:P

Ignoring the fact that you make up for it most months, it is all the more annoying to see him lounging around as soon as you get home. Especially when the house feels like what you imagine the inside of hell's darkest ass crack to be. Too much movement would surely result in one of you passing out from overheated exhaustion.

It's with great urgency that you strip yourself of your things, purposefully making an unnecessary amount of noise as you toss your keys onto the nearby counter. The sound seems to pull Toji's attention away from the TV ahead of him, earning a lazy turn of his head as he glances back to you.

He can't even get a full greeting out before you scoff.

"Toji," His shoulders slump in instant reaction to the sound of scolding in your voice. It's way too fucking hot for you to start an argument with him now. "You've been home all day and you still haven't fixed anything."

He grunts from across the way, turns his attention back to the TV, and then rolls his eyes, "Can't work in the heat, doll."

"You wouldn't have to if you fixed it as soon as I said something months ago." You throw back at him, pulling your body through hot air just to get to your fridge.

You wanted to be disappointed to see that there's no water in the freezer nor fridge, really. But when you look back over to where Toji's been sitting on his ass all dat—spotting more empty water bottles than you can count—you find an expected wave of disappointment slither into you.

"Said sorry for that already, didn't I?" He asks, the lack of true care in his voice doing nothing to ease your irritation with him.

At this rate, you'd be sending out offers for a new roommate by tomorrow morning.

The freezer is opened back up for a moment, your hand diving in to try and get some sort of cooled relief, even if only for a second. Unfortunately for you, that seems to be yet another thing in your apartment in need of fixing.

You let the freezer door slam and your forehead follows after it as you rest yourself against its outside. Sighing, "Sorry doesn't fix anything, Toji."

You couldn't see it but he was smiling at that. The only reason he's lasted this long in this apartment with you is because he doesn't mind your nagging too much—it keeps him on his toes most times. But after not listening to you for months, he wonders if he'll actually get in trouble with you this time around.

When he turns to get another look at you, he's met with the sight of your back as you make way towards the bathroom. Toji figured you're off to shower in hopes of cooling yourself off in the process.

Unfortunately for you, the building you live in has the opposite issue most complexes do and instead of running out of hot water, your place has an issue producing cold water. This wouldn't be so bad if the person who showered before you was conscious of how much he used.

But when annoyingly mild tempered water hits your fingers, you're left knowing exactly who to blame. Again.

He may enjoy living with you because he doesn't mind hearing you cold him, however you are slowly starting to dread sharing this apartment with him more and more as each day lugs on.

——

After a warm shower, you tuck yourself off into your bedroom only to find that it is undoubtedly the hottest room thus far. You try to ignore it as you pull on some shorts and a t-shirt that won't have you drenched in sweat come next morning but naturally it's difficult to do so once you lay yourself down.

You toss and turn against your sheets—comforter practically tossed to the floor, and body already beginning to perspire in a thin layer of sweat—until you manage to doze off for a solid ten minutes. Apparently that was all it took for your body to decide that sleeping under this heat was going to be impossible.

Which is how you end up out in the living room. Toji wasn't occupying the couch anymore so you tried to sleep there, figuring that if he could spend the whole day in one spot, you could spend a night sleeping there and it would provide you just the slightest bit of coolness in comparison to what you bedroom had given you.

Yet, every slight shift in your movement somehow made you impossibly hotter. The couch cushions did nothing but toast your skin and the humidity in the air led you into peeling yourself right off of the furniture and trudging towards the last known resort.

Toji's bedroom.

Now, you're no stranger to your roommate being quite the pervert—which is why you avoid his bedroom at all costs—but sometime back during the winter season, you do recall a few weeks were your apartment's heating system gave out and it was established then that Toji's bedroom had been the chilliest. He ended up sleeping in your room for some nights because of that, cuddling up against you in the name of sharing body heat.

So now that it's summertime, you're standing outside of his door hoping that something similar still applies to the temperature of his room. Your room is obviously the hottest, the living room and main area of the apartment barely fairs any better, and all that leaves his room to be hopefully a few degrees lighter than everywhere else.

You push his room door open sluggishly, nearly doused in sweat from head to toe as you trudge towards his bed and smack at his foot while you walk by. "You up?" your voice cuts through the air carelessly, earning a low grunt from the man sprawled out across his mattress. "Cool, move over."

That seems to wake Toji right up. His eyes peel open and he lets out a huff heavy enough to add to the heat occupying the rest of the apartment, but neither of you have the energy to say anything about it. "Why're you in here?" he asks as he scoots his large body over to give you some room.

For a short moment—and a short moment only—Toji wonders if the heat has finally made you come to your senses where he's concerned. He hoped that maybe a wet dream involving him brought you into his bedroom.

The weight of your body makes the bed dip in a bit as you shuffle onto his sheets right beside him, instantly melting into the faint frigidity it provides, and letting out a short sigh. "It's cooler in your room, so I'm sleeping in here tonight. You better get that shit fixed tomorrow."

Toji looks over and feels the excitement he had to share a bed with you rapidly die inside him as he's met with the sight of your back facing him. This wasn't the worst scenario possible, but he was really wishing for something more interesting to have led you into this position next to him.

He doesn't say anything in response to you with his mouth and decides on letting his eyes speak for him with the way they slide down your body. The shirt you have on was hugging your torso due to how much you'd been sweating, glued to every slight curve and dip of your frame, and leaving him unable to look away quickly enough.

It didn't take a genius to see that you were at ease beside him rather quickly. Toji is suddenly very appreciative for the slightly chiller conditioning of his bedroom. Technically it's still hot—as too much movement could quickly result in exhaustion just as it would in any other area of the apartment—but with you laying beside him in shorts small enough to drive him insane, he figures it's all worth it.

Meanwhile, you don't have to be facing Toji to know his eyes are on you. You could practically feel the way his gaze crawled over you, eventually settling onto the scarce fabric of your shorts that did little to conceal the entirety of your ass. There's a sudden and prominent urge to adjust the way your clothes are sitting on you, and Toji watches as you slowly move a hand to tug your shorts down an inch.

The scar at the corner of his lips shifts as his mouth twitches and he fights off a smirk.

He would never touch you without your permission or anything like that, but he was aware that you knew the real effects you had on him. Even laying beside him was enough to make his hips shift against the bed.

There was only so much space between your body and his, and his mattress wasn't the largest thing in the world so most movement was easily acknowledgeable. Even so, you decided to ignore it as best as you could.

Even though you could tell his hand had lifted from his side and moved somewhere towards his legs. Your eyes squeezed shut and you hoped silently that Toji wouldn't do what you figured he was about to.

Surely it was too hot for that.

Right?

At first he wasn't going to do anything. It started off as his fingers going off to pinch and tug at the fabric of his gym shorts, giving the steadily rising erection in between his legs some space to breathe. Then he told himself he wouldn't give it any attention and try to sleep it away.

Toji was on the same page as you in the beginning, he really was. Jerking off with you trying to sleep beside him was way too hot of an activity under all this warmth.

And yet, he's palming at his dick within the next twenty minutes. You drifted off just enough for him to be able to move without you noticing, and while he didn't touch you, he did lean over to glance over your shoulder to make sure you were fast asleep before his hand had wrapped around the bulge that'd formed against his shorts.

You'd shift around in your sleep a little and he'd twitch against his hand, watching the way your hip looks adjusting against the bed. Oh, the things he'd give to perch his hand there instead, turning his body over to cup yours and rubbing the outline of his hard cock up against the natural curve of your ass instead of his palm like some loser.

The thought alone brought his bottom lip up in between his teeth. Then he was moving his hands beneath his shorts and letting out a quiet breath of air. He didn't intend to jerk off like this. Seriously.

When his hand first makes contact with his dick, he shudders. Toji's tugged at his cock in thought of you over the years more times than he could count, but somehow this was different. He'd never done it next to you like this, where leaning over a couple inches brought your scent into his nose and the natural warmth of your body closer to intertwine with his.

Even back when he'd shared a bed with you during the winter he managed to control himself each night and refused to stroke himself. Well, right next to you, at least. He most definitely got off like a whore the very second you were gone.

Toji ends up spitting into the palm of his hand as quietly as he can manage before he pulls his cock free and rubs at the head whilst staring at your body. You seemed so upset with him earlier, sending those slight jabs his way. He's sure if it was a bit cooler, you would've cursed him clean out like you normally do.

But just the thought of the few comments you'd made thus far is enough to have him leaking into his hand as he finally wraps his fingers around his thick shaft and jerks off. The sounds of his actions are a bit loud, schlick after schlick after sopping schliiick. Technically you should've woken up, but the fact that you didn't made him all the more horny.

He knows you'd get annoyed if you caught him like this—the fact that he can't even handle you sleeping in his bed is definitely enough to piss you off.

Little did he know, you were pretending to sleep the entire time. You were in and out of your slumber, sure, but you certainly weren't able to get a full night's rest when the sound of your roommate touching his wet cock next to you was loud enough to drive any woman insane. There was an image of it somewhere in your head, courtesy of accidentally walking in on him in the bathroom a couple times in the past, so it was a little difficult to sleep with those thoughts combined with his strokes all in one hot night.

Not to mention the way he was panting behind you with not one care in the world for how noisy he was. Hell, some of his breaths managed to slither towards the back of your neck.

You made the mistake of adjusting yourself again and accidentally pushed back towards him, your ass nearly making contact with the side of his body. Toji had to grip at the base of his dick to stop himself from cumming just then, his next breath choking its way out of him before he could help it, and his other hand moving to pull his shirt up.

He went to bite down on the fabric to hopefully help with the sounds threatening to spill from his lips but it didn't help much.

The man resumed with his strokes and it wasn't long before you felt something land on your butt in thick spurts.

Despite the fact that you already had your eyes closed, they squeezed shut a little harder as you fought the urge to flinch. You hoped desperately that what you just felt wasn't what you thought it was. There was no way Toji managed to cum on your ass while you were "sleeping", right?

You figure that right then is as good a moment as any to stop pretending to be asleep and let yourself yawn—giving him a sign that you've stirred awake. Toji's body tenses up almost immediately, his eyes widening a fraction as he realizes what exactly he just did. He gulps, frantically looking around the bed to see what he can use as an excuse for the white mess currently drooling down the side of your ass.

Fairly enough, he has half a mind to snap a picture before you turn over. Just so he can have something to remember this by, y'know?

He doesn't though, considering how he moves to tuck his dick back into his shorts and clears his throat.

After which he moves to prop himself up on one of his elbows, and you feel something brushing against your butt. You can't help the way your eyes broaden.

Then you peek back at him from over your shoulder, and your gazes meet for a breif moment. There's not an ounce of guilt on his face and he only holds the eye contact with you for a few seconds before he looks back down to focus on what he's doing.

You follow along with the redirection and angle yourself back just enough to catch sight of what exactly is brushing against you. You see a cloth in his hand and watch silently for a few seconds as he wipes you clean.

Somewhere in your mind, you wondered if he was going to casually explain that he just came on you and then try to go to sleep like it was no big deal.

To your surprise, neither of those things happen.

The next bit of eye contact that's exchanged between the two of you is awkward. He's still wiping and you're just starring at him as try to figure out what you're supposed to say to him. What exactly was the proper way to react in this situation?

You're too hot to argue, too tired to be disgusted, and fainly aroused since you've always had a mutual attraction for the man that you've been trying to ignore for as long as you've been living with him.

“Sorry,” Toji’s the first to break the ice. “Had this in the bed,” he moves his other hand up and within it is a convienent bottle of lotion. Part of you wanted to laugh at him because of course he has enough junk in his bed to use as a cover up for what he'd really just spilt on you. "Saw some of it got on ya'," he finishes off with a half-apologetic grin on his lips.

You obviously knew that wasn't true since you heard every little detail of what he'd been doing—from spitting into his hand, to thoughtlessly huffing out your name under his breath. Toji wasn't fooling anyone here, but you'd let it slide for now.

“Might wanna change out of these,” he suggests in reference to your shorts, tapping at your butt once he's done wiping you off, “I could lend you somethin’, or—“

“No, it’s fine.” is all you say before you turn your head away.

With no warning, Toji ends up watching how you slide your hands down and swiftly remove your shorts—tossing them off the bed and then laying yourself back down as if to sleep.

He blinks.

Then his eyes unfortunately find themself on your panties because surely you were doing this on purpose now. Coming into his room this late because of the heat, sleeping next to him and nearly rubbing your ass against his body, and now clad in nothing more than a thin shirt and even thinner panties?

If he squinted hard enough at the right angle, he swears he'd catch sight of your pussy.

You heard him scoff behind you, then the weight in the bed shifts around as he decides to pay no mind to your attire this time. He already got off, so naturally there should be no need to go again.

…Even if you're clearly testing his patience.

——

Minutes fly by. Neither of you get a wink of rest.

You're starring blankly at the wall in front of you and Toji's left blindly looking up at the ceiling. Both of you tried to go to sleep, honestly.

But Toji kept adjusting his legs to stop the constant twitching of his cock and you repeatedly rubbed your legs together as if to lightly soothe the ache that'd came about after that whole fiasco of his seed ending up on you.

At this point the only thing occupying Toji's bedroom were two idiots in heat. Whether or not that meant heat in the literal sense or in the physical sense was beyond understanding to either of you.

After thirty minutes of you two staring into space and waiting on the other person to make a move, both of you manage to get some rest.

Though, it doesn't take much longer for you guys to realize that this was the worst possible outcome. Somewhere in your sleeping, your bodies naturally find one another. You'd think that under the hot air some distance would be created, but it seems as though you both had unintentionally different plans.

The next time you wake up, it's to the steady sound of something thumping against your ear. When your eyes flutter open, you're met with a naked chest and the feeling of something weighty wrapped around you.

The weight in question seems to be Toji's arm and the thumping you hear is coming from his beating heart. You lift your head a little to look up at his face and he's already giving you a half-lidded, groggy stare.

“It’s hot as shit in here ‘n you decide to lay on me? You’re tryin’ to kill me.” He mumbles, the very vibration of his deep voice involuntarily causing you to shift against him.

Both of your limbs are already tangled with one another, so the next movement of your body wakes you up fully as your clit presses somewhere up against his thigh.

You try to nudge at him playfully to distract yourself from the sensation that invoked, “No one’s trying to kill you, Toji. Hush.”

None the wiser, your roommate tries lifting his legs to move over a bit and accidentally grinds the firm muscle you'd already been pressed against, into you. You turn your face away just in time to hide the expression that tugs out of you, but fail to swallow down the sound that follows.

“Mmnh,” The sound floats out of you before you can control it.

Then Toji's brows scrunch up—as if he has any room (literally) to be confused, “Fuck was that?”

Your head shakes, “Nothing.”

That singular word flips some type of switch in his head, resulting in that same leg lifting up a few inches in between yours, and simultaneously pushing your body further up against his whilst rubbing between the dampened fabric concealing your core. Your jaw falls open helplessly this time and Toji eyes the way your hand flies down to his chest as if to grab at it.

Technically you were trying to brace yourself, but the breathy bit of air you release along with all the movement makes him cock a brow.

“You sweatin’ down here?” Toji asks bluntly, now dragging his leg back down just to cop a bit of a better feel than the first time.

It would be obvious to anyone with eyes that neither of you were in your right mind at the moment. He was openly teasing you and you weren't shutting it down like you normally do. Perhaps it was the heat or the lack of proper rest under it—but either way—the two of you were clearly falling victim to the same sensations.

Your lashes flutter again and you hunch forward towards him a bit, “That’s not-," his leg adjusts again, the bulky muscle in his thigh flexing, "Toji.”

“What? That’s not what?” He grabs at your chin and tugs your face up to look at him properly, “Talk to me, doll. Tell me what that is I’m feelin’.”

The forced eye contact makes you throb. You suppose right then that the heat had finally gotten to you. Otherwise you wouldn't be feeling the way you do at the moment.

Right?

Your body adjust against him slightly and you fight the urge to let your eyes fall back as pleasure jolts throughout your body from the feel of your clit catching the firm build of his leg. “It’s not sweat, Toji.” You admit honestly.

There's a singular beat of silence that passes, filled only with your hardly discreet way of grinding against his leg, and him aiding you through every faint gyration.

“Mh.” His hum rumbles lowly, “So, you’re horny.”

You drop your face down into his chest out of embarrassment and you playfully smack at him, “Don’t say it like that!”

“Say it like what? It’s true." Toji cocks his head over and watches how your body is betraying your embarrassment. Then he finds himself smirking all over again as he his face back toward you, lips angling to your ear, "Your pussy’s droolin’ all against my thigh right now—should I have said it like that instead?”

You almost moan, “N-No."

“Hah.” Now he's smirking in full force, hands having gone to your sides just to feel your body twitching as they slide lower and lower, “Go ahead ‘n move your hips—rub one out against me, baby.”

There's a groan that snakes out of your throat in response before your hand curls into a frustrated ball against the planes of his abs, “Don’t call me that.”

Toji's hands grip at your hips and his voice seductively caresses itself throughout your eardrums, “Want me to do it for you?" Your head shakes in response to his question and he tuts, "Alright then rub that pussy against me, lemme feel her real good.”

And what more permission did you need?

You pluck your body away from being sandwiched to his, sitting up at some half-angle and let your hips buck forward just once. Toji smiles and wastes not one second in dragging his clammy palm around to properly grope at the fat of your ass.

“Mhm,” he hums encouragingly, to which you let off an airy sound that has his cock aching for attention all over again. “There you go. Keep making yourself feel good, pretty girl.”

“Toji," his name leaves you in something just short of a moan, and it's overtly apparent now that both of you are overcome with a mutual neediness.

His hand squeezes at your ass with each rock 'n shy rut of your hips—guiding you with your steady grinding over his thigh. Then you feel your clit roll at a rather juicy angle, quickly resulting in your upper half flopping back down against Toji.

He feels a hot pant fan out across his chest and he has to bite at his lip again to stop himself from making all kinds of noises. This was everything he'd fantasied about and more if he was being completely honest.

“So fuckin’ sexy,” Toji compliments with a greedy tug of your body, weeping a webby lather of precum from the slit of his cock in reaction to having your tits pressed against his naked skin—your perked nipples rubbing against him in a fashion near to the way your clit traveled his thigh beyond your panties. “My dick’s gonna start hurtin’ if I don’t do something. Can’t keep watching you like this.”

You're the one holding back responses now, instead answering him with a sudden kiss against his left pec. Toji's lips separate and he breathes out something soft once your hand slips down to the waistband of his shabby shorts.

“Can I?” You whisper against his skin, lips smearing.

Toji looks at you like you just asked him the dumbest question in the world. Then he scoffs, “Go ahead.“

You waste no time in dipping your hand beneath the dark fabric to haul his cock free. In your hand is a weight nothing could've prepared you for.

Toji's got a freakishly heavy cock, to say the least. It's massive within your fingers and when you look down at it, you almost moan from the sight alone.

Even though his room was rather dark, there was enough moonlight spilling in from the distant window to have the cum gathered around his plump head glistening. Your thumb pushed up and slipped right against that pretty slit of his, earning a sharp crack in his breathing.

Toji feels your the pad of your thumb applying pressure before he groans. Then you stroke downwards towards his base, feeling the dark, sweaty hairs of surrounding it tickle your skin.

“Shit," You mutter.

He—annoyingly—starts smirking at you again, “Big, ain’t it?”

Your eyes roll, then you turn your head back up to look at him, “Shut up.”

The next few minutes consist of you jerking him off whilst you continue grinding against his leg. Toji mutters filth under his breath that you're too horny to hear, and both of you are now sweating against one another for entirely different reasons.

Toji expects this act to be the very peak of his expectations, but amid your perfected strokes—because fuck if your hand isn't the best thing he's felt around his dick in weeks—your mouth meets his chest again, and he's quickly caught off guard by the way your lips wrap around one of his nipples. Your tongue swirls aimlessly, tugging the bud further past your lips whilst indulging in two other fruitless acts of pleasure simultaneously.

For a while you were convinced that Toji's laziness translated in the bed as well since he damn sure wasn't doing much aside from letting you rub all over him in every available aspect.

That was until he felt your breaths coming in shorter and your hand gripping at his cock a bit tighter to brace yourself for something. It was rather adorable how quickly you tensed up against him as your orgasm approached. All he could do was sit there and swallow down his groans as you gripped his cock and moaned against his nipple, clit throbbing at his thigh and cunt leaking your panties into a soaking mess.

The moment your body starts to convulse and he realizes you're cumming, his hand slides under your panties and he palms the bare skin of your ass before applying a hefty bit of pressure—weighing your body harder down against his thigh so you have no room to run from the orgasm that crashes over you.

Feeling you cum against his leg is easily one of the best feelings in the world in his opinion. He would have the air conditioning broken for months if this would be the result every night.

Not that he tells you this, of course.

As you're panting and trying to steady your breathing, Toji finally decides to stop being lazy and causes your hand to fall away from his length as he suddenly shifts about to push you over.

You land on your back and gasp, blinking rapidly before he's positioning himself above you—cock dangling nastily and sloppily kissing against the skin of your naked thigh. Toji's big arms bracket the sides of you body and you stare up at him innocently, as if you didn't just rub one out on his thigh and leech onto him throughout the entire ordeal.

“What’re you doing?” you ask.

“You want me to fuck you, right?” Toji hums, abruptly hooking an arm under one of your knees and lifting your leg up. Then he's doing the same to your other leg and your breath is tangling around somewhere in your lungs. You're barely given a proper moment to process what's going in before he's dipping down in between your clammy legs as if it's second nature, "Gotta make you cum for me first."

"But I just—"

"Nah," Toji's smiles once he's got a face full of your pussy in front of him—your flimsy panties the only thing between his starving mouth and what was about to serve as a refreshment for him, "Not like that. On my tongue."

That's the only warning he gives you before diving in.

It should've been too hot for half of the things you two had done so far and yet here you were anyway—letting him grind the entirety of his mouth against the gorgeously swollen mound of your pussy, his teeth baring out to tug your panties over to the side so he could properly suction his lips to you. Your underwear is kept to the side by a singular thumb that he angles over, and his mouth is nothing short of disgusting against you.

In fact, the entire lower half of his face is nasty when met with your pussy. The tip of his nose nuzzles against your frazzled clit, and his lips motion outwardly before he sucks the slick out from in between your folds—tongue coming through to lap at it as if rewarded. When he groans, you feel the sound thunder against the entire lower half of your body.

Toji's busy going to town until you both are a mess of mixed sweat and pleasureful tears. Your hand found his hair somewhere in between his long tongue curving up inside you, and since then you've been grinding upwards against him, practically riding his face whilst he fucked you right back down into the matress with his mouth alone.

The same mattress of which rocked with both of your combined movements. The volume of your moaning and his groaning was surely enough to earn a noise complaint from a nearby neighbor the following morning but obviously neither of you cared.

Between Toji's tongue and the heat that continued to make you sweat into his sheets at a ridiculous rate, your next orgasm comes far heavier than the first one had. So much so that you were squirming all against your roommate, trying to push at his head as if you didn't want to cum—your poor mind scrambled from everything that'd taken place thus far.

It's not until after you spill something weepy into his mouth that he peels his mouth off of you and wipes at his mouth, licking the remnants that smear across his hand immediately after.

Yet even then Toji doesn't give you much time to recover. If anything, he gives you no time to recover whatsoever.

Your eyes are still stinging from prickly tears of pleasure, and as you're blinking them away, you catch sight of him crawling his way back up over you. Next thing you know and his mouth meets yours in a singular, haphazard kiss that consists of a slanted tongue sloppily breaking past your lips and a groan pouring into your opened mouth.

Then his cock slips against your exposed folds, a thumping vein felt mapping the outskirts of your sensitive clit before he angles one hand down to grip his base. Your body latches onto his all over again, arms wrapping around his neck despite the sweat on your skin making the both of you slip 'n slide against one another.

Toji smiles into his next set of smooches, trailing his kisses down to your jaw, and eventually the warm side of your neck before feeling you roll your body upwards—cunt kissing the head of his dick as he slides it downwards in one heavy motion.

“Awh, look at you grindin’ on my tip like that. You want this fat cock inside you, huh?” His voice slathers itself into your skin and it's making you impossibly hotter underneath him, but you couldn't be bothered with it right now. Which is exactly why you nod in response, and he leans up a little to look you in the eyes whilst releasing his length from his grip, “Yeahh? Here, take it then—let me see you put it in.”

No seconds are wasted as you dip your hand down and comfortably wrap your fingers around him, giving him a couple tugs that he can't help but glance down at. Toji eventually obeys your short tugs 'n pulls by letting his body follow the motion until his tip is getting snagged by your goopy entrance—globs of slick sobbing all over his first few pudgy inches.

The very moment he starts sliding into you, you're whining and he's left moaning above you.

“Ohmygodd,” His dick easily stretches you out a bit more than you were expecting it to, the sheer girth of him jerking a gaspy little call of his name out of your lungs, “Toji-, Toji!”

“What, what? What’s wrong?” He pauses rather quickly to ensure he's not hurting you or something, hardly even halfway inside you and staring down at your twisting face with worried eyes.

You’re panting, nails having moved to dig into his arms already, “You’re too fuckin’ big.”

That makes Toji grin before he huffs, “No such thing.” and pulls back to spank your cunt with the weight of his cock a couple times. He only tops to spit at his four fingers before smacking you with his dick again, inching in afterwards and reassuring you with a rather gently murmured, “She can take me.”

Your head shakes but there’s an eager glimmer in your eye whilst you whisper back to him warningly, “Just… go slow.”

“Mmmh, I’ll try,” He tells you before leaning down to kiss your cheek and whispering, “Just for you.”

Then he's nudging his way into you—inch by inch until his chubby balls are left flush against your sweat-glossed skin and his tip is bumping against your hilt.

He looks down and sees his cock bulging against your skin. Then he thumbs at your clit and tutts—popping a pout at how puffy your pussy lips are around his dick already. “Look at that slutty pussy—she knows how to take cock juuuust fine.”

Your walls constrict around him just once and the next thing you know, Toji's rocking himself in 'n out of you perfectly. Your insides seem to mold to the shape of him in a matter of minutes, getting used to his wide size and taking him in deeper as he moves along.

The sounds of sex practically cloud the room, his cock fucking into you faster than you can keep up with and your mushy walls sucking him in farther than he can comprehend. Sweat drips off of his body and onto your and the both of you are an utter mess of one another.

Every now and then he'd lean down to kiss you but the gesture always comes shabbier than the last, lips maligning across one another whilst warm saliva is exchanged and left across both of your faces.

Your hand makes the mistake of moving to his lower abdomen and pushing at his body just a few seconds after he starts fucking you down into the mattress—the bed rocking and shaking beneath your bodies—and Toji seems ticked off for half a second.

Then he nods his chin at your wrist, "Move your fuckin' hand and feel it, feel that dick inside you. Stretchin' you out real good."

He's not entirely sure if it's his words or the way he starts plowing forward even faster, but the slippery squelches one of those invokes from you most certainly is not something he imagines. Then your moans increase in volume and Toji figures he doesn't need a neighbor scolding the two of you for this tomorrow so he brings a hand up to your chin and then props his thumb up to your bottom lip.

“Open up, doll.” He orders plainly, to which you take his finger in without him even having to ask. Toji smiles at the sight, “Atta girllll, now suck on it.”

You do exactly that for him, the action suppressing how loud your moans are for a while until his cock knocks across your cervix and leads you to bite down on his thumb. The sensation is sudden and sharp, which nearly makes Toji's eyes cross for a moment.

Words couldn't describe what that little bit of pain did to him, honestly. All you both know is that within the next few seconds, something creamy is flooding your insides and making you two many degrees hotter than you'd been earlier.

Your brains turn off in sync after that and he's just thrusting mindlessly for another minute or two, as if to make sure he's properly bred you or something. Then his fingers move to the side of your neck and his thumb slides out of your mouth—leaving a thin trail of saliva in its wake—and his entire hand goes off to cradle the back of your head.

You gasp once Toji lifts you up from the bed in one, freakishly strong tug, still humping his dick into you slightly before your mouths collide somewhere in the air. You're hauled all the way up until he's sitting back on his heels and you're appropriately sat on top of him. Both of your arms and hands are everywhere on each other's body, and it feels like something utterly depraved as taken over.

The kisses you share is a slop of tugged lips and sucked tongues, mingled with breathy moans and murmurs of your names until his hands find the underside of your thighs and move to bounce you up and down on his cock.

A whine is punctured directly out of you as you're lifted, gravity aiding Toji in plopping you right back down onto his cum-smothered base. Then his mouth finds one of your tits and he's drooling all over you.

You thought you were unsure of what had gotten into you but apparently Toji was far worse off. It's like the heat of the room was of no concern anymore. The only thing that mattered to him was having your body be thoroughly appreciated by every part of him he had to offer.

He's even mumbling into you while his tongue swirls around your nipple, “So fuckin’ hot it here,” he puffs, “Making me lose my goddamn mind—fuckin’ you like this. Hahhh.”

You're babbling nonsense with your arms wrapped around hims head, “Tojiiii-, aanh! You feel s-so good inside me.”

Which, makes him feel all proud inside for the nth time tonight, “I know I do." His hands grasp at the thick of your hips again and he squeezes your skin just once before moving you vertically around the sticky inches of his length, “Feel good when I bounce you up ‘n down my dick like this too?”

You’re nodding stupidly. Then his hands find your asscheeks and he's groping you the way he's always wanted to.

Plap after plap after plap bounces against the walls and his cum has evenly started to leak down against his balls and drip onto his sheets—which were already a mess to begin with.

Then his head flies back and his hair is sticking to his skin due to sweat, “Fuuuck, I’m gonna cum again." He warns, tipping his chin down a moment to meet eyes with you, "You ready for it, doll? Hm? Gonna fuck it into you.”

He earns another dumb nod of your head as you press into him. Whimpering, “Fill me up, Toji. Pleeease?"

The next and final load that he shoots into you comes in uneven bursts, painting your walls in a sluggish fashion before both of your bodies go still against one another. Well, safe for you shuddering as you release right along with him.

You're still hugging his head and he's still got his arms wrapped tightly around you but that only lasts for a few seconds before both of you feel another wave of heat draft over you. Then, for the first time in forever, you're remind of how you ended up in his room to begin with.

Toji lifts his head up to kiss your shoulder, “I uh-, fuck." He snorts into your skin—regretting it directly after since the sweat on both of your skin is beginning to make your bodies feel glued to one another, "I would’ve put on a condom but uhm… s’too hot for that.”

You scoff at him, “Liar, you ran out of condoms three weeks ago.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He mumbles back.

Then he realizes there's no way you'd know that unless you were just as much of a disgusting pervert as he was and had been tracking the number of condoms he had in the same way he'd been tracking how many pairs of panties you'd allowed to go missing over the past month.

Pulling away from your shoulder and blinking, “Wait a damn minute.”

perm toji tags (1/2):

@chewiebee @darilovessfood @kalaiiixoxxx @scarfest @broimherebcsimboredok @c4tzons4turn @chansmai @ker-0-sene @wonderfullymickey @xxvendettaxx

@blcknebula @cupidstrace @iiakithegoat @hellodeeyanna @navyllll @grignardsreagent @kingofpiratesiguess @not-a-glad-gladiator @audiblez @hopelissromantiq

@ms-wiish @2kool4skoolll @daxphoriax @gorouenjoyer @oookore @blubearxy @iaintblockinnobody @anothergojostan @kitassecretgf @iam-souless

@nanamitiddiechomper @ohreallyfriend @kunababy @withersworld @suguphile @megottheswaskikacooooke @kvsqkiii @yourlocalcatscammer @prettysexcgorgeous @lucy-lulu

So now you slide your wet and ruined panties, snapping the fabric between your fingers so it shoots right into Qifrey's face. She startles when your panties land in her cheek and looks at you with your panties fisted in her hand.

"Did you just throw your panties to my face?" she says, trying to sound calm but she's definitely tired of your bratiness.

You just smile, getting on your knees fully naked, nodding fast. "Yup."

Qifrey's eyes narrowed, exhaustion and heat cracking through her calm. She stood up slowly from her desk, the chair scraping back as she tossed your ruined panties onto the floor.

"You've been such a brat all night," she muttered. "I told you I needed to finish this. But no, you just can't help yourself, can you?"

You grinned up at her from the bed, still on your knees, but she didn't smile back. Instead, she walked over to the drawer where you both kept your toys, pulling out her biggest strap-on. The thick glass gleamed under the lamp light and your stomach flipped with anticipation. Qifrey strapped it on without another word, adjusting the harness around her hips while you watched, biting your lip.

"Get on all fours," she said, pointing to the edge of the bed.

You scrambled to obey, heart racing as you arched your back and presented yourself to her. She climbed up behind you, one hand gripping your hip while the other guided the fat head of the strap right against your slick entrance. She didn't tease or warm you up this time, you did it all by yourself, actually you were so wet already that it was embarrassing. She pushed in deep in one smooth thrust, filling you up so completely that you gasped and clutched at the sheets.

"Fuuuuck, Qifrey baby…" you whimpered, pushing back against her already.

Her hips snapped forward again and again, the sound of skin meeting skin filling the room along with your needy moans. The strap stretched you perfectly, hitting that spot inside you with every rough stroke. You were babbling in no time, whining her name like a prayer, your body trembling as pleasure built fast and hot. "Please, don't stop nghh ah! I'm so close, baby, please so so close…"

Qifrey's hand slid up your back, pressing you down harder into the mattress. She fucked you through it relentlessly, until your thighs shook and you were right there on the edge, a whiny mess ready to fall apart. Your walls clenched around the thick toy, chasing that peak.

Then she stopped. Just like that.

She pulled out slowly, leaving you empty and throbbing, a broken sound escaping your throat as you tried to chase her. "Qifrey! Nooo, come back…"

But she was already stepping off the bed, wiping the strap casually before tucking it away. Her breathing was a little heavy, cheeks flushed, but she sat back down at her desk like nothing happened.

"That's what you get for not letting me work in peace," she said, picking up her pen again. The papers waited for her and she focused on them with stubborn determination, even though you could see the way her thighs pressed together under the table.

You collapsed onto your stomach, still panting and desperate, your body aching for the release she had stolen. "You're so mean," you whined into the pillow, but there was a smile tugging at your lips too, because now you get more time to bother her.

Qifrey ignored him.The conversation ended there. Mostly because you shifted slightly in your sleep, immediately drawing his attention. By the time they reached the atelier, the moon was high overhead. The entire building was dark. It was quiet. The girls were asleep as instructed.

Though Qifrey wasn't surprised to find a note from Agott waiting on the table.

Nothing exploded. Nobody died. We went to bed.

"..."

Olruggio snorted. "Responsible one."

The note continued.

Bring Master [name] back safely.

Qifrey folded the note carefully. Olruggio's expression softened slightly. The two men exchanged a look. Then Olruggio stretched.

"I'm going to sleep. Wake me up if she regains consciousness."

Qifrey nodded. "I will."

With that, Olruggio disappeared toward his quarters, leaving Qifrey alone. The room felt strangely quiet. Qifrey carried you upstairs. Careful not to jostle your injured leg, careful not to wake you. He gently lowered you onto the bed.

Only then did he get a proper look at you. The bruises. The dried blood. The dirt. The torn clothing. His jaw tightened. Slowly, he retrieved a basin of water and a clean cloth. Then began wiping away the grime.

Carefully, patiently. Removing dust. Removing blood. Removing every reminder of where you'd been. He had to stop several times because anger kept threatening to surface.

The Brimhats had done this to you. The thought alone was enough to make his hands tighten around the cloth. Eventually, he noticed something else. Your foot. The swelling. The discoloration. Qifrey immediately frowned. It was definitely broken.

You must have been in pain the entire flight home. Carefully, he dressed you in your sleeping gown, making sure you were comfortable. Then he stood, preparing to fetch bandages and healing supplies.

A hand caught his cloak with barely enough force to stop him. He froze immediately.

"...Qifrey?" Your voice was hoarse and small.

His attention snapped back toward you instantly. You were awake. Barely but awake.

Qifrey immediately knelt beside the bed. "Hey." His voice softened. "How are you feeling?"

The question was ridiculous. You managed a weak smile.

"Terrible." You looked around the room, something suddenly occurring to you.

"The relic."

Qifrey blinked. "What?"

"The relic." Your voice sharpened slightly. "Where is it?"

Even now. Even after everything. You were thinking about the relic. Qifrey couldn't decide whether that was admirable or concerning.

"It's here."

You visibly relaxed.

"In your storage cabinet." He nodded toward the corner of the room. "Along with your other relics."

The tension immediately left your shoulders. A shaky breath escaped you.

"Thank goodness..."

Qifrey frowned. Only then did he notice the tears gathering in your eyes. At first you tried to blink them away. It didn't work.

Your voice trembled. "I thought..." You swallowed. "I thought I was going to die."

The admission hung heavily between you. Because neither of you had said it aloud before. But now that you were safe, it finally surfaced. You looked away.

"I'm glad you came." Your eyes stung. "I'm glad both of you came."

A small laugh escaped. Though it sounded more like a sob. "Thank you for saving me."

Qifrey stared. Then slowly reached out. His hand settled atop your head.It was gentle and warm. The same way he used to comfort Coco. The same way he'd comforted all of his apprentices. Yet somehow different.

"It's alright." His fingers brushed through your hair. "You're home now." The words were soft. "Everything's going to be alright."

You immediately shook your head. "No."

Qifrey paused. Your hand tightened around the blanket.

"No, it's not."

The tears returned. Not because you were scared anymore. Because you understood what the Brimhats had. What they knew. What they were searching for.

"They have the other half."

The room went still. Qifrey's expression changed immediately. You looked toward the cabinet where your relic sat. It fely ominous to you now.

"The other half exists." Your voice dropped to a whisper. "And they have it."

Qifrey listened quietly as you finished speaking. The room had grown dark sometime during the conversation. Only the soft glow of a nearby lamp illuminated the space between you.

The silence stretched. Neither of you quite knew what to say. Finally, Qifrey squeezed your hand.

"We can discuss the relic tomorrow."

You opened your mouth. Closed it. Then nodded. "...Okay."

You were exhausted. Every part of your body hurt. Perhaps tomorrow was enough.

Qifrey smiled softly. "Rest."

When he tried to stand, you didn't let go. His cloak shifted slightly as your fingers tightened around his hand. The realization hit both of you at the same time. You froze. Qifrey froze.

For a moment, you considered apologizing. Releasing him. Pretending it hadn't happened. Instead, your exhausted mind simply refused to cooperate. You were afraid.

Qifrey seemed to understand because he didn't pull away. Instead, he sat back down beside the bed. Carefully taking your hand between both of his. His thumbs brushed lightly across your knuckles. Then, before you could process what he was doing, he lifted your hand and pressed a gentle kiss against your fingers. Your heart nearly stopped.

"Sweet dreams." His voice was barely above a whisper.

The last thing you remembered before sleep finally claimed you was the warmth of his hands around yours.

The next morning hurt. A lot. You woke with a groan. Your entire body ached. Your head felt heavy. Your foot felt like it belonged to someone who had personally offended the universe.

You stared at the ceiling. Perhaps if you remained perfectly still, the pain would go away. It did not. You tried falling asleep again. That didn't work either. So you simply lay there. Awake and miserable.

A knock sounded at your door. Before you could answer, it slowly opened.

"Tetia, wait!" The girls entered. All four of them. Each carrying something. Food, water, a blanket and for some reason, Coco was carrying a pillow.

Their expressions immediately softened when they saw you awake.

"Master [Name]!" Tetia rushed forward. Stopping only because Agott grabbed the back of her cloak.

"Don't jump on her."

"Oh." Tetia immediately looked guilty. "Sorry."

You laughed weakly. "I appreciate the concern."

Then came the questions. All at once.

"Are you okay?"

"Did they hurt you?"

"Were you scared?"

"Did you really get kidnapped?"

"Did Master Qifrey fight everyone?"

"Did Master Olly blow something up?"

The door opened again. Olruggio entered already looking tired. "Quiet down."

The room immediately fell silent. Mostly. Tetia still had about three questions visibly fighting for survival. Olruggio pointed toward the corner. She sat down defeated.

A moment later Qifrey entered carrying fresh bandages and medical supplies. His gaze immediately found yours. A small smile appeared on his face. You returned it.

For the first time since the festival, everything felt normal. Comfortable. Safe. You were in the atelier. Surrounded by familiar faces. Unfortunately, reality quickly returned. You looked toward the group.

Your smile faded. "I need to tell you what happened."

The room quieted. Everyone listened. You explained everything.The Brimhats. The tower. The man who interrogated you. The questions about the relic. The existence of the second half snd finally the wish.

Silence followed. Even Tetia wasn't speaking anymore.

"He said the completed relic can grant any wish."

Coco's eyes widened. Richeh looked uneasy. Olruggio frowned. Qifrey remained unreadable.

Then Agott spoke. "If that's true..." She folded her arms. "...is that all it does?"

Everyone looked at her.

"You make a wish and then what?"

You exhaled slowly. "The half I recovered mentions a trade." Your hands gripped the blanket on your lap. "It's incomplete because the relic itself is incomplete."

"Meaning?" Olruggio asked.

"Meaning I don't know what the price is."

The room grew quiet again.

"The inscription never explains it.It simply says that for a wish to be granted something must be exchanged."

The girls exchanged uneasy looks.

"What kind of exchange?" Coco asked softly.

You glanced toward the storage cabinet where the relic was being kept.

"If the wish can truly grant anything then the price would have to be equally significant."

You buried your face in your hands. "I think we need to destroy it."

The room fell silent. You lowered your hands and looked toward the cabinet where the relic was stored.

"There is absolutely no way I'm allowing the Brimhats to get their hands on it."

No one argued. Not even Olruggio.

"If they combine the two halves..." you continued, "we have no idea what kind of wish they'll make. Worse, we don't know what kind of sacrifice the relic will demand in return."

The memory of the Brimhat's obsession still made your skin crawl. Your voice hardened. "It needs to be destroyed."

Qifrey nodded first. "I agree."

"So do I." Olruggio crossed his arms.

The girls exchanged uneasy glances before nodding as well. Even Tetia looked serious. Which was rare, very rare.

"There is one thing, though."

Everyone looked back at you. You rubbed the back of your neck.

"When I destroy it, I want to do it myself."

"No." Qifrey.

"No." Olruggio.

"No." Agott.

Their synchronized response startled you.

You blinked. "Let me finish."

The room quieted. You pointed toward the cabinet.

"We have no idea what will happen when it's destroyed."

Olruggio frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean ancient relic." You spread your hands. "What if it explodes?"

The girls immediately paled. "EXPLODES?!" Tetia's voice cracked. Beside her, Coco looked equally horrified.

You quickly waved your hands. "Worst case scenario!"

That did not help at all.

"Tetia looks like she's about to cry."

"I am!"

You sighed. Then offered them a reassuring smile. "It's only a possibility." A terrible possibility. "I'll wait until I'm feeling better before I start the destruction process."

The girls still looked unconvinced.

Qifrey finally stepped in. "Enough relic discussion for today." Everyone looked toward him. "You need rest."

His gaze landed on the girls. "And you four have studies."

A collective groan immediately filled the room. Olruggio pointed toward the door.

"Come on."

One by one, the girls were herded from the room. The moment the door closed, silence returned. You sighed. Qifrey moved his chair closer to the bed.

"You really frightened them."

"I frightened myself."

That earned a soft laugh. The first one you'd heard from him all morning. For a moment neither of you spoke. Then Qifrey carefully unwrapped one of your bandages. Inspecting the injury beneath. His touch was gentle. Almost frustratingly gentle.

"You know," you said, "you'd make a good healer."

Qifrey smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was."

Fresh bandages replaced the old ones. His fingers worked carefully. Like he had all the time in the world. You found yourself watching him. The way sunlight caught in his hair. The concentration on his face. The quiet care behind every movement.

Home. The thought came unexpectedly. You hadn't realized how much you'd missed this. Not the atelier. Not the relics. Him. The realization startled you enough that you immediately looked away.

Fortunately, Qifrey seemed too focused on your bandages to notice or perhaps he was pretending not to.

Several days later, you were finally able to walk again. "Hobble" was probably a more accurate description. Still, it was progress and progress meant you could finally deal with the relic.

You chose an open field far from the atelier. Far from trees, far from buildings, far from anything that could accidentally become collateral damage.

The relic sat on a flat stone in front of you. You picked up a sturdy metal tool. Raised it overhead.

CLANG.

The impact rattled your arms. Pain shot up your shoulders. You nearly dropped the tool. The relic remained exactly the same. You stared then picked it up. Nothing. Not a scratch or a dent. Not even a scuff mark.

"...You're kidding."

The relic did not respond. Which somehow felt rude. You tried again. And again. And again. Nothing.

Eventually, you admitted physical destruction wasn't working. So you moved on to magic. That, surely, would work. You carefully drew a destructive circle. Activated it.

The resulting blast launched the relic high into the sky. For one glorious moment, you felt victorious. Then it came back down. The impact shook the ground. Dirt flew everywhere. A small crater formed where it landed.

You cautiously approached. Peered into the crater and found the relic sitting there. Completely unharmed. The crater had suffered more damage than the relic itself.

You stared. After a long silence, you sighed. "...I hate you."

The relic remained stubbornly indestructible. You rubbed your temples. At this point, you were out of ideas. Which left only one option. As much as it pained you to admit it, you needed help.

Specifically from two witches who were annoyingly good at solving problems. One grumpy. One attractive.

You paused. "...and one grumpy."

With a resigned sigh, you picked up the relic and started hobbling back toward the atelier. It was time to ask Qifrey and Olruggio what they thought.

When you finally returned to the atelier, the sun was already beginning to set. Orange light spilled across the windows. Your entire body ached. Your pride even more so.

The girls were already occupied with their evening studies. The atelier was unusually quiet. You made your way toward Qifrey's office. If anyone could help make sense of the relic, it would be him... or Olruggio. Preferably both.

As you approached the door, voices drifted through the slight crack left open. You slowed. Not intentionally. Just enough to realize they were in the middle of something.

"...a silverwood seed?!" Olruggio's voice was sharp. Alarmed.

You froze. The concern in his voice immediately caught your attention. Inside, silence followed. Then Qifrey spoke.

"...yes."

Your grip tightened around the satchel. The tone alone was enough to make your stomach drop.

"I've known about it for years."

Olruggio cursed under his breath. "You should've told me sooner."

"It wouldn't have changed anything."

"Qifrey."

"The Brimhats implanted it when I was a child."

The world seemed to stop. Your breath caught. You stood perfectly still. Unable to move. Unable to look away. Inside the office, Qifrey continued speaking far too calmly. As if discussing the weather.

"It remains dormant under normal circumstances."

Olruggio said nothing.

"The problem is that it grows and the growth accelerates when I feel..." Qifrey hesitated. "...at peace."

Your heart sank.

"When I feel happy, the seed feeds on contentment."

The words felt impossible. Cruel. Qifrey laughed quietly. Though there was no humor in it.

"So I manage it."

Olruggio immediately understood. The horror in his voice made that obvious.

"...you've been doing this on purpose."

No answer. Which was answer enough. The constant work. The sleepless nights. The guilt. The responsibilities. The tendency to carry every burden alone.

Not because Qifrey couldn't let go. Because he literally couldn't. Eventually, he spoke again.

"As long as I'm worried. As long as I'm stressed. As long as I have something to protect. The seed remains stable."

You felt sick. Inside the office, Olruggio looked furious.

"That's not living."

"No." Qifrey agreed quietly. "It isn't."

Silence filled the room once more. Then came the part that made your blood run cold.

"There's something else."

Olruggio frowned. "What?"

Qifrey looked away. "You'll need to forget this conversation."

"What?"

"The less people know, the better."

"Qifrey."

"If people know." Qifrey's voice softened. "If they understand." His gaze dropped. "If you forgive me." A sad smile appeared. "It will make me feel safe..." The smile was bittersweet. "The seed will grow."

Your hands shook. Suddenly, all the small moments from the past few weeks replayed in your head. The smiles. The laughter. The warmth. The comfort. Things that should have been good. Things that apparently weren't. You couldn't listen anymore.

You stepped away from the office. Neither of them noticed. The relic felt unusually heavy in your satchel. For the first time, the wish no longer seemed ridiculous. It seemed necessary.

Hours later, the atelier had settled into silence. Night had fallen. You sat alone at the kitchen table. A cup of tea rested between your hands. The relic sat nearby. Reflecting the firelight from the lantern beside it.

You stared at it. A wish. An exchange. A price. Your thoughts drifted unwillingly back toward Qifrey. To the life he'd been forced to live. The sacrifices he'd already made.

Footsteps interrupted your thoughts. Olruggio entered first. Qifrey behind him. Both immediately noticed your expression. Neither liked it.

Olruggio pulled out a chair. "Everything alright?"

You slowly shook your head. "No." The answer was honest. Both men exchanged a glance.

Then Qifrey sat across from you. "What happened?"

You looked toward the relic. "It won't break."

"What?" Olruggio asked.

You gestured toward the object. "I tried everything." You explained the hammer. The impact. The crater. The magic. The complete lack of results. By the end, both witches were staring at the relic, concerned.

"...nothing?" Qifrey asked.

"Nothing."

"Not even a scratch?"

"Not even a scratch."

Olruggio leaned back. "That's annoying."

"That's one word for it."

Silence settled over the table. The relic sat between the three of you.

Eventually Qifrey spoke. "Have you truly tried everything?"

The question lingered. You hesitated, because the answer wasn't entirely yes. Slowly, both men noticed your expression.

Olruggio narrowed his eyes. "What."

You looked down. Then back up. "There is one thing I haven't tried."

Both of them became suspicious.

Qifrey folded his hands. "What is it?"

You took a deep breath. Then said the one thing you'd been thinking about all evening. The one thing you knew neither of them would like.

"I want to steal the other half."

He lightly slips your dress off your shoulders to kiss the heated skin there. You feel the cold metal of his glasses pressing against your skin. You reach for his face so that he has to look at you. For a moment, worry is reflected in his beautiful eye. Very carefully you reach for his self-protection and he looks at you uncertainly. You put the glasses behind you on the bedside table before turning back to him. Your fingers gently brush back his hair, exposing his missing eye. His weak point. "Don't look."

To hell with this. Your fingertips gently stroke the area. You put all your feelings into this gesture. You don't see this missing eye as something weak that needs to be hidden. It is a sign that he is alive; that he survived. Your fingers are exchanged with your lips. You kiss the spot, the young man sucks in the air sharply. There is too much emotion in this gesture. Even if a part of you loathes him for his ignorance, you don't forget his love.  Everything that has happened between you, you want to forget at this moment.

Qifrey grabs you harshly under the thighs, lifting you up, only to throw you onto the bed. You gasp as you are thrown backward and immediately have the white-haired man on top of you. Your hands reach for his blouse, helping him to slip the annoying piece of cloth over his head.

Your feelings are overflowing. Fingertips stroke the free skin that he so gratefully makes available to you. Qifrey guides his heated palms under your dress, and runs it over your thighs to grab into the flesh heartily. Your panting is reaction enough to dance back and forth between your slightly open thighs, to tease you even more. In his presence, you're almost shy, even though you have experience with men. Now everything seems to be forgotten. Your impatience is clearly noticeable as you press your hip against him. He laughs.

"It can't happen fast enough for someone..." You missed his cheeky personality.

You press your foot lightly against his bulge, which is held in check by his pants. "If it goes slower, I can leave you hanging."

Qifrey pulls in sharply the ones at your touch. "How heartless you are" His finger brushes over your wet folds, making you whine in surprise. "Damn..."

Qifrey has you in his hand. His fingers start playing with your pussy, exploring you and looking for the points that will send you into raptures. He notices that your dress bothers him. The white-haired man pulls it up, over your breasts, to be able to see you clearly. This sight alone almost makes him come into his pants. He hasn't seen your body for so many years. It feels different, more grown-up, more beautiful than he could ever have imagined. The scars, and little wrinkles he wants to worship. You, too, are busy exploring the witch's skin that has eluded you for so many years.

Slowly and with relish, he thrusts two fingers into you. Your walls pulsate around him. His dick presses himself agonizingly against the prison.  "You're doing so well," he breathes at you as he maltreats you with relish. He literally takes his time to feel everything very intensively. Too intense for you. You literally claw at his arm while he hits exactly the right spots. "Qifrey... I... I can’t hold on…."  You desperately mutter, thrusting your hip into his hand. He strokes over your throbbing clit. You’re moaning against his open mouth, while the sounds of his fingers in your cunt echo.

"Then come"

As if his words were the final trigger, your orgasm breaks over you like a storm. You would literally collapse if it weren't for the white-haired man who holds you tightly in his arms and looks down at you with lust-veiled eyes. In your intoxication, you literally reach for him and pull him towards you. He lets you, sinks deeper into your body. His lips draw a deep red because you take over his beautiful lips. Your legs push further apart so that he can find space between them. His excitement presses against your wetness, pulsating and ready. His crystal-blue eye meets your eyes and you nod, giving consent. You can already feel him penetrating you and moaning deeply. He moves slowly inside you to seem to get you used to it. You want more. You harshly thrust your hip at him, which upsets him. "You're really impatient..." he mumbles against your lips and you can only twist your lips into a half-smile. I've waited a long time, haven't I?"

Your fingers scratch his back, making him whimper. "More of these sounds," you bubble towards him, which seems uncomfortable for him for a short moment, but shortly after he thrusts into you and complies with your request. Qifrey's hand grabs your sweaty cheek so you have to look at him. His eye flickers with feelings you can't interpret. Everything is too much; His body on yours, he is in you and that burning feeling inside you is trying to break out. At that moment you yearn for his lips and when you press your lips on his you bring everything into this kiss and let yourself be carried away by him. His thrusts are getting harsher and even deeper. You can feel him deep inside you. Your arms sling around his torso and with a swift motion you switch positions with him, straddling his hips now. You move on his cock, your hips bounce on him like your life depends on it. Qifrey grabs your hips, helping you to make yourself feel good. You don’t care anymore, feeling him throbbing inside of you. “Oh my…”, whispers the white-haired man, while looking up to you, staring into your face which is filled with pleasure. He wants to see more. Pure bliss draws your face and he couldn’t get enough of it. He moans your name, sitting up so he could ravish your breasts with his lips. You let him, throwing your head back, when his lips suck on your nipple. Your trembling hands find his sweaty white locks, pulling on them to get some kind of hold. Your emotions are overflowing. He whispers something you couldn’t quite understand, between his kisses on your sensitive skin. You’re a whimpering mess in Qifrey's hold.  “I’m close…”, murmurs the man breathless and you just nod, not being capable of doing anything. Your second orgasm is close too so you want to chase that high. “Me too…”

Qifrey grips at your hip, helping you go faster with your moves. Your second orgasm washes over you, while you feel Qifrey pulling out of you. His semen spurts over both of your bodies, while you both hold onto each other. Your name moaned by him tingles in your ear. His lips press passionately on you, taking your breath away. You let him consume you in this moment when you try to calm down. Slowly you stand up, holding his semen on your legs and stomach. You don’t want it to drip on your bed. The moment between you two is over. Reality settles in, while you try to find a cloth. You must look totally stupid, running around naked on the search for it.

You found some in your bathroom, cleaning yourself just a little and bringing a second one to him. He takes it thankfully and rubs himself clean. You both are quiet, too quiet.

You can see his healing injuries and countless other scars in this moment. He slept with you, although he still needed rest. Remorse eats through your skin, because you should’ve said something.

Now that the sexual arousal has subsided, a bitter aftertaste remains. Qifrey sat next to you and you have to consider whether you want him to leave or stay. You're already wondering if sleeping with him is a mistake. But your heart beats uncomfortably at the thought of having him lying next to you. You decide in this millisecond for the choice of your heart.

"You can stay if you want"

Qifrey looks at you with his tousled hair in front of his eyes, which he wipes out of his face more badly than well. "Are you sure?"

"We slept together. The night after really doesn't matter anymore." Your sarcastic tone brings a wry smile to his lips.

"okay, then I'll stay" He carefully lies down next to you, his shoulder touches yours only very slightly. That makes me restless. You have just been as close as possible and now you keep a safe distance from each other. It's abstruse and yet you don't dare to take the first step to address the problem.

-

again countless years ago

"A political marriage?"

Beldaruit nods heavily. His look reveals that he also does not welcome wanting to marry his daughter off soon.

"You are that age and there have been wedding offers since the beginning of your birth. I can no longer ignore them."

"Why can't you do that, father?"

He sighs theatrically. You hate it when it starts to become dramatic.

"You are the daughter of one of the wise three witches. You also have a task and that is to make alliances possible through marriage."

Everything inside you freezes to ice. Everything in you resists being sold off to the highest bidder. You are a talented witch and have never imagined a life as an appendage of a man.

"You, as a sage, can suspend this ancient tradition. I don't want to get married. At least not someone who doesn't love me and whom I don't love."

"Daughter... You can also learn to love someone"

"Did you do the same after mother?"

Your father closes his eyes when you bring up his sore spot. He has loved only one person in his life more than others. Your mother.

"It would have been her wish that you get married, too."

You shake your head. "I don't think so."

Beldaruit sighs heavily again, leans back in his chair. "I don't have the nerve to argue with you. Be reasonable, my little one. You can also choose one of them."

"I'm not going to do this, father"

"Are you already in love?"

He can tell from your facial expressions that he hits the bull's eye with his question. "Who?"

You don't answer. You can't.

"Who?" he asks again more insistently. He suddenly slaps his hands in front of his head. "I don't even want to know how far you went with this Casanova."

Casanaova, you have to grin. Qifrey the Casanova. 

Beldaruit now floats right in front of you. "You think that's funny?"

"If you've already slept with him, I can't marry you. You know the system."

"I slept with him."

Many negative feelings are reflected in his gaze. You disappointed him. More than just disappointed. He looks at you as if he was wrong about you. He's never looked at you like that before. It hurts.

In a flash, he turns his back on you. "You can go."

"Father...", you try, but nothing you say could change anything. Excuse me? You're not sorry. Every word from your mouth would be a lie. He doesn't answer you. Your father wants you to leave and you do him the favor, even if it hurts you that he was wrong about his daughter.

"Easthies"

The name coming out of your father's mouth throws you off your game. The black-haired man emerges from the shadows. His gaze is fixed on Beldaruit. Not on you. You continuously avoided him. He apparently watched the argument in silence and heard everything. Irritation is literally written all over your face.

"You will follow her every step of the way for the rest of her life. If she should defend herself, then she can enjoy house arrest."

His personality instantly shifted. It seems your bubbly cheeky father was never here in the first place. He’s cold as ice, indifferent to you.

"Father, what?" you interrupt, but you can't be heard. You are in the room, you are being talked about without your opinion seeming important in any way.

Easthies nods and walks towards you. Its gaze is cold too, resembling your father’s in this moment, so it sends shivers down your spine. "Father... You can't do that."

The black-haired man suddenly grabs you by the arm and drags you with him. You try to wriggle out of his grip. "Don't touch me!" you poison as you feel his iron grip put you in your place. He means it. Really serious. "Then you should just do what you're told. Beldaruit-sama wants you to go."

"Let go of me and I'll go," you hiss at him, waiting for him to let go of you. After what feels like an eternity, he takes his hand away and lets you sprint out of the room. He, of course, followed suit. Will this be your life now? Endless anger spreads through your body that you don't want to curb in any way. "Why didn't you blow the whistle on him right away, huh?" you spit at Easthies as you make your way to your chambers. He knows about Qifrey. Why didn't he tell Beldaruit? He could have gotten rid of him with this information.

He doesn't answer you. Of course. Why should they?

How are you supposed to say that to Qifrey now? You must not see him. Easthies will follow you wherever you go, thwarting everything. "Will you follow me to the toilet now - or better yet... standing next to me while I bathe?"

You see a red blush on his cheeks. "You disgust me," you throw at him full of hatred before you go into your chambers and slam the door behind you. With a beating heart, you get a parchment out of your desk and start putting your words for Qifrey on paper. You will first inform him about the situation with a letter spell. You can't take the risk of the "secret" coming out, even if it means not being able to see him.

You roll up the finished message before you start drawing the appropriate characters. With its image in front of your eyes, the letter disappears. Now you have to wait and see what the white-haired witch will say about it.

-

"Why didn't you reply to my message back then?"

"Olu."

"I haven't seen you in a long time," he replies back. He sits on a chair by the window. His face looks tired and sunken. Clear concern is evident in his facial features. Immediately your gaze falls on the sleeping figure on the bed. His white hair covered almost his entire face and the many bandages envelop his body almost completely. "Who did that?" you breathe close to tears.

"Brimhats."

The name seems like a punch in the stomach. You feel like you've been thrown back several years. His urge for revenge was immeasurable at the time. "If it hadn't been for his student Coco... it would have been even worse for him."

Coco. He had students. That's what Beldaruit told you back then. It makes you happy that someone like him has found his purpose. He shares his warmth with the kids. "Then I guess I'll have to express my thanks to Coco personally."

Olruggio nodded with a smile. Together they look at the sleeping Qifrey. Back then, they had been a team. Always together. And now there is hardly anything left of it. You feel how it tingled inside you. You have the urge to touch him; To make sure that it is really him in front of you and not just an illusion. But you can only stand to the side and look down on him. With a heavy heart, you detach yourself from the sight of him. "Don't tell him that I was there," you say to the black-haired man with a heavy heart.

"Are you sure?"

You're sure. You just wanted to make sure that he was alive. Everything else is null and void. "You desperately need a little more sleep, Olu."

"I can say the same to you," he replies ironically. You just smile.

"Take care, Olruggio."

…

too many years ago

"So students. Today's exercises are intended to prepare you for different vegetations." You only listen to the professor with half an ear, because today the teaching situation is different than usual. The students of some of the professors in the Assembly will attend these lessons together. This includes Qifrey, who is usually always hidden at your father's side. You give the white-haired man furtive glances, hoping you're not too flashy (you're too flashy). Olruggio is standing next to Qifrey and he is looking over at you at that very moment. You quickly avert your gaze and feel the blush on your cheeks, which always does what it wants. Even in the most inopportune moments. They saw how you look at him. Embarrassing.

"Why are you so red?" jokes your friend next to you and nudges you even harder than intended, so that you lose your balance. Strong hands hold your shoulder and prevent you from falling backward.

Black long hair appears in your range. "Easthies... Thank you," you say absent-mindedly and straighten up. The closeness to him is a bit too much for you. He smiles slightly and nods at you.

"He likes you," she whispers in your ear and you dismiss this instantly. "He's just my protector.", you tell her with a grumble, because it’s not something you enjoy.

"If that's what you mean," she says more than ambiguously, which you ignore. "Let's focus on the task now," you hiss at her.

"Killjoy," you hear her grumble and you just grin crookedly.

"The task today will be a bit more difficult. You are in the territory of wild animals. You are the invaders and you have to know how to behave. Find the following herbs on your parchment, which you must find in this area. Gather in groups. Your bracelet shines in a certain color that brings you together."

Immediately, your gaze snaps to your friend's bracelet. Hers glow in radiant yellow, while yours glow purple. You are both sulking. "I'll see you later..." you tell her and squeeze her tightly. In the hustle and bustle, you have to look around.

Now all you have to do is look around to see who your partners are. Immediately you feel hot and cold at the same time. Qifreys and your gaze meet at the same time and then on the bright purple bracelets. What a twist of fate.

Easthies appears next to you. Of course, with the same colored bracelet. Two others appear next to you. You introduce yourself, not missing the reluctant glances of the other two in the direction of Qifrey. Easthies next to you also only mutters to the white-haired man, who does the same as the cool gesture.

That can only go wrong and you should be right.

"Stop treating us like inferior witches!"

The two group members, whose names you have long forgotten, are at their wit's end. While you try to find the special herbs together and not draw any animal's attention to you, the others throw everything overboard. "Guys... please be quiet," you try again, but you fall on deaf ears.

"Tell that to the conceited shit. It is only because he is Beldaruit's pupil that he has so many privileges."

"And what kind of privileges would those be? You're only here because you come from big witch families. You haven't done a bit, you snobs."

"Say that again and I swear to you-" The taller of the two suddenly grabs Qifrey and holds him by the collar in the air. "Stop it!", you try again. Easthies next to you stood unimpressed next to it and seems to find the whole thing very amusing. "Help him," you ask the black-haired man, but he just shrugs his shoulders. "It's quite pleasant to see him like this." Hearing that from his mouth makes you tremendously angry. You turn away from him and try to intervene. Too late.

Qifrey was thrown into the lake.

"What the hell?" you blurt out angrily and push your laughing colleagues aside. "It's just a little water."

"And why doesn't he come up again?" you ask with a pounding heart. You wait a few seconds and nothing happens. Couldn't the white-haired man swim? Your body is acting faster than your brain at this moment. You jump in, feel the icy cold of the water. Your eyes burn as you open them to look for him.

You can see white hair that is slowly sinking. With all your strength you swim to him and realize that he is unconscious. Just like that, you can grab his hand and pull him to you. You can't hold your breath for long. You quickly try to bring yourself to the surface of the water. If it weren't for the sudden burning pain that spread through your body and the sudden blood pouring out of your arm. A large water snake has snapped at you and is trying again. Adrenaline pumps through your body as you use all your strength to swim faster. You've made it right away. Your legs suddenly become numb. The poison of the snake.

You have to make it, but your body is now working against you, pulling you back into the abyss. Someone else pulls on you. It is Easthies who jumped into the lake. As your head emerges above the surface of the water, you take the deepest breath of your life before Easthies pulls you and Qifrey out of the water. You cough while you see the lifeless body of the white-haired man. "Are you crazy?" you hear Easthie's barking voice, but you don't care. "He needs first aid," you just say, before you heave yourself to him with the last of your strength. Your legs are not working right now.

"I called for reinforcements."

"Hell, He needs help!" you yell at your protector, who suddenly becomes quiet due to your outburst. You try to revive him. Right now, you don't seem to care at all that you press your lips on his to ventilate him. The adrenaline displaces every other thought, except to keep it alive. "Qifrey... please," you pray to the white-haired man. You haven't even told him what you feel yet. He must not die. He can’t die. "Wake up, you fucking idiot!" you shout again and again between attempts.

The witch seems to have heard you. After the nth attempt, he starts coughing and you hold his head to the side so that he can get rid of the water in his lungs. You cry with relief before you lose consciousness due to the poison in your body.

…

You wake up with the worst migraine you've had in a long time. Your eyes have to get used to the bright environment, but then you realize that you are in the hospital wing. "You're awake...", you hear a familiar voice. Easthies stands next to you and looks down at you with relief. The memories before you fainted come back to your mind. Easthies didn't want to help you help Qifrey. "Why are you here?" you ask coolly, feeling how dry your throat is. You are not the mistress of your body right now, because you want to grab your neck, but your hand only comes very slowly to the said place. Everything plays out as if in slow motion.

"I have the mission to protect you," he replies as a matter of course, which makes you snort. "You really did an excellent job," you reply sarcastically. If he had helped you right away, you probably wouldn't be in this situation and the black-haired man knew that. You can see it in his suffering look in his eyes.

"Is Qifrey okay?"

He just nods. That's enough for you. That was your goal, to save him. Your feelings for him have been confirmed. You are in love with the white-haired man. You never wanted to see it, but the moment he was close to death, you realized it.

"I'll have your father called. He was quite sick with worry."

Easthies walks out of the room, which is pleasant to you. You can't stand this guilty look that literally crushes you.

After a short time, your father floats into the hospital room. His face looks sunken and exhausted. He probably didn't sleep much. "my little daughter"

"Hello father... How long was I gone?"

"Three days. Three whole days in which I was sick with worry," he speaks theatrically and strokes your forehead lovingly. "Easthies told me what happened. That was very brave, but also stupid of you, my little one."

"Nobody wanted to help me. Should I let him die?"

"Of course not..." Beldaruit murmured. The two witches have been suspended for the time being. And you and Qifrey get to repeat the task again."

You nod.

"But only when you are completely healed again. The poison has spread almost all over your body. So you still have to stay in bed."

You just grumble. "Will I get at least a few books?"

"but of course" bright laughter can be heard. "I had some sent for right away."

"Thank you, father."

Beldaruit pulls out pastries from under his curtain. "Eat quickly before the nurses see it," he says imploringly and hands you the sweets. Your favorite variety. You accept it gratefully. For a moment, you forget the white-haired man and your confusing feelings.

Qifrey sits in his room at the same time, staring at the bare wall in front of him. He should visit you, but how can he do that when your guard dog sends him away and he doesn't know how to thank you properly. It's confusing for him. You are the daughter of his teacher, who has always been in the background. He shouldn't really be interested in you and yet he does. He always notices your gaze, which is often on him and the white-haired man always wonders why. Why should you look at him like that? It's hair-pulling that he wastes too much thought on you. You saved him and almost died in the process. His heart pulls slightly at this thought. He has to thank you. Qifrey just has to find the right time.

He didn't find the right time. Two months have passed. Now he is standing here to catch up on the task. With you. And you don't even look at him. Qifrey screwed up, he knows that. He doesn't like the way his heart beats unusually fast when he looks at your side profile.

"I think we should start here and then work our way from there-"

Qifrey doesn't listen to your explanation in a harsh tone. He is spellbound by your lips, which make these sounds. He has always thought you are beautiful, but now he realized how much.

"Did you even listen to me?" Your voice knocks him out of his thoughts. You look at him angrily and he notices how his ears glow. "Sorry"

You just roll your eyes. "Whatever," you reply and start all over again, skillfully ignoring the fact that he has been staring at you intensely until just now and that you ignore with all your might that your cheeks betray you.

You just want to get it over with and avoid the white-haired ones as much as possible (an impossible task).

You are too good. Far too quickly you both find one medicinal plant after the other and you even manage to talk to him at a minimum. Your vocabulary is limited to yes and no. He doesn't deserve more from you either.

Until you get to the place where Qifrey and you almost drowned. You feel your fast heartbeat and turn to him. He looks at the spot, his entire body seems to be stuck. "Hey...", you speak to him carefully, but he doesn't seem to hear you.

You take a step towards him. Still no movement in his body.

"Qifrey..."

Again, no answer. Suddenly the white-haired man starts to tremble. Your body acts too fast, because your hand rests on its shoulder. He flinches and looks at you with wide eyes. "Sorry, I didn't want to..." You take your hand away again.

"You almost died because of me."

You are frightened by his sudden words. "You almost died because of those assholes"

"You are Beldaruit's daughter..."

"Are you saying that just because I'm his daughter, my life is worth more than yours?" This is a rhetorical question to which there should be no answer because it is so absurd.

"Do you look down on me like that?" No answer. Silence is answer enough for you. "When we're done here, never look at me again." Full of pain, you literally spit it at him and turn away. You hold back the tears with all your might.

Qifrey grabs your wrist and pulls you back. "That will be impossible for me"

"And why?" The skin tingles where Qifrey's hand lies.

You don't get an answer. Instead, soft lips land on yours. Clumsily and much too quickly this kiss passes and with big eyes you look at the white-haired man, who seems very uncomfortable with the whole thing. With an exploding heart, you overcome the distance to him and pull the witch towards you. You are more demanding because for far too long you could only think about such a situation in your dreams. Qifrey's shock seems to be over as his hand rests gently on your cheek as your hands wander to the back of his neck. You have no idea what you're doing, but you hope it's good.

Your head is suddenly empty. Only his lips and the warmth occupy all your senses. You separate from each other far too quickly; Your breath mixes forehead to forehead. You just can't believe it. Qifrey kissed you first. Your dream has come true.

Shyly, you raise your eyes and realize that he has been looking at you for a long time. At the tender fifteen, Qifrey stole your first kiss.

-

You can see Qifrey's students scurrying around the hallways. A smile forms on the lips. Beldaruit told you about his plan and you could only shake your head about it. Your father is simply incorrigible. You're curious to see what ideas the girls come up with.

You are so lost in thought that you notice too late how someone runs into you. It's Coco. You can just grab it so that it doesn't fall down. "Oh, excuse me... I didn't look where I was going."

"Everything okay! I didn't really pay attention either..." You see the girl taking what looks like a piece of Danish pastries on the floor with pouting lips.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." you say. How about I give you a new piece of this, Coco?"

"Oh, you know my name?", the younger one asks carefully. 

"I belong to the Assembly and I am an acquaintance of your professor. So, what do you say?" You want to have a little chat with his student, so you don't want to make the impression that you're a complete stranger. (Even if you are to an extent).

"Really, you would do that?"

"Of course, after all, I am also partly to blame for the fact that the good piece landed on the floor."

"If it doesn't make a fuss.", considers the young witch.

"It doesn’t," you assure the green-haired girl.

The two of you make your way to the kitchen to get hold of another piece of the pastry. You're in luck. You could give the last piece to the young witch.

"How long have you known Pofessor Qifrey?" she asks you with powdered sugar on her mouth. You sat down in the garden. You drink your favorite tea while the wind blows gently through your hair.

"A very long time. We studied together and I know a lot of embarrassing stories from your professor," you giggle as you think of the countless memories that wander through your head. "Can you tell me some?" Her eyes literally shine. It makes your heart beat faster. "I can tell you one, but don't tell your professor," you say conspiratorially. "I won't!"So while you tell Coco an anecdote from your childhood days, you feel how warm your heart was. "You're very brave, Coco."

The girl looks at you in amazement. "... that you fearlessly threw yourself in front of your professor... I admire your courage"

"Professor Qifrey scolded me a bit for that."

"Probably because he was worried about you... you're his pupil, after all."

Coco nods. "I hope he will be completely healthy again." Your heart contracts easily. "I hope so too..."

...

After your short meeting with Coco, you sit in your chamber in the evening and get ready for bed. You feel the exhaustion literally take over your body. Your thoughts circle around the white-haired man again and you feel like you've been transported back to your childhood. At that time, the peer was constantly in your head.

How could he fault them? He too was enamored by you.

But still, he couldn’t help the slow heat curdling in his stomach at the sight of just how close the pair of you were. 

Perhaps it was the way you were responding to the man just as passionately, laying a hand over his arm in your own excitement. Or maybe, it was the way your head would tip back in delight at a joke he had said. Not Qifrey, him.

Qifrey leaned against the stone pillar, arms crossed tightly in front of him. He felt his lip curl at the sight of the man leaning in to whisper something in your ear.

Truthfully, Qifrey had no right to be upset. It wasn’t as if the pair of you were exclusive. 

He shook his head.

It wasn’t even as if the man you were talking to was making any advances towards you. He was just an Unknowing, infatuated with the idea of magic. How could he blame him for that?

Qifrey breathed deeply in attempts to compose his firing thoughts. 

Regardless, Qifrey was only here in town to support you. The girls had run off to replenish their supplies with Olruggio and how could he leave you all alone? What would you do if you found yourself stuck in a dreadful conversation with no one to save you?

The sound of your bright laugh pulled Qifrey out of his thoughts. He couldn’t help the slow smile that spread onto his face at the sound before he remembered who had drawn that sound from you.

Perhaps it was him that needed saving.

You laughed again, a tinkling sound as you looked away from the man, bashfully. The man grinned at the sight pointing back to your latest invention. 

Qifrey wondered what he was saying to make you so shy. Presumably complimenting the sheer brilliance of your mind.

He snorted, childishly.

He knew you were brilliant far before any Unknowing did. Is that what you wanted to hear from him? Because he would tell you day in and day out just how brilliant he found you if it meant you would look at him as sweetly as you were to him.

He shook his head, looking down towards his slightly scruffed Sylph shoes. 

Qifrey was being unfair and he knew it. 

He wasn’t going to say that there was nothing between the two of you because that would be a blatant lie. But had the two of you ever talked about the buzzing tension between you? Had anything been acknowledged? 

If you asked any of the other inhabitants of the Atelier you would get a resounding no. Honestly, Qifrey was starting to think that your little back and forth dance might be entirely too much tension for poor Tetia.

Still, an embarrassingly large part of Qifrey couldn’t help but revel in the feeling of your fleeting gaze meeting his teasingly, or your lingering touches, or your waggling brows when you whisper a slightly sexual innuendo to him, so close to prying ears.

But officially, the pair of you were nothing more than house-mates– co-workers, even.

Qifrey looked up from his idle feet to find your eyes already trained on him. 

He blinked. 

Almost as if you had read his mind you gazed across the courtyard at him through narrowed eyes and a sly grin. The man from before was still talking spiritedly to you, seemingly undeterred by your lack of attention.

Qifrey smiled back, cautiously. He knew that grin. That was the face that greeted him right before he found a broken vase or children running wild in the Atelier.

That was the smile he saw when you were about to tease him.

You turned away from him to look back at the tall man in front of you, though this time, Qifrey could tell you held no interest for what it was he was saying, spurred by a new task.

You nodded, idly, smiling with mock shyness as your hands moved to rest at the curve of his bicep. 

The man almost inflated under the heat of your affection, puffing out his chest as he kept talking, face resting in a ridiculous smirk that Qifrey would love to just wipe off.

“You’re really not going to do anything about that?” 

Qifrey jumped at the sound of Olruggio’s drawl to the left of the pillar he was leaned on. 

He clutched his chest, in shock, “Where did you come from?”

Olruggio shrugged, still staring at you and the man, amused. “The Starry Sword.”

Qifrey looked down, scanning the ground for four busy-bodied girls.

“They ran off somewhere.” Olruggio supplied, simply. 

He nodded his head back to you, casting a sidelong glance at Qifrey, “Now, what are you going to do about that?”

Qifrey leveled him with an unimpressed look, turning back to face you. In the absence of his attention, the man’s hand had traveled to rest at the junction of your hip and waist. 

Qifrey felt his teeth grit together. 

“They’re a grown witch.” Qifrey grumbled, almost against his will.

“They’re your grown witch.” 

Qifrey’s eyes widened, cheeks flushing as he rounded on Olruggio.

“They’re not my anything!” He spluttered, face reddening.

It was true. You weren’t his. But gosh did he wish you were. 

His flush deepened at his own accusatory thoughts. 

Qifrey could practically feel Olruggio’s blasé look aimed at him as he allowed a low, annoyed groan to escape him.

“The two of you are hopeless.” He deadpanned, turning to walk back towards the market, “Come find me when you finally come to your senses.”

He paused before turning back to glance at Qifrey once more, “And Qifrey? There’s something special about them. Make sure you act fast before someone else beats you to it.” 

Qifrey stared at the back of Olruggio’s retreating form, contemplatively.

The two of you were nothing, right? 

Beams of sunlight filtered through the kitchen window. In the distance, Tetia could be heard getting up, followed by a tired Richeh, while Agott had probably been up for hours now, practising her spells. Drying your hands, the towel hanging on the wall to dry, before pushing the tomatoes you just cut into the pan where the stirred eggs were already sizzling away. It was quite chaotic, being alone with three girls without Qifrey or Olruggio around for at least a few days, but joyful nonetheless.

Yet Qifrey would be arriving back that day from the last call he gave you just a few days ago, he was traveling for who knows what reasons, leaving the girls in the very capable hands of his wife. Flipping the eggs, sprinkling salt and pepper on them, before putting them to the side, starting to prepare some freshly baked bread. "Girls! Breakfast!" Down come only Tetia and Richeh, sitting down at the table, with a sigh you excuse yourself to the back of the house, dried clothes waiting to be collected and ready to be folded.

All alone by yourself now, thoughts start to spiral in your mind, of course, everyone near and far already heard of the little girl casting a forbidden spell, Qifrey lucky enough, saved the poor girl from being encased in crystals like her mother, so now you await them. A new apprentice for Qifrey, he somehow managed to convince the wise not to erase her memories and let her study under his care.

"So much on your thoughts?" Spinning around there he stood in all his glory, a light smirk splayed on his lips. "You scared me." Turning back to the task at hand, raising your arms to gather the dried dresses of the girls, Qifrey sensing your apprehension at the moment, runs a hand over his face, before moving closer to you. "Listen.." He starts, startled when you suddenly turn around, looking at him directly now. Usually, he loved it when you looked at him, usually with an adoring look on your face for him or the girls. "What were you thinking? Were you even thinking? You've not been careful and that's how this girl ended up without a mother and here now." To say you were furious was an understatement. "Listen I know, I know you're mad but it happened, I tried my best to solve this situation. Besides.. she is a new connection to the Brimhats, I had no other choice." Shaking your head, without another word you push a dress for the girl into his chest before making your way inside and upstairs.

Of course, you knew there was no apparent reason to be mad at Qifrey for this, but hearing what had happened and how this girl lost everything made you just disappointed at how careless he was. Moving to your shared room now, dumping the pile of clothes on the bed, before starting to fold them together, enjoying some quiet, hearing him show the girl around in the distance, Agott would be her new roommate you imagined.

"So here you are." Qifrey's head pops out from around the corner of the little loft where the bed was located. "Where else would I be?" Rolling your eyes, laying the dress you just folded to the side, maybe you should make them some summer dresses as the days slowly grow warmer and longer. "You still mad at me? Cocos a sweet girl, you will like her." Feeling the bed dip behind you, Qifrey rests his chin on your shoulder, looking up at you like a kicked puppy. "I'm not mad, you just could've been more careful, of course I will like her, every one of them is so loveable in their own way, I assume Coco is no different." Arms slowly encircle your waist, a kiss is pressed to your shoulder, a silent thank you for understanding and trying to accommodate the situation.

"She can learn a lot from you, I know that." A small smile makes its way on your lips, knowing fully well Qifrey is trying to sway you with sweet words and his honeyed tongue. "Of course she will." Biting down on your lips now to hide the smile, Qifrey of course quickly catches on, smirking at you from his place on your shoulder. "You're very convinced of that, are you trying to outshine their master hm?" Not able to stiffle a laugh now, your head turns to Qifrey, earnestness visible in your eyes. "No one can outshine you, Master Qifrey." Pressing a kiss to his lips, before standing up with the basket in hand, folded clothes neatly stacked in it. Left a bit dumbfounded on the bed, your dear husband quickly recovers, rushing after you out of the room, a soft rose hue on his pale cheeks.

"Tetia, Richeh, I got your clothes." Setting the basket down, the girls quickly come rushing over to you, taking their clothes with a thank you before bringing them to their room. "Agott back already?" Looking over your shoulder now as you enter the empty bedroom, putting away the dark haired girls clothes, before leaving again. "Yeah she isn't very fond of Coco so far, well she did spray water over her with a failed spell afterall." Raising your eyebrows at that, your expression quickly faded to something sort of defeated. Of course, the girl who's the hardest to get to open up, had a bad encounter with the new girl.

"Well I want to meet her, let's go." Moving to the studies now, your knuckles knock softly against the door before entering. A short-haired girl sat at the original empty desk, trying spell after another. Agott's attention on you shortly before turning back after a soft hello. Catching Cocos' attention with that, she looks at you curiously, wondering who you are.

"You must be Coco right? Qifrey told me a lot about you, I'm his wife, you can just call me Y/N oder whatever you like." Crouching down beside her now, her big eyes take in your appearance and the motherly aura surrounding you. "Y-Yes ma'am!" The girl quickly answers, probably still a bit skidish from being in a new environment. "Would you mind joining me downstairs for a while? I would like to take your measurements for clothes, you too Agott, all of you need new summer dresses." The latter grumbles a bit, before joining everyone downstairs.

"Can you make it pink? Or blue? Or purple?!" Tetia asks, perched on the kitchen railing watching you take Agotts ' measurements while Richeh helped Qifrey around the kitchen, a soft smile visible on your lips at the girl's antics. "If you wish so, of course love." Patting Agotta's head softly when you finished, a small blush on her cheeks from embarrassment, she quickly disappeared to her study again. "Coco you're next." Quickly you got to work, taking every needed measurement, she was quite small compared to Tetia and Agott, it's quite adorable. "Turn around darling." Following your instructions quietly, Coco's own mind spirals as you so softly take her measurements while talking to her.

"Huh? What's wrong Coco?!" Tetia suddenly chirps up, drawing Qifrey's attention to you who was cooking, while you lean over to look at the girl's face, tears streaming down her face as her hands roughly rub at her eyes. "S-Sorry.." Leaves her lips accompanied by a low sob, shaking her whole body. Tetia and Richeh watch, worried and confused, as you turn the girl around softly by guiding her shoulders, pulling her into your embrace. "Hush now, it's alright dear." Small arms move around your waist, clutching weakly at the back of your dress, as her tears quietly run. "There, there, I know you miss her." Qifrey moves over, crouching down to Coco before resting his hand on her head softly. Sobs wreck the poor girl's body as she continues to hang onto you like this was her lifeline.

"M-My mother is a seamstress too.. this just reminded me of her.." Understanding where her distress is coming from now, your hand reaches up to pat down her shiny hair. "It's alright, no need to be sorry or explain, it's okay to cry." Wiping her tears away now that they were slowly stopping, she nods, before throwing herself against you again. The warmth of a hug, of a motherly hug engulfing her like the sunrays of the first warm spring days. Without complaints you continued to hold her, till dinner was ready, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head before taking a seat opposite Qifrey.

The evening continued on, the soft buzz of the day softly faded to a comfortable quietness as the sun and moon switched places, wrapping the place in soft moonlight. The girls fast asleep in their beds, Qifrey comfortable on your shared one with a book in his lap. Running a hand through your hair in front of the mirror, trying to get any small knots out before sleep. Feet carrying you to the bed, Qifrey lifts the blanket without glancing away from the book for you to crawl under the covers. Snuggling up to him now, head comming to rest on his bare chest, enjoying the warmth his skin radiates.