#I'm in a beautiful forest on a work retreat but all I do is wander around and think about dragon age

[marianchurchland]

I'm away from home for the month of June so I can only re-post old art, but here are some contemporary (as of ten years ago, anyway) Inquisition portraits while I wait to return to my scanner.

[ofpineapplesanddawns]

Anyway, I said I was gonna write something based on this post, and damnit, I'm making it so.

Warning: human au, being lost in the woods during a storm, beardziraphale my beloved, Aziraphale is not what he seems

He/him pronouns for Aziraphale, they/them for Crowley

On with the fic!

--

Crowley was going to find out who planned this stupid company retreat thing and wring them around the neck by their own, stupid necktie! They were very, very sure they knew exactly who planned a four day weekend up in the mountains for 'company bonding time', and they were going to face the wrath of one AJ Crowley, they swore!

If only they survived the night, that is.

The day had actually been rather beautiful, really. Crowley didn't mind being out in nature, considering that plants were one of their favorite things. They had hoped to use this trip as a good excuse to explore flora and such they weren't used to, and to maybe do a bit of berry picking.

Maggie had even gotten in on the idea and they had planned to wander off the trail to an area known for berries.

Except their stupid bosses decided everyone needed to be in groups instead of one big one, and to go down different trails instead of the main (easiest) one!

Maggie was at least with Nina, so she'd be fine. But Crowley was stuck with the worst people they knew at work and they had a feeling this was done on purpose for the reasons of 'improving work relationships'.

Gabriel could go and suck a lemon.

Still, the hike had been enjoyable once Crowley put in their headphones and followed behind the annoying members of the office. They would often stop to take pictures and even do a little recording on their phone of some of the animals they spotted.

Not much team building or whatever was happening, but hey, it wasn't too bad. And at least Crowley had been smart and prepared for the hike, unlike Hastur and Ligur, and poor Shax was not going to last in those shoes. Furfur was only slightly better than those three, but for fuck's sake, he was obnoxious about it.

When they had sat down for a break and lunch, that's when things took a turn for the worse.

Crowley should have been paying attention, and really, this was on them, with their headphones in and all, and their need to not eat with the others. But during the break, they had not noticed they were abandoned.

With an annoyed groan, Crowley had tried to follow up the trail to catch up to them, but it took over and hour for Crowley to notice that, well...

There was no sign of them.

Or anyone else.

And they had tried to turn around, but somehow in their panic had gotten themself lost and that was embarrassing as fuck.

And now they found themself without a clue where to go or what to do.

It was darker now, the sun was nearly gone, and Crowley still couldn't find their way back. And there was, of course no signal so they couldn't call anyone for help.

They were about ready to just sit down and wait for help, maybe even build a fire, someone would be bound to see that, when they noticed something in the distance.

Further into the growing darkness, they could see a few specks of light, set in such a way that they had to be windows. A cabin? Maybe a ranger's station? Crowley didn't know and didn't care, they broke out into a run.

Which resulted in them tripping over something in the dark as they got closer to the lights, crashing hard into the ground with a cry.

Their foot hurt, as did their knees and hands from the fall. Shit, shit, shit, could it get any worse?!

A crack of thunder echoed through the forest and a drop of something cold and wet touched Crowley's cheek. Followed by more, and more, and then it was down pouring.

"Fuck." Crowley grunted as they tried to get up, hissing as they tried to walk, but their foot hurt like a bitch. Still, they pressed on. The lights were on and getting brighter with each painful step they took.

Until a third joined the two lights, longer, with a figure blocking some of the light. "Oh! You poor dear, hurry, hurry!" Called a voice into the rain and darkness.

Somehow, this voice seemed to give Crowley a bit more pep in their step to make the distance between themself and the cabin before them. They got up to the steps before stumbling, only to be caught in big, strong arms, covered in flannel.

"Goodness," said the voice, "you're soaked to the bone! Come inside, I've got just the things for you that'll have you right as, well, haha, right as rain."

Crowley blinked a few times, blinding by the warm light as they were helped into the cabin. It was dry inside, and so very toasty against their soaked, freezing skin. They let out a sigh as they were sat down in a soft chair and finally looked up at the voice's owner.

And then their mouth went dry before becoming very, very wet.

The man before them was both so very rugged and so very beautiful. His hair was a brilliant pale, curly and soft, his beard a similar shade with small streaks of silvery gray in it. He looked soft in the middle but clearly was a man of strength, with thighs hidden behind form-fitting jeans that had Crowley swallowing.

His hazel eyes were sparkling and kind, and his smile was so sweet as he put a hand to Crowley's face, brushing away some of the wet hair that hung limply in front of their eyes. Crowley absently noticed that the touch felt cold, maybe from the rain?

"My, my, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." The man chuckled. "Let me get you a towel and some clothes, dear. Just sit by the fire and warm up, alright? You're shaking like a leaf!"

Crowley hadn't noticed, but they were practically vibrating from the chill still deep in their bones. "Y-yeah, uh, can do that, sure." They mumbled, swallowing again.

"Good." The man smiled and stepped away, out of Crowley's line of sight as they sat in front of the bright, hot fire in the cozy looking fireplace. They struggled a bit, but toes their boots off and stretched out their legs to let their soaked feet warm up, their poor right foot still hurting. It didn't feel broken, but it still stung.

They sat there quietly, glancing around in their seat. The cabin was rather large inside, decorated with many bookshelves full of odds, ends, and lots of books. The walls didn't have much in the way of art, minus a few framed things of what looked to be an old street corner and a beautiful garden. There were even smaller frames holding photos, but they couldn't make them out from here.

No dead animals mounted anywhere, so their savior, the handsome mountain man, might not be into that. Something smelled good though, they hadn't noticed it before, but it smelled like cooked meat and veggies. Maybe a soup? Good weather for soup, Crowley would love some right now, they hadn't eaten much, didn't think to pack a lot since the hike wasn't going to be an all-day thing, they had stuff to do back at the resort they were staying at.

They were also thirsty, having finished off their water a while ago. They were still in wet clothes and their scratches and scraps hurt.

"Here we go!" Came the voice of the mountain man. "I've got you a fluffy towel and even a change of clothes! I'll take care of your old ones, don't worry."

"Uhhh... thank you?" Crowley turned, seeing the man approach with a small pile of things. He handed them over before turning around, putting his hands to his eyes. Crowley looked at him funny before realizing that he was trying not to look if Crowley was going to change.

Crowley felt heat come to their cheeks as they quickly tried to change out of their clothes, best to get it over with. They were down to their underwear, and threw on the shirt they were given, another flannel, that they practically swam in. It felt cool to the touch. They decided they were fine without the pants though.

They took the towel and started to ruffle up their hair to dry it. "Thanks, sir."

"Oh, no need for sirs. Just call me Aziraphale!" The man said, back still turned to him.

"I'm Crowley. You can turn around now."

Aziraphale did so and smiled, but frowned as he noticed something. "Dear, you're bleeding."

Crowley looked at the towel, where they had accidentally bled from their palms, their knees still had blood on them too. "Oh, yeah, I took a nasty fall trying to get here. My foot hurts too, I think I tweaked it."

"Oh, that won't do. I'll be right back." Aziraphale moved to a small area of the kitchen that Crowley only just noticed, a kitchen. He opened a cabinet and pulled out a box. It looked old, from a few decades ago, but was clearly marked as a med pack.

Aziraphale returned and sat down before Crowley, gently taking their hand in his own cold ones. He looked at the scrapes, frowning, before opening the kit and started to clean them. It was silent as he did this, but a comforting silence.

Crowley took this chance to study the mountain man. He was really nice to look at, which was odd, Crowley didn't usually go for guys with beards, not normally their thing, but damn if they wouldn't mind giving this one a chance.

Fuck, they must be exhausted or catching a cold or something, what the hell are they thinking?

They decided to just look at the fire as Aziraphale cleaned up their wounds and then looked at their foot. "It's alright, just a bit swollen, an easy fix! Let's get you to bed and have you lay down, that'll help with the swelling. And once you're down, I'll get you some food, the stew is just about done."

Crowley just nodded and let Aziraphale help them over to a large bed near the fireplace, huh, was this cabin just a one-room thing? Like their studio apartment? They did see an area where there was a door with a small sign on it, labeled W.C. A bathroom, alright, yeah, similar kinda thing.

Aziraphale sat them down on the bed, and it was so strange to move away from him. He felt so cold when close, but then Crowley would instantly feel warmth when Aziraphale was away. Curious.

They got themself laid down and sighed, letting Aziraphale fuss over them, putting their foot up on pillows before covering them with an old, handmade quilt.

"There we are, nice and comfy, Crowley." Aziraphale smiled. "You rest a bit, alright? I'll wake you when it's time to eat."

"Are you sure?" Crowley asked.

"Very, it's quite alright. When you're eating, you can tell me what happened that led out to my neck of the woods." He said, brushing hair from their face again. Those fingers were like ice, but it was comforting, oddly enough.

Crowley sighed softly again, starting to close their eyes. But just before they finally succumb to their exhaustion, they swore that for a split second, just a fraction of a second...

Aziraphale's eyes were completely hollow, but the smile was still so sweet and warm.

TBC

--

:)

I love a good ghost story.

[cheekygreenty]

Little Witch - Part 13

The Darkling x Reader

This is more of a filler chapter, I wanted to write something where reader is in action🤭

As much as you loved to keep your personal and work life separate, the life at the Little Palace rarely allowed for such things. Rumors spread and tensions rose and much to your dismay the privacy of Aleksander's chambers only reached so far. Everywhere you went eyes followed you with a sense of interest, poking and prodding for the details of why the Deputy General had stayed in the Darkling's quarters, but more importantly why you raced out of there in the dead of the night, slamming every door possible with loud echoing thuds.

You ignored it all, you had work to do. Currently, you stood waiting in the courtyard for your horses, your recruited Grisha in tow. You had asked Fedyor for the best soldiers, ones who could be ruthless and loyal. Two Heartrenderers, an Inferni and the Squaller you now knew as Zoya waited behind you, shivering from a sudden gust of freezing wind.

The weather had gotten brutal over the past few days but this mission couldn't wait. You had gotten intel that somehow a Kerch merchant kidnapped Grisha while they traveled between camps and was keeping them in a home not far from the Palace, waiting to transport them across the Fold and use them as indentures. This angered you beyond means of explanation.

Your stableboy brought out your beautiful chestnut brown Arabian, and you quickly hoisted yourself up. You would all be going on horseback despite the weather, for a carriage would slow you down significantly.

'Zoya, I'll need you upfront with me, if it starts to snow heavily we'll clear the way.' You addressed the Squaller, patiently waiting as she got up on her horse and came to rest beside you, giving you a curt nod.

'Ready?'

You brought your horse into a quick gallop, cringing as the cold whipped past you.

******

Riding a horse was only comfortable for so long before your tailbone began to ache. It had been around an hour, but you were almost there as a small village came into view over the hill. You stopped your horse and put up your hand signaling the rest to stop too.

'We leave our horses just there, where the forest fades-' You pointed over to a place just to your right, where tree coverage would protect your horses from the cold. '-we walk the rest of the way. All intel pointed to the house being secluded, most likely right before the village grows more populated.'

The thing with these missions was there was never an exact location, which frustrated you and from the loud sigh Zoya gave, it frustrated everyone else too. You all slid off your horses and walked them to the forest, tying them securely to trees and beginning the walk, making sure to stay hidden behind the trees.

'What's the plan?' Asked the Inferni.

'I go in first, neutralize any threats I can see. Fedyor, keep to my side but be behind me. The rest of you, your main priority is to look for the Grisha. Don't kill anybody unless I tell you to.' You could see the surprised look on their faces and you knew why.

Even though Aleksander was extremely powerful and immortal, he never walked into a fight first, he was always the one to walk into a clear path, never cleared it himself. You did things differently, liked to be in complete control.

'What did the General say about this?' He spoke again.

You stopped and turned to him.

'If you have any issues with how your superior is commanding the missions, I suggest you turn around and learn how to be a soldier.' You snapped. Aleksander had these people wrapped around his finger. He stared at you with wide eyes and almost immediately his composure dropped, succumbing to your intimidation.

'I don't have time for this nonsense.' You scoffed and walked ahead to where Zoya was searching for the hideout.

'Is it that one?' She pointed to a cabin about with a man guarding the front door. Bingo.

'He's too far, I need to get closer.' Fedyor's raised hands dropped down to his sides. The other Corporalnik nodded in agreement.

You turned away from the group and concentrated on the man, feeling for his pulse and once you gathered the understanding, gently stopped The flow of blood, watching as he fell to the snow-covered ground with a thud.

'Don't take offense, I'm much older' You patted the Heartrenders on the shoulders and ran to the cabin. You saw Zoya let out a strong gust of wind to open the door, almost knocking it off its hinges.

Shouts erupted all around and shots were fired. You bled shadows into the hallway, rendering the Kerch men blind, hoping they wouldn't shoot in the dark. Simultaneously, you slowed the heartbeats you could make out, hoping the shouts died down. With luck on your side, the cabin turned silent and you retreated your shadows.

Three men dressed in fine vests lay slumped on the floor, a pistol or rifle in each hand. Fedyor automatically bent down to take the guns out of their hands and looked around for something to detain them with. You could hear the rest of your crew search the cabin, the loud squeak of the cellar latch opening. You too went to look around, opening all the doors that could open and listening for the beating of one's heart. Nothing.

You grew angry at the possibility of the intel being incorrect. You came to the last door on the far end of the home which was slightly ajar. You could feel a faint pulse and as you opened the door, ready to protect yourself when your eyes caught sight of a purple kefta. A Fabrikator? The figure didn't move from where they were standing. Their hands weren't bound and neither were their legs.

'Are you here with the Second-Army?' Her voice was quiet but steady.

'Yes. Come with me' You moved away from the doorframe and into the hallway once again to let the Grisha through.

'Who are you?'

'Deputy General, now come on we must get going' You heard Zoya indicate from the cellar that they had found the Healer.

She moved away from the wall and walked to you with her head down, showing no indication of being thankful for being saved. Doubt pooled in your stomach but you let it go. You returned to the main room and stared at the three men tied up in the chairs but quickly averted your eyes to Zoya who appeared perplexed and for once, you shared her thoughts. The Inferni walked out with the Healer behind him and what looked like a Squaller to his right but nobody said anything. What is going on?

'Is anybody injured?' You spoke first amongst the crippling silence. Nobody responded. Suddenly out of the corner of your eye you saw the Fabrikator take one of the disposed pistols and point it at you, not hesitating to take shots. You deflected as best you could, protecting the others from the bullets but quickly realized the girl was a Durast and wherever she wanted to shoot, she could definitely make the shot.

You looked around and to your surprise, your Inferni was lying on the ground as the Healer battled Zoya. Fedyor was seemingly pushed up against the wall by the Squaller. What in Saint's name is going on. These are not my Grisha. Your falter caused your shadow shield to break and you felt a cold bullet lodge itself in your thigh where your kefta peeked open.

The pain was too strong, clouding your mind and momentarily prohibiting you from accessing your powers. Saints this hurts.

You reclaimed your mind, letting the merciless Cut wander out to her. The Durast screamed in horror as her hand dropped to the ground. You ignored it, letting your eyes wander to the Squaller and knocking her out with a wind so strong it rattled the cabin. Zoya managed to subdue the Healer, tacking to the ground and holding her hands above her head. You shot out a tendril of onyx shadow and restrained her, relieving Zoya of the uncomfortable position.

You were beyond angry, you were fuming. You harshly grabbed at the Durast, slamming her against the wall by the lapel of her kefta, your thigh screaming in pain. You could feel blood pooling in your riding boots.

'What is this?!' You hissed

'You're not taking us back. You will not force us to be part of that army'

'You would give up the Little Palace for the dirty streets of Ketterdam' The venom rolling off your tongue was almost paralyzing.

'If I am to serve your kind then of course. You're probably stealing my power as we speak' The room stilled and your pain was forgotten. Zoya held her breath, even the Healer's stomach dropped.

Something in you snapped, and with nothing more than a flex of your fingers, the girl's neck snapped, her lifeless body tumbling to the ground. You didn't say another word. Zoya took that as a sign to tell the rogue Grisha they will be tried as traitors, and restrained them both, taking over from you.

Your previous words came back into your mind, Don't kill anybody. You shame Aleksander for merciless killing yet you just did the same. You broke your own rule because somebody offended you. You fool.

You wordlessly limped out of the cabin, completely forgetting the bullet wound on your thigh.

***

The ride back to the Little Palace was torturous. The two traitors had been subdued and riding with the heartrenderes. Your thigh was in excruciating pain and upon entering the gates, you had felt completely numb. As far as you knew, nobody knew you were shot. You had left them to deal with the mess in the cabin, too blinded by anger and arrogance to help and act as the leader. But now, the only thing blinding you was tiredness which you knew wasn't good.

Your horse diligently walked to the courtyard doors but you didn't get off, you couldn't. Your eyes had shut on their own accord. The tiredness washed over you again and your head spun.

You could faintly make out the sound of your name being called by Fedyor asking about the traitors, but you paid him no mind, focusing all your attention on trying not to fall off your horse. Your head bopped, but you fought to stay awake and pass the wave of tiredness so you could walk to the healers unit, but it was relentless.

You felt somebody pull the reigns of your horse and lift the cloak covering your leg, you didn't argue. Then the shouts started. You couldn't hear what they said as your head bopped again, once, twice, then you let go.

****

The immense itching sensation on your thigh was overwhelming. If that wasn't the reason for you waking up, it was the loud argument taking place at the foot of the bed.

You managed to open your eyes to see a Healer working on your leg, looking very focused. She spared you a sweet smile then went right back to work. Oh Saint's this is so itchy. It took everything in you not to itch the bloody wound. Thankfully, the raised voices dragged your attention away.

'We didn't know, she just left!' Fedyor.

'If you'd have gotten here 10 minutes later she would have been dead' Aleksander.

'We thought she wa-'

'I don't care. Leave before I do something I regret' The door opened and shut. You suspected the only people left in the room were you, the Healer and a fuming Aleksander. If he knew you were awake, he showed no indication of it. You didn't need to look at him to know he was brooding. Was he mad that I'm injured or that the mission went sideways?

Your hands clenched as the itching sensation got worse. You hated being healed, it was even worse than being injured.

'If you clench that fist any harder you'll break your knuckles' His voice carried no anger anymore, it was soft but had an edge of plea in it.

You didn't respond. You didn't know what to say. You hadn't seen him since the other night when you confronted him about Alina, and he made no moves to approach you since then.

'I'll give you a written report mission once I'm done here.'

'No need. Zoya took care of it already' As much as you had tried to convince yourself you disliked the beautiful Squaller, she had really come in clutch today. You were thankful.

'Alright, that's all I can do for now. You did lose a lot of blood, so take it easy for the next couple of days.' The young girl got up and left after you muttered a quick thank you.

'Are you ok?'

'We just got ambushed by rogue Grisha who had personal vendettas against me, what do you think' You sat up and rested your head against the headboard, reaching for the glass of water on the nightstand.

'I should've cross-examined the intel. If I knew what they were I would've given you more reinforcements.' He leaned against the wall next to the door, sensing your hostility and keeping his distance

'I didn't need reinforcements. I was just caught off guard is all'

'You killed a-'

'Please, don't say it. , it wasn't my proudest moment.'

'Zoya kept it out of the report. Said she got caught in the cross-fire.'

I love you Zoya.

'Do you want me to leave?' His question made you freeze. On one hand, you were still angry about the other night and the comment he made, but on the other Aleksander always made you feel safe and his presence brought you peace.

'You probably have work to do. I do too anyway' You got up to leave the bed, but he quickly walked over to you, pushing you back down. You grabbed his hands out of reflex.

'Take it easy for the next couple of days. Is that not the advice you got?' He cocked a smile and traced a small pattern on your hand. You stared into his eyes and tried to find a reason to not fold into his embrace, you badly needed a hug, and he gives the best ones.

'Alright, but you can leave' Your answer surprised him, it surprised you too. Apparently subconsciously you still held a grudge against him.

'Y/N, Next time you get hit, please tell someone.' He whispered as he swooped down to kiss the top of your head lovingly, letting his lips linger for a moment. Just as you were about to give in and wrap your arms around him, his warmth left you.

'It won't kill you to take a day off.' He teased as he walked out the door.

I never got that hug.

Part 14

Taglist (tell me if u want to be added to the Little Witch taglist !!)

@theonelittleone @searching-for-gallifrey @0-artemis @lostysworld @xceafh @fire-in-her-veinz @patdsinner33 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @wizardwheezes @aleksanderwh0r3 @tomhollandisabae @hotleaf-juice @justmesadgirl @exo-1204 @houseofdupree @oberonpascal @eireduchess

Here’s a masterlist where u can find previous parts of Little Witch 🖤