#( very well worded wolfram thank you )

[incorrect-koh-posts]

Hello I have a bit of a weird question here , well , do you think modern women or modern women we consider beautiful in our time now would be considered beautiful in the medieval times ? Let’s say conventionally attractive women of this time such as Tyla , Madison beer , Sabrina carpenter , women we agree all that they are beautiful, do you think they would be this appreciated in let’s say medieval Europe or the crusader kingdoms ? Thank you very much for reading and answering 💗

Hello, anon! Sorry for the extremely late reply 🙈

Ngl, I had to google these people because I had no idea who they are. So in case any of my readers are like me and lack a basic understanding of recent pop culture, here they are for reference:

All in all, medieval ideas of beauty were actually not very different from our present ones. Looking at descriptions of beautiful women in medieval European literature, we see that, in general, writers prized features that are symmetrical and signal youth and health - which also pretty much sums up our 21st-century understanding of feminine beauty. So it is likely that those we as a society consider beautiful would have elicited a similar reaction from Baldwin and his contemporaries. (Though I imagine they would have had a word or five to say about the future's skimpy clothing, and not only for reasons of modesty. Like, where are the swathes and swathes of luxurious fabric? Are we too poor to afford it?)

Of course, medieval and modern ideals differ in some particulars. As you asked specifically about medieval Europe and since the crusader kingdoms largely followed the customs & culture of the French court: Yes - to get the obvious out of the way - there was an emphasis on the whiteness of a woman's skin at the time. Which is here not only an issue of race (a whole 'nother can of worms to open) but also of class, as lighter skin would have been regarded as a signifier that the woman was (or looked like) a member of the nobility, who did not have to do physical labour in the fields etc. where the sun would have been beating down on her all day.

That said, there are examples of dark-skinned characters in medieval European texts who are described as beautiful, such as Queen Belacane in the early-13th-century German chivalric romance Parzival. However, I would be denying history if I didn't acknowledge that even these characters, sometimes subtly, sometimes considerably less so, tend to be presented as an Other. In Wolfram's Parzival, for example, Belacane's people are "liute vinster sô diu naht" ("people dark as the night", Parzival 17,24). She is thus deliberately constructed as the opposite of the European ideal of the courtly lady (Mieger 191), who tends to be described as things like "liehters denne der tac" and "touwegen rôsen" ("lighter than the day" and like a "dewy rose", Parzival 24,6 and 24,10).

I haven't found any specific research materials on beauty standards in the crusader states, but I'd imagine this might have been less of an issue there than in the more remote parts of Europe, given that the cultural melting pot of the Levant would have exposed its inhabitants on a daily basis to different ideas and ideals of beauty. First and foremost, in any case, would have come considerations of religion - a beautiful "heathen" would have had to be very appealing and otherwise virtuous indeed for a European writer to apply courtly adjectives to her, whereas a Christian woman, no matter the colour of her skin, would have been regarded a little more favourably (though again likely exoticised as an Other if she wasn't white).

What did European courtly culture consider appealing then, other than ominous "dewy roses"? As far as text sources go, medieval society liked women to have a slender figure, healthy but not too thin, with a small but full mouth, a well-formed, not too prominent nose, rather small feet and hands, a long elegant neck, and white and even teeth. Mathieu de Vendôme’s Ars versificatoria (late-twelfth century) uses the example of Helen of Troy as the epitome of beauty. His Helen has golden and free-flowing hair, a “Milky Way-white” forehead, black and separated eyebrows “like arches”, sparkling eyes “like stars”, rosy cheeks, a straight nose which is neither too flat or too large, rosy and delicate lips, straight teeth that are “whiter than ivory”, and firm, small breasts (da Soller 98).

Another interesting example is offered in a thirteenth-century Castilian translation of an Arabic folk story, La historia de la doncella Teodor: “the beautiful woman has eighteen signs: three long, three short, three small, three white, three black, and three red. three long: torso, neck, and fingers; three white: body, teeth, and white of the eyes; three black: hair, eyes, and eyebrows; three red: cheeks, lips, and gums; three small: mouth, nose, and feet; three wide: hips, shoulders, and forehead” (101).

So, going back to the three women you mentioned, I'd say they fit the medieval ideal pretty well. Though we prefer somewhat more prominent curves and probably slightly more striking facial features nowadays than our ancestors (as well as fortunately moving away from prizing only light skin), I think we do see here that the difference between medieval and modern isn't actually that large. There's still an undercurrent of kalokagathia in our society's thinking, i.e. the idea that outward beauty signals inner virtue (think, for instance, of the fact that our fictional villains tend to be conventionally unattractive as opposed to the usually attractive good guys).

All things considered though, I shall end this rambling lecture by saying that, ultimately, tastes differ, today as well as in the Middle Ages. It is understandable that you might wish to appeal to, say, your favourite medieval king, but after expounding at length on what's supposedly beautiful or not, let me remind you: As people (and especially women), we do not exist to be ogled and judged by others - you are valuable regardless of whether a particular person considers you beautiful or not. 💛

Sources:

da Soller, Claudio. "Beauty, Evolution, and Medieval Literature." Philosophy and Literature, vol. 34, 2010, pp. 95–111.

Mieger, Hannah. "Königin of Color – Belacane in Wolframs von Eschenbach Parzival als intersektionale Figur." Intersektionalität und erzählte Welten: literaturwissenschaftliche und literaturdidaktische Perspektiven, edited by Verónica Abrego, Ina Henke, Magdalena Kißling, Christina Lammer, Maria-Theresia Leuker, 2023, pp. 187-201.

[pain-in-the-butler]

Hiiii. I have two questions about your story, Coattails!

 

First of all, I love your fic so much omg. I binge-read it in like 5 days a few weeks ago, and ever since then, it's been the only thing I think about. You write the characters so beautifully. I love how you write Sebastian's descent into Dadbastian, and his relationship with Ciel.

 

Feel free to not answer any question :)

 

1. Are we reaching the climax of what Happened to Fairclough in Chapter 1? / Nearing the end of Coattails? 

 

I'm so excited to know what Fairclough is going to do and for all the Dadbastian moments that will come out of it. At first, I thought Fairclough wasn't human, but I'm pretty sure you confirmed somewhere that he is definitely human. Then I was thinking, What if Fairclough is working with or for something that isn't human? I really don't know; there are so many possibilities! I'm really curious. Oh, and I just know that order that Ciel made where Sebastian can't get within a mile of Fairclough is definitely going to backfire. Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder how Sebastian is going to save Ciel when Fairclough kidnaps him or something, since it's not like he can get within a mile of Fairclough. Unless Ciel manages to break that order or Sebastian himself breaks it and goes "demon mode," idk. But breaking an order would probably affect their contract, What if the contract breaks?? That would be pretty interesting 🤔 

Oh, and the whole thing with Sebastian being able to feel love and stuff with the magic that's inside him. I wonder, how did that happen? Although Fairclough is obviously the main villain of the story, I don't think he has anything to do with it. Because why would he want Sebastian to become more gentle with Ciel? That would just cause him to become more protective when people like Fairclough are near, right? Affecting Fairclough if he tries to do something. Unless Fairclough did have something to do with it, it might've backfired on him?

 

Sorry, I just realised I'm rambling, lol. Those are just some of my thoughts/theories.

 

2. What's going to happen after you finish writing Coattails?

Like, do you plan on stopping writing Dadbastian? I hope not. I love how your writing, so I'd definitely miss it a lot. But I understand if you choose to stop. Coattails is currently at like 350k words (plus, it's probably going to have a lot more than that after you finish), so if you don't want to write any more Dadbastian after that, I understand — it's a lot.

 

Anyway, thanks for reading! Once again, feel free to not answer any question! I really don't mind. Oh and I just realised I wrote a lot here, lol. I hope I'm not being annoying or anything. Bye :)

Ahhh, what a wonderful message to wake up to in my inbox! 🥰 Thank you so much for binging and enjoying Coattails! These characters are deeply important to me, so I always hope to do them justice. I would be happy to answer your questions, at least without spoiling anything as much as possible!

First of all, are we near the climax? Yes! Are we near the ending? Yes and no. We are probably about eight chapters away from the end, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're close time-wise or word count-wise. I still anticipate that I won't finish this story until late 2025.

Your ideas about Fairclough and the effects of the foreign magic are an interesting read and I thank you for all your predictions, but I can confirm or deny nothing! Just know that the answers are very close now...

And will I keep writing Dadbastian after I finish Coattails? Yes, absolutely! The Coattails universe is one I will come back to, no doubt — for instance, I'd really like for Ciel and Sebastian to meet Sieglinde and Wolfram. I have ideas for other fluffy post-main story scenarios too. And I have other Kuro projects I'd like to get to someday as well! A rewrite of the Weston arc and a humorous modern AU fic where Ciel and Sebastian have a mission on a Disney cruise are just two ideas I'd like to explore. No doubt there will be some Dadbastian influence there as well... and more Dadbastian fics I have yet to think of.

You were certainly not annoying, I'm really grateful you could be so invested in my writing! Thank you so much for your questions, have a wonderful day!

[voidcat-senket]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @hxhhasmysoul and @subdee!! <3 <3 <3 who are both v lovely go like. look at their blogs. anyway

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

.161

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

520,484 - 27% of that is one fic looool

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now just HxH and SW:Fallen Order series. Sherlock and Star Trek AOS were big ones too

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Closing the Space (Between Us) - again its 27% of my wordcount! It deserves it! the Hunter x Hunter Killugon Reunion fic of my dreams. I am SO PROUD of this one I have handed it to irl friends! On purpose! My partner got me a physical copy for Xmas 2021!

2. Crying Over Yuuri - a Kyou Kara Maou! fic, which is a fandom I am amazed is still being read. It's a Wolfram POV fic where he, you got it, cries over Yuuri. Pretty fluffy ending. I credit the numbers to the fact that not a lot of fic gets written for KKM anymore so it doesn't disappear under all the new stuff

3. Not Unusual - A ST:AO3 Academy Era McKirk. Bones gets a bunch of clues to something going on with Jim... he gets it a little wrong, Jim freaks out because this man has Issues, but it resolves in the end. I wrote this one as a pinch-hit for an exchange back when I was still RPing Jim Kirk @thewinningscenario

4. 5+1: Are They Or Aren't They? - Somehow my Mystrade (Sherlock BBC) still gets hits with fair regularity and I'll never understand why. It's definitely not my best work but it's cute! 5 times people weren't sure if Mycroft and Lestrade are dating, and the time they know (because they receive a wedding invitation!!)

5. One Flew East, One Flew West - a Killugon Modern AU in which Killua and Gon meet at a Psychiatric Recovery Center, with Kurapika as another patient and Leorio as a therapist. written for HxHBB2020. I'm very fond of this one. It makes me cry <3 I'm so happy there's so much fandom diversity in these! (The next 11 are all either HxH or Sherlock, l o l )

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I wish I could say I did! I mean to! Sometimes I am not in a good place so I mean to do it later and then I forget..... whoof. I am so thankful for each and every review, and I want to repay that!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I wrote a LOT of fics in my teens where people died (not all of them are on A03, it didn't exist at the time. I'm not giving you my ff.net ;) ) Surely, one of them! More recently, I wrote a Dragon Age: Inquisition Lavellan/Dorian in response to Dorian preemptively breaking up with me (rude!) that is Pretty Hecking Angsty. It's tagged "hurt no comfort"

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Closing the Space (Between Us) did so much work to get where it was, and they ended up with Everything! My boys <3 (And Alluka)

8. Do you get hate on fic?

Very rarely! I'm pretty lucky in life that I don't get hate generally. Maybe it's because I'm not Out There enough but- who cares! People are nice and sweet and lovely mostly, and I love writing fanfic for/with them :3

9. Do you write smut?

Sometimes it will appear in other fics. I don't really do PWPs, and smut itself is pretty rare because I don't include it unless it's... necessary? Kinda? Like if the story demands it. I personally only read smut in certain moods, so when smut's included I make it easy to skip, but it certainly exists

10. Do you write crossovers?

It depends! In my Sherlock days I had a Sherlock/Stargate Atlantis crossover series and a Sherlock in the HP universe series, but I haven't done any recently.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of! I heard people copy fics over to Wattpad sometimes but I've never looked. I'm not usually in MegaFandoms anyway, so I don't think I'm in any real danger.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

YES!! A few different Sherlock ones! (I guess I was pretty well known in the Mystrade sphere?? IDK that was back on livejournal. Anyone else miss KinkMemes?) I think one got translated to Russian and one to Chinese. Both reached out to me and asked for permission first, which I of course granted! It's very flattering <3

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Way way way back in my teen years I cowrote a few times- one in YuGiOh and one in Fruits Basket with a high school friend. Recently I am technically cowriting a fic with @spyscrapper atm- I say technically because its really an rp l o l (Star Wars: Jedi Survivor Canon Divergent Spyscrapper, it's pretty hecking cool! And painful! :D ) I once cowrote a fic where the other author just like. eliminated my plotline. so. It's not always good, but it's still fun to try!

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

I refuse to pick One. Killugon (HxH), McShep (Stargate Atlantis), Seishirou/Subaru (Tokyo Babylon & X/1999) and any combination of McSpirk (Star Trek) have probably had the most long-lasting impact on me. And

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

I often feel like I should finish Pulling The Trigger because it's an interesting casefic and I like the thought of a mystery, but... it's 12 years old at this point, so...

16. What are your writing strengths?

Nature-themed metaphors and descriptions! And I feel like I have pretty strong character points of view! Oh, and angst. I'm good at angst. >:)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Planning 🙃 oops what's that. And I use adverbs too much! (but it's fun so I'll keep doing it)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

It depends why! If a fic is from the POV of Character A and Character B is talking in a language they don't understand, for example, it's fine to use it (though please provide a translation for your reader!) The language switch has to be for a specific reason, and if the character understands it the reader should too. (In One Flew, Gon and Killua sometimes swap to Japanese to disguise their conversations from everyone else- I show that by changing their conversation to italics in most cases.) I definitely wrote a fic as a teen that had all Japanese because I was a weeb and... lol don't do that.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Yugioh, 2001!! It was probably two paragraphs long hahaha

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Closing the Space (Between Us) for sure! God it's so good. I am begging people to read it. If you're going to read One Thing I have written in my entire life-so-far, please let it be that!!

"Tag 20 people:" that seems like a lot hahaha uuhh @spyscrapper @avtorsola @mmuffncakes @nightingalesighs @etoiline @iwishtocountthestars @unicorncoalition @shalnarkonice @missinkylace @thefledglingdm 10 is a reasonable number. but tbh if you wanna do it, do it, I wanna read ur response!

[larkawolfgirl]

Into the Future

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: M/M Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou! Relationship: Wolfram von Bielefeld/Shibuya Yuuri

Summary:  Yuuri uses a magical nightcap to see his future. He wasn't prepared for the revelation that glimpse into the future gave him.

Read on ao3

Another night, another ball. The ballroom of Blood Pledge Castle was decorated with the nicest fineries that Yuuri would allow. The young king wasn’t fond of these grand events. They were too showy and a waste of taxpayer’s money, in his opinion. Still, there was tradition which must be upheld, or so Gunter constantly prattled on about. Yuuri was pretty sure Wolfram wouldn’t be too happy about terminating all future balls either. That said, Wolfram didn’t appear to be enjoying that night's.

The blond was dressed in elegant attire and had stood directly by his side at every opportunity. Normally, Wolfram would animatedly converse with the dignitaries, but tonight, he remained silent for the most part. He reminded Yuuri somewhat of a guard dog, silently assessing the room for any dangers. The only times he parted from Yuuri’s side was when the king agreed to dance with the many ladies who approached him throughout the evening. Even then, the blond’s eyes remained keenly on him.

Splitting his focus, Yuuri kept his eyes on the mazoku as he twirled a young brunette girl around. She looked close to his own age, which Yuuri assumed meant she was in her late eighties. The idea still made his head spin. She was pretty and seemed nice enough, but he was more interested in what was going on inside his friend’s head.

Wolfram’s eyes narrowed at the pair as they spun around. His fists clenched and his jaw tightened. Yuuri knew that look far too well. As the music faded out, he let out an exasperated sigh at the conflict he knew was coming.

The girl looked at him inquisitively. “Is something wrong, Your Highness?”

Yuuri shook his head. “Oh, no. Don’t worry about it. Thank you for the dance.” His fingers fidgeted over the material of his regal suit pants.

The girl grinned and curtsied politely. “The pleasure was mine.”

Yuuri gave her a warm smile before bidding her farewell. He headed back to Wolfram, but his steps were slow. He wasn’t in a rush to get yelled at.

“Wolf,” he greeted his friend with a smile, attempting to smooth over Wolfram’s poor mood. “I hope you’re having fun.”

Wolfram scoffed, his tone sharp and laced with bitterness. “Having fun? How could I possibly have fun watching you dance with all these women?”

Yuuri's smile faltered. He had expected this, but the venom in Wolfram's words was stronger than he had expected. “All I did was dance.” His voice came out strained, attempting to diffuse the situation.

Wolfram's face contorted with frustration, his voice growing louder, echoing through the ballroom. "Just dance? Do you have any idea how it feels to stand here and see the person I love, the person I'm engaged to, wrapped in the arms of someone else?"

The surrounding guests turned their attention to the scene unfolding and began whispering among themselves.

Yuuri glanced at the guests fretfully. Gesturing outside, he asked, “Can we maybe take this outside?” His hand touched Wolfram’s arm, but Wolfram shook his arm out of his grasp.

“No! I’m sick of you downplaying my very real feelings.” He was still angry, but beneath the anger was evident sadness. Yuuri could tell by the sunken look in his eyes and the slight puff in his cheeks. “How am I supposed to trust you not to cheat on me as soon as there aren’t prying eyes around?”

Was that the real reason Wolfram kept so close to him? He was afraid of what he might get up to when he wasn’t around.

Out of habit, Yuuri defended himself the same way he had a million times. “I am not a cheater. It wouldn’t even be cheating anyway.” At his words, Wolfram’s gaze flickered with hurt animosity. Realizing he had made a mistake, Yuuri softened his expression and took a step closer to Wolfram. Sincerely, he said, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't realize how much it would affect you."

He had only ever been trying to be polite. What was he supposed to do? He was supposed to be the kind demon king, after all.

Wolfram's fists clenched at his sides, his voice shaking with a mix of anger and pain. "You never seem to realize, do you? I've given you my heart, my loyalty, and yet it feels like I'm just a bystander in your life."

The onlookers grew silent, the tension in the air palpable. Wolfram's outburst echoed through the ballroom, capturing the attention of everyone present.

Yuuri reached a trembling hand to Wolfram's arm again, desperate to bridge the growing divide between them. Luckily, he didn’t move away from the touch this time. "Wolfram, of course, you are more than a bystander to me. I know I haven't always shown it, but you mean so much to me. You are my best friend.”

“Friend…” Wolfram took several breaths, his eyes searching Yuuri’s face for sincerity. When he spoke again, it was quiet and somber. “Is that all I’ll ever be to you?”

Yuuri took a step back. That was the best thing he could offer up in his book. But he knew what Wolfram wanted. “I…Is that really so bad?” He scratched his arm. “Isn’t it good enough that I want you to stay by my side?”

Wolfram’s shoulders sagged. "Promise me that I won't have to feel this way again," Wolfram pleaded.

The vulnerability on his face shook Yuuri, and he found himself nodding. It had never ever been his intention to hurt him. "I promise that I will do my best."

With a groan, Wolfram pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know you mean well, Yuuri, but that’s the problem. I can only deal with so much of you trying. I need some sort of action, or else this is never going to work.”

Yuuri���s face must have shown his fear, because Wolfram dropped his hand and continued in a softer tone, “I know that we want different things. I’m not trying to force you into anything, but I need you to give me something, Yuuri. I need you to give me something , or I don’t think I can keep doing this. Can’t you at least give me peace of mind? Relief that I won’t have to go through this every month?”

Yuuri frowned. He didn’t want to lose Wolfram from his life. “But what else am I supposed to do?”

“Tell them no,” Wolfram answered immediately with agitation.

“But it isn’t right for me to be rude to our guests.”

Wolfram scowled. “I don’t care what nonsense Gunter says, it’s only right that you refuse to dance with anyone besides your fiance.”

“But I’ve danced with Conrad plenty of times. And Greta.”

“That’s different. They are family. Besides, I trust them.”

There was a moment of silence. Then, Yuuri spoke with determination. “Okay. I won’t do this again.”

The blond’s entire body relaxed. He stepped forward with open arms. It was an invitation and Yuuri welcomed it, hugging his friend back. Many guests were still watching them, some were even oo’ing as if they were the sweetest thing they had seen all week, but for once Yuuri didn’t care. He felt safe in Wolfram’s arms, and he hoped that Wolfram felt safe as well. He didn’t want to hurt him any more than he already had.

Gunter rose as Yuuri entered his office the next morning. "Ah! Good morning, Your Majesty! You look as radiant as always. I have prepared a riveting lecture over the Great Water Flood of 1504."

The tutor's face was gleeful, but Yuuri felt a twinge of guilt as he asked him to change his plans. "Actually, Gunter... I was hoping we could explore the treasury room today."

As expected, Gunter's expression fell. "The treasury, sire? Why ever for?"

"Well, as the king, I should know what we have stored in there. I only know about a handful of items, so I was hoping you could give me a lecture on each item's uses and backstories."

Gunter clasped his hands, his face lighting up once again. "That is a marvelous idea, Your Majesty! Of course, you would think of such a marvelous thing!"

Gunter led the way to the treasury room. Dust particles danced in the sunlight that streamed through the narrow windows, adding an air of mystery to the room. Morgif wailed in greeting from where he was held up against the side wall.

Yuuri raised a hand to the sword. “Hey, Morgif. Have you been having fun without me?”

The sword wailed louder. Yuuri gave a cringing smile in return, unsure whether the sword was exclaiming in agreement or chastising him for leaving him alone in here. He had a strong feeling it was the latter. “How about we go play together later, okay?”

Morgif huffed and let out a long ooo sound.

“Sounds like a plan.”

"Your Majesty, over here" Gunter announced, gesturing toward a display case in the corner of the room. "This is where we keep some of our most extraordinary and enchanting items."

Yuuri's eyes widened with anticipation as he approached the display case. His gaze was immediately drawn to a shining object at the center. It was a majestic headpiece adorned with intricate designs and sparkling gems.

"What's that?" Yuuri asked, his voice filled with wonder.

Gunter beamed. "This is the Foresees Night Cap. It is said to possess the ability to reveal glimpses of the future to the wearer within their dreams."

Yuuri leaned in closer, his eyes fixated on the nightcap. Its craftsmanship was impeccable, and the jewels shimmered as if holding secrets within their depths. "It's fascinating," Yuuri murmured, his fingers itching to touch the artifact.

Gunter smiled, pleased that Yuuri was taking an interest in his lecture for once. "Quite so. All you have to do is wear it on your head when you go to bed. Not only can you see the future, but you can live it as well."

"Can I try it?"

Gunter hesitated for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "Of course, Your Majesty. It is crucial, though, that you never take the nightcap off while in the future, or else you risk becoming stuck in that time. Remember, you may not be pleased by what you see. The future is ever-changing. What the nightcap shows will only be one of several possibilities: the one that you are most aligned with at this current point in time. However, any change in your current actions or line of thinking may alter the future in enormous ways.”

That made sense. Lots of time travel stories Yuuri had watched and read used this as a plot point. In that case, it almost seemed pointless. Any future he saw might not come about because of him seeing it. Yet, if his future was horrible, then he could gain the knowledge to change it. Despite the uncertainty, he felt an inexplicable pull toward the nightcap, an eagerness to glimpse the path that lay ahead. As the king of a kingdom, it seemed important to check in on the future to make sure he wasn’t leading them toward doom or anything.

Really, though, he was just curious.

Carefully, Yuuri reached out and lifted the nightcap from its display case. He marveled at its weightlessness, its texture smooth against his fingertips. With a mix of trepidation and excitement, he placed the nightcap on his head.

He waited for something magical to happen, but his expectations were left by the wayside. He could barely even feel the nightcap in place it was so weightless. No sparks flew and no visions played over his eyes.

Gunter chuckled. “As I said, Your Majesty, you must sleep with it. Now,” the tutor gestured back to the display case, “might I show you some of our other artifacts?”

That evening, Yuuri entered his bedchamber with the nightcap still securely on his head. He moved with a sense of purpose, preparing for bed as quickly as possible in anticipation of what the nightcap might reveal to him. As he began to change into his sleepwear, he was interrupted by the sound of the bedroom door opening.

Back from his evening bath, Wolfram paused in the doorway as he set his eyes on Yuuri’s new headpiece.

“What are you wearing?” His voice was a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

A small smile tugged at Yuuri’s lips. "A nightcap," he answered simply.

Wolfram's eyebrows furrowed, clearly perplexed by Yuuri's choice of attire. "Why?"

"To keep my ears warm," Yuuri responded nonchalantly as he finished dressing as if it were the most obvious explanation in the world.

Wolfram plopped down in an armchair and crossed his arms, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "It's summer, Yuuri."

Yuuri shrugged, a playful glint in his eyes. "So? I have low body temperature."

Wolfram rolled his eyes. "Sure you do."

Yuuri chuckled, slipping into bed and adjusting the nightcap slightly. He patted the empty space next to him, inviting Wolfram to join him. "Come on. You can tease me all you want in the morning, but for now, let's get some rest."

With a mixture of exasperation and fondness, Wolfram relented and climbed into bed, casting a lingering gaze at the nightcap.

Just as the night before, the blond kept a reasonable distance between them. Perhaps he was still upset by what had happened at the ball, or perhaps he thought that this would give Yuuri less reason to “cheat” on him. Either way, Yuuri was acutely aware of the change. He enjoyed his personal space, but he didn’t like knowing that Wolfram was still troubled and having no idea what to do about it. Maybe the nightcap could help him figure something out.

Yuuri closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation in his head. Warmth radiated his senses through the darkness of his closed eyelids. I know you show the future, but can you help me sort things out with Wolfram? he pleaded to the nightcap. A gentle lullaby began to whisper within his mind quickly sending him into sleep.

Yuuri's eyes fluttered open. His bedchamber was strangely unfamiliar. The bedsheets were a different color and decorations he had never seen before adorned the walls. Looking up, he could see a large hand-painted canvas hanging above the bed frame.

Wolfram must have painted it, he realized.

It was a snapshot of their family, the three of them standing together in vibrant, alive colors. Yuuri wasn’t an art critic, but he could tell that a lot of warmth and love went into its creation. In the painting, Yuuri had his arms wrapped around a smiling Wolfram. Their happiness was palpable and it made something stir inside Yuuri’s chest.

He wanted them to be that happy.

Movement against his chest disturbed his train of thought. Wolfram–always beautiful–looked ten times so as he held himself up with a single arm. His chest hovered over Yuuri’s own, the neckline of his baby blue nightgown sagging to leave the view of his front exposed. His legs shifted against Yuuri as he made himself more comfortable.

Wolfram’s beautiful face wrinkled. “Why are you wearing that ridiculous thing on your head? You look stupid.”

Wolfram made a swipe at the nightcap, but Yuuri ducked his head down and out of reach. Yuuri's brows furrowed, feeling a mix of offense and embarrassment. His head felt like it was spinning. Hadn’t Wolfram asked him the same thing just the night before? That really meant he must be in the future.

"Hey, it's not ridiculous!" Yuuri exclaimed. "And it's... important," he stuttered, struggling to hide the truth without outright lying.

Wolfram chuckled, the sound comforting yet teasing. He leaned in closer, locking their eyes together. "No reason to get so worked up over it, wimp. I still love you, no matter how silly you look."

Yuuri's heart fluttered at the mention of their love, but he couldn't shake the overwhelming confusion that consumed him. He wasn’t in love with Wolfram. So, why was this future making him so excited? Why was this the future he was seeing anyway?

Wolfram laughed at whatever expression he was making. Before Yuuri knew what was happening, Wolfram swooped in and stole a kiss. Yuuri remained stock still until the blond broke away, when he traced his finger over his trembling lips.

Wolfram just stole his first kiss!  

“Such a wimp so early in the morning. It’s all that thinking and worrying. You don’t have any meetings or anything today, so just cuddle your husband and try to get some more sleep.” Saying this, the blond settled down fully flush against him.

Yuuri’s heart pounded in his chest and his hands flexed as he fought back the insane urge to cuddle him back. “We’re married?” he asked in a trembling voice.

Wolfram lifted his head, raising an eyebrow at the question. His expression was a mix of amusement and concern. “Yuuri…We’re been married for a while now. Are you not feeling well?”

“No!” he cried immediately. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Your acting strangely. Forgetting we’re married and not even touching me since you woke up. Normally, you’d be pushing me into the bed by now.” Wolfram broke out into laughter.

Yuuri's eyes widened as his mind frantically raced. No, no, no, no! He was not about to start thinking about them having…doing…."I…It’s too early for that!" he cried out embarrassedly.

Wolfram's lips curled into a mischievous smile as he studied Yuuri. "Oh? Having dirty thoughts are we? I just meant you’d hold me down in a cuddle, but if that’s what you want to do, I’m not about to complain."

Yuuri felt ready to combust on the spot. "No! I... I mean... I don't know what I mean. I just... ugh..."

Wolfram's expression softened, and he pulled Yuuri into a gentle embrace. "Jeez, I’m just kidding. Your memory really is a bit off today, isn’t it? You should probably go see Gisela later.”

Yuuri’s breathing eased and he relaxed back into the mattress. Wolfram’s weight on him was surprisingly pleasant and grounding.

This was his future–their future. He had never thought they would ever actually get married, but looking at that painting and the beautiful peace painted over the real Wolfram’s face, he wondered how he had ever imagined any other future.

He still didn’t feel prepared. Definitely not for pushing anyone into the bed , but maybe he could get there.

Faintly, he could hear that lullaby again.

Yuuri's eyes snapped open, his heart pounding in his chest as he found himself back in his own bedroom, surrounded by familiar sights and sounds. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and his breath came in short gasps as he tried to comprehend what he had just experienced. It had to have been just a dream, right? But it felt so real.

And as he caught his breath and removed the nightcap from its perch on his head, he realized it didn’t matter. Whether that was the future or not, it was the future he wanted.

He wanted Wolfram to finally be happy. Not the sort of happy where he had to hold himself back or the sort of happiness where he had to give something up. The sort of happiness where he could just exist without worrying that Yuuri was going to up and leave him or throw him aside for someone else. And Yuuri wanted to bask in that happiness.

Yuuri was happy. Thinking back, he had a lot of happiness in his life. But the happiness that he saw in that painting was unique and foreign. He wanted to curl up in the safe haven that the future Wolfram showed him. The weight of his body on his was comforting in a way Yuuri couldn’t comprehend.

When he had first come to Shin Makoku, he had been terrified by the prospect of holding the lives and well-being of so many people in his hands. Honestly, it was still a bit terrifying. But the thought of holding Wolfram’s and Greta’s that way was different. He wanted to keep them both safe and have them keep him safe in return.

He longed for that future with Wolfram, but did he long for Wolfram himself? Yuuri had always assumed that he was straight, and so far, he had gotten by without any issues.

Well, except for the fiance that had landed on his lap. Sure, Wolfram was pretty, but everyone knew that. And sure, Yuuri’s eyes were always drawn to his exposed skin, but that wasn’t abnormal, was it? Exposed skin was exposed skin.

It wasn’t as if he had been tempted to do anything when future Wolfram suggested sex.

Yuuri’s traitorous fingers flexed at the memory of wanting to hold him. Then, his lips tingled at the memory of their kiss.

Damn it.

He sucked in a breath as uncertainty washed over him. He didn’t have enough to go off of, but he also wouldn’t dare get Wolfram’s hopes up for nothing. It was a positive sign that future him had managed to “stand” to the task, but what if it had only been a dream?

Were there magics that could help with that? Maybe he really should go see Gisela, even if the question itself was enough to make him explode in embarrassment.

At least Wolfram was still asleep beside him and didn’t hear the flustered cry he let out.

Footsteps echoed softly in the hallway of the castle as Yuuri made his way toward Gisela's office, questions and uncertainties swirling in his mind the entire way.

When he finally arrived at Gisela's door, Yuuri took a deep breath to steady himself before knocking gently.

The door swung open, revealing the gentle smile of the healer. "Your Majesty! What brings you here today?" Gisela's kind eyes reflected genuine interest and concern.

Yuuri's voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "Gisela, I... I need your help. I don’t know what to do about my feelings for Wolfram."

Kind as she usually was, Gisela ushered him inside, inviting him to take a seat. "Of course. I'm here to listen and offer guidance. Please, share what's been weighing on your heart."

Yuuri leaned forward, his hands fidgeting nervously in his lap. "I always thought I was straight, but Wolfram... he's been there for me, supporting me and caring for me. I decided I do want to marry him and make him happy, but…I don’t know if I can."

Gisela nodded in understanding, her gentle presence providing a sense of reassurance. "Feelings can be complex, Your Majesty. They don't always fit neatly into predefined categories. What's important is being true to yourself and exploring your emotions with an open heart."

Yuuri sighed, relieved that his feelings weren’t as strange as they seemed to him. That still didn’t give him any action, though. "But how do I know if I can be attracted to Wolfram? How can I sort through these feelings?"

Gisela's gaze was compassionate. "Self-discovery takes time, Yuuri. It's about exploring your emotions and being honest with yourself. One way to start is by reflecting on how you feel when you imagine a future with Wolfram. Do you feel a sense of joy and warmth? Can you envision a life filled with love and happiness by his side?"

Images of Wolfram's smile, his unwavering loyalty, and moments shared flooded his mind and filled him with renewed longing. "Yes. That’s not the problem. I…don’t know if I can…ugh…have sex with him.

“Oh!” Gisela straightened her spine, doing her best to hide her surprise. “Well, that’s a bit easier to figure out.”

“But I’ve never…I…” Yuuri didn’t want to finish that train of thought, and by Gisela’s expression, he didn’t need to either.

“That’s okay. So, you haven’t even looked at another man that way before?”

Yuuri shook his head. “No way.” Sure, he had admired the physical structure of certain baseball players in the past and felt compelled by a smile or two, but that wasn’t sexual.

Gisela pursed her lips. “Then, what about Wolfram specifically? You two share a bed at night. Have your thoughts ever wandered?”

“Uh…” They definitely had. Nowhere near the point she was probably alluding to, but that was because Yuuri had thoroughly cut them off each time. Wondering what it might feel like to touch over the smooth skin of Wolfram’s shoulder or thigh. And maybe, just maybe, once or twice wondering what it would feel like to kiss his lips.

But that still didn’t mean that he could go through with…all of it.

The healer’s expression contracted. “I can’t help you if you close yourself up.”

“Arg, fine! Yes! But very mild. Pure vanilla.”

She held a hand up, giggling at his phrasing. “Alright, I think I understand. As long as you have had thoughts, then I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“Yeah, but…” Yuuri wrung his hands. “I couldn’t bare it if I disappointed Wolfram in the end.”

Gisela sighed. Smiling softly, she placed her hand over his own. “Lord Bielefeld cares for you deeply. I don’t think he is so shallow as to abandon you over something like that. He’s stuck with you so far, has he not?”

The tension in Yuuri’s shoulders eased. “You think so? You can’t just give me some sort of magic Viagra.”

“I don’t know what Viagra is, but I don’t think so. Just take small steps. Communicate openly with him, and allow yourself to be vulnerable. I’m sure you can figure things out together.”

As he left Gisela’s office, he felt a mixture of determination and nervousness swirling within him. He was going to have to discuss things with Wolfram. He knew that Wolfram would be disappointed if he really couldn’t reciprocate his feelings, but he was no longer worried that he would abandon him over it. Still, the prospect of telling him his uncertainty and then truly failing to deliver on the future that he saw felt mortifying.

Nerves still ran through his body when he turned to Wolfram after dinner. “Can we talk in private?” he asked in a shaky voice.

Wolfram eyed him suspiciously but nodded. As if they were on the same wavelength, Wolfram began walking toward their shared bedchamber.

The more privacy for this the better.

Once they entered the private chamber and sat down on the settee Yuuri took a deep breath to gather his courage. “Wolf, I need to tell you something important. You asked me before why I wore that nightcap. It let me see into the future... And in that future, we were married."

Wolfram's eyes widened, a mixture of hope and disbelief washing over his features. "Married? You mean... you actually saw us together?"

Yuuri nodded, his voice filled with a mix of conviction and vulnerability. "Yeah, I saw a life where we were happy, where our love for each other was undeniable. It made me realize how much I really do want to build a future with you."

A flicker of joy danced in Wolfram's eyes, but he sensed a hesitation in Yuuri's words. "There's something else, isn't there?"

Yuuri swallowed hard, his gaze falling to the ground before meeting Wolfram's again. "I'm...not sure if I'm sexually attracted to you or not. I don't want to hurt you."

Wolfram's expression softened, his hand reaching out to gently touch Yuuri's cheek. “Wimp, how can you know until you try?”

“I…uh…” Yuuri stamered.

Wolfram chuckled. “It’s okay, Yuuri. I’m just glad you’re being honest with me. I will keep on loving you no matter what. Besides, physical attraction is only one facet of love, and we can explore that together, at our own pace."

Yuuri's heart swelled at Wolfram's understanding and acceptance. He felt the weight of his worries start to lift. "You're right. Love is more than just physical attraction. It's about the deep bond that has grown between us. I want to be able to explore that connection without rushing or putting pressure on ourselves."

Wolfram's smile was radiant, his voice filled with tenderness. "Yuuri, I'm willing to wait and support you in any way I can. We don’t have to do anything right away unless you want it. All I’ve ever really wanted was to remain by your side and to be wanted."

Yuuri's fears began to melt away, replaced by a renewed sense of hope and determination. He took Wolfram's hand in his own, intertwining their fingers. "I’ve always wanted you, Wolf. I just didn’t realize how much. Thanks, I really appreciate how patient you are with me."

“You only appreciate it?” Wolfram teased.

Yuuri laughed, words tumbling out easier than he ever thought they would. “I love it.”

“It or me?”

“You,” he said leaning in. “You of course.”

To both of their surprise, he kissed his willing fiance. It was tender and tentative, but it was so much better than his first. Curiosity and desire stirred him to actually move his lips this time. The lips were the same, yet this kiss felt like uncharted territory. Warmth spread through Yuuri’s body, heating the most strongly within his chest. Wolfram's lips were soft and yielding, responding to Yuuri's touch with a mixture of surprise and delight. His arms wrapped around Yuuri, pulling him closer, and deepening the kiss.

In that single moment, all doubts and uncertainties faded away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of rightness.

When they finally pulled apart, a soft gasp escaping their lips, Yuuri found himself staring into Wolfram's eyes. At that moment, Yuuri knew that he would make this work, one way or another. With the taste of Wolfram's lips on his own, he found the courage to step forward.

The future wasn't set in stone, but Yuuri was assured that if he stumbled, Wolfram would be right there to pick him up.

[theimperialnuisance]

Character info for ffxiv write 2023!

Here is the cast of oc's that will appear in this year's challenge! :3 Kien is always my main focus but I have two new alts that I'd love to introduce/write for because I don't know when to stop making alts in this game without further ado!

Kien Eilath (Main Wol) Half Keeper, Half Seeker Miqo'te from Meracydia (raised in a Keeper tribe)

Closed off but kind, cautious sometimes, impulsive the next, learning to know what it's like to be loved and cared for by others. Will do anything to protect his friends and loved ones. Despite his title as Warrior of Light, he can be a bit aloof and awkward at times but his heart is in the right place and he can really be a goofball when he's around his found family. It's rare to see him angry, but never rare to see him practically asleep on his feet from working too much. Main class: Gunbreaker, dabbles in Bard Profession: Scion of the Seventh Dawn, Warrior of Light

N'noah Wiloh (alt oc, non-wol, doesn't have the echo) Seeker of the Sun Miqo'te from Ul'dah *Is the only oc who shares the same universe as Kien*

Mischievous, a bit of a flirt, will spare no expense to get the information she wants and needs, and will probably talk your ear off if you let her. She isn't one to shy away from a challenge and she isn't afraid to cheat her way out of a situation. While she seems very charismatic and open, there's actually a lot she doesn't like to share for the purpose of just moving on to brighter things. 1/3rd of the Red-head brigade and no, Bastian isn't the leader. Main class: Dancer, dabbles in Monk Profession: Immortal Flames private, former Scion of the Seventh Dawn

Syren Ligeia (alt wol) Half-Elezen, Half-Veena Viera from Ishgard

Hot-tempered and quiet, fiercely loyal, will most likely give you a nod or a one-worded answer half the time. Bluntness and sarcasm are his moods of choice. Despite the fact he looks disinterested, he's actually very observant and driven, and if you stick around long enough, more of his soft-hearted personality will shine through. Main class: Currently a Dragoon but will be Dark Knight by mid-Heavensward Profession: Former Temple Knight, currently the Warrior of Light and a Scion of the Seventh Dawn (though you'd never know as he doesn't like to share that. Bijou is the Warrior of Light, thank you very much)

Ciel Fyth (alt oc, non-wol, has the echo) Rava Viera from the Golmore Jungle

A literal ball of sunshine, (think golden retriever puppy) whose energy knows no bounds. He's extremely loyal, and kind, and will definitely talk your ear off about how great his older brother Malek is. He has a driving need to ensure the happiness of those around him because it's the only thing that keeps him from falling apart from what he had to endure in his past. Main class: White Mage Profession: Traveling healer, soon to be a Scion who accompanies the Warrior of Light with his brother

Atticus Wolfram (alt oc, non-wol, doesn't have the echo) Half-Elezen, Half-Garlean from Garlemald (with very little connection with aether)

Charismatic, Sarcastic, quick-witted, and will definitely flirt with anyone to get his way ("is it really manipulation if you make them feel good about themselves?") He tends to never give the full story as he doesn't like to get close to anyone but all he really wants is to find a place where he can belong. Known as the Raven to some, or an all-around wanted thief to the rest. Oh, and don't piss off his voidsent. (The last guy who did, well, it didn't end well) Main class: Parades as a Gunbreaker to his clients but only a few know that he's a very skilled Reaper Profession: Wandering body-guard/fighter for higher

[yukiwrites]

Freedom and Good-byes

Thank you so much for the boundless patience as always, @breeachuuu! I hope you like it! Watch out for the sin, ye who enters!

Summary: It was time to unite Fódlan under one banner -- the Kingdom's -- and end this was once and for all. Wolfie's days in this foreign land were numbered, but he would come back. For his love, for Dimitri, and for his own future...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

______________________________

The last battle for Fódlan’s liberation was nigh. 

Byleth, Dimitri and Wolfram returned from their meeting with Edelgard after the sun had set and immediately headed to the last war council before the end.

They would attack at dawn, just between the window when the imperial mages would be replacing the magical barriers and under the cloak of the darkest hour before sunrise. Wolfie would play a no small role in the invasion as well — he would be in charge of destroying the gates for their troops to storm in, placing him in the very front of the frontlines.

He wouldn’t have it any other way, of course, especially since Dimitri would be leading the vanguard as a true Savior King — as the troops had begun calling him — so they would fight side by side.

Wolfie still — and probably never will be — couldn’t get used to all the fighting; especially not the killing, but he would persevere. For his mission, for Byleth and, most of all, for Dimitri.

This time, they entered the meeting hand in hand, proudly standing side by side as strategies flew back and forth, atop Enbarr’s map placed on the table. Anyone who had eyes could see that they shared a bond stronger than friendship, especially since they weren’t very good at hiding when they thought they were ‘alone’. 

Regardless, Wolfram’s role in the army had never been questioned, especially not after his Divine revelation. Honestly, no one was more worthy of being with the future King of the unified Fódlan than him, though he probably couldn’t see it himself — at least, not yet.

As the meeting stretched on well into the night, Byleth had to forcefully call it off. They would be of no use in battle if they didn’t get a proper night’s rest, so she shooed everyone out of the tent and ordered them, as their Professor and strategist, to sleep.

After suddenly being thrown out, Wolfie and Dimi stayed in a stunned silence for about a second before dissolving into giggles under the watch of the stars.

“I can’t believe she just did that! We were on a roll!” Wolfie complained, puffing his cheeks adorably.

Dimitri chuckled as they walked hand in hand through camp, a slight flush heating up his face from his lover’s adorableness.

Hearing Dimitri’s laugh, Wolfie’s cheeks puffed up more, though it was mostly him trying to mask his embarrassment/excitement rather than being actually upset about it.

Unable to contain himself, Dimitri caressed Wolfram’s face, trailing down his fingers to his braid, picking it up and taking it to his lips.

“Thank you once again for being with me, Wolfram. I do not know what I would have done without you.”

“Um, I,” Wolfie’s eyes spun as his heart rate spiked. “O-of course, Dimi. I’ll always be there for you. A-always…” he looked down, the realization of that promise dawning on him like a bucket of cold water.

He wanted to be with Dimitri forever.

The feelings welling up in his chest threatened to burst just for entertaining the mere thought of hugging him and kissing him again. Of being with him and waking up with him and laughing with him and—

“I just love you so much,” he blurted out, his thought process a mess since he’d been unable to freely transform and stretch his wings.

“...!” Dimitri let out a silent gasp, twitching his hand in Wolfie’s in surprise. “I… love you as well.” He replied, unaware of Wolfram’s inner turmoil, though his words served only to fan the flames inside Wolfie’s mind.

As they conversed, they had walked following each other to nowhere in particular, ending up at the edge of camp. Wolfie looked up, beet red from the exchange.

“Can…” he looked around, as if he could see anything or anyone other than Dimitri in front of him before looking up to the literal Prince Charming staring down at him with that wonderful blue gaze. “Can I kiss you?”

Dimitri’s lips quivered with the question, and he licked them without realizing — Wolfie mimicked the action inadvertently, his throat suddenly going dry.

“Of,” Dimitri exhaled, the spring night of the Empire much, much warmer than the one back in Faerghus. “Of course…” he leaned down to Wolfie’s lips, wrapping his arms around the other’s thin waist.

Wolfram closed his eyes as he enveloped his arms around Dimitri’s neck with the ease of habit, opening his lips to welcome the prince’s uncertain, but hungry tongue.

They shared a nervous kiss under the moonlight, melting into one another’s bodies.

As Dimitri’s tongue roamed inside Wolfie’s mouth, they started to get out of breath, but simply could not pull away from each other. Wolfram started losing strength in his legs, leaning on Dimitri for support as the kiss turned more and more intense. Their bodies heated by the second, but they refused to pull away from one another.

“Mhm…” Wolfie rolled his eyes in pleasure, panting under Dimitri’s relentless tongue.

The longer the kiss went, the harder it was to pull away, until Wolfram started feeling something poking at the tip of his stomach and squirmed under Dimitri’s rock-solid grip.

“Diimi… Dimi…” he bemoaned, gasping for air.

Under the stupor of their shared heat, Dimitri slowly opened his eye to look at Wolfie’s disheveled and flushed mien. “Yes…?” He huffed with the herculean effort it took to pull away from those sweet lips.

“There’s… something here,” Wolfie mumbled, not fully coherent and limp like a wet noodle, as he squirmed his waist along Dimi’s.

“T-That’s—” Dimitri suddenly pulled away, his face shimmering in a deep red. “I— Forgive me, I— I think it would be better if you went back first… I… I should take care of… things… before returning…” he blabbered, unsure if he should hide his face or the bulge in his pants.

Wolfie widened his eyes in surprise at the monument growing right there, suddenly feeling parched. “Um…” his head spun and his mouth spoke before he could think properly. “It’s okay. Can I… can I see it?” He asked without taking his eyes off of it, missing the egregious expression in Dimitri’s face, though he could’ve sworn he saw the bulge grow bigger… or maybe it was a trick played by the moonlight.

Regardless, that wasn’t important at that moment.

The important thing was that, as soon as Dimitri nodded, they held hands and ran to the nearest tent — thankfully, Dimitri had a tent for himself as the next King, so they headed there in a stupor.

At some point, they started kissing again, but Wolfie was just so focused and curious about it all, he immediately helped Dimitri out of his armor as soon as they reached the bed.

Wolfie could see well in the dark, though he wished he had lit some candles after they went inside — he knew he was missing the details under the chiseled muscles and rough scars Dimitri’s body was hiding.

The proportions under there were all so well distributed it made Wolfie’s mind spin. He remembered the first time he saw Dimitri shirtless after they reunited and oh boy, seeing it all again, but now from a different angle and while he was breathing so heavily and all flushed like that — it was simply inexplicable.

However, the proportion that caught him off guard was that of Dimitri’s manhood.

By Naga, how big it was.

Wolfie felt his own pants tightening in response, as he tried to gulp with a dry throat. 

Dimitri squirmed in the silence as Wolfram’s shimmering eyes scavenged his body. “Wolfram…” he squeaked, snapping Wolfie out of the stupor.

Dimitri’s perfection was too much for the poor manakete to handle all at once. Still, his words outpaced his thoughts once again, and his hands moved on their own.

“Can… Can I touch it?” he huffed, sitting on the bed, in the middle of Dimitri’s crossed legs.

The prince covered his face with both hands, his voice sounding muffled. “You do not need to ask permission for everything…” he almost cried, his embarrassed voice much too stimulating.

Wolfie gulped, then touched the tip slightly, retracting his finger immediately. Dimitri flinched with the sudden touch, but only let out a shivering breath. Veins bulged out of his arms in the effort it took to stay put rather than succumb to his most primal instincts, but he managed to stay in place.

Once again Wolfram reached out for it, but this time, enveloped it with his hand. It was so big he almost couldn’t close his hand around it — were he a woman or just slightly shorter, he probably wouldn’t have been able to.

By Naga, just that thought made Wolfie salivate. He moved his hand up and down slowly, watching as Dimitri hardened his entire body in self-control while biting his lips so as to muffle his moans.

The lips…

Wolfie leaned in to lick them, making Dimitri widen his eye in surprise and let out a moan escape as he opened his mouth to welcome Wolfram.

As if being released by a binding spell, Dimitri finally moved his hands, focusing on taking off Wolfram’s clothes. The faster he moved, the faster Wolfie touched him, forcing his reason to go further and further away from his mind.

“W-Wolfram…” he grunted as the climax rose from within his chest and escaped through Wolfie’s fingers. His seeds burst out of him, thick and milky, landing on both his and Wolfie’s chest, as well as drenching Wolfie’s hand entirely.

“So much came out…” Wolfie looked at his dripping hand, and, as if in a trance, took it to his behind. “Can I…” he was about to ask, but Dimitri was faster.

“Yes… Yes, you can.” He almost pleaded as Wolfie moved his hips up and down inadvertently, almost seductively so. Dimitri watched, patiently but painfully, as Wolfie coated his behind with Dimitri’s own semen and slowly descended on his erection.

“It’s… it’s so big,” Wolfie huffed, his body feeling hotter than when he used the dragonstone to transform. He didn’t know that, but his draconic skin shimmered with the moonlight filtering through the flaps of the tent, making the scene look holy in a debauched manner.

Dimitri closed his eye in pleasure, holding Wolfie’s hips for support. “If… If you wish to stop…” he said with a thin voice, almost not wanting to say it, but forcing himself to. He cared more about Wolfram than about his own pleasure, after all. It was still so hard to say.

Oh, so hard.

It felt so good, even with just the tip in.

“No… No… I can do it, we can do it…” Wolfie rolled his head to the sides, drunk in the pleasure just the tip was giving him. He lowered himself further, further and further down. As his stomach filled to the point of bursting, he felt like there was no end to it, but the moment his crotch touched Dimitri’s, they let out a sigh of pleasure in unison.

They were complete.

They were one.

By Naga, it felt so good.

Dimitri dug his face into Wolfie’s shoulder, his breathing erratic. “Wolfram… can I…”

“You can… Please, please, don’t ask…” The roles turned around, but neither of them noticed it. Wolfie simply couldn’t think anymore — he just wanted to be with Dimitri, to feel Dimitri, to taste Dimitri… his mind was spinning.

Dimitri carefully held Wolfie’s hips with one hand and slid the other one behind his neck, changing their positions so he would be on top. 

“Mhhhn…” Wolfie squeezed his eyes in a painful pleasure as the penetration felt deeper once it was out of his control, but he couldn’t let go. No, instead, he grasped harder at Dimitri’s hair and crossed his legs around the prince’s waist.

Locked in their lovemaking, Dimitri claimed Wolfie’s lips once more as he started to move slowly at first. He dug his tongue into Wolfram’s mouth, accelerating the rhythm of both the kiss and their lower bodies with each new breath they took.

Tears of pleasure rolled down Wolfie’s cheeks as Dimtiri’s thrusts dug deeper and harder into him, molding him into Dimitri’s shape.

“Ah… hahh…” Wolfie gasped for air, digging his claws on Dimitri’s back as the heat spread around his body like a wildfire. “I l-love… ah… you…” he slurred the words, delirious as the pleasure was too much to take. “Dimi…”

“And I… you… my love…” Dimitri grunted as he pounded harder into Wolfie, their bodies so in sync, they felt the epitome of pleasure at the same time — Dimitri released himself inside Wolfram as Wolfie’s seeds spread between their bodies, as a testament of their shared lovemaking.

Panting, but still joined, the couple shared a groggy kiss to seal their vows under the heated imperial night.

With the events of the previous night etched into their hearts and bodies, Wolfram and Dimitri rode into battle with a renewed resolve.

Dimitri would ask Wolfram to stay.

Wolfie would tell Dimitri he would come back for him.

There was no future where the two of them weren’t together; it simply wasn’t possible — not anymore. 

However, they still had to win that future in today’s battle.

With the dawning sun at their backs, Dimitri stood at the front, holding his Hero’s Relic that shone with a shimmering red. His mind was clear, and his voice carried the weight of all the lives of those he lost — and the lives of those he would protect, now and in the future.

“Sons of Fódlan!” He roared, truly fitting for the leader of the Blue Lions. “My brothers,” he spoke more softly, though with no less conviction. “For too long have we been fighting. For too long have we failed to protect our loved ones, our families… Our homes.” He shook his fist with regret, but raised his head as the first rays of sunlight peeked through the mountains. “Ere the sun rises!” he pointed his spear upwards, “the first day of the rest of our lives! Today we fight to reclaim our peace, to save those in need… Today we fight for unification and understanding! Today we fight to see another day! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the Kingdom!” He rallied, the thunder in his voice clapping on the heart of every single soldier there.

The drums of war resounded, deafened by the troops’ roars. Spears, swords, shields, bows and tomes shot upwards, to the sun — to the future they would reclaim with their own hands.

Roused by the Savior King’s speech, the army charged forward, following the path Wolfram opened with his powers.

With such high morale, the Kingdom’s army trampled through the resistance, no matter what was being thrown at them.

Enbarr was littered with Demonic and Magical Beasts both of which did not care who was friend and who was foe — destruction was their only objective and there lay no unturned stone where one such beasts was. 

Dimitri made sure to instruct all soldiers not to pillage nor deliver unnecessary judgment, but to also rescue any civilians or surrendered soldiers in danger.

The battle would have ended sooner had he just focused on charging on ahead, but he had grown from that.

Charging on ahead without caring for anyone wasn’t going to achieve his goal — even if it would, he would be alone in the end regardless. A future of him sitting upon a pile of corpses in a field of tragedy could not be considered as such.

Bloodsoaked as he was, he still could do something good with the power that had been given him — and taking back a once doomed future was exactly it.

They marched on ahead, finding more and more Demonic Beasts the closer they got to the palace. Their stench was everywhere, to the point of numbing Wolfram’s nose.

“Dimitri!” Wolfram called from the sky, his voice being carried by the wind. “There’s something really powerful inside. It’s like one of those beasts, but somehow more…” he trailed off, unsure of even what he was warning his beloved about.

But Dimitri nodded with a deep frown. “Thank you, Wolfram,” he said firmly, turning to Byleth for counsel.

They had to adapt their strategies once they stormed the castle — they would go from an open city to a closed fortress, after all — but there was no time to rest on their laurels.

The battle was nigh, and soon they discovered the source of Wolfie’s anxiety: The Hegemon Husk, a gargantuan demonic beast that was waiting for them at the throne room, as if it was its owner.

Wolfram had used his Naga ability only once when a group of beasts were swarming a church, but he felt that he could still use it one or two more times if needed — and the boy was sure it would be.

Normal attacks bounced off of the Husk, not to mention the humongous reach its attacks had. Once they all got closer, however, they realized it was not a simple monster — it was Edelgard in the flesh, consumed by whatever foul power had made the beasts in the first place.

Dimitri and the others had been fighting towards a better future, one that all could live in peace and harmony. Edelgard held similar ideals, once. Or at least it was what she seemed to have believed when they had met at that secret summit.

However, now she looked like nothing more than a demon ready to swallow the world — and its peace with it.

The Savior King stood tall in front of the monster many times his size, brandishing a lance of legend. Many artists would try to recreate this moment in the future — of Dimitri’s holy aura; of the dark path that lay behind him as he trailed towards a bright future; of the monster the size of a mountain that stood in his path… But none would make it justice.

The scene felt somewhat holy — and Wolfram wasn’t even a big part in it, despite what people believed about his ancestry. It was the tale of a single man, carrying the weight of the world in his shoulders, standing down in front of impossible odds and still being able to overcome them.

His gaze was unwavering as he looked up to the beast. “To be changed beyond all recognition… That is what lies at the end of the ideals you served so diligently.” He adopted a battle stance. “I have no pity for one such as you. If that is the future you hoped for, then you deserve no compassion.”

Having said that, Dimitri started his onslaught against the Husk, being aided by his comrades, by his classmates, by his Professor… and by his beloved. Together, with the strength of all who would lend it, the odds tipped in their favor and, after a fierce day and night of battle, the Husk toppled over, dissolving into dust.

It revealed the real Edelgard underneath, her face devoid of emotion as she looked up to Dimitri in defeat. Wolfie reverted his transformation, landing right behind Dimitri, gripping at his cloak for support.

Edelgard glanced at the boy, then to Dimitri, her silver hair cascading down her shoulders.

“El…” Dimitri reached out to her, comfortable with Wolfie’s support behind him. However, Edelgard reached for the dagger inside her cloak and threw it at Dimitri in a last spur of strength.

“Dimitri…!” Wolfie gasped, unable to catch the action that had been too quick even for his heightened senses. 

Dimitri simply grunted as the dagger pierced under his armor’s bindings on his left shoulder, his right hand moving by instinct and stabbing her with his lance at the same time. She crumpled lifelessly on the ground as Wolfie reached to cast healing magic right away, watching as the dagger fell on the ground under the healed flesh.

After an entire day of death, after fighting through the night and breaching the darkness, Dimitri turned around to the open door.

The sun was shining once again.

It shone as if reminding them all not to lose hope; not to forget that a new day would always dawn, no matter how dark the previous night had been.

He took Wolfie’s hand and headed towards the light, though he hesitated for a moment, meaning to look back at Edelgard one last time before the end; however, Wolfie didn’t let him. He pulled him this time, leading the Savior King to his faithful subjects; leading him straight to the victory roar and into the embrace of the sun.

Dimitri squeezed Wolfie’s hand in his, smiling, then grinning, then laughing happily as the bright rays of sunlight shone on his golden hair, reflecting a precious, precious memory that Wolfram would never, ever forget.

His heart full, and his lips stuck in a permanent smile, Wolfie felt tears trickling down his cheeks as an immense weight was lifted from his chest.

It was over.

It was finally, finally over.

He had arrived in this land no older than a boy, lost and without a true purpose in his home world. He had been born in an Era after the end — in an Era that had seen the end, fought against it and reclaimed its peace with its own bloodsoaked hands.

He had been born unto a loving family and an even more loving home, but was thrust upon this world to help it fight against its own end. No year of training could have truly prepared him for what he had witnessed and experienced in Fódlan.

No wise counsels from his siblings, no ‘cool life hacks’ from his father, no amount of information from his mother — nothing could have truly prepared him for Fódlan. He had arrived as nothing more than a young man, loved by his family.

From nothing, he had acquired so much.

He had done so much.

He had befriended so many people, he had learned so much about himself, about humanity, about his own species and their distant cousins.

He had learned about true love. 

Looking at the scene in front of him, at the scene that had seemed to have stopped in time — of a smiling Dimitri, being showered with confetti and praises by their comrades, by the people and even by the surrendered soldiers. A halo of light shone behind him, or perhaps that was simply his golden hair dancing with dawn.

Wolfie had truly, fully finally learned what life was about only after embarking on this long yet short journey.

For five, lonely years he dove into his faith, following what he had been destined to do.

For five, lonely years he prayed, depositing more and more power into the tiny dragonstone he carried.

For five, lonely years he worshiped the small, handmade shrine. One that would play a great part in the future, though he was still not aware of how yet.

Yet, after his dragonstone cracked, he had been unable to focus on his prayers. Not even a whisper from Naga could be heard, even in the most silent of nights. 

But that was about to change.

With the weight lifted from his heart and mind, Wolfram’s body, exhausted from overusing his ultimate ability and for staying transformed for so long without pause, reached the point of enlightenment.

He could turn his head and see no one moving; he could see the trails of the wind and he could smell the color of the sun.

As his heart pounded and his ears rang, Wolfram heard it for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

“Young One, the time is nigh.” He heard the voice, though it felt like he was reading the words being written by the sky. “Go now, to the place where you used your power to save those in need.”

Wolfram couldn’t breathe, but he could feel all the molecules of air around him at the same time.

“Naga…?” he croaked out, his body somehow merging into the unknown, becoming part of the sky.

He saw Enbarr as if he was looking down at a model city, complete with the destroyed buildings and even the people moving in real time. His field of vision narrowed nauseatingly quickly, taking him to the back of the church he had first used his power Naga at.

At a small shrine right behind the church, close to a small fountain, there shone a lingering pool of light, connected by a white thread that ran all the way back to him.

As if he had made the trip himself — or at least his soul had — Wolfie was thrown back into his body forcefully, slumping down the moment he felt he was made of flesh again.

The light was too blinding, and the noises were too indistinguishable for him to focus. His vision blurry, he could barely make out what Dimitri was saying, as if they were separated by a thick glass.

“Dimi… I have…” he tried to move his dry lips, but soon darkness claimed him, and all that awaited was a forced slumber.

It all happened in an instant.

Barely had they stepped out of the throne room into the courtyard, Dimitri only had time to look at Wolfie and smile before the manakete collapsed in his arms, mumbling his name.

“Wolfram!” Dimitri’s blood ran cold. “Speak to me!” he tapped Wolfie’s pale cheeks.

“Medic!” Byleth yelled from behind, quickly putting herself between Dimitri and Wolfram. “Give him some space,” she elbowed him as she raised her voice. “Manuela and Hanneman!”

Although Byleth wasn’t completely in tune with the Blood inside of her — Sothis had disappeared way too early for that, and the talks she had with Wolfie about his world hadn’t nearly been enough — she felt an instability in Time itself for a moment there.

It felt like when she used a Divine Pulse, but somehow on a bigger scale, which was absurd. What could be bigger than turning back the hands of time itself? 

Yet, she could feel the lingering presence of a Blood in the air, as if reality itself was distorting to accommodate it. She could see a thin, silvery thread coming out of Wolfie’s locket towards the city, and that thread was consuming his power at a constant pace.

“Gods above!” Hanneman cursed in shock, “this is a severe mana exhaustion. Manuela, let us hurry and make a transfusion right away.” Being a renowned mage and Crest expert, Hanneman noticed the problem Byleth had seen but had no name for right away. He lifted his sleeves as Byleth lay Wolfie down on the grass, taking the boy’s hand the next moment.

Manuela grumbled something about not receiving orders from Hanneman, but acted quickly for the sake of the patient on the ground.

The two of them interacted with the mana circles inside Wolfie’s heart, infusing some of their own magic into him to supplement the sudden depletion.

“That should do it for now,” Manuela said after a few minutes, though Wolfie’s countenance did not look any better.

“Perhaps, but not quite,” Hanneman twisted his lips with a frown. “Something is consuming his mana at a steady rate. If this goes on, he will simply collapse again.”

“That’s why I said ‘for now’, you old coot,” Manuela growled. “We have to find the cause quickly — otherwise, even our mana will be depleted.”

“Is it that grave?” Dimitri crouched beside them, caressing Wolfie’s pale cheek. 

“It can be if we cannot find the source quickly,” Manuela tried to whisper, but had to yell due to the festive hollers and loud cries all around them. Wolfie passing out was just a drop amidst all the chaos the end of the war entailed.

There were a few onlookers crowding around them, but they did not linger for long amidst all the huddling and jostling. 

Byleth looked at the thread, then to Dimitri. “I think I know the cause,” she said, then turned to Manuela and Hanneman. “How long can he stay away from you two? I need to take him somewhere, but if it’s too dangerous…”

“As Manuela said, he should be fine for the time being. The mana being consumed is not much, but it is being depleted at a steady rate. A few hours, perhaps.”

Manuela bobbed her head to the side, then concurred. “Yes. I would rather you took me too, but I’m not confident I can follow after you two,” she waved to the two overpowered beings in front of her.

The bearer of the Crest of Blaiddyd who sported superhuman strength and the Avatar of the Goddess herself. Yeah, Manuela would not be able to keep up with them if they ran at full speed.

“Just bring him back right away if you can’t undo the spell.”

“Alright,” Byleth nodded, meaning to carry Wolfie in her arms, but Dimitri placed one hand on her shoulder, asking for permission. She took a step back, allowing the King to hold his Consort preciously in his arms.

“Lead the way, Professor,” he said in a grave voice, his heart trembling inside his chest.

Byleth pressed her lips into a thin line, then ran ahead, jumping over people and roofs, following the thread mostly by instinct rather than by sight. 

The Presence was faint, but constant, as if guiding her feet towards it.

The closer she got to the source, the more silent the surroundings became. Soon, as they dove deep into the buildings, even the light took a while to keep up with them, shrouding them in darkness.

Yet, the place they went to — a small church that could be easily overlooked if one did not know where to look — somehow shone in an otherworldly glow. Time felt slow around it.

As they approached, Wolfie showed signs of waking up.

“Wolfram!” Dimitri flinched, quickly finding a nearby bench to place Wolfie on. “Are you alright? Talk to me, my love…”

“Dimi…” Wolfie rolled his head to the sides, “I gotta… Naga said it’s time to go… I…” he blabbered, his vision blurry and his tongue numb. Tears rolled down his temples, wetting his pointy ears. “I didn’t know it would be so soon…” he sobbed.

“Wolfram…” Dimitri hardened his jaw. He wanted Wolfram to stay. Of course he did.

But if he was to suffer from mana depletion for the rest of his days… if he was to stay in a hospital bed, receiving transfusions just for his own selfishness, then…

Then, there was no other choice.

“But you must,” Dimitri said in a choked voice. “You must go, Wolfram.” 

He pointed to the fountain that shone brighter and brighter. Each droplet of water shone in a rainbow-colored light, as if the ever-changing surface of the water would reflect something else. Someplace else.

“Dimi…” Wolfie got up with Byleth and Dimitri’s help. “I couldn’t even say goodbye…” He groaned, light-headed and miserable.

“Still, you must,” Dimitri urged, his Adam's apple going up and down uncomfortably. “You must go and…” he reached for the Hero Relic strapped to his back — to Areadbhar, the lance passed down in the royal family since the dawn of the Kingdom. He took it and placed it on Wolfie’s hands. “You must go and come back. Come back to us. To… to me.”

“B-but this is your lance!” Wolfie protested, gripping at the Relic for support. 

“It is. You must return it to me, Wolfram. Promise me you will. Promise me you will return.” Dimitri grasped Wolfie’s hand on the lance. “You taught me selfishness, and I am aware this is a tall order I am asking, however… You must come back to me, Wolfram. I simply cannot be without you.”

Wolfie sniffled. “Dimiii!” He let go of the lance, jumping into Dimitri’s embrace. “Of course I’ll come back. I’ll find a way to come back and I won’t ever leave you alone again. We’ll be together forever.”

Dimitri’s nose stung with tears. “Yes,” he dug his face into Wolfie’s shoulder. “We will.”

“I love you, Dimi.” Wolfie hiccuped, kissing the prince’s ear, making him flinch.

“And I, you,” Dimitri replied in kind, letting go of their hug just enough for their lips to meet.

None of them thought that this was how the war would end.

They thought they would have the time to propose — for Dimitri — and the time to plan for a comeback — for Wolfram.

Yet, the Destiny’s Call was relentless in its pursuit for righteousness. It had to fix the otherworldly variable now that the worst had passed.

And it was the two lovers that had to be separated in the process.

Their last kiss was hungry, yet sorrowful. It longed for more, but it was pressed for time.

If only time could stop at that moment, to give them just a little bit more time together. Just a little bit more.

However, it was Aquilo’s cry from the sky that made the couple separate sluggishly, unwilling to part. He had also felt the distortion in the air, and followed the trio closely as they made their way into the city.

It was time.

Wolfie picked up Areadbhar from the floor, dusted it and held it close to his chest.

“Just don’t use it in battle,” Byleth patted Wolfie’s shoulder with a smile. 

“Duly noted,” Wolfie let out a hollow chuckle, then glanced back at Dimitri. “I’ll be back soon.”

“I shall be waiting for you.” He took Wolfie’s hand and kissed it, watching it slip away from his fingers as the dazzling light enveloped the fountain, then the entire area around them, swallowing Wolfie and Aquilo both in its almighty glow.

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, Wolfram was gone, and Byleth and Dimitri were left alone at the back of the church.

Dimitri’s shoulders slumped for a moment as his face was covered by his bangs, but soon he looked up to the sky — the same sky Wolfram always loved to trail on about; the same sky that he was sure Wolfie would be looking up to wherever he was.

Looking at that sky, Dimitri smiled.

They would see each other again.

[xiv-wolfram]

A Quick Call - Comic Script

ARR - Patch 2.4

Raubahn calls Wolfram. Awkwardness ensues. (Lil Haurchefant & my friend's WoL R'zoha cameo!)

My Comics in Chronological Order

This is the script for a future comic. Posting for those who don’t want to wait to get the story. Numbers indicate frame number.

At Camp Dragonhead. Wolf is seated at the large table making a linkshell call. Narrator - “The night after his first meeting with Ser Aymeric Wolfram receives a call from General Aldynn, his former partner and current commanding officer.” Wolf leans forward and rests his head in his hand, exhausted - “I don’t know how you do it Raubahn. All these dull diplomatic meetings.”

A) Rau in the Barracks, scoffs - “Well I hardly enjoy them either. Was this Ser Aymeric truly that bad?” B) Wolf smirks - “No, he was pleasant enough and means well. Simply very…calculated.”

A) Rau smiles sadly - “Alas, politics often require a certain amount of reservation. So is there anything important for the Flames?” B) Wolf ponders - “Nothing on The Ivy. I'll be paying Lady Iceheart a visit tomorrow. Oh, and apparently the Ishgardians fear the return of Midgarsormr. They asked that the Scions keep watch over his corpse in exchange for continued supplies. I’ll admit the request seemed odd.”

A) Rau laughs - “Aye, I’d say so! The bloody thing hasn’t stirred for… 15 years now?” B) Wolf shrugs - “I was in the forest at the time, but I recall hearing that he had destroyed Garlean ships? Called the Dravanian Horde down on them.”

A) Wolf smirks - “Sounds like a hero to me.” B) Rau grins - “I cannot disagree…”

A) Rau chuckles - “Yet I’d caution you to use different wording around your new Ishgardian allies.” B) Wolf laughs.

A) Rau looks nervous - “So Wolf… I have a bit of a personal question.” B) Rau looking at ground, worried - “When you and Ilberd met with me in Ul'dah…were you alright? You were uncharacteristically quiet.”

A) Wolf surprised - “Oh! Was I?!” B) Wolf smiles uncomfortably. Thought - ‘I can’t believe he noticed that with how focused he was on Ilberd.��� Say - “I um… suppose I didn’t want to interrupt your reunion.”

A) Rau smiles awkwardly - “Ah… I see. Nothing more?” B) Wolf smiles awkwardly - “I suppose I was curious as to why I hadn’t heard of Ilberd before…given our history.”

A) Rau nods, slightly worried - “I guessed as much…” Thought - ‘His gift…I wonder what exactly he sensed…’ B) Rau embarrassed, sighs - “Please know that I kept nothing significant from you. I was merely trying to move on from an uncomfortable part of my past. I hope you can understand that.”

A) Wolf smiles warmly - “Aye, you know I can… more than most.” Thought - ‘It was kind of him to acknowledge how awkward that was…He doesn’t owe me anything.’ B) Wolf smiles sadly - “Besides…It is none of my business. Truth be told he seems like a nice fellow and we have much in common. The Braves are lucky to have him.” Thought - ‘I was foolish to let my mind get away from me like that. I have more important things to worry about.’

A) Rau ponders. Thought - ‘I suppose he’s right. My embarrassing past has nothing to do with him now.’ B) Rau curious - “So - you’ve found the lair of this ‘Lady Iceheart’. I wish you good fortune tomorrow.”

A) Wolf beams - “Thank you. I’m hoping to have a chance to speak with her before she’s apprehended. I want to see if I can get any information on The Ivy out of her.” B) Rau smiles awkwardly - “I’m sure you’ll get to the bottom of whatever is going on. Yet please - be safe about it. I - um - the Flames cannot lose you. I… have to go. Goodnight Wolf.” Thought - ‘Hells… what was I saying?’ *linkshell click*

A) *linkshell click* Wolf confused. Thought - ‘ Well that was abrupt.’ B) Wolf sighs and looks towards the door.

A) Haurchefant walking into the room smiling - "Good evening Wolfram." B) Haurchefant standing next to him - “Are you finished with your call? Would you like to warm up with a cup of cocoa?”

Haurchefant smirks - “Although I do have a roaring fire in my private quarters if that is more to your liking?” Wolfram answers smugly - “I thank you for your hospitality, lad. Yet there are some blazes too powerful to contain. I think you’re more likely to enjoy some cocoa and friendly conversation with me.” Thought - ‘He’s certainly more fun than the average Ishgardian. And a good match for Zoha.’

A) A small brunette Miqo'te woman steps out from behind Haurchefant. She's blushing - "Honestly you two! Does the flirting have no end?" B) Wolf smirks - "Ah Zoha! Apologies lass! I didn't see you there. Fear not, I wouldn't steal the boyfriend of a fellow Flame no matter how much he wants me to." Thought - 'She's so easy to embarrass!'

Haurchefant winks jokingly at R'zoha - "Are you certain dear? It's quite cold tonight and look how big he is. Imagine how cozy you'd be between us?" Wolfram laughing hysterically. *snorts* R'zoha standing with her arms crossed, completely red with embarrassment - "Th-that’s not funny! This bromance between you two is getting out of hand!"

My Comics in Chronological Order

[stargazer1682]

A coda immediately after "Chosen," addressing Buffy's instructions to Angel to set up a second front.

Having survived the fight, the Scoobies get back on the bus and start heading down the road, looking for the next town over; arguing where to stop, especially for those who need medical attention (that ending kind of glosses over some of their very urgent needs for medical attention….). It’s now late, the sun’s gone down. Dawn and Buffy sit near the front of the bus, talking with Giles. Buffy mentions they should locate Angel, to tell him they succeeded, so he knows they can stand down. Dawn wonders what sort of “second front” Angel put together, when Giles hits the brakes, calling Buffy’s attention to the blockade in the road faintly made out through the light of the headlights.

It’s a small army of black-ops soldiers, mystics, and perhaps a few demons crowding the road in front of the bus; and standing at the head of all of this is Angel. Buffy gets off the bus and cautiously approaches Angel first, who likewise begins to walk in her direction. Their pace quickens, until they’re both running towards each other, then dive into an embrace. Angel says, “You made it.” “I did,” Buffy replies. “But Spike, some of the others… and Sunnydale, it’s… gone.” “Gone?” “Yeah.” “As in…?” “Gone. There’s nothing left.” “So, everything’s okay then?” “I think so.” “You’re hurt.” “I’ll be okay. We have other’s on the bus who are worse. We need to get them medical attention.” Angel turns back to the barricade and calls out, “Wes, Fred! They have wounded.” They in turn start calling out orders to their respective teams, sending medics to the bus. Buffy looks past Angel, taking in the size of the force Angel’s assembled. “How?” She asks. “It’s a long story.” “I’ve got all kinds of time.” Cut to Buffy and Angel sitting in a booth in a roadside diner. The Slayers who weren’t seriously wounded, are at other tables, along with Xander, Willow, Dawn and Andrew. Buffy and Angel keep staring a the food, not talking. Buffy’s unsure where to start or how to process the battle. Angel doesn’t know how to talk about how he’s now the head of Wolfram and Hart. Giles and Wesley are standing outside by the bus, arms crossed, not looking at one another; having the conversation Buffy and Angel are awkwardly avoiding the specifics of. “So,” Giles starts, “You’ll be running their LA office, then?” “Yes,” Wesley replies, blankly. “We’ve been given carte blanche. Or at least, so we’ve been told.” “You don’t trust that to be entirely accurate?” “Would you?” “If you don’t trust them to keep their word, why did you accept their offer?” “We each had our reasons. Mine was… personal.” “And it was through this Wolfram and Hart that Angel got the amulet Spike used to collapse the hellmouth?” “That’s correct.” “I take it they didn’t anticipate Spike using it. Which means someone…” “Someone meant for Angel to use it. Yes.” “And that doesn’t concern you?” “It wouldn’t be the first time someone at Wolfram and Hart tried to kill Angel. Or the rest of us, for that matter. We know what we’re walking into.” “Do you? Sounds risky.” “Well,” said Wesley, “That is the nature of our work, isn’t it? But we will make every effort to mitigate that risk and perhaps even use some of these new resources to do some good. Giles isn’t sure what to say to this and lets silence follow for a moment, before adding, "Are you using contacts?” “Yes.” “Do you like them?” “They took some getting used to.” “Hmmm…. I like the beard.” “Thank you.”

[visiongrl]

she’s  been  placed    (  officially  as  well  as  begrudgingly  )    on  desk  duty.      ⸻      boss’  orders.  cordelia  doesn’t  care  a  whole  lot  for  it.  the  old  her  would  have.  the  girl  from  sunnydale,  dreaming  of  stardom;    she  would’ve  jumped  at  the  chance  to  sit  by  a  silent  phone  all  day    &    read  gossip  magazines,  but  that  wasn’t  her  anymore.  she’d  grown.  from  cheerleader  to  𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚘𝚗,  being  in  the  thick  of  fighting  the  good  fight  had  become  almost  second  nature  to  her  now.  being  taken  out  the  field,  even  if  angel  did  so  with  the  best  intentions,  had  her  shifting  around  uncomfortably    /    restless,  unable  to  relax.  he’s  looking  out  for  her.  ever  since  wolfram    &    hart  pulled  their  𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚙  𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚔  with  her  visions,  he’s  been  cautious.  too  cautious  almost,  though  bones  that  ache  and  throb  as  a  result  of  her  last  glimpse  into  the  future  silently  thank  him.  at  least  it  gives  her  a  chance  to  catch  up  on  research,  eyes  quietly  going  over  everything  they’d  tried  to  gather  on  the  man  angel  rescued  for  lilah.  it’s  become  somewhat  of  an  𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗  of  cordelia’s,  given  that  he  only  did  it  to  save  her.    ＂    jeez.  you’d  think  a  dude  imprisoned  in  a  hell  dimension  might’ve  left  some  breadcrumbs  behind.    ＂    one  hand  lifts  to  massage  temple,  muttering  under  breath.  

the  last  thing  she  expects  is  another  voice  to  make  itself  heard.  gaze  immediately  snaps  up  and  widens,  stunned  into  momentary    (    and  uncharacteristic  )    silence  at  WHO  she  sees  standing  there  when  she  looks  up.    ＂    buffy?    ＂    eyes  have  to  blink  a  few  times,  just  to  be  sure.  yup,  that’s  definitely  one  very  spright  slayer.    ＂    buffy.  wow    …    you’re  actually  here.      ⸻      you’re  alive.    ＂    it  isn’t  news  exactly.  they’d  all  been  there  when  angel  received  the  call.  however,  there  was  a  big  difference  in  hearing  it  and  seeing  @insufferablemonsters  right  here,  in  los  angeles.    ＂    good!  good  for  you.  that’s,  um    …    good?  you  look  great.    ＂    it’s  a  struggle  to  find  the  right  words  and  nose  crinkles,  taking  a  moment  to  fully  process  before  trying  again.    ＂    hi.    ＂    this  time,  lips  spread  into  a  relaxed  smile,  placing  case  file  back  down  on  reception  counter.  she  can  get  back  to  those  later.    ＂    if  you’re  looking  for  angel,  you’ve  just  missed  him.  he  took  wesley    &    gunn  to  go  deal  with  a  𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚐𝚘  𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖  downtown.  they  said  they  wouldn’t  be  long,  but  i  wouldn’t  hold  ‘em  to  it.  that  thing  was  huge.    ＂    visions  are  clearer  these  days.  she  sees  𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴,  feels  everything.  even  smells  everything.    ＂    you’re  welcome  to  wait  though.  it’s  just  me  and  fred  here,  and  honestly,  you’d  probably  be  a  lot  more  company  than  the  gal  who  never  wants  to  leave  her  room.    ＂

EVERYTHING STILL FELT VIOLENTLY SENSITIVE AND BEWILDERINGLY FRESH TO THE REVIVED VAMPIRE SLAYER. after having to go through the gut-wrenching journey from ( what she could only assume as ) a peaceful, heavenly dimension back to reality where darkness and evil consumed all light. her friends felt foreign to her and her body felt detached from her own self. with every step she took in her own skin, it felt as though she was melting into the floor and falling into her own pit of hell. she needed a break from her daily responsibilities as a sister, a friend, and maybe even so as the slayer. she needed to feel something other than the consuming desire to return back to her tranquil state in the ground because she couldn't do that to her loved ones a second time; she doesn't think she could even bare the thought of letting them down again and abandoning them once more.

BECAUSE OF THIS BREAK SHE CRAVED IN HER NEW LIFE, SHE DECIDED TO TAKE A FEW DAYS OFF FROM SUNNYHELL AND PAY A VISIT TO HER EX-BOYFRIEND: A VERY MUCH BELOVED ONE. she heard he was running his own investigations firm and still following the mission of carrying the weight on his shoulders; protecting the innocents just as she has [ .... ] maybe not as much as she once used to. the people that aided him were old colleagues and maybe even ones she once at a time could call friends. she was hoping she could catch angel alone but once buffy entered into the massive, wide-spaced hotel, she could clearly see she wasn't alone and it was none other than @visiongrl standing behind the reception desk looking through what seemed to be case files [ .... ] or maybe it was celebrity magazines, you could never tell with cordelia chase. buffy dreaded making her way up to the desk but she couldn't pretend that she didn't see her. the slayer cautiously reaches the desk and taps her nails on the counter for a moment before finally speaking to catch her peer's attention. “ hey cordy, how goes it ? [ .... ] that's some quality research you got going on there ” she started, a hint of sarcasm dripping from her tone but she couldn't help it. she's always known cordelia to be the least helpful of the bunch; at least, that's the only way buffy remembered her and that's what left the slayer wondering how angel could have someone like her around. she was going to be in for quite the surprise.

[woofram-blog]

nightrxse hat auf deinen Eintrag geantwortet “Hugs him tight and gently pat's his head.”

Claudia is mumbling under her nose all grumpy: "It isn't too early for an engagement. For the rest she has to start bleed" / mun: ��‍♀️ clau, shut up

ENOUGH! NO BLEEDING! NO NOTHING! GRAH!

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

Omg the wolfram continuation was EVERYTHING!! And since requests are open I’d like to do one more ;) could you do some domestic style fluff with him and reader after the fact? Like— I LOVED that whole “I’m ready for a baby sister” with Sieglinde sm 😭 maybe you could do something like that? Or maybe when they dooooo tell her (and wolfram) that reader is pregnant? I’m such a hoe for this freight train of a man ah ma gad 🐺 please and thank you soooo much 💜

BOOBOO YOU’RE SO SWEET!!

literally send me all the requests ever ok I LOVE THEM so much

here’s something for this, I think it’s cute!!

Wolfram is so damn excited aaaaaaah SWEET BOY

For the longest time after SIEGLINDE asked you and WOLFRAM when you were going to have a baby, you didn’t know what to say.

Now, following a visit to the doctor, you finally do.

Although you can’t be perfectly sure when you conceived, the physician thinks you’re far along enough that your biggest guess is that it was when you and Wolfram made love for the first time. When Sieglinde asked, the two of you had a talk about it, deciding that you’d both be glad if it happened. So you’ve had sex a few more times since then, but… you think it was that first time that did it.

You’ve not quite known how to tell either of them the news yet. The last few days everyone, including you, has just thought you haven’t been feeling well, just tired. Even through dinner, with both of them asking how you’re doing, you don’t know exactly how to phrase it.

Then, after dinner while you work on mending some of everyone’s clothes, Wolfram comes over to set Sieglinde next to you, almost certainly at her request. She presses into you and smiles, putting her arms around your middle. “Mutti, Wolfram says I have to go to bed soon, but I’m not tired. You will tell me a story so I get sleepy, please?”

“Oh, that would make you sleepy?” you giggle as you pull her into your lap. “Of course, sweetheart. I’ll make one up just for you, let’s see…”

You think for a moment, then an idea pops into your head. “Ah, alright, well. Once upon a time, there was a young princess who lived in a forest, and her name was Sieglinde.”

Your little girl gives you a noise somewhere between a giggle and a scoff. “Is this story about us?”

“Hmm, maybe,” you tease. “It’s a good one, though, I promise. Now, Princess Sieglinde was a very smart, beautiful girl. But, she was unable to walk, so she was trapped in the forest, because there were… a lot of wolves out there among the trees who would attack other living things. And the woods were too thick… even if she could walk, it would have been a long and dangerous journey. So she stayed in her castle, away from the outside world, making inventions and reading. However, she did have one loyal companion by her side ― her loving, attentive father, Wolfram.”

From the corner of your eye, you see Wolfram straighten up in pride; the sight makes you smile. “He took good care of her, and even though they were stuck in the forest, they found some happiness day by day.”

A hand combs gingerly through her hair as she nestles in against you. “But one day… a group of travelers from another land were coming through the forest, and they stumbled upon the castle, where they were given a place to stay. Several of the travelers were inhumanly strong, so after learning that Princess Sieglinde and her father were trapped, they offered to help the two out of the woods.”

Wolfram decides to sit down on your other side, setting a candle in its holder on the table beside him. “Some of the travelers was know-it-alls.”

You snort and lean to give him a kiss. “… Yes, but Wolfram got over it.”

“Pfui! If you say so.”

“Well, I’m the one telling the story, aren’t I?” Things have to be shifted a bit, with you leaning toward him… it’s nice, though. Almost like one big cuddle. “Where was I? Ah… so, they all set out. True to their word, the travelers brought Princess Sieglinde and her father to safety on the other side of the forest. With perhaps a few scrapes here and there, they made it in one piece. Grateful to the travelers and unsure of where to go now that they’d found freedom, Princess Sieglinde and Wolfram followed the travelers back to their homeland.”

Sieglinde blinks a few times, looking as if she’s starting to get tired. “What happened after that? Surely it’s not end there?”

You nod. “You’re right, it doesn’t end there. After settling down, Wolfram fell in love with a woman.”

“(Name), right?” Sieglinde brings her legs up onto the sofa, tucking them under her. “And she married Wolfram and decided to be Princess Sieglinde’s mum?”

You can’t help a laugh from escaping as you give her a squeeze. “You haven’t heard this story before, have you? I thought I made it up just now! Haha… that’s right, though. (Name) married Wolfram and decided to be Princess Sieglinde’s mum. And one day, Princess Sieglinde asked for a little sister. So, (Name) made a wish on a star…”

Your eyes flicker up to Wolfram. Although he’s listening to the story just like Sieglinde is, his eyebrow is raised at you. “A wish on a star?”

Your next words come out in a whisper. “… And it came true.”

Almost immediately, Wolfram’s eyes widen. You can see every single thing he’s feeling reflected in them; joy, fear, relief, he doesn’t seem to know how to feel. For so much of his life he’s lived only feeling one thing or another, with things being simple, and now he’s feeling so many different things at once. When he speaks, his voice trembles like its feet are on the edge of a crumbling precipice. “It came true?”

“It did,” you smile, and you’re… almost prepared for his reaction, but not fully.

Of course, given that his reaction is to hug you tightly and whoop, “Hurra! Hurra! Hurrahurrahurrahurra―!”, it’s a bit hard to anticipate. He buries his face in your neck, laughing, suddenly elated in a way you’ve never seen him express before.

Even when he pulls his face back up, he’s beaming. Though he looks a bit embarrassed about the outburst, he comes in to kiss you, with both of his hands moving to cup your face. “This is… wonderful. So ― so you’re… schwanger?” Oh, dear, that’s so precious… he can’t bring himself to say the word in English. You think he might burst if he did. “Ah, Gott…”

“Schwanger!” Sieglinde chirps, instantly awake. “So, you approved my request! I’m going to have a little sister!! Hurraaaaaaaa!!!”

With that, she practically launches herself into your lap, pressing her head and hand against your stomach. “My little sister is in here! Can she hear me yet? I don’t care if she can’t… I want her to know she’s the best little sister in the whole big world!”

“Sieglinde…!” Wolfram’s still laughing, albeit a bit quieter. “You need to go to bed―”

She shakes her head, staring up at him with big eyes. “Vati!! You can’t expect me to sleep now!”

“You can’t argue with that,” you hum as you nestle in against him. “It’s exciting news.”

Well, at least she grins at you for being on her side. “Mutti, can I give my little sister her name? Pleaaaaase?”

“If you go to bed right now,” is the dry answer she gets, before you even have a chance to open your mouth.

Even though Sieglinde probably isn’t going to be heading to sleep anytime soon, you’re glad about the fact that you told both of them at last. Even though your baby isn’t very big yet, you still put your hand over Sieglinde’s on your stomach.

Everything is going to change. It’s going to be overwhelming. And you can only speak for yourself, but…

You feel like things are, finally, exactly where they’re supposed to be. For all of you.

[idjitlili]

You're dead lachance.

Spike btvs x reader

Summary: Being Giles niece, going to America with him, only to meet Spike. There is anonymous request in here, 'getting locked in a room with Spike.'

A/n: slightly in Sundale , but mostly based in Los Angeles, the reader is British, due to being related to Giles. Hey, that's good for me , I'm British too. There's a request from anon but I'm not going to say to keep it a surprise. Malteser is a chocolate ball. How come I can write this much now? But I've got assignment s at are only 2000k words.

Word count:5019 Longest imagine yet.

Warnings: Language, Twilight hate references,period, questioning if vampires eat that answer is no or unconfirmed.

Not even a week ago, you had came home , only for your parental figure to rush to the door to greet you. Not long after that you were packing your suitcase for America , apparently your uncle Rupert had invited you out there. It had quite literally been years seen you had seen him, but not long until you would again.

In fact , it hadn't been even twenty four hours , before you were stood in his magic store. You weren't even sure why Rupert had brought you here. The suitcase that held your belongings , stood at your feet as Rupert  had welcomed you in, unlike your uncle had expected , the shop was completely empty, people wise.

Forced to sit down, while Rupert  made you a tea,informing you that he would get you settled at his home once he finished closing up his shop. What it felt like hours to you ,waiting, deciding it was best to read the book you had brought with you, not that you could really concentrate you just wanted to get cleaned up , in honesty.

Fingers tapping against the pine table , trying to read Boromir's last moments in Lord of the rings, re reading the same paragraph over , and over. "I tried to take the Ring from Frodo ' , he glance strayed to his fallen enemies,20." Re reading those words same words, unable to comprehend them, like your brain was blocked by a tinfoil hat, that's bullshit. Three arrows he had been struck with, yet he was still able to kill twenty highly trained orcs , more than an average vampire could do.

You were no stranger to vampires , you hadn't encountered one to say, but you knew of Rupert  job as a watcher. Though you had watched Lord of the rings many times (or not it's just replace it) and yet you still couldn't pass it , didn't Rupert have workers to clean his shop? Repeating those words , still. "Hello ,love." You almost peed yourself , standing up abruptly launching your book at the thing that had pulled you out of your distracted book reading.

Bragging your lighter from your pocket, self defence lighter, holding in front of you. As the flame lit,lifting your head up at your 'attacker' , only to be met with a smirk and platinum leather wearing man, who had caught your book with ease. "Really a lighter?" British, you had not spoken to one American , since landing.

You had just continued to stare at him not quite certain what to say, until he did again. "So , Boromir ,hm?"  You hadn't notice him step forward , holding your book for you to take back, hesitating you took it from him slowly. "Uh, yes. Thank you,but ,um, who are you?"

"Spike, and you are?"Who names there son after a sharp object? Spike had smugly smiled , placing his in his trouser pockets, it was if he was proud. You didn't get a chance to respond to Spike, before Rupert had reappeared , standing between you and Spike.

"Spike , get away from my niece, I will not allow you to corrupt her." Spike had gasped dramatically, putting his had over his mouth ,"You're related to him? But Blimey he's all ARGH and you're not." Spikes face of disgust when he looked at your uncle, Rupert had removed his glasses and began cleaning his glasses.

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" Picking up your bags , as Rupert ushered Spike out of the shop, with you behind to lock up, it now being dark.  "It was lovely to meet you , Giles attractive niece.." "Y/n." "Y/n.." Repeating your name back slowly smiling , only if you knew he was an evil defective vampire.

"Quit the flirting Spike, she's not going to be here long." That was the last you saw of Spike , for now anyways. It wasn't even another 24 hours later , your uncle had sent you off to Los Angeles , to Wesley at Wolfram & Hart.

Wesley...you had seen him in years , since he left England. You being younger than him by some years , but you had been friends with him , being connected to Giles and all. You were brought to America to work for an evil law firm not your ideal future.

That was a year ago , not as bad as you had originally thought, Angel the CEO was indeed broody but he was trying to make a difference. In fact , the job paid very well, and all you did really read up on demons and sometimes view bodies for symbols and such.

Perhaps,yes, it did get quite lonely, it  wasn't like you had you mum to make you meals or anything. All you could have was calls from her now and then. Wesley was your friend; but he was too busy flirting with Fred. The others well, you weren't close friends, just friends.

Today was not a great day for you, first you had gotten to work  without lunch, forgotten a jacket, and Angel scheduled a meeting but you had fallen down the stairs three times. Ten minutes late, a huge bruise on your head , ruffled hair and clothing not looking very bodacious.

Knocking on the door to Angel's office three times gently , before waiting for his response to allow you in. Everyone staring at you , your face flushed with embarrassment. "I-I'm so sorry, you won't believe today has been horrible, I wouldn't have been late if I hadn't of fallen down the same stairs three times."

Heavily breathing from all the rushing, head aching like you had just hit your head falling down the stairs, Angel and the others looking at you with slight sympathy. "I've got to get a look at this muppet." That voice, you knew that that voice, until Spike had appeared from the corner of the meeting room , as you and Angel were about to walk into the room.

Almost bumping into Spike as you and him both met the door at the same time. You two would've bumped right into each other, but he passed right though you. Turning back around to see if you imagined that or not, turns out you didn't Spike was stood in front you , looking at you , with gaped mouth which didn't last long until he was smiling.

"W-what?H-how did y-" "Nice to see you again , love. Well, not long after you left I saved the world, and died. No need to thank me , love," Angel had coughed , pulling your attention from Spike charming smile he was sending your way, to him gesturing you to sit.

Spike had not decided to sit down , but to stand behind Angel at an Angel, one to annoy Angel which you could already see in his face , two to be in eye range of you. Not that he liked you , he full loved Buffy, for now anyways.

Angel had officially began the meeting , head-aching still, probably why you couldn't concentrate, concussion. All you could think was , wow Casper the friendly ghost, well you didn't know he wasn't , and that he was a vampire.

So lost in thought ,well no just pain , you didn't hear the calling of your name or snapping of fingers in front of your open eyes.

"Y/n? Y/n?" Only when there is a touch of a small hand on your shoulder , you realise , looking up to see Fred. "Yes, sorry. Um , I hit my head a bit too hard."

"Angel , she needs to go to a doctor. Her head is literally bleeding out , ""Yeah you should've sent her straight away, she fell down the fucking stairs, for a vampire with a soul , you have no compassion." Spike had interrupted Wesley, to criticise Angel.

You had a couple of days off last week , to visit your family, hence you hadn't seen Spike there before that. You had fallen off your chair when you had felt a hand on your shoulder, moving to see if that was Angel or Lorne, but it wasn't.

"Already on your knees for me?" Spike, staring down at you , smirking what a shock. "I'm not even on my knees, I'm on my butt. Plus what you want me to do mime."

"Okay, okay, Hon, let's go take to a doctor." Lorne had helped you up, as Spike had smiled Wider, as you both left, with some calls of sympathy's.

You only had to have you bloody head , in your hairline glued back together. Not surprising when there was blood dripping down your face like a waterfall. Other than that you were back the next day, carrying on your week like you would normally would.

Each week that went by Spike would come visit your office, mostly at lunch, knowing you didn't leave your office to socialise, only to use the bathroom. It had started with him using the excuse that he wanted to see how you were doing , after falling down the stairs, which was quite hard to believe,as he didn't seem like the caring type.

Then it he came to your office to tell you stories  about him saving the world and just recently , almost being killed by another ghost.

You hadn't even seen that when he entered your office he used the door by turning the handle, instead of going through it. Not at least until he had spooked you again ,placing his hand your shoulder squeezing it slightly.  Falling again out of you chair, probably would've smacked the back of your head on your desk.

If you weren't grabbed by your forearms, and were lifted back onto your feet, by rough hands... Spike had scared you to death again, yet this time he had saved your fall.  Pulling a arm from his, looking into his eyes, as you brought your hand to his cheek, your finger tips against his cheek bone. His skin soft, not how you would've imagined.

Cold.

His skin, cold , but now he isn't a ghost? So why does he feel like the other side of the pillow on a summer night. Moments go by ,not many , before you pulled away again. "Fred , s-she figured out how to bring y-you back?" Still wondering why he felt like ice,  also to hide the embarrassment that you had touched his face without asking.

"No, someone sent me some post,"  The distance between you two was more than close, your legs pressed against your desk, Spike's face barely inches away, he must've closed in on you. "Oh lovely,um have you had anything to eat yet?" He had smiled at you , with lust in glittering in his eyes , but not for what you might think, but hunger.

"I have not." Don't turn Edward ,please, no one wants that ,'Oh I'm sorry Bella but you might die if we fuck, because of my huge Thanos sized dick.' "Oh , well I've got , um, some sandwiches, that's if you want to share." You had gently made your way passed Spike as he nodded slightly suggesting we would share, to get into your bag, reaching for your lunch bag.

Both sitting at the sofa in your handing Spike a sandwich, as you held yours, facing each other, sitting on your calves, well Spike couldn't do that , if you know what you mean. Not long after you had reached for your flask , pouring it into your cup. "Tea?" Spike had grabbed the cup from your hand, drinking a fair lot down, before handing it back to you, mixture of crumbs and tea around his mouth. "You know how to make good tea, not those bloody Americans , milk first , bloody bullshit."

Before anything was said, Lorne had burst into the room , panic washed over his face. "Angel needs you both , quick honeys! We don't have time to spare." To say the least you were confused , never less you all headed to Angel's office and soon enough you were all, Angel, Spike, Fred, Gunn, Wesley, and Lorne were driving to a safe house. 'A rescue mission.' Apparently, you didn't even know who you were supposed to rescue, all you knew was you was all supposed to stay here until they arrived.

Sounded fishy , and you were right to think so, not long after you all discovered it was a trap. Probably just about a hundred vampires, were lurking around the property, waiting...

The floors creaking as you all walked across the the pine wood hallway, not to mention you had barely any fighting stills, all you held was a stake. The others well that ways a mixture of axes , and stakes. Sorry not only vampires in this house, spirits too. Spike had paired off with you , whilst the others did the same , you both walked into a bedroom, which was thick with mould and dust.

Not even one step in the door had slammed shut, Spike had immediately tried the door body slamming against , but it was no use. As you made your way to the window, "Spike.." BANG still going at the door , "SPIKE." Whisper shouting to him, gesturing for him to come over , once he had heard you.

"Vampires..." pulling you away from the window, out of sight." We need to get out of here, now."

"Where? we can't get out of here." Looking around the room there was no options. You don't even get to take a breath ; before the window is smashed in as well of the door, you are both completely circled , 7 vampires.  Before you know it they are lunged for you , gripping your stake tightly , as you fight  a vampire off , with struggle , god damnit. Where's David from lost boys, instead you are stuck with one that's never brushed it's teeth.

Finally stabbing it in the heart. Proof another one bites the dust. Now there was even more dust in this house. The rest of the vampires were dead, you didn't realise that Spike had taken on the rest with no struggle, turning to face you after dusting the last one, his face,his face. He was one of them, he had been dead this whole time , even when he was brought back.

"Y-you're a vampire?" Shocked was to say the least what you were feeling , he had turned back laughing lightly.

"What were you expecting? The Easter bunny?Did you think I was human? This whole time, oh love." It wasn't that you felt like you trusted him less after finding out but still, you're an idiot, no you are not.  "I thought you were because you are my food; Plus I thought vampires were evil?"

"I wasn't going to refuse a sandwich. I have Soul, love. For your information, I got it the hard way, not like that brooding bugger."

"Sorry, Can we go now?" Thus Spike tried the door again, it had opened, both of you rushed out and down the stars , out the doors to find the others in the car waiting , like it was a robbery.

Your lunches with Spike continued even months after finding out he was a vampire; yet now you packed enough lunch for the two of you. Though he could just have his blood, but no he wanted your food. In honesty he was lucky that you actually shared your food with him.

You were sure that Spike must've preferred the company of Fred over you, and there was a day that he didn't have lunch with you. Apparently he had went to see Buffy , yet he was back the next day, why he hadn't stayed with the woman he loved , that was unknown to you. Thus there he was having lunch with you everyday you were at work.

You had even watched Lost boys with him one lunch. "You think I'm like that ponce?" Why the offices had TVs you had no idea. You had told Spike that he had reminded you of David. "W-what, It's not that hard to believe , first both of you have cool hair , two he is evil but the evil that you're like wow he's not that bad , he's cute and maybe he not what he seems. Like Loki, God of mischief." Spike had scoffed, laughing slightly.

"Did you just call me cute? I'm bad , I'm evil, mortals quiver under my wrath." He had made a toothy scrunched face , whilst bringing his hands up like he was a bear attacking, only to make you grin harder. "Okay, now you are a kinky Loki 'quiver under my wrath' seriously?"

"And how would you know what's kinky, love?" His words delivered with a smirk , that made your cheeks redden just by his gaze. "Uh,um, well I read a lot- I MEAN I do stuff all the time like last night.. he had a cane."

"Oh really, he had a cane?"

"Yep thats correct."

"Well that's a shame, love , because I've seen you face stuck in your books , blushing... and I can smell the innocence radiating off of you."

"Hey! Don't go smelling that, so you're telling me that when I have my period you can smell that too? You know what don't answer that, nor do I want to know if you've ever eaten that. Nor do I want to know why I thought of that.." Throwing a Malteser at him, would've hit him if he hadn't caught it in his mouth. 

"I cannot believe you just said that. Love, you have too much time over thinking."

"No doubt , that's why I was never popular , let's pretend I never said that thing and only that compared you to David and Loki, hm?"

"Of course, I wish you hadn't given me the idea,joking I swear."

"Uh, I don't know if you like men or not but when the male part is erected it's one of the most blood filled appendages plus I looked you up, William the bloody, maybe that's how you got your name.." Yes maybe you spent more than your lunch hour not doing work, sitting cross legged now facing Spike completely , who just had turned his upper body from the tv.

Angel though, you'd think he was just happy , happy that Spike wasn't in his office constantly annoying him. It wasn't easy for anyone to keep Spike entertained. "I do not suck cocks nor have I ever , love, I have nothing against those that do,but I assure you that my terrible poetry is the only reason for the name, "

"Nothing to do with you killing hundreds of people?"

"Oh yeah, that too." Nothing more was spoken, you both had went back watching until lunch was over, then you were back to work. By five you had left to go home , not even two hours later you had realised you had left your house keys in your office. You had went to the shops, for some general stuff , hence why you hadn't realised you had left your keys.

Making it back to Wolfram & Hart , around nine o'clock, deciding to get some food , for after you got your keys and got home finally. The security man, Dean, had let you , well no he had was turned doing something and you slipped in, the rest of the firm was dark , everyone had left, or that's what you had thought.

Opening your office door, with your key, why you had it separated from your house key , you don't know , but it was lucky you had one set otherwise someone could've went through your stuff. Well there wasn't much really interesting, ancient books and such. Rushing to your desk in the dark searching everywhere , under your desk, in the draws, the floor.

Finally finding them down the side of the sofa , which you were sat at with Spike, watching Lost boys. When the door swings open , you are quickly grabbed by the foreman's and are shoved against the wall."what are doing here?" The mans voice, aggressive, yet you know who it belonged to, Spike. No very difficult to figure out as you spent at least an hour with him , five times a week, for months.

"Uh, I just left my keys." Spikes grip had loosened on your arms slightly. " Y/n?" Pushing him off of you,"yes, yes it's me , thanks for attacking me, " It was pitch black in your office , only the light from the moon , now on your face , part of it anyways.

"Well, Bloody hell, love you shouldn't be in an evil law firm by your lonesome , especially at night."

"What you are going to eat me now?" Spike wasn't even a foot away; if he was a live you'd feel his breath on your face. Instead the cold air surrounded you, Spikes arm above your head closing you in, only being able to look at his face , an outline of it. "Oh, you'd just love that, wouldn't you,pet?" You had scoffed lightly at him.

"Shut up, my foods getting cold , and I don't like it in here." Ducking under Spikes arm, grabbing your food and key, before making your way out your office and the building. Spike following you ,but the security guard was gone and the door was locked , no way out.

"Well isn't that bloody brilliant."

"There's no way we are getting out of here , till morning ,"

"Can't we call someone?"

"I don't know , do you have anyone's number?" That was it , you both had headed back to your office , found some candle, since the electricity had been turned off, at on the floor with your food. You weren't sure why he decided to stay with you , maybe it was just that you had food.

Your back against the sofa , as you both ate , you were in no doubt that you were talking tomorrow off. You knew you or Spike was going to have to sleep on the sofa, ah yes perfect, back pains. "Why were you here so late anyways?" After finishing your mouthful of food, why Spike would want to lurk here at night , that was unknown.

"Just snooping through Angels stuff, then I heard you, so."

"Ah, of course." Smirking at you , leaning back his palms behind him, sideways on from you, uh , you're not Ryan Reynolds? Actual um, sorry but you're hotter. Your food all gone , except the small amount of drink left.

"Honestly this couldn't be a better day, my keys fell down the side of the sofa , and I didn't realise until I went home. Then this happened , and now we are stuck here, when I could be at home, sleeping."

"It's not so bad, you could've been stuck here with Angel, love."

" You really don't like Angel, I'm not surprised he makes small problems seem unsolvable. Yet within a couple of hours , all is fine. Actually that sounds a lot like me, over thinking everything. But yeah Angels is a bit of an arse."

Spike only smirking at you, in return.

Glancing at your watch , 12:03 , you were only lucky that Spike was able to pick the lock on the toilets. Otherwise you don't know what you would've done, ah yes, peeing yourself in front a rather good looking , dead man. Leaving your office to go pee again , before returning rubbing your eyes as you walked through the door.

"Are you going to get some sleep, love?" Spike had cleaned up all the rubbish, throwing it all away, you wouldn't expect that from dead guy, former mummy's boy. "Uh, if the sofa wasn't built like a rock, yes , but since that's the case no." Settling back onto the floor, careful not to catch on fire, as you crossed passed some of candles.

Instead of Spike replying yet , he had stood up and made his way to the sofa , plopping himself onto it, with poof. "You got to be joking love , you clearly never have lived in a crypt." W h at was it wish vampires living in crypts , or complaining that their huge cold dick will spilt a human in half. Turning to face the sofa, not being able to see Spike, letting out a dry laugh.

"Yeah that doesn't convince me, are you just so old that you don't remember that every day at lunch that I sit on that sofa with you?" Spike had sat up to look at you with a glare ,yet again scoffing. "Well then , Pet, how about you come lay on me, I'm very comfortable."

Without thought you had gotten up , and thrown yourself onto Spike, both groaning as your back slammed into Spikes chest. He was lucky really that your butt bone , not tail bone, the top of your leg one, didn't smash into his parts. Instead he had wrapped around you so you were stuck in place. "I see what you are doing."

"And what is that?"

"I body slammed you, now you're cuddling with me? Mental , you're an ice cube, yeahh sureeee so comfortable, I love being engulfed by Vanilla ice."  Not that he looked much like Vanilla ice but it's a little funny, not really but.

"Hey, I won't stand to be your cushion , with your bullying."

"Didn't you kill hundreds of people? And you get defensive when I call you Robert van Wrinkle?" Turning your head to look up to Spike who was looking down on you, shuffling so that you were laying next to the sofa back and on Spike with your hand on his chest.

"Love,I'll eat you, try sleep." This isn't a Loki imagine when he kidnaps you and it turns out he's a vampire , and he gets busy and drinks your blood for a fetish. Spikes arms around your shoulder , eventually falling asleep with your head on his chest.

Everything was fine, until Wesley and the rest of them had came looking for you. As you was supposed to be in a meeting with them in the morning , so was Spike but they were worried for you.

"Couldn't they do that at home?"

"Can I poke them with a stick?"

"Ah yes, poke the mass murdering vampire , very smart ,Gunn. "

No consideration of being quiet, you both had been woken, it wouldn't be that surprising if Spike was pretending to be asleep , to avoid talking to people he didn't like very much except Fred.

Waking up to see a bunch of people just smiling at you at , wasn't the best. "So, Spike what about Buffy?" Sitting up ,before standing up from Spike, must've hurt having a whole body on you all night , maybe it didn't effect him because he has super strength? Spike just turned to sit on the sofa , unimpressed facial expression, hunched.

"Buffy has her own life, I'm not apart of it."

"I-is this all you came her for? To wake us? And   taunt? I'm taking the day off ," No uncertainty that you wanted to get home, and shower and eat. You had looked back at Spike who had looked back , standing up. "I'll drive you."  Grabbing your bag, before bow in front of Angel for whatever reason. "Thank you so much for locking us in an evil law firm all night. Bye Fred, Wesley, Gunn , Lorne."

"Bye hon." Lorne was always a sweetheart , wishing that every guy was like him, kindest soul and very much cute. Spike and you had left after you had sent Lorne a smile. Walking out with bed hair and day old clothes , not that Spike had offered his arm but you were still holding onto to walk.

Walking past Harmony, she had sent daggers your way, why doesn't she just kidnap Orlando Bloom or something. Gripping onto Spikes arm tighter , walking down the stairs, not falling this time, thankfully. Before you made it to Angels' car park, and got into one of this favourite cars. "Uh, are we supposed to be taking Angels car?"

"What? It's mine, love, what are you going on about?" Opening the the car door at the same time , settling in the seats before slamming the door shut. The windows of the car , made from the same glass that wolfram & Hart was supplied with, since the cars were supplied by wolfram & Hart for Angel, a vampire. That also meant that Spike could drive in the sunlight protected.

"Okay, okay." Once you had made it into your building car park, Spike had walked with you up to your door. Being finally able to unlock your door, with your shopping ,lucky there wasn't any fridge nor freezer items. Turning back to Spike who just stood at your door, grinning slightly.

"T-thank you for staying with me yesterday, and for driving me home." A small blush upon your face, it wasn't unknown to you that you had developed a crush on Spike , how couldn't you? "That's alright ,love." Still stood in front of you, looking into your e/c eyes , you staring into his brightly lit blue ones. He was waiting for you to say or to do something.

Leaning to the side of his face, to press a peck onto his pale toned cheek. Instead of course , he had turned and you ended up pressing your lips , onto his briefly. Pulling away red cheeked , Spike now smirking at you again. "H-hey um, do you want to come and watch Lord of the rings with me?" You weren't sure what you was supposed to say after kissing someone accidentally.

"I would," thus that you held your door open wide, "I invite you into my home."

Therefore, you watched Lord of the rings with a dead man.

[vvolfatthedoor]

The answer, while not altogether surprising, brought a delighted laugh. It probably wasn't the answer Aven would have given--sometimes nice walked the line into pushover for her, but there was a limit--which made it all the more entertaining. "There's also this thing called DoorDash. Us mere mortals without personal assistants find it useful." She could barely tolerate her publicist managing aspects of her life. One assistant, let alone two, was just Extra.

"What do you do when that happens?" She didn't have to feign curiosity in his work. It was a kind of passive research, talking to people about their lives and careers, little details to make the worlds in her novels richer and more believable. It sounded very much like a rock and a hard place situation, with Oliver caught in the middle.

Far from being intimidated, her face lit up. "If I can persuade you to have a drink with me, I know the perfect place. It's called the Break Bar. When you finish your drink, you smash your glass. It's very cathartic." The Wolfram family was made of temper problems, and while the twins were probably the least of that, they weren't immune. Her fuse was longer than most of her siblings', but just as explosive when she finally reached the end of it. People who said throwing things didn't help hadn't thrown enough things.

He was so confident in his answer, and seemed so content in it, but she couldn't help feeling a little sad for him. There were times when work consumed her life, when she was on a deadline or absorbed in a story. But she always came out of it more excited than ever to throw herself back into the real world. They didn't know each other well enough for the next words that came out of her mouth, but they were already down the rabbit hole, and it had been established that her filter could use some work. "But that's work, Oliver. When are you living?" Her smile was gentle to soften the words, in the hopes they wouldn't sound like a criticism. It wasn't her place to judge the way he lived.

"Thank you. It means 'fair radiance' in Irish, which I think is a little more pretentious than Pretty Writer." She wasn't exactly fair-haired, let alone radiant, but she doubted her mother had known its meaning when she chose it. "Something tells me I wouldn't find you in the romance section of the bookstore, counselor. But who knows. You could have hidden depths to you." She returned the grin, poking a little fun at both of them at once. She knew what people thought of the romance genre, and what they were likely to assume about her when they found out what she did for a living.

"Lucky you. The question is, are you going to do it?" She wasn't sure there was a right answer to that question, but either one said something interesting about him. On the one hand, it was job security to be needed for things that weren't technically in his job description, and it probably wouldn't be going well outside his way since he was already out. On the other, it wasn't his job to fetch lunch, and he might not be the sort of person who could be pushed. She thought there were probably fewer people in the second category.

"This is you grumpy? You hide it well. I didn't even notice." She gave a light laugh. Compared to her family, he was downright pleasant, but she supposed when the comparison was to a pack of wolves, almost everyone came out looking like sunshine. It wasn't a word she'd have put to him so far. Tired and a little stressed, sure, but he was tolerating her questions with good humor. "It's interesting that you equate your office with your home." She arched an eyebrow, definitely teasing now. That didn't sound like a place where Aven would thrive creatively, no matter how nice the view. "Sorry, I'll try not to keep character analyzing you. Occupational hazard."

The name didn't ring a bell, but her overlap with the world of the Avengers was minimal. She wrote romance, not science fiction, which had to be a difficult genre these days when so much that used to be considered fiction was now on the front pages of the news. Aven and Theo could flirt in their sleep; she might not even realize she was doing it, but she wouldn't mind if he took it that way. Too handsome by half. Probably married, and she really wasn't mistress material. "Nosey Brunette is one of my official nicknames. But I prefer the Pretty Writer, if it's all the same to you. Aven Wolfram. It's nice to meet you, Oliver."

[prose-for-hire]

Sweet Hummingbird

Pairing: Lorne x chubby!reader

Request: Hi! Sooo excited that requests are open! May i please request a plussize reader x Lorne fic? She's a newby in Angel team and has a very goofy and flirty personality, and like immediately hit it off with Lorne by saying smth silly like "green's is my favorite color" *wink-wink*. And it's goes on like this and it's kinda playfull jokes until months later Lorne hear her sing for the first time and like... realizeTM. Sorry if it's too specific, feel free to cut any part. Thank you anyway ♥ LY!

Requested by: @russianbutchcrushing

You were new. You hated introductions, they made you nervous. First impressions always counted and despite your natural gregarious personality. When you were younger, you were almost embarrassed to take up space, because you assumed your larger frame meant you were already taking up too much space already. But you had grown to become more confident. In yourself, in the fact that people would like you no matter what. Because you were so easy to get along with.

Angel had found you one evening, you had power. A kind of power that you weren’t sure what to do with. Until he had insisted he could help. You had heard of Wolfram and Hart and been nervous about them. You had heard bad things. But now he was in charge, he insisted you would be okay. That he wanted you as part of his team.

You had power to revive people. To heal them with your touch. You had never understood it and it had just grown since you were younger. But now you were going to be assisted. Given the tools to be able to do more good. To understand yourself and how you could help.

Angel had made introductions. They all appeared friendly and you nodded, smiling around the room. You spoke animatedly and they already started to become fond of you. You turned and Angel introduced a green demon. You intake a large amount of breath. You almost had to revive yourself as your heart began to beat irregularly. He was the most beautiful person you had ever seen.

“Lorne”

“Oh, hi! Y/n” You introduced yourself, “Green’s my favourite colour” You hinted with a smile, your hand still in his. Once you may have shied away from something like that. From being so overt. But you liked him, found him cute and you wanted to be upfront about it.

His eyes just widened and he nodded. Not sure how to take your words. He wasn’t used to people doing much other than stare or make some kind of rude comment. He looked at the ground and you let go of his hand.

You were instantly besotted by him. The feeling growing further as you got to know him. Were allowed to discover his personality. He was outgoing too and you could get lost for hours just speaking. Laughing and comparing experiences you had shared.

“What’s the word, sweet hummingbird?” You had whispered in his ear one afternoon. He had been taken aback. He usually used nicknames for people to make them more comfortable in conversation. Nobody had ever done this for him before.

You had settled into the team well. Your goofy personality and the light-hearted nature you adopted just worked so well. You especially got on with Lorne. You were made for each other, everyone thought so. But they didn’t want to push you. Letting you figure it all out by yourselves.

He had seen your power at work, you had left him in awe at your nature. Your large frame knelt before the wounded lawyer. He had gotten too worked up and became skewered by his client. You pressed your hands to the wound, the entire time whispering your comfort to the man. You had healed him but it had taken a lot out of you.

You were exhausted for the next two days. Barely able to move from bed. But you would do it over again. And he found himself falling deeper in love with you. With your selflessness.

He brought you soup. You had fast become friends but he fantasised about more. He wished to embrace you, hold you and tell you how much you meant to him. How much the way you treated him and everyone else in your life meant so much. He still didn’t see the way that you truly meant your flirtatious words.

He couldn’t dare hope, he just enjoyed being around you. Truth was that of course you adored him. Wanted to spend all of your time with him. His personality, he was so kind. Looked out for so many, cared for them.

Being an empath demon, he was (of course) naturally empathic. And your powers complimented each other. You were a healer. A caregiver. Someone that cared so deeply.

You began to slide into his office when you could. Seeking stolen moments with him. You always had a kind word for him.

“I love the jacket, it really brings out the colour of your eyes” You said softly. And he was rendered uncharacteristically speechless again, as he always was when you said these things.

You always greeted him with some kind of flirtatious comment, one he was used to by now but never truly understood. He always convinced himself you were merely being kind. That you greeted everyone in this way. But he still hung on to every word. Grasped to every syllable you spoke to him. At least, even if he knew it wasn’t real, he could pretend it was. He could curl up in bed, nestling comfortably in the thought of having you by his side. Really in love with him, not just being kind. Giddy with flirtation.

He felt caressed by just the thought of you. By your words. Finding solace in the way that you spoke to him, as if you believed you were truly equals. As if he wasn’t some light comedic relief that the humans could use to make themselves feel better.

Lorne didn’t realise you were being serious though. He wasn’t used to such attention. He assumed you were just like that, missing that you only ever directed these flirtations at him.

He was gazing at you again, you were stood near someone’s desk. He scanned his eyes over your plus-sized figure. He loved every inch of you, he was sure of it. Wished to cherish every inch. He didn’t understand how anybody could be anything other than in awe of you.

He walked up to you, rubbing his hands together. It was nerves today, he so wanted you to agree to what he was going to ask. Your face brightened as soon as you saw him approaching.

“It’s as if you want my heart to stop beating, beauty like yours should come with a warning sign” You smiled.

“Sing for me, sweetness?” He had asked it, more nervous than he had ever been before. He barely spoke above a whisper, with all of the noise going on around you. Busy bustling of the departments around you. People usually stared.

You both stood out to the others. To the ones that weren’t part of the core team. People were suspicious of you both, thought differently of you because of appearance or power. It didn’t matter why - they often would stare.

But you didn’t let it bother you, when you were stood with him nothing mattered. It was just you and him. So as soon as he said this you couldn’t help but become excited. He had never seemed to express an interest to reading you.

“Thought you would never ask!” You gushed with a giddy grin. You nodded, taking his hand and leading him away. There was a zap of energy in the contact between you. To have your hand in his, it was bliss. He would be happy the rest of his life just for this contact.

His face was a picture of shock when you lead him to the store-room. You slid into the small space turning to him when the door was closed.

“Uh, not that I don’t love the acoustics of the… store room, but my office would work just the same” He offered. Only in words, he was actually happy of the proximity. Wanted to be this close to you, but wouldn’t dare act on it.

“Privacy… I’m not a very good singer” You explained with a smile, “Only for you, Lorne”

You began to sing. Your voice wavering at first until you got more into the song. His eyes widened and he reached out for you subconsciously. His palm upturned for you. You reached back, lacing your fingers with his.

He gasped. To him, no matter the tone or pitch he was in awe of your voice. But it wasn’t just that, it was every element of you. Each beautiful component that encapsulated your larger form, of your beautiful mind. He truly saw you, your intentions.

He felt it then. It almost knocked him sideways with the force of it. With the strength of your feelings for him. You had never been more sure of anything in your life. You could only flirt and hope that he understood, expressing it any other way would have been much harder. You wouldn’t ever want to make him uncomfortable.

You were his, you were promised to him for the rest of your life. It was an emotional experience, made his eyes shine. When you finished the tune you looked back into those kind eyes. It was a revelation to him. That you truly meant it. Those words.

You leaned in, almost in-sync. Catching your lips with his. It was soft, tentative at first. As if he was afraid that you would pull away in horror at his action. But soon you weaved your arms around him, pulling him closer. You wanted to cherish him. Show him just how much you adored him.

You deepened the kiss, becoming lost in each other. His hands resting on each side of your body, feeling the soft skin there. Enjoying the sensation. Your lips glided over his, ensuring that he felt you in the present just the way he had felt your future together. The way you felt now was the same as now. The kiss was everything. Ground shifting. Life changing.

You broke apart, breathless. Laughter despite yourselves. At how long it had taken. At how much you truly meant to each other. How you felt finally spilling between you. Both of you talking at a fast pace, sharing your hearts between more soft kisses.

Your hands entwining, you were instantly comfortable with such natural gestures. Loving him was as easy as breathing, you had always known this – but being loved by him in return was just so sweet. You eventually slid out of the store cupboard to a waiting audience.

They had given you knowing looks as if to cheapen the beautiful experience you had just shared. But neither of you cared, you just kept your hands clasped together. Taking strength from the other. It was hot gossip around the office for the next few weeks. But neither of you thought about it more than once, you had finally discovered each other. Your reciprocated feelings. Nothing could change this feeling. This elation you felt when you were together.

[idabbleincrazy]

ooooo headcanons. So i have a ofc who is the sister of angel and it got me to thinking. How would Spike react to reader being in love with him (her being angel's sister)

Ok, so this totally would depend on when Reader fell in love with him...

During The Whirlwind years:

He would let you down gently, his dead heart still being fiercely loyal to Dru. 

That’s not to say he would take sex off the table (hello, vampire). 

He would also probably ask you to keep your feelings hidden from both Angelus and Dru, not wanting them to get upset or jealous...Angelus is your Sire after all (yes, this is weird, even to them, but Darla wouldn’t do it, and Angelus simply refused to leave you behind) and sister or not, he sees you as his, more so even than he sees Drusilla as his. 

Spike knows it wouldn’t end well for either of you if your Sires questioned where your love lies. 

After The Curse: 

Spike warms up to you slowly. 

He’s all about family, and he’s just lost one member, so he takes upon himself to protect the rest of you the best he can. Granted, Dru needs a bit more help than either you or Darla, what with her fits and daydreaming. 

You help him when you can, bringing back an extra child or two to keep Dru fed if she’s not up to hunting on her own. 

Spike notices your kindness, and begins spending more time with you on hunts, the two of you sometimes turning it into a friendly competition of who can get the best kill. 

He might lash out every now and then as he becomes torn for his blooming feelings for you and his loyalty to Dru, but if he’s been too harsh, you can always expect an extravagant present the next night when he returns home from feeding. 

Even after a mild tiff, you’ll receive a pretty bouquet of flowers or a small package of your favorite human food. 

He’s very pleased (and simultaneously conflicted) when you decide to stay with him and Dru even after Darla goes back to the Master.

During the Sunnydale years:

This would be the most advantageous time for you to fall in love with him. 

You’ve always been a close friend and confidant, so when he and Dru start having relationship problems, he comes to you for comfort. 

Usually when he’s deep in his cups and waxing poetic. 

But the comfort isn’t one-sided. 

When you try to reach out to Angel (he’s still your brother, and your Sire, soul or no soul, dammit), and are spurned for your efforts, Spike is there to dry away your tears and distract you with a hunt.  

The further he and Dru drift apart, the closer the two of you become, soon, he starts seeking out your company more than hers. 

After a particularly brutal argument between them, the two of you go off on a hunt and during the frenzied bloodlust, a heated kiss is shared before he comes to his senses. 

He apologizes profusely and runs off to Dru.

When Angel loses his soul, the two of you grow closer than ever.

Still spurned by your brother, this time for Dru and his grand plan, Spike confides in you of his ability to walk and you join in on his plot to stop Angel from raising Acathla.

His feelings for you grow stronger, his loyalty to Dru lessening every day. He’s still torn, but more out of duty than actual love this time.

When Dru leaves him in Brazil, he has his epiphany while talking with Angel and his Slayer. 

He realizes why Drusilla was always yammering on about him betraying her, about her no longer owning his heart. It was about you, all along.

He returns to you, begging you to forgive him.

It takes some time, but when you finally give him a chance, he goes the full nine, even pays Willy to set up the bar all romantic and pretty, with candlelight and fancy tablecloths, just to give you some semblance of a real date. 

After the date, and a fresh kill or two, those Victorian ways of his come back out. He walks you to the door of your crypt, raises your hand to his lips for a chaste kiss and bids you goodnight.

When you tug him inside with you, he actually asks if you’re sure. He had naturally assumed you would need more time, had fully planned on taking it slow.

By the time the sun rises, he laughs at himself for waiting so long to open his eyes to what his heart had been trying to tell him.

The Wolfram & Hart era:

Once he learns from Angel how strongly you reacted to the news of his death and why, Spike seeks you out whenever he’s not breathing down Fred’s neck about making him corporeal again.

He does his best to make you smile, taunting Angel all the more when you’re around. 

After the Pavayne Incident, you’re the only one who can bring him out of his funk, your presence soothing away the remaining fear of Hell. 

Once he learns to focus, the first thing he touches is your cheek, his thumb brushing away the stray tear that clings to your eyelashes.

When he’s finally solid again, he wastes no time in wrapping you in his embrace, his forehead pressing to yours as he breathes you in. 

He drags you away from the law firm as soon as the sun sets, in the Viper of course, and the two of you enjoy all that the city has to offer, soul-permitting, that is. 

He promises to help you continue to be a better vampire, knowing how hard it can be to be good without a soul. His faith in you brings a smile to your face and strengthens your resolve.

With you at his side, he no longer works as a viable pawn for Lindsay’s plot, so instead of ending up with his own apartment, he takes up residence at W&H, his mid-level suite just one door down the hall from yours.

He needles Angel to no end about the two of you, so much so that you have to rein him in nearly once a week before he gets himself dusted.

He holds you close and lets you cry the whole night through after the loss of Fred, stroking your hair and whispering gentle words of comfort till you fall asleep. 

When it comes time to go after the Senior Partners, he reluctantly accepts you being involved in the fight.

Rest assured though, once the Battle for L.A. begins in the alley, he barely lets you out of his sight, throwing himself in front of you whenever more than two or three demons are ganging up on you.

He even works with you seamlessly to take down a troll, tossing you up into the air to deliver the death blow.

Fred, Gunn, and Wesley may be gone, but at least he still has you. Even if Angel comes as part of the package. 

It takes a little wheedling, but you manage to convince him to let Illyria tag along with your little family as you go about keeping up the good fight.

Thanks for this, and I hope you like it. It really gave me a lot to think about. 

[toloveawarlord]

Ch. 1

Characters: Coralie Van Alst, Mozart, Comte

Tagging: @plumpblueberry​ (Please let me know if you want to be tagged)

A/N: Finally another Ikevamp oc! This was the most voted for in the interest check on the 25 Days of Christmas Voting! Thank you to everyone who voted for this oc! Enjoy the first chapter of my little musician and her unknowing meeting of her favorite composer!

Another event. Night after night, the teenager could be found in a lavish dress, violin case in her left hand, and her benefactor, Grant, hovering behind her, speaking to clients interested in her talents. His rules were absolute.

One: Don’t speak unless prompted.

Two: Every performance shall be perfection.

Three: Always please the clients

Four: No outside relations beyond the job.

She’d never known others her own age. Her education lacking, only taught basic reading and writing along with etiquette. Music took up most of her days, whether practice or event. Her talent coveted by many, but they never acknowledged the work that she put in.

“Ah, Comte! What a wonderful party. We greatly appreciate the invitation. Your pianist, Wolfram, I’d like to have him play a duet with my Coralie.” His hands rested on the young girl’s shoulders.

The regal man he spoke to gave an empty smile until his golden eyes met the mismatched amethyst and blue ones, where it turned quite warm. “Monsieur DuPont, I was unaware you had a daughter.”

Grant chuckled, digging his fingers into her bared skin when she didn’t immediately return the friendly smile. “No. This lovely, gifted violinist is sadly not of my blood. I am simply showcasing her talent here in Paris.”

“I see. However, I do not dictate whom Wolfram plays with, but I am more than willing to introduce her to him. That is, if you’d like.”

The tension was thick in the air between the two powerful men. Most groveled in the great Grant DuPont’s presence. This man was quite different. Coralie dare not check to see how her benefactor reacted to Comte’s veiled pleasantries. 

The musician they spoke of had been researched, like all with potential to leverage for the young girl to be seen by the most patrons. Wolfram Theophillius Perti. He’d been compared to the likes of Mozart. Coralie had yet to hear him play, but if he were in the same league, then for the first time, she actually wanted to meet him.

Most of those she played with were subpar, and she preferred to play alone, but she could never voice those opinions.

Thank them with a smile. Stroke their ego. Laugh at their cruel jokes.

Being a musician in this world was hard work, competitive. Many believed it not a place for women, much less a child. Some were unkind to her, jealous of her ability, of how a fifteen-year-old could play circles around them.

Always be charming, my dear. Dazzle them with your performance so no one can argue that you don’t belong.

The words of her father echoing in the back of her mind, bringing a small amount of comfort.

Grant smiled tensely but relented. He placed a sloppy kiss on her temple, all his affection for show. “Do take good care of my lovely Coralie. She’s very precious to me.” His tone light but she recognized it for what it was.

She was a commodity that brought him fame and fortune.

“I certainly will. Mademoiselle Coralie, I will escort you to Wolfram.”

With a soft thank you, she fell in step beside Comte. Eyes followed her wherever she went. Envy. Intrigue. Lust. Many high-class gentlemen wanted something from her, but never directly addressed her in fear of angering DuPont.

Somehow, it felt as though it wasn’t just her, they were watching.

“I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing you play, but the talk among my friends is all high praise. Are you from Paris?” He’d heard many things. The young girl having only been here for a half a year and yet all social circles knew of her.

“No, Monsieur. My homeland is Belgium. Monsieur DuPont has been most gracious to house me and guide me in performing while I am here.” Always praise the one who has done so much for her family. 

Comte hummed in response. He’d never liked the man. Too many rumors of his mistreatment of his wards, throwing them away when they were no longer useful. How long would it be until this young girl became nothing to him? “Ah, Wolfram, a moment please.”

The gaggle of men and women around the musician scattered at their arrival. Although he smiled at her, she knew how empty it was. Forced, just pleasant enough, and never reaching his eyes. He listened to Comte’s introduction, to the reason she’d been brought to him. Mozart hadn’t the opportunity to respond before Comte was called away by another gentleman. Left with only the girl, he politely declined, “I’ve completed my obligation to play for the evening. Perhaps another time.”

Coralie suspected that to be a placation. The pianist had no intention of playing another time. “Please reconsider. It would be advantageous to duet with me.”

“Advantageous? I’m in no need of benefactors or patrons. Of what advantage would it be to me?” Mozart lost his facade for a split second. His violet eyes narrowed then softened. There were far too many people within earshot. “Forget the question. I simply do not play with partners.”

Yes, she’d discovered that in her research.

It’s of no consequence. You perform a duet.

Her benefactor would be quite upset if she didn’t get this man to agree. Who could say what he might do to her family? “I understand. Most in our profession do not have the aptitude for an impromptu performance.”

“Precisely-”

“I am not one of them,” Coralie said, bringing her mismatched eyes up to meet his gaze. If he’d been anyone else, she would not push so hard. But she needed to hear him play, to know if he was worthy of being compared to the great Mozart. “None of them possess my skill. Please perform one song with me.” Coralie bent forward into a pleading bow, one thing that she was not allowed to do.

Being polite, gentle, quiet-- those were her instruction.

Never bow to those with inferior skill for that will only make you appear desperate.

If Grant were watching her, he’d surely be incredibly displeased. He likely wouldn’t understand why she felt the need to. Coralie had to make Wolfram understand how much she wanted to play with him.

“One song.” His voice low, filled with irritation, but it brought her attention up to his sour features. Mozart might admire how brazen the child was, and perhaps he relented because she reminded him of his human self. “One song and then you will never approach me again.”

A single chance was all she needed to prove her worth.

The pair didn’t speak as they prepared. Mozart took a seat on the bench; violet irises observed the practiced and careful way she took the violin from the case. The way she’d lit up at his song choice confused him.

Mozart’s Sonata 16 in C Major, first movement, do you know it?

Of course, she was well versed in all Mozart’s songs. He was her favorite composer to study and practice. Coralie rested against the chinrest, waiting for his first note. She felt the violin as an extension of her own body.

The crowd grew silent as they began, allowing the melody to flow around the room like the wind, gentle and constant. The strings caressed her fingers, sound pure and sweet. It mixed seamlessly with the rich, crisp tune of the piano. Two complete strangers in perfect harmony.

It was a reintroduction. Words failed to establish common ground. It was in their playing, their ability to create beautiful music, that they could begin to understand each other. Wielding their instruments was like barring their soul.

They complimented each other, piano and violin intertwining like polished dance partners gracefully gliding across a ballroom floor. They’d captured every ear, every heart with a poised rendition of Mozart’s Sonata.

It was only once the song came to a close that Coralie returned to the real world, applause erupting. Truly, this man was most incredible, like no other she’d been forced to duet with. He commanded the keys like a captain steering a ship through a deadly storm; firm and unrelenting, not afraid of the powerful sound. But he also contained a gentleness, making the ivory keys sing as the birds at the dawn of a new day.

Socialites swarmed around him, flocked to her. Their chatter equivalent to nails on a chalkboard to Coralie. She safely secured her violin in the case before slipping out to the balcony. She wanted to ingrain that performance to her memory.

The girl swam in the melody so fresh within her. Her body alight with chills. Never had a duet affected her so, sounded so alluring. This night would become one of her most treasured.

“It wasn’t unbearable. Although, I’d say you’ve plenty of room to improve.” Wolfram’s voice grounded her back in the world void of their dazzling melody. He didn’t make a habit of chasing after other musicians, but this girl... “You deviated from the song as written.”

“It complimented the original composition,” she countered.

“Irrelevant. You should always play as the composer intended.”

Coralie turned her gaze up to the night sky. The stars crowded between the gray clouds twinkled in applause. “I pay no attention to anybody’s praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings.”

Silence followed her statement.

“No one can say what he intended, but he was right. Music is deeply rooted, entangled, in feeling. Any simpleton with a few lessons can play the notes on the page. What makes a true musician is the ability to breathe real, raw, emotion into the song, don’t you think?” Coralie turned to face him, a tender smile on her lips. There were few who could understand why she felt that way.

Mozart hadn’t the chance to respond. He’d been quite shocked at her enlightened view on music. It was rare to find such passionate sentiment with one as talented as her. He would have not hated having a discussion, but the young violinist swayed on her feet, lashes brushing against her pale cheeks.

He barely caught her when she fell unconscious.