#I want to wear dark purple and be covered in leaves and flowers always

[greycaelum]

Ok im gonna drop this here for u to write it whenever u want,cause its been hunting me

Royalty au where gojo and reader are living happily,that is until someone poisons his queen when they're having dinner together.

She drinks the wine,and suddenly falls to the ground while throwing up blood and blood running from her eyes. Shoko manages to save her and geto holds gojo back so he doesnt do anything stupid. But when his queen wakes up she's really weak so shoko tells gojo about a flower that'll heal her up,so gojo leaves in order to search for it.

But when he's back,geto leads him to the flower garden the queen loves and he finds her among the flowers,a little better and seeing her not on deadbed has him running toward her,lifting her up and spinning while both of them laugh and kiss

Happy ending

Scribbles & Doodles—Lotus Tears

—Elven Emperor Gojo Satoru X Human Empress Reader

𑁍 Synopsis:

His azure orbs stare as you reach to cup his cheeks with a slight understanding frown painting your brows. It doesn't help that you are wearing the other pair of purple robes. It made his belly warm, and his chest swelled with pride. You are pairing... He was the only one who could wear the purple robes since he was born, a lone star, but not anymore. And that was enough to make his heart skip a beat. "Will you be back for dinner?" Your tone carried hope and joy into his day. He doesn't understand why he has to part with you every day... He heaved a sigh hoping the day turns to dusk soon so he can hold you again to his heart's content. "For you, always, My Flower."

𑁍 Genre: historical fantasy, elves/faes, dark magic if you squint, interracial marriage

𑁍 WC/CW/TW: (4.3k)— poison, mad Satoru, elven traditions and cultures, fluff, angst, comfort, implication of major character death, mating bonds, talks of rebirth

𑁍 ✒️☕: Hi to the person who sent this ask. Pardon the very long wait, but I loved writing this one, I just need to say your ask is one of my fave ideas for elf Satoru so I tweaked some things, fantasy tropes are my favorite to write to escape canon~ Grey,

At night when you lay in their bed, your head atop his chest, he cannot sleep a wink for he has forever to spare and only a lifetime with you in his arms. For such a fragile flower, even a man who has grown bleak and untouched over the long passage of time, Satoru cannot help but stroke your head gently, scaring the pixies who would try to sneak in to soak with his mate's presence. He doesn't know if it's a good thing or bad that his mate is loved by the small faes. But one thing is for sure, he doesn't delight that they are trying to pry you awake from his arms. It's no secret he doesn't like sharing... especially when it's about you.

For a human to become the Empress of the High Courts is an unheard thing. Improbable would be the word. And you do not need to know what methods Satoru used to make this happen. Because you already knew that behind his delicate beauty, lies the prickly thorns that wield the absolute power over nature. There is a reason why he was able to rule undisputedly in the indifferent flow of nature over the passage of time.

When he married you, he knew he would uproot the earth and supplant it again and again to give whatever you desired. He is the supreme ruler and Emperor of the High Courts and would only sheath his indifference in the presence of his Empress. He has broken down the millennial walls covering his heart and found himself enthralled by the maiden who never feared the Dark Woods. She found beauty in the mystery of the borders, and he found solace in her presence. She has grown to be his beloved Flower.

Fortunately for you, even as a born human, you have adapted to the faes far quicker. Learning their language and making up for your lack of magic, you learned diplomacy. It was not easy to learn such an intricate affair, but fortune has smiled upon you, with Satoru, who has boundless knowledge of the matter to be your tutor.

"Is this adequate enough?" Satoru hopefully looked at you in the mirror and the craft he had finished for a satisfactory answer.

"Satoru, we are not going to any gathering, are we?" You chuckled as you sat in front of the golden mirror while Satoru stood behind, holding an ivory comb in his hand as he carefully brushed your silky tresses. Small flowers adorned your hair like trinkets as he wove them skillfully into a braid. At this point, your handmaidens have lost their job, with your mate attending to almost everything you need unless he is away for the court.

"At least let me do this before I leave for my duties." He brought the tip of your hair to his lips, kissing it as he stared at you, a longing look on his face. This prompt you to turn the chair and face the elven emperor.

His azure orbs stare as you reach to cup his cheeks with a slight understanding frown painting your brows. It doesn't help that you are wearing the other pair of purple robes. It made his belly warm, and his chest swelled with pride. You are pairing... He was the only one who could wear the purple robes since he was born, a lone star, but not anymore. And that was enough to make his heart skip a beat.

"Will you be back for dinner?" Your tone carried hope and joy into his day.

He doesn't understand why he has to part with you every day... He heaved a sigh hoping the day turns to dusk soon so he can hold you again to his heart's content.

"For you, always, My Flower." Satoru tilted your chin and pressed a kiss on your forehead. "I do not wish to leave." He grumbled and connected your forehead, staring right into your eyes.

Your soft chuckle fluttered through his ears as you reached to cup his cheeks and stare into his eyes. A sense of tranquility floated in your orbs bringing his heart into a puddle of cotton.

"I will wait for you at dinner, Satoru. So the earlier you finish the earlier we see each other. Alright?"

"Alright, as you wish." Satoru sighed and kissed the tip of your nose. "The things you make me do..."

He never thought he would one day sit under the shade of foliage with his Empress on his lap, reading through some parchments while he pilfered some wildflowers to braid her hair. Or to walk while gently pulling the reins of his equine, leading the elk through safe passages whilst you ride on the back. Things he never imagined and things he never thought he would do. But the second you came it all seemed natural for him to indulge you in every way possible.

You are like a brittle glass flower to him that he cannot help but wrap you in the most flawless silks and softest ermine furs. You evoke in him a firm sense of fierce protectiveness.

So imagine the horror and derangement inside him when you were still smiling and talking with him at the dinner table but suddenly blood flowed down your nose, followed by a series of coughs drawing blood from your throat as you dropped to the floor, desperately gasping for air.

If it wasn't for his friend Suguru, a Dragon Lord who he has grown with, who happened to visit the very same day only to pin him down in his rampage of killing the perpetrators hiding in the imperial kitchen staff, perhaps one-fourth of the castle must've already been slaughtered.

All he could see was red. The burning flames consuming the imperial castle and the wilting forest mirrored the despair in his heart. He couldn't hear that his people were wailing for him. All he could ever see was his mate dying each second from the potent poison coursing in her bloodstream.

"Don't touch her!"

He snarled with pure frenzy when Shoko tried to reach out to your unmoving body in his arms.

"Satoru, Shoko is only going to heal her. Your mate needs help." Suguru tried to reason with the livid, elven emperor cradling the unmoving body of his bleeding empress. "She would not do anything to her, only help her."

Suguru could see how unfocused and distraught the dark blue eyes of his friend were, so far from his usual calm and regal sense. Satoru's eyes were bloodshot red. Thankfully, he didn't move when Shoko reached out again to heal his mate. 

A faint color of life returned to your face, but you were still as pale as alabaster, still unconscious. The fire consuming the woods slowly died down... A slight sense of sanity returned to Satoru, who held you close, ready to hide you from the world if not for Shoko's words.

"She's in moratorium state... I've only managed to stabilize her body and freeze the poison to stop it from spreading further. Right now, we need to find an antidote... Or else she will only have seven days to live. For now, let's take the Empress to a safe place." Shoko pinched the bridge of her nose as she looked back to the fire slowly dying down, leaving shared trees and ashes. "And fix the chaos you have ignited, Your Majesty, the Emperor."

There are, but severely few times he let his emotions overcome him. He could count it in his hand. But ever since that sight of your throwing up blood, Satoru experienced a myriad of emotions he thought he was never capable of.

Fear... Despair... Uselessness... and most of all heartbreak...

You don't know how many millions of times his soul has shattered in every second he held your cold hand whilst he channeled all healing spell he knows into your body as you sleep on the cradle of the sacred tree cushioned by wildflowers and vines dangling down the archaic branches of the colossal wood. It seems you're merely asleep, but it feels like it's been forever since he last saw your eyes. The reality is that day by day, you are losing your life while all he can do is sit here, rooted in place, too afraid that if he steps away, he might not see you again.

"Your Majesty..." Shoko came forward. The Emperor has been sitting here for three days straight beside his dying mate in silence holding her hand, unmoving, and would attack anyone who dares to step one foot closer to the lying Empress. The court matters have been neglected, with only the elders holding the court together in his absence. The woodlands are closely related to the essence of the Emperor. The depression of his heart manifested in the woods, which gradually lost the green leaves and were replaced by withered branches...

"I have found a possible cure for the Empress."

Shoko had never felt strong empathy, but she did feel a bit of ache for her friend when he raised his head at her, almost pleading with his bloodshot eyes.

"Speak."

"Do you remember the Sacred Tombs of Tvar?"

The sacred burial grounds of the late Empresses. It's deep-seated in the heart of the Mountain of Hanging Tombs, guarded by the mythical beasts his forefathers have created to protect the resting place of the late Imperial Rulers.

"What about it?" Satoru has only been there once when his Imperial Father has taken him to visit his late Mother. It's a mystical mountain filled with ancient elements, from the creatures to the plants, that can only be heard in folklore.

"For high faes like us, the poison the Empress has induced was nothing serious. But to humans, it is lethal." Shoko sighed. "The spell I cast was only a valve to keep the poison at bay until we can find an antidote. On the seventh day, when the sun rises, the spell will cease to exist, and the poison will corrode her bo—"

"Tell me, what should I do? Anything Shoko. I would kill if I had to." The bones on his knuckles protruded with his clenched fists. The Emperor cut her off. He would not hear her say such ominous words about his mate's life.

He would uproot the earth to find anything that can cure you. Anything.

"Killing might be going too far, but it's not impossible." Shoko took out from her robe a parchment containing a sketch of what seemed like a flower and handed it to her Emperor. She never slept over the three days in a desperate search for any cure. "There's a flower that can only be seen in the Sacred Tombs of Tvar that may be able to save the Empress. As we all know, only the direct descendant of the Imperial Family can enter the Mountain of Hanging Tombs."

The Mountain of Hanging Tombs is as ominous as the name implies. It's a mountain range covered with black mist and ferocious mythical animals and exotic plants. It's not that only the direct descendants of the Imperial Elven Bloodline can enter the mountains, but the lower beasts residing on the foot of the mountains refrain from attacking an imperial descendant since they are born from the first Emperor's blood as well. No ordinary fae can survive these mythical beasts, and could only result in death. Thus, it has become known not to venture deep into the mountains.

Satoru, however, wasted no time to cross the valleys leading to the burial grounds. He needs to find that flower.

Lotus Tears...

It is said that the flower can heal any illness. However, it's impossible to scour for the elusive flower, which roots deep only in the burial grounds of the Empresses and leave unscathed from the toxic plants and mythical animals on top of the Mountain of Hanging Tombs that will attack him at any given second.

"Why do you always put the flower on my left ear? I'm not yet married." You asked him during one of the days he stayed longer to watch over you as you searched for some wild, beautiful flowers in the woods.

Satoru stared at the magenta lilacs he conjured from his hands and tucked them into your left ear.

"You look beautiful in any shade of purple..." It matches the color of his robe.

You pursed your lips and huffed clearly not satisfied by his vague answer.

"You didn't answer my question, Satoru."

He chuckled at your angry face, bopping your nose, making you annoyed as you tried to punch him clumsily. The little girl still has the same pout even as she bloomed into a prim and proper lady. It was too adorable even to be called 'angry.' He jumps down the tree and walks up to you, bringing the tip of your hair to his lips for a soft parting salutation.

"Next time... I will tell you, My Precious Flower." With that, he took you to the borders of the human village and the dark woods, as your Mother was already looking for you. He watches you run into the light while slowly walking back into the shadows.

Maybe... He should have never forced this fate on you. You may have called on him in desperation to flee from the humans chasing after you, but he, being the one who knew better, should have returned you to your realm rather than letting his selfishness devour him and claim you as his mate. If he had done so, then you wouldn't have met this predicament.

You wouldn't have been lying in your blood, cold like a corpse...

"Where is she?" Satoru's heart felt like it was dying when he saw that your body was gone from the bed of the sacred tree. "Where is my mate?! Shoko!"

Did he lose you? Did he come too late?

He stared at the blue lotus he so carefully dug out of the perilous mountain despite the throbbing pain on his shoulders after a chimera managed to bite him before he could slay it.

No, you cannot leave him like this... Oxygen left his lungs, and his feet staggered, unable to support the weight of heaven, crushing his soul. His vision is going black, not like this. He barely got to dote on you. Barely got to drown you with the love he has secretly hidden all these years. No, no, no. Satoru's throat ran dry. He wants to scream as if the tearing of his heart wasn't enough to shout his despair.

The forest closely linked to his essence slowly wilted as if joining their Emperor in his mourning. The leaves slowly dried up. The flowers closed, and the vines started shrinking to twigs. His sorrow is mirrored by nature.

His mind went black, his heart slowly crumbled in every passing second that his eyes could not see you. Why did the gods despise him to tear apart the only joy he has ever touched for what seems like an eternity?

"Satoru!" Suguru found him in haste after the forest slowly grew darker and darker.

Who knew that his apathetic friend could have this vast amount of emotions to turn the lush evergreen forest into a barren land? Suguru wasted no time to drag what seemed to be a lifeless Satoru into a maze-like garden.

Shoko was there. She immediately snatched the mystical lotus from the Emperor. Satoru could care. All things pale in comparison to his mate... All things. He dropped to his knees, holding onto your hand.

"Y-Y/n?" Satoru's throat was parched as he saw your sleeping body, with the wilting grass around, as if you were truly taken away into the underworld... This was your favorite garden... All flowers in here, he has grown with his own hands. Not it seems like he has planted those flowers only to send you off to the afterlife. "No, you can't do this to me, My Flower... I would lose my mind." He muttered like a madman, bringing your cold hands to rub against his cheeks, desperately searching for any signs of warmth but finding nothing...

Suguru tried to pry him away from your frail body, but his malevolence met those who tried to separate you from him until the Dragon Lord had no choice but to use all means to knock Satoru out...

The last thing he saw was your sleeping face as he desperately begged his eyes not to close... He needs to see you, to be beside you... to hold you...

"Satoru...?" You were both sitting under the shade of a magnolia tree with his head on your lap, eyes closed from the glaring sun, meanwhile, you intertwined his lustrous hair into a loose braid, tucking little flowers in your masterpiece.

"Hmm?" It was one of the days when he had enough time to traverse the hills with you and meet other fae tribes so you may have time away from the Imperial Courts.

"Promise me that if the memories we have together start to hurt... you will forget me."

His eyes opened in a split second, and he looked back with furrowed brows only to meet your small smile.

"That is nonsense. I would never wish to forget you. You are my mate." Satoru sat straight and took your hand in his. "What led you to this ominous thought, My Flower? Do not think of such things, we are bonded for eternity."

You gently shake your head.

"You're an elf... I'm a human. Our life span runs differently. Some day... You will have to remember me longer than you have held me..." The bitterness of your eyes was quickly concealed as you closed them. "That's simply the order of nature..."

Satoru was tongue-tied... He cannot face that reality yet... Not yet... If ever the Lady of Light is listening to him, he prays that the sun and moon slow down... Forever never seems to be enough...

Forever will never be enough...

"Satoru...?" 

He wishes never to wake up. If you're not in the world he opens his eyes to, he may as well live in this fantasy. He has lived such a long time in solitude. So even if it's just a fragment of imagination or make-believe, he would choose that sweet lie rather than face the cold reality you're gone...

"Satoru..."

Your voice... It's sweeter than the sirens and softer than the small faes singing with the birds in early dawn...

A soft touch brushed off the fringes on his temples, shielding his eyes from the blinding sun. Unable to bear the brightness, his eyes opened and looked up to the blue sky...

Slowly, his blurry eyes met your worried ones as you tucked your hair behind your ear while staring at him with his head laying on your lap.

"You're finally awake... Thank goodness!" You sighed and smiled. "Welcome home, Satoru..."

Your hair... It's not the same color as it was... It shone a bright silver like his under the sunlight, which only the imperial descendants can inherit... But he knew it was you... His soul tells him so.

"Y-Y/n?" He reaches out to touch your cheeks that have grown prominent... more elf-like... "This isn't a dream?"

Your sweet chuckle filled his ears as your warm palms held his and pressed it to your cheeks, kissing his wrist.

"I must've worried you so... I'm sorry, but I'm fine now... because of you."

You're really warm... So warm, you melted the millennial thorny wall he built around his heart. Your palms are so dainty compared to him, but they have always been able to soothe him more than anything else.

"You... You look like me..." Satoru slowly sat up as he took in your features. "My Flower... you look like a fae..." Satoru is a bit confused about the sudden transformation. You look just as you are, but the silver hair, pointy ears, and sharper features... 

"It must've been because of the flower's healing attributes," Shoko explained, taking a step forward to assess the changes on you, who indeed looks like an elf now. 

"Explain, Shoko." Satoru looked at the woman as he was adamant about answers.

"The flowers had healing attributes; it's just a speculation, but aside from healing, we all know that lotus also signifies rebirth. The flower may have deemed it necessary to change the human blood running in the Empress's veins into elven blood for her to heal from the poison fully... As for the silver hair, I can only think that since the Lotus Tears came from the sacred buriel grounds of the late Empresses, it must have absorbed most of their remaining energy and passed it on to the Empress through the flower's healing attributes..."

"Does that mean my Mate is now an elf?" Satoru cannot believe how these events have turned out for you and him. He took your hand and studied your features... You are still you, but indeed, there swirls a more mystical air around you, and only a faint scent of human blood is left lingering in you.

"The Empress is not yet fully an elf at the moment, but I am sure before the fortnight ends, her transformation will be complete, and she will truly be a full-fledged fae, like us." Shoko nodded.

You stared at Satoru... The once wilting forest which you woke up to slowly regained life.

For a man so stoic, he is an open book... You can't help but chuckle as the smaller faes slowly creep out of their homes and rejoice at the blossoming life enveloping the woods again. Shoko and Suguru have left, leaving you and your mate some privacy in the garden.

"I..." Satoru cannot confess enough what he had done out of rage and sorrow when he thought you were gone.

"I know..." You shake your head telling him to speak no more as you took him in your arms... This time, you could feel him ever closer, hear his thoughts louder, and see him clearer. Everything he has done and he has said, you knew and felt in each passing second... But no words were uttered, as you can feel the remorse coursing in his being. What he needs the most is your embrace...

Nature can renew itself as long as it is given care and time...

The trees are once again full of luscious foliage, the grass is back to its evergreen hue, and the different faes have returned to their homes and gone through their duties as usual. Satoru is somehow a bit busier with the court matters, while you, the Empress, needed a little more recuperation before you come back to your court duties.

"Your Majesty... We always knew you smelled sweet even before you became like us."

The smaller sprites sat on your finger as they flapped around you, more drawn than ever. It seems that your new form has made you more captivating to their instincts, just like how they are drawn to the presence of their Emperor.

"Really? Though, I know you just want more sugary treats." You played with their cheeks until they perked up and bowed to someone. "See you tomorrow, Your Majesty!"

You didn't have to guess who made the little sprites flee in haste.

You turned around, and sure enough, you were swept off your feet as a pair of strong arms wrapped around your waist, lifting you off the ground. His sweet sandalwood scent filled your senses, soothing your racing heart.

"I missed you, My Flower... What did my mate get for me?" Satoru looked at the basket you're holding, filled with several flowers from the garden he built for you.

"It's nothing much... It's too loose to be called a crown." You showed him the crown you clumsily made with some lilacs. But Satoru guided your hand to put it on his head, indulging you with anything. You have now fully turned into an elf. Bright silver hair, lucid eyes, and the sweet scent of jasmine and orchid around you with the purple robes that only the Imperial Rulers can wear. Anyone who sees you will immediately recognize you as an Imperial Fae and their Empress.

"I would take anything you offer me, Y/n." Satoru softly kissed her forehead... his lips slowly kissed his way down your nose until he found your lips. "Can I ask for a kiss?"

"What if I say my kisses are not offered?" You raised a brow.

Satoru merely shrugged it off with a smirk.

"I'm pretty sure you can make exceptions for your husband, no?" Satoru chuckled. "Can I have my kiss now?"

Your sweet smile and soft giggle drowned in as he captured your lips for a gentle but passionate kiss.

If the lotus has tears, he will shed it only and only for you...

—GreyCaelum

PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME

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[deathmetalunicorn1]

Sasaki went to forgotten queen kingdom to see how it is

As it's is a middle easterners country but the design is a mix of middle east, Indian, Greek, and some gothic viking in design with some South African

As the queen did stop him and invite him to her castle and see outside is hot but inside is quite cool as she explain that the structure is similar to how termites made their mound and the country have majority in immigrants around the nearest area or nomads

As she give hints she is half from her mother and before he leaves she give him a tin of saphron and some gold jewelry, showing how rich her country is

-Kojiro was in awe as he entered your section of Valhalla, after hearing form Raiden and Soji how amazing it was, with such rich and immersive culture, as well as the abundance of wealth all around, nobody in your area was wanting for anything and always willing to share with others.

-Kojiro had only been in your kingdom for less than ten minutes and he was wearing a dark purple and gold silk shawl, had two different kinds of meat sticks in his hands, and had a new gold necklace around his neck, all gifts.

-He was a bit overwhelmed by the generosity of your people, looking around in awe before he heard a familiar voice call out his name and he turned, sighing softly in relief, seeing you walking up to him, a wide brimmed hat on your head, to shield you a bit from the sun.

-He greeted you and you smiled warmly, “Welcome to my home, come- I will show you around.”

-Kojiro spent the afternoon with you, walking around the replicas of monuments that were built in your kingdom, massive buildings, fountains, community gardens, everything was so full of life and not one person looked upset, everyone had smiles on their faces.

-You smiled at Kojiro’s slight shock, “Come my friend, I will make you some tea.” He was grateful for the break, following you back to your home, which was beautiful, covered in hanging vines and flowers.

-Once inside in the shade and relaxing in your pillow pit with you, a cup of lemon tea in his hands, Kojiro started to gush, amazed at your home, telling you all the things that he had seen.

-You smiled warmly at him, halting his rambling which made him cough awkwardly into his hand, a bit embarrassed before you gave him a grin, “This is what it was like when I was alive, this is how I ruled. Nobody had to want for anything, and everyone always had enough to share.”

-Kojiro’s eyes softened lightly, giving you a small nod, “That’s why you’re so amazing- you always take care of others.”

-You couldn’t help but beam at his praise, which made him chuckle as he finished his tea.

-As he was leaving, he had a new sword, a tin of saffron tea, and another silk shawl, from your personal collection as you waved him off, “Come visit soon.” He waved at you, smiling warmly, he knew he would be back, not just to see your amazing home, but to see such a kind person like you again.

[silent-dark-entries]

I left my panties at Malfoy manor.

When I woke up this morning, It was so hot that our skin felt fused together. With Draco being little spoon I was able to peel myself away from him without alarming him. I slowly made myself down the loft stairs to the bottom and search for my clothes in the darkness.

I decided to walk home before school so I can put on fresh clothes, so I got up before five. As I made myself down the driveway I notice that security had arrived. I prepare myself to make up an excuse but the gate opens without me saying anything.

Now, here I am on the side of the country road doing my very first walk of shame as the morning commuters swerve pass me. In my school girl outfit and my thirty kilo book bag. I'm starting to think I think of myself way higher than I should. This is a very humbling experience.

The sky is almost completely lit when I finally make it home. My mother has left but the mirrors are still fogged up in the bathroom so I'm assuming she has just left. She's always in a hurry to leave because she tries to get every second of sleep she can. I swipe my hand across the mirror clearing only enough to see myself for the first time since losing my virginity. I graze my hand over two purple marks Draco has left on my neck. They're faint, but still noticeable. I feel embarrassed. How am I suppose to explain this to my friends. I hop straight into the shower. Leaving my clothes and book bag by the hamper.

I get out only when the water starts to run cold. I head straight into my room trying not to look at my self in the mirror. After putting on a fresh uniform, I decide to put on some make up. Placing two red dots on the hickeys to make it look like a vampire bite and some dark eye make up.

I walk toward the science wing where the Botanist Club meets in the morning. I feel stupid with the amount of makeup I have on. Neville is the chairman and has been in it with Luna, his vice chairman, since first year.

I love walking in the science hall. It's covered in vines and colorful flowers. The floors also has the periodic table painted onto the floor by the art club from years ago.

When I look out the garden windows I see Neville leading the club back in from the green house. Luna sees me before I see her. They're both wearing their matching costumes. Neville has a pink flower on top of his head with a couple of white thorns made out of paper stuck to his school vest. Luna has a bunch of deep purple leaves stuck to her with a couple of whit flowers, along with the rest of the club that are dressed as flowers. Luna waves at me dreamily while walking towards me. After seeing Luna at Neville's party everything about her makes sense. Luna's not ditzy, she's a stoner. She's always high.

"Wow Maisie, you look fantastic!" Luna pulls me in for a hug. She smells like dirt, but not in a gross way, in the earthy way.

"So do you Luna! The whole plant squad looks adorable!" I say.

"Thank you! It was all Nev's idea of course!" Luna turns and waves at Neville and he waves back. The first bell rings and Luna and I head for class. "You're coming tonight, right? I hear Cormac was invited but Neville never got an answer."  I nod. Oh god. I forgot about the whole Hermione and Cormac secret. I completely judge Hermione for hooking up with her peer and I had done the same exact thing. 

"Hey, do you want to go to Blaise Zabini's Halloween party Saturday." I say as we turn down the History hall. It's not as decorated as the science wing but its covered in some historical documents and quotes. Nothing special.

"I was invited and it would be nice to have someone to talk to. Plus, they probably wouldn't mind you being there especially Theo." Luna rolls her eyes.

" I heard they do coke at those parties or at least, that's what Fred and George said. Pansy Parkinson did a line of space dust and stripped naked in Goyle's fountain...at a Christmas party." Luna recalls."So yes, I want to go. Who invited you anyway? Draco Malfoy?" Luna says softly as if saying his name will summon him.

"Yeah he did. The tutoring thing has brought us back as friends I guess." I say.

"Oh yes! I remember you two being close in like primary or something. How weird..." Luna says as the second bell rings. Luna and I split as we head to our separate classrooms.

My first class of the day is history with Professor Moody. He's a crazy guy but I'd easily say one of my favorites. He's a great teacher and the perfect teacher to wake me up early in the morning with his loud voice.

I sit close to Moody's desk in the front. We usually talk at the end of class or have small debates. I pull my books and pencils out as the rest of the class floods in, Including Moody.

"Almost didn't recognize you there Maisie!" Moody Laughs. "That Vampire bite almost looks real" I look down and my ears start to feel hot. Moody turns to the board and starts to scribble something on the board. I'm lucky to be a good listener because Moody's hand writing is exactly that, scribbles. I don't want to blame it on his eye patched eye but I always thought that was why.

More students fill the room, including Theo Nott who has his lacrosse stick hanging half way out of his bag. Theo scans the room before meeting at me. He walks towards me and sits down. It's not really unlike him to sit next to someone like me, so he can cheat off us. I won't allow it! If he'll just ask me for help I'll at least think about it...

"Here." Theo holds his hand out like there's something in it. I look up at him and he shakes his head. I hold my hand out and he drops a white origami bird in my hand with 'open me' written on it. I start to open the paper ripping it occasionally.

MEET ME IN THE FORBIDDEN CORRIDOR .

d.m.

I look up at Theo and he shrugs. I stand up and walk up to Moody.

"I...uh...need to go talk to Head Mistress Afults." I say. The bell rings and the last late students walks in. Moody nods and I walk out the class to the forbidden hall way.

It's not as scary as you think it is. It's just an abandoned hall way with empty class rooms. We were told it was forbidden first year but mostly because no prefects are available to watch it. I go to this hallway all the time to tell the truth. When the art classes do their yearly paint of the tree in the courtyard I come in and sit in one of the classrooms for the week.

When I reach the corridor I see Draco at the very end. As I get closer Draco, his costume becomes more apparent as he turns to me. A vampire. His long cloak flows behind him as he paces across the hall, and as he turns to face me. I feel his eyes wander over me. Draco lifts his eyebrows and smile.

"Maisie Waters, skipping class... never saw that coming." Draco teases. Draco holds his hands out for me to grab. I look down at his long fingers stretched out towards me. They're decorated with silver snake rings with emerald eyes. I look up at Draco's gleaming eyes. He's smiling at me and I can't help but to smile back. I grab Draco's hand firmly and step closer to him. "You left so soon this morning."

" I tried not to disturb you." I say quietly.

"You didn't disturb me, that's the problem. I want to be able to walk you out next time." Draco says sternly. Next time? "And maybe next time I can help you find your panties." Draco reaches under his cape and pulls out my pink Monday knickers. I feel my face turn hot. I reach for them but Draco snatches them from my arms length. "Oh no Mai, they're mine now."

"Oh god, Dray." I mumble. Silence falls on Draco and I. "Draco why did you call me out of class..."

"Just wanted to make sure you're okay..." Draco trails off. "And to make sure we were on the same page about what this is...."

"This? You mean you want to keep it a secret." I hiss. Draco says nothing. I let go of his hand letting it swing to his side. "I wasn't going to tell anyone. You arsehole."

Draco crosses his arms in front of himself and looks at the ground. "I'm not trying to offend you Mai-"

"-Well you did." I say backing away from Draco. I throw my hands up and let them hit my sides as I walk away from Draco. What a dumbass, and I'm not even talking about Draco.

[fromtheseventhhell]

It took her back to her childhood, to long grey days at Riverrun. She remembered the godswood, drooping branches heavy with moisture, and the sound of her brother’s laughter as he chased her through piles of damp leaves. She remembered making mud pies with Lysa, the weight of them, the mud slick and brown between her fingers. They had served them to Littlefinger, giggling, and he’d eaten so much mud he was sick for a week. How young they all had been. (Catelyn V, AGOT) None of which stopped Arya, of course. One day she came back grinning her horsey grin, her hair all tangled and her clothes covered in mud, clutching a raggedy bunch of purple and green flowers for Father. Sansa kept hoping he would tell Arya to behave herself and act like the highborn lady she was supposed to be, but he never did, he only hugged her and thanked her for the flowers. (Sansa I, AGOT)

--

“He did not know you,” Ser Rodrik said after, wondering. “He saw a pair of mud-spattered travelers by the side of the road, wet and tired. It would never occur to him to suspect that one of them was the daughter of his liege lord. I think we shall be safe enough at the inn, Ser Rodrik.” (Catelyn V, AGOT) “What were you doing to that cat, boy?” Myrcella asked again, sternly. To her brother she said, “He’s a ragged boy, isn’t he? Look at him.” She giggled. “A ragged dirty smelly boy,” Tommen agreed. They don’t know me, Arya realized. They don’t even know I’m a girl. Small wonder; she was barefoot and dirty, her hair tangled from the long run through the castle, clad in a jerkin ripped by cat claws and brown roughspun pants hacked off above her scabby knees. You don’t wear skirts and silks when you’re catching cats. (Arya III, AGOT)

--

Her two older brothers had both died in infancy, so she had been son as well as daughter to Lord Hoster until Edmure was born. Then her mother had died and her father had told her that she must be the lady of Riverrun now, and she had done that too. And when Lord Hoster promised her to Brandon Stark, she had thanked him for making her such a splendid match. (Catelyn VI, ACOK) “And Arya, well…Ned’s visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced. Arya was a trial, it must be said. Half a boy and half a wolf pup. Forbid her anything and it became her heart’s desire. She had Ned’s long face, and brown hair that always looked as though a bird had been nesting in it. I despaired of ever making a lady of her. She collected scabs as other girls collect dolls, and would say anything that came into her head. (Catelyn VII, ACOK)

--

He had forgotten Catelyn, until the iron brazier came crashing into the back of his head. Helmed as he was, the blow did no lasting harm, but it sent him to his knees. “Brienne, with me,” Catelyn commanded. The girl was not slow to see the chance. A slash, and the green silk parted. They stepped out into darkness and the chill of dawn. Loud voices came from the other side of the pavilion. “This way,” Catelyn urged, “and slowly. We must not run, or they will ask why. Walk easy, as if nothing were amiss.” (Catelyn IV, ACOK) It was the scariest thing she’d ever done. She wanted to run and hide, but she made herself walk across the yard, slowly, putting one foot in front of the other as if she had all the time in the world and no reason to be afraid of anyone. She thought she could feel their eyes, like bugs crawling on her skin under her clothes. Arya never looked up. If she saw them watching, all her courage would desert her, she knew, and she would drop the bundle of clothes and run and cry like a baby, and then they would have her. She kept her gaze on the ground. By the time she reached the shadow of the royal sept on the far side of the yard, Arya was cold with sweat, but no one had raised the hue and cry. (Arya IV, AGOT)

--

“I’m almost a man grown, and a king—your king, ser. And I don’t fear Jaime Lannister. I defeated him once, I’ll defeat him again if I must, only …” He pushed a fall of hair out of his eyes and gave a shake of the head. “I might have been able to trade the Kingslayer for Father, but …” “… but not for the girls?” Her voice was icy quiet. “Girls are not important enough, are they?” (Catelyn I, ACOK) That much was true, Arya knew. Knights were captured and ransomed all the time, and sometimes women were too. But what if Robb won’t pay their price? She wasn’t a famous knight, and kings were supposed to put the realm before their sisters. And her lady mother, what would she say? Would she still want her back, after all the things she’d done? Arya chewed her lip and wondered. (Arya IV, ASOS)

Some parallels between Arya and Catelyn that I noticed during my re-read. It's interesting to see not only how similar they are, but also see how many moments they have that directly mirror each other.

[ikeromantic]

Luscious

A Barbatos fic, approx. 3500 words. Written as commission and kindly allowed to be shared here. Barbatos takes his love, Kara, out for a date. When he realizes how insecure she is about her appearance, he uses his devilish charm to show her how beautiful she is. TW: weight discussion, body image

Barbatos felt a slight twinge of jealousy as he watched Kara mount the steps to the castle. She was wearing another of Beel’s jerseys. The clothing didn’t suit her at all, but she looked comfortable, and the smile on her face made her beautiful no matter what she wore. He only wished it wasn’t another demon’s clothes draped over her.

She made a surprised moue when he opened the door before she could knock. “How did you know I was here already?” 

Barbatos smiled his little mysterious smile, but as her eyes went wider he chuckled and gave in. “It wasn’t any kind of magic. I saw you walking up from the window.”

Kara grinned. “Then does that mean you’re ready to go?” She peered past him into the castle. “Or does Diavolo need something before we head out?”

“The young master has what he needs for the day.” Barbatos held out his hand. “May I?”

She nodded, nervously tucking a bit of hair behind her ear before setting her palm against his. 

It felt like such an intimate gesture to him. This embrace of their intertwined fingers. Her skin was soft as satin and warm, and it sent a little thrill through him to hold onto her like this. A claim and an offer, all at once. She was his, and he made himself hers. 

“You have such a wide smile. What are you thinking about?”

“Hm? Oh, it isn’t important. Where would you like to go first? I believe we planned to visit a cafe and then go see the new wing of the botanical gardens. But we can do something else if you prefer?” Barbatos cocked his head, the tiny wings in his hair stretching with the question.

Kara considered the question, her eyes shading from grey to a darker green as she thought about it. “Mmm, let’s stick with the plan. I think it’ll be fun, so long as the carnivorous pitcher plant doesn’t eat me!” She giggled.

Barbatos squeezed her hand gently. “I would never let that happen.” 

It was a pleasant walk to the gardens, though the air was sharp with winter chill. The ever-dark skies sparkled with distant stars and the glow of the city’s lights. The botanical garden was impossible to miss. A giant glass sphere, it rose up against the velvet gloom, illuminated with a faint purple glow that raced and arced along the opaque panels. 

There was a decent crowd at the gates, but Barbatos bypassed the line. There were some benefits to being the Prince’s butler, afterall. Inside, the bustle of the street was quiet, subsumed by the thick, verdant leaves that grew along the walls and ceilings. 

“We should return in the spring,” Barb leaned close, his voice low and pitched for her ear only. “That is when the hell jasmine is in bloom. This entire path is covered in flowers.”

Kara leaned into him as he spoke, a little shiver running down her skin from the tickle of his breath. “That would be beautiful. But . . . does hell jasmine have some kind of effect? Because I don’t want to have to peel you off the ceiling or something.”

He grinned. “It does have a tendency to make us demons a bit more affectionate than usual.”

Her cheeks colored prettily and she looked down shyly. “That’s . . . good to know. I really need to brush up on my Devildom botany.”

“That is one reason we are here, no?” Barbatos cocked his head. 

“Yep.” She looked back up at him, regaining her equilibrium. 

Barbatos found her reaction to flirting adorable. She always seemed surprised by his interest, awkwardly flattered by his compliments. He loved seeing her eyes light up and her cheeks heat, even if she still tried to hide her reaction from him. 

The first display was a collection of frozen gerbera, all in wintry colors. Blue and white and faded grey, they exuded a brittle coldness. Their delicate petals glistened as if coated with a thin sheen of ice. 

“Hm. I remember these.” Kara shut her eyes. “They’ll freeze my eyeballs if I look for too long.”

“Bravo. Very good. That’s exactly right.” He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “In the Devildom, some of the most beautiful things are quite dangerous.”

“Guess that’s why I’m completely safe,” she gave a half-hearted laugh at her own joke.

Barbatos shook his head, guiding her away from the display. “I disagree, respectfully. You are one of the most dangerous creatures I know.” 

She laughed again, but didn’t reply - and he didn’t press the issue. She often made these little comments about herself, and he wasn’t entirely sure how to react. It was as if she did not know how exquisite she was.

The next display was the 666 leafed clover. A vast plant with so many leaves that it was best viewed from a narrow walkway suspended over it. Barbatos gestured for Kara to go first, but she shook her head. 

“That’s ok. I’d rather just look at it from here.” She smiled, but he could see it wasn’t genuine. There was shame in her eyes as she looked away.

“Kara, are you afraid of heights? I won’t laugh if you are.” Barbatos tugged gently at her hand, hoping she’d look at him again. He couldn’t understand her mood and wanted very much to know what had caused it. 

She shook her head. “N-no. It’s not that. Just . . .” She trailed off and then took a deep breath. “It’s pretty narrow. I’m too fat to go climbing on something like that.” Her laugh was as false as her smile. “It’s fine. I don’t need the view. The plant is pretty impressive from here.”

“Too . . . fat?” Barbatos raised an eyebrow. Kara was curvy, soft, and delectable. Her weight filled out her form, and gave her a voluptuous silhouette.

“Ahaha, yeah. I mean, you noticed already, right? It’s not like I can really hide it.” She shrugged, still not meeting his gaze. “Anyway, can we not talk about this?”

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “As you like. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Kara turned her head just enough to see his face, the corner of her lips lifting in a tiny half-smile. “It’s fine.” 

Barbatos did his best to keep the conversation light and flowing as they visited the next few exhibits. He kept up a running flow of commentary and questions, and it seemed to work. She was smiling again, a genuine grin that reached her eyes and lit her expression with joy. 

They left the gardens laughing, and talking. Kara was telling him about the plants in the mortal realm, and Barbatos listened with rapt attention. She was a smart woman, always open to learning. And he could see how much she loved sharing what she knew. It was one of the things he liked about her. 

She was so engrossed in their conversation that she didn’t see a huge puddle on the sidewalk. It was definitely deep enough to soak her shoes. Barbatos let go of her hand to reach for her waist, intending to lift her over the puddle. 

Kara nearly leapt out of his grasp as his hands settled on her middle. “What are you doing?”

“Keeping you safe and dry.” He smiled.

She finally noticed the dip in the sidewalk and the dirty water that filled it. “Oh! Eww. What is that even? It hasn’t been raining.”

“It has not.” He chuckled. “So let’s make sure it doesn’t get on you.” He started to lift her, but stopped at her shout.

“Hey! No need for that. I’ll just step around it.” Her smile went false again as she added, “Wouldn’t want you to throw your back out.” 

Barbatos frowned. “I’m not the strongest of demons. Not like Beelzebub, for example.” His gaze drifted to her shirt and he felt that hot, unpleasant jab of jealousy again. “But I can surely lift my lady over a puddle.”

Kara wriggled out of his grasp, tugging the shirt this way and that to make sure she was still completely covered and it hadn’t bunched from his grip. “I didn’t mean it that way, Barb. I know you’re strong. But I’m pretty heavy. You don’t need to go picking me up. I don’t -”

He’d let it go earlier, but he felt he couldn’t keep letting her insist on something that was not true. “Kara.” He said her name gently, but with a tone that could not be ignored. 

She stopped speaking mid-sentence. Her eyes were wide and full of deep embarrassment, as if she had done something she desperately wanted to hide. Kara began to look away, but Barbatos caught her chin.

“No. I apologize for being so forward, but I cannot let this continue.” He let go of her chin after a moment, and let his hand trace the line of her jaw, her neck, down the curve of her shoulder. “You keep making these comments about yourself. Negative comments.”

“Barb, I - I know how I look. And it’s just easier if I make jokes about it. It’s fine.”

Barbatos shook his head, his wings flicking in agitation. “It is not.” He took a breath, unsure how to best phrase what he needed to say. Despite his long years of life, he could count the number of close relationships he’d had on one hand, and still have fingers left over. 

Romantic love was a new territory for him, and he cared for Kara so much that he worried anything he might say would cause her hurt. But he could see she was hurting herself, over and over again. These thoughts, these jokes, and mean comments. They cut her, and she hid it behind a fake smile and a laugh, just as she hid her body beneath bulky clothes.

“Do you know why I asked you to go out with me?” He trailed a finger down her arm, his nail scraping the slick cloth of the Fangol jersey. 

“Umm. I guess because I like tea. And books?”

Barbatos nodded. “Those are some of the things I noticed about you. You are smart, and curious. But you are also beautiful.”

Kara’s cheeks pinked. “Ah. Thanks.”

“Do you know how pretty you are?” He stepped closer, his other hand coming to rest on her shoulder.

“I . . . I guess I have a nice face?”

Barbatos ruffled her hair. “Every part of you is nice.”

Her face went even hotter, until the tips of her ears were red. “You can’t say that. You haven’t seen all of me.”

He smiled. “No?”

Kara’s eyes went wide. “Have you? You haven’t, right? You wouldn’t use your power to - to -”

“No, I haven’t. But I can see you, Kara.” He let his hands slide down her sides, tracing the outline of her beneath the over-sized jersey. “There is nothing here that is not perfect.”

“Pffft. Please. I’ve been trying to diet with Asmo. And work out with Beel. I know I'm waaaay off perfect.”

Barbatos gently squeezed her hips. “To me, you are flawless. An exquisite beauty.”

Her mouth opened to reply, but then closed again. She was flustered, unused to such compliments. Unqualified by criticism, and without ulterior motive. Kara hugged him then, her arms wrapping around his waist, her face buried against his chest. 

He held her gently, stroking her back. There were no words needed, only touch. They stayed like that for several breaths. When Kara let go, Barbatos took her hand again. “I have an idea,” he told her.

Instead of the cafe, he took her to Majolish. 

“Erm. Not to ask a stupid question, but I thought we were going for lunch?” Kara raised an eyebrow. 

“We will. But first, I’d like to get you a gift.” Barbatos nodded to one of the sales clerks. He knew most of the staff here, from his orders for Diavolo. They hurried over, and after a quick, whispered conversation, hurried away again. 

Kara watched this exchange warily. “Barb, what are you planning?”

“Patience. You’ll see in a moment.” He gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. 

She sighed. “Alright.” 

A few moments later, the clerk came to get them, and led them to a private dressing room. A row of outfits hung from a rack, dresses and skirts and tops, several in shades of green. The clerk left them with a reminder to ring the bell if anything else was needed.

Once they were alone again, Kara gave him an unreadable look. “You want to buy me clothes?”

Barbatos nodded. “If you find an outfit you like, yes.” He gestured to the rack. “I would never tell you what to wear, but I’d like to spoil you with something nice, if you like.”

She nibbled at her lower lip as she considered, then nodded. “Alright. But only if I’m comfortable in it. When I come here with Asmo, he always picks the most ridiculous outfits.”

“I can well imagine.” He laughed, knowing the fifth brother’s style. 

Kara nodded as she walked to the rack. “I like my skirts to be a little longer than my shirts, you know?” She tugged conscientiously at Beel’s jersey. 

“Mmmm. I do know.” 

She picked through the clothes on the rack, settling on a dark green dress made from silvered spider-silk to try on first. 

Barbatos waited for her to come show him, but she didn’t emerge from the changing room for quite awhile. “Is everything alright, Kara? Do you need help?”

“N-no. I -” She cleared her throat. “Did you see the price tag on this?”

“I did not. Perhaps if you come out, I can check it?” 

There was a flurry of movement behind the door and then a reluctant Kara stuck her head out. “The tag’s on the sleeve.” She held her arm out toward him. 

Barbatos raised an eyebrow. “Could you come here? To me?”

She made a face, but after a moment complied. The dress was stunning on her. It hugged her curves, emphasizing her bust and hips in a complimentary way. The dress was a perfect length for her frame too, just long enough in the legs to make her seem taller than she was. 

“You’re smiling again. Don’t tell me you’re thinking about nothing.” She put a fist to her hip and frowned.

“I was just thinking how beautiful you look in that.” He tilted his head, the wings in his hair gave a contented stretch. 

Kara’s face heated, and she clasped her hands in front of her as if trying to cover up. “I don’t know. It’s too tight. And it’s not very practical at all. And expensive!”

Barbatos shrugged. “Don’t look at the tag. Just tell me how you feel in it.”

“Exposed.” Her frown deepened. 

“Then choose something else. I want you to be happy with what you pick too.” Barb gestured. “And I will enjoy the fashion show.”

That coaxed a laugh from her. “A fashion show? With one person?”

“With my favorite person.” 

Her shy smile was so adorable that he wanted to kiss her. Kara nodded after a moment, and went to choose another outfit. This time a light green skirt and cream top. She came out of the dressing room without being coaxed this time, though she was clearly uncomfortable. Her hands kept fluttering to her waist, tugging the shirt down to make sure her belly didn’t show. 

She went back again and again, discarding each outfit. Too short, too tight, too low cut, too much back revealed . . . it seemed as if she wouldn’t be happy unless the clothes fit her like, well, like one of Beel’s old shirts. No matter how Barbatos complimented her, she simply could not see her own beauty.

She was on the next to last outfit. A velvety dress with dark green buttons and delicate crystal beading along the bodice. It was gorgeous on the hangar and Barbatos couldn’t wait to see what it would look like on her.  

He could hear her in the changing room, the rustle of clothing and muttered curses. After a long moment, she called out. “Can you come help me? These damn buttons were clearly made by devils.”

“Clearly,” he chuckled.

Kara opened the door enough for him to see the problem. She couldn’t see the tiny buttons to match them to the small button-holes. Her fingers kept sliding over the fabric, getting nowhere. “You know, it’s probably fine. I think this one’s too -”

He stepped inside, letting the changing room door shut. The space was smaller than he’d realized, and with him inside, Kara was nearly pressed up against the mirrored wall. “Sorry,” Barbatos murmured, though he didn’t feel truly sorry. Her closeness was more than pleasant.

“It’s fine,” she replied breathily, turning so that he could get at the buttons. Like this, she was facing the mirror, her back against him. 

Barbatos ran his hands lightly up her back, enjoying the little shiver of pleasure she gave. “This dress is lovely on you.” He began doing up the buttons, taking a bit more time than strictly needed.

Kara tried to take a step back to get a better look in the mirror, but there wasn’t space. “I don’t know.”

“Mmmm. I do.” He leaned forward, so that his lips nearly touched her ear. “The color brings out your eyes, green as the deep forest with just a hint of silvery moonlight.” His hands, done with the buttons, drew slowly down her back. “The velvet fabric is a hint at the delicate softness beneath.” 

Her eyes fluttered closed at his touch, and she let out a slightly ragged exhale. 

Barbatos pressed closer still, knowing the move was ungentlemanly, but unable to stop himself. Kara woke something in him, a most uncouth flame, one he did not wish to extinguish even as etiquette demanded. He let his hands rove across her hips. “The silhouette flatters your shape, and shows you to good advantage.” 

Kara made a sound in her throat. She turned toward him, her full, luscious figure against his chest, her face so close to his that he could feel the ghost of her breath on his cheek. 

“You are so beautiful that I cannot help but want to touch you. To kiss you.” He reached with one hand to brush his thumb over her lower lip. If the velvet of the dress was soft, what word then for her lips? He couldn’t think of one, not with the pounding of his heart and the flames of need racing through his veins. “May I?”

“Yes,” she sighed, her eyes opening. There was such vulnerability in them. A fragile delicacy that made his heart ache. 

Barbatos kissed her. He meant it to be gentle, a sweet first kiss. And that was how it started. The exchange of breath and life, the press of her warm mouth to his. Her hands settling on his shoulders as his hands went around her waist. But the feel of her against him was almost more than he could bear. The temptation of her. 

The kiss deepened as her lips opened to him. His tongue delved past them and into the silky heat of her mouth. Caressing her, tasting her. 

Kara kissed him back with just as much passion. She did not simply yield. Her tongue played against his, teasing, exploring. She slipped between his lips, all heat and fire and sweetness. Her fingers tangled in his hair, tugging lightly. The touch sent fire racing down his spine, an electric jolt of pleasure that made him want more. 

It was only with great reluctance and a burst of willpower that Barbatos drew back from the kiss. He felt breathless, undone. His normally unflappable demeanor swept away. He tried to regain his composure.

“Your - your hair,” she said after a moment, and reached to straighten it. Barb stood completely still, enjoying the sensation of her grooming him. It was strange and pleasant to be taken care of. 

He laughed softly, and caught her hand as she drew away, kissing her fingertips. “Thank you.”

Red suffused her cheeks, as if she suddenly realized what they’d done. Making out in the changing room. “S-sure.”

“I’ll step out and give you a moment.” He let her hand go and backed out of the tiny space. 

Kara came out a moment later, still sporting spots of pink in her cheeks. “Do you . . . really think it looks nice?”

Barbatos was almost surprised by the question. “I do. You are gorgeous. But, how do you feel?”

Her jaw tightened, and for a heartbeat he thought she would reject this option as well, but then she nodded. “I . . . I feel pretty.” A trembling smile rose to her lips. “If you still want to get me something, I think - I think I like this one.”

“An excellent choice.” He took her hand and spun her about slowly. “I think I may have to take you dancing, to celebrate.”

“The dress?” She peered up at him, a skeptical eyebrow raised.

Barbatos laughed. “No, not the dress. I want to celebrate our first kiss. The first of many, I hope.”

Kara’s smile widened, her eyes shining silver as starlight. “Me too. In fact . . . could we . . .”

He answered by pulling her close and kissing her again.

[amandacanwrite]

Mourning Glories ☼ The Hallowed Wilds ☼ Chapter Six

POV ;; Ezra ☽ 10 y.o.

Summary ;; Ezra goes into the forests again and meets Aurelia. She issues him a warning.

Warnings ;; Just a warning that this chapter includes a description of a corpse that some people might find unnerving or upsetting even though there is no gore described. Please do what is best for you when it comes to this reading chapter.

Author Note ;; I am someone who doesn't get triggered by much, but it's very important to me that anyone who reads my work doesn't become inadvertently triggered because of my writing. While these early chapters are quite light, this story does get dark at times. If you ever notice something I should have issued a content or trigger warning for, please reach out to me so that I can properly apologize to you and add the warning to the list. That all said, let's hop in!!

A week after our birthday something horrible happened.

It was a gloomy day when I left Dewsbury, carrying in my arms some wood and rope to do more work on our secret hideout. When I arrived, Aurelia was already there. Usually, this would have pleased me, but this day something was wrong.

She looked paler than usual, her face drained of the color that usually dusted her cheeks and made her look like a doll. I felt itchy under my collar, and sick to my stomach… like I’d gotten in trouble for something.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“I have to show you something,” she said. “I don’t want to, but The Wilds keep telling me that I have to show you.”

I set down my things on the floor of the makeshift house.

“Okay,” I said.

I was nervous and scared. But I knew Aurelia had to listen to the forest or she would feel sick. I didn’t want to make her feel worse by showing how afraid I was, or make her think that I was worried because of her.

I held my hand out for her and she took it, leading me out of our hideout and into the forest. We walked for what felt like a long time, but this was not the usual excitement we traveled with. There was a sort of solemnity to it, and the longer we walked the more itchy I felt under my collar.

After a while she brought me to a corner of the forest that was covered in thick carpets of morning glory as far as the eye could see. I was dazzled by them even though I knew Mama hated them in her garden. I’d seen pink, purple and blue ones in our vegetable garden at home, but never ones like these.

In The Wilds the blossoms were black with stripes of crimson through the silken petals.

“It’s amazing,” I said.

“This isn’t what I’m showing you,” she said as she led me through the blossoms. Vines snaked out of our way as we walked.

My brow tightened as she led me to a section of the flowers where the vines all slithered away leaving something in their wake. As we stepped closer and I finally laid eyes on what she had led me to, horror chilled me to my core.

It was a corpse.

I’d seen dead people before—my Ma’s Pa who lived really far away died and we went to see him before they buried him. He looked like he was sleeping. I even half expected him to toss and turn or start snoring. He’d looked peaceful and rested.

The corpse didn’t look like that.

An expression of fear was frozen on his face. His eyes wide in terror, mouth agape like he’d died choking. Judging by the red and purple bruising around his neck, he probably had.

I didn’t recognize him from the village, which was something I was grateful for. He was wearing a sweat-stained white shirt and some worn out denim pants. His belt had a pick-axe and a rocker attached to it.

He was a gold miner.

The gold up here had long been exhausted. Pa said we hadn’t had much to begin with, but other places out west were better to look at when it came to prospecting. Ma had an old friend from primary school whose husband struck rich out there, she would always get all mad about it when she got a letter in the post from her.

“Too much, if you ask me,” Mama always said. “People ought to be happy with enough to put a roof over their head, feed their family and enjoy a few comforts in life. Who cares how many horses she can keep now? Why would you even need so many?”

This man didn’t look especially greedy. He looked poor.

He did have a big red nose like the drunks in town, though.

“He’s a miner,” I said, unable to tear my eyes from the cold greyness of his body.

“What’s that?” Aurelia said.

“Miners go into the mountains and find expensive metals and gems like gold and emeralds and rubies. They take them and sell them for money—that stuff I told you about that we trade for food and clothes and such.”

“Oh.”

“We ought to bury him. Everybody deserves the dignity of a proper grave.”

“But he’s a thief!”

My gaze snapped to hers and anger roiled in my belly.

I think I was shocked to hear her talk so carelessly about a stranger. There wasn’t one iota of compassion in her for the poor old fool.

“So what?!” I shouted. “Ain’t you ever done something bad before? Even on accident? This man was maybe a drunk, but he probably didn’t even know about The Wilds. And the forest choked him to death anyway. Ain’t it punishment enough to die alone and afraid?”

The little witch flinched at my shouting and I shook my head, still too angry to feel guilty about it. I reached for his pick axe on his belt to start working on carving out a shallow grave for the man. I wished I had a shovel, it felt wrong to touch this man or his belongings

Luckily, I didn’t have to dig a grave, after all.

As if the forest heard me, the earth beneath the stranger started to shift and open. It started to sink below him, lowering him down and down and down. When The Wilds were finished, the grave was nearly as deep as the one they put Gramps in. It wasn’t a perfectly semetrical rectangle like that one, more like a sinkhole, but it was better than anything I would have been able to do with a little worn out pick axe.

The hole didn’t fill at first and wondered why it hadn’t. An old memory flashed in my mind—something my Ma did at Gramps’ funeral.

I picked up a hand full of wet dirt and threw it on top of the man’s body.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” I said.

And then the hole filled itself. Soft, loose soil rolling over the corpse like the currents in a river. The morning glories once again covered the patch of open ground carpet.

I was ready to leave and go back home after what I’d seen. Curl up in bed and cry and sleep. I turned to do just that.

“Ezra, wait,” Aurelia said.

I turned to look at her and found her still staring at the winding vines of macabre flowers, I followed her gaze and balked.

The vines tangled together in a thick rope of flowering greenery, branching out at a bit from the top and forming a cross where the man’s head had previously been. A grave marker belonging to a God that was no where near this forest.

“How did you…do that?” She asked me.

I looked at her and shook my head. “I didn’t do anything.”

“The forest listened to you, it bent to your will. Like it does for me.”

“I’m not like you.” I seethed.

It came out angrier than I’d intended but…

I didn’t like that she didn’t care about this stranger. I didn’t like that a man just trying to feed himself was seen as a villain and a crook here. Is that how she’d seen me when I first came? Like some rotten thief?

Maybe the people in the village were right. Maybe her sisters were too. Maybe we were too different to co-exist, maybe she was too odd and maybe I was too soft. For once, when I looked at her I saw a stranger—a frightening thing. Like a milky white spider—she just felt wrong to me.

The silence yawned between us as I stared at her.

I turned and left.

“Ezra,” Aurelia said behind me.

I ignored her. I wanted out of this forest for today. Maybe for forever.

“Ezra!” She shouted.

I left her there at the grave of the man she thought deserved to die.

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

@eldritchx

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[thewingedwolf]

Anyways okay so if I was rich, I would splurge on two (1) clothing items and that is

(1) Sansa’s pretty purple leaf pattern dress/coat/whatever thing

(2) Frodo’s gorgeous patterned waistcoat from Bilbo’s birthday party

[shadowofyourheart]

summer sun for you forever ━ thomas shelby x fem!reader

Down by the river that's where she likes to be.

Her fingers run through the cold transparent water, steady breathing and eyes closed to feel the sun on her skin, summer days were made to be spent like this. The singing birds and the green grass being slowly swayed by the fresh breeze were a fairly good companion to the woman sitting on the blanket, close enough to the river so she could dip her fingers there.

The picturesque house posed in the background very far away from her, one could barely make out the figures of maids rushing around doing chores. But it wasn't only the maids that occupied the large house for there was a man deeply staring at the woman from the bedroom window.

Perhaps reading by the small lamp by his desk, despite the presence of the shining sun neglected by closed curtains, has become bothersome enough for him to depart from his dreary office, wandering to the master bedroom in a quest for his wife. Her absence in said room leads him to call one of the maids about his wife's whereabouts but he sees her figure from the window before doing so. Concern crosses his face as he recalls the numerous times he has reminded her she shouldn't stroll away too often and if she does, company should be at her side at all times. And yet she was unescorted as if she was waiting for him.

He saw her hands covered in red spots first, and the bowl of strawberries laying on the blanket second, "It is dangerous to be us yet you are here alone?"

"I knew it was you Thomas, I can always tell", she finishes her claim putting a strawberry in her mouth, "But if I said that, you wouldn't believe me would you?"

"I would say you have been spending an awful lot of time with Polly", she motions with one of her hands for him to sit down and as he does he notices a small drop of juice falling from the corner her mouth. He catches it with his thumb before it stains her pristine white dress and tastes for himself his wife's most recent harvesting work.

Their little girl has complained once about the lack of color in the vast garden, she wanted to see flowers and eat delicious fruit during warm days. Since Thomas Shelby lives to please the women in his life, he was to instruct the gardener to fill the land with colorful life. But before all was said and done, his wife decided to make good use of the books she recently acquired after a trip to the city and decorated the garden herself.

This was several months ago.

"Well, don't stray too far alright?", he was about to stand up from his crouching position but her swiftly hand holds him by the arm before he could, she wears an inquisitive expression to obtain a response from him, "What?" He demands.

"You are leaving already?", perplexed by her husband's annoyingly strict work ethic, "Don't tell me work will keep you from spending the afternoon with me?" It was a smart tactic he thought, she was aware of his only weakness, and since work has indeed kept him away from his family for the past days with his dismissive I have things to do, he obliges.

There was an old open book on her lap, all imaginary symbols he has described it once when he saw her carrying it. A gift from Polly of course. Months ago she has approached the younger woman with a small stash on her jewellery adorned hands, after dropping it on her hands she said, "It will protect you from all evil", as the woman inspected the purple crystal necklace in her possession Polly resumed, "well, all non-familiar evil." It was a treasured memory that has never left her mind, calming her recurring thoughts of the older woman disliking her since she hasn't exactly shown much interest.

The crystal necklace lays delicately on her chest.

"Pour me some of that then." 'That' being the overly too sweet wine for her husband that she customarily drinks and he usually loves to tease her about. The dark purple liquid pleases his throat and stains his already pink lips a shade darker; a kiss is demanded. But before his alluring presence took the best of her impulsivity, he moves to remove his dress jacket and inhales the clean air of summer.

She notices the prominent dark circles under his eyes and the way his blinking slows as he tries to exhale all exhaustion that his body carries. She felt the discomfort of his constricting tie and decided she would do him a service, with gentle hands around his neck, she removes his blue tie and observed him visibly relax. She kisses his cheek once as he looks far away from her, and twice when he stills, surprised by her sudden action. He turns to her and holds her hand, playing with the ring on her finger from when they both promised to love each other eternally.

"More beautiful than any flower," he puts both of his palms on her face upon feeling foolish for intending to express his blissfulness to her through a compliment. His closeness is all consuming, from the depth of his blue eyes to the velvet of his voice, she is completely enamoured by the man in front of her.

"Well aren't you a poet Mr. Shelby," she has a smile that is as luminous as the sun, and he mimics her contentment by smiling as well. The poetry books he has collected over the years have convinced him she deserved to hear delightful words as the ones he has read but he is no expert yet.

"I'm a man of few words," she gets lost in the blue of his eyes, bluer than any summer sky.

"Yes, the right ones." He traces her face with rough fingertips that have never known gentleness until her. The sour taste on his tongue from the Irish whiskey he had before fills her mouth with its richness, all her senses relinquishes to the passionate kiss they share.

Her burning desire gets extinguished as she remembers they are not alone, they never are, "Tommy the maids will gossip."

He chuckles at her worried expression not out of malice but in the face of her ingenuous question he finds amusement, "they won't unless they want to get fired."

"Sometimes I feel like they hear us..."

"Oh they try," he says as mere display of arrogance that slips through his mouth.

"Why?" Timid red flushed cheeks too tempting, he takes action.

He lays her gently on the blanket and positions himself on top of her. He meddles with the front buttons of her dress, all efforts are worth it as he reveals her french silk brassiere. Her skin shines brightly as the burning sun has created a thin layer of sweat, "they want to be in your place," he places a kiss on her throat feeling her pulse starting to fasten, "want what you have," lips start trailing down her chest as he grabs one of her legs with a firm hand and places it on his waist, "want to be you." 

But no one could ever be her, she is the one for him.

[invisible-pink-toast]

I can’t draw but I wanted to write down some of my hc’s for the designs of the main Tangled trio post-series 

(some were inspired by art/fics and are linked!) 

Rapunzel

- more and more freckles all over her face, shoulders, arms as she spends more years out in the sun - she changes her hair all the time - growing it out, cutting it really short, dyeing it, all sorts of different styles and braids and ponytails and accessories (including ones that look ridiculous but make her happy) - never wears shoes, except when going out in winter and she gets Feldspar to design soft, comfortable but waterproof shoes - for her 21st birthday her parents get her a rainbow dress, since it’s her favourite colour - scars on her hands from where she held the sundrop and moonstone - never had any marks on her body because her hair healed her then protected her, so as she gets scars and stretch marks and cellulite she’s fascinated and loves that they’re like paintings/stories on her skin  - gets Varian to design a grappling hook that she always carries with her on a belt (which can also hook a frying pan to) - writes down reminders for herself on her hands (they are always covered in ink) - TATTOOS - she asks Lady Caine mid-fight once where she got her tattoo and Caine sets her up with her tattoo artist - she designs her own tattoos, definitely the Corona sun symbol, but also a chameleon, flying birds, flowers, rainbows, lanterns, she gets them everywhere - adds multiple deep pockets to everything she wears  - makes friendship bracelets for all the people she loves and wears all of her own pairs from the different sets - cass sends her things from different adventures, one gift is a necklace with two bird pendants, that rapunzel loves and wears all the time - when she starts to get wrinkles on her face she freaks out about at first, after a lifetime of being around Gothel’s narcissism and obsession about looks & youth, but with support from her loved ones she slowly starts to accept them (thinking of them as laugh lines and as proof of the long and happy years she’s lived outside of the tower)

.

Eugene

- after he proposes in the finale, Rapunzel also proposes to him so he has the engagement ring she was going to give him, which he wears along with his wedding ring - grows his hair out, for a while just down to his chin, then shoulder length, he tries it really long for a while but then sticks with shoulder length - PONYTAIL - gets a cool eyebrow scar  - has a physical mark from the stab wound he died from, maybe a golden scar or a magical sun/flower pattern where it healed - gets a serious sword wound on his torso and he’s finally confronted with the trauma he suppressed when he died. it leaves a large scar - he wears both the Coronan symbol and the Dark Kingdom symbol  - often has little doodles or patterns painted on his arms, firstly by rapunzel and then their kids pick up the habit. he shows them off to everyone - constantly has flowers in his hair and tucked behind his ears because rapunzel puts them there and he loves it - designs a new Captain of the Guard outfit incorporating both the old style and his own style (it’s gotta have a vest cmon), using purple, blue, white and gold colours - earrings! starts with single ones just in the earlobe, but then gets more piercing’s there and then cartilage piercing’s too  - has a fabulous jewellery collection that he can match with any outfit (he is always the best dressed person in the room, to the admiration and envy of many) - tries out a full beard for a while but goes back to the iconic goatee - Edmund eventually bestows Eugene his mother’s necklace and he wears it all the time - needs glasses as he gets older and he rocks the look

.

Cassandra

- short haired cass rights honestly, like really short  - she lets her natural curls come out too (look how gorgeous) - her hand + arm is still burnt, but since she was healed/brought back to life and started doing exercises to help, the pain slowly lessens (although does flare up occasionally) and some strength slowly returns  - she hides her hand under gloves at first but over the years grows more confident and only wears gloves when needed (sword fighting, etc)  - has a wooden panel strapped to her shoulder as a perch for owl - she has a large scar on her chest where the moonstone was - it’s black and circular but also zigzag’s out like electricity across her chest, shoulder and neck  - wears mementos from the people she loves: her lady in waiting favour from rapunzel, her cassandrium necklace from varian, her father’s dagger, a sword brooch from eugene, and different items she collects from friends on her journey’s - gets an owl tattoo on her upperarm and a small sun and moon tattoo on her wrist  - has an owl mask that Rapunzel made for her that she wears sometimes when she wants to be anonymous during a caper  - during her travels and adventures she saves/helps people and gets into fights, and she’s known by several different names including ‘The Nightowl’,  ‘Moonshadow’, ‘The Hunter’ and ‘Stylet’ and she takes inspiration from the titles for her outfits  - gets a lot of scars over the years from some epic fights, the most prominent being a large scar over her eye - wears a lot of cloaks and capes, she claims it’s to hide weapons (true) but is also for the aesthetic™  - speaking of weapons, every outfit she has, no matter if it’s casual, formal or for adventuring, has multiple hidden compartments to stash weapons

[dancingamongstdust]

Creepypasta Scenarios - First Meeting Part 2

Hoodie

The area where you lived had a ton of back alleyways that acted as shortcuts in a pinch. They were generally safe but you often got an uncomfortable feeling when using them so you preferred to take the busier roads if you could.

Unfortunately, when you had gone to leave work that day, you had spotted the customer who had been harassing you the entire day. It wasn’t anything creepy but it was over-the-top persistent and you weren’t in the mood to deal with it. You slipped out the backdoor as a result. At least you’d get home sooner.

For the most part, you didn’t encounter anything too suspicious and the light from the streets illuminated where you were going.

The large bins outside the grocer’s home indicated that you were getting close. You sped up and rubbed your eyes blearily.

Ahead of you, a dog was barking from inside one of the buildings. It was a pretty noisy animal and you began peering around to see what the source of its agitation was. Ironically, you ended up bumping directly into him.

“I’m sorry,” you apologised, rubbing your shoulder.

The guy was tall, wearing dark clothing and standing right in the shadows. You could have probably noticed him if you were a little more awake.

He turned and your breath caught.

His face was obscured by a dark mask with red features stitched onto it. His hoodie which originally seemed dark was now illuminated into a soft yellow or orange, stained with a dark substance.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. His voice crackled out, clearly coming through a voice changer of some kind.

“I – I was just taking a shortcut home. I live near here so I thought… I really didn’t mean to bump into you. I’m super tired.”

“Tired or not, you shouldn’t have seen me,” the guy said. “Do you have a phone or a camera?”

Slowly, you reached into your bag and pulled out your phone. “I don’t have any cash in my wallet –“

“I don’t want your money!” he snapped. “I’m not some petty thief, believe me, I have better things to do with me time. Unlock this.”

You did so and he went through it with a gloved hand. He didn’t have a weapon but something in your gut warned you to just go along with it. Nobody covered up everything, including their voice, when they were up to something good. This guy may not be a thief… but the alternative didn’t feel too much better.

He shoved your phone back at you. “Get out of here and don’t breathe a word of this to anybody. Consider yourself lucky that I’m in a good mood today.”

You swallowed nervously. “Thank you?”

“I’m serious,” he warned. “I can let you go just because you seem pathetic enough to not take this to the police but unless you want to catch a bullet in your back, you’ll keep quiet. My boss doesn’t like people getting involved with this nonsense.”

“A bullet?”

He didn’t answer and your heart thundered in your chest. Part of you wondered if he was going to kill you while you ran away but his attention seemed to have moved away from you. You hurried away, holding your breath the entire time. Every time you glanced over your shoulder, the guy remained unmoving.

When you reached your home, you locked the door tightly and slumped against it in exhaustion.

Homicidal Liu

The sunset was beautiful over the graveyard – the only beauty to an otherwise morbid place.

You stared at the purples and oranges dancing across the sky. The wreath pricked at your hands after a while and you stared down at it. Why did you still bother with bringing flowers? Hadn’t it been long enough? Still, you made your way down to the grave and placed them there, not even bothering to read the name on there.

Lately, your graveyard visits had becoming fewer and fewer. Time hadn’t been on your side recently and thus, your precious solitude had to suffer. You relished in the way that nobody really bothered you here.

An orange glow warned you when the streetlights came on. Perhaps you had been there for longer than you thought but this was to be your last visit.

Better to make it count.

Something caught in the wind made you raise your head. A piece of fabric was stuck in the nearby fence, identifiable as a scarf when you ventured closer.

You took it from the fence and looked around for its owner. Nobody was in view… maybe it had been blown off one of the graves? It did seem homemade.

Guessing, you began to place it on a grave when a voice startled you.

“I’m sorry to bother but I think you have my scarf?”

The man was standing far too close for you to have not seen him when you were glancing around but you blamed that on your night vision. He wore dark clothing and seemed awkward just to be speaking to you.

“Thank goodness,” you said. “I was just going to leave it on one of the graves because I didn’t know who it belonged to.”

He thanked you for it, wrapping it around the lower half of his face almost immediately. “That would be a waste,” he said. “Especially to leave it on this one. Thank you for grabbing it.”

A harsh wind blew through the graveyard, carrying with it the smell of an incoming storm. He grabbed his scarf just in time to prevent it from going flying away again.

“Seems like the weather is determined to steal it from you.”

“Far more powerful things have tried.”

You buried yourself further into your jacket and smiled. “I haven’t seen you around before, are you new in town or just coming to visit a new grave?”

“I’m not visiting a grave,” he admitted. “I just thought that this would be the way back to my house… I grew up in this town but only recently moved back and I’m already lost. It’s a little embarrassing if I’m honest.”

“Well, I like to know everybody,” you said. “What’s your name?”

“Su – I mean, Liu,” he said. “Liu. Sorry, I nearly gave you my surname.”

You laughed. “Oh that’s no problem. It’s nice to meet you but I really like your name. Is it Chinese?”

“I don’t know,” he said. He looked around and began walking away. “I really have to go. Thank you for getting my scarf and all that.”

“I’ll see you around,” you said with a wave.

It was only later when you realised how suspicious that entire interaction was. You had never seen Liu before in your life and he was just hanging around in the graveyard? He hadn’t seemed too creepy at least. Maybe you would see more of him in the coming days.

Jane the Killer

It wasn’t that you were unobservant or inattentive toward girls but nobody had really caught your eye until Jane.

She was stunning in a way that few people could ever match with dark hair that tumbled past her hips and soulful eyes. Her walk was always confident, her smile always perfect, and her attention always desirable. Your main regret about life was that you didn’t speak to her sooner – especially when you thought back on what happened not too long after your first meeting.

You organised with your friends to somehow bump into her but instead, you wound up getting treated for a pretty painful bruised hip. Your second plan didn’t work out either and your third never even left the drawing board.

“Just go up to her and say hi. Tell her that she’s beautiful,” your friend encouraged. “She’ll say thanks and then you’ll be able to talk to her.”

“That’s so boring though,” you said. “It’s not like something out of a romance novel.”

Your friend groaned and stood up. “Well, I’m going home. We have like three months left of high school and I’m not going to spend that time obsessing over how to speak to a girl. She’s literally a regular person.”

They were right and you knew that. No matter how you tried to set up a sweeping romance, it probably wouldn’t work out.

So you tried.

And you tried.

Two weeks later, you were about to give up on mimicking a romance novel and it appeared that your friend was thinking the same thing. She grabbed your arm and began to drag you somewhere, muttering about changing the topic. You had a vague idea of where you were going but you didn’t fight too much.

“What if she’s still dating that Woods boy?” you asked. “The older one.”

“They broke up after literally a month of dating. I don’t blame her – those Woods boys are pretty enough but the older one has something seriously wrong with him. And the younger one is always talking to himself…”

“I really don’t care about the Woods’,” you commented.

“No, you care about Jane who is honestly quite weird as well,” they said. “But that is going to be your problem and not mine.”

They dragged you directly up to her group. It wasn’t large – despite Jane’s beauty, she wasn’t incredibly popular due to her associations. Your friend wasn’t the only one who was a little scared of the Woods boys and Jane had hung out with them for quite a while.

“Hey,” your friend said before even letting you go. “You have no idea who we are but my friend here has a massive crush on you. Could you please just say hi so they can get it out of their system?”

You were sure that it was unhealthy to be as red as you were. It felt like your heart was about to leap from your chest.

Jane laughed, a soft and gentle sound. “I’m not really interested in a relationship,” she hummed. “But thank you. That’s very flattering.”

Somehow, your heart sped up still and you awkwardly rubbed your arm. “No problem?”

“Why don’t you join us for a little bit?” Jane offered. “Just because I don’t want to date anybody doesn’t mean that we can’t become friends. You look like my kind of person.”

You stumbled over your words but somehow, your conversation managed to go extremely well. Jane was brilliant in every possible way and you quickly grew attached to seeing her every day. That was why you mourned so greatly when she died.

Jason the Toymaker

The sun was so warm against your skin. You could stay there forever, stretched out on the grass and basking in the sunlight.

“It’s done,” your friend’s voice broke through your daydreaming

You opened your eyes and rolled over to see exactly what they had been working on for the entire trip. After realising the first few times that you weren’t going to get a reaction, you had decided to wait for them to finish working before you tried to have a conversation.

“I didn’t know you could draw,” you said. “That’s amazing.”

The hyper-realistic man was sketched to perfection with a top hat, a fur coat, and a small mouse sitting on his left shoulder. It felt like his eyes could piece into your soul.

“Who is that?” you asked them.

They stared blankly at the image and shook their head. “I don’t know,” they said. “He’s been in my dreams for so long. I think it has something to do with my amnesia. Maybe I knew him once before.”

“He’s a little intimidating,” you said. “I could imagine him to be a ringleader in a circus that’s like a secret cult. Maybe he’s why you lost your memory.”

“Maybe…” they said, tapping the picture. They suddenly shoved it into your chest and stood up. “You keep that. I don’t want it anywhere near me. I need to go talk to my parents.”

You watched them race out of the park in confusion. The man in the picture stared up at you with haunting eyes.

Folding it in half so it didn’t freak you out, you stood and dusted off your clothing. Maybe it would be best if you headed home. It was getting late either way.

Later on, you’d call your friend and check up on them.

About 10 minutes away from your house, the feeling of being watched snuck up on you. It hung heavily around your shoulders like a cloak. You glanced around but saw nobody.

Still, you didn’t feel comfortable leading whoever was following you back to your house. You made a point of walking amongst large crowds and headed for the police station.

They were watching you the whole way.

You sped up. A few people bumped into you and you apologised as best as you could. Your grip on the picture was getting tighter enough for you to tear it. The later it got, the fewer people were on the streets and so you were pretty much alone when you bumped into him.

It took you a few seconds to recognise the man from the drawing.

If you thought his drawn eyes were captivating, they had nothing on his real ones which glowed with an almost ethereal light.

“You’re him,” you breathed.

He stared at you, smile falling from his face in confusion. “Who?”

You shakily held out the drawing and he yanked it from your hands. “My friend drew that,” you explained. “They said that its of somebody from their past. They have amnesia you see.”

He was unmoving as he studied the picture. You began feeling a little uncomfortable and then his gaze snapped to you. “Is that so?” he asked.

You nodded and took a small step away from him. “Maybe you should go and talk to them? See –“ you swallowed nervously. “See if you can help them remember?”

“No need,” he said, dropping the paper on the ground. “Who are you?”

Your name came out as little more than a soft whisper. Something about the entire scenario made you uneasy. His appearance was too unnatural.

A gust of wind came by, picking up the drawing and whipping it away. You watched it go and when you looked back down, his eyes were locked on you.

“Such a pity,” he said. “You would have been the perfect doll.”

Wearily, you took a step backwards. His words made your stomach churn uneasily. “What are you talking about?”

He smiled. It was kind and warm but it only made you more nervous. His eyes looked like they had almost changed colour; shifted a shade darker than previously. “Thinking aloud my dear,” he said.

“About dolls?” you asked.

He tilted his head a little towards you. “I’m going to have to bid you goodbye. It seems I have other matters to attend to.” He brushed past you, stopping briefly when directly next to you. “Consider yourself lucky.”

He was gone before you could even spin around to face him.

Jeff the Killer

Pausing the song, you removed your earphones as quietly as possible and placed them down on your desk. According to the blinking numbers on your phone screen, it was nearing 2 AM. Far too late for anybody to make an excess of noise.

You listened closely. The music had been too loud for you to hear anything and you almost brushed the strange noise off as your sleep-deprived imagination. Until something squeaked like shoe soles on tiles.

In retrospect, you should have immediately called 911 but you didn’t want to sound a false alarm.

The light switch was thankfully directly outside your room. The hall illuminated most of the house when they were on and it steeled your nerves. Your roommate’s door was open, allowing you to confirm their sleeping state, curled up in their bed amongst the piles of mess. They had had to move to the spare room due to a faulty window earlier in the day and had clearly given up sorting items.

You glanced into the apartment’s other rooms before heading to the kitchen. There was nothing odd. The scuttling when you entered the kitchen just suggested that your neighbour’s rat infestation may be migrating.

Making a mental note to call the exterminator, you turned to switch off the kitchen light.

Something slammed into you, forcing your back to collide with a wall. A hand covered your mouth and the overwhelming scent of blood and decay invaded your nose. Something cold and sharp pressed against your neck.

“Shut up and stay still,” the man snarled at you. “I don’t think anybody will appreciate you getting blood in the kitchen.”

Your heart leapt into your throat and your body stilled. The man in front of you was terrifying. His skin pale and mutilated. Eyes far too wide for a normal person and dancing with an insanity that sent chills down your spine.

And his mouth… a bloody smile carved across his face, stretching halfway to his ears.

He studied your face carefully and his expression twisted. “You’re not the right one,” he snapped. The knife moved away from your neck, so he could point with it. “I had this all planned and yet when I came into that room, I found it empty. Why?”

Even if he hadn’t been holding your mouth shut, you doubted you would have been able to formulate an answer. The pounding heartbeat in your ears was nearly blocking out his voice.

He lightly tapped your cheek with his knife. “Not that it matters,” he said. “I’ll just have to adapt my original plan. You’re not the right target but I’m a huge fan of collateral damage.”

A small whimper escaped you and tears welled at your eyes. You didn’t want to die.

“Don’t blubber!” he ordered. “View it as a good thing. You’ll be all over the news. Another victim of Jeff the Killer. Hell, you might even be added to a Wikipedia page or something.”

You could recall that name from the news. Often followed by a lengthy list of deaths and the police chief begging for any information about the murderer.

Jeff stared at you for a long minute before he pressed the knife’s blade to your throat and moved his hand away from your mouth. “Scream and I will remove your vocal cords,” he threatened. “Who are you?”

It took several deep breaths and a flicker of impatience in his expression to give you the ability to talk again. You stammered out your full name as quickly as you possibly could.

He rolled his eyes and tilted the knife so it scratched your skin. A sticky and warm substance ran down your throat in small droplets. “Pathetic.”

“Sorry,” you whispered on instinct. “Please don’t kill me.”

“Why not?” he asked. “You ruined my earlier plans to take out my original target by interrupting me before I could find them. Why shouldn’t I settle for you instead?”

You didn’t have an answer.

He took the blade away from your throat. “If you call the police and report what happened here tonight, I will slice you into little pieces.”

It was almost twenty minutes after he left before you regained any movement in your body. You slumped into a heap on the kitchen floor and started sobbing.

Kagekao

Things had been going missing around your house.

Initially, you had thought it was just due to you forgetting where you’d plopped things because it was simple things. Drinks that vanished, keys turning up on the opposite side of the house, and random spills that you didn’t remember making.

But then it started getting weirder still.

You would make food and pack it away, knowing that you would eat it later, and find it gone. Picture frames disappeared, never to be seen again. Your rug half-unraveled during the night and you found it in a pile the next morning. A candle in your bathroom fell over and, somehow, the curtains on the other side of the house had caught alight.

It was suspicious, to say the very least. You began to think that you had some kind of intruder – once, the news reported that a woman found a homeless man living in her attic and eating her food when she wasn’t looking.

So you went out and bought cameras, setting them up throughout your house.

For two weeks, they caught nothing until one of them ended up breaking. You went to get it repaired and the company managed to recover what it had last seen. Which was nothing on your first glance.

But you were soon to realise, that was only because you had been looking at the floor.

While you were rewatching when you got home, you noticed something. The window was sitting wide open and the camera’s angle only allowed you to see half of it. Right toward the end of the feed, a gloved hand appeared on the side of the window and a slight shadow indicated something climbing through.

So you got reinforced windows and made sure that none were open unless you were in the room.

Things still continued happening.

You were beginning to get really annoyed by this. It was tempting to go to the police and let them just handle it but that was going to be a lot of effort that you really didn’t care for. You didn’t feel like you were in much danger. Nothing had happened in your bedroom.

Your next plan was to set up a trap of some kind. With a hidden camera set up, you made extra food and left it on the counter to see if something happened.

The next day, you watched as a plastic toy of some kind was thrown directly into the plate from somewhere off-camera, breaking it and leaving an absolute mess everywhere.

Still not considering it to be anything dangerous, you just cleaned up the mess and loudly cursed out anybody who was listening. You stalked the house after that, searching every nook and cranny with a bat in hand. The final place was the closet in your bedroom and you peered in, expecting nothing.

When you turned around though, you spotted something sitting in the corner of the room.

It was humanoid with arms twisted into awkward positions and a mask on its face. Half the mask was black and the other white, both sides bearing an unnaturally smiling expression. The creature cackled when you saw it and scuttled out of the door, stuck to the roof the entire time.

A second passed.

Then another.

You pinched your arm hard and waited to wake up. Surely there was no way… I mean, why would… humans didn’t generally crawl along the ceiling? Well, you were quite sure they never did that. You must have been imagining it.

A second laugh corrected you on that.

You swallowed thickly, walked over to your door as calmly as possible and locked it. Then you took out your phone and finally called the police.

Kate the Chaser

The day when Kate was sent away remained very clear in your mind. It was a moment that brought extremely change to your life, mixing up your friend group and sending you in a different direction.

The years has passed and you had never gotten over your best friend. They said that she had lost her mind and you knew it was true. All those games investigating the woods and ghost hunting must have put a toll on her mind. Sometimes, you blamed yourself for all the pranks and you knew that Lauren had similar doubts.

And now she was back.

Lauren and you hadn’t remained close, the entire situation feeling too real with one another. Your greeting was stilted but neither of you wanted to be the first to approach the house.

“Do you think that she remembers us?” Lauren asked.

“If she didn’t then her mom wouldn’t have invited us over,” you said.

You stood in complete silence, staring up at the house. Would you even recognise Kate? The last time that you had seen her was when you were both young children and her face remained at that age in your memories.

Eventually, you gained your confidence before Lauren and you walked over, knocking on the door before anxiety could find you.

Kate answered the door and you forgot why you had ever been nervous.

Time had slimmed her face and shortened her hair. Her eyes were still a gentle brown and the cockiness had faded from her smile, but it was recognisable from your nostalgia. It made you feel warm and known – an aura that you had missed without even realising it.

“Hi,” you greeted.

Kate pulled you into a tight hug and you returned it, clutching at her tightly as though she could slip through your fingers. It really had been too long and when you moved away, she held onto Lauren with the same enthusiasm.

“How have you been?” she asked. “You have to tell me everything.”

The three of you spent the rest of the afternoon having tea and just talking about the world at large. Kate didn’t have many stories from the hospital – she claimed it was because the place had been extremely boring and neither of you pushed to find out more about it. Honestly, it was more comfortable to act as though she had simply moved away.

Lauren had to leave first and you were going to go with her but Kate had looked so down that you remained just a little longer. That was when things got weird.

“I’ve missed music a lot,” Kate sighed.

“Did they not allow you to listen to music?”

She grimaced. “No, they did but often I couldn’t hear it over the static. Its mostly gone away now but it came back last night… it fills my brain and all that I can think of is a way to make the pain stop.”

The colour drained from your face as you stared at her. You didn’t know much about what happened to her but you had thought she would be okay now.

Realising it, Kate hurried to reassure you, “I really have recovered,” she said. “My hallucinations have faded and my medication keeps my emotions in check. You really don’t have to be scared of me.”

You stared down at your cup awkwardly. “I’m not scared of you,” you reassured her. “You’ve never done anything to me.”

She nodded. “It will be alright, you’ll see. I’m ready to get back to a normal life with my friends and not have to worry about that ghost stuff ever again.”

Laughing Jack

It was on your leg…

The glare you fixed the small child with could wilt plants. It didn’t care though and merely clutched at your clothing with a happy smile. “Come play with me?” it asked. “I can introduce you to all my friends!”

“How old is she again?” you grumbled at your friend.

Your friend laughed and ruffled their cousin’s hair. “I had an imaginary friend when I was 10. She’s only 6, she’s still at the stage where they’re a big deal.”

The child was oblivious to your conversation and reached out her arms. “Come on. The parents are being boring. I have candy that my friend gave me. We can share it.”

“I agreed to come along to your family get together to keep you company,” you said to your friend. “You know I don’t like children. Babysitting really isn’t my forte.”

All you received for your complaining was laughter.

By the time you had the 4th teddy bear had been introduced, you were done. Why did one kid have so many toys?

“Now which one of your friends gives you candy?” your friend asked. “Because if it’s from Princess, I don’t think it’s edible. What if she secretly puts glitter in it?”

Expected to play along, you sighed. “Unless it’s glitter from rainbows because then it’s got magic powers and allows you to fly.”

The child liked your thumb-sucked statement because she jumped up in excitement. “I don’t get it from Princess. Jack gives it to me! But if Princess can make me fly, I want to have that kind of candy instead!”

“Which one’s Jack again?” you asked, eyeing the line of toys.

“He’s not here right now,” the child said, biting her inner cheek. She turned in a circle. “Sometimes he hides in the cupboard though!” She ran over to her cupboard and pulled the doors open. “I don’t think – OW!”

She reeled backwards, clutching her cheek. Both you and your friend immediately jumped up and ran over to her. A tiny slice mark ran across the side of her face. It wasn’t anything serious, but she was sobbing as though it would kill her. You presumed a small edge on one of the boxes in the cupboard had been the cause.

“Do you want me to take you to mom, so she can kiss it better?” your friend asked. “Your new best friend can wait here and make sure all your toys are safe.”

The child nodded, and she got led out of the room. You rolled your eyes at the sensitivity and reached into the cupboard to push the box out of the way. A clawed hand reached out of nowhere and grabbed your wrist tightly.

Before you could even shout, it lifted you off the ground by your arm and a second hand had wrapped around your mouth.

The monster’s body appeared out of the closet.

It was a clown. Easily 7ft tall and comprised of monochrome colours with a sharp, pointed nose and long, greasy hair. Its black lips spread into a smile, revealing pointed teeth and a sickeningly sweet breath.

You writhed against its grip, trying to scream or do anything but it was insanely strong, and it just laughed at your efforts.

“How mean,” it purred, leaning in close to your face. “You ask who I am and then, when I appear to you, you insult my appearance. Awful etiquette. Your parents should be concerned about how rude you are to strangers.”

You strained your memory to think about what you had been doing before it grabbed you but the adrenaline was clouding your mind. What had you asked? You struggled more with the lack of memories.

The clown shook its head. “I haven’t revealed myself to somebody so old in a long time. You should be flattered but instead you choose to try and kick me. This is why I don’t do this. Children are far more polite.”

He released you suddenly and you landed hard on the ground. It winked and disappeared, right as your friend and her cousin returned.

“You met Jack!” the child shouted excitedly, pointing to the candy lying next to you.

You shoved it away from you as quickly as possible.

[foxleycrow]

Thranduil & Túrin playing together in Doriath, for @tolkiengenweek —when I realized they could have been kids in Doriath at the same time, I had to draw them together.

This one also comes with a short accompanying fic about their meeting:

To Wear an Elven Crown

Thranduil had longed to meet the Adan since he had heard the first tales of his arrival in Doriath. His wish had displaced most other longings in his heart. If he could speak to an Adan, he could practice his Mannish and ask him about so many things, like the life of his people and the world outside the Fence. Beleg Cúthalion had found the Adan lost in the woods, and then King Thingol had adopted him! Thranduil had never heard of anyone adopting an Adan, let alone the king himself. If he were now Thingol's son, did that mean he was an Elf, as well as a Man? 

Thranduil had asked his father several times whether he could visit the Adan, but each time he was told the newcomer was too unwell. He had been sick and weak when he was discovered, and he was not yet strong enough to entertain company. This news sank him into a deep state of worry. The Edain could contract illnesses, and were mortal. What if this one became very sick, or even died! Of course, the healers of Doriath were the greatest in Middle-earth, but the Adan had come from dangerous lands far from the protection of Doriath, where anything might have befallen him. Thranduil had heard stories of strange fevers and chills that Edain could suffer from; what if the Elven healers did not know how to treat them?

"If he were to speak with someone his own age, Ada, he might feel better." The Adan was young, like himself. Not precisely the same age, since Edain aged so differently, but near enough in essence. He wondered what kind of games the Edain played. Maybe they had invented some no Elves had dreamed of…

"Do you believe so?" asked Oropher, raising an eyebrow. "An interesting perspective. I did not know you had become such an expert on the matter."

"I would feel better, if it were me." In defiance of his father's eyebrow, he added, "I asked Beleg to tell me everything he knows about the Edain."

"Oh, so you are an expert. My mistake." Oropher's hand settled on his head. Thranduil felt the warmth of his father's skin on his brow and blinked. "He has been through much, little Tuil," said Oropher. "We will not tax him any more than we need to."

After offering a gentle pat, Oropher withdrew his hand. Thranduil lay back, resting his head among the grasses. Thranduil did not expect his father to understand, for Oropher was very old. There were no children in King Thingol's house, and if they would not allow Thranduil to visit and talk to the Adan, then they would not have let any other children in to speak to him; that was obvious.

"I am an expert," Thranduil murmured, closing his eyes. Beleg had told him that the Edain could grow lonely and sad, like Elves, and that they too loved to dance and sing and tell tales. The Adan was named Túrin, and his father had been an Elf-friend. That meant he was an Elf-friend, too. If he was a friend, then he should be treated as one and given a warm welcome by everyone in Menegroth. Surely that would make him feel better than being kept away from others.

"Are you falling asleep?" Oropher asked. "I'll take you back home."

He shook his head stubbornly, the blades of grass making themselves felt on his cheeks and chin. Narrow, but not quite sharp. They did not hurt, but he sensed each one keenly. "No, I want to nap out here in the sun." They were well behind the Fence and close to Menegroth, so these woods were safe and guarded. He could play or explore or rest among the trees whenever he liked, because Queen Melian kept them all from harm.

He heard Oropher's soft laughter and felt his father's hand settle on his head again briefly. Then he was only aware of the warm sun heating his skin and the faintly prickly touch of the grass carpeting the clearing. Soon, he was not aware of the clearing either, lost in a dream, wandering far from the waking world. He dreamed he was journeying through a dark, withered wood, bristling with dead branches. The sky was veiled with dense, gray clouds. There was an unnatural air to them, as if storm clouds had been thickened with smoke.

There was a cold wind at his back, and he was all alone. The dead trees were so tall, they made him feel smaller. He heard something moving behind him, breaking branches and rustling through shriveled leaves. An animal? Or something worse? He did not know, and he did not want to turn to look, so he ran. He ran until he felt he had been always running, yet no matter how quick his steps, the noises behind him persisted, never any closer, but never farther away.

Thranduil woke with a gasp. He sat up and scanned the clearing. It was as green and tranquil as it had been when he fell asleep. He heard the low buzz of insect song and the faint voices of the trees. Father was gone. He saw no sign of anyone nearby, although that was not unusual. The sun's light was starting to fade from the sky. It was that between-time when patches of sunlight were still scattered across the forest floor, while the first stars appeared in the purpling twilight above. Thranduil rose to his feet. He was a little hungry, but he was well-rested, and he wasn't ready to return home. He would rather play, until Father came to fetch him. He left the clearing, slipping into the undergrowth as soundlessly as possible.

One of his favorite games was Marchwarden. It was more fun to play with someone else, but it was a game he could also play alone, simply by moving as quickly and quietly as possible, so that no enemies could see or hear him—exactly like a Marchwarden. He was tracking. Not hunting, but searching for any sign of danger, to keep Doriath safe. He studied whatever tracks he came across, or other signs of passage, such as broken twigs or bent grasses, trying to judge who or what had come the same way, and how long ago. He could wander like this for hours, happily, alone.

He was not entirely happy. He was more uneasy as he searched for signs in the grass, because of his dream. Within the dead wood, he had felt like he would never be allowed to rest, racing with an enemy eternally at his back. Dreams always meant something, but not always what you thought they meant. It took a wise Elf to read dreams. He could have asked his father about it, and maybe he would later. Now, he stalked through the dense growth, crouching low so his pale hair couldn't be seen.

When he heard low and distant voices, Thranduil was still lost in his game, so he crouched lower, listening intently as he crept closer. He slowed his breathing, his heartbeat, hiding as he'd been taught.

"—where he could have gone—?"

"We will find him, and soon. There's only so far...."

"I hadn't thought he was strong enough. I would never have guessed he'd be so quick."

"You shouldn't underestimate—"

The speakers moved away, out of the range of his hearing. Those were two of Thingol's guards. Could they have been talking about the Adan? It was possible, and not only because Thranduil thought of the Adan so often. Who else would they have thought wasn't strong enough? If the Adan was lost, he might grow sicker. Imagine how upset King Thingol would be. If Thranduil was a Marchwarden, then he had a duty to do whatever he could to protect everyone in Doriath: including any Edain. He moved on again, more quickly and with greater purpose.

He studied the forest, down to the least leaf, and he listened to the birds singing, the faint breeze moving through the branches. He listened for telltale noises, or telltale silences. He wondered whether the Adan had had a nightmare, like he had. Maybe that was why he had run off. It must have been hard for him to leave his home behind, especially because of the war: that distant, dark shadow hanging over everything, even the forests of Doriath.

Where would an Adan go? Possibly into the undergrowth, where he was. A place where someone small would hide. Thranduil knew of many secret spaces ideal for concealing himself, but few of them were nearby, close to where the guards were hunting. A slight Adan would leave faint footprints. Like Thranduil, he would have been trained in how to hide, if he were in danger. Thranduil was sure that the great trackers of Doriath could find anyone, but maybe Túrin would be difficult to find, more difficult than they expected.

Thranduil headed toward the Dome—it was a vast, curving structure of twisted woody shrubs, crowned with flowering vines. It was bright enough to draw the eye of a stranger to these woods, and dense enough to provide ample cover and shelter. Thranduil often crawled in there to play, because it was like a fortress. He could pretend he ruled there, lord of the branches and leaves and blossoms.

Thranduil found a faint indentation that might have been left by someone running this way. Shortly after that, he spied a tiny tuft of thread, caught on a hooked thorn. It was bright blue in color, so it stood out more than it might have otherwise. Could he have been correct in thinking the Adan might have been come this way? He had been guessing, but maybe he really was a Marchwarden. He would have to tell Beleg, if he succeeded in his hunt.

Emboldened by the thought that he might be better at tracking than Thingol's own guard, Thranduil sank to his knees and crawled into one of the narrow passageways that led into the Dome. With twisting branches on either side of him, and a ceiling of ivy above, no one outside would be able to see him, once he had travelled the length of a few paces. There were no wider  ways in, the growth here was so dense. Anyone who was much larger than Thranduil would have had to cut their way through. Among the branches, Thranduil caught sight of another slight scrap of blue thread. The branches here loved to tug on clothing.

Encouraged, Thranduil moved faster, until he arrived at a fall of dense vines, pushed through them, and found himself confronted by a pair of dark, shining eyes, staring at him. The Adan gave a start, but did not run. It was hard to travel quickly within the Dome, especially if one didn't know it as well as Thranduil did. Thranduil had half-suspected he was imagining his grand success in tracking, so he sat, blinked and stared back at his quarry, startled and bewildered and pleased.

The Adan was seated with his knees drawn up toward his chest. He was very thin, the thinnest child Thranduil had ever seen. His narrow face made his eyes look bigger. Here, he was walled off from the world—or most of it. He looked a great deal like an Elf, although Thranduil could tell he was different as well. It was hard to say exactly why; he simply felt different, like the night air felt different from the air of day, or the atmosphere before a storm as opposed to in the dry season: different in so many various slight ways, some of which were easier to describe than others.

Although Thranduil had longed for their meeting with joy, he felt unexpectedly solemn, now that it was taking place. "Hello," he ventured, in Sindarin. "I'm Thranduil, Son of Oropher."

The Adan blinked, and for a moment, Thranduil wasn't sure if he would—or could—reply, but at last he answered softly, "I'm Túrin, Son of Húrin."

"Why are you out here?" Thranduil asked. He didn't wish to sound accusatory, so he added, "Did you want to play?"

Túrin looked away, into the shadows between the leaves. "I wanted to be by myself."

Thranduil nodded, as this was perfectly understandable. "I like to be by myself, too."

Túrin's gaze shifted back to Thranduil. He seemed relieved to hear this, exhaling.

"Can I stay, though?" Thranduil asked. "Now that I'm here."

"You can stay," Túrin said.

Thranduil knew that Thingol and all his guards and attendants and everyone must be nervous, but he didn't think a little while longer would do any harm, especially not when Túrin must have run here for a reason. Being surrounded by everyone at court could be overwhelming. Thranduil had never been far away from home and everyone he knew before, but it must be hard. It would be better not to rush him. He would let Túrin rest for a little while, and then he would take him to Thingol—just as Beleg had, before.

"I can show you something," he offered.

After another hesitation, Túrin nodded.

"Follow me," said Thranduil. He crawled ahead, between the branches, into the gloom. The last of the day's slight, slipping in through the leaves and vines above, made soft, pale shifting shapes on their hands and on the ground beneath. After a long way, the structure of the dome opened up onto a green glade, surrounded by dense undergrowth on all sides. No one would walk here casually, and if he and Túrin didn't stand up, no one would be able to see them from outside the enclosure. The glade was also hidden, but there was more room to stretch out, and even lie down. It was a fine place for a nap, with soft earth and open sky above. Clusters of flowers grew in profusion, along with tufts of dense grass. Thranduil and Túrin admired their new hiding place in silence, while birds sang in the trees overhead. It was not yet true night, only early twilight. The birds would keep singing a little longer.

"I come here sometimes when I want to be alone," Thranduil said. In the past days and weeks, he had formulated an ever-growing list of questions he would like to ask the Adan, but he did not ask a single one of them now.

Túrin nodded again, lowering his gaze. He reached down and ran his fingers through the grass. There were shadows beneath his eyes, and he did not smile.

"Everyone's looking for you," said Thranduil. "They must be worried."

"I didn't mean to make anyone worry. They shouldn't worry. I don't know why I—" He broke off, closing his eyes.

"It's all right. No one will be angry with you," Thranduil reassured him quickly, moved by Túrin's pained expression. "I'm not angry. I've been waiting to meet you. I've never met an Adan before."

Túrin's eyes reopened, slowly. "Never?"

Thranduil inclined his head in confirmation. "Never."

"I hadn't really met Elves before," said Túrin.

"But now you have. You've met Beleg, and King Thingol, and me. Everyone's happy you're here, that's why they're worried. But we don't have to go back right away. We can wait until you feel better." He cast about the glade, looking for something else he could show the Adan, to cheer him. Along with the two of them, the glade was bursting with life, all the usual green and growing things, rising from the earth and insisting on themselves… "Here—I'll make you something."

"Make me what—?"

"Look." Thranduil's gaze went to a stand of nearby pale purple flowers. These particular blossoms were edible and often harvested. It would do no harm to take a few, especially at this time of year. Quickly, he plucked a few of them, leaving a length of green stem on each. Once he had gathered enough, he wove them together. Flowers and grasses were easy to weave, especially into a circle. When they were joined, he tapped them with his fingers. He could feel the energy moving through the blooms and stems. He closed his eyes briefly, concentrating on that living force, pressing the separate strands of it into one: forging it into a single, singing ring and willing the flowers—live, preserve. They were no longer separate blooms; they had become a single entity. Their petals, which had been in the first stage of wilting, straightened with pride, made fresh and new. It was such a simple thing to do, yet Túrin was wide-eyed and rapt, staring at his hands as if he had performed a wonder. "A crown for you, Prince Túrin." Thranduil reached out and settled the circlet of blooms on Túrin's head.

Finally, Túrin smiled at him. Thranduil smiled back.

They did not stay long, alone in that green glade together, hidden by a conspiracy of leaves and vines and branches. They were never meant to stay long. The world outside was waiting for them to emerge. While the sun receded and the stars began to show themselves—one by one at first, then all at once, like a rain of jewels scattering across the sky—they played and laughed for a few moments.

As Thranduil predicted, when they returned to Menegroth, Túrin did not receive a single scolding. Thingol wrapped him in a fierce embrace. Beleg was as impressed by Thranduil's skills as Thranduil had hoped. He praised Thranduil for his skill in tracking, and said he could visit Túrin whenever he wanted. Eventually, he was able to ask Túrin every question on his extensive list.

Many long years later, tragedy faded into myth for so many, but not for those who were there. Thranduil rarely listened to the sad songs that touched on the subject of Túrin Turambar, but when a certain mood was on him, he would ask the harpers to play one of the few he approved of. Thranduil had grown very old. Seated on his throne, wearing his own heavy crown, he would lean back and remember the smile of a young boy with his dark hair full of flowers.

[wordsofgravity]

the letters i send you every time we kiss

I TO LOVE

to love is to fall asleep in your arms without dreaming, because with you i already am

you remind me, of warm honey, of dark wood crackling in a fire, of bruise-purple clouds in a sunset, of summer rain, of evening rain, of dried roses, deep red, of every love song ever written, even the ones i have never heard, will never hear you cover your face when you cry i tell you i won't look but really all i want to do is catch every tear and freeze them into diamonds and wear you around my neck forever, forever

my life revolves around you we're like two moons orbiting each other, pulling each other in, in some strange astral tango which i never want to leave

II TO BE IN LOVE

to be in love is to know, truly, that there is no god

why would there be when there is You right in front of me, to worship with my lips, my fingers, my tongue

i don't believe in souls but when you kiss me it feels like you turn me to stardust and sparks, dissolving into your very being; just you and i without the mess of matter in the way

you give me not butterflies, but moths trying to escape my stomach out to you, my moonlight, light of my life... the one i'll flutter to, day or night and every hour in-between

III TO BE LOVED

to be loved is to hear, in the depths of my sleep, the rustle of pages, while you flip and press down on a book with one hand, just to hold mine in the other

you make my whole body feel like sunlight with nothing but intertwined fingers and kyanite eyes (and gently whispered i'm proud of you's)

every door opened, every bus taken, every flower petal to be pressed and dried, every moment spent being heard, being held, patiently, each feels like a vow in its own right: a silently promised i'm yours, you're mine now and always

IV TO MISS

to miss is to write

i send you letters every time we kiss and fill my time waiting for yours, in the seconds in-between

some nights i smoke to remind myself of you just to pretend that i see your figure floating away with the trails of ash, just to pretend that i hear your voice behind billie holiday's: dearest bear, like bubbles in a glass of champagne...

i ration your words like drops of ambrosia, squeeze the letters off your pages into my eyes until i can next drink you in, savour you

my time spent with you is like gold dust. i cup it in my hands, knowing it will blow away, and knowing it will return safely to me with the next breeze

(...do you think we will still write to one another from opposite sofas in our living room?)

V TO BE INFINITE

no combination of syllables will ever do you justice there's no word big enough for what we have

my love for you is bigger than the word love is bigger than the gaps between the letters L O V and E, is bigger than the gaps between all the letters ever written in any word, and when there is no gap between us, my love for you is everywhere, in everything i am constantly flooding with it for you, for you, for you

i want to write song after song for you, i want to write books of infinite pages for you, i want to write endlessly for you, anything, everything you are endless to me nothing is big enough; i want to grasp the world and sit it in my hands, give it to you, and it still wouldn't be enough

i see you everywhere: in every exhale of the wind, in every swelling wave, i hear you, as if the planet itself is living, is breathing your name "Mia, Mia"

you are the fabric of the universe itself every touch of your lips to mine births new stars, sets skies ablaze you are my universe, my universe is you

. . .

.

.

.

[anemo-writes]

hello travelers! again, thank you for putting up with my inactivity, it’s been hard to write lately haha. anyways, i thought this would be something fun to post and for everyone to enjoy, whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not :) (note: this will probably be more fanon than canon so please bear with me, i’ll make it as canon as it can be :’) i also kept this pretty short, so hopefully that’s okay too,, and sorry for this being late haha—i wrote this very late at night so don’t mind any typos you find please)

much love,

~ anemo-chan <3

(The Playable) Genshin Impact Characters on Valentine’s Day (Romantically)

super romantic; gifts you a bouquet of flowers and takes you out to eat at a fancy restaurant/cooks for you.

Diluc

He is nervous. He’s never paid close attention to the countless amount of people who have lined outside the tavern to ask him to be their Valentine, only to be rejected. There was absolutely no way that he would turn to Kaeya for advice, so unfortunately this was something he would have to figure out for himself. He figures that it wouldn’t hurt to go traditional, so that’s what he does; he buys a large bouquet of roses (which he had to get from Donna, seeing that at the hours that he ended work were very late and Flora’s shop was not open at the time—yeah, that was not fun) and presents himself outside your doorway, to which he invites you to join him for a late dinner—which he makes!

Lisa

She leaves a letter on top of your nightstand, paired along with a singular rose. The letter states for you to meet her outside of Good Hunter, where you find her sitting at a table with a candle dimly-lighting up the surroundings. She greets you with a warm smile, gesturing for you to sit down—the two of you enjoy a candle-lit dinner as well as bolognese she specially requested for Sara to make for the two of you to enjoy together why does this remind me so much of Lady and the Tramp,,

Tartaglia

Oh boy. It’s always a fun time spending a holiday with him, seeing that it could go two ways; one, he would be too busy to celebrate it with you on the day of, and he would take you out the day after, or two—have a store’s entire line of merchandise presented to you outside your doorstep, in which a very, very smiley Tartaglia hidden within the pile (after all, he was the best present!) After you’re done moving all of the gifts into your house (it took up the space of your entire living room), he tells you to cover your eyes and follow him. He takes you to one of the most well-known restaurants in Liyue (which currently doesn’t have a name because it is very late here!), and insists that you order whatever you want, and however much you want.

Zhongli

Over the years, he’s witnessed many, many couples celebrate this holiday and every year he’s wished to do the same. He finds the perfect opportunity to do so when Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and boy does he plan it out for the two of you. He’s even made sure to have his wallet on him at all times—it would be extremely rude for you to have to pay if he happened to forget his wallet. He makes sure to stop by to pick up a bouquet of flowers, as well as a bottle of perfume (not in a bad way, just to clarify) from Ying’er’s shop that he recalled you liked. He makes sure to pick you up early from your work place to make sure you made it to your appointment on time; after all, being late to an appointment was similar to breaking a contract, no?

surprises you with homemade sweets.

Fischl

Oh, she is so nervous—of course, she doesn’t show this. The entire week, she spent researching recipes to create a special batch of chocolate-dipped strawberries just for you—she even sent Oz to the nearby farms to “borrow” the freshest strawberries for the treat (the farmers were too scared to confront the talking bird who “borrowed” their strawberries, so luckily they got away with it). She dips them in a purple-colored chocolate (because what other color would she use, really?) and drizzles on a dark-chocolate syrup to top it off. She’s too shy to actually give it to you herself though, so she has Oz drop it off for her.

Ganyu

Even though she’s quite busy, she’s somehow found time to whip up a special batch of chocolate just for you! She shapes them into Glaze Lilies (which she found quite hard, which is why there are so few of them) and presents them to you in a neatly-sealed box. She’s quite modest when your eyes widen and tell her it’s the best chocolate you have ever eaten, claiming that she only followed a recipe, when she really made it from scratch.

Keqing

Like Ganyu, you have no idea how she finds time to create a perfect array of chocolates, which she made herself! However, with her tightly-packed schedule, she has to drop it off at your house in advance, to which you accept happily. She tried to decorate them with designs of cartoon-versions of your faces, but they’re a bit...messy. Nonetheless, they’re tasty, and to her relief, you enjoy them.

Mona

Somehow, she’s managed to scrape up enough mora to buy you a necklace; yes, a necklace, and a real one at that—none of that fake, costume jewelry stuff! She even added a pendant shaped like star, just so you could be reminded of her whenever you fiddled with it or even glanced at it. She’s quite flustered when she gives it to you, ignoring the way you ask how she managed to save this much mora to be able to buy something like this, changing the subject on how you should never-ever take it off (because it looks great on you.)

Noelle

One word: pancakes. (Have you seen the ones she makes for her special dishes? They’re frigging amazing) As a dutiful maid should, she wakes up especially early to prepare a homemade breakfast just for you, to which she serves to you just as your wake up in bed. The fluffy stack of pancakes are decorated with fruits cut up in heart-shapes, as well the words, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Y/N”, written neatly with chocolate syrup—it’s quite a sight to see, to be honest, and utterly delicious. Lucky you!

Xiangling

The day before, she tells you to meet her at the restaurant around noon. When you arrive, the restaurant is adorned with Valentine decorations, as well as a terrifying amount of food; she insists that she only made it for you, so you better eat up! Before she can show you the other dishes, the restaurant is suddenly filled with a strong, bitter smell—something burning. With a yelp, she runs into the kitchen, coming out a few minutes later with a tray of half-scorched cupcakes, their Gouba-shapes adorned with...a lot of burn marks. Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, doesn’t it?

buys/makes a present for you.

Albedo

Without your knowledge, Albedo has been creating a collection of artworks throughout all the time you had spent together. The pieces include portraits of you, portraits of you and him (sucrose helped with this), as well as just random sketches of the little things that remind him of you, such as the bare, snowy-white terrain where the two of you first met, as well as its flora and fauna. If you request it, he’ll even make the painting come alive (literally), and the two of you run to Sucrose’s dwelling, who is very shocked to see the pair of you running from a Frosted Lawachurl when she peered out her window to see if she could pinpoint the sounds of distant screaming.

Amber

Is there anything better than a matching set of wind gliders? Not only that—they were homemade! She spent the last couple of weeks putting together a pair of gliders for the two of you, customizing them to your tastes (which she nailed!) She quite literally drags you to the nearest hill to test them out, and the two of you end up challenging each other on who can get back to the Knights of Farvonius Headquarters the fastest—spoiler alert: she did.

Barbara

Oh, she would make the cutest card for you—the envelope is decorated with cute stickers (some of them even had her face on it; there’s nothing like promoting merchandise, am i right? jkjks) She also pairs it off with a box of chocolates that she bought from Sara—however, what she didn’t know was that in the box was a special-edition spicy chocolate truffle. With your luck, that was the first one you chose—and boy, were you met a surprise (it was so bad that you were begging Barbara to use her Vision on you, which she refused of course). Fun times.

Chongyun

He’s real sweet. After his expeditions and commissions, he opens the freezer (yes he keeps them in there, don’t judge him) to an array of ice sculptures, shapes varying from flowers, hearts, and such—although it’s quite the simple gift, he’s put a lot of effort into them, even putting in the extra effort to cast a spell to make sure they would not melt; it’s all worth though, when he sees the absolutely giddy expression on your face, and the look of pure awe as you pick one up and study it closely, admiring all of the details and work that’s he put in.

Ningguang

She sends out informants to find out what you like, whether it be something that your gaze settled on for too long or something you’ve mentioned while talking to her—on the day of, you open your door to a mountain of gifts, with Ningguang herself peering out from behind it with a calm smile and a wave (which was the opposite of your reaction, because who has that much mora to purchase all of these gifts?!?)

Razor

He doesn’t have a clue on what the holiday until Lisa asks him if he’s planned something for the two of you during one of his lessons. When he shakes his head no, Lisa suggests that he make you something, to which he sets out on an adventure to do, looking for flowers and flower stems to weave into a pair of matching bracelets—they’re not the prettiest, but he is pretty proud of it; after all, it was his first time making something like that. He’s quite nervous to present it to you, afraid that you might not like it, but all feelings of worry melt away when you slide it on with a huge smile on your face, insisting that he wears his too.

Sucrose

At first, she considers gifting you a present that she created herself; of course, with her work being alchemy, she isn’t sure if that would be the safest option, despite being talented herself. And so, she resorts to buying a present for you—she is very picky with the present though, insisting that it should be perfect since she could not make one herself. She even consults Albedo when selecting some of the presents (he doesn’t help her unfortunately; he believes that she should figure it out herself haha). Like Razor, she’s quite nervous to give it to you, but lets out a huge sigh of relief as you thank her happily for the gift, wiping a bead of sweat from across her forehead (sucrose bby anything you give us would be perfect,,)

whisks you away somewhere sentimental, where the two of you can enjoy a special date.

Beidou

It’s ungodly early in the morning when Beidou presents herself in front of your doorstep, announcing that you’ll be joining her and the crew on a special ride. She tugs you along beside her until you reach the harbor, where you are met with the sight of her ship adorned with streamers and banners, varying between shades of pink and red. Onboard, there is a table filled with goodies the crew collected and made, and boy do they look delicious. The group sets out to sea, and you take your place next to the captain, who even lets you steer the boat (momentarily, at least.)

Bennett

He takes you to meet his dads; yes, yes—he knows that it’s not the most romantic thing to do on a day dedicated to lovers, but he figures it’s just as important. Besides, they’ve been asking about you for quite a while—they even set up a small party within the Adventurer’s Guild, with the help of Bennett, of course. You spend the day listening to their old adventuring stories, as well as bits from Bennett’s childhood (poor boy is flustered from all the information his dads are spilling, but he’s still happy either way; after all, he’s with the most important people to him.)

Kaeya

He quite literally kidnaps you; one second you’re walking in the streets of Mondstadt on your way to work when suddenly someone grabs you by the waist and pulls you into an alley way (that sounds so creepy but i swear he means it in a good way). He only chuckles and shields himself with his arms as you punch him lightly, retorting that he scared you. He doesn’t care that the two of you have an overwhelming amount of work to do—after all, Valentine’s Day only comes once a year, right? Surprisingly, he doesn’t take you the tavern, but instead...Dawn Winery! Diluc received quite the surprise when he is met with the two of you standing outside his gates, with Kaeya requesting a wine/grape juice taste-testing. Yeah...you guys didn’t get any of that, but you did manage to snag a couple of grapes on your way out! Good for you!

Venti

You wake up in your bed, opening your eyes to see a very-smiley Venti laying beside you, chin propped up against his hand as he watches you yawn sleepily as you force yourself out of bed. You’re then presented with a handpicked-bouquet of Ceceilias, the freshest of the bunch, if he may add. You barely have time to thank him before he hoists you up in his arms and out of your dwelling, gliding over the city of Mondstadt as he whisks you away to Starsnatch Cliff, where he’s prepared a special performance just for you (and no, you don’t need to pay.)

Xingqiu

While he’s not the most romantic, he does have a clue on what people look for on Valentine’s Day; after all, that’s what cheesy-romance novels were for, right? Unbeknownst to you, he takes you on a date very similar to the one the main characters in his favorite novels partook in—and you don’t find out until you catch him peeking into the pages while you weren’t (you were) looking. Again, it’s the thought that counts—

doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Jean

Sadly, she probably forgets about the holiday. She’s too busy holed-up in her office to notice the couples gathered up in the courtyard, sharing moments with their lover. It’s not until she walks out to take a breather that she notices the commotion—she immediately calls you over, apologizing frantically. Of course, to this you respond that’s it’s okay, but that you would much rather her take the rest of the day off to spend time together, to which she reluctantly agrees.

Xiao

“I do not have time to celebrate silly human traditions like that.” He would say as you bound up to him, exclaiming that it’s Valentine’s Day, the day where you can give sweets to your loved ones, and asking if he had someone special in mind to spend it with. He’s irked when your gaze falters and the grip on the object you’re hiding behind your back tightens—he only grows more irked as you mutter to yourself how you’ll give the chocolates you made to someone else. He scoffs loudly, avoiding your gaze as he lays out his hand in front of you to accept the chocolates (just because he doesn’t celebrate the holiday doesn’t mean he can’t get jealous!)

[mindninjax]

Hi hello. So I’ve started the writing process for Stardew Farmer Baku and I wanted to post a lil unedited sneaky peek of it below the cut. It starts off slow and the man of the hour isn’t even in this part yet but it’s something so here we are I suppose.

Oh it is worth mentioning, the reader has a nickname and is referred to that throughout. It ties into the story and her past and gives a few descriptors of reader as well so if that squicks you out, 🤷🏾‍♀️ sorry.

SUMMER

The bus ride is…bumpy. That’s a good word for it. No doubt the bumps are from the large tires crushing the gravel beneath them as the bus careens down the crop bordered road. Your head knocks against the cool glass of the window and the soothing sounds of an acoustic guitar plays in the headphones jammed in your ears.

The note with extremely neat scrawled handwriting—he’s always had beautiful handwriting—sits tight in your grip. Your perfectly manicured fingers run over the words again trying to pull them from the page and hear them in your mind.

I leave it all, my pride and joy, to you, my little mouse.

The scenery is too green. There’s no variety in color, no flowers, just the light green leaves on the stalks of corn, and as the bus drives closer to its destination, the dark green of the trees in the forest. You suppose green is better than the dull grey of the buildings and concrete in the city. Still the green does seem particularly hopeless right now.

But so does everything right now. Your life, your job, your home. That’s what grief does to you. It runs cold through your veins, freezing everything you used to find warmth and comfort in.

You click the volume button on the side of your phone, trying to tune out your thoughts with the steady beats of the tambourine. It’ll be better when you see the farm. Everything always felt better when you were there.

The sun stretches across the sky, weaving a tapestry in ribbons of pink, purple,and gold. There’s a welcome committee when the bus finally pulls into the station, around sunset. Two of your grandfather’s oldest friends, Shouta Aizawa and his husband Hizashi Yamada are standing at the bus stop. Hizashi is waving frantically, while his less than enthusiastic partner blinks sleepily at you while you descend the bus steps.

“Well hey there little Minnie!” Hizashi shouts excitedly as he runs to grab you in a tight hug. You smirk a little as he squeezes you so tight you feel your back crack. Shouta frowns in disappointment.

“Hizashi, don’t call her that. Be respectful, she may not like you calling her the nickname her grand—“

Shouta is cut off by you clearing your throat loudly. “It’s ok Mr. Aizawa. I don’t mind. Besides, he only called me ‘mouse’, so it’s not technically the same,” you say smiling.

Hizashi sticks his tongue out at Shouta and he rolls his eyes. The two of them grab hold of your huge suitcase and put them in the bed of their large pick up truck. It’s not a long drive to your grandfather’s old house from the bus station but it seems prolonged as you sit squished in the middle of the couple, answering all their questions and reminiscing about when you were a kid.

“I still remember the big pigtails you used to wear! It’s why I always called you Minnie,” Hizashi says, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. A half smile plays on your lips, the memory playing effortlessly in your mind.

Seven year old you, in the colorful overalls and huge pigtails, barefoot and covered in whatever the woods had to offer is in stark contrast to 27 year old you, with fancy designer clothes that probably cost more than the rusty truck you’re sitting in and sleek straightened hair you had to burn all of your curls out of.

You sigh to yourself, there’s no use beating yourself up. At least not right now, in the presence of others.

You’re grateful that neither of them have given you the “how you holding up?” line, still you’re itching to get out the car and be alone again. You smile politely and Hizashi starts a monologue about all that you’ve missed since you’ve been away.

“It’s been how many years since you came to visit us?” he prodes.

“About 10 years,” you reply sheepishly. He repeats it in exaggerated exasperation, in turn you sigh.

“Too long,” Shouta replies in a deep voice from across the cab. It surprises you, the underlying hint of disappointment in his tone and your chest tightens before you’re asking Hizashi if he can roll the window down for some fresh air.

The night air is just as you remember, fresh and piney. It swirls around the cab, mixing the scent of a salon burnt hair with the citrusy linen musk of Shouta and Hizashi. If your shortness of breath and hyperventilation starts now, you’ll only worry them, which is the last thing you want.

The moment passes as quickly as it came, and you’re squashing the bubbling energy in your belly back down and hiding it behind a weak smile as the couple turns off of the road into the long driveway to your grandparents' old farmhouse.

The house is dark and a welcomed sight despite how old and decrepit it looks. There are a few holes in the wooden floor boards, a suspicious scattering of tiny little feet in the darkness, and dust covering every square inch of the covered furniture. It smells muggy, like mothballs and stale air and you risk inhaling the cloudy dusty air into your lungs for the lingering scent of tobacco and eucalyptus that used to surround you whenever you ran into your grandfather’s arms.

Shouta places your suitcase right next to the coat rack near the front door and you rub your arms to warm yourself in the cool night air. The fancy sheer shirt over the overly expensive bralette you’re wearing does nothing to keep out the cool country air. Despite it being the beginning of summer, the nights here are always cooler since you’re near a large lake. A chill runs up your spine as you watch a loose cobweb flow in the breeze.

[writerpeach]

Hot & Cold

LOOΠΔ Kim Lip x Male Reader

9836 words

---

Read on AFF

Read on AO3

masterlist

The stars shined bright as you wandered through the downtown streets aimlessly, taking in the cool crisp air of the nighttime sky. Music filled the streets and your ears as you passed through a variety of stores, each one with its best wares on display to tempt you.

You were searching for a gift for Choi Yerim’s upcoming birthday, clueless on where to even start looking for ideas. It had been several weeks since you had been introduced to her, and while you knew a little about what her likes and dislikes were, buying the perfect gift that would make her special day seemed a daunting challenge.

The three of you were inseparable lately, spending most of your time outside of work at your favorite lunar themed cafe and the cutest barista that worked there who always threw in free drinks. Lately though, Hyejoo had spent more time than usual preoccupied with her new job until the late hours of the night, leaving you without her help and on your own for your quest.

There were the obvious choices of flowers and candy, and while you had to start somewhere those were boring choices. You wanted your gift to be special and worthy of the girl who you had spent so much time with lately, a girl who brought nothing but happiness and positivity into your life.

Walking past dozens of places, you waited for a store to catch your attention as most failed to offer anything substantial. One in particular caught your eye. Maybe it was the mannequins in the window wearing cute dresses that you easily pictured Yerim wearing, but this place spoke to you.

There wasn’t anything special or out of the ordinary as you walked in, a small looking boutique with high ceilings and bright lights, shelves filled with meticulously folded shirts and pants in diverse sets of colors, while plentiful dresses and accessories lined the walls.

You carefully looked around, not wanting to knock anything out of place as you browsed, unsure where to even begin. There didn’t seem to be anyone else in the store, which wasn’t surprising given it was rather late in the evening, approaching nearer to closing time than you expected.

“Oh, hello, sir! Welcome to Lippington’s Exquisite Clothing,” you heard a soft husky voice call out in the distance, breaking the silence as you craned your head to see a slim blonde heading in your direction.

The clack of high heels on the wooden floor grew louder with each step as she approached, her hips swaying as she sauntered through the clothing store to close the distance, forming a small smile on her lips.

When the blonde woman stepped into frame you were met with her beauty at point-blank range. It was fairly unmistakable that her golden locks weren’t natural, not that it made her any less beautiful, not a hair out of place and there must have been a lot of effort put into maintaining such a wondrous shade. You didn’t know a thing about fashion, but the black sequin dress she had on sparkled in the light, doing her small body wonders and fitting perfectly.

It seemed a little risque for a place of employment, showing off bare shoulders and barely covering up her upper chest, but you weren’t one to judge, especially when she pulled it off flawlessly. It wasn’t too tight nor was it or too short, leaving part of her body to the imagination and above else it looked expensive. You’re pretty sure it wasn’t something that could have been picked up off one of the many racks.

Her fingernails were painted dark black, something you always loved on a woman as the color matched her dress, topping it all off with a light shade of red lipstick that made her small lips pop out.

You had to snap out of your haze as you caught yourself staring, frantically darting your eyes around the store in an attempt to not appear rude.

“My name is Jungeun, can I help you find anything?”

“Ah, actually, yes. I’m looking for a present for a woman. She’s young, about your age.”

“Of course, I’d be happy to help. Is she your girlfriend?”

“Uh, not exactly. She’s a good friend of mine,” you said, stumbling over your words as true as they were. You still hadn’t formed any type of relationship with Yerim, and hearing those words out loud brought out several feelings.

The beautiful woman sensed your hesitation in answering her simple question but was eagerly happy to help anyways.

“We have several sections for women to choose from. Is there a style that you think she would be interested in?”

You found yourself caught unprepared by all her questions, even though they were just to help out. Now, whereas Hyejoo was often a sweatpants and t-shirt type of girl, Yerim loved to put in effort into her outfits, even if it was a simple trip to a convenience store.

“She wears dresses a lot. Mostly cute ones.”

“I see. Let me show you some dresses that I can help you pick out that you think she would like.”

The woman led the way as you followed, trying not to focus your attention on her backside as much as you would have liked, stopping at the front of the store in a section with several racks of dresses surrounding a giant mirror.

“Do you know what size your...friend is?” she asked, and you’re pretty sure she was teasing you. You definitely didn’t know Yerim’s size. Hell, you didn’t even know how dress sizes worked.

“No, I don’t,” you said, having a brief moment of panic. You could have asked Hyejoo, but calling her at work was an option if you could have gotten ahold of her.

“I could show you a picture of her, would that help?”

“It’s a start,” she coldly said. You grabbed your phone and looked through several pictures trying to find a suitable one that showed her body off the best, making sure to not accidentally click on the folder of private pictures Yerim had sent for your eyes only.

You came across one of your favorite pictures of Yerim, wearing a cute white flowery dress standing in front of the mirror, looking adorable as usual. You handed Jungeun your phone who stared at it intently for several moments as if she had just seen a ghost.

“Yerim…” she muttered under her breath.

“Oh, do you know her?”

“Yes,” she simply stated, handing you back her phone. “We met at Girl Front Academy and studied together for three years until we went our separate ways. I haven’t talked to her since then, but it seems she’s still sickeningly cute,” Jungeun said, and you couldn’t tell if her reaction was of annoyance or not.

“Her body isn’t too far from mine, but she’s much curvier than I am. She always had better thighs than me,” she said, and this time you could definitely tell she was annoyed as if she were lacking in the body department.

“I’ll show you a few things that should fit her.”

The smile faded from her lips as she went through several clothing racks, picking out a dress from each one that stood out in a completely different look.

“Some of these may not be her style. This one is a little frilly, and this one is maybe a little too revealing,” Jungeun said, letting you see them all. They all had their appeal, and while you could have just gone overboard and bought them all, you didn’t want to seem desperate. You needed to find the perfect dress and had confidence that this woman would help you do just that.

“I like these two,” you said, choosing one that was casual and one that was formal. Jungeun was right, one was too skimpy, too gaudy, and one was too...you couldn’t find the words but there were much better choices. They all looked nice, but the dresses left behind didn't really didn’t match Yerim’s style.

“Both excellent choices,” Jungeun said, holding them up side by side. To her left was a simple purple cocktail dress with a wide neckline and thin straps, which seemed to be about knee-length, ruffled and slightly see-thru at the base. You selfishly wanted it to be much shorter, knowing her luscious thighs being covered up was a crime but remembered this was a gift for her and not you.

The other dress Jungeun held was colorful to say the least. Lace with black at the top, dark red at the end and woven colorful fabric in the middle, equipped with a multitude of gemstones. The dress was much longer than the previous one, given Yerim’s height it would practically be touching the floor, but also had a more elegant touch to it.

To say you had trouble deciding between the two would be an understatement. Given your ignorance, you would have picked the dress on your left based on color alone.

It was a good thing you had someone who seemed to be rather informed on the subject of clothing given that it was her job as she sensed your indecisiveness as your eyes wandered back and forth.

“This one would be good for any occasion, it's thin and comfortable without being too skimpy,” Jungeun said as she held it up higher than the other.

“Now, this one is better suited to dinner parties, weddings, ceremonies, that type of thing. It’ll flatter her body more but she’ll look out of place at a cafe obviously.”

“You have a knack for this, Jungeun.”

“Ah, well, thank you,” she shyly said. “You don’t own your own store for several years without knowing a little something about fashion.”

“You own this place?”

“I do. This’ll be the third year running this place. It’s been a little dead lately, but it’ll kick back up when spring comes.”

Jungeun let out another small smile, and you’re pretty sure her arms were getting tired from holding both dresses up.

“They’re both really nice dresses, but if you still can’t decide I could help out and try them on. I may not have the body that Yerim does, but it’ll look better on me than on a mannequin.”

“You’d do that? That seems like a lot of trouble, you really don’t have to, I’m sure you have plenty of other things to do.”

“It’s not that much trouble, there’s not much else to do as you can see. Might just close up early tonight if nobody else shows up.”

“Thank you, that would be appreciated.”

“It’s no problem. I’ll be back in a bit,” she said, heading towards the fitting room in the corner, taking both dresses with her. You waited just outside the door, taking a seat on the bench not unlike the same way you had for both Hyejoo and Yerim the dozens of times you were dragged away shopping with them.

She didn’t take that long to change into the first dress, walking out of the dressing room looking ready to take the runaway.

“What do you think?” she asked, as she spun around, letting you see every aspect of her in the casual dress.

“It’ll hug her body better, but it fits me nicely. It’ll look nicer with heels of course,” she said, taking note of the fact that she was barefoot. She did look rather nice in it, the dark color offset the brightness of her blonde hair, giving a glimpse at her luscious long legs as she modeled it for you.

“I like it.”

“Don’t choose until you see the other one. I’ll be right back.”

You gave a gentle nod as she disappeared back into the dressing room, and you eagerly waited for her return wanting to see a more close up look of the other dress. You had all but chosen this dress already, the formal dress had its work cut out for it and had some stiff competition.

More time passed than was expected while you waited for her to try on the other dress, not that you felt the need to complain. Maybe she was doing something different with the second dress that required more time as you sat there patiently, wasting time on your phone.

“Hey, uh. I could use some help,” you heard her call through the dressing room stall. You got out of your seat and headed over to her direction to check it out.

“What do you need?” you asked through the other side of the door.

The woman took a second of hesitation to respond. “I think the zipper’s stuck. It won’t budge. It’s unlocked, you can come in. I won’t bite.”

You’re not sure why she added that last part, but you opened the door and stepped inside to see her back to you, the zipper caught at the top of the dress. You grabbed it carefully and inspected it, pulling it down several times to no avail as it refused to work with you, unable to move like when you woke up in the mornings. Nothing worked, and you didn’t want to be too forceful with it.

“It’s not moving.”

Jungeun sighed loudly. “I should have designed this one better.”

“You designed this dress?”

“Yes, most of the clothing in this store is my own design. Anything that’s not is from other designers I know or collaborations.”

“That’s impressive.”

“It’s nothing really, I’ve been doing this my whole life,” she said nonchalantly. “Now, if it’s not going to unstuck itself you’re just going to rip it open.”

“You want me to rip it? There has to be something here we can fix it with.”

“It’ll take too long. Just be suck it up and rip it, I can fix it later.”

“If you insist,” you said, holding on to both sides of the dress you tugged hard on it, tearing the zipper down the middle as the sounds of fabric being torn filled the room as the dress became collateral damage.

“Impressive,” Jungeun said as your attention was on the now ruined dress, the zipper all the way down and dangling off to expose her back.

“Thanks, now let’s hope this other dress doesn’t give us the same type of trouble.”

“I’ll step out,” you said, heading towards the door when Jungeun’s eyes stopped you.

”What, have you’ve never seen a woman undress before?”

“Of course I have, but-”

“But what? It’s not a big deal, but if you’d prefer to wait outside, be my guest. I won’t be long.”

Well, you couldn’t let this opportunity pass you by now.

“I’ll stay then.”

“Good. Enjoy the show.”

With your back flat against the wall Jungeun began undressing, pulling the purple thin straps down her shoulders and hesitating, teasing you for a moment as your eyes met. Taking her time, she slipped her arms out of the purple cocktail dress and slowly peeling it down her body just past her waist, exposing her tight toned midriff.

Jungeun never kept her eyes off you, inching the rest of the dress off her body and wiggling her hips until gravity did the rest. The discarded garment draped around her ankles, leaving her in an alluring pair of simple white underwear, sheer in enough places that still let your imagination run wild. It was quite an unexpected sight.

“Fuck,” you muttered under your breath, trying your best to keep your mouth closed as you let out an audible deep exhale at such a gorgeous woman. Her complexion was beautiful, her skin fair and immaculate and you desperately wanted to reach out and touch her body.

“Judging by the way you can’t stop drooling over me, I’m going to guess you like what you see?”

If seeing her tight body on display wasn’t enough, she had positioned herself (perhaps even strategically so), in front of the mirror, giving you the perfect view of the white thong nestled in between her firm buttcheeks.

“Your turn,” Jungeun said, snapping you out of your trance as she placed her hands on her hips.

“What?”

“It’s not very fair for me to be the only one who’s undressed is it? Come on, I wanna see what you’re packing,” she said, her lips curling into a smirk as she crossed her arms.

Things had certainly escalated. When you walked into this store you hadn’t expected to be seeing the owner in her bra and panties, and you certainly didn’t expect you were about to match her level of nudity.

If you needed any further encouragement, her round dark eyes let you know that she wasn’t joking, and when a woman in her underwear tells you to do something you didn’t dare disappoint.

Taking a deep breath you began unbuttoning your shirt, removing each button until you had stripped it off and tossed it on the ground. Jungeun eyed your bare chest like you were a piece of meat, not unlike the way you had gawked over her earlier.

“Keep going,” she urged, and bit her lip deeply, showing her approval as you unbuckled your belt and unzipped your pants, not wasting time in yanking them off and kicked them away. It was difficult to process. There you were, standing across from a beautiful woman that owned the clothing store you had spontaneously picked, obviously ogling your mostly naked body while you were doing the same in return.

The whole series of events had gotten you so aroused that you hadn’t realized that your shaft had become full mast, sporting an unavoidable bulge through your boxers.

“Do you usually get this hard just by seeing a woman in her underwear?” she teased, as you looked down in embarrassment as your package dying to poke through, your cheeks instantly reddening.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed, it’s perfectly natural,” Jungeun said as she approached your side of the small changing room, closing the distance and cupped your crotch, causing your body to tense up.

“I’d be a little disappointed if you weren’t getting excited,” she said, continuing to squeeze your crotch through your boxers.

"How would you like it if I took everything off?" Jungeun asked, using her free hand to run her hands through her golden locks, ruffling her perfectly styled hair seductively.

“I’m not that easy, you’ll have to at least buy me a drink to get my panties off. But I’ll give you a little something to hold you over,” she said as she slowly dropped to her knees on the stack of clothes that had piled up in the middle of the floor.

Jungeun wanted one thing as she grabbed your boxers and swiftly yanked them down to your ankles, your hard cock throbbing as it was released from its frustrating restraints. Her eyes lit up in excitement as she grabbed your cock and squeezed it with a gentle pressure, delivering slow pleasurable strokes as her thumb rubbed your sensitive swollen tip, making you leak over her slim fingers.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had some good cock. Too long,” Jungeun said as she flattened her tongue against the base of your shaft, slowly drawing upward and taking her time. You let out a soft moan as her pink tongue reached your swollen cockhead, swirling around and planting a wet kiss on your tip that made you shiver in delight.

“You’re so fucking hard,” she said as her wet tongue explored every inch, lapping up every drop that escaped from your leaking slit. Her lips pressed deeply against your throbbing shaft, moving from base to tip and not letting a spot go without a wet kiss that sent tingles up your spine.

“You did this to me,” you replied, and Jungeun answered not with words but with actions as her pouty lips parted with your shaft as it entered her warm mouth, her soft lips squeezing tight around your throbbing flesh as her cheeks hollowed.

“F-fuck, that’s good,” you moaned, leaning back into the dressing room’s wooden wall, as you watched Jungeun work your cock, bobbing her head up and down as her tongue followed, playing with your sensitive underside.

Jungeun’s mouth felt heavenly, her soft cherry lips wrapped tightly around your cock as she pleasured you, focusing on the first few inches of your flesh as she enveloped it with warm and wet sensations that overwhelmed you.

“That feels amazing, d-don’t stop,” you said, as the blonde woman who was practically still a stranger never ceased her oral assault on your cock. Her warm lips left a trail of warm saliva as you felt more of her throat, watching the deep lust in her eyes as she slowly sucked you off.

Shortly after you felt Jungeun’s mouth pushing deeper, her full lips sliding down your wet shaft with ease, distracting you and making you forget everything else. Jungeun wasn’t kidding as she seemed to be deprived of the taste of cock as she hungrily slurped on your shaft, voicing her satisfaction in giving you such a wonderful blowjob.

You couldn’t just stand there and watch the action unfold as you ran your fingers through Jungeun’s pretty blonde hair, guiding her movements as you placed a hand on the back of her head. She took the hint in stride, taking more of you down her throat as she gave your shaft deep satisfying strokes from base to tip, sticking her tongue out to please every inch of you she could.

“Jungeun…fuck,” you moaned, unable to control yourself any longer and grabbed a handful of hair, forming a tight fist around a makeshift ponytail as you used it to assist her into a faster rhythm that she didn’t seem to mind.

You kept Jungeun’s mouth busy, using her ponytail as your personal set of reins to force her mouth to the very end of your base repeatedly, using her mouth without mercy. She gave no sounds of discomfort, if anything she voiced the opposite as she slobbered all over your needy shaft, covering it with her messy drool as her throat was kept filled.

You kept this up for as long as you could, savoring Jungeun’s wet and hot mouth and occasionally gave glances towards the mirror to distract you with her delicious backside as the sounds of her slurping on your cock filled the room that caused you to moan even louder.

“F-fuck, Jungeun, I’m about to cum,” you said, releasing the tight grip you held on her hair as it fell back onto her beautiful shoulders.

“I wonder what you’ll taste like,” Jungeun said as she withdrew your cock from her wet mouth with a loud pop, using her tongue to frantically trace around your swollen tip, pushing you even more over the edge.

Jungeun could sense your climax wasn’t backing down as she took control of your cock, furiously stroking it as she opened her mouth and stuck her pink tongue out as she prepared to finish what she started.

You were almost there as your breathing shallowed, every long stroke from base to tip Jungeun gave your shaft made your balls tighten even more, her tongue flicking against your dripping slit to expedite your impending orgasm.

“J-Jungeun, I’m cumming!” you cried out as her grip tightened, her eyes laser-focused onto you as your throbbing cock shot cum directly onto her wet tongue and into the back of her mouth as she emptied you.

Multiple thick spurts of cum fired from your tip that caused you to moan with need, each feeling better than the last as a milky white pool collected on Jungeun's wet tongue as she worked your shaft, making sure to drain your balls thoroughly.

Jungeun made sure she squeezed out every drop as she kept her mouth open, making a show of swirling your fresh load, sloshing it around before she closed her mouth. You watched the beautiful sight of Jungeun's throat gulping as she swallowed it all.

“Not bad, I guess,” she said, displaying her now empty pink tongue and licked her lips, sucking the sensitive tip of your depleted shaft to make sure there were no more remnants left, forcing a reaction that made your entire body shake.

Jungeun stood back up and gave your cock a few final strokes, making sure she kept a tight grip with every twist that drove you crazy.

"Okay, get out,” she abruptly said, as you leaned back against the wall in exhaustion.

“W-what?” you replied, trying to catch your breath as you picked out which clothes were yours from the discarded pile.

“I have to close this place up, it’s late and there are a lot of things that have to get done. You can leave after you get dressed.”

“What about the dress? I still need to buy Yerim something.”

“You can pick it up tomorrow, I'll hold it for you. You wanted this one didn’t you?”

“Y-yes, it’ll look good on her.”

“No, it’ll look great on her. We close at ten, show up anytime before that.”

“Can I at least get your number?”

“Ugh, fine I guess,” she said as you dug your phone out of your pants that you hadn’t bothered to put back on.

“Hope you enjoyed that. I don’t do that often, I just felt bad,” she said as she keyed in her number into your phone.

“You felt bad? That must be why I can see that wet spot on the front of your panties, Jungeun,” you said, and she quickly broke eye contact, embarrassed by her obvious enjoyment.

“You can let yourself out.”

Jungeun grabbed her clothes and left without another word, giving you one last glance at her perfect rear as she left the dressing room. You got dressed in a rush, not wanting to stay any longer and excited the clothing store, still feeling the fatigue setting in.

✦✦

Work kept you at the office longer than you had planned to be, which always seemed to always be the case, something that couldn’t be helped. After finishing tedious paperwork and last minute preparations for the next day you didn’t step out of the building until roughly after nine p.m and headed straight towards Jungeun’s clothing store, not bothering to change your clothes.

You made your entrance as quiet as possible, which wasn’t that difficult given she was finishing ringing up a customer as patiently waited for their transaction to finish up, casually browsing the clothing selection in the meantime.

“Didn’t think you were going to show up,” you heard, the unmistakable husky voice of Jungeun as she approached your area of the store. Her outfit was a little less flashy today, wearing a tight white top that showed off the outline of her breasts and very short jean shorts that showed off her amazingly long legs.

“Had a lot of work to finish before I could come here.”

“I know that feeling,” she said as she grabbed the purple dress you had decided on from behind the register.

“Don’t worry, this isn’t the same dress from yesterday, that one has been repurposed. This size should fit her, but if it doesn’t feel free to return it.”

“I’m sure it’ll fit her just fine. You know what you’re doing,” you said.

“I’d like to think so. You can go ahead and swipe your card now.”

“It’s cheaper than the price tag was yesterday,” you said as you inserted your card back into your wallet, putting in your pin number and completing the transaction.

“I threw in a discount. Think of it as a present from me to Yerim,” she said, batting her eyelashes as her lips formed a sweet smile.

“Thank you, Jungeun. That was very generous of you.”

“It’s not what you think. I’m just doing this as a favor, I don’t like you or anything,” Jungeun said as she bagged your gift for Yerim and handed it to you.

“I’m sure she’ll love it. Have a good night, Jungeun.”

You took your next step but before you could even finish placing your foot down Jungeun grabbed your wrist, keeping you in place.

“Aren’t you going to buy me that drink?” she asked, gently squeezing your arm with her small hand as you looked down at her pretty fingernails.

You didn’t typically drink on a Thursday night, but you also didn’t typically get a blowjob in a dressing room from a beautiful woman. It’s not like you couldn’t use it either, work continued to pile up and you hadn’t even had a chance to depressurize from it all.

“Okay, I’d like to buy you a drink, Jungeun.”

“Good, because I could certainly use one. Maybe even two.”

“I know the perfect place.”

“I’ll need to finish up here, looks like nobody else is showing up so I can get started on closing. Send me the address, I’ll meet you there in an hour.”

✦✦

Just a little over an hour later you pulled up a chair in a familiar place, taking a seat at the counter in your favorite dive bar you had been to dozens of times - both yourself and with the company of Yerim and Hyejoo. Taking a look around there was both familiarity and a lack thereof to the place.

New paintings had been hung, the walls painted with a fresh coat paint that made the place pop, and the rickety wooden stools had been replaced with fancier black ones, adding a hint of sophistication to the joint. It still needed tons of work but it was a start.

“Hey stranger. Haven’t seen you in a while,” you heard a distinctive deep voice speak out, one that could only belong to your favorite bartender Heejin. Your eyes met as she flashed a beautiful smile as she wiped down the counter.

“Work has kept me away from this place,” you said, as Heejin’s lips formed a deep out on her features. It was difficult to see in the dim lights, but her hair had been dyed a lighter shade of brown, making her more beautiful than the last time you came here.

“You here alone? I’m used to seeing you with those two cute girls,” she said, putting up bottles of alcohol and restocking clear straws on the counter.

“I’m waiting for someone. Met her yesterday.”

“Ooh, how exciting. Tell me all about her,” Heejin said as she leaned forward, capturing your attention.

“I don’t know that much about her yet other than she’s a fashion designer. She owns her own clothing store downtown by the pier.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. I’m sure she’s lovely. Can I get you started on anything while you wait?”

“I’ll just take a beer for now.”

“Coming right up!”

No more than a few seconds later Heejin placed down an ice cold mug directly in front of you filled to the brim with just a touch of foam. You slipped a few dollars in her stuffed tip jar, earning an ear to ear grin as she excused herself.

Moments later the seat next to you became occupied, the familiar perfume wafting through your nostrils that could be one person, Jungeun.

“Sorry I’m late, I had some last minute customers I had to deal with,” she said, placing her large purse on the bar counter in front of her.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m glad you could make it,” you said, taking your first sip of beer and wiping the foam from your lips.

“This place is a bit of a dump, isn’t it?” Jungeun bluntly said, not mincing her words.

“I don’t come here for the atmosphere.”

“Why do you come here then?” she asked, as Heejin came back and bent over to grab something off of the lower shelf, her tight pants doing her body justice as she flashed a smile as she rose up.

“Oh I see why,” she said, letting out a loud chuckle as she covered her mouth with her hand.

“That’s not it,” you insisted. “I like the drinks here. It’s not as bad as it used to be.”

“Well, I’d hate to see how bad it looked before,” she said, rolling her eyes as she signaled Heejin over.

“Hi there! What can I get you?”

“A glass of red wine please.”

Heejin was nothing but diligent and before you could blink Jungeun was inspecting her half-filled glass of dark red wine, determined to find something wrong with it before indulging. For some reason she didn’t seem like a wine girl to you, but to be fair you didn’t know much about her other than she gave a spectacular blowjob.

“You’ve slept with her, haven’t you?” Jungeun said out of the blue, swirling her glass around before taking her first taste.

“What?” you said, nearly choking on your malty beverage.

“The cute girl with the brown hair. The way she looks at you makes me think she’s done more than serve you a drink,” Jungeun teased, crossing her legs.

You sighed loudly. “What are you a mind reader? Yes, I may have seen her naked on an occasion...or three.”

“No, it just seemed rather obvious. Who you sleep with isn’t my business though,” Jungeun said, and you swore there was a hint of jealousy in her tone as she swirled her drink in the dim light and watched the red liquid sloshing around.

Jungeun looked around, unsatisfied at what she saw. Clearly she was used to a higher stand of establishment. Her wine glass was already half-finished, she quickly threw her head back and poured the rest down her mouth, and you can’t say you ever saw someone drink wine like that.

“I’m tired of this place. Let’s get out of here.”

“We just got here-”

“And I know a better place we can go that doesn’t have bad music. ”

“Where exactly would that be?”

“My apartment,” Jungeun replied, flashing seductive bedroom eyes.

“If you were that eager we could have just skipped this part.”

“What, and miss out on a free drink? That’s the only reason I showed up.”

“Oh, and here I was thinking it was because you enjoyed my company.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I-It’s not like I wanted you to fuck me,” Jungeun said, making a show out of fixing her hair as she left her chair and grabbed her purse.

“I’ll meet you outside, thanks for the drink.”

Jungeun became harder to read with every minute you knew her. One minute she was batting her eyes and flirting with you and touching your shoulder, the next she barely seemed interested in you. It didn’t matter too much as you just had a personal invitation to her place and that was your golden ticket. You had barely touched your drink but that didn’t seem as important anymore as you paid your tab and left Heejin a generous tip as always.

“Guess someones getting lucky tonight,” Heejin teased as she waved goodbye, and you weren’t quick sure what you were getting yourself into.

A short ten minute taxi ride and you were following Jungeun up a set of stairs and waiting for her to unlock her apartment door.

“It’s not much, but it’s cozy,” she said as she bent down to remove her heels as you slipped your own shoes off and gently placed them carefully on the ground.

“I’ll give you a quick tour,” she said, gesturing for you to follow her as you took a quick look around. The living room was small but decorated with various paintings and a white leather couch big enough for multiple people, with small black throw pillows on either end. Underneath the glass coffee table was a huge blue rug and a pink makeup pouch left behind.

“Here’s the kitchen. I don’t cook much,” she said as her bare feet walked through black marble tile floors that looked spotless. It wasn’t the fanciest kitchen, but you would have loved to make a meal here sometime. In the center was a small kitchen island and a few stools, the counter wiped clean and a bowl of delicious looking fruit that you couldn’t tell was fake or not.

Jungeun led you past the kitchen as you looked at the various appliances she had gathered, a high-end blender caught your eye that rivaled those you had seen at cafes.

“Here's the bathroom,” she said, a huge assortment of various types of makeup lined the counter, once again perfectly clean as if she was expecting a visitor. Her shower was quite spacious, it was definitely the first time you’d seen one large enough to have two showerheads. The wall was patterned with black tile that contrasted nicely with the rest of the white bathroom.

“Last stop,” Jungeun said as she took several steps ahead of you, giving you the chance to take in her body as her hips swayed and you watched her long legs.

“And this is where you’ll be fucking me,” Jungeun bluntly said as she stopped at her bedroom.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Miss Jungeun.”

“And why’s that?” Jungeun asked as she took a step towards you, closing the distance as she placed her hands on your shoulder.

“Who says I’m going to fuck you here? You’ve got a nice kitchen, a living room…”

Jungeun leaned in and planted a deep kiss on your lips, the taste of her lingering as she pulled back and you could see the lust in her eyes.

“You’re convincing me.”

“Then let me convince you a little more,” she said as she spun around on her heels and walked away from you, disappearing into the bathroom and shutting the door, leaving her out of sight. She didn’t spend much time inside, dramatically opening the door and came out in a luxurious white bathrobe as she appeared back in view.

“You should have a seat for this,” Jungeun said with a mischievous smile on her features as you did as instructed, taking a seat on her bed and feeling her silk sheets as you leaned back.

Jungeun made sure she had your full attention as she slowly began to untie the cotton belt around her waist, opening up as she draped it off her broad shoulders as it fell to the carpet underneath her.

The sight displayed in front of you was nothing but breathtaking, causing your jaw to drop as Jungeun’s perfect tight body was dressed in the sexiest pair of lacy red lingerie that left very little to the imagination.

“Red looks amazing on you.”

“It happens to be my favorite color,” Jungeun said, as your eyes feasted on her stunning body, unable, nothing could lose your focus. The dark red color contrasted perfectly with her milky skin. Her breasts were pushed up nicely, showing off her wide hips and delicious legs that never seemed to end.

“Are you just going to sit there and stare, or are you going to come touch me?”

That was the only invitation as you lifted your body off the mattress as your hands were practically magnetized to her body. You started at her thighs, feeling how soft they felt against your palms as you moved to her deadly hips, nothing but satisfied at how good they felt to grip.

You couldn’t help yourself one bit as you snaked around her waist and squeezed her ass with both hands, pulling her towards you and grabbing as much as you could, thankful for the fact that Jungeun loved to wear skimpy thongs. Your palms were full of her soft flesh as you kneaded them, giving her beautiful backside a loud slap that echoed and made her gasp.

“F-fuck,” Jungeun said, her words light and airy as you moved to the front of her body, up her toned midriff and up to her chest, squeezing her perky breasts through the annoying piece of fabric keeping you from them.

“Jungeun,” you said with a lowered voice as you tempted her with the idea of kiss, tilting your head as you licked her neck and whispered in her ear.

“I’m dying to fuck you.”

“P-please. You’re making me so wet,” she whimpered desperately as you buried yourself in the crook of her neck, sucking on the soft skin there with no intention to stop. Jungeun was giving herself to you in no time, letting out soft erotic moans as you nibbled on her beautiful neck.

“God, you’re so gorgeous.”

“T-thank you,” Jungeun replied as her cheeks blushed a shade of faded red as she anticipated what was next.

“Can I take this off?” you asked as you slipped a finger underneath one of her bra straps, as it practically screamed to be let loose.

“Y-yes, please take everything off me. I want you to see every inch of me.”

Her voice was just the ticket you needed as you found the clasp of her bra and unhooked it, keeping eye contact with Jungeun as you slipped the thin straps off her shoulders and tossed it out of view.

Your pants tightened as you saw Jungeun’s exposed breasts for the first time, small yet powerfully perky, not unlike Yerim. You gave several teasing licks on her nipples, causing a series of whiny moans to leave her lips as you focused on one breast, pinching the other as your lips slurped and nibbled freely.

“G-god, just fuck me already,” Jungeun begged, and it seemed she didn’t share your patience in wanting to take your time with her.

“You need it that bad?”

“Y-yes. I want you to ruin me,” she said as she looked at you doe-eyed, lips quivering as she wanted to give herself to you fully.

“I’ll be happy to then,” you said as you tilted her chin up and gave her lips one deep tender embrace, rubbing your hand across her soft cheek.

“Hold on, one more thing,” Jungeun said as scurred into her huge walk-in closet and disappeared inside it. She emerged after a few moments with something unseen in her hands as she came back into view.

Jungeun grabbed your wrist and flipped it around, dropping a bundle of red braided rope onto your palm as she shyly smiled.

“What do you expect me to do with this?” you asked, playing dumb as you felt the soft fabric of the rope.

“I want to be tied up and fucked. What else would you do with it?” she asked, biting her lip in anticipation.

“Only if you want to of course,” she added.

“I want to,” you said. You definitely wanted to. You had Heejin to mostly blame for unlocking this side out of you.

You stared into her eyes intently for one intense moment before abruptly grabbing her hips and spinning her around, admiring her naked back and her barely covered asscheeks. Jungeun’s breath hitched as you grabbed her delicate wrists and pulled them behind her back, wrapping them both in beautiful red rope as you bound them together tightly,

“Too tight?” you asked, resting a hand against her toned back and caressing her skin.

“Not at all,” she replied as you spun her back around as your eyes met, and you couldn’t help but smile that Jungeun was now at your mercy. You took advantage of this right away and roamed her body with your hands, squeezing her breasts and moving downward as you brought two fingers against her clothed heat, confirming the wetness of her cunt that was soaking through her panties.

“Safe word?” you asked as pressed two fingers against her clothed core as her legs twitched.

“Eclipse.”

“Good, then let’s get started,” you said as you helped her lower to her knees as she pressed into the carpet as you began undressing, scattering clothes around Jungeun’s body until you were left in your boxers. Your bulge poked through the material desperate to be freed, a stark reminder of the previous day

“Look what you did, Jungeun,” you said with a smirk on your lips, admiring her half-naked body as she was at your whims. Her skin grew warmer as she knelt patiently as you removed your underwear, slick dripping down her thighs and making the only piece of clothing left on even wetter.

Jungeun admired your cock with a hunger like no other as you grabbed it and slapped her pretty face with it, letting her suck your swollen tip for several seconds before removing it, causing a cute pout to form on her features.

“Don’t be greedy,” you said, caressing the side of her cheek and watching the need in her eyes.

You couldn’t help admire how pretty Jungeun was as you rubbed her soft lips with one finger, and without asking she instinctively sucked on your fingers sensually. She had a wanton need for anything inside her mouth as her lips and tongue wrapped around your fingers with the same amount of desire she had given to your cock.

Jungeun slurped hungrily on your fingers as you pushed them in deeper, moving past both knuckles and creating a slow rhythm as she gagged but her eyes begged for more as you felt her warm messy saliva seeping everywhere, making a mess everywhere.

You waited just a little longer, letting Jungeun continuously suckle on your fingers until you felt she had enough, wiping her leftover saliva down her neck and chest as you gave her stiffened rosy nipples one more pinch.

“That’s all you get for now,” you said as you helped her stand upright and lifted her frame onto the bed. Jungeun did what she could to assist as you positioned her on her knees with her ass raised as her face plopped down on the sheets, resting her chin on the mattress.

You took your position behind Jungeun’s bent over body, the thin piece of fabric nestled between her ass being the only barrier between you and nirvana. The flimsy piece of underwear was almost as dark as blood but did little to hide the wet spot soaking through, and it was hard to focus your eyes on a single part of her tight body, or the way her hands were tied behind her back.

Your hands explored Jungeun’s backside, her skimpy thong was a poor excuse to cover up any skin as you fondled her cheeks. You almost didn’t want to remove such a daring garment from her body, it looked too good on her. The thought occurred to push it to the side, giving you the best of both worlds but your animalistic urges took over instead as you grabbed the thin piece of fabric and tore it right off her body.

Jungeun gasped loudly as you tossed the ruined pair of underwear away, every inch of her body now exposed for you and all it took was one look down at her beautiful pink pussy to make your erection even stronger than you thought was possible.

Taking one more look down, Jungeun had already spread her legs for you as you grabbed your shaft and lined it with her entrance, rubbing her pink pussy lips with your swollen tip as you felt her wetness collecting on it.

“P-please, just fuck me, already. Use me!” Jungeun begged, which only motivated you to keep up the teasing, slipping yourself dangerously close to entering her and withdrawing at the last moment just to hear her whimpering moans.

“F-fuck, please!” Jungeun continued to plead, and you felt a hint of pity for her desperation and nudged yourself against her pussy, the heat radiating off her body begging you to enter her.

Just a few more seconds of teasing was all you could take - you needed her just as bad, and in one perfectly smooth movement you popped your hips and entered her, both of you overwhelmed by a hundred different sensations.

“Oh god,” Jungeun said as you moaned simultaneously, watching your tip being swallowed up by her suffocatingly tight pussy. You took a moment to let it all sink in before moving, the initial warmth and wetness surrounding your cock taking your breath away.

You didn’t remember how long you took, it could have been just a few seconds or several minutes to get used to the intense sensations as you started thrusting inside Jungeun, her silky warm flesh clinging tight as you grabbed her hips and found a rhythm, picking up speed gradually.

“F-fuck, your cock feels so good, stretch my pussy out, p-please ruin me!” Jungeun begged, her naked body at your mercy. There wasn’t much point in taking your time when both of you wanted the opposite, Jungeun’s intoxicating warmth enticing you to not keep your sluggish pace for long.

With a bruising grip on her satisfying hips, you no longer felt the need to be gentle with her and intensified your pace with every stroke, bottoming her out every time as her delicious cunt squeezed your throbbing shaft, keeping her pussy plenty filled.

The rhythm grew and grew as did the lust and desire in the room as your hips hurled against Jungeun’s ass, leaving the harsh sounds of flesh smacking against flesh that was music to your ears.

“P-pound me, f-fucking pound my pussy,” Jungeun said, her words now muffled into her pillows as your pistoning hips gave powerful thrusts as deep as you could fit your cock.

“I need to hear you, Jungeun. You’re so wet, you like being fucked like this?” you asked, grabbing a rough handful of golden hair and tangling it around your fingers, tugging back on it harshly to free her head from the comfort of her pillows.

“F-fuck yes, please keep using me!”

Her lustful words washed away any worries you were being too rough with her as you gripped a fistful of hair tighter, keeping her head upright as her pussy clenched in approval. Jungeun moaned even louder as your vigorous thrusts continued, her juices spilling out of her cunt so freely as the arousal was heavy in the air.

Jungeun’s moans turned into loud husky screams as you kept a handful of pretty hair clenched, pounding into her hole carelessly as you glanced down at her bound wrists and releasing one of your hands from her hips and without warning slapped her tight ass.

Her flesh rippled hypnotically, encouraging another slap to her behind on the other side as her walls pulsated in response.

“Harder, make it hurt,” Jungeun said, a mixture of demanding and begging and you weren’t going to back down as you winded back your arm and swung hard against her cheeks, the delicious echo of your palm striking her cheeks until the color began to match the restraints around her tied wrist.

Jungeun let out deep satisfied moans after each smack against her now tender flesh, the clench of her cunt matching the rhythm of your forceful strikes of her backside. The color of her cheeks grew darker and tears formed in her eyes from such pleasurable pain. WIth every few slaps you gave her sensitive red flesh a squeeze, rubbing out the sting until you upped the impact of flesh on flesh.

Your only regret was you were unable to see the satisfaction in Jungeun’s gorgeous eyes, but if the way her pussy was dripping all over your cock you knew she was loving every second of it.

Giving Jungeun’s bright red cheeks a break, you used your hands to explore what skin you had access to, running your hands up and down her back, feeling the sweat dripping off it as you fucked her mercilessly, the hard smack of the headboard slamming into the wall with every thrust.

“Does that feel good, Jungeun? Do you like being fucked like a little slut?”

“Y-yes, I love when you fuck me like a toy, please don’t stop,” Jungeun said with strangled words, too lost in the pleasure to think of anything else.

You released the grip on her hair, letting strands fall to her shoulders that stuck to her sweaty back as you prepared for your next step, grabbing her hips and pushing her down until she was flat on her stomach and her knees pressed into the sheets.

Your thrusts came fast and loose as your legs were spread onto either side of Jungeun's body as you fucked her senseless in this position, able to achieve a deeper sense of penetration that drove you crazy.

It didn't take long to become unhinged, your pace wild and reckless as you held on to the sides of her ass for leverage, slamming repeatedly without any concern as the room filled up with her needy moans.

"Oh my god, you're so deep! Fuck me just like this, please fuck me just this, oh fuck, oh fuck!"

Jungeun's cries threw gasoline on the flames of passion as you used more power in your hips, and you were content to make sure she couldn't walk for a week as you railed her into the mattress.

You swore the bed was about to give out, and you didn't give a damn and only focused on the hot dripping flesh you were spearing yourself into.

"You fuck me so well, holy shit! I'm so close!"

“Good, cum for me you greedy slut. Cum all over this fucking cock,” you said, as sweat drenched your forehead, the air in the room growing harder to take in. Jungeun could barely remember where she was, her mouth constantly agape as drool spilled out of her lips, moaning breathlessly as the fire in her abdomen grew and grew.

“Ah! I-I’m cumming!” Jungeun said, barely able to form words at this point, powerless to do anything else. Her pussy pulsated uncontrollably around your shaft as you kept the same relentless pace as she creamed all over you, the warm flood of juices spilling onto your crotch as she came hard, toes curling behind you and her thighs visibly shaking.

Jungeun let out a slew of profanities as her orgasm hit her like a train, and you didn’t let up one second and fucked her through every intense second, the loss of her limbs to grab hold of anything drove her insane as her labored breathing filled your eardrums, every moment of pleasure almost causing her to black out.

“H-holy shit,” Jungeun managed to say as her high gradually faded, the aftershocks in her body firing off every so often that she could hardly catch a breath, her thighs flushed and stained with slick, overflowing on her silk sheets underneath your sweaty bodies.

Jungeun’s wonderful orgasm came to a close, and now it was your turn as you grabbed her bound wrists and held them tight, steering yourself towards your much needed bliss as you gave it your all. Her pussy was so deliciously wet after her climax, lubricating your harsh movements inside her thoroughly fucked cunt and sending spikes of pleasure everywhere throughout your body.

You gave her the final pounding she deserved, her pussy stuffed with every inch of hard flesh as you moved furiously inside her, wringing out all the pleasure out of her body that you could take until you felt that familiar and welcome tightness in your core that signaled the end.

“Jungeun, I’m about to fucking cum,” you growled, endlessly fucking into her warm hole to coerce your orgasm on a path to pleasure with no brakes.

“Cum wherever, on me or in me, please just cum for me,” Jungeun said, and you took no time to figure out just where you wanted to do that.

Savoring the final moments, you gave a few more hammering thrusts into Jungeun’s body before you withdrew from her warmth, pulling her up and helping her off to the side of the bed as she took position on her knees, her arms still tied behind her as she anxiously awaited the finale.

You had Jungeun just where you wanted her as she had the biggest grin on her features as you stroked your cock from base to tip, and she knew just where your load was going and licked her lips.

“Are you going to paint my face?” she asked, already knowing the answer as you stroked furiously in response, planning on using her as your canvas.

“Give me your cum, please cum on my face, please. Cover me in your thick load, please please please, cum all over my face, I need it so fucking bad,” Jungeun desperately begged, her needy words being the one last thing that set you off.

It took less than a few strokes for you to erupt as you unloaded all over Jungeun’s gorgeous face. You let out loud satisfied groans and fired your first thick shot of cum that landed on her forehead, ending up in her disheveled hair.

You emptied your balls all over her cheeks, her full lips, her cute nose and chin as you squeezed out every last drop, not letting anything go to waste as her face was covered in pearly white, the look of satisfaction in her eyes as you were drained.

Jungeun licked what she could, frustrated with her hands still tied up and out of commission as the mess you had just deposited on her stunning face began to drip down slowly, spilling off her chin and onto her chest as you collected yourself and tried to regain your breath.

She had never looked more beautiful.

Jungeun leaned forward as you guided your cock one more time into her mouth as she cleaned you off, gently sucking your sensitive tip dry with your load staining her face. You took one more moment to admire your handiwork before untying her wrists.

“You okay?” you asked as she regained the use of her hands, the first thing she did with them was to stroke your softening cock, giving one more wet kiss.

“I’m great now,” she said, heavily breathing as you exchanged tired smiles.

“You really covered me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt such a huge load,” Jungeun giggled as you sat on the edge of the bed, nearly collapsing on it.

“I only have you to blame for that,” you said.

“I’ll go get cleaned up. You can join me if you want, or you can rest here. Either way you better be ready for another round,” she said, slow to stand upright as she turned into her now ever familiar pose, her hands on her hips with a stern look in her eyes.

“You’re insatiable, Jungeun,” you said, still struggling to find your breath again.

“N-no, I’m not. It’s not like I enjoyed your cock inside me,” she scoffed, spinning on her heels as she disappeared into her bathroom.

You still felt the tingles of your intense climax as you looked around the room, sinking into the sheets and wondered what else she Jungeun wanted, or rather what she wanted you to do to her.

You’d just have to be patient and find out.

[mitsukui]

flower petals | f.w.

Pairing: Fred Weasley x female reader.

Summary:  his eyes absolutely adore how flower petals look spread on your skin.

Word Count: 1,8k.

Warnings: smut! Fred being possessive, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, kids!), marking, spanking, mirror sex, hair pulling, cum play.

Disclaimer: none of the pictures used in the edit below belong to me; I simply put them together.

A/N: HEAD VERY FULL, MANY THOUGHTS. Please, leave me some feedback if you feel like it! My askbox is open for your opinions, thoughts and requests. Thank you so much for your time and attention ❤

Masterlist!

“Well, just look at you.” Your voice came out as a seductive purr, but he did not bother to land his chocolatey brown eyes on you. He was too absorbed in getting his tie knot done, his lean body resting on the edge of the bed that was covered by white and fluffy bedclothes.

The sight of a cascade of his flaming-red hair falling down his neck and almost reaching his shoulders was enough to drive you crazy. Because of a previous request of yours, his hair was once again long and, if such a thing was remotely possible, you were even more enamored with him. His white button-up shirt and dark navy trousers were not of much help either, owing to the slim fit of his formal clothes.

Fred Weasley looked undoubtedly delicious.

With your body leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, where you spent most of your days and nights at, you allowed yourself to secretly devote a piercing stare to him. Your eyes could spend hours like that, devouring every single little detail of him. All of him was simply breathtaking to you: his thin lips, his prominent nose, his freckle splattered skin, his skilled hands – oh, Godric. You loved his hands.

They felt heavenly while roaming around your undressed body, or while pulling your hair back, forcing you to look at or be closer to him during sex. Flashes of your intimate moments came to life in your mind, and you had to bite down on your lower lip. An annoyed groan left his lips, and you snapped back to reality.

“Never mind. Who needs to wear a fucking tie, anyway?” He stood up and finally faced his reflection in the mirror. His fingers unbuttoned the very first two buttons on his shirt and more of his milky skin peeked out. If you had more time, you would surely take him right then and there. You were, however, significantly late to George’s engagement party, therefore there was no time to waste.

You made yourself seen as your high heels clacked on the wooden floor of the flat he shared with his twin brother. Your beautiful body was hugged by a black satin dress, which only accentuated even more your inviting curves. Most of your thighs had been left uncovered, and the freedom of your skin repeated itself on your cleavage.

Your body was positioned behind his, and both of you smirked at each other. You were just about to compliment him again, but he was faster than you.

Before you could even realize what he was doing, he turned around, towering over you. His fingers reached out for your hips that were soon captured by his possessive touch. A short gasp was the only sound you were able to produce then, once his lips attacked your right collarbone, and made your breath hitch in your throat.

Licking your skin lustfully, he traveled up to your neck. His teeth nibbled on the soft skin, while his tongue eased all the tiny, purple bruises he was leaving behind. Your hands tugged on his hair, and a chain of shaky moans left your lips.

“There, that’s better.” He finally let go of your neck, but not of your hips. Your eyes moved to the mirror desperately, only to confirm your worst nightmare had come to life: Fred had sucked a group of small hickeys onto your neck. “You look stunning tonight, darling. Since we’re going to a big party, I needed to make sure it was clear who your owner is.”

After that, he did not even give you time to put on some concealer on the hickeys or to get angry at him. Still holding onto your hips, he disapparated from the flat.

The party seemed to drag on for more than what you considered pleasant. You tried your best to cover your recent love bites by using your hair and, apparently, it worked. Not one single soul said anything about it, but you knew he knew about them. And, perhaps, that was why he could not take his eyes off of you.

Even when you were apart, engaged with different conversations or activities, you could feel his eyes burning holes on your skin, undressing you, imagining himself slamming his hips into your tight cunt. He had fucked you so many times before, and he had been quite rough a few times; yet, your cunt still remained as tight as ever, and your juices still dripped from it over the smallest of his actions.

Around 1AM, you and Fred returned to the flat at last. Luckily enough, you had the place all to yourselves; George was staying with his fiancé and her family. Fred had never been more grateful towards his brother’s unconscious acts, because his plans for the night included fucking your brains out.

Once more, he held you in his arms as your surroundings changed. The nauseous feelings that crept in the pitch of your stomach were soon replaced by the feeling of his lips crashing against yours. He showed no mercy in his kiss, nor in the way did he remove your dress from your body.

The weak moonlight cast a provocative glow on your skin as he analyzed the matching set of lingerie you had on: a see-through lace bra and a lace v-front thong, both in black. His eyes gained a deeper shade of brown, and his bulge ached in his tight trousers.

“I see someone had high expectations for the after party.”

In no time, he sat down on the edge of the bed, exactly like he had done earlier that evening, and had you bent over his knees. With filthy words leaving his mouth, he hit your skin repeatedly and made sure you were completely aware of the fact that you were his. Your thong was now soaked with your arousal and your skin burned in the most luscious way. Your eyes produced little white stars from pleasure right in front of you, but you still craved for so much more. And so did he.

“Let me take a good look at you.” Feeling as if your legs had turned into a gelatinous mess, you stood up with his help.

He first analyzed your neck, where the purplish bruises still existed so exquisitely. They looked ethereal, almost as if your skin had been carrying tiny flower petals all this time. And you looked painfully captivating then, standing so submissively in front of him, with a single tear streak on your left cheek.

Regardless of how turned on he was by the love bites on your skin, something else caught his attention.

Your back profile reflected in the large and tall mirror attached to the wall, and the mark of his hand lashed against your skin was clearly visible. Fred had never really thought much of it, especially because it was something you had insisted on buying. At that night, however, that mirror was his favorite thing in the flat.

All of your and his clothes were dismissed eventually. You felt your walls clenching around nothingness as his cock sprung free from his underwear. The fact that he would stretch you out in an instant almost sent you to heaven.

He guided you towards the mirror with strong and dominating hands, stopping only when you were a few inches away from the reflecting surface. Under his command, you bent forward a bit, your nipples touching the cold object and causing you to squirm away.

“Be a good girl now, and let me watch you come undone while I fuck you.”

His voice sent shivers down your spine, and you complied with his demands. This time, however, he did not bend your torso so only your nipples would touch the mirror. Your cheek had become one with the object, protesting whines echoing in the bedroom as he entered you slowly.

Your hot breath fogged the mirror a bit and his pace turned into a steady one. He was thrusting deeply into you, whispering how well your cunt always took him, and you were moaning sinfully. You begged him to move faster; even so he did not do as he was asked. He wanted to tease you, to make you suffer, like you had done to him with that dress of yours.

When you exclaimed you were close to your orgasm, one of his hands left your hips and went straight up to your hair. He tangled his fingers with your locks and violently pulled them, bringing your back to his chest.

He continued stretching you out until your legs trembled furiously, threatening to bring you down to the floor, and you cried out his name in sheer pleasure. But much to your surprise, he did not finish inside you, like he used to.

Fred pulled out only in time to step closer to the mirror, stroke his cock a few more times, and release his seed on the mirror.

You watched the scene as you came back from your high, but you could swear your cunt got even wetter. The way he threw his head back, the way he moaned loudly, the way his chest rose up and then fell back down again – everything he did was so incredibly hot.

“L-Lick the mirror clean.” His body trembled as he gathered all of his inner strength to speak to you. “I want to see you licking my cum off the mirror.”

Now that was something new. The novel request made you blink in surprise at him, unsure if he was really asking you to do that. It had never happened before, but it was surely burningly rousing.

He once more tugged on your hair, but he was much gentler this time. With one hand, he stroked his semi-hard cock and, with another, he pushed you towards the mirror.

“Stick your tongue out.”

You did, and he grunted. Kneeling down on the floor, you finally allowed your tongue to touch the mirror. You felt tremendously nasty, but you also enjoyed it tremendously.

Your eyes moved up to his own as you gave the mirror the first short lick, a small amount of his yet warm release hitting your velvety taste buds, and your body recognizing his sweet flavor. Thanks Merlin for the insane quantity of pineapple he consumed; that prick knew exactly what he was doing.

The strokes on his cock increased as he was hard again, and as you continued on licking his cum while looking at him.

When you finished, you smiled shyly at him through the mirror. You were unsure whether you had done a good job on what he asked you to do or not, but you secretly felt good.

Quickly returning to his caring self, he helped you stand up and used his slim fingers to clean any leftovers that still remained on your chin and lips. He asked you if you were alright, if he had hurt you somehow, if you needed anything, but when you shook your head negatively, he bumped his nose against yours.

“You are seriously out of this world. Thank you for being mine.”