#[i have been admiring your bronya from a distance

[devourersofgods]

@zajevre || Starter Call

"I can't imagine the pain of what you've been through. Please don't carry the burden alone."

[syeren]

love love love the way you write, could i request gepard smut where he gets jealous of how reader entertain sampo’s shenanigans or flirtations? reader and gepard aren’t officially together but people kinda know that they’re a thing. geoard’s too shy to ask for attention and he doesn’t like how she’s so close to sampo and finally claims her when he reaches his breaking point. knowing this man and his incredible self restraint im just AHHH he snaps

SYEREN ANSWERS: “omg YES?! i absolutely love this request, thank you so much 🥹🫶 i’ll proceed to use gender-neutral pronouns for this. here’s to you, my lovely requester <3”

——————————

BREAKING POINT — GEPARD LANDAU.

RATING: NSFW 18+ (nb-reader (fem. bodied))

GENRE: mix of fluff and jealousy sex

CW & TW: jealous!gepard, possessive!gepard, unprotected s*x, dom!gepard, missionary, mating press, pounding, rough s*x, degrading, possessiveness, sub!reader

SUMMARY: Gepard’s not one to show his emotions, however, when the one he’s admiring is digging into another’s flirtatious actions… How could he not?

NSFW UNDER THE CUT! — MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

It was nothing at first. Nothing at all. But, why is his leg bouncing up and down rapidly? Why is his cheeks reddened with flush? Gepard’s train of thought was absolute mayhem as his blue orbs hovered around your and Sampo’s figure… Again. How long has this been happening? Why is that butt-weasel getting all the attention— your attention… And what for?

You and Gepard decided to spend some time in the Underworld, mainly information to collect for Bronya, but… With how long both of your schedules are and how busy it gets, he figured to volunteer right away to be with you longer. He remembered as his hand shot up to announce his idea to accompany you, a faint blush dusted your cheeks. The rest of your coworkers there looked at each other knowingly, laughing to themselves at how obvious Gepard’s adoration is for you.

But in the current time, he lets out a scoff, shaking his head briskly and refocuses his attention on his chilled liquor and paperwork at his side. The man whom he was throwing daggers at? The infamous, one and only… Sampo Koski. The two were fire and ice: One being a prestigious guard and the other… More known as a sly, cunning looker. Sampo is a charmer which is a trait that Gepard himself doesn’t have, yet in this moment, he longs for it jealously… Well, if it means that he would be the one standing in front of you, that is. He glances up and his eyes almost pop out of his sockets. The azure-haired man reaches up to graze his knuckles against your cheek, and Gepard bites onto his tongue to refrain from breaking the glass he was holding.

“Soot?” you asked, bringing your hand up to brush over the spot Sampo touched, only for him to show his dirtied finger.

He blew off the charcoal dust with a tiny smirk. “You must’ve been in the mines previously… Hey! Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I would’ve made your while,” Sampo laughs, smoothly closing the distance between you two and looking downwards with his staggering height.

You shook your head amusingly and placed a hand on your hip. “Like what? Show me some ‘fun new trick’ you learned that involves pick-pocketing?”

“Lock-picking, actually.”

“Figured.”

Sampo laughs once more, reaching over to casually wind an arm around the small of your back. You shutter slightly due to the coldness of his fingertips, you swore goosebumps were forming around his hand placement. You were about to hit him off lightly until—

“Ahem.”

Your eyes locked onto Gepard, who was now lingering dangerously close to your side. His hand reached behind your back to pry off Sampo’s fingers, flicking them off irritatedly.

“Off,” he merely stated, his tone dripping with venom.

Sampo blinked a couple of time before dryly laughing it off, waving his hand in the air. “Ay big guy! It’s all in good fun, plus I haven’t seen them in so long—“

“And that gives you the right to touch them?”

The tension between the two towering men increased as the seconds passed, with Gepard losing it little by little every breath he took. Sampo chuckled and slowly walked closer to Gepard, looking him straight in the eye.

“… Think you own them or something?” he spat, his palms resting comfortably on his hips. “Coward?”

Your own anxiety rose as you quickly went to stop the two, sighing deeply before you spoke. “Knock it off, this is stupid—“

“— And says you?” Gepard interjected firmly, but this time, his voice sounded calmer than angry. He chuckled once and stepped back, gently lacing his fingers around your wrist and tugging you along with him.

“Where are you taking me?” you asked worriedly, concerned that he’s in a really bad mood.

“No where special.”

—

A small, dingy closet was what he found in the back of the bar. He almost knocked the wind out of you as he practically launched you inside. You had barely managed to regain your balance until he trapped you in between his sturdy arms, using the dusty wooden table behind you effectively.

“Gepard?”

His breaths were shallow and heavy, the scent of his cologne and musk intensifying around you as you looked up at him. He was looking directly into your eyes, piercing through your soul but had a slight softened look to it. A pleading look. An agonizing, pained look for release.

“… Not another word,” he spoke calmly and immediately ripped the armour off of him, along with his shirt. The heavy clanking of metal resounded against the floorboards beneath you two.

Perhaps it was the fluorescent light beaming down on you two, or the half-lidded eyes he had on his expression… But he looked ethereal. The dirty blonde locks cascaded down his forehead and his skin shone with a slight gleam due to sweat. The cloud of lust drowned any sense of fear as his hands busied themselves to lock behind your head, cradling your jaw with one hand and the other resting on your nape.

A tiny mewl escaped your lips as you hungrily welcomed his tongue that shot straight into your mouth. The warmth of the muscle explored the surface of your canines, until prodding his own tongue with your own. Taken-a-back is an understatement, you never knew Gepard would be so… Good, real good. Who knew the shy and obedient man would have a hidden side?

As you were trying to keep up with his movements, Gepard’s voice lowered in a hushed manner.

“… Tell me whenever to stop,” he whispered, not wanting to hurt you or to cross any more boundaries. You can tell just from looking at him that reality was slowly starting to sink in. In turn, you placed a hand behind his neck and pushed him once more to your lips.

“Mmgh!”

A choked up grunt evoked from his mouth but soon after, he sunk deeper into the intimacy, the feeling of holding you, touching you… To Gepard, this was the moment to finally show you how much he loved you. A primal yet desperate instinct grew within him, it was competitive— The feeling to win you over, the feeling to completely lose himself in you, to be able to do that spoke volumes for the man who represented perseverance himself.

He let his hands trail down to the back of your knees, hoisting you up and setting you on top the wooden table. The dim light coming from the bulb created perfect shadows of his muscles. He was well built throughout the years fighting and wearing thick, heavy armour. A sense of pride flooded in him as he watched you carefully drink his physique in, captivated.

“Don’t make me nervous now,” he jokingly added, a tinge of pink blooming on his cheekbones. “Got Sampo wrapped around your pretty little finger, hmm?”

A breathy chuckle left your lips, falling into lust as he nudged your head to the side to bite along the column of your neck.

“A chatter, that man,” you added and subconsciously spread your legs, allowing him to dive in deeper into your body.

“I can’t disagree with him either,” he responded quickly.

He took that split second and didn’t waste any time, calloused palms dragging across the plush of your thighs to push it further apart. The sound of the rustling of his pants made you look and he slowly unbuckled the leather with one hand, pulling it downward.

“Are you—“

“No, I’m preparing you first,” he whispered, trailing his light fingertips from your navel to the edge of your underwear. You were caught by surprise as Gepard’s finger tracks down your clit and rubs it slowly, teasingly. A delicious yet agonizing, dull sensation bubbled within your lower abdomen.

Tiny mewls and gasps left your parted lips, enticing Gepard to go more into rhythm, drinking in the lustful noises that he was producing. This was the reality of the situation, created by the tension between him and Sampo. And now, he couldn’t help the slow rise of his boner, growing an even larger tent within his tight slacks. He wedged his lip inbetween his teeth, chewing it harshly until specks of blood dotted around the abrasion.

He’s the one bringing out these beautiful noises you’re making. Not Sampo. Him.

The beat of his fingers increased, swiping side to side, in circles… Abusing the swollen bundle of nerves of yours. His hawk eyes pierced onto your face, analyzing the shortness of breath, the way your eyes were screwed shut. This only, and merely, egged Gepard on.

“G-Gonna cum,” you announced weakly, knocking your head back onto the wall. Just as the tension built up, it ended abruptly. The heavenly sensation of your bursting release cut short. A tiny whine evoked in you as you glared at Gepard in irritation. He laughed at your expression, hovering over your crumbled physique with both arms caging you in.

Gepard gave you a lop-sided smile and a tilt to his head. “I like that expression. Suits you.”

You sent him another stare of judgement, feeling the heavenly release slowly return back to your normal state. Gepard merely scoffed, jokingly, and yanked his pants along with his boxers down.

“What? Cat got your tongue? Use your words—“ he grabbed your chin and gently caressed your jaw, looking down at you.

“— Or use your mouth.”

You shut yourself up mentally and lowered yourself from the desk, your pride being on the line as well as your aching core. It’s still unbelievable. This wasn’t anything you expected of Gepard; the shy, chivalrous man you once knew vanished in a second, in this dimly lit closet.

Your gaze trailed down his abdomen to his erect penis, the sound of the tip slapping against his skin caused a gulp to rise in your throat. He adorned a large size, stretching out at seven inches — give or take — erect, with pretty blue veins decorating the sides and reaching towards his pelvis. You gave him experimental licks along the shaft, right along those veins popping out of the sheerness of his skin. He was soft, so soft… And warm. The same pink hue of the angry tip matched the shell of his ears.

A strained groan came from him and as you peered up, his head was craned all the way back. The beauty of his was all you could focus on, wanting to mark it up with your own kisses; the way it connected to the angular shapes of his collarbones, to the chisel of his adam’s apple.

“Y-You’re good,” he commented, his breathing erratic as he narrowed his gaze onto you. “Got Sampo as your practice partner—“

A loud slurping noise cut his remark, a moan bordering a whimper erupted from Gepard as you angrily swirled your tongue around, and shoved him all the way down your throat. You released his cock from your puffy lips with a pop, dazing at him intensely. Was he…

“Jealous?” you teased, only to erupt another irritated expression from him. However, it was more than just plain jealousy. Gepard looked at you with a blank stare and suddenly lifted you up by your underarms and shoved open your thighs. He didn’t mutter a single word, instead, aligning his fat cock head to your aching hole. He paused, looking at you cautiously and carefully in case you wanted to deject. A tinge of pink coated the apples of your cheeks, and you instinctively reached to interlock his long fingers with yours.

“Mhm— Eugh!“

He slammed into you, sucking in a harsh breath and made his movements stagnant for a second. A loud throaty noise ripped from your chest, the delicious stretch pulsating and tingling from your cunt, shooting straight up to your head. You took that brief moment to let your body mold around his heated dick, before peering up at him with tears welling in your eyes — a signal to go.

His insatiable, animalistic instincts were the only thing that controlled his body. The wet sounds and bodily noises emitting within the room only gave Gepard more fuel to his fire. You, whose neck was craned all the way up, screamed at the euphoric waves of pleasure. Gepard leaned forward more, licking long stripes along the column of your neck and left vivid hickeys; the blues and purples bloomed on your body, like flowers painted by monet.

“Y-You… Look so beautiful,” he mumbled out, staring at you like you were a blessing sent down by the Aeons themselves. He lifted your hips up and slammed his cock back inside, heavy balls slapped against your puffy lips. Breathy moans and the stench of sex, you dropped your face against his shoulder and cried out.

“… So pretty,” he chanted once more, and kissed your forehead. His left arm trailed down your stomach and with his free hand, he parted your folds with his middle and index fingers. He stared at your core, it was glistening in the cheap fluorescent lamp above the two of you. He tilted his head and blew lightly at your clit, which caused you to buckle at your legs.

You let out a strangled mewl, wrapping your arms around his neck. You felt a twitch from his cock and a bubbly sensation rose in the pit of your stomach. It was all so lewd, his length stretched you out so deliciously as he rammed his hips nonstop, his demeanor from before was irritated, and now you were left with the touch-starved shell of a man.

Perhaps it’s due to the strong, pent-up emotions you hold for him, but you grasped onto the back of his head and kissed him— A kiss where it wasn’t merely a gesture of lust, or just because you two were in a sexual act… A battle between pleasure, lust, affection were evident, and the craving to portray your true emotions in that sloppy act. His speed became staggered, irregular thrusts entered and exited your squelching cunt in an inconsistent manner.

“F-fuck! I’m gonna—“ Gepard announced and grumbled various strings of profanity. He searched for your hands once more and intertwined them, looking down at you through glossy eyes.

“Cum with me,” he pleaded, regaining a sense of momentum with his hips. It was almost like a spell — his words — and it echoed in your head. A tinge of pleasure shot from your abdomen and your legs started to shake intensely.

“Shit,” you groaned, whining as the release was nearing. Gepard took notice, immediately feeling you clamp down on his dick harder. He spilled his seed into you, and following after, you creamed around his dick; his hips stuttering wildly. Your walls clenched and you felt the warmth of his cum paint your insides. He kept his hips still and the fluttering of your walls gave him slight overstimulation, cock-warming you while keeping you from leaking out his seed.

His heavy weight fell against your body, the weight of his heart too. Tears welled up in his eyes and he hid his face, holding onto you more tightly than before. From your teary-eyed vision and exhausted state, he gave you a slight glance to make sure you were okay. He quickly covered you with his guard uniform, shielding you from the sudden cold of the closet.

“Don’t… Talk to him. At least alone. And only with me.”

“You know I never had feelings for him, right?” You asked, still trying to catch your breath. You raised your shaking hands to slot them against his reddened cheeks.

“Yes love… But, he’s still Sampo, gets on my nerves, I couldn’t sit there and watch him do that vile act,” he sternly replied, however reverting back to his old self once more. You chuckled at his embarrassment, scratching the crown of his head lovingly.

“All Sampo knows is how to steal $10,000 from naïve people and break-and-enter the most weirdest places,” you stated, chuckling as Gepard tightens his hold around you, shying away his face. He straightens up and helps you wear your clothing, making sure to also gently wipe any fluids or dirt on your body with his own sleeve.

“He’s still another guy, Y/N. So from now on…” Gepard trails off, removing a Belobog Silvermane Guard insignia from the coat draped around you. With the pin still in hand, he fastens it onto the lapel of your jacket, the lustre gleaming out and proud.

“You’re mine. And if Sampo needs physical evidence, that pin can do wonders… If not, make sure I’m with you. I don’t mind giving him a show either.”

—

an; i am so sorry this took so long, i swear i saw your request as soon as you sent it, but college finals have been draining me quick </333 thank you for your patience!!! (also there may be grammar errors or spelling mistakes, heavily apologize for such things 🫶🙏)

[chris-continued]

Dancing in Circles

Argenti w/ s/i

The night of the gala was still young, glossy floors of the ballroom and tall pillars of marble surrounding its guests. Jarilo IV was certainly brilliant in its architecture, and Bronya had taken great care into the preparation. Chris could not deny such a fact, admiring it with an awestruck amazement as he was still processing such a setting.

His concentration was easy to break though, having been occupied with his current dance partner.

“You appear handcrafted by Idrila herself in beauty,” Argenti proclaims, his hand low on Chris’ back. Warmth emanates from beneath Argenti’s gloves, fingertips splaying across Chris’ shoulder blades.

“You..” he mumbles, a string of incoherent sentences formed as he attempts to retain his composure- quite the difficult task around Argenti.

Step, step, turn, Chris mentally repeats. The silks of his skirt shift with the movement, a gasp escaping him as his dance partner decides to deviate from the routine just slightly. His love was unpredictable, spontaneous. Each affectionate remark manages to fluster him, every romantic display he could muster, to simply just his existence was enough for Chris’ breath to dissipate.

His weight shifts all of a sudden, Argenti’s arms moving to support him. A curtain of crimson is all he can see for a moment, the smell of roses intertwining with his own vanilla perfume as he’s dipped.

He can make out the crystal chandelier dancing in Argenti’s emerald eyes, left breathless for a split second.

“May I have the pleasure of being in your company for the remainder of tonight?”

Argenti’s full lashes flutter, his rosy lips parted just slightly to admire him before moving Chris upright once more.

The dark locks of hair that frame his face thinly mask his embarrassment, turning aside as Argenti leads him.

“What business do you propose?” Chris questions. Featherlight touches trail from his lower back to the dip in his waist, leaving goose flesh in its wake.

“Nothing of a promiscuous nature, my beauty.” Argenti bows his head, “I solemnly swear on my knighthood.”

Another two steps are done before Chris can muster a response.

“I find myself troubled in the matters of romance. This arrangement was one of..” he starts, but manages to find himself incomplete. It was not one of circumstance or formality, as he had actually grown rather fond of the knight- but perhaps he couldn’t take on the proposition of a suitor.

“I find myself wishing to court you.” Argenti hums, his hand leading Chris to the left as his gloved fingers link together with his own. “Should you offer me a chance, I will swear my loyalty to you.”

“You swear to Idrila,” he corrects, eyes cast aside, “not a traveler.” He appears dim, curling inwardly just slightly.

“I swear to Idrila, the Goddess of Beauty,” Argenti confirms, spinning Chris. For a brief moment, he finds himself simply lost in his movements. His kind demeanor, soft nature and lovable character made him someone to adore.

“However,” Argenti continues, lightly guiding Chris back to his chest, “I simply cannot fathom anyone more breathtaking, more beautiful than you.”

It’s a fortunate thing Argenti is leading this dance, otherwise Chris would be left to trip over his own feet like a bumbling fool.

“I.. I,” he uselessly begins, but as per any sane individual, he’s at a loss for words. He’s pliant beneath Argenti’s guidance, smoothly whisked away off of the dance floor of the ballroom. Eyes follow them, a few knights of the Silvermane guards keeping their distance.

Ah great, Chris’ ex- or what would’ve been an ex had they actually been in pursuit of a romantic relationship- may be on watch for him. His travels to this planet were sparse enough as, he thinks. It’s best he ignore it.

He doesn’t have to do much as he’s led by Argenti to a chair, which is pulled out for him. White tablecloth and a rose vase drape over the table, Chris observes, before his attention is drawn to his plus one once more.

Argenti, dutiful as ever, had all his weight propped up onto his knees as he knelt before Chris.

“May I request your touch?”

Albeit hesitantly, Chris nods. Exhaustion seeps into his being from dancing, eyelids growing heavy. A pressure is briefly present on his lips, the sensation of cloth evident as his gaze flickers to Argenti.

There’s a noticeable smudge on the index and middle finger of his glove, shimmery tint easily discernible due to his all white attire. Slowly but surely, Argenti’s fingers press to his own lips.

“I cannot help but yearn for your beauty, as it encompasses you whole.” He announces, head bowing. His free hand, concealed behind his back, held a rose as he offered it forward.

Chris’ mouth gaped, fingers brushing his own as he gingerly plucked it from Argenti’s hand.

Yet again, Argenti’s heart sings for Chris.

“I will clamor for your affections, so allow me to earn your hand.”

[zayashmaya]

Gods and Monsters - 9 - Cherry (Part 2).

Lanque x Reader; NSFW

More chapters here!

A confrontation with Lanque inspires you to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Some fanart of mc and the husbands that I commissioned from @cat-terpillar!

The situation you currently found yourself in could be described as nothing less than painfully, horrifically awkward and uncomfortable.

For you, at least. While you were busy trying not to crawl out of your skin, Lanque strolled beside you with an easygoing demeanor, waving pleasantly at familiar faces passing by. You made the mistake of looking at him during one of his friendly greetings, and when you caught a glimpse of that fake smile, you felt such a visceral punch of emotions that you decided not to look at him anymore during the remainder of the trip.

Unfortunately for you, Lanque was beginning to grow tired of the silent treatment. He cast you a sidelong glance and said, “You can speak, you knoW.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Then let me correct myself — I have many things to say, and I don’t feel inclined to do so.”

He let out a sharp laugh. “You had a lot to say the last time We saW each other. By all means, don’t start feeling shy noW.”

Your hands bunched up into fists as you recalled that unpleasant altercation. “Can we not do this, Lanque? I don’t know why you get so much joy out of fighting, but I don’t wanna get into it with you right now.”

“Boo, you’re no fun.” Were your ears deceiving you, or did you actually hear a hint of disappointment in his voice? “I’m curious about something, though.” You narrowed your eyes at him. “A Very handsome, Very famous highblood stole you aWay from me. Care to explain that situation?"

“Ugh, he didn’t steal me away from you. He freaking rescued me. And I’ve been friends with him for a while now.”

“Hmm, dare I say there is a bit of a social climber in you?”

“Marvus is a wonderful friend to me,” you icily said through gritted teeth. “I’m not an opportunistic fiend like you.” Or rather, you’re not anymore.But Lanque didn’t need to know that.

He had the nerve to chuckle. “Nothing Wrong With haVing the right friends in the right places. For example, they might come in handy When a pesky artist uses you for fame and recognition at the expense of your dignity.”

You groaned and dipped your head. “Please don’t tell me you witnessed that auction.”

“Oh, I did. And I loVed eVery second of it.” Lanque leaned over to whisper in your ear, “Seeing you in such a Vulnerable state on that painting was so scandalous." You jerked away from him and walked a few paces faster so he couldn’t see your blush. He laughed and caught up with you. “Namaaq should haVe asked me for some adVice on hoW to portray your body. Although she Wasn’t that far off, making you look like some sort of Wax figure.”

Somehow, his dig at your appearance did not phase you. Not when you knew about Marvus’s say on the matter. “I doubt you would have done me any justice either.”

“True.” What a piece of shit. ”So, don’t be shy — tell me more about this purpleblood character. Last I saW of you tWo, he had bought that idiotic painting and you disappeared again.”

“We — “ You thought carefully about how much you wanted to reveal to him. “We … left to deal with the painting in the manner it deserved to be treated.” Lanque looked at you curiously. You smirked as you fondly recalled the conclusion to your romp. "He wiped his genetic material all over it after we pailed at his hive."

Lanque furrowed his brows and pressed his mouth into a thin line. "Uh-huh. And What really happened?”

“If you think I need to justify anything to you, you’re dead wrong there.”

“What the hell Would a highblood see in you?"

"I don’t know, Lanque.” You smirked and pulled down the collar of your hoodie to reveal a lovebite Marvus unintentionally gifted you with. It had already been a few days since that night, and yet his presence still made itself known all over your body. “You tell me.”

Lanque eyed the mark with detached interest and looked away. “As if I’m supposed to belieVe a highblood did that. Do you think I’m stupid? The sign on your hideous hoodie tells me eVerything I need to knoW.”

“The — the sign?” You glanced down to the cerulean arrow zig zagging across your chest. “How is this relevant?”

“Please tell me you aren’t serious.” You clenched your teeth and refused to answer. Lanque shook his head. “I think it Would be far more hilarious if you asked WhoeVer gaVe that to you.”

“You know what? I will. Thank gods this conversation is over.”

Lanque humphed as you put some distance between you two, directing your entire attention to admiring the scenery of the brooding caverns. You were currently trekking through a path carved into the side of a cliff. Down below, you could see an endless sea of eggs and newly hatched grubs ripe for the picking. A handful of jades were carefully stepping around, either collecting the grubs or taking notes of the eggs.

Oddly enough, there were no drones in sight. You knew they were within earshot, their machine-like buzzing coming from somewhere in the distance. But without their immediate presence, you were almost lulled into a sense of comfort, fighting the temptation to steal away the grubs from danger.

“The jades don’t see much violence down here, do they?” you pipped up, curiosity overriding your earlier annoyance with Lanque.

He didn’t answer immediately, either surprised you were addressing him or reluctant to speak with you at all. "Apart from the culling, no. We groW up Watching hoW the drones operate, so We’re accustomed to culling the young from an early age.”

Your pictured the grubs’ frightened faces moments before death. It made you sick. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

“It’s just … so sad. This is supposed to be the one place where something as beautiful as life flourishes on this insane planet, and yet, in a way, here is where death begins.”

Death of the self. Death of Alternian morality. Death of countless innocents. How did the jades put up with this?

A dark expression fell over him. “Good to knoW Bronya’s Weak blood pusher hasn’t colored your vieW of What’s really happening here.”

“I thought you were going to judge me for being a softie,” you said lightly.

“I’m not blind to this shit; none of us are. But We do What we need to do in order to surViVe. Most of the jades like to pretend that We are safest doWn here, and that We haVe things under control, but the caVerns are just as fucking aWful as the surface.”

You silently looked back at the workers scouring the hatchery. No, not workers. Slaves to the Condesce. “I … I understand,” you quietly replied. “I know how it feels, to want to run away from it all.”

While you were turned away, Lanque roughly bumped your shoulder as he walked past you. You flinched and stamped down the hurt that coursed through you. “Ugh, shut up,” he waspishly said. "Don’t pretend to knoW me.” He threw you a dirty look. “You don’t knoW a damn thing about liVing such an empty life.”

He continued onward, unaware of you stopping dead in your tracks.

You should have laughed at his snide presumption.

You felt a wave of exhaustion overcome you instead.

The jadeblood hive loomed in the near distance. You walked with Lanque the rest of the way in silence, your energy to fight with him completely and utterly drained for the time being. The road was lit up by pretty bioluminescent growths, and if it were anyone else with you, you would have asked to take some home and gifted them to Charun for their art projects. But Lanque was emitting a prickly aura, so you kept your mouth shut and imagined holding the nursery grubs in your arms. Mirthful Messiahs knew you needed them right now.

You meandered through familiar corridors of the communal hive, trailing past Lanque in your eagerness to reach the nursery. A few jades greeted you warmly — and either blushed or glared at Lanque — as you said your hellos and peered into random rooms to see if you might catch a glimpse of Karako. But the young clown was nowhere to be seen, much to your disappointment.

“Do you know where Karako is?” you asked Lanque, hoping Bronya’s little secret was well-known among the jades.

He shrugged his shoulders with a long-suffering expression. “Who knoWs Where that little monster is hiding. Probably ran off to the Wilderness again."

You finally reached the door leading to the nursery. “Alright,” you lightly said as you took hold of the door knob, and paused. “And Lanque?” He quirked a brow at you. “Call him a monster again and you’ll be sorry.”

Lanque erupted into peels of laughter and slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his giggles while you rolled your eyes and stepped into the nursery. The room was set to an ambient lighting, presumably to put less strain on the grubs’ developing eyes, and the peaceful silence was interspersed with bouts of chirping cries.

“Please, tell me,” Lanque said with soft amusement as he kept his voice low. “Wh — What are you — ahahaha — What are you going to do to me? Bore me to tears With your stale comebacks?”

“You did say earlier that it’s important to know people in the right places.” You stepped further into the room and let the wholesome environment calm you down. “And Bronya seems to be in the right place to nag you to death.”

Lanque bit his lip in an effort to cease challenging you any further and turned away from you with his jacket flaring behind him. “The grubs are mostly in the slime Vats, but the ones in those isolation pods — “ He motioned to a few machine-like contraptions lined against a far wall. “— are for the sick ones, so don’t eVen think of coming near them."

“I know how things work around here,” you flippantly said. Not even Lanque’s presence could sour your mood or deter you from your mission to play with the grubs. “Bronya said that I need to cheer up the cranky grubs and feed an isolated indigoblood. You can make yourself useful and do the latter.”

“HoW about you don’t tell me What to do,” he sneered.

“I mean, you could leave. No one is stopping you.”

“Fuck, you are particularly annoying today.”

“Likewise.”

You stared at each other for a moment. Surprisingly, Lanque was the first to give in, turning his attention to the cabinets without a single word to you. He searched for everything with experienced efficiency, producing a feeding needle loaded with paste in a heartbeat. The thought of Lanque being a frequent carer for the grubs unsettled you slightly — you didn’t want to imagine such a bastard having the capacity to be gentle with the young, and yet you recalled how Wanshi teased him so affectionately, and the way he seemed to genuinely smile when he ruffled her hair.

Nope, you were not going there. Time to meet the troll babies.

You crouched in front of a vat that housed one of your favorite grubs, a rustblood runt that fussed around too much and had the sweetest eyes. It blinked up at you in vague recognition as it laid in the slime with its little legs waving in the air, chirping at you demandingly. You smiled and scooped it up in your arms, cradling its head to your chest.

“Hello sweetie,” you softly cooed, holding it close to you as you maneuvered yourself to sit down and lean your back against the edge of the vat. The grub let out a soft growl and bared its sharp teeth at you as though it were yawning, and when you gently scratched between its horns, it stuck its tongue out and splayed out in contentment, nuzzling its little head further into the crook of your arm.

Lanque had his back turned to you, waiting for an isolation pod to open as it hissed and released some sort of misty vapor to reveal a grub. You watched him discretely to make sure he wasn’t being rough with the poor thing, but Lanque placed the feeding syringe down and picked up the grub with as much tenderness as you had. He looked it over silently and stroked its tummy with one finger before getting the needle and holding it to the grub’s waiting mouth.

You looked away and regarded the rustblood in your arms. One day, this poor grub will either get chosen by a lusus and live a dreary existence, or it will succumb to the circle of life before ever getting the chance to develop into a wiggler.

You tried to avoid thinking about their fates when you were in the nursery. It was an endless cycle of depressing realizations, and you had enough misery to deal with. A part of you wondered if Lanque shared the same concerns as you when he tended to the grubs.

There is no happy ending on this miserable planet, a voice whispered in your head. Not for any of us.

Suddenly, a sharp gurgling cry came from the vat, dragging you out of your thoughts. You peered over the rim and spotted the source of the noise — an oliveblood grub squirming in the slime within your reach. The disruption startled the others, prompting them to chitter nervously.

Cradling the rustblood in one arm, you reached over the edge of the vat and petted the fussy grub with gentle strokes of your finger, shushing it with random words of comfort. So lost were you in your attempts to calm the grub that you found yourself humming a quiet melody. As you rested your head on the arm still holding onto the oliveblood, you began to sing a favorite song of yours, one that had always spoken to your childish hopes.

Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high There’s a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby —

Your voice, oh so soft and gentle, seemed to hold some sort of sway over the grubs. As the cacophony of chitters died down, the oliveblood stopped squirming, staring up at you with wide, inquisitive eyes. You smiled at it and continued.

Somewhere over the rainbow Skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true.

The ruckus had ceased, replaced with happy little meeps peppering the soothing silence. With one last caress of the oliveblood’s head, you checked on the grub in your arm and noted it had fallen asleep. You carved out a little indentation into the slime and placed the rustblood within, and when you looked up, you noticed Lanque was staring at you with an inscrutable expression. The grub in his hold was still sucking on the syringe for food.

You flushed and frowned. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“ … “ He looked down at the indigoblood. “Don’t speW your heretical alien songs here. You’ll turn these grubs into cullbait.”

You struggled back onto your feet and moved on to another vat for cuddling. “What’s the harm in it? They won’t remember what I say.”

“Don’t be so sure of that. And anyWay, our job is to ensure their surViVal. Nothing more, nothing less.”

You glanced down at the new set of grubs and sighed sadly. “I guess you’re right.”

“Look Who’s finally starting to come to her senses.”

“Screw you,” you lightly quipped, yet there was no real bite to your words.

He hummed. “You can do better than that.”

“Shouldn’t I watch what I say around the grubs?” you asked, smirking up at Lanque as he scoffed and shook his head. “You know, I’m starting to sense a sort of civility forming here.”

“Yes, it’s remarkable to see you behaVe like a rational adult!” he said sarcastically, to which you rolled your eyes. “One Would think you Would hold on to your grudge, considering hoW horrible of a person you think I am."

“I don’t think you’re a bad person, necessarily. I just don’t approve of your … lifestyle choices.”

“And I don’t approVe of your fashion choices,” he snarked back, and yet there was an air of mildness to his tone.

You could not resist a dry chuckle, picturing the wild outfit you wore to Ardata’s party. “Can’t fault you there."

He regarded you cooly for a moment before getting back to work, finishing feeding his grub and checking its vital signs in much the same way you had seen Bronya do before. Sensing the conversation had come to an abrupt end, you busied yourself with the rest of the grubs, wiggling their little claw-like legs and calming down a few cranky ones.

The two of you went about your business without so much as a word between you. Whether it was awkward or not seemed to vacillate for you, and you were starting to wonder why Bronya was taking so long. Lanque showed no signs of discomfort with your presence. In fact, you felt as though he barely regarded you as a living organism when he was not addressing you. He finished with the indigoblood grub and repressurized the isolation pod, dumping the feeding syringe into a nearby compactor and began peering into the vats to see how the other grubs were doing. He came to a stop beside you and stood a little too close to your crouching figure.

“Oh,” Lanque chimed in. "I’Ve had such a miserable time Wigglersitting you that I almost forgot to mention hoW much of a pain in the ass Lynera has been for me.” He frowned and cocked his hip. “You can’t imagine hoW many shifts she’s throWn into my schedule. I can barely find a chance to get out of these damn caVerns.”

Was this Lanque’s way of complaining to you? If he thought he’d find sympathy from you, he was about to be sorely mistaken. “Serves you right for how you treated her,” you mumbled.

“I told you, it Was nothing less than What she deserVed.”

“Even so, you had the chance to be the better person. She was trying to come out of her shell, and you made her feel terrible.”

“Be a better person? Why the hell Would I eVen bother for someone like her?”

“I’m asking myself the same question with regards to you. Are you even capable of respect and decency?”

“I certainly am,” he flippantly said. “When the situation calls for it. But I don’t oWe anyone a damn thing, and the sooner you realize it, the sooner you’ll get oVer What happened betWeen us.”

You blanched at his statement and quickly scrambled to your feet. ”Excuse me?”

Lanque stared down at you with a smirk. “Isn’t that What this is about? It’s alright, you don’t haVe to use your precious Lynera to gain some kind of moral high ground oVer me. I knoW What I did Was fucked up, and I’m not the least bit sorry for it.”

“Fuck you, Lanque,” you hissed. "This isn’t about you and me. In fact, I don’t even want to respond to your insane accusations, because you’re wrong about me. You like to think that you have me all figured out, but you don’t. So fuck you — “ You whirled around and headed straight for the door. “ — and goodbye.”

“What, you’re giVing up just like that?” he called out.

You halted, feeling an odd sense of deja vu coming over you. Lanque seemed to take your pause for hesitation, crossing his arms with a triumphant smile. “Guess not. That Was easy.”

You felt the angry beat of your heart against your chest and the rising heat coloring your cheeks. Lanque approached you slowly from behind, equal parts teasing and careful lest you lash out. The instant his fingers trailed over your arms, you jolted and turned to face him, ready to unleash your frustrations.

Except he was very close to you now, hands hovering in the air after pulling away from you as you swiftly turned. You were momentarily stumped by his proximity, and he jumped at the opportunity, caging you with his arms on either side of you and leaning down to softly say, “This is your last chance, darling. Let it all out.”

Fine. Fine. You were done taking the highroad.

You stared up at him cooly. Not even seeing his handsome face this close to you could derail your anger. “You want to talk about ‘getting over it’? Ironic, considering the fact that you brought it up out of nowhere.” Lanque’s smile fell to a thin line. “I don’t care about that one-night stand anymore. Yes, what you did made me feel like shit, and I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you for making fun of me out of some misguided sense of superiority, but that’s not what pisses me off about you. It’s the fact that Wanshi clearly loves you, for reasons that you apparently keep hidden away from everyone else because you’re afraid of anyone getting close to you. But you can be a good person, and that’s what makes me so damn angry.”

“You’re pissed because I don’t giVe you some kind of special treatment? Goodness, I thought you Were at least smart enough not to catch feelings, you must be a masochist — “

You grabbed his shirt collar and yanked him roughly down to your level. He blinked at you in surprise as you snarled in disgust, “I do not have anydamn feelings for you, you insufferable piece of shit. You’re an arrogant, two-faced asshole, and I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

He glared at you as his hand gripped your wrist none too gently. “Don’t try to act like an angel. You made me look like an absolute fool in front of my date.”

“Because I said you didn’t make me come?” You laughed bitterly. “I only said it because it’s true. In fact, I probably did her a favor by warning her. You’re not only an emotional vampire, but apparently a — an orgasm vampire, too! Taking whatever you can get without giving anything in return.”

“An orgasm Vampire … for fuck’s sake, I think I lose my intelligence WheneVer I listen to you.”

“Looks like you have none to begin with, because for someone who claims to be so repulsed by me, you really go out of your way to antagonize me and get up in my personal space!”

“Hmm.” And just like that, his rising temper fell into mild annoyance as he regarded your flushed face. Your grip on his collar had slipped away during your tirade, wanting to fall back at your side if not for his hand still keeping a hold on your wrist. As though he had read your mind, Lanque released your wrist and trailed a teasing path up your arm. When you jerked away from his touch, the corner of his mouth curled upward and a familiar glint appeared in his eyes.

You frowned and pressed your back more firmly against the door. “What are you thinking … “

“I’m thinking — “ he started, punctuating his words with a teasing lilt as he gripped your chin and tilted your face up. “ — that this is all feeling rather familiar.” His gaze flickered to your lips. “Don’t you think?”

The gears started turning in your head as you narrowed your eyes at him. Fate sure had a messed up way of manifesting these situations for you, didn’t it?

“What the fuck do you want from me?” you tiredly asked.

Lanque hummed a light chuckle and bared his fangs at you with a coquettish smile. You felt his other arm slither around your waist to pull you in, and for the life of you, you could not understand why your body refused your willpower to resist him.

“Let’s haVe a repeat performance. I’Ve been thinking about your tight, hot nook eVer since that night.”

You blanched at his boldness, feeling a deep rage boiling within you. How dare he have the audacity to try to fuck you again? You roughly shook your head to dislodge his hold on your chin and tried to shove him away from you, but the damn jade was stronger than his lanky appearance seemed to suggest, entirely unyielding to your attempt.

Ha. Lanky. You made a mental note to remember that for a sick burn.

“You’ve been insulting me all day and you think I’ll spread my legs for you?” you asked, slight hysteria coloring your voice.

“Why not?” he said with a pout. “Are you really going to let some sass stand in the Way of getting your nook eaten out?”

You paused. As pissed as you were, the thought of his soft lips leaving lipstick stains all over your thighs was a tantalizing mental image to behold. “Is this an attempt at making up for leaving me unsatisfied?”

"Well, We can’t haVe you spreading such a Vicious rumor noW, can We?” His hands were at your sides now, trailing over your curves before settling dangerously close to your ass.

Your mouth suddenly felt very dry. You looked away, hoping to regain some semblance of control despite the heat rising in your cheeks. “Like how you did with me?”

He tilted his head and huffed. “Oh, relax. It Was just that one time. Don’t Worry, you aren’t that important to me that I’d go out of my Way to make your life truly unbearable.”

“And yet here we are.”

“Hmm. You really giVe as good as you get.” He almost sounded impressed, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow as you looked back at him. "What happened to the socially inept alien I had the misfortune of meeting?"

"What can I say? You bring out the worst in me.”

"Seems to me you’Ve finally groWn an exoskeleton. I’d hardly call that a bad thing."

You opened your mouth to deliver a retort, but found your words failing you. Despite how painful it was to admit, you knew Lanque was right on some level. You were always a notorious push-over — how else could you have secured most of your friendships with dangerous trolls? But Lanque brought out another side of you, and you were not sure if you were happy to discover this combative attitude. It might land you in quite a bit of trouble on Alternia.

While you were preoccupied with your racing thoughts, Lanque moved his hands a little lower to caress your behind, bringing your hips flush against his as he leaned down to whisper in your ear, “Enough stalling, sWeetheart. I’Ve less time to Waste than most, remember?”

When you didn’t answer, he kissed the spot right below your ear as though to test the waters. You shivered at the unexpected contact and did nothing more. Another kiss was stamped to your jaw, followed by the corner of your mouth, and with no resistance on your end, Lanque went in for the kill.

His lips caressed yours with a gentle touch, teasing and enticing you to meet him half-way. You remained still, even when he tilted his head and pressed more firmly against your unyielding mouth, moving slowly and peppering butterfly kisses until he finally got the hint and moved back an inch to look at your unimpressed stare.

“Come on, babe. Don’t be like that,” he coyly said, his tongue darting out to lick along his upper lip. “Are you really going to make me Work for this?”

“You offered,” you softly said, with only a hint of flustered raspiness. Your hand quickly slid into the hair at the nape of his neck, and you tugged him downward. “So get to it.”

His eyes widened as he hunched from your firm hold, and immediately fell back into his suave demeanor, slipping his hands underneath your hoodie and leaning in to nuzzle the crook of your neck. “Oh my, What’s gotten into you?” he purred against your skin. "You Were so … affectionate last time."

You rolled your eyes and planned to urge him onward, but with your line of sight unobstructed now, you were suddenly hit with a horrifying realization.

You were getting felt up in a room filled with alien babies.

”Lanque!” you hissed, startling him out of his lust as you actually managed to shove him away. “We — we can’t do this here!”

He was still for a moment before glancing behind him. “Hm.”

The grubs were chirping from their vats. You raked shaky fingers through your hair and breathed, horrified with your lapse in judgement. What would Bronya say about your shameful behavior?

You smoothed down your clothing in frustration. “I can’t believe we were about to … ugh, what is wrong with you?” you hissed at Lanque.

He busied himself with readjusting his jacket across his shoulders. “Me? You Were seconds aWay from shoVing my face betWeen your legs.”

“Right. Like you weren’t practically salivating at the chance to eat me out.”

Lanque eyed you up and down and wordlessly grabbed your hand, forcing you to follow him out the door as you sputtered in confusion. The hallway was mercifully empty of any spectators who might question why you were being led into a closet across the nursery. Lanque locked the door behind him while you blinked in the darkness, feeling around the small space to gather your bearings.

There were no grubs stopping you now. You were all alone in a confined space with the closest thing you have to an enemy, and with his yellow eyes flashing at you in the dark, your arousal and anger resurged with a vengeance.

You crossed your arms and waited for his next move. Let the bastard put in some effort for once, you thought amusingly.

As it turned out, you did not need to wait for too long. Lanque's carefully maintained outfit was desecrated as he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over a pile of boxes, and you gasped when he effortlessly maneuvered you around him and against the door.

“Oh my gods you really want to do this,” you rambled, watching his eyes flutter shut as his face drew closer to yours. “We’re really about to do this in a closet this is — mmph!"

Your words were stolen from you in a breathless kiss. This time, you met his challenge with gusto, tangling your tongue with his and gripping him as close to you as he held you to him. It was fire, it was electric, it was bitterness and frustration that guided you both down this path, bodies melting into each other and your touch burning his skin, his fang cutting your bottom lip and you wrenching his head back by his hair — and he groaned — forcing him to watch you lick away the blood all by yourself.

“You’re not fucking with me this time,” you said through panting breaths.

Lanque growled, surging forward to plant his mouth at your neck — the side opposite from where Marvus had marked you — sucking and biting your sensitive skin as he expertly undid your shorts and shoved them down your hips. You bit your lip without thinking, wincing at the slight pain of his cut, and felt his fingers dig into your thighs.

With a final nip to your new love bite, Lanque moved up to breathe hotly in your ear. “Do you eVen knoW hoW pissed I Was after you said I didn’t get you off?” he harshly whispered. “HoW fucking dare you embarrass me like that?”

You giggled, and his nails nearly pricked your skin. “Was I wrong?” You angled your head to purr into his ear, “Why don’t you put your mouth to use then.”

Lanque pulled back to throw you a smoldering look and dropped to his knees without complaint, roughly pulling your shorts further down. In your eagerness to finally see what you had missed out on, you shimmied one foot out of your shorts and let him throw your leg over his shoulder, giving him a clear view of your nether region. You pulled up the bottom of your hoodie to see as much as you could in the pervading darkness.

One of his hands kept a firm hold on your ass while he trailed a finger through your folds, spreading the wetness back and forth until he retracted it, coming away with a slick trail clinging to his fingertip. His coquettish smile made you want to shove your foot in his face.

“Despite your holier-than-thou bitching, you’re quite ready for me, hmm?”

“I never denied that,” you groused, flushing lightly.

He chuckled and returned to lightly tracing your outer lips while he kissed dangerously close to the crux of your inner thigh. “It makes sense, I suppose,” he cooed, and kissed your other thigh. “Who Wouldn’t be excited to haVe me like this?”

Oh, that arrogance.

“Should I be, Lanque? Because so far, all I’m seeing is a whole lot of stalling. Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

The look he threw you was absolutely murderous. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to anger a troll with sharp teeth when he was inches away from your crotch.

Lanque surged forward and shoved two fingers inside you as he dragged his tongue through your folds without warning. A current of sharp pleasure ignited within you. You keened at the sudden sensation and slapped a hand over your mouth to muffle your cries as his fingers began to pump into you, and after a few experimental licks around your core, he seemed to have surmised a rudimentary understanding of what you needed from him.

And he certainly would not give it to you right away.

He hummed a low tune, his mouth now fully pressed over your core as he licked and sucked in alternating rhythms. More often than not he purposefully avoided your clit, playing with your folds or running his tongue along your outer lips. And with his slightly warm breath ghosting over your clit with each pass of his maddening licks, you felt your last shred of dignity and restraint dissolve. Especially when his fingers hit a deep spot within you that made you roll your hips to draw them further in.

You curled your hands around the base of Lanque's horns. His eyes fluttered open to look at you in question, and you flashed him a peeved expression as you tugged him up until his lips brushed over your clit. “Right there," you sighed, and when the tip of his tongue quickly flicked it, you dug the heel of your foot into his back and yanked him closer.

Finally, finally he gave in, latching on to your clit with unrelenting attention and adding a third finger to your soaking pussy. Your head fell back in a wordless cry, and you fought as hard as you could to keep from moaning. It was nigh impossible, with the sound of his wet licking permeating the small space and heightening your pleasure all the more, but you held strong regardless, focusing on breathing and chasing after sweet release.

And with a particularly well-placed thrust of his fingers, you were an absolute goner — Lanque kept a firm hold on your thigh to hold you in place as you pulsed around his fingers and pulled at his hair, letting out a breathy sigh and silently thanking your luck that he was letting you ride out the post-coital wave with broad, flat strokes of his tongue.

As you sagged back against the door, Lanque removed your leg from his shoulder and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smoothly standing back up to tower over you. He leaned down as you panted and kissed you, running his tongue along yours to let you taste yourself. You pursed your lips around his tongue and sucked as you pulled away, feeling his hands grip your waist and relishing in his quiet moan.

A heartbeat of silence passed between you as you simply looked at each other. Lanque arched his brow and titled his head to the side. “Well?” he haughtily asked.

Either he anticipated a rating of his performance, or he expected something in return. You deigned to offer him the latter option, guiding him to take your place at the door. He dutifully followed your lead, staring down at you with a heated look.

You hiked up your shorts around your waist — Lanque quirked a brow at that — and settled down in front of him, slowly pulling down his pants as your hands trailed along his outer thighs. He had the common sense to unbutton his shirt, moving the bottom flaps out of the way to give you unrestricted access.

“You’re being surprisingly cooperative,” you noted, sitting up straighter as your fingers glided up his inner thighs and settled at his slits, teasing the openings with light touches.

“No reason to drag things out — ooh … ”

The tip of your tongue entered his nook and massaged his inner walls. The familiar minty taste you expected was muted by a tang of bitterness. Probably because of all the drugs and alcohol, you wryly thought as you dipped in even further before fully retracting your tongue to lick and kiss his wet slit.

His hand gripped the back of your head and pulled you in closer, earning a growl of warning and a sharp glare from you. Lanque merely smirked — you were getting really tired of that damn smirk by now — and spread his legs a little wider.

“You look good like this,” he purred, stroking your hair. “Let’s see What that highblood taught you, sWeetheart.”

Oh, I fully intend to. You ignored him and trailed your lips up his nook, leaving playful little licks here and there as he moaned above you. Your thumb ran along the sheath of his bulge in a slow figure-eight trail, and your heart raced in victory when you felt the slightly chilled tip of his bulge slide out from the slit.

Your mouth was replaced with your fingers at his nook, parting his folds teasingly before you slipped in two fingers to the knuckle. You kissed his thigh and busied yourself with etching a reminder of this encounter on his skin, and the subtle push of his hips had you curling your fingers deep within him to elicit a rumbling groan. His bulge was fully out now, undulating in unnaturally alien flexibility as it sought out your attention.

You could go slow and sweet to warm him up. Your fingers were beginning to wrap around the base before he impatiently angled your head to the tip, and with his fate now sealed, you looked up at him to catch his stare as you wrapped your lips around it and brought him nearly halfway into your hot mouth at the same time as your fingers reentered his nook, letting your tongue cushion the underside of his bulge as it slid in with ease.

Lanque’s head fell back against the door with a muffled bang. “Oh, fuck," he breathed out, fighting against your hold at his hip as his bulge writhed against the back of your throat. You couldn’t suppress the gag that followed, and he moaned in response. “Yeah, that’s it … choke on my bulge, kitten.”

You did not want to think about the shiver of pleasure that ran down your spine.

His bulge was mercifully far more manageable than Marvus’s had been. You focused on relaxing your throat despite the occasional twisting and undulating, sliding your tongue around its slick, textured sides and adding suction whenever you pulled back to the tip. His harsh panting and deep groans were far more pleasing to you than you wanted to admit.

Your fingers fucked into him at the same time as you sucked him off, and you felt the cold sensation of his fluids creeping down your hand and past your lips to trickle along your chin.

He curled a hand beneath your chin and wiped some of the pre-slurry away with his thumb. “I’m going to — unf — I’ll stain those pretty lips of yours a loVely shade of green for your — your damn highblood to see later,” he whispered harshly, and you swallowed around his bulge in retaliation, eliciting a breathy whine and a demand for more.

Bold of him to presume that Marvus would be jealous in the slightest. You were tempted to tell him exactly that, but you were also particularly enthralled with how desperately he was grinding against your fingers and slowly unravelling under your ministrations.

And yet, it was time for fate to resurface. Who would she be cruel to this time?

Your name echoed through the hallway.

“Oh, hell no,” Lanque groaned, bringing both hands to the back of your head. “Keep — keep going, aaah, don’t stop — ” His breath hitched as his nook fluttered around your fingers.

Once more, your name was called out. “Where the heck did she go … “ you heard the distant muffle of Bronya's muttering, her voice closer to the closet now.

Lanque’s bulge twitched at the disruption. Did he have a thing for nearly getting caught in the act?

Just as a pulse of pre-slurry coated your tongue, a very wicked plan manifested in your mind. A very wicked and rewarding plan.

You fought to keep from smiling, your mouth stretched around his bulge as it was, and retracted your fingers from his nook. Lanque bared his fangs in a grimace, and to distract him from acting up, you carefully extracted his hands from your hair, surprised and delighted that he was offering no resistance at this point. The poor bastard must be desperate for release.

You grabbed his wrists and pinned his hands to the door as you struggled to draw his bulge even further into your mouth. The tension in his muscles seemed to both relax and tighten at the same time, and you swallowed around him again, your throat contracting around his length —

Bronya, again. “Maybe she left already … “

— Lanque rolled his hips, his moan hitching with a sharp intake of breath —

And you promptly slid his bulge out of your mouth to loudly proclaim, “I’m here, Bronya!”

Footfalls stopped nearby. You quickly stood up and readjusted your shorts, leering at Lanque as he stared at you in utter disbelief, his bulge flushed and wriggling out in the open air.

“Better put that away, kitten,” you whispered, fishing out his red handkerchief from the discarded jacket to wipe away the pre-slurry coating your hand.

You words seemed to prompt him back to reality. He hurriedly tugged up his pants and winced as his bulge slithered back into its sheath. “You fucking bitch,” he hissed, fighting with the buttons at his shirt, and you couldn’t help it, couldn’t even hope to stop the shit-eating grin on your face as you cleaned your chin and pocketed the handkerchief.

Before Bronya could get too close, you shoved Lanque aside while he fixed his clothing, nearly tipping him over in the process as you opened the door and let the blessed light wash you free of any guilt. You narrowly dodged a kick and rushed out to face a surprised Bronya, a palmhusk in hand as she presumably had been in the middle of texting you.

“Hello there! What were you doing in the storage closet?” she curiously asked, eyeing you in slight suspicion.

“Just trying to find something in there for the grubs,” you smoothly replied, waving a hand carelessly. “Lanque was helping me, too.” You turned around just as he had stepped out of the closet, angrily fixing his jacket back around his shoulders and staring at you with orange-tinged eyes.

Bronya walked right up to him, heedless of his murderous aura. “Lanque, look at the state of you! Are you feeling alright?” Bronya asked in a motherly tone, reaching out to help him do up the remaining buttons of his shirt. “You’re all flushed … “

“Hey, Bronya,” you called out, and she looked over her shoulder at you. Lanque never stopped glaring daggers at you. “I just realized I needed to meet with someone soon, so I can’t stick around for longer. I’m so sorry I didn’t warn you earlier, I was just so caught up with calming the grubs and searching that darn closet!”

“Not a problem!” she happily chirped, finishing up the top button of Lanque’s shirt and reaching for the undone tie. “Thank you for your help, I hope you’ll stop by again soon.”

“Oh, I will,” you drawled, fixing Lanque with a pointed look. “See you later, Bronya.” You turned to walk away, and called out, “Bye, Moonshine!”

“Moonshine?” Bronya murmured, and just as she nearly tied up the knot of Lanque’s tie, he smacked away her hands with unrestrained force and barreled past her. She let out a sharp gasp and jolted backward, her wide eyes trailing after him as he paced towards your retreating figure.

Just when you thought you had finally escaped, Lanque caught up in a few strides and grabbed your wrist, wrenching you around so roughly that you might have felt a bone pop. You winced and said nothing more, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of having any sort of impact on you.

He glared down at you with such seething anger, fangs bared and skin still flushed a vibrant jade. You merely looked up at him with a bored expression and waited.

“Give me your Chittr handle,” he forced out through gritted teeth.

Oh.

Oh gods, did you want to laugh.

“No,” you said sweetly, pried his grip off your wrist, flashed him a cheery smile, and went about your merry day without so much as a backward glance.