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twistedwonderlandshenanigans · 2 months

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Valentine's Day...Gifts They Give You?? I Think. IDK.

HAH SCHOOL CAN KICK MY BUTT BUT BY GOD AND THE DEVIL WILL I SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE!! (I'm suffering Jesus fucking CHRIST this course is gonna eat my fried up brain for breakfast lunch and dinner) This is done assuming they're pining for Yuu, save for Ortho he's Idia's little wingman. GN reader as always bbssssssssss if anything seems canon divergent, check out my HCs lmao

Heartslaybul Ace: He thought about making it super romantic, like he spent the week leading up to Valentine's day brainstorming ideas on napkins and doodling on scrap paper, trying to come up with a way to ask to hang out that would make it feel different than normal, but not so obvious that he...you know, likes you. He ends up showing up at Ramshackle before class with a box of chocolates he bought the day before and a bit of a blushing mess. "I just got these because who knows how much Sam will have by the end of today, you owe me half, ok?"

Deuce: He absolutely called his mom to ask for some advice, and asked his dorm mom (Trey), to proofread the hand written note he had meticulously written and supervise while he tries to make a heartshaped quiche. Why quiche? Well he knows you guys have...Memories about eggs, and he remembers it fondly, and he knows that quiche freezes well, so if he makes a big batch, you can eat what you want and have a readily available breakfast to just pop back in the oven whenever you want it - hopefully you'll remember him each time you do, and you'll ask for more when you finish it! He ends up at Ramshackle a little disheveled and out of breath, trying to make the quiche early enough in the day that he could make it there before breakfast so maybe you could share a meal before class. "It's still warm??" "Yeah, I ran here as fast as I could once it was cool enough to handle." "You didn't have to..." "I wanted to! You're more than worth the effort it took to be here on time." Trey: Mans has a major advantage in that he is great in the kitchen, but he can't just make your favourite dessert. He can do that any day. No, for weeks ahead of time, he plans, makes, tests, and revises a new recipe, something that is unique and meant to be for you. It's more effort than he normally puts into his work, but it's so worth it when he shows up at Ramshackle in the evening to deliver his gift and a small note, though he gets shy. He leaves it on the front door step, knocks once, and moves to hide by the side of the house, relying on Grim's nose to bring you to the door if you didn't hear him knock. Seeing the way your face go from confusion to joy and excitement as you read the note is worth every moment he spent crouching. He knows tomorrow you'll want to talk to him in person, but for now, that's more than enough for him.

Cater: Consumerism Capital lmao. He has a really sweet, genuine gift to give to you, but the time he's spent with his sisters makes him second guess whether or not something is "good enough". So, yes, he will have spent 72 hours painting a fucking masterpiece on a phone case for you, or a pair of shoes you said you wanted, or a skateboard so you guys can skateboard together, or something you mentioned you wanted offhandedly months ago, but he's not sure if it's enough, so to "make up" for his "shitty handmade gift", he buys a shit ton of Valentine's day merchandise! He shows up with the giant teddy bear, the bouquet of flowers, the chocolates, the sappy movies, a trending perfume and some sort of specialty drink he picked up at a cafe. Depending on your reaction to all that stuff, he might actually give you the gift he worked on, otherwise you'll see it by accident or something and he gets embarrassed and a little flustered because What If You Don't Like It, Isn't Everything Else Better Than That Thing I Worked On Specifically For You. Treat him gently please. That's a personal request slkdjfhlskdjf

Riddle: He's new to this. So of course he researched long and hard on how to best express his interest in you without trying to push anything on you. Cater tried to show him cute stuff on social media, but it all seemed so scripted, disingenuous, or so over the top he couldn't see himself doing it that way. Or on the other end - they were couples, well into their relationships and living together- that wasn't where he was with you, at least....not yet. He ends up watching, reading and listening to tutorials on how to put together the perfect bouquet - his beloved rose garden would have more than an aesthetic use now, and with a little magic, a beautiful gradient came easily to the bunch of roses he arranged beautifully. Before you, this holiday just seemed ridiculous. Maybe it still was, but he would indulge if it meant it brought a smile to your face.

Savannaclaw

Jack: He can't be direct for the life of him, not in terms like this. The night before Valentine's day, he's still stumped on what to do for you that won't be...inherently romantic and obvious, but show that he cares about you!! His eyes end up settling on his little cactus and he ends up finally getting an idea. Somehow after class, but before you got home, he managed to gift you your own tiny cactus. He left it sitting in a box, a small knitted coaster of sorts sitting underneath the flower pot - he put it in the box just so that the yarn wouldn't snag on the uneven wood outside of Ramshackle- and a tiny cowboy hat sitting on top of your cactus. It had been from one of his little siblings dolls that ended up in his bag from the last time he'd gone home, but either they didn't even notice it was gone, or he could get them a replacement later.

Ruggie: "Do you have plans for Valentine's day?" "Yep. Wait for it to be over." He doesn't really care for Valentine's day, but the sale that starts on the 15th? Goddamn, yeah, he's gonna capitalize on that....and he might even like you enough to share a little bit of it...maybe while watching a movie....and snuggling up under the same blanket at Ramshackle...that he may or may not have snagged from Leona's pile of Really Nice blankets....all it takes is for you to say you want some chocolate or treats too.

Leona: He really doesn't care for Valentine's day and all the shit that comes with it, but his sister in law asked him to at least try to make the best of the day. Initially, he was going to...at least try to contest it, but ultimately decided there was a simple way to do it. He ends up firing you a quick text to meet him in the greenhouse. While the way he pulls you into his little nest for napping is rather unceremonious, once you've settled he tucks a pink camellia behind your ear before abruptly telling you he's going to sleep and you're welcome to join him or you can get out of there if you want. He hopes, that just maybe, you'll be able to identify the flower he gave you and find out what it means.

Octavinelle

Floyd: Azul is making him work overtime for Valentine's day, he doesn't get up early enough to do anything Before classes, and by the end of his shift he's EXHAUSTED and MAD. He likely has the wherewithall to bring you a serving from the special menu in a takeout container before flopping down on the couch next to you, then onto you, just looking for a little bit of physical affection. The next day he does feel a little bad for not making you feel as special as he could have, so he'll wake you up with breakfast in bed. Jade: Again, he's been working overtime but he was more ready for Valentine's day than Floyd. While he can't take you anywhere on the day of, he has an easy hike and picnic planned for the weekend if you'll join him. Despite being in the wild outdoors, he's determined to make you a dish that would be worthy of serving at the lounge. He will not handle being asked to stay home very well, but ultimately will if you want that more....but it's going to be in your backyard.

Azul: He had so much on his plate leading up to Valentine's day with marketing, organizing shifts and maximizing profit. But, some of that profit was already planned to be set aside specifically for you. It was about time that you got a bit of a leg up, right? I mean working for Crowley can only pay so much, and he's the head of the dorm that represents generosity anyways. So on the day after Valentine's day, he shows up in the evening with a laptop, and envelope with cash, and a grin, ready to show you the wonders of ✨investing✨. He may have forgotten you still...want to go home. He'll backtrack a bit and offer to help you find contractors that will renovate a part of Ramshackle for you.

Scarabia

Jamil: He didn't even bother trying to plan something for himself with you. How could he? It was a holiday, as ridiculous as it was, it meant that Kalim would inevitably want to celebrate it on the dorm level, and Jamil, of course, would have to plan and organize and arrange everything in order to make it work out. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't make sure to invite you. It didn't mean that he wouldn't make the time to ensure your favourite dish was served. Or that your favourite song would come on during the dance party portion of the celebration. Or that he wouldn't check on you just as, if not more frequently than he did on Kalim to make sure you're enjoying yourself. And if you're not, if it's all too much, he accounted for that already and will show you where you can stay until you feel okay again. Of course, if you show up an hour or two early and demand (you can't ask, he'll say no) to be given a task to lighten his burden, he might just admire you a little bit more (even if he still says no).

Kalim: Valentine's Day means partayyyyy time!! There's gonna be food, and dancing, and games, and lots of people, and live music because he, Cater, and Lilia are gonna perform, won't you come see him?? He needs you there so he can perform the best he ever has!! Come on Yuu, please??? They did actually practice, because they had to change a few lyrics so that it could be a better cover for Valentine's day and he was thinking of you when they modified it, so can you pleeeeeeeease come?

Pomefiore

Epel: He isn't sure whether he wants to continue a tradition he had from home or not, where he would show up at school with handmade lollipops and give them out to people....but his class at primary school was soooo much smaller, it wouldn't make sense to do it here for everyone. Not to mention, he usually had his grandma help him make them, he's never done it on his own. He likely does it for all the first years in his little friend group because he doesn't want to be obvious to anyone person that maybe...he likes them a little more...however your lollipop is the only one that seems to have no imperfections. Funny how that worked out.

Rook: Screw your alarm clock, he knows when you wake up anyways and will be outside your window, serenading you until you wake up. Even if you end up rolling out of bed lookin like a sewer rat and peaking out the window, once he knows you're awake he'll start reading poetry to you. He kinda just lingers until you're done getting ready enough to come great him outside, where he gives you a single rose and a few sheets of paper that he's written his poems about you on. He'll kiss the back of your hand and offer to escort you to class. ** I just want to say, for as much as I gripe about Rook in other posts, I genuinely believe that if he knew or found out you had no Valentine, no plans, and nobody treated you, he would, by the end of the day, at least have left a rose and handwritten note on in front of your door apologizing for not having asked to be your Valentine earlier and going through and complimenting you, though the note is completely anonymous. Rook is a bleeding heart (hehe Snow White ref) and regardless of his feelings for you/your feelings for him, he wants to make sure Valentine's day is positive for you.

Vil: Ugh, Valentine's day. It's a tacky, meaningless holiday that corporations push for the sake of profit. He agrees to model stuff still, sure, he has to in order to try and keep up with Neige, but he hates it. He gets his nails done so that they are jet black. Part of him wants to go goth for the day, but really that would be an overreaction to something so minor. He rejects any Valentine's day gifts, and likely won't want to do anything special, so if anything, you get to see a slightly out of character Vil as he either facetimes you to make sure you've been drinking water today and rant about the industry and how it's ruined Valentine's day, or. You send him a really cheesy gif wishing him a happy Valentines day and he very reluctantly replies, but tells you to never do that again (and it segues into Above).

Ignihyde

Idia (+ wingman/little shit Ortho): Ortho didn't really intend to snoop, but his big brother just left his phone out in the open...well he threw it onto his bed and mumbled something about being a loser. According to Ortho's analysis of Idia's phone, he hadn't been on a mobile game, so what got him so worked up? He sifted through until he found the culprit- the draft of a really sweet...and yeah, kinda cringey message he had written out addressed to the prefect of Ramshackle. Eugh he didn't need to read that...but...but Yuu should. He sends the message for Idia right before his brother comes back into the room, mumbling about how he needs to delete something. His eyes go wide as saucers as he sees not only has the message been sent, but the prefect has read it and is replying in that very moment. Idia reprimands Ortho immediately, but gently until the Prefects response comes through and Ortho confirms the tone is positive. Diasomnia lord help me it's one in the morning

Sebek: Wasn't going to do anything until Lilia mentioned...."exaggerated"...just how important Valentine's Day can be to humans. His decision to try and come up with a last minute gift only amplifies if he sees someone else give Yuu a gift, and ultimately decides with a certain degree of defeat just to buy something from Sam's shop. He decides something practical is best, but gets a little distracted around the candles. Surely in Ramshackle you would appreciate something small, aromatic and it even offers a small bit of heat! He decides to go through with it, but it's only noon, surely he can customize it a bit more before the end of the day. Lilia ends up walking into Sebek's room at around 10:30, only to see him struggling to stay awake as he wipes off paint from the lid. Based on the discarded tissues around, he hasn't been satisfied with any customizations he's tried to make. Lilia gently encourages him just to write a quick note, and he'll deliver it to the prefects doorstep for him so he can get to sleep. Sebek insists it's not perfect, but is forced to accept defeat as Lilia ushers him to bed, reassuring him that the prefect will still appreciate it.

Silver: He knows that he struggles to stay awake, so he starts on his project long before Valentine's day so that he can work on it whenever he has the wherewithall to do so. Come Valentine's day, he has the gift with him during class, and ends up sitting outside of Ramshackle, passed out next to the door waiting for you to show up so he can hand you his gift, which turns out to be a dagger. No, he didn't make it, but he wanted to research the best option for someone of your size and stature, the quality, where to purchase it reliably, to make a small write up on how to care for it properly, what it can and should be used for, and activities it's not suggested to use it for, but you technically "can". It also gives him an excuse to come see you more often to teach you how to use it- often teaching someone is a great way to learn and will add another layer to his training. Lilia: He's been around for so many Valentine's Days, he probably knew the fucking saint it was named after. That being said, he loves to make the most of life, and that doesn't stop here! Get ready for a home cooked meal, you don't have to worry about dinner tonight sweetheart, Lilia's got it covered. Or he'll pay for take out. Or both, to make up for the mess in your kitchen.

Malleus: He's been aware of the holiday for years, but has never really had a reason to celebrate it. But now there's someone who isn't scared of him. Someone who, perhaps if he asked, you would allow him to spend time with you. He ends up daydreaming about the activities the two of you could do together, from making gargoyles to learning to make ice cream together, he ends up spending the entire day like that. Though he's a bit frustrated at his loss of time, he writes out a heartfelt letter to invite you to join him in those activities at a later date. He'll either wait for you outside, or if its too late in the night, simply slide the letter under your door.

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I was gonna do Che'nya and Neige and even Rollo but its. its way too late, I'm hungry and I have a STATS class tomorrow RIP me.

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axofluff · 10 months

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The masked giant || Fem!reader x Konig

・❥・Masterlist

・❥・Tags/warnings: Nothing really much to say other than use of guns, first meeting, strangers to friends/crush,

・❥・Summary: With Ghost and the most of task force 141 out on a mission, leaving you behind. They assigned you to a new person...although he isn't what you thought, ・❥・Word count: 1926 ・❥・A/N: Wanted to start on my Konig mini series for the Fem!reader pov so I figured why not start with strangers to friends. Might make this mini series a slow burn since I HC Konig to be more shy and sheltered than Ghost.

BEEP BEEP BEEP You groggily slam your hand on the alarm clock, its daylight already and the rest of the team's already gone. You rub your eyes and sit up and stretch of any remaining sleep that is clinging onto you. Checking the schedule for today, you notice you have to meet your new supervisor whilst the teams out on an important mission. You knew almost nothing to who your suppose to meet other than "Konig- Training grounds 8AM." By his first name, you instantly knew he was somewhat either German or Austrian. You figured to take a quick shower since you still had an hour, the warm water running over your skin as you allow it to refill your energy. You always focused better when you was clean, although training was surely gonna make you sweat later on. Once done you decide to head over to the training grounds, you were 15 minuets early but its better to be early than late right? The sun hung up nicely in the sky and it was oddly warm for an autumn day. The base was quiet still at this time, the odd clangs and bangs from the garage as the mechanics work on the variety of vehicles that you had. Arriving at the training camp, you put your bag and water bottle down on one of the benches supplied. It's quiet...almost too quiet. You were so used to hearing Soap's cringy banter and Ghost's gruff voice as he barks commands at you. Complaining every time you missed a target. You decide to head over to the targets, a rifle on the table catches your eye. What's an unsupervised gun doing out...loaded to? Your curiosity gets the better of you as you pick it up and you aim it down at a target 10 Meters away from the post. "H-hello?" A thick germen accent suddenly causes you to lose focus and you turn around and your heart drops in your chest, A man around 6'10 looms over you, his arms crossed. His eyes glare behind the curtain draped on his head, secured on what seems to be a modded bike helmet. You suddenly put the gun down and you feel so small against him and this is the first time you've genuinely felt true fear here. His frame suddenly loosens as he realizes he's scaring at you. "Ah...I'm sorry...you must be yc/s (Your call sign), yes?" He extends his very large hand to you. It's as big as your head and you shyly accept it, his hand grips on yours. His huge fingers encasing yours in a tight shake. "Yes..." You squeak and you suddenly feel embarrassed, not quite sure on how to approach the giant before you. "I'm sorry if my size scares you....hah...well I'm Konig. I was told by Ghost to be your instructor whilst they were way the next few weeks. I...uhh...have never been a supervisor before." He plays with his mask and you can tell he's just as nervous as you are. How can such a person be so scared at his height? You think to yourself as his gaze is now soft. His green eyes avoiding eye contact with you as he glances to the side. "Ah...It's nice to meet you Konig. Please....just call me y/n. No need to be formal. " You nod, it hurts to crane your neck to look at him. You've never seen a man so tall, yet feel so shy

"Y-you too Y/n...such a pretty name haha...I hope you don't mind me saying that...I...uh....heh, anyways..." Konig gets all flustered and clears his throat. "Price gave me a training schedule for you to do...today's was just some spotting...I'm assuming you know how to work a rifle. So why don't you go ahead and take a few rounds at the targets for half an hour or so and we can move from there." "Sure, and not at all! Your not the first to mention it...I'll go ahead and load a rifle and shoot." You can't help but form a small blush. "Good...I'll watch..." He nods lightly as you pick the rifle again and aim down sight. Taking a breath before checking ammo count, realizing the mag's already full you turn safety off and you begin to drill bullets at the target. Missing a few but hitting the majority. After the mags done you take it out and switch it for a new mag, locking it in place before moving onto the next target. "Always aim a little higher when shooting targets at a longer distance." Konig calls out, you nod in reply and continue your attack. Still missing a lot. Two very large hands grab your waist and pull you upwards to change your stance. "Arms up...out stretched. Keep back upright." Konig re aligns your stance and you can't help but feel butterflies in your stomach. The slightest touch sending you shivers. He suddenly let's go of you and walks off. Leaving you a flustered mess. You've never felt this strange fuzzy feeling and you do your best to push those aside. Konig was caring unlike Ghost, the way he talks, his body movemnts. Ghost was always belittling you, shouting at you. It was a nice change of pace for once. "Carry on...that should be better for you." Konig gives you the sign to carry on. You take his advice and fire another round. This time hitting 95% of your shots and you smile to yourself. "There you go...you aren't so bad after all haha!" Konig chuckles behind you and the sound erupts through you. Like a lions growl. It's enough to make you stop and freeze. "Is everything alright y/n?" He takes a sudden concern to how silent you just went. "Yeah...yeah just happy I was able to hit that target. ..T-thank you Konig." You turn your head around and flash him a small smile at the man. "Did ghost not teach you that at all...?" He tilts his head, pointing at your rifle in your hands. "No, just assumed I learnt it in bootcamp...shouted at me every time I missed." You shake your head as your eyes meet his again but this time he doesn't look away, the stare holding a little longer before you suddenly realize your staring. "Sorry...Konig...can I ask you something personal?" You bite your lip, itching to know how he was so tall. "Natürlich...of course" He leans against the wall next to you, nodding gently as he gives you permission. ((Natürlich- Of course.)) "How are you...well...so tall?" Your eyes glance from his feet to his eyes. "Ahhh...well...my Vater was quite tall...I don't actually know why I'm so big." He chuckles again, looking down. ((Vater- Father))

"Ah, I assume your height must cause you some issues with being a soldier." Your desire to get to know Konig etched more and more, the masked giant maybe wasn't so scary after all. "Funny you should mention that...I wanted to be a sniper...they took me off the course since I was way to tall. Now, I just mostly do demolitions and I'm a insertion specialist. Nothing fancy of what you and the task force does. " Konig shrugs, his eyes never leave you but as soon as you look back he quickly looks away bashfully.

"I haven't been on any serious mission with the boys...I'm still classed as new. It's why I didn't go with them today. I'm sure I'll get my fair share of action with them in time. Have my own scars to tell." You put the rifle down and shake your head, knowing your not the best soldier to be placed in the same honor if the team, but you felt proud none the less Konig recognized you as such. "Don't think so lowly of yourself. Y/n, I'm sure your strong, we all start off as a small bird waiting for its wings. You'll develop yours in time." He catches you off by guard, almost like he's reading your mind. "That means a lot Konig...thank you." You can't help but feel so drawn to him, yet you don't know why. You hardly knew nothing of the man yet it feels like you've known him from somewhere before. "It's a pleasure Y/n...We're getting off course haha...why don't you try with a sidearm now?" Konig heads over and hands you a small pistol. You smile as you accept it and you walk to the spot again. This time taking Konigs advice again and you fire. Hitting every bullet. "Look at you! You'll be the best shooter this team has seen in no time!" Konig tease's walking over and giving your shoulder a small squeeze. You blush again at the sudden contact, feeling your cheeks run pink. "Ah...I'm sorry." Konig pulls away and he begins to franticly blurt out an apology. His hands suddenly fumble with his pouches at the front, wanting a distraction. "No no It's okay!" You reassure him, smiling warmly and even though you can't see his face. You can tell he's smiling back. His demeanor was surprisingly warn and inviting, you can't help but want to learn more. You and Konig both go through target practice, he makes small adjustments here and there but none the less, you hit most of your shots. You feel Konig warm to you during your session as you both trade light banter and he doesn't stutter as much. If anyone walked in, they'd assume you were life long friends. "You did well, care to join me for lunch?" Konig helps you clear the shells and you put away the guns back in their designated areas. "Sure, I'd love to." You smile and grab your bag and water bottle. Konig nods and you follow him to the cafeteria. It was rather quiet and the only thing on the menu today was some soup. You wouldn't complain though as your starving. You both find a small table and he sits in front of you. He was still towering over you as you both sat. You looked like an innocent child with her father. The broth in your hands was just asking to be eaten and you hungrily take a sip only for it to burn your tongue and you drop your spoon. "Ah ah hot hot hot!" You take a swig of your water, hoping to sooth the pain. Your tongue screaming in pain. "Are you ok, y/n?" Konig leans over, his frame looming over. Your heart catches in your throat, hammering away at your fragile chest, "Y-yeah, just burnt my tongue. I'm rather hungry today, I should be more careful." You swirl your spoon in the soup, blowing on it gently. "You are certainly clumsy, Kleiner." He chuckles, shaking his head. ((Kleiner- Little one)) "It just smells good." You reply laughing, a smile forming on your face "Y/n your blushing...how cute." You never knew you was blushing and you look down shyly. You look down at your soup and you see your reflection in the spoon and it proves right, looking right back in the spoon you see your cheeks a rosy red. "S-sorry...it's the soup." You play it off, knowing the reason why your blushing is because of him. You just couldn't help it. The mysterious man just had this effect that made you craving more. "I can tell I'm gonna enjoy these next few weeks with you, y/n." Konig chuckles, leaning back. He cross's his arms, looking at you with a soft stare, his mask moves gently as he breaths. "I shall look forward to it." You decide to take another sip of your soup and this time its not like eating lava of the sun, turning your gaze back to the soup to hide your blushing. Your butterfly's racing around in your chest.

Were you falling for someone you just met?

Was it even possible?

#konig cod #konig x reader #cod mw2 #cod x reader #call of duty #konig modern warfare #konig x you #konig call of duty

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avionvadion · 3 months

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Part Two of "I have no self control, so here ya go."

Lucifer x Fem!Human!OC

Warning: I don’t know how to write songs, so please don’t judge the Lucifer song too hard. T_T El isn’t affected by the song magic in Hell/Heaven so she ends up singing whatever songs she knows from her time on earth. In this chapter, it's "Here Comes A Thought".

I've decided this takes place just before the Pilot episode. So Angel has not been recruited yet, and the hotel is still the "Happy Hotel".

Lucifer was incredibly anxious as he shifted in his seat, one arm crossed over his chest while he bit the tips of his gloved fingers on his other, watching as Eleanora read the letter. What if it was horrible? What if he wrote too much? What if he was too honest and that ruined the letter? He can’t send that to Charlie. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

They should stop now while they’re ahead, before things go too far and he can’t take it all back.

But what if doing that is what ruins everything?

Lucifer’s mind felt like a trainwreck; he didn’t know which direction to take, which way to go. All the conductors were screaming at each other, but no one was willing to pull the lever to set him on the right track.

No one except…

Ellie?

His sharp fangs had just started tearing through the fabric of the gloves and into his fingers when the Blue Human suddenly reached out, startling him by grabbing his hand and lowering it from his lips.

She hadn’t even looked away from the writing.

He blinked.

Lucifer looked down at the hand she had grabbed. Eleanora’s grip was loose, her fingers just barely resting over his, but she didn’t pull away, simply holding it in place so he didn’t start biting again.

It was… warm.

Does she truly want to help me?

Lucifer, ever since falling from Heaven and seeing the horrors that were inside Hell, had always believed giving humanity free will was one of his biggest mistakes. But he had scared this human, threatened her, kidnapped her, and coerced her into giving him advice, and yet… despite all that… she’s been trying to genuinely help him.

And then she sang that song…

Sure, they had a deal now, but they didn’t when they had first started writing this letter. Nothing in her actions or behavior has changed- save for the fact that she was acting more comfortable around him now, but it was the same for him so that didn’t really mean anything, did it? This human must truly be a good person like his daughter believed.

“Has… Earth changed at all?”

Eleanora paused, finally prying her eyes away from the letter to look down at him, confused. “Hah?”

“Earth.” Lucifer repeated, his yellow-and-red snake eyes boring into her brown ones expectantly, hopefully. “Has it… changed? Or are you just one of the few who are most likely to get into Heaven?”

The woman stared at him, only to turn away with a snort. “I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m “one of the few”. But… the people I used to hang out with in my school days always said I’d probably be the only one at our lunch table who wouldn’t end up in Hell. Pfft!” She laughed, flashing him a grin once she realized the irony of her situation. “Funny how that worked out, am I right? They were all wrong! Technically. Which… actually makes it funnier? But, uh, nah. Probably not.”

Eleanora set the letter down on the desk and made to move her left hand from his- only to freeze, fingers twitching, as her eyes went wide. Lucifer realized then that she had no idea she had stopped him from nibbling his hand to bits, and that she’s been holding said hand for the better half of ten minutes.

“Uh…” Slowly, stiffly, she pulled her hand away, her face burning a bright red, and Lucifer stared intently at her as she turned to lean her back against the desk, folding her arms over her chest as she smiled awkwardly, not looking at him. “I mean, I’m from America and it’s gotten really shitty over the past few years. There was the pandemic, we’re practically about to start World War III, and to top it all off- we’re regressing back into the nineteen twenties! Where women are property and cattle and nothing else!”

She laughed, the sound fake and stressed and very much bitter.

The human waved a hand in the air. “Pisses me off! I mean, seriously, women can’t even breastfeed in public without getting yelled at because we might “excite” some random weirdos! Like, hello~? No! If a baby needs to be fed, it should be fucking fed. But no- let’s let it starve because some asshole might not be able to keep his hands or eyes to himself! Ugh!”

She crossed her arms again, glaring into nothing, and Lucifer leaned sideways against his desk, elbow propped up and hand on his cheek. He was practically staring into her skull, his gaze so intense, and after a minute of seething in her thoughts Eleanora jolted, sensing his stare.

Turning slowly to look at him, she blinked, unable to decipher what exactly he was thinking- if he was even thinking anything at all- and quickly flashed him an apologetic smile, waving a hand at him- the same hand she had held his with.

“S-Sorry! I… I got mad. And… rambled. Um. But, yeah, Charlie definitely thinks I would’ve gotten into Heaven- I disagreed, because, like, I never really believed in God until coming down here? I mean, my parents are religious, but even though they tried to force that on us, me and my siblings were all pretty… indifferent about the matter? That said, I wasn’t about to argue when Charlie asked me question after question and kept… getting more and more excited.”

“What questions did she ask you?”

Eleanora froze. Realizing he was actually interested in what she had to say and wasn’t going to tell her to stop talking, she brightened. “O-Oh! Um, just- y’know, the usual, “Have you ever done drugs or smoked, do you drink- if so, how much and how often, have you ever had intercourse before marriage"? That kinda of thing. Oh! "Have you ever maimed or killed someone? Have you ever thought about maiming or killing someone"?”

“And?”

She startled at that, looking at the devil king with wide eyes. “What?”

Lucifer’s gaze was curious. “What did you tell her?”

The human was stunned. “Well, I…”

Clearing her throat, she looked away and began to count with her fingers as she answered, surprised he even wanted to know. Lucifer himself was a little surprised he wanted to know, especially since he probably won’t even remember half of it, but… he was curious.

Who was this human? Why was it her that was summoned into Hell? Who was she to genuinely want to help him, even though he had abducted and threatened her for her assistance?

Why was she so good, when the rest of humanity was so wretched and awful?

“Um, well, I’ve never done drugs.” Eleanora began to list, thinking back on her answers. “Or smoke. My health was bad enough already, and I really didn’t want to make my asthma worse. Also, I don’t drink. Sure, my older sister would have me take an occasional sip of her wine just so I can say I tried it, but that’s only, like, once or twice a year since she doesn’t drink as much as she used to. Apparently I’m a dessert wine kinda gal?”

Lucifer sat up, squinting an eye. “Asthma? You don’t act like an asthmatic.”

“Charlie!” She beamed, snapping her fingers and pointing at him. “Part of the pact! My meds aren’t available down here, so she’s literally using some kind of magic to keep me from keeling over! I haven’t been able to breathe this well or talk so much since I was small! Heck, I can do zoomies and not collapse three seconds in! She’s such a sweetie.”

She is. One hundred percent. His daughter was the best.

“Anyways, she went on to explain the Happy Hotel to me and convinced me to make a pact with her, so not only have my lung issues been taken care of, I’ve got her protection and a job at the hotel. Even though… said job is to literally just exist. So I don’t really feel like I’m doing anything? But it makes her happy, so. Yeah.”

Lucifer lowered his head, processing this. “My little girl’s… really all grown up now, isn’t she…?”

Eleanora went silent.

After a moment, she moved to tap her fingers against the desk, not daring to touch him after how she had unknowingly done so earlier.

“I think…” She began slowly. “Even if she’s grown, she still has plenty of room in her life for her dad. It’s not like you were on bad terms; you just… never got to know each other. So you still have a shot. Especially since she misses you, too.”

The devil king snapped his head up, his eyes growing wide. “You… You really think so?”

Eleanora grinned, giving him a thumbs up. “Heck yeah, I do!”

“How are you so sure?” He asked, worrying his bottom lip. Lucifer could feel his eyes start to sting as he glanced at one of the portraits he has hanging up that were of his daughter, before turning back to look at the human standing beside him. “Were you a mother before coming here? Did you have kids?”

She balked. Lucifer blinked. He watched as she jumped forward, stumbling as she spun to face him, and shook her head, waving her hands at him. “No! No, no, no! Dude, I never even dated before coming here! Are you kidding!? E-Even if I did have… kids somehow, I’m only twenty-five! They’d be nowhere near Charlie’s age!”

Lucifer curled a hand around his chin, furrowing his brows and tilting his head at her. “You’re twenty-five?”

“…Yeah?”

“And you never dated?" That's surprising.

She shrugged. "All the guys that were in my school were morons and playboys, and literally every person I knew who was in a relationship was being abused or cheated on. I've dealt with my fair share of creeps, but, nah. I don't trust people."

Ah. That explains it. “So, then, Little Blue-“

“For the third time, Your Majesty, please don’t call me that.”

He ignored her comment, instead tossing one leg over the other and lacing his hands together on his lap. Lucifer narrowed his eyes at her. “What makes you so sure this’ll work?”

At that, she hesitated.

Lucifer watched as her facial features shifted, twisting into something darker and grim. His brows raised, finding this reaction most curious, and observed silently as she thought about how to answer. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of answer she would give, especially since she was twenty-five years old and not a parent herself.

After a long, suffocating moment, her hands curling into fists, she moved to fiddle with her blue-painted nails, picking away at the paint. “So, I… don’t have kids. But… I do have older siblings, and… when I was small, I never really got to know them.”

Oh?

A sad smile spread across her lips, and Lucifer leaned forward, even more intrigued now.

“They were… going through some things- depression, anxiety; a lot of their friends… killed themselves and, at the time, our parents were just recently divorced.” He winced a little there. “The divorce never really affected me because of how small I was, but it definitely messed with them. To make matters worse, our mother’s house was absolutely crowded with extended family who were… well, completely and utterly toxic, abusive assholes who only ever cared about themselves, never paid their bills, and decided to take all their anger out on me because I was tiny and couldn’t do anything about it.”

She said that last part rather quickly, her smile growing sickeningly sweet in her rage, and he blinked with a dumbfounded look on his face as she pressed the tips of her fingers together.

“Their daughter, my cousin, who would beat the absolute shit out of me and torment her siblings and even gutted a live snake, was the absolute angel in their eyes, and I was the devil because I had medical issues and was spoiled by my mom. I was four. Four. And this continued for years, and during this time all my siblings moved out, and I didn’t get to hear or see hide or hair of them for years. Also, note, none of them knew this bullshit was going on.”

“Seriously?” Once again, he finds himself regretting giving humanity free will. The abuse aside, that snake thing was especially disturbing for... personal reason.

Eleanora shrugged. “They were always out of the house and I was convinced no one would believe me. Her parents didn’t believe me whenever I tried to defend myself, so why would anyone else believe me? People were already convinced I had an "active imagination".”

Lucifer clicked his tongue, leaning back in his seat. “Fuck that.”

If the other six sins had met and abused his adorable Charlie, and she tried to tell him such, he would’ve believed her on the spot. But, then again, Lucifer himself was cast out of Heaven. He was young and excitable, with great plans for humanity and Earth and all that would inhabit it, but his ideas were deemed too dangerous, too much, for the likes of his angelic family, and they handled the matter by naming him the devil and tossing him down here with his beloved… who… also eventually left him, taking their daughter with her. Leaving him alone.

Ah, damn it.

Is he so lonely that he’s seriously empathizing with this human?

“But, hey!” Eleanora’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up, face shifting into one of bafflement when she grinned and playfully waved fingerguns at him. “A laugh a day keeps the trauma away! Therapy’s expensive, but telling yourself it just be like that sometimes? Doesn’t cost a cent.”

Lucifer nodded to that, sticking out his bottom lip. “That is true…”

“Anyways!” She cleared her throat. “After… everything that part of our family did and how it… messed with my brain, I… ended up more isolated than ever. But then they moved out! And… I was able to find out who I was outside of the trauma.”

“And then?”

She smiled at him, her eyes sad. “I tried to reconnect with my siblings.”

“…Did it work?”

Eleanora beamed. “It did. I was fifteen back then. All you have to do is talk with your daughter, Lucifer. Trust me.”

He just turned his head away, gazing at the floor and the remains of many failed letters. “I… I don’t know. What if… What if she doesn’t want to talk with me?”

The room became filled with a heavy atmosphere, suffocating and thick with anxiety.

Eleanora brought a hand up to her face, fingers over her lips, as she went deep into thought. Just as Lucifer’s fears began to grow darker, his heart sinking into the pit of his stomach, she tentatively reached out and set a hand on his shoulder.

He tensed, glancing down at the hand, before looking up at her, seeing her hesitating again before she let go and knelt down so he was looking down at her instead. She reached out to grasp his hands, and he startled, realizing he had been unknowingly digging his claws into his palms.

“I’m really not good at this, but…” Eleanora took a deep breath, beginning to sing softly, her eyes gentle as she tried to comfort him in the way that would work best for him. “Take a moment to think of just… flexibility, love, and trust. Take a moment to think of just… flexibility, love and trust...”

“...I love Charlie.” He murmured. “But that… doesn’t mean she loves me.”

Lucifer adores his daughter more than anything; he’d give her the world if that’s what she wanted. Anything that was in his power was hers for the taking. She’s his sole reason for living. She’s so beautiful and bright and lovely, in this world so wretched and dark and filthy. But… he knows he hasn’t been a good father to her.

He barely spent any time with her in her childhood, and after the divorce he never got to see her at all. It may be in part his fault, since he was always too scared to try, but how can he trust she won’t toss him aside like his wife did?

“Lucifer.” Eleanora’s voice called out to him, and he flinched, looking down at her with pained eyes. She gave his hands a gentle squeeze, a sad smile on her lips. “It’s going to be okay.’

“But how do you know that?”

“Just listen, will you?” He pouted at her words, but she stubbornly shook her head and gave him a look before softening her gaze. “Here comes a thought~ that might alarm you; what someone said… and how it harmed you.”

Lucifer’s eyes drifted down to their joined hands, his lips pulling into a small frown.

“Something you did~ that failed to be charming. Things that you said~ are suddenly swarming, and oh… you’re losing sight, you’re losing touch~! And all these little things seem to matter so much… that they confuse you- that she might lose you.”

The blond king snapped his head up, eyes growing wide, but Eleanora offered him a smile. She moved to hold his hands up close to her chest.

“Take a moment, remind yourself- to take a moment and find yourself.” The human suggested. “Take a moment and ask yourself, if this is how it’ll fall apart…”

She held his hands out towards him, uncurling his fingers with her thumbs and unfolding them so his palms were exposed, the bits of his gloves that had been torn through there for him to see. Eleanora’s eyes were full of emotion, staring into his with an intensity she wasn’t able to handle before.

“But it’s not, but it’s not, but it’s not, but it’s not, but it’s not.” She told him firmly, her voice sweet yet ever so strong. Lucifer felt his lips curl back, his eyes starting to sting again. He could feel his heart aching, always so terrified of the worst possible scenario yet desperately hoping for the best without putting forth any effort, his cowardice getting the better of him. “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay…”

Slowly, Eleanora stood, legs shaking after sitting in such an uncomfortable position for so long. She tugged him onto his feet, the King of Hell finding himself going along with it, watching breathlessly as she smiled at him before releasing one of his hands to brush her fingers over the letter that was still resting on the desk, waiting to be signed.

“You’ve got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear.” Head lowered, her confidence seemed to waver, before she lifted her free hand to rest against her chest, trying to stand tall before him so he wouldn’t doubt her words. Brown eyes gazed into crimson, and she gave his fingers one more good squeeze. “I’m here, I’m here, I’m here.”

Lucifer was silent, staring at her for a long minute.

It was so long she started to look uncomfortable, the woman growing worried that she might have sang the wrong thing, but then he turned to look at the letter.

Taking a deep breath, Lucifer tried to compose himself, snapping his fingers to repair his gloves before moving to pick up the pen he had set down. In that moment of quiet, repeating in his mind the words she had sung ever so sweetly to him, he asked, “How… should I sign it?”

“Hmm?” She blinked, having not expected that question. “Uh… however you want? She’s your daughter.”

Sitting straight, he tapped the letter with the pen. “But what would Charlie like best? Should I be formal? How formal? King of Hell formal,” He spoke with a silly faux intimidating voice, waggling his shoulders and almost earning a laugh from the human woman, “or a Sincerely, Your Father kinda thing? Does she even like formalities? I know she’s grown now, but when she was little-“

“How about, Love Dad?” Eleanora suggested, a small smile on her lips, her eyes shimmering with a hint of baffled exasperation and growing fondness. She rested a hand on the back of his chair, leaning down just slightly so they were on eye level. “I think she’d like that.”

Lucifer froze, pen dropping from his hand. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he looked up at her, his true personality showing through now that they’ve had not one, but two emotional music numbers. “L-Love… Dad? That’s not- That’s not too cheesy? Too cringe? She won’t- She won’t find it too much?”

She stared at him, understanding slowly dawning on her that he was less a king and more just a depressed and lonely man who wanted so badly to be a good father, yet didn’t know how. She knew he was immortal, but appearance wise he looked more like he was in his early to mid thirties. This man was an absolutely mess. “Your Majesty… Lucifer, sir… uh…”

Eleanora looked at the letter and then at him. His eyes were pleading.

“I don’t know how to tell you this… but Charlie loves cheesy. Formalities freak her out.”

“…Oh.”

“Yeeeah.”

Heart pounding, Lucifer shakily signed the letter, finding himself- against his better judgment- drawing some hearts around the Love, Dad that he wrote, before folding the letter and waving his hand, an envelope appearing in the air. He caught it between his fingers as it fluttered, and the king carefully tucked the letter inside before stamping it shut with a wax seal.

Eleanora almost flinched when he held it out to her. “There. It’s done. You’re certain Charlie will like it?”

“Y-Yeah! Of course!” She awkwardly reached out to take the letter from him. “Um, do you wanna send her a gift too? Just to be safe?”

Lucifer blinked. “A… gift? Like what?”

“I-I dunno, how about…” The Blue Human looked around the room, taking note of the hundreds of rubber ducks. There were so many, he even had some stuffed under a table. She didn’t even notice the paper ducks hanging over the doorway until now. Deciding not to think too hard about, she gestured to a pile. “Why not one of these? They’re cute. Charlie loves animals!”

At that, the king jumped out of his seat, laughing awkwardly and wagging a finger at the woman. “Oho! Ha! Haha! No! No, no, no!” He crossed his arms in an X over his chest, shaking his head as his heeled boots clacked against the floor. “Absolutely not! Ex-nay on the duck-nay! None of these are… are…”

Lucifer scrunched up his face and bent over, waving his arms dramatically.

“Are good enough for my Charlie! They’re failures, all of them!”

“Wait, seriously?” Eleanora walked over to pick one up from off the top of one of the bigger piles. The one she grabbed was wearing a red-and-white striped sweater. “But they’re adorable!”

She squeezed it.

It squeaked.

A big goofy grin spread across her face.

The human cooed, holding it up with both hands, and Lucifer froze- on his tiptoes, half bent over in his overdramatic panic, his arms held out and hands extended in front of him. The devil king stared at her, watching as she squeezed it again. “She’d love this! Ohhh~ or maybe this one? Awww, it has a little hat! So precious!”

She reached out to pick it up.

It took Lucifer’s stunned brain a bit too long to recognize what the specific hat he had put on that particular rubber duck meant, but once he did he tossed a hand out, pointing a claw at it with a panicked shriek.

“No!”

A beam of light blasted out of his hand, and Eleanora screamed, stumbling and falling back as the duck was simultaneously sent flying out of her hands and incinerated. She looked up at him with wide, terrified eyes, but he just turned to her, breathing heavily.

“Don’t… Don’t squeak that one.” He told her. “It’ll kill you.”

Well, not anymore, anyways, given he just blasted that thing into oblivion. But it could’ve. Would’ve, had he not acted. Then Charlie would be sad, and he wouldn’t have anyone to give him advice anymore.

Oddly enough, he’s actually growing rather fond of this human. She was a good one. Even better, she understood his relationship with Charlie, or lack thereof, and was actively trying to help. In an even odder way, she felt a bit like a kindred spirit.

But that could just be his loneliness and desperation for connection talking.

“That fucking beam you shot out would’ve killed me!” Eleanora cried from her spot on the floor, swearing as loud as could be. “You could have just grabbed it from me!”

Lucifer paused. “Oh. Huh. Yeah, guess I could’ve.”

Seeing him give a small, half-hearted shrug, the human forgot all fear of him being the devil king and picked up the sweater-wearing duck she had dropped, tossing it at him in a fit of anger. Lucifer blinked and looked down, watching as it hit his chest with a squeak.

He turned to her, deeply unimpressed. “Really? That’s what you choose to do? Even though I just saved you? You’re in my house, and you’re throwing my rubber ducks… at me?”

Eleanora opened her mouth like she was about to yell at him, but thought better of it and huffed, pushing herself up onto her feet and moving to set the letter safely on the table. She marched over to another pile of rubber ducks. Picking one up, she turned and faced him, and he just stared, eyes half-lidded, as she threw another one at him.

It bounced off his shoulder.

With a squeak, it began to glow with a brilliant yellow light. The light faded after three seconds.

When she threw a third duck at him, Lucifer took it upon himself to dodge. He barked a laugh, pointing at her. “Ha! Missed!”

Unfortunately, as soon as the duck landed on the floor, squeaking, a bolt of lightning shot out from its beak and scorched a wall.

Eleanora jumped and screeched, practically throwing herself onto the desk in the same way someone might’ve done had they seen a spider. “What the frick, dude!? Lightning!? Don’t- Don’t you have one that squeaks rainbows or something!? Or glitter!? Something not deadly!?”

Lucifer held up a finger, about to respond, only to think about it, tapping a claw to his chin. “Actually… I don’t think I have one with rainbows? Glitter, definitely. Dunno where it’s at, though. It’s in one of these piles.” He raised an arm, gesturing widely to the rubber ducks around them.

The human gaped at him.

Lifting a hand, she brushed her bangs back out of her face, baffled, letting out a huff, and Lucifer hummed, summoning his staff so he could lean forward against it, rocking on his heels as he rested his chin on his hands. He watched as her chest heaved as she scoffed, her shapely legs shifting as she slumped over, dropping her arms to rest in her lap as she shook her head.

“You’re ridiculous.” Oh, that’s something. Rather than annoyance, there was a hint of amusement in her tone, like she found his ridiculousness entertaining or, dare say, charming.

Lucifer found his eyebrows raising. “Am I? I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“Pfft!” She didn’t even try to hide her laugh. “Right!? It’s not obvious at all.”

Even stranger than her tone of voice, Lucifer found himself smiling, lips spreading wide across his face and showcasing his sharp teeth for all the world to see.

It felt nice- having someone to talk to, someone who wasn’t a wretched Sinner and who didn’t have ulterior motives. Someone he didn’t have to worry about, whether it be their intentions or… otherwise. It was a welcome distraction.

One that… actually felt good, instead of being a pathetic endeavor to keep his mind off of other things. It felt so good, he could feel a song bubbling its way up his chest.

“Well, I may be ridiculous, but what does that make you?” Lucifer found himself saying, standing up straight and tapping his cane against the floor before waltzing his way over to the desk where she was still sitting. Eleanora blinked. Alarm flashed across her face when he leaned against the side of his chair, arms folding over his chest, fixing her with a look. “You just threw rubber ducks at the King of Hell. Honesty, it was quite bold of you.”

“Th-That was… I, um…” Her expression was complete and utter panic.

Lucifer’s smile broadened into a grin, absolutely delighted at this opportunity to tease her. “A human like you? Why, Little Blue- I can hardly believe you!”

Her panic instantly switched to confusion, the woman catching the beat he was speaking with, before squeaking when he suddenly jumped up onto the desk and slid to sit beside her, one leg crossed over the other.

As Lucifer started to sing, he bounced his shoulders, grinning wide as could be as he looked at her. “What a brave human you are~ facing Hell and coming this far! Picking a fight with the king, I mean really, just who do you think you are?”

“I-“ Eleanora did not have any idea where this was going. As such, she didn’t know if he was actually upset or not. “I just- I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to- well, I did mean to, but it wasn’t-“

“A human like you, sweet Little Blue, I just can’t understand you. Come on, let’s walk!” He jumped off the desk, snatching her hand and dragging her with him, and she yelped when he yanked her forward and spun her around so they were facing each other. “Let’s talk, let’s have a dance!”

“Lucifer-“

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked, not at all sincere, laughing as he grabbed both her hands and began to move around. The woman’s feet stumbled as she tried to keep in time with him. “You wanted to dance with the devil, so here I am! Why not revel and enjoy the song?”

She made a noise of surprise when the room around them began to change, magical silver music notes drifting through the air, circling them. The sky above was a brilliant glittering gold.

“Lah~ dah, a lati dah!” Lucifer sang, his dull red eyes a brilliant crimson as they spun atop a crystal clear lake, each step causing the surface to ripple. “Lah dah lah dah, lah lati dah!”

He couldn’t help but watch as wonder began to shine in her eyes, something warm that had once been long dead inside him seeming to rise and glimmer as the world around them sparkled gold and blue. Lifting an arm, Eleanora actually giggled as she spun on her toes, the devil king letting her circle around him before being pulled back into his grasp.

Before, she had been terrified, and she sang only to comfort him, but now?

She was truly enjoying the music.

“A dance with the devil’s what you wanted, so take the leap, take a glance~ enjoy your unique, magical circumstance! Not many get a chance like this!”

Whether he was referring to her situation as a human who was summoned into Hell itself while still being very much alive, or simply because she was dancing with the King of Hell, he wasn’t really sure. Lucifer was simply letting the words flow, and enjoying himself as he watched the various emotions paint across her face.

“Lah dah lah dah, la lati dah~!” He sang, before flashing her a big grin. “Say, Little Blue, is that a smile?”

The human gasped, looking at him with big brown eyes, concern flashing across her features just briefly until she saw his crinkled eyes, realizing there wasn’t a hint of animosity in his words.

Spinning and releasing her, she fell back with a yelp, but didn’t fall as he caught her by the waist. “I knew you’d find this song to be worthwhile!”

“Lucif-“ Eleanora inhaled sharply, the devil king leaning towards her just a bit too close, but in a way that was much different from how he did in the first song he sang to her.

His grin was wider, but not forced, and his crimson irises were sparkling. “Little Blue, Ellie, you~! You made a deal to work at my side, to help me with my daughter so I won’t have to say goodbye, but you~!”

Lucifer pulled her back up onto her feet, but did not remove his hand from her waist.

“You don’t know how to pick your battles! Trying to pick a fight with the one who gave Eve the apple, ha! You really are reckless, y’know that?”

“Unfortunately?”

Lucifer grinned.

“You wanted to dance with the devil~! So here I am! Take the leap, take the chance, enjoy your unique magical circumstance!” Grasping her hand, tugging her close, they began to dance together again, Lucifer taking the lead as she stumbled along, her face red as could be as he beamed. “Lah dah lah dah, la lati dah~ tell me, Little Blue; you’re a gutsy gal! Just why are you helping me?”

She blinked. “Why? Because…”

Eleanora thought about it. For once, her feet were actually matching his steps.

“You love your daughter? And… because I want to? I don’t… think you’re a bad guy. Scary, yeah, since you… could definitely kill me, but- I dunno, you’re kinda nice?”

Lucifer’s pearly white grin softened then, his eyes burning at the sincerity of her answer. Something in his heart throbbed, and he smiled gently as he sent her spinning to his right, releasing her hand, red flower petals appearing and fluttering around her as she slowed to a halt, turning to look at him once she was several feet away. Lucifer’s eyes widened a little at the sight, and he pursed his lips, wondering if this was truly alright.

She shouldn’t even be here in Hell.

Can he… really allow himself to rely on her? He should hate her, honestly, given she’s one of the beings who was given free will and with that free will has made a pact of all things with his daughter, and yet… he can’t. She’s so honest and nice, and… warm.

And pretty.

Nope, no, not the time, brain!

Attraction does not equal affection, and he’s not even sure if he can try that right now- or if he’s even capable of it, considering how badly his heart was broken when his wife left him. Even his brain’s become a scrambled mess over the years of isolation and crippling loneliness.

Friends are good, though!

He can handle making a friend. Right? Right.

I can have a human friend.

Lucifer watched as a few butterflies flew towards Eleanora, who squeaked in slight terror and ducked down, freezing in place when one landed on her head. He bit his lip so he wouldn’t laugh. Walking over, he scared the magic critters away with his staff and held out his hand, the brunette woman pausing to look up at him with gratitude before hesitantly taking hold of his hand.

“Thank you.” He told her, voice soft, and she recoiled, eyes wide.

“Huh? O-Oh, you don’t- haha, nah, it’s okay!” She smiled awkwardly at him. “I’m just… glad I can help. Like I said- I don’t really do anything in the hotel except exist, mostly because we don’t have any residents yet, but, hey! If I can help you bond with Charlie, who’s been super nice to me, then I wanna help!”

Lucifer chuckled, and this time when he tugged her towards him Eleanora didn’t yelp. She just gazed at him with wide eyes, her face burning red, as their chests and faces nearly touched.

One hand in hers, the other on her waist, the corners of his eyes crinkled warmly. “And I’m not supposed to thank you for that? Don’t be ridiculous, Ellie. Being fallen doesn't mean I've forgotten how to be grateful. I may be the devil, but I was once an archangel."

She was definitely befuddled by his change in attitude, as well as the sudden nickname, but decided not to comment on it.

Apparently “Ellie” was more acceptable than “Little Blue”.

Although, if you ask him, “Little Blue” was much cuter. It suited her. A human in Hell, weak and without magic, lacking any and all ways to defend herself should she be attacked without relying on the pact, dressed in all blue, and… well, short? It was adorable. The best nickname.

He absolutely enjoyed how tall his ex wife was, as it made for some fun antics where he could bring out his wings and fly about, but having someone a little closer to his eye level wasn’t bad either.

Wait, what is his brain trying to imply?

Stop it! Focus!

He leaned in closer, and Ellie leaned back, intimidated and very much flustered. When he started singing again, his voice was lower, gentler, but still filled with gratitude and glee. “I’ve been wanting~ for so long, to see my daughter~ and hear her song. But in the end, I ran away… like a coward…”

Lucifer lowered his head, looking away.

“But,” Looking back up, his red eyes met Eleanora’s, and he flashed her a grateful, painfully hopeful grin, “with you at my side, helping me stay upright, to face the fight, I might just be able~ for once not be a fable~ in my daughter’s life!”

The world around them shimmered, the music notes fluttering down towards the lake like feathers. The lighting grew softer, but Eleanora was so entranced by Lucifer’s voice and his scarlet eyes she barely noticed.

Even as they began to dance again, and he spun her around and tugged her back, grasping both of her hands, her gaze did not leave his form. “Lah dah lah lati da~! To be a light and set things right, so what remains is not devoured~! I thank you, Ellie.”

He lifted her hands up to his forehead as he bowed his head, his lips curling back.

“Thank you. For dancing with this… pathetic excuse of a man and devil.”

“…You’re not pathetic.”

“No, no. I am.” He said, shaking his head and lifting his gaze to meet hers. Eleanora was frowning. “If not for you, that letter… would never have been finished. It wouldn’t have even seen an envelope. I’m… the worst. Truly. I call myself Charlie’s father, but I can never do anything on my own. I just… wait. Hoping she calls me. That she reaches out. I’m pathetic, and… I know it.”

“You’re not pathetic.” The brunette stated firmly. Lucifer blinked. “You’re just scared. It’s okay to be scared.”

“But I-“

“You want to fix things, right?” She asked, and he hesitantly nodded. “You finished the letter, didn’t you?” Another nod. “You’re taking the first step. What would be pathetic is if you gave up midway through. But you didn’t. You finished writing it.”

“...If it weren’t for you, I-”

Lucifer was cut-off rather rudely by a phone’s call ringtone going off. The song was distinctly in Japanese, but it was definitely the iconic, I Want to Change the World from a classic anime that Eleanora enjoys. Her eyes as wide as dinner plates, the magic around them popping out of existence, she yanked her hands away from Lucifer and fumbled for her phone.

He made a face. “Who is that?”

“Charlie!”

Immediately, the man was stricken with panic, jumping back and flailing his hands, cane clattering to the ground. “Charlie!? Char- Charlie is calling you!? Char-Char!? My daughter!? Wh-What do we do!? What do I do!?”

“Uh, ubduh- ahhhhh, I dunno!” Eleanora was panicking herself, frantically waving a hand at him before taking several deep breaths. “Calm! Stay calm! Don’t say anything! I got this. Phew. Okay.”

Clearing her throat, she slid a thumb across the screen to accept the call and put the phone on speaker, holding it out with a nervous grin. She rested a free hand on her waist.

“Heeeey, Charlie! What’s up?”

“Where are you!?”

“Huh?”

The princess sounded terrified. “Where are you!? Are you okay!? Vaggie went to go find you, but you weren’t in your room, so we’ve been searching for you, but you’re just gone and we don’t know what to do and- are you okay!? You weren’t kidnapped by some mean demons, were you!?”

At that, Eleanora and Lucifer looked at each other, and the King of Hell awkwardly placed a gloved hand over his face, cringing, because yes- she was kidnapped, and it was by him. Eleanora had to suppress a laugh.

“Are you hurt anywhere!?”

“I-I’m not-“ Eleanora stammered for a moment, brain trying to come up with some sort of explanation, Lucifer waving a hand in front of his face and shaking his head, teeth bared in his panic. Her eyes lit up. “A-Actually, I… have a surprise for you!”

Lucifer gaped, jaw ajar in his disbelief.

“Which is… why I’m not at the hotel! Haha, sorry, I know I should have told you I was gonna be gone for a while, but, like- I really didn’t wanna give it away, y’know?” As if. Lucifer kidnapped her without a warning. Eleanora had absolutely no idea she was going to be gone from the hotel.

Charlie’s worry quickly vanished. “A surprise?”

Her excited gasp could be heard over the speaker.

“I love surprises!”

“Right!? Thought you might.” Eleanora flashed Lucifer a playful wink and fingergun, silently letting him know they had this. His eyes were wide, the man unable to believe this was happening. “Also, question. How do… you feel about ducks?”

“Awww, I love ducks! They’re so cute! Wait, does the surprise include ducks?” She gasped again. “Is it a live one!? Are you getting me a live duck!?”

“…It does involve ducks, but not a live one. I don’t think.” The human made a face, and Lucifer began to lower his hands from his face, the man actually listening to the conversation now and realizing Eleanora truly did know what his daughter would like. “Where would I even get one in Hell? Do they have ducks in Hell?”

“Good point…” Charlie let out a weak chuckle, embarrassed. “And we do! They’re just… not normal?”

“Also! How do you feel about rainbows and glitter?”

“Yeeeeessssss~!”

“Aww, yeah!” Eleanora snapped her fingers, striking a pose as she held a hand dramatically up in the air above her head. “Knew it! Alrighty! Well, to answer your questions; I’m okay, I am not hurt, and… let’s not focus on the kidnapping bit, okay, bestie?”

“Wait, what? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t worry about it. Part of the surprise. Anyways~ I shall see you soon! Tell Vaggie I said hi! Hopefully you like the surprise!”

“Aww, you really don’t have to, you know.”

“It’s all good.” She beamed, and turning her head she sent Lucifer a warm smile. “I want to.”

The king was stunned.

“El~! Awwww! Okay, well, since you absolutely insist on surprising me, I guess I have no choice but to wait! Hehehe. Ooh, Vaggie, Vaggie, guess what?”

There was the sound of footsteps and then a calm yet very amused voice going, “What is it?”

“El said she has a surprise for me! That’s why she’s gone! She’s getting it ready!”

“A surprise? Wait, really?” Vaggie sounded very confused. “But… she doesn’t know anyone in Hell! Where did she go? How did she leave without getting hurt?”

“Maybe she influenced the Sinners with her goodness!? They won’t wanna hurt someone who’s super duper nice to them, right?”

“Oh, gosh…” Eleanora was starting to look incredibly embarrassed now, the woman rubbing her exposed neck. “I really ain’t that nice. But, I’m glad you think so! You’ll… learn what’s going on once I get back, okay? With… the surprise.”

Vaggie was skeptical, but Charlie was delighted. “Okay! Hehe. See you soon! Oooh, I can’t wait!”

“Just be careful. It really isn’t safe down here.”

“Trust me,” Eleanora said, expression contorting with a grimace, “I know.”

With that, she hung up. An exhausted breath escaped her lips, and she turned to look at Lucifer. Tucking her phone in her pocket, she brushed her bangs out of her face with a weary smile.

“See? What’d I say? She loves cute and cheesy stuff!”

Lucifer just took in a deep breath, brought his hands up to squish his cheeks, and let out a screech before running circles around the room. Eleanora squawked, turning to watch the devil king lose his mind. “Why, why, why, whyyyyy!? Why did you tell her you had a surprise for her!?”

“...So you couldn’t duck out?”

He skidded to a halt, the floor squeaking against his heels, and he looked to see her grinning goofily at him, pointing at one of the many piles of rubber ducks that were in his room. “Uh-huh. I see what you did there. You think you’re hilarious, don’t’cha?”

“I do, yes.” She snickered. “And, hey! Got you to stop freaking out.”

Lucifer balked, realizing she was right.

Not giving him time to start panicking again, the human walked over and patted his shoulder. “So, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess you made all these rubber duckies, right?” Seeing him nod slowly, she continued. “Okay. Well… can you make one that squeaks rainbows and glitter? Or will that… take a day or two?”

“A day or- pfft, tch, pch’a!” Lucifer made a bunch of scoffing noises and waved her off, puffing out his chest as he rested a hand on his hip. With his free hand, he lifted his chin and rubbed his fingers together, acting haughty. “I could make, like, a hundred of those before the day’s over.”

Eleanora placed her hands on both of his shoulders then, making a bit of a face as she kept her smile on. “We only need one.”

“...I’ll make two.”

Eleanora had to stifle a laugh at his determined pout.

Previous Chapter: https://www.tumblr.com/avionvadion/741473939450216448/i-have-no-self-control-so-here-ya-go?source=share

#lucifer morningstar #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel lucifer #charlie morningstar #hazbin hotel oc #hazbin oc #hazbin lucifer x oc #hazbin hotel lucifer x oc #dancing with the devil #hazbin hotel fanfic #hazbin hotel fanfiction #lucifer magne

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mmc-veronica · 11 months

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A≒A'≠A - A’ English Translation

Trigger warnings: Death and suicidal ideations

UM. so i finished this quicker than i thought i would. THERES A LOT OF STUFF HAPPENING IN THIS TRACK… i did translate/format half of this on my phone so sorry if its a bit wonky 😭 when i first listened to this i remember being kind of like “?????” lol… also i.. have not proofread this so sorry for any mistakes. anyways, translation under the cut!

Hello? Honey? It’s Etan~

Actually today I have a feeling that I can get home early today, so maybe we can see each other soon~...

Eh?! For real? Then let’s just meet up somewhere… by the way, where are you right now?

Oh, oh, then that would be closer to Tokyo Station.

I’ll be there in forty secon… no that might be impossible, but I’ll be finished with work in five minutes so wait for me somewhere, or you can just go ahead and meet me at my place, that might be a bit more convenient!

Alright! If you get there before me, feel free to make yourself comfortable! Then I’ll see you later, mwah!

It’s been a while since I’ve been this tired… Yo, yo! My Honey’s shoes are already here!

Honey~! Are you alright? Did you bump into anything? I’m home, I’m home, I’m home!

This situation where I come home and my honey’s right in front of me… Isn’t this a bit too good? It’s so priceless that my heart won’t stop racing! Hug~!

Hah… this is nice… coming home from work and being recharged with my Honey!

All my worries and stresses from today are replaced by happiness that I feel like I could redo this entire day and feel fine~

Huh? Of course, I’m fine! I seriously hurried over here after those five minutes, you know!

Could it be… Did my Honey make me something or do something for me?!

Are you serious? That’s seriously the best! By the way, what did you get for me? What are you going to make for me?!

This is so good~ Anything you make is good! Like, seriously, somehow everything tastes like my Honey!

It’s okay! There’s nothing to worry about! This handmade hamburger steak is a given, and once this frozen potato side dish was warmed up it’s Honey-flavored, right? Mmm so good…!

Thank you for the meal~ Thanks to your nice surprise I’m in such a good mood! I’m so satisfied that I’m filled with so much inspiration for ideas for a new song!

Right, right! Well, even once the release relay starts, we NSFW are the exciting last performers, so we’ll start putting in some serious effort soon~

Well, yeah, kind of. When it comes to the performance we haven’t thought of anything yet. The other members are still out and playing around. Even so, I think we still have to produce a happy song that breaks our boundaries, so the people who listen to it will be so happy that they want to start dancing!

That’s right, as the ambassador of this name I want to keep working hard.

Well that was the plan, since my happiness has reached its limit. But you see… Mm… There are some things I need to start cleaning up… before I properly become an adult…

Well before that, Honey over here! Come over here!

No, no! That can wait until later, It’ll become a hassle!

When it comes to cleaning up, I’ll properly do it all later, so…!

I caught you~ so from here on out its the start of my dessert time~

This is…! Hyper delicious sweets! Not even a ten star rating will cut it! Just one bite won’t do, so I’ll just have to take my time with having a taste~

I’m so refreshed! Then Honey, you were alright with… Yo yo?! What is this! Isn’t this a sight! My honey, wearing my shirt and sweatpants! Oh… this is too attractive…

Oh okay, okay, help yourself to any drinks! And why are you watching the news? That’s a bit bland!

I see, I understand the sentiment. Background noise just to keep your nerves at bay is always good. Especially if you’re alone.

Yeah, you’re right. Except I’m not sure what’s been changed specifically. The drinking and smoking age has been the same. Passports… you can get after ten years, right? Damn! I don’t know if it’s because of this country or not, but if someone goes out on a whim and decides to become an adult then that’s a bit of a problem~ Even with me, there’s a lot of stuff I need to do.

Hey, honey? You call me A, right? Ever since we started dating.

Yeah, true, but… For one, you don’t call me by my real name so it’s fine and I like you calling me A but…

I am A but this- If I said I was a fake A, what would you do?

Did I scare you? I guess we are similar~

I’m actually a twin. The one on the right is me and the one on the left is my older brother. The real A, without the dash.

The one that started the band and went by A, that wasn’t me. That was my brother. But…

He died.

A bit before we turned fifteen, he was crossing the street and a truck came… He… He… I’m fine. I’m fine now. I’m sure you can guess what happened. What I couldn’t say all this time, was this. Whenever I think about what happened, I can’t stop from panicking, so I've made sure to try not to think about it. My parents and doctors have all said to hurry up and forget about it, but not just the incident. They want me to try to forget about him as well. But, I can’t help myself. Especially recently. I have to keep him in my memory, or he’ll be scared right? I keep aging, but he’s alone, in the body of a kid. To think that he’ll be forgotten by everyone…

It’s kind of too late for this, but can you listen to me? About the real A that you don’t know.

I’ll make sure that I’ll remember properly, so if it’s you, it’ll be okay.

Yeah. Of course I know. No matter how stupid I am, I know you’ll wait for me. Up until now you’ve done that already. I won’t push myself. So first I want to talk about some of the easier stuff.

To outsiders, we were both little troublemakers. But, on the inside we were actually good! Basically, we would come up with ideas and run around messing with the adults! Well we were identical, right? So we would switch classrooms and see how long it would take for them to notice! Right?! But if no one notices, it takes the fun out of it, so in the end we would just tell them ourselves, especially him. I would say to him, “We were doing so well, so why did you tell them?!” and we would get into arguments, but, when we came up with our next prank, we would just make up without a word.

We went into middle school, and he suddenly said he wanted to join the light music club. I liked music too, but I never thought of doing it myself, so I was a bit surprised. I guess it was then… the crowds of people we hung out with changed bit by bit, but we still got along well, it was what it was. When he started being the singer for the band he was in with his buddies, it felt like he kept getting sucked in by the music. He was all like, “A musical star being born doesn’t sound that bad!” and I started watching his practice sessions with my friends. When we were third years, they had a farewell stage at the cultural festival, and of course he was super excited, but he got sick out of nowhere! I would say he got too excited and he got sick. Catching pneumonia and going to the hospital, coughing everywhere, he kept saying “I let down my bandmates and underclassmen,” I felt bad for him so I said, “Well, do you want me to stand in for you just this once? We look the same and we sound the same, so if I copy your singing we can just trick them like that!” Just like we did in the past.

Yeah. I sang in his place. I thought I did perfectly… Well yeah, in the end we were figured out. Well, I guess we revealed it, he did, that is. I’m not sure. That’s what I wanted to ask. Then, that day, I met with him on the way back from class, and… From that time, I really can’t remember much. No matter how hard I try, I can’t recall anything. When I came to, I was in the hospital. No, I wasn’t injured, but…

Yeah. That’s why I don’t like hospitals, even now. I blacked out without even realizing, and when I woke up, I was told that he had passed, and I couldn’t even attend his funeral. I was the one that invited him, and if I didn’t do that, then the incident wouldn’t have happened…

No, I’m fine! If I’m able to tell you this much, I can keep going. I want to tell you everything.

It was from there, where I started thinking, “I want to hurry up and die.” That was all I could even think. Even after getting discharged from the hospital, I was a mess, and I felt like even eating was meaningless. Then, I just started messing around here and there, and was surrounded by weird people. Yeah, the weirdest people I’ve met up until now, those are the current band members. That’s kind of the punchline here. Well, I’m not sure why, but they told me they wanted me to sing for them, but once I thought about it, I thought that it wouldn’t be that bad. And I could stand in his place… because the one who really wanted to sing was him, but he can’t anymore, so there’s only one thing that I can really do. But, I didn’t want to steal his spotlight, so I put ‘ at the end of my name. I’m A, but I’m also not. An imposter that is identical to A, A’. Well that’s obvious, isn’t it? We were seriously inseparable, where one of us was, the other was there also, and we would always go to each other for advice. If we were together, I thought we could do anything. No matter how old we get, nothing would change, is what I thought but… but then why… If that’s the case I should’ve died instead… I wonder, I don’t even know what really happened. I don’t even remember. Before the accident, we were just chatting, and according to the police, it turned out the truck had ran a red light, but… Even then, I blamed myself, that I was in the wrong… No way. There’s no way. If he was here right now, he would never blame me. That’s the kind of person he is. If… I was really in the wrong, he would probably just laugh and say, “Seriously, what are you doing? Rather than that…!” Huh? No… it’s nothing. Yeah. No matter how many people say we’re so similar, I can only think that he was more mature than me. We’re twins, but I can only think that he’s my older brother.

Maybe… Well, there’s not much I can do! He’s not here anymore, and I need to make something of myself. To make something of myself… that’s…

I know. Becoming A’… it wasn’t a mistake. I met you out of it too. Right now everyone’s waiting for me. The A with a ‘’s songs. From starting as an imposter…I couldn’t do it without reason.That’s why I said at the start, that it’s okay. I wonder if he’ll forgive me too, if I keep using the name A’ and continue making songs. Me? Yeah… I think he’d say “Go for it, as long as you’re having fun.” Well of course you’d get along with him! If you can get along with me, then you could with him. I guess it was all in my head… If I think about the type of person he is… then I have a feeling it was.

Haah… Yes!! One song finished~! No matter how I think about it, this is good! Now that’s said and done, the second song… I can leap this hurdle easily. I guess regaining motivation does help…

Why isn’t there a towel hanging here?!

Sorry, I guess I can’t reach you yet. I guess you knew that already though. But I hope you’re waiting excitedly for all the stories I’m going to tell you. I’ll have fun for the both of us. Even singing, and this dazzling world of adulthood.

#dear vocalist #dear vocalist translation #dearvo #dear vocalist unlimited #a’#edasshu #えーダッシュ #ディアヴォーカリスト #ディアヴォ #dearvo translation #rejet #rejet translation

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suffarustuffaru · 6 months

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We need more re:zero fanfics that are just characters being forced to go to therapy. Subaru is ordered by the Royal Knights to attend weekly sessions (that secretly double as interrogations, though due to patient confidentiality the therapist is only able to pass on information that regards other people being put in danger) and the therapist stumbles out of there every week needing a drink because trying to make something coherent out of a conversation with Natsuki Subaru concerning anything related to his fluctuating emotional state and the very obvious/mysterious trauma underpinning all of his actions is practically an Olympic sport — and that was before unearthing his self-harm habit, severe inferiority complex, and what may be suicidal tendencies. Reinhard is so emotionally repressed that he’s refusing to let himself feel anything even regarding having to face off against his grandmother’s corpse and his superiors keep walking back the meager process any sessions manage to make. Otto seems perfectly normal and then he mentions being willing to die for Subaru’s sake as soon as three days after he met him. Ram just sits there glaring for the full hour and a half. Wilhelm uses the time to express his latest revenge plot in very well thought out detail. Heinkel is such a horrible mess that I can’t even make a joke out of what he’d do to that poor therapist’s emotional state. Roswaal doesn’t seem to realize what therapy IS. That poor therapist is in Hell.

anon ive always wanted to see something like this for sure HAH its just such a fascinating idea?? especially when 99% of people in the rz cast desperately need extensive therapy 😭😭 but yeah theres different ways you could take an idea like this and the conditions you set are really interesting.

the idea of it being a therapist appointed by the government, essentially, who’s also there to gather information (but keeps at least some details hidden for the sake of their patients) so the government can keep a leash on certain characters (subaru and reinhard particularly) + subaru is still locked by rbd taboo of course is so fascinating to me. of course—is it ideal conditions for therapy? hell no lmao 😭😭 but its a super good in universe explanation as to why theyre getting therapy (other than all of them being Mentally Unwell)—and given the therapist and everyone in the cast minus subaru and al are working with medieval knowledge, the odds were not in their favors anyway oops. and this is assuming that the cast has the BEST THERAPIST IN THE FANTASY WORLD POSSIBLE for this!! haah theyve got a real difficult job ahead of them.

and also an idea like this is difficult to write. ive always wanted a “rz cast goes to therapy” fic hah but writing the FULL cast is tricky!! tbh id feel bad not including at least a good chunk of the cast in a fic like this given SO MANY of them desperately need therapy. and this idea is Extremely character focused—you have to know every character’s intimate traumas and flaws and personalities to pull this sort of thing off. its inherently in depth character exploration, and depending on how Good you want the therapist character to be, youd probablyyy have to do at least a bit of research (??) (unless you have personal experience in this department already??) there on. how to write a therapist? but thats just me getting fixated on the practical aspects of this wkdndn this is definitely why we havent really seen much fic on this sort of idea yet. i think itd work really well as a collab though, possibly!! you can devote a therapy session to one character per chapter or something and mix it up later the further it goes on <3 or at least thats my idea for this at the moment. i think one therapy session per chapter would be very good leadup though in a Hypothetical Fic about this, and you then have the time to explore each character in depth and introduce each of them!!

ok as for the examples you gave anon—HAH yeah thats a good summary for sure 😭😭 again, this is interesting because these are Not good conditions for therapy.

they all think with their medieval knowledge. subaru cant talk about rbd and everything related to it, which is his biggest core trauma. reinhards superiors dont want him to improve because hes their perfect malleable obedient weapon right now and they chose to break him like that. they probably wont want heinkel to improve much either, given theres implications that people like russell fellow purposely helped make heinkel Worse (such as the false rumors that he kidnapped one of the royal familys kids). and also regarding characters like heinkel—he wont improve if he doesnt get some sort of rehab on top of the therapy akdnd and he wont improve if he doesnt make an effort either. and also i know theres characters like petra who are way more normal compared to everyone else and shes not in dire need of therapy unlike everyone else, but id argue petra should at least have a check up because girl is a twelve year old thats been shoved into life threatening events recently okay 😭😭 AND the astreas are gonna need some hardcore family therapy wkdndn theyll just need individual sessions first to work up to that……… but will the kingdom really allow that to happen either?

yeah so the therapist is in for a reckoning in general 😭😭 with the plot you gave anon—if the therapist genuinely tries their best, this could result in some friction. the therapist hears out all these big important people related to the royal selection—roswaal, the astreas, various other emilia camp members, and people from other factions im sure (such as julius, joshua, ferris, crusch, etc)—but the therapist is held back from fully helping all of them because the kingdom keeps them all on a leash, including the therapist themselves. will the therapist succumb to what the kingdom wants and ensure they never improve past a certain point? or ensure they never improve at all?

it creates this overarching plot to an otherwise standard premise i think—and theres a bittersweetness because the therapist cant fully help them as it is right now. and its hard to help characters like subaru and reinhard who are Incomprehensible in their own ways. even in the fantasy world with its Wide Range of dangerous traumatic events tinged with magic, subaru and reinhard are absolutely outliers. plus as i said earlier, some characters Want to improve so badly and will try their best to do so (such as emilia) and some might not have much desire to even try (such as heinkel). everyone in the cast have their own goals, motivations, and a lot of them to some degree will be unreliable narrators either purposefully or accidentally or unwittingly. the otto example you gave anon is so true because i an SO sure his ass would pretend to be normal bc he doesnt want to be there only to accidentally reveal hes not 😭😭😭 joshua is another good example bc of his hate love relationship with his brother and how he tries to conceal it by gaslighting himself into worshipping his brother’s every move and trying to live vicariously through him (joshua also hates reinhard too but pretends not to so theres that too) 👍👍👍 and also emilia and reinhard are examples of characters whove been taught the absolute WORST lessons in the world so youd have to get into unravelling that 😭😭 like theyre both afraid to be closer to others out of fear of hurting them, they have issues regarding what people see them as and what people expect them to be, learned powerlessness, terrible father figures, guilt complexes, being blamed for things that arent their fault, also the fucked up family history, etc etc. there is SO much baggage HAH.

and again, the poor therapist is getting a bunch of rz main characters and crucial side characters—many of them are well known in some way, or important political figures, and they ALL got the most buck wild stories so the stakes are Very High😭😭 itll be a fun ride im sure!! but i do think this idea is super super neat. id love to explore each and every character and all their nuances—i think a fic like this would only really fully work if youre sympathetic towards everyone, but youre not afraid to get them for their faults too. wilhelm, heinkel, roswaal are good examples. clind too by proxy, given frederica needs to get away from his ass too (RAM ALSO NEEDS TO GET AWAY FROM ROSWAAL ISTG.) and again, a fic like this requires in depth knowledge of all these characters or the premise can fall apart a bit—this is a fic all about exploring their deepest traumas after all <3

but yeah anyway i too am in dire need of a rz cast goes to therapy fic anon!!! T^T thank you for the ask i will continue to think on this idea 🙏

#rezero #ask #URGHH this is such a fun idea i love it so much but the execution of it would be super hard. itd be interesting though!!#and ALSO for characters to start baring their souls at least a bit the therapist would have to try and earn their trust!!#so probablyyy multiple sessions of course….#and im sure some of them will try to back out of it but it might end up as Mandated Therapy Sessions anyway akdnd #OH YEAH so a multichapter fic with various characters and Multiple therapy sessions. perfect.

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dinogoofymutated · 21 hours

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NSFW!Gladiator/AFAB!reader

Tmi warning but I'm about to start my period and I've been loosing my mind over fictional men. It's like ovulating but WORSE. Mostly over Cable, but @lina-lovebug sent in an ask about gladiator from episode 6 and although I'm definitely going to write it I got distracted while doing research on him and this kinda happened!!! Speaking of which, in your ask you said you were starving for content for him so I figured I go ahead and tag you :) sorry if NSFW isn't your thing.

Anyway, Big, serious men with no humor are making me absolutely feral this week IM NAWING AT THE BARS OF MY ENCLOSRE UGHHHH For those who don't remember gladiator is, He's the hot purple dude that punched the shit out of the bird lady lol

TWs: MDNI!!! Pnv sex. Name calling. Not degradation tho. Too many positions, too much stamina. Purple alien man doesn't know how to process his feelings for you™

Imagine annoying gladiator with your every being. You just can't help it. Most of the time the stoic man just ignores you outright, never smiling nor even acknowledging you, period.

To be honest, he didn't like how talkative you were. You were always running your mouth about something or other, and when you weren't, you were teasing him. Holding simple and insignificant "victories" over his head due to your origin as a mutated human terran.

On your side, you just wanted him to acknowledge you. You figured he wouldn't be able to ignore you forever. Whatever strange relationship the two of you had, the one thing that seemed to affect him the most was your mutant abilities - or specifically, the parts of your abilities that effect your stamina.

When you realized you had a stamina bar that very much rivaled gladiators own, your teasing had started to take a turn towards something a little more lustful.

You just never expected Gladiator to take you up on your offer to have a friendly little "stamina competition."

You've lost count of how many positions the two of you have gone through. Both of you are panting, sweaty- sticky. Really sticky. Who knows how much time is passed, but neither of you are willing to quit now. Gladiator currently has your knees over his shoulders, pounding into your slick cunt steadily. His hands are holding onto your hips in a tight grip, pulling you onto him each time he bottoms out.

"You are... infuriating. Annoying. Agh- Hah-... Greedy. I've pushed you to the brink, and still, you want more." Kallark says above you, his voice still surprisingly steady in between his moans of pleasure. Your own throat is sore from taunting him in between your own moans and screams of delight.

"I-fuck! I can go as long as you go, pretty boy." You say, smirking at him. Gladiator Scowls at you, face flushed, sweat beading down his forehead. You doubt you look much better, the both of you pushing each other to the farthest limits of your stamina. You let out an embarrassing shriek as Kallark leans forward, bending you in half as he presses your thighs to your chest, hitting the deepest spots inside of you. Kallark's usually steady thrusting begins to become a little more frantic as he starts to reach his umpteenth peak of the day. -but his thrusts become unsteady. Inconsistent. You're finally starting to tire him out, you think.

"Aww, look at that- ah... You're beginning to slip, Kallark." You taunt him. His hand reaches up to cup your face harshly, his grip slightly tighter than normal. He turns your head to face him as his heated gaze pierces your own.

"Would you- please, stop talking."

By the time the two of you are finally out of breath, you swear that At least an entire 24 hour period has gone by. Hell, maybe even longer. You and gladiator are sprawled out side by side. Your eyes are closed, fading in and out of consciousness as you try (and fail) to collect yourself. You feel weight shift next to you as Kallark rolls onto his side. He's full on against you now, a hand settling on your chest to feel the quick beats of your human heart. It's strange. Not like him. You open your eyes, finding yourself lost in the sight of Kallark. He's looking at you with a mix of fond emotions, and for the first time, it's almost like his brain has stalled. Like a computer stuck in between the loading screen.

"Kallark?” You whisper. He doesn't respond. Doesn't even blink.

“You okay there, big guy?" You try again, biting your lip. Kallark's gaze catches the motion, then trailing down to the bruises he's left in your neck- “hickeys” is what he remembers you calling them. He can feel his heart do something strange, and he chooses to look back up at your face instead. Your flushed cheeks. Kiss-swollen lips. Messy hair. He feels a familiar heat as his body reacts to such a lustful sight.

"Vixen. Temptress. I know not what you've done to me. " Kallark finally says, thumb gently pulling your bottom lip away from the pinch of your teeth. You raise an eyebrow at him, not mockingly, just confused. He then reaches up to brush the hair from your face, an action fueled by a much more gentle warmth in his chest.

"...I don't believe you know what you've done, either." He whispers. You can't help but smile at him, especially as you reach up to caress his cheek and he leans into the contact with a sigh.

"Well… we have plenty of time to figure that out together."

#x men 97 #x men #x men comics #x men 97 x reader #x men headcannons #x men smut #gladiator #gladiator x reader #kallark x reader #x men kallark #x men gladiator #kallark smut #x men gladiator smut #x men 97 smut

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transmascpoet · 5 months

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A Late Night Snack - Coriolanus Snow x trans! reader

Read it on Ao3!

*Young President Snow x Trans! Reader

*Breath play, pain play, fingering, facefucking, dubious consent

*AFAB language use

~A Late Night Snack~

Banquets, banquets, and more banquets. Each one bored him more than the last. Fancy apetizers that barely looked edible and bright dazzling lights that only made his head ache more with each glance. At this point, all he could wish for was a way out of here… at least something more entertaining. A few sponsors jeer at him and he laughs in confidence with them. As soon as they disappear into the crowd he cannot remember anything about what they had said. Insignificant people that had no meaning to him. His facade of care was enough for all of the fake people in this lounge.

Coryo delicately picks up an hors d’oeurve and wraps it in the small cloth he had been carrying. A filthy habit he couldn’t drop from the days before becoming president. Maybe he would be hungry later and it would come in handy. It was always good to plan ahead, even though he knew he wouldn’t be.

Someone brushes past him and it pushes him into the table he was leaning on. Coriolanus looks up with a sharp turn of his chin to see his offender. What he sees instantly catches his eye. Usually quick to whit, Coryo halts to take in the person in front of him. You.

You didn’t mean to bump into him, truly, it was just packed and this really wasn’t your scene. You already felt out of place, let alone looking out of place, and on top of it all, assaulting the president. You quickly make an apology, bowing your head slightly, and await a response but there isn’t one for moments and it makes your heart race.

“Mr. President, are you okay? I’m sorry for bumping into you,” you try once more and suddenly his eyes light up and he’s on the move.

Snow lets out a half-hearted laugh.

“No, my apologies. I shouldn’t have been hogging all these lovely snacks for myself,” his smile is soft.

You tilt his head at him. It was like he was a completely different person than the one that you bumped into. Who could blame him though, this scene is probably much more overwhelming if you are doing it every night.

You also laugh half-heartedly at his joke and wave your hand at him so as to pardon yourself and leave. Then you feel a cold grasp around your wrist. Firm, unrelenting. You whip your head around to stare at him in confusion.

“Hah, I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name?” he asks but doesn’t seem too focused on getting an answer. Just making sure you stay put.

“It’s y/n,” you reply hesitantly. You try again to pull away your hand without being rough and causing a scene but to no avail. He has you locked in and if you wanted to get away you would have to yank your wrist away.

Snow hums something of a confirmation to himself and pulls your hand back towards him. You stand your ground but he stands to lean over your shoulder.

“I’d love to show you something if you’d care to accompany me. I have a feeling you will enjoy it more than this boring boasting hall,” Snow says with a small lilt.

You knew he wasn’t asking but it still made your heart skip a beat.

You follow President Snow through the crowd, more so dragged by the taller man, until the both of you reach the elevator and he pulls you in. Finally, he lets go of you and goes to the keypad to enter some unknown floor number. He plucked you from the crowd like a child would a toy from a prize basket in school. Will he play with you now too? Secretly you were hoping yes was the answer to that question. You wouldn’t mind being roughed up a little if that was the reward. You bumped into him after all. Boys will be boys, right? Of course, you could just be imagining that all and Snow could be leading you to prison for assault too.

Coriolanus finishes with the keypad and the elevator hums with life as it moves upward at a steady pace. He turns back to you with an expectant look. You glance at the floor number he entered and see it is the top floor. The President’s penthouse. A chill runs down your spine. Snow moves in closer.

“You’re different. I can sense it,” he speaks in a matter-of-fact tone and grips your side with one hand. He tilts his head down to your neck and pulls you into him roughly. His breath is hot on your neck.

“What do you mean by that?” you ask startled by his comment. How does he know?

“You’re more entertaining than anyone else down there. I know you’ll be something fun for me. A good story to tell myself in the middle of the night when I lay awake unable to sleep,” his whispers ghost up your neck to your ear as he massages his hand into your hip. You can’t help but push back into him when he forces you against the elevator wall. You can’t deny how handsome of a man the President was nor did you want to deny him.

“Why me?” you ask, your voice getting rough.

Snow grunts and doubles down, pushing you into the wall a bit violently. He already made his point and he doesn’t want to reiterate it again.

“Because you owe me,” and with that he presses his lips into yours hungrily. He licks your lips and pulls your bottom one between his teeth. His eye contact is intense anytime you are more than mere inches apart. The kiss gets rougher as he moves his other hand to grip your face and hold you just where he wants you. Your cheek and side ache where his fingertips press in with no remorse but his prowess distracts you just enough. You’re kissing back without even realizing it.

Suddenly the elevator dings and Snow pulls you out with him. He shoves you to stand in front of his lavish bed and signals for you to undress. You are more than a little nervous to shed all of your clothing in front of him. Maybe it was because of the slight stickiness of your boxers.

“Hurry up already,” he demands.

You’re desperate to know if you feel fearful or aroused by it.

You hear an annoyed exhale and he muses, “Have to do everything myself.” Snow grabs you and shoves you down on the bed and climbs on top of you. He rips off your extravagant dress shirt with ease and yanks at your slacks to come off after shooing away the belt. With one swift movement, he pulls at your underwear and pants until they are both off. His chide laugh is sinister.

“Pathetic boy.”

You do your best to cover what you can with your hands but it’s no use when you’re this bare. Snow jerks your body to the edge of the bed. He looks at you like he wants to devour prey. It seems he was hungry tonight after all.

He gets down on his knees, his face perfectly positioned between your legs. He moves your hand away from what you’re covering and exhales a low breath that you can almost feel. He spreads your lips apart with two fingers almost medically. His eyes study every part of you. You feel his gaze move from your hole to your engorged clit. The slight wetness intrigues him and he swipes his finger along your entrance and you clench at his touch. He rubs the sticky substance between his thumb and forefinger before pulling them apart to watch it stretch. He wipes it on your leg unceremoniously after. Your breath hitches. What is he going to do next?

He wants to eat, so he does. No warning and his mouth is on you making you whimper pathetically. Each lick and suck making it harder for you to hold your breath. It feels so messy but he isn’t sloppy with it. He’s infuriatingly meticulous. He decides just how long to hold his tongue before going in again and how much spit goes with it. Calculated moves all around your t-dick. He’s avoiding it on purpose, to make you suffer. You buck your hips up against his warm tongue desperately. He grunts and presses harshly on your waist to hold you still. He just keeps licking and sucking on the tender skin all around your tip. It’s becoming almost painful as you strain against his hold on you. More moans spill from your mouth as he begins to lap at your entrance. It's embarrassing the amount that drips from your hole as he tongues it. You want to feel it so badly, his mouth directly on you. Destroying you.

“Please…please,” you beg.

He bites at the meat on your thigh and you gasp. The pain outweighs the pleasure just slightly.

“I get what I want and only what I want,” he growls.

Snow’s charming facade is completely dropped now, just a man hungry for his own selfishness. You shudder as he forces you to a new position on your hands and knees, facing him. Or rather, facing the prominent tent in his pants. He unzips them and fishes out his cock. It hangs heavy in front of you. He smiles like he is proud of the awe in your eyes before he smothers your face in it as a desperate attempt to shove it in your mouth. He’s painfully hard grinding against your cheek. A man of such high status is involved in such a debauched act. It’s thrilling. He moans not seeming to care or notice himself falling apart in front of you. So you decide to act and take him wholly in your throat just how he wanted it. He moans loudly and it slowly turns into a growl. He works himself deeper in your throat, thrusting however he sees fit. Spit bubbles up at your mouth and sloppy portions of drool drip onto the side of the bed sheets. The room is filled with filthy sounds.

Snow fucks into your mouth harder, leaning over your body. He reaches a hand to your backside and begins to tease your cunt once again. Only this time he is dipping his fingers in and out of you. One. By. One. As far as he can push in with each one, he does, until he pushes two in together and pistons them back and forth. You moan around his cock, earning a desperate groan from him. He finger bangs you harder, this time he is sloppy. His hand slips from you many times and he slaps your pussy in anger each time. It makes you flinch in on yourself but finally gives you that much-desired contact you’ve been aching for. It continues, rougher and rougher until you feel swollen and on the verge of climax. You cry out but it’s muffled by you choking around Snow’s girthy cock. You can barely take it anymore, one more thing and you’re done for.

Snow is lost, so lost. Your throat suffocates around his cock deliciously and he can’t focus on pleasuring you anymore. He withdraws his fingers from inside you and presses his hand onto your dick the best he can, rubbing harsh firm circles. You can’t stop the tears from running down your cheeks as everything rushes over the edge. Your body shakes with orgasm effectively coating Snow’s hand in your juices. He pants as he lifts his hand to taste you, fucking ever more depravedly into your throat. He moans deeply as he licks his hand and you feel the pulse and twitch of cock become more and more erratic. You feel his eyes on you and you look up at him. His gaze is terrifying, pure unadulterated hunger. He seizes your head with both hands and forces your face flush against him. You can only choke against him now and he curls over sightly, a moaning mess. With a heightened moan, you feel him spill his seed down your throat.

His cum is salty and liquidy so there is plenty that continues to shoot into your throat. You’re forced to drink all of it as he holds your head there even after he has finished.

Finally, he pulls you off of his cock and discards you on the bed. You cough for air weakly. Your legs and arms quiver each time you try to move. You at least want to try and sit up.

“Don’t move. We still have more to do.”

#trans!reader #coriolanus snow #coriolanus x reader #ftm!reader #smut

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rainydaywhump · 5 months

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Zombies Are An Afterthought - 7

Whumptober Day 9: Brainwashing

Previous - Next

CWs: lady whumpee (rescued); lady caretaker; conditioned whumpee; the author struggles to keep the same tense throughout her fic

@whumpcember @i-eat-worlds @pigeonwhumps (lmk if you'd like to be added or removed! I am a forgetful bastard)

Kel guides her in the breathing exercise until the former captive is at least slightly less panicked than a startled possum. She feels like Marie for a moment there, being all patient and methodical like that. No wonder Marie's had gray hairs since her early twenties.

"I need you to listen very closely to me," she says. It seems unnecessary, as the girl is hanging onto her every word; but Kel wants to make sure the meaning sinks in. "I am sorry for hitting you. I did not mean to. I will never do that again, I promise. I...I have flashbacks, nightmares, sometimes. When I woke up, I thought you were...someone else. I acted as a reflex. If I had known it was you, I never would have done that. Does that make sense?"

She's pleased to see that Anne thought it through before nodding. "Yes. But --"

She stops herself.

"Go ahead," Kel encourages.

"...But, mistress, I don't understand what my orders are?"

Kel's heart sinks. "Oh, shit. No, no, it's okay, I'm not -- I'm not angry at you. I just have a sailor's mouth. But anyway. Anne, you don't have to..."

Her words trail off as she takes a second look at the young woman: Anne, though more mobile and alert now, is still unhealthily flushed, shaky, and clearly exhausted.

And also looking like she'll need another round of breathing exercises if Kel doesn't finish her sentence.

"...okay. Okay, yeah. Here's the thing -- I'm not a mistress, I'm just a normal person. I brought you here to help you." Her words don't seem to sink in at all, because Anne just looks confused.

"I...er, thank you for bringing me, bringing me here. Is this -- is this your house, mi-- ah..."

"Yeah, this is my place. I live alone. 'Specially since lockdown, hah."

"Oh. The...the virus."

That was an odd way to put it, Kel thought, and then she has a sinking feeling that Anne doesn't know the full nature of this pandemic.

Priorities, Kel. Now is not the time to tell a kidnapping victim about the most disappointing zombie apocalypse to ever apocalypse.

"Tell you what," she says, switching gears. "Let me get you some clothes. They'll be way too big on you, but that's better than nothing now that you're awake. Then we can get you some proper food, how's that sound?"

Anne had been nodding along with the most rapt expression of obedience as Kel talked, as if she was taking notes in her head -- which she probably was -- but now her eyes are wider than ever and her lashes shine with tears. There is a look of reverence in them that forces Kel to stop herself from physically recoiling.

"You're...you're giving me clothes?"

...

In her bedroom, a folded sweatshirt and Nike shorts in her arms, Kel watches herself in the mirror as tears drip down her cheeks.

Kel is not the type to cry. Usually, she just can't -- even when she wants to. She envies Marie and her other friends for being able to cry so easily (and so acceptably-appearing, too! Kel isn't even sobbing, she's not even making any noise, but her face is already blotchy). But for the most part, she's just taught herself to shove those tears down before they can even start.

But now? Now, after she hastily excused herself from this half-broken, half-conditioned girl who looked at Kel like a churchgoer looking up at a statue of the goddamn Virgin Mary when Kel had mentioned getting some clothes for her? Those fuckers brainwashed her. Kel has seen some awful things over the years, and she's had the displeasure of seeing so-called Stockholm syndrome (and even Lima Syndrome, which is...sometimes beneficial, but incredibly disturbing) a couple times before. But this -- this is something else. Anne asked for orders. Anne was shocked to be offered too-large clothes that weren't even her own.

Kel furiously wipes away the tears and settles for throwing her pillow at the wall in anger. She wants to kill the girl's captors. If they ever come back...

She quickly pushes both the tears and the anger back down and heads back to the living room, folded clothes in hand.

#“miStReSs hAs giVeN ANnettE a sWeAtsHiRt”#whump writing #whumpcember #whumpcember2023 #whump #whumpcember2023day9 #whump prompt #whumpee #conditioned whumpee #lady whumpee #lady whump #whump rescue

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the-crow-binary · 6 months

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A little thingy about a "Joachim defeats Walter" scenario. <3 (pre and post-Death fight in Joachim mode)

Joachim: Now, now, Death… what do you think you're doing? Death: My master desire this soul. It's not like you would have any need for it, without the Crimson stone… Joachim: Your "master"? So you betrayed Walter, huh? And here I thought you were his most loyal servant… And may I know who is that lovely new master of yours? Death: You may not, unless he decides to reveal himself to you. Joachim: Hah… Haha… Hahaha…! You… You…! After all this time… after you protected this bastard from me… after you stood aside and watched me rot in my cell!! Ignoring my misery for centuries…! How dare you help someone else NOW!? How dare you betray Walter for a nobody, when you wouldn't do it for ME!? Death: … Joachim: Unforgivable… No, I will never forgive you for this. Ready his swords You are as much to blame as Walter, and so you will receive the same punishment as him! Death: You really think you can defeat me, Joachim? All those centuries trapped in that cell really made you lose your mind. Joachim: Shut up!! The only sounds I want to hear from your cursed mouth is the sound of your screams as I cut you in half!!

Joachim: You've got some nerves, I'll give you that… Showing yourself to me when you are still so vulnerable. Mathias: I do not fear you. Joachim: Oh, really, little bat? Gets suddenly very close to him, swords ready to attack You should. I could cut you to pieces so easily, you would never see it coming. Mathias: Then what are you waiting for? Go ahead. Joachim: … You think I would not? How arrogant. Mathias: I think you are a smart man. You know killing me now would be useless… after all, I have absorbed Walter's soul, thus stealing his ability to come back to life. Not to mention the powers the Crimson stone provides me… Joachim: … Mathias: So what is the point? Would you risk it all for a brief moment of satisfaction? Joachim: I have nothing to lose. Mathias: Wich means everything to win. Come with me, Joachim. Joachim: Hah! I just freed myself from one arrogant Lord, and you expect me to fall for another?? I will not become a slave ever again. I will die a second time before it happens. Mathias: I have no interest in getting a slave. What I wish for is… company. Joachim: You are joking. Mathias: Please, trust that I have no reason to lie to you. I could use your knowledge and assistance in this new life of mine… you will be my equal, not a servant. Joachim: An equal? I should be above you. You are nothing but a brat to me. Mathias: Your age and experience is exactly why I need you. However, I am the man with the most powerful stone ever created here. The same you longed for all this time… Joachim, grabbing his throat in rage: Do not say a word more!! You don't know anything about me. Mathias: … Will you give me the chance to learn, then? Joachim: I am not so easy to seduce, little boy. Mathias: I am not trying to. I seek your guidance and help, nothing more. Joachim: Groan, lets him go You truly are a strange one. I do not trust you. Mathias, passing a hand on his throat: I intend on leaving this country, go to another one, create a new life away from this… humanity. You are free to follow me or not. May it take you days or centuries… Just know I will always have a place for you by my side. Joachim: Why would you go so far for a stranger? Mathias: I wonder… Maybe I, too, have lost my mind.

#me be getting in that Joachim mood.........#dialogues not related to any fic. coming right from my brain <3 enjoy <3 #castlevania #joachim armster #mathias cronqvist #lament of innocence #dialogues #death castlevania

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freesiriusblack · 1 year

Text

Reconnection

I had to get my daydream down in words. All sugar no spice, please be gentle, this is my first time writing anything not for school or D&D. Please let me know what you think (if you like it, hah).

You close your eyes and still your breath before walking through the double doors of the Great Hall, attempting to appear as confident as possible; with a straight back and swift stride. Eyes locked ahead of you on the long staff table and short stool with a battered sorcerer’s hat resting on it, you avoid meeting the gaze of any one person, lest your rising anxiety get the better of you.

Sitting down on the stool as instructed, the hat is softly placed on your head. Now face-to-face with the crowd, you can’t help but scan the faces of your new classmates. As you take in the far table decorated in green and silver, you feel a sudden, solid lump in your throat. Father was right, the boy you knew eight years ago is attending the same school you’ve been transferred to from Ilvermorny.

“Ah, you’re quite intrigued with more than magic and your studies. Remember to focus during your short time here, and you’ll go as far as you ever desire. You will best be prepared in…”

“SLYTHERIN”

Now focused on the boy with the blonde hair, you walk along the bench towards him, careful to keep a controlled pace. In a swift motion you gently place your hands on his shoulders, lean in and whisper as quietly as possible “Do you remember me?”

“Of course, I never expected you to be here, though.”

“I’m glad, let’s talk properly later. I’ve missed you.”

You squeeze his shoulders and quickly kiss one of the marks on his cheek as you turn and walk towards the very end of the table, immediately pulling out a book to do your best with ignoring every face staring and whispering in your direction.

Ominis could feel his face flushing as she walked away from him. It had been so long since he’d met her, they were small children at that time but her voice was unmistakable.

“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?” Sebastian demanded more than asked, “and while you're at it, how I can have someone say ‘hello’ to me like that.” he joked, attempting to lighten his tone while Ominis sat with his face down and brow furrowed.

“Later, and no.” he said abruptly as he rose to his feet, “where did she go? I need to speak with her now.”

“She went to the very end of the table on our side, doesn't seem too keen to talk to anyone else.” Sebastian observed, “You’d better introduce me to her later!” he half-shouted after his friend.

“Me too!” Imelda piped up as Ominis passed by, making his face flush again.

He hoped it wasn’t too late to make amends for his silence after all this time.

Ominis’ father frequently brought him along for any extended time away on business so as to introduce Ominis to Wizard Society early. “It’s important for others to know you now, so they are fond of you later, one day you will need them.”

One of these trips stood out in particular. A Transcontinental Wizarding Summit several years ago. There weren’t usually other children at such events, but this time there had been one other, a girl from America. He vividly remembered her first approaching him while he sat on the floor in the furthest corner of the room. He had been able to hear her fast, echoing steps as she ran toward him from the other side of the large ballroom.

Stopping directly in from of him, she started speaking rapidly while trying to catch her breath at the same time.

“Hi! What’s your name? Is your father here, too? Will you be here the whole week? Do you want to be friends?”

He sat quietly for a long moment, trying to process the sudden string of questions. He felt awkward at her enthusiasm, he hadn’t spent much time around any other children. At his pause she sat down next to him.

“I’m Ominis…” he said in a small voice. Forgetting the questions in the middle he responded to her last, “I suppose we can be friends.”

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy fanfic #ominis #ominis gaunt #ominis x you #ominis x reader #ominis x oc

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mako-neexu · 1 year

Note

ayo i heard you wanted prompts : gudako x romani halloween story , starts off with gudako showing romani her 'halloween royalty' mystic code; after a bit of back & forth role play , romani ends up too flustered by gudako's princely charms to continue working , which leads her to princess carry him back to her room.

and something based on this image (https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/3400850?q=romani_archaman+)

Send help! im not good at characters flirting! I did my best though! Enjoy? Thank you for the exercise! and im so sorry for being so late in replying...

Heart pounding in her chest, she knocked on Romani’s bedroom door, half-hoping he was out or asleep.

“Come in, door’s open!” was the soft reply from inside. Ritsuka took a deep breath and smiled, excited to show off her new look.

Since Halloween was coming, along with the impending arrival of a certain singer, Da Vinci went ahead and prepared a new mystic code to help Ritsuka with whatever Elizabeth had planned for the day- er, night.

She half-expected something like a school uniform again, but to her surprise, it was a prince costume.

“While I adore creating outfits that bring out your curves, mia cara, I wished to bring out your natural charm this time!” The inventor had cupped her blushing face before sauntering off to take the mystic code from the mannequin.

And upon wearing it, she felt her confidence soar. Da Vinci had said it only had support spells to back both her and her Servants up, but Ritsuka wouldn’t be surprised if she hid a few tricks in between the layers of the fine fabric.

Wearing this, combined with this simple act of seeing Romani—

“Ah, Ritsuka-chan!” Her doctor smiled sweetly, yet his attention was still glued to his computer. His fingers continued to press the keyboard of his computer, only stopping to delete words or backtrack. “If you’re here to fetch me for movie night with Mash, I’m afraid I’ll have to be a little la-”

If it was any other time, she’d have pouted and wrapped her arms behind him, before urging him to leave his work for a while to take a break with her and Mash.

She could always do that. But he’d grown almost immune to cute touches lately that Roman was beginning to reciprocate and relax against her hold.

Ritsuka huffed a little, knowing what she needs to do now.

Unbeknownst to him, she already crossed his room in a few strides, determined to have all of his attention solely trained on her.

She grabbed the back of his chair and spun him to her direction, facing her with red cheeks.

Ah. So he did notice what she was wearing! Only choosing to hide it by distracting himself.

Ritsuka smiles, almost smirking, as she lifts his chin with her own gloved hands, their gazes finally aligning one another, “I came here to fetch my princess,” She takes his hand and kisses his knuckles while holding the wavering stare of those emerald irises, “-in hopes of eloping with him.”

The effect was instant. Romani turned into a shade redder than Ritsuka’s hair and flailed beneath her, “Wha-!? HUH!? Princess- Hah!?!? EH!?!??!”

He could only sink in his chair and clutch at the headrest in an attempt to not topple over from her advances. True, it was unlike her to do this, but hey, there’s a first time for everything, right?

She weaved their fingers together using the hand she held, never letting go as Romani’s arm quivered and tugged at it. He was so cute, blushing beneath her and desperately trying to regain his usual calm and kind composure.

Her other hand reaches to caress the underside of his jaw, nothing more than a ghostly touch as she leaned forward, “Yes, Roman. My princess. My blushing lover before me.”

He trembled under her grasp, the heat in his face rising to a degree that could definitely rival that of a high-grade fever. She smiled even wider as he looked like he would pass out from her teasing.

“Wha-!?”

And all too suddenly, the doctor’s hands shoot up to wrap around her waist, effectively pulling her against his chest.

“E-Enough of your teasing, Ritsuka!” Romani huffs, tightening his grip and burying his face in her hair.

This time, it was her turn to blush profusely from something so unexpected from her boyfriend.

She would rather get subjected to a thousand halloween events with Elizabeth than admit it though! Thankfully, her face was hidden from his view so she was able to regain her composure, but not without stumbling for a bit.

Ritsuka pushes against his chest and tries to regain her smug smile from earlier, “I-I only want to be able to spend time with my sweetheart, you know?”

God, his pout was so kissable, the temptation to render him breathless for the entire night overshadowed any plans she had for the evening.

Romani pinches her cheek, letting her make an embarrassing squeak, before kissing the sore spot and lingering before it, “If you want to spend time with me, I’m always happy to put off the tasks I am doing, provided it's not an emergency.” He stroked her cheek lovingly before looking into her eyes with—

Argh-!!! The way his sunshine smile pierced through her heart gave her an instant K.O. this round!!!!

There was no way in hell she was losing!

Reluctantly pulling away, Ritsuka decided to counterattack.

She takes his hand and lifts it with the intention to kiss it, grazing his knuckles against her lips while she held his gaze, “Really? But you seemed busy earlier… Could it be that you planned to tell me off gently?” Sadness seeps in her tone. Half-genuine and half-feigned, the trick seemed to work.

The body underneath her tenses and she was once again rendered breathless from the way the hand around her waist tightened further, afraid to let her go, “N-No! I’d never turn you away!” He exclaimed, emerald eyes now pleading and soft, Ritsuka had to force herself to be still lest she breaks her character.

Those same eyes she loved turned away, his blush remained ever so red while he bit his lower lip, “I-It’s just that the outfit you wore…”

Oho? A smile breaks out of her face and this time, she didn’t fight back the desire to kiss him.

And that was what Ritsuka did. Cupping his cheek and tilting his face up to meet hers and clasping her hand around Romani’s own, the contact made her melt and press closer at the same time.

A sweet kiss, one of the many they’ve shared and will share, different and special in its own right. Pulling away had been the hardest part, as she wanted nothing more than to stay locked in the taste of his lips relishing against hers.

Unable to help herself, she nuzzles his hair and kisses his forehead with a smile, “You’re so irresistible, Roman.”

The way he choked and sputtered had her laughing against his hair. Seriously! He was the one killing her right now! “Oh come on, Ritsuka! Are you s-seriously going to torment me like this all night lo-”

She was way too high up in the bliss of kissing her flustered doctor that she shut him up with another round, muffling his sound of surprise before yielding to her affections.

When air became a need, they pulled back to catch their breath. On her part, she only had a few moments before grinning up at him with intent.

Romani’s eyes widened before he could open his mouth to ask what he next devious plan was when his world was tilted and deceptively-lithe arms wrapped around his chest and beneath his knees.

“Ritsuka, oh my god! You’re seriously going to kill me, aren’t you?!” He was suffering from having near permanent red-cheeks that he leaned into her and hid his cute face.

The master could only laugh as she exited his room and towards her own, carrying the princess she so loved with all her heart.

i couldnt do the other prompt as im confused where to start it with because its a crack idea thats very confusing for me 😅

#so i did this instead!#romaguda #fgo #fate grand order #romani archaman #fujimaru ritsuka #gudako #guda

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soliska · 2 years

Photo

Thanksgiving ~ an Inuyasha one-shot

Rating: G

Summary: He was a mysterious painter whose fame seemed to take the island country by storm. He went where he wanted, spoke not a word of who his patrons were, and cared little for the hefty sums he was offered if the commission was not to his liking. What portraits he did create however, were uncannily realistic and sought after by the elite.

-----

This is also a chance for me to check if peeps on my tag list still want to be tagged for all work I post or just specific works. Reply or dm if you want on/off :)

Tags! @alerialblu @hopidoodle @redflamesofpassion @lavendertwilight89 @zelink-inukag @superpixie42 @four-letter-girl @anisaanisa @amethystablaze @lordofthechips @kawaiichan67@born-for-eachother @dawnrider @holi-holy @liz8080 @ruddcatha @lavendertwilight89 @mylindylady @inusmasha

-----

"Incredible! The lines, the colour! It's as if the painting is alive."

"You exceed your reputation, Higurashi-san."

He inclined his head respectfully at the gracious compliments directed at him. Across the room sat the latest of his finished paintings, a grand portrait of the lord and lady of the house.

"On top of producing a simply magnificent piece, however did you manage to complete it so quickly?" The lord clapped him on the shoulder. "Youth these days, hah, makes an old man feel his age."

"We were expecting you to work through the mid-autumn celebrations. Will you stay regardless, Higurashi-san? We would be honoured."

"My lady, I'm afraid I must decline your generous offer." He bowed deeply and as he rose he gave the mature noblewoman such a charming smile that Miroku would've been proud of him. "I travel home for the harvest every year."

"Ah, your parents live far?"

He paused, but just for a half-second. "My family is in Musashi."

This time, the smile that graced the young man's attractive features was soft and adoring. The resulting effect made the lady attendants in the room collectively swoon.

The rumours about the elusive artist from the capital boasted of his talents, but proved sorely lacking in regard to his winsome looks.

After exchanging a few more rounds of pleasantries, his hosts sent him off with an abundance of provisions for the journey ahead and almost double the initial agreement for his services.

Carrying this and his tall satchel of papers, brushes and pigments, the mysterious painter left the mountain fief, heading alone on foot into the dark forests beyond.

When he was properly lost in the thickness of the trees, the slim silhouette shimmered and morphed. What he lost in height was compensated by the addition of lush, tan tails swishing in sync with his steps.

His clothing stayed the same luminous turquoise and cream, colours much too bright to belong to a fledgling craftsman, but his clients assumed he came from wealth.

He did make a lot of human money though. Could probably make more if he wanted to, but he only painted what and who caught his fancy. Perhaps it was odd that someone of his nature would go through the trouble to acquire real coin, but believe it or not, sometimes he liked to trade with money that didn't turn back into leaves. Especially if he liked the people he bought things from.

Besides, he enjoyed painting. It was a talent he'd developed at a young age courtesy of Kagome.

Speaking of, he paused in his steps and carefully patted around the folds of clothing across his chest until he found what he was looking for.

With utmost care, claw-tipped fingers unfolded the now fragile paper, creases well-worn from years of handling, kept against his chest through all the tumbles he's had growing up.

There, scrawled slightly off-center by a juvenile hand was a group portrait. The medium it was drawn in will not be invented until many years in the future.

There on the left was a purple blob of a man with a stumpy black pony tail. Beside him, the nekomata and taijiya looked very gallant indeed. On the right, stood a girl with a wide smile beside a red and silver blob with triangle ears. In the middle of them all was a tiny kitsune with disproportionately big fangs and only one tail at the time.

Shippo smiled, tracing the outlines of the figures with the tips of his fingers.

His mates at the kitsune village used to tease him about his human sensibilities and made fun of him whenever they caught him looking at this drawing. He'd shown them who was boss eventually, besting even his seniors at the final examination.

What was so wrong with him being sentimental? His family was mostly human after all.

A fact that was becoming more and more apparent each year he returned home for the harvest celebration. While he was growing into his prime, his found family was entering their twilight years. Time had weathered their faces and bent their backs, but their smiles only grew brighter.

Kagome still cooed and praised him incessantly each time he presented her with a new painting, as if the walls of her home were not already fully saturated. Inuyasha still pretended to threaten a beating if he was being too cheeky, although lately he'd been careful not to overdo it when they play-wrestled. Just in case.

Hanyou, or at least Inuyasha, seemed to have inherited his human parent's rate of aging. A fact that, while it pained him if he dwelled too much on it, Shippo was grateful for. The three years of Kagome's absence had made it clear that all Inuyasha wanted in this life was to grow old with her.

That he was doing. And together, raised some of his favourite people, who, in all the things that mattered, were his siblings.

Shaking off the sudden nostalgia, Shippo tucked the portrait safely back into its designated pocket and bounded off towards the village he called home.

Photo credit: Anthony Levlev via Unsplash

#inuyasha fanfiction #evilillusions fanfic #inutachi #inuyasha #kagome #shippo #sango #miroku #found family #it was Thanksgiving weekend for me where I live ;)#inukag

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eightmakesonebraincell · 13 days

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What was the original answer huh 😏

I have just started but I already feel like I want to run my brain through a shredder. There's a good three years ahead of me (minimum) to complete it. So 🫠 I legit blocked my calendar with Chellateez lol. Although my internet was suckier than the cameraman /sigh/

Proud-Happy ateez is my ultimate kink. I was thirsting and crying at the same time

The wind was the paid actor we never knew we needed

Please tell us your survival story!

-bulleo bulleo anon

(basically had the biggest brain fart and thought you had sent in the anon ask about not wanting to do engineering and that's what you were referring to when you said you wanted to 'change it' so i went on this whole spiel about it not being too late to change your degree like i was FULL POPPIN OFF only to realise you were talking about your thesis HAH)

look, from listening to all my friends who struggled with their thesis, all i can say is good luck man HAHAHAHA 😃👍

omg ngl coachella was a whole mess and a half that did not do ateez the justice they deserved like i could sit here all day and criticise the camerawork and sound system and the special effects (who thought it would be a good idea to let off all that smoke that literally covered the members for a solid five seconds each time they used it???) but the fact that ateez still 👏 ate 👏 their 👏 50 mins 👏 up 👏 is a testament to their professionalism and stage presence and talent like YES KINGS SLAY RAHHHH 👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹

#loren answers #bulleo bulleo anon

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chasseurdeloup · 10 months

Text

This is Why We Fight || Ren and Kaden

TIMING: Before the Sound of Silence LOCATION: The pines PARTIES: @ironheartedfae and @chasseurdeloup SUMMARY: Kaden tries to track down a Cu-sith, turns out he's not the only one. CONTENT WARNINGS: child abuse/neglect and emotional abuse (in reference to Ren's past)

Kaden couldn’t say with one hundred percent certainty, but he was still pretty damn sure that the reports of a “weird big green dog” were a cu-sith. He knew well enough to know they were fae, but it wasn’t like he was a stranger to fighting canine-like monsters so he might as well investigate. If worse came to worst and it seemed like he didn’t have a handle on the situation, he would just high tail it out of there and find a warden at the 3 Daggers to finish the job. The goal was to kill it, right? It was supernatural. And dangerous to humans. Sure, the reports didn’t indicate that it hurt anyone recently but… Putain.

He’d figure out his plan later. He was prepared either way. He had his crossbow, shotgun, tranquilizer darts as well as bullets, iron knives and some regular ones just in case. Whatever the situation, he was ready. The hunter made his way up to the spot on the trail the hiker said they last saw the beast. He crouched down and was looking for any tell-tale signs when he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Kaden whipped his head around to see a kid taking the path. Damnit. He could just stand up and get out of the way, sure, but he wasn’t sure that they should keep going on the trail. The monster could be a hundred meters or so farther into the woods and he’d be sending this kid into danger. “Hey there,” he said as he stood, holding his hands up, hoping to stop them in their tracks. “This path isn’t safe up ahead. There’s a dangerous animal that’s been spotted here. You should turn around and go back home.”

—

A dangerous animal. Hah. The stranger in the green jacket didn’t know the half of it. Ren had been tracking the Cu’sith the last few days. And unfortunately, the path they were on was one of the only ways toward the nest it’d been building that was still downwind. It was close. She could feel it. A pint-sized pocket of scowls only stared up at the stranger. Unnerving eyes boring holes into his, over a foot higher than her own. She was silent for a fair bit longer than was necessary or polite to be. Just as much because she was annoyed as it was because she didn’t know what to say. She never really did.

Having someone else here complicated things. What was he even doing out here? Was he some sort of park ranger, or one of those ‘hiking enthusiasts’ Ren had heard about somewhere? For a split second she thought she heard something, but– no it was too small to be the beast. Maybe some sort of squirrel or bird in the underbrush. “If it is not safe you should also leave.” Her harsh accent bit at the words, all while she attempted to look behind the man who was far too fucking tall. “How are you to know animal is ahead and not behind?”

—

The silence stretched out so long that Kaden wondered if the kid could speak at all. Had he fucked up and spoken in French and not English? He wouldn’t have been surprised if that was the case, but that didn’t seem like the issue. This seemed like some sort of stand-off. Only she was far too short to be intimidating. She was unsettling, though, he’d give her that.

“Cute,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m animal control, I have this covered. So not safe for you doesn’t mean it’s not safe for me.” Not only that, but he was a hunter. If anyone was going to go up against a big fucking fae dog, it was going to be– well, alright it should be a warden, but he was a solid second choice. “And I know it’s ahead because I’ve been tracking it. Almost like it’s my job.” He looked down at her and raised his brows, arms folded across his chest, all in an invitation for her to turn around and go home.

—

When everything you’d been taught had more or less been in a controlled environment where things like bystanders, officers of the law, and controllers of animals (whatever that meant) never came into play, things got messy. Ren couldn’t help resent this man for just doing his job. Even if it was still a bit confusing as to what exactly it was. Maybe it was like a police officer, but for animals? Did he put animals in jail?

In any case, he was an object in the was as well as something she was supposed to protect. Right? Ren bounced her weight between her feet. Indecisively straddling the idea of just bolting past the man, or to just hold back a bit. Go around and take the less safe approach towards the creature's den. “Perhaps you missed something.” She settled on her least favorite option, trying to talk it out. That’s what people did, right? They talked. “I saw signs of big wolf-like creature back there.” True, though he’d probably come from that direction as well. Between words, she barely breathed, barely let her mouth leave the thin straight line it had pressed firmly into. Her eyes though, they were bordering on pleading.

—

Kaden was all ready to brush off his hands, turn around, and continue his damn hunt, assuming he was about to be alone again. Only, as he shifted in his stance to turn on his heel and walk away, he noticed he was the only one moving. Putain. She wasn’t going to budge, was she? Of course he had to meet a stubborn kid out here in the fucking woods. He just wanted to make sure she didn’t get killed, and what did he get for it? Defiance. Annoying.

“I didn’t miss shit, alright,” he said, unable to temper his words at this point. “I saw them, too. And that’s why I plan to deal with it. By myself.” Kaden took a step forward and took her by the shoulders and went to turn her around to face the other way. “While you go back home. Where it’s safe. And sound. And don’t worry about the–”

A low growl rumbled from the brush behind them. Putain de merde. “Run,” he hissed in a hushed tone at her, hoping that maybe this time would be the time she’d finally listen. His hand reached down for his knife as Kaden tried to keep himself steady and his movements minimal. In his head, he counted to three.

Un: his hand wrapped around the hand of his knife.

Deux: he shifted his weight on to the balls of his feet, bending his knees ever slightly.

Trois.

Blade in hand, Kaden spun around to see a giant, moss-covered canine-like creature leaping out at him. He didn’t know if its claws or his knife would strike first, but there was bound to be blood.

—

This was exactly why Ren shouldn’t have wasted time talking. Talking never works. The nymph felt the beast approach a moment before it pounced. Just enough time for her to spring back. The stubborn man spun around to face it, and it did not escape her eye that a blade had slipped from some unseen somewhere to his hand. There had been no recognition in his eyes when she had approached or she might have labeled him a warden. If he wasn’t one, he wasn’t prepared for this.

Maybe the animal control officer thought it was a regular wolf he was tracking, maybe he didn’t. All Ren knew is it was her job to take monsters like that down before they hurt anyone like him.

The next six seconds felt like a lifetime. Each movement had to be perfectly timed for this to work, and even then, it might not go well.

Один: Heel turn in the dirt, dash to the side.

Два: Crouch as low as possible and–

три. Strike.

Her tiny frame was good for a lot of things. It hid how strong she could be, and provided a low center of gravity. The latter was very useful in cases like this. Ren’s upward momentum took the beast completely by surprise, it didn’t even see her coming out from behind the man. The next hit came from the earth itself as the ground rose to meet them both.

The fae wolf stood, confused, shaken. It looked down at the projectile only to realize it was another fae. In its mind, there was no way she had been the thing to hurt it. In its mind, another fae would not do such a thing. Clearly, it had something to do with this man and his iron knife. The Cu-sith recovered faster than the nymph, and it stood almost protectively over top Ren. A low hungry growl bellowed out of the beast as it geared up for another go at Kaden.

–

Kaden held his forearm out, ready to brace it against the beast, expecting to feel sharp daggers of pain as the talons dug into his skin, his knife in his other hand waiting to return the favor. Only, the pain never came, and his blade only slashed thin air. “Huh?”

Some blur of motion had come from behind him and sent the cu-sith careening off to the side and away from him. Merde, were there two monsters now? Had he come underprepared? The fuck was going on?

Shit, the kid.

Kaden spun on his heel to check if the kid was okay, if she’d ran or been stubborn enough to stay. She wasn’t there. Kid must have been a fast runner. He hoped. The hunter adjusted his grip on the knife and faced back towards the action, preparing himself for whatever was waiting there now.

He wasn’t prepared for what he saw. The goddamn kid. On the ground. And the dog was… protecting her? Wait a second, had she been the thing to topple the beast to the ground? “What the fuck…”

Before the words could leave his lips, the beast was snarling and spitting, advancing towards the hunter as it hovered over the girl. Putain. He wasn’t sure what was going on, not really. Was this cu-sith hers? It was acting like it, alright. Even if it was a monster, he knew that behavior. He’d seen it plenty of times. It was a dog protecting its family. He may not understand what situation he walked in on, but he knew animals. Was it possible that this monster wasn’t all that different? No, no, they were dangerous. It was a monster. He knew that. And yet, the consciousness there, the protective stance. Putain de merde, this was a stupid idea.

“Hey, hey,” Kaden started, raising his free hand and slowly crouching down to place his knife on the ground. “Easy now. I’m not going to hurt you.” Yet. The growl deepened, rumbling through the trees. “Or her! Not hurting anyone.” He took another cautious step back.

–

Life blinked back to Ren’s eyes, the hit had knocked her for a bigger loop than she realized it might. Dirt and podzol pressed up against her face as she pushed her weight onto her elbows. Confusion set in faster than pain. Teeth, claws, the sharp stinging burn of a bite– no. They never came. Because the beast was standing over her. Not on her. Not pinning her. Not even attempting to. It was either unable to hurt her or unwilling to. As the realization settled like a stone in her stomach, it soured her spit. Made it taste like metal in her mouth.

“Дурацкий man!” Ren’s eyes widened as she watched Kaden put the fucking knife down. Watched it through the cu-sith’s legs. Of course it wasn’t paying attention to her. Of course it didn’t see her as a threat. That was the whole point of her, wasn’t it? So why did it sting so much every time, to see creatures like this put their faith in her? “It is going to hurt you if you do not get out of here!” How did he not get that?

As if her words were a command, the Cu-Sith dug down for another pounce.

—

Kaden knew damn well that remaining calm and unthreatening didn’t always work, but he had to try, he had to hope. Some stupid fucking part of him had to cling onto what he knew he just saw, some part of him that just wanted to feel secure and right about leaving his family and rejecting the code. Maybe it wasn’t just humanoids that were capable of more than just destruction. Maybe he had even more to be guilty about.

Or maybe he hadn’t been entirely wrong his entire damn life. Putain. His bleeding freaking heart was about to become literal if he didn’t get the hell out of the way. Kaden threw himself to the left as soon as he saw the cu-sith push itself off the ground. He ducked and rolled as far as he could, twigs and rocks digging into his skin on the way. Shit, shit, shit, shit.

Kaden crawled and clawed his way up onto his knees. The beast had realized it was empty-handed and had already swiveled to face the hunter again. Knife, knife, where was another fucking knife? He scrambled to grab a weapon off his belt, any weapon. Pistol. There was that. That was good. Kaden was fumbling with the gun, digging it out of its holster and trying to line up a shot, any shot, but the monster was ready to attack. He wasn’t sure there was going to be enough time. “Hey, kid,” he called out, voice shaky and eyes not leaving the cu-sith, “now might be a good time to call off your dog.”

—

Indignant and fired up, there was no way Ren was accepting that kind of slander. “It is NOT my dog!” She shouted as she scrambled to her feet. The beast was charging again, and Ren wasn’t going to let it find any purchase. Legs bent and sprung again, this time she landed on top of the creature. Whose confusion let itself be known as it nipped at her leg as it swung around the thing’s neck. Better her than him. This was her job. This was her purpose. She had to be the shield. And the sword.

“You should run. Like how I have said this!” Words. Maybe if she’d been better with them, or more clever with her phrasing she could have conveyed this trouble before it befell them. Maybe she could have saved the officer the cuts and bruises he’d surely have in the morning. Ren curled an arm below the cu-sith’s jaw, slamming it shut as it snapped a few more times. Looking for any flesh it could stick its teeth into… or at least so she thought. The bite on her leg wasn’t nearly as deep as it could have been. If anything it seemed more out of shock than actual malice. And now it just wanted to get her off its back.

It bucked and knocked the tiny girl off. Ren managed to salvage the fall by at least letting herself roll in between Kaden and the cu-sith. When she stood again, protectively between the pair the beast’s confusion only grew. Hungry eyes glared daggers at the ranger, and almost pleaded with the nymph. It whined, a pitiful sounding thing. Melancholy and mad. A mix Ren knew too well. Why it was looking to her for direction, she had no idea. But she’d use it all the same.

“GO.” If it wasn’t going to attack her, she could at least get rid of the problem for him. The cu-sith hesitated, and Ren stomped forward and shouted once more. “GO, LEAVE.” Intimidation certainly wasn’t what got the creature to listen. A curious intelligence sat behind those emerald eyes. Still an animal, yes. But it knew who its kin was. Knew who it did and did not want to attack.

—

Kaden stumbled back, trying to load and aim his pistol. He held up the gun and was ready to take a shot. Every instinct drilled into his head from years of training told him to shoot this cu-sith, to fight it and cut it down until there was nothing left. He knew that was what he should do. But could he do that if this had been a normal domesticated dog? A stray? Never. He’d never kill a dog unless it was the last option or the best option for them. And the cu-sith… No, it wasn’t a dog, but what he’d just seen, that behavior, it was the same as any of the dogs in the shelter. How could he slaughter the beast knowing that?

It didn’t matter. Before he could decide what the fuck he was doing, the kid had launched herself onto the creature and was wrestling it to the ground. Even if he wanted to shoot, he couldn’t do it now – he’d risk shooting her in all the action. When it bit her, he wondered if he’d made the wrong call, lining up his shot again and ready to pull the trigger. But he couldn’t.

And then, there she was, standing in between him and the cu-sith. The beast could leap over her and tear him to shreds without a second thought. Instead, it stood there, waiting on her command. His brow furrowed as he watched the interaction play out. There was no way this animal wasn’t hers in some way, no matter what she said. His body tensed as the creature continued to stand its ground, growling and begging her to let it tear the hunter to shreds. Kaden was about to turn and run, like he should have far earlier, but then the beast bowed its head and turned away, walking back into the forest, its moss-covered fur blending in with the green of the brush around it until it almost faded away into the woods.

Kaden stood frozen in place until he could no longer make out the shape of the cu-sith in the distance. “You… alright?” was all he could manage to ask her once he finally allowed himself to breathe. There were too many questions. About what happened. For her. Surely she had some for him. And he had plenty for himself, too.

—

Soft paws barely made a sound as the cu-sith listened to Ren and ran. The further it went, the deeper her stomach sank. Watching it disappear into the underbrush with an expression that edged on shock and horror. It listened. Bright green eyes mirrored the leaves around her, shaking just as much as they did in the wind. Her back was to Kaden. He was talking at her now. Asking if she was okay, and… was she? Physically, sure. Well enough. The bite was barely a graze and managed to avoid the mostly healed stitches from her last leg injury. But was she alright?

Jury was still out.

The bile that had risen around the pit in her stomach made her mouth taste sour. Ren turned away. Eyes finally retreating from the traces the cu-sith left behind. She picked up anything she’d dropped, and started off back home. Trudging away with a slight limp. Shoulders and hackles raised. Fully not at all wanting to stop and chat about whatever that was. She didn’t need another person in this town to worry. To make her feel like she was real. Like she could be something good.

If she could be. So could they.

And where the fuck did that leave everything else she knew? What did it mean for the countless fae she’d taken down without a second thought? For other people she’d killed. The khione in January. The spriggan, the hesperidae, and the faun in February. Two more fauns, and a muse in March. April, May, June… There were many. And she remembered each and every one. Their faces. The looks of shock. Of betrayal.

“You should be disgusted with yourself. You’re a disgrace. A fae carrying around iron blades? And you planned to stab another fae with that? You’re a traitor to your kind.” The voice was clear but the face was not. A fae that got away, and did so with her knowledge of why she was hunting them in particular.

—

Putain de merde, why couldn’t any hunting just be straight forward anymore? Kaden scrambled to gather his weapons and followed after the kid. She was limping and hadn’t answered him and she’d tackled that cu-sith at least three times. “Hey, can you stop?” he called out as he trotted to catch up to her, meeting her in a matter of a few strides.

“You’re limping.” Well that was obvious. There was also something about her, something he recognized, almost like a mirror being held up to himself. The brashness, the way she had dove in, knew what she was dealing with, and the way she was stubbornly walking away and ignoring the pain. “Kid, wait,” he said, this time, reaching out to grab her shoulder. “Are you…”

The unspoken words hung in the air. Kaden swallowed before trying again. “Are you a hunter?”

Why did he hesitate to ask? Did he not want the answer? He wasn’t sure. Maybe he wanted to just walk away the way she had, not care. But ever since he got here his stupid bleeding heart had only grown bigger and softer. Stupider. He knew it was going to get him hurt in one way or another – hell, probably more than one way, but he couldn’t help it. And he couldn’t just let this young hunter walk away on their own after that shit show that he caused.

—

No other phrase could have had quite the poignant punch that ‘Are you a hunter?’ had on Renata Daryova. The nymph stopped dead in her tracks, never turning to face the man that addressed her. Hands still balled up into fists at her sides as her breath hitched in her throat. Dry as the sahara and just about as likely to verbally answer any question thrown its way. Are you a hunter? The words danced around in her mind, already too crowded with faces and voices and last words. Bites of betrayal and grief running up and down her spine like an army of fire ants. Repeating his question again and again and again.

Was she?

“I DO NOT KNOW.” Shouted, barked almost. Not exactly a normal answer to that particular question. But she didn’t have an answer. What she had was a pair of legs that would not fucking move no matter how much she willed them to start running right then and there. Mentally screaming at herself did no favors. She might as well have been a tree for how well she was rooted there.

Hunter, hunting, hunted.

Ren had gone out that day intending on killing that very same beast that showed her more compassion than she’d ever had shown it. And what did that make her, huh? Was she a monster because she was born a fae and all fae were evil, or was she a monster for listening to that, for turning her blades on things that might not have deserved it at all. Was every single thing Darya taught her a lie? It turned over in her stomach again and all Ren could do to stave off the nausea was dig her nails deeper into her palms.

—

Of all the answers she could have given him, that was the one he didn’t expect. But somehow it was the one that Kaden understood more than he wanted to.

He was a hunter, he was born as one, he was trained as one, and he could never rewrite his genetics or change his past. He was a hunter, there was no question.

But he had just let a monster go. A monster that was trying to kill him and had injured a kid who was actually trying to fight it, who was likely trying to uphold what she was told was her duty. Or at least, he had tried to let it go. She was the one who had actually managed to get it to go away. Even though she was the one trying to fight it off.

No wonder she was left lost and confused. He knew that feeling all too well. The last time he’d seen his sister, she made it all too clear that he was no hunter. She made it even clearer that he wasn’t her brother, either. He couldn’t imagine what she would have done if she had seen him just then.

The kid’s answer may not have made sense to anyone else, but Kaden understood. It was like the reflection in the mirror only grew sharper.

“You hunted like one. Did better than me. Had better instincts.” He wasn’t going to bring up any of his actions, not now. “I’m a ranger. So I wanted to ask.” His voice was even, soft but not condescending. “Sorry I got in your way.” It had been a while since he’d spoken like that to another hunter, all business, all duty and fucking bullshit. He hadn’t missed it, but it felt like the only way to reach her, the only sort of conversation she wanted to have. Hell, how many times had he talked to Keira like that? Too many to count. Even though it seemed he never managed to reach her, maybe this time it would be different. “Name’s Kaden, by the way,” he offered, hoping that maybe she’d turn around.

—

He was a hunter? Weren’t Rangers supposed to be fast? Or at least good at fighting? Truly Ren didn’t know much about other hunters. She barely knew anything about Wardens, being kept away from them like she was a pariah kinda did that to you. God had she been blind? A new flavor of rage filled her chest to bursting. This time directed somewhere other than herself. Kaden the Ranger was still talking. Still going on about things in a way she was probably supposed to understand. No, it was just another human who didn’t realize she wasn’t. It was becoming far too constant of an occurrence.

“I was supposed to kill that fae.” The fire that burned inside her seethed out with those words, all the vitriol she could muster. A warning not too unlike a rattler’s shake. She was going to kill it. Kill all of them. She was supposed to be the iron heart that sunk into any cluster of pests she found and exterminated them. She was supposed to stare down people who felt like family even when she didn’t know them just because they were also born to the fairfolk. How many had she condemned to death on that basis alone?

Ren wanted to scream. She wanted to run. Wanted to be anywhere but here, be anyone but herself. Here she was having a full blown mental breakdown and trying to hide it from this probably well meaning stranger. No, she would not be turning around any time soon. And the fucking second she got her legs to start working again she’d be out of there.

—

Her voice sounded like the one that screamed in his own head whenever he let a monster walk away, which was happening more and more often. Kaden hadn’t figured out how to quiet his own subconscious let alone what to say to her in response. If he did, he would have saved Keira from herself a long time ago. But the kid hadn’t walked away, hadn’t stormed off just yet. That had to mean something.

“Says who?” he asked. He stayed stationary, steady, hoping not to spook her, though he had a feeling that this would be the moment she either turned and faced him or walked away. He didn’t know which would be better, which he’d consider a success. But all he could do was wait.

—

Far too filled with red hot anger to actually articulate the caged animal emotions that burrowed deep in her chest, Ren found herself cursing in Russian. Or maybe it was Swedish. Words she hardly knew the meaning to, only that they were used in righteous anger by the very same woman who put the ideas in her head that were poisoning her from within.

Another hunter was here. Another hunter was questioning her. Worse, it was mimicking the small voice that had begun to speak up at the back of her mind. At first it was a quiet flickering thing. Barely louder than the beating of moths wings. Little by little it grew. Nurtured and bolstered by the milk of human kindness. Now it screamed, shouted, raged against the one thing Ren had never allowed herself to be mad at. And she didn’t know what to do with that. She wished it was at just about anything else. It’d be so much less confusing.

Kaden, the animal control officer, the ranger, was not the problem. He was a complete stranger caught in a storm of someone else’s emotions. Ren could be a lightning rod or offer a calmer wind to dissipate the clouds. Easier said than done. But it was the better of the two options. She took a breath. Then another. The cursing helped. That’s sort of what it was for, right? Get out the excess angries so rational thought could take their place.

“I do not know if this is something I can speak of.” An honest answer. “I should not have yelled at you.” A guilt ridden response. “But this is not your fight. Kaden.”

—

Even though he didn’t recognize the language (or languages), Kaden knew cursing when he heard it. There was a flavor to expletives that transcended the words themselves. Not to mention the waves of anger he could see radiating through her small frame.

He clenched his jaw, trying to bite back the feeling of the hairline fracture creeping its way down to crack his heart, ready to shatter it at any moment. He’d felt like this. He never had this moment in front of anyone else, only in private, but the struggle was all too familiar. That was fine, though. That didn’t pain him the way it did when he thought of his sister, how much he wished she could feel some of the same confusion and frustration. He wished his words could have had even an ounce of the same effect it had on this young hunter he just met. How could something he said make her sling into a fury of expletives and rage when the same words, the same thoughts, would only make Keira feel disgust?

He knew he wasn’t the best big brother, even though he tried and tried over and over again. He knew he’d failed Keira. Hell, for all he knew, he was failing all over again to help someone else. He didn’t fucking know.

It didn’t seem like she did either.

“That’s okay,” he said. “You’re not the first.” And she was far from the scariest person to yell at him. “I’m not sure what you mean by that, though,” he continued, brows furrowed, almost daring to take a step towards her. “If you mean the fight against fae, no shit. If you mean something else…” Like helping her, maybe. “I don’t know.” He couldn’t find the words to say what he wanted, couldn’t figure out how to offer help without pushing the kid away. Not that he even knew what help from him looked like or if she even needed it, let alone wanted it.

No, there was no doubt she needed help from someone, even if it wasn’t him. He’d seen that reflection of himself in her and he knew damn well he could probably use some fucking help. Then again, he wasn’t sure if he would accept it either if he was in her shoes. “All I’m saying is hunters should look out for each other.” He considered the word hunter in particular. It held complicated feelings for him, clearly did for her, too. “People, too,” he added.

—

"Just– " Two knife-less hands threw themselves into the sky. "Just STOP helping!!" Ren hit a wall. In computer terminology it'd be something like not having enough bandwidth. In nature it was closer to a dam. Too much of something, even if it's a good thing, even if it's life saving, it could be deadly at the wrong time. "Helping is the PROBLEM this town is full of fucking helpers!!" The not quite a hunter, not quite a normal fae, and definitely not a normal person, let another primal rush of rage escape.

This time though, her legs sprang back to life. Sprinting off like a rabbit spooked by a barking hound. The slight limp affecting her gait, probably making the bite and sprain worse with each stride.

Emilio. Nora. Van. Metzli. Gael. Andy.

And now Kaden too. Too much owed. It felt like the world was caving in, when it should have felt like a welcome mat. Hello world, everything you know is a lie. Her head felt like it was caught in a blender, and Ren didn't even know what a blender fucking was.

Today could rot in hell.

—

The words stung more than Kaden expected. Though the voice was different, and so was her stature and so much more, the words were the same. Keira had told him as much. More than once. And he never listened.

Sure didn’t fucking help her that he kept trying. And it sure as hell didn’t help Damien, either.

Maybe the kid was right. Maybe helping was the problem. It was hard not to think that’s all he was. Even if he knew damn well that he was projecting, that he was putting something onto the situation that he had no fucking business putting there, he couldn’t shake the feeling.

Failure.

That was the only thing on his mind as he watched her form get smaller and farther away, just as he’d watched the cu-sith’s earlier. It ran, she ran, and Kaden remained standing there. He hadn’t slain the monster, he hadn’t helped the kid, in fact, he’d only gotten her hurt. Why the fuck was he there? Why was he trying? Fuck, he didn’t even know what it was he was trying to do anymore.

Deep breath. Kaden gathered his belongings and set off back down the trail. As much as he wanted to sink deep into the pit where he could bathe in his own feelings of failure, he had to try not to let himself go there. This was one moment. One kid. One monster. This wasn’t his sister. No one had died. This wasn’t failure. Not yet, at least.

Not yet.

#writing #wickedswriting #para #this is why we fight #c: ren #ironheartedfae

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