#Spring event

[qqmariztwsse]

Mar is hosting an event..

      𝐒p𝐫i𝐧g m𝐨m𝐞n𝐭s

     my birthday and 400 followers special!

Spring is the perfect season of earlier sunrises, long sunny days, first green leaves and the azure color of the sky...

Many of us admire the spring, but have we ever tried putting the feeling into something material?

Here I am, suggesting you a wonderful idea: to try making a moodboard that would represent your emotions, your admiration towards one particular moment of the season.

Be it a beautiful sunrise or a sunset, the first picnic at the park or the first time at the beach this year, there are plenty of beautiful moments to capture. The one to choose is totally up to you!

         J𝐨i𝐧i𝐧g

• Comment joining and the special moment you'll be representing;

• Reblog this post and tag at least 3 people. (the more, the better!)

        𝐑u𝐥e𝐬

• Firstly, as mentioned above, you must capture and represent something that reminds you of spring. (There are no rules or restrictions in this one, let your imagination fly!)

• Secondly, you must add a kpop idol into your moodboard. (Gg, bg, soloists - any is fine! But, of course, it will be appreciated if you add one of my faves 🤭 (no pressure!!))

• You must tag me in your entry and use the hashtag "#mar: spring moments".

• You can make only 1 entry, but editing/changing it before the deadline is allowed.

•If you can't choose one moment, you can combine a few in your moodboard.

❗No copying or stealing

<3 Please be nice to other participants and don't get discouraged if you didn't win!!

   The deadline is June 10th.

(Since all of us have different time zones, the event will end on 12 am of June 10th by the GMT -12 time zone.)

        P𝐫i𝐳e𝐬

🥇 100 reblogs, 5 moodboards and 5 sets of dividers (3 dividers per set), definitely a follow.

🥈 75 reblogs, 3 moodboards and 3 sets of dividers, a follow.

🥉 50 reblogs, 1 moodboard and a set of dividers.

Participation prize - 10 reblogs on your entry moodboard

All the prizes will take time to be done, so please be patient!

(All the moodboards and dividers will be posted on @qqmariztwsse, reblogs on @qqmarzalt)

        N𝐨t𝐞

This is my first event so far and I put quite a lot of effort into this !! I hope it's fun and enjoyable enough to participate in !

By the way, my birthday is May 28th!! That's why the event is also my birthday special.

Please don't let this flop😭

        T𝐚g𝐬 (sorry!!)

@snoopygirlie @luvcsbn

@dollywons @jaewsss @keketopia

@daddldee @aeraras @aericita @amourjake

@eun-luv @hyelita @yeownzn @fairynii

@rkkuri @jicito @wonjuii @riyahn

[herbeloved82]

A God Offered Love

Written with @complicitsacrilege for the event, this is also a gift for @shittyravencarcosa. Happy Birthday dear.

“We are not Gods.” 

A voice raised above those of beings as ancient as time itself, and silence fell among them. 

“We are not Gods,” the same voice repeated now that he had their full attention. “And we better stop behaving like their rules apply to us.” 

There was bitterness in his voice, and he had the eyes of someone who had seen too much. It was like a veil of resentment and regret clouded them and yet they were as clear as the sea or the sky on a beautiful winter morning. 

“You should stop fighting this, Marius.” 

Someone else spoke and addressed him with familiarity and a compassionate smile on his ageless face. As beautiful as the others, his skin showed the same quality as the purest marble. 

“Don’t patronize me.” 

“Then you should learn to listen.” The same man spoke again. “You fight something that you couldn’t accept when you were a mortal, and you are still fighting it. After so long, we are all worried about you.” 

The one called Marius looked around and for the first time he realized all the attention was on him, but not for what he said. No, there was something else, something that they were keeping hidden behind the walls in their minds. Marius didn’t like this. 

The silence where usually were words and colors and emotions was a clear indication that this wasn’t a casual meeting. This had been planned and Marius fell in their trap. He didn’t even know there was one and now it was too late. 

“Your care touches my undead heart, Khayman, but you shouldn’t worry.” He tried to say, but Khayman shook his head. 

“You have been alone too long, Marius. Eternity shouldn’t be spent alone.” 

Marius shook his head, tired. How many times did he listen to the same words? How many times have they been spoken by people who couldn’t even imagine the true meaning of loneliness? 

Once again he let his eyes wander and he saw the reason why they couldn’t understand. 

In a corner, away from the others, lost in each other’s eyes stood Seth and Fareed. So close no one could really say where one ended and the other began. They overcame the silence of their minds by talking to each other, always. The Gods of medicine they were called, and to them people prayed in hope to be healed. 

Then there were Teshkhamen and Mael. So different and yet close, they weren’t together like Seth and Fareed who were married in front of the Queen and King, bound together by choice and love, and yet they were close. Together they were venerated as those who brought harvest after the harshest winters.

Then Maharet and Mekare, the sisters who dared to stand to Enkil and Akasha and who paid the highest price. Their names were called by those who wanted to know magic and see the future, without understanding what their true power really was and that there was a price to pay to know thighs that were beyond human’s comprehension. 

Today even Rhoshamandes and Benedict, the youngest of them all, turned for his beauty and beloved by many, were there. Marius should have known something was going on when he saw them there. 

They lived apart from them all. Gentle Benedict was worshiped as God of music as Rhoshamandes was called upon when peace was needed above everything else. For them to be there, whatever it was that the others planned, it had to be big. 

Marius was the one always alone. A guardian, a mentor, a scholar but not a creator anymore, not since the moment he had lost Pandora and Bianca, who walked away from him when he had failed to give them what they wanted the most. 

He couldn’t open his heart to them, couldn’t allow them to see the darkness that dwelled in his soul. That led them to believe he didn’t trust them. Resentments grew inside them and so they left without looking behind. Truth was, they were right. He hadn’t trusted them with his secrets and they walked away before he could cause even more damage with his actions than what was already there.

“What is this all about?” He finally asked, when his eyes dropped on the ground and he felt the long years of his immortality fall upon his shoulders. He was tired, oh so tired.

“Your name has been called.” The sisters spoke at once. The echo of their power filling the room. 

“The wisdom of war, when peace is not an option, has been summoned.” Rhoshamandes carried on. 

“The hope to save lives of innocents by punishing the guilty had been requested.” Even Seth and Fareed spoke this time, and Marius knew he couldn’t deny the call. 

“Someone had been offered to you, already.” Teshkhamen finished for them. 

His maker, the one lover who helped him to understand his true nature, his friend, the one he couldn’t deny. 

“Will you answer the call?” The sisters asked, like there was any other answer than yes. Of course he would. It was his obligation, after all, even if his rebellious nature, for just a second, had wanted to say no, to walk away and never care again about what humans did to each other. 

“I will answer the call.” Marius said, for they all demanded a vocal answer from him. 

Their words bound them to actions. 

///

The temple was dark and it deeply smelled of incense and beeswax. It was comforting, like something familiar that one forgot for too long, and yet it was always there, in the back of your mind. His light steps didn’t make any sound as his presence didn’t disturb the quiet of the place. 

The young man there, his offering, dressed in the finest garments of his people, lay on the softest furs that smelled of smoke and pine. A night in winter and a feast only for Marius to devour. 

Did he know what his fate was? Marius wondered. Did his people tell him what was supposed to happen tonight? Was he here willingly or was he forced to accept to be a sacrifice to someone who wasn’t a God but a Monster walking among humans? 

Benedict had been willing. Only those among them who were luckiest met their eternal mates when they offered themselves by choices that weren’t forced or extorted with manipulation. What would be his story? Would Marius find someone he could be himself be, or would their tale be a tragedy? 

Those were the questions that swirled in his mind as he approached the one who was given to him, and he still didn’t realize Marius was even there, covered by the shadows and protected by his own powers. 

Marius took his time to watch the offering. So beautiful, like one of those angels painters loved to represent, with his curly and auburn hair surrounding his face like a halo. Divine, Marius thought, and for the first time he allowed hope to enter his heart. 

“I know you are there, my lord.” 

His voice was like a balm on a wound that Marius didn’t know he carried. The moment the young man spoke, Marius felt the spell of his presence call to him. It was like nothing he’d ever felt before, in all the long years of his life. 

“I hope I satisfy you, my numen. I am yours for you to do with as you will.” 

How could this man, this human, know he was there? 

Feeling exposed and not seeing reasons to hide any longer Marius stepped into the ring of light created by the burning candles that surrounded the furs where his offering was. The man smelled like expensive fragrances and oils that made his hair shine like they were kissed by the moonlight. 

“My name is Marius, young one. I’m no God, or numen. All I am is a monster in disguise.” He stopped before he could start with one of his long tirades, controlling himself for the first time since he could remember his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. “What is your name, beautiful one?” 

The young man looked shocked for only a moment, before his piercing eyes locked to Marius’ and a small, knowing smile appeared on his face. 

“My name is Andrei, my Lord, and you are the beautiful one.” The flirtatious smile that curved the corners of his plump lips spoke volumes of how used Andrei was to seduce with his mere presence. Marius was smitten by him, so deeply he was already affecting him that Marius struggled to recognize himself. 

Marius chose to ignore that for now at least. It would be so easy to fall for the siren before him, but something told him that to wait would be the key in this strange chess game he found himself forced to play. 

“And tell me, Andrei, what do you know about what will happen tonight?” 

Andrei replied without missing a beat, “You will make me yours in whatever way pleases you.” He shifted in the furs to expose more of his body. Though he was covered head to toe in traditional garments made of the finest embroidered silk, he had been trained well enough to seduce that he may as well be wearing nothing at all.

“You will be mine, yes, for I am too weak to resist you, and yet I wonder if you really know what will happen after. What do you know of us so-called Gods?” 

Marius moved a few more steps, enough to tower over Andrei, close and yet too distant. 

Even his smell was made to lure Marius in. It was like Andrei was created for him and him alone. 

Under the delicate scents of woods and flowers, Marius could recognize something that was unique. A mixture of cinnamon and copper. It was his blood that called to Marius, and that blood he would have. 

It was strange for Marius to admit weakness, however he knew he couldn’t hide himself from Andrei, not if he wanted a chance at what Seth and Fareed shared. Jealousy was never a part of him, and yet those two awoke inside him a beast he wasn’t sure he could tame. 

For a brief second the memory of Bianca and Pandora, walking away from him, their backs turned for the last time, entered his mind. 

He couldn’t make the same mistakes, no matter how high the price to pay, and yes, his pride was the biggest of his sins.     

   “I know that the only others who have been offered and accepted by the gods have ascended beyond what this world has to offer.” His eyes glinted in the firelight, fearless, yet in his mind the knowledge that he would die was clear. He was offering his body so that his soul could be accepted by a god.

Marius never heard such magnificent words used to describe something that was impossible to understand. 

Andrei was a true believer and that worried Marius, for he knew how easy it was to destroy someone who believed in the idea of them but didn’t know about their true nature. 

Marius had known someone, a long time ago, before he was casted away, forced to live as a renegade by his own kind, who had taken advantage of those who really believed.

Santino was someone he tried not to think about, and yet now, in this sacred place, made stronger by the people’s prayers, he could feel his foul influence. Marius hated it like he had hated him when they first met. His maker had even ended himself when he realized what he had created, however Santino lived and he became the first opposition their kind ever had. As Seth and Fareed were Gods of medicine and healing, Santino became God of illness and destruction. 

If Marius had to be honest with himself, he would have loved to destroy Santino once and for all. But their laws stood, the ones created by the sisters, and so Santino was untouchable, until the moment he posed a real threat to them. Only then his fate would be fulfilled.  

However, something in those words pushed him to come even closer and he sat on the edge of the furs without touching that tempting body that was his for the taking. 

Marius would have loved to be stronger, or even just wiser. He knew he should find the words to make Andrei really understand that the ascension he was talking about was in truth death. It wasn’t a reward, but it could turn into a punishment. 

Then Fareed and his dark eyes came to his mind, and the moment he had joined them by Seth’s side. 

He had been the same as Andrei. Sure of what he thought he knew, strong in his belief that this life, the eternity his mate gave him, was what he was born to embrace. Fareed was happy and he made Seth happy. Could it be possible for Marius to find the same in Andrei, and for him to make Andrei feel the same?      

  Andrei leaned in closer, hesitant to close the distance between them completely - to touch a god without permission surely was a sin. He lifted his trembling fingers to reach out to touch the soft fabric of Marius’ tunic.

Slowly, he brushed his fingers down the unfamiliar texture, captivated by it momentarily. The touch was so featherlight, it was barely noticeable.

Marius watched, intrigued, as Armand moved his fingers upon his clothes. So normal it was for him to wear them, that he forgot how foreign they could look in the eyes of someone who came from a different land. 

There was hesitation in his movements, but also bravado. Marius didn’t give him permission to touch and yet the young man did, because he wanted to. 

If there was something he loved in another man was the fire burning in their veins. Untamed and wild. That was why he could never love Pandora and Bianca like they deserved. 

“Can I touch you?” He asked when Andrei stopped, unable to let this moment go. He wanted, no, he needed for this to never end. 

Andrei’s deep brown eyes gazed up at Marius from under his lashes, seeming to draw him in. Without answer, the boy’s hand reached for Marius’. His fingers were hot when they brushed the back of his hand, and he allowed Andrei to lift it to his own cheek.

He only broke their gaze to press his forehead to Marius’ knuckles as though in praise.

Marius once again allowed his eyes to follow every of his movements. Curious and yet somehow distant. He couldn’t remember when it had been the last time he had touched a mortal. Marius knew of his strength, passed to him through the blood of his maker and trained on the battlefield when the war came and almost destroyed them all. Andrei was so fragile, so delicate in many ways and Marius’ heart broke thinking he would have to cause pain to such a divine creature. 

Following Andrei’s example, he took Andrei’s hand in his own, marveling about their difference in size. Andrei was compact and solid, but his frame was so much smaller than his own. Strength and delicacy in the same, tempting body, a jubilation of opposite attributes that made a perfect whole. 

Andrei’s heart raced in his chest, the blood pumping hard, even in his fingertips. His breath seemed to have caught in his chest, as though he’d forgotten how to breathe the moment their skin touched.

Marius was assaulted by the most alluring scent he ever smelled before. 

He could hear Andrei’s heart, echoing in his ears as the sound of drums of war, calling to Marius on his more basic instincts. 

To conquer and take. To make him his. To satisfy the hunger that his mere presence awoke inside the deepest part of his dark soul. 

Copper and cinnamon. Fresh and metallic at the same time. Like an animal Marius scented his prey and decided there was nothing else he could do, but to devour him. 

Marius moved and Andrei’s human eyes had no chance to see what he was doing, until he found himself on his lap, his mouth covered by Marius’ lips. Ice and fire brought together by passion. 

Marius’ mouth was hard as it pressed against Andrei’s lips in a demanding kiss, and the boy yielded under him.

His sharp fangs pierced the plump flesh and Marius tasted his blood for the first time. 

It was like the most expensive ambrosia, clouding his senses, enslaving him to Andrei’s pleasure when the boy gasped in surprise. 

One of his hands traveled along one of his legs and when the delicate silk covering him became an obstacle, Marius used his sharp claws to tear through it. Then, with the garments laid around their bodies, a ruined offering on the altar of lust, Marius once again moved Andrei like his body weighed nothing, until the boy was on his back and Marius’ hands on his now naked thighs. 

With just an ounce of his true strength Marius grazed his claws along Andrei’s thighs, creating patterns of ruby red blood against the paleness of his skin. Andrei cried out at the sharp pain, trying to writhe away from it.

Marius could hear the shock and fear racing through the boy’s mind, yet he held him in place and only stopped when he reached the delicate skin of his inner thighs, close to his manhood, now half hard. 

Merely a moment was allowed to Andrei to recover from the shock before Marius bent over him, like an eagle would do with his chosen prey. 

With his cold tongue he began to lap at every drop of blood he caused to spill. Andrei tasted as delicious as he smelled and Marius wondered, not for the first time, if it was possible that this creature was born to be his. Then any thought was erased from his mind and his senses focused only on Andrei. 

His taste. His scent. Even his fear called to Marius and Marius couldn’t ignore the call. 

For every red line he left behind, his tongue bathed him clean, until pink lines remained behind to indicate what his flesh endured.

“We take pleasure in different ways, you and I, beautiful one.” Marius said, his lips stained by Andrei’s blood. 

There were tears in Andrei’s eyes, yet he didn’t dare to deny Marius what he knew was rightfully his. He didn’t seem to be able to answer, however, as he writhed in Marius’ grip.

“I can give pleasure to your human body, and when all will be done, you’ll learn of the highest pleasure you ever felt.” 

Finally, Andrei’s eyes, pupils blown wide with fear and adrenaline, met Marius’. His mind was in chaos, having had every preconception of what it meant to be an offering broken in mere seconds. Yet, instead of backing down from what he believed to be his sacred duty, Andrei seemed to steel himself to nod.

“Yes, my lord, I am yours. I will take what you are willing to give me.”

Everything, Marius’ thought. Everything Andrei could ever want or need. He only had to say the word and Marius would do everything in his power to make it happen. 

But those words never reached his mouth. They were spoken aloud, for they were for Marius to know and for Andrei to learn, with time, of the power he had over him. 

Instead he licked his right hand and used it to wrap around Andrei’s cock and the boy arched into his hand. He seemed hesitant to take his eyes off of Marius, but when he began to move his hand, stroking his thumb over the tip, Andrei’s head tipped back into the furs under him.

The boy’s skin flushed with arousal as Marius’ hand began to move with a slow rhythm, as though to draw out as much of Andrei’s pleasure as he could with each stroke.

It was a curious thing to see the human’s pleasure building in him. The way his small hands fisted in the furs, knuckles going white as he bit his lip to restrain himself.

A soft sound of pleasure escaped Andrei’s lips as Marius twisted his hand to spread a drop of precum from the tip.

Marius drank in every noise Andrei made, never allowing the boy a moment to control himself. He wanted to see him falling apart, to reach highs he never met before. He wanted everything he had to offer and more. 

The night, so quiet before, echoed with this siren song of his all too human heart. Marius couldn’t resist and the scent of arousal only grew as Andrei’s breath came in short gasps and he bucked his hips under Marius’ hand. 

Marius’ rhythm became more broken as he had to make sure not to hurt Andrei when the first drops of cum fell on his hand. 

To watch his pleasure to find relief, knowing it was him who gave this to Andrei was enough to break what little resolve he still had. 

If things were different and Andrei wasn’t his offering, Marius would love to think he would have given Andrei the choice, or at least time to know what was waiting for him. Now, both of them were powerless in front of what was to come. 

Andrei was a sacrifice, Marius was the God that had to accept it in front of his kin, there was nothing in between. No choice offered or taken, no way for this to end in any other way but with Marius offering him the dark gift and eternity by his side. 

Lost in those dark thoughts of regret and longing, Marius felt more than heard, the moment Andrei reached pleasure. The hoarse cry that echoed in the silence of the temple turned into pain when Marius held Andrei’s body to his chest and sank his fangs in the delicate skin covering the veins of his throat.

Then he drank, and with every mouthful of the precious nectar, he brought Andrei closer and closer to death, only to offer him something else, something more. Vaguely, he was aware of Andrei’s fingers grasping at his back, but he only drank more deeply.

When his heart was weak but still beating, Marius let him go for just a moment, long enough to slash the side of his own neck open with one of his claws. Then, gently, like he was holding the most precious of all treasure in the world, he guided Andrei closer with one hand cupping the back of his head.

His ancient blood, for the first time shared out of a love so great Marius could feel it blossoming in his soul, touched the pale lips, but for a moment nothing happened. 

“Drink, beautiful one, and become one with me.” 

A prayer from a God to a sacrifice, something that was never heard before in the walls of this temple. It was enough to move Andrei’s heart into accepting what Marius was freely offering.

Oh how easily did their roles turn, Marius thought as Andrei latched onto his neck, as though he knew the blood was the one thing that would give him a new life. A new beginning they could share. 

The God and the offer. 

The Sacrifice and the acceptance.

One like never before. 

One for eternity and beyond. 

Away from prying eyes the sacred rite was performed and Andrei’s fear seemed to burn away with every mouthful of the blood that passed his lips. He gripped Marius tighter, pressing himself as close as he could, as though the blood he drank could make them become one being.

It was when their hearts beat as one that Marius felt the swoon hit him. It burned through his veins, as Andrei drank mouthful after mouthful, making Marius’ heart pound in his chest.

The sensation was one Marius rarely ever felt from sharing his own blood with another, and though he was loath to do so, he pulled Andrei back, tugging him away to break the connection with a gasp.

The boy’s eyes were dazed, and his lips coated in blood, which Marius couldn’t resist to kiss away. The taste of himself on Andrei’s lips only drove his hunger as he kissed Andrei deeply.

The moment the kiss was broken, Marius pressed his lips to the unbitten side of Andrei’s throat, leaving a smear of blood on his pale skin. Without hesitation, he bit down once more, and the boy whined as blood was drawn from him once again.

Their pleasure only seemed to grow with each exchange of blood that followed, until finally Andrei’s body had given in to the blood and he began to die in Marius’ arms, unable to drink anymore.

He gasped softly, and Marius could hear his heart slowing as he shifted to carry the weight of Andrei’s body as he died. The boy’s thoughts were confused and frightened, but Marius only stroked his hair.

“Let it go, beautiful Andrei. Give yourself to me, as I gave myself to you. Come to me in your new life.” 

Andrei was unable to speak as finally, his heart failed to beat again, but he gave one final gasp before going limp in Marius’ arms.

It didn’t take long for life to return to him, however, and as his body changed, Andrei woke once more, digging sharpening nails into Marius’ back.

Marius laughed softly, fears evaporating with every breath Andrei took. 

“You are a feisty one.” He said and his voice was light and harmonious, so different from the usually composed and cold tone he had with others. 

Andrei finally lifted his head as Marius spoke, raising curious eyes to take in the sight of his sire, and Marius couldn’t help but kiss his soft lips once more. His lips were pricked by the growing fangs in Andrei’s mouth as the boy kissed him back in return, as though to chase the taste of blood on his tongue.

Only when the sun grew too close to the horizon were they forced to interrupt the intimacies of kisses and whispered words shared between them as Marius took Andrei in his arms once more. 

“Do you trust me,” he asked, and waited for Andrei’s answer, fighting his own instincts that were screaming at him to take his precious Andrei away from harm, where the sun couldn’t reach them.  

Tiredly, as though the weight of the sun were the weight of the world upon his eyelids, Andrei nodded, nestling closer to Marius’ chest.

Only then did Marius use his powers to lift them up into the clouds, towards the villa he owned nearby. 

There he took Andrei, now almost unconscious, to the one secret room he never shared before, where his coffin was hidden, to keep him safe. 

Today it had another task - to keep Andrei safe from the world itself, if necessary. 

Marius never learned how to share and he wasn’t going to start now, not with Andrei. 

And once they were safely inside their coffin, Marius allowed himself to relax into sleep, with his fledgling in his arms.

END 

[complicitsacrilege]

More fun for the @deromanuscoven Spring Event 😈

Day 4: I want only your love or death.

Written by @herbeloved82 and me.

Find it on Ao3 here!

He could read it in Louis’ mind. He’d lost him again. Armand knew that Louis was never his to begin with, but over the years, they’d grown comfortable with one another. But now, there was a distance between them that Armand had felt before.

It didn’t help that Lestat was more than happy to be open with his lavish displays of affection for his all too indifferent partner, but the evening that neither Lestat nor Louis had so much as shown their faces before midnight, that was when Armand knew that he was alone once again.

Lestat had descended from his ivory tower to grace them with his presence. Even without the ability of reading his thoughts any longer, Armand didn’t have to pry to see the Prince’s smug expression, but it was the scent of something unnatural still running through his veins that told him what had happened. Louis slunk down to read in the library several minutes later, carrying that same unnatural scent.

Armand had smelled it a handful of times at court - more and more, now that their doctors in residence had time to experiment with perfecting the delicate balance. He knew that the open offer was there, yet, Armand never sought out Seth or Fareed to try it, but now, watching the way that Lestat draped himself across Louis’ lap, their cheeks still flushed, Armand had decided now was the time.

Only, there was no one with which he could. Not with Louis back to being Lestat’s pet or Daniel taking time alone in Rio, now that he seemed well enough to do so. That was when he overheard Chrysanthe’s voice. He glanced up, peering down the hall that led to the salon from which the sound of Marius’ laugh drifted over the sound of a crackling fire.

Armand’s eyes narrowed fractionally as he listened closer to the words. It was nothing of import - nothing that he and Marius hadn’t discussed countless times in the past. History. Politics. And yet, as Marius laughed again, Armand could hear the soft rustle of fabric as one of them must have gestured or moved closer.

Part of him wanted to look into the room, to walk in as though he hadn’t noticed that they were even there, but instead, he simply sat on the other side of the library, glaring at Lestat, who was now nipping at Louis’ jaw. It was a battle he would never win, for once Louis’ attention was elsewhere, not even the end of the world could draw him out of his shell.

And yet, there was the smallest crack in Louis’ facade as he tipped his head closer to Lestat’s for a kiss.

That was enough.

Armand stood quickly and stormed out of the room, leaving the library, but he stopped on his way to the salon when he saw Seth and Fareed approaching from the other side of the hall. Dressed alike, as always, it was Seth who carried an ornate looking wooden box and Fareed glancing toward the salon, from which the sound of Marius and Chrysanthe’s conversation continued.

Seth and Armand’s eyes met for only a moment, but it was Armand who looked away first, shying away from the weight of his dark gaze. Armand drifted to one side of the hall, yet they did not move to pass him, instead entering the salon before Armand could even see inside of it.

Fareed’s voice immediately joined Marius and Chrysanthe’s, and from his tone, he seemed pleased with what he saw. “Marius, Chrysanthe,” a brief pause, in which Armand could practically feel himself bristling. “It’s good to see you about, we were getting worried. We need our prime minister after all.”

“It is my duty to help our Prince.” Marius said with a detached voice that had little in common with the laugh that still echoed in Armand’s mind. It was like something switched off inside Marius, but the difference was clear. Marius had no interest in small talk with the doctor, yet the sound of his laugh with Chrysanthe told another story entirely.

Armand had always been his own worst enemy, and right now his mind was conjuring the worst possible scenario. He knew what was in the nice box Seth carried, what else could it be if not the triple cursed hormones? 

Armand found himself grinding his teeth. He could taste the metallic taste of his blood in his mouth as he imagined Marius accepting the box from Seth, a gentle and enigmatic smile on his too expressive face as he nodded towards Chrysanthe. 

He could see her delicate hand wrapped around Marius’ arms as they walked to his bedrooms, where they would - no. Absolutely no, he decided, he wasn’t going to stay around to see them leaving together. He was done for the night. 

Those were his thoughts when he walked away and left the main floor with its too many happy couples. 

-----

Read the rest here!

[finishwhatyoustarted-event]

Event Start!

It's officially March 1st, so our efforts to Finish What We Started begin now!

Feel free to reblog or reply with what you intend to work on for the event ✨

[theblackphoenixwritings]

-Beloved by the god of love

Marius/Armand - 700 words

There were so many things that I had never wanted to accept, others that I had never wanted to confront except in the depths of my own self, disavowing every word shortly thereafter. I knew those words were the truth, though, I knew it by the way they scratched and tore at the flesh of my soul. If there is anything I have always excelled at, after burying my true self in this darkness, it is wearing an immaculate mask. No emotion, no exaggerated movement, no word out of place, flat, solid, sterile and cruel. I had lost the taste for everything that seemed ephemeral, joy, love, trust and warmth. Oh I knew these things were not ephemeral at all, on the contrary, but how could I have accepted what I was undergoing if not like this? How could I not have felt immense shame in the face of this truth? I am a coward, I allowed myself to submit in the end, and all only because I did not want to resign myself. Not so much to death, but to loss. I didn't want to resign myself to walking in a world where there was no longer the warmth of the embrace of strong arms cloaked in red, or of gentle smiles, or of blond hair, which incredibly gathered light, so much so that it turned into a cascade of gold.

Of gentle hands, and words of love, or of words that are hard, but at the same time true, and for that reason in those moments, so hated by my rebellious and touchy spirit. I didn't want and won't resign myself to a world where what for me is and always will be the embodiment of love no longer exists. They call me Armand, something that resonates like a warrior's name, but resonates so hollowly within me. I look at these candles and their flames bending and not surrendering to the drafts of the wind, and I hate myself even more. Even the candles can resist what tries to bend them, they stay true to that flame of love, to that light…. What about me? I traded myself to exist. Would you laugh Master at my stubbornness? Or as I fear would you look at me with contempt or even fear? Who is this creature cloaked in black, filthy and cruel, dragging his immortality into the shadows unable to re-embrace the light? Who is this cruel creature who again hides in the bowels of the earth behind a wooden cross, looking for a God, who he knows cannot be here. No, the god of love is not here, he died out somewhere among the black waters of a canal on a night of silent stars.

Then why within me does this duel not cease and I do not know how to surrender to this fate? It is as if I know it is not so, and as if I am waiting for your return Master. Little does all this filth and darkness matter, I know it, it's not the first time I've felt it or experienced it. Little matter… If after all this, I can return to you, to that love that saved me, healed me, and confronted me, challenged me even, that made me better, that blurred image of the boy I was, is here, waiting to come back into focus. It waits for that boy who loves god, waits for his Master, his god of love.

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" My child." Even in the deepest sleep, there is no voice or words that could reach me and bring me to the moment that passes away. So many moments have slipped away, passed away, and much of what we insist on holding on to is what made us happy. To be able to reach out a hand again and feel it rest, on his marble skin, or to look at his sweet, compassionate blue eyes, or the unfolding of his lips into a smile, or being able to rest my lips on his blond hair and my arms around his strong shoulders, are all part of those happy moments that were. And which are now back, because my heart is open and throbbing, and my love has poured out again again like a clear stream, toward him, my Master, my god of love. Marius.

[unvale-io]

April showers bring May flowers. And the warm weather means chilling outside together…for a picnic!!

Grab those OCs because it’s time to go to our next event, the #UVPicnic!

We’re doing another big collaborative art piece like event and this time it’s for Spring!! Bring your OCs down to the big UnVale Picnic where they can smell some flowers, hangout on a blanket, and relax with other OCs in the community!

Here’s how to join in!

Create an illustrated piece of your OC(s) ready for spring/a picnic.

They could be wearing a spring-like outfit, sitting on a blanket, eating a snack, cooking at a grill, and more!

Images must have transparent backgrounds to be included in the collaborative image!

If you have an old piece that fits this event theme you can also use it here as well.

After uploading your piece to UnVale put the hashtag #UVPicnic on the OC page!

Remember that it won’t work if you just do it on the individual image! Put it directly on the OC page so it shows up when you search the hashtag!

The deadline to submit your work is May 27th, 2024! Then there will be a grand reveal with the big final collaborative piece revealed on May 31st, 2024!

So excited to share a fun, digital, day out with all of your OCs! It’s gonna be a fun, maybe a little chaotic, time! 🌷🧺🌼

And if your OC has seasonal allergies…please send them with their medications 😅

[deromanuscoven]

𝑺𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑭𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝑫𝒂𝒚 𝟏 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬 -

1.𝑭𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝑮𝒐𝒅

2.𝑽𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒚

(or both!)

[genevieve-wranmyer]

She was a good girl. She’d always been a good girl. She didn’t understand this. She didn’t know why there were masters being put in the cells. If it were one or two, she might have thought they’d done something bad. It wasn’t just one or two. It was every kind soul that she’d encountered on the island. And then there was Alex with his head held high as the guards forced him into the cold cells that she often ran to him to escape. She warily moved towards him, not knowing what was being prepared for them all above. “Are you okay?” She knelt down, hand reaching for Alex’s own. The sun had just begun to rise. It was far too early for so many to be awake.

@alexanderblackxlust​

[the-gooz-of-power]

Morro has me deceased

OH, MORRO, MY BELOVED

im participating in the morro spring event from the morrotober account (https://www.tumblr.com/morrotober/747151899604729856/rules?source=share) and BOI I HAVE SPENT WEEKS PRACTICING FLOWERS JUST TO GET TO MAKING THE PIECE AND STRUGGLING BECAUSE I HAVENT PRACTICED ENOUGH SOMEHOW

I HAVE BEEN DRAWING FLOWERS ON IT TO TRY AND MAKE IT LOOK RIGHT FOR WHAT NOW IS A TOTAL OF FIVE HOURS BETWEEN TODAY AND TOMORROW

he looks so pretty tho.. FOR THE EVENT I AM COLLABING WITH MY BEAUTIFUL AMAZING AND TALENTED SON @astapasta69 Our pieces complement each other it's gonna be so cool!

[herbeloved82]

Love or Death

Written with @complicitsacrilege

Read it on AO3

He could read it in Louis’ mind. He’d lost him again. Armand knew that Louis was never his to begin with, but over the years, they’d grown comfortable with one another. But now, there was a distance between them that Armand had felt before.

It didn’t help that Lestat was more than happy to be open with his lavish displays of affection for his all too indifferent partner, but the evening that neither Lestat nor Louis had so much as shown their faces before midnight, that was when Armand knew that he was alone once again.

Lestat had descended from his ivory tower to grace them with his presence. Even without the ability of reading his thoughts any longer, Armand didn’t have to pry to see the Prince’s smug expression, but it was the scent of something unnatural still running through his veins that told him what had happened. Louis slunk down to read in the library several minutes later, carrying that same unnatural scent.

Armand had smelled it a handful of times at court - more and more, now that their doctors in residence had time to experiment with perfecting the delicate balance. He knew that the open offer was there, yet, Armand never sought out Seth or Fareed to try it, but now, watching the way that Lestat draped himself across Louis’ lap, their cheeks still flushed, Armand had decided now was the time.

Only, there was no one with which he could. Not with Louis back to being Lestat’s pet or Daniel taking time alone in Rio, now that he seemed well enough to do so. That was when he overheard Chrysanthe’s voice. He glanced up, peering down the hall that led to the salon from which the sound of Marius’ laugh drifted over the sound of a crackling fire.

Armand’s eyes narrowed fractionally as he listened closer to the words. It was nothing of import - nothing that he and Marius hadn’t discussed countless times in the past. History. Politics. And yet, as Marius laughed again, Armand could hear the soft rustle of fabric as one of them must have gestured or moved closer.

Part of him wanted to look into the room, to walk in as though he hadn’t noticed that they were even there, but instead, he simply sat on the other side of the library, glaring at Lestat, who was now nipping at Louis’ jaw. It was a battle he would never win, for once Louis’ attention was elsewhere, not even the end of the world could draw him out of his shell.

And yet, there was the smallest crack in Louis’ facade as he tipped his head closer to Lestat’s for a kiss.

That was enough.

Armand stood quickly and stormed out of the room, leaving the library, but he stopped on his way to the salon when he saw Seth and Fareed approaching from the other side of the hall. Dressed alike, as always, it was Seth who carried an ornate looking wooden box and Fareed glancing toward the salon, from which the sound of Marius and Chrysanthe’s conversation continued.

Seth and Armand’s eyes met for only a moment, but it was Armand who looked away first, shying away from the weight of his dark gaze. Armand drifted to one side of the hall, yet they did not move to pass him, instead entering the salon before Armand could even see inside of it.

Fareed’s voice immediately joined Marius and Chrysanthe’s, and from his tone, he seemed pleased with what he saw. “Marius, Chrysanthe,” a brief pause, in which Armand could practically feel himself bristling. “It’s good to see you about, we were getting worried. We need our prime minister after all.”

“It is my duty to help our Prince.” Marius said with a detached voice that had little in common with the laugh that still echoed in Armand’s mind. It was like something switched off inside Marius, but the difference was clear. Marius had no interest in small talk with the doctor, yet the sound of his laugh with Chrysanthe told another story entirely.

Armand had always been his own worst enemy, and right now his mind was conjuring the worst possible scenario. He knew what was in the nice box Seth carried, what else could it be if not the triple cursed hormones? 

Armand found himself grinding his teeth. He could taste the metallic taste of his blood in his mouth as he imagined Marius accepting the box from Seth, a gentle and enigmatic smile on his too expressive face as he nodded towards Chrysanthe. 

He could see her delicate hand wrapped around Marius’ arms as they walked to his bedrooms, where they would - no. Absolutely no, he decided, he wasn’t going to stay around to see them leaving together. He was done for the night. 

Those were his thoughts when he walked away and left the main floor with its too many happy couples. 

***  

Armand was furious, even if he wouldn’t admit why. On the outside, if anyone would be brave enough to cross his path when he was in one of his moods that only Eleni would recognize, they would see fury burning in his brown eyes, but that was all the concession to his emotions he would show to the world. 

Inside, he wasn’t ready to admit why the turmoil of his own emotions was hitting like a maelstrom. Was he really alone? He thought, was this the end for any shred of tentative hope he was foolish enough to allow to grow in the darkness of his own heart, that maybe one day the distance between himself and Marius could be filled? 

If Marius was with Chrysanthe Armand needed to know. So that he could erase any semblance of affection towards his maker and close his heart to him once and for all. 

As vampires they were unchanging creatures in an always changing world. Attached to their own habits so as not to lose themselves, Armand knew there was only one place where he could find the answers he needed; Marius’ study, the one place that really was his sanctuary. 

The one place where he always kept what was most important to his heart. 

The study smelled like ink and parchment, like pigments of old times and watercolor. Armand wasn’t ready for this to be the same smell that had been so dear to him in Venice, when his Maestro would work for hours on his paintings while the boys focused on their studies. The need to run was strong, but not enough to distract Armand from the reason why he was there. 

He entered the room with caution, almost like he feared to be attacked there. The door was closed behind him with an almost inaudible click and Armand took a few, tentative steps inside, unsure for the first time. 

He was there, and now what? 

On the desk, in a beautiful silver frame that was nothing like anything else in the castle, Armand saw a picture of Daniel, taken on the beach under the moonlight. Daniel looked serene, at peace with himself and the world. The telling smile on his lips spoke volumes of the trust he had in the person taking the picture. 

Then Armand’s heart, slow beating as was common for their kind, threatened to give up completely. 

Among papers filled with new laws and fragments of the history of their species, Armand saw familiar faces sketched on expensive books. Page after page filled with portraits of those who had been lost to fire and pain. 

Everyone Marius had loved had a place in their study. Everyone but Chrysanthe, apparently. There was nothing of hers there. 

With shaking fingers Armand traced the contoured lines on the paper, being careful not to smudge the charcoal ruining Marius’ works. Attentive like he never remembered how to be, Armand was so lost in his own pain that he didn’t even realize when the door opened and Marius stood there. 

It was the sound of Marius’ heart that finally drew Armand out of his thoughts, his eyes darting to the now open door as he froze in place. He’d been caught like this once before - it had been with Riccardo. However, at that time, Marius had only looked on with amusement colored with just the slightest hint of disappointment. Now, his expression was entirely unreadable. 

Words wouldn’t come to Armand’s mind to speak, and he stood stock still, fingertips still just barely touching the sketch as Marius took one step into the room.

It was a large study, yet the moment his presence was inside of it also, Armand felt as though the walls closed in around them. There was no other way out, he realized. Only the door, which Marius still stood in front of. No way to escape his embarrassment.

“I wanted to know-” Armand blurted, but stopped, snapping his mouth shut before the rest of the words could tumble out. There really was no excuse for this. Not when others in the court allowed one another their private quarters. This was Marius’ space for no one else but him, and yet Armand was here uninvited. “I’ll go.” He managed to get the words out, though his voice was almost choked off.

“Or, you could stay and ask what you needed to know. I don’t know how to fix this, whatever it is, if I don’t know what brought you here,” Marius said and his voice sounded heavy, like all the weight of his long years caught up with him. He also looked tired, like none of them should. 

Armand remained silent at the sound of Marius’ voice. If he could still blush, his cheeks would have been flaming with heat, yet it was the ordinarily steady beat of his heart that betrayed him instead. The marginal change in its pace betraying his anxiety. “It’s nothing. Forgive me for intruding, Master.” Armand averted his gaze respectfully, decidedly not looking Marius in the eye.

“There is nothing to forgive, Armand.” 

Marius’ answer sounded hollowed as the older vampire let his body fall into the armchair closer to the fireplace. The flames reflected upon his marble like skin created a surreal effect as Marius’s slightly unfocused eyes roamed far away. 

“My door is always open for you.” 

“But not your heart.” The words came faster than Armand could stop them and the moment they left his lips, his breath caught in his chest. 

There was none of the many masks Marius always wore, none of the defenses behind which he hid for centuries, when he looked at Armand. 

“That has always been yours.” He simply said, defeated. 

That drew Armand’s gaze back to the face of his master. There was confusion in his gaze, unspoken words that threatened to boil over, yet Armand remained silent, drawing his hand back from the portrait. He leaned towards the door ever so slightly, body language betraying his stifled urge to run, yet at the sight of Marius in the state he was in, he couldn’t.

“I thought you might have given it away again this evening,” though the words were barbed, Armand’s tone was almost as defeated as Marius’ had sounded. “Gregory seems to think that is the case.”

This time when Marius’ laugh echoed in the room it was a metallic sound that lacked any kind of real emotions. 

“Gregory is too blind to see that he has everything in front of him. His love for Lestat made him a fool.” 

There wasn’t kindness in those words. Armand only heard Marius talking like that about the people he didn’t like or care about. It was strange to hear him now talking like that about another child of the millennia, someone who supposedly shared more with Marius than Armand could ever hope for. 

“Chrysanthe is a dear friend, but she doesn’t hold my heart. I gave it away one last time and it was never returned to me.” 

Armand only watched Marius as he spoke, still remaining preternaturally still. It was as if he could simply stop existing if he remained still enough, yet again, it was his heart that betrayed him, beating faster in his chest as he tried to put together in his mind what this meant.

“But tonight - Seth and Fareed-” Armand stopped, immediately realizing what had likely happened. “Gregory doesn’t trust that she is his.” He answered his own question, only then realizing that once again, he had been wrong about Marius. What else was he wrong about?

“Daniel is safe, is he not? You should go to him, if that is what you want,” Armand was reluctant to speak of his former lover, yet even when he wasn’t at court, Daniel seemed to still be there, the reminder of Armand’s guilt as he held Marius’ attention.

“You hear, but you don’t listen.” Marius’ voice was gentler now, still tired, but full of that affection that never faded and only belonged to Armand. 

“Daniel is perfectly fine, enjoying life in Rio. I think he’s working on another book.” He looked at Armand for a long moment, contemplating the reaction he could have. 

“He wants to try his hand at erotica, I think. Or something like that, and,” his blue eyes never left Armand’s before he kept talking. “And he found someone. He’s happy.” 

Armand blinked, opening his mouth to speak before quickly closing it again. Daniel hadn’t told him that he’d been seeing anyone else at all. It wasn’t as though he and Daniel spoke often, but still. This felt important enough to be mentioned.

“When - I mean,” Armand paused, feeling as though his chest would burst if he drew in another breath, if he didn’t let out the words trapped inside. “I never knew there was anyone but you.” Armand couldn’t think. His mind felt too full yet none of it coalesced beyond abstract concepts and feelings, and it was all too much. The deep purple feeling was one that he rarely ever felt before, but it felt like tears and pain and grief that had never been given voice, but now if he did, it would never stop.

“If it was not Daniel, then-” Armand stopped, not finishing the question he so desperately needed answered. If he got anything but the answer he wanted to hear, it would break him, but the same could be said for if he received the answer he did want to hear. He should go. He knew he should leave and just let the past lie, but he couldn’t. He needed to know.

Marius sighed, louder than Armand ever remembered hearing his master voice his own emotions. Slowly he stood up and walked to the large bookshelf that covered one of the walls. There he stood motionless for just a second before he retrieved an ornate leather book with the Venice Lion carved on the cover. 

Then he was in front of Armand, using his speed like he was afraid courage would desert him if he waited even one second more than necessary. 

His hand shook when he offered the book to Armand. 

“It has always been one person and one person only.” 

Armand didn’t flinch at Marius’ approach, but he stared at the book between them as though it were a bomb. He didn’t miss the way Marius’ hand shook, and he was afraid that if he touched the volume, he too would be unable to hold back whatever would come of the answers it held.

But after a few moments, and with an odd sense of dread, Armand did take the book. He knew the answer as soon as his fingertips touched the old leather - he had known it all along, yet now confronted so directly with it, Armand couldn’t deny it.

He stared at the lion on the cover for what felt like hours, unable to open it, until finally his hand moved faster than his mind could stop it. Upon the first page was his own face staring back at him in shades of gray. Even without the colors of a painting, it still felt so real, as though he were looking into a mirror five hundred years ago. He could even see the flush of his own cheeks in the delicate strokes of charcoal.

The moment he’d seen the drawing, however, he couldn’t help but shut the book, feeling for all the world as though all the breath he would ever take had been stolen from him.

He had it now, the answer he wanted and feared at the same time. The answer he didn’t know how to handle and that was the only one he could accept, but now what? Where would they go from there? 

Finally, he looked up at his maker, the world tinged in pink, yet his voice was as steady as it ever was when he spoke. “Show me then.” He wanted to voice the words he’d been longing to say: come back for me, but they remained trapped in his chest with the rest.

“I will do everything in my power to, Armand. However the question is, what is it that would convince you, these aren’t just empty words, promises that I won’t keep?”

Armand was surprised to hear Marius all but admitting he is unsure of how to proceed, yet it was the last thing Armand had expected to hear. For all the time he had known him, Marius had been the one to make the decisions, but now that it seemed to be his duty, Armand was unsure of even what he wanted.

In the silence that followed Marius’ question, Armand looked away, back down at the book in his hands. It felt so suddenly too heavy, but when he opened it again, this time to a random page, his own eyes, human once again, gazed back at him through thick lashes.

What did he want?

His thumb brushed the worn edges of the pages, as he thought - the openness of the question left him second-guessing. What if he asked for too much? If he asked for something like blood, that was something Marius gave somewhat freely. Yet there was one thing Marius could never give him, even before turning him. 

He knew it would likely be too much, that Marius, a child of the millennia, would be above such things - or perhaps, with Seth and Fareed’s intervention, he had already tried it. He didn’t look up as he said the words, almost too quiet to be heard. “Come to bed with me then.”

There was a brief silence in which he thought he’d gone too far, yet when he looked up, he answered again, “If Chrysanthe’s injection tonight wasn’t for you, then lie with me.”

Marius looked taken aback by those words, like he never thought he would hear them, and yet when his eyes met Armand’s there wasn’t shame there, just deep curiosity. It wasn’t often that a child of the millennia could be surprised, but Armand wasn’t a common vampire. He was always something else, someone who was born to be unique. 

“It would be my honor.” The answer was simple and yet full of sincerity. Never before Marius had been so open with anyone, but for tonight, he was just too tired to be someone else. With Armand he wanted to be just Marius. Not the child of the millennia, not the Prime Minister, not the scholar or the mentor, or the father. Just Marius, just a man whose heart had been lost for too long. 

Marius’ answer was entirely unexpected, and for a long moment, Armand only stared at him in disbelief. His mind had gone blank save for an orange sort of uncertainty. It felt strange. It had been so long since he felt this unmoored, yet Marius seemed so certain.

“You want to,” he blurted, almost stumbling over his words, “I could ask Fareed tonight - I doubt they have gone to their chambers just yet. Or we could wait.” Even though he was seemingly being given what he wanted, Armand was so surprised that he couldn’t think.

“I want to,” Marius confirmed, his eyes softer than they had been in centuries. “With you.” He added. 

Suddenly rushing this felt wrong. Like they were ruining something meaningful. 

Armand’s heart seemed to race in his chest, though it beat barely as quickly as a human’s at rest. His eyes were overbright as he opened his mouth to respond to Marius, but closed it when his maker spoke again.

“But I have a request of my own, if you are amenable.” 

He looked suspicious suddenly, his guard rising instantly the moment he felt as though Marius was trying to back out of this. “What is it that you want, Master?”

“If you wouldn’t mind waiting for tomorrow, would you share my coffin today?” 

Armand felt his stomach lurch at the question. Perhaps if he had been human, he would have been sick, but all he felt now was a hollow sort of unease.

“You want me to rest with you,” he asked, surprised. It wasn’t even something they had done when he was a fledgling.

Not even Daniel or Louis had shared a coffin with Armand. Neither had even been privy to where he keeps his own. This question, however, felt as though it was the turning point of their issue. If he refused, somehow Armand felt as though it would all be for nothing, but if he agreed, then where would that leave them?

“I…” he paused, mouth seeming to go dry. It was Marius, after all. Not a stranger, and not someone who would harm him, yet the idea of sharing such a safe space frightened him, though it wasn’t his own, so perhaps it would be fine. “We can try,” he answered finally.

Marius looked sombered somehow. Like he sensed Armand’s uneasiness and yet he was unsure of what to do now. He could take back the request and move on, or perhaps would it be better to just enquire on what caused Armand to be so reluctant?

“We - I’m sorry Armand. I don’t know what came over me. It’s not like I am used to that. We can forget about this, if that would make you feel better.”  

“No,” Armand spoke quickly, the word coming out almost as an exclamation. “No, I - I want to try.” It seemed that they were on almost as unsteady ground in this as one another, and that was almost a relief to Armand.

“Then,” Marius said, almost tentatively. “Should we go, then?” He finished, like a shy boy he would have been a long time ago. 

Thankfully the coming dawn didn’t give either of them much time to back out now, and with how early Armand slept compared to the others, he did not have much time to allow his distrust to change his mind.

Armand glanced around the study briefly, then back at Marius, feeling for all the world like the first time Marius had kissed him. When he responded, his voice was a little unsure, yet still firm in his conviction to see this through. “Very well. Lead the way.”

It turned out that Marius’ coffin was in his bedchambers, and not in his study like Armand had thought, and it wasn’t even a coffin, but a box bed in the middle of a secret room built behind sturdy walls and heavy bookshelves. 

Marius opened it for Armand, but his movements were slower and less coordinated than they normally would be. The call of the sun was upon them and just gave them time to lay on the velvet blanket before Armand began to feel his consciousness leaving him although he tried to fight it. 

He never knew that Marius’ exhaustion made him follow soon after, but not before he took one of his hands, falling asleep like that. 

***  

When Marius opened his eyes he was confused for a moment. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so rested, then he remembered. His eyes dared to look at his side, worried that it all could have been just a dream. 

But no, Armand was really there, still deeply asleep. A small smile appeared on his lips. Armand really was the most beautiful creature Marius had ever seen in his whole life. 

Careful not to jostle him, even if Marius knew it was almost impossible to wake up a vampire who felt safe, he left the bed even if with a heavy heart. He couldn’t remember when was the last time he had wanted to ignore the new evening to stay put, but again, he never shared his coffin with someone he loved, or with someone in general. 

The only motivation Marius could find to leave was that the sooner he was gone, the sooner he would be back, hopefully before Armand woke up. 

The knock at the heavy oak door echoed in the silence of the court and Marius was close to flinching at the sound. He never visited Seth and Fareed’s laboratory before, so it was a surprise how loud the place could be. 

Seth’s voice told him to enter and Marius walked in, unsure of what his eyes would see. 

“Prime Minister, this is a surprise.”

Even Fareed raised his eyes from the microscope he was using, curious for the unexpected intrusion in what appeared to be their morning routine. 

“Seth, Doctor Fareed.” He greeted both with his overbearing politeness that made him appear even more detached from everyone else. 

“What can we do for you?” 

Marius really didn’t like the way Seth was looking at him, with a knowing smirk on his statuesque face. 

Marius sighed, so that was how this was going to go. Reluctantly he had to admit that Seth deserved some fun. There weren’t many who could hope to have their minds safe from his powers, but Seth also loved to behave like he needed words spoken to know what others were thinking. 

“I was wondering if you had some of that concoction you created?” 

Two could play the game. 

Fareed raised an eyebrow, probably shocked by how unscientific the whole sentence sounded. 

“You mean the hormone injection?” Seth spelled out to clarify they were indeed speaking about the same thing. 

“Yes, the injection.” Marius conceded as a small slice of satisfaction lodged in his chest when he saw how big their eyes went when they realized he wasn’t kidding. 

Marius walked the path of shame with a wooden box in his hands, glad that no one was there to see him now, but also knowing that the walls of the palace had ears and eyes. 

When he reached his chambers again, Armand was still asleep, but Marius could sense soon enough the night would call that beloved child to her. 

***

When Armand woke, it was to the silent dark of an unfamiliar space surrounded by the intensely familiar scent of his maker. He remembered immediately that this had been their arrangement, that Armand would stay with Marius, yet waking here was an entirely foreign experience.

When he opened his eyes, Armand found Marius there beside him, though it was clear that he had already been awake for some time before. He felt strangely compelled to apologize, but refrained from doing so. “Good evening, Master,” he murmured, shifting a little so that he could face Marius.

“Good evening.” Marius answered with a smile, the first one in a long time to reach his eyes. “I hope you slept well.” 

Marius shook his head to clear his thoughts. How could it be for someone who studied in Greece and was trained there in the art of love, to feel so nervous? It wasn’t like he didn’t share their kind of intimacy with others, was it really so different from what humans did? 

The greeting was such a human intimacy that it took Armand by surprise. Didn’t vampires always sleep well? They didn’t have a choice in the matter either way. A small smile curled at the corners of Armand’s lips, but he nodded, “I did.”

The weight of their agreement came back to the forefront of his mind, but Armand didn’t entirely want to bring it up. It had been his idea, however. “And you? Are you still interested in following through on our agreement?”

Marius didn’t answer with words at first, he moved his eyes to the box that rested on the pillows over their heads.

“I am very interested if I can be honest.”  

When Armand followed Marius’ gaze, he was shocked to see one of Seth and Fareed’s all too familiar boxes above them. He looked back at Marius in surprise, “When -” but he knew the answer to the question before he could finish it. Marius had the time to leave and come back before Armand had even stirred.

He felt a mix of embarrassment and giddiness that felt all too familiar from his mortal past. Others had done this before them, yet this was still so new. After five hundred years, what wouldn’t feel new? 

“Just for you to know, Seth and Fareed probably already spread the news.” Marius said, but his voice sounded light and even amused, like he really didn’t mind about the whole court knowing about them. 

“At the end of the day it looks like we are nothing more than a bunch of gossips.” 

Armand’s eyes widened in surprise, but for once he was glad to have been dead long enough that he no longer blushed. “Well, it seems we have a great deal to live up to then, no?”

Marius’s smile didn’t die down as his eyes locked into Armand’s. “You are very right.” He agreed before his attention focused on his lips. 

Before Marius could move, Armand acted on impulse as he always did, closing the space between them and kissed him deeply. His hands, though unsure at first, found their way to Marius’ chest and waist, barely touching him.

Kissing was different than it was for humans, yet in some ways it was just the same, only vampires didn’t seem to have the same physical rush. It was no matter. Soon enough, they would feel whatever it was that the good doctors’ treatment would allow them to feel.

Though it had been Armand to initiate the kiss, it wasn’t long before Marius took control of it, hands pulling Armand closer to him. Kissing, though an altogether human act, was still something that vampires did, though this time, there was no blood involved, only tongues and blunt teeth.

Though neither of them needed to draw breath, it was Marius who pulled away first to reach for the box that rested on the pillows above them.

“Would you do the honor, or should we do it together?”

Armand’s eyes flickered to the box, feeling his heart rate increase in anticipation. “Together?”

Though there was little space with how close they were together, they managed to open the clasp of the box and Marius withdrew the pair of syringes from inside, handing one to Armand and removing the cap from the one in his own hand.

“Show me where,” Armand murmured, eying the medical instruments with interest.

Marius, remembering what Seth and Fareed had told him, leaned in to kiss Armand’s throat, feeling the pulse beneath his lips. Though he wanted to bite, he refrained from doing so, even as Armand tipped his head back so beautifully for him.

“Here,” Marius murmured against Armand’s skin, though he withdrew just enough to inject the treatment directly into Armand’s carotid artery. The effect was almost immediate, and Armand hissed as his body felt as though it was heating up from within every vein. It was a familiar feeling, yet it had been so long, it felt entirely new.

As Marius withdrew the needle, he licked away the droplet of blood from the injection site as it healed almost instantly. Armand writhed at the sensation, letting out a soft gasp. The sensation spread quickly as the treatment began flowing through his veins. He couldn’t hold back the little moan that escaped his lips as he became acutely aware of Marius’ hip pressing against his cock.

He didn’t wait for it to take full effect before he felt for Marius’ pulse with one hand and slipped the needle in. As he pressed the plunger down, he felt Marius’ cold skin beginning to warm beneath his fingers already, and the sound of his gasp told Armand that he was feeling much the same sensations.

As he felt Marius’ hand remove the syringe from his, Armand, for the first time in five centuries, felt himself getting hard. It wasn’t immediate, yet it was as though he could feel his blood flowing to his cock, and if it weren’t for the fact that Marius was now pressing hot kisses to his throat, Armand would’ve almost been too fascinated by the sensation to be deterred by anything else.

Before Marius cast aside the box, he withdrew the last item from inside - a small glass vial, and Armand knew exactly what it was. “They think of everything,” Armand laughed breathlessly.

The sound of Marius’ laugh was deep and rich as he hummed in agreement, “Indeed they do. What ever would we do without them?”

The sensation of Marius’ fingertips slipping under the fabric of his shirt cut off any reply that Armand might’ve had, and he quickly freed himself of the garment. His own hands moved to all but tear at Marius’ fine velvet jacket, but with a chastising nip, Armand’s enthusiasm was cowed enough that no clothing was torn as they disrobed, feeling for all the world like it was their first time being intimate.

With their clothing cast aside, Marius moved between Armand’s legs, and though his heart now raced in his chest with nerves and whatever else Seth and Fareed had created, there was something about this that felt right. This was what he had always wanted - both when he was a human, and even for a while after he’d been turned.

Human intimacy was not something that vampires typically craved once they came into their own, yet now that he felt the rush of blood through his veins - and his cock - he realized that he missed this.

Armand had missed the hot, messy feeling of lips and tongues and teeth, and now as his body continued to heat up, he leaned up to draw Marius into another heated kiss. Though neither of them needed to breathe, both of their chests rose and fell as though they were human and out of breath.

With one hand, Marius reached between them, fingers slick with oil, and as his fingertip just brushed Armand’s entrance, he pulled away just enough as though to ask if he was ready. Armand didn’t give him the chance to ask the question, “I want you, Master, please,” he breathed.

Though the darkness inside Marius’ bed was absolute, the flush of his cheeks was unmistakable, and Marius seemed momentarily captivated above him. Armand didn’t have the chance to make any demands, however, for seconds later, he felt the press of Marius’ finger inside of him, opening him up.

Armand gave a muffled whine as Marius prepared him, rocking his hips as his cock bobbed high and untouched between his legs. “More, I need more,” he demanded, and he could feel Marius’ smirk against his skin as he pressed a kiss to his collarbone.

“Demanding little thing you are,” Marius chastised, but he gave Armand what he wanted, adding a second and then a third finger inside of him shortly after.

Marius, always so collected and reserved, finally began to show through his mask of propriety. When Armand opened his eyes to look up at him, he could see color rising in Marius’ cheeks, his pupils blown wide with arousal, and the faint tinge of blood sweat upon his skin.

On an impulse, Armand leaned up to lick a pink droplet from Marius’ skin, and the tang of blood made him moan. “Impetuous little thing you are,” Marius’ voice was somewhat strained, but Armand felt himself being pushed back into the sheets by one hand, while the other was withdrawn from him.

But before Armand could protest at the emptiness he suddenly felt, the head of Marius’ cock was pressing against his entrance. Their eyes met and Armand nodded quickly, “Yes, yes, I need-” but his words were cut off by the sudden fullness inside of him when Marius thrust inside. The burn of the stretch was dull, but he gasped at the forgotten sensation.

Armand’s eyes fluttered shut as he felt whole for the first time in centuries. Marius gave another shallow thrust, filling Armand even more, and he couldn’t hold back the soft whine as his legs wrapped around his sire’s hips. “More,” he breathed, “I want it all.” Though there was still some pain from the intrusion, Armand didn’t care. He reveled in it, and Marius obliged him, giving one deep thrust that fully seated him inside of Armand.

They lay like that for several seconds, as though tied together by their flesh, shuddering from the forgotten sensations. As Marius withdrew halfway, Armand gripped his shoulders, digging his nails in. The scent of blood blossomed in the enclosed space as Marius thrust in again, Armand’s sharp nails opening tiny crescent shaped wounds in his flesh.

“My beautiful boy, my Amadeo,” Marius gasped, leaning in and pressing an open mouthed kiss to Armand’s throat, where his pulse pounded.

Armand barely noticed the tremble in Marius’ limbs as he thrust again and again, more shallowly this time, as though he didn’t want to pull out of him by even an inch. Their hips ground together, and this time it was Marius who let out a broken moan.

“Oh, Amadeo, my Amadeo,” Marius cried, shuddering as he thrust inside once more. His grip was crushing as he sheathing himself fully within his fledgling. Armand felt as though he were being split open on Marius’ cock, his own hard member trapped between them. But as the seconds ticked by and Marius remained unmoving, unbreathing even, Armand began to worry.

“Master? Are you well?” His voice was tight, yet as Marius buried his face against Armand’s shoulder, he felt the unmistakable heat of tears falling upon his skin and felt more than heard the hitch in Marius’ breath.

“Master?” There was concern in Armand’s voice now, for he had never seen his master lose control - especially not like this. 

When Marius didn’t respond again and Armand was sure he felt tears dripping onto his skin, he shifted, wriggling so that he could stroke Marius’ hair. “Shh, all is well,” he murmured, kissing the top of Marius’ head. He didn’t know what to do. Never had anyone allowed themselves to be so vulnerable in his presence - Armand knew the others never trusted him, but this seemed different.

This vulnerability wasn’t entirely about trust. Marius, as he trembled in Armand’s arms, had lost control and he didn’t want Armand to see it. Likely, he didn’t trust Armand with such vulnerability like the others, either. 

Gently, Armand urged Marius to look up. Part of him wanted to see his master’s tears after all these years. He deserved that much. But when Marius did finally raise his face, Armand was not prepared for the sight of Marius’ red-stained eyes and blood streaking down his cheeks in the darkness.

“I’m sorry, my Amadeo. I’m sorry, I couldn’t-” but Marius’ words were choked off by another sob as he tipped his head back down to press a kiss to Armand’s chest. Marius began to move his hips again, but the moment he did, he moaned softly, trembling, and that was when Armand knew.

He didn’t, however, know how to comfort his master through the overwhelm that was happening, but he gripped Marius’ hips tighter with his legs, forcing him to stop moving. “If it’s too much, we can stop, I… I don’t want,” but Armand trailed off when Marius looked up sharply at him.

“I have waited five hundred years for this,” he stated in a shaky tone, but when Armand leaned in to kiss him, even that seemed to be too much. Armand swallowed Marius’ moan as they kissed, wanting to take everything Marius would give him. That was when he used his strength to leverage himself to be on top, flipping them over so that it was his sire pressed into the red velvet beneath him.

As Armand settled his hips flush against Marius’, still speared atop his cock, Marius arched beneath him, letting out a whine that almost sounded pained as he turned his head into the pillows as though to hide. “Shh, shh, I want to see what I make you feel, Master,” Armand whispered sweetly, trailing his tongue up one of the streaks of blood tears on Marius’ cheek.

“I want all of you, if you will allow it,” Armand kept his hips firmly planted against Marius, but clenched around him, making Marius hiss. Armand observed keenly, waiting for Marius to give any indication that he wanted to continue. When none came straight away, nor did any indication to stop, Armand shifted so that he could lay atop Marius’ chest, nuzzling his jaw.

Several minutes passed and finally, Marius’ breathing began to level out, and he finally turned his head to kiss Armand’s temple. “I think… I am ready for you, dear one,” he murmured, giving his hips an experimental shift.

But the moment he moved, Armand tightened his legs around Marius’ waist as though to hold him in place. “Allow me, Master,” he kissed the now sticky tears from the corner of Marius’ eye as he began to sit up once more.

Slowly, Armand began to move his hips again, and Marius shuddered, his grip tightening on Armand’s waist, but he nodded wordlessly, urging him on.

Armand kept his pace slow, barely rising from Marius’ cock as he rocked his hips, grinding down on him with every motion. Soft moans rose from both of them, and as their pace steadily quickened, Armand leaned down, propping himself on both hands above Marius. There were tears in his eyes once again, but neither of them wanted to stop as they both drew closer to climax.

Marius was the first to utter, “I’m close, I’m close,” in a gasping breath, and Armand urged him on, rolling his hips deeply against Marius’.

“Claim me then, Master. I want to be yours.” That’s all he’d ever wanted. Over all the years of his existence, he’d only ever wanted to belong to someone, to devote himself fully to someone, yet every time he could, it ended in tragedy. But now at court with Marius - this was what he wanted.

Marius’ head tipped back into the pillows, hands gripping Armand’s hips with bruising strength to keep him there atop him as he came. The heat of Marius’ come flooded into him, and Armand gave a low moan as it filled him.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Armand gasped, hands tangling in Marius’ hair as he felt himself drawing closer to his own climax. The sight of Marius letting go like this was almost enough, but then his master’s hand was on his cock, as he had done centuries ago and it only took a few moments more for Armand to spill across Marius’ stomach and chest.

His lips parted with a soft cry and he arched, bucking his hips as his climax crashed through him. It was like nothing he ever remembered feeling before. He was keenly aware of Marius’ pulse from his cock still inside him, the blood sweat on their skin becoming tacky, and the intermingled scent of their blood and fluids in the enclosed space was overwhelming in a way it never could have been before.

Armand collapsed atop Marius, both of them breathing hard, as though they needed the breath. Several minutes or hours could’ve passed before either of them spoke, and it was Marius’ voice that broke the silence between them. “I want only this, Armand,” he murmured, one hand stroking Armand’s auburn curls.

Armand lifted his head just enough to look up at Marius as he continued, “I want to be yours.”

Silence fell between them again as Armand contemplated what to say. He had longed to hear that he belonged to Marius, so this was entirely unexpected, yet, “And I yours,” he replied softly, nuzzling closer. Marius was still inside him, though both of their erections had long faded. If he could stay like this forever, Armand would have no objection to it.

The slow beat of their hearts filled the space between their words, and Marius rested his cheek against the top of Armand’s head. “I want only your love or I want death.”

[erenfox]

oh real and fictional older sisters, you'll always be tragic.

[okayto]

Neopets is so funny right now. It's a 24-year-old website and half its pages haven't been updated in 15 years. Its ostensible audience is children. The core active audience appears to be nostalgic 20-40-year-olds. Old code means no accounts or pets can ever be renamed. The virtual pound is full of virtual pets named after Justin Bieber. It has an economy and inflation is rampant. New ownership is combating this with the stimulus of random super-rare items via daily quests and events, while the equivalent of Neopian Upper-Crust complain that their investments are deflating. You can't say seaweed or grapes.

[xinyuehui]

Nikki playing the Dizi, and Momo playing the Suona 🧧

Year of the Snake 🐍

[minslune]

. ﾟ ❀ 다시 봄날이 올 때까지 꽃 피울 때까지

[solarbunzzz]

Rainy day 🌧️

This image has been on my brain since I was playing this omg..... Maybe they need more paint on each other ermmm..my

[steddieas-shegoes]

my body is my weapon

for @steddieholidaydrabbles popup event for 'spring'

rated t | 734 words | cw: canon-typical violence, mild blood | tags: self-sacrificing steve, hurt/comfort, getting together

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Steve was good at this, springing up from nowhere, nail bat in hand, ready to protect his found family. It was a natural instinct at this point.

Didn't matter the cost, didn't matter if he was the only one willing. If Vecna wanted to take someone, he could take him.

With Eddie barely recovered from his first bout in the Upside Down, Max still in a coma, and Lucas being glued to her side to make sure nothing happened, the crew was a little short staffed.

But Steve would make sure that didn't matter.

They prepared as much as they could, which wasn't nearly as much as they should. Vecna was strong, stronger than they expected him to be, and his creatures were wearing them down before he even came to fight.

But El was stronger.

As Steve lay on the ground, bleeding more than he ever had before, certain of his life being over, he thought about every time he'd put himself in front of the kids.

He had no regrets, but he wished it could've played out differently.

Hands on his shoulders made him open his eyes, but his vision was blurry and his head was pounding. Probably another concussion.

"You don't get to die."

Eddie? How was he- why was he here? He was supposed to stay topside to call for help the moment he was signaled.

Maybe Steve was delusional in his last moments. Eddie mentioned that he was hallucinating from the blood loss when it happened to him.

"Steve. Keep your eyes on me," Eddie's voice was panicked. "God, you always have to spring into action, huh? Can't wait ten seconds for someone to help."

"Ed."

Steve could make out the outline of his head, but not details.

"'S what 'm good for."

"That's bullshit."

And then everything went black.

Steve's only thought was that he wished the last things he heard weren't those words.

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

His head was pounding again, and the incessant beeping surrounding him wasn't helping.

"If it hurts, don't open your eyes."

The voice sounded an awful lot like Eddie.

"Mm. Thirsty," Steve whispered.

"I got you," Eddie's hand was on the back of his head, gently lifting, while the other must have been holding a cup of room temperature water to his lips. "Little sips."

Steve didn't think much of what was going on. If this was the afterlife, at least he had someone taking care of him.

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The next time Steve was conscious, his head wasn't pounding and he could tell the room around him was dark.

He opened his eyes, slowly taking in the hospital room.

Eddie was asleep in the chair next to his bed.

He looked uncomfortable.

Steve tried to shift onto his side, but a lightning bolt of pain shot from his shoulder to his knee, and he couldn't quite contain the gasp he let out.

Eddie's eyes shot open as he stood from the chair, leaning over Steve to see what hurt.

"Shit, are you okay?" Eddie asked as his hands hovered over Steve's heavily wrapped up body.

"Mhm. Jus' hurt," Steve managed to say, his voice raspy. "How?"

"How long have you been out?" Eddie waited for Steve's nod to continue. "First bit was about three days, then you woke up for a minute yesterday."

"Alive?"

"Yeah," Eddie's tone shifted to something more serious, darker. "But no thanks to you. You're good for a lot more than standing in front of monsters, Stevie. You know that, right?"

Steve shrugged one shoulder. "Kinda."

Eddie's hands gently cupped his face, eyes softening as Steve focused on him.

"You're more than a weapon. You're more than an expendable body. You understand me?" Eddie's voice shook as Steve gave a short nod. "You're my world. I can't see my world end."

"I am?"

"Despite my best efforts of trying to move on from the stupid crush I had on you, yeah," Eddie sighed. "Nursed me back to health and made me fall in love with you."

"Not bullshit?" Steve's eyes felt heavy, but he had to fight it, had to have this talk with Eddie before he passed out again.

"Never. You're everything, Steve Harrington. And when you can keep your eyes open for more than two minutes, I'm gonna kiss you so hard it bruises."

Steve smiled as his eyes closed.

Eddie's hands carried him out of hell and into forever.