Hello my boy, Yoshi wants you to write a drabble about Luca finding out Reader likes to be shocked (by his hands when not wearing his gloves/ciphers he's connected to/the electric field around the cioher/etc). Thank you very much!
*not actual dialogue, probably.
Omg... look who's in my ask box...
Luca Balsa x (gn) Reader
CW: (suggestive), electricity used for teasing, inappropriate use of cipher machines, implied relationship
Don't worry, leave it to me to make your delusions reality <3
Zap! Crackle! Pop!
Things were going smoothly, the third cipher popped by the first hit and you were already starting on your next one. It was looking like a positive outcome, quick easy win and everyone could get back to the manor to rest… until Luca came running up to your cipher, that is. With him around you just know things are bound to go awry.
Luca crouches down in front of you and you glance down briefly from your typing as he huffs and titters, messing with his tools and wiring,
“What're you doing there?” You ask, focusing back on decoding. It’s not that you minded his presence, the colorful relationship you two had brought plenty of joy and excitement to your lives, you were more concerned with the progress of the match…
“Only two ciphers left,” he stands back up as the connection crackles to life, sending a shiver up your spine, “we can work here together, it'll speed things up.”
Right, stupid question. Last two ciphers, you nod, watching as Lucas hands begin to work, adjusting parts and pieces. Instantaneously the static field buzzes around you both, a ticklish feeling you can never quite get used to.
You focus hard on not messing up the calibration… the last thing you need is the hunter swapping targets when you're hoping to get out early, though you're finding it more and more difficult with the stimulating effects around you.
Its difficult to ignore, the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end, currents traveling through every nerve, you can't help the shaky breath you let out. You don't have time to react before the machine malfunctions, you try to perform a last minute adjustment but it's too late.
Reeling back wide eyed, you are stunned for a moment as the cipher recovers from the failed calibration. Your hands twitch slightly, cheeks flushing pink from the warm buzz still coursing through them,
“S..sorry!” You stammer out after a dazed second, shaking your head and trying to regain composure as you go back to typing.
Luca had surely noticed by now, but you couldn't bring yourself to look at him, pulse fluttering erratically as you struggled to continue typing. Knowing him, he’d either tease you endlessly or try to pull a move on you.
How humiliating, the field around you was bad enough but there was no way of keeping yourself collected after the electric shock that still buzzed around you, making your heart race and stomach warm.
“You seem pretty quiet today,” distracted by your thoughts you hadn't noticed Luca move until he was pressed against you, now standing behind you with his chin resting on your shoulder…
You jumped in surprise, but tried to continue to focus, letting out a sigh, so clingy… he had that teasing tone in his voice, even while tinkering with the cipher machine as he clung to you.
“Honestly I just want this match over with so we can get back to the manor and-!”
Suddenly the cipher shocks you again, forcing out a rather embarrassing sound. Another failed calibration, but not from your decoding.
"Haha wow, you're messed up,"
Whipping around you're faced with a rather cheeky looking Luca, smiling like the cat that got the cream, a mischievous little snicker as he leans in close,
[ this was just first-person experimentation, and came in at about 840 words! a little too short for my writing blog. written informally, too, with full lowercase and such. ]
~
i look down at my hands as they begin to tremble. bernard would criticise me, now, if he saw the sorry state of them - raw. bleeding and blistered, without gloves. those would just be stained anyway. do they hurt? i can’t tell. can you tell me? jugglers can’t juggle with hands like this. he told me i was an acrobat, but my movements are too sluggish to be deemed acrobatics now. my name is mike. you don’t have to know my surname.
i used to be an acrobat. the days are blurring out in front of me, and i barely remember the faces i used to cherish. would murro be angry? margie? my friends… my friends no longer. after all, nobody likes a coward and a talentless performer. they were right to laugh and jeer and snarl. joker would be having the time of his life, i guarantee, if he saw me in such a state. that snivelling fool always took pleasure in my downcast days. i was the show pony, and i revelled in the attention just as a flower soaks in sunlight.
i think he was jealous. jealousy turned to bitter words, and bitter words turned to blood. now, despite focusing on my hands, i can feel the dull ache of where his fists once were on my body - sometimes i was too slow. sometimes i got caught. i never doubted him, even when it was better to do so. safer. i wanted to scream at him, berate him for how he treated my dear friends. my voice proved too weak too often. maybe that was the first indication of my slipping - an early one, pushed to the back of my mind and left to fester until it was all too big to ignore. i’m filled with an intense regret, one that i can’t shake away even though i try endlessly to distract myself.
patting my clothes to locate the leather pouch hanging on my belts at all times, small red prints and drags mar my uniform. my nose wrinkles and brows furrow, a stark contrast to the cheery disposition all the kids would know. perhaps i’m one of those hopeful children, naive and blind to horror, because i don’t find any recognition in my own expression.
it begins to rain, fat droplets pooling in my hat’s brim and spilling down. my hands are still shaking, though i force myself to sit before i fall. there’s no reason for someone like me to be so shaky, is there? i’m headstrong and leap into danger, causing it more often than not. now, sitting against the cool ground, the tears begin to finally pour down my cheeks. i can’t say i’m unashamed, having invested so much energy into always maintaining a smile, but that’s not what matters most. the park around me is eerily silent, save for the sound of my own shuddering breaths and hiccups.
maybe they were right to abandon me here. who are “they”? does it even matter? they wouldn’t care to see me again, no matter how often i plead. my voice has died in my throat, and all i can do is sob even more. the tears carve their way through the grooves in my skin, but they can’t wash away the glaring prints of my own failures. i won’t describe to you how much this hurts: blood and ash and salt mingling together tells its own story.
for the first time in ages, i find myself able to make my own choices. despite the bitter loneliness chewing its way through my will to continue, i stand up and tip the rainwater from my hat onto my hands. it’s better than nothing to wash everything away. damage under the surface isn’t something I can fix, but my attitude is.
taking a small palette from my pouches, i busy myself in a fight with the weather, endeavouring to paint a smile onto my cheeks. the makeup drips and smears across my skin, painting a grim picture in direct contrast to my usual upbeat nature.
maybe, i think, this is what it all comes down to. maybe this is the end of the line.
this morose feeling spreads outwards from my thoughts alone, blanketing me in such a way that i find it difficult not to bow my head. looking toward the ground, i select a few juggling balls from my pouch without bothering to check if they match. dragging my feet along paths that i know too well, i climb onto the now-deserted stage of the hullabaloo grounds. a deep, shuddering breath moves through my body, but all i can think about is the blank aftermath.
no one is watching as i move through my practices, silent tears rolling. the one time i look up is to check the lights, even though i know they’ve been cracked and dim for far too long.
now, this is my final performance - i have no stage. i have no audience. i have no worth.
what do you do when you lose your muse? the figure of your greatest dreams, the one that makes random strokes on a canvas all come together, united by the emotions you put into it; what do you do when you miss that?
when the light shines through that half-cracked window, the old, yellowed curtains filtering out the sunlight into speckles that used to highlight your face like how the stars paint the sky…
i miss you.
but i don’t know who you are.
yet you make me want to keep on going, pushing, harder and harder the bristles bend as i chew on my lip in hard contemplation — portraits were never my forte.
i clear my mind, i focus, your image comes to mind and as everything clears, my eyes flutter wide open, mouth agape in confusion.
as the details i painted so cautiously shine in the sun, the texture of the paint settling and smoothed to fit my wants,
‘was it really you that i had to long for?’
‘perhaps,’ a thought drifts through my mind, ‘perhaps i should look out for you more.’
procreate + feelings = writing for edgar apparently
Saw your requests were open, so um 👉👈 May i ask for sum comfort?
Antonio and/or Wu Chang having a s/o that is a perfectionist, but one day the hunter/s find out that their s/o is actually suffering greatly from it. They want everyone to be satisfied but greatly underestimate how much they can handle
hello ! this was sorta short and i only did antonio, i really hope that's okay w you /gen take care of yourselves everyone <3
antonio x gn!reader
comfort and maybe a tiny bit of angst if you squint ?
In Antonio's steady embrace, you finally fell apart.
All the pressure, the high expectations you set for yourself, the stress, you finally let it all out.
You told him of all your struggles, the constant feeling of being overwhelmed, the need to perfect everything you do. He could almost feel the weight of it all as you collapsed more and more into his arms.
"It's alright, my love," he softly said, swaying ever so slightly. "You'll feel better soon. I am truly sorry you had to hurt for so long, but it'll be alright soon."
Slowly, he gently guided you towards your shared bed. Resting your head on a pillow and pulling a blanket over you, he continued,
"Know that you owe no one anything, that you don't owe them their satisfaction. While you might not see it, you're perfect, don't let anything make you think otherwise."
In his arms again, you mumbled a small "thank you" as he hummed a soft melody. With a soft smile, he pressed a light kiss to your lips before whispering,
"Rest now, amore. Ti amo."
"amore" translates to "love" and "ti amo" translates to "i love you" !
The loud sound of the dogs barking filled your ears as you passed by their vicinity, the cold night air harshly hitting your face. You shivered as you tried to grow accustomed to cold but with your current condition, you find that you could not. The dark of the night was the only thing you could see as you limped, making sure to put less pressure on your injured foot. You clutched your stomach trying your best to stay conscious. You knew exactly what got you into this mess but you didn't know why they were after you. You were sure that you had cut off connections with them so why were these men following you?
Your vision was slowly blurring but you tried your best to keep your consciousness with you. 'I can't pass out, they're still behind me.' You looked behind you to see them get further and further away from you. Clenching your teeth, you took a turn on the alley, running towards the house of the only person you could trust. Reaching the said house, you knocked as loud as you could, "Naib!" You clench your jaw as you looked around, wary of your surroundings. "Please... open up..."
It wasn't long before the door opened, revealing the very person you were calling for. He glanced at you, his eyebrows furrowed. "What do you..." He trailed off as he saw your state, eyes widening in shock.
"Where is she?!" You wasted no time to head inside, closing the door behind you as you panted. You wiped the cold sweat on your forehead, shivering at the sudden cold you felt. You glanced at him, offering a shaky smile as well as a nervous laugh. "Sorry you had to see me like this." You muttered out weakly, "I'll leave tomorrow morn--" As you took a step forward, your vision blurred and you felt your body weaken. You fell forward, eyes fluttering to a close due to the lack of strength. All you could remember was his arms catching you, his panicked voice calling out your name before fully succumbing to the darkness.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
When you came to, you found yourself in an unfamiliar bedroom, the sun's rays peeking through the curtains. You slowly sat up, wincing when you felt pain in your abdomen and feet. You removed the blanket that hid your form, seeing that you were all bandaged up. You scanned the bandages and saw that they were new, as if someone had just changed them. You then looked around, seeing that there was almost nothing in this house, only a large bag that probably contained all of his belongings.
You heard a knock on the door, your eyes shifting towards the sound. The door slowly opened, revealing Naib, dressed in his usual clothing with a tray of food in his hands. You saw his eyes glance at you before looking away, his cheeks flushing. You looked at him curiously, wondering why he was reacting that way. You then remembered that you were only in your underclothes, your face heating up at the thought. You hid your body on the blanket, 'I almost forgot that I'm in his house.'
He let out a cough, hoping to ease up the tension. He returned his attention towards you, placing the tray on top of the table placed beside his bed. "You're finally awake."
You nodded, unable to look him in the eyes. "I am. How long was I asleep for?"
"Three days. Lost a lot of blood. You're lucky I know how to treat those kinds of injuries."
"I know you do, seeing as our line of work is similar." You glance at him to see that he was looking at you. He gestured towards the table, "Eat. You need energy if you want to go. Clothes are over there as well."
You let out a grateful smile, "Thank you."
He waved you off, turning around to leave the room. "No problem." He closed the door behind him, leaving you alone in his room. You glanced at the food he left, seeing that there was still a bit of smoke coming from it. You smiled, standing up to get the clothes that he left you. Your eyes widened when you saw that it was almost the same as his. You shook your head as you put on the clothes, soon realizing why he likes it so much. It was quite comfortable to be in, easy to move in, and quite light on the body. You took a seat on the bed, grabbing the food that he had left you. You smiled as you ate, grateful that you had a friend like him in your field of work.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Naib woke up to the smell of something cooking in his kitchen, a scent that he wasn't quite used to smell. He abruptly sat up, alarmed by the different scent. He looked around, cautious of his surroundings. He took the dagger that he had hidden under his cloak, standing up and walking towards the sense of smell. As quietly as he could, he heads to the kitchen, peeking to see who it was that was cooking there.
Once he realized it was you, he sighed and returned the dagger to its original place. He walked inside of the kitchen, grabbing a chair and taking a seat. Noticing his presence, you turned around, smiling once you realize that Naib was awake. "Good morning!"
"Morning." He glanced at your injuries, "Shouldn't you be resting?"
"I think I should be but I figured I should at least do something to thank you."
"I told you it's fine."
You chuckled as you ignored him, continuing on with your duties. Naib placed his elbows on the table, his head resting on his hands. He stared as you cooked, listening to your melodious voice. While he didn't want to admit it, you had a voice that he'd willingly listen to all day. He then proceeded to sigh, shaking his head to remove these thoughts from his head.
He was a mercenary, someone that shouldn't be too attached to the people around him.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
'Do your job Naib. She has left the life of a mercenary and we want you to kill her. She knows too much to be left alone.'
He sighed as he remembered what he had read. In front of him was the person he needed to kill, the person that he was tasked to kill and yet, he had no desire to do so. He watched as you slept peacefully in his bed, your chest rising and falling. He huffed before looking away, his arms crossed as he gazed at the letter on his table.
He had received it the day you asked him for help. He had read the contents and found that it was something he wanted to do, hoping that it would give him the same feeling of the battlefield. While he enjoyed the life of a mercenary, it couldn't quite give him the same feeling. He sighed before standing up, opening the desk drawer to reveal his final mission. It showed your picture, along with the bounty that would be given to him if he were to kill you.
He glanced at you once more before looking at the picture that stared at him, his resolve wavering the more he stared at it. He didn't want to admit it but he quite enjoyed your company, your personality filling up his entire home. He had found his house lifeless, dull, lonely but when you came to his door one night, you had somehow changed it. At first, he didn't want to heal you, to tend to your injuries, seeing that he found it bothersome but he remembered the times you had with him.
'You're the only one I can trust in our line of job.'
You had told him one time, eyes staring into his as you smiled. He saw how genuine you were when you had told him. He scoffed as he glanced at you, heart growing warm the longer he stared. He found himself smiling when you laugh, wincing when you feel pain, and listening to your talks. It sucked really, how he had grew attached to you as you recovered but now that your injuries were healed, he can now go to the place in the letter.
'I can't stay.'
He allowed the job request to hover above the candle, the fire touching the edge of the paper. He watched as the paper slowly burned, the black on his eyes reflecting the fire that he saw. Soon, the paper was long gone, leaving only its traces. He walked towards the edge of the room, grabbing the bag and heading towards the door. He looked at you one last time before sighing as he placed the hood over his head.
'Take care, (Y/n).'
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
You woke up the next day to see him gone, each and every single one of his belonging taken with him. "Naib?" You looked around the house, wondering where the man who you were with was. When you saw that he was nowhere to be seen, you frowned, "Must be on another task." You sighed before heading to the couch, plopping yourself right in the middle. You then noticed a piece of paper on the table, grabbing it before reading.
You should be more careful about who you trust.
You didn't know what he meant by that, seeing as Naib was a hard person to read. You didn't know what to think about this, what he wanted to tell you.
"Did he leave?" You told no one in particular, eyes reading his statement once more, eyebrows furrowing the more you tried to analyze it. You sighed before looking staring blankly at the ceiling, the house feeling emptier than it should be.
'What do you mean, Naib?'
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Your hands clutched the letter that rested in your hands, eyes glancing at the letter to check if you got the location correct. When you saw that you did, you walked towards the front door, knocking to see if there was anyone inside. A few minutes had passed and there was no one that answered you so you opened the door, a barely lit interior greeting you. You squint your eyes, making sure that you saw at least something.
"Hello?" You yelled out, hoping to at least catch somebody's attention. You walked around once more, the light slowly increasing the more you headed inside. You stumbled upon a staircase, soon finding yourself heading up the second floor. When you reached the second floor of the house, you saw a figure from the distance. You approached them, hoping that they know their way around the manor. The nearer you were to them, the more they seemed familiar.
"Hello?" You called out, the stranger soon turning around. You stopped in your tracks the moment you saw him, your mind processing the person you saw. "Naib?"
Naib's expression mirrored yours however, he was able to get out of the shock faster than you could. He approached you, hands clutching your shirt the moment he did. He brought his face near yours, his body trembling in anger. "What are you doing here?! Do you really want to die?!" You gave him a tight-lipped smile, gently moving away from his hold.
"I came here to find you." He glared at you, eyes scanning your form before looking down and muttering under his breath.
"You shouldn't have come here." He huffed as he turned around, leaving you there with your eyes staring at his form, a small part of you hoping that he'd look back.
A/N: Influenced by an innocent Discord chat between @http-idv and part 1/2 of a birthday present for @identityvarchives
Quickening your pace from your rapid pulsating heartbeat, you rounded a corner before you felt a jab at your side, knocking you down. You shifted a bit, groaning before you looked up to view your perpetrator. Xie Bi’an. Wincing, you mumbled out, “Lucky shot there Bi’an. You’re not getting me again next time.”
He let out a soft smile despite his previous actions and swooped you up in his arms gently. “Bet this will make you consider what you just said,” he chuckled as he searched around for a rocket chair.
“Woah, that’s new. Well- I suppose I don’t despise it,” you grumbled, feeling a slight pink tint fade to your cheeks. Gazing up from his chest, you locked eyes with him, fueling your blush to be more prominent as he kept his eyes on you. His white locks bounced in his steps, occasionally covering his eyes, making him all the more ethereal. Shaking your thoughts off, you were gently brought down by the white haired hunter and carefully strapped into the rocket chair.
“(Y/N) quick!” yelled Fiona as you were brought back to reality. She rapidly untied you as you scurried out of the hold to run away from the hunter. “Thanks Fiona I owe you one!” you shouted whilst vaulting through a window.
Catching your breath, you made your way to a nearby cipher before you started hearing the thumps of your heartbeat again. Shit. Looking around to see where he could be, you saw a glimpse of a dark tall figure approaching you. Fan Wujiu. Scurrying towards a nearby set of palettes, you quickly pushed one down before running to the other side to protect yourself.
He sneered at you, like he always does. Raising his bell, you were about to make a sharp turn before you got caught in his trance. “Can’t run away this time sweetheart,” he teased menacingly. You started to lift yourself off the ground before you felt a sharp jab at your side. He really was relentless. Grabbing you by the back of your outfit, you were taken aback by his hostility.
Basically dragging you with an arm, you felt your legs hit the dirt as he pulled you closer to a rocket chair. “Where did this come from Wujiu? You’re making me have to do excess laundry,” you whined. “That ain’t so bad love, glad to see you like my new style.” You had the urge to wipe that snarky grin off his face.
“See you back at the manor (Y/N).” His voice echoed through your head as you were strapped in and flown towards the sky.
“Did you have to be so rough with them Wujiu?” The white haired guard sighed. “What? I just wanted to test out this new accessory. I think I’m liking it more than I should.”
Flopping on your bed next to your lover, you sighed, thoroughly worn out from today's matches. The matches had been disastrous, hunters seemingly more ruthless than usual, teammates being downed faster, and hardly getting to three ciphers before everyone was sent back. In short, today was not the most enjoyable whatsoever.
"Rough matches today?" a quiet voice murmured from next to you.
Rotating your head to face Victor, you responded with a sheepish, "yes."
"Come here," he said, as he wrapped his arms around, pulling you close. Pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead, and moving your head to rest under his chin, he continued.
"Don't worry, love, your matches will turn around. Get some rest now and we can do what you want tomorrow with whatever free time you have, alright? You deserve some time to yourself before you jump back into the game."
Tilting your head up to meet his eyes, you melted under his soft gaze before whispering,
"Okay."
The two of you stayed like that for a while, holding each other in comfortable silence. With Victor's heartbeat lulling you into a sound sleep, he pressed one last kiss to your lips before saying,
Jolting up with a sweat, you gazed around the dark room to discover that there in fact was nobody chasing you as you were blindfolded and running through a tiny cavern. Huffing out a sigh, your eyes darted around the room again to make sure of it. Your nerves calmed a bit after seeing the silhouette of a black umbrella leaning against the bed frame.
Shifting once more to get comfortable, you still felt and heard your heart pulsating through your eardrums but tried to ignore it as you laid back down. Feeling his form shift beside you, you felt a pair of lanky warm arms pull you closer to him.
“What’s wrong angel?” his soothing voice whispered whilst planting a kiss on your cheek.
“Nightmare,” you mumbled, still trying to recover from the initial shock.
His slender fingers intertwined with yours as he held you tightly against his form.
“I’m here love, nothing’s going to get you. They’re going to have to get past me first,” he reassured.
Easing into the comfort in his arms, you began to let your body loose and the nightmare fly behind you.
“Sorry if I scared you awake Bi’an,” you breathed out before shifting and turning to face him.
He slightly shook his head with a smile on his face. His silver locks that illuminated in the moonlight made him beautiful. He leaned down and planted his lips on yours as you reciprocated the action.
Pulling away, you rested your head against his chest. “At least it wasn’t Wujiu that you awoke, he would’ve probably had more of a bone to pick than me,” he chuckled.
Feeling finally relaxed, you closed your eyes and responded.
