At this point, the sound of nails on skin scared you. Especially the sound of nails on rough skin.
You almost flinched when he leaned down to pet your hair. You could feel he was at least wearing artist’s gloves, if for no other reason than to spare himself the effort. Tomura crouched in front of you, and you could only hesitantly meet his eyes. You didn’t want it to happen again.
“I’m glad. You’re learning.”
The villain’s voice was scratchy.
“Meet my eyes sooner next time, or I won’t wear the gloves when I wrap my hands around your pretty little neck.”
You blocked her for a reason. You just… couldn’t take it any more. The constant calling, the insistent and paranoid texts, her shrill voice as she screeched about how she thought you may be cheating on her even if you weren’t in a relationship. It had gotten to the point of unbearable. And you didn’t know if you could take it anymore.
You sighed as you let your head lean back and closed your eyes. You liked Futaba. She really was a good kid, but her attachment to you was beyond the point of okay. And she’d hacked your phone and accounts so many times, remotely, just to unblock herself. But you could only block her again and tell her you needed to limit things to talking to her in person.
You were sitting in Akira’s room, just thankful for the small reprieve you’d been allowed from hanging out in LeBlanc. It wasn’t bad, but you were still on edge for some reason. It was like the young man’s eyes never left you, even across the room. You felt the weight on the sofa shift and felt his hand on your shoulder. You opened your eyes and looked at him in exasperation.
“Futaba, again?”
“Yeah. It’s been… worse lately.”
“How?”
You stayed quiet at the response, just blinking at him in silence. Before you’d caught him staring more than a few times in class, you were much more open with him than others. But after feeling his eyes burning holes into the back of your head for a little over a month, he began to feel just as bad as Futaba sometimes. At least he was usually quiet.
“You can tell me, (y/n). It’s not like I’d hurt her. She’s practically my little sister.”
You would have believed him more easily if his eyes seemed to more their usual grey, rather than an eerie, nearly black color.
“I just don’t wanna talk about it much. She’s just upset that I told her that she has to see me in person if she wants to talk to me, with how she’s being right now.”
“That is not all I’m upset about!”
Futaba was now here, apparently. Her voice was indignant and you could tell you were in for another earful. Cue the beginnings of a headache. You groaned softly and sat up properly. Akira wrapped an arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to him as the young hacker stormed towards you two. You tried to pry his arm off to approach Futaba, but his grip solidified.
You shot a glare at him, but there was no point in struggling. He was very, very strong, and you couldn’t wriggle out that easily. He shifted you to sitting in his lap and simply watched calmly as Futaba continued to further lose her temper and came closer, as the leader of the Phantom Thieves embraced you tightly. Almost suffocatingly so.
You couldn’t process what happened next.
“They don’t want you, Futaba. I mean, they even came to me instead.”
“…is that true?”
“No! I just…!”
“There’s no need to lie, love. After all, you always come to me.”
A chill ran down your spine, and you started to struggle as you grew pale. You hoped Futaba could tell he was lying, but you only saw her ball her fists in anger and jealousy. You felt like you were screwed in every sense of the word, and could only gulp as you felt the bile rise in your throat. Akira was trailing kisses along the back of your neck and on your nape, and you shuddered in disgust as he licked you.
Futaba stomped up toward you and tried to pry you from Akira. He wasn’t budging. He simply left a little mark and smirked, apparently making eye contact with the redhead. They stared at each other intensely for a few moments, before Akira broke the silence.
“I’m more than willing to share with you Futaba. But you’ll have to let me go first, every time.”
Your stomach dropped and you couldn’t hear or see. You couldn’t process anything. It was all blank from the shock of his words. Your throat tightened, and you weren’t aware of how much you were struggling. The next thing you knew, you were cuffed to the sofa, and the sight of the pair physically fighting honestly terrified you. Your eyes were wide with shock, and you were thankful to see Sojiro pop his head up the stairs. You were about to plead for help, but you were cut off, by Futaba. She gave off the excuse that the three of you were LARPing, and explained what it was, and Sojiro simply chuckled and shrugged, chalking it up to the three of you just being kids.
God, you wish he’d stayed long enough to help you.
cater scares me more than riddle sometimes. likely because he smiles so much.
title: hide and seek
pairing: yandere!cater diamond x reader
fandom: twisted wonderland
tw: yandere, toxic/unhealthy behaviors, toxic/unhealthy relationships, enclosed small spaces(reader is hiding there), being chased/hunted, being stalked
Originally, you didn’t mind the way Cater seemed to just pop up when you needed him. It didn’t bother your pretty, precious head until you thought you spotted him in your room, shortly after one of your nightmares. Since then, it’s like you’ve been seeing him everywhere.
You hated it, and it made your skin crawl.
Normally, you wouldn’t resort to this, but the opportunity presented itself when Riddle asked to speak to Cater privately and separately. And the actual Cater, not one of his copies. You ran. You left Heartslabyul Dorm in a hurry, and took the opportunity to hide yourself inside a footlocker at the end of your bed. The trip wasn’t a long one, but it felt like it, with every hair standing on end. Some days, it felt like this was the only place you had privacy.
You felt your phone buzz in your pocket, and you didn’t want to check it. However, you didn’t want to worry your friends.
The message said this: “ur hiding in the footlocker again, ne? ill be there soon, sweetheart. ily! see you in a minute.”
You felt the bile rising in your throat and horror sinking in your stomach. It only worsened when you saw who the message was from. Cater. You forced the lid open and looked around hurriedly, trying to find some place other than the container to hide.
The wardrobe.
You dove inside and shut the door behind yourself, trying to disappear into the fabric. You covered your mouth, trying to muffle the sound of your labored breaths. You sat, and you waited. It wasn’t long before you heard your door open and shut. The footsteps were light, but far too heavy to be Grimm.
“Ah, they read my message~ I’m so happy~”
Cater’s voice. It was happy in a disturbing way, and you swallowed harshly. The sound from inside of you seemed so loud, but you knew it was practically silent. You heard rustling around the room for a few minutes, before the door opening and closing.
You sighed in relief, and started to open the door to the wardrobe. A mistake you’d come to regret in split seconds. As soon as you could see, you saw Cater smiling at you, as if nothing had been happening. As if he hadn’t torn your room apart to find you. Before you could shut yourself back in the space, he closed the distance and practically scooped you into his arms.
“I found you~” He giggled as you struggled in his arms.
Mammon was likely best described as a whiny pup and a tsundere on most days. It was easy for his brothers to tell who he liked in any other manner than useful, and he clung to you like he was physically attached. He almost was, in a way.
It was a typical morning. Belphie was eating his breakfast calmly, half asleep, and Beel was down to almost literally eating his plate. Asmo was flirting with you to annoy Mammon, and Mammon loudly insisted because he was the first demon to make a pact with you, that he was the only one with the right to touch you. Typical, as stated.
You ate calmly and quietly, before ducking away while the fight was going on to your room. It was a rare day off, and you appreciated what little quiet time you got before one of the brothers came bursting into your room to get you to settle an argument, because your word was final if Lucifer wasn’t around.
You laid there, watching the TSL DVDs again. It was a great series, and you appreciated it. Hell, you were even looking into getting some copies of the books. It was nice to genuinely enjoy watching it, without having something be on the line this time. You were probably on the third disk when you heard your door softly open and close. You assumed it was Beel or Levi, considering the two and how much they enjoyed it, so you absently greeted the ‘intruder’ as you continued to watch.
You hardly expected Mammon, of all demons, to press his weight into you and pin you down. He hid his face in your chest, and you could feel the tears soaking into your shirt. Damn. What had happened? You were about to ask that very question when he lifted his head and looked you in the eyes. His eyes were serious, angry, and a little sad.
“Tell me he was lying…!” he hissed out, hugging you and pinning your arms to your side. He was overwhelmingly strong, and you doubted commanding him would do much good at the moment. So you struggled, sputtering out a single question.
“Wh-who do you mean?”
“Belphegor, dammit! Tell me he was lying! He said you two have slept in the same bed, and even the great Mammon hasn’t managed that!”
He sounded frustrated now, and further pressed his weight into you. You looked at him, stunned. Why was he upset… over something so little? You know he’d fallen asleep while laying next to you on the couch at some points, but never a bed.
“Ca-calm down, an-and expl-plain, please. You- I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you managed, although just barely, considering he was not as light as Lucifer and Beel made it seem. He pressed his lips together in a thin line, searching your face. He must have been looking for signs of a lie. Thankfully, he seemed to relax and just buried his head into your shoulder, hugging you tightly. You awkwardly petted his head and hugged back with a sigh.
For a long time, he didn’t move, and neither did you, outside of trying to breathe. Then you felt his tongue on your neck and you yelped as he practically held you in a death grip. It hurt to be hugged by him in that moment, and just as you were about to tell him to stop, he kissed you, hard.
When he pulled away, you were left breathless. He looked at you pathetically, and you would have felt bad in just a moment, if he hadn’t taken the opportunity to restrain you. He looked like he felt guilty for doing what he was, but he didn’t stop.
You wished you were simply dealing with a needy puppy. Maybe then you would only be covered in teething marks instead of hickeys by tomorrow.
apologies for the inactivity, everyone! i had to take a break from things because of unexpected busyness! have something no one asked for as an apology, and i hope you all are having a good day!!
There was always something behind that smile of his. It was hard to notice, but the sly grin of Azul Ashengrotto often hid something from you, and you wanted to find out what it was.
You certainly had to admit he was beautiful, clever, and extremely stubborn. Hell, you knew it even before you’d faced him in a state of Overblot. The stubborn part was more during and somewhat after, but it does take determination to go through a hundred years of test questions and answers in order to put together a study guide thatcomprehensive.
Having to take care of Grimm and the other first years is tiring in it’s own right, and the Mostro Lounge wasn’t the best place to try to relax with how rowdy it could be lately. Simply put, even if you wanted to try to see what was behind that sly grin, you did not have the time or the energy. Azul was generally okay to hang out with, on good days, but this was not one of your best ones. Things had been hellish lately, and now, the rest of your first year friend group and yourself were washing windows because of yet another fight between Grimm and Ace.
“Neither of you really know how to hold back, do you?” you asked as you finished up your portion of windows. Your group of seven had divided the work easily, with Ace and Grim each handcuffed to someone who would make sure they did their jobs. You originally worried about Epel vanishing as well, but he was fine with doing the work. Not that it was really a surprise.
You sat down and took a swig of water, laughing a bit as you watched Grimm under Sabek’s stern and watchful care. It gave you a break from having to actually watch him. You were the only one done, although you’d volunteered to take the most windows. Deuce, Sabek and Jack were vehemently against it, so it was split evenly. It didn’t take Epel long to finish either.
After about an hour and a half and having to catch Ace and Grimm using a rope, bait, and a spoon(yes, a spoon) to get them to finish their twenty each, which took up almost an hour, you were all done, and could go do what you wanted in peace.
Epel had to complete his beauty routine before Vil decided to tie him down and force him, Jack went to go train, and Sabek had “something to do.” Therefore, you decided to go with the other three to the Mostro Lounge. It was on Deuce(in your case), since he was grateful to you for not sticking him on “A/G Duty.” You were thankful for that, considering how your “generous” headmaster was so stingy with your allowance.
-
It didn’t take long to get there, and you had to admit that the atmosphere was nice. You hardly expected Azul to come out and seat a group of first year himself, especially when he really did have quite a lot on his own plate between requests and managing the place. Still, he did a damn near flawless job. Once your table was sat down, it didn’t take long for them to get on your orders.
You ordered your favorites off the menu, simply because you didn’t feel the need to change it up suddenly. You didn’t expect what would happen after your group had left. Everything seemed normal. Even how you sunk into your bed, ready to receive another prophetic, yet cryptic, nightmare. But… that didn’t happen.
Your sleep was dreamless, and it was far too early to be going to bed.
-
When you woke, you weren’t in your bed. It was too soft, too plush to be your bed in Ramshackle Dorm. The sheets were too high-quality, and they were a light lavender color. You groaned softly and sat up, your head pounding. Normally, Grimm slept on your legs at night, so him not being there solidified your suspicions. You spotted him by his little ear fires in the dim lighting.
“Ah, so you’re up, little minnow,” you heard from across the room. You looked up and just barely saw Azul’s silhouette, although it was hard to mistake his voice for anyone else’s. “I do hope Floyd was gentle while he went to grab you for me.” You watched him come closer, feeling a chill down your spine, although the room was kept at a decent temperature. You backed up until your shoulder blades pressed into the bed’s headboard and Azul continued to contentedly crawl forward. You hadn’t noticed it before you’d tried to crawl away, but you heard the clatter of chains around your ankles, although your wrists were free, but only for a moment.
The weight of Azul’s arms pressed into them as he laid his head on your shoulder. His eyes shut softly and he sighed, as if relaxing for the first time in a long time.
“You’re finally here, thank god. I couldn’t wait anymore. I need you here.”
His voice was weak, and hardly above a whisper, but you knew it was going to be difficult to escape. You wanted to thrash and scream at him, push him away and demand he let you go back to your dorm, but one look into his tired, sharp eyes told you trying it would only end in pain for you. So you did something that would have been instinctive, if he hadn’t just admitted to be the one behind your kidnapping. You slid your hands from under his and hugged him softly, running your fingers through his hair.
TW: yandere themes, kidnapping, use of chloroform, stalking, manipulation of information, mild depression
Based on the music video “Pity Party” by Melanie Martinez
Happily, she dashed out to the mailbox in front of her house. Excited she was, it was finally her birthday.
Y/N had been planning the whole thing for months! The decorations, the food, who would be there, every single detail. The street was completely empty. No vehicles were to be seen. A cool wind greeted her, the sun was covered by clouds. Yet that didn’t discourage her.
Although she didn’t tell anyone about her party, she wanted it to be a formal invitation by letter. So today, one daybefore her birthday, she mails the letters.
Satisfied with the pastel pink envelopes wrapped by a red string, she returned indoors.
He spotted her returning to the house. Slyly, he approached the mailbox. Yanking it open, he took all the letters and closed the can again.
Casting a glance at the house, he smiled to himself. She deserved the best gift of all.
₊°︶︶︶︶︶︶ ‧₊˚︶︶︶︶︶ ₊˚°︶︶︶︶︶︶
The night turned to day, and Y/N could not contain her enthusiasm.
“Now I should get ready!” she celebrated, the entrance to her house featured a sign that read .
The room was filled with pastel-colored helium balloons and pink ribbons. Party shades on the coffee table and light blue plastic cups. Trays with pizza and sandwiches were there as well. She even bought her own cake.
“Ah, let’s see,” she thought aloud, “I’ve got everything ready…I just have to get dressed.”
Quickly she ran to the staircase.
On the second floor, she entered her room. Pink walls and white furniture decorated the scene. And in front of her bed, hanging above a standing mirror, was her F/C dress.
She tailored it herself. It was a beautiful F/C tulle dress, fell above the knees, and had a lovely sweetheart cleavage. Stars and sparkles decorated the dress. Layers and layers of fabric rolled out from under the skirt, creating a fluffy look.
“Oooh~ It’s my party and I laugh if I want to, laugh if I want to~” she sang as she put on her dress and makeup for the occasion, “I wonder what gifts I’ll get?”
Looking at her reflection, she applied mascara and blush. She was pleased with the result on her face. She had been practicing for months how to apply makeup for this precise moment.
“Hmm~ hm~ hmm~” he hummed softly as he stirred the mixture in the bowl. He was preparing a chocolate cake recipe. His counter was a complete mess; flour, and eggshells everywhere. He wasn’t the tidiest cook, but the results were worth it. Nor was he the best baker around, but for her, he practiced for months and months. Today was an important day.
Wearing his white apron, he turned to the calendar and sighed happily. The day has finally arrived.
₊°︶︶︶︶︶︶ ‧₊˚︶︶︶︶︶ ₊˚°︶︶︶︶︶︶
Sitting in the living room, she waited. At any moment the guests would arrive.
Everything was in place. Everything was ready. Everything was going to be perfect for her birthday.
However, it was very quiet in her home…
“While I wait…” she rose from her seat, approaching her radio she had prepared for the occasion, “Time will pass faster with music.”
Returning to her original seat, she continued to stare at the door.
“Any minute now,” she whispered.
Tick, tock, tick, tock went the clock. With each passing minute, she slipped to the floor. It was tedious. It had passed far too many hours already, where were her friends?
“Maybe they are about to arrive,” she said to herself.
Her gut began to turn, but she told herself it was excitement…yes…that’s what it was.
The egg timer above the oven counted the seconds rapidly. He just watched as the dough puffed up amidst the heat. His eagerness forced him to glance at the clock every so often.
“I guess I should have started earlier,” he sighed, tired of waiting and resting his head gently between both hands. He figured he wasted time as he watched the cards burn in the fire on the stove when he arrived at his house. He couldn’t help it, those…people…they didn’t deserve to be around her a second longer. All so fake.
Standing up, he went to his living room. Over the fireplace was a small picture. With golden flowered frames. It enclosed a picture of a girl, h/c and e/c. She looked lovely.
“Don’t worry, dear,” he whispered to the framed photo, “I willbe at your party~”
₊°︶︶︶︶︶︶ ‧₊˚︶︶︶︶︶ ₊˚°︶︶︶︶︶︶
It was already past noon.
The balloons were slowly losing their helium. Already there were flies flying over the food. Even her dress was getting a little wrinkled.
“Ugh!” she jerked up abruptly from the couch, “This must be a mean prank!”
She thought maybe someone would have left her a voicemail, yeah, surely that’s what it is. Maybe they’d have let her know they’d be late.
Picking up the phone, only the sound of silence greeted her. There was no message, there was nothing.
“Hm,” she sighed wearily, dropping the phone. She didn’t care if it hit the floor.
“Did my invitations disappear?” she sobbed a little, “Why did I put my heart in every cursive letter?”
The sobbing morphed quickly into crying. Tears rolled down her cheeks. With both hands, she attempted to stop them. She couldn’t understand what she did wrong, she always did everything she could to fit in.
“I even told them the decorations in pastel ribbons,” looking up, she saw her reflection in the mirror hanging above the telephone table.
She looked awful. Makeup smeared all over her face. Her hair was all matted and tangled.
So much effort for nothing…
Pink icing covered the cake. A spatula helped to keep everything neat. He continued his work as a pastry chef, as he still had to visit her. But to be honest, he wasn’t doing a hundred percent great.
“Damn-” he cursed when a bit of the top decorating wasn’t turning out the right way, “I can fix it.”
With a frosting-filled sleeve of light blue icing, he wrote neatly in cursive letters.
Glancing again at the clock, he saw that it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon.
“Better late than never,” he whispered adding the final strokes, “I think it’s done.”
He grabbed a box he had prepared and placed the cake inside. Wrapping it with a lavender ribbon. He ran back and forth, taking off his apron and getting dressed. Mainly he made sure to have his…other arrangements ready for later.
And he left on his way to her house.
₊°︶︶︶︶︶︶ ‧₊˚︶︶︶︶︶ ₊˚°︶︶︶︶︶︶
Popped balloons, severed ribbons, trays of food strewn on the floor, and a smashed cake on the living room table. A scene that portrayed…frustration, to say the least.
The afternoon crept slowly by, a horrible day without a doubt.
Cries echoed through the house.
Y/N was lying on her bed. Lying curled up, she was trying to relax after the outburst she had in the living room.
“Well, to clean up,” sitting down on her bed, she said.
Leaving her room, she detoured first to the bathroom. The dim yellow light illuminated a dark room. The mirror again showed she had smudged mascara and lipstick.
“Today was horrible,” she continued looking at herself in the mirror, “Not my best birthday.”
Tears again trickled down.
“I-it’s not fair,” her voice lacked strength, “I-I just wanted today to be special…”
Turning off the lights of his vehicle, he parked. Night had already fallen. It was totally dark. From his seat, he could see that the light in her bedroom was on, as was the light in the living room.
Without saying anything, he gets out of the car and enters the house. Luckily for him, the door was unlocked. He then thought that she had forgotten to lock it.
“Isn’t she the most forgetful? What would you do without me, honey~” he said in a low whisper. He looked carefully at the entrance, filled with balloons and a beautiful handmade sign.
Then he continued on his way to the living room.
“Oh,” he gasped in surprise at the sight of the mess, “Poor thing.”
He bent down to the floor to pick up the trays, reached for a broom to sweep a little, and grabbed the crushed cake.
“Mine’s better,” he said, tossing this one into the trash can.
“Ugh…” she sighed after blowing her nose with a handkerchief, “Well, at least I have enough food for dinner.”
Heading down the stairs she noticed something…The living room seemed cleaner.
The further down the steps she went, the more she could see. There was no trace of the chaos created by her down here. Approaching the front door, it was locked. So everything was in order, she had locked the door, as she remembered.
“Huh, weird,” she turned toward the living room once more.
She froze instantly.
A pink frosted cake with light blue cursive lettering:
She said nothing but walked over to the cake. It was pretty, yes, but that didn’t take away from the sense of unease of the situation. There were six candles around the edge, most likely for a more decorative purpose. However, these were unlit.
She stood noticing her surroundings. What happened here? Who-?
“Happy birthday~” whispered a voice, deep and masculine, “Oh my, you look so pretty in that dress.”
The person was standing behind her, yet she couldn’t turn around from shock. She was glued in place and through her body ran a tingle of anxiety.
Who was this person?
“I know you spent weeks making it,” the person laughed, footsteps echoing closer, “And it turned out rather heavenly.”
She swallowed hard. What could she do in a situation like this?
“Do you like it? I made it myself,” hands gently rested on my tense shoulders, “Too bad no one came to your party, but don’t worry, I did.”
Reve is a dream demon who prefers to be far from the underworld. He roams the land of the living in search of hosts. He feeds on the fear he spreads in dreams. But that is not enough to satisfy his hunger. He inflicts bad dreams on those he stalks, but youare something else. He believes he has finally found an eternal home.
- How You Met Him
♡ Usually, the guests he takes are easy to frighten. Their dreads are oh so delightful. One or two nights are enough.
♡ You were like any other host. The first night was different, though. Yes, he induced a nightmare, but your fear…it was bitter. It was no pleasure for him. However, that didn’t stop him.
♡ Day after day, your screams and cries did not provide the results he wanted. That was frustrating. What was wrong with you?
♡ In the second week, which by the way is already a longer period of time for him, you did something unexpected. You did not sleep. You did not reach REM state, you did not dream.
♡ That intrigued him. Now you have his undivided attention.
♡ He didn’t know how you did it, but it was a matter of waiting. He’ll get you. No one lasts long without sleep. Let alone you.
♡And when you finally arrived, you didn’t look very happy to be here. Perfect. Maybe you just needed time. Yet…that night wasn’t sweet either. All day long, he thought of ways to get what he needed, he won’t give up so easily.
♡The next night, he thought of a new strategy. If your fear is sour, what about your happiness? Change the perspective a little. Maybe if he made you feel comfortable, safe, and happy…he could take advantage of that.
♡ The moment you had fallen asleep, he initiated his plan. Boy, did it work, maybe it worked too well…so well that now he doesn’t want you to leave.
♡ Time passed quickly, night after night. He couldn’t help but feel unhappy every time you left. He realized that he loves being with you, doing things with you, being the only one who has you. Unfortunately… you found out something you shouldn’t, but it’s not your fault, he let you wander around alone…
Salem is a young man who possesses the art of modern magic. He is a born caster, originating from a family of sorcerers. Being the second born, he has an older sister and a younger sister. He lives with his extended family, in a magical house that is molded to their needs. They all work in a secret business, in which they take advantage of their abilities and offer their occultist services to those who seek them. His world, although surrounded by magic, has no color. It’s boring, no one understands him. That is until youcome along. You are not his first girlfriend, but you will be his wife.
- How You Met Him
♡ The first time he saw you, he couldn’t help but be curious about you. And he could tell that you liked him from the first moment you met him.
♡By asking you out on dates, he realizes that you really are someone who is genuinely welcoming. You’re someone who listens, even when you don’t understand what’s going on.
♡ Consulting his sister Larissa’s fortune-telling cards, the future that awaits you both looks bright. But his sister warns him that if he hastens the course of destiny, everything will fall apart. As if she has any idea who you are or what you look like.
♡We are all fools in love. It’s really the phrase that describes it all.
♡ He tries to win your affection as soon as possible, so he can then have you all to himself. But you’re a little shy to walk down the love lane, aren’t you sweetheart? Don’t worry, he has the solution.
♡He uses his skills to fashion talismans. These talismans will…help you fall deeply in love with him. Of all kinds: necklaces, necklaces, rings, hair clips, earrings. The one you wear the most is his rose quartz necklace.
♡The first few times you felt dizzy, but he told you it was nothing. He would explain that you probably weren’t drinking enough water or something like that. You believed him…not by willful choice.
♡ Every time he returned home, he would tell his sisters how he spent the day with you. They believed it was really all fake, given his previous relationships.
♡ That was until his mother found out about you, she then had a talk with Salem. He then explained everything to her, including…the gifts. She seemed glad that finally, after several failed relationships, her son listened to her advice on using his magic to his advantage.
tw - unhealthy relationships, physical abuse, unbalanced power dynamics, and imprisonment.
Leona is a very fickle lover.
It’s not just that he’s temperamental. Well, he is, but you can handle his constantly shifting moods, his grim disposition, this habit of baring his teeth and flashing his claws whenever anything he doesn’t care for has the audacity to cross his path. You’re not exempt from his abrasiveness, but he does make an effort to soften his aggression around you, and you doubt he’d even hurt you in any way that drove him any farther away from him than you already are. No, the problem lies elsewhere, not in his hostility, but in his affection, in what he refuses to call his love. In the unpredictability of your dearest, most spoiled prince.
It’d be less of an issue if he had more of a fondness for communication. But, of course, Leona’s never been one for flowery language, much less hourly heart-to-hearts, and you’re left to try to decipher all he has to say from clipped sentences, hollow threats, whether he’s content to hold you close and take in your scene or if he’d rather carve his name into your collarbone and spend precious minutes lapping away the blood as he mocks you for having such thin skin. There’s no warning, no sign, just Leona and his cold stare and his adamance that he’s never been anything but fairto you. Just you, in the palm of his hand, as at his mercy as you’ve ever been.
And you areat his mercy. Alone in his palace, only ever allowed to interact with silent servants and attendants who treat you like an ornament to be polished and maintained rather than anything resembling a living being, he’s the only person you can go to for help, the only one you can rely on to care about your well-being, if only because it’d be a great inconvenience for him to find something new to cling to. He denies it adamantly, insists you’re free to leave whenever you’d like to, and when you many any attempt to argue, to mention the guards he posts at every door, the fact that you don’t have a cent to your name, the awfulthings he’d be able to do to your family with little more than a word to his brother, he only ever gets mad, only ever lashes out. You can handle his temper, talk him down when his paranoia gets the best of him. His violence, on the other hand, you don’t have such a talent for soothing.
And it isviolence. That’s the worst part, just how quick it is, just how little difference there is between the way he treats you and the soldiers he cuts down like nothingwhenever he feels so generous as to spar with the less naturally gifted. If you’re lucky, it’ll be quick, a single blow to something you won’t have to see whenever you glance towards your own reflection, and if you aren’t (and you often are not), his anger will last, overwhelm his need for praise and comfort, and you’ll be allotted to something… less than a lover, less than a prisoner. More akin to a pet. More akin to the soft, docile,quiet thing he so clearly wants you to be.
More akin to something that would consider him a master,rather than the lover he so clearly never wanted to be.
