#Iris belongs to my friend but I have permission to use her in this story

[raidbossmadi]

People Like Us Chapter 5

5.Settling In

Previous Chapter : Here 

Sloane awoke slightly surprised to be in a strange bed before she remembered where she was,  that this was home now. Tyreen was notably absent though the sounds of the television coming from the other room was enough of a reassurance that the other siren was still close by.  

She walked into the living room and found that Troy was sitting on the sofa scrolling through his echo-feed. She noted that he looked a little rough around the edges, well rougher, but he didn’t seem like a morning person to her anyway. Tyreen on the other hand clearly was, as she was in the kitchenette working away on breakfast.

“Morning Sloane, glad you decided to take us up on our offer. We were a little worried you just might decide to dash.” Troy purred as he set down his echophone to give her his full attention. “ C’mon sit down, Ty’ll be done with breakfast in a second and we can go over the plans for today.”  He patted the cushion next to him and smiled, his augmented canine teeth glinted as they caught the light making the smile seem more like a warning than a welcome.  

“Thank you, Troy...err...Father Troy…I um, how do you two want me to address you?” Sloane squeaked as she slid into the spot on the couch next to Troy.

“Just Troy and Tyreen are fine at least in private. You’re not one of the followers out there. You’re here with us.” The way he spoke about their followers made it seem like he sorted people into two groups, the people like them and the outsiders. Sloane was just  pleased to find herself included in the us.  

Tyreen finally stepped out of the kitchen carrying a tray with breakfast and coffee on it. Sloane noticed that two cups were marked with a specific symbol on each, one with the crown design that was painted on Tyreens door and the other the now familiar twin snakes that decorated all of Troy’s things, the other of course was just a blank mug.

“I’ll have your mug customized once Troy designs you an insignia, we all have one it just makes life easier when you're doing the dishes and laundry and whatever else needs doing around here.” Tyreen remarked, taking a seat on the other side of Troy.  

Sloane glanced at the plate that sat in front of her, a waffle and some eggs. She had been slightly nervous that the self styled twin gods would only be fond of eating foods she’d never heard of but the simplicity of the food in front of her put her at ease.

“You read the report about the fancy new tech Maliwan put out?” Tyreen asked her twin. Sloane noticed that while Tyreen was drinking coffee she notably was not eating anything. She filed that away under an ever growing list of questions she had towards the twins.

“Yeah, looks like some quality stuff, I’d like to get my hands on a gun and take it apart, see if I can’t learn anything.”  

“You like engineering then?” Sloane asked as she recalled what Tyreen had said about the ship being Troy’s baby.

Troy turned to look at her and quirked a brow pointing to his prosthetic arm. “Built this myself, and before we picked up the crew I did all the work on the old Centurion here. Still like to fix her up, so yeah it’s a bit of a hobby of mine.”

She blushed feeling a bit embarrassed, she supposed that should have been more obvious.  At least she knew a little more about him now though, she could start to read Tyreen but Troy was harder to get through to and not just because she’d spent less time around him compared to Tyreen so far. Both the twins were guarded but in different ways, neither of which seemed easy to crack.

“I’m gonna go take care of those things you wanted me to before the stream tonight Ty.” Troy stood and began to make his way out of the room before he remembered something and stuck his mechanical hand over the couch in Sloane’s direction.

“Give me your phone, gonna set you up with one of ours. Gotta monitor your activity and all to make sure you’re not sending unauthorized messages to anyone.” He demanded. She fumbled with her pocket for a moment before producing the phone and placing it in his hand. She almost expected him to crush it in his palm but instead he merely snorted as he looked it over before he left without another word.

“Right so while Troy’s off doing his chores, I need to head up to talk to some of the crew. I’ve arranged for the high priests to show you around the ship in the meantime. You’ll be meeting up with me on the bridge to take care of those biometrics after that.” Tyreen explained as she disappeared back into her bedroom to change into her usual attire.

Sloane finished her breakfast in the silence of the now empty room before a knock at the door interrupted the calm. She found Jaxon and Helios waiting just as Tyreen had said.

“Good morning Sister Sloane. We hope your first night aboard the Centurion was a restful one. Come along and we will show you the important places aboard the ship.” Jaxon said motioning for Sloane to follow.

“As I’m sure you’re aware this is the Centurion’s second level,  we’re just leaving the Twin Gods private wing and moving into the second floor common space.”

Sloane stepped through the doorway partitioning off the twins wing from the next area of the ship. The halls of the ship were a bit more busy now, with more of the hooded priests milling about though they quickly tried to look busy as the High Priests passed their way.

“The Bridge is located straight ahead, but you aren’t due until later this afternoon. This way to the lift, we have a lot of ground cover.” Jaxon gestured in the direction of the lift the three of them heading down to the lower level.

The tour was largely uneventful in Sloane’s opinion, they showed her the bar and the meeting space she had been brought into upon her arrival to the ship. The Priests had advised it was better to leave the engineers to their work so simply showed her the engine room from the viewing gallery. By the time they had made it back upstairs Sloane was ready to curl up and go back to bed but she was gently nudged in the direction of the bridge instead.

“And to your left is the infirmary, Dr.Spectra is immensely talented and will be sure to patch you up good as new.”If there was one thing that Sloane had learned in this tour it was that Jaxon had to enjoy the sound of her own voice. “Anyways, it is time we return you to the God-Queen. We wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.”  

Finally being led through the door to the bridge Sloane was greeted by the sight of Tyreen standing near the center of the room talking to the woman who had taken the Priests ID’s when they had brought her onto the ship, Lydia, she recalled, was the woman’s name.

“Oh good, Priestess Jaxon didn’t bore you to death.” Tyreen said with a smirk.

“I simply informed our newest Sister of the in and outs of the ship God-Queen.” Jaxon reassured.

“Yeah yeah, Sloane, this is Lydia. She’s the chief of engineering, she’s gonna get you all set up.” Tyreen beckoned Sloane forward and she stood in the  space between Lydia and Tyreen.

“Right first things first, let’s activate your medi-chip.” Lydia said, reaching around Sloane’s neck to remove the collar before sliding a small band over one of the sides then slipped it back around her neck.  

“It feels the same?” Sloane hazarded.

“That little band has a micro-needle on it, you can’t feel it but it’s reading your vitals and all that. Troy and I have them to keep track of each other, and now Troy and I will be keeping track of you as well.” Tyreen said as if it were something everyone did casually.

“Now I just need you to come over here and stick your hands on this screen. Need to get your hand-scan in the system so you can get in the doors.” Lydia said corralling her over to the aforementioned screen. Sloane was a bit surprised at how thoroughly the twins handled security on their ship, granted she had never been on a space faring vessel before now.

“How many people are on this ship anyway?” She asked looking over at Tyreen trying to pass time as the computer completed it’s scans.

Tyreen tilted her head, eyes narrowing in thought. “About a hundred and fifty at any given time, we swap out crew when we visit our hub worlds, keeps people from getting stir crazy. Though important folks like Jaxon and Lydia here are always on duty.”

“And it is a pleasure to be in your eternal service God-Queen.” Lydia said leading Sloane back over.

“Aw Lydia, you flatter me. ” Tyreen cooed clearly loving every bit of attention. “I’ll have to tell Troy I’m your  new favorite!”

“With all due respect ma’am, I don’t think the God-king would take well to such insinuation and I rather like my position… and my head attached to my body.” Lydia kept her tone submissive but absently rubbed at a mark on her neck that Sloane only noticed now.

“Hmm you make a good point, took us long enough to find you to replace the last head engineer didn’t it? That’s alright, it can be our little secret.” Tyreen’s playfulness seemed much more threatening now, it was obvious that she thought she was just messing around but she was also clearly reminding the other woman of just who she was speaking to.  

With Sloane now in the Centurion’s system it seemed Tyreen was antsy to get out of the ships bridge there was a clink of metal as Sloane blinked and realized the God-Queen had clipped a leash to the d-ring of her collar.  

“Come along now Sloane, Troy and I have that stream soon.” She said pulling on the leash as she began to walk away.  They walked back down the hidden set of stairs that Tyreen had first brought her up on, arriving in the Ship Cathedral only now instead of the dimly lit room it had been when she had been presented before Tyreen it was illuminated with stage lights.

“Well look who made it with more than ten minutes to spare.” Troy teased his twin as he approached.

“Yeah yeah, is Iris on set yet?” Tyreen replied giving her nails a once over.

“Of course, she’s over in the wings as usual.” Troy squinted up at something Sloane couldn’t make out before letting out a low growl. “Hey! Idiots in the box you’re gonna wash out the set, turn those damn brights down.”

Tyreen tugged in Sloane’s leash again. “Best to get out of Troy’s way during set up. He tends to be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to this stuff.”

Off to the side out of the way of setup was a room set up with a hairdressers chair and makeup station, various pieces of clothing Sloane had seen the twins wear at one point or another were hung up on racks. In the center of the room stood a woman who looked about Sloane’s age, wearing a shirt with the CoV logo emblazoned on the front. As she looked up from the clipboard she was reading her purple hair fell in front of her face, which she brushed away before noticing her guests.

“Ah! God-Queen, is it time for your make-up?” She asked, her eyes flicking to Sloane.

“In a moment Iris,  first I wanted to introduce you to our new family member first. Sloane, this is Iris, she’s in charge of keeping Troy and I looking stunning. She does a pretty stellar job I think.” Tyreen praised with a smile. “Iris, this is Sloane, she’s the stray Siren Troy and found on Eden-4.”

“Ohhh,so you’re the one Father Troy was talking about.” Iris said looking over at Sloane. “You want me to watch her while you both are streaming tonight?”

“If it’s not too much trouble of course, I can always ask The high priests to handle it if you’re busy.”  

“It’s no trouble at all God-Queen. I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” She said with a smile.

“Ty.” Troy leaned in the doorway interrupting the women’s conversation. “Get ready the boys want to push the screen test up a couple minutes.”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.” Tyreen reassured rolling her eyes as Troy left. “Brothers am I right, when am I ever late for anything? Sloane be a dear and sit over there like a good girl while Iris and I do our thing yeah?”  

Sloane obediently went to the chair in the corner of the room and sat watching as Iris took Tyreen over to her work station. She zoned out for a bit until Tyreen walked over to her.

“Right, you be nice for Iris, one of us will come pick you up after the stream. Have fun you two!” Tyreen said as she headed out the door.  

“Sooo, how long have you been with the CoV then?” Sloane asked Iris, she was different from the other inner circle members Sloane had met so far in that she and the twins seemed to have a much less formal relationship.

“Around three years, wow I can’t believe it’s been that long already...They rescued me from slavers, Troy and Tyreen that is. Been a part of the family ever since.” Iris explained while she worked on tidying up her workstation. “What about you, I mean I know you’re new but what drew you to the twins?”

“They wanted my vault and I wanted to stay with them because, you know to be completely honest I don’t know how to put it in words, I mean sure there’s the whole thing of them being powerful and obviously knowledgeable about the whole siren thing.  But also there’s just something in me that saw them and wanted me to follow them, maybe it’s a siren thing I don’t know.” Sloane shrugged knowing she wasn’t being terribly helpful but it was the truth, something had magnetized her towards the twins, something beyond their charismatic smiles and smooth talking.

Iris paused for a minute seemingly processing some thought about what Sloane had said. “Hm you’re right, Sirens really aren’t in my wheelhouse. Don’t let that put you off though, why don’t we go grab something to eat, get nice and cozy in the media room and watch the stream?”

That was the first normal sounding suggestion Sloane had heard from one of the twins' entourage in her short time with them. She had a feeling that she and Iris would come to be good friends as they got to know each other.

“That sounds great honestly.” She agreed and was relieved when Iris made no move to clip a leash to her collar the way Tyreen did. Instead walking to the bar to pick up a pizza as if they were well established friends.

__

Tyreen leaned against the crate of weapons they had been  gifted by the citizens of Eden-4 before they left as the crew buzzed around her setting up lighting and positioning the cameras. They were unboxing them tonight and she planned to drop the announcement about the new family member. Not knowing how Sloane would take being put on the spot she had chosen to make this announcement without the other siren present. She and Troy would have to train her to get used to being on camera.

“Your head in the clouds Ty?” Troy teased as he took his place on the other side of the crate. “You ready for the show?”

“Aren’t I always Troy?” She returned and flicked him in the forehead as he leaned in her direction. They both snapped to attention once the crew gave the all quiet on set call. She straightened her cloak and adjusted her hair watching as Troy did the same as the countdown ticked off, showtime.

Troy took the majority of the night’s stream, he was way more competent when it came to explaining what exactly was so cool about different models of guns. He had tried just handing her a script he wrote once but once it got heavy into the tech jargon it had all gone over her head. It was definitely not her finest moment and it had definitely led to a squabble between the siblings.  

“So Ty, you wanna tell everyone about what else we found on Eden Four?” Troy asked as he set down the last of the guns on the table in front of him. She smirked as she watched the camera turn to focus on her. She pushed off the crate standing center stage now.

“That’s right brothers and sisters, not only did Troy and I get Eden-4’s vault, but! We also found a stray who offered herself to yours truly and how could I say no to a face like this.” Tyreen cooed as if she were talking about a small animal as a holo-Sloane popped up from her echo-device.  “As you can see, she’s a siren, she’s our siren. I have big plans for her so needless to say brothers and sisters, you should treat her with respect.”

Tyreen smiled again, her thinly veiled warning coming across loud and clear, a new member of the inner circle had been claimed publicly. She then wrapped the stream in her usual bubbly fashion,  persona not dropping until she and Troy were back in their hidden staircase headed back to their rooms.

“You take her tonight, remember to be gentle. We want her to feel safe here, and if we want to test our theory we need her to trust that we won’t hurt her.” Tyreen said, offering the leash to Troy.

“I won’t need that, trust me.” He said, giving his twin a smirk.  “I’m good with the ladies.”

Tyreen snorted and flicked his shoulder “Yeah, yeah, just don’t get over excited this time, there’ll be plenty of time for that later.”

—- A few hours spent on the media room couch talking with Iris and watching the twins stream was enough to make Sloane feel as if she truly did belong here, any lingering doubts about her life with the Children of the Vault fell to the wayside. It felt good to be around people who seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her as a person, not a siren.

When Tyreen stepped up to make her announcement Sloane blinked in surprise and looked over at Iris. “Should I be worried about that?”

Iris seemed to think for a minute before shaking her head. “What no, Tyreen does that for everyone she takes in.”

Sloane wasn’t totally convinced but she knew Iris had no reason to lie to her and she thought that whatever Tyreen’s ‘big plans’ for her were, she was sure to find out soon enough. She knew that the Calypsos expected something from her in exchange for being taken in by them.

Not long after there  was a warning knock on the door before it swung open, Troy stepped through the doorway and rested against it. “Looks like you girls had a good time, I had no doubts that Sloane was in good hands when Tyreen said she’d given her to you Iris.”

“You’re too kind Father Troy, I just wanted our new family member to feel at home the way you and Queen Tyreen did for me.” Iris said.

Troy then gestured to Sloane. “Come, it’s my turn with you tonight.”  She approached him and he rested his prosthetic hand on her shoulder, the metal appendage’s  grasp was  just forceful enough that she wouldn’t be able to wriggle out of his grasp even if she wanted to.

He led her down the hall past Tyreen’s door and into his room. Where Tyreen’s room had been neat and organized Troy’s was a mess; bits and pieces of various machinery were scattered around the room centralized around a work table in one corner of the room. Sitting out on the kitchenette counter was an intricately detailed skull shaped bong that caught Sloane’s attention, it would seem that Troy’s private life was harder to get a beat on than Tyreen’s as outside the tinkering she wouldn’t have expected any of this.

“Sit on the couch and stay put until I come back.” He said with authority, disappearing into the bedroom. She did as she was told, looking at the books stacked on the coffee table, histories of various planet systems and books with titles in languages she didn’t recognize.

“Good girl, you follow orders. I mean I figured when Ty didn’t have any complaints you must be competent but I wanted to see for myself. Then again you did offer yourself to us so you must have known what you were getting into.” Troy had silently slipped back into the main room having traded his open faced vest for an oversized tee shirt, his prosthetic arm noticeably absent as the shirt sleeve was tied instead.  

“Is there anything else I can do for you tonight Father Troy?”  She asked feeling a bit awkward seeing him so casual.

“Ah-ah, what did I tell you? It's Troy in private doll, but I’ll let it slip. This is our first time alone together isn’t it?” He smirked  his hand catching her chin and pointing it up towards his face. She caught sight of his fangs somehow they seemed more threatening in this context than they had when he’d been willing to kill her. “Anyway, as for what you can do for me; go ahead and get comfy in the bed. No funny business I promise.”

He tilted his head towards the doorway he had walked out of. Sloane hesitated slightly as she got up, she had never shared a bed with a man in any context before now and while she trusted Troy to be true to his word she couldn’t help but feel strange about it.

His bedroom was much like Tyreen’s, a bed large enough that three people could comfortably fit in it without hassle, yet Troy’s  bed was a nest of blankets and pillows piled up like a dragon's hoard. Sloane found a spot to get comfy before Troy reentered the room.

“Don’t you just look precious. Well, sleep tight, still a lot to be done in the morning.” He said curling up in what was very obviously his spot as shaped by the pillows.

It would take some getting used to for sure, but this was still better than the life she left behind.

[tornbetween2loves]

No More Secrets

This fic was a request for the July prompts created by @kinda-iconic for @choicesjulychallenge It was requested by my good friend @riseandshinelittleblossom for an Adrian and Oliva pairing. This is a new pairing for me, I began writing them for the Choices Crossover project. This story does not take place in that AU, although there may be some similarities between the two. I am posting this a day late, this was actually a request for yesterday’s prompt, which was Secrets. Sorry for the delay, but I’ve been super busy this week. Hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Pixelberry. I am simply borrowing them.

Word Count: 2723

Warning: this fic contains erotica. Please do not read if you are under the age of 18.

You can find more content for this pairing on my masterlist.

Adrian groaned and winced as he heard Olivia pull the cord to open the curtains, allowing rays from the early morning sun to filter into the room. “Rise and shine, sleepy head! We have a very busy day planned.” Adrian pulled the comforter up over his head, shielding himself from the sun’s burning rays. Olivia spun around and stood at the foot of the bed, her hands poised on her hips. Her lips curled up into a slight smirk as she grasped the bottom corners of the comforter, snatched it off the bed and tossed it aside. Adrian yelped as he hopped out of bed, the sun searing into his naked skin. He dashed into the bathroom and closed and locked the door behind him. His breath came in short pants as he glanced down at the red sores on his arms and chest. Thankfully, they were already beginning to heal and disappear. There was a soft knock at the door.

“Adrian? Are you ok? What’s wrong?” The concern was evident in Olivia’s voice on the other side of the door. Adrian took a deep breath as he struggled to slow his racing heart and keep his voice even. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I just really had to pee. I’m going to shower and get dressed then I’ll be downstairs. Will you please make some coffee?” He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to the door gently. After a pause she answered. “Of course. But hurry up! I want to get all my shopping done before lunch.” He listened as he heard her move to the door and leave the room. He groaned as he slipped his robe on over his still red skin and slipped back into the bedroom. He quickly closed the curtains, then made his way to the closet.

He walked over to a portrait hanging in the dressing area and felt underneath the bottom of the frame until he found a small button. With a click the portrait swung away from the wall, revealing a wall safe. He entered the combination on the keypad and opened the safe to reveal a briefcase. He opened the case to reveal an insert with holes for 20 vials. They were all empty but one. Adrian took a deep, ragged breath as he removed the last vial and held it between his forefinger and thumb. This was it. The last vial. When he decided to invite Olivia to accompany him to New York while he settled his affairs, he had no idea it would take this long. When he decided to relocate his lab to the remote mountains of Lythikos he had begun the process of putting people in place to run his New York operations. But he had miscalculated the amount of time it would take to actually put these plans into action.

He didn’t bring enough serum. And of course Olivia wanted to spend her days shopping and exploring New York City with her dashing billionaire boyfriend on her arm. This was the last day. He would have to do something. He sighed deeply as he drew back the plunger on the syringe, watching as the last of the serum was sucked into the tube. He injected it into his veins, closing his eyes as he felt it begin to spread throughout his body. He felt his blood warming in his veins and sucked in a deep breath. He closed the briefcase and shut the safe, then went to draw back the curtains in the bedroom.

Adrian stood in the morning sunshine, basking in the warmth of the sun’s rays. This was it. The last day he could walk in the sunshine freely.

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Adrian paced back and forth in front of his desk. Olivia was relaxing before dinner while his stomach was tied up in knots. He didn’t notice the first knock on the door. The second was much louder and more persistent. He opened the door to see Kamilah standing there. He breathed a deep sigh of relief. “Thank you for coming. I just don’t know what to do.” Kamilah nodded silently as she stepped into the office and closed and locked the door. She took one look at Adrian’s face and could tell he was stressed. “What is it? Why are you so upset?” He walked over to the window and watched the last rays of the sun disappearing as it set. His face was sad and his voice soft as he slowly turned to face his friend. “I took the last vial of serum this morning. I-I don’t know what I’m going to do.” His voice cracked and he turned to hide a tear that rolled down his cheek. “There’s really nothing I can do,” he mumbled, more to himself than to Kamilah.

Kamilah watched her friend for a moment, her heart breaking for him. She knew how hard it was to keep this secret. And yet, as hard as it was to keep, it was even harder to tell. She took a few steps forward and placed her hand on Adrian’s shoulder. “You have to tell her, Adrian. It’s time. She needs to know. You know you can’t hide this from her forever.” He nodded slowly. “Yes, I know. I’m just so scared that she’ll be angry at me for not telling her sooner. Maybe she’ll leave. Maybe she’ll never speak to me again.” Kamilah shrugged. “Or maybe she’ll just love you for who and what you are. Olivia Nevrakis can be stubborn as hell, but she has also proved to be loyal to the people she cares about.” Adrian nodded slowly in agreement, then turned to face his friend. His eyes were filled with worry as he looked at her. “But how do I tell her? I can’t just blurt out that I’m a vampire.”

Kamilah smirked and shook her head. “No, you can’t. That would be a disaster.” She hesitated as she pondered a moment. Then her face broke into a bright smile. “Adrian, don’t tell her your a vampire. Take her out to dinner. Dance with her. Buy her flowers. Then take her home and show her who you truly are.” Adrian’s face lit up. “Do you really think that will work?” Kamilah nodded. “Of course. Just don’t get carried away. You must maintain complete control. You can not feed on her without her permission.” Adrian shook his head. “No, I know that. Of course not.” He walked around to sit down behind his desk. He picked up the phone and called to make reservations as Kamilah let herself out the door.

*********************************************

Olivia’s eyes widened as Adrian pulled up in front of Per Se, Manhattan’s most exclusive French restaurant. “This is where we’re having dinner?” She squealed with delight. “The tasting menus here are world-renowned.” She smiled slyly as she glanced at Adrian out of the corner of her eye. “Is this some kind of special occasion?” He smirked and leaned over to kiss her softly, an eyebrow raised. “You could say that, I guess.” He flashed her another smile as he opened his door and came around to open the door for her. He held her hand as she stepped out of the vehicle and Adrian tossed the keys to the valet. They walked into the restaurant hand-in-hand as the hostess smiled and greeted them. “Good evening Mr. Raines. I have your table ready.”

They sat in a private booth near the window with a view of the city below them. Olivia smiled from ear to ear. “Adrian this is amazing!” She looked out the window as their server approached with a bottle of champagne. He popped the cork and filled two flutes, then put the rest of the bottle on ice. Adrian looked at Olivia and smiled. “Would you like to hear their menu? They don’t have a printed one because it changes everyday.” Olivia shook her head. “I am perfectly happy with the tasting menu.” Adrian nodded and turned to the waiter. “We’ll take the tasting menu, for two.” The waiter bowed as he nodded and left them alone. Olivia beamed with happiness as Adrian tried to ignore the feeling in the pit of his stomach. He raised his glass of champagne and clinked it gently with her’s. “To us,” he said with confidence he did not feel. Olivia smiled as she repeated the toast and they both drank.

After the tasting menu had been served, a live band began to play a waltz and the dance floor started to fill up. Adrian stood and extended his hand to Olivia. “Will you dance with me?” Olivia smiled as she took his hand. “Of course.” He led her to the dance floor where he wrapped her closely in his arms and they swayed slowly to the music. Something happened to the two of them when they danced together. Maybe it was because of how they met, or maybe it was how their bodies came together as one. They were lost in each other, the rest of the world faded away around them. Olivia gazed into his eyes, entranced by the circle of red around his iris as he held her close. He felt his desire for her building inside him as he locked his lips on hers. He moaned softly into the kiss as he broke it, his lips moved across her cheek to her ear. “I love you, Olivia.” He brushed her earlobe with his lips and ran his tongue along the side of her neck to her collarbone. He ached to taste her to have her blood on his lips. He lightly grazed his fangs along her neck as she trembled and moaned softly into his neck. “Let’s get out of here.” Adrian snapped his head up and closed his eyes as he struggled to maintain his composure. He released Olivia and went back to their table. This was going to be difficult. He paid the check then they headed outside to get the car.

She was all over him as he drove like a bat out of hell. He gasped as she slid her hand between his legs and groped him through his slacks. By the time they got home he was barely able to keep it together. His eyes shone bright red. He couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t hold back. They barely made it through the door as they tore each other’s clothes off and Adrian pinned Olivia against the wall just inside the front door. He kissed her neck fervently, careful not to use his fangs. She panted and moaned and trembled in his arms. He picked her up and impaled her on his hard member as she leaned back against the wall for leverage. He thrusted wildly as she moaned his name, her head thrown back in abandon. “Olivia, please—there’s something I must—oh god!” Olivia opened her eyes wide and locked on Adrian’s eyes as they glowed bright red. He opened his mouth as a primal roar escaped his throat and she saw his fangs. He couldn’t help it, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He kissed her passionately and switched up his pace, thrusting slowly in and out of her. He tried desperately to reel in his desire to taste her. He buried his face in her neck as he drowned in her scent and his need for her.

Suddenly he felt her mouth hot at his ear, her voice was deep and breathy. “Let go, Adrian. It’s ok. I’m yours. I love you. Take me. All of me.” He snapped his head up to meet her eyes, his cheeks wet from tears of restraint. His voice came out in a gravelly whisper as he began to thrust wildly once more. “I-I love you so much.” Just as the tension snapped in Olivia’s belly, he sunk his fangs deep into the side of her neck, the taste of her sending him over the edge as he drank her deeply. Olivia cried out, her body quivering from the exquisite mixture of pleasure and pain. Adrian withdrew from the bite, running his tongue along each puncture wound to stop the bleeding. They both stood in silence, their foreheads touching, as they panted. Adrian broke the silence first. “Are you all right my love?” He ran his tongue along his teeth, savoring the taste of her blood that still lingered on the tip of his fangs.

“I think so,” she said as she unwrapped her legs from around his waist. She felt just a bit woozy as she placed her feet on the ground. Adrian steadied her as she swayed. “I’m so sorry, I took too much blood. Let me carry you to bed.” He swept her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her gingerly on the bed and propped up her head with pillows. Olivia’s eyes fluttered as she fought to stay awake. “I think I’ll be ok,” she murmured softly. “I just need some rest.” Adrian nodded as he laid next to her and pulled her into his arms. She nuzzled into the crook of his arm and it wasn’t long before her breathing steadied. She was asleep. He breathed a deep sigh of relief as he kissed the top of her head. She was still here. He had shown her all his secrets, and she was still here.

*************************************************************

Adrian awoke to darkness and an odd feeling in the air. He reached out for Olivia but discovered she wasn’t there. He snapped up quickly as he reached to turn on the light on the nightstand. She wasn’t in the room with him. He began to panic as he jumped out of bed, disoriented. Where was his phone? Shit! What time was it. He rushed over to the window and pulled back the curtains just enough to see that the sun was beginning to set. Where was she? Did she leave him after all? She must’ve decided it was all too much. He sighed deeply as he sunk into a chair at the foot of the bed. He sunk his head into his hands and didn’t bother fighting back the tears that stung his eyes. Soon he was sobbing, not caring about the noises he made or how he looked. He was so consumed with sadness he didn’t notice the door open and shut. He barely noticed the curtains being pulled open abruptly. It wasn’t until he felt her arms around his neck from behind and heard her whisper softly in his ear that he began to take notice.

“Relax, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” Adrian snapped his head up and locked his gaze on those emerald pools that held his heart. He bolted up and walked around the chair to wrap Olivia in his arms tightly. “I was so scared. I thought I’d lost you. You were gone. Why? Where did you go?” Olivia smiled up at him. “Hey, vampires sleep during the day, right? Well it will take me awhile to adjust to that schedule. I didn’t want to disturb you so I went into the other room. I wasn’t real sure what time to wake you.” She blushed as she looked up at him. “I’m sorry I’ve been dragging you out of bed so early. You should’ve told me.” Adrian shook his head. “How could I? Just blurt it out in conversation? So much was at stake. I was so scared of losing you. I couldn’t risk it.” Olivia pulled away and looked at him sternly. “You could never lose me, Adrian. I’m committed now. You have nothing to worry about. But will you promise me something?” Adrian nodded. “No more secrets, ok?” He smiled and headed for the bathroom. “Deal.” He paused at the doorway and turned to face her once more. “Are you sure you’re ok with all this? I know it’s a lot to handle.” Olivia smirked and put her hands on her hips.

“I’m fine. It’s not so much to handle. Besides,” she raised an eyebrow at him, “You’re a vampire, I’m a Nevrakis. I’d say that’s a pretty even match.” Adrian chuckled as he shook his head. “An even match indeed.” He blew her a kiss and headed into the bathroom.

[monstersandmaw]

kinda basic but a dragon shifter woman w scales and a tail and dragon eyes x vampire woman who fall in love, and nsfw if thats okay? the vampire is also queen of the vampire clan and the dragon is a cult escapee

also!! i forgot to add but the dragoness’s name is celant and the vampire queen’s name isviolet! thank you!! 

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

Hope you actually remember sending this ask in!! Sorry it’s taken me so long to do. This was for the 10 free thank you stories in honour of the blog hitting 1000 followers. I’ve got two more left now, and you can find others here. Those requests are now closed.

Vampire Queen x Female Dragon Shifter (nsfw)

Violet laystretched out under an endless canopy of stars above. Her eyes, the irises sosubtly different from humans’, picked out colours of the spectrum no one elsehad access to, and she savoured – craved– these rare nights alone on the plain.

As far as even hereyes could see, the grasses blew, wafting and shifting, hissing, whispering thesecrets of the land and bringing with them the scents of the night. A haremoved quietly with barely a rustle; a fox stalked it. An owl glided on silentwings, seeking mice, and far enough away to maintain his respectful distance,her most faithful servant and bodyguard stood watch over her.

She had learned tobe alone with Endon in a way that she could with no one else.

Everyone assumedthat she would one day wed Endon, but she had no interest in men. Theirrelationship was closer to brother and sister, though he was ever deferentialto his queen.

As she lay on herback, Endon’s horse stamped a hoof and snorted, and the warder patted themare’s black neck. “Easy, Orchid,” he murmured, his voice deep and quiet as thenight itself.

Violet knew shewould have to return to the castle, to her duties, to her empire of the night,but just a few moments longer was all she could hope for.

Endon’s headsnapped around, his attention fixed on something to the east, and his sword wasout of its scabbard in a heartbeat, and Violet sat up, fingers pressing intothe grass.

Someone was coming.

The way thefootfalls staggered told Violet and Endon that this person was exhausted, andas they both strained through the darkness, their vampire senses heighteningthe sounds and scents, they waited until a figure lurched into view in thedistance.

Violet could justmake out that there were two pinpricks of light following behind this figure,and as they drew into better sight, she gasped. A thick, scaled tail hungbehind her, and as she ran, she cried out, the desperate sound faint on thebreeze. It was an unearthly call, but Violet knew it for what it was. The powerin this woman’s blood sang to her.

She was a dragonshifter.

“Endon,” Violethissed. “Kill those priests.”

“My Queen,” hesaid, shifting through the night like the shadows to which their kind clung.

Violet herselfshifted, feeling the landscape slide by as she moved outside of time itself,faster than any eye could follow save one of their kind, and she drew to a halta short way away from the exhausted woman.

When she saw her,she cried out again and staggered to a halt. “Help me, please…” she sobbed,swaying.

Violet approachedher slowly, eying the talons on the ends of her scaled, lizard-like fingers,and then let her gaze sweep back up her feminine body to the elegant curve ofher neck and up to her eyes. Her eyes were as unusual as Violet’s own. Theywere golden, with a slit pupil, and a blazing red ring around the iris. Longblack hair tumbled loose down her back, thick, and wild from her flight.

Before she had achance to react, the dragon shifter slumped forwards, exhausted, into Violet’sarms.

The vampire caughther easily, and knelt down in the grass, easing her body down. Endon dispatchedthe dragon priests with almost amusing ease, and returned to her, sinking toone knee and bowing his head.

“It is done, YourMajesty.” He raised his head then, and looked at the unconscious woman. “Who isshe?”

“I don’t know,”Violet said, trailing her fingers around the strong jaw of the beautiful woman.“But I will see to it that she is taken care of. Look at these clothes,” shesaid, eyeing the ragged dress she wore, stained and filthy. “I will take careof you,” she crooned. “Come, let us return to the castle with her. Can you takeher on Orchid?”

He nodded and lifted the woman up in his arms. She stirredand he smiled at her, the gesture a rare sight on his stony face, and a sectionof his long, dark hair fell forwards, partly masking his ice-grey eyes. “Youare safe now,” he said. “I’m going to put you on my horse. Do you think you canride?”

She exhaled in despair. “I… I don’t know…”

“Hold on,” he said, placing her into the saddle as thoughshe were a child, though with her tail she was a little more cumbersome thanshe looked. Once she was settled, he swung up easily onto the great war horse,and looked down at his queen.

“I will run straight home, old friend,” she said with a wrysmile, shifting again and streaking across the landscape in a blur. She wasold, and powerful, and few could rival her for speed or strength, and she wasat the castle gates in mere minutes.

The guards on duty bowed their heads, not taking their eyesoff the horizon, and as she swept through the outer courtyard, she summoned thehousekeeper to her side.

The older woman, who happened to be leaving the keep throughanother exit at that moment, scurried over and bowed her head. “My Queen?”

“Endon will be arriving soon with a guest. She is weak andinjured, and is to be treated with the utmost care and respect. Have roomsprepared for her in which to recuperate.”

The woman nodded, and left.

Violet could only wait now. There was no way she was goingto start dealing with any of the other tasks she had yet to accomplish thatnight, and so when Endon’s horse cantered into the courtyard, hooves ringing onthe flagstones, she crossed to the window of her chambers and looked out.

The arrival of the dragon shifter certainly caused a stir inthe castle, but by the queen’s decree, no one entered her rooms without expresspermission from the queen or her warder. Endon, as Captain of the Queensguard,had the final say in all matters to do with security.

The dragon lay on the bed and as Violet sat with her, hereyelids fluttered open for the first time. Sunlight now beat against the closedshutters, but the room itself was dark, lit only by a few candles.

“Where am I?” she croaked, trying to sit up.

“Shh, be easy,” the queen murmured. “You’ve been throughquite the ordeal. Rest. Regain your strength, and then we will talk. My name isViolet.”

“Celant,” the dragon smiled before slipping intounconsciousness once more.

Over the course of a few weeks, Celant’s strength returnedto her, and in time she was able to rise and walk with Violet through thecastle. On the first occasion this happened, upon seeing servants and vampirenobles drop to their knees and murmur their respects at their approach, Celantturned to Violet and gasped, “You’re… You’re the Queen…?”

Violet reached out an elegant hand and touched Celant underher chin as she made to bow her head. “I am the queen,” she confirmed, “But Iwould not have you treat me as they do. Please, you are my friend. Have we notspent the last fortnight sitting on the same bed discussing things as two younggirls do?”

“Yes, but… I had no idea…”

“And what of you?” she said, as they began to move off.

“What do you mean?”

Violet turned and stared pointedly at Celant’s beautifultail and eyes, raising an eyebrow.

Celant sighed. “I have been a prisoner in that cult forlonger than I care to remember. They call themselves priests of the dragon, butthere is nothing sacred about what they do. Please, I would prefer not to speakof my time there.”

“Very well,” Violet said. “I will not ask again.”

“Thank you.”

“Come, I would show you the castle gardens. I plantednight-blooming jasmine last year, and I am told the first flowers are beginningto show.”

As they moved through the halls, however, Celant couldn’tmiss the way that the nobles looked at her. She shuffled uncomfortably asViolet engaged one nobleman in polite discussion and his wife licked her lipshungrily, not taking her glowing eyes off Celant’s neck.

When they moved away, Violet turned back to Celant andfrowned. She placed a hand on her arm. “What is it? What’s wrong? Are youunwell?”

“No,” she said. “Why… Why do they look at me like that?Surely they know of dragon shifters…?”

Violet sighed. “Your kind are most definitely known to us.Unfortunately, the blood of a dragon shifter is considered a rare and potentdelight among my kind. Please, forgive me. You are unmarked, and therefore theyare beginning to hope that you might be available to be claimed.”

“I don’t want to be claimed by anyone,” she fired back.

Violet smiled. “Nor shall you be,” she said. “But you willprobably have to be marked in some way to dissuade the others.”

“Marked…?” she asked, gaze drifting to Violet’s mouth, whereher permanently-elongated fangs rested behind beautiful lips.

“Come,” she said instead. “Come to the garden. We candiscuss it there.”

The jasmine was indeed beginning to bloom, and they satbeneath the fragrant branches of the little climbing plant, staring up at thesky in companionable silence.

“I’ve never had the luxury of friendship with anyone,”Violet said after a while.

“What about Endon?”

She smiled fondly. “He is very dear to me, but he is andalways will be my servant. Most trusted, but still, we can never be friends. Not like you and I arebecoming.”

Violet turned to Celant and took her hand in hers. Sheraised it and into it she placed a ring.

“This is my family’s signet ring,” she said. “With this onyour hand, everyone will know that you are not to be touched, as surely asthough you bore the mark of my mouth on your neck.”

Celant stared at it, her dragon’s eyes flaring in the darkas she gazed on the delicate yet worn engraving on the gold ring. Then sheturned back to Violet and said, “Your mark?”

Violet smiled, revealing her long canines. “I assumed youwouldn’t want that after your comment about being claimed…”

Celant closed her fingers thoughtfully around the ring inone palm, and raised her fingertips to her throat. Her claws were black andhard in the night and she raked them gently across the delicate skin of herneck. “I never imagined I would want to be marked by anyone,” she said. “Not after…well…”

Violet nodded but remained silent, letting this beautifulwoman speak.

“But in the weeks I’ve been here, in the time I’ve got toknow you,” she said, turning her burning eyes on Violet’s face, “I have come tothink that perhaps it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I were to allowsomeone to claim me.” The humour in her eyes danced like tiny flames, andViolet’s chest swelled.

“That person would have to allow themselves to be claimed byyou in return,” the queen said, her voice insistent.

Celant smiled. “Indeed.” She opened her hand and looked oncemore at the glinting ring which lay there. “I will wear this, but I would likeyou to mark me in your own way.”

“You would let me drink from you?” Violet asked, amazed,unable to hide the way her eyes flared with excitement.

“I would. And maybe I’ll show you that dragon shifters haveteeth as well, vampire…”

Violet laughed, the sound filling the courtyard like thesoft tinkling of glass bell. “Very well,” she said, raising her hand to theback of Celant’s neck and caressing the hair there between her fingers, makingthe woman shudder with pleasure.

Celant slipped the ring on to her little finger, and turnedher head to expose her neck. The scales which melted into smooth skin at herthroat posed little obstacle to Violet’s sharp teeth, and as she tilted herback slightly, lovingly, the vampire lowered her lips to Celant’s skin andkissed her.

Celant moaned, eyes closing, taloned claws rumpling theskirts of the dress she wore as her fingers clenched in pleasure.

Violet kissed her over and over, and then, when Celant’sarousal reached her nose, Violet opened her mouth wider, feeling the venom ofthe royal line surge, and sank her canines into Celant’s neck.

The blood that coursed through her was like nothing she hadever tasted. The effect of the venom on Celant was intoxicating too. Where inhumans a vampire’s venom would provoke arousal, here, amid the swirling scentof the jasmine, Celant slipped into a euphoria like Violet had never seen inanother.

She cried out, and the heady scent of her arousal bloomedaround them. The blood slipping over her tongue was sweet and full of the powerof the dragon inside Celant. Violet had to pull back before she made herselfblood-drunk on the taste of her, and as she withdrew, Celant moaned.

“We are alone,” Violet purred. “Would you like me to takecare of you?”

“Yes,” she breathed, chest heaving, hips squirming.

Violet raised her hand up the inside of her leg, pushingback her skirts, and Celant opened her legs. The vampire’s sharp teeth madequick work of her underwear, and in no time, Violet’s tongue was teasingCelant’s swollen clit in tantalising circles.

She lapped and licked at her wet folds, until Celant wasshaking and even growling the deep, sonorous sounds of the dragon she couldbecome. The queen traced the soft scales on her legs with her hands, all thewhile edging Celant closer to her climax, before slipping first one fingerinside her, and then a second.

As she crooked them, pulling back to tease her clit with herthumb, Celant cried out, long and loud, and bucked against her. She clenchedhard around Violet, growling and snarling as she came, torso contracting underthe force of her orgasm.

When she finally slumped, still twitching, back against thebench, Violet licked her tongue over Celant once more, tasting her and makingher whimper, before joining her back on the bench.

Panting hard, Celant cracked an eye open and hissed, “Ican’t believe I just had the queen of all vampires between my legs…”

“Perhaps I can be there again some time,” she smiled. “Irather liked being on my knees for someone for a change.”

___________________________

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[bforbookslut]

ARC Review: Starswept by Mary Fan

This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This review edition is an ARC and may differ from the final edition.

I have given Starswept by Mary Fan a ☆☆ rating. I also did not finish reading it. It belongs to the Young Adult Fantasy genre with some Science Fiction and Romance. Snowy Wings Publishing publishes it. It will be published August 29, 2017.

The blurb reads:

Some melodies reach across the stars.

In 2157, the Adryil—an advanced race of telepathic humanoids—contacted Earth. A century later, 15-year-old violist Iris Lei considers herself lucky to attend Papilio, a prestigious performing arts school powered by their technology. Born penniless, Iris’s one shot at a better life is to attract an Adryil patron. But only the best get hired, and competition is fierce.

A sudden encounter with an Adryil boy upends her world. Iris longs to learn about him and his faraway realm, but after the authorities arrest him for trespassing, the only evidence she has of his existence is the mysterious alien device he slipped to her.

When she starts hearing his voice in her head, she wonders if her world of backstabbing artists and pressure for perfection is driving her insane. Then, she discovers that her visions of him are real—by way of telepathy—and soon finds herself lost in the kind of impossible love she depicts in her music.

But even as their bond deepens, Iris realizes that he’s hiding something from her—and it’s dangerous. Her quest for answers leads her past her sheltered world to a strange planet lightyears away, where she uncovers secrets about Earth’s alien allies that shatter everything she knows.

Add to Goodreads

Verdict:

Starswept by Mary Fan is full of tropes with many of them of the grating, nails-on-chalkboard kind. Full disclosure: I did not finish it at 22% on Chapter 9. Clearly, this was trying out for a Defy the Stars vibe where the human falls in love with the girl but if you’re looking for that sort of story, please read Defy the Stars. It will blow your mind.

It’s a thing I’m trying out this year where I don’t finish reading books that don’t bring me any joy. It’s not a Marie Kondo thing, it’s just an Avery-trying-to-read thing. I wanted to love Starswept. The blurb was beautiful, I love science fiction, the protagonist is Asian and I was a musical kid. This was a perfect fit. But, it was tear your hair out in frustration boring. I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt and read till 50% at least, but there was just too much cringe and too many outdated clichés.

I will address these in order: insta-love, girl-on-girl hate, girls needing validation from boys. Also, my list of dislikes includes Iris being an unlikable character and slightly awful writing.

It is also very, very slow paced and if you can slough through the first half, then according to reviews on Goodreads, the second half is way better. But I ain’t got time for that. Make me love it, or not at all.

Perhaps the only high of Starswept is the setting of Papillo.

[may contain spoilers]

To break it down,

The Good:

1. Papillo was the only good thing about Starswept, in the short portion that I did read. The school’s system of ranking top scorers was something unique and really mirrored our current social media system where more comments and “praise” meant higher popularity and hence, higher ranking and a higher likelihood of scoring an Adryil patron. It reminded me a little about the system in Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series.

1.2 I also really liked how Starswept describes what happens to students who fail and don’t score a patron. There was also a great instance where Starswept showed how students could drop out of Papillo and why (although I think this had entirely no effect on the rest of the book except to reinforce Iris’ obsession with staying in school and getting hired).

The Bad:

1. The insta-love and forced romance between Iris and whatshisface alien dude is overdone and frankly, something that belongs in the romance novels of the old. It definitely has no place in a YA fantasy in 2017! It’s so fucking unrealistic and in the 22% that I did read, most of it was spent being enthralled with his otherworldliness and his stunning good looks. And oh, to make matters worse (or better, however you choose to look at it), he’s also madly in love with her. It’s barely half the book and he’s already praising her musical genius and her good looks. Like guys, you don’t know each other! That’s not how love works, you horny idiots.

2. Trope 2: Girl on girl hate. For fuck’s sake, it’s 2017, why are we still writing stuff like this? It just makes it okay to hate another girl for absolutely no reason. Iris’ relationship with Estelle is one of extreme rivalry. It doesn’t mention that Estelle hates Iris for anything other than wanting to steal her top spot as violist but it’s 2017, girls can be rivals without being snappy, catty or mean to one another. It’s not just Estelle. When Iris sees a bunch of ballerinas, she calls them: 

They’re beautiful on stage, but up close, their birdlike limbs, dainty heads, and lack of body fat make them seem not quite human. I’ve seen an actual alien, and he seemed less strange.

But since this is an ARC, let’s hope it gets removed in the final edition because it bears no relevance on the entire plot. Just one insecure and snippy girl’s observations (and kind of body shaming).

3. Trope 3: girls needing validation from boys. This is perhaps the worst violation of everything YA. It’s 2017 and the world has to realise that girls don’t actually think that we’re ugly. Yeah, we’re insecure some times but other times, we think we’re fucking stellar and we don’t need boys to tell us that. We get enough of it in mainstream media from One Direction songs to misogynistic and cleverly-hidden Ed Sheeran songs. SHE DON’T NEED NO BOY TO TELL HER SHE’S A FUCKING STAR MKAY

4. The Adryil whatshisface boy that she falls in love with can read minds. With no permission whatsoever. And he probably read her mind when she first met him. And that’s a disgusting invasion of privacy. But the book doesn’t make it a problem at all and is quickly brushed aside.

5. Iris is not a likable character but you can’t hate her either because she’s so bland. She’s got absolutely no spark in her, her one friend is an uber sexy very chic mega superstar male ballerina and the way she talks is so fucking naïve and childish. And to make matters worse, it’s written from first person, so, you can imagine having to listen to her stream of thoughts as well. If I knew an Iris (heh, I technically know an Iris but she’s nothing like this Iris), we would not be friends, we’d hardly speak. She seems to isolate herself on purpose. She claims that being born on campus gives her a stigma, but another (unimportant) character who was born on campus was just as stunning, talented and well-loved.

5.1 Iris basically thinks she’s a fucking special snowflake and WHY CAN’T EVERYONE SEE THAT

6. I didn’t care for the writing either. It was stiff and the descriptions can be confusing at times. The imagery is so obvious that it becomes cheesy. It’s like describing a movie or possibly writing a script where you don’t have to interpret anything, the visuals are right there described for you.

Conclusion:

Starswept by Mary Fan deserves a lot less than the two star rating that I gave it because it was full of tropes that didn’t belong in this century. But because Iris is Asian, I gave it one star and for the creativity of Papillo, I gave it a second star. The pacing is far too slow for my liking and there was nothing that made me want to really push through the mud. Once again, I didn’t finish Starswept so this is not an entirely accurate review.

[backtothestart02]

Fallen Star - Chapter 2

For anyone who doesn’t remember the general premise of the story...

S3 - Iris ignoring the threat of danger in pursuit of her stories drives Barry to his limit. Can the two acknowledge their stubborn streaks and forge a compromise? Or is their relationship not strong enough to resolve the tension rising between them?

This presumably takes place sometime after Barry and Iris have become a couple, ignoring any specific timeframe of end-of-the-world crossovers, moving in, or impending ILYs and first time sex spoilers that have been floating around (or a future where Iris’s death has been seen). It is inspired solely from the speculation of this type of struggle arising at some point, which was inspired in and of itself by Zack Stentz (a writer from the show, if anyone is unaware) vaguely alluding to it happening later in the season.

*Many thanks to my wonderful, patient, extremely helpful beta, @valeriemperez. She’s a lifesaver. <3

Christmas 2016.

They were supposed to be together this year.

Last year he’d been with Patty. The year before Iris had been with Eddie.

This year it was supposed to be them.

He’d waited all his life to be with Iris West. To be with her until they were both old and gray. To have it end just shy of their seven-month anniversary, and on Christmas Eve no less, felt like a cruel and unusual punishment.

But Barry had chosen it. He had chosen Iris’s safety over his panic and her happiness. Now he was going to spend Christmas alone.

“No, Joe,” he told him over the phone, not bothering to hide the weariness in his voice. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to come over this year.”

“It’s Christmas, Bear,” the older man insisted. “You guys can stop fighting for one evening, can’t you?”

“We’re not just fighting. We broke up.”

Silence hung in the air.

“Look, Joe, you and Iris didn’t speak for what - six months at least? Now, I don’t know, but I assume that means you didn’t spend Christmas together last year. You should have that chance.”

“Bear-”

“No, Joe.” He sighed. “I know you want both of us there and you want us to be happy, but…I really think this is the best way to do things for right now. You can always stop by later if you want to say hey. I’m sure Cisco will too.”

Joe’s shallow breathing could be heard, but that was it.

“Look, I gotta go…do stuff.” He didn’t know what. He’d planned to spend the whole morning being lazy and affectionate and generous with Iris. “I’ll talk to you later,” he said. “Merry Christmas.”

Joe still didn’t say anything, but Barry hung up anyway. It was getting too painful.

He tossed his phone to the side and looked up at the lit up Christmas tree that was only half-decorated with ornaments. (Iris had insisted he let her do those. “You can’t rush Christmas decorations!” she’d said & he’d let her be with a good-natured chuckle.)

He didn’t know if he’d even bother himself with finishing putting them on the tree. It’d feel like ignoring the fact that Iris was gone. Yet leaving it undone was a reminder of what had happened.

He and Iris were through.

…

 Laughter could be heard from down the hall. Two voices. A man and a woman’s. The woman’s definitely belonged to Iris, but Barry couldn’t make out who the man she was laughing with was. For some reason his need to know who it was overpowered any and all logic that tried to thwart him.

He tossed aside the light blanket onto the couch and started down the hall. The laughter ceased at some points, causing him to stall, but it always started up again; and with it, Barry’s unquenchable thirst to see what was so funny and what kind of man could make his girlfriend laugh like that.

Every step seemed to take him farther away from where they were. It was at that moment it dawned on him he might be dreaming.

He shook his head, pinched himself, tried to speed away – but couldn’t. Terror gripped him. He could feel sweat dripping down his neck. And right at that moment, the laughter turned unbearably loud and he was suddenly standing outside the room of its origin.

He pushed open the door that was cracked open and stepped inside. First, all he saw was an old record player. Relief washed over him briefly when it became clear that’s where the sound had been coming from. It also explained why it might have occasionally stopped. But only if someone had stopped it, or if it had been listened to so many times that it skipped.

But who would do that?

Barry lifted the tone arm up slightly and to the side, so the record would stop playing. There was silence for a moment, and he thought maybe he would get lucky enough to wake up.

But then another sound reached his ear from the opposite side of the room. He sensed movement and followed it with a turn.

There, suddenly before him, was a king-sized bed. And intertwined in each other beneath the sheets was Iris and her dearly departed, Eddie Thawne.

Barry caught his breath.

“I’m dreaming. I have to be dreaming.”

The vision of Iris before him caught his gaze and he couldn’t look away.

“Oh, but you’re not.”

She peeled back the silk sheet she’d been twisting beneath and walked toward him. Barry was aware of Eddie staring after her hungrily and felt a tide of nausea sweep over him.

“I am,” Barry repeated, as if it would help trying to convince the dream versions of Iris and Eddie to believe anything his subconscious didn’t want them to. “I’m, he’s—”

He started to look towards the bed, but Eddie was no longer there. His brows furrowed, wanting to find logic in the confusing scene before him, but then Iris’s hand was on his face, turning him gently to look at her.

“Kiss me, Barry,” she whispered.

Her voice was a siren’s song. It beckoned him and washed all reason from its shaky place in the mind of his dream world.

He hesitated a little, but when her hand curled around his neck, sifting through the hairs at the base of it, his lips descended on hers. He kissed her, urgently, passionately, desperately, and with tears because it wasn’t real yet he needed it. He needed one last kiss from Iris West.

Without warning, the pressure of her lips was gone. The feeling of her arms wrapped around his was gone. Her body flush up tightly against his was gone.

He opened his eyes and saw her near the head of the bed. Eddie was back under the covers again, waiting for Iris to return to him.

“Iris?” Barry breathed.

She put her hand in Eddie’s and set one knee on the edge of the bed.

“You ended things, Barry. You did this.”

Barry swallowed hard and watched as the love of his life crawled into bed with her former lover. He watched as she kissed him and wrapped herself around him.

“Eddie’s dead,” he managed, though he could barely force the word out. “This isn’t real.”

Iris broke away from the kiss and turned to look at him over her shoulder.

“He’s just a stand-in,” she said simply with a shrug.

Before the words left her mouth the vision of Eddie turned to Cisco. Barry coughed and tears welled in his eyes.

“Cisco?” he asked incredulously. He could hardly breathe.

The vision changed again, this time to Julian.

“Julian?” Barry’s eyes widened, horrified as Iris stroked Julian’s hair. He saw her dip her hand beneath the sheets and golower. The look of ecstasy on Julian’s face was enough to tell him what was happening.

“No.” Barry shut his eyes tightly and turned away from the scene. “No, no, no. This isn’t real. Cisco wouldn’t do that to me. Julian has a girlfriend. And he wouldn’t be that petty. I don’t think. I don’t know. You wouldn’t. I-”

Her presence appeared before him again, making his eyes flash open.

“Wouldn’t I? You asked for this when you broke up with me, when you had no objection to seeing me move on with someone else. It may not be your best friend or your nemesis, but there are plenty of fish in the sea. I will scoop up one of them.”

He felt the air being sucked from his lungs at that statement, but before he could respond she faded away again. He turned around and found the room empty and cold. No Iris, no Eddie, no Cisco, no bed, no sheets, no record player, no record. Just emptiness.

Then he woke up.

Barry blinked and looked around the room, looked down his body and found the light blanket still laying haphazardly over his too long frame. He saw the Christmas tree half-decorated, only the colored strand of lights completed because Iris was too tall to reach to the top of the tree, so she insisted he should do it right away.

Still hazy, Barry heard a sharp rap of knocks at the door, which startled him so much that he fell onto the floor.

“Barry?” came Cisco’s voice from behind the wooden door. A chill settled in his gut as the vision from his dream flashed before him. Another set of knocks jolted him back into reality. “Barry Allen, open this door.” A pause. “I know you’re in there.”

With a sigh and a groan, Barry managed to get to his feet and fling open the door, repeating the mantra to himself that Cisco would never betray him by dating Iris.

A disgruntled, disappointed, impatient Cisco stood before him. Much to Barry’s relief, he was alone.

Without asking permission, Cisco marched past his best friend, stopped at the Christmas tree and was turned around with one eyebrow raised by the time Barry had closed the door and returned to him.

“This tree looks pathetic, Allen.”

Barry searched for explanations, both truthful and otherwise. Iris was going to finish it. Iris wanted to wait. I was going to get around to it. I was working on it right before you got here. I was… I was… She was… She was… But none of them reached his lips.

Cisco slumped in on himself before Barry had come up with something believable to say or registered anything outside of his own present miserable state of mind.

“Joe told me what happened,” he said gently.

Barry blinked and looked up at him.

“Joe told you?” he asked, confused.

“Yeah, at the party you didn’t show up to. It would’ve been nice if you had told me, of course. You know, me, your best friend, the guy you tell everything to? I did not really appreciate being so blindsided that I—”

“The party…” Barry’s eyebrows furrowed, not hearing the rest. “The party…”

“The annual West Christmas party? The one you told Joe you were refusing to go to because things would be too awkward with you and Iris in the same room?” Cisco expounded, exasperated.

Barry ran a hand through his hair, landing on the back of his head, his mind spinning.

How long had he been asleep?

He dug through the couch cushions, found his phone, and gaped at the time blinking back at him.

9:45 p.m.

“Jesus,” he muttered under his breath.

“Yeah, I’m sure he’s not overly thrilled you missed the party either,” Cisco snickered with arms folded across his chest.

Barry spun around and looked at his best friend, at a loss for words again.

“Was anyone trying to get a hold of me?”

Cisco raised his eyebrows. “Check your phone.”

Barry did. Three missed calls. Five texts. Two missed calls. One from Iris.

A lump formed in his throat, one he couldn’t get rid of.

“Don’t-” Cisco warned when Barry’s finger hovered over the delete button for Iris’s message.

Barry turned to look at him, eyes alight with surprise.

“Don’t what?”

Cisco scoffed and closed the distance between them.

“You know what. You were going to delete Iris’s message without even listening to it.”

Barry swallowed and looked back at the phone, his finger still frozen in mid-air above it.

“It’s probably angry,” he explained. “Or she’s crying. Or she’s numb and neutral and hating me. That might be the worst.”

“Or she might want to pick up some of her stuff,” Cisco suggested.

“On Christmas?” Barry asked.

Cisco shrugged. “Why not? You ditched the one event you’ve been to without fail since you were eleven. She’s allowed some petty revenge too.”

Barry’s brows narrowed. “It wasn’t petty revenge. Joe and Iris were at odds last year. They didn’t get Christmas. I was trying to give it to them without having the big elephant in the room staring at them.”

“Got news for you, bro.” He reached up and put a hand on Barry’s shoulder. “Christmas isn’t Christmas for them unless you’re there.”

Barry shook him off and started to pace.

“It would’ve only made Iris more upset. I don’t want that.”

“You didn’t seem to have a problem making her upset by breaking up with her.”

Barry turned around suddenly, his eyes wide with understanding.

“You’re here on Iris’s behalf. To yell at me.”

“Someone has to. Caitlin’s not going to. She’s too forgiving and understanding. And you’re like a son to Joe. There’s no way he would.”

“And Wally’s not qualified?” he pushed. “As her brother, I would think he’d feel more justified than you would.”

“Because I’m your best friend and not hers?” he asked icily.

“Because he’s her brother,” Barry spat, then sighed, annoyed at how the conversation had escalated and in what direction. “Look, I don’t know what you expect me to do. I’m already suffering enough.” He didn’t tell him about the dream; didn’t want that to become any more real.

“Unbreak-up with her!” Cisco said. “Then we can all go back to the way things were. I guarantee you if you grovel and make some promises that you mean to follow through on, Iris will come running back into your arms.”

“But I wouldn’t mean them, Cisco.”

Cisco slumped in on himself.

“I thought you loved her, Barry.”

“I do.”

“More than anyone. Enough to get past all this.”

Barry didn’t respond to that.

Cisco sighed and headed for the door, evidently concluding that nothing he could say would change Barry’s mind.

“Do me one favor,” he said just before leaving.

Warily, Barry turned to face him, only barely managing to make eye contact.

“What?”

“Finish decorating your damn Christmas tree.”

Half-hearted smiles appeared on both of their faces, but they were gone only seconds later. So was Cisco. So was any other social interaction Barry would have for the rest of the night.

Barry turned to look at the Christmas tree, glittering with lights, star-less, adorned with only half the intended ornaments. He shook his head, tears filling his eyes.

“Merry Christmas, Iris,” he whispered.

Then he took down the decorations.

In a flash.

*Also available on AO3 & FFnet.