#Reminded me i need to do stuff with a half-baked oc but like i lost the doc | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

walpurga-nacht-academy · 4 years

Note

🍊For the dorm leaders?

Thank you for the ask! ❤️ ❤️

🍊 What is your OC’s favourite meal? Snack? Dessert? Drink? Any reasons behind this besides liking how it tastes?

Marcia: Our favorite food, huh?

Rosalia: Hehe! Hehehehe!

Blanche:... What’s gotten into you now?

Rosalia: What a great opportunity to once and forever dispel any rumors surrounding my taste!

Blanche: Nobody was wondering about that-

Rosalia: You know! They always said that just because Cherry was always seen eating candy on the show, I must certainly like it as well. After all nobody could fake such a happy and satisfied expression when forced to eat something they dislike.

Marcia: Ah, now that you mention it, I remember Cherry always asking Uncle Apricot for candy when he visited.

Blanche: As I said before, nobody-

Rosalia: Exactly! And because filming would sometimes take a long time, I had to keep eating them even twelve times a day!

Marcia: Woah! That’s a lot of sugar. My old man would definitely scold me if I went overboard like that.

Rosalia: It was part of the role so I had to deal with it. But the worst part was when fans would send me bags of candy along with fanmail and I had to finish them before the next batch arrived. Even though I kept asking them many times not to send it anymore...

Blanche:... Rosalia.

Rosalia: Hm?

Blanche: This is something I noticed before, but... you’re the kind that’s stupidly honest, aren’t you?

Rosalia: HUH?! What’s that supposed to mean?! Are you picking a fight with me?!

Marcia: Now, now, don’t get all worked up! Let’s all get along!

Rosalia: Why are you including me in this, I didn’t-

June: Ugh!

Rosalia, Blanche and Marcia: ... S-Sorry, senpai.

June: ...

Blanche and Rosalia: ...

Marcia: A-Anyway... It’s kinda surprising you dislike candy, Rosa. Your acting skills are really something else if you managed to fake enjoying eating something you hate for so long! So what’s your actual favorite food?

Rosalia: Hehe! Well, this might surprise you but my tastes are more grown-up than people give me credit! My absolute favorite food is the legendary-taboo-for-all-children-super-adult rum cake! Cool, right?!

Blanche: ...

June: ...

Marcia: ... Y-Yeah, I guess...

Rosalia: ... Then why aren’t your expressions more appreciative of me?!

June: Ain’t anythin’ grown-up about that.

Rosalia: Huh?!

Blanche: Himalia-senpai is right. Rum cake, despite the name, isn’t inherently alcoholic since most it is cooked off.

Rosalia: B-But you can get drunk off it...

Blanche: Only if you consume it in large quantities. Otherwise it’s just a more flavourful dessert.

Rosalia:...

Marcia: Don’t mind. Don’t mind.

Rosalia: Don’t pat my back now! It just comes across as condescending.

Blanche: Seriously, that’s why kids like you...

Rosalia: HUH?! Then what about you? Let’s see what so grown-up about your tastes! So, tell us, what’s your favorite food?!

Blanche: Bitter chocolate.

Rosalia:...

Ugh! Why do I feel like I lost?!

Blanche: It wasn’t even a contest in the first place.

Marcia: Hahaha, it totally suits you though Blanche!

Blanche: Does it? Truth to be told, it’s the only strong flavour that I like, but I wasn’t allowed to have much of it growing up.

Marcia: Mm. I get it. Then I’ll be sure to gift you some during your birthday!

Blanche: ... I wouldn’t want to impose, but I appreciate the thought.

Rosalia: Hmp! Moving on~ How about you Marcia? I totally expect you to pick something nutritional and healthy.

Marcia: Haha, you’re not wrong! I’m crazy about sweet potatoes. Boiled, mashed, cooked in the oven - as long as it’s not fried, I’m good with any kind!

Rosalia: I knew it~

Marcia: Mm! But to tell you the truth, it has little to do with the nutritional value. I really like them because they bring back memories of me and the old man roasting some during autumn. It was a lot of fun even though it was mostly him doing the work. I hope that when he gets better we’ll be able to do it again together, all four of us.

Rosalia: That’s way too sad!

Marcia: Eh?

Rosalia: Aaah! Here I was complaining about people sending me candy when I didn’t even think about the feelings behind it! That was super childish!

Blanche: Indeed.

Rosalia: Ahh! Can’t you keep quiet?!

June: ... That could go for ya’ll. Makin’ a ruckus ev’ry single time... CAN’T YA THINK OF OTHERS ONCE IN A WHILE, HUH?! DAMN IT!

Rosalia, Blanche and Marcia: Crap! We got Himalia-senpai angry!

June: First of all, food is food! Dontcha complain when yer table is full of all sorts of stuff! Ain’t matter if ya’ll like it or not! People worked hard to put it on yer table! So just shut up and eat it!

Rosalia, Blanche and Marcia: U-Understood, ma’am.

June: Huh?! What was that?! Say it louder!

Rosalia, Blanche and Marcia: Understood, ma’am!

June: That’s right! Now scram and make sure to do ya’ll work! Or ya’ll be in trouble when I come checkin’ in. GOT IT?

Rosalia, Blanche and Marcia: YES, MA’AM!

How did it turn out like this?!

Extra: June’s favorite food is apple pie because it’s an easy dessert to make and quite filling. Though whenever she makes it at home she often has to fend off her nieces and nephews if she wants to have a slice for herself.

Diana: Meat.

Agatha: Hehe... land animals... really are simple...

Vita: Now, Agatha. I would say that Diana’s straightforwardness is to be expected by now.

Cassandra: Yes. It is just like Miss Arrow to be so honest.

Diana: ... It’s my true answer. In the savana besides swiftness, you also need strength. Meat helps build up muscle mass and is full of vitamins such as B12, B3, B6. It also contains carnosine which has anti-glycosylation-

Agatha: Ugh... so much... noise...

Diana: ...

Cassandra: A-Amazing! I have never heard Miss Arrow speak at such length. She truly does get passionate about her favorite topics.

Diana:...

Vita: Hm? Have you perhaps been overtaken by shyness, lioness? How charming.

Diana: ...

Cassandra.

Cassandra: Eh?

Diana: ...

I heard fairies like sugar.

Cassandra: E-Eh? Well, that’s more of a stereotype I would say than actual fact, but... um, I’m only half so maybe it’s true after all...

Diana: ...

Cassandra: Sorry... I’m not really sure of fairies’ true nature... um...

Vita: ‘Tis alright. The lioness was merely curious.

Diana: Mm.

Cassandra: Haha, I see. Sorry for making assumptions.

Um, to tell the truth, I’m actually quite fond of Mazarin myself.

Vita: Hm? Ah, I remember. It is a sort of almond tart, is it not?

Cassandra: Yes! It is quite tasty and easy to bake too!

My grandmother taught me how to make it when I was a child. It’s our special treat for when we wanted to make each other smile. Even now when I smell the aroma I am reminded of those afternoons spent in the kitchen together.

Agatha: ... annoying...

Cassandra: Sorry, that must have been really boring to hear. Um, what about you, Miss Voisin?

Agatha: ...

Cassandra: ...

Agatha: .................................................

Cassandra: ... Um....

Agatha: ............................................

Big Sis.

Vita: My, it seems my dear little Agatha doesn’t want to give a response. She gets uncharacteristically shy when other’s gaze is turned upon her. Oh well, then I shall take over.

I myself am quite partial to pomegranates. They have quite a peculiar taste that I haven’t really noticed in any other food. ‘Tis truly a marvelous experience.

Diana: They’re too sour.

Cassandra: I’m not especially fond of them myself, um...

Vita: A shame, alas.

My mother and sisters are of the same mind. They seem to find it abhorrent. ‘Tis only Grandfather who shares my opinion. Though, I do suspect ‘tis because it ease the pain in his joints. So as you can see, ‘tis a most versatile fruit.

Agatha: Pomegranates... are tasty...

Vita: Oh? How refreshing. I commend your good taste.

Agatha: ... Hehe.

Vita: My, how cute! It really suits you when you smile like that, Agatha, dear!

Diana and Cassandra: ...

Diana: Even though she says that-

Cassandra: -Isn’t it usual for Miss Voisin to smile, anyway?

Extra: Agatha’s favorite food is shrimp, but because it’s the usual prey for her fish species she doesn’t like to mention it. She can eat them raw and without cracking them open given her metabolism, but so far only Vita has seen her eating habits.

For Drinks: Rosa, Diana, Agatha and Marcia stick to water (sometimes with a wedge of lemon), June likes lemonade, Blanche and Cassandra like tea, while Vita prefers coffee and energy drinks.

Diana is the only one who snacks a lot, because she burns off the calories very easily and thus is always hungry. The others prefer either healthy options (Blanche, Rosa, Marcia) or sweet stuff (Cassandra) or something spicy or unusual (June, Agatha, Vita).

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland fanschool #rosalia morgainne #blanche dion #marcia pyroeis #june himalia #diana arrow #cassandra delphinne #agatha voisin #vita dies #rosenhex #grimmaire #kriegskald #galdtrea #monarchia #oraluna #eliksia #noctasis #ask

14 notes · View notes

mamushroomoracorn · 4 years

Text

Heista (Dorm)

(This is my fan dorm of my old oc Luna this is for the challenge, I spend a long time on this, Please click for better, quality/Keep reading for the dorm leaders, Rooms, Information | I worked very hard on this Days , Please Reblog) This dorm is based on the stealth of Luna In order to become the dorm leader of Heista you must last longest in a massive game of hide and seek, In order to become vice you must catch the most people This dorm is based off of stealth skills, Parkor and staying hiddin

Meet Zersiro, Iri, and then Lavender, Zersiro is the vice dorm leader, Age 17, Year 2, Nick names, The trickster, Card Man,weeb and Tower Iri is a Year 1 student. is at the age 17, Nick names,Sweet tooth, bubble gum addict Lavender, Age 18, Year 3, Nick Names, Grape, Leader

Being the son of divorce parents, he already believes he was at fault as a kid he was shy and timid he is still is. Only having one close friend. He lived with his father when he was little. Lavender adored his father, often playing games like in the dark hide and seek, parkor and climbin Even though he was shy Lavender was very active. Later in his life, his father found someone else to love Lavender didn’t mind but very happy for his dad. He loved to look at his father book and art , and knows he needed someone because of the dark topic and often paintings of women The women was a recovering alcoholic, it started out nice for 1 year, but slowly she lost her grip His step-mother was a aggressive drunk who often, was emotional,Verbally, and sometimes physical abusive Used to hide for fun, hide in fear. Avoiding his house by staying at his friend house, adding a lock to his room. finding areas so the lady can’t reach or know about He practice magic when she is gone, and work hard to be far away from her wrath He was happy to be accepted into NCR far away from his home town - Favorite color is red , reminds him of his father - Hates hide and seek but gets a nostalgia for it - He doesn’t like getting touch or yelled at - Have a leaky eye from being hit in the eye - Have a fear of women - Avoids Leona and savanaclaw students - Atheist but will not judge other or say in other regions - Bad at uno

Zesiro grown up poor, he learned how to scam, gamble, and sell over the years. This boy is very sly and cunning. He made friends with lavender as a kid After askng tricking Lavender to play uno, still have a win ratio of 250 - 0 Zersiro have run under ground casino to get AP test answers, Money, and items He would scam , play, act and sometimes cheat. When he grew older he learned to make sells to go on field trips butt not smart in spending his money or investing he ask his mom who is a shop keeper Later in life he watched a lot of anime, ninja videos and japanese movies and videos. Zersiro joined rock climbing club, then later the ninja club/summer camp after selling girl scout cookies for money to afford He doesn’t want to become japanese, but love the entertainment - Doesn’t like shoes and socks - hoarder but clean - Very envious , Jealous of other people stuff he will ask to hold it/ look at it to have a taste of what you have - Is a weeb, - Listens mainly to Jrock and Kpop/rap, Groups/people he listens to, is DEAN, Jay park, LOONA, Miso - have similar grounds with ruggie and rook

Iri was raised by his older sister when his parents went to jail/rehab when they have been caught processing drugs and was high Iri worked at age 14, often after school he would buy sweets, cakes, candies He lives off sugar, “It calms me” He doesn’t really like talking, he does it rarely Loves to do parkour it makes him feel big and tall Teased often for his height, he grown to hate it a little, He works at monstro lounge, as cook He had many experiences cooking because of his older sister long work hours Helps with the money inside the dorm - Loves cooking/baking sweets - Iri is listener and don’t talk often - He likes to do stuff himself and hates others when they try to help him - Iri have once kick down a kid for giving him a yard stick - Learned sign language who lacked in hearing - Listen to vocaloid related music - Have a pet goldfish name orange chicken

This is dorm layout, It is underground, and travels through sides and lifts and one elevator It have three public restrooms(all rooms have bathrooms) 2 areas are, 3+ rooms, biggest area and closer to the enterance since having the most people. Many first years and half of the second years live here 3 areas, are 2 people rooms, the other half of the second years live there, They can travel up to top dorm in order to go on the elevator 1, 1 singular person room, is on the bottom and the biggest one is there, normally they are the size of the regular but, The dorm leader/vice is the 1st and 2nd biggest Jungle gym is one of the most popular area having outsiders paying to get in to often explore, hang out, have fun in this area, the room is really tall and have many areas to clime and zipline,Use gliders, fly or just rest The hangout is where you can relax and sit down and read often used by parents, guardians, can be used by students Also allow pets and many games of hide and seek in the dark is played often in this dorm, other dorms can join and request a challenge for a free week at the jungle gym

Enterance

Elevator 1

Rooms hallway

Hang out

Jungle Gym

Uniforms look like this, you can choose which style of poncho you want, but you always have to have a orangy-red bandana or a pale yellow, and poncho on with something underneath, colors can be alternated with theses only patterns only if you are heads you can change the poncho pattern, but you can chang the circle into square if you want. Luna often wore ponchos so in honor we will @dreamerwicked-sweet for the fun challenge it was fun to do)

#twisted wonderland #fan dorm #heista #twstdormcreations

18 notes · View notes

angelbabylu · 5 years

Text

Man or Beast // LH

pairing: witch!oc x vampire!luke

word count: 7.5k

warnings: smut, fluff, magical stuff, angst if you squint

notes: so last week i posted something wicked, an introduction to this universe where 5sos are vampires. as stated in my note for that fic, the idea comes from this book series. whereas that fic dealt with a lot of witch lore, this will deal with vampire lore. basically digging into luke’s family and backstory and such. this has the barest of allusions to dracula. i hope you enjoy!

title: from this dracula quote: “[S]omething dark stood behind the seat where the white figure shone and bent over it. What it was, whether man or beast, I could not tell.”

Part 1: Something Wicked

The first year in front of her had turned bright red in embarrassment. They were in the greenhouse discussing the life cycle of plants and how magic could be used to speed up that process. Margo, the TA for this freshman herbology class, had grown quite used to her students being intimidated by her. Especially those like the young witch in front of her who’s magic had gone haywire and caused several plants in the vicinity to die. The good news was that Margo was somewhat of a prodigy when it came to herbology. It was one of the few things she could do without incantations.

She ran her hands over the flowering plants as she spoke to the girl. “Like with all magic, it is about manipulating something on a molecular level. With raw power, all you have to do is send your magic into the universe and manipulate it to do your bidding. Like creating water.” Margo whispered a quick spell that had an orb of water forming between her fingertips. She tossed it into the air, and it disappeared into steam.

“Or,” Margo continued, “telekinesis.” After a wink from Margo, the large, round, wire-rimmed glasses that the first year wore wiggled up and down on her face.

“The water and your glasses are both inanimate objects, so I only had to worry about manipulating them to my own will. With plants, you can’t just shove energy at it and hope for the best as they have a will of their own. Listen to the plant and learn what it wants. If you just try to bend it to your will, it will resist, which could lead to. . . ” Margo trailed off.

The young witch had already experienced the consequences of such actions. “This takes a level of practiced magical manipulation.” As if in a show of agreement, the plants began to come back alive around her, sprouting flowers as red as the witch’s face had turned earlier.

Margo was so engulfed in trying to teach her young student how to control horticultural magic, she didn’t notice the slight prickling in her thumb.

She missed the whispering and giggling too. It was not until the young witch interrupted her with a small, yet constrained smile and said, shyly, “Miss Crowley, I think your boyfriend is here,” that she looked up and out towards the doorway. Sure enough, leaning against the door frame to the greenhouse was Luke, arms crossed, a smile on his face.

Margo pursed her lips in mild annoyance, hands coming to rest on her hips. Luke knew that when he showed up to her lectures, it distracted the class. Most vampires didn’t hang out with the Horticultural Magic students–they tended to prefer biological sciences, history, literature, and other such pursuits. And, vampires were also the least prevalent of the magical beings. Chances were many of the first years had never seen a vampire before meeting Luke.

Some of the bolder witches had already made their way over to him, taking his attention away from Margo.

“I suppose class is over?” asked the young witch Margo had been helping. She looked at her students whose focus was no longer on the plants in front of them, but on the tall, looming vampire in the doorway.

“I suppose,” Margo said solemnly.

She went to the front of the greenhouse and called out for attention. “Class dismissed. Please remember that I expect all of you to be able to draw the life cycle of an angiosperm by next Tuesday! There will be a quiz.”

As always, there was a collective groan throughout the room. Margo ignored it as she went to about packing her things. Luke stayed at the door for a couple of seconds saying goodbye to the few students that were friendly with him before walking over to her. When she had rammed all that could fit in the small laptop bag, she slung it over her shoulder, picking up the spellbook and the biology textbook she couldn’t quite fit.

Reaching out, Luke stole the books and a kiss. “Good afternoon, mon cœur,” he said, his native language rolling smoothly off his tongue. “I take it you had a good class.”

Margo refused to smile at him, no matter how charming he was.

When she didn’t return his smile, he turned indignant. “What did I do?” He asked, voice raising an octave.

“Half my class is like in love with you. Every time you show up, they forget I exist.”

Luke laughed at her revelation, placing one arm around her and ushering her out of the greenhouse. “Half your class is in love with you,” he shot back. “That girl you were talking to when I walked in? She has such a huge crush on you, I could hear her heart hammering from halfway down the hall.”

“What?” Margo’s mouth hung open. “No way. Poor thing. It’s too bad for her that I don’t date my students.”

“And that you’re dating me,” Luke reminded, squeezing her shoulder possessively.

Margo laughed; she had known that would get a reaction out of him.

They walked in relative silence, basking in the golden hue of the late afternoon sun. Glancing up at Luke, she watched as the light brushed against his angular features, causing the contours of his face to seem more prominent. She remembered the days she thought vampires would burn in the sunlight. Turns out that, while they preferred nighttime, the sun did little more than irritate their sensitive eyes. Growing up in her small town in Massachusetts, she didn’t have much contact with other supernatural creatures that weren’t witches. It was part of the reason she loved the University of the Arcana as much as she did. The different kinds of people she got to meet were refreshing.

Luke’s Tesla was parked a few feet outside the Horticultural Sciences Complex. The research lab where he mapped the vampire genome and studied evolutionary biology was just a few blocks from Margo’s greenhouse. Their evening routine used to include enjoying a leisurely 5-minute stroll from said greenhouse to the biology complexes. Recently, however, that had not been the case.

“Why’s your car here?” She asked, despite already knowing the answer.

“I went to a few theology seminars today,” Luke said in response.

Along with being an evolutionary biologist, Luke was getting a degree in the history of theism, and, when he was feeling particularly nostalgic, he also attended classes on Romantic-era literature. The thing about vampires was that they had all the time in the world, so getting two or three degrees at once was nothing to them. It didn’t escape her notice, however, that he had been attending these classes more frequently.

Margo tramped down her budding need for confrontation and asked instead, “Do we have any plans for tonight?” In the privacy of Luke’s car, she kicked off her trainers and took her hair from its top knot. Saying goodbye to the day, she relaxed back into to cool leather of the interior, facing Luke only once her legs were tucked firmly underneath her.

Splitting his attention expertly between her and the road, Luke asked, “Would the house be mad if I stole you away for one more night?”

Her house, or rather the Gamma Nu Sorority House, had a habit of misbehaving when it was feeling cheated. Once, a few weeks before, she had spent 6 blissful days sleeping on Luke’s memory foam mattress only to return home to find her room missing. After hours of begging and cajoling, there was still no sign of her scratched up wooden door. Finally, it had taken her promising not to spend more than three days at a time at Luke’s for the house to re-materialize the room in its former spot.

“We’ve got one more day,” Margo informed him, thinking about their Game of Thrones marathon that had lasted two nights in a row. “I can’t watch Game of Thrones tonight though. Your girl’s gotta study.”

“I could cook while you study?” Luke suggested. “Then, we can do dinner and go to bed early.”

“Good food and an early bedtime?” Margo released an exaggerated moan. “Talk dirty to me.”

:: ::

It was 9 PM when Luke entered the study that, over months of dating, had become more hers than his. He was holding a pasta dish, two glasses of wine, and some freshly baked bread. Margo was more excited to see the food than she was to see him.

Luke’s diet consisted mostly of blood, animal’s or hers, and wine. Since becoming a vampire, he had lost his taste for human food, but not his love of the culinary arts. Dating her gave him an excuse to get back into the kitchen where he liked to get experimental with his dishes.

She closed the potions textbook in front of her and held her hand out for the plate as soon as he got close enough. “Carbs!” she cried happily. “You do love me.”

He chuckled and kissed her before handing her the plate. Leaning against the edge of the desk, he watched intently as she took the first bite.

“Any good?” Luke’s culinary inventions didn’t often leave her wanting, and this time was no different. The fork had no sooner left her mouth than she was groaning.

Laughing, Luke said, “I’ll take that as an affirmative.” Perched on the desk, he sipped wine casually and gave her a moment to savor her food. Then, he asked, “How’s potions going?”

“It’s kicking my ass,” was her grumble of a reply. “There are hundreds of potion bases, and I have to memorize them all by next Friday.”

“Do you want me to quiz you while you eat?” He was already reaching for the book she had set aside earlier.

Grabbing his hand, Margo stopped him. “If I see or hear anything about potions for the next 12 hours I might actually die.”

“At least we haven’t resorted to dramatics,” he retorted dryly. After he studied her for a minute, then announced, “Alright, finish eating and meet me in the bathroom.”

Reluctance must have shown on her face because he exclaimed, “Oh my god, just do it!” Then, he disappeared through the office door.

Fifteen minutes later, Margo left the study for the bathroom, which she found with its door slightly ajar, soothing piano music drifting out. She pushed inside to reveal a prepared bath and a few candles burning, tossing soft light off the porcelain of the tub. A small speaker sat on the counter, the source of the sounds that had drawn her in earlier. Luke was noticeably absent.

He appeared behind her in the next second, a couple of large towels in hand. “Ah, there you are.” He said nonchalantly, as if unaware of how romantic this simple gesture was in her eyes. He had seen how strung out she was and had known exactly what she needed. “C’mon, get in the tub.”

Margo was eager to follow his order, but first, she leaned over the stack of towels to press a chaste kiss to Luke’s lips. “You’re getting in with me, right?” She asked while unbuttoning the powder blue shirt she’d been wearing for over 14 hours then.

“If you want me to.”

Margo scoffed, then moved to unclasp her bra. Next went her pants and underwear. While wrapping her hair up into a bun atop her head, she slunk into the tub. She didn’t recline against the porcelain back just yet, leaving space for Luke. He was still standing by the doorway where he had been intently watching her movements.

“You coming?” She asked impatiently.

Those words snapped him out of whatever reverie her naked form had pulled him into. Shaking his head, he deposited the towels next to the tub, then undressed and slotted himself behind her. She relaxed, at last, leaning against the broad span of his chest.

“Thank you so much for doing this for me,” she whispered. Luke’s response was to place three small kisses on the route from her shoulder to her neck. She melted even further into his arms. “Who are we listening to?”

Luke, being as old as he was, preferred classical music to her top 40 pop. Having only taken a recorder class in elementary school, Margo knowledge of music was limited. Luke was determined to change that. Every chance he got, he played his favorite songs for her.

“Chopin,” was his answer, mouth still grazing the skin of her throat. “Nocturne Number 2 in E-Flat Major.”

“Did you know him?” She couldn’t help the slight hitch in her voice when he nibbled gently on the skin of her throat.

“We may have met once or twice.” In Luke terms, that was a yes. In 1795, the vampire who sired him had been wealthy with connections all around the globe. This meant that, for the first hundred years after his rebirth, Luke easily became acquaintances with any one of interest. As little as Margo knew about history, she enjoyed hearing the stories of past historical figures.

But tonight, Luke wasn’t interested in telling her a story. “Luke,” she whined as his bites got rougher, and his hand trailed down past her belly button.

“Is that a ‘Luke, please continue’ or a ‘Luke, stop.’” He asked, pausing all motions.

“It’s an ‘I can’t promise I won’t fall asleep immediately after I come,’” she retorted. A yawn slipped from her in that exact moment as if to prove her point.

“That’s okay.” This time he bit her ear. “You coming is all that matters anyhow.”

Unhindered, his hand slipped between her thighs. It started out gentle, with two fingers pushing against her clit. Almost reluctantly, she pushed her hips up to greet them. Then, as he started to explore her folds a bit more, she ground up against him in earnest. The hand that wasn’t toying with her folds squeezed gently on her breast and toyed with her nipple. She gripped his bicep in response.

Then, he slipped one finger inside her, sinusoidally dipping in and out, setting her whole body alight.

He another added another. Margo’s hips ground against him as she searched for more leverage. When he touched something inside her that filled her with ecstasy and the ravenous need for more, she cried out, and threw one leg over the side of the tub, displacing water in the process.

“Oh, fuck. Oh, God. Luke.” The cries of pleasure rang out throughout the room.

Luke began to finger her in earnest then, index and middle finger slipping in and out of her. He kissed up and down her neck until he was taken by the heat of the moment too. The hand that had been toying with her nipples slid down to her stomach, holding her flush against him as he rocked up against her. His dick was obviously hard between their slick bodies.

It wasn’t until he growled, low and guttural, that she realized just how far gone he was. He rearranged her, so she was seated fully on his lap, dick now positioned between her cheeks. All the tiredness was swept from her mind as she ground down against it.

Then, raising off his lap a bit and reaching back, she wrapped a hand around him. It was an awkward angle, but she made it work. Pumping him a few times made his hips go wild as he bucked uncontrollably.

She said, “I’m gonna–“

The words didn’t quite get out, lost in the haze of lust that made it impossible to think straight. Margo lined herself up with him and sank down. They weren’t going to last very long. The water in the bathtub continued to splash to the floors as one of Luke’s arms wrapped around her body, holding her slave to his motions. He had her pressed up against his chest, fucking up into her and toying with her clit. It was slippery and messy, and Luke had to reposition himself a few times, but neither made any attempts to stave off their lust so they could move to a bed.

Chopin could barely be heard over his growls, her cries of pleasure, and the distinct sound of water sloshing over the edges of the tub. His lips continued their path up and down her neck, bites deeper than before. They were painful, but in a way that made her toes curl.

She knew what he wanted before he said anything. “Please, can I–” He began, but cut himself off and threw his head back, fighting an instinct.

They weren’t face to face, and with the way they were moving, inches from orgasm, neither would want to take a moment to reposition. So, he would have to bite her neck. It was of no consequence to her; it was nothing she couldn’t hide without makeup.

Without really thinking about, Margo responded to his silent plea. “Yes,” she gasped out. “God, yes.”

The next second, she felt the sharp pain of the skin of her neck being pierced, followed immediately by intense euphoria. She buried one hand in his hair, holding him there; the other went down to encourage his motions as he continued to rub against her clit. They came, one right after the other, their hips stuttering to a halt.

“Fuck,” Luke grunted when he pulled away from her neck, head falling against the plaster wall behind them with a thud. As always, it took him a few minutes to get his wits about him after drinking her blood. Margo took that time to pull off of him and catch her breath.

Later, when they were both tucked underneath Luke’s black silk sheets, Luke ran his fingers gently over the deep teeth marks on her neck. Another lore Luke had taught her: Vampires didn’t have retractable fangs, but their teeth were more than sharp enough to pierce skin.

She had marks, like the ones now on her neck, almost ingrained in the skin of her chest. That is where he most often drank from her, as was the vampiric custom when it came to lovers.

“I shouldn’t have done this.” He said, fingers still tracing the indents of his teeth.

Margo couldn’t figure out why he sounded so pained. The healing properties of his saliva would ensure it didn’t leave a mark. Unless he bit her there again, after a day or two of covering it with makeup, neither of them would remember it even existed.

“It’s fine. No one’s going to see it.” Margo insisted.

Luke didn’t respond.

Margo fell asleep with his thumb still tracing the outline of the marks.

:: ::

She woke up to a sharp prickling in her thumb. Shooting to a seated position, she looked at her hands, disoriented and confused by the sudden onslaught of pain. Luke, who had been awake in bed next to her, sat up as well.

“Are you okay?” he asked, voice noticeably laden with worry.

Margo shook her head.

“Something is looking for me.” She tried to shake the drowsiness from her mind. Her senses were dulled by it. Whenever a powerful creature came looking for her, a small prickling would alert her to their intent. But this was more powerful than anything she had ever experienced before.

“Three somethings,” she continued as she began to make sense of what she was feeling. “They’re big, and they’re powerful. Unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.”

She saw the exact moment understanding dawned on Luke. He sniffed the air once, then muttered, “Shit.” He was out of bed and at the door to the room in a blink.

“What’s happening?” She asked frantically, trying to figure out what she might have missed. There was some information Luke’s supernatural senses had picked up that hers could not provide. In moments like these, she envied how he was preternaturally attuned to his senses.

“If I asked you to stay in the room, would you?” He asked.

But, she was already getting out of bed and slipping into her slippers and his robe. Even rushing through these motions, she was no match for vampire speeds. By the time reached the front door, Luke was standing there blocking the way of three large, imposing vampires she had never seen before.

They were all dressed in all black. One stood in front of all the rest, his dyed red hair slicked back. He wore a t-shirt tucked into jeans with a leather jacket thrown over it. Margo could see he wore two rings on each hand and his nails were painted black. The man on the left looked much more laid back. His black jeans were distressed, and he wore an ACDC t-shirt. While Luke traded jabs in French with the frontman, this one simply stood back with an easy smile on his face. Finally, there was the man with a slightly deeper skin tone than the others leaning against the door frame. His arms were crossed and the fabric of the plain black t-shirt he wore struggled to cover the entirety of his bicep. If this was some kind of vampire shakedown, he was definitely the muscle.

The frontman noticed her first. He scoffed in disgust and began gesturing to her as they spoke. The other two remained relatively quiet but did spare her a few wary glances. What little French she knew was unhelpful, as they spoke too fast for her to catch any words.

She attempted patience first, trying not to look too indignant as they conversed about her as if she wasn’t there. But that was one of her pet peeves, and, to her displeasure, the conversation did not seem to be letting up any time soon.

Next, she tried speaking up, but not even Luke turned his head at her, “Excuse me.” If anything, they seemed to talk louder. She began reciting the spell before she could think better of it.

Their mouths snapped shut the next instant, and all was quiet for a moment. When they realized something magical was preventing them from speaking, all eyes turned to her. Luke’s baby blues looked more frustrated than she had ever seen them. She released him from the spell.

“What’s going on?” She asked, now that his attention was back on her.

For a moment, he glanced between her and the three men standing at the door. Then, he said, “Let’s go inside.”

:: ::

Ashton, Michael, and Calum.

Those were their names, respectively.

It wasn’t a vampire shakedown; it was a family reunion. They relocated into the uncomfortable chairs Luke had purchased for his dining room in hopes of dissuading guests from overstaying their welcome. It was still relatively early in the morning, so Margo made herself tea. The other four vampires had wine.

She knew a bit about Luke’s brothers from the stories about France and the French revolution that Luke liked to tell. From what she knew, Ashton was the leader of their little clan. He was the one who had sired Luke in the first place. It explained why at some angles they looked similar, when he replaced all the blood in Luke’s body with his own, some of Luke’s features changed.

Ashton had an assuming presence that seemed almost too large for Luke’s dining room. Were Margo more mild-mannered, she might have retreated to the background to let the vampires talk. But that was not her.

“You don’t like witches?” Margo presumed aloud once she was seated across the table from Ashton with her tea. She still hadn’t made sense of the argument at the door. Her witches senses did not lie, they had shown up at Luke’s looking for her. When they found her, it obviously became a point of contention.

Ashton scoffed with a hint of condescension. “Please. We are not prejudiced.”

“Do not scoff at me,” Margo shot back. “Not when you refuse to tell me why you’re here. Looking for me might I add.”

The one in the distressed jeans, Michael, grinned at her and whistled low. “Oh, she’s feisty. Finally, someone that’s a match for Ashton.”

Ashton did not dignify that with a response. Instead, to Margo, he bared his teeth and hissed, “This is not about you, it is about Luke. You need to stay out of it.”

“Well, come on now, Ashton.” Calum, like Luke, had decided to remain standing while the other two vampires sat. Well, Michael lounged, and Ashton perched as if poised to jump off the edge of his seat. From his position behind Ashton, Calum placed a large hand on his shoulder. “It’s a little about her. Luke should decide if he wants to tell her or not.”

At that, every eye turned to look at Luke. He was looming over Margo protectively, but not in a way that suggested he expected his family members to attack. He was obviously not afraid for her safety. It was rather like he wanted her out of the conversation more than anything else.

For what seemed like a full minute, Margo believed Luke wouldn’t share this secret. She feared that months of sharing everything with each other had culminated to this one moment, this one Big Thing that she wasn’t allowed to know.

Thankfully, he sighed and sunk into a seat next to her. “My brothers think you and I have mated.”

Admittedly, Margo’s knowledge of vampire mating was basal. She knew, of course, that Luke had every intention of mating her. You’re it for me, he had told her a few months before. It had terrified her, but she couldn’t deny that her feelings for him, their feelings for each other, ran deep. To her knowledge, however, they hadn’t taken that step yet. Even if they had, she wasn’t sure that was something they needed to discuss with his brothers.

“Forgive me if I’m wrong,” Margo began slowly, keeping her eyes leveled with Ashton’s. “But isn’t whether or not we’ve mated between the two of us?”

“No,” Ashton replied with a bitter chuckle. “No matter what you and my idealistic brother like to think. This is a matter for a clan. Luke cannot handle taking his mate by himself.”

Seeing the look of confusion on Margo’s face, Michael took pity on her and began to explain. “Luke is still very young. He has only witnessed one vampire mating in his lifetime, and even then he wasn’t privy to our procedures. Mating when you aren’t familiar with the methods–well that could have dangerous consequences.”

Michael’s eyes drifted pointedly towards her neck where Luke’s bite marks from the previous night were on full display. With the excitement of the morning, she had forgotten to cover them. She slapped a hand over them; then, her color deepened in embarrassment.

She turned to Luke, expecting him to respond, but he was lost somewhere deep in his own thoughts. When he didn’t, she spoke for him. “It was an accident,” She insisted, even though she had a feeling she didn’t quite understand the repercussions of Luke biting her neck.

Michael leaned forward, voice dripping with a dangerous edge. “When it comes to predators, darling, one small accident is all it takes to kill you.”

Finally, Luke spoke, words coming out in a snarl. “I would never kill her.” Shock and anger registered on his face. He was obviously taken aback by Michael’s suggestion.

“Not purposely,” Michael amended. “But your carelessness could get her killed nonetheless.”

“It’s a good thing then that Margo and I aren’t mating.” Luke snarled. He was out of his chair in an instant, glaring down at his brothers.

“Luke–“ this time it was Calum popping in with an argument.

Luke cut him off. “I’m fine, Calum. Now, if you guys want to do something other than have this conversation while you’re in town, let me know. If not, I’ll see the next time I’m at home.”

Michael threw his hands up in frustration. “This is what you get for siring a vampire amid the French Revolution, Ashton,” he grumbled. But he made no more protest as he walked towards the door.

Calum turned to follow him.

Ashton was the last to leave. “I just want you to be safe,” he said, eyeing Margo. What she had mistaken for disgust earlier was now clearly weariness and reluctance. It was as if he wanted to trust her, but was afraid to.

Luke gripped her shoulder and squeezed. “I am more than capable of taking care of myself. As is Margo.”

They held eye contact for a minute, having a silent conversation Margo couldn’t follow. Finally, Ashton conceded and followed his brothers out of the house.

:: ::

It happened in herbology.

That morning, Margo had woken up in her own bed feeling a little dizzy and disoriented. These spells had been happening more frequently, but she chalked it up to stress and dismissed it. She should have told Luke, but he was prone to worrying over the smallest of things. Plus, it had only been a week and a half since his brothers had shown up at his door unannounced, and, no matter how “good” he claimed to be doing, she could still see something bothered him.

So, she didn’t think twice about chugging her weight in tea and going to work. The dizziness plagued her throughout the day. Two hours into her three-hour herbology lab, she was standing in front of the class explaining how gymnosperms grew and reproduced. It was imperative for her students to understand plant life on a cellular level if they were ever to successfully manipulate plant growth.

The funny thing was - she felt it coming on. She felt herself grow dizzier and heard her words begin to slur. She chose to fight through it. Then, one minute she was talking about fertilization and pollen cones, the next, her feet give way below her, and the world went dark.

. . . . . .

When she opened her eyes the first time, the world was hazy. She clearly made out an IV drip bag and an oddly familiar man standing at the edge of her bed. His arms were crossed, and he looked like he was there as some sort of protection detail. Margo had the distinct feeling he was there for her. Whether it was to protect her from someone or to protect someone from her, she did not know.

“Hey. Look who’s awake,” came an oddly chipper voice from somewhere outside of her line of sight. Margo almost turned to search for it, but there was a pressure on her left hand. She turned to that instead.

Luke. He was staring at her with worry in his baby blues, gripping her hand tightly.

“What,” she opened her mouth to ask what had happened. Then, a cool hand she knew had to be vampiric brushed her curls from her face and shushed her.

“Try to sleep if you can,” it said. “We'll explain everything later.”

She knew that voice, much like she knew the man standing at the edge of her bed. Before she could search her mind for their identity, something pulled her under, and the world went black again.

. . . . . .

The next time she came to, the man was still at her bedside, arms crossed, watching her intently. Her brain felt less foggy this time, and she instantly recognized the man as, “Calum.”

With the tiniest of motions, Calum quirked his lips upwards in the ghost of a smirk. She wondered if he was comfortable standing ramrod straight like that. He looked like he hadn’t moved since she last opened her eyes.

It took him snickering for her to realize she had said that last thought aloud. “I like this position.” He said. “I’ve got clear eyes on everything in the room.”

“Not the door,” Margo pointed out obviously, gesturing to the large door looming behind him. That was what it took for Margo to realize that, despite the drip IV, she was not in a hospital room. This was someone’s house.

Calum shrugged. “That’s what Mikey’s for.”

She noticed Michael then, sitting in a loveseat underneath a large window. It was nighttime, and heavy blackout curtains were pushed aside to reveal what looked like deep woods. He had a Nintendo DS in his hand and was obviously more focused on the game than the other two people in the room.

“Don’t let Calum fool you,” he said, fingers still moving furiously on the buttons of the game. “I do not give a rats ass about security and espionage. At least, not as much Calum and Ashton do.”

He said all this without ever looking up from the small device in her hand.

“Espionage?” She croaked out.

Michael nodded, blissfully unaware of Calum’s glare. “Calum’s the family spy.”

Margo eyed Calum. When she had first seen him, she had believed him to be the muscle of the group. The way he exuded danger made Michael’s words seem less like a joke–as if Calum really was some vampire spy. She didn’t have time to think on this, however, because the dark mahogany door swung open to reveal Luke with Ashton flanking him.

Luke rushed immediately to her side. She didn’t miss how haggard he looked. Briefly, she wondered how long she had been in this bed. However long that was had obviously taken a toll on Luke. Vampires, as far as she knew, did not get tired, but there were unmistakable bags under his eyes, and his pale skin seemed lighter under the harsh overhead lights. She reached out to him, and he knelt at her bedside and slotted his hand into hers.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked as his thumb gently rubbed circles on the back of her hand.

“I could ask you the same thing.” She tried to shit up, but a palm came to rest on her shoulder, stopping her. “Don’t try to do too much too quickly,” Ashton warned, gently pushing her back down.

She obeyed, hoping that it would make them more agreeable with what she was about to ask next. The question had been on her mind since she awoke the first time. She had to know, “What happened?”

She remembered feeling dizzy in her herbology class, but not much else.

Furtive glances were exchanged around the room as everyone, even Michael, turned their attention to Luke. Luke’s focus was on her. He looked as if those were the last words he’d wanted to hear from her. The longer everyone took to acknowledge her question, the more she wondered if she should have waited. Perhaps this was something Luke was uncomfortable talking about around his brothers.

She slipped her hand out of his so she could brush his hair out of his face.

“It’s okay.” Despite how weak her voice was, she tried to convey all the love she had for him in those two words. Whatever it was, they would work through it.

He leaned into her palm. “You tell her Calum,” He eventually said, shifting all attention to the 6 ft vampire looming over her.

Calum uncrossed his arms and braced them against the foot of the bed. Dark brown eyes told her the story would be emotionally exhausting.

“I came to UoA a month ago to visit Luke.”

Margo’s brow furrowed. She hadn’t heard anything about this visit.

“He didn’t know I was coming. I got into town then tracked his scent.”

“It’s a kink of his,” Michael interrupted with an easy grin. He had abandoned his DS in favor of paying attention to the story. With everyone in the room on the wrong side of somber, she welcomed his quips. “He likes to pop up out of nowhere and scare the holy hell out of people.”

Calum ignored him and continued on. “I followed his scent straight to the Gamma Nu house. When I got there, I assumed that perhaps he was just inside with some witch. We’re all aware of Luke’s. . .”

He trailed off as if afraid of offending her, and she laughed. “Propensity to be a hoe?” She finished for him. When she had first met Luke, he was slipping out of her housemate's room with no shirt on. She was no stranger to his promiscuous behavior.

Calum smiled, amused at her choice of words. “Propensity to be a hoe yes. But, when I listened in, he didn’t seem to be anywhere inside. Instead, I found you. You were sitting at your desk buried in some book about potions and muttering to yourself. I watched you for hours trying to figure out how Luke’s scent was so intermingled with yours. I couldn’t find where your scent ended, and his began. I knew, of course, but I didn’t want to accept it. I didn’t think Luke would be stupid enough to take a mate without contacting one of us first.”

At that, he shot a look at Luke. Luke grimaced, ashamed. Margo ran her hand through his hair again in a gesture of assurance, then looked to Calum to continue.

Ashton did instead. He was still at her shoulder, looking down at her as he spoke, “Margo, what do you know about vampire mating?”

“I know that it’s instigated with a mark, like the one on my chest.” The hand that was not in Luke’s hair came up to rest on her chest, touching the mark through her shirt. “That’s the physical aspect of it. There is a mental and emotional aspect to it as well.” Margo trailed off. She didn’t know much about said mental and emotional aspects. She figured Luke would explain those to her when they decided to take the next step.

Michael spoke next, now at the edge of his seat. She remembered Luke’s mention of his bond with someone named Crystal. Perhaps he was their resident expert on bonding. “This is how a bond works. If a vampire has the intention of mating someone, and that person has the intention of accepting said bond, when he bites that person, he’ll be able to feel the bond form from inside him. If he lets it, the bond will wash over both parties like a wave. Then, it is up to the bitten to accept the bond. This act deepens the mental and emotional connection of a couple. In rare instances, the couple will be compatible enough to hear each other's thoughts and feel each other’s emotions. Even when they aren’t as compatible, these bonds are nearly impossible to break. That’s why bonds can never be between strangers and can never be nonconsensual. It’s kind of like your magic in the way that it senses what both parties want, and creates that for them.”

“Luke,” Calum picked up, “has wanted to mate you for a very long time now. And judging by the way his biology is behaving, I’m guessing you wanted to mate him as well. Yet, every time he bit you and that bond began forming, he would suppress it.”

Margo glanced over to Luke, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Which ended up confusing his biology.” Calum continued. “Driving him to want to be near you, to be in you, to bite you, to complete the bond by any means necessary. It’s why he was drinking from you every time you had sex. It’s why you fainted. He took too much blood too quickly, and your system couldn’t handle it. Instances like this are rare, and usually lead to obsessive behavior on the part of the vampire.”

“But Luke wasn’t obsessive,” Margo pointed out. She had dated wizards more obsessive than him.

“Not where you could see,” Calum said.

Luke dropped his forehead to the bed, perhaps to avoid feeling the eyes on him. He was ashamed of whatever Calum had to say next.

“I followed you both for days before calling in Ashton and Michael as reinforcement. On the nights you spent apart, Luke spent them standing outside your window. He started making up theology classes because he didn’t want you to know he had spent your entire TA period sitting in a car outside of the greenhouse, straining to hear your heartbeat. Worst of all, he stopped hunting and started getting all his blood from you.”

“What?” Margo croaked out. Luke looked up then, and she couldn’t miss the welling of tears in his eyes.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” He said solemnly. “We have only been dating for what, almost a year now? It is way too early for us to mate. I was hoping that if I ignored it, maybe it would go away.”

“The bond can be suppressed, Luke. But not as long as you keep drinking from her.” Ashton grumbled. Then, with a pointed look at Margo, he added, “If that’s what you want.”

“It is,” Luke answered for her. “She’s young. She hasn’t even finished her degree yet. I can’t just shackle her to me forever.”

“Let her speak, Luke,” Calum ordered.

With every eye on Margo, she wasn’t sure what to say. Luke was the love of her life, and she wanted more than anything to be mated to him. She tried to tell herself that it didn’t make a difference if it happened that moment or in a year when she had her degree.

You are but mortal woman. Time is now to be dreaded - since once he put that mark upon your throat.

She bitterly remembered the words of Bram Stoker. Time moved differently for her and Luke, she had always known that. Where she wanted to rush, he took his time. This was no different.

She tried to remind herself that, as Luke said, it was forever. Repeated exposure to his venom through a mating mark would expose her to super-powered vampiric proteins, probiotics, and antibodies that would stop her aging and make her impossible to kill. She wouldn’t be a vampire per se, but something else. A hybrid between what she was now and what he was. These were rare, she knew, as vampires and witches were not used to coming together for more than politics and sex. Perhaps an extra year of normalcy was what it would take to give Luke the peace of mind about changing her.

“It’s fine,” she finally said. “We can wait.”

She brought her hand down to where Luke’s rested on the bed and squeezed gently. “What about Luke, though? What’s going to happen if we don’t bond?”

“Nothing,” responded Calum with an easy shrug. “So long as he starts hunting again and stops drinking from you.”

“Like forever?” Margo asked, then blush at how dejected she sounded.

Michael laughed, but said, “Until he’s ready to mate you, yeah.”

That made her stomach sink. It was fine. As much as she liked the biting, she could go a year without it. “Is that going to be hard for you?” She relayed the question to Luke this time.

“It’s fine. The boys will take me hunting. It will help.”

“How long are you guys staying?” As she asked this question, Margo took note of how the air in the room lightened. Ashton left her side to stand by Michael’s loveseat under the window, Michael picked up his game, and Calum’s shoulders relaxed just a little. (She was beginning to think that relaxed shoulders were all she would get from him.)

Ashton answered her question, still staring out into the darkness outside the window. “Not sure. I’ve accepted a position teaching classic Greek literature, so quite a while I think.”

“What?” Margo asked, surprised. Ashton didn’t look like the scholarly type. “Are you qualified to teach that?”

Ashton scoffed in response. “I sure hope so. I was there.”

Margo’s mouth dropped. “Wait, how old-”

Luke cut her off. “Don’t ask a vampire how old they are, babe. They’re not fond of that.”

Margo gave Luke a look that let him know she would definitely be asking that question again, but she would at least do Ashton the courtesy of asking at a later date.

She was almost all caught up now, but there was one question still on her mind.

“Where am I?”

All four vampires laughed.

“Oh!” exclaimed Calum, remembering that he left out that little detail. “It’s our house. It’s in the woods behind UoA. Hospitals kind of cause sensory overload for vampires, so when you fainted, health services allowed Ashton to bring you here.”

“What, just like that?” asked Margo, confused.

“Well, Ashton has a medical degree, so it’s not like you weren’t in good hands.”

Of course. Vampires were fond of their multiple degrees.

“So y’all thought ‘lemme buy a house, so we don’t have to go to a hospital.”

Calum snickered at that, but Ashton was the one who answered. “I’ve owned this house for years. Since a little after the school was built. I thought it would be nice to have if I ever decided to come and get another degree. For all intents and purposes, it belongs to the clan now.”

“It belongs to you too,” Michael added. “You’re family now, whether you like it or not.”

Margo matched his grin. Raised in a household that was always just her and her mother, she dreamed of having a big family. As far as family went, Calum, Ashton, and Michael seemed more than perfect.

end notes: i can’t believe how obsessed i am with this series lmao! i’ve already started writing part 3!! anyway, i hope you like cal, mikey & ashton in this one. let me know what you think!

tag list: @5sosnsfw / @bloodmoonashton / @lukescaboose / @5sex-of-summa / @deviantnines / @halcyonnhood / @gh0st-0f-y0u-95 / @aspiringwildfire / @cal-pal-cuddles / @sweetcherrymike / @hereforlukescruff / @softforcal / @ohhmuke / @fratcalum / @calumamongmen / @ashtonandcalslefthand / @asht0ns-world / @colorful-queen-of-the-roses / @heavenlydrarry / @slowlyelectronictragedy / @myemptywallets / @pagesuponstpages / @fallfrxmgrace / @thefireisgone / @michaelorwhat / @dammitbands / @sugarcoated-pain / @sublimehood / @cal-puddies / @singt0mecalum / @irwinkitten / @myloverboyash / @pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles

204 notes · View notes

maychorian · 7 years

Text

Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #62

A bit of life news: I am moving to a new position at my workplace working for a team that is currently very backed up, so my free time at work that I usually use to read fanfiction is about to disappear for the foreseeable future. It’s a good career move for me, and once things calm down I might have even more time and even be able to work from home. But in the meantime, yeah, I dunno how much fanfiction I’ll be reading. Whatever I do read will definitely get put in a list, though, haha.

Rules: You can find past weekly rec lists here, and non-list recs in my general fic rec tag. Also follow @maychorianrecs for individually tagged posts, the easier to search and reblog. This is stuff I like, and I have a huge bias toward Lance, hurt/comfort, and general fluff, in that order. Gen unless otherwise noted. Please comment on the fics if you read and enjoy them!

Passing Grade by IcyPanther Words: 6,998 Author’s Summary: If Lance stayed in the shower long enough maybe the water would wash everything away. Maybe it would make him forget unwanted hands and the scratchy couch. Maybe… A sob tore through his throat. No. There was no forgetting. But he did have to paste on a smile and try to because no one could find out. Otherwise it was all over. AU - College My Comments: Mind the tags. There was a time when I sought out fics with this exact scenario because it fed something very needy inside me. It still hits all of those buttons super hard, and I really enjoyed reading this sort of story again, featuring my favorite character, written by an author I trust. I’ve already re-read it a couple of times, and I’ll be returning to it again, I’m sure.

The Cost of Winning by IcyPanther Words: 9,598 Author’s Summary: “The Blue and Green Paladins serve no purpose to the Empire,” the Galran commander smirked at his bound captives. “And as such you have no use except as arena fodder.” He chuckled. “Give us a good show before you die.” / Lance is determined to protect Pidge and save her from the arena. She will not die here. Over his dead body. Hopefully it’s not quite that literal of a promise. My Comments: Superb fic, possibly the best I’ve read from this author yet. The action is great and the plot is tight and suspenseful. Wonderful platonic Pidge and Lance, both getting beat up, both badass and protective of each other. This kept me at the edge of my seat.

All That Glitters Isn’t Gold by IcyPanther for wingedflower Words: 9,998 Author’s Summary: It started with Allura wanting something shiny for an upcoming gala. She, Pidge and Lance venture to a marketplace to find just the thing in a billed afternoon of relaxation and fun. But what they ended up finding was not jewelry at all. / “Welcome to Tyrol’s slave trade, Tyrol at your service. Or, well,” a dark grin lit the trader’s face. “I suppose you are at mine.” My Comments: Mind the tags. I really enjoyed this fic, though it went to some dark places for a little bit. Always fun to see Lance bonding with his teammates. And also getting hurt and then comforted.

And Molasses by Lemon_Lemmings Words: 4,008 Author’s Summary: “That’s not enough.” Hunk motions to the cookie mountains. “I need to make more.” “How many more? I can bake.” Hunk gives her a skeptical look.Pidge crosses her arms. “My cookies might not turn out as perfect as yours, boo hoo. At least they won’t be contaminated with the plague.” My Comments: Excellent sickfic with wonderful characterization for Hunk, right on the money. Pidge stepped up to the plate and took it like a pro. I could definitely see this happening, no question.

Atlas Cannot Stand by AnaliseGrey Words: 3,609 Author’s Summary: He and Lance had taken Red in to infiltrate a low-traffic Galra base- or at least, it was supposed to be low-traffic; it was just their luck they’d try to hit it when some dignitary was visiting. They’d made a good show of it all things considered, but in the end they were outnumbered and overrun. Lance had been up high, covering him from a catwalk, but was surprised by sentries coming at him from both sides of the walkway; there hadn’t been anywhere for him to go, and they were on him too fast to use his jetpack. Once they had Lance, Keith had surrendered quickly, not wanting to get Lance hurt. He could still feel Red growling quietly in the back of his mind, trapped in the hangar he’d left her in when they arrived. So far, her particle barrier was holding, but she wasn’t leaving until he was, and he wasn’t leaving without Lance. My Comments: The torture is pretty brutal in this one, but I loved the bond between Keith and Lance and how desperately they wanted to help each other.

May They Rest at Ease by ambivalentlangst Words: 2,539 Author’s Summary: Soldiers are created to say “vrepit sa” and die in a blaze of glory for their empire. They are not created to babysit kids, but some don’t mind, because someone has to keep the cubs safe. The universe they defend certainly doesn’t. My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. I adore this. So much. The two soldiers who palled around with Pidge, Hunk, and Lance essentially adopt them as their cubs, because those are three are far too young and don’t deserve to suffer. This fic makes my heart sing. It’s so sweet and lovely, despite the savagery of war.

Everywhere Cats by Engineer104 Words: 7,363 Author’s Summary: A mysterious mishap transforms the Lions of Voltron into…cats, who are more troublesome for their Paladins than for Zarkon’s Empire My Comments: Super fun and cute! I will continue to mourn the relative dearth of animal transformation crack in this fandom until I am satisfied, but this was a good fix, though nowhere near enough. So cute, sooooo fluffy.

I Once Loved the Stars so Truly, but I Have Learned to Fear the Night by Spazzcat Words: 5,638 Author’s Summary: Samuel Holt has loved the stars his entire life, despite where he ended up because of it. Ironically it’s not until after his rescue that he starts to hate their gentle gleam in the darkness, a cruel reminder of everything he’s lost. My Comments: Lovely alternate version of Sam finding his family. It hurt, but the ending made up for it, and the language along the way was gorgeous and vivid. Great OCs, too.

In the Dust under the Stars by cleanlittlesecret Words: 5,521 Author’s Summary: The woman entering his office must be close to seven feet tall if not taller, has long and pointed ears, and is entirely purple. She has to duck to avoid hitting her face on the doorframe, and Iverson is so busy staring at her with his mouth open that he barely hears Mick say something before shutting the door behind her. What in the Sam Hill is this? (Or, AU where Krolia stayed on Earth to raise Keith, and most people are not as bothered by her as they probably should be. Plus some other changes.) My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. Lovely canon divergence AU with a great Krolia and a cute though impulsive Keith. The details really made this story come alive; it’s very well-written and enjoyable to read.

Poison by IcyPanther Words: 2,876 Author’s Summary: Lance is fine. Or, at least he keeps telling himself that. He’s most definitely not a victim of the unknown disease with no cure sweeping through the city. Nope. But now he’s coughing up blood? Maybe… maybe he isn’t so fine after all. / “H-Hunk,” he whispered. “I… I think I’m s-sick.” Hunk let out a sound somewhere between a sob and a laugh. “Yeah, Lance. You are.“ My Comments: What a great Lance-centric sickfic with super good comfort and a tense plot. I’ll never tire of these kinds of fics.

The Grim Particulars by yet_intrepid Words: 5,575 Author’s Summary: “Can’t believe Kolivan trusted these guys,” Keith mutters. He shifts awkwardly in the tight space, trying to alleviate some of the pressure on his arms, which are cuffed behind his back. “I always knew they were sketchy.” “They’re illegal weapons dealers,” Shiro replies. “Of course they’re sketchy.” Keith grunts, half-angry and half-amused, and gives up readjusting his position. It’s just as well, really, Shiro thinks. They’re in a tiny closet on a tiny ship, and there’s barely room for them to sit shoulder-to-shoulder, knee-to-knee. My Comments: Beware the tags. This is a grim story, as the title implies, not for the faint of heart. But good, as everything from this author. It catches you in the gut. Gave me some deep thoughts, too.

Thicker than Water by Fernandidilly_yo Words: 4,574 Author’s Summary: (Set right after season 5 episode 5)“How long?” Keith asks, taking another step into Kolivan’s office, his legs feel unstable underneath him, his body disconnected and flimsy. “How long have you known Krolia is my mother?” My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. I really like nuances of this story. Keith’s reactions and emotions all feel very realistic and true to his character, and I liked Kolivan in this too. Great stuff.

Bits by Lemon_Lemmings Words: 3,107 Author’s Summary: Violence is an acquired taste that Hunk inevitably accommodates. My Comments: Angsty and harsh and a little grim, but I absolutely believe that Hunk is like this. War is hard, and it’s not fair.

dear child of mine by glitteringconstellations Words: 2,365 Author’s Summary: Krolia went to Earth in search of a Lion, and found a family, instead. She learned what it meant to love and be loved, and she learned that sometimes, loving someone means letting them go.Or,Krolia cradles Keith in her arms for the last time. My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. Sweet and sad and lovely. I love this vision of Keith’s mother and father before the war. Or during the war, but in a peaceful interlude.

Mama is… by nigiyakapepper Words: 4,134 Author’s Summary: “A spy!” “Spy!” “Up in space!” “ ’pin space!” Keith is two. It’s one of his good days, judging by the boy shrieking with joy for no other reason than the enjoyment of the act. K - - - - -, his dad, moves as if to chase him around the sofa in their living room. Little Keith moves in turn, a ‘patta patta’ of tiny feet stomping on linoleum. He giggles while clutching his shirt—then full on screams and toddles away when his dad lunges after him. - - Who Keith’s mom is as Keith grows up. My Comments: Season 5 spoilers. Lovely snapshots of Keith throughout the years, missing his mother. I’m so glad he had such a good father, but then it hurt to lose him, too.

In Darkness We Shall Fight by Haleykim84 (tristen84) for BlackFriar Words: 6,795 Author’s Summary: Shiro and Keith are on a stealth mission that goes wrong. With no back-up and Keith injured, they struggle to get out alive. My Comments: A rollercoaster of a fic, fantastic action and wonderful teamwork and protectiveness between Keith and Shiro. It felt sort of classic, in a way, the OG duo back at it again. Fun and exciting read.

Of Crossing Swords and Crossing Lines by wingedflower for IcyPanther Words: 8,144 Author’s Summary: Written as part of a fic exchange with IcyPanther, following the prompt “shopping trip went wrong”. For the first time in his life, Keith sees something at the space mall that he actually wants. He’s willing to do everything to get it - especially if it involves ignoring Lance, who tries to talk him out of it. Things end up as well as expected. My Comments: A great, fun read with some interpersonal conflict and Lance getting hurt. Always a great combination for fic.

Previously Recced Fics That Updated:

Beacon (43262 words) Shadows of Stars (182291 words) A Dragon in Thy Pocket (10018 words) As Color Fades Away (293755 words) Weekend Guests (16351 words) I'm not the Lance You think I am (79775 words) Back from the Edge (10869 words)

#voltron legendary defender #fic rec #weekly voltron fic recs #vldgen

133 notes · View notes

vio1315 · 7 years

Note

ALSO 14 BC APPARENTLY I CAN"T READ?? Like that's one of the most interesting ones on the list anD I SKIPPED IT BY ACCIDENT

You are the kindest to me, thank you xD

14. Your OC finds themselves in your universe and you are their only contact. How well do they handle the adjustment and how would you try to help/hinder/contain them?

We go through the main 6 first, as always. And this reply can be extra long now that it’s a separate thing~

Skye would be so confused, but also pretty eager and easy to handle. Like she’d wanna get back home for sure, cuz heck, she has a family that needs her, but along the way of trying to figure out how to return, she’d be learning as much as possible. She’d be a regular wikipedia dweller as soon as I showed it to her. I’m assuming she’d magically be able to speak English, too. She’d think computers were like the most awesome thing ever, and nothing would really top it. I would help by googling solutions to getting her home and also teaching her how to navigate this world. I bet she would enjoy memes, actually. I’d introduce her to microwavable meals and I think this would be another highlight for her. She would love documentaries and probably cry a bit while watching them because they’d remind her a little of home

Gill would be probably 3x as anxious about things as Skye. He needs to get home like yesterday, and he’s already decided it’s impossible, but that won’t stop him. Despite this, he’s well mannered, and restrains showing any of this. He’d take some pains to learn cultural differences so he could operate better in this world. When he got more comfortable with the assurance that ‘time isn’t passing there, I promise’ he might chill enough to try and learn all the languages at once. Just for funsies. It’s relaxing. He’d probably act more like a grandma on a computer than Skye. Like not being able to nail down which bar is a search bar and which isn’t so well. Won’t stop writing like it’s a personal letter even when I explain it’s more polite not to. He likes googling things, but shies way far away from it when I explain that there’s bad sources, and he ends up being more of a library gremlin. It’s familiar, yet he can also get books shipped there, and heck, how nice. He probably thinks the lack of magic is total bs, but he keeps watching surgical shows. Probably watches the news 3 days straight when he discovers it, and then is quickly done with it and actually bothers with the computer again whenever there’s something current he’s interested in. Takes notes on everything. Thinks all the paper I have lying around is super cool. Eagerly has a special notebook for stuff he wants to tell people when he gets back. I help in the same way I help Skye, just with more reassurance. Oh, I also tell him that white hair is popular and people dye their hair that way (ON PURPOSE EVEN) so everyone will think he looks cool. He’d appreciate that.

Marth is the actual worst about wanting to get back home, and stays focused on it for much longer, even when I keep saying it’s something only I’ll be able to do for him -once I figure out how-

My poor son is very anxious for most of his stay as he can’t stop worrying about the others, even when told time won’t move there until he gets back. -I would tell none of them that I wrote them, so I can never quite convince him- I would probably sign him up for the nearest horse therapy thing I could get access to, or just horse riding in general, and that would help actually. He could hold my dog the other times, or visit my niece or cousins. This would help. He’s not a nerd like Skye and Gill, so he wouldn’t get too into the computer, though he’d be really blown away by some technology, I think a lot of it would just seem too similar to magic to him. Though he’d lowkey be really excited that he could use it too. He’d probably force me to do responsible things a lot, though. Like ‘Clean your room or I will remove everything from it and put it outside’ and like

‘we’ve been sitting inside all day while you stare at that thing’

‘I’m researching how to get you back’

‘no, this sounds too familiar, no. We’re getting food and also going outside’

‘but don’t you want–’ and then I am forcibly removed from my room.

I would probably help him by lowkey trying to teach him about mental health things, but he’d sabotage this by only being interested in what people he knows could have. I’d also never be able to leave him alone because he would absolutely go out and continue trying to interact with people as if he was back in his universe despite KNOWING BETTER because I TOLD HIM how to interact with them, but he’s a little troll that way and realizes there’s not many consequences. This is also his tactic to get me outside more. He’s troublesome, but also amaze, I have acquired another dad

Kydin would be really lowkey about how panicked he would be, because he always hides this type of crap, but internally, he’d be freaking out hardcore. Out of everyone, he believes me the fastest when I tell him that time won’t matter. And as soon as I explain things to him, he’s immediately turned all the panic into excitement. He’d drag me out and try to make friends despite me being like ‘uhm, you won’t be able to see them again once you go home so making friends is gonna be heartbreaking’ Nah, he doesn’t care. When someone mentions facebook in his friendship questing, I have to show him computers and facebook, and sign him up. He has like 100 friends the next day. He knows gossip about everyone in my neighborhood, and about people I’ve never heard of. He gets into TV hardcore. He particularly likes dramas, soap operas, comedies, and musicals. The comedy one is odd because he doesn’t get half of what’s supposed to be funny, he just likes the atmosphere of them. He stops me from researching a lot to try and get me to watch a movie with him. When I refuse too much he’d go out to a theater. Eventually he’s applying for jobs so he can go places with his friends. He’s basically started a new life within like 3 months. I ask him if he even wants to go home anymore, and he very genuinely and sentimentally tells me that he can’t wait to return home. He knows more celebrity gossip than I’ve known in my whole life. He knows more gossip about me than I know. When he finally does return home, everything in my community is disrupted. Who will they hire as a babysitter? Who will they get advice from for their woes? Who will help with the charity bake sale? Who will be the friend who you can ask to watch your dog while you’re away no matter how short of notice? WHO WILL CLIMB A TREE TO SAVE THE CAT AND ALSO MIRACULOUSLY SURVIVE THE FALL FROM SAID TREE?

Nobody knows, we only know that we will never be able to live life the same way again

Ariella is… an interesting one. She sees that she understands nothing of this world, and she’s angry about it. Why do we hug people when we see them after some time apart? What are we? Barbarians? And how can we speak in such a lax manner? Despicable. She will not hear of things like ‘different culture’ and ‘please calm down’ or even ‘it’s probably not super legal to carry around a real sword, oh gosh please stop’ NO, we are the ones who are wrong here. When I tell her that I’ll find a way to get her back, she feels satisfied with this, and somehow this is my actual job now. If I leave for work, it is cause for all kinds of scolding. How dare I.

Eventually, Ariella has decided that I’m one of the good ones, and there’s not so much scolding, though the sarcasm is more than I can handle anyways. She can never quite figure out how to interact with me in a way that makes me consistently happy, but she tries in her own way. She likes to go out on her own, and inevitably I follow from a distance. The world isn’t ready for her. I wasn’t ready for her. She discovers things like the news, and I show her how to use google, and soon she’s complaining to me about politics and certain laws that I had no idea existed. She does not notice when I have lost interest.

One day I catch her humming something from Disney, and refuses to answer how she knows it. Another day I hear her singing something from a screamo band. I never tell her that even though she’s singing it like a normal song, I’m well aware it’s from a screamo band.

She thinks running water is the most amazing thing in this world. She watches a lot of makeup tutorials once she discovers youtube. She likes to correct them in the comments. In the end I make her her own account so I don’t lose face. I avoid her a little bit, and she’s okay with this.

James is probably the least concerned about his new surroundings of anyone. He’s used to crap not making sense. He’s more surprised when he figures out it’s real, but still the most chill about this. He gets a job almost immediately, because he’s not okay with me supporting him. He decides his own rent after I keep refusing, and leaves money in my drawer. He’s fairly drawn to TV, but ends up doing a lot of research into his areas of interest. He rarely asks me direct questions and tries and figures things out on his own. After I’d taught him enough to use google, he actually used that for everything, and was the only one who grasped the concept quickly and stuck with it. This doesn’t mean he was at all good at understanding everything, as even google used a lot of terms he wasn’t familiar with, and inevitably I would find him struggling with something and just explain it in simple terms to him. He would always apologize for bothering me.

After some time he’d figure out that I’m not incredibly wealthy, and act a little more relaxed in some ways, realizing we’re essentially equals. He talks to me a lot more then, and lets me help him more. He starts doing all the yard work, and is really shocked when without prompting I give him permission to have a small garden. Tools like the lawn mower and such kind of frighten him, and at first he tries to avoid using them. With time he ends up really liking them.

He’s absolutely shocked when he learns that humans and animals are basically all there is. He keeps listing things like ‘centaurs’ and asking if they exist, and has no idea how to handle the fact that they don’t and never have. He finds it sad, and feels like they went extinct instead.

I would absolutely tell him that his feelings towards Ariella were mutual, and because he’d avoided mentioning a thing about his home to that point, he’d be very defensive and concerned for awhile, but eventually start asking questions. He’d start asking about if magic really didn’t exist here as he tried to figure out how I could know. I’d let him talk to me about everything he had to keep secret and complain as much as he wanted. He would resist at first, but he’d eventually do this quite often.

He ends up liking cars quite a bit, and is the only one who would be allowed to try and drive them, and aside from Kydin the only one who was very interested in them at all. Y’know, past the normal ‘oh gosh what is that’ stuff.

He’d be the only one to even suspect that I wrote his world and such, but honestly it’s only because I would only need to be open with him about it. He’s the only one who needs that kind of assurance that someone knows all the stuff he’s seen so he can speak freely about it. Ultimately he decides it’s something else though, because even though he’s the most open about being fiction, he ultimately can’t accept it. Particularly since he’s gone through such crap, and he can’t believe someone chilling on a couch with him showing him how to work netflix would be the one who did that.

#trintownsentill #OCs #Vio Speaks

1 note · View note

mstigergun · 8 years

Text

OC Kiss Week, “the temple of pride”

OC Kiss Week, Day Three! (”A Surprise Kiss”)

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE, JACK. So, Leonid Trevelyan and Tristran Lavellan (who I’ve chosen to run with in his alternate incarnation as Tristran Samahl from the Companion meme @neurotrophisfactors did -- linked earlier). On the one hand, this was hilarious to write, because Leonid is a bag of trash. On the other hand, Tristran is pure and good and Leonid is a corrupting force, and so I also felt slightly bad. Especially because of the blowjob joke at the end. OH WELL.

Set pre-Haven. All of the liberties taken with plot, lore, etc., etc., because I do what I want.

[~2500 words, because whoops]

the temple of pride

In his short and illustrious years, throughout which he has acquired no small amount of worldly knowledge, Leonid has come to realize several things.

The first is that everyone with a set of eyes and even a vague sense of what’s bound to be a good time will want to kiss him. Which is sensible, really: he’s always been wonderfully handsome, and he’s a great deal of fun, and even if the poor, beleaguered parties involved only manage to wrest a single kiss from him –

Ah, well. The stuff glorious memories are made of.

For them, really. Leonid can’t be bothered to remember all of the people he’s fucked, much less the innumerable number of people – from every blessed and wretched corner of Thedas – he’s kissed. In taverns or on street corners, in servants’ kitchens or on ballroom floors.

Once, he even kissed a city guard who thought Leonid’s public drunkenness was a little too drunken and much too public. Which had been all well and good: kissing while being very nearly arrested turned out to be as effective as a key to a lock in getting him out of trouble. Especially when kisses were followed with a terribly unsubtle mention of his family name and an additional… private moment or two.

So, yes. He understands that everyone would like to kiss him. Well, everyone with even a scrap of good taste.

The second thing Leonid realizes is that circumstance makes even the most circumspect of men a great deal more free in their affections. No one likes to be uncomfortable – which is why, in part, he’d been able to so efficiently fuck his way through Haven. A new man each night – sometimes more than one! – with what amounted to very little of Leonid’s usual eyelash fluttering and clever lines (or blunt suggestions that are inappropriate for any sort of public space, which has never stopped Leonid before – not once in his life).

When men are sad, or cold, or in unpleasant circumstance of any sort, Leonid is, he knows, the balm to that particular wound. He is a breath of fresh air, a sweet moment of amnesia and a reminder of much better things. It is, he has come to think, perhaps one of his life’s purposes: to be so truly spectacular a lover that he actually improves lives.

Why else would Andraste bless him with his face, or his particular talents? Her plan for the Herald was simple enough – save the world from being torn apart – and so Her plan for Leonid – save the world from being boring and save many men from not having a truly spectacular lover – might be less grand, true, but it is certainly no less important.

So, first, he understands that everyone would be fortunate to kiss him. Second, that misery – miserable places, wretched circumstance, ill-fitting clothes, a bad hand of cards – makes his particular abilities rather more effective.

And if ever he has been to a miserable place, the Forbidden Oasis is it: an Orlesian hellhole of rasping sand and too-bright skies that make sleeping off even part of a hangover impossible. The tunnels and pathways that twist around the oasis itself make as much sense as this whole blighted escapade, which is to say none. He nearly brings his own life to an inglorious halt when traversing a particularly rickety platform, and is only saved by the elf who’d been sent along to parse out whatever it is Solas’s stupid shards are for.

“Careful,” says the elf, his broad hand firm on Leonid’s bicep.

Leonid squints at him, his heart still fluttering from how very near he came – again – to falling from a ridiculous height and presumably breaking one of his limbs. The sun hangs in the sky behind Tristran, his ears a pair of broad and pointed shadows.

“I hardly need to be careful if you’re going to hover behind me and make sure I don’t die,” Leonid says, shrugging off the touch. “Which is, I can only assume, what we’re doing, as we haven’t gotten any closer to that blighted shard –” with an accusatory finger pointed to the glitter of light above them, on a platform that must require some sort of magic, or wings, or perhaps a gryphon, to reach – “in the past two hours of wandering around this Maker-forsaken dust pit.”

Tristran blinks his eyes, which, Leonid has to distantly admit, are a rather lovely golden brown, even in the shadows of the cliffs around them. Then, with a breezy sigh, “You caught me. It’s true: the shards are a ruse. The Herald really just wanted you to wander around, cursing and complaining, and I’m just here to keep you safe. With, you know,” he reaches one hand down, taps it against his leg, “my agility.”

Leonid snorts despite himself. He'd hate for the man to think he's funny, even if he is, but the endless hours of sunshine have addled Leonid’s brain and left him without his usual stoic good sense. A battle lost, then.

Leonid half-turns, casting a look toward the path below them. It had been full of Ventari earlier, before the Qunari mercenaries had cleared it out. “It’s why I’m testing you, with the nearly plunging to my death. Keep you on your toes. All five of them.”

“You’re too kind, Trevelyan. A paragon.” His voice is dry, but when Leonid glances back, Tristran’s mouth is tugged up at one corner. Amused.

“Yes, yes,” Leonid says with a wave of his hand, a little flush of pleasure prickling between his shoulders. “It’s not easy being this virtuous, you know. I can’t expect you to understand. All that time spent reading and writing reports – why, it’s a good thing you were paired with me today. How else would you understand what dutiful acquiescence looks like, when your nose is always buried in a book?”

“I can’t possibly imagine.”

A pause, as the pair of them look around the canyon, the curling pathways, the series of platforms and ladders that ultimately go nowhere..

“Maybe that tunnel?” Tristran suggests, leaning past Leonid to point at the dark space below them. And while the shadows are cool around them, he’s warm, as if he’s been baked in sunshine. Cured with firelight.

Leonid suppresses a little shiver. Instead, he nods. “So long as you deal with the spiders that will inevitably come crawling out of every blighted shadow. Do you know what spider innards do to my skin?”

And so onwards they go.

And although the elf doesn’t complain while they climb up and down what must be a hundred ladders, or while he does, indeed, kill a great number of giant spiders, or when they eventually retrieve the shard only to find that their way up cannot also be a way down and so spend the next hour sort out how to return to camp without, say, leaping on a passing giant and riding it toward the tents –

Well. Leonid knows what suppressed pain looks like. A tight mouth, twitching downward at its sides. Pale skin, even beneath all those freckles. Short and sharp breaths as they make their final walk toward camp. The merest hint of a limp.

And, really, Leonid thinks as he downs his ration of wine and sneaks around past the requisitions officer to get a second, he’s passable handsome, Tristran. Rather broad-shouldered for an elf. And he laughed at Leonid’s joke earlier by the fire, and so he must have at least an iota of good sense.

Leonid watches the researcher across the camp, feigning interest in the story one of the soldiers is regaling him with and being very careful to observe Tristran out of the corner of his eye as he downs his slightly sour wine. Tristran’s legs are stretched before him, one hand massaging the muscle just above his knee, the other paging thoughtfully through some dreadfully dusty tome.

“And so,” continues the soldier, “I told Bess not to fuss around with those ladders, not if she wanted us to be able to find our way back, but you know what Bess is like –”

“Hm.” He reaches out and plucks the soldier’s tin cup from her hand, replacing it with his empty vessel. “So you’ve said. In any case, I’ll be off. Things to do, you know. Letters. And things.”

She blinks up at him, but he’s on his feet and across the camp before her complaints about his thievery can reach him. Leonid edges around several of the small fires, sipping at his commandeered wine, until he draws to Tristran’s side.

“Just let me finish this passage,” says the elf, before Leonid can so much as get out a word. His finger – calloused, Leonid knows, and warm – traces a line of text, the skin of his forehead creasing with a thoughtful frown. Then, quiet and under his breath and said entirely and unacceptably to himself, “The spirit calmed, then elgar’arla, but…”

Maker help this sad elf. If ever there was a man in need of cheering, who could stand to be prised away from his blighted research and do something more fun than reading about lost elven temples and artifacts, then it is Tristran Samahl. And Leonid Trevelyan is quite naturally the one to do it. The fact that he rather likes the strength in Tristran’s hands, and the shape of his shoulders, and also is rather intrigued by his expressive mouth, is entirely beside the point.

“I need you for a moment,” says Leonid, plain. “Urgently.”

That wins his attention. “Of course,” Tristran says, closing his book and standing. The usual smile – slow and amused – is replaced with a more serious expression. Concerned. Noble, even.

Disgusting. If Leonid weren’t so inclined to be charitable, he might just shrug off the entire interaction.

But the night is young, and the next day bound to be as miserable as the last, and since the Qunari mercenaries are camped on the other side of the canyon – not, mind you, that he’s looking to repeat…

Leonid tilts his head to the side of camp, past a shallow brook to a small copse. Trees are few and far between in the wretched place, but do provide enough cover for a great number of things. As Leonid well knows. They splash across the water, climbing the small embankment to the trees, which curl into gnarled shadows around them.

Above, the sky is draped with stars – bright and cool after the blistering heat of the day. Leonid downs the last of his wine, tossing the cup at one of the trees. It pings off a low branch and thuds on the ground.

Tristran stands in the shadows, lined in the very distant light of the fire. His eyebrows inch up on his forehead. “So,” he starts.

“Shut up,” says Leonid, and then he steps forward and kisses Tristran, firm and certain. One hand catches the front of Tristran’s shirt, the other tucking itself firmly against the hot skin of his neck. For a moment, the world around them goes still – blessedly still – and the misery of the oasis dissolves into skin against skin, and warmth, and familiarity.

And just as Leonid is thinking that, even with the wooden leg, Tristran could very probably pin Leonid up against one of these trees, the elf pulls back.

“Right,” says Tristran, a little breathless. Leonid’s hand falls from his neck, and he squints at the elf in the dark. “This was, uh… Urgent?”

It’s said skeptically enough that Leonid feels heat flare underneath his skin, and not in the pleasant way.

“Well,” says Leonid. “Your leg hurts.”

The eyebrows crawl ever higher. The elf is all forehead. And shoulders, admittedly. And freckles, and broad hands. “It does that sometimes.” A beat, then, “Wait, are you – is this pity?”

“What?” asks Leonid, sharp. He scowls, blinking rapidly. “No, not at all! I don’t care about anyone else enough to pity them! But you’re in pain, and I’m bored because we’re stuck in the blighted desert in Orlais and –”

“You’re bored,” repeats Tristran.

Which is when Leonid remembers that, yes, while everyone wants to kiss him, and while people who are feeling especially down on their luck especially want to kiss him, there is a third truth he’s gleaned over the course of his illustrious youth: that things will invariably go sideways on him. And in this case sideways means kissing someone who doesn’t want to kiss you back, and then insulting him.

“Well, what,” Leonid cries, his hand dropping away. He folds his arms across his chest, something sour and stupid coiling beneath his ribs. Something fluttering and uncomfortable, like too many cups of coffee in the morning. “Did you expect me to say that I hauled you over here because I’ve fallen desperately in love with you after a day in the desert? That you’ve charmed me with your stupid books and jokes and swordplay?”

“Ah, no,” says Tristran, dry. “But then I wasn’t expecting you to haul me over here for a kiss either. Why? Have you fallen desperately in love with me after I valiantly saved your life?”

Leonid’s drawn half of a sharp breath with which to unleash a string of protestations when –

The elf’s stupid eyes are twinkling.

He finds this funny. He thinks –

“Oh, fuck off,” says Leonid, though the venom’s gone out of it. “I thought you could use a distraction.”

“As I said,” says Tristran, his lips in a lopsided grin as he leans easily against one of the trees, “you’re a paragon. So generous and thoughtful. Really, if I had to pick a word to describe you, it would be giving.”

Leonid snorts, rolling his eyes. But then –

It’s true that discomfort makes all the world more likely to seek comfort, and Leonid is unshockingly included in that. And the Forbidden Oasis is absolutely wretched, without anything resembling a redeeming trait beyond the fact that it’s not cold, and he hates wandering around looking for shards, and he hates how often he finds his thoughts settling on the Qunari mercenary camp, and –

His stare falls on Tristran again, steady. Thoughtful. “I can be giving,” Leonid says, slow. “And you did save my life today, even if it was mostly for your own battered sense of self-worth.”

“Right,” says Tristran, with a breathy laugh. “Really battered. I’m just standing over here, feeling sorry for myself. I wonder if anyone could help.”

Which is how Leonid ends up kissing him again. After all, one doesn’t just go around ignoring one’s calling.

Besides, if there is also a fourth thing Leonid knows, it’s this: when it comes to correcting a rare misstep, moving ever onward for the sake of his goals – namely, more men in his bed and fewer persistent thoughts of people he shouldn’t be thinking about – is always the better plan. After all, Leonid’s never had a hard time swallowing his pride when other, better things are on the table. Or in the desert. Whichever.

#ockiss17 #oc kiss week #tristran lavellan #leonid trevelyan #tana writes

5 notes · View notes