#cliche warning

[iamskadhi]

Note: this is the first time I write anything in english so take it more like an idea or whatever. I have no respect for this language, but correct me when I'm wrong, please.

I had this "OC" in my mind for years but I can't recall her name, so you can imagine this is you, you're narrating this story, past tense and present might be a little all over the place, ehe.

I always imagined this like a series of mini comics because it contains some things from Dabi's past like before being Dabi the villain but after the fire that "killed him", I'm just not patient or talented enough to draw all that.

+4000 words.

Warning: it may be boring, you may read some dumb teen behaviour, soft +18 content, slow burn, and some Bella Swan vibes.

Nothing more to say, I hope somebody likes it.

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I met Dabi when I was barely a teenager; too young, too naive, but also too mad at my parents so I took every chance to be with people I shouldn't be around and that's exactly how I met him. He had a fire quirk that harms his body so he looked like shit, he wasn’t exactly handsome but he was light-hearted.

I noticed he dyed his hair black and I started to help him with it, also helped him cure his skin when he over used his quirk. I don’t know how or when but we became closer.

There was just... something in his eyes. Never seen eyes that color blue. Anybody would think he was a bad influence but it was the other way round. Dabi was such a nice guy, always telling me to go home, go to school, helping me with anything I needed and all I needed was him —with me— all the time.

“I like you” he said, “you’re kind and pretty, also you’re rich, why do you hang around these losers?”

“I like you” I said. I could never forget the smile on his face.

He told me about his past and I thought his future was us, together. We were young, those were the days when you think you know everything but you’re just naïve, too naïve. We would lay down in the grass and tangle up, I usually bring food and beverages for everyone, he’d put his arm around my shoulders and tell everyone not to mess with me, he made me feel special, he made me feel loved and mature.

We invented a signal and we started to meet at midnight, it was easy because I had a quirk that allowed me to teleport. Wherever he strayed, I followed and I would’ve begged for him to hold my hand and never let go.

However, time passed and he and his friends got in big trouble. I knew they were thieves, and then they became murderers and had to take different paths.

“You can’t hide me alone, are you fucked in the head?!” Dabi yelled at me when we had our first big fight because of that. “We need to go and you can’t come with us, your parents will get us caught for kidnapping, this is my last word. You stay, we’ll meet again someday.”

We lost contact before I graduated; he simply disappeared and left me with a broken heart.

I cried my eyes out for a month, but a girl gotta be tough and smart and independent. I moved out of my parents house when I finished high school, thanks to my dad, he rented a whole apartment near college and that was probably the first time in a long time I was grateful to have a wealthy family.

I just had to study and work for the family business and life would be sweet, but then one day I saw him. He walked by the Coffee Shop I used to go. How could I ever forget him? He wasn't exactly my first love but definitely one true love. My heart stopped for a second and then raced like crazy, I got up and out of the place running.

"DABI" I yelled but he kept walking, "Dabi, stop!" He walked around the corner of a dark alley, so I stopped, I doubted:

Should I follow or should I let him go for good? It's been a couple of years, he probably has someone new now, I thought.

Then I heard him:

"It's been a long time" he said from the shadows of that alley, his voice changed a bit, matured, "I was convinced you forgot about me. I missed you"

A tear shed from my left eye when I saw his face, his burned skin looked worse than before.

"What an asshole" I said and ran to his arms, hugged him hard enough for him to moan, "I thought I'd never see you again."

I punched his chest.

"You dumbass, I hate you. I hate you! I should hate you but I'm just mad at you and I just wanna cry and I... I..." words escaped from my mind for a moment, "do you want a coffee or anything?"

He laughed and hugged me gently.

"I'm sorry. I missed you", he said.

For what it felt like an eternity, that was all that he could say. I was confused and happy at the same time, he walked with me to my place, looked up at the building and said something about being too far from his place, he didn't tell me where his place was or what he's been doing. We made a deal to meet at the coffee shop every Wednesday and for a few months that was okay.

“I still like you” he confessed randomly.

“I like you too”

He never told me what he does for a living, but I could imagine it. I felt like the more that he said, the less that I knew about his life and I was okay with that as long as he would stay around.

One day, he didn't show up. The next Wednesday, he came with an excuse about a job I’m sure he made up to keep me happy, to keep me safe.

"Dabi, why don't you come live with me?" I asked one time. His big blue eyes were wide open and I was sure he was gonna say no, so I insisted:

"I don't have a lot of free time lately, this is my senior year and I need to focus but I still want you around, come live with me and I'll see you every night, you don't have to worry about your job, you know you can live rent-free and..."

"No. Stop. No."

"Just come see the apartment, please.” I insisted, I didn’t want to let him go again, “It's big enough I swear and we can..."

"Please, stop. I have pride. I'm still a man."

He talked about how different we were, but I knew it wasn't true, he said maybe if I was less dependent of my parents we could work this out, but I knew that was just an excuse. It took me a couple of months but I made him come into my apartment.

"I just need to pick something real quick, come with me" I said and it wasn't all lie, I needed something it just wouldn't be quick.

He looked around the living room, I went to my bedroom to pick some books and when I walked out, he was looking out the window.

"You have a nice view", he said. I could see his blue eyes reflexing on the window’s glass.

"I know"

I walked to him and hugged him.

"I missed being this close in private.” I whispered.

“The last time we were fifteen", he concurred.

He didn't grow any taller since then, I put my head on his shoulder and felt a shiver. His hands went from my hair down to my shoulders, then down to my back until he touched my ass cheeks. I closed my eyes and left a sigh out.

"You've changed", he whispered, I looked at his face and he had that smile, I'd never forget the smile he had the first time I saw him, or the first time that we had sex.

"We were just kids back then, pretending to be adults"

"I don't regret that" he kissed me slowly.

"Me neither"

He took my clothes off clumsily and I led us to the couch, I could tell he didn't have anything with anybody else and I was so relief about it. I took his jacket off and went straight to his pants; he already had an erection like he was craving for it all this time.

"No more games" he said "let's go to your room"

I took his hand and we went to bed, I laid down and he kissed and touched me viciously, then I remembered I didn't have a condom and pushed him away.

"Do you have...?"

"No" he said, he knew what I meant.

"Damn it!" I cursed; we were already there like that. "I could go..."

"No, don't worry. You had to pick something anyway; we'll do it any other day"

My heart raced. I wanted to take him immediately when he said that, but I just kissed him and made him promise he'd come back. And he did. Over and over.

Until he was practically living there with me. I had him just where I wanted and then, one day, my mother showed up.

"You have to finish this relationship before other people find out. You can't live like this, we raised you better than that. You better not get pregnant or I'll drag you to an abortion clinic myself."

Good thing: that day Dabi wasn't around. Time passed and he was more and more time somewhere far away; I had the feeling he would disappear again, so I had to talk it out but I didn’t know how, I thought he would take it as a sign to completely disappear.

"You could leave a note, you know, or send me a text. Tell me when you're leaving, for how long... I'll graduate soon, I'm busy too but at least I tell you when I'm coming home late."

"I think I can't keep living here" he said "I've been trying to protect you from the things I do, but I think it's catching up. I can't risk you, I can't lose you"

I felt my blood pressure go low.

"So you're leaving me... again"

He did not say anything.

We both knew this day would come around. I just wanted to keep my delusional idea that we would work things out. Run away together, somewhere far from Japan. I even suggested Spanish lessons one night.

"I love you" he whispered in my ear when he hugged me "and I'll find you when I'm done"

"Done with what?"

He kissed me and walked to the door.

"Touya, done with what?!"

I only called him by his real name when I was angry and he knew. His last gaze before closing the door was so sad but I was at the edge of going mad.

"STUPID TODOROKI!"

I threw my phone across the living room. I screamed and kicked the sofa, my tears ricochet and I tried to stop them with my hands but couldn’t; and then I just went to my room and tried to retain it all back inside.

I cried, until my face was red and swollen and couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I looked like a frog whenever I cry this much so I did't get out of bed for a whole day.

I couldn't possibly imagine what he was doing; but every time there was a fire, anything related to blue flames I knew it was him and I kinda knew why. I knew everything about his family, about his father.

All Might retired, so Dabi's father was #1 Hero now. It must have messed with his brain and I wished I could have helped him, but you cannot help someone that doesn't want to be saved.

I did my best to move on. I graduated and started to work at my father's company. I realized Dabi was right about me: I was my father’s daughter and I couldn’t live without his protection; but there was nothing wrong about it, now that I was older, I realized I was lucky for it. I wished he had my luck.

Left the apartment and moved to a different city, my mom was too excited about that, she visited me the first chance she had.

"You know whose hero's agency is really near?" She asked me, "Hawks’ agency, the #2 hero!" She was suspiciously excited about it, "he's so young but so talented and handsome! You know, I could set..."

"Mother, leave"

"What?"

"You do not get to do this, you do not get to set me a blind dates, I don't want you to do that and I don't want you here. I moved so I didn't have to have you around, don't visit me unannounced anymore, please, now leave"

"You ungrateful piece of shit" she started saying something but I wasn’t gonna let her talk:

"Yeah, I know, I know, take your things now and leave"

She started an argument so I just walked to my bedroom and closed the door lock. I assumed she would get tired of talking to the door and leave. I took a sleeping pill; I loved those pills. Then the most unimaginable thing happened when I woke up, there was a chaos outside, too much noise and heat and apparently, there was two heroes fighting a monster, a nomu.

I went inside to check the news, the battle seemed lost but Endeavor managed to win. I fucking hated that guy, but damn he was strong… and so was his son.

I missed Dabi. I kept sending text messages for a while after he left me and he never replied so I stopped, but at that moment I felt the urge to try again.

“Did you watch the news?” I asked.

“What’s your new address?”

“Are you serious, you fucking dork?" I texted back.

"I'll find you, I'm pretty near" he replied. I blushed a little, I felt excited to see him again.

"You better come with a bouquet, coffee and the most dramatic apology you can think of"

“LMAO”, was his last text.

Almost a week later, a bouquet appeared at my entrance.

Holy shit, I thought. There was a note: "I miss you, I’ll be back soon"

Later, after work, I got a free coffee.

"A guy paid for it earlier, he said he knew you, I hope it's okay" said the girl at the counter.

"He had blue eyes and looked like a crispy chip?"

"Mmm, yes" she stuttered.

"It's good, thank you"

“You’re welcome, come back soon!” She sighed in relief.

Then, when I got home the door was open and it made me so angry.

"If this is the best apology you can imagine, you're the biggest asshole...!"

However, there was no one inside. I looked around the house, he wasn't there. I felt insecure so I called a friend, I stayed at her apartment that night and she tried to convince me to call the police.

I said I would, but I called him instead.

He answered.

"Today at my house, was it you?"

"What?" He sounded confuse.

"The door was open but there was no one inside"

"I sent you flowers and coffee but I didn't think of any way to apologize enough to you. I didn't go to your house and I won't go until you let me"

"Okay… I think I'll call the police then, don’t come near"

"Good. Take care."

“I…”

Silence. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t expect him to pick up the phone in the first place. He whispered my name:

“Thank you for loving me this whole time” he said and hung up.

I felt like stupid for not saying anything. I didn’t even said that I loved him, never said it but actions speak for themselves and I couldn’t deny it.

After calling the police, some heroes would walk by my house every damn day; my father visited to make sure they did, my mother was too offended to come with him.

Turned out it was just a robbery case.

“Your mom and I talked about what happened between you two and I have to keep her happy, honey”, he stated “they don’t say ‘happy wife, happy life’ for nothing, I know she hasn’t been the best to you, but she tries”

“She treats me like shit, always have”

“Don’t say that” he sighed. “Let’s make a deal: I will set you a couple of dates just to calm her down and you choose the type of man you want to go to dates with, uh?”

I smiled viciously.

“No criminals!” he immediately said “don’t put yourself in danger just to get to your mother’s nerves, think about me too. There must be some nice guys you’d like to meet.”

“What if I want to date a woman?”

“Fine by me, I like woman too”

“I don’t like woman that way, I just wanted to know if I could.”

He laughed and looked at the time.

“Your mom told me about that hero, Hawks, I met him and he’s not very heroic actually, he’s just lucky he has a useful quirk, I think you’d like him”

“You’re pushing me”

“I’m not. Let’s set this now, you’ll have two dates, one with that hero prick and one with whoever you want, some college colleague preferably”

“Okay, fine, but the second date will be a woman.”

Mother always got what she wanted.

“Excellent, my dear! Send me her profile when you pick one, I’ll set the time and date, you go wherever you want and keep me updated. I gotta go now”

I chose a friend from college my mother never seemed to approve. As soon as I made my choice, my dad did his part.

The day I met Keigo it was rainy, he asked me if I wanted to cancel but I didn’t, I liked rain when it’s calm and I wanted to finish my duty as soon as possible. We went for coffee, watched a movie and then to a nice but not too elegant restaurant for dinner.

When I told him I had no intentions to date him, he told me he had no excuse to reject this date since he took a break from his hero’s agency for personal reasons; he seemed nice, careless and turned out to be easy-going, but he wasn’t Dabi.

I swore I could go home by myself but he insisted and when we were arriving, he put his arms around me.

“Don’t be scared” he said and took fly with me. I teleported back to the ground without thinking and shouted at him:

“What the fuck were you thinking?! What were you trying to do to me, you psycho?!”

He looked down at me and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“You’re not supposed to use your quirk whenever you want, you’re not a professional hero nor a villain like me” Dabi was by my side and his eyes locked to Keigo’s. He came down with his hands exposed.

“I sensed you following me, I didn’t think you two knew each other” Keigo looked careful now.

“We’re like childhood friends” Dabi said, “I was curious why would someone like her hang around a hero like you”

“It was my mom’s idea” I said, “Dad intervened, long story short, I have to go to blind dates now, it’s none of your business” I looked at Keigo: “now I am curious why you’re not trying to catch him”

“I told you I’m off duty”

“Sure”

Something was off, I knew but I couldn’t tell. Dabi always kept me far enough and safe from his business. These two knew each other, but I couldn’t tell if Dabi was an informant or it was the other way round.

“I’ll take her home now” Dabi said.

“What kind of man would let his date go home with another man?” Keigo smiled.

I felt Dabi’s hand get warmer so I took it off my shoulder.

“I told you I could go home by myself, so I’m leaving. You two can catch up now, it seems like you have something to talk about”

“You’re wrong” Dabi said, “You and I have a lot to catch up”

I looked him in the eyes, it cut deep to know him right to the bone. He came back and he’d go away soon.

“I know that it’s over, Dabi, I don’t need your closure” I said firmly and walked away. It hurted more than I expected, I wasn’t serious, just wanted to mislead Hawks.

The rain came pouring down the closer I got home, it helped me conceal my stupid tears. That night I slept on the couch, I kinda expected Dabi to come but he did not.

Keigo, on the other hand, appeared at my door early in the morning with a nice bouquet.

“You may think I’m not serious,” he said “but I found you amusing”

He accompanied me on the way to work, behave nicely, but I suspected of his true intentions.

“Dabi was a part of a rebel phase when I was younger,” I admitted, he didn’t say anything, neither pretended he didn’t wanna know, “he comes and goes, he may think that I’m bulletproof but I’m not”

“With a quirk like yours, you could easily avoid a bullet” he tried to joke around but I didn’t let it slide.

“I’m conscious that he sees what he does to me, he knows exactly how to ruin a perfect day and I’m sick and tired of that attitude, so whatever you’re trying to do here, end it right now”

His smirk faded.

“Last night you said it was over, but I see it’s not. I won’t annoy you anymore”

His phone ringed, we said goodbye and he left me alone. I knew he just wanted to know if I was involved in anything Dabi was.

Life turned boring for a while and that was okay, but myhouse started to feel too big for me alone. I was considering to move to an apartment or bring a girl friend to live with me when I looked out the window and saw a letter outside the mailbox; when I went out to pick it, looked around but didn’t see anybody.

I knew it was his.

I knew it was a goodbye letter, I had to let him go.

“I won’t make assumptions why you moved to a different city but I think it’s cause of me. I swear I gave my blood, sweat and if I could cry I’d give my tears to protect you from the things that I do but it wasn’t enough, I could never give you peace”, he wrote.

“Deep down I hoped I would never lose you, eventually I did. I’m not your problem anymore. I can’t just show up at your front door and expect you to let me in, but I want to do it anyway.

Now that we don’t talk, I just wanted you to know I wish I was a better man for you.”

Lastly, he wrote:

“I’m sorry that I hurted you, it’s not your fault.”

I never felt so attacked by a piece of paper in my life. I knew I was better alone than needing a man like him, but the heart wants what it wants. Wishing he was a better man wasn’t an option, I loved him for being the man he was, the fact that he didn’t see it my way was painful.

All this time I thought he could see right through me, now I wonder what was he seeing this whole time.

I called him but he didn’t pick up the phone, so I started to write a text message when I heard the door ring bell and he was there standing at my door.

“This is the last time” he said, “I swear this is the last time”

He put his arms around me, he was warm and had that suspicious smell like he over used his quirk.

“You’re an asshole” I mumbled.

“I know”

“I’m tired of this”

“I know”

“I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you”

“You won’t have to”

I looked at his face, surprised.

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s go inside, we have a lot to talk about” he walked in.

For the first time, he opened up about everything, I listened carefully; I got worried, even cried a little. I suggested again that we could run away together but he didn’t want to, he was determined to fulfil his revenge against Endeavor even if it killed him in the process.

It made me want to die. I took a deep breath.

“You can’t come here and expect me to accept that you’re willing to die just to expose your father’s shit to everyone in Japan” he opened his mouth but I didn’t let him talk, “you have to choose right now, Touya, you leave now or you stay with me. You can’t just ask a person that loves you to sit and watch you get killed, you’ll have to kill me just the same”

Dabi hugged me gently, kissed me softly.

“Never going to happen”

My heart ached. I knew he’d leave me in the morning, but all I could think about was that I wished I could go back in time and save Touya from that fire. If anybody could go back in time and save him, knowing what I know, even if it meant we wouldn’t meet or be together… that’d be okay.

“Dabi, I’m sorry I didn’t meet you before”

He looked confused.

“I think we never stood a chance, did we? Wanna come to bed?” I asked and he smiled.

“Yeah, ready for it?”

I laughed and took his hand, led him to the bedroom, took his jacket off and appreciated his burned arms for a moment. I touched his burned lip with the tip of my finger.

“I love you” he said.

“Just not enough to stay”

“I…”

I shushed him. Nothing he could say would eased the pain I was feeling that night. I hugged him, kissed him and whispered in his ear:

“I love you too. Now show me your love with actions instead of words”

#dabi #dabi x you #fanfiction #light novel style #i like the idea that dabi would be the kinda guy that makes sure you know he likes you #cliche warning #dabi x y/n #dabi x reader

[ithinkinggenshin]

Messed Up Messy Love

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Characters: Ei, Yae Miko, Ayaka 

Pairings: GN!Reader x ^above characters (separately) 

Warnings: Angst, abandonment, implied cheating, hurt/comfort/hurt, swearing, death,  bloody nose, imprisonment, possessiveness, grammar errors

Word count: 6.7k

Synopsis: So I got an ask for a fic about fighting and making up but I ended up writing a breakup fic instead. So here’s that. Don’t worry, I’m gonna keep working on that request. 

Note: Under the cut because the fic is long

Ei:

She neglected you. Disappeared without a word of warning. You know she’s a busy woman. You know she devotes herself to her pursuit of eternity. She loses track of time when she’s concentrated and focused, but she seems to not realize she may lose you too if she continues to ignore you. 

You’re tired of this treatment. The days and nights without her are far more frequent than those with. It was more than enough time to have you going through the 5 stages of grief. At first, you gaslit yourself into believing she was just busy. She made time for you in the past but maybe something came up? Maybe she was held up with mountains of paperwork. Or maybe she was just meditating. You go to the palace everyday and ask the guards to let you in. Everyone knows you by now, but they still deny you entry. What is going on? 

By the third day of you not seeing her, the theory that she’s meditating has rooted itself in your mind as the answer. It must be. 

Of course, you’re wrong. 

You visit the shrine to get a fortune slip and pray. You’re secretly hoping Ei will hear your prayer and come to you. 

A chance encounter with Yae Miko leads to her talking to you about her recent visit with Ei. So recent that it was just yesterday. Your face gives away how utterly confused and hurt and betrayed you are that Ei has chosen to not come and see you but let Yae Miko still visit her. Yae sees your crestfallen expression and reassures you that Ei has just been busy and has lost track of time. She promises to bring you up the next time she visits Ei. That is, if she herself hasn’t already come running to see you. 

You nod and thank her. You believe her. You want to believe her. You’re choosing to believe her. 

A week passes. Ei doesn’t even send you a letter. 

By this point, you know she can’t be busy with political stuff. She’s an incredibly intelligent woman. She built a puppet for her to control. She developed all kinds of sword techniques. She’s ruled over Inazuma for centuries. She isn’t busy. At least, not busy enough to not have time to even send a blast of lighting to you to show she’s thinking about you. 

It’s because of the lack of lighting that you don’t worry if you’ve made her angry. The last time she was angry it stormed and thundered for over 3 weeks. She sat in her plane of Euthymia until she calmed down. To her it was a blink of an eye. It would have been an awful and painful three weeks for you if she hadn’t dragged you with her to the palace. Even though you were the one she was mad at. Even though it was an argument that you two had, she brought you with her to protect you from herself. You would’ve apologized sooner, if she hadn’t locked herself up completely like she did. She said she needed time to think. You said that you were glad you had some time to think too, but it was too much time if you’re being honest. Ei had said she’d try to keep that in mind for the future. 

The rain let up, and the people breathed a sigh of relief. Some even came and thanked you for calming their archon down. You can’t describe the surreal feeling of joy and love you felt knowing that Ei wanted you, even when she was angry, and that you two could work things out. 

You thought she loved you. 

Another week passes and now you’re pissed. 

She’s ignoring you! She doesn’t care about you! You swear she’s so selfish. It’s always her plans that come first. Her wants. Her needs. She wants to be alone? Fine! She can be alone for all eternity. Maybe she’s staying away from you on purpose. 

Maybe she’s preparing for your death. Maybe she doesn’t want to care about you when you die.

Maybe she doesn't actually care about you. 

Maybe she never did. 

Maybe she doesn’t love you…

…

Maybe she never did…

You cry at those thoughts. You’re not angry anymore.

Ei. Please come back. You say to yourself, alone in your room. 

All indications of her presence in your life are gone already. Her scent, stray hairs, and snacks are gone. Thrown out and scrubbed away from your previous house cleaning, back when you thought she’d be coming to see you. 

You feel like crying again. 

You try the palace again. You bring her favorite snacks. You bring gifts. You write her love letters. You beg the guards to let you pass. To let you see your girlfriend. They all look guilty as they turn you away. The letters you sent come back to you, unopened. 

You go to see Yae. For once you can see straight through her lies. Her hesitation to answer and ultimate decision to simply reassure you again by saying that she’ll talk to Ei. You scowl and ask her what happened when she brought you up before. She dodges the question with twisted words. You don’t bother trying to pull the truth out from her. You’re sure it’ll hurt you. You don’t think you can handle more pain. You turn and leave as Yae is mid sentence. She doesn’t get upset at you for being so disrespectful. Tears fall as you make your way back down the mountain. 

Ei must not love you anymore. 

That’s why she doesn’t want to see you. 

The days seem to drag on and blur by at the same time. Life goes on. The world keeps moving. You can’t bring yourself to leave your house for a few days. You manage to avoid work by faking ill, but you can’t avoid your job forever. You need to eat. You’re surprised you’ve almost run out of food. You’ve barely had an appetite. 

You finally go out. 

You go back to work. Your boss asks if you’re okay. You say you’re fine, just fatigued. They tell you to take care of yourself. You can take time off if you’re still feeling sick. You thank them and shake your head. They don’t try to pry further. You’re grateful for that. You try to get back into the swing of things. You force yourself to take on each day. 

You think you’re healing. 

Ei still hasn't come. 

You try not to think about it. 

It’s been months. You can’t tell how much time has passed. You stopped keeping track a long time ago. Your heart aches as you realize that it’s almost your anniversary with her, but you don’t think you’ve even seen her since your last one. You don’t remember.

You don’t want to. 

You go out instead of staying in and wallowing. You promised a girl you’d meet her at the festival. She gives you butterflies and makes you trip on air. You want to hold her hand and kiss her. You don’t though. Not yet. 

You think of Ei. You go to the palace. Some of the newer recruits don’t recognize you, but their seniors do. They still won’t let you see her. You ask if you can leave a message or letter. They shake their heads. You sigh. You go to Miko and tell her that you’re done with Ei. That you’re not waiting for her anymore. You say you feel bad that she has to be the messenger for this, but end up grateful as Yae brushes it off and says it’s not a big deal. Your life is short compared to hers and Ei’s. It’s best you go on and keep living. She jokes that at the very least, Ei may not conjure another storm that prevents anyone from coming in or out in her grief over you. 

You’re not sure how to respond to that, so you just thank her again and go back down the mountain. 

You continue life as normal. 

You’re blissfully ignorant to the fact that your message never gets to Ei. 

Another month goes by. The butterflies don’t go away. They migrate from your stomach to your heart, making you more giddy instead of nervous. You slip your hand into hers. You both freeze for a moment, before she turns and smiles at you, a blush spreading across her cheeks. You must be blushing too, because she smiles even wider when she sees your face. You two walk through the streets hand in hand. You play games and eat treats. Some people stare at you like you’re covered in blood, but you don’t pay them any mind. You can tell the stares are making her uncomfortable too. You feel bad for it, but it’s not in your control. You just squeeze her hand tighter. She squeezes your back. It’ll be okay. 

You told her a while ago that you dated the Raiden Shogun. She laughs nervously and says she already knew. Everyone knows. How could they not? You tell her about your relationship. About what happened. She admits that she feared loving you because she thought it might be blasphemous to love the Raiden Shogun’s partner. You say you feared loving her because you knew that people would harshly judge you and whoever you ended up with. She doesn’t deserve to deal with that kind of scrutiny. But you’re not with Ei anymore. You did everything you could to tell her so. You admit that you’re surprised that there was no indication of her being upset or anything, but you also accept that she might’ve been long over you by the time you came around to admitting that you were ready to accept and move on from her. 

You want to love.

You want to be loved. 

Others will judge you no matter what in this life. You had to accept that a long time ago. You’re willing to put up with the stares and the criticism if it means that you can be happy with another person. But you aren’t willing to put that person under the same kind of pressure if they’re not up for it. It can be extremely difficult to deal with, you tell her. She just gives you a half smile and says she’s already heavily judged by others. 

Growing up as the daughter to the Kamisato clan, Ayaka was always being graded on everything. The way she acted and dressed, who she affiliated herself with or didn’t. 

She walks over to you and sits down next to you. She leans her head against your shoulder. Let the people talk. If they really care, they’ll bother to consider your feelings as well. 

You’re not Ei’s property. You aren’t her toy. You may have been hers at one point, but she had made no moves to claim you for over a year. Even if she came back into your life right now, you wouldn't accept her. You wouldn't immediately lay your heart in her hands. She'd have to explain herself, she'd have to prove herself. And even then… you don't know if you'd be able to trust her again. 

So you both decided to take the leap. You find yourself in a slow dance of courtship. You'd take her on small adventures. Short walks through the forest next to the estate or to obscure shops in the city. Often late at night or early in the morning. Before and after her long and hard work days. In return she'd give you gifts. Writing you long letters and buying you ornate fans. You started displaying your growing collection in your house. 

Ayaka gasped and nearly cried when she saw the way you decorated your home with them. You told her that you liked to see them when you walked around. Not only are they beautiful, but they also always made you think of her. 

Time flies when you're with her. Everyday you'd find yourself sharing a moment with her, and every time you wished that time would stop so that it would never end. So that you could feel this happy forever. 

Maybe that's what Ei is chasing. 

A way for her to be happy forever. 

You know that such a thing doesn't exist, but you hope she finds it nonetheless. 

After all, it's hard to stop caring about someone you loved for so long. She told you about all the pain and grief of her past. She shared some of the burdens she carried. You did your best to say the right things and be there for her. Maybe that's where you went wrong. 

No. 

You needed to stop that train of thought. Before the tracks pointed downward and you started spinning in a cyclone. It wouldn't be the first time. 

Ayaka pulls you out of your long trip through your memories. She helped you the same way before, calling your name in the beautiful voice of hers and rubbing her thumb on the back of your hand. Innocently asking what you were thinking. 

You shake your head and smile at her. Memories are the bane of you. They're like a riptide that pulls you off your feet and away from the present moment. 

And yet… she manages to save you.

Every time, without fail. 

You keep winding your way through the festival, smiling and laughing. Admiring the beauty that came from all your neighbors' hard work. 

You come to the top of a cliff. You wrap your hand around her waist, and she leans her head on your shoulder. You turn your head towards her, and she meets your gaze. You lean forward. She mirrors your movement. She grabs your shirt and you tighten your grip on her waist. 

You both jolt when you hear the boom of the first firework of the night. Laughter bubbles up and comes out of both of you. You lean down and your lips meet hers. Her hands grip your biceps, and you embrace her fully. Fireworks boom in the background, but you swear you're both eons away. 

You feel it before you see it, and you see it before you hear it. 

Your hair stands up. 

The light blinds you. 

A blast that you only hear the first half of before the ringing in your ears makes the rest of it feel muffled and far away. 

You and Ayaka cling to each other as you’re blasted off the cliff into the water below. You’re lucky that neither of you are hurt too badly, only sore. You climb out of the water and are immediately seized on both sides. 

“Filthy traitors are not tolerated and have no place in eternity.”

That cold voice. 

It’s her.

The Raiden Shogun.

“You are under arrest for your crimes against the Shogun. Do not struggle. We are bringing you to the palace for her to decide and execute her punishment,” Sara is as matter-of-fact as always. You can tell she knows what happened. She looks guilty as she makes eye contact with you, but she gives the order to take you away anyway. 

You try to look back at Ayaka and don’t see her there. You try to fight. The soldiers don’t budge. You feel your heart pounding. You feel like you’re going to die, long before you come face to face with the Shogun’s sword. Which you probably will. There’s no way she won’t execute you for seemingly cheating on her. You’re surprised when you find that you’re more worried about Ayaka’s safety than yours. 

The butterfly that rests in your chest flaps its wings.

You really love her. 

You’re walked through the streets of the city. People come and watch you like a parade. Watch as you’re dragged by guards behind the Shogun and her general. You close your eyes but can still feel the stares. 

You think about your time with Ei. Now that you think back on it, you must have looked like such a lapdog next to her. Leaning your head on her thigh as she hovered and meditated in her mindscape, patiently waiting for her to finally acknowledge you. The way you cupped her face and always tried to comfort her. Like a dog licking its master's tears. She always felt more than any human ever could. The pain and suffering from centuries ago, mixed with the pain and suffering of her people now, you don’t know how she bears it all. You’d deliver her treats and walk with her along the base of the mountain. She took you to see the arch that was once a gateway to her sister’s mindscape. You’d bring flowers to every so often and thank her for blessing the shrine and by proxy, the people. 

At first, Ei was confused by the way you’d talk to the shrine. Who are you talking to? No one is there. You told her it was just how you honored the dead. By talking to them, you brought them to the present day, as though they were alive, to help them live on.

You had to part ways with Ei not long after that. 

Later that night, you had been woken up by pounding on your door. One of the head officials and some guards stood in the doorway when you opened it, demanding to know what you did with Ei. You looked at them confused. She never returned to the palace? Strange. You promised to help them look. You didn’t tell them where though. The places you two shared, they’re kept secret for a reason. They’re places only you two together felt at peace. At least, you thought so. 

You ended up finding Ei still at the shrine, talking to it. Talking to Makoto. She sat in her usual mediation position, talking about everything that came to her mind. You quietly called her name. And smiled when Ei stood, took your hand, and formally introduced you to her sister. 

Thinking back on it, Ei didn’t call you her partner. She said you were special to her. You wonder if that was a sign. 

You consider praying to Makoto. Ask her to protect you from her sister, as you’re forced onto your knees inside the palace, wrists cuffed behind you. You stay in a stooped position. You don’t want to look at her. You shouldn’t feel this bad. You know you’re in the right. It wasn’t fair for her to disappear on you, and now to act as though you’re wrong to have fallen in love with someone else. 

But you know it’ll do you no good to try and reason with her. 

You know the woman standing before you isn’t your Ei. 

You don’t know where she’s gone. 

That’s probably the only regret that you have. 

You wish you could see her one last time. 

You tell the Shogun that. That you wish to see the person you thought loved you. To talk to her one last time. Wouldn’t it be good for her too? To at least have some closure before it all ends. 

Permanently. 

Your request is denied. 

You’re asked if you have any other last words. 

You tell her to not punish Ayaka for any of this. The Shogun held a higher place in her heart than you ever did. It was your own scheming that convinced her that being with you was okay. 

You plead for her safety.

Your request is granted. 

You hear her voice one last time. 

The change in intonation gives her away. 

“Goodbye.”

A flash of light.

“I love you, Ei.” You whisper.

Then darkness. 

Yae Miko:

It’s not fair.

It’s not fair.

You swear up and down that you’ve been nothing but a pathetic joke to her, and everything you’ve been made to do was entirely for her entertainment. Which isn’t fair at all. 

But Yae Miko doesn’t play fair.

You’re just a pathetic human, chosen to amuse the greatest kitsune of all time. 

Fuck that. 

You’re not her doll to dress up.

You’re not her pet to do tricks. 

You don’t belong to her. 

So you leave. 

She sends you home after deciding you’re being “too boring” today. You’re relieved and at the very least, you’re reassured knowing that one of her few weaknesses is boredom. If you simply do nothing, she’ll get bored of you and leave you alone. 

But it shouldn’t matter what you do. Especially now, as you take your bags and head to the Ritou docks. She doesn’t deserve an explanation as to why you’re leaving. She doesn’t deserve to even know that you’re going. 

But when you get there, your determined gaze turns to shock. Fear and dread settle in your stomach, but anger gives you a hard front. You march down to the docks and decide that you’re going to ignore her. 

You’re completely unsuccessful. How can you ignore her when she’s speaking to the captain of the ship you’re about to board? She’s very clearly about to stop this voyage altogether by influence alone. And when you try to walk past the two, she puts her arm out in front of you, effectively stopping you in your tracks as you’re caught by surprise. 

“Please, my lady. The amount of resources and people invested in this trip! We must be allowed to leave.”

“Hm. Alright, how about a deal? This one here plans on going on this little trip of yours, correct? Let me keep them, and I’ll let the rest of you go on your merry way. Alright?”

You turn to her in horror and glance at the captain who refuses to look at you. You selfishly hope that she’ll fight for you to come with her, but when she agrees with Yae’s terms you don’t feel any surprise. 

You glare up at the kitsune who smiles down at you in return. 

“Perfect. Come along then, dear.”

You push her arm away from you before it latch on. You scowl at her and look at the captain again, who shakes her head silently. 

Just great. 

You turn heel and storm away. You're not giving up just yet. You're glad you didn't have to pay for everything up front. Only a small fee to reserve your seat. Compared to being stuck with Yae, it’s a minuscule loss. 

You go across the docks to another captain who is clearly preparing to set sail, but before you can even say anything they shake their head and turn away. 

Everyone went quiet when the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine stepped onto the wharf. They all slowly returned to their business, quietly talking among themselves, wondering why she was here. Everyone could hear her conversation with that captain. At least half of them curled in on themselves in fear, despite not being her targets. And they all looked when she referred to you. Instantly, silently agreeing to not come between you and her. 

You could feel her suffocating presence behind you as she followed you around. You desperately approached each of the workers on the docs. The captains simply crossed their arms and shook their heads. The crew-mates were more jittery and would say some sorry excuse and scurry away. 

"Are you done? You can't really believe you have any chance with these people now." 

Your eye twitches and you clench your teeth. She's right. She's effectively cut you off in terms of leaving by ship from Ritou. The gossip about you and her will spread fast. No one will let you board their ship now. Not unless it's some oblivious foreigner who has a death wish and doesn't know what it means to stand against Guuji Yae. 

You keep approaching people. You don't want to leave. If you start heading back, she'll start pushing you towards the shine. You won't be able to escape this time. The people in the city have seen you dragged around by Miko before. They see you as lucky. Lucky to be in her favor. Blessed to always be in her presence. 

You consider throwing yourself in the ocean. 

Yae decides she’s had enough of watching you desperately try to approach all the men and women on the docks. She’s barely managing to keep faking her amused face. When she learned about your plans to leave Inazuma, fury erupted inside of her and the kitsunetsuki flashed behind her. 

How dare you.

Of course, she was confident that you wouldn’t actually be able to leave, not so long as she’s around. But the idea that you were trying so hard to get away from her, it maked her electro powers fly out of control. The day you leave her is the day you die. And now, here you are, trying her patience ever further.

It’s completely futile to try and get away. It’s like watching a child play a game of shogi against a grandmaster, they have no chance of winning, but the better of the two is entertaining them. But doing so is getting quite boring for her. 

Time to speed things up. 

She grabs your wrist from behind and squeezes just hard enough to bruise but not break your bone. 

“Come now, little one, listen to reason. You’re so rash to go and make a decision like running away like this. Let’s go back to the shine and talk things through. I’m sure whatever problem you have I can help you solve.” She must look so kind for offering to help you like that. 

You barely hold yourself back from smacking her. 

You grit your teeth and speak low enough that the others can’t hear, though she’ll hear just fine being a kitsune and all. “You know damn well that you’re the problem. So unless you plan on exiting my life for good up at that shrine, I’m not going with you.” You give her the hardest glare you can muster, and almost lose it at what she does next. 

“Ahaha~”

That damn laugh.

“Haha… that’s cute. You’re so cute,” she pinches your cheek, “but I can’t let you go. I’m hurt that you think I’m a problem. I don’t know what I could have possibly done wrong. Especially not to the point that you’d try something so drastic as this. Now let’s go.

You don’t have a choice.”

When did you ever have a choice with her?

Yae leads you through the streets and crowds of people. You drag your feet the whole time, trying to stop her. You take immense pleasure from seeing how angry she’s getting from all your resistance. 

Yae Miko always gets what she wants, and right now she wants you.

You get to the base of the mountain where the stairs start, and when Yae’s grip falters for barely a moment you take that opportunity and rip yourself out of her grasp. Turning heel to run, only to be slammed in the back with an intense blast of electro that leaves you writhing on the ground. Of course, one second later a couple turns the corner and sees the guuji kneeling over your body. Once again Miko looks like the hero coming to the rescue. If only they knew it was her that did this to you. 

She whispers in your ear, “don’t even try to run from me again,” she leans in closer, “or else I’ll break your legs. I’ll make sure you’ll never even think of defying me. As much I’ve enjoyed this little game of chase, I don’t intend to let you run wild like this forever. In fact, I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight again. Now, get up. Or would you prefer me to carry you?” 

You twitch and shake but force yourself to get up, your legs almost collapsing under you if it weren’t for Miko catching you. You muster as much strength as you can to push her away. She just rolls her eyes and grabs onto your wrist again. You wince as she locks you in another bruising grip. Once again, she’s dragging you around, only this time your attempts to resist hurt you more than her. You almost twist your ankles multiple times tripping up the stairs after you try to avoid climbing any higher. 

Unfortunately for you, Yae is starting to enjoy this. She was annoyed before, but the moment she stepped onto the stairs leading to the shrine she instantly felt better. Not that she was actually worried about losing you.

You’re in her domain now.

She’s now the rule maker of this game, the god of this realm. You don’t stand a chance.

You never did.

She feels so much glee as she thinks about how pathetically helpless you are. She thinks about all the different ways she can punish you. Maybe she won’t wait like she said she would and just break your legs. Or maybe she’ll put a collar on you and chain you to the wall in her room. Or maybe… 

You look over to see a wicked smile growing on your captor’s face. Dread lumps in your stomach and only swells when she makes eye contact with you. 

The perfect punishment.

Fitting for the ultimate rule maker and final rule breaker. 

You barely step onto the wooden boards of the shine before you feel the hairs on the back of your neck rising and your vision goes black. 

Yae Miko hates to do so much work, but it’s worth it to carry your body through the shine. At least she gets to bask in the glory of looking like a saint. But still, she’d much rather have you awake when she has you helpless. It would be far more entertaining. 

She carries you to her quarters and sets you down on the tatami mats. She’ll start the preparations immediately, but first, she has to make sure you won’t be able to get away before then. 

When you try to step out into the hallway to make your escape you’re met with an electric shock that almost knocks you unconscious again. You try to crawl away only to be met with more electricity, and worse, the end of your chain. You couldn’t even force the chain off your ankle when you were stuck in her room. Now, you barely manage to claw yourself back through the door, where it finally stops. You feel like your entire body has been fried. Your head feels heavy. All of the electro must have damaged your nerves because you don’t even register any pain from when you let your head drop and hit the floor. You do, however, wince when you hear that rotten laugh. 

“Goodness. You really shouldn’t have done that. Not when you're about to play again I've prepared for you,” she lifts you by the roots of your hair, “and you’re going to be at a disadvantage with how weak you’ve made yourself.” 

“Go fuck yourself.” 

Yae flashes a smile. You feel it this time when she slams your face into the floorboards. You also feel it when blood starts dripping and running down from your nose to your lips. 

“You really shouldn’t be provoking me like this. If you push me even more I’ll have to cancel the game I set up. You don’t want that now do you?”

“I’m not going to play your stupid game.”

“Oh yes you are~ After all, if you win, I’ll let you leave.”

“Bullshit.”

Miko throws her head back and laughs again. You can’t help but wonder what she’s got planned. She likes to toy with you, she’s probably just bluffing to get your hopes up.

You want to slap that stupid smile off her face. 

“Don’t be so unreasonable. When have I ever lied to you?” 

You’re going to strangle her. 

“I’m being serious. I’ve set up a fun little game for us to play, and if you win, I’ll let you go free. You can stay on the island or leave and I’ll never bother you again.”

That’s too good to be true.

“But if I win,” she swipes some of your blood and licks it off her finger, “you’ll be stuck with me for the rest of your life.”

There it is. There’s always a catch with her. 

“And if you don’t play, then I win by default.

So what will it be? Why don’t you make it easier on yourself and give up right now?”

She’s baiting you. 

“Fine. I’ll play. What are the rules?”

There’s no way she hasn’t rigged this.

Yae claps her hands and smiles wide. She knew you’d choose to play. She sees that hopeful look in your eyes. 

Oh how she’ll enjoy crushing it.

“It’s simple. We’re going to play a game of cat and mouse. You run away, and I'll chase after you. If you can avoid me for more than an hour after I start chasing after you, then I’ll let you go. Simple as that. I’ll even give you a longer head start because of…” she glances at the door, “what you already did to yourself.”

“You’re the one who set up that trap.”

“And you’re the one who stubbornly kept going.” She stands up and tosses a handkerchief onto your head. “Now clean yourself up. I don’t need you dripping blood down the halls too.” 

For once you don’t argue. You’re already thinking of how you’re going to avoid her for the next hour. 

You can do that. You’ve done it before. It won’t be that difficult to do it again. And you’re pretty sure Miko will keep her word. She likes to play with high stakes. Though… she only plays games she knows she’ll win. 

It doesn’t matter. Your freedom and future depend on you winning this game. Depend on you shoving Yae’s arrogance in her face and showing her that she’s not all powerful like she thinks she is. 

She guides you down the winding halls and outside. You descend the staircase and you realize how dark it actually is. Dammit. Why did it have to be on a night with a new moon? It’s hard to see. This may actually be more difficult than you thought it would. It doesn’t matter. You’ll win. 

You have to. 

“Now then,” Yae says as her heels touch the bottom of the stairs. “Scurry away little mouse. I’ll come find you in, hm… let’s say, ten minutes?”

“Make it twenty.”

“Fifteen minutes. I’m starting count now.”

It’s just like her to barely negotiate. Still, fifteen is better than ten. You turn heel and run. You know she’s looking as she watches you leave, so you try to trick her into thinking you’re going into the forest but instead you intend to work your way around so you can get into the city. It’ll chew into your time, but if you can set this up right, then you won’t have to even move for the remaining hour. Just like before. 

You dash your way through the forest and the thought occurs to you that you might just be leaving a trail behind. Ugh. It’s fine. The city doesn’t have leaves for you to crunch through and leave prints on. You do have to jump pretty far to avoid getting wet in the river though. Which takes a lot of effort because of how weak your muscles feel. The electric shock has taken its toll on you. The adrenaline carries you across, thankfully. 

You make it into the city and bolt for Shimura restaurant. You’re worried that you wasted too much time going through the forest. You’re sure Yae’s already stopped counting. 

You run faster. 

You awkwardly scramble and manage to climb up onto the roof. You duck behind the sign but then reconsider and jump up onto the higher roof and hide behind the tower. Now, if she comes around you can move so that you can hide from all angles. And if worst comes to worst, you can jump down and run in the opposite direction. Either in and through the city or down onto the grassy hill behind the restaurant. 

You let yourself relax a bit after waiting for 15 minutes. You’re still terrified, but if your heart keeps racing so fast, you may die from the palpitations alone. You only get to enjoy the relaxation for a minute before you see it. 

No way.

A large, glowing, nine-tailed fox comes prowling up the steps into this half of the city. 

That bitch.

She never said it was against the rules to use her powers but still! This was supposed to be a game of cat and mouse not sharks and shrimps. And of course it looks directly at your hiding spot as soon as it stands in front of the restaurant. You swear it’s smiling as it starts to approach. 

Thankfully, your body reacts faster than your mind as the next thing you know you’re sprinting down the grassy hill. You can hear it chasing after you. 

Shit!

The rising land in front of you is going to make you pick a path. The moment she sees which direction you go, Yae’ll be able to jump and over and cut you off. And it won’t be an option to turn around, it’ll take too long. You have a terrible feeling this isn’t going to end well. But you have to press on. 

You run along the cliff to the left and as expected, the fox leaps over to cut you off on the left side. Thankfully, it lands far enough away that you make it to a point that you realize that you’re able to go back the other way. Of course this doesn’t mean victory in any sense, because as soon as you turn back to the left, the kitsune is vaulting over you and planting itself directly in your path again. It’ll go on like this until it manages to prowl close enough to snap you up in its jaws. The only reason it hasn’t yet is because if it jumps too close to the small cliff, it risks slamming into it altogether. 

It stalks towards you, growling. You make a stupid decision. You turn heel, and it leaps onto the cliff right above you. But instead of running left or right you run directly away from it. Towards the ocean. Towards the edge of the real cliff. Towards your doom. 

As they say, better to die in freedom than to live in bondage. 

You leap into the air, and as soon as both your feet leave the ground you regret your decision. You don’t want to die.

You squeeze your eyes shut as the fear overwhelms you, and you start crying midair. You pray for someone to save you, and your prayers are answered quickly. The mighty kitsune hurls into you, and you instantly cling to its fur. It’s thanks to it that you land safely on the beach below. 

You still don’t let go of it. Even when it’s turned back into your worst nightmare. Even while she taunts and teases you. You sob into her hair and she coos. 

“My, my. What a stupid and reckless decision you just made darling. I think you owe me for saving your life, hm?”

You’re still crying as you shake your head against her back. 

“No?” She tuts. “How ungrateful. Fine. How about I carry you back up there and throw you off the cliff again myself?”

You sob harder and shake your head furiously. 

Yae manages to get you to let go and she holds wrists in the air so you can’t get away. 

“Then stop being a brat. I won the game. I saved your life. Now I get to claim my prize. Now you’re in debt to me. Because I won, I already own you. So now what you’re going to do to repay me is: you’re going to entertain me. I’m going to keep you as my toy, and you’ll let me play with you as much as I want, however I want. Until you break. You don’t have a choice. Now, let’s go home. Okay precious?”

You hyperventilate. This is a fate worse than death. You can’t face it. Not right now. Not when your heart is about to burst from all that's happened tonight. 

Miko sighs. She really hates having to carry you around so much. Oh well. You’re more pliable like this anyway. She leans you against her and transforms into her fox form, catching you on her back. She makes sure you’re secure before sprinting back to the shrine. 

Time for the real fun to begin.

#genshin impact #yae miko x reader #ei x reader #angst #ei’s part is so cliche #it’s kind of disappointing #i’ll try and be more creative next time #ayaka x reader #word of warning #if you give me an angst prompt #i'm going to ride that train of thought till i go right off the tracks #ei is deflective #yae is possessive #steps to accidentally write a break up fic #receive fight then make up prompt #start writing the first part #realize you don't have any idea how to resolve it #try to figure out a resolution #make the fic worse #put in oven till well done #i really enjoyed writing yae miko's part #thanks for reading! #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x you #posted fic

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Riot Kings, page 143

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#i already warned you about the angst but also get ready for some kinda cliche angst affiliated lines lol #i scripted this almost a year ago i think #riotkings #whump comic #angst #tw bruising #also prepare to watch in awe as i struggle through several pages of talking heads lolol

[theecloser]

220826 leo my beloved of the highest caliber 🖤

#vixxedit #jung taekwoon #vixx leo #vixx #theecloser gifs #it's cliche but. rent free #flash warning #flashing /

[the-elusive-soleil]

chase the wind and touch the sky

For @nolofinweanweek day 3: Aredhel

Unlike her brother, Irisse has never had occasion to take flight on the back of an Eagle.

She does not particularly mind, though, for how could that be at all superior to what she has now? She is flying perfectly well like this, bent low over her horse’s neck as they race over the grassy plains. The sky is clear and blue and forever above her, and the land stretches away before her, and the horse’s speed becomes her own, and she is free, free in a way that Turukano can never understand in his walled-up city.

There is laughter, wild and joyous, from behind, and the pounding of hooves, and Tyelkormo comes racing up beside her, keeping perfect pace, his pale braids streaming behind him in the wind. He offers her a carefree grin and a wave, which she returns. A glance to her other side reveals Ambarussa nearly caught up as well.

The ride was perfect already when taken alone, but this is its own kind of perfection.

Later, they will hunt. Later, they will gather around a fire and share food and drink and tales and teasing. Later, they will all curl up in their cloaks around the embers, and rise in the morning to do it all again. It will almost be like they are in Aman again, before darkness and cold and death, before her family scattered to the winds and her brother felt any need to keep her shut up.

Now, there is only flight, swiftness with not one thing tethering her in place.

After minutes or hours, there comes a dark smudge on the horizon, one that slowly resolves into a dark wood. Irisse cannot say how it is different from any of the many other woods she has seen, but it is. Something about it is drawing her in.

She starts to turn her horse towards it, only to be halted by Tyelkormo’s hand on her reins. “Come this way, Irisse,” he says, something foreboding behind his eyes. “There’s nothing good over there. We’ll have better hunting somewhere else.”

She can’t; she has to enter the wood; it’s a simple fact. When she tries to nudge her horse forward, though, Tyelkormo still holds her back. “We can’t take the horses in there,” he says.

That’s solved easily enough. Irisse slides lightly to the ground, relinquishing the bridle to him. “I’ll go on foot, then,” she says. “I’ll see you later.”

He won’t quite meet her eyes. “Namarie, Irisse,” he says, and then he and Ambarussa wheel their horses and are galloping away.

It’s all right; she can still go swiftly on foot. She takes off running through the long grass, and soon comes under the eaves of the wood.

It is dark here, and the trees are closely tangled together, but she is nimble and careful, and for a time can still nearly fly even so. She is not trying to get anywhere in particular, now that she is among the trees; she only moves for the joy of it, of the working of her arms and legs and the panting breaths in her lungs and the wind whipping past her.

The branches come ever closer and closer, but she dodges every one, weaving around this one and ducking under that and...

One catches her shoulder, like the firm grip of a hand, and shakes her slightly, and there is a voice saying to her Echuio! Wake up!

Aredhel awakes, and looks into eyes dark as flint. 

Once he sees that she’s awake, Eol shifts away from her and slides out of the bed. Already, she can feel the tendrils of his will slipping in past her defenses, wrapping around her mind. 

It is fine. It will be fine. He can trap her in this house, he can exert dominion over her body and her waking mind, but he cannot stop her from flying free when she dreams. As long as she has that, she can survive.

She breathes.

#nolofinweanweek #nolofinweanweek2023 #silmarillion #aredhel #with appearances by #celegorm #ambarussa #eol #not eol friendly #standard nan elmoth warnings apply #okay i know touch the sky is probably a cliche song for aredhel #but it always makes me think of her and also makes me hurt for her #she is strong as the seas are stormy! #she is proud as an eagle's scream! #let her be free

[tiktokonaclock]

The Siren and The Demon Chapter 4

Flash Forward

Gill woke up with pain on his waist and back. God, he was old, wasnt he?

He looked around. He had also woken up alone. Where was she? Had she left? Where had she gone? Why did he Feel so gloomy that he couldn’t find her next to him?

He pushed the white blanket aside and put his trousers back on. The sheets still had her floral scent on them, when he looked at the bed, he saw now messy it looked.

He opened the bedroom door and the smell of fresh coffee reached up to him instantly. He followed it to the kitchen.

And there she was. She put her hands on the kitchen bench, waiting on the coffee machine. She had a short, white and satin robe on. Her long, blonde hair was down; this was the first time he had seen her hair without the usually ponytail on. He had never realized how long it actually was until now.

Then she turned around.

“Hey" She smiled. "I was Just brewing us coffee.” Her hand got up and showed the machine. "I normally don't eat breakfast but I can prepare something for you if you want.”

Gill looked at her with a dumbfounded expression on his face. His eyes were wide and his lips were left slightly open. "Uh, no.” He finally said, after realixing that she was waiting for an answer. "I don't eat breakfast either.”

“Okay then.” She said softly as she showed him the kitchen island. "Take a seat."

As he sat dawn, she reached up to the kitchen cupboards on her toes and took out two mugs. She was so light on her feet that it looked like she was walking on air. Her robe and nightgown were twirling around as she moved. Her cheeks were flushed and she had a slight smile on her face, if he saw it correctly.

This was not the woman he knew. The worman he knew was tough, tense and agressive; especially when she was treated agressively, mostly by him.

On that moment, the woman that he knew would be screaming at him, threatening him to accuse him of rape if he doesn't keep his mouth shut.

She would be crying because of her anger, not towards him, but towards herself. She would hate herself for being so “vulnerable" with him. For presenting her body to him, for allowing him to see it, and touch it. For giving him pleasure.

And the man that he knew would prove her point by making fun of her, and degrading her every way Possible.

But that woman and that man were left at the door last night. This woman was offering him breakfast and making him coffee, a treatment he hadn't seen from anyone.

She put his mug in front of him. Locks of her hair fell on his face, filling his lungs with her fresh, floral scent once again. “Here.” She slowly said.

It was just a stupid coffee. But the presence of this woman serving him coffee with ease in her every move was such a relief from his chaotic life that he felt like crying.

But he didn't. Instead, he turned his head up and gazed at her. She realized it and gazed him back.

“You don't regret it.” He said slowly.

“I don't." She replied, her tone of voice was so delicate, as if she was afraid of ruining that moment.

He held her hand. “Come" He said as he gently pulled her to his lap. She put her left arm around his neck as she crossed her legs. Her other hand gently rested on his chest. One of his hands grasped her by the waist, while the other went to her hair.

"Your hair is so soft," He said, gliding his fingers between her strands.

"You Seem so... surprised that I'm here..”She said as her fingers drew a small circle on his chest. "Do the girls you sleep with run away the next day?“

“I thought you ran away when I first woke up."

“I wouldn't.”

“I'm So glad that you are here, my dear.”

A soft smile graced her lips. He started to smile as well, unable to erase the expression off his face. Then the realization hit him like a brick.

He had Fallen in love with her last night.

end of flash forward

“Our scouts have reported that the second shield is operating at increased power. Tell me you've got a Strategy, Kazarina!" Barodius said agressively. Kazarina’s response was calm and confident: “If we increase Exocor's ability level to a class two, then regardless of the shield's strength, I am confident that Dharak will be able to crush it like a thin can.”

“Those are strong words, Kazarina."

Dharak said as he flew up to her. Kazarina leaned down towards him. “Yes.”

“And how long would that take?"

“Three days.”

Gill turned towards her, tossing his cape over his shoulder. The movement caused a wind that carried his woody scent to her. She tried not to be distracted by his perfume as he opposed her.

"Are you serious? Who knows what the Neithian Forces are doing while we sit here twiddling our thumbs. Emperar Barodius, I recommend that We strike back immidiately.”

She tumed towards him. "Did you hear me? The Shield is stronger than before, It would be a struggle for our troops to breach should they attack.”

“And whose Fault is that?" Gill pointed his finger at her.

Touche.

Kazarina glared at him. He was as frustrating as always. She wouldn’t be effected by him this much normally. But today was different, Today, he was boiling her blood.

Emperor put his hand up to shut them down. "Gill makes a good point. Every moment we we give the Neithians provides them with an increased advantage which we cannot afford. The fact is we must be ready to attack at any moment and we will do so Kazarina.”

"Yes sire,"

“I want you to lead a reconnissance mission so you can advise on our first strike point. Take Nurzak with you.”

“Me sire? Would’nt I be better-“

She was going to say that it would be better if she stayed behind to finish working on Exocor. Anyone could’ve done the mission, They were losing a day just because of their pettiness.

Gill Smirked. "How dare you question the emperor's orders? why don’t you leave strategizing to the grown ups, little girl?”

Kazarina inhaled a sharp breath. Her violet eyes were wide open. She could’ve used her powers on him right now. She could make him faint so fast, he would hit his head on the floor. His head would soon be lying in a pool formed by his own warm, dark red blood.

Or, she could make him her servant. She could make him do whatever she wanted. She could order him to jump off the balcony.

The reason she didn’t do it was because she respected their mission, and their cause. If it wasn’t Gundalia's destiny that was at stake, she would’ve made both of them her boy-toys already!

“I'm Just trying to do what's best for everyone. I'm not like you, you're Just trying to satisfy your pathetic ego because you cannot deal with the fact that yaur only competition is a woman.”

Gill Forced a laughed. "You are Just making Stuff up as you go."

"No, I'm not. You wouldn't be so intolarent of Me if I were a man." She leaned on, "If I Were a man, you would listen to me."

Gill shook his head to the sides. “Why are you so pressed? Are you on your period or something?”

Barodius couldn't help but chuckle as Kazarina rolled her eyes. "I don't need to be actively bleeding in order to be baffled by your idiocracy, Gill." She raised an eyebrow. "Also, I'm not your little girl.”

“Guys." Barodius said slowly, as they both turned to him. "Could you please shut up and do as you are told?"

"You allowed that worthless Mason to escape, and You lost to the brawlers?!”

Barodius asked.

He wasn't shouting, but Kazarina had never seen him so angry. Of course, right before this conversation she had been hauled off and thrown on her knees before the emperor in a not-so polite manner. So she didn't need any more clues on his aggression.

“I am so sorry Emperor Barodius.” She said as she put her palms on the floor to support herself. "Please Forgive me, I will do anything!”

Was this how Jesse and Lena felt?

The purple light of the electricity charging up on emperor's hand illuminated her face as she turned her head and looked at him.

She was willing do anything to escape punishment on that moment. Truly anything. But she doubted the emperor would want her on that moment, she was pretty ragged and did not look her best.

“You have already done enough!” He said. He didn’t look like he was in the mood, at all!

The electric shock flashed inside of her brain. It felt like a thousand needles were poking on her skin.

They didn’t even allow her to recollect herself. They just kicked her out of his study like a piece of trash.

She slouched, holding her left elbow with her right hand to ease her pain. She attempted to walk. She tried to suppress her grunt as she scarcely tottered.

She didn't know how long she walked. It could be only few steps, or it could be miles.

It was untill she had to physically stop herself from bumping Nurzak's chest. The idiot had no intention of getting out of her way.

"Nurzak." She Snarled. "What do you want?”

“I’m sorry I didn't get Mason." He said with a completely poker face. "But the pain of your punishment will pass.”

“Did you come here to offer me hollow words of condolance, or are you trying to rub it in? Either way. I don't have time for this, Nurzak.”

She turned her head up to look at him. God, he was tall. She hated to be unable to stand straight. She looked even shorter than her usual height. She hated it all.

“Actually Kazarina, the real reason that I came was to tell you that I'm leaving the emperor.”

She was suddenly interested. "Why should I care about that?”

“Because now that Gill's emperor's second in command, it seems like you need to hang your hat somewhere else. Quickly.”

“Ha. You don't beat around the bush, do you Nurzak? Okay then, consider us partners ih crime."

She said and continued to lotter away, without checking out his face expression.

She needed to reach her own room. She didn't want anyone else to see her in that condition. Only if she could reach to her room-

Her Feet had taken her to somewhere else.

Her Stomach burned as she knocked on the door. The pain was becoming unbearable.

Gill opened the door. Their eyes locked. It felt like the time had stopped on that moment.

Suddenly, her violet eyes started to fill with tears, blurring her vision. A single drop glideded over her face.

"I didn't know where else to go."

#bakugan #bakugan gundalian invaders #gill #kazarina #the siren and the demon #emperor barodius #gill x kazarina #ladies and gentlemen here comes the romance #lena isis #zenet surrow #jesse glenn #dont you love a good cliche #should I add trigger warnings tho #or maybe content warnings

[viatagrinner]

Silvio Ricci.

Chapter 17

MC is embarrassed. But Silvio doesn't care. He is drunk.

The girl tries to kick him out and says she wants to go to bed.

But the prince doesn't want to leave.

Silvio: I'm sure it will be a lot of fun to wake up here in the morning.

But Rio can see!

And at that moment... Footsteps approach her room.

The girl grabs the tyrant by the arm and shoves him into the closet.

Silvio: What? Hey!...

He's not happy, but who's listening. The door swung open; it was Rio.

MC: R-r-rio!...What's wrong?

Rio said that the king from Benitoite was coming early. After that, Rio left.

A disgruntled grumbling could be heard from the closet. The blushing tyrant was set free by the girl.

He immediately showed his temper.

Silvio: I don't need excuses. I'll never forget that you locked me in the closet.

They talked a little about Silvio's father.

Silvio: Anyway, don't let your guard down!

Silvio: .........No, it's none of my business what happens to you.

_________________________________________

Rio came to get the girl in the room. He didn't look well.

Rio: Oh, you're just an angel for worrying about me...

_________________________________________

Rio on the separation from his father:

MC: ...You finally get to meet your father. It's been three years, hasn't it?

Rio: Yeah, but. I don't have a particularly deep feeling.

There is a knock at the door. Sariel's servant comes and calls Rio and MC into the chapel. There they have to choose a king, without anyone noticing.

The heroine is surprised, she has not seen this servant, but he knows the true reason for her arrival at the palace.

In addition, she feels at ease next to Rio.

Like two fools they bought the deception 😐🤦‍♀️. They went to the church. Naturally, they were deceived.

Silvio told MC to be careful. Sariel warned her. The heroine herself knows the importance of her role and she is no fool. But...

Rio tries to hide the heroine. But... He is grabbed, beaten and loses consciousness. MC is offered a carriage.

And that's when she realizes...

(I'm sure it was a lie that Mr. Sariel was calling.)

눈_눈 Seriously?...

╮°-°)╮┳━━┳ (╯°益°)╯彡┻━┻

At the same time... Throne Room.

The eight princes, Sariel, a couple of others, and Silvio meet the King of Benitoite.

An exchange of courtesies.

The deceased king of Rhodolite has left a letter. And now King of Binitoite doubts that his ally is dead.

The purpose of the visit: to see his missing son.

Suddenly a knight burst into the throne room, but Chevalier immediately turned him back. It is clear to the Rhodolites princes, Sariel and Silvio that trouble has occurred.

Chevalier tells the king to rest from the road.

Silvio: ...No way!

Silvio, without listening to Chevalier, runs out of the hall.

The King of Benitoite: Forgive my foolish son... But I thank you for your country.

The king wants to see his son sooner.

Chevalier: It might take a little longer... time.

Silvio's Masterlist

#ikemen prince #ikemen ouji #ikepri #ikepri translation #ikepri silvio's route #ikemen prince silvio #ikemen silvio #ikepri silvio #silvio ricci #Cliched trope: The heroes are warned of danger but they fall into the trap like the fools and we have to worry about them #Nah fuck that shit #I think that Sariel opened a bottle of his best wine the day MC went with Silvio to Benitoite and said to himself: At last peace of mind 😞

[lorereadsclassics7]

So we just watched Renfield (2023)

This is the most over the top movie I have seen this year and I am in love. It's the 'crack taken seriously' fics but in movie form. Just.

So much happens and I loved every second of it. Man I love this movie so much.

As a Dracula adaptation: 4.5 on accuracy? like right there w Dracula (2020) and the 70s Hammer movies but does make references to the old Dracula movies and some Renfield lore so that's nice.

As a fun movie to watch?: 9/10. Like, Renfield's got bug powered superpowers. It's a buddy cop movie w super powers and Dracula and a mob plot and- look you just gotta watch it ok? it's really good

#renfield 2023 #dracula #r. m. renfield #dracula movie night #dracula daily #teeny tiny warning ab gore tho #there is... a lot of blood #like people losing their arms #legs #heads #you name it it's gone #flying #destroyed #so if you're bothered by that it might not be the movie for you #if NOT tho... you're in for a treat #it's just genuinely a fun movie to watch #it's so cliche and over the top #but it's really funny and well done #plus Cage did his part so well #like it's both hilarious and has some proper frightening and horrible (character) moments #it's just... it's really good ok?

[rotomicity]

some people should not be allowed to have opinions i think <- saw a guy saying hell//uva boss is what he wishes hadestown was like bc the latter was "boring, cliched, unoriginal" + none of the songs were "fun" enough

#early on he said he misses out on obvious information/context provided to the audience even as it is presented to him #maybe that should've been a warning for me 🤡🤡 #said that ha/milton was more original than hadestown too like.... #bro ha/milton also doesn't escape cliche trappings what the fuck are you talking about #hadestown im so sorry an ugly bitch said that about you

[ovisiphorus]

When the guy who draws nothing but transphobic misgendering/degendering anti trans masc “dead dove” teen art turns out to actually be inflicting himself and his “kinks” on teen trans mascs in the discord and everyone around him acts shocked bc they assumed he was good merely bc he shared their opinions on the stupid anti/pro discourse and no one thought to pay attention to his actual WORDS AND HOW HE BEHAVED

#i’m sorry but i will never be over this #i don’t hold it against any of the artists im thinking of who were heartbroken bc they thought he was their pal #but like…aaaaa the way ppl of these communities will thought terminate cliche their critical thinking away #there are warning signs and things to be aware of #and acknowledging this does NOT make you an anti sex puritanical person lmao #especially bc a lot of the deceased pigeon community would actively HATE the kinds of art and shit i’m into and playing with

[mikoshiba]

as your assigned fujoshi host it is my duty to communicate everything that might be salvable from all the trash i read. this time all of these are nominees for the bl awards ive read and liked to some extent. thumbs up.

#content warning yaoi. i feel like i still need to clarify that as good as they might be nothing escapes the trashy cliches of yaoi

[deadlysprinklez]

A young explorer travels around the world in search of magic in a world that demands magic does not exist.

The young explorer travels across mountains, deserts, any insurmountable challenge, simply to reach their goal and find magic, any magic.

The search goes on. Months. Years. The explorer is not so young anymore. And their hope is fading, not fast, but fast enough to cause doubt.

One fateful day, the explorer travels to a spot of the world long forgotten by, if not all, then most. And there they find their magic. Be it a genie's lamp, a pixie's hollow, a great fairy, a god, none but they know, but the story they tell is that they met a grand being. And after a bout of formalities and excitement, they asked a question.

"Would you grant a wish for me?"

And the grand being was impressed by the tenacity of the explorer, who had found the most remote of remote, who had found this place after millennia of it being hidden. And the grand being saw the passion in their eyes, the fulfillment of finally being so close to the goal they had ached to reach. And the grand being relented, "I cannot promise anything, but I will try."

And the explorer responded. "Can you change me?"

"From what, to what, for what? Would you like your youth back, that you had spent trying to find me? Would you like wounds healed that you had gained over your journey?"

"No. No, I'm afraid it's nothing as simple as that."

"Then...?"

"I would..." The explorer hesitates. "I would want to change a part of me. A barrier that I worry I cannot cross on my own. I have sought you out for years because I fear what would happen, what could happen, and what hasn't happened yet."

"I believe I understand you, and I believe I can help. But if I am to help you, you must know that everything comes with a consequence."

The being continued. "I am no trickster, as many would like to believe, so I will not turn you into a newt, nor will I cause something horrible and drastic to happen to you. But if I do this, it will rob you of your journey. And I fear that will make it seem unearned, and it will leave you dissatisfied for the rest of your days. Would you accept me taking your journey from you, to help you reach your goal?"

And the explorer pondered for a moment. And when they were ready, they responded. "I have lived for years. I have experienced turmoil due to the parts of me I could not change. Strife. Struggles. To one such as you, I am not sure if it compares, but this is all I have known. And I have fought to find you, this is my journey."

"But," the being retorted, "was the journey to change yourself, all this time? You fought, to your hardest, simply to find something you didn't know existed. Was the journey to find me, or to prove you had the strength to do what you had to do?"

The explorer hesitates.

"I have been here, hiding away for...much longer than your cities have stood. But I have seen what has been accomplished. Medicines that those who walked this planet mere centuries ago couldn't have dreamed of."

"So then," the explorer says, shaking, head turned down, "what huge joke is it that I haven't access to the medicines I need?"

The explorer continues, tears forming. "What divine joke is it that, though these medicines exist, I need to fight to prove that I have these problems in the first place? A fight I cannot put up on my own. A fight against a system stacked against me."

The being hesitates for a moment.

"And what a joke it is," the explorer, wheeling around, unrelentingly goes on, "that the challenges and difficulties can be so easily solved by these medicines, that they are held for reasons I am not told, and then go on to research, only to find no good reason! What a great laugh it is that I have to worry that people will think of me differently, that I am at risk of being looked down upon, or worse yet, attacked for how I am!"

And the explorer looks back to see the being's reaction.

But there is no being there.

And there is no explorer.

The fantasy fades.

And I get up, and go to my computer. And I start typing.

"There's a flaw in there, you know." A voice rings in my head, persistent. "In the story, you portray the explorer to be alone. Now that's not very fair, is it? You have people in your life who want to help you, who are willing to help you."

"And what good is it if I cannot help myself? I don't have a lot of money. I just started a new job after not having one for months. I can't do the things I want to do because I'm always so far in my own head," I think back to myself.

"And what good is your head if you do not allow yourself to use it?"

And I struggle to come up with a more meaningful end.

But the struggle, I tell myself, the struggle is the best part. It shows you want to keep going. That you haven't given up yet. That because - not in spite of you having to, no - because you fight, things will get better.

I promise.

I promise.

And I hit post.

#writing #inner fantasy #inner monologue #sorry this one's kind of long #I've been struggling a lot lately but. this helps. #what is this about? #depression #adhd #trans #anxiety #a lot but also maybe none of those. idk. #mental illness #that one for sure #also it's probably a bit cliche #I don't care much tho just warning you lol

[mariefanwriter48]

Okami's Life JOURNEY Vol 1 - Prologue (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/1304627185-okami%27s-life-journey-vol-1-prologue?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_reading&wp_uname=OKAMI_FIRE_CYNBAD&wp_originator=N7R24fysp7csm%2BEkY4L48omm2SOiNBQIjxCl3hK270RVZpyIO8mdB3ajVi2%2F1vKLNQGa2LUyrpwjbkdlBML5vHYO1xoV%2BExBm1CylwjTN9YpA4Td%2BKzD7V%2BLT2IQEX4H After a few months from the INCIDENT, Okami can never be the same again. They are starting High School and now the stress & anxiety level is rising more and more and Home is no different either with a little sister to take care of and a big brother who a bit different then others and now two of their little brothers move with their Abuela and Abuelo nothing can be anymore different. But the second they start High school they meet two new people who will change their life forever and more.

#asian-matter #blacklivesmatter #cliches #disability #drama #evilvsgood #heart-warming #highschool #hispanic-matter #horror #humor #lgbtqia #ocs #romance #supernatural #warnings #teen-fiction #books #wattpad #amreading

[companionwolf]

talked to my most ultimate comfort character on char.ai and uhhh I'm

#wolf barking #it was ooc and cliche but um. im legit tears #APORTA ALICE IM NOT DOING OK!! #gif warning #shaking gif

[champagnefountains]

LUCIFER MAGNE - H.H.

Prompt: Lucifer continuing to wear his wedding ring despite being in a relationship with you.

Genre: Angst and hurt; somewhat fluffy (but only for a brief while). Warnings: Swearing. Unhealthy relationship/coping mechanisms (?). Word count: 2.2k+

Lucifer had been courting you for a couple of months already, the King of Hell finally deciding it was time to make the two of you official. The tension was so incredibly thick, that even the hotel’s patrons were growing sick of having to watch the two of you dance aimlessly around each other. Charlie included. 

The past couple of months were more than delightful – Lucifer treated you like a Queen, taking you out almost every other night, having nice candle-lit dinners, and dancing the night away. And if you weren’t really feeling the glamour, the both of you would stay cuddled up against one another whilst watching some cliche rom-com. It was like a dream. It was perfect…well, almost. 

The very source of your concerns was the golden band that remained in Lucifer’s ring-finger. 

You knew about the heart-break and torment that Lucifer underwent following his separation with Lilith. Understandably, having been together for many decades and centuries, the King had a difficult time trying to move on. Even in the earlier stages of your relationship, when he had been comfortable confiding in you, it was evident that he still deeply cared for Lilith, despite her absence. 

You tried to be understanding – you really, really did. But every time you held his hand, the cold metal feeling against your fingers set a painful reminder that maybe he still hasn’t moved on completely. 

It filled you to the brim with self-doubt. Perhaps he was just keeping you around just to fill in the void she had left. And if that were the case, were you even doing a good enough job in that? Hypothetically, if Lilith were to waltz in front of the hotel’s doors one day, was he going to throw you off to the side and run away with her? What if he’d grow bored of you all of a sudden?

Questions such as these would linger at the back of your head constantly, and as they did, you would cast a longing gaze in his direction. When he catches your eye, he would automatically send a smile your way, pearly-whites in full display. It would make you smile without fail, because how could it not? You loved that dashing smile of his. But everyday, you wondered if you could continue to maintain that smile in your life. 

One night in particular, during dinner at one of Hell’s finest establishments, Lucifer noticed that something was off. Your smile hasn’t been reaching your eyes, and you seemed like you were anywhere but here. Your eyes had a distant look to them and whenever he’d ask if something was wrong, you would become dismissive. It concerned him a lot. 

“Darling, are you alright?” Lucifer carefully asked once you both made it to the front porch of the hotel. “Was it the food? Was it not to your liking? Because the chicken was a bit off to be honest, it could’ve been a bit more seasoned–” 

“Luci,” you intervened and grabbed his hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “The food was great, really. It’s just…” As your voice trailed off, you were quick to feel that damn ring around his finger. Because, of course you did, and it didn’t help your mood at all. You force out a huff and pull away, causing the demon’s frown to deepen, “I’m feeling a little under the weather tonight – probably just lacking a bit of sleep.” 

Lucifer scanned your face all over, his brows furrowed in worry. “Well…I guess you have been working harder for the hotel recently.” There had been some truth in that – after all, there had been an influx of sinners in the hotel since the cancellation of this year’s extermination. But he didn’t seem to stop there, not fully convinced by your reasoning, “...But are you sure that’s all, my dear?” 

You looked at him, surprised, as if suddenly caught red-handed. He was quick to pick up on that too, confirming his suspicions and making him all the more nervous.

 “What are you trying to say?” You ask. 

“Well, i-it’s just that I noticed that you’ve been acting a bit off recently,” he splutters. “And not only tonight. You’ve become a bit more…I don’t know, distant with me. And it worries me, y’know? I just…I really, really care about you. A lot.” He almost looks defeated as he rubs anxiously at his nape, “And if I’m being honest, it scares the absolute shit out of me that what I’m doing now isn't right."

Your brows crease in confusion, “...What are you talking about?” 

Lucifer closed his eyes, dragging a palm against his face as an exaggerated groan leaves his lips. “Look, I’m not exactly experienced with all…all this – the one woman I’ve ever been in a committed relationship with left me. Just like that!” He lets out a humourless snort. “A-And I don’t know what I did to make her leave and I for sure don’t want to make that same mistake again. I…I want to be assured that I’m making you happy.” 

Lucifer looks up at you, eyes filled with warmth, as he places a gentle hand against your cheek. He breaks the distance between you to press his forehead against yours. You automatically lean against him out of habit. “I don’t want to lose you. And if I’m doing something wrong, tell me. Please, don’t shut me out.” He pleads, his voice almost falling into a whisper. The unexpected confession left you speechless, your chest feeling all the more tight. It was making you feel worse than you already did. 

You let out a shaky sigh, trying to keep the pending tears at bay. “Luci, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…I-I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. Trust me when I say that you’ve been nothing more than a gentleman, and every moment we’ve spent together has been magical. I appreciate you so, so much, and I could never, ever ask for anything more.” 

You shut your eyes tight, shame filling your very core. “I’m just being a little silly–”

“No, no. Don’t say that, darling. Please tell me what’s going on. It’s okay,” Lucifer encourages softly, his thumb rubbing reassuringly against your cheek. 

You grab his wrist and gently pull your face away from him. With the hand on his arm, you slide it down to grab at his own, bringing it up into view and in-between the both of you. Almost instantaneously, both your eyes lie on the golden band on his finger – to Lucifer, it suddenly clicks. But he couldn’t help but feel an internal conflict brew within him. 

“I-I know how much that ring and Lilith means to you. I really do and I feel awful having to feel this way, but I just…I can’t help it,” you mutter, finally allowing the first couple of tears to fall, “I-I often find myself counting the days and hours when you’ll suddenly realise that I will never be good enough for you. It feels like I’m constantly having to compete with her–heck, what am I even saying? I know I’ll never be able to compete – because, I mean, come on. I'm a nobody!” You chuckle tearfully whilst gesturing to yourself with a free hand.

“And I don’t think I’ll ever understand how you’d ever settle for someone like me. I’m not nearly as important, nor am I the best-looking demon out there. I’m just me.”

“But Lucifer, whenever I’m with you, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I smile more. Laugh more. I even enjoy the little things more. And I don’t want that to go away. And I’m just hoping– Satan, I’m fucking hoping that it’s the same for you. And if it is, then how long is that going to last with me?” 

Completely shocked, Lucifer watched in silence as his love sobbed their heart out in front of him. He wanted nothing more than to go and wrap you in his warm embrace, and whisper reassurances and hush down your cries. Because, you were right – you did make him happy. So unbelievably happy. You had been the light that casted away the shadows in his darkest times. And yet, why? Why did he remain where he stood, unmoving as tears pathetically poured from his eyes? Why wasn’t he saying anything?

There was a brief, stagnant moment of contemplation where the both of you just stood there. It was the realisation that Lucifer didn’t make any effort to formulate some form of response, that disappointed you even further. It only made the doubtful voice in your head louder. 

It was you who ultimately decided to make the first move, wiping tiredly at your reddened face as you glanced at the hotel’s door. “I’ll be heading off first. I’ll be in the guest room tonight – it’s been a long day,” you raspily say, hiccuping as you pushed through the doors and disappeared into the hotel, leaving Lucifer alone outside. 

As you entered the hotel, you immediately noticed Husk’s presence by the bar, who had been polishing some glasses by the counter. In front of him was Angel, who was making some sweet, small talk with him. They were both alerted by your entrance as the doors flew open, and as Angel was about to greet you in his usual playful fashion, his voice fell flat when he saw the depressed state you were in. 

“Woah, there. What the hell happened to you? You look like shit,” Angel asked, standing to meet you half-way, “I thought you and Short-King were out on a date. Did something happen?” 

“We were but we had a fight or something,” you tiredly shrugged as you walked past the arachnid and plopped yourself down on one of the bar stools. You swirled yourself on the seat to face Husk. “Give me the strongest shit you have. And make it double,” you waved absently at the feline-demon, who raised an incredulous brow at your bluntness. “Damn, it must be that serious considering you don’t even drink,” he grumbles as he turns to start brewing a glass of something, “...do you wanna talk about it?"

You contemplated his offer for a second and realised that you did. For the next five or so minutes, you ended up recounting everything that happened earlier tonight, all the while shedding even more tears. Angel was kind enough to supply you with a mountain of tissues to cry into.

“Well, it sounds to me that your man’s got a whole lot of thinking to do,” Husk clicks his tongue. “But what you’re feeling is completely valid.” “Yeah, who the fuck wears their ol’ wedding ring while dating someone else? What an asshole,” Angel hisses. 

“S-So you guys think there’s a possibility that he might consider ending things with me?” You question dejectedly. Husk and Angel share a look of uncertainty, suddenly feeling the need to be careful of their words. Because they genuinely weren’t sure.

“I–Look, that’s not something we should be focusing on at the moment– I mean, of course, let’s hope that that’s not where this is going. I just think he needs some space to think things through properly,” Husk says. 

“And I know I was talking a whole lot of shit before but let’s take the benefit of the doubt and look at things from his point of view. He was in that boat for more than a couple thousand years. And shit, that’s a lot of fucking years.” Angel points out. “It might take him a while longer to adjust to that, y’know?” Angel places a hand on your shoulder, grinning at you reassuringly, “But there’s one thing for sure that myself and everyone else knows: the guy loves yah, toots. Anyone with eyes can see it, and you guys are really fucking disgusting about it too–ow!” 

Angel suddenly lunges forward against the counter as one of Husk’s wings swipes down to slap the back of his head. “‘The fuck was that for?! It’s true, ain’t it?!” Husk rolled his eyes at his dramatics, before turning back to you. “He’s right, though. Just…just give him a bit more time. I’m sure in the end, the both of you will be fine.” 

Meanwhile, Lucifer decided to head back to his own castle, wanting to be alone to sort through his cluttered thoughts. He was beyond upset with himself for making you cry like that, because it was the last thing he wanted. But he was more upset at the fact that he didn’t know how to navigate through his emotions, despising that he found himself second guessing his feelings. 

As you explicitly implied, was he really still unconsciously longing for Lilith? Was that why he kept wearing his ring? Why was he still wearing it? Was it just for his own comfort? But why would he need it anyways? You were there, weren’t you? All he had said to you tonight, he was contradicting himself, wasn’t he? Perhaps he’s scared. Maybe he isn’t ready yet. But, why would he be with you if he didn’t think so? What exactly were you to him? And what exactly was Lilith to him now?

Lucifer was a complete mess, and that night he couldn’t find a single blink of sleep as these thoughts plagued him. And neither could you, as you scrutinised every aspect of your relationship, thinking of what this could mean for the both of you, moving forward.

Yeah…perhaps you both needed some time. 

Chapter II [x]

#lucifer magne x reader #lucifer morningstar x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #lucifer magne #lucifer morningstar #hazbin hotel

[kurv4]

I miss wwx………

#he’s my ultimate babygirl. #warning: rant incoming in the tags #ugh ​hes such an enjoyable protagonist and its always so much fun when he is on the scene #like when I started to read mdzs I knew loosely what it was about #but I really like how when we are introduced to wwx he feels like a fresh breath of air abd it doesn’t become boring as he is the pov #i don’t know. I just really like the little guy #the romance between wwx and lwg could’ve been so tropey and cliche but i really believed their chemistry. #like when they had scenes together I was always so excited and entertained cause it felt believable #also I love the difference between wwx and lwg and their similarities #like on the paper they are exact opposites of each other- not only personality wise but also visually #but despite that they are very similar when it comes to their values and morals and share a lot of similar opinions #idk how to describe it but it feels natural they are insterested in each other #like they are not just attracted to each other and the relationship progresses because of that #but they find each other interesting and intriguing. #and because of that they seek each others company etc #ugh I’m not gonna ramble too much but yea. I just think they are very neat :)