes your own confession, but he quickly regains enough composure to part his lips and deepen the kiss, moulding your lips to each other's. It's unlike anything he's ever felt before and he finally understood the real pleasure of kissing someone you really love. As he runs his tongue along your bottom lip, Eunseok knows that he could do this for the rest of his life.

"Song Eunseok, I love you too," your eyes are glistening with adoration as you pull away from his kiss, "Let's get married?"

When he finally looks you in the eye at the moment you give yourself back to him, he can't help the tears that finally break free from their barrier. He's laughing as he finally pulls you to his chest, wrapping his arms around your body in desperation of keeping you close to him. You nuzzle deeper into him and he tucks his head into your neck. His body is shaking with the laughter of relief and his heartstrings tug when he feels his shirt dampening at the exact spot where your face laid.

"You're the one I'll always choose to love," he coo's into your ear words that travel straight into your heart, "For the rest of my life, for the rest of yours."

You look down at your hand and breathe deeply as the ring glistens on your finger. The Italian sun makes it shine bright as the symbol of your love. You start thinking of what you want to engrave on the inside of the ring that you want to get him. You start thinking of the dress and suit you'll be wearing at this very spot soon enough. You're dreaming of the house you move into together and of the company you'll spearhead by each other's side. You fantasise over your future kids- the kids you hope will have his eyes and your nose. You yearn for the life you know Eunseok will give you and your heart is finally at peace, knowing it will always be him.

˗ˏˋ જ⁀➴ ˎˊ˗

#eunseok #riize #riize au #eunseok au #song eunseok #riize fic #riize fanfic #riize x reader #eunseok x reader #eunseok fluff #riize fluff #riize angst #riize imagine #riize one shot #riize fic recs #eunseok fic recs #arranged marriage au

[amessageonthewind]

1v with adaman? 👀

"My father had a saying. Did I ever tell you about my father? "(laughs) No, I don't think you ever did." "He wasn't around a lot when I was a kid. And when he was, he could only stay a short time. Seems like he always had somewhere else to be. Something important to do. And when he left, he wouldn't say goodbye to me. Instead, he always told me, 'Never say goodbye. If you don't say goodbye then you aren't really gone, you just aren't here right now.'" "Your father sounds like a smart man." "He was. He really was. Had a terrible sense of humour, though."

Since you and my other buddy had the same brain cell, @kammyclues pspspspsps >:3

#nerdstreak #kammyclues #୨⎯ Paint With All The Colours Of The Wind ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Then It Has Done You No Good At All ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Pokémon Trainer Rachel ⎯୧ #୨⎯ Leader of the Diamond Clan ⎯୧

[saerins]

⋆୨ chapter two ୧˚ a million miles away, still you connect me in your way

⋆୨ if not for you (masterlist) ⋆୨ previous: chapter one - thorns without flowers, bars with no drinks <> next: chapter three - for a while, you were all mine ୧˚

⋆୨ synopsis ୧˚ neither of you want this. both you and sae reluctantly agree to this marriage, although sae’s dissatisfaction far outweighs your own. with hidden agendas and old flames, will this ever work out between the two of you, or will your forced spark be doomed to fail?

ೀ series: sae x f!reader | wc 3.8k | ೀ content warnings: fluff/angst, modern au, arranged marriage, rich!sae and rich!reader, gaslighting, generally bad parenting across the board, miscommunications/misunderstandings | notes: looks like i made it for this week after all !! not proofread though because i’m still sick <\3 & hehe i heard you guys asking for sae redemption arc … hmm :)

To the whole world, your marriage with the eldest Itoshi son is a fruitful event. Both your parents, having history as college classmates turned business rivals, have put their differences aside and green-lit the marriage. (It kind of perplexes you, since it’s their idea in the first place, but both you and Sae know that it’s always better to just leave things be.)

“You both need to get along well, do you hear me?”

Ever the authoritative figure, your father, naturally, expects you to do the impossible and get your husband to—you don’t really know, actually. To be a husband?

“Dad, we just got married and we barely know each other, can’t we just—”

“Then do something about it.” The line clicks before you can say anything else, a long sigh leaving your lips. That’s easier said than done.

It’s been a week into the marriage and the most Sae has ever said to you was “here, got you the keys.” Which was on day two. And he hasn’t spoken to you since. Except to respond to your (fake) chirpy good morning! with his own lacklustre “morning”.

And it isn’t like you haven’t tried. On the off chance that you do catch Sae when he’s at home and not frolicking around outside, you try to ask about him. Foolish you thought that maybe if he saw you trying then he’d at least entertain you.

Of course, life isn’t that kind to you. Any time you try to speak to him casually, you’re locked out by his icy stare, quick to glare at you like you’re some weirdo who just happens to live in the same apartment.

Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if you were the type to initiate such things but you’ve never been so until now. And it’s killing you inside everytime you try.

“Save me, please.”

Reo’s chuckle rings over the speakers, your heaved sigh drowned out by him. “Not even a month in, are you sure you can last with this your whole life?”

“Stop rubbing it in, Reo,” you whine, nearly dropping your breakfast on the floor.

It’s a Thursday morning and you’d been given a week off to acclimatise to life as a newlywed. From what you know, Sae was too. Problem is, Sae hasn’t even been home. He leaves early in the morning and comes back late in the night; there’s really no difference than when he’s actually going to work.

And given your… situation, you don’t really want to ask where he’s been and sound like, well, a wife. It’s stupid and crazy for you to think that when you are his wife, but it’s the sticky feeling of the two of you being strangers that makes you feel like you can’t act that way.

That night when Sae comes home to see dinner still untouched, all handsome as usual in his white dress shirt with the top unbuttoned, he gives you a brief once-over before toeing off his shoes. He reeks of alcohol when he walks past you but you don’t comment on that; he doesn’t look tipsy one bit so you have a feeling he was just surrounded by the people doing the actual drinking. 

“Why haven’t you eaten?”

You bet he’s only asking because you’ve meticulously placed yourself at the dining table, not moving even when he almost shuts his bedroom door on you. There are two empty plates set out on the table—one for you and one for him.

One glance at the clock sets the time at 9.30pm. Entirely way too late for dinner—or well, a normal one, at least.

Tonight is different from all the other nights, because before tonight, you’d resigned to cooking and eating dinner alone. But given your earlier talk with Reo, he’d convinced you to try forcing Sae into it, as bad as that sounds, and you want to see it through.

“I was waiting for you,” you say, back faced to him.

In this huge apartment, your soft voice bounces off the walls.

You can hear Sae hesitating for a while before finally speaking up. “I already ate.”

It’s like a huge joke, whatever this is. It’s nothing that you can put into words because you expected as much but you’re disappointed that you have a husband who doesn’t care about your feelings yet you can’t actually fault him for it because your circumstances aren’t exactly… normal.

You don’t even realise you’re tearing up until you hear the abrupt sound of Sae’s bedroom door shutting, your tears falling from your cheeks as you jump in your seat.

From your father pressuring you to make this marriage work, to Reo who—bless his pure heart—believes wholeheartedly that you can, and lastly to Sae, who seems absolutely determined to see this marriage through to its divorce, you’re tired.

There’s no such thing as failure to your parents—you’d known that ever since you were born. Especially not to your father, who tolerated nothing less than perfection from you. He wouldn’t even let it go when you failed to bag a huge client and decided that scolding you in front of the entire office was the least he could do.

As his name lights up your phone screen again, you stare dumbly at his message.

So? Are things going well with him?

You would mistaken it for parental concern if not for his next message.

Don’t screw this up like you always do. No one else would want you anyway, hear me?

He has a way of kicking you when you’re down. It’s almost like he decided you not being born would be better.

Just as you’re starting to lose your appetite, you hear the click of the door handle, your heartbeat the only sound you hear before the familiar shift of Sae’s feet against the ground. Half of you thinks he’s just forgotten something and is coming out to get it, but the other half of you is so stupidly optimistic that you can’t help but wish he’s had a change of heart.

Still, you wipe your tears away—a stubborn habit you’ve had since young to not let anyone see you crying, another byproduct of having parents who scolded you even more when they do see your tears—and pretend like you’re completely fine, sitting at the dining table all alone at 9.30pm having cooked entirely too much for a single person.

You can almost laugh at yourself looking at how pathetic this all feels.

But when you see Sae out of the corner of your eye, he’s changed out into more comfortable clothes, just a white oversized shirt with black shorts, taking a seat across from you.

“Let’s eat, then.”

To the outside eye, this might seem like a lacklustre dinner, like there’s nothing noteworthy about it at all. But to you, in that moment, it feels like everything. For once, you can see that even if Sae doesn’t want to, he’s trying. Just like you are. 

“Here.” He’s quiet when he eats. Apart from when he’s offering you more meat, quietly picking the bones off of the fish and discarding it onto his own plate and the meat in favour of yours.

You wonder what’s happened today that could contribute to his sudden change of decision. But it’s enough for you to feel his efforts, so you don’t harp on it.

“Do you… like it?”

Even though Sae doesn’t look at you all night, he does respond to you. Which is more than you can say for the past week.

“Mhm.”

And suddenly, it doesn’t feel so lonely.

Your father’s talking about visiting, so hopefully we can all meet again soon!

Sighing, you toss your phone aside and stuff your pillow on your face. Trust your mother to be the bearer of bad news like she’s always been, somehow resigned to being your father’s messenger whenever he feels like he loathes to speak to you directly.

Without even thinking, you know this is just his way of ‘checking up on you’, making sure that everything is going according to his plan. You’re not really sure why he insists that this marriage has to last when divorce happens to be all the rage these days. Sadly.

You can just envision the reprimand you’ll get if he comes over and finds out that you and Sae are not even sharing a room, often not even seeing each other apart from meal times and barely ever speaking at all. He will get to say that he knew all along that he has a useless daughter who can’t even do this simple task right.

Even at this age, he doesn’t want to vanquish his hold over you, always threatening to push the burden onto your sister instead, knowing that you won’t allow that to happen, banking on it to be the catalyst that drives you to obey his every command.

It’s a Saturday, and you haven’t heard the main door open today—unless Sae left the house before 6.30am which is unlikely—so you grind your teeth, weighing the pros and cons of going up to Sae and asking him for a favour. Really, the worst he can do is shut the door in your face, so what are you so scared of?

So ten minutes later, after whining internally to yourself and prepping for what you’re going to say, you find yourself at his bedroom door, quietly knocking on it a few times before hearing his show pause in the background and opening the door.

Sae’s eyes look tired, same as they’ve always been, teal eyes hidden behind those long lashes and his hair more of a mess than usual.

“Yeah?”

It’s stupid for you to think that hey, at least now he’s speaking instead of just grunting at you but your relationship is at an all-time low so you excuse yourself for that.

“We need to talk.”

Minutes later, Sae is sitting on the couch, arms crossed, brows furrowed helplessly as he listens to your ‘favour’.

“So… long story short,” Sae sighs, and you’re awkwardly shifting in your seat on the adjacent couch, anticipating his response. “Your parents might do a surprise visit and we need to look like an actual couple, is that it?”

Well, at least he was listening.

You nod, your fingers fiddling with each other. Somehow, you’ve become a nervous mess whenever you’ve had to interact with your husband.

“That won’t do.”

Your heart sinks just from those three simple words. You’re looking at the ground, polished and white, cold like real marble. You should’ve expected as much, but you really really don’t want to risk this impacting your sister.

“But if you could just—”

Before you know it, Sae’s right in front of you, forehead pressed against yours and teal eyes coldly calculating, as though he’s evaluating some statistic you’re not aware of.

He sighs and you can feel his hot breath against your lips, and suddenly you forget how to breathe, until he pulls away and sits back down where he came from. Sae’s eyes are still fixed on you, unrelenting.

“How are they gonna believe a thing when you’re that awkward around me?”

Sae can do all he can to make this believable, but it sure as hell won’t work if you’re this shy and nervous around him. Your parents are like his own, like vultures, they’ll pick this tension up in a second and they’re just going to know something is off. Then your plan will be all for naught.

“Um, well…”

He can tell you haven’t thought of that yet, so he brushes it off. You look like you’re going to hyperventilate if he pressures you on this any more. You looked cute though, all flustered when all he did was close the gap between you—but he keeps that to himself.

“Never mind that, what else do we need?” Because even without you saying, Sae can tell that this marriage doesn’t seem the slightest bit convincing. It just seems like two strangers sharing an apartment together.

“I was thinking maybe we could… takesomepicturesandframethemup on the wall?”

This time, Sae doesn’t hide his perplexity, blinking profusely at your statement. You’re averting your gaze too, and Sae nearly finds himself laughing, nearly. Your nervousness is quite amusing. It takes him a while to fully grasp what you were saying.

“Fine,” he relents, leaning back against the couch, internally snickering at the way you seem like a puppy, starry eyes gazing at him when he agrees. “You book a studio, put it on my card. Anything else?”

He’s like a businessman through and through, you realise, releasing everything off his to-do list in one fell swoop. You go to the next item on the agenda in your head.

“Oh… about finances,” you approach the subject carefully, knowing how it’s a sensitive topic for most people. “Should we just split everything fifty-fifty?”

For this, however, Sae wastes no time. 

“That’s fine, I’ll pay,” he says, matter-of-factly, in the most no-nonsense way he can manage. Though, the next thing he asks of you is one you never expected. “How much do you spend in a month? Excluding bills.”

You blink at him in surprise for a while, before trying to calculate it in your head. “Without bills? Um, maybe ¥150,000?”

Sae nods, pulling up his phone and typing on it for a while before looking back at you. “I don’t know how much you have in your bank, but I’ll open up a joint savings account, you can put everything else aside from your monthly expenditure in there. If you need any urgent expenses, just withdraw it as you need to.”

The way he says all this stoically nearly makes you mistake this for a business meeting.

“Excuse me? You want me to… transfer all my money into this account?”

“Except for your monthly expenses,” he corrects you, back to staring at his phone. “I’ll handle everything else, taxes, bills, whatever.”

This somehow sounds like all the scams you’ve watched on crime shows. That’s why you’re hesitating, but you have an inkling that Sae’s not that kind of person… is he?

“Um… what if…” You trail off, hesitant to get the words out, afraid of how he might take it.

Sae looks at you, putting his phone down on the table, his fingers interlaced with each other. He seems to understand your conflict, but he doesn’t explain anything further. He just asks you something simple. “Do you trust me?”

The simplest answer would be no, because you barely knew each other. Yet somehow, you feel the “yes” coming out of your mouth before you realise it, and Sae nods in acknowledgement. 

“I’ll send you the details soon,” is all he tells you before you see his phone lighting up, vibrating with a call. You manage to see the nickname ‘dummy’ come up before Sae grabs his phone, looking at it seemingly nostalgically before saying a “I gotta take this” and retreating to his bedroom.

The call ends as soon as Sae shuts the door to his bedroom. But just as quickly, he sees a new text popping up, and it’s irritating how he’s quick to open it immediately.

Maybe it’s a little pathetic of you to be in a good mood simply because Sae’s become a little more open now. And by open, you just mean he’s not just cold and silent and distant, but is now being more receptive.

Another two weeks have passed and you’re beginning to see a lot more progress. Like how Sae tells you what time he’ll be back so you can coordinate dinner. Or how he’ll be the one to settle dinner if you’re the one getting home late. His texts are a lot more than just simple acknowledgements and you find yourself smiling at your phone even if he’s there complaining about old geezers at work and how they’re so irritating and asking why they won’t just shut up.

“I guess that means everything’s going well in the new Itoshi household?”

Across from you, Reo’s smirking as he sips on his udon, noticing how your lips curve into a smile as you form a text. You pout and kick his shin lightly, annoyed that you got caught red-handed.

“Maybe,” you tell him, giggling.

For someone rumoured to be as rude and negative as Itoshi Sae, you find that he’s not all that bad once you get to know him a little. He’s just a regular guy, or maybe one that has a bigger chip on his shoulder than most people do, but you know better than to pry on that a little too early.

Reo ruffles your head, making it a little messier than usual but somehow, you don’t care too much about that now. “Just make sure he treats you well, ‘kay?”

You grin and nod in response, “yes, sir!”

For the lack of love your parents failed to provide, you’re more than grateful that you can get such concern from your best friend. You guess you can count yourself luckier than most.

That same afternoon, you get home from work with a hop in your step as you get a message that your photos have been delivered to your doorstep. And just as promised, it sits on your mat tied up neatly in a box and you squeal as you hurriedly unlock the door and unwrap it.

The still shots of you and Sae look perfect, all thanks to that professional photographer you managed to hire. Sae was less than thrilled to be there, but somehow, even with his stoic expression, the photos work. There’s shots of him with his arm around your shoulder, head resting on yours as he looks at the camera. Other shots where he follows your poses and sticks his tongue out. And when you get to the bottom of the pile, you see the last shot, the one you remember the most, because it’s the one where you’re just looking at the camera and Sae, without any direction at all, just leans in and kisses you on the temple.

At that moment, your phone vibrates, a message from Sae popping up.

But night falls and it’s suddenly 8pm and you haven’t touched the food on the table, sweet and sour pork long forgotten on the dining table because you’re busy setting up the pictures all around the house.

To his credit, the frames Sae picked are beautiful. They’re made of a dark wood to contrast the impossibly white walls and the white backdrop of your photoshoot. Though, he managed to order way too many of them so you idly wonder what you can do with the rest of the spares.

Once you’re done with the living room, you find yourself left with a few photos you reserved for the master bedroom, and you hesitate before going in. After nearly a month here and you realise you’d never actually been in here before.

It looks nice and clean and Sae’s a lot less messier than you thought he’d be. His towel is thrown sloppily on the floor and his bedsheets are a mess, but other than that the rest of the place is relatively spotless. Heck, you think even your room’s not as well-kept as his. Somehow you feel a little shameful about that.

Shaking your head, you snap out of it, getting back to the task at hand: meticulously placing these photos so you can act like the perfect couple once your parents decide to visit. (There’s a little glimmer of hope inside of you that hopes that by then, it wouldn’t have to be an act.)

Fifteen minutes later, you’re all about done in there, except when you accidentally gave yourself a paper cut trying to fit the photo in nicely. Clambering to the bedroom to find the nearest first aid kit, you find one in the nightstand—the other side of where he sleeps, judging from the way his blanket is thrown. Grabbing the plaster out of there, you stop in motion when you see a small A4-sized black gift box inside, a translucent gold bow rimming its sides.

As you bandage your finger up, you try not to think about it but your curiosity gets the best of you; it’s wrong but you can’t help yourself. Your fingers grab the box carefully out of its place, and you open it to see Sae’s alien face.

Only alien because he actually looks happy in those pictures.

The first few pictures you see are of Sae with Rin, who you know is his younger brother. They look alike too, and in some ways, it reminds you of you and your sister. It brings a smile to your face, but only momentarily, before you get bombarded by a ton of pictures of Sae with a girl you’ve never seen.

She’s pretty; brown hair down to her chest, having those beach wave curls that make you envious, piercing green eyes that shine through her bangs. A petite frame, with a style that’s already sophisticated even when she was a teenager back then. 

You can’t help but wonder who she is, though you don’t really need to when you have your gut instinct telling you it’s an old flame. And judging by the amount of photos he’s kept, it’s someone he still can’t forget. Is she why he’s been so hesitant?

All the photos were taken in those old school photo booth machines that used to be all the rage. That’s why their pictures always have filters and little scribbles drawn on before printing. It’s heartbreaking yet you can’t stop looking. So Sae is a person who can smile a lot, as long as he’s with the right one, it seems.

Most of the pictures have scribbles of M+S on them, and you assume M must be her initial. Is it crazy for you to be hurt by this? It’s a whole side of Sae you’d never seen, and it was on full display for someone else. It must seem like a fever dream for you.

You try to think positively, like it doesn’t mean much that he still keeps this even though it was a love seemingly long gone. You should have faith in him… right?

But then, the last in the pile is a normal picture, taken by camera and developed by film. It’s a picture of Sae and M lip-locked, his arms on her waist, her wanton smile visible even from this angle. Behind it, like a secret love note meant only for the lovers’ eyes to see, written in bright red:

itoshi sae, will you love me forever?

forever and ever, dummy.

And then you remember the same nickname flashing across his phone that night, and it all comes crashing down on you. And you feel like the stupidest person on the planet. These pictures are from forever ago, but it’s entirely plausible that he’s not finished with whatever it was.

Somehow, it feels like everything is in reverse.

You want Sae’s love, and this is your marriage—you and Sae’s—but then why, even as his wife, do you feel like the third party instead?

taglist: @kimvmarvel @mxplesyrvp @yuzurins @futuristicxie @kiopanxp @k0z3me @y-sabell-a @sae1toshilover @xoxojisu @karmatiz @sagejin @minnieminnie00-got7 @hearts4heidi @shiinobu-x @n1uh @prepchuu @leeyzhuo @shidouryusm @tsukishiro-yue2402 @kaiserkisser @pookiebearcave @dcvilxswish @saeskiss @whtflrr @arminseas @raphsimp *bolded: can’t tag you due to your settings >_<

#bllk x reader #blue lock x reader #itoshi sae x reader #sae x reader #bllk x you #bllk x y/n #sae x y/n #itoshi sae x you #itoshi sae x y/n #sae x you #bllk sae x reader #bllk fluff #bllk angst #itoshi sae #itoshi sae fluff #itoshi sae angst #blue lock fluff #blue lock angst #itoshi sae imagines #૪ aeri’s fics !

[taocard]

Loved you from the start

a/n: song title based on "from the start" by Laufey. its just short and sweet i wanted to post it cause i wanna try getting back into writing again.

🍮🌷💘 girls may fall for him all the time. but he has fallen first and harder for you. can you just imagine him who's the most popular guy at school and can get any girl to fall for him but when it comes to trying to get you to see his feelings he freezes up completely with this pretty blush spread across his face. all his charm just disappears, and he KNOWS how to speak Japanese but his mouth can't remember how to form a single word. all because of you. he thinks it may be because you are his friend. since you didn't fall for him like other girls and became rather good friends with him, he actually got to know you a little more than other girls. and it made it more intimate, which fried his brain. he's rambled on and on to his confidant (his other best friend who he's known longer than you) and his friend is just so over it. they don't even think its cute any more that he pines after you. now its just annoying because he can't even confess. they snort, "your not gonna be able to do it." but it gets him scurrying out of his seat to go find you to PROVE he CAN. "you've got your heart dropped to your fucking ass everytime you try- aaaaand there he goes." you're in the middle of talking, helping someone with some random tasks, he doesnt even know because he's focused on the way when you notice him this warm smile breaks across your face. "do you need help with the assignment too?" you teased, going to help him either way if he needed it and god he's so fucking weak for you. everything you do that was NORMAL and MUNDANE now made him feel like his legs were going to give out. his heart starts beating so fast he grasps his shirt in a hurry and his face has turned red. you tilt your head, "do you have a fever? i TOLD you to wear a jacket this morning!" you gently scolded him, leaning forward and pressing your hand against his head oh yeah..something about this morning and how it was freezing and you were worried he'd catch a cold if he didn't wear his jacket. but the way you were so close to his blushing face his his heart caught right in his throat. he knows whoever you were helping just now is STARING and so his own friend from across the room and most likely snickering at him because of how damn pathetic he must look right now. he coughed, a way to force himself to talk and force his heart to STOP spiking. "*cough* I'm good, thanks-" and he's stepping away from you, now DARTING away "ALRIGHT BYE!" and your just left so confused and wondering if he's hiding his fever from you, which you think he probably is, and with a sigh you get back to what you're doing before he showed up. now he's sulking heavily next to his friend. he couldn't do it. AGAIN. he knows how to ask girls on dates! he's done it PLENTY of times. "fuckkk" he wined, stuffing his face into his knees that were pressed up to his chest. his friend didn't look surprised in the slightest, scrolling on social media beside him. "i told ya' you wouldn't be able to do it." they said.

"they thought i had a fever!" he whined, slapping his red cheeks a few times. "that is lowkey embarrassing-" "SHUT UP." 🍓⋆ ˚｡⋆୨🍡୧˚ GOJO SATORU, OIKAWA TORU, Atsumu, Dazai, and Vash

#jjk x reader #haikyuu x reader #bungo stray dogs x reader #trigun x reader #gojo x reader #i just needed an excuse to write gojo. #oikawa x reader #atsumu x reader #dazai x reader #vash x reader #i just love them being blushy and nervous im not sorry.

[pinkandlilacroses]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

Angel - Paige bueckers

part 1

• summary {when an unsuspecting girl falls for the basketball star}

•warnings {none (for now)}

•comment if you would like to be added to the taglist

bellas pov

“Im just saying, a rom com romance would be fantastic tight now” I state to my best friend, Avery. “i mean everyday is the same thing over and over” i continue. I can tell she doesn’t care, Avery’s been in a relationship with her high school sweetheart, Jake since freshman year.

“you need to stop being desperate” she says scooting closer to me on our couch.

this may sound rude, but thats just how Avery is, ane i guess ive gotten used to it

“nobody understands me” i say dramatically as i get up and walk towards my room.

“remember, we are going out tonight” Avery yells

fuck. i forgot.

i hate going out, theres to many people

i feel like sometimes Avery relyes on me, i mean sometimes i wanna hang out with other people, not just her. Avery on the other hand, im her only friend and i understand why, i love her but she is so mean to any and everyone that she comes across.

a few hours pass and i begin getting ready. i put on a matching pink set with a tube top and a mini skirt, i feel cute, i cant wait for this to get ruined by a bunch of drunk, sweaty college students.

i know i take a while to get ready, i mean its taken me two hours to pick my outfit and do my hair and i haven’t even started my makeup yet. my excuse is that you can never rush perfection.

“bella cmon we gotta go” Avery yells, ‘how is she ready so early’ i think to myself, finishing my coat of mascara.

“ok, ok, im ready” i say 20 minutes later. i can tell shes pissed, but it doesn’t bother me.

“your so dramatic, its a 5 minute walk” Avery says, annoyed, as always.

“i am not made for walking”

its only been 5 minutes since our arrival and i want to leave

“hey baby” a clearly drunk guy says, while he slyly brings his hand to my bare waist.

“who are you” i say, bluntly

“hey loosen up princess” he says, getting closer

i do like that nickname. but i hate him.

“im gonna go now”

i dont know if im straight, to be honest. i was raised in a household where anything but straight was a sin, so i never really questioned my interests. but whenever i see a girl who is tall and strong, my straightness goes out the window, and i feel like im sinning. ive never done anything with a girl before and im scared, i dont know if i ever would.

i walk away from the drunk man and towards the bar

“oh my god im so sorry” ‘fuck. why am i so clumsy’, i say to the girl i bumped into

“nah your all good” she says, looking down at me

i hadn’t looked at her, but now that i am. i never wanna stop. shes tall and blonde.

“hi, im paige” she says, breaking my admiration.

“im bella” i say, shamelessly checking her out

she has on grey sweatpants and a black tshirt. hot.

“do you go here” she says, continuing the conversation.

“uh, yeah, im a junior” i say, stuttering. why am i stuttering

“are you nervous?” she says, bringing her face closer to my own. yes, i am so nervous, you make me so nervous, ohmygodohmygodohmygod

“no” i say, unconvincingly.

“you sure?” she questions again. im not ok

“your on the basketball team, right?” i say, attempting to shift the conversation

she chuckles

“yeah” she states, moving back to her original position, further away from me. come back

“have you heard of me” she says, cockily

“i think everyone has here” i say, to be honest, i dont know anything about basketball. but ive heard of her before and her eyes have me trapped, there so blue and inviting.

what am i saying

“i wanna know more about you though” she whispers, moving closer than before.

“what do you wanna know” i say wrapping my arms around her neck. i dont know where all this confidence has came from

“yo paige” some girl says, she turns around and breaks the position we were in.

“iceee” she says, dapping up her teammate

im offended.

i make my way from her and towards my friend group. i want to go home

“was that you flirting with paige bueckers”

“we were just talking, shes not interested”

“girl, paige would be interested in a tree if it had a pussy, she is definitely interested” chanel says

everyone laughs. but me

im confused, why am i attracted to her, i like men, not women.

“bella cmon, lets get you home” Avery says, i mentally thank her from saving me from this conversation.

i tuck myself into bed after taking my outfit and makeup off and get ready for my favourite activity. sleep, until.

xxx-xxx-xxx

- hey is this bella?

what the fuck. do i have a stalker

bella

- yes

xxx-xxx-xxx

- hahah thank god

- this is paige

what the fuck

A/N - first fic, how do we feeeelllllllll

#paige bueckers x reader #paige bueckers headcannons #paige bueckers smut #paige bueckers fic #paige bueckers #uconn huskies #uconn women’s basketball #uconn wbb

[ivy-loves-chocolate]

I saw you wanted some ideas for Leon so here’s mine: you’re hiding with him in the RPD from Mr.X in the stars office, and the more you talk the more you realize you’re into each other. A small make-out session turns into something more and Mr.X becomes your last worry.

Btw, I loved your recent Leon fic :3

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ N o t e ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆ I found this in my drafts with a few paragraphs written and decided to finish it. I'll start the year with a smut, haha. Thank you, anon for the idea, and I'm sorry I made you wait 🙏❤️. I hope you like this 😊. I wanna write more about him, so keep the requests coming! Also, your feedback is appreciated ❤️.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ P a i r ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆ Leon S. Kennedy x F!Reader

I take commissions so if you're interested check my Ko-Fi. ❤️

You were both panting as you barely escaped the monster that was chasing you relentlessly all night. He was tall and strong, and bullets didn't kill him. From the distance, it looked like a normal person given the simple outfit; he was wearing a hat and a trenchcoat, both black, but from up close, he was rather scary due to his grey skin and dead eyes. The height also added to the intimidating factor.

How did he end up dressed that way? You asked yourself as you saw him kneeling on the ground. Leon just emptied a clip by shooting his head. Apparently, bullets stop him for a bit, giving you a chance to run. Still, you couldn't help but be amused by his attire.

"Who the fuck gave this thing a fedora?" You asked quietly as you passed near him. "Like, it has to be custom made or something? Look at the size of its head…"

"Probably, but I think we have more important things to worry about right now."

You hurried outside the library and never stopped running. They just kept coming… from all directions. You tried blocking some windows, but it was useless.

All this time, you followed Leon's command, as he seemed more collected, even if he was just a rookie. You had a hunch that he was trying to impress you, and you had two reasons. One, you heard him curse like a sailor around the station before meeting him—something that didn't happen when he was with you—and two, you caught him staring at you a few times. He'd looked away every time you turned your attention to him, but he couldn't hide that smirk.

"This way," he whispered as he gently closed the door behind him.

"Where to-"

"Shh," he said, pointing to the ceiling. Your face turned pale at the sight of the horrendous creature that was crawling. Its sharp, long claws tapped on the surface as he walked on all fours; its brain was popping out, and he didn't appear to have any eyes. Terrified, you froze in place, but Leon grabbed your hand and guided you into the corridor.

"Just watch your steps, ok?" he whispered again in a soft voice, trying to soothen you. "Don't look at it; you'll be fine. Just stick with me."

With steady steps, you made your way to the STARS office and closed the door behind you. Leon pressed his ear on the door, and once he heard the licker crawling away, he told you that you were safe.

You let out a sigh of relief. You hadn't realised you were holding your breath until now.

"Good. Listen, do you mind if we rest a bit here? It's too much cardio for me," you joked.

"Sure, I could use some rest too."

The STARS office was clear, and you found supplies too. Some medicine, ammo, food, and water felt like a gift sent from God. There was also an armory, but it needed to be unlocked from the computer. A reminder that your work is far from done. Still, you tried to enjoy your small break. Leon was sitting at one desk from the edge, and you were sitting next to him. Behind you was a nice brown leather jacket, which you considered taking, but it was too big to fit you. The team's belongings were intact, making you wonder why they closed the unit so suddenly.

"Where do you think they are? Do you think they are safe?" you asked Leon, who was busy starring in the blank.

"They are probably doing better than we are. Those guys were elite."

"I think we're holding up pretty well, considering you're a rookie and I never touched a gun."

"Yeah…you almost blasted my brains back then," he chuckled.

"I'm sorry about that." You said it soflty and gently squeezed his forearm as a sign of comfort. "But you burst through that door, and I panicked."

"It's alright," he said, smiling. He smoothly slid his arm to the edge so he could grab your hand. Your fingers intertwined quickly.

"Thanks for the quick lesson, tho…it came in handy."

"No problem, you're a natural," he winked, which made you blush.

"Yeah, but I kinda had a great teacher."

"What can I say? I work best under stress."

You both chuckled. A short pause followed, in which both of you just stared at each other. Leon wanted to say so many things to you. He wanted to praise you for being so brave and for taking care of him; he wanted to tell you how lucky he feels to have found you in this mess, but he didn't know where to start.

"You ok?" you asked, seeing that he got lost in his thoughts again.

"Yeah, I'm fine… I was grateful for having you with me; that's all."

"Really? For a moment, I thought I slowed you down."

"Me slowing you down? You're faster than me. You actually left me behind a couple of times."

"Oh, that? I thought you did that on purpose...just trying to get rid of me."

He chuckled.

"Nah...I never wished to get rid of you. I really like having you around." He said.

"Me too..."

Neither of you let go of the other's hand.

You both stopped talking. Your smiles dropped and your eyes closed as you leaned forward towards each other. Soon, your lips touched over and over again, filling the room with faint sounds of kissing. You were both shy at first, but Leon got more courageous and came closer to you. His hands found your waist, and you cupped his face, prolonging the kiss. Soon, you felt Leon's tongue trying to find yours, and the kiss got a lot more intense.

Not carrying about Mr.X and other threats, you climbed onto Leon's lap and continued to kiss him with the same passion. Now you were closer to each other as you wrapped your arms around his neck, and he wrapped his big arms around your waist, hugging you and keeping you close.

It shows that Leon craved this kind of affection and intimacy from the sweet whimpers that came out occasionally.

"Wait…" he said as he broke the kiss. "I know a more comfortable chair…"

You didn't know what he meant until he suddenly stood up while managing to carry you and went to Wesker's office. He was a strong fella.

On his way, he never ceased to kiss you, becoming even more eager.

He sat on Wesker's chair, which was more comfortable and much bigger than the previous one. Since your legs had more room to rest, you had the strength to roll your hips over his crotch, letting out small, deep whimpers as you felt his bulge growing between your legs.

His hands squeezed your flesh as they ran along your waist. His muscles relaxed under your precise movements. His needy whines filled the room as you kept moving faster.

"Y/N…" He whispered shyly, breaking the kiss for a few seconds before coming to taste your lips again. He felt his cock throbbing in his pants. He wanted you; he craved you. It was unbearable.

You felt the same way, and your cunt was throbbing with excitement as you thought about him inside you…he felt…big…

With fast movements, you took your pants off, and then you proceeded to strip him off. His cock jumped in the air once his boxers slipped past those big thighs of his, and oh, what a sigh it was. He was long, thick, and leaked heavily in front of your eyes. You watched how a droplet of his precum glided along his length, making you drool. His tip glistered as it was basically drenched in his own juices.

You teasingly tapped his tip with one of your fingers, which made him whine loudly.

"Y/N…" he said, his attempt to maintain his composure being obvious.

"Shh. Just stick with me." You said this, looking at him with siren eyes.

You climbed back, one leg slidding next to him, and the other followed slowly. You raised a bit and aligned yourself above his tip. You wrapped your arms around his neck as you began to descend slowly and gasped when you felt his cock entering inside you. When he felt himself inside you, he pulled you again in a passionate, eager kiss.

Moans and whimpers filled Wesker's office quickly. You let out sharp, deep exhales as you took more and more of him. You struggled a bit at first, but both of you were so wet that after a few thrusts, you slid up and down with ease. Leon moved his hands to your ass, squeezing your cheeks hard with every throb of his cock. Not only did you feel him leak inside you, but you also felt how he rubbed that sweet spot inside you. It was pure bliss, which turned your mind foggy.

He also thrust his hips from beneath you, matching your own rhythm. You allowed yourselves to sink deeper into each other's touch without being bothered by what was happening out there. The kiss became messier, the touching more intense, and the thrusts more erratic as you chased your own release.

However, Leon felt that his time would come sooner, so he lifted you spontaneously and placed you on the desk, knocking down everything that would make you uncomfortable. Was that too loud? He didn't care.

"You are so strong, officer." You teased him and gave him the same dirty look, enjoying how that made him visibly weaker. He rolled his eyes and lowered his head a bit to the side, trying to hide his blushing cheeks.

His cock was halfway inside you now, and his arm rested near your head. With a deep breath, he began to thrust inside you, and he maintained eye contact this time. His face was still red, but not because of embarrassment, but because of how good your cunt made him feel. You wrapped your legs around his waist so you could feel him deeper.

His pace was slow at first, and he didn't go all in. It was pleasant, of course, but you wanted more, so you gently pulled him closer with your legs.

Understanding your intentions, he went all in, his balls constantly slapping your skin with each thrust. His breathing became faster, and your moans became louder as he finally hit that spot inside you again. When he picked up the pace, he placed his big thumb at your clit and stroked it fast. You felt a familiar pressure in your lower belly, and your throbbing cunt gave him a clue that you were about to cum.

"Leon…don't stop…" You said it between whimpers.

With his final strength, he went even faster with both his thrusts and strokes, and finally, he felt your wall clenching around his cock. With rolled eyes and curled toes, you grabbed his forearms as the orgasm hit you hard. A few seconds after your climax, you heard his moans getting louder. Then you felt hot spurts of his cum filling you up fast.

Both of you were trying to catch your breath now. Leon collapsed on top of you and allowed himself to indugle with your gentle touch for a few moments. Your arms were tightly wrapped around his tired body, with one hand playing with some strands of his blonde, smooth hair. The other caressed his back.

His nose was buried in your neck, enjoying the warmth and comfort that your body provided.

"I never thought I'd get laid on my first day as a police officer," he muffled, making you chuckle.

"Well, I bet you never expected a zombie apocalypse either."

"To be honest, if you would've asked me a few days ago which was more likely to happen, I'd go for the zombie apocalypse."

You chuckle again.

"You need to be more confident, Leon." Your fingers moved to his nape. "You're a great guy."

Once he felt your feather-like touch, he sighed with satisfaction.

"Oh yeah, just like that."

You began to massage gently. All this time, he remained inside you, and neither of you protested.

"You like that?"

He let out an affirmative hum.

"I'll tell you what," you began in a soft, calming voice. "When this is over, we keep in touch and go on a normal date. To get to know each other, you know?"

"Sounds good, but we need to get out of here in one piece…"

"Hmm…yeah…let's do that then."

He pulled out eventually and helped you get dressed.

You slowly made your way out of the STARS office, then made your way further into the station, looking for a way out. Now you look at the situation with a little more hope. Maybe it's because of the sex, or maybe you realised you have someone to count on. Who knows, but one thing is sure: you lived to go on your first date.

Tag-list: @lunarastrobabe @skylar-todd@rokurodokuro@brownsugarwrites (if you want to be added DM me 🤗)

#resident evil #resident evil leon #leon s kennedy #leon kennedy #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy x f!reader #leon kennedy x you #leon re2 #resident evil 2 remake

[astarionmademewriteit]

Mission: Chaos

Astarion (Unascended) x (unnamed) f!reader/tav

Rating: Explicit

MDNI. 18+ ONLY. Blank bios will be blocked.

Wordcount: 5.6k

Tags: Smut; Sorta Act 3 spoilers but not really; Blood, gore and graphic violence; Oral sex (Male receiving); Tav is switch-coded; Mostly adventure; some cute lil fluff

Summary: Astarion and Tav are tasked with a mission only two rogues could accomplish. The looming danger sparks a heated moment. The pair continue to unleash chaos in their wake.

Part Two

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿

I exited my tent at nearly the same time as Astarion stepped out of his. We look each other over, admiring our matching black tactical outfits. Our hoods were drawn, shrouding most of our facial features. Astarion had his matching daggers fastened to his hips and bow fastened to his back, while I had my twin scimitars crossed against mine.

I take in the way his muscular frame is outlined by the fitted armor–the various golden buckles and straps only adding to his lithe elegance.

He flashes me a sharp toothy smile that nearly stops my heart, “Are you ready, my love?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I sigh. I turn to the rest of the camp, our companions watching us patiently.

“Hells, that’s adorable,” Karlach laughs, her eyes aflame with delight and perhaps a hint of jealousy, “We should all get matching gear.”

Astarion chuckles and flourishes his hand through the air waving off her comment, “Please,” he breathes, “Not everyone can look this good.”

I roll my eyes playfully and turn back to the group. Gale steps forward, “Okay, you two. Do you remember the plan?”

Astarion rolls his eyes, clearly tired of having to recite the plan for the umpteenth time just to soothe Gale’s obvious dissatisfaction at being left behind. “By the nine hells, yes Gale,” Astarions says his name with unfiltered disdain, “Remember, Tav and I are the most capable individuals for this mission. The last thing we need is a wizard lumbering about and slowing us down.” He crosses his arms over his chest and frowns, clearly irritated with Gale’s questioning.

Gale plays it off cooly, throwing his hands in the air and backing away, “Just be careful and stay imperceptible. Minimal casualties and all that.”

I nod my head before grabbing Astarion by the arm and pulling him after me, ready to be done with the tense conversation.

This mission was a departure from our usual. We were never really the group to plan things out in advance, and our best laid plans usually entailed stomping into the middle of enemy territory and taking them out by sheer force of will. No, this mission was entirely different. It was a reconnaissance. We sought information–information that would surely aid us in beating the Absolute.

There was an unsuspecting enemy fortress in the lower city, crawling with a faction of Absolutists. It was rumored that there was information related to the Grand Design inside the heavily guarded stronghold. Information regarding the crown of Karsus, blueprints and maps revealing the location of the brain, and relevant information related to the Illithids were also rumored to be residing somewhere behind those looming walls.

As the only two rogues in our merry band of misfits, Astarion and I were the best chance we had at infiltrating and obtaining that information and walking out completely unscathed.

We enter the lower city, our long strides and unbreakable determination keep us moving forward. While I am deep in thought, recounting each step of the plan over and over again until it is etched into my brain, Astarion slips his hand through mine and squeezes it softly.

I look up at him pleasantly surprised by the small affection. It warmed my heart to know that he was comfortable with me in such a manner. After everything we’ve been through, and after everything he has had to endure, small affections like this show me that I make him feel safe enough to express his true feelings.

“Nervous?” I ask, raising an eyebrow playfully. I squeeze his hand back as we round a corner. The streets of Baldur’s Gate are bustling, even at night. Street merchants shout at passersby hoping to entice a drunk patron with deep pockets. The taverns lining the street are practically bursting at the seams, loud music spilling from their thresholds and backdropped by the low murmur of drunk customers seeking temporary refuge from reality.

“Ha!” Astarion laughs exuberantly, “Darling, a magnificent and deadly creature such as myself doesn’t get nervous! However, you looked like you needed some comfort,” He pulls his hand from mine and drapes his arm over my shoulders, pulling me in close. I try to stifle the stupid grin on my face, but I’m unsuccessful in my pursuit to remain cool and collected.

I glance at him and, despite his words, he does look concerned. “As long as we watch each other’s back, we will be fine,” I murmur, wanting nothing more than to soothe his worries and smooth the creases in his forehead that appeared as his brows knit together with concern.

He peers down at me, his bright vermillion eyes searching mine, looking for some form of respite, “Just like old times,” he amends. I flash him a sly smile and lean my head into his shoulder as we continue walking towards our destination. His scent engulfs me completely and adds to the growing comfort.

The stronghold grows larger as we approach its imposing presence. We untangle from our embrace and fall to the shadows, walking the perimeter of the building, being careful to avoid the sentry’s posted at every entrance and window. We round the last corner to the back of the fortress and eye the cellar entrance–two swordsmen posted outside the door with bored expressions painted across their empty faces.

Astarion leans over to consult me on our plan but I’m already stumbling out of the shadows, tripping over my feet and slurring my words, waving in their direction, “S’cuse me sirs, where the bloody hells is Elfshong taverns?” My drunk performance eases the tension between the guards and I can hear Astarion hissing a string of expletives from the shadows. I try not to break character, but getting under his skin was entertaining.

“Ma’am, this area is off limits,” they say as they approach.

I trip over my own feet and fall to the ground, letting a drunk giggle escape my lips. The men rush to my side to lend a hand. I look up at the guard and reach for his hand. As soon as I make contact, I yank him down closer and the flash of my scimitar is the last thing the guard sees before the edge slices across the soft flesh of his throat. Blood sprays through the air and before it can settle Astarion is at my side, burying the dagger in the heart of the second guard.

“Bloody hells, darling,” he says exasperated, already pulling his attention away from the corpses, “warn me before you do something like that again.” He laughs breathily, obviously roused by my efficacy.

I smile up at him–blood spray painting my face, “Careful my love, you almost sound impressed,” I laugh playfully as I wipe the blood from my scimitar on the guard's attire before slipping it back into its harness.

“Oh but I am,” he murmurs, “You never look so beautiful than when you are luring others to their death.” He cocks an eyebrow and I pull my shoulder to my chin, preening at his compliment.

We focus our attention back to the cellar door and I let Astarion approach it to examine the lock mechanism. I lean up against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest and propping one foot against the wall, scanning the alleyway to ensure no one approaches us.

Astarion crouches down beside me and inserts a lockpick into the keyhole, making short work of the mechanism. His eyes rake up my body as he pulls himself back to his feet. His vermillion eyes finally meet mine and I cock an eyebrow, letting him know I caught him staring.

“What?” He whines, “I can’t help it,” he shrugs his shoulders before entering the cellar. I follow close behind him, pulling a small dagger out of a built-in holster that Astarion had sewn into the pant legs. He draws his own daggers, his knuckles seemingly paler than normal as he grips the handle. We slink into the dank, cool cellar scanning for any signs of life that might threaten ours. Stacks of wine barrels line the walls, and rows upon rows of bottled wine litter the cellar. Even the floor is covered in a pool of spilled wine. Once we are certain no one occupies the cellar, we relax slightly, looking for a doorway that will lead us into the belly of the beast.

“It’s a wonder the taverns haven’t run dry with the Absolutists hoarding so much wine down here,” I whisper, taken aback by just how large of a supply there was down here.

Astarion continues weaving through the rows of wine, searching for a way out, “Darling, one thing that is never in short supply in Baldur’s Gate, well, aside from tadpoled freaks, is booze. Here we are,” he alerts, finding a ladder leading up to a hatch in the ceiling.

I nod and follow Astarion as he climbs the ladder. He pauses at the hatch, reaching out with his senses to what lay beyond. After a minute or two he pops open the hatch and crawls out, offering me a hand. He pulls me up quickly before securing the hatch.

We are in a large storage area, boxes of food line the walls. We listen at the wooden door, noting the footsteps of a couple of guards as they patrol the corridor that lay beyond. We sit in silence, counting the minutes between each round until we have a good idea of how long we have to exit the storage and take in our surroundings. Once the guards have both made another pass, we exit quietly, scanning the area for places to hide or rooms to search.

A large corridor stretches out in front of us, several rooms line the walls and numerous hallways branch off the main path into unseen corners of the fortress. The corridor is dimly lit, the sconces overflowing with melted candle wax while newly lit ones cast a faint glow that barely illuminates the great hall.

Astarion already looks to be regretting this mission, clearly exasperated by the number of rooms lining these labyrinths. I surge forward, counting down the minutes before another sentry passes through. The information we are searching for would probably be in a room of some importance, and by the looks of it none of these rooms will contain what we are looking for.

We slink along the walls, stopping every so often to listen for approaching footsteps. Astarion is close at my heels, glancing behind every so often to make sure we aren’t taken by surprise. An adjacent hallway moves out of view and I start forward, hoping to find something–anything.

I peak around the corner and eye two cultists conspiring quietly while they stroll away from us. I signal to Astarion that two enemies are up ahead and he nods, readying himself. We crouch low and stalk slowly in their wake, our footsteps imperceptible even to the pests that scuttle about nearby. I tighten my grip on my dagger, nearing the cultists as they fuss with impatience over the agonizingly slow takeover of Baldur’s Gate.

Astarion and I react simultaneously, wrapping our arms around the unsuspecting thralls and cutting deeply into their throats, effectively cutting off any attempt to alert the others. My victim falls backwards into me and I quickly begin pulling their body into an adjoining room. I dispose of their body in an unsuspecting corner and watch as Astarion follows.

“I’ll never get tired of annihilating these tadpoled freaks,” I whisper, “The rush of adrenaline is exhilarating to say the least.” I admire our handiwork.

Astarion grins in my direction, “Yes… your adrenaline is exhilarating, my dear. It’s so palpable I can almost taste it,” he licks his lips playfully and flashes his fangs. I immediately blush, images of him drinking greedily from my throat flood my mind.

“You’re so distracting,” I say flirtatiously. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to go on a solo mission with Astarion. He makes it difficult to focus, especially when he looks at me the way he is–as if he is ready to devour me.

He simply laughs in response before returning to the mission at hand. We surveyed our surroundings one last time before following the winding hallways through the fortress looking for a room that looked of some importance. We passed by rows of rooms, some sporadically containing Absolutists, too engrossed in their conversations to realize danger lurked around the corner. Most we spared simply because we were trying to keep a low profile. Others wouldn't be so lucky.

We round another corner, eyeing a large set of oak doors emblazoned with the Absolute’s insignia. I turn to Astarion who looks relieved. We slowly make our way down the long corridor when the clanking of metal armor rings through the hallway, echoing loudly in our ears. In one brief moment, a steel watcher exits a room adjacent to the one we were headed towards, and Astarion snakes his arm around my waist and pulls me off the ground and into a room directly beside us. I gasp momentarily, not expecting to be so roughly handled.

He pushes me up against a wall out of the doorway and presses a hand to my mouth. My heart beats loudly in my chest, threatening to burst through my ribcage. Astarion huffs quietly, slightly annoyed that we were almost detected. We stay perfectly still, listening as the steel watcher clangs about slowly.

Astarions forearm is pressed against my shoulders and, even though our demise looms just down the hall, I can’t help the sinful thoughts that cross my mind–especially when his hand is clasped firmly over my mouth the way it is. I shift uncomfortably, pressing my thighs together subtly. I try to suppress the growing warmth that travels to my core, rather unsuccessfully.

Nothing gets past Astarion, however, who has come to recognize my body language better than I knew my own. He peers down at me and knits his eyebrows together, sending me a quiet look that just says… Really? Of all the times.

I look up at him with rounded eyes and shrug. It’s not like I could explain myself with his hand pressed against my mouth and a metal monstrosity lurking around the corner threatening to alert every Absolute in the building of our presence.

Astarion carefully reaches out with his foot and shuts the door quietly. We stand still for several more minutes, waiting for the steel watcher to stray from its post. It seems to be assigned to this hall specifically, and if we can’t find a way into that room, the whole mission will have been for naught.

He loosens his grip around my mouth and brings a finger to his mouth, gesturing for me to stay quiet. I roll my eyes. He glares at me, a look of lustful determination dances across his face. I know that devious look.

Astarion and I have found a kindred spirit in one another. Our blood always ran hot after battle, and our sexual tension was always palpable during moments of high danger. It was an odd little quirk–one that usually awarded us concerning looks among the other companions. They knew we would disappear for hours on end after a particularly difficult battle, choosing to get lost in one another. At least,that was before he truly opened up to me. He confessed his feelings regarding sex, assuring me that what we had was something more, but that it was just too much for him to process–too much to handle. I understood.

It had been weeks since we were last intimate, not that I particularly minded. I had fallen head over heels for this man and I only wanted him to have time to heal. I respected his space, because it wasn’t his body or his looks that took hold of my heart–it was all of him. His soul. It was his fierce protectiveness that he tried so hard to hide that captured my heart. His undying loyalty for his friends. His passion for something more than what the last two centuries had offered him.

He has slowly started exploring physical touch with me again. Placing small kisses along my shoulders. Running his fingers through my hair. Idly tracing shapes on my skin at night. If he allowed it, I would return the small affections, always making sure that he was happy and present.

Our currently shared predicament ignited something in me tonight. I don't know if it was the jarring realization that I loved Astarion more than words could ever properly describe, or the fact that this little mission of ours just reinforced how badly I could not lose him. Perhaps it was both, but a deep yearning for him settled in the pit of my stomach. But it wasn't just about what I wanted. If the way he was looking at me was any indicator, it seemed like he desperately needed me too. Of course, we'd have to be positively mad to indulge in that kind of behavior right now, but we never classified ourselves as sane, rational people to begin with. The heat of the moment was almost unbearable.

A look passes between us and I cock my head to the side, a silent question on my expression. He flashes me a devious smile, which is all the answer I need. He leans in slowly, his hands tracing the curves of my body as he makes his way to my face. His fingers tangle in my hair and he pulls me in roughly, crushing his lips to mine with such eager desperation that I all but go limp under his touch.

I return his kiss eagerly, allowing him to lead–to explore at his own comfort and pace. His tongue forces its way into my mouth, searching for my own. Our tongues mingle, indulging fervently in one another–searching for reprieve. Our lips move together in time, his taste completely engulfing me. His fangs drag against my lip and it takes all the strength in me not to moan. But that was part of the fun wasn't it?

Astarion presses his body harder into mine, pinning me to the wall with such unfiltered reverence. His arousal is evident as it digs into my stomach and my body screams for him in return. I'm fully aware that we cannot have sex here. I could not hope to stay silent during such a sordid affair, but I wanted so badly to bring him pleasure. I wanted him to feel untainted ecstasy, purely for his enjoyment (and let’s face it, for my own enjoyment as well. Nothing felt better than making him feel good). That's where I make up my mind.

With all the force I can muster I spin him around and press him against the wall, never breaking our sultry kiss. Astarion is momentarily stunned by my forwardness, but quickly relaxes and indulges me.

Our tongues continue their sensual dance, exploring one another's mouth as if it's our last night on Faerun. It very well could be. I move my hands to his trousers, playing with the ties that are keeping him restrained. I pull away from our kiss momentarily to peer up into those vermillion eyes, gauging whether he was okay with this. He pushes the hair out of my face, tucking a wisp of hair behind my pointed ears.

He gives me a look of approval which only spurs me to unlace his trousers. I crouch slowly, never taking my eyes off him. The look of pure adoration that graces his features let me know that he is okay and that he wants this. I drop completely to my knees in an act of pure worship–of reverence.

“Darling,” he whispers softly, “You're insatiable.” I give him a knowing look before springing his arousal free from the confines of his trousers. A look of triumph crosses my features, he was hard for me. I still evoked a sense of desire from him. I truly was lucky.

I peel his trousers away before looking up into his wanting face. He looks so earnestly turned on by our circumstances that it brings a devious smile to my lips. I take his cock in my hand, eliciting a quiet hiss to escape his perfect lips. I swipe my thumb across his swollen head, already leaking from the sheer excitement and looming danger. I look up at him, rounding my eyes and biting my lip–a look that drives him mad. He is delirious with desire.

I take his length between my lips, slowly taking him in until I can take no more. Astarion throws his head back, resting it on the wall behind him. His hands snake down into my hair, his fingers grasping for leverage. He moans quietly–the sound strained and full of need. He begins to guide my head gently, using my mouth to fuck himself slowly and deliberately.

My tongue drags down his length, savoring the way he tastes. I suck him hard and slow, letting him guide my movements. I stroke the base of his cock with my hand which only heightens his desire. I swirl my tongue around his head, teasing him endlessly until he all but forces his cock back down my throat.

I push his cock to the back of my throat as far as it will go, ignoring the way I gag around him. My throat tightens around his length, and his hand shoots to his mouth clearly enjoying it enough that he has to remind himself to stay as quiet as possible.

I continue to suck him slowly and deeply, bobbing my head in deliberate motions, enjoying the way I can pleasure him so intently. Tears begin to roll down my cheeks as I continue my pace. His hands drag down his body and he pulls his shirt up slightly, giving me a peak at his toned abdomen.

I lock eyes with him, never stopping my pursuit and I can tell that action alone is enough to push him over the edge. His grip in my hair tightens, pulling at my hair painfully in just the way I like which spurs me to continue.

I pick up the pace, his cock hitting the back of my throat repeatedly and causing me to gag more frequently. More tears escape from my lash line and the sight of me has Astarion panting heavily, his knees practically buckling from the intense pleasure.

I pull away for a moment and let my hand continue to service him, a string of saliva hangs between my lips and his throbbing head. I look up at him with rounded eyes, trying to convey a look of pure innocence. I can tell the sight drives him wild. I find him on the precipice, so close to falling over the edge.

He whimpers, a rare sound to escape his lips, but one that lets me know how he is feeling, “Please,” he begs. It is such a rare moment to find him begging for release, and it is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.

“Please, what?” I ask teasingly. It is not very often that I get to coax such desperate words from his lips and I plan to take advantage of our situation. I want him to tell me what he wants.

He huffs, clearly seeing through my ploy. He surrenders to it almost instantly, unable to hurl a quip in my direction with the way my hand falls down his slick length slowly.

He struggles to find the words while he is so completely at my mercy. I cock an eyebrow at him, waiting patiently as I continue to massage his cock languidly in my palm. I teasingly swipe my tongue up the length of his shaft, hoping that it will motivate him to tell me what he wants.

“Please,” he says breathlessly, “I want to come.” He peers down at me, his eyes a pool of desperation and mad with desire.

I nod my head and quickly take him fully in my mouth once more, letting my throat accommodate as much of him as I can possibly muster. He inhales sharply, enjoying the way my warm wet mouth fits so perfectly around him. He grips my hair even tighter and I stifle the moan that wants to escape my throat.

He sets the pace for me once again, my head bobbing fervently as I suck hard and quickly. His cock hitting the back of my throat at a punishing pace as he thrust himself into me. His breathing becomes ragged, his thrusts more erratic. I can tell he is chasing his own release.

“Gods,” he whispers, his voice gravelly and thick with lust, “Please don’t stop.”

I chance a small groan, despite our current situation, and the vibrations are surely what sends him over the edge. His pace slows as his seed spills into the back of my throat. I swallow it greedily, his taste giving me my own sort of pleasure.

I can tell Astarion wants nothing more than to moan out in pleasure, but he keeps quiet, throwing his head back against the wall as his orgasm rocks through his body. His release sends a wave of pleasure through his entire body.

I swallow every drop of his spent, savoring its unique flavor. Once he has stilled completely, I pull him from my mouth with a quiet pop. He looks down at me, trying desperately to bring his breathing under control. I can feel the slickness between my thighs and note the ways my body longs for him.

I swipe my thumb along the corner of my mouth and down my bottom lip before helping him fasten his trousers. I stand completely and meet his vermillion gaze.

“Gods below,” he finally whispers, his voice raspy, “You’re going to be the death of me, my dear.” He brings a hand to my face and swipes his thumb across my cheek, wiping away a stray tear that had escaped earlier.

I drag my hands through his ivory curls and look at him with unfiltered adoration. His eyes flit to my lips once more and he pulls me in close, kissing me so deeply and with such devotion that my knees threaten to buckle underneath me.

After a moment he pulls away, “We better make it through the night, darling,” he purrs, “Because I’m taking you for myself when we get back to camp.” he drags a knuckle down my neck and gently traces my collarbone. He sighs with longing, before releasing me from his embrace. My body shivers at his promise, steeling my determination.

Back to the task at hand. There will be more time to indulge in one another later. Astarion chances a peek through the door. He eyes the steel watcher, blindly marching up and down the long corridor.

“One more rotation and we can make a break for the door while its back is turned. We’ll only have a few seconds to get inside, so we’ll have to be quick and deliberate,” he whispers. I nod in understanding and wait for his order.

The steel watcher clanks down the hall, passing by our door. As soon as we are out of eye sight, we quickly and silently head towards the oak doors. Astarion quickly begins lockpicking while I watch the steel watcher near the end of the hall.

“It’s about to come back,” I say urgently. I hear the lock give way under his deft fingers and we slink in and shut the door just when the watcher rounded on its heels. I rest against the oak doors, trying to calm my nerves and taking in the surrounding room.

The room had vaulted ceilings, only lit by the low burning candles on the wall. The opposite side of the room had floor to ceiling shelves filled with dusty tomes. A large ornate desk sat in the middle scattered with papers–none of which looked particularly important. Against a sidewall sat a large table with maps strewn about, battle plans inscribed across them.

Astarion studies the maps before stuffing them into his pocket. I eye a chest against an adjacent wall and make my way over, studying it for any signs of a trap. Satisfied that I detect none, I crouch down to begin picklocking.

Before I can, however, Astarion yanks me to my feet and I look up at his worried face. “Darling, do be careful. It is obviously a trap.” His face is concerned–scared even. The thought of me getting hurt because I failed to detect the trap creeps across his face. Usually, in these situations he would be more annoyed than anything. But all I see is real fear.

“Sorry,” I murmur, stepping aside to allow him to disarm the trap and unlock the chest. He makes quick work of both, his lithe hands working gracefully and efficiently. After a moment, the chest pops open.

We both look inside. It is filled with several folded letters containing useful information related to the Grand Design. Several tomes related to the Crown of Karsus and its Netherstones were also nestled inside. Lastly, a large map marking a location deep beneath the city looked particularly interesting. Perhaps that is where the elder brain was located. We stuff the contents of the chest in our pack and ready ourselves to leave.

“Let’s get the hells out of here,” Astarion says, relieved.

Before we can exit the room, the door swings open. We react instantly, melting into the wall just out of eyesight of the door. An armored woman walks through the door completely unaware of our presence as she is too engrossed in a letter she has in her hand. Before the door can fully shut, Astarion leaps forward from behind her and places a hand over her mouth. She looks up at me, terror and recognition fills her eyes. I’m the last thing she ever sees as he snaps her neck with powerful force.

Her limp body falls to the floor. I snatch the letter from her hand and read it quickly. There is some kind of charm or enchantment concealing the actual message. I stuff it into my pocket, hoping Gale can find some use in it.

We peek through the door, waiting for the watcher to turn its back. Once the coast is clear, we begin our complicated dance–maneuvering in and out of rooms as the watcher passes us by. Once we clear the corridor, we begin our long journey through the maze of corridors, eliminating stray cultists if we come across them and picking up any gold we find along the way.

By the time we make it back to the storage room, our pockets are heavy with gold and various loot. We descend down the hatch and back into the cellar, giggling quietly at our success. A mixture of relief and satisfaction washing over us as our tension melts away.

We burst through the cellar door and into the alleyway, the cool dark night welcoming us. I turn to find Astarion calculating, a diabolical grin graces his features. I cock my head to the side, wondering what he is planning.

“Stand back, darling,” he says, flashing his fangs. In one fluid motion he lights the end of an arrow and nocks it. He pulls the arrow back until the string is taut. His muscles strain against the force and he has never looked quite as beautiful than in this moment–right before causing unimaginable chaos. He aims squarely at the still open door of the cellar and releases the arrow. Before it lodges in the side of a barrel of wine he turns and bolts towards me. He leaps gracefully in my direction and we both topple to the ground. He shields my body with his, pinning me firmly to the cold hard ground.

As soon as we hit the ground a large explosion rings through the air as a chain reaction ignites the lowest level of the fortress. The heat from the explosion pricks my skin as a large orange glow rises into the dark night. The building gives way, its structural integrity buckling under the sheer force of the explosion.

I burst out laughing, tears coming to the surface as my laughter turns into uncontrollable guffawing. Astarion joins me in laughter, and the sound is beautiful. We allow ourselves to fall apart, finding entertainment in our own chaotic decisions. The glow from the explosion paints his features in a warm aura, and at this moment I have decided I cannot live without my vampire.

I run my fingers through his snowy curls, looking at him with pure devotion hanging heavy in my heart. “I love you, Astarion,” I whisper lovingly.

He stares at me and his features soften, “I-I love you too, Tav.” He leans down and kisses me in the alley way, all our fears melting away and forgotten as the building crashes down behind us. We are just two love-sick people who thrive on chaos. I cannot think of a place I would rather be. He continues to surprise me, and I surmise our future together is going to be beautifully chaotic.

“Let’s get you back to camp, darling,” He whispers as he pulls away from our kiss, “We have some unfinished business to attend to.”

#Astarion #astarion x female tav #tav x astarion #bg3 #astarion fanfic #bg3 fanfic #astarion x reader #astarion x f!reader #astarion x f!tav #f!reader x astarion #f!tav x astarion

[luckych]

ʚ 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ : ____ is the type of guy : NCT DREAM edition! ɞ

ʚ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ : nct dream x reader ɞ

ʚ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ : some small fluff moments here and there and most definitely smut. ɞ

ʚ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ : there may be some bad use of punctuation, maybe some spelling mistakes, mentions of a size kink, degradation, praise, slightly fluffy, JUST SOME KINKY FREAKY SHIT. ɞ

ʚ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠! ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ : all of the warnings are prewritten. some of these might warnings not be in the story, some things that happen might not be in the warning section. if that’s the case, point it out for me (๑>◡<๑) ɞ

ʚ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ : 1642 words. alright, i was able to do all this in one night surprisingly. it was slightly easy, but i should challenge myself next time, but i like doing short stuff.

ʚ 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ : this is literally just a “____ is the type of guy” to do something whether it’s sexual or just very fluffy like. i felt like it’d be fun to do and pretty easy ngl.. if you don’t agree with me, that’s alright cuz i don’t even know if i agree with me 😭. ɞ

ʚ 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐲 ౨ৎ ˖ ࣪⊹ : me @luckych the idea might not have come directly from me and might’ve been done before, but none of my work is plagiarized. i wrote everything by myself, so you can obviously use the idea for yourself, but do NOT take my work and pass it off as your own, please and thank you. ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ɞ

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haechan is the type of guy who wants a girl who likes to be a brat tamer. we all know that haechan has the bad tendency to be very bratty and whiny. i feel like he’d probably love to have somebody who can tame him and keep him in check when he has an attitude. for some reason it just turns him on so much.

haechan is the type of guy to love being degraded and put in his place. it basically goes back to him wanting to be tamed when he’s being bratty. he would probably love to be degraded and called a needy, pathetic bitch when he begs for your attention.

haechan is the type of guy to love being dominated but loves to dominate you. he loves it when you take control of him and ride him at your own pace while he’s tied to the bed and unable to touch you, but he would give anything to dominate you. to know that he’s making you feel good. he loves to hear the way you moan for him to continue thrusting into your puffy pussy, the way he presses down on your stomach to feel where he’s at, how you writhe when he hits your g-spot; he enjoys it.

jisung is the type of guy to use his height difference between you two as a kink. (size kink.) now jisung is a really tall guy. he’s almost 6’0 and a lot of girls are really short. he loves the way you seem so small next to him, so when he’s fucking you, he loves how tiny you look compared to him. he loves to call you small and cute during it especially if your height difference is really large.

jisung is the type of guy to be shy while initiating sex, but when he’s in the moment, he immediately becomes one of the most extroverted, confident man ever. he’s definitely slapping your ass, choking you, degrading you, just being confident as if he was sweating just asking you to have sex a minute ago.

jisung is the type of guy to slightly get off on the members listening to your moans and cries when he’s fucking you. he hates it at the same time because it embarrasses him, but he loves to let the others know who you belong to and who you will always belong to.

chenle is the type of guy to love a girl who’s bratty and has a bad attitude. he loves to give off that exact same ‘bad attitude’ when it comes to fucking you. he loves to put bratty girls in their place. it gives him a sense of power if that makes sense to make you a babbling mess after you were being a bitch towards him for absolutely no other reason than the fact that you could.

chenle is the type of guy to love to spoil his girlfriend with anything she wants at any time. he would literally just come up to you out of the blue with a bag full of money and clothes with a note saying, “continue being good and you’ll get another reward,” with a small smiley face. god knows that chenle has enough money to spend on somebody so why not do it for the most special girl in his life? he loves to take you out on shopping sprees, to nice restaurants, etc. he just loves to pamper you if you were being good that day.

chenle is the type of guy to use toys during sex. he loves to get you prepared for him by tying you up to the bed frame tightly while a vibrator is going 100 miles per hour inside of you. again, he does like the sense of power when you beg and plead for him to be inside you and stop torturing you. he always lets it go on for an extended period of time, getting off to the sight of your thighs trembling from your upcoming orgasm.

mark is the type of guy to want to fuck you inside the dance practice room just because he feels like it. he seems like the type to want to be caught in the act. it eggs him on to know that there’s a high possibility of getting caught whether it’s before or after practice. he’ll make you take him anywhere at any time respectfully.

mark is the type of guy to love playing video games with you late at night when you come over unexpectedly. it’s a really fun activity, but you guys mostly play with the other guys too. it’s like a small date that’s unplanned but incredibly fun because you know.. it’s mark.

mark is the type of guy to have haechan or any other member for that matter watch you guys have sex and allow them to get off to it. he seems like the type of guy to be into voyeurism. he wants them to watch. he wants them to see the way your pussy stretches out to take him in; he wants them to see everything. he’d definitely ask a member to watch out of the blue, somebody he trusts.

renjun is the type of guy to be extremely stern on you looking him in the eyes while he fucks you. he likes for you to stare him in the eyes as his face contorts when you clench around his hardened length. he wants to see your face as well when you cum harder than ever before when you look him in the eyes. he loves to see your fucked out face when he pounds into you for the 4th time.

renjun is the type of guy to be very dominant but very whiny at the same time. he’d definitely be stuttering and mumbling incoherently to himself when you squeeze your soft, warm walls around him or you kiss his neck on the exact spot he needs it. he can’t help but moan and whine when you do anything he’s fond of.

renjun is the type of guy to gently rub paint against your skin if you catch him turning one of his painting sessions. he will definitely dip his hand into a paint cup, dunk his hand in it and place his hands all over your body like you’re his canvas. he places his hand marks in the most inappropriate places like your boobs, your neck, your ass, everywhere.

jeno is the type of guy to cockwarm you while your sitting in his lap when he’s playing video games with the other members. he enjoys the way you place your phone down against the desk when he thrusts his hips as he receives critical damage. he likes you catch you off guard when he begins to softly thrust into you, placing gentle kisses against your cervix.

jeno is the type of guy to touch you under the table when your parents or friends are right across from you. i know, i know, very stereotypical but at the same time, i feel like he’d enjoy the way you’d place your hand over your mouth softly and act like you were coughing when you had the dire need to let out a moan.

jeno is the type of guy to be clingy whenever his s/o is nearby him. he loves when you’re around him and no matter who’s around, he will be clingy towards you; hugging, kissing, cuddling up against you.

jaemin is the the type of guy to actually be one of the sweetest guys when he’s in the bedroom. he calls you an angel, his pretty princess, his gorgeous girl; he’s just praising the life out of you even if he’s just yapping for no reason.. he will go out of his way to praise you in the sweetest ways even though he’s pounding the life out of you.

jaemin is the type of guy to always buy you expensive gifts for your birthday or even just random occasions. he knows that you love to look pretty and clothes are what really give you that feeling or prettiness so he goes out of his way to be attentive and focus on what you like so he can give you gifts randomly.

jaemin is the type of guy to be flirty even during sex. like he’s the type to keep up his same flirty and charming attitude even though he’s all sweaty and rough as he’s harshly thrusting into your wet, needy pussy at a steady pace.

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₊˚⊹ ᰔ * - honestly, i feel like i could’ve done better with this. i don’t think i tried hard enough tbh (·•᷄∩•᷅)

₊˚⊹ ᰔ * - again, this was made by me @luckych

₊˚⊹ ᰔ * - i can agree to you using the idea because i feel like this has been done before, but please, don’t copy my work word for word.. (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)

#nct #nct dream #smut #kpop #nctzen #mark lee #haechan #jaemin #renjun #park jisung #jeno #chenle #127 #czennie #nct smut #nct x reader #nct imagines