#There was a character and he was walking in front of a wide cave entrance

[arsonamiright]

Ok yeah maybe melatonin DOES give you weird ass dreams

[tielwrites]

BAT!DAD finding out Jason’s death.

I was inspired by Neytiri’s rage in ATWOW, like damn that is a parent’s anguish and rage. So for now let’s bask into the grief.

WARNING: ANGST, CHARACTER DEATH, VIOLENCE, and BLOOD.

M/N paces around the living room in the manor, waiting in on the update about Jason’s whereabouts. He tries to will himself to calm down, however his patience is running thin from his worry. Every second that he does not hear anything about his son.

The father deeply sighing, remembering what he saw earlier in the bat cave. Joker’s maniacal laugh blasting from the speakers as he shows a beaten up Jason on the wheelchair.

His face was branded with a ‘J’ on his left cheek, nose dripping with blood. His face black and blue, face streamed down with blood. Making M/N gag at the pool of blood on the floor.

His Jason, his son, tortured and kept down in the chair.

Oh how M/N wanted to grab him from there and free him, holding him and protecting him from this evil bastard of a clown.

But no, all he could do is watch as the villain bashes shadow with a crowbar on his hand, the crack of the bone going around the cave, making M/N’s stomach churn and his chest going tight at the horrid and cruel scene.

“You have one hour batsy!” The Joker says with a manic smile, eyes staring at the camera as if looking at the two parents.

Bruce takes off with his Batmobile to wherever Joker’s whereabouts were. Leaving M/N staring at the screen, now black, his heart pounding fast and ears ringing.

—————————————

An hour has passed and M/N is biting at his nails on the couch. No updates yet, the wait is grating on the male, making his stomach churn in worry.

Alfred goes to him, seeing his state, the butler walks towards him stopping a few feet away from the man.

“Would you like some tea Master M/N? It could help you.” Alfred says.

The father looks up at the butler and sighs, willing his heart rate to calm down.

“Yes please Alfred, thank you.”

Alfred nods and goes to the kitchen to prepare the herbal tea. M/N now pulls his knees to his chest to curl into a ball. Trying to calm himself.

It wasn’t until the door slams open, making the father jump from the seat in surprise.

Bruce is here.

M/N races to the front and as he nears the hallway, he comes into a sudden halt. His eyes wide as he stares at the two figures at the entrance.

Bruce carrying Jason in his arms.

Dead.

His sweet boy in his husband’s arms. Bloody and DEAD.

The male raises a shaky hand to cover his mouth in shock and anguish.

“No, no, no, no,” M/N says softly, eyes starting to tear up, “no, Jason, no.”

Bruce still looking down, not daring to look up to see his husband’s grief stricken face.

“No, no, NO! NOOO!” The father screams out as he moves forward to get closer to his husband and son. His boy, who was far too young to be taken from this cruel world. It was as if a part of his heart was ripped off his chest.

“JASON! NOOO, MY SON!” M/N continues to scream as tears started to stream down his cheeks, ears ringing and legs shaking from the sight.

M/N drops to his knees on the ground, Bruce going with him. The father takes Jason from the vigilante’s arms and hugs him close. Bruce lets him as he now stares at his bloodied gloves.

“NO, MY SON. NOT MY SON. GOD WHY. WHY!?” The grieving father continues to scream out, his voice straining.

M/N continues to rock his body, his son close to his chest, his arms tight around the cold, dead body. His shoulder’s shake from his continuous sobs.

Alfred saw the whole scene with shock, as he hears your anguish wails echoing in the corridor.

The butler steels himself and goes to the pair, he kneels down and placed a hand on the crying father, making him turn to the butler.

M/N let’s out a loud wail, as he looks up, his eyes blurry from all the hot tears flowing out of him.

“Master M/N,” Alfred says softly, “we need to bring him to the cave to clean him.”

M/N bawls out more as he presses Jason closer to his body. Not wanting to let go of him. His cheek onto the boy’s hair.

“No, Alfred. Please, don’t take him away.” M/N sobs out as he starts to cough, his throat scratchy from how tight and strained it has become.

Alfred sighs as he turns to the quiet vigilante, still out from the world. Wallowing into himself in his head.

“We must clean his body from the blood Master M/N so Master Jason can finally rest.”

The father shakes his head and grits his teeth.

“You can carry him, I will not take Master Jason from you, we will just need to clean him in the bat cave.”

M/N starts to consider it in his hazy mind, as he tries to calm his cries down. He coughs out as he tries to clear his throat, he turns back to Jason in his arms and bites his lip to not let anymore cries out.

“A-Alright.”

Alfred then stands up straight and waits for M/N to stand up, he then turns to Bruce.

“Master Bruce.” Alfred calls out.

Bruce finally looks up at the butler and sighs out a shaky breath and nods. He turns to his husband and helps him up as Jason stays in M/N’s arms. Bruce looks at his husband’s face, eyes red and swollen, tears staining his cheeks.

Grief has over taken his love.

How could he have let his son die at the hands of his nemesis.

Bruce cups M/N’s cheek and the other looks up at the vigilante with tired and grief filled eyes.

Oh how the world is cruel.

——————————————-

Hello so here are the things that happened and some headcanons:

Batdad was at the brink of divorcing Bruce when the other refuses to kill Joker when they capture him.

Tensions were high at the manor at all times, it always ends up with a full blown argument between the two.

Dick regularly visiting Batdad to keep him company and to comfort him.

Ever since Jason’s death Batdad has withdrawn to himself, blaming both himself and Bruce for not being able to protect him. To save him.

Bruce letting his rage and vengeance fuel him to keep patrolling at night, sometimes not even coming home to sleep, just to stay at the bat cave just to watch the city.

When Bruce adopts Tim, Batdad at first couldn’t bring himself to welcome the young boy with open arms. Jason’s death still taking a toll on him.

But within time Tim was able to worm his way into Batdad’s heart.

When Batdad found out that Tim was going to be the next Robin. All hell breaks loose in the manor. A screaming match between the two.

“YOU WANT TO LET ANOTHER BOY DIE IN THE HANDS OF THE JOKER!? HAVING ANOTHER BLOOD SPILLED IN YOUR HANDS!?”

“HE WANTED THIS M/N! I NEED HIM TO KEEP THIS CITY SAFE WITH ME.”

After that it strained M/N’s relationship to both Bruce and Tim.

When Jason come’s back as Red Hood from the dead, and you reunite with him by saving Batdad from some villain when you got kidnapped.

After that encounter Batdad would always meet Red Hood at night. Visits him at the enterprises, after the visit it leaves the man feeling as if he was talking to his dead son.

After it was confirmed that Red Hood was Jason from one of their visits. Jason taking off his red helmet, and of course getting an armful of his father. A tearful and sweet reunion.

I’m gonna leave it at that, you can imagine the rest. Thank you for reading hope you enjoyed it.

[saratogaroadwrites]

For King and Country (8/122)

For King and Country | saratogaroad rating: T total wordcount:  280,466 characters: Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Roland Crane, Aranella, Batu, Tani, Lofty, Leander Aristidies, Bracken Meadows relationships: Roland Crane & Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Aranella & Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, Roland Crane & Aranella, Batu & Tani, Batu & Evan, Tani & Evan, Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum & Lofty, Rolander other tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Mother-Son Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Place Slowly Becomes Home People Slowly Become Family, Found Family, For Want of A Nail warnings: none

Pulled from his world by mysterious powers, former president Roland Crane finds himself caught in the middle of a coup meant to take the life of the young King Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum. Joining forces with Aranella, the pair of them set out to aid Evan in making his dream of a kingdom where everyone can live happily ever after a reality.

But the road to peace is a long and treacherous one and there is no promise of success in a world where darkness spreads ever thicker with each passing day. If they are to stand a chance, they must stand together, for king and for country.

(A retelling.)

=

About three hours west of the Sky Pirate Base, Batu had said, was a great cave system that the Wyverns called home. Approaching the entrance, Evan stared up at the massive structure that rested on top of the caves. Like an egg cracked in so many places, it was full of holes and shadows in the noontime sun. Shuddering, Evan looked back at the road ahead.

Not that that looked any better. The entrance to the caves that the Sky Pirates had known about was a single, pitch black hole. Roland stood in front of it, hand on his hip. He’d been quiet since they left the Canyon, Evan thought. What was bothering him?

“Roland?” Evan asked quietly, “Are you all right?”

“Fine.” Roland said, then looked down at him. “Why?”

“It’s just, back when we were speaking with Chief Batu…” Evan hesitated for a second. He’d only known Roland for a few days. Maybe he just…didn’t know the man well enough. Still. “You got very upset with him.”

“Oh.” Roland said with a slow nod. “That. It’s…nothing to worry about.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Roland turned away, calling his sword to his hand as they stepped inside the Wyvern’s den. "Come on. I'd rather not be here after dark."

That was a point. Evan grimaced and looked up; the entrance to the cave was a low tunnel, barely an inch or two above Roland’s head, and made of hard packed dirt that had worn away enough to let them see the ribs and spine of some massive creature. Maybe it was that alone, but something in here…he shivered. At his side, Roland grumbled.

“Hope you’re not claustrophobic.”

Evan shook his head. He wasn’t, not really, but this place…there was something off with it. Something very much off with it.

“They must be keeping Tani somewhere further inside.” He said, calling his own sword to his hand. There was still fur from the monster from the Trial stuck by the hilt. He tightened his grip.

“Yeah.” Roland said, beginning to walk inside. “Stay close.”

Evan nodded and started walking; the tunnel was too narrow for them to walk side by side, and something told him Roland wouldn’t like it if he went on ahead, so he stayed a couple of strides back as they walked, looking around. The cavern wasn’t much different from the entrance, holes punched up into the packed earth to allow sunlight and fresh air to enter in irregular intervals. Evan squinted up one of the holes as they walked past it; did the Wyverns fly out of those holes? They were wide enough.

“I don’t like this.” Roland said quietly, drawing Evan’s attention back down. Ahead of them was a wide cavern lit by bright sunlight, and on the other side…a gate made of bones shaped like teeth. Evan shuddered again. “Where are they?”

Though his stomach was starting to do flips and tumbles, Evan frowned. Roland was right! The path they had followed to get here had been nearly teeming with Zapwings and Whamsters, but inside? Empty. He could understand the other kinds of monsters steering clear, but what about the Wyverns themselves? This was their Den, after all. So…where were they?

“There’s nobody here,” Evan said as they walked slowly into the large chamber. The wall across from them was punched full of those holes, but like the ones in the tunnel behind them, these were black. Did the Wyverns…burrow?

“Yeah…” Roland said, “Something’s not right.” He came to a stop and then— “Evan!” He shouted, “Up there!”

Up? Evan jerked to look up and nearly screamed as he scrambled back. There was more than one layer of holes, and the ones higher up were teaming with Wyverns! Having been spotted, the creatures began to hiss and screech, a veritable cacophony that echoed around the large cavern. Roland slipped into his stance, but Evan couldn’t take his eyes off of the Wyverns. There were dozens of them, wings spread wide, axes gleaming in the light that filtered in through a massive hole in the ceiling.

In the center of their group was one that was larger than the rest, deep green wings flared wide. They were a sharp contrast to the gleaming golden armor that it wore, the helm low over its eyes with a wicked looking horn over where a normal person’s nose would have been. It clanged its wicked looking axes together, then leapt into the air. Evan quickly took up his sword as the Wyvern Leader—for what else could this creature be—landed before Evan and Roland with an angry hiss.

“And what brings you here, hm?” It asked, startling Evan. These creatures could talk?! Maybe he could reason with them! He lowered his sword.

“We’ve come to rescue Tani!” He said firmly. The Wyvern just threw back its head and laughed, a horrible sound like nails down a blackboard. Evan flinched, ears flattening against his skull.

“The pirate girl, hm?” The Wyvern asked, cocking its head at them in what would have been contemplation on someone a bit closer to normal. “You do not seem like sssky pirate to me, pinkssskin,” it hissed, leaning in close to Evan. He leaned back as a forked tongue flitted out, nearly touching his cheek. “Too sssmall…too…sssucculent.”

Evan drew further back with a shudder. Roland stepped forward.

“Give us the girl,” he said firmly, “And we’ll leave you in peace.”

The Wyvern flapped its wings with another hissing laugh. The armor clanked, the plates too large for the creature that wore it.

“Cloudcoil Canyon belongs to we Wyverns, yesss?! You have no businessss here!”

Evan gulped. All around them, the other Wyverns started up another call, ordering them to leave the cave in an echoing hiss. Laughter bounced around the packed dirt and through the sunlight. Evan clenched his hands until his palm hurt from holding his sword so tightly.

“We’re not leaving without Tani!” he nearly shouted just to be heard over the noise, though he could feel his knees beginning to shake. “Now where is she?!”

The Wyvern Leader must not have liked his tone, or perhaps being yelled at, because with a hard clang of metal to metal it brandished its axes and leapt into the air, the pumping of its massive wings kicking dust everywhere. Evan squinted against the cloud as the creature shrieked, “You will regret your ssstuborness! Now sssuffer!”

And then it was on them.

Throwing themselves in different directions the pair attacked the Wyvern in unison from behind while it was still low enough to do so. At first it seemed to Evan that their swords couldn’t cut through its scales, but then—blood. Salted and bitter in the air, it splattered the packed earth. The Wyvern leader screeched its rage to the sky and flew out of reach. A moment later, four of the smaller ones leapt down from their perches. Evan scrambled away from two that came from his head, whirling around and slicing his blade through the air.

The scales on their underbellies were softer than their backs. Evan’s stomach churned as blood slicked across his blade, but he forced himself to stay standing. This was a fight to the death. He couldn’t afford to have second thoughts! He turned away from the rapidly cooling bodies of those two in time to see Roland dispatch his foes and then--

“Get down!” Roland cried, grabbing Evan around the shoulders and pulling him in close. Evan didn’t have time to shout before Roland threw them both to the ground; the Wyvern Warlord shot past where Evan had been standing, its axes out. Had Evan still been standing there, he’d have lost his head. Roland called his gun and shot at the creature as it turned to fly back at them. Evan quickly called his wand and added Fire to the mix; the Wyvern Warlord took the shots to the chest and screeched.

Instantly another group of the smaller Wyverns flew to their leaders defense. Evan barely had time to call his sword back to his hand before he had to throw himself down or be snatched up! The slightly smaller creatures were faster than their leader and quickly overwhelmed the pair, leaving Evan skipping back as one tried to slice his belly open with its axes. Its swings were forcing him back towards a wall; he was quickly running out of room to get back!

“Get back!” Roland shouted, magic bursting out in two wide sweeps. Wyverns screeched as they went down hard, scales split open and bodies limp. The one that had been chasing Evan dropped and let him see that their leader was stunned, but still alive.

Not for long.

Swallowing his fear Evan charged forward into range and called upon his magic. Armor crumpled beneath his rapid flurry of blows, bending and buckling until it finally gave way. With a furious shout, Evan drove his sword into the Wyvern’s heart. It went stiff on his blade, then limp as it began to slide forward in the way only those without life could move. The body twitched, axes dropping to the ground with dull thuds and puffs of dust. Above him, there was another hideous screeching noise and then…silence. The Wyverns had fled.

Evan dismissed his blade and scrambled back, breathing hard. The Wyvern leader collapsed to the ground in a lifeless, bleeding heap. Evan swallowed hard, sour crawling up his throat. He knew that it was him or them, knew that they had attacked first and that left things under a different set of rules, but his heart was heavy. How many lives had he taken just today? Monsters were alive, too. He shuddered at the thought, hands shaking.

“Hey.” Roland said gently, startling Evan. He laid a hand on Evan’s shoulder. “You did what you had to do.”

“I know.” Evan whispered, the sour of sick clinging to the back of his tongue. “Do you think…do you think it’ll get easier?”

“Only if you let it.” Roland lightly squeezed his shoulder and then let go. “Come on. Let’s get Tani and get out of this place.”

Evan nodded.

“OI!” A shout. Evan turned around, looking to the gate. Was that…? “OI! Is there anybody there?!”

“Tani!” Evan scrambled away from the carnage and to the gate at the back of the chamber. He was small enough that he could slip under it as Roland levered it up, leaving him behind as he took off at a run for the back of the cave. Roland called out for him to wait, but Evan didn’t slow. He needed to get away from the blood and the bodies, now.

Following the twist of the cavern lead him to a dead end, but there, against the wall, were two large rib bones arching to meet. And there, where the bone tips met and were tied together…

Oh, goodness. Evan hissed, looking up at where Tani was hanging from, rope wrapped around her middle and tying her arms to her back. She was swaying back and forth as she kicked, trying to get herself down to no avail. The second she caught sight of Evan, she stared at him.

“It’s you!” Tani said, startled, “The little boy from last night!”

“Little boy?!” Evan sputtered, then shouted, “You can’t be that much older than me!”

“Alright, alright, keep your hair on!” She huffed. “Can you get me down from here, um…”

“Evan.” Evan supplied.

“And I’m Roland.” Roland said, startling Evan. Of course Roland would appear from behind him; there was nowhere else to come from! Evan sighed as he tried to recover from the startle, while Roland contemplated the situation with a frown.

“Tani, if you can get your hands free, could you shift to land on your feet?” He asked.

“Probably?” She said with a frown, looking at the rope. “But the rope’s really tight. I can’t get loose.”

“And you’re too high up for one of us to reach you…” Roland said quietly. Evan tilted his head and tried to think; maybe if they climbed the bones and cut her down from above? He was pretty good at climbing. He walked over and rested a hand on the bone. It was worn smooth, but not so wide that he couldn’t get a grip on it. With a nod, Evan reached up. “Any ideas, Evan?”

“I can climb up and cut her down,” he said, heaving himself up to where the curve began. “Could you catch her?”

“Sure. But be careful you don’t fall, too.”

Evan smiled a little, then began to shimmy his way up. Once there was enough space to turn and get to the top side of the bone, it was easier to keep his balance as he crawled along the smooth surface. He had to cling with his legs to keep from slipping, but eventually he made it to where the rope was tied. Slowly, he pulled the knife Nella made sure he had from the little holster at his waist.

“All right. Ready, Roland?”

“Ready.” Roland called from below, arms out and ready. Tani blinked and then looked up at Evan.

“I’m not—hold on—!”

Too late! With a quick motion, Evan sliced through the rope that had held her up. Tani barely had time to scream before she was falling and then—safe! Roland grunted and bent to a knee as he caught her, but she hadn’t hit the ground. Evan beamed, holstering his knife. Now he just had to get down and—oh no!

“Watch out!” Tani cried as Evan began to slip from the thinnest portion of the bone. He pinwheeled his arms, trying to grab hold, but there wasn’t enough purchase and—he fell! Packed dirt rushed past him; he squeezed his eyes shut as he plummeted towards the ground. He didn’t have the room to turn and try to catch himself! He was going to hit the ground!

Except he didn’t. He hit flesh a second before there was a breathless “oof!” and then. Nothing. He cracked one eye open, then the other, and found himself staring at blue wool. He looked up further. Roland had caught him and this time gone down to both knees.

“So much for careful.” He said with a sigh. Evan smiled sheepishly and got back to his feet.

“Thank you, Roland.” he said as the man stood up and dusted himself off with a nod.

Pride bruised, Evan walked over to Tani and pulled the knife back out of his belt, quickly cutting her free. She stood up rubbing the feeling back into her arms and gave the rope a good kick for her troubles, then turned and grinned at the pair of them.

“Evan and Roland, right?” She asked, then said, “Well, thanks for coming to the rescue. I didn’t have either of you down as the reckless type, but you must be if you came all the way out here.” She stopped suddenly, mouth hanging open, before she shook her head. “Hang on, why didn’t that grizzled old coward Batu come and rescue me himself?!”

Evan grimaced. How to say this...maybe it'd be best if he didn't mention that Batu and Roland had likely nearly come to blows. Or that Batu, whom Tani had called reasonable, had been ready and willing to throw them to their deaths. He didn't want to know if she agreed with that, or called it reasonable, too. “Well," he settled on, "we made an agreement. In return for securing your freedom, he’d grant us safe passage through the canyon.” He chose not to mention that he’d offered their lives if that hadn’t been a good deal. He was just glad they’d succeeded.

“Really?” Tani raised both eyebrows, then beamed. “I knew it! I knew he’d take a shine to you—you’ve got that same twinkle in your eyes!”

“What?!” Evan reared back. Twinkle?! He’d seen no twinkle in Batu’s eyes! Batu had wanted their heads! He would never do that, to anyone! “I most certainly do not!”

“You most certainly do, too.” Tani retorted, but before Evan could counter that she tilted her head. “It’s almost like you can both…see something. Something that no one else can.”

Something that no one else could? Evan blinked, wondering what that could be. At his side, Roland huffed quietly.

“Maybe someday we’ll find out what that is.” He said, “For now, lets get you home.”

“Yeah.” Tani held a fist out in the air. “I’ve got some words for the Boss, that’s for sure!”

[karo614]

The Silent Mountain

1

Three years ago, when I was still a history student, I got lost in the mountains with my friends during a camping trip. It rained heavily that day. The sudden mudslide made us panic and hide in a cave. The endless rain as well as hot and humid air made the atmosphere even more dull. In our team of four, Ryan has always been the most active person. He began to use the flashlight he carried with him to explore the cave.

“Hey, guys! Look over here!” Ryan’s voice came out from the cave. We hesitated for a while, but still decided to take a look. It’s about 200 metres from the entrance. Ryan pointed his flashlight at the wall. In the mural, a half-human, half-bird figure can be seen, with wings spread out on its shoulders, entrenched on the mountain, and its body is almost the same size as the mountain. At the bottom of the mountain, there are a few strange people with rabbit heads and a pair of wings, looking down for something. “Looks like a painting of the West Queen Mother.” Lefina replied to me with a surprised tone, “West Queen Mother? The one at the peach conference?” I shake my head in denial, “That's just a character in Journey to the West. West Queen Mother is a religious figure. According to history, she was just a small tribal leader.” In tombs, the West Queen Mother is often painted as a beauty, and it is rare to see the West Queen Mother in an inhuman state. My lecturer once said that the West Queen Mother recorded in history does not have a charming and kind face, but is just a deformed monster with a leopard tail, tiger teeth, and bird feathers.

“Why don't we go in and take a look?” With Ryan’s suggestion, Lefina backed away silently. “There is a sign of a government unit here, so it should be fine.” Asrian comforted us by pointing at a small flag beside the mural. The small flag was somewhat damaged and didn't look like it had been placed here recently. But just like what Asrian said, this flag gave the cave a little more security to us. After walking for about ten minutes, we came to flat ground. It looks like a gathering point here, the space is not very wide, but we could see several flags that were the same as those we had seen before. Except for the way we came in, there is only one narrow, dark tunnel connected. There was a sign in front of the tunnel. Asrian wiped the dust off it with his sleeve, and some writing appeared.

“Government Special Investigation Team Number 6004. Dangerous… Unidentified creature... can't see clearly.”

Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden loud noise from all directions. The rumbling, accompanied by the vibration of the wall, lasted for more than ten seconds. We couldn't figure out the situation at first, but when we realized it, Asrian yelled loudly, "Mudslide! The hole that came over has collapsed!" The two boys ran back immediately, but soon they walked back. Ryan shook his head and said, “It's too late! It's now too dangerous to go.” “Are we trapped?” Lefina stared blankly. As soon as she said this, I felt suffocated. Everyone fell silent.

“Let's go here then,” Asrian suggested, looking at the narrow tunnel. Ryan, who has always been bold and impulsive, hesitated at this time. “Now only you start being afraid?” Lefina looked at him with some reproach. “You all know that I am an archaeology student, right? During the practical, a dozen of our students dug for two months, and we were not afraid of sitting in the grave and playing poker. What I am afraid of is poisonous air, radon, or hydrogen sulphide poisoning." Ryan sighed, "I didn't expect the entrance will collapse, it’s so wide just now..."

 “Anyway, this is better than waiting to die, right?” This is the worst time to be discouraged or disunitied. For the first time, I took the initiative to express an opinion. Everyone understood the situation at this time and could only agree. After climbing into the hole, an indescribable fishy smell came into his nose. The sloping tunnel gives people the feeling that the walls are inclined, as if we were going to be buried in it immediately, and this made me feel uncomfortable.

2

We walked for another ten minutes or so, and the passage slowly began to widen a little. Everyone was very silent the whole time, until Lefina suddenly screamed. “Corpse, corpse...” Asrian and Ryan were both archaeological students, and they looked very calm at this moment. Ryan took a look, then quickly turned his head and continued, “Nothing special, let's go.” When passing by, I suddenly took a look at the mummy, and felt that the mummy's dressing style was similar to Asrian's. Lefina called me and took my hand. I rubbed my eyes and continued walking. Maybe that corpse is also an archaeological one.

It didn't take long for us to come to a flat land again. This time the space was wider, but it was horizontal, like a corridor. At the end there was a door made of jade, both sides were full of carvings and murals. There was a large stone tablet in the middle of the corridor and a statue of a monster on the stele, with a face like a tiger and wings, squatting on the ground, staring straight at us. The two boys seemed to be more interested in the statue, while Lefina approached me and asked, "What is written on the stele?"

Although she is a history student like me, she majors in Western history, while I major in Eastern history. “‘If you don't believe me, look at the door hinge, there should be white hair.’ It means that how long a person can live depends only on the wishes of the West Queen Mother. It is probably the West Queen Mother at the end of the Han Dynasty.” “Why?” “Before the Han Dynasty, the West Queen Mother was a tribal god, and after the Han Dynasty, the West Queen Mother became a Taoist god. The believers who worshipped the West Queen Mother are a group of people who believe in the elixir of life. They think that if they take medicine, they can live to the end of life. The same goes for the peach conference in The Journey to West.”

Lefina went around to the other side of the monument while listening. Suddenly, her expression changed. She hid behind me and said, “There is another body.” We went to look, and in an instant, my scalp was numb. It had been dead for some years, and only the white bones remained. It was hanging above us, and its feet were gone. It had nothing on it except a watch stuck in its wrist bone, which I tore off and showed the others. In addition to the stagnant time, there was also the Chinese character “seven” and the number “thirteen” on the dial. “A mechanical watch with a calendar.” Asrian said, “There were three big things in the 1980s, watches, bicycles, and sewing machines. This watch doesn't need batteries, and it will go away after a few twists every day.” “Then, this calendar is the date of this person's death.” We fell silent, not daring to imagine how to die. Hanging here, without food or drink, waiting to die.

3

“Ouch!” Ryan suddenly kept scratching his body. While he lifted the collar on the back of his neck, a fine red rash appeared on his neck and back. “Stop scratching.” I replied quickly, and turned to look at the others. Sure enough, everyone had the same rash on their necks. “It's not typhus, is it?” I had no idea about Lefina’s question. The urge to get out of here made me try to push the door at the end of this corridor, but unfortunately, I failed. “Listen, there is the sound of water.” Lefina suddenly grabbed my hand and stopped my action. “Possibly there’s a water hole.” We were running out of water at this point and needed to be replenished. Ignoring everything else, we stopped thinking about the red rashes and looked for the source of the water sound. After a while, Ryan called out, “There is water in the wall.” I leaned against the wall of the cave and heard that the inside seemed hollow, and there was really the sound of water. We tried to break the wall of the cave by pushing it hard, and we saw a trickle flowing down the wall. I touched the wall and said, “Isn't this a stalagmite? No wonder there is water. It seems that there is a source of flowing water on the top. Don't worry, if the water flows out, so will the people.” My words boosted everyone's morale, and Asrian said, “Then we should rest now, or our body won't be able to hold on until we go out.”

We leaned against the murals, eating compressed biscuits to save our energy. While I was resting, I started to look at the murals in front of me. The exquisite murals were carved with a picture of war. In the centre of the image was a large bridge. At one end of the bridge there was a chariot, and in the compartment sat a man wearing a tall hat, with a line of cavalry behind him. Ahead of the chariots and cavalry, across the bridge, was what they fought against. Just looking at it gave me chills, and I couldn't tell what it was. Those “humans” were densely packed together, and each face has only one vertical eye, which made them look like they were not human beings.

“The book ‘Historical Records’ has recorded that the King of Zhou Dynasty once visited the West Queen Mother. The West Queen Mother has an immortal body and can bless others with immortality. I don’t know how many people seek immortality from the West Queen Mother. But no one is a volunteer. To be favoured by the West Queen Mother, one has to work for her and become her follower, called as ‘Zongmu’, which means straight eyes.” I was secretly amazed when I heard that, I had never heard that Ryan knew anything about these. Lefina pointed to the mural on the wall, “Is that the ‘Zongmu’? A human with vertical eyes? Can a human really grow like that?” Ryan replied while shaking his head, “Of course it is transformed. Transforming into a ‘Zongmu’ is just the first step to becoming the West Queen Mother’s follower. After that, they need to find her hand for her.” “Hand?” “It’s just a symbol of special helpers. As shown in this mural, the West Queen Mother admired the King of Zhou Dynasty and kept him, but the king refused, and fled in his chariot. But before that, he had already received the blessing of the West Queen Mother. He just didn’t want to pay the price.”

“Is it real? Can humans be immortal?” Ryan was silent for a while towards this question from Lefina, and finally said, “It’s what the legend said. The legend continued until the Han Dynasty, forming the West Queen Mother Chip. The West Queen Mother Chip itself has condensed into a huge force. Through management, it has accumulated a lot of wealth. Many people fall into the trap in search of wealth and immortality.”

4

I touched the wall for a long time, not sure what mechanism there was. By mistake, I pushed hard on the door, and it opened with a click. It’s strange, why couldn't it be pushed away before? I was a little apprehensive, so I put my torch in first, and looked around. However, I could see nothing but only thick darkness behind this door. Asrian suddenly pushed me into the crack of the door. Before I could exclaim, he whispered, “There is a sound.” We both held our breaths, and heard a strange sound in the dark, it was like someone grinding their teeth, and it sounded like a carpenter working.

Asrian and I followed the sound, our hands were in the dark, and we almost bumped into a huge pillar. Inadvertently, I used a torchlight to shine on my head. I was shocked upon noticing Ryan gnawing on the stone pillar in an unimaginable non-human posture. The sound we heard just now was probably the strange sound made by his teeth rubbing against the stone. How can human teeth bite stones? His mouth was full of blood. “Ryan... you, what are you doing?” Ryan raised his head, and I realized that his eyes were closed tightly, but a long gap appeared between his eyebrows, as if an eye was about to open from here...

The “Zongmu” people.

I shuddered. With three eyes closed, Ryan saw me for some reason and suddenly rushed towards me. I only had time to take two steps back when, with a smack, something flew over my head and landed on Ryan. He hid into the darkness. I glanced along, and it was a copper axe with a rotten wooden handle. It’s from Lefina. Her hands were still shaking.

“What was that? What… What’s happening?” Asrian didn't reply to her. After a while, he turned to look at us, “Let me tell you two a secret. Ryan, he had been here before.” “Thirty years ago?” I was at a loss as to what he was talking about. “Thirty years ago, the research team about West Queen Mother came here. It’s Ryan's main subject, and, oh, it was also mine. At that time, we had a lot of disagreements about the subject. But no matter how much we quarrelled, I didn't expect that one day I would be killed by him. Right here, he abandoned me here as a victim.” “Kill... you?” My mouth was dry, the amount of information in this sentence was too huge, and my brain was muddled, “You said thirty years ago? You two were not born thirty years ago, right?!”

Asrian just smiled, rubbed his eyes, and put on a pair of glasses. I didn't even know he needed glasses, but all of a sudden, his facial expression and demeanour changed. It's not like my gluttonous and slippery friend at all. Although his face still looked like a young man's, there was no trace of youth in his eyes. But Asrian just glanced at the watch in my hand, and said casually, “Keep this watch with you. Those who live and die in this place don't even know the time without this watch.” Lefina’s expression turned pale. It took a long time before she said, “So what the monument wrote is all true, and people can really live forever... No, whose corpse just now belongs to it?” “Of course, it’s mine.” Asrian said coldly, “It's hard for you to imagine what it's like to die in that place. I still remember the pain of having my legs and hand cut off.”

He spread his hands like a martyr. The hair on his forehead was parted, one erect eye quietly opened, and the last trace of humanity disappeared from his whole body. I now had something in my head. For example, that corpse body was his, and those words on the stele were also carved by him. He was immortal, just like what the believers of West Queen Mother wanted to be.

I said, “I don't believe it. It makes no sense.”

5

Asrian snorted coldly, and suddenly rushed over with big strides, grabbing something in the dark. He grabbed Ryan’s ankle and dragged him out of the corner, “Your best friend doesn't believe it, what do you think?” Ryan held his head tightly, didn’t look mentally well. After a while, he raised his head, two eyes were already open. He didn't have that third eye, but the two normal eyes weren't normal anymore either. Lefina grabbed my hand harshly, whimpered a few times, and said, “No way, we have all seen that this cave has long been controlled and investigated by government units. Such unscientific things should not happen.” Asrian laughed, patted Ryan’s head like a dog, and continued, “It was Ryan who called the police when he left last time. Even so, I heard that the government investigation team has lost many people here, and that this place has been completely abandoned. From now on, you two will replace us and serve the West Queen Mother here.”

“You should be happy that she chose you.”

6

Asrian bowed his head and said something to Ryan. Ryan looked at us and closed his eyes. I didn't feel right, and in the next second, my eyes flashed, and I was knocked out by Ryan. I dropped my torch and lost all vision for a moment, only to hear Lefina yelling in panic.

After an unknown period of time, I gradually regained consciousness and found a little light. When I was crawling along the light, Lefina sat there in a daze. I followed his gaze, only to find that the door had been tightly closed. Asrian closed the door, and all of our only equipment and dry food were on the other side of the door, and there was no exit. I shined my torch on Lefina and found that there was a red rash on her face. The situation was getting worse.

Lefina complained, “Why is there no water?” I also felt puzzled. It is only separated by a door, and for some reason, no stalactites have been seen again. It stands to reason that the water source should only be separated by a wall. “Did you hear the sound of water?” She said suddenly again. “No.” I didn't hear the sound of water when I listened carefully. If a person was extremely thirsty, it's hard to guarantee that she wouldn’t be like the little match girl, having some hallucinations.

“It's not a hallucination, it's not...” After Lefina finished speaking, she suddenly turned around and ran in a certain direction. I had long since lost my sense of direction, and I was left alone in the darkness when, suddenly, the terror that was more oppressive than the darkness surged up. I used a little light from my phone to illuminate the area in front of me, but I couldn't see anything clearly. In order not to bump my head suddenly, I had to bend down and walk slowly, almost on all fours, calling for Lefina as I walked. Before the third call was made, there was a buzzing sound in my head. I felt my body being wrapped by something, and I was off the ground. My phone flew out, and I was swept away before I even had time to call out.

Things happened too fast, I just feel that this thing was extremely huge, and it smelled like a faint rancid stench. When I woke up, I saw that my sight was actually clear, but I didn't have any light in my hand. Squinting, I saw a gigantic creature glowing by itself. It filled my field of vision like a wall. Within a second or two, I realized it wasn't alive. I got up, as if my head and body were empty, and I could only stare at it.

It was a gigantic creature with thirteen arms. I can't fully see its appearance, its body is like a big tree, buried deep in the ground, with thirteen tentacles stretching out in all directions. Those tentacles are as thick as a thousand-year-old tree and covered with scales. Characters and stripes are painted all over the scales. I'm only as tall as the thing's calves, if it has calves. There seemed to be many people-like things on those scales, and crowds of people gathered around it like stone sculptures. It looked too alive, and scary; these people kept flocking to the thing's head. All of them looked intoxicated, as if they were deeply in love with this creature. I couldn't move. I had never seen such a wonderful creation.

But suddenly, my head hurts badly, and when I turned around, Lefina was grabbing my clothes and yelling, “Are you crazy? Wake up!” I was a little confused, “Where did you just go?” “I didn't go anywhere! You keep running around, I almost can't keep up.” I looked back at the huge sculpture, which had a strange yellow-green light, and when the torch in Lefina's hand hit it, it glowed. When there is no light, everything is just pitch black, and there is no pattern.

I asked Lefina if she saw the painting above. She said, “I don't have time to look, you were like getting on drugs and almost hugging it.” She wasn't lying, and I saw the rash on her face disappear. I told her not to keep looking at the statue, there was definitely something wrong with this thing. I asked about what happened just now, and it turned out that since Asrian closed the door, in Lefina's view, I was a lunatic who kept doing weird things.

7

At a loss, the sculpture lit up again by itself. I suddenly had some thoughts in my head, and I took a step back, my heart was beating wildly. “Odd-numbered creatures do not exist in nature. Whether it is a centipede, a spider, or an octopus, they all have an even number.” “What?” Lefina replied to me suspiciously. “Since it does not exist in the natural world, it is either man-made or foreign.” Lefina didn't speak for a moment. She pointed at the sculpture, “You mean, this is an alien creature?” “Don't you think it looks like an altar?” “Altar?” I said while thinking, and my mind became clearer, “Yeah. This is not a tomb at all, it is for the sacrifice of the thirteen hands. Others are buried to accompany it or were caught in a trap. This place is built for it to live in, and it is a home for that thing. So, there is nothing about people here, because its function is not for people at all, but for...”

At this moment, I suddenly felt something watching me.

“Wait! What are you talking about!” Lefina interrupted me, watching me as if my mental strength were weak. I rubbed my eyes vigorously and said, “I understand its principle. When we look at it, what we see is the phosphene formed by our own eyes. This is also the way it controls people. There is no light here, it is the light.” As soon as we opened our eyes, we saw each other, but by this time her torch had already been turned off. Her face was full of horror.

8

This time, I heard the sound of running water. “The sound of water flowing.” I suddenly understood, “Yeah. This used to be a diversion of an underground river. There is karst groundwater below!” Following the sound of water flowing, we found a cave. Like a mouse drilling a hole, after climbing for an unknown amount of time, the hole gradually opened up, and there was a strange rock space in front of us. We turned on the torch and saw that the illuminated areas were all white. For a moment, I really thought I was on a snowy mountain. White rock formations stretch to the depths, and icy stalagmites hang down from high places. After continuing to climb for a while, the sound of water became more and more obvious, and the cave became narrower and narrower. Lefina was a little timid and pushed me, so I had to go down first. The water flowed over, and the terrain turned down sharply, leading to a deeper hole like a ladder, and a small waterfall formed in front of my eyes.

After we slid down, I saw a piece of blue water below me, and the water looked very clear. Lefina buried her head in the water for a look, then stretched out her head again, “There are fish in the cave, and it is running water. If you swim for a while, you should be able to lead to other places.” At this time, I also discovered that those small fish swimming in the water looked like glass tadpoles. This kind of glass fish is the most common species in caves. My water skills are really mediocre, so I let Lefina dive down to find the water source. After a while, she poked her head out and wiped the water off her face. Her voice was full of shock, “The water... flows upwards.” I was stunned, “Upwards?” “There is something sucking me upwards.” I thought about it, “Is that negative pressure? It's like well water. If you hold your breath, it might reach the land.” Lefina scolded, “By then, it will have floated a few hundred meters, and it will not be halfway. We’ll be out of breath!” The two of us soaked in the water, at least some clean water was added, and our minds became clearer. I analyzed it. Judging from the geological conditions we have passed through before, the interior of the mountain is porous, and it is very likely that there will be some caves that can be ventilated as before. Besides—

“The worst situation is dead, why don't you try to escape from here. It's not impossible to hold your breath for five minutes, and the limit state is not impossible.” Lefina also calmed down at this time, and nodded. We both took off the excess burden on our bodies, and Lefina fixed the torch on her arm. I put on the mechanical watch, twisted it twice, and carefully paid attention to the ventilation time. “When you get into the water, follow the force, don't make small movements, save your energy and let it suck you away. Breathe every three minutes.” I nodded, and we both got in the water in one go.

Once in the water, I immediately felt the suction she was talking about. I hardly kicked the water, and was drawn straight up against the current by a strange attraction. Drilled into the water hole, swam tens of meters, and entered another piece of water. After taking a breath there, we continued to advance against the current and drilled into another underwater cave. In order to reduce physical activity, I almost floated. Unable to breathe and exhausted, I consumed more and more oxygen, and at times I nearly lost consciousness.

Gradually, Lefina slowed down. I pushed her foot, but she didn't move. Probably she’s drowning. I gave her a push, and the water flowed upwards. Now it's closer to going up than against the current. My eyes were flickering, and I didn't know if it was because the torch was going out of power, or because I was lacking oxygen and had lost my mind. When I finally couldn't hold my breath, my head suddenly surfaced. I took a big breath, and there was another tidal flat in front of me. I pulled Lefina ashore and slapped her a few times. She spat out water and woke up. She looked at me, and suddenly said, “...monster...saliva...” “What?”

I was taken aback, seeing that she had fainted again, so I quickly slapped her a few more times, and she woke up completely. After Lefina woke up, I asked her what she wanted to say just now, but she was bewildered and said she didn't remember anything. Why did she say that? Could it be that the place we just passed was not a cave, but... I looked at my watch and suddenly felt something was wrong. The two of us should have been in the water for less than four minutes just now, which was the limit of our diving, but thirty-four minutes have passed... No human can swim for thirty-four minutes without breathing. It was as if my brain had been struck by lightning, and I couldn't figure it out at all.

9

After a long time, I found my consciousness and thought of telling Lefina, but when I turned around, she was no longer where she was. I yelled, heard a strange rustling sound, looked up and found Lefina climbing the wall. There was a rock wall behind the tidal flat, and there was a gap above it. I looked up and saw a glimmer of skylight. I yelled at her, but she ignored me. Her hands and feet were quite fast, and she couldn't see the weakness just now. I also started climbing. There are some vines in the cracks of the rock wall, that grow all year and widen the gaps. It is not too difficult for me to climb up with my strength.

I suddenly heard Ryan calling me. The sound is coming from inside the cave. I'm pretty sure it's an illusion. I don't know when I started hallucinating, but my subconscious mind told me that this voice was not malicious. I poked my head out and looked at the bottom of the pit. The water that just flowed has disappeared without a trace. The little platform we had climbed to, hidden in the darkness, seemed like a floating island. I took off the torch from Lefina’s arm, and with the remaining light, I shone it down hard. It was too dark, not only could I see nothing, but my hands were slippery — maybe my hands were out of energy. The soil was wet and soft. My hands are full of mucus, not like sweat or water from the river just now. The last light of the torch disappeared, and I couldn't turn it on. By the time I lifted the vines and let the sky shine into the abyss, there was nothing in the darkness. Ryan's voice faded away, leaving only a strange, increasingly distant rumbling in the dark. I was lost in my own thoughts, feeling only some untouchable terror. Maybe Lefina is right, it has bodily fluids (maybe gastric juices), it has an intestine, it has a mouth... We just crawled out of its mouth.

The rumbling sound came back to my ears unconsciously. This time, it didn't come from the cave, but from behind me. I turned back and saw a helicopter passing by in the dawn light beyond a sliver of the sky. It was as if a switch had been turned on in my mind, and everything suddenly became clear. I ran to the gap, with my hands outstretched, in a posture pf asking for help. I waited until the helicopter disappeared from view.

10

Two hours later, the heavily armed climbing team climbed up. My senior was the last one to arrive. When I saw someone I knew, the tight breath I had been holding was suddenly released, and I passed out on the spot. When I woke up, my senior told me that I had slept in the tent at the foot of the mountain for about ten hours. On the same day, we were taken down the mountain in batches. In addition to scholars, there were also technical personnel. Trucks, helicopters, and drones were mobilized, and dozens of water pumps were sent to the top of the mountain. It took a long time to pump out the pond.

The senior said with admiration, “You guys are really genius! Without any equipment at hand, you two actually walked through two mountains and came here! How did you do it? If there is no positioning, I really can't find it.” I hurriedly asked, “Positioning? Who sent you the location?” There was no signal in the mountains. “Two days ago, Ryan sent me an email. There was a location in it, telling me to come to the rescue as soon as possible, otherwise there would be no hope.” My senior gave me his mobile phone and asked me to read the contents of the email myself. I thought to myself, how did Ryan know about this? Has he not only been here before, but walked the way I walked? I immediately grabbed my senior and took this opportunity to tell him the whole story of what happened, Asrian's real identity, Ryan’s last appearance and my own thoughts.

My senior laughed when he heard this, and shook his head again and again, “The government unit has come to appraise it. This is the tomb of the Sui Dynasty from 1,500 years ago. Is there a fart connection with the West Queen Mother? The West Queen Mother was the mother of a prince in the Chunqiu Dynasty, this prince was just named West King by the king, so she is called the West Queen Mother. Besides, Asrian has already returned to his hometown for vacation, you said he came to camp with you?"

I sorted out my thoughts suspiciously, only to find out in horror that there were some hidden things in the whole thing, but that it never revealed the real body. I was also cautiously avoiding it myself. “Senior, do you believe that there are some prehistoric creatures that have existed on the earth for tens of thousands of years and have been affecting human history, but we haven't noticed them at all?” My senior thought for a while and said, “Yes.” “What?” “Humans.”

I was almost there to beat him, “I'm not kidding!” “Me neither. But what you said is so normal. In the deep sea alone, there are a large number of prehistoric creatures that our historians and biologists can't figure out. It's also under the glacier, and in the deep mountains... It's also indispensable. Among them, we humans are the most obvious and most unpredictable evolution.” I wanted to retort, but suddenly the story of the King of Zhou Dynasty and the West Queen Mother came to mind.

Humans, indeed, are the most unpredictable.

But could it be that I have experienced so much, but I can't come up with even half a piece of evidence that “it” existed? Regardless of my senior’s obstruction, I threw off the blanket and ran out of the tent, then ran all the way back to the pond. I know that countless people must be buried here, but after it was cleared up, all of us were shocked. There were five or six hundred whole corpses in the mud, and thousands of pieces of limbs and bones. It was impossible to judge which period and dynasty they all came from. I wondered. Were they all worshipping the West Queen Mother from their hearts, obsessed with eternal life? Looking at the corpses strewn across the bottom of the pond, I realized with horror, No, it won't. Nobody loves something so scary. The West Queen Mother does not favour small human beings. There were some parts of which Ryan and Asrian wouldn’t tell me. Just like that, I can't understand. I can understand, I'm afraid I'm not human anymore.

11

The medical workers on the rescue team told me that I was still running a high fever and had to lie down immediately to cool down. I took the medicine but didn't listen to them. I can't lie down yet. I had to wait for Ryan. For some reason, I feel like Ryan, who walks inside that thing, can walk back.

My senior came to see me several times to see the scars on my body. At this time, the pain in my body gradually came back, and some strange things fell from my body. When my senior took it away, I found that there were many small stones, red jade stones. My senior asked me cautiously, “Lefina... Have you seen her dead body in the tomb?” I was startled and asked, “Who? She is alive and well, how could...” “A corpse was found in the pond, it belonged to Lefina. Just now she went to the toilet and hung herself in the pit with a rope. Now there are two corpses of the same person at the forensic doctor!” It suddenly occurred to me that these things were not hallucinations, they were all true.

The search team worked until midnight. They blocked me from entering the mountain again. I waited in the tent until late at night and didn't hear a word from Ryan. But I knew in my heart that Ryan didn't really die, this curse far surpassed life and death. Before dawn, I re-read Ryan's email. The messages in the email were all for my senior, but he left me with a sentence, "I had predicted that things would happen like this. Human civilization — how cyclical? No one can give up this hope, and that kind of desire has no end. I'm sorry for involving you. In my opinion, you are a good friend, a normal person, and you can go back to your life. Forget about it."

12

At dawn, I stepped out of the tent, and the drowsiness in my head was blown away by the morning wind. Looking at the dark mountains, the mountains shrouded in clouds and mist. Above the mountains, amidst layers of clouds and mists, a rising sun slowly emerged. Morning light shines on the top of the mountain. My heart was full of shock. I saw something far beyond the limits of human comprehension. I was in it, but for some reason, I got out. But can I really get away?

I thought of Asrian and Ryan. Why did they leave the mountains once, but come back again? The team doctor called an ambulance and asked me to go to the hospital. My senior also came to persuade me. When I tried to escape from several nurses, I knocked over the stretcher carrying the corpse, and a corpse rolled down. In an instant, I saw a face on the corpse that was exactly like mine. My senior yelled and told the staff to quickly transport the corpse.

"What is that? Is it me? Am I dead?"

My senior replied, "What stupid things are you talking about? Aren't you living a good life and standing here?"

I looked towards the deep mountain, my feet trembling slightly with the ground, and there was endless mourning under the deep mountain. It turns out that I have never been able to leave the mountains. I can still hear the call amidst the jostling of the crowd. But I turned around, pretending nothing happened, and left the deep mountain.

[strangerquinns]

If you do Tom Hiddleston then can I request one where he invites you to one of his theatre shows bc he has a crush on you, forgets to mention there’s a sexual scene in it and there’s this sort of sexual tension between the two of you bc you’re front row—the two of you fuck in his car after the show but there’s sexual tension still there in the car before it happens. Lots of teasing.

tom hiddleston x female reader - so I changed it to coming back to his dressing room/green room.

warning: 18+, unprotected sex, fingering, language,

You walked through the theater doors with wonderment, looking at the older building with a smile on your face. Your dress moved against your thighs with each step that you took, the black silk soft and leaving light touches. Tonight was the last night of the play that Tom was in, knowing that people were going to be a little more dressed up. Your stomach fluttered with nervousness as you stepped closer to the main part of the theater, the building nearly empty since you were early.

Tom had invited you to the final night, finally caving since you'd been asking since the first show. He didn't want you coming at the start - since usually actors were still getting used to being in front of an audience and sometimes little kinks still needed to be worked out. He wanted you to see the show when it was nearly perfect. The two of you have been friends for years, meeting at an event and nearly clicking immediately. A friendship was formed and bonded through the years.

He'd quickly became one of your favorite people.

So quickly you that right beneath the surface of the friendship between the two of you was a tension. You and Tom always seemed to flirt a little with one another, testing to see how far you can take it. But there have been moments where the tension was thick you thought for sure it was going to snap. But it hadn't - yet.

You continued to look around the theater before you heard your name being called from afar. Your head snapped towards the sound and a wide smile spread across your face when you see him.

Tom moved through the small ground that was at the front of the stage, already in costume, and coming right to you. His tall frame quickly loomed over yours before his arms wrapped around you tightly. You took in the warmth of his scent and the butterflies seemed to calm for a moment. There was something about being in his arms that always seemed to center you.

When you stepped back his face looked down to you with his blue eyes bright with happiness.

"I'm so glad that you could make it!" He spoke out in a rush, the excitement that he was feeling having him feel nearly breathless. Or was it nerves? Nerves that you were finally going to see the show.

Your opinion meant so much to him, he wanted you to like it.

"Are you kidding me? I have been begging you to come and see it! I'm so excited. I know it's going to be amazing, you're going to be amazing."

Tom bent his head down slightly in a bashful way, a shyness coming over him as a small smile spread over his lip. Your stomach flipped when his eyes looked back towards you.

"Well you're seated right at the front, so you're not going to miss a thing."

Before you and Tom could say another word, his name was called, and soon he was gone. You went to get a drink at the bar from the main lobby before making it back to your seat. It wasn't long before the room began to fill with people along with chatter and conversation. You took a seat right in the front right where Tom said your seat was.

When the lights went low your stomach dropped with excitement and the room fell in a hush. From the start, you were entranced by the story. Everyone was amazing and could feel the chemistry between every cast member. But of course, Tom stood out the most to you. Every time he stepped onto the stage he caught your eye and kept it. You followed him as he walked around the stage.

His character was amazing, dominant, and made an ache start to build between your legs. Tom was able to do that normally, but this time, it was worse. You crossed and uncrossed your legs over and over to relieve some of the tension between your legs, it getting worse and worse through the show.

There was one part that Tom seemed to leave out about the show, and you didn't really do any research before coming. You wanted it all to be a surprise. It was the fact that there was a love scene, and it wasn't something soft and illuded. It was an intense scene. Tom and his partner were in an argument that leads to a hot, intense, and rough love scene on the floor of the living room. Dealing with Tom's moans and grunts to fill the room.

You never turned away, having a perfect view from your front-row seat. You watched every movement of his hips, watching his chest muscles tense and ripple as he acted out this scene. Your lips were nearly raw from how much you were biting them, suppressing any moan that wanted to come out deep.

And there were moments you could've sworn his eyes locked with yours. And hearing him orgasm, fake or not, nearly making you climax right there in your seat. Your nails dug into the cushion of the armrest of your chair, and when it was over, your knuckles ached from the pressure of the hold.

You sat in shock for a moment and tried to focus on the rest of the show but your mind would just drift back to the scene. But it wasn't long before you were on your feet with the rest of the room applauding Tom and the rest of the cast. It was truly a beautiful show and you stood there so proud of him.

Everyone began to dissipate from the room and out into the lobby before making it to their cars. You stood there patiently waiting for any sign of Tom. But instead, a man you'd never seen before walked up to you with a polite smile on his face. He stopped right in front of you asking for your name.

"Yes, that's me." You stood there confused for a moment.

"Mr. Hiddleston asked me to escort you back to his dressing room, if you could please follow me?"

You quickly followed behind the man through the side before going through a door and soon you were in the midst of the chaos backstage. You moved through small crowds of people before stopping outside a door that had "T. Hiddleston" on the door. It wasn't long before the door was opened and you saw Tom, standing only in a tank top and his pants from the show, but his hair was damp now making you assume he showered.

"Thank you, Jeffery," Tom spoke to the man, before welcoming you into the room. You stepped inside and looked around, seeing the pieces within the room that Tom brought to make it feel like home.

He'd been working on this play for the last three months so it made sense. And the moment the door closed behind you and the lock clicked the thick tension set between you two.

"So what did you think? Did you enjoy it?" He spoke excitedly, his palms rubbing against the front of his pants as he stood in front of you.

"It was amazing," You turned towards him. "Truly Tom it was amazing.

His shoulders seemed to sag with relief before he began to talk excitedly. Something that you admired and found adorable. But as he walked around the small room, your thoughts went immediately back to that scene. You zoned out for a moment as the scene began to play over and over in your mind. But now instead of his castmate being in the scene - you imagined yourself.

You don't know how long you stood there for before your name being called drew you away from the daydream. Your head snapped up and looked towards him.

"Huh?"

Tom looked towards you confused, "You alright darling? You're looking a little flushed." His hand reached forward and caressed your cheek causing a heat to form beneath his touch.

"I...I'm...um..." You cleared your throat and looked down over his body, once again the ache was between your legs. The room began to feel hot as the air began to thicken between you both.

Tom's eyes looked over your face before soon your eyes locked with his. With just the look he knew what it was, you were turned on. Your chest was rising with your quickened breath as you stood there before him. Tom stepped closer to you and a small whimper left your lips as his chest pressed against yours.

"Tom," you spoke in a breathy tone, leaning into his touch as his hand caressed against the side of your face. He held it there for a moment, tilting it up slightly before his lips were on yours.

The moment your lips pressed against each other there was a shock that seemed to move through your body. His lips pressed hard against yours, the both of you sucking and nipping on each other. Your hands moved against his chest, grabbing at his tank and needing him closer.

Tom moaned as your tongue moved against his, backing up towards the couch. The two of you separated for a moment before he pulled you down onto his lap. Your legs straddled over his lap before bending down and kissing him again.

You pulled back with a small gasp as you felt him pressed against your covered pussy. Your hips moved down against his as it relieved a small bit of pressure between your legs. Tom leaned back and moaned loudly, his eyes closing as his face twisted with pleasure.

"Fuck..." He groaned, feeling his hands grip your thighs tightly as you moved against him, feeling his cock hard beneath you.

A small scream left your lips as Tom flipped the two of you with him settled between your legs. His hands moved along your thighs before, slowly, he was removing your underwear. They were tosses over your shoulder landing somewhere in the door but neither of you cared or paid attention as his fingers teased along your slit.

Tom cursed low beneath his breath as he felt how wet you were for him.

"You're fucking dripping," He spoke, his blue eyes looking towards you, with you withering beneath him as he rubbed your clit.

"H-have been since I saw you," You confessed, moving your hips up against his hands. "Oh! Seeing you tonight turned me on...e-especially that scene."

Tom moved to loom over your body more but keeping his hands between your legs. "Tell me. I want to know every fucking filthy detail."

Your jaw opened with a soundless moan as his long fingers slowly moved inside of you, his thumb rubbing against your clit every once and a while.

"Tom! Oh...I-I couldn't keep my eyes off of you...watching you....imaging it was me that you were fucking." You whine, "Hearing your moans...fuck! Tom..."

"Keep going, don't you dare stop." He orders

"I knew that I was going to go home tonight...mmm, and think of you...while I touched myself," A soft cry left your lips as he teased the sensitive spot inside of you, your legs trembling slightly.

"Having you sit there...watching me...it might've been fake but god, I couldn't stop thinking of you. Kept my eyes on you," Tom kept his eyes locked with yours as he spoke, his fingers moving in slow strokes. It was enough to give some relief, but have you aching for more.

So he was looking at you. You weren't imagining it.

"Tom...please..." You begged, reaching to touch along his face, your fingers running along his jaw in slow strokes.

"Yes, darling?" His voice was deep and you felt yourself clench around his fingers. Only making his smirk widen. "Use your words."

A long pause settled between you both, Tom's lips lightly kissing your thigh and once again leaving you breathless. You spoke out in a rush.

"Fuck me, fuck me...please...god, fuck me!" You cried out.

Tom moved quickly with pulling his fingers from between your legs. Soon your dress was pulled from above your head along with his shirt. Tom was aching for you and couldn't even wait for his pants to full shift down past his waist before he was inside you. Tom pressed his hips tightly against yours, holding himself from moving. You were so tight and warm around him - he feared that if he moved - it would end. But you needed a moment as you'd never felt so full before. Your pussy clenching and pulsating around him.

Tom moved down to press his body against yours before he began to move. In short and deep thrusts, Tom drove his cock deep inside of you. He'd never felt anything as good as your pussy wrapped around him. It wasn't long before the room was filled with both of your moans, along with the erotic noise of your bodies moving against each other. His cock moving in and out of you.

Tom's hand reached down and grabbed the back of your thigh before pressing your knee towards your chest. A gasp came from you as he opened you wider for him allowing him deeper. Your hips jerked up to meet with his movements, a new sensation moving through your body.

Your hand grabbed at his biceps with your nails digging into his skin - needing something to hold on to.

"Mmm, that's it...fuck...oh, fuck." Tom growled with his hand holding your thigh tightly, his pace picking up and becoming more fluid with his rhythm. "This pussy feels so good, so perfect. How long I've wanted this. To feel you..."

"I have wanted you for so long, Tom...to have you beside me...to touch me, to fuck me." You strangled out.

That seemed to drive him more, Tom moving back onto his knees and fucking you harder. You were still spread open for him but now his eyes were locked on between the two of you. His thumb moved down between you both to rub your clit. It washed over you without warning. Your back arched towards him with his name chanting from your lips as you came around him.

Yours moans became too loud to the point Tom placed his hand on your mouth to muffle them. Your body trembled slightly as you fell apart beneath him, he made sure to not look away, needing this to committed to memory.

You began to slowly come down, relaxing against the cushions beneath you as Tom continued to fuck you. But his pace became more erratic and rough. His hips smacking hard against you, with him throbbing and twitching inside of you - you had a feeling he was close.

You reached a hand up and grabbed the back of his neck before pulling him down to kiss you. The kiss was sloppy as he began to lose control.

"Cum inside me Tom, I want it." You whimpered "Give it to me...oh god."

"Oh fuck! Fuck!" He called out your name before pressing his hips tightly against you as he came inside of you. Your hands moved along his back and held him tightly as his movement began short little thrusts.

Tom nuzzled into your neck and kissed along your neck as you laid beneath him. He stayed deep inside of you as you both laid there with the heavy musky scent in the air.

wow that was terrible - thank you for the tom request!!! i don't get enough, send more!

[thecustomcosplayed]

When The Sun Sets

 part 2! it’s here! whoo! Sausage tries to check out the Ancient City Gem was talking about. Notes: i was watching game theory while I wrote this, so.. yeah- anyways, another character appears this part :) well kinda linebreaklinebreaklinebreaklinebreaklinebreaklinebreaklinebreaklin Sausage glanced up from the map Gem had given him, looking into the cave entrance. The adventurer had decided it was best to set towards the cave immediately after he left the Princess to sleep. Hopefully, he would find something leading to the reason Gem was acting so strange recently. Now, Sausage wasn’t one to be afraid of caves, not in the slightest. Sure, the mobs were always a problem, but he could take them out with a swipe or two from his sword more times than not. He thought every person needed a place to be free and safe, and while he did feel a little guilty from killing the mobs, he thought it as more freeing their souls than kill them. But no, it wasn’t the average mob that scared him. Heck, he could even handle the Deep Dark and the skulk blocks. What he was afraid of was the Warden. All of the books he had read about the Warden described it as dangerous, and practically impossible to kill, even by some of the most skilled warriors known to date. The psychical description described the Warden as a tall, looming shadow, shaped like a disfigured human, with horns coming from it’s head. It had no eyes, which was why it was always relying on the sensors, and it’s great hearing. Some people had said they could hear whispers whenever they were near the Warden, but that wasn’t too are, at least not in the Empires world. He knew there were several different things that whispered around you, and he could list a few. The soul sand and fire in the Nether, the Evermore’s fog, the End portal, things that like. But it still creeped him out. After all, why- no, how, could the Warden whisper? It was known for it’s ear-ringing shrieks, it’s sonic booms. He found it hard to believe that it was the Warden itself who whispered. Perhaps it was like the soul fire? But, he didn’t have time to question that right now. He had walked to where the Deep Dark started. Apparently, he still had a bit to go before he would in the actual City. The brunette stopped, kneeling and putting on the enchanted boots Gem gave him, putting his own diamond ones away for now, before he quietly snuck onto the squishy skulk material. Sausage was surprised at how well lit up the area was, with a wide area of torches and even some frog lights in the ceiling. It was well lit up enough so no mobs spawned, and he slowly slipped away his own unlit torch. He supposed it made sense that the area would be well lit, but he wasn’t expecting it to be. The adventurer quickly made his way to where the City was, keeping quiet as he stared at it for a few seconds. The Ancient Cities normally spawned rather big, but Gem had grown it out, making it downright huge. It could give fWhip’s Empire a run for his money with how big it was.

The ruins had been made a bit nicer, and easier to maneuver. But, there was still a double chest in front, with a sign labeled in Gem’s handwriting:

“Welcome to Dusk! Please, take a map so you don’t get lost, and some wool so it’s easier for you to move around!”

The brunette opened the chest, taking a map and two stacks of wool. He took this chance to check his inventory and who was on the server right now. His inventory didn’t have much in it, just the bare minimum.

As for who was online, other then himself and Gem (who’s user had some gray z’s beside it), only Shelby was on.

He paused, staring at the witch’s user. Maybe she would know what the wisps were? To be fair, it did sound like it was a magic thing.

You whispered to ShubbleYT: Hey, do you know what a wisp is? He typed on the communicator, glad it didn’t make any noise when he sent the ‘whispered’ message, as he waited for the blonde-banged girl to respond. ShubbleYT whispered to you: no? i mean it sounds familiar but not off the top of my head? ShubbleYT whispered to you: y? and why are we whispering? You whispered to ShubbleYT: In order to your questions, Gem is transforming an Ancient City under Dawn and said some wisps were protecting her, and I’m currently in said Ancient City.

ShubbleYT whispered to you: ohhh.. that’s not very good if i’m right abt what i think the wisps are. ShubbleYT whispered to you: get out of the city, i’ll meet you at dawn. You whispered to ShubbleYT: What? Why? ShubbleYT whispered to you: just trust me please. you plan on killing the warden, right? The adventurer shivered lightly at that. He hadn’t been planning to, not at all, no, he planned to run if he spawned it accidentally. He was just here to find whatever the wisps were and head out to check on Gem. You whispered to ShubbleYT: Not really, I just wanted to know what the wisps were. ShubbleYT whispered to you: well, i guess we’re both doing something we thought we’d never do. ShubbleYT whispered to you: just meet me up at dawn, i’ll be there with potions and bows. You whispered to ShubbleYT: Please don’t tell me you plan on trying to kill the Warden. ShubbleYT whispered to you: no better way to make sure gem’s safe, right? Sausage cursed under his breath, sending one more message with just a simple ‘Fine’ as his response. It had been totally unfair that Shelby had pulled that card, but whatever. He started his way to the surface, only glancing back at the City twice. End part 2. end notes: whoops. i acidentally posted it without finishing. oh well its fixed now :) but whooo you unlocked great witch to your team lol. I really wanted to add Shubble in, and what better way then making her help Sausage kill the Warden? also Shubble’s messaging is an accurate way i type usually but with a lot of typos, so, you know. also, for those ppl who noticed I described Shelby with blonde bangs instead of like blonde haired or brunette, my ver. season 2 Shubble has diff hair. she had dark brown pigtails, then just brown, and then blonde bangs so yeah :D

[duskwood-legacies]

Words: Waves 🌊, home, longing, sky.

Genre: Up to you ;)

Pairing: Jake x MC <3

"Hues of Pink and Blue"

•Fandom: Duskwood •Pairing/Character: Jake x MC •Word Count: 1.7k •Genre: Romance, Fluff •Summary: Long ago Jake discovered a place, hidden away from human touch and left deserted inside the face of earth. Nothing but ocean waves and himself have touched the secluded area that provided him shelter from his most worrisome days. As time went on and courage took the best of him, the moment he'd share this place with MC had finally come. •Author's Note: At the end of the story

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Emotions flourishing inside his chest and thoughts filled with imagined reactions, Jake pulled MC behind himself. His fingers intertwined hers, holding on tightly as he marched on.

Dawn settled over the wilderness. Dragonflies and waking-up fireflies passed them, increasing the anticipating burn on Jake’s skin. He longed this moment to come. He longed for the day courage took enough of him to lead MC this way.

The path Jake walked down on his worst days, the course he had taken as hope vanished from his life.

MC followed suit, trust fated her bond with Jake long ago. Secrets became a foreign phenomenon to them, tying both of their souls tighter together, day by day.

“Jake! Careful!” MC shouted. In the heat of his eagerness, Jake had picked up his pace and almost made him and her tumble to the ground. “You’re gonna hurt yourself!”

As they ventured along the coastline, she pictured all kinds of places Jake could take her. Fields filled with flowers, a deep blue deserted bay, a waterfall they’d share a long and passionate kiss under.

Although, her imagination was beyond underestimating the extent of the beauty she would witness in mere seconds.

The sacred sight of a cave’s entrance struck Jake’s vision, making him smile like a foolish child. It was everything he wished to do, introduce MC to all the beauty hidden behind the face of earth.

Fatigued light coated the entryway. MC’s interest was piqued, her eyes, curious as a puppy, inspected the way Jake was leading her along, the place he likely was aiming for.

One final glance back, one final grin, shot through Jake’s face as he turned around. MC couldn’t stop the small laugh inside her throat. His face shone with so much excitement and happiness, it reminded her of a young kitten chasing a ball of tin foil.

Colorful lights crossed their way as they stepped foot into the translucent cave, a gasp resonating from MC’s direction. With carefulness and a pleased smirk Jake led her along the trails made of stone. The walls and ceiling were lined with hundreds and hundreds of luminous crystals, large as trees. A place long forgotten, long untouched by humanity.

Serene ocean waves sang their gentle songs through hues of pink and blue. MC’s gaze wandered in awe, mouth agape, eyes wide open and breath captured inside her lungs.

Jake maneuvered her through the cave with ease and confidence, determination edging his frame.

His gaze constantly fell behind, an act of assuring himself of MC’s comfort and safety. Each time a smile would climb onto Jake’s face, feelings of love and affection dawning back on him, exactly like the day MC first admitted her interest in him.

Memories of their first meeting flared inside Jake’s mind, every so small detail invading his subconscious senses. The way MC’s confident and cheeky self fell into a shy and held-back demeanor, the way it matched so well with those other aspects he fell in love with.

One moment would always linger along this memory. MC’s voice broke off the first time she laughed in his presence, causing his own to erupt into a fit of laughter. It was such a small thing to her, yet it kept a safe and dear place inside his heart.

The image made his skin tingle with happiness.

Jake stopped on top of a bridge nature has carved between two cliffs. He turned around, dedicating every fiber of himself to MC. Her smile was comforting, eyes so soft and excited it made his stomach feel bubbly.

With all gentleness he was capable to collect he caressed MC’s cheek, making new sparks ignite inside her chest. She understood they were thinking of the same day, the same faithful evening. Those colors the crystals were illuminating enlightened Jake’s face and irises with a capturing trance. MC savored every piece of this moment, imprinted every shade and detail in her head.

The gap between them closed and their eyelids fell shut. MC combed her hand through Jake’s hair before letting it rest on his cheek, lightly pulling him closer. Thunder rang inside their hearts and veins, every kiss they shared felt like the first one over and over.

They broke apart. MC chuckled, closing in to rest her hand and head on Jake’s chest. He pulled her into an embrace, holding her softly as a thin piece of porcelain.

After eons he pulled away. He led her farther into the cave, walking on and on as MC followed him suit.

The crystals formed a harmony of blue, pink and grey the deeper they went, the more they dove into the secrecy of this hidden place. Eventually a large, clearing like area laid ahead. Sparkles on the floor shimmered in the colors of the shining stones around. A glowing, ashen like shine entwined the place, the calmness of the moon seeping into Jake’s and MC’s frames.

In the middle of it all Jake peacefully pulled MC down with him, observing her reaction with attention and excitement. She seemed happy, awestruck.

Both sat in lulled silence, listening to the harmony the ocean melodies were offering.

Once more Jake looked aside, expression falling at MC’s now faded smile. She didn’t resemble an image of confidence anymore, more so she looked unsatisfied and drifted away in the wrong thoughts. She tugged on her crop top and attempted to pull her already high-waisted jeans higher.

Jake examined her with caution. No long after he recognized the root of the problem. A sting made itself present inside his chest, the thought of MC minimalizing herself to something so small, so natural ached him.

He scooped closer to her, wrapping his arm around MC and placing his hand under hers on the crop top.

No muscle of hers moved, no word of hers was spoken. Jake placed a kiss on her temple. Offering reassurance to someone wasn’t one of his core strengths.

“Hey, look” He whispered, pulling back from MC and greatening their distance vaguely. Her focus parted away from her invalidating thoughts, briefly finding serenity inside Jake’s voice.

Jake pulled his shirt up, squeezing the rolls his belly now had due to sitting down. “I have them too!”

A surprised and grateful smile slithered onto MC’s expression, contaminating Jake to join in. He remembered all those times she comforted him on his darkest of days. Somehow she had always managed to demonstrate him he wasn’t alone, proved his emotions weren’t suffocating him with no opportunity for escape. The least he could do was attempting to pay her back the exact same way.

They laid back down onto the ground, a deep breath passing MC’s lips and leaving Jake to wonder. Was his attempt enough?

The moon shone brightly onto their faces. MC reached out, fingers stretched out and arm extended, longing to touch the moon, longing to take off into the sky and leaving behind nothing but scattered memories and insecurities. Desiring to take Jake’s hand and walk the moon’s cold surface.

Her daydream was interrupted by fingers intertwining with hers. Jake softly pulled her hand down to his mouth, placing light kisses on its back over and over until he rested it on his chest. His eyelids fell shut to quiet giggles of MC, a soft breeze of fresh adrenaline rushing through his veins.

Peaceful silence, nothing but waves and their thin breaths were heard.

A quiet weep took MC off guard. She drew her attention to Jake, rolling onto her side and gaze lingering on him with a worried, unfelt touch. A tear on Jake’s face betrayed what his mouth wanted to say, rendering him silent instead of telling excuses.

“Love…?”

One word. One word was all it took to disarm him. A smile, soft as the silver light, formed on Jake’s lips at MC’s innocent whisper.

His reaction evermore confused MC. Jake’s hand increased strength and pressure around hers, pushing it even further into his chest. He swung his free arm to cover his eyes, a low laugh crackling from his mouth and warming MC’s senses.

Jake’s head turned to look at her. Her breath hitched, a warm sensation running over her body as MC looked into his mellow gaze. His eyes gleamed with admiration, void of all the saddened emotions she expected to see.

No words were exchanged.

Yet both souls understood.

Jake’s thumb tenderly brushed over MC’s on his chest. Lost in lights of silver, blue and pink on her face, his brain froze the moment and relished and memorized every inch of MC’s features. Her grace dimmed the light of the crystals, made them look like child’s play, like a flower amongst many. So ordinary, so normal.

“I cannot believe I found someone like you.” A soft mutter ranked through Jake’s voice. MC chuckled, cheeks heating up with the bliss his words brought into her spirit.

“Likewise”

For minutes they laid on the crystal dusted ground, doing nothing but gazing at one another. Their hearts fluttered inside their chests as subtle shivers and trembles crept through their bodies.

Overwhelmed by emotions Jake looked skywards, vision grazing the lenient moonlight. The illusion of a small cottage on top of a cliff, blacked out by the bright shine of a full moon appeared in front of Jake’s inner eye. Outside he’d sit with MC, stargazing, holding hands and enjoying nothing but the night and each other’s presence. The home he had dreamed for both of them.

Sudden movement interrupted his imagination. MC laid curled up beside him, her head rested on his stomach and her hand still firmly held onto Jake’s on his chest. A sight so divine, so angelic he desired to never move again.

MC’s gaze lingered on their hands, the beauty of a million cherry petals on top of a flowing river sparkling inside her eyes. She made him feel at ease, made him feel like he doesn’t need to fantasize about a perfect home. Any place with her was more perfect than the most gracious of mansions, the most comfortable of apartments and more home than any house could provide.

Jake laid his head back down, closing his eyes and snaking his free arm around MC.

Their souls were at peace. A tranquil moment they shared, enough to tighten their bond, their trust, to a point unfathomable by human mind.

A tranquil moment, enough to erase the rest of the world out of their heads.

-----

A/N: Hi everyone!!💕 Writing this story was a lot of fun and, I must admit, I'm incredibly proud of the setting!🌿 Thanks a lot to @dreamer-writer-fangirl for enabling me this opportunity by requesting four words for me to write a story about💕

[wondersofdreaming]

Shades of Blue

Characters: Henry Cavill x female reader

Word count: 1.872

Warnings: Lots of fluff. Lots of emotions. Lots of feelings. Making love. NSFW!

Author’s note: @jolly-polly​ and I were discussing about the Greek Islands, and how much I loved the culture, the food, the people, the ocean and so forth. So she told me to write a cave scene, and I in turn challenge her to write a cabin scene ;)

I do not own any characters in this short story, except the reader who is a figment of my imagination.

Thank you so much to @radaofrivia​, my angel, who send me lots of pictures, ideas, advice, sounds of the ocean, and lots of encouragement to write this piece.

MASTERLIST

Feedback is appreciated.

The yacht was rocking slowly side to side, a soothing motion that was lulling you to sleep, together with the sound of water splashing against the tall cliff. Seagulls were diving into the azure ocean for fish or trying to steal each other’s catch. You could hear your friends swimming happily close to the shore, their laughter reaching your ears, making you smile widely.

You were laying on one end of the yacht, absorbing the sun’s rays and just enjoying your holiday in the Mediterranean Sea, when a large shadow blocked the warm light. You took off your sunglasses and shrieked when the brisk ocean water started dripping on you.

“Henry! That’s cold!” You told your boyfriend laughing as he pulled you up. His smile shone brightly through the shadow he cast and bent down to give you a gentle kiss.

“Come swim with me, my love,” he tried to coax you. His abs were glistening in the sun, his wet hair curling, and his cerulean eyes challenging you.

“How can I say no, when you give me those puppy dog eyes?

”You stand on the tip of your toes to kiss his nose, then wiggled out of his grip.

“The last one in the water is a slowpoke!”

Henry’s sweet laughter could be heard as he ran after you. You dove into the clear blue sea, enveloped by the cold refreshing liquid. You opened your eyes and watched an explosion of bubbles happening next to you. Henry’s grinning face came out of the foam and swam towards you. He wrapped his muscular arms around your waist and with a few kicks of his strong legs, he broke to the surface, gasping for air.

“You cheated,” he accused you, but his teasing eyes and grinning lips were telling you, he didn’t mind that you had won the impromptu race.

“I did no such thing,”

“How about a consolation prize for the loser?” He pouted.

An amused look spread on your suntanned face as you went to meet his full lips. Even while he was using a lot of strength to hold you both above water, he kneaded your ass and took over the kiss. He was like a starving lion, hungry for anything you would give him. What he didn’t know was that he already owned you, body, heart, and soul.

His tongue touched the rim of your lips, seeking entrance to your warm mouth. You opened up to him, trusting him to keep you from drowning. The tip of your tongue moved to touch the roof of his mouth. You felt the vibrations of his moans through your entire body. One large hand palmed the back of your head, deepening your coupling.

“Oi! Lovebirds! We’re going to get something to eat, are you coming?” One of your friends yelled from the shore.

Henry’s lips spread as he smiled into yours. He slowly moved away, pecking your well-kissed lips one last time, before turning his attention to your friend.

“No thanks, mate. We’re good.”

“We are?” You asked him. His signature panty-melting smirk gave you a hint that he was hungry for something other than food.

“I have something special planned for us,” he whispered, licking the shell of your ear. A quiver went down your spine in anticipation of what was to come.

You swam towards the yacht. Henry helped you out of the teal coloured ocean.

“Stay here, we’re going to the shore in just a minute.”

He went into the bedrooms and collected a waterproof rucksack. His large hand wrapped around your smaller one as you dove back into the Aegean Sea, swimming the short distance to the beach.

Your friends waved at you from the bar, sending you cheeky smiles. Henry pushed you gently the opposite way.

“Henry, where are we going?” You asked, keeping up with his long strides.

“It’s a surprise. I promise you’ll love it.”

After a few more minutes of walking, Henry stopped and put his large palms over your eyes.

“Take a few steps until I say stop,” Henry told you. You giggled and took a cautious step, not knowing what was in front of you except sand. He guided you a little to the left, into the ocean until the water reached your knees. You then wadded through the waves for a few metres before Henry told you to stand still.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

Henry’s chuckle made you smile. You had gotten goosebumps from the excitement. Henry removed his hands. You blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the very bright sun.

The scene in front of you made you start to tear up.

“I got a little help to set this up,” Henry leaned his chin on your shoulder, wrapping his arms around your torso.

“I love it, babe. Thank you,” you told him and kissed his scruffy cheek.

Smiling, he led you to the laid out black and blue blanket that had been set up with a picnic basket, a bottle of champagne sat in a bucket of ice, and a single red rose lay on top of an envelope.

You opened and read the card out loud:

“Have fun, lovebirds 😉”

A burst of laughter escaped your lips. You set the card down and handed the cooled bottle to Henry.

The bubbly liquid spilt over his hands when the cork flew up in the air. You quickly held up the two glasses for him to pour in the champagne.

Henry fed you fresh Vietnamese spring rolls, Scotch eggs, blueberry muffins, scones, a large variety of chocolate-covered fruits, different cheeses and loaves of freshly baked bread.

“When did you have time to make all of this?” You asked curiously while biting into a Scotch egg. The yolk was soft and gooey, just the way you liked it, and the crumb was crispy and bursting with flavour.

“Most of the food is from a restaurant in town, but the Scotch eggs and scones I made on the yacht, while you slept in this morning,” he told you and took a large gulp of the golden wine.

“How sneaky of you. That’s why the kitchen was so clean when I got up.”

“Well, I had to clean the mess I made, so you wouldn’t become suspicious.”

“Very clever of you, Mr Cavill.”

The grin on his handsome face hinted on more surprises to come.

“You’re hiding something, my love. Out with it.”

Henry ate the last bite of the food, before he stood, dusting some sand off his trunks.

“I do have something I want to show you,” he held out his hand, helping you up. You helped him pack the blanket and empty champagne bottle into the rucksack. The rest was shoved into the picnic basket.

Henry intertwined your fingers together as you walked further down the beach, which was getting narrower and narrower. Henry put the rucksack and picnic basket down and waded into the clear water when there was no more sand to walk on.

You would follow him to the end of the earth if it meant being with him forever. When the ocean reached your chest, he picked you up and swam to the other side of the rocky wall.

A large entrance to a cave loomed over your heads as Henry inched closer. You could hear the waves hitting the cavern walls, it made the eerie-looking grotto less intimidating.

“Oh my gosh, Henry. How did you find this?”

“We sailed past it yesterday,”

“Huh, I didn’t even notice. Someone was distracting me by walking around in nothing but these tight swimming trunks.”

Henry laughed and paddled into the cave. The sea went rapidly from light cyan to midnight blue. The light couldn’t reach that far inside, but your eyes swiftly adjusted to the dark. A tiny island sat in the middle of the grotto, and it looked like the rocks there were moving.

“Look, Henry! It’s turtles!”

It was quite the sight, as the turtles moved to make room for the two of you. The surface of the island was flat and smooth. You sat at the edge with your feet in the water, shivering a bit from the cold air inside the cave.

“Come here, my angel.”

Henry manoeuvred you into his lap. You felt his rising excitement beneath your bottom. His lips grazed your exposed shoulders. A fire was slowly building up inside you, as his lips explored your chest, removing your bikini top.

His nimble fingers moved between your bodies. It felt as if he was touching you everywhere and nowhere at the same time. You burned for him, wanting his soft touch at your most intimate place.

“Henry…” you whined.

“Patience, darling. All good things come to those who wait.”

You huffed out an annoyed groan. But two could play the dirty game, so you moved your fingers into his hair, massaging his scalp, pulling gently at his curls, while you clashed your lips to his. The grunts that left his lips made you grind your pelvis to his groin. His eyes turning to a dark sapphire colour.

In one swift move, he had you on your back. The surface of the island cold, but you didn’t care. All you wanted was Henry. He whispered words of love in your ear as he made sweet passionate love to you. Your moans echoed through the cavern as you moved as one being. The sound of the water splashing in the background. The turtles jumping into the ocean to give you space. Your bodies moved as fluidly as the waves.

All your senses were heightened, but they were concentrated on Henry. Tears of joy and tears of ecstasy from the intense emotions that were welling up inside you ran down your reddened cheeks. Henry kissed them away, drinking the salty sea pouring from your lust-filled eyes.

It felt like an eternity had passed that you had spent forever in the cave, but only a moment had gone by. Time had stopped while you two devoured each other in a passionate pairing.

As the waves crashed against the island, so did the ecstasy burst inside your satisfied body. You fell into the abyss of euphoria together. You were panting as if you had just run a marathon.

Sweat mixed with salty seawater dripped down your back. Henry moved to lay down next to you, pulling you on top of him. He kissed your forehead lovingly, telling you how much he loved you.

After you caught your breath you put your bikini back on, even made Henry help you tie the ends together. You jumped headfirst into the indigo water and out into the horizon dipping sun. A turtle swam past you, gracing you with its fin.

Henry dove beneath the waves to swim after it and you followed him. More turtles joined your little swimming party as you danced with Henry in the waves. The sky had gone from cornflower blue to shades of orange, red, pink and purple.

“Thank you for today, handsome. I do have one request before the day is over.”

“Anything for you, sweetheart.”

“You just rocked that tiny island, do you think we can make the yacht rock too?”

[vampiredecay]

I Can Hear Your Heart Beat (Part 1)

A/N: heyo! this is the first part of a two parter, in celebration of hitting a little over 50 followers! this was a prompt/suggestion from @n3on-lights , thank you again so much!! originally this was going to be one part, but i realized i was at 3k words and only half way done with the story, lol. so part two will be out soon! in the mean time, hope you enjoy this first half!

rating: teen

wordcount: 3,139

warnings/notes: swearing, descriptions of being in pain, half vamp!michael, human!lost boys, the boys turn back to human, implied minor character death, goodbye max, poly!lost boys, lost boys x michael

summary: after convincing sam that he wasn't going to kill him, michael raced to the hotel to seek answers about what he was becoming. little does he know, sam has his own plans up his sleeve, leaving the boys human for the first time in years, and michael still stuck as half vampire.

--

“Sammy, please!” Michael cried out, hanging onto the phone cord for dear life, hoping to whatever god out there was merciful enough to put some sense into his little brother's head. Sam just stared, debating if he should really let his brother in or not. He was floating outside his bedroom window like a freak, and he tried to eat him! But when Sam looked at him, at his older brother, he could see that he looked terrified. He's hardly ever seen Michael genuinely afraid, and he looks so human, despite the obvious circumstances. So, Sam takes a deep breath and walks over to the window, unlocking it and opening it for Michael to crawl through.

Michael counts his blessings as he drops onto the floor, takes in huge amounts of air that he doesn't really need. Sam sinks down to the floor next to him, and Michael grabs hold of him, wrapping his arms around him like he'll start flying away again. Sam tries not to squirm too much.

"What's goin on, Mike?" Sam whispers, his voice refusing to go any higher. Michael is shaking slightly, breathing heavily, so Sam tries again, "What did those bikers do to you?"

That gets a reaction out of him, a low growling sound from deep in his throat. Michael can hear Sam's heartbeat quicken and he has to swallow thickly. "I don't know, Sam. But I'll sort it out, okay?"

"But what about mom-" Sam tries, but Michael cuts him off, frantic, "Just- just don't tell her anything, okay? You gotta trust me, Sammy."

Sam wants to argue, this was way bigger than getting a bad grade on a test, or getting into a fight in school. His gut reaction was to tell his mom, because he knew she would try and make it okay again. But he also trusted his brother. Plus, he had more experience with these guys, so Sam nodded, deciding Michael had it covered. “Okay. I trust you.”

Michael let out a sigh of relief, but it was short lived once they heard their moms car screeching to a halt outside of the house. The boys frantically got up, looking at each other with wide eyes. “I gotta go, Sam. Distract mom for me, yeah?” There wasn’t any time to debate, so Sam just nodded and sprinted down the stairs. He didn't know how Michael was going to sneak out, but at this rate, he didn’t want to know.

When he got down stairs, the blond teen could hear his mom calling his name, and when the front door opened, he could see his mom looking worried like crazy. “Oh, Sam!” she said once she saw him, she sounded exhausted. “You scared me half to death!”

Sam felt guilt start to stir in his chest, he didn’t mean to make his mom worry so much. And the fact that he had to lie now didn’t help matters at all. “I’m okay, mom. I was reading a horror comic and I thought I saw someone outside my window- but I just got carried away, that's all.”

Lucy stared at her son, trying to understand the excuse he was feeding her. She squinted her eyes at him. “You got carried away by a comic book?”

Sam tried not to flinch, he knew it sounded like bullshit, but it was the best he could come up with on the fly. “It was a scary comic mom. I’m sorry.”

The look on his mom's face made it clear she was frustrated. She couldn’t believe how her boys were acting, like she didn’t raise them better. “You know, I’ve just about had it with the both of you, you know that?” Sam nodded his head and looked down at his feet, and she almost forgave him then. But then her eyes landed on the kitchen, and her frustration flared up all over again. “What is this mess?”

Sam looked over to where his mom was talking about, and saw the spilt milk and open fridge door. God damnit, Mike. He tried telling her that it wasn’t his fault, but she wasn’t listening, not that he could blame her at this point. When he was done cleaning up the floor, Sam raced up to his room, pausing to see that Michael had long gone. Wasting no more time, he launched himself on his bed and called the Frog brothers again.

It took a few rings, but eventually, Edgar had answered the call. “What?” he asked, short and coarse. Sam rushed to answer, “Guys, it's me again.”

Edgar sighed from over the phone, “What, Sam? We told you to stake your brother, what more do you want?”

“Look guys, Michael and I talked, he’s going to try and talk to the vamps that got him, but there has to be something more that we can do!”

There was some vague conversation that Sam couldn’t hear, then Alan was speaking, “Do you know if he made his first kill? Can he still walk in sunlight?”

“No, he hasn’t killed anyone, and yes, he can still walk in sunlight.” Sam said, “That means he’s only half shit sucker, right?”

Alan grumbled into the phone, like he didn’t want to be entertaining this idea at all. “Yes, so technically, if you kill the head vampire, all half vampires would return to being human.” Sam was ready to celebrate, he was about to say something like “hell yeah!”, but then Alan asked something that made him cut the celebration short. “Does your brother know who the head vampire is?”

“Uh,” Sam mumbled, "No, I don't think so."

"We can't screw around anymore, Sam." Edgar said, taking the phone back. "Kill your brother, or we'll be forced to do it for you "

"Wait, no!" Sam shouted, desperate to think of something that would help. "We just gotta find the head vampire, right? We-" as he was talking, Sam suddenly thought of something. "Actually, I might know who the head vampire is."

"What?" Edgar asked, voice high and tight. "Well, this all started when my mom started working at Max's video store."

He could hear both the Frogs groaning. "Wait guys, hear me out! He doesn't come in till after dark, he has a dog that's always growling at people, and I read that vampires have hell hounds as companions!"

"Well duh, but-" Edgar started, but Sam cut him off. "If my mom is dating the head vampire, you guys can nail him and save Santa Carla!"

The Frogs were silent for a few seconds, so Sam tacked on "Truth, justice, and the American way triumphs, thanks to you two."

That seemed to convince them, because after a few more seconds, Edgar said "Alright, we'll check Max out. Tonight. Get ready, we'll come get you in ten minutes."

Sam froze, mouth open wide against the phone. "Tonight? Can't we wait until tomorrow?"

"This was your idea, Sam." Alan said, more rustling could be heard from the background. "If Max is clean, we're coming for your brother and his friends tomorrow. Be ready." Before Sam could say anything more, they hung up the phone.

--

When Michael got to the hotel, it was dark and quiet. There weren't as many candles lit, making shadows dance and flicker against the walls, and the only sounds Michael could hear were drops of water bouncing around the cave.

"David?" Michael called out, walking further into the hotel. The place was eerie now, without the boys there, dancing and laughing and joking around. "David? Anyone here?"

Where the hell were they? Michael was getting agitated, a hot irritation settling under his skin as he looked around the cave. If they weren't even here, he didn't know what he was going to do. Michael needed answers, he needed to know what the hell was happening to him.

"I'm not fucking around." The brunette said to the air. "I want answers, and I want them now!"

Silence. Michael snarled at nothing and turned around to stomp towards the exit, but then he heard an all too familiar voice echoing out the cave.

"I'm right here, Michael."

David was standing at the entrance, Dwayne, Paul and Marko lurking behind him. The platinum blond gave a wide smirk as he walked down into the cave, eyeing the angry halfling. “What’s going on?”

“What the hell did you do to me?” Michael demanded, walking right up to David and getting into his face. David cocked an eyebrow as the rest of the boys surrounded him, whispering and laughing. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Cut the bullshit! I’m hungry, I’m in pain, I was floating on the goddamn ceiling-”

“Woah,” Paul interrupted, sounding amazed, “You got there already? It took me a while-” Marko kicked Paul’s leg before he could continue, making the blond rocker yelp loudly. David cleared his throat and suddenly looked deadly serious. “You drank from the bottle, Michael. You’re one of us now.”

“But what the hell does that mean?” Michael was starting to feel drained, he was so tired of going around in circles, and it feels like he hasn’t gotten proper sleep in weeks. “What the fuck was in that bottle that makes me float off the ground and makes me want to eat my brother?”

The boys all looked at each other like they were having a silent conversation.

“Take it easy, man.” Dwayne said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. He was smiling like nothing was off or weird about this situation at all. “You’ll get the hang of it. Just go with the flow.”

Michael was about to ask what he’d “get the hang of”, but Marko spoke before he could. “It’s getting late, you should probably go home.” The way he spoke and the look he gave had an air of finality, like fighting would get him nowhere. This had been a huge waste of time.

“Fine.” Michael spit, shoving past David roughly as he walked towards the entrance. He would have to find answers some other way. As much as he hated it, he might have to resort to Sam’s weird friends. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but they seemed to be the only other ones who knew anything about-

“Wait!” Paul called out, making Michael stop in his tracks. He turned around and looked at Paul, who had a weird look on his face. His eyebrows were scrunched down and he held a hand to his middle. “Do you guys feel that?”

The others looked confused, but soon their faces contorted into concern and agitation. Marko’s hand shot to Paul's arm, gripping like his life depended on it, while Dwayne and David held onto each other, as if keeping each other from falling. Marko was panting, “What the fu-”

Suddenly, Markos words were cut off by a loud screeching sound. Michael nearly jumped out of his skin as the boys started shouting and screaming, falling to the ground hard. The halfling stared at them in shock.

“What happened?! What's wrong?!” Michael asked frantically, panicked, running back over and crouching over the pile of writhing bodies. No one could answer, the only sounds coming from them were grunts and whimpers of pain. Michael could only stand and watch, horrified that he had no idea what was going on.

After what felt like an eternity, the screaming stopped. The boys stopped convulsing on the ground, completely still and silent, like they passed out. The silence was deafening now. Michael slowly walked over to David, breathing heavily, anxious out of his mind. He placed a gentle hand to his cheek, finding him surprisingly warm. He checked his pulse, then, and found a shallow, but steady heart beat. Michael then checked the other boys and found the same warmth and beat. The teen sighed in relief, they were all alive, at least. They seemed to be out cold, though, and Michael knew that he needed to move them from the cold hard ground.

One by one, he moved each of the boys to a chair or couch, trying to make them as comfortable as possible. Michael looked around, but didn’t find any stashed food or water, so he decided to hurry out and get them something to eat when they woke up. He didn’t know if they would be hungry or not, but it would be worth the try.

Michael sped on his bike to the nearest convenience store and grabbed a basket, stuffing it with random chips and snacks. He also grabbed a few bottles of water and threw it in the basket. When he went up to the counter to pay, the cashier gave him an odd look, but he just smiled awkwardly. The total almost drained his wallet, which hurt, but there were more important things to worry about right now.

The trip back to the hotel was a bit of a pain in the ass, but he managed to get there in one piece. He parked his bike and hauled the food and water down into the cave, and when he was in the main lobby, he was startled to see that the boys were awake. They were all huddled around each other, holding and touching in whatever way they could. All of them wore similar shocked, concerned and disturbed expressions on their faces. It almost felt wrong to intrude on them, but he accidentally made a noise and alerted the boys to his presence.

“Michael?” David called out, but his voice was smaller, less sure. Michael immediately walked over to them, setting the bag down as he squatted next to the couch they were all piled in.

“Hey, are you guys okay? What the hell happened?” As he talked, Michael pulled out bottles of water and handed them out to each of the boys. They snatched the bottles out of his hands and opened them like they haven’t drank water in years, guzzling down the liquid and getting it all over themselves in the process.

“Woah, guys, slow down-” But they didn’t listen, not even if they started choking and coughing. When the waters were drained, Paul crawled over everyone to grab the bag full of snacks and dig through it.

“Michael.” David said, looking intensely at his face, studying every inch he could look at. He grabbed at Michaels arm and pulled him closer. “Do you feel any different? Did you change back?”

The brunette stared at him, bewildered. “Change? No, I feel the same as before.”

David's eyes widened, and Paul stopped tearing into a bag of potato chips, mouth gaping. “Wait, he’s still half? How’s that possible?”

Marko and Dwayne gave each other a disbelieving look, and Michael scrunched up his face in confusion. “Half what? What are you guys talking about?”

No one said anything for a long moment. David sighed and ran his hands through his spiked hair. “I guess we have no choice but to tell you.”

Michael watched as David sat up straighter, a pained look on his face, like his whole body ached. He looked uncomfortable as he said, “We were vampires, Michael. And you’re one, too. Half, anyway. You still haven’t made your first kill.”

So many thoughts and questions flooded Michaels mind at that moment. His first reaction was to call David crazy, but he remembered what it felt like to fly out his bedroom window, how painfully hungry he was and how loud he could hear Sam's heartbeat, even from the bathroom. His reflection in the mirror was fading and weak. Michael couldn’t fuckin believe this.

Michael stood up so fast he felt lightheaded. “So- you’re telling me,” He started, pacing in front of the couch. The rest of the boys were no longer paying attention, too busy devouring the snacks from the bag, but David was watching him walk back and forth. “That I’m a half vampire. An actual, honest to god vampire. That’s just fuckin great!” Michael shouted, and David winced at the sound.

“Wait.” The halfling stopped pacing and turned back to the platinum blond. “What do you mean you were a vampire?”

David blew air through his nose like an angry bull. He shifted around in his seat before answering, “We have a master. Or, I guess we did. If the vampire that turned you dies, you turn back into a human.”

“Which must be why Michael hasn’t turned back.” Dwayne chimed in suddenly, still chewing loudly on chips. Michael was lost at this point, which must have been clear on his face, cause Marko pitched in with, “You drank David’s blood from the bottle, not Max’s. David didn’t die, just turned back into a human. So, therefore, you can’t go back to being human.”

Michael didn’t know which fact he hated more, that his mom's dorky (now ex, he supposed) boyfriend was a head vampire, or that he drank actual blood. A lot of it, if he remembered properly. He groaned loudly and sank to the floor, head in his hands. “So you’re saying I'm stuck like this?”

“Well…” Paul started, but didn’t get to finish. David interrupted, irritation clear in his voice. “We don’t know. We don’t know jack shit.”

The tension was thick in the air. Michael had no idea what they were going to do now. Living in a sunken hotel may have been okay when they were vampires, but it’s not gonna fly being human. He knew he couldn’t just leave them here. Michael sighed and stood back up, walking over to the entrance. It was still dark out, but he figured it was going to be morning soon. He walked back down and stood in front of the boys.

“Look, we’ll figure out how to change me back,” David huffed at that, looking less than amused. Michael rolled his eyes. “But until then, you guys are basically homeless. Why don’t you come stay with me for a few days?”

The boys froze. They looked at each other, and they looked at Michael, wondering if this was some kind of joke. They had lived in that cave so long it felt like forever, they couldn’t imagine leaving what they considered their home.

“What about your mom? And your brother?” David asked, knowing that it couldn’t be that easy, right? Surely Michaels family would bitch about them being there. But Michael didn’t look bothered. “Sam can be an ass, but he’ll deal. And my mom wouldn’t kick you guys out.”

David was still hesitant. He still didn’t want to believe he was human again, after all these years. It hurts to even think about it. He felt a nudge against his shoulder, and when he looked over, he saw Marko, shrugging his shoulders.

“What do we have left to lose?”

[artisqueer]

RetroBangBoy AU - The Hangover (ao3)

Notes: 

hang·o·ver /ˈhaNGˌōvər/ noun 1. a thing that has survived from the past. Example: "a hangover from the fifties" 2. a severe headache or other after-effects caused by an excessive intake of alcohol or drugs

Characters: OT7

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Brief mentions of alcohol.

Jungkook wakes up parched, hungry, and with a pounding in his head. He pushes the covers off his face and down his chest. His long fluffy hair standing from the static of the sheets. He stretches out his arms above his head, dragging out a groggy yawn. It feels like he’s just woken up from a century-long nap. He looks up past his hands outstretched in the air. The posters above his bed are the same. He looks down, past his bare feet at the bottom of the bed. His drum set, books, and gadgets are all in their place too.

Huh…what year is it?

A heavy thump on the other side of the wall startles him out of bed. The crash is immediately followed by a low moan. Jungkook dashes out to the hall where Yoongi is already standing at the entrance of the bedroom next door. His eldest roommate chuckles behind a mug of coffee, head tilted 90 degrees to the side. Jungkook peers inside the room to see the source of the ruckus, his round head naturally tilts to the side as well. They both stand in the doorway, observing their housemate, Namjoon.

On the floor, upside down, legs folded over his shoulders.

“Where are we?” he asks as he looks up at them from between his thighs.

Yoongi shuffles back to the kitchen, holding his head in pain. “It looks like we’re not in Jeju anymore…” His voice is raspy and deep.

***

Jungkook’s round eyes bounce back and forth across their house, looking for clues to explain their current predicament. His head is throbbing with pain too. He suddenly remembers his thirst and runs to the kitchen for water.

Once Namjoon has restored himself to a perpendicular position, he joins them in the kitchen too.

“Why does my head hurt? Did we get shit-faced last night?” Jungkook groans into the kitchen counter.

“I can’t remember,” Yoongi grimaces between gulps of coffee.

“Is it a week-day? We have never gone out on a school night… I would never go out on a school night!” Namjoon folds his thick arms across his chest and blinks. “I’m so hungry.”

Jungkook turns away from the sink and his eyes pop at the sight. A whole ass meal, complaining about the lack of a meal...in the kitchen of all places. pls.

“Me too. We better go out for food. There’s nothing to eat here.” Yoongi says with very little energy.

“How can that be? I always stock up on groceries!” Namjoon frantically checks the cabinets and cupboards, finding them all bare.

“What the hell did we do?” The two eldest housemates look at one another, dumbfounded. Jungkook leans into the kitchen wall, aggressively chewing on his thumb. He's nervous, eyes big and wide. He opens his mouth to speak when the phone rings.

Ring ring ring.

Namjoon answers it, rather desperately. “Hello?”

“Good, you’re home.” The voice on the other end breathes out a sigh of relief. “It’s me. Taehyung. Emergency meeting. Your place. Now!”

***

“So, we’re all blacked out from yesterday. We have the worst hangover of our lives. And Bighead and Jin are missing…” Jungkook repeats as he paces back and forth the living room.

Hoseok enters the breakfast nook and sets down an extra-large pan of sunny side eggs and sausage. He steps back before the starved men wipe it clean.

“What’s gotten into you? You’re all so hungry today,” Hoseok scorns them as a smile grows on his lips. He’s thrilled that he finally gets to cook for them. Jin normally does all the cooking.

“You’re not going to eat?” Jimin asks him from behind a mouth full of food.

“I just don’t feel hungry,” Hoseok shrugs. He wipes his hands on his apron. “I brought us enough groceries to last through the week, so eat well.” Oddly, Hoseok has more energy than everyone in the room put together.

Taehyung speaks from the head of the table. “Guys, we’re not all blacked out—which is why I called everyone here..."

They look up at him from their plates, still eating like the food will be taken away if they stop.

"I remember everything.”

Jungkook interrupts. “Wait. Has anyone checked the date?!” He wiggles out of his chair and nearly trips running to the front porch, where the Sunday paper should be.

Having just eaten to the brim, Yoongi yawns and casually turns on the TV set, out of habit. The display does something completely new. Huh, TVs don't have color? Jimin and Hoseok are most mesmerized by this, moving to sit at the foot of the screen as a Coca-Cola commercial plays:

It's more than taste,

Bigger than a name,

As big as your best times,

As good as your best friends,

As real as the way you feel…

Jungkook runs back with the newspaper all spread out into disarray like his long dark hair. “Um…guys?”

There’s a long pause in the room.

“We’re not in the fifties anymore…”

What—

Their wide eyes look from him to the television and back. There’s only one thing that could mean coming from Jungkook…and it’s not good.

“We, uh, must’ve jumped twenty-seven years into the future,” he scratches the back of his round head. “It’s...1985.”

Taehyung clears his throat. “You guys will need to sit down for this. I can explain.”

***

They gather in the living room. Namjoon and Yoongi take up the couch, Jungkook sits on the floor between them, and Hoseok and Jimin share the love seat.

Taehyung’s knack for taking pictures and love for journalism make him a natural storyteller. His fine hands sway in the air as he talks. “You all have varying degrees of memory loss. For some very strange reason, I can remember everything that’s happened to us in the last 48 hours.”

Tae recounts their field trip and the events leading up to the portal inside the Manjjanggul Lava tube. How Jin wanted to hide the portal from the lab, Heaven Inc., but Jungkook wanted to destroy it. How Namjoon, Hoseok, Jimin, and Yoongi stormed the cave clearing as Jungkook was opening the portal gate. How Namjoon and Jin fought each other as the cave collapsed. And most importantly, how they were all unexpectedly pulled into the warp after Jungkook. All, except Jin and their beloved Bighead.

Their memories start coming back to them, piece by piece. Oddly, it’s as though only Taehyung could trigger their recollections.

“I don’t understand.” Namjoon finds his glasses and puts them on. Suddenly, he looks more like a professor than a biker. Big-tiddied mathematician. “Why is Taehyung the only one who remembers what happened?”

Taehyung thinks for a moment before an unusual blush forms at his cheeks. “Probably ‘cause I appreciate art. So, I remembered.”

“Uhm, ok. And why doesn’t Hoseok have hangover symptoms like the rest of us?” Yoongi crosses his arms, which seemingly grew thicker in the micro-span of the jump.

Hoseok vibrates from his place next to Jimin. His bright smile radiating through the room. “Ooh, I know I know. ‘Cause I’m your hope! Everyone was totally beat, but I could give you my energy. Like sunshine to a dying plant or light at the end of a dark tunnel or a—”

“—mOtH tO a FlAmE,” the rest mock. Apparently, no one forgot Hoseok’s notorious house party pick-up lines. They all laugh.

Could this be? Do some of the jocks have certain abilities now? What about the bikers?

“We have another problem: where is Sweetcheeks, and Seokjin?” Taehyung seems frustrated.

“And another problem: why did we all get warped with Jungkook in the first place?” Jimin pouts. “What about our families, and my—”

“—Cat! Your cat! Cats have nine lives. For three they play, for three they stray and for the last three, they stay. Why...did I just say that? It feels so familiar, so stran—” Yoongi stops talking out loud, resorting to mumbling to himself instead. He quickly grabs the paper from Jungkook and begins searching it for something.

The others continue to talk over each other, flooded with their worries and bits of things they’re starting to remember. The upcoming homecoming game, the unattended house parties, mourning parents, exams, etc.

“Quiet!” Namjoon’s clear and booming voice silences the room.

“I don’t know,” Jungkook fiddles with his tattooed fingers. “I-I don’t know why I dragged you all here with me. That’s what I have to figure out. I will figure it out. I promise. I’m worried too. If Bighead and Jin didn’t get warped here with us, maybe they, they ended up in a different d—” they sit in silence, thinking the worst.

“No no, that can’t be,” Namjoon reassures. “Given everyone’s memory lapse and their expert recklessness, they may have just wandered off.”

“We have to go back,” Jungkook says. “We have to go back to 1958.”

“How? We’re stuck here,” Yoongi deadpans, his nose still in the paper.

“Actually,” Jimin recalls, “on my way over here I stopped by the coffee shop…and um…well my boss didn’t recognize me at all. He didn’t even know my name.” Jimin’s worries grow. It’s unlike Jimin to walk down the street without a single greeting. He is—was—very popular.

“It's starting to make sense...” Jungkook says under his breath.

“What does, Jungkook.” Namjoon’s jaw does the thing.

“People don’t recognize us in this place because,” he pauses, “because we’re not from here. I don’t mean this town, I mean, this dimension.”

Namjoon presses a finger to his lips, thinking.

“We should pick new names and find temporary jobs. To blend in. We can't go back to school, we don't have identification. We need the money anyway,” Yoongi advises, “to support ourselves while Jungkook figures out a way back.” Yoongi seems to have become incredibly wiser after the jump. He peels the paper apart, pen in hand, circling jobs from the employment section. He looks up from the paper again. “How did I know to say that?”

“Whoa, are you like, a genius now?” Jimin sasses, as much to tease him as to distract from the impending doom that is being stuck in the future.

“No.” Yoongi scoffs, withholding a severe blush. “It’s like I’ve read all the books at the library, and lived nine lives since we left 1958. I just, know things.”

Namjoon nods in agreement. “It’s the best plan we’ve got. If twenty-seven years have passed since our “disappearance”, then our sudden re-emergence could bring unwanted attention, or worse…”

“Could someone still be looking for us after all years?” Jimin asks Tae. Hoseok instantly understands and wraps him in a comforting embrace.

“We need to sort this out as quietly as possible. Let’s keep low profiles until we figure out a way to get back to 1958. I don’t want us to get tangled in loose ends.” Namjoon sighs somberly. Being the leader of the biker gang has made him a suitable leader for whatever mish-mosh-of-a-gang this is now. “We’re in a different dimension and we don’t entirely know what that means. It could be dangerous, but as long as we stick together we will be okay. My priority is to keep us all safe.”

At this declaration, all eyes sparkle. Especially, Jungkook’s.

“I got us here, Joon. You can trust me to find us a way home,” Jungkook gets up from the floor, making for the door.

“Stop!” Jimin interrupts. “We can’t go out dressed like this.”

They look down at their clothes. They are still in their 50s outfits.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Yoongi puts down the paper and pouts.

Hoseok pounces off the sofa, “YES! New clothes…get up get up! We’re off to the mall!” He tosses his apron aside and leads them out the front door. Namjoon and Yoongi groan, dragging their feet toward the back of the group.

Jungkook smiles ear to ear. Maybe the world is not quite right, but everything he truly wants is right here with him.

[kyoomiii]

♡ Weight Insecurity [hcs]

-  ➣. . . ❝ can i request the weight insecurity with sugawara, nishinoya, kenma, and bokuto?  ❞

― requested by: @ anonie ​ ―

- ✎ characters ❝ sugawara, nishinoya, kenma, and bokuto ❞

- [ trigger warning(s): heavy mentions of insecurity ]

- ⚘ genre ❝ fluff, angst ❞

❝ i’m so sorry you had to wait so long anonie. but i hope you enjoy this~ 

๑•́ㅿ•̀๑)ﾉ also i may or may not have gone a little overboard on bokuto’s... 

oopsie ❞

-kyo ♡

The gentle breeze that flows through the warm spring air is delightful against your skin, Sugawara’s small hums to an unknown tune filling the space as the two of you walk hand and hand to the vending machine. 

Despite the relatively quiet atmosphere, you don’t feel the least bit uncomfortable, rather the opposite really. But, then again there was always something about Sugawara that was so welcoming and soft- even mere strangers couldn’t help but fall into his warmth.

Your gaze trails aimlessly, the thought dancing in your head as you listen to his hum. Quietly, your eyes begin to wander over his features almost absentmindedly.

It’s then you begin to truly realize- The boy is absolutely beautiful. Whether it be his smooth unblemished skin or the tiny little beauty mark that’s settled right next to his eye. His appearance is nothing short of a delicate beauty. 

The longer you stare, the more you come to realize just how unreal his beauty is, something so pure seemed to belong to nothing short of a prince from a fairy tale. And though it never bothered you in the first place, you find yourself growing anxious.

Anxious because while you know Sugawara is beyond breathtaking, as shown in his countless admirers from all grades. You’d never truly realized just how gorgeous he is- and though you put him above wanting someone solely based on their appearance, you feel as though he could definitely do better- and maybe one day he will.

And now, as you come to a stop, despite being far from close to the vending machine. The loud thundering of your heartbeat drums through your ears. 

You can only watch as a girl- perhaps a 2nd year, catches Sugawara’s attention. Cheeks flushed, and hands folded neatly in front of her. Her lips are moving, but you can’t seem to catch what she’s saying. She’s pretty, big doe eyes, small, and thin- a delicate beauty, just like him.

Drifting in your own thoughts, you don’t even seem to notice as she walks away, somewhat dejected, though seemingly not too upset. 

“y/n? Is something wrong?”

The sudden call of your name startles you, but you can’t say that you weren’t expecting it, after all his observation skills are one of the many things you love about him, and with that you know there is no use lying. 

“Koushi- am I pretty?”

Wide-eyed and jaw-dropped, he can’t help but stop his tracks, his eyes carefully watching as you observe the retreating girl. 

“Oh y/n...Of course, you are. What makes you think you aren’t?”

“...I-... Well. I just think you could find someone better… You know, someone who is prettier- I mean, I’m not exactly… As beautiful as you are. And I think you deserve someone who fits that. Someone breathtaking and… thin.”

Not once, throughout your entire ramble do you look at him. Your eyes seemingly glued to the direction in which the girl has left.

But even so, Sugawara cups your rounded cheeks in each of his hands. His movements are slow and calculated as he turns your attention back to him. 

Hazel eyes boring into your own, and suddenly you feel vulnerable. Stripped bare to your insecurities, as his eyes, search what seemed to be the deepest spaces of your mind.

And though you don’t take your eyes off him. You are caught completely surprised as he places a gentle kiss to your lips, his thumbs caressing the soft plump skin of your cheeks as he takes the air from your lungs before pulling away slowly, and carefully as if you were glass.

“You are beautiful just the way you are okay? I love you and only you, and no one can change that, because you are gorgeous both inside and out and I am so so so lucky to have found you.  So please y/n… Try not to put yourself down like that ever again. You are amazing, and I’ll make sure you see that every day of our lives.”

The sound of volleyballs hitting the hardwood flooring followed by the shouts of teenage boys seemed to be nothing more than background noise. Your mind too adrift to focus on the intense practice happening just before your eyes. 

Instead, you find yourself completely entranced by her. How someone could hold such an elegant beauty was something you felt you’d never be able to understand. Even in the almost suffocating heat of the gym, and the faint smell of sweat, she looked completely flawless- almost as if she were not of this world. 

You suppose you could understand just why Nishinoya was completely at her mercy. She was nothing short of perfection, a true beauty- whereas you felt as if you were nowhere close in comparison to her. 

And the sudden realization has a stream of worry trickling through your body. You knew she’d never shown interest in Nishinoya, but, even so, she didn’t need to. She had him wrapped around her fingers, whether she acknowledged it or not. 

You felt as if you were being paranoid, Kiyoko would never try to hurt you. And Nishinoya, the ever-loving goof who’d stolen your heart was no doubt in your mind faithful, he too would never do something like that. But, no matter how hard you tried to push it away, the small ache that maybe one day he would return to her, settled itself deep within your chest.

The feeling of hands around your waist startles you, shaking you from your thoughts. 

A small smile graces your lips at the feeling of Nishinoya’s lips against the plush chubbiness of your cheek.

“Something on your mind?” 

Unsure of how to say it, you nod silently. Your lips pursing as your fingers find his own, fiddling with them as you search for how to voice your thoughts.

“Kiyoko-senpai… She’s pretty isn’t she?”

The silence that follows is quickly replaced with the thundering of your own heartbeat as you wait for his response. 

But after what seems like an eternity- which was really only a couple of seconds. You can slowly feel yourself being swallowed up by the floor. The walls begin to cave as you subconsciously shift, subtly trying to escape Nishinoya’s grasp.

“She is.”

You can feel them. The tears that gather in your eyes.

“But so are you.”

Turning to look back at Nishinoya, you are met with his signature grin- bright and warm as always, and his eyes- they shine like the sun as he gazes at you.

“Yuu…”

“I mean it y/n… Yes, Kiyoko is beautiful- But so are you. And I have eyes for only you. You mean so much to me, and it hurts to know that you don’t see it. I think you are really cute y/n. Don’t you dare think any less of yourself ever again!”

The tears that wet your cheeks are no longer of sadness as the widest smile you’ve ever had graces your features. It makes Nishinoya’s heart flutter more than he ever thought possible.

“You’re so sweet to me Yuu.”

“It’s what you deserve~”

The soft glow of Kenma’s t.v illuminated the otherwise dark room as the clicking of the controller in his hands followed by the sounds of the video game he was currently playing filled the relatively quiet space.

Your eyes trailed after the small avatar that scurried across the screen. Head leaning against Kenma’s shoulder as you nibbled on the small snack between your lips.

You thought it was silly really. To be jealous of a digital 2d character on a screen, but even so you can’t seem to help it. And the fact that Kenma spent most of his days glued to some sort of device, a pretty maiden with a body of a goddess displayed before his eyes seemed to only worsen that insecurity.

However, you could never find the heart to tell him that, knowing just how much his games meant to him, and to make him feel bad for something he probably didn’t even take notice of, or had the ability to control was unfair. So for his sake you would suck it up.

The gentle tug of your shirt sleeve catches your attention, drawing you from your thoughts. A small smile tugs at your lips as your eyes meet Kenma’s.

“Which outfit should I buy y/n?”

Your eyes trail back to the t.v, the character displayed shifting between two outfits of Kenma’s choice, both equally form fitting to highlight the character’s flawless curves.

You find your smile quickly turning into a frown, however one glance at Kenma has you trying to play it off as if you were merely thinking.

“What’s wrong?”

The sudden question startles you, but then again you should’ve known better than to hide from Kenma’s attentiveness. He could catch even the smallest changes of details in people, especially you- someone he has grown fond of.

That doesn’t stop you from trying though. Quickly putting on a smile and shaking your head.

“It’s nothing Kenma, just thinking I suppose.”

He doesn’t believe you, and he shows it in the form of a scrunched up nose and a small almost unnoticeable pout.

“You’re lying… But I guess if you don’t want to talk about it we don’t have to.”

A wave of guilt washes over your body, but, you can’t seem to find the words you want to say. Instead you curl your legs up to your chest, and to Kenma you look like an absolute ball of fluff as he continues with his game, choosing an outfit at random.

It’s not brought up again, not even as you feel yourself grow increasingly frustrated, nails digging into the plush skin of your thighs.

“-Kenma can I ask you something?”

Startled by the sudden noise, Kenma jumps slightly, looking over at you questioningly, not ignoring the way you stare almost longingly at the avatar on his screen.

“Would you find me more attractive if my body looked like that?”

He’s unsure of what to say, shifting nervously as silence engulfs you two. The only sound for a long while is the music track of the game. 

“Oh- I’m sorry… I’ve made you uncomfortable… I- Just forget I said anything.”

Shaking his head, he takes your hand in his own. A small shrug coming from his shoulders as his cheeks flush pink.

“I guess if you wanted to… But truth be told, I like you the way you are y/n. You’re beautiful.”

His words leave you speechless. A small flush matching his own coloring your cheeks.

“Thank you Kenma.”

There was no other way to describe Bokuto other than a pure ball of sunshine. Bright and welcoming with people flocking from all over just to bask in his warmth. And it didn’t hurt that he was quite the looker too. Truly someone special, and way out of your league in your opinion.

In moments like this you wonder how you got so lucky. With your head resting on Bokuto’s shoulder, your gaze directed out the window as he rambled on about something only he could make interesting as the two of you waited for class to begin. The sound of his voice calming, despite the energy that seeps from every word.

You don’t even notice the teacher enter the room. The only thing to catch your attention is the gentle nudge from Bokuto, and the wide grin you love so much before he heads to his assigned seat.

“Today we will be working in pairs.”

Before you had gotten with Bokuto, the announcement would have made you groan. But, one glance at him from across the room seems to make the assignment a little more bearable.

“-I’ll be choosing your partners today.”

And of course you should’ve known better, the feeling of dismay tugging at your lips in the form of a pout as the teacher lists off the pairs.

Disappointed, you can’t help but sigh, glancing over at Bokuto once more who sends you a small apologetic smile as he meets up with his partner. A girl you have come to recognize as someone who was admired by many for her appearance and sweet, sunny personality. 

The sight of them together doesn't bother you much, however, the small ball that sits at the pit of your stomach can’t be helped as she smiles up at him with a grin that almost seemed to rival his own… You had to admit, they were cute together.

Sucking it up you decide to push the thought away as best as you can. However, it doesn’t seem to be as effective with the occasional glance in their direction. It was like watching two angels, pure and bright. 

Luckily, the end of the class as well as the school day, arrive faster than you had expected it. And with a new found energy you find yourself bounding over to Bokuto- who you find happily conversing with his partner, the topic having changed from school to general personal topics. 

And much to your dismay, it doesn’t take long to notice the hand on his bicep. Her small frame leaning in close to his, eyes shining as if hearing about his assignment for a different class were the most interesting she had ever heard in her lifetime. 

You watched with wide eyes, suddenly nervous to approach the pair that shone like the sun. 

So instead you wait, busying yourself with some other mundane tasks, because surely he’ll be done soon- Bokuto has always been social anyway, it would be rude to suddenly pull him away now, especially when he looks like he’s having a good time.

 But seconds quickly turn to minutes, and Bokuto has yet to pull himself from her grasp. And you find yourself growing tired. 

Timidly you walk up to Bokuto, hand gently tugging his blazer, which he seems to immediately understand.

“Ah- See you tomorrow r/g/n-chan.”

Bokuto takes your hand in his own, bidding the girl goodbye with a small wave as he practically drags you out of the classroom.

The walk home is quiet, much too quiet for Bokuto’s liking. The tension thick in the air as you walk a distance away from him rather than holding his hand like you normally do.

“y/n-chan? What’s wrong?”

Stopping in your tracks, you direct your gaze to the ground, pout present on your face as Bokuto reaches out to hold you soft jawline, turning your attention towards him.

“Do you like her?”

Shocked his brows furrow.

“Ehhh? What makes you think that?”

“I don’t know… She’s just so pretty and nice- You two looked like you were getting alone… And I figured it was only time for you to want someone… Like her.”

Bokuto frowns, his hands moving quickly to engulf your plump body.

“Don’t you ever say that… You’re beautiful too- if not more. I don’t care if she’s skinny- or whatever! I only have eyes for you, no one else… You’re so silly- to not see just how gorgeous you are…”

“Thank you for making me feel better. I love you Kou.”

“Of course y/n… I love you too- forever and ever.”

“That’s quite a long time.”

“I know, but that’s okay- I want to spend it with you, and no one else.”

[shootingcookielover]

(this entire post is about the dsmp roleplay characters, Im just to lazy to put c! In front of the names.)

(tw rotting skin/zombiefication)

How about:

Technoblade piglin brute au.

He finds a child, one day, in a raided bastion. A piglin child. Its afraid, its crying, the sword its carrying is much too big and heavy for the kids small frame.

Normally he would just move on, but... The kid reminds him of himself. So he takes the child in.

He takes the kid back to his tribe. They live together, bond, until... Techno finds out that the kid is infected.

The infection - a zombievirus - isnt deadly, but its painful. It causes your skin to rot, to fall off even.

The tribe demands the kid to be abandoned in the nether wastes, like all the infected piglins, to keep the tribe safe.

Techno takes the kid away, but stays with him. He builds the child a little cave in the side of s netherrack hill. (He had always been able to do these things, to make tools. To build. Like a player. He doesnt dwell on it, most days.)

They live here for a bit, they dont have much and the kid is in so much pain that he cant even move somedays.

But its fine. Theyre together. Theyre happy enough.

One day, Techno goes out to hunt - a regular ritual by this point, to gather food for them.

As he carries what he killed back to the cave, he notices somehting is off. The entrance he had carefully sealed with netherrack... Is wide open.

Panic sets in.

He drops the carcass, uncaring about what might happen to it. He pulls out his axe.

He wants to sneak closer, to take possible intruders by surprise, but fear makes him clumsy.

He arrives at the cave entrance and its empty.

There are the cots he had made for himself and the kid, the gold nuggets he had mined at some point to give to the kid, but...

The child himself is nowhere to be found.

He asks around the piglin tribes, the zombie piglin tribes, even approaches ghasts and endermen, but nobody has seen the kid anywhere.

Theres only one place left the child could be.

He grabs his supplies, puts them in his... Inventory... Something he had refused to use most of his life. (He wasnt a player, he wasnt a heartless killer like they were, leaving kids orohaned and alone, fending for themselves.)

He steps through a nether portal, as prepared as he could be.

Its cold in the overworld, much colder than in the nether. He shivers, but doesnt back down.

He knows he'll become zombified the longer he stays.

He doesnt care.

As he marches along the path, a stranger, a player lands before him, great black wings tucked against their back.

Their name is Phil. He was curious about the piglin brute that walked away from the nether portal with such purpose.

Techno points the axe at Phils throat. He demands to know where his kid is - his common is broken, somewhat unused to speaking the language.

Phil assures him, theyll find the kid together. He is a father, he understands, he tells Techno. Phil had lost his son, too. To death.

Phil thinks he knows where the kid is.

Techno follows him all the way to a big mansion.

Phil tells him the kid is in there.

Its all the information Techno needs. He breaks down the door with his axe.

He steps inside, calls for his kid.

Hears him answer.

He finds his son, all alone in a big room, with foreign furniture he has never seen.

The kid is wearing different cloths, a chicken peacefully rests in the corner.

He looks healthy - as healthy as a half-zombified piglin can look.

He runs up to Techno and theyre both just glad to have the other in their arms again.

Techno hears footsteps approaching. He pushes the kid behind himself, axe at the ready. Phil is standing nearby, though he doesnt pull out a weapon.

Two people of vastly differing heights step around the corner into Technos sight.

They pull their own weapons when they see the piglin brute, rot crawling through parts of his skin already.

They demand he leave their son alone.

Techno replies that the kid is his son.

They call him by an unfamiliar name. The kid stiffens, almost afraid.

Techno looks down at the child, worried. What he sees makes his blood run cold.

Theres a nametag attached to his son, as if declaring him somebody's property. As if he was cattle. The kid is trying to pull it off, but its impossible.

The name on the tag is the same that the two kidnappers had called Technos son.

Michael.

[smolcinnamonchipmunk]

Maybe someone chilling in a naga’s coils?

i do love some noodle cuddles :3c

(if you want to of course!)

(I've had this prompt for, like, a month. I meant to draw it out, but I never got around to it. And, since my lights flickered, I decided to just write a drabble on my phone rather than risk losing work if power goes out.

Also, I wanted to do something with Slate (my Naga persona) since this isn't a vore request, but I couldn't think of a random character for them to cuddle. UNTIL, I was going through my AO3 to refamiliarize myself with my OCs and decided that Obsidian would be perfect.)

Thunder rumbled in the distance, able to taste the scent of rain in the air as I yawned. The chilled air was making me sluggish, stretching to try and get my blood pumping a bit more, at least enough to get to where I wanted to go. It didn't help that my tail was long as hell, each slither drawing more heat from my mostly cold-blooded body.

Eventually, I slithered up to a cave, able to feel a faint warmth from inside. The inside was mostly dark, but I sensed something inside, parting my lips slightly to taste the air a bit better.

I was wondering how best to phrase my request, but before I could even announce my presence, I heard the sound of scales on stone. Another second more, and a rumble emitted from the cave as the occupant asked, "Why are you here? Do you need something, Slate?"

I looked at the purple eyes that glowed in the darkness that looked down at me, not feeling fear that would be very in place for the situation.

"Can you turn human please, I don't really feel like craning my neck to look at you?"

I saw the eye glow move in an eyeroll, the eyes closing and faint smoke leaked out from the entrance. I waited patiently for him to step out, and after a few seconds, he did. A man stepped out from the cave, pale with black hair pulled back in a low ponytail and purple eyes that matched those from before. He glanced me over with a look of curiosity, stopping a few feet from me as he waited for me to continue.

"I... well, there's a storm coming," I said, shifting a bit.

"I could hear the thunder, yeah."

The short reply with a tinge of interest made it obvious that he was expecting more, but I was still struggling to word my request. While I was still cold, my face felt warm, not liking to ask for help in any way.

A small hiss of self-frustration escaped my throat, crossing my arms over my chest as I mumbled.

"I'm sorry, what was that," Obsidian quirked an eyebrow. I knew he heard me, he had better hearing, but he was obviously teasing if the little smirk on his face was any indication.

"I don't want to be cold, can I... n-nest with you during the storm," I asked. It felt so weird to ask, but I didn't want to say 'cuddle'. The want for physical contact was already something unfamiliar, and the act of asking for it even more so.

"God, you make it sound worse than it is. C'mon in, you heat leech."

Obsidian turned to walk back inside, giving me a reprieve to calm my embarrassment as I followed him inside. My eyes adjusted to the darkness once I was inside, the air ever so slightly warmer than outside and I was already grateful. There were several offshoots in the cave, each leading to their own room, but he led me to what he'd began to call the 'blanket room'. Like the name suggested, blankets carpeted the ground, acting as a decent insulator against the cold stone floor that had been sapping my warmth on the way in.

I gratefully slithered onto the blankets and he followed me in. The tunnel wasn't wide enough for his dragon form, so he remained human, but I didn't really care. By this point, both of us were kind of used to the routine we'd made that came from harsh storms, cold fronts, and winter snow. Sometimes, he'd place me in his crop since there were few warmer places than the inside of a dragon.

But, he knew I usually disliked it.

So, as I shifted my tail on the blankets and he sat down, I coiled it around him. Rather loosely, but with how many coils my tail ended up making, he still wouldn't be able to move very well without using his enhanced strength or turning into his dragon form.

I couldn't help but shiver, already able to feel his warmth seeping into my scales. His body temperature was naturally higher than a normal humans, but he could also increase it to a certain extent, allowing me to siphon off a comfortable amount of heat without him getting cold himself. With Obsidian loosely wrapped up, I rested beside him.

"Thank you," I said, lightly purring at the delightful warmth, feeling sleepy now that I was comfortable.

"You're welcome. Next time, I get to eat you though."

[icollectyoursins]

Demon!Jotaro x reader x Demon!Rohan

Anon asked “!!! It's monster fucker hours bay-beeeee!! May I perhaps request a Spicy Demon Rohan and Jotaro double team?? Pretty please with a cherry on top???”

Yeah I... I honestly don't know what happened in this one. Uh... Breeding but... Kinda weird? I dunno, demons are strange and I was a little tipsy when I wrote this! Readers' pronouns are they/them, but they have a vagina.

You were walking home, just minding your business when two men (one who was an overly flirtatious asshole and the other was... just an asshole) approached you, asking if you were interested in a little fun for a small price. You haven't discussed the price yet, but who cares, honestly. They're hot and you're horny.

Have a character, but no idea? Prompt list here!

Looking for more? Master post here!

WARNINGS: Ass eating, tied up, breeding, aphrodisiacs? A liquid that enhances the feeling, anal, double penetration, sloppy seconds, light self-degradation at the end from Rohan. What can I say? He's a freak.

Word Count: 1641

Teasing Euphoria

    The tall, cold man you had met on the road (who you learned was named Jotaro) sat in the hotel room chair, one leg crossed over the other with his cheek resting on his hand. The other man you had met (Rohan) was behind you, currently eating your ass out with fervor. You moaned at the thick tongue slipping into your plucker, pushing back into him. He pulled away, choosing to smack your ass before walking over to Jotaro and placing kiss on his cheek.

   Jotaro closed his eyes, hiding hid disgust then opened them again as the other one whispered something in his ear, grinning wildly. His eyes landed directly on you. The stare was intense, though not demeaning like Rohan's. Bright blue eyes drifted over your body, drinking you in. You were tied down with a ball gag in your mouth, silently pleading with him to do something. While sex had never been his strong suit, there was something about you that he couldn't deny.

    He walked over to you while Rohan closed the blinds, making sure everything was protected from the view of other people. It wasn't that they minded an audience, they just weren't quite so sure people would accept their true forms. The smaller one was the first to let go of his glamour, running his hands delicately through his hair as small, deep green horns started to protrude from his forehead. His eyes misted over to a stark white and the rest of his body seemed to shift until he was tinted green, shoulders, cheeks and elbows being darker than the rest of his body.

    As Jotaro approached you, he did the same, dropping his clothes with the mirage. His body wasn't the same colour and his horns were long, but he was no less stunning. Black shoulders freckled into pale skin. His eyes matched, but there was something about them that left you hypnotized by them. A long, clawed finger traced a wet stain from where you had cried after what felt like hours of teasing and denial from Rohan.

    "We will allow you to cum and please us," he said, voice ruling through your nervous system.

    "If they can handle us," Rohan chimed in, strutting over to his place at your backside. Jotaro shot him a look, then continued.

    "There is one request we ask of you. You will be let go if you say no, but you need to say so now. I doubt we'll be able to stop once we get started." The green one kneaded his talons into your ass, spreading your cheeks before letting go, smacking you again. You looked to Jotaro, giving him your best 'please fuck me' face you could muster. He continued, carefully watching your reaction. "Let us breed you." He grabbed your cheeks, pulling you close to his face. "Let us fill you with our spawn, birth it, be the start of a new generation. This is your only chance to say no, there's no turning back after this."

    You moaned as his grip travelled to your neck, squeezing it lightly. You nodded. Yes, you'll do anything, just fuck your ass, fill you. Jotaro neglected to tell you that it wouldn't matter where they came in you, it would travel to your womb or the equivalent of, assuring your pregnancy regardless. Though, cumming directly into your womb would be preferable. If you didn't have the assets, they would make do. He nodded to his partner who eagerly stuck his fingers in your ass, spreading you open.

    Your eyes shot open widely at the feeling, dexterous fingers scissoring you. Meanwhile, the view in front of you was getting more interesting by the second. Jotaro grabbed his length, slowly jerking himself off to the sight of you. He was going to be the first to cum in you whether Rohan liked it or not. He knew that the other demon could be greedy, but there was nothing that could stop him from filling you up over and over again.

    You keened as a third finger was added, then a fourth. A warm, tingling liquid was dripped onto your hole that made the sensation much more intense. Soon, you were reduced to a mess of drool and muffled words as Rohan gradually began fisting you. You were going to need all the help you could get when Jotaro fucked you and he was feeling generous. You were going to be the start of a new breed, after all.

    You were so close to your release already, mind fogged with wanton. With a clever twist of his fist, you were sent over the edge, cumming wildly onto the floor. The one behind you chuckled while the other grabbed a bottle. He removed your ball gag, lifting your chin up. Your half-lidded eyes and open mouth begged him to touch you more.

    He caved, taking a small sip from the bottle then kissing you, making you swallow what was in his mouth. The liquid was so sweet, like your favourite candy. Then came something you can only describe as fuck-me brain rot. Every small touch on your body was like fire or electricity, sending signals straight to your brain that just demanded a thorough fucking.

    Jotaro swapped places with Rohan, linking himself up with your entrance, sliding his tip between your gaping hole. He slowly pushed in, pressing down on your back to keep you still. You swear, it was the best feeling ever, letting out a loud scream/moan. He stopped, checking on your breathing. Rohan laughed cruelly.

    "He's not done yet." You looked up at him in shock. "You still have so much more to go, take some deep breaths. If you can." He added, shoving his cock into your lips. Jotaro began to push again, in sync with Rohan who slid deeper into your mouth. The two stopped again as the one in front of you tangled his hand into your hair. "Halfway there."

    Halfway? What?! How was there more. You already felt as though your bowels were full, stretched to their limit in every direction. They started again and Rohan began thrusting into your throat when he ran out of length. Jotaro kept going, the state of euphoria kept high by whatever liquid they gave you. You looked up to the green one eagerly taking as much of his cock as you could, creating a vacuum with your tongue and lips. His head tossed back, letting out a moan. He mumbled something about you being good at this or built for it, you weren't quite sure. Finally, the darker one bottomed out as your eyes rolled back in your head. A large, warm arm wrapped around you as two smaller one undid the ropes holding you down.

   You were lifted up with ease allowing the cock inside of you to rub up against your walls tantalizingly while another was shifted below you. Rohan grabbed your thighs, acing them on either side of his body, straddling his body which was now lying beneath you. Without wasting another minute, he lined himself up with your wet entrance, slipping between your folds with ease and up into your tight canal. The three of you groaned as the two cocks bumped against each other, rubbing together. If it hadn't been for the liquid, you'd be in pain right now, but all you could feel was bliss.

    Jotaro moved first, slowly gyrating his hits into you with shallow movements. It quickly became apparent that you wouldn't last long like this, your second orgasm quickly approaching. Rohan lifted a clawed thumb to your lip, pushing down so he could slip it in. You barely heard his order to suck. Even if he hadn't said anything, you're fairly sure you would have anyway. You were so desperate for him, for them; for anything.

    Soon, the other started moving, timing his thrusts with Jotaro's which only made you scream more. A second orgasm wracked through you, though you were too blissed out to care, too caught up in the feeling of two delightful cocks pumping in and out of you. The one behind you began to groan more loudly, thrusts getting a little less structured. He shot a look to Rohan who, much to your dismay, pulled out. It wasn't long before it was full again but with Jotaro this time.

    He pushed you over into the other's arms, picking up the pace on your not so stretched out pussy. Your tongue rolled out your mouth, eyes rolling back once again as he hit every sweet spot inside of you. His groans and breathing became louder as he got closer until finally-

    "Fuuuuuck," he growled you, burying himself deep inside you. Your pussy milked his cock, seemingly sucking in every drop of his hot seed. He was still hard when he pulled out. He could get used to this. In a brief moment of cruelty, he slipped himself into your ass again, leaving Rohan to do his own work on your poor cunt. The latter quickly filled you again, setting a quick and brutal pace for himself. His claws dug into your back as he moaned in you ear. Jotaro matched the pace, knowing that even if you did feel it, you'd love it too much to say anything.

    Soon enough, the two were cumming again in their respective holes. Rohan felt some kind of sick pleasure at feeling your cunt loosely spasm around him in an attempt to find your own release, but you were too stretched out from Jotaro that you could find no purchase. As degrading as it was to know his cock was too small to get you off, he loved it.

    You flopped over to bed, clearly out of it. One of them brought the drink to your lips again, this time taking their places beside you, too lazy to move your limbs at this point.

    "Oh, darling. We're only getting started."

    "We're not letting you go until you're leaving a trail behind you or we decide to take you back with us." You couldn't tell who said what, but you didn't care. Call it fate or destiny, but there was something about being a cock sleeve for demons that had you more turned on than anything else in this encounter.

[fieryhonesty]

The life of You

[AO3]

“This is funny I never planned this become multi chapter. Was meant only as chaptered oneshot (time to make a masterlist, huh) what can I promise you: this series will always have the banner where only name of specific chapters changes”

Words: 2479

Warning(s): rated this as mature on AO3 just cause it might turn whatever direction in future (I say might, not will 😳), already has swearing in and might get more (depends on situation I put characters in, we don’t swear without reason, right?), maybe suggestive innuendos

Perhaps you could have expected journeying with your ever so flirty friend would turn into one wild ride. Especially if the destination was Stormterror’s lair. As Dvalin was freed and the area is now accessible. The place piqued the curiosity of many. When Frostblade approached you if you were fancy to tag along. You were quite surprised as he didn’t seem like somebody who deliberately enjoys adventuring.

However after sharing his reason you quickly understood. Fatui started being active, the ones within city walls were seen in small groups. Debating about the honorary knight, no how people of Mondstadt were able to drive Stormterror away. They were scheming something, that’s for sure.

Maybe it hurt their imaginary pride or perhaps they had their own plans. Whatever it is, Kaeya wanted to be one step ahead. Seeing what was behind the wind barrier for so long was a good start. And who knows. Maybe he will be able to screw over Fatui plans. 

Well that’s it if the area was not overly complicated. The ruins you had to explore first in order to get further into the lair were quite complicated. But the problem was you accidentally activated a trap and now each of you were standing at different sides of the bars which nearly skewered you.

Staring with wide eyes at the bars which were just a few inches away from your face. One step more and you would be goner. Gulping loudly. “Too close to my comfort.”

“Oh? And if it were me?” Letting out a sigh and shaking your head in disapproval. “Then I’d reconsider if giving you frostbite would be punishment enough. Anyway I’ll backtrack and try to find another way.”

---

More than you finding another way, the another way has found you. During your exploration you came across a ruin guard. Its eye light up in dangerous demeanor. If one thing could go wrong then it was probably meeting up with this walking hunk of steel. Corridors were too narrow for fighting. 

You decided to run away from it, hoping it will either lose sight of you or get stuck somewhere. You had no idea where the hell you were running. But managed to end up in a dead end. However you noticed the wall was in a bad shape, feeling wind blowing between the bricks. 

Charging elemental energy in your sword and hurling it forward, creating a hole. Big enough for you to get out. Finally getting out and breathing fresh air, your hair were ruffled by the blowing wind. Such a nice change after all that time spent in ruins where it smelled like- well mold and dust. 

The noise of falling debris behind brought you back to reality. The ruin guard was making its way out. Following the intruder no matter what. Such a persistent thing. But at least now you can fight. Air got extremely cold as you summoned several cryo blades and dashed towards the machine. It tried to hit you but it’s too huge and slow to land a hit on you. Rolling to the side or jumping a bit back to avoid any kind of danger. No matter how much it tried, you were faster. Slashing here and there. Your attacks might not do much but there's way too many of them. Even the sturdy material those things are made off will slowly fall apart. Leaving the more vulnerable parts exposed. Nothing can work in such cold temperature as you were attacking it with.

Cutting one of its arms off. As it fell down, dust rose up. How heavy are those things? You better never find out. Sliding between its legs, leaving a thin slippery surface behind you, hoping it will slip and fall down. However the ice crushed under its weight. Well it was a good try?

Noticing how it turned around and kneeled. You had seen this once. Dashing behind a pillar and praying it will withstand the rockets. When you were sure no more explosives were coming your way. Jumping out of the hiding spot and seeing the Captain of Cavalry was having its attention. When did he get there?

You had exploited this situation and aimed one of the cryo blades at its weak spot on back which caused it to flinch. Kaeya didn’t waste any moment and used his own elemental power to hit its front eye, causing it to shut down. The damage caused by the both of you was enough for it to never initiate the auto recovery function. Leaving it in a half destroyed state forever. 

Keaya has looked towards you and clapped.

“I knew I can rely on you, partner.”

“Technically it was you who was the game changer. How did you find me anyway? The exit is near by?” Chuckle coming out of the male’s chest. He walked closer to you, lips curled up into his usual smug.

“Princess, I’m not deaf you know. I heard distant noise and thought it might be my cute friend needing help. But I guess you were having fun, sorry for breaking your toy.”

The sarcasm in his voice was more than obvious. Rising your hand up towards him, saying ‘high five’ which made him chuckle once more. He was quite worried when each of you stood at different sides of bars. He felt responsible for your well being although he knew you can take care of yourself. You had to do it for half a decade anyway. Yet, something inside of him was making him anxious.

As the two of you reunited it was time to slowly explore the unknown area. It was quite peaceful there but also empty. There probably used to grow trees and more stuff but now it was just a few twigs here and there. The lair felt like one big crater with several ruins shattered around with one bigger at the entrance. To probably keep invaders off. That’s it if they could get through the wind barrier. But it was gone now, so of course you would meet something here.

Hilichurls had several camps around the whole area. Making you wonder if they were living here ever since or just recently moved in. Also wild animals, which was even weirder as you knew animals are sensitive to elemental energy. And just until recently there was a huge concentration of anemo. 

To your surprise or maybe not, you had encountered a few more ruin guards. However as you are two it was no huge issue to deal with them. The only issue was it started raining during one of the encounters. Deciding it was kind of pointless to hide as your clothes were already wet so why not explore a bit more.

The fourth encounter with a ruin guard was quite more challenging for you than the rest. It seemed different than the others, it was bigger and more sturdier and hit like a truck. You were rubbing your wrist. It seemed alright however your sword didn't look so well. It was more than visible how the steel was slightly curved as you had to use it to block one of its attacks.

Looking up at Kaeya who was examining the destroyed colossus. Having a hand on his chin, thinking of something.

"Hmm, I just realized this is our second time being just the two of us and it's again raining." Rising his head and giving you a playful wink.

You just chuckled at his remark. He was not wrong. Ever since you got back you two didn't see each other that often. Kaeya was sort of avoiding you or so it seemed like. Until you accidently ran into him one day. You were hungry and decided to dine at Good Hunter. Before he could disappear you spoke up. Teasing him to yet again chickening out which obviously made him look back at you. Sometimes he is so easy to challenge.

In the end you sorted out everything over a double honey sticky roast. Talking about stuff like nothing, like you weren’t separated or anything. Since then you kept seeing each other here and now. Be at the tavern or when you were passing by the knights. Dropping by, knocking at doors and just exchanging a few words before you ran off to do your tasks.

"Still. It's so strange. Why is there so many of those oversized toys? And what's more strange. How the hell did Aether pass by without coming across any of them?!"

You pouted, arms crossed on your chest. When you come back to Monds you will have to ask the blonde.  

"I wouldn't be surprised if this was Abyss Order's makings." The bluenette answered and pointed towards something that looked like a small cave. "Let's head there and rest."

The cave was big enough to fit both of you in. However the issue was you were soaked and there was no way to make fire. Unless Kaeya will magically pull out of nowhere a few dry sticks. Luckily you had packed a blanket which surprised the iceman. Scoffing at him.

"What? I am an adventurer now, might not be a fully fledged one. But still I'm always ready!"

"Always ready, huh." 

His remark made you blush, you did not expect it. Well, maybe you did but still you reacted this way. ‘Why must he be like this?!’ Coughing a little.

"What I mean is. I always carry with me this little fuzzy blanket. It was my first thing I bought when I got here. And not once it proved to be useful. Also! I got some canned food!" You chirped happily. 

Ok, this surprised him even more. When he asked you to accompany him on a small venture. He did not expect you to bring an entire survival kit. The bag was not even that huge. How do women stuff so many things into such small bags?

"Let me guess. You got there packed your entire bedroom." He joked as he took one of the cans from you. Resisting the urge to roll your eyes, instead giving him a spoon.

Kaeya checked what's on the menu. Some veggies and ground meat. Not the fanciest thing he ever ate but better than nothing. All that fighting made him quite hungry after all. He won’t admit it but he quite enjoyed this little adventure with you. It’s been so long since he could fight side by side with his friend. The way you swung your blade and used the cryo vision to obliterate enemies. Color him impressed, not once he wanted to just whistle. 

When you had finished the very modest lunch it was still raining which meant you will be stuck there for a while. You stood up to pull the blanket over your friend and realized it’s not that big as you thought. Sitting next to him, your shoulders were brushing against each other. For some reason you could feel heat in your cheeks. Rather looking outside, hoping he didn’t see it. Otherwise you can ready up for another wave of teasing.

"It's sad none of us have pyro, we could dry our clothes." You whined while trying not to shake.

Suddenly feeling Kaeya's breath at you ear. "Dear, that would require you to be naked for a certain period of time." He whispered in a teasy manner. You didn’t look at him but you are one hundred percent sure his smile is dangerously wide.

The way you groaned, ears turned red despite all of your efforts. Kaeya was more than satisfied. It took him awhile to find out how to make you feel embarrassed. Now he just found deliberate joy in teasing you all the time. 

"You can be such an asshole sometimes, you know that?" You murmured with an annoyed voice. Eyes still locked at cave entrance. How long will it take until it stops raining?

The sound of rain drops landing on the ground was quite relaxing. It didn't take long until you felt really sleepy. Trying to keep eyes open was close to impossible. 

"Kaeya?"

The bluenette hummed in response.

"Talk to me or I will fall asleep..."

He did not want to admit it but he was already half asleep. The only thing which kept him awake was your occasional shaking. Silently chuckling as he turned head to you.

"I've got a better idea. Do you remember that one night when you were sleeping over and couldn't sleep. When I found you looking out of the window in the middle of night?" 

Shaking your head, not remembering anything at all. Wondering how he can remember something like that.

"Well, we ended up watching out of the window together. Sitting on a chair while you were leaning on me. We fell asleep and the maids woke us up in the morning. Questioning why we weren't in beds."

Really? Did they? Why can't you recall anything like that? Giving Kaeya a confused look.

"How could we fit one chair-" As you finished it, the answer flashed through your mind. Finally you get what he meant with lean on him.

Not even giving it a second thought you shifted in front of him, hesitantly pressing your back on his chest. If you did this as kids then it clearly felt different than now. You were not sure if the warm feeling was caused by your flushed cheeks. Feeling like your entire body is burning right now. Or if it was because of how Kaeya put the blanket over the two of you and wrapped one hand around your waist. 

"Don't mind that hand. I just want to have you secure.~"

"Secure for what?"

"In case you slide to side while sleeping, silly."

"I'm not going to sleep. It's embarrassing and worst is you are having fun!" You protested, pouting once again. 

He could not deny the fact he found this whole situation amusing. Not even feeling guilty for his little lie. You are such a cutie when you are pouting like that

"The real embarrassing thing would be you shifting around and waking up my-"

"What the- Kaeya!" You groaned and wanted to get up but couldn't as his hand kept you in place.

"Shh, I'm just joking, Dearie. Relax. Let's just keep each other warm." Pulling you closer, feeling how your muscles relaxed a bit.

There was silence between you for a while. You were wishing he can't hear your heart beating so loud for no reason. The butterfly feeling in your stomach was lingering there for the whole time.

"You better not run your mouth about this to anyone, or..." You whispered silently, not even bothering to finish the sentence.

"Or? What's wrong about two friends being close, hmm?"

"I dunno." Admitting while completely relaxing against him and closing eyes. You are too tired to bother about anything.

Previous ✨ Next

[haloud]

things we could burn in one go (eminence) - chapter 11

also on ao3

Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Isabel Evans & Max Evans & Michael Guerin, Michael Guerin/Alex Manes, Forrest Long/Alex Manes Additional Tags: post-s2, Canon Compliant, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Starts Forlex Ends Malex, Other Characters May Appear, Tags Subject to Update, Mutual Pining, Breaking Up, Getting Together

Chapter Summary: Jones lets Michael in on a secret.

Excerpt:

He took a step back, but the symbols he’d touched continued to glow, burning into the surface of the pod. They pulsed, gold and fiery, for several seconds, before dimming, the colors of the pod pausing, like it was holding its breath.

Then it flickered; Michael yelled in shock as the symbols lifted from the surface, shimmering and gold and shaping themselves into a familiar-unfamiliar form.

A young woman, hair pulled back severely, wearing a stark-white uniform—at least, it looked like a uniform, almost like scrubs—looked down at Michael. The corners of her mouth turned down, a line formed between her brows that Michael saw most days in the mirror, but her eyes gleamed with some other, indefinable emotion.

Michael couldn’t breathe.

 Thursday, 8:30 am

Wiping his hand across his forehead, Michael squinted down into the guts of the Acura that was his latest patient. An easy fix, the job should have been done half an hour ago, but Michael’s mind wandered mercilessly, pulling his eyes to empty space, turning his thoughts to white noise worse than the static on Sanders’s busted radio blaring out oldies from the office. With a final jerk of his wrench, he declared the Acura done and dropped the hood, pacing over to his water and taking a swig. The water did little to cool him off; he paced back to the next car of the day, popped it open, and immediately slammed it shut again with a frustrated sigh.

Fuck, he’d barely been here an hour; he had a backlog a dozen deep or more; what the fuck was wrong with him?

No breeze disturbed the air or lifted the heat, already heavy on the skin even in the early morning. On a normal day, Michael worked methodically in the peace, savoring the solitude, time slipping away under the satisfaction of skill applied and challenge met. No matter how much Sanders griped, Michael always got the job done and the customer satisfied, keeping the lights on, no matter how old and dusty they might be. But today, Michael couldn’t reach that meditative place; his skin crawled in the silence, and his teeth grit at every sound.

Walk. He needed to—walk, exercise off some of this nervous energy. He’d been cooped up after Jones, too long, his feet restless, buzzing all in his veins. It was too early for him to take a break without catching shit from Sanders, but he’d live; Michael would work late, maybe, after the strategy meeting, however long it took, to make up for it. Right now, he couldn’t stay, penned in by the junkyard fence, rattling around in it like a caged dog.

A mile in, Michael realized he had a direction. The buzzing inside him tuned to a frequency, and he followed it, a call sense-familiar, a call like the one that bound him to Max and Isobel and them to their pods, a full-body variation on the sensation of touching alien tech.

Shading his eyes, Michael pulled out his phone and dialed Isobel—nothing. No signal. Of course. With no way to know if this call resonated in Max and Isobel too, he couldn’t do anything but continue on into the desert, following a familiar heading. On foot, it might take hours. It might mean everyone coming to meet him and him not being there, everyone panicking, Alex, panicking. Could he really do that to them again? Reckless, irresponsible, selfish—but none of those thoughts penetrated past the ineffable signal, and Michael walked, to the source of it, the origin.

The cave, at least, dewed cool and refreshing, sheltered from the sun and sand. Michael’s lungs thanked it too, a sanctuary from the hot late morning filling them every step of his trek. Once inside, it was only a short distance to the pod chamber, where Michael stopped.

What the fuck? Like coming out of a trance, Michael whirled around to see the way he came, no memory of it but the body-memory of aching feet.

Nothing there. The pods shimmered on. They had no answers; they weren’t even asking him why he was there, though he asked them. Silence.

Michael crossed the cave and stood in the center of the triad. First, he touched the pod that held Isobel for their new life and held her against death, running his fingers along the cool, frictionless surface. Next, he caressed Max’s pod, and finally, he stood in front of his own, if he could call it a possession, and slid his hands into his pockets.

“Well, I’m here,” he said aloud. “What, did you need something? Spit it out.” He snorted.

“Michael?”

He flinched at the sudden noise, but turned on his heel as his mind caught up with his instinct.

“Max!” he called back. “Dude, what the fuck are we doing out here? Have you talked to Isobel—”

The entrance to the pod cave was short, barely a crevice in the rock that held this chamber, unlike the deeper mines and systems that dotted these hills. Sound traveled fast from the entrance, and so did feet.

It wasn’t Max.

“Michael,” Jones said solemnly, with a shake of his head and a cluck of his tongue. “It disappoints me to have to call you out like this. I thought, after the conviction you showed last time, that you’d return for another lesson.”

“Jones,” Michael replied, taking a step back.

“We could have walked here together; I have plenty of stories to tell to pass the time.”

“Why did we have to walk here at all?” Michael demanded.

“You may have experienced the joys of traversal, but it isn’t something to be done lightly. It takes a great deal of energy and mental focus and fortitude—”

“I’m not talking about walking,” Michael snapped, “I’m talking about here. Why am I here? Why are you here?”

“Well, call me curious,” Jones replied pleasantly, folding his hands behind his back as he began to circle the trio of pods. “I had such a small sample of the woman’s handiwork to study during my confinement, I had to see her stasis pods for myself. The craftsmanship is truly remarkable. Truly remarkable.”

He gave Max’s pod a condescending pat. Michael clenched his fists.

“Most pods have a tendency to decay or have a decaying effect on their inhabitants.” Jones continued his circuit of the pods, passing Isobel’s. Michael stepped to the side so they circled each other, unwilling to let him too close. “But the timed release on these specimens taught them to ration their energy, and here they are, close to a century after crash-landing. Remarkable.”

“Are you telling me my mother built our pods herself?”

“Built, engineered, programmed, grew…” Jones waved a hand. “All of the above. Don’t be so limited in your thinking; you know better than that.”

“You don’t know me.”

“Don’t I? I thought we were getting to know each other quite well. How has Max been lately?”

“Shut up,” Michael snarled.

Jones chuckled. “That’s no way to speak. I didn’t come just to monologue; I came to give you a gift.”

He stopped beside Michael’s pod, and Michael stopped when he did. The entrance to the cave was at Michael’s back; he should cut and run from this vantage and let Jones do whatever he wanted with the pods—but in the middle of the desert, where was he supposed to go? His phone still had no signal, and there was nothing for miles. It would be child’s play for Jones to catch him. Or Jones would wait until Michael was home, until he thought he was safe, and crawl inside his mind to pull him out again. Was anywhere safe? Could Michael be trusted now, or was Jones inside him, somewhere beneath his skin, a trigger buried beneath Michael’s jumbled memories of that day waiting to be tripped?

“When I first came to make my observations, something clever caught my eye.”

Laying a hand on the surface of the pod, Jones’s eyes gleamed as a symbol drew itself beneath his touch, the familiar three-pronged alien sigil.

“It was on the door to your cave,” Michael said. “We’ve seen it our whole lives. You know what it means?”

“Of course. But that can wait. Come closer.”

Michael stalked a few feet, still keeping a wide berth. As he approached, one side of the symbol burned brighter, a circle with a bold, askew cross within. Jones touched a few more symbols in sequence as they rose to the surface.

“If you had persevered through your ordeal instead of running straight to Max, you would be able to read this,” Jones said idly.

“That’s a funny way of saying ‘gee, Michael, sorry for the attempted murder.’”

“Apologize?” Jones still didn’t look at him, face impassive, barely a flicker of irritation passing across it. If Michael didn’t know Max so well, he would know nothing about this man at all. “What good is an apology? I told you before—pain is an excellent teacher. Of course, there are those who disagree.”

He took a step back, but the symbols he’d touched continued to glow, burning into the surface of the pod. They pulsed, gold and fiery, for several seconds, before dimming, the colors of the pod pausing, like it was holding its breath.

Then it flickered; Michael yelled in shock as the symbols lifted from the surface, shimmering and gold and shaping themselves into a familiar-unfamiliar form.

A young woman, hair pulled back severely, wearing a stark-white uniform—at least, it looked like a uniform, almost like scrubs—looked down at Michael. The corners of her mouth turned down, a line formed between her brows that Michael saw most days in the mirror, but her eyes gleamed with some other, indefinable emotion.

Michael couldn’t breathe.

“I hope you never hear this, darling,” Nora said. Or—she didn’t speak, but Michael heard her all the same.

She said, “I hope the journey goes smoothly and we land softly in a new life, and my attempts to find some kind of goodbye can just be deleted like a bad dream. But I’ve been having a lot of bad dreams, baby, and I can’t let this go without a contingency.” She huffed a short sigh. “So here I am.

“You’re sleeping in your room right now. You know its your last night in your little bed, but I’m not sure it’s sunk in exactly what that means. Is it wrong that I’m glad for it? I don’t want you to be afraid. I never want that.

“But if you’re seeing this, it means I’ve likely already failed on that front, so what is there to say except I’m sorry? I’m so sorry, baby, if you’re seeing this. I love you so, so much, and I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to tell you how much I love you without holding you in my arms—these words, these feelings, they aren’t enough. Nothing I say could be enough. But baby, just know that you are the only thing in my heart. Your brilliant mind, your big heart, you are so wonderful, and having you in my life has been my life’s greatest blessing. No matter what, I know you’re out there—even if the worst comes to pass, even if you’re out there alone, even if you come to hate me for abandoning you, any word with you in it is worth saving, no matter what else has been destroyed.

“I love you, I love you, I love you, my son. I’ll love you even more tomorrow, for every day we’re together and every day we’re apart. Goodbye, and goodnight.”

Nora’s form reduced to gold once more, sinking back into the pod, and the silence that followed sucked everything in with it, sucked the air straight from Michael’s lungs. The whole world blurred behind his eyes, his left hand clawing over his chest, over his racing heart, his mouth working to find the words, words his mother hadn’t even known in the much more primal language of thought and emotion sown softly directly into his mind.

He'd felt, all these things, all those emotions she spoke of, hand to hand, through the grime and glass, condensed into one split-second, the atom before the bomb. The love, she’d poured it into him, a vessel too cracked and flawed to hold it. Would having words put to it help him understand? Lyrics to the harmony and melody?

“Touching,” Jones murmured.

“Shut the fuck up,” Michael said, voice cracked to pieces.

“What? I mean it. A mother’s love. No force like it in the world, wouldn’t you say?”

Jones began to circle again, approaching Michael.

“That love brought you here across the stars. Would you like to thank her? Or condemn her? She left you the burdens you bear, after all.”

“It’s not her fault the military locked her up and tortured her!” Michael shouted, a boom to his voice that shook the cave around them, shedding dust like the old days, when Michael’s rage moved furniture and shook art from the walls and moved minds to thoughts of hellfire.

“You really don’t hold a grudge? Not even in the slightest?”

“Why do you care? You hated her, right? Because she got one over on you, she got Max away from you. And she outsmarted you again here on Earth.”

At that, Jones sighed. He took a step closer, and this time Michael stood his ground, his mother-made pod at his back. Jones’s eyes shone glassy in the low, shifting light.

“Thank you, Michael, for that eloquent declaration of your loyalties. I’m disappointed in you, but it does uncomplicate things.”

He flicked his hand and Michael flew across the cave, head slamming sickly into the wall, like Michael had flung Jones when he fled from him the last time. As the world swam and a hot trickle wound down the back of Michael’s neck, Jones approached leisurely.

“See, for a sec, I thought the soft approach was working on you, Michael. I thought my charm was still good, even after all these years. You want to learn. You want the knowledge, the understanding. You want to stand in the light of the truth. Don’t you?”

Michael spat, and Jones ground him a few feet up the wall, his back scraping stone inch by jagged inch.

“So loyal. So dedicated. There is so damn much of that woman in you, no matter what kind of taint this rat-hole planet has left you with, human.”

The word oozed off his tongue like a slur.

A sneer on his face, Jones continued, “I hope it gives you solace while it can. I know it has a certain soothing effect on my own guilty conscience.”

“You’re fucking insane!” Michael gasped out. He flung his mind at every loose object around him, but nothing budged, his powers weak and fickle and inadequate.

In rage, they’d never failed him. But beneath his placid face, in Jones was something stronger than Michael, stronger than rage. But not stronger than Michael’s mother; not stronger than Nora Truman; not stronger than her by any other name she may have claimed in languages Michael would never speak.

Jones wasn’t stronger than her. So Michael would find a way. She sacrificed too much for him to give up now.

“Even on this life-forsaken psych-dumb wasteland planet, you have to understand that there are crimes and there are punishments,” Jones seethed. His composure was cracking, the man they’d first met in that cave pushing through the veneer he’d constructed over the months he’d been among them. He didn’t wait for Michael to respond, ranting on, “She stole from me. Ran from me, a fucking pirate! She stole my healer! My people! My heir. She had no right! And, not content in her flagrant audacity, she put me in a fucking hole in the ground! There are crimes and punishments. But she is beyond me now.”

Michael’s back lifted from the wall and slammed down again. He groaned as his vision went gray and his stomach heaved.

“She got what was coming to her. A fitting enough end, destroyed by the world she thought would hide her. But how can I be satisfied without a little vengeance of my own? Now that I’ve seen her message, my path at last is clear. You’ll do.”

The invisible iron bars pinning Michael six feet in the air disappeared, and he slumped to the hard-packed floor, air sawing through his chest, ribs screaming with every wheeze.

“Wouldn’t she be proud to see you now,” Jones murmured, and everything went dark.

When Michael came to, the world swam dim and gold into view, and squinting and wincing it took him a full minute to absorb his surroundings. He was slumped on the ground beneath the ladder of his workshop. Every bone and muscle ached; every breath seared inside him and ached its way back out.

“Michael! There you are. For a moment I was afraid in my excitement you’d gotten a little ahead of me,” Jones cried jubilant from across the room.

Staggering to his knees, Michael groaned, “Don’t fucking touch—how do you even—know this—”

“Either I plucked it out of your ripe mind when you offered it to me or I know someone who knows you,” Jones said. Something clanked as he tossed it. “Believe whichever, it doesn’t matter to me.”

He flung the tarp from Michael’s worktable, baring the console skeleton before his greedy eyes.

“This—” He laughed. “You truly are a marvel, you stupid boy. What I wouldn’t give for time and space to study you. Mold you. It’s almost a pity.”

“If Max is what you want, he’ll never forgive you if you kill me,” Michael slurred.

“Max is a piece of the puzzle. One piece,” Jones said. “And there have to be three. Or hasn’t anyone told you?”

Jones whirled away and went back to rifling through Michael’s papers, muttering to himself. Inching a little more upright, Michael craned his neck to look at the opening to the bunker, thrown wide, sunlight streaming down. He blinked in the sunlight piercing his pounding head, frantically trying to calculate the time. How close were they to crossing paths with everyone? Had Michael’s stupid wandering called the fox right in? Alex, Isobel, Max, Maria—

“I know, I know, no time to waste,” Jones said. “As entertaining as your little drawings are. We have things to be getting on with.”

With one hand, he seized the console, and with the other, he seized Michael, seized each of his organs in brutal turn, Michael sputtering and choking, writhing for relief that wouldn’t come, a beetle crushed beneath a boot.

“Let’s go somewhere we won’t be interrupted.”