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thesugarsoiree · 6 months

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Of Winter’s Flame | CHAPTER SEVEN

Vhaelor…Nightwing…Maelyx…Moonfyre…

Names cycled through Y/n’s head as she was dressed for the day, freshly washed of dragon's breath and prepped for the impending games. She switched between Valyrian and Westerosi names for Crownstealer, undecided as her handmaids fixed on her corset. She could keep Crownstealer, but what fun would that be? The she-dragon had received her name by reputation alone, it was time a rider gave her a more fitting name.

“My Lady,” A guard announced, opening the curtains to her room, “the Prince Aemond Targaryen.”

Y/n didn’t bother to greet the man as he stepped in. She looked towards her handmaids with knowing eyes, the women curtsying swiftly before exiting the tent, leaving Y/n to do up her dress alone.

“I believe congratulations are in order.” Aemond took a step closer, watching Y/n attempt to fasten the ribbons on her back.

“Is that so? For our betrothal?” She hummed, ignoring his attempts at eye contact.

“No, for your taming of Crownstealer. You are the first in our history to do such a thing, I’m sure the two of you shall be formidable together.” Aemond nodded, hands clasped behind his back. Y/n huffed a sigh out of her nose, failing once more to tie the back of her dress properly. She paused, looking through her mirror to where Aemond stood with frustration.

“Thank you, you are very kind. Would you do me another kindness and do up my dress?” She mused with fake sincerity, Aemond pausing before approaching her. He took the ties in his hands gently, Y/n watching as he focused on setting the knots in place. When he came closer she noted that he smelled vaguely of sweet oils and steel.

“I hope that in time you will forgive my mother and father, they told me only days before you about our betrothal. It is a fine match, one that will benefit the realm.” Aemond mumbled, fastening the last bow of her dress.

“A fine match indeed,” Y/n chuckled sourly, turning to face him. His eyebrows furrowed, hands left to idle themselves as his work was done.

“So, if all the congratulations have been given I do believe we have a tourney to attend, my Prince.” Y/n scoffed, brushing past him.

“I was also here to escort you, my lady.” Y/n stopped, cursing the Old Gods for being cruel as they were. She said nothing, Aemond eventually coming up beside her.

“Shall we?” She hummed, offering her arm to him yet not sparing him a glance. He took her hand, leading them out of her tent and into the buzzing encampment. All eyes were on them as they passed, girlish whispers and boyish mockeries spreading like wildfire. Wildfire, now that was a name for a dragon. Aemond left her with the King and his court when they arrived, kissing her hand and then swiftly departing. Y/n greeted the King first, kissing his cheek before curtsying to the Queen. She nodded towards Aegon as she took her seat and squeezed Helaena’s hand.

“Aemond will be jousting today,” Helaena said, eyes aglow, “he is bound to ask for your favour.”

“I expect my betrothed is not one for pageantries such as favours.” Y/n giggled, toying with the garland that sat on her side table. It was made of a mixture of flowers, to represent both of her lineages. The winter roses were a bright, almost unnatural blue. The red and black roses were nestled beside, creating a contrast that quite suited Y/n.

“I know my brother.” Helaena hummed, and they left it at that. The horns sounded and names were announced, the joust beginning with knights from the Reach and the Vale. It went on like that for an hour, a charming knight from the Riverlands asking for Helaena’s favour. She gave it to him with a grin Y/n hadn’t seen her bless Aegon with, throwing the garland down onto his lance. Then, after the dust settled and the knight from the Riverlands enjoyed his victory, a hush fell over the crowd.

“Prince Aemond Targaryen will now choose an opponent!” Y/n almost covered her ears with how loud the audience screamed, Aemond entering on a horse as black as the Black Dread himself. Aemond’s armor was dark, ridges carved out to resemble that of a dragon's scale. His helmet was in the shape of a dragon’s maw, encircling his head with its sharpened fangs. Y/n noticed that the crest on top of his head was made of both red and green hairs, something the Queen no doubt had influence on.

Aemond paced in front of the knights who were lined up, at least one representative from each region stood proud upon their horses. He paused in front of the knight from the Westerlands, pointing his lance towards the man.

“Ser Rhys Lannister!” The announcer shouted above the crowd, both knights moving towards their respective ends of the arena. Aemond stopped, head raising to look directly into the King’s box. His eyes locked with Y/n’s, sharp gaze searching her own.

“My Lady Y/n,” He called, “I would be honoured to fight with your favour to give me luck.” He lifted his lance towards her. Y/n smirked, picking up her garland and going to the railings that separated them.

“To your victory, my love.” Y/n teased, tossing her favour onto the weapon. Aemond took off without a second glance, readying himself before the starting horns echoed throughout the woods. The men were off in seconds, the beating of their horses' hooves matching the thundering of Y/n’s heart. She leaned forward in her seat as they connected, a wide grin stretching her lips as the Lannister boy was knocked from his horse, his golden mare being wrangled in by squires. Aemond rounded back to the King’s box, bowing his head. Viserys laughed, clapping loudly and ordering another round of wine which Y/n was glad to indulge in. The wine here was oddly sweet, not like the harsh mull she had grown to know in the North. It was like biting into a cake each time she took a sip, enjoying the show Aemond put before her as knight after knight fell to his lance.

The sun was setting by the time the tourney had drawn to a close, Aemond disappearing after his rounds were finished. Y/n stood as the King did, watching him exit with the Queen before the rest of the nobles in the box began to file out.

“My brother is quite fond of you.” Y/n grimaced as Aegon came to her side, walking with her to the feast.

“That is good to hear, my prince.” She answered politely, keeping her hands clasped at her front so she would not touch him.

“Mm, yes. Though, I don’t believe he’s fond enough to satisfy you. A Northern woman like yourself? You need a man, and my brother is still a boy.” Aegon chuckled quietly, swishing around the contents of the goblet which he had taken.

“I do not appreciate these foul insinuations, your highness.” Y/n’s tone was sharp, her accent getting thicker with her anger.

“Oh, no insinuations here, my lady. Simple truth.” Aegon sighed, though it was not sad, it was frustrated.

“I, on the other hand, have had many nights with northern ladies. If you wish to feel satisfied during your marriage I am always—” Aegon’s words choked in his throat as a loud growl echoed through the forest, everyone pausing and looking around them. Y/n sucked in a quick breath, watching as a familiar winged figure circled above them, outlined by the pink and orange hues of the dusky sky.

“It seems that I am not the only one who grows tired of your voice, Aegon. If you’ll excuse me, I need to find my betrothed.” Y/n curtsied, leaving Aegon to stand by himself. She was trailed by two guards, people parting as she practically flew by them to her tent. What she did not expect when she entered was for the Queen to be sitting at her vanity, toying with the necklace she had gifted to her. Alicent stood when she saw Y/n, a small smile plumping her cheeks.

“My Queen,” Y/n curtsied deeply, “to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“It is time we spoke, Y/n.” The Queen approached the girl, grasping her hands tightly.

“About your future.”

————————————————————————————🎀

First of all I wanna say that I am so grateful for ur guys’ comments! I don't usually reply because I have no idea what I would say other than “Thank you”, but just know that ur support means the world! XOXO

Taglist (Request to be added!):

@heavenly1927 @holb32 @queenofshinigamis @duds31 @tssf-imagines @raven1234321 @urmomsgirlfriend1 @littlebirdgot

#x reader #x fem!reader #game of thrones #asoif/got #hotd #hotd x reader #house of the dragon #aemond one eye #aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x reader #ofwintersflame #alicent hightower #daemon targeryan #rhaenyra targaryen #House of the dragon x reader #aegon ii targaryen x reader #hotd smut #hotd imagine #hotd fic

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hiraya-rawr · 2 years

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fix me up, lover boy

synopsis !! they like you and they help fix your appearance

characters !! Butler Elzer, Ayato, Zhongli, Diluc

note !! gn!reader but mentioned maid role in elzer's. slight suggestive implication in elzer and ayatos? and yes WEBTOON ELZER IS ON HERE BC CUTE BUTLERS–

— E L Z E R .

As a servant of the winery, you were required to keep up appearances. It was necessary when representing the Ragnvindr name after all. Adeline was especially strict when it comes to an out-of-place tie or a wrinkled skirt.

Tonight was no different; master Diluc was holding a gala, displaying the newest collection of wine. Your fellow maids had already left to help serve the influx of guests, but you lingered just outside the main hall, struggling to fix your headband.

You almost didn't notice Elzer calling your name.

"(Name)? (Name), the other maids are looking for you."

You look up to see the butler holding a tray of champagne glasses, upon seeing your struggle, he carefully places the tray on a console table.

"May I?" He reaches up with gloved hands, gesturing to your head piece. You nod as he adjusts the hairs out of place, tying the intricate lace with the proficiency of a trained butler. All the while you stare up at him. He wonders if you could notice the pink dusting his cheeks.

Once he's done, his hands linger as they fall to your cheek, brushing an unnoticed strand away.

"You're looking presentable now." He says softly, face much too close to yours. His hand stays on your cheek and you briefly wonder why isn't he pulling away.

"Just presentable?" You inquire back.

". . .More than presentable." He pauses, then adds, "I fear you might outshine the lavishly dressed nobles in the main hall."

Your breath hitches, his eyes never leaving yours. There's a thumping in your heart from such a comment. "Elzer?"

He leans in a bit closer, the hand on your cheek pulling you in and–

"I hate to break the moment but there are guests without champagne glasses waiting by the door." A gruff voice cuts through. Diluc crosses his arms at the other end of the hall, an eyebrow raised.

"Master Diluc! My apologies, we–"

"Young Master, I was just about to–"

You start in unison but Diluc only waves you off, "You both have the day off tomorrow, isn't that right? Enjoy all the time then but not when there are visitors to attend to." He scolds and you both nod.

The redhead makes his way back to the main hall, but before that he turns once again, "Or, y'know, there's always time later tonight once all the guests are gone. Do enjoy yourselves." A ghost of a smirk crosses his face as you both turn as red as your master's hair.

– A Y A T O .

Traditional Inazuman clothing were difficult to put on alone, especially the decorated ones. It's not easy to arrange layer after layer with all their ribbons and knots.

So please forgive your amateurish abilities when the knot behind your back started to fall apart, loosening the entire wardrobe along with it in the middle of a teahouse gathering.

It was Ayato who immediately notices your quiet distress, pulling you aside behind one of the screen doors before anyone notices.

"I thought I secured it." You whine, hands on your face to hide the slight embarrassment. He only chuckles, turning you around to witness your disaster of a so-called-'secured knot'.

"You tied it like a shoelace." He says it a matter-of-factly, voice stuck between amusement and disbelief, unsure if he wanted to laugh at your misfortune or question how you thought this could ever be secure.

"Just please tie it properly for me. Archons forbid anyone finds us here and assumes– erm..."

He smirks, "Assumes what, exactly?"

"You know what." You feel him handling the ties on your back.

"It's not as if it would be a bad assumption."

You huff, "It would be bad for a bachelor to be caught up in a scandal."

He laughs, it's lithe and almost melodic sounding. "What an overreaction, I'm merely tying some knots."

You pout at his disagreement, wanting to justify yourself: "This is the work of the house-help, not the Yashiro Commissioner. Although if you enjoy it so much, you could do it for your future spouse everyday."

"I wouldn't have to do it everyday if you learned how to do it on your own." He talks back, almost nonchalantly, a habit– and you swiftly turn to face him.

"What?"

". . . what?" He repeats, raising an eyebrow.

"You said. . . " Your eyes narrow at him in confusion. The realization, the implication, settles in his mind slowly.

"Ah. . . " Lavender eyes stray away from yours, seemingly interested on the wall beside you, "I misspoke."

"I said your future spouse." You try to bite back the teasing smile on your lips, a hidden laugh on the tip of your throat, "You didn't even hesitate to say–"

"I said I misspoke!" He turns his back on you but you see the flush reaching his ears, tinting them pink.

You muffle a laugh, "Should I learn how to tie knots, Ayato dearest?~ Or should I leave that up to you?"

He groans, a hand hiding his face, "We should go back to the party. People would start assuming things." The screens slide open as he briskly walks out, leaving you to call out to him in glee.

"People would assume what, Ayato!"

– Z H O N G L I .

"I wonder what I would look like with red eyeliner." You mutter, observing the way his hand -steady as rock- brushed the signature red eyeliner on the edges of his eye.

"Would you like to know?" He smiles, slipping his free hand to cup your chin and pull you close. Your breath hitches.

"Don't move now," he says, voice low, "We don't want it to smudge." You almost nodded, but his fingers kept your chin locked and close to his.

A soft brush caresses the underside of your eye, moving to the corner and flickering gently to form a wing.

"Is... is it done now?" You ask. He doesn't respond, instead, he smiles and gently moves your face to the side.

"The other eye as well, darling."

— D I L U C .

Kameras weren't that known outside of Fontaine, but because of privilege and wealth, Diluc had managed to get the latest prototype with ease. The mechanical device looked interesting to you, the fact that it could produce an image even faster than any painter sounded magical.

So when Diluc suggested you both take a "photo" together, you were excited to say the least and wanted everything to be perfect.

"Do I look all right?" You ask, turning to him as you pat your clothes down. He glances you over and you feel yourself shying away from his gaze. It's a little strange to have the aloof man act attentive over appearances.

"There's rice on your– no, not there, over–" He pauses, glancing at you, almost hesitant before muttering an "I'll do it."

A gloved hand reaches out to your hair, brushing it away with his fingers. It's strange to see him so close to you when the gentleman usually keeps his distance.

"There."

He takes a step back. You exhale a breath you didn't know you were holding.

"Ah, is it good now?" You ask.

"Yes." He nods and stands stiffly in front of the kamera, waiting for you to take your own place. Later on, you'd wonder why Diluc would refuse to show you the produced image, huffing how "it didn't turn out right. we can have another one taken next time.", unknowing of how it perfectly captured the blush on his cheeks and the way his eyes were not on the lens, but on you.

note // thinking of shy ayato, i think it still fits his character well. he could be teasing most of the time but catching him off guard would be cute too. and i hope you like elzer's part!! it's been in my drafts for so long (months, actually) that im glad to finally post this. lemme know what you think of short works like this!

masterlist 2 // commission a writing!

almost forgot the taglist... // @absolut-wildflower @boundedbyfate @sadlonelybagel @eissaaaa @ladycoleigh @nejibot @milkypompon @bloodreaper08 @irethepotato @x-zho @roriver @mich-cola @mxsomn @ackrylik @nicebonescomrade @starforecasts @stygianoir @yuminako @eccedentesiast-sapphic @nebulaera @nuttytani @klutzkat @stygianoir @shizunxie @bluriie @aestellia

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koshkamartell · 7 months

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No One But Me

masterlist

It was only two weeks after Joel had seduced you at his house for the first time. You were too blinded by the excitement and secrecy of it all, far too naive to recognise the foreboding tone in his voice or the intensity of his hawk like stare. You were already falling in love with him - it was impossible for you to have recognised the first sign of Joel's true nature spilling through his facade.

"Can you believe it?" You had asked Joel, your eyes shining brightly. "Kate's brother found this old sewing box on a scavenger mission yesterday. He knows I wear ribbons in my hair, so he gave me this."

You whirled around to show Joel the pale pink satin ribbon entwined in your braid.

"Isn't it beautiful?" You had asked. "And it's my favourite colour, too."

You couldn't see the way Joel glared, his mouth in a tight line and his eyebrows pulled together in a frown. His jaw ticked.

You had no inkling that Joel had actually been exercising great restraint of his emotions in that moment, although if you looked back now, it would have been clear. He was annoyed, irritated that another man would gift you anything, even something as small as a ribbon. It ignited a flame of jealousy in Joel's skull to see that someone else could make you so happy.

You twirled back around to face him. "Do you like it?"

Joel nodded. His eyes roamed over your face in contemplative silence before staring directly into your eyes.

"He ever try anythin' with you?" He had grunted.

Your brows creased and your lips quirked in amusement. "Matt? Kate's brother? No way."

Joel took a step closer to you and cupped the apple of your cheek in his large, calloused hand. You leaned into his touch and smiled contentedly at him.

"Take out your hair," he murmured, his eyes fixed on you.

"Huh? Why?"

"Like seein' your hair down," Joel said softly. He leaned down to press a chaste kiss on your forehead. "Looks real pretty, babydoll."

You lowered your eyes bashfully and obliged Joel's request. You reached behind you and pulled the hair tie from your braid, then unthreaded the pink ribbon from your locks. Joel stroked your cheek with his thumb and let out a satisfied hum.

"There ya go," Joel whispered. "Perfect."

When he kissed your lips with a deep and sensual yearning, the ribbon fell from your fingers and onto the kitchen floor.

******

Oscar was awakened by the sound of rain pelting against the roof of his home sometime around noon. He lay still, teetering between the dream world and consciousness, until the cloud of his dreams fully dissolved. The first thing he actively noticed when he was properly awake was the throbbing heaviness of his head.

Oh, God. What's going on? He wondered, brain muddy and limbs like lead. Am I hungover?

His eyes slowly flickered open. The pounding of history head and the lethargy inside his bones increased instantly. He shut them again tightly.

Yes, a hangover, alright. Fuck me.

Oscar groaned and lazily rolled off his stomach and onto his back, vaguely aware of the softness of his mattress underneath him, thankful that he atleast passed out somewhere comfortable.

He wasn't sure just how much he drank last night. He enjoyed a beer with the guys every once and a while but never got drunk, never crossed the limit of more than a couple drinks in one evening. Alcohol was never a vice Oscar indulged in. Judging by how sick his body felt right in this moment, he would have drank alot last night.

Joel had been the one coaxing Oscar into downing one drink after the other until he was just about falling off the bar stool. Oscar vaguely remembered staggering home sometime last night, Joel firmly gripping his bicep to ensure he wouldn't stumble. He wasn't sure exactly how he got inside the house and into his room.

But atleast Joel was right about one thing - being drunk had made Oscar's brain stop racing and replaying memories of the past over and over, even just for a few hours. The dreams of last night were not ones of screams or bloodshed but a blur of random scenarios all blending into one another. It almost made the hangover worth it. Almost.

He dared to open his bleary eyes again. His gaze wandered over to the small window opposite his bed and he watched the rain pouring down outside.

No library duty today, Oscar randomly thought.

He was grateful that he didn't have to work while nursing a hangover, partly because he didn't want you to see him this way. Oscar didn't want you to think he was a drunkard, a weak man who couldn't hold his liquor. He certainly wasn't an alcoholic - he didn't drink every day like some of the other men did. And he hadn't planned to get hammered last night, either. Oscar screwed his eyes shut and groaned again.

This fucking headache.

Oscar drew the blanket over his body and burrowed underneath it's warmth, where he eventually fell back to sleep.

******

Your body instinctively roused from sleep at your usual wake up time, unaided by the tinny clang of the alarm clock you forgot to set the night before. Your internal body clock had adjusted to this time after years of an established daily work routine in Jackson, and even after a fitful nights sleep, you were able to wake up around the same time every morning, sometimes only a minute before the alarm clock rang. You weren't necessarily an orderly person who relied on strict routine, but like many others in the town you found regularity helped instill some kind of purpose and stability in your life. It didn't matter if you weren't working every day of the week. Adhering to even a lose kind of structure and keeping yourself busy was key - this was something Maria and some of the older residents had taught you as you grew up in Jackson.

You yawned and scrubbed the sleep from your eyes. It took a few lazy seconds for your mind to properly wake up but when it did, the first coherent thought it conjured was Joel.

Joel.

Your eyes flew open and you bolted upright in your bed.

"Joel?" You spoke, voice rough from sleep.

Was he still here in your room?

Your head swung around in search of him dumbly, as if his hulking frame could be hiding somewhere in your small bedroom. But it was clear from the stillness and deflated energy of the room that he wasn't. There was no sign of him.

He was gone.

You couldn't help the pitiful way your heart sank inside your chest. Despite knowing just why Joel was absent from your bed this morning, you felt wretchedly alone. You felt used. Like you had been abandoned.

You swallowed thickly at the familiar pang of emptiness stabbing into your stomach.

Joel had to go. It was his duty, part of his role in Jackson to protect the town. You knew this. He would return once the mission was over, safe and sound.

Your hands smoothed over the empty expanse of the bedsheets where he had been, as if searching for evidence, some kind of memento proving his earlier presence. Instead you found nothing physical amidst the tangle of the sheets, only the lingering scent of his body, his musk.

You collapsed back onto the mattress with a thud and stared up at the ceiling, blinking away the tears that had begun to well in your eyes.

There had been many times during your time with Joel when he had left your bed before you awoke. Sometimes he snuck out of the cottage in the early morning hours because he had an early patrol. Sometimes it was because Ellie was home and he wanted to be there when she woke up. Whatever the reason for it, Joel's absence always hurt, tearing tiny pinpricks into the soft centre of your soul, leaving you with that ever present gnawing feeling of inadequacy in the root of your being. However, this morning that hurt was greatly exacerbated by the whirlwind of emotions Joel had evoked in you through his recent actions.

His behaviour and attitude over these last few days had left you dazed and disorientated. Joel had rejected you. It was he who refused to be in a proper relationship with you and to evolve into something more meaningful than sex. So why couldn't he let you go?

If he didn't want to give you what you wanted, why was he so obsessed with asserting ownership over you? Was it because Joel did care, did love you, somewhere deep down in his heart? Could it be why last night he showed you more tenderness than he ever had before?

You had so many questions to ask Joel but you knew even if you had the opportunity to ask them he would never answer you. Not sufficiently, not in the way you need them answered. He would probably just brush you off or argue with you or get mad again.

The intensity of his jealousy and rage haunted you. You still couldn't comprehend just how Joel had been so remorseless in his assault of you, how justified he felt in violating your body. The conviction burning in his eyes had scared you the most. Even now, the mere thought of his piercing stare made you want to shrink and hide away.

The juxtaposition of degradation and gentleness was profoundly confusing. The only thing that was clear was that Joel believed you belonged only to him. It made you feel as if you were an object that only he could manipulate at will. A plaything solely for him to fuck, to keep like a dirty secret, to desecrate.

You were ashamed that Joel had proven how weak you were. That despite his cruelty you would still love him. You would even open your legs for him and let him fuck you and make you cum like a pathetic slut. Perhaps that is all you were ever going to be - unworthy of love and only used as a fucktoy.

The convolution of it all made you want to sink your nails into your flesh and scream. You wanted so badly to go back to sleep and give yourself some kind of reprieve from the web of thoughts and emotions, but you had to get ready for work. You had to keep going.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rain hitting the roof of your cottage. You glanced at the window and saw the pounding torrent coming from the dull overcast morning sky outside. It brought with it a blanket of cold air that quickly enveloped the room and made your bare legs and arms shiver.

"Shit," you whispered with chattering teeth.

You hauled the blanket over your body and curled up underneath it, pulling your knees into your chest. You stared out the window and watched the droplets of rainwater slowly trickle down the windowpane.

You allowed yourself five more minutes under the comfort of your blanket before dragging yourself out of bed to begin your day.

******

The sky was cloaked in dark grey clouds and lent a subdued, melancholy quality to the atmosphere of the town that morning. You pulled the hoodie of your coat over your head as you began the walk to the small school building near the centre of town. It was still raining, albeit not as forcefully as it had been in the early morning. The ground was muddy and sludgy, making it necessary for you to wear your gumboots instead of your usual sneakers or boots.

The dreary weather reflected your mood aptly, you thought while you trudged on the path to school. With every step you took your pussy ached with discomfort, reminding you that Joel had been inside you and on-top of you only just last night. And despite washing your body thoroughly under the warm water of the shower this morning, you were sure you could still smell Joel under your fingernails, as if he had stained your skin.

You managed to teach your lesson at the school with some semblance of focus, despite the agonisingly slow ticking of the clock holding you captive. You willed yourself not to think of Joel and to just direct all your attention to the blackboard but it was impossible to do so for a prolonged period, especially when you overheard one of the children telling the others around him that a patrol had left this morning to scout for raiders.

"What are raiders exactly?" One student piped up.

"Bad guys who kill and steal!" The ringleader declared. "My uncle Troy is gonna use his rifle to hunt them away."

How did they know what was going on outside the safe walls of Jackson? You shouldn't be so surprised, you reminded yourself - children were curious and could be quite crafty, most likely acquiring information from spying on their elders or tiptoeing past adult conversations unnoticed.

"Children!" You reprimanded them sternly. You hoped they couldn't detect the slight strain in your voice. "That's enough. I don't want to hear any of you talking about anything other than entomology for the rest of the lesson. Got it?"

They nodded their agreement and were quiet and well behaved for the rest of the lesson. You loved the children and reveled in seeing their youthful faces become animated when learning something fun, when your patience was rewarded by their infectious smiles. The children were a consistent reminder of how precious life was and how important it was for you to help maintain the innocence of the children in the post outbreak world.

Despite your fondness for your students, you were deeply relieved when the school day finished and you could dismiss the children. When they cleared out of the room and left you alone at your desk, you savoured the silence and sighed a deep breath. You rubbed the sides of your temples with your fingertips and groaned. You were sitting on the edge of the chair, still avoiding direct contact with the healing skin of your buttocks.

It was only the first day of Joel's absence and you were struggling to keep yourself together.

"How am I going to do this?" You mumbled to yourself.

"Do what?" A voice spoke up, breaking through the silence of the room.

You gasped and turned towards the door. It was just Kate, watching you with a tilt to her head and a playful grin across her face. You sighed heavily and held your hand to your chest.

"Kate! Don't do that, you know I hate people sneaking up on me." You huffed.

Kate chuckled and strolled through the rows of desks with a drawstring bag slung over her shoulder. "Come on, you love it."

"You creep."

She pulled you in for a hug. "Come on, grouchy. You ready to head to my place?"

You hadn't forgotten the plans to meet at Kate's and work on Cassie's wedding gift. It was an old sewing box that was being restored and upholstered with satin lining, to be filled with some of Cassie's most cherished belongings. One of these items would be her deceased mother's bracelet, another would be a framed photograph, the only surviving picture of her family.

"Yeah, just let me tidy up my desk and lock up," you said.

You stood and picked up the chalk duster and started cleaning the blackboard. Kate stood at your desk and inspected the collection of papers and books sitting on-top of it.

"Bug Science?" Kate giggled, "Bet the kids love that shit."

"Yeah," you smiled to yourself. "Oscar found me one of the next installments so I can actually carry on with a proper lesson plan for once."

"Oooh, Oscar, huh?" Kate murmured. You recognised the teasing lilt of her voice, and when you whipped around to see her she was smirking and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

You rolled your eyes. "Can't two people just be friends?"

"Ofcourse," Kate smiled. "It's nice to see you being friends with a guy."

You frown. "What do you mean?"

Kate shrugged. "I swear you barely talk to any dude in town outside your cleaning shifts at the mess hall. You always seem nervous around them."

You look away from her; you suddenly feel conspicuous and full of shame. You remember the anger in Joel's eyes at seeing you with Oscar, the bitterness laced in his accusations when he interrogated you in your bedroom.

"We are just work friends," you mumble, sweeping the chalk duster over the blackboard.

"Yeah, I know," Kate grins at you. "I heard you. I'm just saying that it's good you're making new friends. Now, hurry up and let's get going. Rhi and Jess are gonna be at my house soon."

Once you were done tidying the classroom you gathered your belongings and left the school together with Kate. You did your best to repress the whirlwind of thoughts plaguing your mind, not wanting your friends to suspect that anything was wrong. It was hard to push thoughts and memories of Joel aside entirely, even with being in the company of your girlfriends and focused on a common task. You still enjoyed the evening and rejoiced with them when the sewing box gift for Cassie was completed. And even when dinner time came around and you didn't feel like eating at all, you still went with them to the mess hall, letting yourself bask in the comfort of their laughter and lighthearted conversation.

It was 9pm when you said goodnight to everyone and started the walk back to your home. It had stopped raining but a cold breeze ripped through the muddy streets, whipping at your cheeks and cutting through the layers of your clothes. You tugged your coat tighter around your waist and marched along. You couldn't help but think of Joel, wondering if he was warm enough out in the open tonight. Was he thinking of you at all?

He is probably far too occupied hunting down the raiders, you idiot, you cursed yourself. Is there's anyone he would be thinking of, it would be Ellie.

Shit, Ellie!

You hadn't even considered Ellie and how she was feeling. She must be worried sick about Joel. You immediately decided to go check up on her.

You crossed the street and slipped between two houses to cut through to the adjacent street. Their home was only another block away from where you were, and it only took another couple of minutes for you to get there. Steeling yourself against the wind, you trudged up to the small front steps and knocked your fist against the door.

It didn't take long for Ellie to swing the door wide open. Seeing the solemn expression on her face, her wide brown eyes filled with worry, made your heart crumble.

"Hey," she mumbled.

"Hey, El," you said gently. "I heard Joel went with some of the others for patrol. I just wanted to check on you, see how you were going."

Ellie shrugged and looked down, shuffling her feet awkwardly. "Okay, I guess."

You reached out and gave her upper arm a small squeeze. "I'm here for you anytime, alright? If you need someone to talk to."

Ellie nodded and looked back up at you. "He's been on these kinda missions before," she said. "He's old but he's still a tough motherfucker."

You smiled softly at her candor.

"I just miss him, you know?" Ellie sniffed.

You sighed. Me too, you wanted to say.

"Do you wanna come inside?" She asked.

You nodded and she ushered you through the door and into the warmth of the living room. It didn't feel awkward being in Joel's house again, even with him gone; you had spent enough time here to be familiar with the nooks and crannies of the interior, with the smells and sounds, even with the quirks of the noisy upstairs bathroom pipe and the squeaky spare bedroom door.

"I'm actually gonna go sleep over at Uncle Tommy's to keep Maria company," Ellie explained as she shut the door behind you. "Just gotta pack some stuff before I go over there."

"That's a good idea. I'm sure Joel would agree with that." You state evenly.

Ellie snorts. "He still makes me lock the fuckin' door whenever I leave the house. He'd be pissed if I stayed here alone."

You give a shrug of resignation. "He's always been that way about your safety. You know he's just being protective."

Ellie rolls her eyes. "Yeah yeah."

"Can I help you with packing?" You asked.

"Sure. I gotta get some shirts from the laundry, my tooth brush....," she thought aloud as she counted on her fingers. "Actually, can you go to Joel's room and get me one of his shirts?"

Your body went rigid at the mention of Joel's room. "What? His shirt? Why?"

"He said if I ever miss him I could sleep with one of his shirts," Ellie mumbled sheepishly. "Said it would make me feel better."

Oh. That made sense. If only you had the chance to do that, too.

You swallowed and nodded. "Which one do you want?"

Ellie scrunched up her nose and shrugged. "Doesn't matter." She turned around and grabbed some comic books that were sitting on the couch. "They're all the same anyways."

You were grateful that Ellie was so comfortable with you and trusted you, that she thought nothing of asking you to pick one of Joel's shirts out from his bedroom on her behalf. You made your way up the stairs and creeped to Joel's room. You'd been inside his house many times before, had been naked in his bed more times than you could count, but you still felt a twinge of thrill at venturing into his private space, alone and without anyone around.

The door was already wide open. You slunk into the darkness of Joel's room and fumbled for the light switch. The glow of the ceiling light illuminated the room. It was sparsely furnished with only a dark solid timber dresser and a matching bedframe and mattress. His bed was neatly made. The window was shut and the curtains were drawn closed. The scent of Joel - sandalwood and pine - filled your nostrils and wrapped around your heart like a warm caress.

You entered his closet and trailed your fingertips along the row of flannel sleeves that hung from the shirts on the coat hangers. There were several flannel shirts of dark greens and reds alongside a couple of jackets and long sleeve button up cotton shirts. The material felt so warm and soft under your touch. You selected a green flannel from the middle of the bunch and slipped it from its hanger. You had always liked Joel in the green ones.

You were about the leave the closet when something on the shelf above the shirts caught your eye. A sliver of something white. You frowned and stood up on your tiptoes to see what it was. You spied the edge of a small white shoebox peeking out from around a stack of jeans.

What could it be?

You glanced back over your shoulder to the door outside the closet.

Ellie was still downstairs.

Surely you could just have a little look, right?

You turned back to the box and chewed your bottom lip in deliberation.

You didn't want to invade Joel's privacy. You really didn't want to snoop. But the curiosity was gnawing at you.

Oh, fuck it.

You pushed up as tall as your tiptoes would allow and stretched your arm high above you to reach past the jeans and grab the corner of the box. You were able to just catch ahold of it.

Yes!

You nudged it toward you and pulled it off the shelf. Still holding Joel's shirt, you held the box in one hand and lifted the lid off with your other hand, your heart pounding in your chest.

When you opened it, you frowned at the contents before you.

There was a scrap of lacy white material. It took a moment for you to recognise that it was actually a pair of your underwear. An old Polaroid camera. An envelope stuffed with something. A pink ribbon. A gold necklace with a pendant. A folded piece of lined paper.

Oh. The pink ribbon.

The ribbon Kate's brother gave you.

You hadn't seen it for so long - you had thought it was lost, perhaps coming loose from your hair one day and disappearing forever.

What was it doing in this box? And why was your underwear in there, too?

You were about to sift through the rest of the items but the sound of Ellie's voice calling your name came floating up the stairs. It made you gasp and frantically slam the lid back on the box.

"Coming!" You yelled back.

You stumbled onto your tiptoes again and shoved the box back ontop of the shelf and scurried out of the closet.

Shit shit shit.

Ellie was still in the living room shovelling things into a duffel bag when you returned downstairs.

"Got it," you smiled, trying to appear casual and not at all flustered at the discovery you had just made.

"Thanks," Ellie accepted the flannel from you and packed it into the bag. "Ya know, I miss your banana bread. You haven't baked for ages."

You chuckled. "El, it's only been a couple weeks."

"Yeah, that's forever! And that last batch of cookies? They were so good, Joel practically inhaled his share." Ellie laughed.

You couldn't contain the smile that broke out on your lips. "Oh?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded. "So can you make more? Like really soon?"

"Sure," you smiled softly. "Hey, that gives me an idea. How about we bake something special for Joel when he comes back?"

"Yeah, okay." Ellie gave you a little grin. "Sounds good."

When Ellie finished packing you insisted on walking her over to Maria and Tommy's house to ensure she got there safely. You eventually returned home, your cheeks red from the cold wind, and rolled into bed without bothering to change your clothes. You were tired and just wanted to sleep.

******

You didn't know what to think about the secret box in Joel's closet. It was perplexing, and it made you feel slightly uneasy. You found yourself trying to rationalise what you discovered; perhaps he found the ribbon and was going to return it to you later, and maybe he kept your underwear as a harmless souvenir, a physical reminder of the intimate tie you two share. Maybe Joel was secretly sentimental.

You didn't allow yourself to really think about it in depth. Instead, you vowed to throw yourself in work at the school and library without dwelling too much on waiting for Joel to return.

The weather was still overcast and miserable the following day when you had the next library shift. Bundled in your coat you were about to open the library door when it swept back, opening wide to reveal Oscar already inside.

"Quick, come in," he urged. "It's terrible out there."

"Thanks," you said as you shuffled into the library.

Oscar shut the door behind you. He was wearing a navy blue turtle neck sweater with jeans. He had removed his shoes and left them by the door, and you saw his sock clad feet peaking out from under the cuff of his jeans. You smiled to yourself at the casual domesticity of it. You peered down at your own feet and groaned.

"Damn, my boots are all muddy! I'm sorry."

You gestured down at your shoes caked in mud and the dirty prints of your soles on the floor.

"No problem, I'll clean the floor later." Oscar waved a hand dismissively.

"Okay," you conceded quietly, feeling a little shy. You shrugged your arms out of your coat.

"Anyway, good morning to you." He tilted his head slightly, a playful smile dancing on his lips. "How are you today?"

You laughed a little. "Good morning to you, too. I'm alright. How are you?"

Oscar scratched his chin and then smoothed his beard with the tips of his fingers. "I'm alright, too. Just thinking about the next steps in our library makeover venture."

"Well, whatever you decide, I'll be here to help." You said as you squatted down and untied the laces of your boots.

"Couldn't do it without you, bookworm," Oscar grinned.

You and Oscar fell into an easy rhythm together, just like on your first shift. He continued painting the walls while you set about cleaning the library space from top to bottom.

Oscar had asked for you to eat lunch with him in the mess hall again but you adamantly refused, making some excuse about not wanting to leave the library. Undeterred, Oscar disappeared to the mess hall and returned balancing a serving tray with two serves of the lunch the cafeteria was serving that day. You laughed with surprise at his kind gesture, which made him grin even more. And from that day onward, whenever you worked at the library, Oscar would fetch lunch for you both and bring it back for you to eat together.

Over the next four weeks the friendship between you and Oscar progressively flourished. The hours you spent together on the library shifts were filled with discussions of extensive topics, ranging from philosophy to food, music and novels. As you got to know each other better, the more evident it was that there was a connection between you, a mutual respect and affection for each other. You had never felt such an affinity with someone before; an intellectual match with reciprocal emotions and ideas.

It was innocent. There was no hint of romance or sexuality in your interactions, none of the flirtatious kind of repartee you often saw your friends exchange with men at the Tipsy Bison. You weren't accustomed to close friendships with the opposite sex but the sincere nature of Oscar's friendship was comfortable. You valued him for his thoughtfulness and wit, his kindness and his humour. Oscar seemed to appreciate your thoughts and ideas, always asking for your opinion on things. It made you feel important, worthwhile, seen.

Sometimes townsfolk came to the library looking for books on a particular topic, and occasionally some of the children would stop in to read the small collection of picture books and comics the Jackson library possessed. They all complimented on how bright and clean the small building looked now.

The library had always been your sanctuary, and now with Oscar's company there, it felt like your second home. Seeing the results of your efforts gave you a sense of accomplishment and pride. You wished Maude could see it. When you verbalised this to Oscar, he suggested you both visit her after work together; and you did, much to her delight.

You didn't see each other outside your library duties. Oscar had returned to the stables for work duty on the days he wasn't at the library, and you were busy teaching the children. You found yourself wishing you could see Oscar to tell him about the funny things that happened during the day, or about some random fact you had learned while reading.

Gradually over the month, you noticed tiny changes within yourself. You were whistling more often. That you wanted to read more. Your appetite improved greatly and you actually felt hungry. You were able to look at your reflection in the mirror without instantly seeking out your flaws.

You still missed Joel. You still dreamed of his handsome face and his hands on your body, still craved the taste of his mouth and the saltiness of his skin. His absence had only made you crave him more, outweighing your sadness and hurt and compartmentalising it into the depths of your mind.

So when Ellie came running up to you one afternoon while you walked home, squealing that Joel and the patrol group had radioed that they were on their way home, you rejoiced.

You wanted to shower him with kisses and slide into his lap and fuck him, feel him inside you once again, show him how much you missed him.

Had he missed you, too?

taglist - @sofiparallel @harriedandharassed @kewwrites @romanarose @fan-fiction-floozy

#joel miller dark #joel miller x reader #dark! joel miller #joel miller dark fic #joelmiller #oscar isaac

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dira333 · 7 months

Text

Passing Peonies - Post War Touya Todoroki - Part V

When the war ended, Midoriya Izuku had proven one thing: That Villains did not need to be killed to be defeated. That you could make friends from enemies.

Touya Todoroki, formerly known as Dabi, had been one of those taken into the rehabilitation program. After one year of intense physical and psychological therapy, he's got the chance to prove himself. To prove that he can be a part of this world.

Complete fic length: 30.600 words - Masterlist

Warnings: poor mental health and resentment against past actions is mentioned, burn scars etc. as well. There is angst but this is mostly soft Touya coming back to his family...

Part 5: (2k words)

“I have to say something.” Touya says and watches his therapist.

After more than a year of this he should be able to read him as well as the other way around, right? But he still comes up empty, day after day.

“I’m falling in love with my employer.”

“Go on.”

And it’s like that first time at your apartment, the worlds spilling from his lips like molten cheese, the first word pulling the second and third with it, and so on and so forth.

🌺.

“Hey, can we buy these?” He asks at the convenience store, pointing at a shelf of browning ZZ and pancake plants.

“If you want.” Fuyumi shrugs. “It’s your money.”

“Yeah, yeah. They’re not gonna die, don’t worry. If anything, I’m saving their life.”

“Whatever you say. Hey, you mind eating Curry again tonight?”

“Nah. But you could show me how to do it. I wouldn’t mind helping out with cooking.”

Fuyumi throws him a look he chooses to ignore, content on placing the plants inside the cart.

🌺.

“Be careful with the stems.” He tells Natsuo. “Don’t break them.”

“It’s not that easy, you fucker.” His brother curses. “How the fuck do you tie these ribbons? Is that witchcraft?”

“No, it’s a skill and you’re lacking it. If you can’t do it, let me. Just make sure there’s plant food in the water or the roses won’t keep fresh as long.

“Yeah, yeah. I just wanted to cut some flowers for Mom, not a lecture.”

“Be honest, you wanted both.”

🌺.

“You’re home late.” He says when Shouto drags himself inside. “Have you eaten anything today?”

“I had Soba.” His brother mentions and drapes himself over a chair as he starts taking off his uniform.

“I’m making you a grilled cheese. Miso soup too. You need to eat properly.”

“Thanks.” He hears a quiet mumble and so much more that’s left unsaid.

🌺.

His mother finds him outside, reading a book and taking samples of the earth around the garden, rubbing it between his fingers and sniffing it.

“Are you having fun?” She asks and places a pitcher of homemade lemonade and two glasses on the table, taking a seat to watch him work.

“It’s a shame we have mainly grass lawn, mom.” He explains to her, surprised by his own eagerness, his own growing interest. “If we planted bushes and flowers and expand on the diversity of plants, we could help foster not only bees but different types of butterflies and birds.”

“That does sound appealing. Why don’t you talk to your father about it?”

She smiles until her eyes reach a stump.

“I wish he would do something about that tree,” Rei tells him flatly. “It just wakes sad memories.”

He turns to look at the tree stump, surprised that it takes a moment to realize what she’s talking about.

He’d been about 9 years old, and when attacking Shouto did not work, he’d burned down that tree in a fit of rage, knowing exactly how much that tree meant to his parents, as they had been wed under it, in a time when they must have been happy, or as happy as they could have been.

🌺.

“Why’d you never take out the tree?” He asks his father one night after dinner, the two of them alone in the kitchen.

“The same reason I will always carry these scars, even if they could be healed.” He points to the scarring on his face. “It serves as a reminder, a call to change, to protect what I have with the right means.”

“But you could plant a new tree.” He looks out into the garden, pondering it. “Or plant them around it. As if they’d hug it.”

“I’ll think about it. Or better, I’ll let you think about it. If you have a proposal on how to change the garden, you can come to me with it and we’ll go over it.”

“Or you could just let me do it. It’s my job after all.”

“Oh?” Enji raises his eyebrows in a challenge. “You’re feeling up to this?”

“Absolutely!”

“Well, it’s settled then. How long do you need?”

“A day. I’ve got the plan mostly ready anyway, I just need the right weather and a free day to get it all together.”

“Great. You should have both this weekend. Your mother and I will be out of the house anyway, as I’ve booked an onsen for a weekend getaway. You can convince your siblings to leave you alone if you need them out of the house. You can have my credit card to purchase what you need.”

“The limitless one?”

Enji smiles. “Let’s not go overboard, we don’t need flowers made from diamonds.”

🌺.

It’s Sunday morning, barely past 9 a.m. and he’s already sweating bullets.

He’d thought that being able to sweat again would be a good thing - at least considering how well his skin grafts took to integrating into his body - but now he just feels plain disgusting. The garden looks like an absolute disaster after more than three hours going at it.

He’d started planting the tulips, realized that he wanted a peony bush in the middle of it, and had to dig some of them back out.

The stone path he’d wanted to relocate is now a heap of dirty stones in one corner and he’d managed to knock over the bag of fertilizer, spilling its contents everywhere.

He feels himself getting frustrated. And tired. This work is harder than he’d imagined it to be.

He decides to take a breather, regretting not talking the plan through with you yesterday when he’d had the chance. Just because he’d wanted to surprise you with the news on Monday, telling you proudly how great everything had worked out.

He ponders the problem from the kitchen sink, his second glass of water in hand.

Hawks and Natsuo could be used as backup muscle, but he doubts they’d come willingly.

Shouto’s on patrol and Fuyumi’s out visiting a friend.

What he really needs is someone who’d give him direction while letting him do his thing at the same time. What he really needs is you and while he’d never missed a Friday night, he’d kept his distance, or at least tried to, in the weeks since that night.

He knows it’s a good thing. That doesn’t mean he has to like it.

You pick up after the first ring.

“Hello?”

“Hi. Remember how you said I could call you if I ever had a plant emergency?”

“Of course. What’s the matter?”

“That’s the thing. I got free reign on redesigning our garden and it’s… well, it’s looking a bit awful right now.”

“Just a bit? That’s good news then.” He can hear you moving in the background.

“Very funny. I know today’s your free day but would you mind taking a look? I promise you won’t have to work, you can just sit back on the terrace and tell me what I have to do.”

“It’s no problem, Touya-kun. Just tell me your address.”

He realizes, probably five seconds before you ring the bell, that you might have no idea how rich the Todorokis really are.

But if you feel out of place in your scuffed-up trainers and grass-stained clothes, you’re not letting it show.

Touya explains his plan to you while he shows you the garden, pointing out what he’s already done and what he still has to do.

You nod and nod, look around and pinch the earth just like he’d done and he feels a little proud that he’d copied you without knowing.

Finally, you step up to him and point at the heap of stones.

“You wash them and put them where you want them. After that you take on one part of the garden after the other, minimizing trampling over done work. You’re a little early on the tulips but they should do well. Peonies are a bit risky at this spot and the way you’re planning it, you’re leaving no spot behind to actually use the garden.”

“Use it?” He blinks. “What do you mean?”

“Do you always sit on the terrace? Or do you sit on the lawn too?”

“Well, we used to play outside as children but we’ve grown out of that. I don’t know if Mom still sits outside.”

“Okay, that’s just as well. You just have to be aware of everyone’s needs if you plan for a whole family. What will you do about the tree?”

He should have known you would notice it the second you stepped outside.

Even if you only point it out now he can tell you’re affected by it. He sighs.

“It burned down when I was about 9. Mom says it makes her sad and my father wants to keep it as a reminder. I… well, I wanted to plant things around it, so that it would seem like the plants would hug it, maybe?”

“Why?”

Your eyes are on him, your question digging deeper than he thought it could.

“When I… When I…” He coughs and tries again. “When I… almost died… at the war… I remember coming to, waking up to my family hugging me, as if they were holding me together, keeping me in one piece. I like that picture.”

You hum.

“So now we know what your mother wants, what your father wants, and what you want. What about your siblings?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

“You said that you felt like Touya had to die for Dabi to live and Dabi had to die for Touya to live but for your family, they were always one and the same. It’s the same with the tree, isn’t it? Whether it stays or it goes, it seems dead to all of you. Have you ever thought of the possibility of it being still alive?”

Touya knows, in theory, that you’re still talking about the tree. But it feels like you’re talking about him.

Has he ever thought of the possibility of himself being alive?

You kneel down in front of the stump and hug it, your cheek resting on the place where it had been cut down.

It feels personal, like you’re hugging him and you’re not hugging him until you’re starting to hum, a tune he’s heard so often he can hear himself tune in.

Under your arms the tree stump glows faintly until it grows and grows, two thick stems rising up and pushing your face away, entwining and circling each other, growing up and up and up. They’re the height of a bush, a person, taller now than the first tree had been, its foliage a friendly green that smiles down at him.

You sink to the floor next to it and he’s too slow to catch you, can only pick you up and carry you inside, your sleeping form fitting too well into his arms.

He washes the stones and places them, thinking about himself at age 9. He finishes his display of tulips and peonies and thinks about himself, waking up from a coma.

With every flower bulb he plants, and every bush he places, he thinks about the past.

It’s therapeutic, in a way, to feel himself come alive in this place.

He’d wondered if this was growing into a new obsession, but could it be an obsession when it feels so healthy?

By the time you step back out, he’d started placing the plants he wants to “hug” their family tree.

“Sleep well?” Touya asks when you kneel down next to him and dig your hands into the dirt.

“I’ve never been able to grow a tree in one sitting.” You explain to him, your voice soft. “But it wanted to grow.”

“Yeah.” He looks up at the foliage. “He’s been waiting for his chance long enough.”

“What are you going to name it?”

Toya looks at the two stems that are intertwined now. “Enji and Rei.”

You smile. “That’s a good name.”

taglist: @misfit-megumi @shoulmate @pixiesavvy @the2ndl @neko-my-cat @chelseaquake @tiredslepz @frozen-phoenix17

taglist is open, if you want to join, just mention it in a comment or send me a message.

My Kofi if you want to tip me

#my writing #Passing Peonies #Touya Todoroki #Dabi #Touya x reader #Dabi x reader #Happy Todoroki #Todoroki family #Soft Dabi #Soft Todoroki #Angst to happy end

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bella-goths-wife · 2 years

Text

Slashers with S/O who is slow

Micheal Myers

He loves you, he adores you, but you drive him crazy

Your very academically accomplished with your college grades always coming back shining

But you lack the ability think things through properly

That’s coming from the Michael Myers

You would annoy him with certain things like when the shampoo label said “increases volume” and you complained that you couldn’t hear shampoo so it was a stupid thing to put on the label

Michael physically face palmed at that

He doesn’t want to make you feel stupid but he grew up in an asylum and even he knows what it means

Overall he will roll his eyes at your slow mind but he doesn’t mean to be rude when he does it to you

Bo Sinclair

“Hey Bo what does fin-at-tit mean?”

“What?”

“Fin-at-tit?”

“(Y/n) that says finite”

He loves your slow mindedness

He can tease you about it all the time now

But If your genuinely frustrated with something he’ll try to calmly explain it

Key word-try

It will kinda feel like when your dad tries to help you with homework in your worst subject

The tears of frustration, the passive aggressive sighs, the trying not to yell but still yelling tone, everything

Overall just don’t go to him for help with something if he’s in a bad mood because he’ll make you stay at the table until you figure it out

Vincent Sinclair

He finds you absolutely adorable

In the most frustrating way

He loves you to the moon and back but sometimes even you can get on his nerves

He’ll 100% defend you from Bo’s mean comments but sometimes your obvious questions are too much for him

He will be a bit unknowing of what to do so when your getting on his nerves with your questions he hands you a brush, a ribbon and take his hair out of his low pony tail for you to braid in a last effort to distract you

“Vincent look at the moon”

He just nods, not having the heart to tell you that was a tortilla that Bo but on the skylight to provoke you

Thomas Hewitt

Thomas is one of the few slashers who will indulge in you slow minded behaviour

He’ll answer your questions to the best of his ability but sometimes there just impossible to answer

If you start to annoy him he’ll just calm himself down and continues to indulge you

He will defend you from his family and won’t let them insult your intelligence because he knows your smart your just not the best at communicating it with him

“Thomas do we get chocolate milk from brown cows?”

He just sighs and shakes his head

Good thing he loves you

Asa Emory

Red hot fury

Your stupid questions would make this man physically hurt

Even if your academically talented, he will always see you as lower on an intellectual scale

So he will treat you like a child

You should have seen his face when he found out you didn’t know how to tie laces

“Your gonna sit in here until you can tie these laces on these shoes ten times or no dinner”

He’s super strict with you because of your slowness

I do think he wouldn’t mask his annoyance at your questions so I think it would make you less comfortable to ask him

He does like that he can manipulate you more now though

Tiffany valentine

She would treat you like a child

Not particularly in a bad way, more in a loving way

It can feel a bit condescending at times because of how she uses pet names to sweeten the deal up

“Hey that star moved!”

“Of course it did sweet face”

She would never make you feel dumb for asking questions though

She wants to make you comfortable with talking to her

Baby firefly

She’d vibe with it honestly

You would be like dumb and dumber

“Have you ever thought about what a dog would say if it could talk”

“Wow…probably woof”

You both share one brain cell

It drives the firefly residence crazy because of how much you two do stupid things together

It also makes baby extremely hyper because now she has someone to share her nonsense thoughts with

Otis driftwood

This man has zero filters

He never minces his words, even for you

So when you ask stupid questions like

“Do I tell my mom that I’m adopted?”

He simply responds

“What the fuck? Are you dumb?”

He’s not trying to be mean he just doesn’t understand you

When your questions are too much for him, he just kisses you and distracts you with sex

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iwritenarrativesandstuff · 1 year

Note

sorry i have to brainfart this somewhere but mersault chuuya wearing almost damn near similar clothing to his youth got me thinking about dazai and chuuya's fashion choices.

dazai, in all the eras where he was in the mafia....never changes his outfit. it fitting, given his character and such.....so his ada outfit makes him look like a rainbow. dark blue vest, blue gem(?) bolo tie, striped shirt and a tan coat similar to oda's. i think it's cool, to show the stark contrast between his pm days and how he's faring now, aswell to show how much effect oda had on him.

chuuya.....is the complete opposite. boy changes his clothes all the time. but it's so interesting.

his fifteen outfit is very "him" in a sense. street kid, street kid style- red shirt, grey hoodie, green leather jacket, bright blue sheep armband. he fits right in with the rest of the sheep, and hes so...colorful here. almost similar to ada dazai's outfit. and then theres the outfit he wears in the mafia- the first one we saw back in the manga where he seems to be wearing like a..."beta" version of his current outift- but the way it was drawn (disregarding the anime for a second) it looks like its almost ill fitting for him. the vest is too big, the coat looks so heavy, the tie isnt properly tucked, and his pants are baggy. like hes struggling to "fit in".

then theres sb outfit- hes wearing the standard mafia outfit like higuchi, but with his own touches- rolled up sleeves, glasses tucked in his breastpocket, choker, gloves. its not much, but even higuchi doesnt do anything to hers. we kinda see him "getting into" the mafia work, and theres no pop of color here. the dragon head conflict outift is different though- hes wearing clothes that are "his style" again. simple shirt, jacket, choker, gloves. he also has his red petticoat (i think thats what it is? whatever that long cloth underneath his jacket) that, once again, gives him some color. i dunno what spured the outfit change, but i honestly think the red color is his own touch- his own "color"

and then current chuuya. no color at all, maybe safe from the ribbon on his hat. he wears his coat on his shoulders, similar to pm dazai. (also, slight off tangent here- he always loses his coat whenever hes dealing with dazai?? i think?? which is. interesting. given with how glued pm dazai's coat is to his own shoulders. like he actively takes it off/gets it taken off and i SWEAR this only even happens when hes with dazai. idk. ever since asagiri said beast dazai wearing his coat fully to signify him accepting his role as the pm boss ive been. thinking about it. a lot.)

where was i going with this?? oh yeah. why is mersault chuuya wearing his old clothes?? specifically fifteen clothes? like was it his off day or something. bc if you look at chuuyas various outfit as his progression towards the mafia then him wearing his old non mafia clothes either means two things : 1. this is to signify chuuya, under vampire influnce, is well. obviously not loyal to the mafia atm. or 2. something might happen in the future that makes him swear allegiance to someone else which i dont find possible but??? who knows. im overthinking this

Oh my god I opened my asks to find this monster in here and scrolled through it like ?????????

Please feel free to do this anytime this was an absolute joy to read hahaha

"dazai, in all the eras where he was in the mafia....never changes his outfit." His outfit stays pretty similar, you're right, though he does actually change it once during his mafia days. The left image is the outfit he wears in Fifteen and Stormbringer, while the right is what he wears in DHC and Dark Era.

The difference is the blazer jacket he adds under his coat. It's a minimal change but I think it's significant. I mentioned in this post how I believe the change might be related to his change in pronoun from boku to watashi, but really it's more the added layer of distance that makes this significant. Dazai just looks a little... odd, in the first outfit. The coat hangs off him loosely, his shirt is a little baggy. He looks very boyish, and that makes his deceptive tendencies and deeply concerning outlook all the more disturbing to others.

The second outfit makes one change but his clothes now look like they fit him (still with the exception of the coat, which never fit and never will... in this universe anyways. You mentioned Beast so... you know already hehe). In the case of the second outfit, he looks more mature and formal, which lends itself to a person who withdrew further and further away from people (with the exception of the other two at Bar Lupin); who became a terrifying executive in other's eyes, moving away from the "creepy intelligent child" image he had earlier - even though he is still very much a kid. No one knows Dazai - I think the added image of formality and authority here is just one of the many barriers he constructed to keep people from getting too close.

"so his ada outfit makes him look like a rainbow. dark blue vest, blue gem(?) bolo tie, striped shirt and a tan coat similar to oda's."

hjdfvbdjf rainbow - entering his no longer closeted gay era (sorry lol i couldn't resist)

No but you're right about the coat looking a bit like Oda's. He cared for and respected that man like no other and I think when Dazai thinks of "a good person" Oda is the first person who comes to mind. His shirt in the manga is also stripy like Oda's, a little detail that got lost in the anime. :')

"his fifteen outfit is very "him" in a sense. street kid, street kid style- red shirt, grey hoodie, green leather jacket, bright blue sheep armband. he fits right in with the rest of the sheep, and hes so...colorful here."

Yeah. He looks every bit the street kid and blends with the Sheep near perfectly - more than fitting in though, I think it's more than implied that he wants to fit in and changes his look to do so. Chuuya goes to great lengths to give the appearance of fitting in - because he never felt like he truly did (and certainly the Sheep did not treat him like an equal or a friend).

"and then theres the outfit he wears in the mafia- the first one we saw back in the manga where he seems to be wearing like a..."beta" version of his current outfit- but the way it was drawn (disregarding the anime for a second) it looks like its almost ill fitting for him. the vest is too big, the coat looks so heavy, the tie isnt properly tucked, and his pants are baggy. like hes struggling to "fit in"."

YES you get it!! And adding onto that, Chuuya doesn't really have a lot of reason to want to fit in yet. He hasn't found his personal groove yet, because he has little personal attachment to the mafia at this point in time.

Yeah in Stormbringer he's got a few personal touches but is still pretty non-descript (though you're right, it's much more than Higuchi... something to think about for her character too, and how it seems the mafia may be more of a job than an investment to her). By Dead Apple though, Chuuya's outfit is... well, back to his punk vibes, just a little more mafia-classy, I guess. (I don't know fashion I'm sorry, please don't kill me)

"but i honestly think the red color is his own touch- his own "color""

Red makes a lot of sense as a colour for Chuuya. It's energetic, emotional, fierce and aggressive. It's also considered protective, so yeah it suits him for sure. Red clothes, red ability... red camellias...

"and then current chuuya. no color at all, maybe safe from the ribbon on his hat." Ooo ok. So in the anime, this is true but in the manga, I believe his vest is actually a pale red.

Well. Brown with red undertones. Your point still stands though because the colour is very muted. It's not like Fifteen or DHC Chuuya for sure.

"(also, slight off tangent here- he always loses his coat whenever hes dealing with dazai?? i think?? which is. interesting. given with how glued pm dazai's coat is to his own shoulders. like he actively takes it off/gets it taken off and i SWEAR this only even happens when hes with dazai. idk. ever since asagiri said beast dazai wearing his coat fully to signify him accepting his role as the pm boss ive been. thinking about it. a lot.)"

Oh. Thinking on this. Um. Embarrassed to say - I don't think I noticed that actually. Like obviously he loses the coat a lot and that was already something to think on but... only around Dazai, is that right? Hold on, I'm gonna check.

Ok so my check wasn't super thorough (read: I am too tired and drained to go through each and every panel he appears in) but...

By god, I think you're right.

That's. Hm. I'm going to join you on thinking about that for awhile.

I see the coat as a representation of his role and responsibility he takes on, really, so it's interesting that the formality and symbolism of his service to the mafia gets quite literally discarded in the scenes with his foil and equal. Fascinating.

He's also not wearing it in any of these now infamous panels from Chapter 101:

Huh. Well. Thank you anon. You've just given me a whole new thing to whir about.

"why is mersault chuuya wearing his old clothes?? specifically fifteen clothes?"

Honestly, I'm still waiting to figure this out too.

Because of the purplish hue over this piece of new art, I find it hard to tell what the actual colours of his outfit are but it does look awfully similar to his Fifteen outfit. It could just be his "day-off" outfit but I think there's got to be more to it than that. It could have to do with allegiance, like you suggested. May I also suggest the return to a sense of inhumanity?

These are also the clothes he wore when his journey to find answers on himself began. Might he be entering a new arc where he has to "find" himself again?

I still feel we don't have enough information to make a solid judgement. As the meursault pov continues, I think we'll have a better reason as to why he's dressed like this.

#thanks for the ask!#feel free to dump thoughts at any time whoever you are anon this was so fun #also i'm so annoyed with myself that i didn't notice that bit about the coat earlier but also so happy you pointed that out!#things to think about when i am less tired...#bsd #bsd chuuya #bsd dazai #soukoku #skk #storyrambles #as always if i screwed up somewhere... just tell me. rip the bandage off lol

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aethes-bookshelf · 6 months

Text

into you, I fall || alucard (castlevania)/reader

Back to my roots, baby! A lone Alucard smut fic amongst all my bg3 bs. I started this one a good while ago and finally got around to finishing it.

I gotta say, I love writing non-penetrative sex (acts?). Gives me more wiggle room when it comes to what the characters can do.

Pairing: alucard (castlevania)/reader

Warnings: pwp, smut, (kinda sorta) bondage, established realtionship, implied past sa

Wordcount: 2.1k

Summary: Alucard isn't sure he's ready to let you tie him up after what happened with the twins, but he wants to try anyway.

You come up with an alternative.

‘Okay,’ you said, checking the tightness of the ribbon for the fifth time in a row, ‘are you sure you still want to do this?’

Alucard nodded. His hands, bound, were resting comfortably on his stomach. For now.

‘Alright, then.’ You took his hands into yours and slowly lifted them above his head, making sure not to break eye contact. ‘Now, I’m not going to tie you to the bed. Not yet, anyway. So it’s up to you to keep your hands right where I put them, okay, hun?’

‘I know, love. You’ve told me all this before.’

‘Just making sure.’ You left a quick kiss on his bottom lip. ‘What’s the color?’

Alucard’s brow furrowed. He did trust you, he really did. And, to be fair, it was his idea in the first place — to try and do this with you. You’d let him tie you up a few times before, when he’d grown comfortable enough with the idea; he got curious, seeing your reactions. You always had that extra spark in your eyes when he tied you up, even before he actually touched you properly. Even if he was just in the process of tying you up.

Still, he couldn’t help the nervousness. Despite the fact you made sure to use the softest ribbon you could find in the castle and that you chose an entirely different position for his hands than… back then, just the sensation of being bound reminded him of things he’d rather forget. He was fully aware that he wasn’t even fully, properly bound — his hands were almost free, after all; all it would take for him to free himself would be a good tug. Still, the knot in his stomach tightened each time the ribbon rubbed against his skin.

Was this a good idea at all?

‘Yellow,’ he said, voice wavering.

‘Okay, I hear you,’ you replied. You sat back on your legs and spread his over them; you gently kneaded the tense muscles of his thighs. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘It’s just… Being tied up… brings back memories.’

You nodded. ‘Okay,’ you said, tone soft. ‘Remember, we don’t have to do this. I am perfectly fine with the sex life we already have, hun. You don’t have to do this.’

‘I-I know.’ He swallowed thickly.

‘Still,’ you continued, ‘this is an exercise, right? To see what you’re comfortable with at this point. You said so yourself.’ You drew tiny circles on the skin of his legs with your thumbs. He relaxed slightly under your touch. ‘So, what do you say we still try, but… change it up a bit?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘We could take away the ribbon, if you’re too uncomfortable with it on.’ Your hands stilled. ‘It’s not fun for me if you’re not enjoying yourself.’

‘But… what would be the point then?’ His eyebrows furrowed. ‘How would we even do this?’

‘Simple,’ you said, caressing the knot on the delicate ribbon. ‘You just keep your hands where I tell you to without being bound. You’ll still have to trust me, but you won’t have any added stressors on top of that.’

Alucard hummed. ‘I suppose that would keep the point of this… “exercise”,’ he said. His legs fully relaxed, no longer squeezing your hips.

You slowly grabbed the knot and untied it, keeping your eyes on his face. When the ribbon was finally off and discarded to the floor, you slipped your fingers inbetween his.

‘What’s the color?’ you asked again.

Alucard took a deep breath and closed his eyes. ‘...Green,’ he said after a moment.

‘Alright.’ You squeezed his hands and let go. ‘Keep your hands right where they are right now, okay? And remember, if you find that you’re too uncomfortable to continue, you say the word and we stop immediately.’

‘I know, love.’ He chuckled. ‘You don’t have to say it everytime we try something new.’

‘Yes, I do,’ you replied. ‘I like making sure you know you’re safe with me.’

‘I know that without you having to remind me.’ His eyes went soft; the sort of warm that made your face flush.

Judging by the flush of his cheeks, you must’ve looked equally soft, too.

‘I love you, you know?’

‘I know,’ he said, eyes flickering to your lips. ‘I love you too.’

You didn’t say anything; you just smiled. Even though it was clear that he wanted to kiss you, he stayed put, just like you asked him to. A few moments passed, with you caressing his thighs with gentle hands. You made sure to keep the eye contact going, knowing what it did to him.

When his face was fully flushed and his bare cock was half-hard against his thigh, the anticipation must’ve finally gotten to your poor Alucard. ‘Love…’ he cooed as he shifted his hips in your hold.

‘We’re going slow tonight. Nothing crazy.’

‘Does that mean you have to tease me like this?’

You chuckled, hands finally leaving his thighs to slide up his hips to his waist. Your grip on him was sure; he stilled under your touch. ‘It means exactly that, sweetheart.’

You watched his throat bob as he swallowed. His breathing was slowly picking up. You squeezed at his waist and his cock twitched. He clenched his hands into fists, but they didn’t budge from where you placed them on his pillow.

‘Good boy, Alucard.’ You started exploring his chest and stomach with your hands, using just the slightest amount of pressure. He whimpered quietly when the pads of your fingers ghosted against his nipples.

‘I’m by no means complaining,’ Alucard said, voice breaking a bit when you properly pinched his nipples, ‘but why the praise?’

‘I know you’re frustrated,’ you rolled his nipples in your fingers and watched his chest rise off of the bed, ‘I know you want me to touch you properly.’

‘Of ‘course I do, I always—’

‘Ah! Wasn’t finished yet, hun.’ You let go of him and he promptly fell back on the mattress with a huff.

Alucard opened his mouth — most likely to complain — but decided against it. You probably wouldn’t touch him for even longer if he interrupted you again.

‘As I was saying,’ you continued, hands back on his chest, squeezing the fat and muscle there, ‘You want me to touch you — you probably want to touch me, too, judging by this.’ You slid your hand down his stomach and rubbed your palm against his cock, now fully hard.

He didn’t dare say anything; just clenched his teeth to stop the hiss of pleasure at the sudden contact. The muscles in his stomach clenched with the effort of it.

‘And despite all that, you still do as I say,’ you finished, hand leaving his cock. He tried to follow you with his hips, but stopped when you pushed back against them. ‘So… good boy, Alucard,’ you cooed again and leaned down to kiss his neck.

You lightly nipped at the skin under the curve of his jaw and soothed the sting with your tongue. With each drag of your teeth, tongue and lips his breathing picked up, until he was panting in your hold, until his head was thrown back, baring his neck to you completely. That was when you decided to grind your hips into his. The groan he let out sent a shiver down your spine.

You moved away from his neck just enough to sneak a glance at his face. He was flushed all the way down to his neck; his eyes were closed, eyebrows pinched in pleasure.

‘Oh, baby,’ you said, hands moving to his nipples again. He choked back a desperate little noise when you gave them a tug. ‘Don’t tell me you’re wrecked already? We didn’t even get to the best part yet.’

He didn’t answer, he just opened his eyes. The look he gave you was delicious; his eyes were beginning to glass over with tears of frustration. ‘Love, please…’

‘“Please” what, lovely?’ It was ridiculous just how giddy you were at the prospect of him begging.

His hands fisted the sheets above his head. ‘Please, touch me before I go insane.’ His cock twitched faintly where it was pressed into your stomach. ‘Please, love, I need you to touch me.’

You were going to touch him, you really were. But it wasn’t your fault he sounded so good like this. You promised you’d be gentle, but that didn’t mean you weren’t going to be at least a little bit mean.

‘Oh, but I’m already touching you, aren’t I?’ It was the lowest of blows, the easiest possible way to get him to keep talking. But you didn’t care, as long as it got him to keep begging in that sweet, choked up tone.

He bucked his hips once, twice, grinding against your stomach. ‘You’re evil, you know that, right?’

‘I’m nothing of the sort.’ You chuckled, grinding back into him. You lived for the way his breath hitched. ‘I’m simply your lover, intent on giving you what you want. But in order to do that, I need to know… specifics,’ you paused for a moment and then moved against him again, just to watch his head loll back, ‘no?’

He nearly sobbed when you stopped. He was so hard it was getting painful. ‘Please,’ he whispered.

You smiled. ‘“Please”, what?’

‘Please keep going. Keep moving, anything.’ His hands were clenching the sheets so hard he was close to ripping them. ‘Make me cum. I wanna cum.’

‘There you go,’ you said as you started to move your hips at a slow, steady pace. Alucard’s loud moan ripped through the room at the relief of the friction. ‘Do you think you can cum like this, lovely?’

‘Yes,’ he gasped out. ‘Yes, just please don’t stop. Don’t you dare stop now.’

‘Don’t you worry, sweetheart.’ You leaned over him, dragging your hands up his stomach, past his chest and to his hands. You gently pried the sheets out from between his fingers; you held his hands in yours, fingers interlocking. ‘I’m not gonna stop until I feel you spill against me.’

He held your hands tight, almost too tight. Every movement of your body against his forced a moan from him. Each one picking up in pitch, until he was openly whining against you, head buried in your neck.

His cock started twitching against you as he arched his back into your chest.

‘Are you close, sweetheart?’ you asked, giving his hands a gentle squeeze.

He nodded, golden hair a mess around his head. A mixture of ‘yes’ and ‘please’, and ‘don’t stop’ spilled from him.

‘Kiss me?’ he managed to ask between moans.

You leaned down and kissed him deeply. You ground your hips into his one, two, three more times before hot cum painted your skin. Alucard groaned into the kiss, hips twitching underneath you.

You stopped slowly, letting him ride it out with a few more gentle movements. When you finally stilled against him, he squeezed your hands in his and kissed you again. This time, it was gentle, almost chaste.

‘I love you.’

‘I love you too,’ you said, resting your forehead against his. You laid there for a long moment, until the stickiness of your skin couldn’t be ignored anymore. ‘Let’s get cleaned up, yeah?’

He huffed in protest as you moved to get up, but he let your hands go. ‘What about you?’

‘Hm?’ You looked at him from over your shoulder. ‘What about me?’

‘You didn’t finish.’

‘Ah, that.’ You dipped a towel in the water you left by the bed. It was hot when you began; it cooled down enough to be pleasantly warm now. ‘Don’t worry about that, lovely. Tonight was about you.’

Alucard hummed. He relaxed into the bed when you put the warm towel to his skin. ‘Are you sure? I don’t mind getting you off, too. Hardly a chore,’ he was teasing now. A good sign, as far as you saw it; that meant he wasn’t stressed or afraid.

‘Oh, I know you “don’t mind” getting me off, you damn horndog.’ You whipped him gently with the towel. ‘But I like getting you off, too. Sometimes, getting to see you lose it a bit is enough.’

‘Ah, so you are evil, in the end.’ Alucard reached for your free hand and held it to his chest. ‘And I’m the horndog, huh?’

‘Don’t act like you’re not the same when it comes to me, lovely.’ You finished cleaning him up, folded the towel and brought its clean side to your skin.

‘True enough, I suppose,’ he said. His eyes never left your face. ‘Now that we’re both clean, you better come up here, to me. I want to hold you.’

‘And how could I say “no” to that?’ You dropped the towel back into the water and climbed back into bed. You settled into Alucard’s arms and sighed happily against his chest. ‘I love you.’

He kissed the top of your head and nuzzled into your hair. ‘I love you too.’

#my wirting #alucard x reader #alucard smut #nsft #smut and fluff #smut #fluff #x reader #castlevania fanfiction #castlevania netflix #cw: past sa #alucard castlevania

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calehenituse-brainrot · 2 years

Text

Of Dresses and Disguises

Cale Henituse | Kim Rok Soo x Transported!Reader

A plan of dresses and disguises is bound to be a disaster.

CONTENT WARNING: self-harm scars, self-harm shaming, drug usage, aphrodisiacs

To be truthful, you have no idea why Alver had suggested to recommend you a designer when you already knew one, but when he mentioned the bill being on him, you immediately jumped on the offer.

"The dress isn't complicated to make at all — it's simple and short," you had explained to the designer as you sketched out what kind of dress you wanted.

The designer takes your sketch, eyes raking the drawings with a keen eye, and over time, they began to glimmer with interest. "How scandalous!"

You let out a chuckle, taking a seat on the couch in the parlor. "I need it in black. And please add a white shawl so I won't get cold."

"In black? I must say, Miss [Name], your taste is impeccable," the designer complimented. "To have this style of dress shortened and corset removed. Would you like it to be form-fitting still?"

"Yes," you answered. "Shall we get my measurements?"

The designer clapped their hand and their assistants began to move. They measured and took notes of your size, jotting them down quickly before having you choose the fabric for the dress. Afterward was picking on jewelry and a matching purse to go with the dress.

It didn't take long for the designer to finish making the dress — they have been warned that your order must be prioritized as it was for urgent use — so when they returned two days later with the finished dress, purse, and jewelry, the operation began.

Your dress was a short black dress that stopped mid-thigh with a straight-across neckline and a thin draped hanging sleeve. You chose an elegant, tiered, pearly choker and a black purse with a golden chain to be your complimentary attire. You also added a white, sheer shawl to drape around your shoulders and tangled with your arms.

You were in the middle of doing your makeup to make sure you'd look unrecognizable when a few knocks on your door interrupted you. Reaching for kohl from your little makeup pouch, you exclaimed, "Come in!"

You began to stain your waterline with the kohl, seeing Cale appear from your door, dressed in a sleek black button-up with black trousers. He wore a black-based vest with golden detailing that made him look so regal. In his arms was probably his black blazer, folded neatly. His red hair has turned brown, tied with a golden ribbon.

You quickly finished your makeup before dusting your dress and turning around to face the man. When you faced him, you see Cale looking at you with a soft gaze.

"You look amazing," you complimented him with a smile, eying him up and down appreciatively. "Gold suits you."

"And you would, too," he says, handing you a black masquerade mask with golden detailing. You raised an eyebrow, noting that Cale was holding a plain black masquerade mask, silently asking why Cale was choosing to be humble tonight, to which he gave you a shrug as an answer.

You turned to the vanity, placing the mask on your face and before you could tie the ribbon behind your neck, Cale came over behind you, "Excuse me."

His fingers worked skillfully to tie the ribbon behind your head and when he was done, he caressed the point where your neck and shoulder meet gently. Shivers ran up your spine upon feeling his touch and you grasped it, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

Cale leaned down, kissing the back of your neck affectionately. "You look breathtaking."

He glanced up at both of your reflections before his other hand came up to your thigh where your dress had hiked up, caressing the pale, straight bumpy lines that were peeking out. "Are you fine being dressed like this?"

You posed a little with a melancholic grin. "Just this once. No one will know who I am."

Cale stared at you through the mirror before he pulled away. He fixed the shawl properly around you so it won't look ruffled and crushed, his hand brushing against the scars on your biceps.

"You look amazing."

"Human!"

You both turned around when Raon burst the door open, flying into the room with a pout on his face. "Human, human, are you sure I don't have to follow you and [Name]?"

'Oh, so cute—!' You thought when you heard his confused, pleading voice. You saw Ohn and Hong walking into the room, their claws clacking on top of the hardwood floors.

"Wow, you look so beautiful, [Name]!" Hong complimented you, coming up to you and nuzzling your legs. "Thank you, Hong."

"I'm sorry you couldn't work beside us this time," you told them. "It's too risky."

"Just be careful," Ohn murmured, sitting on your vanity table to look up at Cale while Raon is perched around his shoulders.

"We'll be fine," Cale says, his other hand ruffling Ohn's head.

"Excuse me, Young Master-nim, Miss [Name]."

You all looked up to see Ron standing by the doorway. He gave you and Cale a polite smile. "Choi Han is ready."

"Oh, we have to get moving," you told them, moving to grab for your purse.

"Human, are you sure you can handle this?" Asked Raon anxiously, pouting.

You stood next to Ron, watching Cale talk to the kids to ease their anxiety about leaving Cale — most likely because he had been down in the dumps lately (you being the reason why) and they worry over him doing something dumb or borderline suicidal.

"I assume everything went well?"

You smiled at Ron's question. Of course, he'd want to know. "Yes. We both agreed to talk about it after things have settled down."

Ron let out a derisive chuckle. "Knowing what type of world we live in, I doubt that day will come soon."

"Mhm."

"Then?" Ron continued, now finally glancing at you. "Will you stay despite knowing that?"

He was asking whether or not you were still intending to leave to seek whatever it is that you wanted. Would you still leave even though you knew Cale returned your feelings?

You wished you could spit at the old man that he was purposefully making you feel selfish, but in a way, you are, aren't you? You were reminded of the voice that has been giving you headaches a few weeks ago, your head being so oddly quiet that you wanted to scream.

Despite the headaches, the voice was leading you to take your first step to get more clarity. They had given you a few days to choose whether you wanted to leave this all to pursue the answer of your existence here.

You turned to look at Ron with a sad smile. "No."

Ron's expressionless face cracked and you were stunned to be able to witness the way his eyebrows twitched in disappointment and eyes glazed with a melancholy look. He turned to look at you and while you never once had a father to care enough about you to be disappointed, you think about how bitter it must be because Ron's look was enough to crush your heart.

"I'm sorry," you murmured. Ron didn't say anything in response, turning to look at Cale instead when he came over with the kids.

Cale nodded at you and Ron. "Let's go."

Walking towards the parlor, you repeated some of the things you had agreed with Cale. His name was Robert Miles, a rich merchant that's traveling between the continents. You kept your name, [Name], posing as his escort for the night.

"Count Theo has several proposals, some accepted, some rejected by yours truly," you reminded him even though it wasn't necessary when you were nearing the parlor. "Road repairs, destroying functional bridges to make a better one, rebuilding a couple of administrative buildings, and many more."

"Cale-nim! [Name]!" Choi Han greeted you when Ron opened the door for you.

You saw that he was facing a mana communication device and it was on top of the table. Ron shut the door behind you all while you neared Choi Han, seeing Alver's face on the device.

He looked surprised when you came into the screen, perhaps barely able to recognize you. He smiled when he finally processed your appearance. "You look great, Miss [Name]."

"All thanks to you, Your Highness," you say, bowing your head a bit. "The designer you recommended me was amazing."

"I'm glad you went with the dress of my choice," Alver said.

Cale did a double-take. "Wait, what?"

"Now let me update you all—" Alver wastes no time to change the topic. "We spotted Baron Davis coming into the gambling house accompanied by escorts and Count Theo is already in there as well."

Baron Davis was the owner of the gambling house Count Theo frequents. He had connections with drug rings and a little bit on human trafficking, where some of the women he bought were allegedly used for his pleasures.

"Any chance they'll both be sitting at the same table tonight?" You asked. It'll be a bit of trouble if you're going to be distracting Baron Davis when Count Theo is near.

"Count Theo had been glancing towards Baron Davis ever since the man came in," Alver answered, massaging the bridge of his nose.

"Damn," you murmured. You'll have to go all out and make sure Count Theo doesn't recognize you at all.

"I suggest teleporting there as quick as you can," Alver said, eyes glancing at Cale for a second before he looked back to you. "And, Miss [Name], again, you look wonderful."

You rolled your eyes seeing that the man was purposefully doing that to get some kind of reaction from Cale, though you doubted anything could get through the man. Alver gave you a gleeful smile before shutting off the call.

"Alright, let's go there before the night gets later," you turned to the rest, fixing your shawl.

Cale nodded towards the Black Dragon, wearing his plain black mask. "Raon, please."

"Leave this to me!" Raon acknowledged enthusiastically.

When you all appear in an alleyway not far from the gambling house, Choi Han and the kittens merged into the shadows to watch from afar and collect any documents they could use to incriminate Baron Davis.

"Human, I want to go with you!" Raon pleaded, looking at Cale with his big eyes.

"I guess—" Cale had just begun to speak when you grabbed his arm.

"Cale—!" You hissed under your breath. "You cannot be serious. That gambling house is full of cigarette smoke, drugs, and god knows what kind of pornographic scene we'd stumble upon inside. You want to let a child see all of that?"

Cale shut his mouth close and you let him go, opting to hug Raon instead. "I'm sorry, baby, but you can't go inside. You'd have to be older to get in."

"But I'm the mighty Raon Miru," Raon whined, surprising Cale because Raon rarely had to whine to get what he wanted.

"Well, in that case, the mighty Rain Miru could watch the area for me and Cale, right?" You cooed, holding Raon by his jaw and directing him to look into your eyes. You gave him a sweet smile with your dark red lips, "Hm? You can do it, right? Make us proud?"

It was endearing to see you bargaining with a child. Raon pouted before finally giving in, going limp into your arms as he mourned over not being able to work beside you all.

"Alright, go to your brother and sister and watch us from afar, okay? And listen to Choi Han well."

Cale watched Raon leave you both with arms crossed in front of his chest. You turned to him, slipping your arm into the crook of his elbow, and began walking together, "The night hasn't even started but I'm already tired."

"You're good with kids," Cale commented off-handedly, both of your eyes trained on the entrance to the gambling house.

"I try my best with them," you replied, walking closer to the entrance and seeing a tall, bulky man guarding the door. "I don't recall any security measures when entering the place."

"Evening, Sir," the man greeted you and Cale. "Your name?"

"Robert," Cale answered, taking out a few gold coins and giving them to the man. "Robert Miles."

Receiving the coins with both hands, the man scrambled to let you both in and bowed his head low as you walk passed him. You noted how he doesn't even ask you for your name, which means you must've looked like an actual escort. 'Good for me, I guess.'

Upon entering the building, your senses were overwhelmed by the colorful dresses and masks, the stench of tobacco, and something herbal in the air. Your best guess for the last one would probably be drugs. There were more women compared to men in the building, some of them crowding a noble or two, some sitting together, and you can see someone pining for a woman and making out with them on the dark corners.

"Vulgar," Cale said, eying the booths where a man was seated with a woman on his lap, swapping spit and grinding against each other. "Thank goodness Raon isn't here to see this."

'This place is like an orgy party,' commented the Fire of Destruction.

'It's gross,' murmured the thief with disgust.

'Smells horrible,' added the priestess.

"Look for our man," you reminded him. "Let's look around together."

A waiter with a tray of drinks passed you both and Cale easily snatched a glass, drinking the liquor with an appreciative hum. "Don't drink anything while you're here. They got some pretty strong stuff."

"Hmm, I know," you murmured, hugging his arm closer to your chest, and Cale's face reddens. "We'll look suspicious if we don't mingle with the others."

"Before that—" Cale began. "The dress. Was it... Hyung-nim's choice?"

You turned to look at him with wide eyes. "Please don't tell me his words managed to get under your skin."

"It didn't," he says. "But, again, why did you give him the privilege to choose your dress?"

'Are you upset she didn't ask you?' asked the Super Rock with a tone that Cale knew had he had a face, it would be smiling.

"Are you upset I didn't ask you?" You voiced out the Super Rock's question to the world. "I just think he'd know what kind of dress would be the most outrageous, considering he's more on the reserved side."

"Am I not reserved?" Cale asked with a frown, not because he was upset, but because he was confused.

"You've seen me with nothing but a bathrobe on and you didn't flinch," you reminded him of the incident in Ubarr territory, causing his cheeks to redden upon the memory. "You've seen more of a woman's skin compared to him. Besides, your standards of modesty are perhaps a bit skewed compared to his."

"Hello, hello..."

You both turned to the new voice that had greeted you. You were stunned when you were met with a middle-aged man with navy blue hair with strands of white hair slicked back, showing off his ruggedly handsome face that was accompanied by light wrinkles and crow's feet on the corner of his eyes.

On his sides were two women, looking slightly older than you were as they hang onto his arms.

"Good evening, Baron Davis," Cale greeted him first, bowing his head down, which you followed mutely.

"Oh? You know who I am?" Asked Baron Davis with a grin.

"It would be unbecoming of me to enter a party without knowing who's the host," Cale replied.

In an almost comedic timing, a waiter passed by and Cale placed his glass on top of the tray they were walking around holding. He held out his hand and Baron Davis took it, firmly shaking each other hand.

"Robert Miles," Cale introduced himself.

"Simon Davis," Baron Davis says slowly, eyes raking all over your body as if Cale wasn't standing in front of him. "What do you do for a living, Mr. Miles?"

"I'm a merchant," Cale answered, going through the background Alver have prepared for them because if he was going to pay attention to Baron David practically leering at you like a piece of meat, he might as well fuck up this whole plan and beat the shit out of the guy. "Born in the Roan Kingdom but my parents themselves are merchants so I could never stay in one place for far too long."

"Oh, the life of a nomad, eh? How wonderful," Baron Davis says. "And may I ask what about the lady beside you? What is her name?"

You bowed your head humbly, feeling Cale's arms tense the whole time you were holding him. You can feel the glare of the women beside him, most likely not wanting to have the man looking around for other women when they haven't sucked him dry yet. "My name is [Name], Sir Davis."

Baron Davis raised an eyebrow. "No last name?"

"I am a commoner, Sir Davis," you answered.

"You were wearing such an... elegant dress, I thought you were a part of the nobility." Baron Davis's attempt to flirt did not go over your head.

You let out a giggle and placed a hand on Cale's chest, leaning into him with a pout, ignoring the frantic drum of his heartbeat underneath your palm. "It's all thanks to Mr. Miles right here, Sir. He bought me everything I'm wearing today. Isn't he so kind?"

Baron Davis hummed. "What kind of merchant are you, Mr. Miles? Anything specific that you sell?"

"I focus on textile tradings," Cale answered automatically.

"I see..." Baron Davis kept his eyes on you, a sickening grin on his face as he enjoyed the view. "Well, I have a booth that I use to sit down and talk with anyone I find interesting. Mr. Miles, would you do the honor of being that person tonight, along with Miss [Name], of course?"

Cale had a feeling Baron Davis was only after you tonight but hey, at least the plan was working, right?

"It would be such a privilege to share a conversation with you, Baron," Cale said smoothly.

'Human, is everything alright?' Raon's anxious voice appeared in his head just as they were heading to a booth together.

'Everything is fine,' Cale replied. 'How is everything on that side?'

'Choi Han and a couple of other people are looking over papers in an office but we haven't found anything yet,' Raon explained, voice sounding so disappointed that he couldn't tell Cale any good news.

'It's okay, try to look behind bookshelves or under the floorboards,' Cale reassured the dragon. 'Keep us updated.'

"They've got into his office but they haven't found anything incriminating yet," Cale whispered to you while Baron Davis and his women were sliding into the booth.

"Oh, it's so soft," you say gleefully when you sat down on the plush seats of the booth, keeping up an act of an innocent girl.

"You think so, Miss [Name]? My bed is softer than these seats," Baron Davis suggested with a grin that Cale wanted to rip off. "Maybe I should show you later tonight."

You tried your best not to gag. "Oh, I would love to but..."

You snuggled to Cale, hand on his chest as it slowly trailed down to hold his clenched fist. "I promised Mr. Miles I'd warm up his bed tonight."

"I envy you, Robert," Baron Davis muttered, leaning back into his seat. "Tell me, what part of Miss [Name] do you like the most?"

Cale didn't have the chance to even think of an answer when Baron Davis continued to speak of you in the most perverse way Cale has ever heard; "Is it her tits? Does she sucks you off good?"

You were thankful for the dim lighting near the booth area because your face is flared red and your eyes had grown glossy. Never in your life have you ever heard someone talk about you so degradingly. It made your stomach drop and makes you feel nauseous.

"Are you the type to stuff her cunt full?"

You wanted to fucking cry.

You didn't expect Baron Davis to be someone so fucking disgusting to the point he could talk about this so openly and without any shame. You expected a little bit of decorum! Were your expectations set too high?

You held onto Cale's clenched fist, noting that it was shaking out of pure anger.

'What the fuck,' the thief cussed. 'Is this guy fucking sick in the head?'

'How dare he—!' the Super Rock was at a loss for words upon hearing such disgusting remarks.

'Burn him! Burn him alive! What a fucking sicko!' shouted the Fire of Destruction with rage.

Before Cale was successfully persuaded by the crazy bastard's suggestion to burn this whole establishment down, a figure appeared beside their booth.

"Simon!"

You tensed, hearing the familiar grating voice enter your ears. You turned, seeing Count Theo — you would recognize the slimy bastard even if he's wearing a mask — standing while holding a gorgeous mahogany box with an iron latch.

"Theo!" Baron Davis greeted enthusiastically. "Come, sit down, friend! How have you been? How's the Palace treating you?"

Because Baron Davis was already sitting with two women, Count Theo opted to sit next to you, placing the box on the table. You tensed a bit, shuffling closer to Cale until one of your legs was hanging onto his thigh.

Count Theo sighed. "It's been hell with that bitch [Name] around."

You saw Baron Davis glancing at you for a second and immediately reacted. "Oh my, I don't work at the Palace, though?"

"Huh?" Count Theo looked at you with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, pardon me, Sir," you bowed your head a bit. "My name is [Name]. I had thought you were talking about me."

Count Theo's eyes drank the image of you and stopped only when Cale's arm appear to pull you by your waist. He glanced at Cale for a moment and when he saw brown-reddish eyes already glaring darkly at him, he stand down and looked back at you instead, "Where do you work, Miss [Name]?"

You tried your best to mimic Marilyn Monroe's iconic tone. "Well, Mr. Miles said I just need to look pretty and warm his bed. I would never work in the Palace when Mr. Miles treats me so kindly."

Count Theo's eyes glanced at the arm around your hips. "Mr. Miles...?"

"Theo, this is Mr. Robert Miles and his company tonight, Miss [Name]," said Baron Davis, gesturing to Cale. "Mr. Robert Miles, this is Theo, a good friend of mine."

"Mhmm, nice to meet you, Mr. Miles," Count Theo said before looking back at you and grinning. "Mhm, yes, you're not the [Name] I was talking about. She doesn't have tits and legs as great as yours, and she certainly wouldn't be dressed like you. The bitch's a fucking prude."

He raised his hand, the back of his hand caressing your arm and pausing when he came across your scars. "Oh, what's this? What a shame to see scars on such a beautiful body. They ruin you."

"Scars?" Questioned Baron Davis.

"Hmm, I've heard from my colleagues that that bitch [Name] always wore long sleeves probably because she has a lot of scars like this, something about being sad—" Count Theo snorted. "What a waste of fucking time. If she wanted to die, she should have just ended her life instead of seeking attention like that."

You felt your throat throb uncomfortably as you forced yourself not to cry, chest going tight as you mull over the decision of wearing such a dress. God fucking dammit, you get that it looks a bit horrid, but must such hurtful words be said?

"May I ask what's in the box?" Cale asked, pulling you closer to him and rubbing your waist with his thumb to calm you down.

You leaned to his neck, burying your face there to calm yourself down — feeling his warmth, breathing in and out with him, his scent calming the hurricane in your head, and using him as a place to lean on. You placed a hand on his neck and placed an appreciative kiss there.

"Thank you," you murmured against his skin, as quietly as you can. You can feel his heart pounding and smile at the effect you had on him.

"I am glad you asked, Mr. Miles," said Count Theo, opening the iron latch of the box and showing a few herbs rolled into a sheer, thin white paper.

'Shit,' Cale thought.

"Oh, my friend, you're a godsend!" Baron Davis reached and grabbed for one and Count Theo grabbed for his own.

"Mr. Miles, you must have one for yourself," Baron Davis said, having one of the women light up the end of the blunt for him. He inhaled with the blunt still in-between his lips, the end of it lighting up slightly before dimming and then he inhaled the smoke, some of it coming out of his nostrils.

You peeked at the box and many thoughts ran through your mind. Was Cale familiar with drugs? Had he ever done it back in the day? Does he get high easily? Can he even get high?

'Fuck, I didn't expect this,' you thought. You tried weed once or twice in college and thankfully you didn't get addicted to it — actually, you smoked more cigarettes back in college than weed.

Cale was the most rational between the two of you so he must not be in any situation where his consciousness and rationality be compromised.

Mustering the most innocent and cute voice you have, you asked; "Can I have one?"

Cale glanced at you, most likely confused. You whisper to him, "Just follow my lead."

"Of course, you can, sweetheart," Count Theo said, pushing the box towards you. "Mr. Miles, look at how Miss [Name] is willing to try one. Won't you grab one for yourself as well?"

"It's okay," you say, reaching for one. "We'll share it like how we always do!"

Cale was flabbergasted. What? Too many variables have shown up tonight that he was slowly growing frustrated with each time he has to improvise.

He watched Count Theo light up your blunt and you held it in between your fingers. With a grin, you settled yourself to straddle his lap, your center pressed against his crotch. His arms are around your waist, pulling you close so your breasts flushed against his chest.

"Whatever you do, don't inhale the smoke," you murmur to him before taking a drag of the blunt while pulling down Cale's chin so he'd open his mouth.

You leaned close to him, open your mouth to exhale the smoke into his mouth, and then crashed your lips together. You inhaled all the smoke back right into your lungs to prevent him from inhaling too much and let him kiss you, your hand still holding the blunt. You wanted to cough but swallowed it down, causing your throat to ache and you squirmed on top of him.

Cale licked your lips before pushing his tongue in, exploring your mouth, and twirling your tongue together just like how you did it to him a few days ago. His hand came up to the small of your back, wanting you to be so impossibly close to him that you'd merge as one.

"Mhmm," you whimpered when Cale unconsciously pushed his hips up to yours, the growing bulge brushing against your damp panties. "A-ahh..."

You pulled away from the kiss, licking your lips before taking another drag of the blunt while Cale spoke to them with his cheeks and the tip of his ear flushed red, "Hm, it's nice, I suppose."

'... That's genuinely the hottest thing I've ever seen a woman do,' the thief commented.

'I know, right? She was good with it, too,' murmured the Fire of Destruction.

"What an interesting way to share," Baron Davis pointed out, cheeks flushed and eyes hazy, no doubt having a hard-on.

"Say, Miss [Name], do you think we could share as well?" Teased Count Theo, exhaling a puff of smoke from his mouth.

"Oh, no, I can't," you say, removing yourself from Cale's lap, showing off the hard-on the man was having to the world. "I can only do it with Mr. Miles."

Count Theo flicked his tongue. "You're a greedy one, aren't you, Mr. Miles?"

Cale thought about how close the two of you are and how embarrassed he was to grind up to you like earlier. "I suppose I am."

"Sir, what is it like to work in the Palace?" You asked, looking at Count Theo with big, puppy dog eyes. "Is it as fun as they say? Do you get to meet His Highness every day?"

Seeing such a beautiful woman questioning him about his line of work with so much awe, Count Theo puffed up his chest and spoke with pride; "Of course! I used to be able to converse with His Highness Alver every day, however ever since that bitch came, my plans been going down the drain."

"Hmm, is it because of that [Name] woman?" you asked, prodding further, hoping Count Theo would admit something. You mustered up the courage to touch his arm and asked, "What did she do?"

Count Theo's face flushed red. "O-oh, she's a friend of His Highness and got a job through him. The bastard put her as a supervisor for project proposals in the office and she's been rejecting mine every time I applied one."

"Oh, proposals? What do you do with a proposal?" You asked, putting up a clueless facade hoping the bastard is into that sort of thing. Your body tensed when you feel Cale's hand on top of your thigh, his thumb brushing your skin. You took up the blunt again, taking a long drag of it before inhaling the smoke.

To be truthful, even though he wasn't used to being so intimate with someone, much less to make out with them but the mission so far had been in his favor with you being someone by his side because you have been putting your attention on him all night, but now that Count Theo has been the one to take your attention, he's slightly irked seeing you only talking to the man.

"Oh, you know, I try to make the people's lives better -- give them proper housing, this and that," bragged the Count.

Cale raised an eyebrow. What the hell is he talking about? According to you, all of Count Theo's projects mostly caused a disturbance to the commoner's day-to-day activities so you would only accept the ones you deemed urgent enough, but Count Theo was always trying to drag through the whole thing to make it last longer than necessary. "Probably so he can yap about how busy he is to his colleagues," you have told him earlier.

Cale heard you coo, no doubt thinking about how you'd rather stick your socked foot into a washbasin full of water than do this. "How kind of you."

"Don't tell me you're the one responsible for the rebuilding of the bridge near the administrative building?" Cale piped into the conversation, an amused eyebrow raised. He wants to see what type of outrageous shit Count Theo would spew. He had no idea which bridge he himself is talking about but he did manage to remember that small detail when you were complaining about it. "It looks much better than when I last visited."

"Oh, you've seen the contractors working, huh?" Count Theo seemed proud. "See, Mr. Miles, you can see what type of changes I'm doing to the kingdom."

"Though, I must admit that you put a lot of attention on that part of town," Cale pointed out. "Any reason why? A family member living there?"

You covered your mouth and put up an expression of scandalized when Cale continued, "Or perhaps a mistress?"

Count Theo frowned, eyes narrowing suspiciously at Cale. "You're quite the curious one, aren't you, Mr. Miles?"

"No need to feel ashamed if you do," Cale pressed on, placing his arm around your shoulder. And for an added flair, his other hand reached for your chin so you would face him instead, "After all, I'm not exactly a refined man myself."

Count Theo looked at the way Cale was now looking down at you and squishing your cheek while you were whining for him to let go or he'll ruin the makeup you've done so hard on. He let out a low chuckle, "No, not a mistress. But something much more valuable."

"More valuable than a woman?" Cale questioned, making sure to have his tone as bewildered as possible. Count Theo snorted, "Mr. Miles, there are many things that are more valuable than a woman."

"I have several friends in that area, you see," Count Theo said with a grin. "They can't exactly... work being so near to the building but with my people in the area, they're having a much easier time."

"What a smart man, eh?" Baron Davis suddenly added, snickering. "He decided to risk it near the place they wouldn't be looking around in."

'Human! We found it!' Raon's voice smacked him back to reality. 'There was a space under the floor and Choi Han destroyed it! He said he found the proof we need!'

Thank Gods! Now they can run from this establishment.

"Please have something to nibble on while you all enjoy your time here," said Baron Davis, snapping his fingers and a waiter coming over with a tray of cut-up chocolate bars. "Especially Miss [Name]."

You gulped a bit, watching Baron David and his women eating a piece each. You reached for the chocolate and ate it, trying to erase the slightly spicy, bitter aftertaste in your mouth from the blunt. Goddamit, why couldn't they just make edibles instead of rolling a horrible blunt?

You sucked on the chocolate, finding it taste a bit different than your average chocolate. It was sweet with a bit of a bitter tang to it and a spicy aftertaste.

"[Name], they've done it," Cale whispered to your ear, his breath caressing your earlobe causing you to jolt.

"G-good," you stuttered, your whole body feeling like it was on fire.

You leaned to Cale and when he touched your cheek to see what was wrong, you whimpered. Cale's face reddens when he heard the lewd sound and when he tried to help you sit up straighter, you mewled and nuzzled to him.

You feel uncomfortable to the point it was excruciating and the slightest touch by Cale set your whole body on fire. You feel your panties going damper than earlier and tried to look at Baron Davis through bleary vision, seeing him sitting there while making out with his woman, one of his hands squeezing her chest.

"C-Ca—!" Cale's hand came up to cover your mouth to stop you from saying his real name. His eyes widened when he realized how hot your skin was.

You grasped at his wrist weakly and gave him a pleading look. He slowly lowered his hand and leaned to you, hearing you whimper, "We... have to... out..."

Cale immediately stood up, knowing something had gone wrong.

'Cale, it's either the drug or the chocolate, or both,' suggested the Super Rock. 'She has been drugged.'

"Theo, it was nice meeting you, but I'm afraid [Name] and I will need to go first," Cale said, excusing you both.

You leaned to him, body feeling heavier than usual. Your shawl dragged through the ground, some of it still tangled around your arm. Cale cursed inside his head and approached a waiter, "Excuse me, but is there a private room?"

He would love to go out and look for the others immediately, but your temperature was spiking up at a concerning pace and it made his heart race. The waiter had pointed out the way to Cale, looking nonchalant despite you whimpering in his arm and looking unwell. Cale concluded that many have probably drugged women and taken advantage of them here.

Cale rushed into the room the waiter had pointed out and locked it behind him. He leads you to a couch in the room and before he could lay you down, you gave up trying to stand up on your own two feet, letting yourself fall on top of him.

He let out a groan of pain, his head banging quite loudly against the couch. "[Name]?"

"C-Cale," you whispered his name, borderline moaning it. You pushed yourself to crawl up so you can be chest-to-chest, looking at the man with eyes clouded with lust.

You stared at him for a second before kissing the man senselessly, grinding yourself against his bulge and whimpering in his mouth. Cale froze on the couch, feeling you grab his hand.

"Oh, Cale—" Your voice sounds strangled. You lead his hand to your breast, forcing his hand to squeeze it. "Touch me, please."

'Aphrodisiacs! The chocolate was laced with aphrodisiacs!' screamed the gluttonous priestess in panic.

'Cale, stop her!' Yelled the Super Rock when you began to pull down your dress by the neckline. Cale grabbed your hand and the other hand was used to fix your neckline.

"[Name], calm down—!" Cale jolted when you pressed down your center to his bulge, moving your hips. You moaned loudly as you did so, the sound so fucking erotic and sexy that Cale could feel his pants becoming too tight.

'This woman is a fucking menace when horny, holy shit,' commented the Fire of Destruction in awe.

"Can you please focus?!" Cale yelled at the ancient power, switching to hold you by your hips so you won't move. You whined and Cale switched the position so you would be the one lying down while Cale sat on your abdomen, pining your wrists above your head to lock you in place.

You looked up at him, face flushed red, hair messy, and pupils blown with lust. You closed your eyes, letting out a whine, "C-Cale..."

'Knock her out!' The thief commanded.

'With what?!' Cale questioned.

"Cale, please, please, please," you pleaded in hushed whispers, squirming underneath him. "Please, touch me."

Cale closed his eyes so he doesn't have to see you beneath him, pleading to be touched. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

"Cale, pleaseee," you moaned, feeling like if you don't get to be touched, you can die from the heat of your body. "Cale, I feel horrible. Please, please, touch me."

Cale kept his eyes shut but his ears were still able to hear the noises you make.

'There's no way you can last like this until the aphrodisiac's effect disappears,' says the Super Rock.

'I say let the woman cum,' said the thief. 'Give her the relief she needs and let's get it over with.'

"I'm not going to take advantage of her," Cale stated firmly, holding you down when you squirm, thrusting your hips up to get some kind of friction. He'd leave you alone if he could so you could probably deal with this yourself but he can't do that when they're in enemy's territory, one where it's crawling with men waiting for a vulnerable woman to corner.

"Cale," you whispered. "Please?"

'You know, your self-control is something else,' said the Fire of Destruction, genuinely in awe.

'Instead of being like this, I suggest at least trying to reach the exit with her,' Super Rock said.

Cale knew that waiting for help like this is useless and might get you both in more trouble if you were caught. He sucked in a deep breath and slowly released your wrists, prompting you to curl yourself up just as he got off of you.

"[Name], we have to get out of here," he whispered to your ear, taking your arm and putting it across his shoulder. "We can't stay here."

He pulled you up, trying his best to ignore the way your lips brushed against his jaw so lovingly, going down to his neck and leaving a bunch of lipstick marks all over his skin. He stood up with you hanging by his shoulder, holding you by the waist and nearly limping to towards the door. Cale finds relief and disgust at the fact that everyone in this place is so fucked in the head that they don't see anything wrong with a man dragging an intoxicated woman across the establishment. Plus, it seemed everyone is either stoned or drunk to even realize he was summoning a little bit of wind to his feet to help him get across quicker.

'You're gonna leave without causing at least some degree of havoc?' taunted the thief and if Cale could see them, he's sure he would find them with a smirk and an eyebrow raised. 'That's not very Cale Henituse of you.'

'Come on, kid,' added the Fire of Destruction, 'That David guy talked about [Name] like that and you're just going to let him slide?'

'I don't agree with causing havoc but... perhaps make sure they could never do that sort of thing again,' suggested the Super Rock.

'Make them regret it,' said the priestess.

Cale exited the place with you nearly passing out, not even going to stop and question where that bulky security man had been standing by when they entered the place. Once you were both out of sight, Cale flew to the top of the smaller houses where he had seen Choi Han's silhouette.

"Cale-nim! [Name]!" Choi Han called, eyes wide when Cale landed gently beside them with your face flushed red, sweating, and panting. Choi Han takes you from Cale's hold, carrying you bridal-style, and was immediately stunned to feel your how hot your skin was. "What happened to her?"

Ohn and Hong who are perched on Choi Han's shoulders looked at you with concerned gazes while Raon floated right on top of you, "Human, she looks so red! Like a tomato! Is she going to be okay? She's not going to die, is she?"

"She's going to be fine if we go back to Ron to have her looked at," said Cale, taking off his mask and throwing it away before he took off his blazer as well and draping it on top of you. "She had been drugged, most likely aphrodisiacs. She had previously been smoking a drug, too, so I'm hoping at least maybe Ron would know the after effects."

"Raon-nim, please transport us quickly to Ron," Choi Han said to the Black Dragon.

Cale sees your head lolled to the side before they are teleported into the duchy, specifically into your room. Choi Han quickly placed you on your bed, turning to look at Cale when the man got to the side of your bed, sitting by your bedside. Cale looked anxious as he turned to give Choi Han a command, "Choi Han, go look for Ron."

"Yes, Cale-nim." Choi Han turned around and left while Raon showed himself to Cale.

"What about me, human? What should I do?" asked the child anxiously, restless as he threw glances at you.

Cale held the dragon close so he keeps his eyes on Cale and not you. "[Name] would want you to not stress about this. She's okay, she's just a bit out of it, okay?"

Raon looked down, nuzzling to your side with the kittens. You huffed, feeling your whole body being set on fire but having some sense in you to not push the kids away. You fluttered your eyes open, glancing at Cale's anxious gaze. "W-what's happening?"

"You were drugged with aphrodisiacs in the chocolate," Cale answered. "After smoking that drug, I just need to be sure there's no after-effect for you."

You remembered smoking that blunt and let out an anxious laugh. "S-sorry..."

"It's alright," Cale reassured you. "You saved our disguise."

Your bedroom door swung open by an anxious Choi Han, Ron following closely behind. He approached you on the bed, looking over your complexion quickly before checking your temperature and pulse. He took off your mask to get a proper look at your full-blown pupil and let out a sigh, "The aphrodisiac she consumed are quite strong for her stature and body weight. Choi Han mentioned about drug usage before the aphrodisiac entered her system?"

"We were forced to smoke some kind of drug but [Name] managed to get me out of that situation," Cale explained. He refused to explain how you managed to do that since it'll be too much for both him and you for everyone to know.

"It probably intensified the effects of the aphrodisiac and make it last longer," Ron explained. "Since we don't really have an antidote for such things, the only way is to have her sleep this one out until the effects disappear. I'll have to knock her out."

Cale paled. "O-okay."

"She will be safe in my care, Young Master-nim," Ron reassured him with a benign smile. "Now please leave us alone."

The kittens jumped to Cale's arms and everyone had to anxiously leave you to Ron, but before Cale could leave, Ron stopped him. The butler gave Cale a slightly playful gaze. "Perhaps clean up a bit before you meet anyone else, hm, Young Master-nim?"

Cale stared at Ron for a minute before nodding slowly, leaving your room and heading towards his.

Ron turned to look back at you and let out a tired sigh. 'Oh, what should I do with you, Miss [Name]?'

Meanwhile, Cale was busy ignoring the surprised and flustered gazes of the servants when he walked by them. However, when he managed to meet his stepmother in the hallway, he knew something was wrong when he saw his mother's slightly scandalized look.

"Oh, uh, Cale," she greeted him, looking him up and down. "Where have you been? You're... dressed up nicely."

Cale didn't even try to think much of a lie. "[Name] and I went to dinner."

Violan covered her face with her fan, eyes scanning over Cale's face. "I-I see that [Name] have forgiven you for what you've done."

"Fortunately, yes."

Violan looked away from Cale and hurried to leave. "Well then, have a good night, Cale."

Cale nodded. "You as well, Mother."

He finally arrived to his room, letting the kids invade his bed first as he took off his vest. He approached the vanity and eyes widened in shock when he saw lipstick marks all over his lips, jaw, and neck. Is this how he had been walking around this whole time?

"I'm an idiot," he murmured to himself, rubbing his temple in exasperation.

#cale henituse x reader #cale henituse #trash of the count's family #lout of count's family #tcf cale #tcf choi han #tcf alberu #raon miru

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