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#I have yet to see in fight among these ships
bycaprinae · 10 months
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I love how every viravos shipper I crossed paths with is also attached to virrow like they're both canon 🫡
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cleromancy · 8 months
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sexiest and funniest thing roy harper ever did was look at dick grayson and go i could fix him
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dcxdpdabbles · 11 months
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the photo au just has me thinking that lady gotham is shipping dead tired and i love it
(it's a change of pace from her shipping dead on main so that's cool too)
"King Phantom," Danny jumps, not expecting the raspy voice to call from the dark alley he was passing. He turns his gaze to the shadows, squinting as a woman made entirely of smoke and tar takes form, towering over him like the skyscrapers of her city.
His head barely reaches the knees of her dark grey dress. Her outline flickers in the air as if she is nothing but the smoke of a flickering candle about to be blown away.
Despite her aristocracy beauty- her high cheekbones, her smooth skin, and lovely dark curls that fall along her shoulders- her presence inspires a terrible amount of dread.
Around him, people continue to walk by, unable to see her but sensing her all the same. Danny quickly moves off the street, entering the alley of darkness- at once, the city's noise is silenced while the two power ghosts are muted in a safe little bubble.
"Lady Gotham," He greets, bowing his head slightly. It's not quite a nod, for that would be too dismissive of a noble lady, but it's not a complete bow, for that would mean she is higher ranked than he.
"How are you enjoying my domain, your majesty?" Lady Gotham breathes her voice, sending chills down his spine.
"It's lovely. My sister and I are truly enjoying exploring it. I particularly enjoy photographing the scenary." He says, keeping the unease out of his voice. Her black-painted lips pull upwards into a smirk as if amused by his attempt at diplomacy.
If there is one thing Danny has learned, it is that while he is the King Of Ghosts, that doesn't mean he has absolute power- politically wise. Many entities have domains for centuries that have, through those years, earned nobility status among the ghosts.
He couldn't just scorn the noble ghosts. Even Pariah Dark- the most potent ghost of all time- was defeated the first time when the nobles- later renamed Ancients- banned together to take him down.
Lady Gotham was not among those Ancients, but Danny knew she could quickly call upon her allies and dethrone him just as easily. If Danny is a King, she would be the Queen of a neighboring kingdom just gearing up for war if he fumbles his manners.
"Is it truly the scenery that catches your fancy? Surely, there are far prettier things to look at in my domain?" Lady Gotham's voice is soft, like the humming of a gentle river.
Danny blinks, thrown by the question. "I can't say I understand, my Lady. What pretty things do you speak of?"
She flips open a fan, hiding half of her face as her black coal eyes stare at him with an appraising glint.
Above them, a hiss of a grappling hook springs out, and Red Robin flips over their heads in pursuit of a fleeing car. Danny's finger twitched with the huge to pull out his camera and finally get a meme-worthy shot of the teenager.
Alas, he can not do so, for he is speaking to a ghost noble who could use his careless behavior against him at the next afterlife high society meeting.
Lady Gotham's eyes crinkle in amusement. "I speak of what I find amusing but what others find shocking. What can be entertaining but others call fascinating. After all, trying to capture one's faults is where true beauty is found."
Danny fights to keep his face pleasant even if he has no idea what she means. She speaks in riddles, at least. That's what it sounds like to him.
He should introduce her to Clockework. They would have a good time talking in circles around each other.
"That's an interesting outlook, my lady." He settles on. She hums, then snaps her fingers. In front of Danny, a paper appears, floating in swirls of smoke.
"My King, I have existed long before humans found this plot of land and bestowed the name Gotham onto me. Yet I find myself lacking in any solid evidence of my precious people. I can interact with their world, but I can never truly step into it. Especially the Waynes. They have done so much for me through generations, and I can't even greet them properly." Lady Gotham's words may sound sad, but her tone only implies amusement. Danny is instantly weary. "I was wondering if I could ask that you- the bridge between both worlds- would do me a favor to remedy this."
The paper floats closer, and on it, Danny can see it is an invention for the Wayne Charity Gala. His name is printed on the guest list, asking that he join them for his donations to the art programs around the city.
Danny never made such donations because the Fenton's are far from wealthy enough to do so. Lady Gotham was behind this, as she could interact with the world but not the humans. Getting money for the programs under his name would be child's play.
He couldn't say no, per the norms of high society, and he knows she is well aware of this. Lady Gotham has cornered him.
"What is the favor, My Lady?" He asks, pocketing the invitation even though his insides are twisting.
"I only ask for a photo of each current Wyanes." She says, her voice now the sound of falling rain on the city. "Each photo should be the of them individually, for it will be what I display in my lair as their portraits."
Oh, she just wants pictures? Danny could do that!
"Of course." He says, smiling easily up at her. "I shall have that done for you."
"Excellent. I shall await the gala with anticipation."
Danny leaves the alley wondering if he will have a suit nice enough for the event. He'll have to contact Kitty- she was raising fashion designer before her untimely death on Johnny's bike- surely she will know what to dress him in.
He wanders around the city for a few hours, trying to get better shots of the buildings and accidentally getting one of Nightwing mid-sneeze. He giggles at the camera, unaware of Lady Gotham sitting in her haunt in the dark clouds above the city, standing over a three-dimensional model of Gotham City and covered in figures of real-life citizens currently residing in her town.
"Hmmm, Jason hasn't had an embarrassing photo today," She mutters, pushing the figure of Red Hood in front of King Phantom's glowing figurine's path. Her gaze falls on Red Robin- her little Tim- as it moves across the city following the live model's movement.
His figure is also glowing, not nearly as brightly as the King's, but the fact it shares the King's glow means the King has unknowingly claimed him.
She hopes that pushing them together in his civilian forms will allow the two to realize their hearts have been given to one another.
"How romantic." She sighs, floating onto her stomach and kicking her feet. "A King in love with a Knight. Society pushes them apart, but their love will conquer all."
"Sister, must you behave in such a childish manner?" A voice cuts in, and Lady Gotham's face twitches. She turns her head to watch her brother's shift between adult and child.
"Brother. What brings you here?" She asks, unbothered by his comment.
"Can I not visit my dearest little sister?" Clockwork asks, reaching over for a one-sided hug. She returns it with a smirk. "Especially when she messes with the life of the King."
"I do not know what you speak of." She huffs, turning her head back to the humans on her board. Around her, thousands and thousands of miniature models appear as she watches everything that is meant to be for the humans.
"Karma, you know better than to interfere with King Phantom's life, especially if it's something as silly as his love life-"
"Ah ah, brother dearest. You are in charge of time, and I control fate. " She grins. "I can guarantee that they are fated to be. I know it."
Clockwork rolls his eyes, shifting into an old man. "You let humans call you Lady Gotham. I highly doubt you know anything."
She hums, grinning as King Phantom's figure drops into a crouch, pointing a mini camera at Red Robin. Quickly, she leans forward to adjust the vigilante in an alluring position, knowing it will cause the King's heart to flutter when he develops the photos.
Clockwork clicks his tongue. "Honestly, don't you have anything better to do?"
"You should leave your tower more often, Brother. Maybe you could find a date and not nag your younger sister constantly." She taps her lips. "That young John Constinune was rather interested in you-"
"I am leaving!"
She laughs. "You can't run away from fate, brother!"
"Watch me!"
Oh, she plans to; after all, what is more amusing to fate than to see people try to defy her? Either they succeed, which is fascinating to watch them conquer all her trials, or they fail, which is entertaining enough to watch them fumble.
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deedeeznoots · 4 months
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The Deep Woods
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➺ Update: If you enjoy this story, please feel free to also read some extra headcanons that delve into your life with Sukuna in the woods during the story as well as after the story takes place!
➺ Characters: Ryomen Sukuna, Fem!Reader 
➺ Word Count: 9.6k
➺ Genre: Slow Burn, Smut, Fluff
➺ Content: Fairy Tale!AU, True Form!Sukuna, Princess!Reader, MDNI, Arranged Marriage (not to Sukuna), Abusive Family (not super heavy though just average royal family bullshit), Swearing, Double Packed Sukuna, Oral (M!Recieving), Teasing, Begging, PiV, Unprotected Sex, Creampie, Stomach Mouth used so Oral (Fem!Recieving), Reader Stabs Someone
➺ A/N: This is the perfect time to confess that the reason I started watching JJK was because of all the Disney Princess ships that were going around and I'm not ashamed at all, those ships were unironically cute. 
➺ Synopsis:  Far beyond the kingdom walls in the darkest parts of the forest, there’s said to be a monstrous beast with two faces and four arms. As the only princess in the kingdom, you ignore these rumors and explore among the trees anyways. Unfortunately, it seems curiosity got the best of you, and you come face to face with this exact beast. Though… after meeting him, you begin to question who the true monsters of the kingdom actually are. 
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Click. Clack. Click. Clack.
Your footsteps can be heard echoing throughout the castle walls as you walk on the decorated marble floor. You take a moment to take in your surroundings. Beautiful pieces of art and architecture surround you as you walk through the place you call home. Despite living in the castle your whole life, you always found something new when you walked around. This time, you notice the tiny angels at the top of the pillars, seemingly staring down at you. Were those always there? You thought. It didn’t matter, but it was interesting to take note of. You had to take note of these things if you didn’t want to go insane. It was a good thing the castle was so large and had all of these tiny details, otherwise you would have put up more of a fight to leave than you already do. Sometimes though, you just wished your company wasn’t so terrible.
Taking a deep breath, you open the heavy doors leading to the dinner room. There, you’re met with two awfully familiar faces. 
“Father… Mother…” you say softly, bowing as you enter the room.
“You’re late” your mother curtly states. You look down half-apologetically, “I’m sorry” you mumble. 
She isn’t finished. “Your hair is disheveled as well, did you think this was the proper way to greet us?”. Of course, you haven’t seen either of your parents for the entire day, and during the small window of time when you did see each other, it’s surrounded with criticism. If it wasn’t your hair, it was your clothing, and if not that, it was the way you walked or talked. You’d be more angry about it if you weren’t so used to it. Nowadays, you simply pull up a chair at the comically large dining table where your family sat and quietly eat your food. Your father–the King– would follow suit. Either looking down at his food, or around the castle, or speaking with your mother. He did everything but look you in the eyes. In some ways he was worse than your mother. At least your mother criticized things in your control. Yet, your father’s distaste of you seemed to stem from nothing more than the cardinal sin you committed of being a woman. Your parents have no other children, so it seemed that your very existence continued to be a reminder of their failures– no, your failure to bring an heir to the throne. 
You finish eating your food, but it’s not over yet, because unlike previous dinners, you were on a mission this evening. Setting down your fork to grab their attention, you look at them both and ask “I’d like permission to go to the village”. 
Both of your parents simply stood in silence before laughing. In fact, this was probably the happiest you’ve seen them. “Oh please, what could you possibly get from the village?” your mother questions you, still with a stupid smile on her face. Trying to hide your offense, you straighten your back “I’d just like to see what’s outside of this castle”. 
Realizing you’re serious, your parents stop their laughs, and their faces contort into one of anger. “Don’t put such things in your head,” your mother says “There’s nothing outside of this castle that is of interest to you, a different Princess would already know that”. What she really means is a better Princess would know that. You already knew that they probably wouldn’t agree, but you were unable to stop yourself from wanting to put up a fight anyways. Irritated, you stood up from your chair “Please just– let me see what’s out there, one hour tops, and I’ll never ask again”. 
In anger, your mother abruptly stood up as well and said “Absolutely not. Who knows what the people may do if they find a Princess near their filthy surroundings. Especially those peasant men who could–” 
“You know what. Never mind” you begin to walk away, turning your back on your mother. She didn’t like this very much, “How dare you turn your back on the Queen! Come back here you damn woman” she yells out, but you’re already at the door. You push the door open and slam it closed behind you as you make it outside the dining room. There, you find your Lady in Waiting next to the door, listening into the conversation. Realizing that you caught her, she stood in stock. You simply looked at her before scoffing and turning away to go back to your room, and she scurried trying to follow behind you. 
As you two are walking, she begins to speak up. “You know Princess, maybe it’s for the best that you don’t go outside” she takes a short breath, tired from having to chase after you. “There really isn’t anything in the village that would be of interest to a noblewoman such as yourself” she laughs, but you simply ignore her and keep moving, walking even faster this time, to her dismay. She wasn’t getting to you, but she kept trying anyway, “Also…I’ve heard about a beast roaming the forest near the village. The people say he’s almost 9 feet tall, and has four arms! Isn’t that terrifying?” Now that made you stop, and you turned around to look at her. Yes! She thought, had she gotten through to you? 
“Don’t be stupid” is all you say before you make it to your room and abruptly close the door, leaving her outside. 
In your room, you peek through the large window showing the outside world. There, you’re also able to see the forest that covers the perimeter of the Kingdom. A 9 foot tall beast huh? You thought, oh to be able to see that. Maybe it was stupid to wish for such a thing, but you would be willing to see anything so long as it was outside the castle. You weren’t blind to your privilege, of course it probably wasn’t going to be the stellar experience you expected, but at least you would know, that would be more than enough for you. 
Still, it didn’t matter what you thought because you probably would be staying in this same castle every day for your entire life regardless of your thoughts about it. Turning back to look outside one last time, you walk to your bed and flop down, dozing off to sleep. 
The morning rays of sun stir you awake and nearly blind you as you open your eyes. Somewhat groggy, you slowly get washed and dressed as you make your way to the garden for breakfast. The gardens were the closest to the outside world you could ever get, and as such they quickly became your favorite place to spend your day. You say hello to some of the gardeners as you make your way to the gazebo where your breakfast is already prepared. Your mouth waters as you see the combination of scones and fruit laid out for your breakfast. You get lost in thought as you eat, thinking about how you’ll spend your time for the day.
Your thoughts get disturbed when your Lady in Waiting comes to greet you. You look at her, about to apologize for your behavior last night when she begins to speak “Your Highness,” she lightly bows, “The King and Queen have asked to meet you after breakfast, they say it’s important”. As she raises her head, you ask her what it might be about. Your parents didn’t usually ask to meet with you outside of dinner. You thought for a moment, hopefully this wasn’t about what happened last night. When she tells you that she isn’t sure what the meeting is for, you simply nod and tell her you’ll be there soon. 
Once she leaves, you finish up breakfast and make your way to the throne room. This was the place your parents spent most of their time, and where they held their endless gatherings and meetings. As such, you made it a point to avoid the place outside of times where they specifically ask for you such as this one. 
When you make it inside the throne room, you walk to your parents and give them a bow “Your Majesties” you say, greeting them. Your parents don’t waste any time, and get right to the chase. “We have good news” your father starts. “You’re to be married” he says, gleeful, you on the other hand were anything but. Slowly standing up from your kneeling position, you utter a small “What?”, not fully comprehending what’s coming out of his mouth. “It really should have happened before” your mother begins, “You have been more than old enough for a long time” she scoffs. “Wait!” you yell out suddenly, “I’m not getting married” you say, mostly out of shock at the revelation. 
Your mother sighs, not hiding her disappointment. “How many times do we have to say that it’s your royal duty to provide this family with an heir” she lectures. You simply look down. Damn it, you think, you really didn’t want to do this, but you suppose you had no choice, so you ask, “Who is it?”. This confuses your parents and they look to each other in confusion, so you clarify, “Who am I getting married to”. The fact that you have shown the signs of being willing (or at the very least, compliant), nearly makes your mother jump up with glee. Your father says “This young Prince in the neighboring Kingdom, his father has lots of good things to say–”
“What about you guys?” you ask. It wasn’t that you particularly trusted their judgment, but you trusted them more than some other King who most definitely had a conflict of interest, “What do you guys think of him?”. This makes your parents pause for a moment before your mother goes, “Well… we haven’t quite met him yet”. 
Now, you weren’t very particular about who you were going to marry. You knew it was going to come eventually due to the nature of your family, but this made you angry. To not even know who they were marrying you off to? Have they truly stooped to this kind of stupidity? “So you don’t even know who he is and you want me to marry him?” you question, now somewhat aggressively. 
“We can take care of all that later my dear–” your mother starts again, but you aren’t having any of it “No! Getting married to someone I don’t know is bad enough but someone you guys don’t even know? That’s just absurd!” you yell out, which makes your father angry. “What’s absurd is not having an heir to the throne!” he yells out, his voice booming throughout the throne room. “You are to be married to this man regardless of your personal feelings on the matter” he yells out again. You can’t look at him. You can’t look at either of them. Your brain is starting to hurt and you can’t do anything. So you take one last look at them before silently leaving the throne room. 
Making it back to your bedroom, you spend the rest of the day looking out your window, watching as the sun sets and the moon shows its full glory. Thankfully, no one bothers you for the rest of the day, but you still have a pounding headache from the conversation. Various thoughts fill your head, from I can’t believe they would do this to I don’t think marriage would be that bad, right? All the way back to I shouldn’t even have to question whether it would be bad or not. You eventually decide that you need to clear your head and get some fresh air. Fresh air outside of this damn castle.
Looking out the window, your eyes focus on the forest ahead. The luscious green leaves sway from side to side as you look out at them, as if to call you towards them. Surely, it would be nice to walk through those woods. 
What? No! That’s a stupid decision, you could get lost. Or worse, killed.
Well… dead people can’t get married off to strangers.
That thought in mind, you grab a cloak from your closet and open up your window. The cold breeze of the night hits your face as you look out toward the forest, toward freedom… at least for a little while, that is. The only issue that stands in your way is how to get down. Looking down at the ground from your window, you definitely wouldn’t be able to jump without dying or getting injured. Not liking either of those options, you look around your room for anything that might help when you eye a pile of blankets in the corner of your room. Perfect. 
Man, these blankets are long as hell you think as you tie the pieces of fabric together. Once you finish, you securely tie one end to your bed frame and bring the other end out the window. The end of the makeshift rope hits the floor, and you have a mini celebration of your success. 
Feet hitting the ground, you’re able to slip past the guards and make your way out of the castle walls. You aren’t scared, far from it. For the first time in your life, you’re free. You’re giddy for a while and that joy only grows as you get further and further away from the castle. You’re finally able to take a breath, even if only for a mere few hours in the night.
There are no lights in the forest, and you didn’t bring a candle with you, so you only had the full moon to guide you. This was alright though, and you bathed in the moonlight for a while, being at peace. 
Your head is finally clear, and you’re able to stay in meditative thought as you walk through the woods.
Then, you hear a growl. 
You snap out of your thoughts and turn to the direction where the growl was heard. 
You hear another growl behind you. 
Then another. 
It’s a pack of wolves. 
And they’re surrounding you. 
You’re able to see their faces as they step into the moonlight out of the shadows. Their hungry eyes showing you that they do not intend to free you. The beasts give you no path of escape as they inch closer and closer to you. You had no other choice, you were going to be their dinner. Knowing your situation, you simply crouch down and close your eyes. Hopefully, it’ll be a quick death you think as you hear their excited growls and howls around you. 
One of the wolves prepares to lunge at you, but just as it’s about to, another force tackles the animal. 
“Huh?” you audibly say as you slowly open your eyes. When you look around yourself again, there are no more wolves to be seen, all of them taken away by a mysterious force. You are frozen in place. What in the world just happened? 
You can’t think for long though, as you realize…You sense someone else’s presence. 
You slowly turn around to find a large beast in the distance. No, that’s no beast, that’s a man. Except… Why does he have four arms? 
You think back to your conversation with your Lady in Waiting the other day. 
Shit. 
He’s slowly inching toward you. 
Shit. Shit. Shit. 
The better part of your brain knows to run, but you remain crouched and unmoving, frozen in fear. Eventually, he stands in front of you, looking down at your small form. 
They say he’s 9 feet, huh? You weren’t fully sure if that was correct, but he definitely looked like it from the way he was hovering above you. 
This feeling. It’s pure fear. You weren’t even this afraid when surrounded by the wolves, whom you were fully expecting to eat you. But this, you aren’t even able to breathe. Hell, you can’t breathe, you don’t know what’s come over you. He did save you, right? Maybe he isn’t so dangerous. Though, maybe he’s simply saving you for himself.
The clouds in the sky that were previously covering the moon now moved past, allowing the moonlight to shine on the man’s face, and you’re able to see four bright red eyes looking down at you. 
Not knowing what else to say, you just scream out “P-Please! Please don’t hurt me!”. It was different with the wolves, they wouldn’t have stopped no matter what you said. With this though… Was he more man than beast? Maybe he understood language? You were going to take all your chances, so you continued begging for your life. 
He seemed to have no reaction to your qualms, and simply slowly raised up his hand, getting ready to strike you. He took his time, as if you were so small that he didn’t even need to fully put in any effort to try to catch you. You didn’t give up, you continued to beg for your life until the last moment, hoping to get through to him. You kept on screaming. Kept on begging for your life until the very last moment when he swiftly brought his hand down to your face and–
You knocked out. 
“Princess! Oh Dear– Princess!” 
The voice of your Lady in Waiting wakes you up. Your head is throbbing with pain, and her frantic tone certainly wasn’t helping. 
“Huh?” you groan, you feel the grass from under you, you’re in front of the castle. You begin to slowly remember the events of the night before. Right… you left the castle, but how’d you get back here?
You suddenly remember the wolves and that man that saved you. You begin to frantically look around. Did he bring you back? 
Your Lady in Waiting makes it to you and begins to help you up. She decides to ask “Why are you on the floor?”. She’s picking the stray pieces of grass off of your hair and as you’re about to explain what happened, you realize how incriminating against you the story was. So, you simply tell her, “I’m not sure…”. 
Thankfully, she doesn’t question you any further, and simply goes “Let’s go give you a bath” as she takes your hand and leads you inside the castle. You turn around for a moment and look toward the forest. What the hell happened? 
The hot bath was more than needed to help clean off the dirt on your skin. The steam also helped to relax you as you organized your thoughts. You remember the four-armed man, and his bright red eyes. You think about how he saved you from death. You sounded ridiculous. Was that… a dream? You thought. No… it couldn’t be, it felt too real to merely be a dream. Though, if that was true, why did he save you from the wolves, and why did he bring you back to the castle? Ignoring all that, a man of that kind of build is something out of children’s books. 
It was going to bug you for the rest of your days, you had to go back to find out what on Earth happened last night. It would just be a short trip to confirm, you remembered most of your steps from that night. Plus, it was broad daylight now, surely there would be no predators roaming around.
If anyone heard you, it would sound like you had a death wish. Hell, you probably did… but there was something calling you to go back to investigate that man, and you’d be damned if you didn’t listen. 
Letting the water drip down your body as you leave the tub, you dry yourself off with a towel and pick out a dress. You went for something simple, as you needed to be able to move in case the worse happens and you get attacked by another animal. Or worse, if your new “friend” turned out to not be so friendly after all. 
You’re able to sneak your way through the guards again, and it was actually much easier this time. Turns out, your parents were away from the castle, meaning not as many guards stuck around to keep watch. 
“If I knew it was going to be this easy to leave, I would have snuck out before” You thought out loud in a quiet whisper. 
You find your way back to the forest and try your best to follow the path you remember going on the night before. You walk for a while before you see something of interest. 
Red blood stains paint the dirt coupled with scratch marks, no doubt from wolves. You look around your surroundings. While brighter now, they definitely looked familiar. There was no doubt, this was the place where your life nearly ended. 
So it wasn’t a dream. In your heart you already knew that, of course, the extra confirmation definitely helped. 
You think about your savior. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt to look for him, right? You look around once again, as if he would be standing in the same spot. You start to walk down the path further into the forest. You should be able to run into him eventually, right? Wait, why were you even looking for him? 
Against your better judgment, you call out to the stranger, “Um… excuse me sir but I just wanted to thank you for saving me last night”. Nothing. “If you can hear me please come out, I promise I mean peace”. Still nothing. 
After what felt like walking for hours, you nearly give up and decide to cut your losses and go home. That is, until you see a stone figure in the distance. Looking closer, you realize it’s a well. Curious, you walk towards it. Your fingers touch the rough stone of the abandoned well, and you wonder about the last time it was used. You decide to sit for a while and ponder near the spot. You think again about your marriage, and slowly begin to accept the reality of the situation. Hopefully, in the best case scenario, the Prince isn’t so bad. Hell, you’d accept halfway bearable. At least now, you know that when times get rough you’re able to go to the forest to think. 
You ponder a bit more and as you look down at the well, various things cross your mind. Whether they were good or bad, it didn’t matter to you. You were simply allowing your mind to roam wherever it saw fit. You were officially lost in thought. In fact, you were so lost in thought, that you didn’t even notice the giant form standing just behind you…
“Are you stupid?” You hear a gruff voice coming from behind you. 
Shocked, you forget that you’re near a well and jump up, screaming whilst you flail your arms out. This causes you to lose your balance and you fall into the well, causing you to scream even louder. You brace for your fall but it never comes. Instead, you find yourself caught between four large arms. 
“‘Tch, idiot” you hear, though you’re just glad that you’re alive. You’re brought back down to the glorious land, and you’re able to look up at the man in front of you. Looking at him, you see the obvious signs of your previous savior. The iconic four arms and four bright red eyes. Though, now that he’s in broad daylight, you notice some more things. Like the markings on his arms, his slicked back pink hair and a large mouth directly where his stomach is. Forget about children’s books, this man was unequivocally a monster. Though, you couldn’t help but think about how handsome he looked despite this. A stoic expression painted his face, despite showing clear annoyance toward your antics. Yes, handsome was the word to describe him. 
“Don’t stare. It’s weird” he says.
Then again, maybe you simply haven’t met many men. 
You’re about to respond with a comment of your own, when you feel a sharp sting on your leg. Wincing, you look down and you see blood trickling down your thigh. You must have gotten scratched while falling down the well. 
“Ow…” you say quietly, lifting up your dress. The man heard your pains, but didn’t pay it much mind. Rolling his eyes, he simply turned around to another side of the woods and said “You’ll live”. 
“Wait!” you reach out, grabbing at his clothes. This annoyed the man and he attempted to pull your hand away, you don’t budge though. “It hurts!” you yell out at him. He continues to try to get your hand off of him, and he yells out, “Not my problem!”. Finally, he’s free from your hand and pushes you away, causing you to fall backwards. “Owww…” you say, again. Today was certainly not your lucky day.
He’s about to walk away from you when he turns around for a second. Looking at you, he saw your pathetic display, covered in dirt, crouching down afraid to touch your minor cut. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. Groaning, he walks toward you and picks you up, easily carrying you over his shoulder. “Hey what are you–” 
“Quiet.” he says, “Don’t make me regret this, brat”. You do as he says. You weren’t afraid of him anymore. How could you be? If he wanted to kill you, he had several chances to do so. Hell, there were multiple instances when nature nearly did the job for him. So you decide to trust him as he carries you through an unknown part of the forest. 
He places you down inside an open cave. Based on the various items around, you assume it’s where he lives. You look around and see makeshift weapons and pieces of cloth sprawled about in the area. It definitely could be better, but it was pretty good for someone who lived in the wild. 
You see him as he takes one of the clean pieces of cloth and pats it on your leg. It stung like hell every time he padded the white cloth onto your skin, but he didn’t seem to care much about your tiny reactions. After a bit you both settle into a quiet, almost intimate feeling as he caresses your thigh, trying to clean the blood off your leg. You were used to getting taken care of, but this, this felt different. 
You take your chance to speak. “Thank you, again…” you say. 
He doesn’t say anything back, only muttering a soft “Whatever” to himself as he continues patting the area.
You continue to try to initiate small talk, saying things like “So… this is your house, how nice” and “The woods are lovely aren’t they?”. This doesn’t earn much of a reaction from him, and it seems that the small smidge of a reaction that you do see, is one of annoyance. You decide to give up, but not before asking him one more question. 
“What’s your name?” you ask. 
He stops for a bit, hesitating, and you assume that he won’t answer, when he says “Ryomen”. 
Pleasantly surprised that he actually answered you, you excitedly ask “Ryomen what?” with a smile. 
He gives a short groan in annoyance and mumbles “Ryomen Sukuna” as he rolls his eyes, still trying to focus on padding down your wound. You no longer mind the pain, instead you’re happy that you’re able to get him to open up. 
“That’s a nice name” you compliment him, and he just gives a low hum in response. 
He finishes patching you up and begins to walk away as he stands, “You’re a big girl, now scram” he tries to be intimidating, though it no longer works on you. You thank him profusely and it seems to do nothing but make him more annoyed as he focuses on anything else but you. 
“Oh I have one more question!” you say as you stand up from your spot. 
“‘Course you do…” he says, you take this as an invitation to keep talking, and you ask him the one question that’s been bugging your mind, “How did you know I lived in the castle?” 
He simply looked at you and gave you a blank stare and said, “You’re asking me that when you go out dressed like… that? It’s obvious”. He looks you up and down as he says the words, causing you to look down at your choice of wear. Oh yeah… of course, you couldn’t hide it if you tried. Though, it at least helped bring you home. Getting your answer, you simply walk away, not wanting to press him further. 
His peace doesn’t last long, however, as you come back. Then, you come back again, and again, and again. 
It started with you bringing a basket of food to him. Something simple, such as some fruits. “I wanted to give you this to thank you for all you’ve done” you said. When you offered him the basket he took the food and left, planning to leave you alone. He didn’t even say a word to you, let alone a thank you. Somewhat offended, you yelled out a “Wait!”, which caused him to turn around. “I thought… we would be eating together” you said, looking down at the floor.
He stopped for a moment before sitting down, grumbling as he took an apple and bit on it. Well… bit is an understatement, he absolutely ravaged the apple, leaving not even the core. 
“You… you eat the core?” you ask him, genuinely concerned for what it might do to his health. 
He just looked at you, chewing on a seed, and said “I don’t waste food” before going back to abusing the rest of the fruits on the basket, all while you stay content with your single bunch of grapes. 
Outside of that short conversation, you two don’t speak to each other. When he finished eating, Sukuna got up and left, not even uttering a single goodbye. However, this was far from the last time you two spoke. 
Every day, you brought him food from the castle. Every day, you insisted that he sit with you to eat it. You weren’t exactly sure why you did all this, maybe it was an excuse to get away from the castle, or maybe you were simply intrigued by the man you visited. You two hardly ever spoke at first, how could you? Sukuna hated your presence, not for any particular reason, he just wasn’t very fond of humans. However, he loved food more than he hated you, so he never complained and was never outright malicious. 
One time though, after a few weeks of you two meeting, he snapped and said, “Stop coming here, brat”. You looked up at him, the bread you brought in hand, and gave him a simple “No”. This response caused him to growl under his teeth, but he didn’t push it. He didn’t want to admit it, but he started to enjoy being around you. It sucked being alone, and most people didn’t want to go near him. Plus, the small number of people who were brave enough to face him were in it to kill him, so he was willing to accept having you around, as simple minded as you were. Finishing the food, he got up as usual, except this time he said “You’re lucky this food is good”, before walking away. 
That small interaction seemed to open the doors for you two to get closer. Eventually, you two began speaking as you ate. Mostly small talk, sometimes you’d touch on your arranged marriage, but it was a topic you wanted to avoid as much as possible. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind brushing over it. 
Even after you two ate, you continued to speak to each other. Mostly walking around the forest, you would ask him about the various plants and wildlife. Something that he seemed highly knowledgeable about, always diligently explaining everything around the forest to you. 
You two sometimes met at night as well. You would steal some food from dinner (something that allowed you to actually look forward to the occasion) and bring it for the two of you to have. While eating, you would look up at the stars together, basking in the light they give off. 
“I can feel you staring at me” you say, looking at him through the side of your eye. He doesn’t let up, in fact, he grows more confident, turning his entire body around to face you. “Sorry, I just couldn’t help but notice something about your face”. You turn around to face him, curious about what he might say. “I swear to God if you say something stupid I will personally poke one of your eyes out–” 
“Your eyes shine more than the stars do,” he cuts you off. You look at him, his face is as calm as it usually is, he’s serious. You aren’t sure what to say, and you stutter around your words, until you hear a hearty laugh and Sukuna’s face scrunched up in a chuckle “Oh man– I can’t believe that corny ass line got you… you really do need to go outside more” he says as he laughs some more, crossing his four arms over his head. Your face is flushed and red from embarrassment and you tackle the man “Ryomen Sukuna!” you yell out, “That’s it, I’m poking your eyes out!”. Sukuna is able to fight you off with his superior strength, and when your embarrassment cools down, you’re able to have a bit of a laugh as well. 
“Well lookie here…” Sukuna says, looking down at you as you struggle being tangled up between some long plants. “Ain’t this a sight to see… so early in the morning too” he chuckles. The food you brought him for the day now on the floor, you continue struggling before you yell out “Ryomen stop staring like a weirdo and come help me!”. He laughs again and goes “I don’t know… there’s no more food so I can just leave you here” he pretends to turn around to leave you. You know he isn’t being fully serious, but in frustration you swing around and begin yelling his name some more. “Okay fine, fine…” he says, as he cuts the plants with his nails “Waitwaitwaitwait—” is all you say before you fall to the floor. It wasn’t a huge fall, but it was enough to hurt. “Ow…” you say, your arms absorbing most of the fall, and thus, most of the pain. Sukuna keeps laughing, “Oops…Hahahaha” he smiles as you stare daggers at him. 
You’re able to get up on your own and pat most of the dirt away. “You know man I’m not really in the mood today” you say as you try your best to look a little more proper. “Oh? What’s wrong?” he asks, still half-joking based on his tone. Still, you answer seriously “I’m meeting my husband today… my family’s holding some stupid party”. You say it like it isn’t a big deal, but Sukuna can read in your face that the thought seriously upsets you, so he lightens up a bit. 
He pats you on the head with one of his hands and goes “Come on… it’s about time I give you some food, yeah? Let’s go hunting”. He begins running, slow enough for you to follow, but fast enough for you to have to catch up with him. You mindlessly follow him before going “Wait… hunting? Wait, I don't wanna– RYOMEN!”. 
Ballroom music plays as you stand amongst the crowd of people, trying your best to keep up appearances. This was technically your engagement party, but with how far you and your future husband seem to be from each other, no one would be able to guess. That, and your “fiancé” flirting with every woman he could lay his eyes upon. Every woman but you, of course. You didn’t miss the way his face dropped the moment he laid his eyes on you. You didn’t mind this, as you weren’t too pleased with his appearance either. Still, the least he could do is suck it up and take it for the day the way you were expected to. Alas, it seems his favorite course of action for the night was to humiliate you by having a public display of his flirtation before you two are even married.
You try to use this to your advantage, “Look at him, mother…” you say to the woman standing next to you, she’s giving out her brightest and fakest smiles to all the guests “You can’t possibly expect me to marry him” you tell her. “You can and will…” your mother says through smiling teeth, she isn’t done though, she never is “If you took better care of yourself, maybe his behavior would be different” she drops her act for a moment, before going back to greeting guests. 
You let out a sigh of sadness and anger, everything felt horrible. Suddenly, the dress you’re wearing is a tad too tight, the music feels a bit too loud, and there’s too many people. Your mother’s comments as she watches your future husband embarrass you doesn’t help either. You need to leave, and you need to leave fast. You somehow find a way to slip out of the party without many people noticing and try to make your way to the only place you felt safe– the forest. 
You somehow make it to Sukuna’s resting spot despite the way you’re dressed. Your feet have blisters all over from your shoes but that doesn’t matter. You’re finally safe here… 
Sukuna immediately notices you and is prepared with a joke, “Woah who let the–”
“Shut up” you cut him off. You knew his comments were mostly in pure fun, and you enjoyed them for the most part, but today was not one of those times. 
Sukuna understood this, and simmered down. “Bad day?” he asks, though he already knew the answer. 
Tears stinging your eyes, you simply look down at the floor and nod. Sukuna pats down a spot next to him and goes “Tell me about it”. 
You take the invitation, and tell him all about your woes. The full story of your forced marriage, the pressure to have an heir, the humiliation you felt as you saw the man you were publicly marrying flirt with as many women as he could right in front of everyone. You were like a river on a broken dam. 
Sukuna didn’t say anything until you were finished, and even once you were, all he said was “Man, what assholes”. It seemed like a mindless comment, but to hear someone else finally say it was enough for you. You two sat in silence for a while before Sukuna looked at you and went “You don’t deserve any of that, I’m sorry”. He was actually fully serious for once. You two locked eyes for a while, not saying a word. You took a while to study his face. You realized this while first meeting him, but it really hit you now. His ever calming facial expressions, the way his eyes looked at you, the way his hair was perfectly slicked back, it was without a doubt, he was devilishly handsome. 
You kissed him. You weren’t sure why. Maybe it was frustration from this terrible day and you weren’t thinking straight, or maybe, just maybe, it was something more. Sukuna seemed shocked from the sudden kiss, but he held no complaints as he kissed you back. Opening your mouth, both your tongues intertwined for some time… a long time, before both of you pulled back for air, with only the string of saliva connecting your two lips serving as proof of what you did. 
Forget not thinking straight, this was the clearest your mind had been for a while. You reach your hand out toward his groin, he knew what you were trying to ask him… but still, you go “Please?” as you rub him through the thin cloth. He’s hard. 
Thankfully, he keep you waiting, and he stood up as you got on your knees. Before he let you pull down his clothing though, he said “Don’t be too shocked at what you see, alright?”. You simply nod, not understanding what he meant at first. However, pulling down his thin robes, you came face to face with exactly what he meant as two, almost comically large, penises slap against your face. You stare at him wide-eyed for a moment before you fully digest what’s in front of you. It should’ve been obvious, really. He had twice as many of almost every feature on his body, why wouldn’t he have two cocks?
Fully composed now, you take your tongue and drag it across his bottom shaft, licking all the way up to the tip of his dick. You try your best to suck as far down as possible while also jerking off his top shaft to keep your attention at both. Sukuna seemed pretty happy with this treatment, as you hear various moans and groans from the man standing above you. You try your best to interchange your mouth between his two cocks, trying to find just the right spots for his pleasure. You’re able to get his cock even deeper down your throat with Sukuna’s help, as he brings his hand to your head and begins fucking your mouth.
“D-Damn… Hah… You learn this in the castle?” he laughs in between his moans. You glare up at him, though all you can really do is give him an angry groan with his dick stuffing your mouth. This doesn’t deter him however, as he feels your mouth’s vibrations throughout his cock. Still, he sees your angry face as you suck him off, so he smiles and says a small “Sorry… hehe” as he pulls your mouth off his dick. 
You pant for a while, saliva coating both your face and his dicks. He lets you rest for a bit but not before bending you over. “There we go,” he says, as he rips the fabric of your dress from your body. You don’t care though, you didn’t care for anything else anymore, you just needed him inside of you and you needed it quick. He aligns his bottom cock with your pussy, but he doesn’t move. You try to move back, but he keeps your hips still to stop your movement. “R-Ryomen… what are you doing?” you ask, halfway begging for him to just put it in. 
He chuckles for a bit before he tells you “I want you to beg for it” as he rubs his tip against your slick folds. 
Right. 
He might be horny right now, but he’s still the same asshole. 
You play along, willing to basically do anything to get him inside you. You go “P-Please?” in the softest voice you could. This wasn’t satisfactory for Sukuna, however, as he slaps you ass and says “You can do better than that! Come on– try harder”. 
You’re getting frustrated, and you had half a mind to force his dick inside yourself, but with his hands still on your hips, you just keep begging “Please please Ryomen, please put your dick inside of me…please pleas– ahh!” 
He slammed his full length inside of you all at once, shocking you as your body tries to quickly get used to having him inside of you. “Ryomen! That was mean!” you squirm out, looking at him from behind you. He looked back at you and went “Shh… I’m sorry, it’s okay though, yeah?” he smiles softly as he begins to slowly thrust in and out of you. “It doesn’t hurt too bad, right?” he asks you, and you nod in approval, silently asking him to go faster. Almost as if he could read your mind, his thrusts get faster, and he goes “Yeah… Let’s go give those assholes the heir they want so bad, yeah?” he laughs as he abuses your pussy with his dick. 
He flips you around after a while, and you’re able to face him as he fucks you. You looked down at where your genitals met and saw as the dick that wasn’t inside of you stood resting on top of your body, almost as a way to show how deep in you he was, as if you couldn’t already feel it. It also rubbed against your clit every so often as Sukuna continued thrusting. You began to jerk him off as he thrusted against you. In and out, in and out, you were in bliss, it felt perfect, it was absolutely perfect. 
Perfect. That was the word Sukuna kept repeating as he kept fucking you, almost as if he wasn’t absolutely ruining you. No man was going to ever match him, you knew this just by feeling him. Still, he kept on going on about how perfect you were “You and this perfect fuckin’ pussy, hah, it’s going to be the end of me” he says as his thrusts get sloppier and faster. He’s close. It’s okay though, you were as well. 
Both of your moans and skin slapping against skin are the only things that can be heard as you both came. Both of his cocks came simultaneously, with one spraying cum all over your body as the other coated your insides. You were unequivocally his now, but that was okay, everything was okay. You were too fucked out to care about anything anymore, the world seemed so small now that you felt this pleasure.
You're getting dizzy, and your vision slowly goes black as you pass out from exhaustion. 
When you came to, you found yourself back in your room wearing a nightgown. You don’t recall ever coming back, so he must have brought you back on his own and changed you. You would have thought it was all a hazy wet dream, but looking at your night stand, you saw the little bit of ripped fabric from last night’s dress. Definitely not a dream. 
“You’ve embarrassed us!” your mother’s yells boom throughout the throne room. Turns out, going missing at your own engagement party is a big no-no to a lot of people. Your mother goes on and on about how no one was able to find you, and how you seemed to vanish out of thin air. How guards looked everywhere throughout the castle to no avail until someone found you sleeping in your room. 
“Thankfully…” your mother sighs, “The Prince is willing to give you another chance, and is still going to marry you”. 
Your stomach boils with rage at this, they weren’t worried at all! They just cared about the marriage, once again. With all the might in your soul, you yell out a big “No!” toward your parents. This shocks the King and Queen, and the latter slowly walks toward you, going “No? What do you mean…no?”. 
You stutter for a bit, before you go, in the bravest voice you could, “I…I’m not going to marry him”. 
SLAP. 
Your mother strikes you across your face before she turns around, almost as if she’s too disgusted to even look at you. As if you said something so treacherous. She doesn’t say anything, but calls for the guards. As they grab at your arms she goes, “Make sure she doesn’t leave the room, use any force necessary”. This makes your eyes go wide. The marriage was one thing, but not being able to leave was another. “Wait–Wait no…” you yell out, struggling against the guards “Stop! Mom! Stop them! Wai–”.
The doors slowly close in your face as you see your mother walk back to her throne. You continue to try to struggle against the guards to no avail, they throw you into your room and slam the door shut. You attempt to climb down the window but you see the guards posted out there as well. They must have realized what was going on you thought.
You begin to sob. Your first thoughts are of Sukuna. What’s going to happen now? You think back to all your memories of the past few months together, how you felt happy. It wasn’t the fake, saturated, happiness you were used to in the castle, it was real, and you might never get the chance to feel it again. 
Weeks pass…though they feel more like years. You spend your days looking out the window toward the forest, you think of Ryomen and wonder how he must be. You think of your last day together, how you never even said goodbye. Every so often you see him in the distance, and you wave to each other, but even he notices the guards by your window, you see a faint sadness in his face. It was alright, these brief few seconds waving to each other was enough to keep you sane at least, and you needed it as your wedding day inched closer and closer. 
On your wedding day, you saw yourself in the mirror. You looked beautiful, wearing a gorgeous white dress and a tiara filled with what seems to be a thousand jewels. Though, it’s hard to truly look at yourself and not feel the least bit upset. The jewels… They looked like the stars. You remember the time you and Sukuna laid under those very same stars, and sadness once again paints your face. 
You dreaded this day, but now that it actually came, you don’t feel many feelings toward it. You only feel numb as you try to dissociate as much as possible. You simply try your best to get the day over with, holding out hope that after the day is over, your restrictions are lowered and you’re able to sneak out into the forest again.
Making your way to the altar, you face your husband. He looks bored as ever, clearly wanting to do this as much as you did. You were okay with this, this means that he wouldn’t bother trying to find out your whereabouts if you suddenly disappeared in random spurts. As the marriage ceremony began, you zoned out. As they go through the traditions, you’re simply thinking about all the things you’d do if you’re finally freed. That is, until you hear the head guard interrupt the ceremony. 
“Apologies for the intrusion, but my men and I have a special gift for the newly-wed royals…” as he says this, the gates open showing a group of guards, and they’re dragging… no. 
“Behold! The four-armed beast! Can you all believe he was sitting right by the castle… how stupid of him to believe he wouldn’t be caught by our men”. 
The audience gasps as Sukuna struggles against his chains, the two of you lock eyes. If he weren’t in such danger right now, you would run to him in an instant to hold him close, making sure to never let go. 
Looking at the Prince, the guard asks “How does the future King feel about slaying this monstrous beast?” 
Shit. Fuck. 
You needed to think fast, you had to somehow stop this from happening. The Prince accepts the offer with a sinister smile, and he reaches for his sword as Sukuna continues to struggle. In your panic, you grab the sword of one of the guards and stab the Prince directly in the chest.
Blood trickling down his chest… he looks at you, no… he glares at you. Everyone stops for a moment in shock, as if this was the last thing any of them ever expected to happen. Suddenly, someone yells “TREASON!” pointing at you, and guards begin to surround you. Taking advantage of the messy situation, Sukuna is able to break free from his chains and run to grab you. Fighting off guards, you and Sukuna run as fast as possible to get away from the crowd.  
You’re both somehow able to outrun the people, mostly thanks to Sukuna’s speed, but this doesn’t stop people from trying to chase you both. Looking behind you for a quick second, you see nothing but a crowd of people yelling with weapons. Wanting to get away at any cost, you followed Sukuna into the shadows of the forest. 
Despite making it to the forest, you two continued running as fast as you could to the opposite direction from the kingdom. Thankfully, Sukuna’s stamina seemingly never runs out, and he’s able to run far. You two only stop after what feels like hundreds of miles, and you aren’t able to hear any people nor see any outline of the kingdom. 
You’re not sure if it’s the adrenaline from running, or if it’s the fact that you two haven’t seen each other for weeks, but the first thing you two do when you stop is make out. The two of you haven’t even uttered a single word to each other yet, but that didn’t matter right now. All you needed was his touch, for him to fully mark you as his. 
He seamlessly ripped apart your wedding dress as he kissed you. The very same dress that served to show the ownership your future husband would have over you was now in pieces on the floor. 
He carefully dropped both of you down on that same floor as you both continued locking lips. Taking his own clothes off, he wrapped your legs around his hips as he aligned one of his cocks with your needy pussy. Wordlessly, he began thrusting against you like a man starved, and perhaps he was starved. He thought he was never going to see you again, now that he had you, he had no intentions of letting go.
You still had your tiara on, though not for long. As with every thrust of his hips the tiara slowly slipped away. Eventually, it fell off with a loud clunk on the floor. This didn’t deter either of you, though, nothing could deter the two of you at this point. 
You continued holding him tight while moaning and giving him sloppy kisses until at one point, you felt something wet rubbing against your clit. Confused, you look down and see his stomach mouth in its full glory, its long tongue flicking against your clit over and over, making a moaning mess out of you. You held Sukuna tighter, making sure to not abandon his other cock and kept jerking him off as he went in and out of you.
“I missed you” is the first thing he says to you in between the pants of exhaustion and pleasure. You moan at him to let him know you heard. Looking at your face, he notices tears coating the corners of your eyes. Still feeling him in your guts and your emotions all over the place, you try your best to choke out a sentence, “I— I thought you were going to die” you finally begin crying out, fully digesting the terrible situation you two were in just a few moments ago. 
“Shh…” Sukuna coos, holding you tight “I looked for you at your window every day, you saw that, right?” He asked you, and you nodded, holding him even tighter. 
“Every. Damn. Day” he says, thrusting in your pussy in between each word. “I couldn’t believe that fucker was going to be married to you” he scoffs, looking away for a moment before looking back at your face “Pissed me off”. Still lost in pleasure at the combination of his lower tongue and dick, you aren’t able to respond.
He doesn’t mind this though, as his thrusts simply get even faster and even more desperate. He’s close, and you were too. “You’re mine… only mine” he growls in your ear as he cums all over your body once again. You follow suit not far after, still the same mess you were before.
It was in this bliss that he said it, the words that you both already had at the tips of your tongues…
“I love you” Sukuna whispered into your ear. He whispered it so softly, in fact, that you might have missed it if you weren’t paying attention. You grab his face and cup his cheeks, looking at the gorgeous man in front of you, and with all the love in your heart, you say it back “I love you too”. 
He let out a sigh of relief at your words, as if he almost didn’t expect you to say them, and touched your lips with his own once again. “You’re mine” he repeats, and you had no intention of proving him wrong.
The next few hours are spent with the two of you cuddling on the forest floor together and giving each other sloppy kisses. You knew in your heart at that moment, holding Sukuna’s large body against your own, that you had no intention of ever going back to that cold and lonely castle, and Sukuna wasn’t going to let you go either, with his four muscular arms holding you against him as you both laid on the floor.  
Once you both cooled down, you looked down awkwardly at your naked body. Sukuna noticed and asked what was wrong. Looking down at your wedding dress, you go “Uhh… those were my only clothes”. Sukuna chuckles, and picked up a ripped up piece of fabric, tying it around you to make a new makeshift “dress”, “There ‘ya go, perfect” he pecks your lips as he gives you a toothy grin. You both simply laugh and you lean into his arm. 
“Well… what do we do now?” Sukuna asks you, he was willing to do anything that you wanted. Hell, he’d run thousands more miles to the edge of the Earth for you if you really asked him to. You think for a moment, before going “Well I can’t go back now… I’m probably charged with treason.. Haha”, you say half-jokingly, though you most definitely would be dead if you went back. 
So… the two just kept walking, camping out in different spots of the forest. Thankfully, Sukuna had great survival skills when it came to this, and you turned out to be a quick learner when it came to having to live in the wild. 
Eventually, you two stumbled upon an old abandoned cottage, and were able to live there permanently after fixing it up a bit. At first, you two were worried at the prospect of people possibly coming around, but that fear disappeared as the days went on. You only had each other in these deep woods. Though, that was all either of you truly needed in this world. 
He was a monster. Though, at this point… you were probably one too. 
You never did find out what happened to your kingdom after you ran away. It no longer mattered though, as you were now finally free to live life on your own terms. 
There were no more duties to attend to, no Kings and Queens to please, no marriage to be forced into, all that was left to do was live Happily Ever After. 
A/N: I poured out my soul to this story so thank you so much for reading :,) 
627 notes · View notes
vinsmokesangio · 9 days
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'You’ve always had me' | Trafalgar D. Law x female!reader 
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pairing: trafalgar law x female!reader, a little bit of sanji x reader, but nothing serious. summary: You and Law have been childhood friends, having gone through similar traumas in the North Blue. You never left his side, becoming the first member of the Heart Pirates and consequently Law's second-in-command. During your crew's alliance with the Straw Hat Pirates, Law sees you getting very close to Sanji aboard the Thousand Sunny and feels an inexplicable jealousy.
cw: SFW, angst with happy ending, friends to lovers, fluff | heavy use of ‘y/n’ for grammar purpose 😛 wc: 1.4k author’s note: this is my first time writing for One Piece! I hope you like it! ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦··············•✦•······················•✦········
Just before departing from Zou, Law discusses strategies aboard the Straw Hat’s Thousand Sunny, deciding to travel to Wano on their ship while Law's crew remains on the Polar Tang. After a long discussion, Law notices y/n from afar, engaged in an animated conversation with Sanji. A pang of jealousy stirs within him as he watches. Sanji flirts, of course, and y/n laughs—a laugh that always made Law's heart clench, though he’d never admit it. That beautiful laugh only Bepo usually brought out of y/n, the one Law secretly adored.
Y/n observes Sanji eagerly as he adds spices to a cauldron, smiling at every word he says. Law, unable to bear it any longer, strides toward them. His face remains stoic, but jealousy burns in his eyes.
“Hey, Captain! Try this!” y/n says excitedly, offering a spoonful of sauce Sanji had prepared. Law, however, doesn’t even glance at y/n when he replies, his gaze still fixed on Sanji.
“No, I don’t want it,” he says coldly, still staring at Sanji, who looks back with a smirk.
“It’s a good thing he doesn’t want it, y/n-chan. I made it just for you,” Sanji teases, winking. Y/n smiles, but Law’s face burns, and he fights the urge to punch that perverted cook. Instead, he watches y/n taste the sauce and practically explode with happiness.
“Oh my God, this is so good, Sanji! Are you sure you don’t want to try it, Law?” y/n beams, her excitement palpable. But her joy is cut short when Law snaps at her.
“I said no, y/n!” His voice booms, loud enough to catch the attention of some of the crew members scattered around the ship. Y/n flinches, wide-eyed. Sanji, enraged by how Law had spoken to her, yells back at him, but neither y/n nor Law listens. Her heart races, and she finally explodes.
“Seriously, what’s wrong with you? You’ve been rude to me since this morning!” Her voice trembles, and her legs shake. In all the years of friendship, Law had never raised his voice at y/n or acted so coldly toward her. Among the Heart Pirates, everyone knew Law only let his guard down when y/n was around, trusting her deeply. But ever since they allied with the Straw Hats, Law had been treating y/n differently, and now she had reached her breaking point.
Nami, sensing the tension between them, steps in to help.
“Sanji-kun! Why don’t you show me some of your new desserts, huh?” Nami suggests, luring Sanji away. With hearts in his eyes, Sanji follows her, leaving Law and y/n alone in the kitchen.
For a long time, Law remains silent after Nami and Sanji leave. He keeps his back turned to y/n, sensing the growing tension. Yet, his pride holds him back from admitting what’s bothering him. After a while, he finally speaks, still not looking at her.
“Nothing’s wrong with me,” he says coldly, but y/n can tell he's hiding something.
“I know something’s wrong. I trust you. You trust me. We grew up together! Just stop being such an asshole whenever I’m around!” her voice breaks, exhausted by the situation. Law is caught off guard by the crack in her voice—it was rare for y/n to sound this vulnerable. His heart aches, but he struggles to find the words. Admitting that he was jealous of the attention y/n gave to Sanji felt too difficult. He envied the way Sanji could make her laugh and smile—something Law couldn’t seem to do. But he was too proud to say it, even though y/n had always been close to him.
“You’re not going to say anything, are you? Fine.” y/n sighed, frustrated, and started to leave. Law watched as she walked away, anger and disappointment evident on her face. Guilt gnawed at him—he knew he was the reason she was upset. He wanted to explain and apologize, but his stubbornness held him back. Cursing under his breath, he slammed his fist against the counter, frustrated with himself for not being able to say how he truly felt.
Later that night, Law finds y/n sitting on the deck, enjoying the sea breeze. She looks calmer, but her swollen face suggests she had been crying. Guilt grips him as he approaches silently and stands beside her. Neither says anything for a while.
“If you came to treat me badly again, you can leave,” y/n says coldly, not taking her eyes off the sea. Law takes a deep breath before speaking.
“I didn’t come to treat you badly… I came to talk.”
Y/n turns her face to him, her gaze serious. Law almost loses his nerve seeing those eyes he loves staring back at him. She gives him a silent signal to continue.
“I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I was being a jerk, and I didn’t mean to be like that with you,” Law admits.
“Why? Why have you been so mean to me since we made this alliance with the Straw Hats?” y/n asks softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Law hesitates but knows he has to be honest. His heart pounds as he prepares to admit his feelings.
“I’ve been feeling… jealous.”
Y/n freezes, her heart racing. She hadn’t expected that answer. All she can whisper is a quiet, “���What?”
“I’ve been jealous because… I don’t like seeing you spend so much time with that stupid cook and laughing so freely with him. It makes me angry and frustrated,” Law admits, clenching his fists.
Y/n processes his words in disbelief. Law? Jealous? Of Sanji? She never imagined it. After taking a deep breath, she responds.
“You… You’re jealous of me? With Sanji?” her voice is calm, and Law nods, still avoiding her gaze.
“Yes, I am. I know it’s childish, but the thought of you with him makes my blood boil. I don’t know why, but I just can’t help it,” he says, still clenching his fists.
“Law, look at me,” y/n says, taking his hand, forcing him to meet her eyes. Slowly, he turns, heart pounding.
“Me and Sanji… we’re just friends. He’s also from North Blue, and we were talking about that…” y/n tries to explain but hesitates, unsure if she wants to know exactly how Law feels. She takes several deep breaths, trying to speak but always stopping short.
“What is it?” Law asks softly, noticing her struggle.
“Why are you jealous? Tell me the truth, Law,” y/n presses. Law, surprised by the direct question, freezes momentarily before sighing heavily.
“I don’t know… I just don’t like seeing you with him. It makes me feel… upset. And angry.” Vulnerability wasn’t part of his usual demeanor, but with y/n, he couldn’t hide. He looks down at the sea again.
“What do you really feel about me?” y/n’s voice cracks as she asks, avoiding his eyes.
Law hears the emotion in her voice, making his heart hurt. He finally looks at her, eyes filled with frustration and sadness.
“I… I feel a lot of things. We grew up together. I care about you, but lately… those feelings have grown into something more. I’ve been struggling with them, especially when I see you with Sanji.”
Y/n, shocked and unsure of what to say, stumbles over her words. Law, anxious, assumes she doesn’t feel the same and starts to leave, but she grabs his hand.
“Wait! Just… wait.”
Law freezes, heart pounding as she stops him. Her touch makes his heart race faster. He looks at her, waiting for her to speak.
Terrible at expressing her feelings, acts on instinct. She pulls him close and kisses him intensely. Law is taken by surprise, but quickly responds, pulling her closer and pouring all his pent-up emotions into the kiss.
Slowly, y/n pulls away. With their foreheads touching, she whispers, “I feel the same way… about you… but I was so afraid of mixing things up…”
Relief floods Law as he hears her confession. He lets out a shaky breath, still holding her close. Vulnerable, he admits, “Me too… But I can’t hide my feelings anymore. I want you.”
“You’ve always had me,” y/n smiles, gently stroking his blushing cheeks. Law smiles back, kissing her again, relieved by her reciprocation. Their kiss is abruptly interrupted by the sound of a loud crash from the ship's deck.
“Dammit, Usopp, you idiot!!” Nami, Usopp, and Chopper, who had been spying on them, had fallen over. Y/n bursts into laughter as Law storms off, completely irritated, chasing after them.
“ROOM. SHAMBLES.”
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evilminji · 2 months
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Not my usual Fandom BUT...
You know what would be and always is fascinating/interesting/hilarious? For want of a nail type, "tiny change or little action spiral into great and sweeping change" type fics! ESPECIALLY when combined with my dearly beloved Self Insert troupe!
Because? I DO so love the Self Insert! Not so much for the "I can fix it" or power fantasy, as the ability to wander... a stranger in a strange land. Both familiar yet removed. Known to us yet... not. The major actors, major events, certainly. But the lives of the average person?
The noodle shop owner? The ship salesman? A janitor?
We know nothing about this strange new world from their point of view. What secrets can be found in this or that little shop, well off the common path. And it is FASCINATING! Especially if the Insert wasn't particularly FAMILIAR with the source material. Knew enough to get by, perhaps, too know they are in danger... but not enough to twist events to their favor. Assuming they even had the type of personality to TRY such things.
No, no...
What I? Want to see?
What I think would be FASCINATING?
Is a TRUE carry over. Adult mind to adult mind. Someone settled in their ways. Not bold and terribly adventurous, not willing to recklessly seek out danger and pain. No. They know they are going to die. They know they HAVE died. They are now a Jedi. And can feel the Force... and?
It just... helps.
They let go. Yes, perhaps some plans to protect the younglings. If they can. But their ultimately IS no death, only the Force. It is scary, they acknowledge, frightening even. But they... find calm. Acceptance.
They meditate. Open themselves up to the Force and give up their worry and fears, their regrets. All the terrible burdens they brought with them from their past life. It's honestly a bittersweet sort of relief. Ironic, that such a troubled age should be their most peaceful.
Of course... opening yourself up like that? Reaching out so deeply and with such conviction? It's like painting a "hey! I'm right here! I'm definitely going to listen if you say something to me!" Sign on your forehead, where the Force can see it.
So? It DOES.
But unlike Anikin? The Insert isn't a Fighter. So the Force doesn't tell them to fight. After all, every part has its place in the grand machine of Life. Every actor their place on the stage. Sometimes? To change the galaxy? All you need is someone to be on the right planet, at the right time, ready to hold a door open for the right person.
And that's it.
Not everything needs be grand sweeping actions. It can, instead, be the quiet drip drip drip of medicine applied behind a Sith Lord's back. To undo the damage he has wrought. So when comes the time for his plans to unfold? He does NOT find the support he was counting on to succeed. Instead he finds resistance.
But HOW? How would such a thing be DONE? By a YOUNGLING no less?
A youth with no power? Be it social, political, or physical? AND beneath the Sith Lord's very nose? Without being STOPPED? With said youngling being KILLED? Quite simply! Easily, in fact! By embracing the purest of the Light!
Fun.
Who among us, does NOT know of the parasocial relationship? The feeling of knowing someone, considering them "good" and "something like a friend" dispite never once having spoken to them? Being FOND of them? Wouldn't YOU not defend them? If someone sought to HURT them? KILL them? You KNOW them so very WELL don't you? This person speaks LIES about them!
And what of the Adorable Youngling? Small and Cute? Look at their little cheeks and tiny hands! How precious! Why, we have watched them GROW! They are practically family!
But where does the FUN I speak of come into this? Simple. The Holonet. Crechemaster's trying to corral an adult in the body of a child. The Insert is BORED. At peace, yes. But you can really only meditate so many hours of the day. Lessons only take up so much and class work the same. They aren't at an age where the SERIOUS lessons begin yet.
So they have too much free time.
..........have you heard about "Video Game #55? It's apparently got more Video AND Game then ever!" Intriguing~ But, oh. Playing it ALONE it BORING. And playing with... well, INFANTS, is... an exercise in patience. Plus it's probably not appropriate for them. Hmmmmm..... you KNOW.... Insert really DOES miss? Watching Let's Plays over breakfast/lunch...
They've never MADE one... but they know they general script and idea? And for Some Reason? It feels like a GREAT way to pass the time! Yeah! Let's do THAT! And so the Force nudges. Tiny. Seemingly inconsequential. The Master's try to shut it down, Insert is stubborn and refuses, they talk it out. Because they are Jedi and authoritarian force is not their way. Is it frustrating? Perhaps. But the only cure for ignorance is knowledge.
They ultimately compromise. Insert get to keep their little game thing, THEY make sure Insert is compromising Temple security, putting themselves in danger, talking to dubious strangers, or other such perils. It is? A FASCINATING view into the secretive world of the Mysterious Jedi for most of the galaxy. All lead by an adorable Youngling playing games.
Of course, such a silly, ridiculous thing is BENEATH Palpatine's concern. Fun and games? Not even formal or official ones? The child doesn't even represent the jedi. They represent no one. Clearly not a threat, right?
WRONG.
Because one game? Leads to another. Leads to being recommended another. Leads to "hey check out this music". Leads to "how was your day?" Leads to chatting about Jedi philosophy... as simplified for small children. Easy to understand and then complained over like it's maths homework. And... huh.
You guys really liked when I talked about X? Well, I don't know much about it... buuut? I could probably FIND someone or go to the archives? Make a video? I'll make a poll. Vote down below?
Untouchable and distant? Nah. Jedi play "Crafting Game 73" and whine about their Crechemates being JERKS for eating the last dessert. Jedi, in their head's, are small adorable younglings and the amused adults meditating the back ground who watch over them. EVERYONE knows the Jedi. The Jedi are on our datapads. Are our friends. We've totally met them.
Parasocial relationships.
Or maybe that's just me? I just... God I REALLY want to see how they'd react to a initiate who just? Won't stop fuckin making Let's Plays of all things. Just? WHY. HOW? WHY AND HOW?! No, NO don't you shrug at me and run of, youngling! Get back here! What "skill issue"? Which skill? Initiate!!!
@hdgnj @hypewinter @babbling-babull @the-witchhunter @mutable-manifestation @lolottes @leftnotright @legitimatesatanspawn @nerdpoe @spidori
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vershl · 4 months
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Okay I think I made y'all wait long enough LOL
SORRY THEY'RE ALL UNCLOTHED BTW, I HAVENT FIGURED OUT OUTFITS YET- 💀
I don't really have a lot to share tbh in terms of lore/plans. This AU is very VERY fresh in my brain atm. But I will fill in some details for you guys so you somewhat/mostly understand the current characters I have for now.
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Shadow
He is a red diamond (ultimate lifeform yada yada), and as stated, a "blood" diamond. I mean this somewhat in modern terms, but not entirely. In real life, diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to fund the costs, hence "blood". In this case; Shadow was created by the other diamonds (primarily white) as a weapon, the plan was to have a gem on equal footing in terms of strength and power that they could order around to do their bidding and do their dirty work.
Clearly, that didn't work out the way they wanted. Shadow pretended to be obedient, following white, and the other diamond's orders. He shattered other gems for whatever reason the diamonds deemed fit (among other things I haven't decided on yet), only doing so to avoid the risk of being deemed defective and shattered himself, or the gem being shattered regardless by someone else.. he at least knew he could give them a swift end without pain.
Once Shadow gained the diamonds trust to wander around as he pleased, the moment no one was looking, he stole a ship and left Homeworld. Going as far as he could into the universe until he found Mobius and crash landed there. It wasn't very long before Sonic found him, and eventually became allies, inviting Shadow into the Crystal Gems, to which he accepted, and chose the name 'Shadow'. He didn't want to be called 'Red' or 'Red Diamond' anymore. He was free now. (This is as far as I got with him, sorry y'all HAHA)
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Sonic
Sonic is a yellow prism in the shape of an isotoxal star (the yellow is a nod to super Sonic). In my AU, because offical SU lore with gems is relatively limited, different colored gems even if of the same type, give different abilities/powers. In Sonic's case, yellow prisms give the ability of super speed, because of course, and he chose his name based on that fact as well.
Lore wise with Sonic-- He's the leader of the Crystal Gems (makes more sense considering the CG's signature symbol is a yellow star, so I just ran with that but changed the normal star to the isotoxal). But that's all I have for him.
the rest of these characters have 0 lore at all, i will just try to explain their gems a bit- sorry
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Amy
Amy is a Mimetite, a heart stone which helps with emotional stability, inner balance, serenity, joy, and adventure (according to google). Because Amy is basically canonically that 'therapy' friend, mimetite fits perfectly with her personality. As you can see, there are only a few designs that have weapons currently, Amy's being obvious because it's her signature weapon and just works here in the AU as well.
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Tails
Tails is a yellow peridot, it's obvious why, and I don't need to elaborate LOL. There isn't much different between peridot colors, it's more-so personality traits than abilities. Green peridots are quite egotistical and arrogant in themselves, while yellow peridots are more adventurous and selfless.
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Knuckles
Sorry for his naked hands btw. Honestly, I don't think I have to explain why Knuckles is a garnet. It just tracks. (Reminder that in the show, Garnet isn't a real garnet, it's just what she decided to call herself. In this case, Knuckles IS a real garnet.) Is his signature gem weapon gauntlets/gloves, yes. Did I steal the idea from Garnet? Shut up. :] Besides, Knuckles needed his usual gloves somehow, and he fights by punching shit anyway, so why not? Star on the back of the gloves ofc for obvious reasons.
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Rouge
GOD this stupid bat bitch, aaaanyway, ahem. In my AU beryls are information gatherers, either by stealing it or manipulating their way into obtaining it. Beryls are generally under diamond control and report back to their assigned diamond with information they demand for, obviously Rouge is part of the Crystal Gems, so she gathers information for them. And more often than not...is her usual self, and snoops around, digging up dirty secrets/information about her comrades and teases them to no end with it (Shadow being her favorite to torment for... reasons.)
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Silver
I chose Silver to be a sapphire simply because of the fact that in the Sonic universe, he can time travel. So instead of time travel in this Steven Universe AU, he gets future vision. I mean it works, right?
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Blaze
We can talk about her gem right.. right? It's really tasty and I want to eat it. So; opals are very, VERY rare (which fits with her whole being a princess thing or whatever). She was originally going to be a fire opal... that is until I found out about dragon's breath opals and changed my mind. Blaze is an absurdly rare gem, who knows, maybe even the only one of her cut. :]
Her gem gives her the ability to control fire as a weapon, and her unique cut gives her fire more power as well as makes the flames an unusual pinkish hue.
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And that's everyone for now! I'm doing some little doodles that I might post a bit later on to compile together, but you can have the two I made of Shadow for now. eats him
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kedsandtubesocks · 4 months
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part of your world
Javier Peña x Mermaid!Reader
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summary: you know the surface is dangerous, but how dangerous can it be with a man this gorgeous
warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY MDNI. Post Narcos Season 3, one brief threat of drowning, magic & fantasy, mermaid lore, light gendered language, soft!Javi, protective!Javi, major pinning & yearning, light angst, Javi and his use of nicknames, instance of violence/gun usage with blood & severe injury, heavy implied smut with spicy/soft moments
word count: 9.9k (i’m sorry)
a/n: our first fic of our mini mer-may series! this is my love letter to all of us who played mermaids in the pool & dreamed of a handsome prince waiting for us, I couldn’t have done this without @perotovar @burntheedges @saradika & @tuquoquebrute cheering me on… I can’t thank you babes enough! And to you, if you read this - I’m so thankful for you too ♡
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The storm approaches fast, looms in the air with a brewing quiet spark you can feel on your skin.
Yet the men in the boat continue to unpack, getting ready to sail.
You’ve been watching them since they arrived here earlier today. This part of the pier is your favorite to watch surface dwellers in the protection of the waves and the shadows.
It’s a quiet season this time around the Gulf. You’re even surprised the men are even out here. Two seem youthful, playfully kidding with each other. Most of them seem older, wear their age lines beautifully with smiles and laughter.
It’s why you love watching the land dwellers so much. The beauty of embracing their age among a turbulent world is admirable.
Or maybe you just enjoy watching these humans because one has caught your attention.
Older yet still young, a weariness floats around this man. He moves around with confidence on the boat and is incredibly beautiful. His deep dark eyes remind you of the earth’s soil. With a sharp jaw, nice facial hair and handsome nose - he’s unlike any human you’ve ever seen.
Cautiously and protectively, the man keeps an eye on one of the older land dwellers, his father possibly with how similarly they look. You admire that. He also makes sure all the fishing lines are safe and secure while the others talk with excited glee. But you ache to cry out in protest, urge them to stop because you sense what’s approaching that they might not.
“Maybe we should stay put, Pop.” Your handsome human says, and your heart jumps. Maybe he senses it too.
The man, his father, waves him off saying to not worry.
Dread fills you fast watching the ship slowly leave the port. Diving under the waves to follow, you just want to be sure they make it back.
The ocean shifts tempestuously. The boat isn’t even that far from the harbor when the storm unleashes its fury. The sea swirls in that wildness. Even among the waves you hear the screams from above.
Before you can reach the surface, someone falls into the water.
From the color of the shirt you know exactly who it is.
You swim as fast as you can to your handsome human now under the waves. Even for you, a strong swimmer, it takes a lot to fight against the surge until you have the man in your arms and swim towards the surface. Your tail thrashes strong against the current.
You keep the surface dweller pressed above you, shielding you from the eyes of the others on the boat.
The man you’ve saved coughs out the water as you try keeping him afloat while also staying hidden. Cries of joy erupt over seeing him.
The waves continue splashing against you making it harder to stay hidden. Then a loud boat horn arrives. Your eyes snap to the side.
A familiar red aid ship approaches.
Fear clutches you fast. They might see you. Then a wave rises high, and you can’t fight against the ocean’s power. It takes you and the man underneath it.
The water knocks you out a bit breathless. But you also see this as a chance to save this human then finally make an escape among the turbulent waves.
Securing him solidly in your arms, you swim back to the surface. With all your might, you guide him up to the shadow of the boat.
The yelling on the surface is loud, chaotic and frantic.
“There! There! I see him!” Someone cries. You support the man under the water, holding him up from the waves until he’s hoisted out.
While you watch him rise about, you sink below.
From the cover of the nearby rocks, you watch the rescue boats guide the main ship back to safety. Everyone scrambles to check on the man you rescued.
His father cries holding him and it’s a treasured sight. But you don’t miss the way your human’s eyes scan the water, almost frantic and confused -
Like he’s searching for something.
You try not to linger on that and instead descend back into the water.
-
Talk swirls about the boat saved during the storm and the man who fell overboard and survived.
You don’t want to embrace pride, but you soak in the nice satisfied truth knowing you helped.
But you’re tired, worn from the waves. You should have maybe stayed deeper under the water for the day. So after lingering around the dock, you move to a secluded spot beneath the larger pier. There’s a few sand dunes and you swim to rest halfway on one of them.
The sound of the waves soothes you. Slowly, you close your eyes.
“It’s you.” Until a human man’s voice arrives, and your eyes snap open panicked.
Off to the side along the coastline stands the man from yesterday, the handsome human.
In the sun’s glow, he’s radiant. But this is dangerous. He’s spotted you. After your wide terrified eyes lock with his, instantly you jump into the water.
You could have sworn you heard him scream out “Wait!” but you’re swimming too fast to even turn back around to check.
Even under the safety of the sea, your heart rattles wildly in your chest, erratic.
He saw you, that handsome surface dweller saw you.
-
There’s a warning tale that’s spread among your world.
One of your kind fell in love with a human, went to the surface and lost her heart.
She never returned, presumed to be dead. She became a haunting story told as a warning. That tale, along with many other frightful encounters, repeat over and over in your head now.
You shouldn’t have come back.
But you just had to check.
You vow this will be the first and last time.
Peeking out slowly from the water, you almost sputter out in panicked surprise.
That man sits on the shoreline. He’s waiting.
He’s alone or seems alone, and even brought a full pack of items.
His lovely deep eyes continue scanning the waves.
Is he looking for you?
He has to be. But are his intentions pure is the true question.
Staring at him this long becomes your downfall. His rich soil eyes catch you. Immediately the man bolts up, and you drop just below the surface.
“I saw you!”
Just barely below the waves, you can hear his voice a bit waterlogged.
“Please. I promise I won’t hurt you.” He urges.
You don’t know if you can trust him.
But wanting to make sure, you pop your head up just a bit. His eyes are gems, precious dark gems shimmering bright and vibrant when he sees you. You ache to swim closer.
“You’re real.” He exhales out.
You simply stare at him.
“Can you understand me?” He asks a bit slowly.
Deciding to be braver, you rise up more from the water.
“Maybe.” You answer then watch as the man stumbles back stunned.
“You…you can talk.” He stammers.
You decide to be coy and simply shrug.
“What are you?” The man presses.
That’s the line. You’ve already done too much. You shouldn’t have come at all.
“Javi! Javier? Hey, primo, where d’ya go?” Someone calls and the surface dweller turns.
That’s his name.
Javier.
It’s perfect.
But someone else approaches, and it’s enough to terrify you. Sinking back into the water, you linger again just below.
You hear the man, Javier, cry out another loud “wait!”
More voices come and tease Javier.
“Mijo survived the sea and now can’t get enough of it.” Someone teases goodnaturedly.
Soon all the voices announce they’re heading back.
“Uh, give me a few. I’ll head back in a minute.” Javier replies.
The voices leave, but you still refuse to rise above.
“I hope you’re still here.” He says. Fear clutches at you wondering if you’re visible from the surface.
“Or fuck, maybe I just hope you are.” Javier sighs.
Then a moment passes.
“I just… just wanted to say thank you.” His voice even under the water is sincere, deeply earnest.
You’ve never once thought you would ever hear a human thank you and so sincerely. Before you can stop yourself, you rise up fast out of the water. But he’s gone.
The next morning you swim to that same spot.
Your throat feels tight when you already see him walking down the beach as well. And once you and him spot each other it feels like the world melts a bit.
This time you also swim and stay a little closer to the shore line.
“You came back.” Javier mutters in disbelief.
“So did you.” You reply back.
This is the most you’ve ever spoken with a land dweller.
“Thank you.” Javier breathes out. “For saving my life.”
You nod.
“Are you feeling better?” You ask, knowing humans have an unfortunate condition of experiencing a delayed drowning within their lungs.
“Oh yeah, I’m good.” Javier nods. “Apparently the medics and coast guards still can’t understand how I managed to make it out pretty good but…”
His eyes twinkle looking at you, and a prickly like sensation sparks across your skin
“I thought I was seeing shit when I saw you.” He mutters. “You looked like something out of a dream.”
The waves keep you afloat, but you feel weak.
You even softly smile back to him.
“It’s understandable. Most of your kind think we’re manatees afterall.” You tell him and Javi’s eyebrows shoot up.
“So you really are a mermaid?” Javier blurts out.
You never fully understood where that name came from. You simply shrug a bit playful and enjoy the amused snort of a sound Javier gives.
“Well, whatever you are, I owe you my fucking life.” He exhales, and again his words dig deep into the core of your being.
The tiniest smile tugs at your lips.
“So do you just hang around and what, save unfortunate guys like me that go overboard?” Javi asks moving to sit on the sand.
He wants to stay and talk with you. You swim just a bit closer.
You shake your head no, unfortunately telling him you often stay hidden.
“We’re not meant to communicate with others on land, much less be seen by them.” This is already one of the worst offenses.
But you’re too far gone, and you know that.
His beautiful face scrunches up. “So then why did you save me if you aren’t supposed to?”
You couldn’t reveal it’s because of how you were immediately drawn to him. Instead your heart speaks faster as you shrug.
“I can’t really tell you why, I just knew I had to. I could sense the storm coming and just…I happened to be at the right place at the right time I guess.”
You knew how foolish surface dwellers could be. Yet, there was something weathered but compassionate about Javier.
His face flickers while his mouth drops. You don’t know if you’ve said something wrong.
Then a bashful half grin tugs at Javier’s soft lips, and your heart feels light like the sunbeams on the waves.
“I’m Javier.” He blurts out, and you grin.
“Javi.” You repeat the nickname you heard used for him.
A surprised twinkle flashing in his eyes colors him youthful, and he smiles bright.
“Yeah,” He nods. “So what’s your name? Can I at least know that?”
This is a point of no return, and you’re already this far.
So among the warm waves, you give your name to him freely.
The way his face lights up hearing it is incredible. Then hearing him repeat your name back, breathing it from his lips, feels sacred.
Everyday after that you meet him at this same spot either early in the warm morning or in the soft evening breeze when he’s done with his day. You learn he’s staying here with his father for a month to visit family.
“My Tío,” he explains. “He’s been needing some help around his place. So my dad and I decided to just enjoy some time out here.”
It means your time with him is limited, precious, a pearl you just found from an oyster that you want to hoard now.
As curious as you are about him, it’s no surprise Javier is just as eager to ask questions.
“Do you have a uh…family I guess nearby?”
“No.” You answer him truthfully, wistfully. “I haven’t seen them in a while.”
It’s been many moon cycles since you left home.
“Wait, why?” Javier’s face frowns as the sea breeze tussles his hair. Your fingers ache to already brush it aside.
“They were going to force me to marry another of my kind, someone I didn’t care for. And I couldn’t handle it. So I left.” You simply tell him the truth.
You wanted a choice, that’s all. But your family refused to allow you that.
“Oh… I’m sorry.” His voice, gentle and kind, feels like a warm morning glow.
“Must be lonely out here.” He adds a bit sorrowful, almost aching.
Your eyes can’t handle how soft, how piercing his gaze bores into yours. So you glance to the ocean now. The sun reflects like glass onto the waves. When you first started visiting the surface, you reasoned it was to understand land dwellers more. However, in your heart you know it’s because of the loneliness.
Laughter, vibrant music, the smell of delicious food, the ache of belonging, it all swirls from the shoreline almost beckoning to you.
“Sometimes,” you finally answer Javier. “But it’s alright. The sea provides.”
The saying you were raised with still rings out true.
The sea brought you here and brought you to him.
And it’s something special.
During an early morning, Javier approaches the water this time. Normally he stays on the shoreline. You’ve been the one creeping closer and closer through the water towards him.
Now you’re stunned.
He’s bare chested and wears swimming shorts you’ve seen other surface dwellers wear among the waves. But it’s the amount of skin you’re seeing, the broadness of his shoulders and small pudge of his tummy, your mouth feels dry.
“Thought I’d maybe get in the water this time.” He says bashfully, but with confidence he walks into the waves.
He’s brave. You thought after falling into the sea, he would hesitate to return. Yet he moves with a confident grace.
“You’re brave.” You even tell him, not hiding your admiration.
He barks an amused laugh.
“Yeah well, seen worse things than the water.” Javier says a bit darkly.
That perks up your curiosity.
Soon enough Javier steps closer, until he abruptly freezes.
“Is this okay?” This considerate man, he’s asking if you’re alright with him getting closer.
You nod, instead find yourself swimming out a bit further, deeper, into the ocean.
And Javier follows.
Now to any bystander on the beach it’s like you’re another land dweller among the waves floating with him.
Yet the call of the sea, your nature and upbringing, slowly seeps in. You begin swimming around the man. It’s a trait to circle around something you desire and want to keep within your eye watch.
It’s a dance. While you move slowly swimming around him, his eyes never leave yours. That is until a wave jostles you both. It pushes you closer, almost colliding into Javier until his warm hands steady your shoulders. He’s touching you.
Among the splash of the water, being so close to him, your tail flutters accidentally brushing against him.
“So it was a tail.” He mutters like he’s trying to believe it.
While his eyes stare down at the water, yours stay focused on him.
Self conscious, worried and nervous, you try swinging your tail out of his sight.
“Es hermosa.” Javier adds.
You’ve picked up many dialects here among the coastline. He’s calling your tail, you, beautiful.
You can’t handle how badly your soul now seems to ache for this man and how your heart races wild. So with the waves settled you quickly move back to swimming around him.
Feeling giddy, you playfully move your hand against the water splashing him. Javier blinks of his trance, sputtering when the salty sea water hits him.
“That’s not nice.” He scoffs then moves to splash you back stronger.
It becomes a childish competition of splashing each other until seaweed unknowingly curls around Javier making him react in horror and you laugh. In playful retribution, he throws the seaweed at you.
“Be careful, I’ll send dolphins after you.” You tease, and his eyes go wide.
“Can you talk to sea creatures?!” He asks excitedly.
You laugh even harder, shaking your head no. Javier narrows his eyes, slightly suspicious. Playfully he splashes you again. Laughter escapes you buoyant.
“Javi!” Until someone yells out from the shoreline, and your heart drops.
Snapping your eyes to the shore, there’s a few men waiting, staring out.
Panic swarms in you. Your body jolts to move, until Javier’s arm gently moves to hold you steady.
“Don’t leave. It’ll make it more obvious.” Javi whispers under his breath. “Just relax, stay calm.”
“What’s a pretty thing like her doing with a pendejo like you?!” One of the young guys yells out with a joking laugh.
Your heart races petrified. The waves keep you concealed, but having this much attention and being raw in the open feels too much.
“Fuck off Richie.” Javi scoffs back in a yell.
“Dumbass fucking friend of my cousin.” He explains to you with a gruff mutter.
Yet his hand gently drags down your arm to go to yours. His hand, so much bigger and warmer, squeezes yours.
“It’ll be okay. Don’t worry I’ll keep you safe.”
His words warm, soft and gentle on the breeze, get tangled in your heart. With a final squeeze to your hand, he swims back towards the land. When Javier reaches the shore and gives you a casual wave, you weakly smile back.
As they leave, you don’t miss the way one of the men, Richie, if you remember right, turns to glance at you over his shoulder. His eyes terrify you with how piercing they stay on you.
But the minute Javi and those men fade off the shoreline, you fade into the waves.
-
Having the other land dwellers see you is a grim reminder of how reckless you’re being.
But you don’t want to stop.
If anything, it makes you simply want to draw Javi to you even more. The humans painted your kind as temptresses who lure people to the sea and to their death. You understand now why. There’s an unexplainable urge burning in you to draw Javier further towards you, like the pull of the tides to the shoreline.
So the next time you see him, you tell him to bring his swimwear and to save the day to be out at sea.
One of his eyebrows lifts a bit curiously. “And you’re not telling me where we’re going?”
You simply smile, toothy and wide.
The sun is kind today and with no harsh wind it’s a peaceful day among the waves. Javi, with his glorious warm sun kissed bare chest slips into the water with you and hisses.
“S’fucking cold.” He sneers, and his face crumples into a grumpy handsome pout.
“Feels fine to me.” You joke. Javi gives you a dry look that makes you grin.
The spot you take him to is further down the coastline, across the beach wall, and you’re thankful it’s not too far. It’s also a bit more secluded against the higher rocks that act like a slight barrier. The water gets shallow towards the edge of the rocks blending in towards the tide pools. It’s a comfort getting to stay in the water, yet the low tide allows Javier time to fully walk comfortably.
“Woah!” He gasps bright when his eyes fall to the tide pools.
“Holy fucking shit.” He whispers.
You simply watch him hypnotized. He points out the different creatures he spots, the way the water changes among the rocks coloring, its beautiful.
“I didn't even know this shit was here.” He mutters.
Not many do.
“That’s not all why we’re here.” You tell him warmly.
With a nudge out to the open waves, Javier and you turn just in time to see it.
A sweet dolphin, porpoises as the locals love to call them, jumps out among the waves.
Javier’s surprised gasp is beautiful.
“They always love to swim here, a lot less people.” You explain.
Now you move to slip under the water. It’s been a while since you’ve used your voice to click and make the chirps to call, but you’re thankful the dolphins hear you.
You beckon Javier to join you deeper in the water and he eagerly does. The pod swims up eagerly. Even a few jump to pop their heads up.
“You said you couldn’t speak to sea creatures!” He exclaims, and you laugh.
“I can’t! Think of it as making a noise to call for a land animal. That’s all I did.” You explain.
His gorgeous face scrunches up grumpy, almost unsatisfied, with your answer. Snickering you return your focus back to the sweet creatures swimming around.
A few of the dolphins are more playfully curious than the others and readily take in the attention you and Javi give to them. One even particularly gets jealous when Javi moves to pet another and she squeaks out in protest even pushing up against him.
His laugh is pure magic. His eyes crinkle beautifully, and you think you’re seeing one of the world’s hidden treasures.
Eventually the dolphins take their leave. Javier makes his way to a safer spot along the shoreline and after checking the area, seeing it’s still pretty vacant, you allow the waves to wash you up to the beach.
Alongside him, you lounge on the shore.
It’s the closest you’ve been to him, the most you’ve ever been on the beach itself.
Your entire scaled lower body is practically out in the open for anyone passing by to see, but you want to be this close to him. You don’t want the water to keep you seperated.
“Are there…others of your kind around here?” He asks low.
You shake your head. “Not recently. I’ve found an older abandoned cave of someone that maybe possibly lived here, but no one has emerged.”
He hums in acknowledgment.
“Do you miss them? Your family?” Javi questions quietly.
Sometimes you do miss them, and you truthfully tell him that. But you don’t want to return to your family or your people. Now he again asks about your world, about your family. So you tell him of deep glimmering underwater caverns all across the sea that house your kind. He listens with complete rapture.
“You know,” you add a bit amused. “You’ve handled learning about me and all of this really well.”
Javi snorts.
“Well…my family told me to be respectful of things we don’t understand. There might be some shit out in this world we can’t explain, and that’s okay. We don’t need to argue with it. Instead just maybe gotta learn from it.”
You can sense that in him. He never once seemed afraid of you, instead approached all his questions and curiosity with genuine understanding.
“Besides, I’ve seen crazier shit so this doesn’t really surprise me.” Javier adds with a dry but hollow snort.
That reminds you of what he said before. So you mention it gently.
“You said there are worse things on land than the water, what are they?”
Javier turns to you. His eyes dance in the brilliant sun and they look like brighten earthen soil gems. Yet there’s a wary and weary heaviness in them.
He explains about his old occupation on the surface world, about how he chased after bad men in Columbia. You nod, explaining you’ve heard of that country because of the ports.
“You know where Columbia is?” His eyes go wide.
You teasingly roll your eyes at his surprise. “I do know enough about our worlds Javier.”
He shakes his head. “You continue to surprise me, mi sirena.”
The term, sweetly affectionate, causes something in your gut to flutter.
However, all of that gets quietly put aside as Javier continues his quiet explanation of the shadows and darkness he saw.
You stay silent, letting him explain it all - the horrors of watching men fight over power and money, the corruption, the lives lost, the weight of it all showing him a grim reality that sometimes rears its evil head within humanity. Your eyes even fight back tears.
He’s seen so much, been through so much, and it all hangs on his shoulders.
Without hesitation your hand moves to rest against his. The urge to comfort him is so powerful, and you don’t want to fight it. His eyes now flutter down to your hand where his fingers gingerly begin stroking against your skin.
“Are you ever going back?” You ask softly, worried about him returning to that darkness.
“No. Never going back or doing that type of work again.” He shakes his head.
“Good.” You reply relived.
Javier smiles charmingly bashful, and it’s adorable.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you.” He quickly recovers diverting your attention to something new. Delicately his hand reaches out to your chest and you freeze.
His hands delicately graze against your necklace.
“You wear this all the time. Is it something special?” Always so curious, your land dweller.
“Looks like one of your scales, same color and everything.” He adds.
That’s because it is, and you tell him that.
On the day you became of age, you shed one of the scales on your tail and have it blessed by the sea and moon. The legend has it that the scale is promised to hold one wish. But that was a tale told to you as a child. You simply now understand it’s a mark of passing into maturity. It’s been a constant companion for years ever since.
Javi’s eyebrows raise up in surprise.
“Do you think that legend is true?”
You shrug. “I’ve never known it to be. Always thought it was just fantasy.”
Javier snorts.
“You don’t believe in fantasy?” He questions incredulously.
Playfully you shove his shoulder, and he snickers.
Now a silence settles. The crashing waves become the only noise floating between you and him. Neither his hand or yours leaves the other.
“You said… your family wanted you to be with someone of your kind that you didn’t like…” he now begins cautiously breaking the silence.
“So did that mean there was someone else you cared for?” Javi suggests.
You snort a bit playful, yet answer a quiet no.
“There was a land dweller I had been curious about, but it was just a simple passing fling.” You admit.
“Oh.” Javier answers, but his voice deflates enough you even catch it.
He’s annoyed with that answer.
You’ve been infatuated with other land dwellers before, but it was like seeing the stars above. You admired their beauty from afar and that’s all.
Javier feels like a precious gem discovered from a sunken ship, a treasure you want to keep forever and cherish. He feels rare, so good and in your grasp almost too precious to hoard. Or maybe you just aren’t worthy of him.
You move to hold his hand better.
So you tell him. You’ve never let anyone get this close, never even once spoken to another human.
Yet here you are.
“There’s no one like you. I don't think there will be anyone else like you.” You admit before you can stop the words.
But they are true. No one will ever be like Javier, a man so worn by the world yet still so kind.
His eyes again flicker to yours, and you’re trapped in his gaze. A shift sparks in the air like the way it does before a storm approaches. It tingles against your skin, and something aches in your chest.
His eyes flicker to your lips. Your body shifts closer to him caught in his warmth.
A loud blare of a boat horn comes. Pure fear crashes into you.
Without hesitation Javi practically drapes himself over you. His arms draw around your head like a shield trying to cover most of your body up with his.
His eyes and yours stare to the side worried at what approaches. But thankfully the boat now sounds like it’s reaching shore further away.
The scare felt too real. Worry rages in you wildly. Yet, it’s quickly drowned out by Javier.
He’s close. Javi’s chest is against your side, against your tail. His arms are on either side of your head and he radiates warmth, such a warmth you never knew others could hold. Maybe it’s because he’s a landweller, or you think maybe it’s just because it’s him.
This position is precious even for you. You’ve spotted humans mating on the beach before. You can even admit how curious it’s made you.
Now a raw heat burns through you. Javier sighs, then glances down at you beneath him.
The shadows dance on his face so wonderfully, highlighting his striking nose. You wonder how terribly it would be to slither your arms around him and pull him down to you. Your mouth even waters seeing the sweat on his skin, and you imagine how it must taste mixing with the salt of the water, your home.
It’s simply just you staring up at him, him staring down at you and sound of the waves.
“We…we should head back.” He says clearing his throat.
The entire swim back to the main shoreline is silent, feels like a weight hangs among you and him even when you tell him goodbye.
Later among the solitude of the night and waves, you dream of Javier. But something dangerous sneaks into your fantasies. You fantasize being entangled with him as a human, two legs wrapping around him, getting to know his body against your own. It’s fierce, knocks the wind out of you, but also unleashes a sorrowful ache into you.
You wonder what it would be like as a land dweller because a more clouded doubtful piece of you can’t imagine Javier desiring you now.
Even with the admiration you’ve heard from him, you imagine that a man’s handsome as Javier wouldn’t desire someone like you.
A splash of water hits your face, and the saltwater you notice mixes well with your silent tears.
-
The next morning when you arrive at your usual spot to meet Javier, a soft pink conch sits on the shoreline and your blood runs cold.
For your people, a conch shell is a way to communicate. They’re used to convey many different messages from marking territories to a warning.
You reassure yourself it simply washed up on the beach as all seashells do. But the way it sits precariously placed scares you overriding any of the anxious energy you had about seeing Javier again.
“Did you…leave this here?” You even ask him about the conch when he arrives.
“Uh, no. But it’s pretty.” He says lifting up the shell to examine it. “Funny enough my Tía collects shells like these so much that my uncle even jokes they could open up a store.”
You weakly smile trying to be amused, but the dread hangs in your stomach.
When Javier leaves, you try gathering your thoughts.
“I take it you saw my message.” The new voice is warm.
Walking down from the other side of the pier, an older woman emerges. Her eyes, wrinkled by the corners, watching you seem kind and streams of gray color her dark hair.
You want to bolt back into the water out of fear, but you’re confused and want to understand more.
“I can see your hesitation, young one.” She says. “My name is Gloria and I’ve been watching you for sometime now.”
Now you’re panicking.
This must be your punishment for growing too close to Javier.
Before you can react the woman reaches at her dress collar and pulls something out.
A necklace with a scale attached to it. Except this scale doesn’t shine with color but instead appears cold, lifeless.
The wind is knocked out of you.
“So you understand now.” Gloria smiles, however there’s a cloudy hesitation forming in her eyes.
This is your warning brought to life. She is the real woman who left the sea, went to land -
And she is alive.
There's so much you want to ask her. Everything feels so overwhelming.
“We don’t have much time to chat.” She gently tells you. “I promise I’ll answer all your questions soon, but you must know…”
A dark gloomy frown falls over her lovely aged face.
“Someone is looking for you.”
You’re a bit confused by her words.
“And I don’t mean your land dweller.” She adds and dread claws into you monstrous.
Someone else. Someone else saw you.
“Javier wouldn’t tell anyone about me.” You fire back, fierce and hurt.
“You need to lie low, stay hidden.” Gloria orders somber and serious. “Maybe even find another place to nest for some time.”
Fear grapples with something fanged inside your heart. You don’t want to leave Javier. You don’t even want to hide from him here, much less leave him.
Gloria must see the conflict on your face, and she sighs. A grandmotherly sadness washes over her.
“I’m sorry, young one.”
You swallow back the tears.
No, this is the truth. Javier was always going to leave back to his hometown eventually. Your time with him was limited, not guaranteed. This is just a reminder of that.
You shove away the tears stinging your eyes and thank Gloria for alerting you.
She grins sad but soft. “I wish you well. Please be safe.”
“Wait.” You call out to her. Even though you still have so many questions, want to ask her so many things, there is only one thing you need to ask before she leaves.
Gloria turns back with a patient look.
“Can you fall in love with a human this quickly?” You try keeping your voice level, but it breaks under the weight of your emotions.
Gloria frowns, heartbroken. Her eyes swim with an ancient understanding crystalline with sadness.
“I fell in love the instant I saw my husband,” she smiles beautifully among the ache. “He rescued me from a fisherman’s net, and I never looked back. I trusted the water and it provided.”
The familiar saying of your kind.
Your blink away tears.
“Then how can I leave him?” You croak back to Gloria.
“You need to so you can keep him and yourself safe,” she answers with the patience of a mother.
A quick desperate thought flashes in your mind. Your hand flies up to clutch the shell hanging from your necklace.
If the children’s stories were true, if you actually had one wish -
Gloria’s eyes go wide, and she inhales fast.
“You make that choice, you can never go back.” She declares sharply.
“Wait, what?” You ask a bit confused.
“You may get your wish, but it will come at a cost.” Gloria tells you dark and somber.
Dread consumes you. So her shell’s discoloration was because she used her wish.
“What’s the cost?” You sob.
“Whatever the sea wishes to take.” Gloria’s answer feels final, a raw cut through your inner most soul.
With one final sad nod, she wishes you well and leaves you alone under the shadow of the pier with your unbearable heartbreak.
“Hey, you alright?” The next morning Javier notices your demeanor.
“Yes, just a bit tired.” You smile false and small.
You don’t know how you’re going to break this to him. You wonder if you simply should just stop showing up, break it off quick and painful but fast. But even then you can’t face that possibility.
“So tonight,” Javi says, trying to brighten the mood. “We’re having this nice dinner at that restaurant further down right on the water.”
“That’s lovely.” You tell him truthfully with a warm soft grin.
His eyes soften, but you avert your gaze, unable to handle the truth barbed in your heart. Then gentle fingers suddenly trace against your face, almost too afraid to fully touch you.
Your look to find Javier’s eyes hazed over staring down at you.
“It’ll be nice to know you might be out there in the waves, mi sirena.” He mutters.
The danger is imminent. You need to leave or simply tell him what’s been going on. But that fear is overshadowed by the unbearable adoration for Javier.
You rationalize that this will be your final glimpse at Javi before you tell him the truth.
So when the night falls you swim low and quietly to the restaurant.
The lights and warmth, the upbeat musical, all radiate from the dock the restaurant sits at the edge of. You’re able to swim around the outdoor area with enough cover.
Gently peeking up from the waves you find the view is clear. A few people sit and stand outside around the edge of the railing thankfully not even glancing out to the ocean.
That’s when you spot him.
Your eyes go wide.
Dressed in a simple white button up, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, Javier is otherworldly.
He’s too handsome for his own good, the surface world’s handcrafted temptation for you. All you can do is sink more into the water hoping the cooling waves bring you back to reality.
He leans on the rail facing the open sea. Those dark eyes of his flicker out and now you realize, he might be searching for you.
Your body moves on its own. Tail swishing, you swim closer to his line of sight gravitating towards him.
But then a shadow of someone approaching comes and you stop. One of the men you remember vaguely appears besides Javier.
“Whatcha looking for, vato?” The young man jokes nudging Javi, but your eyes narrow seeing how annoyed Javier looks.
“Can’t I just enjoy the water, Richie?” Javi jokes.
The man, Richie, is the one you remember staring at you so intently.
“You lookin’ for your sea goddess?” He says loud, mocking.
Javier reacts fast. He snaps turns towards Richie with the quickest speed, and a hard glare transforms his face.
“Why you acting up like that, viejo?” Richie grins antagonist.
“Don’t know what you’re fucking talking about, Ricardo.” Javier snaps low and serious.
“You know exactly what I mean.” Richie growls. “And you and your cousin and Tía y Tío might all think I’m crazy, but I know what I fucking saw that night you went overboard. I saw that fucking creature that saved you.”
Fear bubbles up dizzying.
Richie is the one searching for you.
You can’t move. It’s too much.
Until Javi jolts into action. He grabs Richie by the collar and a deadly darkness falls over his face.
“Enough.” Suddenly Javier’s voice drops.
Then he quickly speaks to Richie so low that even swimming just a bit closer you can’t pick up what Javi says. But it’s spoken deadly enough that when he shoves Richie away, the younger man glares at Javier silently. Then he simply walks away.
Javi defended you. He’s kept you, your secret, safe.
You can’t describe the emotion that cracks your heart open wide. From the waves you stare at him unable to look away as he sighs pinching the bridge of his lovely nose.
You ache to soothe him.
But, someone else seems to as well.
“You look like you could use some company.” A woman, gorgeous and giving Javi a soft smile, moves towards his side.
All that tender adoration dwelling in your heart turns sour when Javier turns to converse with her. He smiles politely and kind.
They lean against the wooden railing, eyes focused on each other and Javi says something to make the mystery woman laugh. His eyes crinkle, the same way they do when he smiles at something you say. Javier gives her his full attention and jealousy strikes its fangs venomous.
But the truth is worse. This is another reminder Javier was never maybe meant to ever be yours.
You jump back into the sea, unfortunately making a splash announcing your departure. But a part of you wants him to hear and know you’re leaving.
Out of habit you arrive at your secluded spot under the pier by the shoreline. Your eyes sting as you squeeze them shut refusing to let yourself cry over this. At least this will help make it easier when you bid him farewell tomorrow. You sit for a moment gathering yourself.
Footsteps rush on the sand, and you panic.
Immediately Javier jogs in from the side, out of breath and already sweaty. He must have ran all the way over here.
“Mi sirena,” he exhales heavy.
You swallow hard.
“I…I didn’t know if you saw…” Javi begins curiously.
You don’t know how to reply, dont even know if you should.
“I…” his voice starts but gets stalled as if he doesn’t know what to say either.
“It’s alright.” You reassure him, graciously thanking him for keeping your secret.
“You should get back to your companion. She’s lovely.” You tell him surprisingly composed.
“You seem upset.” He argues.
You reassure him you’re not.
“No, you’re upset. What’s wrong?” This man, annoyingly stubborn, presses.
You snap back that it's none of his concern.
“Tell me.” His voice takes a sharper turn.
“It’s nothing! Go back to your party, human!” You snap, and the word leaves your mouth sharp.
You’ve never once called him that.
His eyes go wide a bit, like he’s even a bit taken back at what you said. You blink away the tears stunned at your own emotional outburst.
“I’m sorry.” You quickly apologize, already furiously wiping away the tears.
He says your name soft. “You’re crying.”
His footsteps come closer and you snap your face away trying to shove more and more tears.
“What’s wrong?” Javier crouches down to sit besides you on the sand.
“I’m just upset about what I said, that’s all.” You half lie through a broken voice.
“Why won’t you just tell me the truth?” He urges concerned.
Because, you want to tell him, it’s too much to hold.
You feel like you might break.
Suddenly his warm hand gently slides across your cheek. Slowly he tilts your face towards him, and your mind stalls feeling his fingers against you.
In the night air, under the dim shadow of the pier, his eyes seem like the endless sky.
“Dígame, mi sirena.” Talk to me, he says soft and tender.
Your words fail. Instead you feel greedy, desperate. Your hand moves to clutch his hand and lean into his palm while your eyes shut.
The tears come again.
The air feels cold against your skin.
“I don’t want to let you go.” You admit, finally freeing that truth.
“I’m not going anywhere, honey.” Javier softly replies firmly.
That term, you’ve heard it used by other surface dwellers, and you want to sink your teeth into it.
Wearily your eyes open to stare at him once more. Now his eyes seem hazed over and his lips parted open. His lips look so soft while his eyes swim cautiously. You’re worried any moment now he might turn into seafoam before your eyes.
In a blink, Javi surges towards you. Like a fast rip of a wave crashing into you, his lips press to yours.
You’ve never kissed a land dweller. You’ve imagined it a few times, especially now more with Javi in mind. But none of those fantasies do this justice.
He’s so warm, intoxicating like the most dangerous ambrosia. You whimper when his body slides you closer to him. Your hands claw at him more.
You need him closer, want him intertwined with you
Eventually you lean back, until your body rests against the sand, and Javier kisses at you from above. His tongue seeks and licks into you with a melting consuming heat. You moan into his mouth feeling dizzy at how delicious he tastes.
He breaks away first needing air but kisses your jaw, nipping at your skin.
“Wait.” Javi exhales and slowly draws back. Even among the brewing heat, the passion burning through your veins, his eyes are hesitant.
“You okay with this, mi sirena?” He asks, gentle and steady.
This unreal wonderful man. Your hand cups his cheek now letting your thumb stroke against his warm skin.
“It’s you. It’s only ever going to be you.” You whisper.
His eyes widen, letting your words sink in and then he turns to kiss the palm of your hand.
“Are you okay with this?” You now turn the question delicately back to him.
He nods quietly, slowly. Then you watch the way his eyes darken, like storm clouds that create a wonderful whirlwind sweeping you up.
“Then take me.” You mutter drawing him closer to you.
There had been someone, an elder in your kind, who once engaged in passionate matings multiple times with a sailor. She was shunned from your colony for her transgression, but the stories she told became forbidden whispers told among everyone. She swore the mating with her sailor was nothing she ever felt before, how that type of passion was indescribable.
And she was right.
Javier’s body heat burns through you. His tongue and teeth clash, devouring you. His body temperature compared to yours runs warmer, and it’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced. It’s hot, messy and soaks you euphoric. You’re consumed, utterly drunk on this as you beg for him to give you more, give you all of him.
And when he enters you, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever felt. He’s perfect, stretches you incredibly deep and heats you from the inside you never knew was possible. You wonder if this is what the creation felt like, this clash of heat and passion crashing, forming new caverns in your soul.
He kisses every inch of skin he can reach, and you clutch onto him like he’s your lifeline.
Listening to the grunts of Javier’s voice, feeling his body mold into yours, even tasting the salt of his skin, melts you.
You’ve never felt more cherished than when his hands traced over your skin, never felt more ecstasy than when his passion clashes with yours.
There under the shadow of the pier, with the waves crashing onto the shore, you meet orgasmic bliss in his arms.
Eventually, in the afterglow, in the late quiet of the night, his fingers trace across your tail.
“You’re amazing.” He mutters out.
Your fingers trace against his bare forearms.
“I could say the same about you.” You tell him truthfully. All the stories he told you about his time in Columbia, the way he loves his family so fiercely, he’s a rare soul you want to keep forever.
He barks a laugh, hollow and small. “Not compared to you, mi sirena.”
Emotions clog your throat.
“That man…Richie-”
“He won’t find you.” He quickly replies cutting you off sharp and simple, like he won’t even acknowledge the idea.
“But you’re in danger too, Javier.” You urge.
“He’s just a punk ass kid, my baby primo’s best friend. He won’t do shit.” Javi reassures.
Gloria’s warning resurfaces in your thoughts, and you swallow hard. Fear and doubt cloud your thoughts.
“Is this your way of repaying a debt to me?” Before you realize it, the words leave your mouth.
“Wait, what?” He questions.
You sigh, watching the dark waves out at sea.
You’ve always wondered why Javier was so adamant in visiting you, why he’s become so protective.
“I’ve wondered…” your voice trails off distant and small. You tell him the deep worry that’s been brewing.
You’ve wondered if he’s simply here with you, doing all of this, as some means to repay you back from saving his life. That his interest is simply born from a sense of obligation.
Javier says your name, firm and solid.
With a hard frown on his lovely face, he shakes his head.
“At first I just wanted to thank you. But now…now I can’t fucking stop thinking about you. Don’t even wanna think about leaving you.” Javi admits quietly.
Your heart becomes crystalized, heavy and heated from his words.
His gaze returns to your tail, and fingers again reverently stroking against your skin.
“I’ve seen so much shit, been god damn burnt out. Then you reminded me of how fucking beautiful this world is.” Javier adds.
Stories told about the surface dwellers painted them as ruthless, cold, and selfish. But Javier isn’t like that at all. He’s incredibly curious, kind, protective, a bit grumpy at times. And he’s beautiful.
He’s the one who showed you the true beauty of the land above.
You slowly sit up, possessed by a deep emotion surging through you. When you rise, you lean to kiss Javier again. Your land dweller welcomes you with a warm embrace.
-
A net falling over your face wakes you in a panic.
Your body thrashes up only to find netting all around you. Fear drums loud in your ears.
Being worn out from the night’s escapades with him, you must have fallen asleep on the beach after Javier left.
A loud excited cackle cracks into the air.
“See! I fucking told you that bitch was a mermaid!”
Richie’s voice rings out terrifyingly loud. When your eyes snap up, the young man’s shadow falls above you and he smiles sinisterly. The sun isn’t even fully up, yet you see his face clear as day.
“Man, what the fuck?” Someone sputters, and your eyes flicker to the other individual here. You take it this other young man worried and a bit wide eyed must be Javi’s cousin.
“See! I knew your fucking primo was keeping this thing hidden, Leo!” Richie cries.
The net is grand, doesn’t seem to end as you try scanning around trying to find the edge of it. Your next plan of action will be to scratch your way out of it. You rarely use your claws, but this is dire.
Richie and Javier’s family member continue their frantic discussion in the early morning air.
“What’dya plan to do with her huh?!”
“Imagine the fucking money we’d get!” Richie answers proud.
The two bricker now and you can’t even pay attention to them. Fear poisons you fast, and you’re getting frantic. It’s now or never.
Once you feel your nails grow into claws deadly and sharp, you start tearing your way through the net mesh.
A strange clicking sound comes, and a loud gasp follows.
“Richie, what the fuck?!” Javier’s cousin, Leo, sounds petrified.
You still, turning your gaze to the source of the sound and find something pointed at you from above.
You’ve never seen one up close, but you’ve heard of these weapons, know of them and their instant death -
A gun.
“You brought your dad’s fuckin’ gun?!” Leo shouts.
“Didn’t know what we’d expect.” Richie sneers, but keeps his gaze on you.
“You try escaping and I’ll blow your fucking head off.” He tells you, and terror sickens your stomach.
You can’t even jump in the water. The net is so large and you’re so tangled in it.
“What the fuck is going on?” Javi. His voice comes in a breeze of salvation.
Your land dweller emerges from the side of the pier, and his face falls at the sight.
Hope tumbles in dizzying fast but collides with fright. Especially when Richie jumps at Javi’s entrance and swings to point the gun at him.
Leo yells loud in protest while Javi holds his hands up defensive but stays composed.
“I knew you were keeping this freak all to yourself. What? Didn’t want me finding it?” Richie spits.
Javi’s eyes flicker to yours for a split second. You lock onto his dark gaze and swear you can hear what he’s trying to silently communicate.
“What do you plan to do, huh?” Javier turns his attention back to Richie. “Manage to get her onto land and then what? What do you plan to do after that?” Javi’s voice is steady, an unwavering lighthouse among the storm.
He’s diverting attention onto him. Especially with how furiously Richie begins yelling at him not even noticing you.
“Man Richie, just put the gun down.” Leo urges.
You scramble back to the net, freshly grown claws at the ready and try cutting through the thick mesh. You need to focus, but your hands keep slipping out of terror especially hearing how loud they all scream now.
Continuing to cut, focusing with all your might, thankfully you start slicing through the threads.
“Hey, what the fuck are you doing?!” Richie yells.
Then instantly a loud bang comes.
A scream escapes you with how loud the sound comes. Then a sharp pain jolts through you like getting stung by a stingray, but intensified. Your tail feels like it’s on fire and you cry out.
You snap your eyes down. Whatever the gun fired off just grazed you, but blood begins spilling crimson over your scales and into the water.
Then commotion erupts. It’s a scuffle and soon enough Javi moves to tackle Richie.
But another loud loud bang rings out.
It happens fast. In a blink Javi rushes against Richie. Then the next he’s crumbling down onto the sand. Blood spreads soaking into Javi’s shirt and another scream rips out of you.
Something raw and monstrous, like a red haze, clouds you. You fully rip through the net and out of meshing. The most inhuman scream comes. You don’t realize it’s you screaming until your claws swipe at Richie’s legs with vicious intent.
You slice and slice not even caring blood leaks onto your hands, or that Richie cries out horrified falling onto the sand. Leo sees the opportunity, jumps in and tackles him fully, knocking the gun away.
Your hands shake, but you scramble around looking for Javi.
Your land dweller manages to drag himself closer to you, but the bleeding is getting worse. Color drains from his beautiful face. You don’t even care how much your tail stings. You pull yourself onto the sand towards Javier until you move to draw him into your arms.
The tears fall fast and uncontrollable.
“No tears, mi sirena.” He wheezes with a soft sight. “It’s alright.”
You cradle him in your arms, burrowing your head into his hair as you cry.
You have to save him.
Then it hits you. You have one last thing, one last hope.
You shift with shakily hands and rip your necklace off.
He mumbles your name while you shift him in your arms. Javi must spot the necklace because he again says your name curiously.
“Wait… What are you doing?” He presses harder but his voice grows hoarse.
Please, you whisper in your heart as the tears roll down your face, please save him, take whatever you need.
You place the necklace against his wound. Javi’s voice calling to you comes quickly, but then - your world goes dark.
-
Waking up, an unfamiliar sensation surrounds you. You’re warm, bundled in something soft and unfamiliar.
Snapping your eyes open you discover you’re in a new place. It’s a space inside a cozy land dweller home. The walls are a soft sunset color and so many sells decorate the area. A mess of emotions overwhelms you and you scramble to move.
That’s when someone rushes to your side.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Javi.
He kneels down beside you and your eyes cloud with tears fast.
“You’re alright.” You sob out.
Javier’s earth eyes glisten watery and he nods, grabbing your hand to kiss your palm.
It worked. The wish worked.
You now wonder what the ocean took, what price did you pay. Until you notice…your lower body doesn’t feel the same. The sensation where your tail should be feels different. Legs, surface dweller legs, shift under the covers.
You sharply inhale as the thought hits you.
Tail no more, you’re human.
“Honey.” Javi begins cautiously. “I’m sorry. It happened right after you saved me and-”
You jump to embrace him, truly hold him. You reassure him there’s nothing to be sorry for.
He pulls you into his arms and squeezes you tight while kissing the side of your head fiercely. You don’t know how long you stay holding him, but eventually you ask about what happened.
Javi and his cousin, Leo, managed to subdue Richie as more people heard the ruckus in the early morning. They kept him controlled until law enforcement showed up. After that, you were taken to Javier’s family residence where you’re been resting ever since.
“Is he going to come back?” You ask a bit worriedly, clutching his hand. Javi’s free warm hand moves to stroke your face.
“No mi sirena, he won’t hurt us again.” He promises true and unwavering.
“Is she up?” A new excited voice comes in, interrupting your moment with Javier.
“Pop.” Javi sighs exasperated, almost embarrassed, but the door opens quickly.
The man in a cream colored hat comes in and you recognize him as Javi’s father. His eyes, gentle and warm, crinkle as they take you in.
“What?” He jokes to his son. “You won’t let me see the ángel who saved my son twice?”
His name is Chucho and he’s a dazzling ray of sincerity. Pure sunshine, he hugs you tight, thanking you in a watery voice.
Realizing what he said, something in you pauses worried for a moment. Javier must have told him who you are, or who you were now.
“Don’t worry,” Chucho reassures you with the same steadfast tenderness his son holds. “Your secret is safe with us. Afterall, you won’t be the only one in the family now.”
He winks at you, however a bit of confusion bubbles up.
“Aye Chucho, let her be.” The familiar voice startles you.
Gloria with her lovely aged face wanders in and a handsome older man follows right behind her. He must be the husband she spoke of. His resemblance to Chucho sits in the familiar grin. Gloria’s smile is soft, faintly sad, but understanding.
“Didn’t think I’d see you again this way, young one.” She nods.
“Found out you and my Tía Gloria met,” Javi mutters amused and your mind trips over itself.
The woman who traded her life in the sea for the land…
She’s Javier’s aunt.
For some reason that comforts you, and you laugh watery while she moves to embrace you as well.
Eventually you get to rest more among the soft covers and in Javier’s arms.
“A bit late to ask but,” Javi begins with a dry snort. “You regret it?”
You shake your head no, telling him you never will. It’s a choice you would make in every lifetime. He pulls you closer into his arms kissing the top of your head.
Eventually he slowly falls asleep, and you’re lulled into a peaceful serenity.
Where you rest gives you a clear open view of the sea just beyond your reach. Javi’s soft snorts mix with the soft breeze of the waves crashing faintly outside.
Your people were right. The water does provide. Because as Javier shifts in his sleep, almost nuzzling into you more, you realize the sea brought you to a treasure you can’t find among the waves.
The sunlight dancing on the ocean waves feels like both a twinkling goodbye and a wave hello to this new world of yours.
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djarrex · 6 months
Text
burning hot
Howzer x f!reader | Fireball x f!reader | Howzer x reader x Fireball
ao3 | masterlist
The senator you work for assigned you to go to the clone base on Teth, where your primary job as a relations specialist has you venturing outside the job description.
It's been a while - but I just couldn't get these two out of my head. spoilers for the bad batch s3e6&7. 18+ only. explicit. oral. piv. a hint of creampie and a sprinkle of light choking. everything is consensual. almost getting caught. getting caught a little. after care and mention of the color system. a little bit of a threesome. I don't ship clones. no love triangle. reader is f! but no physical description is mentioned. It's been a long time since I've had to tag anything so please let me know if I need to add something. not gonna add user tags because I don't know who's out there anymore lol. enjoy the 10.5k words of smut with plot :)
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Never would you have thought you’d one day travel to Wild Space, and yet here you are, just having entered the purplish atmosphere of a planet called Teth. You’re not traveling alone, though; you’re surrounded by a couple security guards of the senator you all work for, along with a few clones, although these particular clones are not soldiers of the Empire; they’re fighting back just as your Senator is, among a few others who remain in office. Your job is one that your Senator has entrusted to you when this all began, which is to facilitate communications and gather information for your office. Essentially, you speak with the clones about their experiences with the Empire, and see if there’s anything there that would help their case in the Senate, and eventually, to hopefully cast a light on the Empire’s crimes.
“We’re almost to the landing zone,” the pilot, a clone named Gregor, calls. Through the transparisteel you see the abandoned Monastery come into view, sitting atop a steep, mountainous pillar. Apparently, this is where the clones have set up their operations – their base. You figure it’s a good location because of how remote it is, being way out in Wild Space where the Empire’s shadow does not reach. 
As the doors open and the ramp lowers, you see the several men who have been awaiting your arrival at the landing zone. Most of them, the ones who surround the pathway with their blasters held at ease, are in their helmets – but there are two clones in front of you without their helmets, one you quickly recognize as the Captain Rex. 
You blink.
You know the other helmetless man, his hairstyle exactly the same as it was the day he was rescued, though now he’s in a full kit of armor, strapped with weapons. Your heart does a little flip at the sight of him. He looks good, you note. Healthier than the day you met him, and judging by the operation they have going on here, he’s been keeping busy. 
Debarking the ship, you follow closely behind your security. You try not to linger too long on the giddiness you feel of seeing him again, but as you’re walking by, you see his eyes briefly widen with the realization of who you are.
He remembers you.
You first met Captain Howzer several months back, on the day he was rescued. Tagging along with your boss and security, you finally were able to meet the men who were the talk amongst the office: The rogue clones who were fighting back against the Empire. The garage in the lower levels of Coruscant was filled with these clones, some who were recently rescued and the ones who’d already been in the fight. On the day you met Howzer, you were getting to know the men who’d just been rescued that very day–him being one of them–by hearing their stories and gathering as much information as you could for your office, jotting down anything of note that could help the clones’ case in the Senate.
When you spoke with their captain, Howzer, you could tell he was angry – resentful. He told you all about how he’d been arrested back on Ryloth for merely opposing an order that was just plain wrong. Dissidence. He’d been arrested with several of his men who’d laid down their arms in solidarity, only to have been rescued with a saddening two who’d survived the year-long imprisonment. 
The two of you spoke for what felt like hours – long after the garage had cleared out of visitors and others had fallen asleep. You weren’t sure what it was – but you were feeling a pull – one that brought you closer and closer to him until the both of you felt the unspoken. He was flashing you a look – and that’s what did you in.
Howzer fucked you in a supply closet that evening.
It was quick and desperate. Howzer had you pinned to the back wall of that supply closet just moments after he'd followed your invitation inside. As you quickly worked your bottoms off, Howzer's desperation was blatant, his cock straining against those tight gray pants he'd been wearing since the rescue. His hands were quick and his movements were sloppy yet he still was able to expertly find every little thing that got you off. At one point, Howzer had you bent over the counter of a shelving unit, roughly pounding you from behind with his hand pressed against your mouth. His normally perfectly styled hair was falling out of place, strands hanging down his sweat-slicked forehead. He had you seeing stars quicker than you’d anticipated, and when he was nearly at his own climax, he pulled out of you and finished off into the palm of his hand, punctuating the moment with a slap to your ass and a soft, breathy kiss to your temple that juxtaposed it all. 
You’ve been working alongside clones for over a year now–since your boss had decided to covertly join the fight–and you’ve gotten to meet many of these familiar yet unique faces. It’s never been the way it was with Captain Howzer, though – not that you’re looking for that. However, since meeting him that evening, you always had the teeniest of hopes that you’d see him around again. 
And now, several months later, you’ve run into him here on Teth.
You try to hide your growing smile by pressing your lips together and looking down at your feet as you walk. His boots fall in line behind you, and not even several steps later, he clears his throat.
“Remember me?” 
His voice comes from behind you, gruff and playful at the same time, loud enough for only you to hear. You turn your head to the side to catch a glimpse of him from where he’s following behind you, his lips quirked at the corners.
You keep your voice low, glancing behind you as you walk. “Captain Howzer,” you greet simply.
He hums.
“Almost didn’t recognize you without the Imperial prison uniform,” you add.
Howzer lets out a wry laugh. “Felt real good to finally get out of those grays,” he tells you. “Felt even better to get back into my armor again.”
The group pauses, the leaders awaiting the doors to open.
“Glad to see you’re doing better,” you add, turning to face him fully. “This is quite the operation you guys have going on here.”
You swear you see Howzer briefly check you out, subtly eyeing you from head to toe. He grins. “So, what brings you here?”
“A job for the Senator. Apparently I’m good at getting you clones to share your stories and experiences.”
It’s the truth–that’s why you were assigned here for a while–but you’re also laying down little hints, something you know isn’t very professional of you but Howzer’s already reeled in.
He laughs at that, picking it up quickly. “I’ll say. I’d be happy to share even more with you.”
Barely minutes into a conversation with him and you’re already getting worked up, heat building in your lower stomach. “And I’d be happy to listen, Captain. That’s what I’m here for, after all.”
Howzer pitches his voice even lower. “How long will you be here for? You know, to listen?”
“Oh, that depends on how much you lot have to share.”
The same look appears in his eyes from your interaction all those months ago – the look that led the two of you into that supply closet. Even as the group continues inside, you can still feel his eyes on you. 
“Once you’re settled, ma’am,” he says just a little louder, playing the part, “I’d be happy to brush you up on our progress here. For the Senator, that is.”
You once again fight to hide your knowing smile. “I’d be happy to listen, Captain Howzer. I’ll find you once I’ve settled in?”
He exhales deeply, a sly grin on his lips. “How about I give you a tour of the place first?”
Impatient. 
But, honestly, so are you.
You look to your security and they nod in unison, and they step off to the side with a group of clones who are huddled over by the scanners. 
You follow Howzer all the way to a seemingly unused doorway. He pushes it with some force to get it to budge, opening it up to the stairwell spiraling against the inner walls of the spire. The only lighting within the stairwell comes from the torch he just clicked on, and he takes your hand, guiding you down the spiraling steps until reaching the next platform. He sets the torch down and holds your shoulders, and you pull yourself closer to him.
“You know what’s been on my mind since seeing you come off the ship?” Howzer slips his hands under your shirt, teasing his way up to your chest. You gasp at his touches, legs already feeling like jelly. 
“Tell me.”
He leans in. “How good you felt wrapped around my cock.”
You can tell just how wet you are already, and after waiting so many months to see him again, you’re growing impatient. 
“I’m having a hard time remembering that,” you tease. “Maybe you could jog my memory?”
Even in the dim light you are able to see just how dark Howzer’s eyes get, the shadows of his face deepening with the expression of lust etching in his handsome features. 
“Get your clothes off. Now.”
You start with your bottoms, pulling them off leaving yourself completely bare and exposed to the chilled air of the stairwell. Howzer doesn't take the time to remove all of his armor, only focusing on the parts that would get in the way. Before you can remove your shirt, Howzer stops you, his cock already hardened and in his hand.
“That’s good for now,” he orders breathily. Back against the stone wall, you bend your leg at the knee and Howzer takes it to hold against his armored hip as he guides his cock between your legs.
“You’re so wet,” he comments in a voice far too deep. He nudges into you, and the feeling was an incredibly missed one. “Gonna take me so well, baby. Just like you did before.” 
“Howzer…”
“Hang on to me.”
You wrap your arms around his neck and Howzer hoists you up, effectively impaling you on his cock in the process. You cry out, the sound echoing throughout the stairwell.
“Gotta be a little quieter than that,” he chuckles confidently. “I haven’t even moved yet, pretty girl.” He kisses you then, his lips too soft for what you know is to come. “Promise me you’ll stay quiet. Can’t have anyone hear us down here.”
“Promise.”
With your back pressed against the wall and your entire lower half suspended in air by Howzer’s strong grip, you press your lips tightly together, and nod to give him the go ahead. 
Howzer adjusts his grip and starts to move. He snaps his hips roughly, creating repetitive echoes of the sounds throughout the stairwell. Armor on skin. It’s only slightly uncomfortable, but you’re too lost in the feeling of him fucking you again to care about anything else. Your head falls back against the stone wall but Howzer won’t have that. 
Between heavy breaths, he brings you back. “Eyes on me.”
When you meet his eyes again, you start to crumble. Even in this state they’re still such a soft, inviting brown, and you practically allow yourself to drown in them as you both near the finish. He sets you down on shaky legs, and turns you around. You present your ass to him, arching your back the way you know he likes. Howzer chuckles at that and quickly lines himself up to enter you again.
“Gonna paint this pretty ass,” he promises through gritted teeth. 
The change of angle sends you into a frenzy, only this time, you’re able to cover your mouth.
The way Howzer fucks you is so needy and frantic, everything that was pent-up driving the way he snaps his hips and grips your skin. You can feel him everywhere – consuming you. Your body starts to shake when your orgasm hits and Howzer can feel it – it affects the speed of his movements with how tight you start to clench around him.
“Fuck – that’s it – so tight.” He groans – a syrupy rumble in his throat. “Feels even better than I remember. Shit.”
You quiver as Howzer yanks his cock from you. The feeling of the loss is soon replaced by the feeling of his cum spurting onto your skin, the sensation making you moan. You must look like quite a sight, because he keeps humming and groaning quietly as he continues to fist his cock, milking every last drop onto your skin. 
Howzer pulls a small cloth from one of his pouches and wipes you off with it, helping you stand upright on your shaky legs. He starts to reattach his kit to his armor as you pull your bottoms back on, doing your best to fix yourself up without a mirror. 
“Now that we got that out of the way…” The both of you laugh before you continue, “Wanna actually share with me some useful information that I can relay to my boss?”
Howzer wipes his forehead – combs his fingers through his hair. “That I can do.”
-
It’s been a few weeks since you got to the base, and you’ve been welcomed by all as if you were one of them. 
You’re all on the same side here. 
You even have your own room, a place to retreat to when you need some privacy, and the men set up sleeping arrangements in there for you as well. You contact your office once a rotation to keep them up to date, though there hasn’t been much to tell as of yet. What you do know is that the clones are planning something big, a mission to help free more of their brothers, and you suppose you’re going to be here until that becomes more defined. Your security–well, they’re the Senator’s security–left after the first day because they were really only there to protect you, a member of the Senator’s staff, while traveling to Teth. After they did their job, they left, leaving you to do your job in peace.
Since your first day, you’ve gotten to know quite a few of the men who are stationed here, and you’ve been able to speak to the leadership as well as the ones who normally stay back while a certain few others come and go, whether it be with the leaders or on their own respective missions. Captain Howzer is one of the men who come and go, mostly staying at the side of Rex, the clone captain who was the original contact of your boss, the reason why you got into this job in the first place. 
You stay inside of the Monastery, not being a huge fan of the climate outside the stone walls. What you do enjoy is stepping outside to see the sunset and watching how the two moons rise into the mauve sky, when the humidity isn’t at its peak. Otherwise, you’d never venture out into the tangly jungle, or dare to climb the rocky terrain by yourself. 
When Captain Howzer is around, though – you end up wandering off to places you normally would never go on your own. He keeps you busy, even when you both have some downtime from your duties. 
Your secret encounters started off with him simply sneaking into your room at a time when nobody would ask questions. Then, it became him guiding you to remote locations within the base grounds, like the leech vessel that remains safely docked halfway down the spire, or even the transport ship that’s been under maintenance. You’ve even found yourselves behind closed doors in the communications room in the dead of night, riding his lap in one of the chairs. It’s always been quick sex so as to not get caught, but there’s a connection there that has you both feeling its pull. He always finds you before leaving for a mission, and never fails to pay you a visit once he’s back and debriefed. Hells, Howzer even kisses you like he misses you, but it’s just physical, and has to stay that way.
Currently, Captain Howzer and several others are away – gone for the past few rotations. To be completely honest, without him as an obvious distraction, you’ve been able to really focus on your job. 
You’ve just gotten off a call with your office and are finishing typing out notes into your datapad, when Fireball, one of the clones who was rescued from an Imperial prison transport nearly a year ago, calls out to you from the kitchen.
“Chow time!” 
A man who has quickly become one of your favorites, Fireball has long been the elected sous-chef around here, gladly taking up the responsibility of feeding his brothers when Captain Gregor is away. He’s cooked for you every day since you got here, making the dishes just as spicy and flavorful as you like. Not only have the two of you bonded over the food, you’re sometimes the only two inside of the main area of the base while everyone is either keeping up with their own duties around base or off-world on a mission. In those moments, Fireball has been able to really dig deep into his past experiences with you, sharing some of the more painful details that he’d otherwise keep buried and repressed. It isn’t always gloomy conversation, though; he is quite funny and keeps you entertained with cheerful anecdotes from his days as a soldier of the Republic. You’ve truly started to look forward to eating and chatting with Fireball. 
With a smile, you set down your datapad and head to the kitchen, where Fireball starts to shovel out stew from a pot into a bowl for you.
“Smells delicious,” you tell him appreciatively, taking the warm bowl from him. “Thank you, Fireball.”
“You’re very welcome.” He returns your smile, offering you a seat at the table. “I think I’m getting the hang of this cooking thing. Gregor taught me some of his recipes and I’ve enjoyed making them my own.” He sits down beside you at the table, watching you take your first bite with his brows raised. “This is my take on tiingilar – added my own modifications. What do you think?”
The warm colors of the vegetables and the spicy scent of the steam rising from the surface really add to the flavor of the bite, all of it coming together and melting right into your mouth.
“Wow – this is good. You really know how to win over a woman’s heart, Fireball.”
You could swear you see his cheeks darken with a blush, his eyes casting downward as he takes a few bites of his own. “It’s the Captain who’s won you over, from what I’ve been hearing,” he then adds with a chuckle. “Howzer’s been asking about you every time he makes contact. I should know – I mostly man comms around here.” 
It’s your turn to blush, your cheeks heating with the comment. “I-It’s not like that,” you stammer awkwardly, failing to defend yourself. “I’ve been helping h– talking him through some things.” Fireball looks amused, still slurping on his stew and watching you trip over your words. “I– we– I mean not we, but– ”
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he interrupts, waving you off. “I haven't spoken a word to anyone about your relationship with the Captain.”
You freeze.
“...Relationship?”
Fireball leans close, pitching his voice low. “I know about you two.” Your heart nearly drops, but he’s quick to offer you relief. “Howzer told me. He wanted to make sure that if anyone found out, I’d catch the chatter first on comms. I know it probably wouldn't be very beneficial for your office to find out.”
“Oh, well, thanks.” You wipe the embarrassment from your face. “How long have you known?” Taking a heaping bite, you purposefully avoid his eyes. 
“Well, I've known ever since I sort of walked in on the two of you last week.”
You almost choke on the bite. “What?”
“In the comms room,” he quickly adds. “I’m normally up to check the channels every hour. I could hear the two of you behind the closed door, thankfully, before I could open it.”
“Shit. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize,” he chuckles. “I’m just glad Howzer’s in a better mood overall. Now I can figure that’s because of you.”
You blink at him. Something sits wrong in your gut, and it’s not the stew. The last thing you want is for the guys here to think of you as a piece of meat – someone who is only here to offer them relief in a physical way. If word got out about what you and Captain Howzer have been getting up to, not only would that tarnish the view of you in the clones’ eyes, but would cost you your job for sure. 
“Hey, I was sent here to help all of you – to offer an ear for your experiences but while also taking down anything of note to help the cause for not just my people but yours as well.” You sit up straighter, setting the spoon down. “We are all on the same side here, but I’m not just– not just a booty call.”
“No, that’s not what I meant, I’m sorry,” Fireball amends, his hand coming to rest over your own. “I know why you’re here. You helped me on the day I was rescued, too.” He smiles. “I haven’t forgotten about what you did for me on my first day of freedom, how you showed compassion and empathy towards what I’d gone through with the Empire.”
You soften then, offering an apologetic smile. You remember Fireball, meeting him in the same garage in the lower levels of Coruscant only a few months prior to Howzer’s rescue. “I’m glad I was able to help.”
A silent minute goes by then, the two of you finishing up your stew. When you take the last bite, he collects your empty bowl, making the short walk to the kitchen and setting them in a pile to be cleaned later. 
“You being present, eating with me says more than you know,” Fireball adds after taking his seat beside you once again. “Normally I’m by myself in here when the leadership is away, back and forth between keeping the others fed and monitoring communications.”
You nod along with his words, unable to hide your growing smile stemming from your heated cheeks. Fireball continues and you listen.
“It’s just nice to have somebody to talk to, somebody different.” He rubs at the back of his neck, flashing you a bashful grin. “It doesn't hurt that you’re beautiful, too. I understand why Howzer’s so taken with you.”
Something clicks then. 
You’ve developed a crush on Fireball. 
It makes sense – him being someone who’s always there, someone who you’re always looking forward to chatting with. Of course he’s attractive, but it’s not just the exterior you admire about him; you truly appreciate who he is as a person – the decisions he made leading up to his turn against the Empire. Sacrifice. Heart. He’s brave and resilient. Maybe you’re just being silly, but you think he feels some type of way about you as well. 
You and Howzer aren’t a thing. It’s okay to feel something for somebody else.
“I have to confess something,” you say to him, locking eyes with his curious ones, rounding as you begin to speak. “The guys here are so lucky to have you on their side. You’re a real catch – and honestly, any woman would be lucky to have you, too.”
The mood suddenly changes – the air charged. You want him, you decide. You briefly reason with yourself that this would not go against what you were saying before, about how you don’t want to sully the guys’ opinions of you by offering yourself up like this. This – this is different. You feel a connection with Fireball, one that’s full of tension that’s ready to snap at any moment. It’s too strong to turn your head away from, and you’re well aware the man sitting beside you feels the very same.
“Oh yeah?” Fireball bites his lip – runs his fingers through his hair. His voice lowers, gruffer and thick. The sound of it goes through your core. “Any woman?”
You take a beat, your heart thumping in your chest. He’s gotten closer – subtly leaning toward you. His hand slowly comes up, fingers gently pinching your chin.
“Say it, beautiful.”
You know he can do more than just cook and make you laugh – a man who is competent with more than just incendiary weapons. He’s been holding something back for a long time, you just know it.
“I want you,” you confess, your voice barely above a whisper. 
And you want him to let loose.
“Stand up.” 
Even though his voice came out just as quiet as yours, his tone was firm and certain, nothing to defy. You’re quick to stand, and in seconds Fireball is standing as well, his hands grasping your upper arms. You blink at him, awaiting for what should come next. You sense that he’s going to be the one calling the shots here – guiding you exactly where he wants you to go. He may not be part of the leadership around here but he sure as hell is in charge at this very moment. His eyes are deep in thought, that much you can tell. You figure he’s trying to decide on where to start, and the anticipation is making you clench around nothing.
Finally, his eyes make a decision, his hands offering your arms a gentle squeeze.
“Turn around.”
You oblige, awaiting further guidance. 
“I also have something to confess,” Fireball says, his lips just behind your ear. You hold your breath as his hands travel all over your body, his touches featherlight and teasing. “I’ve wanted you for a while. Ever since you got here, maybe even before, when I’d heard you’d be joining us for a while.”
“Oh yeah?”
He bends you over the table in one motion, and pulls your bottoms down to your knees in the next. You swallow thickly as his discarded gloves plop beside you on the tabletop. Breathlessly glancing over your shoulder, you catch sight of him slowly crouching down, his face just inches away from your bare skin. 
“Yeah. And when I heard you and the Captain in the comms room last week, I had to find someplace quick to work one out. Couldn’t get the sounds you were making out of my head.”
Fireball caresses your skin, his fingers coming close to your folds. Knowing he’s that close to touching you where you want makes you clench, a sight that he appreciates. 
“Has… Howzer ever tasted you before?”
The question alone makes you whimper. 
“N–no. Not yet.”
He only hums at that.
“Fireball – touch me, please.”
He continues to tease you, fingers gently prodding through your folds. The soft squelching sound of your arousal heats your face. Growing impatient and desperate for something more, you wiggle your hips, hoping to hint at him to stop teasing and get to it.
“You said to touch you, beautiful, and I am touching you. If you’re wanting something else, I need to hear you ask nicely.”
You could almost roll your eyes at that, but you’re far too worked up to be a brat. You know from experience that certain behaviors, though they can be fun, won’t get you very far.
“Please put your mouth on me. I want to feel your mouth on me, please.”
His response to you is a throaty chuckle, soon followed by exactly what you asked for. When he finally puts his mouth on you, you nearly cry out in relief. 
He starts slow – still teasing while giving you the bare minimum. His lips plant little kisses to the backs of your thighs and all over your folds, his hands holding your hips steady. You’re so worked up that even the small amount he’s granting you is almost enough, but knowing what’s still to come, your body aches for more. 
“Fireball, please, more.”
“I appreciate the manners.” You feel him chuckle again behind you, the vibrations even more teasing. Finally, you feel his tongue poke out between his lips, prodding through your folds. 
You slam your hand against the tabletop. “Oh, fuck.”
He hums in satisfaction, quickly losing himself in your taste. Fireball practically latches his mouth to your pussy, his tongue vigorously working its way through and between your folds. The suction of your clit caught in his lips nearly ends you right then and there, but sensing that you’re incredibly close, he removes his mouth from you and instead stands. Disappointed, you turn your head to face him, catching sight of him wiping his mouth and removing the guard on his armor. 
“I need to know what you feel like wrapped around me, beautiful.”
Seemingly awaiting your approval, Fireball runs his fingers through his hair, holding his hardened cock in his other hand. You gulp at the size of him, flushed and leaking. You haven't even touched him and he looks like he’s about to bust, his own arousal coming from just the taste of you.
“Fuck me, then.”
He hums.
You feel the head of his cock slide through the mess he made between your legs, and as he pushes himself in the slightest, you can’t help the shudder that rips through your body. He’s big, and even though you’re more than wet enough to take him, you’re clenching too much in anticipation. 
He laughs at that – soft and sweet yet full of cockiness. 
“Easy, darling. Barely even inside of you yet.” Fireball groans, the sound of it sending even more heat to your core. “Take a deep breath for me.”
You do, and he feeds his cock into you in that very breath. 
“I won’t last very long,” he tells you once his armored hips are flush with your rear. “You feel too incredible.”
He starts to thrust then, slowly at first and even at the current pace you’re losing your mind. He’s so deep inside of you that you can feel him in your stomach. You don’t realize just how silent you’ve been through it all–too focused on holding your breath and keeping the noise to a minimum–until Fireball comments on it, briefly pausing and checking in to make sure you’re okay.
“‘M fine,” you assure him. Your hand finds his own from where it's grabbing your hip – extra reassurance. “Faster. Go faster. Please.”
You’re guided into a standing position, your back meeting the cool, hard armor covering his body. Fireball’s hand wraps around your throat, not squeezing with too much pressure but it's very much there. His other hand finds its way between your legs, rubbing at your clit to match his increasing speed. It isn’t long until you’re crying out in ecstasy into the palm of your head, tears brimming in your eyes at the intensity of it all. When you climax, Fireball feels it for sure, his own cresting at breakneck speed.
“Where do you want me,” he breathily gasps into your ear, still rubbing your clit into overstimulation. You don’t have it in you to care though, legs wavering from your ongoing climax. 
“Inside,” you whimper. “I have the implant.”
“Fuck, okay.”
Fireball cums inside of you – and the feeling is indescribable. 
Never before have you been with a partner who felt like this during an orgasm. He makes the most sinful of noises as his cock swells deep inside of you, his body shaking against yours. He pants into your ear while your entire cunt heats with his amount of release, enough of it to seep out even with his cock still fully inside of you, feeling it trickle down your thighs.
Fireball bends you down against the table once again when he pulls out, a gush of warmth following. Crouched down to watch his handiwork, he swipes his fingers through some of the mess along your inner thighs, bringing it back to where it belongs.
“Messy girl. Took me so well.” He stands, guiding you back to your feet, “Fuck, you’re perfect.”
“Anybody could have walked in on us,” you laugh breathlessly, that very realization making you quick in redressing, not caring about the mess still dribbling down your thighs and now soaking your underwear.
Tucking himself back into his undersuit and reattaching his guard piece, Fireball blinks dreamily at you. You’re pulled in by the look in his eyes, full of satisfaction and adoration. Your lips meet then, a passionate kiss that punctuates the moment perfectly.
“I should get to the comms,” he tells you almost apologetically. You nod in understanding, meeting his lips for another kiss. “See you around?”
“Of course,” you reply. “Looking forward to our next meal and conversation.” 
The unspoken third activity hangs in the air, Fireball grinning knowingly at the implication.
-
It wasn’t even an hour later when some of the others came back to base after being away for a few rotations. You heard the team return, conversations loud enough to sound as if they were occurring just outside your room. Something about running into another shadow – those assassins you’ve been briefed on. Figuring this is a conversation you should be apart of, you gather your datapad and go to head out the door.
Right as you’re opening the door, Howzer is there.
“Welcome back,” you tell him with a hint of surprise in your voice, not at all expecting him to be right there. “I was just coming out to see what was going on.”
“We’ll debrief you later. Rex and Gregor have other business to attend to at the moment.”
You set down your datapad. “Oh, okay. Well, if you’re hungry, there’s a huge pot of tiingilar on the stove that was made about an hour ago. Should still be pretty warm–”
Howzer interrupts you when his lips passionately meet yours. 
“There’s only one thing I’m hungry for,” he mumbles against your lips, quickly shutting the door behind him. “And she’s standing right here in front of me.”
You giggle at that, once again being swept off your feet when Howzer’s lips reconnect with yours. It happens so fast – his hands roaming your body. Too lost in the feeling of his mouth on yours and his tongue tasting your lips you don’t realize one of his hands has already lost a glove and found its way into your pants until you jolt from the sensation. Your reaction makes Howzer pause, a curious brow raised. 
You never cleaned yourself up from earlier. A request to make contact with your office had come in immediately following what took place in the kitchen, and you were so consumed with work that you completely forgot to take care of yourself. 
And Howzer noticed. 
“What’s the matter? A little sensitive down there, baby?”
You only manage a nod, bashfully smiling through it against his lips. Howzer continues, only now his fingers move your soaked panties to the side. He pauses again, this time pulling his face from yours. 
“Oh?” He hums playfully, narrowing his eyes yet still keeping his cocky smirk. “You're a mess.” 
His fingers slip inside you with ease, and his eyes widen. You choke on a gasp when his fingers pull from you, his hand raising up between your faces for you both to see. Coated on his digits is the creamy film of a mixture of releases, and some of it still dripping from your pussy from what happened between you and Fireball.
“Now who did this?”
Howzer once again lowers his hand and slips his fingers inside of you, pulling them out only to swipe at your sensitive clit. The motions make your body jolt again, and he takes notice, clicking his tongue disapprovingly.
“Here I was thinking you took care of yourself because you’re just so needy.” He shakes his head, his tongue coming to wet his lips. “Now I see I’m not the only one you’re fucking around here.”
Howzer wipes his hand onto his glove, his eyes never leaving yours. Guilt and shame immediately flood your entire body – but you’re unsure why. You and Howzer aren’t a thing – nothing official. So why does he sound so–not angry, not upset–disappointed?  
He tilts his head, a cocky look once again appearing on his face as he watches you.  
“Hey, it's okay,” he tells you genuinely, reaching for your arms and pulling you towards him. He guides you toward a wall, your back firmly pressed against it. “I don't mind sharing. Why don't you tell me who it was, baby? Tell me who beat me into cumming in this perfect pussy while I was away.”
Crouching down, Howzer guides your bottoms off, pulling them from your feet and tossing it all to the side. He watches how you squirm under his gaze, his eyes taking note of every detail from the encounter you had. 
“Couldn't have been Gregor,” he comments absently, swiping his fingers through your mess. He plants a kiss to an unsullied part of your inner thigh. “Couldn't have been Rex, either.”
The very names of both captains being used in this context makes you shiver, the thought of either of them touching you in such a way heating you up inside. They’re both incredibly competent – strong – skilled. You’re sure they’d completely and utterly ruin you for anybody else. 
Howzer chuckles at your reaction and stands up, his hand still toying with you. “It wasn't them but I can tell you wouldn't mind that, hm? Such a filthy, needy girl. You'd take all of us at one time if that were possible, wouldn't you?”
The thought truly never crossed your mind until now – something to revisit later. You’re getting yourself into trouble – the best kind. You’re afraid of getting addicted to the feeling of these men touching you, first Howzer and then Fireball. They may be clones, but from what you can tell so far, they do things in their own, unique ways. You’d be lying if you said that you weren’t at all curious about how the others would handle you – if they’d take you roughly, tenderly – if they’d use their mouth on you or speak filth into your ear. 
Your own fantasies scare you – threatening to make you lose sight of who you are and why you’re here. The most debauched of images flash into your mind – a scene of multiple men of this base taking turns using you in any way they desire. 
Fingers slowly thrusting into you as he awaits your response, you gasp out a shaky “Yes”, making Howzer bite his lip.
He peers at you with darkened eyes. “We can discuss that later.”
But he's not finished questioning you yet.
“Was it Greer? Samson?” Howzer’s hand quickens, fingers plummeting harder into you. He curls them, too – massages the spot that makes your brain fuzzy. Lips brushing against your jaw, he continues to rattle off a few more familiar names, but you shake your head at each of them.
“Nemec?”
No.
“Fireball?”
When you finally hear his name, you can't help but gasp. Howzer catches on, humming thickly at your wordless confession.
“Ah, I see. I'm sure he was good to you, baby, so why are you this needy and wanting more?” 
Howzer removes his hand then, instead heading over toward the door, leaving you pantsless and unfulfilled. 
“Howzer, please.” 
Hand reaching for the door controls, he turns his head over his shoulder. “Why don't I call Fireball in here so he can properly take care of you, hm? Seems you were left unsatisfied.”
When you don't respond right away, Howzer approaches you, his face serious and concerned. He takes your hand. “If this is too much, please let me know. It's all just talk if that's what you're comfortable with. We don't need to take it further.”
“I appreciate your caution. I really do – but I'm fine with it, Howzer.”
“You're sure?”
“I– I like that idea,” you admit quietly. 
Howzer raises an intrigued brow.
You feed into it then, reiterating the foundation of all this talk.
“I let Fireball cum inside of me.” 
“I know, baby. Want to tell me what else he did?”
“He ate me out from behind and fucked me against the kitchen table.”
Howzer’s eyes widen at your confession but narrow just as quickly, seemingly disapproving of the carelessness you displayed. Every encounter you had with Howzer so far has been off the beaten path, definitely not in a common area in the middle of the day no less. 
He shakes his head.
“Anybody could have walked in on you two.”
It was risky – but exciting.
You bite your lip at the memory.
“I know.”
“When was this?”
“About an hour ago.”
Letting out a deep sigh, Howzer puts his hands on his hips, tilting his head to the side in thought. He watches you intently with his lips twisted. “Hm. Clean yourself up, then take off your clothes and get on the bed. I'll be back soon, okay?” 
You nod, Howzer kissing you before throwing out one last command: “And don’t touch yourself.”
Body shaking and your heart pounding with anticipation, you quickly clean yourself up with a damp rag and shed the rest of your clothing before getting into your bed, just as you were instructed. Implications of Howzer’s final comments to you has you spiraling, different scenarios coming to the forefront of your mind. He’s going to get Fireball, you know it. He’s going to bring him right here to you, and the two of them will take turns with you – or, maybe, they’ll use you at the same time.
Your pussy flutters at that idea.
You try your hardest to present yourself in the best way for their return, propping yourself up against your pillows and wrapping the blanket around parts of you that they would have to remove themselves to expose you. It’s a lengthy twenty or so minutes until Howzer returns, but just as you thought, Fireball’s right at his side. 
“Hello, boys,” you say in the sweetest voice you can muster, despite the small amount of disappointment for the wait. Their eyes flash the very same dark shade of desire, pooling deep in those soft brown eyes they share. 
“Sorry for keeping you waiting, darling. I made sure no one would be around. Had to make up an excuse to borrow Fireball for the evening.”
“You didn’t touch yourself while you were waiting, did you, beautiful?”
Your eyes flicker to Fireball, shaking your head no.
“Good girl. Following orders so well already.”
Howzer agrees and starts to undo his holders and the rest of his armor, Fireball wordlessly following the other in preparation. Neither of them take their eyes off of you for too long, staring at you as if they mean to devour you completely.
And you think they just might. 
Dressed only in their undersuits now, Howzer doesn’t break eye contact with you as he addresses the other, gesturing to you with a jolt of his chin.
“Fireball, she told me what you did out in the kitchen, where anybody could have walked right in,” he begins, that same firm, disapproving tone present in his voice as it was with you. “Now, I want you to show me exactly what you did to make our girl so damn messy.”
Our girl. 
You could get used to this.
“Of course.” Fireball grins. “I’d be happy to.”
You bite your lip at Fireball as he approaches, but you glance quickly to Howzer, who has decided to sit this one out in the chair against the wall. 
His eyes don’t leave you, though. He’s going to watch.
“A proper bed,” Fireball comments, caressing your cheek in the palm of his hand. He rips the blanket from your body and leans toward your ear, lowering his voice so only you can hear. “I can’t wait to break you apart. I’m going to ruin you, beautiful.”
Your heart skips a beat, then Howzer speaks up in the background almost knowingly. “We all know the color system, correct?” 
Not looking towards the man in the chair, you nod, Fireball nodding along with you. 
“Good.” 
With that, Howzer leans back, legs spread. You can already see the outline of his cock straining in his skin-tight pants.
He wants a show, and you’re going to give him one.
That is, if Fireball doesn’t destroy you first. 
“I can’t believe how messy you were,” Fireball comments in disbelief as his hand slips between your legs. “Kept me inside of you that whole time, even let Howzer finger you like that.” He continues stroking you, paying extra attention to your clit. “Spread your legs this way,” he directs, angling your body so you’re exposed to Howzer. Fireball teases you in the same fashion as he did just a little while earlier, planting kisses all over your thighs and folds until you’re begging him for more. Howzer, meanwhile, has started to palm himself over his clothes, watching with his lips parted.
The extra pair of eyes on you turns you on even more. 
“Fireball, use your tongue like you did before.”
He smacks his lips, squeezing your thigh in warning. “Now, now, where are the manners you were using so politely before?”
You’re not in charge here. You never were.
“...Please.”
Satisfied, Fireball grins. “Good girl.”
He attacks your pussy with his tongue, only this time, he’s sloppier. Maybe it’s the change of angle, or maybe it’s the audience, but he’s using his tongue in a way that has your head spinning and hips bucking. Fireball seems to be spurred on by this, doubling his efforts and even using an arm to keep you pressed into the bed. He switches to suck vigorously at your clit before lapping at you and it’s already far too much. Your body is desperate for release. 
“I’m– I'm going to cum. Please let me cum. Please.”
He pulls his mouth from you, his lips smacking against your wet folds from a sloppy kiss. Wiping his mouth, he flashes you a devilish grin.
“Not yet. You’re going to cum on my cock, just like before.”
Defeated, you flop your head back onto the bed, your climax receding. You know that the disappointment won’t last for long, though. 
Fireball stands, kicking his bottoms all the way off and peeling his shirt off over his head. You’re granted a perfect view of his entire body, the muscles and hair and soft patches making your head spin. You even discover he has a tattoo – a rather large piece that starts from his hip and travels up his side, the shape of flames twisting around to his pectoral. 
You go to adjust, to change position, but Fireball stops you. “No, no. You lay just like that,” he tells you, guiding you back to where you were. “Hold your knees up for me. Good girl – just like that.” 
Still laying on your back, both men have a perfect view of your pussy, clenching with need before their eyes. 
Fireball leans down to your ear again, his cock hot and dragging heavy against your stomach. He’s so incredibly warm. “We’re going to give him a show. When I cum, I’m going to fill you, and you’re going to take it all like the good girl you are.”
You gasp at his filthy words of promise, but Fireball isn’t pleased with your lack of verbal response. He pinches your cheeks between his fingers, not hard, but definitely firm enough to get your attention. “You tell me if I’m going too rough,” he asks you sincerely. “I’m having fun with you, but stop me if it’s going over the line.” You nod weakly, desperate to feel him between your legs once again. He shakes his head. “Sweetheart, I need you to say it.”
“I’ll let you know,” you promise. “I’m green, Fireball.”
“Good.”
With that, he stands back up at the edge of the bed, scooping his hands under your rear and dragging you up above the edge. Your hands grab at your knees as instructed.
“Deep breath,” he commands, turning his head over his shoulder at Howzer, almost as if he’s giving him a pointer – a jab about his size. 
Your lower half hovering over the bed, you take that deep breath, already knowing what’s to come. Fireball impales you on his cock, sinking even deeper than before without the armor as a hindrance. Every part of his hips and groin make contact with your skin this time, including the maintained curls at the base of his cock. He holds there for a few moments, taking deep breaths, almost as if he’s composing himself. 
You once again glance at Howzer, his cock outside of his waistband now and being fisted by his hand. 
You could gush from the sight alone.
“I’m green,” you remind Fireball.
Sweat already starts to bead at his hairline, strands of hair falling out of place. He looks wrecked already and he hasn’t even begun moving yet. 
“You feel incredible like this,” he sighs in admiration. “I should just have you sit on my cock while I’m manning comms. Keep it warm for hours until you’re shaking.”
“Fuck, Fireball–”
“Yeah, would you like that, beautiful? To be my pretty little cockwarmer?”
“For fucks sake, enough,” Howzer growls out from behind him. “Just fuck her already, or step aside.”
You almost laugh at how Howzer’s impatience is somehow shorter than your own, but Fireball isn’t having it. He goes from zero to ten in seconds, pulling his cock all the way out before slamming back in. Your entire body jolts from each thrust, breaths being punched out of your lungs almost uncomfortably. The feeling of his cock knocking into the back wall of your cunt is all you can focus on, and as Fireball becomes more intense, he stalks talking. 
“Tell him, beautiful,” he begins, his skin slick with sweat and lips parted. “Tell him who the first one was to cum inside this pussy. Tell him who claimed you there first.”
You hear Howzer groan from behind him, and it spurs you on. You did want to give him a show, after all.
“You did, Fireball,” you choke out. “You did.”
“Damn right,” he continues, more hair falling out of place. “And I’m going to do it again, but you’re going to cum with me. You cum when I say and only when I say. Understood?”
“...Yes, sir.”
Your ranking comment seems to be one that does Howzer in, because you can hear the telltale sounds of the Captain cumming into his own hand. Fireball though, he takes your comment and runs with it, twisting his face into determination. The muscles of his abdomen flex violently as his thrusts change into quick jabs. He’s utterly disheveled, but he’s not done with you yet. 
“I can feel how close you are. You’re so fucking tight around my cock.”
You nod absently, too far gone to speak. There’s so much pressure built up inside of you that you feel you’ll burst at any moment; and that moment comes when Fireball’s fingers find your clit, rubbing at it in quick motions. 
“Cum. Now.”
You’re thankful to hear the words, because you fear you were about to anyway. You feel yourself gush around his cock, along with that familiar feeling of heat coming from his own release being pushed deep inside of you. You’re drunk on it – utterly lost in euphoria. Out of your body. The only thing keeping you tethered to reality is how Fireball caresses your cheeks, so incredibly tender compared to how he just handled you.
“You okay, beautiful?”
His eyes look wide with concern, full of fear that he crossed a line. You reassure him with the sincerest smile you can manage at the moment, your head still dizzy with endorphins. 
You then see Howzer appear beside Fireball, his face reading the same expression. 
You reach up to take Howzer’s hand. “You wanted Fireball to make a mess of me again,” you say quietly, still coming back to your body. “Look.”
Both men look at where you’re gesturing, their eyes blown wide and lips parting with a groan. You clench and relax your muscles, pearls of white seeping out from your swollen pussy and dripping onto the floor. You giggle tiredly at their shared reactions. 
“I know you need a break, baby,” Howzer says, running his hand along your thigh. “But I want you so bad right now.”
“Then have me,” you offer. “I promise I’m green, just a little tired is all.”
Fireball cleans himself off and starts to redress. “I’m going to get some water.” He hands Howzer a different rag and places a kiss on your forehead. “I’ll be back shortly.”
Howzer lifts you and lays you down the other way, your head now supported by pillows. He strips off his undersuit and takes his place beside you, one hand caressing different parts of your body while the other carefully runs the rag between your legs.
“You’re breathtaking,” he tells you. “And you looked so good getting fucked like that.” 
You smile at him, holding his chin in your hand, running your thumb along the scar. “I can’t believe you just watched,” you tease. “I almost expected you to push Fireball out of the way, especially after how impatient you got.”
He laughs at that. “I’ll still have you, baby. I’m not worried.”
“Have me now, Howzer.”
“You sure?”
“Please. I want you.”
“Okay, pretty girl. I’ll be gentle.”
Howzer climbs on top of you, holding your face in his hand as he swipes his cock through your folds. You wince at the sensation, far too oversensitive for any type of teasing. Even though he just came into his hand not long before you got yours, he’s already hard again, and easily slips inside of you. Both of you share a soft moan, Howzer’s eyes fluttering shut at the feel of you wrapped around him.
Your leg bent and held against his hip, he slowly starts to thrust, his heated chest pressed against yours. 
“I missed this,” he admits. “I thought about you a lot while I was away.”
“Fireball told me that you were asking about me every time you made contact.” You giggle when Howzer looks away in embarrassment, but your hand finds his scarred cheek, delicately redirecting his eyes to yours. “It was sweet.”
Howzer’s lips meet yours, his hips resuming that same, slow pace. It’s relaxed yet he’s still hitting so deep, a balming sensation that sends butterflies through your stomach.
A knock at your door makes you both pause briefly, but you soon recognize it as Fireball returning with water, and invite him in.
“Leave it on the table,” you direct Fireball. “And come over here.”
Howzer gives you a curious look, though not letting it phase his movements. Fireball obeys and is at your side in an instant. You take your hand from Howzer’s shoulder and instead reach for the waistband of Fireball’s undersuit. His brow raises, and this time, Howzer halts. 
“I want to suck your cock while Howzer fucks me.”
Both men once again widen their eyes.
“This is what I want,” you offer before either of them can object or make an argument for your sake. “Howzer, it’s okay, you can go a little harder. I know you want to.”
Howzer smirks at you and nods, adjusting himself to kneel upright so he can give you what both of you need. Fireball can’t help but reach for your breasts, running his hands all over your chest. You guide his cock out from his undersuit and he steps closer, resting a knee on the bed to get a good angle. 
“Howzer, I want you to cum inside of me. Fireball, I want you to cum on my tits.”
“Oh, fuck,” you hear one of them groan. 
Looking up at Fireball with pleading eyes, you open your mouth and extend your tongue. His jaw practically drops at your gesture, taking that as the goahead to feed his cock into your mouth. You taste the tang of release still clinging to his skin and you quickly start to crave it, your mouth watering for more.
Howzer resumes his own movements, his hands clinging to your hips like a vice. They both use you, one cock nudging the back of your throat while another punches into your gut. Howzer’s normally perfectly styled hair quickly becomes mussed from exertion, those combed strands collapsing down his forehead. 
Fireball thrusts into your mouth over and over again, drool starting to dribble down your cheek and chin. He keeps one hand occupied with squeezing your breasts while the other finds a home wrapped around your throat, just as it was earlier. That same tingly sensation floods your senses again from even the faintest of pressure offered, sending sparks to your core. 
“She’s so close,” Howzer tells the other, as if you aren’t there. 
Fireball smirks at that, squeezing your throat with just a little extra pressure.
“Fuck, do that again,” Howzer groans. “She liked that.” 
Fireball repeats the motion, squeezing then releasing, and each time you clench with the return of pressure. It’s so much and just when you thought you couldn’t possibly have another one in you, your third orgasm of the evening hangs right there, though this one doesn't feel as disastrous. You start to welcome it but hold back, awaiting permission.
“It’s okay, beautiful,” Fireball coos. “Cum for us.”
Howzer chimes in, slowing his thrusts and angling his hips upward to hit that spot he knows will send you over the edge. “C’mon, baby. You can cum.”
When it arrives, it washes over you like a cool, replenishing rain, different from the others that were burning hot and unforgiving. You feel at ease and brand new. You feel safe with these men, knowing they’d do anything to take care of you. As you start to come down from your relaxed high, the pair dote on you with praise and gentle touches, then switch their focus to finishing themselves. You help them get there anyway you can, adding in extra clenches for Howzer and tongue movements for Fireball. 
It isn’t much longer after that when Fireball pulls out of your mouth and pumps himself at the head, squeezing as his cock spurts his cum onto your chest. Howzer starts to crumble at the sight of the white ropes painting your breasts and drool coating your chin, and shortly after that, he’s burying himself as deep inside you as he can, pelvis flush with yours, and shakes and groans with his own release. 
Both of them looked wrecked yet so satisfied. They also share the same admiration in their eyes as they get you cleaned up and hydrated. 
Fireball sits at the edge of the bed, offering you and Howzer the blanket to cover up. 
“Can I ask you both a personal question?” You and Howzer glance at each other, nodding in unison to Fireball before he continues. “What started…” he gestures with his hands to the two of you lying beside one another in bed, “...This?”
“We actually met several months ago,” you start to explain.
“And hooked up that same day,” Howzer adds with a grin. “Guess we sort of picked up where we left off.”
You laugh. “Captain Impatient here couldn't wait to get me alone on my first day here.” 
Howzer shakes his head at your nickname, and Fireball only nods along as he listens to the two of you go back and forth. 
“I don’t want to get in the middle of anything,” Fireball finally chimes in. “You two have something here – and I don’t want to ruin that.”
You make eye contact with Howzer, both of you thinking the exact same thing. 
“You’re not ruining anything,” you assure him. “What Howzer and I have–” you look at Howzer again, to ensure you’re both on the same page, “--It won’t go beyond this right here.”
Fireball turns instead to his captain, wanting to hear what he has to say.
Howzer considers for a moment, tenderly grabbing your chin before responding. “I already told our girl here that I don’t mind sharing.” He pauses again. “That is– if you don’t mind sharing, Fireball.”
Fireball grins. “I definitely don’t mind. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t getting in the way of anything.”
Simultaneously, they both make eye contact with you. Howzer’s fingers delicately run across your cheek. “Are you okay with it, darling?”
You ponder their offer for a moment, thinking about everything it could cost you. You’re here for work, not for pleasure. You’re way out in Wild Space because you were entrusted with this job. Yes, you would lose this job if word got around that you’re sleeping with the clones. Yes, you’d lose the trust of many, and perhaps lose the faith of your people, who are counting on your office to fight against the Empire in a diplomatic way. 
But you look at these two men, one laying next you, the other sitting at your bedside. Both of them would protect you without a second thought. Both of them have already shown how much they care about you. Both of them still allow you to do your job, mutually benefitting from it. They take your mind off everything that’s going on – the oppression of your people, the tragic experiences of recently rescued clones, the disheartening news when a mission fails. 
And when the need arises, both of them can make you feel things unlike anything you’d ever felt before. It started with Captain Howzer – and you’re not at all about to turn away Fireball. You have strong connections with both of them, and you’re not willing to give up the physical aspects of those relationships. 
Sitting up, you grab their hands, holding them in your own. You keep a serious expression on your face, wanting to display that yes, you’ve given this a lot of thought, even though you already knew your answer. You want to show them that you’re taking this seriously, and that their caution and concern are dually warranted.
That serious expression of yours morphs into eagerness, a smile forcing its way across your lips.
“As long as I can do my job without too many distractions, and as long as my office doesn’t find out – I’m okay with it.”
252 notes · View notes
mechaknight-98 · 4 months
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Seeing Magenta (NSFW) FT Arin
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Author’s notes: a continuation of “holy grail” title inspired by https://youtu.be/1YxNiEl_Fic?si=QaKLXjJQCN64hAOQ
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I sat in the dimly lit quarters I shared with Arin, freshly dismissed by the Imperio of the Tarkiran Empire. A tide of emotions boiled within me, paramount among them a seething fury. Arin sat behind me worriedly healing my back while she pondered my actions that had landed another one of The Imperio's captains in the hospital for making inappropriate advances toward her. They weren’t merely flirting; their intentions were far more sinister, and I made sure they understood that such behavior would have consequences.
As I simmered in my anger, Arin held me from behind and whispered, "Thanks, Daizo," her voice barely audible. I turned to face her, noting the shy expression in her eyes.
"No worries," I replied.
The air in the room was heavy with tension as Arin silently embraced me. "Why do you hurt yourself for me?" she asked, a note of concern in her voice.
"Because you are the only normal thing I have left," I answered, and Arin hugged me tightly.
"Ow, still bleeding," I muttered. Arin chuckled softly and continued patching me up. As she did, she traced the brand etched into my back. Her warm touch sent shivers down my spine. I was dubbed the Imperio’s warmaster, yet in matters where I was supposed to be involved, I was often spurned or otherwise ignored by her. It was a frustrating deal, to say the least, especially since we had reached an impasse. A stalemate had developed between the Tarkiran Empire and the Alaran Federation. The casualties and responsibility weighed heavily on me despite Imperio’s encouragement. Arin knew this, so we never talked about it, but I knew she was worried about me. I wished for the war to end so I could leave the Empire as the Imperio had promised, but it dragged on.
After Arin finished healing me, she noticed the fresh scar on my nose and gazed at me with worry. "Why don’t you use the Battle Mantle when you fight?" she queried.
"Honestly, I’m scared. I try to limit its use, saving it for life-or-death situations because I don’t want to lose control and go into a rampage," I explained.
Arin smiled gently, then let out a laugh. "Soul of a hero, heart of a greedy dragon," she said. I looked at her, puzzled. "You are so good-hearted, but they don’t understand that. The only language they speak is strength, and they see your 'mercy' as weakness. Please, the next time a show of strength is demanded, show yours—all of it."
I hesitated before saying, "What if I lose control again, like last time?"
Arin smiled reassuringly. "I will be right there, like last time, keeping you from being too destructive." I smiled weakly as Arin leaned in and kissed me, a hopeful gesture to make us both feel better. Her lips tasted like coffee cake, which was pleasant. Before anything else could happen, an alarm went off. We groaned and reported to the helm. When we arrived, all the Imperio’s generals and officers were waiting.
"You're late," one of them said.
"I ran from my quarters, which, if you care to remember, are on the exact other end of the ship. I got here as fast as I could," I replied. The general narrowed his eyes at me in thought. Before he could begin a snappy reply, the Imperio said, "Garudamon, stop antagonizing the boy." I turned to face the Imperio as she looked at me, her gaze fierce, her eyes piercing into my soul. I remained strong.
"You vex me, Autumn. You continue to show your loyalty to me and me alone. You attack my other generals unprovoked and with the ferocity of your namesake. Why is that?"
"They went after what is mine," I replied resolutely.
"You refer to your paramour, I assume. Surely you can share her?" the Imperio negotiated.
I paused, knowing my next words needed to be careful. "Would you have me share my arm with the generals?" The Imperio shook her head. "I know you may not understand it, but she is my... dren, and is mine to care for, as I am hers. We are one flesh. To share her would go against the covenant I made."
"A covenant you take higher than your Imperio’s orders?" the Imperio questioned.
I nodded, choosing my words with great care. "The god I serve would never forgive me if something happened to her. While I trust you and a few others present not to hurt her, I do not trust everyone." The Imperio smiled at my conviction, but it was quickly replaced by a saddened frown. She couldn’t let my disrespect appear tolerated, especially with threats of mutiny from several high-ranking officers who believed she "coddled" me (The primarch being Garudamon).
"Well, then you know what that means," the Imperio said with dejected reluctance. I grimaced as she took out her labrys, ready to punish me. I stood resolute, but the Imperio wanted Arin.
"Garudamon, bring Augumon’s dren to me. This will be a far stricter punishment, and the consequences will sink in deeper."
Before Garudamon could touch Arin, I threw my sword at his arm, causing a minor flesh wound but enough to stop him. I stepped between Arin and the rest of the crew, signifying to the Imperio that I was opting for mutual combat. "You challenge me despite knowing you will lose? While I admire your resolve, I must punish you worse," the Imperio said. I recalled my sword and got into a combat-ready stance. "Very well, I accept your challenge."
Arin whispered in my ear, "Show them who you are," so I did.
A familiar magenta and teal aura surrounded me as I let the Mantle of Battle Song ring. The Imperio saw this and looked at me with confusion.
"What is this? This is not your usual enhancement magic, boy," she said, bewildered and in awe. 
I was silent as I lifted my blade and took a heavy swing. Energy from my aura followed the arc of the swing as it cut through the helm. Unused to this type of attack, the Imperio took the brunt of it. She barely recovered before I attacked her again, her movements lethargic as my magic had greatly sapped her energy. It was ironic, considering the name she had given me. I slashed at her again; she attempted to block but was a second too slow, my blade striking her shoulder. Despite its blunt nature, my blade still inflicted significant pain, and she endured another energy-sapping blow.
The other generals watched me in terror, seeing the crazed look in my eyes as I gave in to the Song of Battle. At the same time, they began to grasp the depths of my rage. I was ready to fight to the death at any moment. The Imperio, however, was all smiles. She loved seeing me fight with such ferocity; it reminded her why she had chosen me to join her empire and made me Warmaster. She managed to create some distance, but I was quickly upon her again. She smiled as I swung my blade, clashing with her axe. At this point, the "Greedy Dragon Heart" that Arin had mentioned began to awaken, and my aura changed as my rationality slipped and waned. The Fist of Dragons formed around my open hand as our duel continued. Arin watched intently, proud of me for taking her advice but worried about my self-control.
Another clash of sparks brought the Imperio and I face to face again. Her eyes met mine, and she was shocked to see nothing but a vacuous hunger. At this point, she could hear the Battle Song. She swung her axe at my head, but I intercepted it with the Fist of Dragons and disarmed her. That was when Arin’s voice reached me.
"Daizo, that's enough," she said. I stopped attacking and looked at the other generals present.
"Starting today, Arin is off-limits. While I may not win, I will ensure that every one of you loses before I leave her unsafe," I declared before leaving with Arin back to our quarters.
When we arrived, Arin was giddy, her face lit with happy smiles.
"That was so cool. I didn't know you could do that—using the Lost Beast Dragon's power," she said. I shrugged as we sat down, beginning to nurse the headache that always followed the Battle Song. Arin sat next to me on our shared bed, doting on me.
"See, it wasn't so bad. You just need some help. I know you don't like asking for help, but sometimes you need it," she said. I groaned, her voice usually pleasant but now feeling like nails on a chalkboard in my current state.
"Hey, Arin can you tone it down a bit? My head is killing me," I ask and Arin smiles with a pleased nod. 
Her eyes take a weird turn before I can feel the Air around me warp. 
"You know we didn't finish what we started earlier. How about we do that now," She said with her voice pitched deeper and Huskier. in her eyes, I see a wild desire that matches my own. she smiled before kissing me. She was the first to have her tongue give an exploratory entrance into the other's mouth. I happily accepted her advances, as her idle hands traveled under my shirt.  she breaks the kiss.
"I feel it inside you. The Lost Beast Dragon wants out." She says, "Please let it out."
Afraid I respond "No" and Arin pouts. Her magic washes over me and she says,
"Stop fighting it. you aren't two separate entities. you are one, now let him out." she said as she kissed me deeper
"I can't," I responded
Arin looked at me disappointed, and asked, "Why not?"
"I can't control it," I replied
Arin smiled and replied, "Then don't,"
"but what if I hurt you?" I ask
"You never really had control of it, to begin with," Arin flirted as she took off her shirt and went back in for another kiss. I felt safe in her arms and in that safety, I let my guard down. I let my powers mix and mingle for the first time and fully give in I watch as Arin smiles. my aura lifts out of me as it races to meet her as our lips crash. Arin becomes more aggressive in her ardor kisses, and I reciprocate. our tongues dance between our mouths as we create a frenzied tempo between us. She breaks the kiss and says. 
"Fuck me!" she pulls down her pants and panties in one fell swoop. I smile as I unbuckle my pants my rod stands at attention for her. 
"Oh so hard for me. I can't wait to feel it," Arin coos, as she sinks into my cock. she smiles at me with a lusted look which only makes me harder inside of her. I feel the Dragon begin to take over as she rides me. I take a firm grip of her ass and she moans before I spank her right cheek.
"Yes spank me," Arin says as she continues to ride me. Her pussy convulsed around me as auras mingle she looks down at my face. 
“Open your eyes toy. I want to watch you let go,” she chides as she intensifies her riding me. I open my eyes but I can feel my body and aura changing. 
I feel it gradually as her aura makes room for mine as she rides she also loses control and I see her moth Phoenix come out. She looks down at me her gold and grey aura envelopes me as we dive further into intimacy “Show me what you hide let me see if all. She moans. Her pussy is tight drawing, as her friction and as we reach our highs the barriers break and it occurs. We cum together and my beast dragon meets her moth Phoenix. Our eyes meet and I feel her love her aggression and her fire. She smiles and says I didn't know you were a wind dragon?” she says with a smile before kissing me. I smile and say to her 
“I didn't either.” 
We lay together for a moment then another until my cock begins to harden again. Arin moans as I am still inside her. 
“Fuck Me,” she orders. I pick up her light frame and lay her on the bed before I begin violently thrusting into her she moans in ecstasy, “Oh good boy,” she cries as I ravage her lithe body. I moan out as her body reacts favorably to the sensations her pussy tightens and eases around my cock in a way that attacks all my weak spots and erroneous zones to where my mind is mush 
“That a good boy give in to the pleasure, and cum.” her words cause me to erupt again as my mind can't process anything anymore. She smiles while watching me in a stupor. She leans up and kisses me. She smiles and wordlessly forces me hard again. My mind flashes and our auras mutate but I forget my worries as I mindlessly thrust again. Our union feeling so right overpowered the feeling of sinking feeling that I was crossing a very significant threshold with her. I pressed on as she encouraged me to fuck her, “Good boy keep fucking my pussy. Don't you like how warm and wet it is for you? It is all for you.” 
I nod reduced to wordless grunts I continue to fuck her and as our orgasms hit something strange happens I can a little piece of my aura become a little piece of hers and a little piece of hers goes into mine. We breathe heavily as we come down from our highs and our words resurface. 
“That was intense,” I said as we lay next to each other. 
Arin nods and says. “We have never been that aggressive for each other”
I nod and say, “I think we completed some sort of mating ritual,”
“I think so too because I feel a part of you inside me, and not just your cum but it's as if a part of your soul rests in mine.” I chuckle and respond
“Same. So what do we do now?”
Arin smiles and says, “You win this fucking war so we can go home and get married,” 
We share a bath and then go to sleep in each other's arms. I wake up early the next day feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. I see Arin off to her training with Narset and go to my training with The Imperio. I feel a new sense of urgency instilled within me after my night with Arin. The Imperio takes notice. 
The atmosphere was different when I faced the Imperio. She had this wild look in her eyes. 
"What was that power you showed yesterday," She demanded without her usual greeting. 
"The Mantle of Battle Harmony," I responded 
"How do you use it? How does it work," The Imperio demanded.
I sighed knowing where this was going and hoping to curtail it, "I wish I could tell you as it comes from here," I said while pointing at my chest.
The Imperio glared at me, "Stop with the cryptic metaphors you're telling me that this is the one power you have no understanding or control over?"
I held up my index finger and said, "This is exactly the one specific power I have no control over or understanding of,"
"But you told me that it was not important and probably wouldn't see it all that often. From your demonstration yesterday, that was a lie." The Imperio questioned 
I responded defensively "How so?"
The Imperio rolled her eyes before saying "You may not understand it but the way you moved the power you held it was incredible. It was the strongest I had ever seen and you expect me to believe that it was just minor?"
I shrug and reply "Well no it's extremely dangerous to use because I can't "Control it" It's like I am reaching into a deep, part of my magic and myself and using it, but that part of me isn't cognisent in the same way."
The Imperio smiled "Well, then we will just have to train it, and tame it." 
I rolled my eyes this time and said "Oh right let's do that. It's not like I have been trying to since I was a teenager," 
"Well from what I have seen of you it seems like that was because the rest of those around you were cowards." she chides 
"Hey watch it," I say 
The Imperio looked at me confused, "Why? I am telling the truth. they stifled your growth because they couldn't see that you were going beyond them."
Guarded I responded "I never said any of that."
"You didn't need to. Everything about how you carry yourself and the fear of breaking things tells me more than enough about you to know. you live in irrational fear. Specifically of being considered a monster, but you are, and to win this war I will need that now more than ever."The Imperio said 
I shook my head and replied, "No, you don't. What you need to do is stop listening to Garuda, because all he knows is how to not lose. that's why you're in this Deadlock,"
"Careful Warmaster I trust my vizier more than I trust you," the Imperio cautioned 
Realizing my mistake I replied "I am not saying he's a bad guy. I do think he is but not for losing you the war. He sees this as a strategic give and take, and not for what it is and what will win."
"and what do you think will win?"
"A show of strength."
"Okay then show me. I will follow your council. You have the reigns. Show me how you win where I haven't"
My strategy was simple, instead of targeting military installations and combat supply depots we attacked all of their non-combat-ready ones. And crippled their economic and agricultural supply lines. Now we lost quite a few military depots of our own (I made a calculated choice to reduce manpower at them so the losses would be less devastating) I also made sure we minimized as many casualties as possible on both sides. This escalated the war of attrition to a new impasse. The Alarain could easily wipe us out but doing so would destroy their supply lines permanently as we had integrated fail-safe at every one of their locations so anything they took back was rendered useless within the hour. This allowed us to make a quick offensive to retake our resource lines back faster and we started to pull away with the war. Then that's when the peace talks started. 
six weeks later the war is over. The Imperio follows my stratagems breaks the deadlock and creates a true impasse that allows for peace negotiations. The Alaran Federation and Tarkiran Empire have reached a mutual truce. The Imperio and the Council are overjoyed that the fighting is finally over. I had been with The Tarkiran Empire for Two months and ended a multi-century-long war. I was regarded as a hero but honestly, I could only feel relief I could go back home. 
When Arin and I arrive back on with a ship gifted to me by The Imperio as a “retirement gift.” I was surprised to see it was the same as I had left it, with no cracks no destruction. We landed and decided to go back to my parent's place as they still would have my key. They were surprised to see me, more so after I told them everything (not the sex parts though) after that we went back to my place in the States and processed our next move. 
"So what now?" I ask Arin. 
"We go back to Korea and tell our friends we made it back." I nod and respond okay. So we take my ship and fly to Korea. and land on the top of her apartment building. We get into her apartment and sit down together. Arin finally decided to bite the bullet and call you and Hyeju. Hyeju picks up the phone and the first words are 
"Where the fuck have you two been," 
Arin laughs and says. "Well good to hear from you too," 
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differentpostrebel · 1 month
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Lost and Found: A Pirate’s Promise
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Lost and Found: A Pirate’s Promise
A/N: Hi!! This is my first fanfiction ever, and I'm super excited to share it with all of you! I've always loved fanfictions that span across multiple parts because they give so much room for character development and suspense. As a massive One Piece fan, I hope you all enjoy this series as much as I will enjoy writing it!
For this series, we'll start off in the Pre-Time Skip era, specifically during the Sabaody Archipelago arc. Y/N is an established pirate and a formidable warrior, with the third highest bounty in the Straw Hat crew. She's not just another member; her strength and skills have earned her a respected spot among the crew.
Sanji, our favorite lovesick cook, falls head over heels for Y/N almost immediately. True to his nature, he tries every trick in the book to catch her attention, from cooking her favorite meals to showering her with compliments. On the other hand, Y/N may have a small crush on Sanji, but she’s cautious and focused on her goals as a pirate.
As the story progresses, that small crush gradually blossoms into something more profound, but their journey together won't be easy. With the chaos of the New World looming, the dangers they face will test their bond and loyalty to each other. Will their love be strong enough to survive the trials ahead, or will the perils of their pirate life tear them apart?
Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster filled with angst, action, and a dash of romance. I'm thrilled to take you on this adventure with Y/N, Sanji, and the rest of the Straw Hat crew!
A/N: some parts may be changed to fit the story, but others will remain the same. For instance, instead of eleven supernovas it will be twelve. 
Word Count: 2.3k
Sanji x Y/N, OP x Y/N ,
Chapter 1: Desperate Measures: Saving a Friend 
  Having arrived at Sabaody Archipelago with your crew, along with Hatchan, Camie, and Pappag, the vibrant and bustling island immediately overwhelms your senses. The bright, multicolored bubbles floating through the air, the mix of strange and diverse people, and the looming presence of the massive mangrove trees create an atmosphere both wondrous and ominous. You can't help but feel a mix of excitement and unease—Sabaody is a place of both opportunity and danger.
  Luffy, your captain, couldn’t wait any longer to get off the ship and explore. With his usual boundless energy, he leaped from the Sunny, already imagining the adventures that awaited him on Sabaody Archipelago. You remember the day he first asked you to join his crew. It was after a particularly intense battle where your fighting skills had caught his eye. He admired your strength, your resilience, and the way you stood your ground even in the face of overwhelming odds. Luffy, always the one to follow his instincts, had approached you with that wide, infectious grin and simply said, “Join my crew!”
At first, you were taken aback by his straightforwardness, but there was something about Luffy—his unwavering belief in his dreams, his ability to inspire those around him, and the way he saw potential in everyone—that made you consider his offer. He didn’t just see you as a warrior; he saw you as someone who could help him achieve his goal of becoming King of the Pirates. And so, after a moment of thought, you agreed, finding yourself swept up in the Straw Hats' chaotic yet oddly comforting world.
  As Luffy heads down with Chopper, Zoro, is scanning the area to see if there are any threats nearby. “Sense anything Zoro?” you say as you begin to step out of the sunny. “Zoro glances around, his eyes sharp and focused, before shaking his head slightly. "Not at the moment," he replies, keeping his voice low. “Hey Mosshead, back off of Y/N, she doesn’t need you clinging on to her,” Sanji snaps, stepping in between you and Zoro, his eyes narrowing at the swordsman.
Zoro glares back, “Who’s clinging, you curly-browed idiot? I’m just making sure there’s no trouble.”
Before the argument can escalate further, Nami steps in, her hands on her hips. “Enough, both of you. Sanji, you’ll stay behind to guard the treasure along with Usopp. Franky, you’re staying on the ship too—just in case we need to make a quick getaway.”
Sanji’s expression immediately softens, his usual heart eyes appearing as he turns to Nami. “Of course, my love, anything for you!” he says with a dreamy sigh. Then, as if remembering his role as the lovesick cook, he pulls out a single rose, handing it to you with a flourish. “Y/N, keep this with you on your journey, so you won’t forget about me.”
You take the rose, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips. “How could I forget about you, Sanji? I’ll be sure to keep it close.”
Sanji’s heart skips a beat as you flirt back, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Though he’s always been bold with his affection, there’s something about the way you respond that makes his heart race a little faster. You’ve always admired Sanji’s charm and his relentless dedication to those he cares about, and in moments like this, it’s hard not to let your own small crush on him slip through.
  As you all disembark the ship, Hatchan begins to explain that he knows someone who can coat the ship for your journey to the next destination, Fishman Island. Camie and Pappag act as your guides, showing you around. Nami and Robin decide to head out for some shopping.
“You sure you don’t want to tag along?” Nami asks.
“Yeah, we could have our own mini girls’ day,” Robin adds with a smile.
Shaking your head with a smile, you reply, “No, that’s alright, you two go on ahead. I’ve got to make sure these guys”—you gesture towards the remaining group—“don’t wind up in too much trouble.”
“I’ll be sure to get you something!” Nami calls out as she and Robin head off to the stores.
“Well, Zoro, looks like you and I will be taking care of…”
“Zoro??”
“Damn, did he just leave?” You sigh and make your way back to your group.
 Meanwhile, back on the Sunny…
“Sanji, you gotta relax, buddy. Nami, Robin, Camie, and Y/N are safe and fine,” says Franky, trying to calm Sanji down.
Sanji exhales a cloud of smoke from his cigarette, his eyes still filled with concern. “Yeah, I know,” he mutters, “but I can’t help worrying about them. Especially Y/N… she’s always getting into trouble, and I can’t help but think I should be there to protect her.”
Franky gives him a reassuring pat on the back. “You’re on guard duty here, remember? We’ve got to keep the ship safe.”
Sanji’s gaze softens as he looks at the rose he’s tucked away for Y/N. “I just wish I could be there with her… make sure she knows how much she means to me.”
“Don’t worry, Sanji,” Franky chuckles. “They’re in good hands with you watching over the ship. And besides, you’ve got your own way of showing you care. That rose will do wonders.”
Sanji nods, taking a deep breath and letting his worry slowly fade. “You’re right. I’ll keep an eye out and make sure the ship stays in one piece. Just hope she gets my message.”
He glances at the rose again, a small smile appearing on his face as he tries to refocus on his duties.
  Back in Sabaody… 
 After witnessing the cruelty of the nobles, a shiver ran down your spine as the unsettling images replayed in your mind. You couldn't shake the feeling of anger and disgust.
“Those bastards, no one should be treated like that,” Luffy says, his voice filled with rage. “I don’t care if you’re a noble or not.”
“It’s truly a horrifying sight to see,” Brooke agrees, his usual calm demeanor marred by the gravity of the situation. He and Chopper hurry to catch up with you and Luffy.
“Luffy, remember we promised Hatchan we’d lay low for a bit,” you remind him, trying to steady your own emotions. “As much as I want to strike back, we can’t risk it. We have to stay out of trouble for now.”
Just then, you’re ambushed by a group of bounty hunters who had been lying in wait. One of them, a scruffy man with a leering grin, points at you with wide eyes. “Hey! You’re Y/N, the one with the $115,000,000 Berry bounty. You’re one of the Supernovas!”
“Supernovas?, what are they talking about?” you say in a hushed tone. 
Before they can react, you draw your blades with swift precision. The air around you crackles with energy as you unleash a flurry of strikes, each move perfectly calculated to disarm and incapacitate your attackers. Your combat skills, honed through countless battles, shine as you take them down one by one.
Luffy watches in awe, a grin slowly spreading across his face as he sees you effortlessly dispatch the bounty hunters. “Nice work, Y/N!” he cheers.
Brooke and Chopper finally catch up, their eyes wide at the sight of the defeated hunters. “Looks like we’ve got some unwanted attention,” Brooke observes. “But impressive as always.”
Smiling as you sheathe your blades, your breath steady despite the adrenaline coursing through you. “We need to stay sharp. Let’s get moving before more of them show up.” 
  Finally, after a bit of traveling, they reach Grove 13 and a bar where the coating engineer is said to stay. Upon entering, they are greeted by Shakky, the bar’s owner. A former pirate and friend of Hatchan, Shakky introduces herself with a friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you all," Shakky says. "I've heard quite a bit about the Straw Hats.”
The group exchanges pleasantries before asking about the engineer, Rayleigh. Shakky informs them that Rayleigh hasn’t been seen for a while, though he hasn’t left the island. He’s been wandering the bars and casinos for the past six months.
"Well, if Rayleigh’s been missing for that long, we might have to search for him ourselves," Luffy says.
Shakky nods. “Be careful. Since your arrival, there are now twelve rookie pirates with bounties over 100,000,000 berri who’ve reached the Red Line. Luffy, you're second highest among them.”
As the group absorbs this, Shakky explains that most of the Supernovas are staying in Grove 24. She describes some of them: Capone "Gang" Bege, the mafia-type pirate with a bounty of 138,000,000 berri, Jewelry Bonney, with a bounty of 140,000,000 Berri, Basil Hawkins, known as "The Magician" with a 249,000,000 bounty. In another part of the grove, Eustass "Captain" Kid (315,000,000) and Scratchmen Apoo (198,000,000)
In Grove 21, "The Mad Monk" Urouge (108,000,000) and "Massacre Soldier" Killer (162,000,000) next is "Red Flag" X Drake (222,000,000), a former Marine Rear Admiral, and Trafalgar Law (200,000,000), the last of the rookies. Shakky hands you the wanted posters and you note with a small smile that you and Zoro are also among the Supernovas. You’re listed with a bounty of 115,000,000, and Zoro with 120,000,000. 
As you glance at the wanted posters of the Supernovas, you mutter with a playful grin, “Wow, Killer, Eustass Kidd, and Law… they’ve got something uniquely captivating about them. They look kind of cute.”
Brooke, catching your comment, bursts out with a cheerful, “Yoohoo! Looks like Sanji’s got some competition!”
You chuckle and tease, “Oh, definitely. Killer’s dangerous allure, Kidd’s raw intensity, and Law’s cool confidence—they each have a certain edge that’s hard to ignore.”
Leaning in closer, you let your voice drop with a sultry edge, “It’s not just their looks. There’s something about their vibe that’s a little… irresistible. Makes me wonder how they’d be in person.”
Brooke's jawbone clinks with his laughter. “Well, I can’t say I blame you. A little competition always spices things up, doesn’t it?”
You wink playfully. “Exactly. It’s all about the thrill of the chase. But for now, let’s see what these Supernovas are really like. Who knows, maybe they’ll be even more intriguing up close.”
Brooke’s grin remains, his eye sockets gleaming with amusement. “I’m sure they will be. But remember, Sanji’s keeping a close eye on you. Don’t let him get too worked up!”
You laugh, the mischief in your eyes sparkling. “Don’t worry. A bit of competition never hurt anyone. It just makes everything more exciting.”
With that,the group heads out to find Rayleigh, the playful tension lingering in the air. 
   As the group sets out to find Rayleigh, Luffy suggests a visit to Sabaody Park to enjoy the day. Camie, brimming with excitement, eagerly tells you about the park’s significance and her past visits. You walk side by side with her, absorbing the vibrant atmosphere of the park and the joyful energy of the rides.
As you and Camie sit on a bench in Sabaody Park, catching your breath from the excitement of the rides, you both share a contented sigh.
"This place is amazing," Camie says with a smile, her eyes sparkling with joy. "I wish I could have experienced it like this more often. It’s so much fun!"
You nod, enjoying the moment. “I’m glad we could have this day. It’s been a blast.”
Just as you’re about to take another bite of your snack, a shadow looms over you. Before you can react, someone covers your mouth with a cloth, and another pair of hands grabs Camie. You both struggle, but the suddenness of it leaves you disoriented.
Through the fabric muffling your cries, you hear Camie's muffled voice. “Mmmph! What’s happening? Let us go!”
You try to yell out, but the cloth over your mouth stifles your words. Panicking, you reach for Camie’s hand, and you feel her trembling. The sound of ropes tightening around your wrists and ankles is followed by the heavy thud of sacks being pulled over you.
You catch a glimpse of Camie’s frightened eyes as she is shoved into a sack next to you. Through the layers of fabric, you try to comfort her.
“It’s going to be okay, Camie,” you whisper as best as you can through the gag, though it comes out as a muffled sound. “We just need to stay calm.”
You can hear the muffled sounds of Camie’s sobs from the sack next to you. The kidnappers’ harsh voices are distant but clear enough to make out their cruel intentions.
One of them grumbles, “They’re going to make a fine addition to the auction. The buyers will love them.”
The words send a shiver down your spine. The realization of being taken to be auctioned as slaves hits hard, but you try to remain composed for Camie’s sake. You shift slightly in the sack, trying to offer some comfort with your presence despite the dire situation.
In the oppressive darkness and confined space, all you can do is hope that your crew will find you in time before it’s too late.
.
.
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OMGGGG, what do you guys think??? This one was long! But it'll be all worth it! Next chapter is going to be a good one that you don't want to miss. Currently writing it as we speak! Welcome to my page and I can't wait for you guys to read what I have in store! 
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justhereforxreaders · 13 days
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The Prince and the Dragon Rider - Part Six: Pieces and Players
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Jacaerys Velaryon x dragon rider!reader
Summary: your party arrives in King’s Landing and the venom of the city begins to take hold.
Warnings: anxiety/panic attack
soundtrack
part one: the oath
part two: tempest
part three: the dawn
part four: the test
part five: precipice
part seven: the rift
Little was said the morning of your departure to King’s Landing. The sun had not yet risen but a dim light through the morning fog was growing over the waves to the east, indicating that the dawn was not far off. Yourself and the Princes had mustered your dragons and gathered among the cliffs above the docks of Dragonstone to watch as the servants loaded the ship with the royal family’s possessions.
You and Jacaerys sit next to each other in the sparse grass as Tempest and Vermax seem to chase each other through the mist above. During your starlight ride with Jace last night, the dragons effortlessly fell back into rhythm like long lost friends. Watching their lighthearted dance overhead brings a wistful smile to your face.
While the two of you watch the dragons in comfortable silence, Lucerys remains upon Arrax’s back, resting his chin upon his crossed arms, looking on somberly. Seeing as Jace’s attempts to lighten his mood during the walk to the dragonmont had been unsuccessful, you decide it’s best to leave him to his thoughts for now.
Shortly after the first rays of sunlight begin to peek over the horizon, you look down to see the last of the parcels and trunks are being placed onboard the ship. Moments after, the procession of guards and handmaids file down the pathway, followed by the remaining members of House Targaryen. A torch is raised up into the air by a guard from the deck of the ship and Luke commands Arrax to take flight. You and Jace stand and stretch your tired muscles then call for your dragons. As Tempest and Vermax make their approach, Jace turns to you with a grin.
“Ready?” He beams.
You roll your eyes playfully as the dragons land beside each other.
“As ready as I can be,” you smile back at him.
Though the three of you could have easily covered the length of Blackwater Bay and reached your destination within a few hours, Rhaenyra had instructed that you remain within eyesight of the ship so that you could all arrive at King’s Landing together.
What began as mindless circles above the vessel, quickly evolved into a race across the width of the bay, zigzagging between the coastlines. Even Luke’s melancholy was not enough to keep Arrax from joining the game. Although distant shouts of protest could initially be heard from the young Prince, they soon become cries of joy as he allows himself to delight in this new experience.
As the sounds of merriment echo through the sky, you are struck by a sudden feeling of nostalgia. Having spent the last three years peacefully on Dragonstone, it had not occurred to you that venturing out into the unknown was something you found great joy in, something you missed even. Only now, you were not alone. Journeying through the sky, alongside the two people you held most dear, was not something you imagined you’d soon grow tired of.
As the day went on, the bay steadily began to narrow as you made your approach towards King’s Landing and a foul stench permeated the air. Though your journey across Essos lead you near many great cities, none of them radiated such a distinctive odor.
Once the ship has docked, you follow Jacaerys and Vermax’s lead over the crowded cityscape towards the dragonpit. The massive domed structure sat atop one of three hills within the walls of the city. It reminded you of fighting pits you had seen littered throughout Essos but far grander than any of them could ever hope to be.
You land in a clearing outside where a small gathering of Dragonkeepers wait, each with large quarterstaffs held aloft. They greet the Princes as they dismount and bow politely to all three of you. Surprised by their cordial greeting, you bow your head in response from behind Tempest’s head. Though as they approach the three dragons, Tempest becomes uneasy and grumbles a warning, eliciting hisses from both Vermax and Arrax. The Dragonkeepers stop in their tracks but stand firmly in place.
“What are they doing?” You ask nervously.
“They escort the dragons inside,” Jacaerys responds, nodding towards impossibly large bronze doors at the base of the dome.
You look down at their expectant faces and gently shake your head.
“No, thank you,” you utter, trying to be stern while remaining polite, “I’ll lead her in myself.”
You urge Tempest forward and the Dragonkeepers make way for her to pass. Upon crossing the threshold, you are greeted by the sight of an impressive stone arena within. You are so enamored by its scale and grandeur that you fail to notice Jace and Luke walking beside their dragons following behind Tempest.
“Spectacular isn’t it?” Jacaerys calls from the ground, a proud grin plastered across his face.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” you admit with a smirk.
Vermax and Arrax excitedly rush forward to a ramp leading below and disappear into the shadowy passage. You dismount Tempest with a groan and move around to her face. Reaching your hand to her snout, you look into one of her golden eyes and nod before pressing your forehead into her scale’s.
“I’ll see you soon,” you mutter then move out of her way so she can join the others.
Whatever progress had been made in lifting Luke’s spirits was immediately lost the moment the three of you filed into the wheelhouse waiting outside the dragonpit. He quietly stared out the window while Jace pointed out various landmarks to you.
Although you had seen The Red Keep while flying over the city, it became more imposing as you drew near from the ground, the red hue of its walls felt like a warning to proceed with caution. As you enter the gates, the sounds of the crowded city behind grow quiet and an eerie silence takes its place. A kingsguard greets the three of you as you exit and hastily leads you into the fortress.
A second guard awaits within and moves towards you, offering a halfhearted bow.
“Please follow me to your chambers,” he says flatly and takes a step in the opposite direction of Jace and Luke.
You look to Jace in confusion and his brow furrows as he moves to stand beside you.
“Where are their chambers?” He asks, emulating both Rhaenyra and Daemon with his authoritative tone.
“The servants quarters, my Prince,” he bows fully, “as instructed by the Queen.”
“Nonsense,” Jace scoffs, “there are an abundance of vacant rooms that are perfectly suitable.”
He wraps his hand around your forearm and gently pulls you away from the guard.
“See them moved into the apartments near ours,” he calls over his shoulder.
“Yes, my Prince,” you hear the guard mumble as you are led away.
“Come with us until this is sorted,” Jace says with a smile, “I want to show you the training yard.”
Despite the unabashed stares that follow as your trio passes by, Jacaerys walks with his head held high. You watch with admiration at your friend’s defiant confidence, imagining what it must have been like to grow up under the shadow of such scornful eyes. Though your skin crawls at their glances and whispers, the idea of someone so young having to endure this treatment day after day makes your stomach turn.
When you reach the training yard, Lucerys perks up momentarily. The sound of combat echoes off the stone courtyard and Jacaerys rushes forward to place his hands on a divot in one of the walls.
“See?” He calls back to the two of you, “I told you this would still be here. And you thought you could swing Criston’s morning star.”
He runs back to Luke and rustles his hair.
“Nearly took your own head off,” he laughs and begins examining the weapons laid out before them.
Upon receiving no response, Jace finally voices his frustration.
“What’s your problem?” He snaps at his brother.
At this, you back away quietly and join the circle of onlookers surrounding the sparing match, giving the Princes privacy to air their grievances.
As you enter the crowd, you watch as a dark haired man swings a morning star at a silver haired figure behind a shield. The morning star sails through the air, missing its mark, and instead finding purchase in the dirt. He quickly pulls it from the ground and swings again at his opponent, this time taking a chunk from the shield on impact. The silver haired man discards his broken shield, revealing an eye patch over his right eye.
With the silver hair and the one eye, you immediately recognize him as Rhaenyra’s half brother, Prince Aemond, the man Lucerys took an eye from. A quiet gasp from behind you confirms your suspicion and you turn to see that the Princes have joined you. You reach out a hand to Luke but are interrupted as a quiet applause erupts from the crowd, bringing your focus back to the finished match.
“Well done, my Prince,” the dark haired man says with a smirk, “You’ll be winning tourneys in no time,” the dark haired man continues.
“I don’t give a shit about tourneys,” he utters flatly then turns your direction. “Nephews, have you come to train?”
You puff up your chest defensively, willing yourself to become a wall in front of your Princes. The remaining eye of Prince Aemond shifts to you briefly before the gates fly open and everyone’s attention is pulled to a lord and his escorts as they trudge through the yard. You look back to ensure Aemond’s focus has moved from Jace and Luke, only to find his gaze still lingers on you.
He looks you over, assessing you closely. You adjust your posture slightly, allowing you better access to your daggers, and he takes notice of the subtle shift. He finds your eyes before turning away with the slightest smirk.
You watch as he walks away, not enjoying the idea of having your back turned to him, until Jace places a hand on your arm.
“Let’s find my mother,” he says and you look to see his gaze fixed on Aemond as well.
Your trio departs with the rest of the crowd and continue to pass through endless staircases and passages when you happen upon Rhaena wandering the halls, walking alongside a girl of similar age.
“Baela!” Jacaerys calls and runs forward to meet them, “I’m glad to see you here.”
“You as well, Jace.” She says with a laugh.
When you and Lucerys reach them you bow politely at the new face. You had heard of Daemon’s eldest daughter but had not met as she was at ward on Driftmark.
Jace places a hand on your shoulder.
“This is y/n,” he proudly introduces.
“Well met, Dragon Rider,” she smiles and nods a bow while Rhaena scowls from behind her.
“Have you seen our mother?” Jace asks of both of them, releasing your shoulder.
“I left her not long ago with the Princess Rhaenys in the godswood.” Rhaena mutters, avoiding eye contact with you at all costs.
“Thank you,” Jace says with a small bow and moves past the sisters, walking forward with purpose.
Lucerys follows suit, leaving you behind momentarily.
“Pleasure to meet you, Baela.” You say quietly before chasing after the Princes.
As you run after Jace and Luke, they come to a sudden halt and you nearly run into them as they make way for a silver haired woman storming down the hallway. The woman glares at the Princes as she passes by and, for the first time since your arrival, Jacaerys shrinks back.
You duck your head as she passes and only once she has disappeared around the corner do the boys continue through a doorway leading to a courtyard where Rhaenyra stands alone beneath the blood red leaves of a heart tree.
“Mother,” Lucerys calls and rushes forward to embrace her, shaking her from her quiet contemplation.
“Hello, how was the journey, my love?” She asks, returning the embrace, making an effort to appear animated for her second son.
You and Jacaerys join the two of them beneath the tree as Lucerys regales his mother with his highlights from his first long distance flight.
“Have you gotten settled in your chambers?” She asks, a faraway look in her eye.
“Not yet,” Jace informs her with an exasperated sigh, “Alicent left instructions for y/n to be housed in the servants quarters. I told them to find something near our rooms instead.”
Rhaenyra smiles but it fails to touch her eyes. She then turns to you.
“Have you enjoyed the capital thus far?”
“It is very different from Dragonstone, just as you said, Princess. I imagine it takes some getting used to.” You admit honestly.
She nods and pulls Luke in once again before planting a kiss atop his head.
“Go get some rest,” she says and removes her arm from around her son, gently guiding him towards his brother, “Jace, please see Luke to his room. I’d like private word with y/n.”
Jace looks back and forth between the two of you, concern clear upon face but he nods regardless. Luke scrunches his face in confusion as he’s pulled away and you shoot them both a reassuring smile before leaving you alone with the Princess.
Once they are out of ear shot, she snakes her hand into the crook of your arm and guides you over to a nearby bench.
“I am very grateful for your friendship with my sons,” she begins in a gentle tone. “As you have already seen, they were not treated as they should have been by their peers and subjects.”
She lowers herself down onto the bench and invites you to sit beside her.
“I know that you and Jacaerys are especially close,” she pauses, taking your hand between hers, “which was harmless enough when you were children, but now that you are both grown, I am afraid I must ask that some distance be put between you.”
Her words force you to inhale sharply and it takes everything in you not to pull your hand from hers as she continues.
“There are certain duties required of an heir to the throne. And I fear your close proximity may restrict his opportunities to perform those duties.” She releases your hand and you pull it back slowly, balling it into a fist as it returns to your lap. “He has been the victim of slanderous murmurs since the day he was born and I do not wish my son’s name to befall any further insult or injury. Whether true or not.”
Her hands fold across her growing belly and she searches your eyes, “Do you understand?”
You turn from her to look at the face carved into the bark of the tree in front of you and nod silently.
“I am sorry to ask this of you,” her tone becomes empathetic and she follows your eyes to the tree before continuing, “I do not wish to cause you strife. But the time for us to gain further allegiances may be approaching faster than anticipated and we cannot afford for Jace appear ineligible.”
“As you command, Princess.” You speak with a quivering voice.
“It is not a command,” she corrects but it makes little difference to you, “it is a request. You may choose to ignore it.”
She stands and places a hand on your shoulder.
“But I know that you truly care for my son. And I trust you will choose what is best for him.”
She removes her hand and walks towards the exit. Before passing through the door, she pauses and calls back to you.
“We would be pleased to have you in attendance tomorrow,” she says with a slight grimace, aware of how conniving her words must sound, “we need as much support for Luke as we can muster.”
“As you wish, Princess.” You stand and turn toward her to bow lifelessly.
A tightening takes hold within your chest and you force yourself to breathe slowly and deliberately. Once the Princess has vanished into the darkness of the castle however, you collapse to your knees, clutching your chest. Quiet sobs begin to radiate through your body and you turn around to lean your back against the bench, tears pouring uncontrollably.
As lovely as the picture of the future Jace painted for you just the evening before was, and as hard as you willed yourself to believe it, you knew the part you were destined to play would inevitably be revealed. And though Jace’s words in the cave had given you some glimmer of hope that you would be allowed to remain by his side, Rhaenyra’s command made it clear that your continued presence in the Prince’s life would not go unnoticed, or without consequence. And neither would your growing affection for him.
You had always known his destiny and thus always knew you would not be able to play a meaningful part in it. Which you had convinced yourself was enough to keep any deeper feelings from arising. But in the skies over Dragonstone, that destiny felt far enough away that you had unknowingly begun to falter in your resolve.
It was easy enough to hide those feelings from yourself. Hiding them beneath the friendship. But now that that was also being stripped away from you, an ache tore across your chest like fire.
You pick yourself up on shaking legs and stumble forward, catching yourself on the trunk of the heart tree. Its eyes ooze a deep red sap and you look upon it like a mirror. A dragon’s screech from above breaks you from its gaze. You jump back and wipe the tears from your face, searching the sky for the source but finding nothing. Suddenly desiring nothing more than to run back to Tempest and escape to the sky but knowing that is a luxury you will be forever denied. Steadying yourself with a deep breath, you turn around and return to the labyrinth you have sworn yourself to, now fully understanding the consequences of such a vow.
• @eywas-heir
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marlynnofmany · 2 months
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Early Efforts
 I was keeping Wio company in the cockpit, because piloting can be boring in empty space, when an alert dinged. Wio paused her story about an underwater race she’d won on her home planet. I held my questions while she tapped the controls, tentacles dancing across the console. Finally she sat back and relaxed.
 “Nothing big,” she told me. “Just a bit of metal junk among the rock.” One of the smaller screens zoomed in on a patch of space that turned out to hold a tumbling asteroid. “It doesn’t register as any known weapon, so it’s probably not a lost mine or what-have-you.”
 Surprised, I looked around the cockpit as if it would give me a view through the walls. “Is this area known for those?”
 “Nope,” said Wio. “But space is big and time is long. It wouldn’t be the first time idiots fighting each other didn’t give a flip about the rest of the universe.”
 “Yeah, or the last,” I agreed. “So what is it, if it’s not dangerous? Can we tell?”
 Wio turned a few knobs and flicked a switch. “Not from this distance. The readings I’m getting are of common ship-building materials.”
 “So it’s from a crash? Do you think it was that crash?” I pointed over my shoulder, again as if we could simply look back to see the wreck I meant. I probably wasn’t even pointing in the right direction. We hadn’t seen the joyriding accident in person, just heard about it when we picked up our latest cargo.
 “Ehh,” Wio said, studying a complicated set of imagery. “Don’t think so. Pretty sure the angle’s wrong. Possible, but unlikely.”
 “If it is, do you think they’ll want their part back?”
 “Depends on what shape it’s in,” Wio said with a wrinkle of her octopuslike forehead. “We’d have better odds selling it for scrap at the next station with a good mechanic’s sector.”
 I scanned the many screens and readouts, trying to get a feel for how much of a detour it was. “Do you think that’s worth checking?”
 “Sure do,” Wio said cheerily, tapping buttons and touchscreens, adjusting dials and fiddling with a couple odd bits on the console that I’m pretty sure were there just for fidgeting purposes. Wio was rarely still.
 “Should we — oh, you already pinged her.” I spotted the little red light that said the captain had been called. I expected a comm call as soon as Captain Sunlight got a spare moment, but she must have been nearby, because she just showed up at the door.
 “Yes?” asked Captain Sunlight, posture as regal as ever and scales a slightly brighter yellow than usual. I still hadn’t found a polite way to ask if the Heatseekers on the ship polished their scales or shed them in privacy for that occasional fresh look. Now certainly wasn’t the time.
 Wio spun in her chair. “Permission to make a minor detour for potential salvage?”
 “Show me.” The captain walked over for a better look, about head height since I was sitting down. She peered at the various readings and gave permission.
 And, since it really was a very minor detour, she just stood there and waited while we closed in on the lump of rock and metal. Soon enough we could see it on the main screen: turning end over end, traveling in roughly the same direction we were, just much slower.
 “No radioactivity,” Wio reported. “No air pockets either, and the chance of germs is near-zero.”
 “The components seem relatively straightforward for a bit of simple machinery,” said the captain, reading a chart that I’d thought listed something else.
 While they went over the analysis, I reflected that I really should ask Wio to teach me the basics of the controls in here. Not enough to fly — I was fully aware of how much training went into that — but just enough so I didn’t feel like an idiot Earthling who’d never been to space before when more than one screen was active.
 “Let’s use the grabber,” Captain Sunlight said. “I’ll prep the cargo bay.” She made several calls to different parts of the ship while Wio unfolded a portion of the controls that I hadn’t seen yet. It was labeled “Grabbing Arm.”
 “Ooh, how’s that work?” I asked.
 “It’s nice and intuitive for once,” Wio said as she ignored it for long enough to steer us right alongside the spinning lump. She locked the speed in (but didn’t make us spin to match it, thankfully. That would have been a bit much). Then she turned her attention back to the panel. It held several regular-sized buttons and one large black one — oh wait, that was a hole.
 When Wio stuck her tentacle in to manipulate the grabbing arm, I quietly shook my head. Of course it’s that kind of arm, I thought as a mechanical tentacle uncurled into view outside. Why would I expect anything with fingers on a ship made by Strongarms? 
 Captain Sunlight finished talking to whoever was in the cargo bay, and gave Wio the go-ahead. I watched the main screen as the grabber lined up carefully with the spinning mass of rock and metal, then gave it a calculated whack. A piece broke off and it stopped spinning.
 Wio peered at a readout. “Nonvaluable mineral,” she said. “I’ll just get the big part.”
 “How big is it?” I asked belatedly, not sure of the grabber’s size for reference. One of the screens probably said.
 “Small enough to fit!” Wio said. With a look of intense concentration (and several tentacles fidgeting behind her), she wrapped the metal grabbing arm around the asteroid and pulled it in.
 “I’m off to the cargo bay,” announced Captain Sunlight. “Keep it nice and gentle.”
 “Will do. No explosions of dirt on the floor if I can help it.”
 Captain Sunlight nodded, even though Wio was watching the screen, and she left. I looked between the two.
 “I’m going to see if I can help,” I said, getting up.
 “Sure thing. I’ll watch from here.” Wio gestured with another tentacle at a small screen on the side that had a great view of the cargo bay. Several crewmembers were waiting by the airlock.
 I hurried down the hall on my long human legs. I wanted to see what this thing was. Maybe it was important, or valuable, or both. Probably not, but who knew?
 When I got there, the airlock was already closed again, and Eggskin was putting away their hand scanner. Blip and Blop each had a hand on the lumpy rock about the size of a two-person hoverbike. They seemed to be the designated “hold it in place” team, which they were good at, because of all the muscles. The goggles they wore and the pickaxes shoved in their waistbands said that might not be all they hoped to do.
 Eggskin said, “No trace of anything biological,” and moved to stand beside the captain. The two Heatseekers were a healthy distance from the rock, clearly to give the Frillian twins plenty of pickaxing room. I thought I could see a bit of metal among the lumps, but it was hard to make out. The rock looked like several pieces had clumped together around it. I couldn’t say whether they were stuck with glue, welding, or just gravity and time. A smattering of gravel had already fallen to make the floor treacherous.
 Blip and Blop seemed aware of that, since they moved their feet by sliding instead of stepping. At Eggskin’s declaration, the captain nodded a go-ahead, and the Frillians grabbed their pickaxes.
 A voice from behind me complained, “I was going to watch…”
 I turned to see Zhee retreating back into the hallway, all gaudy purple exoskeleton and disapproval.
 He continued, “But I think I’ll wait out here.”
 I asked, “Do you think the chips are going to—” then the first pickaxe hit with a thunderous clang, and I hustled out to join him. Captain Sunlight and Eggskin had also backed up further. I was pretty sure one or both of them were saying words of caution, but I couldn’t make it out for sure.
 Zhee clicked his pincher arms and angled his antennae in disapproval. He probably had opinions about the best way to disassemble the chunk of rocks and nonsense. Zhee always had opinions.
 A concerned voice from down the hall asked, “What’s happening?”
 I called back, “Salvage.”
 Paint trotted up, her expression worried and her mottled orange scales less shiny than the captain’s. I’d definitely have to ask about the polishing sometime. Maybe.
 “What kind of salvage?” she asked.
 I told her, “Rocks and metal.”
 Zhee said, “Loud and messy.”
 Before Paint could press for details, the axe noises were replaced by a minor avalanche of rocks etcetera collapsing onto the cargo bay floor. The silence afterward made me rub my ears.
 Paint looked around the corner, then dart forward. Zhee and I followed.
 The pickaxes were already set down in favor of hands for picking through the mess. Blip and Blop pulled out something long and angular, each grabbing a different end and having a split-second tug of war like two puppies with the same stick. Then they held it up for the captain together.
 “Got it!”
 “Look at this!”
 We all looked. It was dented gray metal, long with a couple of joints, and with wires dangling out the bigger end. Straightened out, it would have been a little taller than the Frillians.
 I asked the obvious question. “What is it? Broken antenna?”
 Blip rotated it, peering at the wires, then the bent sections. “I don’t think so. These parts seem supposed to move.”
 “Yeah, and this end’s serrated!” Blop said, pointing at the narrow end. “It’s almost like…” He grabbed the last two segments and wrenched them together. The metal screeched. The serrations fit together perfectly, in a startling imitation of Zhee’s pincher arms.
 We all looked at him.
 Zhee hissed quietly and angled his antenna into extreme displeasure. “Keep breaking,” he said.
 “What? Why?” I asked.
 Zhee pointed a pincher. “It is old enough to be ugly. An embarrassment to Mesmers everywhere.”
 A few careful questions and one angry rant later, it became clear that this Mesmer at least was certain that every one of his species would be personally offended by the sight of this relic’s lack of vibrant colors and/or gemstone decorations.
 No, it hadn’t lost its decorations; there were no sockets for gems. No, it hadn’t lost its paint; there were no traces, and paint was only for utter peasants who couldn’t anodize metal.
 “Ask Trrili,” Zhee challenged. “She’s from a different moon entirely.”
 Captain Sunlight quietly called Trrili to the cargo bay to give her opinion on something unspecified. Trrili arrived in a storm of shiny black and blood-red, taller than Zhee and curious why she’d been summoned. She caught sight of the relic.
 “Throw that out the airlock immediately,” Trrili hissed.
 Zhee said, “I suggested they break it.”
 “That’s good too.”
 I said, “I can’t believe no Mesmer ever would want to keep this for historical value, if it’s as old as all that. It’s a ship’s grabber arm, right? It might have broken off in some historical battle or something! It could be incredibly important!”
 They said, “It’s not,” in perfect unison.
 Wio’s voice came over the loudspeaker from where she’d been watching on the cameras. “There’s a Mesmer colony not far from here. Public info says it’s relatively new, so not the one that lost that, but it would take some detailed math and a huge map to track how far it could have drifted in that many centuries anyway. It can’t hurt to ask them if they want it for a museum, right?”
 Zhee said that would be deeply embarrassing to even ask.
 Trrili wanted nothing to do with it.
 Captain Sunlight decided it was worth a shot.
 Both Mesmers stalked out of the cargo bay with loud declarations that they would be on the other side of the ship, and not to bother them until the shame was done with.
 The captain asked Blip and Blop to clean the thing up as best they could. Paint volunteered to help, and ran to get brushes.
 I asked permission to be in the cockpit during the phone call. Surely that opinion couldn’t be universal. Surely.
 Or, I learned soon after, maybe it could.
 “A what?” asked the local authority, a pink-and-blue Mesmer with glittering chips of crystal forming intricate whorls on her exoskeleton. “I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
 Captain Sunlight addressed the screen with dignity. “A historical artifact of Mesmer design. It appears to be a mechanical version of your glorious blade-arms, made of gray metal.”
 “That’s disappointing,” the authority said with a flick of both antennae. “Kindly throw it into the nearest sun.”
 I blurted, “What?”
 Captain Sunlight gave me a look, but didn’t say to be quiet. I took that as permission to keep talking.
 “But this is part of your history! A record of how you got where you are!”
 “Ah, a human,” the Mesmer said with a sigh. “Tell me, when your offspring commit an act of art for the first time, you are proud, yes? And so are they, for a while? You might even put it on display. But then they grow up and never want to see it again out of shame? This does not deserve a place on the fridge. Into the sun it goes.”
 Nothing I could say would sway that decision, not that Captain Sunlight let me try for long. She turned the conversation to business, and ended up convincing the Mesmer authority to pay us a small fee for the inconvenience of going out of our way. (We were on official courier business, after all, and time was money.) (Yes, people say that even in space. The Mesmer didn’t bat an antennae at it.)
 The final agreement also included an escort ship, partly to make sure we really did get rid of the thing, and partly to help us do so. It had a tractor beam thingy that could be set in reverse to punt things across the starfield. Very handy for launching artifacts into the sun. No, I didn’t ask what they normally used it for. That kind of tech could easily have been an accidental discovery, and I wasn’t about to bring up any other possible sources of cultural embarrassment.
 But I was going to quietly give my respects to the ancient bit of machinery before it was atomized. I stood in the cleaned-up cargo hold next to the unassuming piece of dull, dented metal. Crouching, I ran my fingers over it, committing the feel to memory: from the torn wires to the crooked serrations. A couple of those little teeth were bent. I’d never know what bent them.
 Loud conversation approached, and my crewmates entered the room, bustling around to prepare. I stepped back as the captain arrived, and I took up a position by the door. I had a good view of the airlock from there.
 As Blip and Blop in their exo suits hefted it to throw, as Wio angled the ship to get us in line with the escort, as Captain Sunlight gave the command and the relic was launched toward the distant sun, I silently gave my respects. I sent mental appreciation to the ages-ago Mesmers who had made it.
 Great job, you guys. You must have been SO proud. 
~~~
These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.
Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.
The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).
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daddywright · 11 days
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daddywright fall fic writing challenge
Because the Organization that Shall Not Be Named has embraced AI (among other sins), I decided I wanted to create a little challenge of my own that isn't just for November and contains prompts that I'd actually want to do as a fic writer. I did this for myself, but if anyone wants to try out any of these prompts, you're welcome to! Because I'm lazy, I'll be trying to commit to this all fall, and give myself a goal of 30,000 words. We'll see how that goes!
Some of these are 18+ prompt ideas, because I like to write explicit material. Take or leave them as you like.
As a way to get myself excited, I'm going to commit and post something by 12AM tonight (!) that falls along one of these guidelines. Stay tuned!
Write from a character's POV you've never attempted before.
Write for a ship you've never written.
Resurrect a character from the grave.
KILL a character DEAD.
Back to the Future: time travel shenanigans!
Share and develop a WIP that's at least 2+ years old
Fic inspired by a song you love.
Write a fic in future tense.
"He asked for no pickles" - Character A defending Character B (any level of seriousness)
Publish something from a fandom you've never released anything for.
Ask an artist if you could write a fic based one of their pieces you love!
For Want of a Nail: change one little thing from canon, and see what happens.
Write a crossover - if not a whole fic, then an interaction between characters from two different pieces of media
This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Two of Us: write a scene between enemies.
Self-Care: write a character getting comfort you could use in your life
Career AU: write a character with an entirely different career than their canon job
Babysitter Required: write a scene with a character that's been de-aged (through ageswap or magical means!)
Kryptonite: a character of choice encounters the one thing they can't tolerate
Live Cringe, Die Free: write an original character self-insert and have them interact in a scene with your blorbos
Knife to a Gunfight: write a scene where a character loses a fight
Passport: have your character travel somewhere you've been before
Because You Should: write a scene where the overlooked female character of a popular piece of media is the main focus
The Godfather: have a minor character play mom or dad to a child character for a day (reluctantly if necessary)
5+1 things: a classic
(18+) Laios Touden-core: Write an explicit scene with monstrous elements.
(18+) That Could've Gone Better: Write a scene that features some elements of bad sex. (Not sex written poorly, but sex that is in fact not good. They can talk about it, even.)
(18+) Write a scene featuring a kink that you've not written yet.
Werewolves of London: Your character has been struck by a curse. What is their terrible affliction?
AO3 Trope Bingo: write for a popular ao3 trend that's been around awhile (i.e., Sentinel/Guide, Hanahaki, Soulmate Writing)
To Shreds, You Say?: write a scene where a character absolutely ruins somebody else (ruin can mean whatever you want it to)
Halloween Special: write something spooky!
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sunandsstars · 2 years
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SPIDER THE MATCHMAKER
Recom!Miles x Na’vi!Reader x Spider (Platonic)
Summary: Spider finally had enough of Quaritch’s oggling and decided to help encourage his advances towards the reader, he has a ship, and he’s determined to let it sail. Warnings: Brief mentions of abandonment/murder/existential crisis, Swearing Word count: 1.8k
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It was different, being accepted into Na’vi society. He was so used to being the bad buy, the killer among men, yet now he’s just..him. After becoming a recom he felt as if he did not belong, a human mind in an aliens body is something he had to get used to. He definitely had a lot of existential crisis up until now.
The last fight he had with Jake Sully in the reefs left him severely wounded and he had to retreat back to base to seek help, his men where gone and his morale was becoming low. Luckily his son, Spider, decided to join him. His reasoning was that while the Sully’s where kind to him growing up (especially kiri who he will miss dearly) he cant ignore the fact they never went after him when he got kidnapped by the RDA, he cant ignore how Neytiri was so willing to kill him after he showed the family nothing but loyalty and he cant ignore how he felt as if he never belonged with them as human. 
So there they are, holed up in the Tawkami Clan, learning their way of life and becoming part of the people.
Surprisingly they where quick to welcome them in despite them not having a good history with men kind, Spider said they where a peaceful clan with a persistent quest for knowledge and lore keeping, they were studious and make it their mission to preserve Eywa’s ecosystem. ‘So they wanted to study me, the human turned Na’vi, how could I say no to being the centre of their learning’
Quaritch was certainly liking the attention from the people, back at base he was oggled at yes, but for different reasons. Usually the looks he received where ones of admiration for his effort in the war all those years ago, or was disgust for his newly blue tinted skin. In Greenhome it was of great wonder, oh how her yellow eyes looked into his in fascination while talking about his past planet Earth, how she spoke about the plants and the forests of Pandora with great love, how-
‘’Hey man, you good?’’
Spider waved a hand in front of his face and looked around to see what could be stealing the man’s attention, once his sights fell on the beautifal Na’vi woman picking some fruit not that far away he smirked cheekily. ‘’You know you could always go and talk to her right? She wont bite’’. Quaritch blinked and scowled, grabbing his son into a headlock and rubbing his knuckles along his head at lightning speed. Spider laughed loudly and struggled in his fathers hold, wriggling and shouting for help, and when help did come the blue mans grip became limp embarrassingly fast.
‘’And just what do you think you’re doing to him hm?’’ ___ pried the boy gently from Quaritch’s arms and placed him on the floor to run around ‘’hurting children is not something we take lightly you know’’
Well shit.
The recom felt his face flush a cute lilac shade, it spread from his nose and across his cheeks, even going to the tip of his pointed ears. How did he become so weak in the presence of a lady? The old Quaritch would have never blushed at the sight of one. But then again he isn’t the man he once was. If ___ noticed the fluster of his face she didn’t mention it, instead she grabbed the hand that was rested on his lap, intertwined their fingers and pulled him towards the fruit she was picking. 
‘’Come, I will show you how to pick yovo fruit’’ she spoke in English. Spider has been a fantastic teacher.
If the purple on his face could become any darker, it certainly has. Her hand was so warm and small…
Spider could only follow and wiggle his brows to the man discreetly. He is determined to get this ship going.
Standing at the base of the large bush ___ started to show him how to pick the berry’s, ‘’they are delicate and must be handled with care, you must not squeeze them too hard when picking’’ she picked a couple of them into her hand, threw some into the basket with the rest and gave some to both boys. Spider lifted his exopack and quickly devoured them, sliding the mask back on and chewing loudly ‘’these are good’’ he stated matter of factly with a mouthful. The outside of his lips turning purple from the pigment.
___ giggled at his antics and looked to see Quaritch’s reaction, he rolled his eyes at the boy and slowly munched on a berry. Once deemed not poisonous (he has trust issues ok) he threw the rest into his mouth. ‘’Yea, these are fucking fantastic’’ the woman could only smile in glee, happy to share more of her planet with him.
That smile..it sent his heart beating incredibly fast. He was falling in love and he knew it. How couldn’t he? When she was just so gentle and sweet with his son, when she was one of the first to help them get comfortable within the clan. He needed to invite her out, fast. He wasn’t the only one with eyes on her. He mused, eyes glancing at a small group of hunters around a fire, some of which turned their heads away quickly as they got caught.
‘’I was uh wondering’’ he coughed. This is gonna be a pain in the ass.
‘’would you like to come out with me tonight?’’ Spider swallowed the last of the fruit and blinked up at his father, smiling wide. Finally. It’s not like he’s been waiting for months.
___ blinked in surprise, not expecting this sudden offer. She wondered if he was finally asking her to be mates. Could you blame her?  A 9 ft 5’’ Na’vi warrior, recently accepted as part of the clan and was a fantastic hunter. And those muscles…
Eywa give her strength.
Her tail swished in gradual hope ‘’yes. Of course I would Miles’’ she grinned, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth in sweet shyness, the same purplish hue coating the recoms cheeks starting to spread across hers. 
Quaritch let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Fuck, why was it so hard to ask for one simple thing. Never in his life has he felt like this, not with previous hookups, not with past girlfriends and certainly not with Paz – the deceased mother of his son.
‘’alright sweetness, meet me here tonight, after eclipse’’ ___ could only swish her tail at the nickname and nodded oh so cutely. Picking up her basket she patted Spider on the head and bid them a good rest of the evening, needing to go back to her chores. 
Miles Quaritch, former human, now Na’vi, was the ultimate womaniser. He puffed his chest out and smirked to himself. He deserved a pat on the back.
Like two peas in a pod, Miles Socorro read his mind and pat his lower back (the only part the poor kid could reach)
‘’well done dad, well done’’
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The sun hid behind the planet known as Polyphemus and casted darkness, but Pandora never truly sleeps.
Two blue figures where seen jumping across branches and leaping from root to root, the bioluminescent glow of the moon never ceased to fascinate the man who has never known fresh air and real plants. He looked around in awe at his surroundings and himself, lifting his hands in front of his face and taking note of all the little white dots speckled across his skin. 
___laughed joyfully and turned around ‘’Miles come’’ she beckoned him to carry on, wanting them to get to their destination as soon as possible. The recom dropped his hands and sprinted to catch up with the female, her being much more experienced with the terrain and therefore had the upper hand in their little race. 
On the way they both came across fan lizards and proceeded to disturb them, watching the light of the animal as they flew cross their faces and up into the air. Giggles sounded out throughout the forest, joyful laughs and quick inhales of breath as they finally arrived to where ___ wanted to take them. 
The tree of voices.
Both slowly crept towards the sacred space, their steps leaving glowing footprints in the grass. The tree shone beautiful pinks and purples as the hanging branches swayed ever so softly in the wind, it wasn’t the only thing that took his breath away.
There she stood, with the biggest grin on her face, eyes twinkling in the light of their surroundings and tail swinging happily. She moved to the centre of the tree ‘’this is Ultral Aymokriyä, the tree of voices’’ she whispered softly, ‘’you are a man now Miles, one of the people, you are able to hear our ancestors’’ she grabbed his hand and brought him closer to a cluster of hanging branches and connected her queue to them, inhaling as the voices of the past filled her ears.
Quaritch followed her actions and his pupils dilated at the newfound sounds, he never really believed in Eywa before, taking it up as some sort of false goddess. But this, this proves whatever he thought was wrong. ‘’They live. Within Eywa’’ the woman facing him sensed a change of air and looked up as atokirina fell slowly to land on their shoulders. She gasped and disconnected her queue, never has she thought that the great mother would bless them both tonight.
This is a sign.
Miles looked towards the atokirina and then to the love of his life and decided that she was the one for him. He walked closer to her until they where chest to chest and grabbed her face in his overly large palms ‘’___. Now that I am one of the people I am able to choose a mate’’ he felt her tense under his touch and looked straight into her eyes to look for any uncertainty ‘’you have helped me and my son in a time of need, despite us being humans, you have seen past our faults and accepted us into your arms with love’’. ___ started to tear up, not expecting this heartfelt speech.
And in such good Na’vi, thank you Spider.
‘’___.. oel ngati kameie”
The woman suddenly took his face into her own palms and connected their lips, it was soft and sweet. Both leaving them breathless and wanting more.
“Ma Miles, I see you’’
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Just couple of bushes away, a little boy with blue stripes was caught lurking, watching the two blue aliens as they confessed their everlasting love. He held his breath and lifted his mask, wiping a singular tear from his eye.
His ship has finally sailed.
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Your Mihawk has me weak on my knees so I wanted to request something for him.
S/O has scars on her body, mainly on arms. She does fight but some of them look… too precise. One time after she loses a fight she is really pissed and nervous, she goes to a place alone. There he sees her just giving herself a scar with a knife on her arm. Turns out she was taught scars are signs of losses and if she doesn't get one in battle then afterwards she needs to do it herself. That's why she's so determined to always win. She hates scars.
@patisilence tagging since I'm not sure if you'll get this since I had to save it as a draft to format everything right.
Anyway.
I DID IT I ACTUALLY FINISHED IT
I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG 😭😭
And I honestly really really want to thank you. This is my first ever fic-request, for one.
And also, writing this has been an absolute emotional rollercoaster. I have kind of a personal history with self-harm and I wanted to depict it as realistically as possible. Which resulted in heavy focus on character development, which resulted in this practically turning into a novella. I'm going to split it up into a few chapters to streamline things and link them all in this post.
If I do it right, then the entire thing should already be posted when I post this, but I'm still pretty new to Tumblr so bear with me. Each chapter should be between 3k-4k words.
And ALSO ALSO I've been planning a longer Mihawk X OC fic, and I really hope you don't mind me using this concept for it? Because it honestly ties a lot of things together for me
Soooooo without further ado, here's the whole author note thing.
Your Scars Are Mine
Ch. 1
LA! Mihawk X AFAB!Reader
Tags: Fluff, Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Graphic Mentions of Violence, I guess that's it, I'm bad at this
⚠️ MASSIVE ASS TRIGGER WARNINGS⚠️ : Self-harm, Blood, Implied PTSD
Summary: In the few months that he has known you, Mihawk has noticed the scars on your arm. You've refused to talk about them and skirted around the subject successfully, but a trip to Shells Town throws everything out into the open in a way that neither of you were prepared for.
Ch. 2
Ch.3
You were hiding something.
In the few months that Mihawk had known you, he had come to learn a fair bit about you. He knew, for instance, that you had over the past few years made something of a name for yourself as a sword for hire, typically among pirate crews who required a more discreet touch.
That this reputation of yours had led the Buggy Pirates to hire you to assist in stealing a map of the Grand Line from a Marine base in Shells Town. You had failed to procure the map before it was stolen by other hands, leaving you in their debt. Buggy had sunk your sloop to prevent your escape, and you had gotten stuck working for the ridiculous crew for a brief time, remained stuck with them until the Strawhat upstarts offered you passage with them.
Mihawk knew you had traveled with them as far as Baratie, where you had crossed his own path for the first time at the bar on the ship's deck. Where you had approached him with a bargain—if he left Roronoa Zoro alive after their duel the following morning, you would serve him for a year, an errand girl to send off on whatever menial tasks the World Government assigned him.
"And why would I want a little bird flitting around after me around for an entire year?" Mihawk had asked coolly.
And yet you had made a fair point—acting as a government lapdog was growing old. He had been sent after the vice admiral's grandson, for heavens' sake, as if he had nothing better to do with his time than to handle the old fool's family disputes.
Though the surly pirate warlord wouldn't have dared to dream of admitting it at the time, you had his attention. Your offer of unquestioned devotion, your confident demeanor as you sipped a glass of whiskey and kept your eyes on his without showing an ounce of fear or intimidation. You were certainly an interesting diversion from the otherwise dull task that had been laid before him, and your certainty that he would accept your offer had irritated and intrigued him in near equal measure.
It was intrigue that won out in the end. He had left his challenger clinging to the edge of life and taken you with him on his departure. You stayed toe to toe with him in wit and banter, and that alone would have been more than enough to draw him closer to your charm. He had wanted you before two weeks were out, wanted to claim you as far more than his "errand girl," and it was easy to see from the way you effortlessly returned his subtle flirtations that you wanted the same.
And now you were lying back across his broad chest in the hammock aboard your new sloop, a book open over your chest and his hand resting over your stomach, his other tucked under his neck as he frowned thoughtfully up at the roof of the small ship's cabin, pondering over the whirlwind of events that had led up to this moment.
It had been just over two months since the pirate lord had taken you as his lover, and you had been an open book about most things. Your training under your grandmother. Your setting out on your own from a small island village to find your parents, or some clue of their disappearance. The many and varied pirate crews you had served as a hired hand.
Yet you refused to discuss your scars.
Any seafarer with a history as sordid as your own had their share of battle scars. Mihawk had a fair few of his own; one didn't become the most renowned swordsman in the world without a few losses, after all. Yet your voice turned to clear contempt when yours were mentioned, even in passing, and you tensed like a statue when his hands brushed over them. You were confident to the point of near arrogance, yet you clearly held nothing but shame and contempt for the many marks that marred your delicate skin.
Some of which appeared oddly...uniform, for having been gained in battle.
It was in part—in great measure, honestly—the mystery of you that had drawn him in to begin with, and this was just another mystery that Mihawk intended to unravel.
You closed your book abruptly, stirring him from his thoughts as he glanced down at you. He watched you gaze thoughtfully toward the ceiling for a long moment, your hand resting over his at your stomach, before you finally spoke up.
"Reading a book is just staring at a dead tree and vividly hallucinating."
You tilted your head back, grinning as his mouth turned down in a frown and his brow furrowed at your ridiculous statement. Mihawk sighed wearily, plucking the book from your hands and lightly rapping you over the forehead with it.
"No," he scolded, as you giggled softly. He sighed heavily again, dropping the book over the back of the hammock before pinching at the bridge of his nose. "Are you trying to give me a stroke?"
"No," you said, imitating his scolding tone. You stretched your arms out over your head, arching your back for a moment, before rolling over to lay across his chest and brush your lips to his. "But it's fun seeing the look on your face."
"You irritate my very soul, little one," he said, shaking his head as he wrapped his arms around your waist.
"And I enjoy every second of it," you countered, grinning as you laid your forehead against his.
"I can tell."
Your grin managed to draw a small smile from him, before he lifted a hand into your hair and pulled you down into a slow, deep kiss. Your fingertips came to rest at his broad shoulders, the hammock swaying slowly in the steady ocean waves carrying the ship along. He knew as well as you did that he wasn't honestly irritated—your strange sense of humor had grown on him, as starkly as it contrasted to his dry sarcasm, and he rarely had the pleasure of meeting anyone as adept at keeping up with his own banter.
You lay your cheek at his shoulder when your lips parted, your eyes slipping shut and your contented sigh tickling against his neck.
"If the wind holds steady it will be a few hours before we make port," you said, your voice low and soft. "I suggest we don't move from here in the meantime."
"I'm not sure I've ever heard a finer suggestion."
Mihawk pulled one of your hands to his lips, brushing a kiss across your knuckles. He pulled his hat down over his eyes to block out the sun pouring through the windows of the small cabin, tucked his hand back behind his neck again, and shifted beneath you to get comfortable as he closed his eyes. His arm remained curled around your waist, his hand slipping just beneath the hem of your shirt so his thumb could rub slow circles over your soft skin as you both drifted off toward the peaceful recess of sleep.
The first thing that struck Mihawk when he woke was that you weren't in his arms.
Every day and night for nearly two months, he had fallen asleep and woken with you against him, and the absence of your warmth jarred him instantly awake and aware. His eyes scanned around his surroundings as he sat up, taking in where he was—the small cabin of the sloop he had recently bought you as a replacement for the one Buggy's crew had sunk.
His sharp yellow eyes darted toward the door, taking in the sound of unfamiliar, muffled voices outside the cabin.
He was standing in an instant, straightening his hat and pulling Yoru onto his back as he slipped silently through the door and onto the small deck of the sloop.
There was another sloop tethered to yours.
A pair of no-name pirates holding you against the bow ny your arms, their captain pressing the barrel of his pistol to your forehead as they bickered.
"There has to be something on board."
"We could just take her. Looks like she's probably a feisty little thing."
"Still have to check the cabins. Could be—"
Mihawk cleared his throat.
The trio turned their heads in almost comedic synchrony, their jaws dropping at the mere sight of him leaning against the door of the cabin. Mihawk's eyes flickered from them to you, and you averted your eyes, clearly ashamed to be seen in such a compromising situation.
So he shifted his gaze back to the opposing pirates, his eyes flickering between each of them.
"You will remove your hands from the girl or I will gladly remove them for you," he said levelly, lifting his eyebrows.
They quickly let go of your arms, and stepped away when he moved forward to wrap a hand around your wrist and pull you to him. He curled his arm around your waist, lowering his head over yours for a moment and murmuring quietly, "Are you hurt?"
You shook your head no quickly, your jaw set at a rigid angle as you turned your gaze down to your feet, your shoulders tense. He pressed a light kiss to your temple for a long moment before lifting his gaze back to the trio that had dared board your ship, his eyes narrowing in an unspoken threat.
"Go." They remained frozen, glancing between each other. "Now."
They scrambled back over to their ship immediately, severing the ropes that were tethering it to yours. Mihawk kept his arm around you, but his eyes remained trained onto the opposing sloop as it drifted away on the wind, debating on just drawing his sword and splitting it in half on the spot.
He turned his attention back down to you when you began to pull away from him. He pulled you in close again, frowning. It wasn't at all like you to be bested by a few no-names, and it was clear that you weren't taking it very well.
"Tell me what happened," he said finally.
"I woke up," you said curtly. "Thought I'd check the charts and see how far we were from Shells Town. They were already on the deck. Seemed to think this was a small merchant vessel since there's no flag. I'd left my knives in the cabin and I was still half asleep when I came out here. By the time I registered what was going on, one of them had a pistol to my head."
You really weren't making a very good case for him to not sink their boat. He cut his eyes briefly toward the sloop before looking back down at you, your face shadowed by your hair as you stared down at the deck floor.
"Their captain started questioning me about cargo," you continued. "Told them there wasn't anything valuable on board. They were discussing taking me as compensation." You sighed heavily. "And that's when you chose to enter stage left and take approximately twenty years off the end of their lives."
He rolled his eyes the slightest bit at your quip. "I would have taken a great deal more than that had they hurt you."
"Well, they didn't," you replied, your voice still curt. Mihawk lifted an eyebrow. "And it's perhaps best not to go splitting any boats in half a stone's throw away from a naval base," you added, nodding back toward the bow of the vessel.
Mihawk gave a quick glance as well. He had been too focused on the fiasco he had just awoken to to notice that Shells Town was visible on the horizon now. It wasn't as if the Marines could do much about it if he did sink the sloop, but you were right—it would still be more of a hassle than it was worth. He sighed, shaking his head a little, and curled a hand under your chin to lift your gaze to his. You still kept your eyes averted, your jaw set. He hadn't seen you lose a fight before—apart from sparring with him while training, but that hardly counted.
You had proven to be quite the fighter when he had decided to test you. You were nowhere near his equal, but you knew precisely how to play to your strengths with your pair of daggers and your throwing knives. Your stature made you difficult to target even in single combat, your movements a graceful dance that toed the line between evasion and power.
Yet one loss—and a rather inconsequential loss, at that—and you were beating yourself up over it quite a great deal more than what constituted normalcy. Mihawk wasn't sure whether to scold you for being dramatic or attempt to comfort you.
"You were caught off guard, little one," he said after a long moment, brushing a thumb across your cheek. "There's no need to be so upset over that."
"I'm not upset, I'm annoyed," you retorted, pursing your lips a little. "Blades or no, I should have been able to take care of those idiots."
"Annoyed, then," he allowed with a small sigh. "And I've no doubt you would have had I not woke. I was simply able to handle it a bit more...subtly."
"Oh, yes, because sauntering out onto the deck with a giant sword and threatening to cut off their hands was so subtle," you said, your voice dripping with sarcasm as you finally rolled your eyes over to his, lifting your eyebrows.
"Don't be a brat," he chided lightly. "We still have at least half an hour before we make port." Mihawk abruptly wrapped his hand around your chin and pressed his lips to yours in a brief, deep kiss that made you draw in a sharp breath. He parted just as you started to lean into it, resting his forehead against yours. He lowered his voice to an intimate murmur. "I would truly hate to have to spend it punishing you, my little bird."
You quirked an eyebrow, your lips curving in a small, coy smirk. "No you wouldn't."
He gave you a thoughtful frown and a small shrug of his shoulder. "Perhaps not." You let out a small cry of alarm when he stooped down and quickly scooped you up from the deck floor, one arm beneath your knees and his other curled around your back. "I suppose we'll just have to find out."
You chuckled lightly as he carried you to the door of the main cabin, plucking his hat off of his head and placing it on your own as you brushed your lips to his in a soft, teasing manner. Mihawk lifted his eyebrows when you nipped lightly at his bottom lip.
"You're really pushing your luck, my dear," he cautioned.
He lowered you down to the double bed in the cabin, his thumb rubbing small circles at the back of your neck. You lifted yourself onto your elbows, your lips nearly brushing his before he pulled back just far enough to stop you, lightly gripping your hair at the nape of your neck to keep you from sitting up any higher. You gave a small whine of protest, but didn't try to struggle against his grip—you and he both knew there was no point.
"Lie down." His voice remained low and intimate, but there was a subtle command in his tone, in the way his gaze burned into your own. You bit your bottom lip lightly, lowering yourself back down onto the bed fully. A soft, quivering sigh left your lips as he slowly began slipping the buttons down the front of your shirt loose. "Hands over your head. And you don't move them an inch until I tell you you can."
"Mmm..." You hummed thoughtfully, and Mihawk paused in unbuttoning your shirt as you lifted your arms from the bed, holding your hands high above you, straight up in the air. "I think my arms might end up getting tired."
Your lips pursed a little, clearly struggling to keep a straight face, and he lifted an eyebrow at you. "You're certainly in rare form today."
Mihawk wrapped his hand around both of your wrists, shoving your hands down into the plush white comforter over your head, and a couple giggles escaped you before you bit your lip again. It was honestly a bit endearing, how cheeky you were being—and all the moreso, as it appeared you were being so brazen just so he could have his fun with your punishment.
You were enticing him more and more every passing day, beyond the physical desire that had led him to claim you as his a couple months ago. It wasn't a feeling he was particularly accustomed to, nor was he quite sure what to make of it yet. He knew only that when he had seen you held captive against the bow of the boat, an emotion had flashed through him for a moment that he hadn't experienced in years.
For the briefest moment, Dracule Mihawk had felt fear.
He was not ready to contend with the connotations of that.
And he was a bit too busy at the moment, anyway. He let his forehead touch yours, his lips hovering a breath away from your own.
"You don't move your hands," he repeated, tilting his head to just barely graze his lips against your neck, drawing a small moan from your lips, "until I give you permission. Understood?"
"Yes, sir..." you sighed softly, your eyes slipping shut as he kissed down your collarbone, pushing your shirt open. His hand released your wrists and trailed down your arms, down to knead at the soft tissue of your breast through the sheer lace of your bra, feeling your nipple harden against his palm. He tugged the cups down, just a bit too hard given he felt one of them tear in his grasp, but that was a problem for later, not now.
You gasped out when he briefly pulled one of your stiff nipples into his mouth, his grip tightening slightly around your ribcage as you arched your chest toward his swirling tongue. His gaze flicked up to watch you writhe and shudder under his touch, your fingers digging into the bedsheets behind you, your hands searching for anything to keep occupied with.
"Very good," he praised, lifting a hand to brush a few strands of hair out of your eyes and brushing his lips to your jaw. "You see?" He wrapped his hand around your jaw and lightly pressed his lips to yours. "It's much better when you're a good little bird, isn't it?"
"This—doesn't feel much like a punishment," you commented, gasping softly as he circled the pad of his thumb around your nipple, lightly skimming across it once or twice.
"Yet," he corrected.
And gave you a small, devilish smirk, before lowering his head and biting down on the tender skin at the crook of your neck. Just hard enough to leave behind a small bruise, to draw a sharp cry from your lips and send a shiver through your body.
He straightened out as you heaved a sigh, standing over you. Your eyes remained glued to him while he shrugged away his long coat and tossed it back into a chair behind him, noting how your hands tightened down on the bedsheets again.
"Remember we still have a half an hour before we reach Shells Town." His fingertips curled around the waist of your shorts, the lace of your panties beneath them, and slowly inched them down your hips. "I could spend the entirety of it teasing you." Mihawk noted the movement in your throat as you swallowed in nervous anticipation, your eyes glued to his as he pulled them up the length of your legs and off, flinging them aside. "Making you beg for release but never allowing you the satisfaction."
How beautiful it was that it only took a few words to pull a blush to your cheeks and make your breath hitch. He brushed a light kiss to your calf and pushed your legs apart, rubbing his palms up your inner thighs.
"You're going to have to be on your best behavior if you want more, my sweet little bird." Trailing a single finger up your soft folds, dragging through your slick arousal and across your clit, pulling a small whimper from your lips. "Or would you rather I just torment you?"
You bit your lip, shaking your head quickly, your eyes flickering between his eyes and his fingertips trailing up. It was a struggle for him not to chuckle at you—always just cheeky enough to be amusing, but you knew the pleasure he could give you, were so desperate for it that you folded like a cheap deck of cards under his slightest touch.
Absolutely perfect.
Mihawk moved his hands up from your thighs, curling an arm under your back to lift you up and shift you further back on the bed. Your breathing was ragged with anticipation as he brushed his lips to your stomach, trailing his hands back down to your hips, his lips lower and lower, grazing slowly across the soft skin between your hip bones.
Shifting lower and dragging his tongue slowly up your slit, circling the sensitive bud at the apex, giving a quiet growl of approval as your breathy, shuddering moans filled the small cabin and your hips arched in his hands.
His gaze turned up toward your face, watching you draw closer to falling apart with every passing moment. This was only the beginning, and he still hadn't decided if he was going to give you what you wanted...but the sight of your divine, nearly naked and writhing under his touch with his hat still resting on your head made him just a little weak.
He moved from between your legs before he could get lost in the sight of you and the sweet sounds of your moans, reveling in the agonized whimper that left you as he trailed his mouth back up your stomach.
Across to your ribs, pausing at your breasts to brush his lips and his skilled tongue across your sensitive nipples.
Dragging his tongue up the column of your throat, seizing a fistful of your hair and crushing his lips to yours in a deep, possessive kiss, shoving your hip down onto the mattress to keep you from grinding against him, shifting his hand between your thighs to circle a finger around your tight entrance without pushing in. Your low moans and whines of protest were like music to his ears, your knuckles gone white from the force with which you gripped at the sheets over your head to keep your hands from wandering.
Every slow pass up and down your body brought you closer to the peak of pleasure but never quite there—and brought him closer and closer to caving in and giving it to you. He had to wonder whether you had any idea just how much of a temptation you were to him. It had been years since the pirate lord had allowed any woman to affect him quite as strongly as you had.
How much time had passed couldn't be ascertained for sure when he reached his breaking point—his mouth pressed into the crook of your neck while you moaned and begged desperately in his ear, one of his hands squeezing your breast hard enough to bruise the soft flesh while his other worked his belt buckle open and shoved his pants down his hips in a desperation that rivaled yours.
He shoved your open shirt up your shoulders and arms and flung it away; gripped one of your thighs, pushing your leg up as high as it would go, and the low growl that left his throat as he thrust into you was drowned out by your own cries of abandon. Your hips arched up from the bed to meet his, one of your arms flinging around his neck and your hooking beneath his arm to grip hard at his shoulder.
"I don't recall giving you permission to move," he breathed into your neck. He gritted his teeth as he pushed his hips forward hard, shoving yours back down into the bed as you cried out again, your slick walls tightening around his cock.
"I—I'm sorry, I can't—I can't—please—" You gasped, your head falling back as he moved in you in deep, hard thrusts, your fingernails dragging down his back. "Oh God, please—"
He lifted a hand to grasp at your hair as he crushed his lips to yours, delving his tongue into your mouth and drawing in a deep breath as you moaned desperately into the fierce kiss. The prospect of punishing you, of what the hell he had even been punishing you for was forgotten in this rush of unquenchable lust and desire, of pure carnal need for your body.
He normally hated losing control, but this was on another level entirely. There was no room to hate this, no room for anything but pure pleasure, for getting lost inside you as your walls tightened around his cock, as every muscle in his groin tensed and tightened in anticipation of impending release—
Your lips breaking away from his, your cry of abandon as your climax swept over you pulled him right over the edge with you. He pulled your hip up from the bed to slam into you as he came, gritting his teeth against a low groan, the rhythmic contractions of your tight channel milking him dry. His hips jerked toward yours with each intense wave of pleasure, fingers tangling in your hair as he pressed his lips to your neck, the two of you shuddering and tangled together over the bedsheets.
Mihawk heaved a shuddering sigh into the crook of your neck, his fingers tangled in your hair as he brushed his thumb across your temple. Maybe it was the lingering euphoria, but he didn't even think about the next words that left his mouth before he heard them himself.
"God dammit, (Y/N), I love you."
But it was impossible to deny any longer. You really were everything he had never realized he craved. No, it wasn't just the euphoria in the moment—it was that brief flash of fear earlier at the thought of you being hurt, at the thought of losing you. The utter fury at the morons who had briefly held you captive. How perfectly you balanced and complemented his desires.
He felt as much as heard you draw in a small gasp beneath him. "Y—you—wh—?"
"You heard me," Mihawk interrupted your quiet, almost cautious stammering, murmuring against your neck. He brushed his lips against one of the small, round bruises he had left on the soft skin, and said it again, quietly, "I love you."
You were quiet for a long moment, but he wasn't concerned, still trailing kisses up the side of your neck. He had seen it in your eyes before now, heard it in the softness of your voice when you lay against him, your fingers in his hair and your lips brushing his.
Several seconds passed, before you turned your head slowly and pressed your lips to his, tentatively at first, and then deepening the slow kiss with a soft sigh. He shifted onto his side, tugging you to him by your hip. Your forehead came to rest against his as your lips drifted apart, still barely a breath away, your eyes closed, your voice a quiet whisper.
"I...love you."
(Ch. 2)
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