#someone who went through the same thing and retained their hope

[flymmsy]

Genuinely believe Gortash saw Karlach as his protege.

The amount of respect he would’ve had for her as a poor kid who literally brawled her way out of poverty is unreal.

And the admiration he had for her is mentioned multiple times, even from other characters who knew them both.

But what would trouble him is her indomitable goodness. He would see it as her weakness, believing her to be delusional to protect herself from the realities of the world.

So he slowly starts to expose her to the more heinous sides of his business. And every time, Karlach still goes right back to her sickeningly bright spirit no matter what.

So he sells her to Zariel. Why not? As much as he despises the devil, Raphael made him who he is. Perhaps a devil is what Karlach needs.

And then Karlach comes back an even better person in the ultimate show of how she was never like him. She was better (and though he’d never admit it, a part of him knew that.)

#what’s something that could shatter a person who was hardened by their experiences? #someone who went through the same thing and retained their hope #Gortash: *deeply cares for and admires someone* #also Gortash: *sells them into slavery* #sounds unhinged but makes total sense for him #enver gortash #bg3 #karlach #karlach cliffgate

[strawberrystepmom]

pairing: Kenjaku x F!Reader, past Geto Suguru x F!Reader

word count: 3.6k

about: you become kenjaku's captive to ensure that he will not miss his opportunity to fight the strongest after his return from the prison realm. the temptation of being this close to the last remaining earthly fragment of the man you once loved, suguru, proves too much to resist and you give into your desires despite the hole they're bound to leave.

contents: NSFW - MINORS DNI. DARK CONTENT WARNING, MAJOR MANGA SPOILERS FOR CH 236 AND BEYOND | dubcon, manipulation, violence against reader, asphyxiation, kidnapping | reader is a sorcerer and went to school with geto and they had mutual feelings for one another, mentions of religion and references to god, kenjaku retained some of geto's memories and knows reader through them, reader has breasts and descriptions of vaginal anatomy are given, rough piv sex with little prep, reader is referred to as "girl", major character death (off screen).

notes: i've uh....been going through some things lately LMAO tbh i started this awhile back before thanksgiving but have felt weird about posting it and it very nearly stayed in the "between me and god" folder so i held back but today i said fuck it. if you read, thanks and i hope you enjoy!!!

header art is by jenny holzer and divider is by @/cafekitsune ♡

“The old occupant of this vessel was very fond of you, you know?”

How dare Kenjaku mention Suguru so casually, as if he were a tenant to his own flesh and bone instead of its rightful owner? 

“You know nothing about him,” The words are full of venom, flying from your mouth not unlike the way you spat at the curse user’s face two days prior to now. He chuckled when the fluid hit his cheek, wiping it off without a second thought. “Or me.” 

You felt so guilty for spitting at his face, the face of a man you once believed that you loved, that you wept until you began to dry heave atop the futon mattress in the room that has been designated as yours. It’s the same bed you rest on now, duvet over your knees that are hiked to your chest. It’s a means to protect yourself from any vulnerability but it’s truly no use. If Kenjaku wants to harm you, he will.

He has insisted your accommodations be comfortable since arriving three days ago given you are collateral and not a captive, his own clever wording for the situation, but you’re more than aware that if you were to attempt to escape from the cage that you’d hit the window just as all birds hungry for a taste of freedom do. There are no cuffs, chains, or bars but your freedom is no longer yours. It is a prize to be won pending the defeat of the man standing across from you in the doorway, shoji door open beside him, flowing hair as dark as the midnight sky brushing the backs of his elbows.

For years you wondered what you’d do if faced with Suguru again. Would you strike him, insisting he deserved it for all the hurt left in his wake? Ask him why in a scream so powerful your shoulders would shake with the weight of your fury? Perhaps you’d forgive him, as you’d been taught and encouraged to do your entire life, and those mumbled prayers cast to the God you believe in above you would be true for the first time since they’ve left your treacherous lips. 

“I forgive him, I hope you can, too.” You have begged God aloud and silently since sixteen years old. You have always been devout in your faith despite abandoning most of the tenets that make someone a believer, your lack of devotion not enough to deter you from selfishly asking for absolution for a man who you know deserves none.

God’s answer is clear when faced with the fact that this is not Geto standing in front of you. There is no less mercy a person can be shown than their body being used as a sick prop after their death.

The space where his thoughts and dreams and hopes used to lie is occupied by something far worse than just visions of a world purified through means of violence, a place where people like you could live without the threat of death and sacrifice to keep others safe. Granted, that wasn’t exactly a noble purpose either, but at least it didn’t threaten your life the way that whatever lives inside of his skull does now.

“I know more about both of you than you think.” 

Kenjaku’s words drip with smugness and your stomach flips. The natural responses of your body to a man who looks and sounds just like Suguru make you sick but you cannot focus on fighting them off and keeping yourself protected at the same time, you have to simply make peace with the butterflies in your stomach that feels like something is punching you in the gut over and over again. He dares enter the room and you scoot further up the futon, hitting the wall behind you and leveling a glare in his direction.

Suguru’s body reacts to you, as well, something that Kenjaku planned long ago to use to his advantage. It started with hazy dreams, a face he recognized as yours drifting through them, your thighs and your lips and your skirt. It’s a version of you a little younger, a little warmer - less edgy than you are now. You are sharp and finely tuned to harm while the version of you that lived in Geto’s mind will forever stay soft, a freshly unfurled rose.

“All you’ve done is vandalize him,” you accuse and he shrugs, dressed in a cotton yukata rather than the robes he stole in addition to the body they dressed. It’s easy to imagine another life where this is Suguru and you are you and he’s coming to your shared bedside, kneeling on the ground the same way Kenjaku is now while he invites himself to the only space you currently have as your own.

“You’re a smart girl, don’t play dumb.” Your glance moves from the doorway to him, disgusted by how brave he is getting this close to you. “Perhaps I’m simply using the power this body holds in the way he was too cowardly to attempt.”

Despite your current state of sitting in nothing but a yukata yourself, you are physically strong from spending the last decade of your life as nothing more than a glorified weapon to use in the fight against evil. Even if your Cursed Technique would be unlikely to have any effect on the man, you could be a difficult problem for him if you wanted to be, yet you sit and do nothing but wait and refuse to respond to his words. He chuckles at your stubbornness and reaches across the bed and your body to grab your chin between his thumb and index finger. He shifts your head until you’re staring directly at him and a smile crosses his lips.

You do not fight him off.

“Tell me, sorcerer,” he starts and you swallow, bottom lip quivering. You want to reach out and slap him away, to scream and kick but your body stays still, the only place blood is pooling between your legs and in the heat of your face. “Where are those teeth and claws you were so eager to show me on your first night here?”

He reaches his thumb upward and presses it against your mouth, stopping the shake with a single touch - your body’s natural reaction to a man you are now certain you loved, given it’s the only explanation for your behavior. It’s a form of trust, the muscle memory of a kiss he gave you in your dorm room at the school you once shared. The first night you were spitting and hissing, now you’re so placid.

“Nothing to say for yourself?”

Stubbornly, you shake your head and Kenjaku chuckles again, pulling his thumb away from your lip but maintaining the grip on your chin. You know this is not Suguru, it’s as clear as the stitches across the forehead of the practically empty vessel that further closes in on you. He moves silently until he’s mere inches away from you, his head hovering over your knees that are still pulled against your chest. You watch him with narrowed eyes, tucking against yourself tighter than you ever have as a means of comfort, but it does nothing to stop him from lingering.

“I could just make you speak if I wanted to,” he warns. The power in this situation belongs to him.

“What’s the point of fighting you? You’re going to do whatever you want with me anyway.” You admit, defeated. Whatever fight you had left in you was smothered weeks ago during the attack on Shibuya. Even the release of Gojo is not enough to fill you with hope for the future. It’s pointless to keep fighting when the only outcome is going to be loss.

The shaky sound of your voice makes the curse user move closer to you and you shut your eyes tightly, refusing to look at him lest your body continue with these inexplicable natural responses. Heart pounding against your chest, it’s inexplicably frustrating that it cannot seem to separate what your brain knows is true from what your body wants to believe.

It isn’t him, you scream within the confines of your own mind but it does not prevent your palms from feeling clammy and the squeeze of your inner thighs against each other to provide some relief against the heat in your core.

It isn’t him. It isn’t him. It isn’t him…

Chanting the words internally, you open your eyes and are met with a pair of golden ones staring directly at you. They’re the same that stared at you in a dorm room a decade ago although they’re missing the warmth they had back then, dripping honey sweetness hidden in the irises turned to tar. 

“You’re right, I can.” He nods and dark hair falls over his eyes, catching your eye. Your stomach turns when you spot the stitches across his forehead but your gaze returns to his so quickly you can hardly think about it. “But will it be what I want or is it what this body desires, I wonder?”

This piques your interest and Kenjaku tilts his head to the side inquisitively, dark hair sweeping over your knees and around your body. It feels like a curtain, a veil like the ones you are so used to using to keep people safe and ignorant and outside of your world of sorcery.

“What do you mean?”

A smirk is the response you are granted and he moves closer to you, one of his hands reaching for the duvet you’re using to cover you. Pulling it back gently, your robe covered body coming into view and once again, you make no effort to fight. With this barrier removed, he runs his palm over the outside of your thigh. Muffling your whimper at the touch, you attempt to hide your face in your shoulder but he stops you, still grasping onto your chin and still holding your gaze.

“Interesting.” 

His hand travels from the outside of your thigh to the insides and you gently spread them to allow him access before realizing what he’s searching for. Attempting to cut off his access by closing your legs, he holds your thigh in place and lets his fingers dip lower along the soft skin. You quiver and shake beneath him like a leaf clinging to the branches of a tree in winter, desperate for somewhere to remain, and those fingers inch closer and closer to your core. He stops when he feels the coarse hair covering your mound and dares to dip a single fingertip between your folds, raising his eyebrows when he feels the arousal seeping from you. 

“I knew it,” he whispers so low you wonder if you were even meant to hear it but the way he gazes at you, like that of a man starved, tells you that the words were meant for no one but you.

Your hand shakes as much as the rest of you when you finally lift it from your side, reaching out to him and taking a strand of hair between your fingers. It feels just as you imagined it would, silk between your digits, and a breathy sigh leaves you before you begin to cry. Dropping the small strand, you choose to reach out toward his forehead and use your hand to block the stitches covering it.

“Suguru.”

You babble the name like it is precious, your lip quivering just as it did before, and the evil man shakes his head, capturing your wrist with the hand he just removed from your chin. He lowers your hand enough that you can see the stitches unobscured.

“Kenjaku, actually.” 

He lowers your hand to his lips and kisses your knuckles, amused when you squirm where you sit, practically delirious with lust and confusion. You do not want this, at least that’s what you tell yourself while parting your legs further and panting, chest heaving with every breath.

Wordlessly, he uses his free hand to untie your robe and it falls off of your shoulders, exposing you to him fully before he can blink. This is something he remembers seeing in one of those dreams but you look different than whatever the imagination of a man who was infatuated with you was able to come up with during his loneliest hours. It amuses Kenjaku that he is the one to see you like this, bare and willing. 

Tracing down your belly and lower, he stops between your legs which makes you whimper. You’re so desperate to be touched, to pretend he is someone you’ll never have the opportunity to love as properly as you could have if you’d both lived a different life, that your hips actually arch off of the bed eagerly. It should embarrass you but you are past the point of humiliation, willing to be fucked by evil incarnate just for the sake of a taste of Suguru Geto.

“Pathetic little thing,” he coos and you say nothing in return. You’re well aware of your failings as a sorcerer and a human being as his fingers spread your labia to get a glance at what you have to offer. For a moment, you consider praying for Suguru again; to selfishly beg God to make sense of your own actions but you know that he no longer has mercy for an ill behaved member of his flock. You will simply accept the consequences, whatever they will be.

His thumb brushes your clit and you moan, tipping your head back and toward the ceiling. You wait for the sensation of pleasure to climb through you again but it doesn’t come until you look downward again, eyes fluttering open.

“Eyes on me or you get nothing.”

Too afraid to look away lest it keep you from the only good thing you’ve felt in who knows how long, you keep your eyes glued to Kenjaku’s face while his hand works between your legs, spreading the slick from your cunt toward your clit and back down. If you could just shut your eyes, you could pretend, but they’re open and glued between your legs, watching every feathery stroke of his fingers through your folds.

Kenjaku’s cock hardens against your thigh and for a moment you dare to feel powerful knowing you aren’t the only one surrendering to the most base of your needs. He drops your hand and reaches for the tie of his robe, opening it and giving you the only look you’ve ever been lucky enough to get of Suguru’s bare body.

Scarred, honed, a tool - just like yours. If you weren’t so lost in the moment, the lifetimes you have imagined for years would be playing through your mind.

You gasp and knit your brows together, bucking against the increasing pressure of Kenjaku’s fingers while he brings you back to him and out of your head. Whatever you’re thinking about doesn’t matter when he inserts a finger inside of you, only testing how wet you are with no intention of preparing you for his cock. 

When he’s satisfied with how wet you are, he withdraws his finger and you whine. The sound is the most he has heard from you since the first night and it makes his eyes widen in interest. He shifts until he is standing between your spread knees and the realization that this is really happening hits you at once, your face flaming with desire.

“You’re so impatient.” 

The curse user tuts at you with a roll of his eyes and spreads your legs as wide as they can go to accommodate the width of his body. He’s broad in shoulder and hip and you bite your lower lip when he runs the head of his cock through your folds, following the same pattern of his fingers. You expect the teasing to last longer but it stops abruptly. Before you can take a breath to prepare yourself, his cock is buried to the hilt inside of you, and you gasp with wide eyes, shocked. 

“As good as you imagined?”

Words come to your mind but do not form enough to leave your mouth while he thrusts roughly, your body jerking violently against his. It’s painful, the size of him with little prep in conjunction with how he uses your body as nothing more than a glorified place to take his aggression out, but all of the numbness within you thaws and for the first time since you realized Geto was no longer Geto in Shibuya, you feel. 

It’s hard to name all the emotions you are experiencing because they blur into something barely comprehensible. Pleasure and pain and bone chilling sorrow, the kind that makes tears silently drip down your face while he takes what he wants from you. He doesn’t bother to play with your clit and there is no need to, the joy you’re taking simply from being used by Suguru’s body enough that the knot inside of you is slowly beginning to unravel. 

Skin on skin punctuated by his low grunts and your whines fill the small room and you are so lost, you lift yourself halfway up to meet Kenjaku and consider kissing him. Would it be close enough to kissing Suguru that you could eventually justify it or would it just sully the one good memory you have of him? 

You don’t have long to think about it before you are pushed back down to the bed, one of his hands caging your throat and keeping you pinned to the bed below. A reminder that this is for his pleasure and not yours although you feel yourself coming closer to the edge than you were just moments prior, shutting your eyes tightly. All of the motion inside of you stops, the hard thrusts of his cock ending, and your eyes shoot open.

“Remember what I said. Eyes on me or you get nothing.”

Nodding, you keep them open and he begins again, pace rougher than before. You can do nothing but grunt and struggle to breathe, his cock carving out space inside of you that didn’t exist until he entered you. Every kiss of his tip against your insides knocks the breath out of you and finally you cum in a strangled moan, walls quivering around his length. 

His hand inches further up your throat and squeezes experimentally. As expected, you do not fight back and he takes his indulgence with a grin, choking you with varying degrees of pressure and feeling your cunt spasm around him when he surprises you by tightening his grip. 

You like this. You want this.

He leans forward and shifts his weight to his arm and hand, finally spilling inside of you with a deep moan. Warmth fills every inch of you and you wish that you felt as full in your heart as you do in your cunt but a void remains.

Kenjaku’s other hand slides up your body and wraps around your neck, both of his palms resting on either side of your neck and fingers splaying over your throat. It’s dangerous to let him have this much access to any part of you that he could possibly crush but you do not move, tearfully looking up at him and sniffling. He increases his pressure, not enough to harm you, but enough to make you work hard and you realize how easily he could just…end this.

“Please kill me,” you beg while struggling to breathe, realizing what you’ve done now that the afterglow of orgasm can no longer protect you from the cold hard truth. 

You are a betrayer. You slept with the enemy to sate your own selfish desires and death seems almost too kind to beg for, yet you do.

“Kill me.”

Your face turns in shade and your vision is dotted with darkness, a miserable end to a miserable life you consider, but at least it will be over. The pressure of Kenjaku’s hands around your neck continues to increase until you are certain you are taking your last breath, lungs aching until he abruptly stops. He glances down from where he rests above you, half swollen cock softening and letting his cum leak out around the tip of it that is still inside of you and onto the sheets below. 

“I will not give you the satisfaction of death until you give me the satisfaction of watching you fight for it.” 

Removing his hands from around your throat completely, he glances down at the pressure indentions of his fingers with a smile. Your eyes flutter shut, you’ve passed out from lack of air, and he admires the heap he has left you in, reaching for your robe and wiping the remnants of his release and yours on the corner of it.

Nobody is coming to save you, a secret Kenjaku knows that you are not yet aware of. Satoru Gojo is dead, defeated at the hands of Sukuna. The news broke this morning and he was preparing to come to your room to let you know until this little distraction occurred. He had an inkling you were susceptible to Suguru Geto’s charms even from beyond the grave but he had no idea it would be this easy, your slumped form resting on the futon beside him. He pats your head as one would a treasured dog, long and loving strokes that do not stir you, your bare breasts swaying slightly with every breath you take.

The new world is on the horizon and he may keep you around as a plaything for a little longer than he originally intended.

#kenjaku x reader #geto x reader #geto suguru x reader #kendall writes

[mistywaves98]

REQUESTING A PART TWO FOR SIREN SCARA? U GOT ME ADDICTED I LOVE HIM HES SO PERFECT <3333

Maybe he can turn into a human on land? I wouldnt mind hiding him from some hunters just for him to find us in our room/boat later <3

I've so many asks begging for more siren! Scara lmao, but I can't blame any of you, he is perfect 🙏🏻🙏🏻

✧･ﾟ:* ->Siren! Scaramouche x Fem! Reader

✧･ﾟ:* ->¡Warnings!: NSFW, Pet name is used twice ('little captain'), Brief fingering, Sub! Reader, Dom! Character!

That old hag of a sea witch was pretty sketchy, but at least he can traverse land freely now, is what Scaramouche thought to himself as he cautiously practiced walking for the first time on the shoreline. So this is how humans move about everyday? Scaramouche figured that being able to zip around beneath the waves was much more efficient, but he would have to get used to these legs for a while if he was hoping to meet you again.

Despite having a human lower half, that didn't change the fact he still retained most of his sirenic features. And of course that was bound to be a nuisance. And a nuisance it was as Scaramouche found himself being persued by a group of hunters who only saw him as a walking money bag. He barely managed to get away, ducking into a dark alley way as they ran straight past.

Coincidentally, the building also happened to be the same seaside inn he saw you staying at. Scaramouche glanced up and saw the an open window illuminated by the glow of a lantern that no doubt lead to your room.

The last thing you were expecting as you curled up on your bed, reading a book peacefully, was to see someone climbing through your window with a grin on his face which showcased rows of sharp teeth. It didn't take long for his identity to click in your mind though as your eyes widened, slowly placing down your book as you sat up, "Scaramouche...?"

His smiled seemed to widen at your recognition as he wasted no time in crawling onto your bed, hastily pinning you down with his body. He leaned down, licking the shell of your ear sensually as he whispered,"Yes, my little captain. It's me, surprised? I knew you'd be. I went through quite a bit of trouble to get you, so I don't suppose you'll let me reward myself a bit now, do you?" Scaramouche's eager hands fiddled with the hem of your pants, already hooking his fingers around the waistband to pull them down.

You blushed at his forwardness, still in slight shock that the siren who was supposed to be sea-bound was now pinning you to your bed and begging for your pussy. But you weren't complaining but the urge to tease him for his eagerness was too strong,"Oh— Not even a hello..? You know, it's pretty rude to just climb through one's windows without notice," Scaramouche chuckled at that, bringing up a hand to grab your face, nails digging into the soft skin as he spoke in a tone that contrasted his deathly grip,"Trying to tease me now, are you? It's all fun and games till I'm the one teasing you with the thought of cumming. Is that what you want? For me to edge you till you cry?"

Your answer didn't really matter to him, all his mind was focused on was getting to put his dick in your pussy. Before you could get another word out, he used his nails to slice away your pants and underwear, leaving them in shreds as your folds glistened in all their glory. His pupils narrowed at the sight, red splashing his cheeks as he looked up to meet your embarrassed face,"So you wanted to 'take it slow' while you're practically dripping for my cock. Ironic, isn't it?"

Scaramouche dragged his index along your slit, gathering your slick before bringing it up for you to see. The way he was taunting you about your own arousal made you bite your lip as you shifted uncomfortably, hands fisting the sheets. The siren revelled in your movement, it was like holding the little fish he would catch and eat for dinner, so wriggly and desperate.

Without warning, he pushed two fingers inside you, knuckle deep before pumping them in and out at a steady pace. You inhaled sharply, face heating up,"Scara—!" "Mm.. Yes, my little captain, say my name like that.." His fingers worked their way inside of you, occasionally doing scissor motions to try and loosen you up in preparation for taking his cock. When he decided that he'd done enough prep, he removed his fingers from your gaping hole, watching it clench around nothing as you attempted to protest.

A hand covered your mouth to silence you before you suddenly feel a stinging burn in your lower half as he penetrates you, bottoming out immediately. He groaned as your walls clenched around him, he'd never felt anything like it before. And he wants more, he wants to feel your walls convulse around him forever. Scaramouche holds your hip with one hand, the other moving from your mouth to push down on your chest as he thrusts into you, albeit a bit sloppy at first but eventually picking up a pace, going deep and hard.

Your breath struggles to stay even as you grab his shoulders to stabilize yourself. Each roll of his hips against yours sends you to heaven and back, the room filling with the sounds of your moans and skin on skin. Your orgasm is inevitable, and you let him know through gasps and cries for more,"Ahn...! C-cumming—! Nngh..—!" Scaramouche's grip on your hips tightened as he heard that, fins twitching with anticipation as he muttered huskily,"Do it. I wanna watch you come undone on my cock.."

He didn't need to repeat himself as you felt the knot in your stomach snap, cunt clenching around him one last time before coating the base of his length with a creamy white ring. The look of utter bliss on your face as you came made him come too, pace faltering as he buried his load inside of you. When his thrusts finally came to a stop, he let himself collapse on top of you, nuzzling the crook of your neck as he engulfed you with his arms.

Scaramouche didn't bother to pull out, preferring to just lay there with you as you both panted heavily, basking in the aftermath of your actions. Your body twitched, thighs trembling as you take a few minutes to process what just happened. His seed is still hot inside you, making your lower half feel warm,"That..that was amazing.." You managed to whisper, a low hum coming from him in response.

You felt a combination of his tongue licking and teeth nibbling a fold of skin on your neck, his face flushing as he tasted the salty tinge of your sweat,"Mhm...It's worth taking the risk to see you. I'll be doing that more often from now on.."

"So expect a lot of surprise visits from me. Maybe I'll even bother saying 'hi' this time.."

#genshin smut #smut #x reader smut #genshin impact smut #genshin impact x reader smut #✧･ﾟ:* meena's memos! ✧･ﾟ:* #scaramouche smut #scaramouche x reader smut #scara smut #scara x reader smut

[sapphicvqmpires]

❁ཻུ۪۪♡ who are you?

vampire series | shuri udaku | part 1

Pairing - vampire!shuri x black fem!reader

Word count - 17k (yup)

Contains - smut (18+), fingering, cunnilingus, clit play, overstimulation, choking/breathplay, biting, edging, strap-on sex, blood drinking, descriptions of blood, gaslighting (it’s a vampire story, so it’s a whole bunch of shady shit going on), and probably more I forgot

Divider From - @firefly-graphics

Sneak Peak - “Shuri…baby…” Your breathless whimpers forced Shuri to release you, her face drawing closer to yours, yet she looked so different. Her dark brown eyes transformed into a blood-red hue, her fangs fully extended, and her mouth stained with your blood. The image frightened you at first and Shuri looked away in shame, attempting to conceal the face she despised so deeply.

Tags - @inmyheadimobsessed @amplifiedmoan @vampzxi @abenomeiiii @heejayy @shurislover @shurismainbxtch @shuriszn @naomis-daydream @prettymrswright @pocketsizedpanther @gardenof-venus @tiii-iiiiii @verachii @ihearttish @playhousedistee @somethingcleaverandwhitty @niyahwrites @tishsrealwife @oceean @sookiesookie @myaraines @cafehyunji @6-noir @ventingfanfics @marsology @imjusthere2readbruv @desswright29 @ooglyboooglybitxh @sweetalittleselfish-honey @kisskourt @shaiwritesss @sapphicbarbz @darkangelchronicles (comment if you want to be tagged in future fics, 18+ only)

Writers Note: whew fuck, this was definitely the most challenging thing I’ve ever written for tumblr. I could’ve went on and on, but I realize that’s not ideal. This is part 1 of a three part story, this part is mostly just an introduction to Shuri and her character, delving into her past and her life as vampire while introducing the vampire lore. Reader is nosey af but who wouldn’t be if they got to question a vampire? I hope you guys enjoy this read! I always love reading your comments!

“If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain, If you cut me with a knife it's still the same

And I know her heart is beating, and I know that I am dead

Yet the pain here that I feel, try and tell me it's not real

It seems that I still have a tear to shed” - tears to shed, the corpse bride

November 23rd, 2411, New York

❁ཻུ۪۪♡ You found yourself sitting in a bar, one that sat high up in the air as most buildings did in the now 25th century. The night sky enveloped you, its vastness serving both as the reason you are able to walk the earth and the reason you want to leave it, yearning, if only for a brief moment, to bask in the sun's warmth seeping through your dark skin once more. Those days were dearly missed. You missed early morning brisk winter breezes. You missed chocolate sundaes on balmy afternoons. It was the little things that made life meaningful, and you missed it all but most importantly, you missed her and this couldn't possibly be her. It would be too much of a coincidence to cross paths in this exact space at precisely the same time, especially when space and time had lost their significance to you ever since your transformation…that was until this very moment. Moving closer cautiously, you walked in silence, struggling to stifle your gasp.

It was her.

She retained the same appearance as the day you first encountered her; ageless, timeless, and effortlessly divine. That finely chiseled jaw remained a masterpiece, her dark skin still the epitome of flawlessness, and her hair wore the same exact short curls that framed her face in a manner that rendered her the most attractive person you have ever encountered. Even after nearly four centuries, you have yet to meet someone like Shuri Udaku. If a heartbeat resided within you, it would undoubtedly be pounding against your rib cage. If breath were still at your disposal, it would stagger beyond your control. However, for the past 400 years, you possessed none of the two. No breath. No heartbeat. You were frozen.

Closer and closer, you moved forward, until finally you took the empty bar stool next to her in the very empty bar.

“Shuri?”

She paused. Her body stayed deathly still right before she turned to see the face she missed so much.

“Y/n…?”

“Yeah…”

And while your heightened senses surpassed any human perceptions, the world seemed to suddenly go quiet, embracing a rare moment of absolute silence. It was a profound silence, the kind you craved after a prolonged period of listening to the world and all its presence for so long and it seemed Shuri felt the same. Both of you embraced this quietude, finding solace in its embrace, until she eventually broke the stillness with the very mouth you had once intimately known.

“It’s been…it’s been almost 200 years, s’thandwa.”

That name. Oh, how you missed that too.

“Yeah…I guess it has been.”

February 16th, 2022, New York

The day was warm, the sun reaching its peak in the sky while your dark attire absorbed its radiance. You reveled in the comforting sensation it provided, a soothing contrast to the ache settled within you, a certain feeling of content that masked the emptiness you felt. Yes, the sky was bright, the day was warm, but your heart was not. Not with the scene that surrounded you.

“We gather here today to commemorate our brother Jonathan. He was a friend to us all, a person that will truly be missed and cannot be replaced….”

You found it impossible not to internally sneer at the kind and flattering words used to depict your former partner, Jonathan, during his funeral. To everyone present, he was a gentle and caring man, someone adored by everyone who had crossed paths with him. However, you were all too aware of the person he was behind closed doors; a coward, a despicable individual who was good for nothing but the depths of pockets. He had used you as a mere pawn in his life, exploiting your exceptional beauty. You were nothing more than an object, a prized possession desired by many men, but he had claimed you. Your parents had practically arranged your marriage to Jonathan, a companion chosen for you due to his wealth. The plan was for you to marry him and become his perfect wife. That was until a week ago when he passed away.

“My son was everything a mom could want…,” Jonathan’s mother began, breaking into sobs as she mourned for her son you hated so deeply.

“He was…the most perfect boy. My baby boy. And y/n…” Her gaze connected with yours, her eyes filled with a pitiful sorrow that you could not reciprocate or even pretend to, and so you did nothing but offer her a weak smile as she proceeded. “My boy loved you, baby. He loved you with his entire being and I hope you know that.”

A pitiful smile graced your face, the only response you could possibly give her amidst your numbness. The pain and hollowness residing in your heart were not born from sorrow or profound grief over Jonathan's death, but rather from the absence of love and affection he gave you. The lack of love in a relationship that had consumed three and a half years of your life weighed heavily on you. All you had received was a shattered heart, and there was no one there to assist you in gathering the fragments except for yourself.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The moment you closed your apartment door, a long exhale escaped you; a mix of relief and stress as you stepped into your now quiet space. It was vastly different from the usual banter Jonathan would welcome you home with, his tendency to pinpoint faults in you as an outlet for his anger that had nothing to do with you in the first place. Yet now, you stood alone. The sentiment was uncertain and you were not sure how to feel about it, but there was an odd form of comfort in the deafening silence. Your mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, a tangled maze of broken strands. Amidst the chaos, your mind always retorted back to one single thing: your friend, Shuri.

You had arranged to meet with her in a couple days and finally address your suspicions head-on. You were well aware that you were most likely overthinking, perhaps being overly dramatic or even irrational, and that your theories might be far from the truth. But after a year of friendship, the burden of skepticism had become overwhelming. The feeling of being kept in the dark, the feeling that she harbored secrets and consistently hid things from you, had pushed you to a breaking point. You couldn't bear this constant uncertainty any longer. You were fully prepared to demand answers and possibly present an ultimatum because you were simply exhausted and as much as it would break you to have to remove Shuri from your life, it was what you needed to do if she refused to provide you with the solace and closure you needed, especially in times like these.

You proceeded with your night routine, changing into your pajamas and getting comfy in your now very empty bed. Was the bed always this large? Or did Jonathan just always make you feel small? Finally, after a long day, you allowed yourself to weep, sensing the tears tracing their path down your cheeks and absorbing into the softness of your pillow. You cried yourself into the most serene sleep you had in years.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You sat at the diner where you and Shuri would always meet at late hours, waiting for her to appear so you could finally voice the subtle anger that had been building within you over the course of a year-long friendship. It wasn't just a matter of her being a weird individual disinterested in sharing about herself—it was everything about her. The way she spoke, the way she was ridiculously smart, the way she has done absolutely everything and been absolutely everywhere in her short 26 years of being on this earth. It seemed she spoke an almost inhuman number of languages, and you couldn't recall ever seeing her eat, despite her assurances that she did. Her handling of alcohol was reckless, yet you'd only witnessed her drunk once, maybe twice.

There were countless aspects that unnerved you, but the most unsettling was her adamant refusal to meet during daylight. She claimed it to be solar urticaria, a supposed sun allergy, and you believed her initially. However, her increasing avoidance of daytime interactions left you puzzled and frustrated. She wouldn't respond to your texts or answer your calls during daylight hours, making it impossible for you to visit her, even when she didn't have to leave her home. Strangely enough, you had never even seen her house.

The mounting suspicions were overwhelming, and you wondered if you were being silly. It couldn't be true, right? There was no scientific proof or evidence to support such a claim. But what else would your suspicions add up to? What other explanation was there, except that she might be a va--

"Hey, y/n," her velvety voice broke through your thoughts. She settled into her seat across from you, and you couldn't deny how fine she looked. She had always held a certain kind of beauty, and not in a friendship type of way; it was a beauty impossible to overlook, one that left a lasting impression on everyone, yourself included. It was an ethereal allure, almost divine in nature. She gave off an attractiveness that surpassed ordinary bounds, and you were no exception to its impact. It was a challenge to put into words, but she seemed otherworldly, perhaps even godlike in her allure. She was undeniably attractive, captivating beyond what your body could handle, yet you continually suppressed any attraction you felt towards her. After all, you were in a relationship, a terrible one, but a relationship nonetheless. The last thing you needed was to lose the only person you believed truly understood you because of a silly attraction you may have felt for her.

"Hello, Shuri," you responded, your voice carrying a hint of tremor from the nerves that had crept in. Shuri caught on, and her self-assured chuckle let you know she sensed the anxiousness that had taken hold of you, further quickening your heartbeat.

"You look beautiful," she remarked, attempting to ease your nerves, though both of you knew that did nothing but make it worse. Her words carried a magnetic charm, one that surpasses the human experience, causing the hairs on your arms to stand up. You managed a soft smile in response, genuine but subdued, as that was all you could offer right now and Shuri immediately picked up on the fact that something was off about you. There was a subtle shift in your demeanor and posture, a slight dimming of the twinkle in your eyes but it didn't escape her notice.

“What’s wrong, y/n?” You’re caught off guard because you didn’t think yourself to be that obvious. You knew for a fact you were never that transparent. But to Shuri, you almost always were.

“What do you mean?”

“Well there’s obviously something wrong.”

“Obviously? I’m just sitting here, I’ve said all but five words to you, how is it obvious??” Your tone turned a touch harsh, frustration evident as you were tired of Shuri's ability to see through you. Raising an eyebrow, she chuckled, revealing her perfect set of pearly whites.

“I’m sorry for your loss, by the way,” she said once she stopped her laughter. You huffed in annoyance, rolling your eyes as you crossed your arms.

“No need to be sorry…I’m almost relieved he’s good and gone.”

Shuri softly smiled, a smile you knew she tried to contain but it was no use.

“What?”

“Nothing…I just think…I think you’ll be much better without him. You never needed him, y/n.”

For a moment, you almost got caught up in her, lost in her words and the enchantment that peered behind her beautiful dark brown eyes but you remembered what you were here for, and you weren’t about to succumb into her hypnotic gaze as you often do.

“Shuri…I-I need answers…like…like, right now.” Even though your voice trembled, your request was resolute. You yearned for something from her, anything at all. And just when you thought you had the advantage, that same self-assured smirk reappeared on her face, as if she had been waiting for you to bring up the conversation.

“What?,” you questioned her facial expressions.

“What?,” she challenged back.

“No, you’re the one giving me that look so you tell me what's up.”

“The floor is yours, princess.”

You rolled your eyes, inhaling deeply as you debated whether to continue with this conversation. If your suspicions were wrong, you'd feel like a damn fool. Shuri would undoubtedly tease you relentlessly, something she already enjoyed doing. But you pushed aside all doubts and plowed forward despite the hesitations that surfaced in her presence. Clearing your throat, you released a hefty exhale before proceeding.

“Shuri…I know you’re gonna think I sound insane but I’m getting to a breaking point, and I just have to ask…”

“Then ask.”

You paused, glaring at her as you proceeded. “We’ve been friends for about a year now, and there’s no better way to put this but there’s just something incredibly off about you…like, it’s fucking with my head.”

Shuri bit the inside of her cheek, trying to contain her laughter.

“You are insanely talented at like…everything, you’ve been everywhere, you speak multiple languages, I’ve never met your family, or seen your house and I’m starting to question whether you even have a family…or a house…”

“Are you done?”

“Not even close. You never eat…or drink, but you drink an insane amount of alcohol almost everytime we go out yet I’ve seen you get drunk maybe once…?? Shuri, that's not humanly possible.”

“You’re listing things about myself like I don’t already know, pretty girl.”

She always knew her way with words.

“I’m not done.”

She gestured for you to proceed, resting her back against her chair.

“The sun…what is your deal with the day time??”

“I already told you, y/n.”

“No, don’t give me that shit. I don’t buy it…so you’re allergic to the sun or whatever…you can’t pick up your phone?? Answer your texts?? But as soon as the sun goes down…”

Shuri just sits there, interested but also unbothered and you weren’t sure how that made you feel. There was silence for a moment.

“You gonna say something or just sit there and look good all evening??”

Shuri said nothing but another chuckle.

“What’s so funny, Shuri? You’ve been saying nothing but laughing at me the whole time.”

“I was waiting for you to finish what you were saying.”

“I have nothing else to say.”

Shuri leaned in, placing her forearms on the table, her smug grin never wavering. Her eyes shifted between the two of your own, delving into the depths of your eyes. You swallowed, nerves building up in anticipation.

“Come on, y/n. You’re a smart girl. I’m sure you can figure it out.”

“I—“

“I don’t need to repeat everything you just listed. Why must I answer what you already know?”

“What are you saying, Shuri??”

“Don’t be stupid now. You know.”

“What do I know??”

Shuri arched an eyebrow, and you took in a sharp breath. It couldn't be. There was just absolutely no way.

“Uh uh. Don’t fuck with me, Shuri, this isn’t fucking funny!”

“I’m not playing with you, princess. I have no reason to anymore. You know.”

“Anymore?? What does that mean?? Tell me what the fuck is going on.”

“I’m not messing with you.”

A lengthy silence ensued as you both locked eyes, glaring eachother down. Shuri appeared unbothered, almost captivated by your frustration and that only fueled the fire that was coursing through your veins.

“Uh uh, there’s just no way. No fucking way,” you uttered in disbelief as you made your way out of the diner, coming face to face with the dark night that surrounded you every single time you were with her. Shuri rolled her eyes before she got up to follow you. You hurried behind the restaurant, hoping to get a moment of privacy to collect your thoughts, but that hope dissipated as you felt Shuri's firm grip on your wrist, causing you to flinch at her harshness. Shuri let go abruptly, offering no verbal apology, but her eyes held a silent regret at the action.

“Shuri, what the fuck is going on??,” you asked, attempting to keep your voice down but your mind was too boggled to remember you were still out in public.

“I’m gonna need you to keep your voice down, y/n.”

“Keep my….excuse me?? No! Don’t fucking tell what to do, Shuri! Tell me what the fuck is going on!”

“Y/n…,” a voice of warning, one that was accompanied by her firm stature.

“No, don’t fucki—,” but before you could complete your sentence, your body was wedged against the building wall, Shuri's palm firmly covering your mouth as her body trapped you in. She held you like that for a moment, admiring how you so easily yielded to her control even after your mouth refused to shut up for her.

“You’re a feisty little thing, aren’t you?” Your face softened just a bit, almost relaxing into her touch.

“Are you going to listen to me, y/n?”

You nodded, a smirk appearing on her face at the gesture.

“Good girl.” She let your mouth go. “No wonder Jonathan could not handle you.”

You scowled at her, eyebrows furrowing together as Shuri pinched your chin and tilted your head up just a bit. “Let me take you home and I will tell you everything you need to know. I’ll answer any important questions you have, baby, but you have got to listen to me. Do you understand?”

You were trembling, and though your pride nearly kept you from acknowledging it, fear gripped you. Fear of Shuri and whatever her motives might be. Your heart felt like it could burst through your rib cage at any given moment.

“Breathe, baby, breathe. I’m not gonna hurt you. Just let me take you home. Please.” Her plea seemed to carry a hint of desperation and it provided an odd sense of comfort. You knew that you would be okay and so you agreed.

The car ride remained silent, only the rhythmic patter of raindrops against the car window and Shuri's old tunes playing softly. Your heartbeat felt so loud, you swore you could almost hear that too…or maybe she could.

Once you get there, Shuri swiftly makes it to your side, helping you get out as she softly massages the skin on your wrist.

“I don’t need your help getting to my door, Shuri.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were ok.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

She lets you go, trailing behind you as you make your way to your apartment.

You made yourself a cup of tea in an effort to soothe your nerves but the absence of conversation between you two left an eerie atmosphere in the space, one that surpasses the fact that you now live alone in a space that was once for two. The rain seemed distant, tapping lightly against your balcony window. Suddenly, the sound of her presence broke through your state of mind.

“So…are you gonna tell me what’s going on, y/n?”

You swallow, trying to contain your composure. “Nah, I’m waiting for you to tell me, Shuri.”

“I think you’ve gotten it all figured out now. Am I right?”

“But I want to hear it come from your mouth, Shuri. I wanna know it’s true because you told me.”

Shuri reclined, stretching her arms casually against the sofa, adopting an almost cocky posture as she grinned at you.

“You gonna fucking say something or what?,” you snapped in impatience.

Shuri raises an eyebrow as she releases a breathy chuckle. “You have such a mouth on you.”

Your eyebrows lightly furrowed together, before you rolled your eyes dramatically. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Fine. Let’s have it your way then. Let me reintroduce myself to you…Hello, y/n. My name is Shuri Udaku and I am a vampire,” she said with a nod of her head, as if the fact meant nothing. Your heart stops for a second before it begins beating uncontrollably, consumed with pure shock. Even though you already knew, you were never prepared for how it felt once it was made real.

“I can hear your heartbeat, princess. Tell me what you’re feeling. What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

“I…I need some time to p-process…”

Shuri remained silent, her eyebrows knitting together as she observed you, appreciating the way you stumbled over your own words. She was captivated by you, by the way your body responded to her and to this newfound piece of information that you were trying to keep your composure over.

“I want you to go, Shuri.”

But she did not budge. Perched there, she observed you, and an increasing fear of her began to gnaw at you and Shuri seemed to sense this. She rose from her seat, advancing toward you, firmly placing her hands on the armrests of your chair as she hovered over you. Her lips were mere whispers away from yours, and the desire to both flee from and lean into her lips was a thin line in difference. You were torn between pushing her away and surrendering to the magnetic pull. Even though she had always held a certain dominance in your relationship, it was different now. It was hunter and hunted. Predator and prey. You felt so small, utterly defenseless, and you swallowed in anticipation, awaiting her next move.

“Shuri…please,” you choked out.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“I—please don’t hurt me. Please.”

A soft chuckle escaped her lips, and though it wasn't inherently menacing, it sent shivers down your spine. Shuri leaned down, her lips almost brushing against the side of your throat, and your entire body quivered the closer she got.

“Please,” you said softly, unsure of what it was you were pleading for at this point. Did you want her to stop? Did you want her to keep going? There was a thin line between the two and the beat in your heart found its way between your legs and you could only hope she couldn’t sense that too. Shuri pressed her lips into your throat, kissing the sensitive skin as you sigh in relief. You tried so hard to contain the moan that was threatening to escape you but you swallowed it, clenching your thighs together instead. The feel of her soft lips against your throat was threatening to undo you and the sound of her voice nearly made you bring her face into yours.

“I would never hurt you,” she hums as her lips continue to softly assault your throat. A soft whimper escapes your lips, an unwilling beg for her to give you more and Shuri took note of it but did not give into it. She removes herself from your body, coming back to face you and your eyes that drown in both fear and want. She takes your cheek into the palm of her hand, pressing firm into your warm skin.

“If I leave now, are you going to be ok here on your own?”

You nod and she smirks at you, admiring how you and that smart mouth of your was at loss for words and how she was the one that got you that way.

“I’ll see you whenever you want to see me. Let me know and I’ll give you all the answers that you need. Just reach out to me, yeah?”

You nod again. She grabs your hand and helps you off the chair, pulling you in by your hips until your pelvis bumps into hers and suddenly all fear is replaced with pure lust and this was nothing new. You always had an attraction for Shuri, even when you were with Jonathan, you could never ignore how beautiful she was and how her beauty lit a spark in you and though there were never any official titles placed between the two of you, you always knew a part of her wanted you too.

“Shuri,” you groaned, completely overtaken by her and her presence.

“What is it?,” she asked, her voice winning you over with the bass it held. You swallow harshly, embarrassed with yourself and how much you were leaking onto your panties.

“I want…I n-need…”

“Tell me.”

You remained silent, hoping that the desperation in your expression would convey what words could not but that was not enough for Shuri. She let you go and your body immediately ached at the emptiness you felt. Then, she gently gripped your chin, tilting it slightly to ensure your gaze was locked onto hers.

“Call me when you’re ready.” Shuri heads towards the balcony door and opens it, and the coolness from outside immediately strikes your skin and you shiver.

“Shuri, what the fuck are you doing?? It’s raining and it’s damn cold, close the door!”

Shuri only smirked at you, scanning her surroundings before she effortlessly jumped off the balcony as if it was nothing. You immediately gasped, rushing to the edge to search for her, but she had vanished. All that remained was the sound of the pouring rain and the rustle of the wind in the air, clogging your senses and sending a sharp shiver up your spine. You had received the answer you sought, the one you needed, but now you were left with nothing but an insatiable craving to know more.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

A week had passed since that night with Shuri, a week of solitude spent grappling with troubled thoughts that ignited an overwhelming sense of desire. Finally, you summoned the courage to reach out and arrange another meeting with her. Shuri agreed, relieved that you were willing to take it up a notch.

“So what about mirrors?”

“What about mirrors?”

“You know…that dracula shit, how he can’t see his reflection and all…is that real?”

Shuri chuckles. “False. I can see my reflection perfectly fine.”

“Ok…uhhh, what about the whole thing with crosses, crucifixes, holy water and all that…?”

“False. Although I do not like being in the presence of those things, only because I find religion to be messy and I never really believed in it.”

You raise an eyebrow at her. “Okay, ummmm…what about garlic?”

Shuri burst into laughter. “You watch way too many movies, y/n.”

“Well shit, I don’t know. Pop culture got you guys all kinds of fucked up.”

“I know, it’s ok. I just…keep going,” she assures, coming back down from her laughter.

“Okay um…the sun.”

“You know the answer to that.”

“I know but I want to hear it come from your mouth, Shuri.”

“You must have heard enough lore to understand that we cannot go into the sun, princess. It is one of our greatest weaknesses. If I go in the sun, I’ll die. It’s simple really.”

A part of you went numb as the fragments and clues started to unravel and fit together before your eyes. Yet, you knew there was a crucial aspect of her you needed to confront, the elephant in the room that you were eager to discuss as soon as she disclosed her true nature as a vampire.

“W-what about your…your diet?,” you ask, already knowing the answer but afraid to hear it anyway. Shuri goes silent, as if she wants to keep the obvious all to herself.

“Shuri, baby…you said you would talk to me.”

“I know what I said.”

“So then talk to me. You’re the one that came into my life. You knew you would eventually have to have these conversations. So tell me.”

“They never last this long,” she replies, her eyes no longer on yours.

“What? Who never lasts this long?”

“What I am trying to say is, y/n…I’m tired of being alone. I’m tired of having this same conversation over and over and over again just for that person to run. No one has lasted this long.”

And that’s when it hits you. That’s when you remember that vampires are immortal beings. “Wait…how…how old are you?”

“I’m 26.”

“You know what the fuck I mean.”

A subtle tilt graced her lips as she smiled, exuding the same self-assured manner she always seemed to have.

“I was born in 1794, turned in the year 1820. And I’ve been this ever since,” she says so matter of factly. It startled you at first, leaving you trying to do the math in your head and Shuri notices right away.

“228.”

“What?”

“That’s the answer you are looking for.”

“Wait, how’d you…?? Wait…can you read minds??,” you ask startled, worried she may have heard all the dirty thoughts you’ve had about her. Shuri laughs.

“No, not necessarily. I don’t need to read your mind directly in order to know that is what you were thinking. Your body language says it all.”

You glare at her in confusion.

“I have been around long enough to understand what someone is trying to say or what they are thinking through their body language, princess. A skill humans think they have but I promise, you truly do not.”

“Uh huh…so you can’t read minds? Then what can you do? What kinds of powers or whatever do you have??”

“Powers??”

“Yeah or whatever the fuck its called!”

Shuri chuckles. “We don’t have ‘powers’. We have abilities. Take for example…the cheetah. The fastest land species…well not necessarily but you wouldn’t call its ability to run fast a power would you? Or the owls' capability to see at night? Is that a ‘power’ to you? How about the elephant's strength? A power? No. They are abilities that help them run from predators and catch their prey. It’s no different for a vampire. We have…capabilities that make it easy to catch our prey.”

You swallow hard, unsure of how to respond to the snarky yet intelligent way she put it.

“Throw that knife at me,” she commands, pointing to the knife you used to cut your steak.

“What??”

“Do it.”

“Shuri, I’m not gonna throw a knife at you, are you mad??”

“You cannot hurt me, y/n.”

You glanced around, surveying your surroundings and noting the nearly empty restaurant as the night advanced. Gradually, you picked up the knife, taking a deep breath before hurling it towards her. She effortlessly caught it in the palm of her hand, as if she had performed the act a million times before, the blade no more than an inch from her eyes. She then opened her hand, revealing the deep wound the knife had left from her grip and the blood that started to pool. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you observed her flesh healing at an inhumane speed. It was no different than the healing process for a human but sped up by 100 times.

“Whoaaaa,” you say, like a child seeing something extraordinary for the first time.

“I can also communicate to you telepathically,” she says, but her mouth did not move. It was as if she had placed her voice inside your mind and spoke to you that way.

“Wait…how’d you?? Do it again! That was cool!”

“I’ll leave it for another time,” she laughs. “I also have senses beyond the human capacity to even dream of. When I…turned…it was as if I was blind my whole life, like I was a deaf and could finally hear. My senses overwhelmed me, I swore I was going to die with everything that was raging through my body. I’m fast, strong, never get tired…I can talk about my ‘powers’ for a long time. But really…it loses its touch overtime. I often forget those abilities are there.”

At this moment, your jaw dropped in astonishment, completely enthralled with what truly existed and that it had been right in front of you all along.

“So you’re like…a superhero…with super cool powers and shit.”

Shuri's presence briefly darkened as a glint of emotion shimmered in her eye, a momentary pause that was so brief but felt long.

“Superhero,” she repeats. “No…nothing like that. Not anymore.” She mumbled that last part and it caught your attention but you chose to ignore it for the time being, steering back to the original point of conversation.

“Shuri…your diet.”

She looks away in shame, closing her eyes before she proceeds to answer. “I drink blood.”

“Ok…and what else?”

“That’s it. That’s all I eat. Human food tastes like nothing to me, it’s disgusting really. It does not give me any nutritional value either. The longer I go without drinking blood, the more I’ll start to feel it.”

You take a sharp gulp. “So how often do you feed on people?”

“Often…as much as I can.”

“D-do you…kill people?”

A brief pause ensues but Shuri's intense gaze stays fixed on you all the while, her jaw tensing before she continues.

“I have.”

Heat rushes through you. “Do you kill people often?”

“Not anymore.”

“...anymore?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

You looked away, almost disgusted with the person you were sitting in front of.

“We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to, y/n.”

“No I…I want--I need to hear this. When…when was the last time you killed someone?”

Shuri refrained from speaking immediately, choosing to study and began to grow queasy.

“Not that long ago.”

“How long ago?? Did I know you??”

“Yeah.”

Another deafening silence engulfed the space between you two. There was no need to voice your next question; she already anticipated what you were going to ask.

“It was February 10…2022.”

Instantly, a sinking feeling gripped your stomach, and your heart felt like it might leap out of your chest as tears welled up, ready to surface.

“J-Jonathan?,” you whispered as you choked on your tears. She nodded her head, almost unbothered by the tears you were shedding for him.

“What…what the fuck is wrong with you??!”

“Y/n…”

“No! No, don’t fucking touch me!”

Despite the near emptiness of the diner, the few present all had eyes only looking at you before you stormed out with both confusion and hurt coursing through you. You climb into your car with determination before driving home, the desire to distance yourself from her was overpowering but when you got home, you were heavily startled to find her seated on your couch, indulging from your stash of whiskey.

“What are you doing here?? How’d you even get in here?!”

“Through the balcony.”

Your fractured sobs were on the verge of breaking free, and your tear-streaked cheeks were evidence of the intense breakdown you had in the car ride back home.

“You can’t just break into my house whenever you want to,” you managed to spit out.

“Can’t I?,” she challenged.

“Shuri…get the fuck outta my house. Get the fuck outta my house, I swear to god, Shuri…”

“I did you a favor, y/n.” The audacity she displayed left you stunned, as you pressed your temples in an attempt to ease the throb in your head from all the tears you cried.

“I never liked him. He never treated you the way you deserved and you just let him treat you that way. I was so sick of seeing you cry, y/n. Is that the life you really wanted for yourself? I mean, let’s be honest. You’re more than happy he’s gone. Now there’s nothing in the way of going after what you really want, seeking for the life you deserve, princess. I did it for you.”

“I--wow. You are mentally insane. What is that, some kinda romantic vampire notion??”

“It can be,” she responded, and you struggled to discern if she was being sarcastic. Nothing could be certain when she wore that enigmatic grin on her face.

“None of that was for you to decide, Shuri! You can’t just go around killing people and for what?? Cuz you don’t like them? That’s a life…a human life you just took away…”

“I’ve decided a long time ago to not care too much for human life anymore. There is no point and it does nothing for me.”

“I…what? Ok…yeah…Imma need you to get the fuck outta my house…like…now.”

Shuri rises from her seat, advancing towards you, and soon you're caught between the wall and her imposing presence once more. Your breath hastens, and the hairs on your arm stand on end as she takes you in. Shuri takes pleasure in the way your body reacts to her, attempting to decipher just how frightened you truly are. You swallow nervously.

“What are you scared of, princess?,” she asks with low lids, her eyes glazed with desire.

“Y-you.”

She lets out a soft chuckle as she fakes a frown, almost mocking your fear.

“Why?” Gently, she runs her fingers across your cheek as she speaks softly, a sly smile appearing on her face while she observes your pleading eyes locked onto hers. “Tell me why I scare you, baby.”

“You kill people, Shuri.”

Shuri nods, humming in agreement.

“You could kill me.”

“I could…but I won’t. You know why? Cuz I care for you…I care for you and it scares the absolute shit outta me.” She utters these words with a hint of sorrow in her eyes, as if a fracture lies beneath the confident facade she typically displays when you're around. Strangely, this vulnerability lessens your fear. You reach out and touch her face, gently placing your palm against her cheek, and she leans into your touch.

“Do you care about me?,” she asks, her voice coming to soothe you.

“Hmm?”

“Do you care about me, y/n? Tell me, please. I need to know.”

In an instant, any remnants of warmth and comfort vanish, swiftly replaced by a surge of anger within you.

“Shuri, how the fuck are you even asking me this right now? Do I care about you?? You killed Jonathan!”

“Yeah, and he tasted fucking delicious,” she snarked back. At that moment, you no longer cared about holding back the tears you had struggled so hard to keep in check in front of her. It felt futile.

“Are you…? Shuri, I beg, fuck outta my house…like right now!”

“Do you really want me to go though?”

You did, you wanted her out of your face but there was a part of you that wanted her to stay and learn more, though you decided to push it to the farthest corner of your mind for now.

“If I remember correctly, you told me you were relieved that he was gone.”

“That doesn’t make it ok,” you spat. Shuri sits back down, manspreading on the couch and she looks ridiculously delicious. How pathetic of you to find the attractiveness in her even in the midst of the anger she fueled through you. She tells you to come sit beside her but you opt for the couch in front of her instead and she chuckles at you.

“I just…you can’t be mad at me for reacting the way I am.”

“Who said I was mad?”

You took a brief pause, granting yourself a moment of composure as you regulate your breathing and wiped away your tears. Shuri sensed the warmth emanating from your body and tuned into the steadier rhythm of your heartbeat before she proceeds.

“I just have one question for you, is that ok?”

You nod.

“Are you relieved because of who he was? Or are you relieved you no longer have an obstacle that is getting in the way of going after what you really want?”

“W-what?”

“Don’t play stupid.”

“I-I don’t--”

But you were cut off by the swiftness of her body approaching you and it startled you. She was in front of you in less than a second, her figure was nothing but a blur as she ran to you, traveling at the speed of light.

“How did you--” and once again Shuri hushed you with the raise of her finger.

“You ask me about honesty, telling me to come clean to you and all I’m asking is the same from you. I need your honesty as well. And maybe you won’t give it to me today and that’s ok because if there is one thing I have in this life of mine, it’s time. But I need you to relax, just breathe. I know there’s a lot more swimming in that mind of yours and I am willing to clear it for you if you let me.”

You finally allow yourself a moment of calm, inhaling deeply numerous times as your mind relaxed into her even just for a brief moment. She made it so hard to stay mad at her, even for something as viscous as the things she did, she always, always knew her way around you. The two of you sat back down, eagerly waiting to see who would break the silence. You had a multitude of questions to pose, but for now, you chose this one.

“So are you like…dead?”

A soft smile appears on her face. “I prefer the term undead but yes, I died so technically that makes me dead.”

“You died,” you repeat her words to yourself and Shuri nods and there is most definitely a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“How?”

Her manner transforms, her brows knitting together as she adopts a more rigid seating posture. “It just happened, I guess.”

Confusion sets in. Why would she permit you to ask all the questions you need, only to respond on her own terms?

“Shuri, your hostility is really starting to piss me off.”

She pauses, her face tainted with frustration.

“You said I could ask anything and you would tell me.”

“No, I said I’d tell you anything you need to know.”

“And I don’t need to know this??”

“No, you really don’t.”

“So one minute you're telling me I can ask all the questions I want but when I overstep your boundaries, you back away. Uh uh, that’s not how we’re doing this. I ask. You answer. Or I’m not doing this, Shuri.”

“This? And what exactly would this be, y/n?”

“That’s not my point.”

“Then what is your point?? Don’t I deserve answers too?? Don’t try to play stupid with me, y/n. It may have worked for him but that shit does not work for me.”

A brief interlude of silence engulfed the space, one that almost broke you but Shuri continued to speak.

“I’ll just leave you be for now because you clearly have a lot of thinking to do as well.”

Once more, she leaves you, leaves you with just enough to drive you mad.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

2 weeks pass by and you have not seen or spoken to her since that day but your thoughts have been consumed by her non-stop. You took the time to do your own research, trying to find things out for yourself but you were met with even more questions by the end of it. You continuously pull your phone out, wanting to meet with her again, but everytime you gather up the courage to type the message, fear would make you delete it.

You prepare for bed, doing your usual night time routine and when you turn around to go to your bedroom, she is standing right behind and it scares you out of your mind.

“Shuri, what the actual fuck??? You scared the living shit outta me!!”

Shuri laughs lightly, finding amusement in your pissed off state.

“That shit ain’t funny, you almost gave me a heart attack. Quit doing that.”

“I don’t know, your reaction is kind of funny.”

“Shuri!!”

“Fine, fine. I’m sorry. It’s just…you never called, I was beginning to worry.”

“There’s no need to worry, I’m perfectly fine. Plus these things go two ways. Haven’t heard from you either.” Your torn is harsh and short tempered.

“Are you still angry with me?”

“Yes.”

“What did I do now?”

“Are you here to tell me what I want to know?”

“Yes and no.”

“I don’t know what that means”

“You will.”

You maintain silence, growing weary of her ongoing games. You walk right past her, rolling your eyes in frustration as you head toward your bedroom, and she trails behind, following you inside.

“If you’re not gonna tell me anything, you can go,” you say as you plop into your bed.

“Actually, I was thinking I could stay the night,” she remarks, casually taking a seat on the bed beside you and getting comfortable. The idea triggered a mix of unease and excitement. Having Shuri in the same bed as you opened the door to countless fantasies your mind could explore, but it also carried the potential for things to become…ugly.

“What? I’m not going to eat you,” she quips, reading your unease and responding in a playful manner. You clench your teeth, attempting to conceal the subtle fear creeping in because even though you know she was simply toying with you, it raises another question: did she have an appetite for your blood?

“I’m serious, y/n. You know that right? I won’t hurt you.”

You pondered it in silence a bit longer before responding to her.

“Fine…but stay on your side of the bed and don’t even think of trying anything,” you remark with attitude and Shuri, per usual, only laughs at you.

“Whatever you say,” she replies with her hands in the air. You roll your eyes in aggression before shifting in your bed, making yourself comfortable as you endeavor to drift off to sleep, lulled by the sound of your own breath and the absence of hers. Your heart races for a while until it finally settles into a deep slumber, a sleep in which you experience the most vivid dream in your entire life.

➳ the dream:

You wake up to the sound of unsettling echoes of a distant battleground, the anguished cries of people you loved and cared for pierced your ears. You had never felt so much fear in your life, disoriented and overwhelmed by your grim surroundings. You never felt so willing to help and use your Bast-given powers that had been passed on to you ever since your brother entered the ancestral plane but it was when you attempted to get up that you realized you were deeply wounded and you could barely move, the healing effects of the heart-shaped herb becoming slow. You were overcome by an excruciating physical agony, you struggle and weep, the most horrific pain you've ever known taking over you. Amidst this suffering, a distant cry reaches your ears, nearly snuffing out your last breath.

“YINTOMBI YAM!!” (“SHE’S MY DAUGHTER!!”)

“Akayi kuphumelela, kumkanikazi wam! Ukuba uyahamba, siya kufa sonke! Uya kufa!” (“She won’t make it, my queen! If you go, we will all die! You will die!”)

“Hayi, hayi intombi yam! Hayi Shuri yam!! Bast ndicela ungamthathi uShuri wam! Sele uno T'challa, hayi uShuri wam, nceda !! NDIYACELA!!" (“No, not my daughter! Not my Shuri!! Bast please don’t take my Shuri! You already have T’challa, not my Shuri, please!! PLEASE!!”)

The cries were violent, compelling you to move toward them, yet your feeble body refused. Your heart raced, the blood pulsing through your veins as if in a rush, leaving you breathless, and the world seemed to constrict around you under the scorching rays of the sun. The warmth enveloped you, vibrant and teeming with life, a stark contrast to the disturbing sounds that surrounded you.

“Uya kuba kunye nezinyanya, uKumkanikazi uRamonda. Uzakuba noT’Challa.” (“She will be with the ancestors, Queen Ramonda. She will be with T’Challa.”)

"Hayi hayi!!” (“No…NO!!”)

The echoes of agonizing cries gradually diminished until they were nothing, your vision faltering as breathing became a struggle, your body shutting down faster than the healing effects of the heart-shaped herb could manage. Your life was slipping away, breath fleeing your lungs, and you made the decision to embrace it as you faded into a state of nothingness and you saw the ancestral plane for a small moment, its beautiful sky right within your grasp until you suddenly awoke with a sharp inhale and a vicious cough.

You were greeted by the serene night sky, accompanied only by the chirping of crickets and you were startled once you noticed a woman seated before you, her face unfamiliar and her accent foreign to your ears.

“Who—who are you??,” you asked, but she did not answer. “How did you get into Wakanda?”

You adjusted your body to stand, surprised that you were completely healed with no sign of injury or pain. “Did you do this?? Heal me??”

Again, you were met with silence until finally she spoke with a grin. “Something like that,” she quipped, teasing you as she sat man spread on the log below her. The treescape surrounded you, the darkness overwhelmed you and you should be cold but you weren’t.

“How did you do it?? What kind of science is this??!!”

But the woman merely chuckled, finding amusement in your perplexed state and the endless questions you directed at her. "Science," she reiterated, almost tauntingly.

“Who are you??,” you asked once more, this time with more demand but still, she gave you nothing. “I-I have to go back to the palace. I have to see my mom, she thinks I’m dead! I heard her cries!”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“You won’t even tell me who you are! Why should I listen to you??”

She shifted her posture, and under the moon's gentle glow, you noticed an unusual quality about her. Her face, though seemingly perfect, bore eyes that were anything but human; glassy, with a hue of blood-red. This sight filled you with fear, urging you to flee, racing into the forest in a desperate bid to reach the safety of the palace and escape the woman who instilled such terror in you.

As you ran, you began to realize how you moved much faster than ever before. Your senses heightened, capturing details and sounds that were previously beyond your perception. The overwhelming influx of sensations left you both stunned and astonished. The world appeared silent, yet it roared with sound. Every rustle, every detail in the darkness of the forest was vividly clear to you.

You pinpointed this experience to the heart-shaped herb, pondering the potential existence of Bast. Could this be a miraculous gift from the ancient power? But when you got to the palace, that was when you would learn, learn it had nothing to do with the herb or Bast. You climbed the towering walls, reaching your mother's bedroom window, opening it cautiously to avoid startling her but your unexpected appearance had the opposite effect. Fear flashed in her eyes and she wanted to scream but she didn’t.

“Unyanisile ntombam?? Usisiporho??" (“Are you real, my daughter?? Are you a ghost??”)

“Hayi mama, ndim! Ndiyaphila! Ndilungile! Andifanga…” (“No mother, it’s me! I’m alive! I’m ok! I didn’t die…”)

“Kodwa…sikubonile. Ubumkile...njani-” (“But…we saw you. You were practically gone...how-”)

“Kulungile mama, Bast undigcinile! Wandomeleza, wandomeleza, ukuze ndoyise iintshaba zethu. Ndiphilile, mama." (“It’s ok mother, Bast saved me! And he made me powerful and strong so I can overcome our enemies! I’m ok, mother.”)

Your mom was taken aback, startled by the way you so openly claimed that Bast saved you when you never believed in such spiritual things before but she did not question you. Her overwhelming emotion was simply relief that you were alive. Your mom was sobbing, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably as she embraced you, holding you as if it were her last moment and you welcomed her in, finding solace in her warmth and familiar scent as you nestled your nose against her neck..and that is when you heard it.

A distinctive rhythm that captured your attention, the steady thump of her heartbeat, so pronounced that it drowned out any other ambient sound. The pulsating rush of blood through her veins accompanied it and it brought you a feeling that was so unclear yet simple at the same exact time. You struggled to comprehend what you were feeling, but the more you resisted, the harder it became to contain. A fiery sensation engulfed your body, saliva pooling in your mouth beyond your control, an overpowering urge rising within you, craving her life source more than you craved anything else before.

“U…uyayiphunga?,” (“Do…do you smell that?,”) you asked, your face still buried into your mothers neck.

“Unuka ntoni?” (“Smell what?”)

"Ndiya yidinga." (“I need it.”)

“Ufuna ntoni, ntombi yam?” (“Need what, my daughter?”)

“Momma…”

"Yintoni, Shuri??" (“What is it, Shuri??”)

You held her so tight, you felt like you could break her and your mother screamed in pain as she felt a crack in her ribs. You were breaking her.

"Umama?? Mama ndiyaxolisa...ndiyaxolisa kakhulu," (“Mother?? Mother I’m so…I’m so sorry,”) you choked out in a state of terror, the sound of her ribs cracking haunted your ears as you held her. Tears brimmed to your eyes as you struggled to let her go, your eyes burned with a wicked venom as your thirst gnawed at your whole body and took away any sense of rational thinking. And suddenly she was gone, no longer in your arms as you looked at the mirror in front of you and saw Shuri’s reflection staring back at you, her mouth covered in blood.

Abruptly, the scene changed and it was no longer your mother in your arms but another woman. She was beautiful. She had deep, dark eyes and skin to match. Her hair was as thick as a lush forest, full of vitality and texture. Her lips are as full as ripened fruit, tempting and inviting.

“What are you waiting for, Shuri?,” she said to you, her voice breaking through your psyche in such a calm, inviting way and you wanted her. Wanted her to be yours forever.

“I want to be with you. Forever. Turn me.”

A surge of guilt briefly tugged at your emotions but that was quickly overridden by an intense longing to be with her until the end of time, an overwhelming love that you had never thought was humanly possible and probably because it was not humanly possible to feel as deeply as a vampire feels.

“I want you to do it, Shuri. Turn me. Please. I want this.” Her dark brown eyes shimmered with a blend of desperation and love and you were so scared. So scared to cross your boundaries once again but the thought of not being with her forever scared you even more.

"Please," she pleaded one final time before you pressed your lips to hers, savoring the warmth of her human essence before trailing down to her throat, delicately grazing your mouth across her tender skin and her pulse whispered against your lips. Opening your mouth, you descended, piercing her veins with your teeth and you moaned as her life source flowed into your mouth, embracing the flavor you desperately needed. And you did this until everything dissolved into an abyss, an engulfing darkness that consumed you until finally, you woke up. And you were you.

You woke up with a commotion of feelings; you were confused, hurt, and scared. Glancing to the side, you found an empty bed, leaving you to wonder if Shuri had even visited your place last night or if it was all part of a dream.

The day unfolded, besieged by thoughts you struggled to push away. No matter how hard you fought, your dream clung to your mind, refusing to dissipate. As night descended, Shuri arrived along with it, standing on your balcony and for the first time, she knocked.

“Shuri?”

“Nkosazana.” The sudden language change throws you off as you step aside to let her in. She has food in her hand, no doubt for you of course.

“Shuri…what language is that?,” you ask with the most curiosity you have ever had so far.

“Xhosa,” she replies without so much as looking at you, emptying the bag of food as she assembles it on your dining table.

“Is that your native language?”

“You never noticed the accent?,” she responds, still not looking at you.

“No, of course I noticed the accent but…Shuri…where are you from?”

Shuri pauses, her entire body freezing momentarily before she resumes.

“Are you Wakandan?”

“So you know about Wakanda?”

“Of course I know about Wakanda. I couldn’t escape it not too long ago, it was all over the news and everything. The world’s most powerful and technologically advanced. A secret hidden in Africa. Home to the…Black…Panther,” your voice trailed off towards the end as you suddenly remembered the reflection staring back at you in your dream. The reflection of Shuri with blood on her lips wearing what you now recognize to be a Black Panther suit.

“Shuri, I need you to tell me something.”

She looks at you for a split second but says nothing.

“Were you…were you the Black Panther?”

Once more, she remains silent, almost entirely disregarding you as she finishes preparing the food. You stand there, observing with genuine admiration. On any other day, her tendency to ignore you would drive you up the wall, your lips ready to hurl curses and demand answers, but this time, you allow her the moments she needs to compose herself. You saw her in a whole new light and you sympathize with her.

Shuri pulls out a chair, signaling for you to sit, and you comply without zero fight on your end as she takes a seat across from you. You bite your inner cheek, plagued with even more questions than you had before.

“You can talk now,” she said, breaking the silence. You took a bite of your food, before proceeding with your abundance of questions.

“What happened last night? What was that??”

“I little trick I like to call ‘dream manipulation.’”

“So you were in my head?”

She nods.

“You made me see…your past?”

Another nod.

“But it’s not like I was watching you. It was as if I was you. I could see, hear, and feel everything you felt as if it was my own. I felt everything.”

Shuri sits there and remains in an unbothered state, only waiting to hear what else you had to say.

“So you were the Black Panther then? A long time ago…or whatever.”

“Mhmmm.”

“What happened?”

“You saw what happened.”

“I know but…I want to hear it from your mouth! A lot happened and I need answers, Shuri! Enough with this unbothered facade you got going on here and fuck you! Answer me!”

Shuri’s nostrils flare as you push her temper, but she quickly swallows it down as she comes to realize that you have every right to be upset.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized for your outburst.

“Don’t be. You have a right to know. It’s just…my brother, T’Challa was the Black Panther up until his life was taken from him and the mantle was passed down to me and then I became the Black Panther. We had enemies, enemies that wanted our resources and our vibranium…stories that are still happening today. I was seriously injured one day in combat, so injured that my loved ones left me for dead. And then I met her. I still don’t know who she is but I know what she was. A monster who turned me into this. Thinking she gave me a second chance at life when she should’ve just let me die so I could be reunited with my brother.” Her voice sounded shattered, burdened with hurt and remorse, and your instinct was to comfort her, to alleviate her pain. But as a feeble human, what could you possibly offer to ease her suffering?

“I never saw her again, the woman that turned me. My maker.” She said that last part with nothing but disgust. “And I hated her…for a long fucking time. I still do. I had to learn to fend for myself, had to teach myself to control my thirst and survive in this human world on my own. It’s been such a long and lonely journey. And everybody leaves. Everybody.”

You sat there, your ears and heart open to her as she fought the tears that loomed on the brink of falling. You so badly wanted to jump into her arms and cradle her, promise her everything was going to be ok but those were not your promises to make. There was nothing you could give her and you felt so small and helpless.

“Shuri…I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok. It’s not your fault. I just…it has been years since I have said that out loud.”

A faint smile touched your lips as you extended your hand towards her. Despite harboring more questions and unresolved moments, you decided to set them aside, at least for the moment. Shuri reciprocated, reaching out and delicately taking hold of your hand, pressing it to her lips in a desperate gesture as she kissed your skin.

“I want to take you somewhere,” she says.

“And where would that be?”

“It’s a surprise.”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You are in your car, but Shuri is at the wheel, navigating deeper into the dense forest. It's dark and somewhat intimidating, and you begin to wonder how Shuri is driving without headlights down the quiet road, until you recall her mention of her incredible eyesight. Finally, after what feels like an hour, Shuri steers into an extremely secluded area. The quietness is disrupted as you hear something other than the chorus of crickets; a gentle sound of water and soft waves. It's a vast lake, so expansive that it could easily be mistaken for an ocean from your perspective.

Shuri opens the car door and extends her hand, and this time, you accept her gesture. Leading you to the lake's edge, the moon was so big and bright, casting a luminous glow upon the night sky and the surrounding stars. The scene is breathtakingly beautiful and grand, the most picture perfect setting for a perfect moment with the person you wanted to be around the most.

“It’s beautiful as fuck out here,” you commented.

“This is where I live. You see that house hiding behind us? That’s my place. It’s where I come every morning and hide away. It’s where I come to just be…free. Free from this world and be who I was made to be.”

“So you do actually have a home? No coffin??,” you joked and she lightly laughed with you.

“So what else can you do? Show me. There’s no one around us, I want to see you being you.”

Shuri raised an eyebrow. “What is it you want me to do?”

“When I was…you…in my dream, you gave me a taste of what it felt like to have your body. When you ran through the forest that night to go back to your mom, I felt your strength, your speed, all that stuff. I want to see it. Show me the cool side of vampirism.”

Shuri tilted her head in contemplation, a pensive smile appeared on her face as she pondered the idea. Typically, she engaged in these activities alone, leaping through the trees, melding with the forest, maneuvering in ways the human body couldn't fathom.

"Fine then," she says, rising swiftly before running towards the trees at an astonishing speed. As she reaches the trees, the reality is beyond your imagination. Her body effortlessly launches onto a branch, beginning a mesmerizing journey from tree to tree, flipping and diving in ways that leaves you smiling in complete and absolute awe. It appears as if she's floating, moving with such speed that gravity seems to chase her, almost a blur in motion. You had never seen someone look so…free. And as she comes back down to meet you, moving faster than your eyes can track, there's no sign of fatigue or weariness. It's the most alive you had ever seen her.

“That was…wow,” you say in complete shock and Shuri laughs at you.

“It’s pretty neat, I guess,” she replies with a smug grin and it makes your stomach tingle. Shuri sits in the sand near the lake and you follow her.

“Do you like being one?”

“Hmmm?”

“A vampire…do you like being one?”

“Sometimes.”

“What’s your favorite thing about it??”

Shuri chuckles, dipping her head between the arms she has perched on her hiked up knees. “I like being able to manipulate people’s dreams,” she replies, shocking you with her answer. “I don’t sleep so it’s the only way I can dream, I guess.”

“No sleep??”

She shakes her head.

“What about your least favorite thing?”

Shuri goes quiet before answering, pondering the many ways she could answer this question.

“The blood lust. Being frozen. Watching the world change but staying the same.” She says this while looking out at the lake, taking her bottom lip into her mouth.

“Do you think you’re a bad person, Shuri?”

Shuri looked at you, eyes scanning your genuinely curious face before she proceeds. “I’m not sure. It’s not so black and white. It’s this weird thing, like…vampires emotionally feel so deeply but we were cursed with the primal instinct to hunt, feed, and kill. It’s like…with humans…when you guys get hungry, you simply go make yourself a sandwich or something, right? Fix yourself a quick meal. With vampires, it does not matter what we feel…that feeling always becomes hunger. If I’m angry, I want to eat someone. If I’m sad, I want to go eat someone. Horny? Eat someone,” she chuckles. “And then you’re left with nothing but an overwhelming guilt. It’s exhausting. Humbling, in a way, to say the least.”

You swallow, utterly captivated by her and every word she has to give you. This version of Shuri is vastly different from the person you've known over the past year. Seeing her in all her openness and vulnerability makes you realize that you never really knew her and it's only been in these recent days that you've felt so deeply connected to someone in a way you've never experienced before. You could sit here and ask her question after question after question, but there were a few that burned at your heart and it hurt you to ask, but she placed the questions there with the dream she fed you last night.

“Shuri…may I ask you something else?”

“It’s all you’ve been doing, princess. What’s to stop you now?”

“Well…I was wondering if you could tell me what happened to your mom.”

Shuri hung her head low, trying to get lost in the grains of sand and the mere sight of her made you regret your question but once she let out a hefty sigh, you knew it would be ok.

“I went back to the palace that night…the night my life was taken from me and to this day, it was the biggest mistake I had ever made. I thought my senses were some kind of spiritual doing from the heart-shaped herb, that Bast had given me a second chance, how foolish of me!” She buries her head into her hands and you lean forward, not sure what to do but let her have this moment of mourning.

“She thought I was a ghost at first, that I was reaching her from the ancestral plane, claiming that she had watched me die and she most definitely did but I did not know that…yet. She held me in her arms and I did the same and it was at that moment I knew something was off. Her heartbeat was so loud…like a drum pounding in my ears and it overtook me. My throat burned and I could smell her blood and I had never wanted anything more in my life. I wanted it so bad and it scared me. And I made sure that…that I would have it…” She choked on her tears, sobbing into her forearm and you kneeled forward to bring her head into your chest.

“I was brand new, y/n. It was damn near impossible for me to control it. And with no maker to rely on, no counseling or guidance, I was ruthless. An infant vampire and the taste of her blood was the most…feeling that for the first time, it surpasses any human experience. And it disgusts me to say it but I am being honest.”

She sobs in your arms, accepting your embrace as she feels comfort for the first time in years. The feeling was so foreign to her, to feel loved and accepted for who she was, despite acknowledging that she was the monster she believed she was.

“You didn’t know any better, Shuri. You can’t blame yourself for being thrown into this against your will and not knowing how to cope with it. It’s not your fault, baby,” you cooed, lulling her into your warmth as you comforted her.

“That’s what I thought at first, what I told myself for years. But that was my mother, y/n. My flesh and blood. You would think a daughter's love would surpass anything but that just goes to show how strong the thirst for blood is, especially in the beginning. No human equivalent. And it haunts me to this day.”

“Shuri—“

“I left Wakanda, for good, after that. Left them without a protector, without a ruler…I don’t know how they managed to pick themselves up after that but clearly they did. And I’ve never been back. I would love to…go back, one day. But I can’t. Not with the reminders it would bring.”

She lets out a few more soft sobs before she proceeds. “But hey, I managed to make it on my own. No maker, no guidance. I was ruthless in the beginning. Most vampires are.”

You feigned a smile, one that was just for her. “And what about the girl in my dream? Who was she?”

“That was…she was a dear friend of mine. Someone I loved. Someone I cared for.” A tear falls down her and washes into the fabric of your shirt. “But it does not matter anymore. She’s gone now.”

“What happened to her?”

“What happens to all humans, I suppose. She died. Never got close to a human after that. I tried…many times but they would all run eventually and understandably so. You are my first--the first person who has stayed with me. It scares me, really.”

Shuri gets up, coming face to face with your own tear-stained cheeks as she gently wipes them away with her thumb and you let out a soft smile.

“Soooo…no fangs? No cool eyes? Aren’t vampires supposed to look cool?,” you joke half-heartedly in attempts to lighten up the mood and put Shuri’s aching heart at ease and it seems to work because Shuri lets out a beautiful laugh, that laugh that you have loved for a long time.

“Would you prefer I walked around with red eyes and fangs??”

“I don’t know, you’d look kinda hot,” you half joke and she glares at you in both confusion and admiration.

“Walking around like a twilight vampire,” you tease and she makes a face of disgust. “Heyyy, don’t do Twilight like that. They’re good movies.”

“Fuck that,” she laughs and you laugh along with her.

“You’re really beautiful, Shuri,” you say, leaving Shuri in a subtle shock.

“Where did that come from?”

“I’m not blind. I may have been with someone our entire friendship but I always saw you and you were always beautiful to me.”

“Oh, so now you’re being honest with me? After you had me begging like a fool,” she teased.

“I’ve always loved you Shuri, you know that. You just wanted to hear me say it.”

Shuri chuckles. “Love…what a strong word, thrown around like it weighs nothing.”

“No but I do love you, I’m not playing. I love this version of you. The version of you where I actually know you. Where you let your guard down and just be…you. I love you.”

Shuri sighs, basking it all in. It’s been so long since she’s heard those words and it scares her.

”I wanna try something, if you’ll let me.”

“Anything,” your words rushed out with a tinge of desperation, revealing more than intended, driven by an urgent longing. You craved her, yearned for her presence. Her gaze locked onto yours, her eyes mirroring the same desire, as she tenderly traced your cheek. Finally, she leaned in, her lips meeting yours, and in that moment, you both embraced each other as if it were the last breath you'd take. The kiss ignited swiftly, your breaths turning erratic as you struggled to match her fervent passion. Gradually, she lifted you, and you instinctively wrapped your legs around her, never wanting to break away. She carries you across the small beach, bringing you into her house and not once did you two disconnect your reckless lips. The kiss itself spoke volumes, telling a story of how much you two yearned for one another, conveying unspoken feelings that had resided within long before you ever knew of Shuri’s true vampire nature. The heat between your legs began to rise, becoming warmer and wetter as you felt your clit brush against Shuri’s lower abdomen and that minimal friction alone felt like it was going to be the death of you. Shuri feels what you are trying to do and she grabs your ass in response, helping you feel more as she pushes you into her and it causes you to moan into the kiss.

“Mmm,” you moan, a sound that drove Shuri mad.

“That was fucking sexy,” she remarks and you cannot help but feel a tang of embarrassment for the lust you had for her. Jonathan was never one to tell you how sexy you were to make you feel desired, but instead to feed into his own ego of having you underneath him.

Shuri sits on the couch as you situate yourself on top of her, your crotch above hers, still kissing in pure intensity as the spark between you both transforms into an uncontrollable flame. Your lips were so swollen and sore, but it's inconsequential in the face of everything else. In that moment, nothing exists except Shuri, and your determination to be with her is unwavering. Shuri's kisses leave your lips, shifting towards your jaw and down to your throat as you struggle to hold in the moans that threaten to spill over, your heart beat intensifying. Shuri grasps your ass once more as you begin to grind, your actions portraying sheer desperation as you chase the friction that Shuri’s body gives yours. Shuri's hands reach for hips, guiding your movements and you squirm under the weight of her direct kisses upon your throat. Your heart thumps erratically, syncing with the pounding in your pussy and you are drenched.

“Shuri…please,” you whined, as she bruised and marked your tender throat. “I need you, please.”

Your desperate plea drives Shuri insane, hearing your voice in its deepest sensual urgency was enough to make her take you right there and then.

“You have made me wait way too long to have you like this, s’thandwa. I hope to fuck you at least half as long.”

Shuri lifts the hem of your skirt before her hand finally finds her way to that spot she needed for so long and she groans at how much you are soaking through the material of your thin panties.

“Bast, baby. You’re soaking wet,” she murmurs softly, and you nestle your face into the arc of her neck, concealing both the embarrassment and the warmth that rushes to your cheeks. But she assures her baby girl that there's nothing to be ashamed of, affirming that she had always sensed when your pussy longed for her.

“It’s ok, baby. I love seeing you like this. Let me see you.” Her voice was so smooth and sensual, a velvety depth mixed with a husky rasp that made your head spin as she stroked you though those thin panties, pressing the fabric between your folds as she taunted your throbbing clit. Your whimpers were small and short-breathed as you came back up to face her, your hopeless expression coming to meet a face that was ready to tear you apart.

“I could always tell when you were turned on, nkoszana. I could always smell when this little pussy needed me, so there’s no need to shy away now, do you understand me?”

And you’re nodding your head fervently, almost absentmindedly as you struggle to truly grasp your surroundings with Shuri’s long fingers playing between your dewy folds.

“Want to watch you cum in these little panties of yours.”

“Unh.”

“Yeah, that’s it baby. Look at you. You’re so fucking pretty like this.”

“Shuri…unh…pl-please.”

“Did he make you cum?”

“Mmmm…huh?”

Shuri chuckled in a cocky manner, a self-satisfied sound that rolled off her tongue as she felt a sense of superiority over you and your body.

“Jonathan? Was that his name? Did he ever make you cum?”

You can hardly even think with the way she was touching you, her firm fingers deliberately swiping at your clothed clit.

“S-sometimes,” you managed to say and that much was true. Sometimes he would make you cum, not because he was taking the time to learn and understand your body but usually it happened as a result of him chasing his own high. A lot of the time you would not even finish and he did not even care to make sure you did.

“Only sometimes?,” she teases, a deliberate tactic to understand how to handle you while also reveling in the sight of your mouth faltering and stumbling.

“F-fuck h-him. Unh…fuck.”

“Hmm?”

“Fuck J-Jonathan. I’m glad he’s g-gone. Oh.”

Shuri smiles at you, an arrogant grin as she basked in the mess you were as she toyed with you. Shuri’s fingers pick up the pace, pressing firmer into your clit and the waves of your orgasm begin to crest through, approaching in silence as your firmly gripped Shuri’s shoulders. Your hips are bucking into her as your pussy drools through the fabric, leaking directly onto Shuri’s fingers and the sounds coming out of you are too far gone for your control.

“Shuri, Shuri…yeah! Unh!”

“Cum, y/n. I want to see you fall apart from my fingers.”

“Mhm.”

Your orgasm quietly emerges, a slow, measured sequence that pulsates through your pussy walls as you surrender entirely, collapsing into Shuri’s arms as you ride the waves of your high. And Shuri talks you through it, whispering assurances of love and telling her girl how pretty she looks as her greedy pussy soaks all over her fingers and slutty panties, caressing your clit through the lingering aftershocks as you grapple with the descent from your gradual climax. Overwhelmed, you clutch her wrist, the struggle evident in your lungs as they battle to regulate your breathing, your mind lost in a haze.

“Shuri...I…fuck, baby.”

“You’re so messy,” she remarked with a smirk, hooking those dangerous fingers underneath the fabric of those panties that hugged your waist, tugging until the thin material pressed into your clit and you moaned at the sensitivity. She brings her fingers down and pulls them to the side, your slick sticking to the fabric and Shuri’s eyes flood with lust and desire, burning with a deep hunger that surpasses the blood that lives in your veins. She craves you in every single way. She brings her lips to yours, her eyebrows scrunched together as she ripped the panties off of you and you gasp, finally free of the thin line that was keeping you from Shuri’s skin and she lifts you up once again, taking you into her kitchen as she roughly knocks away anything in her way and places you down on the cold marble countertop. Shuri lets go of the kiss, crossing her arms as she removes her top, coming face to face with her defined abdomen and lean arms.

“Open your legs, y/n. Let me see her.”

You oblige, opening your thick, brown thighs and your pussy glistened before her. There were strings of cum that stuck to your inner thighs as your slick refused to detach from your pussy, creating a web of your arousal and the look on Shuri’s face sent shivers down your spine.

“Fuck, I have to taste her.”

“Then do it. Let me use your mouth.” You were still so delicate and sore from Shuri’s overwhelming touch but you desired more. “Let me fuck your face.”

Shuri got on her knees, bending before the melanated goddess before her as she wrapped her arms around your thighs, resting the back of your knees on her shoulders as she spread you open, coming face to face with the mess she created. You look down at her, admiring the way her arm muscles flex as she wrapped them around your thighs, watching the way your cream stuck to the side curls on her head as she dove into your ocean, wrapping her lips around your swollen clit and you arched your back at the sensation.

“Oh fuck…yes, Shuri, YES! Just like that, baby.”

Her mouth and tongue played with your clit, fucking in and around you in an overwhelming harmony that had you grinding into her face and she allowed it, allowed you to use her face as a means to please yourself. She moaned into your clenching cunt, finding the taste of you being better than she had ever imagined and her fingers pressed into the flesh of your thighs, sure to leave an imprint the following day.

“Unh, unh, unh, oohhh. Yeah.”

She could tell you were getting close, the way your thrusts into her face became more aggressive, the way your pussy continuously got wetter by the moment, and the louder your moans were getting, it was all telling of your impending climax. But she tells you to hold it in, keep it in longer so she can play with you more, feel your pussy clench around her tongue for a few more moments as she watches your clit grow larger with each slurp.

“I c-can’t, baby. Please. I'm gonna cum.”

“Not yet.”

“B-but—”

And your pussy is met with a sharp slap of Shuri’s hand that makes you yelp.

“I said not yet. Understand?”

And you nod your head frantically, your knuckles losing its color as you clutch to the ends of the marble countertop.

“Good girl.”

And Shuri dives back into you, consuming your essence as if she was ignoring your whimpers of overstimulation above her but she heard you, and she enjoyed the sound of you. Your cries were soft and fragile, a mere whisper of distress as you struggled for the woman below you, wanting to make her happy, give her the pleasure she received by pleasuring and having her way with you. You grasped onto Shuri’s curls, feeling her coiled hair through your fingers as you tussled with your orgasm that was on the brink of breaking through.

“Sh-Shuri…please.”

“Hmmm??”

“Please, baby, please. I have to.”

“I know, my impatient girl. You can cum now.”

“Oh…OH. FUCK.”

You fucked yourself against her face, her tongue moving in and out as her nose bumped your clit and you watched your cum trickle along the angular contours of her jaw, glistening against the richness of her beautiful complexion.

“Oooo fuck. Shuri.”

Shuri took one last lick through your folds, attempting to clean you dry but your continual leaking for her made it impossible. She stands on her two feet, resting between your opened legs as she’s greeted with the most vulnerable version of yourself, visibly struggling to recover from the intensity of your orgasms and it was that sight of you that nearly caused her to lose complete control.

“You’re shaking, y/n,” she cooed with a tease. “I’m just getting started with you. I haven’t even fucked you yet.”

“Mmmm.”

“Is that what you want from me? Does getting fucked by a vampire make you wet?,” she asks in a condescending tone. You cannot answer with words, no matter how hard you try and so you nod your head in sheer desperation.

“You will be broken by the time I am down with you. Ruined for anyone who tries to come after me.”

You could hear her voice, yet you were deeply disconnected, unable to fully grasp the profound meaning behind her words and it was so apparent to Shuri that she felt she had to resort to communicating to you telepathically in an attempt to reunite your mind with your body.

“You’re ok, s’thandwa. Follow my voice.” The voice in your head pulled you back to reality, your pussy was still aching but your mind was at ease.

“Now listen to me, y/n. Being with a vampire is nothing like being with a human, especially that little boy you almost called a husband. I’m going to fuck you, and I’m going to fuck you good. If at any point I’m going too hard or I’m hurting you, I need you to let me know.”

“Mhmm,” you manage to say. She cups your face in her hands, brushing the tears that sat on your waterline with the tips of her thumbs, and god, she was in love with you.

“You’re so pretty, y/n.”

“Please, Shuri.”

“Please, what?”

“I want—need you…”

“Mmmm,” she hums knowingly, her eyes dark and seeping in lust as she teasingly drags a finger through your sopping folds, and you wince at her touch, simultaneously wanting more and running away from the stimulation her touch gave you.

“Please? Please, Shuri? I n-need you. Unh.”

“Ssshhh, I know baby, I know. I want to take my time with you.”

Your soft whines of overwhelming pleasure climbed up your throat as she brushed her fingers between your puffy folds, purposefully avoiding your clit and it is enough to make you lose your mind but this is how she wants you; desperate, needy, craving more. But once she presses your clit, you let out a wail as you softly cry at her touch, tears falling down your cheeks.

“My little cry baby.” Her voice is condescending, belittling as she plays between the swollen flesh.

“That’s right, y/n. Cry for me. Show me how much it is.”

“Fuck me?,” you whimper.

“Bast, you’re needy, huh?” she says with a smirk, your desperate plea shooting an ache into Shuri’s pussy because she needed you just as bad, her vampire lust surpassing that of a human experience.

“I know I am…it’s just Jonathan…he n-never—”

“I know, princess. It’s ok. I got you now, I’ll take care of you.”

“Unh.”

“Oh sthandwa, I’m going to fucking ruin you.” She said this like it was a promise, like she was sure no one would come after her and if they did, they wouldn’t make it too far. You moan as Shuri plunges her fingers into your cunt, falling in love with the way you immediately clench around her, your greedy cunt letting more slick pour out for her.

“My pretty slut to ruin.”

“I don’t care, just ruin me.” You buck your hips into her fingers in desperation, craving more and more from her and you were so embarrassed with how loud your pussy was, how much your clenching walls needed her but you didn’t care enough to stop yourself.

“Please, baby, pleeaseee,” you beg. “Fuck me, Shuriiiii.”

Shuri chuckles, licking her lips as she salivates at the sight of you, finding it increasingly more and more challenging to restrain her hunger. She could sense your heartbeat growing louder, sense the blood flowing through your veins and your pussy walls, and she wanted it, wanted you. She wanted to witness your struggle as she claimed from you what sustained her life as she fucked you into another realm of sex.

“Oh fuck,” you whine as Shuri's touch finds the bundle of nerves inside you, intensifying the throb within your walls as your pussy squeezed her fingers. She swiftly took her fingers out, leaving you to whimper at the emptiness you felt yet that sensation quickly dissipates as Shuri starts swishing your clit from side to side. Your eyes roll back, and uncontrollable groans take over.

“Unh…Shuri…fuck, I’m gonna—you’re gonna make me—“ but Shuri immediately detached from you, your slick sticking to her fingers and creating a trail on the floor.

“You’re a messy girl, huh? Fuck…open your mouth for me.” And you do, moaning at the taste of your own flavor and the sight makes Shuri so horny, so wet, she cannot stand to not be inside you any longer. She wanted to feel how deep you were as she buried herself inbetween your dark thighs, get lost in the way your pussy swelled up with each hard thrust she fucked into you. Shuri removes your top and her bottoms, leaving you both in nothing but your bras just before Shuri fiddles with the device on her wrist, her strap snugly fitting to her waist. Your eyes subtly widen at the size of her, she was much bigger than that fucking man you hated so much. Shuri grabbed her shaft, slowly pumping it as she brought it to the swells of your folds, rubbing her tip against your overwhelmed clit and you whimpered at the touch. She puts the tip in, and you immediately clench around the sheer girth of her tip, letting out a soft scream as your body grapples with her size.

“Yeah, you’re gonna be fun to play with,” she comments with a sly smile. She lifts you up and you wrap your legs around her once more, your clit is pressed into her dick making your kisses turn into cluttered moans as you pant into her mouth. She grabs your ass and presses you into her, guiding your hips to grind into her until finally you meet her bedroom and your back hits her mattress, her lean but muscular body hovering over you as she purposefully made sure her shaft caressed your clit. She continued to press fervent kisses into your mouth, in awe of the way your mouth struggles to reciprocate those kisses as you feel her dick moving between your folds, caressing your bulging, beating clit.

“Look at you, how helpless you are,” she taunts as your breathing picks up.

“Shuri pleeasseee,” you whine, so overwhelmed and loving the way she took her time with you. This was all a new feeling to you, your mind and body being loved and explored and it was almost all too much, but your need for her overtook that feeling. Shuri removes herself from on top of you, resting her back against the headboard and she gestured for you to come sit on top of her.

“Take this off,” you complain, gesturing to her bra. She grins before crossing her arms and removing her bra. Her perky breasts were so beautiful and you could not help but take one of her erect nipples into your mouth and it causes her to moan, a sound you could never get tired of.

“Turn around for me.”

“But I won’t be able to see you.”

“That doesn’t matter, you’ll feel me.”

“But—” and she cuts you off by snaking her hand around your throat, causing an immediate gasp to escape your lips. She applies a gentle pressure to your windpipe, deliberately restraining her vampire strength to avoid hurting you. You revel in the way she makes you feel, sensing her containment of crossing the boundaries of her strength and it makes you feel dizzy. Using your throat as a grip, she turns your body towards the mirror.

“I love how you look when you shut up,” she whispers into you, her palm still firmly placed around your neck and you stifle a choked whimper, grasping onto her forearm as you feel her veins protruding through her human-like skin. She takes her tip once again, placing it between your sopping wet folds and your eyebrows clench together in anticipation.

“You ready, princess?”

You nod, and finally, finally you feel full, filled to the brim as her dick moves inside you, stretching you out in ways you have never before and she feels devine. You knew in that instant, she had left an eternal mark on you and you wanted to keep her inside you forever. Shuri whispered praises into you, making sure you knew just how much your needy pussy was squeezing her dick, how deep and wet you were as she thrusted slow, harsh movements that reverberated into your pussy walls and it fucked your mind up. Your moans were staggered, uncontrolled sounds as Shuri’s hand remained around your throat, pressing kisses into your shoulder.

“Shuri,” you cried and she removed her hand from your throat, and when you thought it was over, she unclipped your bra, grazing the material over your nipples as she brought the skimpy fabric to your throat, brushing it over your trachea and you swallowed in anticipation, understanding what she was going to do next and you allowed it. She pulled it, pressing the fabric hard into your windpipe, not enough to choke you completely, but just enough to have you gasping as you left your breathing to her. The act was so sensual and heightened the pleasure that coursed through you as she continued to thrust into you, trailing her other hand down your torso until she reached your clit, circling your bud excessively.

“Oh fuck, Shuri…yes, YES. UNH.”

She admired the view in the mirror in front of you two, got lost in the way your breasts bounced with each hard thrust she pounded into you, the sweat and drool that trickled down the valley between them and you were both a wreck, both so close to your release.

“That’s it…that’s…fuck. That’s a good girl. My good girl.”

“Fuck. I’m gonna cum again, Shuri. Can I? Please?”

“Mhmmm,” is all Shuri can manage to say as she approaches her own orgasm, tugging the fabric into your windpipe and you let out a strangled moan.

“Sh-Shuri…I’m cumming. Shit, don’t stop fucking me. Keep ch-choking me j-just like that. Oh…unh.”

Your orgasm surged within you like a forceful, tumultuous wave, roughly rushing through every aspect of your existence. It started in your pussy, pounding through your throbbing walls before spreading through your veins and dominating your entire body. It was seraphic, a celestial pulse that made you squirm against her, moaning through it as you noticed Shuri approaching her own high but she quickly dug her face into the nape of your neck, an attempt to contain her own moans that threatened to escape her throat.

“Fuck…y/n…,” she sobbed into your skin.

“No, d-don’t do that. Fall part for me, Shuri. I w-want to see it. Let me see what I do to y-you, baby.”

“N-nkoszana…”

“Cum inside me Shuri. Please.”

With her vampire speed, she switches the position so you’re lying on your back and you’re met with the hunger that surged through her eyes right before she pressed her lips into the side of your throat as her moans sink into your skin.

“I-I can’t,” she whimpers. “I need it. I need you.”

And immediately you understand what she’s talking about. She wants you. All of you.

“Unh.”

“Ssshhh, baby, it’s ok. Drink from me, Shuri. I know, just…please.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” she struggles to say in your neck and your heart races. Everything is pounding. Your head. Your heart, Your pussy. And you were so overwhelmed but she was buried so deep into you, her thrusts were so surreal and you were no longer fearful of the woman above you. She was unraveling before you, revealing her true self and desires, baring it all before you.

“I-I—“

“I know Sh-Shuri…it’s ok. I promise, it’s ok.” You’re grasping her curls, moaning into the curve of her neck and she lets out one last beaten whimper before she sinks her teeth into your throat. It hurts at first, a sharp pain that scared you but the more you basked in it, the better it felt. Her plunges into you were getting sloppy and uncoordinated and it did not take long before you could feel her dick twitch inside you, grazing your walls as her cum spilled into your used pussy. It was an exchange of want, giving you her cum as she took your blood and it only took a few more messy pumps until you were cumming as well, one last blissful orgasm as your mind danced with stars. You are both moaning in each other's necks, the pulse in your pussy slowing down, a hard yet slow beat that had you twitching and your heartbeat felt the same. As Shuri continues to drink from you, you begin to feel dizzy, lightheaded, your physical body needing her to stop but your mind and your pussy ached for more.

“Sh-Shuri…I-I think—unh.”

“Mmmm,” Shuri moaned, struggling to detach from you, in a world she craved for for so long as your blood brought her to a state of ecstasy. You were addicting, making it a struggle to stop as her body rushed with pleasure.

“Shuri…baby…”

Your breathless whimpers forced Shuri to release you, her face drawing closer to yours, yet she looked so different. Her dark brown eyes transformed into a blood-red hue, her fangs fully extended, and her mouth stained with your blood. The image frightened you at first and Shuri looked away in shame, attempting to conceal the face she despised so deeply.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, ashamed of herself.

“Hey, hey, look at me. Don’t hide from me, Shuri. I-I want to see you. The real you.” Raising your hand to her face, you guide her gaze back to yours and slowly, she complies, exposing herself openly, displaying her true self and she was hauntingly beautiful. You tenderly caress her face, appreciating the intense red in her eyes, the sharpness of her fangs, and your blood trickling beneath them, her mouth colored crimson from the intimate exchange.

“I’m sorry,” she repeats and you gently hush her.

“Ssshhh, it’s ok, baby, it’s ok. I’m not hurt, ok? You didn’t hurt me. You did amazing, my love. You did so well.”

She nods and as you lean in to kiss her, the flavor of your blood meets your taste buds and though it isn’t pleasant, the significance of the act outweighs the taste. Shuri cleansed your lips of your blood by licking them, then did the same for herself before withdrawing her strap that was still buried inside you.

She runs her tongue over the blood that stains your neck before planting a kiss on your forehead. Cradling your head in her hand, she gently leans your forehead against hers and whispers:

“That was better than I ever imagined.”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Both of you lay sprawled against her bed sheets, cuddling against her chest as you bask her scent while the sound of waves crashing not too far away filled the air.

“I have one more question, and then I think I’m done.”

Shuri chuckles at you. “And what would that be, s’thandwa?”

“So vampires are like…dead, right?”

“Undead.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever…I just wanna know…how exactly does one become a vampire?”

Shuri raises her eyebrow. “Why do you need to know that?”

You roll your eyes. “No reason, I’m just curious. Like there obviously has to be some kind of process.”

“Well of course there is.”

“So then tell me.”

Shuri gets up, presses her back against the headboard and you straddle her. She eyes the bite mark on your neck, tracing the unhealed scar and you wince.

“So fragile,” she whispers, almost mockingly and your heartbeat escalates and Shuri hears it, causing her to softly chuckle.

“What?”

“What?”

“You’re always laughing at me, so what’s funny?”

“Nothing, it’s just…I love the way your body responds to me.”

You gaze at her in confusion and she only stares at you in admiration, a profound sense of affection and tenderness reflected in sharp gaze. Her expressions held an unspoken language, a silent conversation that speaks volumes of how much she loved you.

“To become a vampire, you need to be dying, at the threshold of death. Then a vampire will give you their blood to drink, once that blood enters your system, it will kill you completely.”

You softly gulp.

“And then the blood will ‘fix you.’ Rid you of any scars and imperfections, rid you of wounds and disease until your body is brand new and strong and gives you back your life, making you the strongest you’ve ever felt. But not without consequence…of course.”

“That sounds…terrible,” you softly laugh.

“Trust me…it is,” she chuckles along with you, drawing you closer for a kiss that you wish could linger forever.

“The sun will be coming up soon. You’ll have to stay here until it goes back down, I won’t be able to drive you home until then.”

“That’s fine,” you reassure. “I’m tired as fuck anyway, I’ll probably just sleep here.”

She nods in agreement.

“Shuri…?”

“Yes, y/n?”

“I lied earlier…I actually have one more question.

Shuri sighs. “Last one?”

“For now.”

Shuri rolls her eyes. “I’m all ears.”

You place a quick peck on her lips before you proceed. “You know I love you, right?”

“For a while now,” she teases and you flick her shoulder. “Is that your question?”

“No.”

“Well I’m waiting…”

A deafening silence enveloped your surroundings, overpowering Shuri's heightened senses, allowing only the distant waves' sound, the rhythm of your heartbeat, and your faint breath to echo through her ears. Your palms began to sweat, and you nervously bit on your bottom lip as you contemplated whether to proceed with your question. Shuri gazed at you, filled with anticipation, almost wishing she had the ability to read minds so she could put her own at ease.

“Y/n, you’re scaring me…what is it?”

Your eyes glistened, and she sensed the hairs on your arms standing on end, yet your voice shattered the silence with your burning question; one she had hoped never to hear again.

“Turn me?” ❁ཻུ۪۪♡

Whew fuck, I need her baadddddd. Also, thank you so much for 800+ followers on here, that’s insane! Love you all and congrats if you made it through that long ass fic

#shuri black panther #shuri fanfiction #shuri x you #shuri x reader #smut #shuri smut #lesbian #vampireshuri #sapphicvqmpires

[dmysterioblog]

Chapter XVI ✧ I Love You

Paring; Rhea Ripley x Roman Reigns

Summary: Rhea finally confesses.

Warnings; smut, fluff

Word Count: 6.9k

Playlist

Masterlist

A/n: Alright yall, this is it. This is the last chapter I hope you enjoy 🤗

A week had swung by ever since the events that had transpired. At the Performance Center, Rhea could be seen standing near the ring as she paced around with her arms crossed, watching as her boys were training and preparing for War Games. Drew, who had decided to form that alliance with the Judgement Day and surprisingly with the Bloodline despite what they did to him, had also volunteered to help them train. Raquel and Liv also volunteered in assisting with training, with the taller woman being the one in the ring while Liv stood around the ring, explaining and suggesting what they should do in certain situations during the match. Jimmy’s Solo, and Roman were also of great help, seeing how last year they were the ones at War Games.

Liv’s leg had healed quickly, thanks to her resting the time she was needed and required. As for Rhea, she was already feeling good as new after the day that she woke up. Things were slowly working out between the two, despite the fact that Liv still wanted a title shot after Survivor Series. She had to admit, out of everyone in that locker room, Liv was relentless and stubborn, but in a good way. Regardless, she was going to make sure that she still retained and that she can hopefully see Liv improve more each day.

“Hey! Wanna switch for a bit?” Raquel called out to Rhea as she slid away from the ring to take a break. At that, Rhea perked up and nodded as she placed her bottle of water to the side and switched with Raquel, sliding her way through the ring while the taller woman went to take a seat for a bit. She was training Damian and Finn, both of them facing each other as Rhea gave them pointers and suggestions, all the while Liv, who also had her own share of experience in War Games, had decided to get in the ring and began leading both Dom and Jimmy and even teaching the younger male how to break from a lock, something that Dom seemed to have some struggle with at first until he had it all down to a T.

They were all scheduled to assist that Friday Night Smackdown, with Damian and Finn defending their titles against the Street Profits. It was still noon, so they had more than enough time to prepare. Unless, that’s what they thought that they were going to do when suddenly, as they were all taking a small break, they received a text notification.

“Team, due to the incident from the past week, Friday Night Smackdown will be canceled for tonight…” Dom read out loud from his phone while the others read the exact same thing. “We do apologize in advance as we are currently in the process of an ongoing investigation regarding the incident in question. As for Survivor Series, this will once again be postponed for next Saturday, none of you who are scheduled to assist will not have to arrive at the airport tonight. Apologies for any inconvenience this could cause.”

“Apologies? Pft, they just gave you guys more time to train.” Liv said as she chuckled. “You guys are lucky.”

“Yeah, but they’re really extending the events because of the incident. Which means the cause of the incident was really that serious…” Solo commented as he drank his water.

“Well, someone from tech probably screwed up while setting up the pyros.” Damian suggested as he crossed his arms.

“Ooohhhhh their asses are getting fired…” Jimmy mumbled while he wiped off the sweat from his forehead. A phone suddenly rang as Drew looked down at it before he spoke to the group.

“I have to get going, I got a few errands to run now.” He told the group, gathering his things before they all bid farewell to him as he left.

“So, does anyone wanna eat somewhere? I’m starving.” Jimmy asked. At that, Roman faced him as he arched an eyebrow.

“You remember the last time we all went out to eat together?” At his comment, Damian almost spat out his water while trying not to laugh.

“Cabrón, Jimmy and Dom fought over a chicken tender—“

“Yeah man, you guys got us almost banned because of that, I still remember!” Finn also chuckled while Dom shook his head and Jimmy raised his hands in defense.

“Hey Uce, I’m a changed man, I don’t steal no one’s tenders any more.”

“You guys fought over a chicken tender?” Raquel asked as she sat down while she arched an eyebrow. Rhea couldn’t help but snicker.

“It’s a very long story, you had to be there to witness it though, it was hilarious.”

“Well it was all fun and games until the manager almost called us out. That shit was embarrassing.” Dom told them. “They even thought that I was the one that stole the tender when it was Jimmy who did it.”

“Now I kindly asked though—“

“Sure you did, Jimmy. Sure you did.”

“Honestly guys, we should just do take-out. We got this day off and I think we should use it to take a small break.” Finn suggested as he placed a towel on his shoulder while looking at his food.

“Or… we can like, go out tonight.” Liv suggested. At that, everyone turned to look at each other at the suggestion.

“Honestly, yeah, we need it. Hell yeah.” Dom agreed, as well as everyone else unanimously.

“Ah no es que ustedes todos son unos pinches alcohólicos.” Raquel muttered.

“No vengas que tú también eres igual y peor.” Damián called out. “Ah, y más con el tequila.”

“Shut up, tequila’s fine.”

“Alright, alright, we can go out tonight, but after we get something to eat.” Rhea told them as she went to grab her things.

“Alright, let’s go—“ The guys attempted to go until Liv stood and paused them as she arched an eyebrow.

“And who said you guys were coming with us?” She asked, pointing at herself, Rhea, and Raquel.

“Wait what—“

“Nah, you guys get your own food, we’re gonna get our own and plus, we have some catching up to do. Sooooo, see ya!” Liv laughed before she grabbed both Rhea and Raquel’s arms, dragging both of them with her.

The others blinked as they watched the three walk away.

“… well at least they get along now.”

“… should we have them two join our grou—“

“Jimmy, no.”

2:45 PM

After going out to eat with both women, Rhea returned with them back to the hotel. Upon returning, they overheard that the other superstars were planning on going out tonight as a group to the same bar that they all went to last night. The three simply sat by the lounge area of the hotel as they chatted, spending their time catching up on the time that they lost all because they were against one another.

“So,” Liv began as she shifted in her seat, shifting the conversation that they had earlier to another topic. “… you and Roman, Rhea?”

Rhea stared at her momentarily. “Next question.”

“And here she goes again…” Raquel sighed and shook her head.

“What? Did I say something bad?” Liv asked as she looked at Raquel, concerned that she might have said something wrong, but the Latina just shook her head.

“No, Liv, you’re good. The thing is that THIS person right here is in complete and utter denial.”

“Just like how you’re in denial about you losing against me three times in a row?” Rhea asked as she arched an eyebrow.

“I— don’t drag me in this fight, I’m not a part of it, starting now.” Liv quickly warned the two as she tried to shift away from the two slightly in her seat. Raquel rolled her eyes at that.

“Come on, we’re not starting any fights. If anything, we should address the elephant in the room: Rhea Bloody Ripley in denial.”

“Okay- look.” Rhea sighed deeply as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. “… if I say this, promise you won’t freak out.”

“I promise.” Liv quickly said

“I can’t promise shit, Ripley.” Raquel simply said as she crossed her arms. The Eradicator deadpanned at her before she took a deep breath and spoke.

“… Roman confessed to me while I was asleep.”

“He WHAT—“

“Knew it.”

“Okay one, Liv, I told you not to freak out and two, Raquel, don’t be a smartass.” Rhea said as she scoffed. “Look- the point is that he made the official confession while I was asleep. Well, half-conscious. I wasn’t exactly awake but I did hear him damn well the moment he said it.”

“Aaaaaand how do you feel about it…?” Liv asked as she gave her a look.

“…”

“… Rhea, we don’t know the meaning of that silence.”

“…”

In her few seconds of silence, Raquel grew impatient before she took her hand and slapped it against the back of Rhea’s head. Making her cry out in pain and a few other people from afar stare at them.

“Raquel what the fu—“

“Chingona, just fucking say it already, damn! What’s it gonna take for you to admit it?!”

“Hm, hit her more.” Liv mumbled. At that, Rhea abruptly turned to face her.

“Liv!”

“What? I’m only suggesting—“

“And they say I’m the bad influence—“

“Okay enough.” Raquel huffed. “Rhea. You need to come to terms with this shit. Either you feel something or you don’t. That’s all we need to know so we can help you and then, we can move on with our lives forever.”

“… I’ll have my answer by tonight.”

“By toni— oh come on–“

“Rhea, you’re literally torturing yourself.” Liv told her as she shook her head. “Like literally.”

“You better keep on that promise, Ripley. Because if you don’t, we’re about to have a problem.”

“Guys, it’s gonna be fine. I will have that answer by tonight and then after that, y’all can live in peace.” Rhea reassured them before she looked at the time. “We should rest for a bit tonight before we leave. I’m betting you everyone’s going and we might ride in the van again tonight.”

“Yeah, good call.” Liv agreed as the three sat up. “What time should we come down here?”

“Austin said that they’re driving off at 6 PM.” Raquel said as she glanced at her phone. “They’re saying it in the group chat as we speak.”

“Alright, six o’clock it is, then.” They walked away together to the elevator before they decided to take a small nap at Raquel’s room, just so they could get ready together later on once they woke up.

5:45 PM

“Come on people, we got fifteen minutes left! Take it or leave it!” Austin called from outside as Grayson had already started the van behind him. “We still have a few seats left!”

“Should we take the other van? Just in case?” Grayson asked him.

“Eh, we’ll see. How many seats do we have left?”

“I’m counting ten more.”

“Should be enough for now. I’ll probably be driving the other van if more people decide to come.” Austin nodded before they saw more people walk out as he perked up before he grinned. “Hey, look who’s tagging along!” He went to the crowd to greet a few superstars.

After a while everyone who wanted to go and hang out at the bar with the others were already walking inside the two vans, one of them which was driven by Grayson which was full whilst the other one was half-full and was driven by Austin. At Grayson’s van, the Judgement Day and the Bloodline, along with Liv, Raquel, Shayna, and Zoey all sat in the back as they chatted amongst each other.

“Dude, rumors are going around that Randy’s coming back as the fifth member for Cody’s teams.” Shayna commented, passing along a bottle of vodka that they had been drinking from since five minutes ago.

“What? After Jey took him out?” Damian scoffed while the others laughed.

“Dude, not only him, but Jimmy too. And Roman.”

“Hey now he’s gonna want to mess with us now then if that’s true.” Jimmy quickly said almost in a nervous tone while Roman scoffed.

“Good luck with that, he probably doesn’t even know the Bloodline and the Judgement Day are unified.”

“Oh he’s gonna be screwed.” Zoey snickered, taking the bottle as she took a sip from it. “Unless he gets to RKO one of y’all first.”

“Sike, nooooot happening.” Damian immediately said before he was given the bottle and drank a bit as well.

“Hey, pass some of that?” They all kept chatting and drinking only small sips of the bottle, knowing that they couldn’t consume that much alcohol considering how they were about to drink the second they arrived at the bar. After a few minutes, both vans parked near the bar as everyone began to go inside.

“Where’s Zelina at?” Raquel was the first to ask as she looked within the crowd. “She should be here right?”

“Yeah she came from the other van—“

“Good, let’s go!” She immediately grabbed Liv and Rhea’s arms as she dragged both of them with her. “Rhea- you know how to dance salsa, so we’re gonna teach Liv after we find Zelina—“

“What- I don’t know how to–!”

“Oh please, Damian and I taught you that, now let’s go!”

“I’d rather be moshing than doing this but whatever—“

“Oh shut up, come on now!”

Two had passed since their arrival, and during those hours, the three women spent their time dancing and even taking small breaks by the bar while sharing a drink. Liv even took a moment to buy an appetizer for them just to crash down the alcohol an hour later. The three sat as they drank, ate, and laughed.

“You know back when I attacked Rhea way back then, I wanted to do a spear on her but I realize I’ve never even done a spear before on someone!” Liv commented, eating a piece of a spicy wing while she wiped her mouth with a napkin. Raquel smiled and shook her head while Rhea snorted.

“Okay, that would’ve been insane if you did, I’ll admit it—“

“Right?!”

“Her spearing Kevin Owens during Payback had my jaw on the floor, I’ll tell you that.” Raquel also admitted, taking a sip from her martini. “I thought she was done for when she did that, like— I actually thought she was going to be spent after that and that I was gonna win the title.”

“Well, you were damn wrong, so.” Rhea chuckled, causing Liv to laugh.

“On a serious note, I hope you retain next week, because I’m gonna be next, Rhe Rhe. Watch me.”

“Yeaaaaaah about that, I think Shayna wants a shot too, you know… and Becky—“

“What? Them? Oh I’m gonna have to fight them both for the title shot—“

“Let Pearce know after I retain, he’ll make it official. Trust me.”

“Ohhhhh, she’s that confident to retain next week…” Raquel chuckled. “Zoey isn’t easy to beat, Rhe Rhe. You think she has potential though?”

“Honestly? She does.” Rhea spoke sincerely, leaning back on her chair while grabbing her drink. “The way I view you and Liv here, is the same way I view Zoey. Both of you have potential. Lots of it. And I’m not going to spill too much info, but a little birdie told me that more championship titles might start coming out…”

“No way.” Liv immediately said as her eyes widened. Almost leaning forward as she looked at Rhea while she drank whilst Raquel also grew interested. “How did you get this info?”

“Well, when the Wiseman is friends with both Pearce and Aldis and when he represents the Bloodline and the Judgement Day at the same time, you end up knowing everything.”

“Girl, you better not put our hopes up for nothing.” Raquel told her, dipping a piece of celery into the ranch that they had with the wings before she took a bite out of it. Liv then gasped before she looked at the two.

“Wait, what if they decide to put on a triple tag championship? For the women?”

“That would make the roster explode, trust me.” Rhea chortled. They kept on chatting, and when Raquel was talking about Santos turning against Rey during Friday Night Smackdown weeks ago and how Zelina told how she felt about it, Rhea took a moment to look at the crowd of people. She then smiled when she saw Damian and Iyo from afar, both smiling and laughing as Damian was teaching her to dance to bachata. He looked happy when he was around her; free from all the stress and anger that he kept on having at work. It was a nice change for him to be in a committed relationship with someone like Iyo. She only hoped that their relationship lasted longer than anyone would expect.

She then turned her head and saw Dom chatting with Jimmy and Finn. The group shared a drink and laughed before the song that played in the bar switched, and as soon as it did, Dom and Finn immediately sang along with it out loud like almost everyone within the bar while Jimmy tried his best to follow along but ended up with the other two laughing and helping him. The Samoan twin didn’t know Spanish very well unlike Dom and Finn, but they were able to help him get along with it.

Near them were Solo and Roman, both of them also chatting and sharing a drink before she saw Damian and Iyo- both of them who finished dancing and were holding hands as they walked up to them. She watched as Damian and Roman exchanged a few words while the former paid for his and Iyo’s drinks. They both seemed to be in an understanding conversation with one another before Damian extended his hand to the Tribal Chief in a handshake, with the male Samoan smiling and accepting said handshake before—

“Mira ve y comételo a besos, pues.” Raquel suddenly interrupted her chain of thoughts, causing Rhea to almost jump in her seat as she turned to her and Liv.

“What–”

“Girl, just go! You said you were going to have your answer by tonight, right?!”

“Rhea, you’ve been watching him for the past five minutes, you’re not even being subtle about it!” Liv agreed as she ordered another drink for herself. “It’s that easy. Go up to him, chat about anything- literally anything, and then boom, pour your freakin’ heart out! Easy, simple!”

“Exactly, what she said.” Raquel agreed as she pointed at Liv while nodding her head.

“Look, at midnight, we’re all going to start taking shots. Midnight. Right now, it’s 8:40 PM.” Raquel showed her the time on her watch. “If you don’t make a decision before then, you’re gonna lose your chance. At some point, he might get tired of waiting. Is that what you want, Ripley?”

“I couldn’t agree more, she’s right, you know.” A female voice suddenly spoke beside them. At that, all three heads turned to see Nia who was paying for her own drink. At that, Raquel was the first one to frown disapprovingly.

“Haven’t you done enough, Nia?” She asked. “Why don’t you go and talk shit somewhere else and leave Rhea be?”

“Whoa there, I’m not here to cause issues, alright?” Nia simply sat, waiting for her drink to be prepared. “I’ve come in peace, and I’d like to talk to Rhea. It’s nothing bad.”

Rhea looked at her momentarily, before she shared a look with Raquel and Liv. Liv wore a concerned look on her face, whilst Raquel looked at Nia sternly. Reminding her how Damian would do the exact same thing for her in these types of situations.

“Raq. Liv, I’ll be fine.” She reassured both women. “I’ll catch up with you guys in a bit, okay?” Rhea watched as Liv and Raquel hesitantly walked away before she turned towards Nia.

“What do you want?”

“Well, first I'd like to apologize for my…behavior at Crown Jewel- and before that. When Solo texted me asking for my help to convince Roman to leave your side and get some rest because he refused, I didn't believe it because that’s just not how Roman was. Then when I got to the hospital and saw how bad it actually was, it made me realize that, Rhea, he truly does love you. He was crying and that is not a sight I've seen much growing up with him.” She then paused as she took a sip from her drink after the bartender served it to her while Rhea listened, a bit taken back not only because Nia was apologizing to her out of all people, but at the fact that she was actually caring towards her own blood.

“Look. What I’m trying to say is that… don’t make him wait any longer.” Nia set her drink down as she then turned to her yet again. “All I want is the best for my own blood and I’d hate to see any of them suffer. At the end of the day, they’re my family. No matter what.”

Rhea didn’t know what to say as she looked down. Nia then sighed as she took her drink from the table and walked past her before she spoke yet again. “If you want my advice, go get him while you still can. Life’s too short, Ripley.”

She was walking away after she said that while Rhea was left thinking until she spoke to her, making the irresistible force pause in her steps. “Shayna forced you to apologize, didn’t she?”

Nia remained silent for a bit before she turned to face her yet again. “I would’ve still apologized to you after what I saw. But… yeah, she kinda did. You might want to thank her for that. And also… I’m sorry I called you a whore. Now that was out of line from me, I will admit.”

Rhea wanted to laugh at that but she decided to keep herself. She watched as Nia walked away through the crowd of people, leaving her alone in her booth with her own thoughts. She looked among the crowd, watching everyone enjoying their time and having fun while she was mentally contemplating as she finished her drink. When she did, she set her glass down before she once again looked to Roman’s direction, noticing how he was now talking to Solo and Jimmy for a few seconds before she saw the two walk away, leaving their cousin by himself at the bar.

She watched him from where she sat as he ordered his own drink to the bartender. She then looked around, wondering if Raquel and Liv would come back anytime soon. When she then realized that they were probably somewhere in the bar talking with other people, she made her choice. Grabbing her things, she then stood up, walking and making her way through the crowd.

She noticed how he was about to take out his own wallet to pay when the bartender handed him his drink as she was already a few feet away from him. When she was already close enough, she spoke to the bartender as she cleared her throat.

“I’ll pay for his drink, and I’ll take what he’s having as well.”

At that, both the bartender and Roman himself turned their heads to face her. “Bourbon whiskey ma’am?”

“Yes, please.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back with that.” He nodded as he went to prepare the drink while Rhea took a seat next to Roman.

“Well, typically I pay for my own stuff.” Roman commented as he took a sip from his drink. At that, she faced him with an arched eyebrow.

“Well, get used to it. You paid for mine last time, now it’s my turn.” She simply told him as the bartender came back with her drink while she paid. While she did, Roman chuckled.

“Are you sure you can handle whiskey?”

“Well, you’re a piece of work and I can handle you. What makes you think I can’t handle this?”

“Okay, so we’re being bold now?” He couldn’t help but chuckle at her comment while she smiled. “Alright, go ahead, see if you can drink that in one go. I wanna see you try.”

At that, Rhea scoffed, taking the drink in her hand as she drank it all in one go without hesitation. She then set the glass on the table with a small ‘cling’, before she made a gesture to it while showing it to Roman. “You were saying?”

“I could’ve easily done that.”

“Sure you can.” Rhea said sarcastically while Roman snorted, also drinking his whiskey in one go before he set the empty glass on the table as she watched him.

“You were saying?” He smirked at her, imitating her question while she rolled her eyes, trying to hold back a smile of her own, though she failed in doing so.

“Show-off.” She only said while he only chucked. The two then took a moment to glance at the crowd of people around the bar, especially watching their group having fun.

“This place is packed unlike the last time we all went here. No wonder people like this place.”

“Especially on a Friday night, though.” Roman agreed as they turned back to each other. “The beers are good too, I’ll tell you that.”

At that, an idea came to her head as Rhea saw the bartender pass by while she turned her head to Roman and spoke. “What kind of beers do you like?”

“I’m good with any, why?”

“Good. Excuse me?” She called the bartender who perked up as he turned to her. “Could we get two Coronas with lime?”

The bartender quickly nodded before he served the two beers while Rhea paid for them once again. She thanked the bartender before she sat up, taking her own beer while she nudged at Roman. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” He asked as he took his own beer while he followed her.

“Chat somewhere more private. We can go back to the van for a bit.” She told him. “I have spare keys to get in, so we should be good.”

Both of them began to go through the crowd until they made their way outside the bar. It was a bit cold given the weather at the moment, but they were able to arrive at the van quickly as Rhea unlocked it. They both went inside the large van, careful not to trip over anything before they got all the way to the back where the wider and more comfortable seats were.

“Well, this is a bit better. Needed a break from all the noise inside anyways.” Roman commented as they both sat together, with Roman sitting on one far end while Rhea sat with her legs propped up to the seat. Just like how she would usually do.

“Yeah, well, that was kinda the intention, to be honest.” Rhea told him, leaning against the seat comfortably with her beer in hand as she took a sip from it. “I just… wanted to catch up with you in a quieter place.”

“Yeah? Well… it’s been a while since we talked like this.” Roman pointed out as he also drank his beer. “After everything that went down.”

“I know.” She said almost softly, looking down at her beer. “… and I’ll be honest, I’ve been a dick lately and for that, I apologize.”

“No. No, I don’t blame you.” He reassured her. “After everything that happened? I would’ve reacted in a same or similar way if I was in your shoes.”

“No, it’s not just that, it’s…” She trailed off, not knowing how to explain it. “I kept pushing you away and it was unfair of me. I should’ve done things differently but I didn’t know what to do or say, hell, I didn’t even know how to feel, so I panicked.”

“Well… if it makes you feel any better, it wasn’t as hurtful as the time Seth hit me with that steel chair.”

At that, she snorted as she kicked him lightly in the side with her heel, making him yelp. “Ow–“

“That’s what you get.”

“Geeze, you wanna take me out all of the sudden?” He asked as he rubbed his side while she couldn’t help but chuckle. At his question, she arched an eyebrow.

“Reigns, you have to be more specific when asking a question like that, because either I can just take you out or send you to rehab.”

At that, he paused as he arched an eyebrow at her. They both looked at each other for a moment until they couldn’t help but break as they laughed together.

“Were you trying to flirt with me—“

“I was—“ The two remained there as they chatted for the next two hours while having already finished their beers. Right now, it was 11:30 PM. Rhea listened to Roman talk about his times during the Shield as she looked at him. After a while, they changed the subject until Rhea winced when she noticed that she had her legs folded for a while and she needed to stretch them as they were threatening to fall asleep. At that, Roman allowed her to place one leg on his lap while she set the other on the floor, making her also needing to scorch a little bit closer to his side.

“Reigns?”

“Hm?”

For a moment, Rhea seemed to hesitate to ask whatever she had in her mind at first until she steeled herself, knowing that she couldn't hold back any longer. “This is out of curiosity and if you don’t want to answer, that’s fine, but…” She paused, looking at her lap. “… why did you kiss me when we first met?”

At the question, Roman gazed at her for a few minutes. She waited for an answer from him as she leaned her head to the side. He then looked down at his empty bottle before he carefully set it on the ground, finally deciding to speak after he gathered what he intended on saying.

“I think at the time I did it because I wanted to shut you up-

“Yeah I know, I argue a lot.” Rhea said as she sighed while Roman chuckled before he continued to speak.

“Well yeah, but that was also just an excuse to hide the fact that I was starting to like you…”

Her gaze softened slightly at that. Her hand extended to hold his momentarily as he allowed her to do so, his thumb caressing her knuckles like he usually did. “And… what did it feel like to you?”

“What?”

“The kiss. Did it… did it mean anything to you?” She asked. For some time, she never knew why, but she always had this sort of fear in which one day she was going to hear how he truly felt. At first they were nothing but a fling but now, things have changed.

And deep down she also wanted this, but at the same time, she was scared.

“It meant the world to me, Rhea. Do you think I'll just kiss anyone?”

“I-”

“Don’t answer that,” they both chuckled, “But no I wouldn't. What did it mean to you?”

“To be honest it was kinda the downfall of everything,” Roman’s face fell a bit, “But I loved every second of it. I tried to convince myself that I didn't, that it was wrong, but god it felt so right,” Rhea continued, “Roman i have to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“At the hospital, when I was still asleep…I heard what you said.”

“...You did?”

“Everything. And I think it’s time I finally say it back. I love you too, Roman,” Rhea said teary eyed. Without hesitation Roman pulled Rhea into a sweet kiss, both smiling into it. Rhea began to move closer, wanting more but the moment was cut short by someone knocking on the van’s window. The sound making both Rhea and Roman jump.

“Yo, take it easy. Dejen esa bellaquera para el hotel. We’re getting shots now, let’s go.”

Damian.

They sighed before they started laughing while Damian walked away.

“I think I almost died again,” Rhea said jokingly before they got out of the van and walked into the bar holding hands.

It was already 2:30 AM as everyone returned to the hotel. Unlike last time, more people were drunk and had to be escorted by the sober ones to their rooms. Liv and Rhea had to escort a tipsy Raquel back to her room while making sure that she was okay. Afterwards, Rhea was called for help to drag both Jimmy and Finn to their rooms as well.

“Are you okay with sobering Raquel up? I need to head back to the lobby.” Rhea asked Liv as she kept her phone inside her pocket while they stood outside the taller woman’s room.

“Sure, I’ll be fine.” Liv reassured her.

“Alright. Night Liv, take care- call me if you need anything.”

“Goodnight- oh, also!” Liv paused her. “Before you leave…”

“Yeah?”

“You need to tell me and Raquel about everything.”

At that, Rhea blinked in confusion. “About what?”

“You and Roman- you know, when you both came back to take shots with us and you were holding hands…”

“Pft, no we weren’t.” Rhea lied while she made a face. At that, Liv arched an eyebrow.

“Literally everyone saw you two.”

“Okay, okay- I’ll tell you in the morning.” Both chuckled. Rhea was about to turn to the elevator when Liv spoke once more.

“I’m glad you’re happy… you know.” A bit of sadness could be heard in her voice. Rhea turned to her, looking as the blonde smiled sadly. Rhea felt a pang of pity before she spoke.

“And you’ll be happy someday too, Liv. I know you will.” She pressed the elevator button. “But I’ll still be here for you no matter what.”

They both smiled at one another until Rhea couldn’t help but approach Liv with a hug. Liv returned the hug, trying her best not to cry while she rubbed her back. When the elevator doors opened they broke away, with Liv wiping her tears.

“I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Yeah. I’ll text you guys for breakfast.” Rhea nodded as they both bid farewell before Liv went to check on Raquel while Rhea went to the elevator. She arrived at the lobby after a while to see Damian and Roman dragging a drunk Jimmy while Dom was helping a drunk Finn.

“A little help here? Please?” Damian asked while looking at Rhea as he gestured to Finn. She sighed and shook her head before she went and helped Finn.

“Where’s Solo?”

“He was a bit drunk too. He had a headache, so he went straight to his room.” The group went inside the elevator, escorting both Finn and Jimmy to their rooms. They were able to take Finn first as Dom volunteered in helping him sober up.

“He’s been saying yeet for the past thirty minutes…” Roman mumbled as he rolled his eyes, finally being able to bring Jimmy to his room while Damian and Rhea tried their best not to laugh. “I’m gonna check on him before we leave, I’ll be right back.” He told them before he went to his cousin’s room to help him sober up.

“So…” Damian and Rhea both waited in the hallway as the older male turned to her. “It’s official, I’m assuming?”

“Well… yeah.” She told him as she leaned against the wall while holding her hands inside her pockets. “How about you and Iyo?”

“Well, Bayley was a bit against it at first because she wants Iyo to be focused on her championship and war games, but Dakota and Iyo were able to talk her out of it.” Damian explained. “But so far, we’re good.”

“Well, at least she isn’t giving you the stink eye.”

“Nope. For now.” Both chuckled before Damian got a text. “And speak of the devil- she wants me downstairs with her and Iyo at the bar.”

“Try not to get drunk again.” She reminded him while he walked to the elevator as he pressed the button. “And leave the bellaquera with Iyo afterwards!”

“Hey that’s my word—“ Damian called out while Rhea laughed before he went inside the elevator. “See you in the morning!”

“See ya!” She watched him leave as she decided to stay and wait for Roman in the hallway. She figured she should spend a little bit more time with him before she went to sleep. She wasn’t that tired yet, after all. After about a minute or so Roman finally came out of Jimmy’s room.

“How’s he doing?”

“He’ll be fine. He’s going to have a hell of a hangover in the morning though.” They chuckled and began to walk towards Rhea’s room.

“Did he keep saying ‘yeet’?”

“God, he wouldn’t shut up,” Roman groaned, making Rhea laugh even more. They eventually arrived at Rhea's room and she turned towards him.

“About what he talked about in the van-”

“Yeah I don’t think we're quite finished. Where did we leave off again?” He said with a smirk on his face and pulled her closer to his body by her waist. She gave him a knowing look before she pulled him into a kiss.

“Stay with me tonight…please?” Rhea mumbled into his lips.

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” He picked her up with ease, opened the door, and closed with his foot behind them. He gently placed her on the bed all while still kissing her. They finally pulled away to breathe.

“I’m going to make you mine tonight,” he whispered and began to pull at the hem of her shirt. She raised her arms for him to take it off. Roman caressed her waist with his cold hands, making her slightly shiver. He then unclipped her bra and slowly slid the straps down her shoulders.

“Now is your turn,” Rhea teased while pulling at his shirt. In a swift moment, he took his shirt off and she took the opportunity to pull him into a needy kiss once again only to drag him into the bed with her. She got on top of him and dragged her hands over his toned abs all the way up to his chest. She leaned down and kissed his neck, determined to leave a mark of her own.

“I was the one who was supposed to mark you tonight,” Roman said.

“Hm, you still can,” Rhea teased. With that he flipped them over making Rhea giggle a bit. He kissed and licked from her collarbone up to her jaw. He then leaned his forehead against hers just to look at her eyes.

“What?” she asked, smiling.

“Just thinking of how I got so lucky.” Rhea bit her lip before kissing him once again. While doing so, she hooked her finger around one of the belt loops from his jeans.

“I think it’s time for you to take these off, don’t you think?”

“As you wish.” He began to take his pants off as well as hers. Once they were discarded on the floor, Roman knelt down on the foot of the bed, lifted one of Rhea’s legs and started leaving a trail of wet kisses down until he reached her dripping core.

“Roman, please- I’ve waited enough.”

“You’re so impatient.” He sat up and aligned his rock hard cock with her entrance. He looked at her face for any signs of protest before finally going in. Rhea closed her eyes and tossed her head back in pleasure.

“Ro…”

“Look at me, mami. Look at me while I finally make you mine.” She opened her eyes, her gaze filled with love and lust. He pulled her into a messy kiss all while speeding up his thrusts. Her moans kept getting louder along with his grunts.

“I’m close, baby,” she moaned.

“Just a little longer-” he whispered in her ear.

“Please-” she said desperately, letting herself be vulnerable for once.

“Now.” She gripped onto his back, letting out a high pitched moan. Roman’s thrust became sloppy and soon came to a stop. The room was filled with tired pants. Rhea laid with her eyes closed, her hair sticking to her sweaty forehead.

“You alright?” He asked, a bit concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need a minute.”

“Are you willing to give me a number higher than a six now?” He asked with a cocky smile. Soon it turned into a look of pain caused by a kick from Rhea. He tried to get up to grab a cloth for her but she pulled back.

“Stay,” she said in a gentle voice. He gave in and laid down and pulled her cold body to his warm embrace. Her head was pressed against his chest with a calm look on her face. She soon started running her finger through his tattoos. He ran his fingers over her shoulder and then placed a kiss on her forehead, the action making Rhea look up at him.

“I love you, Ro,” she pecked his lips.

“I love you too, mami.”

Taglist:

@sassginaswanmills @riptideripley @eepyslut @blessrhea

#fanfic #smut #angst #rhea ripley #roman reigns #rhea ripley x roman reigns #the tribal chief #the judgment day #damian priest #dominik mysterio #finn bálor #jimmy uso #solo sikoa #nia jax #zoey stark #liv morgan #raquel rodriguez #i love you #wwe

[hitomisuzuya]

this is so random but like i was scrolling on tiktok and there was this person who posted an art of traveler being flustered when scara asks to hold our hand during the archon quest (me fr fr). perhaps you could do like what happens if at that time traveler immediately thinks of something like, “my hand in marriage? sure😳”, or like just plain ““JDKWKWQK” (>////<)” and scara just reads their mind— I — 😭😭😭😭

a/n: this is so cute. I always wanted to write something similar to this. I hope you enjoy.

Scaramouche x fem!reader. SFW. Reader is not the Traveler. Minor spoilers. I first mained Lumine, so she is the twin. Scaramouche is written as Wanderer at the end.

Your heart ached for some reason when Scaramouche turned to you. He knew what he was doing and he hated knowing it would break your heart. He knew you would never stop him from doing something he thought was best for him, even if it was erasing himself from history. "Give me your hand, y/n," his tone was soft, almost gentle.

When you did as he asked, you thought this without even thinking, blushing: My hand? My hand in marriage? Yes, yes I will marry you!

Scaramouche actually laughed at you when he pulled his hand away. "Yeah, that's what I was asking for." (He added one last thing, he was genuine when he said this) "Sure, let's get married."

You were glad when he didn't see the tears burning your eyes as he turned to leave. He spared one last glance back at Paimon and Lumine. "Take care of her, okay?"

Tears were falling now. What did mean by that? Why were you suddenly crying?

Little did you know in the following days, you would understand why. You retained your memories of him just like Lumine. You desperately followed after Lumine when she went searching for answers. You also got a very bad feeling when talked to the fellow called Xavier. It was just way too convenient that he happened to be right there waiting for you.

You were ecstatic when you suddenly heard his voice when you got back from Inazuma. Your heart leapt, and you almost started crying. In fact you did a little. There he was, different yet the same.

Wanderer's eyes widened when he saw you, his cheeks flushing. "Pretty.." he murmured. "Can someone tell me why the pretty girl is crying?" He sounded so polite.

You followed Lumine and Wanderer through everything that happened afterwards. Seeing him get his Anemo vision after Nahida gave him his memories back took your breath away.

Once everything was said and done, he immediately ignored Paimon, Lumine, and Nahida, making a beeline straight for you. Honestly, you felt like slapping him for leaving you like that and trying to erase himself from history.

"I hope you know I was falling in love with you all over again. Now we have to get married," he said, crossing his arms as he looked at you.

#genshin impact #genshin fluff #scaramouche #wanderer #fem!reader #scaramouche x reader #wanderer x reader #genshin imagines #wanderer x you #scaramouche x you

[angel-of-the-moons]

Nothing Is Lost

Khonshu x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: None, allusions to past assaults but nothing graphic

A/N: Badr makes another appearance! (I plan on checking this over in the morning when I have more energy to check for mistakes)

Taglist: @drinkingwithkhonshu

🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑

Chapter 6:

Trust Issues

You felt like you were going insane. Clinically, literally, justifiably insane. Your freaky dreams where you were sure you were dying? Cakewalk. The dreams where you were actually seeing whoever it was you were in the point of view as? Yeah, no. This was all too weird for you. Far too weird.

So… After one too many nights of reliving the dream as the woman named “Merit” you poured yourself into hours and hours of research. You first did a search of the name, plus some contextual keywords to assist with the search. How you instinctively knew how to spell it is beyond you, but you did it.

Apparently, “Merit” in ancient Egyptian meant “beloved, beautiful” or “loved/treasured one”. And the first thing to pop up beneath the translation was the results of a discovered tomb in Egypt.

You’d hoped that somehow, this was tied to that. Maybe you were dreaming up something you’d read in a passing article while scrolling through Facebook, or even MySpace back in the day, and merely forgot about it, your exhausted subconscious dreaming up these scenarios to somehow distract you from your already demanding waking life…

So, you watched all the documentaries surrounding Merit and her husband, Kha.

You read as many articles and absorbed as much information as your brain could retain, but…

It just didn’t feel right. The Merit of your dreams was not this Merit. They had a wonderful life, Kha being a royal tomb builder, Merit being the dutiful and loving wife and mother.

The Merit of your dreams was young, knowledgeable. You haven’t seen many details of her life, but somehow you knew this woman and the one in your dreams were not one in the same.

It provided illuminating information on ancient Egyptian culture, burial practices, as well as insight into people who weren’t “all powerful” pharaohs or priests. They seemed so… normal. Even by modern standards.

The way their stories were told in the motifs and reliefs in their tomb, even to someone untrained in the field of Egyptology, anybody with a brain between their ears could see just how much love they held for one another.

It made you oddly nostalgic.

You yourself gave dating a try, but it never worked out for you. That and the dating pool was full of horny pricks who merely wanted to pump and dump you, anyways. And you weren’t one for casual flings.

You made that decision when the first and last one night stand was horrendously disappointing and lasted all of half an hour.

Ah, but the love between Kha and Merit was one most strived for, no?

Maybe you’d get lucky and find that, but not any time soon. Not with all the crazy bullshit you’ve got going on in your life, right now. Not while you were so convinced you were losing your proverbial marbles because of your crazy dreams.

All you could do right now is focus on your dreams, what Jezebel told you…

And why the flying hell you were dreaming about being a lovesick noblewoman in ancient Egypt.

🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑

You’d been free of work for three days. You were absolutely going mad, with nothing to do to occupy your nights than binge-watching shows on streaming platforms, reading more useless articles that didn’t pertain to your dreams, or sit on the roof of your building in abject, confused silence.

As well, you couldn’t shake the feeling that you were being watched, either. Everywhere you went, you felt eyes on you. It made you shudder with uneasiness.

But the world doesn’t stop for you just because you’re uncomfortable, and you knew that. Your dreams certainly didn’t stop for it.

You sighed as you leaned back in the old desk chair, rubbing your eyes with the heels of your palms.

You lifted your gaze and turned to look outside the library window. The sun was hidden well beyond the tall buildings of the city, the slivers of sky you could make out dusting pink and purple hues. Looking back down at the corner of the screen, you finally take in what time it was. 6pm.

God, you pissed away seven hours doing research. Educational–yet pointless–research.

You leaned forward with a hefty groan and rested your face in the palms of your hands. You were still no closer to getting any details on this woman you’re dreaming up.

But what if she wasn’t even real? What if this woman was, as you’ve been worried, a figment of your imagination, dreamed up to give you some form of respite from your dreary, overloaded day-to-day life? It made sense, in a way, for your psyche to dream up a distraction to keep yourself from falling into a pit of perpetual exhaustion and despair.

But at the same time, the idea didn’t sit right with you. Why would this “distraction” start out with horrible, sleep-robbing nightmares or blood and abject horror? Why would it include such vividly-detailed scenarios that you can almost remember frame-by-frame?

Ugh. It was practically psychological torture brought on by your own subconcious.

You were shaken from your thoughts when you heard a deep voice come from the table across from you; “Pulling an all-nighter?”

Your eyes opened and you lifted your gaze until your eyes were locked with a man. He looked to be in his mid-thirties at his oldest, perhaps. His skin was dark, almost a shade of burnt toffee, and piercing eyes bore into you from behind small, round glasses. He wore dark gray trousers with a button-up yellow dress shirt that was rolled up to his elbows, revealing visible veins and muscular forearms.

This man, despite his calm look, exuded an unmistakable air that told you he could be a threat if crossed. Something about him seemed familiar, but you just couldn’t–

“Miss..?” He asked you, a brow raising.

“Uh–” You blinked and shook your head. “I, uh… No, I’m just… doing research.”

“Ah. A student, then?” He asked, tilting his head, his voice still so cool it may as well have been a glacier floating in Antarctica. His face was just as equally calm and placid.

Was this guy a librarian or..?

“No.” You say simply, shrugging. “It’s for… personal reasons. But I’m not getting anywhere.”

“Hm, perhaps I can help. What topic are you trying to research for? I imagine since it’s for personal reasons you can afford to make a few mistakes in researching here and there.” He offered.

You leaned back in your chair, crossing your ankles and folding your arms over your chest as you stared at him with distrust.

“No offense,” You began. “But I don’t know you. And besides, I’m kind of doing research on archaeology. Sort of. I’m not looking up sports statistics.”

Finally, his stone-like demeanor cracks and a short chuckle escapes him in a huff. “Ah, of course. I have forgotten my manners. I am Yehya Badr.”

Your eyebrow quirked up ever so slightly and you were still rather hesitant to give out too many personal details. So… you give him a false name as you lean over the table to offer him an outstretched hand. Or. Well… the name was almost false.

You think.

“Merit.”

His eyes got imperceptibly larger, but their change is just enough that it didn’t go unnoticed by you as he takes your hand and gives it a firm shake.

“Interesting.”

“Is it?” You say, releasing his hand to sit back down.

“Yes, it’s a name originating from Egypt.” He says to you, calmly speaking as he walks around the table, his hands clasped firmly behind his back, his shoulders squared and chin up as he strides over to you.

“It can mean a number of things, actually. The most settled upon is “beloved”. Your parents must have liked the name very much. It is very uncommon nowadays.”

You were instantly surprised as he sat down next to you. He takes a glance at the monitor and the research you’d accumulated in the different tabs. “Ah, so you’re trying to… research the historical significance of your name?” He hummed.

“Sort of.” Your mouth twisted as you chose your next words very carefully. “I’m also just a bit of an archaeology nerd. If I could afford it, I’d go to school… But research is as close to it as I can get, at the moment. How do you know what my name means?”

He flashed a smile, his teeth standing out in stark contrast to his darkened lips. “I grew up in Luxor. It’s hard not to grow up in a place like that and not know about ancient Egypt, and the archaeological knowledge gathered there. I also spent many years during school in the museum. It was a quiet place, and history can be a very quiet and enamoring companion when you’re smothered by the hustle and bustle of people every day.”

“Oh. Well that’s… convenient.” You admitted to him, shifting your eyes back to the computer.

“Mhmm.” He hummed.

“So… like, what made you want to stop to talk to me?” You tilted your head at him, scrutinizing him curiously.

He seemed to take no mind to your suspicious looks, merely offering a polite smile to you in return.

“You looked distressed, and in my medical opinion–just on a pure glance alone–you are exhausted.” He replied.

“That doesn’t explain it, though.” You pointed out.

He chuckled again and his dark, obsidian eyes locked with yours. “It doesn’t, does it?”

“Nope.” You looked around, noticing you two were alone in this part of the library. “And it’s kind of creepy, if I’m being honest.”

He laughed, his voice tight but full of humor at your jibe. “Ah. Yes, it is, isn’t it? Perhaps a better explanation is in order. I made an oath to aid those who need it. And you looked like you needed help. So, therefore…”

“Uh-huh.” You said, still skeptical.

He shook his head, still smiling. “You are a very suspicious young woman.”

“Some guy tried to assault me not too long ago, and I’ve been mugged several times in the last few years alone, so yeah.” You said, leaning in with a squint. “I’m suspicious.”

Yehya seemed shocked by your admission, and you didn’t know why. It’s as if what happened to you seemed to personally offend him, judging by the flame of revulsion and anger that flickered in the dark pools of his eyes.

“An no-one did anything?” He asked you slowly. “You fought them off yourself?”

“Considering every time it happened in the dead of night–er, well, more like at like 2am–no. Because nobody was around to do anything. As for fighting them off? No again. I bargained with a few of em, stopped carrying valuables on me, and…” You chewed the inside of your cheek. You didn't know this guy, so there was no way for him to call all the bluffs you were making. “The most recent time, I did fight him off. I was… violent and he died. I didn’t get in trouble, thankfully. Because it was in self-defense, you understand.”

You leaned back in your chair and waved your hand with a dismissive huff. “Where’s a caped crusader when you need one, huh?” You added sardonically.

He took a deep breath and leaned away from you, closing his eyes for a moment. “Of course. I’m sorry those things have happened to you.”

You shrugged your shoulders and laughed. “Hey, man. You aren’t a cop. Don’t take offense to it or anything. It’s not like it’s your job to walk the beat. You’re a doctor.”

“Right…” He cleared his throat and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his palms flat against one another in front of him. “Ah, back to the earlier subject. Would you like some help in your research? It might help you to have someone who is from Egypt giving their personal experiences, there…”

You had a nagging feeling this guy just wasn’t going to leave you alone unless you said yes.

“Fine, I guess. Couldn’t hurt.”

🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑

Yehya watched as the young woman left the library. It was well past sunset and she had stayed even after he left.

Her distrustful nature didn’t offend him, hell, if anything it was perfectly sensible to be that way after she had been robbed and assaulted so many times at night, when she should have been protected…

He clenched his fist, trembling in anger as he shadowed her, out of sight at the edges of rooftops.

How could he have failed so spectacularly in his task as Khonshu’s Fist? If this woman truly was Merit, if she died, he would never forgive himself. To fail in the protection of one soul–one specific, special soul–was a stain upon his oath. One he intended to cleanse from the pale, holy trappings he was enshrouded in. Yes, it was impossible for him to be everywhere at once, but while Marc–and his alters–traipsed about in London and Cairo with the woman they were besotted with, Taweret’s new Avatar, Layla el Faouly (whom he’d had the pleasure to meet once when they were here in New York, before Marc let Steven wrench control of the body and lead the course of their lives; and later battle Ammit herself alongside Khonshu and Layla), Yehya vowed to do better.

He would not fail Khonshu again. This woman, she needed his protection. He would not neglect his duties, he would split his attentions evenly. He would continue to watch over this woman, follow her from the shadows and the rooftops when she ventured out into the night, when she would leave and come home from work.

He lifted his gaze to the sky, the stars hardly visible to the eye due to the light pollution of the city. The moon was gone from the sky, having disappeared to be shrouded in darkness to begin the cycle anew.

Yes. He would keep his oath. This woman would never fall unprotected during the night ever again.

Not while there was a possibility that he could bring his God–his Father–the closure he needed.

Not while there was a chance to help heal his pain, the pain that has lasted thousands of years.

Not while there was a chance that he can bring the light back into Khonshu’s existence.

Not while this young life, this ancient soul, still had the chance to possibly remember who she was.

Not while he could heal a wound that still bled.

He was a doctor, after all.

🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑

Chapter 7: Link

#moon knight #khonshu moon knight #khonshu x reader #khonshu x you #khonshu #yehya badr #doctor badr

[deadandphilgames]

Imagine. The Urge but no homo

okay challenge accepted

It was a crisp winter's night in London, England. It was that particular time in late January where there was no longer any frost, but simply biting cold air in what felt like a completely empty atmosphere.

Dan Howell was walking down the road; his tall black silhouette cast shadows from the artificial amber glow of streetlamps. His breath formed swirls of mist with every exhalation and he decided to slide his exposed hands inside his coat pockets to retain some warmth. The street was empty at this time and his footsteps echoed up and down around him, only interrupted by the cruising hum of a taxi driving past. He wasn't totally alone after all. Dan had time to think on this journey, time to think about what had happened the night before.

The events had played in his head so many times over that he didn't know whether he could trust their accuracy, or if his own perceptions had rewritten how the events unfolded. Any way he thought about it, one thing was certain. His friend roommate, Phil Lester, was dead.

Phil had a habit of always being in the worst place at the worst time. It was an endearing quality that often resulted in funny stories for him to share with his friends or his followers on the internet. He was a kind person. Perhaps that's why he was singled out as a victim. It wasn't fair. A painful stab of recollection shot through Dan's brain, as if forcing itself through a wall he had built to protect himself. He saw it again. The dead, lifeless eyes, the way it moved so swiftly out of the darkness, the blood. The blood was the most vivid memory of all. Dan had somehow found himself collapsed in a corner, unable to move, but out of the corner of his eye he saw the crimson trail of his friend's life weaving around the cobbled stones of the street and down a drain. Dan saw his hand twitching, those last moments of resistance and hope that something, someone, would be able to save him. Then it stopped. That is the last time he saw Phil Lester alive.

Dan arrived home at their apartment. It felt wrong. Opening the door to the living room, the usual bright colours of their possessions seemed inappropriate, disrespectful even. How could anything dare to be so bright at this time? He turned off the lights and collapsed on the grey carpet of their hallway. Sleep.

The next day was to be Phil's funeral. Dan had no interest in going. He would rather be having lots of sex with women that day. His friendship with Phil was personal to him and not something he wanted to share with family and friends who would mean well but insult with every word of comfort. He decided that even if he had to attend physically, he would be somewhere else in his mind, thinking of cars and beer. He had to.

Dan remained silent and stoic through the service. People left to return to their lives, the relatives trading condolences, leaving Dan alone in the room with the coffin. He didn't want to look - it would be real if he saw. He wanted to run away from this nightmare, but he had to see. Dan strode over and gazed into the box. Lifeless. Even with Phil's typically pale skin you used to see the warm glow of life within. All that could be seen here was the sickly pale-green colour of death.

Dan went to turn away, to walk out of the room into a life where everything familiar was gone, when something grabbed his wrist.

'Don't go, it's okay.' Dan turned to see the same pale skin he had just had burned into his memory gripping at his shirt.

He looked up slowly to see his dead friend sat bolt upright. Dan ran. Not stopping to blink, breathe or process a single thought he sprinted out of the back exit and all the way across the grounds of the building to underneath a tree. He vomited. It wasn't real. He was hysterical. He tried to rationalist the thoughts in his head as his eyes shook with distress.

'Dan, stop running, I'm not going to hurt you.'

He spun around to see Phil, standing upright as if completely fine with his hands forwards as if anticipating Dan's irrational behaviour. 'You can't, I mean, this can't be real,' Dan said, grasping behind his back to try and hold onto the tree as if it was a tether to reality.

'You know I'm real, Dan, this is real and I think you know why.'

'No!' Dan shouted and pushed Phil backwards in utter disbelief. Phil punched dan and didn’t pin him to a tree, that would’ve been very homoerotic. Phil grabbed Dan's wrists and pinned him against the tree. Dan could feel the sharper edges prodding uncomfortably into his back as if the tree itself was pushing him towards the nightmare. 'It was a vampire.' The words stuck in penetrated into Dan's head and seemed to pull down on his soul as if everything he had been trying not to believe in the last two days was sinking like quicksand. 'I don't know how, or if that's exactly what it is, but it explains it well enough,' Phil said in a calmer tone, clearly aware of Dan's slow realisation.

‘oh sick. a vampire,’ Dan said.

‘Let’s go look at boobs. I won’t bite you, because I don’t want you to join me for eternity. that would be kinda gay,’ replied Phil. The end

'You aren't the real Phil,' Dan said in a flat, emotionless tone. His head was bowed and in Phil's grip it seemed Dan wasn't trying to resist anymore. 'If what you're saying is true, you aren't Phil. You're just a beast possessing his body.' He looked up and stared into Phil's eyes. He didn't see the bright blue pools of life that he used to, he sat emptiness. He must be right.

Phil stared back at Dan, seeing his brown irises blazing with fury. Phil let his grip loosen for a second. Dan realised and swung a punch as hard as he could, hitting Phil square in the jaw. Phil reached towards his lip. Blood. He looked down at it in a strange way and glanced back up at Dan who seemed to almost be expecting something. Phil decided to wipe the blood on his shirt. 'I won't lie,' Phil said, rearranging his suit jacket and sweeping his black hair away from his eyes. 'I feel different. I feel urges. I still know who I am, what I do, what the difference is between right and wrong. And yet something within me, something primal ...' 'Shut up.' Dan said, clenching his fist and visibly shaking with rage. 'You are not my friend and if I have to destroy his body to give him peace, do not think I won't.'

Dan spun around, reaching for the sharp wood that was cutting into his back. In one sure motion he snapped the branch and immediately swung towards Phil, who, as if in slow motion, leant backwards, smacked the branch from Dan's hand and grabbed his by the throat. Dan's head banged against the tree with a force that shoo. The leaves from the branches, falling over the boy's shoulders. His breath was heavy. He could feel the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. This was fear. He tried to move but the force his friend was applying to his neck seemed immovable and impossible.

Phil stepped closer until their noses touched and looked Dan directly in the eyes: 'I could kill you. Every fibre of my being is urging me to tilt your head back and bite your neck, but I can choose not to.'

'What?!' Dan said, spitting out warmth before taking in a huge gasp.

'I don't want to kill you. I want you to join me.'

Dan felt his heart drop in pressure. An overwhelming stillness waved through his body until he was stunned into silence. 'No p-please,' he stuttered.

'You don't have a choice, but I do. Appreciate it,' said Phil. 'Think about it, Dan, things can continue like normal! We can tell everyone it was one of those miracle situations where I was never actually dead. We can go back to our apartment and continue our normal lives ... with some dietary adjustments, I guess.'

Dan had completely lost his ability to think. Part of it made sense, maybe it would be okay if he didn't have to lose his friend, or his own life. He knew it wasn't true though. Even though Phil was right in front of him, there was no breath coming out of his lips. The only sensation he experienced was the damp chill of Phil's skin pressing against his.

Just then Dan noticed a man who must be the groundskeeper walking by in the distance. Dan had made his choice, and he knew it would be the right one. 'HELP!' Dan shouted, shaking as hard as he could, causing Phil to almost loosen his grip. 'He's trying to ki-'

Then he felt it. Two sharp stabs pierced the skin of his neck. Dan dropped his arms and buckled his knees, he had lost.

Phil moved in closer, pinning Dan's body against the tree as he gulped gallons of thick blood through his teeth and down his throat. Phil almost felt himself losing control, feeling a desire to completely give in to a more powerful force within himself. 'No,' he said, pulling away, feeling the blood run down his neck past the collar of his shirt. Quickly he raised his wrist and pierced his own veins. 'Drink!' he ordered, pressing his wrist against Dan's mouth. Dan, with the last moments of his fading energy attempted to resist, pitifully shrugging his shoulders. It would t be enough. His natural instinct to breather opened his lips and the pungent taste of iron filled his mouth and flowed across his tongue. Dan's vision faded to black.

Blinking. Vision hazy and unclear. A yellow light. A white ceiling. After what seemed like a dreamy eternity unable to move, Dan's eyes focused and noticed the familiar patterns of his bedroom ceiling. He was home. Had it all been a dream? Dan asked himself this as he reached to touch his bare chest with his fingers. He could still feel. Surely that meant he was still alive? His hand stopped. Palm lying flat over his chest, he tried to focus all senses of detecting something, anything. No pulse.

He looked to the right to suddenly notice Phil, sitting in a chair leaning over the bed.

'How do you feel?' he asked, with what seemed like a degree of confidence.

Dan's eyes darted up and down trying to decide what he made of this person, or whatever it was, who sat next to hi. He sat up and swung his legs over the bed. Lifting his head up with a strange, new assuredness he had never felt before, he locked eyes with this friend. 'Hungry,' Dan said, feeling within in an urge, a biological mission he now felt he had to begin.

'Me too,' Phil said with a smirk. 'Why don't we go find someone to eat?'

The End.

#asks #anonymous #my additions are in red. and the rest is crossed out #dnp #allie.txt

[onboardsorasora]

Had an idea for the dosh AU you were writing. Maybe instead of Daniel being in F1 he’s a socialite or influencer? who has gotten into some trouble lately, just acting out and to clean up his image they pair him with the boy next door Josh.

At first josh can’t stand Daniel, just thinks he’s so stuck up, but as they spend time together he gets to know the real Daniel and starts to actually fall for him.

Sorry Bestie, I've been holding onto this one for so long lmao! I hope its ok

Josh watched as Daniel went through his unnecessarily long skincare routine. It was late. They’d just come back from the after party and Daniel insisted that he needed to get his serums on or else his eczema would flare up overnight.

At first, Josh had hated this arrangement. Patrick had winced when he told him. Explained what he and Nick had come up with the fix Daniel’s image. He’d gotten caught up in the middle of someone else’s problems and had gotten cancelled by proxy. A shitty case of wrong place wrong time that was threatening to derail his career.

They hadn’t been friends, in fact, Daniel had annoyed the shit outta him. But they’d apparently been in enough spaces at the same time that a plausible ‘how we met’ story was possible. 

Daniel had been immediately carted to New York and he’d been at all the home games, cheering just as enthusiastically with Steffon’s and other teammates' girlfriends and wives.

Daniel was low maintenance in a high maintenance way, Josh had found. Yeah he looked like he just pulled clothes out of his bag and jammed his feet into his beat up pair of vans. But those outfits were specifically selected for reasons Josh hadn’t truly figured out as yet. He just knew that there was a method to Daniel’s madness and the man had a thing for brand awareness.

His jewlery was all high end, some custom and he didn’t just do any ole kind of partnerships. Daniel was selective– even when it had seemed like he didn’t have any right to be. 

It was stuff like that that had won Josh over in the end. He was a pretty chill guy who didn’t like flying and enjoyed staying home more often than not. Daniel’s public persona seemed completely opposite to that and Josh had balked at the potential personality clash.

Daniel turned off the lights and Josh heard the short clack of his retainer case before Daniel walked into the bedroom all shower warm and tired. Josh’s sleep pants drooped down his hips, showcasing that he was freeballing for bed. Daniel climbed under the sheets and snuggled close to Josh’s side lazily. 

It had only been a few months, six tomorrow, but Josh had learned a lot in that time. About himself and Daniel. The most important of which was to maybe not judge so highly.

#dosh #josh/daniel #dosh pr au

[ace-and-ink]

i could see it overhead: the black mold

tarnish on a bleeding plum

sky too rich to be tooth ache. i know

not where i came from, but i know

it grabbed that innocent thing

with a talon’s grip as fierce as my

neglected retainer around my

teeth. the childlike squeals could

only be imprinted on your brain

because the siren squawk of unfair

power craved its way into your ears

instead. but who was more

a monster: the wings, or the speaker,

who could feel neither fury

nor anguish when the little one

was dropped to the hogs? if the earth

didn’t take it back on the way

down or by the impact, then there

was no hope for those juvenile whiskers

to be spared from being speared

by the boar tusks, sharper

than the mountains on the backdrop. i was

filled with nothing, but i was given

a purpose by whatever thing controls me

that i’ll never understand, but

then, so might’ve the bird. maybe

it was as empty a husk as i, and the only

missive it carried was “this creature

needs to die.” a puppet only gets this

clarity after its show ends, when it can see

the puppeteer after he drops the strings

it was strangled with. and so we played

our parts in his show, drawn

to the same eternal center: some eye

of devotion lost to time. the remnants

of a passion, some reverence, now

nothing more than stones retaken

by mother nature. but with no god

left to claim it, it’s become my weapon,

just as it might’ve been for the bird

when it was alive. and it sat

there, brown spot on the emerald

green plains (which is a shitty comparison,

actually; when i think of emeralds, i don’t

think of a color that deep and rich).

though it was squared, engraved

with diamonds, dots, jagged

dashes, made half the home of moss,

the edges were smoothed and it felt right

in my heads and over my head

and i became cain. it went up, then came

down with more fervor than gravity

can justify (but what do i know; i started

crying when my best friend tried to

teach me physics last year). the best

worst part was that i could feel

the crunch through my whole body. the perfect

leaf on the sidewalk under my

feet. cracking stiff knuckles. a glass bottle

against a brick wall. an eggshell

in the palm of my hand. the sound

and the feeling sent a shiver to and through

my toes. and so i swung again. there might’ve

been a third, but by then the only one

that could witness was the old abandoned god.

somehow, that beady, yellow eye could still

stare back at me, and it did. yellow

and black and mimicking the sun. there

it sat, dead, decimated, the symbol of

freedom and ferocity and every war

it picked and lost. i left it there

in a crimson stain. i never thought

to bury it. i put the rock, a remnant

of the shrine, back where it was. it didn’t

match the imprint from its ages of sleep; if nothing

else remains by then, someone will come

by and say “something happened here” and who knows

what they’ll think of it. or maybe the blood

on the rock and the moss will dry

and it will become the new

way of life, the eagle the new patron

of sabotage. the soil already began becoming

the bird’s coffin. i watched the way the earth

was too eager to claim it and i

wondered just how much our dreams define us.

— fly, my friends, i have my death wound

#so i had this really weird dream about an eagle that i tracked down and killed apparently. and it felt good to bludgeon it actually. #the patron saint of asexual poets #poetry #poem #poems #original poems #original poetry #original poem #original writing #creative writing #poets on tumblr #writers on tumblr #lgbtq poem #lgbtq poetry #lgbtq poet #lgbtq poems

[syngrafaes09]

Strange Nights | Vampire! Dr Strange x Y/n

Logline: After Y/N gets imprinted by a vampire Dr Strange, living under a fictive identity, they must unravel the cause behind her constant misadventures before their hopes are crushed forever.

Masterlist

Chapter 6 : Invitation

Stephen swung the car around and accelerated. He had hit sixty before making it around the corner, too anxious to be careful about the speed limits, his foot refusing to let go of the pedal.

The tyres screeched when he tried hitting a sharp left to the dirt road - He could see Tony moving about and removing the decorations. That seemed odd. As he neared the house, he could see the whole place was deserted.

"Out of all the days," Stark approached him with a grim face as he pulled over, "this had to happen on my favourite day?"

Over the years as vampires, Tony had particularly grown fond of Halloween. He called it a day when he could actually breathe, the only evening when he could walk around people in his Iron Man suits, claiming he was Iron man for Halloween. The whole thing of laying low had been unquestionably humdrum existence for him.

"Thor got one on one with that thing. The witch says he's under some spell. Might need your help."

"Oh, no," he muttered to himself, he wanted to go to Y/N. But he nodded and went in.

Wanda was lying, eyes closed, on the recliner with an ice pack held to her head. Don't you dare to laugh. She warned him in her thoughts. The two barely spoke to each other aloud; their minds did the conversation perfectly. It had all started as a practice to strengthen their communication skills when he was far away from the rest of them and she needed his help, but eventually, it had turned into a habit. You have no idea how draining it is to enchant a group of enthusiastic partiers and send them home. I can't ease Thor's suffering. Too burdened with my own.

Don't worry about him. I have got him. Stephen replied, gliding over the stairs towards his room.

Thor was having violent convulsions like a dying man. Jane and Pepper were standing beside him, with sad-stricken faces.

"He's gonna be alright," he assured them after examining Thor who began to relax and drift among old memories as the spells began to undone. It was a bit difficult but after a few trials and errors, Stephen could finally break through the spells. The use of multiple spells indicated that the threat must be a witch, a skin-walker perhaps but the random killings didn't make any sense.

"Couldn't find anyone," Peter announced, landing on the terrace outside. Morgan followed him to the room.

"Is he okay now?" she inquired.

Stephen nodded. "You found him?" he asked, looking up at her.

She shook her head. "Uncle Vis did."

Just then Vision appeared, with a gentle thud, announcing his arrival on the same spot where the kids had been a few seconds ago.

He slightly shook his head at Peter then turned his attention towards Thor.

"Minutes after you left after that call, Thor said he saw someone uninvited near the woods. We went in opposite directions to search. Nothing caught my attention within the three-mile radius. When I came back he hadn't returned, so went to search for him. Found him near Chief Henley's residence. Whatever had attacked him was gone. Brought him back home and asked Mr. Stark to cancel the party."

"Vis." Wanda hissed from behind. Apparently she and Tony had joined them sometime during Paul's monologue. "We had talked about this. Not the old names. You might slip it out in front of strangers." It had been years yet the fear of revealing their identities by mistake still lurked around. It had been one of the many reasons why they retained a part of their original names in the fake IDs Tony created every now and then.

"Sorry. An old habit," he apologised.

"We should let him rest," Stephen said and the rest of them wooshed out of the room.

Thor let out a small groan. Mystic arts or magic, to be broad, was one of the few things that could render a vampire helpless. "Thank you," Stephen whispered, getting up to leave.

It was nothing. You would have done that same for Jane if you could. I knew how it felt to see the one you imprinted on, suffer from pain. Check on her, brother.

The drive to the Henley's residence was agonisingly slow. After Steve's call, his anxiety had increased by ten folds. His mind remapped the scenes from the twilight to the night – the creature first hunted the two strangers in the car and an hour later was spotted near our house. It attacked Y/N as a hound, tortured Thor when he tried to save her then again attacked their house as a giant lizard, which also happened to be the one that frighten the neighbour. It didn't seem like a pure-blood Chupacabra, Sigbin, or Skin-walker; but a hybrid between any two of the three.

He pulled over, only to receive unfathomable expressions of not – welcomed from Jade and Rachael. Jade was dragging the crashed tree away from the driveway and Rachael was cleaning up the mess around. He felt his heart skip a beat when he couldn't see her anywhere around. Was she that hurt?

"Why are you here?" Rachael snarled, blocking his way to the house. It had been years she had been with Jade and there was one rule he always begged her to not to break - Never be around a wolf on a full moon night or a vampire during a new moon.

"You know why."

I won't let you anywhere near my sister, her thoughts screamed as she continued to glaring at him. "You imprinted on her. And I won't allow you near her on a new moon night." She had broken the rule once. She had made the mistake of being in Jade's vicinity when he had been high on heat on estrus full moon night. And the consequences were painful as he had lost his control.

Stephen had to forcibly knock off his mind. Over the years, feeling what others felt or thought, had become an unconscious habit, but there were things he didn't like to see when not necessary. "I'm not naive like Jade. I won't ever hurt Y/N." He knew the dangers better than any of them and felt fully under control.

"Are you sure you won't give up on your desires?" Jade scoffed.

He huffed at their less substantial concerns- Y/N was the next potential victim of this creature and all these two were concerned about was whether I had control over what I was.

"Dr. Rochester?"

Y/N stood there by the door, scared as Rachael shot her a glare. Is he startled again? Her thoughts wandered around the mess he had made three evenings ago in the cafe.

"Hello there, Y/N," Stephen said, walking in her direction. Relief had never been as exquisite as it felt at the moment.

"Hi," she finally managed to say after contemplating her sister's infuriated face. "Come in."

He cursed at the invitation. She needed to be careful about whom she invited in. He had to teach her many things. But how hadn't Rachael taught her the basic lessons if she didn't want him to be around her sister?

#Dr Strange #dr strange x reader #dr strange x y/n #dr strange x you #dr strange x fem!reader #dr strange imagine #dr strange fanfiction #dr stephen strange #dr stephen strange x reader #dr stephen strange x y/n #doctor strange #doctor strange x reader #doctor strange x female reader #doctor strange x you #doctor strange x y/n #doctor stephen strange #doctor stephen strange x y/n #stephen strange imagine #stephen strange #stephen strange x reader #stephen strange x y/n #stephen strange x you #stephen strange fanfiction #MCU fanfiction #multichapter #multiverse #paranormal romance #vampire romance #vampire dr strange #marvel x reader

[minho-hoho]

Insecurities

GENRE angst, slight fluff PAIRING bf!Jay x gn!reader WARNING none REQUESTED yes, 400 followers event WC 1.2k NOTE i finally got around to write it @mystic-luv!! sorry for making you wait so much 😭 i hope it satisfies u still 💖

you quietly sat down on your couch, waiting for your boyfriend to come home from work.

it had been a while since Jay had to work more, making it harder for the two of you to spend time with each other. and as a result, you had gotten closer with your friends.

you turned your tv on, hoping to find some interesting programs to watch until your boyfriend arrived, but unfortunately, nothing retained your attention for more than ten mere seconds. after having skipped countless of channels, you decided that your phone would be a better distraction. you unlocked your screen a message popped up from one of your friends, Hyunbin. your face lit up and you opened the notification. he was asking if you two could call each other as he was incredibly bored. you accepted as you were in the same situation as him, and he was your closest friend.

you talked and talked, never getting tired of each other. it wasn't until you felt someone sitting next to you that you noticed that Jay had come home from work. he wasn't pleased with the situation so you quickly hung up and directed all your attention to him.

“hey!” you said smiling as Jay frowned.

“who was that?” he asked coldly, catching you off guard.

“hm? it's just a good friend of mine.” you informed him, but he still didn't look convinced.

he did notice how you had gotten closer and closer to your friends, ever since he started working more, and he noticed how you were always talking to one person in particular, making him jealous, but he never mentioned it, feeling guilty that he had to work so often.

“if you say so...”

you picked up on the doubtful expression on his face but decided to not bring it up.

some days passed and you had a need to go out for a breather. it was staring to get dark outside so going out alone wasn't your preferred option. you hit up Hyunbin, who gladly accepted to take a walk around town with you.

as the lights brightly illuminated the streets, you found a street food stand. you both chose before going back to walking, all while enjoying your delicious food.

you hadn't really noticed the time flying by and how late it had gotten. it was only when Jay approached you while you were with Hyunbin that you realised how long you were outside for.

Jay shot a death glare at the both you before snatching you away from him. he politely excused the two of you from him before dragging you home. no words were shared during the walk home.

only a few words were spoken when you got home. you didn't dare to speak, the tension in the air being too heavy.

you had picked up on how Jay didn't like you talking and hanging out with Hyunbin. but you couldn't stop talking to who you considered your best friend. and thus, you started being more careful around Jay, hiding your conversations with Hyunbin, only hanging out when Jay was at work. but all of this made grow resentment inside of you, and you started to get further away from your boyfriend.

tension between the two of you started to grow, and arguments were getting more and more frequent. making resentment grow more inside of you and Jay get more insecure.

he couldn't help but think you were falling out of love with him and probably cheating on him with Hyunbin. he had the gut feeling that you were hiding things from him, but he was to scared to find out what it was, scared of losing you forever.

one day, his curiosity and insecurities got the best of him and he looked through your phone. his heart dropped as he saw the message syou shared with Hyunbin. how the both of you went out recently how you were planning to do so again, how much fun you had, the love and affection the two of you seemed to have was making his heart shatter. he couldn't handle looking at the messages any more and put the phone back where he found it.

a wave of sadness hit him, but it quickly turned into anger as he saw you joining him on the sofa.

“we need to talk.” he said as you sat down, making your heart skip a beat.

“y/n. tell me, are you cheating on me?” he asked not wasting a second, your eyes widened, gobsmacked by this question. how could he think you'd do such a thing to him?

“what? what type of nonsense is this?” you spoke, not believing he'd ever suspect you of doing something of the sort.

“just answer me, y/n.” he looked at you harshly. you gulped before promptly answering him.

“no! of course not! what makes you think that?” you asked worried.

“do you still love me? are you in love with Hyunbin?” you were so shocked by his questions that you had a hard time processing them, much more answering them. after a minute or so of silence, Jay spoke up again.

“why are you not answering me? is it that i'm saying the truth?” you shook your head vigorously, your heart pounding in your chest.

Jay sighed and took your phone in his hand, “then what is this?” he asked showing the messages between you and Hyunbin. you were mouth agape but you denied everything.

“it's not what you think it is! we're just friends. i love you and only you.” you tried assuring him, feeling your throat close up.

“then what's all this? why were you hiding all of this from me?” he questioned, sounding angrier.

“- because i was scared you'd be mad at me for talking to him...

- because you're cheating on me with him? aren't you?” he tightened his fist and clenched his jaw.

“no! no, i just noticed how you didn't like him and i figured it'd be better if i hid it from you, to not make you mad at me, or break up with me...” you tried explaining feeling the tears coming out.

Jay sat up, wanting to go and take a walk, and think about this whole situation but you grabbed his arm firmly.

“please...” you begged, hot tears rolling down your cheeks, “please, don't go. i promise you, i'm not cheating on you, i never will. i only love you and always will.” you held onto his arms and cried on his sleeve. he couldn't look at you, afraid he will also start to cry.

he sighed once more, and wiggled out of your hold, “i need to go. i need to think about all of this.” and with that, he left the house, and you sobbing.

PERM TAG LIST! : @stacey-stonem, @sh1mzu, @axartia, @echantedrose, @leeknowbuttsmasher, @nikipedia07, @deafeningballoonnacho, @sristsblog

#koffeenet #🌇// ¡fics! #enhypen #enhypen angst #enhypen fic #enhypen fics #jay enhypen #enhypen jay #enha angst #jay enha #enha fics #enha fanfic #enha ff #enhypen ff #enhypen fanfiction #jay #jay angst #jay fanfic #jay oneshots #jay x reader #park jongseong #jongseong x reader #enhypen jongseong #jongseong oneshots #jongseong imagines #kpop fanfic #kpop

[driftward]

Title: Begin again Characters: Zoissette Vauban, Y'shtola Rhul Rating: Teen Summary: Zoissette feels the need to be honest after a difficult night Notes: Companion after piece to Icemelt

Zoissette woke up in the Baldesion Annex.

It was morning, judging by the light coming through the doorway leading out to the balcony. And that matched her own tendencies. Long habits of a knight meant that no matter how late she went to sleep, she tended to wake up early in the morning to make a muster that she would probably never be called for again. But the habit was set, and it was well, as she found it useful.

It meant she was awake before many, and that gave her some quiet time to herself most mornings.

She cleaned herself up and got dressed. As she was tying the bow that would adorn her hair for the day, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was nothing to look at, but she had made her peace with that some time ago. Today something besides how she would look to the world was on her mind.

The words Y'shtola had said the day before came back to her. And then the tears and the hurt, and then the relief, and the tiredness, and how her friends all came together to support her. Though support her for what, she could not say. She still did not understand why she had so thoroughly come apart.

But she felt better about it today. Calmer. She was back in control, and could face the new day.

It was not long until she was out in the kitchens, preparing a simple breakfast. She did not know who would be around at this hour, but made enough for several people anyroad. She was a knight, after all, and she chose to cook like one this morn. That way, anything that was not eaten would keep and could be turned into rations.

As she cooked, she heard someone at the door, and looked up to see Y'shtola.

"Well," said Y'shtola. "I see you still retain that habit of being an early riser. I hope you slept well, despite that."

"I did," said Zoissette. "I am a little surprised to see you up this early."

"I set a spell to wake me up that I might check on you."

Zoissette turned red.

"Before you protest, 'tis no trouble I was not willing to endure."

She did not respond, but kept cooking.

"...do you want breakfast?" asked Zoissette.

Y'shtola accepted the offer, and Zoissette made sure to adjust her cooking for Y'shtola's preferences. The rest of the morning passed companionably between the two. Neither of them talked about Zoissette's episode the evening before, for which she was secretly grateful. Y'shtola did note that she wanted to follow up on Krile's examinations into Zoissette's health, which she reluctantly agreed to. The rest of their conversation was light, touching on plans for the upcoming trip, and approaches to research for the same.

At last, breakfast was over, the dishes were put away, and Zoissette and Y'shtola were enjoying cups of after breakfast tea. A peaceful lull came to pass, which could have been passed in companionable silence.

However, an old feeling had slowly been creeping up on Zoissette. She had gotten over her initial embarrassment, and now the familiar fear had been creeping in. She kept glancing over at Y'shtola, all grace and good manners and utter confidence. She found the other woman intimidating, to be frank. Imposing. A force of will upon the star that had left many whirling in its wake.

She could feel the heat of it filling up her breast, could practically hear the hammer of her heart, the rush of blood in her ears. But after last night, after the kind things Y'shtola had said, after the way she had come through for her. Zoissette owed it to her to say something. Owed it to both of them, really, especially if they were going to be working together.

And she was no stranger to fears. She had faced dragons in war, and primals and kami and other such words for other people's gods. Which is to say, her belief had met the beliefs of others, and her conviction and determination had seen her through. She could do this. She could speak her truth to an old friend.

It was time to screw up her courage and face her fear.

"Y'shtola... you said something last night. Just before - just before I lost myself. About ... what you see when you look at me."

Y'shtola stirred her tea, her expression unreadable as she looked over at Zoissette. Her ears were forward, though, which was promising.

"I wanted to say.. thank you. It feels like you said something true about me there. And... I want to say something true about you as well."

"'Tis hardly necessary."

"Is it not?"

Y'shtola closed her eyes and sipped her tea, and Zoissette sat and waited. She could be patient. She must.

"Well, then. Whatsoever is on your mind."

"You said... that whenever you look at me, you see curiosity, and openness, and Light. And other words aside that I do not think I will ever forget. But... and forgive me, I do not have the same talent for words that you do, but... when I look at you, Y'shtola, I see, well, you. A strong woman. A courageous woman. A woman who - well, I see someone who knows themself. I have long admired you. You have the convictions to stand up to power. And you are smart, really smart. You have learned so much, and you keep learning more. A lot of people, they eventually just settle with what they know, but not you. Never you. And ... you mentioned your cynicism. I do not think it is cynicism, not really. I just think that you are, like you said, very honest. You can be blunt sometimes, but it is never to harm, but to enlighten. And I appreciate that about you. I can find people hard to understand, but you are always honest and straightforward with me. And I appreciate that a lot. Others may not like that, but I do. And despite how you feel, I find a... a warmth in you that is comforting. And ... and it was hard for me to hear that you were envious for me. For I have long admired you.

"...honestly, I think I want to be you, a little bit. I am sorry to have been gone for so long. I am... glad to be here. And despite last night, I want to stay here, and keep working with you, if you are willing to let me. I want to stay on as your research assistant, for as long as you would have me."

She felt her words peter out. She was staring down at her tea by the time she had finished talking, forcing herself to not let the tension in her fingers travel into the teacup and break it by accident. The fear reached a crescendo, gripping her heart, her breath suspended by tension cables.

She glanced up at Y'shtola to see her smiling.

"Well, do not be ridiculous," she said. "For if you were me, you would not be you. And I rather value that."

Somehow it was the perfect thing to say. The tension broke, and Zoissette felt her insides turn to splashy liquid as the stress she had been holding all flowed away.

Her hands relaxed around the teacup, and she felt herself sit up a little straighter, and she felt her confidence return.

She smiled at Y'shtola.

"And I am glad to have you back. I want you here. You are welcome to remain as my fellow researcher, for as long as you are willing to stay."

Zoissette took a long breath in, and let it out slow, and nodded.

Y'shtola smiled back at her.

"Thank you, my friend," she said. "If you are up to it, then, perhaps we should get on with it."

"Yes, of course," said Zoissette. "To work, then?"

"Quite so," said Y'shtola. "Right after I examine you once more. I am not at all confident you are yet fully recovered from your contest with the Fury."

Zoissette grimaced, but nodded. And it was not long before the kitchen had been cleaned, preparations made, and the two women went on to begin their work, together.

#year of the otp #whenever i look at you #okay this one definitely counts for the year of the otp #final fantasy xiv #zoissette vauban #begin again #202301-31 #biot writes #y'shtola rhul

[anchanted-one]

Legend of Lightning Chapter 50. Turning the Trap Around

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43208574/chapters/112553413

eeeeeee! Chapter 50, everyone! I am so pleased to be here. Still a long way to go, but a milestone is a milestone.

To anyone who has read any of my work, thank you so much. 

@swtorhub

Thul Palace

Gustab Williton paced the halls outside Baron Thul’s apartments. He was deeply uneasy about what had just transpired. The Baron was a powerful man, and more than capable of enacting revenge on him someday. He contemplated leaving a request with the great Darth’s secretary for a transfer once he had brought him his prize, claiming they wanted a better assignment. There were other Sith here, after all, Sith who could join the Thul war effort. Perhaps Lady Kairadwen, who had caused quite a stir among his peers during her all-too-brief visit, might be persuaded to return.

He had spent every free second at the gates, hoping to catch her as she passed by… only to be disappointed.

Still, he didn’t want her on a world that he was leaving! Perhaps his next assignment could be… wherever hers was! Perhaps he could request an assignment to Darth Baras’ operation.

Yes, that was a splendid idea. There were many other Sith who could take over.

Eklarie pulled him into a side room and leered at him. “Decicred for your thoughts, my little pup.”

“I want this done with,” he partially admitted his real thoughts. “I don’t like being part of a great Darth’s schemes. They use you, then they toss you.”

“Wise words, my dollie,” she raised her scarred face to his. He returned her kiss passionately. He loved Eklarie. She was not the most beautiful Sith in the galaxy, but she was far more loyal, as both partner and lover. Dependable, though she was normally taciturn. He wanted to marry her as soon as he could, to start accruing power and status so they could found a House together.

“It’s not just Angral,” he said reluctantly. “Baron Thul is a dangerous man. For Sith like us, at least.”

“I know,” she sighed. “I’ve been thinking of the same thing.” Her face soured. “We’re shite excuse for Sith, aren’t we?”

“We’re not aiming to be Darths, after all. We just want to be retainers.”

“Thinking about Lady Rooks, again? You should give it up. Half the Academy was foaming at the mouth after she duelled Darth Malgus on Ziost. She has more requests than even them Darths, I’d wager. It’s easier to get in good with some of the lesser Sith. I heard Darth Zash might be building up her power base.”

“Zash…” Gustab thought about that idea for a long moment. “What about the other major Houses?”

“Major Houses? Us? We’re bottom feeders here, pup! Even most Thuls don’t respect us!”

“All the more reason to run.”

“Want me to put in the request?”

“Yes, please!” Gustab felt relieved. It was really good to have her do the paperwork. He was far too slow with such things. He thought about Lady Elana, languishing in the shuttle’s belly. He knew she was in for a rough life, if the Baron didn’t come through. He felt a bit sorry for her, but what could you do? Angral was not someone you went up against. Not if you were one of them Darths on the Council.

“There, that’s done!” Eklarie said happily.

“Already?”

She winked, mischief making her face a match for any Dromund Kaas idol. “I had most of this ready before we even took off.”

“You, my muffin, are a real treasure,” he said happily, and she gave a growl of a laugh in response.

“Take me now, puppy. Remind me of that first time we made love together, in Overseer Harkun’s bed!”

He moved to comply, tugging off her cloak and pauldrons… when they were interrupted by a servant.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Dark Lords. Baron Thul has returned.”

“Already? That was bloody fast!”

“Guess that Jedi really is a softie!”

Eklarie hurriedly straightened her robes as they half-ran to the baron’s personal landing pad.

They waited with bated breath as the ramp opened, and out marched the wolf himself, leading the disgusting-looking alien.

“Would you look at that, muffin? It’s mewling like a lost calf!”

“Yes,” Eklarie shook with suppressed laughter. “Filthy alien.” She marched up to the thing and spat in its face. The baron slapped her so hard, she fell to the floor.

“He is my prisoner for the time being,” he said sternly. “You remember how I treat my prisoners, don’t you? If you want to show him any disrespect, do so after we’ve made the transfer.”

Eklarie stood up and saluted lamely. “Yes, Baron, sir!”

“Where is Elana?”

“She is inside the shuttle, Your Highness,” Gustab replied.

“Is it in your authority to release her, now that we have the prisoner?”

“No, sir. We have to wait until Angral’s satisfied.”

A vein throbbed in the man’s temple. He looked like he desperately wanted to argue, but didn’t. Gustab almost breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to oppose the man again, anytime soon.

“Let’s get on with this, then,” the baron grumbled. “Are we to be taken to Darth Angral’s ship?”

“I don’t know, Your Highness. His shuttle, his men.”

“Fine. Let us board, then. But at least allow Elana to travel with me, rather than in the brig.”

“I—I’ll see what we can do, Your Highness.”

As it happened, securing her semi-release was a simple enough thing. There was nothing they could do, now that they were en route. The duke comforted her with assurances of safety, but Gustab wondered why he would do something so reckless as give a false promise like this. He had zero control over what was to come.

The Jedi was locked inside the cell, shooting dangerous glances at his captors, who all jeered and mocked him.

They were Sith, of course. Of higher standing than Gustab, but not by much. Underlings and minions of the great Darth. He recognized FimmRess, who had long served as Duke Kendoh’s bodyguard.

“Just look at that Jedi, boys!” he roared. “Shaking in its boots!”

“Like a little bantha cub!”

“Not much of a threat, is it?”

“If it’s scared now, just wait until Angral gets his mitts on it!”

At the mention of Angral’s name, it was as if a mask slipped off the Jedi’s face for a moment. There was no fear there, only a contempt deeper than the spice mines of Kessel. But Gustab blinked, and it was gone. For a brief moment, he had a bad feeling—then he heard a girl’s voice whisper into his ear “You will forget what you just saw.”

“I… will… forget…”

*

Somewhere on Alderaan

“What’s the meaning of this?” Jharkus demanded. “We’re not even leaving Alderaan?”

“I thought you’d be happy,” the pilot drawled. “You don’t have to meet Angral in person. Of course we’re not rendezvousing with his ship! We’re meeting up with Lord Nefarid! He will send you on our way.”

“Nefarid?” Jharkus rolled the name in his head in disgust. “The man who killed Duke Horis.”

“The same,” one of the Sith entering the cockpit grinned. “You Thuls and your petty ambitions mean nothing to us, if you don’t give us Alderaan. And he was willing to call off the war entirely. But you’re different, aren’t you? A real warrior! Cooperate, and you won’t face the same fate as him.”

No doubt it was meant to cow Jharkus, but all it did was strengthen his resentment.

He wondered what would happen now. If he and the boy were separated… This would all be for naught. Well, his Family would certainly be saved if Vajra was safely handed over, but there would be no retribution of any kind.

Lost in his thoughts, Jharkus only realized they’d landed when the pilot turned and grinned. “End of the line. For some of you, at least. But how many?”

Jharkus gave him a frosty stare until he flinched. “You think you’re clever and intimidating, but you’re not. To be truly strong, you need to be able to threaten people under your own banner. Stop trying to borrow your Master’s notoriety.”

*

Lord Nefarid waited with eager anticipation for his guests to arrive. He swirled the cherries in his cocktail, humming the happiest tune to himself. It had only been a few days ago, when he captured that meddlesome Jedi Master. To think he now had the Padawan too… oh, happy day!

“Orgus Din thoroughly managed to spoil my fun by destroying those antennae,” he railed, repeating the same line for the third time this week, just in case his Master’s spies were listening. “The gall! What right does he have to spoil my fun? Isn’t that right, Alayna dear?” He sniffed in annoyance. “Hmm. And I thought you were poor company before I freed you.”

The flayed corpse of his minion stared back mutely, unable to answer. It simply floated in the case he’d stuck it inside, which arrested her putrefaction.

“I will be made Darth for this, you mark my words! Angral will thank me for being the only one of his Apprentices capable of dealing with the thorn in his side!” He turned towards the door as they yawned, and in walked the Sith minions whose names he hadn’t bothered to memorize. In their midst was the Jedi himself, as hideous as he was weak. His own lackeys looked up from their work to see the procession.

Behind him was the man known as the Wolf Baron, and he exuded anger in every breath he took. Good. The Sith in him approved of that anger. It could be used when focused. The man had spine and ability, by all accounts, but he was too caught up in meaningless tripe like honor.

“Ah, welcome, Jedi! I was just telling Alayna how happy I was to have you as my guest.”

The Jedi looked at the body next to Nefarid’s throne and sighed. “You’re not a very imaginative Sith, are you? I bet you do this to try and appear mighty and dangerous. An inherited trait, no doubt.”

Nefarid chuckled. “Oh, I wasn’t trying to intimidate you. I just happen to like this woman. She made the most exquisite faces as I killed her. The horror, the pain, the sense of hope as I promised her a second chance!” Nefarid’s laughter boomed throughout the lair.

“Right, you’re just as sick a thug as Sadic,” the alien shook its head. “Where’s Angral? Or is he too scared to show up?”

The Sith around him reared in outrage, but Nefarid waved them back. “What does it matter? We have you. I have orders to hand you over to him once I’ve thoroughly tortured you into submission. My Lord does not like exerting his strength to quash every little bug.”

“If I’m a bug, what is Tarnis? And what are Sadic and Praven, whom I beat so easily? Come, come, Nefarid. You know, don’t you? Angral is past his glory years. That is why you seek to replace him, someday. In fact—” the Jedi straightened up. “Angral isn’t staying away because of just me, is he? He doesn’t want to be near this world so long as the Death Mark is here too. He knows you can kill him, if you happen to have it operational.”

Nefarid was now staring at the boy. “I think it’s better to deliver you to my Master in pieces. Cut off his hands and legs!”

The boy sprang into motion, though he wasn’t the only one. The Wolf Baron threw one of the Sith over his shoulder and pulled his blaster from his belt. One of the Sith attempted to stab the alien, but it evaded him and broke her arms. As she fell to the ground screaming, the boy ignited her Lightsaber and attacked his captors. All eight of them.

Nefarid was alarmed by his skill. That level of swordsmanship was far beyond his capabilities! It was good that he had his trump card.

His hands went for his belt—only to find the device missing. What? I could have sworn that—

Using the Death Mark would be confirmation that he had gotten it working again, and had indeed been hoping to kill Darth Angral with it when he turned over Orgus Din. But there was no secret that couldn’t be kept by killing all witnesses!

“Where is it? Where is it?” he feverishly hurled aside all the tools and books on his desk searching for the targeting device, but couldn’t find it. “I could have sworn…” He quickly looked over at all the places he could think of, where he might have left it, only to be disappointed. Of all the rotten luck!

He looked up to find his own guards had joined the fracas, but it was going badly. The Jedi’s blur of a blade had already killed more than half his opposition, and the baron’s blaster had shot down all of the regulars. With only three guards left fighting, Nefarid had to make a decision.

“Confound it all!” He moved to cloak himself. He still had that, at least! And he had tricked even the great Master Orgus with it—

His scream filled his ears. Right after he had blended in with his surroundings, a small, focused beam of red light had shone down on his foot, leaving a hole about the size of his thumb. “IMPOSSIBLE!” As he cursed and stumbled, he thought he heard a girl giggle.

*

Jharkus was nonplussed by the Sith Nefarid’s loud scream of pain. What could have happened? His inattention would have normally gotten him killed, but the Jedi was fighting the last of his enemies, one of Nefarid’s dogs, whom he had never seen before.

There was a pile of bodies around them, dead Sith who had thought they had a wounded vorn tiger cub, when instead they were looking at bait. They had dropped their pride easily enough. That one called FimmRess had soiled himself when he realized he was outmatched, but had been killed before he could surrender.

“What happened?” Baron Thul asked his temporary ally, who grinned.

“Come out, Kira.”

The baron jumped as a redheaded girl materialized out of thin air, holding some small device in her hand. “I was certain you could dodge that, boss. But I didn’t want to take that wager.”

“I owe you one. You made the right call,” the alien told her, before turning back to Jharkus. “I had expected you to demand my surrender in exchange for the prisoners. I wanted an ace up my sleeve in case Angral asked you to turn me over to him.”

“You’re no fool, I see.”

“Hardly, Angral is just that predictable.” He snorted. “Now. Is that fool of a Sith awake?”

The woman called Kira slapped the man’s face lightly, then shook him hard until he woke. He groaned, trying to cradle his foot, which Jharkus now saw had a huge smoking hole in it.

“Where is your Master?” the boy asked.

“I don’t know,” Nefarid whimpered. “I was supposed to call him when you’d been beaten into submission. He would have sent another shuttle for you—”

“How typical,” the Jedi groaned. “Can you at least tell me how to reach him? A message, perhaps?”

The Sith squealed like a stuck-up brat getting his first taste of consequences.

“Wait, it doesn’t matter,” the boy shook his head. “The message I have, is one I want the entire galaxy to hear.” He walked up to the man’s holoterminal and hit transmit.

“What is the meaning of this, ‘Darth’ Angral?” He asked the camera, stressing on the title as though it was the punchline a poor joke. “I was handed to you on a silver platter, but you were too scared to show up and collect me! I thought you wanted revenge for your son? Is this all your rage is worth? Some might call you cautious, but I am starting to see what my Master meant when he called you a coward. You’re so afraid of dying, you won’t even face a teenager! All you can do is act tough in the depths of the cesspit you call your stronghold. You know, don’t you? That if you face me in combat, you will be beaten so badly, all your legends and myths will be replaced by mocking tales of Darth Angral the pitiful. You want to prove me wrong? Come to Alderaan and face me. Show the galaxy how a Darth marches to his death… but what am I saying?” He laughed scornfully. “You’d never do something that reckless! Because you’re a weakling, and a coward, too scared to crawl past the event that left you traumatized all those years ago. So, by all means! Continue to hide in your own trash. I will rip you screaming and weeping from your presumed fortress, and show the galaxy the caliber of man you’re not. Farewell, false Darth.”

With that, he destroyed the terminal. The woman clucked her tongue. “You don’t think that was a bit much, boss? We both know he’s a coward, but he’s also a slave to his own emotions. He’s gonna try and hurt you by striking at soft targets.”

“I didn’t think of that,” the boy looked a bit sheepish. “I just want this to be done!”

“A word of advice, Jedi,” Jharkus said. “Take it from a Thul; we spent decades before we finally got our chance. Just because a confrontation, or any event, seems inevitable or destined, doesn’t mean it won’t take a lifetime to come to fruition. Don’t try to rush things just because you’re eager to make it end. The Great War is another example; your Grand Master fought Malgus again and again, but it only ever led to fat nothings. You might think yourself Angral’s nemesis—or any big Sith’s—but that doesn’t mean your clash will arrive just because you wound their pride.”

The Jedi heard all he had to say, then nodded with a heartfelt sigh. “I know, I know. I’m not that stupid. But I am hoping that Angral is. Or that he’s blinded by my provocation.”

“If only it were that simple.”

Elana stirred. “Uncle… did you seriously have all this planned? How? When?”

Jharkus made a gesture telling her to slow down. “As much as I love to take credit for this, it was all the Jedi’s idea. I was too shaken to properly make the threat, and he noticed it. He took pity on me, on us, and offered to help me rescue you. I suppose there is no shortage of good men in the galaxy.”

“Getting to Nefarid was a bonus,” the boy smiled. “Not as big as finally stopping Angral, but I’m happy this last weapon is back in our hands. Kira, can you blow it up?”

The woman nodded. “Easily. The satellite comes with a remote self-destruct, just in case. The Death Mark laser is about to become scrap.”

“Target the equipment first,” the Jedi ordered. “Not a single byte of data must be recoverable after we’re done.”

“Got it.”

“We’ll be taking Nefarid, if it’s okay with you,” the boy said. “And destroying this compound.”

“You won’t catch me arguing. I’ll take the shuttle back to Thul palace, and order your civilians’ immediate release. I’ll also hand the duke’s body back to the Organas. I’ll go personally.”

Elana shivered, tears appearing in her eyes. “The poor, poor duke! He tried to help me.” She looked at the Jedi. “When Angral looked at me, he stood in between us, as if hoping that could make him forget about me. He offered to take my place as hostage. What kind of galaxy do we live in, when that kind of man is killed so miserably, when wretches like Angral are left untouched?”

The Jedi gave her a long, sorry look. “I’m sorry for your anguish,” he said. “I’m sorry for all the innocents and the good who are dying in this war. It’s why I want to ki—to stop Angral as soon as I can. I know that the longer this goes on, the more people die at his grubby hands.”

Elana sniffed, wiping her eyes. “I don’t blame you. You are barely more than a child, and you are still—” She wiped her face, then gave him a look filled with fire and determination. “I’m done with the Sith. It may take me a lifetime, but I swear I will extricate myself and my family from their mad Magocracy.”

“I wish you well in that endeavour.”

As Jharkus led Elana out, he began speaking to her. “That was a bold declaration, child. It will take time to build up the strength needed to bear it. I hope you survive those years.”

“I hope you will teach me, Uncle.”

“I’m afraid I can’t, child. Duke Organa was my responsibility. I must answer for his death, and his body’s desecration.”

She looked at him with eyes full of distress, but he talked over her.

“Don’t give me that look; if I don’t do this, any lesson I give you is worthless. Remember who I am. Not the Wolf, but the Baron.”

“Honor, fidelity, integrity,” she looked on the edge of tears again.

“That’s right. How can I pretend to be any of that, if I don’t give myself up to the Organas?” he shook hhis head. “No. I must do this.”

Elana held back her tears, she simply nodded. She gave him a fierce smile. “I should have expected no less, my dearest Uncle.”

“When I saw your potential, I knew you deserved to be my heir. I hoped I’d have time to teach you all I knew. Alas, I only had a few days. But I do think you received a crash course. Not just from me, but Duke Charle as well. Remember him, and remember me. His compassion, his courage, my honor, my integrity. Those are what it takes to be a great ruler.”

“I will try, Uncle. And I swear, that when I am done, House Thul will no longer be beholden to those pigs in the Empire!”

“Good. Take it one step at a time until you’re good and ready. But when you are, do not hesitate. I have faith, that you will emerge triumphant.”

*

Aboard the Oppressor

Darth Angral, the second-greatest Sith of the era, breathed so heavily that spittle flew from his snarling lips. Sweat poured down his furrowed brow, and his ignited Lightsaber trembled in his clenched fist.

Several of his trusted servants lay dead around him, including Admiral Hacklin.

The alien’s provocation had struck home, had left him eager to meet his enemy head-on. But his servants had gotten in his way, and he had cut them down in his fury.

Hacklin’s last words had been of disbelief. “In the end, this is all your friendship is worth, my Lord?” But Angral could not care.

“You… you got in my way! You…” He turned to his bridge. “Set course for Alderaan. Now!”

“We can’t, Dark Lord!” the helmsman whimpered. “Admiral Hacklin locked the controls before he died. We need to perform a full system reset, and that will take four weeks!” He was silenced by Angral’s Lightsaber entering his gut.

“GET US UNDERWAY!” He howled.

“You can kill them all, if it makes you happy,” the holo on his left said snidely. “But then you’ll be stuck here… forever. Even the Force can’t help you run a ship this size, by yourself. Not that it was ever your servant. Nepotism was all that got you where you are today. Besides, didn’t you hear your helmsman? Your ship is locked!”

“Shut your trap, Malgus!”

The Sith on the other end just laughed. “Touchy, touchy! Is that how you beg someone for help?”

“I am not begging!”

“You should be!” Malgus gloated. “The Jedi’s words were so accurate, he might have been trained to be a Black Requiem Sniper! You are weak, you are pathetic, and now the whole galaxy has heard it! Because you have lost the strongest pillars of your power base. Praven, Nefarid, Sadic. Because you fight from the most secure portion of the back lines. Because you are afraid of your own Apprentices. And because you allowed a fifteen-year-old to challenge you, and could not respond.”

“You’ve had your fun, Malgus. Ease off.” Darth Barras was ever a thorn in Angral’s backside, so he wasn’t calling off Malgus out of any goodwill. “You know that you can’t attack him directly, don’t you? You need to finish constructing the Desolator. That is the Emperor’s decree.”

“What do you have to gain from my victory, Baras?”

“Other than the annihilation of our enemies? Nothing. But it occurs to me, that if a Darth such as yourself fails while all eyes are upon you, it’s a blow to the authority of us all. Watch your back, Angral. Try not to die until you’ve served your limited purpose. Remember; the Emperor won’t stop you this time.”

“Good. Good. Every Jedi in the Galaxy will die. And that boy… his death will be slow, painful, and above all, satisfying.”

“More promises, as usual,” Malgus sighed. “You no longer have capable servants to throw at your problems. Do not forget that all of your victories in the war were because of me. I handed you Coruscant and Korriban. I broke through Alderaan and Balmorra. Now, you are all alone. You may be a coward and a blowhard, but try to learn some self-awareness, even this late in your life. You will not win by playing at being a true Sith. Finish your project, then attack from the cover of darkness. Try to shiver as you do it. That is your path to victory."

"Despite his taunts, that is actually sound advice, cowardly one,” Barras laughed heartily. “I suggest you get back to it. Oh, and don’t expect replacements for the officers you’ve just slain. The Empire is supposed to have washed its hands of you, remember? Do not call us again, until you have your prototype ready.”

Both holos disappeared, and Angral was left to continue his fuming. Around him, his hapless crew barely breathed as they waited for the shoe to fall. More than one pair of trousers had been drenched, but no one dared try to leave the bridge. All they could do, was hope their Lord calmed down. And soon.

“Perform that full reset,” Angral said hoarsely. “I will be in my chambers.” He turned on his heel and walked out. As one, his crew breathed a sigh of relief.

*

Organa Castle

Vajra called Major Var Suthra immediately after informing the Organas of what had transpired. He only had to wait a couple of minutes before he was put through.

“Well done, Master Jedi! With this, the last remaining project has been kept out of Angral’s hands!”

“Our info was wrong. He had the laser working the whole time. The only reason why you didn’t see mass murder and mayhem run loose on Alderaan, was because Nefarid had hoped to use it on Angral.”

“To think that Alayna Hark managed to get him enough information for him to replace that antenna so quickly…”

“Enemy espionage showed its skill every step of the way. I’ll repeat what I said before; invest in security before you go for weapons.”

“Given my failures, I have no choice but to take that to heart. This has been… a humbling experience.”

“What will you do now?”

“I will have to submit all of my files to an oversight committee and prepare to be judged. Thankfully, the task has been taken on by Supreme Commander Rans himself. He worries that a Senator might try to steal some of the information.”

“And leave us back in square one.”

“Exactly. I will be evaluated for having allowed so many, many security breaches, as well as the unethical projects like the Power Guard. If I’m lucky, I will be allowed to continue serving at my present rank. If I’m unlucky, I might be dishonorably discharged. Worst case scenario, I might face imprisonment.”

“I can advocate for you—”

“No need, Master Jedi. I will face the consequences of my actions and failures.”

“I see. Good luck to you then.”

“What about you? What’s next for the triumphant hero?”

“I have been asked to receive Duke Organa’s body and Baron Thul’s surrender, in my capacity as Paladin. I will also be leading the funeral proceedings tomorrow.”

“A real honor. One you most definitely deserve.”

“Thank you for saying so, Major.”

“One thing’s for sure; my part may be over, but yours is not. Not until you’ve stopped Angral himself. I will continue to follow your career with great interest. Var Suthra out.”

Kira stretched out like a cat once the transmission had ended, and sprawled onto the sofa. “Maaan, that feels great! I think I need to order myself something cool. Staying cloaked for that long was a little taxing.”

“You did splendidly, Kira. You saved my life, too. And gave Nefarid the shock of his life! Did you manage to record it?”

She pointed at her belt, which was hanging from a chair several meters away. “I’ll show you tomorrow.”

“The Master orders…”

“Screw you. Just this once, I’m pretending we’re not Master and Padawan. Are you gonna take that from me?"

"I guess not. Want me to massage your forehead?"

"My shoulders and feet, too. Thanks. You’re a good kid.”

*

#star wars #the old republic #star wars the old republic #swtor #fanfic #fanfiction #jedi knight #hero of tython #swtorhub

[yourladystar]

Star's Engage Catalogue Day 34 (part 6)

Time for the second half of my final team.

I wasn't sure if I was gonna keep Pandreo around, but he just refused to stop being useful. His staff utility and magic prowess make him a force, even against high res units. Celica really helped to make him even stronger, and Warp Ragnarock is so much fun to use on him.

He's also just such a hoot. He's such a departure from other priests and holy men we've seen throughout the series, yet he still retains the thing that made them great characters: humility and compassion. His methods might be unorthodox, but he always does it to help others and give them hope when they think there isn't any. And considering what he and Pannete went through as children- seriously, I did not see that coming- it makes it all the more impressive that Pandreo became such a bright beacon of prosperity.

I've seen people say that Timerra struggles to keep up with the enemy and not be as useful as she seems. Either you guys are exaggerating or I just got lucky, because Timerra kicks so much a** it's ridiculous! Her build lets her tackle anything and Ike letting me just throw her into a pack of foes and nuke them out of existence is some of the most power-trippy fun I've had.

The same could be said for her character. Out of all the royals, she's got her sh*t together the most, but she's still not a flat character. She cares for her people and her country and strives to be a good queen. Also, it's nice to have a black female princess who can kick a** and give you a fun time. And I'm saying this as the whitest Puerto Rican ever!

Ivy is another heavy hotter that never stopped being useful. Her promotion giving her staffs only gave her more utility. She had some Emblems I played around with before I went with Camilla. She just seemed like the perfect fit for a character that's basically the antithesis of her.

And that's especially so in her character. The fact that all the advertising made us think that Ivy was going to be this alluring and deadly confident queen only for her to be a shambling stumbling mess of a girlflop was genuinely the best thing they did. It only made me love Ivy more.

Despite coming in so late, Veyle proved to be immediately useful. The dagger and tome she comes with are more than enough to carry her to endgame and Corrin is surprisingly useful on her, especially since it gives her access to all the Dragon Vein effects.

If you've been keeping up with this series, you know how my affection for Veyle and her run as an unwilling villain grew with every chapter she was a part of. She truly is one of Engage's best-written characters.

Out of all the units I expected to bring to the last chapter, Boucheron was the biggest surprise. He definitely got speed blessed, because this man can double a lot more than you think a warrior should and hit like a truck on both attacks. Lucina is not the best option for him, I would have given him Leif if not Rosado, but he is fine enough as is.

Out of everyone, his character is probably the least notable, but he's not bad. He's just a simple down to earth guy with simple ambitions, and the supports of his I read were very nice and comforting.

Fogado may not have been as stupidly strong as Alcryst, but his mounted utility gave him his own niche to fill. And he can still pack a punch when he needs to. Again, Tiki wasn't the most optimal choice for him, but giving him some one-range options comes in handy. And you can't go wrong with seeing someone turn into a dragon.

Fogado was also an interesting character to learn about. His fun-loving and laidback attitude was cool, but learning about his fears and anxieties about his position and kingdom and how he tries to keep them buried to keep his people calm- Mmm! I love it when simple characters have hidden depths!

And last but certainly far from least, Diamant. Like Alfred, he also had a rough patch during the midgame. But once I stopped being stupid and learned to work with his strength he became a very durable and hard-hitting front liner. Roy really is best suited to him and Hold Out has saved him on many occasions.

And surprise surprise, Diamant is a really likable and interesting character. Having him be the opposite of Alcryst, where he appears unshakable and unbreakable on the surface but is an anxiety-ridden mess internally, but learns to be more open about his weaknesses just cements why I love my Brodia boys so much.

#fire emblem engage #playthrough #first playthrough #pandreo #fe pandreo #timerra #fe timerra #ivy #fe ivy #veyle #fe veyle #boucheron #fe boucheron #fogado #fe fogado #diamant #fe diamant

[nightmare-dreamt]

Dear, Boy Who Always Bullied Me For Being Weak,

 I fondly remember the memorable day we inevitably encountered like it was yesterday. Ten terrible years ago I protected a frightened boy who couldn't do it himself. That similar day you scarcely made me one of your own targets just because I did that, just because I saved the boy from your wrath. Bakugo, why did someone being quirkless make you believe they were frail or useless? Why did you advise them to die as if they had brutally slaughtered your own family? Why did you tell me to jump off the building that very day?

Bakugo, this personal letter is to you.

The boy who made me hate myself and who made everyone around us bitterly hate me very much.

Ten years ago, I had saved a green-haired boy who went by the name Izuku Midoriya or in your terms, he went by Deku. You thought he was weak because he wasn't like anyone our age, he was born without a quirk and so was I. Quirkless people were instantly marked as weak and useless for you but why? What did a quirk do that separated us from being any different from an average person who wanted to have a dream.

For years, I was shrieked at, I was pushed down, I was picked on, all because they listened to the words you spoken, Bakugo. I wondered every night why people despised me so much. I cried myself to sleep having the words they all said repeating the words they spoke.

Bakugo do you recognize what hurt the most in my life? It was being told that I was too useless to be a hero and should just jump off the closes building.

Do you know who told me that, Bakugo? It was you, you told me that in our middle school, when word had gotten out about me trying to get into the U.A. It still surprised me how I got in with simple strength and brains, but I wasn't the only one. You threatened me on our first day of school demanding to tell you how I got in.

Ultimately, I didn't have a clue myself sometimes I wonder if there was more behind me getting in. I guess it was luck being on my side, even though my spot in 1-A should have gone to someone else, som one with a quirk. 

In the end, I hope you're delighted to now that I won't be another pawn in your way to the top. After years, of being forced into darkness, I've finally decided to embrace the darkness. Farewell, Bakugo Katsuki, I'll see you from the battlefield.

From the depths of my heart, the person you bullied so much that they became a villain, L/n Y/n.

     Burning hatred and pent-up anger was all endured throughout his whole body. The letter was gripped tightly in his grasp as he went over the saddened words once more reading over the broken words they had poured out into one limited letter. He felt his own tears prick in his crimson red eyes as he suffered the emotional pain his once classmate felt all of their years with being told that they were weak and useless; unable become a hero.

With every word scribbled neatly on the page, he could feel the nervous trembling in their voice, the tears they cried trying not to have them fall on the page, the time spent into writing this one single letter. He felt it all, all their pain, all the ragged tears, all the emotion, he tried to wrap his brain around the thought of why someone would have achieved this to another, especially someone they knew for most of their lives.

He knew something had to be done; he wanted answers of why someone so strived to become a hero could do such things.

Once finished solemnly reading, he stomped out of his dorm slamming the door open gaining the urgent attention of everyone in the used halls and main room. People watched the red eyed and haired male make long strides through the halls retaining an unpleasant feeling fill the air as they stared. Somehow they seemed to recognize what the source of the topic would be about when he walked, each having the same feeling for the person when hearing their departure.

Allegedly reaching the main corridors of the 1-A dorms, his grave eyes contacted his best friends scarcely seeing the same angered expression he customarily held. Grasping desperately at the letter tighter, he retained the words repeated in his head in the voice he knew well, the voice that belonged to theirs which sounded sad and broken from the life they had experienced. The boy on the couch looked up seeing the red-haired male with an expression he never perceived on him before.

"The hell you looking at Shitty hair?" Bakugo snarled. Kirishima growled menacingly, "This is all your fault! The reason they left was because of you, Bakugo! You forced them to change because they weren't good enough for your standards. I know you're an asshole to everyone but to push someone to join the opposite side is messed up!"

"What are you talking about, Kirishima?" A girl with long dusky green hair spoke. A boy beside her scolded Kirishima, "We shouldn't yell at each other, if there is something going on then we must settle it maturely."

Kirishima conveyed the emotional letter to Tsu, "Why don't you read for yourselves, then you'll understand why I'm yelling at him."

Everyone around crowded Tsu perusing the letter transmitted to her by the red-haired boy who remained stoll with his irritated face. Before long, he wasn't the only one as people turned to the blonde with anger and hurt plastered on their faces. Tsu gulped, feeling the tears in her eyes grow knowing that the once unknown reason for her friend to betray them was because they were forced into by none other than their own classmates. They were forced to do so by the angered, ash-blonde, hero in training, Bakugou Katsuki.

"What the hell Bakugou!" Jiro yelled furiously. Bakugo merely stared hopelessly confused, "What the hell do you want?"

"Bakugo, this is unacceptable. Bullying and hurting another classmate is against the school rules. I'm very disappointed in you," lida muttered. Bakugo scoffed, "What are you talking about, four eyes? I didn't bully anyone, I have no clue what any of your lame asses are talking about."

"Kacchan, you're wrong," Deku mumbled. Tsu sniffled, "How could you have done that to them? All they wanted was to become a hero like all of us and you drove them away from that, you're no hero! Bakugou, you're the villain!"

Scarcely feeling the uncontrollable tears dripping down her face, Tsu walked wearily to the ash-blonde, harshly thrusting the letter into his chest and sprinting away to her dorm room. People watched the green-haired girl run off with some of the other girls running after her knowing the friendship the two had together. Bakugo observed grimly her leaving with the intense glare of the rest of class 1-A who had stayed on him. No longer seeing Tsu, he turned back around and revealed the personal letter she solemnly gave him, slowly reading the words inside only to release the letter in dreadful shock.

"Holy shit," He muttered, understanding everything now. "I didn't mean to turn them into a damn villain; I was just being a dumb middle schooler."

"Really? You didn't mean to do any of that? I think that's great bullshit cause you still did it," Kirishima bitterly said. Bakugou stared into his eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't want any of this to happen. I didn't know they would become a villain."

"It's too late for that," Kirishima growled, walking to the green-haired girls dorm hoping to console her. Bakugo turned to everyone else in the room, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"We're not the ones you should be apologizing to," Deku whispered harshly, vacating the main room with a couple of others.

"I hope you think about what you did, Bakugou and I suggest you think of a way to make up for it," lida scolded, fleeing the main room to his own dorm. Bakugou widens his eyes. "Wait! How do I figure that out!"

Deafening silence was all he had persuaded in critical response; everyone who was formerly in the similar room as him had left out of violent hatred for him. Bakugou stared at the unanswered letter which lay on the used floor printed with the crumple marks of the oppressed people who held it mere minutes before. Tears flood the crimson eyes of the boys recollecting the previous written words of the letter, the harsh words they cynically used to erroneously conclude the letter.

'From the shallow depths of my wounded heart, the foolish person you bullied so much they became a notorious villain, L/n Y/n,' 

'This is all my fault,' Bakugo thought, brushing his ruff scared hands through his hair. 'I caused them pain which led them to leaving us. I made them become a villain; Tsu was right, I'm not meant to be a hero."

Negative thoughts of himself clouded his mind the whole day alongside the terrible memories of all the hateful glared his classmates had executed him. He knew he deserved everything they were given him, he constitute the reason for their friend to leave and abandoned them. That night he couldn't sleep, his eyes didn't shut till an hour before he had to get up and they only shut from being worn out from crying.

Exactly like they had said in the letter, he cried himself to sleep like how they used to when he said all those hurtful words to them. Just like Bakugou, Tsu cried knowing she could have done more to her best friend and helped them through the pain they were receiving and bottling up. Kirishima stared at his ceiling thinking about how every time he saw them smile it looked fake but he never was capable to notice till now.

"I'm sorry, for not being there," Tsu whispered anxiously into her tear stained pillow at her dorm. Kirishima laid in his bed blasting some music trying to change his mind off of the topic, "I'm sorry, L/n for not noticing your pain sooner."

The depressing thoughts from their classmate went through the night making the once happy and loud dorm room quiet and sad with a missing piece gone. That same night, the person they all missed ran around with their new friends laughing and cheering showing a feeling they never felt when at U.A.

"To being a villain!" You cheered enthusiastically at the private bar with the rest of the league. All of them cheered back, "To being a villain!"

A/n: This is something from my account on Quotiev the rest of the chapters are on there but I'll be posting them here weekly. Also, request are open and you can send them in through my messages or in the comments. :)

#my hero academia #bnha x self insert #anime #x reader #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero acedamia #anime x reader #headcanon #bakugou katsuki #bnha bakugo katsuki #katsuki bakugo #bnha x reader #bnha x gender neutral reader #mha x reader #mha x gender neutral reader