#((This took so long to write between Gates lol))

[whatislovevavy]

Sliding Stops & Beating Hearts

Reiner! Tyler Owens x Fem!Reader (Honeybee)

Summary: Tyler Owens has worked almost his entire life for this moment. And he's so glad he gets to share it with you.

Warnings: Tyler being down bad for his wife, afab!reader, fluff, swearing, smut (18+), oral (m+f), facesitting, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it)

WC: 4.6k (I'm so sorry, but not sorry enough to make it shorter)

AN: Hey girlies :) Apologies for taking so long to post this, I've been very busy and it feels like I have to wait for what feels like some kind of astronomical event for me to be able to write. Tyler Owens is essentially Jake Seresin so yeah I'm writing for him now lol. Reining has always been one of my favorite equestrian sports to watch. Granted, I've never done it nor competed so apologies to any reiners out there if there's inaccuracies with how competitions go lol. Anyways, hope you enjoy :)

None of the pictures featured are mine and were taken off of Pinterest. All of my writings will be added to my writing side blog @sophs-writing-nook 

This is an 18+ fanfic, so minors scoot pls. You are responsible for the media you consume. Do not copy, plagiarize, repost, or translate this fic without my explicit permission as it is my own creation. 

The competition had been fierce and each ounce of caffeine in your veins from your strenuous, early morning drive from Arkansas to Oklahoma had done nothing to quell your nerves. 

You could feel the sweat emulate from your palms as you watched each rider and horse pair complete their routine with near flawlessness, confidence, professionalism, and near perfect scores on maneuvers. 

Tyler would need to give it his all to bring home the NRHA world championship title for this season. 

You watched with bated breath as the pair before Tyler’s exited through the in-gate, applause and cheers ricocheting off the concrete and aluminum walls of the stadium. The announcer’s voice crackling and echoing through the speakers as the pairs score was displayed on the JumboTron that hung ominously above the center of the arena, threatening to crush Tyler's lifelong dream if a perfect score wasn't achieved. You fiddled with the competition program in your hand, waiting for the announcer to give the go ahead for Tyler Owens and Coppertone Boy, or as he was affectionately called at home, Copper, to enter the arena. 

“Come on, honeybee, I think you're more nervous than I am.” The fingers of your hand stop gingerly massaging into the muscle between Copper’s alert ears, eyes meeting Tyler’s unnervingly calm ones. You sighed, bringing your hand down to softly stroke the stallion’s velvet muzzle, looking back out at the arena that would be vacant for only a few moments more. “It's just the anticipation is all.”

He swallowed, dipping his heels down further against his stirrups, his weight settling on the back of the palomino American Quarter Horse. His thumb running along the smooth leather reins in his moderately calloused hands, his posture straightening. Tipping his hat on his head, eyes drifting from your almost perfect facade of calm collection to the no longer virginal arena footing. 

He gingerly scratched at Copper’s strong, gilded withers and neck concealed by the silken, alabaster strands of his freshly detangled mane, easing any anxiety the 10 year old stallion may have had. 

“Copper will take care of me out there, and I'm coming back, Sweets” his lip quirked into a gentle smirk, letting your anxiety ease a bit. 

Copper gently nudged you with his head, trying to get one last scratch in before entering. Or maybe to try to reassure you. “I know, I-,” you took a breath, licking your lips,” just really want this for you, and we're so close. I can taste it.” 

His eyes glazed a bit, a special kind of warmth spreading in his chest. You had helped him hitch the trailer to pick up Copper from the auction a few townships over back in his early twenties. You were the one who was with him every step of the way, through every high and frustrating low of training him and getting him ready for every competition. You were the one to stay up all night with him when Copper coliced during a muggy spring night a few years back. You were the one who encouraged him to try reining after his bull riding rodeo career came to a halt. You were the one to hide out with him on his family's ranch in Arkansas during the summer thunderstorms in the hayloft as kids and lovesick teenagers. And you were the first person he got to kiss out in the back field after the haying season was done, laying under the cover of Cassiopeia and The Big Dipper with homemade strawberry moonshine. It made the wedding band on a chain around his neck all the more meaningful. The microphone crackled as the announcer cleared his throat, announcing for Tyler to enter the arena. 

“Come on, baby, I need my good luck kiss before I go out there.” His urgent, but sweet, tone made you chuckle.  Stepping on your tippy toes, you met his lips that only seemed to get softer the more you kissed him. As your lips left his, you gave the stallion that gleamed like a new penny under the stadium lights a last, quick rub at his withers and a whispered “take care of him for me.” The stallion nudged his pink and gray muzzle into your side, letting out a puff of breath, seeming to listen and affirm your wish. 

You turned back to the man you had loved since you were a sophmore in highschool. “You'll get something a lot more when you come back.” You said softly with a flirtatious tone, trying to lighten the nerves that seemed to electrify your fingertips. Your eyes told an unspoken “whether you win, or lose.” His eyebrows rise before a smirk settles on his lips. “Looking forward to it darlin,” he winks before turning his attention to the packed arena. He gives the stallion a gentle squeeze of his sides with his calves to get him into a working walk, head low, and relaxed as his metal shoe-clad hooves rhythmically ricocheted off the pavement leading up to the arena as applause and whistles from the crowd marked his entrance like a gladiator entering the Colosseum. You watched him leave your side with bated breath. 

You always envied how he was able to feed off of the crowd instead of cowering under it, even when he was getting tossed around as a professional bull rider in the local rodeo circuit. It was a trait that Tyler and Copper had in common that made them a perfect pair.

You watched each calculated movement he whispered to Copper through his hands, legs, and seat. Each movement done in perfect harmony, from flying lead changes to each heart racing spin and rollback. You practically knew the routine like the back of your hand, softly mouthing the required movements right as Tyler and Copper conducted them with  complete poise and confidence. You couldn’t help but let your eyes flit back and forth from the golden stallion enrapturing the attention of the crowd and the judges scribbling down notes that had the potential to cut like a blade. Tyler had a calm, at-ease aura around him; his hands still with just the right amount of contact on the reins, loose hips and strong legs that wrapped around the barrel of the strong, powerful, and graceful horse below him. Copper’s ears kept at ease, each one flitting back to listen to each whispered task Tyler gave him. His mane and tail swayed beautifully with the rest of his muscular, golden dappled frame; steel horseshoes gleaming under the large overhead lights. You felt your anxiety rise as Tyler only had one maneuver left to accomplish- a sliding stop from a full gallop, the most exhilarating maneuver in reining.

Your breath felt like lead in your lungs as you watched each stride Copper took to complete his routine. With an impressive stall of his hind quarters, Copper planted himself against the arena footing to come to a full stop, his hind legs slightly folding under him as Tyler kept his body steady. The arena went quiet for only a second as Copper found his footing, remaining in a halt. As soon as the judges gave Tyler the go ahead to leave the arena, you jumped up in glee, applauding and whistling, just like the entirety of the arena   as Tyler gave Copper a loose rein, giving his strong neck deligent pats of encouragement and rubbing his withers as he made his way out of the arena at a working walk pace. After all, he had earned it. 

But would it be enough to win?

You couldn’t contain the smile on your face as Tyler met your gaze with a heart stopping grin, his handsome dimples on display, timothy grass green eyes shining for you as his chest rose and fell from his exertion, and the sweat evident under his Stetson at his hairline. 

As soon as he cleared the in-gate, he was out of the saddle and embracing you, lips on yours as you giggled against him as he picked you up and spun you around, your fingers splayed over his stubbly cheeks. Copper stood patiently as his reins hit the cement floor. Your fingers resting at the back of his neck, feeling his sweat, natural scent, and the smell of leather and horses caress your senses. 

“I’m so proud of you, baby,” you said, voice thick with tears bubbling beneath your eyes as your hands encased his gently stubbled cheeks, his grin matching your own, voice thick, “Honey, whatever happens, I’m-,” his eyes becoming glassy, “I’m just so glad I’ve been able to do this with you. I love you so goddamn much.” He brought your lips back to his in a sweet, love filled kiss that made your stomach flutter.  The crackle of the microphone breaks you both away from your kiss, his embrace still on your hips. Tyler cranes his neck to look up at the JumboTron. 

Your eyes widening, putting your hands over your mouth and looking up at Tyler’s shock-parted lips as the arena broke into cheers. Tyler swings you around by your hips before bringing you to his lips again. 

A perfect score. 

—

As soon as Tyler rode out on Copper with you by his side during the award ceremony, and your picture was taken with his NRHA Championship trophy and Copper got his red, blue, and yellow tri-colored ribbon, you both were ready to load up Copper and drive all the way back to Arkansas. 

Photographers, interviewers, and cameras followed your little group out of the arena. Tyler and Copper both walked with pride in a way that showed a healthy balance of confidence and natural charisma. Copper not once flinched as cameras flashed as Tyler had him periodically stop for interviewers to ask questions, reins loose in his hand. Copper seemed to almost pose for the camera with his ears forward and moving with momentum whenever the cameras flashed; aware that he had done a good job and was being appreciated. You, on the other hand, preferred to be on the other side of Copper’s strong withers, away from the cameras, gently running your hand along his glistening coat; it took you and Tyler countless hours for it to gleam like gold. 

“Who would you say is someone who has always supported you on the road to winning this NRHA world championship title?”

You felt like you were hiding behind the near two ton animal, peeking over his strong neck to watch Tyler with his tipped up Stetson and near alabaster dress shirt. He turned from the interviewer to you with an easy grin on his face, gently reaching behind him to take your hand from underneath Copper’s neck, bringing you around his large head and into Tyler’s chest, placing a kiss to your forehead. You couldn’t help the blush that spread across your cheeks like wildfire as you gave the interviewer a shy toothy smile. 

“I’ve had the undeserved pleasure to have by my side, during this entire journey, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known; my wife.” You felt your throat tighten and tears start to bubble up in your eyes at his gesture, all while trying to subtly hide away into his shoulder as the interviewer seemed to soak up the sweet moment between the new NRHA world champion and his wife. 

“You’ll have to forgive her, my honeybee’s a bit shy.” he chuckled, the interviewer following suit before asking her final questions with you by his side. 

As the last of the interviewers left to talk to the other competitors, you and Tyler led Copper back to the trailer to get him bedded in the trailer for the long way home.

You tried to keep your thoughts pure as you walked through the trucks and trailers with Copper in tow, passing competitors that turned into friends; like Bradley Bradshaw and his oil black quarter horse gelding, Turn and Burn, and Natasha Trace and her sorrel chestnut mare, Rising Phoenix. Both of which had gotten in the top 5 tonight out of 38. 

But Tyler looked too good right now. Too good. And his display of affection in front of the interviewer made your insides warm and jumble inside you. 

His hair peeking out from under his stetson, the color subdued from sweat; his taut jeans around his slim waist; his obnoxiously large belt buckle that glimmered in the overhead lot lights; his flushed, sweat soaked skin; bright, fern green eyes, and the defined line of his jaw to his handsome dimples. 

It didn’t help that you got distracted watching him tend to Copper as you put the tack in the trailer, biting your lip as you watched the thin material of his shirt cling to his back muscles. 

“Honeybee, you alright over there?” You almost needed to shake your head out of your trance, before trying to quickly put the tack away in the closet of the trailer, trying to focus on the task at hand and not on your lewd thoughts. 

As soon as you turned around from putting the tack away, Tyler was at the entryway. Both hands on the edge of the storage space prevented any chance of escape, sluttily leaning his weight on the frame like the scantily-clad men in those romance books Tyler always teased you for reading. He didn’t have anything to complain about though; he reaped the reward of it everytime. 

Your eyes met his mischief filled ones. “You got something on your mind, Honey?” 

You diverted your gaze from his eyes to his Stetson. He noticed, promptly removing it and placing it over his denim-clad pelvis with a teasing smile as he saw your eyes follow his movement. He always loved the dust of pink on your cheeks when he flirted with you. He took a step into the trailer, feeling his intoxicating scent invade your senses. 

You took a step forward, letting your eyes obscenely run over from his sweat-slicked back hair, to the slight crook in his nose, to his plush lips. Leaning into his ear, “I’ll tell you once Copper is in the trailer. Fed and watered.” Tyler almost shivered at the barely decent tone you used. You both were in a public space for Christ’s sake. 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

You bit your lip, a chuckle vibrating in your chest at his pace towards the patient stallion grazing from his well deserved hay bag as soon the words left your lips.

—

After ensuring all of your belongings were packed away, you went to check on Tyler and Copper. As you turned the corner, Tyler was just finishing up putting the latches on the trailer. “How’s our big guy doing?” You asked, leaning against the side of the trailer. 

He turned to you, “fed, watered, and out like a light. Copper’s going to sleep well on the ride home. Gave him a few extra flakes of hay to keep him occupied.”

“Now,” he took a step closer to you, a smirk painted across his lips, “I wanna hear what was on your mind earlier, pretty girl,” he purred. 

You took a step closer to him with a flirtatious smile blooming on your face, reaching out for his belt loops on his jeans. 

— 

“Honeybee,” he whimpered, heading hitting back against his truck as you sunk to the dusty ground beneath your knees, scrambling to unbuckle his obnoxiously large belt buckle, and unzipping his denim jeans with a harsh tug. He hissed, “careful, sweets, don't want to damage the goods,” you chuckled before bringing his jeans down to his knees. His breath freezing in his throat as you ran your palms against his defined Adonis belt and abs, scratching at the hair of his happy trail as your smooth palm found its home - wrapped around his thick, pulsing cock in his briefs. Tyler's eyes clenched shut, a hiss leaking from his kiss-swollen lips as you began to pump him in a corkscrew motion. God, he looked so good like this. Letting you take care of him and make him crumble beneath the palms of your hands. 

“Jesus, sweetheart.” His hips stuttered as you gave his oh so sensitive, engorged tip delicate kitten licks before taking him into your mouth, sucking softly. Eyes drifting shut as you savored the subtle musk of your husband and the salty taste of the precum leaking out of his cock. You hummed around his dick as his fingers weaved into your hair, keeping his cock encased in your hot mouth. 

Jesus, the glorious sight in your mind- Tyler’s head and Stetson tipped back, lips agape, cheeks flushed pink with sweat and arousal, dress shirt unbuttoned, strong abdominal and pectoral muscles exposed from years of ranch work, hips jutting out as his jeans and briefs tethered his ankles as you worked his fat cock. 

A sound akin to a mewl left his lips as you bobbed your head along his length, working his cock with your saliva soaked hand. 

“Oh fu- baby, that feels so fucking good.” His graveled voice made you clench your thighs, his eyes opening to see you pumping his cock as you playfully sucked on his balls. Saliva dribbling down your lips to the dirt below, leaving your mark on the event grounds. Your sinful acts hidden in the shadows of your truck and trailer. 

This was definitely the best way to celebrate a world championship win, he thought through a hazy conscience as he failed to find a steady tempo of breath. 

You could feel the tightness of his balls and the steady throbbing of the vein running underneath his thick cock. His fingers tightening in your hair. 

“God-Fuck-” His trail of words were cut off with a deep groan he tried to muffle the best he could.

 His hand kept your mouth around his cock as he shot his load down your welcoming throat, letting you swallow every hot drop he had to give. His body slumping against the truck, catching his breath as you rose up off the dirt, tenderly tucking him back into his jeans, bringing your lips to his. 

After a few moments, Tyler deepened the kiss,  reaching for the backseat door. He broke away from your lips, littering your neck and collarbones with messy, open-mouthed kisses. Your lips would get swollen soon from how hard you were biting them to conceal your mewls. His hands palmed and toyed with your cotton-clad breasts, feeling his calloused fingers slide under your t-shirt to fondle at your steadily peaking nipples. “Baby, we might need to do this half-clothed,” you murmured against his lips. He let his lips leave yours, realizing where you guys were: on the outskirts of the arena grounds. 

“Well, Honeybee, we’ll just have to do it with your pants down then, pretty girl.” He smiled sinfully. His gravelly tone always made you clench your thighs in need, and feel excited and jittery inside; like a new-born foal learning to run. 

He stripped off his dress shirt, leaving him with chest and abs exposed in the shadow of the truck. Before you had the chance to admire his half-bare body, he was unzipping your jeans and pulling them down along with your panties in one fell swoop. He guided your legs out of them before placing his beloved Stetson on your head. The sight of you bare below the waist and his white stetson had his cock twitching again. 

He hopped on the seat, laying down on the leather upholstery. “Come on, honey girl, get up here. I want a taste.” He purred, eyes raking from your face down to the little honey stash between your thighs with a Cheshire-like grin. 

You chuckled, excitement thrumming through your belly like a current of electricity. His hands guided your hips over his twitching dick, over his thick pecs, and right above where he wanted you. Your breath catches in your throat as Tyler brings your hips down with his broad hands, clutching at your soft waist as he starts lapping at your drenched core.  

“Fuck, Ty-” you clutched at his tufts of hair that peaked through your fingers, like the daisies in the hayfields. He toyed with your clit, his stubble scratching deliciously against your sensitive inner thighs. He gently sucked on your clit to pull each sweet moan and gasp from your lips. His thick fingers forming troughs along the soft flesh of your hips and thighs, keeping your weeping pussy pinned above his eager mouth. 

“Please.”

He grunted as your hips rocked against him, his grip tightening on your hips, guiding your movements. Your head tipping back as your thoughts failed to construe into something tangible besides broken moans and words. It’s amazing how Tyler’s Stetson has stayed on during your impromptu ride. 

God, the sight he had from below your thighs; black t-shirt riding up to just below your bra, your hands clutching at his hair and your covered breasts, beautiful parted lips, reddened cheeks and his staple atop your head.

You looked divine like this. Hell, you were divine for wanting to marry him in the first place. 

He gave your clit a delicate kiss, just enough to make you whine a little. Littering kisses along your inner thighs, feeling the tender flesh quake above him as you protested him giving attention to places that weren’t where you needed him to be. He licked his lips savoring the sweet taste of you on his tongue, and gently teased two fingers at your entrance making you gasp and whimper at the intrusion.

“Baby, you look so good from down here, so fucking good.”

His graveled voice was marked by a unique breathlessness that times like these brought him. Your hands pushed your t-shirt up and your bra down to toy with your exposed breasts and perky nipples as the Oklahoma evening air pebbled them. Your hazy gaze looking downward at your lover’s tousled hair, flushed cheeks and lust-blown pupils with a characteristic devilish grin on his arousal soaked lips.

“Fuck, baby”

He smiled as he guided his fingers into your welcoming heat, your pretty moans music to his ears. 

His fingers finding the perfect tempo against that little spot inside you that made your toes curl against the upholstery of the car. His free hand holding an iron grip on your hip, keeping you steady.

If you hadn’t felt like you were going to cum before, you were now.  

Tyler could feel your velvet walls constrict around his welcomed digits. A soft yelp leaves your lips as he finds your clit again; toying and sucking at the delicate bundle of nerves at the apex of your thighs. He sucked harder the more you pulled at his hair.

“Tyler, I’m so close, please make me cum baby-please.”

The wanton, sultry tone your voice got in this state made him ache in his jeans and move his fingers that much more eagerly. 

You felt the familiar build up of pleasure in your tummy and the sparks of pleasure traveling from your toes. Tyler watched as you fell apart over him with a wracked moan of his name as his fingers continued to rub that special spot inside you, and as he continued to toy with your poor, abused clit.

He slowed his movements to a halt, letting his fingers leave to hold your hips steady, bringing his lips to languidly kiss and lathe at your cum soaked folds, drawing out any last sparks of pleasure and the sweet, little noises you always made for him. 

Your thighs shook with the aftermath of your orgasm, your body still ringing with small sparks of pleasure and sensitivity, your whimpers pouring out. 

He lathed his last set of kisses to your pussy before sliding your hips down to rest over his throbbing dick, hidden behind a layer of denim. 

Tyler brought both hands to encase your face, bringing your lips to his in a kiss full of teeth and tongue, your mouth going to the prominent vein on the side of his neck, lathing and marking the flesh as your own, spurred on by the deep groans of the man underneath you. He growled, feeling you bite into the skin there. It would surprise him if you didn’t draw blood. 

“I want to ride your thick cock, baby.” you simpered.

“Fuck, you make me so hard, Honeybee.” He growled, feeling you unzip his jeans, pulling out his aching cock and lining him up at your entrance. Gently teasing the tip, running it along your folds, letting it soak up your arousal. You smirked as you listened to the borderline moans that reverberated from his chest. He felt his eyes almost roll back at the feeling of your walls welcoming him in; back home. You watched with lust hazed eyes as his face was consumed with tension; his eyes clenched shut, brow lines rippling the tanned skin of his forehead, his tense jaw and kiss swollen lips. 

He guided your hips, savoring the feeling of you. His hips bucking up into your awaiting pussy as he got more and more invigorated for his release. 

“Fuck, Honey-fuck!” He growled as he felt your walls squeeze him for all he was worth. 

“God, you’re always so good for me, such a good fucking girl” he said as he held your hips tighter, fucking up into you at a faster pace than before. Gasps and moans falling from your lips as he pummeled that sweet, heavenly spot inside you that had you seeing a kaleidoscope of sensations behind your eyes, and your fingers clawing at his pecs and shoulders for stability. Tyler could feel the coil in his stomach tightening as his release was barreling towards him like a train going into a station. His abs tightening, pace unrelenting as he chased his high. He could feel you were close with this new set pace, your lips parted as sweet sounds echoed from your lips. He held on until he felt your walls snap close on him like a vice, your thighs shaking as your high washed over him with a broken moan and tremor. His hips rose, fucking into you one last time before releasing his hot load into your pretty pussy with a deep growl. 

—

He gingerly pulled up your panties, keeping his cum trapped between your folds. He snapped the button of your jeans closed as he languidly made out with you. He changed into a t-shirt that hugged his biceps just right, keeping his jeans on. You both silently changed into your new set of clothes with content, lovesick smiles on your face. You gave him a kiss as he passed you his sweatshirt to wear during the ride home. 

You both settled into the front seat of the truck. By now, most people had gone home, the bright stars above watching over you. He placed his Stetson on the backseat, smirking as he watched you reach out for the cowboy hat, placing it on your head with a cute smile that made him smirk and shake his head. 

He leaned over, placing a soft kiss to your lips. 

“I love you, Honeybee.”

“I love you too, Ty.”

You give his thick thigh a squeeze, smiling as he groans into the kiss. He pulled black from the kiss, putting the truck into drive. As soon as his hand is free, he takes your hand in his, making your cheeks warm at the gesture, kissing the back of it as he pulls out of the dirt road onto the interstate towards Arkansas.

Let me know what you guys think :) Be sure to leave a comment and reblog :) My inbox is always open to requests and any thoughts you have <3

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[littlejuicebox]

An Early Highharvestide Feast

(Soft Dom Astarion x Female Reader)

-----

Setting: 4 years after BG3, "good" ending, Unascended Astarion x F Reader Notes: Took a break from my WrenxAstarion fic to write this Thanksgiving-themed (kind of but not really... lol it just worked for the plot), one shot. This idea was playing in my head, and I had to get it out. Hope you all enjoy and have a happy Thanksgiving! This might end up being a Part 1 of a mini story. I'd like to do the fluff scene with all their friends around and imagine the lives they've lived. I love to see comments about what you liked in the story, it inspires me for other fics. Rating: Mature 18+ / smut Word Count: 2.5K

-----

You’re in the kitchen, flowers strewn about the marble countertop as you arrange the bouquets for tomorrow’s banquet. It’s been four years since you’ve seen everyone at the same time, and finally, finally, the old gang will be back together in one room in less than 24 hours. Your heart practically soared in anticipation... a Highharvestide banquet in your very own home, with your favorite people in the world. You wanted everything to be just perfect.

The planning had taken weeks. Astarion had left the menu to you, of course, apart from the wine and alcohol selection. He had taken that from you quite early on and it had been more than a tenday before he solidified his choices between his frequent business meetings and your political events. He’d focused heavily on guiding you both in politics and expanding your wealth the past few years, while you focused on gardening and improving Baldur's Gate... plus navigating the lack of anonymity in your life.

Admittedly, you’d stumbled clumsily through your change in status, from unknown woman to Lady Ancunin, while Astarion glided into the position like he’d simply left his post for a long vacation. You’d been happy to take the lead in the wilds while a tadpole was lodged in everyone's brains, but you were even happier to hand the reins to him once the city was safe. And you were always proud to tell your friends that he’d navigated the two of you through the changes quite well.

In fact, he'd just purchased a second property outside of Baldur’s Gate with aims to start your very own winery; his pet project that he loved quite dearly. It was beautiful to watch Astarion approach something with such passion and vigor. After becoming the heroes of Baldur’s Gate, it had pained you that he could no longer stand in the sun. Not as much as it so obviously pained him. His mask was carefully crafted, and yet you often saw right through it. You hoped that perhaps one of your friends would bring news of a cure for his condition to the feast.

He had always been adamant that he’d make the same choice over and over again, but guilt still stabbed you like a dagger to the gut when you saw him watch the sun rise from the deepest depths of your manor or caught him studying your tan lines from your many hours spent out in the garden, your own personal pet project, specializing primarily in night blooming plants.

Astarion’s voice pulls you from your reverie as he enters the kitchen with Scratch trailing behind him. His vermillion eyes are focused on a scroll in his hands as he grasps a bone from a jar and tosses it into the dog’s bed. Scratch obediently settles himself into the plush mattress, content to gnaw away at the treat.

“Darling, your dog went after the chickens again. One of the staff had to run him down and then give him a bath. We may want to seriously consider a trainer. Command beast works all well and good when you’re around, but not everyone has that skill set in their repertoire, dear.” His tone carries just the slightest tinge of annoyance; you two have had this conversation before. But you know in his heart of hearts that Astarion loves the blasted dog perhaps more than you do.

You glance at Scratch, currently focused on giving you his best look of feigned innocence. The look reminds you quite a bit of another white-haired miscreant standing in that very same kitchen and you chuckle. Distracted, you feel the miscalculated slip of your hand as you reach for a particularly thorned flower stem. The punishing sting causes you to wince and pull in a sharp intake of breath. Blood blooms in buds of red on your fingers and the scent catches Astarion’s attention immediately.

His eyes are alight as he chides you. “You really must stop bleeding everywhere, my heart. It’s distracting.” He places the scroll down and comes to your side, grasping your hand in his to examine the damage.

“Perhaps if you helped me with these arrangements like I’d asked, I wouldn’t be in this situation, my love.” You respond with a soft huff, but you extend your hand towards the vampire, already quite aware what his next move will be. He bends to lick the red droplets from your skin before he kisses the knuckle of your hand. Astarion will never waste such a precious thing, that much is certain.

“Perhaps if you more frequently used the staff -- that we pay quite well, might I add -- to do things like tend your garden, put all these flowers in vases, and perform any number of menial tasks, then you wouldn’t be in this situation.” The vampire retorts with a raised eyebrow. “All of this is below your station now. It truly pains me to see your beautiful hands doing such things, my dear.”

You smile as you close your eyes and whisper a healing incantation, sealing the superficial wounds with minimal effort. You swivel in your seat and turn to face your husband, eyebrow arched to mirror his own, voice slipping into a coy register. “And what, Lord Ancunin, would you rather see my hands doing?”

You won. You could see it in the darkening of his eyes as he placed his hands on either side of the counter and pressed forward to look at you, red eyes flitting between yours.

Astarion had ebbed and flowed in his sexual appetites, especially in the first few years of your union. He had been plagued by panic attacks and night terrors something awful; they still occurred but not with the same horrid frequency. Your many nights of herbal teas and "flower child" magic, as he so lovingly called it, eased the suffering. You’d been content to ride the waves of desire with him, and it seemed more recently, as the two of you adjusted to domestic life, his appetites had returned with force.

His face hovered just inches in front of yours, eyes alight with a combination of adoration and lust as he pressed a soft kiss to your lips before pulling back and running his eyes greedily down your body, cocking his head as he fantasized about any number of dirty things. “I have several delicious ideas for those hands, darling.”

The flowers were scattered on the ground, along with a broken vase in an instant. The vampire hoisted you up with relative ease before placing you onto the cool, marbled counter. His hands grazed up the side of your silken gown and then delved under the hem to explore your bare skin. He quickly found his way to the junction between your thighs and a pleased, rakish smile crossed his face.

“No underclothes, Lady Ancunin? You truly do desire to test my patience today.” His eyes locked with yours as he knelt in front of you, draping your legs over his shoulders and pushing your dress up to reveal you to him fully.

You would have to enlist the help of the staff tomorrow afternoon. The tradeoff was well worth it, you thought, as your silver-haired husband bowed his head before you to run his tongue against your slit, a little hum escaping him as he tasted your warmth. He ran his tongue up to your clit, his lazy, languid strokes pressing into you. Always such a tease.

“Astarion…” You murmur, bucking your hips toward the vampire as your hands found silver curls of hair and took hold.

A smile snaked its way across his lips as he continued his torment. You were wriggling, desperate for more, which the elf adamantly denied you, his hands gripping into your thighs as he brushed his feather light tongue against you once more. Just enough stimulation to keep your attention, but not enough to provide any relief.

“My love..” Your tone is practically begging for him to give you more.

“Mm, darling. I do believe I need to show you what else your hands could do, don’t I?” He grabs your hand and yanks it towards your sex, where he guides you to play with yourself. Hungry red eyes watch the show as arousal begins to drip from you onto the countertop. He slips two long fingers deep inside your cunt and curls them slightly, pumping the digits in and out, which earns him a delightful moan. Still on his knees, the vampire removes his fingers from inside your walls and licks your juices off his hand before sliding your legs off his shoulders and standing. He makes quick work of ripping your gown over your head, pressing gentle kisses against the newly freed flesh of your chest. You are now completely barren and exposed to your lover, his lustful eyes stoking the fire between your legs.

His own arousal is now clearly straining against his clothes. Astarion quickly undoes the buttons of his collar and lacings of his trousers, freeing his cock before your hungry gaze. You’re still playing with yourself as you watch the man completely undress before you.

“Now darling…” He murmurs in that sensual tone reserved only for you. He guides your unoccupied hand to the twitching length of his cock and wraps it around the shaft, giving a few experimental pumps into your hand. “What else can your beautiful hands do?”

You take the queue and begin moving your hand around his length. Astarion hisses in pleasure, rolling his hips as he fucks your hand. The vision is quite lewd; you're playing with your own pussy as you pump your lover’s cock in time, your respective arousals just inches from one another but not touching. It's enough to cause the heat in your cheeks and your sex to rise and illicit several excited keens from you. He teasingly moves his length closer to your entrance, pulling away just as the head of his member brushes against you. You want to scream every time he pulls away, the bastard lives to tease you to the edge of desire.

Astarion was watching the scene with rapt interest, absolutely transfixed. His breath was quickening as he pressed himself into your hand, watching the head of his penis sheath and unsheathe itself under your ministrations as your pussy prayed to be plunged into, leaking arousal all over the cold countertop. He was always more in control in these situations, able to keep a firm hold on his desire in a way you never could.

“Look at my little treat, making such a mess on these expensive counters.” He murmured in mock disappointment and mock condescension, eyes burning with excitement. “Play with yourself and show me the mess you make when you cum for me, my sweet.”

You moan, desperate to have him fill you. “Astarion, please. Fuck me already. Please.” You’re keening, fingers rubbing against your clit with vigor. Desperate for something to fill the ache inside you, you remove your hand from your lover’s cock and shove two fingers into your wetness. The stimulation is fantastic and rips a moan from your vocal cords as your head tilts back.

Astarion chuckles darkly at the scene before him. It was no secret that he loved the way you inflated his ego when you begged for him, a writhing mess of wanton desire for his eyes only. The do-good, stoic hero of Baldur’s Gate turned into a desperate, needy little minx under his touch. He never tired of it. “Cum for me, darling. And then you will get your reward.”

You aim to do as he says, using one hand to plunge in and out of yourself while the other rubs frantically at your clit. Your legs are spread wide, displaying everything to the vampire as you push yourself towards release. Finally, the bubble bursts and an orgasm crashes around you, sending waves of pleasure throughout your body and into your thobbing sex. The pulsing seems nearly endless, and you feel the ooze of your juices sliding between your legs as you ride the wave of pleasure. When you come to your senses and flutter your lids open, Astarion's eyes are boring into you with such desire that it causes a tremor of excitement to run down your spine.

In one swift move he has you in a new position. Your feet are on the floor, albeit legs a bit shaky, and your ass is turned toward your lover, body bent at the waist. Your face is pressed into the counter, into the stickiness of your own juices. Everything smells of sex.

A delicious groan escapes from the vampire as he presses the head of his cock into your entrance, ready to take you from behind. “Beautiful... now, let’s see if I am able to make you come undone once more.”

Astarion slams into you with vigor, the force of the movement knocking the wind out of you as he groans in appreciation. Your soaking wet sex offers no resistance and you gasp at the pleasure of the rapid intrusion. He repeatedly drags himself back at a tortuous, languid pace just to thrust himself balls-deep once more, snapping his hips into the flesh of your ass, moaning every time he takes you to the hilt.

“Oh gods!” You exclaim as he picks up the pace, pumping into you with increasing speed, his cock curving gratifyingly along your insides. You feel yourself clenching around him as his efforts push you toward another peak.

Astarion growls and grabs your hand, guiding it once again to your clit. You’re climbing up to a second release as he rolls his hips behind you in an unceasing onslaught.

“There you go, little love. Won’t you cum for me again?” He coaxes in a graveled whisper as his lips and tongue trail down your spine, never once ceasing his thrusts. The vampire’s teeth find a beautiful little spot at the meeting point of your shoulder and neck, and he bites down, just enough to draw blood. The sensation pushes you over the edge and you spasm around your lover, your cunt eagerly gripping at his length.

“Oh! Oh... oh, my love.” The vampire groans as your throbbing sex pushes him over the edge, his final pumps turning sloppy as he spills into you. The two of you are a mess of panting chests and tired limbs for a few moments before Astarion straightens himself up and gently pulls you from the counter, dotting kisses along your shoulder where he left the bite.

"That was wonderful." You whisper, turning to face the vampire as you plant a gentle kiss on his lips.

“Mmh.” Astarion agrees in a little hum as he looks down at you with soft and loving eyes, pushing strands of hair away from your face before holding your chin in his hand and planting another kiss on your lips. The slightest of smiles flits across his lips as he runs his hands down to the curve of your waist. You move to begin cleaning up the mess you two made when your lover grabs your hand and begins to tug you away from the kitchen.

"Now, now, darling. Leave that be. I haven't finished showing you what else your hands can do… and we only have a bit longer before our friends show and ruin all the fun. Seems my Highharvestide feast came a day early." He muses, before eagerly leading you to the bedroom you both share. The flowers would have to wait.

——-

Part 2: Happy Highharvestide Day (all fluff)

[sharkboywrites]

Hello! May I ask for the BG3 gang with an autistic gn Tav who is. Very Very Large but also quite young (think like... Older teen.) who just decides that Astarion/Wyll/Halsin/Gale etc is their new favourite person and WILL NOT leave them alone.

It would be very funny if they just... didn't realise Tav was actually A Kid™ and thought they were just a weirdly clingy grownup. Except Halsin. Halsin would know Immediately.

Inspired by my dumb ass being enormous and this having happened to me irl many times.

Bg3 Characters With a Young Older Looking Autistic Tav

A/n: This idea is so silly I love it. This is obviously written as platonic because reader is younger and baulder's gate characters are older and I don't write weird stuff like that lol although I'm sure that's expected. Also also i did all of them together because I do not have the energy to write sperate headcannons for each of them, dont worry they all get their moment

Gn Reader, Child/teen Reader

This was an... interesting situation

Everyone on the team assumed you were just assumed you were a bit childish for an adult

I mean could you blame them? You were massive, anyone would assume you were an adult

Except for Halsin

He could easily tell your age, but it's something he kept between the two of you, mainly for safety

Halsin takes more of a dad approach if you cling to him

He's very protective of you and teaches you new skills

He also keeps anyone else on the team from hitting on you, for obvious reasons, but wouldn't say why

He's also the most attentive when it comes to your autism, he's always keeping an eye out for you and helping when he can

It took the others longer to find, though

Wyll was the second to put two and two together

Once he realized, he grilled you about why you didn't tell anyone about it

He isn't too harsh though, and takes a more "fun uncle" role

He always makes sure to entertain you, he's the guy who's got fidgets on him just for you incase you need them

He also decides not to tell anyone for your safety after consulting with Halsin, but he does wish you said something sooner

Gale is the second to last to find out, after trying to teach you something about magic

He had questioned why you didn't know any of this, it was supposed to be common knowledge for someone your age

Or someone he thought was your age

He just stared at you blankly for a good minute after you told him how old you actually were

He's more upset at himself for not noticing to be honest

He realizes how that actually makes a lot of sense

Gale, like Halsin, also takes a more fatherly approach

he teaches you things you may have not known before, and is one of the most helpful when it comes to working through your autism

He's a knowledgeable man and can tell what you need, probably before you do

He's very protective, often insisting that you stay out of battles, but it's not like you listen to him in that department

For comedy's sake, Astarion is the last to find out, and he is pissed

He's mad that no one told him, even if it wasn't too long Gale found out and most of the party knew

He looked so dumbfounded when he found out and like Gale, was more mad that he didn't realize sooner

He's upset, but he gets over it quickly after a day or two of snarky comments and like Wyll, takes on a cool uncle postion

The whole party suddenly wants to protect you and it's suddenly become one of their top goals to return you to your parent/guardian if you have one, next to y'know, getting the worms out of your head

If you don't have somewhere to go they may or may not argue on who takes you once it's all over

Generally, you're taken good care of from then on, much better than you were before

Everyone's very attentive to you and tries to be aware of what you may need at any given point

Since they all have some type of trauma, they want to make sure the same doesn't happen to you, especially so young

Being in this situation is stressful for anyone, let alone a child, and a child with a disability

They do their best to make you happy and keep you safe

They may struggle, but they do their best, and now you have people to call family

[james-is-here]

This photos of the Aussie's are so freaking adorable and I needed to write something. Chan looks adorable just resting on Felix's shoulder. 🥰 I'm also on a roll with Fluff and have been in a fluffy mood, smut will be posted later. lol, it's 4:20am, I started at 3:50. Honestly thought this took longer to write.

Blogs: @heartbinn

Tags: Tooth rotting fluff it's so cute, Mn says ILY to Chanlix for the first time, Mn deeply loves his Aussie's, rough airport descriptions cause I've never been in one (;-;), it's so fluffy it needs to be mentioned twice. Felix is called Pixie, Nn means nickname, Chan is called Channie.

The departure gate buzzed with the energy of travelers, the anticipation of new adventures looming in the air. Amidst the hustle and bustle, Stray Kids stood together, their camaraderie evident in the easy banter and shared laughter that echoed through the terminal.

Felix had his gaze fixed intently on the screen displaying flight information, Chan standing behind him, watching Felix's movements and muttering a few things which had Felix turn his head to hear the quiet words only to smile softly when he heard words of adoration.

You stood at another station, having just finished getting your ticket and you look up, smiling at Chan leaning on Felix before smiling cutely and waving when you catch Chan's eye, gaining a silent giggle, wide smile, and his adorable dimples. You see Felix possibly ask what he was laughing at and Chan points at you, you do the action again and gain another smile.

You three had formed an inseparable bond since you joined Stray Kids before the Five Star era and your connection deepened with each passing day, eventually they asked if you wanted to be with them and you couldn't believe they both liked you while you've been liking them since Stray Kid's third anniversary. You were also shocked knowing they were actually together.

As Felix navigated the ticketing process with practiced ease, Chan leaned over his shoulder again, a casual gesture that no one would think twice about but you knew Chan was resisting full on cuddling him at the ticket stand. You still stood a few steps away next to Changbin and you couldn't help but feel a surge of warmth at the sight of your boyfriends.

You watched as Chan's eyes scanned the screen, his gaze lingering on Felix's actions with a mixture of fondness and admiration. Judging by how long they've been standing there, Felix was doing Chan's ticket as well, Chan's eyes scanned rapidly at his information.

A smile tugged at you lips as you observed the interaction between the two of them. Despite the chaos when entering the airport and the murmurs of fans keeping their distance, there was a sense of peace that settled over you just seeing the two. You also felt an abundance of love that's been with you since you woke up. You always loved it when they were barefaced and comfy.

Felix's laughter rang out, infectious and genuine, as he tilts his head back and leans it against Chan's for a moment before pulling back. Chan's gentle smile made you smile.

Feeling a sudden impulse, you interrupt Changbin gently, smiling apologetically as you excuse yourself but Changbin knows, he was watching you stare at the aussies the whole time he spoke but he couldn't help but smile at how you looked at the two.

You finally walk over to them, your movements quick but subtle as not to give away your need to be near your boys. As casual as possible, you positioned yourself behind Felix, peaking over his other shoulder, your right hand finding its place on Felix's waist, while your left hand took Chan's and pulled it to hide the sweet connection between you and Felix's back.

The touch was intimate yet innocuous. Felix, engrossed in the task at hand now that Chan wasn't distracting him, was unaware of your approach until he felt the weight and gentle squeeze of your hand against his side. A soft gasp escaped his lips, followed by a smile that lit up his face. Turning his head, he met Mn's gaze with a mixture of surprise and affection.

Chan, ever observant, caught the exchange out of the corner of his eye. A smile played at the corners of his lips as he turned to meet Mn's gaze. There was an unspoken understanding between them, a silent acknowledgment of your affection.

"What're you cuties laughing at?" You murmured quietly enough for them to hear and Chan giggles. "Changbin was talking to you but you looked like you were gonna melt into a puddle staring at us." He replied and you hide further behind the brim of your hat. "Was I thought obvious?" You ask as you lean against Felix's shoulder. "Yeah, just a little. Changbin was smiling though. I think he was amused, actually."

Felix finally stepped back and gave Chan his stuff. "Jeez, that wouldn't have taken so long if someone~ wasn't teasing~ me." Felix smiles at Chan who chuckles softly. "It's fine, I had Jisung distracting me before Minho took him away to get his stuff." You say.

What felt like forever later, away from fans, you all had to wait a short amount of time for your plane. Chan leaned on your shoulder while Felix scrolled on his phone, holding your hand. Occasionally, more like every thirty seconds, you kiss the top of Felix's head and he hums, squeezing your hand and nuzzles the tiniest bit into your shoulder each time.

Of course, on the flight, you got the middle seat and the two sat on either side of you. This time Felix sleeps on your shoulder and Chan is leaning on you. From what you can hear, most of the other boys are sleeping or quietly talking to one another.

"Channie?" He hums, looking up at you, all his attention on you and you smile. "I love you." Chan smiles widely, suddenly wide awake as he lets go of your hand, cradling your face then giving you a firm kiss on your lips as he giggles softly. Your first 'I love you' since beginning to date them and your first kiss with Chan. He pulls back, giddy as ever as he bumps his nose against yours. "You're so cute. I love you, too, Nn."

Your body subconsciously turned when Chan grabbed your face and Felix sits up. "What?" He asked sleepily and you look over to him, laughing softly. "I love you, Pixie." "Pixie?" Felix mumbles before nuzzling into your shoulder, you notice a light blush cover his freckles as he coos but it sounds more like a whine. "Pixie~" He hums, bringing his head back up and you place a gentle kiss on his lips, he eyes are wide open when you pull away, seeming to be fully awake now.

"You-" "I love you..." You smile shyly and Felix squeals quietly, leaning forward to bury his face in your neck while giggling. "I love you, too, Hyung." He mumbles and you feel him smile into your neck.

"Flight attendant." Chan mutters and Felix pulls back but the both of them don't let go of your hands.

When you land and all nine of you are out of the public eye, Chan and Felix are giving you a couple kisses and hugs. The boys are shocked at the new affection but surprisingly are very happy. Being the silly boys they are, they cheer for you guys and you cover your burning face which Minho calls a cherry.

You felt so much love for them that you were absolutely sure with telling them in that moment. A moment that was never forgotten.

[jellyfitzjelly]

May I request a NSFW prompt where non-tiefling female reader (crush) went to check on Zevlor in a rut but didn't know what's wrong. She offered to help from now on & confessed her feelings because she didn't want him to think it's out of pity?

I deviated a bit from the prompt, I hope that's okay! I ended writing about 3.8k of words about Zevlor in rut... I think I might unwell about this lol. Hoping you'll enjoy, anon!

From desire sprang delight | 3.8k words | NSFW | AO3

You feel excited as you make your way to the barracks to see Zevlor. You’ve been in love with him ever since you laid eyes on him at the Grove, though you’ve never admitted your feelings to him. You are too afraid to ruin the friendship you have built with him. You two have kept in touch after defeating the Elder Brain. You helped the old Hellrider settle into a new life in Baldur’s Gate. You know there will never be anything more between you two, but as long as he is happy, you are happy too. You greet him on the training grounds, but you immediately notice something is off. Zevlor looks uncomfortable, jittery and smelling of strong cologne and sweat. You wonder if he is sick, but he assures you he is fine. You start your biweekly sparring session. The old Hellrider is clearly distracted, so much so that for once you manage to get the upper hand for a short time before Zevlor inevitably gains his advantage back. Suddenly, the air thickens and his eyes seem to burn brighter as he pins you to the ground. You are overwhelmed with the scent of his sweat, but it surprisingly isn’t unpleasant. On the contrary, it seems to make heat pool in your belly. Your heart starts to pound as you gaze at the ex-Commander baring his teeth. He looks so…feral like this. Zevlor seems to snap out of his trance-like state and sharply pushes himself away from you like he’s been burned. You blink as you watch him get up, panting.

“Are you alright?” you ask with concern.

“Yes, yes,” he answers huskily. “I’m just more tired than I expected. I think we should stop there.”

You nod, a bit perplexed by what happened. You got into the changing rooms with him.

“You can go first, take your time,” the tiefling tells you. “I have some things to sort out before I can wash.”

He leaves you to strip. You undress and go inside the water room to quickly wash so you can help him with whatever chore he has. You come out and dress into the spare clothes you have brought, but you realize your dirty shirt is nowhere to be found. You look everywhere, puzzled, but you still can’t find it. You wonder if a servant took it for whatever reason. You decide to ask one of them in the nearby kitchen. On your way you pass by the storage room. You are stopped dead in your tracks by a noise coming from the room. You try to listen, and you hear something that sounds like a groan. You press your ear against the door and hear another groan. You wonder what’s happening. You quietly open the door a bit to take a peek and you are greeted by a shocking scene: Zevlor has his nose buried in the underarm of your dirty shirt, his pants down mid-thighs, as he fucks his fist. You stare, transfixed, at Zevlor’s cock. It’s large and ridged, the head wet with precum. The Hellrider moans, eyes closed, as he fucks his hand with desperation. You notice an odd swelling at the base of his sex, one that looks sensitive: when the tiefling squeezes it he lets out a loud moan he tries to swallow back. You look on as heat pools into your belly until it becomes unbearable. You slip a hand in your pants, finding your engorged clit. You gently give it circling strokes as you watch Zevlor snaps his hips into his fist.

“T–Tav!” he growls, his pace growing even more urgent.

It lights a fire inside you. You match the tiefling’s pace as you rub yourself, bucking your hips and wishing so badly it was your cunt Zevlor was fucking. You bite your lips as come silently, your clit pulsing under your touch as you watch Zevlor spills a seemingly endless stream of semen. His thighs are shaking with the strength of his orgasm. When hellfire eyes turn to look at you, you panic. You turn around and run back to the changing rooms with your heart thundering. Not long after, Zevlor arrives. His eyes widen when he sees you, and he gives a guilty look to your shirt which he’s been holding.

“Ah, you’re already out,” he says awkwardly.

He smells strongly of sweat, but somehow that just stirs your arousal again. Zevlor shifts on his feet, looking uncomfortable.

“I wanted to have your shirt washed, but I thought better of it,” he explains.

“Oh, I see,” you say.

A heavy silence settles between you.

“I should go home, I do not feel well,” Zevlor eventually says. “I’m afraid we’ll have to cancel our usual drinks and dinner.”

“Of course,” you answer. “You shouldn’t work if you are ill-taken. I’ll walk you back to–”

“No need!” he hurriedly interrupts you.

You blink, a bit hurt but also puzzled.

“I am sure you have plenty of things to do. Don’t worry about me,” the Hellrider assures you.

You smile and nod. You leave him, feeling conflicted. He has lit a fire of lust inside you, but you are also deeply concerned. Has he seen you? Have you destroyed your friendship? The prospect is terrifying to you. Yet you now know he desires you. What should you do? And what on earth is going on with Zevlor? Was he sick? Or just pent-up? It’s so unlike him to give in to his needs like this in the middle of the day… No, something’s wrong with him. He needs your help. You know how reluctant he is about asking for help. You need to find out what’s going on.

You realize you virtually know nothing about tiefling anatomy. You need to read up on it and you know exactly who to turn to: Rolan. If you are completely honest with yourself, you are also curious. You keep thinking about that odd swelling on Zevlor’s sex and you can’t help but wonder if this is normal for tieflings. You go to Ramazith’s Tower and ask Rolan for anatomy books on tieflings. He gives you the books you request with a look that makes you blush.

“May I ask why you are suddenly so interested in my kind’s bodies?”

“Oh, just…curiosity,” you half-lie, your cheeks burning.

“Nothing to do with Zevlor, I suppose?” Rolan smirks with a knowing smile.

You splutter, deeply embarrassed but also feeling like the young man knows something you don’t.

“He– He looks sick, I want to help him,” you finally manage to get out.

“Sure,” he snorts and leaves you to your reading.

You are deeply confused. You can hear Cal and Lia giggling somewhere in the tower, having probably heard your conversation. You decide to study the books rather than dwell on why you feel like the butt of the joke. Fortunately, you soon find out why you feel like it.

Zevlor is in rut.

Tiefling reproduction is different from humans’. At least once a year  they go through a period of intense fertility coupled with a strong sex drive. Males develop a ‘knot’ that ensure semen is not spilled out. If they are not mated, or do not act on their needs, they can become physically ill. Their sweat smells stronger during this period to signal their fertility to other tieflings. You suddenly understands why Zevlor smelled so strongly earlier. Your mind wanders then to him with his nose buried in the damp underarm of your dirty shirt as he jacked off. Does your sweat arouse him? It makes you shiver with arousal to think about it. Your heart also breaks: Zevlor is going through this plight all alone! You need to help him. You need to show him how bad you want his knot inside you. You want the Hellrider to claim you, to fill you. But…would he accept? Just because he wants your body doesn’t mean he wants you. Maybe…Maybe it’s just the rut talking. You shake your head. You mustn’t reason like this, you’ll only intimidate yourself out of seeing Zevlor. You need to go now and tell him your feelings. He needs help, whether he likes it or not! But first, you should prepare…

*

For probably the hundredth time today, Zevlor swears in Infernal as he spills once again into the waiting basin. He sags in the armchair he is sitting in, panting and cursing himself for his foolishness. He hasn’t had a rut in a few years with the amount of stress he had been under: the Descent, the travel to Baldur’s Gate, the Absolute, trying to settle in… He’s thankful Tav still wanted to talk to him after his terrible moment of weakness. She helped him find peace and build a new life.

Zevlor has been in love with her ever since their meeting at the Grove. A simple look from those enchanting eyes and he was smitten. He knows it would never be. Such an incredible young woman like her wouldn’t spare a second glance to an old man like him. Zevlor settled on having her friendship and he was happy with that. The Hellrider was content with what he had….until his rut came. After such a long time without it, his rut has come back with a vengeance. He hasn’t had such a strong rut since his youth. Work has been a torture this past week. Zevlor was a fool to think he could control himself in presence of Tav, he should have cancelled altogether their sparring session.  The aggression only heightened his arousal, and to have her under him, at his mercy… Watching gods, he almost lost control and kissed her at that point. Her intoxicating smell  was driving him up the wall. He ended up stealing her shirt when she went to bath to release some tension. He imagined fucking her, pushing his knot into her tight sex and filling her up. He felt deeply ashamed and embarrassed to do this at work, with Tav’s sweat-drenched shirt no less, but he couldn’t help himself. The worst in all this is that it backfired on him. Zevlor hopes the young woman will never know what he was doing with her shirt. Now he is home with only his hand to satisfy himself. It feels like some kind of twisted torture. No amount of release is enough to sate him. Zevlor knows having a partner would make things so much easier, but even the idea of going to the brothel displeases him. He cannot find it in himself to fuck someone while thinking of Tav.

A knock on the door echoes. The Hellrider groans, willing whoever this is to go away. There is another, more insistent knock on the door. Zevlor curses in Infernal under his breath, wondering who has decided to show up when he is so wrecked.

“Zevlor, can you hear me? Are you ok?” he hears Tav’s voice behind the door.

The Hellrider curses again. What is she doing here?! The gods are truly out to get him, it seems. There is a more urgent knock on the door and Zevlor finally gets up. He’s thankful he has gone soft again. He hurriedly throws on a shirt and some pants before striding to the door. He winces as he gets a whiff of his own sweat. He reeks. He opens the door and is greeted by the enchanting view of Tav in a summer dress. She looks beautiful like this with her hair up. He wants nothing more than to have her.

“Are you alright?” she asks with concern.

“Yes, yes, don’t worry,” he lies. “It is simply a minor cold. I’ll be back on my feet in a few days. You shouldn’t have come, I don’t want you to catch what I have.”

He prays to the gods she cannot smell the heavy scent of sex stuffing his place right now.

“But I can’t catch what you have,” she tells him like it’s obviousness itself.

Zevlor pales.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re in rut, Zevlor. You’re in pain and you need a mate.”

By the gods, no. It cannot be.

“You know?” he squeaks, panic overwhelming him.

“I saw you earlier. With my shirt,” she says, blushing bright red.

Zevlor is torn between kissing her and throwing himself down the stairs.

“I want to help you, Zevlor,” she continues.

“Out of the question,” he snaps.

He won’t have her pity. He can withstand anger or disgust, but not pity.

“You’re suffering! Let me help you! I can take it!”

“I said no!”

He tries to close the door, but she jams her foot against it. Damn woman. She never knows when to back down!

“Zevlor, I am not leaving,” she tells him sternly.

“I don’t want you,” the Hellrider lies.

“Oh yes, you do! And…And I want you too.”

Zevlor’s eyes widen at that.

“Look, I– I get it. You’re just attracted to me. I am fine with that. It’s alright if you don’t return my feelings, but I won’t let you say I am doing this out of pity!”

“Your feelings?” he blinks.

He gets a whiff of her perfume and he starts hardening immediately. Fortunately the young woman keeps her eyes on his face.

“I– I love you, Zevlor,” she stammers, getting beet red.

The old Hellrider finds her adorable like this. His desire surges forward like a tidal wave and he finds himself gripping her by the shoulders  claws digging into flesh. She looks at him with her wide doe eyes, and the tiefling has to fight to keep himself from kissing her.

“I need you, Zevlor,” she pleads, and Zevlor breaks.

He crushes her against him as he brings her into a searing kiss, letting her feel his hardness. She gasps into the kiss, grinding back against him. The ex-Commander drags her inside and closes the door. She’s back at his mouth immediately, hungry. He wraps his tail possessively around her thigh, brushing the tip against her crotch and making a sound in his throat when he discovers she doesn’t wear anything under her dress.

“You little tart,” Zevlor growls against her lips and immediately regrets it.

How can he disrespect her like this? His rut has made him lose his mind! Yet the young woman moans, rubbing herself on his tail. He can feel just how wet she is for him, and he loses all reason after this. All he is preoccupied about now is stretching that tight little cunt with his knot. He hoists her up and sits her on the armchair. He nips at her throat, mouths a clothed nipple and dives under her dress. He noses at her bush, breathing in deep her intoxicating scent. His knot pulses at the smell.

Later, he tells himself.

He spreads her folds, salivating at the enticing view in front of him. He all but gobbles up her clit and sucks on it. Tav squeals above him, arching up as her legs wrap around his head. His cock aches as he eats her out. He swipes his tongue lower for a taste. He recognizes the taste of lubricant right away. Arousal overwhelms him so much at the realization Tav took the time to get her hole soft and pliant for him that it has him almost orgasming on the spot. He slips a careful finger inside and finds her relaxed and slippery. He goes back to teasing her clit with his mouth. Tav bucks into him, making all sorts of sweet sounds that spread Zevlor’s control thin. He digs his claws into the supple flesh of her thighs as he comes up for air, unable to resist his instincts any longer. He crawls back up to kiss her, shoving his pants down and kicking them off before rubbing his cock against her vulva.

“Yes! Yes,” Tav moans, bucking against him.

Zevlor loses all control on himself when he hears her. He pushes her legs on the armrests and he breaches her with easiness. She keens all the same. The old Hellrider grabs her hips and pushes forward, enveloped by her heavenly heat. He has to stop for a bit, breathing through his nose to keep himself from spilling right now. Tav grabs him by the neck to bend him down so she can kiss him, nudging him with her hips. He resumes, his pace erratic and urgent. The young woman doesn’t seem to mind, far from it: she tightens around him every time his ridges rub her sweet spot. He thumbs her clit, spreading her wetness as he fucks her hard. She writhes and arches, her face a mask of ecstasy. He has to have her. He must have her. Gods, he cannot let her belong to another man. He tries to tell himself it’s just the rut talking, but he knows deep down that after this he won’t be able to deny himself. She’s his. Just like he is hers.

He feels his knot swelling, his need calling for him to claim her. He looks down, greeted by a view he will never forget: Tav, in the throes of pleasure, a strap down revealing her breast, her dress hiked up, her lovely neck flushed. He wants nothing more than to keep her like this for the rest of his days, drunk on the pleasure his cock gives her. He pushes forward, his knot catching on her entrance. Tav moans brokenly, shoving herself down on it. Zevlor pushes and pushes and pushes, breathless with need.

He chokes when his knot slips inside. The young woman constricts around him, and that is the end for him. His release crashes over him like a storm. He moans high and loud as he fills her up. Beneath him, Tav cries out as she shakes with her orgasm, clawing at him. They stay like this for he knows not how long, mind blank as the pleasure tears him apart and stitches him back together. He slumps forward, resting his forehead against the armchair just above Tav’s head.

“We need to do it again,” she wheezes, panting.

“My next rut is in a year,” he chuckles with disbelief.

“I meant I want to do it again today.”

Zevlor’s eyes widen, shocked. Tav smiles widely at him, blushing. Gods, she’s beautiful. His back starts to pain him though, so he hoists her up again. She whimpers, tightening around his knot and Zevlor sees stars for a few seconds. He walks to the bed and lies down on it so Tav can rest on his chest.

“The advantage when you are old and decrepit like me is that your knot goes down much faster than if you’re young,” he tells her with a smile.

She looks at him, stern. It makes his cock twitch.

“Zevlor, you are not old or decrepit.”

She tries to shift, likely to sit up but she finds the knot still stuck inside her. She settles on glaring at him. The old Hellrider finds himself struck with fondness. He reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as he smiles tenderly.

“I didn’t even tell you if I return your feelings or not,” he tells her gently.

She scoffs.

“I know you love me too. I actually can’t believe it took me this long to realize you liked me. You look at me like I’m Sharess herself.”

Zevlor splutters, reddening. He truly did not expect her to be this cheeky…or to have guessed correctly.

“I could say the same of you,” he shoots back. “Why in the nine Hells do you not fancy a young man your age?”

“Why would I when you’re right here?” she chuckles and gods, all he wants is to kiss her.

She shifts and his cock slips out of her, his knot having deflated enough. Zevlor grunts. Tav looks with wonder at his sex.

“Don’t worry, being hard for this long is normal with tiefling,” he tells her.

“Oh, I wouldn’t know either way,” she shrugs as she sits up and take off her dress. “It’s my first time.”

“What?!” Zevlor shouts, sitting up with alarm.

“Relax!” she laughs as if it’s a light matter. “I meant I never had sex. I got plenty of experience with myself…if you see what I mean. I am no blushing maiden.”

She eyes his cock with something akin to hunger. She idly wraps her fingers around the tip still wet from the lubricant and her fluids. Zevlor whimpers from the contact.

“I want to taste you,” she suddenly says.

Before the ex-Commander can answer, Tav grabs his knot and bows down to swallow him down. He’s left scrambling for purchase as she wraps her tongue around his ridges and squeezes his knot  She’s clearly not inexperienced.

“I– I thought you were a virgin,” he moans as he tangles a hand in her hair.

Gods, it felt so good.

“Blowjobs don’t count as sex,” she smirks before swallowing him down from tip to knot.

Zevlor shouts, tensing up as he watches his lover deep throating him. He swears in Infernal as he throws his head back. His thighs are starting to quiver with his impending release when Tav lets him go. She straddles him and rubs her vulva against his sex.

“Wait–” he pants, but she plants her gaze into his and lowers herself onto his cock.

Zevlor watches her cunt swallows him, his semen and her fluids making obscene squelching noises. He bites his lips as he digs his claws into her hips, trying hard to stay still while she slowly impales herself on his cock. She fucks herself slow and careful, hands above her head holding her hair as she scrunches up her nose in concentration. The old Hellrider devours her with his eyes, taking in her beautiful naked body. As she picks up her pace she lowers herself on him. He runs a hand down her back as she works herself on his cock. Suddenly Tav grabs him by the horns as she bears down on him. Zevlor keens. The young woman is above him arms stretched, holding onto his horns as she fucks herself on his cock. Her breasts swings with her thrusts and the tiefling watches, mesmerized, before capturing one in his mouth. He sucks hard, making his lover keen as her entrance catches on his knot.

“Fuck– You’re so big,” she whimpers as she’s taking him in.

They both shout when Zevlor’s knot locks into place inside Tav, both coming at the same time. When she slumps onto his chest, he wraps his arms around her.

“Are you alright?” he croaks, trying to catch his breath.

His lover hums dazedly, clearly on her way to sleep. He pets her hair with fondness. She deserved some rest after making him the happiest man in the world. This is going the best rut he’s had in decades, he smiles to himself.

[first-edition]

LOL💕💕 this is my first time asking for a blurb and i know you’re currently writing for sandor but you’re so good at writing for sandor i had to ask. okay so here’s my idea for a blurb:

Reader is from a highborn house maybe like Arryn or something. She’s in kings landing for some kind of arranged marriage (which she’s not happy about). She and sandor have an established friendly(ish) relationship mainly built on mutual respect cause she’s a hard woman rather than a little girl. Obviously he doesn’t let his actual attraction show but maybe one night they find themselves alone and she manages to get soft on him♥️

Key things 🥺

-Plus Sized reader

-possessive or maybe obsessive sandor

-preferably nsfw🤭

Sorry this took so long lol here you go i hope you like it sorry for spelling errors I didn’t check.

When you arrived at kings landing your didn’t like it you would always try and run away and the guard would come and fetch you bringing you right back into the castle walls.

Queen Cersei was very fond of you treating you like a daughter however most of the highborn men would make fun of you. That would talk behind your back, if even that, about how “rugged” you were. You were a daddy’s girl your mother passed when you were little leaving your father to take care of you. Since he couldn’t bear the thought of become one with another woman other than your mother you were his only son and daughter in one.

He thought you how to swim, read. Hunt, fish, ride, and battle skills involving swordplay. Your father sent you to kingslanding hoping to find you a husband.

As times passed and your escape attempts became more elaborate Cersei assigned hound to your side glued you at the hip and wouldn’t let you leave his sight basically. When you woke up he was there when you went to sleep he was there. Even though hes rough around the edges to say the least you grew quite fond of him. You would talk and he would listen. You wanted to go on a ride he would join you.

Even though he wont admit it he grew fond of you as well. At first being impressed with Almost evading him through the gate leaving him to easily pick you up and throw you over his shoulder in the end regardless of your kicking and screaming.

The night of jeoffrys coronation you left the ball early running to the court yard outside to cry as your fellow highborns we making fun of you for your figure.

You weren’t obese nor are you skinny but a perfect mix between your plump frame being eventuated in all your dresses. Sandor finds you mudded on the ground as you had tripped over the godforsaken dress Cersei had laid out for you. He’d picked you up and carried you back to your room.

Before you let him leave you took his hand and thanked him for everything hes done for you. Keeping you safe in the previous riot, giving you much needed company and even for evading your escape plans. All your soft talk of your underwhelming in confession for him left him with no choice but reciprocate as scary as that may have been for him.

He helped you out of your dress as you helped him out of his armor sets before feverishly feeling one another. Using the nick name “little dove” simply from your house banner symbol of a bird.

Clothes were discarded as your shared your passion on in your bed chambers. At first he was worried about taking your virginity but you wanted nothing more or less than him. You wanted sandor more than you could’ve even dreamed and he wanted you.

His hand s gripped your thighs as he entered you his large cock splitting your folds open sitting inside you the delicious pain of him joining you in ecstasy. He kissed your body and lips devouring every sensation he could. Once you gave him the ‘okay’ he began moving.

Adjusting to his size was made easy by him showering you in love before hand. Eating out like a starved man entering his finger in you asking you to guide him in what you like and him even subconsciously teaching you parts of your self you never knew.

You figured things out about him as well. How much he loved your body your tummy and thighs bust especially your breasts. How they hang, how they bounce, large to fit your body but also perfect in his eyes. Sucking and licking your nipples gripping them in his large palm. He could plunge his face into them feeling the plushness of them.

He wouldn’t let himself go until you were begging him writhing under him as he forced orgasm after orgasm from you. His grunting and moaning in your ear melodic turning you on more fearing youll never be able to stop.

You had chosen your husband your father so desperately wanted for you. Sandor clegane. After that night sandor became more protective over you more ‘obsessed’. He would over work the new recruiting knights so they would have more to do just to slip away and take you in the library or in the gardens maze.

He craved you not just your body but your soul, your smile, your laugh, your presence. He was still assigned to you regardless of you no longer trying to escape the walls.

When Stannis invaded he took you with him and you both heading back to the vale. Even though Sandor wasn’t the ideal choice your father had thought of for you he allowed the marriage seeing how happy you made each other. Even after already being his it didn’t stop Sandors need for you. And you would need him all the more.

I hope you liked this once again sorry for the late response lol…im in LOVE with sandor clegane and will virtually never turn down a sandor head cannon or blurb!!

[kekaki-cupcakes]

Hi uhm sorry if I bother you: could you please write Percy x daughter of Disciplina (minor Roman goddess of discipline) who’s very uhm well rules-oriented, similar to Jason and cold and military though secretly loves cute and chaotic things (though doesn’t partake) so it’s kind of a rival to lovers situation please? And they meet when Percy arrives at the camp Jupiter? Thank you so much and feel free to decline ofc! Bye bye! Ps: loved your Nike series and I can’t wait for the Hypnos piece too! Take your time though, ofc!

This was a cute idea <3 and I liked writing about Camp Jupiter I haven't had any roman demigod requests before! sorry it took so long I'm multitasking so much haha but this ended up as 2.1k words lol <3

rules orders kisses instructions---Percy Jackson x roman child of Disciplina

»»————-　★　————-««

-First of all, it wasn’t your fault that you managed to bring the most chaotic, rule breaking, cute, carefree, demigod into Camp Jupiter.

-You were posted just inside the borders, watching for monsters and the like, and though you’d never admit it, it was one of the quietest and therefore dullest spots for patrol. Nothing ever came through, and you spent most of your time sharpening your weapon and spotting cloud animals. Until something did come through, namely, the bane of your entire existence. 

-He came running over the hills with a panda pillow pet and a bronze sword, followed by a hoard of screeching monsters, telling ‘Perseus Jackson’ that today was the day he would die. At the time, rescuing this random demigod was the right thing to do, but looking back, if you had just let him be trampled by the contents of Tartarus, it would have fixed a lot of your problems. Instead you opened the gates to Camp Jupiter and let him in.

-Both of you stood beyond the gates, which were made out of some solid metal that the Trivia kids had installed. They had never disclosed what it was that vaporized the monsters the second they touched it. You should probably check in with that, now that you think about it. 

-Perseus had made quite the fuss when the first cohort and the praetors showed up, making giant hands out of one of the rivers that ran along the edge of the city and then being introduced by a god. He took it all in his stride, and even had the nerve to back-talk Octavian [something you’d never admit to wanting to do yourself]. 

-You hated him immediately.

-Well, maybe not hate, hate was a strong word for simple feelings. You would just rather if Percy [he had corrected the use of his name immediately. You were grateful. Perseus was a stupid name.] had a bit more respect for the way Camp Jupiter worked, and stopped teaching the younger soldiers swear words during meal times. 

-A few days into his stay, he approached you in one of the large canvas tents set up. You’d been mapping out which of the hills you were going to use as a base in the next war game with Dakota, when he tripped on his shoelaces and righted himself, grinning at both you and Dakota. 

-Apparently he wanted to thank you for not leaving him out the border to fight off the army of monsters on his tail, and volunteered to help out on your team during the war games in return.

-You told him you would consider once he learnt to tie his shoelaces properly.

-You’d then assumed that would be the last of it, thankfully, [although for some reason you’d scan the fifth cohorts section sometimes for a mess of black hair, but you were just trying to keep the younger soldiers vocabulary appropriate. Obviously.] and spent the rest of the day taking poisonous bows and quivers off the children of Mercury, and explaining to the daughter of Pluto that she wasn’t allowed to ‘have a go at summoning a horse skeleton for funsies’.

-Reyna marched between the canvas tents with her metal dogs, barking instructions and sending out a few Helios kids and legacies as medics.

-Ten minutes before the game officially started, when the opposite side were posted up too far away to see their silhouettes on the mountain ridge, and the children of Mars were untying the war elephant from its posts and readying it for battle, Percy burst back into the tent. One of the leopards getting a spiked collar attached to its neck growled, but settled back down when Dakota spoke sharply to it. Lavinia went to shoo Percy out, but something about the easy grin on his lips made you wave a hand, and Lavinia went back to instructing the Vulcan children. 

-Percy ran to you, and in quite the untimely fashion, kicked one of his feet up onto the battle plans, mud and dirt smearing across the maps and charts. Before you could yell at him, you spotted his shoes. 

-“How’s that for being allowed to fight?” Somehow, in the few hours he’d had spare, Percy had acquired a pair of purple velcro sneakers. 

-You stood there for a moment, and then narrowed your eyes at him, folding your arms as well, just to make your point. “If you left Camp Jupiter I will have to report you, you know that, right?”

-He just smirked. “You like me too much. And don’t worry, I traded Octavian's diary for them, some Venus legacy guy had a spare pair. Purple isn’t really my color, but watch!”

-Thankfully, he took his feet off the table, but a moment later he was running across the cramped tent, and threw his arms out for balance as small wheels popped out of the soles of his shoes. A coat of shields crashed to the floor, and the leopard in the corner jumped to its feet and scampered out. Someone yelled and Percy proceeded to spin in a circle and then slip and fall.

-For the first time, you became annoyed that your reflexes were so good, because Percy was sprawled out in your arms, which were under his, keeping him from becoming impaled by a stray electric spear. You held your breath for as long as you could, pulling your expression into one blank of emotions, but then you couldn’t hold it any longer. 

-You laughed.

-Pery turned around, pulling his shirt down and skidding a little on the floor. His green eyes you only just noticed were the same shade as the lake near the stables were wide, and he was slack jawed. 

-Your stomach started to hurt as you giggled, “what?”

-“You can laugh!”

-“Of course I can laugh, Perseus, I am a person.”

-“I didn’t know you could laugh. And it’s Percy, don’t make fun of me.”

-You went back to glaring at him quickly, and he visibly dulled. You just rolled your eyes and began brushing mud dewy grass of the battle plans. He peeked over your shoulder, hair tickling your neck, so you planted one of the little markers Dakota liked to use to show where people would be patrolling. 

-Percy pouted, and you quickly looked away from his mouth [why were you even looking at his mouth?], “can’t I be the horse?”

-“The Pluto girl is the horse, she’s making sinkholes along the tracks to our base, trying to dilute the flow of soldiers. You can be the dog, it’s cute.”

-“You think I’m cute?”

-His smile when he said that was in fact, cute, but you didn’t tell him that. Instead you picked up another of the little coloured markers, and moved it to where you’d initially put the dog. “Fine, you can be the toucan, because you’re an imbecile.” 

-“No wait, I wanna be the dog now... And what did toucans ever do to you?” 

»»————-　★　————-««

-You became quite accustomed to the sound of smooth clicking, a scrape, and then Percy yelping and bumping into the back of you over the next few days. 

To the north, beyond the gods, lies the legion's crown. 

Falling from ice, the son of Neptune shall drown.

-You didn’t see him off. 

-You knew it wasn’t polite, the entirety of the army stood on the shore as Percy, the Pluto girl, and the boy who cared for the war elephant waved them off. But you stayed at your post by the border instead, watching cloud animals and pretending not to see someone sinking to their death in each one.

-But the army didn’t sit with him at every meal because technically, you were a superior and didn’t have an assigned legion, you had just usually sat with Reyna or Jason. You’d eat the breads and nuts and fruits the satyrs and harpies brought while Percy ate everything in sight that was even slightly blue. 

-The army wasn’t given a daisy chain as a crown when you showed Percy through the gardens, the trees and flowers acting as borders to the paths leading across the city in the direction of the universities and shops. The army didn’t find an old basketball in the weapons shed and learn to play with Percy, because he couldn’t remember playing before, but he was good. 

-The army didn’t sneak him into the stables because really you weren’t allowed but somehow the rearing black stallions calmed him when his breathing got too fast and uneven. 

-The army didn’t sit at the edge of the river bed while he ducked under and splashed around like a happy duckling. That stopped when the prophecy was first spoken. Percy skirted around puddles on the last day.

»»————-　★　————-««

-There was blood. Lots of it. Smoke wafting from the scattered fires and screams piercing the muggy air. 

-You held your weapon tightly in your hand, back to back with Dakota as he brandished a baseball bat wound tight with thorny vines that curled and writhed like snakes. 

-Monsters crawled over the mountain ridge in waves, at least half of them squashed by the giant stomping in circles and roaring, creating miniature earthquakes with each step. Alcyoneus was forty feet tall, his skin a metallic sort of color that shone like the sun Helios was bringing into the middle of the stormy sky. 

-The fifth legion ran into places, maps and diagrams you’d drilled into them, finally being put to use as they worked effortlessly. The war elephant had doubled, somehow, and both charged at the violent giant currently ripping the roof off the stables, knocking him sideways.

-For a short moment, you assumed maybe a finger had been cut off from the monster, as a bronze sort of color streaked across the horizon, but then it came to a stop in front of Lavinia, who was dragging an unconscious demigod across the battlefield in the direction of the hidden medic base by the university. 

-Hazel, the Pluto girl [you’d finally learnt her name] sat atop a stallion, her cavalry helmet over her curly hair. You made eye contact, and her shoulder sunk, but you weren’t sure if it was with relief or disappointment. You couldn’t see her expression from across the bloodstained distance, but you could see the blue harpy foaming at the mouth behind her, talons outstretched. 

-You turned to Dakota, but he was already kneeling a little, bracing himself as you stepped on one of his hands, and then he launched you forwards and up, up into the smokey air filled with screams and wails. 

-Time slowed a little as you positioned yourself, wind whipping your eyes and making them sting. Hazel ducked as you flipped over her and landed on the Harpies back, rolling it away and further down the hill. Talons raked your cheek, and you whacked it over the head, hard.

-The bronze streak was gone already. Somehow the horse was running vertically up the side of the giant, and then began circling its neck.

-The sleeve of your purple shirt was ripped free and you held it to your face, the deep cuts dripping down your neck and already staining your skin in dark red blotches. Pain prickled, but you felt a chill down your spine, and by the time you had turned, the horned snake’s jaw was already unhinged, fangs dripping with something dark and oily and ready to bite.

-Your heart slowed, or maybe it sped up, all you knew was that it was the only thing you could hear.

-You held your arms in front of your scratched up face and tried to roll, but the snake's tail was already heavy across you, pining you to the blood stained cobblestone ground. You reached for where your weapon had been lost in the wrestle a moment before, but then there was a dragged out squelching sound and a ‘shing’. 

-The snake froze, and then its head slipped off its body, landing by Percy’s feet.

-He launched forwards as quickly as the snake had, only he pulled you from the cocoon of scales, panting. Your hands shook, and Percy’s eyes widened when he spotted the splatter of blood on your neck, his face going pale.

-You shook your head weakly, “just my cheek, it’s not bad.”

-He nodded, and then you were once again wrapped up tightly, this time by Percy’s arms. You noticed vaguely that he was actually pretty buff, but then you felt your eyes prickle with emotion.

-He stepped back quickly, ducking his head, “sorry, I..”

-“You didn’t drown.”

- “I technically did but it’s all good now-” 

-You cut him off with another hug, your face buried in his shoulder, probably covering him in your own blood as well, but Percy didn’t seem to mind when he hugged you back, chest heaving. You sniffed, trying not to cry, hands tight around his hoodie, “you smell like incense and hay.”

-“That, yeah that explains a lot of it actually.”

-“You don’t get to go on another quest without me, that’s an order.”

-“Yes please.”

»»————-　★　————-««

[citrusbatsandhoneybees]

-Guess You're Stuck With Me-

-Lucifer Fluff One-Shot-

A/N: Omg I'm finally writing again, I've been really busy for the past couple weeks, adjusting and stuff, but I can finally work on my unfinished projects now lol. Either way, flying kind of killed me, but I wrote some of this during it and I just finished it. Not my favorite, but I thought it was still cute. Hope you enjoy! <3333

Lucifer x Reader Fluff

Synopsis: The reader gets stuck in the airport, and during her wait she meets the King of Hell.

Surprisingly in Hell there are a few small flights that connected some of the outskirts of town. Unsurprisingly the security you go through is its own Hell in of itself. You already didn’t enjoy going through security in your lifetime, but you could swear on your afterlife that the hell born and sinners that ran the airports enjoyed the misery that they put everyone through. The constant changing rules that they would arrange became unreasonable in hell as they realized the control they had over the people that had to go through. Besides that, they are decidedly rude to everyone, yelling at everyone that came past, and unreasonably going through other’s luggage if they decide to on a whim. 

You were on your way to meet one of your friends on the other side of Hell, and after a long couple hours of checking in and working your way through the other processes you were finally on the other side of security waiting for your gate to announce your group. As you found a leather seat in the waiting area, you held your carry-on close, and took it. Notably nearly all the seats that surrounded you were empty, but you didn’t put much mind behind it. 

A heavy breath of relief escaped from your lips after finally being able to relax. As you sat, unwinding and leaning further back into the plump leather, you pulled out your Hell phone. Your thumbs tapped quickly against the small screen, after you selected your top contact. 

      [ At the airport now! Seeya soon! 🥰

After looking over the text a few times, a quiet whooshing sound resonated from the little speaker as you sent it. Pulling open your music app, you grabbed your beloved sound-proof headphones to set over your ears and selected a curated playlist for the day. You let out a long sigh as you slid further into the seat. Because you had gotten there quite early, you still had quite a bit of time before you had to board, so you allowed your eyes flutter shut, and decided it was best to just lounge around in this area as you waited. 

About 45 minutes later, your lids abruptly flew open as you felt a set of vibrations in your back-pocket. Sliding up into a more alert position, you pushed your large headphones back, and pulled your Hell-phone out of your pants, looking for what it could be. The moment you removed your headphones, sounds of continuous small thuds and sizzling flooded your ears, and you turned your head to the grand windows that lined the building.

Acid Rain, and not just a drizzle. Heavy, pouring, acid rain spilled down from the sky. The quick realization of your prolonged stay hit you like a bus, and a heavy groan reverberated past your throat as you turned your attention back to your device. As you thought, your flight was delayed for another few hours. Before you pushed your device back to its earlier position, another quick blurb of text was sent to your friend to let them know that you wouldn’t be able to see them for a while. 

       After realizing you were going to be in that airport for a lot longer, you picked up your things, stood from your seat, to find a more comfortable area. Once you had got up, you rolled your shoulders back, soothing the aching muscles in your back. You took a few steps out of the gate area, and looked around the building you would be staying in during the next dreaded period of time. Between the gates of the airport, the rest of the area was lined with bars, fast food joints, and shameless clubs to aid the long wait times between flights. You took your time walking down the hall, and eventually found a quaint, dingy bar close to the very end of the hall. Inside there was a mahogany counter, with various bottles of alcohol and glasses lining the wall behind it. The room was enveloped in a welcoming, dimmer lighting compared to the airport’s sickly incandescent lighting. As you spotted the quieter environment with homey seating along the walls, you took a step inside. 

       You approached the mahogany bar and looked over a small menu that sat on the wood, of course being in hell the prices were marked up to an atrocious price, but you ordered a simple drink anyway, and waited for a few moments. Looking along the wall in front of you, you fidgeted with your thumbs as you waited, until another man approached the bar beside you. He held an impish appearance, with two sweet, circular, white cheek marks and horns that bent back towards his head, but what took you aback was his smile. It was genuine and almost too charming. He ordered a fruit flavored drink with a smooth voice, and once he finished, he turned to spot you, basically gawking at him, and you swiftly turned your gaze away from him to the drink you ordered. A prideful smirk pulled at his lips, and he turned back forward waiting for his drink to arrive. After a few more moments you fell to the temptation to sneak another glance towards the man, and were met with his eyes looking over you before the bartender handed him his drink. Warmth flooded to your face as you were caught, and turned back away from him as you took another awkward sip and tried to focus on the soothing sound of rain that surrounds you. 

       Suddenly the sound of synced buzzes sounded between the two, and the both of you pulled out your phones to see the identical notification that the flight delay had another hour added onto it. Just more of this torturous wait for you to go through. A small groan ran past your lips, and the man beside you spoke up. 

      “You too?”

You lifted your head to look back at him a little confused, but it was explained easily after a small glimpse of the notification on his phone.

       “oh, haha yeah.” 

You answered and gave him a small smile as you continued the conversation. 

      “Annoying huh? Hopefully it stops pouring soon.” 

The man responded with his own charming smile that had your heart fluttering against your chest again. Your fingers felt the condensation against the cool glass as you wrapped your fingers around it and you lifted it to your face once again to take another long sip of your drink, trying to distract yourself from the flustering feeling. 

      “Where are you supposed to go?” 

As he continued the small exchange, you turned your head away from the glass to return your gaze back to him. 

      “Just outside of the city, I’m supposed to hang out with a dear friend of mine. Hopefully she doesn’t get too upset.” 

This gave you a small reminder to notify them, and you looked down towards your phone to give her yet another disappointing update on the status of your flight, and looked back towards the man who gave you a sympathetic smile. 

      “What about you?”

He responds fondly and enthusiastically. 

        “Oh I’m taking Ch- my daughter and her friends over to Lu Lu land! Heard of it?”

He stuttered for a moment, and you suppress a snort at his endearing enthusiasm. That wasn’t something you came across too often around Hell, and it definitely wasn’t something you were expecting to see. 

      “Definitely have heard of it, but sadly never have had the chance to go. I’ve always wanted to though.” 

You drifted off as you thought over what you imagined Lu Lu Land to be like in the past, and after you finished you looked back at him. Quickly you were surprised by the expression painted across the man’s face. His eyes basically sparkled, and his smile had grown wider to a prouder one. heh cute... wonder why? 

      “Oh you have to go! I- I mean it’s magical! Made for royalty by royalty!” 

Your company gestured widely and dramatically as he described the park, you smiled and laughed lightly at his small passionate rant. He felt entranced by your laughter. His grin didn't fade as looked back over to you with a raised eyebrow. 

     “Sorry, it’s just that you seem really sweet.” 

He was taken aback by your reasoning, Realizing a little too late that your statement was kind of bold you flushed slightly. Reasonings, excuses, and sorries started to fill your throat threatening to flow out, but before you could rescind or apologize, he spoke. 

      “You seem sweet too.”

You looked over to him with a warm smile, and soon he matched yours with his own. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Eventually the synced buzzes between your phones became a more welcome sound during your hours together, as you were both able to help soothe the painful wait you both had to go through. The conversations between the two of you flowed like an easy melody, and you moved to settle in a plush leather booth that sat in the corner of the room. You were grateful to be able to admire his features from a closer angle. 

      Your beloved company proudly was telling a story between him and his daughter when she was much younger. A laugh ripped from your throat before you took another sip of your drink. 

      “Luke! I can’t believe you did that!"

He joined in on your laughter as he defended himself. 

      “You don’t understand how cute she was! That little duck onsie was perfect! How could I not!?” 

      “Everyday???”

You exclaimed towards him between your giggles. It was a really sweet story, but you couldn’t believe the indulgent manner of it all.

      “It was clean!! I made sure of it!” 

He leaned forward and nudged your side playfully to emphasize his point. His heart warmed seeing you laugh so genuinely and wholeheartedly. The man moved to sit back in the booth but spotted a piece of hair that had fallen to your face and mindlessly pushed it back. Time slowed as your breath stuttered, feeling the affectionate action, and you could almost feel his hot breath against your cheek. His eyes met yours in this frozen moment, and quickly the urges to lunge forward and kiss him weighed heavy on your mind. 

The seconds felt like hours during this tense moment, but time sped forward once again as repeated vibrations sounded once again in your back, and his coat pocket. Lucifer hesitantly resumed sitting back in his seat, and an awkward laugh fell from his lips after the interruption. 

      “Guess you’re stuck with me for a little longer.”

You returned the awkward laughter, and nodded with a smile. 

       “I really don’t mind” 

He gave you a affectionate grin, and the sentiment stuck in the air for a few moments before you stood to break the silence. 

      “I- I’m going to grab us more drinks, same thing?” 

Lucifer gave you a nod, and watched as you left the booth. Silently he cringed to himself over the hesitation over the previous moment, and the situation he had gotten himself into. This was one of the most genuine connections he had in a while, even after only meeting you that day, but he was conflicted on how to handle it. Would it change if you knew who he is? Would you run after finding out? 

       You on the other hand were reeling from the tender back and forth between the two of you. Even if it was awkward now maybe you had a chance? You ordered your drinks, and quickly returned to the man with a new found confidence. Handing over his drink, you allowed your fingers to graze his as you removed your own. A small gesture, but he noticed, looking down at his hand. The worrying thoughts were still were fresh in his mind. You looked over to him as he stared at his drink, and a pit started to stir in your stomach. Did you assume wrong? 

      “Something wrong?” 

You sat in the booth, across from him as you examined his face. He returned your gaze up to you and rigorously shook his head as he reassured you.

      “No no, just thinking.” 

He wasn’t very convincing, but you didn’t want to push him too much. 

      “Wanna talk about it?”

He bit his bottom lip in contemplation for a moment as he answered carefully. 

      “Do you still want to talk after this?

You were both concerned over the same thing. You sighed a little to yourself with a small laugh as he asked, and your heart banged against your chest as you continued. With the push of your new-found confidence and the liquid courage you’ve been drinking throughout your time with him, you looked him deeper in the eyes; you placed a hand to his chin running your thumb over the white spots on his cheeks. 

       “Yes, Do you?” 

He stuttered under your daring move, and gave you a nod. After the confirmation, you gently moved forward, moved some of his hair out of his face, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. 

       “Ask me out then.” 

He watched as you gave him a small teasing wink before pulling away to sit back in your seat. His lips turned up to a smile and he opened his mouth to do exactly as you said, but was interrupted once again by the sound of his usually cheery daughter, walking in. 

       “Dad??” 

Charlie called loudly from across the room, searching for her father. A harsh wrinkle formed between his brows and his shoulders tensed before he gulped and called back. 

      “Over here sweetie!”

You looked up past him and towards his daughter, expecting a small imp woman who resembled her father, but instead was faced with the tall blonde princess of Hell. A few confusing milliseconds past before you fully comprehended what was happening. Shocked, you turned back to look over at who you now understood to be Lucifer Morningstar. He glanced to you apologetically, and turned back towards his daughter. 

       “What’s wrong?” 

For a moment a relieved look spread across the princess’s face as she turned to see her father recognizing his imp disguise, Then she turned her head slightly to see you across from him. 

      “We uh- should get going.” 

She looked between the two of you inquisitively, and Lucifer let out a sigh as his golden magic enclosed around him, revealing his true identity. For a moment your breath hitches seeing the king across your way.  Realizing that you had been flirting and touching royalty the entire time made your face flush in embarrassment. 

      “Why do we have to leave Char Char? Did something happen?” 

      “No, they canceled the flight, didn’t you see it?” 

You pulled out your phone to check on your own flight realizing that yours was canceled a while ago too. All of that wait for nothing. Well... not nothing... 

You pushed your phone back into your back pocket, before stepping out of the booth. The other two Morningstars turned their eyes to you in surprise, and Lucifer’s heart tugged. You turned towards the king and gave him a warm smile still feeling the heat in your face from embarrassment. 

      “My flight was canceled too. It was nice to meet you Luk- wait sorry um- Lucifer.. or your highness?” 

Your words broke into stutters as you tried to wish him goodbye. You were about to offer him an apology for your manners, but he stopped you. 

      “Lucifer hun.. Lucifer’s fine.” 

The butterflies returned your stomach at the sudden nickname, and you gave him a small nod and smile before leaving to buy the closest tickets possible and heading back. Charlie continued to look between the two of you curiously as Lucifer almost instinctively reached for you but stopped himself short of actually grabbing your wrist. He wondered if that was it. He never got any way to contact you, so he assumed that the two of you would end up like two ships passing each other in the night. 

As you held your things close and wandered back to the ticket counter at the front of the airport, you wondered how he felt about everything. What he actually said seemed truthful, and you didn’t doubt that all your conversations between the two of you were genuine, but a large portion of you worried that you were being deliberately delusional, looking for romance where it isn’t. He was the king after all.  

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once you were able to arrange replacement tickets, you decided to stay at a hotel connected to the airport because you were unable to travel under the acid storm. Next thing you know you were at the airport once again. You took the next flight to the outskirts of hell, hoping there wouldn’t be any more issues. You went through the dreadful security once again, making sure to do everything perfectly to avoid getting yelled at, and as you finally passed through check out and security once again you walked up towards your gate. 

This time you were able to actually board the plane at the time it was scheduled, and you settled in your seat as you waited for everyone else to board. You bent over and pushed your carry-on under the seat in front of you. Then after you turned down the brightness of the vox-tech screen attached to the seat in front of you, a long breath of relief passed your lips. 

As you sat back in your seat, others joined you, strolling towards and sitting in periodic seats throughout the plane, and soon you heard a cheerful and bubbly female voice not that far from you. Your eyes flutter back open to peer over your seat and look towards the entrance to view the blonde-haired princess walking in and enthusiastically inspecting her surroundings. A cold shiver runs down your spine as you recognized Charlie from the night before, and you quickly pulled out a magazine from the seat pocket in front of you as you slid down and hoped that she wouldn’t recognize you. You weren’t sure how you didn’t put it together that you could be on the same plane the next day, but your nerves were spiked as you flushed from the embarrassment of the night before. You opened a magazine wide, and pulled it to your face, as you, noticeably, peered over the magazine to watch her other friends walk through the aisle right behind her with her father being the last in line. He seemed almost bored as he looked around and fidgeted with his apple atop of his cane as he made his way down the plane. As you continued staring, the line had progressed enough for Charlie to spot you behind the paper you held. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, and popped open wide, giddily, as she realized who you were. She nudged her girlfriend behind her as she looked over to you, beaming. 

You whipped your head towards the princess as she giggled past you and looked back at her dad to see if he had noticed. Her line of guests kept walking with her, and her grin grew as she whispered excitedly with her girlfriend. You watched them walk by, and a spider-like demon looked you up and down with a smug smile and a prideful glint in his eye. Slightly confused, you met his eyes, searching for an answer until he eyed the magazine you held. Turning your eyes down to the issue, you recognized his resemblance on the cover and flushed as you felt your stomach drop. Frantically you rolled up the Valentino brand magazine and bunched it into the seat pocket. 

       “wait I- it isn’t, I wasn’t!”

Your panicked, and the failed attempts to cover yourself were picked up by the king and he observed past his line of guests. Once he spotted you his own heart broke into a quick rhythm, as his mind raced through things to say. You glanced towards him and met his eyes for only a moment before looking back at the porn star. The demon chuckled as he gave you a teasing wink and continued walking past the rows to his seat. The others followed with him, and you fiddled with your thumbs, hearing the loud drumming against your chest, as the man approached to walk past. Lucifer glanced towards you, and opened his mouth to say something, but came up silent. In the fleeting tense moment, against your own logic, you turned your head to give him an awkward smile, but a smile, nonetheless. His heart came to a shocked stop, and he gave a simple smile back, with a small bit of resurged confidence he was about to speak. However another sinner behind him had the gall to tap his shoulder, and he realized he was holding up the line behind him. You watched as he continued walking, joining the others in their assigned seats in first class. 

Once Lucifer had sat with his daughter and her residents of the hotel, he was bombarded with questions within her daughter’s excitement for him. He had resolved his daughter’s curiosity as he told her the night before what had happened between the two of you, and it seemed to only fuel the romantic in her. He on the other hand was still quite concerned with how you felt.

      “Soooooo!! Did you talk to her??”

He set aside his cane as the others joined her to stare over at him. 

     “Char Char, I only had a few seconds.. but no not really” 

Her disappointment only lasted a moment though, as he spotted a few napkins in their area. His nerves still held the reins, but he persevered as he grabbed a paper square, and summoned a golden fountain pen. 

      “Awwww! Dad, you're gonna write a note?”

A simple nod was sent her way as he bit his bottom lip, and he scrambled together a note. 

      [Wanna go out for drinks again? -Lucifer] 

His eyes scanned over the note, and he shook his head with a groan. 

      “What? no no no that sucks.” 

Lucifer murmured to himself. He then crumbled the note in his fist and bunched it into the seat pocket as he grabbed another blank square. Quickly he scribbled his cursive handwriting down again. 

      [Would it be weird if I asked you to go out with me?]

What? Don’t ask that! He thought as he scoffed at his second failed attempt, and repeated scrunching it up and shoving it down the seat pocket. He gained the others attention once again as they watched him continue to pull out napkins to only waste them away. 

        [Remember me? The guy who you had drinks with last night, and lied about his identity? Yeah wanna have drinks with him? He’d love it if you would! -Lucifer] 

As Charlie’s dad spoke through his last note with a exaggerated tone she took it from him, and tried to calm his rushing thoughts. 

      “Dad, just keep it simple! You’re thinking too much!” 

He looked over to his daughter who held his forearm, keeping him from starting another attempt. He let out a small sigh as he remembered the night before. Although the number of interactions were limited, just the thought of your smile was enough to give him butterflies again. Compared to before, Lucifer held a calmer exterior. His fingers held onto a corner of another napkin and placed it down to his tray and wrote simply. 

It had been quite a while since your brief interaction with the king of hell. You took in an understanding as the plane started to take flight that this was probably the last time you would interact with him, and tried to accept it as the plane finally was settled in the air. However your thoughts were interrupted as someone spoke over the intercom. The pilot had finally given the go ahead to use your trays, and quickly, with a small flourish of glittering, golden magic, yours had unlocked and laid in front of you. Then a rubber duck with Lucifer’s likeness appeared with a napkin in its beak. After the initial surprise, you brought the rubber creature closer to inspect. Memories of the stories Lucifer had told you the night before flooded in, and you giggled to yourself. Keeping the duck close, you removed the small note from its beak, and unfolded it. In graceful handwriting it said,

      [Thank you for last night. If you are still interested, would you like to go out for that date?  -Lucifer] 

Delight enraptured your heart as you felt butterflies, and you traced your thumb over the large glimmering signature over the bottom of the note. The burdensome worry that he wasn’t actually interested in you was chipping away. After a few moments, you pulled out your bag, and pulled out a few items to complete your response back to the king. You flipped over the napkin, finished your note, and folded the soft paper together, before looking for a flight attendant on the plane. Your small search was over as you found one was walking past a few rows checking on the flight guests, and you kindly asked her over before asking her to bring the note over to the King. With some convincing and a small payment, she finally agreed and took the note from you. 

Lucifer anxiously picked at his claws and bounced his leg as a short flight attendant strolled into first class.

       “This is for you.” 

She said straightly and handed him the slip before returning to her job. Lucifer abruptly faced her and ceased his fidgeting as he took the note back. Hope filled his soul and the others' anticipation grew, as he took in a deep breath, and unfolded the square. Warmth thrummed against his chest, as he stared down at your response.

      [I would love to.] 

A set of numbers and small mark of lipstick laid boldly next to your lettering, and Lucifer’s grin grew as he read and reread the simple note again and again.

[graysparrowao3]

2024 Writing Year in Review

Thank you @darkurgetrash for the tag! What a nice way to round of the year and usher in creativity for the new one. Some no pressure tags and an open invitation <3 @lizziemajestic @captainsigge @lostinforestbound @velocitross @alpydk

Words posted (on AO3, not including Tumblr posts): 156,191

Words unposted: Between the 4 WIPs ongoing, the total words unposted within drafts currently is 7,903. Huh. Not as much as I'd have guessed. Tragically, it appears I do have to actually write the damn things as they appear to not be writing themselves.

Total word count: 223,513

Fandoms: Baldur’s Gate 3. Specifically Rolan, Cal, & Lia and Rugan/Aradin centered, with a smattering of other people's Tavs/Durges and their love interests.

Highest Kudos: The Night at Last Light Inn, a Rolan/m!Tav one shot.

Highest One-Shot Hits: Also The Night at Last Light Inn lol. People like to see Rolan having a good time. It was also posted at the beginning of the year at a time with more activity in general.

New things I tried: The Rugan/Aradin stuff was genuinely supposed to be a one shot where I tried writing something far more angsty and explicit than I'd ever done before. I really enjoyed it, but did not like leaving angst without exploring the underlying root of destructive and painful behaviors and emotions and finding a way to resolve it. Knowing what I do irl, this tracks. Based on the characters I thought it might not be received well, so I'm very grateful to everyone who gave it a try and saw what I was trying to do with it and gave me the confidence to keep going, including the encouraging feedback from @octoberskiies @threerattsinatrenchcoat @fangbanger3000 @lizziemajestic @vera-king-hrfl

@crowwolf @faerie-with-a-knife @forget-me-maybe @lemonsrosesandlavender @benicemurphy amongst others <3 Without community it wouldn't exist at all.

And now I'm in so deep I can't see the light any more. Hooray!

Fic I spent the most time on: Technically the one that's been sitting unfinished since the start of the year is What if...Everything Went Wrong, but though The Northern Bastards is technically a series, it's been pretty all-consuming my life lately so I think it has to win.

Fic I spent the least time on: Probably Brew, love? It was just an idea that gave me a chuckle so I threw it out quickly, but I still think it's a fun little thing.

Favourite thing I wrote: The first half of the year it was The Elturian Prodigy, which is the Rolan, Cal, & Lia fic in my heart. I took some space from it after disheartening feedback as though I always want to grow this fic stuff is something I do because it brings me joy, so for this present moment it's How To Keep a Man and Lose a Devil, my eternal thanks to @crowwolf for the suggestion to write it, I cannot wait to get the rest of it out it's turned into a real passion project!

Favourite fics I read this year: I tried to fit as many as possible during the recent BG3 fic celebration event all month, (see the BG3KudosCember posts for fics and tags!) and still have so many to read, and even that feels still woefully inadequate. Cannot believe there is so much creativity and fun and talent out there that I took so long to discover.

Writing goals for 2025:

Don't stop. Don't give up.

Get ongoing works as completed as possible.

Have more patience. Slow down and listen when you know it doesn't quite feel as you want it to be.

Believe in yourself. It's not too late.

New works for 2025: I'm hoping no new fandom works until I'm more complete with the ones I have ongoing. We'll see lol.

Thank you for all the amazing, creative experiences, and hope the next year brings what everyone needs from it. Happy new year! 🎉✨

[toowildintheseventies]

Trade Mistakes

chapter one: prologue

A/N: ahhh!!!! first time publishing fan-fiction in 8+ years…scary!!! that being said, this is the roughest of rough drafts. like…so rough that it’s embarrassing to even publish it. but, i knew if i didn’t publish it now i never would…and now this will be inspiration to keep writing. just keep that in mind as you read, and trust that future chapters will continue to improve.

Pairing: battinson!bruce wayne x fem!reader

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,500

Summary: You’re a woman with many vices. Smoking, drinking, spending time in shitty clubs, and your undying love and obsession with your ex-boyfriend, Bruce Wayne. You had spent your entire adolescence with each other, until he had unexpectedly broke your heart and disappeared. For the last few years, you two had lived separate, mysterious lives. Until you are reintroduced under strange circumstances and fictitiously rekindle your relationship.

Warnings, etc: suggestive (?) language, drinking, terrible grammar mistakes (lol)

— —

Seven Years Before The Events of “The Batman” (2022)…

It was the day of the first summer rain when you had let yourself into Bruce Wayne’s dorm room clutching onto a newspaper you had picked up from your own campus’s coffee shop in between classes. The leading article thrilled you so immensely that you found yourself skipping away from your friends huddled away at the darkest table in the cafe, and running down the dampened street to catch the first bus towards Bruce’s university fifteen miles away.

The rain had become much more aggressive since then, and when you walked through the gated doors of his dormitory you noticed the way the rain had muddied your school loafers and effectively ruined the rest of your school uniform, including the pressed white blouse and ridiculous gray knee socks with holes in the ankle.

It didn’t matter to you. Bruce had seen you looking much worse, and you were too excited to see him for you to step away and fix your hair that had been ruined by the rain and wind. Instead, you found yourself climbing the stairs two steps at a time and rushing past grumpy private-school boys towards his bedroom.

He was sitting at his desk facing the window when you first walked in, so lost in thought that he hadn’t notice you in his doorway. Surprisingly, he wasn’t focused on a textbook in his hands, and his blinds were closed shut. Instead, it seemed that he was staring at the wall in deep thought – as if he was looking beyond it at something more significant. But when you followed his gaze, you saw nothing but cracked paint and broken bricks.

He didn’t notice you until you were throwing down the newspaper on his desk and standing behind him with your hand placed gently on his shoulder. He looked up at you for a moment with a confused expression and then followed your eyes swiftly to the newspaper now sitting on top of his physics textbook.

“Look at this!” you said in-between girlish, excited giggles, “Read it!”

You watched as his eyes scanned the article: “Gotham’s Prince is Back!: Bruce Wayne and his Sweetheart Make Grand Return”.

Bruce snorted as he picked up the newspaper and examined the photos underneath the articles’ headline, taken during a late-night dinner after you and Bruce decided to make a home visit to Gotham a weekend ago. It hadn’t been important then, just something to do outside spending long hours in the library or strolling around campus for miles. But now, it seemed to be the start of something extraordinary. You had been photographed in front of an expensive restaurant in Gotham’s best district, arm in arm with the young man you loved, and the beloved faux-heir of Gotham itself.

Bruce struggled to hold back a sarcastic grin as he replied, “Gotham’s prince, huh? What does that make you? A princess?”

You giggled as you took the newspaper away from him and fell into his lap, pushing away his textbooks and worn notebooks in the process, “Of course it does.”

“Yes,” Bruce replied, smiling, “Of course.”

He had kissed you then. All of the darkness and anger you had felt radiating off of him when you first walked into the room seemed to disappear now that you were sitting on his lap and your lips were on his. His emotions were easier to ignore when it seemed like they disappeared into blissful nothingness whenever you were around. Everything was forgotten when it was just the two of you.

His kiss was so familiar, always unchanging. His passion and love seemed irreversible, even if he showed it in different ways – like kissing you softly and with gentle surprises. It was rarely spoken, but it was understood. You knew him when he was like this, and you could forget the darkness when he only showed you the light.

As he continued to kiss you as the night melted away, you kept hearing his gentle response to anything you asked for: “Of course, princess…of course, princess…”

–

The visits to Gotham continued, and with the paparazzi at every corner and articles written after every weekend escape. Your evenings were spent at vintage theaters and the expensive restaurants you recognized from when your parents would take you to Friday-night dinners throughout grade school.

The two of you silently understood that Gotham was suffering some kind of terrible sickness. You both had experienced the disease of Gotham younger than most, Bruce with the murder of his parents when he was eight years old, and you with the death of your parents when you were fourteen. It was those terrible events that first drew you to each other, two orphaned children who were coasting through secondary school on their life insurance-funded scholarships. You two understood a terrible truth that few other children did. When you first met, it was the first time either of you felt accompanied in a long time.

Those deaths weren’t mentioned much anymore. You learned very early that mentioning tragedy just caused bitter arguments and tears. But the ghosts of Gotham still followed you anywhere you went, and it was becoming harder to ignore the longer the two of you spent your nights in Wayne Manor or across the block where his parents were murdered.

Along with the trips to your home city and the newspaper headlines, Bruce’s nickname for you stuck. The “Prince of Gotham” analogy continued to be a running bit for all journalists and terrible paparazzi, and Bruce only found it amusing when he was repeating it back to you. He’d whisper the nickname to you, always accompanied by a sarcastic, sly grin: “Princess, princess, princess”.

You acted like you didn’t love it. Just like you acted annoyed with the photographs after dinner and the journalists on the steps outside of Wayne Manor. But the sarcastic title thrilled you, and promised you something greater. Suddenly, only a few weeks before his university graduation, Bruce Wayne was secretly promising you a lovely future. A future that was always assumed, but now it felt as if it was just around the corner. You were learning how to play the part throughout the weeks of city fame. You had become incredibly skilled at leading the media, doing and saying exactly what they expected you to. Bruce was skilled too, learning the ways of faux smiles and firm handshakes from his father years ago. But he was more introverted than you, attempted to stay hidden, and desperately wanted to be forgotten.

But you thoroughly enjoyed the game. Enjoyed flashing the necklaces he bought for you and laughing with him as you stepped outside of restaurants holding hands, forming the perfect first-page picture that would be plastered all over Gotham the following morning. Truly, it meant nothing to you. Your true relationship, hidden away in the sheets of your twin bed at your university or in the dining room of Wayne Manor, was important and cherished. But it was fun to play the part of the flashy, bubbly girlfriend to a dark, mysterious billionaire son. The beautiful princess to the brooding prince. It was a story that was fictitious and ridiculous, but you had designed it. It made the people of Gotham love both of you, and you thought that was important and honorable. They needed someone to believe in, even if it was shallow and forgettable – a story only found on shitty tabloids. But it was the best the two of you could do.

So, you let your relationship become public and beloved. You played your role and played it well. And in the late hours of the night and the hidden moments away from the blinding lights, you and Bruce continued the way the two of you always had. Stolen, serious kisses and inside jokes that made you feel giddy. Long talks at the breakfast table and study dates, dark liquor in mugs on top of the Wayne Manor rooftop. It was perfect and sweet and what you believed to be the beginning of something much grander.

It took you too long to recognize the darkness that was refusing to stay hidden. There were small signs in the beginning, signs that were ignored because you were too in love and too young to notice. Gotham visits would be unexpectedly canceled and you wouldn’t hear from him for hours, or you’d notice the soft bruises forming on his torso and the cuts along the hands that touched you gently. He’d always brush it off when you attempted to ask him about what he was doing in the long hours spent away from each other in the dead of night. At worst, you’d push him too far with your questioning and Bruce would shut you out completely.

His strange behavior continued all the way to his college graduation. That night, you had sat in the front row, wearing a dress you had picked out months before and perfected pin-curls in your hair. The dress was short and light blue, a blue that matched the colors he wore on his graduation stole. You had fretted and worried about your appearance that night, wanting to look special - maybe even perfect. It felt like Bruce’s graduation ceremony would be the start of the rest of your life.

It was after the graduation ceremony that Bruce came up to you, moving past the people that surrounded you on the university lawn and ignoring his classmates who called after him. He was smiling, the first time you had seen him smile in weeks. His grin looked genuine, and his feet picked up with boyish excitement after he laid eyes on you. Before you could speak, he picked you up and spun you around – as if the two of you had won some great reward together.

You laughed as he placed you back down on the ground and ran a hand through his hair, looking around anxiously at all the people watching you on the lawn.

“Happy graduation, Bruce,” you said, grinning back at him, “I’m so proud of you.”

It was as if every terrible thing that had happened in the weeks before his ceremony disappeared. Bruce was happy again, excited and thrilled at your presence. The bruises were easy to ignore now that he was smiling back at you. You began to believe that his strange behavior was simply a symptom of the stress of graduation and changes – things could go back to normal as soon as the night was over.

“In a little over a year, that’ll be you up there,” Bruce said, taking your hand and walking away from the crowd of people.

“Yes,” you agreed, smiling, “And then what? What’s next?”

“What’s next?” Bruce repeated, “Anything you want, princess.”

You had believed him then. You fought the urge to feel unsure and fearful and instead decided to faithfully believe in his sweet smiles and words as if they were a holy religion. You couldn’t imagine a universe where you weren’t by his side, where you wouldn’t be spending the rest of your life with him. But the darkening future that was pushed by his mysterious disappearances and hideous wounds hung over you, no matter how much you tried to ignore it.

—

It was a week after his graduation when Bruce started to ignore your calls and refused to come to the door. You had fought it for a while, begging Alfred over the phone to let you talk to him, or you’d show up at his doorstep in the middle of the night just to find he wasn’t home. He disappeared from the public as well, and many journalists began to call your phone at all hours. Desperate and alone, you had no choice but to tell them the half-hearted truth. You and Bruce Wayne had broken up. You refused to share any details. In truth, you had none.

He had given you one last good evening. He had spent the rest of his graduation night completely enthralled with you, taking you to your favorite restaurant and making love to you in his room at Wayne Manor. In a strange, uncomfortable way, you felt grateful that he had given you a final, beautiful memory. It took months for you to resign yourself and come to terms with the fact you would never hear from him again. But you stayed heartbroken and destroyed.

You had attempted to throw yourself into your studies and attempt to graduate. But suddenly everything felt meaningless.

It was only a few months after the breakup when you decided to drop out of university and move back to Gotham. You had felt alone in university, and the life you planned for had suddenly fallen apart in a quick evening. The future felt empty and terrifying. So you decided to face it head on.

Your decision to drop out was partly fueled by your growing depression and absolute hatred for everything that reminded you of Bruce Wayne. But mostly, your reasoning for dropping out of school was quite simple. You were out of money.

In between the mess of your heartbreak, your dead father’s accountant had disappeared with the rest of your inheritance. Which left you alone, heartbroken, and embarrassingly broke.

It took everything out of you not to call Bruce. But every time you reached for your phone, you couldn't think of one thing to say to him.

Instead, you figured it out on your own. You bought a shitty, shoebox sized apartment with an old friend from high school, and landed a waitressing job at some snobbish, french-inspired restaurant to pay the bills. On the weekends, you accompany your roommate to her bartending job at the infamous Iceberg Lounge, and spend your evenings sitting on the barstools, sipping on cheap vodka while wearing fake wigs and heavy eye makeup. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll meet a rich, drunk asshole who’s willing to pay to have a conversation with you.

You make a life for yourself. It’s messy, tough, and the exact opposite of the life you once expected. But at least, for the first time, you’re independent.

You forget about Bruce Wayne. It’s easy sometimes, when you’re especially busy and he’s become so invisible that he’s become almost a folktale.

There’s moments where it’s hard. Like when you grab a coffee before work and see his face on the first page of the newspaper at the register, the same newspaper that used to publish countless articles about the two of you. Or when you see the glowing, ominous building that is Wayne tower over the skyline in the morning. This city is full of countless reminders of what you lost.

You hate him, truly. You hate what he did to you.

You love him, though. You think you always will.

[carnalapples]

My Year in Writing: 2024

Thank you @theluckywizard for the tag!! I'm not sure who hasn't done this yet, so OPEN INVITATION to brag about your writing!! I want to see it <3

Words Written: 132,589

Fics Published: 23

Fandoms: Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Dishonored (!!), The Hunger Games, Rogue Trader

Favorite Fics:

1. anatomy of a haunted heart - DA: Awakening, Nathaniel/Velanna, time loops and haunted houses

I really challenged myself to do this fic, I'm terrified of writing long fics on a deadline, but I wanted to do something different. I fell in love with both Velanna and Nathaniel while writing this fic, and I tried really hard to match up to the vision I had in my head--while that vision wasn't super clear, and I'm not sure if this did match up, I'm really happy with how it ended up!!

2. four and twenty blackbirds - Dishonored, Corvo/Granny Rags, a love letter to Granny Rags

This is another fic I got weird with, I wrote this for an exchange, and I was originally going to write Geoff Curnow/Corvo, but then Granny Rags took over my entire brain. She's just so interesting and the fic kind of got away from me. I had so much fun putting this together!

3. cut down at the garden's gate - Dragon Age 2, Hawke/Sebastian, political marriage forces you to confront your feelings for your ex, more at 11

Again, this was a challenge, and I do love how this ended up. There are sections I might rewrite, but I was really proud of finishing on a deadline (despite many issues I had with continuity haha, I'm not much of a multichap writer so even 3 chapters was tricky for me!) I think I wrote this in a rush, but I think otherwise I never would have finished this story, and I really wanted to finish and share it.

Most Used Tags: Sexual Content, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant

Highest Kudos: follow me into the dark - Mass Effect, Shepard/Tali after Rannoch.

Highest Hit Oneshot: also follow me into the dark, haha

New Things I Tried: Time-based challenges! i.e. a DA Big Bang, and the WIP Big Bang... And I tried DADWC and really ended up liking it!! I think it did a lot to help me learn how to write without judgment and just get a story or concept out, and I used a lot of what I wrote and learned from DADWC as inspiration to write or finish larger stories.

Fic I Spent the Most Time On: dead winter in the forgotten land (Dragon Age), this was like two years in the making lol

Fic I Spent the Least Time On: I think savior complex (THG); I wrote it as a pinch-hit for a Hunger Games exchange, which was super fun!

Favorite Things I Read: I read so much amazing stuff this year but here are 3 that come to mind:

dirt romantic by rowanisawriter (@rowanisawriter) GUYS this fic... Peak romance, peak Zevran, the relationship between Zevran and a Cousland Warden is one of pining and differences in status and constantly shifting boundaries and Rowan writes that perfectly. Please read this and come be ill about Zevran with me....

Eat, Drink, Poison by elo_elo (@junkbabelna): This is a Cullen/Trevelyan modern AU--I aspire to write modern AUs like theirs, I love the details and the atmosphere so much. I think that they have such a knack for just getting to the heart of a character and what shaped them that way!!

a soft place to fall by petruchio (@petruchio): This was a gorgeous fic about Johanna coming back to District 12 after the war, I really love the way her recovery is portrayed and how all of the characters are struggling to adapt to a life that's in their control.

Biggest Surprises: I think that I’m capable of writing longer pieces? I was flying blind for both the longer pieces I did on deadline and somehow finished on time. I reread "anatomy of a haunted heart" the other day and I still can't believe I did that, lol. It was very scary, but I'm proud of it.

What I Learned: To keep writing when I'm feeling discouraged, sometimes I write a piece and I think it's mediocre, but when I go back and compare it to things I had written before, there is definitely growth there. I've been rereading what I wrote this year since I was feeling like I was rushing through pieces and they weren't as good, but I was really proud of some of the works I put out! So I guess I've had to keep in mind that I'm always changing, even if that's not evident at all times.

What I Want to Write Next Year: I want to try writing horror--I think that would be a real challenge for me, but I love reading it. I want to do more outlined/planned out fics. I want to finish at least 3 of my WIPs: my arranged marriage AU, the last part to a Bollywood series i posted, and my post-destroy fic!

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who has read, commented on, and supported my writing--I would not have written without y'all, and I'm so happy to have found this community of people who also feel that writing and reading are necessary to them!! It makes writing so much more fun, I'm really grateful to have you 💕💕

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Steady Heart

Chapter 19: Overtime

* Pairing: Slow-burn Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M? (Still figuring out the rating system) (might eventually be M anyhow)

* Warnings: language, people getting hit by a bull, bar fight

* Word count: 3,560ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all

Author's note: I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well! As always feel free to hop in my ask box and scream with me lol.

Stella was seated on the ground outside the bunkhouse. It was Saturday night, after the morning with the bulls, and poker was being played inside like usual. The door hung open to let some fresh air into the house. She pulled her jacket tighter. It was damp out. To her right she heard footsteps. It was Kayce. He was heading out to see Tate.

“Be safe okay? I think it’s gonna rain.” Stella warned. He glanced back at her and nodded. She watched as he pulled off. She hoped this visit would go well for him. Shaking it off, she made her way back into the house.

There was a ruckus going on. Something about all of them being boring coming from Avery. The new day worker, Cowboy, was egging all the guys on. Stella smirked to herself and leaned against the sink as she adjusted her glasses and crossed her arms. She wanted to see how this played out.

“We should play cowboy poker.” Cowboy suggested. Her brother started to protest.

Jimmy asked. “What’s cowboy poker?” Colby tried to intervene and tell him not to worry about it.

Stella interjected. “Oh c’mon you guys! All we ever do is play regular poker. Lord knows y’all won’t go to the bar. Why can’t we live a little?”

Avery, Stella, and Cowboy started making their way outside to the round pen. Some protests followed behind them. They all made quick work of setting up the plastic furniture in the middle of the pen.

Colby, Avery, Stella, Ryan, Jimmy, and Cowboy had taken their betting seats. Cowboy gave everyone a quick run down. The basic gist of the game was to stay seated as long as possible. The bull always goes for the table first, but with so many people seated at the table? Stella wasn’t so sure it would be just the table getting wrecked this time.

Lloyd shut the gate behind them. “Y’all sure about this?!”

Everyone looked back at him. Stella laughed and said, “are we ever sure about anything we do Lloyd?”

“Does someone wanna explain the rules?” Jimmy asked.

Ryan offered a quick explanation. “Last one at the table keeps the pot.” He looked to Colby, offering him the bottle of alcohol he brought with him. “You want some courage?”

Colby snatched the bottle from Ryan. “Fuck yeah I do.” He took a large swig.

“Drink up, dipshits.” Cowboy teased.

Lloyd offered as much guidance to his stupid little ducklings as he could. “Y’all are gettin’ horse traded by this ol’ bastard. Jimmy, stay seated no matter what. Bull always goes for the table first.” Avery and Stella grabbed each other’s hands ready for the shit storm.

Jimmy screamed and waved his hands around. “This is fuckin’ nuts!”

“Yeah, there’s not a lot smart about it.” Ryan started to second guess his decision.

“Here we go ladies!” Avery toasted with the booze.

“Jake! Let it rip!” Lloyd yelled.

Jake went over to let out the bull. He pushed it down the chute and it slowly made its way into the pen. They all braced themselves for potential impact. The bull rushed at them. Stella watched as everyone, Cowboy included, tucked tail and ran. She and Avery squeezed each other’s hand and shut their eyes tight.

The bull got closer and rammed right in between Avery and Stella. The bull’s horns caught both of them on their sides ripping their hands apart. The two women thudded to the ground. Avery was a quick little thing and was able to get up before Stella. The bull whipped back around to charge at Stella on the ground. She scrambled to stand and felt arms under hers pulling her to the outside of the ring to safety.

Stella exclaimed, breathless. “Holy shit! That was wild!” She saw Jimmy to her left. He must have been the one to pull her out. She glanced to her right. Ryan was on his way and looked ready to call Viggo to take her to the hospital for nothing.

“Well I’ll be damned! God! Did ya see that?! Balls of steel!” Cowboy hooted.

“Are they okay?”

Stella breathed out. “Yes, Jimmy we’re fine.”

“Here you’re gonna need this.” Colby handed Stella the liquor. She promptly handed it over to Avery.

“You don’t want any?” Avery looked puzzled.

“I don’t drink, girlfriend.”

“Swore there was plenty to take my money.” Ryan joked.

Avery held out her hand to Lloyd. “Gimme my money.”

Stella lined up next to her. “Run me that money good sir.”

“That’s some cowboy shit, girls.”

Colby was being a sore loser. “They lost their hats, they owe us a six pack.”

“The fuck I do.” Avery defended. “She doesn’t either.”

Rip swung the barn doors open and hollered. “What’re you dipshits doin’?”

“It’s a Saturday,” Jimmy gave a lame answer.

“I know what fuckin’ day it is, Jimmy. Don’t be messin’ with that bull. You all wanna have fun?! Go to the fuckin’ bar! You know better than to mess with these bulls! Get the fuck outta here.” Everyone scattered back to the bunkhouse. He walked up next to Lloyd. “Well Lloyd, who won?”

Lloyd smirked. “It was our girls. Split down the middle. Didn’t flinch a muscle until they got thrown. Tough as nails, I’ll tell ya.”

“Or stupid as hell.”

The gang gathered their wits and they made their way to the bar. They figured a few drinks after all that wouldn’t be so bad. Ryan was in helicopter mom mode. He made sure to keep a close eye on all of them. Stella especially.

“What, dear brother of mine?”

“That shit could have been real bad, you know?”

“And so what? We had fun, didn’t we? You were in there, too. And your drinks are on me anyhow.” Stella turned the chair next to the pool table around and sat on it backwards. She took a sip of her soda and faced the pool table to watch Ryan and Colby play. Jimmy wandered over.

“Hey you okay? That bull hit you guys pretty hard.”

Stella laughed. “Yeah Jimmy. I’m alright. I’ve had worse. Thanks for pulling me out by the way.”

“I know you would do the same for me. It’s the least I could have done.” He tapped her shoulder gently and went to sit with Avery. Stella could tell he was smitten with the woman. She smiled at the pair.

Colby’s voice floated in from her side. “So when are we gonna have to worry about you being in that position?”

Stella barked out a humorless laugh. “My dear Colby, that would require a man to not see me as one of the dudes, or be scared away by y’all heathens.” She scratched her head and looked at him directly. “So probably not any time soon.” She laughed, trying to cover up her embarrassment at the subject. “Not anything serious, anyhow.” She leaned on her elbows against the chair.

“There ain’t no way they see you as one of the dudes.” Colby disagreed.

“Yes they very much do. I blame y’all.” She laughed.

Her laughter was cut short by the sound of yelling from Jimmy’s direction. They heard Avery yell for Ryan and the bar broke out into complete chaos. Ryan stepped to Avery and Jimmy, when the guy who was the problem threw her brother over the bar.

Stella jumped in to defend her brother. “Hey dick head!” She hopped on the guy’s back while Avery and Jimmy took care of his front. The man grabbed Stella’s arms that were around his neck and tossed her onto Jimmy and Avery. The rough landing, plus the hit from the bull earlier, had her groaning on the ground. The wind had gotten knocked out of her. She clambered her way along the floor and got behind the bar.

Ryan started to help her up, but pushed her backwards as a body came flying over the bar top at them. Stella caught herself against the back wall only to be knocked backward by the boots of the random man flying at her and Ryan. The man’s boots caught the underside of her chin. Her teeth snapped shut as she gasped. For a few moments, she saw stars.

Grabbing the wall and corner of the bar she stabilized herself. Stella shook her head. She was dizzy. Seeing two Colby’s open the back door she started weaving and ducking her way to the exit. She gave a hard shove here and there trying to keep people off of her. She didn’t want to get drug into any of the battles going on. Colby pushed her the last few feet through the door. She braced herself on the wall outside and caught her breath. The rest of the wranglers had started to spill into the parking lot.

Colby came over to her. “Stell, you okay?” She nodded and headed to the truck. She wanted to get the hell out of there. Her head was pounding.

When they got back to the bunkhouse, everyone found a seat. Some hung their heads. Some groaned. Lloyd was handing out frozen things from the freezer. He pulled his dad-stance and began to scold them all for going to the bar without him. Ryan was good at keeping the peace, but Lloyd was better.

Lloyd handed her the last bag of peas. According to him, there was a nice bruise on the bottom of her chin. Stella traded the bag to her brother for his cheek. She wanted to find Tylenol. They all would need it.

The bottle rattled in her hand as she returned from the bathroom. She heard the front door shut. She glanced up to see Kayce standing there surveying the damage.

“What happened?” Kayce asked. No one answered. His eyes finally made it to Stella. He could easily see the large bruise on her chin from across the room. A glare took over his face, jaw clenched. They locked eyes and he stalked over to her. She felt like a deer in headlights. “What the fuck happened?” He grabbed her chin to bring it higher to be able to see and she hissed in pain.

She pulled away quickly. “Ouch Kayce! I’m fine!”

Lloyd ratted them out. “Someone worked them over at the bar.”

Kayce pointed at her. “You are not fine.” He turned on his heel and quickly exited the house on a mission.

“Way to fuckin’ go ladies. This is what your fun gets us.” Ryan sassed at them.

Stella shoved at him angrily as she ran past him to catch up with Kayce. “Shut the fuck up. Nows not the time.” She would rather eat her own foot than hear his self righteous ‘I told you so.’

She busted out of the door and sprinted to catch up to him. “Kayce, wait!”

“What? I’m gettin’ Rip. We have to go make this right.”

Stella grabbed his arm. “Hold on, yes we got worked over, but what are you gonna do?”

“We’re gonna go back and beat the shit out of them. They shouldn’t have touched you.” He rephrased. “They shouldn’t have touched any of you.”

Her hand slipped off his arm, remembering her conversation with Jimmy earlier that day. She waved toward the foreman’s lodge in defeat. Kayce turned around and headed up the walkway with Stella behind him. It was like she was hiding herself from the imminent scolding. He knocked on Rip’s door.

It flung open, Rip with no hat and just a shirt. It was always so strange seeing him casual to Stella. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Bunch of the wranglers got worked over.”

“What do you mean “worked over”?”

“Had the hell beat out of them.” Kayce reached behind him to pull Stella forward as an example.

“No, stop!” She fought with his limbs.

“Look at me.” Rip’s voice caused all fight in her to cease. She moved around and held up her chin to light. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, but that didn’t help his blood pressure any. Rip grabbed his jacket and hat. “I’ll take care of this.” He closed the door. Kayce trailed behind him. “I said I’ll take care of this.”

“You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore.” Kayce strode past him back to the bunkhouse.

The trio went inside to round everyone up. They had to go back and make a scene. They wanted to make a point to anyone who was watching. Kayce came over to Stella. He bent slightly at the knees to be more eye level with her and began to look her over.

“How the hell did you get involved?” He questioned her.

Stella tapped his hands away from her. She didn’t want to be touched. “Kayce knock it off. I’m fine. They threw my brother over the bar. Of course I was gonna hop in.”

Ryan squinted his eyes at the physical contact between the two. There was a slow sinking feeling in his stomach. He wasn’t sure what exactly was going on there, but he was afraid he could feel what was coming.

Kayce put his hands down defeated. “If you’re gonna be reckless, can you at least do it when I’m around?”

“No.”

“You not wanting to be saved is really puttin’ a hurtin’ on my chivalry here.”

Stella facetiously put her hand on her forehead and leaned into his chest. “Oh my knight in shining armor. Whatever shall I do?”

Kayce caught her and breathed a laugh. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and ruffled her hair. “Alright you shithead. Let’s go.”

Stella could hear the music from inside the bar. She really didn’t want to be back here, but she understood the point Rip was trying to make. She swung open the door on the left and propped it open with a stool. Making her way over to the bar, she hopped up for the high ground. The people in the room looked at her with befuddled faces.

The bull they had brought with them strolled its way into the bar. All the patrons started to freak out and stumbled and tripped over each other. They tried to make it through the door all at once. She made hup hup noises as she paced back and forth along the bar. Her main goal was to keep the bull moving.

The sight of Kayce and Rip coming into the bar brought her joy. That meant the bull was going to be put up, and the point had been made. Stella carefully hopped off the bar and began to push the bull toward Ryan, Colby, and Jake. Her brother rounded up next to her and took over.

Stella came to stand in front of Kayce by the door, while Rip made his way to the barkeep.

The bartender exclaimed. “What the fuck, Rip?”

“Maybe next time someone puts their hands on someone from the Yellowstone, you'll think to give me a fucking call.” Rip smashed a few bottles with his bat. Stella jumped at the sound. “Or have your bouncers break it up.”

“Or both.” Stella added. She noticed a change in Kayce’s eyes as he caught a glimpse of the bruise on Stella’s chin. She’d only seen that look from herself before.

“Or maybe next time I'll burn it down.” Kayce stated. Stella’s jaw snapped open and her eyebrows raised. She looked Kayce up and down as he walked away. Her cheeks felt hot. There had been something solid and dark in his voice that made it very apparent it wasn’t just a threat. It was a promise.

After they got home, Stella sat outside at the picnic tables when they got back to the ranch. The bunkhouse was too loud. She nursed her headache, enjoying the silence. It had been far too chaotic of an evening. It would be a great story later on, but her head at the moment was saying otherwise. The gravel behind her crunched. Someone cleared their throat. Turning around she saw that it was Rip.

“Jesus Stella-belle. I thought we had a talk about gettin’ into trouble?”

Stella chuckled. “Listen, I like to think that the kind of “trouble” I find myself in, is way better than some of the other kinds I could pick. Plus, this time wasn’t my fault.”

Rip sat on the bench next to her sideways. “How’s your chin?”

“It’s alright. It’s takin’ my mind off my arm and side. That bull got me good.”

Rip leaned forward. “Let me see.” Stella let him lift the side of her shirt. She heard him whistle softly as he took a glance at her side. He poked a few places to gauge whether it was bruised or broken. “Can you breathe okay?” He pulled her shirt back down.

“Yeah. I'm sure I'm just bruised all to hell. Doesn’t feel like anything is broken. I’m surprised I didn’t get my teeth busted though.”

“Are you sure you’re good to drive home? You know you’ve always got a place here.”

“Yeah I should be fine. If not, I’ll steal a bunk.” Stella made eye contact with him. “I promise.”

Rip smiled softly at her as he stood. “Okay. I’m gonna hold you to that.” He started to head out, but stopped. “Oh Kayce’s lookin’ for you by the way.”

“Where’s he at?” Stella started to get up.

“He said you’d know where he went. Whatever that means.”

Stella frowned. ‘I’d know? What the hell?’ She wandered to the barn. The lights were on, but no one was inside that she could see. The first few steps she took into the barn were slow. She didn’t want to throw an unnecessary punch at someone.

Abigail’s stall window wasn’t closed. Stella realized this as her mare’s head poked out. “What is this still doin’ open?” She rubbed the horse’s soft cheek. It wasn’t like Jimmy to forget one stall. Tank’s window was still open too. Looking around, Stella noticed they were only two open. She frowned. Tank was gone. Grabbing a hold of Abigail’s face, she softly asked her to take her to them.

If Kayce and Tank were indeed at the river, it was going to take Stella longer to reach them than normal. She had to keep Abigail at a slow, floaty trot. Her ribs killed her. No they weren’t broken, she was sure, but they damn sure let her know they were unhappy at the abuse from poker.

By the time she reached the river, she scanned along the bank while she tried to catch her breath. There wasn’t any sign of Kayce that she could see. Stella laughed and patted Abigail’s shoulder. “You just wanted to come to the river, didn’t you?”

Stella dismounted as gently as she could. There were sounds of discomfort that escaped her as she swung her leg and dropped down. Making sure she had a hold of her reins she turned around to look for Kayce. Or Tank even.

“What else happened to you from the bar?”

Stella squealed in fright. The scream caught in her throat. She didn’t want to let the whole state of Montana know she was out here. “Good lord Kayce!” Her hand gripped Abigail’s mane. “What’re you talkin’ about?”

“It wasn’t just your chin, was it?”

“Actually, it was.”

“Then what’s got you hissing like a rattlesnake every time you move? Why’d you come up here at a slow trot?”

“Before the bar we played cowboy poker.”

“You really can’t resist being reckless when I’m not around, can you?”

“Let me reiterate from earlier.” Stella took a dramatic pause and cleared her throat. “No. And anyway, Avery and I won 50/50. All your boys split when that bull came a-knockin’.” She grinned smugly.

“Where’d you get hit?”

“My side and my arm. Nothin’s broken Kayce. Just bruised. I’ll be just fine.” He moved to come closer to her. It made her very aware that he was in her bubble. “No you can’t see. You won’t be able to see in the dark anyhow.”

Sighing, he gazed down at her. Stella looked up shyly. His sigh sounded disappointed. If this man had any grey hairs, she was probably at the root for a good bit of them. Kayce was reckless, yes. There was a level headedness about his version though. He took calculated risks. Stella just jumped.

“Kace, I’ll be fine. Just need some Tylenol, a shower, and good sleep. Which I should be heading home to do just that.” She moved back toward her mare.

He reached out and grabbed her arm gently enough to not hurt her, but firm enough to stop her. “Oh, no no no you don’t.”

Stella groaned. “I’m tired. I wanna go home. I wanna sleep in my own bed, not a bunk.” Her shoulders dropped in defeat.

“Then I’m takin’ ya.” He left no room for argument. He placed himself next to the bay roan with his hands cupped to give Stella a step up.

She relaxed in her saddle with a sigh. “Then how am I gonna get back here tomorrow?”

“Did I say I was gonna leave once I got there?”

“I mean, yeah, just invite yourself to stay a while, why don’tcha.” Stella sarcastically replied while Kayce got up in his saddle.

“C’mon, let’s go.”

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

Hi! 😁 are you comfortable with breeding kinks and I hesitate to call it g!p, since it may be offensive to some but Laurel Gates with a dick? If that's too much or you're too uncomfortable with that, it's totally fine, you could always substitute it with one of those cum filled strap-ons. But I was wanting a Laurel Gates in disguise of Marilyn Thornhill x fem student normi reader.

Perhaps Nevermore takes in normi reader who is in a family of outcasts but the outcast gene skipped her and Principal Weems wanted to enroll her in since she knows reader's family and also to build good relations between normies and outcasts. But reader has a rough time and teased for being a normie despite the fact she's from a family of outcasts so she takes refuge with the only other normie in the school Miss. Thornhill. They fall in love and eventually confess their feelings. Marilyn seduces reader to become pregnant, not only to further the Gates bloodline but also to tie reader to Laurel when Laurel comes clean with her intentions for Nevermore.

I really would like to read the smut scene filled with breeding kink. After Laurel is caught, reader has to go into hiding because she's afraid people will want to hurt their baby and Laurel escapes and finds reader and though the reader is disappointed that Marilyn is actually Laurel, she still loves Laurel and just asks her to leave her family alone and they live happily ever after! Lol thanks if you write this and no worries if you're too uncomfortable, you're still awesome!

Yess!!!! This is the first time I write about this, and I liked it, maybe it is a bit long, but I was inspired!!! I hope you like it and sorry about the language mistakes

Bloodline

Pairing: Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates x Fem, Student! Reader

Warnings: Intersexual Marilyn/Laurel (she has a dick), smut, breeding kink, pregnancy, dark Laurel (but in love with reader), angst, bullying mentions…

Word count: 9,511

Summary: You are not happy at Nevermore, you shouldn’t be there, you are normi. You’re having a hard time, and you only have Marilyn, your teacher, the woman you loved...

N/A: Requests are open!!! Sorry about the delays, I’m working hard on your requests. I love you all!!!

“Don't worry, (Y/N) will feel like home here,” Principal Weems said. She was talking with your parents in her office.

You certainly didn't know why you had to go to that place, why you had to study at Nevermore. You were happy in your old institute. You had friends, you were just one more student there.

Your parents regularly argued about your future. They both studied at that strange Jericho academy, but they weren't like you. Your father was a werewolf, your mother a Gorgon, the right people for an outcast academy.

Your family always tried to hide the disappointment they felt when they found out that you did not possess any of those qualities. Genetics were capricious and they played a trick on you. You were born normi, and you would be forever a normi.

Despite this, your parents held the absurd hope that at the age of 19 you could develop some kind of power or ability. That's why you were sent to Nevermore. At first the academy was quite reticent about your admission, but Larissa, the principal, knew your parents well, they were classmates when they were young. For this reason, and because of an absurd dissertation about the urgent need to unite ties between normies and outcasts, the school ended up admitting you, against your will.

“(Y/N), are you happy?” your mother asked, visibly excited. You looked up from the ground and took time to respond.

“I guess so…” You whispered without much enthusiasm. Another of the disadvantages of studying there was that you would be far from home, you would have to live with all those outcasts, all those who had a power that you did not possess. You were afraid, afraid of feeling rejected, of being an outcast in a world of outcasts, just because you were normal. You had nothing to do with the strange world of your family.

“Oh, dear, we have to go,” your mother said, looking at the clock and gesturing to your father.

“Yes, the train doesn't wait for anyone,” your father said, getting up from the chair. “Behave, (Y/N), and take care of yourself.”

With a hasty and unaffectionate goodbye, your parents left that office, where you were left alone with Larissa, who smiled with false courtesy.

“Well…” She said, breaking the tense silence. “I sense from your face that it is not a decision that pleases you particularly.”

You agreed. With your parents out of the picture, you had no reason to lie.

“Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing here, this isn't my place…” You sighed again, looking everywhere, avoiding showing the shy tears that were beginning to form in your eyes.

“Oh, don't say that. In the past, Nevermore may have been conceived as a refuge for the outcasts. But I assure you that I am working to make this thing forgotten, so we can live together in peace and harmony, normis and outcasts.”

You nodded at what sounded like a political speech, very well rehearsed. Her smile began to drive you crazy and you cleared your throat.

“But you'll realize how well you fit in here. Also, don't be afraid of being the only normi in school. Our botany teacher, Marilyn Thornhill is also a normi. Come on, I'll show your room and explain how things work here.”

After a walk that was too long in your opinion, you arrived at your room. You shared it with a girl Larissa said was a siren. It all seemed very strange to you. Ever since you set foot in Nevermore, you had the unpleasant feeling that this was not your place.

“Divina, this is (Y/N), your new roommate,” Larissa said to the girl who was sitting on the bed, looking at her phone.

“Oh, hi, nice to meet you,” she said kindly, standing up and shaking your hand.

“Nice to meet you…” You answered reluctantly.

“Well, I leave you to get to know each other. All your stuff is already in the room, but if you need anything I'll be in my office. Oh, and Divina… Be nice, will you?”

After those words, Weems walked away down the corridor.

You entered the room, under the watchful eye of your new roommate. You checked to your delight that all your stuff was there, a perfect excuse to keep yourself busy.

“Is what they say true?” She asked, making you turn your head without paying too much attention.

“What do they say?” You asked, while you looked at what would be your new uniform.

“That you are normi, that you have no ability.”

You stopped what you were doing, sighing. It seemed that news of your condition were making their way through those halls long before you arrived. You couldn't lie, you didn't know how to lie, and you didn't want to fear a negative reaction either. Supposedly normies are the ones who had a problem with outcasts.

“Yes, it's true,” you said, carefully observing the siren’s reaction. She didn't seem very surprised, but she didn't seem pleased either.

“What have you done to end up here? Have you killed someone?”

You made a face of utter disgust at that question.

“What? Of course I haven’t,” you said, annoying. You started so bad there…

“Oh, well, it's just that it's not normal to have people like you here.”

“My parents are outcasts,” you said emphatically, immediately blocking any cloudy speculation about your life.

“Oh, and you don't? How strange...” Divina said, with a slightly mocking tone.

That weekend was a lonely hell for you. Everyone was asking you the same question, and you were tired of answering. You couldn't really get to know anyone, even your own roommate seemed to shy away from you. She didn't even spend a night with you.

Monday started for you like another day in hell. You walked through the corridors like a lost soul, to which everyone fixed their intolerant looks. You didn't think you'd miss your parents, but you did, you did when you knew everyone thought you were a freak. What an irony, the outcast were freaks.

The entire class was filled with awkward questions from the teachers, making everyone who hadn't found out that you were normi know. All but one of them. The botany class was different. Marilyn Thornhill, your teacher, didn't comment on that. Larissa told you that she was also normi like you, and somehow you were comfortable in her presence.

When the bell rang they all stood up, giving you not so subtle nudges as they passed you.

“Weirdo.”

“This is not your place, normi.”

Those were some of the whispers you heard when they passed you. Marilyn was at her desk, reading some papers.

You approached with a book in your hand.

“Thanks for lending it to me, my books haven't arrived yet,” you said, handing her the botany manual that you had to use.

The redhead smiled and she took it kindly, nodding.

“You're welcome, we're here to help, (Y/N),” she said in a soft, calm, pleasant tone.

You had to leave, but for some reason you didn't. You had the need to ask about her experience, about how she felt in the same situation as you. She stared at you and her smile increased.

“Do you need something?” She asked, leaving what she was doing to focus on you.

“Well, I…” You started, embarrassed. “I suppose you have already been told that I am not… I mean that I am… Normi. She nodded, blinking rapidly. “La, Larissa told me that you too... that you don't...”

“Yes, I'm also normi, (Y/ N), Larissa didn't lie to you,” she said, amused.

You were unable to look into her eyes. You were shy and she caught your attention since she entered the conservatory. She was a beautiful woman and she seemed kind, different from the others.

“I think, I think I don't fit very well here, Miss Thornhill,” you said sincerely. Her expression turned a little more serious.

“Why you said so? Have you had any problems with your classmates?” She asked, worried.

You looked through the glass. On the other side there was a group of students looking at you and whispering between laughs.

“I don’t know. Nobody talks to me...” You confessed. Your throat ached and you had to suppress the urge to cry. You felt weak, sad. You had only been in Nevermore for three days and you were already the weird one, the target of all the pranks.

“Honey, that's horrible,” she told you, getting up from her desk and approaching you. “You don't know how much it hurts me to hear that.”

You shed a tear, which Marilyn wiped away lovingly.

“I… I haven't done anything to them…” You sobbed.

“Of course you haven’t, honey. Believe it or not, I understand you perfectly,” she told you softly, putting a hand on your waist. “I'm not very popular here either. I think there are teachers who simply don't even know that I exist.”

You heard with horror that it was nothing personal, that it was linked to your status as normies. You didn't understand why your parents had sent you to such a place. Not even a person like Marilyn could escape to prejudice.

“That's not fair,” you said with a broken voice. “We haven't done anything to them...”

“I know, (Y/N),” the redhead said, drawing you into a sympathetic, sincere hug.

You clung to her clothes, venting all your sadness. You had just met, but you felt that there was something special between you, a kind of connection promoted by the intolerance of the supposedly oppressed people.

After a few minutes of silent hugging, she pulled away, now smiling.

Don't worry about them, honey. They will soon realize their mistakes. Meanwhile, you can count on me for everything you want. I want you to know that you can count on me. There's always room in the conservatory for a girl as good as you.

You laughed at that compliment.

“You don't know me…” You said amused. She laughed too.

“I don’t need it. Maybe I’m normi but... I know how to see what's in your eyes.”

“What do you see?”

“Many things, (Y/N), many things...”

The days went by slow and cruel. There was no trace of Divina in your room anymore, she had completely given up on sharing things with you, just like most of your classmates. There were nice people, yes, but they weren't with you for a long time for fear that they would be judged too.

You talked to your parents, you told them about the situation. They didn't care. They told you that you were just exaggerating, that it was an excuse to get you out of there. Also, it seemed Larissa was informing them that your adaptation to Nevermore was perfect, unmatched. Lie after lie, after lie.

You only had the little moments you spent in the conservatory with Marilyn. That woman was the only thing that kept you sane in that crazy place. Every afternoon you went with her, helping her to water the plants, to chat for a while… It was like an oasis in the desert. What you began to feel for her grew to the point of blurring the line that separated admiration and gratitude from something more intense, love.

You didn't know how to explain it. You just felt good around her. She was just like you, a normie in a world that didn't want her. Your similarities helped you forge a very special bond, which gradually intensified. Not just from you. Marilyn was more and more affectionate, she made more affectionate gestures to you. A hug, a caress, a kiss on the cheek. It was inevitable. Your whole world changed when you met her and you could only love her more, love her so much it hurt.

“Good, we are done,” The redhead said, shaking her hands. You smiled and nodded. After work came the best: iced tea and chatting.

Marilyn took a thermos from her bag and two glasses, offering one to you.

“For a well done work,” she told you, raising her glass to yours.

“For a well done work,” you repeated, drinking that delicious tea, made with the conservatory plants.

“How's everything going, (Y/N)?” She asked, leaning on her desk. “Have you had problems with werewolves again?”

You put the glass on the table and leaned next to her, lowering your head and nodding sheepishly.

“Last night I was coming back from the library…” You started to tell. She always listened carefully. “I came across a few who were making a fuss and… Well, they took my homework and destroyed it. Apparently they don't want a normi like me to have better grades than them.”

“Oh, honey, I'm so sorry,” Marilyn said to you, taking your hand, a gesture that she used to do. You shrugged helplessly. You had already learned to get used to mistreatment. You tried to ignore them.

“It's okay, at least I can say that the dogs really ate my homework…” You said, in a pathetic attempt to joke. She stared at you in surprise for a moment, but then she laughed, and you with her.

“You're wonderful, (Y/N)…” She said between laughs. You smiled a little blushing at that compliment and noticed that the grip on your hand tightened. “I've never met anyone like you.”

“I…” You said, stammering involuntarily. “I wish I was a little less like me and more like them.”

Marilyn moved from her position, horrified by your words. She faced you and cupped your face in her hands. You were paralyzed. She was very close and you were very much in love. Your legs began to shake.

“Don't ever say that, (Y/N). Don't want to be like those wretches who laugh at us because we are different. You don't want to be a bully like them, someone who believes they have the right to hurt us just to silence their own complexes. You are perfect just the way you are… You are perfect, honey…”

You nodded, still transfixed, feeling her breath painfully close to your lips.

“Do you think so?” You asked with a small voice.

Marilyn caressed your cheek, looking into your eyes, playing with your hair.

“Of course, (Y/N)… I don't think so, I'm sure of it. I... I want, I want you to know...” She said, closing her eyes and placing her lips and yours for a second. “You are my dreams’ girl...”

After that phrase, it was you who approached her, kissing her back. Everything you felt was almost unbearable for you, for your heart. You were kissing the woman you loved, the woman she was with when everyone abandoned you. You have never been so happy.

“Marilyn…” You sighed, still with your eyes closed. “Maybe, they can fire you for this,” you said worried. You didn't want to cause her problems. You wanted her to continue in Nevermore, together with you. Just the thought of she getting fired blackened your soul.

“But you want to do it, don't you? Do you want to be with me…” She told you, now holding you by your waist. “Tell me that you want it because otherwise I'll go crazy.”

“I…” You said, not wanting to respond like a crazy girl. “Yes… I… I want, I want to be with you.”

Marilyn smiled, kissing you again, this time with more intensity.

“Then I don't see the problem, (Y/N). Don't you see? It's fate... Life has brought us together for something, honey... No one has the right to judge anything, not them, not those who ignore us and make us suffer. Let's try, (Y/N), let's show that love is much stronger than hate...”

After that confession, what seemed truly impossible to you happened. Marilyn, your teacher, and you, living a forbidden love within that hostile world. Everything changed for you. You no longer even heard the mockery of your classmates. Everything was different. You could always count on her tender words of love, with her kisses, with her caresses.

It was a pure love, innocent but intense. She said that you were the resistance, two lovers who survived by loving each other in the midst of a war that the outcasts had declared on you. You believed her, you listened to all her flattery, all her comforting words as you rested in her arms.

The weeks turned into months and the kisses continued, nothing changed. You loved her, she loved you, it was like a dream, a fantasy. Everything was so wonderful that nothing else mattered to you. You didn't complain to your parents again. You lied saying that you were happy, that you had finally been able to fit in in Nevermore. What you still did not know is that your life was about to change forever.

“My love… You're so pretty,” Marilyn told you, between kisses, a little messier than usual. You would blush and respond with more kisses, with more caresses. It was another night at the conservatory, like every night. Passionate kisses in the dark, under the constant gaze of the plants, silent witnesses of the forbidden love.

You were sitting at the desk, with the redhead between your legs. That night you noticed that something had changed, you noticed an unusual hunger in Marilyn's kisses, something deeper, more... Lascivious. Her hands began to wander through places that they had never been to, places that seemed forbidden. Your uniform jacket was gone and her breathing was ragged and rapid.

When her hand began to climb up your legs, slipping under your skirt, you spasmed involuntarily. A reflex action that forced Marilyn back.

“What's wrong my love?" she asked worriedly. “Have I done something that you feel uncomfortable with?”

You shook your head, embarrassed.

No no, you felt uncomfortable.

You weren't stupid, you knew where things were going. You knew what her hand on your leg meant, what those messy kisses meant and above all, what the growing bulge between the redhead's legs meant. You've seen it before, but never like that.

It was something that had to come one day and it wasn't that you didn't want it, quite the contrary, you were crazy to do it. But you were a virgin. You didn't know how to do it, you had no experience and that made you feel somehow humiliated, somehow ashamed. You didn't have the courage to tell her, although until this night, there hadn't been a situation as clear as that.

“No… I'm not uncomfortable…” You said, avoiding her gaze. Marilyn shook her head and gently grabbed your chin, getting close enough for that bulge to brush against your crotch. It was exciting, your body asked for more of that touch. An involuntary gasp left your lips, which provoked a soft laugh from the redhead, snuggling even closer to you.

“Can you feel me, (Y/N)? Do you feel how great my desire for you is?” She whispered in your ear. You nodded embarrassed. You were starting to get very hot.

“Yes…” You sighed. Marilyn smiled and kissed you slowly, grabbing your waist to move you closer to the edge of the table.

“We've waited too long, honey... It's time for me to show you all my love... To make you feel loved...” She told you, unbuttoning your blouse.

“I... What if someone comes?” You asked looking towards the door, afraid that someone would appear in the vicinity. Your chest was now exposed, only covered by your bra, while the redhead kissed your bare skin.

“No one is going to come, (Y/N), trust me…” She said, unbuttoning your bra and leaving your bare chest exposed. Marilyn looked at it as if she were contemplating a work of art. “My God, (Y/N), I have never seen a girl as beautiful as you… You drive me crazy…”

“I…I've never done it,” you said, making Marilyn raise her head and look at you, a little surprised. You regretted spoiling the moment, but you needed to tell her.

“I am the first? Oh, darling, you don't know how happy you make me by granting me this honor...” She said, with a sincere smile, kissing you even more intensely.

“What if I don't know how to do it?” You interrupted again. She sighed and put on a slightly more serious expression.

“Honey, calm down. I'm with you, and I'm going to take care of you, I'm going to be very gentle with you, I promise.”

You nodded, still not quite sure, and let her hands wander over your body again. Your breasts were assaulted, and your neck bitten. It was an almost animal passion. The heat you felt had already hidden all your worries, and you started to act, going to the buttons of her jumpsuit.

Marilyn laughed seeing you so fiery and let you do what you wanted, unbuttoning all the buttons one by one.

“That's the way I like it, (Y/N), that you're a good girl for mommy…” She hissed, almost growling. You opened your eyes at that nickname but strangely the heat you felt in your legs was increasing. You liked it, it turned you on more and more. Her eyes turned dark, lustful, as her hands reached for her target and her teeth gently bit your nipples. You moaned for the first time, feeling the need to. You always wondered if people moaned on purpose. You just realized that they don’t.

With an incredible skill, Marilyn unbuttoned your skirt. She gave you affection, she loved you, she whispered in your ear, but you couldn't help but feel a certain rush. Considering the bulge between her legs, it was not a surprising thing.

The garment fell to the floor and finally her hand caressed your wet crotch with desire. Marilyn noticed it too and smiled against your lips.

“You're so wet, my love… So wet for mommy…” She whispered, while she ran her hand over her own crotch.

You didn't know how to answer and you didn't want to either. You were sitting at the desk in the conservatory, a dangerous place. You felt the cold wood under your legs and the shame of showing your body, completely naked.

Her fingers ran up and down your slippery folds, while her hips desperately sought contact with yours. You had never felt so good, you had never felt a pleasure even close to what you were feeling.

Your eyes widened as a finger entered you, causing you to moan again, and so did she.

“Shhh,” she whispered to you, lowering your chest until your back touched the wood of her desk.

“Marilyn…” You sighed, looking at the ceiling, feeling how your lover moved her finger inside you, in a place that no one had explored. “It... It feels good...”

“Of course it feels good, my love, mommy always takes care of her good girl…” She said between gasps, inserting a second finger.

The sensation was spectacular, but you could see that big bulge that had grown even more. You wondered how it would feel inside you, you wanted to know, you needed to know.

“Marilyn, please…I…I want…” You said between gasps, pointing to the redhead's crotch with your hand.

She stopped and smirked, nodding and pulling her clothes down, letting out what it was desperate to do.

“Oh, my girl... Don't be afraid... Mommy will take good care of you,” she said as he moved her hand up and down her cock, bringing it closer to your folds.

The sensation of rubbing her bare skin against your center was a new record of pleasure for you. You closed your eyes feeling that length running through your sex, passing through your clit, playing with your entrance. But some common sense suddenly kicked in, just before the tip lined up.

“Wait, wait,” you said, moving a little. She frowned at you, surely fed up with all of your complaining.

“What is happening now, honey?” She told you in a soft tone but at the same time an impatient one.

“Shouldn't you…? You know…. Put, put something on…” You said with a completely red face. She shook her head, pulling you back.

“My good girl, do you want to put barriers to our love?” She asked you, brushing her sex against yours again, swinging her hips rhythmically.

“No, is not that. But if you don't do it without protection I… I could… You know… I could get pregnant,” you finally said. You weren't a fool, you knew it could happen, you didn't take anything to remedy it. You thought that maybe she would get mad, that she wouldn't want to continue, but instead, she leaned closer to you, kissing you slowly on the lips.

“Oh, my love…” She said smiling, caressing your cheek. “Where is the problem? Is there anything more beautiful than having a baby?”

You didn't know how to answer. You didn't expect those words, those hints.

“I…”

“(Y/N), do you love me?” She asked with a sad face. You nodded.

“Of course I love you Marilyn but…”

“Then why don't you want me to give you a child, my love?” She asked, grabbing your chin. “It’s the greatest act of love we can do. You… Me… Our baby…”

“Well, I…”

“Show me that you love me, (Y/N),” she told you a little brusquely. “A baby is the best thing that can happen to us, do you understand? Our own family. Our baby, (Y/N).”

The idea seemed crazy to you, but the images that your mind projected said otherwise. You imagined life with Marilyn and your child. Far away from Nevermore, in a cozy house next to a lake, you imagined holding your child in your arms, cradling him to sleep. It was perfect, an image that was that of a dream that you always had and that now you could make come true.

“You're, you're right, Marilyn. It would be wonderful…” You said with tears in your eyes. The redhead kissed you again, crying too.

“Of course, darling, the most wonderful thing…” She said, placing the tip back at your entrance, moving very slowly. “Are you ready, my love?”

You closed your eyes and nodded. Right after you noticed how she was introduced little by little into you. Your body had a hard time accepting it. Your walls stretched so much that you thought you were going to break.

“Ma, Marilyn… It's, it's too big… I, I can't take it.”

“Am I too big for you, sweetheart? Oh, calm down, honey, you're doing great, relax, mommy takes care of you, she always will...”

You nodded, trying to hold back the stinging pain you felt when she was able to push herself completely inside of you.

“Oh, honey, you're amazing…” She said panting. “You hug me so much, you are so tight…”

You held on while your walls stretched out to make room for the intruder. Your eyes shed tears, you didn't know if from pain or emotion. Maybe for pleasure.

“Marilyn…” You sighed, not knowing what else to say. The feeling was overwhelming, as was the pleasure. You felt her inside you, you could feel how hard she was, how much she wanted you and how well your body adapted to her. It was an indescribable feeling.

“I'm going to move, okay?” She told you, grabbing your legs gently while her hips began to move very slowly. “Oh fuck… I can barely move, it's, it's amazing… So tight…”

When the pain disappeared, a new feeling came over you. Extreme heat, the sensation of being penetrated for the first time. You could feel Marilyn in your body, your walls hugging her cock as if they didn't want it to leave.

Little by little Marilyn began to move faster, moaning with each thrust. Her hands scratched at your buttocks as she held them, pressing you against her body. You felt the need to grab onto something, but there was nothing on that desk. Your moans and hers grew louder as Marilyn moved inside you, sending waves of pleasure through her every move.

“Honey, you're perfect. Your body is perfect…”She hissed between gasps and moans. “Do you notice how hard it is, (Y/N)? How much I love you?”

“Yes…” You whispered with an almost inaudible voice, trying not to shout too much.

“What? I didn't hear you, honey,” the redhead said, moving abruptly as a kind of punishment.

“Yes, mommy!” You yelled, ridding yourself of any feelings of shame. She laughed, relaxing her movements a bit, enjoying the privileged views she had of your body, caressing your breasts again, your belly.

“I can't wait to see you with my baby in your womb…” She whispered, biting her lip while her rhythm didn't stop. “You're going to be beautiful...”

“Me neither, Marilyn… I want it… I want it so bad,” you said between moans. You were sweating, the pleasure you felt was almost unbearable.

“Honey, you are such a good girl… You will be the best mother in the world…”

Her pace became frantic, stopping just where you needed it to. Your body had completely gotten used to her size and your fluids made her slide easily. You were shaking, you were beginning to feel the need to do things, to say things, to beg Marilyn to do what she had to do.

“Marilyn I want… I want you to cum, please… I need, I need to feel how you fill me.” She widened her eyes and nodded, moving even faster.

“Is that what you want honey? Do you want mommy to cum inside you? What mommy to get you pregnant?” She asked as her hands returned to your hips, making sure you didn't go too far.

“Yes, mommy, that's what I want, please,” you begged, moving involuntarily. “Please…”

“Yes, sweetie, I'm going to do it, I can't hold it anymore... I'm going to fill you with my love... You will be mine... Forever”

“Please, please…” You said almost desperately, while some contractions in your sex sent hundreds of cramps to your extremities.

“Oh, my love, it hugs me, I'm going… I'm going to…”

She couldn't continue the sentence. With a sharp moan, Marilyn stopped with one last thrust. Her entire body trembled. You felt a sudden heat in your center. You could feel how her cum filled you, how it took over your body. It was a unique experience for you. You almost thought you would have a second orgasm just feeling how your lover filled you up.

Marilyn didn't move away, she stayed inside you while she kissed you messily. You tried to catch your breath, while you kissed her back.

“It's been incredible, my love…”She whispered the redhead, withdrawing very slowly, spilling some liquid on her hand. “You've behaved so well... You've taken everything like a good girl...” She said as she inserted her slippery fingers into you, moving them slowly.

“I love you, Marilyn…” You said excited by everything that had happened.

“(Y/N), me too. I love you with all my soul.”

After that night, there were many more. The days passed as Marilyn made love to you, she made you feel loved. You couldn't help but be a little worried. She told you that she would give you a baby. You wanted it, but you were afraid. There were a lot of questions you hadn't asked yourself. What would your parents think? What would all the people in Nevermore think?

It was too much to worry about, you decided not to care. A month and a half had passed and you didn't notice anything, surely nothing would have happened. That made you feel some relief and also pity. You knew that a child would make her happy, and you wanted to make her happy. You would do anything for her. The love you felt had crossed the limits of madness a long time ago, long before your first time.

“On guard!” The fencing teacher yelled.

Your opponent put on her helmet and began to attack you mercilessly. Normally you didn't defense yourself bad, you had even earned the respect of a few peers. But that was not a good day. You had slept more than 9 hours, but it seemed that you had slept only 1. You were tired and fatigued. You could not face the petulant siren that you had as a rival. You fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Everything was spinning. You were dizzy. The paleness of your face was noticed even by the teacher, who bent down to check your condition.

“Ms. (Y/N), are you alright?” The man asked you were seeing him double.

“Not very well…” You said, it was hard for you to pronounce the words. “I think I got dizzy.”

“You're weak, (Y/N),” Bianca, your rival, said. She had a lot of fun when you lost.

“Barclay...” The professor whispered, in a warning tone. “Okay, you don't look well, you'd better go to the infirmary.”

You nodded, letting the man help you up. You clumsily removed your suit and walked out of the classroom, under the watchful and curious gaze of your obnoxious classmates.

As soon as you took a step out of the classroom, you felt unbearable nausea, forcing you to run to the bathroom and vomit.

“Fuck… What's happening to me?” You said trembling, leaning on the toilet. You had been feeling strange for several days, but it was the first time you had vomited. You had a slight idea of what could be the cause, but you didn't want to believe it, it seemed to you something improbable, something that shouldn't happen so soon.

You decided to go to the infirmary in case it was something else.

“Oh, (Y/N), the vampires again?” The nurse asked, listlessly.

“No, Miss Hill, I just don't feel very…” Before you could finish speaking, you felt so dizzy that you thought you had fainted.

You woke up lying in one of the beds in the infirmary, with a damp cloth on your forehead. You didn't know how much time had passed, but the sun was lower than the last time you were conscious.

“Ms. Hill?” You asked. Nothing, the infirmary seemed deserted. You huffed, taking the cloth off your head and sitting up on the bed.

A few quick steps told you that someone was coming, you hoped it wasn't Principal Weems. No, luckily it was Marilyn, who ran to your side, worried.

“I found out what happened to you, (Y/N), are you okay?” She asked, giving you a quick kiss on the lips and sitting next to you on the edge of the bed.

“Well… So-so…” You said, sincerely. “I don't know what happened to me. I got dizzy in fencing class and then I felt terrible nausea and had to run to the bathroom to vomit.”

“Really?” She asked. You agreed. “My love… It may be that…”

“What?” You asked, raising your eyebrows.

“Honey, how long has it been since you got your period?”

“Oh God…” You said when you realized that you hadn't even realized that you were a while late.

“My girl…” She said, excited, caressing your cheek. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a small bag that looked like it was from a pharmacy. “Here, take the test, we have to be sure.”

You took what was in the bag. It was pretty obvious. A pregnancy test. Slowly and with shaky legs you went to the bathroom. You were afraid, naturally, but in part you were also excited. It was what she wanted most in the world, and there was a chance you could give it to her.

You waited a minute, two. The line did not change its color. Your legs had already turned into a shaky mess and sweat was starting to drip down your head. Finally the diagnosis appeared. Pink.

You raised your hand to your mouth with an astonished sigh. You were happy and scared at the same time, it was something that would change your life forever, something you thought was wonderful.

You came out of the bathroom with the test in your hand. Luckily, there didn't seem to be anyone in the infirmary yet, except Marilyn, of course.

“Marilyn…” You whispered, almost without a voice.

“Well, honey?”

“I'm…I'm pregnant.”

“My God, that's, that's wonderful, (Y/N),” she said jumping for joy, running to hug you and cover you with kisses. “It is the happiest day of my life, (Y/N). A baby… oh my god thank you thank you thank you! I love you my love, I love you so much.”

You shared her joy. If you had any doubts, seeing her eyes full of happiness, with tears of hope, was all you needed to be completely sure of what you were doing.

The days passed, the weeks. Marilyn took care of you, she gave you all the love she could, she was always looking out for you. She was like this before you heard the great news, but it increased with the passage of time.

Your belly was growing little by little and the questions that had no answers returned to your mind. One night, while Marilyn was holding you in her bed, you asked the key question, how were you going to explain this?

Her response was reassuring, it was all you needed. No one would ever know. When the time came, you would be a far way from Nevermore, far way from Jericho.

The days kept passing and you had to start dressing in wide sweaters to cover the bulge that was getting bigger and bigger. The discomforts you felt were common, but being an outcast in a world of outcasts had its advantages. Nobody was looking out for you.

One somewhat strange afternoon, you were as always, accompanying Marilyn in the conservatory. For once she didn't tell you what she was doing. She was just doing something in a little chemistry set.

“Marilyn, what are you doing?” You asked, getting up from the stool where you were sitting and approaching the redhead.

“Stay!” She spun on you, scaring you a little and stopping you instantly. “Stay away.”

“Why?”

“These chemicals are dangerous,” she told you, turning around, strategically covering what she was doing. “I don't want to put you in danger, my girl, well, put you two in danger...”

The redhead left what looked like a syringe on the table and approached you, grabbing you around the waist and giving you a warm and tender kiss.

“My precious girl…” She whispered in your ear. You smiled and hugged her, resting your head on her shoulder. She laughed affectionately and rubbed your back. Then she pushed you away a bit and pulled up your sweater, exposing your slightly bulging belly, running a hand delicately over it.

“It's like a dream, (Y / N), our child, our baby… We're going to be so happy…” She said, while she caressed you gently. You smiled, putting your hand on top of hers.

��I have to admit that I didn't expect that.”

An unknown voice slipped into the quiet conservatory. Wednesday Addams, your classmate who just got expelled was there. Many strange things had happened in Nevermore. You didn't want to know anything about it, you preferred to be calm, not give it importance. But that girl was there, looking at you without blinking and worst of all, she had a close-up view of your belly, and she must have heard Marilyn's words.

“Wednesday, what are you doing here?” The redhead asked, pretending to be clueless. You covered your belly with the sweater, shaking your head. “I thought you were on a train headed for New Jersey.”

“You can drop the act, Laurel,” the young Addams said dryly. You shook your head, you didn't understand anything.

“Laurel?” You asked the redhead. She looked at you horrified.

“(Y/N), get away from her, she's a dangerous murderer,” Wednesday said, offering her hand to you. You shook your head, starting to get nervous. “Didn't you hear me? Come!” The dark young woman yelled, now pulling on your wrist.

Marilyn intervened, pushing the young woman away.

“Don't you dare touch her, you dirty brat,” she hissed.

You had never heard Marilyn talking like that, she even scared you a little.

Wednesday stood firm, removing Marilyn's hand from her wrist.

After that she started saying nonsense things. She claimed that she was a certain Laurel Gates, daughter of a family disgraced by their hatred on outcasts. You didn't believe it, it seemed impossible to you.

“Why do you say those things?” You asked shakily. Marilyn looked at you and shook her head.

“Don't get involved in this, (Y/N), stay out of it,” she told you. You looked at those eyes that now had a dark aura in them.

“Don't bother, Laurel, Tyler has told me everything,” Wednesday said, looking towards a corner of the conservatory, from where a boy you knew came out, Tyler Galpin, the sheriff's son, the angelic waiter from Jericho's cafeteria.

You remained silent, you didn't say anything, you only listened to what seemed to you the ravings of a crazy woman. She said that Marilyn was Laurel, that she killed those hikers in the woods. Everything seemed crazy to you, you were on the verge of screaming to defend your girlfriend's honor, but when she looked at the boy, ordering him to kill the young woman, you knew that it wasn't crazy, that it wasn't nonsense, that it was true. Events overwhelmed you and you had to sit down again, breathing hard.

“I never made it to the station. Do you have enough?” Wednesday said, nodding to the young Galpin.

Things got even worse. Gradually Tyler stopped being Tyler, to become Principal Weems. It was a nightmare, worse than a nightmare.

“I can’t believe it. You are not only a murderer, you are an abuser. You have killed innocent people, and you have impregnated a student. You've crossed all the lines, Marilyn. Don't make it more difficult for me.”

The redhead's face, now devoid of her characteristic glasses, became dangerous. Her breath was rabid and her eyes were capable of murder.

“My name is Laurel!” She yelled furiously, sticking a syringe with a strange blue liquid, which disappeared into the principal's neck.

Weems screamed in pain before collapsing to the ground, apparently unconscious. You didn't believe what you were seeing.

“Marilyn?” You whispered scared, seeing the murderous gaze of your lover, of the mother of your child. She ignored your call.

“Principal Weems,” Wednesday said, crouching down next to the unconscious shapeshifter.

“Good night, Addams,” Laurel said, hitting the young woman hard with a shovel. She immediately fell unconscious. The redhead dropped the shovel under your terrified gaze and headed towards you.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” She asked. Her hands were shaking, her whole body was shaking, just like yours.

“What does this mean? Are you, are you Laurel Gates?” You asked stammering. Suddenly the woman of your life was beginning to scare you.

“Shhh, shhh, calm down, relax. I'm sorry I lied to you, my love, but it was for the common good,” she told you nervously, holding your hands. “Listen to me.” You shook your head, starting to cry. “Listen to me!” She yelled, making you cry even more and instinctively protect yourself with your hands.

After a few seconds, she relaxed and caressed your cheek before standing up, putting her hand over her mouth.

“I shouldn't have yelled at you, honey, I'm sorry, but you have to listen to me, okay?” She said calmer, crouching down in front of you again. “Honey, this is all for your good, for our good. Soon all those who have hurt us will die, they will disappear.”

“What?” You said scared trying to control your crying, you didn't want her to yell at you again.

“Everything is going to be alright, honey, you have to trust me,” she said nervously, cupping your face in her hands. You didn't answer. You were too scared by what you just saw. “You have to stay here still, without moving from here, have you understood? I promise that when all this is over and they are all dead I will come for you and we can be happy, the three of us, you, me, and the baby.”

“But…”

“No honey, there are no buts. You have to listen to me, for the good of our baby, for the good of our relationship, for your own good. Stay here, promise me you'll stay here.”

You had no choice but to nod, causing Laurel to kiss you passionately before calling what looked like the real Tyler on the phone.

The boy arrived shortly after and between the two of them they took Wednesday. You didn't know where, you didn't know why. You were just crying, alone, next to the unconscious Larissa Weems. Everything you believed was a lie. The woman you loved, the one who got you pregnant, had lied to you. Laurel Gates was her real name and she was a murderer, a psychopath. You couldn't be more devastated but you had to stay calm. You had more important things to worry about, your baby.

As if it somehow listening to you you made soothing sounds. They were for you too. That was too much, you would collapse if you stopped to think about it.

After what seemed like an eternity, you heard a crash coming from the main Nevermore building. Something terrible was happening, you were sure. You got up from the stool and crouched over Larissa.

“Principal Weems…” You called desperately. She didn't respond, but at least she was breathing. You were crying desperately. You hadn't heard from Laurel, or Wednesday, or anyone else.

When soon after that sinister glow disappeared, you knew it was time to get out of the conservatory and find out what was happening.

Running clumsily you reached the quad, where another gruesome scene awaited you.

“I won't be able to kill all the outcasts, but I can kill you, Wednesday.”

The newly unmasked Laurel Gates pointed a gun at the young Addams. You ran, immediately drawing her attention.

“(Y/N), I told you to stay in the conservatory!” She yelled, letting her guard down. You didn't know what to do, so you decided to be crazy, throw yourself into her arms.

“Don't do it, please, don't do it…” You sobbed as you hugged her, crying on her shoulder. The redhead stayed in the same position for a few seconds, but she soon turned around, dropping the gun and hugging you back.

“You're stupid, (Y/N), you're very stupid…” She whispered in your ear, pressing you very hard against her.

A horrible buzzing appeared in the courtyard. It looked like a large swarm of bees heading towards you.

“No, Eugene, stop! You will hurt (Y/N)!”

Eugene, the quiet and lonely bee boy stopped, stopping the swarm, which disappeared down the halls.

“Please…You have to stop…” You sobbed again into Laurel's shoulder- She looked up, looking past you.

“It's over, honey, it's over.”

You stepped away and looked in the same direction, where a group of police officers led by Sheriff Galpin were coming towards you.

“Listen to me, (Y/N), you have to hide, run away from here,” she told you, taking you by your shoulders. “The baby. They, they will want to hurt it, they will want to take it from you. Don't let them do it.”

That statement made you automatically put a hand to your belly. You looked at her in horror, while the police took her by her arms, handcuffing her.

“You have to protect the baby, (Y/N)!” She yelled desperately as the police took her away. “Protect it! Protect our child, I beg you!”

You saw her disappear between desperate screams. You were devastated, completely devastated. You fell to your knees on the cold grass, crying uncontrollably. Wednesday seemed to take pity on you and crouched down beside you, putting a hand on your shoulder.

“(Y/N), calm down,” she told you kindly, something quite rare in her. “Come with me, we're going to take you to a doctor to take a look at you.”

That phrase reminded you of Laurel's recent warnings "they'll want to hurt it, they'll want to take it away."

You were so devastated that you related concepts. Doctor, baby, disappear. An atrocious fear like you had never felt ran through your body. You let the young woman help you up, but once she did, you pushed her hard, knocking her to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Wednesday said, scared. You shook your head.

“You won't hurt my baby!” You yelled with all your might, before running away, not knowing where.

You ran away from Nevermore. Your chest ached and you lacked air. You had to run away, but you had no way. You only had one option left, to hide.

You continued, already walking to a path where the streetlights ended, in front of a terrifying mansion that seemed abandoned.

The gates were open and the noise of sirens nearby told you that this was a good place to hide.

You didn't see anything. That old house was dark. You trembled with fear, seeing red and blue reflections reflect off the rickety walls. Luckily you found a candle so you could see where you were going. You went up the old stairs, which creaked with every step you took. The corridor was dusty, full of dust and cobwebs.

You came to a room that made you almost think you were dreaming. It was a room that seemed new, made for a little girl. You didn't understand how there was such a thing inside that almost ruined house.

You left the candle on top of a chest of drawers and began to investigate, forgetting for a moment about everything that had happened. There were girls' clothes and some toys. There didn't seem to be anything interesting, but at the bottom of some drawers there was a photo, an old one, where a girl posed, smiling.

“Laurel Gates, 10th birthday, 02/12/1990,” you read aloud. You dropped the photo suddenly knowing where you were. The glass broke while you cried again.

You bent down to pick up the photograph, being very careful not to cut yourself. You looked at that smiling girl. It was her, Marilyn, Laurel. Surely that would be her old house. Fate seemed to laugh at you. You went to seek refuge in her old house, how ironic.

Five months passed. Five months hidden in that house. Your 7-month-old belly was already too bulging, you could barely move well. You knew nothing of the outside world. In that house there were cans of food, and fortunately, clothes for the cold. You were surprised that no one had bothered to look for you. You were lying, a few days after those events, a couple of policemen entered the house. You hid in the elevator and just waited for them to leave.

Your life was a wreck. You had water, clothes you could cover yourself with, and food, but you were starting to get tired of living like this. You would only have to wait for the baby to be born before you could get out of there.

“Calm down, honey, it will all be over soon...” You said while the baby protested, kicking. The miracle of life made its way in the face of so much misfortune, it seemed almost a miracle to you.

One night the sound of the door startled you, waking you up. You carefully got out of bed, trying to find out whose voices those were. You went to the door of Laurel's old room and carefully opened it.

“Damn Donovan, that crazy woman has been missing for 5 months, what makes you think she's still here?”

“I don't know. Every time I think that she has escaped us… Shit!”

It was the sheriff and his deputy, looking down with their flashlights.

“What about the girl?” The deputy asked.

“Nothing. They've been looking for her for months. Sometimes I think that that psychopath has taken her, or something worse,” the sheriff said, looking at the house without much interest.

“Is it true that Gates got her pregnant?”

“That's what they say, my guts turn...”

“Poor girl…”

You listened to the conversation attentively, sticking your head out discreetly. It almost gave you a heart attack. At the end of the hallway was what looked like a shadow. It wasn't at all. You thought you were seeing visions, hallucinating. You had to make a superhuman effort not to scream.

It was a monster, a terrible creature, with huge eyes and sharp claws. It was looking at you, that thing was looking at you. You were petrified, you hardly listened to the policemen's conversation anymore. It didn't walk, it was there, still, looking at you.

When it moved one of its arms, you stepped back, cupping a hand over your mouth to hide your heavy breathing. The creature brought one of its claws to its mouth, as if gesturing for you to be quiet. You, terrified, agreed.

“Let's go, we're just going blindsided. I hope one day they tear down this house...” the sheriff said, leaving through the door with his assistant.

When you saw the lights of the car moving away, you took your hand from your mouth and started to scream.

“Ah…!”

You couldn't do it, a hand grabbed you from the side, covering your mouth. You kicked your feet as you saw that monster standing still, lurking.

“Honey, honey, calm down, it's me, Laurel…” A voice that you knew too well said. You widened your eyes and with a quick movement you managed to get out of her grasp. It was her, almost the same as the last time you saw her. She was there, by your side. Looking at you tenderly. “My love, you're so big, our baby is fine…” She said, placing a hand on your belly. You pushed her away in a rage.

“What are you doing here?” You asked, noticing how the tears expressed the bittersweet joy of seeing your beloved again.

“Honey, I've come looking for you. I managed to escape thanks to Tyler. I had to hide for a while. Oh, (Y/N), you don't know how much I have missed you...”

“Why didn't you come earlier? I've been here alone for 5 months,” you said furiously, with tears falling hopelessly down your cheek.

“My girl, I didn't know where you were, I didn't know if you were okay,” she told you, holding your hand. This time you didn't take it away.

“What do you want?”

She shook her head, horrified by your tone of voice.

“I want to take you with me, honey. I've found a perfect place for the three of us… A cabin by a lake, with no one around, no one to ask questions.”

It was as if she had read your mind. That was the image you had in your dreams.

“You lied to me. You have deceived me,” you said, remembering everything that had happened. “You've done horrible things, why do you think I'm going to forgive you?”

“Because you love me, (Y/N), I know that you love me, that you haven't stopped doing it, I see it in your eyes, do you remember that I can see what's in your eyes?”

She was getting closer little by little and you had neither the strength nor the courage to go back. You just sobbed.

“My love, I just, I just want to have a life with you, that we be a happy family. Our baby deserves it, he is not to blame for the mistakes I made. I thought that following the Gates bloodline was my mission, that I should do it. When I met you, that duty became the need to strengthen my love for you, my girl. You have made me very happy, together we have made ourselves happy.”

“You fooled me,” you said, trying to pretend that her words didn't affect you.

“I wanted to save you, my love, save you from pain.”

“I…”

You couldn't defend your pride, you immediately hugged the redhead, crying, reliving that moment in the Nevermore quad.

“I'm here, (Y/N), I will never leave your side. We will live together happily with our child, we will be a happy family, isn't that what you want? What have you always wanted?”

It was an easy decision. Giving birth in an abandoned house, alone and with a high chance of dying, or accompanying the fugitive mother of your child towards a new life, a better life. It was an easy decision.

“Yes… It's what I want…” You said, kissing your beloved like a silent pact, like an eternal commitment between two crazy women who met by chance, and who loved each other despite everything. You would finally fulfill your dream, a happy family, a happy life, a life full of love.

[convexicalcrow]

after an awful bout of writer's block regarding part three of the lost prince au, tonight i finally started writing something. took long enough to work out where the second half needed to go and what needed addressing, esp since i hit them with the grief stick in the interludes lol. so obvs dealing with that is clearly the main focus.

i've rejected a lot of potential plot points but i think i now finally have a plot that's going to work for where they are and what they need to deal with to get that good character growth. plus i get to do moar pixandrian lore worldbuilding wooo.

extremely sketchy 'i wrote this in 18 mins and haven't even edited it' exerpt below the cut if you're interested. still needs a ton of work, but having it started is really helping me visualise where to go next.

It had been too long since they'd arrived in Djesdjes, or so Cub thought. He was almost getting to like the place. He had settled into the rhythm of the temple now that he'd recovered, and was enjoying simply being able to serve and do nothing else. Just give his life over to the gods and perform the rites as he'd been taught. In between, he'd done whatever work needed doing, and when he was free, spent time with Scar down by the lakeside, or wandering through the markets, just enjoying being somewhat normal and in the company of people who spoke his language.

He was down by the lake again. He knew very well that he had to keep going, but his heart wasn't really in it. Not right now, anyway. That Wag festival had really messed him up. It had let out all that grief, and he hadn't really known what to do with it, save for spending too many late nights talking it out with Scar and Ma'akhi. Had it really helped? Not really. He'd still lost everything. Nothing would change that.

Sure, he had a new horse, and new tack, and he'd been able to replace his palette and get more papyrus, but it wasn't the same. Not yet, it wasn't. This new palette was a different shape. It didn't have Djehuty's name on it. It had four colours, not two. The reed pens were made from slightly thicker reed than he was used to. All small and insignificant things, to be fair, but they weren't his. And he wasn't quite in the right headspace to accept it yet. So, maybe, when night fell, he took his horse, left a note for Scar, and rode back to the place he'd left behind. He needed to see the Vigil and see the Copper King once more.

-

Was it more dangerous riding at night? Oh, sure. Though at least the moon was almost full, so there was just about enough light to see as he followed the road back to the Copper King's mountain. Was this a stupid thing to do? Cub wasn't sure. Didn't really care, either. Just knew he needed to go back there. He needed to see the Vigil. He arrived just after dawn, riding up to the gates just as the shifts were switching over.

"I seek entrance to the Copper King's mines!" Cub called.

"Who asks to be admitted?" one of the guards replied.

"The wanderer known as Cub. I have met the Copper King before. He invited me to return if I needed it. I have come from Djesdjes," Cub said.

"Oh, yes, I remember you! Please, do come in," another guard said. "I'm glad better weather brought you to us this time."

"Indeed, indeed. All praise to Ra for the good weather," Cub said, backing up his horse a little as the gates were opened. His horse startled a little at the drumming that followed, but he managed to calm her down and rode through the gates with the previous shift following along behind him.

One fo the guards caught up to him. "Do you need an escort to show you around? I'm assuming you'll head for the stables?"

"Yes, yes, I'll leave my horse there if that's okay. And do let him know I've arrived. I don't know how long I'll stay, though," Cub said.

"Oh, he'll know from the drumming, don't worry. We use them to communicate because we can hear them all over the city here. Come, I'll show you the stables," the guard said.

-

"Cub? Come on, we're late for morning rite!"

Scar said as he poked his head into Cub's sleeping quarters. He saw nothing save for a rolled up piece of papyrus on his bed.

"Oh, that rapscallion! I hope he hasn't run off somewhere! I'll never find him now!" Scar said, picking up the papyrus. He unrolled it and read the note Cub had left. "'Gone to see the Copper King. Sorry. Needed to get out of Djesdjes. Back in a few days.' Well, this is unacceptable! How dare he go on an adventure without me! Jellie, come on, we're going to see this Copper King as well!"

-

Scar found Ma'akhi about to start the procession to the temple. He would miss being in the temple, but he had a feeling Cub would need him.

"Ma'akhi, where does this Copper King live? Cub's gone to see him, but I don't know where he lives!" Scar said.

"Oh! Go out the west gate and follow the trade route. That should get you there in a day or so. It's a large mountain with gates on each side surrounded by wheat fields. It's very hard to miss. I take it you'll be staying with him until you return?" Ma'akhi said.

"Yes, of course! I think he just needed to get out of town for a bit, you know? I can tell he's going through a lot right now. Hopefully we'll be back sooner rather than later," Scar said.

"Good luck, and be kind to each other, yeah? May Netjer travel with you," Ma'akhi said.

"Thank you! Send my regards to Djehuty!" Scar said.

-

Cub left his horse in the stables under the care of the horse master, and took up the guard's offer to take him to the Vigil. Cub still wasn't sure why he felt so drawn to it, but he wasn't about to complain. He'd forgotten how...

It's not that the Vigil was a dark place, necessarily. It was in a large, brightly lit cave that opened to the sky, surrounded by houses carved into the rock. It had space. The running water from the fountain in the middle was soothing and cool, taking away from the heat that was starting to come in from the outside. But there were candles everywhere, in so many different colours, sizes, and shapes.

"I wondered if I might find you here," the Copper King said, coming to stand beside him.

"I dunno, something just- I felt like I needed to be here," Cub said.

The Copper King laughed. "The ancestors will do that sometimes, yes."

"I've been dreaming. Bad dreams. Akhu dreams. Like-..." Cub sighed.

"I take it that Wag festival really stirred up a few things, hey? I've heard it can do that," the Copper King said.

Cub nodded. "Do you know how hard it is to grieve when you can't say their names? I don't even know what I'll do if I get back to the Two Lands. What's really left for me there?"

"I guess that's a question you can only really answer once you go there. I have heard stories of rebuilding, though, from other traders. Khemenu became a sanctuary. You may want to go there first. It might do you good to stay there a while and get your bearings before you think about going elsewhere. The Governor there is a kind man. I know, because we've only recently reopened our trade routes back to the Two Lands. We're planning to go again in a month. If you're still around by then, maybe you can join us when we pass through Djesdjes. We'd love to have your company," the Copper King said.

"Yeah, maybe. I dunno. I know Scar wants to leave soon. I kinda do, but also, I still feel like I need to stay in Djesdjes for a while. Mentally, I still need to recover. But I find it impossible to explain that to him. He doesn't understand," Cub said.

"Well, he won't if you never try to explain it. But I do know what you mean. From what little you've told me about your life, I can't imagine trying to readapt to any kind of normal life after that. Take your time. I might not know much about healing, but what I do know is that you'll do yourself more harm if you go before you're ready. Do you need some time alone with the Vigil?" the Copper King said.

"Yeah, maybe. It's not that I can't talk to my akhu in Djesdjes, but you know-"

"You like the anonymity of being here more, I get it. Stay as long as you like. I'll be around if you need me," the Copper King said.

[bananadogpilllow]

Sun king theory: Are the people from the old world not humans? Is this the basis for the fall of Sarcean? Let me explain. The old world is old enough that plate tectonic changes so that land that used to be land is now ocean and etc evidence visander not being able to read the maps and also the gate opening underwater. The last time plate tectonics were significantly different enough that maps were significantly unreadable on earth was the Cretaceous period or at least 50-65 million years ago. I can accept fantasy magic etc and assume that magic artifacts are magically preserved but the sun palace is literally buried under a mountain. Additionally, visander in the new world isn't automatically celebrating that the "darkness and evil is defeated" which you would assume is true considering there is like sunlight and humans everywhere or whatever but is immediately angry that the world is covered in humans. He is also mad that he is a human. Visander and Devon are both mad that humans killed everyone and took over, visander is immediately mad that Devon and elizabeth doesn't have their original form and instead looks like a shitty human. Now here comes my theory, the old world is literally so old that the old beings are literally a different species (maybe elves, maybe fae) who can wield magic and humans were a minority pest animals similar to perhaps monkeys. Visander and Devon are the only confirmed light side reborn old ones does not see a world full of humans as a good thing, therefore this means that the side of the 'light' is not specifically pro-human interests and pro making a world that humans want to live in. I do believe that visander believes himself to be on the 'good side and a good person' which would mean he is on the side which results in the best interest of old beings in general. On the other hand, Sarcean has decided to create all reborns into humans, seems fine being a human himself, makes friends and generally likes other human people. Now, if I had the power to die and be reborn to restart my dark empire, why would I not choose my own species? Why did Sarceans reborn empire not just reborn into the next generation of old beings? And here is where I feel the core of the conflict between the sun king and the dark king lies. The old beings were likely a dying race, insulated, long lives, small gene pools, rampant homosexuality ( I kid I kid) like elephants or endangered tigers. The sun king and the ruling elite were likely preserving this status quo, because reasons and maybe it preserves their magic? Sarcean, on the other hand, probably saw the writing on the wall, and first tried to seize power through creating descendents (AKA making the sex with random humans LOL), getting the Lady to also have babies with random humans and starts making human armies through mind control and etc and becoming way too powerful. Sun king is like no way, they fight, there's tons of old beings casualties in the civil war etc. etc. At some point, Sarcean is like I'm over it, you all light side idiots are going to die off anyway so I'm just going to kill myself and my army and restart my best life 50 million years later in some human bodies. Think about it, how is it that the dark king has been actively dormant for at least 50 million years but the light side has still not 'won'? Because they are all gone! Also I'm not a Sarcean did nothing wrong, actually a good guy simp, I actually think Sarcean is just more down to utilize/enslave humans for baby making and army raising and the sun king is pro uh human genocide and old beings domination.

[chloecherrysip]

Now that I've had a few hours of sleep and am marginally a human being again, let's talk about the mario movie some more! SPOILERS ALL THROUGHOUT THIS POST UNDER THE CUT (if you want to see my non-spoilery thoughts and the first part of my spoiler talk as well, here's that post from last night! Be warned that it's pretty all over the place because it was 4:30 in the morning and I was really tired lolol)

After thinking about it more, I truly do have some PROBLEMS with this movie (will talk more about some of that below and I covered a lot of the issues in my first post too) and I do wish it was better overall and not so painfully surface-level with all the character interactions - I can understand why some people REALLY don't like it while others love it! It's joyful and energetic and BEAUTIFUL but if you spent months and months theorizing and speculating about deep character interactions and a very emotional story, it does really sting to finally see how there is virtually NONE of that and the plot feels kinda empty as a result. :(

But! I'm definitely not upset or anything like that, and I'm still gonna see it two more times in theaters with a smile on my face! TRUTHFULLY (and if you've seen my blog before, you know this about me) what I cared about most in this movie was getting to see Mario and Luigi be adorable onscreen and have a good, healthy, loving relationship, and you do get that to some degree, even if it's nowhere near enough. I can make my peace (and write a lot of fanfic, LOL) regarding the rest. :)

Here is a list of moments between Mario & Luigi that made me happy:

FIRST OF ALL, SOMETHING THAT I'M NOT ACTUALLY SURE I LIKED BUT WAS CERTAINLY A CHOICE: Mario's nickname for Luigi is Lu????? He calls him that 3-4 times and at big moments, too. It started to be cute to me, even if I wish they'd gone with "Weegie" or something similar, but it's a little jarring at the beginning for sure.

In general, they are just very physically affectionate with each other! There are one or two quick hugs in the beginning scenes before we even get to the reunion. Also, I can't remember the specifics but the very last scene is them basically teasing/poking each other before running off into the day together and it's cute. :)

Mario is SO protective of Luigi in the Brooklyn scenes and let me tell you, as someone who cares DEEPLY about that, i was LIVING. He gets mad at Spike and tries to pick a fight only when he insults Luigi, and there is also a silly scene with an angry dog and Mario just instinctively puts his arm up in front of Luigi when things get a little scary/focuses on making sure he doesn't get hurt, and I was just having the BEST time. Honestly, I loved the Brooklyn stuff so much that I sincerely wanted the whole movie to just be about that, and things took a downhill turn for sure when the separation happened. :(

Someone definitely predicted this before the movie but Mario hates mushrooms as a food and Luigi likes them. During a dinner scene, Mario is slyly separating mushrooms from his food and putting them onto Luigi's plate in a way that suggests he's done that a LOT. Such a quick shot but I just liked the detail!

THE RUNNING THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION SITE AND MARIO DOING RIDICULOUS PARKOUR BUT ALSO STOPPING TWICE TO MAKE SURE TO TURN BACK AND OPEN THE GATES SO LUIGI COULD COME THROUGH NORMALLY. There was just something SO funny and sweet about [crazy jumping and leaping] [quiet, thoughtful pause to open the gate] [MORE CRAZY JUMPING AND LEAPING, WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING, SIR] [another quiet, thoughtful pause to open the 2nd gate], I loveeeeee

Once again, just gotta be obnoxious about being right that the dialogue in the warp zone was "nothing can hurt us as long as we're together!" I HEARD THE LINE AS THIS IN THAT PREVIEW FOOTAGE AND EVERYONE CONVINCED ME IT WAS DIFFERENT BUT LOOK WHO'S LAUGHING NOW (i'm sorry, just let me have this win haha)

There is a sad moment where Mario and Luigi's dad clearly doesn't believe in their business and he even says to Mario something like "the worst part is that you're dragging your brother down with you" which is clearly upsetting to Mario so he leaves the dinner table - but then Luigi leaves the table too to come and sit with him and reassures him that he's not dragging him down and it's just a sweet, comfortable moment between them that I very much wish went on a little longer (the theme of the whole movie lol)

(Also, Mario and Luigi still live with their parents and share a room, they're clearly pretty young and are treated like the "babies" of the family. I wish we had seen more of their room other than a very extremely brief shots!!)

Luigi DOES immediately sell out Mario when Bowser goes for the serious mustache damage, LOL, but the way it's done is honestly so cute and once again, just reemphasizes how much Luigi loves Mario XD He's basically like "YES, I know him, he's my brother Mario and he's the best guy ever!" (And then Bowser, who is preoccupied with Mario = romantic rival for Peach's affections, is like "would a princess find him attractive???" and Luigi is like "if she has any common sense, she should!" (lol, that line could be TOTALLY wrong, I don't remember, but that's the gist of it, I promise) or something like that - just hyping Mario up when he's not even there, LOL

in Mario and DK's "darkest moment" scene where things seem hopeless and they're arguing, Mario says something like "well, at least your brother's not going to die because of you!" and noooo, bb, it's not your fault ;; (this scene could have been done SO MUCH BETTER with a few tweaks, btw, but I will get into that)

Luigi bringing coffee for Mario at the end of the movie in their respective cups :) :) :) So simple but I am a very simple person who just wanted to see little moments like this :) :) :)

I have GRIPES with the final battle scene but seeing Mario and Luigi work together and take care of Bowser as a duo was still good!!! Nothing can hurt them when they're together!!!

Also, already talked about this at length in my first post, but one more time: Mario saving Luigi from falling into the lava and their reunion hug is just my favorite moment of the movie, no contest, it goes by so fast and I wish it was longer but I can be happy with that alone and I can't wait for the screenshots/gifsets where I can see all the details of it more clearly and don't have to rely on my awful memory. Literally just going to think about that split-second of Mario holding Luigi's face with both hands in an unbearably sweet, gentle way forever. These brothers love each other very much, your honor ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

ALSO ALMOST FORGOT: FLASHBACK TO THEM BEING BABIES (AND THEY LOOK SO FAITHFUL TO THE ORIGINAL DESIGNS TOO!) AND MARIO PROTECTING LUIGI FROM A BULLY (lol I very much wish it was a longer and/or more creative flashback, but STILL sweet)

AND NOW THAT I AM DONE WITH BEING POSITIVE ABOUT MY FAVORITE BOYS, LET'S ~*~COMPLAIN~*~

First of all, still CANNOT BELIEVE that "I'm not afraid! I'll do anything for my brother" didn't make it into the movie, are you SERIOUS, it would have been perfect in SO MANY PARTS, they recorded it and everything, why???? IS THERE A DELETED SCENE??? ARE THERE SEVERAL DELETED SCENES??? I DEMAND JUSTICE FOR THAT PERFECT LINE, I WILL MOURN IT FOREVER

The editing in general is a little odd sometimes and it really DOES feel like a lot of scenes should be there that are missing. Another VERY weird cut is in the scene where Peach, Toad, and Mario are crossing the bridge with the Cheep-Cheeps and they just immediately cut the scene when one latches onto Mario's face and don't even include the cute stuff from the trailer with Peach trying to help him??? Like, WHY???? WHY DID THOSE FEW SECONDS NEED TO BE CUT??? I DON'T UNDERSTAND

I think one of the most painful things about this movie is that, as a writer/creative person, I can see SO many small opportunities throughout the movie where a couple of extra minutes and some tweaks in the writing would have made SO much difference. An unbelievable amount of difference! The overall structure of the story and the plot is good! The story of Mario wanting to reunite with his brother and Peach wanting to protect her kingdom (that took her in and cared for her when she was all alone in the world) is solid! But they never give the EMOTIONS surrounding these things ANY space to breathe beyond one line here or there, and that is SUCH a mistake and I can't believe no one thought to do something differently here.

FOR INSTANCE: The "darkest moment" scene with DK and Mario! It goes by so fast, but there is some good stuff there that, if the movie took a MOMENT and really let their pain/fear for their loved ones and their shared complex of unsupportive fathers BREATHE, would work SO MUCH BETTER. Like, I can easily imagine a rewritten version of that scene with very similar dialogue but just MORE of it (more pauses, more emotion, more reactions to one another's problems, more recognition of their similarities, etc) would have made it like a DAGGER in the heart. SUCH a missed opportunity. I am itching to rewrite it, LOL. (I am itching to rewrite a LOT of scenes!)

ALSO: Luigi is my LOVE and he is adorable throughout this, but I'm gonna be the first to admit that his scrap of an arc in this movie (if you can even call it that) is so lackluster and his heroic moment at the end genuinely doesn't feel that earned! AND ONCE AGAIN, WITH A LITTLE EXTRA WRITING/ROOM IN THE RUNTIME, IT'S A VERY SOLVABLE PROBLEM

And the solution is: build out the prison scenes and have Luigi actually talking to someone else who is locked up!!!!! Other than a couple of lines and jokes, the prisoners don't TALK TO EACH OTHER and Luigi just spends a lot of time looking sad. We don't get ANYTHING about his thought processes while he's captured other than he is thinking of Mario and hoping his brother comes to save him like he's always done.

WHEN CRANKY KONG AND THE OTHER KONGS SHOW UP, HAVE THEM SHARE INFO ABOUT MARIO'S APPARENT DEMISE WITH LUIGI!!! HAVE LUIGI TALK TO HIM (OR THE PENGUIN KING, OR SOMEONE) ABOUT HOW HIS BROTHER'S ALWAYS LOOKED OUT FOR HIM BUT MAYBE SOMETIMES, HIS BROTHER MIGHT NEED SOME SUPPORT TOO AND HE'S GOTTA BE STRONG FOR HIM TOO

It doesn't have to be a long or especially deep conversation, but some lines of dialogue like this would make that moment where Luigi realizes that Mario is right, nothing CAN hurt them if they're together and he's gotta be strong for his older brother too and he jumps in to protect him from Bowser hit SO much harder. That's all it would take!!!

I HAVE ACTUAL WORK TO DO TODAY AND CANNOT GO ON AND ON ABOUT THE MARIO MOVIE FOREVER BUT LAST THOUGHT FOR NOW: the more I think about the final battle, the more I'm conflicted, haha. The twist of everyone from the Mushroom Kingdom ending up in Brooklyn is definitely SHOCKING in the moment and pretty creative but I don't know, I had my heart set on a more classic version of Mario VS Bowser. It just doesn't hit as hard as it could in the end because of how silly the setting is. :( (But the Mario and Luigi teamup with the power star is great, and the music IS fire) (Also LOL at myself for thinking "Luigi won't fight at the end, that wouldn't make sense since Mario had to train" - he just knows how to fight, the movie goes with what's cool over what's logical and that's fair XD)

Also, the end of the movie is a tad confusing and has some pretty huge repercussions for this version of canon? ARE THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM AND THE REAL WORLD PERMANENTLY MERGED TOGETHER BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED??? That's definitely what it seems to imply with Mario and Luigi waking up in their Brooklyn room and then walking out straight into the Mushroom Kingdom! It's pretty bizarre! (Honestly, what I was expecting was that the Bill would destroy the warp pipes and Mario and Luigi wouldn't be able to go home, which I might have preferred, as sad as that would be.)

That's all I got for now! I'm sure I will have more thoughts in the future, haha.