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bvidzsoo · 5 months

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Your desire

⬦Sugar daddy!Seonghwa⬦

TW: suggestive

Word count: 3,9k

A/N: I hate the grip Ateez has on me, I have never ever written so many drabbles or whatever, I'm a long story kinda gal but here they are...torturing me. Anyways, Seonghwa went ahead and posted on IG today and when I saw him my mind instantly went omg that's some sugar daddy vibes, idk why, don't ask, thank you. Feedback is very much so appreciated! Enjoy!

I really would have never imagined a year ago that I would be attending such an event like this one. It was even shocking to myself. But it looked like I was the only one who felt out of place as the people surrounding me seemed to know each other as they indulged in small talk and friendly chatter as if they were old friends catching up. The silky dress felt too tight against my skin and I couldn’t help but pull on it, hoping by some miracle that it would loosen up and wouldn’t wrap around my ribs as it was trying to suffocate me. The little golden purse I clutched in my hands tightly was expensive, too expensive, an item I could’ve never afforded by myself. I wasn’t into fancy things, so even if I could’ve afforded it at some point in life, I still wouldn’t have purchased it. The faces of people seemed to merge into one as I took a sip of my champagne, smiling politely when the older man next to me pointed his glass in my direction before taking a sip himself. I wished I were invisible, but the red dress and the red matching lips only placed me in the spotlight. And if it weren’t for my outfit, being by the side of Park Seonghwa, a successful and young CEO, definitely put me in the spotlight. I could feel the curious gazes of men and women alike, even the envy as some whispered as Seonghwa and I glided through the crowd, wanting to reach the bar. He said he needed something strong, perhaps some whiskey, as the people around us were giving him a headache. Currently, we were conversing with an elderly pair who were big names in the makeup industry, Choi San having joined us not too long ago. He was a rising CEO, almost always in the spotlight, as his magazine was becoming bigger and bigger, visited by more and more celebrities lately. He was Seonghwa’s biggest competitor, constantly challenging him publicly and often mentioning him when it had nothing to do with Seonghwa. Choi San liked to provoke people and taunt, living off of the hate and attention directed his way. I didn’t need to have a PhD in psychology to spot all these things, it was clear as day as he flashed his white teeth in the direction of the elderly pair, bragging about last month’s issue and how much money it made. The elderly pair didn’t seem too impressed, but they congratulated him before diverting their attention back onto Seonghwa, who was patiently waiting for San to stop his theatrics. If I wouldn’t have known Seonghwa so well, I would’ve never known he was irritated, his jaw barely clenched, grip just a little too tight on his glass of champagne. I quietly cleared my throat, getting his attention. His round eyes watched me, face devoid of any emotion, but the glimmer in his eyes assured me that he was feeling fine. I offered him a small smile and his cheeks twitched before he looked away, focusing back on the elderly pair. They were laughing about something I didn’t bother paying attention to, eyes falling on an already staring Choi San as I took another sip of my champagne. It almost made me choke; I couldn’t deny that he was a good-looking man, but I only had eyes for Seonghwa. At least for now.

“I’ve heard about the deal you made with an American firm,” San spoke up with a smirk, one eyebrow raised in Seonghwa’s direction, “Congratulations, breaking through on the American market isn’t something easy.”

Seonghwa chuckled, but it lacked humor, “San, when I made my breakthrough on the American market you were still running around, trying to find a headquarter for your company.”

The elderly pair laughed at the very harmless jab, but San’s smirk slightly faded, annoyed by Seonghwa’s comeback. He was probably right, but I wouldn’t know, I have never been interested in their world of business.

“You look gorgeous, Y/N.” The sudden shift of conversation made me tense as the eyes of four people fell on me, San’s a little hungrier than the rest. I forced a smile on my face, grip tightening on the glass of champagne. I wished the dress didn’t show as much cleavage as it did, and that my hair wasn’t in a low bun, unable to cover my shoulders, “Isn’t that necklace—”

“The latest Saint Laurent Teardrop Chain Links Necklace?” Seonghwa raised an eyebrow before taking a sip of his whiskey, “It is, San. And it’s custom made.”

San’s eyes fell back one me and I cleared my throat, feeling awkward, as the elderly lady eyed me a little bit suspiciously, I felt obliged to speak up, “It’s not something I usually wear, but Seonghwa insisted.”

“I think I have seen that dress on a magazine cover, not too long ago.” The elderly lady noted, eyes narrowed at me. I felt like they could tell how poor I actually was compared to them. It felt like a paper with the words ‘intruder’ was glued to my back and everyone was staring, pointing their fingers at me, or whispering vile things. I gulped, but before I could speak up, I felt an arm sneak around my shoulders, squeezing my arm lightly.

“You have seen it right, then, Mrs. Eom, it was on my magazine.” Seonghwa said with a smirk, sending me a wink which made me slightly blush. The day he saw it on the mannequin he sent me a picture and texted me that he’d get it for me. I refused, because it was truly too much and it also cost a lot, and also, I didn’t really have a fitting event where I would wear it to. So, I guess Seonghwa had to do something about that and that’s how I was dragged along to this fundraiser for disabled people. This wasn’t something which had been in the contract I have signed two months ago, but I didn’t dare bring it up when Seonghwa showed up to my apartment in the morning, holding two designer boxes and a designer paper bag. He said he didn’t have time to have breakfast with me, but he expected to see me in the evening, wearing everything he handed me. Before I could accept or refuse him, he was running off, phone at his ear as he spoke to someone important. I could only sigh and hope for a dinner in a very fancy restaurant, instead I found myself at a place infested with very important and insanely rich people. I was sure I even saw the prime minister like half an hour ago.

“Oh, delightful!” Mrs. Eom exclaimed, but no emotion came through her voice, eyes watching me almost accusingly. Why did an old hag have beef with me when she didn’t even know me? Before I could say something inappropriate, Seonghwa gave my shoulder another squeeze, swiftly taking his arm off my body. He seemed to know me well too, a glance at my face and he was able to tell what I was feeling and thinking. We hadn’t spent too much time together in these past two months, but it felt like we understood each other on a deeper level, beyond words even. I looked around as the orchestra started playing, the front of the room slightly clearing as people made place for those dancing. My eyes fell back onto Seonghwa, and as his eyes were trained somewhere else, I dared staring at him openly. He was an absolutely gorgeous man, breathtaking even. His black hair was slicked back with three strands framing the right side of his face, longer strands than the others poking around on his nape. His shoulders were relaxed yet his posture was straight and proper. His silky black shirt, with three buttons undone at the top, was tucked inside his black dress pants, an Yves Saint Laurent belt keeping his outfit together. The black velvet coat reached just bellow his thighs and his Yves Saint Laurent shoulder bag had been disregarded a while ago at the table we sat at. Despite my obvious staring, Seonghwa remained oblivious to it, however, San didn’t. His eyes were narrowed and lips pulled into a grin as we made eye contact. My cheeks burned and I quickly averted my eyes. Catching feelings wasn’t written into the contract, or what would happen if Seonghwa and I did fall for each other, a thing which was far from happening. I wasn’t in love with him, but I had eyes, and I found him extremely attractive. Whether he was dressed up or wore something casual, Seonghwa always looked spectacular. As a waiter passed with a tray in their hands, San quickly placed his empty glass on it and cleared his throat, interlacing his hands in front of himself.

“Miss Y/N, may I have the honor to dance with you first tonight?” San’s eyebrows were raised as he looked at me with a smirk and I stared at him without a reaction. Was I allowed to dance with him? Seonghwa was right next to me, he certainly wouldn’t like that. And I didn’t want to dance with him either, he sometimes made me feel very uncomfortable with his unnecessary comments and over the top compliments. But before anyone could interject, San took two steps towards me and then grabbed my left hand carefully, a smile erupting on his face, “Come.”

And before I could refuse him, he was pulling me after himself, making me hand my purse over to Seonghwa in a hurry as San lead the way to the dance floor. I felt awkward as curious eyes watched us, some people greeting San as we passed by. His grip turned firm and I could feel my palm get sweaty as I braced myself for what was to come. It couldn’t be that bad, besides, I would only dance with him for a short amount of time before I would excuse myself to the bathroom in hopes of getting away from him. San stopped in the center, facing me with a charming smile, sharp eyes watching me closely. I cleared my throat and placed my hand on his shoulder, allowing his hand on my lower back to pull me closer towards himself. I slightly tensed, but willed myself to relax in his arms. I didn’t quite enjoy dancing with Seonghwa’s competitor and biggest rival, especially not when I knew how much distaste Seonghwa had towards San.

“Fancy seeing you here tonight, Y/N,” San spoke up as he swayed us to the slow beat of the orchestra, “I didn’t think you’d attend such an event.”

San didn’t know what type of relationship was between Seonghwa and I, but he has seen us together quite often, always bugging Seonghwa whether I was his girlfriend or not. I most certainly wasn’t.

“It came as a surprise to me as well.” I admitted quietly, focusing on not stepping on San’s feet or on my own dress. The high heels were also slightly uncomfortable, I couldn’t help but be hyperaware of every move I made.

“So, Seonghwa didn’t plan on bringing you along, huh?” A satisfied smirk made it onto San’s face and I sighed, looking over his shoulder.

“He most certainly did since I’m here, don’t you think?” I couldn’t help but slightly snap, sending him the smallest glare as we made eye contact.

“Of course,” San chuckled, pulling his eyebrows up, “he wouldn’t want to leave behind his eye candy.”

His comment didn’t sit well with me, but I just bit the inside of my cheek and let it go, not wanting to give San the satisfaction of seeing me annoyed. He waited a few more seconds, probably thinking I was formulating my answer, but when the silence continued to stretch on, San chuckled to himself, looking amused as I dared take a glance at him.

“Everything you’re wearing tonight is quite expensive, isn’t it?” He continued, eyes running over my frame. It certainly felt uncomfortable as I could easily spot the lust in them as his eyes stayed a little too long on my exposed collarbones.

“Yes, they were expensive.” I hummed, looking over his shoulder when San glanced at my face.

“Bought them yourself?” His tone feigned innocence, but the smirk on his lips made it obvious that he was prodding and jabbing, “Didn’t think a university student could afford all of these things, to be honest.”

I gulped as my throat felt suddenly dry, heartrate picking up. Of course I couldn’t afford what I was wearing tonight, two months ago I could barely pay rent and the tuition fees for my course at the university. Seonghwa seemed like an angel in disguise at the time, however, lately I’ve been feeling guilty for accepting all of his money instead of trying to make some myself. In my defense, my itinerary was so packed I could barely find a place which would hire me even half norm, it was frustrating.

“Some of these were gifts.” I opted to answer, clearing my throat when San’s fingers slightly dug into my lower back, pulling me even closer to himself. Our bodies were almost touching, his musky scent invaded my nostrils. I certainly didn’t like it.

“You know,” He spoke up again, eyebrows furrowed, “Seonghwa is quite known for changing partners after like…half a year, I guess his standards are too high or something. Unless…”

My heartbeat paused for a second as I looked San in the eyes, “Unless, you’re not his girlfriend but his whore—”

“I think you’ve spent enough time with Y/N for a lifetime, Choi San.” The sudden harsh voice made me flinch as I carefully peeled myself away from San, heart beating like crazy as I turned my head. I was met with a furious looking Seonghwa, kind eyes pulled into slits as he glared San down, jaw clenched. I noticed the people around us glancing our way, and when my eyes fell on San his chest was puffed out and eyes challenging as he stared down the taller man.

“Seonghwa,” I whispered and curled my fingers around his bicep, getting his attention, “He’s not worth causing a scene, let it go.”

His eyes bore into mine as I heard San scoff at my words, but before he could open his annoying mouth and say something else, Seonghwa gripped the hand I had around his bicep and peeled it off, hand slipping to my wrist as he turned around and took off, steps hurried. I struggled to keep up with him in my high heels and even ran into someone, having to hastily apologize as Seonghwa wasn’t stopping anytime soon. I noticed the direction we were storming in, the restrooms. I gulped and realized Seonghwa was angry and needed time away from everyone, probably to give me a lecture and break off the contract we had. I could only hope he wouldn’t ask for the money back; I couldn’t remember if that was a clause or not in the contract. We rounded the corner and Seonghwa kicked the door of the restroom open with his foot, shoulders raising and falling rapidly as we entered the men’s restroom. A guy, who looked like security, was washing his hands, pausing when he noticed us.

“Sir—”

“Get out.” Seonghwa’s voice was low as he glared at the poor security guard, who seemed to be speechless for a few seconds.

“This is the men’s restroom—”

“And I said, get out.” Seonghwa emphasized his words again, staring daggers at the unbudging security guard, seemingly a glaring match breaking out between them. My nerves were rising, and I tapped my heel against the floor, biting my lower lip when nobody moved.

“Seonghwa.” I called out for him, but he didn’t look away from the security guard. However, the man broke his staring contest and looked at me, taken aback.

“Park Seonghwa?” He asked amazed and as I nodded, he quickly bowed his head and scurried out, making me let out a long sigh. My shoulders slouched forward as I pulled my hand out of Seonghwa’s, which made him whirl around and look at me with a sharp stare. I gulped and suddenly felt small underneath his eyes as his fury was directed at me only.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to dance with San, but I don’t think I had much of a chance,” I found myself explaining quickly, “And I didn’t want to cause a scene which would damage your reputation.”

Seonghwa took in a deep breath before releasing it, jaw clenching, “You’re not my whore, Y/N, you’re my sugar baby.”

I bit my lower lip, the term still making me feel slightly uncomfortable. I don’t think I could ever get used to it. I looked at the floor as Seonghwa sighed loudly again, realizing that he was angry at San and not me, having overheard his words.

“Yeah, I know.” I muttered as I saw Seonghwa’s polished shoes come into view as I was still looking down.

“You didn’t want to come tonight and I forced you into coming, I’m sorry.” His voice was soft and he looked guilty as I looked up at him, eyebrows furrowing.

“You didn’t force me, what are you talking about?” I asked confused.

“I saw how uncomfortable you were feeling all night.” He explained, playing with the rings on his fingers, “I also should’ve chosen a dress less revealing knowing your preferences, I’m sorry for that too—”

“Seonghwa, this dress is gorgeous!” I said with a chuckle as I pointed at it, hands shimmying down my hips, “Albeit a bit too revealing, and too expensive, but it’s beautiful and I appreciate your gesture, I hope you know that. Regardless of how I’ve been feeling tonight.”

Seonghwa gulped and took a step closer, eyes running over my frame before he looked back up into my eyes, “You are gorgeous, not the dress, Y/N. That’s just a piece of fabric.”

My cheeks flushed at his words and I averted my eyes shyly, feeling Seonghwa’s soft fingers grip my chin as he made me look at him again. He stepped even closer and his warmth wrapped around me, fruity scent enveloping me and making me shiver. Seonghwa certainly noticed as he studied my face for a reaction, but I was trying hard to contain the fluster I was feeling and my frantic heartbeat.

“Our contract is coming to an end next month,” Seonghwa whispered, as if he was afraid anyone would hear us, there was nobody but us inside the spacious and marble covered restroom, “Let’s extend it for another six months.”

“Six months?” I asked surprised, remembering well that Seonghwa’s contracts only lasted for three months. He hummed and nodded as he closed the gap between our bodies, tilting my head slightly up. It was rare that he stood so close and held me so boldly. We were rarely physical with each other, the occasional hand holding and kisses on the cheeks happened when I was feeling down or Seonghwa was feeling tired, and we made out a couple of times here and there when we were drunk. The contract made it clear that everything had to be consensual and if one person refused, it shouldn’t be brought up until they were ready to talk about it or made it obvious that they wanted it to happen. Seonghwa was a respectful and well-mannered man, there were few others like him, if none at all. My lips slightly parted as Seonghwa’s eyes fell on my lips and I closed my eyes when he started leaning in slowly, lips pressing against mine carefully, experimentally. It was so light that if I were to pull away, it felt like it never happened, but instead, I pressed myself firmly against him, Seonghwa’s hand coming to hold the side of my face. Our lips moved slowly against each other, testing, searching, savoring the other’s lips. My hands rested against his chest as his free hand went to hold my waist, slowly slipping to the place where San held onto earlier, my lower back. This time, goosebumps erupted on my skin and I slightly shuddered against Seonghwa as his long fingers dug into my skin, his lips picking up pace. I matched his feverish kisses, desperately wanting to tangle my fingers into the hair against his nape, but not wanting to mess up his hairstyle, so instead, I gripped the collar of his velvet coat, my other hand going around his shoulder. Seonghwa pulled me into himself totally, chests pressing together painfully as he sucked on my lower lip, carefully pressing his tongue against my mouth. I understood what he wanted and parted my lips for him, granting him access as he tilted my head up even more, hands clutching onto me firmly, his tongue carefully exploring my warm mouth. He tasted like the whiskey he had been drinking, and cherry. He loved cherry candies; he had probably eaten one not long before. My nose pushed against his cheek as our tongues tangled together, lapping at each other, a fire ignited inside me as my hand slipped up to his nape. Before I could second guess myself, I allowed my fingers to tangle into the short strands and I tugged on them, Seonghwa’s hand abruptly slipping down to my ass as he gave it a firm squeeze, making me gasp into his mouth. He took that momentum to suck on my tongue and suddenly my knees felt weak from the lack of air, but not just. I could devour him right here, but that wasn’t very lady like, nor too smart. Anyone could enter the restroom anytime. And despite the urgency in Seonghwa’s kiss, he sucked on my lower lip as he pulled back, pressing his forehead against mine. He was panting and I had to wipe the corner of my mouth as saliva threatened to drip down.

“Let’s do six months.” I rasped out, in the process of catching my breath. As I opened my eyes, I watched as Seonghwa’s teeth was attached to his plump lower lip, a deep hum leaving his throat as he agreed with my final answer.

“Good, I’ve still got a lot to offer to you.” He said as he opened his eyes and a smile instantly appeared on his lips. And then, his finger was rubbing underneath my lower lip and the corner of my mouth, chuckling as my own eyes fell onto Seonghwa’s unnaturally red lips. It made me blush as I allowed him to fix me up, hand giving my ass another squeeze, making me gasp as I jumped. The amused smile disappeared from his lips as a pleased smirk took its place.

“Let’s dance?” He asked and I nodded wordlessly, mesmerized by his voice and eyes as Seonghwa took a step back, hands falling from my body as I detached myself from him too, gulping nervously. He extended a hand and I placed my palm in his, fingers intertwining as he lead us towards the door.

I wouldn’t mind having Seonghwa as my sugar daddy for another six months, not if he would kiss me again and again like he kissed me tonight.

Masterlist (divider)

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immortalmsmoon · 2 months

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Naruto General Headcanons

A/N: i have quite a bit of requests but i have no motivation to write person 5 I'm so sorryyyyy it might be a while before i post them. if you have any other requests though please make sure to send something in!

Cast Line Up- Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi

Naruto~

This kid has SO MUCH energy, but at a certain point in the evening he crashes so hard. Like you cannot get him to do ANYTHING because he's half asleep.

Has broken his arm twice. The first time when he was like 6 he fell off a tree while he was climbing it. The second time he was splashing paint on the great faces and as he was coming down he hit his hand on the ground too hard.

When he can’t sleep he sits on the roof of his apartment complex and stays there for a while, usually until the sun rises.

Likes to paint his nails frequently, usually bright colours, a big fan of bright oranges and greens.

Never has chapped lips. No matter how dry out it is he just never gets them.

After the chunin exams he holds a deep adoration for Neji, because he was able to change his point of view and become better and stronger, and Naruto finds it really impressive.

Sasuke~

Likes to draw, while he was in the academy he often found himself doodling on his work. If someone ever approached him about it he would deny them and tell them they were seeing things.

Sometimes when he feels really alone, he likes to turn on his TV for background noise and deep cleans/rearranges his bedroom. He does this usually once a month.

Can play guitar, and does sometimes. It reminds him a lot of his family, specifically Itachi, so he usually keeps it locked in the back of his closet.

A very avid reader. Has tons and tons of books.

Loves to stargaze. Spends a lot of nights, especially rough ones when he feels alone, watching the stars, usually in a tree or clearing.

After he left the village, for the first few months he actually missed being there, and missed Naruto and Sakura’s theatrics. He got over himself pretty quickly though.

Sakura~

VERY good at makeup, but because she's a ninja she rarely gets a chance to do it, because she usually sweats it off.

Used to wish her hair was blonde because Ino has blonde hair, and she was incredibly popular.

Very very flexible.

Also has a very large sweet tooth, and will take most sweet food over savoury or sour food. Can also handle spice VERY well.

Her legs are stronger than her arms, and she tends to use them more in training and combat. One of her favourite people to train with is Tenten.

Kakashi~

Hates ramen. Cannot stand it. It's been like that since he was a kid, and honestly he's not sure why, he just really cannot stand it.

Has very nice hands. They are usually fairly soft because he hates how his hands feel when they're dry.

Once tried to read a book that wasn’t Make Out Paradise and couldn’t even get past the second chapter.

Very lazy. His ideal day is staying inside his house in a comfy robe and soft slippers reading the day away.

Insomniac, and very good at hiding it. His bags aren’t obvious, and if they are he covers them up with makeup.

Hates being fussed over, but secretly likes to fuss over other people. He can’t really help it, he’s just lost so many people that he has to fuss over the people he loves.

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mozzaremi · 1 year

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finally working on the ghost hunter au that i started a few months ago (?), but i did a complete rehaul on the concept

INFODUMP:

(okok, english isn't my first language and i'll probably edit out grammar mistakes when i'll find them, so please bare with me lol)

Initially, Aubrey and Kel meet as internet pen-pals, both share an interest in horror and all things creepy (tho aubrey prefers the creepy but cute stuff). While Aubrey is more of a casual fan, Kel is a full on enjoyer of anything and everything that's spooky: horror movies, creepy stories, and especially the ghost stuff.

Kel would always share to Aubrey about his fantasies of being a professional ghost hunter and maybe having a tv show all about his and Aubrey's adventures in the paranormal world.

Aubrey and Kel both live in the big city, tho Aubrey often visits Faraway as that's where her mother resides. She would often meet up a friend of her's named Basil: a shy guy who's really interested photography and everything related to plants. While hanging out with the flower boy, Aubrey would frequently do Basil's hair and makeup, later on he picks up some neat beauty tips from her that allowed him to explore his style. The visits to Faraway wouldn't last long, only being there for the weekends and holidays before she'd have to go back to her dad in the city.

Eventually Kel and Aubrey make a blog for Ghost hunting. Their content on there is amateur at best, but they gain a loyal following of other ghost enthusiasts, and non enthusiast, mostly just people who really enjoy kel and aubrey's friendship dynamic and their banter.

In their endevours, they would earn a loyal hater, who goes by "The Maverick" who would nickpick any and all instances of paranormal activity. Although sounding pompous and theatrical, he always finds reasonable proof to debunk all their findings.

Skip a few years, Back in faraway basil has to deal with the grief of his grandmother's passing, he would often stay at the graveyard just to mourn. The graveyard in faraway was infamous for having an unknown being living there, no one knowing if it's human and harmless or something paranormal and dangerous. No one has ever been able to get photo evidence of the entity, so they are more often percieved as an urban legend.

One foggy evening, Basil was back at the graveyard, doing his usual mourning session, when something sat besides him on a bench. Eyes full of tears, he didn't dare to face the person, so he continued with what he was doing. Eventually the person(?) starts asking questions to get Basil to vent to him and maybe calm him down and it works. Felling a little bit better Basil faces the person to see a guy his age in a very strange outfit. Once he got a better look at him, he jumped off the bench realising it's the fabled ghost boy of the graveyard. He runs away, but notes the fact that guy he talked to was very nice...

After that, he starts believing in a life after death, and his grief lessens knowing that possibly his grandmother is in a better place

Basil finds out about Aubrey and Kel making a ghost blog, there the two would film themselves searching through abandoned areas to find ghosts... or something, anything really. While they never found anything scary, they had a very good duo dynamic and Basil became somewhat of a fan of theirs. Basil noticed the poor video quality due to it being recorded on a crappy phone (android lol) and it inspired him to purchase a video camera.

When Aubrey visits Faraway again, he offers his cameraman services to her and she agrees. She introduces Basil to Kel and they all hit it off.

One day, when Aubrey and Kel are feeling hopeless of their Ghost Hunting adventure, Basil tells them the time he met a ghost in the graveyard back in faraway. They both take his word for it.

They get Hero to drive them to faraway, Hero who is a Uni dropout, he really doesn't have anything better to do besides taking up odd jobs to pay rent. He has saved a lot of money throughout the years of being uni-free and working at basically every retail job in the city, so the though of having a road-trip didn't bother him.

Once they are at the town of faraway, Hero hands them a packed lunch, and the gang is off to find a ghost! Being in the graveyard, things felt fruitless, not a lot of things were happening besides the fog that started to form. Kel got tired and started reaching for his bag to get the sandwich that Hero packed him. But there was a problem... there were no sandwiches to be found in his bag... Suddently his eyes meet the figure of the faraway ghost boy who was snacking on a BLT...

Kel alerts his friends to come grab some footage of the ghoul right in front of him, but an issue arose... the video camera wasn't working and couldn't get Sunny in the shot without the device glitching out.

The ghoulish boy named Sunny sees how restless, but persistent the ghost hunter crew was, he found their antics humorous at best, but once the big brother Hero comes to check up on them is when Sunny is on full guard

He summons chains from under the ground, binding the 4 visitors in place. Aproching them again he threatens to suck all the life out of them. They start pleading for their life and a idea accured...

Sunny gave them an offer to help him find his long lost sister...He is unsure if she's still alive or not, but he still feels the presence on her in the living world through the Something chained to his foot. In return he would spare their life and let them film him for their ghost blog. The gang agrees to his offer and just so they don't double cross sunny, he lays a curse on them that if they leave him behind on purpose, they would have their souls taken away from their bodies, turning them into lifeless husks.

AND SO THAT'S HOW THEIR ADVENTURE STARTS! they have this sorta mystery gang adventure going on, traveling across the US to find Mari while also having wacky high-jinxs and sunny allerting the others of ghostly presences in the area for Aubrey, Kel and Basil's ghost hunting blog content, just so they would get enough blog donations to keep traveling!

#omori #omori au #my art #omori sunny #sunny omori #omori aubrey #aubrey omori #kel omori #omori kel #hero omori #omori hero #basil omori #omori basil #camerashy cryptid of faraway au

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saltpepperbeard · 6 months

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Poison into Positivity: A List of What I Liked in OFMD S2

Hello hello everyone! Things have been a little rough around here. Even away from the more heated takes, I've still seen a few "down in the dumps" murmurs. To which, I'm giving y'all big hugs, but also offering up some little bits of warmth! I wanted to share quite a few bullets of the things I enjoyed about this season. Maybe it'll serve as a reminder, or maybe it'll just serve as a chaotic, silly little read as per usual PFFF.

But I invite you to read along, and even add some of your own points should you feel inclined! Also, this might not even be my full list; these are just the ones that came to me quickly/off the top of my head. Still, let's dive on down like a fantastical, dazzling goldfish, shall we?

All the callbacks/parallels. My goodness. When I tell you I'm a SLUT for metaphors/parallels/callbacks/etc etc. Seeing so many things and being able to just *Leonardo Dicaprio pointing meme.* I know people might not share that same opinion because some might view it to be excessive, but I personally LOVED being able to point at my screen and be like "oH EYYYYYYY!!!" Maybe because it makes for such immaculate gifset/meta material <3 SJKJDLHSK

The costuming and makeup. WHEN THEY TALKED AT ECCC ABOUT EVERYONE GETTING HOTTER, THEY WERE NOT KIDDING LMAO. EVERYONE LOOKED SO, SO GOOD. and listen, i am on my knees begging for them to give ed with his hair up back to us. i need Her back,,,ALSO, SOMETHING SOMETHING COMPLICATED EMOTIONS TOWARDS STEDE'S LATTER HALF LOOK, BUT ALSO...GOD DAMN, MR. DARBY,,,,,,

Speaking of Mr. Darby, the acting in this season. The ACTTTINNNGG. Everyone acted their ASSES off. Everyone put their entire piratussies into this season. Though, I'm PARTICULARLY impressed with Taika and Rhys, because again with their "oh we're comedians lol so idk drama can be Difficult Difficult Lemon Difficult." MMMM I THINK THE FUCK NOT, MY GUYS LMAO??? They both did SO well with all the drama and painful moments. The acting in episodes 2, 3, 6, and 7 in particular like...God. GOD!!!

I loved so many characters in this season, and I'll of course have to give two individual shoutouts to my two favorite new ladies, but man. LET'S GO FRENCHIE!!! ALWAYS A DELIGHT!!! FANG/KEVIN MY ABSOLUTE SWEETHEART. JIM SERVING ABSOLUTE FUCKING GENDER THIS SEASON. OLU OLU DARLING OLU. PETE NEVER MISSING WITH HIS ONELINERS. LUCIUS BEING SO THEATRICAL AHDJKSDK LIKE NATHAN PLEASE YOU KILL ME. ROACH MAKING ME LAUGH OUT LOUD NUMEROUS TIMES AS HE DOES. WEE JOHN AND HIS KNITTING AND DRAG!!! AND THEN OF COURSE MY DEARLY BELOVEDS, ED AND STEDE. I JUST LOVE THEMMMMM!!! But okay okay okay-

Zheng my beloved. I just love this badass pirate queen with her sweet little pigtails and her IMMACULATE LINE DELIVERIES SDHJKSKL. A lot of my favorite deliveries from the entire season came from her quite honestly. Please see: "Girl, how ARE you?" and "Hiiiiiii. I KNOWWW it's been a day" and "I've killed mediocre men. I've killed exceptional men. But you're the worst kind: a mediocre man who thinks he's exceptional."

AND ARCHIE MY BELOVED. She kills me because I remember seeing like, those ~*~audition tape whispers~*~ WAY back in the day, and subsequently thinking she was going to be quite a different character. Only for this silly goofy bubbly energetic darling to pop up and snag my heart. HER deliveries kill me also, like when she goes "Like...STEDE Stede?" and the whole "I was IN the fuckin' snake!" also hhngngngngnershkfhslkds tattooed ladies Hot :(

Speaking of which, the comedy. THE DELIVERIES. THE WAY I LAUGHED OUT LOUD NUMEROUS TIMES THROUGHOUT, EVEN WITH THE DEEP UNDERCURRENT OF DRAMA/ANGST. The whole bit where Stede is in hysterics over his cursed coat is just hsjkdhsklds; it will NEVER not make me wheeze. And then, like I said, almost EVERYTHING Pete says this season kills me; another thing that will never not make me laugh is "a doggie...?" weird little pirate show with weird little humor my beloved

The ROMANCE??? I genuinely was going into the season with the expectation of getting maybe like, one or two Gentlebeard kisses. Imagine my shock and utter delight when we ended up with FOUR, AS WELL AS AN INTIMATE SCENE, THE LETTER SCENES, AND THE LOVE PROFESSIONS. Like, one of them dropping a legitimate "I love you" felt like an unrealistic expectation--the HIGHEST dream tier really. And then wouldn't you know it. And that doesn't even account for all the rest of the couples either! The murder wives having their chaotic little moments of fucked up affection??? LUCIUS AND PETE GETTING ENGAGED AND THEN MARRIED??? HELLO??????

The sets! I know people have pointed out that the world felt a bit simplified this time around, due to budget restraints and what have you. But I still loved what they did with the world even with the various constraints. The market in episode 6 is a PARTICULAR favorite of mine; it's just so lush and colorful. I also love what they did with The Revenge during episode 6 too!

Also, this might be an unpopular opinion, but I really actually liked that they filmed on location. First of all, love that the Kiwis got to be right at home in Aotearoa. Love that they have an even more special connection to the show now. But second of all, I just like when scenery is...actually THERE? It feels way more TANGIBLE. Don't get me wrong; that hugeass wraparound screen that they use to film a lot of sets is a technological marvel. But I'm a sucker for practical.

The deeper and more complex dives into character motivations/trauma. Like, homie lol...When I tell you episodes 6 and 7 utterly set my brain alight in the best way possible. I was CHUGGING through thoughts. You know those gifs where someone is walking around and ranting/passionately talking,,, yeah. Yeah. Maybe because a lot of it "struck a chord" with me indeed, but I love love LOVE getting brain food like that.

Speaking of brain food, in PARTICULAR, the deeper dives into Ed's self-loathing and into Stede's troubles with confidence and masculinity. A lot of Stede's choices were fueled by those two things, and it was SO friggin fun to catch all of them, put them in a jar, and shake them around. I've seen a lot of people fearing his actions in the latter half were out of character, but to me, I don't see it that way. I just see a man who has been so spurned, so left behind, and SO deprived, a man who is stuck thinking he has to be someone else to mean something. And I think that plays a lot into even the EARLIEST developments we saw in season 1, so it was just so intriguing to watch everything messily play out.

THE INNKEEPER. THE INNKEEPER MY BELOVED. SO much about that episode absolutely has my heart. All the different developments, the stakes, the pacing, and the payoff at the end. Not to mention that I had a FEELING that mysterious figure in the trailers was Hornigold, so it was so SO validating to see him pop up PFFF. And also, all those dream/gravy basket sequences were so so good too. I don't know if it's the chemistry between Taika and Mark, or the deeper symbolism, or the lines that have become vocal stims for me SJKDLS (please see: ooOOoooO eddie eddie eddie...you're laying some heavy shit on me, bro), but man. MAN.

And this one gets its own bullet because of course it does: the fucking mermaid scene. Like, are we kidding. ARE WE KIDDING. THE ROMANCE OF IT ALL? THE FANTASTICAL-NESS INDEED?? THE WAY IT WAS ALL FUCKING PRACTICAL AND RHYS SWAM DOWN TO TAIKA AS A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GOLDFISH AND THEY HAD TO THROW HEART EYES AT EACH OTHER UNDERWATER??? WHAT THE FUCK!!! And don't even get me started on Kate Bush lol. This Woman's Work might easily be one of my favorite songs, if not my FAVORITE song from the season. And man. Man. The whole meaning behind Ed seeing Stede as this beautiful, sparkly being, and not some hypermasculine/extraordinary thing. He fell in love with Stede for who Stede really is. And so I ADORE that acknowledgement.

Speaking of songs, the MUSIC!!! Absolute bangers all throughout. And I loved how there seemed to be even more intermixed within the episodes. Like God... "These are the kids..." 🗣️ HELLO MY LOVE I HEARD A KISS FROM YOU 🦗🦟🦗🦟🦗🦟 . And all the beautiful classic piano pieces and NINA SIMONE AND JUST HSJKDHSFJKLHSKD????

Okay, I've always had and STILL have complicated thoughts and opinions on Izzy, but man, seeing him interact with the Revenge Crew was really something. Seeing Stede's influence come over the lot of them like a warm blanket, extending its welcoming and familial hands...It was just lovely. I love seeing our little sea family care for each other so much. They've probably all hurt so so much in different ways, so to see them all being a collective heart is just so nice.

Speaking of which, the queerness of it all, the queer celebration of it all. The way the whole crew is just...a representation of queer people finding each other, and subsequently finding love and family in each other. Like, when the whole world wants to cast you out, you pull each other in. When no one else wants you, you take refuge in each other. And just...the joy, beauty, and wonder that can be found in that.

And speaking of which x2, the overall care that was put into the entire thing, the effort that was put into the entire thing. I know Max fucked us over with the budget, which subsequently fucked things like the intricacy, the amount of characters, and especially the pacing. But, I don't know; I personally could still tell everyone involved was trying so so hard to deliver for us. Based on the little details, the little callbacks, and the little moments that felt so catered to us, it just seemed so...gifted to us. Not to mention of course, the way they so deliberately chose to end on a hopeful note in case we never get a third season. They care about us. They've always cherished our excitement and passion, so it just...idk; it feels so special to have a bit more of an intimate connection like that. I've never been involved with a piece of media that so avidly SEES its audience, and celebrates along with us. So, despite everything, despite any sort of troubles, despite any sort of lows, that's a big part of what has me clutching all of this so closely to my chest. And I really hope they can still see that love, because I want nothing more than for them to see this beautiful story through.

Also, getting to enjoy this with everyone. Getting to ride the wave from the beginning of filming, all the way through the finale. Getting to see all the excitement, all the theories, all the art, all the fanfiction, all the gif sets, all the meta, and everything in between. It has carried me through some nastiness in my personal life, and has subsequently served as a very welcomed distraction. It's been such a pleasure getting to delight in this new content with you all, and I hope we get to do so into the future. <3

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lazyneonrabbitt · 5 months

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Ruppel

Daryl Dixon x reader | current world AU(?)

You're chilling on the couch watching your favorite show. Daryl joins you because he wants to learn about your interests.

🏁 💕 🏁

"Wha's tha?"

You were curled on the couch, blanket over your body and a stuffed animal in your arms as you watched the tv.

You hadn't even heard him when he came in and only noticed his presence when he plopped down next to you and stole your snacks.

"Huh? H.. hey!" You snatch a handful of snacks as you turn your attention back to the bright pink screen.

"Whatcha watchin'?" Daryl had only recently started living with you and was still getting used to your day-to-day routines, especially on your days off work.

"RuPaul. Never heard of it?" You didn't even turn to face him as you talked, not wanting to miss any of the drama.

Daryl scoffed beside you, laughing at your question as he reminded you of his household. "Yes, dear. But Merle's all nicely tucked away in jail and we're not bailing him out again, so ignore his mental assholery and just watch. Food's on the way."

An amused smile pulled at his lips as he settled properly next to you and tried to catch what this show was about.

As the first episode went on Daryl just ..stared.

"Who's tha?" The question came as the bald man in his crazy suit walked into the bright pink room.

"That's RuPaul. He's the show creator and host." An acknowledging hum was given before going back to trying to understand again.

On screen the contestants were doing their runway makeup after spending most of the time working on the sewing challenge.

"How can ya understand wha' they're sayin'? I aint' even know half of them words."

You let out a laugh, quickly trying to muffle it and apologize. Letting him know he'd learn eventually you turned your attention back to the tv as the runway intro sound started.

A large, gorgeously dressed woman appeared on screen, doing a theatrical entrance and welcoming the judges.

"Who's tha' then? Sounds jus’ like tha’ host guy.” Daryl's questions kept coming. Not that you minded, though. It meant he was actually watching and somewhat invested in one your interests.

"That's because it is RuPaul again."

"Tha's really the fancy suit guy from earlier?" His eyes were locked on the screen, deep in focus as he stared at the woman. ..man?

"Yeah, there's a good reason why she hosts the show." There was admiration in your tone and he couldn't place what aspect of this show earned that admiration just yet.

"Yer shittin' me righ' now." He looked from the screen back to you who stared at him and nodded. “There aint’ no way tha’s the same person.”

"An' why's it She now? Cuz there's a dress on?"

Your smile widened and you snuggled into his side. "Yeah! See, you'll learn."

Seeing Daryl so involved in something his entire environment as a child had shunned warmed your heart. And he was right when he mentioned his family earlier. You could also still hear Merle's voice yelling all kinds of homophobic, racist slurs at any little thing that didn't go like he wanted it.

You both watched all the queens do their runway routines with you spilling your opinions out loud and Daryl sometimes doing more than hun in acknowledgement to your comment. A "yer righ', looks weird." might have been the most he said, but it was something nonetheless. When the judging started you even got a "ya really gotta translate fer me sometime." A shrug and an okay gave him enough answer for now, as you watched the two bottom queens stand at the ready to start their lipsync. "Wait wha's up now? I missed sumthin'."

"They're the worst ones this week. They perform a song and the best one stays." The song was announced and with the one famous quote it started playing and the two started their performance. Daryl had seen girls dance around poles and whatnot at bars he used to go to but this was something else. As the song went on you'd let out an impressed 'woah!' or a gasp, and even Daryl let out a soft "damn." at an impressive twirl and an "oh shit." as one of them dropped into a split.

Right between the end of the song and the winner announcement you glanced over at your partner who nodded at the tv, impressed with the performance.

"I hope the one in yellow wins." You state as you nudge him. "You?"

"Yeah. Yellow's good." You both watched as they went through the elimination talk and you cheered as the one you wanted to stay did win.

As you continued on with the next episode your doorbell announced the food had arrived.

Daryl went to fetch it as you got plates and cutlery and set up the small table to eat on the couch.

When you both came back you both got your food plated and sat down to continue on with the show.

“So,” you swallowed your bite of food. “Do you want translations? Or pause the show to get explanations?”

He gave it a short thought before shrugging it off and letting you know he'd save the questions for after the episode.

So you watched. Comments were still happily given mostly by you but Daryl started giving some lovely critiques as well eventually. Ones like "Man, why's tha' one always bitchin'?" when one of them kept complaining about judges' calls and whatnot.

During one of the sad, emotional conversations Daryl let out a comment that compared the mentioned parents to his own and how they would have reacted maybe even worse if he’s ever had to go through such a talk. You cuddled into his side even more, practically laying in his lap now as you listened to his heartfelt talk while watching the last bits of runway prep.

As the runway intro started again and banter between Ru and Michelle went on you both genuinely laughed.

“I like ‘er, she’s feisty.” You looked up at him from your spot now all the way down in his lap.

You shook with laughter in his lap, complimenting in his taste in women and agreeing to like her a lot as well. The runway starts and Daryl points out one of the queens “tha’s the one tha’ had the backwards cap on earlier? The bitchin’ one?” It was so cute how he tried to tell which queen was which workroom guy but he did get it dead wrong. “Oh, no sweetie. The bitchy one was the second one, with the high ponytails and the belts.” You saw how he gave it a little thought and seemed to connect the dots, so to speak with an “aigh’ yeah, tha’ one.”

On the screen the queens kept coming down the catwalk and showing off their looks as yet another question arose. “So wha’ about those tits?” You burst out laughing at the directness of his question as you thought back and indeed not seeing any breastplates on screen in the workroom yet.

“What about the tits, Dee?” Your breathy laughs were slowly calming down as you waited for him to elaborate. “Them skinny ones, there’s some real lookin’ racks on ‘em. An’ they aint’ got any fat to shove in a bra.”

“Well, Daryl. Them’s fake silicon tits.” You faked his accent before reverting back to your own to continue your answer to the question you thought he’d be saving for after the episode. “They’re like tank-tops, but stretchy silicon that are matched to your skin tone and stop right where the boob ends. The arm and neck holes are hidden with sleeve straps and necklaces.” You could see him stare and think again. He had been doing it a lot during the episode and maybe he was finally starting to understand it all. During the judging emotions were high again and you both watched as the queen poured her heart out on the stage. It might not have had anything to do with the challenge but it was a continuation of that earlier talk at the mirror that was still fresh.

"Mah dad would'a sent a huntin' party after me if I'd even look at a guy fer too long, let alone admit I was into 'em."

You had to go and pause the episode for a moment to let that sink in.

"Daryl?" You rolled over onto your back and looked at him. "Something you wanna share with your girlfriend now that you're in a safe place to talk about it?"

You got a look that was him clearly thinking about the conversation, before his eyebrows shot up and he looked down at you with an ‘oh shit’ kind of look. “Wha? No. I aint’ sayin’ I am.” He had to think first before phrasing this wrong again. “Wha’ I mean’ta say’s I can tell ya if a guy yer eyein’ at the store looks nice, ya know. Like ya girlies all do to each other. Bu’ if I ever let tha’ slip around my family I’d get beat fer bein’ a sissy.”

You reached your hands up to grab at his cheeks and get him close enough for a kiss, being helped up a bit as you couldn’t reach and gave him a loving kiss. “You know you can comment on pretty ladies too, right? If you spot one I’d love to get a peek too!” Daryl laughed before pressing his lips against yours again. “I know ya like them good racks an’ squishy butts too, sunshine.” He pulled his arms away from under you making you drop back into his lap with an ‘oomph’.

“Now unpause.” He pointed at the tv as he stuck his tongue out to you. “Wanna see if the bitchy one in the sparkly blue thing goes home. I’on like tha’ one.” Rolling your eyes and giggling you got comfortable again to finish the episode and see if Daryl’s wishes will be heard.

~~☆☆☆~~

A/N: A headcanon question in our yume ship discord got out of hand in my head so I had to write a fic about it.

#sometimes i write #daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon imagine #twd #the walking dead #the walking dead x reader #twd x reader #rupaul's drag race

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kentopedia · 6 months

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it's been decades since you've last seen dazai; your lover & your maker. now that you're finally happy, he's haunting you again with a thousand buried memories.

overall contents. fem!reader, nsfw minors dni, exes to lover, gothic romance, blood drinking, vampire!reader, vampire!dazai, smut, cheating reader, complicated relationships, blood, gore, jealousy, manipulation, religious symbolism, betrayal, reunions — currently at 21k words

PART I ♰ MASTERLIST

As another careful conversation progressed, you poured the tasteless champagne down your throat, the liquid far too much like sandy water.

It was the same, over, and over. The sentence structures were unchanged, never deviating from saying too much without saying anything at all. A practiced smile would follow, where lips perfectly curled upwards. Copied faces plastered onto the next, making it difficult to determine where one individual personality ended and the next began.

These were repeated games, you knew, and you maintained the politeness required of you, even as each curtsy felt stiff and robotic, each refined handshake felt dishonest and meaningless.

Still, you’d grown used to the monotony of this dull life. You tolerated it gladly, ignoring the continuous throb in the back of your mind that grated at you, reminding you that things hadn’t always been this way.

Quietly, you shoved that small voice away. If all of the pomp and circumstance meant you’d feel normal, you’d gladly put on a show and pretend you belonged there.

The woman that stood before you continued her monologue, her dark eyes bright enough to match her elated smile. Her lips were a red, distracting and perfectly lined with the kind of makeup you were certain was far outside her budget. Though her cheeks were powdered and bright, you noticed the beginnings of lines on her young skin, the signs of a life more taxing than she let on.

You’d forgotten her name already. Too many people had introduced themselves to you this evening, and you hadn’t had the patience or interest to remember them. It was unlikely you’d see most of the guests again, after all.

“Congratulations,” the woman said, squeezing your wrist like you’d once played together on the playground. You cringed, wondering if she’d say anything about the iciness of your skin, though it was almost indiscernible with your satin glove as a cover. “I had a feeling you two were going to get engaged soon, but I had no idea when he would pop the question.”

You traded her an indulgent smile, nodding along as you tried not to let all of the conversation float right over your head. Somewhere in the past few decades, you’d lost interest in the faux interactions that events of this grandeur yielded. Everyone was merely putting on their best act, fitting in with those that they deemed superior to them in every way.

In truth, your engagement party was never supposed to reach this scale. Somewhere in between a few close friends, half the city had been invited. It was alarming to see so many unfamiliar faces in a celebration that was supposed to be entirely for you and your new fiancée.

“Thank you,” you said smoothly as Atsushi nudged you gracefully, probably wondering if you’d been ignoring all his friends that evening.

You had… but you felt bad telling him that and would never admit to it. The engagement ball had been his idea, and while you were vehemently against it, you’d indulged him in his innocent excitement. After a life that you’d lived to the fullest, Atsushi seemed to think he had something to prove when it came to loving you.

You just wanted to be with him, plain and simple. There was no need for all the theatrics.

“I’m surprised you invited so many people, Atsushi,” the woman continued, and you’d wished you’d paid attention when she told you her name. She was one of Atsushi’s co-workers, after all. He’d be upset with you if you forgot everyone that he introduced you to. “You’re not usually that type of person.”

Atsushi flushed, and he darted his eyes away bashfully. “It wasn’t my intention for so many guests to be here. Someone got a bit carried away with the invitations.” His thought trailed off, and he diverted to the story of how the elaborate affair had been conceived. Atsushi was the friend of a wealthy agency president’s son, who had offered to organize the event for you. Predictably, he went completely overboard, and now appeared to be having more fun than either you or Atsushi.

Atsushi spun that particular tale with passionate amusement, and you let your eyes wander, hoping to spot a singular face that you were familiar with. If you stood by your fiancée with nothing to say any longer, you weren’t sure you’d make it to the end of the night.

Across the room, a couple of your neighbors huddled in a circle of gossip. You considered speaking to them, if only to entertain yourself, but their husbands were horrendously awful, you didn’t think you could stomach it.

The rest of Atsushi’s co-workers shared hors d'oeuvres and a polite conversation away from the societal elites. On the left side of the floor, the woman who tailored your clothes spoke with another young girl you’d never seen before. A baker from down the street drowned himself in a glass of champagne, looking so dreadfully lonely that you weren’t sure how he’d gotten into the party at all.

You frowned inwards, realizing that while you recognized many of these people, they were more Atsushi’s friends than your own. These were people who greeted him every night on the street, passing their eyes over you like you were just another midnight fling, not the woman he’d been with for nearly two years.

There were too many strangers here to celebrate a marriage they felt nothing about. The superficiality of the situation left a bitter taste in your mouth, and you, very quickly, felt like an outcast at your own party.

You played with the chain around your neck, glancing from person to person. Atsushi, beside you, carried on his conversation, every so often throwing in a word about his work. You were listening half-heartedly, still trying to decide if this was worth all the trouble, or if you should give up on the niceties and head home early.

Someone behind you laughed.

The noise caught your notice because of how achingly familiar it was, how eerie, even. It was cynical and sharp, almost a snort of air that had been released on an accidental exhale. Still, you could hear the genuine amusement in it, a gratitude that came with being able to have something to laugh about.

You shuddered, your body unwillingly reacting as you turned to see who had been loud enough to draw your attention, to stand out amongst a sea of disinteresting people and intolerable voices.

In the corner, the man stood with an aligned spine, every muscle taut to hold himself up. His dark hair was grown out, but every strand remained smooth and healthy, falling over his forehead in loose waves that were glossy in the candlelight. He was caught in a conversation with another, twirling a glass of wine between his fingers, disgustingly captivated by the individual before him.

There was something too recognizable about him for comfort. The shadowed outline of his silhouette was the ghost of a memory, and you were left gawking at a person that you might not even recognize once he turned.

Swallowing, you tried to avert your gaze more subtly as he began to shift his position. He’d noticed you watching him, and he peered over his shoulder, in the fraction of a moment, to catch your eye.

His features were unmistakable.

Your glass slipped from your hands, shattering into a hundred tiny shards on the marble floor. It shushed the room as you maneuvered clumsily to hide away behind Atsushi. From head to foot, you had gone stiff, your body colder than it ever had been, even when you were on the brink of death, before the bliss of sweet blood had ventured down your throat, a memory you’d tucked far away.

You’d long since given up on praying, but you thought about it, just this once, in the hopes he hadn’t recognized you.

Which was a ridiculous concept, really. The memory of him was as fresh in your mind as every bit of yesterday was. He was as likely to forget the image of you as he was his own name, even if you did your makeup differently, if your clothes had changed from how they’d once been.

He’d come here with a purpose—that was the only thing that made sense—and it certainly would have something to do with you. The undeniable acknowledgement sent another wave of nausea through your gut, and you tried to remember what it was like to breathe.

“Honey?” Atsushi asked, concerned, his voice bringing you back to the present. His hand was on your lower back, wide eyes full of an anxiety you often saw reflected back at you. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m fine,” you said, clutching your hands to your sides to calm yourself. If you didn’t turn around, maybe he’d go away. Maybe he was just an illusion. One way or another, you needed to be free of him. “I just need to get some fresh air. I’ll be alright.”

It was then that you realized that almost everyone’s eyes were on you, and while some stared back at you with pity, some began snickering under their breaths at the darkened stains on the bottom of your gown. You ignored them, trying not to feel the burning observation against your back, trapping you.

If you left, he was certain to follow.

You stepped away from Atsushi, and his hand reached out to you, before retracting, falling. “Are you sure?” He followed your every movement. “You seem—”

“Yes.” You smiled at him placatingly, hoping no one else could hear you. You didn’t want them to be concerned—least of all, Atsushi. It had nothing to do with your engagement, and you were afraid it appeared that way. “I’ll be right back.”

Atsushi seemed to understand after that, shifting his attention to his friends warmly, as he attempted to diffuse the tension. If anything, he knew that you had no desire to cause a scene and relented to your wishes, drawing everyone’s focus off of you. “Alright. I’ll wait here.”

He’d always been steadfast in his understanding. It was one of the reasons that you had fallen for him in the first place.

You nodded and said goodbye to the dark-haired woman before escaping from the ballroom, hoping you could find a room to hide in. Once your feet started moving, they didn’t stop, carrying you throughout the manor in a desperate search for the closest escape route. There were too many doors in the house, a multitude of bedrooms that weren’t needed at all.

As you weaved your way through the halls, you ran into a few couples caught in a salacious embrace, blocking each of the rooms that had once been private. They shouted at you, and you slammed the door uncomfortably, having no desire to intrude on their secretive affairs.

You couldn’t remember what it was like to be sick, to expel every last fluid from your stomach, but you were certain it resembled whatever you were feeling now. Foreboding dread had come to cripple you in every sense of the word, gripping you tightly in the vice of panic.

Finally, you reached an empty bedroom, one with a balcony that overlooked nothing but the gardens. It was a beautiful night, and the dark sky calmed you, bringing you back to the present, pulling you away from memories that you had shoved deep into the pits of your soul, burying them under lock and key.

There was a dreamy hue over the garden, illuminated by the candles and lamps outside. For just a moment, you basked in the serene lighting, the calmness of the evening away from all the guests. The music inside was but a faint whisper, the orchestra stumbling their way back into a tune after you’d escaped the ball less than dramatically.

Inhaling through your nose, you stilled your mind, and waited for the peace to end.

You felt his presence behind you before you heard him, those sharp eyes on you like daggers along your back. He moved silently, gracefully, like he was floating above the floor and not even there at all.

You curled your hands into a fist, staring hard into the horizon as your nails broke the skin of your palm. He’d be the first one to speak, as he always had been, and you’d get sucked into his alluring features, letting yourself indulge as you knew you shouldn’t.

Closing your eyes, you waited for him to break the silence. To come up behind you and hover his touch over your skin. The fragrance of his skin got closer and closer, and you squeezed your eyes tighter, hating how much you’d missed him. That even when you despised him, a part of you still belonged in his possession.

“I’ve missed you, my angel.”

Five words were all it took. Your knees buckled under you, the voice you hadn’t heard in decades like a soothing lullaby from your childhood, a hymn you’d used to worship a god that had left you behind. Your knuckles turned pale as you squeezed the stone of the balcony barrier, just enough force to keep you on your feet.

His voice was never gentle, but for you, he plated his steely knife in rose-colored foil, softening the edges until it couldn’t cut too deep. The sound was exactly as it had always been; nostalgia had its teeth deep in you, before that cool wave of horror crashed over you, remembering who it was, exactly, that you were dealing with.

“Don’t call me that.” You grew stiff as you felt him drawing closer, pulling to you with every word. Within seconds, he was near enough to ghost a breath along your neck, merely a phantom sensation.

“Hm.” His fingers dipped along your shoulders, the blades between them, and you tilted your head away, refusing to gaze into those eyes. “You always did hate that, didn’t you?”

Against your better judgement, a part of you had lit on fire. You longed for him, even when it sickened you.

“Perhaps my lovely devil will suffice instead. You never could accept that you were the very killer I made you out to be.”

“I don’t care what you call me.” You stepped away until you were digging your flesh into the balcony guard, the stone cold as it pressed into your stomach. “I’m not yours anymore.”

“Can you say that while meeting my eyes?" Dazai laughed, and though the sound of it was acerbic and mocking, he stayed where he was. "Maybe I’ll believe you, then. You’ve always been so horrible at lying to me.”

You snarled, ready to slice your nails across his cheek and watch with satisfaction as the blood dripped to his chin.

The anger steeled you, made you think you’d be prepared to face him once more; surely the hatred for him outweighed your lasting weakness.

You turned, eyes narrowed, and though you continued to exhibit your antagonism, the sight of him was poison to your resolve.

Dazai was still as hauntingly beautiful as always, those deep eyes gleaming in the moonlight, watching you with a hint of amusement. His hair was styled as it had been a century ago, transcending lifetimes while he remained eternally twenty-two. He smiled, lips curling into a grim expression, all too delighted with the loose hold he still had over you.

You averted your gaze but stood your ground. “I hate you, Dazai.” You curled your arms around your chest, keeping the distance between you. “I always will.”

For all his confidence, Dazai’s expression momentarily fell, like he’d expected you to welcome him back with loving arms, grovel at his feet with apologies you didn’t mean. Then, the insincere smile was back, drawing you in with revolting sweetness. “I’ve searched for you for decades. I thought you were dead—”

“I don’t care.”

“—Only to find out you’d been running from me this entire time.” Dazai invaded your circle once more, and his fingers pinched your jaw, studying you raptly. There was just a foot of air between you, the cool heat exchanged in your breaths. You ignored every muscle in your body that was relying on memory, wishing to do all the things that it had once done. “Did those years together mean nothing? Were you not to be my everlasting companion?”

You swatted his hand away, a million little fires starting along every point where your skin met. But no matter how beautiful he was, how calm those saccharine words of his made you feel, you knew the mercilessness that he was capable of. “I never made that choice of my own volition. You took it away from me.”

His eyes flashed before he retracted, complacent. “I gave you what you asked for. A life more than the one you had. And then I gave you everything I had left to give.”

“Your apology means nothing to me. Get the hell out of here.” Your words lacked the bite that you’d wished for, not sure you had the courage to push him into a fight. His strength outweighed yours by centuries; you had enough sense not to challenge that.

Dazai blinked, and then laughed, jeering, without any sense of real humor. “You misunderstand. I’m not apologizing.” He tucked a hand back into his coat, regarding you with serious disdain as he sunk back, the outline of his dark clothes blending with the evening. “I never regretted the decision I made that night.”

You stared at him, blinking, before retracting and matching his heartless laugh with one of your own.

It was as if you’d never been parted at all. The unpleasant decades thinned into one small period, an insignificant point in time that, now, seemed nothing more than a development to your character. “Fine. I’ve got nothing to say to you, Dazai. I wanted to be rid of you, and I was. Your insincere words don’t matter to me anymore.”

His jaw tightened, and you stared each other down, searching for any glimpse of the familiar figure you’d used to love. Undeniably, he was there. Those eyes of his were just the same. The soft words he used for you and only you had never changed.

Yet, just as those sweet parts of him were as comforting as ever, the ugly parts of him were there as well. You remembered his cruelty, his gift of manipulation, and you pushed him away, never again wanting to be strung in that web.

Dazai did nothing but blink as you withdrew, standing straight, pulled taut by a marionette cord. “Is this the life you intend to live now? This half-hearted existence where you befriend mortals that will wither without you, to be engaged to a man you will never spend eternity with? Pitiful, really.”

For just a moment, you’d been so caught up in Dazai that the man who’d loved you with all of his heart had vanished into the atmosphere. It was as if, somehow, you’d forgotten that Atsushi was there at all.

Guilt overwhelmed you.

That man, the sweet, kind man who had become your saving grace, was at risk because of your carelessness. Dazai was too smart not to have taken cautious measures, and you knew he’d learned everything there was to know about your life before intervening.

It made sense why he’d appeared now of all times. It was the perfect opportunity to ruin everything you’d loved for good, reducing you to the whimpering mess that had accepted him in the first place.

He'd made you; he’d known you; he’d loved you for decades. If anyone knew how to break you, it was Dazai Osamu, and that was the thing that scared you the most.

“I fully intend to turn him,” you said, hating the way your voice broke on a singular syllable, making you seem uncertain of the decision you’d made nearly a year ago. “Though I appreciate your concern. I’ll be perfectly happy this way.”

The comment didn’t faze Dazai, who grinned, his eyes burning with a fire you’d never forget, a sort of glee that only transpired from evil. “I should kill him before that happens, shouldn’t I?” His teeth gleamed in the candlelight, two long fangs slipping over his lips with threatening causality. The points were even more severe in the lighting. “I’ll be sure to savor in the taste as I rip his throat out.”

The image was sickening, a gruesome thought that made your old panic reignite. You schooled your lips into nothing but a line, knowing that Dazai could detect even the smallest change in your features.

“Honestly, I’m surprised you’ve managed to control yourself so well.” He went on, mocking you with every second that passed. “After three years, did I hear? I admit, I was having trouble listening over the band.” He tilted his head, studying you, searching deep into your consciousness for an answer that would satiate him. “You’ve never been able to resist your hunger before. What changed?”

You knew better than to underestimate him and stood taller.

“I’m not the same person I was when I was with you, and I never want to be her again.” You closed your eyes, looking away.

“This isn’t the life I envisioned for you a century ago.”

“My life is not yours to craft. I’m not some doll you can bend to your will.” Finally, you reached out to him, wrapping your hands around his own. His skin was cold, dead, void of any blush from the stolen blood in his veins. You were one word away from begging, pleading with him, even as you stood your ground. “Just don't kill him, Osamu. I’d never forgive you, and that’s what you want, isn’t it? You want me to come back to you.”

The scowl twitched ever-so-slightly as something in his eyes flashed. His name on your lips had always been his greatest weakness, and you could see him thinking hard. “For once, my love, you’re wrong. That’s not what I came here for.”

You stared, puzzled, before dropping his hand and frowning. “Then what are you here for?”

“I was looking for you, yes,” he admitted with a one-shoulder shrug. “I’ve been looking for you for years, and it is by mere coincidence that I found you here.” A cheer sounded inside the house from a toast. You wished that you were in there, warm, where all of this was but a nightmare. “As happy as I am to see that you’re alive and well, I refuse to compete with someone who turns you into everything you are not. If you’re so much happier without me, then who am I to stand in the way?”

“I’m supposed to believe that?” you scoffed.

You’d be a fool to believe that was any more than an obvious lie, that Dazai’s motives were pure of heart. He had never been loud about his jealousy, but he’d killed every lover you’d ever dared to take, leaving you alone with no one but him for comfort.

Dazai had always refused you even one outlet of happiness, even when he’d had other lovers of his own, had brought his one-night affairs to your shared home. The place where you slept in the same bed, fucked on most every surface imaginable had been tarnished with decisions that he’d never be able to undo.

Your gaze hardened. It didn’t matter anymore. With lives that never ended, vampires weren’t known for their monogamy. You were naïve to think that a man like Dazai would give that to you.

“I mean it, Dazai.” You shoved away the vile memories from the forefront of your mind, wanting them to stay just that – memories. They would not become a repetition of the past. “If you kill him, I’ll burn you to ashes. Then, I’ll step into the flames myself.”

“Ah, but wouldn’t that be such a lovely way to go? Tossed into the flame by the very woman I care for most dearly, reunited only moments later in death.” He seemed too fascinated by the idea, his gaze faraway as if wondering what could possibly push you to that breaking point.

“Hell has a special place for you, Dazai,” you said, disgusted. “Somewhere far, far away from me.”

He laughed darkly. “Oh, how wrong you are. If I am the devil himself, as so many say that I am, then I’ll ensure we spend every moment in the flames together.”

Your lip curled, and you pushed him back in abhorrence, ignoring the tug in your heart that wanted to do everything but. You hated him, you loved him, you never wanted to see him again, you wished he’d stay by your side forever.

Nothing was more dangerous than the allure of fond memories. It seemed even those could lead you to turn a blind eye to the horrors that had been unleashed in the very city you inhabited.

You exhaled. There had to be a line in the sand, a point that you could never pass.

“Please, Dazai. Let me go.” His very presence had already put a kink in your future plans, and if he stayed any longer, you weren’t sure how much damage he’d cause. “Things can never go back to the way they were. I don’t want them to.”

“I don’t either,” he promised, nodding sincerely. “You’ll be rid of me once I make sure that this is what you really want. Who would I be if I watched you lock yourself into a marriage with a man you can never love more than you loved me? To watch you live a life reduced to hiding in the shadows, pretending you were never there at all?”

The arrogant bastard.

“I do love Atsushi more than I ever loved you,” you said with as much conviction as you could muster, your eyes full of flames, unrelenting. That man was waiting for you downstairs, probably worried out of his mind. You refused to play any more games. “Loving you was the biggest mistake I ever made. It was a mistake to let you turn me. I regret all of it.”

Dazai’s lips curled, his gums exposed as he snarled. “Ah, but mistakes are your specialty, aren’t they? You’ve made even more in my absence.”

You said nothing, tired of already falling into the same routine with him. The same old song and dance, taking you back to a time when all you had was him, a time you never wanted to go back to again. The exchange of cruel words was more familiar than your own last name.

“I should be on my way to my room. Sunrise is fast approaching, and I won’t be taking any risks, now that I know what I have to look forward to.” He bowed his head, though you could see his careless smirk, filling you with an irrepressible anger. “I’ll be around.”

With that, you watched him turn and walk out the door, ruining the rest of your evening.

Dazai’s chin was covered in blood, clots drying together around his lips as he pulled away from the lifeless doll between you, the woman that had once been on her way to becoming a well-known actress. Now, she’d be found in a pile of her own blood, the liquid creating a sticky pool beneath her.

It was a sight you’d never tire of; Dazai the very product of his own misdeeds, looking forever the gruesome killer that he made himself out to be. He was most alluring this way, his fangs protruding over his lips, teeth-stained ruby red from the drink of eternal life.

Your adoration for him was most intense in moments like these, when blood became the one thing that bound you together.

“You are beautiful,” he said, shoving aside the corpse, her deadweight toppling onto the floor. “Everyone pales in comparison to you, my darling.” His fingers were soft around your jaw, bringing you closer, reducing the space between his own lips and yours. “I am eternally yours.”

You woke in the bed that you’d chosen to share with another, the one with a squeaky spring, so unlike the coffins you’d previously spent your days in. The room was completely dark, sun-proofed to save you from your fatal weakness. It could have been the middle of the day, and you wouldn’t have known.

Atsushi was beside you, a flickering candle creating shadows on his features as he read through his reports. It’d become routine for him to be by your side as you slept, now that you didn’t fear the sun slipping through cracks on the boards.

It wasn’t as much time as you would’ve liked together, being on such different schedules, but you made it work as best you could. Atsushi often went into work with puffy eyes from sleepless nights, or you fumbled around the house, bored while the whole city slept.

“Are you alright?” he asked, eyes full of concern. His hand inched across the bed to hold your own. “You haven’t been yourself since yesterday evening.”

You hated that he’d noticed, even though it was his job to do so. It was wrong to keep secrets from the man you loved, even more when you were to be married in just a few months.

Still, you were reluctant to say anything on the matter, certain that you could deal with Dazai on your own. You’d mentioned him to Atsushi only once, and it was through vague details that gave the impression you were in too much pain to talk about it. Like the sweet man he was, Atsushi had accepted it, and he had never once forced the words from your mouth.

You owed him nothing, but it felt wrong to keep your history with Dazai a secret from him. Especially now. Especially when Dazai, who was a loose cannon on his own, had never been very rational when you were around.

“I’m fine.” You sat up in the bed, maneuvering closer to the side where Atsushi was, his legs spread out in front of him. He was wearing casual clothes and seemed scrubbed clean from a bath. It must have been later than you thought. “Just a weird dream is all.”

“I didn’t know vampires had dreams.” Atsushi went back to his reports.

That was because you’d never told him. You rarely had dreams, and when you did, they were more like memories. Or some prophetic, horrible vision that you’d learn to ignore. Nothing pleasant, like when you were human.

“What time is it?”

“About eight. Sun should be down by now, I haven’t checked. I’ve been working—there seems to be an increased amount of crime this week. I don’t know who came into town, but they’ve got an itch for trouble.”

“It’s not a vampire, is it?” you asked, instantly feeling nauseous. Dazai had no qualms about making a spectacle of killing humans. He’d leave a string of bodies like a signature, knowing you’d recognize his mark.

Atsushi snorted. “No, I think I’d see the signs. Just some regular guy.”

You weren’t convinced. Dazai knew how to hide his tracks and make it seem like anything but a vampire, but you convinced yourself to keep quiet. If Atsushi had even a suspicion about Dazai, he’d go after him, and you didn’t want to see what would happen if he did.

For both your sake and Atsushi’s, you hoped that he was right about this.

“Okay.” You threw the covers off the bed, putting yourself together with the clothes you’d strewn across the room. Atsushi’s eyes remained on the paper, ever the savior of the city he lived in. It was admirable, really, even if his work took some fraction of your time with him away. “I’m going to go out, Atsushi. I’m starving.”

“Want me to come?” he asked, finally looking up, much too eager. He was always so willing to stand by as you clamped your jaws into rodents, feeding off the unwanted pests that lingered the streets.

It was disgusting. You knew that your diet to him, and to all the other humans, was noble. It was repentance for all the horrid sins you’d committed at your lowest point.

To vampires, it meant you were rejecting your nature, trading your gift for a chance to thinly grasp at the cord of humanity you’d never truly held at all. It was abhorrent and shameful.

“No,” you said, certain that if anyone saw you feed on a rat that evening, you wouldn’t be able to recover. How Atsushi could stand to be with you after that display of events was beyond your comprehension. “I need to clear my head.”

“Okay.” Sometimes, you wondered if he’d ever doubted you at all. He was always understanding of each rejection, each carefully chosen word, no matter how harsh they were. “Will you be back quickly?”

“Of course.” With that you smiled, never wanting to waste the precious hours you had with your fiancée before the sun rose. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Atsushi kissed you before blowing out the candle and laying his head down. “I’m going to take a nap. I’ve been working on this all afternoon.”

“See you later.” You watched as he tucked himself into the bed you’d just left, waving at you lazily from the covers.

You swallowed down the sharp pang in your chest, looking away from him as you left the room, into another that was bathed in moonlight.

Really, you were content with your, but the arrangement between you and Atsushi was growing dismal. While you made it work, you always had, you couldn’t help but feel guilty that you’d never be able to accompany him on daylight ventures, confined to your midnight prison.

You lost your head as you traveled through the dark streets, the city busy with nightlife now that the sun was far beyond the horizon. As usual, there were all kind of people out and about, the rich and poor, the young and old, the good and the bad. And you, the worst of all, the one pretending to fit right in with the rest of them.

After a young couple, not much older than Atsushi, crossed the road, you slunk down into an abandoned alley, bending yourselves into the shadows like the nightly creature you were. You heard the rats scurrying about before you could even spot them, your supernatural hearing so much more attuned to subtle sounds.

With a face, you walked to the hub of rats, your speed much quicker than any of their tiny legs. One particular animal looked back at you, intrigued against its very nature, holding a piece of garbage between its small human-like hands.

You took the rat by the neck, staring into its beady eyes as you plucked it from the ground like a dandelion. The creature looked back at you so helplessly that you almost felt guilty for freeing it from its meaningless existence. Without thinking, you bit into its flesh, draining the rodent dry. The fur was rough against your tongue, disgusting as always as the strands got caught in your teeth.

It wasn’t enough. What little blood you had gained from the animal was never enough to sustain the bloodlust that had increased tenfold since Dazai stepped back into your life.

With a sideways glimpse down the alley, you plucked another rat from the gutter, remembering why you were destroying your own dignity in such a way.

“You’ve made some concerning decisions lately, but this certainly takes the cake.”

With the rat still thrashing around your lips, you glanced up at the man lingering down the alley, his tone cruel and mocking. You continued to suck the last bit of blood from the rodent before tossing the body aside, meeting Dazai’s eyes.

“Why do you care?” you asked, and though you were still starved and lightheaded, you would draw your hunt to a conclusion. You would only embarrass yourself further with Dazai’s keen stare watching your every move.

“I’d wondered why you seemed so weak.” He tossed a disgusted look towards the rats scurrying through the trash, their plump bodies dragging thick tails behind them. “I see, now.”

“Spare me the lecture. I swore I’d never feed from another human, and I’ve never broken my vow.” A rat ran past you, unafraid, even after you’d just killed another member of its clan. The long tail hit your ankle, and you cringed, to Dazai’s satisfaction.

“You’ll get yourself killed. For a vampire of your age, you should be much stronger than this.” He took a step towards you, cornering you in the alley. “Now, you’re a threat to no one.”

“Then, I will die. Something I’m surprised you haven’t done already.”

Dazai was silent, his eyes hard. For all of his promises of the threats that lie out there, you couldn’t spot another but him. There were dangerous vampires in the world, you knew that better than anyone, but he’d always be the one you feared the most.

“Will you continue to torment me for another night?” you sighed wearily, wiping the blood from your chin with a handkerchief. “Your very presence exhausts me.”

Dazai, irritatingly, lit a fire deep in your gut, increasing your hunger to lengths you hadn’t felt in years. You could smell his blood from where you stood, the ambrosia that you’d never tire of. It was a dessert so unlike anything you’d tasted as a human, and you hated that he was tempting you with it now.

Your vision flashed with images of you sinking your fangs into his shoulder, draining him of every last drop as you lost yourself into the man that was Dazai Osamu.

Dazai eyed you carefully, dragging his gaze down to your chest, across your body, back to the blood-stained mouth that remembered too fondly what it was like to taste him. “You still wear the ring I gave you, hovering delicately over your heart.”

You’d forgotten; or you just thought he’d never notice. You’d hidden it under layers of clothing, but still, it had broken free. “A reminder of my past mistakes. It has nothing to do with sentimental value.”

He hummed, considering twirling it around his index finger before he thought better of it. “If that’s the case, why haven’t you turned another companion? Is it not for the hope that we might return to another one day?”

You hadn’t noticed when he’d gotten so close, close enough to touch you. It became hard to focus, even as he kept a respectable distance, letting you retain a semblance of control.

“Atsushi clings to his human life as I did. I will never turn him against his will.” You stood taller, even as you refused to look into his brown irises, to see the mockery that was pushed back at you. “When the moment is right, only then will I do so. That’s something you’d never understand.”

He laughed. “You’ll continue with this narrative, will you?”

You said nothing, staring at the bodies of dead rats that would soon begin to decay. Let him find amusement in the choices you’ve made.

“Sweetheart,” Dazai said, his voice softening with the tone you’d never been able to resist. Your heart twisted, your forehead wrinkling as you kept your eyes firmly on the ground. “Don’t hurt yourself in this way. These vermin will not sustain you.”

“I won’t hunt with you, Dazai. I won’t kill anyone. Don’t try to deceive me into coming back to you.”

“That’s not what I was suggesting.” Before you could discern his actions, Dazai had bit into his wrist, opening a vein as blood poured down his forearm.

You froze.

Fangs had dropped over your bottom lip without a thought, your pupils dilating with the desire of blood. The scent was hard to resist, a sweetness that had been placed on this Earth only for you, handed over from the Devil in an attempt to bring you furthest from God. Though, that might have been all wrong... maybe your god was standing right before you.

Your eyes glued to the fountain of life, and you began to doubt your restraint. It’d been so long.

“Dazai—” you tried to step away, but your feet were cemented, buried under the cobblestones of the dimly lit street. You were a stronger woman than this, and certainly a vampire of your age would not collapse at the sight of blood in the way you were. “Stop it.”

“I’m trying to help you.”

“I don’t want your help. This isn’t what I want at all.”

You finally tore your gaze away, taking a few more steps back into the alley as you regained control of yourself, sick with a yearning for him. Dazai was playing a torturous game, and you refused to be the victim.

The vein closed, and Dazai watched you curiously, but he made no move to reopen the wound. Your irrational thoughts began to calm, and though you could still smell the blood that circled through his body, warm from a recent kill, your resolve was now stronger.

“I can’t stand to see you like this.” His words were hard, disappointed. “I won’t leave until I know you’re safe from harm. Even a mortal could end you with the weakened state you’re in.”

“Safe from harm?” you asked, crossing your arms over your chest protectively. “I’m in no danger here. I’ve been fine without you for fifty years, and I will continue to be fine without you for the rest of eternity.”

His voice deepened, eyes narrowing into a glare as he watched you retreat. “Don’t pretend to be a fool. Your very position with me put you at risk. You betrayed vampires even older than me, and they won’t stop until you’re dead.”

You exhaled, looking up at the stars before dropping your attention back to Dazai. “I don’t think you actually care. You told me that you loved me, and time and time again, you failed me. You left me there, Dazai. I had no choice but to betray them; they were going to kill me.”

“I thought they already had.” He reached out to you, curling his hands around your chin, desperate and wanting and so many things that you had never seen him. “Don’t you understand? I thought you were already dead. I never would have left if I’d known the truth. I’d never think of escaping without you.”

Your breath caught, and while you couldn’t stand to believe him, you felt yourself giving in a little more, succumbing to Dazai each time you crossed his path. Still, you removed his hands from your face, forcing yourself to be a little stronger, to put up those steely walls until he left your life once and for all. “I don’t trust you, Osamu, and you don’t trust anyone but yourself. There’s no reason for us to be speaking at all.”

His jaw tightened, but he let you go, straightening with a frustration he didn’t deserve.

“I’m going home to my fiancée—the man who has never put conditions on his affection. Please, stay as far away from me as you can.”

You shoved past him, shaking with nerves. Though he was stronger, he stumbled back, watching you go with an emotion you couldn’t discern.

PART II

tag list: @cerberels @thateldribitch @hauntedsol @hannzai @cha0thicpisces @kissesmellow21 @sukiischaotic @hinata7346

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cherryjuiceblues · 1 year

Note

could you write something about best friend harry putting drunk reader to bed??😣😣 like removing her makeup and trying to lay her down nice and Gentle☹️

✰ bestfriend!harry no warnings.

He's been keeping an eye on you all night, despite having to host in his own house, making sure you never crossed the line from euphoric drunk to desolate drunk and started sobbing on all of your friends. Harry’s always been attentive like that—the more observant of the two in your friendship. And he’s more than happy to be, especially in moments like these, as the last of his guests are starting to make their way out and you’re sitting cross-legged on the sofa; head in the clouds with a blissed out smile on your face.

“You had a good night, pet?” Harry perches beside you, a large, warm palm encircling your knee.

Your head turns to him slowly—a shine in your eyes as you take him in—almost as if you had forgotten he was here with you and are pleasantly surprised to see him. “Yeah,” you breathe, smile dopey. Harry squeezes your knee, a far more sober and endeared smile on his face.

“Guest room’s all set up f’you.” You sit up slightly at the idea of going to bed, the alcohol in your system having traded your previous animation for drowsiness.

“Didn’t wanna share w’me?” You pout, standing up and gripping the shoulder of Harry’s shirt to steady yourself. Harry’s cuddles are a craving you can’t hide when you aren't sober; slightly more meek about initiating them on most occasions.

Harry stands up with you, gentle hands resting on your biceps before turning you around and guiding you to the bathroom. “Not tonight, babe. You drool when you’re drunk.”

You whip around the best you can, gasping, “I do not!” and Harry receives a harsh prod to his chest that he covers with his hand with a small, heyyy.

“You can brush your teeth alone for that.”

When you emerge from the bathroom, minty and dressed in much more comfortable sleepwear, you see Harry waiting for you on the guest bed. You make your way over with a dreamy expression and heavily plonk yourself down, bouncing the bed, sitting on your knees and facing his side.

The makeup remover is cold on your face and Harry sighs affectionately when you squirm under his grip. “Stay still, pet. I don’t want to blind you,” he murmurs, with your toiletry bag on his lap.

“But you’re hurting me—ouch—ow!” Giggling at your own theatrics and Harry rolls his eyes, hand at the back of your head angling you just right so he can wipe at your eyes. His shirt is scrunched up in your hands as you try to relax into his ministrations, heart full despite being near asleep. “Love you, Harry,” you mumble, aching to hug him now. “You’re th’best friend ever. Best person ever, actually.”

Harry smiles, admiring your shut eyes and clean face. “I am,” he says as he dots cream onto your skin and rubs it in tenderly. “Love you too.” You peel your eyes open and are sure you see a glimpse of a halo around his fluffy hair.

Hands that are gripping his shirt slide up and around his neck, pulling you both down and into the sheets. Your head lands just shy of the pillow and Harry hoists you up slightly, tugging the covers out from underneath you and drawing them to the side. Despite being dozy, your arms are tight around him and you sigh happily into his collarbone when he lets himself drop down slightly, one of his hands coming up to pet at your hair. You inhale deeply and feel yourself drift further and further, no stress or anxiety present in any part of your body. Harry’s legs are twisted awkwardly off the side of the bed, and your feet are draped across his thighs, but he wouldn’t dare try and move.

As your breathing evens out and your arms gravitate towards the mattress Harry brings them down softly, unhooking your hand from his neck when it fights to stay—even in sleep. You frown slightly and turn on your side, burying your face into the pillow that smells of Harry’s detergent, legs curling up. He brings the sheets over your body and tucks you in with care, before dropping a light kiss to your temple. When he leans back your lips are turned upwards and Harry’s heart flutters a little—but also schemes with all the different ways he can tease you about your reaction to his affection when you wake up disgruntled in the morning.

And as he settles into his own bed, exhaustion takes over and his body melts with a warmth that can only be caused by the deepest of love.

#cherryjuiceblues sleepover #blurb night #harry styles #writing #harry styles blurbs #harry styles fanfiction #bestfriend!harry #bestfriendrry #harry concept #harry styles imagines #harry styles x reader #concept

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muffymello · 16 days

Text

Handsy- ii

(Buggy the Clown x f!Reader)

A small-town shopkeep makes the second biggest mistake of her life by humouring a pirate captain's idea.

1.2k Words

Another boring day working in that stupid shop had taken a full 180 to you now being sat in the lap of a feared pirate captain as you watched the theatrics and insanity of his ship’s circus tent. The one constant of the last few hours was the detached hand holding yours tightly, the white cloth of his glove not concealing the warmth of his palm against yours. The hand, now reattached to Buggy’s arm, didn’t seem intent on letting you go any time soon.

He sat wide-legged with you wedged sideways in his lap, your back resting against the high-set arm of the throne with his other arm right behind it. This positioning had your faces set awfully close together as he grinned maniacally. “So, doll, what’s the story? Kidnap my hand for attention, hm?” He prodded, his arm now snaking around your back to hold you in place. You tensed a little at his words, brain going blank for a minute before you could respond.

“I found it in an alleyway- just a few hours ago! Came here right away…” You lied with a forced smile, not wanting him to know you’d unknowingly caught the hand in the first place. Your best bet was to change the subject a bit, avoid any more suspicion than what you could already see in his narrowing eyes, smudgey makeup framing pretty blues.

“Is that so? Well then, someone as loyal as you should be a part of my crew!”

The certainty of his tone as well as his bold statement caught you off guard, planning to ask something meaningless about his crew or outfit when he proposed such an absurd offer. You squirmed in his lap, only prompting him to give your hand a squeeze and tighten his arm around your back, moving it to rest comfortably on your waist as he pulled you in close to give you nowhere to look except right into those eyes of his. “Whaddaya say, then? Life of a pirate ain’t so bad, y’know~” He teased, still grinning like a maniac.

Alam bells blared in your head at everything going on, but you couldn’t fight off the part of your heart that wanted to accept immediately. The makeup and showmanship of it all wasn’t what enticed you, but the way his hand had remained gentle in yours, keeping you from feeling any real fear at all. You’d assume a fearsome pirate like this to be brutal in nature, but the way your fingers interlaced with his so easily, such a soft and simple gesture, not painful or distressing, had your ever-sappy heart doing cartwheels. “I- uh…”

Mumbling was all you could manage, breaking eye contact and looking around the tent. Everything about this was the exact opposite of your normal. Unpredictable, seemingly no routine or discipline. Still, everyone smiled and shared in eating, drinking and laughing as they performed. It was like a happy family amidst how chaotic it felt, and the rumbling laughter you could feel in the clown’s chest only immersed you further in the experience.

“Not to worry doll, run along for now to think.” He said, amused by how dumbstruck the simple ask of joining his crew had rendered you. His hand once more popped off of his body, less unsettling than it should be to you. The hand led the way, guiding you through the crowds and wild motion, seemingly sure of how to take a path without intervening or colliding with anything.

Buggy the Clown was surely the only man in the world who had any sense to navigate chaos such as this, and as his hand led you all the way to the edge of your ship, you couldn’t help one last gentle squeeze before watching it fly back to its owner.

Your heart panged with guilt as you knew better than to even consider his wild ideas, there was no way you were cut out for being a pirate. The shop hadn’t exactly trained you for something like that, the closest thing had been lifting heavy boxes and fighting off rude customers. That was nothing compared to the dangers faced at sea, especially as a part of such a well-feared crew.

The idea of the brutality was too much to even weigh out as an option, and you sighed as the music faded and the ship went out of view as you walked home to sleep off the insanely fast beating of your heart in your chest.

_____

The next morning was a new day. New wasn’t the best word for it, as it would all be the same. Same breakfast, same clothes, same walk to work at the same time as usual. Normally, the monotony was no bother, but after seeing the excitement of the pirate ship you’d boarded the night previous the dullness of it all felt suffocating.

Your coworker didn’t even believe half the things you told her as you recounted the encounter with Buggy the Clown himself, her face paling as you told her about his offer. “Hell, you said no right away didn’t you?” She practically begged, grabbing the sleeve of your shirt. “I didn’t exactly say yes, or no. He told me… to think.” You said causing your coworker to pale even further at the glint she saw forming in your eyes.

“Oh God, you know all the things that could happen to you?” “Yes, I do. I hear stories all the time.” “It’s no joke! This is serious!” The two of you went back and forth, even if you hadn’t fully convinced yourself her words didn’t faze you in the slightest. After a few minutes, she huffed and pulled a backpack out from under the register, red in the face.

“Just go.” She muttered, not looking you in the eyes. “Pack this up and get going, who knows when they’ll leave port.” Her words were practically a whisper as you saw tears begin to bubble up along her lashes. She didn’t even give you a chance to question her motives here before speaking again.

“I’ve never seen you so… bright. You’re glowing, you’ve been practically dancing around the store all day. This small town isn’t big enough for that mind of yours, take your chance before I change my mind and never let you go… and quick, their boat won’t stay docked forever!” She practically yelled at you, holding the bag out.

You gave her a quick hug and nod before grabbing it, shouting out your thanks as you ran from the store to grab anything and everything you’d need for life as a pirate before the Big Top took off again to the seas.

As you stumbled out onto the dock you saw the ship begin to move, but the panels around the ship’s cannons were big enough to squeeze through. With a great leap and a bit of wiggling, you were officially a stowaway beyond the point of return as the storage room you’d ended up in greeted you merrily with the clanking of what you assumed to be alcohol bottles and sloshing of sake in large, hefty barrels.

You could hear the sound of another outrageous party over the deafening beating of your heart as you curled up in the corner, reaching into your pocket to give Buggy’s hand a squeeze but realizing it obviously wasn’t there anymore.

You wondered what your fate was on this ship, if the great clown would pay you any mind, but your thoughts were cut short as loud, sluggish footsteps echoed louder and louder down the halls.

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blackswan446 · 2 months

Text

weeping mary

→ pairing: yan!jhs x reader

→ synopsis: the show must go on, right?

→ wc: 1842

→ cws: gun, reader gets hit in head and passes out lols

→ notes: despite the title this is not a religious story whatsoever lol it just has heavy religious allegories

theatre was an odd place. whenever a new show goes into production, you never really know who you'll end up being with for the next months of your life. you could get lucky, and end up with people who had a passion for the art and made the frustrations of props and memorization worth it. or, you could get the short end of the stick, and get stuck with the group of people who were made to watch shows, not participate in them.

more often than not, it's a mix of both. sometimes one group outnumbered the other, other times it was an even blend. and every single time, you could count on the two groups to butt heads. that's how it was here, in your little college theatre department, and normally, it wasn't that much of an issue. but this time it was not as easy. you, a lifelong lover of theatre and one of the more...theatrically challenged participants, paired up, occupying the two leading roles.

it wasn't like he was bad, but his recitations during rehearsals sounded just like that, recitations. like he was reading from a script, even though he had the lines memorized. they just failed to evoke anything deeper within you, they didn't spark the same emotions inside you as you felt with other people, even within your group. some of the performances you had seen felt so real you could've sworn the emotions they were portraying were real and raw, so clear you could reach out, touch them, and feel them yourself.

you felt bad for even thinking these things, since hoseok was such a sweetheart. he was extremely kind and he was making a clear effort, but theatre was just not his strong suit. maybe with practice, maybe with a lot of practice, he would improve, but as of now, you didn't have your hopes set high for the evenings ahead of you.

that's what you used to explain the twisted feeling in your gut as you sat in the fluorescent room. it was empty by now, the only things in there being the ghost of excited chatter and loose makeup powder hanging in the air. you could see your reflection through the fingerprints and dust covering the mirror, the costume and headpiece that adorned you almost distracting from the worried aura you embodied. the shine of the lights illuminated the front of your body, eliminating the shade and casting a saintly glow upon your figure. weeping mary, you thought, your own appearance reminded you of the weeping mary.

you were distracted from your own thoughts by a shadowy figure appearing in the doorway behind you. whipping around to get a look at the mystery silhouette, you were met with none other than jung hoseok himself. sighing, you greeted the usually-happy guy normally, though a discontented look rested on his face.

"[name], are you alright? you weren't out there with everybody else backstage, and i got worried." he asked quietly, his voice soft and kind. his costume fitted him well, the colors and cuts of the various articles of clothes suiting him better than you had imagined.

"yeah, i'm okay. i just wanted to sit alone for a minute. don't worry about me." you said feebly, eyes meeting your clasped hands. unconvinced, hoseok paused before his next question. "did something happen?" he said gingerly, the words coming out as if they were afraid of what you had to say. sighing, you shook your head. "no, nothing happened. i just don't feel great, i have a bad feeling about tonight." you admitted, looking at the shiny costume jewelry that sparkled on your fingers.

"bad feeling?" you didn't need to look up from your manicure to see the puzzled look on his face, you could hear it in his voice, the way he sounded more shocked than sympathetic. "...what do you think is going to happen?" he said carefully, like he was unsure of his own question. you shrugged your shoulders. "i don't know. i think it's just nerves." you lied. it was so much more than that, at least, that's how it felt to you. but what exactly were you supposed to do? drop out because of a random gut feeling and let everybody down? that wasn't an option, not tonight, not ever. the show must go on.

no words were spoken, rather, you felt a gentle hand touch your shoulder, so delicately resting where the end of the pink tulle fabric and your clammy skin met, as if you were a fragile porcelain doll that would break if the wind hit it wrong. "i get where you're coming from, [name]. but how bad is it really if things go wrong tonight? this is just one night out of our whole lives. we have so much ahead of us. do you really want to look back on your youth and remember being scared for nothing and not enjoying the ride?" he wondered, a convincing tone that was not present earlier now accompanying his voice.

he was right, you knew he was, but the validity of his point didn't release the knot in your stomach. but you weren't going to burden the poor boy with your existential crises, you couldn't, not after he had just tried to comfort you, not when you only had fifteen minutes until the show began. not now.

giving him a warm and grateful smile, and nodding as a show of understanding, you thanked him for his philosophical point of view, and the both of you made your way out of the room, hoseok looking significantly happy and pleased with himself. it took everything in you to replace his words with the hurricane of worry clouding your mind, and as you stepped out onto that stage, you ignored the screaming voice in the front of your mind, begging you to run in the other direction.

the show must go on.

time felt like it was moving through quicksand. act one was hard enough, you could barely keep up with your lines because of how on-edge you were the whole time. the only thing you had time or energy to do during intermission was throw back some cold water and hope for the best. having hoseok in your ear, both onstage and off, wasn't exactly calming your nerves. he was nice, as he always was, but what you really needed was to stew in your anxiety and work through it alone.

the further you spiraled into your madness, the more the door of hope squeaked shut, but as the end of act two rolled around, you thought you saw the light at the end of the tunnel, a sliver of yellow sunshine from behind the door. maybe you were just crazy. maybe nothing would go wrong, maybe you hadn't slept well, or were coming down with something, maybe

just maybe

everything would be alright.

if only your own desperation hadn't blurred the lines between the warmth of hope and the fires of hell.

you stood at the far edge of the stage, looking across to hoseok. something was different about him, something in the way he looked, there was a new passion behind his eyes that you had never seen before. even if it wasn't scripted, the look would have made you stop and stare all on its own.

"i love you, [c/n], i love you so much, for everything you've done for me." you paused dramatically, turning your back to hoseok as you prepared to make your final exit, "but i really hate you, for everything you've done to me."

that's when it happened. you were supposed to leave, it was only supposed to take a second. but he was faster.

"no."

you felt the familiar pit in your stomach return with a hungry vengeance. there was nothing else for you to do, but turn around slowly and roll with whatever the hell he was doing.

"no, [y/c/n]. you're not going anywhere. i have loved you for so long. since the day i laid my eyes on you, the day our hands met, and since the first time you smiled at me, i have been yours since then, and i will still be yours when time gives out and history ends and only the stars are left in this world. you are my heart, my soul, my brain, my absolute everything. the day i stop loving you, is the day that love dies. please, [y/c/n]."

speechless, unmoving, and heart pumping wildly, the only thing you could manage to squeak out was a weak "no". the look of passion from before, the same one that could have cracked a diamond, was gone. now he looked crazed, insane, as he stormed over to your trembling figure.

"that's not a choice. i've spent too long watching from afar. all my life, i've waited for someone like you to fall into my lap. i love you, [name], and i'm not taking no for an answer."

with that, he reached into the back pocket of his costume pants, and pulled out something shiny, something that glinted underneath the hot stage lights. the air in your lungs refused to exit, any sort of words getting caught in the back of your throat as you stared at the metallic gun held in hoseok's gloved hand. there was a loud gasp from the audience, and for a minute, you thought you tasted the sweet exlir of hope, but once you realized that people mistook this awful situation for a part of the show, you felt your heart sink onto the floor.

it was obvious by now that this wasn't acting anymore. this was a real thing, real emotions and a very real weapon in front of you. hell, that's why he sounded so passionate during his monologue. he wasn't speaking from a script, he was speaking from the deep and twisted cracks of his heart that you wouldn't have dreamt of existing. the irony wasn't lost on you, how someone like hoseok had turned out to be the best actor you had ever met.

all you could do was shake your head, your body too paralyzed in fear to do anything else. he chuckled, an amused smirk washing over his features, as if he knew this would happen. as if he had planned it to be this way. with an accepting look on his face and a sweet, strong kiss to your lips, and with that kiss, your fate was sealed. you didn't like it, nor did you want it, but the fear had turned you to stone, and all you could do was watch from a distance.

"'til death do us part, my love."

the only thing you could hear during those final moments of consciousness, the final moments of life as you knew it, as hoseok scooped up your collapsed figure and threw you over his shoulder, was the cheers and applause of an audience who had just seen the show of a lifetime.

#yandere bts #yandere hoseok #yandere jung hoseok #yandere bts x reader #yandere #yandere x reader #yandere kpop #yandere kpop x reader #bts #bts fanfic #bts fic #fanfic #jung hoseok #jhope #bts hoseok #jhope x reader

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spinchip · 5 months

Note

for the fic prompts- something about your hometown glory au maybe?

OOPS. 2300 WORDS.

There’s a dinner in the grand hall two days after they arrive on Chen's Island. Clouse had been the one waiting on the shore to welcome them to the tournament and explain that they would be given two days to settle in before the competition began, with the night of the second day an introductory dinner with Lord Chen himself. They had all jumped at the opportunity to experience the luxuries the palace had to offer before fighting against one another. Cole particularly loved the fully stocked mini-fridge in his room, packed full of all his favorite treats. He made sure to interact with the other contestants as well- know thy enemy, or whatever.

Jay had mostly left him to his own devices, following that girl Nya around like a lost puppy. Cole had known Jay long enough to understand his obsession with love- he wanted to be in love very badly, and Nya was just the newest target of his affection. Whether it would last remained up for debate.

Cole inexplicably found himself running into the ice master, Zane, a lot over the next few days. Zane tended to hover around Kai and Nya or Cole and Jay, when he wasn’t off on his own, but Cole always seemed to stumble upon him randomly in the halls. Sometimes, Zane would have this look on his face-not quite guilty, but like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been. Cole never asked why Zane seemed to be poking around the halls on his own, and Zane never explained. They ate all their meals together.

When Jay had squeezed himself into a seat next to Nya at the welcome dinner, Cole had hung back and sat with Zane and the kid, Lloyd. There were soft murmurs throughout the hall as they all anticipated Lord Chen's arrival. When Cole glanced over at Zane, the ice master was frowning softly, the barest hint of a crease between his brows. Cole felt a chill creep up his spine that had nothing to do with the other man's element.

Chen threw open the halls at the front of the room dramatically. He gathered himself to his full height and cleared his throat, a hush falling over the room, “All rise for Lord Chen.” He announced.

They all stood from their chairs respectfully, standing tall and squaring their shoulders as Lord Chen made his first appearance of the tournament. He wore long, expensive robes that billowed with every step. Delicate embroidery and beading catching and twinkling in the hall's warm lights. He was flanked on each side by several samurai in strangely shaped helmets and elaborately tattooed faces, each with a sword on their hip who marched in time. Several women fanned out behind him as well, their faces painted theatrically in swooping kabuki makeup. They fluttered forward to pull out Lord Chen's chair, others throwing themself forward to unlatch his fancy outer robe and remove it, revealing equally elaborate but more practical robes beneath. One woman hurried to fill his glass with water and his cup with tea, bowing as she stepped away from the table.

Lord Chen, in contrast to his neatly put together robes and serious air, was a scruffy looking man. His eyebrows and his mustaches were wild and unmaintained, the red makeup around his eyes applied sloppily- even the salt and pepper of his hair seemed to get the memo and came in in awkward stripes along his sideburns. “Sit.” He commanded, his voice rough and scratchy.

Cole sat along with the others. The Samurai fanned out across the room, looking intimidating and mean, but made no move to draw their weapons.

Lord Chen's face was kept in a neutral scowl, eyes narrowed and assessing as he raked them across the gathered crowd. Then, his lip twitched- and just like that, he gave up the act and grinned broadly. He threw his hands out, a new air of levity breaking through his serious act, “Welcome,” He shouted, “to the Tournament of Elements!”

He smiled, arms outstretched. A long moment of silence passed, no one knowing quite what to say. His smile never dimmed even as his arms dropped and he settled into his seat, “I am delighted to have you all here, in my home. Please, eat!”

The moment the words come out of his mouth, servants flood into the room each carrying trays of food and drink. They serve each of them a small appetizer dish artfully arranged on the plate. The dinner continues in a similar manner, with each consecutive dish brought out ceremoniously. It's easily the most expensive meal Cole has ever eaten, with puffer fish a delicacy he never thought he’d taste.

The dinner passes quietly. So quietly, in fact,that after the third course Chen himself scoffs, “No need to act so shy! You are my honored guests. You are permitted to speak freely!” He makes a shooing motion with a piece of sashimi in one hand, “Socialize!” He orders.

Hesitantly, chatter fills the room. Zane quietly instructs Lloyd on how to properly eat some of the more exotic foods on his plate, and Cole not-so-subtly eavesdrops and mimics him. He can hear the sound of Jay and Kai arguing down the table, which has quickly become a regular occurrence among the two.

“You have a beautiful home, Lord chen.” Neuro says politely.

“Isn’t it lovely?” Chen smiles, sipping his tea.

“It is,” Zane agrees, and his voice slices across the room as he directs his eyes to the head of the table, “I suppose it must be, since you cannot leave.”

Chen's easygoing smile freezes on his face. The room grows quiet and strangely tense, Cole shifting uncomfortable. Zane's eyes are that bright, intense blue, and all his attention is focused solely on Chen.

Clouse speaks next, recovering smoothly from whatever Zane had just implied, “Lord Chen has been well documented as a recluse, but this tournament is his return to the public eye. He has always been intrigued by the elements, and has chosen to face the world once more for the opportunity to see you all in action.”

It sounds like damage control. Chen is still smiling, but there’s something dark swirling in his eyes now.

“Of course.” Zane nods graciously, “It must be difficult to come out of hiding considering his role in-”

“What was your name again?” Chen interrupts abruptly, grin tight along the edges.

“I believe you know my name.” Zane responds neutrally, “You know everything about us.”

When Cole was younger, when he still lived with his father, he could always tell when his dad was angry by the way his lips pulled tight over his teeth. Like he was suppressing the urge to snarl. He always walked away then, leaving Cole to practice his fouette alone with his fathers disappointment hanging over his head. Chen has that same tightness around his mouth, but there's a fury to it that Cole can practically taste that hangs electric in the air.

“You are awfully presumptuous.” Chen says jovially, the sharp blade of danger brutally apparent to Cole.

Zane dips his head, “It was not my intention to offend,” He says, despite the fact that Cole is one hundred percent certain that was exactly his goal. He looks up and meets Chen's eyes, “My name is Zane. I am the master of Ice.”

“Ice.” Chen echoes, “Symbolizing stillness, coldness- the absence of love. Death, even. What an element to be saddled with, but it seems it fits you well.”

There’s something there Cole can’t pick up on, some uneasy threat. Chen continues, “Despite that, I still welcome you to my island and I am eager to see you fight in the tournament.”

Zane regards him quietly, “Thank you for inviting me.” He says evenly as dessert is served.

Chen turns away from Zane and stands, addressing the whole table warmly, “Never before have so many Elemental Fighters been under one roof. I see Master of Fire, Earth, Shadow, Speed, even a prophesied Green Savior.” His eyes linger on Lloyd before he moves on, “I must welcome you again to the Tournament of Elements! Here, we will pit you against each other in friendly combat to reveal which element rules over them all! The rules are simple. Every match will be different. No two fights will be the same. Your powers will keep you in the Tournament. Use it or lose it!”

Karlof rubs at his beard, “Hmm, What does Karlof win?” he asks with narrowed eyes. It seems Cole wasn’t the only one to pick up on Chens strange behavior towards Zane- in fact, most of the table looked uncomfortable and wary, now. Zane had revealed teeny pieces of fact about Chen he was trying to suppress. What was he hiding?

“Win and stay on the island. Win it all, and you'll receive fortunes beyond your wildest dreams!” He flings an arm out and one of the lush curtains to the side of the room is pulled aside by one of his woman servants, revealing stacks of cash that nearly reach the top of the vaulted ceiling. There’s a collective gasp through the room, and Cole can practically see everyone's suspicion fly out the window at the size of that prize, “-and lifetime supply of Master Chen noodles. But no one is here because of noodle. You want the glory of being the greatest fighter in all of Ninjago!”

Jay is practically drooling at the sight of the money, as are several of the others. Cole gets a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but even he can’t shy away from a prize like that. Earth could win this thing- he could win this thing. He knew he could. Coming home with all that prize money… proving himself as ninjagos number one warrior… this was his chance to prove himself. Maybe then his dad-

A cold hand grips his bicep and Cole turns around to look at Zane, whose face is tense with worry.

Cole feels that same cold chill up his spine again.

“What happens if we lose?” Lloyds little voice pipes up, carrying ominously across the room.

Chen's smile grows strained again, but he doesn’t miss a beat, “Lose? Who here likes to lose?” A few of the others laugh at that, “Now please, enjoy my island. It's a super fun, happy place. Hahaha. Fun time on me! We will begin the first challenge of the tournament bright and early tomorrow morning!”

With that, he sweeps out of the room with a flourish. His servants and guards go with him.

Clouse stands as well, “Lord Chen formally requests you all retire to your rooms for the night.” He says bluntly, completely disregarding Chen's words not five minutes earlier, “We must prepare for the first challenge and that requires you all to stay in your rooms until morning. Our servants will escort you.”

As they are marched back to their rooms by several of Chens samurai, Zane stays close to Cole. It feels like a funeral procession.

“Cole, I have a favor to request.” Zane says quietly as they approach the rooms, the Samurai finally out of earshot.

“Uh, What is it?” He whispers back just as softly.

They arrive at Zanes door quickly and Zane barely has time to speak before the guards are ushering him away- he looks at Cole with those intense, knowing eyes and simply says, “I need you to find me.”

And then the door closes behind him with a finality, and the others are escorted to their rooms in similar fashion. Cole can barely sleep all night, but when he finally does doze off it feels like only a few seconds have passed before the rising sun cuts a path across his eyes and wakes him. He has a quick breakfast from his minibar and joins the meandering mass of contestants as they walk down to the grand hall once more.

Cole had been ruminating over Zane's request all night, trying to understand what he meant. Maybe he wanted Cole to stand with him this morning? He stands on his tippy toes and looks over the crowd, hunting for Zanes signature white hair. He frowns, turning around and looking behind himself too- where was he?

“Oof!” He grunts as Jay crashes into his side.

“Morning!” Jay greets with a grin, “How’d you sleep?”

“Not well.” Cole admits.

“Me neither! You know why? Because it occurred to me last night that Chen said there would be one winner last night- one!” Jay smiles with a manic edge, “Which means our genius team up plan is out the window. They’re gonna tear me apart!” He gestures at the others wildly, a few of them shooting him a weird look.

Cole snorts, “You’re the master of electricity, Jay. I’m sure you can hold your own.”

Jay throws himself onto Cole, gripping the collar of his shirt and sagging to the floor in anguish, “I’m going to die!”

The grand hall had been cleared of the dinning room table, the raised dais now the focal point of the room that Clouse was standing on as he waited for the last contestant to linger in. Clouse clears his throat, “Before Lord Chen arrives, I have some unfortunate news.” He clasps his hands together and summons an extremely fake looking frown, “Late last night, due to a family emergency, Zane chose to drop out of the tournament and leave the island.”

That cold chill is back. Zane didn’t have any family, that was one of the first things he’d told Cole.

I need you to find me.

“He is being transported back to the mainland by our ferry, which is our only way off the island. It will return in a few days, but for now that means we are unable to leave.” He says apologetically, “But I can ensure your accommodations here are more than adequate enough that you won’t want to go!” He says with a grin.

“Now, it is time for our first challenge: The hunt for the Jade blades. Lord Chen will explain the rules.” He says with a bow, graciously stepping aside so Chen can take center stage with his signature flourish.

Zane didn’t leave on that ferry.

Cole had a feeling no one would be leaving on that ferry.

#ninjago #zane julien #cole ninjago #hometown glory au #ninjago hometown glory #spinchip fic #jay walker #ninjago au

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