#It might not even have to be brood parasitism. It could be just that he finds their nest or something.

[vixstarria]

Another gift

This is a continuation of my headcanon of Astarion’s romance with bard Tav. I can’t remember the actual chronology of cutscenes, but let’s assume this takes place after you’ve started a sexual relationship with Astarion and are beginning to grow closer. I was going to take it in a different direction initially, but these things have a mind of their own once they get going. 

If you like it, check out my first fic. I do plan on writing more! 

P.S. I may have taken some liberties with the game background story and DnD lore and magic system here – if it doesn’t really match up or make sense – sorry! Also I’m still only on Act 2. 

Tav tries to comfort or distract a brooding Astarion. 

Astarion x Reader, Astarion x Tav, Astarion x Bard Tav  

Comfort, fluff, budding love, humour, angst, banter, no spoilers, non-explicit 

Approximately 2,000 words. 

AO3

 

Astarion was standing outside his tent with his back to the camp, staring into a silver mirror. The man had either lost his vampiric condition, lost his mind, or was simply brooding.  

“Looking at something?” he asked absent-mindedly, as you approached. 

Brooding. Definitely brooding.  

“Looking for something.” 

“Oh?” He turned towards you. “Just my company, or is there something else I can offer you?” 

“I'm the one making an offering, actually. I thought I’d bring you a little snack” 

Astarion grinned and beckoned you inside his tent.  

Inside, aside from his bedroll, was a trunk with a large mirror opposite, a lit lantern and a scattering of weapons, equipment and books. You assumed your usual position, cross-legged on the bedroll, and offered him your wrist. This didn’t take long. Just a little pick me up.  

He finished, planting a light kiss on your wrist, reached for his amulet and whispered an incantation to heal the wound. He kept hold of your hand, lacing his fingers through yours.  

“Do you have any idea how much I appreciate that you don’t sexualise this?”  

“I haven’t thought about it... Really?” 

“Well imagine that any time you went to, say, take a bite of a turkey leg, there was someone staring, groping themselves and wagging their tongue at you. When you’re just trying to perform basic functions to stay alive.” 

“Sweetheart, that’s an average evening at the pub for me, when I perform. With or without me biting on anything. ...But I see what you mean”. You contemplated what he just said in a brief silence. “I can't believe you just compared me to a turkey leg.” 

“You’re more of a ripe, juicy peach” he said. You found yourself oddly pleased to be compared to fruit rather than poultry. 

You glanced at the large mirror standing on the floor of the tent.  

“You own an awful lot of mirrors for a vampire. Why do you even keep this here?” 

“That? Oh, it reflects light... makes the tent appear more spacious... prevents anyone from sneaking up on me. ...Unless they’re another vampire.” Astarion said contemplatively. “And I figured, I woke up once with a tadpole in my brain that let me walk in the sun again – who's to say I won’t catch another parasite tomorrow that might cure my vampirism entirely?” 

“Do you miss it? Seeing your own face?” 

“Preening in the looking glass? Petty vanity? Of course I miss it. I’ve never even seen this face. Not since it grew fangs and my eyes turned red. My face is just some dark shape in my past. Another thing I’ve lost. I wouldn’t even recognise myself anymore. It’s been two hundred years.” 

“But...” you fumbled, trying to wrap your mind around that. “You could have found a street artist to sketch you since then.” 

“In the middle of the night?” 

“Or commissioned a portraitist, those artistic types would accommodate you any time of day or night” 

“Commissioned a - …I’m sorry, at what point did I give you the impression that Cazador paid us an allowance..?” Astarion was growing agitated. “And before you say I could have stolen – remember, everything I had, anything I acquired by any means, the clothes on my back, my body, my will – it all belonged to the master.” He paused, regaining control of his demeanour. “There was no point in having any possessions, it would all be the bastard’s in the end. I didn’t want to give him any more than I absolutely had to.” 

You kicked yourself in the ass mentally.  

“Well how’s this... We get to Baldur’s Gale. We exterminate Cazador and take over his palace. Then we rip out whatever he’s got as décor, commission all the best artists, and hang paintings of you on every wall. There will be nothing but portraits of Astarion everywhere.” Astarion’s eyes softened as he watched you gesticulating and getting carried away by your own imagination. “Astarion in shining armour. Astarion on a horse. Astarion on silk bedsheets, half-covered in rose petals. Pirate Astarion. Astarion stroking a cat. Historic events, but every single person depicted is Astarion. Oh! And in the main banquet hall, there will be an enormous mural of you, fully naked, lounging on a divan and being fed grapes by a cadre of nymphs.” 

“With a fig leaf covering my unmentionables?” 

“A comically large fig leaf. Or better yet, no fig leaf, just your full unmentionable glory looming over the dining table” You paused, as if sobering up after being lost in your grand vision, and added in a more serious tone: “We can commission busts and statues, too. Get a mold of your face for a hyper-realistic one.” 

“We” he whispered, as if to himself, with a scornful chuckle.  

“Oh? Do you have someone else in Baldur’s Gate you’d rather spend time with?” You realised how callous that might have come across as soon as the words were out, and cringed inwardly. 

“...No, I don’t” he said absently. 

“Elves live long lives... Do you still have real family there? Friends from... before? ...A spouse? Children?” You'd wondered about this before, and figured you may as well lie in the hole you’d dug for yourself.  

“Gods, no!” Astarion blinked in surprise. “I wasn’t even considered a full adult by elven society then. No, mercifully I didn’t leave any little Astarions behind. All my friends from my youth are either dead or have blissfully forgotten me. And I don’t even know where my family is.” 

You gave him a sympathetic and questioning look, waiting for him to go on. He sighed and continued. 

“As you might expect, Cazador placed a restriction on me, preventing me from telling anyone about my affliction. I couldn’t approach my old acquaintances and go ‘Surprise! I’m actually alive! ...Sort of. I’m just someone’s vampire spawn slave now!’. No. I was to turn around and walk the other way if I ever came upon anyone who might recognise me. I was supposed to be devoted only to my new ‘family’.” he scowled. “I feared that Cazador would use anyone he thought might be important to me against me - for fun, or to teach me a ‘lesson’. And he would have, too: the mental torture he unleashed on his spawn was far worse than physical.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I couldn’t go and see my family, but as soon as I had my wits about me, I managed to arrange for one of the mercenary guilds to quickly escort my relatives out of the city. They were to be told that I made some powerful enemies who had me murdered, and that these enemies would come for them next. That they had to leave, change their names, and never return. I don’t know where they went. I can’t know, if I want them to be safe.” He looked away. “I can’t imagine how much they hated and cursed me. I ruined their lives.” he whispered. 

“You saved them!” you objected, taking his hand. He shrugged but squeezed your hand back. 

“I suppose I might have. Cazador would’ve left their heads on spikes in my crypt by now, otherwise.” He met your eyes again. “So yes, if anyone is going to be helping me decorate a palace, it’s you.” he added with a false cheer, clearly finished with the topic of Cazador.  

You thought he might want to be alone then and were about to leave, but he gently pulled you towards himself. He was sitting on the ground with his back against a trunk. You settled between his legs, your back against his chest, his lips right at your ear, one arm across your shoulders and chest, the other playing with your hair. The large mirror was on the ground right in front of you. He studied your reflection over your shoulder. You appeared to be lounging suspended at an odd angle.  

“How does it even work, anyway... It’s not just your body that disappears, it’s your clothing, too”. You grabbed a hat from the top of the trunk, holding it by its crown, and held it over Astarion’s head, moving it in circles against his hair. “Now you see it...” You let go and watched it disappear in the reflection. “Now you don’t.” 

“I’m actually not sure, darling. Maybe it needs to be supported solely by me. Or it’s got to do with movement” He threw the hat back onto the trunk, where it reappeared in the reflection. 

“Say...” threw your head back to look up into his eyes “Do you think my reflection would disappear... if a part of you was inside?” you bit your lip and grinned mischievously.  

“I don’t think so, but I love how that dirty mind of yours works” he purred in your ear. “Let’s check and find out” His hand slid towards the clasp of your pants, but you swatted it away. 

“Later.” Suddenly you were on a mission. “I have an idea.” 

The rest of your group were gathered around the fire as you made a dash for your tent and grabbed your kit of stage paints and powders.

“Chk, are you doing each other’s makeup in there?” came a scoff from Lae’zel, as you rushed past. 

“Don’t be jealous, Lae. We’ll have a girls night and braid each other’s hair tomorrow” you retorted, making Shadowheart choke on her drink.  

Back in Astarion’s tent, you reached for one of your loose facial powders. 

“You really don’t need to do anything, I’m used to it and nothing will work anyway” protested a confused and weary Astarion. 

“Astarion!” you said gravely, “This isn’t for you. This is for science”, and you blew the powder hard into his face. Sure enough, an outline of his features appeared briefly in the mirror, as the powder flew all around him. “It worked!” 

“Fan-tastic! Too bad you had to blind me to achieve that split second of a silhouette!” he coughed and rubbed at his eyes. 

“It should work with water, too, if you want me to pour some over your head. You need to wash all that powder off anyway, you look ridiculous.”  

He glared at you through the still flying powder particles and pointed a finger at your face.  

“No.” 

“Actually, hang on, I have a better idea.” You heard him groan into his hands behind you, as you ran back to your tent, to return with an amulet.  

“So, the good news is, I am really, really bad at this.” 

“If this involves setting me on fire again...” 

“That was an accident. Anyway... No, this lets me create a fog cloud. Or so it should. I can just barely manage some fog tendrils. Now if I just aim them at your face...” You concentrated on the spell. Whisps of fog appeared around Astarion. “Look...” As the fog tendrils twisted in the air, you could just make out a form that they floated around, in the reflection, one unmistakably of a face.  

“Well...” breathed Astarion, transfixed by the reflection, trying to make motions with his head to make the fog recoil. “It’s not much, but it’s more than I’ve seen in centuries” 

“Come on” you grasped his hand. “Let’s go outside, it needs a different light and a slight breeze” 

Astarion snatched his handheld mirror and followed you. He was actually eager.  

Outside, Astarion spun in the whispy fog, gazing at the mirror in disbelief, as you continued to concentrate on the spell. It was actually working. Your conjuration magic was just bad enough to make the thinnest layer of fog, framing his face like a delicate mask and reflecting in the mirror. What would have been considered incredibly precise work by a wizard, was made possible entirely thanks to you borderline failing.  

“That’s better... I’ll channel the fog right, you turn left against it. No, your other left! No, don’t go into the fire, you idiot, it won’t be my fault this time” 

You grabbed Astarion by the hand and tried to guide him away from fire and anything he could trip over – he was paying exactly zero mind to anything around him, as he semi-stumbled in circles, looking in the mirror. Scratch ran around you, barking, excited for a new game, and eventually tripped you both. 

“Another gift...” Astarion smiled at you, as Scratch did his utmost to lick his face.  

Meanwhile, the group watched the two of you from a distance, dumbfounded. Lae'zel broke the silence: 

“Your people have the strangest mating rituals.”  

“Should I... should I tell them I can probably just cast mirror image on him? I’ve only done it on myself, but it should follow the same principle” added Gale. 

“Maybe tomorrow” said Shadowheart. “Just let them enjoy this tonight.” 

~~~~~

Next in series

AO3

[cheedonanddragonhorse]

Hehe. We need more harpy stuff. And yah brood parasitism is the scientific sort of term for it yeah.

Yah. Smaller species tend to grow up fast. Still doesn't mean Black Star will ever be as big as the rest of chaos's brood. It's got to be such an awkward little growth thing for the others to watch. Whether it's his "siblings" confused how their brother got so big and then small again. Or just a companion of chaos watching this from the side. And yeah it's probably more so that chaos is gigantic. Black Star might have been lucky if it wasn't for a chaos's traits.

I love how Chaos is just seeing a baby trying to do too adult things. And so despite trying to give them the same sort of agency you would give a child. Blackstar needs neither and is probably pissed off.

And yeah I usually the parasite baby is supposed to take the parents attention. And when he was younger it was definitely in his instinct to sort of shove the others out of the way. But now that he's an adult, this is just overbearing. And while he will definitely take when hungry, He will push when he's too full. He's not the runt, He's just different!

(Of course Black Star probably himself doesn't really understand why his instincts are different. It's just obvious to him at this point that he's different and definitely not whatever chaos is.)

I had a dream last night about a kind of cuckoo bird situation with Black Star.

Harpy Chaos didn't question why one of the eggs looked different, all of them were his babies. It didn't matter that Black Star looked nothing like his siblings when they hatched.

Black Star's species matured faster than Chaos', so Black Star was ready to leave the nest way earlier than the other babies. Though he never made it far before he got herded back to the nest by Chaos. It didn't matter how ready Black Star felt, according to Chaos' timeline he was too young to strike out on his own. Though he was given space to explore and hunt for himself, Chaos would always be close by to bring him back to the nest before dark.

Ohh. So this is like a harpies situation? And Black Star is some sort of harpy species that engages in brood parasitism? Interesting idea and dream! I could definitely see it happening. Black Star is trying to follow his instincts to leave and he can't because of the particular nest he was put in.

Black Star is sort of mental and physical maturity will probably clash with chaos quite a bit. Always leading with Black Star trying to get far enough before Chaos catches up and says no. Given how big chaos is I'm assuming Black Star would be rather small. Meaning that he can't do much to get away anyways.

It's a silly idea. I haven't played with harpies in a while. Maybe I should.

[dateamonster]

My vampire ex-boyfriend is stalking me. This is not an unusual occurrence. Even when we were still dating he was always doing this, he just used to be more obvious about it because if I called him out he already had a line locked and loaded about how he was only looking out for me. And sure, I'll admit that I've had more than the average number of near-death experiences for a seventeen year old, but at the risk of rehashing old arguments, a lot of that could've been avoided if he'd just turned me the first time I asked.

I've broken things off with my vampire ex-boyfriend a couple times before, usually for about the same reasons, but this time it's different. I think he's noticed it too. I'm not grieving anymore, not holing myself up in my room listening to sad music watching every gray day pass me by. I've talked to my friends, then to my dad, and they're on my side. My dad took a little longer to come around, but it helped that his best friend's son went through the same thing. It's good to have people around who want to support me, not just protect me.

My vampire ex-boyfriend didn't want me to be a vampire like him. He didn't want me to have sex, with him or anyone else. He didn't want me to go out with my friends without him there, but he also didn't want to come along. He didn't want me to go out after dark. He didn't want me to cut my hair. But he liked me, he really liked me. He liked that I didn't ever show much skin even in the summer. He liked that I didn't have any real hobbies or passions so that he could be the one to introduce me to music and fine art and literature. He liked that I kept my innermost thoughts so buried that they were a secret even to me.

I don't know for sure if I want to be a vampire anymore. I think I might, or at the very least I want to keep my options open, but it doesn't feel as urgent now that I know there are other ways to change myself. I used to think I needed it to be close to him. He was so beautiful, is so beautiful. My vampire ex-boyfriend, with his serious, brooding stare and his model chin and his body carved from the center of a pale diamond, his chiseled angles sharp enough to cut with just a glance. And then me beside him, with my long mousy hair and my fragile frame hidden beneath overlarge shirts and jeans when even a knee-length skirt made me feel too exposed. For all his sanguineous habits, I was the parasite, and he was the genuine article, and maybe that's why it hurt so much to have him reject me again and again. All I ever wanted was to burrow into his colorless skin, to feel what it was like to be strong and unyielding. My vampire ex-boyfriend hated his perfect body. He waxed poetic about my warmth, my softness. Maybe we were more alike than I thought in the end.

I load my old pickup truck full of lumber and nails and feel pleased by how much easier it is now that I've started to put on a little muscle. Working with my hands makes me feel more grounded in my body, so dad's enlisted my help in some of his DIY projects around the house. My collection of bandages is growing, from splinters and slips and the occasional dropped hammer, but my coordination grows a fraction less abysmal each day, and if I spill blood there's no one there to wince and whine about it.

I put a lock on my bedroom window. I pin photographs to my wall documenting my changes from month to month. Dad shows me how to shave without cutting myself, despite my insistence that if I could figure out my legs I can figure out my face. I smile more days than I don't. I still turn my head in the same direction when I hear a loud crack from beyond the treeline that's not quite thunder. I still visit his family, when he's not around. In another life I know his parents would've treated me like one of their own.

Just as I'm climbing into the driver's seat I hear a voice from the shadows, whispering the name of a stranger. I drive away. I've got no more interest in raising the dead.

[maelstroms-blog]

A relaxing day at the park brings out some intrusive thoughts for a certain Dream king

Tw:intrusive thoughts, low self esteem

The park was busy, as usual, because of the sunny weather or the fact that it was school holidays, whatever the reason, the place was packed. Hob walked along, nodding at everyone he passed. It had been a long day, so many conferences, so many essay consultations, but his exhaustion didn't matter. Not when he spotted Dream.

It was hard to miss him, he stuck out like a sore thumb. He was sitting on his usual bench, shoulders hunched under his usual black coat, despite the sunny weather. He was like a splotch of ink that spilled on an acrylic painting. Surrounding Dream was a crowd of birds, waiting for the golden baguette in his hands. The entire bird population of London must gave gathered to him.

Hob smiled at the sight, especially when one brave bird hopped onto Dream's knee, it pecked happily at the offered handful. A tiny smile appeared on the dream king's face. Had Hob still been mortal, the scene alone would have killed him. Hob cautiously approached, clearing his throat so as not to startle his friend, or his captive audience. Dream didn't even look up,

'Greetings, Hob Gadling,' he tossed another handful of crumbs, 'You are late.'

'By five minutes,' Hob rolled his eyes. Over the cooing of birds, the screeching laughter of children washed over them.

The Dream King's eyebrow twitched.

'I would not like to spend any more time thsn i have to in the Waking,'

'Not even for little old me?'

Dream finally looked at him, his icy blue eyes shining,

'No.'

Hob, taking a page from his lover's book, pouted. He blinked his big, brown eyes, Dream looked back, his own pout stronger. Hob leaned in close, still pouting, Dream didnt even blink. Without warning, Hob planted a kiss onto Dream's cold cheek. His reward was a startled gasp and the subtle flush of alabaster cheeks.

'You scoundrel.'

Hob grinned, 'I've been called worse.'

At that, Dream finally smiled. If Hob hadn't been sitting right next to him, he would have missed it. He stole another kiss, basking in their closeness, even if it was just for a moment.

The pair chatted for a while, pausing so Dream could coo a question to his avian audience. Then, something caught Hob's eyes something colourful and loud.

'Ice cream van!' Hob declared, his excitement raised an eyebrow,

'Why is that cause for celebration?'

'Because, my broody lover, it's ice cream!'

And with that, he was off, getting in line with the other kids.

Dream couldn't stop himself from smiling, watching Hob bounce from foot to foot.

He didn't deserve Hob. He truly didn't understand what Hob saw in him. The intrusive thought settled heavy in his mind like a parasite.

Why was Hob with him?

What did he have to offer someone so happy and full of life?

Look at them, they were here on a date, in the date, on a gloriously sunny day, surrounded by life and laughter, the two things that fueled Hob Gadling, and here he was, choosing to spend time with Dream. The most miserable of the Endless, as Desire eloquently put it, Despair even agreed with them.

Dream sighed, feeling the oh so familiar tensing of his shoulders. The birds cooed, trying to remind their king of their hunger. His fingers tore at the bread but he was no longer paying attention.

He was sinking, it was a familiar feeling. Sinking down into the dark whirlpool that was his mind. It brought the familiar lurch in his stomach, the pain that made him want to curl up and retreat to the Dreaming.

He would have, he was about to, then, his warmth returned. The bumping of shoulders doing little to ground him.

'Hey, love,' Hob chirped, he brandished a cone,

'I thought you might like strawberry.'

Silence.

'Now, I know what you're going to say, "Hob Gadling, this is unnecessary, I do not require sustenance," I know, but you haven't tried strawberry ice cream.'

Dream still didn't look up, Hob, realising that this wasn't his usual brooding silence, instantly dropped his good humour.

'Dream, is something wrong?' He reached out but both hands were occupied with ice cream cones, instead, he settled for gently bumping heads with Dream.

'Love, please, did I do something wrong?'

Dream's head shot up,

'No, never,'

Hob waited, Dream sighed,

'Why...?' He searched for the right words,

'Why do you choose to be with me?'

Obviously raised his eyebrows, whatever he had been expecting, it hadn't been that.

'Well, that should be obvious,'

Dream blinked,

'Because I love you.'

Usually, that would be enough to get a smile from his lover, instead, it just brought out another sigh.

'But why?'

Hob leaned forward,

'What brought this on? I was only gone for a few minutes.'

He handed Dream his ice cream, now using his free hand to cup his face,

'Look at me, Dream.'

He did, his blue eyes filled with so much emotion Hob thought he might drown.

'I love you, I've loved you ever since that day you walked into the tavern, you were all I could think about. You were, and still are, so elegant and mysterious, I didn't think I'd have a chance.'

Dream opened his mouth,

'Ah, ah, no self-deprecation, I forbid it.'

'I love you, Dream, I love everything about you. Your fathomless eyes that reflect the night sky, your rosebud mouth that whispers sweet nothings and that messy bedhead that annihilates any comb,' he emphasised his point with a peppering of kisses to his raven hair.

Dream couldn't stop himself from leaning into his touch. Hob continued,

'And it isn't just your looks, don't worry about that. You're also sweet, sensitive, so sensitive, and soft.'

Dream blinked, 'Soft?'

Hob gestured to the well fed birds, 'Soft,' he wrapped his arm around Dream's slender shoulders,

'That's just a few reasons why I love you, I would love to list more but my ice cream is turning into soup.'

He quickly ran his tongue along his cone, trying to salvage his sweet treat, leaving Dream to stare.

'I do not deserve you, Hob Gadling.'

'Ah, ah, what did I tell you about self-deprecation'

'Very well, you are too good to me.'

Hob frowned, but at slight smirk of Dream's lips, he let out a chuckle,

'I hope my words got through to you, prince of Stories.'

Dream looked down at his ice cream, idly watching it drip down his arm.

'Thank you, Hob.'

'You don't have to thank me, love,' he leaned over and kissed Dream fully on the lips, cementing the words in the latter's mind.

'Now, hurry and eat your ice cream, I want to see your reaction.'

Dream rolled his eyes but complied, tentatively licking the bright pink liquid. Sweet strawberry exploded on his tongue, it was better than any dessert the Dreaming could produce. He must have made a sound of pleasure due to Hob's sudden exclamation.

'Oh lord,'

Dream turned to find him clutching his chest and holding his phone, recording to Dream's annoyance.

'That was the cutest thing I have ever seen, you eat like a kitten,' Hob grinned.

Dream merely rolled his eyes again, he licked again at the ice cream,

'So? I take it I made the right choice?'

Dream looked at him, grabbing his sticky hand,

'You did.'

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this week (#169):

3 by forgotten [re-discovered?] Turkish director, Metin Erksan:

🍿  Dry Summer, a mesmerizing 1964 Turkish masterpiece I never heard of before. It tells of a greedy peasant who refuses to share the water on his field with his neighbors, as well as his scheme to steal his younger brother's new bride. (Photo Above). A rustic tragedy featuring one of the most insidious screen villains ever. Highly recommended. 9/10.

It was championed and restored by Martin Scorsese's 'World Cinema Project'. (I'm going to start chewing through their list of preserved classics from around the world.)

🍿 Time to love (1965) is a fetishistic, probably-symbolic, melodrama about a poor house painter who falls in love with a wall portrait of a woman, but who can't or won't love the real person. Lots of brooding while heavy rains keep pouring down, and traditional oud music drones on. Strikingly beautiful black and white cinematography elevates this strange soap opera into something that Antonioni could have shot.

🍿 "May Allah's mercy be upon her! May Allah's mercy be upon her! May Allah's mercy be upon her!"

In 1974 Erksan directed the cheesy Seytan ("Satan"), a plagiarized, unauthorized Turkish rip-off of 'The Exorcist'. It was a schlocky, nearly a shot-by-shot copy, and included the blood spurting, head spinning, cursing, stairs, a young actress that looked strikingly like Linda Blair, and even extensive use of Mike Oldfield's 'Tubular Bells'. But it eliminated the Catholic element and had none of the superb decisions of the William Friedkin's version. 1/10.

🍿  

Agnès Varda's deceivingly blissful drama, Le Bonheur. Exquisite, subversive and beautifully simple, about an uncomplicated man who's completely happy with his idyllic life, his loving wife and two little children. But one summer day he takes on an attractive mistress, while still feeling uncommonly fulfilled and undisturbed. Varda lets the Mozart woodwind score do all the heavy interpretive lifting of this disturbing feminist take of the bourgeoisie. Just WOW! 8/10.

At this point, I should just complete my explorations of Varda's oeuvre, and see the rest of her movies. Also, I'm going to take a deep dive one day into the many terrific movies from 1965 (besides the many I've already seen, 'Red Beard', 'Simon of the desert', 'Repulsion', 'The spy who came in from the cold', 'Juliet of the spirit', 'Pierrot the fool'...).

/ Female Director

🍿

2 by amazing Bulgarian director Milko Lazarov:

🍿 Ága, my first Bulgarian film, but it plays somewhere in Yakutsk, south of the Russian arctic circle. An isolated old Inuit couple lives alone in a yurt on the tundra. Slow and spiritual, their lives unfold in the most unobtrusive way, it feels like a documentary. But the simplicity is deceiving, this is film-making of the highest grade, and once Mahler 5th was introduced on a small transistor radio, it's transcendental. The emptiness touched me deeply.

Together with 93 other movies, this was submitted by Bulgaria to the 2019 Oscars (the one won by 'Parasite'). How little we know; If selected, we might have all be talking about it. Absolutely phenomenal! The trailer represents the movie well. 10/10

(It also reminded me very much of the Bolivian drama 'Utama' from 2022, another moving story of an elderly Indian couple living alone in the desert, tending to their small flock of llamas.)

🍿 Milko Lazarov made only one earlier film, the minimalist Alienation in 2013. It tells of Yorgos, a middle age Greek man, (impassively played by the father from 'Dogtooth'), who crosses the border to Bulgaria to buy a newborn baby. But it's not as bad as it sounds, because he's actually helping the impoverished surrogate mother (who looks like young Tilda Swinton) who can't effort to keep him. Another stark and snail-like drama about quiet people who barely speak, told with the masterful language of a true poet. Like 'Ága', it too opens with a stunning close up of a lengthy incantation in an unfamiliar language. I wish he made more movies. 8/10.

🍿  

2 more arctic dramas:

🍿 The original movie about indigenous Inuks, Nanook of the North, from 1922, was the first feature-length documentary to achieve commercial success. An engaging slice of life of an Inuit family, even if some of the scenes were staged. 💯 score on Rotten Tomatoes.

🍿 "Many of the scientists involved with climate change agree: The end of human life on this planet is assured."

Another fascinating Werner Herzog documentary, Encounters at the end of the world. About the "professional dreamers" who live and work at McMurdo Station in Antarctica; divers who venture to explore life under the the ice, volcanologists who burrow into ice caves, etc. Herzog's 'secret sauce' is finding the most outrageous, interesting spots on earth, and then just going there and letting his camera do his bidding.

🍿

2 fantastic shorts by Hungarian animator Réka Bucsi:

🍿 Her 2014 Symphony No. 42 consists of 47 short & whimsical vignettes, without any rhyme or rhythm; A farmer fills a cow with milk until it overflows, a zoo elephant draws a "Help me" sign, a UFO sucks all the fish from the ocean, wolves party hard to 'La Bamba', an angry man throws a pie at a penguin, two cowboys holding blue balloons watch a tumbleweed rolls by, a big naked woman cuddle with a seal, etc. Earlier than Don Hertzfeldt's 'World of tomorrow' and my favorite Rúnar Rúnarsson's 'Echo', it's a perfect piece of surrealist chaos. 10/10

My happiest, unexpected surprise of the week!

/ Female Director

🍿 Love (2016), a lovely meditation on nature, poetry and cats in the cosmos. 8/10.

/ Female Director

🍿

Françoise Dorléac X 2:

🍿 Her name was Françoise ("Elle s’appelait Françoise") is a fluff bio-piece about the utterly gorgeous model-actress, who died at a fiery car-crush at 25, and who left a legacy of only a few important films. It includes previously-unseen, enchanting clips and photos from her short life. But then is cuts into her and sister Catherine Deneuve practicing their "Pair of Twins" song-and-dance from 'The Young Girls of Rochefort', the most charming musical in the world, and life is sunny again.

/ Female Director

🍿 That man from Rio, her breakthrough film, was a stupid James Bond spoof, inspired by 'The adventures of Tintin'. Unfortunately, it focused on protagonist Jean-Paul Belmondo, and used Dorléac only as eye-candy. It's the first film I've seen from Brasília, just a few years after it was constructed. 2/10.

🍿

Paintings and Film X 3:

🍿 'Painting Nerds' is a YouTube channel by 2 Scottish artists, putting up intelligent video essays about the art of painting. Paintings In Movies: From '2001: A Space Odyssey' to 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' is an insightful meditation which explores the relationship between the two art forms. Among the many examples it touches on are the canvases in Hitchcock's 'Rebecca' and 'Vertigo', 'The French Dispatch', 'Laura' and 'I'm thinking of ending things'. They even made a Wellesian trailer for that essay, When Citizen Kane met Bambi : The Lost Paintings of Tyrus Wong!

🍿 So I decided to see some of the movies mentioned above, f. ex. Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry from 1955. Famous for being Shirley MacLaine's film debut, his first collaboration with Bernard Herrmann, and this being his only "real" comedy. However, the only engaging element among the idiotic machinations on screen were the stunning VistaVision landscapes, painted in true Vermont autumn colors.

🍿 All the Vermeers in New York is my [5th film about Vermeer, and] my first film by prolific indie director Jon Jost. The Scottish essay above interpretated it as a "Charming mirroring of art and life, but also a deeply sad film... The gallery scene shows the transmission of feeling from painting to person, and ultimately, the vast amount of space between them. It plays out the entire drama of the film in microcosm.." But that Met Gallery scene was the only outstanding one in an otherwise disjointed experiment about the NYC art world. The abrasive stockbroker who falls for a French actress at the museum and mistakes her for a woman from the painting was mediocre and irritating. 3/10.

🍿

First watch: Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, an homage to Melville's Le Samouraï. An RZA mood piece about a ritualistically-chill black assassin / Zen Sensei, who communicates only with carrier pigeons, and who drives alone at night in desolate streets on mafia missions. 'Live by the Code, die by the Code'.

🍿

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Scorsese's only melodrama with a female protagonist (? - haven't seen 'Boxcar Bertha' yet). It opens in a tinted Wizard of Oz scenery, and tells of an ordinary single mom who dreams of becoming a singer. Hardly a feminist story, as she navigates between one unloving husband, an abusive lover and eventually bearded Kris Kristofferson, who ends up beating her son and promises not to do it again. 3/10.

[I finally watched it because of this clip of 15-year-old Jody Foster singing Je t'attends depuis la nuit de temps on French television].

🍿

The new well-made HBO documentary The Truth vs Alex Jones. About the collective mental sickness that is Amerika. It's hard to imagine how insane are the crazies over there. 💯 score on Rotten Tomatoes.

🍿

3 more shorts:

🍿 The Most Beautiful Shots In Movie History, a little mash-up clippy from The "Solomon Society" with an evocative Perfect day cover.

🍿 Joana, a beautiful tribute of a Spanish father to his little daughter. Reminds me of better times and another daughter.

🍿 From hand to mouse, a mediocre 1944 'Looney Tune' short from Chuck Jones, with the same dynamics that the Coyote & Road Runner did much better.

🍿

Ramy Youssef X 3:

🍿 I discovered first-generation Egyptian-American stand-up comedian Ramy Youssef. In his funny 2019 special, Feelings, he comes across as a sweet dude, a sensitive, observant Muslim, on a complicated spiritual quest in New Jersey. Recommended!

🍿 Ramy was his A24 TV-series that expanded on the themes. It had more of a sitcom vibes, reminiscent of 'Master of None', another one that dealt with an unexplored ethnicity, previously marginalized. I only watched the first season, and liked how unapologetic he was in having large part of the dialogue in other languages, Arabic, French, Etc. Episode 7, "Ne Me Quitte Pas", starring his screen-mom Hiam Abbass was a terrific stand-out.

🍿 “Where were you when the floods happened in Pakistan?”

More feelings, his brand new stand up which just dropped is dark and gentle. It opens with some dark truths from his friend Steve who wants to die, and moves right into the situation in Palestine.

(Later: He hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend.)

🍿  

(My complete movie list is here)

[signedeclipse]

Hello hello! I'm so happy you're willing to write for all the Lower Moons as well! <3 So I'm here to provide you with some neat additional info about them by analyzing their names! I decided to send it here because it's a bit too long to write as a comment, and because I thought some other people would find it interesting too 😅 Let's go in order:

- LM1 Enmu: his name in Japanese is written like this 魘夢, and the two kanji forming it have a very straightforward meaning. The kanji 魘 is part of the verb "to have a nightmare", while the kanji 夢 simply means "dream, vision, illusion". This is an obvious correlation to his ability to show people both dreams and nightmares.

- LM2 Rokuro: his name in Japanese is 轆轤 and it's an actual word that means "potter's wheel", so this made me think that perhaps he is interested in pottery, or that maybe his powers are related to shaping/controlling clay, or maybe his own body is made of a clay-like substance and he can shape it to make weapons or change his appearance. Perhaps there might even be a correlation to Rokurokubi (轆轤首), a yōkai that looks like a monstrous person with a neck that can get longer and shorter.

- LM3 Wakuraba: his Japanese name is 病葉 and it literally means "blighted/diseased leaves". The first kanji 病 simply means "ill, sick", while the second kanji 葉 can mean "leaf, blade of grass, pine needle". This made me think that perhaps his powers might be about throwing poisonous leaves or needles towards his victims to infect them with some illness or harmful substance or something similar.

- LM4 Mukago: her Japanese name is 零余子 and, when looking it up, I found this meaning of "yam bulbil, propagule, brood bud". We can also analyze each kanji individually and we get this: the kanji 零 means "zero, nothing", the kanji 余 means "too much, surplus, other, remainder", and the kanji 子 means "child", but it's also a kanji that appears at the end of many girl names (just think of Nezuko, Teruko, Sumiko, Zenko, and Inoko). After taking all this, my first thought was of her powers being related to creating plants or plant-like parasites from pieces of her body. Maybe she detaches one of her horns, throws it at her victim so it sticks to their body, and a plant grows from it while absorbing the victim's life force.

- LM5 Rui: his Japanese name is written as 累, which is a kanji that has different meanings, such as "trouble, harmful effect, evil influence, implication, involvement​, accumulate". The ones that strike me the most are "harmful effect, evil influence" and "accumulate", because we know that he had a tendency of gathering weaker demons and turning them into members of his family by giving them his blood and making them look similar to him. Also in his name there's the kanji 糸, which means "thread, string", and we could see that in fact his own powers revolved mainly around controlling strings.

- LM6 Kamanue: his Japanese name is 釜鵺, and as far as I could find, the two kanji don't mean anything together, so I translated them separately. The first kanji 釜 means "iron pot, kettle", while the second kanji 鵺 is a Japanese chimera. Nue is a mythical creature with a monkey's head, tanuki's body, tiger's limbs, and a snake tail​. According to some legends, Nue can metamorphose into a black cloud and fly, and because of the terribly eerie "hyoo hyoo" noises that they make they are seen as bringers of misfortune and illness. 鵺 is made up of the kanji 夜 and 鳥, which respectively mean "night" and "bird". Perhaps his powers are similar to the Nue, or maybe he can shapeshift and give his body similar features to that of the Nue.

- Ex-LM6 Kyōgai: his Japanese name is 響凱. The first kanji 響 means "echo, resounding, reverberate", while the second kanji 凱 means "triumph/victory song". Therefore his name literally translates to "echoing victory song", and it makes sense since his powers stem from his tsudzumi drums.

Its CRAZY how much you can learn from Kanji alone, thanks so much for sharing this with me! Funnily enough my name is actually Aiko so I follow the girl name trope lol!

The Wakuraba one really inspired me, so im happy to say I feel fairly confident to write every lower (and ex lower, im a simp for Kyogai) moon now!

Except for Rokuro, me and that guy would fight, I know it, He is my enemy :]

Thank you for sharing!!!

[dyns33]

Different Method

One shot with Valiant Thor (AHS Death Valley)

And some smut. A bit. 

Valiant Thor was a patient being. But demanding.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Theta to succeed in saving their species by linking it to the humans. But the result was not perfect.

Something was missing.

However, the fertilization method worked perfectly well, the incubators were kept under observation, they were in good health... They didn't see where was the problem.

With President Eisenhower's permission, although they didn't really need permission, they were taking 5,000 humans a year, the most capable of bearing broods. Over time, they had found a way to keep the hosts alive after birth.

Was it more practical ? Valiant Thor didn't know. Humans could be reused, but again, the result was not perfect.

He then looked at how humans reproduced, to see if there was a fundamental difference that could explain why it was not working the way they would like it to.

Yes, most of the time, the male penetrated the female to impregnate her with his sperm. But it wasn't much different from what they were doing with artificial insemination. Besides, they had shown humans how to do it, they were doing it perfectly now, and the results were perfect. For completely human babies only.

They often even had several children at one time.

Why weren't they able to do it too ?

           "We may not be as compatible with them as we hoped."

           "We wouldn't have had so many births if that was the case." Theta replied, visibly upset. "The hybrids would be stillborns. They couldn't reproduce either."

           "Can they ?"

           "Some... Not all. They're smaller, weaker. Like the hosts. But we're looking for a solution."

           "I would like to try something." Valiant Thor declared. "To check."

           "What ?"

           "Direct insemination."

           "I do not understand."

           "I want to do it like them. I want to impregnate one of them straight away."

Theta didn't just look upset anymore, she looked totally shocked. They did not function the same as humans.

True, Valiant Thor had been using the body of one of them, a male, the same for a very long time. He seemed to have attached himself to it, like a parasite. He probably didn't like the change, having to find another envelope that would welcome him so well.

But even though he possessed the reproductive traits of humans, the sperm was not that of their species.

           "Well, let's change that. I'm volunteering for the experiment. Replace that disgusting liquid, then find me a female. We will attempt insemination between two identical genders later. This method does not permit it yet, if I understand it correctly."

The chosen subject was called Y/N.

Valiant Thor didn't see why he needed to know this, but it might be helpful to talk to her.

Because he had asked Theta for her to be awake during the act. Humans were awake when they were procreating.

There were exceptions, but the host never seemed delighted to hear that they were pregnant. The humans were really weird.

Strapped to the operating table, legs spread, Y/N looked at him with a look of fear and disgust. It was not a good start.

Valiant Thor had read that partners need to be relaxed for this to work well. He could have used an aphrodisiac, but he didn't want to risk skewing the data.

           "... Hello ?" she said shyly, her voice shaking like her body.

           "Hello. You have been selected."

           "... Selected for what ?"

           "Carrying my seed. It's strange to say that. Normally the seeds are nobody's, it doesn't work that way with us. But since I will be the one who inseminates you, I will be related to the spawn in a way, I imagine."

           "... You are going to rape me ?"

This word was one of the exceptions. It was not good.

           "I would like to avoid that. That's why you are awake and I'm talking to you. To explain. Our species is dying. We need humans to survive, we got permission a long time ago to bind us to some of you. You have been chosen. Everything will be fine."

           "... I'm dreaming, right ?"

           "No."

           "You say you are not human."

Ah, he had omitted that detail. With the body he was using, Valiant Thor sometimes forgot that it wasn't obvious. Maybe that would help.

           "I am what you call an alien." he said calmly.

Fortunately he was patient and demanding. He wanted everything to be perfect. So he would take the time to explain everything to Y/N, so that she would be in good condition and give him a perfect baby.

To prove to her that he wasn't lying, for he knew humans were very suspicious, he used his powers in front of her, levitating, his eyes turning white. She trembled even more.

           "Okay... okay. I'm dreaming."

           "No." he repeated.

           "And so..." she continued, obviously not believing him. "It's like an experiment ? Like on television ? With the probes and everything ?"

           "Yes, I don't know, and no. No probes. The result is not satisfactory with probes."

           "I see. Can you untie me ?"

           "No."

           "I don't like that dream. But at least you're cute. Listen to me, alien from my dreams, I can do whatever you want, but we could try to be a little less formal."

           "Formal ?" asked Valiant Thor, who no longer saw the point of proving to her that she was not dreaming.

           "More romantic. Go to a bed, do some foreplay... Away from the hospital vibe. It's not very sexy. Even less while being tied up. At least I'd love the baby a little bit if we do it like that."

           "I do not see how it's important."

           "So you don't understand how it works."

Valiant Thor grimaced. He was one of the smartest beings in the galaxy. It was ridiculous.

Love.

He knew what love was. A brain process, a chemical mixture, the primary need to reproduce, linked to the desire to be protected, which therefore required the partners to bond for a while, until the child was old enough to defend themselves on their own, allowing the parents to separate and start the process all over again with someone else, to ensure the stability of the species by mixing as much as possible.

Along with society's changes, unnecessary things like marriage and fidelity had been invented, tied to a stupid idea of ​​what love was. But the basic principle remained the same, like the result.

That was why Valiant Thor said nothing. Y/N was going to bear his offspring, she didn't have to know she was wrong, that she wasn't dreaming, that he was smart.

She seemed to accept the situation, that was the main thing. And if she wanted romance, fine.

He untied her, ready to catch her if she tried to escape, and he led her into what would serve as her bedroom during her stay.

           "What's your name ?" she asked.

           "Useless information."

           "I would like to know who is going to make love to me."

           "Valiant Thor."

           "... Thor ? As the God of the Vikings ?"

           "Ah. I remember. An early era in your history. They mistook our technology for magic. Let's get started."

           "I said I wanted foreplay, my dream alien Thor. There's no rush."

           ".... Very well." he sighed.

Slowly, turning her back to him, Y/N began to undress. Humans and their modesty. A body was a body.

Since it wouldn't be considered romantic for him to stay dressed, Valiant Thor imitated her.

Just as shyly, she went to lie down on the bed, shaking a little as he slipped on top of her. It was all really unnecessary. But he let her touch his face and his hair.

           "Kiss me."

He stared at her, and it took a while for Y/N to realize that he wasn't disgusted by her request, just that he didn't know what a kiss was.

           "Put your mouth to mine. Don't ask."

If this method didn't work, they wouldn't use it anymore. It was way too slow and complicated.

Obediently, Valiant Thor put his mouth to hers, and he waited. Seeing that he wasn't going to move, Y/N started to kiss him tenderly, licking, nibbling, running her tongue between his lips.

It was weird. Not unpleasant. He could feel that she was breathing harder. Her pulse was starting to quicken. Her body was getting hotter. Humid. Open and compliant. Ready to receive him.

Good.

           "Touch me." she moaned, continuing to kiss him. "No, not like this !" she growled when he simply put his hands on her hips. "Like that."

Taking his hands, she placed them on her breasts and guided him, showing him what to do.

Really weird. Then she did the same with his head, moved it so that it went down to her nipples.

He was smart. He had seen some things, even though he didn't understand them. So Valiant Thor imitated what she had done with his mouth. Y/N squeaked. It seemed to please her.

She curled him up with her legs, her entrance touching his phallus.

Very good.

           "Talk to me."

           "What do you want me to say ?" he asked, ready to follow all of her instructions.

           "I don't know. Nice things. Compliments. What you are thinking."

           "I think you are ready."

           "No ! Not yet... Oh Thor of my dreams, you are so cold and serious. Wait."

Really, this method was taking too long. Y/N was clearly ready, she had instinctively positioned herself for him to take her, perfectly wet, there was no reason to wait any longer.

Her hand passed between his legs and she began to touch him. Ridiculous, he was already in good condition, he had prepared himself.

But Valiant Thor had to admit that the friction was quite pleasant. The seed should not be wasted, however.

           "Can we start now ?"

           "... Smile, tell me that I am beautiful and that you love me. Be convincing."

           "You are strange."

           "Thor."

           "I love you, you are the most beautiful being in the galaxy and you will be even more beautiful when you carry my progeny." he said, forcing himself to smile.

Valiant Thor knew how to smile, because he knew it was an important means of communication in humans. They had several smiles, which meant different things.

Yet this time, even though he was a little tense, he felt something while looking at Y/N. Her eyes twinkled. She knew he wasn't really sincere, but she still seemed happy, kissing him again as he entered her.

When she started chanting his name, he accelerated. It was logical, it was what he had to do. But he also began to touch her again, to do what she was doing, to say things.

Maybe that was it.

Love.

           "Even when our offspring is born, I will keep you."

           "Yes Thor !"

           "Even though they're not perfect. You're mine now Y/N."

           "Yes Thor, yours, only yours ! I love you !"

He groaned, unable to respond as he freed himself inside her.

Normally Valiant Thor would have stood up since he was done, got dressed, and left to continue his work, while Theta came to see if everything had gone well.

But he lay down next to Y/N, letting her cuddle and kiss him again.

           "It's a great dream." she sighed half asleep.

           "Yes. Don't stress too much tomorrow, it's bad for the fetus."

           "Alright."

It was obvious that Y/N was going to be stressed. She still hadn't realized it was real. They would have to find something.

Maybe love would help.

Valiant Thor had planned to let Theta take care of everything, but he was going to do some research. See what a "father" was supposed to do to help the mother during pregnancy. He would come and see her. He wanted to. To make sure she and the child were fine, hoping that everything would be perfect.

This method, even if it worked, was a bit dangerous, he thought as he watched Y/N sleeping, unable to let go of her.

[samstwilightzone]

Experimental

Hello Tumblr, this is my first day on here, so here I am making a post. This is a jjba oc x cc one shot. You can ignore it if you don’t like it.

This is actually a one-shot I wrote a while back, like, last year kind of while ago. All I did was tweak it a small bit. Also, I made it into a two-parter. Here, Sora and Jotaro have a more of a 'romance in the making' dynamic with what I originally interpreted their relationship to be like before they full-on start to date each other. They are still gonna kiss though. It's not specified where they are or what point in the story this one-shot is based in, it's just a desert.

It was one cold night in the desert, Noman's land that is full of nothing but sand and an occasional rock or those strangely placed thick dead branches that seem out of place there. Then again, desertification is a thing...

But, the point is, it's cold, go figure. There are absolutely no clouds out during the day all the heat from before just escaped out of the atmosphere, leaving the temperatures to drop.

Sora, however, wasn't cold as much as the rest would be. Being born with a stand that makes her into a walking radiator of cold air does have some benefits, one of them being that she can't feel it. Though it did cause her to have her sleeping bag moved away from the fire and the group a bit more than anyone else.

She sighed rubbing her cold finger around in the sand, cold enough to actually condense the vapour in the air and freeze bits of sand together as she did so. It was one of those nights, everyone else seemed to be asleep, meanwhile, she wasn't able to fall asleep from the pain inflicted upon her from the previous enemy stand user encounter.

How dumb she was, not being careful enough to go unharmed. Confidence does nothing for you if you're unprepared and frail, going into a dangerous situation completely blind. Sure, it's quite a few dark bruises and several more cuts that landed on her arms and legs, but she had no right to complain. Everyone else got off far worse.

All she could do right now is wait for sleep to come for her...

"To hell with it." Nevermind. A mumble managed its way out of her mouth as she sat up in her sleeping bag, might as well just slip out of it while she was at it. Having completely abandoned the idea of getting a blink of sleep that night.

Looking over at the group seeing them all asleep, for the most part at least. Of course, being the protagonist, Jotaro wasn't there. Classic. It was easy to spot him too, just search for a string of cigarette smoke.

Sora felt herself smirk. Standing up straight she cracked her spine before following the line of sight where she could clearly see the brooding teenager sitting on a rock, smoking. How cliche was that?

With her hands behind her back, she made her presence known in her usual, joking tone "Out to get lung cancer late at night, huh Jotaro?" she teased, of course, she repeatedly told him how bad smoking was and being himself he didn't listen.

The 'man' himself tsk-ed at her remark "What a surprise to see you awake, Snowflake." he shot back at her, in a harsh sarcastic kind of way. Not even bother to turn his head to look at her. "How bothersome..."-to be stuck in a conversation with Sora, most likely.

"Well, I'm unable to fall asleep as if this moment, so I decided to be a parasite and leech off of a conversation with an unsuspecting victim." Sora merely huffed as she just stood beside him. Not facing him just yet, or even taking glances at his handsomely chiselled face." What's your excuse for being awake?"

"Just didn't feel like it," Jotaro answered, in one of those boring tones, accompanied by a shrug of his shoulders.

This caused Sora to snort "For someone so monotone all the time, you suck at lying."

"The hell did you just say-" he began, only for Sora to cut him off "I called you a liar, Jotaro. Both you and I know that's a bunch-a rubbish." she hissed, narrowing her eyes down to look at him. He was always so stubborn. "Telling the truth and being honest wouldn't kill you, you know. Are you thick or do you just refuse to listen?"

"You are one nosy bitch, Snowflake." Of course, he'd hurl one of those at her instead of answering the question. Not only was he stubborn, but he always seemed so defensive as well.

Before Sora could even think about shanking the disrespect out of him, she ended up deeply inhaling as she rubbed her temples. Somebody didn't drink their 'respect-women-juice' it seems. "I suppose it's a flaw of mine, I just... I do pretty much stick my nose into other people's businesses, huh? Understandably so, it annoys you." her mood shifted so quickly, it was like a switch that was forcibly flipped to return the calm.

She always did this, right before it seemed like she was going to explode, she calmed herself. "Don't get me wrong, I'm also confused why I even care about you. You're a prick, Jotaro."

It never impressed or astounded Jotaro when he saw Sora like this, it was just her way of being herself in her way, a way she tries to be perceived as. But God, she was very annoying and clingy sometimes, almost as much as a clique of girls that would follow him around all the time.

Yet, she somehow made herself seem more tolerable, somehow landing on neutral ground with him "Yare yare daze..." he muttered as he took a drag of his cigarette. Well, if you can't beat them, invite them to have a smoke break with you. "Whatever, you can sit down if that will make you less annoying," Jotaro grumbled, scooting over on the rock.

Sora suppressed ... Some kind of a reaction, before sitting down on the freed up space on the rock. She crossed her legs "Thanks... I know I might be annoying sometimes and unbearable, and believe me. Even I know." she remarked with a light huff "Though, that's just me trying to act tough and... I just want to be your friend, you know."

Okay, now that caught him off guard, that was brutally honest, he was already aware of her whole act of trying to be tough but... He didn't even have the slightest idea that she would. Have wanted to be his friend. At all. He inhaled more from the cigarette before turning his head away to exhale the smoke. "You don't say..." he replied, acting unsurprised by her statement. "And that's why you feel that you need to impress me all the time?"

"I... I just thought that you wouldn't find me as interesting if I was just another girl. I wanted to seem tough and cool." Again with the honesty, it was such brutality and he didn't even know where it was coming from so suddenly. Was she seriously opening up to him just now? It didn't make sense. "It's dumb, huh?"

Jotaro nodded in agreement, biting down onto the cigarette fag before it could fall out of his mouth "Yes, yes it is. It's very fucking dumb if you ask me" he only agreed with her. "You really shouldn't pretend, sure you're mostly annoying as hell with a few exceptions, you shouldn't try impressing me."

Sora gave him one of those starry-eyed looks "Because I should just be myself and you'd be my friend anyway, no matter what-" just like she cut him off beforehand, he paid back by stopping her rumbling, by placing a finger onto her lips that just seemed to work so well, it caused her to stop and seemingly just melt.

He had a feeling like he will, she was still a girl after all (and what girl could resist the Joestar charm?). The thing he noticed right off the bat, her lips were incredibly cold. This was the first time he actually even got to feel a part g her that wasn't clothed.

He cleared his throat as he pulled his hand away, at least it made her stop and pay more attention. "No, no... That's cheesy as hell. You should just stop trying so hard, that's what's even more annoying than when you are being yourself. You are more bearable when you don't pretend, simple as that." he mumbled as he turned his head away, as well as lowered his to cover his eyes. A habit he had when he was either irritated or angry. He would never admit it, but he did prefer Sora when she just... Didn't try so hard.

Sora's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, for seemingly the first time ever her ale skin gained some kind of colour, as it was cursed never to absorb the Sun's rays, ever. "Ah... I see. Yeah, I should have known that from the start. Maybe then I wouldn't have come off to look like some fool, hah." she remarked jokingly, running a hand through her hair. It was all from the first impression she got from him, simply assuming that being a tough girl will make her seem more impressive and 'quirky'.

Apparently, trying to appear quirky just appears as another level of annoying, who knew.

"Being stupid seems to be a part of your overall personality," Jotaro replied, a smirk stretching on his face, and it earned him a slap on the shoulder.

"You limp dick." she shot back at him, however, she just couldn't suppress a giggle that escaped her. Sora didn't know what it was, but his smiles were so gorgeous and got her feeling giddy, as well as the fact that he almost never messes with her like this.

The two just... Smiled at one another, so relaxed and genuine. Sora could feel butterflies rising up in her stomach as a result.

"Do you want to try it out?" Jotaro asked out of the blue, pulling his cigarette out of his mouth and offering it to the brunette next to him. Might as well get her to test out the poison herself.

Sora rise en eyebrow "Eh?" she was confused until presented with the cigarette "Oh, I see... My mom warned me about boys like you." she joked before plucking the cigarette out of his much larger hands with her thumb and index finger. Her fingers and overall hand shape was just more slim and small compared to his. Damn those Joestar genes. He was incredibly hot too...

As much as Jotaro tried he couldn't be prepared for the cold he felt coming off of Sora when her fingertips caused up against his. She was like a popsicle, cold but without a fruity flavour. He watched her intently as she brought his cigarette up to her lips and bit into the fag of it. As her lips came around it she ducked out a puff of smoke.

Hol' up- can this be considered an indirect kiss? Is this even legal? Because it sure as hell didn't feel like it.

As she brought the cigarette away from her lips she exhaled a long puff of smoke. A bit of her lipstick staining the butt of the cigarette. There was something incredibly sexy about her half linden eyes staring up into the smoke as it slipped by her lips. The way her neck craned and the sky was reflecting in her pupils.

The dark-haired teen just couldn't grasp it, what was it that made Sora so attractive at this very moment?

Before they knew it their eyes met, Jotaro's curious look was met by Sora's, who side-eyed him for a bit before turning her head fully to face him. It was almost as if she was in this dazed expression. They just stared at one another, no words being spoken as the two unknowingly just leaned in towards one another.

There wasn't time to think whether this was their hormones or some other unbeknown force, before they even knew it their lips collided with both of their eyes fluttering shut. The magnetising pull between them scooted them close together and allowed their lips to mould against one another like clay. The contrast was there, with his warm lips pushing against her cold ones.

There was an ever so faint taste of smoke coming off of each of them as they both breathed out through their noses. What caught Sora off guard was the groan that came from Jotaro, reverberating through the kiss as he actually took a hold of her by her wrist and around her hip. Pulling her closer to himself.

Sora couldn't resist but completely melt-up against him, while her mind panicked she simply just changed it all up to hormones being at play. I mean... Finding yourself in a spontaneous exchange of kisses isn't a normal occurrence you'd find yourself in. Especially if you're not even in a relationship with that person.

Could it be..? Could it be that Jotaro Kujo was sexually frustrated? Was he just using her as his outlet? Man...

The cancer stick was extinguished and long forgotten in the sand, having ended up slipping out of Sora's grasp during the heated exchange she was suddenly pulled into. Eventually though. The two did need to pull away to breathe, seemingly their first kiss took out way more than it should have originally. They stared into each other's eyes, taking breaths through their mouths. Seemingly both of them were too hesitant to take their hands off of one another...

Sora was the one to gather the courage and pull away, her face growing flustered over what just happened "O-oh, oh my... God, umm... Sorry, sorry about that. Maybe I shouldn't have... Done that." she nervously stammered out, in her attempt to scoot away she was stopped.

"Don't apologise Aoi, we both know you're not feeling sorry about anything. We both leaned in at the exact same time, dumbass." Jotaro stated. The dark-haired teen huffed, an actual smirk appearing on his face "Be ready to room with me the next chance we get to stay in a hotel. This is not over just yet."

"A-ah, ummm, okay then," Sora mumbled bashfully as she looked away from the burly teen, his grip on her let up and she was able to get away from him. A heavy blush adorning her usually, ever so, pale face. "I'll... I'll be going to sleep now. Goodnight Jotaro," she said before turning around and making her way back over to her sleeping bag.

"Okay... 'Night." the boy grunted out, much like her, he also looked away and even tilted his hat down. Clearly not wanting his expression to appear all too obvious. Internally. He was thinking 'why the hell did I just say that?!'.

Just as Sora got comfortable to be back in her sleeping bag, only then did she realise the severity of her situation. "Oh dear god what did I get myself into?" she mentally facepalmed, burying her face in her hands.

[cryptid-killjoy]

"Very true. That we do."

Thomas never failed to keep him smiling or make him laugh.

As long as one knows Pokemon they're good really. Sailor Moon was just a bonus. "I can picture you in a boy band. It's the sneakers." He teased. "We'll just add some neon laces."

Luckily for them once he looked this place up camping wasn't un-allowed like the other spot. It was green lights go. This was a more friendly place for hanging out longer term.

"I think we'll manage. Even in a pool." He added about the shrinkage remembering the episode of Seinfeld where poor George kept trying to explain his shrinkage the whole episode.

Now here was a lighthouse. They were discussing the pros and cons and concepts of the stereotypings of lighthouses. Flotsam wasn't sure he bought into it. Then Thomas went and made it sound better. Thomas always had a way of making things sound better than other people made things sound. He wasn't sure how he did that, but he always seemed to. "An island." Flotsam repeated that out loud even though that wasn't the main point, but it had him thinking.

It had him thinking about Clopin and Kuzco and all the time they got to spend with Piper all alone, only TSG dropping in with supplies off and on until he went down for the count. Love growing from that. Thomas used cheesy words like that a lot, and there was a time Flotsam might have sneered his nose at it all, but not anymore. Instead he just listened. He oddly flashed a memory of the movie Malignant and the parasitic twin he'd recently watched. Anything with twins has a tendency to catch his attention. He wondered for a moment how different life would have been if he'd have had full attention how much love he'd have been able to grow if he'd only had Jet on an island instead. Why was there always an evil twin? He was suddenly very jealous of Clopin and Kuzco's opportunity.

"Yeah, that... that might be cool."

But Flotsam wouldn't change anything now either. He loved their new Lothlorien.

"Me either." He said softly, but clearly his wheels were still turning behind the shadow of that soft voice.

Charming? Thomas clearly had no clue how good his ass looked on that bike. All his charm was on that seat denim spread down to his work boots working hard to balance his bro. Shoowee.

He fell asleep fantasizing about their Lothlorien being their own personal island, not getting a new one. A man can dream, right? Go big or go home? It was his birthday. Why not dream all he could dream? October 8th. He didn't care if he ever found out he was born on a different day. He was pretty sure he might as well just celebrate on this date forever. Fuck that Marina' twat and whenever he fell out of it. He and his real mama been celebrating on this day so he's sticking with it. Something in him felt angry about this year. At peace and angry all at the same time. It wasn't the old angry like when he was a kid for being unknown or thrown away. It was at peace for finally knowing who he is and angry Marina was here to try and fuck that up when he thought he finally felt free and was trying to rattle that feeling.

So, when Thomas roused him up on his birthday it was an important day to him. He lifted his head. He thought they might be at the hotel or the camping store. But nope. It was better. So much better.

He sat up in his seat quickly.

"Woah."

He slapped his hands up on the window instantly. Then he quickly hurried to put the window down and stuck his head to closer.

"Woah."

It was already evening. It was such a long drive. Thomas was bound to be wore out, but the view instantly energized that electric eel. There were stars everywhere. It was a clear night.

"Oh, gosh. I don't want to leave yet to figure anything out." He was getting all jazzed up the way Flotsam does. He could go from somber brood to elated quick and this was one of those times the currents in his veins must have just electrified him from sleep to wide awake. His eyes were wide as a child's at a storefront Christmas display, as eager, as innocent.

"Clopin's never going to believe this." Not only was the sky clear and full ever celestial stars. "It's purple. What is happening right now? Nah. Nah. Nah. Nah. Holy moly Malin Head, Love." He got out of the car and stood outside. He waited for Thomas to come out with him. He grabbed his hand and he just stood there. They weren't even to the lighthouse yet or the watch tower, but the sky took over. The show had barely started. There was just a little haze in the sky.

“Wouldn’t be that embarassing. Whoever sees us would just assume that we had some crazy good sex,” Thomas said, a proud little smirk on his face. “Which we do, of course.”

“Now that’s an idea,” He chuckled, though apart from maybe Pokemon and Sailor Moon, he didn’t know much about anime. He could start. “Or I’ll just trim my hair a bit and look like one of the thousands of guys in a boy band. They all had the spiked up hair.”

“If you see any on the way, let me know,” Thomas agreed willingly enough. Camping under the northern lights sounded a lot more romantic, anyhow. Fuck the law and all that, he might be able to get a sympathetic Irish cop who would understand the enchantment of such a thing. Trespassing didn’t always mean a bad thing. “Even just sleeping bags, I’ll keep you warm, love.”

“All of it,” He grinned. “Whether we sleep on the cold hard ground or in the softest bed, I’m only happy if it’s with you.” And he meant that, even though he was grinning, glad of his own little joke. He thankfully hadn’t had to spend many nights on the ground, he wasn’t Bastien who was used to dirty floors and newspaper blankets. But he could tough it out, he was sure of that. The wolf knew the ground more intimately than himself. “Never any shrinkage around you.”

“It’s the idea of there always being a light to bring you back home, no matter how far out into the dark you might adventure at times,” He said, giving his own perspective about lighthouses. “If you’re lost, you will be found and that sort of thing. I also remember hearing about lighthouse keepers. The kind that were dropped off on a small island somewhere for months at a time, having only each other for company. Could be the kind of thing that makes a person go mad but - I kind of fancy that life sometimes. You and me - a small island, staying cozy, really getting to know one another, each and every habit, and love growing from that.” He spoke like he was in a reverie as his eyes watched the road. “Yeah. I wouldn’t mind that for a while. But I wouldn’t give up our lives right now for all the lighthouses in the world.”

He started to laugh again, finding it charming that it was that memory that Flotsam associated with his ass. The time that he had gotten on a bike and Jetsam had jumped on, nearly making him lose his balance. Those had been some good days. He though of Jetsam ever once in a while, missed him even. “Cause they are real - we live many, many lives through those stories.”

He nodded as Flotsam told him about the hotel room. “Good to have options - and a kettle for my morning tea,” He smiled. Coffee was never his speed. Did he carry around a small tin of his own, with loose tealeaves for steeping just in case? Course he did - that might be appreciated here more since they were closer to England. The weather here in Ireland, the Emerald Isle because it fuckin’ rained all the time, was perfect for a good cuppa.

“Ahh, great, I’ll be able to put this fine ass in the same chair as the stars,” He chuckled to himself. He let the car fall into silence as Flotsam fell asleep. That was fine with him. His warmth was enough to make Thomas not feel lonely during the long drive, occasionally putting his hand on Flotsam’s leg or rubbing it calmingly as they went.

He would let Flotsam sleep until they got in close to the northernmost edge of Europe. He rolled the window down a touch and that familiar Ocean air was breezing through. Some people might hate it, but Thomas liked the salty smell. He thought of the Oceans as whole other worlds - full of strange creatures and endless depths. Depths so far below that no matter how much equipment people wore, the pressure would kill them before they got anywhere close to reaching the bottom. Terrifying, yes, but intriguing.

He could have stopped by the inn, had a rest, but he was feeling proper awake right now. It was starting to get late but he wanted to see the place at night before they turned around. The amount of stars out there tonight. He turned off the car, and then he lightly shook Flotsam. “Wake up, love, you’re going to want to see this.”

[writingsbymo-mo]

Seven Minutes of Good Vibes

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❆ Day 7 of our 12 Days of XXXmas Collab

❆ Sumary:  It’s the annual Christmas party at the lov’s hideout. The bar is full of drunk/tipsy villains. Shenanigans ensue and now you’re stuck in the closet with Compress for seven minutes where he has a few tricks up his sleeve.

❆ WC: 2.4k

❆ Contains: alcohol, fingering, vibrating marbles

❆ TW: some drinking, objects stuffed in you

Note: Toga is 18 in this fic and Kurogiri makes sure she isn’t drinking.

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Twas a cold night this fine evening. Many people already sound asleep in their beds or off to their late night shifts. The hustle and bustle of the city dwindled by the hour. But not for a certain group. Oh no. They were far too awake on this Christmas Eve.

The League of Villains were hosting their annual Christmas Party, proposed by none other than Toga and later agreed upon by Kurogiri for some group bonding.

Multicolored lights strung along the bar counter thanks to Kurogiri plus a small tree of quaint decorations of ornaments and garland carefully placed on the front corner of the bar greeting all who enter from the side entrance. It lit up the usually dimly lit room nicely. Keeping up with such festivities, he wore a santa hat. “Everyone must wear one, even you Tomura Shigaraki,” he stated in a calm manner.

Tomura reluctantly wore it, keeping Father over his face the whole time as not to be seen and simply drank glasses of whiskey on the rocks, ignoring the festivities no matter how much Kurogiri tried getting him involved. Anyone who approached him was ignored or simply told to fuck off. He wasn’t in the greatest of moods being forced to miss a gaming tournament with the grand prize winner getting the rarest items in the entire game plus premium figures of the characters he mains. After a few attempts to speak to him, nobody dared bother him. Not even you.

The rest of the league, including yourself, all stayed in the corner opposite the bar.

Dabi stood leaning against the wall brooding as per usual even throwing in his usual snarky quips when the time was right. Twice was playing charades with Toga, Spinner, and Compress trying to figure out what exactly he was doing, throwing out guess after guess. Occasionally, Spinner glanced back at the boss with the soft pink glow forming in his cheeks.

What you were doing? Just sitting next to Mr. Compress, sipping on the cocktail in your hand all bundled up in some throw blankets. After being in the league these past few months, you soon caught glances of the man in such fine attire. Your cheeks were warm, not just from the booze. Honestly, you’d have nothing more than to finally have Compress right where you want him. You shifted your thighs just thinking about it. With the mask on so conspicuously, you never knew if he was ever looking your way or even noticed the little things you do.

As the night went on, everyone kept glancing at the doorway that led towards the second floor where the bathroom was located. Carefully placed over it was some mistletoe. Not once this evening did two people meet underneath it just yet. Everyone kept waiting, watching as someone would leave to use the bathroom, keeping track of who was coming and going. While normally, someone would kiss the person they bump into underneath the mistletoe, Toga came up with the idea that instead of kissing, the two caught under it would go into the broom closet for some seven minutes in heaven. And thus, it was agreed upon.

Tomura was plastered, passed out at the bar with Kurogiri shaking his head in disappointment at the young boss who didn’t wish to participate in the festivities. He had a strong feeling this would happen anyway.

The karaoke was brought out and now the room was filled with the song of some drunken or tipsy villains, minus Toga who Kurogiri made sure drank non-alcoholic beverages that night. Cheers and dancing ensued with everyone taking turns singing.

A sudden tightness in your bladder alerted you and you rushed to the bathroom. Being as tipsy as you were, you didn’t think to notice if anyone saw you get up not.

Feeling much better, you stepped back to the bar but then, you bumped into something or rather, someone. “Oof, s-sorry,” you uttered, slowly raising your head only to feel the heat growing rapidly in your cheeks, not from the various alcohol you’ve been drinking.

The familiar white mask with curious designs caught your attention and the lean build of his...it was him...Mr. Compress. “None to worry my dear.” Despite not seeing his face, you could feel his smile through the mask.

A sudden feeling on the back of your neck told you to look up with Compress having the same idea. You lifted your head slowly and paused. Your body felt hot, almost heavy and light at the same time. There it was, the mistletoe finally serving its purpose. 

Time stopped. You couldn’t keep your eyes off the hemi-parasitic plant hanging above your head. Of course the one moment you forgot about it would cause this to happen. On top of it all...with your crush. A part of you almost wondered if this was all said and forgotten about or if anyone even noticed.

Loud cheers from across the bar snapped you out of your thoughts.

“Oh my god! It’s happening!!!” Toga squealed, giving you a knowing look. You lowered your head in embarrassment, staring at the linoleum floor. She figured out how you felt about Compress a few weeks ago as you had a hard time keeping your eyes off him during the last fight. “Aww look at the lovebirds! Get a room,” Twice cooed then shouted. Spinner nodded and cheered in approval, taking another drink. Dabi was indifferent to the whole ordeal being too busy doodling dicks all over Tomura’s face, stifling his laughter as to what his boss’s reaction might be when he wakes up.

Your eyes continued to focus on the floor. Butterflies swarmed in your stomach, never subsiding. A gloved hand of crimson obstructed your view. “I’d be honored for you to join me my dear.” The timbre of his voice, so smooth and rich made you lose your breath. You took his hand, warm with a perfect hold in yours as a gentleman would. If you were entirely sober right now, you would’ve fainted in pure astonishing bliss. He traipsed onwards to the nearest closet that so happened to be the broom closet, leading you in first, him following and closed the door behind him.

The room was tiny to say the least. You pulled the string to the light hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the space, humming though barely audible. Outside, they started karaoke back up singing some classic music for this kind of party. Compress bumped into you the moment the door clicked. You stumbled back, hitting the wall and somehow pulling him with you. You gasped as you both fell onto the floor with a thud.

His warmth and subtle earthy, musky scent engulfed you, sending a tingling sensation between your legs. Slowly, you came back to reality. His body caged around you, on top of you. Soft but deep sighs caressed your ears, adding to the sensation below.

“Are you alright?” he asked, concern in his voice. The mask that adorned his face fell off, revealing the beautiful chestnut eyes you could never look away from.

“Y-yeah, I’m alright...so handsome...uh I-I mean, are you?” You shrunk into yourself...you said it… ‘Maybe...he didn’t hear that part?’ Oh, but you knew, you just knew he did.

A spark lit up in his eyes as his lips stretched to form a smirk, “handsome? I’ll have you be the judge of that.” His right hand brushed your cheek that you melted into. Your heart skipped a few beats. “Now what would you like to do for these seven minutes? I might have a few tricks up my sleeve I’m willing to try with you.”

By now, a minute had already passed. You just needed to say it. All this time, how much you’ve always wanted him, how he makes you feel day in and day out. Never once have you ever lusted for someone so much, wondering just what those fingers and marbles could do to you. A man with many secrets who covers his face intrigued you to no ends. All you had to do...was tell him just what you wanted...what you needed. You inhaled deeply and sighed, it was now or never. “F-fuck me with your marbles!”

Compress paused, astounded by your response. He chuckled softly and smiled with a hungry expression on his face, “I didn’t take you as the kinky type but alas it appears I am mistaken. Though,” his voice deepened, almost in a growl, “I do have a trick or two that you might be interested in. Now then, we don’t have much time.” He leaned forward, giving you a quick kiss on the cheek, whispering an I’ve always wanted you.

The warmth radiating off his body now subtle as he leaned back, unbuttoning your pants. Goosebumps raised on your skin from his touch. He pulled them down your legs along with your panties, leaving your cunny exposed to him. Juices from your arousal shone under the soft lighting before him. You turned your head, blushing. His hand touched your chin tenderly, motioning you to face him.”C-Compress?”

“Shh, it’s alright. Please don’t hide your beautiful face from me my dear. Especially with what’s to come.” You could only feel hotter with every word of his sweeping through your ears.

He leaned forward, capturing your lips in a tender kiss, pouring all his feelings into it. Your eyes shot open but fluttered shut soon after, moving your lips to match his intensity. For a moment, the world had stopped. Nothing mattered but the emotions you shared.

“Ah!” you cried, breaking the kiss. Your cunny twitched as a couple fingers slid between your folds, testing your every sound and movement. “M-more!”

“Impatient I see. Well, it can’t be helped with us having a short timeframe but, I promise to make this performance worthwhile,” he dipped his fingers lower, sliding two fingers barely past your entrance, making you whimper. “Of course, next time I’ll surely give you the show of a lifetime.”

Long slender fingers plunged deep inside your velvety walls in a rapid, steady rhythm. You moaned and cried his name, urging your hips forward as lust overtook your mind. Every touch, the way he pressed and rubbed your sweet spot sent pleasant chills through your body. It’s no wonder they say he has magic fingers.

They scissored in and out, twisting and twirling in a fierce yet delicate dance leaving you begging for more. He moved so fast, you didn’t even notice his fingers slip out for a brief second only to shove in a special something: a marble. The foreign object made you gasp in surprise. It was cool to the touch making your insides tingle. You shifted your eyes towards his face. Compress couldn’t stop his smile, hearing your melodic moans that slipped out every movement he made making you tighter by the second.

Soon another marble went in. Then another, and another until finally….he stopped.

Compress released his fingers from your tight heat, licking off your juices while humming. Despite the marbles inside you, you couldn’t help but feel empty. He must've noticed the glum expression you held. “It seems you aren’t completely satisfied my dear. No worries, I have a little surprise for you.”

His fingers snapped and everything went white. You couldn’t think or speak. Nothing but incoherent babbling and screams of pleasure echoed from the enclosed space followed by a quiet buzzing sound. Tears poured from your eyes as drool dripped out of your mouth. Your body continuously convulsed as your cunny twitched and oozed more and more fluids. It was as though you finally found nirvana for the first time. You never knew you could feel like this.

“Hhmhmm, I see those marbles are doing the trick,” he cooed with a telltale smirk.

His hands cupped your cheeks, rubbing circles into them with his thumbs. You barely heard what he said, mustering a breath to speak, “the m-m-marbles….ah- what..did you-?”

“They’re quite special. Since we wouldn’t have much time here, I wanted to give you as much pleasure as possible so,” he held a marble between his fingers and turned it on like the others, “as you can see, it’s a special vibrating marble. What do you think about it?”

You cried as another jolt made you ascend once more, “so good!!!”

Knock knock knock

“Hey lovebirds, times up,” Dabi grumbled and sauntered away from the door, “better hope you didn’t make a mess in there.”

A whine left your lips as your eyebrows scrunched together. You sat up, reaching between your legs, digging around to find the marbles but, only one managed to make its way out, rolling onto the floor between your legs. The others however, you could barely reach. “C-Compress...they’re not coming out! Hnngh...please help!” you whimpered. Your legs wouldn’t stop shaking.

Compress shoved his fingers back inside your sopping entrance, digging for the marbles still vibrating inside you. Another one managed to loosen and rolled its way out. He went deeper, trying to reach the others but nothing seemed to work. He sighed, “sorry my dear. It appears I went a bit far. You’ll have to keep them inside until they manage to slide out. After all, I will need them back for next time.” He winked at you as you felt your body heat rise once more. It stands that no matter what he does, you can’t get enough of his charm.

Without a second to spare, he helped put your clothes back on. Despite the smile he wore, you could see a small tinge of guilt in his eyes. You paused for a second then gave him a reassuring smile. He picked you up, holding you close to him, giving you a quick peck on the lips. “I’m glad I got to spend this holiday with you my love.”

He carried you out and everyone cheered at the two of you. Dabi teased you, telling you how loud you were. You couldn’t help but bury your face into Compress’s chest. “I think we’re going to turn in for the night,” Compress stated. 

He quickly went up the stairs, giving you small pecks along the way to his room. It was a happy moment for the league that you and Compress surely will never forget...especially with those pesky little marbles still stuck inside you.

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We know this year has been a rough one for a lot of us, so our little group got together to do this Lil’ collab to try and bring some fun to this time of the year, and also help the ones of us who are experiencing difficulties.

Each fanfic from our collab will have the writer’s commission info or tip jar,check their works and if you like it, feel free to help ✨✨✨✨

✨✨We all hope you have happy holidays ✨✨✨

❆tip jar/ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/momo0953

[xaallo]

Regarding Okaal’s genetics:

I’ve got all the subtly of a brick through a window, so let me just explain: Okaal is the mostly successful result of Kaldane’s experiments with eusollon DNA. Eusollon DNA is similar to margaven DNA in that it is receptive to a wide variety of fauna, which allows the Eusollons to assimilate species traits into their own. However, unlike Margaven DNA which plays well with others, Eusollon DNA is domineering. They may take traits from a host, actively or dormantly, but the resulting creature will be a eusollon.

Take the Regis: the rare sapient offspring of an existing Hivarch. They are born outright, always from the body of an existing Hive Leader and never from lower caste eusollons. And, once they reach adulthood the first time, they are difficult to kill for true. Even if the body is destroyed sufficiently, a Regis can eject a smaller, parasitic self from the corpse and simply infect another organism. This organism’s mind and body will become the Regis’ and once it deems it safe to do so, the Regis will use it’s meat suit and create a new body out of the host’s cells. Think District 9, except Wikus isn’t a human anymore; the Parasite has assumed direct control of his body’s faculties. Once shedding it’s host’s skin, the Regis would molt until it reached it’s original size, infecting other hosts as it did.

Okaal has something similar in him: An altered regis tadpole from Tauthi found and taken before it could mature. Experimented on to inhibit it’s mind controlling abilities, but it’s brood controlling abilities remain. Okaal can both create his own brood of eusollons as well as take control of an existing brood, provided it’s Hivarch and Regii are destroyed. The idea is simple: take enough of the eusollon brood and it’s numbers can be turned against it. Pair those numbers with the technological and military might of the Confederation and their enemy will finally, finally be erased from existence.

Of course, this experiment has some unintended side effects. Okaal struggles with satiety-- if he isn’t hungry, he’s in that liminal space between hungry and full. Fullness never lasts very long and he has to eat several times daily instead of once every three or four days, like a typical margaven. He also has a craving for sweets and a full ability to taste them as well as generally noted desire for food. The Tadpole is also the source of his hallucinogenic fluids, as eusollons use this chemical trap to retain prey. Okaal has some other eusollon abilities, which help him be effective at his job.

Some of these side-effects are not pretty: the tadpole in his head, after all, is just as much a sapient being with thoughts and feelings of it’s own. However, it is largely banished to his subconscious. The eusollon, which calls itself Isseslai, surfaces in dreams, intrusive thoughts, and the occasional auditory hallucination. It is frustrated by Okaal’s lack of drive to breed and spread, but the Peacemaker has regulators that curtail any of it’s attempts to influence him in that regard. Okaal’s broodsire abilities means he’s hesitant to couple with any organic, because any mistakes means his partner having larval eusollons growing in their bodies. This also precludes Okaal from furthering the margaven species; it’s just too risky.

Headaches are common and a few times, Okaal has had to have random bits of eusollon anatomy surgically removed from his body: spines, tail blades, an extra tongue. He does have a black chitinous shell under his skin in place of the typical subdermal plates found in Margavens. It is far tougher than anything you’d typically find in their species, which is why Okaal can easily outfight either of his siblings.

Okaal ostensibly consented to the procedure and sees the side-effects of it and his place in the war as simply his share of the burden they all must carry. However, that consent is somewhat questionable, and arguably manufactured. Kaldane groomed Okaal to partake in this struggle just as she did Xaallo; not as closely or in the same manner, but it did happen. His purpose was to guard the Prince and royal family; to him, this meant accepting when Kaldane offered to make him a Broodsire.

[the-lighwood-who-lived]

Two Worlds, One Soul (part-1)

SUMMARY: This is a one direction fanfiction which follows the base plot of the infernal devices by cassandra clare, but with some addiction added by me. It is a Harry x reader as well as A Louis x reader fic. its also my fist ever series! :)

The boys had just finished a concert. It was loud , colorful and had an amazing audience. The five were now rushing off backstage to change. “Hey lads, check this out” called Liam. The all gathered around to see what Liam was pointing at. It was a large mirror at the corner of the room, its corners emitting sparks of gold. Harry lent closer, without warning, the sparks started spinning and swallowed up all five of them into tumbling darkness.

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

London, April, 1878

The demon exploded in a shower of demon and guts.

Harry styles Herondale jerked back the dagger he was holding. The ichor eating away at the blade, he tossed it aside. Proud of his attempt at killing the shax demon.

“Louis!” Harry called, turning around. “Where are you? Did you see that? Killed it with one blow! Not bad, eh?”

But his hunting partner did not respond. He turned around to find himself alone in the shadows. Harry was positive his parabatai was right there, guarding his back, but that no longer true- It was much less fun showing of without Louis there to see it.

He went forward, into the shadows, in search of louis. He soon found himself at the Limehouse. Harry liked the Limehouse, the feeling of standing at the edge of the world where ships departed from each day, heading off to far ports. He didn’t even mind the smell of it—smoke and rope and tar, foreign spices mixed with the dirty river-water smell of the Thames.

He walked, still searching, examining his wounds. He’d probably use a healing rune, one of Charlotte’s probably. She was rather good with those. He noticed a figure moving out of the shadows. He moved towards it, only to realise, it wasn’t louis, but rather a police officer. A Mundane police officer. The officer stared at him, actually.. he stared through Harry. It was his glamour at work, Harry would never get used to the effect of it, mundanes not being able to see him.

Harry Edward Styles was suddenly accustomed to a splitting headache. Where was he? It looked like the 1800s of London. Weren’t him and the lads in the greenroom just a while ago? He felt stuck, in some one else’s soul. It was like this life was scripted, something was very wrong, he couldn’t do anything about it. Where were the lads? Where was he? The realisation gone as soon as it came.

With a shrug and a blink, the policeman moved past Harry, shaking his head and muttering something under his breath about swearing off the gin before he truly started seeing things. Harry stepped aside to let the man pass, then raised his voice to a shout: “Louis Tomlinson Carstairs! Lou! Where are you, you disloyal bastard?” This time a faint reply answered him. “Over here. Follow the witchlight.” Harry moved toward the sound of Lou’s voice.

“Did you hear me before? That Shax demon thought it could get me with its bloody great pincers, but I cornered it in an alley—” “Yes, I heard you.” The young man who appeared at the mouth of the alley was pale in the lamplight— paler even than he usually was, which was quite pale indeed. He stepped out into the light, enough for Harry to see him. He had odd bright Silver hair, his eyes had the same silver, however, Harry’s mind was glitching again, he saw glances of the same boy, but brunette , with startling blue eyes. This vision too, was gone as soon as it came. There were dark stains across his white shirtfront, and his hands were thickly smeared with red. Harry tensed. “You’re bleeding. What happened?” Louis waved away Harry’s concern. “It’s not my blood.” He turned his head back toward the alley behind him. “It’s hers.”

Harry looked past him to find a girl, dead.

“A dead woman?” Harry asked. “A mundane?”

“A girl, really. Not more than fourteen.” Replied louis.

At that, Harry cursed with great volume and expression. Louis waited patiently for him to be done. “If we’d only happened along a little earlier,” Harry said finally. “That bloody demon —”

“That’s the peculiar thing. I don’t think this is the demon’s work.” Louis frowned. “Shax demons are parasites, brood parasites. It would have wanted to drag its victim back to its lair to lay eggs in her skin while she was still alive. But this girl—she was stabbed, repeatedly. And I don’t think it was here, either. There simply isn’t enough blood in the alley. I think she was attacked elsewhere, and she dragged herself here to die of her injuries.”

“But the Shax demon—”

“I’m telling you, I don’t think it was the Shax. I think the Shax was pursuing her—hunting her down for something, or someone, else.”

“You didn’t find the weapon, did you?” asked Harry

“Here.” Said Louis, handing him a thin hunting blade. I was covered in dried up blood. Harry wiped it across his sleeve, the blood cleared off to reveal a symbol. “Ouroboros,” Louis said, leaning in close to stare at the knife. “A double one. Now, what do you think that means?”

“The end of the world,” said Harry, still looking at the dagger, a small smile playing about his mouth, “and the beginning.” Harry frowned. “I understand the symbology, Harry. I meant, what do you think its presence on the dagger signifies?”

“It’s an alchemical symbol, not a warlock or Downworlder one. That usually means humans—the foolish mundane sort who think trafficking in magic is the ticket for gaining wealth and fame.” He paused, “The sort who like to lurk about the Downworld parts of our fair city.” After wrapping the handkerchief around the blade carefully, Harry slipped it into his jacket pocket. “D’you think Charlotte will let me handle the investigation?”

“Do you think you can be trusted in Downworld? The gambling hells, the dens of magical vice, the women of loose morals …” asked Louis

Harry smiled the way Lucifer might have smiled, moments before he fell from Heaven. “Would tomorrow be too early to start looking, do you think?”

Louis had given up. He sighed. “Do what you like, Harry. You always do.”

Southampton, May

Y/N held the clock angel pendant that was lying at the base of her neck. It was her mother’s before she died. It lay in her mom’s box up until Nathanial, her brother, took it out to see if it worked. She had worn it ever since. She had boarded the Main, that took her from New York to London, where her brother worked, after her last relative, her aunt Harriet died. She was told her brother would pick her up, but he was nowhere to be seen. She instead met two sisters, Mrs.Black and Mrs. Dark, who held with them a letter, apparently from Nate.

They led her into a carriage. One the side of it was inscribed a ouroboros, a double one, below it written : The Pandemonium.

[fatefought]

the president gave her a graceful spin. age has not taken his ability to dance. it's muscle memory. he'd seen how those in twelve dance. it's joyful, but an exercise for those undeniably dull and simple. the only redeeming quality someone from the outlier district can have is pleasant features. case in point, look at peeta mellark. the young man is handsome and debonair, enough so that his simpleton accent isn't off-putting. no, it becomes charming in essence. katniss has potential to look equally as pleasant as him, if she were to utilize the magic of capitol doctors that is. he won't bring that up twice in one evening though, it's too much an overkill.

when she mentions ratings, he smirks. he's been briefed thrice during the festivities. viewing was at its highest during the ceremony. panem likely wept, just like so many capitolites did. how bizarre to have such an emotional respond to people you hardly know. parasocial relationships are parasitic, infecting the brain with rot. it's rather embarrassing if you ask him ; and in truth, he would love if the nation showed a disinterest in the pair. katniss everdeen would prefer that too, he's certain. for what it was worth, the vows between the newlyweds were moving. coriolanus never judged a marriage of convenience, which is what the starcrossed lovers will without a doubt share for the rest of their meaningless eternity.

" i can confirm that all eyes have been laid on you two today, even district twelve. i apologize more of your ... companions from home could not make it here. they'd seem rather out of place here though, no ? y'all and howdy, it's all terminology for those too lazy to utilize proper verbage. " his salt is apparent, unprompted but he has a feral need to rub salt in wounds. his teeth are shown, but voice is kept low. those around won't hear, nor will microphones catch it. the cameras will seem it a sweet conversation between panem's president and the newest capitol darling.

" perhaps having more sincerity in your smile would be a good place to start, though it pains me to make a comment like that to a young woman. unfortunately, society finds it more appealing when a woman appears happy. those expectations have been placed long before panem i'm afraid, miss everdeen, " there's a temporary sympathy there. " talk about the future more, the happy things young people look forward to. surely more than enough people have inquired about you and mr. mellark growing your family. panem always needs more cherubs to cherish. might do to move to the capitol and aquire citizenship there. twelve has such a small population after all. " the implication is laid on thick, almost like he cares about the outcome to her large brood to come.

of course, his warning makes her face — and her stomach — sour, but katniss chastises herself for being so plain, and tries to school her face into some resemblance of content. yet, another part of her feels rage boil too strongly to be complacent when she has already done everything else to prove herself, to belittle herself, and now she has to listen to this snake slither about and waft out his rose-scented threats to her face? the thought of letting another capitol doctor near her is nauseating. she had wanted to murder those who had touched peeta at the hovercraft after their victory announcement, and she had only not managed to do physical harm to any of those that attended her because she had been knocked out at any attempt to even sit. it was unsafe, to ever put herself in that position again.

she's a bad conversation partner in her best days, and now she is happy to be as quiet as a stone, but the way that he lingers in the silence is torturing and had this been anyone else, anywhere else, she'd be losing her patience and walking away. she can not now. his performance. her mouth dries. "fine." she repeats. the snake barely touches her — just enough that is polite so he can guide her, even if it is too much — but he may as well have punched her in the gut; she feels her hands burn and her breath hitches, almost imperceptibly, as she realizes the implication of that. katniss was more or less used to being the lacking part when it came to social interactions, always a few steps behind in understanding what one thing meant, how to convey her sentiments or even wanting to participate in the exchange, but this was not a mindless small chat with a customer at the hob; the outcome of pleasing this snake was much more important than any other thing she's done before, and her mind is already on the verge of spiraling. she wants to look towards peeta, or haymitch, see if they can help her come up with something to fix this, but the snake is talking again and she has to stop her gaze from trembling and from shedding any tears (she does not know if it is physically possible, but she is trying her best to not allow let her eyes to even glisten. weakness in front of a predator can be lethal for herself).

"yes, i believe it is too early for the show's ratings to have come out." no, katniss knows nothing of that — twelve barely gets energy for anyone to watch a full program — but she's aware the entire ceremony had been broadcast, passed off as yet another special on the games that the capitolites that were not in attendance today would be crowding the tvs to watch (once more, her life is in their hands; how odd is that she can be the least bit relieved that their obsession with her can keep this man from getting rid of her and her family quietly). "they are still here, sir." she means the cameras. she doesn't need to point out to him, of course, but just with a turn of her face, she can see at least two cameramen taking images from the room (how will they spin this? president snow, the father of the nation, happily dances with one of his beloved children-victors, the girl on fire — can they edit out how she frowns, the fear and anger in her eyes, she wonders?). "i can still make a good show. what would you suggest i do?" what else can she do?

[mr-gallows]

Astrological signs for Anakin Skywalker!

I mostly just focused on the signs and planets, not on the houses that they fell into, so there may be some inconsistencies! I might change these later the more I learn, but this is just for fun! Here is my take on Anakin! (with some minor Obi-Wan analysis for comparison!) Read Obi-Wan’s interpretation here. Edit: I changed Anakin’s moon!

Before I get into this, I want to explain the elements and the modes: Air = thoughts/intellect Earth = materialism/pragmatism Water = emotion/spiritualism Fire = Action/Instinct 

Cardinal = initiative Fixed = stability Mutable = adaptability

Anakin has mostly Fire and Water, making him active and emotional. He has just enough air to give him an unconventional intellect. He is also Cardinal and Fixed dominant, which gives him initiative and stability (not often a word you would describe Anakin with!). He has a beautifully intense chart, this boy belongs in a Gothic novel. Lord Byron would be proud.

Scorpio Ascendant: The ascendant is our mask or ‘filter’. It is the first layer of our personality, what we show to people before they truly know us. Anakin processes the world around him through the lens of a Scorpio; with high emotional intensity and an almost psychic perception. He is reserved with most people around him, he keeps his guard up like a Scorpio. Most of the time he keeps quiet, letting Obi-Wan do the talking with his more chatty Libra Ascendant. Scorpio Ascendants also look very intense, and may come across as cold to people. Unlike Obi-Wan’s airy Libra, Scorpio has a very heavy presence, because it’s a fixed sign. It has the intensity of a black hole. 

He’s not going to budge an inch, until he knows that he’s safe around you. 

This is probably why Anakin comes across as a loner most of the time, even though this boy is like ‘im so lonely please love me i’m so lonely’. When people get to know Anakin better, and he lets his guard down, they get a glimpse of his core Aries self (Obi-Wan is very familiar with this side). 

Aries Sun: The Sun is the ‘core’ part of the personality. Anakin is an Aries Sun, a fiery cardinal sign, making him highly action-oriented. Anakin seems to have a lot of trouble staying still, always needing to do something with his body or work with his hands. He needs to see the fruits of his labors right now dammit.

Anakin often gets typed as a Scorpio Sun, however I think Scorpio, for all of its emotional volatility, can be frighteningly calculating. Scorpio Sun likes to hide in the shadows, waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity to strike. Anakin broods like a Scorpio, but he has the impatience of an Aries, and carries out most of his actions like an Aries.

His Aries Sun is very active, always on the move, acting on its feelings almost without thought. Anakin seems to be flying by the seat of his pants in most areas of life. He’s also naturally pretty fiery and competitive, having no issue with showing off. Anakin is restless, he has an urge to push boundaries and to experience everything. He’s very open, and his moon blends in easily with this. It’s this fire and action-oriented cardinal energy that has given him drive to become a Jedi, and probably his Aquarius/Scorpio that gives him the follow-through. Cardinal energy wants to lead, and Anakin is a natural-born leader. It comes more naturally to him than to Obi-Wan’s mutable Virgo!

Moon in Sagittarius Leo: The moon is our vulnerabilities, our emotions, and our maternal instinct. It is the side of ourselves that comes out when we are most comfortable. I thought that Anakin was a Sagittarius moon, since he seems given to sensory experiences. The more I saw how he interacted with Ahsoka, however, I’m starting to think he is in fact a Leo Moon. His emotions are wrapped in his pride. I remember the idea that Anakin wants more than what a Jedi’s life offers, even though he shouldn’t. He has strong desires. There is a nobility to Leo, fiercely protective of what it claims as its own. The way he tells Ahsoka he would never let anyone hurt her makes me think of a lion protecting its cub. Anakin is so fiercely protective of her, he sneers at the mere implication that Asajj sees a part of herself in her. With Padme, he wants to express his love in grand, dramatic gestures, probably in ways that he wishes he could show the whole world, but he can’t. He wants to save people who are suffering and right wrongs in a very grandiose manner. It feels like a divine calling, a narrative in which he is the main character, it is his purpose in life. This is how Anakin mothers the people he loves. Extreme, devout protection and gestures of adoration. Just think of a Lion’s majesty and ferocity, and you’ve got Anakin’s moon. 

Mercury in Aquarius: Mercury is all about how we understand things, think, and communicate. Anakin’s Aquarius Mercury is having a hard time breathing with all these fire and water signs around it. This is where Anakin’s unconventional thought patterns come from. Anakin will come up with a solution to a problem that is very unexpected. Anakin’s action-driven Sun, his possibility-driven Moon, and his forward-thinking Aquarius Mercury combine to make him a very daring pilot. Honestly it makes him very daring in many areas. His Aquarius Mercury is fascinated by tech and creating new things with it. He also doesn’t care much for social etiquette, and may even be amused by saying something blunt. He has a taste for innovation. Him and Obi-Wan having Mercury signs in air makes me think that’s why their banter is so amusing. They are both quick witted in this regard.

Venus in Scorpio: Venus rules romance, aesthetics, and taste. Oh boy, this is a doozy. Where do I start?

Having a water-based Venus is compatible with Obi-Wan’s water-based Moon. Water signs are compatible with other water-signs. However, there is a problem: Obi-Wan’s moon only comes out when he feels completely comfortable to do so. That happens extremely rarely. 

Anakin’s Venus is pulling at Obi-Wan’s Moon, demanding that Obi-Wan share a part of himself that Obi-Wan only shows when he feels absolutely safe to do so. Unfortunately, being a Jedi, it’s never safe to do so. Scorpio probes, which might even feel parasitic to Obi-Wan.  Obi-Wan will block it out, because it’s sensitive, it hurts. Anakin interprets this as a rejection, and thinks that he did something wrong, when it’s really just not the way Obi-Wan expresses his love (most of the time). That said, the detail-orientation of Obi-Wan’s Venus and his emotionally-psychic moon are extremely precise in detecting Anakin’s mood-changes and feelings.

(Obi-Wan’s Moon/Venus: “I love you but I don’t know how to deal with this.”)

Anakin’s love is raw. It is an all-consuming type of love, it’s like an addiction, a drug. Anakin wants to know the depths of someone’s soul, he wants to know someone’s deepest traumas and demons, to accept them and love them for all that they are, because ultimately that is what he craves for himself.

This kind of love is extremely intimidating to Obi-Wan’s gentle Virgo Venus and sensitive Cancer Moon. I don’t think Padme really knows how to deal with it either. I don’t think he’s shown all of it to her.

Scorpio Venus, along with his Scorpio Ascendant, makes Anakin very possessive and stubborn. This doesn’t mean that Scorpio Venuses are bad, only that they have an urge to take things to an extremely intense depth that most others don’t feel comfortable going to. Not everyone sees that as love. A Scorpio Venus has to learn that not everything has to go that deep, and that boundaries need to be respected.

On the plus side, you can probably tell your deepest secrets and insecurities to Anakin, and he won’t tell a soul. He’ll probably feel closer to you. 

Suspecting rejection, Anakin thinks he has to prove how much he loves someone, so that they don’t let him go. I think of the scene where Anakin gives his lightsaber to Padme, as a symbol of his life and love (I also suspect that Padme is probably a Cancer Ascendant, which would explain Anakin being drawn to her because she has a mothering, caring energy that he wants in love). Anakin doesn’t realize that he doesn’t have to go to these extreme lengths to prove that he loves someone, he doesn’t see that they already love him. He feels wrong and broken, and he wants someone who can heal his soul, when he really needs to look inwards and heal himself.

A Scorpio Venus can also take things very personally and become wrathful. Scorpio has a divine wrath, it is complete and utter destruction. Anakin is fire and ice, he burns everything to ash and freezes it over.

(Anakin’s Leo Moon/Scorpio Venus: “Why are you leaving me? What did I do wrong?”)

Losing someone he loves is death itself to him. When he speaks to Master Unduli about not giving up on Ahsoka, the thought of losing her looks like it physically pains him. 

In short: Anakin not properly dealing with his Scorpio Venus/Leo Moon is probably the cause of his fall. 

Also: Scorpios like darkness and intensity. To them, it is the most real, the most deep. Explains why Anakin likes black, huh?

Mars in Aries Scorpio: Mars rules passion, war, instinct, and sexuality. An Scorpio Mars is a planet in the sign of its old rulership! It is not as potent as Aries, but I changed it because I examined the way Anakin goes to war. He is more likely, at least later on, to use underhanded and sneaking tactics. This is where he becomes very cold, calculating, unyielding. Having a third inner planet (Ascendant sort of counts as a planet) in Scorpio makes his personality slightly unbalanced. There’s a LOT of Scorpio here, a lot of intense emotions that he has difficulty understanding. He can never completely express himself, there is something he’s always holding back, and he doesn’t even know what it is that he’s holding back.  

When it comes to sexuality, this is another area where Anakin gets possessive. This is where not only his Mars, but his Scorpio Venus and Leo Moon all come out to play. The eroticism is ridiculous. It’s wild, uninhibited, dark, passionate, emotional, and probably loud. What a drama queen. He’s easily aroused and wants to give everything he can to his partner. Having Scorpio in the planets of love and sexuality makes his expressions of love tinged with darkness. He probably has a dominant edge and wants to explore dark taboos. He wants to utterly consume his partner and have them consume him in return. This is an intense sensory and emotional experience for him, and he wants the best. His ideal is a luxurious bed with candles, a beautiful moonlit view, and nobody else for miles. Leaving his partners exhausted and satisfied is what he strives for, and he’d wish they could do this forever. Aries/Leo/Scorpio make his head, back, and well...his genitals, his erogenous zones, respectively.

[merryfortune]

Leech

Un-Love You Challenge: 06. I want to need you

Ship: Daruizen/Nodoka

Fandom: Healin’ Good PreCure

Word Count: 2.7k

Synopsis: There's a pity in wanting and in needing, pity that Nodoka obliges when Daruizen, in the form of a Nanobyougen, asks for a little more than just refuge.

   A faint tap, tap, tap on her widow competed with the scratch, scratch, scratch of Nodoka’s pencil in her work booklet as she completed a bout of English homework and study. At first, she had thought it her imagination but there was something pitiful, like a baby bird, about this noise so she decided, sliding her chair back, the sound of the feet dragging on the wooden floorboards was musical, it was time to investigate and so, she did.

   She stood by her far side window: it was huge and she always felt caught up in some awe of the wind and sunshine and in that glint, she saw it. Small and tiny and yes, something incredibly pitiful and Nodoka’s heart ached. Not for a baby bird, although that was almost accurate as she thought of what was fought for by the lakeside that an arborist cherished, but for something else.

   “Daruizen…? Is that you?” Nodoka murmured as she caught this tiny little thing in her hands upon opening the window.

   He looked up at her. His body was small and bulbous save for his wiry, leathery wings but admittedly, he didn’t look like much. Not compared to the final iteration of his self that Nodoka had seen and had vanquished as Cure Grace. Oh, she remembered him as being as colossal as a skyscraper and as being so resistant to how she and her friends could fight him because of all the Mega Parts that he had inserted into himself. 

   He had gone from being a giant among villains to being able to fit in the palm of Nodoka’s hand. He resembled Shindoine in this form: round and winged, not much by the way of being humanlike or anything else like that but apparently, he was still capable of emotions, of speech.

   He looked up at her with a wounded expression, teardrops in the corners of his acidic yellow eyes, “Help me, please, Cure Grace.”

   Nodoka grimaced. She sighed and she still felt the sunshine on her face. She still felt that what her past deeds unto Daruizen were right and justified. Rabirin’s words as a confidante and source of direction rang true to her right now and in her ear and yet, her heart ached for the misery that she held in her hands. 

   Daruizen turned shy in her hands. His wings cramped and crowded him as he hung what little of his head that he could, in shame. Nodoka moved a hand and Daruizen shuddered. She was gentle as she pet the top of his head with her fingertip, considering what she ought to do.

   She had wanted to help him but that past tense to her desire was quickly becoming present tense. Without Rabirin, or even Asumi, to defer to on short notice for counsel, it was up to Nodoka to make her own decisions and she knew in her heart that she was a good, kind person and she wanted to extend the help that she had received from friends, family, and medical professionals to even the undeserving like Daruizen. She sighed.

   “I’ve hopefully built up enough immunity to you, after everything that’s happened.” Nodoka murmured but her brows pinched forward. “However, if you do anything untoward then there will be consequences.” She said that even when she stroked the top of his head.

   Daruizen cuddled up to her. As though he were making a promise to behave but Nodoka was sceptical of him. Even if he looked all adorable and pathetic in this form. She sighed. Disappointed in herself that she was even letting him melt her heart like this. She just knew if Rabirin were here, she would disapprove but as she was not, all that mattered was Daruizen’s approval and already, Nodoka could feel him leech life energy from herself through her finger. Like a pinprick. 

   He nattered pleasantly and already, Nodoka could see some difference in his Nano-Byougen form. His wings fluttered and he was eager for more but Nodoka bopped him on the head.

   “No.” she scolded him. “You’re only allowed a little bit per day. I - I’m still really scared of when you went berserk with the Mega Parts… I don’t want that happening again.” The strength her voice quavered when she revealed her fear.

   Daruizen’s eyes glimmered. They neither softened or hardened; showed sympathy nor harshness; showed only that he had heard Nodoka and he had listened to her, too. And so, with a tender uneasiness, Nodoka allowed Daruizen into her life once more. 

   She returned to her desk to study and Daruizen stayed nearby, as though chained or leashed to her presence. He was mostly unnoticeable but Nodoka felt distinctly irritated to have him around. Even as she tried to do her homework, their previous encounters played hard and fast and sharp in her head. It was difficult to believe that such a powerful foe and combatant, one who had so closely rivalled her in every step of the way on her journey of being a Pretty Cure could be rendered so lowly and microscopic. That he even remained at all.

   Yet despite this friction between them, Nodoka found it did get easier. Though there had been many a moment wherein she had been tempted to keep him all locked up in a jar, she didn’t. Every couple of hours in the daylight, she gave him a little bit of herself to have a nibble on. That, too, got easier as well. 

   At first, it felt a pinprick and then, Nodoka didn’t notice it at all. What was once a chore to her, soon became something that she looked forward to or even enjoyed. Of course, “soon” spanned many days, even a month or so. It wasn’t something that happened swiftly like a river, more like the slow erosion that one would have caused by surging through a valley. 

   Daruizen’s gratitude became cute to her. The way his face lit up when the energy he absorbed was particularly rich with good vibrations and energising magic; the way his wings scrunched up when Nodoka had had a crummy day and it was reflecting in the residual magic that he fed off her. Either way, these little in between moments were becoming increasingly precious to Nodoka.

   Even if they didn’t speak much - as in having grand conversations - it was still apparent that he was only doing this for himself. He wanted what he had lost back and honestly, Nodoka couldn’t blame him for that. She wanted her own magic as Cure Grace back pretty badly as well. Not that her health was failing or otherwise declining since giving up the rod, but it wasn’t exactly superhuman. Nodoka had gotten less paper cuts, less bumps and scratches having her alter ego Cure Grace around, she observed. She could even run a little bit farther on her running route as well, she had had to shorten it as well now that it had been several months since she had last felt the power of being a Pretty Cure course through her.

   So yeah, she could understand why Daruizen wanted to be a big, mean Terabyougen again. She just hoped that when it was all done and dusted, he wasn’t going to be that big or that mean. He was pretty manageable, and even downright adorable, being this small and useless. 

   As peculiar as their relationship was - calling them host and parasite was probably the most accurate way to describe the nuances of their relationship, she thinks - Nodoka had gotten used to him. She was even going to miss him when he had gotten his powers back and decided to vanish. Doing whatever it was that armyless Terabyougens do, Nodoka supposed.

   She had even let him sleep with him as of late. Again, really. Just like old times in a stretch of the imagination. After all, they had been literally inseparable for several years in Nodoka’s childhood and preadolescence. Even if they were mostly oblivious to each other, but he did make a good little bed bug. He didn’t bite.

   Daruizen would brood on her pillow, just by her face and together, they would sleep. Sometimes, Daruizen would rest against her face and Nodoka would enjoy just how velvety he felt, even if it was a velvet streaked with grease or oil and she would wake up with some sort of smear to wipe off his morning and he enjoyed her warmth. The warmth that humans emanated was gentle, it was uncubatory and safe, completely unlike the unrelenting and horrible warmth of the magmic, undermined world of the Byougens.

   Even so, their routine was very touch and go. The cat might have been out of the bag regarding the Pretty Cures and her parents knowing about all of that was well past gone but it was a completely different feline to worry about if they were to find out that one of those monsters was still around. And even worse, living under their roof with their precious daughter but somewhere in amongst those daily cycles of giving Daruizen the table scraps of her energy, she had forgotten that one day, it might be entirely possible that her parents, or her friends, might find out about him.

   Daruizen had latched onto her fingers as per usual to have a feed of her energy whilst she flipped through the book she was meant to be reading for literature class when there was a bright light. Daruizen had eaten his fill and so, he reverted to his previous form, more evolved than his present.

   Nodoka was blinded as Daruizen transformed in front of her. She stumbled back off her chair and even fell onto the floor as she looked up at the unfolding cataclysm of white and red and black. From the kitchen below, she could hear her parents call and fuss for her but she could hardly find her voice as she bore witness to the rebirth of the Byougens General Daruizen. Her heart hammered in her chest and all she could do was tremble as her room was filled with these blinding lights.

   Yet it wasn’t because he was her enemy that she was horrified. Nodoka was horrified, she was actually wondering if that’s what it was like to transform into Cure Grace in front of others and just before that wondering could transform into a reverie, she was accosted by Daruizen. She heard the dull thumps of his feet landing on the floor, then she heard the sound of knees dropping on the wooden floorboards and was completely blindsided as she felt arms surge out from the light and embrace her. They were tight, either side of her and she was brought down to her knees by it.

   Daruizen was hugging her. He emanated this spiky gratitude yet despite how offensive it was, it felt fragile too. Fit to break if Nodoka did so much as breathe. She was just barraged with this clingy affection as he hugged her, buried his face into her shoulder and there was a sob. It was awful, somewhere between swallowed and completely cried out.

   Nodoka’s hands twitched and unthinkingly, despite that fragility that bawled, Nodoka hugged him back. When that light faded, he was human. Or maybe just human enough, Nodoka realised as he cradled him. His horns were smaller than before: tiny, little nubs of velvet. His face had a pinker colouration to it than before, when he had been of such a mossy pallor. Even his clothes weren’t quite so sharp, they were softer, rounder, and even more floral by the embroidery. The red which was once like dried blood was now an earthier brown.

   This was a Daruizen who was not quite human but not quite a devil either. A new type of Terabyougen, perhaps? Nodoka didn’t know but she could see where her help had patched him up. He was healthier than before, so to speak. She let go of a flurry of anxiety that Daruizen might be on the cusp of attacking her, backstabbing the kindness that she had shown him but no. She didn’t think it was going to be like that. 

   “A-Are you okay?” Nodoka asked, stuttering with a tinge of surprise. “Are you scared?”

   Daruizen growled.

   Nodoka shuddered. It was a harsh, rasping noise from the bottom of his throat and it spooked her.

   “Yes…” Daruizen finally admitted after that moment of broken repose.

   “You poor thing… It was scary for the first time for me, too. Not knowing what was happening to my body, the surge of new energy and magic…” Nodoka consoled him.

   “That’s not it.” Daruizen sharply intoned.

   His raised voice scared Nodoka again. Her body freezing as she felt the fangs of his voice in her skin but again, when it was all over, and Daruizen could find it within himself to behave, she relaxed and it felt like she was shaking off a dousing of ice-cold water.

   “I’m scared of leaving you.” Daruizen murmured and every word was so difficult for him to say but he said it. And he said some more, pressing on. “I’m scared of losing you.”

   Nodoka blinked, “What do you mean…?” she asked.

   Daruizen pulled back and Nodoka was harrowed by his facial expression. He was mid-bawl, tears and all. He held onto the mid of her shoulders before his clawed hands slipped downwards, along her willowy limbs and all to timidly hold her hands.

   “I - I want to need you.” he sobbed.

   “Pardon?” It still did not compute with Nodoka.

   “I-I want your light.” Daruizen didn’t know how else to explain it. “I want your love.” Every breath he took was painful as he revealed all his icky feelings to her. “You are my beginning and my end and I - and I’m scared of not having you. Of being cast aside by you or torn away from you. There is nothing left in this world for me but I stayed. I survived. A-All because I wanted to return to you. I - I want to be healed and - and now that I am. I don’t want to be because it might mean losing to you again.”

   Nodoka was shaken to hear such passionate words from Daruizen. The begging and the confessing. It was so utterly selfish but it was so utterly him as well, desperately clinging to what he had as it no longer came so easy or so simple to him. Nodoka sighed. Her expression softened and she reached out to Daruizen. She pet the top of his head and his hair was soft as silk. Slowly, Daruizen began to calm down. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat and he sank into Nodoka’s lap. He cuddled up to her, trying to make himself small again, just like a Nanobyougen, bringing up his legs to his chest as he held onto her.

   “There, there,” she murmured, “I understand now.”

   Daruizen turned his head slightly so he could see Nodoka, even if it was through the strands of his fringe. He was shy, trying to hide his outburst and ugly emotions. It didn’t suit him, he thought, with his tail literally between his legs. But it also suited him, or at the very least Nodoka, to be soothed. To have his head stroked and be told everything was alright.

   “I’ve always wanted to see the best in you and as forces of nature - the good and bad, the sick and the healthy - we’re always going to be in tandem so I want there to be balance too. Some way to meet in the middle, so Daruizen… I want you to need me too. I like being the heroine after all.” Nodoka replied.

   “I’m glad.” Daruizen’s voice was faint as he replied, he closed his eyes as Nodoka kept consoling him, with her voice, with her hand, with all of her heart and soul.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Blood Red Heat prt 40

For the last night planet side, the pack had piled into Green for a sleep over. Krolia, Allura, Romelle, and Coran, all invited, even if they didn’t feel what their pack felt. Sitting between Hunk’s legs, Hunk was helping Lance keep up with the weird card game he and Pidge had tried to invent that was somewhere between poker and uno. Coupled with Pidge, the three of them had crushed Keith and Shiro, who didn’t actually know the rules of the game. Keith’s alpha struggling seeing Lance seated between Hunk’s legs, but he’d managed to keep his temper with how happy Lance seemed to be. They’d all noticed it now, the pauses and the weakness. Coran had suggested a group walk out to where they’d found a wide piece of stream that was better for water collection that further down and closer to camp, Lance stubbornly tried to keep up the “relaxed pace” Coran had set, his hand on Kosmo for support . When Lance had stumbled, Hunk had thrown himself down dramatically with an exaggerated sigh and demanded a time out from training. Pidge caught on quick, their gremlin also asking for a break.

Upon seeing so much water, Lance had wanted to go swimming. Coran having to be the one to break it to him that swimming wasn’t advisable as they had to boil the water for drinking due to some potential parasite. Sitting on the bank of the stream, Lance had told him all about growing up surfing. Keith had never been surfing. Living in a land locked state would do that to you. Lance promised to teach him when they finally got back home, explaining how his next oldest brother was totally a grommet... whatever that was. Keith was simply happy to hear Lance talk so enthusiastically about something he clearly loved. It was then that Lance decided to also tell him about his older sister Veronica who worked at the Galaxy Garrison. Lance might love his siblings, yet the way he talked about Veronica, it was clear she was the one he was closest to out of the brood...

The alpha feeling semi-bad that he couldn’t recall Lance’s family from all their forced upon mind melding. He wished he could keep up with it all. Lance taking his silence the wrong way, apologising for “rubbing his family in his face”. Maybe he had, but Keith wanted to know. He wanted to make sure he didn’t make a fool of himself when he finally told Lance’s family that he had the honour of courting him.

Scrunching his face as up as he went cross eyed at his cards Lance was being cute again, Keith ducked his head to cover the slight blush setting in. Not missing anything, Shiro nudged him with his elbow, whispering in his ear

“Quick, Lance breathed, you better blush”

His brother could go jump

“Fuck off. Like you and Adam were any better”

“Hey, we raised a kid together, we were allowed to be gross. We needed each other with how often you got in trouble”

“It wasn’t always my fault, you know”

“I do. He seems happy”

Throwing a card down, Lance craned his neck to look back at Hunk who nodded supportively

“He is. He still has his moments, but the game really did knock out the hardest part of the apology”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who apologised as much as him. Is there any way to get him to stop?”

Keith snorted, if Lance praised him any more, or apologised for something not his fault one more time, his brain might just short circuit

“Try dating him... You love to apologise for everything, don’t you, babe?”

Lance wasn’t listening until he heard “babe”, worry coming to his face as he tilted his head

“Hmm?”

“I said you love to apologise”

Lance seemed unsure, hesitantly nodding, but trusting Keith

“I’m not going to apologise for kicking your butt”

“You’re not going to show me any mercy, are you?”

“Nope... not even if you’re my alpha”

Shooting Lance finger guns, Keith grinned stupidly thinking himself smart

“That’s my omega”

Lance groaning as he blushed. Pidge and Hunk both shocked he’d ever shoot anyone finger guns

“Babe, nooooo”

“I think you mean, “Babe, yessss””

Pidge rolled her eyes at them, surprisingly she was still quiet quite with her teasing, sometimes it took her a moment or two to reword what she was going to say, this time she was straight to the point

“Let Lance keep his finger guns... It doesn’t look right when you do it”

Keith pouted, huffing

“There’s nothing wrong with my fingers”

Lance choked on thin air. Keith blushing hard as he tried to fix what he said

“I didn’t mean it like it! I mean they work and they do their job! Babe, help!”

Shiro patted him on the shoulder

“Keith, kiddo, brother of mine, please just stop”

“I’m... you guys suck”

Continuing their game a little longer, Lance dropped his cards as he rubbed at his head. Hunk casting a worried look to Keith, who placed his cards down and crawled over to his omega. Krolia and Coran both on edge in case there was something wrong. Allura and Romelle stopping their gossip session of how Altea of the old had been. Feeling Lance’s forehead, Hunk gave a small shake of his head, Lance not feverish

“Babe, you okay?”

“Red says it’s time I was asleep... I dun wanna sleep. I think I’m finally getting this”

“Wanna come give me a cuddle for bit then? Maybe you can teach me how to play?”

Lance reached for him, the pack adjusting around them so Lance could sit in his lap and still be included in what was happening. Thinking he was whispering, his boyfriend failed hard

“I don’t think Pidge and Hunk know how to play... I’m so confused”

Hunk and Pidge both groaned. Hunk, shaking his head

“Honestly I think I’ve had enough. Do you want to try fish instead? We all know Pidge cheats at poker”

“It’s not my fault I’m graceful and charming”

When no one immediately agreed, Pidge kicked Keith in the ankle, Shiro chuckling

“She is style. She is grace...”

Lance adding on, as if this “song” was a “well known thing”

“But mess with her and it’s a foot to the face, or her little gremlin fangs in your ankle”

Pidge smiled proudly at Lance, wiping a fake tear from her eye

“Awww, dude, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said”

“I do try to be nice”

Shiro reached over to ruffle Lance’s hair. This was what pack nights had been like before he’d left, only now he had Lance and it seemed a thousand times better for it

“We know, kiddo. You going to play, or do you want to watch?”

“I wanna watch... You guys should teach Coran”

Introducing Coran to “fish”, Coran started explaining the aquatic animals that’d called Altea home. He wasn’t sure why humans called it “fish”, and seemed to think they should all have tiny little rods for picking up the cards. Too preoccupied teaching Coran, Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro, failed to notice as Keith slowly drew out of playing to watch with Lance. Hands holding each other’s, as his omega started to doze off in his arms. The game would have continued if Lance hadn’t accidentally kicked his leg out, knocking the pile of cards over as he sighed in his sleep. Lance had always been a heavy sleeper, once he got to sleep, Keith content as a human pillow as Pidge collected up the cards. Shiro being the responsible “Space Dad”

“We really should call it a night”

Hunk smiled at his best friend, probably happy to be free from Coran’s story

“I’m pretty tired, I think Lance has the right idea”

Pidge nodded her agreement, ignoring Coran’s pouting at the game coming to an end

“Mhmm... I could sleep. It’s been ages since we did anything like this as a pack”

Between their night under the stars and the day spent triple checking everyone had everything and rations were fairly divided, Keith felt it too

“It’s nice. You guys got all your bedding?”

Pidge answered for all of them

“Yep. We made sure we had everything before we started playing cards. We even set you and Lance up with your own bed”

There was mischief in Pidge’s tone, Keith not surprised at all

“Thanks for that... but we’re probably going to crash right here. He’s already completely zonked out”

“Fiiiiine, put all our hard work to shame. I dibs sleeping closest to Lance”

Hunk immediately spluttered

“I’m his best friend”

“You got to cuddle him all night. We all need pack time, Hunk”

Hunk sighed

“Fine. Next time I’m sleeping next to him”

“We’ll see. Shiro, you good?”

“I’m going to use the bathroom before everyone else. Keith, you need a hand?”

“Nah. I’ve got him. I’ll save brushing my teeth for the morning”

Pidge wrinkled her nose up

“I swear I’ll shoot you if you come at me with your morning breath”

“I’ll save it just for you, Pidgeon”

Their bantering continued as everyone got ready around him and Lance. The floor of Green not the best bed, but he did have the best cuddle mate in the pack. For Romelle and Krolia this was new experience, Coran had taken to watching over the pack when they’d had their sleep overs, falling asleep upright on the castle sofa as the rest of them slept close. Now Coran was sleeping near Allura and Romelle, with Krolia the one choosing to take the position of silent guardian. His mother really didn’t get how pack dynamics worked, but she was prepared to accept that this was what they all needed right now. His mother so thoroughly his mother that as she watching, she was oiling her blade. As everyone settled in, Green’s lighting switched to emergency lighting, filling the space with a soft glow. Hunk mumbling

“Pidge, I need the light on”

“Don’t look at me, that was all Green. I think Green agrees with Red that it’s past our bed time”

Black nudged into Keith’s mind, his own lion also in agreement. It’d be hard having to pilot Black away from Lance, but Krolia, Romelle, Allura, and Coran all agreed they were happy to swap having shifts in Red so Lance and Kalternecker would never be left alone

“Yeah, Black’s telling me we should be sleeping. What about Blue and Yellow?”

Allura giggled happily

“Yes, I do believe our lions have all ganged up against us”

“Maybe there as anxious as we are to get back out there?”

A pillow flew over Keith’s head, hitting Shiro, as Pidge grumped

“Personally, I could sleep for a month and that still wouldn’t be enough”

Keith snorted. Pidge was forgetting the one thing that made her more excited than anything else

“Now, now Pidge. Your dad probably has all sorts of new tech waiting for you”

Pidge spluttered, still thinking of her witty reply as Lance snuggled closer to Keith, letting out a loud rumbling content purr that they all heard. Hunk asking

“Dude, was that Lance?”

“Yeah. He’s got a good purr on him”

“I’ve never heard him purr like that before”

Pidge’s pillow was lobbed back over his head, Keith assuming she’d caught it as she didn’t complain about being hit. Closing his eyes, Keith buried his face against Lance’s back. Lance liked being the big spoon, yet seeing he was sleeping, Keith got to be big spoon, which the alpha preferred seeing it didn’t end up with Lance having a face full of his hair

“That’s because he’s all snuggled up with Keith. Don’t you two do anything gross in Green or I’ll kick you both out”

“Shut up. We’re not that gross”

“I’m just saying, we’re already hunting for a sun and if I see something I don’t want to, I might just yeet myself into it”

As Keith mentally sighed, Coran seemed to think now was the time to join in

“Not in Green you won’t. She’s a fine lion who deserves more than that. I’m sorry, Pidge, but I must insist you not do this “yeeting” of which you speak”

Pidge huffed, though her scent showed no trace of actual annoyance

“Look, now you made Coran cranky”

Keith trying to sound as deadpan as possible

“Oh no. Whatever shall we do?”

“Kosmo will teleport me over at the first sign of a potential yeet. You kids need your sleep”

There was a choruses of “Yes, Mum”, Krolia probably hadn’t expected to suddenly be called “mum” by all of them. She didn’t have a smart reply to that. Still, it was nice. To have his whole pack there, and for them to accept his mother, and his mother to accept Lance... all of it so damn nice that he could cry... but he wouldn’t. He loved his pack, for all its weirdness. They really were, and would forever be, his family.

** Three Years Later**

Lance had stood by Keith’s side for all of it. From coming back to Earth, to kicking the Galra off their home planet, to showing up wearing what seemed to be a full set of saucepans because Coran had been talking to him about Altean courting customs, Keith helping his omega unpan himself as they’d watched the sunset sitting atop black. Things hadn’t been easy. Lance nearly dropping when his second heat had come, due to the trauma before his first heat.

When Altea and Diabazaal had come back into existence, and with Honerva and Sendak both finally as dead as they deserved, slowly their pack dynamic had changed as they all sought their own paths. For Lance and Keith it’d been time on Earth, helping Lance’s family reestablish their farm in Cuba. Keith really didn’t like the first time he’d been invited to dinner by Lance’s Mami Miriam. The woman quick to share so many embarrassing stories about his omega. Lance shaken, but bold enough to stand up for himself and ask her to stop. His boyfriend talking him out to see Plant City, as most of the refugee families had been there at the time. Their time on Earth feeling like one big arse term at the Garrison. Keith finding himself “the future” as Lance had called him. Being the first Human-Galra, and the Black Paladin of Voltron, Keith found himself thrust into the spotlight that he’d never wanted.

For a time Lance worked with the Blades to help rebuild Diabazaal, as well as working as Earth’s ambassador to Altea. Coran refused to have it any other way. Lance was there for all of them. When Shiro had learned about the loss of Adam, it was Lance who kidnapped the pair of them from the awkward wake held for all the heroes lost when the Galra attacked. They wound up on some shitty beach in the middle of nowhere, but somehow that was everything Shiro needed. It was also Lance who helped to encourage Shiro to find happiness with his new boyfriend Curtis. Slowly as things had settled, Lance picked up teaching on Altea. His omega such a natural with the children that “laughed at his funny ears”.

Getting a call out of the blue from Coran, Keith broke every rule regarding wormholing off of Diabazaal. The stupid Blades had needed him for some stupid stealth mission. Keith well and truly over pockets of resistance that kept popping up trying to bring back Zarkon’s legacy. As far as Keith knew, Lance was on Earth. One of the perks of Pidge working at the Galaxy Garrison was the new gun tech coming out of the place. Lance had only been joking about being her official tester, yet almost every time Pidge upgraded some kind of gun, Lance would be the first one she’d call to her lab, even when the damn thing didn’t work, and the facility went onto lockdown because they’d tripped the fire alarms... He was supposed to be on Earth, with Pidge, and Pidge’s somewhat scary mother Colleen, planting a new crop of something or other resistant... Honestly, he still didn’t get farming talk, but Lance was meant to be in Cuba and now he was on Altea on that wasn’t okay, especially not when Coran had told him to come straight to main medical centre.

Landing on Altea, Keith flicked off the engines of his pod, out the thing before it’d finished spooling down, still in his Blade stealth suit, or his “onesie of justice” as Lance called it, as he bolted for the medical centre. Alarmed Alteans had no clue what was going, Keith nearly smacked into the glass doors, narrowly barrelling through the with only catching his shoulder instead of taking out the door frame. Hitting the admin desk, the Altea behind gave a small squeak as she rolled back

“Where’s Coran?!”

Timidly the woman pointed him down the hall to the left, Keith taking off jogging. Instinctively he wanted to keep running, yet Lance would smack him for running in a hospital.

Finally finding Coran, the alpha grabbed Coran by the shoulders. He wanted to shake an explanation out of him, but first he had to catch his breath

“Keith, my boy!? What a pleasure to see you again...”

“Lance... where’s Lance...”

“Uh, yes! Now...”

“Coran, don’t tease him! Keith, I’m okay”

Coran was kind of shoved slightly backwards as Keith tore away from the Altean, darting into the room he’d been standing in front of. Sitting on the bed, his omega looked exhausted as Keith rushed over to him. Wrapping his arms around Lance, the alpha let out a shaky breath. Yeah. He’d gotten a bit better with his rashness and impulse control, but that always went out the window when it came to Lance. Scrambling to tear his mask off with one hand, he didn’t want to let his omega go

“Babe... thank fuck...”

Chuckling softly, Lance smiled at him as Keith forced himself back to see his omega’s face

“Are you okay? I thought you were in Cuba. Coran messaged me that you were here...”

“And you came running... Babe, I’m okay. Something Coran should have told you”

Scrunching his brow, Lance being “okay” only made him confused

“I... if you’re okay, what are you doing here?”

“I... uh, started feeling ill. So I came for a check up... and hold on, let me show you...”

Pouting at Lance letting him go, his omega fished something out his pocket, Keith had no idea what the hell it was... until he was passed it

“You might want to be careful, I pissed on it”

Pee... on a stick... oh... oh... OH! What... how...

“Babe...?”

Lance snorted, then kind of sobered. His omega had to be terrified. Even with all the tech they had, he’d still had so many issues with everything growing and settling. Lance’s chances of contraception raising, but severely damaged by his red heat

“Don’t worry, I have a stack of them at home... I wanted to get it confirmed. Coran wasn’t supposed to freak you out”

Stabbing Lance less than romantically in the eye as he took his omega’s face in his hands, Keith’s heart was racing

“And... are... you...?”

“Yeah. We haven’t done an ultrasound, but... blood test and a quick examination confirmed it. I put off coming when I first started feeling sick... but today I started throwing up and it... yeah. I must have brought every test in the shop... I know... we didn’t think and... I’m sorry...”

No fucking way was Lance apologising for this. This was best news he’d had since Shiro and Curtis got engaged. Kissing his omega happily, Lance relaxed into the kiss, stick still right up against his eye.

Behind Keith, there was the sound of a party popper, confetti falling over their heads. For a moment Keith panicked, Bob and his fucking game show haunted him for a long time, so, for an instant, he thought he was back there. Instead, as he whipped his head around around and moved to protect Lance, Coran was beaming at the pair of them. Incriminating party popper remains still in hand

“Oh, I’m so proud of you, my boys!”

Knowing the cause of his distress, Lance tugged on his arm until Keith turned back to him

“You know he’s been addicted to them since Shiro first told him how to use one. I’m okay, tired, kind of nauseous, but I’m okay. Are you?”

Relaxing under his omega’s calming scent, Keith was very very okay...ish. God. He was nervous more than anything... The way Lance stared at him... even after three years, his omega sent his heart all funny

“Yeah. Yeah, babe... a pup... we’re having a pup of our own”

“We are... I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up, but... fuck... I said I wouldn’t cry...”

“Sweetheart, I think I’m crying too...”

Yeah. No. He definitely was... This was actually happening... This was finally happening for them, not that they had been trying, but they hadn’t exactly not been either. Shiro knew all about from making the mistake of walking in on them after one particular tedious briefing. Shyly, his omega asked

“So... you’re... this is... okay?”

“Oh, I’m very okay”

“Good, because this baby and me, we’re both gonna need our big strong alpha”

Inside his alpha was screaming with pride. He was going to be a dad. Lance was going to be a dad. They were going to be dads...

“You and our pup... you’re going to be so loved you won’t know what to do”

Both of them were messes, the pregnancy stick finally dropped as they nuzzled into each other until it was impossible to tell who’s tears were who’s. Lance letting out a barked laugh at the state of them. They might have grown plenty, but no matter how many years had passed, you only had to put them together and they turned into emotional idiots

“Now, yes, well, Lance came for a scan today, perhaps you’d be so kind as to let me patient lay down?”

Giddy, Lance giggled. Both their scents were kind of making Keith giddy too

“Coran begged me to let him do the scan. I think our Space Uncle is excited for us. He probably now knows more about my condition than anyone...”

“If you trust him, you know I trust him...”

“I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t. You’re the second to know... well, third. The man at the store probably suspected with all the tests I bought...”

“When do we tell the others?”

“When we know both me and this little one are going to be okay... which we won’t know until Coran does the scan”

“Oh, I guess I better let you lay down”

“Yep... you have no idea how much water I had to drink for this scan, you better not keep me waiting any longer”

That didn’t sound fun... Everything anything to do with birth, and male omega’s, came out of Lance’s various appointments and therapy sessions... however, he didn’t need a fancy education to know having to pee sucked

“I promise I’ll never keep you waiting again”

Humming sweetly, Lance would never not be the most amazing and sweetest omega he’d ever met. A pup with his big blue eyes... His heart was melting at the thought of them

“Mmm. I might just have to hold you to that, but first, let’s meet our baby...”

He was never going to tire of hearing that. Their baby. Theirs... made by them...

“Our baby...”

*

The novelty never had worn off, no matter how many times he told everyone and anyone repeatedly. No matter how many times Lance teased him about all their friends knowing. Keith was proud as quiznak right up to the birth, and prouder even still when he finally got to hold their first pup in his arms.