⧼ . ⁺ 🍒៹ your boyfriend decides to help you out with some size training, but you're clenching on just two fingers sooo much ⧽
"Oh come on baby, didn't you say you were ready?"
Yeah, you did. When he wasn't buried knuckles deep and stretching you thin on only two fingers.
"I— I-I can— I just. . . oh."
A wet squelch thickened the heavy air of his living room. Splatters stained further into his black leather couches. Sure to be his favourite spot when all of this was over. For now? His favourite spot was that darling bundle that sent you grinding into his large hand all pitifully.
Alessio husked a laugh on your ear. Something low, mocking, a taunt— because it was you that begged for him. You that trotted in with that too-short-for-comfort skirt. You that plopped onto his lap, ground on him, begged for him.
And now you were crumbling? Over what? Two fingers?
"Just what?" He angled his wrist and crooked his fingers. Shifting his thrusts into cruel come-hithers that arched your spine into a sinful curve. Your needy moans stirred the throbbing on your ass.
He groaned on you ears. Grinding up into your back and subsequently rolling you into his back to thrusting— or should you say pistoning hand.
Your arousal dripped. Thick and wet and creamy down his wrist. Coating his silver and black bracelets, making them glint in the dark apartment lit by the wide balcony doors doused in the city lights.
And Alessio? He just kept going. Scissoring, snapping grinding up into that devastating spot until your eyes rolled into the back of your head and your saliva strung. Pleasure burst again, hot and white as you babbled. Pleas, begs, needs for more— everything except for stop.
"Fuck baby," he groaned into your hair, rotating his wrist again and fucking his fingers rapidly. Accentuating your sweet, squelching pussy through the darkness.
"S'fucking tight. Like you were meant for me. Just 'round two fingers?"
He laughed, rough, reverent as he smooched a wet kiss to your temple and wrangled you with his other muscled arm. Squishing your squirming form into him as he finger-pounded you through another shattering orgasm.
"Sooo big isn't it, amor?"
"M-Mhhm! Yes 'essio, s'big. So sooo big."
He chuckled, as dark and deep as his cruelly grinding fingers.
"Mm. If you can't even take two fucking fingers how're you gonna take my dick? You gonna cry like this?"
His thumb flicked up. You cried and bucked helplessly. Chasing the pleasure that assaulted every nerve. "Huh baby? You gonna cry like this while you squeeze on my dick?"
The arm around you slid higher, clamped on your shoulder and snatching your face between his blunt, dark nails. He snapped your head to him, hot, filthy tongue pressed to your cheek and licking the stream of tears. His fingers sped. Impossibly so.
"Answer me damnit."
"U-Uhuh— fuck— yes Alessio—"
And then you broke— crumbled. A mess of shaky limbs and boneless bliss. Head thrown back on his shoulder as you clawed onto him for dear life. Your pussy spasmed, tensed, then squirted in a searing stream of heat and and intensity.
You went soundless. A silent scream as you collapsed back into him. Shaky and shattered as his fingers continued their merciless mayhem.
All he did was laugh at you. Laugh and smooch your face with a crooned.
"Fuuuckk a squirter huh? Definitely need you on my dick now."
hiiii!! Would it be possible to request Norton & Naib with a fashionable S/O? Always dressed up like they need to be the hottest person at breakfast.
Thank you !
Identity V characters with their Fashionable s/o! :3
w/ Norton Campbell, Naib Subedar and Bonus ! Eli Clark
A/N : I’ll never pass up on adding Eli, love him too dearly. I tried my best hopefully this is what you wanted! :]
Norton Campbell
Norton doesn’t get why you are always dressed to nines. You both spend the day running from Hunters, why are you wearing the brightest most shiniest outfit ever.
Side by side both your outfits clash hard, you always look like your about to walk a runway and he looks like he just threw on the first things of clothing he found.
Sometimes he likes to watch you prepare your outfit for the day. Usually ends in him giving his two-cents. “You should wear this.” He’d say as he lays the ugliest shirt pants combo you’ve seen.
“Norton… those two colors don’t even go together, plus!” You then end up giving a whole analysis on what he chose and why it’s ugly.
He listens with a very blank expression knowing he’s not gonna remember why these two items can’t go together.
Even if he doesn’t get it he likes it, but don’t expect him to be fashionable alongside you, he likes to pick out his own outfits which never go with what you’re wearing.
Naib Subedar
He doesn’t really notice how fashionable you are, I mean he always thinks you look nice but he’s never really cared for stuff like that. The other survivors like to compliment you to him, and he finds that weird.
He’d been sitting at the table waiting for the others, and William approached him talking about how nice you look today dressed up very fancy like.
“Yeah, I know, I saw their outfit earlier this morning.” He doesn’t really get the fuss about how nice you dress. sometimes he honestly thinks the others are trying to make him jealous by complimenting you to him.
He’s there when you’re creating your outfit for the next day and listens to you rant about how ugly another survivors outfit was that day. Usually while scarfing down a family sized bag of chips.
“You know perhaps I could create your outfit for tomorrow as well, lord knows the last time you washed that jacket!” You say opening his closet. He shrugged shoving another handful of chips. “Go ahead.”
He doesn’t really mind what he wears as long as it’s not super like flamboyant looking. But he’ll wear matching outfits with you, even allow you to do his hair and put accessories on him.
Bonus ! Eli Clark
The first person to compliment you every day. He can recognize how fashionable you are though he doesn't look very stylish.
“This shade looks really nice on you, i can tell you put alot of thought into it!” He tries to make it sound like hes very informed about fashion.
When putting on a new costume for the first time your always the first person who sees it so you get to remove the ‘ugly’ looking accessories or what-nots
He tries to be with you when your creating a new outfit look but sometimes he likes the surprise of seeing you with everyone else at breakfast. He has no shame complimenting you infront of the others.
When making Eli look more stylish you always make sure the material of the outfit you picked is something his owl wouldn’t mind.
I did struggle with Eli’s part I didnt know what to put but I still wanted to include him!!! Hopefully whoever requested this likes it :] !Not proofread!
HI ive been brainrotting so could i req naib romantic hcs please?
hi, hope you're having a wonderful start to 2025, lovie! it's been a while, hasn't it? (so sorry i am two years late on this!)
naib subedar x gn!reader - general romantic headcanons ❤️
implied ptsd (naib's), but nothing blatantly discussed!
you're the most wonderful thing to have happened to him in the longest time. he truly, truly treasures you and deeply so.
he's a quiet lover; he'd rather let his actions speak louder, making up for his sparsity in words.
that being said, he loves doing things for you!! oh, you're feeling down today? he soon appears with your favorite drink in hand, holding it out to you, made with his own love.
(/nsx) too tired to bathe yourself? don't worry, he's gently scrubbing your back after a long day.
sometimes, he does struggle with voicing everything he feels.
the love he holds for you runs so deep, yet he could never bring himself to find a way to voice that. all he can do is hope you spot the soft adoration in his eyes as he gazes upon you.
he truly doesn't mean to make you feel unloved; if you asked him to, he would do his best to try affirming his love out loud more often.
his 'i love you's are soft-spoken, a quiet murmur in your ear as the two of you hold each other in bed.
he often gets nightmares, and you have to gently remind him that he can rely on you for comfort. you urge him to wake you up, and he softly hums in acknowledgement; in the end, it's not until much later in your relationship does he let himself wake you up.
in the earlier stages of your relationship, he felt a little guilty. he felt undeserving of your love, of finding solace in you. he believed he was the last person to deserve you.
through your love and time, though, he slowly (very slowly) grows more comfortable in the idea of being loved by you (very, very slowly, though) (did i put enough emphasis on how slow it takes)
you teach him how to look at the world with a little more love, and he teaches you how to take it all a little more slowly :)
in a normal life, outside of the manor, he'd most certainly have a picture of you in his wallet. if someone were to ask about it, he'd tell them that's his spouse/wife/husband.
only lets you mess with his hair!! oh my goodness, his hair is so soft. he doesn't really invest in haircare, but it's still so, so soft and nice. he'd let you braid it, style it, accessorize it, whatever you want (but only behind closed doors).
his love is written in the soft look he has on his face when watching you, in the comforting hold of his hand on your waist, in the little and not-so-little acts he does for you.
speaking of, while it's not his biggest love language, he likes physical touch. he'd rather give it than receive it, but he doesn't mind if you yourself are touchy (i think he just doesn't like being caught off-guard; spontaneous hugs from behind would be a no-go for quiet some time)
he likes caressing your hand, though :) he enjoys cupping the side of your face to observe your features, the face of his beloved.
love lit by candlelight, quiet moments in bed, gentle kisses on the palm of your hand; your love is a soft one :)
not proofread read at all! definitely could do better, and i honestly really liked writing for naib, so i might come back to him again...
the skidding of black combat boots screeches on the pavement and suddenly the head of your mercenary boyfriend, all-in-gear, is poking his head through your driver window. face half-covered by a high-tech mask of neon green accents and yet you can still see his charming grin as his forearms drape over the open window.
“hey cariño,” he muses. “you busy? how about we go for a romantic lil’ drive yeah?” — and before you can even question his dishevelled appearance or the sound of distinct gunshots in the distance, he’s shuffling you over to the passengers seat. hastily pulling your seatbelt over and giving your thigh a squeeze followed by a pat before slamming his foot down onto the accelerator.
“al -”
“so anyway, what’ve you been up to huh? where were you off to? paying me a little visit after earlier?” he casts an emerald-eyed wink your way as ringed fingers grasp the steering wheel. you both speed down the road, cutting sharp corners and taking a route you barely even knew.
“what the hell is going on?” you attempt, only for your eyes to widen in realisation. head whipping to glance through the back window. “are you seriousl —”
“hey hey hey — no no,” one of those hands slips from the wheel and finds your face instead; thumb and forefinger gently pressing into your skin and turning your head back. “eyes on me. eyes on your beloved boyfriend — didn’t you miss me? ‘cause I certainly missed you — was thinking of dodging this wholleeeee mission just to swoop in and taste those lips again -”
“MISSION!?”
“whoops.”
a deep chuckle followed by a swift kiss before he’s glancing in the rear-view mirror and swerving from an onslaught of bullets. “sit tight. we’ll go for milkshakes after, promise.” another glance at the mirror. “pero primero, estos cabrones.”
hi!! \o/ can i request hc's for naib falling in love? thank you!
hi anon ^w^ thank you for requesting <3
⚜ Love is a threat to the walls he’s built around himself, so he’s blocked it out of his mind completely. As far as he’s concerned his only family is his mother and there’s no room for any additions.
⚜ He might have occasional flings just for a brief respite. Never anything serious, just someone who’s willing to relieve him for a short while. It never lasts longer than a few days. But this isn’t “love.”
⚜ Unfortunately love isn’t something he can control, as much as he tries. It starts with mild protectiveness — he’s always right around the corner if someone is bothering you, whether it be a hunter or another manor guest
⚜ But to you personally? He’s very closed off. He doesn’t talk about himself much, nor does he seem to care what you have to say.
⚜ VERY mixed signals. He’s always around, but never acts friendly. If you’re cooking for yourself in the kitchen, he’ll keep a close eye on your food in case anyone has any ill intentions. But he won’t talk to you or help with anything, and he’ll disappear as soon as you’re done.
⚜ He thinks about you a lot -- his biggest wish is to somehow get you out of here. He imagines he would stay with you after that, just until you regain your footing. But this never happens.
⚜ You eventually warm up to his odd behavior. With enough isolation, manor guests stop being picky about who they have as conversation partners. So you talk to Naib even though he pretends not to care. I promise, he does commit all the little things about you to heart.
tldr:naib is mfin horny after a match wit u bae n ur both in love with esch other and equally needy but dont knoe‼️
character: Naib Subedar - mercenary
fandom: identity V
warnings: SEX!!! who could have guessed, also rough/dom naib, swearing, power bottom(lmao)/fem reader, perhaps some masochistic type a stuff but not crazy, less goooooooo
(this is like. just horny. no thoughts. only horny)
As sweat beaded down his forehead, you watched Naib angrily smash the keys of a decoding machine. Something was up, but your teammate just never seemed to let on when something had gone wrong. This match was going fine, you had three more ciphers to go, and everyone was still up and going, only two of your teammates being injured. The hunter was struggling to find any of you, and with each of you teamed up with another to decode, you were all feeling confident in a victory to the survivors. So why was Naib so stressed?
“Hey, Naib?”
“What, y/n?”
His tone was sharp, and he snapped back instantly. Someone was clearly cranky. What did you even do?
“Are you...feeling okay? You seem...tense.” You kept your tone neutral, preventing there to be any negativity for him to react to. Before he snapped back, he missed a calibration and alerted the hunter of our position. Still not talking, Naib wrapped a braced arm around your waist and made a dive into a pile of cardboard boxes and other various recyclables. “Shut it, y/n. Hunter’s comin’.”
You went quiet, but still, his commanding attitude could be done without. You squirmed in Naib’s grip, at which he grunted, and tightened his hold on you.
He was started to really make you worry. Naib was usually a calm, collected rescuer, who often would be more reassuring when you were being hunted. You promised you’d figure all this out, just maybe after the match ended.
The danger passed, quite literally, as Hell Ember jaunted around the trash pile you were hiding in. Naib’s grip got even tighter around you as the hunter loomed closer. “N-Naib, I can’t-” Naib didn’t seem to give a damn for what you had to say as he slapped a hand over your mouth. “I said, quiet.” His tone was worsening, he was really pissed, huh?
You couldn’t deny yourself though, hearing him sound so stern and having him grab at you so suddenly really threw you off. Your ever-so-secret crush on Naib was keeping you from feeling angry about any of this, in fact, you were almost happy to be so close, even if he was being rude.
Finally though, you decided that you needed to get back to the matter at hand. Leo was gone, and Naib had to let go of you sometime. You made more of an effort to move, and Naib finally dropped you. Quickly, you jumped back on the machine as the Merc slowly crept from the box pile to return to his typing position. “You know, you could have been caught if it weren’t for me.” He sputtered, quieter than before. “Th-thank you...? God, Naib, what’s your issue today?” You spoke more questioningly than upset, hoping he wouldn’t hear the annoyed undertone in your speech. “It’s nothing you’d understand.”
Alright, you were giving up for the remainder of decoding time.
Silently, you both finished the machine, and you made a break for the opposite direction of Naib. You figured you could have some alone time to just decode, calm down, and prep for the ending leap where you’d have to play a guessing game for which gate Hell Ember would be waiting for you at.
Taking a break from running, your steps grew light as you began to pace yourself. “y/n!” As you looked through the fog, you discovered that Edgar was awaiting you with a half done machine. “Edgar! You’re here!” You made a quick greeting to the painter before getting back to business. Small talk wasn’t necessary between the two of you, as the ability to decode calmly was leaving both of your skillsets as your heartbeats became slowly more audible.
“Come on, y/n, we can finish this, just don’t look away from the calibrations. Stay focused.” Edgar gave you a light tap of the palm to your head as he smacked the sides of the cipher. Your pace increased, as did Edgar’s as you had merely a percentage left. Someone else’s machine popped off, and yours a second later.
Determined and brave, you made off like a bullet towards the southward exit gate. Sneaking around a broken pillar, you sighed at the sight of a clear gate. Edgar clearly didn’t share the idea that this was the correct gate, so you could only hope he was hiding and waiting it out to escape. Actually, it seemed like everyone picked the wrong-
*SLAM*
A large hand suddenly slapped down on the decoding pad next to yours, frightening the hell out of you. You prepared to meet your doom when you turned around, but instead met a glaring Naib. “N-Naib! Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!” “Where’d you run off to earlier!? We were supposed to be decoding together.”
His tone from earlier was still present, so....clearly he was still peeved about something you did. “W-well I just thought-” “You thought nothin’, y/n. Just keep decoding.” Your crush wasn’t protecting him any more. Letting out an anxious and angry grunt, you turned back around to the coding pad, slamming the rubbery keys down as you decoded.
So that’s how it was, then, huh? Fine.
“Naib, you’re a real asshole.” You huffed as you finished the gate, and stormed out, not evening looking back to see if he OR Hell Ember were following.
Once back in the manor, you rushed back to your room, the embarrassment and guilt from your actions following you quickly after.
Keeping up the angry façade, you slammed your door behind you before running to flop on your bed. Holding your pillow close to your face, you yelled into it, hoping it was enough to choke the sound.
“Damn it, Naib...” You closed your eyes, hoping to wake up with a renewed confidence that way you wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences of your words.
The sound of three loud, harsh knocks on your door awoke you from your rage nap.
“OPEN UP! COME ON, I ALREADY KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE, Y/N!!”
Naib? Again? Now what...
You begrudgingly sauntered to your door, cracking it open to peek out. Only, Naib pushed right through your defenses, pushing both you and the door back. “Hey!”
Naib was more forceful than before, walking quickly in your direction, and even quicker, cornering you against your bed. You fell onto your behind as Naib gave you a harsh push. “What is all this?! You’ve been acting weird since we started decoding together in that match, and you’re totally out of line! I didn’t even...do anything...” Your words lost their force as you trailed your eyes downward. So that’s why he was all pent up.
An obvious tent in Naib’s pants was what your eyes met with, and even though your cheeks began to blush furiously, you averted your gaze and tried to pretend that you saw nothing. “J-just get out of my room.” You grumbled, no longer able to keep eye contact.
“I just came to talk, y/n, don’t throw me out.” Naib shifted his body, effectively pinning you to the plush mattress, a hand on either side of your head. You ‘hmphed’, and curtly turned your face away from him.
“D-don’t act all pissy,” he grabbed your chin, forcing you to look at him, “you’re making it so much worse!” Your eyes still just couldn’t meet his, the heat between the both of you running down between your legs. Sliding a knee between your thighs, Naib leaned down to speak gruffly into your ear.
“This is all your fault, you know.”
“N-Naib! I-” but your words were quickly vanquished by a pair of warm, slightly chapped lips slamming down on your own. A slight graze of his teeth on your bottom lip gave you more excitement than you’d ever felt in any match, and you immediately parted your lips to feel Naib’s wet tongue slick into your mouth.
You let out a quiet noise, enough for him to notice. After what felt like an eternity (seconds) of making out, Naib pulled away to hold your face in one hand, squishing your cheeks harshly between his fingers. “So...that’s how you feel, huh?”
You were flustered, but it wasn’t going to take away what your nap earned you. “You were being so awful in that match, but I still...love you, Naib. I didn’t know when or where to tell you, but if you’re gonna do it first, then by all means...” You gestured to Naib with a smirk.
Hungrily, Naib practically shredded your clothes off, each of his hands attaching themselves to your chest as he kneaded your soft breasts between his fingers. Your quiet pants were driving him absolutely insane. He loved every little exhale that escaped your mouth, settling to nip and suck at your neck, whispering sweet nothings in your ear. Telling you how much he needed this, how long he was waiting for this, how he wanted you.
An abrupt end to the sensations in your chest were replaced by a hand sliding underneath each of your thighs. Lifting them up to his shoulders, Naib quickly unfastened his belt, a look of giddiness flashing across his smug face.
Diving his head down to meet his forehead to yours, Naib snatched your panties off in seconds, aligning himself painfully slow. As he slid his length slowly into your entrance, you dug your fingers into his hair, which was messily tied into his usual ponytail. Hissing at the feeling of you tugging his hair, Naib pushed all the way inside of you, earning a mewl of both pain and pleasure from you.
"Ah, but wait..."
You winced as Naib suddenly pulled his length out of your entrance, the emptiness being too much to bear. "I'm an asshole, aren't I?"
He was going to make you eat your words.
Almost literally.
"Get up." His harsh tone was back, but it only served to make you feel hotter than before. Giving a shy nod, you got to your knees as Naib stood at the edge of the bed.
Nervously eying him, you gaped at his length, wishing you didn't say those words before so he could drive you insane with pleasure with it.
Stupid y/n...
"Well?" Tired of waiting, Naib took his hand to the back of your head, pushing you closer to his body, your head colliding with his chest. The sudden wholesome warmth was quickly replaced as he pushed you downwards near his manhood.
You began to comply as you opened your mouth, feeling as he gave a slow first grind into your throat. You choked immediately, but didn't pull away. Not yet.
Breathing quickly through your nose, you began to suck aggressively with no warning, pulling a gasp from the previously snarky Merc.
"Ga-hah! y-y/n...." Pulling off with a 'pop', you went back down to give small kitten licks to the tip of his cock, earning little shifts of position and pants from Naib.
"Stop....stop teasin' me...." was all he could huff out. You slid the entirety of his length in and out for a quick throat fuck a few times, feeling the tears prick at your eyes. In your own way, you were making him pay for being so snide earlier. “Screw you, y/n. Have it your way.”
Your torture paid off!
Naib firmly pushed you back down on your stomach, grasping your hips and pulling you close to his own hips. Letting out a satisfied hum, you felt as Naib quickly align himself with your entrance once more.
Giving you no time to readjust again, he fully sheathed himself inside of you, your insides stretching once again to fit him inside. “Hah....shit, Naib.....” You cursed, grasping tightly onto Naib as he pushed you both down, beginning to thrust wildly in and out of you. Every pounding slammed harder against the entrance of your womb, the suction of your warm, wet insides also providing intense pleasure for Naib.
“Oh fuck, y/n, you’re...so tight...” Naib panted loudly into your ear. Neither of you were even remotely worried about the other manor residents hearing either of your moans racketing off the walls of the creaky residence.
“G-god...I c-can’t...hold on...” You whimpered pathetically as your dug your fingers into Naib’s scalp a second time. As your begging for more became louder, you felt the knot in your stomach grow larger, tighter, and more overwhelming than you’d ever felt before. You could feel Naib’s hard and precise thrusts growing sloppy, and you knew you were both getting close to climax.
“y/n....y/n....I’m gonna...” Before his sentence could even be finished, Naib’s thick cock twitched harshly inside you as you felt his hot seed pour into you. The spreading warmth was enough to send you over the edge, your juice quickly spilling out to mix with his own.
Slowly pulling out, your precious mercenary promptly collapsed on top of you, his head coincidentally landing in between your tits. You sighed hazily, riding off your previous high as you wrapped your arms around his head, and slowly letting your eyes close in exhaustion.
a/n: so sorry if theres any typos/grammar-spellin mistakes. i rushed the end bc i had this cued for FOREVER, enjoy babes <3
hii!! would you mind doing hcs for ganji and naib with a reader who hides their feelings for the sake of others? thank you!! your work is really nice keep it up :D
Ganji and Naib with a reader who hides their feelings
Reader: g/n
Warnings: none
Note: I'm sorry if this is too short and if I'm casually running out of inspiration (I'm trying I swear but I used the word 'feelings' like 10 times here)-
》Ganji may seem reserved or cold to others, but nothing far from reality, he doesn't have any problems in showing what he feels if he thinks it's necessary. You can always see his expression when someone gets sent back to the manor or when the hunter hurts his teammates, and if you ask him, he won't lie. It makes him feel awful.
》The same goes for his feelings towards you. He thinks there's no need to hide them, but he won't be telling every single survivor about it, of course.
》However, when he realized you would often hide your own feelings to others, he understood it. He knows how bad some people might be by his own experience, and wanting to avoid their possible reactions or words wasn't your fault at all.
》He doesn't stay quiet about it, of course. He wants to help you as much as he can, and he wants you to know that you'll always be safe around him. He's all ears whenever you want to talk about how you feel at that moment and reminds you that keeping things for yourself isn't always the best. Sometimes you just need to let it all out.
》A very observant person, even if it doesn't look like it. He can easily tell when someone's feeling down or sad, happy or glad, by looking at them. And that's why he might keep an eye on you when you're talking with someone. Not to stalk you, but to know if that person's making you feel bad in any way and help you if that happens.
》If he sees that you're trying to hide your feelings again around him, he won't force you to say anything. Instead, he'll hold your hand and give you a forehead kiss.
》That's his way of saying "whatever it is, I'm here for you, no matter what".
》Naib is a person who prefers to keep his own feelings for himself. No one can blame him, after all— he's been through a lot and he feels vulnerable if someone sees what's deep inside his heart.
》You may be the only exception. You make him feel calmed, and he allows himself to forget everything about wars and battlefields and enjoy the time you're spending together.
》That's why he knew you were hiding your feelings as well towards some (to not to say 'most') people.
》He isn't sure about how to take it. He wants to help you and let you know that he's there for you, but at the same time, he doesn't want to make you feel uncomfortable or forced to speak.
》He'd casually bring it up, hoping to not to have done a mistake. He tries to ask you the reasons, but he'll completely understand if you don't want to tell him.
》Naib keeps an eye on the other survivors. Knowing you would probably keep it for yourself, he wants to know if someone made you feel bad. He can't stand when that happens, and even if he doesn't interrupt you, he has some words for that person, sooner or later.
》"There's no need to keep quiet about how you feel. Or at least... not with me. I care about your feelings, (y/n)."