Your planned au it's so scary, hell, I've had Nightmares about it. somebody protect my sweet bean danny. you're an incredible writer to scare us like that..
Haha, sorry if this makes me awful, but thatâs what I like to hear. Itâs no fun writing horror if readers arenât actually disturbed or scared in some way.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
â Live Streamingâ Interactive Chatâ Private Showsâ HD Qualityâ Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
God, I just have to tell you that your art style is soo beautiful! It is so delicate and natural, I love the folds in the skin and muscles, flexibility, everything !!!
WEEPS thank you so much, muscle structure over bone is just fascinatingÂ
Shinobu Kocho from Kimetsu no Yaiba is very beautiful! I love her design and her personality, so kind but inside a sea of ââfury.
In addition, it is one of the few digital drawings that I have finished completely! I've been working days on this!
Imagine Marco the phoenix as an ancient deity who has been living in an abandoned temple, then Izou, Ace and Thatch confuse him with a homeless vagabond (because of his worn clothes) and careless look, take him to the ship for Pops Adopt it.
Ask box is open! Mind that we have a backlog of prompts tho so it may be a while before we get to the really new ones.
Home is crumbling, Marco notes, running a hand over the walls as he walks deeper into the remains of his temple. Itâs more battered than his last visit and showing the wear from the unpredictable storms that come from living on the Grand Line. Itâs sad, how itâs aged and fallen into ruin with the lack of worshipers. Not that Marco cares, heâll continue on without them, even with the strange Gods that he hears of now, the ones that exist only when they are believed in.
âAre you okay?â
Marco turns, spotting one of the men that he had seen in town earlier, âWhat are you doing here?â
âShouldnât I be asking you that?â he returns taking another step forward and frowning at the hole in the roof. âDo you live here?â
âSometimes,â Marco agrees. Thereâs a room in the back that he stays in when he visits his temple. Itâs always in better condition than the rest of the temple because he pays for someone to care for it. Itâs the most important part after all, where he keeps his treasures and nest. âAnd you?â
âWhere do I live?â he asks, a flick of his wrist making the fan in his hand slide open. âOr what am I doing here?â
âYou can answer both if you like.â
âPerhaps a name first? Iâm Izou.â
âMy name is Marco. It is a pleasure to meet you. And now my questions? Itâs my turn to gain answers after all.â
Izou smiles, the corners of his mouth appearing above his fan, âIâm exploring with two of my friends. Pops saw this place and wanted to know more about it,â he turns slightly at the sound of crashing. âAnd that might be them.â
âIzou!â Another young man slides down through the roof and lands between them, grinning with all his teeth bared. âWe found the coolest thing in the deeper part of the building. Thatch thinks that itâs a temple! Itâs got this painting of this bird and-,â he pauses. â-whoâs your friend?â
âThis is Marco, he lives here sometimes,â Izou answers, his fan snapping shut again. âMarco this is one of my brothers, Ace. You said that you both made it deeper in? I thought there was a rock slide in the way?â
Marco watches them, head listing to the side in a way that one of his worshipers had told him looked like a bird so many years, perhaps centuries? What was time to a God?, ago. They remind him of siblings, though he senses that their relation is by choice than blood.
âYou made a friend!â thereâs another, the third and final, Thatch. If Marcoâs memory has not failed him and his memory has not failed in centuries. âIzou made a friend.â
âI can make friends,â Izou states, fan going to smack one of Thatchâs hand. âI do not want those filthy fingers on my clothes.â
Ace is closer, peering at Marco with fire-bright eyes. A devilâs fruit and one that is so nice, Marco has always held an affection for those with fire, after all what kind of God wouldnât? Especially one that spent so much of his time as a Phoenix?
âDo you really live here?â Ace asks. âItâs kinda,â he winces looking at a wall. âBroken.â
âI live here sometimes. But I live many places.â
He wonders for a moment what Ace will draw from that statement and he wants to laugh when he sees the looks that both Izou and Thatch make the same assumptions. Many do, with his clothing so battered and the way he allows himself to look.
âYou should come with us,â Thatch says crossing his arms and grinning. âPops would love you.â
âYou do not know me. How do you know that your father would?â
Izou laughs, fan snapping back open and hiding him mouth, âPops will take anyone that wants to join him. All he asks is that you join his family,â he tips his head towards Ace. âEven when theyâre such problem children at the start.â
âI spent a couple months trying to kill him before deciding to join,â Ace admits sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. âBut I like it there. On the Moby with Pops and the others. Theyâre my family.â
âAnd you think he will accept me into your family without concern?â
âIf you want to join him,â Thatch agrees. âYou look like the kind of person that Pops would love. Almost responsible, you know?â
Marco laughs and itâs rusty, he canât remember the last time that someone has made him laugh, âI suppose that I could meet with your father. That isnât an agreement to join your family, you understand.â
âThatâs what I said and look at me now,â Ace mutters, too soft for mortal ears. âCome on then! I wanna tell Pops about the picture we found!â
your writing is so incredible !!! I'm practically addicted to your Host Club Au, you know? I love Marco as Haruhi !!! I think this can take any course! will wait anxiously when you want to continue it and for some reason I worried about Nami pressing Marco for the money (300 bellys seems like shit for the work that Marco does) I think that if they want to join the club for real, they should stop treat it as help (in the same way that the Anime Host club did with Haruhi) love it!
Marco as Haruhi is entirely @authenticaussieâs fault, I believe. I know she has a full blown au about it, too; I just stole the parts I liked best, haha. I dunno if Iâll be writing more of it anytime soon; I want to focus on some other stuff Iâm behind on, but weâll see.
Yeah, Marcoâs not earning much, but thereâs a reason for that. A couple, actually! One, heâs still in training, not working tables, so heâd make less, but mostly two, everyone is upset and everyone is petty.
Marco, right now, is being a drag; heâs still in early days where heâs only showing up because heâs obligated. He doesnât wanna be at a dumb club for pretty rich kids to flirt at each other. He didnât wanna join any club at all; the school is both demanding and far enough away from his family that heâs losing a lot of time to it as is; the last thing he wanted was an extracurricular, much less one this useless.
Heâs maybe starting to see that itâs more than that, here at the end, that itâs a rebellion, an escape for the club members, a desperate sanity-grab thatâs promoted as pointless in order to disguise its importance. Itâs so frilly and overwhelming that itâs hard to remember that they had to fight to get it established and keep it running; the only reason it hadnât been shut down immediately is Koala, basically. Marco fell for the public facade and is learning better, but itâs taking him a while.
And the club knows that. Sabo was self-sabotaging enough to start this whole mess and Ace is self-sacrificing enough to enable it, so neither of them is going to help Marco see any of that. Luffy just notices that Grumpy Kid started showing up and itâs making things tense, and he doesnât quite get why, but he doesnât like it.
And Nami is absolutely petty enough to minimize the amount Marco is making until he opens his eyes and stops being exactly what heâs implicitly accusing them of being; a shallow hypocrite who thinks appearance is the be-all end-all.
tl;dr: Marcoâs not happy to be there so Namiâs not happy heâs there and this is her subtle way of making him as miserable as heâs making them.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
â Live Streamingâ Interactive Chatâ Private Showsâ HD Qualityâ Free Actions
Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
Hello! I regret that it took me so long, but I had some accumulated tasks at University XD. I hope you like it, itâs the fanart that I promised you so long ago.
CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT HOW ADORABLE HE IS?!! LOOK AT THIS PERFECT CUTIE!!! *WAILS ARMS AROUND*
NO ONE CAN DENY MARCO, HE LOOKS SO MUCH CUTER THIS WAY!! *SQUEALS*
IâM IN LOVE~!!! I DONâT MIND HOW LONG IT TOOK, YOU TAKE YOUR TIME LOVELY! THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!
Hello, Do you remember your fic when Marco is the protective deity of a kingdom and saved Ace when he was hurt while receiving the Shanks offerings and then came for hin on the training yard? Could you do a second part where the fenis takes it to his cave? extra points for NSFW, thank you! I love your histories!!!
Omg it actually took me a minute to remember what this was??? But now I remember! IÂ
I was actually working on a second part, but got a little distracted. I should go back and relook in to it. Itâs supposed to have nsfw part in it. I still know where I was going with it, I just like forgot??
I canât believe you remember that, that was a while back (unless you just read it, but still) Definitely need to look back into it~! Hopefully I can get it done after a little while! :3
Well, I decided to continue it: The prompt #23Â âWhy did you spare me?â with plenty of Angst! :3
I noticed that @rboooks and @lorena12me wanted to know more and I let the plot fester enough to pull this out. Excuse any mistakes
Enjoy! {Under the Read More}
Shock showed on the dark haired male as he viewed up to the blond who just slashed down a vampire with sharp nails. Blue eyes gleamed down at Ace as he tried to catch his breath on why a vampire would protect himâa hunterâfrom another fiend.Â
âWhy did you spare me?â Confusion was laced in the voice from the hunter as he viewed to the vampire, not able to pull his eyes away. A few other vampires in the area stayed away from them, Ace knowing the particular blond before him was a much older vampire.
âYou smell like sunshineâŚâ The answer sounded so simple and most vampires around them began to escape the area as they noticed the blondâs intentions. âAs if you were the sun itself on a beautiful day, yoiâŚâ He moved closer to Ace, making the hunterâs heart race in fear as he noticed the pupils dilate and that smirk showing elongated teeth. âI donât want anyone else to drink from you except meâŚâ Those words had Ace shifting to escape, but he was easily grabbed and entered a struggle.Â
The hunter yelled out as he tried to get his dagger through the vampire, but was merely wrangled to his stomach with an arm pulled back behind him. A noise of pain left Ace as he was pinned with fingers gripping his hair to pull it back and then he tensed when the hot breath was to his neck. Lips trembled from the hunter as he couldnât pull away from the skimming fangs and heard a soft chuckle.
âYou wonât be able to disobey me now,â was all that was said before teeth sunk into a tan neck.
Ace hollered in pain of the teeth biting deeper into him and squeezed eyes shut with his own teeth biting onto his bottom lip to prevent any other noise. A sensation began to flare through the hunterâs veins, basically letting him know that his body was being completely taken over and there was nothing he could do. The other hunter he came with had been killed and he would have been too, if not for the fact he suddenly became of interest. Once it settledâthe vampire not drinking too much and just wanting to settle the markingâteeth pulled away from Aceâs neck. The skin sealed easily with a small black marking of a phoenix rising up showing clearly as the vampires.
The blond released the hunter so the man could quickly jolt away and turn with a hand reaching up to feel the area he was bit, but found no spot and knew it really happened. It was practically shameful to be marked by a vampire, the only way to get rid of the marking was to kill the vampire who had done it. Dark eyes glared to the vampire with a clenched jaw and only received a smirk in return.
âDonât worry,â the vampire began to speak as he eyed his knew prey, âI donât expect you to play nice.â
-o-o-o-o-
âGet off me, you bastard!â The hunter snarled out, refusing to ever say the vampireâs name that he was toldâMarco he said it was.
âCome now, AceâŚâ A hand gripped to wrists harshly, getting a slight flinch from the man struggling against the bed. One legâs knee from the vampire was resting to Aceâs thigh and his shin was on the other leg to keep the hunter still. The torso arched and roughly jerked around to get free from the vampireâs grasps, but it was futile like all the other times. âYou know I could easily make you stay still.â
âFuck you!â The words came out venomously from the hunter with a death defying glare that could kill if possible. A smirk showed on Marco as his blue eyes danced in amusement from the struggling male before shifting lips.
âDonât move.â Those two words spoken in a firm tone had Ace breathing in sharply and found his body tensing into place. The hand on wrists moved and the leg over thighs shifted to between them instead. âSee, yoi?â This chortle was coming from the vampire, clearly bemused by the hunterâs restraint even with being under his command.
Marco knew he made the right choice by picking this human only just a couple months ago. The way the hunter fought him, defied him made everything more enticing as most gave in just mere days. No, Ace was different than any human he has encountered and having him as his just made everything seem better in his hundreds of years living.
âI hate youâŚâ The defiance still tried to come out as the vampire moved to press his mouth to the side of that tan neck carrying his mark. The smell of sunshine and his strawberry scentâthat he only noticed on othersâwas making him feel a frenzy. There was just something about Ace that made Marco completely want the other all to himself, besides just the scent, but he couldnât quite place it.
A wince sounded out faintly as teeth dug into the marked skin, Ace trembling lightly as it always caused a stir in him after the initial discomfort he got from when fangs pierced skin. The hunter clenched eyes shut and gritted teeth as he tried moving, but it was no use to try as it never got him anywhereâthough he would never give up. There was no way the Association would know of this higher vampire taking him as he stayed in this room, not allowed to leave. Then again, Ace was sure if they did know that they still wouldnât spare him the time of day.
Teeth pulled away with a tongue swiping to lick the blood off and lips moved to grin. âYou can move now.â The voice was mocking in a way, Ace immediately bringing hands down to try and choke the vampire that was chuckling in amusement on being held onto. âOne of the most fascinating things about someone being bit is that their body reacts in many ways, yoi.â Marco mentioned in a way that showed he wasnât bothered that the hunter was trying to do something, but the male under him soon froze as a hand rest to his thigh.
âDonât touch me.â Ace growled out as he felt his body spiking in a clenching desire to want the hand move. A strained breath left the dark-haired male as his body twitched to get away from the moving hand, but his body was also not moving enough for his liking. âDonâtâŚâ The tone came out deeper and Marco hummed in amusement as he was able to pull back with an eyebrow raised.
Blue eyes viewed the hunter beneath him that had fists ready to fight back at any sign of him moving an inch from where he was. Tan skin flushed and those dark eyes dilated as the vampire knew Aceâs body was reacting to his touch, but he wouldnât push too far. Marco knew he could be cruel, but he wouldnât think of imposing someone in that fashion. He merely pulled the hand away with a smirk, waiting for the hunter to calm his muscles a little before the hand moved to grip to the tight jaw so he could lean over Ace. There were hands from the hunter that grabbed at Marco, but couldnât do much else from his position as his head was lifted by that tight grip.
âSaying not to touch you?â The mock was there, Ace knew it, but he could only grimace with fingers gripping to the vampire to try and get him off. âI can do as I please with you.â
-o-o-o-o-
It was a normal thing for the two to bicker and lash words out. The vampire enjoyed the bantering and his family worried at first about his prey being alive still after almost six months. Most donât last that long, with Marco anyways, but they left it be as their brotherâs way of relieving some stress. The hunter seemed to help the blond cope with his stress of work as it wasnât easy being in charge of a division from the clan. The family was split in different areas, known as divisions to keep track, and being the first division âcommanderâ brought great responsibilities and emotional control.
Marco had years to control over his abilities and emotions, to make sure he didnât feel too much when fighting hunters. There used to be remorse and fear of killing another being, but he wanted to survive more than to be killed. It took time to adjust himself and not be hesitant about killing someone when necessary, especially a threat to the family.
The hunter jolted from his spot on the couch as the door was roughly opened to show Marco having a disgruntled look upon him. Something was definitely wrong, Ace knew that from being with the other for so long, but didnât mean he was going to be nice about it. If anything, the hunter frowned and made a noise of distaste when the door was slammed firmly shut.
âWhat crawled up your ass and died today?â Ace gave the retort with relative ease and only received a glare in return. It was different than usual, a cold spiking through his veins as those blue eyes gleamed in a deep-seated hatred for something. âWhat? You are the one keeping me here, deal with it.â The hunter snapped lightly as he never asked to be kept here and Marco merely sneered as he peered away and began for his desk. It was evident the vampire was livid over something that has happened and Ace stood to move over to the nightstand. âWhatever, not like I fucking careâŚâ The mumble was out as he began pouring the pitcher of water into a glass. A frustrated growl resounded, making Ace aware that the blonde heard him and he only smirked to that.
âYou wouldnât understand, flesh.â The name used had the hunter turn in a snap with bared teeth.
âWatch it, parasite.â Ace returned in a growl as he held the glass in one hand and noticed the body stiffen. âJust because I am bound to you, doesnât mean I am just going to lay down for you! You were the one to force me into this and if I fucking want to fight back, then I damn will!â The snaps came out as dark eyes glared to the blondâs back and muscles were tense. âI am not your slave and I could care less if you were die in the next minute.â The words came out like poison was laced through them and suddenly only a mere shift of the vampireâs head was there before Ace was slammed to the wall, dropping his glass in the process. It shattered to the ground as he looked into cold blue eyes and tried to stop his lungs that spasm, but an inhale showed to have him cough lightly.
âYour life is meaningless,â the words hit Ace harder than the vampire probably intended as nails pressed more into lungs, making the hunter tremble with blood sputtering from lips. Marco viewed over his prey as a blooming ache was there in dark orbs and the blond pulled away with his hand. The hunter merely let his body slide to the floor with eyes just staring straight ahead, already noticing as his body healed from their connection.
Marco turned away as he needed to get back to what he was doing about his sudden family problem, but stopped at the soft voice. âI already know thatâŚâ Confusion flared through the vampireâs muddled mind as he soon turned to view as Ace had a hand up to view at the blood on it, still slightly slouched. âItâs been that way since I was bornâŚâ This strain went through Marco as he watched dark orbs water and a few tears stray down freckled cheeks. âThatâs why no one is going to come for meâŚâ A silence followed through the thick air as the vampire viewed Ace with a sudden realization.
Ace knew he meant nothing to the Association.
Ace expected to eventually die here.
Everything seemed to become more aware on the kind of person this hunter was and what he pretended to be. Ace is a fighter, someone that would stubbornly fight you tooth and nailâeven when he knew he was seen as nothing but completely worthless to others. Seeing this vulnerable side of the hunter had Marco soon forget about his issue at hand and move back over to the hunter. When he reached his hand out, the flinch made his chest clench in a type of ache he wasnât aware of for someone like his supposed prey. Nonetheless, he brushed his fingers through dark locks and soon began getting down to knees, resting over one of Aceâs legs. Dark orbs gleamed to him in confusion on what was going on before eyelids closed tiredly, taking in the feeling of having his hair pet through.
âIâm sorry,â Marco spoke gently and received those dark eyes again of confusion. âSomeone we had considered as our brother tried to kill another of the family.â A knowing look crossed Aceâs face as he carefully viewed the vampire before him that was soon moving his hand from hair to wipe at the trails left behind from his tears.
âBut he lived,â words came out softly and the hunter got a nod in return. âI had a brother once⌠two actuallyâŚâ
âYou did, yoi?â Marco asked in curiosity, wanting to know this other side of the hunter.
âOne died in a fire when I was twelve and my younger brother went missing a couple years after thatâŚâ Lips moved ever so slightly to form the words and blue eyes kept attention to Ace as he felt a clenching desire to comfort him.
âNo one elseâŚ?â The question was light, almost not wanting to come out, but Marco let it slip through.
âThe only other person would have been our grandfather, but he blamed me for the disappearance and buried me in work. Sending me out on the hardest missions, basically to my death every time.â Ace explained as he soon frowned with sorrow thickening as dark eyes squinted and he let his gaze drop to the ground. âYou shouldnât have spared me that day, Marco.â Hearing his name come from the hunter in this type of situation had his gut twisting in a pain he hadnât felt so differently about before. âI am nothing, but a burden to where I goâŚâ
âAce, stop⌠you are notâŚâ The vampire spoke firmly as his hand that was settled near a freckled cheek soon cupped it to move the head up to tilt it so eyes could view him. âI already told you, the way you smell of sunshine and that no one else would have you. Those words are meant for a long time, yoi. If I had the choice in the matter, you would be mine forever.â Blue eyes danced with a new passion as Ace looked to him in confusion and tried to figure out what was going on. âI have never met someone so entrancing as you are and donât think that I will let you go.â
âI am merely blood to you.â The hunter showed gritted teeth and a suspicious eye to the other, wanting to find the fault in his statement.
âYou were merely just that, yoi.â Nothing showed of a lie on Marco as he kept his eyes locked with the hunter. âBut I know now that itâs something more than what I can explain at this moment.â The vampire tried to tell Ace on what he was meaning and received furrow eyebrows with gleaming dark eyes. âThatâs why I am sorry for hurting you when I was upset. It wasnât you, you are not just flesh to me and you are not meaningless. Please understand I am just trying to figure out what to do with our traitor problem, yoi.â The words were coaxing, Marco driven to make his human comfortable enough to let himself relax enough with everything that just transpired.
âKill the bastard.â The serious answer made this jerk go through the vampire before he shifted forward lightly with a sputtered laugh.
âDonât worry, that was already my first thing to do.â
-o-o-o-o-
Blades clashed, vampires resorting to something more reasonable than just their clawsâmostly not wanting the otherâs blood on them. Marco had taken months to find where the traitor Teach had gone and that whole time he also bonded with his human on a different level. They had still bantered, but the aggressiveness and mocking was toned down to be playful. It was evident that they began taking to each other more, Ace finding himself on most occasions resting against the blond once comfortable enough.
Now, Marco was fighting against the traitorâs group in his own division home since the man wanted to take on someone higher for bragging rights. As if, the blond would let him win, but it seems he had more things on his mind to win against the first commander. Marco was aware of something going on with his hunter, a gut wrenching feeling there as he had been able to pull away and make his way to his room, noticing the smell of blood. Finding the room, Ace stood with heaving breaths and Teach cowering from the hunter who had seemed to of collect a weapon from somewhere or maybe from the traitor himself. Teach was in bad shape, obviously not realizing what he was up against and soon was sitting on the ground trying to catch his bearing, but Marco wouldnât allow it. Taking his hilt firmly in his grip, the blond tossed it down while looking straight to the hunter.
âAce, keep him still!â The hunter had moved forward with the sword in hand and joined the other one to it. Stabbing the sword swiftly through the traitorâs chest to hold him in place and let Marco move to dig claws to skin of Teach. In one swift motion, the blond took the traitorâs head clean off and quickly discarded the head while the hunter let the sword go so the body could fall to the side, showing to be drying up with an ash like color. Marco moved to quickly grab a hold of his human that swayed, noticing something was wrong. âI got youâŚâ
âM-My heartâŚâ The shaky breaths were more noticeable and hands moved along the hunterâs back to notice the hole largely there, but knew his heart was still in thereâjust damaged.
âIt will healâŚâ Marco commented as he kept his hand in place, but could already tell his connection wasnât working. If anything, something of different scent lingered along Ace and he was noticing more as he looked down that the blood on his shoulder was from teethâfrom fangs. The hunter had been bitten, the mixing of bonds clashing and the new one nulling the other, but with Teach now dead⌠Ace wouldnât heal.
The shallow breathing brought a panic in Marco as he let his hand run through dark locks and move the male to let teeth bite into the faded mark of his to strengthen it back, but all he could feel was the otherâs life slipping from him as his teeth buried deeper. The hunterâs hands carefully gripped to the vampire, weakly keeping ahold to the shirt as Ace began to slouch more against him. Marcoâs legs grew weary under him as he soon moved them both to be sitting on their knees as he wrapped arms around the hunter tightly, teeth not once moving. Tears slipped from blue eyes as the blond clenched them shut and began to tremble at the feel of losing the human. Pulling teeth back, he couldnât bring himself to lick the blood away as he moved a hand to rest to the back of dark hair with a pained noise leaving his throat.
âDonât leave meâŚâ Marco spoke agonizingly as everything came to light on how he felt for the other and he rubbed his wet cheek to a temple that gave no pulsing flicker. âI love youâŚâ The soft whisper came out as he held to a body turning cold.
-o-o-o-o-
âControl. Itâs called control, Ace.â The words left the blond as he was laying back along the bed and a frown was on a freckled face.
âWhatever, stupid.â The remark came back, making Marco resist the urge to snort and smile at it.
âItâs not just whatever, you have no self-restraint.â A sigh left Marco as the former human was lingering above him, straddling his waist with a pout showing.
âDo I need that with you?â The question came out seriously and the blond gave a look of contemplation before the cocky grin showed on Ace, like Marco was expecting it to. âI thought you like I am spontaneous.â
âI do, but we are trying to work on your control.â Marco commented as he watched the other wail arms around in frustration, fangs showing, before their torsos were together when the dark-haired male landed against him.
âDonât wanna!â A snort left the blond at hearing such a childish remark, but loved it all the same. âMarco barely has control around me!â
âThatâs because you are a cocky little shit, yoi.â A grin was on Ace as he viewed the blond visibly with it and soon wiggled with feet kicking.
âAnd you li~ke it!â At those words, Marco immediately grabbed the other to flip their positioning to be hovering over Ace with a smirk.