#13×13 “devils bargain: | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

punderdome · 8 months ago

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The Fine Print

Ok, so this is the first of many things for me: this is my first fic, this is my first time writing romance (no I do not count whatever weird smut I tried to write at 13) , and I've literally never posted on Tumblr, so you're going to have to just help smooth the edges a little. I would love any amount of help, but here is my first chapter and it's a good thing it's SFW

Major edit: The exposition (Chapter 1) should read a little bit differently now and a lot clearer. Huge thanks to @bitethedevil, @a-true-neutral, and @mslanna for help with tons of different things like writing structure, POV, and tumblr in general. I was able to start many of their corrections for Chapter 2, but I went back and gave another round of polish for Chapter 1.

Read on AO3: [Chapter 1]

Synopsis:

Rapidly running out of options, Tav signing Raphael’s contract was the only way to free herself from the tadpole and defeat the Elder Brain and save her love from his eventual ruin. She should have paid closer attention to the wording of the contract before she signed it. Now, Tav gets more than she bargained for, and the devil has come to collect.

Chapter 1: The Devil's Den

The Devil’s Den. She had met with Raphael many times before but was never filled with this much dread. He was some sort of evil cambion bard, verbose but not foreboding, versed in iambic pentameter not ill-omen. He was rhymes and lullabies, cherries and sulfur. He seemed like he should be a character in a play whispering out his dastardly plans to the audience while standing on stage right.

The desperation of the Illithid voice in her mind raged and howled as she walked across the balcony to the ornate door carved with the likeness of a devil. The rage shivered down every vertebra one after the other, demanding to be heard. She refused it.

“What are we doing here?” Gale demanded. “You can’t honestly want to make a deal with the devil.”

Tav eased him gently, running her hand down the Karsite scar on his chest. “He helped Astarion understand the Rite, he might have other information at a price we’re willing to pay.” She knew what he wanted the last time they visited: the Crown of Karsus. Gale’s latest obsession.

“You know what he wants,” Gale pounced. “He wants the Crown.”

“And my Prince requires rescue.” Lae’zel reminded him firmly. “The perfumed trickster inside will provide us the means to rescue him for only a small price.”

Gale’s jaw clenched firmly. Ascension. She knew Gale thought that would solve all their problems. In his mind they would be together for eternity, wanting for nothing, infinite in power. Gale had dreamed of what Goddess that Tav would become. At night, when they lay together, he told her of his imaginings of her as the Goddess of Regrowth. The Goddess of Winter. The Goddess of Snow. She was all of these goddesses, currently residing in flesh in his mind, and he wanted her to pick one. He would trace the path of her white scales on her human form and regale her with stories of how much they would shine when she was with him in Elysium.

“This deal will only spell trouble for all of us,” Gale countered. “You will save your people from the Grand Design only to doom them further.” Tav could feel the pinpricks of the Emperor’s eager agreement to her paramour, but she did not care to remind him mentally that he never gave a shit about Lae’zel’s people or any of them at all.

Raphael’s prior deal had been tempting. They would gain the tools needed to defeat an Elder Brain and would finally be free from the looming dread. The Grand Design would be over. Raphael even promised to throw in a lavish dinner at the House of Hope at the conclusion of their adventure, allowing her band of mighty heroes to celebrate their victory in style.

Gale couldn’t ascend. Gale couldn’t have that power.

Gale couldn’t leave her.

She took a quick look behind her and saw the panic on his face. He was trying to hide it behind a mild scowl and his glorious beard. Tav knew Tara hated that beard, but she melted every time the lips within went to her neck and the bristles tickled. He quickly shook his head in warning not to knock at the door.

Tav didn’t want to lie to Gale, but she knew the terrible row they would have if she told him the truth. She had come to read Raphael’s deal, and likely, sign. Their terrible predicament would have a path to resolution. A path to redemption , Raphael had called it. Forceful eviction of their other tenant. She had purposely left Wyll and Karlach back at camp, knowing how disapproving they would be of what was about to occur. She wanted to have left Gale back as well, but he forcefully demanded that wherever his beloved went, so he too would go. So, she reluctantly agreed to drag him along to a meeting that would break his heart and destroy his dreams. The dread pooled deeply in her abdomen. This was the only way to be free of the tadpole - or it was the only way that relieved the guilt at her lack of faith.

Lae’zel stood proud, eager for her to knock on the door and grant her the path to Prince Orpheus’s freedom. When Tav hesitated, she urged her on. Enter. Go.

Tav could feel the sweat on her palms. She took a deep breath and whispered silently to herself. You know Infernal. He won’t be able to trick you with hidden loopholes. She researched Cania and Hellfire magic at the university, though sorceresses were often not accepted in academic circles. Her research was about to be put into practical use, though she wished the stakes weren't so high.

Gale’s face had drifted from furious into stony. His rage had hidden but not extinguished behind his eyes. He knew they were there about the Crown, despite whatever story she tried to tell him.

Tav ignored his gaze and placed three firm knocks on the door.

She had to do it. Gale would just have to deal with the consequences.

“Come in,” the deep voice purred from behind the door. Tav opened it and entered.

“Ah, my most cherished client.” Raphael’s face was smug. He was wearing his human guise and gave a grand gesture of welcoming with a smile. “Please, please, come partake of the Devil’s Den where we have no shortage of sins to enjoy.”

Raphael strode to his desk, crossing his legs as he lounged in an ornate chair behind it. He gestured again to three ornate chairs opposite him. Tav seated herself in the center, but both Gale and Lae’zel elected to stand.

“Now tell me,” he purred. “What can I do for my most favored client?” He cocked a brow and leaned back, relaxing into the silence.

Tav wasn’t going to be put on the back foot so early into a negotiation. She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands. “I thought you always claimed to be a good host.” Raphael’s eyes narrowed before widening again with a smirk. He snapped and a bottle of wine appeared with four goblets. He waved and a mage hand poured and served each glass. Tav took hers but the the mage hand had to leave the other two in front of Gale and Lae'zel. Tav and Raphael each took sips from their own goblets, but the ones before the other two were left deliberately untouched.

“I imagine you are not just the famished coming to feast, but there is a reason you have come knocking at my door.” Raphael countered, now that his abilities as host could not be challenged.

“We have come to deal,” Lae’zel finished for her. “We have come to negotiate for the Orphic Hammer.” Raphael’s brow lifted quickly and his smug smirk brightened. Tav stiffened, and she thought she could audibly hear Gale turn to her in betrayal and anger. What she had wanted to hide from him was now completely out in the open. She was going to accept the devil's deal. Tav tilted her head slightly to Gale and saw his face completely red and his hands shaking. His eyes were forced closed. Tav winced at how much this must be hurting him.

“Aha!” Raphael exclaimed triumphantly. “Are you now?” His voice held a cocky musicality. He always knew they would come knocking at his door, and as much as it hurt to admit it, he was always right.

“Yes, Devil. We have come to negotiate for the Orphic Hammer," Lae'zel repeated, becoming more annoyed and impatient at Raphael's lazy interactions.

Raphael turned to Tav directly, still holding her goblet and asked again. “You are the only one with whom I wish to make a deal. Are you here to make a deal with me?” Smugness radiated off of him. Tav paused, and Lae’zel gave her a look that was surely going to result in Gith expletives if Tav wasn’t forthcoming.

She swallowed and refused to look back at Gale who was likely trying to summon multiple Scorching Rays into the back of her skull.

“Yes, Raphael, I am here to make a deal for the Orphic Hammer.” Tav spoke plainly, knowing that any attempts at subterfuge would result in a much more complicated contract to read when the actual signing came.

Gale immediately stiffened, and she knew she there was no way to deny that she had lied to him on several occasions. She knew him well enough to understand that his fears were contorting and consolidating into a verbose rage that probably would require a dictionary the morning hence. He stormed out of the Devil’s Den to return to camp without another word spoken between them. Tav hadn’t wanted him to be here for this, and she felt a heavy pang of sadness that he had decided to join.

“My Little Mouse,” Raphael started, the excitement in his voice palpable. “Then I believe we should get started with the contract I prepared.” He snapped his fingers and a pitch black piece of parchment appeared in his hands. Even in his human guise, his grin widened and his eyes glowed. Tav felt like she could feel flickers of his cambion gaze break through his glamor. He handed her a document aglow with the fiery runes of an Infernal contract.

“I had this prepared for you, in hopes you would return.” Raphael rolled up the scroll and passed it to her. She unfurled it, starting to read the runes within. The infernal script danced in front of her as she tried to parse its meaning, but this wasn’t her first time reading and translating Infernal language. She rolled it out fully over the desk to get a better scope of what legalese awaited her. Raphael leaned over, amused at her reading. Her fingers traced firmly over the runes, reviewing the translations.

“Do you require assistance?” Raphael taunted. He leaned back in his chair again, waiting for a reply.

“No.” She didn’t need his help. He would have demanded additional clauses if she agreed to any additional services. Raphael would never do anything for free. The devil always received what was owed to him.

Lae’zel was waiting eagerly but impatiently. Her armored boot tapped against the wood floors of the Devil’s Den. Tap. Tap. Tap. Orpheus. Tap. That energy seemed to radiate from her impatience.

Tav blinked and took a deep breath, hoping Raphael wouldn’t notice the momentary lapse of focus. His brow raised slightly, before he relaxed again, appearing disinterested. The language was intentionally complex, written to confuse rather than educate. She took her time and traced each rune. She occasionally sipped at her goblet while ruminating on the meaning held within the runes. They were sharp and jagged and angular - nothing like her Common language writing which was looping and gentle. As with all Infernal text, the true meaning was held deeply within.

Raphael’s smile widened as she persisted. His Mouse was a clever one.

“Shall I translate?” Raphael taunted. They both knew that he had to be honest in their dealings, but every moment of weakness would set her back some sort of irrational and irritating demand of his.

“Raphael, I am only taking my time.” Tav breathed in and out deeply, internally trying to regain some sense of control over the accursed document while remaining calm in front of the accursed devil. The distracting foot taps from her Githyanki colleague were not helping.

“Of course, my dearest Mouse, we have all the time of the Hells.” Raphael sat back and continued to drink his wine. He studied her with uncomfortable concentration as she continued to read.

“Crown for Hammer… Unable to invade mortal realms…” Tav started to roughly translate aloud as she read her contract. Raphael raised an eyebrow but didn’t say another word as her monologue continued. “Soul collateral… Tavara Aureum.” Tav looked him straight in the eye, though she was numb from so much horrible legal writing. “Why just my soul?”

Raphael checked his nails uninterested in her question. “Why would I want the others?”

“Are they safe from you if I fail?” Tav responded nervously. The Little Mouse was fatigued and nervous, and Raphael found this state delightful.

“Would you like them to be collateral, my darling?” he responded again, still uninterested in her concerns.

“No,” Tav responded firmly. Lae’zel gave an affectionate and approving noise, though it seemed more like a tut than a hum.

“Very well.” Raphael finished falsely examining his nails and continued to watch his favorite client read. She paused at the bottom of a page on some sort of footnote referencing an appendix. Oh Gods, how many appendices did he include?

“Something wrong?” Raphael challenged. The Mouse bit.

“No,” Tav fought back. She thought back to all of her wizard colleagues who disregarded her because of her innate sorceress gifts of winter and storms. Ignorant sorceresses could not study Hellfire. Dragon Children were too spoiled to be able to truly understand Hellfire. Raphael clearly believed in the same fashion that Little Mousies could not understand his writing.

There was one clause that caused a multitude of rereadings. She had a hard time deciphering it and didn’t know its meaning. “Pater….” she almost tried to sound it out, the rest of the word huddled in her chest, locked in ice. “Pater…” she repeated again. It was part of a line, a subclause for Raphael’s duties to her. He had agreed to protect her something something pater something.

Tav could do this by herself, and she definitely didn't want his help. He was not going to translate, and he was not going to read it to her like she was a child.

Raphael watched her intently. Lae’zel’s foot tapped impatiently.

“Give me the quill, I’m ready to sign,” she declared triumphantly.

Wordlessly and with an unreadable expression, Raphael handed her a quill and ink. Lae’zel’s eyes burned through her as she signed the contract. The resident devil clasped his hands in joy before snapping and handing Lae’zel the Orphic Hammer.

“Thank you,” Tav deadpanned, fatigued and still frightened of Gale’s reaction.

“Thank you, Devil.” Lae’zel didn’t bother waiting for a response before heading back to camp. She was out of earshot before Raphael responded to her. Delight was a new look on his face that she had never seen before.

“You are most welcome, my Lady.”

*****

When she returned to Gale at camp, he was hiding: fuming in his tent. Tav approached him, hoping she could lure him forth so they could speak.

“Gale, please come out. I want to talk,” she pleaded quietly, so the entire camp couldn’t hear her.

“You didn’t want to talk before, and I certainly don’t want to talk now,” He bit back angrily. She paused, sadness biting at her and a horrible feeling of tension lay beneath her sternum.

“Please, Gale. Please talk to me.” Her voice became lower, and before she realized it, she was softly begging him to leave his tent or welcome her inside.

The reply became short and stiff. “There is nothing for us to talk about.”

“Gale…” she took a sharp breath. “I did it for you.”

Incensed, he sharply stood up and ripped the tent flap open to stare at her in the face. Fat tears were rolling down her cheeks and her look pleading. Mocking, he raised his voice so everyone could hear him. “For me? You threw away everything that I wanted and dreamed of. You discarded all of my gifts and all of my ambitions for what ?” His voice was now a shout, emphasizing his final question. All of her companions in the camp turned to stare at the two of them.

“Prince Orpheus!” Tav could hear Lae’zel call from behind her. Gale’s face became red and angry. He was obviously not expecting a third party to intrude.

“My love,” Tav pleaded, her voice missing the any confidence she might have had at her negotiations with the devil. The confident, competent front she wore meeting with Raphael had eroded, leaving behind only a weak vulnerability. Tears continued to fall, freezing on her cheekbones when they hit patches of scales.

“Do not call me your love. I gave, and I promised. You took, and you keep taking. You stole godhood from us, Tav. We could have been together for eternity.”

“Gale, Mystra would have ended you. I couldn’t let her hurt you.”

“Why will I never be good enough for you?” Gale challenged. He prodded his finger at her, which lightly struck the sensitive patch of scales on her chest that mirrored his own scar from the Orb of Karsus.

“You were always more than enough…” Tav continued to cry, but her pleas went unheard. Gale’s face became red again and he turned away quickly.

“I will help you defeat the Elder Brain, but then I never want to see you again, Tavara Aureum.” He threw his hands up in a grand gesture of exasperation. “I’ve wasted too much of my energies on you. We will get rid of these tadpoles, and then that’s the end of us.”

“Gale… Waterdeep…” Tav started to wail. Some sort of dam inside her broke, her magic swirled angry and chaotic. Her fingers crusted with ice that she could no longer control.

“When all of this is over, I am going back to Waterdeep. You are not coming with me.”

Gale retreated back into his tent, closing the flap with an unmistakable huff. Tav slowly retreated back into her tent, gingerly closed the flap, and lay motionless on her side for some time. Long after the darkness was heavy in the sky, she continued to cry hail on her pillow.

#raphael x tav #bg3 raphael #raphael bg3 #raphael the cambion #bg3 the fine print

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midiosaamor · 10 months ago

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cyrus of nara headcanons <3 (dont judge me i wanted this ok)

1. after ibleese tortures him, like said in the book, he stays in bed all day and doesn’t really talk until a few hours minutes later.

2. he sometimes (in secret) goes out to the garden to look at the flowers

3. has a hate-love relationship with sleeping because he always dreams of alizeh

4. he hates it when the torturing comes but he enjoys his hallucinations dreams with alizeh after it

5. in his dreams, alizeh and him are actually married and are happy together

6. probably has a book collection in secret

7. hangs out in the blue room when hes down or he wants some him-time

8. he doesn’t like talking about his father or his brother

9. he didn’t speak until he was three because he didn’t like talking to his family

10. he sees his dragons as pets like dogs

11. rides his dragons for fun or when hes stressed

12. he has mixed feelings about his mother (a small part of him still loves can handle her)

13. his favorite color is blue but he was born into thinking that having favorite things (like colors, animals, etc) were useless and not fit for a king

14. even though he may not seem like it, he deeply cares for his kingdom

15. the bargain he made with the devil was big and important to him enough for him to give up his life and kingdom for it to be complete

idk thats all i got for right now 🤫

#cyrus of nara #cyrus of nara headcanons #cyrus headcanons #this woven kingdom #these infinite threads #all this twisted glory #tahereh mafi #tahereh mafi men #headcanons #cyrus #⭑ belles drabbles .ᐟ ˎˊ˗

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wincestendgame · 1 month ago

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Sam and Dean (or eventually, the supernatural being possessing their body) in every episode of Supernatural

SEASON 13

S13 Ep01 - "Lost and Found"

S13 Ep02 - "The Rising Son"

S13 Ep03 - "Patience"

S13 Ep04 - "The Big Empty"

S13 Ep05 - "Advanced Thanatology"

S13 Ep06 - "Tombstone"

S13 Ep07 - "War of the Worlds"

S13 Ep08 - "The Scorpion and the Frog"

S13 Ep09 - "The Bad Place"

S13 Ep10 - "Wayward Sisters"

S13 Ep11 - "Breakdown"

S13 Ep12 - "Various & Sundry Villains"

S13 Ep13 - "Devil's Bargain"

S13 Ep14 - "Good Intentions"

S13 Ep15 - "A Most Holy Man"

S13 Ep16 - "ScoobyNatural"

S13 Ep17 - "The Thing"

S13 Ep18 - "Bring 'Em Back Alive"

S13 Ep19 - "Funeralia"

S13 Ep20 - "Unfinished Business"

S13 Ep21 - "Beat the Devil"

S13 Ep22 - "Exodus"

S13 Ep23 - "Let the Good Times Roll"

#supernatural #sam and dean #the epic love story of sam and dean #spn #samdean #dean winchester #sam winchester

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mellybaggins · 10 months ago

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Fanfic Master Post

My fics are now locked to A03 members only

Please send me an ask if you would like to continue reading and you don't have an account.

About the Author Q&A post

Oathbreaker

angst. self discovery. trauma healing.

Act 1 - Chapters 1-12 - Complete

Morwen vowed she'd never lead anyone again after the disastrous mission that led to breaking her oath. But the gods laugh while you make plans, and her abduction by mind flayers and a concerning brush with the devil is forcing her to face her fears. In her search for a cure, she gathers a disparate group of other infected and reluctantly leads them on a journey towards their unknown fates.

Act 2 - Chapters 13-51 - Complete

As the group enter the Shadow Cursed Lands, Raphael returns and forces Morwen to make a choice. In seeming retaliation for her refusal, he breaks the mental blocks keeping the memories of her past from her, forcing her to confront the darkness she thought had been locked away forever.

Act 3 - Chapters 52-? - in progress

With her memories fully restored, Morwen prepares to enter Baldur's Gate, not only to disrupt and dismantle the evil plot of the Dead Three, but also to force a reckoning with her own past. If the darkness doesn't consume her first.

This is an ongoing fic about betrayal, redemption, religious trauma, abuse, and why good people do bad things. She also has romances along the way because despite everything she has never lost her capacity to love.

This fic contains smut, drama, violence (there is also dead dove content especially in the middle-late act 2 and beyond) and is probably the work I'm the most proud of.

I try to update every Monday, but sometimes life gets in the way.

Character Profile - Morwen (Idril)

Character Word Association Game

Oathbreaker on Ao3

Oathbreaker Chapter 1 tumblr post / more photos

Early Game Photo Dump

Bite scene photo dump

Late Act 2 Photo Dump

Fantasy Casting for Original Characters

Morwen recast

Act 1 Chapters:

Chapter 5 - Freefall (First meeting with Raphael)

Act 2 Chapters:

Chapter 41 - Rainy Day (Gauntlet of Shar)

Chapter 42 - This Too Shall Pass

Chapter 43 - Frozen Angels

Chapter 44 - Numb (Backstory Chapter)

Chapter 45 - Fire Burning (the Battle of Moonrise Towers)

Chapter 46 - Make Yourself (Oathbreak Chapter)

Chapter 47 - Thunderstruck

Chapter 48 - Way Down We Go

Chapter 49 - Losing My Religion (Ain't No Rest For The Wicked)

Chapter 50 - Roads

Chapter 51 - Hunter (End of Act 2)

Act 3 Chapters

Chapter 52 - Porcelain (Sweet Dreams)

Chapter 53 - Clandestino (Decaparecido)

Chapter 54 - I'm A Wanted Man (Kryptonite)

Chapter 55 - It's Been A While

Chapter 56 - Come With Me Now (Disappear)

Chapter 57 - Entertainers

Chapter 58 - Cold Blood

Chapter 59 - Angel

Chapter 60 - Mercy

Chapter 61 - Savage Daughter

Chapter 62 - Dance, Monkey

Chapter 63 - Hold On

Chapter 64 - Beso

Chapter 65 - Vampiros

Chapter 66 - Scars

Chapter 67 - Promesa

Chapter 68 - River

Chapter 69 - Like A Prayer

Chapter 70 - Breathe

One Shots:

This Protector (Act 2, Reithwin Tollhouse)

Come Undone (Act 1, Gale/Shadowheart scene)

Laileth of Waterdeep

fluff. romance. two worlds one heart.

This is Laileth. She is a forest elf who hails from Suldanessellar inside the forest of Wealdalth/Tethir, as far south of Baldur's Gate as Waterdeep is north. I've unconsciously been treating her like a Tolkien Silvan elf, so finally decided (though not stated in the fics themselves) that by some magic a group of elves from Mirkwood found themselves transplanted into Faerûn and therefore they were extremely reclusive and rarely dealt with outsiders except to trade. This is her first time meeting people of other races except at the bargaining table and she's fallen in love with Faerûn and it's people. She's also quite young, comparatively, and full of wonder and love of life and eagerness to learn and explore.

One person in particular though, Gale of Waterdeep. I've created a Series on Ao3 to keep all of her various drabbles together. They're all one-shots and her story will (mostly) be at the mercy of the prompts from the BG3 Writers Discord server. Many contain smut, and Laileth and Gale are into dom/sub play.

Character Profile - Laileth

Laileth of Waterdeep Posts on Tumblr:

(in story timeline order)

Helvegen on Tumblr

Kvitravn on Tumblr

Odal on Tumblr

Grá post on Tumblr

Synkverv on Tumblr

Solringen post on Tumblr

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narastories · 3 months ago

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Kinktober 2024 Wrap-Up

Okay, so I completely dropped the ball at the end of the month there because I got busy with other stuff. But! I still managed to pump out a lot of fics for ideas that I had for a while, so I'm pretty happy with the results. 25k for a month isn't bad either.

Admittedly, some of the fics could use a little more polish... But I always view these sorts of challenges as experimentation with my writing process and my conclusion for this one is: while I can write every day, maybe I shouldn't post every day lmao

Here is the complete breakdown if you feel like reading something kinky:

Day 1 - Dirty Talk: I want to be the one to make you feel good Harry/Thomas (Dresden Files)

Day 2 - Against a wall: in the elevator Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 3 - Orgasm control: small bargain with a devil Harry/Nic (Dresden Files)

Day 4 - Stockings: a private and delightful bet Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 5 - Praise Kink: two matching ties Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 6 - Thigh riding: play pretend Harry/Molly (Dresden Files)

Day 7 - Risky places: bored criminals Harry/Grey as roleplaying Nic (Dresden Files)

Day 8 - Threesome/Moresome: love to hate Harry/Nic/Deirdre (Dresden Files)

Day 9 - Naked/Clothed: blood-red touch Harry/Ortega (Dresden Files)

Day 10 - Knifeplay: opening presents Harry/Nic (Dresden Files)

Day 11 - Leather/Latex: blatantly public displays of affection Stavos (ASIOAF)

Day 12 - Role reversal: taming the most powerful man in the city Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 13 - Oral: surprise anatomy Harry/Grey (Dresden Files)

Day 14 - Sensory deprivation/Sensory play: elemental spells in bed Harry/Nic (Dresden Files)

Day 15 - Cock rings/cages: little key Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 16 - Flashing: on a dark beach somewhere Stavos (ASIOAF)

Day 17 - Biting/Biting marks: a not-so-scary monster Harry/Ortega (Dresden Files)

Day 18 - Body writing: love poems on your skin Pinsty (Hellraiser)

Day 19 - Pegging/Strap-ons: creative use of wood nymph magic Fetch/Amari (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 20 - Facesitting: lazy day denarians Nic/Deirdre (Dresden Files)

Day 21 - Masturbation: invaluable product testing Philes (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 22 - Breeding kink: instinct Fetch/Theo (Fetch Phillips Archives)

Day 23 - Bondage/Restraints: Devil & Bunny Johh/BJR (Outlander)

As always, mind the tags, use common sense and the back button if needed ;)

#my fic #kinktober 2024 #dresden files #fetch phillips archives #asioaf #hellraiser #harry dresden/nicodemus archleone #harry dresden/thomas raith #harry dresden/molly carpenter #harry dresden/paolo ortega #nicodemus/deirdre #harry dresden/goodman grey #thurston niles/fetch phillips #fetch phillips/amarita quay #fetch/theo #pinsty #stavos #j/j/j

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green-eyedfirework · 1 year ago

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Whumptober 2023 Masterpost

No. 1: Swooning: adultery + alt pov

No. 2: Delirium: virtue is truest nobility + alt pov

No. 3: Solitary Confinement wedlock + missing scene

No. 4: Shock captor + alt pov

No. 5: “It's broken.” side of the angels + follow-up

No. 6: “It should have been me.” bladed threats + follow-up

No. 7: " “I paced around for hours on empty; I jumped at the slightest of sounds.” reparation + alt pov

No. 8: Outnumbered a fair thought + alt pov

No. 9: Mistaken Identity in the middle + alt pov

No. 10: Stranded rock-a-bye + follow-up

No. 11: Captivity ivory tower + alt pov

No. 12: Insomnia april showers + follow-up

No. 13: “I don’t feel so good.” contract + follow-up

No. 14: “Just hold on.” in the middle + follow-up

No. 15: “I’m fine.”: adultery + end note

No. 16: “Would you lie with me and just forget the world?” deal with the devil + alt pov

No. 17: “You’re the lump in my throat and the knot in my chest.” wedlock + follow-up

No. 18: Tortured For Information silver bird + alt pov

No. 19: Psychological wedlock + alt pov

No. 20: Found Family an heir for an heir + follow-up

No. 21: Restraints ivory tower + alt pov

No. 22: Vehicular Accident plunder + follow-up

No. 23: Shadows side of the angels + alt pov

No. 24: “I thought they were with you.” good faith + follow-up

No. 25: “They’re not breathing!” ivory tower + alt pov

No. 26: Working To Exhaustion unmarked + alt pov

No. 27: “You drew stars around my scars; But now I’m bleeding.” unmarked + alt pov

No. 28: “You'll have to go through me.”: adultery + alt pov

No. 29: Troubled Past Resurfacing reparation + follow-up

No. 30: “Not much longer...” a fair thought + follow-up

No. 31: Setbacks teeter + missing scene

Alt 1. Betrayal finders keepers + alt pov

Alt 2. Aftermath of Failure bargain + alt pov

Alt 3. Brass Knuckles slipping + follow-up

Alt 8. Hunting good faith + follow-up

Alt 10. Shaking the price of surrender + alt pov

Alt 13. Miscommunication ivory tower + alt pov

#whumptober2023 #whumptober masterlist #evergreen #all days are full and requests are closed!#see you in spooky season

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a-strange-server · 1 year ago

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Strange Tales Of Halloween 2023

Hi everyone! In honor of the spookiest, weirdest, and dare we say, strangest month, we have created a prompt list for Doctor Stephen Strange for every day in October! Last year saw a hord of spooky, ghostly works created for the occasion. We are hoping this year will be as much fun!

This list is open to all forms of creativity. Fill as few or as many prompts as you would like in October and tag it with #strangehalloween2023 so we can reblog! You can also submit your work in the Strange Tales Of Halloween 2023 ao3 collection.

Full written list and the FAQ under the cut.

Strange Tales of Halloween 2023 Prompt List

1. “What was that? Is somebody there?” | Scales

2. “Wait, kids can trick o'treat here?” | Trapped

3. “Sometimes the world tries to end.” | Spirit

4. “Dormammu, I've come to bargain—“ | Alone

5. “There aren't many of us left.” | Cauldron

6. “I thought you were dead!” | Witch

7. “So what do you do for Halloween?” | Cursed

8. “Is that supposed to be a costume, or what?” | Cat

9. “Well, that's strange...” | Moon

10. “They’re not the traitor. I am.” | Mythological creature

11. “No, don’t tell me that.” | Dimensional breach

12. “Something’s happened to you.” | Shroud

13. “Stay with me.” | Nightmare

14. “Huh… that’s new.” | Future

15. “You what?!” | Celebration

16. “Crap. Imps!” “Imps? Crap.” | Ancient

17. “I know everything. That’s my curse.” | Fire & Ice

18. “I have seen a horror movie before.” | Tradition

19. “I know you!” | Cave

20. “Is that a bloody butterfly?” | Fever dream

21. “Strange... what have you done?!” | Scars

22. “The Cauldron of Cosmos is not a bowl for Halloween treats!” | Supernatural entities

23. “You’re a bad demon.” | Candy

24. “Oh, a meeting with the devil? Just when I thought I have a free afternoon... Fine.” | Baking

25. “No. Tell them to get Ghostbusters, or something.” | Pumpkin carving

26. “There was no other way.” | Horror movies

27. “You messed up the ritual.” | Trick or treat

28. “Nightmare has him.” | Will-o’-the-wisp

29. “Don’t be so superstitious.” | Bog

30. “Are you really afraid of a little black cat?” | Crown of thorns

31. “Donna... Is that really you?” | Tam Lin

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FAQ:

What must be included in the content of a filled prompt? Stephen Strange (any version of him: film, TV, or comics) must be either the main or co-main character. Otherwise, anything goes!

What must be included in the tags of Tumblr and Twitter posts? Please use the hashtag #strangehalloween2023 and the # of the prompt you're filling (i.e. #no6 and/or #witch). On Tumblr, please include additional tags for NSFW and common triggers (see AO3 for examples).

When can I post my prompt fill? In the spirit of the theme, these should be posted in October! We'd prefer if you post prompts the day of or after the day has passed. For example, prompt 10 fills can be posted on or after Oct 10, and preferably not before.

What medium can I use? Anything! Written prose, poetry, gifsets, mood boards, artwork, all is acceptable as a prompt fill. It's all about Stephen Strange in any form he comes in.

Can I combine Strange Tales of Halloween prompts into one submission (i.e. #1 "What was that? Is somebody there?" and #6 witch)? Sure! If you post it on social media, you can use both prompt tags to help us identify it as such.

There are two prompts per day. Do I have to do both? You can use the sentence prompts, the words prompt, or do a mix of them!

Can I use this prompt list with other prompt lists/bingo cards? Absolutely! Combine it with any other event you'd like to use it with.

Are there any limits to how many prompts I can use/have to use? Nope! Participate with one piece or 31 pieces! Do as much as you'd like--we'll love to see it!

Any other questions? Send an ask to @a-strange-server and we'll get back to you soon. We can't wait to start seeing what you come up with come October!

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hyperbolicreverie · 10 months ago

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The Wild is a mirror, a magic realm of possibility parallel to the mundane one, and people like Luffy, changelings who've made a devil's bargain for power, walk the line between worlds daily. When Luffy makes a mad dash to rescue his brother from certain death, he sets off a chain of events that makes the very foundations of that realm shudder. Soon, he's got several other people along for the ride, and the situation quickly spirals out of control. There's something the people in power aren't saying, and it might be the key to all the strange events that keep happening around them. Luffy just wants adventure and fun and freedom. Law just wants to be left alone to live his life. Kid wants to never be beholden to someone else again. And Ace just wants some goddamn agency for once. But there are other entities in the Wild with agendas of their own, and they don't care about what others want at all.

#writing #my writing #fanfiction #one piece

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jeevaschrist · 2 years ago

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hi hi everyone! i've decided to do my own july writing challenge since i can't find any good ones. i know i'm late so i'm going to try to catch up and crank out a bunch of writing tonight. oh well. so i've decided to choose my top 31 favorite songs and then decide from those which character i feel relates to that and why. nothing super fun to read for you all if you don't know the music i guess, but still something fun to do. here's the list of thing's i'll be writing about (i might actually write some fics if it's a ship, idk, ideas are flowing). they'll have links to them when i post them, so just check this list :) i'll be posting a masterlist too soon so this is easier to find

july 1: mine (taylor's version) - nikolai x reader (bsd)

july 2: haunted (taylor's version) - fyodor x reader (bsd)

july 3: all too well (10 minute version) (taylor's version) (from the vault) undecided (i have some ideas but i'm not sure yet)

july 4: all you had to do was stay - soukoku (bsd)

july 5: anti-hero - light yagami (death note)

july 6: are you satisfied? - light yagami (death note)

july 7: bad blood - lawlight (death note)

july 8: vampire - lucifer, diavolo, barbatos (obey me)

july 9: paper rings - mammon x reader (obey me)

july 10: the man - akiko yosano (bsd)

july 11: hits different - undecided

july 12: still into you - joe x cherry (sk8)

july 13: how you get the girl - yosano x kouyou (bsd)

july 14: ghost - barbatos x diavolo x reader (obey me)

july 15: cruel summer - albedo x kaeya (genshin impact)

july 16: pierre - albedo x kaeya (genshin impact)

july 17: favorite crime - undecided

july 18: getaway car - matt x mello (death note)

july 19: message in a bottle (taylor's version) - beidou x ningguang (genshin impact)

july 20: enchanted (taylor's version) - undecided

july 21: miss americana and the heartbreak prince - joe x cherry (sk8)

july 22: glowing in the dark - soukoku (bsd)

july 23: mister perfectly fine - asmo x reader (obey me!)

july 24: devil doesn't bargain - undecided

july 25: in the stars - dazai x oda (bsd)

july 26: like i can - lisa x jean (genshin impact)

july 27: mary on a cross - lawlight (death note)

july 28: when you're gone - undecided

july 29: unsaid emily - undecided (probably idv emily x emma)

july 30: better together - riven and sky (fate winx saga)

july 31: check yes, juliet - matt x mello (death note)

if anyone has other song suggestions or ideas for the undecideds plspls send them in and i'll see if there's a day where i can write them in!

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sunnydaleherald · 7 months ago

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, July 5

Faith: You gotta give me something to do. There's no way I'm sleeping. Don't you need anyone dead? Or maimed? I can settle for maimed. Mayor: (chuckles) You little firecracker. Faith: My mom used to call me that when I was little. I was always running around. She falls silent. The Mayor observes her with a look of concern.

~~Graduation Day Part 1~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Nursemaid Cordelia by DanaNick82 (Cordelia, Angel, Doyle, T)

The Crappartment by DanaNick82 (Angel, Cordelia, G)

Тёмное, белое и розовое [translation into Русский by B_E_S] (Buffy/Angel, T)

What if? by DanaNick82 (Buffy/Angel, T)

How to lure the Xander by DanaNick82 (Buffy/Xander, T)

One moment to give him what he wanted by DanaNick82 (Cordelia/Jesse, T)

and multiple other BTVS stories posted by DanaNick82 (various)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Shadowed Suspicion Chapter 432 by madimpossibledreamer (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure xover, T)

Free to a Good Home - Ch. 1 by though_you_try (Buffy/Spike, R)

Wedding Belles - Ch. 1 by buffy_loves_spike (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

There Is a Season - Ch. 1 by Inevitablethief (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Night Carnival - Ch. 1 by tbd (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Tale as Old as Time - Ch. 3 by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2] - Ch. 2 by Ragini (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Devil's Trill - Ch. 20 by Murray (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Stranger in her Body - Ch. 8 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) COMPLETE!

Come Hell or High Water - Ch. 2 by Rea (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Tale as Old as Time - Ch. 3 by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

To All We Guard - Ch. 18 by simmony (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: Spander Fanart (2) by foundatlantis (Xander/Spike, NSFW)

Fanvid: bad quality spuffy silver cross edit i made at 2am last night ! by simulationgrac3 (Buffy/Spike, mildly NSFW)

Manip / Wallpaper: Halloween by revello-drive-1630 (Spike, Scoobies, worksafe)

Artwork: in which spike shares his cringe poetry by tubesock86 (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Artwork: Sketch I did forever ago of Buffy in her cheerleader outfit, she’s so cute by pocketsizedann (Buffy, worksafe)

Textpost: I don't know what to do with these. I just need them off my phone. by k0nstantly-tragic (Spike, Buffy, Willow, Faith, Angel, worksafe)

Gifset: The Slayer slays. The Watcher… watches? by onegirlinallthewrld (Wesley, Faith, Buffy, Giles, Kendra, worksafe)

Gifset: Buffy Waking In Her Worst Nightmare ↳ Nightmares (1.10) // Bargaining (6.1 & 6.2) by ladyverdance (Buffy, worksafe)

Gifset: Willow Rosenberg + Outfits (Season 6) by clarkgriffon (Willow, worksafe)

Gifset: Blonde... short... strong for a human... and massively rude! by andremichaux (Glory, worksafe)

Gifset: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) || 1x12 - Prophecy Girl, 7x20 - Touched, 3x07 - Revelations, 7x22 - Chosen... by truemoondust (Buffy, Willow, Spike, Faith, worksafe)

Gifset: i saw the tv glow + buffy the vampire slayer references by zabriskies (I Saw the TV Glow xover, worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

[is there] any merit in watching buffy for the first time in the year 2024? [answered yes] by yellowocaballero

Book Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Portal Through Time by georgelthomas

PODCAST: Buffy 2.8 The Dark Age by Once More: A Rewatch Podcast

[Recs & In Search Of]

ISO: hellsmouthhq seeks roleplay: i would kill for some more buffyverse muses🏻

ISO: blazinwolve seeks cute fuffy moments from the comic!!

ISO: Usernamelesses seeks list of Missing/Cut Scenes on Streaming Services [specifically HULU in USA]

ISO: defaaago seeks the name of the beautiful painting behind Giles?

ISO: mbfan4077 is Trying to remember fic [where Willow botched a spell]

[Fandom Discussions]

spike in who are you is so funny. by tootiredforaname

I think Buffy was being ridiculous with the whole “don’t kill Warren thing”. by theredpharaoah

[you know what’s happening with certain characters based on the colors they are wearing? - Spike] by spuffybot

[idea for Buffy x Riley fans on how to tag positive stuff] by riley-summers [also more in tags and replies]

i do find it interesting how the show starts to minimize the spike and dawn relationship... by greensaplinggrace

Obviously the primary reason the Scooby Gang don't think to exhume Buffy's body in Season 6's Bargaining... by coraniaid

OTPs you only BroTP?* Faith and Buffy. by annarowyn

[Asks answered] by annarowyn

What was the best season of BTVS? updated by multiple posters

How was soulless Spike different from Angelus updated by multiple posters

Riley Finn and Tim Duncan?! by Imonlyalittleweird

Angels curse... by Ulquiorra1312

What was the beginning of the fallout for Buffy and Riley? by foreseethefuture

Do you think Buffy would have been an even more acclaimed show if they had not done "Angel"? by speashasha

[Faith in Who Are You?] by Sarah_Reddit_Here

[that scene in Passions is] heart-wrenching and cruel. by Randy_Giles1880

Wesley's transformation from Buffy to Angel is [very] well written by AxelNoir

Why did they ignore Pike's character from the movie? by jdpm1991

If Buffy and Angel can't be together... [question by new viewer] by OriginalNo9300

The Girl in Question bothers me... Buffy couldn't date the Immortal? byjdpm1991

GAME: [every show has one] by Kindly-Accident8437

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: Variety article: Sarah Michelle Gellar Joins 'Dexter' Prequel Series as Dexter's Boss

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

#buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #ats #fan fiction #meta #fan art #angel the series

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ezilyamuzed · 2 years ago

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There's No Place Like Home-Part 20 (Final Chapter)

Summary: The reader has had a unique gift all her life. While considering it a curse, she discovers the identity of her real father after her mothers passing. Journeying towards her new life, she finds herself thrown within the Winchester’s world. Is it her destiny?

Setting: End of season 13. This takes place at the end of the 13 season.

Warnings: Language. Angst. Sooo much Fluff. Death. Blood.

A/N:Finally reached the last chapter after 4 years. I’m finally ready to say goodbye to it. Things have unraveled more and more, so I hope you’ve been paying attention. I wrote this while watching episode 21 at least 6 times. Reworking it had to happen, but I think I did the original script justice. Let me know what you think!

Any grammatical mistakes are all my own, because I am human. Remember all comments and feedback are welcomed! If you want a tag in future posts regarding this series or other writings please send an ask! As always thank you for reading! Enjoy!

Series Masterlist

“I have a proposition for you.”

It has been a little over a week and you were back on campus, sitting in front of Dr. Frankel, your new boss. Things were coming together at the bunker, but some of the younger people from the other world were having difficulty adjusting to the new life. Or rather, the lack of things trying to murder them at any moment. The older ones as well, but Mary had them handled. There was a need for structure. Discipline. Knowledge. You knew just the place.

“Jack?” He spoke with a smirk. “Bringing him to us?”

“No,” you spoke firmly. “Another deal.”

“So you’re breaking the last one and now you want a new one? So why should I bargain with you? I see no reason to trust this would be of any use to us.”

“Lucifer is gone, is he not? And because there’s people that need our help,” you replied. “That is what you do here is it not?”

“For our kind,” he grumbled. “Not theirs, especially ones not of this world.”

“You know already, hmm?” He nodded in reply. Guess you couldn’t hide much from the head of Monster U. “They’re kids, college aged, who came back from the other world. They need help in this world. They need to be watched.”

“And you want to bring them here?” His eyes squeezed with disbelief. “Why?”

“Because you want to build a better future for those that are different? Isn’t that correct? Those who people would fear? Wouldn’t a group of kids from another world count? I mean, they do come with their own special skill set and knowledge…”

“And what would I get out of this?” His light shifted. He was intrigued.

“They know how to fight. All of them. They’ve battled worse than you could ever know, and survived. If anything comes to your doors, they’re the ones you want on your side. They've also seen what happens to your kind when you’re not fed properly or kept in line.”

“An alliance?” He replied. “Their safety for the future of ours?”

“Yes.”

“This also means that you would have to be here more permanently as well to watch that no one goes… astray.”

“I will watch them, teach them to understand the world. I just need a place to keep them close. To keep them safe. The world can be cruel to those who are different. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“And Jack?”

“He is being watched by the best.”

“The Winchester’s you mean?” He smirked. “That’s not so assuring for our kind.”

“My kind too,” you replied. “They’re teaching him to use his powers for good. To be a good person. He’s adjusting at the moment. Learning who he is. He needs to be around people he trusts. That's the Winchesters.”

“And if they fail?”

“Well, you did just agree to help protect an army under my watch,” you smiled. “I haven’t broken my promise from before. I am handling it. But take this deal and he will see it as an act of truce between us. Wouldn’t you feel more at ease with the son of the devil on your side rather than against? Be a smart man. Take the deal.”

_____

“Hey,” Dean spoke into his phone as he answered its ring.

“We have a deal,” Y/N responded. “I’m on my way back for them all.”

“I still think you're crazy,” he laughed into the receiver.

“Not certifiable yet,” she laughed back. “Although I have agreed to marry you.”

“Hey now,” he smiled. “That’s the smartest decision you’ve ever made so far.”

“Anyways, I’ll be back in a couple hours. How’s Sam doing with the world lessons?”

“They’re all playing on google, getting lost on pinterest, YouTube,” he listed off.

“So completely normal things huh?” She giggled. “They’re adjusting?”

“Mostly,” he said as he looked over to Jack’s door, sulking alone in his room ever since they returned. “I’ll see you soon.”

Jack, the one person he didn’t know how to help. He couldn’t help. He was plagued by the loss of his father, his true father. He couldn’t bring back Lucifer. There was no way he would ever risk that, not that it was even likely he was still alive with Michael in the other world. Michael. The thought of him brought shivers down his spine. No, they could never go back. He couldn’t allow it.

___

“Hey there Doc,” you heard a familiar voice state as you walked down the stairs.

“Hey Bobby,” you smiled. “How’s it going?”

“Trying to figure out this apple thing they handed me,” he replied with a phone in his hand. “Why couldn’t they just give me an android like a normal person? Idjits.”

You laughed at the word idjits. Yup, it was a Bobby thing alright. This world and others alike. The last week had been insightful overall into the man whose face and spirit matched your fathers. He was warm and kind, but easily agitated and took no shit. Just like you. Although this Bobby had no daughter of his own, that didn’t stop him from treating you just as a father would. Giving you advice and just listening to you talk about your life. It was nice. He even offered to walk you down the aisle if Dean finally got the balls to ask you. His words, not yours. You didn’t tell him yet. No one knew. It had been an agreement between you and Dean while trying to figure out how to help everyone. Waiting a few weeks before giving the news. Giving you time to know the family that you never had.

“Well give it time,” you chuckled. “You’ll figure it out.”

You walked past Sam who was helping some of the people with operating their phones. He saw you enter and smiled at you as you walked through. Just a normal day home. You continued to walk to Dean’s room where you knew he was probably hiding out in.

“Hey there gorgeous,” you smiled as you entered the room. He smiled back as he continued to load his duffel bag that laid on his bed. You wrapped arms around his abdomen as he loaded his gun.

“What’s happening?”

“Werewolves,” he replied. “A couple miles out. They got a couple that were camping.”

“Need help?” You offered.

“Sam, Cas, and I are taking Jack to train him. Teach him how to be a hunter. To use his powers for good. Get him out of his room.”

“Is he still having trouble with it all?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

“I mean I did,” you teased. “I didn’t exactly take the news of being born from monsters lightly.”

“Maybe you could talk to him?”

“Therapy session for the son of satan?” You teased with a roll of your eyes. Honestly, the thought intrigued, yet scared the hell out of you.

“No, person to person. Someone who understands. Maybe that will help.”

“I’ll try,” you agreed. “But there is no telling what is going on in that mind of his Dean. He was born of pure evil.”

“He’s half human too,” Dean spoke up. “Just like you. You're a good person Y/N. If anyone can reach him, it’s going to be you.”

You agreed to talk to him. A task you had been avoiding the last week. You didn’t want to talk to him. He scared the shit out of you although he was just a child. An innocent child confused in the world. As you approached his door Gabriel’s words came to your memory. ‘Not everything that looks like a monster is.’

“Jack,” you called through the door after you knocked softly. “Can I come in?”

The door slowly opened. His blue eyes stared at you with puzzlement. This was the first time you had talked to him. Of course he wouldn’t understand.

“Hey,” you smiled. “I thought it was time we talked.”

He nodded as he moved over to let you in. His room was similar to the others, just a little more empty. No real possessions, just him. Lonely. That was the only way to describe it. The way you had felt most of your life.

“We need to get you a poster or something in here,” you giggled nervously, unsure how to start the conversation without sounding like you were interrogating him.

“Of what?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged. “Musicians. Movies. Do you like movies?”

“Dean has shown me a couple.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Favorite?” His eyes squeezed together.

“Yeah, which one did you like the most? Feel connected to?”

He took a pregnant pause as he contemplated his answer. You were hopeful that Dean actually showed him some classics and not that smut he hid under his bed.

“Star Wars ,” he replied with a smile.

“Star Wars? Okay,” you chuckled. “Favorite character?”

“Luke,” he nodded with a smile.

“Why Luke?”

“Because he fights evil,” he said so innocently. “He protects people. With the force.”

“Sounds just like someone else I know,” you smiled.

“Who?” He asked with a tilt of his head.

“You.”

“How so?”

“We’ll look at you,” you said as you leaned up against his empty desk. “You have Dean as Han Solo. Sam is definitely chewy. Cas could be your Obi Wan, or Yoda. You're also powerful. You have your own force, and you’ve chosen to do good with it, right?”

“You mean not going darkside?” He said with annoyance in his voice. “That’s what Dean has called it.”

“Well, can you blame him?”

“I’m not like my father,” he shot you a hard look. His light shone bright. He was sincere. For the first time, you felt an ease to your worries.

“And neither was Luke. In fact, Luke defeated him in Jedi, remember?”

“Yes,” his eyes diverted to the ground.

“Look, I know it’s difficult not knowing who your parents really are and only hearing from others what they were like,” you spoke softly. “And there’s no way to really fix that. Nothing anyone can say or do.”

“So what do I do?”

“You be good,” you smiled softly. “And strong. Be the type of person that makes your family proud:”

“My family?”

“Us Jack,” you replied. “Sam, Dean, Cas, and everyone else. We are your family. Family isn’t just the people who made you, it’s the ones who are there for you even when time seems the darkest. They love you and want you to be the best version of you.”

“What is the best version of me?”

“Only you can answer that Jack,” you smiled.

“My father,” he spoke slowly. “He did try to help us. After everything, all the stories, he did try”.

You swallowed the pit that you felt stuck in your throat as he brought him up. You wanted to argue that his intentions were impure, but you couldn’t. That was probably the one and only time the devil’s act of selfishness ever helped anyone.

“He did,” you nodded with a tight lipped smile.

“So if he could be good, there’s hope for everyone?”

You watched the hope in his eyes for your response. He needed that hope, if only to continue being on your side. The right side.

“Hey, look at me,” you chuckled. “Blood of monsters and all sorts of witchy crap. If there’s hope for me, there’s hope for you.”

________

“Going already?” Dean gruffed as you helped the kids get their stuff together.

“Soon,” she replied as you handed a bag back to Liza, one of the girls that was a bit older than the others.

“I should come with you,” he stated.

“You have your wolf hunt to get to,” she responded. “Besides, I’ll be busy with everything else going on. Helping the kids get settled. I’ll probably even help them get some stuff like clothes and that for their room.”

“Look at you being all motherly there,” Dean chuckled.

“Hey there,” she shot him a look. “Don’t get any ideas there.”

“I’m not,” he shook his head. “But you could use the help.”

“And that’s why Garth is meeting me.”

“Garth?” Dean wrinkled his nose. Why of everyone, would she call him?

“Yes Garth,” she replied. “I figured he could help with the whole not all monsters want to eat you lesson. Help ease the tension.”

“Makes sense,” he sighed. “I still wish I could go with you.”

“It’s not like this is the last time I am going to see you Dean,” she rolled her eyes. “I’ll be back in a couple days.”

“That’s too long,” he pulled her close to him with a grin.

“Dean,” she pushed back gingerly with a smirk. “Two days, tops, and I will be back. You have my word.”

“Well what if I’m not here? Hmm?”

“And where would you be?” She laughed back. “On vacation with Sam?”

“Who the hell knows,” he sighed. “I feel like we’re constantly being pulled apart.”

“Dean,” she looked up to him with those glowing eyes. “Nothing will ever keep me away from you forever. I promise that. Wherever you go, I’ll be waiting for your safe return.”

“How did I ever get so lucky to have deserved you?” He stated as he pushed her hair back.

“Fate, angels and demons messing with our families. You know the usual romance story,” she giggled.

“This is the only time I’m ever going to be thankful to them,” he chuckled back.

“You and me both,” she snickered. Her eyes went back to the group of teens all gathering their items.

“You still think trusting those things at the university is the smart move?”

“We need them on our side Dean,” she replied. “We need to all work together, create that better life we’ve always wished for.”

“I still don’t trust them,” he sighed.

“Trust me,” she assured him. “I got this handled.”

“You and your crazy plans,” he scoffed.

“Hey,” she smirked. “They always work, don't they?”

“Yes,” he rolled his eyes. “I guess they do.”

“And don’t forget there Mr. Winchester, you’re one of those crazy plans as well.”

She laughed as she began to walk away. Stopping to talk to Maggie who was one of the only teens not packing.

“Not going?” Dean asked.

“No, Maggie replied. “I'm not ready to leave yet.”

“Understand,” Y/N smiled. “ Can you do me a favor then?”

“Yeah, anything,” she replied.

“Watch out for this guy for me,” Y/N nodded over to Dean. “He gets lost without me.”

“Do not,” he chuckled back.

“No problem,” Maggie laughed back. “I will.”

Maggie left to talk with the others as everyone made their way outside. Dean was surprised to see a big suv there instead of her normal purple beast.

“Now I know something is wrong,” he stated as he slapped the hood.

“Couldn’t fit them all in my Baby,” she laughed. “I had to improvise. It still has a V-8 at least.”

“Well that’s something at least,” Dean laughed.

Dean watched as the last teen packed their bag in the back of the big SUV. It was time for her to go. Time to say goodbye.

“I love you,” she said as she hugged him close.

“I love you too Mrs. Winchester,” Dean teased.

“Mrs. Winchester,” her nose turned. “Yeah, I don’t think I’d ever get used to that one.”

“Well you’re going to have to one day,” Dean grinned. “Someday soon. I promise.”

____

It had been at least an hour and a half before the first person complained from the back for the bathroom. An hour long of arguing and other teenage banter all while they whined over your repertoire of music. Apparently in apocalypse world they had their own version of Taylor Swift and Kanye West. You just rolled your eyes with a smile as you played “their” type of music to appease them. Everything seemed normal. At least for the moment.

While waiting for the last person to come back from the bathroom break, your phone began to ring.

“Hello?”

“It’s Mary. Are you and the kids safe?”

“Yeah, just stopped to pee,” you readjusted yourself to look towards the bathrooms. “Halfway there.”

“Did you see Maggie before you left?” Her voice cracked a little.

“Yeah, she waved us off as we pulled away,” you replied with concern. “Why? What happened?”

“Maggie is dead,” her voice broke mid sentence.

You stepped out of the SUV quickly while holding the phone to your chest. You didn’t want to worry the others without more information.

“How?” You said once you knew you were out of earshot.

“She was attacked,” she replied. “But it doesn’t look like a creature. It looks… human.”

“Suspects?” You breathed out.

“None so far, but everyone that was here. I didn’t know if maybe one of them…”

“No, all of them with me were accounted for and she was alive,” you answered rapidly. “We will turn back around. I can help-“

“No,” she interrupted. “Get them to safety. I’ll keep you updated.”

“Are you-“

“I know they’re safe with you,” she replied. “Get them there and settled. It’s not safe here for them.”

“You be safe Mary,” you replied.

“You too.”

As you hung up the phone everything in you screamed to turn back around. Who there would want to hurt Maggie? She was a sweetheart. There was something or rather someone that threatened your family and you weren’t there. It didn’t sit right with you.

“Hey Doc! You coming?” You heard Jerry yell from the backseat.

“Coming,” you replied with your best fake smile. Gotta get the the kids to safety. Got to keep going. No matter how much it killed you.

_______

“Well that was a milk run,” Dean laughed as he slung his bag into Baby’s trunk as they walked out of the werewolves cabin. “Jack, that thing you do with freezing them is helpful, but next time, we’re working on weaponry.”

“I used the force,” Jack smiled. “Just like Y/N told me too.”

“Well even Luke had to learn how to use a lightsaber kid,” Dean smiled.

“Dean,” Cas spoke up from being in the phone. “We have to get back. Now.”

“What’s up Cas?”

“Maggie,” he replied. “She’s been found dead.

“Maggie!” Jack exclaimed. “What did this?”

Dean could see the look of red fury shining in Jack’s eyes. He was angry. No telling what he would do.

“They don’t know. They just said she was attacked,” Cas replied sternly. “Y/N has the others safe on their way to Lawrence. None of them were involved and there’s us. Everyone else…”

“Are suspects,” Sam interjected. “Let’s get going.”

Dean nodded and they all got into Baby quickly. He had a sick feeling in his stomach. How could this happen? Who or what would hurt his family? Whatever it was, was about to pay severely. If not by him, but the ticking time bomb in his backseat by the name of Jack.

_____

Getting to campus couldn’t happen fast enough. The SUV sure wasn’t your baby, but the V8 in it definitely was able to kick it up in gear. Not too noticeable to the kids though. You still didn’t want to freak them out although you knew you’d have to tell them sooner, rather than later.

“Garth!” You smiled as you saw him leaning on his old cutlass.

“Hey Doc,” he smiled back as he walked up to give you an epic werewolf hug. It lingered for a minute, before he pulled away. His face twisted. “Something smells wrong.”

“Yeah, I need your help.”

You quickly explained everything to Garth. He was more than agreeable to watch the group for you. After showing them the house right on the edge of campus that they would be staying in, you handed your credit card off to Garth for supplies along with the keys to the SUV. In return, he handed you the keys to ‘ol Betty, his ‘79 Cutlass.

You were maybe 5 minutes down the road when the demon Natalie along with a bunch of other monsters stopped you in the middle of the road. It looked like a trap. Felt like a trap. Dammit. You placed it in park as you sat contemplating what to do next.

“What’s going on?” You shouted as you got slowly out of the car, hiding the gun you had found in the glove box in your waistband behind you. All lights detecting anger. Shit.

“You broke the deal”, her eyes turned black.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t break our deal.”

“He’s back,” she seethed.

“Who?”

“Lucifer.”

______

Lucifer. Michael. Their worst nightmares were here. Jack was nowhere to be found and it was any moment that Michael would find them. Sam groaned into his hands as he heard the clicking of Dean armoring all the weapons next to him, preparing for the worse.

“Sam”, his mother spoke softly. “Sam, it will be alright. Jack will be back-“

“What if we’ve failed him? Hmm? What if when Lucifer talks, he actually listens?” Sam could feel the tears form in his eyes while thinking of Jack taking Lucifer’s side.

“Jack is a strong and bright boy, Sammy. He cares about everyone here. Nothing could or ever will change that.”

“Jack will be fine,” Dean grunted. “If anything, Lucifer wants to protect him. That whole bullshit father relationship thing he never got with his own. What we need to worry about is Michael.”

“The bunker is warded. He shouldn’t be able to come in-“

“I’m not worried about him coming in,” Dean interjected with the sound of a bullet loading into the chamber echoed throughout the room. “We have people out there. People we need to worry about.”

“Dean-“

“Y/N is out there and she doesn’t know. She’s not answering her phone. I'm not standing here with my tail between my legs while they’re still out there.”

“Y/N will be fine,” Mary pleaded. “They’re far away from here.”

“Mary, there’s something about Y/N that you should know,” Cas spoke up. “Something that of Michael were to get her, it would mean possibly the end, of all of us.”

_____

“Lucifer,” you breathed out. How was he here? How did he get back?

“That’s not the only archangel you let through,” she continued. “Seems we have another problem. Of a different world.”

Michael. Your eyes widened at the thought. Everyone at the bunker would be slaughtered. Dean. Sam. Everyone.

“You have to let me go! To get back there!”

“To what? Sacrifice yourself for the Winchesters? You swore your allegiance to us,” she growled.

“I can stop them. Both of them,” you stated.

“We don’t want you to stop them,” her eyes stayed black as her smile grew. “We want to use you as a trade.”

The two shifters and three demons at her side started to round you. Cornering you from escaping.

“I don’t want to fight you,” you warned.

“Bitch, please,” she laughed. “You may be strong, but we’re stronger. You’re nothing but a pathetic human.”

With the drop of her last word you felt your blood begin to boil with rage. Your mind became a fog as you fought them all off as they jumped to secure you. You had managed to get out the gun and shoot off a couple of rounds, only injuring them to submission. Luckily, Garth always had a devil's trap etched on his bullets. A trick he learned from some old friends. Punches and kicks continued to be thrown until you managed to finally break the last shifter's leg in a swoop, causing it to let out a piercing scream.

You had been worn down from the fight that you collapsed next to the car. Your rib cage slowly healing itself from at least two broken bones. As you tried to catch your breath your heard someone approaching you from behind. Dr. Frankel along with two men were standing there with a look of disgust.

“Clean this mess up,” he ordered.

You watched as the men killed those who had attacked you. You sat there in utter confusion as to why they would hurt their own.

“Ms. Y/L/N, I do apologize,” he spoke up while offering his hand to you to lift you up. You were cautious, but his light showed sincerity.

“What-?” You stumbled out.

“A few rogue members seemed to act out of fear,” he interjected. “I told you we take care of our own.”

“I need to get back.”

“To the Winchesters,” he answered. “Yes, we will clean this up. You have more important things to take care of.”

“Lucifer,” you breathed out.

“And Michael. Either one around brings unfortune for all of us. If there’s anyone that can stop them; it would be you and your friends.”

“We will,” you stood up a little straighter, feeling your ribs slowly mend back to normal.

“Good. We’re counting on you. For the sake of all human and monster kind.”

_____

Coming face to face with Michael again was what Dean had once feared more than anything. Now? As he felt a part of his soul rip from him the moment that Sam disappeared with Lucifer and Jack, he stood there saying the word he promised he never would. Yes.

Allowing Michael to possess him was the only way to get Sam back. The only way to save Jack. The only way to stop Lucifer once and for all.

“Dean! No!” Cas yelled.

“Tell Y/N I love her,” was the only words that Dean was able to say before the flash of light consumed him: Michael and Dean were one.

A nightmare come true.

________

You sped the whole way back as fast as the car would go. The closer you got, the more you felt a growing sickness inside of you. As you entered the bunker you discovered the main door was destroyed, blasted by something or rather someone.

“Dean!” You yelled out.

“Y/N,” Cas rushed to the stairs, meeting you at the bottom. “Deans gone.”

“Where-“ you turned your head in a frantic. Gone? What happened here? Where was he? Where was anyone?

“He said yes to Michael Y/N,” Cas grabbed at you face to steady your eyes on him.

“He did what?” You choked out.

Cas explained what had happened as you felt your legs begin to give out from under you. You fell back into a chair as Cas continued to tell you Dean's last words.

“I have to find him Cas,” you cried.

“You have a connection to the Winchesters,” he said out loud. “Perhaps, if you concentrate you can locate them.”

“I-I’ve never done that.”

“You have to try,” he urged.

You closed your eyes tightly, feeling sick from the thought that you would lose them. ‘Concentrate,’ Cas continued to urge as you tried to push through the feeling. You breathed deep as you focused on the thought of Dean. His green eyes sparkling as he laughed. The way his lips moved when he said he loved you. The way his hands felt on your skin. The smell of his skin against your nose. Just then you saw a flash of light before you, running rapid down the road, along a pathway to an old church tucked away in the woods that time forgot. You saw Dean, Sam, Jack, and Lucifer.

“I know where they are.”

_______

There was a weight that lifted as Sam watched Lucifer’s lifeless body lay. A breath of relief followed by a smile in satisfaction arose. They did it. They killed the devil: he would never be able to hurt anyone ever again. He would never plague Sam’s dreams ever again.

“Is he…”

“He-he’s dead,” Sam let out.

“Holy crap,” Dean breathed out.

“You did it.”

“No, no we did it,” Dean smiled. “We did it.”

Sam turned his head to the sound of the doors opening. Entering in was Y/N with Cas. Their eyes wide at the fallen angel on the ground. Sam was just about to speak when he saw Dean rumble down in pain, grunting.

“Dean? Dean!”

“We had a deal!” Dean yelled as he continued to groan.

Then silence. Y/N went to move but Cas, put his arm in front of her to stop her. She looked back at him annoyed before they all watched in horror as Dean got up slowly and calmly. Something was wrong. This wasn’t Dean anymore.

“Michael,” Sam whispered.

“Thanks for the suit.”

_______

Seeing Dean surrounded by the blinding white light was surreal. His own colors barley shinning through. It was him, but not. The colors were mixing as you watched him keel over in pain. Until it was white. Pure white.

“Michael,” you breathed out a moment before you heard Sam say it as well.

“Thanks for the suit.”

With a flap of a wing, he was gone. Michael was gone. Dean was gone. That moment, your heart broke into two as you collapsed to the ground, Cas trying to stand you up.

“Y/N,” he pleaded. “We have to go.”

“He’s gone Cas,” you cried. “He’s really gone.”

“We will get him back.”

“What do we do with the body?” Jack asked as he looked down at his fathers corpse, the outline of his torn wings singed into the ground.

“We burn it,” Sam stated.

You looked over to Lucifer. His body still, yet…

“He… he’s alive!” You yelled out.

“What-“

You scrambled to your feet as you rushed over to Lucifer’s body. The person that was inside was still alive, his light faint.

“He’s still alive in here!“

“Lucifer?” Sam rushed to your side.

“No, not him-“ you picked up his head as you watched as his eyes began to flutter. “The human!”

“Nick,” Cas said out loud. “How?”

“Get him in the car! He needs help!”

Sam didn’t move from his spot as you held the wound on Nick’s chest to stop the bleeding. Cas rushed to your side to help with healing him with his grace.

“He’s badly wounded,” Cas continued. “We need to get him out of here. Back to the bunker.”

“No!” Sam yelled out.

“It’s not Lucifer Sam!” You cried out. “Help him!”

You watched as Sam clenched his jaw before he helped with picking up Nick and moving him out along with Castiel. You were left to pick up the archangel blade, it’s golden edges soaked in the blood of the devil. They did it. They really killed the devil. A chapter closed, but as you let out a heavy sigh you knew a worse chapter had opened.

“I warned you about them,” the familiar voice making you spin in your spot to turn to it.

“Billie,” you breathed out. “Why are you-“

“Archangels are collected just the same as everything else, to go to a place that is empty of nothing but time.”

“So Lucifer-“

“He’s been taken care of and out somewhere that can not harm another being in this world,” she answered your unspoken question.

“And Dean?”

“What about Dean?” She smirked.

“Wh-what’s going to happen? With Michael?”

“I can not predict how things will get to their end, I just know the ending,”her smirk continued.

“And his ending?”

“His, entirely depends on yours.”

“My-my ending?” You sighed out deeply. “How I die , you mean?”

“Exactly,” she continued. “All one has is choices, or at least that is what the fates say. But you my dear, have only one possible ending, unless-“

“Unless what ?”

“Unless I show you right now, at this moment and you make your choice.”

You felt your heart pump harder than ever as you swallowed hard. This was it. This was your choice to make.

“Yes”.

_____

“Sam,” Cas grunted. “We have to get him medical attention.”

“We should just leave him here. He made his choice,” Sam snarled. “We have to find Dean.”

“We will find him, Sam. But Dean would have wanted to save Nick. Deal with Lucifer or not. He is just a man who can be saved. Now help me save him.”

Sam grumbled as he assisted Castiel with putting Nick into the backseat of the car. He couldn’t stand his face. It was not the face of a man, but a monster from his nightmares. As Y/N walked out of the church, he felt even heavier with dread. Dean was gone. He was trapped now with the one monster they all knew she would never win against. They were doomed.

____

“Oh Dean, I do wish you’d stop fighting in there,” Michael grinned at himself in the mirror. “Let me see what you see.”

Within his reflection, Dean appeared; angry, trying to fight out. Michael just grinned as he watched Dean’s face turn trying to break out.

“Now be civil,” Michael continued. “And I’ll let you play.”

“We had a deal you son of a bitch!”

“No one ever put a time stamp on it Dean-o,” he raised his brow with a chuckle. “I am going to enjoy this world. But first, who was that girl?”

“You stay away from her you-“

“Ah, so she’s important to you?” He pursed his lips. “Why?”

“I’m not telling you a goddamn thing!”

“Oh you will,” he grinned again. “Remember Dean, I am you now. Sooner or later. I will know all that you know.”

_____

A month had passed and there was still no word. Nothing. With every day that passed, you knew what was to come. The eventual day when you would be face to face with the man you loved again, only not him. The creature you now feared more than anything.

You stayed busy with the kids at the university. Each day, showing them something new and directing them into the way of this world. That was of course while you also kept busy with your classes and prepped for the fall semester. That was during daylight hours. Almost every night you would venture out more and more with Sam to try to find something, anything that could bring Dean back to you. Billie had to be wrong. She just had to.

“So if I leave Lawrence by noon-“

“Y/N,” Sam interjected causing you to turn to him. “When was the last time you slept?”

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” you smiled at him. He was not buying it as being a joke.

“Look, I need you. Dean needs you. We all do, but please. Please Y/N, go home and sleep. You’re running on fumes.”

“More like espresso, but I get your point,” you sighed out. “What about you, huh?”

“What about me?”

“You haven’t shaved in weeks, you’re starting to look like Chewbacca there,” you teased.

“I-I just haven’t felt like it.”

“Yeah, I get it,” you leaned into him as you both stood next to your car. “I miss him too. It’s just not the same.”

“Who’d thought that this is where we would end up? With everything that happened. How did we even get here?”

“Well, Fate is a bitch,” you chuckled. “Trust me, I know.”

“We won. We actually won for once only to lose yet again. It never ends”

“It goes with the territory I guess,” you shrugged. “No one ever said we were guaranteed rainbows where wishes come true.”

“Yeah well, I’m getting sick and tired of losing,” he let out a deep breath. “My only hope is that Dean comes back Dean.”

“What do you mean?”

“When Lucifer,” Sam cleared his throat, the thought of him still bothering him after his demise. “When he was in me, I felt nothing but pain and anger. It took a long time for Dean to get me back.”

You stood silent. You didn’t even know what to say. The thought never occurred to you that Dean wouldn’t be your Dean if he ever got out of this. The sadness trickled down your cheek to the thought.

“I just hope I’m strong enough,” Sam continued.

“Hey you are,” you nudged him. “You’re one of the strongest people I know and you won’t be alone.”

“No, I have you too.”

You took a deep breath and smiled at him. “There’s a whole big family out there looking for him. Your mom, Cas, Charlie. Everyone will get through this. One day, one step at a time.”

“But first, sleep,” he stated as he pushed himself up from the car.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. That sleep thing,” you smiled.

You turned to your car and through the open window, pulled out a big sealed manila envelope to hand to Sam.

“What’s this?”

“Give it to your mom when you see her,” you smiled. “She knows what to do with it.”

“You know, Dean told me before that he wanted to marry you,” Sam shyly stated as he played with the envelope. “I don’t know if he had gotten the chance to-“

“He asked,” you replied.

“And?”

“I said yes.”

“Good,” Sam smiled. “Because I can’t imagine you not being around. You’re my sister now and I love you.”

“I love you too, Sam,” you smiled. He held out his arms for you to go into his big bear hug. It was warm and reassuring. Just what you needed as the tears started to push again once more. Your little big brother Sam. He was more than you could ever ask for.

______

“What do you want?”

“I don't know. Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton,” sister Jo responded with sass. This Michael, he was different. Scarier if that was possible. What was he going to do?

“You think this is a joke?”

“I don’t know what this is. You asked, I answered. We done?” She wanted to get the hell away from him and any of his plans.

“No. I asked, and you lied,” there was venom in his voice.

“I didn't,” her voice quaked.”

“I know about you, Jo. Because he knew about you. You're the rebel, the angel who doesn't like playing by Heaven's rules or whatever. You pretend to care about these things -- pretty things. But that's all it is -- pretending.

These trinkets, they don't make you happy. They just pass the time. They're not what you really want.”

“And if you're so smart, what do I really want?”

“Love. To belong, to have a place -- a home, a family. It's very very human of you. And so, so disappointing. I can sense how many angels are in this world. There aren't many left. I thought... maybe I could help. But if they're all these sad, lost, fallen things -- things like you -- maybe they're not worth saving, either.”

“Yeah well the last Michael was a lot of talk too,” she quipped back.

“I am not like my other self,” he smiled. “I can see now why he failed. Angels, hiding away from humans. They were created to serve us.”

“To serve us?” She mocked him. “What book have you been reading?”

“I’m the only archangel in this world,” he breathed out. “I see it is up to me to fix the balance. No one can stop me.”

Jo felt a cold shiver run down her back as his eyes seemed to gleam at her, his eyes turning blue with power. He was going to kill her.

“And I won’t be needing defiant angels like you.”

“Wait!” She cried out. “Wait a minute. I can help!”

“How could you possibly-“

“There is someone who could defeat you. A girl.”

“A girl? Not likely.”

“Yeah well, likely. There’s stories of her and her powers. She was created to be the bride of Michael’s true vessel. Your vessel. Her powers, I’ve only heard stories, but she’s strong. She could defeat you.”

“You lie.”

“Ask Dean yourself,” she replied. “If he’s still in there.”

“Would her name happen to be Y/N?” He grinned.

“Yes. I think so.”

Michael smirked as he shook his head with a slight chuckle.

“Oh Dean, what a secret you have been keeping.”

______

You tapped on the dinette table as you stared at your computer screen. Reading essays on your Saturday at 6 am was not what you wanted to do, but at least there was good coffee as you sat back in the worn vinyl seat of the coffee shop.

There were a few patrons already up and starting their day, but overall it was pretty quiet. Quiet. How you missed it. You watched as the waitress moved from one table to another, busily taking orders when all of the sudden she stopped mid step. Frozen, she was frozen. You look around you too see everything else, including the clock was all stuck in time. All but you.

“Hello Michael,” you stated out loud as you turned your head back to the seat in front of you. A lump in your throat rose as you couldn’t see Dean’s light beyond his. Was he still in there?

“Hello Y/N. Nice to finally meet you,” he smiled. “Dean’s told me all about you.”

“Hopefully not everything,” you snarked back with a fake smile.

“Enough,” he continued to smirk. Those lips. Those damn lips. Dean’s lips that now made your blood boil as they moved.

“What can I do for you?”

“It’s more of what I can do for you,” he replied. “I can say, my world has nothing like you so when I learned about you and your…abilities I was intrigued.”

“Flattered, I’m sure,” you rolled your eyes.

“You see this world, it's all wrong. The balance is wrong. I am here to right that wrong,” he moved forward a bit in his seat like he was trying to sell you on his doomsday plan. He really believed the shit that came out his mouth. “I want to make more you.”

“Excuse me?”

“You. The perfect being. The rightful to inherit this earth with you by my side to rule them of course,” he continued.

“Why would I ever agree to that?”

“Because I know what you want.”

“And what’s that?”

“To be like everyone else. To be accepted for what you are,” he replied. “But you are so much better than they are. You should be loved and worshiped by all.”

“I am loved,” you quipped back. “I’m good.”

“By Dean, yes,” he shook his head. “He surely does love you. But don’t you want more?”

“No,” you shook your head with a furrowed brow. He didn’t get it. He didn’t know what love was. “I just want him.”

“You are foolish,” he sat back with a look of confusion. “Say yes to me and I will give him back to you.”

“Let me speak to him first. I need to know he’s okay.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“You’ve already broken one deal,” you snapped back. “I’m not taking chances.”

“Very well,” he nodded.

You watched as the light shifted within Dean’s body to show that Dean now had the reigns. He blinked rapidly like he just awoke from a dream.

“Doc! Get out of here!,” he cried as he shook the table with both of his hands hitting the top.”It’s not safe-“

“Shhh. Dean. It’s okay. I promise. Everything is going to be okay,” a tear started to fall from your eyes as you moved what was hiding in your lap to your hand. “I’ll see you soon.”

As soon as you finished your words you placed the object, your knife, into his hand and grabbed it with your own hands to stab yourself directly into the chest, just right of the heart in the aorta. Fatal almost instantly to any one or thing.

“No!” You heard him yell as his light shifted back to Michael. As your vision grew fuzzy and your breath slower you heard the muffled sounds of him yelling. “Why won’t you heal!”

With your last breath you vanish from the coffee shop. No trace to be found as everything came back to life. Michael was on the ground furious looking for you or any of your blood. He let out a howl before disappearing again once more.

_______

One month ago…

“If I do this,” your nervousness was making its presence in your voice. “I need to know that no one will be able to bring me back or use my blood. No one. Not heaven or hell.”

“I will take care of that,” Billie replied. “Your soul is strong and it will stay in the middle, with me. For all time as long as I am death.”

“And what do you get out of all of this?”

“Balance,” she stated. “The correct balance.”

You let out a deep sigh as you shook your head.

“Your balance you mean?“

“You were never meant to be Y/N. I am sorry, but your presence makes things…complicated. I don’t like complicated.”

“And Dean?”

“Dean will be fine,” she smiled. You didn’t trust it. She was too…at ease about the whole situation. “Your sacrifice will ensure it.”

“Then yes,” you let out a deep breath.”I’ll do it.”

“You’re ready then?”

“No,” you shook your head. “I do it on my terms. “I have unfinished business to take care of first.”

“You have a month and it will be all too late for you to stop it. To stop him.”

“A lot can happen in a month,” you chuckled. “I’ll be ready. This is happening my way.”

“Very well,” she shook her head. “I’ll be seeing you soon Y/N.”

______

Sam woke up from what seemed like a two day sleep to noises clamoring outside in the halls. He groaned into his pillow, wishing for the days of old where the bunker was quiet. At least at 7 am. He got up reluctantly and made his way out to the hall. People stoped talking as he drew near. They just stared at him, almost in pity. What happened?

“Mom?” Sam asked out loud as he saw her hunched over with tears down her face.

“Sam,” she breathed out while getting up to embrace him. He was confused as to why she was crying and the whole room now stood silently still watching them.

“Mom,” he pushed back. “What happened?”

“Y/N,” she managed to breathe out. “Michael got her. He… killed her.”

She fell apart again into his arms as she spoke those words he had dreaded. Michael had not only taken his brother, but his new found sister as well.

Sam felt his own tears roll down his eyes as he remembered just last night their time together. Just hanging out and talking. She was so reassuring that everything would be fine. But how could it now?

“Mom,” he pulled back from her embrace. “Y/N gave me something last night. She said you would know what to do with it.”

It only took but a moment for him to get to his room to retrieve it, his mother following him in toe. Handing her the envelope, his hand trembled. Whatever was in there was the last piece that she would ever give them.

Mary opened it slowly to reveal 5 white envelopes, all sealed with names across each.

“Mary, Sam, Jack, Bobby,” Mary read them outloud. “And Dean.”

“What?” Sam reached over as Mary handed him his. His heart sank to see his name across the paper. He opened it slowly to reveal a letter specifically to him.

“Dearest Sam,

I know that this is the cowardly way to tell you,couldn’t let you talk me out of it. Lord knows I wish there was any other choice. I’m sorry that I can’t be there for you and everyone else. I’ve seen what would happen if I stay. I couldn’t let that happen so I made the ultimate choice. Please let Dean know that it wasn’t his fault. He will need you when this is done.

Sam, please remember that you are strong and everyone appreciates all that you do for them. Remember to stay kind and loving. Smile more and take care of yourself.

I don’t know when I will see you again, if ever. I’m not anywhere to be found, yet everywhere. Just know I love all of you and I thank you for treating me like family while helping me find my real home.

Take care,

Doc”

Hey, there's an epilogue....

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Tag lists ( This is so old, if you didn't want to be tagged , I apologize.

Everything: @waywardbabybaby @snffbeebeeebee @curly-haired-disaster-haired-disaster @waywardnerd67rd67 @dean-winchesters-baconrs-bacon @jaylarksonson @ladywinchester1967967 @wildefireldefire @i-hear-crazy-calling-my-name @akshi8278shi8278

No place: @imabeautifulpopcornerson18n18 @19agbrownbrown @sonotalice @drakelover78er78 @aloneanddesperate-blognddesperate-blogdesperate-blog @pisces-cutie

Just the writing: @hobby27

#supernatural #dean winchester #spn fanfic #son season 13 #dean x reader #ezilyamuzed #there'snoplacelikehome #sam winchester

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theangrypomeranian · 1 year ago

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tagged by @daddygrandpaandthebeaver and @babsvibes <3333

(note: i'm going to make most of my answers for my angrypomeranian psued because i don't really wanna bring up my past fandoms if i can help it lol)

1. How many works do you have on AO3

2. What's your total word count?

can i just say too many?? lol i'm very long winded when i write.

okay so i actually did the math...dear god. 774,967 (i really am long winded omfg i'm so sorry y'all)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Bob's Burgers

4. Top 5 fics by kudos:

Baby Steps, I Think I'd Have a Heart Attack, The Devil Doesn't Bargain, 12 Days of Bob-mas, and It's a Promise.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I need to get better about this. I want to, but part of me worries about people thinking i'm inflating my comment numbers by doing so. i know that's really stupid lol but there it is. i appreciate every single comment though, you guys are the best. <333

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

so i love angst with my whole heart but i prefer to write happy endings. i think the fic with the angiest ending is probably It's a Promise, since it ends with Zeke walking away and Tina still with Jordan.

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

Things You Said: When We Were the Happiest We Ever Were. it's so disgustingly cheesy and i love it. <3 can't wait to make it canon in the Baby Steps verse :3

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not in this fandom. in my last one i did and it was honestly kind of funny because it was for a ship that literally only i shipped lmaoooo

9. Do you write smut?

oh yeah lol.

10. Do you write crossovers?

not unless really specific AUs count lol

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

in a past fandom, yes.

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

yes i have, with the lovely and talented @littleredruns <33333

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Zekina and Barryl <3333333 (i literally cannot choose between them, they are equal to me now).

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

nothing posted, thankfully. there are a few in my docs, though...

16. What are your writing strengths?

angst and slow burns.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

world building, i suck at it so so much help-

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

as someone who did it a lot in a past fandom (cringecringecringe), please please please do your research and don't depend on Google Translate. be mindful of people who are reading and may actually speak that language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

posted? Pokemon lol. unposted? Warrior Cats lmaooooooo

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

outside of Baby Steps (lil too obvious lol), Safe and Sound. i'm so proud of this fic and i think about it all the time. i pumped out over 30k words in under a week and it combines my OTP with a world i love with my whole heart. plus i'm pretty sure it's the first Hunger Games au in the fandom (if i'm wrong please let me know).

i tag: @littleredruns, @lovelyxxxsymone, @keepyourhornson-spyro, @burgerspeople, @casually-concerned, @pixiestickers, and @thedarkestgreys <3 (please don't feel any obligation to do this if you don't want to).

#pom ponders #writing stuff #writing meme #fanfic #bb fic #pom writes bb fic #tagged #i forgot how much i love doing these <3

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pengychan · 8 months ago

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[Baldur’s Gate III] Hell to Pay, Ch. 13

Illustration by @raphaels-little-beast

Title: Hell to Pay Summary: Assassinating an archdevil is a daunting task, even for the heroes of Baldur’s Gate. Some inside help from ‘the devil they know’ would be good, if not for the detail their last meeting ended with said devil dead in his own home. Or did it? Characters: Raphael, the Dark Urge, Astarion, Haarlep, Halsin, Karlach, Wyll. Rating: M Status: In progress

All chapters will be tagged as ‘hell to pay’ on my blog. Also on Ao3.

*** No one gets to have nice dreams in the Hells. Not even devils. Definitely not bhaalspawn, either. ***

“Please, you must help us!”

If Raphael had a soul for each time he heard those words-- well. Technically speaking, he did get a soul signed away as a collateral nearly every time he heard those words, which was as good as signing it away, as he ensured his targets could never hold their half of the bargain. The few times someone had the audacity or skill to slip his net, they would generally live to regret it… or find themselves very closely observed.

But the vast majority of those souls would be bound to his lord father, not him. It should be all of them, but if he embezzled a soul every once in a while… well, no one needed to know.

Raphael leaned back against his seat, and brought a goblet of wine to his mouth. For such a small inn, it had surprisingly decent vintages. He drank a mouthful before turning his gaze back on the desperate couple before him, absentmindedly swirling the red wine in the goblet.

“I must do very little, I am afraid,” he said. “Your children should have known better than to invite the wrath of a night hag.”

“They did not know!” the woman cried out, and fell on her knees, grasping Raphael’s doublet. “They thought she was an old woman passing by-- they were rude, it is true, but no child deserves the fate she gave them!”

Raphael chuckled. “I can guarantee, my dear, there are worse fates than a few nightmares.”

“They’re dying,” her husband spoke, his voice strained. He was leaning across the table, eyes huge, skin pale. He too seemed to have lost a fair amount of sleep since the regrettable incident which had turned his three children - two girls and a boy, all younger than nine; they thought, it seemed, that mentioning their young ages would do something to soften Raphael - into marks for a hag. “They are plagued by nightmares. Nothing we do helps. They barely sleep and when they do, it gives them no respite. It’s been weeks and they have not rested a minute. They’re only children, and they’re dying.”

“A tragedy indeed,” Raphael said without so much looking at them. He swirled the wine one more time, watched it catch the light. It was just a little too dark to truly look like blood, but he enjoyed the color either way. “It seems the hag is well on her way to kill them in their sleep, and harvest their souls,” he added. He sincerely doubted she could do the latter - an innocent soul was no material to create a soul larva - but the mortals before him didn’t know that.

And indeed, they didn’t. There was a cry of despair that caused everyone in the inn to turn briefly, and then hurriedly turn right back to their drinks, the card games, the glass they were polishing. Everyone there knew to never interfere in Raphael’s business. Those with enough wits about them knew precisely what he was, too. “Their souls-- no! Oh gods, no!”

Raphael raised an eyebrow. “Always with the gods. I see no gods here to help - do you?” A shrug. “Still, no need for such dramatics. You’re both young enough to have more whelp.”

A sob, and the woman’s grip on his doublet tightened. “Please! We’ll do anything! If it’s my soul you want, you may have it!”

“Mine as well,” the man echoed, voice shaking. “Anything. Just please, help us save our children. They’re so young. Garia hasn’t even learned to talk yet.”

Ah, mortals. So willing to do anything for their offspring. So wonderfully predictable.

Raphael eyed the two, hiding his smile behind the goblet of wine as considered his options. There were two different types of contracts he could resort to. The Pact Certain would straight-up exchange his services for their souls; a simple and direct choice that would leave him with two souls bound to the Hells upon their death. On the other hand, the Pact Insidious allowed a little more leeway - for him, of course. Their souls and those of their children as collateral, if they failed to give him something in return.

Five souls bound to the Hells, for just a small gamble. Raphael rather enjoyed gambles, when he knew he was most certainly going to win. “... Very well. I think I can-- do feel free to get off the floor if so inclined-- I can help you. And I won’t require your souls, if you can get me one thing.”

They listened to his offer, of course. Once driven to the brink of utter despair, they always listened. A drowning man doesn’t care whose hand threw them a line: they can but hold onto it. When he manifested the contract with a snap of his fingers, they barely glanced at the Infernal script, asked no questions. They took the pen he offered, and signed it.

The terms - give me the hag’s heartstone, and I’ll end her influence on your children - were quite simple. They needed not concern themselves with minor clauses, such as their own souls and those of their children being all considered a collateral should they fail. What would it matter, after all? They’d already offered up their souls, and they believed their children’s would be lost either way. Raphael would simply put them to better use than any hag would.

The contract concluded, Raphael granted them a scroll of invisibility that would help very little indeed, handed them a silver blade that would help even less, and watched them head off, terrified yet hopeful. Raphael took his time finishing his wine, left the coin to pay for it on the table, and left without a word to the mortals who were desperately trying to not catch his eye.

The air outside was cold and crisp; still, nothing compared to the frigid wastes of Cania. Raphael breathed in deep and glanced towards the nearby forest where the hag had her lair. He had never laid his eyes on her, but he was always good at gathering information… and madcaps gave up what they knew very quickly under torture. A cave, underneath the oldest oak tree. How wonderfully cliché.

Had there been the smallest chance the two desperate dwarves may pull off their task, he might have summoned a mephit or an imp to bring a warning over to the hag, letting her know someone was coming. But as things were, he saw no reason to go through the effort. So he just stood there a few more moments, and took one more look at the contract. Five souls as collateral, all bound to the same name. Not Mephistopheles' - his own.

If the Lord of the Eighth was not inclined to reward his excellent work, Raphael would happily reward himself every once in a while. A little bribery went a long way towards ensuring someone turned a blind eye during the processing stage. For a contract such as that one it may cost him a soul, but it would still leave four soul coins for him. Not bad for a days’ work.

He smiled, waved the contract away, and headed off to a small house by the edge of the town where three children lay tied to their beds to keep them from hurting themselves, driven half-mad by nightmares. He was just crossing the threshold when he felt it - a shift, as two souls bound to him made their way to the Hells. That was quick; they hadn’t even managed to get past the madcaps and the traps, it seemed. A bit disappointing, but not unexpected.

The door was locked, but it didn’t keep out a hag and it certainly couldn’t keep out a devil. He found the children where he knew he would, tied to their beds, eyes wide open and glassy. The smallest girl was trembling, the boy was muttering incoherently. The third turned to him, and spoke with a voice like wind through dead leaves. “Mama?” she whispered. “Papa?”

Raphael smiled. “You’ll join them soon,” he reassured her. She stared blankly a few more moments, and sniffled.

"I'm so tired."

"... I know." A gesture, and three pairs of eyes closed, without dreams at last. For a moment, he considered letting them live out their lives; their souls would be bound to him either way once they died. But they were marked for death by a night hag, and he had no interest in fighting her.

That didn’t mean he would leave those lives to her, of course, in the unlikely case she could make soul larvae out of such innocent souls. So he turned to leave and, on his way out, snapped his fingers. The flames in the fireplace flared and spilled out, setting the rug aflame. The smoke, he knew, would get to them before the flames did, before they could awaken. A mercy, really: their death by the hag's hand would be far more drawn out and agonizing.

“Down came the claw,” he whispered as he closed the door behind himself. “And that, love, was that.”

By the time anyone realized the house was going up in flames, it was already too late.

***

Even before the entire Absolute business, Karlach wasn’t new to bullshit.

First off, she was born and raised in the Lower City in Baldur’s Gate; that alone meant she had seen plenty of bullshit before she could even spell the word - admittedly, that had taken a bit. Spelling and reading were always kind of a pain in the ass, with all the letters switching up and blending together, the spaces between words closing up at random to leave a jumbled mess on the page. Her father had to sit with her after work nearly every day for hours to help her work it out, but they’d managed in the end. She would probably never make her living as a scribe, but she could spell ‘bullshit’ and that in itself was an achievement, thank you very much.

After Baldur’s Gate there had been Avernus, of course, which brought the entire concept of bullshit up to new levels. The fact she was there in the first place was bullshit, Zariel replacing her heart with an Infernal machine was bullshit, the Blood War was bullshit. Devils always looking for a chance to fuck each other over to no good reason was bullshit, and the fact they sometimes could make you even think there could be something - friendship, at least, maybe something more - before they stabbed you in the back anyway was utter bullshit.

Karlach had made that mistake, once, with Florenta. Good old Flo, with her admittedly funny jokes and sharp wit, a laugh never too far away from her lips. The closest to a friend Karlach could ever hope to have in the Hells, the only welcomed touch in those ten years, and of course it had ended with yet another stab in the back. Somehow, the fact she’d later laughed it off like it was nothing had made it sting worse.

Oh, come on! I thought you could take a joke!

Of course it was a joke to her. Of fucking course. Karlach had felt like a big fat joke too, the idiot desperate enough for any sort of connection to forget a simple truth: half a devil is still a devil. Worse yet, they were better than most at getting what they wanted before they discarded you like trash and reminded you, with a laugh, that it was on you.

Should have known better. A leopard can’t change its spots, and a devil will never not break your heart.

Well, now Karlach did know better. She had learned the lesson well enough to never let her guard down around one again . And so did all of her companions… or so she’d assumed until she’d awakened and gone to check if Durge needed anything while on guard duty. Then, of course, she’d found herself faced with a brand of bullshit she hadn’t really been expecting to deal with.

“The fuck. ”

Not the most brilliant thing to say, probably, but it was the only thing she could say when she saw Raphael clinging to Durge like that . Her words didn’t make Raphael stir, but they did cause Durge to turn back and glance at her. Karlach stared back, and lifted both hands in a gesture that, she felt, conveyed her message just as clearly.

What the fuck?

Durge opened their mouth as though to speak, then paused and cast a look at Raphael’s sleeping form - seriously? - before they turned back and shook their head.

“Later,” they mouthed. “I promise.”

… All right. Karlach figured they may have the conversation later but by the gods, they would have it. Devils could manipulate the fuck out of people, it was what they did, but if this fucker thought he could pull that bullshit on her friends, he was very much mistaken. Not on her watch. Never on her watch.

Should have known he was planning something when he saved Wyll. Devils don’t do anything just to help and you don’t let them fuck with your head, ever.

She wanted to yell all of that and more, but Durge was still looking at her in a silent plea not to, so she sighed and only mouthed back - be careful - before stepping away, even though each step took an effort. Of course going back to sleep now was not an option anymore. So she sat against the wall, as far as she could get from her still sleeping companions, and began to sharpen her axe… just in case, she thought, she might have to cut down a cambion.

Bet the bastard is angling for something. Cambion manipulation at its finest. He must be trying to get us to really risk our asses in Cania for the other half of his shitty soul. As if we would. As if anyone should. The fucker would go after Hope again the second he’s whole, and I won’t allow it. He’d turn on us the second he’s whole, too, and we can’t fucking allow it.

Focused as she was on such thoughts, Karlach didn’t realize Astarion had awakened until she looked up again and saw he was gone. If she strained her ears, she could hear him talking quietly at the entrance of the cave, too low for her to catch words.

She paused for a moment, then breathed out and decided not to get involved yet. Astarion would see through the manipulative bullshit and make sure Durge didn’t fall for it. They probably wouldn’t fall for it in the first place, maybe they were just letting Raphael think he was getting somewhere to make sure he wouldn’t double-cross them before they got to the sword. There was probably no reason to worry, really. She’d been jumping to conclusions, that was all.

Still, she resumed sharpening her axe. Just in case.

***

“MONSTER! How could you! HOW COULD YOU!”

The screams echo across Bhaal’s temple, over chants, over the dripping of blood on stone, the wet sound brain matter makes when it hits the floor. The Chosen Bhaalspawn has heard those words before so many times, it’s become almost tedious. When words fade into wordless wails, as he drops the infant’s corpse on the altar and shakes bits of its brain from his hands, it’s a welcome change.

Still, even those screams grow tiresome. He nods sharply, once, and a blade is unsheathed, the woman’s throat slit. The cries turn into a gurgle, and that too is silenced, as more blood drips into the pool below. A mercy, like the mercy used on her child.

Better to die than to share the world with him.

“... Well. You certainly know how to set the mood for the evening.”

The Chosen of Bane is a few steps behind, having watched the sacrifice with rapt attention. Very much to the chagrin of Sceleritas, who - he claimed - would rather rip out his own eyes than watch a servant of Bane in that most unholy place, breathing their same air. Ever a fair master, the Chosen has gouged out his eyes himself so he wouldn’t have to bear the sight.

As for Gortash, a blindfold over his eyes before being taken to the Temple has sufficed. Some may consider it foolish, walking helpless and blind alongside the Chosen of the God of Murder; yet Gortash was never foolish. He would not have come, had he thought of a single moment that the Chosen Bhaalspawn would have raised his blade on him.

He, for one, does not mind one bit sharing the world with him. He approaches now, to take a closer look. The Chosen of Bhaal smiles, all fangs, when he notices how careful he is not to step into pools of blood. And not, he knows, out of squeamishness. He hasn’t once flinched.

“Afraid to ruin your boots, banite?”

“I’d have picked more appropriate footwear than my very finest, my dear, if you’d told me where precisely you meant to lead me.”

For a moment the bhaalspawn's hand twitches, bile trying to rise in his throat. Dear, the banite said, like the Chosen of Bhaal could ever be such a thing. Preposterous. He should slaughter him where he stands; but he does not, as he did not slaughter him the other times he dared call him such. The day will come, when he’ll have slaughtered the rest of the world and Enver Gortash with it, that he may finally end his own life on Bhaal's altar in the final offering, earning the highest possible glory - to wander for eternity in his Father’s embrace, in the endless lake of blood beneath red skies. He will make him proud.

But not yet. Not just yet. Until then, he needs the Chosen of Bane to keep living and breathing, to trust him enough not to break an alliance he was always meant to end along with that entire, vile world. It may be a long wait before he can slaughter him in Bhaal's name.

The notion should fill him with impatience, yet it does not. Rather, he finds some relief in the wait and sometimes… sometimes, that frightens him. If Bhaal knew of that hesitation, he’d be ashamed of his son; he would perhaps even turn from him, the perfect bhaalspawn who’s not so perfect after all. He’d demand the head of Enver Gortash as proof of his loyalty, and the Chosen of Bhaal would do it. That’s why his father should never know of his weakness: because he would obey, and it would be--

“... Are you well?” Gortash’s voice snaps him from thoughts of blood, and he turns to look at him, at the piercing gaze that never once wavered from his. He nods.

“Yes. Apologies. The mind wanders. I never feel as close to my father as I do in his temple.”

A smile. “It is most impressive, I have to admit. There is yet more to see, I assume?”

“Yes. Come, I will show you.”

They proceed deeper in the temple towards the Chosen’s own room, past his collection of pickled organs, leaving behind the altar, the blood, the chanting and the eyes of the cultists, the entire plot they have been working on for so long.

They leave it all behind for now, this thing that should consume their every waking moment. For a time, it’s just the two of them - and, to his shame and bliss, it is a relief.

***

“Ah, that’s why you didn’t come back. I was starting to think you’d fallen asleep on… ah, scratch that. You did fall asleep.”

Slumped against Durge’s side, Raphael did not stir. Durge, on the other hand, awoke with a slight start, eyes blinking open. They craned their neck to look up; they looked tired, of course - Raphael was supposed to keep watch in their place so they could sleep - but smiled faintly when they saw him. “Sorry,” they replied, just as quietly. Their arm stayed around Raphael’s shoulders. “He was in no condition to keep watch, and I failed to realize how tired I was myself.”

“Did something happen?”

“He had-- a moment.”

“The incubus…?”

“No, not that.”

“I see.” Astarion paused for a few instants, wondering if he should be asking and then deciding against it. Well, he would ask of course, but later and out of earshot. For now, he just sat next to Durge and claimed their other side to lean on. “You should sleep, my dear. I’ll keep an eye out for any snack-- I mean, any danger that may come across this cozy little cave.”

“Have you rested enough?”

“I am not the one with bags under my eyes, darling,” Astarion said, like he had any way of checking in a mirror. Durge chuckled, and did not point it out. Instead, they leaned the side of their head on top of Astarion’s.

“Do you need some blood?”

“Halsin was willing to provide, no worries.” A grin, a brief nuzzle against their throat. “I’ll sample you another time.”

“Oh, I look forward to it.”

“Heh. Weirdo.”

There was a mumble, causing both to fall quiet. Raphael shifted, just a little, but did not awaken; one of his hands gripped Durge’s robe a little more tightly, but that was it. Durge chuckled, and spoke again in a hushed voice. “Ah, I forgot the line.”

“What line?”

“This is not what it looks like,” they said, and Astarion tried really quite hard not to laugh.

“Said no innocent man ever,” he muttered, but he wasn’t in the slightest concerned. His wonderful idiot had come seeking his permission before they so much considered touching Halsin, for goodness’ sake, when their relationship was barely truly starting out. And when Mizora had tried to make a pass at them, they’d informed her they’d be willing to touch her with a ten foot pole, as long as said pole also had a metal tip on one end.

An excellent response, Astarion had to admit. The incubus… well, that had been more of a necessity, when they still hoped they could be in and out of the Hells without a fight they were not certain they could win, and they hadn’t expected the entire clause about adding Durge’s body to their collection. Astarion had not been enthusiastic about it, but he’d seen the point.

… He had taken note of the fact Durge had requested Raphael’s form specifically over the Archduchess’, of course, but well. Frankly, if one had to pick, he’d have picked the devil they knew too. And even with said devil now there, or at least half of him, one thing was unchanged: Astarion knew Durge would do nothing behind his back. He could trust them as surely as Durge had trusted him from the start - although he maintained that decision had not been particularly wise of them.

“What it looks like,” he said, “is that he noticed you make a good pillow. Which you do.”

A grin. “Better than Halsin?”

“Well now, let’s not take it too far. I love you, but he’s got fur and you have scales.”

“Heh. No argument there.”

Another chuckle, and a brief silence. Astarion did keep his eyes out to the skies outside the cave, a glyph of warding already in place to warn them of anything that tried to approach on the ground. They had crossed some distance, but they had a long way to go yet, according to Raphael… who of course was not telling them just where they were headed to get the sword.

It made sense: he was not giving away his bargaining chip just yet. But the very nature of their agreement meant that at one point, unless they all died earlier, they would have what they needed… and he could only count on their word that they would help him in turn.

“... Love?”

“Hmm?”

“We’re going to Mephistar after this, aren’t we?”

A pause, a sigh. “I’m afraid I feel I must.”

Of course they would, awfully convenient as it would be to double-cross Raphael again. And where Durge went, Astarion would follow. “A bit annoying, that. I was hoping we could stick to killing an archdevil and then go home. But ah, why not? You went to Mephistar before, took the Crown, and lived to tell the tale. We may very well pull off the theft of half a soul, too. Although I imagine the Crown of Karsus was a good deal easier to carry than half a devil soul stuck in Ascended Fiend form.”

“I remember nothing of that caper, but it’s a fair assumption.” A pause, a yawn. “Apologies--”

“Hush. Sleep.”

Durge sighed. “I am not certain I want to,” they whispered. “In case I--”

“Remember something?” Astarion asked, and felt Durge nod. Their arm around Raphael’s shoulders shifted as they did, and Astarion could make another guess: that he, too, had remembered something… unpleasant in his sleep. Raphael shifted too, mumbling something, but didn’t awaken and quickly settled, breathing slow and regular. Whatever memory or nightmare had plagued his night, it was gone now.

Durge, on the other hand, seemed still affected. “Yes,” they finally replied in a murmur. “There is something about the Hells-- it makes these memories so much more likely to resurface. The vilest ones, those that try to tell you that you deserve to be here. Do you…?”

“... My dreams have not been pleasant either, yes. I keep seeing some of the people I lured back to Cazador,” he added. It was hard to regret something he had to do to survive, but sometimes, when some faces resurfaced, it still hurt. Most of the time he’d pick scum, bastards who wouldn’t be missed and deserved it more than most, or so he would tell himself when he still cared.

But sometimes he chose people like Sebastian. Better people. Gentle. Because every once in a while he needed it to be gentle, and needed it not to hurt, not to be more degrading than it had to be.

I had to do it. It didn’t have to be them.

But it had been them. He’d picked the sweet ones for himself, knowing full well he was sealing their fate for his own comfort. But did he not deserve some comfort, too?

Durge’s hold on him tightened a fraction, warm and steady as their heartbeat, letting him know they were ready to listen, if he wished to talk. But he didn’t, for now, and turned to other matters, voice still barely a murmur. “You remembered something else, didn’t you?”

A pause, a sigh. “I remember shattering the skull of an infant.”

“Ah. I see.”

“His mother was screaming. I had her killed next, but first I made her watch--”

“Enough.” Astarion cut them off, and reached up to cup their face. “It’s in the past. Nothing you may do can change it - much less anything you may feel.”

Durge smiled, and turned to nuzzle against his palm. “Nothing I say can make double-guess being with me either, I see,” they murmured.

“Gods, no. I caught you fair and square and I’m not letting you go. Why, are you trying to get rid of me?”

“Never,” Durge replied, almost in a growl, and Astarion grinned.

“Good,” he said. “Because frankly, my dear, you’d be doing a shit job at it.”

“Ah, I think I can do better.”

“Oh?”

“I think there was something. With Gortash.”

Astarion tilted his head. “Well, yes. The greatest religious hoax ever perpetrated does seem to fit the definition of someth-- oh.” A sudden pause, followed by a groan the second realization hit. “Oh gods.”

“... Fairly sure, actually.”

“Still not enough to get rid of me, but-- ew. Can we go back to braining infants?” A pause. “... As in, talking about it. Not actually braining infants - I know you have successfully kicked that habit and I’m very proud of you, dear.”

A smile, weak. However flippant their last remarks were, there was a distant cast to their gaze Astarion had learned to know well, from all the times they’d tried to reach for memories that should have been there but were not, and may never be again. In the end, however, they shook it off. They always did, had to. It was that, or madness. “I can deal with my regrets, all of them. But I have no intention of letting go of what I’ve gained. You, I will never let go, or forget.”

Durge reached around Astarion’s waist, pulling him close, and he was all too happy to lean on them. Of course not, he thought with a grin. He was just unforgettable like that.

“Flatterer,” he murmured. “Now rest. I’m going nowhere.”

Durge had to be more tired than they wanted to appear, because within minutes they were asleep, head still resting on top of his. Even in the heat of Avernus, Astarion found he very much enjoyed the warmth of their scales.

***

By the time yet another devil pulled out of him, Raphael was too lost in the heat of it all to care who he was. He’d long since stopped trying to keep count of how many had him that night. In the middle of a full-blown orgy, it seemed beyond pointless. But he did take advantage of the pause to lift his face from the pillow it had been pressed into, and look around.

The naked bodies around him seemed to shift and change as they writhed before his eyes, shapes distorting into beasts he’d never seen on any Plane. The moans of pleasure turned into cries and then grunts and then cries and moans again. Here and there the floor seemed to waver and then opened up to swallow a group of entangled fiends or beasts or whatever they were turning into now, and they didn’t cease their coupling even when swallowed into a pit of fire. Then Raphael blinked and the floor was back to normal, the fiends still there , but the ceiling was dripping blood and tears and come.

Or perhaps it was a normal orgy, and he was hallucinating more wildly than usual. That batch of gughalaki was the purest he’d ever had - the purest he could ever afford - and oh, it was well worth parting with some of his newly minted soul coins. Or perhaps it was the addition of incubus spittle in the Infernal wine he’d drunk that made it seem so much more powerful?

Either way, it made Raphael wish he could stay like this forever- do nothing, think of nothing, just lay there and feel the pleasure being dished out, because so many wanted-- him -- to fuck him and why should he not take what-- adoration -- pleasure he could take. Did he not deserve it? Did he not do all that was asked of him, did he not do it well, bring back more souls than most? Wasn’t he handsome, wasn’t he-- you’re loved here -- desirable? Of course he was. He deserved this. He’d earned this.

Something grasped Raphael’s horns, forcing his head back, forcing him to bend his neck. Everything seemed to swirl and someone was in again, rutting fast and deep without giving him a moment to adjust to the size, the girth. It didn’t matter. Even the pain was dulled, now. A rough pull on his horns and his head spun, the room spun; when he regained some bearing of his surroundings he found himself on a pit fiend’s lap, back pressed to his chest.

When a hand reached around him and claws raked bloody lines across his own chest, he moaned loud enough to be heard across the room, over all other noise. He tried to speak - yes and more and harder - but teeth sank in his shoulder suddenly and words turned into another cry, pain and pleasure mixing just as they should. His head was light, ears buzzing.

There was a laugh, the teeth pulling away from his shoulder to graze at his ear. A hand grabbed a fistful of his hair, hard. “Did you try to say something, little duke?” the pit fiend asked, in that mocking tone that always made Raphael bristle beneath a fake smile.

Not this time. This time, nothing they said could touch him, no mockery could hurt him. He was above it, above them, as he should always have been. Raphael leaned back with a groan and in that moment of perfect bliss he wondered - was this how it felt to sit on a throne, to look down upon a kingdom that owed him respect, all the obedience and the flattery, the closest to love that there was in Baator? To be so above everyone?

He laughed, so drunk on it all he didn’t even notice the hush that fell on the room as he spoke words - the blasphemy - that would haunt him for a long, long time to come.

“Call me Archduke.”

***

For a few moments as he started waking up, Raphael was only aware of two things: that his back hurt, and his neck was killing him. Served him right, he supposed: that mortal body was not made to sleep half-sitting and half-slumped against-- against--

Ah. Right.

Raphael opened his eyes with a start and pulled back hastily, or at least tried to. An arm was still around him, which quite went against his plan for a quick and silent retreat. It caused the bhaal-- Durge to grumble, their eyes blinking open at last before pausing on him.

“Ah,” they said, voice still rough with sleep. “Right.”

“Well, good morning to the both of you. If it’s morning. I think we agreed this is about the time we consider morning, because I can smell cooking from here.”

Astarion’s voice caused Raphael to recoil, and to quickly slip beneath Durge’s limp arm so he could stand and back away - just in case he misunderstood the position he’d found them in, and decided to take issue with that. Durge, however, didn’t seem to share his concern: they yawned and rubbed their face before smiling at him. “Ah, so can I. Smells terrible.”

“Poor Halsin does what he can, but all the food we brought just tastes off here. Or at least, that’s what you all keep saying. I wouldn't know. Blood still tastes the same, mostly.”

“Mostly?”

“A slightly bitter aftertaste. Yours is still the most delectable.”

That made Durge laugh, rubbing their face again to get rid of the last dregs of sleep. “Delectable blood, and a good pillow? You’re flattering me far too much today,” they said, and stood. They stretched with a groan - it seemed their back was protesting, too - before they turned to glance at Raphael. “... Are you all right?”

Raphael stared back a moment, then cleared his throat, eyes briefly turning to Astarion. He looked vaguely amused, but unbothered, which Raphael was rather relieved to see. He was fairly sure the tiefling would love nothing more than burying her axe in his skull; he did not need to deal with the ire of a vampire. “I believe,” he said, “that my spine would appreciate a bedroll going forward. Still, your-- support did not go unapprecia--”

“Breakfast!” Wyll Ravengar’s voice announced, just as he turned the corner to the cave’s entrance, a bowl in his hands. Raphael was glad enough of the interruption, he was almost happy to see him. “Morning, everyone. Is there a party going on here and no one told me?”

“Of course we didn’t. You’d drink all the wine.”

“You don’t even drink wine!”

Quips were traded, and there was some laughter; as Ravengard sat at the cave’s entrance to keep watch while he ate, the rest of them headed back to eat as well before they were off. Raphael took his bowl of… whatever it was that the druid had made, and went to rummage through his things, to pull out a map they’d looted from a fallen barbazu. He studied closely, and he didn’t notice the wary look on Karlach’s face as her gaze shifted from him to Durge and then back.

He did, however, register how she made a point to visibly lean on her axe when she crouched in front of him to look at the map; as most things about her, it was not subtle. However, she did not speak of what led to that frankly pointless threat - which was, by contrast, unusual. “Still planning to cross the Styx at Haruman’s Hill?” she asked instead.

Raphael made a point not to look up, and nodded. “Yes. We should arrive within the day, if we’re not too sidetracked by other skirmishes.”

“There’s always fighting around that place.”

“... There is. It does concern me.”

“Or you’re hoping to thin our numbers there.”

“If I wanted to thin your numbers, I would not have bothered to save Ravengard’s life when--”

A scoff. “I’ve been in Avernus for ten years. Don’t you think I’ve seen it all? Devils saving another’s hide only to kill them at the next chance they got, after getting what they could out of the debt? Pretending to be one’s friend is what you do best.”

Raphael looked up from the map to meet her gaze. She never looked glad to see him, but she was scowling more than usual now. Something was bothering her for sure, and frankly it wasn’t hard to suppose she may have seen, or heard, something the previous night.

“I need your help still,” he said in the end. “Thinning your numbers and placing myself in danger at the same time would very much go against my interests, don’t you think?”

“What I think is that your kind is never honest about what your interests are.”

Raphael let out a hum. “Not an unfair assessment, I suppose,” he conceded. “But I have no other choice as things stand.”

The tiefling scoffed. Again. “That’s what you say. I don’t trust you.”

“Not unwise. But even after a decade in Avernus, you never learned to think like a devil.”

That earned him a glare, almost as scorching as the engine that roared in her chest. “Thank fuck I didn’t,” she snapped. “No one should.”

A shrug. “When in Calisham, do as the Calishite do. You don’t have to like it, but it’s how it is.”

“So what, you’re trying to tell me another devil would trust you?”

This time, Raphael laughed. It caused a few heads to turn to them; it wasn’t often that he and Karlach were seen, willingly, within ten feet of each other. Still, none approached, clearly confident enough the exchange wasn’t going to end in blood.

“Hah! Oh, absolutely not. A devil would never trust me. But they would trust how desperate I am.” He spread out his arms, tilting back his head to meet the tiefling’s gaze. “Look at me. I am mortal, less than half of what I was. Slowly dying as mortals do, and you could end me with a few swift blows. My only hope to be whole again rests with the same people who stole from me and felled me in my own house when I last tried to make a deal. You keep expecting me to unveil some sort of trick, yet you hold most of the cards. I can’t have you die, because I need your help. It’s as simple as that.”

“I’ve seen what you’ve done to the souls who took your deals . You don’t deserve our help.”

Says the loyal companion of a bhaalspawn. Do you know what they have done?

He could have said as much, but he did not. The last thing he needed was creating fractures among those he had to rely on to get the other half of his soul back. That, and he saw no reason to bring them up in the discussion.

It’s not a deal. It’s a promise, they had said. A promise was worth little on any plane and nothing in the Hells specifically, yet there was something within that wretched human soul he was stuck with that made Raphael desperately want to believe it.

You’ll grow out of it, he’d been told so long ago. He had - he thought he’d killed that weak, yearning part of himself - and look where it got him, in the end. His rise had only made for a longer way to fall. “... That is not relevant. Not here,” was all he said in the end.

The tiefling scowled, but did not argue that point. Instead she leaned in, grip tight around the handle of her weapon. “If I catch you trying to get into anyone’s head,” she informed him, her voice a low growl, “I’ll get into yours. With an axe. Am I clear?”

He could protest, tell her that if that was about last night - of course it was about last night - none of it was part of any cunning plan, but what would be the point? Not only was it humiliating to admit, but she wouldn’t believe him. Raphael wouldn’t either, in her shoes.

“... As spring water,” was all he said instead, and looked back down at the map. “Now. You’re the expert when it comes to the Blood War on the ground. If you have suggestions as of the route, your input would be most welcome,” he added, and listened to her suggestions with utmost attention, pretending not to notice that she didn’t let go of her weapon for a moment.

***

It wouldn’t stop. The dripping sound wouldn’t stop.

Yoggaa, Keeper of the Frost Garden, cast yet another Cone of Cold with a grimace and precious little hope it would last for long. It always worked for a time, the beautiful ice trees, fruits and plants once again looking as they should… until the heat got to them again, the dripping would start anew, and he’d have to cast again and again and again just to keep the garden existing.

That wasn’t how it should be. The Frost Garden had never melted, not a thing in Cania had ever melted, until Lord Mephistopheles had begun his experiments with hellfire. At first it had seemed nothing to be concerned about - a powerful weapon for the Lord of Cania to wield - but over years and centuries and then millennia, it had come to consume the greatest part of the Cold Lord’s attention.

Few even called him the Cold Lord anymore, including Mephistopheles himself. Lord of Hellfire, more like; he himself favored the title.

Mephistar had always been warmer than the rest of Cania, but eventually it had become much too warm for gelugons to thrive . Pit fiends had moved in instead, as much of Yoggaa’s kind left for Nebulat to find refuge in yet untouched cold, trying to develop some form of ice magic that could tear their lord’s attention from hellfire, restore Cania to what it should be.

But so far there had been no real progress, as far as Yoggaa could tell. He had stayed to tend to the garden, but for how much longer could Cones of Cold be enough to stave off the heat? Already he’d heard reports of glaciers collapsing onto themselves, melted from within; towering outside, the School of Hellfire continuously spewed its noxious waste across entire swathes of the citadel below.

Yoggaa sighed, clacking his mandibles as he looked over the garden. All looked well, as it should be, but like much of Cania it was only surface level. Beneath the ice, hellfire burned - and a day may come when all his magic may no longer be enough to save it. The garden, or-- anything else.

Lord Mephistopeles seemed too set in his ways, too determined to turn a blind eye to the consequences of his obsession, to pay any heed to the increasingly frantic warnings a brave few still dared speak. Even as he sat atop a melting throne, he ignored it all. Yoggaa had tried to beg for him to visit the garden, to see for himself the extent of the problem, but Lord Mephistopheles had simply sneered.

“If you feel your prowess has diminished to the point you can no longer carry out your duties,” he’d said, “a replacement can be arranged.”

So he’d kept quiet, and never brought up the matter again, but concern grew. In Nebulat, other gelugons were growing restless; word was that Tuncheth had even considered turning to Asmodeus, begging him to talk sense into the Lord of the Eighth. If Cania collapsed onto itself, it would be Nessus which it would crush - surely, something Asmodeus would want to avoid.

Yet he had not turned to the Lord Below, in the end, and no one had been surprised. Such a move would be suicide, after all, if Lord Mephistopheles ever found out. And surely, Asmodeus himself was aware. If he had not acted until now, Yoggaa figured, he must not think the danger all that great. But as he gazed upon the Frost Garden he’d looked after for time immemorial, Yoggaa found himself wishing he did.

Someone should intervene, and only Asmodeus ruled above Mephistopheles. If the Lord of Cania was unwilling to save his own kingdom from melting, then who would? Yoggaa sighed and, with one last look at the plants he’d refrozen, moved to another section of the garden.

And the dripping began anew, the sound of each drop hitting the ground as inexorable as a ticking clock.

***

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#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #the dark urge #raphael bg3 #astarion ancunin #halsin bg3 #wyll ravengard #karlach bg3 #haarlep bg3 #bg3 raphael #bg3 astarion #antilia dnd #mephistopheles dnd #raphael the cambion #hell to pay

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