You Don't Perceive Me

Adult | 🏹💢🦅 Creator of Elysium: City of Crime

[spiced-koi-friend]

Koinichiwa~

Call me Koi or Meg. Pronouns are she/they/all, in order of preference. Oshis are Shinri, Goldie, and Ruze as of right now.

Home of Elysium: City of Crime and Monarch Rexford, as well as many other writings. My AO3 sees everything first, and I may take a while to update, here, apologies for that.

If I see any minors interacting with my 18+ content, you will be blocked on the spot. Sorry, not sorry. I don't fuck with that. Fuck around and find out, and all that shit.

Tags: #koiposts: random posts, announcements, etc #koifictions: writings #spicedkoiroll: spicier art

Elysium: City of Crime Masterlist AO3

dividers by wonderfullpawz

[valorieravenchild]

Uncensored on bluesky Patreon

[spiced-koi-friend]

Intruder Alert

Shinri recovers from the events that took place back in the breakroom, but finds himself getting rather protective when a threatening man enters into the shop, and begins encroaching on your space.

Bodyguard!Shinri x Barista!M!Reader, TW: aggressive stalking, blood, aggravated assault Words: 1241 | Rating: R

Shinri catches his breath on the chair, smiling as you return with a beverage and food for him. He feels a little shaky still, but he’s certainly not complaining by any means. You look around, trying to figure out where to sit before just deciding to plop down into his lap, getting yourself comfortable before enjoying your own drink.

“Well the good news is, we weren’t too loud.”

“That’s, good?”

His face flushes at the thought of people out in the lobby overhearing the sins they just committed in this breakroom. He gasps a little as you readjust, making him quiet himself before he makes a sound he regrets.

“Oh- I’m so sorry. I can move if you want-”

“No, it’s fine. Just, caught off guard, that’s all. And perhaps a little sensitive…”

“Well next time I’ll try not to grind against your dick.”

Next time!? Jesus, he hopes that their “next time” isn’t also in this breakroom. His old man back probably couldn’t take getting fucked over a table that many times before it just gives out on him. You take him out of his train of thought by shoving his food in his face, to which he takes a small bite of with a little “nom”. He realizes that you probably weren’t meaning to do that, but your giggles can’t help but make him smile anyways. 

“Sorry, still not entirely back yet from space…”

“Yeah? Did you see other stars while you were up there? Or did you shine too bright?”

He opens his mouth to respond, but finds himself speechless. You quirk an eyebrow, closing his mouth with your hand and giving him a cheeky kiss to his lips. He takes a second to process what just happened, before squinting at you with a pout.

“That was evil…”

“And?”

“How dare you.”

You’re a bit smug at his reaction, still helping him eat even as he grumps at you. You kiss his cheeks, holding his face still as he melts into you. 

“You’re very cute like this.”

“Shush.”

“No~”

You put down your drink and food, resting your head against his shoulder with your legs across his lap, and he’s slow to wrap his arms around your waist. He feels a bit awkward doing it, but he kisses the top of your head, grumbling as he lets out a long sigh.

“So you still want a second date?”

“I was hoping for one, yes.”

“Have any ideas on where you wanna go?”

You look up at him, studying his eyes as they trace around your face. A bright blue that’s soft enough to not scare the soul out of you, but captivating enough to where you can’t turn away.

“I can plan something if you’d like, I have an idea for a quieter type of night. That is, if you’re up for that.”

“Yeah, that sounds nice. Not everything we do has to be at a fancy restaurant.”

“Then next time, I’ll surprise you. What about tomorrow?”

“Making me wait that long? That’s cruel, Shinri.”

The two of you laugh, before Cirrius opens the door.

“Hey, your turn back at the front. I’ll babysit your boyfriend for you.”

“Aww, fine.”

Shinri just freezes, trying to get out that he’s not your boyfriend, but you just wink at him as you exit back out to the front of the coffee shop. So he just looks awkwardly at Cirrius, smiling with a small wave. 

“Uh, hi?”

“Sup.”

He just sits over at the table, which Shinri prays you sanitized properly, going back to scrolling on his phone. Shinri after a while of awkwardness, shakily gets up and moves to the door, off to find a bathroom or something to splash some water on his face and make himself look a little more presentable to society. He sneaks behind you with a squeeze to your waist, enjoying how you jump a little bit at the espresso machine and glare daggers at him. 

He turns the corner and finds the bathroom, locking the door behind him before looking in the mirror. His hair is a mess, the sweatshirt has definitely looked better, and his face is still sweaty. He lets his hair out of the clip, letting it fall around his face and just letting it hang, shaking it out to add a bit more volume. He splashes some cold water on his face and neck, moving the sweatshirt back over the hickeys once he remembers they’re there. That’s gonna be fun to explain when he gets back home. 

He walks back out with a little bit of shake to his legs, moving over to get his board off of one of the seats and sitting down. Over the counter, he can see how you keep looking at him as you make drinks for other customers. Part of him wants to put himself on display a little bit, but he also knows if he ends up doing that too much, he’s definitely not skateboarding back home tonight. He scrolls on his phone, looking up and thanking you when you bring him over some tea. The atmosphere is cozy, he has a warm drink, and chances are he will get to spend a little more time with you after your shift, which he’s certainly not complaining about. 

The bell above the door rings once again and Shinri glances up, staring for longer as he sees a man in a dark grey suit, white hair, and one eye with a scar running down it. He approaches the counter, and looks at you with a thirsty grin. Shinri can’t make out what he’s saying, but there’s something off about him that he doesn’t like. He keeps glancing between the two of you, catching signs that you’re uncomfortable as the man leans over the counter. When you step away, presumably to make his drink, the man grabs your wrist to pull you back. Shinri stands up, walking over to the man and placing a hand on his shoulder. He’s a tad taller, but the man barely pays him any piece of mind.

“I would suggest you let go of him.”

“Oh, are you the protective boyfriend here?”

“...he’s not my boyfriend…”

Shinri looks at you and he sees the fear in your eyes, so he pulls the man back so he lets go of your wrist. He nearly snarls as he loses his balance, glaring up at Shinri. 

“So the little barista is single, huh? Well, I’ll be back then.”

The man throws several dollars over the counter, leaving you to pick them up as he storms out of the shop. Shinri just looks at you with a look of “what the hell just happened?” but you simply don’t meet his eye for the time being. He goes back to his seat, watching the door in case the bastard decides to come back for the rest of your shift, but he never does. He sticks around as you and Cirrius close up the shop, and he pulls you aside as you’re about to lock up.

“Hey, what happened back there?”

“I- I don’t know. But he gave me the utter creeps. Thanks for, stepping in.”

“It’s not a problem. It’s already what I do for a living. I’d absolutely do it for you too if you needed it.”

“Thanks. Are we, still on for tomorrow?”

“Of course, only if you still want to.”

“Yeah, I do.”

[spiced-koi-friend]

Breakroom

Shinri tries again after realizing he missed like, every sign you were trying to give him. At least he succeeds? Latter half is smut.

Bodyguard!Shinri x Barista!M!Reader, TW: none Words: 2508 | Rating: X

Kinks: anal sex, praise kink, exhibitionism

After Sorrel finally left him alone, but not before he liberally laid into Shinri on how oblivious he was towards your advances, he laid awake on his bed, thinking over every little thing you did to realize how blind he was. He throws his pillow against the wall, which promptly falls back onto his head. Defeated, he decides to at least try to sleep, letting out a long sigh as he curls up in his bed, thinking about you, hoping he didn’t screw over his chances at a second date.

He wakes up groggy at best, fatigued and burnt out at worst. His phone lights up to reveal several messages from Ruze and Basil, which he chooses to ignore for now. He notices the time, realizing he’s late for work, which promptly changes his mind on ignoring the messages from his boss and coworker. 

“Hey, Basil let me know that you had a rough night last night. Didn’t give me too many details, but I don’t wanna pry. Don’t bother with coming into work, take a sick day.”

He opens the chat with Basil.

“Told him you might have a hangover and he cringed. You’re welcome.”

Hangover, Shinri does not have, unless you can have one emotionally. The rough sleep still makes him think of making himself some coffee, but his thoughts just drift back to you. Puniko has finally realized that Shinri is awake, jumping up on his bed and nosing his way under his arm. His vision brightens a little bit, laying back down to get some snuggles with his dog. 

“I don’t know, Puniko. Maybe I’m overthinking it, maybe I’m not. I mean, it’s been years since I’ve been on a proper date, but I don’t think I was ever that oblivious! I was hoping for everything to go right and even when it was, I was still too head over heels to notice. I got everything I was hoping for and more, and I screwed myself over instead of getting screwed myself…”

Puniko does not understand the inner turmoil that Shinri speaks out into the world, and is just happy to be getting pets. He drops his squeaky fish onto Shinri’s face, smiling and wagging as he waits for Shinri to throw it. Shinri recoils in disgust, throwing the toy and wiping the dog slobber off his face. 

“Ugh, Punikoooo…”

He sits back up as Puniko scrambles out of the room, paws eagerly skittering along the wooden floors. Sorrel pops his head in the doorway, smiling when he sees Shinri awake. 

“Howdy lover boy. Ready to swoon the masses?”

“Shut the everloving fuck up, Sor.”

“Ooo! Touchy! So am I making you coffee? Or…?”

Sorrel ducks behind the door frame as Shinri chucks his pillow at his roommate, cackling and running back to his room. He sits up on his bed, wiping a hand down his face as he wakes up even more. 

“I guess I should get a coffee…”

He hops in the shower, reciting what he’s going to say to you over and over again. The hot water just washes over him, and partially takes the anxieties away. He takes his time with his skin care, towel drying his hair and putting it half up into a small ponytail. Digging through his closet, he pulls out a simple, comfortable outfit and his skating sneakers. Maybe the ride over will help clear his head the rest of the way. He lets Puniko into Sorrel’s room, who is spooked at the hyperactive dog being unleashed upon him, and Shinri disappears out the door before his roommate can get his vengeance again. 

Shinri places his headphones on, feeling the breeze as he skates along the sidewalk, weaving between the pedestrians walking along the street. A few people move out of his way, as if he was going to hit them. Little hard to apologize for being oblivious on a date if you skate face first into a stereotypical cubical working man. Not the kind of face mashing he’s hoping for today. 

Shinri steps off his skateboard and stashes it under his arm, pushing his way into the coffee shop, praying that you’re there. His face lights up when he sees you refilling the beans hopper behind the counter, looking up to greet the next customer and smirking when you make eye contact with him. He stashes his board at one of the tables, coming up to the counter and leaning against it as you watch him smugly, cleaning off the espresso machine. 

“Couldn’t stay away, huh? Skipping work to see me?”

His cheeks burn as he realizes that, shit, he can either tell the truth or try and play it off smoothly. As if that’s an option when he’s this much of a mess. 

“Speechless already, big boy?”

He closes his mouth as it was hanging open like a fish, still trying to put his words together. It takes him a moment longer and a big sigh, before he braces his hands on the counter with his head hanging down.

“When you had dropped me off, my roommate asked if we had… banged, or kissed… and I realized that you at least tried, I was just too caught up in not messing up the date that I ended up doing precisely that. And I did want to do that! Don’t think that I didn’t, I just-”

As he raises his head, he feels you tug on his hoodie strings and press your lips to his. All it takes is a second for him to realize what is happening before he reciprocates right back, smiling into your lips. When you pull away, he’s grinning like a fool, unable to take his eyes off of you.

“You’re cute when you ramble, but I’d rather kiss you than hear you talk about how much you wanna kiss me.”

He tries to stand up, realizing you just tug him back down and he blushes even harder. Your eyes glance to the door behind him, and there’s a mischievous look in your eye that makes him at least a little afraid. But in a “oh god what have I gotten myself into” sort of way. You let go of his hoodie strings and beckon him over to the gate to the place behind the counter, tugging him by his arm into a little room out of view. Back there he spots another individual, stopping like a deer in headlights when he realizes there’s company. 

“Hey Cirrius, can you watch the front for a little bit?”

He pushes his large round glasses up his nose, looking between the two of you and shrugs.

“Why not. Just don’t be too loud, I’m not covering for you if that happens.”

“You’re the best!”

Cirrius just rolls his eyes and closes the door behind him as he goes to watch the front of the shop, and Shinri feels the heat creep up his neck again as you look at him hungrily. Oh no, he’s so boned.

…

He looks so cute as you back Shinri up against the wall, resting your hands on his waist. The little gasp he does when you sneak your fingers under his sweatshirt, squeezing his hips as you move closer to him.

“You’re not too embarrassed to kiss me now, are you?”

“N-No…”

“Good.”

You pull one arm out again to rest against the back of his neck, and he in turn grabs your hips to keep you close to him. His lips are soft, letting you take control as he just follows. Your teeth catch on his lower lip as you pull away to breathe, seeing the redness in his face and the breathiness in his smile. But you wanna wipe that smile off his face a little bit, readjusting to pull yourself up further. He follows rather quickly, hoisting you up and bracing your legs around his hips, supporting with his hands under your thighs. 

Now with better access to what you want, you wrap your arms around his neck, pushing him further against the wall as you press your tongue against his lips, wanting entrance. He parts his lips with a soft whine, letting you taste the desperation on his tongue. You swipe your tongue across his lips before connecting again, biting and sucking hickeys to make them red and puffy. In the occasional moment you look up to meet his eye, he looks hazy and his grip on you tightens, not wanting it to end yet.

“Good boy, came back and said what you wanted.”

…

“Good boy”. That’s not something he’s heard in a long time but his knees weaken as you purr that into his ear. He tenses as you pull back his hoodie from his neck, marking him up and pulling indignant whimpers from his lips. But those words replay in his mind, silently begging you to say it again. 

He’s not sure if you pick up on his wants, but he tries to not let his growing need distract him from everything you’re giving him.

“That’s right, that’s my good boy. You like that, don’t you?”

“Mm-mhmm-”

You bite harsher and he has to let go of one of your thighs to cover his mouth to disguise the gasp and whine. Somehow that just spurs you on, nipping his ear as you climb down off of him. He leans against the wall for support, feeling like he’s put on display as you stand back and take in the sight that is him.

“Riled you up good, didn’t I?”

He’s a bit embarrassed that truthfully, you did rile him up. And he’s not quite sure he can just, go back out there and look like an upstanding member of society with that replaying in his head. He just watches you as he catches his breath, rifling through your bag over on the counter.

“You know I was thinking about dropping by your place if I didn’t see you today to see if I could try again, but now I got you here with me…”

His eyes go wide as he sees you throw a few condoms on the counter and a bottle of lube. He swallows, realizing where this is going. You raise an eyebrow at him, and he just manages a weak nod as he’s unable to piece together the words he wants. 

“Take off your sweatshirt, it’ll make this a little easier.”

He does as he’s told, moving to the table, expecting that he’ll be topping for this. He’s gotten used to doing it, but right now that’s not what he’s wanting. His eyes linger on your mouth as you tear open the condom wrapper with your teeth, shucking down your work pants to put it on. You notice his staring, smirking a little more.

“You didn’t think you were topping, were you?”

“Well, y-yeah but-”

“Did you want to?”

There’s a bit of shame that bubbles in his throat that he forces down with a swallow.

“No…”

“Perfect. Bend over for me, big boy.”

You gesture to the table and he uses his sweatshirt for a rest for his arms and head, already breathing hard as he tries to anticipate your movements. Slow to pull his sweats down, prodding his ass with lubed fingers. He muffles his moan with a bite to his hoodie, struggling to keep his composure as he is crumbling by the second. With your other hand you push his shirt up, kissing the bare skin of his back and making him shiver.

“Good boy, just keep staying quiet for me, baby.”

Shinri gasps and has to muffle himself again as you add another finger, feeling his cock twitch between his legs. You’re gentle, gradually opening him up, perhaps teasing some reactions out of him. He whines when you retrieve your fingers, which is quickly replaced by the tip of your cock. You’re slow to push in but it still makes his head swim, gripping the table for some semblance of stability. Your hands move to his hips as you push into him, as he buries his face in his sweatshirt and swears under his breath. 

You set a slow pace to start, but you murmur praises against the skin on his back that leaves a fire in their wake. He tightens around you, begging quietly into his sweatshirt to go harder. The sound of slapping skin and his own deep groans is all he can hear, shivers going up his spine as you press your lips against his skin over and over. The coil in his gut starts to tighten, cock dribbling precum onto the floor below. He doesn’t want it to end, not this fast.

You lean in close to his ear, whispering barely audibly as you’re buried in his ass.

“Be a good boy and show me how pretty you sound when you cum.”

That’s all it takes to get him to crumble, tightly fisting the sweatshirt beneath his head as he tries to stay quiet, nearly flattening himself against the table as you bounce him more onto it, milking his orgasm for all it’s worth. He feels you twitch inside him through all the fuzz in his skull, tightening around you and pushing back on you to get you deeper inside him. His eyes roll back as your nails dig into his hips, biting his shirt to quiet yourself as you spill into him. When you both stop, panting and trying to collect yourselves, he finally looks back at you. Your hands trace along his back, eyeing him up. You’re slow to pull out, and he thinks he’s free to move, but a hand on the middle of his back startles him into staying put.

“Hold on, just a moment.” 

You dip down out of his view, and he starts panicking a little as to what’s going on. He nearly jumps as he feels the flat of your tongue on his thigh, licking up the mess that he had made, that you teased out of him. He whines and fidgets, sometimes moving his leg away but you always drag it back into reach. You clean off the mess you made, lube leaking out of him and covering his ass. He squirms, but the firm grip on his hips keeps him from disobeying. When you stand back up with a wipe to your mouth, he lets out the breath he had been holding, looking up at you with blown out eyes.

“You’re very cute like that, we’ll have to do that again.”

Shinri’s head just falls back down to the table, shakily catching a towel you toss at him to clean up as you take care of the floor. His legs are shaky, and you help him move to one of the more comfortable chairs. You kiss his temple as he’s made comfortable, before going and getting him a drink and something to eat.

How the fuck did he luck out like this? What gods did he appease to get fucked like that?

[spiced-koi-friend]

Date Night

You and Shinri go on a date to one of your favorite restaurants, and both of you are hopelessly gay about it.

Bodyguard!Shinri x Barista!M!Reader, TW: none Words: 1724 | Rating: M

Shinri tightens his belt before putting on his suit jacket, adjusting the sleeves nervously. He leaves the top buttons of his dress shirt undone, placing a chain around his neck in place of a tie. Adding a few more rings to his hands and letting his earrings dangle behind the loose strands of hair that hang in front of his face. He feels good, nervous as hell, but it’s been so long since he’s been on a date that it’s honestly hard to not imagine what could go wrong. His screen lights up, and he’s quick to snag his phone off his dresser, letting out a breath with a smile as he sees a notification from you.

“Hey, I’m outside if you’re ready.”

Shinri clears his throat to wipe the blush off his face before grabbing his shoes, fumbling to put them on. He nearly slips off his bed, stomping his shoe the rest of the way on to catch himself. Quick to tie his laces, he grabs his phone and makes his way out the door. As he makes it down the stairs from his apartment, he waves to you as you stand next to your car, waving back at him. He feels almost giddy looking at you, a dumb smile on his face that he can’t seem to shake. 

“You really didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to. Now are you getting in or not?”

He watches you smirk at him, rubbing the back of his neck as he pulls on the door handle, ducking his head as he climbs in. It’s not a fancy car by any means, but it’s modest and clearly gets the job done. He moves the seat back a little so his knees aren’t up against the glove box, which is pressed open as he gets in. You roll your eyes as you close it again, holding it in place as he gets situated.

“Sorry, it does that. I should’ve put the seat back.”

“It’s alright, don’t worry about it too much.”

He hopes his smile is enough to reassure you that he doesn’t feel slighted by a glove box, chuckling a little to ease you further. You just match his laughter, turning back to pull out of the parking spot. Your hand rests on the head rest of his seat as you turn around, and he freezes in place. He frequently glances at you, trying not to stare when his mind begins to wander, thinking about you placing your arm over his shoulders. You may be shorter than him, but he won’t lie, it is hot.

The drive is filled with light conversation, talking about the restaurant and how work has been for the two of you. He tries not to distract you too much from the road, getting a tad anxious when you even turn to look at him at a red light. It seems you notice his anxiety, placing a hand on his leg which shuts him up as he can’t do anything but stare out the window, occasionally glancing down at his leg. He hides his face behind his hand, pretending to rest his head against it while looking out the window at the city he’s been living in for years. How interesting, the city seems to be made of city.

You pull into the parking lot, not that he particularly notices as he’s lost in his thoughts. It isn’t until you open the door and he nearly falls out, thankfully caught by his seat belt, that he realizes you’ve arrived.

“Ah, thanks. Sorry…”

He fumbles with the buckle, getting out with a smile that totally isn’t him trying to mask his awkwardness. You offer him your hand, which he politely declines. He doesn’t need to be panicking while walking and run into a door. The hostess is quick to seat the two of you, taking you to the back corner, away from the doors. The restaurant is relatively quiet, with the murmur of other guests to muffle the sound of cars outside. At least there’s no large birthday parties or other gatherings of that sort. 

…

Shinri was unusually quiet on the drive over, and you begin to wonder if you said something wrong during the small talk. After hearing him ramble for hours, you were hoping to hear him eagerly talk like that again tonight, but if your suspicions are right, you’re already getting off on the wrong foot. It stung a little when he didn’t take your hand, trying to extend an olive branch for whatever must have upset him. 

He’s quick to dive his head below his menu, and you just sigh and look at yours. You already know what you’re going to order, but you don’t want him to feel any more pressured than he already does to select quickly.

“And what can I start you two gentlemen to drink?”

You look up to see a beaming waitress, who seems to gather what’s going on here. Passing along your drink order to her, you grab the ends of Shinri’s fingers with your own to catch his attention.

“Wha-?”

“Do you want something to drink?”

He seems to pause, before giving his own order. You pull your hand away, although you do want to get closer to him. Over the top of your menu, you can’t help but look at him, studying the way he styled his hair that makes it different from the other day. His rings catch your eyes, occasionally reflecting the light up above you onto the walls and other guests. The waitress is quick to return with your drinks, giving Shinri a bit more time to decide what he wants.

“Have you been here before? It’s one of my favorite places to go to when I feel like treating myself.”

“I haven’t, although I can’t say that their menu doesn’t intrigue me. Unfortunately, I’m having some trouble deciding between two options here.”

“Here, lemme help.”

You slide yourself around to the other side of the booth, looking over his arm at the menu. He tilts it so the glare doesn’t obscure the text, pointing out the two options that have torn him.

“I like this one, I haven’t heard great things about the other though. I’d steer clear just to be on the safe side.”

“Alright, I’m not exactly hoping for this to go poorly, you’ve certainly gone above and beyond already.”

Your hand was already reaching out to move you back over to your side, but you pause, looking back up at Shinri with a smile. All the doubts from earlier fade away, beaming up at him as he just smiles down at you, soft and sweet. You’re tempted to stay on his side, but decide it’s probably better that you move around anyways.

“I’m glad you’re already having fun, although I’m eager to hear more about some of the horror books you mentioned the other day. I’ve been looking for some new recommendations.”

Like a switch was flipped, that eager grin that got you crushing in the first place returns, and he closes his menu to begin talking. You rest your chin on your hand, just listening intently as he explains a book in great detail, although trying to be mindful of any big spoilers. Try as you may, it’s hard to pay attention the whole time when he just looks so happy and pretty while he talks. A few times you catch yourself staring before breaking yourself out of it with a nod. Whether it was appropriate to the conversation just then is up to the gods, but he doesn’t seem to be deterred so clearly you haven’t done anything offensive yet. 

The two of you pause your conversation only to order and receive your food, thanking the waitress as she makes her rounds to refill your beverages. Certainly worth the price tag, and you make a mental note to tip her extra tonight. Shinri gets you talking about the science of coffee, and why you prefer some drinks more than others. You don’t even quite realize you’re rambling until you catch his eye, and you swear it twinkles. It catches you off guard, but the smile you do in return is not something you could hold back, even if you tried. 

The food is good, and the company is even better. Your waitress comes by again and you think it’s to offer refills, but she places down two pieces of their chocolate cake in front of the two of you.

“Oh, I’m sorry, we didn’t order dessert-”

“I know.”

She walks off before either of you can further protest, leaving the two of you to just laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Well, I guess we got free cake.”

“I’m certainly not complaining. I see why you enjoy this place.”

Admittedly, the cake is really good, and it rounds out your meal well. She returns with the cheque, and you make sure to tip her well. You offer your hand to Shinri again, which he does take this time as you walk back out to your car.

“Want me to take you home? Or…?”

He stares at you, blinking questioningly. Oh, he’s a little dumb.

“Home’s fine. Unless you have something else planned?”

“No, just wanted to be sure.”

Damnit. You get back in your car, taking him back to his apartment. Insisting on walking him back to his door, you internally hope you can steal a kiss from him when he heads inside. You watch as he unlocks the door, turning back to you and giving you a hug. It envelops you, and you can’t help but get a face full of titty before moving your face, no thanks to his open button up. 

“Thanks for tonight, I had fun. You want to do it again sometime?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Have a good night!”

He waves back at you as he closes the door, and you make it back to your car, lowkey pouting about your lack of kiss. Maybe next date.

…

Sorrel catches Shinri as he makes his way back into the apartment, grinning like a fool.

“So? Did you bang? At least kiss?”

Shinri freezes, now realizing what you meant in the parking lot, and why you probably walked him to his door.

“Fuck…”

“SHINRI.”

[spiced-koi-friend]

Heist Of Tears

Gabriel is attending a charity auction with you, and is determined to make this night memorable even if you'd rather not be there. Unfortunately, it becomes memorable for all the wrong reasons.

[You really didn't think I was going to let this be all nice things all the time, did you? Gotta have a little drama.]

Assassin!Goldbullet x Politician!F!Reader, TW: violence, gun shots Words: 1654 | Rating: R | AO3

The two of you step up to the doors of the venue, with him taking a moment to fix your hair before holding the door open for your entrance. He steps in behind you, resting a hand on your waist as you walk in, looking for your seats. You take your time being polite and greeting other guests, despite not hosting this yourself. It’s been the first time since the debate that you’ve gone to an event like this, and you’d be lying if you were to say you were anxious about it. You know that Gabriel has a pistol strapped to his ankle, which certainly helps with your anxieties but not by much. Although you know damn well that he is checking every window and door before the two of you walk past it, not knowing if you have any lingering enemies.

When you catch him glaring a little too intensely at another guest, you drag him away by the hand and find your seats amongst the crowd. You’re not a fan of being in the middle of a row, but at least you have him sitting with you. There’s casual chatter around you, but you’re really here to make your donation, make sure your appearance was noted, and then go home. Most of the auction items are out of your price range regardless, so it’s not like you’re vying to buy them out. 

Gabriel catches you fiddling with your bracelet, although he’s not fairing all that much better as he fidgets with the feather charm on his necklace. He slides his hand down his thigh, sneakily grabbing your hand and squeezing it tight.

“Are you okay, baby?”

“I’m fine, I just still don’t like crowds.”

“I know, we’ll be okay, I promise.”

You take a deep breath and relax your shoulders, laying back a bit more relaxed in your chair. He’s still on the alert, looking around for any potential threats. Part of why he keeps his necklace in hand is to use it as an improvised fiber wire. He tries to casually nod to the guest on his other side, but he knows if he were not holding your hand he’d be picking a fight with anyone that so much as looks at him funny. 

He raises his arm when you tug on it, can’t help himself but smile as you lean yourself against him. His hand rubs your upper arm, holding you close and trying to keep you warm in the giant empty space.

“Do you want my jacket, baby?”

“I’m okay for now, Gabs.”

Gabriel smiles with a shake of his head, kissing the top of your hair soft enough to not mess up your hair before going back to looking around. There’s a glimmer of something that keeps catching his eye, but flashbacks of how he lured you out hit him and he gets nervous at the idea of investigating. Part of him is guilty in case someone else is in danger and he can’t protect them because he’s protecting you, but he really can’t lose you. He doesn’t realize he’s squeezing your waist, staring out the window across the room where something keeps flashing him across the eyes. 

“Gabriel, breathe. There’s nothing out there.”

A gavel hits the top of the auction podium and you jump, and he has to stop himself from grabbing his gun before accidentally shooting the auctioneer. You grab his arm and pull him back into his seat, handing him the betting paddle in case there’s anything actually worthwhile. He fiddles with it, tossing it in his hand and somehow not dropping it despite not paying attention to it. You resume your spot under his arm and just watch as they bring the items on the stage, although get intrigued at a jewelry piece. He knows it’s out of your price range, but there’s something tempting about getting it for you.

Gabriel raises the paddle and your eyes go wide, not expecting him to actually use it.

“Gabriel, what are you doing!?”

“Don’t worry, I got it, cutie.”

The two of you speak in hushed whispers, trying not to gain the attention of onlookers around you. No one else seems to really be going for the piece, and he snags it after a bit of bidding. He stands up as people clap for him, getting out his chequebook and writing them the winning amount as he takes the piece off the pedestal and back down with him, placing it around your neck. People notice and start cheering louder, making you want to disappear entirely from view.

“I’m gonna kill you later…”

“Love you too.”

You try and ignore the fact that he just dropped hundreds of thousands of dollars on a necklace just to put it around your neck, but you can’t help but notice how heavy it feels, knowing damn well it’s worth that much and probably more. Does he just, casually have large quantities of money that he just chooses to not talk about? Is that why he keeps insisting on paying for everything? Your salary as a mayor is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but you certainly start wondering how much he has stashed away when he could just drop that amount like he’s fucking Bruce Wayne. 

Your fingers graze along the jewels in the necklace, and you start coming around to the idea a little more with each passing moment. Gabriel glances down at you, pushing your hair out of the way to show it off more. You swat at his hand, but he snags it and kisses your knuckles in a way to divert your playful aggressions. You wish you could say you weren’t in love with him at this moment, but it’s rather hard not to be when he has but on this whole show of being the utmost gentleman to you. 

A banging on the door alerts everyone in the hall and he moves to block you from view, placing a hand on you to make sure you are still there as he watches. Several masked men make their way into the hall, fighting with security as people start fleeing away to the nearest exits. Gabriel grabs his pistol and scoops you over his shoulder, jumping over the chairs and making a break for the fire exit. He kicks the door open and the alarms start going off, making it out with you.

“Gabriel! Move-!”

He dives to his right and sends you flying onto the grass, meeting face to face with a would be assailant. It seems to be that they only now seem to recognize the two of you, moving to run but he sweeps their legs out from beneath them and stomps on their back to wind them just enough for him to get you up again and start running to the car. Seeing as you’re still wearing heels and he’s much faster, he scoops you up into a princess carry and just sprints across the lawn, jumping over the small wall and landing on another car before running on the lower sidewalk. The two of you get to the car and he starts scrambling to unlock the doors, when another masked man makes his way around one of the cars and starts making a beeline for the two of you.

You notice him first, not having enough time to warn Gabriel before your instincts kick in, and you snag his gun and shoot the man in the arm, sending his own weapon flying. Gabriel’s head shoots up at the sound of the gun shot, looking at you in terror as you nearly drop the gun onto the ground.

“Go- we gotta go- now-”

He shoves you into the passenger seat with his gun thrown in the backseat, sliding over the hood and climbing in the driver’s side. The man is running at the car, and Gabriel full speed reverses into him, flattening him onto the asphalt and goes speeding off onto the roads, traffic regulations be damned. It isn’t until the two of you are nearly on the other side of town that he pulls off onto the side of the road in the parking lot of a quiet little diner that he finally looks at you. You’re shaking, probably have never shot someone before. And here you were, looking like you’re on the verge of breaking down.

“Hey, hey baby. You’re okay. We’re safe.”

He pulls you over the center console and into his lap, holding you tight to him. Your tears finally fall and he catches them on the front of his dress shirt, frowning at how your makeup smudges and mascara stains run down your cheeks. All he can think to do is crank up the heat and give you his jacket, hoping that it’s enough to make you feel comfortable and safe as he hums to you. 

“You want me to call Ruze?”

“No… he’s busy on vacation…”

“I don’t think he’s too busy for you, baby. Knowing him, he’s itching for just some sense of normalcy and will take any opportunity to hang out with us.”

You sniffle as you shrug your shoulders, and he decides to text Ruze about the situation. All he gets back is a chocolate bar, pizza, movie projector, and a thumbs up emoji. He knows better than to argue with Ruze on food, so he decides to let it slide. He drives through a fast food place and gets you a drink to stop your tears, encouraging you to take sips the whole way home.

“Ruze is on his way over, you did great. I’m so proud of you.”

“I almost killed him!”

“But you didn’t. If he’s dead, it’s because I hit him with the car. And hopefully, that’s the last time you will ever handle a gun. I promise next time, it will be pulling that trigger.”

“I hope so…”

[spiced-koi-friend]

Corsets

The two of you have to attend a charity auction while the rest of the office is busy with other business, and he decides to show off something special he had been saving for you.

Assassin!Goldbullet x Politician!F!Reader, TW: none Words: 1185 | Rating: R | AO3

You got some confirmation from Ruze a few days later that Bettel was safe and staying with a friend, even if you’re avoiding messaging him as you have no idea if his phone has been traced by his mysterious pen pal or not. Several of your men did have to head out in a rush after Ruze got a panicked phone call from Bettel’s brother, leaving just you and Gabriel in the office alone. You knew that he’d be plenty of protection for the two of you, and it certainly didn’t stop him from trying to get cozy with you as you worked. 

“You’re quite clingy, you know.”

“I’m supposed to be, kinda helps me know where you are all the time.”

“You know what I mean.”

As you sit with him on a couch on one side of your office, he tilts your head back to give a soft kiss before letting you resume your work. You check the time, groaning as you realize you forgot about something important.

“Fuck, that charity auction is tonight…”

“Need a plus one?”

“I was bringing you either way, whether you liked it or not.”

“I would never not want to spend time with you.”

Gabriel holds you a bit closer as you close your laptop, discarding it onto the nearby cushion as you lean back against him, holding his arms in place.

“So what is the dress code?”

“Just traditional fancy shit, I’ll probably be in a dress or suit, you’ll be in a suit-”

“You don’t think I can pull off a dress?”

“I never said that.”

He laughs hard enough to shake you as you lay against his chest, and you can hear the smile in the way he sighs.

“I do have a new piece I wanted to try… may need your help getting into it though.”

“Are you sure I’ll have something to match?”

“Oh, we’re at matching levels now? Really taking our relationship to the next level, baby.”

“Oh hush. And yes, I want to make sure that we’re not clashing at least if you’re gonna be clinging onto me.”

“Yes ma’am.”

…

At home, Gabriel digs through his closet, looking for a particular piece he had gotten commissioned a while ago. He was going to surprise you with it, and thought that now was as good of a time as ever. His fingers work quickly to button up his dress shirt as he hears you bustling about in the bathroom, changing into the dress he pulled out for you. He refused to let you see his outfit prematurely, but promised he would help you match with him. His shirt is a little tight, but it’s the least of his worries for at least right now. 

He pulls the corset out of his closet and pulls it on over his head, getting it to sit right on his body before grabbing the cords in the back to tighten. When he grunts at the initial tightening, he sees you pop your head in the doorway just to see your eyes go wide. Gabriel grins at you over his shoulder, readjusting just so you get the full view of it tightening and enhancing his figure. The eyes you’re giving him say a lot more than what your mouth is letting leave your lips.

“You like it, baby~?”

“Gabriel.”

He leans against the wall so you can see how his shirt barely covers any of his chest, and he can see you struggle to keep your eyes on his face as your cheeks heat up. Your hair is half done with your dress not fully zipped, meanwhile he looks like he just walked out of a men’s warehouse fashion show.

“I’m gonna kill you for this…”

“Aww, don’t be like that, sweetheart.”

“This is a charity auction, Gabriel! Not a whorehouse!”

He can’t hold back his laughter as you stomp out of the room again, and he finishes up with retrieving his jacket and starts with his accessories. When he’s sure you’ve had long enough to cool your blush, he saunters into the bathroom to fix up his hair. He glances down at the makeup on the counter, considering his options.

“Could you do my hair while I put on a little eyeliner?”

“I think I’d rather smack you with the curling iron.”

“Baby, do you really not like it?”

You look up at him indignantly, choosing now to stare at his chest before back up at his face.

“Of course I fucking like it! Now I gotta act like the full grown woman I am while you’re out here being eye candy I’m not even allowed to look at!”

“I promise I’ll take you out afterwards, and you get me all evening in this. Is that enough of an apology?”

“I guess…”

Despite your pouting, a kiss to the lips clears any further grievances you have with him, returning a smile to your face. He decides to discard his own needs for a moment and help you with your hair, getting it to sit right and zipping up your dress as you handle your makeup. He puts some braids in his hair with some metal adornments, curling the ends of his hair and bangs. A light trimming to his beard and he picks up the eyeliner pencil, smudging it along his lash lines and grinning at you when he’s done. 

To him, you’re the most gorgeous thing he’s ever seen. Without thinking, his hands are immediately on you, feeling along the detailing in the dress. His gaze returns to your eyes, and he swears under his breath as he knows he’s gonna have to hold off on kissing you if he doesn’t want to smudge your lipstick.

“Do you want help with your shoes?”

“You don’t have to.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

You hold your heels in your hand, rolling your eyes as he snatches them from you and gestures for you to sit on the edge of the bed. He gets down on one knee, feeling like a deadly Prince Charming returning the slipper to his own Cinderella. He fastens the straps and slides his hands up your skirt, laughing when you squawk and push his hands away, playfully smacking him.

“Gabriel Baxter! You horny man!”

“Not my fault you look so good.”

“It is precisely your fault! You chose this dress!”

You got him there. Still, he grabs his jacket and holds out his arm for you, walking you out to the car. He opens the door, moving over to drive the two of you to the auction. Throughout all the times he’s driven the two of you, you’ve gotten used to his habits. Even still, he has started picking up on little things. He’ll turn on the seat warmer or turn down the heat if he notices you look uncomfortable, or put on some quiet music if he can tell your mind is racing. It’s hard to get him to stop worrying sometimes, but he just wants to make sure you’re safe and happy. Beyond just it being his job.

[spiced-koi-friend]

Third Pizza Wheel

Ruze crashes by your place, not all that long after Gabriel fucks your brains out. Luckily, you're rather amusing like this.

Assassin!Goldbullet x Politician!F!Reader, TW: none Words: 1093 | Rating: M | AO3

Gabriel groans as there’s a knock at the door, leaving you on the couch as he goes to check the peephole. Ruze stands outside, checking his phone.

“Fuck…”

He throws clothes on, tossing a blanket over you as you’re fucked out, just giving you a slight bit of dignity. He then grumpily opens the door, looking down at Ruze.

“I hope you have food, because you have just the worst timing.”

“Who the fuck do you think I am? What’s wrong, something up with her majesty?”

“Uhhh…”

Gabriel glances behind him at you on the couch.

“She might be a little space brain for a bit.”

“Ew. Well, I hope your astronaut likes pizza.”

Ruze enters in, spots you on the couch, and throws the pizza boxes on the counter. Gabriel moves to scoop you up in the blanket, taking you back to your shared room and getting you dressed in some clothes. He just hopes that Ruze is choosing to stay blissfully ignorant enough to not look at the living room too hard. He returns with you, setting you down at one of the kitchen chairs, before moving to clean up the rest of it all. 

You blink blankly at Ruze, who just looks at you, almost impressed.

“Damn, you really did a number on her, Goldie.”

“I won’t give you details, because I know you’d rather die than hear about it, but she definitely deserved it.”

Ruze just stares at you, wondering what in the cinnamon toast fuck you did to “deserve” this when you had been keeping everyone from disturbing Gabriel as he napped at work. Although Gabriel is correct, he really fucking doesn’t want to know. He slides the box across the counter with your favorite pizza, watching in mild amusement as you stare at it, puzzled. 

“It’s like she’s never seen a pizza box before.”

“It happens. Funniest thing she’s done is when I tried to pat her on the head, she grabbed my hand and put it in her mouth. Her impulse control was just gone.”

“Oh damn, I would’ve paid to see that.”

“And I’m sure she would have killed you the following day.”

“Worth it.”

Gabriel returns from the laundry room, sitting down next to you and drags you closer to him. Your eyes droop as you nearly fall forward, exhausted from everything you were put through. Even Gabriel isn’t fully back up to speed, nearly dropping his box and walking with a bit of a stagger.

“I’m glad the two of you have a fulfilling sex life, but it makes shit really difficult if I want to bring over food.”

“There’s a neat thing called a phone, use it.”

“Nah. This is still funnier.”

Gabriel groans, crumpling up a napkin and throwing it at Ruze. It hits him in the head, earning Gabriel a look of offense.

“HEY!”

You can’t help but giggle at the two of them interacting, nearly falling over into Gabriel’s lap as you dissolve into laughter. The two of them watch you, with Gabriel trying to support you into sitting back up. But it is as if your bones are made of noodles, and it’s incredibly difficult to keep you upright when you’re cosplaying a ragdoll. 

“Oh no, you broke her.”

“I told you it wasn’t a good time!”

“I brought pizza, it’s fine.”

“Ruze, you can’t keep doing this.”

Their arguing is interrupted by your face coming in contact with your closed pizza box, making a loud “thud” and denting the cardboard slightly. Neither of them have the composure to keep in their laughter, although Gabriel helps you sit up again.

“Alright baby, I’ll help.”

He opens the box for you, tearing one of your slices into smaller pieces that you can grab easily. You stare at the pizza with wild curiosity, nearly falling face first into it again before Ruze catches you this time.

“Maybe we shouldn’t be eating in here if she has all the skeletal structure of one of those wiggly fuckers outside car washes.”

“That’s not the worst idea…”

He scoops you up as Ruze grabs all the pizza, bringing you back into the living room. He kicks a stray set of handcuffs under the couch, hoping Ruze didn’t see. Gabriel lays you back against his chest, resting your pizza box in your lap as his is on the coffee table. Ruze takes his usual spot in the nearby armchair, stealing the television remote to find something entertaining on. You are slow to eat your pizza, but slowly gain the muscle control to eat more consistently, picking up the second slice shakily. Gabriel supports your hand as you make a little “nom”, which makes him chuckle in turn. 

“I can see why you liked her so much you didn’t want to murder her.”

“Yeah? You saying you never had a crush on her?”

“Nah, never did. I’m not into that mushy shit.”

“Uh-huh.”

Ruze glares at Gabriel, before turning his attention back onto the television. He lands on a bug documentary, to which Gabriel just sighs. You’re just completely enamoured with your boyfriend, staring up at him and giggling on occasion.

“Hi~”

“Hiiiiiiiii~”

“Ew, you’re getting all cutesy again.”

“You showed up at our door with pizza, wanting to hang out, Ruze. Did you really expect the couple you’re friends with to not do coupley things?”

“No I fully expected it, I’m just still gonna complain.”

Gabriel groans as Ruze cackles, and he has half a mind to throw his crust at him, but that would be a waste of crust. And he is not about to waste perfectly good food like that. 

“One day you’re gonna get a partner of your own, and maybe you won’t be stuck babysitting us all the time.”

“Bullshit, I am incapable of love as a principle. You cannot ever get rid of me.”

“We’ll see…”

“What the fuck does that mean, motherfucker!?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, bug boy.”

“Shhhhhh…”

They’re both startled from their arguing at you shoving your finger against Gabriel’s lips, getting him to hush. He just watches as you pull your hand back down, rolling onto your side and snuggling in against his chest. He can’t help but sigh with pure admiration, rubbing your side as you settle in. Ruze sneaks a photo of the two of you and sends it to Gabriel with a wink, going back to his bug documentary. 

Hopefully Ruze doesn’t plan on crashing on your couch for the night, might be a tad sticky if Gabriel missed a spot. 

[spiced-koi-friend]

Sleepy Sluts

Gabriel is a sleepy boy, but he always has energy to whore out a little.

[Bit of a cut to black, but I thought it was too funny to not just leave it there.]

Assassin!Goldbullet x Politician!F!Reader, TW: none Words: 1348 | Rating: X | AO3

Kinks: oral sex (reader receiving)

Work was overall rather uneventful, with Gabriel taking a brief nap in your chair as you got some work done on your laptop. At least you can guarantee you’re not gonna get kidnapped or anything along those lines when he has you firmly in his arms. He rested his chin on the top of your head, and there were a few times where you had to lean back a little bit in order for him not to fall on top of you. Perhaps it wasn’t the most professional, but the fatigue was hitting him pretty hard, and he’d pout if he didn’t get to go home with you at the end of the day. 

The rest of the boys were uncharacteristically quiet as they noticed that Gabriel was asleep, with normal correspondences that would have just been a quick chat in your office changing to emails since you were a tad, trapped. Ruze has been making up for Bettel’s absence as they find him a temporary replacement while he’s out of the country, so he came in with a drink for the two of you, holding his coffee in his hand as he exited back out your door. 

You felt bad when you eventually had to wake him up, not wanting to be trapped forever nor have his sleep completely ruined. Because unfortunately, you were getting tired too, and he was not helping. You passed him off to Ruze to go make him take a walk outside as you finished up your work, chugging your coffee to at least attempt to postpone your nap. When he returns, he just continues to look exhausted, but at least he’s vertical. You guide him by the hand to the car, making him an honorary passenger princess as you drive the two of you home. 

He’s stumbling a bit as you guide him up to the door, sending him straight to the couch as you put your things away from work. You re-emerge from your bedroom in different clothes, to him pouting at you through half-lidded eyes. 

“There’s no way you’re this tired from just Ruze’s visit this morning, did you sleep okay last night?”

“Not really, not that it’s anyone’s fault, baby. Just slept lighter than normal.”

“Well hopefully an uninterrupted nap will help, yeah?”

He purrs in your hands as you move behind the couch, brushing out his hair and putting it up into a low maintenance bun. Your hands move to hold his cheeks, scratching under his chin and tracing along his undercut. When they glide down his neck into his shoulders, you hear him grunt in pain as you try to work out the strained muscles there. They’re rather tight, and you try to be mindful of where it hurts the most, making mental notes to put some heat there later to hopefully assist with loosening up those knots. Luckily with him sitting down, and you standing behind the couch, you’re able to at least somewhat get the leverage you need to put more weight into your actions without needing to stand on something. 

His head falls back and he looks up at you with tired eyes, closing them as you cup his face again. A certain softness that he only reserves for you, letting his guard down when he knows he’s safe in your arms. You kiss his nose and move back around to sit on the couch, moving a throw pillow against one of the arms to lay across the couch. At first he tries to bring your legs over his, but you retract your legs with a small smile. You pat your chest, grin growing.

“C’mere, I want snuggles.”

It takes a moment for it to process for him.

“Yes ma’am.”

He flops on top of you with a little “oof”, quick to wrap his arms around your waist and bury his face in your stomach. You resume the soft scritches to the base of his neck, feeling him grumble and purr as he drifts off to sleep again, with you following not far behind.

…

You kept squirming underneath him, jostling him awake. At first Gabriel panics, dreading it being another nightmare. But when you whimper his name in that begging tone only reserved for his ears, he realizes you’re having a very different kind of dream. He crawls up your body, listening closer to the mumbles that escape your lips, softly kissing your cheek as he tries to figure out how to soothe you.

“Baby, hey, you’re dreaming sweet girl. Why don’t you tell me what you want so I can hear those begs properly this time?”

He hides his face in your neck as the soft sounds that escape you send a shiver up his spine. He’s not gonna be able to stay this close to you if you keep this up, but he doesn’t particularly want to leave you when you’re like this. Deciding to try again, he pushes himself up, shaking you a little bit.

“Babes, c’mon now, wake up. You’re dreaming.”

Your eyes crack open and you look at him deliriously, still trying to take in everything as someone freshly awoken. Gabriel can’t help but smile at you, noticing how cute you look when you’re like this. The blush on your cheeks still remains as you realize what you were dreaming, and that he probably knew too.

“Hey there cutie, you gonna tell me what that was all about?”

“Uh- uhmm-”

Poor thing can’t even get a word out, not having the energy to hide behind your usual bratty shield. He can’t help but grin down at you, noticing how you eye him, his lips being a particular fascination with you.

“I can make it real, just gotta tell me what happened.”

You struggle to form the words you need to say, so he decides he’s gonna try and figure it out.

“Do you… wanna try a new position?”

You shake your head.

“No? Hmmm… well I can’t read your mind, sweet girl.”

He moves down your body, planting soft kisses, only to stop when he hears you gasp when he’s about to kiss the inner part of your thigh. His eyes peer up at you curiously, but the fanged grin he shows proves that he knows what you want.

“Oh, so you want to be a sweet treat for me? Is that it?”

When you spread your legs a bit wider around his head, inviting him in, his eyes scan you like a predator. Your cheeks burn red but you’re not too dumb to decline an offering when it’s given. He’s quick to help you strip, and he doesn’t just stop with the ones he needs to remove. Gabriel admires how you squirm under his gaze, marking hickeys on all his favorite parts of you. He settles on his stomach between your legs again, raising an eyebrow at you.

“This is what you want, right, baby?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Good girl.”

One of your legs gets thrown over his shoulder while the other is pinned beneath him, alternating between squeezing your ass and your thigh as he slips his tongue between your folds.

…

You have no idea why he wanted you to strip all the way, but you’re not given much time to ponder when he drags you further down the couch so he can claim you properly. Your fingers dig into his scalp as his tongue and lips move to devour you, with him only coming up to breathe purely to suck dark marks on the inside of your thighs. With the hand that was keeping one of your legs over his shoulder, his fingers find their way to your clit. They’re rough, prompting you to grind against his face as he growls against you.

“Gab-briel-”

He lifts his head, wiping off his mouth with his arm before kissing your thigh eagerly.

“Yeah~?”

You want to curse him out as you feel your edge fade away, forced to watch him rub his scruff against your sensitive skin.

“Gotta use your words, baby.”

“Bastard-”

Ope, well, now you’re fucked. 

[spiced-koi-friend]

Pancakes

Ruze gives both you and Gabriel a rude awakening in the morning, but at least he has bribes.

Assassin!Goldbullet x Politician!F!Reader, TW: none Words: 1129| Rating: M | AO3

“Good morning, fuckers! Hope you slept well!”

Ruze bursts into your room, waking up both you and Gabriel, who has to restrain himself from throwing his bedside knife at his best friend. You just move to cover yourself with something, Gabriel throwing his sweatshirt over you for you to put on.

“Ruze, what are you doing in my house!?”

“That’s not important, I brought breakfast!”

“Get out of our room, Ruze.”

“Oooo, Goldie’s grumpy! Wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?”

Ruze’s shit-eating grin briefly fades as the knife is thrown at him anyways, cackling as he escapes out to the kitchen.

“I’m taking away his key…”

“I already did! I don’t know how he got in!”

“Goddamnit, Ruze…”

Gabriel stands up with a grouch, splashing water on his face as he tries to make sense with the mess that is his hair. You take the opportunity to put on some clothes, although you’d be lying if you said you weren’t staring at your boyfriend as he grooms himself in the bathroom mirror.

“You’ll spoil your appetite if you keep staring at me like that, princess.”

“Oh boohoo, I’ll live. Not my fault you’re pretty.”

He blushes, still not quite used to being called “pretty” yet. It’s one of the few things you can still hold over him, and you relish in it often. Once you’re both more presentable, you exit out to your kitchen to spot Ruze at the counter, reorganizing a lockpicking set. 

“Motherfucker.”

“At your service! Now eat your pancakes before they get cold.”

He shoves two takeout boxes towards you and Gabriel, going back to his lockpicking set as he eats his own pancakes. You’re a little exasperated, but unfortunately this isn’t terribly out of character for him. 

“Did you seriously break into our home to have breakfast with us?”

“I tried knocking.”

“That’s- alright. Whatever. Thanks for pancakes.”

“You’re welcome! Couldn’t let them get cold.”

Gabriel just stands by the coffee machine, passing out mugs of coffee once it’s done and sits down at one of the stools at the counter. He’s not too much of a talker until he’s more awake, but you tend to appreciate the quiet mornings, when you get them. Today is not one of them.

“Mind if I intrude on your morning jog this morning, Goldie?”

Gabriel just shrugs, not particularly opinionated either way. Right now his only two thoughts are you, and food. At least a man has his priorities. Ruze zips up his lockpicking set, sliding it back into his pocket as he tosses his takeout container into your trash, sticking his fork into the dishwasher. He leans back on the counter, sipping his coffee with a soft smile. 

“Any word from Bettel yet, Ruze?”

“Nah, although he made me promise to take care of his brother if he needs it. Obviously I’m not gonna leave him hanging like that, so I’ll handle it if it comes up. Until then, we’re all chilling until we hear otherwise.”

“It almost sounds like you care about Bettel’s wellbeing.”

“Why the fuck wouldn’t I!? Only I get to threaten that clown!”

Fair enough. Interesting reasoning, but fair enough.

“Just let me know if there’s anything I can do to assist. I think I have a meeting with the chancellor of the public schools in the area today, but otherwise I’m pretty free.”

“Yayyy, field trippp…”

Gabriel nearly faceplants into his food, which you stick out your hand in front of his face to prevent.

“Maybe, but you need to wake up a little bit more before we end up doing anything of the sort. Maybe go hop in the shower when you’re done with your food?”

He grumbles in agreement, leaning a little on you as you’ve finished your food, resting his head on yours. You scratch your nails against the scruff on his chin, hearing him make happy grumbles as he melts a little.

“Ew, affection.”

“You broke into the house of your dating friends, it’s gonna happen Ruze.”

“Still, gross.”

You simply roll your eyes, never quite understanding his logic. You manage to keep Gabriel awake enough to finish his food, and once he’s out of the room taking a shower, you get up and stretch yourself out, picking up the slight bit of mess from the night before.

“You know Ruze, if you just wanna hang out, you can just ask. You don’t have to break into our house with pancakes.”

“Yeah, but this is funnier.”

“It’s also how you get knives thrown at you.”

“That’s part of what makes it funny! But don’t worry, next time it’ll be waffles.”

You groan, clearly not getting through to him. He simply cackles at your misery, thoroughly proud of the chaos he has sown into your home. Gabriel returns looking a little more awake in his running gear, signalling to Ruze to get his ass up or to be left behind. You use the time the boys are gone to get ready for work, going with a simpler outfit since you really don’t feel like wearing something with a lot of pieces. Just a simple blouse with slacks, and some comfortable boots that still look professional. You let the two boys hop in the shower again before you all head out to work, arriving within minutes of each other. You’re pretty sure Ruze was trying to race you, but you weren’t exactly looking to get a speeding ticket today. 

“You’re no fun…”

“Oh no.”

You roll your eyes with a laugh, entering the building and making your way to your office. You greet the other boys as they walk past, spotting Gabriel and Ruze moving to the locker room to put on their gear as you sit back in your executive chair. Your email inbox is empty by the time Gabriel returns, sneaking his way behind you to steal kisses.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m okay with that, as long as you’re the one calling me that, baby.”

He loosely wraps his arms around you as he hangs over the back of your chair, looking at your computer screen. You reach up, patting his cheek before continuing with the same scritches you gave him earlier. Gabriel ragdolls a little bit, putting more weight on your rolling chair and pushing it in a little with you still in it. Something you’ve come to learn he really only does when he’s really happy being near you. 

“Kiss?”

He leans down as you tilt your head up to smile at him, giving a quick and soft kiss to your lips before pulling away with a tired smile.

“Still a little sleepy?”

“I’ll be fine, I just might take a nap on the couch when we get home.”

“I might join you.”

[spiced-koi-friend]

The Devil Within

You perhaps teased a bit too much, and Ruze told you to get to running. One way or another, you're losing leg privileges.

Rogue!Ruze x GN!AFAB!Reader, TW: blood Words: 2806 | Rating: X | AO3

Kinks: pred/prey, blood kink, feral behavior, bondage, glove kink, nipply play, knife play, bite kink, blood as lube, monsterfucking, forced orgasms, size kink, mild creampie, unprotected sex, soft ending

MINORS/AGELESS BLOGS DNI

Your legs ache and your lungs burn as you run through the forest, only sparing the occasional glance behind you as to not trip over any roots. The wet marshes fill your nose with the pungent reek of rot and must, but you press on further. Your footfalls splash in the puddles and pools as you make your way through, feeling the wind whip around you and your heart beat out of your chest. It’s hard to hear anything over your heavy breathing, but you know he can’t be that far behind. He’s a hunter, and you know it’s only gone on this long because he wants it to, he enjoys the chase.

Ruze has been stalking behind you for a while, not needing to go all that much faster than his normal pace to keep you within his sights. The way you spin around to see where he is, not knowing where he’s hiding amongst the logs and trees brings a grin to his lips. Just waiting long enough for your legs to start giving out, where you can no longer carry yourself any further. When he can just close in behind you and you can’t even squirm away. He’s an endurance hunter, and he always gets his prey. 

You think you trip on a root before you’re pulled up by your ankle, dangling upside down above the forest floor. A vine stays wrapped tight around your ankle, immobilizing you as you can now see a figure approaching you. His cackle echoes against the trees, eerily haunting like the fog that disguises all but his frame. As he comes into view, he leans against one of the nearby trees, looking at you with great hunger and amusement. He doesn’t drop his hood yet, only offering a small glint of purple to prove his piercing gaze has never left you.

“Well isn’t that cute? Caught a little bunny in my trap.”

“You set up traps!? You fucking bastard!”

“Ha! Guilty as charged!”

Ruze steps up to you, getting in your face before booping you on the nose roughly, watching as you begin to sway from the tree branches. He circles around you, taking in the sights and admiring how well the vine is holding you. The blood is draining to your head and makes it swim as you try to keep your eyes on him, struggling through how your vision doubles and blurs together the dark greens and blues that make up the environment surrounding you.

“Giving up already? Usually you have a bit more of a fight in you.”

“Get. Me. Down.”

“Ah ah ah! I didn’t hear the magic word!”

He sneaks up behind you and grazes his fangs against your neck, sending a shiver up your spine, making your hair stand on end. Your arm swings around to smack him, but he easily ducks out of the way with a smug chuckle.

“If you decide to be polite, I’ll consider not letting you go face first into the mud.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Wouldn’t I~?”

You manage to turn just enough to see him leaning against a tree again, fiddling with one of his daggers between his fingers as the vine holding you up stays tied taut around the trunk. He drags the blade against the plant fibers, easily slicing off the excess leaves while never breaking eye contact with you. He twists the blade and you feel yourself drop slightly, sending panic through you.

“Alright! Please let me down!”

“Mmmmm… I don’t know…”

You drop more, seeing the vine thin through the haze.

“Ruze! Please!”

“I mean, I’ll have to go over it with the council, and that may take a while…”

He slices the vine the rest of the way through, and you feel yourself drop, screaming at the startling loss of tension. You close your eyes, waiting for the impact of the ground but instead feel two arms wrap around your torso, holding you inches above the ground. He adjusts his grip into more of a princess carry, smirking as you are still far too weak to do anything past a flick to his ear.

“That was cruel.”

“That was funny, you mean.”

You go to retort but he throws you over his shoulder before you can get a word out, smacking your ass with a cackle as he begins to bring you back to the cabin. At the very least the blood is able to equalize in your body again and the world is no longer a kaleidoscope of greenery, but you know that you’re fucked any way you look at this. When he feels you start to squirm again, he wraps his arm around your legs and lashes your ankles together with one of his spare belts, tightening it with his teeth as he squeezes your inner thigh. You yelp, only further prompting him to half-heartedly bite down into your leg to get you to stop squirming. His teeth pierce through your skin, offering a small trial of blood to him that he laps up with his tongue as he shoves open the cabin door. His tongue almost feels rough against your skin, yet he doesn’t let up until every droplet of blood is off your skin.

There’s a brief moment where you think you’re going to get a reprieve from his horniness, but you realize rather quickly that you are unfortunately mistaken as he flings you onto his bed, pinning you down before you can manage to roll off. He grabs your wrists in one of his hands, using a second belt to fasten your wrists to the headboard. You tug to see if it gives way at all as he stands up again, but to no avail. Ruze kisses your cheek as he climbs off of you, taking his time to take off his clothes, making you watch.

You know he’s doing it just to be a tease, taking his time with each of his buckles and gauntlets, setting them on the table with expert precision. He even occasionally goes back to readjust how they sit, anything to keep your eyes on him for longer. Ruze pulls his tunic over his head and you get to see his scars on display once again, turning around so you can watch his back muscles flex as he undoes his boots with his foot up on one of the stools.You catch him glance at you, each time that smug smirk returning to his lips as he continues to tease. When he’s finally undressed, spare his gloves, he sits back in one of the chairs, just observing you as he places his body on display. 

“Really!? You’re gonna get undressed in front of me then just sit over there? It’s not even like I’m the naked one in here!”

“Not yet, sweet rabbit.”

He nabs his dagger from before and stalks over to you, climbing onto the bed with a knee on the belt holding your ankles and a hand on your chest. Biting on his tongue, he slowly cuts your clothes off of you, watching intently as more of your skin is gradually exposed. All your ruined clothes are cast onto the floor, biting his dagger between his teeth as he sits back and smooths his gloved hands over your body. His fingers graze over your clit teasingly soft, moving upwards to cup your chest within his hands. He pinches both nipples tight, rolling them against his thumbs as your back arches off the bed, whining at the teasing touches. His dagger gets spat off to the side, looking far too eager to be using it on you.

“You’re just too intoxicating like this… makes me wanna keep you here all the time.”

“...fucker boy…”

“And that’s why I don’t.”

Ruze slaps the side of your thigh with a cackle and he undoes the belt around your ankles, throwing one of them over his shoulder while he moves your other thigh over his hip. He drags the flat of his tongue up your leg, digging his nails into your skin to keep you still. His fingers flip his dagger back into his hand, taking the chance to bite into your calf before dragging his blade up your thigh, leaving a stinging trail of blood in its wake. You hiss at the pain, digging your nails into your palms to redirect the sensation. His eyes almost flutter as he drinks from your calf wound, groaning as he watches the blood from your thigh drip lower. You can see a hunger awaken in him as he drinks greedily, moving his fingers to prod their way into your cunt.

The leather and calluses on his fingers are rough against your skin, working you open and swiping up some of your own blood to aide in the process. You watch his fingers disappear into you, trying not to react too much to what he’s doing, knowing that’s exactly what he wants. He won by cheating, he said nothing about there being traps in the forest. And he has been nothing but an ass since getting back. You will not give him the satisfaction of knowing he’s affecting y-

He adds another finger and watches as your back arches, crooking them inside you just to see that poor, dazed look on your face. Ruze knows your body inside and out, as any hunter would know their prey. Here you are, laid out on his bed and at his mercy, knowing that he won you fair and square, and he’s going to enjoy you as he sees fit. He speeds up his fingers, only taking a moment to clean them off before gathering more of your blood and shoving them back in. You aren’t even given a moment to think about what’s going on, because he won’t let you. Just be a pretty bunny for him, that’s all he wants.

When Ruze deems you prepped enough, he takes what remains of the blood on your thigh and the slick he’s collected from your cunt and lubes up his cock, rock hard from the show he’s been puppeteering you into putting on for him. He grinds against you as he bends down to kiss your chest, leaving bloody lip prints wherever they’re pressed as he pushes in. His hands go back to holding your legs in place, even if you’re now partially folded in half, he still wishes to show you who won, who’s stronger, that he could hunt you down over and over and still get his prize. His left hand squeezes your ass as it drags you back down to his hips, fucking you up the bed with malicious delight. 

Your wrists try to resist against the leather belt keeping them together, but it holds fast and makes you feel stretched out as Ruze alternates between roughly thrusting you up and yanking you back down. Your body twists and squirms as his lips close around one of your nipples, sucking and licking to just hear you moan his name. Perhaps he gets a bit of glee knowing that if you had your hands free, you’d be pulling his hair and trying to turn the tables on him. But not today. Your cunt squeezes around him, tightening to try and get him to slow his pace, but also feel every ridge and vein of his cock. His mouth releases only to try and meet your lips instead, growling when your teeth catch his lower lip and makes it bleed. Bleed black, dripping down his chin and onto your chest. Ruze pulls away, watching with wild lust as you lick what smeared onto your lips off in a lewd display. He squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head vigorously as if something is stuck in his ear that he’s attempting to get out.

His hips stop and his hands leave you, clutching his head as he pants, chest heaving before he cries out in pain. Shiny, black stones protrude out from his skin as he remains hunched over you, shaking as you watch horns sprout from his temples. Ruze nearly screams as inky black wings sprout from his back, and his hands turn into claws, tearing the gloves right off as a corruption spreads up his arms. In the silence that follows, he finally looks up at you, black sclera greeting you with a predatory gaze that matches no other he’s ever given you. He’s taller, looming over you as you try to squirm away, still firmly on his dick. You manage a glance at where the two of you meet as you feel yourself stretch, noticing that the corruption continues even down onto his cock, with purple veins crawling their way across his skin. Jagged teeth gleam at you, covered in black ichor that you so greedily made bleed from his lip. 

“Wasn’t having enough fun yet? Was that it? Or did you truly want to see what was hunting you in those woods?”

Having zero clue that he could even do this, all you can do is stammer out half an apology before he readjusts his position, enjoying how you whimper and moan as he cages you in and forces his cock even deeper in. One of his clawed hands rests next to your head, the other trailing down the center of your chest, drawing even more blood than before that he licks up, not breaking eye contact with you for a moment. All the blood loss makes your head spin, not that it deters him as he starts up his hips again. You try to squeeze your thighs around his waist, but it does nothing but perhaps make him growl, fucking you down into the poultry down mattress.  There’s no mercy left for your legs, no self-control left from keeping him from taking what he wants from you while driving you into insanity. You brought out the devil inside and now you’re paying the price.

When you reach your first orgasm, his teeth sink into your shoulder as you spasm around him, holding himself off as his thrusts lessen in intensity. You feel dazed, but don’t get to feel that for long as he starts up again. And once he does, it’s not hard to get you there over, and over again. It’s like he finds a particular kind of joy in keeping you in that endless pleasure cycle, knowing how good he’s making you feel. You shake, and whine, and whimper, but he still hasn’t cum yet, and you’re not gonna stop until he does. A sadistic glee taken in how messy you look, covered in sweat and blood, not even fighting all that hard against your restraints anymore. 

Your eyes seem to refocus as his thrusts increase in pace, nearly grinding against your sensitive cunt with how little he’s pulling out. Oh he’s close, and perhaps he picks up on how excited that makes you.

“You’re excited now, aren’t you little one? Hhh- Think you’re ready for it?”

Ruze sounds utterly out of breath, like there’s an animal inside he’s only now starting to satiate. He bites into your shoulder once again, claws piercing through the mattress cover and sending feathers flying everywhere. Every part of you is screaming and tensed, feeling him release inside you and not let up until he’s done. When he’s caught his breath enough, he sits back on his haunches, looking dazed. He’s slow to pull out, and you see his cum has turned black and now is partially spilled onto your thighs. Ruze flops down next to you with his wing covering you, twitching a little as his claw cuts through the belt holding your wrists before he fully collapses.

He whimpers as his demonic features seem to sink back in, bringing dark tears to his eyes between the pain and the sensitivity that he wipes away, revealing his normal eyes once more. He’s quick to curl around you, holding you tight against his chest as he just takes a second to fully come back to reality. You reciprocate the gesture, rubbing his back where his wings once were, despite your shaky hands. With your ear against his chest, you can hear how his grumbles turn into soft purrs, relaxing with you again. When you lift your head to look at his face again, he almost lights up with his little smile, a glimpse of his usual cocky self.

“Next time, only I get to do the biting.”

“Yes sir~!”

You giggle as he groans, pushing him away teasingly. He nearly pounces on you, ticking your sides.

“I’M GONNA GET YOU FOR THAT-” “ACK-”

The two of you fall into laughter, ending with him curled around you once again, pressing his lips against your forehead.

“I hate you the least.”

“I hate you the least too.”

[spiced-koi-friend]

Here's The Kicker

To save himself the mental energy of dealing with both parents, Jurard decides that for his first act as king, he will host a two-for-one special of execution and funeral for his beloathed parents.

Jurard T. Rexford, Crimzon Ruze, Axel Syrios, Octavio, Banzoin Hakka, Josuiji Shinri, Goldbullet, Regis Altare, Gavis Bettel, & Machina X Flayon

TW: beheading, graphic death, funeral, intoxication Words: 1529 | Rating: R

The following morning, Jurard takes a deep breath and exits his room. He runs his hands through his hair, not wanting to make this decision but knowing that it’s the best for him and his boys. Silently, he gets dressed and walks out into the hallways, trying to get out his nervous energy. The castle is quieter than it normally is, and he struggles with the silence. Silence leaves him alone with his thoughts, alone with his doubts and his intrusive thoughts. 

He stands at the door to his old room and thinks to himself of all the times this was used as his prison and punishment for disobeying. How his siblings would be praised for everything and he was the scapegoat. His older sisters ended up finding themselves partners, and his parents had hoped his little brother would step up and become king. Now that their father is dead, surely they’re approaching soon and will take his mother’s side as they always had. But not this time.

With determination in his footing, he goes down to the morgue for the final preparations, and follows out the gravekeepers to the plot where his father will be buried. He oversees the preparations and gets a platform built on both ends of the grave. Whether his men will go along with his plan or not is up to them, but he will make sure there is hell to pay for what his family put him through. When he storms back into the castle, the rest of the boys are awake and are preparing for the funeral. Despite their black outfits, the red of Jurard’s crest hangs on their armor and formal wear. He glances at Ruze, getting an idea before approaching.

“I want you to bring Zephyr to the funeral.”

“Wh- why the fuck would I do that? I know you hated your dad, but I think that’s a bit excessive.”

“You’ll see. Get prepared to use him.”

It’s eerie seeing Jurard so calm, when he’s normally freaking out. There’s a certain burning rage in his eyes that sends a shiver up Ruze’s spine, but he grabs Zephyr all the same. The rest of the boys get into formation for their briefing, as Jurard’s tail flicks in impatience.

“Today will be the day we bury both of my parents. We will hold my mother’s trial at the funeral. I am not willing to wait for my siblings to arrive because I know they will just stop us. As soon as they’re both in the ground, we will bury them and carry on to the coronation. Which, honestly, I’m just willing to swap out my crown and call it a day. But I suppose for the people of the kingdom, there needs to be an official ceremony otherwise there will be problems. All I ask is that you support me in my first acts as king, and make sure whenever my siblings arrive, there will be no undermining of my position.”

“You’ll do fine, Jurard. And we’ll take care of them, if they do try.”

“Why weren’t they contacted first? If your mom didn’t want you to become king in the first place?”

“Probably because she was fucking hoping to put him in the forever box too, yo.”

Jurard can’t help but laugh a little bit at Axel’s comment, but feels better with Goldie’s support. But Altare does bring up some good questions.

“My guess is the same as Axel’s. But until then, we have a funeral to celebrate. Please gather my mother and meet us out in the graveyard.”

Jurard steps out with Shinri and Goldie by his sides, with Octavio, Hakka, and Flayon taking up the rear. Bettel, Altare, Axel, and Ruze all go to Jurard’s old room, making quick work of restraining the ex-queen and carrying her out to the graveyard. But not before Axel holds her head in place so Bettel can land a good blow to her cheek.

“That’s what you get for being a little bitch!”

He stomps off ahead of the rest, even getting lost for a moment before they all reconvene at the graveyard with the rest of the staff huddled around. Jurard stands at one end of the grave, with Altare and Axel holding his mother at the other end.

“Members of staff for the Rexford royal family, we are gathered here today to descend my parents into the pit of hell where they belong. After years of tormenting people to get their way, their reign of terror today comes to a close. I cannot promise to undo everything they have done to you, or to myself, but I promise to do better than them, and treat everyone with the respect they deserve.”

There’s muttering in the crowd as his mother tries to scream, but Axel clamps a hand over her mouth. Jurard’s attention is still brought to her, nevertheless.

“You, mother, are found guilty of conspiracy to assassinate, child neglect, verbal abuse, psychological abuse, manipulation of court records, and kidnapping amongst other charges. For your crimes against myself and the kingdom, you will be executed and buried with my father. My last mercy I have for your soul.”

Jurard nods to Ruze as Lady Rexford is forced down onto her knees, with both Axel and Altare stepping back.

“LONG LIVE THE KING!”

Zephyr cuts clean through her neck, sending blood all over Jurard’s father’s corpse and her head lands at Jurard’s feet. Her body is pushed in on top of the late king, and Jurard carelessly kicks her head in on top, wiping the blood off his shoe onto the grass. He steps away, not daring to look back with a cold expression on his face.

“I hope you rot.”

…

They all get out of their funeral attire and his parents’ items are brought out into the back courtyard over the stone pavers to be burnt. With the help of the staff, they’re very quickly able to clear out the castle of anything not valuable enough to be sold, leaving the staff quarters be and allowing them to move their things into the now empty rooms on the main floor. Already it seems to feel more alive in the palace despite the fact that two people have died. 

Axel pulls his priest outfit out (no one has any idea where he was hiding it) and they set up a broadcasting camera with Octavio at the helm for the livestream of Jurard’s coronation. Not that any of them particularly know what they’re doing, but either way they were going to make the most of this. 

“Alright, uh, do you, King Rexford, take this kingdom as your responsibility and duty to protect?”

“I do.”

“Perfect. And, I uhhh… hold on these are my wedding vow notes… fuck it. You may now kiss the bride or whatever.”

“I’LL DO IT!”

Hakka comes sprinting over from out of frame and kisses Jurard on the cheek, leaving the room to erupt in cheers as Jurard looks as embarrassed as he possibly could be. So excited for that to be the front page news tomorrow…

Their celebrations start immediately once the crown is placed on Jurard’s head, dragging him out into the back courtyard to put the torch onto the giant burn pile, watching the bad memories and trauma go up in smoke. He did it, he survived it all. He made it to kinghood and didn’t have to sacrifice having his friends by his side. Throughout it all, they were his true family that stood up for him and wanted him to succeed. The night is filled with alcohol and loud music, hanging up the banners and crests across the castle to make it known to all that arrive that Jurard is the new king and will not be quiet about it.

Late into the evening, there’s a commotion at the gate and it leaves them a bit confused through the intoxication sloshing in their minds. Jurard goes out, trying to pull himself together enough, to figure what is going on.

“Well I am the p- Jurard! Tell your staff to let us in!”

Jurard squints at the figures on the other side of the bars, now recognizing them as his siblings and their spouses. He can’t hold back his laughter, wiping tears from his eyes as they look on with rage and confusion.

“You really think I’m going to let you three in? After everything you did to me? Fuck back off to your kingdoms where you’re actually wanted, if that.”

“We’re here to see mom! We have the right to see our parents!”

Jurard’s eyes glow as he turns back from walking away, cockiness gleaming in his smile.

“Oh haven’t you heard? The queen is dead. And you will be too if you bother me again.”

His siblings stagger backwards as Jurard’s men drag him back into the festivities, and his guards escort them off the premises. He left that part of his life behind, and will make damn good on his promise if they ever show their faces at his castle ever again. Plus…

…he has a kingdom to run, gods damn it.

[spiced-koi-friend]

Heart Strings

Trying to rescue Bettel, the boys come across evidence that will let them get Jurard's mother out of their hair, perhaps permanently.

Jurard T. Rexford, Octavio, Gavis Bettel, Josuiji Shinri, Axel Syrios, Crimzon Ruze, Machina X Flayon, Regis Altare, & Banzoin Hakka

TW: attempted murder, false imprisonment, fighting, actual imprisonment Words: 1342 | Rating: M

Ruze just watches out over the balcony at the courtyard as he hears the others talking in the room behind him, seething with irritation at this whole situation. Were it not for the fact it’s made out of stone, he’d be making a dent in the railing with how tightly he’s squeezing it, trying to not cause property damage. He turns around when Octavio comes bursting into the room, covered in soot with stray pieces of duct tape all over his body. But he gives himself a little bit of hope when he sees the bright smile spread across Octavio’s lips.

“So! I managed to do the ritual, and now I can see all the strings! It’s a little weird, seeing how you’re all connected now, but I think I can- what the fuck is wrong with Bettel?”

Bettel is barely not frothing at the mouth, ferally struggling against now both Shinri and Axel who try to keep him away from Jurard. It’s, quite the sight.

“Jurard’s mom cornered him and like, fucking brainwashed him, dawg.”

“Oh, I see that now…”

Octavio approaches Bettel, tugging on something invisible that then appears in his hand, a bright red string. Ruze’s eyes go big, remembering how he felt, watching her tug on his as he couldn’t do anything. Bettel slumps forward, gasping as he tries to clutch his throat, sputtering until Octavio lets go, horrified at the reaction that earned. Bettel catches his breath, but looks severely out of it. Everyone else just watches Octavio as he carefully follows the thread out the door. Flayon and Altare follow close by, weapons drawn as they walk through the dark corridors, not sure where Lady Rexford could possibly be. 

Octavio winds his strings around the heart string, letting them follow it as they weave together. They approach the chamber of the ex-queen, and all halt. Outside the door hangs the string in mid-air, tangled with a dark red one, as if it lost its spark of life long ago. The three look at each other, speaking in hushed voices.

“Okay, so we need to untangle the strings without alerting her, but we absolutely cannot cut his in the process. That could possibly kill him.”

“Alright, is there a good way to untangle them without endangering him?”

“Hold on, I got an idea.”

Flayon’s tail flicks as he moves around, inspecting the knot closer. With precision, he wriggles the point of his tail into the knot, loosening it very gradually. Altare stands with his back to them and sword drawn, sweating as they try to get this done as quickly as possible. Octavio manages weak control over the heart strings, unwinding the long forgotten one until it falls to the floor and Bettel’s, glimmering with life, snaps back to him. The three let out a breath as they know they did it, when they hear a sound of triumph from inside the lady’s chambers.

They all dive out of sight behind some armor stands as she shrieks for one of her staff. Waiting to get scarce after they’re no longer in line of sight. But Flayon is far too curious.

“The string just snapped! Oh, that should mean my good for nothing son is dead, or his friend! Tied my dear old husband’s soul to their connection, rather strong one the two of them have. Too bad it all went to waste…”

The three look at each other, horrified but unable to emote for long before needing to hide again, Lady Rexford and her servants walking past as she nearly skips with glee. It’s truly something else to watch her be so malicious in action, but none of them are particularly happy with just letting this be. They trail behind them, gradually snatching away her accompanying staff so she’s isolated.

So caught up in herself, Lady Rexford hardly even notices. Octavio leaves them in a linen closet tied up in strings as the three make it back to the room, and they can hear the smoke coming out of Ruze’s ears as he listens to Jurard’s mother talk out in the courtyard. Jurard looks only slightly better, but not by much. Although Bettel is now laying out on his bed, looking exhausted and pale.

“Did it work…?”

“Yeah, zero out of ten, worst experience of my life…”

“Well, glad Bettel never lost his sense of humor through all that brainwashing.”

“Okay well, that’s all fine and dandy, but she’s currently down in the courtyard because she thinks Jurard and Bettel are dead. But we have enough evidence that we can arrest her right now.”

“Flayon, define evidence.”

He just grins at Shinri, who already looks like a tired dad.

“Just some kidnapped witnesses in a linen closet.”

Shinri looks at Altare, as if he was supposed to stop this from happening, but just gets a grin back from his guild leader. He just sighs, shaking his head to go back to tending to Bettel. 

“Did they already take away their bodies? Where could they possibly be!?”

Lady Rexford is so loud at this point, they can all hear her loud and clear. Ruze glances at Jurard, who looks more irate than upset by the moment. He stands up, standing in the doorway to the balcony facing Ruze.

“You know I care, dude.”

“I do, even if you’re awful at expressing it.”

“Let me make it up to you then.”

Jurard tenses up at his mother’s shrill voice again, his reptilian features appearing as he takes a deep breath to calm himself.

“Alright. One chance. As my war general.”

Ruze just grins, bowing to Jurard and turning around on the balcony and whistling for Lady Rexford to look at him. A few of the boys join them on the balcony, wanting front row seats to the shit that’s about to go down. 

“Sup bitch! You’re hereby being arrested on the counts of treason and conspiracy to assassinate! Men, get her!”

She screams and starts running as he jumps off the balcony, with Hakka, Altare, and Axel following close behind. Hakka flips in front of her, blocking her way with his spears as Axel wraps his chain around her ankles to trip her up from behind. As she tries to push herself up, Altare points his weapon right at her throat, a hair’s width away from doing some serious damage.

“On the behalf of King Jurard Rexford, Guild Tempus, and the Armis Bloodhounds, you have chosen the wrong men to mess with.”

“TRAITORS- OBEY YOUR QUEEN-”

She tries to fight back as Axel and Ruze hold her up off the ground, grimacing as she tries to knock out their legs out from underneath them with her tail, to no avail. None of her guards move, and she realizes that no one around her is willing to help.

“Your trial will occur before the funeral, as King Rexford would prefer one burial if possible.”

Lady Rexford tries to fight back, but when her eyes meet her son’s, the truth of her consequences set in. There he stands on the balcony, leering over her, eyes glowing gold as his scales glint in the evening light. His tail flicks in distaste, dismissing her in a wave of his hand as they begin dragging her away.

“JUJU! Please, don’t do this to your mother! You know I only wanted what was best for you!”

He holds up his hand, and they halt.

“You wanted me on that stone below your feet. You’re lucky you are not meeting that same fate. Some of us, have mercy for our family, Julianna.”

The other boys go quiet as Jurard strips down her titles to nothing more than just her first name, stepping away in a cruel silence before she starts screaming for him again as they take her to Jurard’s old room, trapping her inside, in just the same way she did to him months prior. She pounds and claws at the door, but Jurard just stands outside and frowns, walking away quietly. 

“Sleep well, mother.”

[spiced-koi-friend]

Tensions

Lady Rexford tries yet another way to get under her son's skin, and this may be her most successful attempt.

Jurard T. Rexford, Gavis Bettel, Banzoin Hakka, Crimzon Ruze, Josuiji Shinri, Axel Syrios, & Goldbullet

TW: mind control, screaming match, familial trauma, attempted murder Words: 1412 | Rating: M

After her son walks away fuming, Lady Rexford steals back to her chambers, irate in her own right. Her staff trail behind her, anxious for what she may do. Breakables get thrown around, causing shards of ceramic and splinters of wood to go flying across the corridors. Unfortunately, this isn’t abnormal for the ex-queen to be throwing such a tantrum. She screams and curses, no longer having her husband around to calm her down. The staff end up retreating away, afraid of being injured or even killed by the rampaging royalty.

She slams the door to her room, storming to her desk and opening the drawers. Inside is a ball of red thread, no longer the vibrant hue it once was. The fibers are frayed, and the strength isn’t nearly what it was before. But that’s what happens when the soul is cut from a person. Mayhaps, she’ll be able to bring a new usefulness to her late husband’s old soul string, perhaps to strengthen her hold on another one of her son’s friends. She grins as it winds around her fingers in mesmerizing loops, before holding it taut, like a tripwire ready to ensnare. 

…

Bettel wanders the corridors, a bit lost as to where the bathrooms are. He’d use the one attached to his room, but after that display Jurard put on, he’d rather do his business somewhere less volatile. His hand graces along the detailed molding on the walls, using it as a guide to where the hallways may connect. He eventually finds where he’s been looking for, and enters quickly after checking the hallway around him. Perhaps he’s a bit paranoid, but after finding out Jurard’s mom tried to hit on Ruze, he feels at least a little bit justified. 

As he goes to exit the bathroom, he’s alarmed as a hand slams against his chest, forcing him back inside. His hands hit the cold tiles as he catches himself from getting fully flattened against the floor. Lady Rexford looms above him as she steps in, caging him inside the small room. His eyes shake as they try to take in everything.

“H-Hey you-ur majesty! Uh- sorry! I‘ll just be going!”

She just sneers as he tries to get up, stomping on his sternum to get him to fall back down. His hands clutch his chest as he tries to gather his breath again, feeling an awful burning sensation like something inside him is getting tugged out. His eyes open to see her tugging on a red string coming out of his chest, horrified as it’s entwined with another. He can’t breathe, feeling faint with panic, the color draining from his face. She seems satisfied when the two are finally conjoined, and she yanks him up onto his feet. 

“You will get my son alone on a balcony, and push him off. And once the job is done, I will let you free. But don’t try any funny business, I can just as easily snip this one just as I did with my husband.”

Oh shit. Oh fuck. Bettel tries to resist it, but just feels himself nodding as if not entirely in control of everything. Almost in a trance, his thoughts slip away as he goes to find Jurard and complete his orders. Lady Rexford just watches in malicious amusement, not deterred from trying anything to ensure the throne stays her own.

…

“Hey, has anyone seen Bettel?”

“Uhh… I think he was gonna go find a bathroom or something?”

As if right on cue, Bettel comes stumbling in, eyes locking right on Jurard. 

“Hey buddy, get lost on your way back?”

Hakka tries to place his hand on Bettel’s shoulder, but gets brushed off passively. Ruze stands up, moving in front of Jurard as Bettel makes a beeline for him. Shinri blocks Bettel as well, holding him back as Ruze tilts his head, trying to figure out what’s wrong with his friend. 

“Dude, what’s your problem? Shit your brains out or something?”

Bettel doesn’t even make eye contact with him as he mutters something, unintelligible to all of them. 

“Bettel, why don’t you sit down? You look more tired than usual…”

Shinri tugs on Bettel’s arm but is met with wordless resistance, far stronger than he should be physically capable of. Ruze and Shinri exchange a quick glance before the jester is unceremoniously lifted into the air, kicking and biting Shinri as his gaze is finally taken off Jurard. Everyone watches as Bettel just becomes more and more hostile and violent, with Shinri just wincing as he tries to hold on tight.

“Yo, Bettel, man! What the fuck is up with him!?”

Axel stands up as Shinri has to hold Bettel upside down to save his hands from the biting. Ruze just watches in horror, glancing back at Jurard who looks scared out of his mind. The two nod to each other, as Ruze crouches down to try and figure out what’s wrong with Bettel. He grabs Bettel’s head, forcing it still despite the attempts at violence. Despite the murderous gaze, his eyes are completely glazed over.

“Hey Jurard, does your mom dabble in any like, mind control?”

“Not that I remember…?”

“Well something tells me that Bettel isn’t all there right now, and your mom is to blame.”

“Great… and she pulls this right after I just chewed her out for what she did to you!? The fuck is her problem!?”

“If you don’t kill your mom at this rate, I’d recommend you have her committed or something at this rate. This can’t be healthy.”

“Really. You’re telling me that trying to kill your son and his friends isn’t healthy? What a fascinating revelation!”

Sarcasm drips from Jurard’s clenched teeth like fresh blood, tail swinging in frustration as he begins pacing. Ruze just rolls his eyes, standing up as he lets go of Bettel.

“Why can’t we just take care of her altogether? Get rid of her once and for all?”

“She’s still my mom, Ruze!”

“A real shitty mom! Did the traumatic childhood, the kidnapping, the forced marriage, and now going after your friends not give that away!?”

“It’s not that simple!”

“Oh really!? Explain to me how it’s not that fucking simple! Because as far as I see it, it’s as real fucking simple as an axe to the head!”

The room goes quiet, spare Bettel’s continued resistances as they try to restrain him safely, as Ruze and Jurard get in each others’ faces, screaming at each other.

“She’s still my mom, Ruze! Imagine you trying to kill your own parents!”

“At least my parents had the decency to not pretend they cared about me, so I never had to! I’m not gonna be here to save your ass every time that she tries to pull this shit every time! I thought you were better than this, than dragging the rest of us into your family shit!”

“IT WAS YOUR IDEA TO COME HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.”

“BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT WE WERE GONNA FUCKING KILL HER AND WE’D BE DONE WITH THIS SHIT, I MISS MY FUCKING FRIEND, THE ONE WHO WASN’T TOO SCARED TO ADVENTURE WITH ME ANYMORE.”

Even Bettel quiets as Ruze stands there panting, enraged. Jurard just falls silent, tears in his eyes and tail drooping behind him. 

“Get that piece of shit under control, I’m gonna go kill a bitch-”

“Ruze, don’t-”

“GET OUT OF MY WAY, GOLDIE-”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Ruze glares up at Goldie, who just stands in front of the door, arms crossed. The two know that they’re willing to fight this out, but Ruze realizes that he might have the others against him too, so he backs down.

“Good. Seems like everyone is really tense right now, and not following the rules that Ruze put in place. Including Ruze. So we’re gonna do things my way now, because I’m done seeing my boys get hurt, and hurt each other. Jurard, Ruze, I want you to stay in here, but far away from each other until the two of you can cool off. Until then, Bettel is clearly struggling, and he takes priority, am I understood?”

Ruze grumbles as Jurard just moves to sit in the corner, curled in on himself with his tail holding his legs in. Goldie sighs, pushing for Ruze to go chill on the balcony for a bit. Good gods, this is gonna take a bit to resolve.

[spiced-koi-friend]

Gravedigger

Jurard decides to confront his mother about her actions, and everyone is a bit surprised at how serious he's taking it.

Jurard T. Rexford, Crimzon Ruze, Goldbullet, Axel Syrios, Regis Altare, Octavio, & Machina X Flayon

TW: screaming match, mentions of death Words: 1128 | Rating: M

Safe to say that Jurard did not take the news of his mother’s advances well. Thankfully not in the way that Ruze feared of having a full on breakdown, but rather rage filled if he were to describe it simply. His hands balled into fists and his eyes flashed gold, losing control over his reptilian features through his anger. Goldie had to hold him back from just storming out of the room and handling his mother himself, as many of them were not sure how well it’d look to the public if shortly after his father’s death, Jurard went and murdered his mother not all that long afterwards. 

“That fucking bitch! Who does she think she is, doing all of this! She probably was the one that killed my dad at this rate, not that I particularly blame her, he was a piece of shit. Don’t you also think it’s weird that she didn’t invite my siblings, or the fact that she isn’t acting like she’s grieving at all? It doesn’t feel right, none of it does.”

“Okay, hear me out, what if your dad isn’t actually dead and this is all a ploy to get you back here to kill you again?”

Everyone turns to Axel, who raises some questions that none of the boys had really given some proper thought to. Sure they all had the thought in passing, but the longer they spend here, the more it feels like a reality.

“So what do we do to prove it? Sneak into the mortuary and steal Jurard’s dad’s corpse? Stick it on a pike?”

“As much as I’d love to do that, I don’t think the kingdom would be super happy if I did that.”

“Or maybe they would be! You don’t know for sure.”

“I also didn’t know that my mother would stoop so low as to try and seduce my friends. You said that she had these string things, right Ruze?”

“Yeah, they were like Octavio’s, but bright red.”

Jurard looks to Octavio, who is looking closely at his own strings.

“Whatever magic your mother has engaged in, she is not meddling with normal strings like I am. She was literally tugging on your heart strings. When we make a connection with someone, there’s an otherworldly string that ties your hearts together to show the spiritual and emotional connection. It seems like your mother has done some sort of ritual to let her see these.”

“Is there a way for you to be able to see them too?”

“I can try, but I can’t make any promises unfortunately. Give me some time, candles, and some duct tape.”

Octavio gathers the supplies and disappears into his room, leaving the rest of the boys to deal with the other issues.

“And what if she tries again? She definitely seemed like she was going to.”

“Then we’ll protect you.”

“Fuck no! I ain’t no coward that needs protecting!”

“Ruze, this woman is dangerous, and we don’t know what she’s capable of. Last time you confronted her alone she tried tactics we hadn’t prepared for. I love you man, but flirting is not your forte.”

Ruze looks at Goldie, defeated in knowing that he’s right.

“Alright fine, but don’t get all fussy if I stab her.”

“If anything, just make it quick and we’ll see if we can toss her in dad’s coffin while we’re at it.”

Jurard looks like he’s struggling with all this information. He already knew the worst of what she was capable of doing to him, but there’s a certain anger that rises in him when his friends are brought into the crossfire. And no one messes with his friends while he is king.

“Stay together, and stay away from her. I will handle all interactions with her from now on. I don’t trust her near any of you. Somebody go stick with Octavio to make sure his ritual is not interrupted. Goldie, Altare, come with me. I have a meeting with my mother I need to attend to.”

Jurard storms off, looking royally pissed, so much so that his crown nearly falls off his head. Everyone else looks at him as he walks off, with Goldie and Altare walking closely behind as to not lose him in his determined strides down the halls. His heels click against the stone floors as he bursts into the throne room, glaring down anyone in his path.

“MOTHERRRR-!!”

Goldie and Altare were thankfully far enough away to cover their ears and still save some of their hearing from Jurard’s screech for his mother. You could hear a pin drop before the sound of clicking heels coming from an opposing hallway gets closer, and Lady Rexford enters the throne room. She looks shocked, if not a little scared. 

“Yes, Jurard…?”

“What in the fresh FUCK do you think you’re doing going after my men!? Summoning them to your chambers!? Trying to fuck your son’s friends so soon after your husband’s death isn’t too low for you!?”

The ex-queen freezes, but rage bubbles beneath as she realizes she’s been ratted out. 

“You know how lonely I can get, sweetie, and with your father being go-”

“First: don’t you fucking dare call me “sweetie”. Second: my general came back disgusted from what you did to him, using magic to get him to kneel to you? Really? Think it’s really appropriate to be power-tripping when I can have your head on a pike by morning!?”

The threat makes her clutch her chest, looking hurt and afraid. But Jurard doesn’t seem to care.

“Go near my men again, or try that bullshit again, and I will make sure your execution is a grander event than my coronation. You have my fucking word.”

Jurard spins on his heel, still seething as he beckons Goldie and Altare to follow, who were more just standing there to be emotional support, and potentially stop Jurard from physically lunging at his parent. The two exchange a glance, both impressed that he could get that aggressive and also a little scared, admittedly. Both make a mental note to never truly piss him off. They get back to the room where the rest of the boys were meeting, and they all notice Jurard’s new composure.

“Y’know, with how loud you were, I was honestly expecting you to come back with a bit more blood on you.”

Flayon is laying on the bed, kicking his feet, looking a tad disappointed at the lack of gore. 

“For now, that’s for the best. Although Jurard certainly did promise loads if she tries that again.”

“I will execute her personally if she tries that shit again. I swear on my father’s grave that I will bury her there, so help me gods.”

“...noted.”

[spiced-koi-friend]

Mama's Boy

Goldie helps Ruze process what happened and gives him the strength to tell the others.

[I felt bad for putting my boy through that, so here's this. With platonic cuddling as a treat.]

Crimzon Ruze & Goldbullet

TW: mentions of predatory behavior, guilt Words: 929 | Words: M

Ruze gets back to his room, still on the verge of tears, and closes the door behind him. He nearly yells when he spots Goldie just chilling, now looking concerned as Ruze looks far different than he did when he left.

“Ruze? You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He moves over to his side of the room, removing his armor and occasionally scrubbing his cheek vigorously with his hand. Goldie just watches, trying to put together the words that he wants to say. Ruze sends several of his knives into the wall, and Goldie stands up before another sharp object is thrown. He sets a hand on Ruze’s shoulder, dodging out of the way as Ruze flings his fist right at his face.

“Ruze. Chill, man. What the fuck happened?”

Ruze tries pulling away, but Goldie firms his grip on his shoulder.

“Ruze. Talk to me.”

It just takes a second before the dams break, and the tears Ruze was holding back just start falling freely. Goldie is quick to wrap his arms around his chest, pulling him close and just let Ruze cry it out. He just stands there silently, letting Ruze spill out everything that happened. Part of him is grateful that Ruze isn’t watching his face, as his face very quickly goes from concern to horror to anger. That’s his boy, and you don’t fucking mess with his boys.

“Hey, hey. Let’s sit down. Take it one step at a time.”

He helps Ruze sit down on the edge of the bed, moving his arm around Ruze’s shoulders and rubbing his arm to try and soothe his friend further. 

“But like, I just couldn’t fucking move! It was like she had some sort of spell over me! And I can’t fucking get rid of the feeling of the lipstick off my face!”

“Here, hold on.”

Goldie licks his thumb, wiping Ruze’s cheek, now red with how hard he’s scrubbed his skin. He uses his cape to wipe it again, watching Ruze’s shoulders relax as he holds his face in his hands.

“I just don’t know what her fucking problem is, Goldie. Why me?”

“Probably because she recognizes that you have a lot of power, and she wants to have you on her side because she sees you as a threat to her plans. Like yes, she very clearly has power in this situation too, but that doesn’t mean that you’re powerless. You’re still Elysium’s greatest monster hunter. You’re still Jurard’s war general, and still our friend. You’re Crimzon Ruze. This won’t keep you down, and it won’t stop you from killing her.”

“Yeah… if anything I wanna kill her more now…”

“Exactly! And so what if she threatens everyone else, if we tell them, then they’ll be on their guard.”

“But it’s my fault that we’re all here in the first place! I was the one that convinced Jurard to agree to come!”

“And if you hadn’t, his mother would have come to power anyway and would have put bounties on our heads. It wasn’t a winning situation. Just like last time. And you’re still here, and you’re as strong as ever.”

“I don’t know if I can tell Jurard what happened.”

“Why not?”

Ruze pauses, looking at the floor.

“I don’t want him to think of me any differently because I was stupid enough to think that I could face his mom alone after telling everyone to not go off on their own.”

“I don’t think he will. He lived with his mother until he eventually ran away, and even then it was several years until he met the rest of us. He knows what she’s like. If anything, he’ll probably apologize on her behalf and get the anger and courage to face her himself.” 

“Is that even a good idea!?”

“You know he cares about all of us, Ruze. And if this gives him the strength to stand up to his family after decades of being too scared to, I don’t see that as necessarily a bad thing. There’s nothing to be ashamed of for feeling like you’re not strong enough to protect yourself. We protect each other, we have each others’ backs.”

“I’m not ashamed of shit!”

“...uh-huh.”

Ruze goes to deny it again, but a look from Goldie shuts him up quick.

“That’s what I thought. We’ll work on it, I’ll get you better at asking for help.”

“Ayo, don’t you go threatening me now!”

“As your wife, I get to do whatever I want!”

“You’re not my fucking wife!”

“So we’re getting a divorce now?”

Ruze falls back onto the bed with a groan, earning a heartfelt laugh from Goldie who falls back next to him. They lay there in silence for a bit, before Ruze breaks the silence.

“Y’know, I appreciate you, Goldie. You don’t make me feel, weird, for being sad. Or frustrated. You feel safe, and I appreciate that a lot.”

“Of course, dude! I know you’d do the same, and it’s the least I can do for my boys.”

Goldie pulls Ruze into a hug, who squirms like a cat refusing affection. He eventually stops, giving up and going limp on top of him. Goldie can’t help but laugh, shaking his friend laying on his chest in the process.

“I will make sure you know you’re cared about, Ruze.”

“I know, motherfucker! Now let me go!”

“Nah. You need this.”

Ruze grumbles, swearing under his breath but relaxes all the same. As long as the others don’t come barging in, he’s okay to stay like this for a while.

[spiced-koi-friend]

Temptress

Ruze uses every skill within his repertoire to protect his men, but the tactics of Lady Rexfordicus are not of those he anticipated. Now he's scared that he's not strong enough to protect them on his own, and he realizes that he dragged them all into a far more dangerous situation than he thought, and his only option is to play along.

[This is a lot of Lady Rexfordicus being creepy so this is a warning to those who may find that upsetting. Yes, they're both still adults, but there's still a clear power imbalance here.]

Jurard T. Rexford & Crimzon Ruze,

TW: predatory behavior, non-consensual kiss to cheek, power imbalance Words: 1382 | Rating: R

The guards open the gates for the boys as they enter in on their horses, with Ruze leading the charge and protecting Jurard from the front. He snarls at one of them as they get too close, eyes flashing for a moment from behind his mask. His gaze nearly pierces through them, making them stumble backwards to get out of their way. Lady Rexfordicus stands at the front doors, face void of emotion but there’s rage building behind her eyes. Ruze sizes her up, choosing to puff up his chest and straighten his soldiers, letting his bulked out armor do the majority of the intimidating. She eyes him a bit, making him feel rather uneasy when he catches a glance of amusement from her. 

“...Mother.”

“Jurard.”

The two glare at each other before she spins around, silently beckoning them all to follow. Axel comes to Ruze’s side, passively spinning his chain whip in his hands, also putting in effort to look extra intimidating. After how everything went last time, none of them let their guard down for even a moment, knowing any weakness shown can and will be exploited for Jurard’s mother’s gain. The castle is eerily quiet in comparison to the bustle of the wedding, only their footsteps and the clang of their armor to echo through the halls. They’re led out into the throne room, with the crown of the late king sitting in the same seat where he once was. His sceptre sits next to it, leaning against the arm. The same crown and sceptre that will be what Jurard wields after his coronation. 

The queen splits off from the rest of the group, letting the servants show the boys to their rooms. 

“The crown prince is to be left in a private chamber in accordance to his mother’s request, he-”

Ruze cuts them off by sending Zephyr into the wooden door, sending splinters and wood chips onto the floor.

“I suggest you remind Lady Rexfordicus as to where her place is in all of this. The prince decides his own accommodations, and any arguments will be dealt with sharply.”

He pulls Zephyr out of the door, blowing any dust off the blade before meeting the servant’s eye again. They swallow, looking wide-eyed at the axe before silently nodding, running out of the hall and leaving them all to figure out their own rooms.

“Ruze, you don’t need to threaten everyone just because we’re in my family’s palace.”

“I don’t want them to think even for a moment that we’re letting them get any leeway in this scenario. If we don’t control the situation, that’s how we get the wool pulled over our eyes by your bitchass mother. I’m not letting her get at any of us, especially you.”

He turns around to the rest of the group, scanning the hallway for the amount of rooms.

“Everyone double up. I don’t care who is with who, but no one is to be left alone at any time. Keep armed, and stick with the group.”

There’s quiet chatter amongst them all as they choose their roommates, leaving them all to enter their rooms and investigate them for traps. Axel and Altare, Octavio and Flayon, Shinri and Hakka, Bettel and Jurard, and Ruze and Goldie. Ruze grumbled as Goldie insisted that Ruze should share a room with his “wife”, realizing that playing Shinri’s parents for the wedding is not something that’s ever gonna be let go. 

…

The servant comes sprinting into the private chambers of Lady Rexfordicus, looking white as a sheet and shaking.

“The uh- your son’s party, they’re, uh, not cooperating with your plans, your ladyship.”

She sighs, turning around and spotting the quickly crumbling strength in her servant. She simply rolls her eyes, standing up and smoothing out her skirt. 

“Send for the rude one, I’d like a word with him.”

They’re quick to nod, running back out of the room. She turns back to her mirror, picking up a deep red lipstick, taking her time with applying it. Her lips press together as she sets the tube down, capping it and placing it back in the drawer as she uses a tissue to touch up the edges. The telltale footsteps in the hallway, the contrast between the quick scurry and the metallic stomps brings a smile to her face. She moves to her bed, relaxing on the end of it as she watches the door. 

His armor has remained, but his mask and axe have been discarded. She spots several knives on his belt, quirking an eyebrow with a smirk. How cute. The servant exits swiftly and closes the door behind Ruze, and his hands very quickly close to fists. He stays across the room, not taking his eyes off of her for even a moment. 

“Oh do come in, I won't bite.”

Lady Rexfordicus smiles, letting her sharp teeth shine in the darkened room. Ruze shifts his weight, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“I’m quite fine here, thank you. What do you want?”

She huffs, looking down at her nails.

“I didn’t realize that it was suddenly rude for a mother to connect with her son’s friends, isn’t that what he wants me to be? A good mother?”

She looks up at him again, catching the puzzled look furrowing his brow. He just stays silent, not playing into her words. So she decides to up the ante. Her fingers curl into her hair, twirling it as she begins winding up her strings, watching as it tightens between the two of them. His eyes go wide with alarm, reaching for his knives when she tugs, pulling him down onto his knees on the floor. Ruze opens his mouth, but she closes it quickly before he can speak another word.

“You’re rather close to him, aren’t you? You seem to care an awful lot, and I would hate for you to fail at keeping him safe.”

Ruze’s nostrils flare with anger, unable to otherwise move as he glares up at her from his place on the floor. 

“I have a deal for you, cutie. I am… rather lonely, nowadays. If you were to keep me, company, I promise that no harm will come to my son. Perhaps you’ll even become a more permanent companion if you’re good, that would at least benefit your dear friend. You give yourself to me, for Jurard’s safety. Simple as that.”

She reaches for his chin, feeling how he clenches his jaw as she brings his face closer. She leans in, speaking right into his ear.

“Otherwise, I can promise I will put all of you in your graves, and you’ll be the first.”

Ruze tenses as she kisses his cheek, leaving a lipstick print and sitting back up. She lets go of the string tied to him, letting him finally breathe. His hand immediately goes to his cheek, covering the lipstick print as his face is covered in disgust.

“Meet me here tomorrow night, or I can find you myself. I will always find you, Ruze.”

He just silently stands up, nodding before leaving quickly. She blows him a kiss as he briefly turns back, waving smugly as he moves out of sight.

…

Ruze dips into the closest bathroom, closing the door behind him and locking it. He grabs a nearby towel, wiping off the lipstick and tossing it into the garbage. His heart is beating out of his chest, making him feel like he can’t breathe all over again. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t stop any of it. He thought he could handle her on his own, but she’s different from the last time they saw each other. She’s more powerful, and he’s scared. Scared that he’s unprepared, and that there’s nothing he can truly do to protect his men, especially Jurard. He was the one that got Jurard to agree to all of this, and now it’s going to be Ruze’s fault if any harm comes to any of them. What can he possibly do?

Ruze looks at himself in the mirror, fighting back tears and gripping the sink so tight, it nearly crushes the porcelain in his hands.

“I’m gonna have to go along with it, and I don’t know if I’m strong enough…”