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#kinda tag it as a fic?
faggotmox · 2 years
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bcc chess headcanon
i have this headcanon that everyone in the bcc plays chess. both for fun & as a part of training. when wheeler joins he doesn't really know how to play chess. regal uses the time teaching wheeler to play to bond one on one with wheeler, even when the bcc is all together doing whatever (mox & eddie watching football, bryan reading, claudio halfway watching football & doing whatever he does, ect) regal will take some time to work on playing chess with wheeler.
& of fuckin course wheeler picks it up pretty well, especially the strategy aspect of the game. regal starts setting him up against claudio & bryan, coaching wheeler through the game. when wheeler can keep up on his own regal sets up boards so that wheeler is playing regal, claudio, & bryan at once over time (the boards are set up & left, each player coming in whenever they want to make their move as opposed to timed chess).
eventually wheeler can hold his own with bryan & claudio, beats them here & there. eventually getting the best of regal. it's a lot of fun & wheeler really finds himself enjoy it. he noticed eventually that no one plays with mox, that he's never invited to play. so he asks regal & regal says that he & mox play sometimes so invites him to watch.
mox, while half paying attention & messing with eddie like he plays video games, beats regal again & again in less than 15 moves each time. to wheeler's amazement regal is actually trying & struggling to last as long as possible with mox but can never, ever get the best of him. bryan says that he refuses to play with mox bc he think mox is cheating. claudio says he plays with mox sometimes but grows frustrated. mox offers to play wheeler, & wheeler agrees fully expecting to get got very quickly.
to everyone's shock wheeler just hangs with mox. he easily keeps up with mox's strategy & ideas, the random wild twists he puts in his game. their first match goes for over an hour, when none of the bcc has last 20 minutes. eventually mox wins but they end up setting up another game that last until the morning as a stalemate.
wheeler declines mox for awhile, which starts to get under mox's skin bc he wants to play someone who can keep up. eventually wheeler agrees again & they play a quick four or five games where mox crushes him in the first few moves. mox calls wheeler out on letting him win but wheeler promises he was just trying different things that didn't work. they break bc mox is abt to physically fight wheeler.
after dinner wheeler sets up the board & asks mox for another match. first time he's asked mox to play him instead of being offered. its touch & go for both of them for a long time, they work each other, take piece after piece, & when it's just so close to another stalemate...
wheeler pulls out a surprising, glorious win over mox.
mox has never been happier (or more annoyed) to lose & thus starts the epic battle for the bcc chess championship.
claudio makes a little trophy that mox & wheeler have to pass back & forth between each other (they keep track of their win/loses & the title reigns [much to the annoyance of the other bcc they involved their wins over them too]). regal snaked a win & held the title for 4 weeks before mox bullied him into a match & took it back.
bryan has never held the title once. though claudio managed to distract wheeler & win once (but lost it on the rematch a few days later).
it become a genuine competition between wheeler & mox, while everyone else gets to flex their creativity trying to cheat a win off the other two. there is an unspoken rule to keep the title off of bryan bc it pisses him off so much.
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old-desert · 2 months
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Ah yes, hooman Loop
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^ early concept
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chiliyue-archived · 6 months
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cause i love to love, to love, to love you
↬ in which you have him all lovesick and smiles
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includes; dazai, chūya, atsushi, fyodor
notes; i am gonna pretend i didn’t disappear for 2-3 months. this has been in my drafts for so long :( i tried to clean it up as much as i could but it’s really old jfjdks
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DAZAI
dazai appears happy. present tense.
his typical inquiries for double suicides came to lessen to conscious degree, substituting in drinking sake together when the sun cowers, nothing but a string of nonsensical chatter proceeding each sip.
he was sticky like that: unannounced visits, impromptu phone calls, sudden changes in his schedule to accommodate yours. in any case, he isn’t one to shy from stooping as low as whining if it rewards him with your familiar face.
( his windpipes splinter before he could mutter it out loud, but the solitude that’s wedged deep in his bones for so long felt lighter when you were near. he questions how long such benevolence would last before becoming sullied by his hand… ).
…and yet all things considered, it hasn’t deterred him from courting you nonetheless. at times he can’t help but think he’s taken a bite of his own medicine when he’s the one skipping around like a helpless maiden.
and yet again in spite of it all, his brazenness remains perpetually untouched as ever. he entertains different approaches if only to coax out a new reaction from you and he’s not bashful in the slightest. so much so, he remains unruffled even under the scrutiny of your coworkers.
. . .
“ this is highly unprofessional.”
“ don’t be so mean, bella. don’t you know how much i missed you?”
your eyes flit down to the man currently using your lap as a headrest, the rest of his body stretching over the expanse of the couch. he was shameless, that much was certain, but his ability to remain unperturbed whilst in his lovey dovey state was impressive. you cocked a brow, sighing.
“ osamu.” his lips visually twitched at the call of his name; it’s a word warm on your tongue but leaves the hairs on his nape at your mercy anyway. " you saw me fifteen minutes ago—”
“ twenty.” he corrected, cheeky (and quite frankly, you wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled that number out his ass). “ but it was the longest twenty minutes of my life.”
he was unrepentant as ever, experimentally positioning his head to rest on the plush on your thighs. by muscle memory, he began to absently draw shapes wherever he could reach, a crude rendition of stars decorating over the bend of your knee.
he smiles innocently when you squint at him, the gleam in his eyes unwavering. “ only a couple more minutes and i would have been yours,” you mutter out, your voice not as sturdy as you hoped. “ at home.”
dazai almost turns pouty at that. almost. “ but my love, i’ve missed you like crazy. twenty minutes is too long, how can i possibly manage?” the words come out through a breathy exhale and you watch as his lashes kiss his cheeks when he flutters them closed. “ all i could think about is you. and now i have you right here.” he hopes his words carry as much truth as the way his heart does, scurrying away the cold that's mocked him for so long. “ can’t we just stay like this a little longer? pretty please?”
resigned to your fate, you could only clamor your palms over your features— if only to salvage your waning dignity from your coworkers.
unfortunate though… that in doing so you miss the blissful smile curling on his lips as he peeks at you from below. and atsushi notes(after throughly grimacing, not expecting him to be so blunt), it reaches his eyes too.
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CHŪYA
" chūya-"
" you can't flirt with me. i have a partner."
terse, stubborn and slurred. if the groggy voice wasn’t enough to confirm your suspicions, the shit-face look belonging to your boyfriend did. he was drunk. wasted if you were to speak bluntly.
in truth, it really doesn’t come off as much of a surprise; his ability to hold his liquor was nothing to brag of (despite what he may profusely argue) and you’re half-convinced he’s already forgotten his own name.
still, you don’t loosen your grip on his sleeve even under the figurative holes he’s burned with his stare. “ chūya. i am your partner.”
“you—! wha-!” his voice erupts into a sudden warble, eyes akin to saucers. " you… you are??"
he takes what’s left of his thinning rationality to study you proper; the style of your hair, your clothing, the smell of perfume/cologne, the familiar quirk of your lips—
oh, he thinks as you push back the loose bangs veiling his face. he doesn’t make any attempts to move, feet stalled and eyes blinking, evidently stunned.
you decide to press on. “ do i look familiar now…?” the lilit of your voice grazes against his ear, plucking out a faint memory tucked somewhere in the crevice of his fuzzy head.
oh. he thinks twice, the stern look bruising his face thawing.
without realizing it, he squares his shoulders in any attempt to remedy his current disheveled appearance, slumped posture pulled taut in— what he hopes— was a more put together frame. conversely, he wobbles on his feet when you continue to eat away at the distance, the ghost of your touch pushing pinpricks into his skin.
“ you’re- you’re really all mine…?” he cringes as soon as it leaves his mouth, coming off eager and hopeful. something like a laugh escapes you and he can’t tell if that’s what made his stomach turn or the alcohol. perhaps both.
“ that’s what i’ve been trying to tell you. you’re so stubborn when you’re drunk.” you punctuate the words with a kiss to his cheek, now warm with revelation. chūya, exhausting the last bits of his energy, shrinks beneath it, a gloved hand clutching his reddened face defensively.
“ why haven’t i made you my spouse yet?” he remarks it so suddenly, you nearly choke on air. he can’t even comprehend what you say thereafter or register the look beginning to contort your features, nothing but liquid courage keeping him afloat.
but- well, if there’s anything the haze trotting his head and his thinning cognition could agree on, it’s that your ring finger appears a little too barren for his liking.
( but not for much longer, he hopes )
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ATSUSHI
the sudden change in atsushi’s behavior was a notable observation within the ADA, many of whom watched as the weretiger became stupefied by a face belonging to you. it wasn’t long before concluding it was all the result of a crush; the culprit of which being atsushi himself who played his hand poorly at discretion.
the lovesick chatter would leave his mouth without much rationality, waxing of "[name] this" or "[name] that," and effectively becoming on the receiving end of his praises. it was almost a routine of sorts, occupied by stutters, belated responses and his fidgety footfalls. by the end of it, he fruitlessly attempts to steady his rabbiting heart— if only to stop his blush from staining beyond his cheeks.
even now as he silhouettes by the agency door, the rattle of rain is deafened by the rush of blood to his ears. he anxiously worries the handle of the umbrella in his palms, bouncing from one sole of his feet to the other. should he just ask you? maybe he should wait… now that he thinks about it would be more appropriate to just leav—
“ damn it.” he perks at your sound of displeasure, his heart spiking. “ so much for leaving in a hurry…” you stiffen, realizing you have nothing but a coat protect you from the weather. the flimsy jacket you hurriedly plucked from your wardrobe only added flavor to your disappointment.
atsushi doesn’t miss the opportunity; his feet carries him to you before the unpleasant voice lurking deep in his subconscious bullies him otherwise. “ we can share,” he gestures to his own, silently praying his voice was leveled. it wobbles anyway and by now his knuckles are sheen white as a product of his nerves.
with the organ jumping around in his chest, he almost doesn’t register your ‘thank you,’ only that his fingers were quickly undoing the straps of the umbrella before you could change your mind ( he impulsively bought it earlier that day— his previous pair worned out and far too tiny for two people. but when you thank him with a kind smile, hands slightly brushing with each step, he argues it was the best 800 yen he’s ever spent ).
… that said, a more appropriate question is how you managed to remain naive to all his pining for so long— he’s become despairingly obvious against his own good and yet he can’t find it in himself to change himself, a perpetual lovesick look copy and pasted whenever you entered his proximity.
the same can't be said to everyone else however and he wasn’t particularly pleased when he caught wind of the bets exchanged among his treacherous colleagues. he fears it's only a matter of time before one of them blabs their tongue to you. at this rate, perhaps one of them should.
. . .
" y'know atsushi," ranpo once said, offering his companion a gleaming simper. " you reallllyyy talk about [name] a lot."
"oh.”
his heart flutters, eyes slowly blinking.
" yeah,” he smiles. “ i guess i do.”
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FYODOR
" you've been awfully quiet, my dear." fyodor’s voice was just loud enough over the sound of clashing cutlery, fixing you a gaze of genuine interest. " is the meal not to your liking?"
you feel your lips twist into a frown. for being attentive, he (for once) falsely saunters pass the source of your displeasure, failing to recognize the extent of your internal woes. " no- no-" you fidget with your fingers, ignoring the way your propped elbows skidded against the table. the behaviour doesn't go unnoticed by the former, who takes it upon himself to hook his index fingers with yours. “ there’s something i’ve been meaning to ask of you. a… request of sorts.”
“ what is it? i’ll have it shipped to you by the end of the week,” he offers generously though it quickly fades into a confused hum when you shake your head at the proposition.
" it isn’t something you can buy…” you drop your gaze from him to the scantly poked portions of cuisine on your plate. fearing he may misinterpret your words and assume it to be unattainable - perhaps gifting you something ludicrous as a piece of land - you amended quickly. " it’s not what you assume to be either.”
at that, he bums questioningly. “ then what displeases you, my darling?” he provides a faint squeeze to your hand, igniting something warm and paradoxical to his thin layer of frigid skin. “ what can i offer to rid you that frown?”
" just your company.”
" my company?"
" yes." perplexed, he cocks his head; an invitation. willing an inhale to your lungs, you took a moment to gather possession of your words. “ these days you've been rather occupied. i was hoping for perhaps… if we may spend some time together?"
fyodor appears vaguely surprised by that, something unfamiliar fortifying around him. requesting his time felt like a hefty expenditure just in itself and it wasn’t too far fetched to assume he’ll disregard it in favor of some plot embellishing deep within his brain. but a swift refusal never comes.
“ i see,” he finally says after a brief pause. his voice was so soft you wondered if it was meant for you to hear.
it's grows quiet before he speaks again, the fingers curled around your hand withdrawing but not before providing the tips a delicate squeeze. " i can arrange some time tomorrow for you,” he proffers. “ will that satisfy your request, myshka?"
hardly anything can catch fyodor off guard, but something had to be said in the way you brightened at the suggestion, a deep curve coasting over your lips. how pleasant you are.
" yes," you hastily replied, dipping your head slightly. " more than perfect. thank you."
the way your lineaments crossed into a smile was always enduring to observe — exasperated, but one he wouldn’t mind seeing tomorrow knowing he was the cause for such elation.
( idly, he wonders what he can do to see it again ).
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A/N !
i’ve been meaning to post this for months but it’s so old & i never quite (and still kinda don’t) liked it :(( fyodor’s is bit ooc jfjdkskla
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lovesickeros · 8 months
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☆ even the gods bleed
{☆} characters furina, neuvillette {☆} notes cult au, imposter au, multi-chapter, gender neutral reader {☆} warnings blood, injury, light angst {☆} word count 2.3k
What was justice?
Focalors had asked herself that question many times during the long nights she spends awake pouring over the prophecy of a dead God, words replaying in her mind like a broken record until the sun rose like a blooming flower.
She was the God of Justice, an Archon, yet she herself lacked the answer to such a simple and yet so very complex question.
How does one define what is just and what is not? How does she know that what she believes to be just is right? Is it justice if one being alone may sway the scales of justice on a whim? What justice is there to be found in the cold, watery grave that awaits her nation?
She does not know.
Perhaps she may never know.
What she does know, at least, is that this is not justice.
It is a mockery of it.
She stands before the bloodied, broken body like the judge, her sword held so tightly in her hand her fingers feel stiff, a dull ache adding to the weight of what she's seen. For a long, horrible moment she almost thinks they are dead – something she would have reveled in, only a day prior – before she sees the subtle rise and fall of their chest. Breathing, but barely.
The rain felt heavier upon her shoulders at the realization – she was not sure if it was in relief or horror.
Her nails dig into her palm, mind stuck somewhere between that abject horror and confusion so palpable she swore she could hear the gears in her head turning.
For a long, silent moment as she stares upon the body beneath the heavy rain..she wonders if this is how it all ends instead. If the world itself will simply crumple in on itself and cease – without its heart, it will wither, after all – long before the waters ever swallow her nation whole.
Because, try as she might to rationalize it, for every drop of rain that hits her like pins and needles, soaking her down to the bone..the body of the imposter is completely dry. Even the water pooling along the stones dares not to leave so much as a splotch against their ragged, torn clothes.
She remembers the meeting so very clearly, and she thinks she is a fool to not have noticed sooner – the Creator upon their gilded throne, finger pointed in accusation at the visage far too similar to their own. The imposter. She remembers the lilt of their voice as they called for their death as easily as one would speak of the weather – and to no one other then herself would she admit the spark of fear it had ignited within her. Because beneath the divine charade there was a sick enjoyment in the way they looked upon the imposter – like a bug beneath their shoe.
She understands, now.
She had thought that perhaps finally – finally – she could do right by her people, by her Creator, if she rid Teyvat of this..intrusion.
Now she sees herself as what it all really is – blind lambs following the herder.
Perhaps she would be considered a heretic under the eyes of the law – beneath the weight of justice, heavy as the heart that bears its sins. Perhaps this is a mistake, one she would come to regret.
But for now, she sheathes her blade with unsteady hands, the sound making her ears ring – for what she had almost done, what she had already done – as she stumbles like a newborn lamb towards the broken body of..
..What, exactly? Human? Divine? She is not so sure what to call them. Creator? No. The name is bitter upon her tongue, now, burning like liquid flame down her throat.
Where once she had spoken it in reverence and admiration, it felt hollow and empty, now.
Her vision wavers as she kneels down against the rain soaked stones, the rain upon her back growing heavier as she reaches a shaky hand forth – and for a moment, however brief, she feels the weight of expectation, of a title she fears she may never live up to, wash away with the waters that fall from the heavens.
The bruises and blood smeared across their skin are like strokes of a paintbrush, their body the canvas from which such horrid art is created. It makes her ill.
Doubt wavers her composure briefly – her position is already unsteady. She has never been seen as an equal to many of the other Archons. Her own people do not see her as their Archon, but an actor in a grand play that they shall simply toss aside and replace like a broken doll the moment she bores them.
What does she have left to lose?
She reaches out again, her hand settling onto their shoulder and turning them onto their back. She..isn't sure what to do, actually. She's never been particularly physically capable – she tended to avoid fights, even if she oft provoked them – and she was certainly no healer.
Yet what choice does she have but to march on anyway? She is in the heart of the city, it is far more dangerous here then anywhere else..she had little time to make her move.
Fontaine was, after all, a nation founded on the principle of justice. To know an injustice has been made against the most Divine..the entire nation was in a frenzy.
Her eyes dart around nervously, hands clasped tight on their shoulders and her lips drawn into a taut line – someone would notice her absence. One of the Archons would point out her absence in the coordination of the search.
Her options were just as limited as her time – she couldn't just take them out of the city. Security was tight, and as much as she fancied herself an escape artist – Neuvillette could hardly keep her in one place for too long – she doubted she could do the same with the limp body of the imposter in tow.
..The Palais Mermonia it was, then.
Her room had a secret entrance that few knew about, and even fewer would dare to traverse. She just..had to hide them there for a bit and hope Neuvillette wouldn't notice anything different.
Probably.
Still, there was the problem of actually..transporting the body. As grim as it sounded. Her only solace was the fact she didn't have to worry about them catching a cold, at least, and their breaths were still audible, if only barely. So she had to resort to some..unexpected methods.
Seeing the limp form of, well, the imposter – she'd really have to ask for something else to call them when they woke up – stuck in a bubble of hydro wasn't exactly on her bucket list.
Then again, neither was treason.
Well, first time for everything, right?
It wasn't breaking the law if no one else knew about it.
..Neuvillette didn't have to know about it, really. It was fine.
She could, of course, technically try to talk some sense into Neuvillette – he'd listen to her, right? She thought she was pretty close with him..but he was also the one person more obsessed with justice then she was. Such a stickler for the law..so maybe she's breaking a few, it's fine.
But he was also pretty devout, as much as he tried to keep his worship private – with Focalors around, nothing was really secret. Maybe she could get him to settle down long enough to prove it.
..How was she going to prove it?
An exaggerated groan escaped her lips as she led the bubbled imposter – she really wished she didn't have to resort to that, it would be a lot a more awkward to explain then dragging the body around – through the winding streets of Fontaine. She's just glad she's already memorized the entire city like the back of her hand..and a little dramatics went a long way. People listened when the Hydro Archon spoke, and she was suddenly very, very glad for that fact, even if they treated her more like a mascot then a God.
And partially because she, maybe, just a little..stole a few documents detailing the layout and a little personal exploration of her own – but what Neuvillette didn't know couldn't hurt him!
After what felt like hours, though was really no more then half an hour at best, she'd managed to drag herself – soaked to the bone with rain – and the conveniently bubbled imposter up through the secret entrance and into her room.
The perceived safety, as flimsy as it was, was..comforting. Until she heard the rustle of fabric, the clearing of a throat and the pop of a bubble as she, in her surprise, popped it – and then the thud of the imposter hitting the floor.
She felt a bit of regret about that part, at least, wincing.
"Lady Furina." His voice was as sharp and cool as she remembered it always being – like fresh spring water, she'd heard it described. Soothing. It did not feeling very soothing right about now.
She turned sharply on her heel, a forced smile tugging at her lips on reflex, every muscle in her body tensed – she probably looked like a wet cat right about now, soaked with rain, but that was the last thing on her mind.
"Do you mind explaining what, exactly, you did?" Not what you're doing, she notes – what she did. He was mad. Oh, she was really in for a scolding now. She twiddled her thumbs, laughing weakly, though it quickly dies out at the awkward, tense silence.
"Well, you see – it's rather complicated! I can– I can explain." Her attempts to diffuse are met with a raised brow and the sharp tap of his cane. Every single thought is plagued with the urge to run, but the unsteady breathes of the 'imposter' keep her rooted in place. "Well?"
She was sweating bullets, her nails digging into her palm as she scrambled for any excuse that could warrant her not getting hauled off and scolded thoroughly at best – she was coming up empty. How was she supposed to prove that the 'imposter' was very much not what the 'Creator' said they were? Their unconscious body was doing no one any favors, certainly.
"The Creator is lying," She blurts out, immediately regretting her impulsiveness when she feels the sudden weight of his stare – the piercing hues of his eyes that remind her just who is the strongest between them. It is not her, she knows. It never has been. "You can see for yourself! Don't you trust me, Neuvillette–?"
Her voice is cut off by the sharp click of his cane as he strides across the room in only a few steps, his height making her feel like a child about to scolded. She hated it, but she grit her teeth through the exchange. She reminded herself that this was for the sake of the 'imposter' and any affront to her ego was..tolerable.
To her credit, too, she didn't immediately lash out when she saw him poke at their body with his cane, turning them onto their back – she wanted too, though. She considered it, but the thought was quickly shot down when his stare turned back upon her, and she felt frozen in place again, her tongue a heavy weight in her mouth.
Yet she couldn't shake the sudden tenseness to his shoulders, his brows furrowed and a distant look to his eyes. It was..haunting, in a way.
She knows it well, she realizes. The realization and acceptance, the crumbling of every solid foundation you've ever known – leaving you to flounder in the waves, alone and afraid.
The gentleness in which he picks up the limp body surprises her though, his cane set aside. The rain howls like a horrid storm outside, but she cannot focus on anything but the furrow of their brows, the soft noise that escapes their lips.
"I trust that you know that this must stay between us," His voice is soft, like the gentle lap of waves against the shore, as he sets their body down against the bed, his hand lingering against their cheek with something almost like reverence – and if her eyes do not deceive her, affection. "Lady Furina."
She does not hesitate to agree.
"Well– well of course!" She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning at the feeling of her wet clothes clinging to her skin, a heavy weight that feels like it's dragging her down. "Just what do you take me for?"
He doesn't deign to respond.
It only makes her fume more.
Not that he seems to notice, unbuttoning his heavy outerwear and tossing it on the bed, rolling up his sleeves and focusing on the injured– er..yeah, she really needed a new name for them. Calling them imposter felt wrong.
"So long as you understand, then we will have no problems." She huffs again, pouting and puffing up her cheeks, sitting down on the other end of the bed with only an occasional glance towards him as he worked at peeling away the ragged clothes and examining the injuries marring their skin.
She suddenly felt out of place.
..What was she supposed to be doing?
As if noticing her sudden quietness, Neuvillette sighed, his back turned to her though his attention very much falling upon her. She really hated the feeling like she was being dissected whenever he looked at her. It was unnerving. She doesn't know how anyone else handles it..
"If you are so eager to do something, Lady Furina, then please have something brought up for when our..guest awakens. They will need to recover their strength."
Finally! Something she can do. She perks up, her heels clicking on the floorboards as she darts out like a bullet, unable to stay still for so much as a moment.
Neuvillette, for his part..
Feels an odd sense of serenity as he stares upon the troubled features of the..guest. A peace that lessens the burdens upon his shoulders, the weight of a nation upon his back.
He cannot hear the rain, anymore.
..It must have stopped.
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idyllcy · 9 months
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sparkling green eyes, dazzling green lines
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word count: 8.8k
summary: "Habibti." The words slip past his tongue naturally as he reads the text on your wrist, and you stare up at him, eyes wide, pupils blown, fascination all over your face— you're in love with him.
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حبيبتي.
You trace it on your skin each morning, gentle smile on your face, dumb like a lovesick idiot. It reminds you that you're loved, even if you have never met your soulmate, ever, in your life. Even when you didn't know, you had panicked and asked your friends if they knew what it was, in which the next seven hours after your seventh birthday was spent crowded around a computer on your iPad, trying to imitate the foreign language on your skin.
After seven hours, your mother, bless her, had noted it was in Arabic. Your father returned home shortly after, helping you translate the word.
Habibti. It meant beloved in Arabic.
Your young heart swelled as your friends gushed over it.
Beloved. Your soulmate calls you beloved at first meeting.
You had clung onto it, heart full and spinning. You told yourself that your soulmate must be a romantic just from the fact that he would call you his love first meeting. You had dreams of a fairy tale meeting, falling in front of him in the hallway during school, accidentally bumping into him while out, a stranger offering you an umbrella in the rain, the list goes on. Your friends had gotten tired of you after the second week, all of them off to find their own soulmates. You didn't know anything about him.
But the passion for finding your soulmate wears off just as fast as it had arrived, quickly realizing that you wouldn't be able to find him if you were in a town where you knew everyone. No one would call you that upon first meeting. Even if it was halfway across the world, you stopped dreaming about meeting your soulmate after you started college. If you wanted to meet him, you'd have to travel. You don't know where, but wherever you were allowed, you went. Even if it emptied your pockets and left you desperate in the streets, you had some of the best experiences of your life, all in the name of looking for your soulmate.
Even at graduation, when you're throwing your cap into the sky with your friends, wrist out for the world to see, the characters traced and colored in gold thanks to your friends, the green of the letters shimmering, you're thankful for everything you've poured your soul into. Your soulmate was someone you no longer craved, the world at your fingertips, a job in your pocket, your life set out before you. Fate was strong in your hands, another string in your life. You followed it with fervor, spinning and chasing after it with some childish will in your life.
You push everything related to your soulmate mark back when you step foot into Wayne Enterprises, nodding slowly at the three men as they welcome you to the team. You had expected the older boys, but you didn't complain. Not when Bruce Wayne himself was part of the three men.
"These are my two sons. Tim Drake, he's my third," You shake Tim's hand. "And Damian Wayne. My youngest."
You smile at him too, taking his hand.
"Habibti." The words slip past his tongue naturally as he reads the text on your wrist, and you stare up at him, eyes wide, pupils blown, fascination all over your face. Damian raises a brow at the way you react, breath catching in his throat at how enthralled you are with him, features pulled back, eyes sparkling.
"Woah." You manage, a smile breaking onto your face as the words slip past. Damian does not know you. Hell, he's just met you, yet you were staring at him as if he was your world. You had that lovesick look that he had seen on Dick's face way too many times, and he was getting a little uncomfortable. It must be some sick joke. There's no way his soulmate could look at him like that the first time they meet. Yet, as you stare into his eyes, sun sparkling in your eyes, he finds himself breathless. Shit.
Bruce clears his throat behind the two of you.
"Sorry!" You let go of Damian's hand, the loss of contact knocking the air back into his lungs. "Not many people can read my soulmate mark here in the States. I was just surprised."
"So? Is he your soulmate?" Bruce's lip quirks upward.
Damian lies through his teeth. "No. My words are different."
Tim raises a brow behind Bruce, and Damian gives him a warning look.
"Well, regardless," Bruce hums. "You'll be working closely with my two sons for the next couple of weeks. We're very interested in the medical research you conducted while an undergrad in your major, so we'd like to sponsor your research. Your updates would go to my two sons, and I'll meet with you at the end of the month to see if you need more time."
You nod. "An honor, sir."
"The honor is all ours." Tim smiles, shaking your hand.
"Damian will lead you to the lab."
You follow behind his youngest, eyes still wide, trailing behind him like a lovesick puppy. Even if he wasn't your soulmate, he had called you beloved first meeting. You were enthralled. The two of you step into the elevator, and you wait for the door to close before speaking up.
"Are we really not soulmates?" You blink at him.
He shows you his wrist, your words in brown. "We are."
"Oh." You smile at him again. Damian grimaces at how bright you are. The universe sent him a sun because he was grouchy, didn't it?
"This is the lab you'll be using. It is all yours." He hums. "Requests can be sent through the computer, just type it on the notepad."
You nod, glancing around the room, fidgeting.
"What is it?" He raises a brow.
"You're not big on soulmates, are you?" You smile apologetically.
"Not really."
"Alright. Thank you."
Damian is half expecting you to pester him to the moon and back just based on how you looked at him the first time you met. Instead, you spend most of your time holed up in the lab, desperate to replicate results from your previous study. He can't deny that his heart sours a little at how easily you respect his boundaries, but he asked for it himself, so he finds no reason to complain. Huh, he would have to register the soulmate mark with you.
He knocks on the door to your lab, silence answering him. After a couple of minutes, you open the door.
"Sorry, did I make you wait? I had to put everything back." You blink at him.
"We need to register our soulmate bond."
"Ah. Right." You furrow your brows. "When are you available?"
"Tomorrow after work."
"So like... three?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Should I meet you up at the office?"
"I will come down to find you." He glances at the way none of your hair is visible from the cap.
"Alright." You hum. "See you then."
Damian is grasping at anything he can to try and talk to you. He can't believe he's like this, lovesick like some teenager, desperate to talk to you as if you were the only person that mattered in his life. He feels like Dick. It's awful. He loosens his tie as he stands on the elevator, irritation all over his face.
"You look like shit." Tim clicks his tongue.
"Be quiet, Drake." Damian grumbles.
"Registering your soulmate bond?"
"Yeah." He mumbles. "How did your registration go?"
"Smoothly. I told you."
"If only we had met under better circumstances."
"My soulmate didn't stare at me like I was God." Tim shrugs. "Good afternoon, Mr. Strawn."
The man nods.
The two men shut up as Damian steps off at your floor.
"Hey!" You've taken off all the clothes you wear in the lab, dressed for a date. Damian wonders if he's dressed too formal for this. "I brought all my documents. Do you have yours?"
"The city hall has all of my files on hand."
"Forgot, billionaire and all that." You laugh. "Let's get going."
The two of you hitch the next ride down, Damian taking you to his car, opening your door for you, head racing.
"There is always the possibility of us being platonic soulmates." Damian finds himself speaking up as he fastens his seatbelt.
"Yeah." You purse your lips to think. "Would you be alright with that?"
"We are soulmates. The universe obviously has something planned."
"Then what if we're romantic soulmates?"
"Then I suppose we would have to try." Damian pulls out of the parking garage, handing the guard his ticket, driving off. "Are you against it?"
"Oh, definitely not." You smile. "There is no downside for me."
"Not even the public's eye?"
"I've been scrutinized by my family my whole life." You smile. "I blew all my excess scholarship money on travelling because I wanted to meet my soulmate."
"Where did you go?"
"I went to Palestine, Israel, dropped by at Dubai, Egypt, and then my friends and I drove from Istanbul all the way to Western Europe." You count on your fingers. "I had a lot of people greet us first and then notice the writing on my wrist. The emerald green really stands out. I hadn't expected..." Your voice trails off, eyes staring into his, Damian unable to stare back because of the road. "I hadn't expected your eyes to match so nicely. They're breathtaking."
"Do you speak to everyone like this?"
"No." You hum, looking back outside your window. "But I have been told I have a way with words."
"Yeah?" He stops at the red light, turning to stare at your eyes. "I wonder what your eyes look like under the sun."
"Weren't you staring at them a couple days ago?" You pull out your phone.
"That wasn't directly under the sun." He mumbles, starting the car again.
"Do you speak to everyone like this?"
"No." He breathes. "Just to you."
You try to fight the warmth spreading up your neck to your cheeks, failing miserably as you resort to hiding your face in your hand for the rest of the ride.
"Is there any specific thing we need to do?"
"My brothers mentioned that we need our words scanned, but that was it." He hums. "You have your passport and license, correct?"
"Yeah." You hum. "Is that all I need?"
"Yes." He grabs a ticket and drives down to park, the two of you getting out of his car. "Come on." He leads the way, eyes pining down the paparazzi immediately. You glance in the direction he glared, only for him to move to block you from their view. The two of you make it into the building quicker, the elevator door closing behind the two of you.
"That was?"
"Paparazzi." He fishes out his phone, making a call." Yes. May we head up immediately? We will be there."
You blink as he presses the top floor, and for a second, you understand what it's like to live as a billionaire. A single phone call puts you at priority. You shift uncomfortably when the two of you arrive at the top floor, following Damian as he steps into the mayor's room, letting you sit down first.
"Ah, Mr. Wayne." He smiles, and you detect the lack of sincerity on his face immediately. Rather, the fake smile causes you to sit straighter, a smile lacking equal truth making its way onto your face. Damian shakes the mayor's hand, sitting down as well. "What brings you here?"
"Brought my soulmate to get our mark registered." He hums. "You have all my documents, so this should be quick, correct?"
"Of course. We just need both of your words scanned, and then the soulmate's legal documents — You're quite pretty."
You smile at him, laughing lightly. "Thank you. Here's the passport."
"Not a Gotham born, eh?"
"Nope. Moved here for work."
"Do you plan on staying?"
"Well, since my soulmate is here, I don't think moving is that big of a priority right now." You hum.
"May we have your wrist?"
You hold your wrist out, scanner registering the words, and Damian does the same, your words both popping up on the screen.
"What are the characters?"
"Arabic." Your smile turns sweet, bright, even, and the words come tumbling past your lips, like you had been proud to have those as your words your whole life, holding them dear to your heart. Damian's heart stutters in his chest at how enamored you look.
"Was the "woah" first or second?" The mayor turns to ask Damian.
"After. I had read the characters, and the only reaction I was given was "Woah."" Damian hums. "Are we finished?"
"Yes." The mayor laughs. "It's very much a romantic soulmate. Have the two of you..?"
"Not yet." Damian hums, standing up, holding his hand out for you. "Thank you, Mr. Mayor."
"Pleasure's all mine, Mr. Wayne. I hope to see the both of you at the Wayne gala later this year."
Damian leads you back to the elevator, music filling the air as the two of you stand there in silence.
"When would you like our first date to be?" Damian steps to the side, turning to look at you.
"Oh, um." You frown. "I'm not sure. I'd go, but I already submitted my leave for the weekend. My friend and her soulmate are getting married."
Damian raises a brow. "Not here?"
"They're getting married in the Maldives." You laugh awkwardly. "Her soulmate is loaded."
"More than me?" Damian raises a brow playfully.
"Well, loaded in the millionaire way." You smile. "Not billionaire."
"Do you have a date? Should I go with you?"
"Oh." You pause. "I could bring you, huh?" You press your fingers to your lips, pursing them. "I put down a plus one because I was expecting to bring another friend... I suppose it could be you."
"Did you put down a name?"
"No. They do not have a seating chart."
"Mm." He pauses. "is it too fast?"
"No, no!" You smile. "I'll send you the details... via email?" You grimace at how strange it sounds.
"May I have your phone? I can give you my number."
"Yes." You fish it out for him as he hands you his phone. You type your name in, typing habibti under company. You text yourself as he does with himself. The two of you trade phones back, and you send Damian the packing list and details of the wedding immediately. Damian scrolls through the list, pausing.
"Is there a specific invitation I am required to bring?"
"I have both. I will bring them." You smile. "Any other questions?"
The elevator stops at parking, and Damian leads you out. You make a beeline for the car this time, texting your friend to confirm the guest you would be bringing. She asks you if it's your soulmate, and you tell her to check the Gotham Gazette in the morning. She sends you a flurry of texts.
"Will our soulmate bond get leaked?"
"Perhaps by the paparazzi. Why?"
"I'd like for it to be a good photo of me."
"I will let my publicist know."
You check the news the next morning, beaming at how good you look in the photo. Damian looks protective of you, and as you rush to your lab in the morning, your heart is warm. You're glad he has a good eye for that, at the very least. The groupchat explodes with people looking for you, asking if it was true your soulmate was Damian, your friend private texting you to check if your guest was Damian. You only respond to your friend, confirming his attendance. She tells you she expects an expensive gift out of you, and you snort. You joke about relaying her message to Damian.
You tuck everything away as you get back to your experiment.
The end of the day comes quickly, and as you close the lab for the night, you blink when you stare at Damian at the door. You click on your phone, checking to see if you had missed any messages from him, but nothing appears. You raise a brow as you open the door with all of your stuff. "Something wrong, Mr. Wayne?"
"Damian is fine." He nods. "I was wondering what I should bring for your friend's wedding."
"Mm," You frown. "I was going to bring her a nice bottle of wine from one of my travels, but I'm sure you have something much better than that in the winehouse at your place."
"We do. We have a screaming eagle cabernet from the 90s."
"Woah." You blink. "That sounds like a lot. Isn't that like 500k?"
"We have multiple bottles." He insists. "I can bring one."
You grimace. "If you insist."
"It can be our gift. From the both of us."
"The tabloids have already started calling me a gold digger." You laugh.
"My publicist will take care of that. I will have father get you one."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." He hums. "Where do you live? I can drive you home."
"Um." You give him your address. It takes him a moment to figure out where you live, and then the two of you are off.
"I will send someone for you tomorrow," He hums. "We can take the private jet. I already got your tickets refunded."
"Oh. Wow." You blink at him in awe. "That's really kind. Thank you."
"No worries." He hums. "You should get used to it."
"Do all your brothers spoil their soulmates like that?"
"Grayson, the eldest," Damian grumbles. "worships the ground his soulmate steps on. Todd does the same, though less obvious about it. Drake's known his soulmate forever so the two of them click too well. Duke and his soulmate are platonic soulmates, but the two of them get along far better than we do as a family. Steph and Cass both have not found their soulmates and father..." he pauses. "father and his soulmate are... an interesting two."
"So your family all spoil their soulmates?"
"There is nothing out of reach with the amount of money we have. It is not spoiling if we are simply letting them get whatever they want because it is not a burden on us financially." Damian takes a turn. "We do not consider it spoiling."
"That's sweet." You smile. "How big were their rings?"
"Grayson's soulmate got the biggest diamond in existence. None of us could believe our eyes." Damian hums. "How big of a diamond would you want?"
"I'd like you to hand make a ring for me." You grin. "Of course, if you don't have time, I want something the color of your eyes to match my soulmate mark."
"Why not both?" He stops at the door to your apartment.
"How about you?" You open the door, tilting your head at him.
"Whatever color your eyes are."
You hate how good he is with his words.
Damian drives home, your words in the back of his mind. A handmade ring. Maybe you'd be willing to wear his name on your skin if he makes you a ring with a gem the color of his eye. Though, he'd be rushing. Even if his skin burned to touch you and his heart raced to be held by you, he did not wish to rush it. Messing up with you was far scarier than getting hurt during patrol.
He texts the family chat that he would be using the jet the next day, to which Dick had asked eagerly where he was going. Damian leaves him on read. He finds you at the door in the morning the next day, taking your suitcase from you as you yawn.
"Did you have breakfast yet?"
You blink at him, rubbing your eyes. "No. Do you have food?"
"You can have some of Grayson's cereal."
You blink harder as he hands you a bowl with the cereal and milk, and you stare at the cereal brand.
"Wow. The amount of sugar in this could kill someone."
"Some days I wish it were enough to kill Grayson."
You pour out a little bit of the cereal, pouring the milk in, and then dig in. You read the ingredients as Damian goes upstairs, pulling his own luggage down the stairs, meeting you back in the kitchen when you finish. You clean the dishes, setting them to the side as Damian comes to get you.
"You did not need to wash the dishes."
"I didn't want to leave a mess." You reason.
"It's fine. We're leaving now. You ready?"
"Yeah." You grin. "Is takeoff rough?"
"It's very smooth." He hums. "I gave the pilot the address and everything already. We land in around three hours."
"Alright." You hum.
The jet, plane, was huge. You blink in surprise at the size as Damian leads you up the steps, and you blink quietly. "Woah."
"Surprised?"
"What's the use of having such a large plane? Isn't the carbon footprint huge?"
"We usually fly first class, but I figured since your friends all wanted to see what kind of a person you were dating, I shouldn't be stingy." Damian hums.
"There's really no need." You laugh.
"Also, more privacy." He hums. "I figured you deserve to know what kind of life I live outside of the tabloids."
You tilt your head at him. "Are you going to tell me you're Batman or something?"
The plane door shuts behind him, and he exhales.
"Robin."
Your eyes widen, lips pursing, surprise on your face.
"Is that too much too quick?"
"No." You pause. "No. That's. That's actually kind of hot."
Damian raises a brow.
"Are you still Robin? Because I think—"
"No," Damian shakes his head. "I run around with another name now, already graduated from the title, but I thought I would tell you since."
"Yeah." You exhale. "What about the weekend?"
"Todd and Drake are here. There is no need to fret."
"So your whole family is in on the business?"
"Yes."
"Wow." You mumble. "That's..."
Damian braces himself for the worst. He doesn't know why, your face is far from disgusted or terrified, but he still does. Maybe you would reject him or tell him to stop. That would be a nightmare.
"And you like doing it?"
"Yes." He raises a brow.
"Um, please don't come back to me dead. Ever. Please." You scratch your cheek. "If you like doing it, then I won't stop you. I'd just prefer you don't die on the job."
"Do not worry. If I were to die, my mother would simply drop me into the Lazarus pit." Damian jokes.
"That's some lore drop there." You blink. "That's real?"
"Yes." He raises a brow. "For the same reason my grandfather is immortal, by the same logic, so would I."
"Woah." You mumble. "I heard rumors of it when I was travelling. I didn't know it existed."
"Fountain of youth."
"Is that why you look so good?"
"No." He shakes his head. "I take care of myself."
"I don't doubt that." You smile.
"And you?"
"I told you I travel." You nod. "Oh, it might be good to tell you about the friend getting married."
You tell him details about how the two of you met, telling him about your other friends at the same time, mumbling about how you thought her soulmate was actually an asshole just from the way he treated her friends, and then casually mentioning his name, Damian blinking.
"Do you know him?"
"Drake has done business with his family before."
"His family's a nightmare. The only reason I'm going is because my friend is an angel. I wouldn't go for any other reason."
Damian finds peace in the way your voice floods his senses, gathering intel on your friends, understanding who he had to avoid and who he could make small talk with. He had a feeling he'd know a couple of the people there from the groom's side, and from the way you talked about him, it wouldn't be pleasant if they found out he was your soulmate. Despite that, he finds that there is no need to worry too much. You were close to the bride's side. That's all that seemed to matter to you. You pause at some point, almost as if you were thinking of something.
"Something wrong?"
"We brought the wine, right?"
"Yes. I had the servants bring it."
"Alright." You mumble. "I'm not looking forward to what the groom has to say to me about you."
"I will stay next to you the whole time. My publicist will deal with everything."
"Speaking of which, who is your publicist?"
Damian smiles. "Grayson's soulmate."
"Ahhh." You laugh. That checks out.
There's not much jetlag when the two of you land, and you stare at the afternoon sun through your shades, hand held up. It's nice and warm, a contrast to the spring weather in Gotham. Damian leads you to the car, making a call as he does, handing you the tablet for you to choose which suite to get upgraded to.
"Are we sharing a bed?" You blink at him.
"We can order a room with two beds if you'd like."
"Would that be rude?"
"Not at all."
Damian finds that you've selected a room with a king bed instead, noticing the way your ears were flushed as you stared out the window. He confirms with the hotel on the call, putting the charge on his father's card. He wondered if you would call this spoiling. His brothers had told him that his soulmate deserved the best treatment, and Damian couldn't really tell what they had meant. He never lived a normal life. He wasn't sure if his normal was their best or if there was something better that he could give them. He opts for staring at your face instead, taking in your features.
"The upgrade." He swallows. "It is alright, right?"
"Yes." You smile at him. "It's more than okay. Thank you, a lot."
"The best, for you." He mumbles.
The two of you settle into the hotel room. Damian glances at the clothes you bring, exhaling quietly to himself when he realizes he brought a decent palette of clothes. The wedding's theme was lavender, and he was starting to get worried that he wouldn't be able to match with you at all, but he's happy to find that you've got colors similar to his.
"Do I need to call you anything?"
"It'd be funny if you call me habibti," You grin. "The bride is a friend from when I first got my soulmate mark. She was there when we tried searching up what the word on my wrist meant."
"Ah. You go back a long time."
"A very long time." You smile. "What was it like for you? Seeing your soulmate mark?"
"My family was in my room at midnight, including my mother, and everyone groaned when I got the most generic word ever. They thought I would never find my soulmate. Todd joked that my soulmate must be blown away by my face." He hums in amusement, noticing you avert your gaze. "I still owe him twenty. Dick's soulmate word was "hello" and only Drake had something remotely entertaining."
"What was it? If you don't mind me asking." You blink at him.
"I quote "We should get married." It was quite the sentence." Damian chuckles.
"That sounds funny." Your lips pull up into a smile. "I had a friend get "we should fuck" as their first sentence. Then I found out my best friend at the time had "Yo." as theirs."
"Did you like your first line?"
"I did." You beam at him, unclasping the clip for your suitcase. "I loved it. When my father told me it meant darling or my love in Arabic, I was elated. I thought my soulmate would be the most romantic man in the world, and I was ecstatic."
"Am I?" Damian raises a brow as you pull out a dress.
"Yes." Your smile stretches impossibly wider. "I'm very happy."
"I'm happy to hear that. What's the dress code for tonight?"
"You brought a polo, right? Rich boy, old money vibes. Polo shirt and khakis."
"Got it." He nods. "What color will you be wearing?"
"Everything I brought is some variation of the color palette for the wedding," You hum. "I'll be wearing this."
"I am sure you'll look dashing in it, habibti." He smiles.
You flush at the word, hiding your face in your dress.
"Is it too much?"
"No." You smile at him. "Just enough. I'll get used to it."
Damian wonders what kind of friends you had at seven. Yet, he finds himself blinking in surprise when the two of you arrive at the event.
"Woah, he's an item..." Your friend's jaw drops, patting your shoulders gently. "Damian Wayne? Pleasure to meet you. I'm your soulmate's best friend."
"No, I am." Another friend butts in.
"You're all wrong." The bride scoffs playfully. "I am."
Damian nods at them.
"We'll bring the gift tomorrow at the wedding." You smile at the bride, rushing off with them as Damian heads over to the side, making small talk with who he assumed the groom was. He finds himself with his eyes on you the whole night, only sparing glances at the people he was talking to when you would stare back at him. You look pretty. He understands why his brothers had clicked with their soulmates so quickly now. He excuses himself at some point, pressing his chest to your back, hand resting on your waist.
"Having fun? That's your second margarita, not to mention your cocktails."
You grin at him, cheeks flushed from the alcohol. "It's actually my fourth."
"I think that is enough." He hums. "There's still a dinner."
"I can hold my alcohol." You mumble, and Damian takes the glass from your hand, downing the whole thing in one gulp. You blink at him, wide-eyed. "Woah."
"Let's get you seated, hm? Dinner starts soon. Cocktail hour is for after the dinner."
"Can I bring a drink to our room later?" You mumble.
"Yes." He excuses the two of you from the bride, settling down where your names were put, and he presses a patch into your skin, rubbing your arm as he waits for the neutralizer to course through your system. He probably should have asked if you were okay with it, but he has one on himself, so it's not like he was actively trying to drug you. You turn your head when you notice him rubbing the patch onto your skin, mind clearing a little.
"What is that?"
"Neutralizer. It helps with filtering alcohol."
"Oh, it works." You grin at him. "Thank you."
"Of course. I have one in my arm too."
"That sure explains why you didn't pass out from the sheer glasses of champagne you were having." You mumble.
"Who's at our table?"
"Two other girls and their soulmates. The two girls that were next to the bride and I earlier."
"Alright." He hums, letting his hand fall down to your side, staring at you as you wave your friends over. "Any exes?"
"Nope. I didn't date anyone that didn't greet me with what was on my wrist. It was pretty easy, considering that most people are ignorant. I also kept a bracelet around my wrist for the most part." You smile. "You?"
"Two. Maybe. I do not know if they count. I hooked up with them while..."
"In costume?"
"yeah."
You shrug, starting a conversation with your friend instead, catching up with her. Damian listens briefly, eyes focused on you instead, enamored with you. He's hopeless, he decides. He has no saving grace from you. He doesn't get to make fun of his brothers anymore, not when he was just like them. Your friends take notice of it, smiling when he notices their gaze. You're loved. Just from the way your friends had smiled at him and then at you, you're loved. He understands why. It'd be hard not to love you.
You excuse yourself early, exhaustion from the plane setting in late, Damian helping you up and leading the two of you back. You let the bride know with a hand on her back, and she shoos you away playfully, mumbling about how you should use protection. You sigh dramatically, telling her you'd make her an aunt on purpose. It was a joke from the way you had said it, but Damian wonders if you'd actually want kids of your own — shit, his brain was moving fast. He barely knows you.
"Were you actually tired?"
"Any longer and you would've seen how embarrassing my friends get when drunk." You mumble. "Embarassing bunch."
"How embarrassing?" He raises a brow. "My brothers are a nightmare when drunk as well."
"They won't shut up." You press your keycard on the lock. "About me."
"They love you a lot."
"They do." You turn to smile at Damian. "And I love them too, even if they don't shut up about my embarrassing stories when drunk. They're probably embarrassing the bride instead though."
"That would make more sense."
"They kept trying to get people to read the writing on my wrist last time." You hum. "That was after grad."
"So recently."
"Yeah. No one was able to read it." You laugh. "And the ones who could, they didn't say it to me. They called my friends habibti."
"You do not say it with an accent." Damian notices. "Habibti."
"Huh?" You pause while rummaging for your sleepwear. "Oh, yeah. I... my parents got me an Arabic teacher for a little while because I wanted to learn when I first got my mark. I've also visited... a lot of the countries? In part it's because I'd repeat the word to myself until I feel asleep until like..." You avert your gaze, going back to your suitcase. Damian notices you start flushing. "end of high school?"
"Ten years?" Damian exhales. "You whispered your word to yourself before bed for ten years?"
"Yeah." You finally find your pajamas in the baggage. "A little bit of a hopeless romantic, huh?"
Damian doesn't answer you, staring into your eyes instead, unmoving, barely blinking.
"Is it that bad?"
Damian breaks from his trance. "No. Not at all. It's..." endearing — but he can't say that, so he offers you a nod instead. He curses himself for the lack of game when it came to you, but as you rush to change in the bathroom, he sighs. It's hopeless. He's enamored. He understands why you had stared up at him with your pupils blown wide and lips parted upon first meeting. He does the same now, staring down at you like you were his everything, even if he knew barely anything about you outside of what you had told him. Well, he could always ask Drake to hack and gather intel on you. But it'd be a breach of privacy that he didn't want to cross with you. Ugh.
He pushes his hair back in frustration, opting for clearing his mind with work instead. Even if he had taken the weekend off with you, he should really do something that isn't thinking of all the ways he'd have your skin pressed to his at night — no, fuck. Damian opens his laptop, clicks on his VPN and the wifi, sorting through the emails from the WE teams instead. He barely notices the sound of the bathroom door opening and you step out with your sleepwear on. At some point, Tim texts him to get off his emails and enjoy the time with you, threatening to bench him. Damian grimaces, wondering how he could get benched in a company situation, but he doesn't argue back. He was trying to avoid talking to you, after all.
You're in bed on your phone, scrolling through something.
"What are you looking at?" Damian settles on his side of the bed.
"I'm watching my friend's wedding tiktoks." You smile, rolling over to show him. "The preparation ones. She's going to make more tomorrow."
Damian hums. "Can I put an arm around your waist? My arm..."
"Yeah." You grin. "You can touch me."
Damian's breath catches in his throat at how straightforward you are, arm wrapping around your torso slowly, resting his chin on your head, glancing down at your phone.
"Do you think about weddings?"
You close your phone, plugging it back in on the strand, settling yourself in Damian's arms. "Sometimes."
"What kind do you want?"
"I want your name on my skin at the wedding," You mumble, eyes already closed.
"Like bridal henna?"
"Mhm."
Damian struggles to sleep the whole night because of your words. Though, it's not like he's gone without sleep before. Instead, he spends the night matching his breathing to yours, wrapping his arms tighter around you, taking in the scent of your shampoo. At some point his eyes close, body betraying him and falling to the need. He wakes up to you shifting in his arms, turning around to get a look at his face better, lashes blinking on his skin, eyes staring up at him, sun reflecting in them.
Damian's breath hitches, and in his morning stupor, he rests his forehead on yours, staring into your eyes, nose touching yours, the love of the universe in the way he looks at you. His shoulders relax as he continues looking, sure that his pupils have expanded beyond repair, utterly enamored with how you looked in the morning. His arms squeeze around your waist affectionately, moving to bury his head into the crook of your neck, exhaling as he does.
"Good morning." He feels you smile.
"Good morning to you too, habibti." He mumbles back, smile mirroring yours, he's sure.
The wedding moves without too big of an issue, the two of you bring the wine and leave it at the gift table, Damian sits next to you the whole time, watching as you get the bouquet practically launched at you, catching it with a flinch, chasing after the bride with the bouquet as a weapon, messing up your hair in the meantime but getting a laugh out of it. Damian stands to the side, talking only briefly with the groom's family, introducing himself as your soulmate, not Damian Wayne. He was yours first before he was a businessman now. Yours. It rings nicely in his head. He was yours. He would be fine with that — being yours.
At some point you return to Damian's side, sighing with the bouquet in hand.
"When's our wedding?" You joke, putting the bouquet on the table.
"It'll take a while." Damian hums, smoothing out your hair for you. "We still have to date and get engaged."
"I should've dodged."
"You wouldn't have been able to. Your friend did it on purpose." Damian mumbles, finishing with your hair.
"Is it alright?"
"Yes." He presses his lips to your forehead. "You look great, habibti."
You smile at him, the moon behind you this time.
"When do we fly?"
"I booked the plane for tomorrow." Damian hums. "We can sleep in."
"Oh, bless." You grumble. "The shoes are killing me."
"Would you like mine?" He offers. "Or would you like for me to carry you back?"
You pause, glancing at the emptier hall.
"I wouldn't dare let you take off your shoes for me." You smile at him.
"Sit, please," and you do, settling down as Damian gets on a knee, slipping your heels from your feet, holding onto them with one hand, the other hooking under your knees as he tells you to wrap your arms around his neck. You yelp as he does, and you wave bye to the bride as he settles you in his arms bridal style, your arms around his neck for support as he holds onto your shoes.
"Please don't drop me." You mumble.
"I wouldn't dare." He steps toward the elevator, pressing your floor as you pull the room card out from your pocket. (you had shown him before, with a spin, that your dress had pockets. Damian made a note to remember you liked them.)
He sets you on bed, loosening his tie and placing your heels down by your shoes, taking off his blazer to hang up in the closet. He watches you shimmy out of the dress, naked form to his eyes, breath catching in his throat at the way the moonlight illuminates your skin. He doesn't move, watching as you pull the robe from next to him, body on autopilot as you step into the showers. He'd wash up after you, unbuttoning his shirt and ditching his pants, sorting through his own luggage to find a change of clothes.
You open the door to the bathroom, robe on, blinking at his bare back.
"You're built like a wall." You blurt.
"Am I?" Damian hums.
"Does this come with your family or something? All of you are HUGE." You rub the towel through your hair.
"I suppose it does." Damian stands up, change of clothes in hand. "It's also from the training."
"For night?" You try your best to be vague. Damian appreciates it.
"Yes." He nods. "Would you like to see when we get back?"
"Sure." You grin. "Is it big?"
"It's a cave." Damian closes the door to the bathroom.
"Woah." You mumble. "Wild."
You settle yourself in the bed, back on your phone, yawning as you respond to a couple texts, scrolling through your email, checking the CCTV footage of the experiment you were doing. You had someone checking to see if the experiment was working, and from what they had told you, everything had replicated perfectly. You let out a sigh of relief when you found out. It would be fine. You'd finish with it, and then you'd retire somewhere with the money promised you in the contract. You worked hard for the moment.
You feel the bed dip behind you.
"Looking at the updates?"
"The experiment is moving faster than before." You mumble. "I should be able to report to your father in around a week."
"And then?"
You blink. "Not sure. I was thinking of finding a high rise to live in."
"Not with me?" Damian wraps his arms around you, getting comfortable.
"Don't you still live in the manor?"
"It's comfortable there." He mumbles. "I also have an empty apartment of my own. Would you like to move there?"
"Would you move in with me?" You turn to face him, phone on the nightstand.
"If you'd like."
"Yes, please," You grin. "If you'd like."
"Then I'd love to." He mumbles, reaching over you to close the light.
Damian takes you to the Batcave first, having the servants take your stuff to the apartment without asking you, adjusting the grandfather clock and letting you inside the cave, shutting it behind him. The two of you arrive right before patrol, and you get to meet all of his siblings. All of them. Even Nightwing.
"Who's this?"
"Soulmate." Tim doesn't bother looking at you, pressing his mask on. "Showing her around already? And you call us whipped."
"Shut up, Drake." Damian spits.
"Are you on duty tonight?"
"We take turns." Damian hums.
"Are any of these liquids active?" You stare at the tubes.
"Those two are for Ivy when she attacks. Less these days, but she occasionally strikes us with sex pollen for fun. Those are neutralizers. That one's for Scarecrow's fear toxin, and that one—"
You nod along as Damian explains everything to you, waving at his siblings as they head off for patrol.
"Are you tomorrow?"
"Yes." He hums. "Did you want to come along?"
"That's too dangerous." Batman speaks up, and you pause.
"Mr. Wayne." You smile politely. "Didn't peg you to be the type to run around to try and fix crime."
"Desperate times call for desperate situations." He chuckles. "Damian, take care of her. The computer is off limits."
"Yes, father." Damian nods as he disappears too.
"Who's on patrol tomorrow?"
"Father goes every night, and then tomorrow is Spoiler, Orphan, Signal, and I."
"SOS..." You mumble quietly. "Sors. Ross. Ross."
Damian raises a brow.
"Your names." You smile. "You would be team Ross."
"If that makes you happy." He leads you back up the stairs.
"Do you have an intercom?"
"Oracle. She works every night."
"Is she a sibling?"
"No. She used to be Batgirl."
"mm." You nod slowly. "Oh, it's late, huh? I should probably head home."
"You can stay here for the night. I had the servants send your luggage to my apartment. I can drive the two of us to work tomorrow." Damian shuts the clock behind the two of you.
"You have the same hours as us?"
"Yes."
"Speaking of which, how come you and Tim don't go to work together?"
"Tim does not live in the manor. He lives with his soulmate." He leads you to his room. "This is my room. Make yourself comfortable."
You mumble something under your breath about how big the bed is before you head over to the bathroom to wash up. "Are there pajamas I can borrow?" You peek from the door.
"I'll leave them on the bed." He pulls a shirt and clean boxers from his closet, setting them on the bed, settling at his desk, reading through what he would be meeting about the next day. He had hoped Tim would've taken care of the meetings over the weekend, but he supposes he can't avoid everything. It's painfully boring. The meetings are always boring.
"Whatcha looking at?" You come out with a towel in your hair, maneuvering his shirt onto you, putting on his boxers. It's a size too big, and you have to use a hair tie to keep it in place.
"I have a meeting tomorrow."
You shudder. "I don't miss having meetings."
"Did you intern somewhere else?"
"I interned in England for a bit." You lean over his shoulder, staring at the meeting details. "Oh, on the product."
"Yes, the new birth control we're trying to release. The injection."
"It would be helpful. I can't say blocking hormones is good for the body." You mumble. "Does it work on males?"
"We're releasing both versions."
"That's good." You mumble. "It'd be really helpful."
"Dick's soulmate made us read through the entire list of possible side effects of birth control and scared us half to death." Damian hums. "Even father."
"I read through it once."
"Do you take birth control?"
"Nope. Never slept with anyone, didn't plan on sleeping with people." You shrug. "You?"
Damian pauses. "I haven't either."
"Oh, really?" You mumble. "You've dated before."
"Hooked up." He corrects. "I always felt bad after kissing."
You laugh. "That was the universe telling you no."
"Perhaps." He shrugs. "Let's get to bed."
You barely see Damian after that, the two of you busy with your own affairs in the company, busy with moving your stuff into the apartment outside of work. Damian drives you home and helps you with the boxes, but the two of you don't have substantial conversation. Even when you finish the trials and present everything to the board, Damian doesn't get to have a moment with you, invitations to speak at colleges and other locations flooding into your mail. Damian finally catches you as you finish moving into the apartment.
"Habibti." He breathes, arms wrapping around your shoulders, head resting on your head. "I was looking for you."
"You could've called." You smile at him, voice muffled by his chest.
"You were not answering."
"My bad." You wiggle to loosen his arms, smile on your face. "Bruce transferred the money to my account. I'll be taking a break for a bit before I go speak at all those invitations."
"I am going to retire." He grumbles. "I never get to see you."
"We live together." You grin. "You get to see me every day now."
"Not enough." He mumbles. "I will leave Drake to deal with the family business."
"You're needed, you know? They need you for all the charity you guys do now." You pat his chest gently. "All of the animal shelters you volunteer at too."
"Would you like to visit one with me? There's an event tomorrow at the shelter to bring a friend."
"Oh, so I'm just a friend to you?" You tilt your head at him playfully.
"A friend," He presses a kiss to the corner of your left eye. "Habibti," He presses another kiss to the corner of your right eye. "And my soulmate." He rests his forehead on yours, hands on your face, eyes on your lips. "May I?"
You press your lips to his in response.
You're a work of art. Damian finds himself with an arm around your waist much more than he could have ever thought, his own life mingled with yours to the point of no return. You meant so much to him. You were the world to him. Fingers laced with yours at events, lips pressed to your hair in the rays of the morning sun, there was little to complain about and everything to be grateful for. His own little ray of the sun to make his life a little better.
Which is why he finds himself checking for the quality of the diamond, discussing the price of the gem with the dealer, running it through tests just to make sure it was the best. The emeralds he picks are hand-selected too, calling his mother as she teaches him how to discern between the good ones and bad ones. You were still yet to meet her, but for some reason, she had not asked questions, only wishing him luck on the proposal. It would take a while between everything he had on his hands.
"You've been coming back later these days." You hum, resting your head on his chest.
"My apologies, habibti," He mumbles. "I've been busy."
"Even on the nights you don't patrol?"
"Yes." He mumbles. "I am not cheating, if you are worried."
"I wouldn't think of it." You close your eyes. "I trust you."
"I love you, a lot." He whispers, wrapping his fingers around your ring finger.
"I love you too." You mumble back, curling the finger.
Damian struggles with the first two prototypes, fingers too rough against the metal, groaning as he fails again, the jeweler only laughs affectionately, assuring him he would be fine. He tries again and again until the mold comes out how he wants it to look, the gold chosen so that it wouldn't rust. The chances of you wearing your engagement ring while working were rare, but he still wanted to guarantee that it would not rust quickly. You deserved the world, and he'd make sure of it, even in something as simple as the ring he would give you.
On his seventh try, he gets a mold that leaves him satisfied. He had gotten your ring finger fitted before on top of his nightly routine of wrapping his fingers around it, and he was sure it would fit. The gems arrive cut out perfectly, the green diamond compared to his eyes by Dick and his brothers' soulmates a hundred times, assuring him that the color matched his eyes perfectly. Damian almost got his eyes color matched had it not been Bruce himself stepping in, assuring him that it matched his eyes well. The emeralds would match his eyes in different lighting. He was fine. Only then did Damian let the jeweler settle the diamonds into the ring, making sure that the gems wouldn't just tumble out. Not that he didn't trust the jeweler — he was worried it'd fall out on accident — alright, he doesn't trust the jeweler.
On the day the ring was completed, Damian had checked it under the light, mumbling to himself about how he hoped you like it. He had made it by hand as you told him you wanted him to, and the gems were all hand selected and picked to match his eyes. You'd be happy with it no matter what he gives you as an engagement ring, he's sure, but he had held your words close to his heart. You deserved an engagement ring you had dreamed of as a child. On the inside of the band, habibti is written in Arabic, a reminder of your soulmate bond, his heart full.
"You're home on time for once!" You beam, throwing your arms around his neck.
"I missed you, habibti." He mumbles, arms wrapped around your waist.
"I made dinner for us since you promised you'd be home today." You pull him along.
As he follows you, the ring in his back pocket feels lighter, your fingers curled around his, lips pulled into a dazzling smile.
He's yours.
From the known past to the unpredictable future, he was yours, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
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puhpandas · 2 months
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GGY week day 6: Everybody lives/nobody dies
so this is a pretty specific au that needs some backstory. basically i have this theory that dr rabbit hasn’t just not shown up yet but is actually dead. since vanny killed glitchtrap at the end of hw2, i have this theory i’ve posted about before that vanny killed dr rabbit pre-sb and that’s how gregory got freed
so in this case that didn’t happen, PLUS rab is a good guy. gregory is a bit on edge about rab being there at first, but eventually after rab doesn’t kill people and is away from vanny and mimic and 3 star fam is actually kinda pleasant (not that he’d say that) he’s like wait a minute.
and instead of being ‘dormant’ and not 3 star fams enemy he kinda just becomes apart of the family. no ulterior motives no nothing he just is on their side for real now and prefers them. along the way he’s able to be a real kid and play gregory’s video games and draw and he likes it a lot. so he just starts to realize hey i don’t like to kill people and want to be normal. gregory can we go to walmart and buy shopkin blind box? i think my favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip.
meanwhile gregory having someone that hijacked his body and ruined his life still in there when he’s supposed to be free is very anxiety inducing. i think he’d hate rab taking over without permission (which he did a lot at first) and it’d scare him and cause him to be on edge a lot. eventually rab starts to actually care and respects gregory’s boundaries and figures out that being nice is pretty cool. it’s also easier for both of them. and eventually after things blow over a bit i think gregory would work on a temporary robot form for rab to roam around on his own (like a cheap animatronic robot. like those little dogs) and he’d get some peace.
but i think rab is always going to share gregory’s head with him since he wouldn’t have his own hands to draw and play video games so. i think that becomes easier for both of them and feels less intrusive.they bond a lot
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rintoki · 10 months
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moo moo milk
characters: gepard x dom!reader
cw: gepard’s giant tiddies
a/n: he sent me the one message about what drinks i’d like to try. yea that’s all. i want to suck his tiddies that’s all. sorry if bad haven’t written long time
“ah, geppie, remember when you asked me what other belobogian drinks i’d like to try? i think i know what i want to try now.”
“right, right now?” the blonde man stuttered out, his face a crimson red even just after a few kisses.
“yup,” you smiled joyfully, one hand resting on the table behind the man you have trapped against you, and the other resting on his broad chest. now stripped down to just his undershirt and pants, gepard’s defined body was much more visible. the thin material of his undershirt stretching to cover his chest, even then it was still very much exposed to your hungry eyes.
“uhm, sure. what would you like to try? i’ll be sure to get it for you.” the kind-natured man smiled, ready to oblige you despite the state you have him in—breathing heavily and needy for you.
and with a smile, the hand that rests on his chest begins to drift downwards, feeling the curve of his pecs, before resting on the underside and cupping your hand against his breast. gepard stiffens under your motions, his adam’s apple bobbing nervously as the heat of your hand begins to seep through the fabric, warming his now hardening nipple.
his lips tremble slightly, unsure of how to act now as his breathing gets heavier under your touch and his pants gets tighter. you smile even wider, pleased by his reaction to a simple touch your hand gently squeezes around his tit, relishing in the way his hard nipple brushes against your palm.
“i want…” you began.
gepard let’s put a staggered breath now, unable to contain it any longer. his cock strains in his pants, finding it rather embarrassing how worked up you’ve got him from a few touches. he shuts his eyes, trying to keep a handle on himself before he completely crumbles, but your quiet voice beside his ear only pushes further to the edge.
“… to try your milk, geppie.”
it takes him a moment to register your words, still too caught up with your touches. “my… my milk?”
“from here.” you give his chest another squeeze, this time letting your thumb roll over his protruding buds. gepard sucks in a sharp breath, his abdomen quivering as you began to tease his nipples.
“i can’t—i don’t, i can’t …lactate… i don’t have m-milk.” he barely gets the words out, unable to help how his chest unconsciously pushes out, as if begging to have it teased more.
“are you sure? i think we should try.”
and before he knew it, you’ve already pushed his undershirt up, resting it on the tops of his chest with both his tits exposed to you now with his hardened nipples poking out at you, asking to be sucked on.
gepard can’t hold back the gasp he lets out, nor the low whine when your warm mouth envelops one of his nipples, slippery tongue massaging his sensitive buds. his hands gripped the table behind him, knowing it was taking his all and the table to keep him from falling to his knees.
you alternate between flicking and sucking on his nipple, your teeth biting down gently on the flesh around it, as if urging his milk to come out. and on the other side your hand continues to stimulate his chest, massaging and rolling his nipple between your fingers, getting it ready to be taken into your mouth.
“a-ah! wait..! that’s too…n-nngh.. s’ sensitive there, p-please…”
you looked up from your position, and with lips still wrapped tightly around his tits you took in the view. gepard’s skin was flushed all the way down his neck, he had leaned his head back, mouth hanging open as quiet whimpers fell from his lips.
so gorgeous, you released his nipple, watching as his body jolts with every lick you give it. his hitched breath as you sucked on the other side, warming it between your lips, you could feel it between your legs, an aching need beginning to pool.
even the way the bulge in his pants pressed against your belly, you know he isn’t even aware of how his own hips buck against your tummy, begging for some kind is stimulation. but you leave it be, knowing it isn’t long for his release. you can hear it in his voice, in his breath, even in the way his grip on the table tightens further.
you know it better than him, when you roll his sensitive nipple gently between you teeth, swollen from all the sucking. that his body would go completely stiff, hips and abdomen trembling from the intense pleasure as his mouth hang open with silent moans.
a damp patch begins to grow on the crotch of his pants, seeping into the fabric of your shirt. “you came a lot.”
gepard flinches slightly, cheeks growing even redder at your observation. “i… i apologise, i didn’t mean to dirty your clothes. forgive me.” he whispers, still a little out of breath.
“hm, don’t apologise, i don’t mind it one bit. it seems like you enjoyed that a lot, huh?” your fingers roll over the swollen buds, watching how he jolts with every touch.
“y-yes, it was quite… it felt good.” gepard smiles, moving to wrap his arms around you now.
“i didn’t manage to get any of your milk though, i think we’ll have to try again next time,” a cheeky smile forms on your face, “and next time, i think i have just the tool to help us get it.”
the silvermane captain sighs, a furious blush on his face as you mention wanting his milk again. for whatever reason it causes him to be aroused as you spoke about it, he didn’t want to think about it now.
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transmasccofee · 5 months
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Aww yea rescue scene
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rbtlvr · 7 months
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(text from this post, fic is little kid with a big death wish by @remedyturtles)
i'm genuinely not sure where to start here - ig first of all this fic is absolutely incredible and if you somehow haven't read it yet you absolutely should!
okay. man. rem, this fic means so so much to me and i'm so glad i got to be here for it. i think this is one of those fics that'll stick with me years down the line even if one day i'm not into tmnt anymore, one i'll come back to over and over again
your writing has touched so so many people myself very much included, and i just. want to thank you so much for writing this fic and thank you for sharing it. you're an amazing writer and an amazing person and i'm lucky to know you. i can't wait to see what you do next
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cashmoneyyysstuff · 5 months
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katsuki bakugou hates a lot of things
he hates people who walk slow, he hates people who chew loudly or people who talk loud in places they know damn well they shouldn’t.
he hates when people walk on the back of his shoe and he hates idiots like kaminari who talk during movies.
but most of all, katsuki bakugou hates seeing you cry.
it sparks something in him, something red, hot and so angry when he finds you in your dorm. tears running down your cheeks that show no sign of stopping. he hates it even more when you make eye contact and you curl into yourself even more from where you’re sitting on the floor.
katsuki immediately decides this is the thing he hates the most.
he’s on you in seconds, kneeling in front of you, searching around to get a peek of your face hidden in your knees. he places his hands on top of yours where they’re wrapped around your legs and his chest tightens when you flinch a little.
“ who was it ? who did this to you ?” he can’t recognize his own voice, his words come out so fast he barely registers what he’s saying.
you try to speak but nothing but more broken sobs and shaky breaths come out as you desperately try to catch your breath and katsuki realizes that you talking isn’t a priority right now.
his eyebrows are furrowed and he almost looks angry but he’s so, so worried. if anything, he’s angry at himself for being so helpless, for not being able to help you in a time where you clearly need it.
he grabs your shoulder softly and the weight his chest lightens slightly when you lean a little closer to him, before letting him pull you tightly into his arms
“breathe for me.” he utters softly, voice gruff and gravelly. he never actually talks this softly unless he’s around you, the difference is so stark it surprises him a little bit but he’s got more important things to think about. praise spills from him occasionally, muttering a “you got it. i got you” into your ear before pressing a kiss to your temple.
katsuki’s never really had to comfort anyone, he’s never felt the need to, but you’re not just anyone. your different, you’re his. his love his everything and he’ll be damned if he didn’t try his hardest for you.
you’ve calmed down a little bit, he noticed. you’re breathings calmed down a little and your sobs have been reduced to snivels. the tightness in his lungs is still there, but it’s less now.
“what’s goin’ on with you, hm ?” you’re grip tightens on his arm and you shove your head deeper into his chest. he moves his head away from your shoulder so he can place two small kisses on the top of your head
“talk to me, baby. needa know what’s up with you.” he pleads into the crown of your head. you sigh before speaking up.
“ i don’t know what’s up with me i just- it’s nothing bad i’m—” you’re desperately searching for the right words to use so what you’re about to say makes sense. “i just don’t—feel like myself today. i don’t know why, i just feel really bad today.” you let out a humorless chuckle and your voice dies out when you finish “m’sorry if i worried you” you sniffle.
he shushes you, his grip on you tightens when he hears you whimper “don’t..don’t fuckin’ apologize to me, got no reason to.” he spits. he sounds angry, and he is, why should you ever feel the need to apologize for feeling some type of way around him ?
“s’okay for you to feel that way..i do too, sometimes, you know ?” he knows you do. he knows you do because there are times where he comes to your room in tears, shaking and panicked. completely and utterly lost from the nightmares that had plagued him minutes before but knowing he had to come see you. you were there for him every time, gently soothing him and assuring him that he’d be okay. he owed it to you to do the same for you.
“s’okay to feel like shit sometimes, happens to the best of us.” he whispers “ but you can always come to me when you do, can deal with it together. an’ don’t go thinkin’ yer ‘bothering’ me either.” he says, parroting what you had just told him. “we’re together for a reason, dummy.” he’s soft spoken and his voice is so mellow despite his harsh little nickname for you, you could’ve missed it if he wasn’t sitting so close to you, it makes you a little dizzy and a little weaker in you’re already mushy knees.
he grabs your shoulders gently to get your eyes on him. they’re still a little glossy but they’re a little less dull when he looks at you “ we’re in this together, always have been, always will be, got it ? “ he asserts, waiting for your response. and then you smile at him, it’s faint but it’s there and katsuki feels like he can breathe again. he smiles back softly at you when you respond with a soft “okay.”
you suddenly grab onto him and pull him into you tightly, locking him in a tight embrace and squeezing like you’re pressing a lemon. it throws him off for a second before he’s squeezing you just as hard, pressing your body against his.
“thank you, katsuki. you’re the best” you hum. he presses a long lingering kiss to your temple as response, before squeezing around your waist “ course i am.” he gloats. the smirk on his lips grows when you snort in response “what’re you laughing about, hah? don’t think so? don’t think i’m the best ?” he jests, using this as an opportunity to tickle you mercilessly. you kick and squirm but it’s no use, katsuki doesn’t stop until you’re a heaving , giggling mess. tears in your eyes as you plead and beg for him to stop but he doesn’t let up even when you’re laying on the ground with him on top of you.
“ i ain’t hearing what i wanna hear, you know what i want from you, baby.” he chuckles at the way you desperately gasp for breath, choking on your own spit in the process.
“y-you’re the ! the best, ‘suki ! the b-bestest of the best !” you gasp out, pushing blindly at his face to get him away from you and he finally let’s you go. “felt nice enough to let you off with a warning, won’t end well for ya if you try me again.” is what he says, playfully warning you and waving his finger around in your face. you’re completely out of breath, there are tears in your eyes again but they’re happy tears this time and you still can’t stop smiling and giggling as you try to bite at his finger and katsuki is more than happy with this.
because katsuki’s favorite thing is your smile.
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lauraneedstochill · 1 year
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Make a move
summary: you think Aemond is too arrogant to woo you, but he's got some tricks up his sleeve. pairing: Aemond Targaryen x F!Reader words: ~ 6000 warnings: a bit of bickering and teasing, it gets slightly heated (Aemond has a praise kink, but I doubt anyone is surprised), mostly it's just silly fluff
author's note: this was inspired by "Crazy, stupid, love", particularly the scene where Emma kisses Ryan (one of my favorite on-screen kisses!) and everything that follows. I recently rewatched the movie and had an idea for this story. it's not smth I would usually write, but I couldn't get it out of my head (also, I may or may not have a thing for men's hands... you've been warned)
> English is not my first language, so feel free to message me if you spot any major mistakes
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You keep mindlessly tapping your fingers on the wooden table, your cup of wine untouched. You don't really notice the movement, too wrapped up in your thoughts, until your friend Margaret sneers.
"If you don't stop, I might bite your hand off," she says, sitting across the table.
"Then I'll use the other one," you huff but pause your fidgeting. "Better bite my head off, it will do us both more good."
"But I like your head very much," she pouts. "Is this about Thomas again?"
You groan, hiding your face in your hands and thinking back to the conversation you had earlier today with said man. Your emotions are a mix of annoyance and embarrassment as you can't stop thinking about his words.
"He said the meeting will be of great importance. What if he...? You know," you mutter, and Margaret huffs.
"I hope he won't."
"Hey, you are supposed to be my friend!" you playfully pinch her hand, and she fakes a gasp.
"I am your friend. And as your friend, I think you deserve way more than that sad excuse of a man," her face gets serious for a second, and you feel your smile waver.
"Mar, you know I don't have much of a choice," you breathe out, and your heart sinks at the thought. "He isn't that bad, really. He's always been kind to me."
"Sounds like every girl's dream," she rolls her eyes. "And you want to settle down for a kind man? Nothing else?"
"What do you think my options are? Please, enlighten me since I'm clearly missing something," you cross your arms on your chest. You know she's right and she means good, but your frustration gets the best of you.
Luckily, Margaret catches it and gives you a sympathetic smile.
"All I'm saying is that for as long as I can remember you've always dreamt of something more," she extends her hand across the table and lightly squeezes yours. "We've been friends since we were little kids, and you are the most loving person out of everyone I know. Should I remind you who taught me how to dance? Protected me against my idiot brothers?" you giggle at the memory. "You've got an adventurous spirit and a heart of gold. You deserve an epic love story," there's a hint of sadness in her voice.
For a minute you sink into your thoughts again.
"And you think Thomas is not the one?" you sigh.
"He's epically boring at best," Margaret takes a sip out of her cup. "I know he's not the one — and you do, too."
"My parents approve of him," you try to argue, but she's quick to object.
"They only care about your approval. And they mistakenly took your lack of protest for it," Margaret gives you a gloomy look.
"You are aware that I can't wait forever, right? I'm not getting any younger."
"Nor smarter," she snickers.
"Not everyone is lucky to meet the love of their life at the age of 12," you frown. Margaret and Jamie got married three years ago, but they have been betrothed for seven prior to that.
"Fair," she beams, and you can't stay irritated for long. They are still ridiculously in love with each other, and you are really happy for her. You just wish to feel that, too. You crave that indescribable feeling of longing and wanting and caring for someone else — and being loved just as much in return.
"Maybe the concept of love is overrated," you ramble. "It was easy to believe in when I was a kid but... As I'm growing older, it's getting harder to cling to hope, I guess. And I'm trying to make an effort and meet new people and... to show just enough character to not scare them away," you quote your mother. "Yet all of them just... Make me feel nothing. At all. And I...," you realize that Margaret isn't listening, her gaze is on something else behind your back. "Hey, I'm pouring out my heart of gold," you hiss, and her sight shifts to you. Before you can question her behavior, she informs:
"Someone's been keeping an eye on you."
"Margaret, I'm trying to have a serious conversation about my future," you fight the urge to turn around.
"Maybe this is your future!" she winks, and you grunt at her silliness.
"We are in a tavern out of all places! I'd rather take a kind man as my betrothed than a drunk one," you're about to scold her, but your friend's eyes go wide.
"His hair," her voice is barely above the whisper. "I can make out the strands of silver," Margaret slightly leans towards you. "You know what that means?"
"That you had too much wine? Maybe we should call it a night," you suggest, but your friend protests.
"Sit down!" she shushes. "He's coming over here," Margaret puts on a smile that looks painfully forged. The never-ending chattering of people around you makes your head hurt, and you're too tired to play along.
"Mar, it's been a long day, and the last thing I want is to waste my time entertaining some man's arrogance and...," you don't get to finish because he interrupts your train of thought. 
"What if a man entertains you?" his voice is low and cocky. You close your eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. You don't want to make a scene in a public place so you pull yourself together, thinking that you can talk your way out of this ridiculous situation.
But when you turn to him, your eyes meeting his, your plan is suddenly forgotten.
He's taller than you, a black cloak covering most of his body and his head, so your attention is naturally drawn to his face. He wears an eyepatch, and you look over his sharp features — his prominent nose, high cheekbones that flow down to the curved contour of lips, plump and alluring. Margaret was right about the hair, but she failed to mention the color of his eye. Taking that into account, it's not hard to guess that he's a Targaryen. Which means that he definitely is arrogant.
Well, two can play that game.
You ignore his question and pointedly don't stand up in his presence:
"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"
"I believe the pleasure is all mine," he's only looking at you.
"We've just met, you should not jump to conclusions," you feel Margaret kicking your leg under the table but dismiss her warning.
"Sharp tongue," he notes.
"Will this be a problem?" you challenge him.
"On the contrary," it sounds like he's actually enjoying it.
It's tricky to read his intentions. But when his gaze is concentrated on you, it makes you feel like there's no one else in the room, and that sensation is thrilling.
"What brings you here, if I may ask?" you press, trying to ignore the unknown feeling creeping up on you.
"It's a nice tavern, wouldn't you say so? Since you are here, too." 
"No, I mean what brings you to our table. There are plenty of others you could've graced with your presence".
"Something must've caught my eye," he says, and you see a glint of a smile on his lips.
"Some thing? Well, the interior isn't very eye-catching if you ask me. But we might have to disagree on that."
"You aren't very agreeable, it seems."
"That's what servants are for, and I'm not one," you're being defiant yet it doesn't bother him.
"Please, do tell me more about yourself," he swiftly pulls up a nearby chair and sits right next to you, his eye never leaving your face.
"Should you pull another one? For your ego, since it takes quite a lot of space."
He squints at your words, and the corners of his mouth turn into a grin.
"I think we have that in common," he bites back, but there's no anger in his voice. If anything, the man looks curious, and you have to admit that you don't take offense at his wit.
"Are there any other far-reaching conclusions that you managed to come up to?" you turn your body to him, so now you two are opposite each other.
"I only got here a few minutes ago. But I am a great observer should you give me a little more time."
"Am I supposed to take your word for it? You are not as convincing as you think," you impugn, so he pauses briefly.
"You don't trust people easily, do you? How's that for an observation," his voice gets quiet, but his gaze is piercing.
"Men," you correct him. "I don't trust men."
"Any of them dared to break your trust?" he gets a little closer, and you instinctively gravitate toward him.
"That would've required them to gain my trust first," you retort.
"And what would it take for me to do so?"
"Do you expect me to make it easy? That's not very observant of you," your grin matches his own.
"Nothing good comes easy," he murmurs, and you involuntarily lay your eyes on his lips. "But I expect it to be worth it."
You feel a pull toward him, something that's hard to describe but oh so natural to give into. His confidence isn't intimidating but rather attractive, and you can't help but notice how his gaze warms up your whole body. He makes you feel wanted without even doing anything.
But then you think of Thomas. Of the upcoming meeting and your future that depends on it. And you know you can't throw it all away for some silly conversation with a self-confident stranger. No matter how enjoyable it seems to be.
You bite your lip and look away from him.
"That's enough entertainment for today," you put some distance between you two. When you give him a quick glance, you catch a shadow of disappointment on his face.
"Didn't take you for a quitter," the blond comments.
"You should manage your expectations."
"Maybe I should manage yours," he has some nerve. 
"That would be very time-consuming," you suddenly realize that he's sitting in your way, and it looks like he isn't going to move.
"Are you in a rush?"
"I am" — "She isn't," you and Margaret say at the same time. You feel your cheeks heating up as you give her a death stare.
"Has anyone told you that you look charming when you are embarrassed?" he remarks, and you want to wipe the smirk off his face. Preferably with your lips. You mentally scold yourself and push that thought away.
"Does this usually work for you?" you get up, thinking of a way out.
"You tell me," he leans back on his chair with a shit-eating grin on his face, clearly aware that he's blocking your exit.
"Cornering women in taverns is your way of flirting?" you think how to distract him, but nothing springs to mind. "And then what, you just drag them into your man cave?"
"They come voluntarily," it looks like your words struck a chord, but he keeps up the facade of indifference. "I happen to live nearby," he notes casually.
"We both know that's not exactly true," you scoff with a tilt of your head. You are positive that the walk to the castle will take at least thirty minutes.
"Want to bet?" he sits up straight.
"And what do I get out of this?"
He looks you up and down before answering:
"Me."
He's pushing his luck at this point.
You glance around and take note that the tavern is packed with people, and no one is paying attention to you. You also realize that Margaret already sneaked out and is standing at the door. She raises an eyebrow with a silent question, as if asking what are you going to do.
That's when you decide you can push some boundaries, too.
Your eyes are back on the man in front of you. Without giving it a second thought, you step closer to him.
"Was that supposed to make me weak in the knees?" you whisper, and his face expression melts into an amused one. Seizing the moment, you yank your dress up and throw a leg over him. He immediately looks down at the exposed skin of your thigh, his mouth is slightly agape as he's now sitting between your legs. You see him tensing up, his fingers clenching into fists as if he's fighting the urge to put his hands on you. You think that if he does, you're not going anywhere. You wouldn't want to go anywhere — the realization makes you tremble, and you know that you don't have much time.
You boldly place your hand on his shoulder, pressing him back onto the chair.
"I hate to break it to you, but you are not that impressive," you say, throwing your other leg over him and successfully moving away.
When you get to the door, the look on Margaret's face is priceless. You grab her by the arm and drag her outside in a hurry, merging into the crowd of passers-by.
"I need you to explain what the h...," she starts, but you interrupt her.
"Please, don't," you snarl. "Don't say anything, just give me five minutes."
You can't even explain to yourself what happened back there and why you did that. You think of his gaze roaming over your body, the depth of his voice and the curves of his lips. You tell yourself that you need to get him out of your head as soon as possible. You fail miserably.
One week later, you're dining with Thomas at his house, and yet your mind wanders back to the arrogant one-eyed man. Aemond, as you've learned — and it wasn't that you wanted to, but fate had other plans.
And by fate, you mean Margaret.
Once her five minutes were up, she couldn't stop talking. By the time you came home, you got his whole backstory — the second-born son of the King, has two brothers and two sisters, rides the biggest dragon in the world. Overly confident, stubborn, wears an eyepatch because he doesn't want to scare the ladies of the court. Usually doesn't talk much.
Unlike Thomas who gathered his whole family and can't stop blabbing. You struggle to participate in their conversation, giving polite smiles left and right. You don't know what to expect of the evening, and it makes you nervous. And not in a good way. All of a sudden the possibility of marrying Thomas doesn't seem to be the best.
From the corner of your eye, you catch him standing up, clearly readying himself for a speech. He has a manner of pursing his lips every time he's agitated, and it looks weird. That's also how it felt when he kissed you, which is probably the reason you haven't done much kissing after that. You wonder what it's like to kiss Aemond. Just thinking of it makes your heart rate speed up, and you nervously gulp half a cup of wine.
"I gathered all of you today to make an important announcement," he starts his pompous monologue, "that may not come as a surprise to some of you."
You cautiously look at the door.
"But, as of recently, I received inspiration to change the course of my life. And I decided to devote myself to the service of Gods".
You nearly choke on your drink. In all the years you've known Thomas, he's never been to a chapel once.
"And I wanted to grant you this privilege to be the first ones to know."
You've got to be kidding me. You wait for any other announcements — literally anything else — but Thomas goes back to chattering, also accepting pointless congratulations. It takes you ten painfully long minutes to get a chance to talk to him alone.
"May I have a word?" you inquire, and the two of you move to the far end of the room.
"It's about your speech," you clarify. "It might sound silly, but I thought that you were planning... Um," you're trying to formulate your concerns. "I was wondering, how would you describe our relationship? Or the prospect of it, I should say," you give him a tight smile.
"Oh," his face pales slightly.
Your facial expression mirrors his. "Oh"?
"I am actually glad you asked," he awkwardly takes your hands in his, and you notice how sweaty his palms are.
"You know, Y/N, you've been a great companion of mine," his voice is as weak as his smile. "And I am forever grateful for those moments that we shared as they only brought me joy," his hands feel like jelly, and you don't want to hold them. Like, ever.
"But now that I'm choosing to follow my destiny," you do your best to suppress a chuckle at his dramatic phrasing. "I decided that... I need some time to figure out how I feel. About us."
You look at him, dumbfounded, his words sinking in.
"You need... some time?" you drawl, feeling an emotion bubbling up in your chest. You are not sure what it is. "You? Need to think about us?" you repeat, and he nods, his brows furrowed at your reaction.
There's a moment of silence, and then you hear yourself laughing. You can't control it as you're overcome with emotion, your laughter only growing stronger, to the point of you tearing up a bit. The emotion is relief. There's no way you'll ever marry this man.
"I am the one who should be glad, Thomas," you shake his hand while he seems wildly perplexed, all of his guests staring at you. "Thank you for your honesty, really. I hope you will be successful in all your endeavors, marriage included."
He opens his mouth to say something, but you already turned around.
"Y/N? Where are you going?!"
You stop for a second, your thoughts rushing back to the conversation with Margaret. To that evening in the tavern.
"I have a meeting, it's of great importance," you say and quicken your pace. You reach the tavern when it's already getting dark, the weather is cloudy, and your coat is wet in the light drizzle. You walk in a daze as you're torn between being excited and anxious. There is a chance that Aemond won't be there. That he doesn't remember you. That he's with someone else. That he had a change of heart. That he...
You spot him almost immediately after you walk in.
Coincidentally or not, he's sitting at the exact same table you were at the first time you met. You stay still as his eye absentmindedly wanders around the room and then lands on you. Aemond stands up — way too quickly — and you see a well-known grin growing on his face. Your eyes dart to his lips, and the question pops up in your head again.
You feel the pull — and before you can think, your body follows it.
He keeps his gaze on you, his brows rising at the speed of your approach. You cover the distance in a heartbeat, your hands reaching his face, and he slightly flinches, probably because your fingers are cold from being outside. And then you stand on your tiptoes and crash your lips onto his without any hesitation.
He gasps, surprised and frozen for a moment. It takes just a couple of seconds for him to melt into the kiss, and his hands are instantly on your waist, pulling you closer to him. Aemond's lips are way softer than you anticipated — and it's the only thing on your mind. His mouth on yours, warm and exploring, the slow pacing of the kiss that leaves you lightheaded and yearning for more.
He presses your body into his, lifting you up with ease, and your feet leave the ground. You tug his hood further down so it covers most of your face, too, and then you slide your thumb up the sharp line of his jaw. His tongue runs over your lower lip, and you feel a wave of heat rising in your stomach.
You pull away before you can take it too far.
"You remember me?" you ask him, panting.
He hums, his eye focused on your lips.
"Still believe that nothing good comes easy?" you mimic his words, but he ignores your jesting.
"Definitely," Aemond looks you in the eyes, keeping his hands on your waist.
"Is the bet still on?"
"Yes," the corners of his mouth curl.
"Lead the way, then." By the time you reach the castle, the rain is pouring in full force, and your clothes are drenched. The two of you rush through the streets, your hands intertwined, and it feels like it only takes about ten minutes before you sneak into his chambers, both out of breath and giggling.
Only when you take a look around the unfamiliar settings, it suddenly dawns on you that you are all alone with a man you barely know, and your bravery starts fading away.
Whether Aemond notices the change in your mood or not, you can't tell, but he respectfully keeps his distance.
"You need to get out of these," he points at your coat and dress. "They're soaking wet."
"Is this your way of trying to get me naked?" you eye him suspiciously, making Aemond scoff.
"I just don't want you to catch a cold," he honestly states. "I'll fetch you a shirt of mine." Sensing your doubts, he adds: "Don't worry, it's long enough."
He brings you the shirt and politely turns away, going to the other end of the room to light the fireplace. On his way there, he removes the cloak and the jacket, his upper body only covered by the same piece of clothing he gave you. You watch him carefully, noting the movement of his back muscles as he bends down.
The sparkling glow of fire brings you back to reality, and you hastily remove your clothes, leaving the undergarments on, which are luckily dry. You put on his shirt, and it barely reaches your knees, but the material feels nice and comfortable. While Aemond is still busy with the fire, you glance over his room.
It's spacious and simply furnished, and your attention is drawn to a couple of shelves nearby. You look at the tightly packed rows of books, some of the hardcovers are worn out from old age. You catch the familiar naming and pull one of them out, gently flipping through the pages.
"You take interest in philosophy?" his voice startles you. You missed the moment he came back, and when you take your eyes off the book, you see him leaning on the nearest shelf, looking at you inquisitively.
"I do, indeed," you confess. "And I read this one so many times, my own copy pretty much fell apart."
"You can take mine," Aemond offers.
You notice that despite his cockiness, his presence is actually very calming. Everything is easy with him — striking up conversations, making jokes, flirting. Taking his hand in yours, running in the rain. Kissing.
Your heart skips a beat, and you sheepishly move on to another topic:
"Shouldn't you change as well?" you refer to his shirt, but he shakes his head:
"No need."
"Oh, was it the Targaryen's dragon blood that helped you dry up?" you tend to jest when you're nervous, and right now is no exception.
"My cloak is too thick for the water to soak through. But I like your version, too," his lips ripple into a smile.
You can help but smile back: "Thank you for the shirt."
"It looks really good on you," the words smoothly roll off his tongue and ignite the familiar burning deep in your core. He keeps his gaze on your face, your eyes locking for a moment.
You look away first, letting out a timid laugh:
"I must admit, I like this way of flirting better," you place the book back. "But you can cut it short. What's your move?"
"My... move?" Aemond gives you a quizzical look.
"Yes, your big move. Show me," you request eagerly.
"Don't know what you're talking about," he looks down, his aplomb faltering.
"What do you usually do to impress a lady?"
"I don't really need to do anything," Aemond shrugs.
"What a humble individual you are," you chuckle and give him a minute to think.
"So what is it?"
"I just told you...," it seems like he's trying to dodge the topic, which only sparks your curiosity.
"Oh, come on! You guys always have a move. Let me guess, you speak to her in High Valyrian? Men like to talk big," he snorts. "No? Win her over with your...," you gesture at his bookshelves, "...precious collection? Although it's a risky move because what if she's not into reading, that would be awkward" and then it hits you. "Wait, it's the dragon, isn't it? You show her your dragon? Got to make sure it's well-fed, though, otherwise you'll have a date with a roasted —"
"It's my sword," he cuts you off, and you swear you can see him blushing at the confession.
"Um, your sword? Is this a metaphor for someth…"
"Gods, no. I mean the actual sword. The one you grip with your hand and poke people with."
"That description didn't help," you tease, and he groans.
"You know what I mean," Aemond gives you a pointed look, but his face flushed pink, and you can't take him seriously.
"I do, you just look really cute when you are embarrassed," you say cheekily, which makes him huff.
"My apologies. Please elaborate on the sword. How does it work?"
Aemond hesitates but then realizes that you will never let it go, so he gives in:
"I bring my training into the conversation. And then I... show them," he talks with his hands when he's uncomfortable, and you find it endearing.
"And that's it?"
"Pretty much," Aemond nods.
"They watch you train, and that's what does it for the ladies?"
"I don't know why, I never gave it much thought."
"Well, someone should. Can't imagine it ever working on me."
You feel a sudden shift in the air as Aemond slowly looks up at you. You're standing a couple of meters apart, and he's yet to initiate anything, but once again, it only takes a look from him for you to feel a familiar flare-up of the tantalizing desire.
"I'm not going to take you to the training yard in the pouring rain," he concludes.
"But it's not about the place, is it? Must be something about you," now you're the one champing at the bit to see what the fuss is all about.
"I don't have a sword on me."
"Opt for something smaller, I'm sure it will do," you hint at the dagger that you've seen him carry, and wait expectantly for him to agree.
Aemond reluctantly contemplates your suggestion, then sighs and goes to get his dagger which he left next to the cloak.
You wonder if the ladies are attracted to his competitive spirit. If they enjoy the feeling of danger they get at the sight of steel, the cold shine of it, the clang of swords. Or maybe it's the urge to take sides and root for the winner?
And then you see Aemond rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, — and your breath suddenly hitches.
The room is lit by fire, the warmth of it illuminating his skin, casting shadows that frame every muscle of his arms. He takes the dagger in one hand, the movement fast and honed, and your eyes follow it. You notice the scattering of his veins that go down his wrist and into his palm, the blue lines tightening with every swirl. The silver blade catches and reflects the light, but you're focused solely on his flexing muscles.
He's maneuvering the dagger with ease, almost carelessly, yet you know that every motion is well-practiced through years of training. His long fingers grip the hilt, revealing the sharp outline of his knuckles. The steel silently cuts through the air, again and again, but your eyes are glued to his hands. The way they move, the power that he holds in them. The things he can do with them, with his fingers. The way they will feel on your bare skin and in your... You swallow, letting out a shuddered breath.
"Are you weak in the knees yet?" his words bring you out of your trance, and you blink a couple of times, trying to shake the feeling off. Your body is so heated, you're surprised you're not sweating yet.
"Is this the point when the ladies throw themselves at you?" your voice is hoarse, and you take a deep breath in an attempt to calm yourself.
Aemond stops his movements. You feel your skin tingling with anticipation, waiting for him to finish what he started, but he doesn't budge. For a short while, you're taken aback by the change in his demeanor — and the realization strikes you:
"Wait, how many ladies were here before me?"
"I never said I take them here," he puts the dagger back in its sheath, averting his gaze.
"But you told me that you do your... thing with the sword for them."
"In the training yard, with other people around us, yes."
"So then you just leave them all hot and bothered? Aemond, that is cruel," his actions confuse you, but while you're looking for an explanation, he turns back to you and finally meets your gaze.
"It would've been cruel to lead them on when I feel nothing for them," he reveals, and you discern the raw honesty in his words. And you know exactly what he means. It's the tiresome attempts to find someone who will spark your interest, to spot a connection, all of those efforts leading nowhere and making you feel like you're the one at fault. But you aren't — and he isn't, either.
Aemond looks almost ashamed of letting out something so personal, but you welcome the intimacy of this moment.
"I shall consider myself lucky, then," you say softly.
He gives you that same look that makes you feel like the world around you disappears.
"You are... something else," Aemond mumbles.
You guess that he isn't used to being straightforward about his feelings, nor does he know how to express his affection with words. You really, really want to kiss him again.
The boyish grin reappears on his face:
"Did you mean I left you all hot and bothered?" Aemond narrows his eye.
"I never said that," you smile coyly. "Maybe you should've tried a little harder."
"I happen to have some tricks up my sleeve," he takes a step towards you and, before you can ask for details, you feel his fingers on your ribs as he starts tickling you, and you immediately burst into laughter.
His touches are light, fingers grazing against your clothed skin as he subtly moves you further into the room until your legs bump into his bed. Losing your balance, you fall on it, your back met with the fluffiness of thick blankets. Aemond hovers over you, and you can't stop giggling, trying to wiggle away from his tickles.
Wrapped up in the moment, you make a careless move, your hand brushing up his cheek — and you suddenly see a bright gleam of blue on the right side of his face.
Aemond freezes at the spot, halting his actions, and momentarily flinches away. You are gawking at the sapphire, unable to form a coherent sentence.
He makes a move to fix his eyepatch, but you stop him.
"Don't," you catch his hand mid-air, your grip delicate but firm, and he doesn't fight it. You would've been surprised by your own quick reaction if only your mind wasn't completely occupied with the sight in front of you.
It looks like the gem absorbs all the light in the room, shimmering with various shades of blue. It's cut in a way to imitate a surface of an eye, the sides of the sapphire polished and blending into each other. There's a depth to it, bright sparkles drowning in a color that's close to black, and the spillovers are mesmerizing.
You bring your hand closer to his face, to the area that's been left covered and unloved, and touch the skin with the tip of your finger. He lets you.
"Wow," you breathe out, gently tracing his scar. "This is the most badass thing I've ever seen."
Aemond looks at you in disbelief, his eye fixed on your face, and his lips parted.
"...What?" he manages to ask.
"You look like a pirate. A really badass... sky pirate?" you suggest, and he lets out a light chuckle, still not entirely sure he believes you.
So you shamelessly continue:
"A pirate with his own dragon. The largest one in the Seven Kingdoms as I've heard," you can almost feel him swelling with pride. "He charms the ladies with his fighting skills — and has a gem for an eye? Incredibly irresistible," your index finger circles the area around his sapphire.
He listens attentively, holding his breath.
"A prince who is as good with his sword as he is with his wit, fond of reading and isn't averse to mischief. Any lady of the court would've been fortunate to get a hold of such treasure," you remove the eyepatch and tenderly cradle his face. "Yet I am the one who's been honored to see all of him," you glance from the bright gemstone to his eye and back. "Honestly, it's kind of hard to pick which one I like more...," you're barely able to notice him sharply lower his head, and your words die down.
Without a warning, Aemond covers your lips with his, the intensity of the kiss pulling the air out of your lungs right away. He's been holding back the first time, but he isn't now, and the passion sets you ablaze. His tongue slips into your mouth, easily tangling with yours, and you moan at the contact. Aemond skilfully unbuttons your shirt, and the second his fingers touch your skin, you shiver, the quivering sensation washing over you. His hands slowly slide down your ribcage, tracing the curves of your body, making your back arch, your chest flush against his, your heart pounding. He contours the bend of your hips, then presses his palms there, his touches rough, claiming, burning. You move your fingers up the base of his neck and run them through his hair, and he releases a shaky sigh. Aemond relishes in the feeling of your compliance, the fervor of it, your body being so needy and welcoming, until you are both gasping for air.
"Was that impressive enough?" he rasps, and you look up at him through your lashes, spellbound and breathless. His pupil is dilated, gaze clouded with lust, your noses adjoin.
"Yeah-yes. Yes, very," you utter, at a loss for words.
"Good. Because I'm about to outdo myself," he tightens his grip on your thighs, picking you up and moving into the middle of the bed. Your head barely touches the pillow when his lips are on yours again.
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🔥 my masterlist
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wikiangela · 20 days
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several sentence sunday
tagged by @hippolotamus
sooo bucktommy won me over, i couldn't resist anymore 🙈 so here's a bit of them after their date lol just to be clear, im still 10000% about buddie but im gonna enjoy this while it lasts bc I feel like this is exactly what buck needs rn lol I just wanna write him be giddy and stupid and flustered about a boy even if that's not eddie haha (also, I didn't get the Tommy hype before but after seeing him everywhere for two days... I get it now 🥵)
___
"(...) We should do this again.” Tommy says, turning fully towards Buck, and Buck’s eyes immediately find his lips. He can’t wait to kiss him again, and this would be the time, at the end of the date, wouldn’t it?
“We should.” Buck nods, licks his lips, eyes darting up to Tommy’s eyes. He’s smiling softly, just looking at Buck. “I-” he starts, and then thinks, fuck it, and this time he makes a move, as he leans across the console to grab Tommy’s chin, like he did Buck’s in his kitchen, and bring him in for a kiss. Tommy immediately reciprocates, and Buck melts against him, and then when Tommy’s calloused hand covers his cheek, it just feels so- so different, in the best way possible. This kiss lasts longer than the first one, each of them constantly coming back for more, but it’s as gentle and tender as that one. Buck loves it, and can’t help smiling into it. He wants more. “Hey.” Buck says, finally pulling away, licks his spit-covered lips nervously. “Do you- do you maybe wanna come in for a beer?” he asks shyly, and at Tommy’s surprised expression and raised eyebrow he realizes it might sound like he’s inviting him for more than a beer, and he panics again. “I- I- I mean, just a beer. And maybe- maybe more of this.” he pecks Tommy’s lips again, not able to resist a smile. “But just a beer. I don’t think I’m- But who knows, maybe-” he stumbles over his words, because the truth is, he wants Tommy, he wants… he wants so much, he wants to experience so much for the first time – it’s just that he’s not sure if it’s not too quick for this relationship, and for him.
“Evan.” Tommy interrupts, bringing his other hand up, now cradling Buck’s face in both, thumbs moving soothingly along Buck’s cheeks. “Your pace, remember? No pressure, no rush.”
“You’re really cool, you know that?” Buck whispers.
“So I keep hearing.” Tommy chuckles, and it’s adorable. He kisses Buck again, and the butterflies in Buck’s stomach go crazy. Fuck, he doesn't remember the last time he felt this giddy and excited and just light. “I’d love to come in for a beer.”
___
no pressure tags: @elvensorceress @thebravebitch @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @watchyourbuck @eowon @loserdiaz @evanbegins @ladydorian05 @wildlife4life @diazpatcher @lover-of-mine @monsterrae1 @thewolvesof1998 @neverevan @weewootruck @loveyouanyway @spagheddiediaz @rainbow-nerdss @epicbuddieficrecs @pirrusstuff @spotsandsocks @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @nmcggg @rogerzsteven @giddyupbuck @sunshinediaz @honestlydarkprincess @underwater-ninja-13 @exhuastedpigeon @911-on-abc @jesuisici33 @steadfastsaturnsrings @theotherbuckley @buddieswhvre @dangerpronebuddie @diazsdimples @daffi-990 @bidisasterbuckdiaz @fortheloveofbuddie @hoodie-buck @tizniz @your-catfish-friend
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eyndr-stories · 3 months
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Last Line Challenge
Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote/drew and tag as many people as there were words (or however many you want to tag).
Hi @trees-can-draw!!! Thank you for the tag :] <3 I've been getting back into the Monty centered fic i started writing ages and ages ago dfhkjgfhjf (which is actually why i'm up at , 5am ,, ahem anyways)
"The repairs had gone well, and even with the social nightmare they'd agreed to looming on the horizon, Lark felt a sturdy sort of comfortable feeling deep in their gut that had settled in like a home cooked meal."
I do not know as many people as there are words for this fkjgfhkgf so instead i will shrimply tag @shirajellyfish, @victarin, and @lavenoon (very no pressure tags, feel free to ignore <3)
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onnoffwrites · 10 days
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After recent events, I ended up going back to the beginning to check things, because my first reaction will always be "wtf, this is shit, why would you do this" and my second reaction will always be "okay maybe that was a bit much, maybe he's not THAT bad, maybe has a good reason-
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Okay.. that doesn't rly mean anything, maybe she's just worried kaito found something he shouldn't-
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Okay.. okay this looks, well maybe he's just leaving some recordings in case kaito found something he shouldn't! It's not like they can hide it forever! The room is part of the house! Kaito lives in the house-
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Excuse me... What did .. what did you say...? Wha
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What do you mean "designed"?
What??? What do you MEAN "designed to open after 8 years"???
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I have been angry since April 12th and I've reached a point where I don't even know what to feel anymore I don't even know what to tell y'all.
Like, wow, omg, movie reveals. Other than family relations, the other thing isn't exactly anything new. We've all read Midnight Crow. We saw Kaitou Corbaeu. We've been in denial until finally reaching acceptance. For me at least. And then we spend a few years bargaining, bc surely there's a good reason kaitos not in the know. That kaito has to be KID. Surely there's a reason? Right?
Right???
At this point we don't even truly know if Jii is in the know and was acting as planned out by the parents or not. Or if he's just like kaito. Tricked, lied to, played for fools. At the very least ginzo doesn't know, so there's that. Not sure how much that would help kaito when he inevitably finds out. Because he will. The fact remains that it's quite suspicious that Jii just so happen to choose to don the KID outfit and become KID to draw out toichis murderers exactly 8 years after toichis death. EXACTLY the same amount of time that was set for that trap door portrait to open to kaito.
There's a lot of implications to think about
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lovesickeros · 10 days
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☆ you sow; & thus you shall reap what you are owed
{☆} characters tsaritsa {☆} notes cult au, imposter au, drabble, gender neutral reader {☆} warnings blood, violence {☆} word count 0.8k
You are dying.
Gold melts into the dirt, bleeds into the very earth that you'd molded by your own hands – a familiarity you do not understand the source of – you know it to be true, yet you do not remember it as Teyvat does. It weeps, in turn, for the way you bleed upon it, the way your lungs strain for breath.
It is fury and sorrow and fear and hatred so raw that your mind buckles.
You will die.
"A dying godling and its judge, it's jury – it's executioners," The voice is hollow and cold, sweeps across your broken body like the first chill of winter, "Archons who saw themselves Gods, now brought to heel by their own hubris."
A cold hand upon your cheek, the brush of a thumb across your lip, the gentle caress of cold across your skin. You know her – you don't remember, you shouldn't recognize her but you do – and she knows you. The cold beckons and you follow, let her kindness settle in the hollow space of your chest. You want to speak, to cry and scream and rage, let the world burn around you in a fit of flames so hot even she cannot contain it – but she silences you, quiets the anger seeping into your blood, quiets Teyvat itself.
"Do not speak, little godling. Guide my hand," She is cold; her hands are not gentle, yet it is bliss compared to the callous, cruel hands that have shattered you. She is cruel and cold and brutal but she is love in the way she kisses the crown of your head. She is love in the way she is the bulwark between you and the world that has scorned you – she is fury in the way she brings them to their knees. "And I shall enact judgement most divine."
They will pray for forgiveness, and they shall find themselves wanting.
"It wasn't our fault!" They cry, but you cannot recognize the voice – it breaks and cracks like glass. "They were too human. How were we meant to know? We– we thought they were.."
Silence.
You watch your judge – the executioner, the blade that shall carve their sins into the very marrow of Teyvat, stand above you like death. As cold as winter and just as brutal. Your temple has been painted in the gold of your divine blood, and she shall complete the masterpiece with their own. The Archons shall become the grandest art in the world – this temple the canvas, their blood the paint and their bodies the palette. The cold that cuts sinew cradles you – it sings to you, whispers sweetly in your ear and carves bone from body in the same breath. The cold presses it's lips to your wrist and it cradles a heart within it's palm – judges them and finds them guilty.
It is her spear that rests between their ribs, her sword that dissects and her dagger that carves – the cold devours.
In the breadth of this divine sanctuary, the Archons dwindle. They become the pieces of a divine work of art, they bleed and bend and break upon her hands. She shakes the heavens and carves mortality into the bones of the divine – your word is Law, and you weave their deaths into the roots of Teyvat itself.
They shall know of their grand folly in every moment henceforth and longer still and they shall weep.
And as the curtain falls, as the world crumbles beneath fist and blade, she cradles your face between hands too cold – as gentle as a shard of ice between your ribs, as brutal as the kiss of gentle snowfall. The world buckles at the loss of six, but she alone does not allow it to break – you will have to mend the wounds of the world when you are well, but today you weep and Teyvat weeps with you.
And alone, the cold remains.
Stone has eroded, the wind has ceased, the flames have been extinguished, the storm has been silenced, the forests have gone quiet and the seas go still.
But the cold remains, bathed in gold.
It wraps you in thick furs, cradles you against the winter storm that brews beneath a veneer of composure. It brings you home – lets the world settle into a stillness and silence that inspires only dread and still she presses a kiss to your brow.
It is cold, but there has never been something so warm.
Where hands have broken you, she drapes you in furs, wipes away the thick gold that clings to your skin. She pieces you back together where you have been shattered, reshapes you where you have been bent – makes of you something new. Not a god and not a mortal but something wedged between them.
But you are yourself.
And you are where you belong.
They shall put you back together and you shall know only the worship worthy of the divine. They shall carve this world into your image, tear out and burn away the rot that festers.
All you need to do is say the word and they shall be your tools to make this world your own.
One word and those who wronged you shall burn, too.
Just one word. That's all it takes, and they shall take away your pain.
#sagau#genshin sagau#self aware genshin#genshin impact sagau#self aware genshin impact#fic tag#genshin cult au#genshin impact cult au#tsaritsa#“eros you left for a month again” yeah.................#anyway. posts tsaritsa fic and leaves#i kept it kinda vague but the fatui are all on your side. whether or not your actually the creator or not though..#now thats up for debate.#did they tamper w teyvat to kill the archons? to break the world to be remade in whatever image they see fit?#using you as the means of their end?#maybe you are the creator and they just saw an opportunity. maybe they are just devoted to you.#i just think lowkey villain au but specifically imposter au where the only ones who side w u r the fatui like OUGH#i love the fatui. them being the only ones 2 side w u is so tasty#prime material for angst bc the self doubt if the only ppl who believe u r the “villains”#a lot of this is just like. tsaritsa posting again though#the tsaritsa who loves so deeply yet cannot love#contradictions all the way down#she loves you but she cannot love you.#she loves you but she will put a dagger between your ribs. she loves you but she is incapable of love#tsaritsa the woman that u r ough#harbingers and their complex relations 2 love my beloved#smth smth tsaritsa seeing an opportunity to install a puppet “creator” which creates a separate imposter!au when the actual creator pops in#did i write this just 2 write tsaritsa being vague and Weird and horrifying and a horror and a lover and just a woman and#yeah :]#please talk 2 me abt the tsaritsa pleas epleas pleas eplease please please please p[lease please pleas
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locusfandomtime · 2 months
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i'm OBSESSED with minister of ministers ren... he is someone who wants SO BADLY to be the manipulative leader in control of everything, never lifting a finger and making others work for him, but it doesn't work because nobody takes him seriously. except, at the same time, it kinda does work because people do what he says, but because they're his friends and find it funnier to do what he wants and be annoying about it, than not do it at all. I like to think he doesn't realise this, thinking his manipulation tactics have worked, not realising that people are mining resources and improving infrastructure for him out of Friendship and Pity. he'd be annoyed they don't take him seriously, but internally think "hm! these PLEBEIANS don't realise they are falling right into my trap!" completely unaware of the trap he's about to fall into due to his own mistakes (exploded by creeper whilst sorting chests + cleo's prank). he never learns though, he just keeps going, the lesson never sinks in for him.
it's an interesting comparison to ren the king - someone who was originally (somewhat) respected but his ego got the best of him and the more he tried to gain power back, the deeper the hole he dug himself into. they both want power but lack it, but in such different ways. king in a country tired of monarchy vs project manager as an anime villain (and both of them are pathetic)
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