🪩🪩☀️☀️
I know you can do 20 sentences, my love, you've got this!
As you wish, Sir
🪩 - Mirrorball || prev snippet || master list
The stinging bite of jealousy settles in Eddie’s chest, curling up like a wild creature behind his ribs. He only hates himself a little for it. Honestly, he shouldn’t even be thinking about who else gets to see Arsen’s* body. Who might call him over for a lap dance or to a private room. Eddie saw what he came for and got his fix. Now he can drive to Athena’s and ignore Bobby’s curious looks while he stress eats his now weekly peach cobbler. He begins pushing his chair away from the table when a familiar voice stops him.
“Leaving already, handsome? Here I thought we could play a little longer.”
Time feels almost suspended, syrupy and slow as Eddie turns towards the sound. He finds himself eye level with a sparse thatch of hair peeking out from an electric blue waistband. His gaze travels up, up, up to an equally brilliant blue.
*if you're new here Arsen = Buck's stage name
☀️ - Weather and Time || prev snippet || master list
That night, after Where the Wild Things Are, The Giving Tree, one too many Five-Minute stories, a cup of water (and a trip to the bathroom), Christopher finally agrees to sleep. Or at least to Eddie kissing him goodnight and leaving the room. He flicks on the planet themed night light before softly closing the door behind him.
His body begs him to stay in the hallway and sag against the wall. To slowly slide to the floor, rest his elbows on his knees and hold his head in his hands. But there’s perfectly chilled beer in the fridge and a Rangers game that should just be starting.
He sprawls on the sofa, one hand cradling the back of his head while the other holds his drink. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” he mutters as soon as the game coverage starts and he remembers the Rangers are playing the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight. Because of course they are. Why would it possibly be any other team?
also going to use this as my mumbledy sentences Sunday/Last Line Tag
tagged by @loveyouanyway @missmagooglie @actuallyitsellie @jesuisici33 @tizniz
@thekristen999 @lemonzestywrites @elvensorceress @daffi-990 @loserdiaz
@spotsandsocks @wikiangela @diazsdimples @bidisasterevankinard
@shipperqueen6 (tagging y'all back for next time)
it's late so np tagging for the next tag day @stereopticons @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @filet-o-feelings @queerbuckleys
@bi-buckrights @chaosandwolves @epicbuddieficrecs @eowon @fortheloveofbuddie
@bucksbiawakening @giddyupbuck @saybiwithme @honestlydarkprincess @hoodie-buck
@indestructibleheart @ladydorian05 @monsterrae1 @spaceprincessem @statueinthestone
@steadfastsaturnsrings @the-likesofus @theotherbuckley @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming @thewolvesof1998
@watchyourbuck @weewootruck @wildlife4life @your-catfish-friend @underwaterninja13
@kitteneddiediaz and anyone else who wants to 😘
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10 - Animal
“You will have to be convincing,” Strahd said. He retrieved a small amulet on a chain from his pocket and held it out to Alek. “With this, they should be unable to detect what you really are.”
Alek took the chain and draped it around the back of his neck, to work the small clasp where he could still see it. He pulled the amulet around and lightly tugged the front of his shirt, so that the gem would fall into the open slit and lay hidden against his chest. “A handsome devil?” he suggested, knowing full well what Strahd had meant.
“A ghoul,” Strahd agreed flatly.
“You didn’t call me here just to give me jewelry, though. What else is there?”
“As I told you, I sensed another interloper pass through the Mists. I want you to greet them. Gain their trust. They might be willing to part with more information about themselves and how they came to be here.”
Alek nodded. “And you think this will really do the trick?”
“It is working now. If I didn’t know better, I would think you were an ordinary man.”
A look passed between them, in which they both remembered Strahd’s appetite for human blood. If he did not know better, Alek might seem a bit… appetizing.
“How would you have me do it?” Alek wondered. “Local folk are not exactly friendly these days. If I approach the outsiders, that alone might seem suspicious.”
“I thought of that,” Strahd said. His eyes passed over Alek head-to-toe. With his lean stature and fair coloring, the man hardly looked the part of a Barovian local—because, in truth, he was not. Strahd told him as much. “That could be enough to put them at ease. However, I have an idea that might make them come to you, if they are anything like past adventuring types.” Thieves, he meant, but ones who rationalized their raids with an erratic sense of vigilante justice, the morality and particulars of which often seemed to be decided on a whim.
Alek would meet them on the road, Strahd explained, where they would catch him in a vicious battle, beset by wolves. A wry grin crept onto Alek’s face with the telling. With any luck, the adventurers would leap into the fray to save him, and then, with little prompting, they would probably absorb Alek into their rank, themselves. They would want a companion who knew the lay of the land—especially if that companion had also proved himself a fine enough swordsman.
“Buy them a drink,” Strahd said. “Tell them you have come from a faraway land and were trapped here by the Mists.”
Alek chuckled. “It would not be a lie.”
“Precisely.”
“So, you’ll set your pups on me,” he prompted. “That won’t be an enticing prospect for them.” The wolves did not exactly enjoy Alek’s ghoulish scent. He was an unnatural predator, and they seemed to be acutely aware of the fact. They often shrank back, whining in his presence. It took a lot of coaxing to settle them down when Strahd wasn’t there to soothe their minds from within. It was sufficient protection against such an errant wolf attack. Only those few which Strahd kept in the castle like dogs seemed to tolerate Alek; the rest were frightened of him.
“That is why I will be there with them,” Strahd said. With that, his form began to shift. The ability had been unsettling to Alek in the early years of their entrapment—but so had everything. Witnessing these contortions of magic had become almost second-nature to him since then. He watched as Strahd’s face drew into a long canine muzzle and he dropped to all fours, his clothes transforming into the thick black fur which now covered his body from nose to tail.
The wolf-Strahd shivered, as if shaking off either rain or dust from his pelt. Alek was sorely tempted to reach out and stroke the silky fur, but he refrained. Strahd’s lips pulled back, baring a gruesome set of strong, sharp teeth. He snarled gently at Alek.
“I see,” Alek said in good humor, noting the aggressive posture. He drew his sword from its scabbard. Shifting his feet into an easy fighting stance, Alek reached his arm out to tap the tip of his blade against the dry courtyard grass, then lifted it again into a ready position. His eyes narrowed. “Come on, then.”
The dark beast slowly circled him, a thunderous low growl in his throat. He dipped forward with one paw every so often, snapping at Alek with powerful jaws, searching for an opening. Alek shifted his stance with impeccable footwork, swordpoint held steadily between them. It was a dance they were well acquainted with, though usually when they sparred like this, Strahd was armed the same as Alek, advancing on his own two feet.
Strahd lunged at Alek's leg. Alek stepped back with a twist, slapping the flat of his blade against Strahd's flank with practiced control. They did this maneuver several times. Strahd attempted to find new ways to throw Alek off-balance, to varying degrees of success. Then he stalked out of melee range. Alek sank further into the bend of his knees.
Strahd lifted his head, and a baleful howl issued from deep within his chest. It seemed to reverberate off the facets of Mount Ghakis itself, pricking up the hair on Alek's arms, making an echo chamber of his ribs, all his senses sharply piqued.
Some of the echoes were the answering call of other wolves. Alek's off hand went to his dagger.
The sleek black animal in the courtyard met his gaze again, a flash of red light in his eyes. Alek could imagine Strahd's subtle smirk on the wolfish face.
“So that was just foreplay, was it?”
A castle door burst open behind him. Three of Strahd's favorite dogs leapt out and charged across the lawn.
It was a completely different game, one careful opponent versus three hairy berserkers. Alek tried to avoid doing them any great harm—it would only serve as something Strahd might hold against him later, if he felt the urge—but the wolves failed to show him the same courtesy. They scratched and snapped at him. The exertion was enough to kick Alek’s dormant lungs into order, churning air like a bellows to feed the fire in his limbs while he dodged and blocked and carefully parried.
Then others came.
A hunting party of seven or more wolves streamed in through the gate and descended on Alek. He tried to hold his own, but they swarmed him. One took a running jump and barreled into his chest, knocking him to the ground. In a fleeting moment of terror, he thought Strahd would allow them to rip him apart.
Instead, having finally felled their prey, the wolves ceased their ferocious act. They clambered over Alek, crowding him with clumsy paws and lolling tongues, nuzzling his injuries and bowing playfully, wagging their tails. It was nearly as dangerous; ten large dogs could still trample him.
Alek heard Strahd laughing beyond them. When he approached, standing tall in his man form again, clapping lazily for the performance, the pack parted to let him through. He took one look at Alek's scrapes, the row of claw marks on his forehead oozing blue-black gore—the illusion made the blood seem fresh and red, but Strahd and his wolves could still smell the difference—and attempted to stifle the rich sound.
“You did quite well,” Strahd said by way of apology, offering his hand.
“Thanks.”
Strahd caught the spark in Alek's pale eyes a half-second too late—It was the spark of opportunity. Alek grabbed his hand and pulled hard.
Strahd sprawled bodily on top of him.
It was Alek's turn to laugh. Amid the surrounding pack of wolves, he locked an arm around Strahd's neck and caught a pointed ear between his teeth. He was forced to let it go only because Strahd's hand had trapped his hair against the ground.
“Alek,” Strahd chastised him.
Alek grinned, still catching his breath. He let his head fall back against the grass. “Got me riled up,” he retorted. “Did you mean for them to kill me?”
“Are you dead?”
Alek snorted. “I know a way that you could make up for it.”
“You enjoyed yourself.”
“That's no excuse.” His eyes roamed over Strahd's face, settling softly on his mouth.
Strahd had become more… amorous, after the change. Whether it was the enhanced power in his body overall, or the often lonely quiet of the castle, or some combination of things, Alek couldn't be sure—maybe Strahd had always been this way, and it was just that he had not allowed himself to act on base desires. Whatever the case, Alek liked it. This part of it. It was a good look for Strahd, he thought, this kind of freedom.
Strahd leaned down obligingly and kissed him.
A wolf near their heads whined and yipped abruptly. Others joined it.
“I'm not going to eat him,” Alek objected, attempting to shoo them away.
“I assumed that was your intent,” Strahd purred, his lips ghosting over Alek's jaw.
“Not the way they seem to think.”
Strahd hummed absently in response. He snapped his fingers and their ears pricked up. Within their minds, almost as though the thoughts were their own, the wolves became aware of praise, that they had been successful in their hunt and would not perish, but that Strahd as their leader would have first pick of their prey. The wolves quieted and settled down onto the lawn around the men to wait their turn for supper.
They would not be taking part in this particular feast, however.
* * *
[Ao3 Collection]
[prompt list by @syrips]
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Hi hello sorry it’s not Wednesday anymore BUT. I remember you saying at one point that you were listening to your Giyuu playlist? (am I remembering right?) and I’m. so unbelievably normal and was wondering what your top 5 songs you associate with Giyuu are. Or top 10. Or top one million. Ok thank you sorry goodbye again_(:3 」∠)_
Hi Rose👋!! welcome back to my dropbox lmao
okok so so I don't remember saying that but it's totally possible that I did. I think about blorbo a lot so I think I mentioned it
These won't be very descriptive because many of the songs are just related to emotions or specific scenarios so you'll have my 4am ramblings. lil warning, I'm a swiftie, but I have a variety of other different music tastes too. here's my top 20ish because I'm obsessed with my blorbo Giyuu Tomioka the Queen
Telephones by Vacations - "my thoughts are crawling, you're all I see" "wherever I go, you'll always be next to me" has massive brain rot energy :) he only sees his love(s) everywhere
Verbatim by Mother Mother - I kinda perceive Giyuu as someone that doesn't conform to gender norms (totally not projecting) but he would totally be unapologetic for his expression. maybe a lil oblivious but not sorry
First Love/Late Spring by Mitski - the lyrics speak for themselves of anxiety that he can't love anyone else because he's too scared to lose them. "please, hurry, leave me, I can't breathe. please don't say you love me."
Long Live (TV) by Taylor Swift - this song is specifically for my fantasy prince/knight au I made and fully fleshed out with Minecraft building and shit. the idea of happy fluffy marriage makes me giggle
Gilded Lily by Cults - self explanatory. sad song. "haven't I given enough?" "always the fool with the slowest heart" (help please he has the slowest heart because his way of communicating isn't verbal and only a very select few understand-)
Daylight by Taylor Swift - "I once believed love would be burning red, but it's golden, like daylight" kyogiyuu energy, first impression of Kyojuro's "burning red" but it turns out he's a soft "golden"
Screaming by CHVRCHES - beautiful song. it talks about the past and how time has been stolen. not knowing what side of the coin you're on and if it's wrong or not. good vibes song to look out the window to
New Year's Day by Taylor Swift - SUCH A GOOD MESSAGE SONG! it's all about the tranquility that comes with love and life, how the couple would be there for not just the fun moments but the calm or hard or maybe boring moments. also "please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere"
Money by The Drums - Giyuu would totally want to give back to the world he believes he's stolen from (he's still alive, which is something that he stole from others-) but he has nothing else to give other than hard training and killing demons, saving people when he can
Open Your Eyes by Snow Patrol - this one I can't really explain. the build up and release just kinda speaks for itself. it's cathartic and makes you want to jump up and down and rip an air guitar
Don't Let Go by The Ghost Club - "I'm falling off the edge but you never ever let go" another relationship one! who woulda guessed? again, love that lasts because love is not all sunshine. it rains and pours and you have to get an umbrella. very fun to listen to!
The Mute by Radical Face - this was shown to me by a beautiful moot when my one ficlet reminded them of it. it makes sense! "if you only listen with your ears, you can't get in [my head]" (your fic today reminded me of this song too and i listened to it again after reading tehe)
Nightmares by CHVRCHES - "Another poem designed for revenge. Now I'm living a nightmare again, and it won't end.
Black Out Days by Phantogram - gives me remembering Sabito vibes. So painfully thinking of him but trying to forget him and keep that part of his mind away from now but it doesn't want to stay away. He isolates himself from his memories that he "[doesn't] even recognize [Sabito's] face"
I miss you, I'm sorry by Gracie Adams - it's less of the lyrics and more the vibes. i just kinda really like this song. "I still love you, I promise" to Sabito---
Become the Warm Jets by Current Joys - listen listen ok hear me out: slow song, sad voice, sad song, Giyuu-themed? totally feel canon with "All my life is just something I can't ignore."
A Soulmate Who Wasn't Meant to Be by Jess Benko - wow. sad angst sad song about regret because wow. just angst.
Young by Vacations - dissociation central. not knowing how things are moving and wanting things to be right and okay. that childhood innocence of want everything (read: Sabito) to be his
i love you by Billie Eilish - Giyuu being in denial of everything. How could Kyojuro say that he loves him? How could he open up so easily to Kyo? "the smile that you gave me even when you felt like dying" FFUCCK
Dress by Taylor Swift - this is that song when the pairing finally gets together after a 20K slow burn. smiles. "Carve your name into my bedpost 'cause I don't want you like a best friend."
A Love Song by Ladyhawke - happy upbeat love song. Imagine running through a crowd, holding hands, laughing and giggling as Kyo pulls Giyuu along to show him something he's excited about
I didn't mean for this to be this long (this was originally 10) but now you have 2/3 of my Giyuu playlist! I accidentally deleted my Giyuu playlist like four months ago so I'm building from the ground up unfortunately😭
I hope this satisfies your curiosity! Enjoy listening if you do!
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