#Nor the demons down under the sea

[cowskulls]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[starsofang]

CALL OF THE SEA / PART FOUR

pirate poly!141 x f!reader tw: NSFW, MDNI, violence, kidnapping, angst, blood, 141 are still mean pirates ): kind of, very brief mentions of death masterlist

When a group of unhinged pirates invade your small village, you're whisked away from your peaceful home and thrown on to a voyage out at sea. Forced to obtain a new role as their medic, you have no choice but to accept your fate as you join their forces and aid them in their treacherous travels.

There were no ifs, ands, or buts about sleeping arrangements. Price, the Captain that he was, would have it his way, and his way was keeping you secured in the stuffiness of his own quarters.

It was uncomfortable, the way you shared the bed with him. He was a large man, much larger than you, and his bed only had so much space to fit the two of you. In the midst of the nights, you’d feel his leg brush against yours, or feel the soft rumble of his quiet snores from where he laid beside you.

It was far from ideal. As much as you hated it, it was an upgrade from your cell down in the brig. Price’s bed was softer, more plush, and it sank you in every time you slept on it. The situation was no better, but it wasn’t any worse, either.

The downside, though, was that you were just as much a prisoner as you were in the cell. Price made it known that you weren’t to leave his quarters under any circumstance.

They brought you meals in rotations. Sometimes Soap would show, cracking a horrible joke that left you rolling your eyes. Or sometimes it’d be Gaz, who hardly spared you a word of conversation, though you could see the faint glimpse of pity in his eye.

Then there was Ghost. A pure enigma, darkened by shadowy demons that were hidden beneath his mask. He never uttered a word to you, nor looked at you. He did his bidding by slapping down a bowl of poorly made stew and immediately making his exit before you could get a single word in.

Price wouldn’t bring you your meals, though you convinced yourself it was because he was avoiding you. You thought his original plan of having you sleep in his quarters would be for something diabolical and sinful, yet he made no effort to touch you nor get to know you. It was nice, knowing he wasn’t there to do things against your will, but it was also confusing, wondering what his real plan was for you.

It was as if sleeping with a wall, which you weren’t sure whether to be grateful or not. These men were far from people you wanted to be a part of, but the desire for a friend was beginning to outweigh your spite.

You were an outcast aboard this ship. Secluded from the world, and isolated from the only people you were surrounded by. It was a dreadfully lonely life to be living. Your only friend was the sea, and even that was something you were torn away from, locked away in the quarters with only a small window to offer a view of it.

The door of Price’s quarters barged open, disrupting you from your woe. None of them ever bothered to knock. They were savages, bred with no proper manners in the presence of a woman. But really, you weren’t a woman to them. You were labor. An inconvenience.

“Get up,” Ghost grumbled from his stand in the doorway, hand knuckling the rusty knob. “Goin’ shoppin’.”

“We’re on land?” you asked, standing from Price’s cot. Ghost grunted in response. “And I’m to… join you?”

“You need supplies, don’t you?” he gruffed, eyes narrowing in on you. “Don’t make me change my mind.”

The door abruptly slammed shut, leaving you alone in the quarters once again.

Land? They were allowing you to join them on their journey to land, to aid you in getting supplies necessary to work as a proper medic? It seemed surreal, yet bittersweet.

Gaining new supplies set your position on their crew in stone. They intended to keep you as theirs, and only trusted you enough to let you get off of the ship under their watch.

Yet, you’d be able to feel the grass between your toes once again. To feel the summer sun soaking in your skin, to hear the chatter of villagers fill your ears. You’d feel the liveliness of people apart from these heartless, savage pirates.

You’d be able to escape.

If you remained clever, you could leave the hands of Captain Price and create a new life far from their ship. This was your one and only opportunity to venture towards the life you always wanted for yourself.

You appeared as neutral as ever when you left the quarters to join the four men where they stood, clearly speaking amongst each other. You couldn’t show the rushing adrenaline coursing through you, not if you wanted to get away alive.

“Ach, there ye are, dove,” Soap huffed in annoyance, grabbing hold of your bicep to surge you towards him. You collided with his side, knocking the air out of your lungs. “Yer with me.”

“Stick with Soap,” Price ordered. His glare sent chills down your spine. “You are to get what you need under his watch. Try anythin’ funny and he won’t be so kind with you.”

“She’s fine, Cap, no need to worry. She won’t do anythin’ silly. Ain’t that right, dove?” Soap beamed, a touch of crazy leering down at you.

The plan in your head was beginning to feel too soon and too dangerous. You could only swallow nervously, giving a firm nod in return before they helped guide you off of the ship.

The town was lively around you. It was nothing like your home. Where you had grown with the quiet chirps of nature and gentle conversation, you were now greeted with an angry bustle of rushing townsfolk, brushing past you as if you were a ghost.

You felt out of touch with your surroundings. Others were dressed in fresh fabrics, altered to their frame. The women were pretty, hair unmatted and braided to frame their lovely faces while the men were covered from head to toe with the finest of coats.

Not all were as fortunate. There were a select few you caught glimpses of as you passed who were as dirty as you were, shoeless and hopeless. Begging for scraps of food or cheap coins, only to be spat on like the scum of the Earth.

You were no different. Next to Soap, you looked like a helpless, little mouse with dirty bags of fabric that fell loosely on your body, with your feet blackened from the lack of cover. It was utterly humiliating.

Soap kept a solid grip on your arm as he led you through the heaps of shoppers. He kept his eyes forward, scoping out any possible threat. You could see the hardwired focus geared in his brain, as if working on pure muscle memory.

“Pretty neat of a place, aye?” Soap asked, attempting small talk. He glanced over at you, wearing that boyish grin of his.

“It’s wonderful,” you replied, taking in the sights.

You meant it. Shops lined every corner of the dirt paths, windows displaying pretty dresses or tailored suits. Where you expected the town to look depressing, you found color, filling you with a warm dose of serenity.

This was a town you could grow to love. It was busy and loud, but the opportunity seeped out through every corner, calling your name. Your freedom rang out like a bell, offering you a place for your dreams to come true.

You had to escape if you truly wanted it. Your plan would have to unfold, even if it meant being patient.

“Yer bound to see a whole lot more towns better than this one, dove,” Soap boasted, grinning with pride. “Ye will grow to accept us one day.”

You stared up at Soap while the two of you walked. It was a shame, really, that he was the only one decently kind to you. Kind was far too generous of a word to describe any of these men, but it was the closest thing to what Soap was being towards you.

He was still a pirate, though.

“I am not so sure of that,” you confessed, unsure of why you did.

“Ach, ye will. The rest are secretly a bunch of softies,” he claimed, waving a dismissive hand. “We’re still human even if we’re pirates.”

“You’ve kidnapped me,” you stated.

“Mm. Yes.”

“You burned down my home,” you continued.

“Perhaps.”

“You killed my people,” you finished.

“You know nothin’ of what we do, dove. How about we keep shoppin’ for ye and stop worryin’ about the past?” Soap asked, not unkindly. He was surprisingly composed despite your accusations.

You stared at him for a moment longer before looking away. There was no point in arguing when the plan was to escape the moment you had the chance. Today would be the last day you’d ever have to converse with Soap and his men, if you played your cards right.

“You’re right,” you said quietly. “I apologize.”

“There ye go, dove.” Soap returned to smiling, giving a mocking pinch to your grimy cheek. “Now, what all do ye need?”

Soap made escape increasingly difficult. His hand remained secure around your arm for every shop you went in, keeping you by his side. It was as if he had a secret sense that let him know of your plans. Or perhaps he was following Price’s orders.

He stuck with you with every purchase. You gathered herbs, freshly made medicines, and a new book and quill to jot down notes in a journal. Soap allowed you the pleasure of collecting expensive items, unwavered by the prices.

He paid for them in gold, little round coins he’d slap on to the counter and leave behind without waiting for the shop tenant to gawk at such a rare sight of payment.

It wasn’t until you passed a clothing shop did he falter. His steps had stopped, eyes peering into the window. You stopped with him, dissecting his reaction.

“Sorry, dove. Makin’ a stop for myself,” he stated, tugging you into the shop. To your surprise, he let go of your arm, leaving you standing near the entrance. “Stay put. I’m trustin’ ye, so don’t make me regret it, aye?”

Your heart pounded in your chest as you gave him a nod. He threw you a beaming smile before stalking off into the store, disappearing just out of sight. You remained firm in place, hands clasping in front of you.

The pit in your stomach twisted from the nerves that wracked you. This was your moment, your only chance of escape. If you didn’t take it now, you may never be lucky enough for another one.

As if fate was sealing itself, your eyes caught sight of a group of guards walking past the store, wooden rifles at the ready on their shoulders. They were speaking amongst themselves, oblivious to your inner turmoil from where you stood in the entrance of the shop.

A quick glance behind you showed that Soap was still occupied, unbeknownst to your plan. You could only see the top of his head, the messy mohawk sticking out like a sore thumb.

With the opportunity in front of you, you took it.

You moved slowly at first. Unsure, cautious. But once you made it out of the shop with Soap realizing, you amped your speed. Your dirty bare feet clambered clumsily along the dusty streets, digging into the little pebbles that littered them.

The dull sting of pain as you sprinted to the guards was disregarded. It was nothing compared to the ache of freedom you desired.

“Hello!” you shouted, garnering their attention. They turned, eyeing you with a judgmental glint at the state of you. “Please, I need help!”

“What can we do for you?” one of the guards asked, suspicious. His eyes were set on your feet, which were caked with months of filth. “A lass like you shouldn’t be out without a chaperone.”

“You don’t understand,” you gasped, catching your breath from the anxiety that rattled you like a drum. “I’ve been kidnapped by— by pirates and I’ve only just escaped. Please, I need your help, or they will take me back.”

“Pirates?” The guards perked up, glancing between one another as if sharing a secret you were unaware of. “How many pirates, lass?”

“Four,” you explained. “The Captain— his name is John Price. He is the one that took me from my village and I have been imprisoned on his ship for so long, I do not recall the days. Will you help me?”

You were frantic. Desperate. It showed in the way your voice shook, the way your frame shivered with nerves.

“It is not,” Guard Two said to his companion.

“It is,” Guard One said, the one who had spoken to you first. This time, they spoke to one another rather than to you, as if you were invisible. “There is only one Captain Price. It is 141.”

Guard Two looked over at you, face set firm. His eyes were piercing and cold, and it made you shrink down into yourself. They were not welcoming or kind like you expected a guard’s to be.

Guard One fumbled in the pocket of his britches before pulling out an aged paper. On it were the faces of the pirates with the exception of Ghost, covered by his signature mask. All of them were plastered on the page with a bounty over their heads, as well as a promise of exile for their arrest.

Execution. The pirates would be executed publicly if they were caught. The punishment was inked in bold letters beneath their pictures, and each letter was taunting you with the blood that would be spilled on your hands for turning them in.

An unsettling guilt began to gnaw at you. You were unsure of why. Captain Price and his crew had stolen you from your home and made you their medic. They had you sleeping in a cell for nights uncounted, eating slop out of a bowl like a dog.

Yet, to kill them was much too burdening on you. They were mean, heartless, and unworthy. Yet, death was unkind. You were not so shallow.

“Is this what they look like?” Guard One asked, holding the paper in front of you. It was undoubtedly them, down to every detail.

“Yes,” you confirmed, though not as confidently as before. There was now a weight in your tone, as if holding back. “Yes, that’s them. You— you will kill them once you find them?”

Guard Two laughed, though it was bone chilling. There wasn’t a hint of warmth in it, only distaste and rage. “Of course. They’re to be hanged for their crimes. They are savages.”

He took a step closer to you, leaning down to your level. His aura was threatening, and you could feel yourself cowering away. “You must tell us where they are at once. We will help you once we have captured them.”

You took a step back, deflating. Everything within you told you that you made a mistake. If you went through with exposing their whereabouts and having them captured, their deaths would be because of you. You would be a murderer.

“I—“ You swallowed, clenching your clammy hands into nervous fists. “I do not know where they’ve gone. I ran away as soon as I could.”

“Not a problem,” Guard One gruffed, taking hold of your arm, just as Soap had done before. Now, more than ever, a part of you wished it was Soap rather than the guard. “You will guide us to their ship.”

“Please let go of me,” you murmured brokenly, covering the guard’s hand with your own to pry his fingers off. They didn’t budge. “Please.”

Your pleas were shadowed by their greed. You recognized the look in their eyes, and it scared you to the bone.

Bloodthirst. They were hungry to capture the pirates, hungry to be the ones to guide them to their impending death. It was not about helping you. It was about the handsome reward they would receive for turning in the most wanted criminals of the sea.

You began to panic. The air in your lungs felt weak, and you could feel the world around you closing in.

This was not the outcome you wanted. You simply wanted your freedom, yet it would come with a cost that you weren’t sure you could afford.

You did the only thing you could think of doing. Your fist collided with the guard’s face with a nasty crunch, causing blood to spew from his nose like a spout. It speckled on your dirty cheeks, tainting them further.

The guard let out a shout, releasing your arm. When his companion attempted to make a grab for you, you bolted, legs carrying you back to the shop Soap had been left in.

Chaos ensued from behind you. You could hear the clamber of guards, racing after you, yelling profanities in the air. The townsfolk stopped to observe, women placing their hands over their mouths in bewilderment, men torn between watching or intervening.

It was a commotion you never planned on starting, and now, all eyes were on you.

Soap came into sight from in front of the store. He looked focused and angry, eyebrows pulled together, jaw set taut. When he locked in on you as well as the guards behind you, there was no relief. His eyes were as intense as the guards had been, if not more.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” you sobbed pathetically, but he gave you no chance to pause your running.

Soap grabbed your hand in his, lugging you along the dirt paths. He swerved the streets, pulling your arm harder every time you fell behind. You struggled to keep up, spots of blood dotting the ground beneath you from the newly open wounds from pebbles that sliced open the soles of your feet.

You were pulled into a narrow alleyway with Soap, out of sight from the guards. Soap’s large hand shoved your head, urging you to crouch down behind a row of barrels that crowded the alley.

Your heart was nearly lurching out of your chest from your hiding space. Pounding footsteps raced past the alley, a cloud of dust filling the air and burning your nose. Voices could be heard shouting nearby, but not close enough for you to make out what they were saying.

Soap and you stayed put, his hand muffling your mouth, body smothering yours. He held his breath, ears listening in for the guards.

After what felt like an eternity, the footsteps grew farther away, voices fading into the wind.

“I trusted ye to stay put, dove,” Soap whispered, voice full of anger and betrayal. “I’ve been nice to ye. Why couldn’t ye just stay like I told ye?”

You whimpered into his hand, low and depressing. You felt defeated. Your fate was undetermined more than ever before, and you feared what the pirates would truly do to you now that you went against their word.

“C’mon,” he huffed, letting go of you and standing from behind the barrels. He grabbed hold of your arm, hauling you up and keeping you in his grip.

Soap crept the two of you through the town, slipping through every crack in the buildings to remain unseen. If people saw you, they remained silent, fearful of the pirate amidst their town.

The closer the two of you got to the ship, the more your heart sunk to your stomach. You were wracked with terror, horrified of the punishment you’d endure. The only thing you could do is let Soap string you along like a puppy on a leash.

“We need to go,” Soap barked at Price. The other men had long returned from their shopping, only awaiting your arrival with Soap. “Now.”

Gaz fluttered away without question, preparing to undock the ship and leave no trail in the town behind. Price and Ghost, on the other hand, were far more concerned.

“What the hell happened?” Ghost asked, voice gruff and dark, eyes narrowed on you.

“Dove tried rattin’ us out,” Soap hissed, throwing a glare your way. You shrunk in his hold, avoiding his eyes and bowing your head low. “Guards are lookin’ high and low. They know we’re here.”

“Fuckin’ hell,” Ghost grunted, leaving the three of you to aid Gaz in prepping the ship for sail. He walked with a looming shadow over him, black and scary, oozing out the mist of pure acrimony.

Price stood tall and terrifying, arms crossed over his chest, the lines of his face firm and tight. He stared at you with a guise of disappointment and resentment, and if looks could kill, you would surely be one of their many victims.

The Captain took a step towards you, leaning down to your height. His hand grabbed hold of your face, fingers digging into your flesh as he forced you to look at him. His eyes were glaring, stabbing you with millions of daggers.

He shifted your head from side to side, inspecting the specks of blood that dotted your face. He was silent, making everything much more unnerving, and when he let go of you, he spared you not another glance.

“Take her to the cell,” Price ordered Soap. “We’ll deal with it later.”

Soap nodded grimly, tugging your arm aggressively so he could guide you to the brig doors. The sight of them made you sick, and you fought in his hold, which did nothing but make you look like a fool.

“Stop squirmin’,” he hissed, irritated. Seeing him without his signature smile made your chest fill with sickening guilt, and it twisted your insides in a painful knot.

The cell welcomed you when you stepped down familiar stairs. It was a slap in the face, seeing it once again, and you wanted nothing more than to take back everything you’d done and apologize to Price until he let you back into the comfort of his quarters.

But there was no going back. The deed was done. This was your price for freedom, and before it was handed to you, it had been snatched right out of your hands.

Soap shoved you into the cell with enough force to ensure you went inside, but gentle enough to make sure you didn’t topple over. Even now, when you’d betrayed his trust, he didn’t aim to hurt you. The pill was suffocating to swallow.

The cell shutting behind you rattled through your ears like a deafening shriek. The lock clicked, and Soap made no effort to move, not yet. Instead, he stood there, eyes boring into you through the bars of your cage.

You opened your mouth to speak but nothing came out. So, you stood shamefully, staring at the floor beneath your aching feet.

Something clattered on the floor, and when you shifted your gaze to find it, what stared back at you was a pair of shoes. New, unworn, and pretty. For you.

Looking up at Soap, his expression was unreadable. He no longer looked at you. He seemed just ashamed as you did. It was as if all the anger he had before had diminished, and he now looked like a hurt boy, betrayed and ridiculed.

“I hope they fit,” he said quietly. While you stared at him, he was now the one avoiding looking at you. “Didn’t know what ye liked.”

Soap turned on his heel, trudging up the stairs with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He made no effort to look back at you, to study your stunned expression. Instead, what greeted you was his back as it filtered through the brig doors, shutting behind him with a loud slam.

You looked back at the shoes, careful when you picked them up. They were bland in taste, yet the prettiest thing you’d been gifted in your life.

Soap trusted you to stay while he went to surprise you with a new pair of shoes, and you had only gone behind his back out of fear of his pirate crew that had taken you from your home.

You felt no better than a pirate.

[mikelogan]

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER 1x08 The Raven

But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we-- Of many far wiser than we And neither the angels in Heaven above Nor the demons down under the sea Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee -- Edgar Allan Poe

requested by anonymous

[vanalex]

And neither the angels in Heaven above

Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee

Annabel Lee by Abigail Larson

[felassan]

DA:TV spoilers/long post under cut. This post is a continuation of [this post] and [this post].

Reminds me of Crom Cruach. fitting for an Avvar :) where Rian the Red was a hero of the Fourth Blight, this Cruach the Wolf was a hero of the Third Blight.

A Dalish elf and former Keeper named Ifean who became a Grey Warden. sounds like they used they/them pronouns. :> I wonder if the Dryden here was Sophia Dryden, former Warden-Commander of Ferelden?

After First Days and Last Days come New Days. the Blighted Black City.

Clan Ersallae. New Dalish clan name dropped.

This environmental art of the tree-person coming out of the broken eluvian was so cool and beautiful and eerie, it goes really hard

The prop for the Executors Mysterious Circles codex points is exactly like the art of the same set of symbols in the secret ending :D

doing this with the art on those 'cards' was rly cool too. :)

Clan Sabrae reference! My lil Mahariel-loving heart is thrilled.

Deep Roads places which smell of seawater/ocean/sea/salt/brine - like in Horror of Hormak and the smell of the Executor in the last story in TN.

It strikes me that while "storm" is used in "Devouring Storm", which is connected to the Executors/enemies or those across the sea/the mysterious substance, here those very entities [?] are using storm language in reference to.. Ghilan'nain? Because here the storm that has been quelled is them saying "lol Ghil is ded now". The sun dimming is Elgar'nan's death obviously and wolf defanged is self-explanatory. this is ? - sun and wolf are obvious imageries for Elgar'nan and Fen'Harel respectively but "storm" isn't.. the first thing I would use for Ghil. yknow? Curious 👁️👁️ especially when it was Ghil's monster labs in TN that had the pools with the salt smell.

Adding this to my "pics of this damn thing" collection.

These halla-horn instruments sound so beautiful :') does Antiva standing strong with the Dales refer to this one?

This reminded me of [this] codex where the team are debating which Evanuris=which Old God, they suggest Urthemiel for June and Dirthamen for Dumat, and Neve adds that Dumat liked toads, asking did Dirthamen too? this memento seems to associate frogs with June.

We try to lead despite the eventual failing of our markings. To the inevitable and troubling freedom we are committed.

This reminded me of two things (I know that in the world it echoes the Titans'/lyrium's song, isatunoll etc): - the Stone-singers and Stone-singing in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - this excerpt from the Book of Taliesin: "The Awen I sing, From the deep I bring it"

Dumat's toad again.

Or... beyond it? "Forbidden" could refer to the Forbidden Ones, and the Fade is the land of dreams ofc, but it also sounds Cekorax-y, Cthulu-y, Voidy. (if not Beyond it, maybe a creature that's neither demon or spirit - things "past the Veil of our world, neither demon nor spirit".)

Satina mention ( ๑ ˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و ♡ Thedas's Second Moon And Related Conspiracy you will always be famous.

Crows from one house can join another, if they get permission. there's also dialogue from Lucanis which says that the Houses sometimes try to steal promising Crows from one another.

Fun reference to one of Davrin's quests :>

Lucanis' attempt to woo Viago in days gone by.

Lucanis on having his first relationship.

lmao

New lore [?] - Crow Houses apparently sometimes recruit from armies or the trades.

Tarot/divination card decks with major and minor arcana including ones like Death and the Fool exist in Thedas. "We do not talk about Fight Club."

Shartan lore and also I am still desperate to know what "Glandivalis" / "Glandival" means.

Horror of Hormak reference q.q

Luck in the Gardens reference

Audric and Down Among the Dead Men ( •́ω•̩̥̀ )

Bellara and Harding discuss Ir sa tel'nal and isatunoll. Codex entry: Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 3 from DA:I -

Many of these pages are filled with sketches of elven statues matching the ones found in the area, along with notes and what look like attempts to practice Qunlat: Trying to remember that old bedtime song about Mythal. My mother sang it the night before the darkspawn came for my clan. It's the last time I ever heard her voice. Ir sa tel'nal, Mythal las ma theneras. Ir san'a emma. Him solas evanuris. Da'durgen'lin, Banal malas elgara. Bellanaris, bellanaris. Written beside each elven line is a corresponding phrase, likely a translation: I am empty, filled with nothing(?), Mythal gives you dreams. It fills you, within you(?), Making our leaders proud. My little stones, Never yours the sun. Forever, forever. Hahren said we had lost some of the old words. What if they have changed? Durgen'lin from durgen'len? Little dwarves, never yours the sun? What did Mythal do here?

Bellara on another meaning of this song.

[genderfluid-insomniac]

“Poor Unfortunate Soul Reprise” octopus hybrid!Scaramouche x reader nsfw

A/N: picture for reference of Cecaelia the actual term for the myth being (male reference). Sorry this took so long it was collecting dust in my folder for a while due to cliche AO3 author shit but I hope you enjoy!

You couldn’t tell how much time has passed but what you do know is you’re sore like you’ve been hit by a truck, stirring awake enough to feel someone cradling you in their arms and tiny waves of water lapping at your shins. The cool temperature of the water shook your sleep logged mind enough to register that you were still naked and tried to sink deeper into your sleeping companions body warmth.

It was very dark but a small dark red light illuminated the cavern softly, allowing you to see you were in Scaramouche’s more private habitat where no one could see him unless a diver swam into it. Which rarely happened since the last person who tried it ended up with a broken arm and a 4 week recovery period, a silent message from the Cecaelia. “Keep out pathetic weaklings.”

Scaramouche had pale as snow skin like he’d rarely been in the sun for longer than a couple minutes and mix of blues and purples coloring his ear that took on a more webbed fin like appearance. Bits of vibrantly sparkly lavender scales scattering his body from the waist up, giving more of a divine appearance compared to his sharjjp fowl mouth. His tentacles were twitching ever so slightly and almost blending into dark waters, their mass made up of entirely muscles reminding you of their power. A face so gorgeous looking like it was sculpted by the gods or some heavenly being designed to lure people into a sense of calm. Short silky smooth dark violet blue hair with messy cut bangs framing his youthful face and thin but longer hair falling down this back swaying on the surface of the water. Speak of the devil or sea witch rather.

Cecaelia. A term your superiors had found after scouring the library and internet for answers. Happening upon the very name for a being that had the upper of half of a human and the lower half (usually at the waist or hips) of an octopus. They apparently have others unknown abilities being to said to take ‘a form of mermaid or sea demon’ and most often ‘combining the head, arms and torso of a woman (more rarely a man)’.

He could feel you squirming as you woke and chose to leave you to your devices, only worming his tentacles around you for a better grasp and settling his pet into a more comfortable position as you both came to. “Good morning, pet. I can see you had a nice nap.” Scaramouche chuckled to himself as his eyes flicked over every mark adorning your body and wrapping his arms around your waist to bring you closer. “I hope you aren’t too sore Name because I have plans for you but for now rest up.” Kissing gently on your lips and hoping you weren’t too cold or the effects of his blood hadn’t faded.

You hummed in satisfaction and fully relaxed, murmuring a “thank you” before succumbing to the fatigue pulling at your eyelids and leaning into your dear companion. A talk about what your relationship was could be had at a later time. Dreams slowly passed your mind and occupied your attention, provoking thoughts gaining your attention; such as how were you supposed to go back to your job after this happened? Did he like you more than just a one night stand? Well, the way he spoke didn’t seem like he planned on giving you up nor like things would go back to normal. ‘I hope you aren’t too sore Name because I have plans for you but for now rest up.’ Hm.

The stress from all your questions wouldn’t allow you to sleep soundly and ended up waking up anyway, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes and stretching. Your head turned to Scara and nudged your head under his chin to wake him up. “Scara I need to talk to you about what the fuck is going to happen after this….thing.” Laughter filled the small cave and bounced off the walls, his arms moved you so you faced him. “And what would you like to talk about, love?” You sucked in a breath and rethought what you wanted to say, “First what are we in terms of our relationship? Second, what plans do you have for me? Three-”

You remember reading some of the documents given to the staff of the mythology and one of the sections was about reproduction or theorized romantic relationships. It was said that cecaelias are likely to mate for life or until one of them reaches death and are loyal to the end when the find the one they love. That couldn’t be what he felt for you right? He did seem seriously about his feelings, not to mention the clear favoritism he held for you as you both grew to become familiar with another.

A feeler covered your mouth before you could finish your sentence and wouldn’t move when you tried pulling it away, glaring at the person responsible. “Don’t look at me. You were the one who was talking too fast for me to understand… hahaha but alright. To answer your first question, I thought I made myself clear. You’re mine now and until I decide so, pet. For the second question, you’re going to help me out of this damn prison and back to your house.” To say you were stunned was an understatement, starting to spew worries about your job and him getting hurt but it was of course muffled by one of his arms gagging your mouth.

“I know, I know. ugh, you humans and your meaningless worries. I assume your anxious about getting fired or in trouble.” His hand stroked your hair soothingly in an attempt to calm you and removed his tentacle so you could speak. You nodded and chose to say nothing about the worry of him getting hurt since all it would do is inflate his ego. “Alright thank you for clarifying but how the fuck am I supposed sneak you out. You’re enormous and I don’t think you can survive on land for long periods of time.”

The violet haired being rolled his eyes and told you you had nothing to worry about, just rely on him and after hours cut the power entirely. Help get Scaramouche get out to your car and then turn it back on so the other animals would be okay but it would seem as if it was simply a power outage. You hesitated but agreed after he told you if you did get caught then he’d take the entire blame and punishment, insisting that it wouldn’t come to that. “Alright, but what time is it?” One of his purple slimy arms pulled a watch from a small crack in the wall next to the light and examined it. “6am. As much as I would love to keep you here, you have work and I have breakfast to eat.”

Right. Work. You hoped it was a relatively low maintenance day and saw your still dampened clothes being handed to you, thanking your now boyfriend and standing on the dryer platform to put your clothes back on. “I just remembered that I have to swim back up to to surface which means my work clothes will get wet. Well, I suppose it was worth it-” A feeler curled its way around your ankle tightly and squeezed, “You suppose?! Ugh, it looks like I didn’t fuck you hard enough did I? Or maybe you’re daring me to test my own stamina like the brat you are.” You scoffed and finished buttoning up your shirt, getting back into the water. Slapping the arm still stuck to your ankle lightly and kissed his cheek, enjoying the light pink flush filling his cheeks and grinning at your small success of making him flustered.

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. You’ll have to find out. Now, if you want to leave with me tonight then help me get out of here because I don’t know if any security is patrolling this area.” Scaramouche shook his head to get focused again and slipped under the water to check, quickly coming back up to let you know it was all clear. You took a deep breath and sunk underneath the water. The trip to the top of the tank was fast, much faster than if you swam on your own. Fresh air filling your lungs and pulling yourself onto the platform for the trainers, climbing up the ladder and reaching for a towel by a bench with supplies.

Hearing him cough for attention, you went over to fridge and pulled out a sizable part of bass that was already prepared. “Don’t think I forgot about you, discount ursula.” Throwing it to the hybrid and ignoring the glare he sent your way for the insulting nickname, muttering something about being better than whoever this ursula person was. “I must’ve done something right to receive more food than usual. Seems like should keep testing your limits.” He smirked as you muttered curses in anger at him and walked off to change clothes, admiring the visible marks he had left last night and swimming down to enjoy the alone he had before the building opened.

You wandered into the employees only section where the uniforms were kept whenever volunteers would sign up and pulled out your size, changing into them and using your towel to dry your hair. It was still early and you hadn’t had anything to eat so you went to the cafeteria usually meant for customers. Checking the schedule to see which area you’d be covering today and were shocked to see you’d be in charge of Scaramouche’s tank with another person since it was a two person job. “Oh guess I won’t have to stray far from him. Wait this means he won’t bother to hide much since he’ll probably want to torment me more and that means a bigger crowd.”

Grabbing a scone and coffee quickly before heading back up to grab your phone, headphones, and employee badge. You texted your coworker that you had come early and that you were both on cecaelia duty, laughing at the comment Alex made about work being cut out for you both. Well, they weren’t wrong but for you it was for different reasons and went to space in front of his tank to tell him the news. The gate to the employees area unclipped as you got behind the metal railing and pressed a button that was connected so a waterproof speak in the water.

“Scaramouche. I’m going to be working with you today.” Keeping the call button on so he could hear the outside and struggling to keep your chuckling visible when you saw the hybrid swim down so quickly, scaring off a bunch of fish and receiving a hiss from a algae green large moray eel. A small but noticeable smile spread across his face before it disappeared as soon as it appeared most likely to keep up his ‘I don’t care and I hate you all’ act. “Oh! And Alex is working with me too.” He looked visibly displeased and went to swim away before you spoke again. “Wait, regardless I’m going to stay with you. Would you rather me work in another part of the building cause I can make that happen?” You didn’t know if you could but the threat was clear and he gave you an angry look, not saying anything but not disagree either. “That’s what I thought.”

He pressed a hand against the thick glass and only looked at you, what you wouldn’t give to see what was going on in his mind. Pressing your own hand against the glass and smiling, asking him through the intercom if he had a way to get out of the tank. Scaramouche nodded and continued to “talk” with you, on occasion making rude gestures whenever you teased him or caught his soft emotional looks (even if it only happened once in a blue moon). “Name! Hey- Oh Woah! The spitfire legend is out!” Alex jogged over to you and got behind the gate as well, admiring him closely since it was rare to see him out in the open and this close to the glass on his own free will.

“Wow! He’s more beautiful than I thought. What did you do to get him out?” You laughed at their fixed gaze on Scaramouche who clearly was not pleased with the attention solely on him and feigned ignorance. “I don’t know, I just got hear and made my rounds only to see him out.” They laughed and pushed your playfully, “Yeah right. Everyone knows he like you more than anyone here, not to mention you explicitly tell others how not to piss him off. Do you know how many accidents you’ve prevented?” As if to spite you, your lover turned to face you and crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow. Your coworker pointing it out “See even he agrees!” The three of you talked (your beloved nodding or making gestures) as the morning went on slowly, dreading the rush hours and helping people out with directions if they needed it.

Everything was going great and shockingly calm until a swarm of people flooded into the room.

About 25 or 30 people ran up to the metal railing, sending the octopus reeling back in shock and swimming to hide behind a bolder nearby. You and Alex answered the questions you got about the tank’s inhabitant and occasionally checking in on Scaramouche to make sure he was okay. This went well until I very angry mother stormed up you specifically and started screaming at you. “Make him come out!” You flinched at the volume and backed up “Excuse me?”

“Get that thing out so my kid can see him! He’s not doing anything so get him out into the open!” You turned to Alex who gave you a look if you needed help but you shook your head, focusing your attention back on the karen. “I’m sorry but Scaramouche is a cecaelia, not a thing, and second he isn’t fond of crowds so I’m forcing him to out.” What you said only seemed to anger her more and she got face to face with you. “I’ve seen others use cattle prods on him to get him out but you’re telling me there’s nothing you can do?!”

You nod firmly and stand your ground. In no way were you going to hurt Scaramouche even before you knew him or got into a relationship. You would never hurt an animal or any creature. “No, ma’am-” “MA’AM” Interrupting her again you continued, “I refuse to use those things. Now, do I need to call security?” The room was quiet before a loud slap could be heard and you felt her palm hit your face, an audible gasp fall over the crowd and they all stood in silence for a slip second before movement could be heard behind you. Scaramouche who’d been watching (and hearing) the whole ordeal closely and already pissed at this vile woman for yelling at you didn’t bother to control himself when he acted automatically upon seeing you get slapped.

Swimming as fast as possible behind you and flaring his lower half to make himself look bigger than he already was, his tentacles spread out and pressed against the glass. The hybrid would’ve beaten your assaulter had the glass not been in his way and inches thick. His fist banged on the glass to get her attention and gave her a death stare, surely given off how infuriated she’d made him. The woman was to scared to speak, fear overtaking her expression and shaking where she stood. Good. She knew she made a grave mistake and he sharpened his glare, baring his teeth and slamming his fist against the glass. “Run.” Even if he couldn’t be heard, the message was clear. The disgusting trash took of running, her child who apologised profusely to you yelling insults at their mother.

Scaramouche’s eyes remained on yours as he watched and heard several things happen. Alex called security and told them what happened (also to ban the woman specifically from the aquarium and not her kid). Concerned parents and kids asking if you were alright, something his heart warmed at. ‘Maybe not all humans were cruel’ He thought, you and two others from his past were evidence it was true. Finally gaining your attention and hearing you whisper into the radio. “I’m alright, Scara. It doesn’t hurt much, just stings.” Reluctantly, he nodded and stayed at the front of the glass in case something else happened, using his scary and fierce reactions to his advantage if any issues occured.

You could see the concern on his face and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t retreat back to the bolder, not that you expected to after that. He could indeed be terrifying when he wanted to be, seeing the speed he moved at from the corner of your eye and how intimidatingly big he made himself seem in response. A response your heart couldn’t help but leap at the protection he gave you even from the other side of a thick transparent wall. “Thank you.” Alex had checked back and examined your cheek after coming back from dealing with the woman. “Are you okay? That’s a stupid question- you just got slapped. She’s gone and not coming back ever.” Their gaze flickered over to the guarded cecaelia still right behind their coworker.

“Thank you, Scaramouche. You’re getting a special dinner for that.” He nodded and glared off to where the woman left, seemingly still peeved at her. “Hey, she’s not coming back she’s banned. You did a good job scaring her off.” These words were all it took for him to calm down at least visibly and turn his attention back to you, lifting a tendril to the glass next to you. Things calmed down and the crowd spoke their apologies incase they had help instigate altercation. A small voice made themselves known as they politely asked others to move aside and stepped up to the railing so they were standing on the lowest rung. “Excuse me? I hope you’re okay! That woman is a nasty meanie. Klee drew this for mister Scaramouche since he reminds me of a prince.”

A small girl maybe 7 or 8 years old with blond hair pulled into pigtails and fiery ruby red eyes handed you a paper depicting a kid’s drawing of the mythical being. He was frowning but wearing a simply drawn crown standing in front of a castle under the ocean, it was clear she took pride in it. You smiled at her and turned partially to show the muse of her art. “Hey, Scara. Klee drew this for you, you like it?” Scaramouche skeptically looked at the drawing and nodded whilst mumbling something that you could guess was a half hearted compliment. You could see the flustered expression on his face as he tried to not show how much he liked it and turned back to Klee to give her art back to her. “Oh. I want him to keep it. I have tons of drawing at home just like that. Thank you Mx Name!”

She waved goodbye to you and Scaramouche who also waved back with a smirk now realizing how many people probably thought the same (not like they could compete with his new favorite kid). “Mommy! The pretty octopus boy liked my picture! I can’t wait to tell big brother Albedo!” “I saw, mama’s so proud. I got a picture you can show him.” You watched as the blond pair walked off to another room, one practically bouncing off the walls and the other calmly intertwining her hands. The day went on significantly more smoothly and nothing else major happened, your lover hadn’t left your side for one second as the day eventually ended and your coworker said goodbye as their shift ended.

It was around closing time when you were preparing dinner for Scaramouche and chatting while he was lounging on the sunken platform. “I’m telling you the plan will go smoothly so stop worrying about. I see your stupid mind whirling away like diver lost in an underwater cave.” You continued to cut the slices of different fish onto a plate with some greens and freshly washed vegetables, taking what he said to heart and hoping it would all go according to plan. “Are you sure you want to leave? I don’t know if you’ll be able to go outside what with people knowing what you look like-”

“After what happened today?! You only got hurt because of me and the crowd I was drawing so that should answer your question. It isn’t the first worthless humans treated you rudely either. Why would I want to go out when you’re all I need?” You reminded him that you’ll still need to work and probably more hours since you’d now be providing for two people to which he countered that he’d get a job after retrieving his identification files. “You’re what now?!” He looked at you like you had two heads and laughed. “What do you think I don’t exist? I have a birth certificate and everything…granted they’re mostly fake but they do work.”

Clearly you were stunned and had several questions but guessed you wouldn’t get an answer out him. “You gonna tell me?” Scaramouche shook his head and grinned smugly, resting his head against his palm. “In time, but firstly dinner then get another set of clothes around your size. After pull your car around the closest back exit and turn off the power. No one should be here anyone since it’s sunday and everyone went home early.” Agreeing you set his dinner down before getting a extra pair of clothes (for who? you couldn’t figure out) and grabbed your bag and keys, heading out to your car. You pulled into the back entrance where the animals usually get transported into the facility and began to lock up all the door, going off your mental checklist when you normally closed.

Heading the main power switch, you took a hold of it and turned it off. Switching on your phone light and running towards Scaramouche, you skipped steps to get to the top faster and went to call out to him only to stop short. There before you was your lover dressed in the employee clothes you left him with but on two legs instead of his octopus half with all eight tentacles. “How-” He ran or rather tried to but ended up wobbling towards you and nearly falling to the ground. “There’s no time to explain. Help me, I haven’t been in this form for a long time.” You did as you were told and slung an arm over your shoulder, carefully walking down the steps and helping him stand like you would with someone relearning how to walk after an accident. Even after turning the power on you’d have a around 15 minutes before they were active again and that was all you needed.

“Turn the power back on. It’s the big green button at the top. I would do it but I’m holding you.” Scaramouche pushed it and the light flickered back on, trying his best to walk after years of not using his legs. You finally got to your car after a minute of reaching the transport bay and got him into the passenger's seat, closing the door and running over to the drivers side. The car turned on and you swiftly drove out of there, telling siri to set a reminder to text your boss that you’d be taking a few days off because of a sudden family emergency and the incident that happened today. The sound of the radio and running engine filling your ears, looking briefly over to your companion who seemed enamored with the sights passing your car.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen the outside. Thank you, Name.” The light ahead of you turned red and you stopped which gave you time to turn your attention back to him. “Scara. Explaination. Now!” He rolled his eyes and continued to look out the window, speaking after a couple seconds seemingly in thought. “I’ve always had the ability to grow legs but as you can see some of my scales remain visible. They could just be attributed to makeup or a tattoo but they’re still there.” His head turned so you could see the lavender scales like marks on the corner of his cheeks and collar bones when he unbutton the top of his shirt. They did look like he could pass them off as not being real. “But if you could escape before. Why did you wait that long? You had plenty of chances before.”

He took in a breath carefully and kept his gaze on the now passing environment as you started driving again, look at you. “I met you. I was going to leave, I had a plan and everything but then you wormed your way into my heart and made me care. So, I stayed and put up with it all, waiting for the chance to maybe get out with you.” Scaramouche’s small speech left you stunned in silence and honored that you’d left such an impression, muttering a grateful response and remaining silent as you returned home. You lived in a relatively small area but not in the middle of nowhere and only 20 minutes from the aquarium just at the entrance to a small wooded area but off the coast near the ocean.

A large river that connected to the ocean flowed next your cottage down the hill which you figured could be a good place if Scaramouche ever wanted to relax in his octopus form or swim with you in the warmer days. It was roughly 25 feet deep and was mainly saltwater with little freshwater home to some birds and small sea life. The trees surrounding your home kept you sheltered from major storms while still allowing a great view for lightning over the sea. You pulled into the driveway and got out with your bag, moving to help the now humanish cecaelia who you guessed had been flexing his muscles as he was now roughly standing with his on your car. “Let’s get inside, I can cook dinner while you can into more comfortable clothes.”

Your home was more comfy than Scaramouche would’ve guessed with fluffy blankets covering part of a leather brown couch and brick fireplace neatly cleaned of ash. Pictures decorated the wall of your friends and family he surmised and rustic decor could be found all around your living room, following you to your bedroom after he wiped his feet and being handed some soft loungewear. “Here you can change into that and I’ll cook some dinner. Feel free to wander about.” Leaving him to change, you grabbed a set of sweatpants and sweatshirt to change into in the bathroom. You mulled over your thoughts after everything that had happened today, how your life had changed significantly and hopefully for the better.

The warm cotton fabric acted as a comforting shield from the cold air seeping in through the window and tickling your ear as if to whisper your unconscious thoughts to you even if you couldn’t understand them. DING! A notification from your phone brought you out of your thoughts and brought you back to the present, slipping your hand into your fleece pocket to retrieve your phone. It was the reminder you set when you both were in the car to text your boss and coworker, heading out of the bathroom and to the kitchen to make some quick dinner. You texted your boss and coworker the same thing, how you would be taking a few days off because of “family emergencies” and your mental health. Which wasn’t entirely false but a little white lie couldn’t hurt.

“It’d take too long to fully cook something and ordering take is expensive so it looks like I’ll just throw a frozen pizza in the oven for tonight. I can go shopping tomorrow,” Opening the freezer drawn and grabbing a recently bought frozen flatbread with your favorite toppings. It was supposed to be a treat for a self care night but this could count as such too. You set the oven to the correct temperature and put the pizza in so it would cook as the machine preheated. “Hey Siri, set a timer for 15 minutes.” The AI did as it was told and you went to call out to your new roommate and lover only to see he was leaning on the jamb of the doorway. In his hands was the rest of his long hair and scissors, where the ponytail began now roughly cut off so it formed almost a wolf cut.

Scaramouche walked over and put the scissors down, “Like my new look? I figure it’d be easier to take care of and I’ve been wanting to cut for a while. Where is your trash?” You pointed to your garbage can camouflaged like all the other drawers and continued to stare. “Are you sure? I mean you look great but-” The short haired man nodded and tossed the length of hair in the trash shutting the lid before falling into your embrace. Nuzzling his head into your neck and placing small kisses, taking your hands in his and leading them up to the sides of his face. You wove your fingers through the violet hair, untangling any knots and sighing deeply to rid of your anxious worries.

“What’s wrong?” It was obvious something was bothering you and he couldn’t blame you. Your life had changed so much in the past 24 hours and you had still yet to adjust to it; he’d do his best to be a constant variable. “I- I’m just worried about everything. What if you get caught? What if this is only temporary?” Silence hung in the air as you both waited for an answer, the fear of their unknown future looming over you like a remind of the big decision you’d made. His grip on your got tighter and he rested his forehead against yours, kissing your lips softly. “If this is temporary then I’ll enjoy it till the moment it’s over. I won’t get caught, I’ve been wandering alone for a while before they caught me. I have experience on my side.”

That was a promise. He’d never let anyone take him from you, not after his friend was killed because of him and not after the little boy died in his arms. You were his new hope. A ball of light untouched by his past mistakes and he intended to keep it safe. Keep you safe. “Don’t worry, Name. This will all work out.” Unfurling himself from the hug and rubbing comforting circles with his thumb on your cheek, whispering affirmations and promises that no measly human could tear either of you apart. You felt better and relaxed, it was new territory which was always scary but you had Scaramouche with you. RING! RING! The timer on your phone went off and made you jump at the sudden noise, catching a small flinch from your significant other as well. “I made pizza for dinner. You can have some even though you already ate, Scara.”

The hybrid looked pleased and nodded, searching through all of your cabinets and drawers until he at last found the plates. Taking two out and grabbing a slice after you’d cut it, you could hear his quiet curses when he grabbed the hot pizza. “Be careful. It just came out, I don’t want to bandage you so soon.” You felt like you were reminding a child the basics of living and safety, assuming that it was probably years since he was last in a house with working appliances and you’d have to remind him until it became a habit for him. The hot marinara sauce hit your tongue as you bit into the pizza and perfectly cooked cheese pulling apart messily, using your finger to tug the long string of cheddar apart so it didn’t become a piece of spaghetti. At long last being able to eat something solid and filling felt like heaven after the exhausting hours of work, secretly eyeing Scaramouche to see if he liked it.

A satisfied hum came from him and he was focused on eating something that must’ve been a lot better after eating nothing but raw fish for meals. Plans had started forming in your mind for other delicious meals for him to enjoy and restaurants you could go on dates to. Once things settled down and you both could back to work, finding a job for Scaramouche and you going back to work, you both could enjoy the more fun things in life like going on dates and waking up together. You should take a bath after the stress of today and working among sea life would cause you to smell a bit salty or fishy, “I’m going to take a bath after this. It should only take-” “Can I join you?”

You swallowed the piece of food in your mouth and turned to him, “What!?” He shrugged and returned back to eating, continuing the talk to you, “I want to wash my hair and body after being in a saltwater tank for a few years. Can you blame me? Wait- are you embarrassed?” The flustered expression you was the only answer he needed and laughed at the sudden silence coming from you. “Fuck you totally are. What, it’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked or do I need to remind you how good I made you feel?” You stood up and washed your plate, deeming that you were full from dinner and putting the rest of the pizza into the over so it would stay warm. The hybrid’s laughter could be heard even after you went into the bathroom and turned the faucet on to your jacuzzi tub, something you’d spent a decent amount of money on because of nice it was to use.

“Damn fucking asshole. He’s too attractive for his own good and he knows it.” He knew how to push your buttons so you’d react accordingly and remain entertained based on your reactions, happily watching you squirm under his gaze. Grabbing some soap to make bubbles and testing the temperature of the water to make sure it wasn’t too hot or cold. You looked back to the door that was slightly ajar and undressed, putting your clothes on the counter and sighing joyously when you sunk into the warm water. “So much better.” Muttering to yourself and slipping underneath the surface to soak your hair. The door creaked open and your lover strolled casually in, blatantly admiring your figure through the light sheen of bubbles. “Shit. You really do things to me, beloved. I’m going to join you.”

You went to argue when he countered you never said no to him and allowed him to undress, averting your eyes with a light blush on your cheeks and gaining a response from the other. “Aw, you’re still so shy. Look at me. Look at me, Name.” Holding your face and moving so you had no choice but to see him bare before you. Unable to stop yourself from staring at his toned muscles and light scarring all over his body, your eyes traveling down to his v-line and hard erect cock. “Good baby. Hm, I can’t wait to fuck you so hard you only remember my name.” He got into the tub and relaxed his body, seemingly concentrating on something before you saw his lower half shifting and changing color. Below his waist his skin turned a dark violet and scales became more pronounced, an ink like dark cloud covered the water and nine tentacles formed where his legs used to be.

Some of them spilled over the tub and others lay floating on the surface, “Ah~ so much better. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I had a hot bath.” He eyed you up and down, extending his arms opening and made a “come ’ere” motion. Soft cool tendrils circled your thighs and moved you to his lap, curling themselves around you. You hands made their way to the back of his hair and gripped it, playing with the messy cut strands and frowning a bit. “I miss your long hair, it looked pretty and I could’ve used it to pull you back into a kiss. Too bad it’s short know.” Absentmindedly playing with his hair until his hand was against yours, “You can still pull it see?”

His eyes daring you to pull at it and your fingers tightened around his roots, pulling lightly and getting an delightful moan. “Well maybe I should do that again.” You did it again and received the same reaction, his head was tilted back and mouth ajar with arms closing tighter and tighter around you. His tendrils crept towards your clit and breasts, all too eager to mark you up for all to see and know you’re his. “I’m going to breed you. I’m going to fuck you so much that you’ll be the parent to our kids. What do you say, huh?” Nodding slowly you kissed him and gasped when cold tentacles circled your clit and sucks teasing your most sensitive areas. Wetting your nipples and further fondling your pussy.

He broke the kiss and nipped your neck, licking the bruises he left and aiming to make more. Scaramouche wouldn’t be satisfied until your entire body was littered in hickeys and marks from his suckers. “Fuck me. Scara please fuck me.” You just wanted him to bury his cock inside your cunt and pounding away at your cervix. Anything besides the lack of friction being given to you right now. You’d beg. What you would give to be on your knees sucking his dick and being overstimulated till your knees gave out. “Since you asked so nicely pet. I won’t make you beg even though it’s very arousing and only strengthens my desire to make you cum your brains out.”

He lifted you up above his face and smirked, licking a stripe up your pussy and blew cool air against it. “Hm, maybe I should overstimulate you till you can’t orgasm. How about that?” Returning to kissing your wet cunt and thumbing off your arousal fluid, pressing the tip of his thumb on your bottom lip. You tongue poked out and tasting yourself in your mouth. Two of his tendrils snaked their way up your body and wrapped around your waist, the other one prodding your gaped puffy lips and pushing it way inside. “Mhm~” Going to move your arms but failing to and feeling two other tentacles binding your hand together, making you subject to your boyfriend’s will.

The tentacle occupying you mouth steadily moved back and forth, reaching the back of your throat and causing you to gag. You suppressed the urge to gag again and moaned when you felt him put pressure on your clit again. Rolling your hips to get more friction, crying out when you felt waves of pleasure wash over you and moaning with his tentacles in your mouth. Scaramouche groaned and laughed a bit, “Hm, you always do such a good job sucking on my cock. Fuck- Keep going, kitten~” Hollowing out your cheeks and running your tongue along the underside it and sucking the tip, briefly being interrupted by harsh thrusts of his tongue against your walls and unable to stop your eyes fluttering shut. You could feel your orgasm was close and kept bobbing your head up and down.

The knot in your abdomen tightening and tightening, your lewd noises getting louder and louder with the hybrid extending his tongue to reach the sweetest spots in your pussy. “Come on. Cum on my tongue and I might just fuck you till the morning sun shines through the window.” Diving back in and fitting his whole mouth around your sopping cunt, wishing that he could’ve done this much sooner had he known you tasted better than his favorite meal. He felt your walls squeeze around his tongue and knew you were getting close to orgasming, something he didn’t get to taste when he was in that “cage”. His finger dipped knuckle deep to furth egg you on and trigger your climax, countless dirty fantasies going through his minds.

“I should have fucked you on my cock right in front of the glass so everyone could see who you belong too. ngh~” That very idea aroused you, clenching the muscles in your legs and desperately trying to push yourself onto his tongue more. “Oh~ You like that? Maybe I should sit you on my dick whenever we go the beach and hide away in the shallow pools. Make to much noise and someone would see.” Muttering praises against your inner thighs and tightening his hold on your thighs, holding them so your couldn’t try to close them even if he head wasn’t in between them and gripping the plush fat of your ass. “But you’d like that wouldn’t you my slutty pet.”

You were sucking his cock so well and feeling him twitch in your mouth, struggling against the arms holding your wrists and thighs together. “Mhm- nghn-” Nodding as best you could while you gave him a blowjob and hearing his smugly laugh, moving at a faster pace. Both of you were close and you felt the knot snap when he bent his fingers, hitting your cervix and harshly sucking your clit. “Ahh~ Scara- ‘m gonna cum” You told him and loudly mewled, the vibrations from your moans lighting the cecaelia’s nerves on fire as it increased the euphoria his cock was getting. “Hm- I- ngh. So am I-” Working you through your orgasm and sinking his fingers into your pussy as you helped him through his own.

Hot white ropes of cum shot out from a slit you had been teasing on his tip and coated your tongue, swallowing it and panting heavily as it dribbled down your tongue. Your moans being heard louder as you became overstimulated and flexing your hands still bound. You looked down and saw Scaramouche lapping up your cum, slick covering his mouth and dripping down his chin. Shuttering when his thumb wiped the excess of his face and licked it up, humming in satisfaction. “Gods you taste divine. Was that fun kitten?” Very tired from your orgasm you shook your head and were lowered back onto his lap, guiding your head into the crook of his next and unbinding your hands so you could hug him. Affectionately pressing kisses on your shoulders and embracing his beloved lovingly, your arms wrapped around his neck and lazily pecking his neck.

Scaramouche pulled back and used two of his fingers to swipe up a bit of you cum from your labia, causing you to whimper slightly from the overstimulation still present and moaning softly. Spreading his fingers to show you the semi transparent fluid and resting them against your bottom lip. “Open up, beloved.” You let your mouth go slack and sucked him clean, tasting yourself as you curled your tongue around his slender pale fingers. A string of saliva connected his fingertips to your lips and broke when he kissed you sweetly, full of love and loyalty just like he’d promised you. His attention turned to you, curling his tendrils around your waist and smiled. “Can you make it one more round, pet? I’d love to feel my cock in your tight wet pussy but if you’re too spent I could always cuddle you into slumber-”

You eagerly responded yes and weakly leaned into him, pressing kisses up his neck and nipping in hopes to mark him so others wouldn’t steal him away from you. “No, I wanna feel your cock inside me. I want people to know that you’re mine but I’m so tired. You’re mine as I’m yours, love. Take me~” Continuing to press open mouthed smooches on his skin and feeling your boyfriend shift under you. The extra tentacles started to retract from below his hips and formed back into his two legs in his human form. Scaramouche taking your chin and tilting your head down to see his more human like dick, the pale girthy shaft with small veins leading up to his rosy mushroom tip twitching and desperate to be touched.

It was already leaking pre-cum and red from the overstimulating blow job you’d given him, “Are you just going to sit there slack jawed or do I have to do all the work myself?” His hand guided yours to his cock and you fingers curled around it, stroking it slowly and coating it in his pre-cum. “Don’t start getting arrogant now. I’ve haven’t touched you and you’re still sensitive~” He glared before smirking at you and rolled his cock against your slit. Kissing his chest and trailing up until you met his lips, rooting your other hand in his smooth violet hair. You lifted yourself with his help and sunk onto his cock. “Fuck. I should’ve done this a lot sooner. You feel so good clenching me- ngh-”

Slowly you rhymically moving up and down, breathing heavily and moaning whenever he bottomed out. Your slick making a white ring around the base of his cock and biting his neck. Feverishly kissing his jawline and rocking your hips in time with his thrusts. “Ah~ Just like that- Keep fucking yourself on my cock! I-” Scaramouche was interrupted when you grabbed his hand and brought it to your next, squeezing his hand in your own. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head when he tightened his grip and chuckled mockingly. “Well well, what a kinky little slut you are. Ngh-”

His dick kissed your cervix as he harshly pounded into your cunt and cut off your air supply. Checking in with you to make sure he wasn’t going to far and pecking your cheek softly when you signal you were alright. “Scara- aHah keep going! I’m close-” “Shit! Me too! ngh~ Guess you riled me up, beloved!” A breathy moan left your mouth and fell against his chest, scratching his back with your nails when the pace got even faster. Pistoning his cock deep into your pussy and feeling like it was splitting you in two. A second later his unoccupied hand crept down to your clit and pinched it sending painful overwhelming pleasure through you.

Your climax hit you like a ton of bricks and made your legs spasm, trembling thighs tensing and crying out in joy. “Cumming!” The hybrid felt your cunt contract around his cock and groaned loudly. “Cumming too!” Feeling warm spurts of his cum fill you and faltering when you both road out your high, collapsed against the rim of the tub. The water mellowed out and stopped splashing about as you panted to regain the lost energy. “Let’s actually get clean because we just dirtied the water” Scaramouche weakly laughed and hugged your closer, “I wouldn’t mind going for a round 3-”

He was cut off by your glare and quickly scooped you into his arms albeit stumbling a bit before getting out, putting you on the cool tile to refill the tub. “I’d say I marked you up quite well, now others will know who you belong to.” Lifting you so you could see your reflection and the countless hickeys and bite marks all over your body. You smiled and nodded, shakily tapping his arm to put you down and using the counter to keep yourself standing. Towels on your nearby shelf were used to dry yourself off and tossed one to Scaramouche He thanked you and wrapped the towel around his waist, grabbing your body and bringing closer to him once again. “Now let’s go to sleep because in morning you’re not leaving my side and I have to thank you for breaking me out~”

“Hm, sounds good.” My bedroom is-” Already out the door and on the way before you realized he knew where it was since you had shown it to him when you both came in. Leaning your head against his bare chest and stretching out when you’re laid down on the soft pale green comforter. You crawled under the covers and snuggled into the soft pillow, letting your muscles go soft and practically fusing yourself to the hybrid’s body. “You comfortable there?” You nonverbally hummed ‘yes’ and tried to embrace him, happy that he wrapped his arms around you. “Now go to sleep, beloved. I’ll be here in the morning.” “Goodnight.” Closing yours eyes and welcoming sleep with open arms, the warmth under the covers mixed with his body heat.

Your dreams consisted of memories from the day and fantasies of days yet to come, swimming deeper and deeper into the sea of your unconscious before the bright rays of the morning sun peaked in through the curtains. A soft groan came from the person beside you and pulled you closer, messily tangling the sheets around your legs which was already intertwined. RING! RING! You shot up briefly at the sudden loud noise coming from your phone and blindly reached your hand at your bedside table until you finally had the vibrating cell phone in your hand. Pressing the answer button and slowly bringing it to your ear, a loud automated voice quickly giving you a message from your workplace.

“Hello… Name. This is the Deepwater Cove Aquarium calling it’s employees to let them know they will have the following week off with paid leave due to a high security inhabitant breaking out and having gone missing. Tell no one about this and keep it within company staff to avoid a mass panic. If you have any questions or concerns please contact head of Human Resources Teresa Merrii. Thank you and goodbye.” ….well that answered the question in the back of your head and you guessed they didn’t have a clue you were behind it.

“Scara.” Shaking his shoulder and attempting to wake him up, only to receive a mumble and pulling at your torso for you to cuddle with him more. “Scaramouche! They know you escaped-” He opened his eyes just a tad and raised an eyebrow, “It was bound to happen eventually and besides they don’t think it’s you so come back to sleep with me.” The cecaelia had a point, you were also on paid leave which you hadn’t expected and might as well make the best of it. Checking your notifications for any major or important messages you should respond to while you were up and saw a text from your coworker telling you ‘I hope you and your family are alright! Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help and we need to talk about the week off from work because what if it’s Scaramouche?!’.

You’d have to give them your thanks, turning your phone off and getting back underneath the blankets, feeling the smooth bits of scales littering his chest and heat radiating off of him. It felt like you were sleeping next to a fire on a cold winter morning and you pulled the covers over your head. “Well, even if they try to find me, they can’t cause I’m free of that prison and at home with my mate-” THAT’S WHAT YOU BOTH WERE?! “We’re just dating scara-” His finger was pressed against your lips. “Yes, my mate. That’s what most cryptids, as you all like to call us, call our significant others and almost all of us mate for life.”

A second passed. You were fairly sure that he was going to live longer than you which didn’t bode well since he seemed very clingy and insistent on you being with him till death. “How long do you live?” Scaramouche pondered and hummed to himself, recalling all the years he’s been alive. “About 36, but “special” beings who are half immortal live about 150 years. Cecaelia fully mature at about 20 years.” Further explaining about how his kind usually took a mate at 30 or so and pinching you playfully when you laughed, commenting on how it fit that he was 6 years “late” on finding a soulmate. “I’m sorry but with your bitchy personality I can see why no one wanted to date you-” He interrupted you with a pinch on your cheek and scowled at your mockery. His arms wrapping even tighter around your torso and guiding you hand to touch a patch of scales on his cheekbone.

“Oh please, that incompetent mermanta ray Childe couldn’t find a partner and he probably hasn’t knowing him and his battle obsession.” Eyes flicked to the window that looked out onto the sea, seemingly where is (possibly?) friend lived and trying to imagine what kind of hybrid he could possibly be by yourself. The curiosity in you spilling over the edge of your mind and asking yourself if the fairytales you heard of mythical being was true. If half octopus people existed did that mean nagas, mermaids, fae, and kitsunes were real too. “What other mythical beings exist that you know of?” Scara rubbed comforting circles on your tummy as he thought back, “A fair amount of people but many of them are miserable to be around, but as far as the ocean goes I know a couple mermaids and selkies. Two of them are tolerable to be around and offer good conversations last I remember, their names are Kaveh and Kokomi I think.”

“Kaveh always bitches about his annoying merman of a roommate which is always amusing to hear. Of course there are other cecaelia but I haven’t met many others so I assume they live in deeper parts of the ocean.” Laughing to himself as he remembered the insults he’d hear from the selkie about how emotionless and arrogant Alhaitham was to live with. You scooched up so you were laying against his chest and pulled up a soft throw blanket over both of you, “Are mythics only in the ocean?” Lifting his hands from your body and playing with his fingers as he talked. “Haha don’t be silly. They’re all over the world. Some live in the skies and mountains like harpies, dracotaurs, and butterfly people. I know before your boss captured me there was news about a dracotaur named Zhongli and a harpy named Xiao who watched over a city near here almost like a guardian angel.”

The sun shone brighter and the wind picked up, whistling and causing branches to tap against the glass. Birds looked for worms in the ground to bring to their young and chittering to each other. “Hm, I wonder what he’s like?” His hand broke from your grasp and turned your chin so you looked at him, “I thought I was the only supernatural being that interested you?” You laughed and nodded, confirming he was. “You are but that doesn’t mean I can’t be curious. And butterfly people? Aren’t those just fairies?” Apparently not and you shouldn’t say that to a fae’s face because it could piss them off. You had heard stories from your grandparents about people who angered the fae. How travelers would knock on trees when going through the woods to check if the fae were hiding in trees and offer small gifts of flowers or shiny objects for safety when hiking in their territory, with the promise of being respectful.

In your younger years you had believed it, often giving small gifts of your own at the edge of the woods near your house and leaving notes with messages to them. You knew not to tell them your name or else bad things would happen to you and the possibilities of you getting dragged into the forest to never been seen from again only increased. “No, fae are very mischievous and playful. Most of the stories about tricks and fairy circles you’ve heard are true. Butterfly people are similar to fae but have butterfly wings and are much kinder, often helping out creatures of all kind including humans if anyone is in trouble or in need of a helping hand.” Letting your mind drift off into what you thought some of them would look like and your inner child hoping you could meet one one day.

“Just before I got kidnapped, I was washed up by a mangrove near some abandoned but fruitful orchards looking for help since a bad storm had caused me to sprain my wrist. What I thought was a butterfly at first turned out to be a tiny person who called herself Nahida and helped me with my injury.” He explained that butterfly person was the protector of the small kaleidoscope that was home to the ethereally lit forest and her official name was Kusanali. “She helped me identify what fruits were safe and ripe to eat and what herbs could be used for healing or nutrition. Nahida told me what she knew of the fae and that a certain fae prince was becoming quite well known for his artistry and experiments.” Scaramouche kissed your lips and nuzzled his nose against yours, revelling in the comfort and affection you were giving him.

Of course there were other supernatural creatures of the land like nagas and lamias, attractive people with the lower half of a snake with more serpent like features such as scales or forked tongues. Who often are sneaky and stereotyped as sadistic thanks to generalizations from Christianity’s view of snakes when in actuality a lot of them are well versed in healing and medicinal treatments for travelers or other mythics. One type of supernatural you were not so please to find out about were the driders, people with the lower half of a spider and actually very dangerous. “They’re just as cruel and sadistic as the tales say they are or at least that’s what I’ve heard. I don’t intend to find out and I’m hope you don’t either. Remember my home turf is water not land.” You laughed and shook your head, shivering at the thought of running from a being with eight legs and liquidated to be eaten.

“Yeah, that doesn’t seem pleasant to run into but if those are the only dangers in the forest then it seems fine-” He interrupted you and then chuckled, carding his fingers through your hair to work out the tangles that had gotten more apparent over night. You looked up and saw him still looking out the window but away from the sea front view. “Ever heard of werewolves? You’ve probably walked passed by more of them than you think thanks to their ability to remain human looking except during a full or new moon. They are very territorial and possessive of who or what they hold close to them which my kind are also prone to-” You cut him off with some laughter and lightly hit his chest, raising your eyebrow at him and reminding him of the incident involving the ‘Karen’ yesterday.

“Scara you nearly had to be held back when I was hit and any time another employee tries to make a mood on me within your sight even before you dragged me beneath the water-” A bright blush covered his cheeks and he averted his gaze from you, clearly trying to pretend like he didn’t remember it despite you reminding him. “I- It’s not my fault that you attract everyone else’s attention and I have to show them that you’re mine. At least I’m not as bad as the kitsunes! Gods…Those vixens are downright malicious if someone offends them or someone dear to them. My mother’s wife is a nasty example and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s been stopped many times from striking me with lightning by my mother.”

This was the first you were hearing of his past in general and his mother, no one who found him could get any answer as to who his parents were or where his home was. “I’m plenty happy that you’re possessive and I appreciate you not killing people just for flirting with me.” Laughing towards the end of your sentence and carefully thinking through your words to find out more about his life. “I’m going to need you to be more tolerant now that you don’t have 4 inch glass separating you from the public whenever we’re outside. But you’ve never mentioned your mother before, what was your life before all of this,” You gestured vaguely to your house and around you both, “happened.

The cecaelia’s eyebrows furrowed and his mood got noticeably somber. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea, “If it’s something you don’t want to talk about then I understand but I’m here. I know what it’s like to not like your past.” You kissed his cheek and rubbed comforting circles on his chest, letting him think it over and seeing him shake his head out of a deep thought. “No, it’s alright. I just have… mixed feelings toward my mother and it’s not a pretty story.” Scaramouche shifted so you were sitting up and side by side, his hand intertwining with yours and gratefully looking at you. The dark pools of pale purple overflowing with inner turmoil and deep seated unspoken emotions laying just beneath the surface.

“Well not only am I not human but my mother is a goddess, specifically a goddess of storms and lightning.” Eyeing you for a reaction to which you were stunned and gaped at your non-mortal lover, nodding slowly to let him continue. “My mother had a relationship with a human which resulted in me but I don’t know my father and I haven’t seen my mother since she abandoned me.” This was heartbreaking to hear. Why would any mother ever abandon their child? He was still, silence enveloped the room as he kept his eyes locked on the comforter balled up in his fists. Outside you could see the sky darkening, dark grey clouds gathered strangely with your knowledge that there wasn’t supposed to be rain this.

“That makes me a demigod in addition to my weird ass octopus half. I don’t think I have any abilities like my mother but my human emotions are linked to stormy weather which might explain the thunderstorm coming together outside.” Both of you were now focused on the growing anomaly, you looked to Scara and unwrapped his tightly wound fists. The muscles in his fingers still tense and slowly being relaxed thanks to your hand sliding its way into his. “I’m right here with you. I’m- I’m sorry you had to go through that but how did you manage living on your own at such a young age?”

A fond but sad expression painted over his face and he leaned his head on your shoulder, “I didn’t. I was found on a beach by a man named Niwa, someone who I considered my friend…my family. He was the one who showed me how to live and grow up while trying his best to find answers for both of us as why what I was.” Apparently, when he was a child, Niwa took them both to the library to search as to who Scara’s parents were but were stunned to find his mother’s name belonged to a local goddess. While he told the story, a flurry of emotions crossed his mind upon digging into memories he thought he had put away permanently.

“At first we thought it must have been a mistake but Niwa spotted a symbol marked on my skin behind my neck,” Turning his back to you and lifting his hair to let you view a black triple right tomoe. Black ink filled the shape and bent when you ran your fingers over it, noticing the shiver your lover tried to suppress. It looked like a tattoo freshly healed but there was something not natural about it like the scales that littered his skin. “along with the scales, it was clear that I wasn’t human….but he didn’t look at me differently. He wasn’t disgusted or fearful that he was living with a demigod and helped me discover more about who I was but…”

Tears pricked his eyes and threatened to fall, indicating hesitation and what you could tell was a emotionally traumatizing moment back then. You wished you could have done more but the best you could do is be by his side and comfort him the best way possible. “but there- there was one question he couldn’t answer even though he tried. Why did my mother abandoned me? Clearly she knew about my existence since she put me to sleep on a beach but-” The damn broke as streaks of tears fell down his cheeks, quiet sobs loudened as he tried to muffle them and latched onto you when you brought him into your arms. The tight grip Scaramouche had hurt your heart, no one deserved to go through this and you had some choice words in your head for his mother.

There were several better ways to set him free without the lack of communication or possibility of harm. You were glad that someone like Niwa was there for him while all this self discovery was going on, you’d have to thank him if he ever introduced you two. “Scara-” “Kuni. My name is Kunikuzushi. You- you deserve to know.” With the look he was giving you, you had no doubt that this meant a great deal to him and clearly had gained his trust with your help and kindness. Tears still streamed down his face but they had stopped a bit thanks to your comfort. “Kuni. I’m so glad you had Niwa with you. How come he didn’t help you when you got captured?”

There was silence for a couple minutes then he started quietly crying harder burying his head into your neck and mumbled words you couldn’t understand. Carding your hand through his hair and cooing softly, “It’s alright. You’re safe. You’re with me safe and sound.” After gathering himself he kissed your lips and brokenly smiled. “T-thank you. Niwa-” Kuni stuttered and took a deep breath while thunder shook the house. “Niwa was killed by a self proclaimed doctor called Dottore who hunts the supernatural and dissect them. He used Niwa to get to me after seeing bits of my scales You would have gotten along, he was kind and determined like you.” He paused briefly between words to sniffle and then embraced you again, seeing lightning shatter the sky which reminded him to take a breath.

“He helped me with these pathetic human emotions that plagued me. I thought my mother tossed aside because of my disgusting human half and tried to get rid of my mortal part…. to no success.” To say you were stunned was an understatement. To think in addition to all the torture he’d endured at the aquarium he had tried to kill himself in order to get to his mom. You didn’t notice tears that fell from your eyes and landed on his warm bare chest. His thumb brushed your cheek and wiped them away, whispering apologies that he didn’t need to say at all. “I know, I’m not going to say I regret it because I don’t but you and Niwa changed my mind about humans.”

You sadly laughed and kissed him, “I’m glad you’re here. You made my life brighter and I love you dearly. However, how did you come to live in the ocean?” He wiped his eyes and dried his tears, looking down at the lavender scales decorating his skin. “When I tried to drown myself, something different happened my legs split into 8 and my pale purple scales darkened from my waist down.”

“My ears grew webbed and more fish like, entirely below my waist I looked like an octopus from the hips down but I could move through the water faster than I ever could before-” He stopped and look to you, winds calming down and a genuine happy expression took over his face. “I was free. Free to do what I wanted and be free from the pain of loss…so I shut out the world until I met you.” He whispered, almost in disbelief and awe upon reflecting into his past. Time seemed to stop as he moved closer and cupped your face, rubbing his nose against yours affectionately.

Kuni slowly kissed your lips and slowly pulled away for air begrudgingly, still resting his forehead against yours and closing his eyes. A comfortable silence fell between you two. So many emotions poured out and no doubt you could sleep for another couples of hours given it was only 9 in the morning. You kissed his lips sweetly before pulling your boyfriend back under the covers and slurring your words out of fatigue. “I love kissin’ you but sleep is a definite tie. Come cuddle me, Kuni~”

There was little hesitation as he wrapped his arms around you and tangled his legs with yours, taking the small spoon position. Sleep tugged at the corners of your mind but before you succumbed to it you whispered something you’d been holding in for a bit. “You and ursula would get along very well.” You practically felt the annoyed tick mark appear on his face with even having to see it and struggled to hold in your laughter. “Who the fuck is this Ursula bitch?!”

Genshin cryptids

[paleroze]

Blade Imagines

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Crossing paths with the person you've sworn to move on to, you stand in disbelief and despair as memories flood your mind.

"General, what a surprise to see you here." You smiled at his greeting while you stand gazing through the sky, endless possibilities crossed your mind as you prepare to embark on your journey.

"To be able to bid my farewell, I think I should meet you for the last time before you take on the sky." You laugh, "How... Delightful." Jing Yuan smiles at you, his eyes turn to the stars.

To think that you will not depart without someone saying their last words to you, this place will serve only as a memory the moment you step on the ship, you will be across the universe where you will meet different species, new people, see new places.

"Should I send you a signal if.. he returns?" You can tell Jing Yuan hesitates to mention the man, and to avoid wounding your fragile heart any longer. Yet, the price was too good for you and him that this conversation couldn't be avoided even if you yourself will disappear to the cosmos.

Your weakness is him, your strength, your life, your suffering..

"There's no need. I doubt they will even reach me."

As you take the ship, Jing Yuan waves to the craft you are maneuvering out the Xianzhou Luofu, his words did not reach you.

"Him or the message?"

The universe does not spare the weak, nor the unlucky ones.

Whichever planet you try to reside, he would find you. You will face him, now different than what you used to see him. He changed, but you remain as ever the same as how he loves you.

"How should I call you," You asked, pinned on the wall in his grasp. "Yingxing?" You test the waters. You can tell that he flinched as you uttered his name in whisper how you used to under the sheets with him. The grip on your shoulders tightened.

"Must I be a part of your vengeance, Blade?"

He never raised his weapon at you, but you still end up wounded, hurtfully inside, your heart churns as you turn to look at him. His silver hair gone to be in a shade of navy blue, the tip fades into red. His eyes that used to shine like the sea have turned scarlet that you're now a stranger to.

He will never be the person you fell in love with. That man died a long time ago..

Blade despises that he is but now an immortal being, and that suffering he also has to endure is to not be able to die with you.

"Must you torture me this way? All these years I try to run away from you, yet you show up every time. In what planet must I hide in for you not to track me down?" You screamed, anger evident in your words.

Blade will never let you escape from his grasp, not anymore he will let another person he cares about disappear, especially you. You may get angry, kill him, yell at him, but you don't get to disappear.

This never-ending chase gets tiring, but you never give up. Just to get away from him.

He's not Yingxing. He will never be Yingxing.

"No matter how many times you run, I will come to you. You're.." everything to me. The only thing that keeps me sane. His co-worker's words be damned, when he remembers your face and name, the demons within him crumble into dust, his mara that torment his life dissipates when he thinks of you.

Besides, no matter how many times he has found you, even if you shout words that flew right past his head, one thing he will never ignore is..

You never say you don't love him anymore.

[enviedear]

would modern!jace be the drinking kind… if so, i can see him being drunk and showering his lover in random love poems that cross his mind :p

imo, modern!jace will drink. but it’s absolutely not his favorite thing. i think he’s one of those people that refuses to mix his liquors, “i get the worst hangovers when i do.” he’ll excuse. he’ll never admit that it’s just him following his aunt rhaenys’ belief.

if he is drinking, it’s usually with cregan or the twins or maybe even at a dj gig. his most common orders are manhattans…but like his mother he loves a good gin and tonic (looking to you negroni sbagliato) modern!jace loves a gin fizz, less heavy than a negroni and easier to down!

as for how he behaves when drunk (a rare occurrence, he tries to maintain a tipsy state of anything) i think he’s extremely clingy. he wants to hold his partner, have his hand in theirs. i think when he’s sober he’s less likely to be super touchy in public, but when he’s drunk? he’ll pull you in for a kiss, not a care in the world as to who can see you. so yeah, i also think in between asking for you to come closer, to kiss him, to hold his hand, he’s stumbling through his favorite poems. he’ll be staggering out of the club, fingers interlaced with yours, mumbling something like, “and neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons down under the sea, can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful annabel lee.”

[calypsocolada]

SIX MOMENTS | s. shinazugawa

synopsis: you have six different encounters with a stubborn hashira.

authors note: it's currently 5:47 a.m. and I need god but I need this man more. goodnight.

cw: blood, violence, cussing, fluff, attempted assault (very very minor)

wc: 6.4k

—————————————————

1. meeting

You felt the tightness of nerves in your chest as you walked across the room. Your hair swayed with every step behind you. You blew out a quick breath before sliding next to Sanemi, excited to make a good first impression. Your eyes drifted across the room to land on your sister, Mitsuri, with her pink and green hair easy to spot. She lifted her hands above the crowd to give you two thumbs up. You steeled yourself, swallowing down the bundle of nerves in your stomach.

“Hi, you’re Genya’s older brother right?” Your soft voice asked the man that sat next to you. You’d met Genya by chance a while back, the boy could barely talk to you, his face as red as a rose the entire encounter. 

Although you and this intimidating hashira were around the same age, Sanemi was huge, just all around big. He was a head taller than you, even sitting down. With broad shoulders and sharp features. Sanemi slowly looked down at you, his face uninterested. His body was riddled with scars, criss crossing his face and arms. Your body heated all over. He looked angry that you’d spoken to him. You forced a smile and continued when he didn’t answer. You didn’t know much about the Demon Slayer Corp to be honest, just the little bit that Mitsuri provided. You knew it was highly dangerous though. “I’m Mitsuri’s sister. Aren’t you a Hashira?” Sanemi looked away from you and back to the drink he was nursing.

“Obviously.” He said, his voice gruff and bothered. Your mouth dried up as you bit your lip.

You had seen Sanemi fight and you had almost instantly developed a crush on him. He was a great fighter, took out a demon in mere seconds. He wasn’t aware but the village that he saved from a demon attack just happened to be yours. 

You felt something bursting in your chest at this interaction. You were fumbling, Sanemi didn’t seem interested nor caring at all. 

“The Corp. is lucky to have you as a hashira.” You say, hoping some flattery would soften his edges somehow. Sanemi looks at you with venom in his eyes.

“What would you know about it, girl?” He asks sharply.

“Y/n Kanroji,” You say but he isn’t interested in learning your name it seemed. “I-- I’ve seen you fight. You saved people in my village. You're incredible.” For a second you think you’re sharing a moment. His eyes are intense on yours, your cheeks pinkening under his intense scrutiny. But he looks away, hand tightening on his cup. 

“Go flatter someone else, Kanroji.” He says sharply, turning pointedly away from you. Your body heats in shame. Eyes darting back to your sister who was eagerly watching. It took one look for Mitsuri to understand. You push off your chair. 

“It was-- good to meet you. Thank you for all you do.” You say softly, kindly. When Sanemi turns to say something back to you your already walking away, weaving your way through the crowd. Sanemi turns back to his drink, hiding his blush under his hand.

2. melon soda

It was about a week since the last time you had seen Sanemi. Again it was at another Hashira get together. He was in the same exact spot he’d be in last time. Nursing a drink at the bar whilst the more outgoing hashira kept the party going. 

You had arrived a bit late, Mitsuri at your side. You chatted before breaking off, slipping away to grab drinks while Mitsuri greeted all her fellow Hashira. 

You walked up to the bar, not spotting Sanemi until a moment too late. Your eyes met. You forced a smile, not so fond memories of your last encounter on the forefront of your mind. You decided after that night you’d try one last time to befriend the unfriendly man and if he still didn’t crack, you’d leave him be. There were other fish in the sea. None that made you blush this deeply from a look although. 

“Hi,” You smiled brightly. For a moment Sanemi looked almost startled by your sudden appearance. “Good seeing you again.” You joke, wondering if you’d been too smiley. 

“Is it?” He says gruffly. But he didn’t turn away from you this time, his intense eyes still locked with yours. You were at a loss for words. You had an opening and it was closing faster as the seconds drifted away.

“Of course.” You say simply, voice soft like snow, smile even softer. You thought for a moment you saw something red in his cheeks but Sanemi turned away from you again. Clearly done talking. You sighed as the bartender walked up, looking sourly at you. You gave your best winning smile.

“Hi, could I get two melon sodas?” You asked. The bartender huffed.

“Drinks are reserved for those in the corp, sorry girly.” The man says sharply. Embarrassment floods your system as the man laughed condescendingly. “Guess you can’t read.” He hits the sigh hard enough to make you jump.

“I’m sorry to have bothered you sir.” You apologize profusely. Sanemi had turned at the sound, his eyes catching fire as you quickly made your way back towards your sister. His stomach boiled, eyes like fire. 

“That was rude.” He growls at the bartender. The bartender looks alarmed, he must’ve not noticed Sanemi sitting there. “Two melon sodas. Now.” He commanded roughly. The bartender tripped over himself to get what Sanemi asked for.

“Please, Mitsuri, just leave it be.” You pleaded with your sister. Mitsuri wanted to walk over to that bartender and kick him into next week. You were already embarrassed enough, and just wanted to forget the whole thing and have a good rest of the night. You sink in your chair, blushed and red. Rengoku, who’d been shoveling food into his mouth for the past ten minutes, piped up.

“I can walk over there and get your drinks.” He says as he pushes up from his table. Something slams loudly against the table startling all three. Your startled eyes find two melon sodas on the table, eyes drifting up to from the person's arm that held them and finally to Sanemi’s eyes. Your lips fell open, eyes darting from the cans back up to Sanemi. Mitsuri and Rengoku were both stunned into silence. Sanemi pushed the cans towards you, his eyes intense. Words evaded you, what in the world was happening?

“For you.” He says, pushing them one last time towards you before turning and disappearing through the crowd. Rengoku and Mitsuri both slowly turn to look at you. Slowly you reach down and grab one of the drinks. He’d gotten these for you? Why? You were so sure he despised you… 

“Looks like someone has a secret admirer.” Mitsuri whispers as she takes the other can into her hands and pops open the tab. You blushed all the way down to your toes, turning away from Rengoku and Mitsuri, an excited smile on your lips. 

3. train folly

Jeez, this man is hot and cold. You thought you had it all figured out this time. He’d done something nice for you, sure it was a small thing but it was still kind nonetheless. But here you two were, as silent as can be on a four day train ride. It's been a few months since that last party. You had decided to join the corp and since you weren't much of a fighter you decided to become a field medic.

First assignment?

To accompany Sanemi Shinazugawa on a mission deep in some Forest on the outskirts of a town. You couldn’t have planned it out better yourself. Except Sanemi is more frigid than the first time you’d talked. You were sure you’d broken through, was sure he might’ve tolerated you. But sitting next to him you’d tried starting a conversation three times, finally giving in and now they both had been sitting across from each other in silence for about an hour now. 

“Ah, Ms. Kanroji, there you are.” A voice said, drawing your attention away from the window, which you’d been blankly staring out of. It was Rengoku, your face morphed into a smile, happy to see a friendly face. 

“Kyojuro! What're you doing on this train?” You asked as you stood, throwing yourself in the taller man’s arms. Rengoku smiles warmly, squeezing you fiercely. Sanemi’s attention is drawn to you two, his stomach twisting as he watches Kyojuro hug you. 

“I get off on the next stop, unfortunately, but I thought I saw a glimpse of your hair.” He says, reaching for a strand, twirling it around his finger. Sanemi grunts. 

“New assignment?” Sanemi buts in, eyes sharp. Rengoku shares a look with Sanemi as the former grins slightly before nodding his head, confusing Sanemi. 

“I heard about your guys assignment and just wanted to caution you, if you need any backup please don’t be shy to send your crows.” Rengoku says as you smile brightly up at him. 

“Thank you-“ Suddenly the train comes to a rough stop, throwing you backwards. You brace for impact against the train floor but an arm shoots out, stopping your inevitable descent. When you open your eyes you see Sanemi. His face is no longer indifferent. 

“Careful.” He says in the softest tone you’d ever heard from him and you're almost too stunned to speak so you manage a nod. He helps you back to your feet as Rengoku reaches out and pats Sanemi on the shoulder. 

“Good catch!” He smiles. You didn’t miss it this time, you saw Sanemi’s cheeks blush before he could turn away in time. “Well I better depart, have fun in the mountains you too!” Rengoku says, ruffling your hair before departing off the train. 

Silence filled the compartment as you settled back into your seat. A moment passed as you cleared your throat, forcing yourself to speak, knowing you’d probably be ignored, but you had to say something.

“Thank you.” You say quietly. Sanemi nods his head. 

“You’re welcome.” He says but he doesn’t look at you. Something rushes through you at the sentence. You cover a smile with your hand and settle back down in your chair.

4. picking flowers

When the train pulled to a stop, you made sure you were seated this time. Sanemi was the first to stand, he gathered up his things as you followed, struggling with your heavier bags. You tossed one around your shoulder and immediately the weight of it almost sent you to the floor. But just like before, Sanemi stopped the fall with one arm around your hip. You blushed all over, embarrassed again. 

“I promise I’m not doing this on purpose.” you admit, your cheeks as red as a sunburn. Sanemi helps you right herself and without a word, pulls the heaviest bag from you around his own shoulders, acting as though it weighed nothing more than a sheet of paper. He pulls the door open to your shared compartment and holds it open for you to walk through. You both make your way off the train, following in Sanemi’s footsteps but you couldn’t help how you sometimes got swept up in the sights. You’d never been to this forest, nor the town on its outskirts. 

It was grand. The few times you stopped Sanemi hadn’t noticed and you almost lost him. But suddenly they were walking past a giant orchard of the most rare and audacious flowers you’d ever seen. You had to stop, to pick some to bring back for your sister. But you noticed a second too late when the crowd picked up and suddenly you were all alone. You tucked the flowers in your bag when suddenly a sharp hand shot out. 

“Thief, I saw you steal flowers!” A gruff man yelled, spittle hitting your cheeks. You recoiled only to be yanked towards him roughly, the grip on your wrist tight. 

“I--I’m very sorry sir, I have money to--”

“Thought you could slip away unnoticed, hmm?” The man pushed you against the cobblestone wall. But he didn’t exactly have anger in his eyes, they were filled with something far worse. “It’s too late for money, pretty girl, you’ll have to pay with something else.” He whispered and you physically turned in on yourself. You hadn’t been taught how to defend yourself. Mitsuri had tried to teach you but you were sure you didn’t need to learn. Now you felt utterly stupid, desperately wishing your sister were here. 

A large hand grabbed the collar of your assaulter as he was thrown backwards, not pushed or shoved, thrown, tossed like a piece of trash to fly crashing into the dirt several feet away. You hadn’t noticed you were crying, but when you blinked away the tears, clearing your vision it was Sanemi. You’d caused him so much trouble on this trip and it had barely begun. Embarrassed, you parted your lips to speak but was stunned into silence when you were pulled into a tight hug. Sanemi wrapped his arms around you protectively.

“Are you alright? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Sanemi asks, concerned. Your entire body heated and when Sanemi pulled back to survey you, you forced yourself to speak.

“It was my fault, I picked flowers without asking.” You explained but as you said it outloud you realized you were being silly. This man clearly wanted more than honor for some stolen flowers. The man was starting to push himself up from the dirt, mumbling and cursing. 

“She stole them! And I expect-” The force of Sanemi’s glare was enough to shut the man up.

“Leave before I kill you.” Sanemi spoke calmly, but he was fuming, his eyes blazing. It was a scary sight to see. The man tripped over himself to leave, actually tripping a few times in his haste. Sanemi looked back at you, no longer angry. 

“I’m sorry.” You say, eyes downcast. Sanemi reaches around you, snapping a flower off its vine.

“You’re a lot of trouble, you know.” He shocked you by tucking the flower behind your ear, his hand lingering on your cheek. Sentence structure failed you completely. This person touching you so reverently couldn’t be the same person.  

“I’m sorry I’ve caused you so much trouble. Maybe I should call for a different medic.” You surprise yourself with being able to talk so effortlessly even with your heart in your throat. 

“Don’t be silly,” Sanemi waves off. “I’ll just have to keep a better eye on you.” You weren’t sure you could blush any harder than right now, your cheeks stung red. 

Sanemi reaches for you, carefully holding your hand as he turns to pull you along to the station near the forest. He doesn’t drop your hand once. For the first few moments your hand is stiff in his, but soon you give in, nerves steeling over as you grip his hand back. You feel Sanemi stagger a bit and you wonder if you startled him, if he forgot he was dragging you along until your fingers closed around his hand. When they arrive, Sanemi is first to let go of your hand. He opens the door to the station, holding it for you, his cheeks flushed red from the cold. 

You knew the next step. You were to stay here while Sanemi went out into that forest alone. You hated that idea. He’d taken care of you this entire trip, you wanted, no, you needed to repay him back in kind. Sanemi wasn’t talkative as he unburdened himself of the heavy bags. 

“Mr. Shinazugawa?” You ask over the quiet of the station. Sanemi froze at the sound of your voice. It was strange to say his last name but you weren’t sure if he was comfortable with you using his first name. He called you by your last name so you thought you’d do the same. “I-”

“Sanemi.” Sanemi returns, interrupting you. Your lips part as you clear your throat. 

“Sanemi,” You correct, something flashes in his eyes as he finally looks over at you. “Let me come with you.”

“Into a demon infested forest?” He asks and you knows he won’t allow it. 

“Yes, sir, don’t you think it’s dangerous to go alone?” You ask. He shakes his head as an answer. “But-- but what if you’re too hurt to send a crow, or something happens to the crow. If I came with you there wouldn't be any complications.” You say worriedly. Your not sure when you started to care this deeply for the man in front of you, but the idea of him going alone was making you sick to your stomach. Sanemi looked at you closely, you wondered what he saw when he looked at you. If he saw a silly girl pretending to be strong, exactly how you felt on the inside. 

“I’ll be fine.” Sanemi says with a sort of finality. “Do not walk into that forest unless I send for you. Do you understand?” He asks with authority in his voice, he towered over you. Anger tinged through you. You never really let yourself feel anger, knowing sometimes it led to bad outcomes but you couldn’t help feeling it now. Not necessarily angry with him but at the situation.

“I understand.” You said, shoving the anger down. You didn’t want to say something stupid and offend him so you backed down even though it left you feeling even worse. Sanemi watched you for a long moment, watched you unpack your things, watched the flower almost fall out of your hair only for you to fix it quickly each time. 

He recalled seeing you for the first time. How beautiful you looked in the training yard, laughing and smiling with the other girls. The way you threw your head back when you laughed, exposing your throat. The way your eyes squinted. Sanemi hadn’t been able to get over his nerves well enough to make you laugh. He’d tried when he called you trouble but he thought you just looked embarrassed. He wanted nothing more than to make you laugh just once. To make you smile at him as though he was the most important person. He remembered when you’d caught him staring, you smiled brightly at him, his heart boomed in his chest. If you were anything like your older sister he knew you’d try to follow him in that forest and it made him sick to the stomach thinking about you getting hurt, or a demon finding you before he could.

Sanemi stood, crossing the room to you. You stopped rifling through your stuff to turn to him, looking up at him with doe eyes. He almost melted on the spot, the flower in your hair matching your eyes. He made a serious face, hoping his words would come across right.  

“I need you to swear to me you won’t come into that forest unless I send for you.” He says, fixing his eyes on yours. You keep his eyes on yours, he watches your throat bob with a swallow, your lips twitching. Your lips, glossed in the dim light of the station. He couldn’t stop looking at your lips, jesus.

“I promise, Sanemi.” You implore and he barely notices you had spoken until you said his name. His name on your lips, the way you spoke it, seemed intimate. Too intimate, he was too close to you, his fingers twitching, it was a pain to keep them at his side and not touch you. With all the strength he could muster he finally backed, tearing his eyes off yours. 

“Good. I expect you to keep that promise.” He says airly, his head clouded as he grabbed for the front door, not speaking another word to you. Cold air hit his cheeks, he started to find his way back to himself, his brain not clouded too much with you in the cold.

5. savior 

As your leg bounces up and down you stare out the window of the station. It had been hours now since Sanemi had entered that forest. Your heart was hammering around in your chest wildly. You stood and paced, stopping every time you approached the window to peer outside. Nothing, just the slow crawl of dusk and trees swaying in gentle wind. You bit your lip. All that he had done for you on this mission and the least you could do was keep the promise. 

To stay out of the woods. 

You supposed if you went in there with him you’d probably end up causing more trouble for him. You’d felt like such a burden, felt stupid. Like a little kid prancing around in grown ups clothes. You heard a rustle as you vaulted to the window. Nothing, just a small squirrel scavenging in a tree. You huffed, flipping back into the chair. 

How long did these missions usually take? Surely not four hours. You slumped into the chair. What did you know about missions? You were a medic, and this was your first tagalong. You thought about your sister, who was gone for weeks at a time for missions sometimes. You felt sick, thinking about yourself alone in this station for weeks, waiting for the reprieve of Sanemi walking back, alive and well. Your crow squawked beside you, scaring you out of her thoughts. 

“Dead!” The crow said, flapping its wings wildly. “Dead! Dead! Dead!” You jumped at the word being repeated. 

“What? Dead? Who? Who’s dead?” You fired off, dizzy with worry. The bird took flight, slamming into the closed station door. “Jesus!” You exclaimed, rushing to the small creature. The bird scrambled on the floor. 

“Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!” It repeated as you reached for it, it bit your hand, hard enough to draw blood. 

“Ow!” You gasped, pulling your hands away, tears springing to your eyes. 

“Dead!” You grabbed the bird firmly, not enough to hurt it but to get a straight answer.

“Who’s dead!” You yelled angrily. The creature seemed to snap out of its loop.

“Hashibami!” It squawked. It took you all of three seconds to remember what Sanemi’s crows name was. Hashibami. So Sanemi’s crow was dead, meaning he had no way to contact you if he was hurt. You let go of the squawking bird and rushed around the station, pulling on shoes and a jacket, slinging your medkit onto your back along with the only two weapons in your possession, a hopelessly rusty fire poker, and an old shotgun with two bullets. You sighed. You’d never fought to kill before, let alone with something as mundane as a fire poker and two bullets but it was better than nothing so you slung it around her shoulders and burst out the door. Your crow breaks into flight behind you.

“Fly high up, tell me where he went!” You direct and the thing listens to you, doing as told. Flapping its wings hard as it soared into the clouds. You took off running towards the entrance of the forest, pausing for a moment. 

It was dark now, there was no telling what you were about to run blindly into. A moment of reflection ceased as you took off running into the darkness. The look on Sanemi’s face when he placed that flower in your hair springing to your mind. How serious he looked when he implored you to stay behind. “Please be okay. Please be okay.” You repeated in a whisper, not just to yourself but to whatever force could hear you and make things right. Your crow squawked up ahead. 

“Follow!” It directed and you did, running so fast the trees went by like a blur. Your chest burned, breathing ragged, legs tired after a while, but you kept it up, not even slowing a little. Darkness started to set as the feathers of your bird blended into the night sky. You’d lost him, you stopped, panting and hot. And that’s when you heard it. Swords slicing through the air, sounds of a fight brewing. Sanemi! Something swelled in your chest as you ran blindly through the dark forest towards the sound. You tripped a few times, but never fell, catching yourself before the cold dirt could. 

A flash of light cut through the darkness, in the clearing, with moonlight illuminating you finally saw him. Sanemi. Bloody and bruised, fighting with everything he had in him. Your breath caught at the sight. He was a force to be reckoned with. But so was the demon he faced. Some sort of spider hybrid, you recoiled at the sight of it, a true monstrosity. You watched, hidden in the shadows of the trees as your crow landed on your shoulder, squawking loudly. You clamped your hand over the damned thing's beak but the demon heard it. And although you were sure you were hidden well, that demon and his eight eyes slid to look right at you, cutting through the darkness. A malicious smile growing on its bloody lips. 

“Ah, your savior is here!” It called out in a chalkboard screech of a voice. Fear hit you hard in the stomach. Sanemi turned, but he didn’t see who the demon was referring to. The demon hit Sanemi hard, sending him sprawling across the field as it shot towards you. You stumbled, falling on your back, crow taking flight. 

“Damn bird!” You cried out, slamming your hand over your mouth. Something grabbed your leg and dragged you out of the dark, you scrambled to grab onto something! Anything? But when you finally grabbed a raised root the demon yanked and you lost hold of it. For a moment you were let go, you pushed herself to her feet and turned but it grabbed around your waist, lifting you off the ground.

The sight of you in the demon's claws was the worst of Sanemi’s nightmares. But as fast as he stood you pulled the fire poker from your back and stabbed it repeatedly into the demon's arm. It cried out, dropping you momentarily. Sanemi couldn’t stop the smile that formed on his lips as he charged forwards. You were stronger than you seemed. Sanemi didn’t let the demon recover because the moment he let go, the moment you hit the ground Sanemi slashed his sword in a long arc, nearly decapitating it. The demon staggered back, its head hanging by a string of skin. Sanemi grabbed you, pulling you to her feet. Quickly he examines you, eyes flitting. He swallows down some emotion.

“Not hurt?" He asks quickly and you shake your head. "Go then. Get to the trees!” He directed, you didn’t disobey, you just ran. Sanemi turned back. He’d slice true this time, he wasn’t nearly as nervous when it was just him but now he had more to lose, and he’d die before he let even a hair on your head be touched. So Sanemi slashed, he barely felt the demon’s own slashes, adrenaline coursing through his body. He needed an opening, just a small opening. He wanted to force one but this damned thing was quick on its four legs. He slashed a leg as it shot out towards him. Another two grabbed him, one on his sword, the other by his neck. He cursed loudly, blood draining from his face as the spider’s grip around his neck tightened more and more. Suddenly a blast rang out, the hand that Sanemi was held in went slack and it took all of two seconds for Sanemi to react. He turned, you held the old shotgun shakily in your hands, smoke curling out of the barrel, you’d shot the leg that held him. This was his opening. He didn’t leave a string this time, he cut the head clear off, so quick that the demon hadn’t noticed until it went to walk and its head toppled right from its shoulders. The demon burst into flames, lighting the clearing more than the moon could. Sanemi stood unsteady, adrenaline starting to wear off. He turned, you looked at him with wide eyes, the gun still in your hand, slack at your side. 

“Holy shit… I’m sorry!” You called out, he began to limp to you, pain in every step. “Your crow was dead so I didn’t think, I just ran. I broke the promise- Oh!” You gasped as Sanemi’s hands grabbed you by the face and crashed his lips against yours. The kiss was desperate. Your soft hands barely knotted into the fabric of his shirt as he kissed you with such fervor. Your minds clouded. 

Slowly his hands traveled down you body to your waist, pulling you impossibly close as you threw your arms around the back of his neck. The kiss morphed, adrenaline not fueling it but more of the past few months knowing you. Your stomach was sick with yearning, soft lips meeting soft lips. Sanemi leaned and pulled you up off your feet, you gasped into his mouth and a shiver made its way down his spine. You dropped the gun, it hit the ground and shot a tree nearby, startling you both out of the clouded moment. When you parted for air, lips kissed pink, cheeks as red as roses he finally saw two things he’d wanted to see for so long. Your face morphed into a smile so bright and happy that he couldn’t help but smile a little himself. Then you laughed, just a small giggle, but he had made you laugh nonetheless. He kissed you again and again until his body ached and he could barely stand. He wavered and this time it was you that caught him. 

“Here, sit, I’ll grab my medkit.” You said softly, he caught your wrist, worry in his eyes. After all, they were still in a very dark forest. “It’s just right over here.” You reassured as you helped him sit in the grass. You were back in seconds, dabbing something cold in his wounds, wiping the blood from his abdomen and wrapping him in gauze. A comfortable silence grew between you as you deftly took care of him, you were quick with your hands and had him stitched up in mere moments. 

“You’re good at that.” Sanemi says, his voice gruff. You blushed, smiling to yourself. 

“Thank you.” You say, looking up to him and without thinking, starting to wipe the blood from his cheek. He flinches away, and you pause. “Oh, sorry.” You say mindlessly. “You have a bit-“

“Go ahead.” Sanemi says, eyes soft. He was so completely different from how he usually was. It finally hit you in this close range that he’d kissed you, roughly, and with an intense amount of affection and want. Your hands started to shake with the memory of his lips on yours. Sanemi’s eyes leave you as he looks to your hands. “You alright?” He asks caringly. You clears your throat, steeling your nerves as you get back to wiping the blood off his face. 

“Sorry, I think the adrenaline is wearing off.” You breathe out. Sanemi nods his head. 

“You were incredible. You saved me.” Sanemi says as you pause, shaking your head. 

“No- no you were amazing. That final slash was faster than I could blink!” 

“I was only able to do that because you distracted him with a rather on point shot. Have you shot a gun before?” He asks as you shake your head. His eyes grow a bit large. 

“Guess you’re lucky I didn’t take your head off.” You smirk. Sanemi laughs abruptly, it’s a laugh that’s so infectious that you smile even in the horror of recounting the attack. Sanemi collects himself. 

“What matters is that you were there.” He says, you pull your hand away, the blood thoroughly cleaned off his face. You smile at him, looking at him through new eyes. Your eyes met and for a moment you were struck with the thought that Sanemi would kiss you again and you almost melted at the thought. Your crow squawked, ruining the moment. 

“Home! Hungry!” It bellowed in your ear. You swatted at the thing. 

“Damn bird.” You sigh causing Sanemi to laugh some more. “Maybe we should get back to the station.” You caves, gathering up your things. “Do you think you can walk?” You asks as Sanemi nods his head, pushing himself to his feet only to fall right back down. You tossed the medical bag around your shoulder and helped Sanemi to his feet, draping his arm around your shoulder for support. He lets you, let’s you guide him back to the station, all the while his heart beats wildly in his throat. He couldn’t believe he’d kissed you. Something he’d wanted to do since he first saw you smiling. And he’d done it. He couldn’t help himself. When he saw you, standing there, you’d just practically saved him. He had to kiss you. He’d done a shit job letting you know he cared before so he hoped that maybe you could understand him now. That these emotions weren’t so familiar to him and that it was hard expressing them but he’d try. 

6. fire light

It was a while before you arrived back at the station, both exhausted. You helped Sanemi to the bed and got to work making a fire because goddamn was the station freezing. You were sure Sanemi was out the moment he hit the pillow. You bumbled around the dark cabin, starting the fire. It burned dully as you closed the furnace door, heat filling the room slowly. You stared at the fire, almost drifting to sleep. 

“Kanroji,” Sanemi’s voice startled you. You thought he was asleep. You turned to see he had rolled over, holding the covers open. “Come on.” He intones, offering the space beside him. Your heart lurched in your chest at the offer, but it was cold and you were so tired. You pushed to your feet and kicked off your shoes, sliding in beside him. Sanemi placed the cover over you both and slid a loose arm around your hips pulling you flush against his body. His head is placed in the crook of your neck and you can feel him warm breath against sensitive skin. You close your eyes, exhaling softly. 

“Is this okay?” Sanemi asks in your ear. You don’t trust your voice not to fuck you over so you nod your head. Sanemi hums and you can feel the vibrations in your chest.

[sleepinthrumyalarms]

— falling asleep (in your arms)

pairing: wednesday addams x fem!oni!reader

warnings: angst, mentions of blood and death (it's mostly fluff tho)

summary: the best rest you could ever get was always by her side

word count: 3.3k

Wednesday tapped her foot against the lacquered floor impatiently as she stood next to the door of the resident oni’s room, waiting for the girl to come out. She didn’t have a phone, nor did she wear a wristwatch – she didn’t like the aesthetic is all – but her gut told her that it had already been past breakfast time.

Fixing the strap of the black backpack on her shoulder, Wednesday turned to finally knock at the door, doing so especially loudly. When she didn’t hear footsteps, she decided to invite herself in, turning the handle with a swift hand and looking around, annoyed.

The windows were half – open, letting the sounds of birds chirping outside in. Books were scattered across the desk that stood against the wall, the leaves of the small bonsai tree moving in tune with the gusts of wind entering the room and gently worrying the curtains.

Wednesday’s gaze landed on a big lump of blankets laying on the bed, quiet snores coming from under the layers.

Wonderful. She was still in bed.

“(Y/n). Wake up.” The ravenette called out sternly.

No answer came.

“You’re going to be late for class if you don’t get up this instant, (Y/n).” Wednesday warned, her voice gaining volume.

Still no answer.

“I’m not letting you copy my notes. You better wake up right now.”

This time a groan came from the lump resting on the bed, and the demon buried under the warm layers turned on her side, a clawed hand coming out to hang over the edge.

“Tell Weems I ate someone and got arrested.” (Y/n) grumbled, her voice heavy with sleepiness.

“She’ll drop everything to go bail you out.” The ravenette objected, crossing her arms as she walked up to stand over the demon, watching her sleepy face emerge from the sea of comforters.

“Fuck, no she won’t…”

Wednesday sighed, looking down at (Y/n) sternly, “Stop being so immature. Get up or I’m leaving without you.”

“Five more minutes, maybe?” The demon girl asked, her signature slitted puppy eyes making Wednesday frown.

“No, (Y/n),” she replied firmly, refusing to let the cute act get ahold of her, “You’re already running late. We need to get to class.”

(Y/n) scoffed, hiding her face in her pillow resentfully, “Is this what Enid has to go through every morning? No wonder her attendance’s been perfect since the day you came.” She grumbled, voice muffled.

Wednesday rolled her eyes. This was so stupid.

“Fine. Five more minutes and not a second more.”

(Y/n) lifted her face up again, and this time her toothy mouth was adorned by a happy grin. Scooching a bit away from the edge of the bed closer to the wall, her clawed palm patted the empty space, wordlessly inviting the smaller girl to join.

Wednesday’s shoulders sagged, and, leaving her backpack by the edge of the bed and taking of her shoes, she got into the bed, instantly getting smothered by the taller girl wrapping her arms around her shoulders and burying her face into her jet – black hair.

The oni’s frame was emitting heat, and the demon was purring up a storm – Wednesday could feel the vibrations resonate in (Y/n)’s chest, and the feeling had a somewhat calming effect on the gloomy girl.

It was always like this. Why was Wednesday always giving in? She supposed it had something to do with the warm feelings she had for the irresponsible oni demon.

With a small huff the ravenette wrapped her arms around the taller girl’s middle, resting her cheek on the purring demon’s chest, the sound like a powerful machine engine this close.

Five more minutes.

Flipping through the yellow pages of the huge book, Wednesday’s eyes trailed over the written words in hopes of finding something that would lead her closer to the truth in her investigation. The bestiary was a thick old book with a brown leather cover, no doubt touched and used by a myriad of people before her, and getting her hands on such a relic was surely worth something.

So there she was, in the dead of the night, sitting in the library with one of the only people she could trust at the academy – (Y/n). The demon was reluctant to join at first, but agreed ultimately, not wanting the girl to go down all alone if she was caught sneaking around past curfew. (Y/n) doubted she could be of use to Wednesday in the matter of intelligence and mystery solving, but at least she could keep her company.

Wednesday turned another page, and her eyes widened. There it was, painted with a light hand of a master artist, back slouched and eyes bulging ��� the hyde.

“(Y/n), look,” she pulled at the sleeve of the demon girl sitting next to her, not tearing her gaze away from the book, “I found it.”

The oni hummed, having been uncharacteristically quiet for the past half an hour, and shuffled by the smaller girl’s side. Wednesday felt weight on her shoulder, but still didn’t look up at her companion.

Focusing on the small amount of information given, she squinted, her finger tracing over the sentences as she read. The language was complicated, but not enough to confuse the great Wednesday Addams.

“He has a master,” she murmured under her breath, slowly digesting the new discovery, “That means, whoever they are, the master has awakened the hyde from his subconsciousness and is giving out orders...” Wednesday raised her head up to look at the taller girl, “Do oni demons also need some kind of an awakening for their true forms, too?”

Wednesday stared at the other girl, unblinking.

She was... asleep.

Leaning against the ravenette’s shoulder snuggly, (Y/n) had her arms folded on her chest, and, breathing evenly, the oni girl snored away. Her eyebrows were furrowed, an evidence of a dream she was most likely seeing, and on her tusked mouth was a small frown.

Wednesday sighed. Her eyes traced over the demon's expression, then she turned back to the book, reaching her hand to tangle her manicured fingers in the demon's (h/c) hair, scratching at her scalp and hoping to ease the girl's worried slumber.

This oni demon could certainly use an awakening. But she'd let it slide for now.

Early morning sunlight shone through the slit between the thick beige curtains right onto (Y/n)’s face. The demon scrunched her nose in irritation as her eyes slowly pried open, squinting immediately. She brought a hand up to cover her face, then slowly sat up, rubbing at her tired lids. The clock on her bedside table read 5:12 – too early to be up. The (h/c) – haired demon yawned, stretching her long limbs over her head, and the oni’s movements were almost enough to wake up the small lump sleeping next to her.

Almost.

(Y/n)’s gaze slid down to where Wednesday laid beside her, the ravenette’s hands that were previously wrapped around the demon’s clawed palm now clutching the bedsheets, and the oni watched her chest rise and fall slowly with every breath she took. (Y/n) was content with watching the gloomy girl sleep soundly, her small body curled up against the demon’s. She’s never seen Wednesday so peaceful and relaxed, the sight a complete adoration, making her heart swell with warmth.

Unable to hold herself back any longer, (Y/n) leaned down to press a gentle smooch to the girl’s freckled cheekbone. She lingered there for a few moments, then her lips trailed lower, aiming at Wednesday’s chin, then up to her nose and the corner of her left eyelid. When she was done peppering her face with kisses, she pulled away, smiling softly. Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t enough to wake the dead - asleep girl up, so (Y/n) made the choice to lay back down on her side, resting her head in her palm to watch Wednesday sleep.

God, she loved mornings like this. Waking up next to Wednesday brought her day a reason.

“I can feel you staring at me.” Came the smaller girl’s deadpan voice suddenly, her mouth moving, but eyes still remaining closed.

“Didn’t mean to wake you up.” (Y/n) grinned, a clawed finger coming to get some stray disheveled hair out of her pretty pale face. Wednesday’s nose scrunched at the tickling feeling, and she opened her eyes to look at the demon.

“What time is it?” She asked.

“Too early to worry. You should sleep a bit more.”

“We’ll miss breakfast.”

“No, we won’t. There’s still some time left,” the oni assured, resting her palm on Wednesday’s cheek, her thumb smoothing over the skin there, “Have I ever told you how pretty you look in the morning? You ought to let sunlight graze your features more often, despite how much you claim to loathe it.”

She watched Wednesday’s face heat up, and the gloomy girl frowned, turning on her side and away from the other, “Goodnight, (Y/n).”

The demon chuckled, moving closer to the embarrassed heap of covers that was her girlfriend, then wrapped a hand over her waist, her lips ghosting over Wednesday’s ear, and, as she spoke, her blunt tusks tickled, making goosebumps rise up the ravenette’s neck, “I wonder if there’s something I could do to set your mood for the day...”

“Goodnight, (Y/n).”

Desperately trying to keep herself upright, (Y/n) walked through the dark forest, her clawed fingers digging into the tree trunks and leaving marks as she stumbled. She was tired – but victorious, and, slowly making her way through the woods and back to the academy, the demon left behind a mauled body of her enemy she had to fight just a few moments ago – the hyde.

(Y/n) didn’t think she’d stumble upon Tyler, but she was glad it was her who did.

“Where is she, Galpin.”

“Oh, you didn’t hear? Addams is dead. She was no longer needed,” the young man chuckled, stepping closer into the demon’s face, but barely even intimidating her, “And you’re next.”

“Fuck,” (Y/n) choked, raising her fist to her suddenly wet eyes to wipe the tears away, “You better be a fucking liar above else, you worthless piece of shit. Or I’ll come back and finish you off.” She cursed, talking to herself in the haze of worry clouding her mind.

Decency the last thing on her mind, the oni stepped on the dirty ground, half – naked, covered in blood and exhausted, but her heart ached and the only thing able to soothe it would be seeing Wednesday, alive and well, pressing her closer and letting the weight and the warmth of her body ground (Y/n). Then she’d let her guard down, let her shoulders sag and eyes close.

(Y/n)’s grip turned white on the chipped stone walls when she walked up to the building, looking around the burned school grounds. The wind blew, chilling the oni to the bone, but did nothing to stop her.

She had to find Wednesday. Somewhere deep inside her guts she had a feeling the ravenette was still alive. The hope was small, like a weak flame burning in her chest, but she refused to let it die.

(Y/n) stopped in her tracks, hanging her head to take a few deep breaths. Then she looked up, and her slitted eyes widened.

There, standing in the middle of the yard with a broken blade in her hand, was the small black – haired girl. Her breath heavy, hair disheveled and a small trail of blood was running down her face.

The demon’s naked feet hurt as she stepped onto the stony surface of the quad, burned down and destroyed, but her legs refused to carry her further anymore.

“Wednesday.”

The ravenette turned at the sound of her name, and her eyes widened.

“(Y/n).”

Throwing her sword away, she ran up to the taller girl, just in time to wrap her arms around her middle when the demon felt her knees buckle. Burying her face in the oni’s chest, not caring about the sticky blood smearing across her cheek, she squeezed her eyes closed.

“You’re okay.” (Y/n) mumbled, her arms encircling Wednesday’s waist, her lips pressing against her hair with a shaky sigh, and the lump in her throat was impossible to fight anymore.

“Don’t cry, mio cuore,” Wednesday murmured, looking up and raising a gentle palm to wipe the tears that rolled down the demon’s cheeks freely, mixing with blood and pouring down her dirty chin, “It’s over now.”

Her grey eyes trailed down to the demon’s bloodied frame, worry swirling in the dark pools, “Are you hurt?”

The demon shook her head, a watery grin on her tusked mouth, “It’s not mine,” she assured, pressing her hand against Wednesday’s where it rested on her cheek, “Tyler told me you were...”

“It’s a long story,” the ravenette shushed the demon, not wanting to unnerve her further, “But I’m okay now.”

(Y/n)’s pointed ear flicked when she caught an unfamiliar sound. She lifted her face, turning her head to find the source of the noise, and her eyes widened.

A click of a gun hammer.

The demon’s lip raised threateningly, baring her blunt tusks at the woman stepping into the quad. Holding a revolver in a shaky but firm grip was Thornhill – well, that’s what she was known as to (Y/n), but now she could tell whatever had happened at the academy during her absence was, undoubtedly, her fault. The bloody gash on Wednesday's forehead, too.

“I heard you butchered Tyler, (Y/n),” the teacher raised her eyebrows, smiling in a way that made the demon want to rip her throat out, “To be expected from an animal like you... But here’s the thing – animals are always hunted. While you can defeat a monster weaker than you, you can’t go against a hunter.”

Pressing her palm into Wednesday’s shoulder, (Y/n) pulled the smaller girl behind herself, growling menacingly, slitted (e/c) eyes glistening under the angrily furrowed eyebrows.

“You know... You are the victor after all,” Thornhill shrugged, as if completely unfazed by the intimidating display of demonic wrath in front of her, “That’s how it’s done in the wild, isn’t it? You won, and for that I’ll grant you mercy... If you step away from Addams. What do you say? You’ll get to live the eternity you were always so afraid of instead of exchanging it for a life of a mere outcast girl.”

“It’ll take more than a flimsy gun to take me down, Thornhill,” the angered oni growled, huffing a small cloud of steam out of her flared nostrils, “Your pet wasn’t enough, and you won’t be, either. Leave while you still have legs to walk on.”

“(Y/n), stop it. It’s not you she wants.” Wednesday said worriedly, moving to stand beside (Y/n), but the demon raised her arm up in front of the ravenette, not letting her step away from behind her.

The red – haired woman chuckled, her grip on the gun tightening, “Oh. Well. Too bad then, (Y/n). I always told you – you keep letting your emotions get in the way of right decisions.”

A shot rang through the yard, and Wednesday gasped, but the taller girl in front of her didn’t budge. A pool of dark red seeped through the demon’s haori, and she grinned at the woman in front of her, “Nice try.”

“Don’t worry. This was just a warning shot.” Thornhill tilted her head and pulled the trigger again.

Blood trickled down the demon girl’s stomach, and a small sputter of the crimson liquid left her mouth, turning the oni’s tusked grin bloody. Thornhill’s eyes widened, and she fired another bullet at (Y/n), hitting her in the shoulder. Blood spilled and skin broke, but she remained unrelenting, standing in front of Wednesday like a guarding brick wall.

“Why won’t you just die?!”

Suddenly there came a quiet buzzing sound, and a small bee landed on the barrel of the gun in the teacher’s hand. Then, the noise came louder, and a huge swarm of fluffy insects flew into the quad, clouding around the woman, making her shout and fire at the bees with no success. Turning her head, Wednesday saw Eugene walk up to her, holding his hand out and guiding the swarm.

(Y/n) could barely hold herself up anymore – she felt her knees buckle, back slouching, as if an invisible weight was pressing her down, and the oni’s mouth started to fill up with crimson liquid, making her choke and fall to her knees. She felt small hands grasp at her middle, trying to soften her fall, and as her back landed on someone's lap, (Y/n)’s half – lidded eyes met Wednesday’s.

“(Y/n). It’s just a few gunshot wounds. Why aren’t you regenerating.” The ravenette deadpanned, trying her best to keep her voice from wavering. But the demon was silent – she opened her mouth, and no sound came as she tried to greedily catch some air into her aching lungs.

“(Y/n), are you listening? You have one job. Pull yourself together and regenerate. Stop slacking off like you always do!”

Wednesday’s hands shook as she pressed her pale palms into the wound in the demon’s chest, desperately trying to stop the never-ending flow of blood. A clawed hand laid on top of hers, and (Y/n) coughed, furrowing her brows at the awful pain.

“Think I’ve... spent all the energy. Not enough to heal.” She wheezed, squeezing her eyes closed.

“Then make it enough, (Y/n),” Wednesday demanded shakily, hand moving to hold the demon’s face, leaving a scarlet imprint on her cheek, “Don’t you dare close your eyes. Don’t fall asleep, (Y/n). You aren’t done. Please.”

“Hurts so fucking bad,” the oni complained, but opened her lids in obedience, (e/c) orbs finding the face of the smaller girl above her, “This is... my first time feeling like this. I don’t like getting shot.”

“No one likes getting shot, you idiot.”

(Y/n) chuckled, and the sound quickly got overtaken by a violent coughing fit.

“You can’t die, (Y/n). You’re a demon, you’re supposed to live for centuries, damn you!” Wednesday felt her eyes water, a sob stuck in her throat, “I-If you die, I’ll go straight to whatever circle of hell you end up in to drag you out and then kill you myself!”

“Sorry, little raven,” the demon apologized quietly, “I wouldn’t have it any other way... You know you look way better in black than me.”

A single wet drop landed on (Y/n)’s collarbone, then another on her neck. The demon’s eyes widened – the small ravenette above her was crying. Her bottom lip shook, and she closed her eyes, bringing the oni’s bloodied palm to her cheek, leaning her face against the cold limb that was always so warm before.

“You can’t leave me. You promised you won’t.”

(Y/n) grunted. There were black spots dancing in her vision, but her misty (e/c) eyes refused to give up their focus on the girl above her. The picture was blurred and hazy, and she felt like there was a heavy stone plate lying over her chest, but the distraught look on Wednesday’s face hurt more than any wound ever could.

“You should’ve seen Galpin, though,” the demon grinned, delirious from the blood loss, “I almost ripped the guy to shreds. I would’ve done the world a favor by killing him, but I didn’t for... some reason. I think I’m getting soft. Because of you,” she coughed, voice turning raspier, “It’s always been like that for me. Learning to kill. Learning to conquer. But with you I think... I found a different purpose.”

(Y/n) leaned into the touch of Wednesday's palm, soft as a pillow, the most comfortable and tranquil of all places she could ever find herself in.

“I’m so tired, ‘Nes. You think I deserve to rest now?”

[fandomfics]

So Soft, so Beautiful

Pairing: Logan Howlett x Plus size mutant fem reader, Scott Summers x Plus size mutant fem reader

Description: you don't give a single shit about the man that's obsessed with you, in fact, you have eyes for someone else, but he doesn't feel the same. Maybe you can get under someone else to get over him.

Masterlist

⚠️Warnings⚠️

Au, Jean and Scott aren't together , not proof read

Kind of stalkery behavior, light fat shaming, jealousy, angst, Fluff, smut unprotected p in v.

Smut under the 🔥

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"Why does he act so weird around you?" Ororo asks.

"I don't know, maybe he has a little crush on me?" You shrug your shoulders. "Ever since Scott and I went on that mission together he's been lingering around me more...kinda seems like he even goes out of his way to just....stand around, maybe say hi."

"Kinda creepy."

"Eh, I think he's just socially inept." You wave off her concerned look. "And anyways, the professor has taught me to hone in on my skills, I can reach into his mind and stop him from using his powers if he becomes dangerous. Though, I doubt it would come to that."

"Okay...just talk to the professor if he's getting any weirder, alright?"

"Sure thing Ro." You give her a small smile before bounding out of the kitchen and to your room.

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You sit in your classroom with your students, reading from a book of poetry.

"Annabel Lee

By Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea,

But we loved with a love that was more than love—

I and my Annabel Lee—

With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven

Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsmen came

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,

Went envying her and me—

Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,

In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee."

As you continue to read you see Scott Summers in your periphery, he leans against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest, watching you intently.

"But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we—

Of many far wiser than we—

And neither the angels in Heaven above

Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,

In her sepulchre there by the sea—

In her tomb by the sounding sea." You look up to your class, carefully avoiding Scott, "the assignment is simple, create a piece inspired by this poem. Any media you wish, sculpture, painting, mixed. I really look forward to seeing what you come up with!"

You dismiss your class and begin shuffling papers trying to look busy. You know Scott's about to walk up and talk about nothing in particular with you, something likely work related, uninteresting as usual.

"Ah, man..." He stretches and exaggerates his exhaustion. "That was a depressing poem." He sits at a desk kicking up his feet.

"How was your day?" You say making friendly conversation.

"Ya know, the usual, angsty kids, boring classes." He goes on to tell a mind numbing story about a kid that pulled a prank and how he handled it. You nod and hum through the story, feigning interest.

"Wow," you say raising an eyebrow, "that's wild."

"I know right?"

"Well, nice chatting with you Summers, I've gotta get going." You begin to make your way out of the room when he cuts in front of you in the doorway, blocking your exit.

"Before you go, I was wondering," he looks down at you with a smile, "You want to go check out this new bar with me some time?"

"Uh, yeah sure." You say noncommittally as you smile and push past him. Logan is walking through at that moment and you fall in line with him, hoping to start a conversation to keep Scott from following you.

"Hey short stack." He says with a smile.

"Hey grouch." You elbow him returning the smile as you tilt your face up to look up at him.

"Got any plans for the weekend big guy?"

"Not a damn thing," he sighs, "got kid duty."

"Me too!" You squeak excitedly. "I switched with Jean so she can spend the weekend with her new guy."

"Of course." He grumbles, clearly agitated. He's always opted to hang around her, he was friendly with you, but never got too close.

The most you got was some friendly banter, and hang outs in group settings. None of these facts stopped you from developing feelings for the gruff man, much to your dismay. He is head over heels for Jean, and you've accepted it, but it still stings, especially when he's like this.

"Well, maybe you and I can watch a movie, I'll even let you pick!" His smile comes back and it makes your heart skip a beat knowing it was because of you.

"You might regret that." He says with a laugh.

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You sit in the dark, a bowl of popcorn in your lap on the opposite side of the couch from Logan. The glow of the TV is all that illuminates the room, and you're enthralled with the images that flash across the screen. He picked a horror move that you have found particularly disturbing.

Suddenly you're startled, you jump with a small scream and some of your popcorn scatters around you. Logan chuckles from the other end of the couch and you shoot him a dirty look.

"Why did you choose this?" You ask, genuinely curious, "I'd think you would hate this kinda stuff."

"Sometimes I hope the nightmares will be about something like this instead of..." He trails off. He turns to see the look of sympathy on your face, "Eh, forget about it, Come're." He lifts the arm closest to you, inviting you to lean into him.

"What? I don't bite." he announces after seeing your face change to a look of confusion before quickly morphing to one of hesitation. "Come on, we're friends right?"

There's the sting. Friends. The desire to be bundled under his strong arm, even just this once, sounds nice. You take the invitation and scoot close to him, his arm rests around you and let out a content sigh.

You know it's gonna hurt when you think back on this knowing you can't have it again, but for now you can pretend. His warmth and the scent of musk and tobacco that invades your nostrils is comforting. You use every ounce of will power focusing your attention on the movie, faltering at every jump scare when he feels you jerk in surprise and tightens his grip momentarily to soothe you.

"Okay, well that was terrifying." You say when the credits start to roll.

"I told you that you'd regret letting me choose." He chuckles as he squeezes you again.

"Nah, I enjoyed this!" You stumble to correct yourself, "the movie!"

The lights suddenly flicker on and you're blinded momentarily. Logan immediately leaves the couch, claws extend with a snarl, as Jean enters the room. His face softens to a nervous smile and his claws retract.

"Heya Jean," his hand reaches up to rub the nape of his neck, "thought you were supposed to be gone the whole weekend."

You take this as your que to leave, the sting of rejection settles in your chest as you quickly exit the room, avoiding eye contact with both of them.

"Wait, it's not what it looks like..." You hear Logan say.

Once you've made it into the hallway, you allow tears to fall as you walk as fast as your legs will carry you to your room.

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The following day Scott finds you taking a walk around the grounds, "Hey, I was looking for you!" His greeting is strangely overenthusiastic.

"What's up Scott?"

"I'm going to that bar tonight, join me?"

You take a beat to think it over, the events of the previous night fill you with a dread you want to forget, so you accept. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

"Great, be ready by 7." He says before he begins walking back to the mansion.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You make your way to the front door, your makeup and hair done in your signature styles, wearing your favorite outfit, that one that boosts your confidence and makes you feel absolutely amazing.

Your decent on the stairs is interrupted on the landing when you see Logan coming your way. He stops just a few stairs below you, poised to say something.

"Hey Scotty!" You wave past Logan and hurry down the stairs with a smile plastered to your face, determined to show that you weren't impacted by the previous night.

"Ready to go?"

"Yup!"

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The bar is lively, the music is loud enough to drown out Scott's monotonous chatter, and the drinks are strong enough to help you lose yourself. The night blurs together in a haze of drinks and dancing until you wake up in your bed next to Scott. You don't know how much time you lost or how you got here, but you're thankful for the chance to forget Logan for a bit.

You and Scott are still fully dressed, laying on top of the comforter. You both look like disasters, and you feel like you were hit by a train. You get up and get some pain relievers and a glass of water to begin the process of your tried and true hangover routine.

Scott stirs and slowly comes to, clearly feeling the same, "Here, take these." You say as you hand him a couple pills and your glass. "Then we're gonna need some greasy food."

He grunts in agreement before taking the pills.

"Do you remember what happened last night?" You ask.

"I remember the beginning of the night..." He laughs lightly.

After a short time you and Scott start to leave, but when your door swings open you see Logan standing there, hand up, ready to knock. A look of surprise briefly crosses his face before hardening into a serious expression.

"We need you, now." He states quickly, "one of the students is on the verge of a meltdown and Jean and the professor aren't here."

You nod and follow Logan as Scott calls after you, "I'll make us breakfast!"

"About the other night-" He starts.

"Don't worry Logan, it was nothing. Just hope it didn't upset Jean." You put on your best smile. He looks a bit confused but you're unable to explore why as you've made it to the student in question.

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When you finally return to the kitchen Scott has a plate laid out for each of you.

"Yum." You say trying to hide the disappointment in your voice as you look over the egg white omelette stuffed with veggies and turkey bacon on your plate.

"My special hangover cure." He beams.

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A few weeks pass and you've spent more time with Scott. Walking the grounds, being his sparring partner, having casual sex. He's boring and the sex is mediocre, but you just need something to fill the ache in your chest.

One evening you sit with him in front of the TV watching a movie, "ya know, I used to know someone that looks just like her." He points to the woman on the screen before continuing, "ugh, I usually don't tell other people about this, but damn, she was stunning. Perfect boobs, ass. She was fit too. Worked out. Too bad she was married."

You scoff at him as you get up to leave the room.

"Can I stop by to fool around later?" He calls after you completely oblivious to his own stupidity.

Through laughter you tell him no and make your way to your room. It all makes since now. Every time he's asked you to go out with him it's for some sort of physical activity, meals he cooks for you are always the grossest healthy shit, he doesn't show physical affection when others are around but always had his hands on you when you were alone.

He's obsessed with you but ashamed of liking someone that doesn't fit conventional beauty standards. He's trying to make you fit the mold.

You're lost in thought at the absurdity of it as you crawl into bed with your favorite book.

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A knock on the door startles you awake and your book flies from your hand to the floor. You sleepily open the door to find Scott standing there with a half wilted bouquet of flowers that you had seen sitting in the kitchen the day before.

"I don't know what I did wrong but I'm sorry!" He says I'm a clear attempt to get back in your pants. From the corner of your eye you see Logan walking down the hall and immediately slam the door closed to avoid both men.

"You're done Scott." You yell through the door.

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You are overjoyed at the prospect of having the whole mansion to yourself for a few days. Everyone will be on a field trip with the kids, no one to avoid, no one to play pretend with after Scott's bullshit the night before. You are free to do what you want.

You decide to make yourself your favorite meal, you sing along to the music that plays in the background, dancing around the kitchen while you work. You whip around, spatula in hand as a microphone and sing along to part of the song especially loudly when you notice Logan smiling as he leans against the doorway. Mortified you stop, eyes wide, "How long have you been there?"

He chuckles, "Not long."

"Aren't you supposed to be with everyone else?"

"I, uh...heard what Scott said to you last night." He looks to the floor. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. If you want me to leave you alone, I will. I can go meet back up-"

"No, it's okay Lo, you're a good friend. Thank you." His expression is unreadable as you continue, "would you like to have dinner with me? There's plenty!" You say before you can regret it.

He pauses before answering, considering the option. He doesn't answer quickly enough before you blurt out, "It's okay, you don't have to if you don't want to!"

"No, sorry, no....I'd-I'd like that." You both smile gently before his eyes light up, "Just a sec, let me get something."

He leaves for a few minutes before returning with a bottle of whisky.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After eating and a couple of glasses of whiskey you and Logan are still sitting at the table talking. You're happy he's here, in your tipsy state you promise yourself to stop avoiding him, maybe even try to really be friends again, make an effort to shove your feelings down and enjoy his company without pining over him.

"He didn't deserve you..." He says as he looks you in the eye.

"No he did not. I was just trying to fill a void, take my mind off of things, ya know. The person I really wanted is not... available." You look into your glass swirling the amber liquid around, "I just needed to forget a bit. Never really cared for Scott to begin with, he was just there."

"I know the feeling." His eyes are pained when they meet yours.

"Jean would be lucky to have you. It's her loss." You say, taking a swig of your drink

His face is confused again, "Jean?"

"Yeah, I've seen how you're always around her, how you scurried away from me when she got home after that movie...how you said you could explain when I was leaving." The sting in your chest is back.

"I didn't say that to her, I was talking to you."

It was your turn to be confused now. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't stop so I assumed you didn't want to talk to me...and then you kept avoiding me. So I didn't push it."

"What were you going to explain?"

"That I was so focused on how close you were to me that I didn't hear her coming until the light came up. That's why I jumped out of the seat, I was ready to fight. I thought maybe you had felt something that night, but then you left so quickly..."Your eyes probe his as he continues, "Jean stopped me from going after you. She kept telling me that you weren't interested in hanging around me so I let it go."

"What did you want me to feel?" You keep going, hoping this is what you think it is, consequences be damned if it isn't.

"I wanted you to feel the same way I do about you. But I know you don't, it's okay."

"Do you....love me?" You ask cautiously, tears pricking your eyes, ignoring the fact that Jean erroneously spoke for you.

His eyes meet yours and he gives a small nod, "It's okay, nothing has to change. I don't expect anything from you, I-" all the emotion pent up in your body bursts through and tears stream down your face. You're happy, you're pissed, you're hurt, you can't control the tears.

"I'm sorry, I'll go." He's gone before you can blink and you try to follow after him.

"Logan, wait!" You hear him bound up the stairs towards his room. You follow as quickly as your feet will carry you and pound on his door. When he doesn't answer a sob wracks your body. You sit on the floor outside his door and try to stop crying so you can speak.

"Lo, please. I love you too." You say weakly.

The door opens slowly and you look up at him, you didn't expect to see him crying too. He kneels down on the floor next to you and searches your eyes.

"I love you." You whisper. He sweeps you up in his arms and carries you into his room, laying you on the bed and climbing in with you.

He pulls you tight to his chest and presses his forehead to yours as he wipes away a tear, "I have loved you for so long. Since the first time I laid eyes on you I was hooked."

You tilt your face up, lips barely brushing his before fully pushing forward. You smile into the kiss and feel your heart flutter. One of his hands comes up to your neck and he deepens the kiss. It's tender, but hungry.

"Why would Jean tell you I wasn't interested in you?" You say after finally pulling away.

Realization comes over both your faces, "she's in love with you too."

"Well, I only have eyes for you." He smiles down at you. Blush rises in your cheeks and you bury your face in his chest, inhaling his scent deeply.

"Can we just...stay like this for a while"

"Whatever you want darlin'." He kisses the top of your head, "you want something more comfortable to wear? I could get you something from your room...or you could have one of my shirts." He offers.

"I'd like one of your shirts, please." You say shyly. His face breaks into a wide grin.

He retrieves a flannel for you, "you should get more comfortable too." You smile sweetly.

He turns away and changes into a pair of sweats and removes his shirt, respectfully keeping his eyes turned away as you remove everything but your boy shorts and slip the flannel on. It's baggy, the sleeves hang just past your fingertips, and the hem at the mid thigh.

You turn to see he's still facing away and immediately move to him. He hears you coming towards him and turns his head a bit. You wrap your arms around his waist and squeeze him tightly as you rest your face against his back, breathing him in.

He turns in your arms and looks over you in his shirt. "Perfect."

You take his hands and lead him back to the bed, urging him to climb in with you before snuggling back into his chest. As he holds you his fingers gently trace over your plush curves in admiration. You lay in each other's arms until you fall asleep, happy.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Soft beams of light filter through the blinds, the sound of Logan's deep breaths and the rise and fall of his chest at your back reminds you that last night's events weren't just a dream. He stirs behind you with a happy hum, you feel the rumble in his chest as he squeezes you.

"Mornin'."

"Morning Lo."

"I don't remember the last time I slept that well. Guess I'm just gonna need to hold you every night." He burries his head in the crook of your neck with a kiss and you giggle.

"What should we do today?

"This."

🔥

"I see have a better idea." You say turning to him, you tilt your head up to plant a soft kiss on his lips. His breath hitches and you deepen the kiss. Your hands weave into his hair and you pull in closer, swollowing the moan he lets out. His hand moves down from your waist to your thick thigh, hoisting it up on his hip and palming it just below your ass.

You push forward, flipping him on his back and straddling him. You kiss along his jaw, down his neck, you feel the rumble of a gutteral moan in his throat when your lips hit his pulse point and your hips involuntarily grind against his hard cock.

"Fuck, sweetheart." His hands rove your body, from your thighs, your ass, your soft tummy, "you're so soft, so beautiful." He sits up and crosses his legs beneath you and guides your legs to cross behind his back. Your full weight rests in his lap and you feel supported in a way you never have before.

"Every time I heard you with Scott I wanted to break down the door and show you how you should be treated..."

"I should have guessed you'd hear..." You pause to look in his eyes, "Were you jealous?"

"So god damn jealous." He growls. "You deserve to be worshipped. Respected. Heard. Seen as the perfect woman you are." He punctuates every point with a kiss across your neck and collar bones.

When he's finished you press a searing kiss to his lips, funneling in every ounce of your being.

He flips you onto your back and breaks from the kiss when you both need air. "Let me take care of you." His gravelly whisper caresses the shell of your ear.

"Yes, please." Your reply is breathy, full of need.

He unwraps your legs from him and begins to kiss down your body. He pauses at the top button of the flannel and looks up to you, "Can I take this off?"

"Yes."

He unbuttons the shirt at an agonizing pace, after each is released he kisses the newly exposed skin as his free hand kneads the plushness of your love handes.

When the last button is undone he opens the shirt completely to reveal your breasts and tummy, looking at you as though you are the most beautiful and fascinating thing he's ever seen.

His hands drag along your skin up to your breasts, he takes a nipple into his mouth and teases it with his teeth and tongue as the other is pinched between his thick fingers.

You arch your back, pressing them further into him with a small moan, "that feels so good Lo."

He hums happily at your approval and brings his free hand down to rest on your inner thigh.

"Please, touch me." You gasp.

"You're gonna have to use your words sweetheart. Tell me exactly what you want."

"I want your fingers....your tongue...your cock..."you squirm under him as he continues his worship of your breasts."burried in me Lo. I need you."

His hand moves up and the pads of his fingers find your clit over your underwear and you buck your hips up to get more friction. His touch is feather light over your clit, your body twitches in anticipation, another whine escaping your lips.

He sits up on his knees between your legs and grabs the hem of your underwear, yanking them off in one go. He lays flat and pulls one leg over his shoulder with his arm threaded under your knee and hand on your stomach and spreads the other one open, keeping his hand on your inner thigh.

He wastes no time devouring you, his tongue explores every inch of your folds until he settles on your clit, alternating between sucking, nibbling, and flicking it as his hands knead your soft flesh. The hand on your thigh finally starts moving towards your opening, slowly he inserts a finger and crooks it as he starts to pump it in and out of you, dragging the pad of his finger along your sweet spot.

"More, please." You beg.

He adds a second finger and you run your fingers through his hair before taking fistfuls and tugged his head further into you with a roll of your hips. He moans loudly, sending a wave of pleasure vibrating through your clit.

"I'm so close..." You gasp with another tug of his hair.

He dutifully continues working you until you scream out in ecstasy as your orgasm tears through your body. He skillfully draws it out until it's run it's course and your left panting above him.

He works his way back up your body until he's face to face with you again. His hand cups your face and he lands a loving kiss to your lips. You reach between you and grab his member and he moans into the kiss as you guide him to your entrance.

He languidly rolls his hips as he seats himself inside you fully, taking his time, making sure you're comfortable. He pauses when he's fully inside you and looks into your eyes deeply.

"I love you." His eyes are full of reverence, adoration, need.

"I love you too Logan."

He begins moving again, slow purposeful thrusts, his eyes still glued to yours. The intimacy of the moment is intoxicating. He reaches one hand between you and circles your clit, heightening every sensation.

"You feel so good Lo." You manage to gasp out as he brings you closer and closer to to your peak.

He sits up on his feet and continues drilling into you as his fingers circle your clit. The new angle hits your sweet spot just right and you cry out in surprised pleasure.

"Almost there, I want you to cum with me..." You whisper as you arch your back.

"Where?" He says breathlessly.

"Inside me, please....I want to feel you." Soon you feel the rush of your orgasm wash over you, pulsing and contracting around him, pulling his own release from him. He continues working you until you're both spent, when he stills he falls to your side and pulls you into a blissful kiss. Everything feels right.

[mayasaura]

There's a stanza from Annabel Lee that's been tickling my brainstem for a while, and it feels even more relevant now that we know how John and Alecto are bound together, and that their love was and still is mutual:

But our love it was stronger by far than the love    Of those who were older than we—    Of many far wiser than we— And neither the angels in Heaven above    Nor the demons down under the sea Can ever dissever my soul from the soul    Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

That's the heart of it, isn't it? The source of all of John's power, the reason he's God, it's because his soul is connected to his Annabel Lee's. To end all of this, they'll need to be dissevered.

I'd say that the angels have already tried and failed, and the demons look like they're winding up to take a shot. Odds are that'll go about as well for them as it did for Augustine and Mercy. But there's someone the poem doesn't ask. It doesn't account for Annabel.

I think that may be why it matters so much that that Alecto still loves John, and where the true horror of love comes in. If Alecto's soul is going to be seperated from John's, Alecto has to want it. No one else can do it for her. Annabel Lee has to become the subject, and not the object.

[ceyflap]

Annabel Lee

How beautifully Poe told his love. And also his loss.

Poor Annabel Lee, got cold and sick and then she died. She was buried somewhere by the sea. Poe went her side, her grave everyday.. he spent nights there, he spent days there.. such a love!

Poe makes another point about his love, they were so in love with each other that even the angels in the heaven was jealous of them.. it's a love of inconceivable magnitude. And that's why, God were jealous of this love and separated them.

It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of ANNABEL LEE; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea; But we loved with a love that was more than love- I and my Annabel Lee; With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsman came And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulchre In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven, Went envying her and me- Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we- Of many far wiser than we- And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea.

[apoemaday]

Annabel Lee

by Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me. I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea, But we loved with a love that was more than love— I and my Annabel Lee— With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven Coveted her and me. And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsmen came And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulchre In this kingdom by the sea. The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, Went envying her and me— Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we— Of many far wiser than we— And neither the angels in Heaven above Nor the demons down under the sea Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride, In her sepulchre there by the sea— In her tomb by the sounding sea.

[this-fine-day]

"And neither the angels in Heaven above

Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

 Of the beautiful Annabel Lee"

[orphicrose]

The Co-Host (Alastor x FemReader) X

<

Summary: You are Alastors Co host in life, perhaps more. But are separated by a sudden death. When you are finally reunited in the under world, it is up to Alastor to figure out why you don’t remember him.

Warnings ! ! Mentions of Death and Bl00D

W/C: 2.3K

Note : Thank you so so so much to everyone who has enjoyed this story. This is the last chapter to this book BUT I can make another book if anyone is interested. I really do appreciate the love this has gotten. As when it started I thought no one would open it and now i have so many readers.

@cannibalcoyote @kahlan170 @sugxryratz @multifandom-superlover @t0xic1vi @saccharine-nectarine

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Rage filled his body, replacing his lust. Surging through his veins like some sort of adrenaline booster. "Satan...."

A cane appeared in his fingertips, gripping to tight they turned white. Circulation scared to temper with the angered wendigo. Shadows tailed behind his hooves like an army of deviancy. Nothing more to lose but his second life, but that was meaningless anyway without y/n. His minions disperse from him like pathogens looking for a host, flying through the walls and dimly lit areas of hell, looking for their target. Satan. 

Alastor rampaged through hell, his demonic form replacing any evidence of someone who was a human once upon a time. Radio dials replacing his pupils, and black tar like legs emerging from his torso like something from the deep sea. Face like a crazed killer relapsing, reminding him of who he was supposed to be. Lilith hadn't given him this great power for no reason, and he was going to use it. 

On the other side of hell, Y/n lay battered on a warehouse floor. Abandoned by its former workers, bought by Satan to be turned into another means of business without a doubt. 

"There were no distractions" She spluttered on the floor, arms bringing her away from the dirt. "My numbers are up, I don't understand..."

"Not even your sins can be of deterrence to that fool." The man mumbled, trailing around her like a coyote. "I should of killed him when I had the opportunity"

Y/n sat still, doe eyes following his movements with any anticipation to flee for her life. "I never asked for any of this"

"No one asks for anything!" He bites back, stopping in his step to lean towards the cowering demon at his feet. "I gave you a job to do, and you failed. I gave you opportunities to be a great overlord, a wealthy power to be reckoned with. And what do you do with it?"

She remained quiet, face falling to avoid his gaze. 

"What do you do with it?" He repeats. Voice quieter, more sinister. "You don't even use it" The quiet whisper turns to a dark chuckle. Repeating the sentence over and over. "You don't even use it". He can't even comprehend how anyone wouldn't want the power, how anyone would fail to use it. 

"What could one want more than raw magic?"

"Normality" Y/n mumbled. Feeling the blood running from her heart to her fingers, a sensation she missed from her previous life. "What do you need a million souls for? " Her tone became accusing, bolder. Climbing to her feet and balancing her stance to oppose the large man in front of her. She couldn't lose more than her life in this moment, she thought. "There is a limit for power, even for a sin as important as you. So, why so many?"

He bared his teeth, psychotic grin turning upside down to a menacing frown. Words nor forming audible, except for the growl vibrating the glare from his fangs. 

"Why do you need the souls?" Her voice raised, coming closer. Too close. One move and he could bite her head from her shoulders like a rabid bear. 

"Power?"

"I must bring her back!" A vociferous outcry escaped him. A new level of hostility replacing his aura, a hand reaching out and grasping her neck. Restricting any air from escaping his prey. "They took her from me" Guttural sounds gave her goosebumps, watching the tormented memories in his eyes crying, driving him to the brink of insanity as the seconds passed. His anguish pouring out in a storm of shattered words and furious tears. 

Y/n clawed at the broken flesh of his fists in desperation, her fear doing the work for her as her body flailed about under his undeniable grasp. Air struggling to escape her muffled ranting for help. Her vision began to fade to the darkness of her eyelids, bloodshot at they roll away from the world. Her fighting against his merciless force taking her life from her. 

"You are replaceable, everyone is. That's what they told me. That's what they said when they took her" His fist grew tighter with ever slow word to fall from him. "They took her, so I'll take you"

Something flew through the air, something sharp. Hitting him in the hand, resulting in another nasty outburst of roars and splattered words from the sin. 

"So, this is why you are the Sin of wraith. Not very composed, I see. How fitting" Static rung in the air as y/n took in as much oxygen the world around her could offer. Clutching her throat in agony. 

The same static got louder and louder from the life outside the building, till it stopped abruptly. The sense of inevitable danger weighed on satans shoulders, looking around in a panicked state for the source. 

"A lot more paranoid than I suspected.." A hand landed on his shoulder, and sunk its claws into him. The large figure swung round, landing an elbow in Alastor's face. Stunning him. 

Satan took a long second to compose himself of the almighty being in front of him, almost too big for the large ceilings. "Impressive" he put a hand over his shoulder, a flicker of light hitting him before the wound was swiftly removed. "But not that impressive".

The sin tripled in size in just a minute. Legs stretching out, and new ones forming from his torso. Face warping into another species, one that Alastor feared the most. A hellhound, Hades himself would be scared. The absence of skin, replaced by hard bone, gave Alastor a feeling of doubt. Yet, his will to win never making a mark on the sinister grin sprawled across his jaw.  

Strong brick and infrastructure of the warehouse began to crumble. Falling around y/n like heavy snow. She had little time to comprehend what was happening as she was pulled out from underneath a falling brick. She sat, confused, on a patch of grass on the outskirts of a forest. A familiar shadow floating next to her on the floor, giving her a sad smile. Gesturing for her to remain in her place, before flying back to his owner. 

Green and Purple hues floated atop the skyline, rocks flying for miles around her as the two beasts began their decent on one another. Primal echoes of their agony sent a wave of anxiety into confused citizens. Scared to see what the commotion was about. A symphony of raw power emitting from the two, clashing and crumbling buildings around their feet. 

Y/n swallowed her fear, and struggled to her feet. It was true, she had power unlike any other overlord. Gifted to her from a sin himself, maybe she wasn't the most powerful being in the universe. But anything could help Alastor win this battle. She took a deep breath, and let it out. Letting her form sink into the ground with a purple mist following her to her destination. Materializing a few meters away from no-mans-land.

Alastor nor Satan took any interest in her presence. Till the ground shook under their feet, and Violet radiance blinded them. Almost like a storm was brewing from the core of the Earth. Years of pent up aggression and frustration came out in a loud bellow, her form warping into what could only be described as a Phoenix. Her large, dragon like body emerged from the human flesh on her back, ripping and burning it to ashes. Fur mixed with dark scales on her winged being, reminding everyone she was still a being from hell. A large beak let out a god awful screech, gaining the attention from everyone in the pentagram, and deafening those too close. Her feathers Ebony and Royal purple, resembling flames the colour of a dawning sky. Ash settled at the talons that broke the concrete below her weight, ash from her former body. 

Everything froze, to admire the beautiful beast in their presence. Mistaken for a corrupt god. Satan would have been proud, if the circumstances were different. He fell backwards a few inches, his form seemingly shrinking. Barely noticeable. 

"Y/n?" Alastor's figure remained the same, but the look in his eyes returned as he looked over to the large beast next to him. A mix of adoration and fear overcoming him. Y/n dared to move her gaze to him, then back to the offender. Remaining silent like a titan. 

Her stance shifted, a foot coming forward with great force in an instant. Letting out another unnerving scream. 

"What in my fathers name is going on here?"

Everyone looked over to y/n. Who did her best attempt at a shrug with her bird shoulders. Eyes widened as she, too, looked around for the source of the voice. The three of them turned to see a small man, hanging in the air with his large wings. Anger painted on his scowl, and arms crossed like a disappointed father. 

"Down!" He shouted, like they were animals, as he pointed towards the floor. The three of the beats shares a confused and almost embarrassed look, as they hesitantly retook their position as an average hell being. Shrinking simultaneously to their previous sizes. 

"Lucifer! How good to see you aga-"

The small man landed in front of Satan, taking no second to strike him across the face. "What do you think you are doing in pride? Destroying my buildings? Scaring my sinners?"

The large man looked down on him with a saddened look, holding the red mark on his face. "I had business to tend to"

Lucifer let out a frustrated laugh as he gestured to the damage around them. "Ya call this business?" He laughed again, stuttering, and holding his temple firmly "I don't even know what to say. Go home!" He flashed him with his horns for a brief second before letting himself calm down. "We will be discussing this later... But a few of your souls are going to be conviscated!"

Y/n stood awkwardly next to Al, holding an arm with the other. The king of hell turned to the two after Wraith had disappeared from his sight like a toddler with a tantrum. "And you two..." His arms crossed again, looking them up and down. Leaning uncomfortably close to them. "I expect more from overlords of my ring."

"I apologies... You're majesty" Y/n inched closer to Alastor for comfort, who remained silent. Staring at the short man in his gaze. 

The king shook his head, mumbling to himself. "This just won't do" 

"Do you mind... getting my soul back?" 

He returned her question with a very unimpressed stare.

"For Lucifers sake... Alastor!" Y/n's voice echoed through the house like a siren in the deer's ears. 

"Yes, Mon Cheri?" He appeared behind her in the kitchen, startling her. He spun and wacked him lightly in the chest in retaliation. "What's wrong?" "You ate the last of the snacks? I was saving them for our movie night" Y/n pouted, holding up an empty box of wafers. 

"I did no such thing. I don't even enjoy those bland creations" He pretended to take offence, holding his heart.

"Well, who else would have eaten them?"

He grinned wider, staring at her with little to no expression before grabbing her arm. "We are going to be late for our broadcast, dear. Lets solve this mystery later" He began to drag her behind him. 

"I think it's already solved" She mumbled, keeping up with his pace.

After the long journey they had suffered together, the two decided to bring a sense of normality to their life's. Staring a new Broadcasting service for all the rings of hell to enjoy. Y/n and co-host. Her name going from the overlord of souls, to the overlord of media. For now, at least. . They did broadcasts 6 days of the week, updating hell on gossip or general news. Even being introduced to sinners who listened to their broadcasts in life. Growing their names, all over again. 

If you want to know what happened to Satan, Lucifer had him put in mandatory therapy for his anger issues. And for his problems surrounding grieving. But y/n's soul was returned to her by the king himself. Well... not so much returned as it was re-located to lucifers possession. Giving a soul back is a lot harder than it sounds. But the point it, it is in a safer place. Satan's Business has been put on hold, for now. Losing over 70% of his workers to lucifer, due to mental instability. Maybe he will rise to power again one day, but at least y/n no longer has to worry about it. 

"Good morning you foul sinners, and today me, and my wonderful co-host Alastor, are bringing you todays news!" 

"Thank you Y/n! Yes, today is already a day not to forget. Turf wars making their way through the east side of the pentagram with someone known as Sir Pentious!" Alastor chuckled "He doesn't seem to be doing so well!" 

The two laughed together. The static from the radio emitting from the small device in a kitchen. Electronic fingers reach out to turn the dial, turning the volume up as the chatter continued. A large figure was perched, listening intently to the noise. A bored expression on his face. "you too, won't be doing so well soon" The boredom shifted to an amused grin. Baring his electronic teeth on his flat face. Static emitting from his body like a circuit.  Vox gave a knowing look towards his small radio.