#I have to remember to bring apples or something for the deers though

[aerospectrum]

hi friends☺️💗☺️ hope you’re all doing so lovely today and staying hydrated and being kind to yourselves! does anyone here like lord of the rings?! I went on an adventure today and it felt just like leaving the safety of the shire and I found a SNAIL! I’ll show you guys some photos in a little while im gonna work on the rest of my drafts and asks and then im all caught up if anyone wants to plot or do new things!!! thanks for everyone who’s been very gracious and patient with me 🩵💛🩵🩵🍓🫐😚

[riddle-me-ri]

Howdy! I have a request for you if they are open (I couldn’t find anything saying they were closed so I’m assuming they are open but if not, apologies!)

Could I get a fic about BTAS!Jonathan Crane falling for a gender neutral (they/them pronouns) reader who is an artist in the Gotham State Fine Art Department? They could be a student or a young instructor. Maybe he meets them at their art show and they are super curious about his research when he brings it up?

Thank you and I hope you have a great day!

a/n: gosh I’m a sucker for rogues falling for an artist, it just seems so fitting for most of them lol. I hope you guys enjoy this little fluffy drabble for Halloween! Remember to have fun and please stay safe! Spook responsibly! Happy Halloween! (also, also, I’m going to go ahead and apologize now for the super cringy/awkward ending, I went back and forth on how to end this a few times lol)

Content Warning: none that I can really think of…

Word Count: 1.1k

BTAS Scarecrow x Artist!Reader - Muse

Jonathan was nursing the lukewarm watered down punch that filled his styrofoam cup.

He couldn’t believe he's actually here, let alone the reason why he's even here to begin with.

All dressed up in a formal suit and not in his long lab coat or his…costume for his alter ego, he dons now and then, especially on nights like this one.

Professor Crane was off in a corner, shuffling in his dress shoes.

He dictated whether he should take this opportunity to talk to you or just give up when the getting is good, knowing that any attempt to approach you would likely be futile.

Oh, but he adored how you seemed to glow under the mini spotlights highlighting your art exhibition.

You are the apple of Gotham State University’s eye. You’ve won a handful of teaching awards, many of your students brought many accolades to the university…and now here you are exhibiting your new collection in one of the most prestigious art galleries Gotham has ever developed.

At first he expected to loathe you. The way you were so bright eyed, cheery. Your very presence dripped in nauseating positivity…

That is until the first time you shined your light his way.

Your smile, your voice…whatever disdain he had for you dissolved into something else entirely the opposite, though he didn't dare put a name to it.

Much like the rest of the staff, Jonathan became deeply infatuated with you.

“Oh, Mr. Crane, I didn't expect to see you here! I'm so glad you could make it!”

Your sweet sing-songy voice broke him from his thoughts of the past to the present moment.

“Oh, uhh…Yes of course, I wouldn't miss this for anything!”

You giggled. “That's very sweet of you, have you got a chance to see it up close yet?”

“Um..not yet, I was waiting until the crowd dispersed so I can enjoy your pieces to the fullest.”

If Jonathan could pat himself on the back for that save, he would, perhaps it helped that it wasn't entirely untrue.

You nodded. “I understand, I definitely wasn't expecting so many staff and students from school to show up this evening…”

Beautiful, personable and modest…

What the hell was Jonathan thinking he even had a sliver of a chance with you.

Jonathan was slowly closing in on himself and was about to retreat back to his corner and allow you to go back to your exhibition…

“Oh look, some of the crowd has died down…” You looked over your shoulder to see some of the attendants have begun browsing other pieces in the gallery.

“Would you like me to bend your ear about my work, I promise I won't ramble for too long,” you giggled as you reached your hand out.

Jonathan was like a deer in the headlights, and your hand close to him was like the oncoming car.

As trivial as the gesture was, he never suspected to be able to feel your touch so soon.

God, not that he believed in one, but Jonathan silently prayed his hands wouldn't be sweaty or clammy as he gently rested his hand in yours.

“Gladly-”

Jonathan gasped as your hand readily clasped around his. Not an ounce of hesitance or delay in your reaction nor on your face.

The professor voluntarily allowed you to whisk him away and directly in front of your work.

“So..technically these pieces have a chronological order, but I tried to keep it mostly up to interpretation-”

As you began your spiel, Jonathan soaked in every word.

You are so brilliant, none of these average viewers or professors could possibly appreciate your thought process…

But Jonathan sure would…especially as your work leant itself to the human psyche.

“I'm sure that as a professor of psychology, you could…appreciate what I'm attempting to portray…”

Without even thinking of how he may sound or what he was actually saying, Jonathan responded full heartedly.

“Oh absolutely….”

The millisecond it took Jonathan to blink, he quickly realized how idiotic he must sound. “Uh, erm..I mean…it's a successful attempt to me…”

“I'm glad you think so…I worry it may have gone over some of the other staff's head, but it's the effort of coming out to support that counts.”

Jonathan internally gritted his teeth. That was absolutely not enough. You shouldn't have to accept just any minimum effort.

“Which…now I'm curious, Professor Crane-”

“P-Please, you can call me Jonathan…”

How he wished he could have caught your small beaming smile for a moment longer, so that he could commit it to memory with the utmost detail.

“Jonathan…” You tested. “What do you specialize in your field? Any studies of interest?”

You had no notion of the can of worms you just cracked open.

“Why, my main focus is on fears, my dear. Phobias…”

Now that you have brought upon his fixation, confidence slowly enveloped the scrawny man.

Even more so when he noticed your eyes lighten slightly.

“Fears? Such a simple term for a myriad of things, yes?”

Jonthan chuckled. “Yes, indeed…”

Soon the roles of speaker and listener were reversed.

You have never seen Professor Cra-Jonahan be so animated before. It made you elated to witness this side of him.

You wanted to high five yourself for having the guts to ask a rather basic question, but gaining the best outcome.

You leaned in closer. His words of phobias and their potential to push the human mind's capacity beyond what we comprehend now…intrigued you.

“Oh…erm…sorry I didn't mean to ramble for so long-”

“You're fine, Jonathan, really! It was nice to hear you speak so passionately about something you are clearly well-versed in.” You giggled lightheartedly.

“Really?”

“Absolutely!” You assured him. “Um, I know it's getting late, but I would love to continue this conversation another time? I'm already feeling pretty inspired for my next series…if you're comfortable with that, I mean…”

Jonathan felt like a fish that came to the sudden realization that he was still in fact out of the water.

He managed to keep breathing somehow for this long, and he did not want to ruin this opportunity that seemed to bless his efforts.

“Y-Yes…I would be delighted too!” Jonathan confirmed, hoping he didn't come off too gleeful.

“Perfect, here-” You glanced down at your clutch and quickly swiped a business card and pen.

You scribbled your personal home phone and offered it to Jonathan. “I know we see each other at work periodically, but figured this could help us stay in touch.”

“Excellent…erm…see you on Monday?”

“Yep!” You nodded with a sweet beaming smile. “Thanks so much for coming tonight, I appreciate it, Jonathan.”

“Of course, my dear. I wouldn't miss it for the world!”

Jonathan rarely looked on the bright side of things, it's done nothing but blind him in the past…

However, looking at your warm smile, your overall welcoming aura…one that you've now shared almost a couple of hours exclusively with him.

Needless to say, he wanted more. Your precious light, your intrigued enthusiasm, your name presence. Now that he had you for a brief moment, he longed for more…to be your one and only muse.

[cafeeeeeeeeee3]

I WANT TO DRAW CENTAUR HORSE CROSS SO *BAD* BUT I SUCK SO HARD AT DRAWING HORSES

Like, hear me out. This man??? He is HEAVILY associated with the royal guard. There is simply NOT ENOUGH centaur Cross.

I first though Abt making him a Clydesdale, because, y'know, they're MAJESTIC. Beautiful horses. However, I heard that, although you can ride them, they're not exactly the sort of animal ya wanna ride for much(apparently their feet"" get injured often), which, y'know, I can't picture Cross not being. They're apparently "draught" horses??

So, uh, they are more about carrying stuff. Even though the shape language would be amazing for these, because they're very robust, quadrangular, it does not quite fit.

So, uh, I found some stuff. I found stuff about "destrier horses", which were horses trained for battle, and the Wikipedia lists some breeds. There are some listed, but the one I thought coolest would be the Andalusian horse, because not only does he seem to be the one most popularly known for being a battle horse, but it is also known as "Spanish pure breed", which I thought would be nice, because it is a little callback (even if he is not Spanish, following the Sans nationality = creator's nationality thing).

The Wikipedia article also cites its use in diplomacy. I think it's a neat parallel to him being a tool to appease somebody else (after all, he is simply a result of Xgaster trying to create a perfect world for Xchara and Xfrisk).

The problem is,,, I do not know how to draw horses. Much less understand the difference between horse breeds and accentuate them.

But, uh, this is an idea. I've also been thinking about making the dream tale twins into elks because,,, it simply fits their vibe??? It would be hella cool to have apple slices, rotted away (perhaps apple cores?) stuck in his antlers, sprouting into small plants that droop low — bowing, if you will.

I also thought about minotaur Horror(or simply have something along the lines of Cross, but with a taurine body. I do not think the minotaur myth exactly fits with him, but this has never been about that tbh), simply because,,, isn't it fun when the bull is the owner of the slaughterhouse himself???? And, like, I feel like there's such fucking sick metaphors to make with that. Nobody creates carnivore animals to eat in an extensive fashion because the animal would eat more than it's worth, ultimately making for a model that does not sustain itself.

I've kinda thought about dust and Killer, but, like, there's just not enough reason in any of my choices??? I think Ram Dust is really sick, because "yes". I do not have a deep reason for it.

I,,, don't really know what to do for Killer tho, if I were to do something like that. I thought about those deer with fangs, because I think that the way that their outward display of aggression ends up being bad for them kinda mirrors Killer.

I mean, if I remember correctly, he's quite literally taken off his "powerful" eye. It's why he cannot summon gaster blasters like other sanses do, instead being able to only summon a single one.

It isn't exactly about aggression, as much as it seems to be about trill seeking.

I do know this isn't canon, but I see Killer as an absolute adrenaline junkie. Mfer wants to feel good desperately, and he will hurt himself in the process without thinking twice — he will pet the kitties, whether they give him rabies or not (maybe some days he'll understand what the scratches mean and just,,, go away. Others, he will just try to coo and insist that they are really cute).

Anyways.

I also kinda wanted to make Killer a deer because in portuguese, deer is slang for gay and I really needed to fit this joke somewhere.

I have no idea what stuff like Swap and Ink would be too,,, like, Swap might be a moose because they're close enough to elks and they're also hella bulky, and really remind me about maple syrup, but, uh, they're REALLY big. Swap ain't that big. He's a small tank. Which might bring him closer to sheep territory, but I need a sheep that is BULKY, a sheep that can pack a punch,,, but I'm not sure. Since he is usually regarded as looking fairly weak(AND HE IS WEAK AS HELL. Swap has the stats of a normal sans, but none of the benefits,, I think he has TOP NOTCH protective gear so that most hits simply do not cause any damage. He can take the weight. I also think he has a shield, and he absolutely uses that shield as a main weapon — he fights against people whose defense is attack by making his attack his defense) a sheep might work???

Ink makes me think about cows. Because of the splatters, and because cows scream unhingedness to me (miltank flashbacks), while being usually hella strong.

They're not agile, though.

Ink always felt like a monkey to me, as the closest analogy. I mean, think about him,,, just,,, it does not fit here, y'know?

I also think it would be funny.

Anyways, I ramble too much.

[xxx-angie]

"dance with me"

radioapple alcohol, talk of cannibalism, biting, blood consumption, non-sexual make out

1110 words

@lucifersruberduck

alastor sits at the bar and pours himself another glass of rye.

it was angel’s birthday, and charlie insisted on throwing a party for him. it was starting to get a bit late into the night and the radio demon had been drinking all through it.

vaggie and charlie had just started a duet on the piano. alastor taps his foot along to the song, looking around the room. he sees lucifer, who leans against a wall with a cup of apple cider. he watches his daughter sing with a smile.

the deer demon downs the rest of the glass and gets up, heading to the demon king. “dance with me?” alastor holds out his hand for the short demon, who looks up at him with confusion.

“y-you’re asking me to dance? why?”

“it would be fun.” the radio demon shrugs.

the short male lets out a sigh and takes the other’s hand. he finds himself pulled into the sinner’s chest, an arm around his waist. he looks up at alastor, who has a big, genuine smile on his face.

the other demons look at the two in surprise, certainly not expecting alastor of all demons to dance with someone. and definitely not with lucifer.

the radio demon looks up as he realized the music is gone. “why did you stop? come on, i could dance all night long!” he laughs and twirls lucifer around.

charlie nods and smiles at the two as she gets over the shock, happy to see them getting along. she looks at vaggie and they nod at each other, continuing with the song.

“there we go.” he looks down at lucifer and continues to dance with him. “oh how i wish rosie were here. she would enjoy this so much.”

“rosie? is that your wife or something?” lucifer asks before alastor pulls him into a dip.

“my wife? oh no no no no.” he stands up and pulls the demon king back up. “i don't have a wife. but she is a very dear friend, very dear indeed.” he looks at charlie. “and she would love to see charlie like this, so happy with her girlfriend.” he manages to grab his glass of whiskey as they dance, quickly downing it before setting the cup back down. “but even if i was interested in her, i'm not her type anyway. she might be interested in you however.”

“and what would her type be?” the pale king asks as he presses into alastor, back to the overlord’s chest.

“tasty.” alastor replies simply.

“tasty?” lucifer repeats as he looks up at the other.

“though I must admit, her ability to pick them when we met was absolutely atrocious. but it has improved. our last meal together was quite splendid.” alastor gives a light-hearted chuckle.

“and how do you know i fit the definition of tasty?” the shorter looks up at him with a raised brow.

“you have angelic blood, correct? after the battle, rosie let me know that it has a spectacular taste.” he brings the demon king into another dip, one hand under him and the other holding his chin. lucifer’s own arms reach up to grab his waist in an attempt to steady himself. “though i do wish i had tasted it for myself…” alastor leans in close to the paper-pale skin of lucifer's neck and drags his tongue up the side of it.

the short demon takes a shaky breath, his neck feeling cold from the other’s saliva. “t-tell me more about rosie?”

“she knows a lot about the queer community. which was personally quite surprising. she is much older than me yet still knows tons of terms that were made nearly a hundred years after my death.” alastor says.

“like what?”

“i don't remember most, but asexual stuck with me.”

“oh? how so?”

“when i was alive, i never really questioned myself. assumed I would meet the right girl some day. i knew that being gay was a thing, but i never felt attracted to men, so i simply never considered it. I otherwise never thought about sex. but terms like asexual… i never heard it before, but if i had when i was alive, that'd be me. i must admit, i am quite glad there is an afterlife, where I can continue to get to know myself.”

lucifer can feel alastor starting to get a little clumsy and slow. “i never thought of it that way before…”

the sinner sighs and stops, leaning his head on the king's shoulder. “i’m getting tired… mind escorting me to my room?”

the pale demon sighs and wraps his arms tight around the overlord. he easily picks him up despite their size difference and with a kiss on the forehead for his daughter, he carries alastor to bed.

lucifer sets him down on the end. “you need to let go.” he tries to back up a bit instead the radio demon pulls the king onto his lap.

one hand is around his waist while the other tilts his head up. “i’m sorry, sir, but i am really curious as to what you taste like…” he breathes against the other's neck. “just a small bite? i’ll promise not to leave more than a scar~” he chuckles as he looks up at lucifer.

the pale demon is silent for a minute, the look on his face showing he was genuinely considering it. finally, he lets out a shaky “alright.”

alastor smirks as he presses his mouth to the king's neck, then digs his sharp teeth into the flesh. lucifer arches his back and grits his teeth, claws digging into alastor's back. “shit!” he can feel the sinner's tongue running over the bleeding bite mark.

then he drags his tongue over the bite mark with hands tightly holding him in place. he reconnects his mouth the wound one last time before sitting up, lucifer's golden blood dripping down from his lips.

he suddenly grabs the king by the hair and kisses him roughly. the demon king gasps at the sudden action and alastor uses this to slip his tongue into the other's mouth.

and fucking hell, lucifer can taste his own blood on alastor's tongue. he leans in and closes his eyes and stays like that until alastor pulls away. they both pant, a string of each other's saliva still connecting their lips.

“alright, i’ve had my fun. i’ll let you go now.” alastor smiles and leans back a bit.

the pale king nods and gets up, heading for the door.

“by the way…” alastor lays down and curls up on his bed. “you really are quite delicious.” he laughs.

oh this was so fun to write!!

[cave-cryptid]

🍁🌲🌳🍀

Thanks for the asks!!

🍁 Maple - What is your favorite season?

Autumn is without a doubt my favorite season, there's something so surreal about it, it sometimes feels like time stands still there for a while. The colors are stunning, there's a crispness to the air. It's the season that brings me the greatest sense of nostalgia, memories of hunting apples with my family at quaint orchards when I was a kid, baking apple pies from scratch, searching for the most delicious of pumpkin drinks. During some of my lowest points I remember that autumn exists and it helps me to keep going, to experience those same lovely feelings again.

🌲 Spruce - What is your favorite kind of wood?

Hmmm, a tough one. Of course cedar is fantastic, it's one of the greatest scents. Also different types of pines, I've found some of my favorite branches from them, with curious knots and curves.

🌳 Oak - How close do you live to the woodlands?

I used to live right in the midst of them, with a pasture across the way leading into the most beautiful forest with sloping hills and massive rocks and little creeks. I've found some of my favorite bones there. Unfortunately though, I've since moved and I live in a totally different environment where dense forests are quite a ways away. Luckily there is a park nearby with plenty of trees to frolick through. I definitely miss it

🍀 Clover - What's the most unique/unusual thing you've found?

I have lots of things in my nature collection that I love but I'm not sure how unique any of it is lol. I suppose I'd have to say the one thing I find the most joy looking at is either my snake shed or my partial deer {?} skull. I just love studying them, feeling of the bone and dental structures, noting where the eyes of the snake were, etc. Here they are

[mediocre-writerr]

better half of me [lexie grey]

lexie grey x fem reader

requested: hi there can I request a Lexie grey x fem reader imagine where reader is marks sister and moves from Houston where she was working previously and gets a job in Seattle so when she arrives she flirts and sleeps around with all the nurses, but then she meets Lexie and falls deeply in love with her and stops sleeping around and tries to pursue Lexie but one day sees her and mark in bed together so she starts sleeping around again, and when the plain crashes Lexie makes it out alive, because reader saved her and when they get back reader confesses to Lexie, and if it’s possible could u write a time skip where they have a bunch of kids and are happily married?

trigger warning: slight mention of alcohol addiction

*not my gif*

You don’t remember what happened on that plane. How you guys got in the middle of the woods with your plane split in half. Everything was blurry, but you saw mostly everyone: Meredith, Cristina, Arizona, your brother Mark, and Lexie? 

Wait...where’s Lexie? 

You immediately shot up, ignoring the pain that you felt in the right side of your body. You tried walking normally when you started to limp. 

“Woah, woah, Y/N!” Mark comes over and you finally look at your foot and hand.

Your hand was impaled by the pieces of the plane metal. It was numb. Your whole hand was numb, but you didn’t care about that. So was your foot, you couldn’t feel it. But you didn’t care, all you cared about was trying to find Lexie. 

“Y/N, we need to get that out of your hand. It’ll cause serious damage,” he tried to stop you from whatever you were doing.

“No, I can’t. I got to-I got to find,” you start to say, but trail off.

He sits you down on the mulch ground before you can protest, “This is going to hurt,” he whispers. 

He pulled the metal plane out before you could even realize what was happening. You let out a piercing scream, he immediately ripped a piece of fabric from his scrubs and wrapped it around your hand. 

Before you knew it he did the same thing with your foot, “You need to rest Y/N,” he told you, but you shook your head, pushing him away.

“No! Where’s, where’s-” you start to say again.

“Lexie!” Meredith scream and your head shot towards the sound of her name like a deer hearing the softest of footsteps.

You ran towards her to see her trapped over a piece of hunky plane metal. Her breathing was heavy as she couldn’t move. 

“Y/N, is that you?” she whispered.

You nodded, immediately lying down on the floor next to her, “Yeah, yeah. It’s me. I’m right here,” 

“I’m gonna die,” she whispered.

You shook your head quickly, “No, no! You are not dying. I am going to save you, do you understand?” 

You started to get up from the ground when she grabbed your hand, squeezing it ever so softly. You were met with those beautiful brown eyes that you completely fell in love with. Then all the memories from when you first moved to Seattle and meeting Lexie flooded back. 

“So I was thinking you and I go on a date tonight. Something casual, wine and pizza at my new place,” you asked, suggesting more to come out of the date. 

The nurse had her head propped up onto her chin, “I’d really like that, but what’s for dessert?” she whispered back.

You were about to answer when someone shoved a chart in the nurse’s face. You looked to see a dirty blonde haired woman. She gave you a fake smile, “Hey, Dr. Grey?” you looked at her coat, “Have you seen uh Dr. Sloan?” you asked a dirty blonde hair girl.

She looks at you, slightly annoyed, “Another one of Mark’s suitors?” she asked and you shook your head.

“That is probably the grossest thing I’ve ever heard, I’m Y/N Sloan, Mark’s sister,” you told her, “I heard a lot about you,” 

“That explains the flirting with the nurses, wait- Mark talks about me?” she asked and you nodded, “What does he say?” 

“Well that depends are you the ‘dirty mistress’ Grey or ‘little’ Grey?” you return the question and she just internally rolls her eyes.

“Of course he says I’m the dirty mistress,” she whispered.

You were about to respond when someone called Meredith’s name. You followed the sound of the voice to see a beautiful brunette girl approaching the two of you. Your eyes widened slightly at the beauty of this one girl.

Her brown doe eyes caught your attention and you smiled ever so slightly, “Cristina needs you to help her with a CT scan. It’s for a patient,” 

“Thank you Lexie,” she said, but before walking away she turns to you, “I’ll page Mark. Try not to flirt with any more nurses while you wait. We already had a case of syphilis, we don’t need another,” 

You let out a heart laugh, “It was nice to finally meet the dirty mistress,” you teased and you knew it was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship. 

“You know Mark?” the beautiful girl named Lexie asked.

You nodded, “Yeah, he’s my brother. I just moved here from Houston, got a call from Dr. Webber himself and was offered a job,” 

“That explains the comment,” she mumbled and you just raised your eyebrows, “Mark’s known to be a player around here and by the looks of it, it runs in the family,” 

“Well, you know what they say, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree,” you said with a shrug. 

She scoffed softly, “Is that my favorite Sloan?” you heard a familiar voice ask. You see Derek walking towards the two of you. You wrap your arms around them and pat his back in the process.

“I hope I’m your favorite Sloan,” you teased, “Where is my brother anyway?”

“I have no idea, but I heard you got a job here. You’re here to give me a run for my money huh?” 

 “Wait, your specialty is neuro?” Lexie asked.

“Yep and to answer your question Derek I am definitely going to give you a run for your money. Head of neuro will be mine,” you joked as he rolled his eyes.

“Did someone forget to tell me that my baby sister got a job at my hospital?” you heard his voice boom through the lobby. You rolled your eyes playfully as he hugged you.

“Why didn’t you tell me you got a job here or better question how many nurses numbers have you gotten?” he asked and the two of you laughed. 

You reached into your pocket, pulling out pieces of paper, “I taught you well!” 

Lexie who was still standing there scoffed as Derek just let out a sigh, “The two of you are insufferable,” she stated annoyed before walking away.

You looked at her as she walked away, “Is she single?”

“Nope, that’s off limits for the both of you. You’re not going to put her through that,” Derek stated and you let out a sigh.

You were snapped back into the harsh reality as Lexie tried her best to squeeze your hand, “Y/N, I still remember being on your service. You came to talk to me about our patient...” she was lost in thought before she started speaking again, “It was a Jane Doe after a tragic car crash and I was having a rough day because of my dad. Then you, you heard me snap at Meredith...” 

She started to trail off and you nodded, “I remember,” 

You were walking up to where Meredith and Lexie were talking. Meredith started to walk away as Lexie followed behind her. You posted at the nurse’s counter next to where they were standing to right down a quick note, when you heard them argue.

“My mother was born in March. He lied, he’s a liar. And I’m glad. Really, I’m glad that you found him charming. I’m sure he was delightful. He’s a blast after five drinks not so much after nine though, he gets a little weepy and mean,” you overheard her say. 

You were about to walk away and find her later when she yelled, “He’s a drunk, Meredith. He probably came in and told you how wonderful you are. How sad he is that he doesn’t get to spend more time with you. You know, yesterday he told me I was his favorite daughter. The day before I was an ungrateful bitch. The week before he wrote me a check for 20,000 dollars because he said I deserved everything life had to offer because he was so proud of me. A lifetime’s worth of proud. So you can’t listen to anything he says,” her voice started cracking and your face softened, “Because it’s not about you. It’s about a pint and a half of Dewar’s. So thank you for letting me know I needed to keep a better eye on him. Thanks.” 

She started to walk away and you stood in front of her trying to get her to calm down. You noticed the tears forming in her eyes, “No please don’t,” she pushed you away gently before walking away.

You immediately followed after her to the attendants break room. You looked the door behind you as she sat on the couch, placing her head in her hands. You walked over and sat right next to her, sitting there in silence.

There were a few moments of silence before you spoke up again, “I know what it’s like to have a drunk dad. You’re not alone. You don’t have to take this on all on your own,” you whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder, “If you want you can rest up in here. I can handle Jane Doe until you’re ready. If any of the attendants give you shit about being here, let them know I gave you permission. If you need anyone to talk to, I’m here,” 

Lexie squeezed your hand, bringing you back from the memory, yet again, “That was the first time I saw you as an actual person. Not someone who just wanted to mess around with people’s feelings, an actual person,” she smiled softly through the pain, “But I didn’t fall in love with you until the night at my dad’s house. You came to pick me up to take me to Meredith’s party and my dad was drunk and he was mean and he-” 

“I know, I remember,” 

You pulled up to Lexie’s house. You were supposed to meet up with one of the many nurse’s you’ve been hooking up with it. But you cut it off, you cut them all off. 

After you comforted her, all you could think about was her. How intelligent she was. How sweet and kind she tries to be with everyone around her. Yeah, she was beautiful, but she was so much more than that.

That’s the only time you’ve ever felt that towards anyone.

You knocked on the door, you waited patiently. One minute would pass and you decided to knock again. But no one answered.

You turned the door handle and surprisingly it opened. You looked around the room to see shattered glass all over the floor and Thatcher passed out on the couch.

Lexie was sitting on the kitchen floor. A deep cut on her forehead. Her eyes red and puffy as she swept the shattered glass with a small broom.

“Lexie! What happened?” she jumped at the sound of her voice.

She sniffled, “He-he got mean and he didn’t like that I was going out. He through his beer bottle at me, not just one either,”

You looked at the empty beer case next to the couch and you pulled her up from the floor. Immediately, pulling her out of that horrid house.

The car ride was silent as you felt your blood boil. You forgot all about Meredith’s party and went straight to your apartment. The two of you entered and you immediately grabbed your first aid kit.

Lexie sat on the kitchen counter as you stitched up her forehead. The two of you in a comfortable silence. Once you finished bandaging her, you helped her off the counter.

“Are you okay?” you whispered and she nodded with a tight lipped smile.

“I-I’m fine,” her voice cracked as tears poured out her eyes.

She let out loud sobs as she broke down onto the floor. You scooped her up in your arms to keep her from falling onto the floor.

You held her tight as she buried her face into your chest, “Shhh I got you. You’re safe now. You’re okay.”

That night she fell asleep in your arms. You picked her up and laid her gently onto your bed. You tucked her in, placing a soft kiss to her forehead.

“I promise I’m always going to protect you,”

You started to get up when she squeezed your hand, “Please just stay with me,”

From that night on, you decided to be better. To do better. To be someone she deserved.

But once you got there, it was too late.

You were going over to Mark’s house to surprise him with takeout, when you walked into something you didn’t ever want to walk in on.

Mark and Lexie were cuddled up on the couch. Their clothes on the floor as a blanket hanged loosely over it.

It was too late. You were too late.

“I thought you hated me for a while. Your whole demeanor changed around me,” Lexie said, her breathing still heavy.

You heard shouts from Meredith from behind you as Cristina kept on yelling for her shoe, “I could never hate you,”

You walked into the attendant’s break room to see Mark and Lexie being all couple-like, “Hey Y/N,”

You have them a tight lipped smile before going to pour your coffee, “You’re not supposed to be here,” you stated simply.

“What?” Lexie asked.

You didn’t look up from the coffee pot, “It’s the attendants’ break room. Residents aren’t allowed. You need to leave,”

“Y/N, seriously?” Mark asked.

“I don’t make the rules,” you whispered.

You could feel Lexie’s stare piercing at you, “It’s fine Mark, I’ll leave,”

“What’s going on with you, Y/N?” Mark asked.

“Nothing I’m fine,”

You don’t know what came over. You gave up on trying to be better. Do better. So there you were with a nurse sleeping on top of you and the only person you could think of was Lexie.

Then of course like it always does the worst happened. Lexie came bursting through the room, “I uh I’m sorry. But Hunt wants to meet with us, Mark, Derek, Meredith, Cristina, and Arizona,”

“I’ll be right there,” you threw on your clothes and walked right past her.

“What’s your problem with me?” she asked as you guys were walking to Hunt’s office.

“Nothing,”

“Obviously there’s something, you won’t even look at me,” she stated a hint of sadness in her voice.

“There’s nothing. We’re fine,”

“Just stop and talk to me!” she yelled.

“There’s nothing to talk about Lexie. You already have one Sloan in your life. You don’t need two. Remember the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree,” you snapped.

“Y/N, I’m dying,” she whispered and you shook your head. The adrenaline coursing through your body.

“No, you’re not dying today, okay?” you whispered.

You started to get up again when she grabbed her hand, “Please just stay with me. I have one more thing I want to say,”

“I always thought you were-you were a player. You didn’t want to settle down, you just wanted fun. But that didn’t stop me from loving you. If things were different, if we were different,” she whispered and your eyes started to tear up, “I never loved Mark the way I loved you. And he knew that, we both knew that.”

“Stop, okay? No goodbyes. You’re going to become and amazing neurosurgeon, Lexie. You have so much more to learn. A whole life ahead of you,” you told her, “You’ll settle down with kids and a husband or wife. Someone who makes you happy,”

It was her turn to shake her head, “I don’t get that. We will never get that together. I know you hate me, but Y/N, you’ll always be my favorite what if,”

That was all it took for you to get up. You don’t know what came over you, but you stood up and you tried lifting the stupid plane metal off of her. You let out a groan as you started pushing it off.

Hysterical strength is what they called it. When your adrenaline and your hormones and body chemistry kicks in during a dangerous situation. You pushed the plane right off of her.

Then started to immediately patching her up. Not too long later a rescue plane arrived. Lexie started falling in and out of consciousness.

You sat in the emergency room as your hand was getting checked out. They rushed Lexie back to the OR, you didn’t care if your hand lost all its function. All you cared about was her.

“I always knew,” Mark whispered to you as the two of you sat next to each other in the emergency room, “That she loves you and that you love her. I don’t know why I thought that I could get into the middle of it,”

He places his hand in your numb one, “She’s going to be okay,”

“The last thing she’s going to think about me is that I hated her. I never hated her,” I whispered.

You don’t know how long it was before the doctor came out, looking straight at me, “She’s okay and she’s asking for you.”

You shot out from your bed and rushed to her room. She sat there, her hair slightly messy as she gave you a small smile, “Hi,”

You immediately ran towards her, cupping her face as gently as possible, before pulling her closer. The two of your lips finally touching. It was magic. Sparks flying as the two of you kissed.

“I never hated you. I could never hate you. I’m sorry I was just so jealous and upset about you and-“ you started to ramble as you pulled away.

“I know,”

“I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you,” you whispered, “Please don’t ever leave me. You’re too special to be a what if,”

Fifteen years later

“So mommy used to have super strength?” your youngest daughter turned to Lexie and you chuckled softly.

Lexie nodded, “She still does. Whenever you’re in danger, mommy will help activate her super strength and help you,” Lexie bopped her nose as the two of you told her, her favorite bedtime story.

“She’s like the Hulk!” your son added and you laughed before ruffling his hair.

“You guys really set the bar for love stories didn’t you?” your teenage daughter asked, rolling her eyes playfully after hearing the semi true fairytale story for a thousandth time.

“Oh definitely. You can try to beat us, but you’ll fail,” you teased her and Lexie pushed you playfully.

You guys laugh, “Bedtime everyone!” Lexie announced.

“Goodnight,” the two of you said to your youngest daughter, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Before hugging your son and daughter.

The two of you settled into bed as Lexie curled up into your arms. She placed her hand in yours, squeezing it ever so softly. The feeling of her hand in your once injured one was comforting.

“You’re my better half, did you know that?” you whispered, “You bring out the better half of me,”

“And you bring out mine,”

[hermits-that-craft]

In My Dreams (Will You Remember Me?)

Flower Husbands Fic - Chapter Eight - Stay a While, Stay a While

Ao3 in the comments

“Aeor give me guidance.” Scott prays, kneeling in the back parlor. “Because if you give me strength, Rivendell will lose her allies to my hand.”

Scott leans back on his heels, fighting not to push his head into his hands. “I know you chose me, as your champion and the king of Rivendell, but we have been allied with idiots.” Scott grumbles. “And they want to attack Jimmy for being your champion, so I’m pleading with you for guidance.”

Scott sits in silence as dawn breaks over the mountains, listening to the serenity that the break of dawn brings.

Or what is supposed to be the serenity of the break of dawn, because one of his guards is fighting with someone. Not a physical fight, from the sounds of it, but a verbal one. Scott stands from his position on the floor, leaving an apple under the golden deer that he parents claimed represented Aoer as an offering. Scott adjusts his cape, putting his crown on his head, ready to aid his guards in getting rid of whatever disgruntled merchant decided to go straight to his house instead of his council to air their grievances. 

“You cannot demand council with our ruler, even Rivendell’s closest allies cannot do that.” She snaps, and Scott shivers. Eloise is always harsh, preferring to terrify potential threats away than calm them. Though, its not often that she has to bring up their allies to send merchants down the hill, towards town.

Scott opens the door, ready to call Eloise off, when he sees him.

Jimmy stands in the doorway, nervously holding his hands in the air. He wears the stupid codfather head, but he also glows in the light of the early morning golden hour. The snow glitters around, and the fish hybrid shivers in the wind, but Scott can’t help but to blink. It’s too early to form thoughts about this.

Aoer he’s got it bad for this man.

“Stand down, Eloise.” Scott says, finally find his voice, though its stuck in his throat and he’s not going to be able to speak to Jimmy in private if he’s asked to. “He’s a guest here.”

“Of course, your highness.” Eloise says, lifting her hand from her sword. “Shall I escort him to your office?”

“There’s no need, we’ll be in the front parlor.” Scott smiles, and Eloise glares at him for a split second before she steps aside.

“Enter, Codfather.” She says, her voice saccharine. 

“Uh, thank you?” Jimmy says, walking into Scott’s home. Eloise rolls her eyes, shutting the doors behind him.

“I’m sorry about her.” Scott says. “She’s at the end of her shift. I assume your night guards are like her?”

“Um, sure.” Jimmy says. “They’re certainly something.”

“If they’re rude to you, you ought to fire them.” Scott says, but Jimmy doesn’t seem to be listening to him.

“It’s beautiful in here.” Jimmy’s voice is barely audible, a breath on the wind, but Scott’s filled with pride anyway.

Jimmy looks over the intricate carvings on the archways, the gilded railings that lead to the higher levels. The codfather runs his hands reverently over the embroidered tablecloths, as though nothing in his home is worth even the silver stitchwork. It fills Scott with a subtle pride, though his house doesn’t look lived in - what with the maids and cleaners ensuring that nothing is ever out of place, that dust never settles on the rafters, let alone the tables - Jimmy now knows that Scott could afford to take care of him, to give him a life that's more than comfortable.

“What’s this?” Jimmy asks, and Scott walks towards his potential partner. “It’s beautiful.”

The golden statue of Aeor rests on the mantle, glittering in the light. Jimmy holds onto his clothes, as though he doesn’t want to touch it. Scott fights back a soft smile at the gesture, its kind of the man to do, even if unnecessary. Aoer would not care if one of his statues was touched, even if it were touched by someone who knows not of the god.

“It’s a statue my parents gave me” Scott says. “It’s supposed to keep me and my loved ones safe while I’m at home.”

“This is your house?” Jimmy gawks. “These two rooms are as large as my entire house.”

Scott winces, turning to avoid offending Jimmy. Why would the founder of an empire live in a hut? Sausage and Fwip built their castles outside of the town that they were given to rule over, why didn’t Jimmy build himself a castle, something fit for someone his stature.

Jimmy deserves better.

“It is my house.” Scott admits. “I built it myself, when my parents told me that I was their heir.”

“Did they?” Jimmy asks, something sad infecting his tone. “That must be nice, your design skills are impeccable.”

Scott flushes a deep crimson, blinking a few times as Jimmy giggles. That damned giggle, that mad Scott stumble over his feet as they danced during the ball, the one that makes the words solidify in his throat, that he can’t get a single syllable out. He can’t even think, just focusing on that giggle.

“Do people not compliment your builds often?” Jimmy asks, cocking his head to the side, and Scott catches a glimpse of Jimmy’s eyes.

Ocean blue, and full of mischief.

“Not to my face.” Scott lies, not wanting to vocalise the words that fight to escape his throat. “Can I ask why you’ve come over? I’m fine with this being a social visit, of course, but we’ve never exactly had those.”

“I wanted to apologise for the ball.” Jimmy says, so quietly that Scott’s heart shatters.

“You have nothing to apologise for.” Scott says, softly, ever so softly. He needs to reassure Jimmy. No one should sound that upset with themselves over a party that they didn’t even ruin. “You made my night, it was nice to dance with you.”

“I promise that I would see you soon, after that dance.” Jimmy says. “And I didn’t. I’m sorry, King of Rivendell, please accept this gift as an apology, even if you do not accept the apology.”

And Jimmy offers him a flowering blue orchid, growing in a small, hand painted pot. It’s a strong plant, the soil is wet and the flowers bright. The pot has green paint around the borders, and a silver ribbon is wrapped around the pot, tied in a neat bow.

“It’s beautiful.” Scott says, carefully taking it from Jimmy. “How do I care for it?”

“Strong light, high humidity, periods of dry soil altered with periods of heavy watering and airflow around the roots.” Jimmy says, and Scott can hear the smile in his voice. “I’m sure you’ll be able to care for it well.”

“What if I kill it?”

“Then I’ll bring you a new one.” Jimmy offers, watching as Scott carefully puts it on one of his tables. Scott watches the cod hybrid rub his arms, as though he was cold, but its rather warm in Scott’s home - kept a perfect temperature for everyone, so why would Jimmy be cold?

“You alright?” Scott asks, looking at Jimmy. “You’re rubbing your arms.”

“It’s a bit cold in here.” Jimmy sounds embarrassed, and Scott watches as he nervously shifts his balance. “It’s alright though, I’ll be fine.”

“You’re from the swamp.” Scott realises aloud. “Take my cloak, as recognition of my forgiveness.”

Scott takes his cloak off, handing it to Jimmy. Jimmy holds it as though its made of the most precious material, running his fingers over the stitching in a way that screams reverence. As though this cloak means something else, something more to Jimmy. 

Scott didn’t just intrude on some Cod Empire custom, did he?

“I can’t accept this.” Jimmy says, pushing the cloak back into Scott’s hands. “It’s too good for you to hand away. I’ll be alright, keep your cloak.”

Scott frowns for a moment, the cloak in his hands. Jimmy is a guest, not even an elf who could adapt to the cold quickly, and he’s a cod hybrid. He needs the warmth, he’ll get sick rather quickly if he doesn’t accept the cloak. Then Lizzie would kill Scott, and take back her blessing. Not only that, but it could take months for Jimmy to heal. So Scott needs to improvise.

Without thinking, Scott wraps his cloak around Jimmy’s shoulders, pulling the other man close to him as he does the top button up, taking care to ensure that he doesn’t damage the silk thread that keeps the button on. He can hear Jimmy’s breathing hitch as he does, and Scott looks down into the man's eyes, watching as something unreadable passes through them.

“Now you’ll remain warm.” Scott says, slightly breathless as he steps back.

 Jimmy looks up at Scott, and pulls the cloak closer around his shoulders. The cod hybrid steals Scott’s breath away, even though Scott can’t see his face. The cloak pools at the floor around Jimmy’s feet, the arm holes slightly too low to be practical, but he looks stunning anyways.

“Could I offer you tea, or breakfast?” Scott asks, standing in front of a plush armchair. It’s his favourite chair, though due to the fact that it’s situated in the front parlor he doesn’t use it often.

“I had breakfast before I came, but tea would be nice.” Jimmy says. 

“I’ll have that arranged, if you want to take a seat?” Scott says, smiling. He waits for a moment, as Jimmy chooses a seat, before he walks into the back parlor.

Scott quickly crosses into the kitchen, watching as one of the chefs jump in surprise. He’s already had breakfast, and it’s far earlier than he would normally arrive for a snack or a break from meetings with stuffy officials. Scott offers them an apologetic smile, and they roll their eyes, smiling at him.

“How can I help you, your highness?” They ask, turning away from kneading the bread.

“Could I bother you for some tea?”

“Meeting’s going that poorly?” They ask, washing their hands in the sink as they turn on the redstone kettle.

“I have a guest over, and he asked for some?” Jimmy deserves nice tea, and Scott hopes he’ll like it.

“The codfather’s over for a social visit?” They ask, incredulous. “You never have social visits, let alone with one of our allies' enemies.”

“He’s nice.” Scott says, watching as they pour the tea into two tea cups. “I’d like him as an ally.”

“Considering how Arel saw you put your cloak on him, I think you’d like him as more than just an ally, your highness.” They smirk, putting four biscuits on a tray. “Are you able to carry this out yourself or do you need someone to supervise the pair of you?”

“You aren’t my father, Cyran, nor my mother.” Scott says. “I can carry this, and we don’t need a supervisor.”

“Don’t make a mess of the front parlor, my lord.” They tease, passing Scott the tray. “I may not be your parents, may Aeor guide them, but I am your eldest member of staff. You were so young when I was bought onto the staff, you’re still the boy who hide behind my skirt from your tutors.”

“Please stop telling people about that.” Scott mumbles, embarrassed.

“Stop leaving your guest unattended. It’s rude.” They say, ushering Scott to the door. “I don’t want you back here until your guest has left, Scott.”

And they shut the door on Scott, making him laugh silently. Of course they kick him out to attend to the guests, they’re so stubborn. He should give them a raise.

Scott carefully carries the tray of drinks and biscuits through the back parlor, silently opening the door to navigate to where Jimmy sits. Jimmy’s looking out of the front window, watching as Rivendell bustles about as families take their children to school and adults attend to their jobs. The sun beams down, reflecting off of the snow and casting a glow into the front parlor, just as Scott intended when he designed the build. Scott places the tray down, startling Jimmy.

“Thank you.” Jimmy says, as Scott passes him a cup. “I’m not keeping you from anything, am I?”

“Not at all.” Scott lies through his teeth. His guards will inform the advisors that he’s busy, after all. Potential allies are more important than sitting through another meeting that leads to nowhere. “Am I keeping you from anything?”

“Nothing that I can’t get done later.” Jimmy takes a sip of his tea. “This is amazing.”

“Thank you.” Scott smiles. “Are you doing anything important tomorrow? I have a meeting after lunch that I must attend, but I would love to give you a tour of Rivendell.”

“I have a meeting with Fwip tomorrow.” Jimmy says, and Scott’s heart stops. “I’m going to his base to arrange a trade agreement, but maybe next Wednesday?”

“Did Fwip arrange the meeting?”

“He did.” Jimmy nods. “I don’t want to spark a war between us by entering the Grimlands uninvited.”

“Do you know what you’re going to ask him for?” Scott says, ignoring the pit beginning to form in his stomach. Fwip is something, an enemy of the Cod Empire and someone who believes that Jimmy is Aeor’s champion, which means he could harm Jimmy.

But it’s just a trade meeting, and Fwip has honour. He wouldn’t harm Jimmy during a peaceful meeting.

“Probably some gunpowder.” Jimmy shrugs, before a ring sounds from his pocket. “Oh, I’m sorry!” Jimmy pulls out his communicator, looking at the caller id before wincing.

“Something the matter?”

“I was supposed to meet with Joel now.” Jimmy winces. “I should go.”

Jimmy moves to take the cloak off, but Scott stops him, gently moving the other rulers hands from the button. Jimmy looks up at Scott, and though Scott can’t see Jimmy’s face, he can tell the codfather’s surprised.

“Keep it.” Scott murmurs. “You can return it when you come back for the tour.”

“Thank you.” Jimmy says, taking his hands from Scott’s. “I’ll see you next week.”

“I’ll see you then.” Scott smiles, walking Jimmy to the door. “Fly safely.”

“I will.” Jimmy says, walking away from Scott’s home.

Scott shuts the door, leaning on it with a sigh. Something isn’t right about this, something is so intrinsically wrong with Fwip inviting Jimmy to his empire for a meeting that Scott’s stomach turns with fear for the other man. Jimmy’s naive, the ruler of the youngest empire in this world. Even Shubble’s empire is older - just from a different dimension. Scott needs to ask Aeor to protect Jimmy. Surely they will.

Scott wonders if Jimmy liked the bouquet of roses that he left for him.

[sortasirius]

Any ideas on Claire (maybe w/Kaia) and Jack post finale interaction as TFW kids? They would be the most chaotic duo/trio, remembering what a bamf Claire is, how much Jack enjoyed his time with those teens in s14 (he really needs friends asap!!) and how he bonded w/Kaia in s13/15 Also! maybe a prompt, them trying to delicately ask Sam or even Jody about wtf is destiel’s status (before those two idiots get together) and Sam/Jody getting super awkward but actually explaining some of it? Xx

My chaos children, I love them, I sorta made this about everyone in wayward bc I desperately miss those ladies and will never get over the injustice of them not having their own show.

These were so fun to do!!!

After they beat Chuck, Jack ends up going to Jody while Sam/Eileen and Dean/Cas just...take some time for each other and themselves.

Jack knows Kaia, obviously, but he’s accepted by all the ladies immediately.  Donna especially adores him.

Claire teaches Jack how to throw knives, and he accidentally breaks two of Jody’s windows before Jody finds them an abandoned field to throw projectiles in

Jack tells Claire that she reminds him of Dean.  Claire rolls her eyes but swells with pride.

Claire also makes Jack tell her everything about Cas, about what kind of dad he was to Jack, what she learned from him.  Jack tells her everything and more, he tells her how much Cas loves her.

Jack doesn’t really like to go hunting anymore, so he stays home with Alex and Patience when the others go hunting, they teach him how to make a really good mac and cheese and teach him the difference between curry and cinnamon (they almost learn that the hard way when making an apple pie)

Kaia and Claire want to take Jack everywhere, because he’s never really been able to just be a kid, so they end up spending a lot of time skipping rocks at a creek by Jody’s house.  Jack learns to talk to them openly about just about everything, and it helps Kaia open up to someone other than Claire too.

They all spend Friday nights watching movies, Jack asks a lot of questions

Kaia and Jack talk about the different worlds they’ve seen, and are able to help heal each other’s traumas

Jack, in classic Jack fashion, is also the one who asks blatantly about Claire and Kaia.  Claire turns beet red and Kaia looks away immediately, but it’s only a few days later that they start holding hands.  Jody thanks Jack later, he doesn’t really understand why

When Sam or Dean or Cas check in on him, Jack talks their ears off about all the things they did that day, from the very mundane window cleaning to the clearing out of a vamp’s nest and learning how to use Donna’s flamethrower.

Jack finds a second family in Sioux Falls

Pairings: Claire/Kaia, Dean/Cas

Words: 1219

Claire Novak is no idiot.  She may have been a little oblivious about how Kaia had felt about her at first.  Look, she had just been carrying around a lot of guilt and thought Kaia would hate her for leaving her, it’s perfectly natural.  But she’s gotten better about seeing things that are right in front of her, especially since she and Kaia had been, well, dating, for nearly two months. She turns all mushy every time she thinks about that.

Point is, Claire can tell something is going on with Dean, and it has something to do with Cas.  But everytime she asks him about it, Dean just huffs and rolls his eyes, tells her it’s nothing or that she’s seeing things.  Even Cas is no help, training his eyes to the ground and asking her not to talk about it.

Claire has had just about enough of the weird energy being created.  Hell, they all have.  Patience and Alex said to leave it alone, that Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack were only visiting for a few days, checking in on Kaia after everything, bringing Jack by to meet everyone, but Claire has never been one to just roll over when presented with a problem, so she’s going to get to the bottom of it, even if Dean and Cas themselves are no help.

“Hey Jack,” Claire sits down heavily next to him on the porch swing in the back, where he’s watching the hummingbirds fight over the sugar water in Donna’s feeder.  Kaia trails behind her, leaning against the doorframe leading into the house.  She didn’t particularly understand why Claire was so…obsessed with finding out what was going on, but they were in it together now. (Again, it makes Claire feel mushy).

“Hello!” Jack is a little weird, but a good weird. He doesn’t get any of the movie references Claire makes but understands all of Dean’s, which is a travesty, Dean has terrible taste in movies, but he’s got a kind, open face and reminds Claire of Cas quite a bit, so she likes him.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Jack is still watching the hummingbirds, but Claire assumes he’s listening, so she just dives right in.

“What’s up with Cas and Dean?”Jack turns back to her, looking a little confused.

“What do you mean?”

“They seem, um, weird.  When they’re together.”

“Oh that,” Jack turns back to his birds again, “They’re always like that.  It’s getting worse, but they ignore me when I ask about it.”

Claire slumps.  Dammit.  Back to square one.

“Claire,” Kaia grabs her hand as they head to their next target.  Claire stops immediately.  She still can’t get over the fact that Kaia is here, with her, and still likes her apparently, even though she left her for dead in the Bad Place.

“Yeah?” she gives Kaia a smile, which is returned with interest.  Claire’s heart is going to burst out of her chest, just watch.

“What are we doing?  Shouldn’t they figure out their own stuff?”

“Ugh, as if they ever would.  I get that they’re older than us.  In Cas’ case like, thousands of years older than us, but if we don’t figure this out and fix it, they never will.”

Kaia sighs, leaning in to kiss her.  Man, Claire was never going to get enough of this.

“Fine,” she smiles again, “Lead the way.”

Jody is working in the garage on a weapons project for Donna, something about powering up the flamethrower or something?

“Hey Jody,” Claire gives her the smile that will tip Jody off immediately that she wants something, but there’s no time to waste here, Dean, Cas, Sam, and Jack are only here through tomorrow.

“Hey girls, what’s up?” Jody turns to face them, “Oh boy, what do you want?”

Kaia laughs.

“Nothing much, just wanted to know if you know what’s going on with Dean and Cas.”

“Dean and Cas?” Sam’s voice comes from the open garage door and he appears, carrying a box of books for Patience. Unsurprisingly, they were essentially best friends now.

“Hey Sam,” Claire puts on her best smile again and Jody sighs loudly, not that it would stop her, “Yeah, they’re just acting weird around each other.  We, well I wanted to know what’s going on.”

Sam’s face whitens by degrees, and he looks from Claire, to Kaia, to Jody, who just shrugs.

“Uh…”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.  Okay, that’s a stupid analogy, but you know what I mean.”

“I don’t know anything…” Sam hedges, but that is not going to be good enough for Claire today.

“But you know something,” Kaia interjects, and now Sam knows he’s outnumbered, because Jody is looking at him with as much interest as Claire and Kaia are.

“Just that.  Well, ugh,” Sam is swaying from foot to foot, like a deer about to bolt, “Even I don’t know what’s happening but…things are escalating.  Stuff that was only simmering below the surface before is now boiling.  They don’t say anything, but um, I think there’s something there.”

Claire grins.

“Great, that’s all I needed.”

“You did not hear this from me.”

“Sure sure.”

Sam makes his escape before they can ask him any more uncomfortable questions.  Claire and Kaia high five as Jody laughs.

“Don’t make them too uncomfortable,” she warns, turning back to her workbench and flamethrower, “They’re our guests.”

“Come on Jody,” Claire grabs Kaia’s hand again, “It’s Dean.”

“So,” Claire leans against the Impala as Dean works under the hood.  She knows him well enough to know that that would put him in a good mood.

“So?”

“When are you gonna make a move on Cas?”

Dean bangs his head on the hood of the car.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Dean stares at Claire, who stares right back, listening to Kaia, Patience, and Alex laugh from the living room window.  Dean’s eyes snap to the sound and then back to Claire, then up and down the empty street.  His ears are turning redder by the second.  She knows she has him.

“Yeah I heard you I guess.  Just don’t understand where the hell this is coming from.”

“You’re not exactly subtle,” Claire points out, as Dean’s blush deepens, “Also you two have been acting weird since you got here.  So me and Kaia did some reconnaissance.”

Dean looks at her with a set in his mouth, like he’s ready to argue.  Claire just grins at him.

“Reconnaissance?”

“We asked Jack, and then Jody, and then Sam about it.”

Dean slides a hand down his face.  It seems like he’s admitting defeat.  A good thing.

“Listen it, it’s nothing.  We’ve just got our own crap to work through, and we’ll work through that crap, and then get back to normal.”

“Or you could make a move on him.”

“Claire.”

“Dean.”

“Why do you care, anyway?”

“Because stupid, I care about you and I care about him. And if this will get you out of your weirdness then I’m all for it.”

Dean looks into the engine block of the Impala, sighs, and then slams the hood shut.

“Fine.  Fine. But if this doesn’t work, I’m melting down your knife.”

Claire grins and runs off to find Kaia. Mission accomplished.

[startanewdream]

True love’s kiss

My small contribution to Fem!Jily February that I wrote instead of sleeping. 

This week’s theme is Fairy Tales and I went with the prompt ‘Please don’t be in love with someone else’.

Or Lily decides to bite a poisoned apple and Jamie thinks muggle fairy tales are cruel.

________________________

Jamie is looking at her with such an incredulous expression that Lily wants to laugh, despite their current difficult situation.

‘That’s your big idea? Eating the apple?’

Lily sighs, glancing again at the shining red apple sitting quietly in the pillar right in front of the enchanted mirror.

‘Yeah’.

‘This is obviously a trap -’.

‘I know, Jamie’, Lily says, looking back at Jamie’s hazel eyes. Her girlfriend looks so distressed that Lily wants to fill her with kisses until Jamie relaxes into her arms.

But, again, their current situation is not the right moment. They are in the middle of a mission after all.

‘But if I get it right, the only way we will manage to reach that mirror is if we eat the apple’.

‘It can be poisoned’.

‘It is most definitely poisonous’, Lily agrees, and when Jamie looks at the edge of arguing with her, she takes her hand, entwining their fingers and hoping this makes Jamie listen to her. ‘I think it’s based on Snow White’.

‘What? All snow is white’.

Lily raises her eyebrows.

‘I thought you took Muggle Studies. You didn’t study fairy tales?’

‘What tales could be about fairies? They are nasty’.

‘Oh, Jamie. It’s stories muggles tell to their children. Like wizards got that Bibbidi-Boddibi rabbit -’

‘Babbity Rabbit?’, asks Jamie, amused. Lily shrugs. ‘Why would Voldemort care for a muggle tale?’

‘Well, the rumour is he is a half-blood, right? He would have heard of them. It would be a perfect disguise, most wizards don’t know about it. And if they do - well, it is still perfect. You see, in the story, the apple is poisoned’.

Jamie pinches the bridge of her nose under her glasses, looking even more stressed.

‘Lils…’

‘But there is a happy ending’, Lily says hurriedly. ‘It goes like this: once upon a time, there was the most beautiful princess ever and she was called Snow White, but her stepmother was jealous because Snow White was the fairest of them all. So her stepmother sent a hunter to kill her and take her heart -’

‘That’s a children’s story?’

‘Just hear me out. The hunter took pity on her because she was really beautiful and kind, so he let her escape. Then she found a house with seven dwarves -’

‘What’s the problem with dwarves?’

‘None, they are nice. They had a small cottage in the woods and they took care of her because -’

‘She is beautiful, yeah, I get it’.

‘Then the evil stepmother found out Snow White is alive -’

‘She didn’t know when the hunter didn’t deliver the heart?’

Lily bits her lips nervously and, just as it happens every time she does, Jamie raises her free hand to touch her lips, until Lily kisses Jamie’s finger and relaxes.

‘Don’t get too sad, but the hunter took a deer heart instead’.

As Lily expected, that makes Jamie open her eyes, shocked.

‘That’s cruel!’

‘Well, yeah, that’s the point. Evil stepmother, remember? Anyway, the stepmother disguised herself as an old woman and offered Snow White a poison apple’.

‘And she takes it?’

‘Well, Snow White was really kind - a Hufflepuff, I think - and it was a nice old lady. There was no harm apparently’.

'That's so naïve. Who would be that stupid to take an obviously poisoned apple?'

Lily ignores her jab.

'Well, she bit the apple and then Snow White fell into a deep sleep. The dwarves thought she was dead, but they didn't dare to bury her because -'

'Let me guess, she is beautiful'.

'Yeah, that is the point of her story. So she was buried in a glass coffin and a prince came and kissed her'.

'He kissed an apparent dead girl? How is that right?'

'I think they've met before, I don't remember - but, well, in any case, it's a true love's kiss and that is the most powerful magic for muggles'.

That brings a soft smile to Jamie's lips, and as always when her girlfriend grins, Lily finds herself smiling too.

'That's universal, Lils. Love is the most powerful thing'.

'Let's hope you are right', Lily says bravely. 'And please don’t be in love with someone else'.

'Why - don’t give that look, Lily'.

'What look?'

'My look. The one I have when I am about to do something very stupid'.

Lily smiles.

'Just remember to take the mirror', she says, rising on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss in Jamie's lips and before Jamie can react, Lily grabs the apple from the pillar and takes a bite.

For a second, Lily only feels the sweet taste of the apple - then everything is dark.

_________

If Lily isn’t already dead, Jamie will kill her girlfriend.

But since she refuses to believe Lily is dead, Jamie gets to work. She lays Lily on the floor, as comfortable as she can manage. Lily looks like she could be sleeping, but her face is so pale and still, hardly breathing at all, that the image sends shivers through Jamie's body.

She can't lose Lily. She won't.

Jamie takes the mirror, who tries to talk to her for some reason, but she manages to defuse that last protective spell. All reports promised that the mirror is important, and she hopes they are right.

It already seems to be costing too much.

When she finally puts the mirror away safely in her enchanted bag, she returns quickly to Lily's side, kneeling and placing Lily's head on her lap.

She thinks Lily was right. Voldemort would not want to kill the person who found that room - he would want the person alive in an enchanted sleep so he could interrogate them later.

But she is not sure if Voldemort would allow a true love's kiss to break the spell like in the story Lily told - maybe there is an antidote only he has, and Lily is the best potion maker of them.

Merlin, she is so stupid - why didn't she bite the apple before Lily could?

Jamie feels panic rising inside her and looking at Lily doesn't help. Lily looks so not like her vivacious self that it hurts Jamie. She wants to see Lily laughing, giving her some snide answer and looking at her like she is the most precious thing in the world.

She closes her eyes and tries to imagine what Lily would say if she was there helping her.

'Why are you not kissing me, Jamie Potter?'

Oh, yes, she had forgotten.

Jamie looks at Lily again and carefully takes her auburn hair out of her face, caressing her face like she already did a hundred times before. Her skin is soft and her cheeks are still warm and flushed, and that gives Jamie the courage she needs.

'I love you, Lils', she whispers and, hoping with all her heart this will be enough, Jamie touches Lily's lips with her own.

It seems to take forever, but only two seconds later, she feels Lily's breath and then Lily’s lips moving against hers, soft and demanding as always, and her heart skips a beat - but Jamie doesn't know if it's for knowing Lily is well or if because kissing her always makes Jamie like she is in a never-ending free fall.

Probably both reasons.

After a while, she breaks apart and, when she opens her eyes, Lily's green eyes are staring right back at her.

It's her favourite sight in the world.

'Wow', Lily whispers, smiling to Jamie. 'That poisoned apple was totally worth it'.

Jamie laughs nervously.

'Yeah, about that, don't ever do it again. You scared me'.

'Come here, princess charming', Lily asks teasingly, and even though Jamie feels like she is missing a joke there, she doesn't refuse kissing Lily again.

When Jamie thinks about it, Lily tastes like an apple, sweet and exciting and addictive.

'So', Lily says, when Jamie breaks away the kiss once more, looking tenderly at Lily. 'True love, then?'

Jamie feels her face flushing.

'Yeah, but you already knew that'.

'It was nice having proof of it. And… it works both ways, you know?'

'What do you mean?'

'It means that I love you too, Jamie Potter', Lily says easily, grinning, and that makes Jamie's heartbeat even faster. 'Now, shall we go back? You did take the mirror, right?'

Jamie nods and helps Lily to get up.

'So, how was she?', Jamie asks as they are returning through the long corridor that led them to that medieval room.

'Who?'

'Snow White. You said she was beautiful, but you didn't describe her'.

That makes Lily stop in the middle of the corridor. When Jamie turns, she sees Lily's eyes sparkling in her direction, as if she is taking the sight of Jamie Potter to her heart.

'Dark hair', Lily whispers, raising her hand to touch Jamie's dark curls. 'Porcelain skin'. She touches Jamie's face, even though Jamie knows Lily is far paler than her. 'And red lips'.

She slides her finger through Jamie's lips and Jamie closes her eyes at Lily's familiar touch.

'As I said', Lily murmurs, her voice closer. 'The most beautiful princess'.

And when she feels Lily's lips once more, Jamie thinks Snow White doesn't sound so boring anymore.

[needs-to-stop-looking-at-yigas]

Wait, marriage angst?? What is your idea?? TELL US!!??

I’ll do you one better. I’ll WRITE it for you!

Kohga was bored. Really, really bored. His men were doing his bidding, as per usual, and for some reason, Kohga wasn’t tired enough for a nap. That left him with only so much to do. He was stuck in his own bed, when he sat up, realizing he knew what he could do. He could sneak into Sooga’s room, and make himself into a sexy little surprise for him. He was coming soon from fishing with Sidon anyway (Sooga and Sidon grew to be quite the good set of friends). He got out of his room, and snuck into Sooga’s, giddy as all hell for what he had planned.

“Alright, where does he keep the lube...god it’s like his room is in alphabetical order.”

Neat as hell, Sooga’s room. He dug into his drawers, and finally found the bottle he was looking for. He was about to get into his bed, when he accidentally dropped one of Sooga’s uniforms. He grumbled a bit before leaning down to pick it up, just in time to see a small, black box pop out. Sooga picked it up, looking it over in his hands. Huh. Well, Sooga’s stuff was HIS stuff, might as well take a peak. He wished he hadn’t.

It was a ring. The most beautiful, most stunning ring he’d ever seen in his entire life. Decorated in every type of gem under the sun, this could NOT have been cheap. He chuckled, finding it cute. Only, it clicked a second later. 

Sooga was going to ask to marry him. Oh no. Oh no. No no no no no, a MILLION times no. He stammered, and with shaky hands, fixed everything up, making it look like he was never even there. He darted out of the room, totally ignoring everyone who tried to acknowledge him. He had to do something. Anything.

------------------------------------------------------

“Move.”

Sooga had come back from his fishing trip with Sidon, and had a gift for Kohga, right from Mipha herself. The blade master that was in charge of Kohga’s door, stayed put, shaking his head.

“Master Kohga said no one is allowed in. He’s talking with his bodyguard.”

Sooga cocked his head to the side, confused. HE was Kohga’s bodyguard, as well as his lover. That couldn’t be right.

“I’M his bodyguard, in case you’ve forgotten. Now, move.”

The blade master didn’t, shaking his head.

“Sorry Sooga. Looks like you’ve been replaced.”

That voice wasn’t taunting as usual. It was...cold, to the point. He meant what he said. He was about to press for more details, when a blade master walked out of the room, with Kohga following just behind him. A Blade Master...had been in his master’s room. This was serious. Kohga did NOT look happy to see him. If anything, he looked uncomfortable. Sooga knelt down a bit to his level, still holding the package in his hands.

“Master Kohga! Are you feeling well?”

Kohga wouldn’t look at him. He spoke, but towards the air, not towards him.

“I’m fine. Look, Sooga, you need a break. Why don’t you just. Go?”

“Go?...like, I’m being kicked out?”

Kohga finally looked up at him, in panic.

“No! No, not at all. I just...don’t want you around for a bit. Go fish or hunt or whatever you do. Just, go. Cil’s gonna take care of me for a while.”

The Blade master in front of him nodded, taking the package off of Sooga’s hands.

“Don’t worry. I will take great care of Master Kohga in your place, Sooga.”

Sooga stammered, before looking back at Kohga.

“M-master Kohga, please, I-”

Kohga pointed to the other direction, a snarl in his voice.

“I. Said. Go. Leave. That is a COMMAND.”

There was an awkward silence, before Kohga grumbled angrily.

“Cil, make sure he leaves. I’m...gonna take a nap.”

Kohga walked into his room, slamming the door. Cil looked down at him, and motioned towards to base’s entrance.

“Come on, you heard him. Out you go.”

Sooga slowly stood up, looking at his shaky palms.

“What...did I do?...”

Cil chuckled, shaking his head.

“Don’t know, don’t care. All I know is, you blew it, and now I’M in his good graces. Who knows if he’ll even remember you after he gets to know me.”

Sooga put his hands on his blade, when the other blade master put his hand on his chest.

“You know how this works. Kohga makes the orders, you obey. Until he says otherwise, you are NOT to be here. Please leave with dignity, Sooga.”

Sooga halted a moment, before turning around, and leaving. He understood not what was happening. What he DID know was that a command from Kohga WAS a command, even if it hurt him, deep inside his heart.

-----------------------------------------

“This was SUCH a nice idea Link!”

Mipha lightly clapped her hands together. Link had suggested that Mipha, Impa, Zelda, and himself go camping. Mipha wasn’t a real outdoorsy type like her boyfriend, but so long as she was with him, she was having a grand ol time. Impa nodded, getting a blanket for the princess (as to not scuff her pretty clothes).

“I gotta agree. Though, I could go with some food that isn’t JUST apples.”

Link took the hint, and just so happened to spot a deer in the distance. He forced everyone into silence, and was about to fire with his bow and arrow, when suddenly the deer went down. Link cocked his head to the side, only to see the assailant was none other than Sooga. He hoisted the deer over his shoulder, only to catch Link’s gaze.

“Link?”

Mipha looked past the brush, and waved at Sooga.

“Sooga! It’s a pleasure! Out on a date with Kohga?”

Sooga shook his head, walking towards their little camp.

“Afraid not. I’m by myself today. Would you all like to share this?”

Upon everyone seeming satisfied with that idea, and Sooga had no issues skinning and hacking away at the animal, even going so far as to put the meat right over the fire. Mipha, ever the mindful one, seemed to catch that Sooga was...distracted. 

"Sooga? Where...IS Kogha?"

"At the clan. He...told me to go hunting for some reason. Nothing to worry about."

"What makes you think I'm worried?"

"I can see it all over your face."

Sooga wanted to clearly not touch on it, but as soon as Mipha put her hand onto his, he conceded defeat. Big muscles did nothing against a big heart.

"I've...been replaced, it seems. Master Kohga no longer requires my services."

NO ONE was expecting that clearly. Though no one also didn’t expect IMPA to have the reaction she had.

"Kohga? Replaced YOU? That UNGRATEFUL- how DARE he? You're the only one who puts up with him and he REPLACED you? What's the new guys name?"

"Cil."

"Oh that's even a stupid name- princess cover your royal ears, I'm about to NOT be lady like!"

Impa wasn't exactly protective of Sooga, but she did value loyalty, and she knew what it was like to be a devoted servant. She HATED the idea of someone using their servants as mere tools, rather than close companions. Zelda held her hand up, signaling Impa to calm down.

"Sooga, would you care to explain what you mean? This seems VERY unlike you and Kohga. Are you sure this isn't a misunderstanding?"

Sooga nodded solemnly, having lost that hope for quite some time.

“It is not. Master Kohga told me to leave, and a new blade master has taken my stead. I’ve been here ever since.”

Impa, hands on her hips, was more furious than ever, hands on her hips.

“How long have you BEEN out here?”

“Four days, I believe.”

“Four d-oh that is IT! I’m going there to give him a piece of my mind!”

She tried to stomp away, before Sooga grabbed at her hair, making her fall to the dirt. She looked up at him, wiping her face free from the muk.

“What was that-”

“No one is to harm Master Kohga, so long as I can help it.”

“How are you still defending him?!”

Impa got up in his face, and he refused to look away from the cooking meat. He was not scared of ANY sheikah, let alone one so young and foolish.

“Because he is my Master, till the day I die. I love him. That’s all there is to it.”

Mipha butted in, suspecting a fight.

“Why don’t I go talk to him? We’re friends, I’m sure he just needs someone to hear him out. For all we know, this is truly just a mistake.”

Mipha placed her hand on Sooga’s knee, and he felt himself relaxing under her touch. She was truly a very sweet little zora.

“If...it is not a burden, I would appreciate that. Very, very much.”

-----------------------------------------------------

“Mipha! If it isn’t my favorite little fishy! How have you been?”

Mipha graced him with a surprise visit, and with the whole Sooga situation, he welcomed it. She smiled at him, embracing him in a tight embrace.

“I’m quite well, quite well! Did you receive the last gift I sent you?”

“I did! Let me tell you, I’m saving that outfit next time I visit the rito village!”

She chuckled, walking alongside him as they walked to Kohga’s ‘guest room’ (aka just an extra room with a small dining table). She sat down next to him, and Kohga was clearly eager to hear her speak.

“So! What brings you over? Just wanted to visit the studliest guy you know?”

“That as well. But I do in fact, need a favor.”

“Name it, lil’ red.”

“Well, we’ve been studying the properties of electric resistant materials. We have the electric darners and the like, but we would appreciate some voltfruit. Two crates, if possible.”

“Done! Cil!”

The blade master walked to his side, bowing respectfully.

“Yes, Master Kohga.”

“Have the boys get two crates of voltfruit ready for her, and have a few blade masters on standby to carry it for her, I don’t want her to lift a finger.”

“Right away, Master Kohga. Shall I fetch you some snacks as well?”

“Yeah, whatever you guys got. And tea, they know which one Mipha likes.”

“Anything else, Master Kohga?”

“No, that’s it.”

Kohga smacked his cheek a bit, and Cil backed away, practically giddy. Mipha decided now was as good of a time as ever.

“So...he’s new.”

“Oh yeah. Nice guy. Super attentive. Almost annoying, honestly. But he does his job.”

“What of Sooga?”

Kohga halted. He refused to fully acknowledge it, until he sighed.

“I...don’t wanna talk about it. But I do, I guess. I...I dunno.”

Mipha reached over to hold his hand, offering him a soft, sweet smile.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I will not force your hand. However, I do think you’ll feel much better if you talk about it. You helped me and Link. Let me help you and Sooga.”

Kohga stopped, before softly sighing. He exchanged the grip on her hand, clearly needing the physical support.

“I...went into Sooga’s room. And...I found a ring. Sooga wanted to propose to me.”

Mipha’s face lit up, just how he knew she would.

“Oh! How lovely! Was...the ring not enough?”

“No, not at all. It was stunning, really. Prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“So...the issue lies where?”

He looked over at her puzzled face. His next words clearly surprised her.

“I don’t want to marry him.”

Mipha covered her mouth with her other hand.

“But, don’t you love him?”

“I do!”

Kohga took his hand away, using it as a means to help him talk.

“I love him! A LOT! He’s the most serious relationship that I’ve ever been in! He’s sweet, he’s handsome, he’s caring, he KNOWS me! I love him half to death! I just-”

He stopped, scratching like hell at his head. How to explain this? How to translate this to someone as sweet and pure as her.

He groaned, letting his face thunk onto the counter.

“I don’t want to commit. I don’t want to be stuck into something I can’t get out of. I don’t want this to be a thing that keeps me from doing things I like. What if he ends up not being the one? What if once we get married, he changes? Turns stifling, or wants KIDS? God what if he wants KIDS, Mipha?! I’m the cool gay uncle, not a dad!”

Mipha didn’t seem to get it fully. Of course she didn’t. But like everything she did, she tried very hard to help the wounded. She leaned over and placed her hand at his cheek. He met her eyes, her soft, kind gaze.

“Kohga. I do not fully understand not wanting to be wed. I’ve wanted to be wed since I was a guppy. But I do understand that this is a lot for you to take in. However, I want you to understand that you are not the only one hurt. Sooga has been out in the woods, awaiting you and hunting.”

“Oh my god he ACTUALLY went hunting- I was fucking with him.”

Mipha softly chuckled, shaking her head.

“I know. However, this relationship isn’t just you. It’s Sooga. You aren’t going to like this, but you need to apologize to him. You pushed him away with no explanation, no reasoning. Pain is worse when it is unwarranted. Please, say you’ll talk to him and ask for his forgiveness. He is devoted to you. He deserves to at least have that respect.”

“....Yeah. Yeah, you might have a point, Mipha.”

“I’d like to think so. Would you like to finish tea time before we get Sooga?”

“...Yeah, honestly. Better swallow this before I swallow my pride.”

------------------------------

“Anything from Mipha yet?”

Link shook his head, not seeing a message from her on the sheikah slate yet. Impa had just finished hearing the whole situation from Sooga’s end, and she seemed to get more and more steamed as the story went on. By the time he finished, she stood up, hands on her hips.

“I know your problem!”

“Pardon?”

“I know your problem! He’s lost respect for you!”

Sooga wasn’t getting this, and neither did anyone else it seemed. Impa leaned down to look him in his face, jabbing her finger in his chest.

“You need to show him you’re strong, confident! You need to go over there and DEMAND a reason!”

“But...I’ve been kicked out of the clan. It is against the rules to-”

“Is your love for Kohga NOT above the rules?!”

Sooga blinked. She...had a real good point, actually. He thought about it for a second, before firmly nodding.

“You’re right. The law is NOTHING in the shadow of my affections for my Master.”

“Right?! So you need to get up off this log! You need to go right up there! And you need to show him you’re SERIOUS about him!”

Sooga found himself suddenly standing up, hands in fists.

“You’re right! Absolutely right! I CANNOT stand by and let him think his love ISN'T worth fighting for!”

“HELL YES!”

Impa punched him in his chest, and that somehow lit Sooga up like a fire. WIth that classic Yiga skill, he poofed into nothing but talismans. Zelda looked over at Impa, sighing.

“You know, Impa, I value your tenacity.”

“Thank you, Princess!”

“But...you understand that this could not end well, right?”

“....yeah. Oops.”

------------------------------------

“Thanks again, Mipha. I needed that.”

“Of course. I’m very glad you listened to my words. I wish you both the best. I hope S-”

“Princess, excuse us.”

Suddenly Sooga was just right there, butting right in between him and the princess. Cil was right at Kohga’s side, readying his blade, before Sooga swatted his hand away, disarming him in a heartbeat. His eyes met Kohga, and he tried terribly hard not to embrace him. He missed him terribly, he just wanted to hug him.

“You two, leave. I need a word with him.”

Cil was about to attack, when Kohga held his hand, stopping him.

“N-no. It’s fine. He’s right. We do need to talk.”

“Good. Your room. WITHOUT your new pet.”

Sooga practically herded Kohga into his room, as if he was cattle. Then the door slammed behind him. This was weird. He was standing so aggressively over him, and Kohga looked so...meek. Apologetic.

What was wrong with them?

Sooga was about to raise his voice, demanding reasoning for his heartache, only for him to suddenly go onto one knee.

“I...I missed you, so much. Please, please don’t kick me out again. My heart longed for you every minute I was away from you. Please, please tell me what I did wrong. I’ll never do it again, I swear it.”

Kohga lost his meek demeanor, groaning and scratching his head.

“You...didn’t do anything.”

Sooga looked up, head cocked.

“I...don’t understand?”

“You didn’t do anything! That’s the problem! You’re perfect! You LOVE me! You wanted to MARRY me, Sooga!”

Sooga’s eyes lit in recognition.

“You..found the ring, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did. And I...didn’t want you to ask. So I kicked you out until I knew you’d not wanna ask me.”

“I...I’d never want to stop asking you.”

Kohga threw his hands up in frustration.

“That’s the problem!! You wanna get married, you wanna settle down, I bet you wanna have kids too don’t you?!”

“I’d….like twelve, honestly.”

“Fucks SAKE!”

Kohga turned a full three sixty, gesturing to him wildly.

“That’s CRAZY! You love me! And I can’t bring myself to make such a huge commitment! What if we change when we get married? What if I decide I DON’T want this?! What if we get TIRED of each ot-”

Sooga reached over to hold onto his hand. For a moment, everything was silent, easy as a still lake. Sooga lightly shook his head.

“Then you do not have to say yes.”

“But! Aren’t you gonna be stupid humilated if-”

“I won’t. I want to marry you, very much. I want to be with you, and I want to be deemed worthy of being your husband. But not at the expense of your happiness. Your joy is my own. I can be reincarnated a thousand times over, and STILL want your hand. But it doesn’t matter. Your joy is my joy, your sorrow is my sorrow. I will wait until you’re ready.”

“What if I’m not ready? Ever?”

“That is fine. If I can love you in ANY degree, I will accept it. Even if you wed another, I will not stop having love for you. Just...please. Don’t ask me to leave you, ever again. I trust no one but me to take care of you. Not that ‘Cil’ fellow. I hate his name.”

Kohga’s hand lightly shook, before he suddenly lunged at Sooga, wrapping his arms around him. Sooga stayed there for a moment, before he sighed, wrapping his arms around him. He missed this body, missed this voice and this warmth. Kohga sniffed, wiping his face in his shoulder.

“I hate him too, he’s such a kiss ass. And his ass is SO flat.”

That earned an actual, good laugh from Sooga. Yeah.

He was worth loving, ring or not.

[deputy-videogamer]

Gemini |Part 1|

Pairing: Geralt x Reader, Yennefer x Reader, Geralt x Reader x Yennefer

Part 2

Summary: This is based off of @deepestfirefun Witcher imagine where the reader is a powerful sorceress of the world and her father the king fears for her power and asked his royal healers to seal her powers. It does so successfully but the results led to the reader's mind to be split into two. One is kind hearted the other is a crazy murderous lunatic. Geralt is tasked to kill her, but finds something is off of this request.

A/N: Their original imagine is a Geralt x Reader, but I though it would be more interesting if it was also a Yennefer x Reader cause WE NEED MORE YENNEFER X READER FICS!

Being a person who possesses powerful abilities is something that can be feared by many, including the king; your own father.

Your mother was a woman who originally possessed your powers, but when she was pregnant with you, the chances of you surviving were slim. So she transferred all her powers to you in order to live, at the cost of her life.

Perhaps you father started fearing you when you were just a small girl who just had discovered your new found powers

You were in the garden being watched over by one of your many handmaidens as you were running around all over the place. The smell of fresh flowers filled the area, showing off it’s vibrant colors. While exploring the garden, something caught your attention, one of few fruit trees that were planted in the garden had a bright shiny apple dangling from one of it’s limbs.

You usually would ask your handmaiden to call one of the guards to retrieve the juicy fruit, but the limb of the tree was closer to the ground compared to the other fruits. Looking back at your handmaiden was busy knotting something, most likely another piece of clothing for you, taking this as a sign of distraction you quickly climbed up the tree.

Once at the top you then slowly crawl towards to receive your red reward. You danity fingers almost there as you struggle to get closer making sure you wouldn’t fall off. But as fate likes to put people in dangerous situations, your hand has slipped causing you to fall towards the ground and release a scream in the process. Your scream was heard from not only the garden but from inside the castle as well. The guards along with your father heard your cries and raced towards the guard to rescue you from any harm.

If only you had called your handmaiden to help you get the apple instead of you trying to get it yourself.

The first few guards had entered the guard, but instead of finding any types of assassin or even seeing their princess harm from the fall, the opposite had happened. There you were floating off the ground as you remained still in the crawling position with your eyes closed in hopes to not see the ground when you fell. Realizing you were not in pain, you hesitantly opened one eye to see what was the prevention. Your hands hovered over the ground as the air that kept you from falling had acted like a cushion.

The magic had stopped reacting when you managed to gently stand up. The air dispersed into nothing, you were amazed at your new found powers, wanting your father all about it. You were about to run and tell him about your new discovery when you looked up and saw your father. The smile on your face had dropped when you saw the fear in your father’s eyes. The handmaid that was with had fear that your father would do something to you and quickly scooped you into her arms, racing towards your room.

Being so young you thought that your father would be proud of having powers like this. But such fantasies are nonexistent and you knew so too. Ever since that day your father had avoided you, leaving you with your handmaiden to take care of you as you grew older learning to control your magic with the help of your mother’s former master. He had commented with enough training and control you would become the most powerful mage of all Tameria. This even puts more fear for your father.

You had remembered the day that everything changed just like it was yesterday. You were already at the age of 12 when your father had called you. Such an usual request from your father for he avoided you all your life. The child in you had believed that he had finally come to accept your powers and wanted you to forgive for such neglect after all these years. The thought in your head, had filled you with joy finally you can have a father.

The maids had escorted you to the dining hall where your father had sit on one side of the table as your seat was all the way to the end.

“Ah (Y/N), you finally arrived.” The first ever words that had spoken to you in years. “Please take a seat.” Your body skipped all the way to your seat.

With the sound of the bell, the servants had brought out food and drinks for the two of you. Your father had gestured to you to eat first. Being young you didn’t think little of it, bringing the chalice to your lips, the sweet liquid ran down your throat.

Placing the chalice back down on the table, a sudden headache had you clutching your head.

The pain. The pain was indescribable. It burned almost like someone had set you a curse that made you feel pain throughout your whole body. Your knees gave up sending you in a fetus position, as the pain continued to spread throughout your body. Your lips release a heart wrenching scream hoping for anyone one to hear you and to send help.

Then it stopped. The pain no longer was there, instead you felt empty. You couldn’t even bring yourself the only energy you had left was the movement of your eyes. Your eyes moved around the room to see anyone that would help you move. What your eyes caught was the shards of the plate scattered around the floor, it must have fell when you were in pain. Immediately, all the color vanished from your face when you saw that your eyes no longer look (e/c) in its place were blood red eyes in your reflection that stare hauntingly at you back.

Finally picking yourself back up. Your eyes angrily stared at your father who didn’t do anything to help you.

“What did you do to me?” Your voice didn’t have any other emotions but hatred. When he didn’t answer you threw the dinner knife at him. The small utensil caused a cut on his cheek.

“I-I- I did what I had to. Your powers have been getting too much ever since the first time you showed them to me.” You wanted to be shocked, instead you let out a menacing laugh.

“And you thought that poisoning your own daughter would save you sorry ass.”

“No, the drink was supposed to destroy your powers not kill you.” His reasoning only made you even more frustrated.

“Oh it did alright. But not without a price.” As the venom dripped from your mouth the hatred in your voice changed to an oddly sweet voice. “Instead of being a normal person who could show emotions. I now have only two emotions; happiness and anger.”

“I did what I had to do. It was to save you!” Save you? He took away the powers that were the only thing left of your mother. They could take away your appearance, make you deformed or curse, but taking away your mother’s magic wasn't one of them. 

The rage appeared once again in your heart, this time it wasn’t going anywhere. “No, you are wrong you didn’t save me. You saved yourself!

That was the final straw. Grabbing the glass shard from the ground, you tackled your father out of his chair, pinning him on the ground as you tried to stab him with the piece of glass. Your father cried for his guards as he struggled to keep the glass away from his heart. 

The sounds of heavy metal footsteps were coming closer to the dining room. You didn’t want to hurt the knights that were the only source of friends along with the servants, all you wanted was to kill your so-called father. With one final push the shard pierced your father's shoulder his cries of agony filled your ears like it was some sort of melody. You raced out of the castle, out of the town, out of the kingdom that you once called home. You didn’t stop running until you reached the heart of the forest, the dress you wore was torn and dirty, the heels that you wore were removed in order for you to run faster. The crown that you wore on your head was no longer there as it fell down when you ran away.

Wanting to forget your heritage you had ripped the remaining of your dress, shorting it up to your knees. You wanted to cry, but you couldn't. The emotion didn’t seem to exist to you all there was happiness and anger. Only the drops of the rain were the only representation of tears the only thing you could count as sadness.

It seemed like that piece of memory was like a horrible nightmare only it wasn’t a nightmare. It was real. The day your father poisoned you were only 15 years old, no young woman should experience such a horrific event.

For the last 16 years you remained hidden in your forest that you now called home. You survived this long due to the books you read back at your home.You hunted for animals with the bow and arrows you created by hand, forged edible plants, bathed in the lake, and took shelter in caves or built your own hut. You even made friends with the nymphs, nereids, godlings, and even with the strange woodland spirits that had a deer skull for it’s head. When you told them about how your father poisoned you they pitied you and offered their help. 

As of right now you were picking blueberries to have for snacks and to share with the forests natives. Looking inside your basket it was full to the brim, it should be enough for you for a few weeks. Dropping a few more berries into the basket, you then headed off to your little cottage. The weather today was so relaxing, the gentle breeze soothing your nerves, forgetting the reminders of being an ex-princess. 

“You are humming.” A feminie voice called you out. On the right side of the trail a familiar looking nymph grinned at you. Just like all the nymphs here she wore no clothing, only her hair covering her chest. 

“Hello to you, Maia. What brings you here?” You asked her, offering her your basket to her. Which she grabbed a handful.

“Just wondering what you are doing now.” She plucked one of the berries from her hand into her mouth. “But also some concern.”

You slightly tilted your head to the side with your smile still on your face. “Concern? For what?”

Your friend’s expression told you something horrible was to occur sooner or later. She plucked one of the berries and raised it. 

“Do you know about the White Wolf and Yennefer of Vengerberg?”

Ah! So that’s what this is all about. It seems like your father is desperate to rid himself of your existence, it seems like it has gotten to the point where he called two of the most feared and deadly people of Tameria.

“I heard from my sisters that your father has requested for both their presence. Just how desperate is that man?” She squashed the berry between her fingers, wiping it the juices away

All you did was giggled at her response, the face on Maia’s face said otherwise.

“This is something to jest about (Y/N). Both names aren’t supposed to be taken lightly,there is a reason why they are feared.” All you did was shrugged, you twirled in place before dancing around the trail.

Due to the potion you drank. Your two emotions tend to do random gestures. For your happiness it meant singing, dancing, laughing, and telling jokes. The anger it would led to short temperance, fighting, and in some case the desire to murder, although as long as you were calm it won’t show.

You stopped your little dance to turn and face your sister.

“A Witcher and a mage?” You smiled at your nymph sister as she looked at you with concern. “I should honor the coming for my head….That is if they can get past my other half.”

[chnqin]

My Epic MDZS/The Untamed Daemon AU

I’m sure other people have already done Daemon AUs, but this idea wouldn’t leave me alone. I have been working on this for like three weeks now.

I just wrote down my first instinctive thought for most characters, and then researched* further into subspecies etc. What I found for a lot of the animals made me agree with my first opinion even more, although all of these are obviously just my own opinions. I also decided to stick to non-mythological animals. (some characters have been given a lot more consideration than others, I’m sorry)

Wei Wuxian: beech marten Beech martens are quick and clever. The are nocturnal, omnivores, and skilled swimmers. They move through paths made by larger animals such as hares in the snow. {further notes under read more}

Lan Wangji: white hare More solitary animals. They have an association with the moon, which I tend to associate LWJ with. {f/n}

Jiang Cheng: osprey Aquatic birds; good hunters. {f/n}

Lan Xichen: white stag {f/n}

Jiang Yanli: asian black bear {explained in detail under the read more}

Jin Zixuan: lion Ngl it’s probably because the Persian pokemon reminds me of him

Jin Guangyao: domestic cat {f/n}

Nie Huiasang: pangolin {f/n}

Nie Mingju: wolf {f/n}

Wen Qing: Chinese sparrowhawk {f/n}

Wen Ning: black Formosan mountain dog (tuguo) {f/n}

Lan Sizhui: Xiasi Quan dog or red panda or badger {f/n}

Jin Ling: lion {f/n}

Lan Jingi: monkey They’re respected animals but also have a mischievous side

Ouyen Zihzen: capybara No, they’re not native to China, but this is what I imagined him as and I couldn’t get it out of my head or find a perfect substitute

Xiao Xinchen: swan He just gives me major swan vibes, possibly something to do with Swan Lake (as do some Lans but they’re not graceful in the same way or tragic in the same way)

Song Lan: oriental hobby falcon or black horse He struck me as some sort of raptor, but I also liked a horse for him 

Luo Qingyang/Mianmian: lynx

Lan Qiren: sheep Symbolise filial piety. Also follow other people without question (*cough* the Lan Sect elders)

Jiang Fengiman: otter Spends a lot of time around the water, just what popped into my head

Yu Ziyuan: snake Because Zidian

The Jiang Sect favour animals who live near or on the water, some even possessing daemons which are fully aquatic, and thus are unable to leave Lotus Pier

The Lan Sect usually have herbivore animals for daemons and favour swift, elegant animals.

The Jins tend towards lions and panthers, but also flashy, rich birds like pheasants and peacocks (which makes WWX’s nickname for JZX even more funny).

The Nies often have pack or herd animals. Wolves and mountain lions are very common, but also a lot of horned animals like oxen, mountain goats and sheep (bighorn sheep and ibex are common), and also wild boar.

The Wens were typically birds of prey (the Dire Owl becomes Wen Chao’s daemon) or mountain cats.

The Yus often have daemons which take reptile form. Wildcats also common.  I quite like the idea that the Yus are a sect which has cultivated the ability to separate themselves from their daemons.

~Further notes on why I picked these animals, Daemon settling, angsty AUs of my AU, and research disclaimer under the cut~

Story & Research Notes:

(I’m going with the idea that trauma can make a daemon settle into a particular form)

WWX A marten was the first thing to come to mind for WWX, I have no idea why, but the more I thought about it the more I liked it. They’re really inquisitive, playful, and cute, but are also predators and will fuck you up if necessary.  A crow was another obvious choice because they’re curious and inventive, but with a bit of a dark connotation. However, in my version at least (I’m not great on His Dark Materials canon), Daemons usually settle in the early teens, and at that point WWX really didn’t have as much darkness in him as he develops later. 

I think WWX was one of those people whose daemon changed with every thought and feeling of his, whose daemon changed so rapidly and so repeatedly that people would complain of motion sickness watching it. His daemon’s most common forms were a martin, a magpie, an otter (which drove Madam Yu nuts), and (after JYL’s settled) very occasionally a bear.

When WWX comes back most people don’t realise anything is wrong because Mo Xuanyu always hid his daemon (I think it was probably something like a field mouse although how funny would it be if Little Apple was actually his daemon and WWX unknowingly inherited her along with the body), so they just think his has settled into something too big to hide now. However, his beech martin is the other reason Lan Wangji knows who Wei Wuxian is (WWX’s daemon hides from Jiang Cheng at Dafan Mountain, so JC only suspects it’s WWX). (Angsty AU further down)

LWJ I know that arctic hares aren’t native to China, but I want you to pretend that something like that does exist because I need lwj to have a white hare daemon. They are also bigger than other hares and cuter (they look slightly less cursed than some hares do). I’m imagining a lot of the daemons being slightly bigger than their real-life animal counterparts would be, so imagine the ears coming up to a normal person’s hip-height when the daemon is sitting. Rabbits can also apparently symbolise hope, and that suits someone who is known to go where the chaos is, bringing hope and light in the darkness. 

As a child, LWJ’s daemon was expressive in a way he never could be. It liked to take snow leopard form a lot, which was seen as excessively violent to the Lan sect, who preferred non-carnivorous animals, and often snarled at people. His daemon always took snow leopard form when visiting his mother so it could curl up with her tiger daemon. 

LWJ’s daemon settled exceptionally early, shortly after his mother’s death, into an acceptable hare form. Lan Xichen always wondered if LWJ himself made his daemon settle, if she was not supposed to have been a snow leopard all along, and so always looks upon LWJ’s daemon with a bit of sadness because he feels like it was LWJ stifling - almost killing off - a part of his personality (spoiler: it was) in order to fit into the Lan sect.

(More on that in an angsty AU below)

JC Ngl, I wanted to make Jiang Cheng a goose because they’re always angry but I didn’t. Jiang Cheng shifted mostly between a hunting dog and a mouse as a child, both of which infuriated Yu Ziyuan (honestly what she wanted her children’s daemons to be even I don’t know). Jiang Cheng’s daemon settled very late (another thing his mother wasn’t happy with). In fact, it didn’t settle till the attack on Lotus Pier and the death of his parents, when it took the shape of an osprey (because he wanted to be able to fly away and pretend none of it ever happened). 

Even more angsty: One Chinese poem has the Osprey as a symbol of marital harmony and fidelity. Upon seeing his parents death, finally united in a way they hadn’t been in life, JC’s constant wish for his parents to love each other (and, by extension, him) physically manifests itself in his daemon.

JYL I know what you’re thinking. Why the hell did you give Jiang Yanli a bear of all people. Well I’ll tell you. For two reasons: one, because I can do what I want, and two, because I would say one of JYL’s most central characteristics is her wish to look after people. She’s not physically strong in the way most other cultivators are, however, and she’s always having to keep the peace at home - and so I can see her daemon becoming a physical manifestation of that need to protect (bears are known to be protective, particularly mothers), and a physical example of her inner strength which is so often overlooked.

Yanli shifted between a dove, a crane, and a maritime striped squirrel for most of her childhood. She favoured the squirrel and dove (incredibly mild animals) over the crane, which disappointed Madam Yu.  It’s one of the reasons Jin Zixuan never saw her as a potential match, her daemon too small and docile to match his almost constant lion daemon.

When Jiang Yanli was around fourteen Madam Yu took things with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng too far one day, and Yanli saw it. Her daemon suddenly shifted into a bear, a form it had never taken up to that point, and jumped on Yu Ziyuan’s snake daemon. WWX and JC always remembered Yanli standing in the doorway, her expression placid while her huge bear daemon growled with absolute fury and menace. Everyone expected Yanli’s daemon to go back to its usual squirrel or dove form, but it never did. It remained a bear, and remained the biggest daemon of pretty much anyone in any of the sects.

I had already picked a crane as one of JYL’s potential daemons because of its connection to water and positive symbolism in China. Upon further (hopefully accurate) research, I saw that cranes depicted with lotuses in Chinese art symbolise purity and longevity, and I liked making her daemon a bear even more, because her daemon took that form to protect WWX and JC - years after her death, they both wondered if, had her daemon had taken crane form, maybe she wouldn’t have died. From what I found, “crane” is also a homophone for 合 hé “peace, harmony”, which is a quality Jiang Yanli had much of, and tried to inspire in others.

LXC I think its LXC’s hairpiece which always makes me think of deer antlers (even though it’s a dragon?), so that’s probably why I immediately thought of a stag for him. But stags are also very noble and refined looking animals which don’t tend towards violence, but also have horns for a reason. Obviously, like with LWJ, it’s a white stag because aesthetique. Upon further research, I discovered a (hopefully correct) source which says 鹿 lù (deer) is a homonym with 璐 lù (precious jade), and the character for deer is used within the character 丽 lì ‘beautiful; elegant’ - both fit LXC very well.

JGY Cats are sneaky little fuckers (I say this with love). The ultimate predator in small unassuming form. Many of the main Jin family have big cat daemons so this is kind of another smack in the face for JGY - so close to being a real part of the Jin family, but still kept apart from them - and something people like to bring up along with his mother. However, many Jins are also birds (including JGS), and cats prey on birds.

NHS I thought a fox was a bit on the nose. Also I like the way pangolin’s just drop and curl up in defence - it’s a viable form of protection, but to the outside appears cowardly. However, their scales are sharp and can cut predators who come after them. Also I didn’t want him to fit into any of his sect’s typical animals. Also also imagine how cute it would look being carried around everywhere by NHS because it’s too lazy to walk, absolutely adorable.

NMJ A wolf was what immediately came to mind for Nie Mingjue. Wolves are apparently sometimes associated with greed, self-interest, and lechery, but I think the pack elements and the carnivore/hunting nature of the wolf really suits NMJ and the Nie clan in general, so I decided to overlook that aspect (although I did briefly consider making JGS a wolf, but I like them as animals too much in real life to do that to them and also he doesn’t have a soul, so he doesn’t get a daemon).

WQ I always saw Wen Qing as some sort of hawk, I just think it suits her very well. The Chinese sparrowhawk is quite small and very beautiful. It has white, red and grey colours. They are good hunters and swift flyers. 

WN I knew I wanted Wen Ning to be some sort of dog because he’s very loyal, and also (angsty) when the Jins call the Wens dogs I wanted that to hurt even more. He’s very unusual for a Wen, none of the main sect have dog daemons - it is very much a thing that is specific to their branch of the Wen family. The mountain dog I picked for him is an endangered breed, which I also felt fitted WN well. From what I found, dogs symbolise watchful wisdom, honesty, and loyalty, which all fit Wen Ning. 

This was all perfect till I remembered WWX’s all-consuming fear of dogs. I decided to get round this by cheating and saying that for some reason daemons are different and he’s not scared of them (because they represent a part of someone’s soul, rather than being a real animal? I guess?? Please do not look too hard at this delicately constructed card tower) 

Angsty version: when Wen Ning becomes a fierce corpse he loses his daemon, another reason people are unsettled by him and another thing WWX feels guilty about.

LSZ I think Lan Sizhui was the hardest to pick. I couldn’t decide which way to go: should he follow a “Lan approved” daemon pattern; should he have a bird like Wen Qing and a lot of other Wens? Then I saw the Xiasi Quan and it’s white and fluffy and cute but it was also a hunting and a guard dog, which seemed right for him. And I liked that it gave LSZ and WN this one very tangible connection. It is also endangered.  However, I also liked a red panda and a badger for Lan Sizhui too. I really couldn’t decide between the three. I like them all, why is he the hardest to choose for? (I’m still not 100% happy with this, let me know if you have any alternative suggestions)

Again, please suspend your disbelief at the fact that WWX’s child has a dog daemon and he’s fine with this (it would have looked so cute as a little puppy running around the Burial Mounds though).

When he was younger his daemon liked to take on the forms of those closest to him. So you’d often see a bby marten running after WWX’s daemon, a tiny bird perched with Wen Qing’s sparrow-hawk, a puppy following Wen Ning’s dog around, and a tiny bby rabbit in Cloud Recesses. As he got older it shifted between the dog, a red panda, and a badger. (maybe I’ll just say his hasn’t settled yet and that’s why I can’t decide)

JL Jin Ling definitely also had a daemon which shifted because of a) his loved ones and b) his mood, and he hated it. As if his own explosive temper didn’t give him away enough, his daemon always showed his exact feelings. When he wanted nothing more than his mother to be there it would be a bear. When he was feeling defensive about his parents it would turn into a lion (this happens when he and WWX first meet and any time people talk about his parents’ deaths). When he was younger his daemon spent a lot of time as a cat and a bird, although different types to what his uncles had. 

Jin Ling’s daemon still hasn’t settled when WWX is resurrected, and he is absolutely mortified the one time it decides to turn into a beech marten like WWX’s. Eventually it will settle into a lion, and WWX will pretend to be grumpy that it didn’t choose a bear instead.

Angsty AUs:

Daemons are linked to golden cores Jiang Cheng loses his daemon along with his core. When Wei Wuxian’s core is removed it’s more like when daemons and humans are separated in the books. His daemon stays with him, but can move about freely - this is part of what causes WWX to rapidly destabilise, not just resentful energy. Jiang Cheng always feels weirdly aware of WWX’s daemon after that but doesn’t know why. WWX’s daemon is technically connected to JC too, and also finds this weird. JC also can’t work out why his daemon never came back with his golden core, and that loss is part of why he’s so angry and isolated.

The effect of trauma on Daemons Another angsty au is based on the idea that, if trauma can make your daemon settle early, then trauma can also make it change.

When Wei Wuxian is thrown into the Burial Mounds, he wishes so hard to be able to fly that his beech marten turns into a crow (because I do love a crow for him too). I kind of like the idea that after the Burial Mounds WWX’s daemon almost un-settles itself, and can change between a marten and a crow. This really freaks people out and is another reason people say he’s dangerous.

Similarly, after Wei Ying’s death and the Lan sect’s punishment, Lan Wangji wakes up to find his daemon has shifted from its hare to snow leopard form. In his soul, LWJ feels like if he had been less passive and actually stood with WWX then his soulmate would still be alive. His daemon changes from a more passive hare to the more aggressive snow leopard.

He’s criticised by the elders for it, but they shut up when his daemon flattens theirs, while LWJ’s face remains an impassive mask but his eyes promise murder. WWX is really sad when he comes back to see LWJ’s hare gone and blames himself for causing LWJ so much trauma his daemon changed. (personally if I were writing a Daemon AU this is what I would have happen, because I love LWJ with a snow leopard daemon - they symbolise bravery and martial ferocity, while rabbits are virtue and gentleness, and I feel like these two both accurately represent the two sides of LWJ. I really feel like LWJ has a huge shift in himself after WWX’s death which would be represented in his daemon. It also is, in a way, a return of a core part of himself which was lost after his mother’s death)

Sword/Instrument substitute Mixing Daemons with sword sprits - the animal becomes a physical representation of the spiritual tool. Some people could therefore have more than one daemon (for example, LWJ could have Bichen - his rabbit sword daemon - and Wangji - his snow leopard guqin daemon)

Angsty version: WWX actually does die in the burial mounds and Suibian, his beech martin, dies/changes into Chenqing, a raven/crow.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.  .·。.·゜✭·.·✫·゜·。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. 

If you are reading this you have made it to the end of this post, well done.

 I wanted to make it shorter but I had too many ideas and wanted to explain my reasoning for my choices and decided just to put it all in one post rather than lots of little ones.

*Disclaimer: I know only the smallest amount of Chinese, and have taken all my information about imagery, word meanings, and homophones etc from web-sources, and so it is very possible I have made mistakes. Though I have, to the best of my abilities, attempted to check on the cultural/artistic meaning, if any, that certain animals have in Chinese culture, the internet lies and I can’t get any decent books on it atm as the libraries are closed, so I’m really sorry if there are errors and I hope people will forgive any mistakes or blunders I might have made. 

[taeyongdoyoung]

summary: the forest is your only escape from the everyday troubles with your family until you find danger lurking behind the trees. or rather, danger finds you. your fateful encounter with the vampire ravn leaves you wishing for a different life. you strike an unexpected deal with the stranger that will soon turn into something more...

pairing: vampire!ravn x reader

genre: vampire!au, angst, humour

warnings: blood, stalking, mentions of abuse, mentions of rape

word count: 2.1k

part two 🌙 part three 🌙 part four 🌙 part five 🌙 part six  🌙 part seven 🌙 part eight 🌙 part nine 🌙 part ten🌙 part eleven 🌙 part twelve 🌙 epilogue

You were gathering herbs and wild strawberries in the local forest, cheerfully singing a tune you had no idea where you’d heard. The woods were your escape from the daily fights with your family, from the boring chores and the unnecessary bullying you’d been subjected to. The forest was the only place where you felt…yourself. 

You wished you could stay there forever, away from the terrible reality. You sighed quietly. Suddenly, you heard the rustling of autumn leaves behind you. You turned around briskly but you could see nothing. Just the familiar, beautiful woods. You shrugged and kept going. The sound repeated, sending shivers down your spine. You turned around once more. Again, there was no one. There were no bears in the forest, but you had heard the villagers had seen wolves. However, you were not afraid of the animals. You were getting along quite well with them. It was the people you feared. 

Your mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusion, you were being followed by a man who wanted to rape you. It was the one thing you were terrified of the most. You started running, horrified by the idea. As if your legs had a life of their own. Your heart was thumping loudly in your chest. You heard the leaves rustling but you didn’t dare turn around. You were now certain you were being followed. It wasn’t just your anxiety and paranoia. You could distinctly hear the steps of someone approaching you.

You tried to run faster but you felt like whoever was behind you was catching up with you. You gulped nervously and just as your mind raced through the worst possible scenarios, you tripped into a large root protruding from the ground, thus, falling on a bed of crunchy leaves. The second that happened, the man who was following you trapped you under his body. You started screaming helplessly, even though you were certain no one would hear you in the middle of the woods, at twilight. You were too far from civilization to be saved. The man grabbed you and forcefully turned you around so that he could face you.

“Please, don’t rape me,” was the first thing that left your lips.

The man eyed you in confusion.

“I had no such intentions,” he admitted.

“Then, why were you following me?” you asked curiously.

“I was thinking of drinking your blood,” he confessed openly.

“Oh.” Somehow, that sounded less terrifying than being sexually assaulted. “Okay.”

The man was completely flabbergasted by your reaction.

“What do you mean ‘okay’? Are you seriously more scared of rape than your blood being devoured by a vampire?”

You nodded truthfully.

“Unbelievable,” he shook his head and released you from his grip.

You were amazed at your newly-found freedom and got up. The vampire had sat next to you casually leaning against a tree.

“Weren’t you going to drink my blood?” you reminded him.

“Seriously? I let you go, why aren’t you running?” the vampire asked.

You blinked at him.

“Um…thanks?”

“I’m no longer in the mood,” the vampire said.

“Why?” you couldn’t just drop the subject. You were too eager to know.

“Is that what you really think about men who follow girls in the woods? That they want to rape you?”

“What else am I supposed to think?” you snapped at him. You’d seen nothing but violence in your short life.

“And you think such men are scarier than men like me? An actual vampire?”

You shrugged.

“I suppose.”

“Why?” it was the vampire’s turn to show his curious side.

“Because if you drank my blood and killed me, it’s over. No more suffering on Earth. But if I were to be raped, I’d have to live with it. With such a shameful secret…and a painful memory.”

The vampire shook his head, almost sympathetically.

“There’s nothing shameful about that. It is the man who would do such a thing to a girl who should be ashamed.”

You were surprised by his morals. Even though he was a vampire, he was adamant about never raping girls, which was somewhat admirable.

“I should probably get going,” you whispered. “That is, unless you want to drink my blood?”

“You are saying that as if you want it to happen,” the vampire smirked.

“Not necessarily,” you just weren’t as strongly opposed to it.

“Go,” he snarled at you, making you flinch. “Go before I’ve changed my mind.”

You already knew that he was fast enough to catch you again. So for whatever reason he was letting you go, you didn’t question it and just ran.

🌙🌙🌙 

A week later you found yourself wandering around the woods again. It was so difficult to put up with the everyday harsh words of your family. They were constantly expecting something of you. When will you get married to a rich neighbour? When will you stop reading all those books and work in the factory? When will you stop being so selfish and provide money for the family? You were so tired of their mean behaviour and their expectations. Why couldn’t they just let you be? Today, you were gathering blueberries and mushrooms. Your forest was once again a place of comfort. Despite what had happened the previous week, you still found a strange pleasure in walking by yourself in the forest. You were far away from the things you wanted to escape. You were happiest when you were alone. This time, when you heard the rustle of leaves, you were bold enough to turn around and not run at all. You had no idea what had gotten into you. But a feeling was telling you that you wouldn’t encounter a rapist but a very familiar face.

“Why aren’t you running?” the vampire from last week asked you in a bored tone.

“Does the chase make it more exciting for you when I run?” you challenged him.

He smiled softly. His features were quite delicate and handsome. Even though you were slightly terrified, you had to admit that he was extremely beautiful.

 “Blood is blood no matter the thrill.”

“Should I run, then?”

“What’s the use? I’ll catch you anyways.”

You approached him bravely and gathered your hair on one side, exposing your bare neck for him. You could see him beginning to lose his composure, his Adam’s apple bobbing in thirst.

“Why are you here again?” the vampire questioned you. “I thought you’d be avoiding the woods after last week.”

“I live to disappoint,” you joked. “The forest is the only place where I feel…”

“Safe?” he suggested.

“Not ever since I met you.”

The vampire looked away apologetically.

“The only place where I feel myself.”

 He nodded in understanding.

“Are you going to...?” you asked. It was obvious what you were asking, you didn’t need to finish that sentence.

The vampire had never met someone like you, so willing to be devoured. It was almost terrifying. But he was so damn hungry…He’d had to appease his thirst by drinking from a wild deer last week. Though he was slightly upset for the poor beautiful animal, its blood wasn’t nearly as satisfying as that of maidens. But there was something about you he couldn’t quite put into words. Something that made it impossible for him to kill you.

“I want to.”

“Then, what’s stopping you?” you continued poking the bear despite your common sense telling you to get out of there.

One second you were standing a couple of metres away from him and the next you were pressed against a tree, his body towering over yours in a way that would have intimidated you if you didn’t know what was going to happen.

“You promise you won’t rape me?” you had to ask.

“A promise is just a promise,” the vampire answered. “Does it mean anything?”

“I suppose not,” you murmured dejectedly.

The vampire lifted your chin in order to look into your eyes.

“Hey,” he said gently. “I promise.”

And with that, he attacked your neck.

🌙🌙🌙

You woke up in an unfamiliar setting. You were in a giant red bed, covered with fluffy pillows and soft silk. You looked around, unsettled. How had you ended up here? Whatever here was…You unconsciously touched your neck only to find that it was carefully wrapped in a bandage. You tried to recollect what had you been doing. You were walking in the woods and then…

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” your thoughts were interrupted by a melodic voice.

“Where am I?” you asked the man standing in front of you.

“My home,” he informed you. “You passed out from the blood loss so I brought you here…Don’t worry, I didn’t rape you in your sleep.”

You opened your mouth to argue and then the memories hit you like a truck. This was a vampire…You had allowed him to drink your blood. And he hadn’t killed you. You distinctly remembered your earlier conversation. You shuddered at the thought of being so reckless and walking towards him on purpose. Not that you had any realistic chances of escaping him, but still. You couldn’t believe you’d been so stupid as to confront him openly.

“You have to eat,” the vampire said and pointed towards a table of red apples, freshly baked croissants and orange juice next to the bed. You were deeply confused and suspicious. Why hadn’t he killed you already? Why was he bringing you food?

“Come on, you need to regain your strength,” he urged you and handed you one of the red apples. You slowly began munching on it, looking into his dark eyes. To him, you looked like a scared little lamb. It was somewhat endearing.

“I still don’t know your name,” you mumbled.

“What’s in a name?” the vampire teased.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” you finished one of your favourite quotes.

He smirked proudly.

“You know your Shakespeare,” the vampire said. “My name is Ravn.”

“I’m Y/N,” you introduced yourself.

“Well, Y/N, eat your breakfast and you’ll feel better.”

You didn’t dare disobey him and quietly chewed on the apples and the croissants, occasionally taking a sip from the juice. After you finished, your curiosity got the best of you and you asked Ravn a question that had been tormenting your mind for a while now.

“Why didn’t you just kill me?”

The vampire shrugged.

“I was bored. And intrigued.”

“About?”

“Why didn’t you run?” Ravn needed to know.

“Same reason you didn’t kill me,” you chuckled.

The vampire scoffed.

“You’re free to go, by the way. As soon as you feel strong enough to walk on your own.”

Suddenly, your calm expression changed. You didn’t want to go. Your family was just stressing you out, putting you through so much pressure. You were tired of them judging you for your choices and making you feel bad about yourself. Your forest had been your temporary escape but you knew you couldn’t live there. However, if you managed to convince the vampire to let you stay…If he was capable of drinking blood without killing people, you could make yourself useful for him. You didn’t want to return to your prison. You’d much rather be a blood bank than subject yourself to more emotional torment. But you had no idea how to express your wishes without sounding crazy.

“Can I offer you something?” you asked Ravn.

“What?”

“We’ve already established that you don’t want to kill me. You can drink from me whenever you want. On one condition.”

“Name your price,” Ravn responded.

“Don’t make me go back,” it was supposed to be a bargain, but the way you said it sounded as if you were pleading.

Ravn had to admit it was a tempting proposal. He no longer had to lurk around, hoping to find something to eat. Your idea was an easy way out from all the time he wasted hunting. But there was one problem. All his immortal life he’d done his best to avoid humans. He mostly drank the blood of animals. On the rare occasions that he hunted maidens, he always made sure to ask his magician friend Seoho to erase their memories after. Humans spelled trouble. If his secret was exposed, this would mean an end to his relatively peaceful existence. But he was getting more easily tired with time, a sure proof of his animal diet wearing him out day by day. Which is why he’d started following you last week. However, Seoho was away from the village, so he couldn’t use his ability. He had initially intended to kill you, but something about you stopped him from doing so. And he wanted to find out what.

“We have a deal, Y/N,” Ravn announced.

To be continued…

[neapolitanadonna]

cottagecore has taken over my life. can i request a scenario where human au England is living in this little cottage in the flower fields and he sees this strange girl in the fields all the time? He just kinda watches her and admires her and stuff and cute soft cottage core things ack I'll leave the creativity to you THANK YOU!!!

Oh you KNOW my cottagecore ass had fun with this one. I genuinely felt soft writing this so I hope everyone feels soft too. I love getting the opportunity to make imperialists look soft, its by far my favorite hobby of this quarantine. 

Also this is a bit long, so remember to click keep reading!!

Arthur was a hardworking man in the government who, despite practically signing his life away to it, hated the government. His London flat, aggressive cabbies, black coffee at 5 in the morning, three piece suit everyday life was something that got him far in life, it was a shame that most days, he couldn’t care less about it. 

After his grandmother passed, she left him her small brick cottage in Painswick. At first he thought of selling it, not that he needed the extra money, it would just be a shame to leave empty real estate. He didn’t think he would ever spend his days in the little place, but in a time where he tried to manifest nothing but peace, the universe brought him to the cottage. 

He spends his weekends there. It isn’t big government buildings and the bustling streets of London, but to him, it’s perfect. If he wasn’t tethered to the responsibilities of being an adult, he would pack up everything he had and move to the cottage. He considered it often, he had nothing left in London for him, anyway. He lived alone in London and in Painswick, but Painswick felt less lonely. 

His grandmother's cottage was relatively secluded, far enough from the little village to be truly alone, but close enough if he needed to walk to get anything. However, oddly enough, even if there were no other residences near him, one particular creature always showed up in his backyard. 

He wasn’t a fan of judging a woman by her physical traits, but he remembers the first time he laid eyes on her perfectly. It was cinematic, and if it was a film, he would watch it again and again. She wore a baby blue dress with a flower print that fell just above her knees. Her hair was pulled back into braids with two little bows the same color as her dress. He couldn’t quite see the color of her eyes from his window, but they held some sort of power in them even from afar. As she gently walked through the flower fields, she tucked the wildflowers she picked into the weaves of her braids, filling them with Bluebells, Columbine, Daisies, and Cornflowers. She didn’t trip over plants or roots that peeked through the dirt. She seemed to thank the earth each time she picked a flower. As he watched her card through the flowers, spin in the field, then sit under the Crab apple tree up upon the hill, he figured he must’ve been hallucinating. It had been a long week of work, he had gone through so many rough emotions that it was possible she was an angel and he was on the verge of death. 

Until she showed up again. 

Her visits to his field were almost scheduled, but sporadic all at the same time. She would come, sometimes pick flowers, others leave them alone, but dance among them either way. She would sometimes bring little baskets of peaches and bread for herself, other times she came with nothing but herself. She once got close enough to a deer that it let her pet its head, the same thing happened another time with a rabbit. His grandmother used to tell him stories and lore about Painswick, how faeries disguised themselves as humans to lure them in. He couldn’t help but wonder if his grandmother wasn’t just telling old tales. There was no way this girl was human. 

She seemed devoid of any human flaw. She couldn’t have been any older than 20, but even though Arthur was 23, his position aged him five years. She always seemed so happy, so carefree, like nothing in the world could have made her upset. If anyone else came through his property to take his flowers, he would be sure to lecture them, but she was his only exception. 

It was a Saturday morning when Arthur woke up feeling less on edge than usual. He was so used to having a migraine that waking up without one felt like a giant weight off his shoulders. The light filtered through the old blinds just perfectly, hitting the old paintings of flowers on the wall. It occurred to him that he did more staring out his window into the fields than he did outside. Maybe today would be the perfect day for him to spend a day out there, no stress, no work, and definitely no migraine. 

The sun was still rising as he walked out into the fields. He never noticed it before, but bumble bees danced around every honeysuckle and corn flower. He supposed they would be hard to notice from far away. 

He set down his little blanket at the base of the crab apple tree. It made him feel a certain sense of anxiety knowing that this is where the ethereal girl usually spent her time, that he was sitting in her spot despite it being his property. He looked out on the fields, the sun rising behind them, and began to realize why the girl loved it here so much. 

He spent a good while like this, staring off into the fields, down at his cottage, the trees and wood that extended beyond the fields. He only stopped daydreaming when he heard humming. 

He recognized it as Donovan’s “Sunny Goodge Street” before he processed who the humming could have possibly come from. When his brain finally did process, yes, it had to be none other than the voice of the girl, he felt his heart leap into his throat. She must’ve been coming up from behind, and his best option was to sit absolutely still from the other side of the tree hoping she would walk the other way around and avoid him completely. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to her, but he couldn’t quite admit that he was afraid. She had all the odds of the universe on her side, she might’ve been mother nature herself, and who was he compared to that? Unfortunately, his desires came to a fault. Her humming stopped, and her footsteps got louder. A soft, faint giggle could be heard from behind the tree. 

“Hello?” Arthur’s heart leaped to his throat again. Such a sweet voice she had, too. In retrospect, he should've moved, stood up to greet her and introduce himself, but he was frozen. He spent all week talking and negotiating with big government hot shots, yet he couldn’t face a silly girl who spent her days in the flower fields. 

“Are you hiding from me?” She giggled again, and then she was next to him, standing above him. He couldn’t help but exhale deeply the moment he saw her. His cheeks were for sure red, such an embarrassing thing for a grown man, he thought. She wore the same blue dress she wore the day he first saw her, her hair let loose and gently curled around her shoulders, instead. 

“Are you the funny man who lives down in the cottage there?” She asked, taking an uninvited seat in front of him on his blanket. She smelled like honey, roses, and the morning. She was even more beautiful up close than she was from his bedroom window. 

“Lots of questions you have for me. I should be the one asking who you are. This is my property” Arthur replied. The moment he said it, he felt a pang of guilt. He had a hard time talking to somebody without being defensive anymore. The girl didn’t seem to care. 

“I’m really sorry.” She smiled, almost solemnly. “I’m __. There was this sweet old lady, Mrs. Kirkland, who lived here quite a bit ago. She was a regular at my nans flower shop in town, she used to invite me over quite a bit to have tea. Before she passed, she told me I could still visit the fields whenever I wanted. It never occurred to me that somebody else would be living here after she…” 

“Oh, don’t worry, __.”  Was all Arthur could muster up saying. The way her name spilled off his tongue sent a shot of adrenaline up his spine. __. So very fitting. 

He found it strange from the start that his grandmother left him her cottage, of all things. Maybe, somehow, this was her funny little way of playing matchmaker for him. The blush rose back to his cheeks. 

“I’m Mrs. Kirklands grandson, Arthur. I’m sorry for making accusations.” 

“It’s alright.” She smiled. “I’m sure if I saw some strange girl on my property I would be curious, too.” 

“How did you know I lived here?” Arthur asked, meeting her bright __ eyes. 

“It just feels less lonely when you’re here.” She smiled. “That, and I heard you drop your mug one morning. Your reaction wasn’t all that discreet.”

She giggled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. 

“Oh, for fucks sake, you mean to tell me you saw that?” 

“I promise I’m not a stalker,” her smile seemingly permanent on her face. “Just observant, is all.” 

“I wasn’t accusing you of being one.” 

“Oh, but I can tell you’ve thought about it.” 

Arthur wanted to tell her he didn’t think any malice of her. He wanted to tell her that even if she was stalking him, it was the best intrusion of his privacy he’s ever had. He wanted to grab her little hand that rested upon her knee, but he knew he couldn’t. He’s never felt so intimidated by another person in his life. 

Arthur said nothing to her in response, and instead for a moment, __ studied him, then stood up. 

“Don’t leave.” He said, suddenly. It wasn’t even his intention, it came out of him on instinct. She looked back down on him and smiled, and shook her head. 

“I wasn’t planning on it, darling.” She giggled. “I’ll be right back.” 

Arthur watched her as she tumbled down the hill to the fields, the tall grasses and flowers welcoming her like she was a part of them. He finally had the opportunity to sigh, and run a hand through his hair. He couldn’t stop thinking about how his grandmother probably set this whole thing up for him, she was always a clever woman. 

__ came back a few minutes later with hands full of flowers. She sat back down in front of him, and carefully broke the stems of the flowers to make them shorter. He wanted to question her process, but instead just watched her. He finally made a noise when his breath hitched as she moved to push some of his hair out of his face. 

“You have the most beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen.” __ marveled, her own eyes gentle as they looked into his. 

“I- Thank you.” Arthur held back a stammer. She brushed his hair from his face again, then gently placed a daisy behind his ear. 

“Perfect.” She giggled, pushing his hair away from the other side of his face to make room for another daisy. 

“You’re ridiculous, woman.” He shook his head, but couldn’t hold back a smile. “Who on god's earth are you?” 

She shook her head, and shrugged. 

“I’m just trying to enjoy the life I was given. No use in living unless you spend every day the way you want.” 

“Do you work?” 

“At my nans flower shop, yes. It’s not as much about money as it is enjoying my time with my nan.” She shook her head. “Besides basic bills and the likes, everything I need I make myself.” 

“Do you drive?” 

“A bike. I never felt the need for a car.” 

“Do you have a cellphone?” 

“Of course, I like to live naturally, that doesn’t mean I’m a barbarian.” 

“I was just wondering.” Arthur chuckled, making the bold move of pushing her hair out of her face. Her eyes fluttered shut and a small smile spread across her face. He grabbed a cornflower and tucked it behind her ear. He felt breath against his arm, there was something so intimate about her breathing. It had barely started to occur to him that this was the girl he’s admired from afar for months. 

“Perfect.” He teased, eliciting a giggle from her. His hand still touched against the softness of her cheek, lingering there, but she didn’t seem to mind. She gently reached for his hand, lowering it from her face, and instead threading her fingers in between his. The softness of her skin, the warmth of her smile, the sweet little chime in her voice, everything about her overwhelmed him. 

God, he wished he could thank his grandmother for this.

[chasseurdeloup-retired]

A Pie for Help || Chloe and Kaden

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Kaden’s Apartment PARTIES: @chloeinbetween and @chasseurdeloup SUMMARY: Chloe visits Kaden for a baking lesson.  CONTENT WARNINGS: emotional abuse references, domestic abuse, terminal illness mention

More and more it felt like Kaden’s kitchen was the most used space in his apartment. And at this point, mabe the most visited, too. And if Abel’s barking was any indication, the kitchen was about to get another new visitor. One he didn’t know quite so well as some of the others. Kaden shushed the dog as he made it to the handle, attempting to quiet him down before letting anyone in. “Hey,” he said, swinging the door open and holding back Abel behind his legs. Looking at Chloe, something struck him. Putain. “Uh, hope you’re not afraid of dogs. I can crate him if you are. I’m sorry I didn’t check.” He really should have mentioned. Fuck. He wasn’t a stranger to causing awkward situations, but he’d really hoped he could avoid one right off the bat.

Chloe checked Kaden’s message three times before building up the courage to walk up to his door. Holding her iron necklace pendant tightly in one hand, Chloe raised her other to knock. She jumped high as a cat when out of nowhere, a dog barked. It was that slightly wide-eyed, hair-on-end look that Kaden was greeted with when he opened the door. “Hi,” Chloe squeaked. The tension trickled out of her like a faulty faucet as she looked at the big fluffy black dog behind Kaden’s legs. “Um, no?” She replied uncertainly. “As long as he doesn’t have wings.” She smiled wryly. “Who, um, what’s his name?”

One look at her wide eyes and Kaden was prepared to bring Abel straight to his crate. He’d seen that look of fear many times before in his job. As much as he loved dogs and animals and had a hard time being afraid of them, he understood for the most part. The teeth and claws, the unpredictability if you were unfamiliar with animals, there was reason for fear. Chloe had a lot of reasons for fear. He was hoping he could avoid those today. Keep today normal and easy. “Oh, okay good. You looked-- I never want to just assume since he can look a little, uh, you know, he’s bigger which some people--” Kaden really needed to stop talking. Thank god she cracked a joke. “No wings, as you can see,” he said with a half smile. “This is Abel. He’s very friendly. Big fan of treats.” He led her in and shut the door before quickly grabbing a small treat from a bag on the counter. “Here, make a new friend,” he said, handing the treat to her to give the dog.

“Oh! Um, yeah, sure,” Chloe said. The bones of Chloe’s knees clicked as she knelt down. It occurred to her a little too late that maybe this was a bad idea: getting up again might be a bit of a pain. Extending her hand with the treat on her palm, she let Abel snuffle her. Abel was surprisingly gently in plucking the treat off her hand before gulping down the biscuit. He licked the crumbs from Chloe’s hand. Smiling, she gently scratched under his chin, bringing her hand round to his ear. Abel enthusiastically leant into the scritches, his tailing thwipping across the floor. Chloe had no idea how big the grin on her face was until she suddenly remembered that Kaden was there, and that she couldn’t just spend all her time stroking Abel’s back. Even if Abel himself seemed to disagree with that theory. She slowly struggled back to her feet, clutching the counter as standing up made her a little dizzy. “He’s really cute. Bigger than most dogs. Um. So much fluff.”

Kaden leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, watching as Chloe crouched on the floor to be with the dog. He couldn’t keep the stupid smile off his face. He knew Abel was a good boy who loved meeting new people, but it was always nice to watch when others lit up around an animal. There was nothing like it. Hell, it was the part of his job that always brought him joy. A lot of it was difficult and turbulent, but helping pets reunite with owners or find a new forever home was worth all of it. “He likes you,” he said, still beaming. She wobbled and he reached out to help steady her, arm out in case she needed to lean on him. “You good?” he asked. “But yeah, I got him to be a hunting dog. He’s rotten at it, really. Runs away at the first sign of trouble but he’s still a great dog.” That wasn’t entirely true, though. Abel didn’t run when Kaden was truly in trouble. He saved him. A few times now. A pit dropped in his stomach at the memory. Deep breath. Pushed it away. “Kitchen’s this way,” he said and waved her over. “Uh, so I got all the ingredients out. And I have a few filling options we can do. I wasn’t sure what you liked. And I figured you should call the shots here.”

“It's a good thing I don't have to be good at conversation with dogs,” Chloe said with a nervous chuckle. His smile made hers all the wider, although her cheeks blushed red, embarrassed that this had been the ice breaker and that her communication had been so weak until now. She paused, waiting for the dizziness to fade to a manageable level before answering his question. “Yeah, I'm good,” her smile wavered. Chloe wasn't going to focus on the ache in her head or the wool behind her eyes now. Now was about chasing a simple kind of happiness. Making for the sake of making, rather than the sake of being good. “I think that makes him a smart dog,” Chloe said, ruffling Abel’s furs once more before following Kaden through to the kitchen. “Honestly, I'm open to experimenting. Apart from the pie you made me, it's been so long since I've had pie I kind of don't want to hold myself to any ... pie standards? Is that a thing? Apple, cherry, pumpkin, pecan, anything like that would be great. My taste buds have changed in the last few years, so ... happy to try more things.”

“Part of what makes animals great, if you ask me,” Kaden replied. They were much easier than people most days. Certainly easier than the supernatural anything. His brow pulled together for a second as he saw her blush. He couldn’t figure out what she was embarrassed about. Fuck, was he doing something to make her uncomfortable already? He tried to continue to offer her a hopeful smile, even as she seemed to pass on taking his hand for help. “Yeah, yeah. Smarter than his owner, surely.” Kaden swung the fridge door open and started pulling out the butter. “So I figure I’d show you how to start a puff pastry but it takes forever so I have some dough ready to go, too. You know, for the actual pie. Unless you know, you want to take the two hours minimum to prepare it. Which, uh, you can. There’s no rush but it’s a long time, you know and…” Kaden placed the butter on the reached back and rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, anyway, I was thinking maybe we could make a tarte tatin. It’s apple. If you want. Less chance for decorating the top of the pie with the crust since it’s made upside down, but you can cut the fruit pretty. Up to you.”

“I don’t know, his owner strikes me as a pretty decent human- person,” Chloe replied quietly, dropping into one of the kitchen chairs to take the weight off her legs. Building up strength muscle by muscle where it was possible, but also making sure she was getting enough rest. Her physio would be proud, Chloe supposed drily as she watched Kaden pull the butter out of the fridge. “Oh, wow, this is really like daytime tv, huh? Here’s one we prepared earlier,” Chloe imitated the voice of some bubbly daytime presenter, holding up her hands as if she was offering Kaden a tray. Her smile did become more genuine as he told her the plan, looking over the counter. “Sounds good,” she replied, not realising how automatic and robotic her voice sounded. She was too used to telling people yes. “Cutting the fruit pretty sounds like a plan. Anything you think would work, as long as I can take the occasional rest break.”

“His owner tries, I guess,” Kaden said with a shrug. He wasn’t going to let his heart sink or his head dive straight into doubt as it was prone to lately. Today was certainly not about him or his bullshit. And if he could be a decent person for Chloe, maybe that was worth being. Let her keep the illusion, at least. Still he had to flash a smile at her jokes. “Right, yeah. Just call me…” Kaden couldn’t name a single daytime television chef. “Uhh, is Paula Deen one of those? Ari told me about her. I, uh, realized I have no idea.” The physical toll the whole ordeal took on her simply hadn’t occurred to him. He wasn’t sure why. Actually no, he could figure. There was just so much to unpack that sometimes things got left in the box up until they were right in front of you. “You know I can grab you a barstool if you want and you can work that way. No shame. This isn’t retail or something where you have to stand for eight hours.” Or anything worse. He flashed her a smile as he prepped the counter with flour. “Apple tarte tatin it is, then,” he said as he pulled out the apples and started lining them up to wash and peel them. It was then it  struck him that he was calling every shot. Fucking hell, that didn’t sit well. He turned and leaned against the counter, arms crossed in front of him as he faced her. “Wait. No. I’m making you make a decision. This is your pie. What do you want? Pie crust on top or no top? Let’s start there.”

“Ha, yes, Paula Deen, but even you don’t have quite the hair to match her,” Chloe chuckled. She looked up at his offer, hesitating for a second, shrinking into her chest before nodding quietly. “Yeah, a barstool is probably easier, actually,” she admitted quietly. “I won’t need it the whole time or anything.” Chloe smiled gratefully. Then promptly froze like a deer in headlight at his question, casually posed as he turned to her.

“Um….” Chloe stared at him, trying to remember what he’d just said about tarte tatin. Was it that there wasn’t a pie crust at all? Was it that because it was made upside down there wasn’t as much to do with a top pie crust? The question, like it or not, felt like a test, and all of Kaden’s goodwill might vanish in a second. On the other hand, if she didn’t answer at all, she might end up delaying the whole process. Maybe Kaden wanted her in and out as soon as possible, which was why he’d premade the pie crust anyway. Maybe he was hoping she would choose the least work. Maybe it would insult Kaden if she didn’t make a decision. She didn’t know anything about French culture, maybe he would be offended if she didn’t already know what the right answer was, or if she didn’t have an answer at all. Chloe looked down at Abel, who was casually sprawled on the floor, watching the both of them curiously and hoping one of them might drop a treat by accident. Abel, it seemed, did not have the answer either. Several seconds had passed since Kaden had asked the question. “Um. Pie crust on top? Yeah. Let’s… let’s go with that.”

“Right, note-- Wait. Did you just insult my hair?” Kaden said, turning to her. “That’s not very nice,” he started, holding back some laughter as he feigned hurt. “You might give me a complex or something.” He really hoped she caught on to the joke. Things didn't need to be more awkward, that was for sure. Still he went around to the other side of the kitchen and pulled in a barstool for her, placing it next to the counter.

For a second, Kaden wondered if he made a mistake. Was this too much pressure? Maybe he shouldn’t have pushed it. He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she made one whole choice. It didn’t even matter what she picked, he was just happy she chose something and a smile broke out on his face. “Crust on top it is. We can attempt to make it pretty if we want but I make no guarantees on it turning out that way.” He gave her a small shrug and added, “still, might be fun to try.” He started placing butter and flour next to what he had set up as her station. “Fruit is all up to you, too. Or nuts if you want. I have just about everything.” Partially because he practically had a pie making assembly line at this point but mostly because he wanted to make this as nice as possible. Not that he wanted to let onto that. No need to overwhelm her with how ridiculously prepared he was. “Unless you don’t want to decide. We can stick with apple, of course. This is your lesson so whatever you want.”

“No, I would never,” Chloe laughed, pulling up a picture of Paula Deen to show him her silver fox luscious locks, sure he would agree that while he had great hair, he did not have Paula Deen hair. She smiled gratefully, the words of gratitude catching in her throat once more as she shifted into the barstool, leaning her elbows onto the counter.

As soon as she answered, she was watching for his reaction. Reading into the smile, the soft sigh of relief, like it might be revealed as a grimace of frustration if she just noticed the right twitch of a muscle, some clue to reveal his real opinion. But the smile looked genuine enough, so she relaxed a little as he started handing her ingredients. “Let’s… let’s not push this too far,” she said quietly as he started to ask her another question, the feeling of having to make yet another decision terrifying. “Apple sounds like a safe bet, and it would be… it would be cool to do a little bit of a cool pattern with the apples. Do you… do you make a lot of pies? You have so much… stuff available.”

Kaden glanced down at her phone with some skepticism. “Alright fine, point made. I don’t spend that much time on my hair, you’re right,” he said with a small scoff. Not that he’d admit to just about anyone how much time he actually did spend on it. Or how much money. “Fair enough. Let’s stick with the apple in that case. I agree, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with them,” he said, offering her another smile as he set up to get the apples ready to go. “Fruit’s already sweet, you know. So you don’t have to worry too much about really screwing it up. Sort of can let good fruit do the work for you. I mean not that there’s no work, uh, but you know what I mean.” Putain. He realized he was probably talking too much about nothing for no reason. She’d agreed with him and here he was rambling about fruit. He let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck again. “Oh, uh, yeah I end up making a lot more than I ever thought I would, that’s for sure. But baking is good for stress relief, passing the time, all that. So I make a lot of pies in this town.” His smile wasn’t as full this time, try though he might to make it otherwise. “Anyway, we won’t have any pie if we don’t cut fruit or make some dough. So what do you say?”

“Right. The fruit’s sweet. Don’t need to put too much extra special effort in, got it.” Chloe matched his awkward smile with another, even more awkward one of hers. It didn’t seem possible, really. This didn’t feel like reality, more like a feverish dream that was maybe what her dying body was clinging to in its deathbed. Making pies with the man who Lydia had hated more than anything else, it was just the kind of thing that a dying brain might invent. Although Chloe hoped that if this was the imaginations of a brain trying to escape the horrors of its demise, it might make her less awkward. “Maybe let’s… start with the dough. Is that sensible? Or the apples will brown before we get everything assembled… although I guess you have lemon juice, which would solve the problem of browning entirely, which you probably thought about before I did, so….” Chloe swallowed down her nervous flurry, rubbing the back of her head. “I’m trying really, really hard not to be like this, you know,” she admitted quietly.

Kaden wanted his smile to reach his eyes, really did. But he knew Chloe hadn’t been in control of damn near anything for years now. The last thing he wanted to do was to shout out orders or take away any more of her choice. At the same time, there was no denying that she was struggling to make any decisions. He supposed that made sense but it was still hard to reconcile. “It’s a pie, not a rocket. There is some room for error here. Breathe.” He handed her a bowl and slid the flour and butter towards her. “You made a good point, though. Let’s start with the dough. Plus, it’s pretty fun to use the pastry blender.” He leaned into the counter with his side and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You can be however you need to be though. Really. I’m, uh, the whole…” He sighed and dropped his hands back to his side before pushing his hair back out of his face. “Look I clearly don’t know how the hell to act normal either. Don’t worry about it.”

Chloe nodded, taking a deep breath. A pie, not rocket science. A hunter, not a fae, and this was for fun, not out of the expectation of perfection. That last thought hit her the hardest. Chloe looked up at Kaden and made herself meet his eyes. “I appreciate that. I really do.”

“I remember how charismatic I used to be and how easy I used to find social interactions and… it’s really hard to not make those comparisons. Everyone says these things take time,” which was the one thing Chloe didn’t have, “but I guess I’m a bit too perfectionistic now. Anyway.” She started to combine the flour and butter carefully with her finger tips, following Kaden’s instructions. It was laughable that Kaden could be considered as awkward, not when he was so many good things. Chloe just straight up didn’t believe him.

Kaden listened and gave her a small nod before working on his own dough. He barely had to think about what he was doing at this point, it was second nature by now. Still he should slow down, he was trying to teach her, right? Putain. “I know it’s not the same, but I used to be pretty different, too. Before moving here and--- Just before,” he said, keeping his eyes pinned to the counter, focus on the ingredients combining to make the dough. Something out of nothing. It wasn’t magic like what a spellcaster could do, it was far from supernatural, thankfully, but it had its own magic. “I try not to compare. It’s pointless. And just, I don’t know. It feels bad. So I don’t.” Kaden gave a small shrug before leaning a little more into the dough, maybe more aggressively than he needed to. Pausing, he looked over at what she had started on. “So far so good. Make sure the butter isn’t clumped,” he said, small smile and pointing out the one spot. “No one was ever perfect on a first try. If ever. And you’re still pretty charismatic. Definitely endearing. At the very least.” This time the smile he flashed was wider, warmer. The fact she was still able to hold up and joke after everything she went through? Definitely endearing.

“That’s hard to imagine. I figured you would have been doing the hunting thing for a while with the whole being an expert thing,” Chloe replied quietly, slowly working the dough over in her hands, trying not to overheat the butter between her fingers. She watched Kaden, trying to copy how he did it, as much as anyone could. “I’ve spent the last four years having to be the most perfect at something I’m capable of being,” Chloe admitted below her breath, “I know it was all her, but it’s just… part of me now. Still trying to be better at things. A better version of me.” Previously, more acceptable to let live. Now just more likeable. Definitely different stakes, but the mindset was still the same. She nodded, fixing the issue he’d pointed out and looking around the rest of the dough for more clumped butter. “Oh, trust me I know. And… glad you think I’m endearing, I guess? I think that’s not the word most people would use.”

“Yeah,” Kaden answered, voice small, “I have.” That was the problem. That’s all he’d done. And he wasn’t sure-- He paused. Inhaled deeply. He was baking. The kitchen was off limits for bullshit thoughts about his bullshit life. He’d decided that at some point in this stretch while Regan had been in her cabin. Morgan very rarely let that rule stand while they were baking, but he had control right now. No bullshit thoughts right now. Just baking. “Just trust me. I never would have done shit like this a year ago. I can’t remember the last time I lived in one place this long, to be honest with you.” He listened carefully as he folded the dough over, setting it aside once it was ready and watching her progress. “Guess that makes sense.” It’s not like he was great at being bad at things, either. “Yeah, well. I said what I said. Looks good, by the way. Now you just have to fold it. Roll it. Then turn it. And then there’s apples.”

“Oh.” Chloe replied softly, unsure if she could, or should reply. Was moving a hunter thing? Chloe distantly remembered Lydia’s sister, the one who had been killed so unjustly by those monstrous beings known as hunters. It had been reported as a murder. She supposed you would have to run, in a situation like that. What a thankless life indeed. And he’d joked before about her being braver, when Chloe was content to curl into the remnants of her life, doing nothing brave than posting about fae on main every once in a while. “Roll it. Fold it. Turn it. Wait,” Chloe smacked her wrist against her forehead, repeating the instructions in the right order this time. “Like this?” Chloe asked eventually, her hands beginning to throb from the work. “Does... this town scare you?”

It took Kaden a second to realize she’d even said it in the wrong order. “Wait, first-- yeah, you got it,” he said with a nod of approval as she manipulated the dough. He gathered both sets of dough and put them on a tray and into the fridge to chill. His fingers had wrapped around the handle when her question stopped dead in his tracks. It was something he’d never really considered. A looming question he never actually asked or answered to himself. Blinking, his mouth opened and closed a few times over, no words spilled out. He placed the tray in the fridge and closed the door before turning back to her. “I don’t know,” he managed to say. “It-- Maybe. It’s, uh… It’s definitely the most complicated place I’ve ever lived.” He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping he could find the answer. “You?” he hazarded to ask. Stupid question most likely.

“So… apples.” There couldn’t be any difficult decisions there, could there? It was just slicing and arranging and nothing else. Not that it mattered either way. As Kaden made clear, it wasn’t a big deal. “The most complicated place? What does that mean?” At his question, Chloe nodded, with a weak, wry smile. Of course he knew. “So afraid. All of her friends still live here. But…. I think I’m scared of out there even more.” Chloe gestured out towards the front door, frankly with no awareness of which was to point to other towns. She might have just pointed in the direction of the ocean for all she knew.

“Apples,” he repeated, grabbing the bag and setting up in the kitchen by the sink to wash them. “Uh, I mean, just that I’ve had more questions about my fucking life choices here than I have anywhere else. Maybe that’s not fair to blame on the town, though. Maybe I’m just old,” Kaden said and tossed the washed apple to her. He kept washing as she talked. She wasn’t fucking wrong. He wrung his hands in between placing one apple to the side and grabbing the next. “Makes sense.” He didn’t even know what to say to that. Morgan frequented that very kitchen. And she hadn’t been able to let Lydia go completely, even after. And as much as Regan detested Lydia, she was still fae. Hell, there was a pixie hidden in his apartment. He was surrounded by fucking fae and fae apologists and he was wondering if he was one at this point. When he had no goddamn reason to be looking at her and the effects a fae had on her. “Well, you have friends here now, too,” he said plainly, going back to washing the apples. “And she’s fucking dead.” No thanks to him. “So it’s a little safer now.” Small comforts, surely.

“You’re not that old, right?” Chloe had thought he was around her age, maybe even younger. Were hunters like fae in terms of looking young forever or… was he just being sardonic “No, I guess that makes sense.  Sort of. This place is so weird maybe it does make everyone question stuff.” She caught the apple, looking it over before carefully beginning to slice it. The knife slipped as he answered her, Chloe jerking away so she didn’t cut her hand. Friends. Something tightly wound inside her began to unravel a little there, like she’d tied down some part of her all those years ago so that it was too small to be seen by the monster she’d live with. The part of her that sought companionship, friendship. For years, she’d been hard and abrasive to everyone in the house because Lydia would have used anything else against her. But Kaden considered them friends. Or something similar. Chloe almost sobbed, blinking away the heat in her eyes rapidly. “She’s fucking dead,” Chloe echoed, taking a new apples from Kaden’s hand, still dripping with water as she put in on the board. “So I’m a little safer now.” Chloe cleaved the apple in two right through its heart. Some day, that might even sound true.

[jovialyouthmusic]

Lythikan Liaison 2

After the death of Jackson Walker, Bastien Lykel finds himself with time to kill in the duchy of Lythikos. He strikes up an acquaintance with a female member of the Lythikan Guard.

Word Count 3714

Pairing  Bastien x OC x ???

A/N NS*W no under 18s please Scenes of a sexual nature from the beginning under the cut; threesome (FMF)

2 Three’s not a Crowd

Bastien snapped awake, aware of being in an unfamiliar room and of the person next to him stirring. For the first time since his mentor’s death he had managed a night’s sleep without flashbacks. For a split second he couldn’t remember where he was, but then his memory kicked in and he let himself relax, stretching his arm up over his head and settling his palm behind his neck. The room was cool, but he preferred that to waking up hot in a heated room.

‘Good morning, King’s man’ Marcia murmured, disappearing under the bedclothes. He tensed for a moment as he realised she was going down on him, then surrendered to her ministrations. He was more than a mouthful, but she was both enthusiastic and skilled, and he was surprised how quickly he came. She swallowed and came back up for air, licking her lips. Propping herself up beside him, she reached out to his forehead, but again he stopped her from touching his hair.

‘You’ll have to let me when you return the favour’ she said huskily, and reluctantly he let her go, watching her as she reached out to gently run her fingers though his hair. She gave a slow smile.

‘No pulling’ he said as he untangled her fingers and leaned down under the covers to press his lips to her belly and work his way lower. She sighed with satisfaction and threw her thighs wide for him to taste and tease her. She wasn’t quiet and was easy to read. Her hand went to his head, and she pressed her palm to his scalp, fingers drumming as she approached her own climax. Like his own release, it was easy and quick, and they lay side by side afterwards. She was the first to sit up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and putting on a warm robe, reaching under the bed for thick socks. He sat up and watched her with a pang of regret, wanting somehow to stay longer - until his belly rumbled. She laughed and threw another robe and thick woollen socks on the bed.

‘Here, King’s man, wear this. I’ll start the coffee and make oatmeal’ She left the room and he rose, shrugging on the garment which fitted reasonably well as she was a well built woman. He had gathered his scattered clothes the night before and folded them neatly, putting them on a chair in the bedroom. He retrieved his boxer shorts, wrinkling his nose at having to wear them again, but there was no help for it. After going to the bathroom he emerged into a narrow hallway and counted the doors as he made his way toward the main room. He heard her clattering around in the tiny kitchen which adjoined the lounge and stood in the doorway watching her.

‘How many of you live here?’ he asked. She handed him a cup of hot black coffee, indicating cream and sugar on the worktop, but he waved his hand to reject them.

‘There’s my companion Angela, who you met, and our foster son. He’s away at the training academy right now, but he’ll be back in a couple of days’ His stomach clenched and he sipped the strong black brew.

‘Foster son?’ he asked

‘Yes, we’re more his mentors than his guardians as you’d understand it. He’s applied to train for the guard and the two of us support him. It’s common practice here in Lythikos. We get this cabin and a small stipend in return, otherwise we’d be living in the barracks.’

‘His parents?’ he asked as she turned back to the stove to stir the pot of oatmeal, tossing in some dried fruit and nuts.

‘He’s an orphan.’ she said shortly, and he sensed it was time to stop asking questions before he gave out his own secrets. He didn’t hide the fact that he had been fostered, but it wasn’t something that he bandied about casually and he had only just met this woman. He just nodded and sat at the table, leaning back into the wooden chair and watching her cook in comfortable silence. Before long she had ladled out the food into two bowls and brought it across, pouring a little cream into hers before taking a spoonful. He tasted it and decided it was sufficient as was. He hunched over it, eating slowly so he didn’t overload his digestion.

‘So, do you want to come hunting with me?’ she asked ‘You can use Angela’s rifle if you don’t have your own gun’

‘I wasn’t expecting to hunt’ he admitted ‘But it sounds good. What sort of game do you expect to bag?’ she shrugged.

‘Deer if we’re lucky, rabbit if not. If we encounter any boar it’s best to leave them, they can get nasty. It’s more of a group effort getting those beasts’

‘Do we need to travel far?’

‘No, we just need to go to the other side of the valley, half an hour’s drive. This side has snow cover, the other is wooded so it’s great for game’ He nodded approvingly.

‘I’m in’ he said ‘I’d better let my Captain know what I’m doing but I don’t think he’ll object. I’ll have to go back to my billet to get a change of clothes too.’

‘Okay, you do that when you’ve finished eating and I’ll pick you up in an hour’

-------

It was mid afternoon and the winter light was fading when they drove one of the Lythikan Guard’s SUVs back to her cabin with a few rabbits and a young deer. He had been the one to bring down the deer but he didn’t quite match her skill with the rifle. She regularly hunted for the pot, whereas most of the time when he handled firearms it was a handgun on targets in the Guards’ shooting range. She handed over their contribution to the head of her cabin’s block, a dark haired older man called Greg. He grunted at the sight of the deer.

‘That’s a good size, folk will be pleased to have venison. We’ve got a bit of hog left if you want to help yourself, and there’s plenty of vegetable stew.’ He looked at Bastien. ‘I’ve seen you with Jackson. I was sorry to hear he fell in service. He was a good hunter himself though he didn’t get much chance once he’d been promoted to Captain’ Bastien nodded, not sure how to answer him, but he was spared the effort as a younger man walked up to assess the kill and take it away to be butchered for the pot.

Marcia led Bastien to the centre of the common to the cooking fire, which was not entirely open to the elements as it was sheltered by a wooden frame which had a tarpaulin roof and moveable wooden panels to shield it from any wind. A spit with pork on it stood at the edge of the fire to keep warm, while a pot was suspended at the centre of the fire, bubbling with an aromatic smell of meat and vegetables. A table stood beside it with a few ceramic crocks. She filled one with fragrant stew from the huge cauldron and sliced up a few pieces of pork and beckoned him to follow her back to her cabin.

They had eaten bread, cheese and tart apples when they’d taken a break from tracking deer, and the aroma of the hot food made his mouth water. They sat at the kitchen table as before with two bowls, and no sooner had they settled than Bastien heard the main door open then slam shut.

‘Marcie, I’m home!’ The voice was that of a young man, and he burst into the room, smile fading as he saw Bastien, who stood politely to greet him. As quick as he was, Marcia was faster, getting up and running across the room to embrace the gangly youth, who looked warily at Bastien over her shoulder.

‘Marco, you’re back early’ she cried, then drew back to hold him at arms length, regarding him with concern ‘What did you do?’ she asked. He snorted.

‘Finished top of all my classes’ he boasted ‘So they let me off.’ She pursed her lips sceptically, and the boy nodded at her guest ‘Who’s this?’

‘Marco, this is Bastien, he’s a King’s Guard. I took him hunting today’ she smiled ‘Thanks to him, we’ll have venison tomorrow’ Bastien stepped away from the table, extending his hand in the Lythican handshake he’d learned from his mentor, remembering his words. ‘Always do it like this, Lykel, one hand, then the other on top of it. It indicates you’ve no weapon and you’re not a threat. It will win you respect’ He hoped he was applying the correct pressure – too tight and you were communicating your superiority, too soft and you showed weakness. He judged that he should give firm but equal pressure because although he was the boy’s elder, he was a stranger in the house and non Lythikan.

‘Sir’ Marco intoned cautiously.

‘Take your coat off and come and have some stew’ Marcia said ‘I got extra for Angela but  you can have it. She can get her own when she comes off shift’ Marcia smiled weakly at Bastien as the boy turned to go back into the hall.

‘I thought we’d have more time alone’ she said quietly ‘But it’s good to have him home’ Bastien wondered where he’d be sleeping that night, a little disappointed at the thought of losing her companionship. They had worked well together when they hunted, and like him she was the kind of person who didn’t feel the need to fill silence with empty words. The sex had been more than satisfying, but he was used to going without for long periods. It was a shame nonetheless.

Marco came back and drew up a chair while Marcia served out the rest of the stew and pork, adding a crust of bread for each of them. The three of them ate, silently at first, then Marcia began to ask Marco about his studies. Bastien watched the two of them, feeling that he should leave them to their talk. He was first to finish, and took his bowl to clean it.

‘I imagine the academy is similar to the one at the capitol’ Marcia remarked to him.

‘I’m not sure, as I’ve not been there myself’ he replied ‘It’s likely.’

‘It can’t be that long since you graduated’ she continued

‘I had three years training for the King’s Guard. I didn’t start there until I was eighteen’

‘Oh’ she replied ‘Military training starts at sixteen in Lythikos’ She and Marco had finished eating, and he took their bowls too.  

‘I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.’ he went on, seeing the young man regarding him curiously ‘I trained in karate when I was fifteen, and my foster parents encouraged me to join the Guard, although he was a maths teacher and my foster mother was an artist. It was a good decision – my job is very important to me.’ Marco looked up at him as he finished eating.

‘You’re fostered too?’ he asked, and Bastien nodded.

‘That’s right. I never knew my father, and my mother died when I was thirteen’ Marcia and her ward exchanged glances.

‘I’m sorry to hear that’ Marcia said ‘Marco’s parents died in an avalanche when the resort was being built’

‘That was unfortunate’ he said sympathetically. Marcia rose and doled out apples in the silence that followed. Bastien didn’t particularly want one, but took his as a good example for Marco.

‘I know I just got back’ Marco said, munching the crisp but sour fruit ‘But Brett invited me over. I thought if I went there tonight, I could spend Christmastide here’ He referred to Christmas and the day before and after, a traditional Lythican holiday. It reminded Bastien that there wasn’t much time before he could get back to the Palace and check up on the Walker family.

‘Were you thinking of a sleepover?’ she asked.

‘That’s right. He’s struggling with military history and he wanted me to help him with his assignment’

‘Is his sister Lydia at home?’ Marcia asked, and the young man blushed scarlet. Bastien tried to hide a smile, recognising that Marco most probably had a crush on the sister and was trying to find a way to impress her. Marcia’s eyes narrowed, and he looked sheepish, knowing she’d seen right through him. She reached out and slapped his shoulder.

‘Okay Marco, but just the one night. If I hear you’ve got into mischief, you’ll be grounded for the rest of the holiday, understand?’ He looked suitably grateful and embarrassed.

‘Thanks, Marcia. I promise not to get into trouble’ He threw his apple core into the compost caddy and loped out of the room. Marcia turned back to Bastien with a wide grin.

‘Looks like we have some more time together, King’s man. If you’ve nothing better to do’ He raised his chin and cocked an eyebrow.

‘I’ve not heard from my Captain, so my guess is I’m not needed’ he said in a neutral tone. She moved closer to him and spoke quietly.

‘Angela will be back soon. Perhaps you’d like to get to know her better’ His mind reeled as she nudged him ‘The bed’s plenty big for three, you know’ He swallowed – he wasn’t a stranger to threesomes, or moresomes for that matter, but he wondered if he could take on two Lythikan women. She seemed to read his mind ‘We’ll be gentle with you’ she murmured in his ear. He gripped the edge of the table and hoped he was up to the task, because he had no intention of backing down…

--------

‘Marcie!’ This time when Bastien heard the main door open and shut, the voice was female. Marco was gone, and he and Marcia were drinking wine. He stood as Angela, who had paused in the hall to remove her cloak, entered the room and raked him with her gaze. ‘Well well, you got a keeper here. Did you give him a good workout or have you been saving him for me?’ she purred. She was a little shorter and slighter than Marcia, fairer of skin and with pale brown hair, cropped as all the rest of the Lythikan Guard.

‘I think he’s got staying power, we’ve had a good time so far’ Marcia grinned ‘But don’t touch his hair, he doesn’t like it’ Bastien cleared his throat.

‘I always give my best, and I’ve yet to disappoint’ he asserted. ‘You can touch my hair, but don’t mess it up.’ he grinned and winked at Marcia as if sharing a private joke.

‘You’ll want to eat first’ Marica said, starting up for the kitchen, but Angela put her hand on her arm as she passed, stopping her. She leaned closer, still fixing Bastien with her gaze.

‘It’s fine, Captain laid on a spread for my shift. I’m good’ The two women smiled slowly and Bastien felt an urge to loosen his tie – except he wasn’t wearing one. He swallowed and squared up to the task, determined not to give way.

‘Well, ladies - shall we go to the bedroom?’ he suggested.

‘Whoa, whoa – hang on, King’s man. Let’s at least introduce ourselves’ said Angela. He tilted his head in apology.

‘Of course. Unless you want to persist with the nickname, the name’s Bastien Lykel’

‘A name that has merit. I’m Angela Firstfist’ she remarked, and advanced on him, stopping close. She raised her hand to his cheek. Their eyes locked and she leaned closer. He initiated the kiss, aware that he was outnumbered and needed to stay in control as much as possible, as we wasn’t sure just how much he could trust the two friends. She was an enthusiastic kisser, and her hand went to the back of his neck, open mouthed and with her tongue exploring. He became aware of Marcia moving behind him, and she also leaned into him, nuzzling at his neck and pressing her palms to his buttocks. He felt himself rapidly harden as the two women started to pull at his clothes. He followed suit, untucking Angela’s blouse and exploring her warm flesh.

The three of them worked at undressing each other, gasps and satisfied moans punctuating their movements. Angela sank to the couch and he followed her down as she parted her thighs and pulled him to kneel in front of her. He needed no prompting to start exploring with his tongue, and she proved to be only a little less noisy than her housemate. Marcia contributed with caresses and kisses to the both of them. Before she reached her climax, Angela stopped him, gasping and breathless. He raised his eyebrows at Marcia, who smiled.

‘It’s not your tongue she wants, King’s man’ she laughed. Angela pulled Bastien to sit on the coloured throw of the couch and pivoted to straddle him. She was slighter than Marcia, her breasts larger but her body toned and muscular. She reached down over her belly to wrap her fingers around his engorged member and her eyes lit up.

‘You were right Marcie, he’s more than a handful’ she bit her lip in anticipation as Marcia produced a condom, ripping the packet open for her. She sat back to roll it over him and repositioned herself. ‘We usually please ourselves’ she explained to him ‘but every now and again a man takes our eye and we take him out for a spin. You’re a lucky man.’ Marcia caressed Angela’s shoulders and nuzzled at her neck as she guided Bastien to her entrance, slowly sinking onto him. She wasn’t as tight as Marcia, but it was still a snug fit, and she rolled her eyes in bliss. He put his hands to her hips to steady her as she began a slow rising and falling. Marcia’s hand wandered between her thighs  as she watched them pick up speed, sighing with passion.

Bastien remembered what the madam of the Greek brothel he visited each year told him. He had gone there for advice on how to manage his size, being more than average in length and girth, and she had offered for him to spend a week annually, helping to train her girls in how to handle larger men. She had told him that in order to last longer, he should think of something distracting – a list of the monarchs of Cordonia or the duchies and their current dukes – anything boring and banal. He listened to Angela’s sighs and gasps as he thought of other things, and timed it perfectly to hold off until he was sure she was ready. She came with a great cry, writhing and arching, pulsing around him and triggering his orgasm. They slowed and came to a stop, letting their breath settle before she climbed off him and he made his way to the bathroom to clean up and dispose of the condom.

As he left the bathroom Marcia was waiting for him with an open mouthed kiss and lead him to the bedroom. They lay resting for a while, the two women either side of him, stroking him back to hardness. That didn’t take long – he had good recovery, and having twice as much stimulation as normal made it even easier.

’Have you been with two women before?’ Angela asked.

‘More than two’ he asserted, and Marcia laughed out loud.

‘I picked a good one. It makes up for your friend refusing Angela’

‘I’m sorry for that’ Bastien replied ‘He’s thinking of proposing to his girlfriend.’ Marcia frowned.

‘They allow marriage in the King’s guard? We don’t have that privilege. We have to be devoted to our jobs.’

‘It’s not common, but it’s allowed’

‘Would you have said yes if we’d both approached you last night?’

‘To be honest, I’m not sure. You Lythikans have a reputation, but I don’t usually back down from a challenge’

‘What would make you back down?’ Angela asked.

‘Knowing I’d lose for sure. It’s not worth the energy’ He turned toward Marcia ‘I believe you’ve missed out so far. Do you have any preferences?’ Her eyes darkened.

‘There is one position I like, but I’ll add to it a little. Just follow our lead’ She moved over to her housemate and whispered in her ear. Angela smiled and lay on her back, thighs open, and Marcia went down on her on all fours. Bastien grunted as he understood what she wanted, and went to the bedside table to retrieve another condom before he knelt behind her. He stroked her buttocks and ran his fingers over her sex, delving inside so she writhed and moaned as she in turn paid attention to the other woman.

The position was a real test of his endurance, as it was one of his favourites and he had to be sensitive to his partner. He couldn’t be too rough, though he was sure she would adjust and adapt to what he did. Her attention was split between them as he eased inside her. He went slow and gentle. The sounds the two women made threatened to push him over the edge, so he concentrated on remembering the duty roster he’d had to organise the week before. Angela gasped and thrashed under Marcia’s tongue, and came noisily. Marcia pulled her head away, panting with passion.

‘Harder, King’s man, harder’ she moaned as Angela rolled away and lay watching them, eyelids hooded, gaze slightly vacant in her afterglow. Bastien picked up speed, gripping Marcia’s hips, thankful for the firm mattress the Lythikan guard favoured. It gave him more purchase than a soft one, and he was soon pounding into her as she gasped and moaned in pleasure. At last he felt the flutter that signalled her climax, and he let himself go with a grunt, slowing and stopping as Marcia sank to the mattress, trembling and moaning. He mustered the last of his strength to dispose of the condom, and joined the two women in a tangle of limbs and bedclothes, swiftly slipping into a satisfied slumber.

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